The Opening Gambit
The moment the words Banunbang left their lips, Namgung Woo guessed their true objective.
Wuhan. The front yard of the Jegal Family. No matter how powerful the Jegal Family was, they could not control everyone who entered the city. That was firmly the domain of the government. The long-standing, inviolable boundary between the court and the martial world was as common knowledge as the famous prohibition against interference. Even now, constables were present on this very street. Yet they merely whispered among themselves, watching the martial artists without any intention of intervening even as the situation teetered on the edge of bloodshed.
Even if the Jegal Family and the Banunbang openly claimed the streets and fought a battle here, the authorities would not step in unless civilians were directly dragged into the fray. However, separate from the government’s hands-off attitude, the Jegal Family’s reputation had taken a severe blow in this moment.
They couldn’t stop Evil Sect martial artists from entering Wuhan? Everyone could understand that much. But the Jegal Family had a duty to identify how many Evil Sect practitioners were already in the city, what they were plotting, and prevent any uprising in advance. They were the de facto rulers of Wuhan and the primary party in this war.
The moment the Wudang Sect—the most crucial reinforcements—clashed with the Banunbang in the middle of Wuhan’s streets, the Jegal Family’s face had been thoroughly trampled.
But was that all they were aiming for? Their reputation will be damaged, but in return, the Jegal Family will desperately try to eliminate them. Even at the cost of losing combat strength?
Evil Sect members who had walked straight into the tiger’s den that was Wuhan. If they were annihilated by the Wudang Sect without achieving anything, it would only tarnish the Banunbang’s name while boosting the morale of the Righteous Faction. They wouldn’t have sent just any ragtag group.
Even in Namgung Woo’s eyes, their skill level was by no means inferior to the Wudang Taoists. The one called Halryong Mado was especially powerful, comparable to the Black Sword Ghost or the Destroying Island Demon. Ever since his title had been revealed, not only martial artists but even the common people’s reactions had completely changed. He was clearly a supreme expert whose fame had spread beyond the martial world and into the mundane realm.
But even if they succeeded in neutralizing the Wudang Sect, even if the Banunbang won this clash, they would never withstand the subsequent assault from the Jegal Family and the rest of the Righteous Faction.
What a waste. They don’t even know if they can defeat the Wudang Sect, yet they’re throwing away such valuable forces so recklessly. That means they aren’t just disposable pawns… In that case…
Namgung Woo turned his body. His gaze shifted toward the direction where the Jegal Family’s main residence lay.
This is a setup to aim for something bigger.
By provoking the giant that was the Wudang Sect and pinning everyone’s attention on the city center, they planned to strike the outer manor. A classic diversion tactic—striking the east while attacking the west. But would the Jegal Family really fail to see through such a ploy? The only reason they hadn’t anticipated this move was because their confidence had grown far too great.
The Jegal Family’s residence was a colossal qimen formation, as densely packed with every kind of mystical art as the Forbidden City itself. They prided themselves on being able to handle even supreme experts once inside their own grounds. Even a mere insect could claim half the advantage in its own home—how much more so for the Jegal Family?
On the other hand, the Banunbang must have prepared this move precisely because they were confident they could break through that formation. Even if they had brought some secret weapon capable of piercing the Jegal Family’s qimen array, actually conquering it would still take considerable time.
It had taken Namgung Woo only a few minutes to follow this entire chain of thought.
“Geumsin.”
“Yes.”
“Go right now and—”
“Captain, what in the world is all this commotion?”
“There’s no need to go.”
Namgung Woo cut off the words he had been about to give Geumsin and turned to look at the Yang twins, who had hurriedly left the inn and come looking for him.
“What about your training?”
“We were in the middle of it. But we suddenly felt a collision of qi waves, so…”
“Never mind. You came at the perfect time. The three of you, go to Ha-ryeong with Geumsin right now. If anything happens, send me a signal immediately.”
Paeng Ha-ryeong and Jegal Seon-a were both inside the Jegal Family’s residence. If the Banunbang’s true target really was the Jegal Family, then the two of them were currently standing on a dangerous battlefield.
Reading the gravity of the situation from Namgung Woo’s tone, the Yang twins hardened their expressions and nodded.
“Understood.”
“Hey, monk. You heard him. Let’s go.”
The three of them swiftly parted the crowd using the Divine Walking Technique and disappeared from sight.
With that, he had secured insurance against the worst-case scenario. There was still time.
Namgung Woo turned his gaze forward once more.
Contrary to the bold command he had given to return to the Wudang Sect, Halryong Mado’s current state of mind was extremely complicated.
Damn it. Is he using some kind of Six Harmonies Voice Transmission? I can’t even sense the direction of his gaze. It’s like he has the Six Harmonies Complete Observation. I heard the guy has strange eyes, but his eye technique is ridiculous.
He could clearly feel that he was being watched, yet he couldn’t even guess where the gaze was coming from. This bizarre sense of being observed rattled Halryong Mado’s nerves.
But only for a moment.
Halryong Mado gathered his scattered focus back into one. Even within the Banunbang, where supreme experts were as common as weeds, he was counted among the very best. Yet even he could not afford to hold back against the Wudang Sect.
If that mysterious young expert the Black Sword Ghost and Destroying Island Demon had spoken of had truly intended to help the Wudang Sect, he would have stepped forward already. The fact that he was merely watching meant he had no intention of intervening for now.
In that case, I’ll settle this before he gets involved.
An explosive surge of murderous qi erupted from Halryong Mado’s entire body. His attitude made it clear that he didn’t care who came running after sensing it.
“Elder Go, what is your answer?”
The mouth of Go Wonjin, representative of the Wudang reinforcements, opened.
“There is nothing to discuss. The ones who must leave are you.”
Go Wonjin’s Songmun Ancient Sword revealed its edge in response. Like a pine tree that bent softly despite its solid trunk, Go Wonjin’s gentle qi smoothly deflected Halryong Mado’s ferocious aura. He did not avoid the collision.
The instant after Go Wonjin’s action, the sound of weapons being drawn rang out simultaneously from both sides.
“They’re fighting!”
“Everyone fall back! If you get caught in the aftershock, not even your bones will remain!”
“Back! Move further back!”
The crowd surged backward. This was a clash between giants—the Wudang Sect and the Banunbang. Even those who had learned a fair amount of martial arts had no choice but to swallow their pride and retreat.
The open space that had grown narrower as more people gathered began to expand rapidly. No matter how exquisitely the supreme experts controlled their power, a battle between them could not help but create shockwaves. Even the mere fragments of their internal energy were enough to injure people. For clumsy martial artists, a direct hit to a vital point could easily cost them their lives.
Of course, that only applied to martial artists of ambiguous skill—second or first-class. It had nothing to do with Namgung Woo.
He remained calmly in place. The people in front of him who tried to push him aside felt as if they were shoving against a massive cliff. They grunted and struggled before jumping back in fright and fleeing. This phenomenon was not limited to Namgung Woo alone.
Here and there among the retreating crowd, several figures stood firm like boulders unmoved by crashing waves. Naturally, such people drew everyone’s attention, and Namgung Woo carefully memorized each of them.
They’re showing me my top recruitment targets at a glance.
Just this alone made standing here worthwhile.
The wide road, roughly ten meters across, had transformed into an exclusive battlefield for the Wudang Sect and the Banunbang. Go Wonjin and Halryong Mado. In addition, seven Wudang Taoists faced off against the Banunbang warriors.
Once each side’s opponents were decided, neither waited any longer.
“Attack!”
“Kill those Wudang bastards!”
At Halryong Mado’s shout, the Banunbang warriors charged forward, radiating killing intent.
“I will take on Mado! Deploy the True Martial Seven Absolutes Formation!”
“Yes, Elder!”
The Wudang Sect did not remain idle. Following Go Wonjin’s command as he blocked Halryong Mado’s path, the seven Taoists swiftly formed their array.
To Namgung Woo, the entire process felt refreshingly new. This was proper group combat in the martial world, unlike the chaotic brawl that had broken out on Seonwu Mountain due to the terrain.
Even though the Banunbang warriors used completely different martial arts, they did not interfere with one another and secured their own territories. But what surprised him even more was the formation displayed by the Wudang Sect.
Namgung Woo was not entirely ignorant of coordinated joint attacks. Although he had never used them himself, the Yang twins were quite knowledgeable on the subject. However, the True Martial Seven Absolutes Formation possessed a discipline and structure that went beyond the instinctive coordination of brothers who had trained together their entire lives.
Despite facing more than twice their number with only a slight difference in individual skill, the Wudang Taoists did not yield even an inch.
As expected of the Wudang Sect. But the true decisive factor is…
Separate from his admiration for the True Martial Seven Absolutes Formation, Namgung Woo analyzed the situation with cold precision. The supreme experts each side possessed were inevitably the greatest balancing weights that would determine the outcome of the battle.
However, it seemed Namgung Woo would not be given the chance to watch the titanic clash between Go Wonjin and Halryong Mado.
KWAAAAANG!
A massive explosion erupted from behind, shaking all of Wuhan.
“Over there, that’s definitely…”
“The Jegal Family! The Jegal Family is under attack!”
The Banunbang’s true offensive was only just beginning.