Chapter 242 : Darkness, Steps Out Into the World
Chapter 242: Darkness, Steps Out Into the World
It was a very neatly decorated room.
From the clean wallpaper to the tea table made by a master craftsman and the decorative cabinet that brought out the texture of the solid wood, there was nothing in the room that wasn't luxurious.
It was a high-end tea house used by the wealthy.
It was the kind of place where a single cup of tea cost anywhere from dozens to hundreds of silver coins. Ordinary people didn't even know such a place existed.
While they sold expensive and rare teas, the price was actually for borrowing the luxurious atmosphere of the establishment.
An old man sat there. Dressed neatly in white martial robes, he looked like an immortal who had descended from the heavens.
His appearance wasn't the only thing impressive, and the aura the old man radiated was also formidable. His eyes were as clear as a still lake, and his upright posture made it impossible to guess his age. He truly revealed the dignity of a Great Grandmaster.
The door opened and another old man entered. The space dominated by the first old man was instantly encroached upon by the newcomer.
Perhaps it was only natural. The person who had entered was Yao Hong.
The first old man looked up at Yao Hong while remaining seated.
His eyes betrayed anger and hatred that he was struggling to suppress. Even more surprising was the fact that he knew Yao Hong's identity.
“For such an esteemed figure to ask to see this humble person. It's quite a surprise.”
Not many people could show such a reaction while knowing the identity of the Demonic Cult Leader.
The old man who had been waiting was a person entirely different from his outward appearance.
Once, the people of the Jianghu called him this.
The Dark Great Emperor.
He was an absolute master once called the absolute ruler of the shadows.
There was a faction that followed him. They were the ones called the Dark Noble Clan. It was a family crowded with absolute masters, and it was known that a sea of blood would flow wherever they went.
However, at some point, they disappeared from the Jianghu without a trace.
When they didn't show themselves in the Jianghu for a long time, the people of the Jianghu thought the Dark Noble Clan had been destroyed after getting caught up in some incident.
The head of that Dark Noble Clan was this very old man.
“I came out to get some fresh air.”
“It seems you want to stir up a wind of blood.”
Yao Hong smirked at the Dark Great Emperor's words. The Dark Great Emperor was the only person who dared to act so arrogantly in his presence. He had the right to do so. That was why Yao Hong had come to meet him like this.
The Dark Great Emperor asked seriously.
“Why did you look for me?”
“I need your strength.”
The Dark Great Emperor's expression hardened instantly. He stared intently into Yao Hong's eyes to discern the true intent behind his words.
He could only feel a sense of despicableness, unable to tell what the man was thinking.
“It's time for both you and me to step out into the world.”
“Damn it!”
The Dark Great Emperor's face distorted fiercely.
“You are the most despicable and filthy person I've ever seen.”
“I'll take that as a compliment. I valued your spirit highly, which is why I've kept you alive until now.”
The Dark Great Emperor's eyes became bloodshot. It looked as if flames might erupt from his eyes smoldering with rage at any moment.
“It's the part of my life I regret most. Leaving you alone.”
“As the head of a family, it's not an easy thing to lead that family to its destruction.”
Clink.
The teacup held in the Dark Great Emperor's hand shattered.
On the other hand, Yao Hong simply stared indifferently at the Dark Great Emperor's trembling hand.
The Dark Great Emperor glared at Yao Hong and asked coldly.
“What is it that you want?”
“To punish those who look down on the Demonic Cult. That's all.”
“Hmph! You talk as if you're the real thing.”
“The real Demonic Cult you speak of doesn't exist in this world. There is only one Demonic Cult in the Jianghu, and that's us.”
“The legitimate successor of the Heavenly Demon Sect is still alive.”
“But they still haven't manifested the Heavenly Demon Soul. They're probably hiding somewhere, squeezing out tears. Is that what you call the real thing? Is a successor without the Heavenly Demon Soul legitimate?”
The Dark Great Emperor couldn't say a word in response.
Yao Hong's strong tone became much softer.
“Once this business is over... our grudge will end as well. If that happens, you'll get what you want.”
The Dark Great Emperor's eyes wavered for a moment.
Yao Hong threw out a single sentence to the man who was half in doubt.
“...I will return that child.”
The Dark Great Emperor's entire body trembled violently.
“Do you mean it?”
“I promise on my name.”
Silence fell. Clearly, the Dark Great Emperor was deeply shaken.
Yao Hong was a man who knew how to make a deal. He knew how to shake the opponent's heart.
He also knew how to conclude a deal.
Without waiting for an answer, Yao Hong stood up from his seat.
“We've grown old. Whatever the result may be, this will be the last time. I'll wait for your answer.”
A short while after he disappeared, a young man walked in. Having a handsome face and a cold aura, he was Socheong, who assisted the Dark Great Emperor.
“It's a trick to use us. You mustn't listen to his words.”
“It probably is.”
The Dark Great Emperor said with tears welling in his eyes.
“Like he said, I've grown too old and....”
The words that he missed that child so much, the thing he wanted so desperately, didn't come out of his mouth.
* * *
A secret operations room was set up.
This place was for the top leaders of the Murim Alliance.
Lee Jaseung created another operations room not far from that one. That was the operations room for the Black Way Alliance.
Information coming from outside arrived first at the Three Eyed Pavilion led by Dan Woobin, and from there, it was passed to the Murim Alliance operations room.
This was possible because Mujin's Virtuous Heroes and Ma Young-gi's Guard Hall martial artists had completely taken control of the internal affairs, including the Guard Hall.
Important figures had already been replaced with Black Way Alliance martial artists.
“You must avoid war.”
The strategist Sa Jo-pyeong knew the result of this war better than anyone and naturally stood in a position of opposition.
“I don't want war either.”
Since he couldn't tell the true intent, Sa Jo-pyeong stared at Lee Jaseung in silence. There were many times when he felt he was doing something detached, even though he still led the Vermillion Bird Hall and served as the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance.
That was when Yeo Beom of the Elders' Hall stepped forward.
“But if those bastards provoke us first, we can't just sit and take it.”
As usual, he was giving negative opinions on anything regarding Sa Jo-pyeong.
Sa Jo-pyeong looked at him with displeased eyes. Calling him was clearly intended to keep himself in check.
‘How do you intend to work together in the future when you don't even trust me, the Chief Strategist?’
A feeling of pity came before suspicion or disappointment.
Since Lee Jaseung had risen to the position of Alliance Leader at a young age, he probably hated being a puppet. That must be why he was using Yeo Beom to keep him in check.
Sa Jo-pyeong understood it that way. Otherwise, there were many things he simply couldn't understand.
“The strategist must do his best to monitor the movements of the Demonic Cult!”
Yeo Beom said in a loud voice. To pin any future mistakes or faults on Sa Jo-pyeong, he had to clearly establish the scope of responsibility first. It was a method commonly used when trying to bring someone down.
“Don't worry.”
Sa Jo-pyeong looked at Yeo Beom with eyes full of dislike. He truly tried not to show his emotions, but that old man made it impossible to stay patient.
Actually, the one who was better at being patient was the old Yeo Beom.
‘Hehe. Yes, get angry like that. Only then will you commit an irreversible mistake.’
Tense psychological warfare went back and forth between the two.
Of course, Lee Jaseung felt their emotional struggle but purposely pretended not to notice.
“How do you intend to respond if the Demonic Cult provokes us?”
Sa Jo-pyeong answered Lee Jaseung's question.
“The possibility is slim, but if they do, we will seize the strategic points of Guizhou and block their advance.”
In particular, the Guizhou branch of the Murim Alliance occupied the most important strategic point in the fight against the Asura Demon Sect.
Therefore, more troops were deployed to the Guizhou branch and its subordinate offices compared to other branches.
It was right then.
“Something terrible has happened.”
A martial artist of the Vermillion Bird Hall rushed in, his face pale.
“Something terrible has happened.”
“What is it?”
“The Guizhou branch has been attacked.”
“What?”
Sa Jo-pyeong and Yeo Beom, as well as Lee Jaseung, were all surprised. It was truly unexpected news.
Sa Jo-pyeong spoke quickly.
“Report the details.”
“This is the only report that has come in so far.”
“Dispatch martial artists there right now.”
“Understood.”
Lee Jaseung looked at Sa Jo-pyeong. The flustered Sa Jo-pyeong couldn't say a word.
In the current situation, the news was that a branch had been attacked, and more importantly, they didn't know how much damage had been sustained. In other words, there wasn't even time to report the damage situation accurately.
“Didn't you say there were no movements from the Demonic Cult?”
“That's correct. The force that struck the Guizhou branch is not a force of the Demonic Cult.”
Then Yeo Beom cut in.
“Could it not be a secret organization of the Demonic Cult?”
“There's no way we would have missed that.”
“Can you be certain on your position?”
“That's....”
Sa Jo-pyeong grit his teeth.
‘Damn old man! Is this the time to talk about such things?’
Anger rose to the top of his head, but he was in a disadvantageous position.
Then another martial artist of the Vermillion Bird Hall rushed in. He was just as urgent as the man who came before him, and the content was just as dire.
“The Demonic Cult has declared war.”
Slam!
Lee Jaseung slammed the table mercilessly.
Everyone was startled and looked at Lee Jaseung. This was the first time he had openly shown anger like this. He wasn't pretending to be angry; he was truly furious.
Judging by the declaration of war, it was certain that the one who attacked Guizhou was the Demonic Cult.
Lee Jaseung spoke with a very hardened face.
“They've made the first strike.”
The Demonic Cult had used the strategy of the preemptive strike first. In other words, it was a start announcing that this fight would be truly difficult.
“Report immediately if there's any change.”
Lee Jaseung strode out of the operations room without looking back.
After leaving the operations room, the place Lee Jaseung arrived at was Dan Woobin's operations room.
“Whose doing is it?”
As expected, an answer came that the Vermillion Bird Hall didn't know.
“It's the Dark Noble Clan.”
“The Dark Noble Clan?”
Lee Jaseung asked back. He had heard of them before.
“I heard they were already destroyed?”
“We must have been misinformed.”
“What's the current situation?”
“The Guizhou branch has been completely seized, and all the subordinate offices were hit simultaneously. Considering the importance of that place, it's like starting a game of Xiangqi after losing a chariot.”
Dan Woobin added with an apologetic expression.
“I'm sorry. It's my fault.”
Then Lee Jaseung shook his head and spoke.
“The Dark Noble Clan is an organization known to have been destroyed long ago. Expecting them to pop out again today would be impossible for anyone, not just you.”
Now wasn't the time for self-blame but the time to solve the problem.
“Is there anything we know about the Dark Noble Clan?”
“Almost nothing. I've released all the subordinates of the Three Eyed Pavilion to start an investigation into the Dark Noble Clan right now.”
They had to find out about the Dark Noble Clan even now, but given the way things were going, it was likely to be a belated investigation.
That was when a subordinate approached and spoke.
“The Golden Ants leader is asking to see the Alliance Leader.”
Lee Jaseung's eyes sparkled. Her coming in this situation meant she had information regarding the Dark Noble Clan.
Dan Woobin had a slightly apologetic expression. He felt that he should have been the one to know the information originally.
Lee Jaseung spoke to Dan Woobin.
“They are organizations with different natures to begin with. Don't compare the Golden Ants, who collect only information that can make money, with the Three Eyed Pavilion, which moves for the safety of the Black Way Alliance.”
Dan Woobin's expression, which had darkened slightly, brightened.
“Just hearing that makes me feel better.”
Lee Jaseung spoke calmly with a deep gaze.
“Tell her to come in.”
Lee Jaseung was curious about what information she had brought.
He held onto hope, expecting one thing.
Now that the war with the Demonic Cult had begun with a preemptive strike against them, he hoped it was information that could turn the disadvantage into an advantage.
We lost a chariot, but he hoped it was information that could make the opponent lose a cannon as well.