Chapter 370
Chapter 370
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 370
>Chapter Title: Turbulence (3)
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Having sent all the Huangbo Family's warriors back to Shandong along with their daughters, Hwangbo Ak headed toward Dongting Lake with the Martial Alliance's forces.
It wasn't just the Huangbo Family that had received information about the Maitreya Divine Cult—warriors from all corners of the Central Plains were gathering at the Martial Alliance.
Upon arriving at the Martial Alliance branch near Dongting Lake, Hwangbo Ak accepted Alliance Leader Cheok Pae-myeong's invitation and made his way to the Alliance Leader's Hall.
"Hahaha. It's been a while, Huangbo Patriarch."
"I hope you've been well, Alliance Leader."
Pretending to know nothing, Hwangbo Ak exchanged hearty greetings with the Alliance Leader before turning his head to greet another elderly man in the hall.
"Greetings to the Hengshan Sect Leader."
"Heh heh heh. It's truly been too long."
As Hwangbo Ak offered a light clasped-hands salute, Yang Mu-ja, the Hengshan Sect Leader, returned the gesture.
The Hengshan Sect had long been a renowned sect, though it hadn't quite made the Nine Great Sects.
That changed about a decade ago when it earned recognition as one of the Nine Great Sects, largely thanks to its leader and foremost swordmaster, Yang Mu-ja.
Yang Mu-ja was a transcendent realm master and one of those known as the Twelve Heavenly Lords.
"Hahaha. I'm truly delighted that the Hengshan Sect and Huangbo Family stand with us in this cause."
At the Alliance Leader's words, Yang Mu-ja and Hwangbo Ak responded in turn.
"Heh heh. How could the Hengshan Sect, proud guardians of righteousness, sit idly by while we exterminate the Demon Cult and restore justice to the jianghu?"
"Hmph. Those vile Demon Cult bastards deceived us—we won't let them get away with it."
Whether it was Hwangbo Ak's acting or not, the Alliance Leader smiled broadly and spoke.
"Then rest easy today. We'll begin our march northwest tomorrow."
"...Tomorrow, right away?"
When Hwangbo Ak asked with a puzzled expression, the Alliance Leader nodded.
"Indeed. To prevent those treacherous Demon Cult scum from fleeing to Xinjiang, we'll set out tomorrow."
Hwangbo Ak fell into deep thought. Should he play the fool and laugh it off, or probe subtly?
After racking his brains, he came up with a suitable excuse.
"Ahem. Actually, I've summoned all our family's warriors to punish those Demon Cult dogs who deceived us. How about we wait until they arrive?"
"Hahaha. No need to worry about that. We're just handling the remnants disguised as the Maitreya Divine Cult in Gansu first. Once we've cleared Gansu and Sichuan, we'll press on to Xinjiang when the main force joins us."
The reason the Alliance Leader was moving so hastily was tied to his true objective.
The Demon Cult and the orthodox martial forces—inflicting maximum damage on both sides was his goal.
Under the pretext that they might escape, he planned to lead only the immediately available forces as a vanguard and start the war.
With fewer numbers, the casualties would be higher, and the greater the deaths, the deeper the orthodox sects' grudge.
That would provide the momentum not just to wipe out the Maitreya Divine Cult in Gansu, but to push all the way to Xinjiang.
And there was one more lure to draw these self-proclaimed righteous fools into Xinjiang.
'Heh heh heh. I wasn't pleased seeing the Maitreya Divine Cult thriving, but this is a blessing in disguise.'
Wealth.
The main reason the orthodox sects had only defended against Demon Cult incursions without pushing to Xinjiang—what was it?
Because charging into the barren wasteland of Xinjiang yielded nothing.
But not anymore.
Now, every major sect in the jianghu knew the Maitreya Divine Cult had opened trade routes between Gansu and the Western Regions.
It was a chance to seize their immense riches in gold and treasures, so greedy moths would flock endlessly.
* * *
Around the time orthodox warriors were pouring into the Martial Alliance.
"To think the damned Maitreya Divine Cult was actually the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
The news reached a shadowy valley somewhere in the Central Plains.
"Kekeke. Heaven hasn't abandoned us yet. Our chance has finally come."
Having heard the report from his subordinate, the Blood Cult Leader muttered with madness gleaming in his eyes before issuing an order.
"Spread the word to all cultists at once. Move as stealthily as possible and assemble in Gansu Province."
"We obey the Cult Leader's command!"
Once the subordinate rushed out of the cave to relay the orders,
the Blood Cult Leader turned and gazed at a corpse placed in the center of a geometric pattern drawn in blood-red lines.
"The moment the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and Martial Alliance clash! We shall fulfill our aspirations with their blood!"
* * *
As the Alliance Leader had said, those gathered at the Martial Alliance began their advance the next day.
They marched out of the Alliance headquarters northwestward, passing Yichang in southern Hubei on their way to Shaanxi.
At the pass from Hubei to Shaanxi, the Zhuge Family joined their ranks.
"Thank you for joining our cause."
The Alliance Leader greeted Zhuge Mun, patriarch of the Zhuge Family, with a clasped-hands salute, then casually asked a question.
"By chance, did you see anyone coming from Wudang on the way?"
Since the Zhuge Family's base at Mount Longzhong was close to Mount Wudang, that's why he asked.
"I sent word to Mount Wudang on the way, but they said they'd observe the situation first."
It wasn't the Alliance Leader who responded to Zhuge Mun's words, but Hengshan Sect Leader Yang Mu-ja.
"Tch. How can so-called orthodox Taoists give such an answer upon hearing about the Demon Cult?"
He didn't hesitate to badmouth Wudang in front of everyone.
It wasn't just because, as the newest addition to the Nine Great Sects, he envied Wudang, the pillar of the martial world.
Mount Heng, known as the Southern Peak, was home to a peak called Zhurong Peak, said to be where the fire god Zhurong slumbered.
From that legend sprang the Hengshan Sect's signature heart method, the Zhurong Heart Art—a technique wielding immense fiery yang energy. Yang Mu-ja, who had mastered it, was infamous for his irascible temper unfit for a Taoist.
Jovial when in good spirits, he spewed harsh words indiscriminately when not, and in worst cases, drew his sword first and asked questions later.
To soothe him, Alliance Leader Cheok Pae-myeong flashed a kindly smile and spoke.
"Hahaha. Don't mind it too much, Sect Leader. At least they're not siding with the Demon Cult to block our path, right?"
It seemed placating at first glance, but there was steel in his words.
Anyone who obstructed or interfered with this advance would be treated as Demon Cult.
* * *
After the Zhuge Family joined, the orthodox warriors entered Shaanxi.
They passed Pingli County and arrived at Shiquan County, where two groups of Taoists awaited them.
Taoists from the major Shaanxi sects, Huashan and Zhongnan.
Zhongnan had no transcendent realm master among the Twelve Heavenly Lords in this era, and Huashan's Plum Blossom Sword Sage had perished in the war against the Blood Cult.
Yet their long-standing traditions and over a century as the Nine Great Sects gave them formidable strength.
Lacking absolute masters, both sects still boasted over a hundred sword experts at the pinnacle realm or higher.
Martial Alliance, Hengshan Sect, Zhuge Family, Huashan, Zhongnan. Plus Hwangbo Ak, the Fist King.
Three absolute masters and over a thousand orthodox martial artists marched through Shaanxi toward Gansu.
Passing Hanzhong on Shaanxi's western edge, they entered Gansu and, after several more days, reached the vicinity of Mount Kongtong, former home of the Kongtong Sect.
The nearest village to Mount Kongtong—a place recently gaining fame for its medicine markets, music, and arts—was Pingliang County.
And the fact that those medicine markets, music, and arts had all flourished under the Maitreya Divine Cult was common knowledge among those in the know.
"You vile Demon Cult scum, show yourselves!!"
"It's time to receive heaven's punishment for deluding the common folk and sucking them dry!"
The orthodox warriors who arrived at Pingliang County shouted provocations at the Demon Cultists without restraint.
But no one stepped forward in response to their yells.
Well, one person did.
A frail old man, utterly devoid of any internal energy, approached them cautiously.
Suspecting it might be a Demon Cult trap, everyone watched the elder with tense expressions until Alliance Leader Cheok Pae-myeong stepped forward and asked.
"Old man, who are you to block our path?"
"I-I'm j-just an ol-old timer wh-who's lived here all m-my life. Th-there's a m-message I h-have to d-deliver, s-so I c-came forward."
The orthodox warriors watched the trembling elder's mouth with varied expressions as he spoke.
'A message from the Demon Cult.'
'Why push an old man like this to the front—what are they planning!'
Under their gazes, the terrified elder carefully opened his mouth.
"Um... Th-they're all g-gone already."
* * *
Right after learning that the Martial Alliance was spreading word of the Maitreya Divine Cult's true identity and rallying orthodox warriors.
Jin Ha-yeon asked with a calm expression.
"Young Master. What shall we do?"
Il-mok shrugged once and replied nonchalantly.
"Well, just fall back to Xinjiang, that's all."
"You're saying we'll retreat without even putting up a fight?"
At Jin Ha-yeon's question, Il-mok nodded.
"No reason to fight them. The Alliance Leader's just a royal lackey anyway, and his goal is mutual destruction between us and the orthodox fools. If we pull back, we ruin his scheme."
The maidservants pondered his reasonable words for a moment before Jeong-hyeon tentatively raised her hand.
"Y-Young Master. Wh-what if the or-orthodox ones ch-chase us all the w-way to Xinjiang?"
"Then we link up with the main force at headquarters and fight. If they're coming to die on their own in Xinjiang's harsh terrain they're not used to, why avoid the battle?"
Il-mok was even prepared to use scorched-earth tactics if needed.
Scorched-earth tactics involved destroying villages, wells, and mountains along the enemy's advance to cut off their supplies, preventing local procurement.
Xinjiang was already half-desert, chronically short on water and food.
Luring them in with scorched-earth tactics there could annihilate them despite the numbers gap.
If they could slaughter the orthodox scum without much loss, there'd be no need to fear the imperial conspiracy.
Of course, scorched-earth tactics harmed local commoners too, but Il-mok had his ace.
'We've stockpiled plenty of food from Western Regions trade, so recovery's no issue.'
As Jeong-hyeon nodded in understanding, Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a posed the next question.
"What if they don't chase us to Xinjiang? This place is what you've toiled to build over the years, Young Master."
Killing intent flickered briefly in Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a's eyes.
The thought of hypocritical orthodox bastards trampling her brother's garden of several years' labor stirred her bloodlust.
Understanding her feelings, Il-mok smiled softly and replied.
"Don't worry. It's just a temporary withdrawal. If the Beggars' Sect, Huangbo Family, and Wudang join us, we'll come right back."
Il-mok figured the Beggars' Sect investigation would wrap up in a month or two at most.
At another question from Jin Ha-yeon amid his explanation,
"Young Master, how will you communicate with them once we've fallen back to Xinjiang?"
"No worries there. Only our Heavenly Demon Divine Cult warriors and missionaries are withdrawing."
Gansu teemed with believers unconnected to the Cult who hadn't learned any demonic arts.
Their role, as Il-mok envisioned, went beyond mere liaison with the Beggars' Sect.
'With informants left behind, a counterattack will be a breeze.'
They would remain as the Cult's eyes, ears, hands, and feet.
Thus, Il-mok's orders spread like wildfire across Gansu Province and northern Sichuan.
Naturally, the news reached Pingliang County too.
"What do you mean?! Retreat to Xinjiang?!"
Baek Cheon, who had been planning, directing, and starring in daily performances in Pingliang County while reveling in life, foamed at the mouth and bellowed.
"I've got shows booked solid today, tomorrow, the day after—no, for months ahead! How can I abandon the audiences pining for me and run away?!"
"It's the Young Master's order!!"
At the warrior's shout delivering Il-mok's command, Baek Cheon looked on the verge of a panic attack.
Performances were his life itself.
But he couldn't defy the command of Young Master Il-mok, who had set him on the straight and narrow.
His bewildered mind soon found a target for all his rage.
"Damn those orthodox bastards!! I absolutely won't let them get away with this!!"
On the day they returned to Gansu after the retreat.
Baek Cheon vowed to turn the orthodox scum's bodies into a floral arrangement of hidden weapons for daring to interrupt his shows.