Chapter 370: Upheaval (4)
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It was said that the secret correspondence exchanged with the Mount Hua Sect had been cut off starting three days ago. At first, the Zhongnan Sect had not thought much of it either. When one was busy with affairs, a delay in reply was not so unusual an occurrence, after all.
Even so, when contact continued to fail, the Zhongnan Sect sent a person directly rather than a carrier pigeon, and that person saw the Mount Hua Sect whose master had changed.
“……We were far too complacent.”
Cho Seo-gi spoke with bitterness. I shook my head.
“Since it was an internal affair of Mount Hua, leaving it to Mount Hua was an unavoidable measure. There is no need to feel guilty.”
Of course, it was true that the Zhongnan Sect had been somewhat complacent, but the fact that the Mount Hua Sect had been annihilated to the point of being unable to notify us was shocking even to me.
From what I had heard from Cho Seo-gi, the Mount Hua Sect Leader’s faction on Falling Goose Peak accounted for ninety percent of the original sect’s fighting strength. Gu Jinqing had struck Falling Goose Peak with barely ten percent of their power.
No matter that Gu Jinqing was one of the Five Great Sword Masters Under Heaven, that was an impossible feat. The elders of the Mount Hua Sect were not blind men, after all.
“Another force must have arrived.”
“Inevitably so. A quite formidable force must have assisted them.”
“The Palace of Heavenly Worship? Even if it is the Palace of Heavenly Worship, their internal fissures are severe right now, so they wouldn’t possess that level of force. Nor is a place like Shaolin Temple one that would step forward directly to assist Gu Jinqing’s faction.”
“That is true.”
“Do you have a place in mind?”
Cho Seo-gi asked. I looked at Cho Seo-gi intently. I checked to see if Cho Seo-gi had any suspicion of his own, but he seemed not to know.
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
“The Demonic Cult.”
At my words, Cho Seo-gi narrowed his brow.
“The Demonic Cult?”
“Yes. Right now, the Imperial Palace and the Demonic Cult have joined hands. They seem to have made a conditional pact, though I do not know the exact terms of the agreement.”
“Hoh. They have truly gone as far as they can go.”
In truth, we had gone as far as we could go as well.
“If the Demonic Cult is entangled, that would indeed be plausible. Because as a single force right now, there are not many places that could silently subdue the Mount Hua Sect.”
“That is so.”
“For the Imperial Palace to even mobilize the Demonic Cult. Now they seek to shake the very foundations of the nation.”
“Is this not an era of upheaval? They would mobilize even the hand of a child.”
“Even so.”
Cho Seo-gi shook his head repeatedly. Leading one of the branches of the Demonic Cult myself, I could hardly sympathize with that reaction.
“What does the Association Master intend to do?”
Cho Seo-gi asked cautiously. From the perspective of the Zhongnan Sect, they would naturally wish to avoid shedding unnecessary blood.
If Zhongnan went to strike the Mount Hua Sect right now, they would have to face the Demonic Cult as well. However, my answer was already decided.
“I shall go.”
“You will go.”
“Zhongnan does not necessarily need to come. I can go alone.”
I thought Cho Seo-gi would welcome those words. Since it would preserve Zhongnan’s strength. However, Cho Seo-gi wore an offended expression instead.
“Look here, Association Master. We too are the New Justice Association. If the Association Master goes and we do not follow, how severely would the world criticize Zhongnan?”
“Will it be alright? I am going for my own personal reasons as well.”
“Personal reasons, you say. What a strange excuse.”
It was the truth. At my level, rather than having minor martial artists accompany me, being alone allowed me to exert martial prowess much better.
And it was also a personal reason because if we lost the Mount Hua Sect here, the Legitimacy of the New Justice Association would drop, so I was going out of necessity.
“If the Zhongnan Sect wishes to go, I will not stop you.”
“Naturally so.”
In the end, those who would go to Mount Hua were decided like that. Naturally, everyone could not go, so a few elders, including the Sect Leader, decided to go.
Having decided to go, there was no reason to delay. We immediately headed toward Mount Hua.
“It has truly been a long time since I came to Mount Hua.”
Cho Seo-gi spoke. Indeed, there would rarely be an occasion for a person of the Zhongnan Sect to visit Mount Hua.
Mount Hua was the Western Peak among the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains, characterized by magnificent scenery arising from rugged cliffs and steeply sloped mountain paths. In the first place, because it was such a treacherous mountain, it was a mountain that people rarely visited unless they were martial artists. A commoner would easily slip and fall to their death with just a slight misstep, after all.
“It is a renowned mountain.”
“Though less so than Mount Zhongnan.”
At my words, Cho Seo-gi nitpicked. By any measure, Mount Hua seemed far more magnificent than Mount Zhongnan, but there was no need to defend my conviction in a place like this, so I merely nodded.
“Let us ascend.”
Taking the lead, I began to climb Mount Hua. Even on a treacherous mountain with steep slopes, because everyone was a distinguished martial artist, no one found the ascent difficult.
I climbed while closely examining the surroundings. I scanned even the residual energies remaining on tree branches and blades of grass. There lingered demonic qi so thick that one could not ignore it even if one tried.
“It is certain.”
“What is?”
“The Demonic Cult was involved in the Mount Hua Sect’s internal strife.”
“……I do not know how you knew, but it truly was so.”
The elders of Zhongnan, including Cho Seo-gi, sighed.
Even if Zhongnan and Mount Hua had been bitter rivals like cats and dogs, each acknowledged the other as a prestigious orthodox sect. Seeing such a worthy rival manipulated by the Demonic Cult must have brought a bitter taste to their mouths.
As we gradually drew nearer to the Mount Hua Sect, the scent of blood began to mingle in the air. I felt the aura of the Zhongnan elders behind me grow sharp. Seeing the smell of blood so thick, it seemed the cleanup had not even fully concluded yet.
Before long, we arrived before the plaque of the Mount Hua Sect. It was the entrance leading to Falling Goose Peak.
“……Mmm.”
Gentleman Sword Yeom So-cheon groaned from behind.
About half of the Mount Hua Sect’s plaque had been torn away, and the remaining portion was drenched in blood so heavily that the name Mount Hua Sect could not even be seen.
“I sense demonic qi from above. It seems the demonic practitioners have not all withdrawn yet.”
“We came in good time. Had we been even a little later, we might have missed them, wouldn’t we?”
Cho Seo-gi wore a cynical smile. From that moment on, we began to advance off the beaten path while concealing our presence as much as possible.
The quiet Mount Hua Sect was eerie. Occasionally, off the path, corpses of Mount Hua martial artists were visible. They were those who had tumbled down and caught on trees or rocks.
“This has crossed the line.”
One of the Zhongnan elders said. Cutting down and killing one’s own martial brothers could never be understood. It would be the same for the elders of Zhongnan.
“The Mount Hua Sect probably did not anticipate it either. That someone who shared meals under the same roof for a lifetime would unite with the Demonic Cult to turn blade points against them.”
“That is likely why they suffered helplessly.”
“Perhaps so.”
As we ascended toward Falling Goose Peak, the presence and sounds of people were heard. From that point on, there was no need for us to conceal our presence. We had hidden our presence to observe the internal situation of the Mount Hua Sect in the first place. But with the situation clear, concealing our presence was no longer necessary.
“Good to see you.”
I offered a greeting in a nonchalant tone.
The Mount Hua martial artists were startled. Their clothes and sleeves were soaked with blood. It was probably the blood of the brothers they had personally killed.
“The New Justice Association Master?”
“Even the Zhongnan Sect Leader……”
Naturally, they recognized us. I restrained them as they moved to draw their swords.
“Let us end this as quietly as possible. Where is the Violet Mist Divine Sword?”
The Mount Hua martial artists hesitated. They too must know. The fact that they could not defeat us right now.
“……He is above.”
“It seems he is together with the demonic practitioners.”
“How did you……”
At my words, the Mount Hua martial artists were shocked. So shocked that they even made the mistake of confessing immediately. Though they quickly covered their mouths, words already spoken could not be retrieved.
“It doesn’t matter even if you made a slip of the tongue. I came knowing it anyway.”
“…….”
As I passed, I lightly tapped the shoulder of a Mount Hua martial artist. Strength had already drained from their entire bodies. They seemed to have lost their spirits at the thought of having killed their own brothers.
“Gu Jinqing has gone completely mad. To bring along demonic practitioners to strike his martial brothers just to save himself.”
Cho Seo-gi clicked his tongue repeatedly. It seemed they saw what I saw as well.
What fault was there in those disciples? Gu Jinqing held a blade behind their backs and told them to swing at their brothers, so they had merely swung. Of course, that too could not be called blameless, but had Gu Jinqing not been there, would they have committed such a crime? That was something to ponder.
A thick stench of blood pervaded the pavilions of the Mount Hua Sect, which were drenched in blood just like the plaque.
Since we had approached without concealing our presence, they too would know that we had arrived.
“Traitor of the orthodox sects, Gu Jinqing, come out!”
Cho Seo-gi shouted thus. His voice, heavily laden with internal energy, was filled with fury.
Soon, a reaction came from within. Before long, the door burst open. There appeared Gu Jinqing, gaunt with hollow cheeks. After Gu Jinqing stepped out, a man trailing Daoist robes like a scholar also stepped out from behind. Even without looking through the Heavenly Eye, he was a person of the Blood Cult.
“Sect Leader, why am I a traitor?”
Gu Jinqing asked. Cho Seo-gi furrowed his brow.
“I saw the corpses of Mount Hua disciples as I came up. No matter how much opinions differed and caused division, is borrowing the power of the Demonic Cult to slaughter martial brothers something a human being would conceive?”
“If I hadn’t killed them, my martial brothers would have sought to kill me.”
Gu Jinqing’s voice was hoarse. Between his hollow cheeks revealing prominent cheekbones and his hoarse voice, he looked completely drained of strength. He too seemed to have suffered tremendous mental anguish. Of course, that could not serve as a reason for extenuation.
“I requested aid from the Imperial Palace, and the Imperial Palace merely dispatched the Demonic Cult. Until then, I did not even know that the Imperial Palace was cooperating with the Demonic Cult.”
Gu Jinqing made excuses. But I, Cho Seo-gi, and Gu Jinqing all knew. That those words held no meaning whatsoever before the disciples of Mount Hua who had already died.
“There is no grave in the world without its tale. You have already lost your identity as an orthodox martial artist.”
Cho Seo-gi spoke resolutely. Gu Jinqing could not answer those words either. He too knew. The fact that he had crossed the line.
“I had no choice. I had no choice! My martial brothers drove me into a corner!”
“Even when driven into a corner, there are things that must never be abandoned.”
“Try being driven into a corner yourself! Things like conviction can be changed anytime!”
Gu Jinqing looked at Cho Seo-gi with bloodshot eyes. However, the eyes of the Zhongnan people, including Cho Seo-gi, were cold.
“Violet Mist Divine Sword. Our part ends here.”
At that moment, the Blood Cultist who had been standing quietly behind intervened. Gu Jinqing’s eyes widened like lanterns.
“W-What do you mean!”
“We received a request from the Imperial Palace to dispose of the Mount Hua Sect people; we did not receive a request to dispose of the New Justice Association people as well.”
“In the first place, isn’t the New Justice Association the enemy of the Imperial Palace!”
“Well now. I merely do as ordered. From now on, it is your share.”
At the words of the Blood Cultist, Gu Jinqing was struck speechless. Whatever the reason, the Blood Cult seemed to have no intention of joining this fight.
If they were going to abandon Gu Jinqing here in the first place, why had they helped Gu Jinqing?
However, with the Heavenly Eye, I could see the emotion of the person standing behind. The emotion the Blood Cultist felt right now was amusement. He was enjoying the very sight of a person collapsing.
From what I saw, that Blood Cultist himself seemed to be someone of fairly high standing, enough to make independent decisions. Because he found it amusing, he simply refused to help. At that pure malice, I was momentarily at a loss for words.
“I shall watch. Do as you see fit.”
Without even hiding his amusement, the Blood Cultist sat atop the roof with a beaming smile.
We too looked at him in disbelief, but the most flabbergasted was undoubtedly Gu Jinqing.
“Even if that madman looks down upon us with displeasure, what we must do does not change.”
I shifted the atmosphere and drew my sword.
“Punishing the traitor of the orthodox sects comes first.”
Gu Jinqing looked at me. A bewildered fury with nowhere to go burned in his hollow gaze.