novelraw Chapter 229 : Chapter 229
Chapter 229 : Chapter 229
Chapter 229. Assembly (2)
After that, various discussions came and went.
“Hehehe. Then we will have the beggars of our sect put up notices all over the Central Plains.”
“We will send messages to all those belonging to the Twin Heroes Alliance.”
With the rising generation of the Seomoon Clan and even Sama Hyeon expressing their intent to participate in the war, the course was set to gather all those with a will for justice in the martial world and strike the Demonic Cult together.
“Then, while people are gathering, our Shaolin will investigate the north. Amitabha.”
Unlike the Beggars’ Sect or the Twin Heroes Alliance, which had connections all over the Central Plains, Shaolin had almost no ties to the secular world.
Therefore, they volunteered to be a sort of advance party to investigate the northern region first.
“However, we cannot afford to drag our feet for too long gathering people. There is a risk that the Demonic Cult might sense our movements and pull some trick.”
At Sama Hyeon’s words, Jin Yuseong also nodded.
“Teacher Sama is right. Therefore, it would be best to first decide on a gathering point and assemble there. Then, if the Shaolin side finds a clue, it would be better for those who have gathered first to depart immediately.”
It was not a bad opinion, so everyone nodded.
“Then, where do you plan to make the gathering point?”
The Beggars’ Sect Leader asked.
He had to know the exact location to give orders to his beggars.
After a moment of thought, Jin Yuseong replied.
“It seems best to gather in a place called Yingxian in Shanxi.”
The region of Yingxian in Shanxi was at the northern tip of the Central Plains and was relatively close to the northern steppe region.
In addition to that, if one traveled a little east from Yingxian, there was Mount Heng.
The Sword Venerable, who was said to have been devoured by the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, his sect was none other than the Mount Heng Sect.
***
After finishing their discussion, the Beggars’ Sect Leader and the Shaolin Abbot left the Seomoon Clan as they were.
“After we finish our work, we will join you at Mount Heng immediately.”
“Amitabha. This humble monk also plans to head to Yingxian right after visiting Shaolin.”
Sama Hyeon and the scions of the Seomoon Clan sent letters to the rising generation of the Twin Heroes Alliance through the Seomoon Clan warriors.
Instead of leaving the Seomoon Clan right away, Jin Yuseong and his companions stayed there for about a day.
Dang Sopyeong, without fail, went to see Yeo Yun.
“Ahem. Miss Yeo, would you be able to craft a hidden weapon like this?”
He requested the creation of a special hidden weapon based on what he had felt during his intense training on Mount Hua and, furthermore, during his fight with the Sichuan Sword Clan this time.
‘It is still impossible for me to perform a martial art like Miss Baek’s Ten Thousand Plum Blossoms with my skills alone.’
Therefore, he intended to realize this by borrowing the power of a special hidden weapon.
Many warriors were ashamed to borrow the power of a weapon, but Dang Sopyeong was not like that.
He considered himself a physician, not a warrior, from the very beginning.
While Dang Sopyeong was having a pleasant conversation with Yeo Yun under the pretext of the hidden weapon.
“Ahem.”
Next to them, Blacksmith Yeo was clearing his throat and examining the weapons of the others.
He examined the swords of Jin Yuseong, Baek Hyang, Nam Geon, and Choyeon, and also sharpened their blades.
After maintaining their weapons like that, they too left the Seomoon Clan.
“We will visit Mount Heng first and then wait for you in Yingxian.”
***
A few days after leaving the Seomoon Clan, they arrived near Mount Heng.
After climbing the steep mountain path for a long time.
In front of a One Pillar Gate that had a Taoist feel to it, two Taoists carrying swords blocked their way.
Jin Yuseong expressed his respect by saluting them with a clasped fist.
“My surname is Jin, and my given name is Yuseong. I have come here with news to deliver to the Mount Heng Sect.”
“So you are the Great Hero Ghost Sword, whose fame is so renowned in the martial world recently. But news for us? What could it be?”
“It is news concerning Senior Sword Venerable, who has been in seclusion for the past few years.”
At Jin Yuseong’s words, the Taoist frowned.
“If you have come to request a duel with our Grand Uncle-Master, please return.”
At the other’s misunderstanding, Jin Yuseong shook his head.
“I have not come for a duel. I am also aware that the Sword Venerable is not on Mount Heng.”
“Then are you saying you know where our Grand Uncle-Master is?”
Instead of revealing that the Sword Venerable had already been devoured by the Demonic Cult, Jin Yuseong first nodded.
It seemed better to deliver the news directly to the sect leader or an elder of the Mount Heng Sect.
One of the Mount Heng Sect Taoists turned and began to climb the mountain.
A short while later, that Taoist returned with an old Taoist.
“I am Baegunja, the Outer Hall Elder of the Mount Heng Sect.”
“My surname is Jin, and my given name is Yuseong.”
After a brief exchange of greetings with a clasped fist salute, Baegunja pointed up the mountain.
“It does not seem to be proper etiquette in the secular world to keep you standing at the gate, so please, come inside.”
Following Baegunja’s guidance, they climbed the stone steps and finally arrived within the precincts of the Mount Heng Sect.
Baegunja continued to lead Jin Yuseong and his companions somewhere.
In the process, they also encountered Taoists who were in the middle of training.
Hwangbo Ak observed the scene with an interested expression.
It seemed it was not a sect that had produced the Sword Venerable for nothing; there were people who stimulated his fighting spirit everywhere.
Paeng Daecheol was equally interested.
It was the first time he had seen a scene where the Taoists of a Taoist sect were all so dedicated to martial arts.
He had spent his whole life engrossed in training, pondering how to get struck by lightning alone.
He had visited the Mount Heng Sect with Jin Yuseong before, but the feeling was a little different from them.
The Mount Heng Sect also practiced martial arts, but their approach was closer to mental cultivation.
Meanwhile.
“Hmph.”
Seeing Paeng Daecheol looking at the Mount Heng Sect Taoist with interest, Jin Yuseong was reminded of a somewhat ominous memory.
‘…The infamy of the Thunder Disaster also began right here.’
In the original future, the Mount Heng Sect had suffered the calamity of being wiped out by the Thunder Disaster, Paeng Daecheol.
The amusing thing was that, in the end, this was also because of the Demonic Cult.
‘If the Cult Leader had not devoured the Sword Venerable, a fight between the Thunder Disaster and the Sword Venerable might have occurred.’
Jin Yuseong himself could not know which side would have won.
He just had a small worry.
He wondered if, like fate, a problem would arise between Paeng Daecheol and the Mount Heng Sect this time as well.
But the worry was short-lived.
‘Fate is something that can be changed.’
He was feeling it through this life.
There were things that did not change, but there were definitely things that did.
Now that he was not practicing the Thunder Heart Art, the possibility of Paeng Daecheol becoming a madman was almost nonexistent.
While he was lost in a small contemplation, comparing the future he originally knew with the present.
They soon arrived at a hall located in the central part.
Inside the hall, several old Taoists were seated, and the old Taoist in the center was the first to offer a clasped fist salute.
“I am Baekheoja, the Sect Leader of the Mount Heng Sect.”
After briefly introducing themselves again, Jin Yuseong mentioned the purpose of his visit.
“By any chance, did Senior Sword Venerable go on a journey to the north before he went into seclusion?”
Baekheoja nodded.
“That is so, but… Ah, did you by any chance meet the Sword Venerable Uncle in the north?”
Baekheoja thought.
‘To reach such a high realm at a young age, and to have spread his fame widely in the martial world. Perhaps the Ghost Sword met my uncle in the north and obtained a fateful encounter.’
But his expectation was completely wrong.
“Senior Sword Venerable was murdered by the cult leader of a group called the True Light Cult.”
“What!?”
“What do you mean by that? That our uncle was defeated!”
To think that one of the Three Venerables, who were called the heavens of the martial world, had died.
Apart from being a senior member of their sect, it was a story that was not easy to believe.
This was also why they had not been worried even though he had been in seclusion for several years.
They believed in the Sword Venerable’s skill.
At the passionate reaction of the Mount Heng Sect Taoists, Jin Yuseong calmly opened his mouth.
“If you have heard my title, I believe you have also heard the rumors currently circulating in the martial world. Have you by any chance heard about the Demonic Cult that the Beggars’ Sect and Shaolin are searching for?”
The old Taoists, who had been clearly excited, were now silent and listening to Jin Yuseong’s words.
Was it because of the countless bloody battles he had been through?
His voice carried weight.
“The True Light Cult is the Demonic Cult we were searching for. And they are men who have learned a vile demonic art that devours people like elixirs to cultivate their internal energy.”
Jin Yuseong additionally relayed all the information he had obtained through the Right Guardian Envoy to the old Taoists of the Mount Heng Sect.
After hearing the whole story, the Sect Leader of the Mount Heng Sect opened his mouth.
“Your story is, on the surface, plausible. But is it not all just stories that you have seen or heard?”
If there was some direct evidence, like the Sword Venerable’s sword or a piece of his martial robe, it might be a different story.
He was saying that without evidence, it was not easy to believe.
At this, Jin Yuseong nodded and replied.
“If you find it hard to believe, you do not have to. We simply came to deliver the news in person, as Senior Sword Venerable was a member of this Mount Heng Sect.”
“…You did not come to say something like, let us strike the Demonic Cult together?”
The Sect Leader of the Mount Heng Sect had suspected that it might be a trick to draw them into that mysterious alliance led by Shaolin and the Beggars’ Sect.
As if they understood the meaning behind those words, the expressions of his companions were not very good.
“Great Hero Jin is a person who truly strives for the sake of the common people of the Central Plains! Sect Leader! How can you harbor such a ridiculous suspicion?”
Paeng Daecheol’s reaction was particularly passionate, as he had come to idolize Jin Yuseong due to the influence of the rising generation of the Twin Heroes Alliance.
For Jin Yuseong, it was a reaction that sent a chill down his spine.
Jin Yuseong let out a dry cough and said.
“Ahem. We have no intention of indiscriminately dragging people into the fight against the Demonic Cult. It is just that those with a common will have joined forces to stop their evil deeds.”
Having said that, Jin Yuseong saluted the sect leader and the old Taoists with a clasped fist.
The way the old Taoists looked at Paeng Daecheol was not very favorable.
The same went for Paeng Daecheol.
It seemed that if they stayed here, something bad would really happen, just like in his previous life.
“Then, since we have delivered all the news, we will be descending the mountain now.”
But they could not return right away.
“Wait a moment!”
For some reason, the Sect Leader of the Mount Heng Sect stopped them.
‘Is this really fate?’
The moment Jin Yuseong had that thought, the sect leader said something unexpected.
“Then are you all now planning to go to that Demonic Cult in the north?”
“We plan to gather in Yingxian and depart as soon as Shaolin finds a trace of them.”
“…Then let our Mount Heng join you on that journey.”
Not only Jin Yuseong and his companions, but also the old Taoists of the Mount Heng Sect showed surprised expressions.
The reason that changed the sect leader’s mind was simple.
It was because of Jin Yuseong’s attitude of trying to leave without any lingering attachment.
‘If it were truly a trick to lure us, he would have tried to deceive us with all sorts of sweet talk or prepared some fake evidence.’
Jin Yuseong had been trying to return quickly because of the matter between Paeng Daecheol and the Mount Heng Sect, but the sect leader had no way of knowing this.
“I do not yet fully believe your words. But in any case, our sect has a long-standing ill-fated relationship with the northern nomadic tribes.”
The fact that the Sword Venerable frequently clashed with the nomads in the north was in the same vein.
“Apart from the Demonic Cult, the northern barbarians are very cruel bastards who cross the border after the harvest season, slaughter the common people, and plunder their food.”
The martial arts of the Mount Heng Sect had developed in the process of protecting these common people.
And the one who had reached the peak of it was the Sword Venerable.
Whether it was anger towards the northern nomads or the realm the Sword Venerable had reached.
“So, I will take this opportunity to check. Whether that Demonic Cult really exists in the north, and whether they really did such a thing to my uncle.”
Jin Yuseong responded with a clasped fist salute.
“Thank you so much for joining us, Sect Leader.”
Apart from the military strength of the Mount Heng Sect, they were quite knowledgeable about the northern steppe region.
It seemed that if they joined them in the process of finding the Demonic Cult or fighting against them, they could reduce the amount of blood that would be shed in the future, even if just a little.
On the way back after exchanging farewells with the Sect Leader of the Mount Heng Sect, Jin Yuseong said to Paeng Daecheol.
“Thank you, Young Master Paeng. Thanks to you, things seem to have worked out quite well.”
“D-did I do something?”
Paeng Daecheol merely showed a confused expression.