Chapter 176: The Conspiracy of the Samu Alliance (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 176: The Conspiracy of the Samu Alliance (1)
Flickering candles struggled against the encroaching darkness in the secret chamber.
The room was so silent that even the faint sound of breathing felt deafening.
Several elderly men sat around a round table, each wearing a sash of a different color over their shoulders: Black (黑), Red (赤), Green (綠), Blue (靑), and Yellow (黃).
These were the symbols of the Samu Alliance.
Seated here were the lords who represented each of those factions.
"He took the bait at last."
A seductive, lilting voice drifted through the air, one that seemed at odds with her elegant attire. It was refined, yet carried a certain lingering, decadent charm.
The owner of the voice was the Black Lord.
To the outside world, she was known as a woman disguised as a man—the successor to the Samu Alliance.
"Is it certain that the Leader of the Martial Alliance took it?"
Seop Ji-myeong, known as Nokju, asked with a look of displeasure.
Formerly the leader of the Iron Sword Hall in Shanxi, he was a man of great martial prowess but lacked the wit for schemes. Consequently, he harbored a fair amount of distrust toward the Black Lord’s plans.
"There is no mistake. According to the spy we planted in the Alliance, the Leader personally collected all the clothing from our captured comrades."
"Then... he must have found it."
"Unless he is blind, he couldn't have missed it."
Hwangju Jeon Yi-yeong and Jeokju Jang Gu nodded in agreement.
When the Black Lord first proposed the plan, they had wondered if it would actually work, but every single one of her predictions was falling into place with exquisite precision. After meeting several times, the atmosphere among them had become quite relaxed.
"So, what do we know of the Martial Alliance Leader's whereabouts?" Seop Ji-myeong asked the Black Lord, his tone turning serious.
"It’s a bit strange. He did a fine job of declaring Qingcheng as public enemies of the Jianghu, but then he suddenly vanished for a while on his way to Shaolin."
"Vanished?"
"Yes. Then, not long ago, he reappeared at the Diancang Sect. Everything after that is as you know."
"Diancang... I wonder where he stopped in between," Seop Ji-myeong muttered to himself.
The Black Lord smiled, speaking with absolute certainty. "It must have been the Mount Hua Sect."
"Do you have a hunch?"
"It’s Go Ju-gang’s nature. He is a man with a bottomless lust for power who hates letting go of what he possesses. Yet, he is also someone who cherishes the safety of his own sect above all else."
"That’s a contradiction, Black Lord. If Go Ju-gang had gathered all the fragments of the Demonic Energy Absorption Art as you said, shouldn't he have naturally gone to Mount Hua?"
At Seop Ji-myeong’s counterargument, the Black Lord shook her head.
"Nokju, you aren't considering the temperament of the Orthodox sects. They do not trust our Demonic Energy Absorption Art. And they cherish their own disciples."
"What does that mean?"
"It means they need subjects to experiment on in order to restore the martial art for themselves."
"I see. I understand now. That’s why he chose Diancang," Hwangju Jeon Yi-yeong interjected.
Alliance Leader Go Ju-gang was ambitious and loath to lose his position. Therefore, the Demonic Energy Absorption Art would be an incredibly attractive technique to him.
However, if he had introduced it directly to the Mount Hua Sect, he would have had to risk immense damage to his own people.
For Go Ju-gang, who possessed a fierce loyalty to his own sect, he needed a test subject to act as a buffer for the Demonic Energy Absorption Art. He had subtly shifted that burden onto the Diancang Sect.
"Those Orthodox bastards are all the same. In the end, they just want to avoid losses while reaping all the benefits."
"They earned the name 'Orthodox' precisely because they are so skilled at such hypocrisy."
Kekeke! Kahahaha!
Dark laughter briefly filled the room at the words of the other two old men who had been watching the conversation.
The Black Lord watched them for a moment with her dark eyes before clapping her hands once. Clap.
"In any case, that isn't the important part right now. What do you intend to do about the Qingcheng Sect?"
"Mmm."
"Hmm."
As the Black Lord redirected their attention, the lords of the Green, Red, Yellow, and Blue factions fell back into deep thought.
The reason they had gathered today was none other than the news regarding the Qingcheng Sect.
At one point, due to the alliance between the Martial Alliance Leader and the Diancang Sect, Qingcheng had been driven into a corner, treated as little more than public enemies.
But somehow, Shaolin had intervened to prove their innocence, and in the process, Seok Myeong of Qingcheng had stepped forward.
Despite being a mere First Generation Disciple, he had faced three elder-level masters simultaneously and defeated them soundly.
"My guess is that he possesses the completed, authentic version."
"...That is impossible."
Jeon Yi-yeong shook his head firmly. He usually followed the Black Lord’s words, but this time, he voiced his disagreement.
"The Demonic Energy Absorption Art is not a martial art meant to be controlled by humans. It is a divine power of the Heavenly Demon that only a select few—a very select few—can barely manage to wield."
"That is the common sense of it. But we must assume that common sense has been shattered," the Black Lord replied briefly, countering with a question. "After all, is it common sense for a First Generation Disciple to face and defeat three elders of a sect at the same time?"
"That is..."
"True enough."
Jeon Yi-yeong was silenced, and Seop Ji-myeong nodded.
"First item on the agenda: we must decide what to do with Qingcheng," the Black Lord spoke again. "Based on the information we've received, that Taoist from Qingcheng named Seok Myeong has either made faster progress than our Demonic Energy Absorption Art, or he is at an equal level."
"That’s impossible!"
At those words, Hwang Il-guk, known as Cheongju, who had been silent until now, suddenly flared up in anger.
"To surpass the destructive power of the Demonic Energy Absorption Art! No martial art in the history of the Martial World has ever done that! Black Lord, do you think this Seok Myeong fellow is the reincarnation of Zhang Sanfeng or Bodhidharma?"
"You misunderstand. What I am referring to is not power, but stability."
The Black Lord calmly waved her hand.
"In terms of raw strength and destructive power, he is not yet a match for me. If I had faced those three elders of Diancang, I could have ended their lives in one or two strikes. However..."
"A severe backlash would have followed."
Hwangju Jeon Yi-yeong groaned and nodded.
"Exactly. Power is not everything in a martial art. To begin with, the Demonic Energy Absorption Art we possess is incomplete. Isn't that why we intentionally leaked clues to the Alliance Leader?"
"O Heavenly Demon..." Hwangju Jeon Yi-yeong lamented.
In the past, when the Demonic Cult was defeated in the war against the Orthodox sects, many masters who knew the oral formulas died, and countless pavilions and secret manuals were burned.
Because of that, the Demonic Energy Absorption Art—the Heavenly Demon's world-shattering technique—had vanished.
What those gathered here had managed to collect were merely scattered fragments, an incomplete version that barely mimicked the original.
"Those wretched Orthodox bastards... Ah, Heavenly Demon. Please forgive your unworthy descendants..."
"That’s enough, Hwangju."
As Jeon Yi-yeong sank into despair, the old man wearing a Dongpa hat, Jeokju Jang Gu, gave him a dignified rebuke. He then turned to the Black Lord.
"I understand what you're saying. The Demonic Energy Absorption Art we have is closer to the original, but it lacks stability. On the other hand, Qingcheng's version is something entirely different, but it possesses a certain stability."
"Yes."
"Then isn't our task one of two things? Either we recruit him, or we completely annihilate him."
Seop Ji-myeong chimed in, offering his thoughts. It made sense. Two tigers could not inhabit the same mountain. Since they were the ones inheriting the legacy of the Demonic Cult, it was absurd to even consider competing with the Orthodox over the stability of the Demonic Energy Absorption Art.
Jang Gu, the lord of the Red Faction, asked, "Recruitment... It’s tempting, but is it possible?"
"It won't be easy. Qingcheng is an insular sect with incredibly deep bonds among its members. And after the Black Lord turned their world upside down last time..." Cheongju Hwang Il-guk took over the thought and clicked his tongue.
"Still, I don't think there’s no way at all. If their bonds are deep, couldn't we use those very bonds against them? For example, kidnapping the Sect Leader or his daughter..."
"What about money? Is there anyone who hates money?"
"Qingcheng? Not likely."
Hwang Il-guk smirked at Jang Gu.
As the debate threatened to become unproductive, the Black Lord calmly steered the conversation.
"We will have to look into that matter more deeply. More importantly..." She looked around at the group and continued. "Is there still no response from the Golden Martial Association?"
"..."
"..."
A brief silence followed her words.
Even now, after they had shown their strongest card—the Demonic Energy Absorption Art—the Golden Martial Association had shown no significant reaction.
When the Black Lord looked at Jeon Yi-yeong, who was responsible for this matter, he answered in a quiet voice.
"They say they need time to think."
At those words, the impatient Hwang Il-guk snapped at Jeon Yi-yeong. "How much more time do they need? Do you know how many months have already passed?"
"They are likely weighing their options. It isn't easy for those who have reigned as the head of a snake to suddenly become the tail of a dragon."
"In any case, tell them to make a decision quickly. They are supposed to be the crucial starting point for our future plans."
"I will visit them once more. They will eventually find that they need us anyway, so do not worry. If they don't..." Jeon Yi-yeong smiled sinisterly at the end of his sentence. "Then we can simply eliminate them as well."
No sooner had the chilling atmosphere settled than Seop Ji-myeong asked, "What do you all plan to do about Diancang? Should we help them, or just watch?"
Diancang was currently backed into a corner. They would surely swallow the explosive-laden bait set by the Martial Alliance Leader. That explosive was bound to detonate eventually.
What Seop Ji-myeong was asking was when that timing would be most advantageous for them.
"It would be best to move according to the situation. If their descent into the demonic path is too slow, we can throw them something stimulating..."
"And if it’s too fast, we’ll have to keep them in check. It might be good to send in a few corpses possessed by spirits."
Someone nodded.
Once the major items on the agenda were settled, the meeting came to an end. After coordinating a few more details, the three old men stood up to leave.
*
"What exactly are you so concerned about?" Jeon Yi-yeong asked the Black Lord, who remained seated without moving.
Since the raid on the Qingcheng Sect, all of the Five Tyrants had acknowledged the Black Lord. She seemed pleased by this, and all their plans were progressing steadily.
"Concerned? Nothing in particular."
"Hmm."
But Jeon Yi-yeong was worried. The Black Lord’s eyes occasionally flickered with a faint bloodlust. It was happening more frequently now, and at times, it was so chilling that even Jeon Yi-yeong, who was practically her master, couldn't meet her gaze.
"If I had to pick something... would it be that man, Seok Myeong?"
"Didn't you say yourself that he wouldn't last ten moves against you? Are you worried about someone like him?"
"Because he will grow. Surely. Just as I did."
Sssshhh.
A faint black energy rose from the Black Lord’s hand. Simultaneously, as if by reflex, a murderous intent exploded from her eyes.
"I-If you're that bothered by this Seok Myeong fellow, couldn't we just kill him right now?" Jeon Yi-yeong stuttered slightly, caught off guard.
"I can't. I wish I could, but..." Swish. The Black Lord withdrew her energy and bloodlust, her expression turning regretful. "He is a person essential to our grand design."
"Essential to us?"
"We still haven't perfectly restored the Demonic Energy Absorption Art. I don't believe the Diancang Sect can complete it. They’ll likely struggle just to manifest and control it in their own way. They might not even get that far."
Sssshhh.
As she spoke, an ominous black shadow flickered briefly in the Black Lord’s hand once more.
"In the end, we have to be the ones to do it, but what if we can't? That is why we must leave Qingcheng be. We need an opponent who has something worth taking."
"Mmm..."
"There isn't much time, Elder. I don't know how much longer I can control this myself."
The Black Lord looked at Jeon Yi-yeong with a somewhat sorrowful gaze.
Zzzzt!
Then, in an instant, those lingering eyes transformed into those of a beast.
"Ju-ah. You..." Jeon Yi-yeong flinched and reflexively took a step back.
For just a moment, he had seen it within her pupils. A faint, fleeting green glow.
"Your eyes just now..."
"Yes. That’s right." The Black Lord sighed. Her face, tinged with a sickly hue, looked both pitiful and somewhat alluring. "Since that time, it comes and goes."
"T-Then..."
"I’m choosing to believe it’s nothing serious. But it might not be. So, the more preparations we have, the better."
Rustle.
As if she no longer wanted to show herself, she stood up from her seat.
"I have to get things done while I am still myself."
Step. Step.
She walked down the hallway alone, leaving Jeon Yi-yeong behind. Her gait seemed normal, but Jeon Yi-yeong groaned.
The way the Black Lord—clearly a woman—walked was violent and aggressive, like the stride of a tyrant, and it was heavy with murderous intent.
"Has she finally been consumed by the Demonic Qi?" Jeon Yi-yeong’s face hardened grimly. As he hid himself in the shadows, he let out a sorrowful remark. "Even that child, the only one chosen in a thousand years of history..."