Chapter 429
## Chapter 429. Five Hundred Years of Waiting (4)
—
Hong Mun-gi had evolved.
He no longer evaded terror under the guise of ethical behavior. He no longer recoiled from confrontation under the banner of righteousness. He came to realize that when Gye Cheol-yeong had brutally mistreated the youths of the Tai-eul Sect, his deepest impulse had been to unleash a feral scream at him. He unearthed his genuine feelings, which had yearned to inflict vengeance upon the Cheol-geom Sect when they had defamed the Tai-eul Sect.
Through the grueling discipline imposed by the Sword Demon…… rather, Baek Hae-gwang, he scrutinized his own soul and confronted the disgrace of his history. Within that very humiliation, he perceived a truth: this entire legacy of shame had germinated from his own impotence and complacency.
Baek Hae-gwang, who had existed without conforming to a single code or decree, was entirely capable of shielding his own kin. Yet he himself, who had spent a lifetime calculating the opinions of onlookers and treading the path of the Orthodox factions and regulations, had steered his own students toward the jaws of slaughter.
He had labored to pursue the Dao and embody the ideals of a righteous scholar as an adherent of the White Path, only to understand that it was all merely the rationalization of a weakling. He discerned that the integrity maintained by the powerless is naught but a facade, whereas the integrity upheld by the mighty is authentic virtue.
Simultaneously, he grasped that an individual prepared to surrender their existence at any moment for their core convictions can achieve greatness at any time and under any circumstances.
[For the disciples, for the Tai-eul Sect.]
He would joyfully sacrifice his life at any juncture, disintegrating in a flash of glory. From the instant that determination crystallized, Hong Mun-gi realized he possessed the capacity to be a formidable man. From that day forward, he pledged to stand tall as a powerhouse before any rival or adversary, a vow he had consistently executed.
He most certainly had.
“…….”
Until this precise second arrived.
“It is quite pathetic.”
“……Ah, yes. It is indeed highly deficient.”
Those were the initial remarks uttered by Moyong Gang as he stepped inside the newly reconstructed Tai-eul Pavilion.
One of the Absolute Ten Sovereigns.
The Shattering Sword (Pa-geom).
The Family Head of the Moyong Clan.
Each designation was an awe-inspiring title. While Hong Mun-gi stood bewildered by the abrupt words hurled by such a legendary figure, Moyong Gang, who instinctively moved to occupy the seat of honor, erupted in irritation at the opposition offered by Namgung Tae-ha, who had entered alongside him.
“Regardless of the circumstances, I am an elder of the Murim.”
“For heaven’s sake, act your age! Does it make any sense for an outsider from a completely different sect to claim the principal seat during a dedication ritual?”
“Hmph! What business do you have meddling, young Namgung! We have already forged an intimate bond, and moving forward, we are practically destined to become a single household.”
Hong Mun-gi was utterly at a loss for how to respond to this declaration, which was entirely unfamiliar to him.
“What sort of coercion did you employ this time?”
“Coercion! The very sect of the youth who will eventually become my relative through marriage…… ahem, regardless, at the prompting of that boy Jin So-un, I journeyed to the Murim Academy and, well? I even delivered instruction and the like!”
“The rumor that you traveled there merely to discipline your descendant and ended up absentmindedly giving a lecture has already circulated to every corner.”
“What kind of rascal propagated such rubbish!! Confound it!! It must be that Narrow-Minded fellow!”
Namgung Tae-ha let out a derisive snort while observing the flustered Moyong Gang.
“Furthermore, if we are measuring connections, mine would be far more profound. I personally conducted the Marrow-Cleansing and Sinew-Forging for that child, the leader’s daughter.”
This was an event Hong Mun-gi was well aware of. He recalled how profoundly grateful he had felt that the Divine Sword of the Progenitor had bestowed such immense benevolence upon his own flesh and blood.
However—
“Is that the case? Then you haven’t truly established a bond with Jin So-un himself. Mind your own business and focus on cultivating your ties with the leader’s daughter.”
……There was absolutely no window of opportunity to express those sentiments of appreciation.
Sect Leader Hong reached a state where his intellect was spinning, wondering what sort of dialogue he was being subjected to. These mythic and legendary giants of the Murim were squabbling like geriatric neighbors. Namgung Tae-ha’s complexion had turned crimson before he realized it from the relentless, irritating banter. His voice, which possessed at least a fraction more gravity (?) than Moyong Gang’s, intensified by a degree.
“Aha! I neglected to bring that up. So-un actually preserved the life of our granddaughter. And on no fewer than ‘two occasions’ at that. Frankly, given that they have braved the threshold of death side by side repeatedly, it must be an indissoluble bond.”
Whether the strike landed or not, Moyong Gang’s countenance shifted between shades of red and blue.
“T-Two occasions? *Cough*! With a debt that heavy, how could they possibly comfortably coexist? Customarily, a matrimonial pair ought to offer and receive mutual aid…….”
“Hmm, did you not openly declare that you would absolutely integrate a son-in-law into your own clan? To accomplish that, it would prove highly problematic for a youngster who occupies the rank of the Eldest Disciple.”
“I have tolerated this old fool’s tongue for far too long……!”
Heavy? Matrimonial pair? Son-in-law?
These masters…… no, these eminent personas, precisely what under heaven were they discussing?
For Hong Mun-gi, who found it utterly impossible to trace the trajectory of the debate, a spinning vertigo washed over him, as though the freshly built Tai-eul Pavilion were trembling from the booming arguments clashing back and forth.
Right at that moment.
*SLAM—*
The entrance swung open, and an additional figure entered the dispute.
“Will you all not hold your tongues! Why must you show up at another person’s celebration and generate such a racket? Just where exactly did you waste your years, tsk tsk.”
The Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance.
The Number One Brain Under Heaven.
Jegal So-myeong…… Jegal So-myeong??!
Before Hong Mun-gi could even formulate a reaction, Jegal So-myeong claimed a seat directly across from Moyong Gang without granting him a second glance.
“What brings a character like you to this place, when you claim to be buried in work every single day and do not even frequent your own household?”
As Moyong Gang glared with hostility, Jegal So-myeong squared his shoulders broadly.
“They are conducting an inauguration ceremony for the sect belonging to my grandson’s sworn brother—the very heir who will ultimately take over the Mantong-bu—so naturally, my presence is mandatory.”
At those words, Moyong Gang and Namgung Tae-ha fired back simultaneously.
“Absolute nonsense…….”
“You are uttering statements that lack even a shred of logic.”
……By this juncture, Hong Mun-gi began to question his own sanity, wondering if he had fallen into a dream state. Where exactly was he, and who was he supposed to be. And what in the world were these titans arguing about. For some reason, he had an ominous feeling that someone was going to be torn into three pieces at this rate, so he attempted to intervene, yet…
“Heh! This is precisely why the idiom ‘when one ages, one ought to perish’ exists. To the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance, you dare utter ‘absolute nonsense?’ and ‘statements that lack logic?’ You deserve to be hauled off to the Inspection Pavilion to experience just how vile the rations in the Golden Prison taste before you unleash whatever filth you have inside your mouth!”
“Attempt it if you possess the nerve, though the entity known as the Inspection Pavilion will cease to exist within the Murim Alliance thereafter.”
“Hmph! Since when did the authority of the Murim Alliance’s Mantong-bu decline so heavily, yet you remain trapped in delusions of grandeur, tsk tsk.”
When even Namgung Tae-ha, who had previously appeared somewhat rational, adopted such a hostile position, Hong Mun-gi felt an overwhelming urge to flee the Tai-eul Pavilion that very instant.
[For the disciples, for the Tai-eul Sect.]
He was undeniably prepared to forfeit his very life for the things he held dear, but…
“…….”
In reality, given his current emotional state, he desired nothing more than to grab the individual they kept referring to and make a frantic escape.
“To speak plainly, it would have sufficed had the Alliance Leader made an appearance. Why is an individual like the Chief Strategist even present?”
“An individual like the Chief Strategist?”
“Ah, my apologies. I intended to say ‘the leftover surplus’ but my tongue slipped.”
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
Indubitably, three elderly gentlemen were merely engaging in a conversation, so why exactly was the entirety of the newly erected Tai-eul Pavilion vibrating?
*Creak, creak, creak.*
Observing the structural beams of the ceiling shudder, Hong Mun-gi pondered:
‘Will I…… manage to depart from here without sustaining injuries?’
Even though these individuals standing before his vision would remain entirely unscathed by a single speck of debris even if the whole Tai-eul Pavilion flattened to the ground. While he was occupied with realistic anxieties regarding how much capital it would require to reconstruct the Tai-eul Sect once more and where he would have to reside during that interim…
At long last, a savior materialized.
“Hehe, it appears everyone is delighted to gather after such a lengthy separation.”
One of the Absolute Ten Sovereigns.
The Murim Alliance Leader.
Hyeok Mu-gang.
Upon the arrival of the ultimate authority who could put an end to this squabble, a brief tranquility descended over the room.
Regrettably,
“To add a minor observation, I possess the inclination to impart my doctrines to So-un, provided that Sect Leader Hong permits it.”
As the adage goes that the very blade one relies upon wounds one’s own hand, his declaration served as the definitive spark that ignited the fires of conflict all over again.
“What sort of drivel is that!”
“Mu-gang, are you operating that jaw…… no, that mouth of yours, while contemplating the utter catastrophe that will befall the Murim if you designate an heir at this juncture!”
“It is precisely because all of you persist in spouting idiocy that even the Alliance Leader is behaving in this manner!”
The conflict of a quadruple entanglement (?) revolving around Jin So-un commenced in absolute earnest.
Hong Mun-gi squeezed his trembling eyelids shut tightly and visualized the image of Jin So-un.
‘Deliver me from this madness, you scoundrel!’
Hwangbong, Jiangxi Province.
This destination, arrived at after navigating across Lake Poyang from Nanchang, is a municipality that travelers journeying toward Zhejiang and Fujian provinces are compelled to pass through. When populations and commerce converge, a urban center inevitably expands, and within a major city, a grand sect naturally takes root as well. This was precisely the reality for the Sajung Sect established in Hwangbong.
Towering prominently amidst the friction of countless factions, the Sajung Sect commanded immense capability and authority, to the degree of securement of the 67th position among the 108 Peaks. The Sajung Sect had systematically extended its dominion throughout its two-hundred-year legacy. Its followers numbered five hundred, and among their ranks, the quantity of individuals who could be classified as genuine masters reached one hundred. Unquestionably the dictator of the Hwangbong territory.
Hwa Jeong-san, who was pacing toward that very Sajung Sect, remarked while folding a missive.
“Astonishing. To think the Sajung Sect managed to acquire the esoteric arts of the Blood Cult.”
Il-myeong shifted his head sideways with a melancholic demeanor.
“Unbridled avarice has triggered devastation.”
“Among the forces that deployed to Sichuan, there likely isn’t a single soul who hasn’t witnessed a fragment of the Blood Cult’s martial doctrines, so how could they possibly…… isn’t this retributive strike a bit immoderate?”
What sort of macabre experimentation and trials had transpired at the core stronghold of the Blood Cult? The majority of the White Path adherents who bore witness to that spectacle would have experienced sheer dread at the Blood Cult’s monstrous and insatiable hunger. Simultaneously, they would have recognized that they were entities that could never inhabit the same world.
“Because they ventured a step further.”
Yet as it always transpires in this world, there are bound to be individuals who nurture contrasting perspectives even after witnessing identical horrors. The yearning to master that immense and overpowering capability. The aspiration to ascend to an elevated echelon. The hubris of believing they would remain unaffected. All of those elements combined to manifest this crisis.
“Had it not been for the Black Path agitators operating in Nanchang, we wouldn’t have even considered launching an investigation into the Sajung Sect.”
An operative of the Enforcement Pavilion, who suspected something anomalous upon observing the corpse of a deceased Black Path combatant putrefying into a blackened state, delved deeply into the Sajung Sect, and their villainous activities were subsequently exposed to the Murim Alliance.
“It is truly quite farcical. To think the primary adversary of the Murim Alliance essentially tipped us off regarding the internal traitor.”
Is existence not perpetually ironic? If you don a brand-new garment, a downpour begins; if you carry a parasot, the clouds clear; and through the demise of the Black Path, one uncovers the emergence of a prohibited technique.
Il-myeong prolonged his commentary.
“This serves as an admonition. A warning illustrating the boundary line that the Murim Alliance must absolutely never cross.”
“But for that objective, is the coordination not incredibly inconvenient. The reputation of the Tai-eul Sect is currently echoing fiercely in the adjacent Anhui Province.”
“That is precisely why this specific timing is advantageous.”
“……Are they providing us with a jolt of vigilance?”
The higher an individual climbs, the more one comprehends that the machinery directing the world is not confined merely to raw physical violence. Was not even the completely straightforward eradication of the Sajung Sect heavily enmeshed with diverse political positions?
“By the way, is it truly acceptable with only our numbers?”
Naturally, he did not believe victory was impossible.
Yong So-ah of Wudang.
Il-myeong of Shaolin.
Jang Tae-ha of Jongnam.
Hwangbo Yeon of the Hwangbo Clan.
And himself.
Granting that the footprint of the Sajung Sect was vast, there was no force present that could withstand this degree of disproportionate power. Nonetheless, he was simply anxious about casualties and tribulations during the course of the campaign.
“This sort of operation ought to be managed by the main Alliance.”
“The Inspection Pavilion has positioned martial fighters in concealment throughout the region. They intend to pull it out by the roots (拔本塞源) and ensure no future complications remain.”
“That is exactly why I find this distressing.”
From the moment he first grasped a blade, he had conquered the remorse and dread associated with ‘terminating a human life,’ yet even so, the business of slaughtering numerous individuals was never palatable. However, reflecting upon what sort of monumental catastrophes had unfolded whenever a forbidden art interdicted by the Murim Alliance manifested in the Murim, it was not an issue he could afford to disregard.
Are there not countless predictable tales? A youth who witnesses his household being massacred from beneath the stove timbers manages to survive along with a secret style and exacts vengeance upon the entire Murim. In a fictional piece, that discipline is the hidden technique of the Orthodox lineage, but in actuality, it is a cursed art. In a story, the lead figure experiences an awakening and subsequently ascends as the Murim Alliance Leader, but in the real world, they devolve into a Mad Demon, a Killing Demon, or a Lust Demon, generating myriad blameless casualties before ultimately being put down.
Hwa Jeong-san rotated his head to clear his thoughts. Because the more he pondered it, his thoughts would only dissolve into confusion regardless.
“Phew…… at any rate, I received word that the Tai-eul Sect declared they would conduct an unrestricted Bimu. Did you happen to catch that intelligence?”
Hwa Jeong-san introduced the subject that had recently thrown the Murim into an uproar, as a strategy to redirect his focus.
“I view it as a genuinely honorable and magnificent countermeasure. Amitabha.”
In contrast to Il-myeong, who offered a serene answer, Hwa Jeong-san made a clicking sound with his tongue.
“Tsk, it is pure posturing. Posturing. Exactly how many individuals who can truly be designated as masters exist within the Tai-eul Sect at this moment. Furthermore, keeping in mind that they are prohibited from killing, it is realistically a more demanding objective than our assignment of neutralizing the Sajung Sect.”
“It is likely a method designed to manifest their resolve. Because within the Murim, individuals who perpetually retreated invariably ended up absorbing the loss.”
“Hmph, is that truly the case?”
While they exchanged such observations regarding the Tai-eul Sect, the pair arrived at the perimeter of the Sajung Sect. Jang Tae-ha and Hwangbo Yeon had established themselves first in the immediate vicinity.
However—
“What is the meaning of this. Has Yong So-ah failed to show up yet?”
Yong So-ah, who had never failed to be punctual even once for an arranged rendezvous. To think such an individual was nowhere to be seen. Hwa Jeong-san tilted his head in perplexity.
“…….”
“…….”
Nevertheless, Jang Tae-ha and Hwangbo Yeon, who had reached the location ahead of them, simply maintained a rigid silence.
“No, I am inquiring as to what transpired? You stated you were traveling in unison.”
“……He arrived as scheduled.”
Jang Tae-ha scarcely shifted his lips, as though it required an immense effort even to utter a reply.
“And he advanced inside first.”
“What?”
What kind of declaration was this meant to be? To advance inside first. It wasn’t as though we had journeyed to this location as invited guests. Reflecting on it, the immediate environment is unnervingly quiet. Additionally, the primary gates of the Sajung Sect are slightly unlatched.
“…….”
Hwa Jeong-san gradually pushed open the primary gate of the Sajung Sect. Right then.
“……!”
A dense, overpowering odor of gore inundated his senses.
“What under the sun is this!”
Beginning from the threshold, the entirety of the vast martial courtyard was cluttered with slaughtered bodies. Not merely the interior of the structures but the verandas and the rooftops—irrespective of where he directed his gaze, they were overflowing with corpses. Dark red blood cascaded across the stones, and those who had attempted to flee over the perimeter barrier lay dead, suspended on the masonry in that exact posture.
A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood (시산혈해).
There was absolutely no alternative method to characterize the scene. Because a term to accurately depict such a horrific landscape of damnation did not yet exist within the vernacular.
And right in the epicenter.
“You are tardy.”
Yong So-ah, clad in a pristine white garment devoid of even a solitary speck of grime, stood framed like an artwork, illuminated by the clean white light of the moon.
“…….”
Faced with that freezing, nightmarish incongruity, Hwa Jeong-san shuddered involuntarily. Yet, the abnormal entity who had engineered this gruesome contradiction inquired…
“What did you mention Jin So-un is currently occupied with?”
He questioned in his customary, emotionless cadence.
“…….”
Hwa Jeong-san experienced a wave of dread whose origin he could not even begin to trace.
