C174
Jegal Miryeo, considered the brightest mind in the Justice Faction and holding the position of General Commander of the Murim Alliance, held a letter in his hands and slammed it abruptly onto the table. The letter contained a report on what had happened in Yunnan.
"Alliance Leader-nim, this can't go on like this!"
"Mmm."
The Alliance Leader, ranked among the top in the Justice Faction in terms of internal skills, tightly closed his eyes. Finally, he spoke after a while.
"Do you think the contents of this report are true?"
A corner of Jegal Miryeo's mouth lifted.
"Do you think it's false that a single person created a massive tsunami that brought down the walls of Yunnan and defeated ten thousand Jiangshis? Or that two Blood Demon Successor Candidates, who aren't even the Blood Demon or the main members of the Blood Cult, have reached the Profound Realm, and Young Master Kim's group effortlessly defeated them? Do all these stories seem false to you?"
"...Hah."
The Alliance Leader sighed and shook his head.
"Well, they're too unbelievable to be true. But since the statements in the reports from people in the Justice Faction, including Elder Ho and Byuk Sun, are all the same, we have no choice but to believe it."
"Alliance Leader-nim, you must keep a cool head."
Jegal Miryeo's eyes turned cold.
"When I learned that the Heavenly Demon had reached the intermediate Profound Realm, I was a bit concerned, but not much. After all, among the hidden Elders in the Justice Faction, there must be someone who has reached the Profound Realm. I thought the balance wouldn't be broken, and also, Fist King is in the Profound Realm, so the balance between the Government and Murim should be maintained. That's what I thought until now."
Jegal Miryeo continued.
"But Young Master Kim Haeil's strength is beyond imagination."
Young Master Kim, an almost divine existence in the Nature Realm.
"These are the actions a God would take, not a man."
"Mmm."
"Alliance Leader-nim, what do you think the common people would think if they saw Young Master Kim's status?"
The Alliance Leader's expression became serious.
"Not just the common people, but also Martial Artists, what do you think will happen when they see Young Master Kim's power?"
"......."
"The only thing left now is to engage in total war with the Blood Cult. Young Master Kim's power will be reflected in the eyes of countless people."
"......."
"The Three Factions. Although these forces are divided into factions, their hearts ultimately beat for one thing."
Fear lurked in Jegal Miryeo's pupils.
"Power, an even stronger power. The people of Murim dedicate their lives to that. Now, Young Master Kim has appeared before them. Each of his acts will seem like a scene from a myth. Naturally, the people..."
"...Will worship him."
"If... And perhaps even a true absolute ruler will emerge to rule Murim."
The Alliance Leader sighed, and Jegal Miryeo stopped her words.
"After all, Young Master Kim has the ability for that."
He had all the prerequisites to establish himself as an Absolute in Murim.
The power he possessed.
The dominating aura around him.
And the character.
He lacked nothing.
Indeed, among all figures that were once considered "Absolute Rulers" in Murim, Young Master Kim was incomparably superior.
"And the achievements he has accumulated so far are not insufficient to make him worthy of worship."
He purified all Living Jiangshi, no matter who they were.
Even while coughing up blood.
And now he saved Yunnan, where the common people live.
How many lives he saved.
A province, Yunnan, would become an absolute supporter of Young Master Kim.
Moreover, Yunnan didn't have a particularly influential faction, making it suitable as backing for Young Master Kim.
"...Young Master Kim probably didn't intend all this. He simply acted according to reason. He's not someone seeking honor or power."
"...That's why it's scary."
"Yes, it's scary."
Fear deepened in Jegal Miryeo's eyes.
"It's as if the world is trying to turn this person, Kim Haeil, into a God of this Murim, isn't it?"
The Alliance Leader tightly closed his eyes. But the General Commander's eyes opened even wider.
"But this can't be."
She had avoided the fight as much as possible, holding the position of General Commander. The reason was simple.
"Murim cannot be controlled by one person."
"...True."
"Hainan. I'll go there myself."
She looked towards the wall where the map of the Central Plains was spread out.
"Probably, Sima Pyeong is also rushing to Hainan with his followers right now. The Heavenly Demon is wise."
He followed Young Master Kim for a ridiculous reason called: He's a strong man.
At that time, she didn't pay much attention, but now she realized that the Heavenly Demon was hiding his true intention behind that absurd excuse.
"Surely, the Heavenly Demon, having reached the Profound Realm, must have felt Young Master Kim's true power clearly. So, being close to him is the best way to face the situation to some extent..."
Jegal Miryeo stopped before saying more. It wasn't the time to sit comfortably and contemplate events. She had to go to the battlefield as soon as possible, as that's where history would be decided.
"I'll exclude the forces prepared for emergencies and take all the other forces to Hainan."
"Understood."
With that, Jegal Miryeo quickly packed her things and headed straight to Guangdong. She would meet Young Master Kim in Guangdong before boarding the ship to Hainan.
Meanwhile...
"Jojo. Turns out the Master and the Master's close friends are different people."
Sima Pyeong, the Evil Alliance Leader, was already on his way to Hainan.
At his side were his son, Sima Jung, and Toonka, also known as Dukang Dahyup.
Sima Pyeong had gathered the strongest men of the Evil Alliance and brought them with him.
"Hehehe."
Although he laughed lightly, his gaze was cold.
He told his followers,
"We need to kill at least one more Blood Cultist. Only then will we survive."
Sima Pyeong's sinister voice was met with cheers among the members of the Evil Alliance.
"Yes."
Toonka looked at the scene and scratched his head before thinking lightly,
"Now, let's fight for real! Hahaha!"
Toonka was simply excited.
-----------------------------------------
Cale handed one of the candied fruits to Raon and turned to Chief Eunuch Wi.
"So, what decision has been made?"
"It has been done as Young Master requested."
Chief Eunuch Wi suddenly appeared, and after receiving a candied fruit from Cale, briefly glanced at Raon, who was enjoying his food before speaking.
"We have decided to send the majority of our forces to Hainan covertly, but we will also move some troops openly towards Nanman."
For the Blood Sect, Nanman was a trap, and Cale had decided to fall into it on purpose. Only then could he deceive those heading to Hainan a little.
"Anyway, as soon as the ships set sail, our forces heading to Hainan will be obvious, but the later they are discovered, the better."
In response to Cale's words, Chief Eunuch Wi nodded and opened his mouth.
"And it is expected that the experts remaining in Yunnan will make some preparations and then head to Nanman the day after tomorrow."
Cale nodded.
"Alright, they will know that Yunnan has fallen anyway."
"Exactly, that's correct."
Cale looked around.
"So, by the time the others head to Nanman, we will already be there."
A smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"We are already on the move."
By the time the Blood Cult members in Nanman saw the movements of the other martial artists and tried to react, Cale and company would have already arrived at the fortress where they stayed.
Stabbing them in the back when they were least prepared was one of the keys to Cale's plan.
Those who received his gaze nodded slightly in response.
"It's good to move in small numbers."
This time, there were no Murim people in the group. Everyone was part of Cale's team. Of course, some martial arts experts were expected to follow Cale, such as the Pinnacle Demon, the Sword Saint, the Heavenly Demon, Tang Yu, and the Brain Demon, as reinforcements from behind. Anyway, it had been a long time since the group had traveled together.
"Human! Are we going to destroy the fortress ourselves?"
Of course not.
Cale shook his head.
"No, we're just paying a visit."
A smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"Human, you're smiling like the Crown Prince again!"
Of course, Cale and his group were not the only ones moving. His gaze turned to another place.
"!"
Candidate Hoya trembled and avoided Cale's gaze. Additionally, the other candidate named Yun bit her lips and lowered her head.
"Hoya, Yun, I'll be in your care."
The two candidates didn't say a word in response to his greeting.
"Hehe."
Cale looked at Choi Jung Soo, who was smiling strangely. In response, Choi Jung Soo quickly averted his gaze.
Cale, Choi Han, Raon, Ron, Beacrox, Choi Jung Soo, and Sui Khan. Except for Toonka, and Priest Durst, who had been excluded due to nausea, the group stealthily headed towards Nanman.
Pa'at~
Using teleportation magic, of course.
What's the point of taking the hard way when there's no one else around.
And then...
"Of course, using magic is more convenient, right?"
The Blue Blood Hunters here didn't use magic, but they were quite familiar with it.
"Thanks to that, we arrived here right away."
Cale looked down from the mountain. There was a lush forest covered in humid and warm air. Among them, a fortress that looked more like a giant garden than a castle could be seen.
Cale tapped the man next to him on the shoulder.
"Hoya, what kind of person is Old Baek?"
"H-Hmm."
Hoya made a strange sound and then opened his mouth. Unlike his trembling appearance, his pronunciation and words were clear. He seemed to be trying to do well somehow while watching Cale's reaction.
"Old Baek is the heir to a family within the Blood Cult that has been producing Jiangshis for generations. His personality is eccentric, and..."
"No, no, that's not it, you said he doesn't like people around, right?"
"Yes, yes, he doesn't like people, so he only has Jiangshis around him!"
Old Baek, who knows how to purify Jiangshis. His real name was Baek Gaeok.
Choi Han, who had remained silent, approached and asked,
"Is it different from the Jiangshi purification method known by Blood Cultist No. 7?"
Blood Cultist No. 7, whom they captured on Planet Xiaolen, also claimed to be able to purify Jiangshis made with Dead Mana, although it took a long time to do so.
"Oh, what Old Baek does is much easier and can be done on a large scale."
Choi Han's expression brightened, and he spoke with a calm voice.
"It seems we must capture that person alive."
"...Really?"
"We will definitely catch that person alive."
Cale smiled strangely, thinking that Choi Han's words sounded unusually cruel, although they were gentle.
Then, he looked at Yun and Hoya, who were looking at Cale with trembling eyes.
"Haha."
And then he laughed.
'Why is he acting like this?'
Yun's pupils trembled.
'Hoya Oraboni was a person who did not bend his principles even in front of the Blood Demon! Such a person is so scared in front of that person!'
She saw Hoya being dragged while trembling, which also frightened her a lot. She couldn't help but look into Cale's eyes.
"I heard from Hoya. Yun, did you set up a Protective Formation around that fortress?"
Cale spoke calmly and placed a hand on Yun's shoulder.
"Yun, can you make a small entrance for us to sneak in, is it easy?"
Yun swallowed hard.
When Yun finished swallowing, Cale spoke gently and amicably.
"We're going to get in easily. Understand? Don't strain yourself too much. We just need to enter quietly and catch that Old Baek silently. Very simple, right?"
Cale wanted to quickly resolve the issues in the Central Plains and return to Roan. For someone aspiring to be an unemployed with hopes, wasting time in Nanman was not at all pleasant. He smiled and introduced some people to Yun.
"These people will bring out that Old Baek quietly."
Ron, Sui Khan, Choi Han.
Cale pointed at the three individuals one by one and smiled at Yun, who was watching.
"All right, Yun, can you do it?"
When Yun couldn't respond, Cale spoke again.
"Yun, answer."
Yun finally opened her mouth.
"Y-yes, I can do it..."
A while later, she trembled as she had to create a hole in the Protective Formation she had set up. Cale and his group entered the extremely large fortress. They silently made their way to the center of the mansion, where Old Baek was located.
-
