novelraw Chapter 209 : Those Who Draw Near Ink Become Black (1)
Chapter 209 : Those Who Draw Near Ink Become Black (1)
Chapter 209: Those Who Draw Near Ink Become Black (1)
‘What is this?’
Bewilderment was plainly written across Roh Gyeongmyeong’s face.
With Myeongwolja joining him, he had been slowly regaining his composure.
He had just begun to roughly adapt to the bizarre powers of the strange divine artifacts used by the enemies—
Swooooo!
—when, all of a sudden, an overwhelming presence erupted from beyond the western mountain ridge.
It felt as though white clouds from the heavens themselves were pouring straight down.
Yet upon closer inspection, what descended while riding the wind were not clouds.
Shaaaa!
They were female monks clad in pure white martial robes.
And amid the figures multiplying into dozens, then hundreds—
Kuurururung!
—one existence, her entire body shrouded in impeccably pure energy, stood at the forefront with a resonance like thunder.
As Roh Gyeongmyeong looked upon that elderly bhikkhuni, for reasons unknown, murderous intent seeped into his eyes.
In contrast, shock filled Myeongwolja’s gaze.
‘W-Why is she here…?!’
There was no helping it.
“The Subduing Tiger Divine Physician!!”
“The Mount Emei Sect has appeared!!”
What revealed itself before them was none other than—
Boyeon Shinni, the Subduing Tiger Divine Physician, and the martial artists of the Mount Emei Sect under her command.
—If the Central Plains has the Sword Emperor, then Sichuan has a Divine Physician.
Although she herself always denied it, she was in name and reality the Murim Alliance’s second-in-command—
beneath one person, above ten thousand.
The right hand of Sword Emperor Yoo Jinhak, and like Roh Gyeongmyeong, one of the Ten Great Experts.
Possessing medical arts that reached the heavens, and swordsmanship that had made Mount Emei the foremost sect of Sichuan ever since she entered the martial world.
This was the moment Boyeon Shinni revealed herself.
The Mount Emei martial artists advanced in silence, each holding a different weapon—their formation resembling a single ink-wash painting.
The Mount Emei emblem embroidered in gold thread upon their robes glimmered faintly.
The overheated battlefield atmosphere settled into silence in an instant.
Upon the quieted battlefield—
Step.
The Divine Nun at the forefront advanced with slow steps.
Yet each measured stride carried the weight of decades of martial refinement.
Even the refined qi condensed at her toes exuded pressure as if the sky itself were pressing down.
Her aura was imposing yet tranquil; her steps dignified yet imbued with untouchable authority.
As her sleeves fluttered in the wind, her white hair gleamed like frost at dawn.
Crunch.
At last, she stopped before the four of them.
Swoooo!
At that moment, the air itself began to tremble.
As a chilling presence spread like a cold downpour over the land, the Subduing Tiger Divine Physician opened her mouth while staring directly at Roh Gyeongmyeong.
“Still such a crude toothpick.”
“Subduing Tiger Divine Physician…!”
At Boyeon Shinni’s mocking words toward his spear, Roh Gyeongmyeong’s eyebrows twisted sharply.
Amid that hair-trigger tension, Tang Muyeol exhaled heavily and spoke.
“This Tang Muyeol of the Tang Clan pays his respects to the Divine Physician.”
Boyeon Shinni was of higher standing even than Poison Commander Tang Eui-tae, Tang Muyeol’s father.
Such courtesy was only natural.
Her gaze turned toward Tang Muyeol.
The icy look she had directed at Roh Gyeongmyeong softened into warmth.
“So, it has been a long time. I believe this is the first time since the day your father departed.”
“Yes. Time has flowed like water, and here we are.”
As an unexpectedly cordial atmosphere formed between the two, Myeongwolja could not hide his confusion.
After withdrawing from the Murim Alliance, the Sichuan Tang Clan had declared neutrality between orthodox and unorthodox paths, yet had acted closer to the unorthodox—raiding Guizhou and the Heaven-Piercing Sect in pursuit of vengeance.
It was well known that the Murim Alliance viewed such actions as extremely dangerous, and that the Subduing Tiger Divine Physician had even summoned Tang Sewoon to the main stronghold to harshly reprimand him.
‘Then why…? Why is Mount Emei siding with the Tang Clan…?’
Contrary to the intelligence gathered by the White Path Union, Boyeon Shinni showed no intention of stopping the Tang Clan.
If the Subduing Tiger Divine Physician and Mount Emei publicly declared their support for the Tang Clan, then even if Roh Gyeongmyeong fully recovered his strength, the situation would overturn in an instant.
‘No matter how mighty the Golden Wave Dignitary is, he’s still judged one step below the Subduing Tiger Divine Physician…!’
As Myeongwolja bit his lip until blood seeped out—
“I apologize for being late. I came to keep my promise to Sewoon, that child.”
“!!”
At last, astonishing words spilled from Boyeon Shinni’s mouth.
She had come to fulfill a promise made with Tang Sewoon.
Everyone in the Lee Trading Company camp, including Myeongwolja, was left aghast.
Swooo!
—All of you, listen well!
At that moment, Boyeon Shinni raised her impeccably pure inner power and unleashed a Lion’s Roar.
—To prevent this turmoil in the Sichuan martial world, instigated by the Lee Trading Company and spearheaded by the White Path Union! The Mount Emei Sect and the Murim Alliance hereby proclaim that we will support the Sichuan Tang Clan!
Kuururung!
Her thunderous voice shook the battlefield as if lightning had struck from the heavens.
The Subduing Tiger Divine Physician’s Lion’s Roar carried staggering implications.
Mount Emei’s intervention was not a private, unilateral action—it was the official will of the Murim Alliance.
Startled, Tang Muyeol hastily sent a telepathic message to Boyeon Shinni.
[Divine Physician, does this mean the entire Murim Alliance has mobilized?]
[Yes. This is an officially sanctioned intervention approved by the Alliance. That is why I arrived late.]
[…!!]
Indeed. Boyeon Shinni and Mount Emei had not joined late because they broke their promise.
They had waited in order to bring not mere assistance, but the undeniable authority of the Murim Alliance.
If the Lee Trading Company refused to withdraw and continued fighting, it would mean declaring war not only on the Sichuan Tang Clan—but on the Murim Alliance itself.
The moment word spread that the Murim Alliance and the Sichuan Tang Clan had formed even a temporary alliance, all Tang Clan martial artists erupted in cheers.
“Long live the Sword Emperor!!”
“Long live the Subduing Tiger Divine Physician!”
“Martial artists of the Sichuan Tang Clan! Raise your swords high!!”
The exhausted warriors were now overflowing with fighting spirit.
Watching this, Lee Jamyeong ground his teeth.
‘Damn it! How did things get this tangled?!’
No matter how much influence the Lee Trading Company wielded over the White Path Union, this had gone far beyond what could be endured.
The matter of attacking the Sichuan Tang Clan, a single neutral power with a half-hearted stance between orthodox and unorthodox paths, and the matter of waging war against the Murim Alliance, were entirely different issues.
No matter how antagonistic the White Path Union was toward the Murim Alliance, fighting a full-scale war against the Alliance amid chaos such as the Uprising Beyond the Outer Regions was not something that could simply be brushed aside.
And then—
“Heh heh… this actually works out nicely. To think you’d step into this mess, Boyeon Shinni.”
Roh Gyeongmyeong’s eyes twisted with dark fury.
The hand gripping his spear trembled violently.
Shing!
Without the slightest hesitation, Roh Gyeongmyeong leveled his spear—crackling with Lightning Qi—directly at Boyeon Shinni.
“You remember my younger brother who died unjustly at your hands.”
‘…Ah!’
Only then did Myeongwolja’s eyes widen, as if realization struck him late.
Roh Gyeongmyeong and Boyeon Shinni were sworn enemies beyond reconciliation.
Roh Gyeongmyeong’s younger brother, emboldened by his elder brother’s prestige, had committed countless atrocities—until Boyeon Shinni happened to pass by, discovered his deeds, and executed him on the spot.
Roh Gyeongmyeong, who had cherished his brother deeply, had sought revenge.
However, the Murim Alliance’s investigation revealed that his brother’s crimes were as horrific as those of a Demonic Practitioner.
When even the authorities began to move, Roh Gyeongmyeong had no choice but to withdraw—an unresolved grudge left buried in the past.
At that moment, the Divine Nun cast her familiar cold gaze and spoke.
“Yes, I remember. And I do not regret even slightly executing that wretch who slaughtered innocent civilians.”
“Shut your mouth!!”
KWAANG!
Roh Gyeongmyeong roared in fury and stomped down.
The ground beneath his foot caved inward as his body shot forward like a lightning bolt.
Blinded by rage, he paid no heed to the fact that his actions directly defied the will of the Murim Alliance.
“If you choose the path of an evil move—!”
Shing!
In response, Boyeon Shinni also drew her sword.
The pure white blade gleamed.
From the sword—thin as a cicada’s wing—torrents of powerful True Qi radiated outward.
Pabat!
Boyeon Shinni transformed into a single raging whirlwind and surged toward her enemy.
“Divine Physician, I’ll assist—!”
Tang Muyeol stepped forward instinctively, but without even turning her head, Boyeon Shinni halted him with a telepathic transmission.
[Stand down. I know that the time you and Jin Mubek can wield the Divine Artifacts is nearing its end.]
[…!!]
A chill ran down Tang Muyeol’s spine.
With only a brief glance, Boyeon Shinni had accurately grasped their condition.
The Divine Artifacts given by Tang Sewoon possessed tremendous power—but could not be sustained for long.
Their foundations were not yet solid enough to fully unleash that power.
And so—
The situation shifted completely into a clash between two absolute beings.
KWA-RRR!
KWA-AAANG!
Pure white and blazing gold—two utterly different auras collided.
The earth rumbled like thunder as the battlefield began to convulse once more.
Roh Gyeongmyeong’s spear spun violently, drawing in Lightning Qi.
Sparks crackled as arcs of lightning leapt from the spearhead, blooming into flashes of light.
‘I’ll pierce your heart in a single strike!’
Screeech!
KWAGAGAGA—!
With a deafening shockwave sound that tore through the air, Roh Gyeongmyeong’s spear shot toward Boyeon Shinni’s chest.
A simple thrust aimed at a single point multiplied endlessly—
KWA-RRRR!
—transforming into a blow like the wrath of the Thunder God, capable of ripping the battlefield apart.
Yet in the face of that overwhelming strike, Boyeon Shinni showed no reaction at all.
Whoosh!
She merely twisted her body like the wind—
Chaat!
—and lightly rotated her wrist, turning her sword.
Following that graceful motion, countless curved lines formed, as though slicing through empty space.
Swaaaa—
Within them, dozens of layers of Qi Projection Sword Winds overlapped.
The sword in her wrinkled hand was as thin as a thread, its trajectory as gentle as a breeze.
But the instant those subtle curves turned toward the enemy—
KWAGAGAGA!
The breeze became a violent tempest.
This was the true essence of the Mount Emei Sect’s supreme sword art—
Burning Blood Sword Technique.
Roh Gyeongmyeong’s eyes gleamed like those of a tiger.
He had no intention of retreating.
‘Break through—!’
Dozens of spear afterimages formed of Lightning Qi Projection surged toward Boyeon Shinni at once.
KWA-AAANG!
KWA-RRRRR!!
As lightning projection and sword-wind projection collided, a cataclysmic explosion echoed, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.
‘While you wasted time on useless, trivial learning, I swept through battlefields and honed my martial might! You can’t surpass me now!!’
Their True Qi clashed violently, intertwining again and again.
For a moment, the lightning projection appeared to gain the upper hand.
PZZT!
Roh Gyeongmyeong’s eyes widened.
The balance shattered in an instant.
But—
‘What?!’
The result unfolding before him was the complete opposite of his expectation.
Ziiik—!!
The lightning projection tore apart like fragile paper.
Though Roh Gyeongmyeong’s lightning surged down like a cleaving heaven—
The storm reverted into a mere breeze, shredding the lightning projection to pieces.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
The spear afterimages filling the air were annihilated without mercy.
‘Ghk—!’
As Roh Gyeongmyeong gasped in disbelief—
PAAT!
Boyeon Shinni charged forward, surging like a dragon ascending to the heavens.