Chapter 69: Divine Craftsman
Chapter 69
Divine Craftsman
'Tang Se-woon.'
Namgung Myung's icy gaze locked onto Se-woon like a predator sizing up its prey.
The silent confrontation between the two men in midair was akin to wild beasts circling each other.
But everyone else reacted the same way.
Why the hell is he here?
When faced with an utterly unexpected situation, both body and mind freeze in shock.
As question marks floated in everyone's minds, the first to snap out of it—albeit belatedly—was none other than the eccentric Hong Il-shin.
"Kuhahaha! A masterpiece! You're even crazier than that damned disciple of mine made you out to be!"
Rolling around on his mat while clutching his stomach, he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
His boisterous cackling snapped the elders back to reality one by one.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Next, the Enforcement Hall Chief and his warriors drew their swords, surrounding Se-woon.
Among them, So Moon-kyung looked ready to cleave Se-woon in half on the spot. His usually expressionless face had flushed red—likely out of humiliation for failing to see through Se-woon's disguise until now.
"You dare mock the Alliance? You must have a death wish."
"Hmm? Mock? What do you mean?"
Se-woon tilted his head, feigning ignorance.
"Ah, I assumed you all knew and were turning a blind eye since I wasn't exactly hiding it. Was I mistaken?"
"!!"
"Hmm, my apologies. I didn't expect the Enforcement Hall Chief to miss even a simple disguise. If that's the case, I sincerely apologize."
"......You insolent—!"
Grind.
So Moon-kyung gnashed his teeth and drew energy from his dantian.
The terrifying aura of a martial artist at the pinnacle of mastery surged toward Se-woon—an intimidation tactic meant to scare a reckless pup into wetting itself.
Whoosh!
"—!!"
But Se-woon merely smirked and effortlessly deflected the incoming pressure.
The onlookers were stunned once more.
To withstand such force, Se-woon would need to be at least at the threshold of the pinnacle level—far beyond what anyone expected from the last descendant of the fallen Sichuan Tang Clan.
'The heir of a ruined clan can withstand the Enforcement Hall Chief's power?'
'......Is he truly nearing the peak of mastery?'
'Even the Nine Dragons would struggle to breathe under this pressure.'
Regardless of faction, the gazes directed at Se-woon shifted.
It was now clear he wasn't some clueless fool running amok without skill.
'So... the reports of him battling Dokma weren't exaggerated?'
Hwangbo Geon, in particular, gaped openly, unable to hide his shock. Despite dismissing every report about Se-woon until now, seeing it firsthand left him no choice but to believe.
Hummm!
Then, So Moon-kyung's sword began radiating a fierce glow.
"......I'll sever your tendons and make you kneel properly."
Though murderous intent swirled in his eyes, Se-woon didn't retreat—instead, he issued a warning.
"I've tolerated enough. If you insist on crossing the line, I won't hold back."
"Oh? Then let's see you tr—!"
"Hall Chief, sheathe your sword."
Jegal Hoon's voice cut in, halting So Moon-kyung mid-sentence.
"Chief Strategist, this man—!"
"Did you not hear me? Sheathe. Your. Sword."
"......!"
Though reluctant, So Moon-kyung had no choice but to comply—with the Alliance Leader absent, Jegal Hoon held delegated authority.
Damn it!
Cursing inwardly, So Moon-kyung finally relented.
"......Stand down."
With the immediate crisis defused, Jegal Hoon studied Se-woon with a heavy gaze.
"Your name is Tang Se-woon?"
"Yes."
"Do you understand that your actions—regardless of the Tang Clan's affiliation—are unforgivable?"
"Yes, I'm aware."
"Hmph."
"The audacity of this bastard!"
Se-woon's unflinching demeanor drew incredulous reactions from the elder faction.
Yet Jegal Hoon remained unfazed, scrutinizing Se-woon even deeper.
"Then why did you do it?"
Se-woon answered in a dry, emotionless tone.
"Gaping security flaws. Degenerate craftsmanship. Medical incompetence failing to detect even a single internal injury."
"!!"
"I was asked to identify the Alliance's weaknesses."
For a moment, even Heuk Ya-gong and several elders were left speechless—particularly Hwangbo Geon, responsible for the smithy's oversight, and Eon Ja-hoo, head of the Medical Hall.
Se-woon's words struck a nerve.
Jegal Hoon pressed further.
"Who asked you to do this?"
"I can't disclose that."
"......Even if your life depends on it?"
"Yes, even then."
"You—!"
"How dare you spout nonsense in this hall!"
"Silence!"
Jegal Hoon's roar stunned the elders.
As they reeled, he pointed out what they'd missed.
"Can you still not see? Who else could order the young master of the Tang Clan to do such a thing?!"
"!!"
Only then did the elders recall one person—the sole individual bold enough to command an infiltration of the Martial Alliance.
"D-Don't tell me..."
"......The Alliance Leader?"
Exactly. Sword Emperor Yoo Jin-hak.
Moreover, Se-woon had already earned the leader's recognition and even received the Meteorite Sword.
As chaos erupted in the hall, Se-woon smirked inwardly.
'As expected, these bookworms bite the bait the hardest.'
Of course, Se-woon had never received such orders from the Alliance Leader.
He'd simply bluffed, betting they'd swallow the lie.
True, things would get messy if the leader denied it—but Yoo Jin-hak wasn't even present.
'What are they gonna do? The Sword Emperor won't be back for at least three or four days.'
Se-woon had confirmed beforehand that the leader was away on a trip.
By the time Yoo Jin-hak returned, this storm would've blown over.
Amid the uproar—
"Not bad for a spur-of-the-moment lie."
Namgung Myung's voice cut through like a frigid northern wind.
His chilling gaze pinned Se-woon.
"Elder Namgung. Do you still insist the young master of the Tang Clan is a spy for the Blood Cult?"
"Indeed."
"Elder Namgung—"
"His claim about the Alliance Leader's orders is just that—a claim. The facts remain: he has only harmed the Alliance."
"Elder Namgung speaks the truth!"
"Don't be fooled by his silver tongue!"
"We must interrogate him and force a confession!"
Namgung Myung was determined to frame Se-woon as a Blood Cult infiltrator.
Even if the Sichuan Tang Clan had regained some standing lately, once Namgung Myung and the elder faction sank their teeth in, fiction could become fact.
Being branded a spy meant more than losing one's dantian—it could doom an entire clan to annihilation overnight.
Yet Se-woon remained unshaken.
"Elder Namgung keeps insisting I've harmed the Alliance."
"Enough of your twisted words."
Namgung Myung's lips curled into a venomous smile.
"Not only did you craft sinister artifacts to disrupt order, you even attacked the Hua Mountain Sect's top disciple."
"Hmm, understood. Then let me prove it point by point."
Before Namgung Myung could react—
Whoosh...
A refreshing mountain breeze suddenly swept through Azure Dragon Hall.
What in the—?
Everyone, regardless of faction, stared in bewilderment.
And for good reason—Azure Dragon Hall was a sealed chamber. No wind should've been able to enter.
Then—
Swoosh!
"!!"
"Gasp!"
Eyes bulged as they turned toward the source.
A training blade—one of Se-woon's creations—had floated into the air from an Enforcement Hall warrior's grasp.
And the breeze was emanating from the hovering blade.
"Void Grasping...?!"
"No, that's—"
"......Thread?"
They soon noticed the nearly invisible thread attached to the blade.
An unheard-of marvel—the thread moved with lifelike fluidity, manipulating the blade as if through Void Grasping itself.
With a flick of Se-woon's finger, the blade drifted toward one person.
"Care to help me prove my point, Clan Leader Peng?"
"......!"
Peng Tae-san, leader of the Hebei Peng Clan, couldn't hide his shock.
The blade's owner was none other than his son, Peng Gun-ho—and the tiger's aura imbued in it was unmistakably the Peng Clan's Five Tiger Severing Gate Blade technique.
Caught off guard, Peng Tae-san's mind raced—
'He mentioned receiving the Alliance Leader's message...'
—before swiftly deciding.
Clink.
The moment Peng Tae-san grasped the blade—
Whoosh!
BOOM!
"!"
"!!"
The gentle breeze erupted into a raging storm.
Energy surged from the blade like tidal waves, shaking the surroundings.
Under normal circumstances, they'd have retaliated, suspecting an ambush—yet no one dared move.
'Ah...'
'This is...!'
The wind carried an unmistakable, pristine Xuan Qi—a pure, orthodox energy no righteous martial artist could refute.
Se-woon's creation, forged solely with Golden Wrist Qi and Innate True Qi, radiated undeniable righteousness.
Swoosh...
The silence following Peng Tae-san's action didn't last long.
"Such an artifact... No, how is this possible?"
"Th-This can't be..."
"Unless the young master sees something we don't..."
Even Namgung Myung was at a loss.
Thud!
Then—a loud impact echoed as someone knelt.
The elders turned in shock to see Heuk Ya-gong—a man whose pride rivaled the heavens—prostrating himself before Se-woon.
"......Please. Please."
With a dazed expression unlike any before, he begged repeatedly.
"Take this humble one as your disciple, Divine Craftsman."