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0168 ———————————————-

Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

“Master, what does that guy mean?”

Before I knew it, we had returned to Jinrang Valley. After ensuring there were no pursuers from the Wind Spirit Sect, we all climbed into my wooden armor and activated the boiling skill to teleport us back to Jinrang Valley. This way, no tracker could find our whereabouts.

Once back, I channeled my energy into Lee Kwang and performed Qi healing. He was exhausted from the fierce battle and had suffered internal injuries. After completing Lesser Circulation, he seemed to look significantly better.

Recovering his spirit, Lee Kwang answered my question.

“He plans to use the True Heaven Alliance to cause us trouble.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Mangnyang.

“Isn’t that right, Leader of Bancheon Alliance?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Mangnyang had also come to the temple where the Thunder God Lineage resided. Although the Qi healing had been completed, Lee Kwang approaching someone outside the Thunder God Lineage indicated trust in Mangnyang. Mangnyang sighed as he waved the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line.

“Hah, Huashan Sect’s leader Yong Junil… he’s probably a direct descendant of the Wind Spirit Sect’s Dharma Guardian Yong Bi-cheon. Given the familial line, he would likely be Yong Bi-cheon’s biological son. However, considering it hasn’t even been thirty years since the Nine Great Sects was established, his military and intelligence cannot be underestimated.”

“Hmph. That guy is easy to cut down with a single strike.”

“However, we can’t afford to. He’s both a disciple of the Wind Spirit Sect and a leader of the Nine Great Sects.”

“That’s the problem.”

Both Mangnyang and Lee Kwang looked quite troubled by Yong Junil. And rightly so; while it would be easy to just slug it out with a mere disciple of the Wind Spirit Sect, Yong Junil’s position complicated the matter.

Eradicating the Huashan Sect might be achievable given the power of Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong, but it couldn’t be done. Because the moment we destroyed the Huashan Sect, we would also be in conflict with the Nine Great Sects. And the Thunder God Lineage would find itself in a position where it had to battle the righteous factions of the Central Plains.

Mangnyang said,

“Currently, Lord Lee Kwang is maintaining the Thunder God Lineage under an agreement with True Heaven Alliance leader Wei Zhi-hun. Naturally, the identity of the Thunder God Lineage must not be publicly revealed in the Jianghu, so the True Heaven Alliance is providing the cover. But Yong Junil making such remarks indicates he’s trying to pressure the True Heaven Alliance into making the Thunder God Lineage a potential enemy of the Central Plains.”

“I think so too.”

I asked Mangnyang,

“What do you mean? The Thunder God Lineage hasn’t done anything to make them enemies.”

“The essence of the Thunder God Lineage is the White Lotus Sect’s Four Great Families. It was originally a sect that protected the White Lotus Sect, which gives ample reason to oppose it from the imperial family’s perspective. Furthermore, as the True Heaven Alliance needs to maintain a close relationship with the imperial family, they cannot accept the Thunder God Lineage as an ally.”

“Can’t we just say we plan to take down the White Lotus Sect?”

“Heh… I wonder if that would even convince the True Heaven Alliance.”

Mangnyang sighed as he spoke.

“Yong Junil openly threatens us with his scheme because he is confident. In other words, regardless of the excuses we make, it indicates that the Huashan Sect’s political influence is strong enough to strong-arm the Thunder God Lineage into being lumped in with the White Lotus Sect’s agents.”

“That can’t be…”

I was surprised but soon realized that Mangnyang was right about the situation being quite dire.

‘ In reality, we negotiated with the White Lotus Sect to gain the Thunder God Lineage’s faction. If the Wind Spirit Sect twists this into a narrative, it’s inevitable they’ll brand us as lackeys of the White Lotus Sect.’

Though in truth, we were preparing to rise against the White Lotus Sect to gain strength from the Thunder God Lineage. However, conveying this sincerely to the True Heaven Alliance was another issue. For the Nine Great Sects, it would be even easier to monitor and act antagonistically towards a faction that might be spies for the White Lotus Sect.

Just to be sure, I spoke to Mangnyang,

“True Heaven Alliance leader Wei Zhi-hun is a fair and wise person. If we explain well…”

“Hmm.”

Lee Kwang, who had been listening, interjected,

“Baek Woong, Wei Zhi-hun is indeed an outstanding figure. He’s a genius among martial artists, famed even in the history of Wudang Sect, and possesses remarkable wisdom and ability. Nonetheless, he won’t listen to us.”

“Why not?”

“Even if he personally acknowledges our standpoint, as the leader of the organization, it’s only natural for him to treat us as enemies.”

“……”

“It’s because he is the leader of the True Heaven Alliance.”

Mangnyang agreed with Lee Kwang’s sentiment.

“I share that perspective. Moreover, the Huashan Sect holds significant political power and public trust that surpasses that of the Thunder God Lineage… If the Huashan Sect decides to publicly frame us as accomplices of the White Lotus Sect during the True Heaven Alliance’s meeting, there will be nothing we can do.”

“Hmm.”

I asked Mangnyang,

“If we are to be the Thunder God Lineage, then they would be the Wind Spirit Sect. We could also go and declare the Huashan Sect as the Wind Spirit Sect’s faction.”

“And how would you prove that?”

“Well, by demonstrating the techniques of the Wind Spirit Sect…”

I stopped speaking mid-sentence, realizing something wasn’t adding up.

Mangnyang smiled wryly.

“That’s the issue. The experts of the Nine Great Sects have heard of the renowned Four Great Families of the White Lotus Sect, but they don’t really know what their techniques entail. This is because the White Lotus Sect Lord controls the sect without extending their influence externally. To put it simply, even if Huashan Sect experts publicly use Wind Spirit Sect techniques, they would simply assume it’s the Huashan Sect’s own martial arts.”

“Then if we call their accusations that we’re the Thunder God Lineage mere speculation…”

“Then we won’t be able to act in the name of the Thunder God Lineage, and it would become difficult to gather the Thunder God Lineage successors scattered across the Central Plains. The significance of factioning would diminish.”

“Hmm.”

“And considering someone meticulous like Yong Junil, he would certainly have laid multiple traps.”

It was a complicated dilemma. Casting aside the name of the Thunder God Lineage and splitting off would allow us to initially avoid the Huashan Sect’s political assaults, but we would be unable to achieve the goal of gathering successors of the Thunder God Lineage for the Final Technique within ten years. Moreover, even if we deny that fact, the Huashan Sect would weave some scheme to portray us as enemies of the True Heaven Alliance.

While I was deep in thought, Lee Kwang spoke.

“Leader of Bancheon Alliance, I think I’ll postpone the factioning.”

“Hmm…”

“Since we’ve delayed things this far, delaying by a year shouldn’t be catastrophic. We can use this time to refine our skills and build up for our emergence.”

Refining the Wuwei skill he showcased during the sparring match. The Absolute Slash that carved the sky with thunder! If he polishes that further, the martial arts of the Thunder God Lineage would evolve a step further. Lee Kwang’s suggestion seemed to be the best course of action in this situation.

Mangnyang pondered for a moment before speaking.

“That could work, but it’s underestimating Yong Junil. If you do that, you will ultimately fall victim to his scheme.”

“Are you overestimating Yong Junil? If we don’t act, he will have no means to counter.”

Mangnyang replied decisively,

“No, it’s not overestimating. In fact, I think Lee Kwang is underestimating Yong Junil.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yong Junil entered the Jianghu alone and gained the cooperation of Huashan Sect’s disciples, and within a short time, cultivated both elders and disciples to elevate himself to the leader of the Nine Great Sects. Such a hero is few and far between in the Central Plains. He is certainly not someone to take lightly.”

Continuing, Mangnyang added,

“If given time, he will magnify any rumors, increase the influence of the True Heaven Alliance, and conspire against the Thunder God Lineage, crafting a notorious reputation. In fact, he may already be doing this. If we do not actively counter his schemes, we will ultimately end up in a corner.”

Boom!

In that moment, I felt my heart drop. Hearing the phrase “end up in a corner” suddenly made my head spin, and I caught a glimpse of a vision.

‘What is this?’

A scene of an exquisite beauty plucking strings and singing, her pale skin and blue eyes were filled with sorrow. I found myself momentarily lost in that vision before snapping back to reality, feeling strangely dazed.

Lee Kwang spoke,

“Let’s hear the plan.”

“I have one idea, but to execute it, I must stake my life, and even then, the odds are fifty-fifty.”

“Is it that dangerous of a scheme?”

“Yes, but it must be done.”

“……”

Lee Kwang fell silent before saying,

“I will listen before making a decision.”

“Understood.”

Mangnyang took a deep breath, looked at Jin So-cheong and me, and then said,

“A few days from now, I will visit the Master of the White Lotus Sect.”

“Wha…?! The Master of the White Lotus Sect?”

The sudden announcement shocked everyone except Mangnyang. Calmly, Mangnyang scanned the room and said,

“I have arranged insurance for the discussions, suspecting this might occur. I’ve ignited the curiosity of the Master of the White Lotus Sect, hoping to garner his interest in Bancheon Alliance.”

I felt like I had been struck with a hammer, muttering blankly,

“Going to meet the Master of the White Lotus Sect is an act of suicide.”

Indeed, even the discussion about the Thunder God Lineage’s factioning could have been left to chance here. If at that meeting, the Master of the White Lotus Sect decided on a whim to annihilate the Thunder God Lineage, we would have almost guaranteed our demise. I could have used boiling to evacuate, but considering the martial arts of the Master who suppressed Yong Bi-cheon, I doubted that would be possible.

So, internally relieved to have kept my life, I thought, how could I consider going right to his base? Being killed by the Master of the White Lotus Sect was one matter, but even before that, it was highly probable that I could be killed by Dharma Guardians or lower-ranked warriors of the White Lotus Sect. No sane person would think like that.

Of course, travels like Kamizumi Nobutsuna’s or Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s to meet the Master were successful because they were initially outsiders without ties to the White Lotus Sect. However, we were in a hostile relationship with the sect and could easily find ourselves crossing swords soon. This was undoubtedly a decision with immense risk.

As Mangnyang gazed at me intently, he asked,

“How many people in the world can control Yong Junil?”

“Uh… Well, the Master of the White Lotus Sect and the Dharma Guardians, I suppose.”

“Correct. However, the Dharma Guardians of the Wind Spirit Sect are enemies, and the Fire Spirit Sect’s are neutral, making it difficult for them to restrain Yong Junil. Moreover, the Dharma Guardians of the Su Shin Sect have no personal relationship with us, and we do not know what they are thinking. Thus, we are left with one option: to persuade the Master of the White Lotus Sect directly, to prevent Yong Junil from scheming.”

“……”

I was incredulous and responded,

“Why not just change the name and faction ourselves instead of the Thunder God Lineage? That sounds better.”

“Baek Woong, this situation is one where hiding away will only lead to death. While it might be comfortable now, eventually, we will find ourselves with no method of counterattack. Instead, we must gamble our lives to find a way out.”

I couldn’t understand why we had to risk our lives to persuade the Master of the White Lotus Sect, all because of Yong Junil’s schemes and influence. Anyone would deem Mangnyang crazy and think my choice was right.

But until now, Mangnyang had never been wrong in his judgments. While I contemplated with a heavy heart, Lee Kwang asked,

“What specifically do you intend to persuade him with?”

“That’s entirely up to me. I will stake my life and ensure it is done.”

“That doesn’t answer me. It’s not just your life at risk; all of our lives are hanging in the balance.”

Lee Kwang’s gaze sharpened. He too had found Mangnyang’s plan questionable. Just as he was about to unleash his rage, Mangnyang interrupted.

“Certainly, I do need more information.”

“What information?”

“I need to know what the Final Technique of the Thunder God Lineage is, and why you, Lee Kwang, were unable to receive it. Without knowing that, we can’t even begin.”

“Are you suggesting I divulge the sect’s hidden secrets to you, an outsider?”

Mangnyang replied brusquely,

“It was you, not me, that kept the existence of the Final Technique under wraps. Because of that, everyone present nearly met death at the White Lotus Sect’s mercy. If it happens again, what should we do?”

“Hmm.”

Lee Kwang let out a low grunt, recalling the shock everyone felt when the Master of the White Lotus Sect mentioned the Final Technique. Though initially, Mangnyang’s suggestion might have been disregarded, the weight of the situation forced Lee Kwang to speak up.

“Leader of Bancheon Alliance, if you disclose this hidden secret to outsiders, I will dispose of everything you treasure.”

“Stop threatening me and just tell me. I’m ready for anything.”

“Very well.”

Slowly, Lee Kwang continued,

“The reason I didn’t mention the Final Technique is that I believed it would be unattainable in my generation. The Final Technique is a legendary skill that even my master could not acquire.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t the Final Technique something that the successors must learn?”

Mangnyang’s question was valid. Regardless of how difficult or extraordinary a skill was, it had to be something that a successor could learn for it to hold any meaning. If grasping it was too challenging, then it would be more like an incomplete technique than a Final Technique.

“Of course… Unlike the other Three Great Lineages, the Final Technique of the Thunder God Lineage is incomplete and a mythical skill that no one in history has acquired.”

“A mythical skill? What do you mean by that…”

Lee Kwang’s following words were shocking.

“First, one must master fists, swords, and spears up to the Final Technique and obtain the Heavenly Spirit Pill as a basic requirement. Then, with the assistance of three peerless masters of the Thunder God Lineage, it can be completed. The problem is, after achieving completion, one must forget everything and start anew to acquire the Final Technique.”

“……!!”

“Where will we find the three peerless masters for fists, swords, and spears, and even if we find them, we don’t know where the secrets to achieving the Final Technique are scattered. Furthermore, I only grasp a vague outline of the Final Technique; I don’t know what it entails at all. And even if we could gather them and succeed in training, having to forget and restart everything learned until now, is that even possible?”

With that, Lee Kwang let out a sigh like never before.

“Still, the reason this incomplete technique is called the Final Technique is because, according to the judgments of the Thunder God Lineage masters, it is the only way to reach the ultimate level of the Thunder God Lineage. My master was one of the genius figures in the history of the Thunder God Lineage and a Dharma Guardian, but he could not attain the Final Technique.”

“……”

“Honestly, this isn’t even the Final Technique or a technique at all. It’s simply a dream.”

Lee Kwang’s master was a Dharma Guardian of the Thunder God Lineage, but during the purge of the Thunder God Lineage, he had been severely injured by cooperation between powerful figures. Lee Kwang barely managed to rescue him, but soon after, he lost his life.

“Why should I tell my disciples about such techniques? It’s obvious such wasteful dreams would be a hindrance to their training.”

“That makes sense…”

Mangnyang sighed and then asked,

“Then can we at least know the name of the Final Technique?”

Lee Kwang emphasized,

“Martial Soul!”

In that moment, I felt an ominous premonition.

Somehow, it seemed I would have to undergo harsh trials to obtain that. No matter how I felt, Mangnyang nodded and summarized.

“Understood. That will suffice.”

“What will we do now?”

“I will be going to visit the Master of the White Lotus Sect, with Baek Woong and Jin So-cheong accompanying me. I will need your protection.”

“You seem to have misunderstood me. I won’t agree unless you provide a specific plan.”

“I mentioned to the Master of the White Lotus Sect about the Otherworldly Race.”

After bringing up the subject, Mangnyang continued.

“And I proposed that if our Bancheon Alliance allied with them, we could swiftly assault and eradicate the imperial palace.”

“What?!”

Lee Kwang leaped up in anger. Mangnyang didn’t flinch and continued,

“It’s the ultimate strategy! If the White Lotus Sect takes action, they could wipe out the Golden Eagle Guard and even the Four Great Experts of the Imperial Palace, along with Zhuge Bu.” They could even eliminate the treacherous officials in one go. How could this not be an excellent plan?”

“Are you looking to genuinely ally with the White Lotus Sect?”

Lee Kwang asked in a low voice. This implied he had made a deadly decision regarding Mangnyang.

Mangnyang seemed unfazed, smiling as he responded,

“If you want to kill me, go ahead. After all, if this doesn’t work, we are all doomed anyway.”

Pause.

Lee Kwang was about to spring into action when he suddenly stopped. It wasn’t that he had deeply pondered Mangnyang’s words; it was that Jin So-cheong was suddenly blocking his path, holding onto Lee Kwang’s spear. Lee Kwang, surprised, stared at Jin So-cheong.

“Let go of this.”

“Why do you want to kill him?”

“Leader of Bancheon Alliance is too dangerous. I can no longer handle him, so he must be eliminated.”

Lee Kwang seemed resolute in not wanting to hear any further plans from Mangnyang. Signs had developed for some time now, but he was simultaneously feeling fear and dissatisfaction at Mangnyang’s unrelenting schemes, decisiveness, and far-reaching tactics. If he no longer felt he could handle Mangnyang, then killing him was a natural course of action.

Then, Jin So-cheong spoke.

“Then I will stop you from doing that.”

All eyes in the room turned to Jin So-cheong.

Having quietly followed Lee Kwang’s intentions until now, this was the first time Jin So-cheong had opposed him. Jin So-cheong looked unwaveringly into Lee Kwang’s eyes.

“Because this is the path I believe to be right.”

“……”

The standoff between Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong lasted for roughly a moment.

The oppressive silence ended when Lee Kwang lowered his spear, letting out a sigh.

“Very well, it seems I have no choice…”

Boom!

At that moment, Lee Kwang seemed to lower his intent and suddenly attacked, aiming for Mangnyang’s neck. The speed was so rapid that even I, standing near Mangnyang, felt that sacrificing an arm wouldn’t be enough to prevent a fatal injury to him. Just as I gritted my teeth and rushed in to block…

With a thud, Lee Kwang suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Standing where he had fallen was Jin So-cheong, with his hand raised in a knife form.

“Ugh…!!”

I was taken aback.

The situation was evident before my eyes.

Jin So-cheong had subdued Lee Kwang! And he had done so merely by employing Qi techniques, without Lee Kwang being defenseless.

I could barely perceive Lee Kwang’s movements, but Jin So-cheong’s actions were invisible in my eyes. The implications of this were immense, leaving me speechless.

‘Wha… What in the world…’

Lee Kwang, who had once cornered the Dharma Guardian of the Wind Spirit Sect in a short skirmish.

Yet now, Jin So-cheong surpassed even him in just two months!

Holding back from killing him indicated a disparity in their strength. Moreover, the Qi technique Jin So-cheong employed was evidently different from what I had known. It seemed he had evolved his Qi technique and transformed it to his own style.

Jin So-cheong said grimly,

“Let’s go.”

 

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