Chapter 17
All those present nodded at the opening words from Jegal Cheong, patriarch of the Jegal Clan.
As descendants of Jegal Gongmyeong and renowned as the sharpest minds among the Murim sects, it had long been custom for the Jegal Clan to moderate such gatherings of the martial clans.
Jegal Cheong spoke. "Thank you all for taking the time to grace us with your presence."
"Cut the pleasantries and get on with it."
Peng Jinseong, patriarch of the Hebei Peng Clan—infamous for his arrogant temperament and hot-blooded nature—urged Jegal Cheong along.
Jegal Cheong offered a composed smile. "As the Thunderbolt Blade Emperor suggests, let's dive straight into the matter."
Everyone around the table focused intently.
"The Demonic Cult is on the move."
Despite Jegal Cheong's declaration, the reaction was lukewarm.
"The Demonic Cult stirring isn't anything new, is it?"
A monk in flowing crimson robes spoke up, his features soft and gentle. With the Shaolin abbot, Great Master O-Gak, in secluded meditation, he was here in his stead as Protector Elder Great Master Mu Won.
Jegal Cheong nodded. "Of course. First off, while the Demonic Cult's ties to the imperial court aren't publicly acknowledged, anyone who matters knows the truth. Ever since the Yuan Dynasty took power, the Cult's influence has spiraled out of control. They faltered briefly twenty years ago, but they're still the supreme power in the land. That said, it's also true that our Orthodox Faction holds them in check, thanks to the steadfast pillars among us elders."
The gathered figures nodded in satisfaction at Jegal Cheong's words.
He scanned the room slowly, then continued in a measured tone. "However, just recently, the Demonic Cult's Black Wind Squad slipped into Beijing in secret."
"What?!"
The patriarchs of the Hebei Peng Clan and Jinju Eon Clan—who held territories in the north—reacted with shock. Peng Jinseong of the Hebei Peng Clan, whose base lay right in Beijing, stared in disbelief.
As Peng Jinseong's face flushed and he raised his voice, Divine Sword Baek Cheongseon, head of the prestigious Huashan Sect, cut in smoothly. "Is this confirmed?"
Baek Cheongseon was a Hwa Realm master whose character and skill commanded universal respect. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say most of the crowds outside had come just to catch a glimpse of the Huashan leader.
A faint tremor laced his voice and the hand stroking his long, snowy beard.
Jegal Cheong replied respectfully. "This comes from Lying Beggar of the Beggar Clan here. He'll fill you in on the details."
Bang Deok, who had been sitting beside Jegal Cheong quietly observing the room, rose to his feet. He offered a formal fist salute.
Even Bang Deok, usually so carefree in speech and manner, took care with his posture here. "Bang Deok of the Beggar Clan."
The murmurs died down into attentive silence.
As the Beggar Clan's representative—the pinnacle of intelligence networks—no one wanted to miss a word. The very name Black Wind Squad carried immense weight.
Fifty years ago, when the Demonic Cult had aggressively backed the Yuan Dynasty to expand its power, a massive war had erupted between the Orthodox and Demonic factions. In the end, the Orthodox forces had united to defend their lands, but the losses were catastrophic. The Black Wind Squad had led the Cult's vanguard, and the elders who remembered knew their terror all too well.
But the relatively young Peng Clan patriarch hadn't lived through it, so he couldn't share their dread. His pride was simply wounded that a Demonic Cult strike force had passed through his territory undetected.
"What's the big deal with this Black Wind Squad? Why's everyone so tense? I could just sweep those Demonic Cult small fries away with my Thunderbolt Blade."
"Sigh... Patriarch Peng, your grandfather fell to the Black Wind Squad."
White Ape Divine Nun of the Emei Sect—who had dashed across battlefields back then—gently admonished him.
"Ahem..."
Peng Jinseong could only cough awkwardly in the face of the esteemed nun's words and reputation.
Seeing the mood, Huashan Sect leader Baek Cheongseon spoke up. "Lying Beggar, please continue."
Bang Deok nodded lightly and went on. "Yes. For certain reasons, I passed through Baekdu Mountain on my way to Shenyang in Liaoning, and that's when I encountered a Demonic Cult elder."
The room buzzed again.
"Enough!"
Baek Cheongseon infused his voice with inner energy, silencing the hall instantly. He signaled Bang Deok to proceed.
Bang Deok said, "The elder's name is Draku. A relatively recent addition to the Cult."
"Not born into the Cult, yet already an elder?"
Bang Deok nodded casually. "Yes. From what I've gathered, he's an otherkind from the Western Regions who drinks human blood. Unlike our bloodletting arts that convert blood via formations or baths into inner energy, this one seems to build power just by sucking blood."
"Hah..."
An uneasy air filled the room. Fury rippled through some at the thought of a taboo blood art practitioner rising to elder status in the Cult—"Typical Demonic Cult scum!"
Bang Deok gauged the mood before continuing. "From the intel and my own clash with him, his cultivation is definitively in the Hwa Realm."
"What?!"
Peng Jinseong slammed the table and shot to his feet in shock. It was grossly rude in front of more senior martial artists, but no one rebuked him. They all felt the same jolt.
There were Hwa Realm masters like Divine Sword Baek Cheongseon, but most sect leaders were at the Absolute Peak. A mere Demonic Cult elder at Hwa Realm stunned them.
Peng Jinseong himself was knocking on Hwa Realm's door but still Absolute Peak, making the news all the more jarring and unwelcome. And for someone not even raised in the Cult to join and reach that level? Groans escaped lips.
If such cases were stacking up in secret, the Cult might be even stronger than they feared.
Baek Cheongseon asked softly but gravely, "Are you certain?"
Bang Deok met Divine Sword's gaze steadily and nodded. "Absolutely."
"And how did you survive?"
It might have irked some, but Bang Deok brushed it off. It was a fair question. Escaping a Hwa Realm master was no easy feat for even an Absolute Peak, as he'd learned firsthand. The gap between realms widened progressively, but Hwa Realm to Absolute Peak was vaster than all before.
He understood Baek Cheongseon's intent—a mature Hwa Realm master himself.
As Bang Deok opened his mouth heavily, his mind flashed to the righteous hero Tian Ailang, who had saved him. "A righteous warrior stepped in against Elder Draku and rescued me."
"Someone saved you?"
"Yes."
"Do we know him?"
At Divine Sword Baek Cheongseon's question, Bang Deok tilted his head toward the ceiling, eyes closing briefly in a prayer-like pose.
He opened them and said, "He might be someone we know... or not."
Peng Jinseong scowled at the vague reply. "What kind of answer is that?!"
Jegal Cheong shook his head, baffled how someone so emotionally volatile had broken through to Absolute Peak and become patriarch.
Bang Deok continued calmly despite the prodding. "His name is Tian Ailang. He fought Draku in my place. I blacked out during the rescue, so I didn't see the battle itself, but the devastation was earth-shattering. To leave half a forest in ruins while clashing with a Hwa Realm master—that speaks volumes about his skill, doesn't it?"
Divine Sword Baek Cheongseon nodded solemnly, meeting Bang Deok's eyes. "Indeed. No need for such widespread destruction against an inferior foe. A clean slash with sword energy or aura would suffice."
"Exactly. Though Draku's immense inner energy might have forced an overkill display, drawing out that level of force still proves the hero's prowess."
The room's occupants ran scenarios in their minds. Mostly Absolute Peak masters, with a handful of Hwa Realm like Baek Cheongseon at the fore, they gauged possibilities against their own levels.
Baek Cheongseon broke the hush, subtly assuming a leadership role that most tacitly endorsed. "Then where is this hero who aided you now?"
Bang Deok's expression darkened. "I suspect he's dead. When the Murong Clan arrived at my request, the site was deserted amid a shocking scene. Back at headquarters, piecing together reports, Draku seems to have been wounded and rejoined the Black Wind Squad. Tracking Tian Ailang and analyzing the site are now in the hands of the Murong Clan's Heavenly Benevolent Sword and Great Hero Danhwa, the patriarchs."
"Ah..."
Only then did they realize one of the Orthodox Faction's Five Great Clans, the Murong, was absent.
Bang Deok inwardly clicked his tongue at their awkward coughs. Elder Patriarch Murong Min's bitter words echoed, leaving a sour taste. They invoked "Orthodox Faction" and "Five Great Clans" when it suited their interests, but treated others like dirt otherwise. Troubling times.
The Demonic and Blood Cults operated under absolute authority from the Heavenly Demon and Blood Demon, enforcing strict hierarchies with ironclad command and execution. They punished failure harshly but rewarded success beyond expectations, drawing endless recruits from society's dregs.
That unyielding loyalty and numbers thwarted every push against them.
Now, both cults had solidified their foundations stronger than ever, while the Orthodox Faction remained a house of cards, eyeing each other warily. Bang Deok worried constantly.
He understood loyalty to clan and sect, but if war came tomorrow, this mindset spelled disaster.
They needed a unifying figure now more than ever, making Tian Ailang's presumed death all the more tragic.
For elders and mid-tier martial artists, figures like Divine Sword Baek Cheongseon, White Ape Divine Nun, or Shaolin's Great Master O-Gak sufficed. But the younger generation, untested by war? They were the concern.
If Tian Ailang—with his heroic aura—became their rallying point, uniting the Orthodox Murim wasn't impossible. Especially if the youth, who mythologized the events twenty years ago, learned he was the Qi Arts Clan's heir. It could forge them into something unbreakable.
"But what do you mean he might be someone we know? The name rings no bells."
Bang Deok wet his parched lips slightly and replied to Baek Cheongseon. "Tian Ailang. Around twenty-something. From the Qi Arts Clan. The sole survivor, son and heir of the previous patriarch Cheon Seoksan. He inherited the true arts from the grandfather who survived, so he's effectively the current patriarch."
"...?!"
The room plunged into stunned silence, an overwhelming shock sweeping through. Unlike the prior uproars, a heavy quiet fell—no one could even gasp.