novelraw Chapter 183 : With a Single Cast of the Net, I Will Catch All the Fish (1)
Chapter 183 : With a Single Cast of the Net, I Will Catch All the Fish (1)
Chapter 183: With a Single Cast of the Net, I Will Catch All the Fish (1)
The movements of the Sichuan Tang Clan had caused the entire world to quake violently.
Across the Central Plains, no matter where one went, the only topics coming out of the mouths of those of the jianghu were the Sichuan Tang Clan and Sewoon.
“How did they swallow an entire city in such a short amount of time?”
“That’s absolutely impossible through the exploits of the Tang Clan Head alone!”
“I heard that in the process of individually crushing the Six Pillars who controlled Guizhou, countless Tang Clan martial artists distinguished themselves!”
“No, were the Tang Clan’s martial artists really that outstanding in martial prowess??”
There was only one reason their names were constantly on people’s lips.
It was because the Sichuan Tang Clan had seized control of the Guizhou murim in an instant, at a pace that shattered everyone’s expectations.
The Tang Clan’s underlying strength truly exceeded all imagination.
Of course, there had previously been the incident where they crushed the Qingcheng Sect, one of the pillars of the Nine Sects One Gang, but that had largely been evaluated as something made possible by Tang Sewoon’s individual capabilities.
“No, just what on earth happened within the Tang Clan for there to be so many experts who’ve surpassed the Transformation Realm?”
“……The leaders of the Six Pillars were not such easy opponents.”
“No matter what, it’s not like the Blood-Thread Tyrant is personally training all of the Tang Clan’s martial artists, is it?”
“Hey now, that’s nonsense. How could he possibly have the time, acting as both a divine craftsman and a divine physician?”
However, the conquest of the Guizhou murim shocked people precisely because it had not originated from the power of a single individual.
The Tang Clan’s martial artists, who had slain the leaders of the Six Pillars—figures who were already past the entry point of the Transformation Realm and were regarded as seasoned veterans even among the unorthodox sects—were now being reevaluated anew.
And among the jianghu people who had either directly witnessed the fierce battles waged by the Tang Clan’s executives or had seen the horrific aftermath left in their wake, the Tang Clan martial artists began to be called by new names.
First and foremost, Tang Serin came to be called by the exceedingly brutal alias of Poison Wind Snow Empress.
Each time she wielded the snow-white folding fan she had never once shown before, blade-like winds imbued simultaneously with poison and icy chill poured forth from her fingertips.
And all that remained where that wind had passed were corpses melted by poison—or corpses frozen solid.
Those who newly gained names were the mysterious masters of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace who had joined the Tang Clan, their allies, and fought with overwhelming prowess.
The Beast Palace warrior Patamyeong, whose name had been erased, smashed every single top-tier assassin of the Killing Tower to death with his fists from beginning to end, all while wearing a smiling face, earning the alias Smiling-Faced Fist Freak.
Umun Tak annihilated the fanatics of the Rakshasa Sect, who wielded bizarre sorceries, by turning them into jiangshi, thus gaining the alias Beast Nether King.
Regrettably, amid all this, Hayoung’s exploits sank beneath the surface.
But it could not be helped.
To protect her identity as a member of the Mount Emei Sect, Sewoon had made her wear a spare human-skin mask.
“The other Outer Four Palaces all swept across the jianghu, so why on earth did the Beast Palace join hands with the Tang Clan??”
“I heard the Beast Palace Lord suffered a proper beating at the hands of the Blood-Thread Tyrant and ended up swearing brotherhood with him?”
“Come on, that can’t be right. No matter how much the Blood-Thread Tyrant has been making a name for himself lately, would the overlord of the Outer Regions bow his head so easily? Clearly, the Tang Clan Head must have extended his hand while suffering major losses.”
“But still, an alliance between the Beast Palace and the Tang Clan… Now that they’ve even swallowed Guizhou, it’s impossible to imagine just how strong they’ll become…….”
What shocked people most of all was the news that the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, one of the Outer Four Palaces, had joined hands with the Tang Clan.
No one knew how such a thing was possible, but just like the appearances of the Smiling-Faced Fist Freak and the Beast Nether King, the Tang Clan’s forces clearly included the Beast Palace’s strength.
Moreover, Tang Sewoon’s declaration that he would abandon the Orthodox Path and advance between orthodoxy and unorthodoxy was proven to be sincere by his very next move.
While he annihilated all the other Six Pillars, he completely swallowed the Martial Exalt Union, which had been called the pride of the Guizhou unorthodox sects.
Joining hands with the Beast Palace was shocking enough, yet now he had taken the Martial Exalt Union into his embrace as well.
At this point, the people of the jianghu began to view the Tang Clan not as a mere sect, but as a new “power,” regardless of orthodoxy or unorthodoxy.
For countless years, the jianghu had been divided into two halves: the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Alliance.
But now, the Murim Alliance had split into two factions, and the strength of the Demonic Alliance had greatly declined.
And in such a situation, what emerged was the Sichuan Tang Clan led by Tang Sewoon.
The jianghu was no longer being reorganized under a binary order, but under a new fourfold order.
However, not everyone could easily accept such an overwhelmingly shocking reality.
Even in these circumstances, there were many who viewed the Tang Clan’s future pessimistically.
“The Tang Clan Head got too greedy. He missed the moment when he should have stopped because of personal grudges.”
“Tsk tsk, once they’d eaten the Guizhou murim, they should’ve stopped there. To head straight for Heaven-Piercing Gang without even looking back…”
“Isn’t that a structure where they’ll get sandwiched from above and below!”
“They’re being attacked from both the orthodox and unorthodox sides—how do they plan to block that!”
“Fourfold division of the world, my foot! Do you really think the Sichuan Tang Clan can measure up to the foundations the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Alliance have built over such a long history!”
From above, in Gansu, the alliance of the Lee Trading Company and the Kongtong Sect.
From below, Heaven-Piercing Gang of the Demonic Alliance, enraged at having Guizhou stolen from them.
Two forces were moving simultaneously to destroy the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Yet even those who refused to acknowledge the Blood-Thread Tyrant and the Sichuan Tang Clan were clearly aware of one fact.
If, in this situation, he were to suppress even this crisis entirely—
Then the Blood-Thread Tyrant, Tang Sewoon, would effortlessly rise to a position in the jianghu never before seen…….
Grrr! Grrrr!
Clatter! Rattle!
The growls of beasts and the sound of wheels overlapped noisily.
On a night where pitch-black darkness had descended, a carriage was racing forward, pulled by two enormous white tigers.
Naturally, the white tigers were elite beasts of the Beast Palace, and riding inside the carriage were members of the Tang Clan, including Sewoon.
At that moment, Sewoon, who had perfectly grasped the surrounding terrain through the slightly drawn-back curtain, gauged their current position.
‘Now he had broken through Nandan. If they traveled for about three more shijin, they would enter Heaven-Piercing Gang’s territorial domain.’
The carriage obtained with the help of Crown Prince Juyudo had already crossed the border of Guizhou and was passing through Nandan County in Guangxi Province.
The moment Guizhou had been completely secured, Sewoon had immediately headed for Guangxi Province, where Heaven-Piercing Gang was based.
Sewoon lowered the curtain again and looked around inside the carriage.
Inside, there were fewer than ten people remaining.
To maximize speed, he had selected only the bare minimum from among the forces that had seized Guizhou and departed as an advance party.
“……Damn it. This makes no sense. Damn it all.”
At that moment, an extremely unpleasant muttering echoed into Sewoon’s ears.
When he frowned and slightly turned his head, he saw Patamyeong.
No—Nameless, who was disguised as a warrior of the Beast Palace, was sitting in the corner, grumbling with a dark expression.
Sewoon let out a deep sigh, approached Nameless, and spoke in a voice only he could hear.
“Seriously, keep it down.”
“Do I look like someone who can keep quiet? Does this make any sense? Does it??”
“What are you throwing a fit over, anyway?”
“Why—why am I the only one stuck with such a garbage alias?”
“……What?”
Sewoon’s expression was filled with bewilderment.
That was right. The reason Nameless looked so miserable was because of the alias Smiling-Faced Fist Freak that had been attached to him.
“Someone else gets Poison Wind Snow Empress and Beast Nether King! But for me, it’s some freak who punches people while smiling! Does that make any sense?! I’m a proper assassin, for heaven’s sake—mmph!!”
[Shut it. Now.]
Sewoon quickly covered Nameless’s mouth with his hand as he was about to blurt out his hidden identity as a member of the Gate of Assassins.
[Like you said yourself, you’re already the top assassin of the Gate of Assassins, with the alias Killing Star. Why are you suddenly obsessing over an alias like some newcomer to the jianghu.]
[No one knows who I am with that alias!]
[……What?]
[This is the first alias I’ve gotten since my face was revealed!]
At Nameless’s absurd reasoning, Sewoon momentarily lost all words.
It was nothing but ridiculous.
After all, even the face and identity Nameless currently wore while disguised as a Beast Palace warrior were fake to begin with.
Sewoon slowly shook his head.
[……Haa, forget it. I shouldn’t have said anything.]
Just as he was about to sigh and return to his seat—
“Have you finished your conversation?”
A young martial artist spoke to him.
It was Yongbi, who had newly joined after the Martial Exalt Union was brought under control.
“Yes.”
“Then shall I bring you a cup of warm tea?”
“……No. It’s fine.”
“Understood. Then please call this subordinate if you need anything!”
“……All right.”
Yongbi performed a perfectly proper salute and returned to his place.
That 모습 reminded Sewoon of Jang Il, the servant from his main household.
‘He’s excessively courteous.’
Although Sewoon had turned him into a subordinate a few days earlier through an overwhelming difference in martial strength, there was still a strong sense of something ‘alien’ and ‘unnatural’ about it.
They had barely known each other for any length of time, and yet such sincere loyalty was difficult to comprehend.
‘……Could it be.’
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Sewoon subtly shifted his gaze toward one person.
It was Gong Taemun, the leader of the Martial Exalt Union, who was awkwardly conversing with Tang Serin.
“……!!”
Snap!
The moment their eyes met, Gong Taemun immediately straightened and showed perfect courtesy.
……So that power had manifested after all.
Just as Sewoon was thinking that—
“Hm, before we departed, did you perhaps receive some kind of soul-enthralling art from the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden to win your subordinates’ hearts?”
“……!”
Do Hayoung, who had been observing the situation, quietly approached Sewoon and spoke.
Sewoon replied as if he knew nothing.
“……That couldn’t be.”
“Hm, if there is such a thing, please don’t use it on me.”
“H-how could I possibly??”
“Hehe, I’m just joking.”
Do Hayoung chuckled softly and walked away.
However, Sewoon wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
‘……Her intuition is frighteningly sharp.’
Was this what people meant by a woman’s intuition, or instinct?
-……Could it be that the Tang Clan even uses soul-enthralling arts?
-Then what on earth did they feed them to make them like that?
At that moment, the words spoken to him by the martial artists of the Martial Exalt Union flashed through Sewoon’s mind.
‘There’s no doubt about it. The power of Reverse Heaven Qi has activated.’
That was right. Just as the Martial Exalt Union’s martial artists and Do Hayoung had suspected, the power of soul enthrallment had unconsciously manifested from Sewoon.
What made the Blood Demon terrifying was not merely overwhelming martial strength.
One who possessed Reverse Heaven Qi bound and subdued demonic practitioners not only physically, but mentally as well, turning them into perfect thralls.
Even without deliberately drawing upon inner qi, the Reverse Heaven Qi lying dormant within him exerted a profound influence on others’ subconscious, much like a soul-enthralling art.
Of course, this power did not affect every martial artist.
It applied only to those who met certain conditions.
‘If that bastard could subordinate those who pursued demonic ways to an extreme, then perhaps I exert a similar influence on those who pursue martial arts to an extreme.’
A pursuit of demons bordering on madness.
A pursuit of martial arts bordering on madness.
Those conditions of desire were what triggered the soul-enthralling power of Reverse Heaven Qi.
Only now did Sewoon fully understand why the leader of the Martial Exalt Union and Yongbi were acting as though they would gladly give their lives for him.