Chapter 49: Chapter 49

Chapter 49. The Invincible Sect (3)

“The best course of action is to just run away.”

“I knew that Hunan had recently become precarious… but there’s no way the righteous faction guys would dare to act unless some sort of tacit deal had been made.”

“Yes, probably with the Black Heaven Gang. From the righteous faction guys’ perspective, they committed this act because they were confident that the Evil Faction Alliance wouldn’t intervene even if they took the lead.”

“It’s not just here in Huaihua. Perhaps similar things are happening all over the Hunan Murim right now?”

The disciples of the Invincible Sect, despite their injured bodies, diligently cooked rice and fed the wounded.

It was a foolish act to unconditionally accept those who were not even a fighting force in a situation like a candle in the wind. But.

“I heard that most of the sect members were taken hostage. The fact that they didn't kill them means… unless they're planning a war, they must be after something else, right?”

“It seems they plan to occupy the entire Hunan Murim first and then negotiate or something… but if the Black Heaven Gang comes forward as the representative of the evil faction, it will be just a cover-up anyway.”

Lee Byeok looked back at Gongson Su.

Gongson Su’s expression, illuminated by the fire lit in the center, was tinged with an unstated unease.

“Does what happened here have anything to do with us?”

“…I can’t say it doesn’t.”

In the distance, mixed in with the crowd of injured, Pa Jin-seong was eating greedily. When their eyes met, he waved his hand towards them.

“Of course, I expected that they wouldn’t just let our plan go smoothly… but to think of handing over the entire leadership of Hunan to the righteous faction. The Black Heaven Gang is amazing.”

“Even though the Paewang Family has closed its doors, the leader of the Evil Faction Alliance is still alive and well, so to commit such an act, I’m amazed by their audacity.”

Haa, Gongson Su let out a sigh.

Gongson Su’s gaze turned to the main gate.

“They’ll probably attack soon.”

“By now, they’ll have a rough idea of who we are, and they’ll stubbornly insist, asking how a third party can intervene in the private affairs of the Hunan Murim.”

“As I said before, running away would be the best option. Since they are from Diancang, they won’t be easy to deal with. It’s a pity, but it’s a hundred times better to give up on the Hunan forces at this point and go find the evil factions of other regions early on.”

Lee Byeok looked at the boisterous faces of the injured, glistening in the firelight.

They were not entirely without responsibility for the fact that those people had their homes taken and their fellow sect members held hostage.

If they were powerless, it would be a different story, but they were not.

“And if we don’t run away?”

“Well, we’ll have to fight back, right?”

Gongson Su shrugged her shoulders.

“If there’s anything the Black Heaven Gang didn’t calculate, it would be your skill, Orabeoni. At best, they would have known that you were superior to Maeng U-gang, but would they have ever imagined that you had crossed the wall of the peak realm?”

“But as you know, in the Murim, one should avoid revealing one’s true skills as much as possible. So running away is the better option.”

“But you’re not going to run away, are you?”

Gongson Su shrugged her shoulders.

As they had spent a decent amount of time together, unspoken things began to be conveyed.

“I hope things work out well on Unni’s side… well, we’ll have to trust and wait.”

“Then get some good rest, Orabeoni. I’m sorry, but the actual fighting will probably be your job alone.” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel{f}ire.net

“If we’re going to fight anyway, we should become their hope. Don’t they say that a hero emerges in troubled times?”

Hwook, Gongson Su’s face drew near.

Her lips lightly brushed past Lee Byeok’s cheek.

“Cutting in line while Unni is away.”

Lee Byeok frowned and wiped his cheek.

Psik, Gongson Su let out a light laugh and stood up from her seat. She approached where Pa Jin-seong was and mixed in with the crowd of injured.

Thus, the night deepened.

And the very next day, right after the sun rose, what Gongson Su had predicted happened exactly.

The main gate of the Invincible Sect, split diagonally, collapsed with a roar.

Behind it, a group of people revealed themselves in a rush. They were the party from the Righteous Sword Sect.

“Hahaha, you rat-like evil faction bastards!! The time has finally come!! Come out obediently and kneel… huh?”

The great disciple, Jang Mak-su, who was at the very front and shouting triumphantly, let out a flustered sound upon seeing the scene inside.

Contrary to his expectation that the battered remnants of the evil faction would be preparing for a final desperate struggle, the courtyard was completely empty.

Looking around, the said remnants were standing at a distance, keeping their distance.

It was not a posture to fight.

And in the empty center stood only a single figure. It was an unfamiliar face.

“I don't understand. Why bother breaking down a door that wasn't even locked?”

The figure said nonchalantly.

For a moment, Jang Mak-su was at a loss for words.

He had tried to seize the initiative, but the atmosphere was not like that at all. The next moment, he was dumbfounded that his words had been interrupted.

He was about to draw his sword.

But at that moment, someone blocked Jang Mak-su's front. It was his master and the leader of the Righteous Sword Sect, Yang Ho-myeong.

“Pardon my intrusion. I am Yang Ho-myeong, the leader of the Righteous Sword Sect. Among my fellow practitioners, I am also known by the embarrassing empty name of Sun-Piercing Sword. And who are you?”

“…I am Lee Byeok. I am the leader of the Evil Faction Alliance’s Flying Dragon Squad.”

Nod, Lee Byeok gave a slight bow.

“You don't reveal your sect…? Well, it doesn't matter. From the looks of it, you must be the prodigy who gained attention at the Evil Faction Alliance’s martial arts competition.”

Currently, Lee Byeok was deliberately refining his presence and revealing it to the outside.

Due to the characteristic of the Jincheon Falling Sword Divine Art, which does not store internal energy, the usual Lee Byeok was no different from an ordinary person, but now was the time to reveal himself.

Of course, he did not reveal everything he had. But even with just that, Yang Ho-myeong silently nodded his head.

“Indeed, seeing it in person, I can understand. It's a pure energy that's hard to believe for a disciple of the evil faction. But why do you use such a talent in an unrighteous place?”

“I have no memory of doing anything shameful.”

“Is that so? But I hear that you and your party oppressed the disciples of our Righteous Sword Sect.”

“Yang Ho-myeong, you son of a bitch!! Where are you spouting such nonsense!! Wasn't it you brilliant bastards who attacked us first when we were minding our own business!!”

“You despicable bastards!!”

At that moment, the disciples of the evil faction, who had been surrounding them, all kicked off the ground and raised their voices.

The disciples of the Righteous Sword Sect growled back and drew their swords. Soon, the space was filled with tension.

But Yang Ho-myeong and Lee Byeok, who stood in the center, paid no heed.

“…Well, I'm not sure which side oppressed which.”

“Well, of course. Since you belong to the Evil Faction Alliance, it's natural for you to be biased.”

“But if we are to trace the cause of this situation, it was our disciples who were attacked first. No, it's not just our Righteous Sword Sect. The disciples of the righteous path on this land of Hunan were attacked all at once by an unidentified force.”

“…Is there any evidence that the unidentified force that committed the attack was the evil faction?”

“Ha! If not the evil faction, then whose doing could it be? The Demonic Cult that left the Central Plains fifty years ago? Or bandits?”

Conversation was not getting through.

Of course, Lee Byeok had not thought it could be resolved through conversation in the first place.

Lee Byeok changed the subject.

“So what have you come here to do?”

“As you can see, there are only the injured inside. If you want us to admit defeat, we will do so obediently. But if you want more than that, we have nothing more to lose, so we must fight.”

For a moment, Yang Ho-myeong burst into laughter as if he were dumbfounded. His hearty laughter swept through the tension-filled venue.

And his energy was released.

Lee Byeok lightly tensed his body.

The weight of the name Sun-Piercing Sword Yang Ho-myeong in the Jianghu Murim was by no means light.

He was originally from a vassal family of Diancang, but he was a legendary figure who had surpassed the wall of the first-rate, reached the peak, and was incorporated into the ranks of the formal disciples.

“Quite arrogant, aren't you. I'll admit that your presence is quite something, but so you're saying you'll come out and have a go yourself?”

“M-Master! How can you entertain the arrogance of such an unknown brat!”

At that moment, Jang Mak-su stepped forward.

He was displeased that his master, who was like the heavens to him, had not only revealed his name first but also seemed to be acknowledging that damn brat.

“You brat!! Stop your idle talk and draw your sword! Where is that wench?! I was careless yesterday, but today I will surely—”

Yang Ho-myeong pulled Jang Mak-su back.

“Step back. He is not a child you can dare to face. How can you still not have the eye to see an opponent's skill?”

“B-but! This disciple will never……!”

Jang Mak-su’s pupils trembled.

But Yang Ho-myeong’s gaze was fixed on Lee Byeok, paying him no heed. He seemed to quite like Lee Byeok.

Indeed, Yang Ho-myeong liked Lee Byeok.

He liked his boldness in standing up to them alone, and judging by the presence he exuded, he seemed to have the right to be arrogant.

Above all, although he couldn't understand why he was involved with the evil faction, the purity of the energy he harbored was closer to that of the Daoist path.

“But this is troublesome. If I were to personally make a move, I would be pointed at for oppressing a prodigy, and our disciples seem to be lacking to face you.”

“So, what do you think we should do?”

There were many eyes watching.

And the righteous faction was a group that could not help but think about appearances.

If Lee Byeok came out alone, the possibility of them pushing through with sheer numbers was relatively slim.

Fortunately, up to this point, things had proceeded as Gongson Su had predicted.

It was just as Lee Byeok was about to say the words he had prepared.

“Then we shall take this place. Senior Uncle.”

From the very back of the group of Righteous Sword Sect disciples, two men walked to the front.

It was what Lee Byeok had wished for. Therefore, Lee Byeok no longer needed to speak.

Yang Ho-myeong, who had blocked the great disciple Jang Mak-su, did not bother to block their front.

The two men faced Lee Byeok.

“A pleasure to meet you. I am Chang Myeong, the third disciple of Diancang. And this is my junior brother, Chang Seong.”

“Haha, I hear that among the prodigies of the Evil Faction Murim, you are the strongest? If so, does defeating you mean defeating the evil faction?”

A trivial provocation.

Lee Byeok did not bother to respond. Instead, he turned his gaze to Yang Ho-myeong.

“Mm, yes. I promise. If you defeat one of those children, I will lead my disciples and withdraw obediently from this place.”

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

“Haha! What are you talking about! I'm sorry, but there's no way you'll win. But I'll wish you good luck.”

Yang Ho-myeong crossed his arms.

He seemed to be quite confident in the skills of the two.

Or he must be thinking that a disciple of the great Diancang could not possibly be defeated by a prodigy of the evil faction.

In fact, the presence felt from the two people standing in front of Lee Byeok was not bad.

If there was anything peculiar, it would be that the junior brother, who was silent, felt heavier than the senior brother.

“Now, shall we see your skills?”

At that moment, the senior brother, who had introduced himself as Chang Myeong, naturally stepped forward first.

“…Will that be alright?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“It doesn't matter to me. But your junior brother seems a little stronger than you. If you step forward, won't there be talk after the match is over?”

For a moment, Chang Myeong had a blank expression.

Soon, his brow slowly furrowed.

“This bastard is spouting arrogant nonsense!”

Taat, at the same time as drawing his sword, Chang Myeong kicked off the ground. His figure rushed towards Lee Byeok.