Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: The Gathering Storm
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Heavenly Dragon Society Leader Im Wolryong examined the map.
A sweeping advance. That was the impression from the current situation-they were pushing forward relentlessly.
Troops charging unimpeded toward the heart of the Sado League. Even the Heavenly Dragon Society warriors arriving late as reinforcements from fully secured territories were joining up one after another.
The local lords had no choice but to start opening their coffers as well. Thanks to that, the main Heavenly Dragon Society force was in excellent shape.
But that didn't mean he could relax.
"...The enemy just keeps retreating."
"I've heard that the all-out war in Guangxi suddenly fizzled out. It seems they're shifting their forces."
"To the Sado League."
He had originally judged that by now, they'd have encountered at least one of the enemy's top brass.
But from the Chief Steward on down, not a single core member had been committed. It was as if they were willing to just hand over the war of attrition.
That was why they were racking up victories, but the enemy's actual losses were minimal. It was somewhat predictable, but...
"It seems far greater than expected."
The Sado League's hidden strength went well beyond what was visible.
They were clearly winning, yet the number of retreating soldiers grew day by day. Weren't they even being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the unorthodox hordes, slowing their advance?
"What of the formal request for aid to the Murim Alliance?"
"No response yet."
"...If they've held off replying even after all this time... it means they have no intention of helping."
As expected, they were unreliable. Especially their leader, the Murim Alliance Head.
He must have realized his term was nearly up. If he aided the Heavenly Dragon Society now and took losses...
His approval ratings would plummet.
"......."
In the end, the only force that could move was the Heavenly Dragon Society's own.
Right. It had always been that way. There were no other factions to trust in the world; they had to end it with their own hands.
"If some of the enemy's forces in Guangxi have pulled out, we'll pull back ours accordingly."
"Shall I order them to join us?"
"Send the fastest messenger bird. The end of this long war is drawing near."
The Heavenly Dragon turned his shoulders.
"We must prepare to meet them as well. No complacency. Sado League."
...
Sado League Leader Gu Okgyeong slowly raised her head.
She moved her arm. The chains binding her rattled in response.
She tried to circulate her qi, but nothing stirred. It felt as if her entire body's meridians and acupoints were blocked with stone.
...That moment.
It had felt like something pent up inside had detonated all at once in a bizarre surge.
"...Ha!"
How long had they been planning this?
No. Now wasn't the time to worry about that.
She pushed aside the betrayal, the regret-all of it. She moved only to resolve the matter at hand.
"...Hoo."
First, she steadied her breathing. She glared at each thing before her one by one.
Just a single lantern. Nothing else. It was like being trapped in a vast underground cavern.
She couldn't even remember exactly where this was. She'd been here ever since opening her eyes.
Yeongwol. She still remembered that treacherous bastard stroking his chin as he spoke.
What...? That he'd make her gaze at him alone for the rest of her life?
That bitch to devour.
I'll rip her throat out with my own teeth.
---Clank, clank.
The chains were sturdy, at least. The kind no ordinary person could break.
Impossible without internal energy. But even that was unreachable due to the poison ravaging her insides.
The slightest movement felt like it would trigger an explosion, flipping her guts inside out. One wrong twitch, and she could end up crippled somewhere.
Meridians and qi pathways were intimately linked to the nerves. Losing an arm would be the least of it... all four limbs could fly off.
"...Fucking bitch."
But still.
You misjudged me, Gu Okgyeong.
Who am I? The Sado League Leader who clawed her way here in a woman's body. The pinnacle of strength that even the Supreme Sword of the Unorthodox Paths bows to.
It wasn't pride or arrogance. She knew it best herself.
That she was the type who couldn't just take it lying down.
"...Arms and legs...? Cripple...? Fuck... try it..."
The internal energy within her body began to boil.
A precarious gamble even she hadn't predicted...
"I'll kill you myself."
She began walking the tightrope with her life as collateral.
...
It felt like all the blood in her body was flowing backward. Supreme Sword of the Unorthodox Paths Heuk Daeun opened her eyes while hanging from the ceiling.
It was a vicious sword. A bizarre poison that even the infamous Tang Clan of Sichuan couldn't match.
She was confident in a straight fight. But she'd fallen victim anyway.
To the passage of time spent together, and to her own body, now poisoned without her knowledge.
"......"
Yeongwol.
A snake of a woman.
Had she hidden her true face all that time?
Her body might be broken, but not her spirit. Her poisoning symptoms were milder than the Sado League Leader's. She could still circulate qi, if only barely.
As if aware of that, Yeongwol had severed the tendons in her hands and feet, destroyed some meridians, and hung her up anyway...
But she didn't know.
What kind of life she'd lived, what kind of martial arts she possessed.
"...Hng."
There was something the Sado League Leader always said.
"Daeun. Even half of your martial prowess, hm? Act with precision."
Supreme Sword of the Unorthodox Paths.
The martial art that had gotten her there.
She'd first learned martial arts to assist the Sado League Leader. Her lady's techniques were as powerful as they were perilous...
A force that strained her own safety.
That was why she'd learned it. The power to support her. It began with medicine, leading to the Soul-Stealing Flying Sword.
Normally, she wielded it as a killing blade. A living sword at its peak could easily slice through the living.
Only her revered master knew this fact. Yeongwol's ignorance was her mistake.
Heuk Daeun slowly twisted threads of qi. Circulating it gently within, reconnecting the severed points while...
Spreading it to neutralize the poison.
"......"
This first...
It's not the kind of poison that can be detoxified.
A conglomeration of multiple poisons whose very structure defied understanding.
But that didn't mean there was no way. Heuk Daeun hardened all her qi throughout her body and began moving it slowly.
Fortunately, the activated poison's locations stood out clearly all over her body, unlike before.
She would excise them all and regenerate fresh flesh. Her Soul-Stealing Flying Sword made that possible.
Of course, with excruciating pain and the vivid sensation of flaying her own living flesh...
".......!"
For her master, she could endure it many times over.
Time to find the League Leader.
She would need her...
Helping her was her sole duty.
...
Yeongwol, wearing the Sado League Leader's mask, surveyed the assembled troops.
The gathered forces were vast in number. Overwhelming, as befitted the unorthodox advantage of sheer manpower.
But that didn't mean they formed a proper formation. Look-they were all acting independently, every last one.
Even under a single banner, they remained individuals. All the more so, since they prioritized personal greed from the start.
A completely different sight from the Demonic Cult days. Naturally, Jin Baekcheon, wearing the mask of the Supreme Sword of the Unorthodox Paths, burst into laughter.
"A ragtag mob?"
"...Still, the benefits of numbers are significant."
"Not wrong. I'm just saying. I mean it's impressive. To single-handedly command a horde this size... the Sado League Leader must have had real charisma. Should we drop by for a visit?"
"......"
"Kidding. What's the plan?"
"The Heavenly Dragon Society is marching on the Sado League with all its forces. And we'll smash straight into them."
"A grand war unprecedented in Murim history. Impressive... Standing at the pivotal moment that history will remember?"
Contrary to his words, Jin Baekcheon yawned boredly.
"Impressive aside... You know I have zero interest in commanding or that crap. Don't try assigning me last-minute."
"I'm the same. The Sado League Leader just issued orders. They decided the details."
"What about the Chief Steward?"
"Heard he's joining us from afar. Should arrive soon. Apparently disobeying orders for a stable retreat."
"Disobeying orders... Shouldn't we deal with him?"
"Can wait till later."
Yeongwol reviewed the plan once more.
"The Sado League's forces outclass the Heavenly Dragon Society's by far. But war's unpredictable. Key point is both sides suffer massive losses. That's what we wanted originally. Your intervention comes after the Heavenly Dragon Leader and that new powerhouse rampage..."
"Ah. No need to worry much about that."
"What do you mean?"
"Simple. Our master isn't pleased with the current state of Murim."
".......?"
Jin Baekcheon leaned on the railing. He glanced at the troops below and lowered his voice.
"You know? Murim's in an unprecedented golden age. High experts popping up every other day... Fusion Realm masters are a dime a dozen... Transcendent Realm? Why so many?"
"Not that many."
"Many to the master. Overall level's risen. Accumulated martial theories. Plus... rogue groups everywhere. Even the current Murim Alliance Head. Take your eyes off for a second, and he's building a secret organization inside? We fattened him up, and now the bastard's grinding his bones to protect himself from the master."
"......"
"Nine Great Sects too... Five Great Families, no need to mention. Everything looks suspicious. Places we tried to crush revived somehow, ones we wrecked are rebounding."
"Not that big a deal? With people like you intervening, variables get crushed quick."
"True. If ordered, we'd handle it instantly. Small potatoes from our side. But master figures it's better to just smash and remake it all. Endless incidents lately."
"Smash... what?"
"What else? All of Murim."
"What?"
The troops began to move. The Sado League finished its perfect mobilization.
Toward the plains. Countless warriors headed to where the long war between Heavenly Dragon Society and Sado League would end.
The wind blew. Yeongwol felt cold sweat she couldn't explain as it brushed her hair.
The casually spoken words involved the world itself.
In a bad way.
"Turning the world against us... what's the difference?"
"The world can't oppose Against Heaven. We are the world."
"......"
"To explain... Exactly that! Like crafting artistic pottery! You haven't seen him, but I have a few times. He's just smashing one unsatisfactory piece and remaking it. Into a better hell."
"...Hell...?"
"A hell of flowing blood and flesh, overflowing screams. Seems happy at a glance, but rotting inside, endlessly gouging its own flesh... That kind of hell."
"D-Doesn't make sense. Why...? W-We tune the world, right? Crafting history for an ideal one?"
"Ideal... Yeah, ideal for us? Even if the world goes mad, Against Heaven members live well."
Jin Baekcheon laughed.
"Just follow orders. We're not the ones suffering."
"Why...?"
"Only master knows the full story. But do we need to? What we've gained as Against Heaven members overflows. Power. Strength no one surpasses, matching authority. Sitting atop insects, watching their antics anytime."
Jin Baekcheon straightened from the railing.
"Anyway, no need to worry about the eternally suffering insects. Whatever happens in the war, they'll just kill each other off nicely..."
"W-Wait! What about the Heavenly Demon!? Anyone but her!"
Jin Baekcheon blinked. Then he couldn't hold back and roared with laughter.
"World's ending, and that's all you say... Crazy bitch."
"Answer me!"
"Heavenly Demon... Not your place to interfere. Yeongwol."
"What do you...?"
"You know the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's had special treatment till now? But even that's no exception this time. Don't know full details..."
Jin Baekcheon cracked his neck lightly.
"Bloodstorm will swallow everyone, that's certain. Not fully set in stone, though. We're just grateful it's not aimed at our necks. So conclusion... Whether Sado League wins preserving strength or mutual destruction, no big worry. Master mentions wiping Murim? Then wipe it. They're all to kill anyway; numbers left won't matter."
"......"
"If ordered to improvise and make it a brawl like now? Then weakened Sado League hides, gathers forces, strikes the Murim Alliance Head. Can't beat the orthodox with this, but can whittle them... Enough to topple him. Sado League Leader's war becomes personal grudge against Alliance Head; he turns war criminal overnight. Righteous prattlers won't hesitate to drag down a warmonger sex offender."
"...Past or present, you plan nasty business with that innocent face."
"Gotta do this much to reach Reverse Star seat. Now then..."
Jin Baekcheon placed a foot on the railing.
"I'll go see my prey first? As minimal courtesy, I'll time it with the war. Leaving exactly two out, feeling."
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