Chapter 212: Namgung Jin-cheon (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: Namgung Jin-cheon (2)
The towering tsunami stood frozen, devoid of even a flicker of movement, as if time itself had stopped.
As Seo-jun slowly lowered his outstretched hand, the massive wall of water began to collapse.
Ssssssssss—
The colossal volume of seawater scattered from its crest, misting the surroundings in a hazy shroud. By the time the tsunami vanished without a trace, the sky had turned a somber gray.
Pitter-patter.
Dark clouds began to weep, pouring rain over the ocean. Standing beneath the downpour, Seo-jun looked up at the sky for a long moment.
How far can the miracles achieved by a mere human reach?
The Sword God, born a mortal, had once severed the sun. He, in turn, had commanded a tsunami, only to let it fall as harmless rain.
Ending his brief contemplation, Seo-jun stepped lightly back onto the surface of the sea. Chun-bong, who had been staring at him blankly, scratched her soft cheek.
"...This is seriously insane."
She had thought that by reaching the Super Peak Realm, she might have caught up to him—even just a little. What a baseless delusion.
What kind of Super Peak martial artist in this world could pull off such a stunt so nonchalantly?
Had he said he reached the Fire Demon Realm but not the Transcendent Realm? To Chun-bong’s eyes, that was pure nonsense.
His stage might not technically be the Transcendent Realm, but her brother had clearly reached a height far beyond it.
"Good grief."
Chun-bong then looked at the sword mark left by her grandfather. It remained perfectly intact, utterly unchanged despite the violent tsunami.
One day, I too...
Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she vowed to become a martial artist who could stand by her brother’s side without shame.
"Um... guys?"
At Namgung Su-ah’s voice, Chun-bong snapped her head around.
"Yeah?"
Instead of answering, Namgung Su-ah silently pointed toward the shore. A massive crowd of people had gathered, staring slack-jawed in their direction.
"Gasp."
This was actually quite embarrassing.
Chun-bong rushed over and slapped Seo-jun’s back repeatedly.
"Hey, hey! Let’s get out of here, fast!"
"Shall we?"
Seo-jun gave a small smirk and wrapped his arms around Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah's waists.
"Then let’s go somewhere else and enjoy the ocean properly."
Since they had come all the way to the sea, they might as well find a scenic, secluded spot to watch the sunset.
And with the two of them by his side, it couldn't be more perfect.
* * *
"We have identified the individual."
Chief Strategist Jegal Tong listened intently to the report.
"It is Ryeo-won, a former master of the Great Black Mountain Sect."
"Hmm..."
Jegal Tong did not take his eyes off the map spread across his desk. He simply could not read Sama Hyeon’s intentions.
Placing a Transcendent Realm martial artist at the vanguard to cross from the east to the west... Is he planning to shake the western front?
He had already received reports that three Super Peak masters of the Black Lotus Union were causing chaos in Zhejiang Province.
Furthermore, it seemed that Super Peak martial artists from the Black Lotus Union were running rampant all across the Central Plains.
Has he lost his mind?
If the Righteous Faction captured or killed all those masters, the Black Lotus Union would suffer irreversible damage.
Jegal Tong knew Sama Hyeon. He was not a man who would throw away his forces without meaning.
That meant this current chaos was undoubtedly a decoy to hide something else... but currently, there was nothing in the Righteous Faction’s Murim worth such a reckless gambit.
"Have there been any movements from their other Transcendent Realm masters?"
"No, sir. None so far."
Then was their goal truly to reclaim the western Central Plains? Jegal Tong furrowed his brows.
Let’s think about this again.
Ryeo-won, a Transcendent Realm master, was heading west, leading his subordinates.
Among the Righteous Faction martial artists caught up in that movement, there were six key figures:
Cheong-ryeo of Mount Hua.
Bo-jung of Emei.
Heo-baek and Heo-ryang of Wudang.
Peng Ju-hyeon of the Peng Clan.
Namgung Yeon of the Namgung Clan.
They all played important roles within the Sixteen Major Sects and Clans, but losing them wouldn't result in a catastrophic, war-ending loss.
The fact that Namgung Yeon was the younger sister of the Namgung Clan Leader was a bit concerning, but even so, it shouldn't dictate the flow of the entire war.
The heads of the Sixteen Major Sects and Clans did not move lightly. No, even if Namgung Jin-cheon himself stepped out, the Black Lotus Union stood to gain nothing.
Are they targeting Namgung Jin-cheon?
Nonsense. It was impossible.
For that to be feasible, they would need at least three or four Transcendent Realm masters led by Je Cheon-hyeok. If they pulled that much strength from the front lines right now, several of the Seven Evil Black Sects might be wiped out in retaliation.
Even if they somehow managed to set the stage, it’s too big of a gamble.
What if they lost two or three Transcendent Realm masters in the process?
Other than the symbolic value of taking down the World’s Strongest, there would be nothing but devastating loss.
One versus three. Was there anyone who didn't know which was the bigger number?
Even if that one person was the World’s Strongest, the Central Plains was excessively vast.
Assuming one and three were equal in total combat power, the three would naturally have a far wider range of strategic utility.
The story would change if it were an all-out, single-front war, or if the World’s Strongest utilized hit-and-run tactics, but those were impossible assumptions.
There were simply too many variables to consider: the existence of the Demonic Cult, the Profound Realm masters, and the ironclad defense of the Namgung Clan.
I can rule out that possibility.
Then what else could it be?
The Super Peak masters running wild in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang?
Meaningless.
Of course, the collateral damage wouldn't be small, but it was an absurdly minor gain compared to the risk of losing their own Super Peak masters.
After a long silence immersed in thought, Jegal Tong finally reached a conclusion.
"Leave Ryeo-won to the Sect Leader of Mount Hua. It should be enough to drive him away without overextending. Also... tell the Sect Leader of the Kongtong Sect to keep a constant eye on the movements in the west. If they try to cut off the waist of the western front, we must respond immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
"One more thing. Pay close attention to the search for the missing key figures. Even if they are already dead, we must recover their bodies."
"I will keep that in mind."
* * *
...It’s done.
Sama Hyeon, who had been closely monitoring the movements of the Righteous Faction, let his lips curl into a wide, sinister grin.
Jegal Tong always chose the safe, aftermath-free move over a bold one. That cautious temperament had become his shackle this time.
"Hehe, hehehe..."
The subordinate who delivered the report trembled at the sight of Sama Hyeon examining the map with bloodshot, fanatical eyes.
It’s a mad plan.
It was a gamble where everything could be lost if even a single move was read by the enemy.
However, Sama Hyeon was now just one step away from a resounding success.
I understand why he missed it.
From Jegal Tong’s perspective, it would have been impossible to read Sama Hyeon’s true move.
Who would think that the prize for all those indiscriminately scattered decoys was a single piece?
Furthermore, that piece boasted the greatest martial might in the world. Setting aside the sheer difficulty of baiting him out, the hunter had to prepare an overwhelming force just to hunt him.
If the plan failed or was even slightly delayed, the Black Lotus Union would suffer irreversible damage.
What if the prey didn't show up at all?
The Black Lotus Union had already endured massive bleeding just to prepare the hunting grounds.
To construct a single formation, they had sacrificed 100 Peak Realm masters, 500 First-rate and Second-rate martial artists, and 3,000 ordinary people from within the Union.
That was the blood cost for just one formation.
If things went even slightly awry, all those sacrifices would become utterly useless.
It was a strategy that couldn't even be attempted without completely seeing through the hearts and temperaments of the opponents.
But if the prey, Namgung Jin-cheon, moved according to Sama Hyeon’s will...
The Black Lotus Union wins this war.
Sama Hyeon was absolutely certain.
* * *
"So, news of Yeon has been cut off..."
"Yes. We cannot reach the Vast Heaven Unit Leader or any members of the Vast Heaven Unit."
Namgung Yeon. She was Namgung Jin-cheon’s younger sister.
Despite sharing the same blood, she was vastly different from him.
If Namgung Jin-cheon was a serene, boundless sky, she was a turbulent sky where a fierce storm raged.
I have a bad feeling about this...
Namgung Jin-cheon slowly rose from his seat.
Currently, there was no significant military strength left within the Namgung Clan. There were enough masters to protect the estate, but the vast majority of their forces were out in the field due to the war.
It wasn't that there was no strength at all to send for Namgung Yeon’s rescue, but...
"I will go personally."
For some reason, he had a dark premonition.
The tides of war, the heavy weight of the Sixteen Major Sects and Clans—none of those were important factors to Namgung Jin-cheon.
Namgung Yeon was his family. That was more than enough reason for him to move personally.
He didn't seek anyone’s understanding. From the moment he lost his wife, nothing was more important to Namgung Jin-cheon than his family.
The sky he looked up at as he stepped out of the Family Head’s Pavilion was perfectly clear. Yet, Namgung Jin-cheon glimpsed the Heavenly Will hidden deep within it.
Calamity.
The sword at Namgung Jin-cheon’s waist unsheathed itself and hovered silently in the air.
The Heavenly Will did not dictate everything. For a martial artist of the Transcendent Realm, it was even possible to rewrite it.
Namgung Jin-cheon didn't bother with complex thoughts. Whatever the Heavenly Will decreed, abandoning his family was not an option.
In that case, he would simply move forward.
Namgung Jin-cheon spoke as he sat upon his hovering sword.
"Myeong, you must lead the clan while I am away..."
"Yes, Father."
"Good... I’m counting on you."
With a light push, Namgung Jin-cheon’s body rose into the air.
Swish—
With a sound like paper being sliced, his figure vanished.
Namgung Myeong’s quiet gaze followed the empty sky where his father had been.
* * *
Namgung Jin-cheon advanced by slicing through space itself.
He merely sat upon his sword, but the advancing blade pierced the fabric of the world, carrying him to the northernmost tip of Shaanxi in an instant.
Namgung Jin-cheon set foot on the ground. Not even a moment had passed since he left the Namgung Clan.
The land where the Transcendent Realm master had swept through was utterly desolate. Not even corpses remained intact; only the scent of dry, dead air lingered at the tip of his nose.
Silently scanning the surroundings, Namgung Jin-cheon found a faint trace.
It was so minute that no one below his level could have ever discovered it.
Is it a trap?
They were openly calling for him.
Even knowing this, he couldn't call for reinforcements.
Since there was no reason for the enemy to throw away their hostage card yet, Namgung Yeon should still be alive.
If he did anything unnecessary, her life would be in immediate danger.
Wuuuung— The sword circled protectively around Namgung Jin-cheon as he walked forward in silence.
Moving by folding space, he soon stood in the middle of a vast desert. His vision was blurred by howling sandstorms.
His sister was there.
This place was quite far from Shaanxi. It meant they were deep within the territory of the Black Lotus Union.
Almost no one could find the faint traces leading here, and even if they did, it would take considerable time to arrive.
The possibility of anyone coming to support him was absurdly low.
"Yeon..."
The bound Namgung Yeon screamed at the sight of him.
"You idiot...! Run away, now...!"
Before Namgung Yeon could finish her sentence, four figures revealed themselves from the swirling sands.
Namgung Jin-cheon looked at them as he stepped to Namgung Yeon’s side. He knew them all.
Je Cheon-hyeok, Head of the Heaven-Breaking Je Clan.
Hyeok Mun-yak, Sect Leader of the Giryeon Sect.
Geom-yul, Sect Leader of the Sword Sect.
Neung Pyeong-ho, the direct Martial Unit Leader of the Black Lotus Union.
Four martial artists of the Transcendent Realm.
"Activate the formation...!"
And roughly twenty Super Peak martial artists surrounding the perimeter.
Flash—! In an instant, a massive formation deployed, completely isolating the area from the outside world. Only Namgung Jin-cheon, Namgung Yeon, and the four Transcendent masters remained inside.
"To think you would actually come. And alone, at that."
Je Cheon-hyeok stood facing Namgung Jin-cheon. The Giryeon Sect Leader took the right, Geom-yul the left, and Neung Pyeong-ho guarded the rear.
Perhaps this place is to be my grave...
Vast Heaven Sword Venerable, Namgung Jin-cheon.
The world’s strongest man smiled purely at the thought that the end he had so long desired had finally arrived.
However...
He couldn't just die quietly.
His children must not be caught up in his own selfish desires. Even if he were to fall here, he had to take all of these bastards with him so as not to leave a burden for the next generation.
I suppose I can leave the rest to the kids...
He wasn't too worried. Since he had gained a reliable son-in-law, his children wouldn't crumble.
"Come..."
Even if he failed to die, so be it.
Rather than indulging the selfish desire for death, he would protect his living sister.
That was how Namgung Jin-cheon had always lived his life.