Chapter 188
At that moment, as Jaseong was gazing down at the unorthodox martial artists gathered before Black Union City, secretary Hyang cautiously approached and reported.
"Sect Leader, there is something I must report."
"Speak."
"There is still no reply to the correspondence sent to the Beggar's Union and Shaolin."
Originally, those groups had been poised to storm the Murim Alliance, denouncing Namgung Cheon-rui with fierce intent.
But for them to remain silent now?
"As expected, the orthodox lot cannot be trusted."
Gu Janghu muttered coldly.
However, there was no hint of disappointment on Jaseong's face. Instead, he just shook his head with a calm expression.
"It's fine."
"?"
"It's enough that they are not entering the war to side with the Murim Alliance."
"Hmm...."
"Especially without the Beggar's Union's intelligence, the Murim Alliance cannot properly grasp our movements. They're like a giant, blind and deaf. That, in itself, gives us a great advantage."
At Jaseong's cool analysis, the allies nodded in agreement.
Jaseong summoned his internal power once more and unleashed a Lion's Roar.
"We will concentrate our forces in Hubei Province!"
"Hubei?"
"Are you saying we'll strike straight at the Murim Alliance headquarters?"
"That's right."
Jaseong pointed to the giant map prepared by the chief strategist and explained.
"There's a road leading to Wuhan, where the Murim Alliance has its main base. It's via Luoyan Gorge. It's a narrow and treacherous canyon. It is there we will meet the main forces of the orthodox Murim Alliance."
"......!"
"The confirmed number of Murim Alliance warriors is fifteen thousand—about half again as many as us. But, however many they have, in a narrow canyon such numbers are useless."
"Indeed, you're right...!"
"The young leader's insight is admirable."
At Jaseong's words, the unorthodox martial artists all nodded. Watching them, Jaseong made one final declaration.
"Since the defeat in the last War of Orthodox and Unorthodox, our side has been oppressed and trampled for decades. Now it's time to repay that humiliation."
When Jaseong's outcry ended, silence fell for a moment.
And then—
"Uwoooooaah!!!!"
"Let's sweep away those orthodox bastards!!"
Ten thousand unorthodox martial artists shouted in unison.
That sound shook the earth like thunder, reverberating as if to tear the sky apart.
A vast wave of murderous and fighting spirit surged around Black Union City.
Witnessing the overwhelming sight, Lee Rin shivered.
'So this is the force a great hero has built.'
Thus, Jaseong led an enormous number of unorthodox martial artists toward Hubei Province.
Heading to the final battleground where the fate of the jianghu would be decided, Jaseong caressed the hilt of the Wicked Flame Sword.
'Namgung Cheon-rui. Let us end this now.'
* * *
Half a month later.
The vast plains of Hubei Province.
There, where the autumn wind blew desolately, two great waves that would determine the fate of the jianghu faced each other.
To the east, the banners of the Murim Alliance spread out like a sea.
White, blue, and yellow flags representing each sect fluttered in the wind, flaunting their dignity.
The Nine Sects-One Union, the Five Great Clans, and countless smaller sects that followed them stood crowded together.
Their number—a staggering fifteen thousand.
Mount Hua's Plum Blossom Sword gleamed with a frosty light, Wudang's Taiji Sword traced elegant arcs.
Shaolin's Vajra Staff exuded a heavy aura, while the Namgung Clan's Boundless Azure Sky Sword emitted blue energy.
Their presence, the very essence of the orthodox martial world, was solid and vast as Taishan Mountain.
In contrast, to the west flew the rough banners of the Evil Path Association, black and red entwined.
The Four Great Clans and Seven Sects' elites, the shadows of the Hao Sect, and the Tianxia Association's unorthodox warriors all stood ready, brimming with murderous spirit.
Their number—ten thousand.
Though fewer than the Murim Alliance, the energy they exuded was in no way inferior.
The distance between the two camps was little more than a hundred zhang.
A taut tension filled the plains, so thick it seemed even to stifle breath.
The first to speak was Namgung Cheon-rui, called the Murim Alliance Leader and the greatest swordsman beneath the heavens.
Clad in white martial robes, his long beard fluttering, he looked almost like an immortal.
At his side sat the Mount Hua Sect Leader True Person Cheongho, the clan heads of the Zhuge and Hwangbo Clans, and other leaders of the orthodox camp.
Srrrk—
Namgung Cheon-rui drew the Azure Dragon Sword from his waist and pointed it to the sky.
From the blade, blue sword aura surged forth, as if to pierce the heavens.
"All comrades of the jianghu! Hear me!"
Namgung Cheon-rui shouted, imbuing his voice with internal power.
Like thunder, his voice filled the plains, assailing the eardrums of the orthodox warriors.
"Since the last War of Orthodox and Unorthodox, the rats of the unorthodox sects have lived in hiding! Now they have crossed the line, sullying the Central Plains by joining hands with the Black Path and Demonic Cult, spreading false information to sow discord among us!"
Namgung Cheon-rui pointed his sword toward the Evil Path Association's formation.
"Therefore, I declare as Alliance Leader! The Evil Path Association shall be destroyed! Let us strike down the leaders of the unorthodox sects and restore justice to the jianghu! Destroy evil, protect the Way!"
"Punish! Punish!"
The orthodox martial artists' shouts pierced the sky.
As he watched, Namgung Cheon-rui turned and gave a signal to the Zhuge Clan Head, his chief operations strategist.
"Begin."
"As you command."
The Zhuge Clan Head waved a red flag vigorously.
Wooooooong!
With a mighty horn blast, the Murim Alliance's army began to move, splitting into three columns.
Like a colossal serpent coiling to strike its prey, they advanced upon the Evil Path Association.
At the same time, in the Evil Path Association's camp—
The Murim Alliance's roars crashed in like waves, but the Evil Path Association's warriors stood firm.
In the silence, they looked to only one person.
Jaseong.
He stood atop a high boulder, his black dragon robe fluttering.
By his side stood Lee Rin, Gu Janghu, and Gal Seo-ryeong, protecting him.
Jaseong did not resort to the florid words of Namgung Cheon-rui.
He simply drew the Wicked Flame Sword from his waist slowly.
Srrrk.
The dark blade absorbed sunlight, gleaming heavily.
Jaseong spoke quietly.
"All of you."
His voice was not loud.
But carried on the wind, infused with the internal power of the Heaven Evading Celestial Formula, it reached the ears of the unorthodox martial artists clear as day.
"Pour the suffering and rage borne of defeat in the War of Orthodox and Unorthodox—of all those years in the shadows—into your sword's tip, and let it all out."
Jaseong raised the Wicked Flame Sword.
Its tip pointed directly at the main force of the Murim Alliance—straight at Namgung Cheon-rui.
"All forces, advance."
"Uwoooooo!!!"
"Let's sweep away those orthodox bastards!"
Fifteen thousand voices erupted.
Next—
Dududududu—!
The earth trembled.
A black wave surged toward the white wave.
The final war that would determine the fate of the jianghu, the Second War of Orthodox and Unorthodox, had begun at last.
* * *
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The mighty beat of war drums pounded like blows straight to the heart.
Next, the orthodox and unorthodox martial artists clashed on a vast scale.
Those at the front bounced away from the impact, as the earth screamed beneath them.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
The sharp metallic sounds of weapons clashing rang out, nearly splitting eardrums.
Clouds of dust billowed, and within them, crimson blood scattered like flower petals.
"Kraah!"
"Uaagh! My arm!"
Screams broke out.
Wudang's taoists wielded the Taiji Sword with elegant motions.
Gentle sword ki drew circles through the air, cutting down three Black Star Sect swordsmen at once.
"You rats!"
But Poison Valley's shadow hands immediately launched poison needles.
The taoists, struck by the blue poison-laced needles, clutched their faces and screamed.
Their skin instantly blackened and rotted away.
Mount Hua's Plum Blossom Swordsmen unleashed the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
Brilliant plum flowers bloomed in midair, sweeping through the warriors of Bloodwind Stockade.
With every sweep of sword light, red flowers blossomed on the bodies of the Black Path warriors.
The Thousand Kill Gate's assassins moved like shadows.
They slipped into the blind spots of the orthodox warriors and silently slit their throats.
In the dying eyes of those fallen lay terror and confusion.
"Don't retreat! Behind you is a cliff!"
"Forward! Strike their heads!"
On both sides, martial artists battled desperately, pushing and pulling at each other.
Meanwhile, in the center of the battlefield, the great leaders of the unorthodox and orthodox factions faced off.
Most notable among them was the sect leader of the Black Star Sect, Heavenly Black Sword Venerable.
"So you are said to be the number one sword of the unorthodox!"
The Hwangbo Clan Head, Hwangbo Mu, unleashed his Thunderclap Palm.
Simultaneously, the Zhuge Clan Head, Zhuge Hyeon, unfolded the Eight Trigram Formation, wielding his fan.
Two Five Great Clan leaders coordinating an assault.
Yet Heavenly Black Sword Venerable merely sneered.
"Scurrying weaklings, coming at me in a pack."
His sword cleaved through the dark, releasing a jet-black sword aura.
Kwaaang!
Sword force and internal palm strength collided head-on, triggering a massive explosion.
Nearby warriors were swept up and flung like autumn leaves by the blast.
Hwangbo Mu staggered back, his palm split open, bleeding.
"Khk...!"
Zhuge Hyeon hastily opened his fan to throw up a defensive barrier, but Heavenly Black Sword Venerable's sword aura sliced right through it.
"Of all people, it had to be the top unorthodox swordsman blocking us..."
Sweat beaded Zhuge Hyeon's brow.
"Don't waste time—die quickly. I came to cross blades with Alliance Leader Namgung Cheon-rui."
Heavenly Black Sword Venerable raised his sword again.
Despair crossed the faces of the Hwangbo and Zhuge Clan Heads.
On another part of the battlefield, the earth shook with a heaven-rending clash.
"Khahaha! Hypocrites of the orthodox! Taste my fists!"
The Twin Dragon Clan Head, Myriad-Hand Fist Emperor, burst out laughing, hurling his fists.
His opponent was Wudang's sect leader, ho Hyeon Jin-in.
"Demonic scum, how dare you!"
Ho Hyeon Jin-in swung his sword, countering the Myriad-Hand Fist Emperor's blow.
A blossoming Taiji sword aura negated the fist's gust, but the Myriad-Hand Fist Emperor's strength defied imagination.
Boom! Boom!
Ho Hyeon Jin-in was forced back, leaving deep footprints where he landed.
'When did the unorthodox, who vanished so feebly in the last war, grow so strong? Did they train nothing but martial arts for all those years in hiding...?'
Nearby, Poison Valley's Valley Lord, Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons, and Allied Rings Sect's Twelfth Linked Rings leader, Twelfth Linked Rings, rampaged.
"Myriad Poisons Dance Touching the Heavens!"
With a wave of Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons' sleeve, green poisonous mist billowed like clouds.
Their opponents were sect leaders of the Kongtong and Diancang Sects.
"It's poison! Hold your breath!"
The Diancang Sect Leader unleashed a Lion's Roar and sword aura to scatter the poisonous mist.
But Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons' poison was not so easily dispersed.
The poison energy clung to the sword aura, corroding the blade, seeping into the skin.
"Uaagh!"
The Kongtong Sect Leader screamed.
Poison that touched his arm ate through flesh in an instant, leaving bone exposed.
"Fools. That's not how you ward off poison."
Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons sneered, launching a poison palm.
The two sect leaders wanted to strike back, but Twelfth Linked Rings lashed out with a whip from behind, covering him.
Chased by poison energy, the two sect leaders had to flee in wretched defeat.
The White Bone Clan Head, White Bone Spirit Monarch, showed formidable might as well.
His opponent was the Qingcheng Sect Leader.
"Qingcheng swordsmanship, eh... just perfect for stripping flesh from bone."
White Bone Spirit Monarch swung the White Bone Claw.
His nails were harder than steel, sharper than any sword.
Chang! Chaeng!
Each time the Qingcheng leader's sword met White Bone Spirit Monarch's claws, sparks flew.
But White Bone Spirit Monarch, seemingly feeling no pain, simply blocked and seized the sword blade barehanded, driving the Qingcheng leader back.
"You monster...!"
The Qingcheng leader retreated, cold sweat on his brow.
The might of the unorthodox leaders far exceeded the expectations of the orthodox side.
Elsewhere, Lee Rin and Gu Janghu stood side by side.
Before them, twenty up-and-coming orthodox experts faced off, exuding killing intent.
They were prodigies of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, considered the next in line as sect leaders in their respective schools.