Chapter 632: A Gambler’s Instinct

For a moment, the Supreme Buddha and the Murim Alliance Chairman’s expressions hardened.

“Amitabha. Did you say a red mist?” the Supreme Buddha asked in a low voice.

Beside him, the Murim Alliance Chairman listened with a frighteningly stiff face.

The Beggars’ Gang Chief nodded. The old leader of the Beggars’ Gang, the world’s most renowned intelligence network, was deeply troubled. “For the past several days, reports of strange phenomena have been pouring in from every corner of the land. Red mists, madmen practicing demonic arts, spirit beasts attacking people... They’re showing up everywhere.”

“Could that red mist be...”

“The Heaven-Defying Divine Art,” the Murim Alliance Chairman spat, as though the words tasted foul. “...Connected to the Blood Demon’s martial art?”

Fortunately, a sound-blocking barrier was already in place. Otherwise, the killing intent leaking from a peerless master would have left much of the surrounding crowd struggling to breathe.

“Chairman! Please calm yourself,” the Supreme Buddha urged. He then turned back to the Beggars’ Gang Chief. “What is the Beggars’ Gang’s assessment?”

“We believe there is over a ninety percent chance that this is the Blood Cult’s doing.” 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

“......”

To put it simply, the Blood Cult had risen again.

For a moment, the Supreme Buddha and the Murim Alliance Chairman’s expressions hardened. Neither looked particularly shocked, though. This was well within what they had anticipated when organizing the Heavenly Martial Festival.

“So those bastards have finally started moving.” The Murim Alliance Chairman bared his teeth in a savage grin, his deep hatred for the Blood Cult on full display.

In a sense, the Heavenly Martial Festival had served as bait. It was a grand gathering of the murim’s greatest murim powers, bringing together the Nine Sects One Gang, the Five Great Clans, and even the Unorthodox Alliance.

He judged that a weakened Blood Cult would not pass up the opportunity to disrupt the festival. That was why the Beggars’ Gang and the Rogues’ Guild had mobilized their entire intelligence networks to monitor the city.

Just as expected, they caught the Blood Cult in the act.

The Beggars’ Gang Chief scratched his head. “The one thing I can’t make sense of is how disorganized their movements are. We can’t find any pattern in where these red mists appear. It’s almost as if they’re occurring naturally...”

The red mists were saturated with such vicious demonic qi that even masters could not approach them recklessly. As a result, reports on what was happening inside them were late.

“Amitabha. Perhaps they are feinting in the east to strike in the west. The enemy may have a different target entirely,” the Supreme Buddha added solemnly.

The Murim Alliance Chairman scoffed and shook his head. “Even so, this is merely their last desperate attempt for survival. With their forces depleted, they must be planning to disperse and incite chaos across the land.”

“I agree,” the Beggars’ Gang Chief said.

There was no denying that the Azure Dragon Hero had crippled the Blood Cult’s forces. Furthermore, no large-scale troop movements had been detected thus far.

“We have to find their headquarters, even if it means turning over every stone in the jianghu.”

Securing the Unorthodox Alliance’s help was a huge boon. With the Viridian Forest clearing the way and the Rogues’ Guild cooperating with us, we should manage it this time.”

The Murim Alliance Chairman and the Beggars’ Gang Chief discussed what they would do after finding the Blood Cult’s headquarters.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Buddha sank quietly into his own thoughts.

What if this is not their last, desperate struggle...? What if stirring up trouble across the land is meant to draw the Beggars’ Gang and the Rogues’ Guild’s attention elsewhere? Under that cover, they might strike at the main temple of one of the Nine Sects with their elite forces. Or they might sweep away every elite of the murim gathered here in a single blow...

He shook his head, dismissing the idea. The former might be possible, but the latter made no sense.

That is too great a leap in logic.

His unease was causing him to worry unnecessarily. Even if the Blood Cult were as mighty as it had been in the past, they would never be so reckless as to attack a place where the murim’s greatest masters were gathered. Unless they were prepared to perish alongside the entire murim, of course.

“Amitabha.” The Supreme Buddha chanted to steady himself, then addressed the two other men. “First, let us inform the Sect Leaders, the Patriarchs, and the Principals of the Five Great Academies. And...”

All three men looked in the same direction. Their eyes passed over the two boys climbing onto the duel stage and settled on Baek Suryong, who stood watching his youngest student with his arms folded.

“Let us inform the Azure Dragon Hero as well.”

The Murim Alliance Chairman and the Beggars’ Gang Chief nodded without objection. After all, no one in the murim today knew the Blood Cult better than the Azure Dragon Hero.

Two martial arts prodigies, Shaolin’s Divine Dragon Ilgak of the Heavenly Martial Academy and Sword Wonder Wiji Cheon of the Azure Dragon Academy, stepped onto the duel stage.

Before the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament began, everyone would have bet on Ilgak. Even after it started, he remained the clear favorite.

Now, however, the mood had shifted. Ever since Wiji Cheon manifested enhanced sword qi in his quarterfinal match against Yeon Soha, he had become a new contender for the championship.

“Sword Wonder Wiji Cheon! You have to win this! I bet my entire wallet on you!”

“Do you think the millennia-old Shaolin martial arts are a joke? The boy is strong, but that won’t work on Shaolin’s Divine Dragon!”

“Oh? Does Shaolin have some secret technique that can block enhanced sword qi?”

“Are you mocking me? Enhanced sword qi only matters if it hits. Clearly, brother, you’ve never seen the Divine Dragon use the Vajra Indestructible Body.”

“Why, you...!”

“You want to go at it?”

The audience split into two camps and began cheering and trading jabs, occasionally grabbing each other by the collar.

Meanwhile, the two boys on the duel stage stood squarely facing each other.

Ilgak smiled gently. “My, I must be nervous. My palms are sweating.”

“...Monks get nervous too?”

“Haha, I am only human. I train to cultivate an unshakable mind, but I am still lacking in many ways.”

Wiji Cheon shook his head, surprised by Ilgak’s humility. “I don’t think you’re lacking at all. I watched every one of your duels very carefully.”

As far as he could tell, Ilgak was a martial artist with almost no openings. When Dokgo Jun repeatedly mocked him for being bald, his expression wavered, but his martial arts never faltered.

“I asked Senior Tang Soso not to tease you during our duel. It wouldn’t work anyway.”

“...Amitabha. Thank you.” Ilgak pressed his palms together with complete sincerity, gratitude shining in his eyes as though he had just been done a great kindness.

Contrary to the audience’s predictions and hopes, the atmosphere between the two prodigies before their duel was warm.

Ilgak smiled. “Sir, as a token of my gratitude and as a senior, may I offer you one piece of advice?”

“Of course.”

SWISH!

Ilgak lowered his stance, tucking his right fist at his waist and extending his left fist forward in the basic opening stance of Shaolin fist arts. He could wield all eighteen weapons as though they were part of his own body, yet he had brought none to this duel.

He was not underestimating his opponent. The weapon he wielded best was his own body.

“I hope you will not try to clumsily force out enhanced sword qi against me,” he said.

“Okay! I’ll keep that in mind.” Wiji Cheon nodded, taking no offense. He knew exactly what Ilgak meant.

Hopping back, he lightly tapped his foot on the ground.

STEP!

A faint vibration spread across the stage, signaling the start of the duel. The chattering audience fell silent at once, their eyes wide.