Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
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"Master. What did that guy mean?"
We had already returned to the Thunder God Valley before we knew it. After meticulously checking our rear for any pursuers from the Wind God Flow or prying eyes, everyone entered my pouch, and we used the Dimensional Shift to move to the Thunder God Valley all at once. With this method, no tracker would be able to find our whereabouts.
Once back in the Thunder God Valley, I channeled qi into Lee Gwang and performed energy healing on him. Lee Gwang was considerably exhausted from the intense battle and had sustained internal injuries. After receiving the energy healing and completing the Small Celestial Circuit, his complexion seemed much improved.
Lee Gwang, having recovered his vigor, answered my question.
"That bastard plans to mobilize the Righteous Heaven Alliance to torment us."
As he said that, Lee Gwang glanced subtly at Mang Ryang.
"Isn't that right, Vice Heaven Alliance Leader?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Mang Ryang had also come to the temple where the Thunder God Flow resided. Even though the energy healing was complete, the fact that Lee Gwang allowed someone outside the Thunder God Flow to approach this closely meant he trusted Vice Heaven Alliance Leader Mang Ryang. Mang Ryang deployed the Five Fires and Seven Golden Threads and let out a sigh.
"Hah, Yong Jung-il, the sect leader of Yellow Mountain Sect... He is likely a direct lineage of the Wind God Flow's Dharma Protector Yong Bi-cheon. Probably his own son, judging by seniority. Even so, the fact that he established one of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools in less than thirty years in the Central Plains means his martial prowess and intellect are not to be underestimated."
"Hmph. A punk like that can be cut down with a single stroke."
"But we can't. Because he is a disciple of the Wind God Flow and at the same time the sect leader of one of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools."
"That's the problem."
Mang Ryang and Lee Gwang both appeared deeply troubled by Yong Jung-il. And rightly so—if he were simply a disciple of the Wind God Flow, they could just go and beat him senseless until he dropped dead. But his status as the sect leader of one of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools complicated everything.
It might be possible to wipe out Yellow Mountain Sect with the current power of Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong, but they couldn't do it. Because the moment they annihilated Yellow Mountain Sect, it would mean they had attacked one of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools. And the Thunder God Flow would immediately turn all the righteous factions of the Central Plains into enemies.
Mang Ryang said,
"Currently, Brother Lee Gwang maintains the Thunder God Flow under an agreement with the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader Wi Ji-hon. Of course, since the Thunder God Flow's true nature cannot be openly revealed to the martial world, it's in the form of the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader providing cover. But the fact that Yong Jung-il said that outright means he intends to pressure the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader and turn the Thunder God Flow into a potential enemy of the Central Plains' Righteous Heaven Alliance."
"I think the same."
I asked Mang Ryang,
"The Thunder God Flow hasn't done anything to the Righteous Heaven Alliance, so how can we be enemies?"
"The essence of the Thunder God Flow is one of the White Lotus Cult's Four Great Martial Flows. In other words, it was originally a sect that protected the White Lotus Cult, which gives the imperial court ample reason to oppose it. Moreover, for the Righteous Heaven Alliance, which must maintain close ties with the imperial court, it cannot accept the Thunder God Flow as an ally."
"Can't we just say we plan to take down the White Lotus Cult from now on?"
"Heh... It's questionable whether such words would work on the Righteous Heaven Alliance."
Mang Ryang sighed and said,
"The reason Yong Jung-il openly threatened us with that scheme is because he is that confident. In other words, no matter what excuse we make, Yellow Mountain Sect's political influence is strong enough to sever the Thunder God Flow from the righteous factions."
"That can't be..."
I was dumbfounded, but I soon realized that the situation was as bad as Mang Ryang described.
'In reality, we negotiated with the White Lotus Cult to establish the Thunder God Flow. If Yellow Mountain Sect, affiliated with the Wind God Flow, arbitrarily packages and inflates that, they'll undoubtedly slander us as the White Lotus Cult's puppets.'
Of course, in truth, the Thunder God Flow was preparing to rise in order to gain the power to oppose the White Lotus Cult, but conveying that sincerity to the Righteous Heaven Alliance would be difficult. From the perspective of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools, it would be far easier to monitor and antagonize the Thunder God Flow, which might be White Lotus Cult spies.
Just in case, I said to Mang Ryang,
"The Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader Wi Ji-hon is a fair and wise man. If we explain it well to him..."
"Hmm."
Then Lee Gwang, who had been listening from the side, spoke up.
"Baek Woong. Wi Ji-hon is certainly an outstanding individual. He is one of the greatest martial geniuses in Wudang Sect history, with exceptional wisdom and resourcefulness. He is one of the few excellent masters I acknowledge among the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools, but he will not listen to us."
"Why not?"
"Even if he personally understands and agrees with our words, as the leader of the organization, it is natural for him to treat us as enemies."
"......"
"Because he is the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader."
Mang Ryang followed up on Lee Gwang's words.
"I think the same. Moreover, as a member of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools, Yellow Mountain Sect has speaking rights and credibility incomparable to the Thunder God Flow... If Yellow Mountain Sect is determined to brand us as White Lotus Cult puppets at a Righteous Heaven Alliance meeting, we have no counter."
"Hmm."
I asked Mang Ryang,
"If we are the Thunder God Flow, then they are the Wind God Flow. Can't we go together and reveal that Yellow Mountain Sect is the White Lotus Cult's Wind God Flow?"
"How do we prove that?"
"Well, with the Wind God Flow's martial arts..."
I stopped mid-sentence. I realized something didn't add up.
Mang Ryang gave a wry smile.
"That's the problem. The experts of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools have heard of the White Lotus Cult's famed Four Great Martial Flows, but they don't really know what their martial arts are like. Because the White Lotus Cult Leader tightly controls the cult and doesn't extend its influence outward. Even if Yellow Mountain Sect experts openly used Wind God Flow techniques, people would just think it's Yellow Mountain Sect martial arts."
"Then we can counter that their claim we're the Thunder God Flow is mere speculation..."
"Then we can't establish the sect under the Thunder God Flow name, and it would become difficult to gather the Thunder God Flow inheritors scattered across the Central Plains. The meaning of establishing the sect would fade away."
"Hmm."
"Moreover, someone as shrewd as Yong Jung-il would lay multiple layers of schemes."
It was a difficult problem.
If we abandoned the Thunder God Flow name and established the sect under a different one, we could avoid Yellow Mountain Sect's political offensive for now, but it would make it nearly impossible to gather the Thunder God Flow inheritors within 10 years of this life to obtain the Final Secret Art. Even if we denied it, Yellow Mountain Sect would concoct schemes to make us enemies of the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
As I pondered, Lee Gwang said,
"Vice Heaven Alliance Leader. That's why I plan to postpone the establishment."
"Hmm..."
"It's something we've delayed until now anyway; delaying it by another year won't cause a big disaster. During that time, we'll refine our martial arts further, build our foundation, and then step forward."
Lee Gwang's inaction displayed in this sparring match. The Sky-Piercing Flash that even overwhelmed the Dharma Protector in a short exchange, and the absolute skill that etched lightning in the heavens! If refined further, the Thunder God Flow's martial arts would evolve to the next level. Lee Gwang's words seemed like the best option in this situation.
Mang Ryang thought for a moment before saying,
"That might work, but it underestimates Yong Jung-il of the Dragon Sword too much. That way, we'll end up falling for his schemes."
"Aren't you overestimating Yong Jung-il? If we don't move, he has no way to do anything."
Mang Ryang said firmly,
"No, it's not an overestimation. Rather, I believe Brother Lee Gwang is underestimating Yong Jung-il."
"What do you mean?"
"Yong Jung-il plunged into the martial world all alone, gained the cooperation of Yellow Mountain Sect Taoists, raised elders and disciples, and elevated it to one of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools in a short time. A hero of that caliber is one of the top five if you search the entire Central Plains martial world. He is not someone to take lightly."
Mang Ryang continued,
"If we give Yong Jung-il time, he will amplify even nonexistent rumors, expand the Righteous Heaven Alliance's influence, scheme against the Thunder God Flow to build infamy. He might already be doing it. If we don't actively counter his plots, we'll end up surrounded on all sides."
Thud.
At that moment, my heart sank. Hearing "surrounded on all sides" inexplicably made my head throb, and some illusion appeared before my eyes.
'What is this?'
It was a scene of a peerless beauty playing a lute and singing. The beauty with white skin and blue eyes was weeping sorrowfully. I was momentarily entranced by the vision before snapping back to reality. For some reason, it felt like my mind had been stolen.
Lee Gwang said,
"Share your scheme with me."
"I have one idea in mind. But executing it requires staking our lives, and even then, the odds are fifty-fifty."
"It's that dangerous a scheme?"
"Yes. But we must do it."
"......"
Lee Gwang was silent for a moment before saying,
"I'll hear it first and then decide."
"Understood."
Mang Ryang took a deep breath, glanced at Jin So-cheong and me once each, and then said,
"In a few days, we will visit the White Lotus Cult Leader."
"W-What...? The White Lotus Cult Leader?"
Everyone except Mang Ryang was shocked by the abrupt statement. Mang Ryang calmly scanned the room and said,
"I anticipated something like this and took out insurance during the meeting. I piqued the White Lotus Cult Leader's curiosity and made him take an interest in the Vice Heaven Alliance."
I felt like my head had been smashed with a hammer and muttered blankly,
"Going directly to the White Lotus Cult Leader is suicide."
In fact, even discussing the Thunder God Flow's establishment at Yellow Mountain Sect this time was practically a gamble left to heaven's luck. If the White Lotus Cult Leader had decided to annihilate the Thunder God Flow right there, we would have been wiped out. Of course, I could have evacuated everyone with the Dimensional Shift, but recalling the White Lotus Cult Leader's martial arts that subdued Yong Bi-cheon, I doubted it would be possible.
So I had inwardly breathed a sigh of relief at escaping with our lives, but now to go directly to the White Lotus Cult Leader's lair? Dying to him would be secondary; the odds of being killed by Dharma Protectors or White Lotus Cult experts on the way were higher. No sane person would even consider it.
Of course, cases like Dong Young’s Kamiizumi Nobutsuna or Dongbang Mu-gyeol had safely met the White Lotus Cult Leader, but they were third parties with no enmity toward the White Lotus Cult from the start, mere tourists. But we were mortal enemies of the White Lotus Cult, potentially crossing blades soon. The risk was far too great.
Mang Ryang stared at me intently and said,
"How many people in the world can control Yong Jung-il?"
"Uh... Well, the White Lotus Cult Leader and the Dharma Protectors, I suppose."
"Exactly. But the Wind God Flow Dharma Protector is our sworn enemy, the Flame God Flow Dharma Protector is neutral and hard to leverage against Yong Jung-il, and we have no ties with the Water God Flow Dharma Protector, nor do we know what he's thinking. So the only option left is to persuade the White Lotus Cult Leader directly and prevent Yong Jung-il from scheming."
"......"
I answered in bewilderment,
"Wh-Why not just change the name from Thunder God Flow and establish the sect? That seems better."
"Baek Woong. In this board, shrinking back and holing up leads only to death. It might be comfortable now, but later there will be no way to turn the tables. Better to stake our lives and find a path forward."
I couldn't comprehend it even as I listened. To fear the schemes and influence of just one Yong Jung-il so much that we stake our lives persuading the White Lotus Cult Leader? Any normal person would say Mang Ryang is insane and my choice is right.
But Mang Ryang's judgments had never been wrong once so far. So as I groaned in dilemma, Lee Gwang asked,
"How exactly do you plan to persuade him?"
"Please leave that entirely to me. I'll stake my life and make it happen."
"That's not an answer. It's not just your life at stake— all our lives are on the line."
Lee Gwang's eyes sharpened. He too felt Mang Ryang's words were reckless. Just as he was about to unleash his killing intent, Mang Ryang interrupted the flow.
"Well, I suppose you need more information from my perspective as well."
"What information?"
"I need to know what the Thunder God Flow's Final Secret Art is and why Brother Lee Gwang hasn't inherited it. Without that, we can't even start."
"You're asking an outsider like you to hear the sect's secrets?"
Mang Ryang replied curtly,
"Wasn't it Brother Lee Gwang's fault for not telling anyone about the Final Secret Art's existence at this meeting from the start? We all nearly died to the White Lotus Cult because of it—what if it happens again?"
"Hmm."
Lee Gwang let out a groan. He recalled the bewilderment everyone felt when the White Lotus Cult Leader suddenly mentioned the Thunder God Flow's Final Secret Art. It was a proposal he could normally ignore, but he had no choice but to open his mouth.
"Vice Heaven Alliance Leader. If you leak this secret to the outside, I will set everything aside and destroy you completely."
"Don't scare me unnecessarily and just tell me. I'm prepared."
"Fine."
Lee Gwang slowly continued,
"The reason I didn't mention the Final Secret Art is because I believed it couldn't be reclaimed in my generation. Even my master couldn't master it."
"What do you mean? Isn't the Final Secret Art something the inheritor must master anyway?"
Mang Ryang's question was perfectly reasonable. No matter how difficult or amazing the technique, it had to be masterable by the inheritor to have meaning. If it was too hard, it was an incomplete technique, not a Final Secret Art.
"Of course... Unlike the other three great hereditary schools, the Thunder God Flow's Final Secret Art is incomplete, a phantom technique no one in history has mastered."
"Phan...tom technique? What on earth..."
Lee Gwang's following words were shocking.
"First, one must master fist, sword, and spear up to their ultimate techniques and obtain the Heavenly Spirit Pill as the basic condition. Then, with the help of three peerless Thunder God Flow masters in each field, it can be completed. The problem is, only after completing it that way, forgetting everything and overturning it all, can one obtain the Final Secret Art."
"......!!"
"Where do we find three peerless Thunder God Flow masters in fist, sword, and spear... Even if we do, the incantation for achieving the Final Secret Art is lost somewhere. Moreover, I only know the rough outline of the Final Secret Art, not what technique it is. And even if we gather them and succeed in training, is it even possible to forget and overturn everything we've learned up to now?"
As he said that, Lee Gwang sighed more deeply than ever.
"Yet it's called the Final Secret Art despite being incomplete because the Thunder God Flow masters over a thousand years of history judged that only by doing so can one reach the pinnacle of the Thunder God Flow. My master was one of the greatest geniuses in Thunder God Flow history and a Dharma Protector, yet he couldn't obtain the Final Secret Art."
"......"
"Honestly, this isn't even a Final Secret Art or a technique. It's just a dream."
Lee Gwang's master was a Thunder God Flow Dharma Protector but fell into a half-dead state from a combined attack during the Thunder God Flow purge. Lee Gwang had barely rescued such a master, but he passed away not long after, or so he had heard.
"Why would I tell my disciples about a technique like this? It would only hinder their training with useless fantasies."
"I see..."
Mang Ryang groaned and asked,
"Then, can you at least tell me the name of the Final Secret Art?"
Lee Gwang emphasized,
"Martial Soul!"
At that instant, I had a bad premonition.
It felt like obtaining it would require adventures that carve away flesh and bone. Regardless of my unease, Mang Ryang nodded and wrapped up the talk.
"Understood. That's enough."
"What now?"
"I'll go to the White Lotus Cult, bringing Baek Woong and Jin So-cheong as my escorts."
"You didn't understand me. I won't agree unless you detail the plan."
"I told the White Lotus Cult Leader about the Yi Clan."
After bringing it up, Mang Ryang said,
"And I proposed that if the Vice Heaven Alliance joins hands with us, we can strike and annihilate the Imperial Palace in one fell swoop."
"What?!"
Lee Gwang shot up in rage. Ignoring him, Mang Ryang said,
"It's the best scheme! If the White Lotus Cult steps forward directly, they can sweep away the Imperial Guards, Embroidered Uniform, Death Gods Guard, and Jeon-gal Division all at once. We can eradicate the corrupt officials in one go—how is this not ideal?"
"You... You really intend to ally with the White Lotus Cult."
Lee Gwang asked in a low voice. This meant he had decided to kill Mang Ryang.
Whether aware or not, Mang Ryang smiled brightly and said,
"Kill me if you want. If this doesn't work, we'll all die anyway."
Halt.
Lee Gwang paused just before striking. It wasn't because he deeply considered Mang Ryang's words and stopped. Jin So-cheong had already blocked his path, grabbing the shaft of Lee Gwang's spear. Lee Gwang looked at Jin So-cheong in bewilderment.
"Let go."
"Why kill him?"
"The Vice Heaven Alliance Leader is too dangerous. I no longer have confidence in controlling him, so I must kill him."
Lee Gwang seemed to have no intention of hearing more of Mang Ryang's schemes. Signs had shown since last time, but he felt fear and dissatisfaction toward Mang Ryang's bold schemes, decisiveness, and bottomless stratagems. If he couldn't control him, killing was natural for Lee Gwang.
Then Jin So-cheong said,
"Then I will stop you, Master."
All eyes turned to Jin So-cheong.
For the first time, Jin So-cheong, who had always quietly followed Lee Gwang's will, opposed him. Jin So-cheong stared at Lee Gwang with unwavering, resolute eyes.
"Because this is the path I believe is right."
"......"
The standoff between Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong lasted about an incense stick's time.
The suffocating silence ended when Lee Gwang lowered his spear. He sighed and said,
"Fine, no helping it..."
Swish swish swish!
It was at that moment.
Lee Gwang seemed to retract his battle intent, then suddenly struck to behead Mang Ryang. The speed was so immense that even I, right next to Mang Ryang, felt I couldn't block the fatal blow even sacrificing an arm. As I gritted my teeth and lunged to shield him with my body.
Boom, and suddenly Lee Gwang collapsed to the ground. And in his place stood Jin So-cheong with a hand blade raised.
"Gasp...!!"
I was stunned.
The scene before me was clear.
Jin So-cheong had subdued Lee Gwang! And not when Lee Gwang was defenseless, but with just Thunder Command, knocking him out in one breath.
I had vaguely seen Lee Gwang's movements, but Jin So-cheong's were invisible to my eyes. The implication was enormous, leaving me speechless.
'My... god...'
Lee Gwang, who had pressed the Wind God Flow Dharma Protector in a short exchange.
I thought no warrior in the Central Plains could handle such a Lee Gwang.
Yet the peerless genius Jin So-cheong had surpassed even Lee Gwang in just two months!
Subduing without killing indicated a difference in skill. Moreover, the Thunder Command he just used was already a different martial art from the one I knew. Jin So-cheong had evolved Thunder Command into his own style.
Jin So-cheong said bitterly,
"Let's go."