Chapter 200
“Will it be alright?”
One of the Sect Leaders of the Nine Great Sects, who was leaving the Murim Alliance, asked Grandmaster Muheo.
They were already far enough away that the massive buildings of the Murim Alliance looked small.
Grandmaster Muheo turned his head and looked at the Sect Leader who had spoken.
It was Jong Jihak, the Sect Leader of the Cheongseong Sect.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the Investigator named Jegal Gil.”
He continued, his face showing worry no matter how he thought about it.
“That man named Jang Cheong is a treacherous one. He will absolutely not leave the person who clearly revealed his crimes alone.”
“I suppose so. I was uneasy about that as well, which is why I asked him to come with us.”
All the faces of the Sect Leaders became puzzled.
But why had he said he wouldn’t go with them?
There was nothing good about staying behind.
Furthermore, in his current situation, where could he be safer than beside the Sect Leaders of the Nine Great Sects?
While everyone was failing to understand, Im Jisan, the Sect Leader of the Haenam Sect, spoke up.
“I know that the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance is his older brother. Could it be because of that?”
“There might be that reason too, but… Hmm.”
“Do you have a guess about something?”
Grandmaster Muheo recalled Jegal Gil’s face that he had seen right before leaving the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
“That friend’s eyes: It seemed he had something he believed in very strongly.”
“Are you saying he thinks there is something that will protect him even if he stays in that situation? What could it be?”
“That, I don’t know.”
There was someone who came to mind strangely, but he wasn’t certain.
Soon, Hyeongong, the Sect Leader of the Hwasan Sect, let out a long sigh.
“Anyway, things have really ended up like this with the Murim Alliance.”
“Isn’t it something we’ve been putting off day by day anyway? The Murim Alliance has long since lost its original direction and purpose, becoming an organization that can no longer be called the Murim Alliance, a place completely unrelated to our Nine Sects One Alliance and the Five Great Families.”
Jong Jihak spoke as if telling him not to mind it too much.
At his words, Grandmaster Muheo also nodded.
Originally, the Murim Alliance was a group composed primarily of people from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.
It was natural.
Because the Murim Alliance was a place created around them from the very beginning.
However, once Jang Cheong, whom they had known merely as a righteous and outstanding Elder, sat in the position of Chief Elder, the Murim Alliance began to undergo a radical personnel reorganization from then on.
It was so extreme that it was bewildering even to watch from the sidelines, but Jang Cheong explained it as a “movement to eliminate the imbalance of power within the Murim Alliance and make it a healthier organization for the Orthodox Martial World.”
Because it sounded plausible on the surface, even Grandmaster Muheo at first felt that it was a very healthy and correct method.
Just as Jang Cheong said, an imbalance of power always brings about huge problems.
But to think the intention Jang Cheong hid within it was this impure.
Now completely rotted, the Murim Alliance was hopeless.
It wasn’t a matter of whether they used people from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families or not.
They had left it alone because they didn’t want to fight internally over political issues, and they had helped when asked, but now those people have completely forgotten their reason for existence.
The reason the Murim Alliance, which had ignored the Nine Sects One Alliance and the Five Great Families in the first place, could exist until now was that the Nine Sects One Alliance had left them alone under the tacit approval of the Fist Emperor.
One had hoped for even a little bit of self-purification.
But now that the Heavenly Demon had appeared, they could no longer wait for that.
Thus, they had decided.
To make a new start.
To face that mighty enemy known as the Heavenly Demon.
It was then.
Grandmaster Muheo hurriedly looked back.
His gaze headed toward the Murim Alliance, which was already quite far away.
He had felt a certain black Aura/Energy surging fiercely.
It was a very gloomy and dangerous aura/energy.
The Fist Emperor somehow felt like he knew the owner of that Aura/Energy.
“Had he fallen this far?”
He thought.
That he should return there even now.
Because those left behind there might all be in danger.
But then,
Grandmaster Muheo’s eyes widened at a newly appeared Aura/Energy.
This was…
“Could it be that man?”
There was a face that came to mind.
The man, whose gaze was directed toward him and the Sect Leaders of the Nine Great Sects, had seemed very displeased for some reason.
He had only seen him for a very short time, but somehow the Fist Emperor was growing more and more curious about him.
‘There’s no particular need to worry.’
Soon, the Fist Emperor led the Nine Great Sects and moved further and further away from the Murim Alliance.
Just what exactly was this new start they spoke of?
“Alliance Leader…”
Jegal Mun looked with hollow eyes at the Murim Alliance Leader Song Il-do, who had become a cold corpse.
How could he go so vainly?
Even in a situation that had gone from bad to worse, Jegal Mun had not let go of hope.
He thought that if they just tried a little harder, they could return to the old Murim Alliance that represented the Orthodox Martial World.
But now.
The Nine Sects One Alliance had turned its back, and the Chief Elder had revealed his identity as a Demonic Leader who had learned forbidden Demonic Martial Arts.
Half of the Elders were dead, and the Murim Alliance Leader was dead.
And everyone had seen that sight.
No matter how optimistic and full of hope someone was, they would realize it.
The Murim Alliance was now finished.
Jegal Mun squeezed his eyes shut.
Everything is over. No, perhaps it was over a long time ago.
I was dreaming a vain dream all alone.
And perhaps this utterly helpless life of mine too…
It was then.
“Not yet, Older Brother.”
“Gil?”
“It’s too early to give up everything yet. Since that person is here, we will all be fine.”
“That person?”
Jegal Mun turned his eyes.
And there, following Jegal Gil’s gaze, was Yeo Un-hwi.
As if that man were somehow stronger than Song Il-do, one of the Ten Great Masters.
“Y-You bastard…”
Jang Cheong, whose chest had been slashed long and deep, ground his teeth.
Because it was quite a deep wound, blood dripped heavily onto the floor.
However,
“Huuup!”
As Jang Cheong’s eyes flashed, the wound quickly healed over.
Was it to be expected of Demonic Martial Arts?
It seemed to have already far surpassed the bounds of common sense.
Just as a full-scale fight was about to begin.
“No… H-How on earth is this…”
The Warriors who had entered the Alliance Leader’s Hall at some point were wearing dumbfounded expressions.
When the Sect Leaders of the Nine Great Sects left and a huge commotion arose inside the Alliance Leader’s Hall, one of the Elders who hadn’t yet died by Jang Cheong’s hand screamed, asking if anyone was outside.
Thanks to that, the Warriors of the Murim Alliance who were nearby hurriedly poured into the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
However, they ended up freezing like stone at the situation unfolding before their eyes.
And they had no choice but to do so.
Because the identity of the person committing slaughter with blood dripping from his hands was none other than the Chief Elder of the Murim Alliance, Jang Cheong.
Not only had many Elders already lost their lives by his hand, but the Murim Alliance Leader Song Il-do had also become a cold corpse.
Their minds simply couldn’t keep up with the current situation, wondering how on earth such an extreme situation could have occurred.
Of course, most of them had been following Jang Cheong, but this was a different story.
They could no longer follow him after he had killed the Murim Alliance Leader and the Elders.
No, before that, as people who belonged to the Orthodox Faction, they could not follow someone who had learned Demonic Martial Arts.
They had stuck with Jang Cheong to succeed in the Orthodox Martial World; if they followed him like this, they would become public enemies of Murim.
That was absolutely not what they wanted.
At that moment, one of the surviving Elders shouted.
“What are you doing! Kill that Demonic Leader at once! A great reward will be given to the one who makes a decisive contribution to killing that bastard!”
At the word 'reward', the Warriors gripped their weapons tightly.
If they caught that man, rapid success was possible.
Of course, Jang Cheong looked strong, but the number of Warriors who had entered the Alliance Leader’s Hall was quite large.
If they attacked all at once, it would be entirely possible.
Jang Cheong giggled at the changed eyes of the Warriors who had always followed him.
“Right. I knew it would be like this, that I shouldn’t trust things like you who always show fake loyalty.”
But no matter what he said, the Warriors of the Murim Alliance rushed at him with fire in their eyes.
At that moment,
“Demonic Spirit Unit.”
As Jang Cheong muttered lowly, dozens of figures revealed themselves from the ceiling and floor of the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
They were all people with burning madness in their eyes, and the moment they revealed themselves, they swept away the Warriors rushing at Jang Cheong.
Overwhelming skill that couldn’t even be compared to that of the Warriors of the Murim Alliance.
To think there were such people.
“These guys are the ones who will absolutely never betray me.”
His own secret weapons were constantly brainwashed with money and elixirs.
But Jang Cheong was greedy.
How could it be just them?
“Soul-Snatching Unit, Pleasure Unit, Hidden Form Unit.”
Unbelievably, there were three more Martial Force Units of that caliber.
Soon, the four Martial Force Units known as Jang Cheong’s secret weapons packed tightly into the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
Surprisingly, they were ordinary individuals who had been scattered throughout the Murim Alliance.
Normally, they lived their respective lives seemingly ordinarily, but when Jang Cheong called, they acted as human weapons brainwashed by him.
Sure enough, there wasn’t a single expression on their faces.
They were merely killing weapons that killed when told to kill.
At that moment, the remaining Warriors began to tremble in fear.
Even one Martial Force Unit was too much to handle, so this was an unwinnable fight.
Despair was cast over the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
And at that sight, Jang Cheong giggled.
He was satisfied. It was more than he had expected.
Honestly, he felt like he could sweep away everyone here all by himself without even needing to reveal his secret weapons, the four Martial Force Units.
But from now on, speed is important.
He had to kill all the humans here as quickly as possible and decide how to move forward.
Thus, he had revealed all the combat power he possessed.
Honestly, he thought that with this much, it was worth trying against the Twelve Venerables.
Someday, he would definitely see that arrogant Fist Emperor contort his face.
To the current Jang Cheong, there was nothing to fear.
As long as he wasn’t facing the Heavenly Demon, the apex and master of all demons.
At that moment, Yeo Un-hwi slowly stepped forward.
With his utterly relaxed appearance, Jang Cheong twisted his lips and sneered.
“A young punk is overly confident in himself.”
His skills were certainly outstanding.
Even though it was a surprise attack, his head had almost been flown off by Yeo Un-hwi’s sword.
It was surprising.
And he felt like he understood a little why Yeo Un-hwi was acting so arrogant.
But that was it.
No matter if he was a genius or whatever, Jang Cheong was certain he wouldn’t be a match for him.
The Demonic Martial Arts he had learned were just that incredible.
However, despite Jang Cheong’s sarcasm, Yeo Un-hwi remained calm.
“You look like you’re having fun.”
“What?”
“I’m saying the state you’re in right now looks truly fitting for you.”
“You bastard.”
“I was curious why a human who held onto honor so much and didn’t want to let it go would commit so many conspiracies and murders, and even learn those terrible Demonic Martial Arts. Isn’t it the exact opposite path?”
“But now I know. You knew it yourself that you could never become an honorable and righteous being, respected for a long time. That no matter how much you struggled, your ugly true nature would eventually be discovered by the world.”
Yeo Un-hwi shrugged his shoulders.
“Should I say thank you for this? Because as a result, you’ve created a situation where I have no hesitation in cutting you down.”
“You’re a crazy bastard. Do you dare think you can face all of us alone!”
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
Yeo Un-hwi tilted his head.
At the same time, the bodies of all the members of the four Martial Force Units standing alongside Jang Cheong were cut in half and collapsed.
“Now you’re the only one left?”
Yeo Un-hwi smiled deeply.
And,
STAB!
The moment he felt Yeo Un-hwi’s eyes flash,
“Kuaaaagh!”
A scream burst from Jang Cheong’s mouth at the pain piercing through one side of his face.