Chapter 236: United Front (2)
Huff!
The girl blew out a puff of smoke and smiled.
“Demonic pawns and wicked henchmen whispering and scheming in the very heart of the orthodox sects—now that’s a truly comical sight.”
“……”
“……”
Who is she?
My senses screamed a warning throughout my entire body.
Telling me not to confront her if possible.
To never be deceived by that delicate-looking exterior.
I couldn’t believe it, but if a fight were to break out, I had a gut feeling that the difficulty would rival the time I faced the Venerable Buddha.
‘Don’t tell me… a new member of the Ten Heavenly Lords?’
No other candidate came to mind.
It’s not like those stronger than the Sword King or Saber King are common in this world.
‘More than anything, that weird cloth she’s wearing like a cloak….’
The multicolored six-hued cloth wrapped loosely around her gave off a rather tacky impression...
But my eye for spiritual power had developed to the point that I could clearly tell—that cloth was every bit as dangerous as the girl herself.
However.
Unlike me, Baek Cheon-ho didn’t seem to sense her terrifying nature.
“What the hell is this brat?”
Crack!
One corner of the girl’s mouth twitched.
“Well now, what kind of damn brat talks like that to an elder?”
“Brat? You must be dying to get smacked around!”
Before I knew it, Baek Cheon-ho’s spear began to shift into a strange form as it pointed toward the girl.
It wasn’t imbued with killing intent, but it was still a blow powerful enough to pierce flesh.
“Hey, wait!”
I tried urgently to stop Baek Cheon-ho from charging into the tiger’s maw.
But it was too late—his spear tip was already about to touch the girl’s shoulder.
In that instant—
—You possess Heavenly Martial Body and yet let that gift rot unused. Tsk, what a waste.
Time slowed drastically in my perception just as the girl’s mocking voice echoed.
—Out of pity for your circumstances, I shall spare you and merely give a lesson.
Within the slowed flow of time, the girl gently rotated one of her wrists in a circular motion.
The moment a magatama symbolizing yin and yang appeared within that circle—
Boom!
“Guh-heuk!”
Baek Cheon-ho dropped his spear and coughed up blood as he was sent flying.
“W-what just happened…?”
Blood streamed from Baek Cheon-ho’s nose as his body trembled like a leaf in the wind from the shock.
Even if he possessed the Heavenly Martial Body, the opponent was simply too much.
‘And that was… the Taiji? For someone to wield it at such a level, there’s only one person in Murim….’
My thoughts couldn’t even finish.
The girl who had flattened Baek Cheon-ho with a single move suddenly turned her head toward me.
“You saw that, didn’t you?”
For some reason, a smile danced on her lips as if she were having the time of her life.
“…Yes.”
“You heard it, too?”
“I did.”
The girl stepped in closer and reached out toward my face.
Stretch!
I grimaced in pain as I felt my cheek being pulled.
“What kind of great fortune has descended upon Ten Thousand Mountain for two monsters like you to appear in a single era?”
She grumbled, exhaling through her nose.
“Could it be your clan’s karma?”
She let go of my cheek, puffed out her chest, and declared,
“For your information, I’m a special troubleshooter who came all the way here at the Cult Leader’s ‘request’!”
Special troubleshooter? What even is that?
Still, judging by the fact that she mentioned the Cult Leader, it didn’t seem like she was an enemy.
“I’ve been given something in return, so I came to lend you some help. Anyway, where’s my disciple? I thought he’d be stuck to you like glue.”
Rubbing my stinging cheek, I asked in return,
“Disciple… Who do you mean?”
“I’m talking about So Cheon, So Cheon! Unless he’s locked up in some cell, there’s no way he’d be sitting around during all this.”
“…!”
It was only then that I realized who she was.
The Three Supreme Beings of the Central Plains—Dao Zun.
The absolute figure who stood at the peak of the Central Plains alongside the Demon Lord and the Venerable Buddha—was right in front of me.
That’s Dao Zun?
I couldn’t hide my disbelief.
When I thought of Dao Zun, I imagined an old crone like Grand Elder Cheon Yeongha—gracefully aged.
I never imagined she’d look like a youthful girl who had reversed the flow of time!
I was so dumbfounded that even the congratulations from my subordinates barely registered in my ears.
I was now seated face-to-face with Dao Zun in the strategy room behind the main camp.
“So, you and So Cheon got separated for some reason?”
“That’s right.”
Even if she was So Cheon’s master, I couldn’t reveal the full truth to someone outside the cult.
“Hmm, well, alright. Doesn’t seem like he’s at risk of dying anymore, so maybe it’s best I don’t meddle too much in my disciple’s life.”
“D-dying?”
My subordinates, unaware of the context, glanced at each other with baffled expressions.
Dao Zun then got to the point.
“There’s only one thing the Cult Leader asked of me. To help you all within the limits of my abilities.”
“……”
My expression darkened slightly.
Again.
First Gu Chil and Myeong-oh, and now even Dao Zun, one of the Three Supreme Beings, had come to support me.
At this point, I couldn’t deny that I was cursed with calamity.
I shook my head and reaffirmed my resolve.
‘Still, I have a job to do. I won’t waver.’
Dao Zun must have read the expression on my face, because she smirked faintly.
“I can feel a man’s resolve. You’re quite a decent fellow.”
“Thank you.”
The bow of my head had barely settled when Dao Zun suddenly made a surprising proposal from behind me.
“You there, have you ever thought about becoming my disciple?”
“…Pardon?”
What now?
“I’m not telling you to become a disciple of Wudang. Well, if you want, I could even prepare a position for you as the Sect Leader, but you’d refuse that, wouldn’t you?”
Naturally.
Or… would that be a good idea? If I took over Wudang, it might prove immensely useful to Cheon Yura in the future...
“You seem to have enough qualifications to learn the All-Encompassing Taiji. What do you say? The All-Encompassing Taiji isn’t a realm but a technique. You’d find many good uses for it if you learned it.”
I was seriously tempted by her words.
To be honest, every time So Cheon used that technique in such an overpowered and creative way, I had to restrain myself from begging to learn it.
But right now...
Right now, I needed to focus on developing what I already had rather than adding more miscellaneous skills.
More importantly...
More importantly!!
“I must decline.”
“Hmm? Why’s that?”
“I’m already studying many martial arts, and…”
I scowled, making no effort to hide my distaste.
“I absolutely refuse to serve that So Cheon bastard as my senior brother.”
“……”
I’d rather bite a blade and die than hear that guy puffing his chest and ordering me to call him senior brother!
“Well, fair enough. I can understand your feelings.”
“……”
Dao Zun patted my shoulder in apology.
I accepted it with an indescribable mix of emotions.
“Alright. That’s a shame, but if that’s your situation, it can’t be helped.”
“…Yes.”
“Then let’s get to the main topic—who is it you’re planning to assassinate? The Namgung Clan?”
Flinch!
She asked it casually, with no particular emotion, but the opponent here was Dao Zun—one of the pillars of the orthodox world.
Even if she had come under the Cult Leader’s request to support us...
“Kuh! We’re just taking out the trash who’ve abandoned their principles.”
“Hmm, finally regained your senses?”
It seemed Baek Cheon-ho, who had been tossed aside earlier, had come around. He was now slowly rising to his feet, gripping his spear.
Dao Zun threw a mocking smirk his way.
“A man crawling out of the garbage heap now dares to speak of trash. What a joke.”
“What do you know, bitch…!”
“The abandoned illegitimate child of the Evil Clan. A tragic talent whose exceptional ability got buried from the records—yeah, I know you well.”
“…!”
Baek Cheon-ho, who had been shouting, froze for a moment.
“With talent like yours, I’m sure you earned a spirit rank even within the Heaven-Defying Society, am I wrong?”
“……”
“But while your martial talent may be real, you were probably born with only faint traces of divine blood, meaning no real sponsors. So when Baek Mun-jeol extended a hand, you grabbed it like a drowning man.”
Baek Cheon-ho fell silent. Her words had hit the mark.
Dao Zun, who had taken out her smoking pipe again at some point, blew out smoke and continued.
“Still, someone like you might be salvageable. When this is all over, you should cut ties with them. If not, I won’t leave you be.”
Baek Cheon-ho’s face darkened—he could tell she meant it.
“So? Who’s the assassination target?”
“Well…”
I had no choice but to explain the current situation to Dao Zun.
Surprisingly, her expression remained positive.
“I already heard from the Cult Leader that Cheon Yujeong of the Cheon Clan and Sa Biyeon of the Sa Clan were kidnapped. That’s good. Saves me the trouble of reading the celestial flow…”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I was asked to help with their rescue. Seems I can take care of it alongside the other matter.”
Alongside, she said.
“Will that be alright? They're prominent orthodox martial artists, and more importantly, to find them, we’ll have to search the entire Namgung Clan.”
Honestly, I thought Baek Cheon-ho’s plan was utterly ridiculous.
Would a Namgung elder just be wandering around alone?
They would at least have multiple escorts, and if someone held an elder position in a clan that massive, they were probably a Supreme Master-level martial artist at minimum.
‘Of course, Dao Zun… she could probably turn the entire Namgung Clan upside down if she wanted.’
But that would completely flip the order of things.
“Hmph. I have no intention of clashing head-on with a huge clan like Namgung. Too much of a hassle afterward.”
“Then?”
“Rescuing hostages and eliminating a key figure. I have a plan that can kill two birds with one stone.”
Shff!
She suddenly pulled something square from her robes.
It was a neat, rectangular piece of paper, like a business card. One side was painted black, the other white—quite a peculiar item.
“What is that?”
My question brought a look of disappointment to Dao Zun’s face.
“What? You mean you don’t know what this is?”
“…Do I need to?”
For some reason, I had a strong gut feeling I didn’t want to be involved with whatever this was.
“Tsk. I suppose enough time has passed for it to be forgotten.”
Dao Zun declared proudly,
“It’s the Taiji Token!”
What the hell is that?
As I tilted my head, confused, Baek Cheon-ho’s eyes suddenly went wide in shock.
“N-no way! That Taiji Token—the symbol of the legendary Divine Duelist of Taiji that shook all of the Central Plains half a century ago?!”
“……”
“Oh? So you do know of it?”
Dao Zun beamed at Baek Cheon-ho’s recognition.
“Well now, I thought you were just a mouthy brat, but it turns out you’re a promising youngster with a good grasp of history!”
‘Oh, for crying out loud.’
A Divine Duelist, she said?
One of the famed top three martial artists in the world was… what? A Taiji Duelist?
I stared blankly at the ceiling in disbelief.
‘Birds of a feather, indeed.’
Now I understood why a peerless master like Dao Zun had taken in someone like So Cheon as her disciple.
‘So they really are birds of a feather…’
The truth, as always, was bitter.
Regardless of how bitter it was, Dao Zun continued her explanation with a sly smile.
“If I scatter this, the Namgung Clan won’t be able to ignore it. If I write that an attack will take place far from where the two are being held, the clan’s forces will naturally be pulled in that direction.”
“…Indeed, that sounds plausible!”
Baek Cheon-ho nodded enthusiastically.
Dao Zun’s gaze turned toward Gu Chil and Myeong-oh, who were off in the corner.
“There are some useful people among them, too. We could even aim for a secondary diversion from their side.”
“Hmm…”
This was, by far, the most realistic plan so far.
‘If Dao Zun creates the distraction and the infiltrators from the Hao Sect provide support inside… this might actually work.’
The previously unrealistic infiltration plan of the Namgung Clan was gradually taking shape, all thanks to Dao Zun’s involvement.
‘Lady Sa… I’ll come for you soon. Please hold on just a little longer.’
Clenching my fist tightly, I thought of Sa Biyeon, who must be imprisoned somewhere inside the Namgung Clan.
Naturally, the outline of the infiltration operation into the Namgung Clan was conveyed to Cheon Yura as well.
And then—
Cheon Yura, with an enthusiasm unlike anything before, declared her intent to participate.
“I will go as well.”
“What? Do you have to?”
“The more skilled individuals drawing attention, the better, no? Someone of my caliber should be more than enough help.”
That much was true.
As long as she disguised herself as the Moonlight Sword Flower rather than appearing as the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Young Cult Leader, it wouldn’t pose a major problem.
The only thing bothering me was how her expression looked mischievous to an extreme—was it just a trick of the eye?
“…So what’s your real reason, Miss Cheon Yura?”
“I want to save Biyeon with my own hands…”
“And what else?”
For a brief moment, a wicked smile played on her lips.
“I’d like to savor the sight—up close—of that fool Cheon Yujeong looking utterly pathetic after getting herself kidnapped.”
“……”
Calling that ‘malice’ didn’t quite fit.
The grudge she harbored against Cheon Yujeong from her time in the cult was deep and longstanding.
In fact, this could even be considered a fairly cute form of revenge.
“Think you can handle it?”
In response to her question, I simply shrugged.
“Well, as I always say…”
If you want it, I’ll make it happen.
Translator’s Note:
It is now clear that Dao Zun is female. I will edit the gender of Dao Zun in the previous chapters. Sorry for the confusion, and thank you for reading. Happy reading!