Chapter 85
News about Baek Cheon-Sang of the Baek Sword Sect becoming the Zhejiang Martial Alliance's leader quickly spread throughout murim. It eventually reached the Great Namgung Family and the Great Huangfu Family as well, both of which paid special attention to Cheon-Sang being the successor of the Heavenly Sea God Sect’s martial art legacy because it reminded them of Gu Jeon-Saeng, the young man who fought with them during the Great Sima Family incident. He definitely mentioned that he chanced upon a miraculous encounter with the Heavenly Sea God Sect.
It was impossible for both Cheon-Sang and Jeon-Saeng to gain miraculous enlightenment from the Heavenly Sea God Sect at the same time. Considering their age, it was also unlikely that Cheon-Sang was Jeon-Saeng. However, it would make sense for Jeon-Saeng to be Cheon-Sang’s son. Coincidentally, Baek Cheon-Sang’s son, Baek Mu-Gun, apparently recovered and regained his martial arts after suffering from qi deviation for three years.
The Great Namgung Family and the Great Huangfu Family were convinced that Jeon-Saeng was Mu-Gun. If proven true, then that would mean Mu-Gun had hidden his identity and deceived the two great clans. They did not feel particularly offended about it, though. It was common for someone to hide their identity under a pseudonym in murim. It would be a different story if he committed a crime while in disguise. However, Mu-Gun neither did anything of the sort nor caused any particular harm to the two great clans either, so they couldn’t find fault in Mu-Gun’s actions.
What they should be focusing on was the fact that the Baek Sword Sect had two Absolute Realm masters. They still were not a match for the Seven Great Families, but their combat power certainly should not be ignored. To top it all off, the Baek Sword Sect had become the Zhejiang Martial Alliance leader.
If the Zhejiang Martial Alliance came together and strengthened its power around the Baek Sword Sect, it could pose a threat to the Seven Great Families in the future. The two great clans judged they should start paying attention to the Zhejiang Martial Alliance.
That being said, they decided to build a friendly relationship with the Baek Sword Sect. Making an ally out of the Baek Sword Sect could have a great effect on their battle strength.
Marriage was the best way to create a friendly relationship with the Baek Sword Sect. Almost as if they promised to do so, the two great clans sent a marriage proposal to the Baek Sword Sect. However, they weren’t the only ones to come up with that idea.
When the Baek Sword Sect became the Zhejiang Martial Alliance leader, various clans and sects also rushed to send marriage proposals to them. The Eun Merchant Group, who had broken the engagement between them in the past, sent one as well. That was how much the Baek Sword Sect’s presence had grown.
Smiling bitterly at the simultaneous talks of marriage, which came in droves, Cheon-Sang called for Mu-Gun.
“Did you call for me?”
“Look at this.”
Cheon-Sang handed over several sealed envelopes.
“What are all these?”
“Marriage proposals that came for you.”
“Marriage proposals?”
“Since we’ve become the Zhejiang Martial Alliance leader, various clans now want to tie the knot with us to create a connection. Surprisingly, the Great Namgung Family and the Great Huangfu Family also sent marriage proposals.”
“The Great Namgung Family and the Great Huangfu Family as well?”
“Do you have the faintest idea of what they’re up to?”
At that moment, Mu-Gun realized that those two great clans had unearthed his true identity. With their ability, it wouldn’t have been difficult to determine he was actually Jeon-Saeng.
“They’re probably trying to secure control over Zhejiang Province by turning us into a friendly force.”
“Is that all there is to it?”
“When they attacked the Great Sima Family, I also took action. I used an alias back then, but it seems they’ve figured out my identity.”
“They likely already know you’re also in the Absolute Realm, then.”
“That’s right.”
“If so, then it all makes sense now. This is an opportunity for them to get an Absolute Realm master as a son-in-law and create a friendly relationship with the Baek Sword Sect, making it worthy for them to bring up talks of marriage first even if it meant bending their pride.”
“It seems even the Eun Merchant Group has sent a marriage proposal,” Mu-Gun said, noticing their name among the sealed envelopes he was looking through.
“Those people are really thick-skinned, aren’t they? It hasn’t even been that long since they broke off the engagement, yet they’ve already sent us another marriage proposal.” Cheon-Sang sounded disgusted.
“Merchants have always been shameless when it comes to making a profit.”
“Anyway, what do you want me to do with those marriage proposals?”
“Please reject all of them.”
“All of them?”
“Do you perhaps have a clan that you like?”
“That’s not it. The marriage proposals from the Great Namgung Family and the Great Huangfu Family just bother me a little.”
“Don’t worry. No matter how powerful the Great Namgung Family and the Great Huangfu Family are, they won’t harass us just because we refused their marriage proposal.”
“Alright. You may leave now.”
“Since I’m here, there’s something I would like to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I received a request from the Heavenly Secret Hall to foster some martial artists. If possible, I hope to train them in our sect.”
“Why’s that?”
“In exchange for training their warriors, the Baek Sword Sect can mobilize them whenever necessary. Think of them as some sort of mercenary.”
“That would temporarily solve our urgent need for more Baek Sword Corps members.”
“That’s right. Moreover, it would be strategically beneficial for us to train the Heavenly Secret Hall’s warriors since that would make any external forces think of them as the Baek Sword Sect’s martial artists.”
“I understand where you’re coming from. Do as you please.”
“Thank you.”
Upon getting Cheon-Sang’s permission, Mu-Gun immediately notified the Heavenly Secret Hall. A few days later, one hundred and twenty warriors, whom the Heavenly Secret Hall was training to become Heavenly Secret Guardians, arrived at the Baek Sword Sect. The sect could accommodate five hundred people from the five squads under normal circumstances, so there were no issues with the Heavenly Secret Hall’s members staying at the Baek Sword Sect. Mu-Gun was planning to teach them martial arts that were originally meant for the Heavenly Martial Hall’s warriors.
Mu-Gun made the Heavenly Martial Hall’s martial arts, which were called the Heavenly Martial Heart Protection and the 13 Heavenly Martial Sword Art, by combining various martial arts during his time as the Undern Supreme Monarch. Not only were they Ascension-realm martial arts, but their peak could be easily reached as well for as long as the practitioner had talent and put in the effort.
The greatest features of the Heavenly Martial Heart Protection Art and the 13 Heavenly Martial Sword Art were how easy they were to learn and how fast they were to master, but one shouldn’t expect to get past the Upper Peak Realm using them, considering they had clear limitations as well.
These martial arts’ characteristics were quite similar to demonic arts since Mu-Gun used demonic arts as a reference when creating them. However, they didn’t put their practitioner at risk of falling into deprivation. After all, he had removed the demonic arts’ unique demonic qi by incorporating righteous sects’ martial arts.
Mu-Gun spent several days passing on the Heavenly Martial Hall’s martial arts to the Heavenly Secret Hall warriors. Most of them were similar in age to Mu-Gun, so they could have doubted his ability or gotten their pride hurt from learning from Mu-Gun, who was their peer. However, none of those happened. Rather, they treated him respectfully and obeyed him as if he was their superior because of the Heavenly Secret Hall leader’s strict order to treat Mu-Gun like how they treated her. Moreover, having learned about Mu-Gun’s abilities, they didn’t dare defy him.
It took half a month to completely teach them everything, but he no longer had to pay them as much attention from there. Checking the results of their training once in a while and guiding them on what to improve was more than enough.
After passing on the Heavenly Martial Hall’s martial arts to the Heavenly Secret Hall warriors, Mu-Gun focused on his personal training. He also checked the martial arts of his two friends, Jeong Ho-Gun and Jo Won-Yee, and his six followers whenever he had time. With Mu-Gun’s guidance, Ho-Gun, Won-Yee, and the Six Wolves’ skills quickly developed.
The Heavenly Secret Hall contacted him in the midst of all that, stating that they had located the Four Peerless Wanderers. As soon as Mu-Gun received their message, he immediately rushed to the Flower Honor Manor and met up with Cheon Yu-Hwa, the Heavenly Secret Hall leader.
“Welcome.”
“I heard you found the Four Peerless Wanderers?”
“It’s quite sad that you’re jumping straight to business instead of saying hello first.”
“Haha, it seems I was in too much of a hurry. Have you been well?”
“Things have been the same as always for me. However, although it’s late, congratulations on your father becoming the Zhejiang Martial Alliance leader.”
“Thank you.”
“I would like to tell you about this over a cup of tea, but seeing your expression makes me feel that I should do it now. I couldn’t find all four of the Heavenly Extreme Adventurers, but I managed to locate the Thunderous Wind Palm, Han Baek, at the very least.”
“Where is he right now?”
“He’s living in seclusion in Duchang, Jiangxi Province.”
“Duchang...?” Mu-Gun tilted his head. It was his first time hearing of that place.
“It’s a small city located north of Poyang Lake. He spends his free time fishing there.”
“Got it. How long will it take to find the other three?”
“I’m not sure. I doubt I can even guarantee that I can find them. To be honest, we were just lucky to find Han Baek. However, won’t we get more information about the others if we meet with him? As far as I know, the Four Peerless Wanderers are quite close to each other, so won’t there be some sort of communication between them?”
“I hope that’s the case.”
“Regardless, we’ll spare no effort in locating the other three.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
“By the way, how is the Heavenly Secret Guardians’ training going?”
“I’ve already taught them all the Heavenly Martial Hall’s martial arts.”
“The Heavenly Martial Hall’s martial arts?”
“That’s right. I taught them the Heavenly Martial Heart Protection Art and the 13 Heavenly Martial Sword Art, the original practitioners of which being the Heavenly Martial Hall martial artists.”
“How do you know the Heavenly Martial Hall’s martial arts so well that you can teach others about them?”
“As the Thunder God’s successor, I inherited all the martial arts of my predecessors.”
“I see.”
“Since we’re planning to rebuild the Heavenly Martial Hall anyway, I thought you would want to rebuild it to perfection. Hence, I taught them the Heavenly Martial Hall’s martial arts. However, I’m not sure if you’re happy about it.”
“I like it. I truly desire to rebuild the Heavenly Martial Hall, not just its name alone. I’m glad that Young Master Baek was willing to teach them its martial arts.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“I’ll be giving you full authority for the revival of the Heavenly Martial Hall in the future, Young Master Baek, so please train them as you see fit.”
“Understood.” Although he had finished his business, Mu-Gun did not get up immediately. Rather, he chatted with her first before leaving the Flower Honor Manor.
Immediately after returning to the Baek Sword Sect, he met with Cheon-Sang and requested to travel outside.
“You want to go on a journey? Where do you plan to go?” Cheon-Sang curiously asked.
“I plan to visit Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province.”
“Why do you suddenly want to go there?”
“Have you heard of the Four Peerless Wanderers?”
“The masters who played an active role in the battle against the Hell-Blood Demon Sect thirty years ago?”
“Yes. One of them, the Thunderous Wind Palm, Han Baek, has been living in seclusion near Poyang Lake.”
“What does that have to do with your visit?”
“I’m thinking of recruiting him to the Baek Sword Sect.”
“You think that’s possible?”
“While the chances of it happening could be low, successfully recruiting him would greatly increase the power of the Baek Sword Sect and the Zhejiang Martial Alliance. We’ve got nothing to lose anyway, so why shouldn’t we give it a shot?”
“You seem to have already made up your mind. It’s impossible to go against your stubbornness, so do as you please.”
“Thank you.”
“When do you plan to depart?”
“I plan to leave tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
With Cheon-Sang’s permission, Mu-Gun prepared to leave for Poyang Lake. The following day, he departed early in the morning. When Mu-Gun revealed he was going on a trip to Poyang Lake, Ho-Gun and Won-Yee insisted on going with him. The Six Wolves, who were next to them, followed suit and requested to go with him as well.
Mu-Gun only managed to dissuade them by saying that he was going there for an important matter, not for travel purposes.
* * *
In a mansion in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, two of the Asura’s Five Monarchs were sitting across from each other. Asura Sword Monarch Wi Ji-Wook sat on the left side, while Asura Saber Monarch Yeon Ja-Gwang sat on the right. The two middle-aged men looked quite serious, having heard that the Asura Ghost Monarch and the Asura Poison Monarch had been killed during a mission in Zhejiang Province.
“This is a big problem. Putting aside the fact that they failed to execute their scheme, the Ghost Monarch and the Poison Monarch’s deaths are a huge loss,” the Asura Saber Monarch said with a grave expression.
“Honestly, I’m still in disbelief. The Poison Monarch, the Ghost Monarch, and the Ghost Monarch’s demonic generals were all working together, so how is it possible that they got wiped out?” the Asura Sword Monarch asked, unable to comprehend it.
“I feel the same way. Although the Baek Sword Sect’s patriarch has inherited the Heavenly Sea God Sect’s martial legacy and reached the Absolute realm, he still couldn’t have been a match against the Ghost Monarch or the Poison Monarch.”
“The only way it would make sense is if someone aside from the three clans’ martial artists had been there.”
“Who do you think that would be?”
“I don’t know, but they’re clearly a master even the Ghost Monarch and the Poison Monarch were no match against.”
“If so, shouldn’t we find out who that martial arts master is? It’s terrifying to have a knife in the dark. Identifying that master would allow us to prepare against them in the future.”
“I have actually instructed our people to investigate this incident in detail.”
“This situation is so frustrating. Not only have our plans in Jiangsu Province stopped progressing properly, but even the matters in Zhejiang Province have gone south. To top it all off, we also lost the Ghost Monarch and the Poison Monarch. I’m starting to get worried about how angry the patriarch will be when he finds out about this.”
“Losing the Ghost Monarch, the Poison Monarch, and even a couple of demonic generals is certainly a pity, but if the patriarch, who has been in closed-door cultivation, reaches the Supreme Realm, we will be able to turn everything that has happened so far to our favor.”
“I truly hope the patriarch advances into the Supreme Realm. I wonder if we should just be sitting around and watching things unfold right now, though.”
“I know you’re frustrated, but we have to be cautious. It would be better to conserve the Taiyun Household and the Lee Household’s combat forces for now until the patriarch completes his closed-door training.”
The Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families were blazing with fury and chasing the traces of the Asura Cult. Making a hasty move under the current circumstances would be a bad move. For now, they had to hide and wait for the right opportunity to make a move.
“If you say so, then so be it.” The Asura Saber Monarch obediently listened to the Asura Sword Monarch.
Thus, the two demonic monarchs patiently waited at a manor in Suzhou for the right time to strike.
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