Chapter 148
Chapter 148
Golden Summit (2)
However, the next day.
Se-woon's plan to head to Mount Emei never came to fruition.
'Huh?'
The moment Se-woon finished preparing for his departure and stepped out through the main gate...
...Why are they here?
A group of entirely unexpected figures stood before him, welcoming him.
"Haha, good to see you too!"
"The food in the Central Plains must be delicious! You've packed on quite a bit of weight!"
"Ahaha, stop it, that tickles!"
A group clad entirely in black robes was tangled up with Se-woon's two white tigers.
There were over a dozen giants among them, each easily twice the size of an average Central Plains man.
Passersby recoiled in horror, mistaking the scene for people being mauled by tigers—but in truth, it was just old friends roughhousing after a long separation.
"Ah, no. What am I supposed to do with this?"
"...Who in the world are these people?"
The escort party from the Sichuan Tang Family, who had been waiting for Se-woon, could only stare blankly at this unforeseen situation.
They had no idea who these mysterious figures were.
But Se-woon recognized them instantly.
Of course he did.
'How could I not? Those muscles bulging through their robes are impossible to miss.'
As the group wrestled with the white tigers, their tanned muscles peeked through the gaps in their robes.
But he couldn't let this go on forever.
Se-woon let out a deep sigh and spoke softly.
"Enough."
"...!"
"Ghk!"
At Se-woon's quiet command, which carried an undercurrent of energy, the rowdy strangers froze like statues.
Squeak.
Even the tigers, who had been playfully roughhousing, tucked their tails and slinked aside.
The Tang Family members could only stare in bewilderment.
'...Why are they obeying the Clan Leader's words?'
They couldn't comprehend why these unidentified figures would heed Se-woon's command.
"Why are you all here?"
Se-woon addressed the strangers—no, the warriors of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace—with a cold voice.
Whoosh.
At that, one of them, likely their leader, pushed back the hood covering his face.
"O-Of course we came to protect the Palace Lord!"
The Beast Palace warrior, Tasardon, roared his reply.
...Palace Lord?
The minds of the Sichuan Tang Family martial artists filled with nothing but questions.
The grand meeting hall of the Tang Family, the Heavenly Rain Pavilion, was packed with the clan's leadership and many others for the first time in a while.
Given the gravity of the situation, an emergency assembly had been called.
Inside the rectangular table arrangement, Tasardon and the other Beast Palace warriors stood awkwardly, having discarded their black robes.
The warriors of the Beast Palace, known for their unrestrained boldness, were now stealing glances at Se-woon—a rare sight indeed.
Amidst the heavy silence filling the hall...
"...Clan Leader, would you care to explain what's going on?"
The one who broke the silence was none other than Se-woon's father, Tang Mu-yeol.
Having already passed the position of Clan Leader to Se-woon, he was seated not at the head but beside his son.
What kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?
His eyes asked the question silently.
Instantly, all eyes turned to Se-woon.
'I must've been too busy. I forgot the most important thing.'
Se-woon clicked his tongue inwardly.
Upon returning from the Beast Palace, he had immediately worked with the Nine Heavens Fairy to complete the Divine Flame Forge without a moment's rest.
And as soon as that was done, he rushed to Black Market to thwart the schemes of the Qingcheng Faction and Heaven-Piercing Gang.
In the midst of all that, he had neglected to relay the most crucial news to his father and subordinates.
Namely, that he, Tang Se-woon, had ascended to the position of the new Palace Lord of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.
As Se-woon pondered how and where to begin explaining this...
"Ahem! The Palace Lord left in such haste that his escort couldn't keep up! So we came belatedly!"
Tasardon coughed awkwardly and hastily interjected, but...
Murmur murmur.
It only deepened the confusion.
The Tang Family's blood relatives, including the elders and branch leaders, whispered among themselves.
"Did he just say 'Palace Lord' again?"
"Yes, I heard it clearly."
"...Wait, does that mean the Beast Palace Lord is currently in our clan?"
"Huh? Then could it be that person who came with the Clan Leader...?"
In an instant, everyone's gaze shifted to Umun Tak, seated to one side.
Even after the Divine Flame Forge was completed, Umun Tak had remained at the Tang Family residence.
But the rogue named Patamyeong, who had accompanied him, was far from being a Palace Lord—he wasn't even fit to be a lowly squad leader.
That meant the Palace Lord the Beast Palace warriors were referring to could only be Umun Tak.
This was a monumental event.
Unbeknownst to the martial world, the position of Beast Palace Lord had passed not to Umun Gol but to his younger brother.
"Has Umun Tak ascended to the position of Beast Palace Lord?"
"A-Absolutely not! How could someone like me dare claim such a title?"
When Elder Yeo-seon tilted her head and asked, Umun Tak hastily waved his hands in denial.
"Then who exactly is the Palace Lord they're referring to?"
"It's me."
"...!!"
All eyes turned toward the source of the voice.
And then their pupils dilated as if about to burst.
The speaker was, of course, Se-woon.
"C-Clan Leader?"
"Se-woon?"
"W-What does that mean?!"
Tang Mu-yeol and everyone else were struck with shock.
Even Se-woon's sister, Tang Se-rin, who was known for her unshakable stoicism, involuntarily gaped.
"B-But... the position of Beast Palace Lord is reserved only for Southern Barbarians from the Beast Palace..."
"I encountered a fortuitous opportunity in the Beast Palace and obtained the power of their founding ancestor."
"T-The Fighting God?!"
When Se-woon mentioned the name of the Beast Fighting God, Paryeoun, the shock reached its peak.
The skeptical nods turned into understanding. If he had inherited the legacy of the Fighting God, then even an outsider could rightfully ascend to the position of Beast Palace Lord.
"Hmph, indeed. Our Palace Lord is truly extraordinary."
Amidst the chaos, Tasardon puffed up with pride as if the praise were directed at him, visibly pleased by Se-woon's words.
Though he was relatively sharp compared to the other Beast Palace warriors, here he seemed like a simpleton.
Whoosh.
Se-woon averted his gaze from Tasardon and scanned the room.
He was gauging the reactions of the entire clan.
'Hmm... I had planned to reveal this slowly.'
He felt a twinge of concern.
Earlier, Elder Yeo-seon had assured him that the Tang Family's blood relatives were fully prepared to follow him into the gray zone between righteousness and evil.
But as their first step, could they truly accept the Beast Palace—a faction closer to the unorthodox, one of the Five Foreign Palaces?
Would they genuinely be able to stand alongside these people?
But the next moment—
"Waaaah!!"
"Our Clan Leader has subjugated one of the Five Foreign Palaces!"
"From now on, the Beast Palace and the Tang Family are one!"
"Haha, as expected of the Palace Lord's men—they're so bold!"
"They seem like a perfect match with our brothers!"
"...!!"
All his worries proved utterly unfounded.
A storm of cheers shook the Heavenly Rain Pavilion.
The Tang Family's blood relatives celebrated as if at a festival, embracing one another and dancing in unrestrained joy.
Just as Elder Yeo-seon had said, the clan was fully prepared to follow Se-woon's path without a shred of doubt.
The Tang Family, once fallen, had been restored to its place among the Eight Great Clans—and their Clan Leader, Tang Se-woon, had risked his life for their sake.
Their loyalty to him was boundless.
And now, their hearts were open enough to embrace anyone who shared that same loyalty, regardless of origin.
Then, Tang Mu-yeol rose from his seat and approached Tasardon.
He clasped the warrior's hands in his own and spoke.
"Thank you. It must have been a grueling journey, yet you came all this way to protect my son."
"Not at all! A Beast Palace warrior's legs never tire, no matter how far we walk!"
"Your words comfort me."
"No need to thank family! The Palace Lord's father is our father too!"
"We'll protect the Palace Lord with all our loyalty!"
"Haha, indeed. Please do."
Waaaah!
Another thunderous cheer erupted.
The members of the Sichuan Tang Family and the Beast Palace exchanged warm glances.
"Clan Leader, shouldn't we hold a celebration first?"
Mu-myeong sidled up with a sly grin and whispered.
Se-woon shook his head as if giving up.
"Fine. It seems our escort mission will have to wait a little longer."
But an irrepressible smile crept onto his face.
At the same time.
Chishui County, Guizhou Province—bordering Sichuan.
Unlike the warm, celebratory atmosphere in the Sichuan Tang Family, a desolate gloom hung over a shabby inn in Chishui County.
"...So you're saying all your subordinates died, and only you returned?"
"Y-Yes."
Gong Sun-beon, deputy leader of the Heaven-Piercing Gang, was drenched in cold sweat.
Before him stood the leader of Heaven-Piercing Gang—
The Ghostly Strange Underworld King, An Cheongmyeong—glaring at him with eyes brimming with suspicion.
Gong Sun-beon, now Se-woon's slave, had returned to Heaven-Piercing Gang's hideout.
"Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
"O-Odd?"
"That all of Heaven-Piercing Gang's elite Dark Sorcerers died, yet the deputy leader alone returned unharmed."
"...!!"
Gong Sun-beon's heart plummeted.
If it were discovered that he had become Tang Se-woon's spy, he would be executed on the spot.
"I-I apologize! That bastard had two peak-level Poison Masters with him, contrary to our expectations! I-I nearly lost my Nine-Tails in that battle!"
"Hmm."
Suddenly, An Cheongmyeong's eerie eyes locked onto Gong Sun-beon.
Ghk!
A dreadful sensation.
It felt as though those eyes were burrowing into his body, rummaging through his insides.
This was one of the thousands of terrifying curses and sorceries An Cheongmyeong had mastered—likely a technique to discern truth from lies.
After a long moment...
"Huff... Huff!"
"Well, it doesn't seem like you're lying."
"O-Of course not, Leader."
An Cheongmyeong's gaze softened slightly.
Thump-thump!
Gong Sun-beon barely managed to calm his pounding heart.
H-He really didn't notice?
At that moment, Se-woon's words before sending him off flashed through his mind.
[Don't worry about his petty sorcery.]
[I mixed my power into the poison I fed you—he won't be able to see through it.]
[Though, the agony you'll feel when it acts up will be worse. Can't be helped, right?]
An Cheongmyeong spoke again.
"But you retrieved all the materials?"
"Y-Yes! Every last one! I erased all traces, so Black Market won't be able to figure out what happened!"
"Good."
A smile curled on An Cheongmyeong's lips.
The deaths of his Dark Sorcerers meant nothing to him.
He licked his corpse-blue lips and murmured.
"Hehe... Everything is proceeding as I planned. With the power granted by the Blood Demon and the addition of the Divine Maiden's energy, I'll reach the Divine level."
The Divine realm—rivaling the pinnacle of martial arts, the Transcendent stage.
Even that arrogant Blood Demon who dared threaten him would be surpassed.
And then, everything in this world would fall into his grasp.
...Yes, that's exactly what he was thinking.
Blood Demon? Please. The one you should be worrying about isn't him, Leader.
Gong Sun-beon clicked his tongue inwardly at the Heaven-Piercing Gang leader's delusions.
The moment he recalled Tang Se-woon's monstrous face, tears welled up unbidden.
But that lasted only a moment.
Sigh... Damn it. I should report that the Leader has been deceived...
The mindset of a proper slave was already taking root.