Chapter 203: Just For A Moment (3)
Chapter 202 – Just For A Moment (3)
Namgung Cheon, who sprinted at a terrifying speed, drew the Emerald Silk Sword just like that and slashed upward diagonally.
Ssuaaang!
When sword qi discharged, the server who had been standing blankly retreated with a cold gaze, drawing a short sword to block it.
Jjeeeeeong!
Cheutcheutcheutcheut!
The eyes of the server, who slid back a long distance, turned fierce.
The clan leaders and Azure Eagle Squad members, who assumed the situation was almost wrapped up, widened their eyes.
Was that server not clearly the one who had curled his body up and shivered when the chaos broke out?
Of course, if they had scrutinized the opponent carefully, they might have noticed he was a person who practiced martial arts.
However, in a situation that unfolded too urgently, they had no leisure to pay attention even to the shivered servers.
Tang Go-ryun quickly approached beside Namgung Cheon and asked.
“Is that fellow also in cahoots?”
“He likely is.”
“Then we must somehow capture at least him alive to uncover the mastermind.”
At that, the server wore a cold sneer.
“Do you think you can capture me alive with that level of skill?”
Although it was an obvious provocation, Tang Go-ryun ignored it like an experienced master.
Instead, Namgung Cheon spoke in a low voice.
“Capturing him alive is impossible.”
“Why?”
“He has not used a poison pill yet. There is a high probability that he consumed the Explosive Annihilation Gu.”
“Explosive Annihilation Gu!”
Tang Go-ryun shouted in surprise, and the other martial artists also flinched and retreated a step.
When the Explosive Annihilation Gu detonated, the host died as their entire body shattered to pieces. The problem was that, simultaneously, a terrible poison gas spread in all directions in an instant.
In short, it is self-destruction.
Since he was the Tang Clan Leader who knew about poisons better than anyone, he was certainly aware of the dreadfulness of the Explosive Annihilation Gu.
On the other hand, the server’s eyes also cooled down even colder when Namgung Cheon mentioned the Explosive Annihilation Gu.
“For a young fellow, you have quite a sharp eye.”
“If you do not want to die either, why don’t you stop instead of needlessly raising your internal energy to blow yourself up?”
“Hmph! Do you think I fear death!”
“I do not know what you wanted, but you already failed.”
“Failure? Ridiculous. The great undertaking is only beginning from now! Soon, the Unorthodox World shall arrive!”
Watching the server shout shrilly, Tang Go-ryun murmured in a low voice.
“I shall make the first strike.”
It meant he left the rear to him.
For some reason, he felt that coordinating with Namgung Cheon would be the most comfortable right now.
Namgung Cheon nodded.
The next moment,
Paat!
Chwalararak!
Dozens of daggers flew simultaneously from Tang Go-ryun’s sleeves toward the server.
“No chance!”
The server sneered and repeatedly parried the flying daggers.
Tadadadang!
However, the Sichuan Tang Clan Leader’s hidden weapon technique was strong enough to be considered overwhelming.
Puck! Puck-puck!
Several hidden weapons lodged in his thigh, abdomen, and chest in turn.
“Keuh!”
As the server staggered, swallowing a groan,
“Block this!”
Huh? Not even ‘take this,’ but ‘block this’?
The server, who reflexively raised his head, saw a sole flying toward his heart.
And instinctively, he crossed both hands in the shape of a cross and blocked it.
Kwaaaaang!
As a loud sound erupted, the server’s body was sent flying just like a cannonball.
Kwajaang!
The moment the server, who flew while shattering even the railing, floated in the air,
“Kuaap!”
Puh-huck!
Due to the rapidly raised internal energy, the Explosive Gu finally detonated, and his entire body shattered to pieces.
Blood and flesh fell in patters below, and green gas scattered in the azure sky.
“Ah…”
People watched that gruesome sight with dazed gazes.
Some of the Azure Eagle Squad members averted their gazes, perhaps feeling sick to their stomachs.
“Phew…”
Namgung Cheon, barely breathing a sigh of relief, turned around and looked at the people.
“The Explosive Annihilation Gu poison infects through the air in a vaporized state. Fortunately, it scattered in the air quite some distance away, so there should be no harm. Right? Clan Leader Tang.”
Tang Go-ryun nodded with a heavy expression.
“You are correct. Everyone may rest assured.”
Only then did the other clan leaders also breathe sighs of relief. Since Tang Go-ryun, who was called the Sovereign of Poison, acknowledged it, they felt at ease.
Tang Go-ryun looked at Namgung Cheon with a surprised expression.
“How did you know all of those things?”
“Books are treasures of knowledge.”
“Books, is it.”
Although Tang Go-ryun nodded and let it pass, his true thoughts were not so.
Information about the Explosive Annihilation Gu could be obtained through books.
However, in this situation, that the person who just died would have the Explosive Annihilation Gu implanted in their body was not a fact one could know simply by reading books.
It was strictly a level that only someone with rich experience could infer.
Because even he himself was in such a flurry that he had not thought of it.
‘Rather, I am at a pathetic point myself.’
If he had thought just a little deeper, he would have thought that they would have at least one more final resort.
Since gunpowder was troublesome to carry and tricky to ignite, would the Explosive Annihilation Gu not be the most accessible?
Although it would not be easy to obtain, if they plotted a task of this scale, they would certainly prepare to that extent.
Yet Namgung Cheon noticed first what even he had missed.
Even in this chaos, he coolly grasped and analyzed the situation, preventing an accident that could have become a disaster of all time.
Certainly, this was no ordinary matter.
In addition, it was something that could not be easily accomplished without rich Jianghu experience.
‘Yet is he that calm?’
He was calm, like someone who had already experienced this kind of crisis dozens of times.
Was it even plausible for a youth who was barely twenty to show such a side?
‘Namgung Cheon. Just what on earth are you…’
Tang Go-ryun felt a shiver run down his spine.
The ability to overturn the situation in a single bound even when the clan leaders united to corner him, martial prowess that did not fall behind the Lightning Segmented Spear, being the quickest to recognize the unorthodox artist disguised as a server, and even the adaptability to render the Explosive Annihilation Gu useless!
It was too great an ability to simply brush off with the word ‘talent.’
‘Is he… a Hidden Dragon!’
If his judgment was not wrong, Namgung Cheon was not a target to be excluded, but a target that must be won over.
Tang Go-ryun dismissed his thoughts, approached Namgung Cheon, and cupped his fists.
“Thanks to you, we passed a great crisis. Thank you.”
In an instant, everyone in the hall widened their eyes and looked at Tang Go-ryun. And indeed, because cases where the Sichuan Tang Clan bowed their head first were rare.
Was it not the Sichuan Tang Clan whose pride pierced the sky?
Even if they did not pick a fight first, they did not bow their head first either.
It was the Sichuan Tang Clan that showed courtesy strictly to the extent received from the other party.
Yet, the Sichuan Tang Clan Leader showed full courtesy to Namgung Cheon first.
It was an amazing thing.
Right then, martial artists swarmed up the stairs.
They were the guard escorts of each clan.
Most of them had been staying on the lower floors of the Yellow Crane Tower as usual.
Because since the prominent clan leaders were gathered in one place, there was no need for guard escorts to follow them to the very top floor.
“Are you alright, Clan Leader!”
“Escort the Clan Leader!”
“Clan Leader! Are you safe?”
The guard escorts shouting, looking for their respective masters.
Namgung Cheon shook his head and muttered to himself.
“It is a mess, a complete mess.”
“Naturally. Since a problem of this scale has never occurred until now.”
Tang Go-ryun spoke to Namgung Cheon with a bitter smile.
It was an era of peaceful times.
Far from a problem of this scale, until now in Wuhan, not a single martial artist had ever picked a fight upon seeing the Seven Great Clans’ leaders.
“Clan Leader, are you alright?”
Right then, the guard escorts of the Sichuan Tang Clan also ran over. Tang Go-ryun had the injured Tang Wu-gi moved and sent all the guard escorts back.
Only after a bout of commotion occurred and the guard escorts withdrew did the atmosphere become slightly quieted down.
The Alliance Leader, who had only been observing the situation until now, finally walked to the long table.
Although Namgung Geom sat at the head seat already, since the situation was what it was, it was not the time to argue over such things.
Even so, since he could not sit at a lower seat, he went to the end of the table and sat opposite Namgung Geom.
“Now, everyone sit down.”
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
Only then did the clan leaders regain their senses, walk to the long table, and occupy their seats.
While the Azure Eagle Squad members quickly cleaned up the corpses, Namgung Cheon also approached and sat beside Namgung Geom.
Mok Cheon-ak swept his gaze over the gathering once and spoke heavily.
“This is not a place where only the Seven Great Clans are present, but I shall speak regardless.”
“Yes, we shall take it to heart.”
Jo Geom-myeong replied, bowing his head deeply. It was an appearance distinctly different from when he dealt with the Namgung Clan.
Mok Cheon-ak spoke.
“Since the situation has turned out like this, you will all guess that the situation is quite serious. Currently, the movements of the unorthodox forces are unusual. Therefore, I inevitably insisted on participating in the clan conference.”
“Have they begun to gather?”
When Murong Hwan narrowed his eyes and asked, Mok Cheon-ak quietly nodded.
“According to the analysis of the Heavenly Brain Hall, it seems to be so.”
The Heavenly Brain Hall was a place overseen by the Chief Strategist even within the Martial Alliance.
A place that gathers, analyzes, and details the interpretation of information in the Martial World.
If the Heavenly Brain Hall concluded so, it meant one could believe it in nine cases out of ten.
Hwangbo Chil clenched his fist tightly and shouted.
“Since the Demonic Cult bastards are quiet, now those dark-hearted ones are running rampant! We must sweep them all away! Before they sprout!”
At this, Baekli Yeong-san cautiously expressed doubt.
“However, for unorthodox people to gather. It is indeed surprising.”
“Indeed. To think even those who always stab in the back can unite. In any case, once we show them a lesson, they will all disperse into powder.”
Hwangbo Chil spoke as if growling.
Actually, the unorthodox people had been unable to gather their forces for a long time.
Because by nature the unorthodox people obsessed only with strength and were familiar with a winner-take-all structure, betrayal and conspiracy ran rampant.
How could an organization where distrust of each other was prevalent persist for long?
However, if such people united tightly due to some occasion, they could indeed become a terrifying organization.
And…
“If they already plot a task of this scale with the resolve of mutual destruction, it does not seem like they will disperse easily, though.”
Namgung Cheon spoke his thoughts without filter.
At this, Jo Geom-myeong flared up and shouted.
“What do you know…!”
As he spoke, only after receiving Namgung Geom’s fierce glare did he blur his voice ambiguously and continue.
“…to make such remarks? The unorthodox people are originally a race that commits only betrayal and conspiracy. They are guys who cannot be trusted, I say. Today’s matter must be that a few naive ones among the unorthodox fell for coaxing.”
Of course, Namgung Cheon could not agree with this at all.
At least the three unorthodox people he recognized today were not naive enough to throw away their lives easily.
‘How clever they are.’
But there was no way to say he was an acquaintance of theirs.
Instead, he brought up other words.
“Then, can the Luoyang Jo Clan Leader coax a naive person to risk their life?”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly as I said. Can anyone persuade a naive person to throw away their life? Can you urge them to assassinate the Alliance Leader and the prominent clan leaders?”
“How could such a…”
“If it is simply forcing suicide, you might be able to do it. Because that is making them give up. But if you order them to massacre the Alliance Leader and the prominent clan leaders all at once, most probably will not listen, you know? The more naive a person is, the more they will faint and run away.”
For some reason, they were persuaded.
Indeed, making someone commit suicide by threatening them seemed relatively easy, but making them obey an order to massacre the leadership of the Martial Alliance seemed difficult.
Of course, it would change if it were a vassal with great loyalty, but doing so would mean self-refuting the statement that the cohesive force was weak.
While Jo Geom-myeong was lost in thought, Namgung Cheon continued his words calmly.
“Because in such cases, it is not giving up, but tremendous courage that is required. Would it be only courage? A belief worthy of risking one’s life would also be needed. Therefore, it is a hundred times more difficult than simply making them give up life. Because you literally have to instill a desire they wish to achieve even by burning their life away.”
“…”
“Therefore, we must not take them lightly. Not the naive ones who came today after consuming the Explosive Annihilation Gu, but those behind them. Because it means they know how to employ people. That statement soon means…”
“That gathering is also possible.”
When Tang Go-ryun spoke heavily, Namgung Cheon nodded faintly.
Tang Go-ryun looked back at Namgung Cheon.
“Then, who do you think is behind it?”
“How would I know.”
Namgung Cheon shrugged his shoulders.
‘Well, there is a slightly suspicious fellow, though.’