< Murim Alliance Meeting (3) >
Located more than two hundred kilometers away from the Shaolin Temple, the Sanmun Hyop is a solitary building nestled in an uninhabited mountain valley.
“It’s about to begin.”
Inside, an elderly man with an immortal-like appearance stroked his white beard and muttered softly.
Beyond the small window he gazed out of, there was nothing but the ordinary scenery of the forest, yet his deep gaze encompassed a broader world beyond these few feet of land.
“Is there no error in the preparations? The leader is personally taking action. There must be no deviation.”
“Yes, Military Officer. We’ve conducted multiple confirmations and completed the verifications. The leader is satisfied and has given the command to proceed.”
“Is that so? That’s truly fortunate. The effort we’ve put in has paid off.”
The elderly man nodded slowly and closed his eyes, reminiscing about past days.
It had been a long time.
Twenty-two years since the fate of this world was twisted in the Imperial Palace’s bloodshed.
It had taken this long to finally move forward, thanks to the persistent interference from those ‘Gonmudo’ bastards, but it wasn’t entirely bad; in fact, it had made the preparatory work more meticulous.
Toppling the Kunlun sect, often regarded as the vanguard of the central Murim, was part of that effort.
Moreover, the timing was just right for the suitable event that was taking place…
“How foolish can they be? Trying to socialize at a time like this.”
The old man chuckled, shaking his head as the masked figure kneeling before him quietly bowed his head.
The meeting aimed at resurrecting the shreds of the broken Murim Alliance’s name.
Of course, this method was not a poor choice in the long run.
As long as the situation in Murim did not worsen and the power structure could maintain its current state.
“Ha ha ha, peace has lasted too long.”
Although, regarding peace, not a day went by without bloodshed, yet for the old man, that was merely a complaint from a glutton.
How long had it been since the transformation of the world arrived that they were already seeking stability? How extraordinarily complacent!
In a world as chaotic as this, only strength could be justice.
Peace and stability could only be dreamed of under overwhelmingly absolute power.
Yet, here they were, distracted by meaningless socializing—how could that not be considered foolish?
‘In fact, considering our purpose, it would be rational to avoid meeting at this time…’
However, the leader did not wish for such a tepid approach.
What he desired was absolute dominance built on overwhelming strength and violence.
To achieve it, the remnants tied to the name of the Murim Alliance needed to be thoroughly crushed.
‘Our Protectors and elite members are following the leader; there shouldn’t be any issues.’
Today would mark the day when the remnants of the Murim Alliance would completely vanish.
Thus, what he needed to focus on now was not the Shaolin Temple, but ensuring that the other plans were progressing smoothly.
“There’s no need to hesitate any longer. Spread the word to all branches. The time has come; it’s time to initiate the plan.”
“Respected name! Heavenly Demon’s return brings endless blessings!”
Immediately after the masked figure received the command and vanished like smoke.
“Ha ha ha, it’s just around the corner.”
The old man, Hoo, military officer of the Heavenly Demon Church, closed his eyes softly, a low chuckle escaping his lips.
He believed that the long wait was nearly over.
*
The situation was escalating rapidly.
“Unleash the Eighteen Arhats Formation!”
“Those who go against the will of the sect, annihilate them all!”
“How dare they commit such heinous acts in sacred grounds!”
“Heavenly Demon’s return brings endless blessings!”
“You filthy cultists!”
What had just been a space for mutual acquaintance now turned into utter chaos.
The area was filled with shouts, screams, and curses echoed all around.
Crack! Boom!
Amid the chaos, the deafening explosions resounding from the outskirts of the Shaolin Temple hinted that the current situation would not end easily.
The overwhelming clash of energies and the ensuing storm of qi emanating from there were fearsome and fierce.
“Ugh, how did the cult get all the way to Shaolin?!”
This was a signaling flare of the once-dormant foe’s active uprising.
And it was taking shape far worse than anyone could have imagined.
“Ugh!”
“Don’t overdo it! Only think about holding out!”
“These bastards… what kind of sorcery is this?!”
Even as the attendees of the meeting faced this sudden calamity, they held their ground.
While not all of them were the very best from their respective factions, they were elites who had overcome numerous obstacles to reach here.
But to have such reckless attackers gather in one place was outrageous!
Fueled by a burning fight spirit, they fought vigorously against the demons that emerged from all directions.
And soon, something was discovered.
“Do not confront those bastards with weapons! Their energy disrupts our inner flow… Ugh!”
“Brother! These… damning villains—!”
Admittedly, it was baffling.
This was the headquarters of the Shaolin Temple, the peak of Murim, and the leader of Henan Province.
No matter how strong and terrible the Demon Cult was, colliding head-on with a place like this would be a burdensome ordeal.
Moreover, this place was not solely composed of Shaolin’s forces.
Ching—
Caught up in the melee, Namgoong So-ran bit her lip as she confronted a masked cultist with her blade.
“What is going on? Mountain Poison? Absorbing Energy Technique? No, no. This isn’t just that… it feels like something fundamental is shaking…’
The energy she had steadily built up through consistent elixirs and excellent inner cultivation was breaking apart like drops of water.
Her usual steady flow of inner power, which had always empowered her, was faltering as she desperately tried to hold it together, exhausting both her mental strength and energy.
Despite the ambush, it was uncommon for a leading sect like Shaolin to be faltering this much; it had to be the cause.
“If this condition persists for all…”
In the duels fought by the well-versed, the use of inner power was essential, and if one side was restricted, a fair fight was impossible.
They should rather be praised for holding out this long in such a state.
“Huff!”
Clang, clang—
Taking a deep breath while clashing her blade, Namgoong So-ran forcibly drew upon her inner strength and took a large step forward.
It drained her energy far more than usual, but for a moment, she regained smooth inner flow.
Major Leap of the Dragon!
Swish—
In an instant, a dark blue blade of energy soared, cutting through the air and cleaving apart the tireless enemies that clung onto her.
“Huff, huff.”
Yet, she couldn’t rejoice in her hard-won victory.
The foe she had struggled to defeat was merely a lowly foot soldier among the incoming cultists.
‘…It’s dangerous. If it keeps going like this…’
She couldn’t even count on the assistance of her guardian, Sword Saint Namgoong Woo.
Boom!
The overwhelmingly fierce flow of energy erupting from the periphery indicated that he was locked in a tough battle over there.
‘Is Grandmaster struggling against a foe, then…!’
But there was no time for her to calmly gather her thoughts.
“That’s the granddaughter of the Sword Saint! Capture her!”
Ugh!
By this time, three opponents of similar levels to the one she had been facing just moments ago were converging towards her.
She quickly glanced around, biting her lip.
‘…I messed up. I got too far from my party while lost in battle!’
Namgoong So-ran began to resist desperately, but if one was a struggle, then facing three was as good as sealed.
Eventually, after a fierce struggle, her energy exhausted, her sword flew from her grasp.
“So-ran!”
She could hear her brother’s voice frantically coming closer, but she didn’t have the face to look at him.
Hadn’t she followed him here only to be a hindrance, offering help that turned into none?
Who would have thought that seeking to see the broader world would lead to her grave?
Glaring at the emotionless weapons rushing toward her, she opened her eyes wide.
‘Ah… if only I had asked more straightforwardly.’
Not even knowing the abilities of Ha Seung-hoon, a recent subject of her interest, felt regrettable now.
What mattered right now wasn’t that, but somehow it felt unsatisfactory to leave without realizing it.
Slash—
Perhaps due to that regret.
As she was lost in thought, blood splattered on her body with a chilling sound from the blade.
“When fighting, always observe your surroundings and coordinate with allies, Namgoong So-juh. If you move recklessly, it will end badly.”
“Uh… Hoo? How… did you just…?”
“The warriors of Namgoong Family are coming this way. For now, let’s join over there.”
Not even thinking to wipe the stranger’s blood that had splashed on her, she stared absently at the man she had been wishing to meet for so long.
Facing the figure who felt inexplicably vast in its presence.
*
After rescuing the Namgoong Family’s lady, Hugo continued his hurried movements.
Originally, he hadn’t planned to get this involved, but amid this chaotic melee, it became inevitable.
‘They said inner power gets disrupted by the cultists, huh?
He glanced around the battlefield again.
Seeing allies, supposedly top-tier warriors, struggling against mere elite cultists elucidated why they were being pushed back so severely.
However.
Swoosh— Clash!
Slash!
He swung his sword, easily deflecting the enemy’s weapon and severing their neck.
A clean motion without any superfluities.
‘Why am I fine?’
Unlike his allies who struggled as though they were hit with poison, he felt nothing unusual while facing the cultists.
Instead, the opponents he faced grew careless, expecting weaknesses to arise, only to fall one by one.
‘That should be factored in.’
The most significant difference between him and the others was that he was an Awakened One from another world.
If this was what allowed him to evade the cultists’ unknown methods…
‘Phew, I’ll think about the details later.’
First, he needed to use this opportunity to help those around him.
And if he left a good impression in the process, even better.
“Ugh, thank you for your assistance, young hero.”
“Phew— I’ve been saved. I will surely repay you later.”
“Wow, impressive. To perform this well under such dire conditions. Quite remarkable. Ha Seung-hoon from the Zhuge Family, huh…”
And it was enough to bolster Hugo’s fame as he began to move about busily.
While everyone else floundered, he casually approached, helped a bit, then slipped away, leaving a strong impression on those he aided.
‘Though I wouldn’t be able to do much in front of true strong foes, this alone should boost overall morale.’
However, while he was busy trying to calm the atmosphere…
Suddenly, an unimaginable change took place.
Swoosh—
Boom!
A figure came hurtling in at incredible speed, crashing against the nearby temple with an astounding sound.
Even Hugo’s senses couldn’t react in time.
Naturally, all eyes filled with wariness turned toward that direction.
And right after.
“Shin Seung Mu-jin, is this all Shaolin has to offer? Their once-great name is now but a memory.”
A chilling voice echoed across the hall.
Only after the sound completely faded did the people present fully recognize him.
No one could have known, but he had already been there.
Draped in a black robe, hair billowing wildly in the wind—a presence unmatched.
“That figure… could it be…?”
“Mujin Dae-sa?!”
None here recognized his face, yet they instinctively understood who he was just by observing.
It was because the presence he emitted was overwhelmingly unique.
Just existing seemed to trample upon the world.
The master of all darkness, the embodiment of evil.
The spawn of the heavens that descended to embrace the earth.
People around the world would say—
“Heavenly Demon…”
The appearance of the world’s most notorious villain left everyone frozen stiff.
*
And at the same moment.
“Oh! Finally made it! Wow, this is intense! Kahaha!”
“Ugh! What’s that? It’s complete mayhem! What on earth happened here?”
Two large men finally entered the Sacred Mountain.
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