Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Mount Mao (2)
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…*Shhh, shhh.*
The man who had washed the blood from his body in the valley, the Omniscient One, sat on a large rock at the edge of the water, staring blankly at the sky.
It was still a peaceful sky, one that gifted warmth to the crops. But today, nothing seemed more tedious.
“Heavens, just how much longer…”
‘…must I repeat this act?’
The Omniscient One muttered to himself, shaking the water from his drenched hair.
“Haha.”
A hollow laugh escaped him before he could stop it.
Ordinarily, the Omniscient One was bound to act solely as an advisor to the martial world.
He could not harm anyone, let alone kill them. If he were to break that rule, the spear of causality was meant to pierce him through.
But “was meant to” implied that, at least for now, this was no longer the case.
The Omniscient One let out an inscrutable sigh.
“Has it really come to this?”
He recalled the events of a few days ago—the incident with the Daoists who had invaded Mount Mao.
‘Normally, I shouldn’t be able to influence matters of life and death…’
Thirteen of them had died, and one had barely managed to escape Mount Mao.
The Omniscient One had been undeniably involved in that incident.
Yet, for some reason, divine punishment had not come. His lifespan remained unchanged.
The sealing arts that enveloped all of Mount Mao were also still in effect.
Even the spell formation surrounding the Omniscient One himself remained intact.
Did this not mean that the pact was gradually becoming meaningless?
To the point where he could interfere with the secular world.
“…”
Wiping even the faint smile from his face, the Omniscient One lifted the Black Dragon mask with a numb expression.
“Is it starting again?”
Sensing the entry of over thirty martial artists into Mount Mao, the Omniscient One pulled the Black Dragon mask over his face.
Through the eyeholes of the mask, crimson eyes were revealed.
“Kuaaaargh…!”
The screams of the martial artists sounded especially mournful and wretched today.
* * *
“Annihilated?”
Nangong Cheon frowned at the utterly ominous report.
Normally, this would be a matter he would have entrusted to Jegal Hyeon, but Jiangsu was not far from the Martial Alliance.
Moreover, this was an enemy who had wiped out thirty martial artists.
A master of that caliber would not take long to travel from Jiangsu to the Martial Alliance headquarters here in Huguang.
“Khuuuk…!”
Was it due to the energy Nangong Cheon had unconsciously released?
*Thud.*
The white-robed martial artist who had come to deliver the intelligence report collapsed on the spot, foaming at the mouth.
As if expecting it, a member of the Black Wind Unit who was waiting nearby dragged the man outside.
Just then, Jeok Sa-goeng, who was leaning against the wall, asked.
“Should I go?”
“…No, we still need to assess the situation further. This time, we should attack from outside Mount Mao and see how the enemy responds.”
“Tsk, what a troublesome fellow.”
Jeok Sa-goeng slapped his muscular body and bared his pale teeth.
“Isn't everything something that can be solved with this one fist? If you're just getting scared for no reason, how about sending this Brother Jeok?”
“As I recall, I was born earlier in the year than you.”
Nangong Cheon glared at Jeok Sa-goeng with cold eyes.
“Has it not always been customary to send small and medium-sized sects to investigate before deploying the Martial Alliance's warriors? Or has your thinking changed since meeting the Plum Blossom Sword Hero?”
“Hmph! As if I'd learn anything from a brat like that!”
“I've told you before, understand the weight your name carries. If you rush out and return injured, the Martial Alliance's strength will wane.”
As Nangong Cheon's words began to resemble the nagging of his late mother, Jeok Sa-goeng covered his ears and shouted.
“I get it! I get it, you bastard! So I should just lie around and do nothing?!”
“I didn't say to lie down. I just said to train the Black Wind Unit so they're ready to move at a moment's notice.”
At those words, the Black Wind Unit member who had dragged out the white-robed warrior flinched.
They were already being overworked by Jeok Sa-goeng's training methods, and now they were facing extra drills because of someone who wasn't even their direct superior.
Though the Black Wind Unit member secretly glared at Nangong Cheon, Nangong Cheon continued to handle matters with a cold expression.
“White-Robed Division!”
At Nangong Cheon's call, a martial artist waiting inside the office wall peeked his head out.
“Your orders!”
“For the next fortnight, prohibit all travel to Jiangsu. If any sect affiliated with the Martial Alliance attempts to pass through there, report it immediately and stop them!”
“…As you command!”
With that, the martial artist contorted his body using Bone Shrinking Arts and slipped back into the wall.
Watching this, Jeok Sa-goeng made a lighthearted joke.
“No matter how many times I see them, they're a strange bunch! Aren't they going to get sick from doing that?”
“Don't speak nonsense. Do you know who raised them?”
A faint trace of confidence appeared on Nangong Cheon's face.
The White-Robed Division was Vice-Leader Nangong Cheon's personal unit, and he could personally vouch for them as one of the most valuable units in the Martial Alliance.
All across the martial world.
They not only gathered intelligence but also carried out assassinations when the situation called for it.
Although they handled tasks not entirely befitting of the Orthodox Faction, many sought to join the White-Robed Division because Nangong Cheon treated his subordinates with great care.
The member who had just fainted and been dragged out would receive proper treatment at the medical hall and a small reward.
Nangong Cheon snorted, "Hmph."
“Worry about your own subordinate. The way he glares at the Vice-Leader… he's just like his commander. It's quite a sight.”
The Black Wind Unit member immediately corrected his expression, but it was too late.
Jeok Sa-goeng might be underestimated for his lack of intellect, but his martial arts and instincts, honed over time, were exceptionally sharp.
Seeing the flicker in the Black Wind member's eyes, Jeok Sa-goeng smirked.
“You little brat. Are you throwing a tantrum because I haven't been paying enough attention to you lately?”
“I, I… that is…”
“Today, I'll work you so hard you won't even have the strength to glare at anyone.”
Once Jeok Sa-goeng said something, it was bound to happen.
There was a reason the Black Wind Unit was called the top unit in the Martial Alliance.
The only force comparable to them was the Imperial Family's Red-Yellow Cavalry.
‘…Gods above.’
Just as the Black Wind member swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut, a rattling sound was heard, and a member of the White-Robed Division popped out of the wall.
“Vice-Leader!”
“I'm listening. Report.”
“A Daoist named Ouyang Jue is currently passing through the northern part of Huguang on his way to Jiangsu!”
“…Ouyang Jue?”
Nangong Cheon's eyes flashed as he recalled his previous encounter with the man.
A rising star who caused incidents wherever he went, shaking the martial world each time.
Furthermore, recalling that the fall of the Zhenzhou Yan Clan and Ouyang Jue's absence from the Martial Alliance had overlapped slightly, Nangong Cheon found him suspicious and immediately gave an order to the White-Robed member.
“Ask Ouyang Jue if he would be willing to make a detour and come to the Martial Alliance.”
“…!”
At those words, the White-Robed member's eyes widened, forgetting even to reply.
In the current martial world, Nangong Cheon was second only to the Martial Alliance Leader in terms of influence. It was exceedingly rare for him to treat a martial artist with such formality.
‘But to a rising star not yet of age, he's asking, not commanding?’
As the White-Robed member, holding back his curiosity, was about to disappear back into the wall, Nangong Cheon spoke in a low voice.
“Do not harbor any questions. Discard them the moment you leave this wall.”
“…Yes.”
The White-Robed member's eyes clouded over for a moment before regaining their light.
* * *
Meanwhile, Ouyang Jue, who had been heading straight for Mount Mao, entered the Martial Alliance with a sliver of anxiety.
Why had they stopped him on his way and urged him to come here?
Could it be that his involvement with the Zhenzhou Yan Clan had been discovered?
If so, that meant they knew about the gunpowder too. What was his way out?
Various thoughts spun uselessly in his mind, clashing against one another.
The unpleasant feeling of being forcibly detained by the Martial Alliance without any information weighed on a corner of his mind.
‘If it had been a command, I wouldn't be worrying like this.’
One side of Ouyang Jue's lip twisted.
‘If they've summoned me for something trivial, I won't let it slide.’
His martial arts might be inferior to Nangong Cheon's, but putting him in an awkward position was another matter entirely.
In fact, within the Nangong Clan, he…
“Great Hero Ouyang, you may enter here.”
‘So I've arrived at the Vice-Leader's office.’
Ouyang Jue gave a slight bow to the Martial Alliance warrior who had guided him.
“Ah, thank you.”
“Don't mention it. I look forward to your future heroic deeds.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue didn't hide his awkward expression and scratched the back of his head.
“I haven't really done anything special.”
“Haha, what do you mean, you haven't done anything? Perhaps because my younger sister has a congenital illness, I was deeply moved by your actions.”
The warrior clasped his fist again and bowed his head deeply.
Seeing this, Ouyang Jue grew even more flustered.
A deep bow was both the highest form of respect and a form of humiliation a martial artist could offer. It was not something one did to a rising star at least ten years his junior.
“I hope to see you again!”
The warrior left with a smile.
But Ouyang Jue's gaze remained fixed on his departing back.
‘…Hah, truly.’
Ouyang Jue let out a sigh whose meaning even he didn't understand. He couldn't recall ever receiving such profound respect before.
“I should have at least asked for his name.”
Pushing aside his slight regret, Ouyang Jue opened the door to the Vice-Leader's office.
*Creeeak…*
As if deliberately left unoiled, the door made the sound of tearing, rusted metal.
Beyond that unpleasant sound were two men who exuded an extraordinary aura.
The moment Ouyang Jue saw them, he clasped his hands together.
“It has been a while, Seniors.”
The Vice-Leader of the Martial Alliance, Heavenly Sword Nangong Cheon, and the Black Wind Unit Commander, Jeok Sa-goeng.
Why would these men, who held some of the most important positions in the Martial Alliance, summon him?
“Now that you're here, come and sit.”
Ouyang Jue, still harboring doubts, sat in the seat offered by Nangong Cheon. As if prepared in advance, Dragon Well tea and neat refreshments were already set out.
It seemed he hadn't been summoned for any malicious reason, and Ouyang Jue's expression relaxed slightly.
“Vice-Leader, for what reason have you summoned me…?”
“You're quick to ask for the reason. Any other rising star would have complimented my appearance first.”
“Was I rude?”
Nangong Cheon smiled faintly at his words.
“No, it's better than such clumsy flattery. I like your honesty. I called you because there is something I must tell you.”
“Something you must tell me?”
As Ouyang Jue offered the appropriate response, Nangong Cheon's disposition softened.
Especially since giving up on the Small Purple Spirit Elixir, he had begun to exude an air of immortal grace and had become somewhat more virtuous.
He couldn't help but feel favorable toward Ouyang Jue.
“You were on your way to Jiangsu, I hear?”
“That is correct.”
“I don't know where in Jiangsu you were headed, but do not go to Mount Mao. A vicious demonic master is there, and not only the Daoists who went to stop him but even the common people nearby are being killed.”
“…What!?”
Ouyang Jue was so startled he almost asked again and again. The news was that unexpected.
‘Mount Mao… that place was always peaceful because of the Omniscient One.’
Something must have happened. Thinking so, Ouyang Jue set down the Dragon Well tea he had been drinking.
“Have you, by any chance, restricted access to the area?”
“We were about to.”
“This is a very difficult request, but could you allow me to go?”
Uncharacteristically, Nangong Cheon was perturbed.
“To ask if we've restricted access, you must know well that it's a place of death. Is there really a need for you to go?”
“I have arranged to meet someone there.”
“In that case, I will order the personnel the Alliance sends to find them for you.”
“…The thing is, my friend is quite shy. I'm afraid it will be difficult to meet them unless I go myself.”
At those words, Nangong Cheon's gaze sharpened.
“A spellcaster?”
“An amateur, but quite useful.”
“…Huuu.”
Realizing Ouyang Jue's intentions were quite firm, Nangong Cheon let out a deep sigh.
Besides, if it was a spellcaster, they could likely hide from the Black Dragon.
But he still had more to say.
“Then I will assign you an escort. Each one is a first-rate master or better, so they won't hold you back.”
“…”
It seemed like a favor at first glance, but his intention to place Ouyang Jue in his debt was obvious.
Ouyang Jue gently refused Nangong Cheon's offer.
“I am better off alone. It will be easier to escape if need be.”
“I cannot understand.”
Just then, Jeok Sa-goeng interjected.
“The Vice-Leader of the Martial Alliance personally summons you to give a warning, and when you insist on going, he offers you an escort, which you refuse. Why are you so determined to walk into a death trap? Is there a reason so important you must go?”
Ouyang Jue smiled faintly.
As Jeok Sa-goeng said, Nangong Cheon had shown him tremendous favor, unfitting for his title of Vice-Leader.
Considering that Nangong Cheon rarely even met with the elders of great sects, this invitation was practically a special privilege.
Ouyang Jue, knowing Nangong Cheon's nature, had been wary that it might be a trap.
But now he knew it wasn't. In fact, thanks to them, he had learned in advance that the Omniscient One was in danger, or at least in a different situation.
So, he could at least tell them this much.
“I am on my way to see a dear friend after a long time. How could I go accompanied by men wearing swords?”
“That makes sense!”
Jeok Sa-goeng slapped his knee in admiration.