Chapter 184
Jaseong straightened his attire.
A black dragon robe wrapped around his body, and the weighty Wicked Flame Sword rested at his waist.
"Let's go."
Jaseong began to move.
Step, step.
As Jaseong appeared on the podium, the bustling plaza instantly fell silent.
Thousands of eyes were fixed upon him.
At that moment, murmurs erupted from within the crowd.
"That... That young man is supposedly the Evil Path Association Leader?!"
"No way! He barely looks past his early twenties at most!"
"Are you telling me that such a greenhorn defeated the top unorthodox experts and became the alliance leader? Wasn't that just a baseless rumor?"
It was a reaction of disbelief.
The Evil Path Association Leader they'd pictured was either a sinister-looking, burly old man or an eerie and ominous dark path master.
But the Jaseong standing before them was simply too youthful, with a handsome appearance.
Of course, those of a certain realm instantly saw through Jaseong's might.
"... What tremendous force. That's no ordinary internal energy."
"There were also rumors he was originally an eighty-year-old elder rejuvenated through Rebirth... if not, that internal power is just unexplainable."
"It's said he was born and raised in the Red Light District... Just how could such a monster be born in this world?"
Shock, suspicion, curiosity.
Amid gazes mingling with all kinds of emotions, Jaseong calmly stood at the center of the podium.
"Greetings, comrades of jianghu."
Jaseong began to speak, enfolding his voice in internal energy.
Thanks to the Lion's Roar, his voice boomed throughout every corner of the plaza.
The rowdy crowd was silenced as if doused with cold water.
"There is but a single reason I have summoned you all here today—to reveal the truth."
"......!"
"The jianghu is in turmoil. The sect masters of the Nine Sects-One Union have died in quick succession, and the conflict between orthodox and unorthodox factions has reached its peak. The Murim Alliance is inciting war, claiming all this is the work of the unorthodox. But... it's all lies."
"Lies? What nonsense is this?!"
A martial artist of the orthodox faction shouted out.
At that cry, Jaseong pulled out a piece of correspondence from his bosom.
It was a secret missive from Namgung Cheon-rui, found in the Murong Clan's secret vault.
"This was found in the secret study of the Murong Clan head, Murong Cheolsan. And the seal impressed here belongs to none other than Namgung Cheon-rui, the Murim Alliance Leader."
Jaseong held the correspondence up high.
Bathed in sunlight, the red seal shone vividly.
Jaseong began to read the letter aloud.
"'The present abbot of Shaolin and the leader of the Beggar's Union are obstacles to our plans. They know too much and are suspicious of us. For the greater cause, they must be removed. We have already selected candidates for new abbot and leader—they will follow our will well. Once it's done, we can shift the blame to the unorthodox. '"
When Jaseong's recitation ended, the plaza was thrown into shock.
"Wh-what did you say?!"
"Namgung Cheon-rui... ordered the murder of the Shaolin abbot and the Beggar's Union leader?!"
"I can't believe it! How could the Alliance Leader commit such an act?!"
A mix of disbelief and outrage burst forth.
Jaseong continued.
"Namgung Cheon-rui sought to eliminate any forces that could keep him in check and shift the blame to the unorthodox, inciting a Second War of Orthodox and Unorthodox. Under the pretense of war, he would unify the orthodox and consolidate his power eternally. This is the ugly truth of the Murim Alliance Leader!"
Suddenly, an elderly monk staggered up from the crowd—
an elder master from Shaolin.
"So that's it...! No wonder I couldn't understand why the abbot passed away so suddenly... The alliance leader planned it all from behind the scenes!"
His voice shook with anger.
"The abbot always worried about the alliance leader's unilateral actions and frequently quarreled with him. And then suddenly, he died from ki deviation... Are you saying it was the alliance leader's doing?!"
People nearby grew restless at the old monk's cry.
Next, a division chief of the Beggar's Union rose, panting heavily.
"Namgung Cheon-rui! You damnable hypocrite!"
He struck his great cudgel on the ground and roared.
"Even our leader suspected before he died that the alliance leader was conspiring with the Sichuan Tang clan! We should've known then...!"
With testimony mounting, the atmosphere in the plaza shifted dramatically.
Suspicion turned to certainty, and certainty to fury.
Yet, some remained unconvinced.
A student from Mount Hua stepped forward and shouted.
"How can we know this isn't forged? Surely, the Evil Path Association Leader could have manufactured this evidence! Why should we trust the words of the unorthodox?!"
"Exactly! This is all to slander our alliance leader!"
Several orthodox martial artists shouted in agreement.
But the Shaolin elder monk resolutely refuted.
"No! I know Namgung Cheon-rui's handwriting! The peculiar strokes, that energy... That is unmistakably his script! It has the unique traits that cannot possibly be forged!"
The Beggar's Union division chief nodded in agreement.
"That's right. And that seal... Only the head of the Namgung Clan uses the 'Red Dragon Sand' ink. That color and aura can't be imitated!"
With such conclusive testimony, even the martial artists who protested fell silent.
The evidence was too clear.
"This can't be... The alliance leader we trusted..."
"Have we been following the orders of a murderer all this time?"
Betrayal and emptiness swept through the plaza.
Moments later, the leaders of various minor orthodox sects rose from their seats.
As if they could take no more, they declared, faces resolute.
"Our Cheongpung Sect hereby withdraws from the Murim Alliance! We will not serve beneath a killer!"
"Baekmugwan withdraws as well! We need no alliance without justice!"
"We're leaving too! Impeach Namgung Cheon-rui!"
Declarations of secession from the Murim Alliance erupted throughout the plaza like a bursting dam.
It was as if an immense wave was sweeping through.
Jaseong watched the scene from atop the podium.
His expression remained calm, but his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
'With this... the orthodox Murim Alliance will fracture irreparably.'
Now the orthodox would be plunged into confusion, distrusting and reproaching one another.
Namgung Cheon-rui would be isolated, and his power would dwindle.
Jaseong gently touched the Wicked Flame Sword tucked inside his robes.
'Wait for me, Namgung Cheon-rui. I'll make you burn to death in the hellfire of your own making.'
* * *
And yet, something unexpected happened.
Even though the ripple of truth Jaseong cast had shaken all of jianghu and exposed the hypocrisy of the Murim Alliance to the world, one of the great pillars of orthodoxy made an unforeseen choice.
The Mount Hua Sect, who, like the Eternal Divine Physician, had always been vigilant against the Murim Alliance's arbitrariness and hypocrisy.
Word came that they stood with Namgung Cheon-rui.
Mount Hua in Shaanxi Province, Qingheojeon.
The great hall, serene with drifting plum blossom fragrance, was filled with an air cold as thin ice.
The Mount Hua sect leader, the Sword Immortal of Plum Blossom, True Person Cheongho, had summoned his students.
His expression was stiff as deadwood.
"Sect leader! Will you truly remain in the Murim Alliance?"
One of the first-generation students could no longer contain himself and stepped forward to protest.
His voice was shaking.
"It is obvious that Namgung Cheon-rui killed the Shaolin abbot and the Beggar's Union leader! The evidence is public, and witnesses abound. How can we possibly serve under a murderer?!"
Other students murmured in agitation.
As a Taoist sect, Mount Hua placed greater importance on morality and righteousness than any other.
To them, forgiving Namgung Cheon-rui's evil and joining hands with him was unthinkable.
Yet True Person Cheongho shook his head.
His eyes brimmed with deep agony.
"I know. I know that Namgung Cheon-rui is unfit to be the Alliance Leader. He is a criminal, drunk on power, who has harmed his peers and defiled the honor of the orthodox."
"Then why...!"
"But still...."
True Person Cheongho closed his eyes.
His mind flashed with the scene of the Evil Path Association, red flags fluttering as it swept across the Central Plains.
And at its apex stood the young dark path prodigy said to hail from the Red Light District.
"That does not mean we can side with the unorthodox."
His eyes snapped open, sharp and resolute as a plum blossom sword.
"Though the way of the orthodox lies in the mud, the unorthodox is evil by nature. No matter how plausible a pretext Jaseong presents, he is ultimately the leader of the unorthodox, commanding the dark path and the Demonic Cult."
True Person Cheongho stood and gripped his sword.
"If we withdraw from the Murim Alliance now, the orthodox will collapse entirely. Then all of the Central Plains will fall into the grasp of the unorthodox. We must prevent that at all costs."
"......!"
"Our first priority should be to expel the unorthodox. We must repel external invaders and protect the order of jianghu. Afterward... we will restore the way of the orthodox. We will judge Namgung Cheon-rui for his crimes then."
It was a decision to choose the lesser evil to prevent the greatest evil—a desperate measure.
No matter how dirty they became, the sword of Mount Hua must be aimed at the unorthodox.
Under such stubborn resolve, the disciples bit their lips and bowed their heads.
"... Understood, sect leader. We will follow you."
True Person Cheongho picked up a brush and penned a letter.
He wrote each word with the feeling of shaving his own bones.
[To the Murim Alliance Leader,
Mount Hua shall remain in the Murim Alliance.
But this does not mean we support you as an individual.
We do so solely to protect the crumbling way of the orthodox and to block the rise of the unorthodox.
After expelling the unorthodox, we will also judge the Alliance Leader for his crimes.
Until then, my sword will remain by your side.
—Mount Hua Sect Leader, True Person Cheongho]
As True Person Cheongho set down the brush, his hand trembled minutely.
He knew not what consequences this choice would bring in the future.
Yet for now, he believed this was the road Mount Hua must walk.
* * *
Several days later.
Jaseong also learned that the Mount Hua Sect had declared their intention to remain in the Murim Alliance.
"True Person Cheongho... He's a hypocrite as well."
Jaseong murmured softly.
At that moment, Hyang-I aggregated carrier pigeons from throughout the Central Plains and reported to him.
"Sect Leader, thanks to the Hero Assembly you convened recently, the situation in jianghu is now clearer."
Hyang-I handed Jaseong a summarized report.
Jaseong skimmed through it.
[Anti-Murim Alliance Factions]
Evil Path Association
Hao Sect
Tianxia Association
North Sea Ice Palace
* Shaolin and Beggar's Union are on standby to join the anti-Murim Alliance faction.
[Murim Alliance Factions]
Central Plains Five Great Clans: Namgung Clan, Sichuan Tang Clan, Zhuge Clan, Hebei Peng Clan, Hwangbo Clan
Some members of the Nine Sects-One Union: Mount Hua, Zhongnan, Wudang, Diancang
* Heads of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Hebei Peng Clan, and Zhongnan Sect have already been eliminated by the Sect Leader.
* Qingcheng, Hainan Sect elders, and Emei are not responding to the alliance's summons and remain neutral.
After reading the report, Jaseong stood and approached the window.
Outside, the sky was blanketed with ashen clouds.
The air was heavy and damp, as if it would pour rain at any moment.
'Jianghu has split into two camps. The anti-Murim Alliance forces centered on me, and the Murim Alliance forces centered on Namgung Cheon-rui...'
The dark clouds of a Second War of Orthodox and Unorthodox began to cover jianghu.
And once this storm ended, the true ruler of jianghu would have changed.
Yet, as Jaseong fell into thought—
Suaa—
Suddenly, a white mist rose before Jaseong's eyes.
Next came a majestic voice resounding in his ear.
〈Student. You have partially completed the eighth Heaven's Mandate, 'Eradicate the Giant of Evil'... The Celestial Realm's restrictions are now lifted.〉
It was the unexpected voice of the Sword Immortal Lü Dongbin.
In that instant, Jaseong's eyes sharpened.
'At last... the time for my reward has come.'