Chapter 181
Chapter 181
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: It's No Ploy (3)
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"Does this mean I have the qualifications now?"
"Shut your mouth! Even if you steal the challenge token, it doesn't give you any right to it."
"Is that so? What a shame."
Despite his words, there wasn't a trace of regret on the young man's face as he unleashed the Samadhi True Fire, turning the challenge token into a pile of ash.
"Well then, let's see your skills, regardless of the duel. You wouldn't run away, would you? Not the esteemed Sword Empress."
Neung Sohwa knew it was an obvious provocation, yet she drew her sword without hesitation.
The moment he drove the Twin Swords Reaching Heaven senior to his death to seize the challenge token, the fight was inevitable. Letting such an insult to the Sword Phantom Villa pass would make her unworthy of the title Sword Empress.
But before Neung Sohwa could step forward, Sima Geon was already unleashing sharp sword intent toward the young man.
"Young Master Sima!"
Neung Sohwa frowned, a hint of displeasure crossing her face.
"Black Wolf is injured. Cheol Woo got hit too. I'm sorry, but I can't yield."
"Who got hit..."
"You, shut up."
Cheol Woo's outburst was silenced as So Surin stuffed the cloth she had been pressing on Black Wolf's wound into his mouth.
"Well, no helping it. Now that you've shown up, the plan's already gone awry."
The young man straightened his stance toward Sima Geon and spoke.
"Plan? The challenge token was just an excuse. Your real aim is to eliminate the Sword Empress."
"Think what you like."
"It's not what I like—it's a certainty. From the Blood Cult's perspective, the Sword Empress must be removed."
At the mention of the Blood Cult, a crack finally appeared on the young man's face, which had never lost its composure before.
"How do you..."
Everyone who confirmed the Blood Cult's existence from his reaction was stunned. Especially Neung Sohwa, who had lost her master to the Blood Cult's schemes—her body emanated a chill sharper than the north wind and cold snow.
"How could I not know, when you drag around those things?"
Sima Geon sneered, pointing at the men waiting behind the young man.
"I've seen their kind before—once near the Heavenly Demon Cult, once near Shaolin Temple. Beasts devoid of human emotions. But what really intrigues me is you."
Sima Geon fixed his sharp gaze on the young man and tossed out a question.
"Have you undergone Return to Youth?"
The young man's mouth fell open wide.
He looked more shocked than when the Blood Cult was mentioned.
"Hah! How did you..."
"Spot on. Something's been off from the start. Strength beyond your apparent age, that peculiar tension only lifelong battlefield veterans have, traces of years no one that age could possess. And above all, your speech. You're imitating a young man, but anyone can tell it's an old man's way of talking. Everyone's been too caught up in the moment to notice, but you even referred to yourself as 'this old man' earlier."
"Oh, did I? Damn. I put in the effort, and it still came off ridiculous."
The young man no longer hid himself, freely revealing his presence.
The mention of Return to Youth caused another uproar among the onlookers.
It was only natural—they were witnessing the legendary technique passed down only in tales.
And it didn't end there.
"Are you the leader of the Blood Cult?"
Sima Geon posed another question.
He wasn't seeking a clear answer. Given the terrifying aura emanating from the man, he simply assumed he held a key position in the Blood Cult. Yet the young man casually revealed his identity.
"Indeed. I am the leader of the Blood Cult."
Another wave of shock swept through the crowd.
In the foothills of Wolf Fang Mountain in central North Hebei sat the North Hebei Paeng Clan.
Though somewhat diminished compared to the other great clans lately, they still wielded formidable power as hegemons of North Hebei.
In the central patriarch's office among the many buildings constructed on principles of the five elements and eight trigrams, Patriarch Paeng Ik sat alone, letting out endless sighs.
"Haa! This is driving me mad."
Unable to contain his frustration, Paeng Ik crumpled the letter in his hand irritably and tossed it aside.
The paper ball sailed through the air and hit the foot of someone entering the office just then.
"Ah, Father!"
Paeng Ik shot to his feet, bowing his head in embarrassment.
Paeng Man Ho, the former patriarch who had handed over the position to Paeng Ik three years ago and retired, bent down to pick up the crumpled paper from the floor.
"What's got you in such a foul mood?"
"No, it's nothing."
"Let me see it."
Paeng Man Ho calmly unfolded the fist-sized wad and read it. Meanwhile, Elder Paeng Wan, who had entered with him, shot Paeng Ik a disapproving glance.
Under his uncle's stern gaze, Paeng Ik wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole.
"Tsk tsk, what a mess. It's been how long since the alliance leader position went vacant, and they still can't elect one?"
Paeng Wan snorted after peeking at the letter over his shoulder.
"Hmph! Those who pushed that irresponsible fool Left Wing Immortal as leader still haven't come to their senses."
Paeng Wan vented his anger at the factions led by Wudang and Huashan, who kept obstructing the candidates being discussed for alliance leader.
"To be fair, it's not entirely their fault. I'd oppose it too."
"Brother!"
"Look at the lineup of candidates. They're all mediocre. With the murim world turning so turbulent, seating such people as alliance leader would doom us. The alliance's reputation is already in the dirt."
"Even so, we can't leave the seat empty forever, can we?"
As Paeng Wan voiced his frustration, a sigh escaped Paeng Man Ho as well.
"Still, that Left Wing Immortal was a decent sort in his own way."
"How can a man without backbone be 'decent'? He's partly to blame for the alliance's state."
"He couldn't avoid responsibility, but it's true he tried. When it proved hopeless, he stepped down. How frustrated must he have been?"
Unlike Paeng Wan, who harshly criticized Left Wing Immortal for abandoning the alliance without properly resolving its issues, Paeng Man Ho—who had led the clan through countless trials—felt a touch of sympathy and defended him slightly.
"I can understand that much, but joining the Justice Heaven Alliance? That's utterly incomprehensible. The Justice Heaven Alliance, of all things! Isn't that utterly devoid of justification or righteousness?"
"True, but didn't the Justice Heaven Alliance show tremendous sincerity? Ten visits of entreaty. Who could resist that kind of devotion?"
At the mention of the ten visits of entreaty, even Paeng Wan, who had been about to erupt in fury, faltered. He too acknowledged the Justice Heaven Alliance's extraordinary efforts to recruit Left Wing Immortal.
"In any case, we need to elect a leader soon. I'm worried. With the north already tense, and now the alliance in shambles..."
Paeng Ik's words hardened the expressions of Paeng Man Ho and Paeng Wan simultaneously.
"That's actually why I came. Is the situation that dire?"
"Yes. Movements beyond the passes from foreign forces are suspicious. Especially the North Sea Ice Palace's actions—they're far from normal."
The room's air grew oppressively heavy at the name North Sea Ice Palace.
Not as infamous as the Heavenly Demon Cult, but the pressure from that name was immense.
Feeling the mood too grim, Paeng Ik forced a smile.
"Still, no immediate problems will arise, so don't worry too much. I'm just concerned they might exploit the Heavenly Demon Cult's stirrings for some scheme."
"Don't take it lightly. Above all, we can't overlook the North Sea Ice Palace's movements."
"We must gather as much intelligence as possible, Patriarch."
Paeng Ik bowed politely to his father and uncle's advice.
"Yes. I've already mobilized all available personnel to monitor them."
At that moment, screams erupted from outside, and commotion stirred beyond the door.
"What is it?"
Paeng Ik frowned and asked.
The door burst open, and a man rushed in, face pale as death.
"P-Patriarch!"
"Hey, don't be so rash. What's all this racket?"
"We're under attack. The N-North Sea Ice Palace is assaulting the main compound."
For an instant, the three men in the office froze in place.
"Mm."
With a low groan, Sima Geon staggered back, his face filled with disbelief.
While others were shocked that Sima Geon—who they thought had no equal under heaven—had been pushed back in the brief exchange, Sima Geon himself was stunned for a different reason.
'What in the world...'
Sima Geon stared at the young man— the Blood Cult leader—standing leisurely with his sword angled downward, his expression one of utter incomprehension.
'How does this guy wield Blood Sea Demon Lord's techniques?'
The opponent's martial arts were unmistakably those of the Blood Sea Demon Lord. Yet subtly different. The key point was that they surpassed the version Sima Geon himself practiced.
"You've mastered the Third Demon Venerable's arts?"
Sima Geon didn't answer, but the leader took it as confirmation.
"As I thought. At first, I dismissed the report, but you really have learned the Third Demon Venerable's—no, Blood Sea Demon Lord's—martial arts."
A sneer curled the leader's lips.
"But what you've learned is a relic frozen in the past. Mine, however, has been refined by the Blood Cult's talents, forged in blood and sweat. You can't even imagine the tears and toil of geniuses over those long years poured into it."
"How did you obtain the Third Demon Venerable's—no, Blood Sea Demon Lord's—martial arts?"
At Sima Geon's question, the leader looked incredulous.
"How? Ha! Isn't it natural for an ancestor's arts to pass to descendants?"
Sima Geon widened his eyes in shock, then let out a hollow laugh.
"Ah, now I see. The Blood Cult was founded by Blood Sea Demon Lord's descendants. Tsk tsk. He strove so hard to surpass the Heavenly Demon, yet his heirs couldn't escape the same fate. Creating the Blood Cult out of fear of the Demon Cult proves it."
"Shut your mouth. What does a punk like you know, spouting nonsense?"
Reacting as if their efforts were being denied, the leader bristled fiercely.
"It's true Blood Sea Demon Lord Ancestor couldn't surpass the Heavenly Demon. But things are different now. As I said, our countless geniuses endured ages of hardship to evolve his arts. This is the perfected result. I dare say our cult's martial arts have already surpassed the Heavenly Demon's."
His face brimmed with pride as he declared it.
"Blood Sea Demon Lord wasted his time. No need, with descendants working so hard."
At Sima Geon's mockery, murderous intent flared in the leader's eyes.
"You don't know how I obtained the Third Demon Venerable's arts, do you?"
"I don't care to know."
"You'll find out whether you want to or not."
Aiming his Heavenly Demon Sword at the leader, Sima Geon continued.
"It was impressive, if only for a moment. I have to admit it far exceeds the Blood Sea Demon Lord arts I know."
The immense power of the Three Venerables One Heart Art surged from his dantian, raging through his eight extraordinary meridians.
"How much do you know about the Heavenly Demon's martial arts?"
"What?"
"You don't know. What true Heavenly Demon arts are like."
Recalling the Heavenly Demon's arts he'd confirmed in the Heavenly Demon Ring, Sima Geon shook his head.
"Or how much your ancestor—the Third Demon Venerable—strived to overcome them."
Explosive energy began erupting from Sima Geon's entire body.
"I'll show you now."