Chapter 218: Moving in the Shadows (6)

The third-generation disciples of Flower-Haze Hall who were still relatively unharmed had already made it out.

Fortunately, Myeonggon had managed to endure his inner demon long enough to unleash the Ninefold Heaven Plum Sword, preventing any pointless sacrifices.

The third-generation disciples who had evacuated were probably being led by Myeonggwang.

“Where do you think the greatest danger lies, Myeonggwang?”

“I... am not certain, Brother. Perhaps with former Sect Leader Jeongyang.”

Jeongyang.

The man responsible for colluding with the Demonic Cult.

Strictly speaking, he had not joined hands with the Demonic Cult itself, but...

Once he had tried to make use of the Heavenly Demon’s power, the distinction meant little.

There were only two possibilities.

Either the man himself had already become the worst kind of Demonic Beast or Demonic Human—

or, despite having retired, he had emerged in Mount Hua’s hour of crisis to save the others.

Myeonggon desperately prayed it was the latter.

Jeongyang had never been a particularly moral man, nor had Myeonggon ever personally liked him.

Even so, he was a man of Mount Hua and had once served as its Sect Leader.

More importantly, he had reached the Transformation Realm.

A master of the Transformation Realm, steeped in Demonic Energy until he became twisted by it...

There were not many people on Mount Hua capable of stopping such a horrifying thing.

The only other person at the Transformation Realm was probably the current Sect Leader, Jeongbeop.

Yet everyone knew that, in sheer martial prowess, Jeongyang stood a step above even Jeongbeop.

Which meant that if Jeongyang accepted Demonic Energy and betrayed them, there would be no one capable of restraining him.

Of course, Jeongyang was not the only Daoist who had retired from Mount Hua.

But at present, he was the only retired Daoist of Mount Hua who had reached the Transformation Realm.

If anything, the Flame-Saber Lord had been the exceptional one—surviving at a branch estate of the Shandong Ak Family and reaching the Transformation Realm with martial arts other than the Ak Family Spear.

One did not reach the Transformation Realm simply by growing old.

Even if every retired Daoist joined forces, they would likely be unable to do anything about Jeongyang.

“Where is the Sect Leader?”

“He probably... Yes. He must have gone to former Sect Leader Jeongyang.”

If Jeongyang had not truly sided with the Demonic Cult, he would be their most dependable ally.

But if he had...

Then Jeongbeop was probably planning to hold him back at least until everyone else on Mount Hua had descended the mountain.

“Myeonggwang. I leave the remaining disciples of the Myeong and Cheon generations to you.”

“Brother, surely you’re not...”

“I should go as well. At the very least, I can buy them more time.”

“...To former Sect Leader Jeongyang?”

“Yes.”

Eunsong’s greatest strength was his eyes.

Jeongbeop had seen that talent shine time and again.

Especially back when Mount Hua Sword Emperor Jeonggang was still alive.

Eunsong had broken down and analyzed countless martial arts.

“Will I truly be of any help?”

“If it looks as though you will not, flee without looking back. Then lead every other disciple down the mountain.”

“Me?”

Jeongbeop narrowed his eyes at Eunsong.

Eunsong understood better than anyone what those words meant.

Lead them.

Temporarily or not, with Mount Hua burning and collapsing around them, Jeongbeop intended to entrust him with the authority of acting Sect Leader.

Eunsong could not understand why, but there was no time to argue.

He nodded, and only then did Jeongbeop let out a breath as though reassured.

Of course, that did not mean Eunsong understood or accepted the choice.

He was barely in his thirties, a disciple of the generation beneath the Myeong generation.

But if the Sect Leader was saying this, then there had to be a reason.

Jeongbeop was so rigid and uncompromising that even the late Elder Jeonggang had found him exasperating.

There was no possibility that he would speak lightly about the position and responsibilities of the Sect Leader.

“...Understood.”

“Good. Follow me.”

Jeongbeop immediately launched into the footwork of his Lightness Arts.

He was holding back for Eunsong’s sake, yet Eunsong still had to exert himself to the utmost merely to keep pace.

Even as he raced forward, almost flying, Eunsong swallowed against a dry throat.

What if Jeongyang truly had accepted Demonic Energy as well?

What if he had finally abandoned the last of his convictions as a Daoist and fallen, choosing power and supremacy instead...?

Jeongbeop would die here.

Cold sweat slicked Eunsong’s palm around the hilt of his sword.

The residences of the retired Daoists were already visible in the distance.

They stood on Mount Hua’s northern peak.

Jeongyang lived in a fairly large house with a roof thatched in straw.

Fortunately, there was no trace of Demonic Energy around it.

The retired Daoists who lived here were, for the most part, either already ascended or old enough that such an end could not be far away.

“...So you’ve come.”

Jeongyang’s voice came from within.

Eunsong slowly rested his right hand on the hilt of his sword.

Jeongbeop did the same.

“There is no need to be so tense. I {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} have not abandoned Mount Hua.”

Creak.

The door opened with the groan of twisting wood.

And Jeongyang stepped outside...

astonishingly pure, without so much as a trace of Demonic Energy upon him.

“...To be honest, I wasn’t expecting this.”

“That is rather hurtful.”

“You know what you have done, Brother Jeongyang.”

Only then did Jeongbeop call him Brother.

It was a form of address he would never have used had Jeongyang accepted Demonic Energy.

A faint smile touched Jeongyang’s lips.

Mount Hua needed him now.

It needed the martial strength of a man who had reached the Transformation Realm.

“Fire has swept over Mount Hua.”

“Yes.”

“Do you need me?”

“...Yes.”

Jeongyang began straightening his clothes.

He gathered his loosely hanging hair, swept it neatly back, and tied it up.

Then...

he released the full breadth of his internal energy.

His presence was vast and overwhelming.

Ever since Elder Jeonggang had ascended, if anyone were asked to name the strongest person on Mount Hua, they would choose former Sect Leader Jeongyang.

More than that...

he was one of the only people to have restored and carried on the lost Great Net of Myriad Plum Blossoms Sword.

“Your sins are not forgiven, Brother.”

“I know.”

Jeongyang looked at Eunsong through narrowed eyes.

The instant Eunsong felt the killing intent directed at him, his right hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.

But before he knew it, Jeongyang was already standing beside him, one hand pressing down on the end of the hilt so that Eunsong could not draw.

His Lightness Arts had reached the refined heights of Shift of Form.

Of course, Eunsong could accomplish something similar if he pushed his own Lightness Arts to their utmost...

but the fact that even his eyes had failed to follow Jeongyang’s movement made it impossible not to be impressed.

“...Remarkable.”

“That is why you came to me, I suppose. But I do not understand. Could anything happening on Mount Hua truly be grave enough to call an old man out of retirement?”

Jeongyang gazed across the distant peaks.

Here and there, flames had scorched the mountain, and all the plum blossoms that had once painted Mount Hua in color had fallen.

But the situation was being brought under control.

The disciples who had been grotesquely transformed were being cut down by those who had not.

The others were struggling against the horrifying power of the Demonic Energy, but every one of them had cultivated the pure internal energy of the Primordial Origin Clear-Heart Method.

From Jeongyang’s perspective, the situation did not appear serious enough to summon a retired former Sect Leader whom the sect itself regarded as a formidable problem.

Jeongbeop, however, saw it differently.

If this were happening only on Mount Hua, then all they had to do was gather their strength and rebuild.

But was Mount Hua truly the only place?

Jeongbeop was just as capable as Eunsong of reading ominous signs in heavenly fate from the movement of the stars.

“The movements of the heavens are ominous.”

That, however, was a field Jeongyang had never studied.

Blue stars were turning red, while others crossed paths they had never intruded upon before.

It was the kind of omen that appeared only when countless stars were about to fall.

“Among the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Households, the Mount Hua Sect stands second only to the Namgung Household in influence. Do you truly believe this happened only to us?”

Jeongyang remained silent for a moment before nodding.

If something like this had happened on Mount Hua...

then there was a strong chance it was happening elsewhere as well.

What had happened at the Shandong Ak Family had merely been the opening skirmish.

Every sect and great household was extraordinarily vulnerable to betrayal from within.

Their degree of isolation varied, but they all shared a tendency toward insularity.

And among them, if one were to name a place that was exceptionally closed off...

there was the Sichuan Tang Family.

“The Martial Alliance will summon the Sect Leaders and Family Heads of every sect and household.”

“...So you want me to protect this place.”

“Yes.”

“Very well. I will.”

“Yes. I will... trust you.”

Jeongbeop looked at Jeongyang with a bitter expression.

If Jeongbeop himself were gone, there would truly be no one left who could stop Jeongyang.

Yet although Jeongyang had once lost his way, intoxicated by power, he had never directly accepted Demonic Energy.

Even so, entrusting Mount Hua to him was hardly reassuring.

Jeongbeop’s gaze drifted past Jeongyang and settled on Eunsong.

Eunsong...

understood what he meant and slowly nodded.