Chapter 172
0172 ———————————————-
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
When we returned to Jinrang Valley, we went to find Lee Kwang again. Since we had traveled quickly using the Golden Lamp technique, not much time had passed, and we could see the disciples of the Thunder God lineage lighting lamps and taking care of Lee Kwang as he lay down. I had used my internal power to stimulate a strong transfusion, which was why he had been asleep for such a long time.
I approached slowly, but at that moment, Sagong Lin drew her sword.
Piying –
The tip of her sword stopped right in front of my throat and trembled. I realized that her swift sword skill was far superior to what I had seen before—she had shown tremendous progress during the two months of training. She glared at me and said, “Step back.”
“I’m just trying to break the energy sealing technique.”
“How can I trust that? Jin So-cheong has betrayed us after all.”
I had nothing to say, so I had no choice but to stand there quietly. As a disciple of the Thunder God lineage, it was impossible for me to approach without ill intent. If I pressed a deadly point on him, Lee Kwang would be a goner. Then Jin So-cheong stepped forward and said, “Then take my life as a hostage.”
“……!!”
Jin So-cheong stepped up decisively in front of Sagong Lin, unguarded. Sagong Lin asked, “What’s your intention?”
“Just as it sounds. A man’s word is his bond; I won’t say it twice.”
“Are you really prepared to lay your life down before my sword, Senior?”
Silently, her sword moved. It seemed she had already reached peak level swordplay.
Sagong Lin’s sword tip drew a drop of blood at Jin So-cheong’s throat. One tiny movement, and Jin So-cheong’s spine would snap, resulting in immediate death. Still, Jin So-cheong spoke unwaveringly, “Yes.”
At that moment, Guk-ho, who had been watching from the side, bluntly said, “Lin, step aside.”
“Senior Guk-ho.”
“I’ll take responsibility. That guy has never deceived anyone when he says that.”
Sagong Lin receded her sword. I turned from the awkward silence and approached Lee Kwang to release the pressure point, also easing him from the sleeping state.
A moment later, Lee Kwang’s eyes shot open, and he sat up. He looked around, and upon seeing all of us present, he seemed to quickly assess the situation. He glared at me and Mangnyang for a moment before, with a look of pity, he turned towards Jin So-cheong.
“So-cheong… why…”
Jin So-cheong knelt down on the spot. “I’m sorry, Master. But this is what I believe is the right path.”
“…”
Lee Kwang let out a murmur. Contrary to our expectations that he would jump up right away, he seemed more affected by the mental shock of being subdued by Jin So-cheong. He sat on the bed for a while, only half sitting up, before saying, “… I don’t want to see anyone right now. Everyone, leave.”
Lee Kwang turned away and lay down.
No one in the room could refuse his command. Silently, everyone walked out of Lee Kwang’s room. I had thought the disciples of the Thunder God lineage might confront me or Jin So-cheong, but surprisingly, they didn’t utter a single word. In fact, it made me feel a bit awkward.
Whiiiing
Instead, Guk-ho, with his arms crossed, braved the cold wind of the forest before speaking, “Hey, are you the leader of the Bancheon Alliance?”
“That’s right.”
As Mangnyang answered, Guk-ho didn’t even look at him but continued, “Your master will be on your side.”
When Mangnyang stared at him, Guk-ho irritably continued, “Now that we’re here, I have no choice but to go along with what you want.”
“Well, that works for me.”
“Damn.”
He muttered a curse and fell silent.
‘He knows too.’
Guk-ho and the disciples of the Thunder God lineage understood that railing against me or Jin So-cheong wouldn’t change the outcome. Ultimately, it depended on Lee Kwang’s wishes, but since he couldn’t kill Jin So-cheong, he had no choice but to side with the Bancheon Alliance.
Splitting off unilaterally would lead to total loss since he’s made a decade-long pact with the White Lotus Sect. Lee Kwang, feeling a tremendous threat from Mangnyang, could be expected to be calm afterward, which meant he would have to stick with the Bancheon Alliance. Guk-ho had read this correctly.
However, this didn’t mean that the Thunder God lineage had completely surrendered. On the contrary, if Mangnyang didn’t properly steer things from now on, he could be struck from behind by the Bancheon Alliance at any moment. The fortunate thing was that Guk-ho seemed to understand at least partially rather than blame Jin So-cheong.
That day, we lit a fire in the temple to have a meal and then went to sleep. I couldn’t quite fall asleep, but I decided to think positively.
‘Tch. It’ll work out somehow.’
The next day, when the sun stood high, Lee Kwang called everyone together. “Bancheon Alliance Leader. I apologize for trying to take your life earlier.”
Lee Kwang’s voice had regained its strength. The glint in his eyes indicated that he had sufficiently regained his mental vigor during the day. Mangnyang spoke while shaking the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line.
“I accept your apology. There will be no further discussion regarding this matter.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Kwang turned to me and Jin So-cheong. “Your actions will also be disregarded. This incident will be considered as if it never happened.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
After tentatively settling the situation, Lee Kwang asked, “Bancheon Alliance Leader, please tell me what happened after you overpowered me.”
“Of course.”
Mangnyang recounted what we had discussed with the Master of the White Lotus Sect during our visit there. He also mentioned receiving the Blessing of the Sky from the Master Mangnyang. Upon hearing this attentively, Lee Kwang remarked, “So… the strange disease of the Young Master of the White Lotus Sect isn’t human but the work of an Evil God, and the Young Master will be searching for that clue and the Seven Luminaries, and this mission has been delegated to the Bancheon Alliance.”
“Precisely.”
“Why make such a choice? Once the Young Master recovers, the White Lotus Sect will come forth without hesitation, crushing the Thunder God lineage in the process.”
Mangnyang responded while fluttering the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line, “Let me turn the question around: If we hadn’t told them, do you think the White Lotus Sect would have found a way to recover from the strange disease?”
“……”
“The fact that they entrusted the search for the cure to the Bancheon Alliance means we can control them. We can learn enough about our opponents. If we find the cure for the strange disease when it’s needed, we could secure negotiations with the White Lotus Sect. It’s a selection that carries no disadvantage.”
“That’s a rather optimistic interpretation. It doesn’t seem like we’ve built that much trust between us yet.”
Thinking this was a crucial moment for persuasion, Mangnyang guzzled down the water next to him. Then, with a serious expression, he said, “Think carefully. The White Lotus Sect has already infiltrated the Han Clan in Luoyang with its Dharma Guardian, and the Wind Spirit Sect has extended its influence not only over the Nine Great Sects but also over the Eight Demons of the Demon Path. They have already laid down a foundation to seize control of this world at any moment.”
In this situation, it was impossible to just expel them while one-sidedly extracting information. Unless we capture the leadership of both Dongchang and Gaebang simultaneously, it simply wouldn’t be possible.
“Hm.”
“The White Lotus Sect is the biggest adversary. Therefore, we have to keep them close and extract as much information as possible. The actions from this point on are crucial.”
Lee Kwang pondered Mangnyang’s words. After about half an hour, he seemed to come to an understanding and nodded. “You’re right.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“… Bancheon Alliance Leader Mangnyang, you truly possess excellent skills. How I wish So-cheong had acquired you…”
As Lee Kwang sighed, his cold gaze turned to me. I felt a chill run down my spine, and as I flinched, Lee Kwang’s killing intent dissipated. Then he continued, “Alright. So, you mean that Yong Junil will be prevented by the Master of the White Lotus Sect. What kind of developments do you expect?”
“Honestly, it’s likely they won’t be able to stop it. They’ll only come in for damage control after the fact. We have to hang on until that moment.”
“Hmm… Truly, a Martial Arts World Enemy, huh?”
“Indeed.”
Hearing that, I asked Mangnyang, “What do you mean? A Martial Arts World Enemy…?”
I widened my eyes at Mangnyang’s deadpan words.
“Somewhere right now, the corpses of those slain by the Thunder God lineage are likely being created in a horrid manner. And when the True Heaven Alliance and the Nine Great Sects investigate the cause, they will become aware of the presence of the Thunder God lineage’s evil spies and label them as Martial Arts World Enemies.”
“……!!”
“Therefore, it’s already too late to stop it. Evidence, witnesses, and politics must all be concluded; there’s nothing we can do.”
What the heck is that!
As I became bewildered, Lee Kwang gave me a wry smile and explained, “Baek Woong. Listen closely. What the Bancheon Alliance Leader said is a common occurrence in Martial Arts: the complete destruction of a clan. This isn’t the first time; the True Heaven Alliance or the Eight Demons of the Demon Path have frequently designated Martial Arts World Enemies to annihilate.”
“S-So the Nine Great Sects are going to attack us together?”
“More accurately, it would be the armed factions that received requests from Yong Junil, the heroes of the Five Great Families, and the Demon Path who sent whatever lowly power they could spare. It’s customary for Martial Arts World Enemies to be jointly targeted by the righteous sects.”
“……”
Lee Kwang and Mangnyang seemed to be well aware of the process of designating Martial Arts World Enemies. Most likely, because Lee Kwang was a former palace member and a seasoned veteran who understood martial arts information well, while I had my assumptions about Mangnyang.
Mangnyang calmly stated, “It’s a very obvious trick, but even if Yong Junil was to say it outright, it wouldn’t matter given how strong and conventional it is. Because he is the leader of the Huashan Sect, he commands great authority and influence even within the True Heaven Alliance. The only person capable of directly opposing his schemes would likely be the leader of Zhongnan Sect, Yeon Jeong-hong.”
“Yeon Jeong-hong…”
The mention of Yeon Jeong-hong brought back memories.
The First Sword of Zhongnan, Yeon Jeong-hong!
He had left a much more intense impression on me than even the combined threat of the Ten Elders. I still remembered how Jin So-cheong, who didn’t flinch when ten Elders threatened her, showed clear tension when Yeon Jeong-hong appeared. He was undoubtedly a peerless sword master beyond mere peak experts.
“Wait. How would they create traces of the Thunder God lineage’s martial arts? How can they use Thunder God martial arts?”
“In my opinion, the Thunder God lineage and the Wind Spirit Sect share fundamental martial arts. Isn’t that right?”
Mangnyang’s gaze was on Lee Kwang as he spoke. Lee Kwang sighed.
“You’re right. The Thunder God lineage, along with the Wind Spirit Sect and the Four Great Families, has shared the same ground for over a thousand years, allowing for significant similarities in basic internal energy cultivation techniques and martial arts methods. As one progresses, they diverge, but they can still use basic Thunder Spirit techniques.”
“……!!”
“Of course, we can use Wind Spirit techniques too. Like this.”
Fwoosh
A wind-like energy erupted from the palm of Lee Kwang. It was sharp and refined enough to be utilized in actual combat. He seemed to have learned how to create Wind Spirit techniques using the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique through some secret technique.
Lee Kwang continued after gathering the wind energy in his hand, “The same goes for the Fire Spirit lineage and the Water Spirit lineage. Since the Four Great Families share a bond from the primordial times, they must inherently resemble each other.”
It seemed I had discovered a valuable fact. Curiously, I asked Lee Kwang, “So does that mean if I train, I could also wield Fire Spirit or Water Spirit energy?”
“That’s right. However, your internal energy originates from Thunder Spirit, so you can’t manage above the basic level. The principle of mutual promotion and limitation is quite clear.”
“Um… then why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“Well, it’d only hinder your training to know such things.”
“……”
Lee Kwang deliberately sidestepped the question, but it was clear he meant, “You don’t have enough talent, so learn well.” I was certain he must have felt the same way in his past life.
Then Lee Kwang awkwardly stated, “Of course, you’d easily be able to learn now. If you want, I can teach you right away.”
“Thank you.”
It seemed he felt too embarrassed to push me hard, considering I already had some merits to my name within the Thunder God lineage.
Mangnyang said, “We have two choices.”
“What are the choices?”
“One is to use Baek Woong’s wooden armor to flee to Dongyoung. The other is to stay and fight as Martial Arts World Enemies in the Central Plains.”
“What’s the benefit of the latter?”
“Regardless, the Thunder God lineage has made a name for itself, so it’s bound to echo throughout the Central Plains. Even if it’s earned through infamy, it would serve to spread our name. And the masters from the Thunder God lineage scattered across the world will learn of this news.”
“So, you mean to endure until they come to our aid?”
“If possible, yes.”
I interjected as I listened to Mangnyang’s words. “Even if it’s possible to endure, do you really think those masters will come to our side while the Thunder God lineage is labeled as Martial Arts World Enemies? They’d likely just die if they showed up.”
At my question, Mangnyang merely smiled.
And then Lee Kwang, who had been listening, chuckled. “Do you really think that there are many rational people in our Thunder God lineage weighing their options?”
“……”
I felt an urge to counter his statement but was unable to.
Mangnyang said, “Then, let’s send out jobs to the Jianghu sects day after tomorrow and hold a faction war. Even if designated as Martial Arts World Enemies, there’s a mutual code in the martial world that prevents attacks during battle.”
“That sounds good.”
The Thunder God faction war!
It was a declaration of war against the schemes of the Wind Spirit lineage.
