Chapter 51: Nine Moons Blade Hall (3)

“Greater support?”

“At the very least, we need to be backed by one of the Thirty-Four Demon Squads of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Only then can we break through this situation.”

“Would they even agree to that?”

Bang Manhu frowned.

He was skeptical of the suggestion.

“If we get pushed out of here, our sect will have to shut down operations in Eastern Sea Province. And if that happens, there are only two paths left. Either we live like outcasts like those Evil Refining Sect bastards, or we risk our lives and try to push into the Central Plains.”

“Ugh!”

Neither option was easy.

Bang Manhu sighed and shook his head.

“Even if we request support, now isn’t the time. We don’t have a strong enough justification. They’d likely reject us.”

There was reason in Bang Manhu’s words.

“As you all know, right now in Eastern Sea Province, that damned youngest disciple of the Evil Overlords of Heaven is running wild.”

Everyone present grimaced and nodded.

“And we haven’t been able to respond at all.”

It would’ve been better if they had just pushed in with brute force.

If the Evil Overlords of Heaven had openly encroached on the Nine Moons Blade Hall’s territory, then they would’ve had a valid reason to call for aid from the Heavenly Demon Cult.

However, the current actions of the Evil Overlords of Heaven were completely unexpected.

They weren’t using force—they were using money as their weapon.

“Where the hell is all that money coming from, damn it?!”

At Bang Manhu’s lament, the expressions of the leadership darkened.

Right now, the Evil Overlords of Heaven were flooding Eastern Sea Province with a massive influx of funds, gradually taking over the commercial districts within the city.

It was a terribly inefficient method, but it was the most effective way to block external interference.

“And if the Heavenly Demon Cult comes, it becomes even more complicated. You all know this, don’t you? Now isn’t the time to involve others.”

Nod nod!

The disciples bobbed their heads.

“If we make the wrong move, we could lose all the progress we’ve made so far to them.”

“Y-You’re right about that.”

The Nine Moons Blade Hall was currently carrying out a covert plan that determined the fate of the sect.

But if they misjudged things here, they could end up avoiding the fox only to run straight into the tiger.

“Damn those unorthodox bastards. Instead of just doing what they always did, they had to get clever!”

The Nine Moons Blade Hall wasn’t the only one troubled by the Evil Overlords of Heaven’s actions.

In fact, those most inconvenienced at the moment were the subsidiary clans under the Kunlun Sect, which held sway over half of Eastern Sea Province.

“Those idiot Kunlun bastards, too! Can’t even respond properly and just let their rice bowl get stolen?!”

In a situation like this, even the Kunlun Sect couldn’t exert proper influence.

They didn’t have a justifiable reason to stop the encroachment.

The only viable countermeasure would be to match the enemy with money—but Eastern Sea wasn’t some major city in the Central Plains, and Kunlun wasn’t exactly swimming in wealth.

More importantly—

“Those scholars who spent their lives meditating in the mountains aren’t equipped to handle this sort of situation. And on top of that, so much money is being thrown around that even the Kunlun brats aren’t really losing out.”

“Damn it.”

Bang Manhu burst out in frustration.

Just as he said, the orthodox sect subsidiaries under Kunlun were reaping considerable profit from the Evil Overlords’ antics.

They were making enough to relocate and establish new sects elsewhere without taking a loss.

But unlike the orthodox sects, things were different for the Nine Moons Blade Hall.

They had taken root in Qinghai for hundreds of years, and fundamentally, they were part of the Demonic Faction—rejected by the Central Plains.

If they got driven out of here, they had no clue where they could go next.

“Master.”

“What is it?”

The Vice-Sect Leader cautiously spoke up with a suggestion.

“Is it possible… that the Evil Overlords of Heaven have figured something out?”

“Figured out what?”

“That ‘relic’…”

Bang Manhu’s expression hardened.

“If that information gets out to the Central Plains, even the Evil Overlords wouldn’t be able to control the situation. But if they take over Eastern Sea in this manner and proceed with their plans…”

The Vice-Sect Leader didn’t finish the sentence.

Even that much was enough for the Sect Leader to understand.

“…Hmph. You might be right.”

“Th-Then—!”

“But that doesn’t mean we have many options. If anything, we need to press the attack even harder before Eastern Sea falls completely into their hands.”

With their current strength, the Nine Moons Blade Hall couldn’t handle even a single armed unit of the Evil Overlords of Heaven.

“The only silver lining is that the freeloaders from the Thousand-Day Pass should be arriving soon. If we use them well, we can buy ourselves some time.”

The subordinates all nodded in unison.

There were many in the world who lived without a care for laws, but as a group, the top of that list belonged to the bastards of the Heavenly Demon Cult who were now approaching.

If the trainees from the Thousand-Day Pass clashed with the Evil Overlords, the conflict would no longer be between the Nine Moons Blade Hall and the Evil Overlords—it would become a fight between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Evil Overlords.

That way, they might be able to buy a considerable amount of time.

“Hoo, if only we could fully decipher that Treasure Map…”

“Hey! Watch your mouth!”

The Vice-Sect Leader quickly raised a hand to cover his mouth.

“A-Apologies. I just got frustrated…”

Even in a high-level meeting like this one, they had to be careful with what they said—such was the secrecy of their plan.

A single Treasure Map currently under interpretation, tied to the fate of the Nine Moons Blade Hall.

If they could fully decipher it and seize the ‘relic’, then leaving Eastern Sea might even become a viable option.

As Bang Manhu frowned deeply—

“Sect Leader! Sect Leader!”

“What?!”

“The trainees from the Thousand-Day Pass have arrived!”

“Damn it, already?!”

“Yes, b-but…”

Sweat streamed down the forehead of the subordinate who brought the news.

“What the hell’s wrong with you? Why do you look so rattled?”

Even if Nine Moons Blade Hall focused more on Qi Cultivation than martial arts, no one would show that kind of reaction for no reason.

“A-A huge figure came with the Thousand-Day Pass delegation…”

At that, Bang Manhu burst into laughter.

“What? A big shot? Pfft! What, some branch family member from an upper clan or something?”

Occasionally, young masters from prestigious families who lost their place in the power struggle would end up at the Thousand-Day Pass.

And such people were usually the most arrogant and insufferable troublemakers imaginable.

“N-No, that’s not it!”

“What do you mean not it? If they got sent to a place like this, at best they’re just lackeys from the Six Great Demonic Clans. Let’s go.”

Bang Manhu smacked the back of the subordinate’s head and stepped outside.

And then—

“W-Who did you say you were?”

“I am Jin Yeomyung of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan. Pleased to meet you, Sect Leader.”

“Oh my, Young Master—!”

***

The trainees from the Thousand-Day Pass had marched for about a week before reaching Eastern Sea.

They were so excited that even basic discipline began to slip, prompting the instructors to issue quiet warnings.

“Don’t get too happy just because we’re in the city. If you slip up, you’ll wish you were back outside.”

“What do you mean by that, Instructor?”

“Cities like this are full of turf wars. To survive, you can’t afford to lose out in the power struggle. In other words, some of you might end up serving as bodyguards for brothels or trading guilds.”

The expressions of the trainees twisted in displeasure.

No matter what, their status wasn’t so low that they should be reduced to guarding brothels.

“Oh, that sounds sweet.”

“…Shut up, you brat.”

Of course, there were always exceptions.

The one who scolded the idiot muttering nonsense was Baeksa, who whispered softly to me.

“Lord, if I recall correctly, this is a region where the Evil Overlords of Heaven operate… and where bandits roam. But surprisingly, there haven’t been any ambushes.”

I nodded calmly.

“There hasn’t been a major war in the Central Plains in decades. It’s been relatively peaceful, so the Evil Overlords don’t make a fuss over this kind of thing. Besides that…”

I leaned in and whispered the truth to Baeksa.

“The bandits who usually do that kind of ambushing are pretty close to us.”

“……”

“Especially the Evil Refining Sect—they’re basically the grim reapers of the desert and grasslands.”

“I-I see.”

Baeksa was momentarily speechless upon hearing the truth.

“More importantly, Qinghai is barren. That’s why the Evil Overlords rarely leave the cities. There’s nothing out there for them to scavenge.”

That was why, when the Evil Overlords established themselves and seized control of Qinghai under the King of Ten Thousand Evils, there hadn’t been much resistance.

Even among borderlands, Qinghai was exceptionally remote.

“That’s why they’re so sensitive about urban interests. It’s directly tied to their livelihood.”

As we continued our idle chatter, our group had already entered deep into Eastern Sea.

“We’ve arrived.”

—Nine Moons Blade Hall—

The buildings were much cleaner than expected, drawing murmurs of admiration from the trainees.

For the only demonic faction in the city, it didn’t look all that shabby on the outside.

At that moment, the overall commander, Jang Deuk-soo, gestured toward me.

“Jin Yeomyung.”

“Yes, sir?”

“I’d like to borrow your name and your clan’s reputation for a bit. Would that be possible?”

“……”

“These days, the hospitality from the Nine Moons Blade Hall has been rather lacking.”

Boldly, Jang Deuk-soo was trying to make use of the name of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan.

I shot Jang Deuk-soo a dumbfounded look.

‘I’ve noticed this before, but this guy really doesn’t know when to hold back.’

What if someone from the clan sends an assassin over this?

Still, aside from that, using the name of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan while away from home wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

After all, the Six Great Demonic Clans, even as individual factions, could easily overwhelm any of the Nine Great Sects in terms of power and prestige.

“Sure, go ahead. But in return, you’ll owe me a favor later.”

“Hehehe, good, I knew you were bold.”

Jang Deuk-soo placed me at the front of the group and entered deeper into the Nine Moons Blade Hall with a dramatic clearing of his throat.

“Ahem! Pardon our intrusion!”

Not long after Jang Deuk-soo stepped inside—

Crash!

A series of crashes and a near-scream echoed from within.

Moments later, a middle-aged man with a plump, merchant-like appearance—rather than that of a martial artist—emerged.

“Ah, ah, greetings, Young Master! I am Bang Manhu, Sect Leader of the Nine Moons Blade Hall.”

Apparently, the name of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan held enough weight for the Sect Leader to come rushing out himself to greet me.

Seeing him for the first time in a while, I couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.

‘Bang Manhu. He definitely looks younger than the last time I saw him.’

With a gentle smile, I clasped my fists in greeting.

“I am Jin Yeomyung of the Jin Clan. But today, I’m just here as an ordinary officer, so please don’t feel too pressured.”

“How could I not, though?!”

Bang Manhu made a huge fuss.

“P-Please! This way!”

I could feel the well-controlled traces of demonic qi from Bang Manhu as I approached and found myself impressed.

‘Even during this time period, he’s quite strong.’

Though his large build and obsequious attitude might make it hard to tell, Bang Manhu possessed purer demonic qi than most members of the main cult.

I scanned the surrounding members of the Nine Moons Blade Hall.

‘As expected, most of the sect disciples here have an unusually high purity of demonic qi, regardless of their overall strength.’

This wasn’t something achievable just by cultivating standard demonic arts. It required a special cultivation method—or the aid of certain artifacts.

‘This is definitely going to be useful.’

“To have the Eldest Son of the Jin Clan here is a blessing across three lifetimes!”

Once he realized my true identity, Bang Manhu bowed so low it bordered on groveling.

It was a stark contrast to how the Nine Moons Blade Hall had carried itself during its peak in my previous life.

“Dinner will be prepared shortly! It won’t take long, so please rest your feet in the meantime!”

As I walked in, the trainees from the Thousand-Day Pass began entering the hall behind me.

Clearly, the rumors about them housing over a thousand people weren’t false—the Nine Moons Blade Hall’s territory was nearly the size of a small village.

I scanned the inner buildings and suddenly felt an odd sense of dissonance.

“Has something been going wrong here lately?”

“H-Huh? How did you know, Young Master?”

“For the size of your compound, the condition of the facilities isn’t particularly good.”

Despite the grand scale of the buildings, signs of poor maintenance were evident throughout.

If it wasn’t due to sheer neglect, it meant their finances had been severely strained lately.

“Y-Your insight is… remarkable.”

“It’s nothing.”

If I couldn’t pick up on details like this, I’d never qualify to be the Inner Administrator of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

“Having trouble with business?”

“A-Actually, we haven’t even reported it to headquarters yet…”

Bang Manhu was stunned. It hadn’t even been a minute, and I’d already hit the nail on the head.

“If there’s a problem, why don’t you tell me? We might be able to come up with a solution.”

Bang Manhu grew visibly tense.

“T-The thing is…”

Of course, he couldn’t just spill everything to an outsider.

But not saying anything wasn’t an option either—my status was too intimidating for that.

Eventually, Bang Manhu began pouring out a long-winded tale of frustration and hardship.

After hearing all the details, I frowned and asked him again:

“You said… the youngest disciple of the Evil Overlords of Heaven?”

“Y-Yes. The youngest disciple of the Evil Overlords of Heaven, Cheong Museong. He’s been eyeing Eastern Sea quite persistently lately.”

“But why?”

Why go so far as to provoke the Kunlun Sect just to expand territory?

“That’s exactly what confuses me! If they wanted to expand, it would make more sense to go for Gansu or Sichuan!”

I sank into serious thought.

‘This didn’t happen in my previous life.’

Cheong Museong—who would one day be known throughout the Central Plains by the nickname “Dark Cloud Sword,” a rising star among the unorthodox factions.

From what I recall, Cheong Museong hadn’t made any notable moves before the internal strife within the Evil Overlords began.

Or rather, he wasn’t allowed to.

‘The head disciple, Geum Jeoksan, wouldn’t have permitted this kind of activity…’

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