Chapter 216: A New Phase (1)
Dao Zun was among the most active of the absolute masters of the Central Plains, including the Three Supremes.
Because of that, she had a decent grasp of the affairs within the Heavenly Demon Cult and fully understood what it meant that the two people had been kidnapped.
“Hoooh!”
White smoke flowed from Dao Zun's mouth like a sigh.
“From your standpoint, things have really gone sideways.”
“True. But… why did you come to the Cult?”
At the Cult Leader’s question, Dao Zun suddenly frowned, then yanked out the smoking pipe in her mouth and swung it around sharply.
“Because your brat is making a racket about expanding into the Central Plains!”
“Kukukuk! So, are you here to stop me?”
As far as the Cult Leader was concerned, Dao Zun was at least qualified to try and stop him.
But then, unexpectedly, she said something entirely different.
“No, I came to tell you that if you're going to do it, do it properly.”
“Hm?”
“Rather, if you take over the Central Plains while you're still above ground, in the end, there will be less bloodshed in the future.”
“……”
“……”
Dao Zun’s statement was so radical that even Left Guardian and the other martial officers in the Hall of Guardians stared at him in disbelief.
On the other hand, the Cult Leader chuckled and nodded.
“Well, that might actually be for the best.”
“Too bad it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, judging by the state of your household.”
Judging by the recent incidents, the Heavenly Demon Cult wouldn't be making any progress into the Central Plains for a while—they’d be too busy cleaning up internal messes.
Left Guardian Mujung spoke, surprised.
“Quite unexpected. I didn't think a senior from Wudang would abandon the orthodox sects so easily.”
Dao Zun snorted at that.
“Hmph, if I’d been obsessed with Wudang’s revival, I’d have already lopped off the Sect Leader’s head and devoured the sect whole.”
The Cult Leader nodded in agreement.
“If that were the extent of your ambition, I wouldn’t have tolerated your presence here.”
Dao Zun stared at the Cult Leader for a moment.
Her gaze was complex—remarkably so for a person who had attained enlightenment alongside Venerable Buddha and transcended her mortal shell.
She suddenly asked,
“…How many years left?”
“About four or five years.”
“Damn it. There’s more than one thing I need you to take care of…”
Now, the Cult Leader appeared like a young man.
Even the beard that had concealed some of his youth was now entirely gone, leaving his jawline smooth.
The Cult Leader spoke to Dao Zun, who wore a conflicted expression.
“Since you’re already here, why not take on a request of mine?”
“…A request?”
“Yes. The ones who kidnapped those two children, rather wisely, didn’t join Hwanma but instead headed directly south.”
“South? You mean the Central Plains?”
“That’s right. According to an internal informant, they’re traveling through Nanchang and headed for Guangdong Province.”
Dao Zun’s face twisted even further.
“Guangdong? Damn it, what a fulfilling tour of the Central Plains they’re having.”
From Gansu to Guangdong was practically from the northernmost to the southernmost end of the Central Plains.
“So, you want me to track them?”
“You can read heavenly signs—arguably making you the best tracker in the Central Plains right now. Of course, I won’t send you alone.”
Dao Zun snorted as if that were a given.
“Heh! Naturally. Even you can’t just be shameless like that.”
“I’ll assign one Extreme Demon Realm and one Peak Master Level to assist you. They’re already in the Central Plains, so you should be able to meet them somewhere along the way. On top of that, feel free to use any resources from the Cult’s envoy unit currently stationed there.”
“…Hold on.”
Dao Zun raised her hand, stopping the Cult Leader’s words.
She was quick-witted.
Very quick.
“You’re basically asking me to babysit, aren’t you?”
The Cult Leader clicked his tongue inwardly, seeing how Dao Zun immediately saw through him.
“One may be young, but possesses formidable martial strength, and the other is cunning and sly like a fox. They’re both plenty useful.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
Dao Zun’s face twisted at the Cult Leader’s strangely personal tone, unsure if it was praise or sarcasm.
The Cult Leader spoke seriously.
“To be honest, we can’t spare even a third-rate martial artist right now. That’s how serious this reorganization of the Six Great Demonic Clans is.”
“…True enough.”
It was the most dangerous time to insert a spy and the best chance to shake the Heavenly Demon Cult’s foundations.
“So we need to utilize the forces we have outside.”
“……”
Dao Zun’s face soured.
No matter how she looked at it, this felt like she was being forced into babysitting duty…
“Well, fine. That aside. What will you give me in return?”
At that, the Cult Leader picked up something being carefully held by one of the Guardian Corps beside him and tossed it toward her.
“Will this do?”
“Huh? Th-this?!”
Dao Zun’s eyes widened in shock as she caught what had been thrown to her.
“You’re seriously giving this to me?”
“There’s no one else who can use it right now anyway.”
What Dao Zun held was a large banner painted in six colors.
The Six Paths Banner.
One of the Three Great Treasures of the Illusion Clan and an artifact that held more significance than a divine relic for a sorcerer.
It had been sealed deep within the Illusion Clan’s inner sanctum, only recently discovered and presented to the Cult Leader by the Guardian Corps.
“The True Star Sword would suit you best, but unfortunately it seems that Hwan Pyeong has it.”
Though not quite on par with pure sorcerers, Dao Zun could still make use of it to a meaningful degree.
“A-alright! I’ll gladly accept your request! Just leave it to me!”
The Cult Leader chuckled quietly at her overly enthusiastic, age-inappropriate response.
“That greedy look suits you well.”
“…Shut it.”
She draped the Six Paths Banner lightly over her shoulders like a cloak, then shifted the topic.
“Still, even if it’s you, is it alright to act this boldly? Just how solid is your evidence?”
“Ahh, I have proof more certain than anything.”
The Cult Leader turned his gaze to a particular spot.
There stood a young man who looked incredibly virtuous.
“…Who’s that bookworm?”
Just as Dao Zun’s expression began to harden—having sensed a familiar energy from the young man—
"Nice to meet you, Elder Dao Zun."
The young man respectfully clasped his fists and bowed toward Dao Zun.
"I’m Han Mubaek. I come from the Wudang Sect and was once called First Order within the Heaven-Defying Society."
"Wudang Sect, huh?"
Dao Zun’s expression twisted in a grimace.
***
Heavenly Demon Resonance – Great Nirvanic Catastrophe
The Heavenly Demon Resonance that Cheon Yura and I unleashed exploded as it devoured the golden flames shot by Venerable Buddha.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
A surreal sight where immense darkness consumed the light.
The shockwave alone uprooted trees and tore up the earth.
Watching from afar, Sword King and Saber King opened their mouths in stunned awe as the scene unfolded.
Even those two absolute masters at the pinnacle of Murim couldn't approach easily due to the aftermath.
They were only able to move in after some time had passed.
Crack!
Cra-crack-crack!
"This… this can’t be real?"
"Am I… really seeing this with my own eyes?"
Saber King slowly approached the edge of the area where the Great Nirvanic Catastrophe had been unleashed.
Then, kneeling on one knee, he picked up a handful of soil from the ground.
Pahhhh...
The dirt crumbled in the wind, scattering like dust.
Sword King's eyes trembled as he witnessed the devastation.
"This... this isn’t a power allowed to humans."
A gray land devoid of even a trace of life.
The power that had turned the interior of the entire area into a dead zone left the two masters speechless.
"Are you alright, young brother?"
Dao King urgently rushed to us, who had unleashed the resonance attack.
Cheon Yura and I had collapsed in place, spent from pouring out every last ounce of energy.
"……"
"……"
Neither I nor Cheon Yura could utter a single word.
‘The cost… was much higher than I expected.’
We couldn’t even sit up without leaning against each other for support.
Sword King followed behind and looked at us with a complicated expression.
"……"
While observing our condition, Saber King spoke sternly without even turning his head.
"Baek, don’t even think about it."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean don’t try to assert your position as the head of the Righteous Alliance here. Not if you want to face your granddaughter without shame."
"……"
Sword King closed his mouth, his intentions laid bare.
He had judged the two people who created this phenomenon to be far too dangerous.
Feeling a bit ashamed, he changed the topic.
"What happened to Senior Venerable Buddha?"
"……!"
At that, our gazes turned in one direction.
Amazingly...
Despite being swallowed by that cataclysmic strike...
Venerable Buddha hadn’t died.
"Amitabha…"
He was sitting on the ground, chanting the Buddha's name.
His body was torn apart and bleeding everywhere.
Seeing that even his monstrous regenerative ability was failing to activate, it was clear he had suffered serious internal damage.
At that moment, Sword King and Saber King exchanged glances.
Regardless of anything else, both were of one mind when it came to what to do with Venerable Buddha.
Just as they raised their weapons and began to approach him—
Sssssk!
"……!!"
Suddenly, a dozen masked men emerged, surrounding Venerable Buddha.
"…Who are you?"
Masked figures clad in black.
At first glance, they looked like martial artists from the unorthodox sects or hired assassins from somewhere...
But the calm and focused energy radiating from their entire bodies was something no assassin or cultist could ever possess.
The masked man at the front spoke.
"The birth of two once-in-a-century prodigies in the Heavenly Demon Cult is something to be celebrated—for them."
"And you are?"
Though polite, the man’s voice was calm and dignified.
From it, Sword King felt a deep sense of familiarity, and his expression hardened.
The man ignored his question and continued.
"But conversely, for the martial world of the Central Plains, this is an unparalleled disaster. We have no choice but to act, no matter the sacrifice."
"What did you say?!"
Just as Saber King was about to erupt in fury,
Sword King quickly stepped forward to stop him.
Provoking these people now would be a grave mistake.
"Then, how about this?"
"What are you proposing?"
Sword King and Saber King frowned as they waited for the next words.
"Let’s agree not to interfere any further—for now."
Eventually, Sword King couldn’t hold it in any longer and shouted.
"Don’t tell me… you’ve decided to follow Senior Venerable Buddha?!"
At that, another figure from behind answered.
"All for the sake of the Central Plains. We will protect Murim from the shadows, and for that, the strength of Master Myeongjeong is indispensable."
"What? Even you?!"
Sword King was stunned beyond belief.
Behind him, the masked figures helped up Master Myeongjeong (Venerable Buddha).
But neither Sword King nor Saber King could stop them.
They were far too exhausted to even consider another battle.
The ones who had retrieved Venerable Buddha made a declaration toward the two men.
"Of course, this matter will be handled entirely in secret. There will be no personal vendettas between clans or alliances because of it."
"Rather, we will devote ourselves to rooting out internal spies and doing everything we can to unite the orthodox and unorthodox factions."
"So for now, please step back, Alliance Leader."
"…You people…"
After suppressing his anger for a while, Sword King let out a helpless sigh.
"You’ve tied down the Golden Dragon Heavenly Sword Squad, haven’t you."
It had already been days since the clash with Venerable Buddha.
And yet, the Golden Dragon Heavenly Sword Squad hadn’t shown up. That could only mean something had happened to them.
The masked man gave a small nod.
"…I won’t deny it."
If even just Baek Gongjin, his nephew known as the Celestial Night Sword, had shown up, Sword King would have gladly resolved everything with a fight to the death.
"I understand. We feeble old men can’t do much in this situation anyway."
"Thank you for your generosity, Alliance Leader."
And just like that, they disappeared, taking Venerable Buddha with them.
Saber King frowned and asked,
"Hey, Baek. Are you really okay with just letting them go?"
Sword King sighed again.
"What could we possibly do in our condition against two of the Eight Lords and even members of the Ten Talents?"
"The Eight Lords and the Ten Talents?"
The Eight Lords referred to the eight masters of the orthodox sects who had reached the peak state of Transformation Realm, or enlightenment.
The Ten Talents were the ten martial artists seen as being at the brink of Peak Master Level, who were all but guaranteed to reach Transformation Realm in time.
"The masked man at the front... If my instincts were right, that was definitely Namgung San."
"Namgung San, the Imperial Sword Lord? The former head of the Namgung Clan?"
"Yes. And the one behind him was Seo Muwon, the Sect Leader of White Heavenly Sect in Beijing."
White Heavenly Sect was one of the top three major sects in the massive city of Beijing.
More importantly, its sect leader, Seo Muwon, was famous as one of the Ten Talents—specifically the Talent of Wisdom—renowned for his mastery of traps and mechanical formations.
Even if you weren’t well-versed in Central Plains affairs, these were names you’d have heard at least once.
"Why would people like that…?"
"They probably have reasons similar to Senior Venerable Buddha’s. Each of them likely lost someone precious to certain circumstances."
He didn’t know the full story, but he could guess the backgrounds of a few of them.
"A fracture in the orthodox factions…?"
At that moment, I, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.
"Rather than a fracture… this might be an opportunity for unity."
"You?"
"More and more people are gradually beginning to understand who 'they' really are—and they’re becoming enemies in their eyes. Isn’t that enough reason to put aside minor family grudges?"
The moment I realized the masked man was Namgung San…
A path opened in my mind.
The Nanchang Calamity.
The worst incident among the orthodox factions in the past hundred years, in which the Namcheon Baek Clan and Namgung Clan were both destroyed.
Perhaps… their appearance here could become the key to preventing that disaster from happening.