Chapter 393: Alliance (1)
Golden Dragon Heavenly Sword Squad.
Though its prestige had slightly diminished after its leader, Heavenly Night Sword Baek Gongjin, stepped down, the Golden Dragon Heavenly Sword Squad remained the strongest military force of the Murim Alliance.
But that wasn’t the issue at hand.
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
Plum Blossom White Sword crumpled the letter in one hand.
A rare fury was etched across his face.
“Is the Murim Alliance truly set on painting Mount Hua as thankless beasts?!”
“Please calm down, Elder Plum Blossom White Sword.”
“Do I look like I can calm down right now?!”
The latest directive from the Murim Alliance wasn’t just an insult to him—it was an insult to Mount Hua.
Above all else.
One particular sentence at the end of the letter—
“Will open the gates of the Jongnam Sect in response to the movements of the main sect?”
“……”
“Hahaha….”
Plum Blossom White Sword let out a hollow laugh.
And before long, that laugh turned back into anger.
“Do you realize how many disciples died on that battlefield? Forty! And that’s only counting those of Second-Class Disciple or higher!”
At those words, the Sect Leader's expression darkened instantly.
Currently, Mount Hua had around five hundred disciples in total.
But excluding the retired previous and third-generation disciples, only about two hundred fifty remained in active duty.
To lose forty out of those two hundred fifty—such loss was almost catastrophic for Mount Hua.
What made it worse was that most of those losses were caused by the betrayal of the Jongnam Sect, who had been fighting alongside them.
“The bastards who were supposed to hold the defense line suddenly pulled back, and our disciples were left to bear the brunt of the impact.”
In fact, Mount Hua had been lucky.
The elite strike force, including Plum Blossom White Sword and other elders, had nearly fallen into Lee Jaseong’s trap.
Had events gone as their enemies intended, Mount Hua might have been devastated to the point of extinction.
“If it weren’t for those damn Evil Overlords of Heaven scum, we would’ve already staked our sect’s fate on annihilating the Jongnam Sect. And now you’re telling us to join hands with them again? Do you even hear yourself?!”
The fury of Mount Hua’s top martial artist, Plum Blossom White Sword—
Even the Sect Leader couldn’t easily brush off the oppressive weight of his outrage.
Finally, the previously silent Sect Leader opened his mouth.
“Sasuk.”
At that, Plum Blossom White Sword’s expression froze.
“Even so, we have no choice but to follow these words.”
“Sect Leader!”
“We already allied with them once before, under a previous generation’s decision.”
“……!”
A past decision.
Plum Blossom White Sword, who had been part of that generation, contorted his face in silent anguish.
“Having done it once, there’s no reason we can’t do it again.”
“…….”
In truth, during Plum Blossom White Sword’s youth, Mount Hua had been weakened, overshadowed by the Jongnam Sect.
At that time, Mount Hua didn’t have a single warrior at the Transformation Realm, while Jongnam had produced two such masters, basking in its greatest era.
Under the decision of the then-Sect Leader, Mount Hua chose to become their collaborators.
And not long after joining hands with them, Jongnam Sect had an unexpected clash with the Demonic Cult.
The result—
Their Sect Leader, who had reached the Transformation Realm, along with over a hundred disciples, were all annihilated by a single demon who practiced the heretical art known as Nine Heavens Thread.
As Jongnam reeled from the blow, Plum Blossom White Sword ascended to the Transformation Realm, and Mount Hua fully reclaimed its former glory.
At the time, Mount Hua’s leadership firmly believed that ‘they’ had a hand in orchestrating that incident.
“That letter from the Murim Alliance—it’s definitely a command from them.”
If the Alliance Leader were in his right mind, there’s no way he would have issued such an order.
“You know better than I do, Sasuk, what kind of sinister consequences will follow if we reject this directive.”
“That’s…”
“Not just Jongnam—the Azure Star Sect is the same.”
“……”
The past of the Azure Star Sect, treated as top secret even among collaborators.
The Azure Star Sect, located in Sichuan, had been in a similar position to Mount Hua years ago.
Being gradually overpowered by the Dang Clan, rulers of Sichuan, their sect was slowly declining—until they took that outstretched hand, an act that nearly tore them apart with internal conflict.
As a result, most of those who opposed were eliminated silently or simply disappeared without a trace.
In time, the Azure Star Sect was thoroughly purged, reduced to nothing more than their puppet.
And it wasn’t just them.
Though it hadn’t reached public awareness, many sects across the martial world—large and small—had fallen into ruin or become mere limbs of ‘them’, victims of the same manipulation.
The Sect Leader spoke sincerely.
“There’s still time to turn back. They said the world will soon fall into chaos, and only by heeding their words can we avoid that chaos.”
“Sect Leader….”
“Shouldn’t our children survive?”
His words carried layered meaning.
But Plum Blossom White Sword was resolute.
“We are a righteous sect, Sect Leader.”
At those words, the Sect Leader’s face hardened.
“There’s still time to turn back? Of course there is. We can still bury the shameful past of having joined hands with them.”
“Sasuk!”
“Wonjong-ah.”
Flinch!
The shoulders of Sect Leader Jeon Wonjong twitched.
“As Sect Leader, your concern for the disciples' safety is commendable. But that concern only shines when Mount Hua walks the righteous path with pride.”
“If we ignore their commands, Mount Hua will wither and die!”
“Exactly. That’s why you still know nothing.”
“Sasuk?”
“Everything that happens from this point on—will be by my will alone. You need only say that you succumbed to this Sasuk’s pressure.”
“Sasuk, what are you planning to—!”
The Sect Leader’s words didn’t reach the end.
Because Plum Blossom White Sword had already turned his back and left without another word.
“Sasuk….”
The Sect Leader bit his lip.
Swaaa!
Plum Blossom White Sword walked alone through the rain, heading toward the residence of the Black Lotus Union.
‘It’s all my fault. If only I had achieved enlightenment a little sooner…’
Originally, the position of the current Sect Leader of Mount Hua should have gone to someone of a higher generation than the current one.
However, the disciples of Plum Blossom White Sword’s generation, which was the one above, were all politically incompetent.
Carrying the hopes of everyone in Mount Hua, Plum Blossom White Sword had been too focused on breaking through the Transformation Realm to accept the position of Sect Leader.
That was why the former Sect Leader, whose life was nearing its end, made a decision.
He would skip a generation and pass the position on to Jeon Wonjong, the current Sect Leader.
‘Wonjong certainly possesses an exceptional sense of political reality.
That’s why the former Sect Leader held such affection for him. But there are times when Wonjong’s decisions place too much emphasis on righteousness.’
Not that it’s inherently wrong.
After all, the position of Sect Leader requires one to be willing to dirty their hands if necessary.
However, judging from the current circumstances, if left alone, Mount Hua would be tainted and eventually fall into corruption.
Plum Blossom White Sword was certain of that.
He had to stop it before the Mount Hua Sect, which he had built over a lifetime, turned into such a thing.
‘Above all, there’s no guarantee that they will win. The martial prowess of the Black Lotus Union Leader and that young man who appears to be her partner… was certainly not inferior to mine.’
Plum Blossom White Sword believed that if they struck the Black Lotus Union carelessly, Mount Hua would surely be destroyed.
‘Those two are probably from one of the prestigious families within the Demonic Cult. Huu… the depth of the Demonic Cult’s strength truly knows no bounds…’
Even with the Heavenly Demon ascended, the Demonic Cult’s power was still evaluated as the strongest in history.
‘Moreover, though it’s just a rumor, if the martial prowess of the current Cult Leader and her husband is anything like the reports suggest… they’re far beyond even those two…’
Particularly, the current Cult Leader’s husband, Demonic Heavenly Dragon Jin Yeomyung, was already somewhat known to the world.
During the martial arts tournament held in the southern regions, he rendered none other than Mount Hua’s most talented prodigy, Seventh Sword Dragon Ja Cheongun, permanently incapacitated.
‘Cheongun must rise again and overcome that injury… I worry for him.’
In the end, this situation demanded choosing a side—either them or the Demonic Cult.
Plum Blossom White Sword let out a bitter laugh unconsciously.
‘Kuhuh! How absurd this is. The Demonic Cult, of all things…’
If someone had heard what Plum Blossom White Sword was contemplating right now, they would have sighed that Mount Hua was truly on the path of corruption.
“Inform the Black Lotus Union Leader that Plum Blossom White Sword is here. I have urgent matters to discuss, so please be swift.”
“Uh, um, that is…”
“…?”
The gatekeeper, who should have handled things swiftly, suddenly became hesitant for once.
Plum Blossom White Sword’s sharp senses instantly picked up the noisy atmosphere inside.
“Has something happened?”
“……”
Even just the gatekeeper’s hesitant behavior gave him certainty.
Then, from inside, a clear voice of a young woman rang out.
“It’s late, but I cannot refuse someone like you, Daehyeop. Please, come in.”
“Military Advisor Sama.”
The woman before him, wearing a mask, was unmistakably young—too young, in fact.
Yet, she was the one efficiently managing the vast organization that was the Black Lotus Union.
Why she wasn’t the First Military Advisor but rather the Second, he did not know—but she was clearly not someone to be taken lightly.
Sama—no, Jegal Eun—let out a long sigh.
“Huu! In a way, this is fortunate. Discussing the path ahead with you, Daehyeop, is something we desperately needed.”
“Something must have happened.”
“It has. A very troublesome and major matter.”
For someone like her to use such words was evidence that something truly unusual had occurred.
“Please, follow me.”
With a firm expression, Plum Blossom White Sword followed behind her.
And as soon as they reached Yeonju’s office—
Plum Blossom White Sword’s face stiffened as he confirmed something.
‘…The smell of blood?’
A metallic scent of blood was leaking from deeper inside Yeonju’s office.
And that wasn’t all.
There was also a soundproof barrier spread around the office.
‘A sound barrier?’
Blood was leaking out, and yet they still put up a sound barrier?
As he narrowed his eyes at the contradiction before him—
“Just so you’re aware.”
Jegal Eun said coldly to Plum Blossom White Sword.
“What you are about to see is confidential for the time being, so please, mind your tongue.”
Plum Blossom White Sword quietly nodded.
“As long as it does not bring shame to the Sect.”
“…Come in.”
Creeeak—
The office door opened.
Plum Blossom White Sword braced himself, determined not to be surprised no matter what he saw.
Inside the inner office of the Master of the Black Lotus Union, which had just opened.
…On a rainy day, someone was getting beaten senseless.
“……?”
A bizarre scene that naturally dissolved any tension unfolded before my eyes.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“You damned bastard! Do you have two lives or something?!”
“I-I made a contribution, and this treatment is unfair….”
“Shut up and take the beating first!”
Thud!
As the punch landed squarely in So Cheon's abdomen, Plum Blossom White Sword nodded silently.
It was indeed a refined move that dug right into the opponent’s opening….
“…….”
“…….”
No, but before that?
“What in the world is going on right now….”
Plum Blossom White Sword came to his senses and looked at Jegal Eun.
“Uh… well….”
Jegal Eun also seemed to have spaced out slightly, not having expected such a scene to unfold while she stepped out briefly.
Even with the two of them watching, Baek Sang-ah’s fury showed no signs of subsiding.
“What would you have done if something had gone wrong?! Do you really think you have two lives? Did you think I’d be happy about you crawling into a deathtrap just to bring back that bastard’s head?!”
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“Gah! Guh-hek! I-I’m still a patient….”
“A patient doesn’t push themselves like that?! Die!”
Her kick landed cleanly on So Cheon’s jaw, snapping his neck to a right angle.
Seeing So Cheon's eyes rolling halfway back, Plum Blossom White Sword whispered to Jegal Eun.
“…Well, I may be a Taoist and not well-versed in matters between men and women, but shouldn’t we stop that?”
Jegal Eun answered awkwardly.
“Hmm… It does look like that from the outside, but it’ll be fine. Even if my sister seems angry, she’s definitely holding back her strength.”
“Drop dead!”
This time, her fist slammed into So Cheon’s mouth.
Crash!
So Cheon flew powerlessly into the corner and crashed there.
Judging by the lack of any reaction, it seemed he had lost consciousness….
“Really?”
“…….”
Jegal Eun didn’t answer this time.
Well, even so, Plum Blossom White Sword knew that So Cheon’s life wasn’t in any real danger.
The noise of the impacts was loud, but all the vital points had been avoided, and she pulled her strength at the last moment before each blow landed.
Of course, the bluish bruises that appeared on the surface were unavoidable.
But that minor matter was swept away by Jegal Eun’s next explanation.
“J-just now, you said that young man assassinated the Evil Overlord?!”
“…Yes.”
So Cheon, who had woken up, pouted his lips and answered as he faced Plum Blossom White Sword’s wide, glaring eyes.
Plum Blossom White Sword stared at the severed head with wide eyes sitting on the office desk.
“That’s the head of the Evil Overlord?”
“…That’s right.”
“Can’t you answer properly?!”
“Yes, it is.”
As Baek Sang-ah clenched her fists and glared, So Cheon's slanted attitude returned to normal.
“Ha, haha… hahahaha….”
Plum Blossom White Sword laughed helplessly as he looked at the source of the blood scent vibrating through the surroundings.
“I wondered all the way here if this was the right thing to do, but seeing that head, I feel a bit relieved.”
“……?”
Yes, with this level of skill, it might really be possible.
There might be a way for both Mount Hua and the Black Lotus Union to survive.
“I’ve come with an urgent proposal for the Master of the Black Lotus Union.”
“A proposal?”
Plum Blossom White Sword faced Baek Sang-ah’s Black Sky Master Mask and proposed, in a voice stronger than ever before.
“I’ll be blunt. Let us establish a new Murim Alliance, using Luoyang as the base.”