Chapter 153
When Baek Mu-Gun arrived at Namgung Hyun-Ahs residence, he found Namgung Hyun-Ah and Dan Seol-Young waiting outside, having heard the news about his return.
Welcome back.
I am glad youre safe.
The two greeted Mu-Gun with a smile.
How have you two been? You seem to have gotten prettier since the last time we met, Mu-Gun responded with a smile as well.
Lets head inside for now.
The three went into the room. Hyun-Ah then prepared and served Mu-Gun and Seol-Young tea.
Thank you. I missed the tea you make for me very much, dear.
Thank you.
Mu-Gun and Seol-Young savored the cup of tea that Hyun-Ah personally brewed.
I heard about your accomplishments. However, I did not expect you to do something so reckless. Do you know how surprised I was when I heard about it? Seol-Young, who waited until Mu-Gun finished drinking his tea, brought up the matters that transpired in Jiangxi Province.
It was not reckless.
Are you saying that it is not reckless to fight alone in the midst of an enemy camp that had nine Absolute-Realm masters?
It would normally be seen as reckless, I agree. However, I acted under the assumption that I had a good chance of winning. The result is as you have already heard.
Fine, lets say that you did it because you were confident. Fortunately, everything turned out well. However, as a result of that, not only did the Nine Celestial Demons Sect find out that you are the Thunder Gods successor, but it also made them realize how dangerous your existence is, my dear husband. The Nine Celestial Demons Sect will make getting rid of you the highest priority. You are the Thunder Gods successor, after all. Their nine factions will most likely unite for that purpose. It would not be an exaggeration to say that you are the factor that encouraged the nine factions of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect to join hands, Seol-Young stated.
I am well aware of that. However, my identity had already been revealed when I went to save Lady So. The fact that I was the Thunder Gods successor would have been a good enough reason in itself to make the Nine Celestial Demons Sects nine factions join forces. In that situation, the best I could do was show them how powerful I truly am. In doing so, they now have to think twice about carrying out an attack against us. Even if that was not the case, it would have been for the best to get rid of the martial arts masters of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect anyway.
There is no use crying over spilled milk. What point would there be in shifting the blame? One way or another, the fact that our dear husband was able to kill the Nine Celestial Demons Sects martial arts masters and their subordinates is a commendable feat in itself. Wouldnt it be better to discuss countermeasures for it rather than nitpick over it? Hyun-Ah told Seol-Young.
Youre right, Sister Namgung. Honestly, even after everything I have said, I couldnt be prouder, Seol-Young said in agreement.
As for the countermeasures, we decided to explain the situation to the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families, then ask for their help, Mu-Gun replied.
You have discussed this with Father?
Yes.
Will the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families even help us? If they find out that you are the Thunder Gods successor, they will try to keep the Baek Sword Sect and the Loyal Heart Alliance in check, Seol-Young said.
I feel apologetic saying this to Hyun-Ah, but honestly, I dont expect anything from the Seven Great Families since they probably would not want other forces to surpass their fame and reputation, Mu-Gun cautiously said.
You dont have to feel sorry for me. The Seven Great Families do prioritize protecting and strengthening their vested interest in murim over murims righteousness. To that end, as you have predicted, the Seven Great Families will not mobilize their forces for the sake of the Baek Sword Sect. It is more likely for them to wish that the Loyal Heart Alliance clashes with the Nine Celestial Demons Sect and fall into a situation where both sides lose.
Hyun-Ah was not offended at all by Mu-Guns words. Rather, she evaluated the Seven Great Families more critically than Mu-Gun did.
Will the Nine Prominent Sects be any different? Seol-Young raised a question.
They have a stronger will to protect murim compared to the Seven Great Families. Furthermore, they are well aware that in order to protect murim, the Thunder Gods successor is indispensable. The Nine Prominent Sects have also maintained a close relationship with the Thunder Gods previous successors. They will extend their hand to us in consideration for the prior arrangement they have made with my many predecessors, Mu-Gun explained.
I really hope that is the case.
Do you two perhaps have any other good ideas?
We tried to mull things over and came up with an idea. Why dont you hire the Ten Wanderers?
The Ten Wanderers?
They act based on where money points to, but they will work their worth once they are paid.
Hmm, even if so, they are only at the Upper Peak Realm. If the Nine Celestial Demons Sect makes up their mind to attack us in earnest, they will not be of much help, Mu-Gun replied.
At the very least, an Absolute-Realm master was needed to curb the attack from the Nine Celestial Demons Sect. Of course, it would be nice to have Upper-Peak-Realm masters around too, but they would not be able to play a decisive role.
Still, wouldnt it be better to have them on board than nothing at all? Furthermore, cant you take their martial realm to the next level? Seol-Young said.
Me?
I am referring to what you did with Young Master Cho.
That was only possible because he had the Three-Headed Centipedes beast core. Even with that, he could not advance completely into the Absolute Realm. He is only a half-baked Absolute-Realm martial artist right now.
Wouldnt it be possible if you let them consume a Heavenly Medicine Pill?
As Seol-Young said, if Mu-Gun gave the Ten Wanderers two Heavenly Medicine Pills each, they would be able to advance to the Absolute Realm. However, Mu-Gun had a long list of people he wanted to give the Heavenly Medicine Pills to, and the Ten Wanderers werent part of it. They were just outsiders, after all. If they formally joined the Baek Sword Sect, then he would consider it, but it was highly unlikely for them to join the Baek Sword Sect.
As the saying went, once a wanderer, always a wanderer. The Four Peerless Wanderers only joined the Baek Sword Sect because of Mu-Guns past reincarnation as Guyang Hwi. They would not have even considered it otherwise.
You should look at it from a different perspective. Even if they do not become a member of the Baek Sword Sect, wouldnt it be a good enough payment for the Heavenly Medicine Pills if they rise to the Absolute Realm and suppress the threat of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect? If the Ten Wanderers become Absolute-Realm masters, it will contribute to the combat forces of the entire murim, Seol-Young refuted against Mu-Guns reasoning.
Her explanation made Mu-Gun suddenly remember that he once mentioned his desire to make the Loyal Heart Alliance, centered around the Baek Sword Sect, the guardian force of murim. However, just because the Loyal Heart Alliance became stronger did not mean that they would be able to protect all of murim. Murim itself had to become stronger as well.
They had a limited supply of Heavenly Medicine Pills, so the effectiveness of its usage should be considered. Normally, he would give them to members of the Loyal Heart Alliance. However, if a martial artist out there could use the Heavenly Medicine Pill more effectively, giving them one could be the right decision even if they were not a Loyal Heart Alliance member.
If Mu-Gun limited the use of the Heavenly Medicine Pill and the Hundred Herb Pill only to the Loyal Heart Alliance, or more narrowly, to the Baek Sword Sect alone, he would be no different from the Seven Great Families, which was hellbent on maximizing their authority and power. Rather than just the Baek Sword Sect or the Loyal Heart Alliance, he should prioritize letting murim as a whole benefit.
Youre absolutely correct. I should not prioritize people from the Baek Sword Sect or the Loyal Heart Alliance just because we have a limited supply of Heavenly Medicine Pills, Mu-Gun said. It would be better to give it to the person who can make use of it most effectively.
If you help the people of murim with an unbiased view, the people of murim will also understand the deep meaning behind your actions, my dear husband. Their support and respect for the Baek Sword Sect or the Loyal Heart Alliance will also naturally grow.
Well said. Speaking of which, can we contact the Ten Wanderers?
We have already confirmed where the Ten Wanderers are, so we can contact them as soon as you give the order, dear husband, Seol-Young said.
You are as quick to deal with these sorts of things as I expected, Mu-Gun praised Seol-Young. I will write a letter to the Ten Wanderers, so please deliver it to them. Noted.
The two of you have such great chemistry. I, too, wish that I could be of some help to my dear husband just like Sister Dan. Hyun-Ah sulked. She could not help but envy Seol-Young, who helped Mu-Gun make a wise decision.
Please dont say such things. Both of you are a great source of strength to me, Mu-Gun said firmly.
Yes. I am helping him now, but if you achieve huge success in the martial arts that you have learned from our dear husband, you will be much more helpful in the future, Seol-Young reassured Hyun-Ah.
For that to happen, I should put more effort into my martial arts.
Dont overdo it, though. As you are well aware, practicing martial arts at a steady pace is far better, Mu-Gun advised Hyun-Ah.
I know, Hyun-Ah meekly answered.
Anyway, what happened to the Four Great Evil Clans? Mu-Gun asked.
The Ximen-Tang coalition has eliminated most of the Heretical Emperor Halls forces, so they are now on the verge of collapse. On the other hand, the other three managed to avoid their pursuers and escape, Seol-Young explained.
Has the five Great Families stopped giving chase? Mu-Gun asked again.
Yes. They have occupied the headquarters of the three evil sects and are now simply observing the situation.
What are the three evil sects doing? I doubt they are in a good situation. They just lost their headquarters, after all.
Looking at their travel route, it seems all three evil sects are trying to get past the borders.
The borders? Mu-Gun asked.
Since the five Great Families cannot do anything right now, the evil sects are probably trying to retreat past the borders and marshal their forces for battle.
They may have colluded with the borderlands forces, Mu-Gun replied.
The borderlands referred to the region beyond the Great Wall of China, and the borderlands murim, which differed from the Central Plains, existed there. The Central Plains murim referred to the four large forces in the borderlands murim as the Four Borderlands Influences.
The Four Borderlands Influences were the Potala Palace, the Beihai Ice Palace, the Sky Beast Palace, and the Sun God Palace. They ruled Tibet, Beihai, Nanman, and the Northern Desert respectively. Each of them was as large as two of the Seven Great Families combined, and they were bound to be a threat to the Central Plains murim because they were always looking for an opportunity to target the Central Plains.
That possibility cannot be ruled out. We would be facing the worst-case scenario if the Nine Celestial Demons Sect have managed to spread their evil influence to the forces beyond the borders, Seol-Young said.
They could not take this matter lightly. Confirming whether they were right was imperative.
Do the eyes and ears of the Heavenly Secret Hall extend to the forces beyond the borders as well? Mu-Gun curiously asked.
We have yet to extend our information network that far. We will try to get as much intel as we can for now, at least.
I will leave that to you.
After covering all important matters, they chatted for a while longer before Mu-Gun headed to his residence. Even though Mu-Gun was part of the family that owned their new headquarters, he did not know the location of his own residence because this was his first time at the new headquarters. Hence, Seol-Young had to guide him.
Meanwhile, Baek Cheon-Sang held a council meeting and informed the delegates of Mu-Guns identity as the Thunder Gods successor and that the Nine Celestial Demons Sect had discovered his true identity. The council delegates were surprised to hear that Mu-Gun was the Thunder Gods successor, and they expressed concern about Mu-Guns identity being exposed to the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.
The Nine Celestial Demons Sect will definitely not stay still now that they know about Young Patriarch Baeks identity. Do we perhaps have any countermeasures against this? Wind Saber Sect Patriarch Tae Gong-Pyo asked.
Now that the Loyal Heart Alliance United Corps had officially been established, the delegates of the council used honorifics when speaking to Cheon-Sang, the Alliance Leader.
We have explained the situation to the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families and have also requested their assistance, Cheon-Sang responded.
Hmmm, will the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families help us? If they send their forces to our side, their defenses will be relatively weakened, Kang Household Patriarch Kang Won-Hee spoke skeptically.
It would be no exaggeration to say that the Thunder Gods successor has always been a key figure in the battle against the Three Greatest Demonic Sects. Even now, the Thunder Gods successor continues to play the most decisive role whenever the Three Greatest Demonic Sects begin spreading their rampage. The Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families would also be well aware of that. To emerge victorious in the battle against the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, they will most likely try to protect the Thunder Gods successor, Mei Household Patriarch Mei Jung-Hak refuted.
Several of the delegates nodded, thinking Jung-Hak had a point.
As Patriarch Mei said, the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families will most likely send us reinforcements. However, if they do not send martial arts masters strong enough to deal with the Nine Celestial Demons Sects Absolute-Demonic-Realm masters, their forces will bring little impact, Gong-Pyo rebutted. Moreover, the Nine Celestial Demons Sect will also probably mobilize a huge number of Absolute-Demonic-Realm masters to eliminate Young Patriarch Baek, the Thunder Gods successor. The Nine Great Demon Kings could even head into the battle themselves. To stop them, we will need many Absolute-Realm masters. I wonder if the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families would be willing to send that many martial arts masters as reinforcement. Realistically speaking, that would be difficult.
You have a point, Patriarch Tae. Nevertheless, the Nine Celestial Demons Sect still fears the Thunder Gods successor. They dont know exactly how strong Young Patriarch Baek is. They have probably fallen into a state of chaos after finding out that Young Patriarch Baek infiltrated the Heretical Emperor Halls camp alone while five Demonic Monarchs and the Three Great Slayer Kings were present. Young Patriarch Baek not only infiltrated enemy lines alone but also killed all five Demonic Monarchs and their Higher Demons. It is also important to note that Young Patriarch Baek only did the bare minimum. Taking those reasons into consideration, the Nine Celestial Demons Sect will probably find it difficult to attack the Loyal Heart Alliance without knowing the extent of Young Patriarch Baeks capabilities if he fights to the utmost of his abilities, Jung-Hak answered back, defending his stance.
With all due respect, can you tell us exactly how strong Young Patriarch Baek is? Gong-Pyo asked Cheon-Sang.
To be honest, even I dont know much about the extent of his capabilities. Nevertheless, considering Mu-Gun entered the Heretical Emperor Halls camp without hesitation when there were nine Absolute-Realm masters and twenty Upper Peak Realm masters present, we should assume that he can deal with numbers greater than that if he fought at full power, Cheon-Sang replied.
That is exactly what I mean. The Nine Celestial Demons Sect is probably making the same assumptions. As Patriarch Tae said, if the Nine Great Demon Kings take this matter into their own hands, we could find ourselves in a dangerous situation. However, the Nine Great Demon Kings are basically the strongest forces and the last bastion of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect. Even if it is to eliminate the Thunder Gods successor, they would have trouble joining the frontlines themselves. The previous Nine Great Demon Kings were defeated by the Thunder Gods successor as well, so they know better than anyone else to not take action unless they have a clear chance of winning, Jung-Hak continued.
Isnt that all the more reason why they would launch an attack? From their perspective, there will be a higher chance of winning if they put an end to the war before the Thunder Gods successor becomes even stronger, Byeok Sword Manor Patriarch Byeok Cheol-Seong countered.
If the Nine Great Demon Kings have made perfect preparations, that may be the case. However, considering the Nine Celestial Demons Sect is moving discreetly instead of being out in the open, they probably arent completely ready to resurface yet, Jung-Hak calmly opposed Cheol-Seongs opinion.
Thats a good point. Cheol-Seong nodded, seemingly convinced.
As Patriarch Mei said, even if we assume there is little chance the Nine Celestial Demons Sect would launch an all-out attack, isnt it still better for us to prepare countermeasures to it for as long as the possibility exists? Although we have requested assistance from the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families, I think we should come up with our own countermeasures as well, Draconic Tiger Gang Patriarch Yong Gun-Seong told Cheon-Sang.
That goes without saying. I convened this council meeting today to discuss what countermeasures we should prepare as well. For that reason, I hope you all express your opinions without hesitation.
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