Tangmunjeon - Chapter 292



Only Noblemtl

Episode 292: Flames

Hyun-gong disappeared to try to persuade the fainted King, but returned shortly after.

Hong Geol-gae asked in a trembling voice.

“What? Why are you back already?”

“It’s finished.”

Hong Geol-gae thought for a moment, then smiled and explained the situation.

“I guess you thought it wasn’t going to work out?”

“No. I said it’s over. I’ve included you.”

“···?”

This time, Hong Geol-gae, Dang Mu-jin, and Nam Gung-myeong’s expressions became subtle.

From the time that Hyeon-gong left with the ghost king until now, not even time for a cup of tea has passed.

‘You succeeded in the meantime?’

Of course, I know that Hyun-gong’s collusion is not ordinary.

But no matter how much I thought about it, this was a level that was hard to accept with common sense. It wasn’t a situation where I had to lure in someone I was not familiar with, but rather a situation where I had to lure in someone who was fighting with his life on the line.

Namgung Myung asked in a serious voice.

“Did you use witchcraft or something?”

“What about witchcraft? I just had a few conversations.”

“If you can turn your mortal enemy into an ally with just a few words, then that is witchcraft.”

While the group was having a heated debate about whether or not Hyun-gong’s tongue was within the realm of sorcery, Man-ryeok Seung and Hwa-hwa No-gae returned.

The hands and sleeves of the two men were covered in dirt. This was because they had just come back from burying the deceased.

Manryeokseung was a little gloomy as he bid farewell to his dead teacher, and Hwahwanogae was standing next to him, trying to look as serious as possible.

However, the same determination as before was not visible on Hwahwanogae’s face. When the heat and passion of battle has passed, people tend to regain their sense of reason.

‘It’s a shame that Shin Seung passed away, but it’s fortunate that it wasn’t me who brought up the innate energy.’

That was closer to a realistic thought than a selfish one. Even if Hwahwanogae had raised his innate energy, he wouldn’t have been able to perform as well as Shinsung.

Even if he had succeeded in using the Innate True Energy, his martial arts would not have been able to reach the Ghost King or the Light King.

Even if you’re lucky, you’ll only be able to sacrifice yourself to help others escape. It’s definitely worth it, but it’s also true that you feel it’s a bit of a waste to sacrifice your own life.

Manryeokseung shook his hands and asked Hyungong.

“Jeong-eon. The sun is rising soon. When are you going to go persuade the Ghost King?”

As expected, Manryeokseung did not notice that Hyungong had already returned.

“It’s already over. I’ve finished persuading you, so you’ll be here soon.”

“···Already? Was it torture? Or witchcraft?”

As expected, people’s thoughts are all the same.

At the very moment when Namgung Myeong was about to interfere and slander Hyeon-gong, the Ghost King appeared.

The Ghost King approached the group, being as careful as possible to keep his broken arms from shaking.

Although his movements seemed extremely uncomfortable, there were no signs of torture, and his eyes were clear. It did not seem like he had been subjected to sorcery.

Manryeokseung lowered his voice and asked Hyungong.

“How did you do it?”

“It doesn’t take long to show sincerity.”

“···Is that so?”

It wasn’t a very convincing story, but it was difficult to ask questions while not believing it. Wanli Sheng turned his head and stared at the Ghost King.

Wanli Sheng’s feelings toward the Ghost King were subtle. It was clear that Wanli Sheng was hostile to the Ghost King, but it was not to the extent that he was consumed by an uncontrollable murderous desire. He simply thought that he would kill him if he had the chance.

In fact, the one who made Wanli Seung seethe with rage was not the Ghost King, but Gwangyeomra. Wasn’t it he who had harmed the divine monk through a cowardly ambush?

That was also the reason why he accepted Hyeon-gong’s proposal to persuade the King.

If I could cut off the head of the Light Flame in exchange for killing the Ghost King a little later, I would welcome it with open arms.

Hyun-gong also looked at the Ghost King together with Wan-li-seung. And he thought about the Ghost King’s future.

‘That doesn’t sound very good.’

Other sects may be like that, but there are three sects that will never forgive the Ghost King: Cheongseongpa, Jongnampa, and Gongdongpa.

Neither the Wudangpa nor the Shaolin Temple will protect the Ghost King while creating discord with the martial artists of other sects.

The same goes for the party hall where all kinds of people gather. You don’t want to have an uncomfortable relationship with the neighboring Cheongseongpa.

‘I’ll most likely die, and if I’m really lucky, I’ll be locked in a brain prison.’

However, Hyun-gong decided not to tell such a story to the ghost king. He was afraid that if he gave up hope, things would go wrong.

At that moment, I remembered a story told by a certain eccentric person who had escaped from an iron prison. He said, “Hope is the best thing.”

Hyun-gong gathered his thoughts and began to speak.

“Hey, bro. Is there any information we should know?”

The expression is friendly, but in reality it is an instruction to reveal the most essential information.

This was also a test that Hyeon-gong threw at Gwi-wang.

If you try to avoid the situation by talking about trivial things here, you will be disqualified. If you start by telling important information, you will pass.

The Ghost King didn’t know that this was a test, but fortunately, he got straight to the point.

Also, because of his situation, the King’s tone was extremely humble.

“As you may have guessed, the Demonic Cult is behind this Great Battle.”

“Really?”

The three people, Dang Mu-jin, Namgung Myung, and Hong Geol-gae, showed reactions of surprise.

These small reactions are what bring out the so-called ‘taste for talking’.

“Yes. Each of them used their own methods to induce the Sapa warriors and create conflict between the Jeongpa and Sapa martial arts world. The methods were all different. I recruited the Sapa warriors by teaching them martial arts and enlightenment.”

Dang Mu-jin recalled when he first arrived at the joint faction.

At that time, the Ghost King was burning strange incense to confuse the people’s minds, and then he was teaching his martial arts skills on the podium.

Hwahwanogae asked.

“What is the reason for the conflict between the Jeongpa and Sapa martial arts world?”

“Actually, the Sapa martial arts world and the Demonic Cult have no relation at all. The Sapa martial artists are like grains of sand; they won’t come together unless it rains, and even if they do come together, they will fight against the Righteous Cult rather than plot against the Demonic Cult. The problem is the Righteous Cult martial arts world.”

The Jeongpa martial artists would occasionally invade Cheonsan to demonstrate their power. The so-called Jeongma Daejeon incidents. From the perspective of the Demonic Cult, it was enough to make the Jeongpa martial arts world feel like it was going to end in chaos.

Hwahwanogae synthesized the information by recalling stories he had heard here and there.

“Yes. The new leader of the Demonic Cult. That leader is full of ambition. He wants to weaken the power of the True sect’s martial arts world and invade the True sect’s martial arts world. He wants to take revenge for what happened so far.”

There was a subtle joy in Hwahwanogae’s voice. He was strangely happy that the supreme master of the Demonic Cult was acting so humble in front of him.

The ghost king answered.

“Similar. But a little different.”

“What part is different?”

“Eventually, a fight may break out between the Demonic Cult and the Righteous sect’s martial arts world. However, even if the leader attacks the Righteous sect’s martial arts world, that is merely the result of the situation that has developed, and is not the leader’s current goal. The reason the leader is creating a rift between the Righteous and Evil sects right now is purely to buy time.”

“What time?”

“It’s time to practice the new martial arts that the cult leader has acquired.”

Inducing bloodshed to buy time to practice martial arts.

It was obviously an absurd act, but at the same time, it suggested something. Isn’t the value of that martial arts so high that it’s worth risking blood to buy time?

The ghost king knew what people would be curious about, so he continued explaining without stopping.

“The cult leader acquired many martial arts, but the most central of them is the Geon-Gun-Da-Na-I (乾坤大挪移), which is said to have originated in the Pasa region of the Western Regions. The cult leader acquired the specialty of the Geon-Gun-Da-Na-I and surpassed existing realms in just three years.”

“···hmm?”

The first part of the story was something that Dang Mujin was familiar with, but the last part was completely unexpected. It went beyond the existing realm.

Neither Dang Mu-jin nor the others immediately understood the meaning of the story.

The Demonic Cult had few members, but its average martial arts skills were extremely high. At that time, there were six of the Demonic Cult’s top masters that Dang Mujin knew: the Great Guardian, the Left Guardian, the Right Guardian, the Ghost King, the Light Flame, and the Three Eyes Buddha.

Of course, Sam-an-bul left the Demonic Cult and came to the Tang Family, and Woo-ho-beop died.

In any case, the fact that the three guardians of the Demonic Cult are the best is well known in the martial arts world of the Central Plains.

But just now, the Ghost King spoke clearly. The Great Guardian Law that ascended to the throne as the leader had surpassed the existing realm.

“Wait a minute. So the leader isn’t a top-notch expert right now?”

Wan Licheng’s voice shook. Considering that he had maintained his composure even during the fight, it was easy to guess how surprised he was.

“Yes.”

Manryeokseung closed his eyes for a moment without realizing it, then opened them again.

This was a story that directly contradicted the common sense of the martial arts people. It was a common belief that the limit of the inaction that a human could reach was the peak.

There were some masters who talked about the possibility of a realm beyond the peak. Wan Licheng was one of them.

But that only means that there is a realm, not that humans can reach it.

A realm that only those who have transcended the realm of humanity, such as Jang Sam-bong, Yeo Dong-bin, or Dharma, can reach. A realm that can only be reached by shedding the human body. That was the extent of the awareness of a realm beyond the peak.

Dang Mu-jin was equally embarrassed.

I knew that the leader of the Demonic Cult had acquired incredible martial arts skills, but I naturally thought that was something within the realm of the supernatural.

Even among the most advanced martial artists, he wanted to achieve the greatest achievements and become the undisputed best in the world, and use that achievement as a foundation to expand the power of the Demonic Cult. That was the goal that Dang Mujin had in mind as the leader.

Manryukseung asked.

“Are you sure about that story?”

“The three flower buds that Shin Seung showed us at the end. It wasn’t something I had seen for the first time. The leader’s inaction is in no way inferior to the inaction that Shin Seung showed us at the end. In fact, it should be seen as even greater.”

The state that Shinsung reached only after accepting death. The state that a living person reached.

It was a story about humans entering the realm of the immortals, and a new era opening up in the martial arts world.

No, there’s no need to think so vaguely.

Because this was a very simple and realistic problem.

The inaction that Shin Seung showed at the end. Perhaps, he must deal with someone who has even greater inaction.

Hyun-gong, who was listening to the story, sighed silently.

‘Your judgment was wrong. It would have been wiser to gain a position in the Demonic Cult than to keep your position as the leader of the Independent faction.’

‘Can’t I trick the Demon King into returning to the Demonic Cult right now and secretly follow him?’

‘Or would it be better to think of a way to contact the Light Flame? Which way did the Light Flame run away to earlier?’

To make matters worse, the story of the ghost king did not end there.

“The cult leader said he would practice for ten years. He reached the next level in three years, and now two years have passed since then. I don’t know what level he will reach if he continues to practice for another five years. I’m sure even the cult leader himself doesn’t know.”

Hong Geol-gae shook his head. It was a series of stories that were breathtaking just to hear.

“What’s even more worrying is that the leader isn’t the only one who’s gotten stronger. The leader’s closed-door training ended two or three years ago. And he’s been sharing his accomplishments, training, and enlightenment with the demonic cult’s members. There are many who’ve gotten a clue from his teachings and have overcome the peak, and there are even people who’ve overcome the transcendent peak. I’ve also achieved quite a bit thanks to the leader’s teachings.”

“Wait a minute, is this a new supreme master appeared in the Demonic Cult?”

“Haven’t you met before? I’m talking about Baek Ya-hyo. He’s already dead.”

Dang Mu-jin thought of Baek Ya-hyo. Baek Ya-hyo, who was acting like the eldest son of the Gongdong faction.

Somehow, it seemed strange that among the many sect members on Mt. Mudang, not a single person had heard of the name Baek Ya-hyo.

But now that I look back, it was only natural. If only he had been a Sapa warrior, then maybe not so long ago, Baek Ya-hyo would have been one of the top demonic masters who had been staying in that distant Cheonsan Mountain.

At the same time, old memories of the ghost king came back to me.

In the past, when he had to escape from the Demonic Cult with the Three Eyes Buddha and dodge the Ghost King, the Ghost King did not blow a strong wind like he does now. It must have been an achievement achieved through enlightenment from the teachings of the cult leader.

Hwahwanogae’s expression became serious.

“Now that we have some free time, we must do whatever it takes to unite the martial arts world and attack the Demonic Cult. Right now.”

But the ghost king shook his head.

“no.”

“What else is not it?”

“You won’t have any free time for a while.”

“Why? The evil plan of the Demonic Cult was revealed, and even the Mad Flame was defeated.”

The ghost king spoke in a low, hushed voice.

“There was no such thing as ‘secretly’ in the instructions that Kwangyeomra and I received from the cult leader.”

“···What does that mean?”

“It means that even if they get caught, they just have to buy time. And then Gwangyeomra runs away to the north, to the Sapa Murim area.”

The group’s gaze turned north.

The ghost king took a moment to catch his breath and finished his story.

“I will gather all the power I can muster and attack the martial arts world in the near future.”