Chapter 309: The Martial World and Players (2)
Outside the inn, two groups waited side by side.
The Taoist priests from Wudang were snickering.
So Youngho, So Seoryeong, and So Un-gun.
The three who had just passed the age of majority were all top-notch masters, all disciples of So Yumyeong.
“To think someone would challenge our elder brother. With the opening of the tower, we’re experiencing some rare sights. After all, where else would we see something like this except from those outside the tower?”
“They’re just stupid.”
“Hey, don’t you guys have any worries? You might end up with a corpse to clean up.”
Despite their blatant mockery…
The people on the opposite side showed no reaction.
No, to be precise, they were worried in a different sense.
“Do you think that elder brother of theirs is still alive? Jinhyuk-ssi seemed to be in a good mood today, though…”
“He might have been killed cruelly by now.”
“Our contractor probably didn’t kill him. He might have just taken off a limb. Besides, he mentioned needing even the weak ones for the fight against the Jiangshi.”
“Oh my. Kang Gongja is quite considerate.”
The Wudang sect was bewildered by their calm demeanor and the shocking content of their conversation, unsure if they were hearing correctly or if it was an illusion.
“A-Are you people sane? So Yumyeong is a prized disciple of Wudang, one of the top sects! He’s evaluated to reach the ultimate stage at the youngest age and is known as the Little Dragon (小龍)!”
So Seoryeong shouted in disbelief.
“Huh? Ultimate stage…? Is that supposed to be impressive?”
Alice tilted her head.
“What? Do they not even know what the ultimate stage is?”
“Hah! We might not even need to bother talking to them.”
“Leave it. Soon enough, they’ll regret provoking him.”
Convinced by Alice’s reaction, the three of them concluded that their opponents were clueless about martial arts.
After a few minutes…
Clang!
Finally, the one-sided lesson ended.
The one who opened the door and appeared was none other than So Yumyeong.
“As expected, elder brother! We believed in you!”
“Took you a while. You must have really smashed him up.”
“Did you leave nothing but a corpse of that arrogant bastard?”
The three cheered.
But…
“……”
So Yumyeong’s face was not looking good.
His expression was pale, as if he had given up on everything.
In his right hand was a piece of paper.
Although they couldn’t read the characters, it looked like a contract.
“The evening glow in the martial world is quite something. The cool breeze is nice, too.”
Jinhyuk stretched and appeared behind him.
“E-Elder brother?”
“What happened?”
Instead of being in tatters, Jinhyuk was leisurely smiling.
The once almighty elder brother was now like a cowering puppy.
No matter how they thought about it, it didn’t make sense.
“Please, say something… Anything, please…”
Despite the questions from his juniors, So Yumyeong couldn’t open his mouth.
At that moment…
Alice and Teresa, who seemed to know everything, approached.
“Hey. Since I’m your senior by far, let’s get along, okay?”
“You’ll get used to it. It’s actually not so bad. The benefits… aren’t terrible.”
“It’s not too late. It might be better to take your own life. If you want to go painlessly, just let me know. I’ll prepare some special sleeping pills.”
Lastly, Chun Yoosung patted So Yumyeong’s shoulder with pity in his eyes.
＊＊＊
—After careful consideration, we concluded that if we ignore the situation, Luoyang might get isolated and fall.
Contrary to their usual high-handedness, the Martial Alliance reached a conclusion within a day.
Swift and decisive.
Based on the information Jinhyuk provided, elite members of each sect prepared to move.
Instead of defending, they decided to seize key points and roads around Luoyang to completely block all paths leading to the city.
—
At the same time, on the outskirts of the Qinghai Province, the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
A hawk with sharp eyes flew in and landed on the arm of Shimmasha Ryung.
“…This is.”
Shimmasha Ryung’s expression darkened slightly as he read the message tied to the hawk’s leg.
“Sire, they have changed their approach. The direction they are heading is…”
“I know.”
Sama-ja, sitting on the throne, tapped his fingers on the armrest.
His gaze fixed on a mound of dirt in the center of the room.
A military map marked with various strongholds of the martial world.
Buzz!
As Sama-ja injected his internal energy into the map, a few Jiangshi models heading towards Luoyang shook.
Tap. Tap… Tap.
One by one, three models toppled.
Precisely the three locations Jinhyuk had predicted.
“Yes, they are heading exactly to the places you pointed out. But how did you know?”
“Last night, I received information that the disciple of the Dark Emperor entered Luoyang. The foolish righteous sects couldn’t have grasped my intentions, which means that guy intervened.”
“Securing all the strongholds is crucial. Are you saying someone from outside the tower figured that out?”
“Well, it means his judgment in reading the situation is remarkable. It is surprising, though.”
To think their moves would be read before they even began.
Not even Shimmasha Ryung was informed about this information.
‘Hmm…’
Sama-ja’s lips curled into a smile.
The opponent was just a newcomer here.
It takes years to grasp the martial world’s dynamics.
Yet, he had a sharp understanding.
‘As expected, the Dark Emperor’s first disciple.’
He might face a tougher variable than the entire Martial Alliance.
Shimmasha Ryung also seemed eager to eliminate potential threats early. He added a word.
“Sire. Shouldn’t we eliminate the Dark Emperor as well? If he shows his fangs to save his disciple, we’ll be attacked from both sides by the Martial Alliance.”
“Strike the Dark Emperor now?”
“Yes. I believe this is the perfect time, with our cult at its peak strength.”
“If we provoke that old tiger, our peak strength might be halved. I don’t want to waste our forces like that.”
“Is the Dark Emperor… that formidable? If you’re uncertain, I will personally lead the Heavenly Jiangshi and Yin-Yang Jiangshi to handle it.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
While others underestimated the Dark Emperor, Sama-ja knew better.
The reason the Dark Emperor, with only a small shadow unit, could become the Left Protector.
He never needed others.
The Dark Emperor alone was mightier than thousands of masters.
And his martial arts couldn’t be measured.
The Dark Emperor had been supporting the Heavenly Demon Cult as a pillar.
“First, let’s deal with the Martial Alliance. Since things have turned out this way, we should target a sore spot. I’m curious how they’ll respond.”
Prepared for this very day.
A small stream cannot defy the sea.
Sama-ja adjusted his strategy.
In the most fatal way for the Martial Alliance.
＊＊＊
Among the three options, Jinhyuk chose a small mountain 100 kilometers from Luoyang.
Technically, it was supposed to be handled by Wudang, but…
Practically, Jinhyuk, who had So Yumyeong on a leash, was leading the martial artists.
“This is the place with unstable earth veins, right?”
Jinhyuk looked around.
The main reason for choosing this location was because there was something he needed to find here.
“Yes. Recently, the flow of qi has become unstable, causing several landslides. Thanks to the villagers reporting it, we found out just a few days ago.”
So Yumyeong nodded.
As expected.
The clash of yang and yin energies caused natural disasters.
The soil with an oddly yellow hue also caught his eye.
Good.
He had arrived at the right place.
“By the way, your tone seems a bit off?”
“What?”
“Meat. Yum yum.”
“W-Wait! Yes… You’re right… I will… be careful…”
So Yumyeong clenched his fist with a face like he had eaten something bitter.
“Keep your expression in check. Even if you curse inwardly, don’t show it on your face. That’s social skill.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Establishing the hierarchy was enough for now.
The other three still didn’t know what was going on.
There was no need to educate them as well.
As long as So Yumyeong was firmly controlled, the rest would follow.
“Then, let’s go recruit some people.”
The Martial Alliance had drawn in two additional forces besides the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families for this mission.
One group included players like Jinhyuk, Teresa, and Chun Yoosung.
The other consisted of mercenaries, bandits, and third-rate warriors not affiliated with any sects.
They were lured with money rather than honor or cause, but that method worked best for them.
‘With the money from the alliance, I can easily cover about thirty people.’
There was a fairly large village nearby where he could recruit more.
“Why do we need others? Aren’t we enough to handle the Jiangshi?”
Alice widened her eyes.
She had a point, but…
There was another reason for following the alliance’s advice to recruit here.
‘He must be somewhere in this village.’
To regain his lost power after leaving the Heavenly Demon Cult.
One of the tower’s absolute beings was drifting in the martial world.
Jinhyuk’s lips curled up.
The time to meet again had come.
Under the same sky.
The pinnacle of martial arts, who bows to no one.
“Let’s hurry down before sunset.”
Jinhyuk quickened his pace.
How long had they walked?
When they reached the village, they realized something was wrong.
“T-The village…”
So Seoryeong’s voice trembled.
The village was burnt to the ground.
Where the Blood Jiangshi had rampaged, only blood, smoke, and death remained.
“This is horrible…”
Teresa covered her mouth with her hand.
“……”
Chun Yoosung silently moved through the bodies, checking for survivors.
If there were any, he would provide treatment.
“In war, there are no innocents, but this is too much…”
Alice murmured, recalling past memories.
“So this is their response.”
Jinhyuk looked at the body of a mother who had died holding her child.
The direction of the Heavenly Demon Cult had changed.
Instead of pursuing speed, they began massacring civilians in the villages along the way.
The righteous sects, who valued the greater good, couldn’t ignore this.
They had no choice but to abandon advantageous positions to save people.
‘Cold but effective strategy.’
It could disperse their forces and seize control of the situation.
Jinhyuk bit his lip.
These residents… the tower’s inhabitants.
Just that, he had drawn a line.
To climb the tower, he had convinced himself that some sacrifices were inevitable.
But.
Even seeing such a tragedy, he couldn’t draw that line.
‘…Sama-ja.’
Jinhyuk slowly recalled the name.
He had to deal with him quickly.
To prevent more innocent deaths.
At that moment.
Boom!
“Ahhhh!”
“Save me!”
Screams echoed from afar.
There were still survivors.