Chapter 142
Baek Cheon-Sang departed for Jinhua to discuss the Three Great Clans of Fujians intention to join the Zhejiang Martial Alliance with the Patriarchs of the Ten Clans of Zhejiang. Venerable elders Qiankun Hands Seok Gang and Daybreak Swordsmaster Geom Woo-Saeng accompanied him as his escorts. Although some would think that having two venerable elders escort him was too much, they had to take such huge precautionary measures since they did not know when, where, and how the Nine Celestial Demons Sect would attack.
Meanwhile, as the Young Patriarch, Baek Mu-Gun was tasked to oversee both the important and trivial matters within the Baek Sword Sect while Cheon-Sang was away. However, that did not really change Mu-Guns daily life all that much. As usual, he spent his day practicing martial arts and examining the martial arts of his two friends and the Six White Wolves. He also frequently checked for any new information from the Heavenly Secret Hall and reacted accordingly.
The Heavenly Secret Halls information was delivered through two channels. Baek Mu-Ok relayed information related to the Baek Sword Sect, while Heavenly Secret Hall Vice-Leader Dan Seol-Young delivered any other information. Today, he received information from Seol-Young about the evil factions that were believed to be under the control of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.
Mu-Gun had requested the Heavenly Secret Hall to thoroughly investigate four evil clansthe Heretical Emperor Hall, the Green Snake Gang, the Blood Ring Gang, and the Ma Thieves Gang. Today, the Heavenly Secret Hall finally delivered the results of that investigation.
We did not discover any evidence that connects the four evil clans to the Nine Celestial Demons Sect. Moreover, they are neither an immediate threat to the righteous factions nor attempting to expand their power, Seol-Young began. Hence, at least on the surface, its difficult to associate them with the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.
What about their combat forces? Mu-Gun asked.
All four clans currently have around seven hundred to eight hundred warriors each. We still havent discovered how many martial arts masters are within their ranks.
Their combat forces are equal in number to the Evil Blood Gangs.
To be safe, we looked into how their forces grew each year. Coincidentally, all five clans, including the Evil Blood Gang, recruited a hundred warriors three years ago, Seol-Young mentioned.
I wouldnt have batted an eye if only two or three of them did that. However, considering all five underwent similar changes in numbers, there is definitely something suspicious going on, Mu-Gun said in a doubtful tone.
We also find it suspicious that they have not been trying to expand their forces after that certain growth in numbers.
It is certainly odd that those evil clans are not trying to expand their forces at all. They would have normally been busy trying to use their expanded power by now.
Still, we cannot charge them of being related to the Nine Celestial Demons Sect just because of that. We have to find concrete pieces of evidence that would connect them to the Nine Celestial Demons Sect first.
Considering how the Nine Celestial Demons Sect has been behaving so far and how they helped the Evil Blood Gang, they likely have a figure near those four evil clans if they are connected, Mu-Gun said, bringing up the past as a reference.
Attempting to find them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
If we cant find them, then we can just make them show themselves.
Is there any way to do that?
If the evil clans are really related to the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, then they are bound to contact them sooner or later.
Are you suggesting we threaten the leaders of the evil factions into contacting the Nine Celestial Demons Sect? Seol-Young asked in an attempt to confirm Mu-Guns intention.
Yes. If the evil factions are really connected to the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, their leaders will definitely try to contact the Nine Celestial Demons Sect for the sake of their survival.
That plan would not work if they were threatening the lives of the Nine Celestial Demons Sects demonic practitioners. However, the leaders of the evil factions were only subordinates of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, not demonic practitioners. Evil faction members value their lives more than anything else. They would betray anyone, even the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, if it meant they would get to survive.
Thats too dangerous.
Not at all. From what Ive seen so far, the Nine Celestial Demons Sect has never deployed more than one Absolute Demonic Realm master in a single faction. That was further proven with the whole Evil Blood Gang ordeal. Even if the evil factions are really connected to the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, they wont be able to threaten my safety. However, if you are still worried, then I will take the venerable elders with me, Mu-Gun reassured Seol-Young.
Seol-Young would definitely feel more relieved if Mu-Gun had the venerable elders, who were all Absolute Realm masters, with him.
However, you will only get one chance to lure them out. The Nine Celestial Demons Sect will definitely not be deceived twice, Seol-Young pointed out.
That is actually what I am most worried about. If I could, I would infiltrate all four evil clans at the same time, lure out the demonic practitioners of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, and put an end to all of them at once. However, we dont have a suitable method to do that.
To infiltrate all four evil clans and eliminate the Nine Celestial Demons Sects demonic practitioners within their ranks at the same time, he would require at least two Absolute Realm masters for each clan. Based on the pattern the Nine Celestial Demons Sect had been following so far, they would likely have an Absolute Demonic Realm master and three or four Upper-Peak-Realm Higher Demons in each clan.
Taking that into consideration, Mu-Gun would require at least two Absolute Realm masters to guarantee victory. The Baek Sword Sect had a total of eight Absolute Realm masters, but he could not just mobilize them all at the same time. After all, they also had to consider the Baek Sword Sects safety.
To lure out the demonic practitioners of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, they would have to infiltrate the evil clans base and subdue their leader first. However, if they caused even the slightest disturbance during that process, they would be forced to fight seven to eight hundred warriors. Despite how powerful an Absolute Realm master was, it was unreasonable to expect them to deal with that many martial artists. Moreover, even if they defeated all of them and subdued the evil clans leaders, the Nine Celestial Demons Sects demonic practitioners would most likely notice the disturbance.
For that reason, they had to execute Mu-Guns plan without causing any commotion, which only Mu-Gun could do. That also made it difficult to request help from the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families. The Nine Prominent Sects, which were very meticulous with justification, would try to dissuade Mu-Gun if he asked for their help. Even if his target were evil clans, it would still be unjust to infiltrate them and threaten their leader without any evidence.
Hmm, I see no reason to do it if you can only deal with one out of the four evil clans. You would be able to get rid of an Absolute Demonic Realm master, but that is not enough to create any major effect, Seol-Young commented.
No, proceeding with this is still viable. It has not yet been confirmed whether those four evil clans and the Nine Celestial Demons Sect are connected. We are only assuming that they are due to the incident with the Evil Blood Gang. If we can secure clear evidence of it, then we will get clear justification to overthrow the others forces.
You have already made up your mind, havent you? Seol-Young asked.
This is the best plan I can think of right now, Mu-Gun admitted.
Considering your skills, I doubt there will be much risk, dear. However, it would do you good to think about the ripple effects that this will bring, Seol-Young advised Mu-Gun.
What do you mean?
Your interference has caused the Nine Celestial Demons Sect to fail multiple missions. They have suffered heavy damages as a result, including the loss of nine Absolute Demonic Realm masters. The Nine Celestial Demons Sect is definitely waiting for a chance to take you and the Baek Sword Sect down. However, if you defeat another Demonic Monarch, they might not be able to overlook you any longer. They might not even wait anymore. In the worst-case scenario, the Nine Celestial Demons Sect could even launch a direct attack on the Baek Sword Sect.
To a certain extent, Mu-Gun had already thought about the concerns that Seol-Young mentioned. The Nine Celestial Demons Sects factions preferred to act individually, but they were more than willing to join forces whenever necessary. The Baek Sword Sect could certainly find themselves in a dangerous situation if the factions that Mu-Gun had damaged joined forces and aimed for them. The Baek Sword Sect had eight Absolute Realm masters, but even that would not be enough to put their minds at ease.
So far, Mu-Gun had defeated Demonic Monarchs from the Asura Cult, the Heavenly Killer Sect, the Blood-Crazed Clan, the Invincible Clan, and the Underworld Sect. If those five factions mobilized their Demonic Monarchs all at once, the existence and safety of the Baek Sword Sect would be threatened.
That has actually been bothering me the most. However, if we can establish the Zhejiang Martial Alliance United Corps earlier, we will be able to somewhat counter that threat. I have already suggested this to my father. He will bring it up at the meeting hes going to.
It would still take a lot of time for the Zhejiang Martial Alliance United Corps to be completely functional. However, if they used the Black Sword Gangs manor and some of the completed united corps buildings, they could at least start launching urgent operations. Moreover, once the Zhejiang Martial Alliance United Corps began executing full-scale operations, the Patriarchs and one hundred elite warriors from each of the Ten Clans of Zhejiang would start staying at the united corps headquarters.
Mu-Gun planned to transfer most of the Baek Sword Sects forces to the Zhejiang Martial Alliance United Corps when it was established. In fact, he also wanted to move the headquarters of the Baek Sword Sect to Shaoxing. Wenzhou was located at the corner of Zhejiang Province, which was a bad geographical location for power expansions. Expanding their forces at Shaoxing would be much easier since they would be located in the middle of the Central Plains. If the Baek Sword Sect moved to Shaoxing and the Ten Clans of Zhejiang concentrated their forces there, the Nine Celestial Demons Sect would find it hard to attack them.
That aside, five factions of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect had already lost a Demonic Monarch or two. If they lost another, they would fall behind the other factions. They would probably just closely monitor the situation for now in fear of that happening.
Even so, that alone would not be enough. If the Nine Celestial Demons Sect put their mind to it, the forces of the Ten Clans of Zhejiang would not be a problem for them at all. Provoking them any further without establishing a clear countermeasure first would be unwise, Seol-Young rebutted.
If we just stand around and watch from the sidelines just because it is dangerous, we will never be able to stop the Nine Celestial Demons Sect. We have to get rid of them immediately whenever we find their traces. Only then can we reduce the damages murim will suffer.
You cant save murim by yourself, dear. You also cannot stop them by yourself. Why are you trying to take responsibility for everything? Please trust the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families more. Now that we have informed them of the incident with the Evil Blood Gang, they will definitely investigate the evil factions and keep close surveillance on them.
At Seol-Youngs remarks, Mu-Gun realized that he was too obsessed with the Nine Celestial Demons Sect. He did whatever it took to cut them off whenever they revealed their tails even if it meant no longer considering anything else. That would be fine if he was alone. However, Mu-Gun now had a clan and a lot of people to protect. He certainly had to get rid of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, but he also had to protect the Baek Sword Sect and the people precious to him.
Mu-Gun decided to relax and move a little slower. As Seol-Young said, he also put a little more trust in the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families.
You are right, my dear. I guess I was too fixated on carrying all the burdens on my own. As you said, I will try to trust the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families on this matter.
Good thinking. We have increased our surveillance on the evil factions anyway, so even if they try to plot some sort of scheme, we will be able to detect it immediately, Seol-Young said in a delighted tone.
Thank you.
Why are you suddenly thanking me?
Its because you are always by my side giving me advice. Tying the knot with you is one of the best decisions I have made in this lifetime.
Im glad I can be of help to you, dear. I will do my best to help you more in the future.
You are already doing good enough. More importantly, even if you do not help me, your presence alone already gives me a lot of strength, so you dont have to try so hard to help. Mu-Guns affectionate words and gaze were filled with love for Seol-Young.
Seol-Young smiled softly. As a woman, there was nothing that made her happier than to be loved by him.
* * *
The Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families took the information that the Baek Sword Sect sent them into careful consideration. The Baek Sword Sect mentioned that the Evil Blood Gang was connected to the Nine Celestial Demons Sect and that it was highly likely that the other large evil factions in the Central Plains were as well.
However, the two factions tackled the matter using different methods. The Nine Prominent Sects demanded that the Four Great Evil Clans express where they stand and remained firm on their stance to keep watch until they had obtained clear proof evidencing the evil clans connection to the Nine Celestial Demons Sect. On the other hand, the Seven Great Families asserted that they should take this opportunity to get rid of the Four Great Evil Clans. Even if the latter were not connected to the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, they should still nip them in the bud anyway for as long as there was a possibility that they would be controlled by the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.
Even if the evil clans could not be manipulated, the Seven Great Families argued that punishing them would still be the right course of action due to the tyranny that the Four Great Evil Clans had committed. The Nine Prominent Sects opposed the assertion of the Seven Great Families, arguing that it would be tyranny under the guise of righteousness if the Seven Great Families attacked the Four Great Evil Clans even though nothing had been proven yet.
The Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families did not budge from their stance. Hence, in the end, the Seven Great Families gave up on persuading the Nine Prominent Sects and decided to take matters into their own hands instead. If the Seven Great Families subjugated the Four Great Evil Clans despite the Nine Prominent Sects opposition, the latter could still be blamed as well. However, the Seven Great Families did not care about that at all. To them, eliminating the Four Great Evil Clans was the best course of action they could take in the name of righteousness and the safety of murim. To accomplish that, they were willing to take any condemnation.
However, getting rid of the Four Great Evil Clans was not as simple as it sounded for the Seven Great Families. After all, each of the Four Great Evil Clans had more than seven hundred martial artists in their ranks. Even if they only had a few Upper-Peak-Realm masters or higher, the Seven Great Families would still have to mobilize more than five hundred people to attack them. Furthermore, they also had to deploy at least two or three Absolute Realm masters and additional personnel as a countermeasure against the possible intervention of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.
Even the Seven Great Families would find it hard to mobilize that many forces. However, each of their members had at least four or five vassal families that possessed more combat forces than most small and medium-sized martial clans.
Hence, the Seven Great Families proceeded to mobilize the minimum number of forces and substituted the rest with the forces of their vassal families. The vassal families could find that unfair, but they had no choice but to follow orders since the Seven Great Families used murims righteousness as justification.
Now, all that was left was to designate targets. The Seven Great Families collectively agreed that the four great families geographically closest to the Four Great Evil Clans would be leading their attack. The Great Ximen Family would deal with the Heretical Emperor Hall in Jiangxi Province, the Guangdong Jin Family with the Green Snake Gang in Guangxi Province, the Great Huangfu Family with the Blood Ring Gang in Shanxi Province, and the Hebei Peng Family with the Ma Thieves Gang in Liaoning Province. Meanwhile, the three other families were tasked to provide those four with active support.
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