Chapter 154
Jaseong returned to his quarters, the office of Scarlet Lotus Hall.
The moment he set foot inside, the martial artists under his command, who had been waiting in advance, all knelt down simultaneously to greet him.
Their voices were filled with respect and awe.
"We greet the Hall Lord of Scarlet Lotus Hall!"
"We greet the Hall Lord of Scarlet Lotus Hall!"
"We greet the Hall Lord of Scarlet Lotus Hall!"
Receiving their greetings, Jaseong entered his office.
The room, which also served as his dwelling, was a humble space befitting a martial artist—without a single ornate decoration.
Jaseong lit the single candle placed on the table.
The flickering flame pushed back the darkness in the room, casting long shadows.
He sat at his desk and took out a book.
It was the *Heavenly Physician's Needle Technique* and medical texts left behind by his master, the Eternal Divine Physician.
Every morning and afternoon, he devoted himself to martial arts cultivation, but before sleeping, his routine was always to study medicine.
One of the parting wishes of his master, the Eternal Divine Physician, had been for Jaseong to heal the downtrodden of the world with his medical skills.
Sarak— Sarak—
As he flipped through the pages, Jaseong suddenly recalled the final moments of the Eternal Divine Physician.
Mount Zhongnan, saturated with the stench of blood.
The blood-soaked Eternal Divine Physician clung to Jaseong's hand with trembling fingers.
The master's touch, as the flame of life faded, was cold as ice.
—Jaseong...
The Eternal Divine Physician spoke with difficulty, dark red blood trickling down from the corners of his lips.
—I... have been betrayed by the very things I devoted my life to. The reason they tried to kill me wasn't because I treated the unorthodox sects... but because I saw their ugly true faces.
—The so-called orthodox faction... shouts about justice only on the surface. They talk of righteousness and speak of chivalry... but the reality is more grotesque than a rotten corpse. For their own greed, they would slaughter innocents and betray their comrades without hesitation.
—So, I beg you... don't live like those hypocrites. Pursue true chivalry, and raise your sword for the powerless...
The recollection ended, and Jaseong slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was now even colder and darker than moonlight.
"As Master said..."
Jaseong murmured under his breath.
"They're nothing more than greedy beasts with power. Therefore... I must return to them justice as befits beasts."
It was then.
Woooong—
The air vibrated minutely. In Jaseong's mind, a familiar, majestic voice resounded.
〈Disciple. Carry out Heaven's Mandate.〉
It was the voice of Lü Dongbin, the Sword Immortal. Jaseong's gaze sharpened.
The Celestial Realm's Heaven's Mandate, which had not descended for quite some time, had finally arrived.
Flap— Flap—
At that moment, a semi-transparent slip of paper fluttered out of thin air like a butterfly.
It circled gently above before settling lightly onto Jaseong's palm.
Jaseong read the words written on the slip.
[Eighth Heaven's Mandate ― Eliminate the Giants of Evil]
Only four characters. Yet the weight was heavier than any Heaven's Mandate that had come before.
'Giants of Evil...'
A cold smile spread across Jaseong's lips. Blue flames flickered in his eyes.
'At last... the time has come.'
Jaseong already knew well who the Celestial Realm referred to as the Giants of Evil.
The next moment, he summoned a semi-transparent scroll into the air.
It was the Celestial Realm's Kill List, bestowed upon him when Sword Immortal Lü Dongbin granted him the Heaven's Mandate.
On it were written the following names:
[Murim Alliance Leader Namgung Cheon-rui]
[Thirteenth Heavenly Demon Dokgo Hyun]
[Head of the Murong Clan Murong Cheolsan]
[Sect Leader of Zhongnan Sect Zhong Yeob]
[Head of Hebei Peng Clan Peng Yun-ho]
[Head of Sichuan Tang Clan Tang Tian-yue]
.
.
.
[Blood Demon Chu Hyul-gwang]
Two names were already crossed out with bold lines.
Sect Leader of Zhongnan Sect Zhong Yeob.
Head of Hebei Peng Clan Peng Yun-ho.
These were giants of the martial world who had been eliminated by Jaseong himself.
'Now it's time to clean up the remaining giants of evil.'
In truth, every Heaven's Mandate up until now had been a stepping stone to this very moment.
He sharpened his blade while eliminating Little Evil, and expanded his forces while eliminating Middle Evil.
He had built and expanded his faction, cultivated strength, and fractured the martial world, undermining their unity.
All of this had been preparation to take down the giants of evil at the peak of this Kill List.
Jaseong looked over the Kill List once more.
Namgung Cheon-rui, Murong Cheolsan, Tang Tian-yue, the Blood Demon, and the yet-unrevealed leader of the Demonic Cult.
Each of them commanded immense forces within the martial world, absolute experts whose very martial arts could shake the world.
Each one led tens of thousands of martial artists—true giants.
Such individuals could not be taken down by simple assassination or ambush.
When he killed Peng Yun-ho or Zhong Yeob, it was only possible because the circumstances were favorable; there was no guarantee such a perfect opportunity would come again.
So, how could he eliminate those giants of evil on the Kill List?
Jaseong gazed at the candle atop his desk and fell into deep thought.
It was then.
Knock knock knock—
A sound of knocking came from the door. When Jaseong turned his head, Hyang-I entered, opening the door.
"Hall Lord, you're still awake."
"I was studying medicine. What's the matter?"
"I have news to report."
In Hyang-I's hand was a confidential letter.
When Jaseong accepted and opened the letter, he found something unexpected written inside.
[Murim Alliance Leader Namgung Cheon-rui summons a Murim Alliance Meeting. The Five Great Clans, the Nine Sects-One Union, and the leaders of the minor orthodox factions are gathering at the Murim Alliance headquarters.]
The successive tragedies that hit the Hebei Peng Clan and Zhongnan Sect, and the suspicions surrounding the Sichuan Tang Clan—these incidents had made the orthodox martial world fissure irreparably.
That was why the Murim Alliance Leader Namgung Cheon-rui had personally stepped forward to quell the chaos.
Jaseong slowly put down the letter, lost in thought. His eyes deepened.
"A perfect opportunity," he murmured.
"Pardon?"
"Our enemies have all gathered in one place. It's a chance to truly see their true intentions. Most of all, it's a chance to further accelerate the fracture of the orthodox martial world."
"What do you mean...?"
It was something Hyang-I could not understand. But Jaseong made his decision without further explanation.
And it was an extremely bold decision.
"I'll go see for myself."
"What...? Where?"
"To the Murim Alliance Meeting, where the heads of the orthodox factions are gathering."
Hyang-I's eyes widened in shock. It was a plan bordering on reckless.
There was no conclusive evidence that Jaseong had killed Zhong Yeob of Zhongnan Sect and Peng Yun-ho of the Hebei Peng Clan.
But Namgung Cheon-rui and the heads of the various clans had their suspicions.
And he planned to walk right into the tiger's den?
Into the headquarters crawling with the greatest orthodox experts?
"Hall Lord, it's too dangerous. If your identity is exposed there... you'll be declared a public enemy of the martial world, and it will be almost impossible to escape alive."
"That won't happen."
Jaseong's voice was resolute. He had already considered everything.
"Where is the meeting place?"
"It's in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The meeting will be held at the Murim Alliance headquarters."
"Prepare an identity pass so I can attend."
"Understood. If I make you a descendant of a now-extinct orthodox noble clan, there shouldn't be any issues."
"Only Mansul will accompany me. Be sure to explain everything well to Lee Rin and Gu Janghu."
"... Understood."
Hyang-I no longer tried to dissuade him. She already knew there was no one in the world who could overturn a decision made by Jaseong.
* * *
Half a month later.
The main conference hall of the Murim Alliance headquarters.
Hundreds of martial artists were gathered, but a heavy silence pervaded the hall.
The sect leaders of Mount Hua, Beggar's Union, Shaolin, and Wudang occupied seats of honor.
Not only that, but the leaders and heads of various regional minor orthodox factions had also gathered.
It was the first time that so many orthodox martial artists had assembled in one place since the War of Orthodox and Unorthodox.
Yet, the atmosphere was far from cordial.
The gazes of the minor clan representatives fixed upon the Hebei Peng Clan's side—eyes full of suspicion and wariness.
Some cast the same looks at the Sichuan Tang Clan.
The content of correspondence spread by the Hao Sect was firmly imprinted in their minds.
—The Hebei Peng Clan and the Sichuan Tang Clan manufactured the drug Soul-Bewildering Powder and made a mess of the Central Plains. The Murim Alliance stands behind them.
Soon, Feng Qingyun, the sect leader of Mount Hua, was the first to speak.
"Alliance Leader, please clarify whether this correspondence's seal is real or a forgery."
In his hand was the forged correspondence distributed by the Hao Sect.
It contained contents hinting at collusion between the Sichuan Tang Clan and the Hebei Peng Clan, stamped with Namgung Cheon-rui's seal.
To this, sitting at the highest seat, Namgung Cheon-rui, the Murim Alliance Leader, replied with composure.
"Of course, it is a forgery. It is a scheme by someone to divide the orthodox factions. How could I possibly commit such a despicable act?"
This time, Meng Hojul, the union leader of Beggar's Union, spoke up.
"But aren't the evidence and circumstances far too detailed? Our Beggar's Union found, in its investigations, that the very first place Soul-Bewildering Powder circulated was none other than Hebei Province."
"Amitabha..."
The abbot of Shaolin rolled his prayer beads, speaking in a low voice.
"We must clarify the truth. If suspicion breeds more suspicion, the orthodox martial world will collapse from within. Already, the hearts of the people are greatly disturbed."
At that point, a sharp voice rang out from the Hebei Peng Clan's side.
"We have no reason to do any such thing!"
It was Peng Hacheon, an elder of the Hebei Peng Clan.
Once, due to age, he had retired from the martial world long ago.
But with the clan head, his three sons, and this elder all killed in a single day, he was now standing in their stead.
"This is nothing but the vicious framing of the unorthodox sects! Those devils brutally murdered the Peng Clan's three brothers, elders, and head—and now they seek to pin the blame on us as well!"
However, the suspicions of the minor factions did not subside so easily.
Wang Jawung, the sect leader of Taichang Sect from Jiangsu Province, asked,
"Then why has the Sichuan Tang Clan not attended? For a clan at the center of suspicion to be absent at this meeting—does this not suggest they have something to hide?"
Murmur murmur—
The hall grew noisy once more.
Suspicion and distrust filled the air, the fracture within the orthodox martial world widening further.
At that moment—
Kyaaaang—
An overwhelming energy swept across the entire conference hall.
It was Namgung Cheon-rui suddenly emanating murderous intent.
Under his overwhelming aura, everyone fell silent and looked to Namgung Cheon-rui.
"Listen well, everyone."
Namgung Cheon-rui's gaze slowly swept across the hall.
"We forged the world of righteous martial arts through the War of Orthodox and Unorthodox and the Great Heavenly Demon War. Now, a new threat has emerged."
"A new threat? What is it?"
"I cannot yet reveal it precisely. But recently, with the passing of the Zhongnan Sect leader and the deaths of the Peng Clan's head and bloodline—these are all the works of those very people. They seek to divide us and destroy the orthodox martial world from within."
"......"
"We must not fall prey to their schemes. We of the orthodox martial world must unite and face this new threat. Just as we did during the last War of Orthodox and Unorthodox and the Great Heavenly Demon War..."
But just as Namgung Cheon-rui was continuing his speech—
Ssshhk—
Someone raised a hand, cutting him off.