Chapter 190
**
Im Wol-ryong, the Lord of the Cheonryong Association, scrutinized the map.
It felt like a rapid advance, pushing forward with a momentum that seemed unstoppable.
The soldiers charged unabashedly towards the heart of the Sado Clan. Those who had joined late from the Cheonryong Association, based on the completely occupied terrain, were now gathering one after another.
The landlords, resigned to the situation, had begun to loosen their purses. As a result, the state of the Cheonryong Association’s main force was quite strong.
However, that didn’t mean he felt at ease.
“…It appears the enemy is continuously retreating.”
“I’ve heard that the total war in the Gwangseo region is also suddenly fizzling out. It seems they are relocating their troops.”
“Toward the Sado Clan, I take it.”
Originally, he had expected to see one of the enemy’s higher-ups after advancing this far.
Yet, they hadn’t consumed a single key figure, including the general. It was as if they were conceding the fight without a struggle.
Thus, while victories were accumulating, the actual damage to the enemy seemed minimal. He had somewhat predicted this…
“It seems more than I anticipated, after all.”
The hidden strength of the Sado Clan was not merely what was visible.
Even though they were clearly winning, the number of retreating soldiers increased day by day. Overwhelmed by the enormous numbers of Sapa, they were slowing their advance.
“What about the formal support request sent to the Martial Alliance?”
“There’s still no response.”
“…If it’s been a while since we sent it and the response is being withheld… it means they have no intention to assist us.”
Untrustworthy, those guys. Especially the leader of the Martial Alliance.
He was likely aware that his term was about to end. If he were to help the Cheonryong Association and lose soldiers in this chaos…
He must be considering the significant drop in approval ratings that would follow.
“…….”
Ultimately, the only force that could move was the Cheonryong Association’s troops.
Right. It was always like that. There was no trustworthy external force in this world, and in the end, everything had to be resolved by one’s own hands.
“If the enemy’s troops from Gwangseo have withdrawn partially, then we will also scale back our forces in turn.”
“Should we send a message to regroup?”
“Send as swift a messenger as possible. The end of this long war is approaching.”
Wol-ryong turned on his heels.
“We too must prepare to face them. I won’t let my guard down, Sado Clan.”
…
Gu Ok-gyeong, the Master of the Sado Clan, slowly lifted her head.
She moved her arms, and the chains binding her rattled.
She tried to gather her energy, but nothing stirred. It felt like all the meridians and blood channels of her body were blocked by stone.
…At that moment.
It felt as if everything that had been stacked up inside suddenly detonated.
“…Ha!”
Since when had this been planned?
No, that wasn’t something to worry about right now.
Feelings of betrayal and regrets were all set aside. She would merely focus on resolving what lay ahead of her.
“…Hoo.”
She steadied her breath. She boiled over the things in front of her one by one.
There was just a single flame. Nothing else. It felt like she was trapped in a massive underground chamber.
She couldn’t even remember exactly where this was. She had been here ever since she opened her eyes.
Yeong-wol. She still recalled the words of that sinister bastard as he stroked his chin.
What…? He said he would make her gaze only upon him for a lifetime?
That deceitful woman.
I will personally rip that throat out.
—Clank, clank.
The chains were sturdy. It seemed like a kind that couldn’t be easily broken.
Without internal energy, it was impossible. But that was also due to the poison inside, rendering her unable to summon her strength.
Just the slightest attempt to move would make her insides twist like an explosion. Any misstep could leave her a cripple.
The blood channels and meridians were closely tied to the nerves. Losing an arm was just the basics… limbs could go flying too.
“…Damn it.”
But still.
You’ve underestimated Gu Ok-gyeong.
Who am I? The Master of the Sado Clan who crawled all the way up to this point with the body of a woman. I am the pinnacle that even the First Sword of Sapa is beneath.
It’s neither vanity nor arrogance. I know myself best.
I can’t just sit here and take it.
“…Limbs…? Cripple…? Damn…!”
The internal energy began to boil within her.
It was probably a tense situation she had never anticipated…
“I will kill you.”
She began her tightrope walk, risking her life.
…
It felt like her blood was flowing in reverse. Heuk Dae-wun, the First Sword of Sapa, opened his eyes while bound to the ceiling.
What a terrible sword. A bizarre blade beyond the reputation of the infamous Sicheondang’s poison sword.
He was confident in direct confrontations. But in the end, he too suffered.
In the years they spent together, he had gradually become accustomed to the poison within his own body.
“……”
Yeong-wol.
What a serpentine woman.
Had she been hiding her bare face all those years?
But although her body might have been twisted, her spirit was unbroken. Her symptoms of addiction were milder than those of Gu Ok-gyeong. She wasn’t entirely unable to summon her energy.
As if she knew this, Yeong-wol had severed all the tendons in her hands and feet and destroyed some of her blood vessels while hanging there…
But she knew nothing.
Nothing of the life she had lived, nor what martial arts she possessed.
“…Hah.”
The Master of the Sado Clan always said something.
“Da-wun. Just put in half the effort of your martial arts, okay? Act with caution.”
The First Sword of Sapa.
It was the martial art that got her there.
The first martial art she learned was to assist the Master of Sado Clan. Her martial arts were strong, yet dangerous…
Because the power she wielded would endanger her own safety.
Thus, she learned it. The strength to assist her. That was how she came to learn the Taebackbi-Geom (夺魄飞剑).
She wielded that as a killing sword in daily life. When pushed to the extreme, that blade could easily cleave living beings.
Only her devoted master knew this fact. Yeong-wol didn’t know and thus made a mistake.
Heuk Dae-wun slowly twisted his energy threads. He carefully turned inside, reattaching the severed areas…
And spread his energy for detoxification.
“……”
For now, this is…
Not a poison that can be detoxified easily.
An amalgamation of various poisons, the structure of which he couldn’t even comprehend.
But that didn’t mean there was no way. Heuk Dae-wun solidified his entire body’s energy and began to move slowly.
Fortunately, the location of the activated poison was now clearly felt throughout his body.
He would remove them all and grow new flesh. If it was his Taebackbi-Geom, that would be possible.
Of course, the searing pain and the feeling of skin being sliced away were unmistakable…
“…….!”
For my master’s sake, I would endure as much as needed.
Let’s go find the Master.
She must need me…
Helping her was all I had left to do.
…
Yeong-wol, wearing the mask of the Master of Sado Clan, surveyed the assembled troops around her.
The number of assembled soldiers was considerable. Just like the Sapa’s boast of numbers, it was overwhelmingly massive.
But that didn’t mean they formed a unified front. Look. Wasn’t everything before her operating separately?
Even gathered under one flag, they were individuals. They were all too eager to put their personal ambitions first.
It was completely different from the scenes during the Demon Cult’s time. Naturally, Jin Baek-cheon, adorned with the mask of the First Sword of Sapa, let out a laugh.
“A ragtag bunch, aren’t they?”
“…But the advantage of their numbers is significant.”
“That’s not wrong. I just want to say, it’s impressive. The Master of Sado Clan, guiding such numbers alone… truly a figure of remarkable influence. Should we drop by for a bit now?”
“……”
“Just joking. What’s the plan?”
“We’re leading all the forces of the Cheonryong Association to advance towards the Sado Clan. And we intend to hit those gathered head-on.”
“A monumental war that hasn’t unfolded in the history of the Martial World. It’s extraordinary… standing amidst a moment that will be remembered in history, right?”
Despite what he was saying, Jin Baek-cheon yawned, looking tired.
“Extraordinary or not… you know I have no interest in command. Don’t try to assign me last-minute orders.”
“Well, I feel the same. The Master of Sado Clan just gives commands. In the end, they’re the ones who decide the details.”
“What about the general?”
“I heard he’s currently on his way here from afar. He should arrive shortly. I’ve heard he’s been disobeying orders and retreating cautiously.”
“Disobeying orders… shouldn’t we do something about that?”
“I think it can wait until later.”
Yeong-wol reviewed the plans she had set aside once more.
“The Sado Clan’s force itself is clearly above the Cheonryong Association. But who knows what will happen once we go to war. The most important thing is that both forces must suffer considerable losses. That’s what we originally aimed for. Your intervention should happen after the Lord of Cheonryong and that rising master cause havoc…”
“Oh. That’s something I don’t think we really need to worry about.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“It’s simple. Our master isn’t really fond of the current state of the Martial World.”
“…….?”
Jin Baek-cheon leaned against the railing. He lowered his voice, glancing at the gathered troops.
“You know? The entire Martial World is experiencing an unparalleled golden age. No, what kind of masters are pouring out almost every other day…? The masters of Huaxing are ridiculously common now… and what’s with the abundance of Hyun-kyung masters?”
“Not that many, I’d say.”
“To our master, that means there are plenty. The overall level of the Martial World has increased. It’s because the theories of martial arts have been built up. Moreover… there are droves of factions acting on their own accord. Take the current leader of the Martial Alliance, for instance. I heard that as soon as he let his guard down, one of his secret organizations popped up inside? After beefing up, he’s now chewing at his own bones to protect himself from the master.”
“……”
“Gu Pa Il Bang is the same… and don’t get me started on the Five Great Clans? Things look quite suspicious. What was supposed to have been crushed is somehow being revived, and places that were barely hanging on, manage to rise again.”
“That’s not too big of a deal, is it? If people like you get involved, you can squash those variables pretty quickly.”
“That’s true. If given orders, I could resolve matters immediately. From our perspective, it’s a minor issue. But our master seems to think it might just be better to wipe it all out. There’ve been incidents and accidents non-stop.”
“Wipe out…? What are you talking about?”
“What else could it be? The entire Martial World.”
“Huh?”
The troops began to stir. The Sado Clan also finished preparations to march.
To the plains. Countless warriors moved towards where the long war between the Cheonryong Association and Sado Clan would finally conclude.
The wind blew. Yeong-wol felt a chill run down her spine as the breeze brushed past her hair.
The nonchalant words she had just spoken were related to the world.
And it wasn’t good.
“How is this different from wanting to turn the world upside down?”
“A world that can’t become a threat to Reverse Heaven. We are the world soon.”
“……”
“To be specific… it’s just like this! It feels like creating an artistic porcelain! You’ve never seen him, so you wouldn’t know, but I’ve seen him a few times. He simply intends to break a piece he doesn’t like and remake it. Into something better suited for hell.”
“…Into hell…?”
“A hell where blood and flesh drip down, overflowing with screams. It may superficially seem pleasant, but inside, it’s rotten and constantly gnawing at its own flesh… that’s the hell I speak of.”
“I-I don’t understand. Why would we… We’re the coordinators of the world, right? Isn’t this where we create the ideal world through history?”
“Ideal, huh…? It’s ideal for us, isn’t it? Even if the world goes mad, if you’re a member of Reverse Heaven, you can live well and eat well.”
Jin Baek-cheon laughed.
“Let’s just do what we’re told. After all, we aren’t the ones suffering.”
“Why…?”
“The master is the only one who knows the backstory. But tell me, is it necessary to know? The things we’ve received since being chosen as members of Reverse Heaven are overflowing. Power. Superiority over others, along with the authority to match. Sitting atop the bugs, able to witness their merry dance whenever we want.”
Jin Baek-cheon stood up from the railing.
“So anyway, you don’t have to worry about the eternally suffering insects. So regardless of how the war goes, in the end, those insects will all perish happily together…”
“Wait, just a moment?! What about the Heavenly Demon!? She’s off-limits no matter what!”
Jin Baek-cheon blinked. In the next moment, he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“The whole world is going to hell, and your only concern is… crazy woman.”
“Answer me!”
“The Heavenly Demon… you shouldn’t be interfere in this matter, Yeong-wol.”
“What do you mean…?”
“You know that the Heavenly Demon Sect has been treated specially all this time? But this time, they won’t be exceptions either. I can’t grasp the detailed plans…”
Jin Baek-cheon lightly loosened his neck.
“But the bloodstorm is guaranteed to engulf everyone. Well, it’s not fully set in stone. We should just be grateful that it’s not aimed directly at our necks. So, in conclusion… whether the Sado Clan wins while preserving its forces or not, it’s not a concern. The master has spoken of annihilating the Martial World? Well, annihilate it. Since we’re going to kill them anyway, we probably don’t care how many are left.”
“……”
“If we just disregard any plans and then instigate chaos as we are now? At that point, we can secretly go after the Martial Alliance leader who’s been stealthily gathering forces with a preserved Sado Clan. It’s impossible to overcome the righteous faction with this strength, but at least we can chip away at their forces… It should suffice to bring down the current leader of the Martial Alliance. The Sado Clan will wage a war born out of personal animosity against the Martial Alliance leader, and suddenly, the Martial Alliance leader becomes the criminal.”
“Whether in the past or now, you plan your unpleasant deeds with a cheerful face.”
“To reach the position of the reversed world, one must do this much. Now then…”
Jin Baek-cheon placed his foot on the railing.
“I’m going to go see my prey first. I’ll set the time for the war with a minimum of etiquette. Just two will be left out, feels like.”
