Chapter 96: Hidden Blade
Chapter 96
Hidden Blade
After obtaining everything he had so desperately sought, Se-woon returned to his seat from the center of the hall.
His father, Tang Mu-yeol, struggled to conceal his bewildered emotions as he watched his son calmly sitting beside him as if nothing had happened.
[My condition is perfectly normal, so there's no need to worry. However, since I must claim what is rightfully mine, Father, please just manage your expressions a little more carefully.]
Had Se-woon not warned him on the way to the conference hall, Mu-yeol might have fainted on the spot when the names Divine Armor and Snowflake Grass were mentioned.
Just as Mu-yeol was calming his startled heart—
'......Now, the real storm is about to begin.'
A glint of tension flashed in Se-woon's eyes.
From this point onward, his own agenda would pale in comparison to the critical matters about to be discussed—matters so weighty they bordered on absurdity.
"Next is the final agenda of this general assembly. We will discuss our response to the aftermath of the Kaifeng Blood Incident."
As Chief Strategist Jegal Hoon spoke these words—
The conference hall erupted into a scene indistinguishable from war.
"The entire martial world already mocks and ridicules us!"
"Exactly! We must immediately mobilize our forces and exterminate the Unorthodox Faction!"
"What? Are you suggesting we ignite a Great Righteous-Demonic War over mere outside perceptions?"
"They attacked us first! If we don't make them pay the price they deserve, how can the warriors of the Alliance ever trust and follow us again?"
Members of the Elder Faction and the Alliance Leader Faction raised their voices fiercely, veins bulging in their necks.
Naturally, the Elder Faction insisted that the Martial Alliance must use force to make their enemies pay in blood.
The most moderate among them proposed executing all the Unorthodox martial artists currently imprisoned in the Alliance's dungeons for their crimes.
The more radical members went so far as to openly advocate raiding the Unorthodox Faction's branches in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
"We are merely saying we should clearly identify our targets before acting! Some of the evidence suggests the Unorthodox Faction may not be the true mastermind!"
"Hmph! Those are just minor details! Why aren't you mentioning that most of the evidence points directly at them?"
"That evidence could very well be fabricated—!"
"And at this very moment, those bastards are slandering us, claiming they're the victims and that the Alliance is behind everything!"
Under the Elder Faction's relentless assault, the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly heated.
In truth, over sixty percent of the Alliance's members were clamoring for all-out war against the Unorthodox Faction.
Many had never witnessed the horrors of war during the long years of peace, which only amplified the shock and fury they felt after the Kaifeng Blood Incident.
As the hall's atmosphere tilted dangerously in favor of the Elder Faction's stance, Alliance Leader Yoo Jin-hak's expression hardened.
Noticing this, the Elder Faction pressed forward even more aggressively.
"Are you dismissing this so lightly just because your own sect's members and families weren't harmed?"
"Have you no shame before Abbot Gakgong, who lost the future of Shaolin in his Great Disciple, or Elder Namgung, who lost his son and daughter?"
"No, that's not what we meant—!"
"Amitabha—."
Ooom—!
Just as the heated arguments reached their peak, Abbot Gakgong suddenly recited a Buddhist mantra.
The resonant chant, infused with profound energy, instantly silenced the noisy hall.
Once all eyes were fixed on him, the abbot spoke with a chilling gaze.
"There is no need to prolong this pointless debate."
"......!"
"Since everyone's positions have reached extremes, it would be best to conclude the discussion and proceed immediately to a vote."
"Abbot, what exactly would we be voting on...?"
Chief Strategist Jegal Hoon asked with concern, to which Abbot Gakgong replied without hesitation.
"The annulment of the ceasefire treaty with the Unorthodox Faction and the Martial Alliance's transition to a wartime system. This is what I propose we vote on."
"!!!"
The abbot's proposal would plunge the Alliance into irreversible conflict with the Unorthodox Faction.
No one had ever expected such a stance from Shaolin, the traditional guardian of neutrality.
"......Boundless mercy of the Buddha."
Daoist Master Myeong-il clenched his eyes shut in shock and recited a Taoist invocation.
'How...?'
Even Yoo Jin-hak's eyes flickered with disbelief as he stared at Abbot Gakgong.
Unfortunately, there was no way to stop their demand.
Once a certain number of elders called for a vote, it had to be carried out.
"Now, please come forward one by one to cast your votes. Mark 'approve' or 'reject' on the provided slips and place them in the box."
After a brief preparation period, a single ballot box was placed in the center of the hall.
Only the seventeen elders participated in the voting.
Since the Kaifeng Blood Incident, the neutral faction within the Alliance had vanished.
The Beggar's Sect and Mount Hua Sect sided with the Alliance Leader, while Shaolin had shifted to the Elder Faction.
Additionally, the Moyong Family, convinced the Unorthodox Faction was behind the incident, had joined the Elder Faction.
Yet Chief Strategist Jegal Hoon remained confident the worst-case scenario wouldn't unfold.
'Their goal is merely to show their resolve to the martial artists within the Alliance. The vote itself will fail.'
His reasoning was simple.
Namgung, Moyong, Eccentric, Yin
Shaolin, Kunlun, Kongtong, Qingcheng
Currently, the Elder Faction numbered eight.
Wudang, Beggar's Sect, Mount Hua, Emei
Zhenchang, Peng Family, Jegal, Hainan, Tang Family
Meanwhile, the Alliance Leader Faction had nine—one more than their opponents.
Though the Moyong Family had defected to the Elder Faction in outrage over the Unorthodox Faction's actions, another faction had unexpectedly switched sides.
The Hainan Sect, previously closer to the Elder Faction, had abruptly realigned with the Alliance Leader.
Moreover, the recent events involving the Tang Family had caused significant shifts in perceptions and attitudes within the sects.
Grand Elder Wei Taido had secretly met with the Alliance Leader the previous night and pledged his support.
'And given how close the Sichuan Tang Family and its young master are to the Alliance Leader...'
Just then, Wudang's Grand Elder, the Taiji Righteous Sword Daoist Master Hyeon-ya, cast the final vote, and the counting began.
Numerous gazes, laden with varying emotions, fixed on the box containing the ballots.
Amid the icy silence, the Military Division's martial artist tasked with counting finally spoke.
"I—I will now announce the results."
In the tense atmosphere, the first tally was revealed.
"Eight in favor!"
"!!"
Perfect!
Bright expressions flashed across the faces of the Alliance Leader Faction.
Everything was proceeding as they had anticipated.
The remaining votes would surely be nine against.
The ceasefire annulment and wartime transition would not pass.
......But the situation took an entirely unexpected turn.
"Eight against!"
"—!!"
"What?!"
A horrified Jegal Hoon shot to his feet.
The count was eight against—not nine.
As even Alliance Leader Yoo Jin-hak's face flickered with confusion—
"T—The final vote is one abstention! The result is invalid, and the matter will automatically be carried over to the next general assembly!"
"......Abstention?"
"An invalid vote...?"
While everyone else was dumbfounded, only Namgung Myung wore a meaningful smile.
'See this, Yoo Jin-hak?'
Watching the Alliance Leader's flustered reaction—something he had never witnessed before—filled Namgung Myung with a thrilling euphoria.
And naturally, his gaze shifted elsewhere.
Toward—
'He truly kept his promise.'
The one feigning bewilderment.
His new ally—Tang Se-woon.
That night.
A secret gathering of the Elder Faction was held in a hidden location within Kaifeng.
Seven elders, led by Namgung Myung, had assembled.
Abbot Gakgong had already returned to Shaolin after the vote's deadlock—though not before hearing the full details from Namgung Myung.
At that moment, Yin Ja-hoo, the head of the Eccentric Yin Family, could no longer contain himself and spoke up.
"I'm truly astonished. Who would've thought that insolent brat would bow to Elder Namgung first?"
"Indeed. Despite his arrogance, always holding his head high because of his ties to the Alliance Leader."
Namgung Myung silently sipped his wine as the elders spoke, only fueling their curiosity further.
"Elder Namgung, won't you enlighten us now?"
"Yes! How did Tang Se—!"
Whoosh—
As Yin Ja-hoo was about to utter Tang Se-woon's name, Namgung Myung released a surge of energy to silence him.
The overwhelming disparity in their cultivation made fear flicker across Yin Ja-hoo's face.
Namgung Myung smiled coldly and spoke.
"—From now on, let us refrain from carelessly mentioning our informant's name or origins. Walls have ears, as they say."
"Y—Yes."
"Moreover, the longer our informant remains undiscovered, the greater the chaos within the Alliance Leader Faction will grow."
"!!"
Namgung Myung then revealed the proposal Tang Se-woon had made through his son.
—I will make them tear each other apart in suspicion.
—The Alliance Leader trusts me implicitly, so none of them will anticipate my betrayal.
—Once I cast the invalid vote, the Alliance Leader Faction will plunge into utter disarray.
Indeed, the invalid vote that created the 8-8 deadlock had been cast by Tang Mu-yeol—acting under Se-woon's orders.
Shockingly, despite being merely the young master, Se-woon had already seized full control of the Sichuan Tang Family.
"But even if he cast the abstention today, can we really trust him so blindly?"
"—!!"
"He may wear the mask of a righteous hero to the outside world, but in truth, he's nothing more than a despicable swindler. We could all be dancing to his tune."
Juk Seong-ja, leader of the Qingcheng Sect, who had been displeased with Se-woon's alignment with the Elder Faction from the start, spoke mockingly.
As the other elders glanced nervously at his attitude—
Namgung Myung twisted his lips into a smirk.
"It doesn't matter."
"......What do you mean?"
"Even if we humor a dying man for a while, what harm could it do?"
"?!?!"
His chilling words left the entire gathering stunned.
Even Juk Seong-ja stiffened and fell silent.
"W—What do you...?"
"Elder Namgung... Surely you don't mean to eliminate our informant once his usefulness ends...?"
"Ah, the elders must have misunderstood my words."
Then, Namgung Myung dropped a bombshell.
"I meant it literally. After examining his pulse myself, I confirmed he has less than a year left to live."
"—!!!"
Before the general assembly began, Namgung Myung and Tang Se-woon had met secretly for half an hour.
—How can I trust your proposal?
When Namgung Myung opened with this question, Se-woon unexpectedly extended his hand—inviting him to probe his internal energy.
After circulating his senses through Se-woon's meridians, Namgung Myung realized one undeniable truth.
Se-woon's innate energy was as precarious as a candle flickering in the wind—on the verge of extinguishing.
—The Divine Monk only relieved me of my physical pain.
—My innate energy has already been depleted to a life-threatening degree. At most, I won't survive past this year.
—That's why I came to you, Elder. The Alliance Leader can't give me what I need—power and wealth to ensure the Tang Family remains among the Seven Great Families even after I'm gone.
The Divine Doctor's life span was barely a year.
Instantly, calculating gazes flashed in everyone's eyes as they weighed the pros and cons.
"If Elder Namgung personally examined his pulse, it must be true."
"No wonder you so readily handed over the Mystical Forge."
"Heh, might as well use him while he's still useful."
Even Juk Seong-ja stepped back with a satisfied expression, as if a long-standing knot in his chest had finally loosened.
Then, Namgung Myung's cold eyes swept over them as he spoke again.
"While the Alliance Leader Faction tears itself apart searching for traitors, we will secretly seize control of the Alliance's finances and key departments."
"!!"
"And once the Martial Alliance has crumbled like a sandcastle, we will abandon it—and establish a new faction under a different name."
"!!!"
At last, Namgung Myung unveiled his ambition without restraint.
To destroy the Sword Emperor's Martial Alliance.
And forge a new order.
That was his ultimate plan.
"......Elder Namgung, have you already decided on a name?"
Yin Ja-hoo asked with a trembling voice.
"The White Path Coalition."
Namgung Myung answered.
"That will be the name of the only orthodox faction left in the martial world."
His eyes gleamed with ferocious light.