Chapter 238: United Front (4)

The monk, Myeongjeong, had a dream.

A vision of a pavilion in flames.

A vision of people dying everywhere.

And a vision of endless waves of enemies pouring in.

In his youth, Myeongjeong had wielded a sword. He had thrown away the blade, now sticky with dark red blood, and wept uncontrollably.

“Senior Brother! Junior Sister! Junior Brother!”

The brothers of his sect who had stood with him in his personal cause now lay scattered across the grounds, transformed into corpses.

There were simply too many enemies.

Under the proactive leadership of the young and capable clan head, the Jang Clan she led had been transformed into an elite force, each capable of facing ten opponents.

But the enemies flooding in now were far too many—ten-against-one odds were nowhere near enough.

As blades as dense and sharp as those of the Dosan Sword Sect surged in to fill the surroundings, Myeongjeong felt death approaching.

Kwagwagwang!

If it hadn’t been for the sudden sword gale that swept through the surroundings like a tidal wave, Myeongjeong’s life would have ended right then and there.

“Jang Mae…”

Before him descended a young woman, drenched in blood.

“What are you spacing out for?”

Guchon-gun, Jang Yoyeon, grinned as she pulled Myeongjeong to his feet.

“If we’re lucky, we might break through the encirclement. I saw the enemy leaders fighting each other over who gets to claim my head. Well, that filthy beggar’s probably going to win, though.”

After lifting Myeongjeong, she pointed her sword forward.

“Follow me.”

Her voice remained cheerful.

“And live, damn you, you flower-boy monk.”

“Did you cough, Great Master?”

At the familiar voice of a middle-aged man, Venerable Buddha slowly raised his upper body.

“San, how much time has passed?”

The man called San answered.

“You slept for about five shichen. Your recovery rate is monstrous.”

Though Great Master Myeongjeong had essentially been half-unshackled from the bonds of sleep, things were quite different now.

“When you slept straight for two days, I honestly thought you had reached nirvana.”

“Is that so…”

As Venerable Buddha slowly rose, his ragged torso came into view.

But San knew even that was a near-miracle.

“The power of the Demonic God is truly something. That body, where your organs were once visible, has recovered this far.”

“I think I can move now.”

San flinched at Venerable Buddha’s words.

“What are you saying? Where do you think you’re going in that state?”

“There’s someone I want to help.”

Venerable Buddha continued as he draped a yellow kasaya stained with blood over himself.

“If we leave them be, they will end up just like this poor monk…”

“…Surely not.”

San’s expression hardened, realizing what Venerable Buddha meant.

Venerable Buddha gave him a quiet suggestion.

“Will you come with me? I’d be reassured with your help.”

“……”

After a moment of contemplation, San sighed and nodded.

“I didn’t expect to return to the clan so soon… I haven’t uncovered all the collaborators yet, but fine. I’ll go with you.”

With those words, San flung the door wide open.

And beyond it—

Over a hundred warriors, each at or near Master Level, stood with gleaming eyes, lined up in silence.

“The Emperor’s Sky-Piercing Sword Squad will accompany the Great Master.”

Namgung San, the Sword Lord of the Eight Armies, voiced his resolve.

***

“The Taiji Token? I thought the Taiji God Thief was dead.”

The Thunderclap Sword, Namgung Jeong.

As the current head of the Namgung Clan, he was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Taiji Token at the clan estate.

“And to demand the clan’s official seal of all things… Why?”

The Taiji God Thief had built a notorious reputation by stealing from wealthy and shady factions.

Of course, what made him most infamous was stealing the emperor’s crown…

What made the Taiji God Thief so fearsome was that even with the advance warning of a Taiji Token, no one had ever stopped him.

“Clan Head! Do not worry! With the elite of the clan, including the Skywall Sword Squad, not even a rat will sneak past us!”

One of the personal guards beat his chest and shouted.

Yet Namgung Jeong’s expression did not ease.

“If he could be stopped by force, I wouldn’t be so concerned.”

Though it had been half a century, many of the factions targeted by the Taiji God Thief were on par with the Namgung Clan.

The rumors were so absurd that some even speculated he was Dao Zun, one of the Three Sovereigns of the Central Plains.

“If only the Emperor’s Sky-Piercing Sword Squad were still around… What was Father thinking…”

As Namgung Jeong let out a faint sigh—

“C-Clan Head! Is it true the Taiji Token has arrived at the main estate?!”

An old man came running in with several warriors trailing behind.

“Mm, regretfully, it is true, Elder Namgung Hak.”

“The Taiji God Thief… Why would he target the main estate…”

The way he spoke, it was as if he knew the Taiji God Thief personally, causing Namgung Jeong to tilt his head in curiosity.

Another elder standing beside the clan head shouted toward Namgung Hak, as if interrogating him.

“Elder Namgung Hak. What of the search for the former Clan Head? That task was entrusted to you by the current Clan Head.”

“Oh, that?” Namgung Hak shrugged.

“I’ve searched high and low, but haven’t even found a trace. As you know, when a Transformation Realm expert decides to hide, finding them is near impossible, isn’t it?”

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence settled over the hall.

The matter of the former Clan Head was a thorny one for the Namgung Clan.

“If only he had left a proper reason…”

Namgung Jeong rubbed his forehead.

The former Clan Head, the Emperor’s Sword Lord Namgung San, was once a leading candidate among the next generation’s Five Kings of the Central Plains and admired by all within the Namgung Clan.

But one day, claiming there were rats within the main house, he went on a killing spree, slaying several clan elders—

Among them, the incident where he clung to the corpse of an elder he himself had killed and wailed became notorious within the clan.

—”I… I acted too hastily and ended up killing an innocent man.”

After that, Namgung San handed over the position of clan head to Namgung Jeong, the former Young Clan Head, and went into seclusion.

Roughly a year later, he vanished without a trace along with the Emperor’s Sky-Piercing Sword Squad, the clan’s most elite force.

Amid the heavy atmosphere, Namgung Hak sneered inwardly at the clan head.

‘Kukuku, my apologies, but the former clan head is never coming back.’

In truth, Namgung Hak had a fairly good idea of Namgung San’s whereabouts.

Even if he were alone, hiding the movement of over a hundred elite warriors like the Emperor’s Sky-Piercing Sword Squad without leaving a single trace was nearly impossible.

‘Namgung San will go down in clan history as a madman. He was certainly a talent, but he lacked the ability to see the big picture…’

While he clicked his tongue internally—

—“S-Sir Elder! Emergency!”

A subordinate sent him a panicked sound transmission.

—“What is it?”

—“The hostages we locked up in Jangmyeong Pavilion have started a commotion!”

—“W-What did you say?!”

—“The problem is… rather than escaping, they’ve entered the secret archive inside Jangmyeong Pavilion…!”

A chill ran down Namgung Hak’s spine.

The secret archive of Jangmyeong Pavilion… wasn’t that the hidden location where he and his “comrades” gathered at regular intervals?

Naturally, the things stored there were secrets that should never be exposed to the outside world.

—I-I’ll head there immediately! Inform the other three about the situation!

—“Yes, Elder!”

Between the flickering light of candles burning all around, the sound of papers being flipped echoed.

“This is… quite the unexpected jackpot.”

The two people who had entered the restricted section of Jangmyeong Pavilion quickly discovered a space where piles upon piles of documents were stacked.

From simple letters to high-value promissory notes, even secret martial arts manuals thought to be lost…

Among them, the most valuable were undoubtedly the letters and the blood oath tablet placed among them.

“Not just the Namgung Clan, but also the Namcheon Baek Clan, the Hebei Peng Clan, the Jinju Eon Clan, the Byeok Clan… ha, haha…”

Sa Biyeon was at a loss for words.

If her guess was correct, then the people who had signed the blood oath tablet were currently cooperating with the Heaven-Defying Society.

‘Thank goodness. While there are plenty of elders and high-ranking figures, there doesn’t seem to be any current clan heads listed.’

That meant there was still hope.

If they could somehow use these letters and the list to negotiate, there might be a chance to escape.

But then—

“…Cheon Yura?”

“Huh? Why do you mention the Young Cult Leader?”

Cheon Yujeong suddenly frowned, lifting her chin toward a direction.

“For some reason, I’m sensing Cheon Yura’s presence far off in that direction.”

Sa Biyeon clicked her tongue in disbelief.

“How can that be? There’s no way the Young Cult Leader would be all the way out here in Namchang.”

“I know, but still…”

“Try to hang in there even if you’re tired. If we take these and go to the Namcheon Baek Clan, we might have a chance.”

“The Namcheon Baek Clan?”

“They’re at least one of the few factions we can still talk to. That… young lady should still be at the main sect, after all.”

Currently, Baek Sang-ah, the cherished daughter of the Namcheon Baek Clan, was effectively being held as a hostage by the main cult.

‘If we gently remind them of that during negotiations…’

That’s when it happened.

“Well, well… such cheeky little rats…”

“…!”

Flash!

In a split second, a sharp yet heavy strike flew toward Sa Biyeon and Cheon Yujeong.

Kwaaang!

“Guh!”

They barely managed to defend against the ambush but were sent crashing into a corner of the archive as a result.

Sa Biyeon clenched her teeth as a heavy impact struck her back.

‘A master! They arrived faster than expected!’

Three figures stood at the entrance to the archive.

All elderly men—and each of them exuded power that had reached the pinnacle of Master Level.

‘I knew this was coming. This is the critical moment.’

If they could just get past this point, survival was within reach.

Cheon Yujeong asked,

“What’s the plan?”

“We break through.”

Sa Biyeon took the most critical blood oath tablet and a few key letters and tucked them inside her robes.

“Heh heh heh, you think you can manage that? The more you thrash around here, the worse it’ll be for you.”

“……”

He wasn’t wrong.

They needed to wreak havoc here in order to create a chance of escape—but the problem was, this place was the very heart of the Namgung Clan.

‘Still… no matter what, I have to!’

Pazik! Pajijijik!

Lightning crackled along Sa Biyeon’s sword.

The Heaven-Trust Lightning Art.

A newly learned divine art, just before she became the head of the Black Gold Sa Clan. Though still fresh, it was undoubtedly powerful.

“Oh? A lightning sword? So you’re a junior of the same lineage.”

Pajijijik!

Lightning-imbued sword energy, no less potent than Sa Biyeon’s, flowed from the old man’s sword.

His lightning qi was completely different—blue, vivid, and refined.

“The Thundercrash Sword Art…”

“Heh, you recognize it well.”

One of the three sword arts that represented the Namgung Clan, alongside the Emperor’s Sword and Sky-Piercing Freedom Sword.

It was also the personal martial art of the current Namgung Clan Head, currently rising in prestige.

“Thundercrash and Heaven-Trust… I’d prefer to settle this one-on-one, but the situation won’t allow for that.”

They were more wary of Sa Biyeon, who held the oath tablet and the letters, than Cheon Yujeong.

‘Damn it.’

Sa Biyeon immediately understood the level of the enemies.

Even with Cheon Yujeong aiding her, they could barely handle just one of them.

She lacked the talent to demonstrate divine prowess that transcended realms. Compared to monsters like Cheon Yura or Jin Yeomyung, she fell far short.

‘Still… somehow!’

Repeating those very words in her head, Sa Biyeon hurled herself toward the three elders.

“Haaah!”

Kuwa-kwakwakwang!

Though it couldn’t compare to that of her biological mother and clan head, the Thunder Queen Sa Myeongrin, her lightning qi still burst in every direction, aiming at all three of them simultaneously.

“Hoh!”

“What a cheeky trick?!”

Momentarily startled by the unexpectedly fierce power, the three old men hesitated.

Sa Biyeon shouted toward Cheon Yujeong.

“Now’s the time! Even if it’s just one—!”

But then—

“…Huh?”

For a moment.

Sa Biyeon couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Cheon Yujeong—whom she had been sure would join her in a combined attack—

Instead of aiding her, used the opening Sa Biyeon had created… to escape!

“Th-That damn woman?!”

She had at least trusted in the pride of someone who bore the blood of the Cheon Clan!

To think she’d show her true colors at such a critical moment!

“Sorry.”

With not even a trace of guilt on her face, Cheon Yujeong launched herself down a narrow passageway.

Even the three elders looked dumbfounded by her sudden action.

It seemed Cheon Yujeong would escape successfully by evading the three elders…

But—

“Heh heh heh! No, no. A ‘sacrifice’ can’t just run off on her own.”

Thud!

A dull impact rang out from afar.

And shortly after, a large elderly man appeared, slinging an unconscious Cheon Yujeong over his shoulder.

“G-Ninth Heavenly Lord!”

“H-How could he be here…?!”

The burly old man known as Ninth Heavenly Lord raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk.

“I came by for a brief discussion, but I didn’t expect something like this to be happening in the Namgung Clan. I must say, fortune is smiling upon me.”

“……”

The man who had subdued Cheon Yujeong in a single blow had clearly surpassed the Transformation Realm.

Despair washed over Sa Biyeon’s face.

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