Chapter 129
Chapter 129. Fame (2)
Crack-crack-crash!
Soldier Eccentric was cutting through the wind, rushing toward Zhengzhou. In his not-short life, he had never deployed Lightness Arts this fast. That's how urgent his current state of mind was.
"Please, please-!"
Soldier Eccentric was in fact the Murim Alliance's Secret Service Lord, but he had no great affection for the Murim Alliance. Rather, he had constantly worked to shed the shackles of being the Murim Alliance's Secret Service Lord. That's why he had lived without taking on disciples until now. The next generation shouldn't be like that. Thinking it must be so, he had worked diligently to sever those damned firm shackles called the Murim Alliance.
So he had already finished making a deal with Hyeoncheon Jinin to sever those shackles with this matter as the last.
After that, whatever happened to the Murim Alliance, he planned to completely wash his hands of it.
However,
'Damn-! What is this!'
The more he investigated this matter, the more it seemed he wouldn't be able to wash his hands of it.
Even while visiting Noga Village, Great Blade Gate, and Yong Family Manor, he had been uncertain. It was certain that a tremendously skilled person or monster had appeared in Zhengzhou, but it didn't seem like they could do anything alone.
Even if that was.
An Extreme Yin Star of Heavenly Calamity.
That's how it was until he reached Heavenly Star Training Hall, the last place he visited.
As soon as he arrived there, he had no choice but to change his thinking.
Because he discovered a certain sign that forced him to.
'The martial arts tournament must be stopped immediately right now!'
If not,
The Rising Stars of the Orthodox Faction would be annihilated. No, those who participated in the Heavenly Youth Martial Arts Tournament.......
'Everyone might die!'
If that happened, a dark age would descend upon the Martial World.
Whisk-whisk—!
Sharp wind pierced his eyes, but he didn't slow down in the slightest.
'When a black and cold star rises and descends to earth,The world falls into silence.'
He recalled the legend his master had told him when he first became Secret Service Lord. And he now knew it wasn't a legend.
Moreover, this time it wasn't alone. Because of that, the world might become even quieter.
Crack-crack-!
His two feet moved even more hurriedly.
***
The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau has been famous since ancient times for the abundant growth of rare flowers and precious plants. Therefore, many grass gatherers and herb collectors sought it out. However, because the terrain was so rugged, nine out of ten who climbed up never returned.
Accordingly, in the innermost parts of the plateau, steep valleys extended endlessly, blocking human footsteps. Though it was a secret place completely unknown to the public, if one followed the hundreds of miles of steep valleys all the way to the end, an unimaginable sight would unfold.
A skyscraper wrapped in cumulus clouds.
A tremendously tall building covered in billowing clouds whose peak was difficult to guess stood towering in the very center of a vast natural garden blooming with bizarre flowers and grasses emitting eerie energy.
The Secret Hall of the Hall of Gathering Evil.
That's right. This was the real stronghold of the Hall of Gathering Evil, unknown to the world. A secret place among secret places, with far more people who don't know than those who do.
On the very top floor of this place dwelled a person who controlled the underworld of all under heaven with a single gesture.
Unknown to the world.......
The true master of the Hall of Gathering Evil.
***
Like everywhere inside the Heavenly Evil Tower, the top floor room was also filled with all kinds of blooming flowers.
Kong Na-chu was leisurely trimming flower trees using scissors. Looking at that alone, it was the very image of a retired scholar peacefully enjoying his twilight years. Who on earth would think such a person was the patriarch of the Unorthodox Faction?
Except for one thing.
Except for the fact that his narrowly split eyes were incomparably fierce, to the point where it was hard to see him as a scholar.
Snip snip.
At a certain moment when the regular sound of scissors was quietly pervading the room.
A light wind blew in, cutting off the sniping and settling down behind Kong Na-chu as a long shadow.
Kong Na-chu put down the scissors and straightened his back.
Strangely, his elongated shadow didn't waver at all. Even though a fist-sized Night-Shining Pearl was embedded in the front wall.
"What is it?"
"Word has come from Old Uncle."
A voice from who knows where gave an answer.
Kong Na-chu's sharp gaze instantly flashed even more keenly.
"The preparations?"
"They say preparations have been completed at Heavenly Star Training Hall and about ten other places."
"Ten places. That's sufficient. Is today the fourth day since Awakening of Insects?"
"Yes, Palace Lord."
"Then tomorrow will be the day of the great undertaking?"
"Yes, Palace Lord. However, are you really going to send those things to Zhengzhou—."
"I became a sinner for all eternity from the moment I embraced the Chosen One of the Extreme Yin Star of Heavenly Calamity in the Hall of Gathering Evil."
"......"
"Now that child and those things will newly reorganize the Martial World's power structure. Even if there were a deity among the people currently at the Murim Alliance, they won't come out alive. The Murim Alliance Leader believed he could catch that child using the Heavenly Youth Martial Arts Tournament, but he'll only realize that was a miscalculation after he's dead."
"Then...... are you planning to move directly on Heavenly Demon Castle?"
"That's right. As soon as you leave this room, contact the Dharma King. Tell him so that when we sally forth to Tibet, Potala Palace can immediately open the way."
"Yes, Palace Lord."
Potala Palace.
The leader of Tibet and an ally bound by blood ties with Heavenly Demon Castle. However, according to Kong Na-chu's words just now, it seemed clear that the Dharma King, who was the palace lord of Potala Palace, had already turned that sword upside down.
Due to geographical characteristics, if Tibet struck at Xinjiang where Mount Tianshan was located, Heavenly Demon Castle would be completely giving up its rear guard.
Moreover, since Heavenly Demon Castle was currently in full confrontation with the Orthodox Faction of the Central Plains and the Murim Alliance in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and other regions, there wouldn't be many troops remaining in the main castle.
If the Hall of Gathering Evil and Potala Palace joined forces and struck in that situation.......
"The term Three Hegemons doesn't make sense by itself. The character for hegemon means foremost, but three foremosts doesn't make sense, does it? Foremost is a word only possible when there's only one. With this opportunity, this seat will erase the cumbersome number three from the memories of Martial World people."
Hegemon.
The most outstanding among many things. Or the foremost thing.
What other words are needed?
Hegemon only has value when it exists alone.
However, for Kong Na-chu, besides Heavenly Demon Castle and the Murim Alliance excluding the Hall of Gathering Evil from the Three Hegemons, there were a few more things that concerned him.
He walked forward and pressed firmly on the Night-Shining Pearl embedded in the wall.
"However, what I'm worried about is—"
Grrrrooooom…
A low mechanical sound rang out and the center of the hemispherical ceiling began to split open on both sides. Through the gap, scorching sunlight poured directly into the room.
Kong Na-chu slowly walked back to the center of the room and raised his head to look up at the sky.
Since it was midday, moreover the time when the sun was at its zenith, that sunlight was truly dazzling. Although Kong Na-chu was a supremely skilled master who made all under heaven tremble, it was difficult for his eyes to easily endure.
Nevertheless, Kong Na-chu carefully observed something floating beside the sun.
After a long while.
He finished the words he had been saying in a low voice.
"—That thing."
"Pardon? What is that thing?"
The shadow didn't have eyesight as good as Kong Na-chu's, so they couldn't see it. So it asked again.
To this, Kong Na-chu continued looking at the sun, no, beside it, and said,
"New Star."
"......!"
"Now I can't even guess just how brightly that thing will shine."
An ordinary star's light isn't even close to a firefly next to the sun. But that thing far exceeded that threshold. Previously it had merely floated at night and barely shone transparently and somewhat brightly beside the moon, but now it barely lost its light even beside the sun.
'Will that thing indeed become a variable?'
However, it was already too late for him to turn back. It couldn't be helped.
Yeon Yeong-ha, and 'those things' had already gone out to the Central Plains. And he and all of the Hall of Gathering Evil's forces would soon sally forth to Tibet.
If something had already been decided, it must be pushed through swiftly and overwhelmingly to crush everything. Befitting the name of that organization-Hall of Gathering Evil.
The place where Hall of Gathering Evil Palace Lord Kong Na-chu and his shadow were looking up at the sky was Yunnan's Ten Thousand Phenomena Valley.
***
Aaaaahh-!
Things were getting better and better.
The cheers shaking the Murim Alliance grew increasingly louder. Though there were no battles providing impact as intense as the first day, new Young Ones on the Tiles kept pouring out without rest. Naturally, most people focused their gazes on the arena and didn't turn their eyes elsewhere even for a moment.
However,
"That star is now visible even in broad daylight?"
The gaze of the woman dressed as a man with an innocent expression on the roof of Demon Subduing Hall, Yeon Yeong-ha, was directed not downward at the arena but toward the sky.
Though it wouldn't be clearly visible to ordinary people's eyes, it was clearly visible to her eyes. Even though it was beside the bright sun, its transparency didn't die.......
A star so transparent it seemed indifferent.
Her head slowly lowered. However, it didn't completely go down all the way to the central arena.
Across Central Great Road, the roof of Jibin Pavilion is visible on the other side.
She stopped her head after fixing her gaze to reach exactly there.
A man who exuded a feeling of utter emptiness just by standing there was watching the tournament.
That's him.
Yeon Yeong-ha opened her mouth and spoke quietly.
"Is it you?"
Of course, she couldn't expect an answer from the other party.
However, she already felt it was no different from having heard an answer. Because the aura of emptiness emanating from that person was growing more intense day by day.
Honestly, until now she hadn't been certain. At times she had thought he might just be another lunatic she had coincidentally encountered.
But now she could guarantee it.
The New Star was that person. Dong Guang-chuan.