Chapter 645
With a quiet murmur, I thrust my palm upward.
[Flame God Palm.]
The darkness was consumed by fire. The blazing heat met Baek Sang’s strike—a fist wrapped in blinding, steel-blue energy.
Boom! Rumble!
A crashing punch and a rising palm.
An old man and a young man—pure, raw power clashed head-on.
The explosion of force rattled the entire hall.
Hwaaaak!
Through the blinding flash at the collision’s center, I caught sight of Baek Sang’s eyes—wide with shock.
‘How…?’
That expression—I’d seen it countless times before.
People always made the same mistake. They underestimated me.
Because I was young.
Because I came from no great clan.
Because they thought I’d never seen a real battlefield.
And every time, I taught them the same lesson—
Not with words, but with power.
‘Just like now.’
Without speaking, I drew even more of my strength to the surface.
Kwaaaaa!
Three entire cycles of inner power erupted within me. The scorching energy of the Scorching Yang Energy vaporized the moisture in the air, filling the hall with shimmering red heatwaves.
Tsssss—
Baek Sang’s punch, blocked by my open palm, began to falter. His knuckles trembled as my energy pressed back, and his pristine white robes blackened and curled from the heat.
I could see it—the disbelief in his eyes.
Between the flicker of fire, I glimpsed my own reflection in those eyes: calm, unshaken.
From between his cracked lips came a low voice.
“You…!”
Impressive composure.
Usually, by this point, the curses started flying—’bastard, lunatic, son of a bitch’.
But not him.
Maybe it was his discipline from a hundred battles.
Maybe it was because he bore the weight of thousands as a clan chief.
Whatever the reason, Baek Sang’s emotions trembled—but didn’t spill over.
Sssk!
The burned edge of his sleeve brushed my arm. His fist loosened, fingers spreading like an eagle’s talons as he tried to seize my wrist in a flash.
He might have succeeded—if my counter hadn’t been faster and stronger.
Crunch!
A sound like stone cracking.
My power, far beyond human limits, twisted his wrist. His brow twitched as a suppressed groan escaped him.
“Hrk!”
‘Now.’
I twisted his wrist aside, broke his balance, and struck—
A palm straight into his ribs.
Thud!
The dull impact echoed before his body shot backward.
In front of dozens of watching eyes, Baek Sang’s body spun midair and landed lightly atop the stone table.
No sound. No heavy fall. His movement was graceful, but his expression was anything but.
He glared at me, fury flickering behind his calm mask—just as another voice cut through the air. (T/N: SO FUCKING SATISFYING!!!! Taekyung, doing Taekyung things.)
“Enough.”
It wasn’t loud, but it carried weight and command.
The Beast Miao King stood, his face solemn.
“Step back. Both of you.”
Baek Sang’s shoulders stiffened. I merely shrugged.
“I didn’t move.”
Technically true. Sure, I’d slid my chair back a little—but he attacked first. I’d just… responded.
And judging by the looks I was getting from the other chiefs, I’d made my point.
“Jin Taekyung.”
The Beast Miao King’s voice held reproach.
I raised both hands in mock surrender. “My apologies. Reflex. Didn’t mean to.”
That much courtesy, at least, I could afford. This was their territory, not mine. And my opponent wasn’t just anyone—he was the chief of the White Elephant Tribe.
“…Haa.”
With a sigh, the Beast Miao King turned to Baek Sang.
“Baek Sang, that’s enough. Stand down.”
Conflict flickered in the older man’s eyes.
Even after being called out, he didn’t answer. He looked around instead.
Over thirty tribal chiefs.
Their reactions split in three ways—
Some looked ready to leap to his defense.
Others struggled to suppress their laughter.
And some just stared at me in stunned silence.
A fractured room.
Factions clearly drawn.
And before all their eyes, Baek Sang’s reputation had cracked.
He’d been bested—not by another Southern warrior, but by a ‘Han outsider’.
He knew exactly what that meant.
After a moment, his lips tightened. He bowed slightly toward the Beast Miao King and spoke in a low voice.
“My apologies for the disturbance. I will take my leave and calm myself.”
With that, he turned, his scorched robes fluttering as he strode out.
Yohee followed soon after, and half the chiefs—those loyal to Baek Sang—stood to leave as well.
“Palace Lord, with your permission…”
“We’ll go as well.”
So these were Baek Sang’s faction—the hardliners who would never allow alliance with the Murim Alliance.
When about half the room had emptied, Yal Mok scowled deeply, and the Beast Miao King muttered under his breath, voice heavy.
“So it’s come to this.”
I scratched my head awkwardly. “Sorry. Guess that’s kinda my fault.”
He sighed. “No. It was bound to happen sooner or later.”
“Oh, good. I was thinking the same thing.”
Everyone else in the room stared at me with deadpan faces. Even without telepathy, I could practically ‘hear’ them thinking—
‘It is your fault, you idiot.’
Weird. Must’ve been my imagination.
I cleared my throat. “So… does this mean the assembly’s over?”
“The assembly lasts three days, alongside the festival,” said the Beast Miao King. “Surely you were told?”
“I was. Just making sure.”
He rubbed his temples. “Did you ‘have’ to provoke him?”
“I couldn’t just let it slide. I was curious. And… wanted to see how he’d react.”
“That curiosity just earned you ten thousand enemies. Baek Sang commands half of the Southern Tribes—the White Elephants, Yohee’s clan, and Heukung’s too.”
“Half of the South, huh.”
I nodded thoughtfully. “Not bad.”
“What?”
“Well, two days ago, all of them were my enemies. Now it’s only half. That’s progress.”
“…Good grief.”
The Beast Miao King gave a weary chuckle, then turned to the remaining chiefs.
“Chief Zhang. Chief Gao.”
“Yes.”
“This time, I’ll need your help. Gather your fastest scouts. Keep watch toward Guizhou.”
“Because of this Blood Monk?”
He nodded gravely.
“Both Baek Sang and Jin Taekyung had a point. The creature may never come south—but if he’s tied to Dark Heaven, we must prepare.”
“As you command.”
“At once.”
These were the moderate and loyal tribes—the ones still on the Palace Lord’s side.
With their acknowledgment, the Beast Miao King’s expression softened slightly.
“Tonight, we’ll erect a memorial for the fallen and hold a feast in their honor. The assembly will resume after that. For now, everyone, rest.”
—
“How did it go?”
As soon as I returned to my quarters, Namho rushed over.
“You didn’t cause another incident, did you?”
I opened my mouth to answer—but Hyuk Mujin shouted first.
“Hey! Watch your tongue, old man! How dare you doubt our captain!”
“What else should I think? He’s a madman.”
“Even so, that’s too far! He might be crazy, but he’s not ‘that’ crazy! You think he’d cause trouble in a meeting that important?”
“I do.”
‘Fair point.’
I hesitated. I was about to say something—
And then Ju Hwaran arrived.
“Namho, that’s harsh. How can you call our Lord a madman?”
Namho immediately lost all his bluster, rubbing his thinning hair.
“I just meant—uh—”
“Our Lord represents the Murim Alliance,” she continued, voice firm. “He might be a bit rough around the edges, but he’d never cause chaos at something as crucial as the Tribal Assembly.”
‘Please stop.’
Her defense was stabbing me like a knife.
She turned to the others for support. “Right? Don’t you all agree?”
Song Ilseom hesitated. “Well, I suppose we should hear it from—”
“I’ll add a bonus.”
“…On second thought, she’s right. The captain would ‘never’ do that.”
Sellout.
“And the rest of you?” she asked sweetly.
“Taesan hungry.”
“There’s a feast later.”
“Taesan agrees with Ju.”
“…Me too.”
A flawless campaign.
Ju Hwaran smiled like a shining star. “So, Captain. What do you say? Did you manage to secure the alliance?”
Each second felt like an eternity.
I finally spoke.
“Uh… well. There was… a minor incident.”
Ju Hwaran froze. Namho sighed, unsurprised.
“Told you. He’s insane.”
“You kill anyone?”
“No.”
“Then you hit someone?”
“Who? Some random chief? Someone who annoyed you? Surely not… the White Elephant Chief?”
“Uh…”
“…Captain?”
Her voice trailed off as I stared out the window, silent.
Namho chuckled softly. “See? Told you. Madman.”
(T/N: Their banter are always hilarious. lol)