Chapter 451
Chapter 451
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 451
Chapter Title: Coincidence and Inevitability (5)
When Namgung Yun invoked his family's name to draw attention, Hyeok Ryeon-so halted in his tracks.
"…Namgung Yun?"
Yang Beom, the Left Inner Guard standing beside him, spotted the young monk among Namgung Yun's group of about twenty and added,
"The young monk standing next to him appears to be Won-cheol of Shaolin."
The arrival of two figures hailed as the future of the Namgung family and Shaolin.
Hyeok Ryeon-so fell into brief contemplation.
'They're decent catches... but if I dawdle, the alliance leaders near Luoyang will come swarming one by one.'
He had confirmed that Shaolin and Mount Hua were holding their positions.
But if word spread that the Murim Alliance had been attacked, they would rush over.
Hyeok Ryeon-so didn't have much time.
He needed to desecrate the symbols of the orthodox Murim as quickly as possible and escape Luoyang.
'Those guys are still just juniors who can't shake off their inexperience.'
Namgung Yun and Won-cheol.
They fell short as prime targets.
"I'm not here just to catch those two."
As Hyeok Ryeon-so concluded his deliberations,
one of the detachment members stepped forward.
It was Man Wi, head of the Man family—one of the Eight Legs upholding the Ghost City Mountains.
"Entrust this place to me, Young Master. By the time you return from accomplishing your goal, you can admire the heads of these heretics."
They had committed only the minimal force to deal with the initial garrison soldiers and unranked warriors.
The position they now held was quite critical, in Hyeok Ryeon-so's judgment.
He deemed Man Wi and the Man family warriors suitable to block the orthodox fools ahead.
"I can trust the Man family head with this."
Not only was he capable,
but Namgung Yun was one of those who had greatly contributed to the death and humiliation of Man Wu, the prized genius of the Man family and the Black Immortal Demon Army.
"However, prioritize holding this position over that earlier talk."
"Of course."
"Approved."
"The Divine Cult is invincible!"
With a nod, he resumed his stride toward the Thunder Prison where Eon Yong-un was confined.
Paht!
As the Man family elites charged at Namgung Yun and Won-cheol to block Hyeok Ryeon-so's path,
the clash erupted immediately.
Chaeng! Chaeng!
Chaechaech chaeng!!
As the sound of clashing blades rang out from all directions and sparks flew,
Namgung Yun and Won-cheol abandoned pursuing Hyeok Ryeon-so and engaged Man Wi directly.
Kang! Kaang!!
Among them, Namgung Yun swung his sword ferociously and demanded of Man Wi,
"Why did you do that to Moonlit Night Village?"
At Namgung Yun's question to the enemy, Man Wi thought the orthodox fools were truly soft.
But he realized he could exploit this to rile them up.
"Moonlit Night Village?"
"The village near Zhao Valley."
Kang! Kang!
Kaaaang!!!!
"Ah, you mean that mountain slash-and-burn hamlet?"
"Yes. They were driven there with nowhere else to turn. Even gruel for every meal was a luxury they couldn't afford."
Man Wi deliberately kept his tone vague.
"What a joke. How many of our cultists have died by your blades for you to say that?"
"You and we are enemies pointing swords at each other! But those people were just the weak! Those who distrust the world had no reason to speak of seeing you, and you gain nothing from those with nothing to take. Why slaughter even them?"
As Namgung Yun's voice rose in agitation,
Man Wi tossed out a single word.
"We were short on firewood. Dry wood burns best, after all. The starved ones were perfect."
A reaction came immediately from Won-cheol, who had been silently extending his staff strikes.
"…Seeing Donor Eon Yong-un and the Straw Sandals group, I wondered if it was merely a divergence of paths, that even the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult harbored Buddha-nature... Amitabha. Truly the mindset of demons."
Won-cheol's strikes intensified at once.
Peng! Peng!
Peopeopeong!!!
Man Wi sneered in response.
"Acting all monk-like, preaching politely every time. Buddha-nature? To us awaiting the Heavenly Demon's reincarnation, suggesting we could become Buddha disciples—truly the most insulting words of my life."
At that moment, Namgung Yun agreed not with Won-cheol, but with Man Wi.
"You're right."
"…Donor Yun?"
"We shouldn't expect anything from scum like you."
Man Wi let out a hollow laugh in reply.
"Doesn't sound much different from what that monk said."
"No. It's different. I didn't ask to debate right and wrong. I just can't comprehend it."
"Comprehend?"
"Your goal is to topple us and take the seats of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, isn't it?"
Countless dynasties and factions had risen and fallen across the Central Plains.
There was no reason the orthodox Murim couldn't follow suit.
"They say the will of heaven is the will of the people. The realm belongs to the common folk in the end—why slaughter so indiscriminately those you intend to make your followers? You think the demonic reign will come like that?"
"Your words sound more ridiculous than the monk's. How is the realm the people?"
But Man Wi scoffed at Namgung Yun's words.
"All in this land is merely lent by the Heavenly Demon. When our Cult Leader stands as the Heavenly Demon, heaven and earth will return to their true master, and all shall become his slaves. Better those worms become fertilizer for the demonic reign than prolong their wretched lives."
Namgung Yun ground his teeth.
"It will never happen as you wish."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Since forging a bond with Eon Yong-un at the Righteous Advance Tournament, Won-cheol had admired him and his friends.
He became the first Shaolin disciple to join the Righteous Martial Academy as an exchange student and stayed by their side ever since.
'But chances to fight alongside the donors were rare.'
As a pillar of Shaolin, Won-cheol's actions came with many restrictions.
So he could only imagine standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them.
Accompanying them to meet the Straw Sandals Leader filled him with an unprecedented thrill and sense of accomplishment.
Yet it also sparked questions about why Eon Yong-un and his siblings were so relentlessly active.
'I thought it was a bit excessive.'
Not quite like the Straw Sandals who saw even the alliance's emergency as a chance to oust the Alliance Leader.
In Won-cheol's eyes, the orthodox Murim's security was on solid ground.
With Eon Yong-un growing tremendously as both warrior and leader, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult wouldn't easily eye the Central Plains.
'I figured it was better for Donor Yong-un to stay composed now rather than risk needless threats.'
Thus, he wondered.
Those adept at reading the tides—like Eon Yong-un, Yin Xia Lian, and Jeon-gal Seolji—surely thought the same.
Why, then, did they rush to every demonic incident without hesitation, even now that the orthodox Murim stood firm?
To resolve that doubt, he believed he needed to stand by Eon Yong-un's side—even as a monk, harboring worldly desire.
And now, facing the demons on the battlefield,
he finally understood why Eon Yong-un and his siblings were so active.
'They're entirely different.'
The demons were unlike anyone.
Not just the orthodox Murim warriors, nor even the unrighteous who weighed gains and losses before advancing or retreating.
Puooooong!!!!
The chilling might of demonic arts was fearsome enough,
but what terrified most was the hatred and fanaticism in their hearts.
'If we grant even a sliver of possibility to those bound by hate and zeal...'
The realm would overturn, and the world would become hell.
'To utterly uproot the chance of demons supplanting justice, the donors ran themselves ragged.'
Was it from constant battles with such demons?
The Eon siblings were different too.
Unlike Won-cheol, whose strikes grew wild from inner turmoil at the demons' true nature,
Namgung Yun wielded his sword coldly, though clearly enraged.
Kang! Kaang!!!
Kaaaang!!!!!
'That's true self-mastery... Even without comparing to Donor Yong-un, I'm just a pampered flower blessed by Shaolin's favor.'
Taking the ever-bickering Namgung Yun as his model, Won-cheol began cooling his boiling rage.
In that moment,
the thick shackles in Won-cheol's mind unlocked.
'I must open the precept against killing.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ As part of the ploy to lure Hyeok Ryeon-so, I had voluntarily entered the Murim Alliance's Thunder Prison three days prior.
Chaeng! Chaeng!
Chae-aeng!
Finally, the sounds of clashing blades reached from outside.
- That sounds different from training sword strikes, doesn't it?
'Yes. It seems it's begun.'
After a brief reply to Master, I addressed Jang Son-rip, confined opposite me behind iron bars.
"Just why do I rub you the wrong way so much?"
"……."
But Jang Son-rip remained silent to my question.
This time, a massive boom echoed from outside.
Kwaaaaang!!!
As heads in the Thunder Prison turned toward the explosion,
I dusted myself off and stood.
"Looks like it's come."
As I showed signs of leaving the prison, Jang Son-rip finally parted his lips with a sneer, having kept them sealed till now.
"What scheme this time?"
"Didn't I tell you?"
"…You think you confided in me? What nonsense is that?"
"What are you talking about, Vice Leader? I kept telling you demons would attack, so prepare."
In response, Jang Son-rip laughed derisively as if to prove a point.
"Ha! Ridiculous. Demons attacking the Murim Alliance? Even a stray dog wouldn't buy that."
"Can't you hear the blade clashes and booms now?"
"Hmph! Probably some playacting farce with the Alliance Leader to pull another trick."
At Jang Son-rip's attitude, Master ground his teeth and spat,
- …Have you ever seen such a rotten scum?! If I had a body, I'd smash that old fool's skull!
My thoughts differed slightly from Master's.
'…He's still our side's manpower. Wasting even a shred of strength on him now would be true waste.'
Chuckling hollowly at the thought,
"You got half of it right."
I unlocked the door with the iron key I'd brought in from the start and stepped out.
Chil-keok-
Then Jang Son-rip pointed at me accusingly.
"Heh. Even brought keys and sat pretty. I knew you had ulterior motives the moment you walked in on your own."
"Yes, well, I did come on purpose. Needed to lure the enemy. But I was also curious what the elders were up to."
Jang Son-rip tried to cut me off.
"Deception has limits—who do you take for a…"
I interrupted him first.
"Ah. Shut it."
"What?"
I tossed the other keys I'd brought into Jang Son-rip's Thunder Prison cell where he sat.
"Listen calmly to the sounds outside. Then judge for yourself. Whether to cling to your delusions and end as history's refuse, or seek another path."