Chapter 205
Chapter 205
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Thirty-Six Sects
Among all the Baekdo sects, how many could truly be called powerful?
When posed this question, people would offer a single number.
Thirty-six!
The reason was simple.
Throughout the entire murim, the number of sects receiving Heavenly Grade invitations from the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly had always been thirty-six across generations.
In the jianghu, they were known as the Heavenly Thirty-Six Great Sects or the Heavenly Grade Martial Sects.
Only thirty-six out of thousands upon thousands of sects.
In terms of proportion, it was an honor attainable solely by the uppermost sects—one ri out of fifty ri.
"Yang-hwi, little brother. You're not thinking of storming into Wudang, are you?"
It was absurd talk, but Yang-hwi had a history of nonchalantly pulling off absurd feats.
'Everyone distrusts me way too much.'
Shoulders shrugging under a barrage of uneasy stares, Yang-hwi met them head-on.
Among the group, the sharpest gaze came from Dang Gun—the eldest and nominal leader—which even left the thick-skinned Yang-hwi scrambling for excuses.
"Don't worry, Brother Dang."
"How can I not?"
"I've got a plan."
"Let's hear it first."
"You really don't trust me?"
"Put yourself in my shoes for once."
He briefly reflected on past events.
Hm.
"Even I wouldn't pick a fight with Wudang just to snag a Heavenly invitation. Not yet."
"...Leaving aside 'not yet.' So, what's the plan?"
"Heavenly Grade sects number twenty-one beyond the Nine Sects, Five Great Clans, and fifteen others. Let's drop by one."
"Mentioning Wudang means you've got Taegukmun in mind, right?"
"Spot on!"
Taegukmun was Wudang's secular branch, newly minted as one of the Heavenly Grade sects starting from this Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.
"Extorting an invitation from Wudang's secular branch might as well be declaring war on Wudang itself."
By conventional logic, Dang Gun was right.
"Taegukmun will welcome us with open arms and gladly spar."
"How can you be so sure?"
Chudal fielded the question.
"Taegukmun announced they're temporarily opening their gates and accepting unlimited challenge requests from promising juniors."
"Hm? Why make that choice?"
"To prove themselves, Young Heir. Taegukmun hasn't built enough fame or achievements yet."
The current Hubei murim was split between western Wudang and eastern Jeogal Clan. Taegukmun was Wudang's secular branch, established near the Jeogal Clan's stronghold.
"The sect was born purely to keep the Jeogal Clan in check."
"Exactly. To ramp up the pressure, they threw full support behind it—forcing it into the Thirty-Six Great Sects at any cost."
Rushed into existence as it was, Taegukmun had to demonstrate its worth to silence whispers of favoritism.
Hence the open policy on challenge requests.
"Fair point, but humiliating them would surely stir up trouble."
"It'll be fine. Master's reputation alone will smooth it over."
Jeogal Seol-ha flashed a wicked grin.
To the Jeogal Clan, Taegukmun was a dagger held to their throats by Wudang.
The thought of humiliating it already thrilled her.
"That said, Seol-ha, we can't head straight there. We've got unfinished business."
"What kind?"
Yang-hwi laid out the facts about the Blood Cult for Jeogal Seol-ha.
"The Blood Cult Leader's infiltrated the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, so you're snatching invitations to shield the innocent?"
"Yeah."
True to her Jeogal blood, Seol-ha didn't ask if he'd informed the family head.
Instead, Chudal piped up.
"Brother. I've been wondering—why not just send a messenger pigeon to Yin Hu? Problem solved."
"Chudal, oh Chudal—you know, the otter Chudal."
"Argh, why! What'd I do now?!"
"Tsk. The Dragon-Phoenix Assembly's the grand Baekdo murim festival every decade. Think the Black Dao and evil factions ever left past ones alone?"
"Ah?"
Dang Gun elaborated for the dumbfounded Chudal.
"Since ancient times, all sorts of riffraff have tried crashing the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly to sow chaos. Nothing special about this one."
"I see."
The Blood Cult was a colossal demonic force that would plunge the world into a bloodbath in the future.
If Baekdo's elders knew, things would change—but at this point in time, only Yang-hwi held that knowledge about the Demonic Religious War.
'Even a warning would fall on deaf ears. Besides, Wudang will bend over backward to prevent any evil schemes from delaying or canceling the Assembly they directly oversee.'
"No matter how we spread the word, the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly will go ahead. They won't ramp up security or surveillance. Minor evil sect infiltrators are par for the course."
Of course, he'd drop a hint to Yin Hu.
But independently, handling what they could was crucial too.
"We've got about three months till the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly. We'll roam far and wide in the meantime."
"Hunting the Blood Cult Leader?"
"Hunting the Blood Cult Leader."
"Sounds like fishing a lost ring from a riverbed."
Chudal's sigh rang true—unassailable fact.
Finding one person in the vast jianghu was no easy task.
But.
"Might not be as tough as you think. Someone like the Blood Cult Leader will show up with a Heavenly invitation."
"Yang-hwi, little brother. For all we know, one of the Heavenly Grade sects could already be in the Blood Cult's clutches."
"I've factored that in."
"Any leads?"
Silence fell as he weighed possibilities.
"Sects that basked in past glory but have since declined or fallen."
He'd wrung that much from the Blood Cult spawn he'd interrogated before.
From there, the hypothesis emerged.
"Say, like Hwasan?"
"......"
Instead of answering, his silence drew a puzzled look from Dang Gun.
"Yang-hwi?"
Yang-hwi's eyes narrowed sharply as he thought to himself.
'Anything but Hwasan, I hope.'
Otherwise, things would get messy in more ways than one.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The world's greatest Buddhist sect was unequivocally Shaolin.
Then, where lay the world's greatest Taoist sect?
Opinions varied nowadays, but in the past, there had been only one.
Hwasan.
Hwasan Sect was beyond reproach as the singular pulse of Taoism across the Central Plains.
Among the Nine Sects alone—Jongnam, Cheongseong, Wudang, and even the now-extinct Hyongsan Sect.
No fewer than four traced their origins to Hwasan or shared deep ties—a testament in itself.
Yes. That had been the case.
In the past.
"Uncle Ok-cheong? Is that you, Uncle...?"
At the gates of Hwasan Sect, a second-generation disciple on guard spotted the ragged swordsman and lit up with joy.
The man called Ok-cheong grinned wide before speaking.
"That's right! Long time no see! It's me, Ok-cheong! The man who slaps 'World's Greatest' right in front of Hwasan Sect! The peerless swordsman who'll turn the Plum Blossom Twelve Forms back into Twenty-Four! And your martial uncle to boot! I'm home!"
"Uncle! How many years has it been?!"
Five years prior, Ok-cheong had bolted from the sect vowing to restore Hwasan's lost sword manual.
The prodigal disciple's return.
"Hold on just a moment. I'll fetch the elders!"
A genius who'd earned the rank of Ok-ja-bae at a tender age, leaping past his peers.
Upon learning of his return, Hwasan's sect leader summoned Ok-cheong straight to Ok-mae Pavilion, the leader's quarters.
"Ok-cheong. Five years gone by."
"Pale Elder! No—Sect Leader! Truly, it's been ages! This Ok-cheong, roaming the lands, offered daily thanks for Hwasan Sect's profound grace and your visionary leadership! Seeing your unchanged visage fills me with joy—proof my devotions bore fruit!"
Baek Jang furrowed his brow and plugged his ears, yet a sly smile crept in.
"Still got that booming voice. Yep, it's you, alright."
"Yes! My voice has rung clear since youth—that's Ok-cheong for you!"
"I've told you a hundred times: your Tao name comes from the clearest eyes among the Ok-ja-bae!"
"Yes! Owner of eyes so pure, even senior brothers can't match! That's why—Ok-cheong! Me!"
Ok-cheong's eyes were indeed clear. Unnervingly so, with a glint of mania.
"So, how was your five-year grand tour?"
"Yes! A time to witness much with these eyes, etch it in my heart, and manifest it through the sword!"
"Then off to the wall-facing cave, I suppose?"
"Yes! Ye...?"
Five years back, Ok-cheong had stormed out sans permission to reclaim the lost twelve forms of the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Sword.
The phrase "stormed out" implied no approval obtained.
"You left without a word from the sect elders. A strict place might've sent trackers to drag you back and sever your meridians."
Baek Jang's stern expression held. Ok-cheong sneaked a glance, then snapped to attention.
"Disciple Ok-cheong! If you command it, Sect Leader, I'll head to the cave at once! But! I believe you could employ this disciple for greater purpose—so permit me one word!"
Baek Jang shook his head ruefully.
"Enough, you rascal. That attitude screams you timed your return for the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly. Dodging punishment."
"Hahaha! This disciple hasn't the foggiest what you mean, Sect Leader!"
"You came back for the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly. To skip the scolding."
"This disciple truly hasn't a clue!"
"Always that silver tongue."
Normally, a junior's cheek would grate—but Baek Jang felt only fondness watching Ok-cheong.
That was Ok-cheong.
A talent who'd outstripped his peers without breeding envy.
The disciple every brother cherished from the heart, each harboring dreams of aiding him when he led Hwasan someday.
Hwasan's most beloved, drawing affection like no other.
"Ok-cheong. Wudang's gunning to crush our Hwasan. The Dragon-Phoenix Assembly marks the turning point."
Careworn lines etched Baek Jang's face as he spoke.
Wudang had long pursued a domineering path unbefitting Taoism since its founding.
To them, Hwasan—the famed greatest Taoist sect—had to be put down.
The reason was straightforward.
"Through the ages, the one and only Sword Immortal, Yeo Dong-bin... succeeded our Hwasan's martial lineage."
Among Yeo Dong-bin's legends, the most renowned was his tutelage under Hwasan's Fire Dragon Immortal from Mount Hua in Shaanxi.
Fire Dragon Immortal was the revered founding immortal of Hwasan Sect, marking it as heir to the Sword Immortal's vein.
"Not just that—Jang Sam-bong Immortal too. Legends say disciple of Fire Dragon or Yeo Immortal."
In essence, Wudang was born a generation or two junior to Hwasan.
How could they leave Hwasan be?
"Much will change from this Dragon-Phoenix Assembly. Ok-cheong—you stand unrivaled among disciples thirty-six or under, the Yongbong benchmark. Will you attend, please?"
Ok-cheong shot to his feet, bowing grandly.
"Disciple Ok-cheong obeys the Sect Leader's command and shall attend the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly! As the name Fire Dragon reveals, Hwasan is the famed mountain cradling dragons! This Ok-cheong shall become Hwasan's newest dragon! I'll return having changed much myself!"
Shouting with a beaming smile, Ok-cheong reaffirmed inwardly once more.
Yes, much would change.