Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Honeyed Lips, Sword in the Belly (11)
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History is written by the victors.
Especially for the Nangong Clan, which held the exalted status and reputation as the leader of the Orthodox Murim Alliance and one of the Five Great Clans. And yet, that Nangong Clan had been pushed back by the Unorthodox factions?
By just one person, no less? It was something that absolutely could not happen, and certainly could not be known. That was why the Nangong Clan had attached the grandiose name of the Sword Demon War to their subjugation of the Sword Demon.
And in that process, they thoroughly silenced any mention of the allies who had helped them. Everyone who knew about their dealings with those allies, except for a select few, had been killed.
In that way, they had preserved their blood-soaked position as Alliance Leader and maintained their iron grip on power to this day. As a result, the young warriors of the Nangong Clan were left in the dark about the truth.
Who could have ever predicted it?
Not only had the Sword Demon, whom everyone believed dead, returned...
But he was on a collision course with the Nangong Clan itself.
The one who came to visit Ko Gyeom and Ma Gang, who were passing the time endlessly in their prison cell, was someone they never could have expected. He wore a dark blue robe emblazoned with an imugi instead of a dragon.
His soft, flowing white beard and neatly groomed hair made him look like an immortal sage. Ko Gyeom recognized the old man at a glance. No, how could he not know him?
"What brings the great hero Dark Sword Nangong Seonwi to such a humble place?"
"Someone you know?"
"...Before knowledge, at least show some manners, please."
Not knowing Nangong Seonwi—one of the few survivors of the Sword Demon War and one of the two pillars supporting the Nangong Clan Patriarch—was secondary.
To openly treat him like a stranger right in front of him? There's a reason they say it's better to stay in the middle than get caught in the crossfire. Nangong Seonwi smiled as he spoke.
"It's fine. How can ignorance be a crime? Those above must generously forgive the folly of the lowly."
"What brings you here, Great Hero?"
Ko Gyeom was slightly startled inside by Nangong Seonwi's arrogant response but continued speaking as calmly as possible without showing it. What they desperately needed right now was information.
"Oh, nothing special. I've come to hear your last words."
"...Pardon? Our last words?"
Even Ko Gyeom couldn't help but wear a dumbfounded expression at Nangong Seonwi's reply. Last words weren't something left by the dying? But why ask them?
"Snap out of it. That guy plans to kill us right here."
"What? No, not in the Nangong Clan of all places..."
"Your friend has sharp instincts. He feels like he's reached the realm of beasts."
"A-Are you truly planning to kill us?"
Nangong Seonwi offered no answer, merely smiling. Yet the killing intent rising from his body made him look not like a man, but a demon.
"At least tell us the reason! Why must we die?!"
"For the greater good."
"What greater good values itself above human lives?!"
"To protect the roots and history of the Murim we've nurtured all this time."
"What nonsense...!! Have you joined hands with the Demonic Cult?!"
Before coming to Shandong, they had heard a vague warning from Great Hero Nameless. Unknown fiends calling themselves the Demonic Cult were hiding in the roots of the current Murim, running rampant.
Had even the Nangong Clan fallen to the Demonic Cult? But unworthy of the name Demonic Cult, Nangong Seonwi's serene expression twisted into furious rage.
"How dare a mere insect utter the name of those vile ignoramuses."
"I-If not that, then why are you trying to kill us?"
"It's that damned face they're trying to save, obviously. How predictable."
Ma Gang, who had been silently listening from the side, let out a deep sigh and spoke up. Ma Gang wasn't stupid. He just hated cramming knowledge into his head.
Thanks to that, his so-called knowledge wasn't all that deep compared to others. But at least in a situation like this, he could roughly infer what was going on.
"The Nangong Clan doesn't want to give any pretext that they failed to protect their guests. So they're trying to pin the blame on Great Hero Nameless."
"Is what he's saying true?"
"Of course not. This is merely a tragic accident. For example... the young Orthodox experts were all wiped out due to the Sword Demon's sudden rampage."
Only then did Ko Gyeom finally grasp Nangong Seonwi's intent. Thinking back, this incident tarnished not only the Seonmu Academy but the Nangong Clan's face behind it.
No, beyond face, it caused immediate practical losses. Who would entrust jobs to the Nangong Clan when they couldn't even properly escort a procession in Henan?
The Sacheon Tang Clan, seeing them as rivals, would cling to this endlessly. And the Zhuge Clan, wary of the Nangong Clan's power monopoly, would check them too.
"So you're going to blame the Sword Demon? Sweep it under the rug by saying it was unavoidable because it was the Sword Demon?"
"Something like that."
"Might as well try covering the sky with your palm!! Do you think the truth will stay hidden?!"
"We can't create something from nothing, but with exalted authority, even a deer can be called a horse. Of course, you'll never live to realize that."
"Enough with the empty talk."
Ma Gang, who had been standing with arms crossed in a composed expression while listening, dug in his ear with his pinky and cut him off. At that, a vein bulged on Nangong Seonwi's forehead.
"What?"
"Hey, you bastard. In a situation where we should be negotiating desperately, provoking like that...!!"
"You know damn well too. That old fox has no intention of letting us live."
Ma Gang didn't know who the opponent was. But judging by the aura, at least Peak Realm or higher. If such a person was set on killing them, it was irreversible.
"Peak Realm is the Immovable Realm. One who ignores others' words and forges their own path. Once a Peak expert decides something, no one but themselves can change it."
"You know well, despite not even being Peak yourself."
"Well, it doesn't scare me one bit. Because I've already met the real deal."
"...The real deal? You mean that phony?"
He hadn't said it explicitly here, but Nangong Seonwi had already discerned that the one in this place was not the Sword Demon. That's why he could act so brazenly.
Because the opponent wasn't the Sword Demon.
The clueless fools might be fooled.
But he had clashed swords with the real Sword Demon.
'If I handle this well, I can solidify the Nangong Clan's recently shaky position even further. I just need to clean up this phony.'
Of course, he acknowledged the phony wasn't ordinary. His appearance worthy of being called the Sword Demon made it obvious he was at least Peak Realm.
But it wasn't enough.
Compared to the real Sword Demon, he fell far short.
If it had been the real one, not a single survivor would remain. That's why Nangong Seonwi was incredulous. These ignorant whelps treating him like a fake.
"Ignorance breeds courage, they say. You fit the bill perfectly."
"Watch it, or you might get hit wrong and lose what few teeth you have left. How will you eat your meat then, paper tiger?"
"You're truly beyond saving. Today, right here, I'll..."
"Elder! You need to come quickly!!!"
Just as he could no longer tolerate the insults and was about to teach the brat a harsh lesson, one of the Nangong Clan warriors rushed into the prison and called for Nangong Seonwi.
"What commotion is this now?"
If it was nothing serious, he planned to punish the fool for wasting his time. But the news from the Nangong warrior was something even the seasoned Nangong Seonwi hadn't anticipated.
"The Sword Demon has invaded!!!"
"Step aside."
The Nangong Clan warriors guarding the gate froze at Nameless's coldly sunken voice. Some among them trembled with fear.
It was only natural. Their opponent was none other than the infamous Sword Demon. The monster that, decades ago, the Orthodox coalition led by the Nangong Clan had barely repelled. Though much time had passed.
Few in the Nangong Clan remained who had witnessed his prowess with their own eyes and remembered it. Some had died of old age, but most had fallen in the Sword Demon War.
"This is where the Nangong Clan warriors and their families reside. We cannot guarantee your safety if you proceed further."
"This is your final warning. Back off, or you'll all die."
"We cannot do that. We too have duties we must uphold."
"That spirit, at least, I respect."
Nameless placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. Sensing the threat instinctively, the Nangong Clan warriors formed a tight formation without fleeing, clustering together.
The formation they deployed was solid and disciplined, one that even a Peak expert couldn't easily breach. If the opponent were an ordinary master, that is.
The Nangong Clan warrior at the front snapped to his senses to find himself rolling on the ground. But what entered his eyes was an absurd sight.
The massive pillar of the grand mansion, boasting four layers, was splitting horizontally and collapsing. A single swing that felled countless troops like mowing down soldiers.
Sweeping Away a Thousand Troops