There’s a limit to how far you can screw with people! (1)
Over the course of just a few days, more than a dozen sects went up in flames.
There were countless evil sects in the Central Plains. In the world of the Sapa, where it was common for factions to tear at one another and vanish overnight, where the victor devoured the loser as a matter of course, it might not have seemed all that remarkable.
But those who heard the news could never dismiss it so lightly.
First, because the sects that had been wiped out had not merely been broken apart. Not a single survivor had been left alive.
Second, because the one who had annihilated them was none other than Jang Il-so.
Paegun Jang Il-so. The leader of Maninbang and the head of Saperyeon.
He was the man who had united the long-feuding evil factions in one stroke, and forced the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families—the powers that had ruled the jianghu for more than a hundred years—to accept a humiliating treaty.
He was the man who had made real the things no one else had even dared to dream of.
His fame soared beyond the heavens, and the terror attached to his name had become greater than it had ever been before.
The meaning was obvious when that very Jang Il-so had personally stepped forward to wipe out those evil sects.
His declared Unification of the Evil Path was no empty boast, and anyone who refused to bow to his will would be left with nothing but a death soaked in blood.
The jianghu had begun to boil like a furnace.
The evil factions of the southern reaches were forced to choose.
Just as Shaolin, Wudang, and the Namgung Family had once been forced to do, they had to choose between humiliating survival and annihilation.
Of course they had tried to push back. They had wanted to raise objections, to bare their teeth.
But after seeing those sects reduced to ashes with not so much as an ant left alive, they could only shut their mouths and remain silent.
They, too, understood now. The madness Jang Il-so unleashed did not stop at the righteous sects. To him, the entire world existed only to be trampled and burned.
The righteous sects were just as shaken.
If this had happened before, they would have immediately cried for a southern campaign. They would have all agreed that the evil path needed to be crushed before it could gather strength, so that a full-scale war might be avoided.
But now they could not do that.
Because the very people who should have been at the forefront, driving a spear through the evil factions, could no longer head south.
When a hand is withdrawn, it may not be missed at first—but once it’s gone, everyone notices.
Only after Jang Il-so came to the fore did people realize how many roles the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families had actually played. And that realization quickly curdled into a hideous hatred for Wudang, Shaolin, and the Namgung Family—the very sects that had cut off the arms and legs of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.
It was the same even within the Nine Great Sects.
Whenever something like this happened, they would gather around Shaolin, Wudang, and Namgung and form an alliance. They had done so when the Demonic Sect invaded, and they had done so when powers from beyond the borders invaded the Central Plains. So when the evil path rose up, shouldn’t it have been the same?
But not this time. Hatred for the four sects that had signed that absurd no-aggression pact to save their own people—dragging everyone else into it—was burning just as fiercely within the other members of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.
Because of hatred, they could not gather. Because they could not gather, they could not talk. Because they could not talk, they could not unite. Because they could not unite, no countermeasure could be prepared.
Had Jang Il-so declared a northern campaign and crossed the Yangtze, things might have been different. Then they could have raged that no pact signed independently by a few sects could be recognized, and perhaps the treaty itself might have been rendered void.
But Jang Il-so had merely secured the territory he had already seized.
Breaking an unjust treaty to defend one’s own home might have been acceptable. Ignoring a treaty in order to attack another man’s land would mean denying the very foundation of the righteous path.
So unless Jang Il-so crossed the Yangtze first, the righteous factions could do nothing but sit there, sucking their fingers, and watch him swallow the evil factions one by one and unify the south.
“Was this his plan from the start?”
“Nonsense. Then just how far ahead would he have had to see? He’s an evil bastard, not Zhuge Liang. He couldn’t have seen that far. It just happened to fall into place.”
“Damn it, if Wudang hadn’t pulled that sort of filthy stunt—”
Those forced to watch the situation unfold helplessly were consumed by intense anxiety.
People know this much: gathered power is meant to be used. Right now, the flames of war were only ravaging the southern lands, but once the south was cleared, that power—now grown even larger—would inevitably turn north.
And yet they could not stop the blade called Saperyeon from being sharpened.
In the south, Saperyeon was raising the banner of the Unification of the Evil Path and igniting war, while on the Yangtze countless people suffered because the evil factions had run wild without control.
And the ones responsible for all of it had shut their doors tight and remained silent.
Only then did everyone truly understand.
The peace of the jianghu that had continued for more than a hundred years since the war with the Demonic Sect had, at this very moment, come to its end.
The world was now unmistakably entering an age of chaos.
And in the maelstrom of that turbulent age, it was not only the righteous factions and Saperyeon that drew the world’s attention.
* * *
“Those damn—”
The faces gathered in the tavern were thick with frustration.
Bang!
A man drinking slammed his hand hard against the table.
“How are we supposed to live with this? The evil bastards across the river are running wild like that, and we’re just supposed to stand here and watch?”
“...Calm down a little. At the end of the day, it’s literally just something happening across the river.”
“What the hell are you saying so calmly for!”
The man shouted in fury, unable to hold it in.
“Do you really think those evil bastards are doing this just so they can live well among themselves? Of course they’re doing it to come here and attack us!”
“...”
“When you see foreign tribes gathering troops, you strike immediately and disrupt them! If you just stand there and treat it like something outside your border, you’ll be staring straight into hell! But no, damn it—”
At least here, things were still better.
When they thought of the hardships awaiting the people living in the south, even if it was someone else’s problem, their chests grew tight and the world before their eyes went dark.
“Just having all sorts of evil bastards rampaging around the Yangtze is hell enough already... and now Saperyeon too.”
“Ah, you mean that. These days the Yangtze has actually gotten a little quieter, they say.”
“Huh? How? Did those water bandits just leave the Yangtze?”
“No, that’s not it. They say the Heavenly Alliance over on the Yangtze cut down every evil bastard running wild and secured the trade routes there.”
“What? They secured the trade routes?”
The men’s eyes went wide.
It was easy enough to understand that the evil factions on the Yangtze had been swept away. The evil forces currently running wild there were, after all, just a bunch of riffraff. If one were to be precise, they were little different from bandits.
The problem wasn’t defeating them. If you simply went after them, subduing them wasn’t difficult. But securing roads on the Yangtze, where the Water Bandit Sect held sway, was an entirely different matter.
“And the Water Bandit Sect just sat there?”
“They didn’t even show their faces, apparently.”
“N-no way. Did I hear you wrong?”
“No, no! The rumor’s all over the Yangtze. Every merchant group on the river is flocking to Jiujiang. They say the Heavenly Alliance has occupied Jiujiang and made it impossible for the evil bastards to even get near.”
“...But aren’t the righteous factions supposed to be unable to go to the Yangtze?”
“That’s the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families. What does that have to do with the Heavenly Alliance?”
That carried a great deal of meaning.
Until now, the righteous path had been represented by the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families. That did not mean only those fifteen sects were the righteous path, but in practice, all the smaller and mid-sized sects in the world had been swept up under the names of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.
But at this moment, that perception was changing.
“The Heavenly Alliance is taking on the Water Bandit Sect... no, Saperyeon?”
“Why not? Think about it. The Heavenly Alliance has Mount Hua and the Tang Family. And aren’t the major sects from beyond the borders part of it too?”
“...The foreign sects are too far away to be of help, and in any case it’s only two sects, isn’t it?”
“No. I’ve heard the Green Forest isn’t officially part of the Heavenly Alliance, but they’re helping it.”
“Why would the Green Forest do that?”
“Tsk tsk. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The one the Green Forest gets along with least is Maninbang. And since Maninbang created Saperyeon, the Green Forest can’t possibly be on good terms with Saperyeon. So of course they’d side with the ones who can take them on!”
With the ones who could take on Saperyeon?
“Was the Heavenly Alliance really that impressive...?”
“Didn’t you hear? In this Yangtze tragedy, the place that fought Maninbang most fiercely was Mount Hua. If it hadn’t been for Mount Hua, they said everything would have been wiped out clean, treaty or no treaty.”
“...That impressive?”
“Add the Tang Family and the Green Forest to Mount Hua, and even Saperyeon can’t just ignore them.”
“No, isn’t that a bit too generous an assessment?”
“Tsk tsk, my friend, you really know nothing. This isn’t the old Mount Hua. Mount Hua occupied Jiujiang and claimed the island in the middle of the Yangtze as its own territory, and yet the Water Bandit Sect hasn’t dared to show its face.”
“...”
“While the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families are holding back, the Heavenly Alliance is out there on the Yangtze checking Saperyeon and rescuing commoners. They are the righteous path, those people!”
But even after hearing that, someone still tilted his head in doubt.
“...No, but if we’re talking about righteousness, isn’t that a little... what sort of righteous faction leads bandits into battle?”
“Listen to this one, so comfortable he’s gone soft in the head. Do you really think Mount Hua could have saved the commoners on the Yangtze if they hadn’t accepted those bandits? Could they have stood against Saperyeon otherwise?”
“...”
“All that nonsense about principle, principle! What happened to those people who used to run their mouths about lofty principles and saving face? Didn’t they abandon the weak just to save their own skins? But those people don’t give a damn about losing face—they’re growing stronger and protecting the commoners. So tell me, what is righteousness?”
“W-well... hearing it that way, you’re right.”
“If it weren’t for the Heavenly Alliance, the Yangtze would be hell by now. Because they’re there, people can still stay on the river at all.”
“Hah...”
Those listening to the man’s words all sighed.
“...I always thought all those self-proclaimed righteous bastards were nothing but profiteers.”
“So did I. Who would’ve thought there were people standing their ground in the middle of that dangerous river?”
Then someone else cocked his head in confusion.
“Still, I just can’t wrap my head around it. Are you telling me the Heavenly Alliance—no, Mount Hua—really fought against Saperyeon? Even so, they’re only a mid-sized sect.”
“If you ever go to the Yangtze, don’t say that.”
“Why not?”
“You’ll get beaten to death.”
The man offering the earnest advice clicked his tongue.
“To the people of the Yangtze right now, Mount Hua is the number one sect under heaven. And... strangely enough, it doesn’t seem they’re thankful for that.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“This came all the way from the south, too.”
“Huh?”
“It seems the details of what happened there during the Yangtze tragedy are slowly leaking out of the mouths of the evil bastards who took part.”
“And what’s special about that?”
“Nothing else is special. Except one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Do you know who it was that fought against Paegun in the middle of the war? Who was it that went one-on-one with Jang Il-so and made the Tyrant Lord look foolish?”
“Wouldn’t it have been Heo Do-jin-in... or maybe the Namgung Family head?”
“Wrong.”
“Huh? Then was it Qingcheng?”
“No! Didn’t I tell you? It was Mount Hua.”
“Mount Hua? Who in Mount Hua?”
“They say it was Mount Hua Divine Dragon who went up against Paegun.”
The man who heard that snorted in outrage, as though he needed no more explanation.
“What nonsense is this? Mount Hua Divine Dragon is only a junior expert! How can a junior expert possibly stand against Paegun?”
“Did I say this came from a righteous faction?”
“Well...”
The man who had been objecting fell silent.
It had clearly been said that the news had come from the evil factions of the south. Saperyeon was already the symbol of the evil path, its pride itself. They wouldn’t be the ones to directly tarnish their own leader’s reputation.
“It came from the mouths of those who survived encounters with the water bandits. It also came from people who crossed north along the newly opened trade routes. And they’re all saying the same thing.”
Those listening exchanged glances and swallowed dryly. They even held their breath, eager to hear what would come next.
“That Mount Hua Divine Dragon faced Paegun Jang Il-so almost evenly, that’s what they say. That the sword of Mount Hua Divine Dragon covered the heavens and his spirit shook the cliffs. But just as the result was about to be decided... Heo Do-jin-in attacked Mount Hua Divine Dragon and interrupted the match.”
“Th-that... I’ll tear him apart!”
“So stop talking nonsense. If there is a sect in this world that does not fear Saperyeon and stands against it, there is only one—Mount Hua.”
The man could no longer argue, and could only laugh bitterly in disbelief.
“Good heavens, Mount Hua... that Mount Hua Divine Dragon...”
“Ah, right. He’s not Mount Hua Divine Dragon anymore.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“A nickname meant for a junior expert doesn’t suit him anymore. He’s been given a new one. In fact, rumor has it the evil bastards who took part in that war were the ones who gave it to him!”
“W-what’s the nickname?”
“It’s...”—