The Legend of the Northern Blade - Chapter 177: Can a Sapling Topple an Old Oak? (2)
Chapter 177: Can a Sapling Topple an Old Oak? (2)
CRACKLE!
The dueling stage, shrouded in black energy, trembled violently. The crowd strained their eyes, but all they could see was the swirling dark qi. Nevertheless, they didn’t need to see it to know that an unimaginable battle was unfolding within.
Even from a distance, they could feel the chilling sharpness of the sword intent and the piercing waves of qi. An unsettling fear settled on every face as they watched the deadly scene, expecting someone to slice the dark curtain in two at any moment and emerge.
Among the distraught onlookers were Shim Won-Yi and Seomoon Hye-Ryung.
“Was his martial arts always at that level?”
“He has become a giant far beyond our imagination.”
“Hmph!”
Jin Mu-Won was only in his early twenties, younger than either of them. However, the martial prowess he possessed defied their common sense.
The man he was facing was Yeon Cheon-Hwa, one of the Four Northern Pillars. He was a supreme master of the jianghu, rumored to have martial prowess nearly rivaling the Nine Skies. Despite this, Jin Mu-Won was fighting Yeon Cheon-Hwa on equal footing, showing no sign of being pushed back.
“I doubt anyone among the Seven Young Skies could fight Lord Yeon so evenly.”
“I hate to admit it, but I agree.”
Shim Won-Yi clenched his fists so tightly that his shoulders trembled and blood trickled from between his gritted teeth. He had never felt so humiliated.
The insignificant being whose life he had once held in the palm of his hand had now transformed into a formidable opponent. For Shim, who had always reigned above others, this was an unbearable disgrace.
“Are you just going to stand by and watch? If we leave him be, he will surely become a great threat to us.”
“For now.”
“You intend to do nothing?” Shim Won-Yi’s eyebrows shot up.
Seomoon Hye-Ryung, however, remained calm. “The tide has already turned. By attacking Dong Ha-Pyeong, Lord Yeon has already planted suspicion in the minds of the people. Doubt will breed more doubt, and surely, there will be those who try to uncover the truth.”
“Hmph!”
“There is no need for us to step forward rashly and draw their ire in such a situation. The Ten Great Elders are already doing that.”
“So you will just sit back and watch?”
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“Not at all. Now is simply not the right time for us to take action. There’s no reason to confront an opponent when they’re at their strongest. But don’t worry. While our opponent may have the upper hand for now, his good fortune won’t last forever.”
Seomoon Hye-Ryung’s gaze shifted to Ha Jin-Wol, who was standing at the front of the crowd. As if by coincidence, Ha Jin-Wol also looked at her.
I’ll admit that I took a heavy blow this time. However, you would be mistaken to think I will let this slide. I have a trump card of my own.
The dagger she kept hidden was sharp and coated in deadly poison.
Seomoon Hye-Ryung was patient. She would endure any humiliation if necessary. An opportunity would surely come sooner or later. Now was the time to conserve her strength for that moment.
Unfortunately, not everyone shared her opinion. The Ten Great Elders were neither as patient nor as accustomed to waiting as she was. They were shocked by Yeon Cheon-Hwa’s martial prowess and horrified by Jin Mu-Won’s ability to fight him on equal terms.
“To think he is on par with Lord Yeon!”
If we fail to eliminate him here, we will surely be plagued by endless trouble.
“No matter the outcome, we must get rid of that man.”
They were so shocked by Jin Mu-Won that they said things they would never normally say in public for the sake of their reputation.
Daeryeok Sim looked around. “Whatever the outcome, the Demon Repelling Squad is to prepare to subjugate him.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Demon Repelling Squad drew their weapons in unison.
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Seeing this, Tang Gi-Mun rose from his seat. “Isn’t this going too far?”
He had been suppressing his anger until this point. He had endured for Ha Jin-Wol’s sake and for the sake of the Tang Clan. However, seeing the Ten Great Elders conspire made his blood boil, and he could hold back no longer.
Daeryeok Sim scowled. “Elder Tang, what do you mean? How have we gone too far?”
“There is a limit to how much you can distort the truth. Wasn’t Jin Mu-Won imprisoned because of a massacre in Wuhan? Yet now you want to kill him simply because he is the successor of the Northern Army ? How shameless are you?”
“Watch your words, Elder Tang. Are you seriously calling me shameless?”
Tang Gi-Mun thundered furiously, “If this isn’t shameless, then what is? You can’t hide the sun with the palm of your hand. Don’t you think you’ve gone too far?”
Although he had not learned any proper martial arts techniques nor cultivated inner qi, Tan Gi-Mun’s presence alone was more than enough to overwhelm the Ten Great Elders and draw the attention of many martial artists engrossed in the duel between Jin Mu-Won and Yeon Cheon-Hwa.
Daeryeok Sim’s face flushed. “Watch your words, Elder Tang.”
“Have I said something I should not have?” Tang Gi-Mun argued, not backing down.
The Ten Great Elders exchanged troubled looks. Even without martial arts training, Tang Gi-Mun was not someone they could ignore. He was an elder of the Tang Clan and the world’s foremost expert on poison. They could not begin to imagine the consequences of incurring his wrath.
The Seven Star Sage rose and stood beside Tang Gi-Mun. “I agree with his opinion.”
“Hmph!”
The Seven Star Sage was an elder of the Mount Hua Sect. His opinion was as good as that of the sect itself.
Are the Tang Clan and the Mount Hua Sect openly defying us?
The Ten Great Elders hesitated. The two sects held considerable influence in the jianghu. They had not expected such open opposition, which left them all the more bewildered.
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Suddenly, an unexpected person joined the two sects.
“Our Mount Mu Sect also agrees with the Tang Clan and the Mount Hua Sect,” a woman declared.
All eyes turned toward Nam Soo-Ryun. Although she was still young, as the disciple of the Sect Leader, she was in a position where she could represent the Mount Mu Sect.
A Kongtong Sect elder also stood up. “The same goes for our Kongtong Sect,” he said.
The Ten Great Elders started to panic, especially those who had maintained a hardline stance. The faces of Daeryeok Sim and Yoo Cheong-Wol were especially wretched. With four of the major sects that composed Heaven’s Summit officially dissenting, they would face a major backlash if they pushed forward with their original agenda.
Yoo Cheong-Wol exchanged glances with the other Ten Great Elders. As old veterans of the jianghu, they were skilled at adapting to circumstances. This was not the time to be stubborn.
“Very well! Then let us set aside the matter of him being the Northern Army’s successor for now. All the same, the crime of killing dozens of people in Wuhan cannot be forgiven.”
“That’s right. He must be punished for daring to commit murder within our domain!”
Tang Gi-Mun snorted. “He said he was attacked by assassins. Even if it is within the domain of Heaven’s Summit, was he supposed to just sit there and be killed?”
“There is no proof that they were assassins,” Yoo Cheong-Wol insisted,
“If you examine the bodies…”
“We have already examined them thoroughly. There was no evidence that they were assassins.”
“That’s…”
Tang Gi-Mun’s expression hardened. Heaven’s Summit had already collected the bodies of the assassins who had attacked Jin Mu-Won and Ha Jin-Wol. As long as the bodies were not produced, Tang Gi-Mun and the others had no way to verify the assassins’ identities.
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His gaze turned to Ha Jin-Wol, who was still beaming infuriartingly widely.
Suddenly, Ha Jin-Wol pointed toward the area below the platform.
Tang Gi-Mun’s gaze naturally followed his finger. On the platform, a man was ascending while holding someone by the scruff of their neck. Numerous martial artists were guarding the platform, yet none of them seemed to consider stopping him.
All eyes turned toward the man.
Yoo Cheong-Wol asked, “Who are you?”
“My name is Seo Mu-Sang.”
Everyone blinked in confusion. Almost no one here knew this man… except for one person.
“What brings you here?” the Secret Pavilion Director, Wol Seong-Cheon, asked. The Inquisition, which Seo Mu-Sang led as Head Inquisitor, was an organization under him.
Seo Mu-Sang threw the man he was holding onto the platform, and he tumbled across the floor with a loud thud.
Yoo Cheong-Wol scowled. “What is the meaning of this?”
“This is one of the assassins who caused the disturbance in Wuhan.”
“An assassin?”
Cracks appeared on the faces of the Heaven’s Summit leaders, including the Ten Great Elders.
Wol Seong-Cheon asked urgently, “Is that true?”
“Yes, we captured one of the escaped assassins.”
“Is there any proof that he is an assassin?”
“Ask him yourself.” Seo Mu-Sang released the acupoints he had sealed when he subdued the man.
The man came to his senses and looked around, dazed.
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Wol Seong-Cheon rose from his seat and approached the man. “Speak. Are you truly an assassin?”
“Keuk! Y-Yes…” the man answered fearfully.
He glanced at Seo Mu-Sang. One look at the inquisitor was enough to make him wet his pants.
Although he had been raised as an assassin and prided himself on being more insensitive to pain than anyone, Seo Mu-Sang’s torture had completely shattered that pride.
The man’s spirit broke long before his body under Seo Mu-Sang’s methods. He confessed everything he knew in response to Seo Mu-Sang’s questions.
“Are you really an assassin?”
“I am an assassin of the Illusionary Killers. We were hired to attack a man named Jin Mu-Won.”
“Hired?”
“Yes. Our Sect Leader accepted the request and gave the order.”
“Accepted a request?” Wol Seong-Cheon furrowed his brows.
Daeryeok Sim stepped forward.
“Can you take responsibility for your words? How can we believe that you were part of the group that caused the disturbance in Wuhan?”
“If you check our armpits, you’ll find a small butterfly tattoo.” The man lifted his arm to show his armpit. There was a black butterfly tattoo there.
“Hmph!” Daeryeok Sim was at a loss for words. The fact that the attackers had butterfly tattoos under their armpits was a secret known only to the highest leaders of Heaven’s Summit.
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Tang Gi-Mun inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. “Who hired you?” he asked the assassin.
“The requests are taken directly by the Sect Leader, so a low-ranking assassin like myself would not know such details.”
Jwa Moon-Ho, standing behind Seomoon Hye-Ryung, secretly thanked his lucky stars. Had the man mentioned his name, the situation would have spiraled out of control.
Seomoon Hye-Ryung closed her eyes.
It’s over.
With this, all the chains binding Jin Mu-Won were gone. There was no longer any justification to suppress him. The Ten Great Elders knew this as well, but they remained silent, like mutes who had eaten honey.
When Seomoon Hye-Ryung opened her eyes again, she could only see Ha Jin-Wol’s face.
He managed all of this without ever once stepping into the light himself.
A strong sense of crisis washed over her, and a chill ran down her spine. Soon enough, however, she began to think more positively.
No, this is for the best. Now I am fully aware of your existence. Knowing that someone like you is targeting me is not a complete loss.
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Seomoon Hye-Ryung smiled. An arrow from the darkness was frightening, but a spear in the open was not much of a threat. Ha Jin-Wol may have broken Jin Mu-Won’s chains, but he had also drawn the world’s attention in doing so. Since Jin Mu-Won’s existence was no longer a secret, he would be much easier to keep an eye on.
ZIIIING!
Suddenly, an intense wave of qi swept through the arena.
Seomoon Hye-Ryung’s gaze snapped toward the stage.
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