Brothers
Namgung Eon's single punch carried the entire reserve of internal energy he had accumulated throughout his life.
The pure, refined qi of the Namgung Clan's signature cultivation method was indeed as formidable as rumored, but...
Tap.
The internal energy of the Dark Demon Scripture filling my meridians and blood vessels didn't just enhance physical attributes like muscular strength and stamina; it elevated everything—my reflexes, eyesight, dynamic vision, and even my sixth sense.
Deflecting Namgung Eon's attack required no elaborate martial forms.
I simply extended my right hand and swiped his fist aside. The internal energy gathered in his punch shattered instantly, and his fist ground to a pathetic halt in midair.
"Urgh!"
Even in that split second, he gathered his remaining qi to throw his other fist, proving that his sheer willpower was pushing past the limits of his body and cultivation.
Yet, the power behind this second strike was even more pitiful than the first.
Sidestepping at an angle, I reached out with my left hand, seized his arm, and twisted it behind his back.
With my right arm, I locked his neck, using my shoulder to pin him securely.
It was true that my joint-locking techniques were far from mastered, but the sheer disparity in our physical capabilities and internal energy was overwhelming. Trapped in my hold, Namgung Eon could do nothing but thrash helplessly.
"Ohhh!"
Seeing me seize absolute dominance in the blink of an eye, the disciples of the Sun and Moon Sect erupted into cheers.
I kept my grip tight around Namgung Eon's neck, leaving him completely immobilized.
"The Young Sect Leader wins! Surrender!"
"Declare your defeat!"
The demonic sectarians jeered, demanding his surrender.
The martial artists of the Namgung Clan paced anxiously, unable to intervene. They were likely praying for Namgung Eon to just utter the words of surrender.
"Urgh...!"
But Namgung Eon kept his jaw clenched shut.
I wasn't surprised. I already knew a man like him would never surrender.
At that moment, my eyes met those of the Left Guardian, the one who had delivered the Sect Leader's command to me.
Wearing a faint, sinister smile, the Left Guardian was waiting for me to snap Namgung Eon's neck then and there.
It's the perfect setup, isn't it?
The Young Sect Leader and the young master of the Namgung Clan engaged in a heated duel.
The Young Sect Leader gained the upper hand, but the Namgung scion, blinded by pride, refused to yield and died of his own stubbornness.
The fifth young master of the Namgung Clan tragically lost his life, and the Sun and Moon Sect graciously agreed to drop all charges regarding the Namgung Clan's attempt on the Young Sect Leader's life...
But instead of snapping his neck to carry out my father's orders, I leaned in and whispered to Namgung Eon.
"Namgung Eon. Do you not fear death?"
"I prepared myself for death the moment I came here. I am not afraid," Namgung Eon gasped out, still struggling with all his might.
"Is it humiliation you fear, then?"
"No."
"Then what are you doing right now?"
"Exactly what you told me earlier, Young Sect Leader."
"...I see."
Hearing the exact response I had anticipated, a smirk slipped onto my face.
I hadn't been entirely sure if he would accept my proposal.
But based on his character, I had figured it was a gamble worth taking.
I lowered my voice further, speaking so only he could hear.
"Listen carefully to what I am about to say..."
Deep within the heart of the Sun and Moon Sect Headquarters lay the Sect Leader's Palace.
Inside, two masters whose power could shake the world sat facing each other. For the past two hours, not a single word had been spoken; only the sharp clack of Go stones echoing against the board broke the silence.
Clack.
With a single white stone piercing the upper-left corner, the black stones were driven into a corner.
Though the massive cluster of black stones stretching across the right side wasn't entirely dead yet, the surrounding white forces were far too formidable.
Because Black had aggressively invaded from the very beginning, they were now barely clinging to life, leaving White with a plethora of risk-free ko fights to exploit.
Despite his imminent defeat, Namgung Jinyu, the Patriarch of the Namgung Clan, showed no sign of distress on his face.
Sect Leader Baek Mumyeong, waiting for his opponent's next move, finally broke the long silence.
"Judging by the racket outside, it seems they have begun."
Namgung Jinyu replied calmly.
"It would be stranger if hot-blooded youths from sworn enemy clans met and parted ways peacefully."
Sect Leader Baek stared at the Namgung Patriarch before tilting his head slightly.
"Must we really go this far? It is somewhat embarrassing to say this myself, but my son, Baek Yeon, is quite..."
"I have seen him with my own eyes. I know," Namgung Jinyu recalled the Young Sect Leader he had observed upon arriving at the Sun and Moon Sect.
Not only did the boy possess profound internal energy, but even his posture exuded a chilling, natural arrogance.
It was like looking at a young Baek Mumyeong—a man once notorious for both his peerless martial arts and his tyrannical, violent temperament.
Considering he was only eleven years old, the boy was nothing short of a monster.
"Do you still refuse to admit it?"
"I have no choice but to admit it... This match is a lost cause."
"Ha..."
The spy, Jo Cheong-ryu, whom the Young Sect Leader had personally captured, had already confessed to being sent by the Namgung Clan.
Yet, Namgung Jinyu stubbornly maintained to the end that he had never ordered such a mission.
Still, both Sect Leader Baek and Patriarch Namgung knew the truth.
The very fact that the Namgung Patriarch had accepted the invitation to negotiate, personally traveled to the Sun and Moon Sect, and even brought his fifth son along...
...was a silent admission of defeat. It was a gesture to save the Sun and Moon Sect's face and minimize the damage to his own clan.
"..."
In the silence that followed, both men harbored similar thoughts.
Considering their vast influence spread across the Jianghu and the absolute, transcendent martial might of the Heavenly Demon, the Sun and Moon Sect held the upper hand.
This disparity was precisely why the Namgung Clan had desperately attempted to assassinate the Young Sect Leader, and why their Patriarch had rushed here in person upon receiving the demand for an explanation.
However, the Namgung Clan's allies were formidable as well, which was why the Sect Leader hesitated to launch an all-out war.
Not to mention the Murim Alliance, which had recently appointed the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect as its chief, and the even more terrifying forces lurking in the shadows behind them.
But neither Baek Mumyeong nor Namgung Jinyu were the type of men to stake everything on a single, immediate battle.
They had only just begun placing their stones; the true game of the Jianghu was only beginning.
Among the so-called Nine Great Sects and One Gang, the pillars of the orthodox world—the Shaolin, Wudang, Zhongnan, and Emei sects—kept their distance from the Murim Alliance, while the Beggars' Sect remained deeply fractured.
Among the Five Great Noble Clans, the Moyong Clan was actively challenging the supremacy of the Namgung Clan.
And then there were the unaligned, unorthodox factions that belonged to neither the orthodox nor the demonic paths...
There were still many unclaimed territories on the grand chessboard of the Jianghu.
What, then, would be the winning move?
Lost in deep thought, Sect Leader Baek suddenly asked, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"Should I assume you will continue to attempt such schemes in the future?"
"I will have to tread carefully from now on. I just lost a ko threat, so I only have four left..."
"Ha!"
Baek Mumyeong felt a chill at the Namgung Patriarch's casual comparison of his own son to a mere sacrifice in a game of Go.
Even for him, the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, the Heavenly Demon, such cold-blooded pragmatism was hard to fathom.
At this rate, it was hard to tell who was the leader of the Demonic Cult and who was the head of a righteous noble clan.
If this madness stemmed from Jinyu's deep-seated grudge against him, when would that grudge ever be resolved?
Tuk.
Finally conceding the game, Namgung Jinyu stood up.
"Let us go."
The clamor from outside was growing louder by the second.
Though Young Sect Leader Baek Yeon and the fifth young master, Namgung Eon, were of similar age, Eon was notoriously the slowest learner among the five brothers of the Namgung Clan.
Even if they fought a hundred times, there was no universe in which Namgung Eon could win even once.
Though it pained his heart, the Namgung Patriarch steeled himself.
He merely wished to witness his son meet his end with the dignity befitting a noble martial family.
His fifth son might have been the weakest in martial arts, but his unyielding spirit was the fiercest among the five brothers.
But when the two leaders arrived at the banquet hall...
What is going on?
The dozens of people gathered in the hall were in such a state of utter shock that they didn't even notice the arrival of the Sect Leader and the Namgung Patriarch.
And the scene that unfolded before Baek Mumyeong and Namgung Jinyu...
...was something that made even these absolute masters of the Jianghu widen their eyes in disbelief.
In the center of the hall, Baek Yeon, the Young Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect, stood with a solemn, majestic posture.
And before him stood Namgung Eon, the fifth young master of the Namgung Clan, who was slowly kneeling down and bowing deeply to the ground.
Once, twice, thrice...
What in the world...
Having completed the thirteen grand prostrations required by the tenets of the Sun and Moon Sect, Namgung Eon remained on his knees, his forehead pressed firmly against the cold floor.
"I, Namgung Eon, the fifth son of the Namgung Clan!"
He began to shout at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing through the hall.
"Seek to take refuge in the Sun and Moon Sect and become its disciple! If you would accept my worthless life, I swear my lifelong loyalty, and I shall gladly lay down my life for Myeongjon and the Sect Leader!"
Baek Yeon watched him with a look of quiet satisfaction before speaking with absolute gravity.
"In the name of Myeongjon, I, Baek Yeon, the Young Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect, declare: From this moment forth, Namgung Eon is a disciple of the Sun and Moon Sect and our brother. He shall be treated with love, and he shall share in our joy, glory, pain, and hardships alongside his fellow disciples."
Baek Mumyeong watched as Namgung Jinyu's legs buckled, his head shaking in sheer disbelief.
"Eon! What is the meaning of this?!"
Namgung Jinyu stumbled forward, shouting as he closed the distance to his son.
Only then did Namgung Eon raise his head, turning to face his father and bowing deeply.
"Father. I thank you for the grace of raising me all these years. Your unfilial son shall henceforth become a disciple of the Sun and Moon Sect and—"
"You insolent fool!!"
The Namgung Patriarch roared like thunder, lunging forward.
His wrath was directed not at his son, but at Baek Yeon, the Young Sect Leader of the Demonic Cult.
There was no way his fifth son would suddenly throw his life into the Demonic Cult unless he had been forced.
This had to be the work of that little devil of a Young Sect Leader.
Whether through blackmail or brainwashing via some demonic art...
Consumed by this thought, the Namgung Patriarch could no longer contain his fury.
Phut!
The single palm strike Namgung Jinyu unleashed toward Baek Yeon carried a terrifying surge of killing intent and overwhelming internal energy.
He gave no thought to the fact that his target was merely a young boy and the successor of the cult.
Blinded by rage, it was a lethal strike executed with his full power, intended to obliterate whoever stood in his path.
Baek Yeon instinctively realized that there was absolutely no way he could defend against this attack.
But.
"Enough."
Sect Leader Baek's figure blurred for a fraction of a second. Before anyone could register his movement, he materialized in front of the Young Sect Leader, waving his right hand, which was infused with the profound internal energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
With that seemingly sluggish motion, the devastating force of the Namgung Patriarch's palm strike vanished into thin air.
Sensing the terrifying, oppressive demonic qi radiating from Sect Leader Baek, the Namgung Patriarch recoiled.
Jinyu clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ground together with a sharp screech.
He glared back at his son and bellowed.
"Eon! I do not know what kind of trickery that boy has played on you, but—"
"Father."
Namgung Eon stood tall, his spine straight as a spear, and spoke in a clear, unwavering voice.
"All my life, I have lived without a shred of doubt, dedicated to the principles of the Namgung Clan and the banner of righteousness. I was fully prepared to lay down my life to uphold justice in the Jianghu. But today, my beliefs have been shaken to their very core."
"Eon...?"
"I refuse to die until I truly understand what justice is. Please forgive me."
"...You insolent brat!"
But his words fell on deaf ears.
The fifth son of the prestigious Namgung Clan becoming a disciple of the Sun and Moon Sect?
The clan's reputation would be dragged through the mud. How could he ever hold his head high as Patriarch again?
Namgung Jinyu began to gather his true qi once more.
It would be far better to end his son's life with his own hands than to let him fall into the clutches of the Demonic Cult.
But.
"I suggest the Namgung Patriarch refrain from acting rashly."
"Sect Leader Baek?"
"I will not stand by and watch a disciple of mine be harmed in my presence..."
Seeing Sect Leader Baek step in to protect Namgung Eon, explicitly referring to him as a "disciple," a faint smirk tugged at the corner of Young Sect Leader Baek Yeon's lips.
The sight of the Namgung Patriarch seething with rage was equally satisfying.
Everything was proceeding exactly according to his plan.
Convincing Namgung Eon, who had been fully prepared to die a noble death as a martial artist, had been no easy feat.
But in the end, the Young Sect Leader's words had struck a chord, swaying him to seek refuge in the Sun and Moon Sect.
Though Baek Yeon had disobeyed his father's order to kill Namgung Eon, he had ultimately delivered a far greater gift to the Sect Leader.
"Damn it!"
Spitting out a venomous curse, the Namgung Patriarch cast a freezing glare at his fifth son.
"All members of the Namgung Clan, stand up! We are leaving immediately!"
Without another word to Namgung Eon, the Sect Leader, or the Young Sect Leader, he turned on his heel and led his entourage out of the Sun and Moon Sect.