Chapter 157: Sect Leader Song Jeong’s Fury (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157: Sect Leader Song Jeong’s Fury (2)
Tadat! Shwish!
Song Mun sprinted across the grounds of the Palace of Supreme Clarity, his destination the Azure Peak Pavilion.
He was a man who rarely even hurried his pace within the confines of Mount Qingcheng, yet now he was pushing his lightness skills to their absolute limit, a blur of motion against the ancient stone. After a grueling climb, he reached the summit and headed toward the Azure Cloud Tower, the highest point on the mountain.
The Azure Cloud Tower.
It was a two-story pavilion perched atop a massive cliff where two jagged peaks converged—a place of refined, ethereal beauty that looked down upon the sea of mist and clouds blanketing the noble mountain.
“Ho. Song Mun. What is the great hurry?”
Song Jeong asked as Song Mun arrived before the tower, gasping for breath.
The Sect Leader looked like a man who had long since transcended the secular world. As he gazed down at the cloud-covered peaks, a faint, mysterious smile played on his lips.
“Sect Leader. It is… It is about…”
Sweat was no longer just beading on Song Mun’s forehead; it was streaming down his cheeks. At that sight, Song Jeong’s smile faded, and he tilted his head slightly.
“It seems the matter carries more weight than expected.”
He had instructed Song Mun to investigate the rumors circulating in the world. Usually, such a task was important but rarely urgent. However, for Song Mun to be this pale, it was clear that something extraordinary had occurred.
“At the Martial Alliance’s Martial Demonstration Gathering, Seok Jun, Yeon-hui, and Seok Jin clashed with the Diancang Sect. Seok Jin and Seok Jun were injured so severely they can barely move, and Yeon-hui… she also suffered numerous wounds.”
“Hoo…”
A low groan escaped Song Jeong’s lips. If trouble had brewed, it had clearly brewed on a massive scale. He composed himself as best he could and asked, “And so? Were we mocked significantly by the Nine Great Sects?”
“It is not that, Sect Leader. It is said that Seok Myeong flew into a rage at the assault on his juniors and intervened. In the process, he killed a member of the Diancang Sect!”
“What?”
Clink.
For once, even Song Jeong lost his composure, the teacup slipping from his fingers.
If it wasn't a simple scuffle but a death, the situation would become irreversible. Song Jeong asked with a grave expression, “What was the name of the rising star who died?”
“That is… they called him a rising star, but upon investigation, it turns out he was Goma, the Light Splitting Divine Sword—one of the Four Demons of the Martial World.”
“W-what? Is that true?”
Song Jeong doubted his own ears. Goma, the Light Splitting Divine Sword. That was not a name that should have appeared at a gathering for juniors.
He was an expert nearing the realm of transcendence, the pride of Diancang. Moreover, his fame was largely infamy built upon his cruel and bloodthirsty methods. Though he primarily targeted the Unorthodox Faction or the underworld, he was a man who occasionally laid his poisonous hands even on neutral figures caught between the Orthodox and Unorthodox paths. Because of this, he was one of the individuals the Nine Great Sects kept a wary eye on.
For such a man to have a dispute with a first-generation disciple of Qingcheng meant…
“Those… those bastards! They deliberately set a trap!”
Crack!
Song Jeong’s fury finally erupted. The wooden railing his hand rested on was crushed into splinters.
Goma was a warrior at the level of a sect elder at the very least. Even if the young disciples had acted arrogantly, if he had revealed his identity, anyone would have backed away in terror. The disciples chosen for this Martial Demonstration Gathering—Seok Myeong, Seok Jun, Seok Jin, and Yeon-hui—were strong, but they were also people who knew how to yield when the situation demanded it.
Above all, had he not sent Song Gwan to oversee them? Despite that, for such a violent clash to occur…
“Goma. Did that man hide his identity?”
“He did.”
“And? Did it end there? If Diancang acted with such intent, Seok Myeong couldn't have come out unscathed, could he?”
Song Jeong was taut with tension. Song Mun sighed and continued.
“The matter became strangely entangled. The fact that he executed Goma alone is good news, but immediately after, it is said that monsters—Geomma—the likes of which have never been seen or heard of, burst forth within the Martial Alliance.”
“What?”
“And Seok Myeong cooperated with the rising stars, the Five Dragons, to slay the leader of the Geomma… but in the process, he cut off the arm of the Little Divine Monk, Beopgye. Furthermore, it is said that during an internal energy duel with the Geomma he was facing, he unilaterally absorbed its internal energy and withered it to death.”
“……Good heavens.”
“Because of that, the story has taken a bizarre turn.”
— Qingcheng has mastered demonic arts.
— Driven mad by demonic arts, their disciple killed a rising star of the Diancang Sect and severed the arm of Shaolin’s Little Divine Monk, Beopgye.
— The Geomma that appeared across the region were actually instigated by Qingcheng.
The rumors had spread in an instant. Without even a chance to protest, they had flooded not only the lands of Sichuan but the entire Central Plains. It happened too coincidentally—and far too quickly.
“Haha. This is truly…”
Song Jeong pressed a hand to his forehead. No matter how one looked at it, these were blatant, malicious fabrications. Who stood to gain from such rumors? For what purpose would they do such a thing?
As Song Jeong’s thoughts reached this point, Song Mun added: “For your information, it is said that the elders of the Martial Alliance were watching when our disciples fought Goma of Diancang. But no one tried to stop it… they only spectated.”
“……”
“……Sect Leader?”
Song Mun’s body instinctively recoiled. The Sect Leader’s expression as he remained silent was terrifying—it was utterly devoid of emotion.
After a long, suffocating silence.
“Sect Leader…”
Thump!
Crunch.
The railing he was leaning on was completely destroyed. Song Jeong had loaded his internal power and utterly pulverized the wood. That wasn't the end.
Shring—!
Thwack!
A sword was driven into the floor. Song Jeong had drawn his own blade and plunged it into the wood.
Thud!
“Sect Leader…”
Song Mun was so shocked he couldn't find his words. Qingcheng was a sect that followed the principle of 'The Sword and the Man are One.' It was a sect that cherished the sword as much as life itself, polishing and refining the blade every single day. To them, the sword was a sacred object and the very symbol of the sect. Seeing the Sect Leader drive such a sword roughly into the floor was a first even for him.
“The rising stars of Qingcheng…”
Grit!
Song Jeong’s bloodshot eyes glared at Song Mun.
“Were being assaulted! And a first-generation disciple was fighting one of the Four Demons of the Martial World, yet they just watched?! These bastards who call themselves the elders of the Martial Alliance!”
His voice thundered like a physical blow. The gazes of his bodyguards, the Silent Twin Elders, also turned cold. They, too, knew of the Four Demons. It was their duty to track experts who had surpassed the peak realm. They understood the depth of Song Jeong’s fury. If Seok Myeong’s martial arts had been even slightly weaker, he would have been the one who died.
“Tell me everything that happened afterward in detail, Song Mun.”
The Sect Leader’s tone had turned murderous.
“Yes!”
Song Mun immediately bowed his head and explained everything that had occurred at the Martial Alliance, point by point. How two Diancang elders had ambushed Seok Myeong the moment he killed Goma. How the Martial Alliance was turned upside down by the monsters afterward, and how Seok Myeong encountered a monster while going to rescue Song Gwan. Even the fact that he was forced to sever Beopgye’s right hand after the monk was caught in the fray.
Song Jeong’s face, which rarely lost its composure, was now twisted with rage.
“Heh… hehehe…”
And what followed that rage was a chilling laugh—a laugh thick with murderous intent.
“I see. These snakes intended to oppress our disciple to force him to reveal his hidden cards.”
Song Jeong was the Sect Leader of Qingcheng. As such, he had once resided within the Martial Alliance. But while there, he had seen enough disgusting political maneuvering and backstabbing to make him sick. They were called the Nine Great Sects of the Orthodox Faction, but in reality, they were no different from the mud-slinging of the Unorthodox Faction.
In a way, the reason Qingcheng had remained closed-off and avoided external interaction was largely due to his experiences back then. No matter how prestigious an orthodox sect claimed to be, he had seen far too many instances of them plotting schemes and conspiracies just for their own profit or to uncover the secrets of another sect’s martial arts.
“Hehehehe!”
Sect Leader Song Jeong laughed. The more he heard, the more it felt like the blood in his entire body was rushing to his head.
“The Demonic Energy Absorption Art… were you that curious about it? If Seok Myeong hadn't won, were you planning to kill every single child of Qingcheng until demonic qi appeared?!”
Could such people even be called orthodox sects? No matter how much they wanted to know Seok Myeong’s internal energy, how could they intentionally hide a transcendent expert to drive a junior to the brink of death?
Grit.
Song Jeong clenched his fists and ground his teeth. Fury and a sense of betrayal caused his long-dormant emotions to explode.
*
Chirp. Chirp. Tweet! Tweet!
The birds of dawn began to wake the morning. The old grudges of the past that had occasionally spilled out vanished along with the mist rising with the sun. The two sitting on the flat rock had stayed up all night talking.
“Why don't you have some?”
Seok Jun handed a few pieces of dried rations to Seok Myeong. Perhaps still feeling awkward, his face was flushed as he looked elsewhere.
“Thank you, Junior Brother Jun.”
Seok Myeong chuckled and took the rations. They say the mind is the root of all illness; despite sleeping rough on the mountainside, his body felt light and refreshed, as if he could fly. The martial brothers, having cleared away their long-standing resentment, felt strangely invigorated and at peace.
“By the way, Senior Brother. Do you know?”
Munch, munch.
Seok Jun asked while chewing on the rations.
“Know what, all of a sudden?”
“The reason my father disliked you so much.”
“Ah…”
Seok Myeong’s shoulders slumped slightly. The discord between Song Hak and himself was something everyone in Qingcheng knew about. Thinking back, Seok Jun had followed him well when they were young, but had slowly grown distant after being scolded by Martial Uncle Song Hak.
“I don't know. Because I’m a disciple of Azure Cloud Taoist?”
“Hmm. Half right and half wrong.”
Munch, munch.
Seok Jun continued to chew. It seemed he was forcing nutrients into his body to recover from his severe injuries.
“According to my father, martial arts have the power to change a person’s character. Our Qingcheng is a prime example. Straight as a sword, upright, and unyielding.”
“That is true.”
Seok Myeong nodded.
Seok Jun continued. “Shaolin emphasizes great mercy and compassion. Wudang emphasizes softness. Mount Hua puts forward the exquisite and brilliant beauty of the plum blossom. You must have experienced this time what kind of personalities the people of each sect have, influenced by their martial arts.”
“Well, yes.”
Seok Myeong nodded again, recalling the people he had met at the Martial Demonstration Gathering.
“Then what about the martial arts of the Demonic Cult?”
“……I wonder.”
Seok Myeong’s eyes narrowed slightly. At that, Seok Jun waved his hands as if to say he didn't mean it that way.
“Do not misunderstand. I, the Sect Leader, the elders—everyone has acknowledged that the Demonic Energy Absorption Art, the new Qingcheng Heart Method, is a martial art of Qingcheng.”
“……”
“But Senior Brother. As I said before, martial arts are not just martial arts. They slowly influence the character of the user. This may be rude, but Senior Brother… was there a reason you killed them?”
“……That fellow from Diancang?”
“Yes.”
Seok Myeong’s face hardened instantly. The topic Seok Jun was raising was something he had never even considered until now.
“Given your prowess, Senior Brother, even if the opponent was at the level of a Diancang elder, you could have handled him without much difficulty. In other words, you could have subdued him without killing him.”
“At that time…”
He was about to say it was because they had insulted his juniors, but Seok Myeong swallowed his words. He felt from the sincere, worried look in Seok Jun’s eyes that this wasn't what he was trying to ask.
“He was not a member of the Demonic Cult or the Unorthodox Faction; he was, after all, a figure from the Nine Great Sects. I am not saying we should walk on eggshells or be afraid. Senior Brother, I am just truly…”
“……”
“Are you truly alright? You seem so different from the Senior Brother I used to know.”
Seok Myeong’s expression shifted subtly. He had never thought about it. He hadn't thought he had mastered it perfectly, but he believed he could now control the demonic qi completely according to his will.
However.
“If. I don't think it's possible, but…”
Seok Jun carefully chose his words, reminding him. For some reason, instinctively, a memory he had buried because he thought it was impossible resurfaced.
The Dual Flow Exchange Technique through the Demonic Energy Absorption Art. He thought they had completely merged their energies through that. But there was nothing he could be certain of.
“If a tiny trace of energy still remains within the Demonic Energy Absorption Art and that influences a person’s character… Senior Brother.”
He had done as the disciples of Azure Cloud Taoist said and as his Master instructed. But literally, this was a martial art that had never been created before.
“What will become of us now?”
“……”
Seok Myeong could not answer. Even as Seok Jun finished speaking and stood up, he could not say a single word.