novelraw Chapter 120 : Reversal of Loyalty and Righteousness (5)
Chapter 120 : Reversal of Loyalty and Righteousness (5)
Chapter 120: Reversal of Loyalty and Righteousness (5)
Deep within the main stronghold of the Cold Wolf Sect, behind the Sect Leader’s quarters, lay a secret room.
Black basalt walls enclosed the room, and the sound of water droplets falling from the ceiling broke the silence.
A single candle burned dimly, casting shadows on the wall. A cold breeze slipped through the cracks of the door, causing the flame to flicker. The air was so damp and heavy it felt suffocating.
Yu Hwarin, undercover leader of the Cold Wolf Sect’s outer circle, appeared silently.
A thirty-six-year-old woman. A genius in intelligence gathering.
Half of her face was shrouded in darkness beneath her black clothes. Her sharp gaze gleamed, and her footsteps skimmed the floor without a sound. Her very presence filled the room with tension.
“Sect Leader.”
Her voice was low and clear. As faint as the wind, yet it pierced sharply.
Un Hojin raised his head.
Clad in a gray robe, his eyes scanned Yu Hwarin. A hunch told him something important had arrived. His fingers lightly tapped the edge of the desk.
“What is it?”
“There’s been a change within the Heavenly Sound Cult.”
Yu Hwarin took a step forward.
She pulled a stack of papers from her bosom and placed them on the desk. The faint scent of ink drifted out.
“Sasaha, the Lord of the Twelve True Armies, has betrayed them.”
“The Lord of the Twelve True Armies? That can’t be... Are you sure this isn’t a mistake?”
“It’s been confirmed several times. It’s certain.”
“Hmph! Huhuhu! To think I’d live to see this. I thought the only one truly loyal to the Heavenly Sound Cult among the Twelve True Armies was Sasaha. Why on earth would they drive Sasaha out?”
“There are many rumors, but the prevailing theory is that she fled after a conflict with Gwak Un, the First General.”
“The First General...”
“…….”
“No wonder... I always thought it odd that lecher would leave a woman like Sasaha alone. So he’s finally revealed his true colors. Then Sasaha couldn’t remain there either. Huhu! What are the chances we can recruit her to our side?”
“She has already joined Gugwi’s party...”
“What?!”
Un Hojin’s eyes gleamed.
As the candle flickered, shadows danced along the wall.
He picked up the paper and took a deep breath. The chill in the air filled his lungs.
“Is this certain?”
His voice dropped.
“I confirmed it myself.”
Excitement colored Yu Hwarin’s voice.
“Ah! Come to think of it... you were close with Yeon Sohye, the Captain of the Shadow Moon Unit, weren’t you? There’s at least ten years between you... She’s inner circle, you’re outer circle. How did that friendship happen?”
“We exchanged nods a few times in passing.”
“You won’t say, huh?”
“…….”
Un Hojin unfolded the papers.
Hastily written characters appeared. It was a report detailing Sasaha’s escape route and her contact with Gugwi.
He slowly nodded.
“Good. With this... we can craft something.”
Un Hojin stood from his chair.
The wooden legs scraped loudly against the floor.
He walked to the window and looked down upon the Cold Wolf Sect’s citadel. Mist enshrouded the fortress, and moonlight faintly outlined the buildings. A breeze gently rattled the window.
“The Heavenly Sound Cult has weakened. Not long ago, the Eleventh General died, and now the Tenth has fled. The Eighth left long before... Deepening internal strife is a welcome development.”
His voice carried satisfaction.
The cold metal of the window frame touched his hand. His fingers slowly traced the frame.
“Leak this to the Murim Alliance.”
He turned as he spoke. Calculation flickered in his eyes.
“We must get them to move, right?”
Yu Hwarin nodded.
“How far should we expect them to go...?”
“My hopes are high. Exaggerate Sasaha’s betrayal, make it seem as though the cracks within the Heavenly Sound Cult are fatal...”
Un Hojin returned to his seat as he spoke.
His fingers tapped the desk lightly. The candle swayed to the rhythm. The air seemed to grow heavier.
“What I expect... is to give the Murim Alliance justification to strike.”
Yu Hwarin bowed her head.
“Understood.”
Three days later, late at night.
At the tavern Drunken Immortal Pavilion, ten li from the Murim Alliance headquarters, another day’s business wound down.
The workers moved about closing up.
In the dim space, the scents of alcohol and food mingled. Grease stains dotted the tables.
A few drunkards lingered, sipping their final drinks.
The mood was heavy, sunken.
Yu Hwarin, clad in a black headscarf, sat in a corner. Her glass remained untouched.
Across from her sat an intelligence officer from the Murim Alliance. Mid-forties, lean build, with sharp eyes.
He kept scanning the surroundings. His hands trembled slightly.
“Are you sure? Sasaha betrayed them?”
The officer’s voice was low.
Yu Hwarin slid a stack of papers across the table. The papers stopped with a faint rustle.
“See for yourself.”
The officer opened the papers.
They contained Sasaha’s escape route and details of conversations. His hand quivered.
“If this is true...”
“The Heavenly Sound Cult is shaking. It’s an opportunity.”
Yu Hwarin’s voice echoed faintly from beneath her headscarf.
The officer tucked the papers into his chest. The sound of rustling followed.
“What’s the price?”
“Nothing. I owe many debts. This is a good chance to recruit Sasaha... but we can’t enter their territory. I hope you achieve good results.”
Yu Hwarin rose as she spoke.
Her chair scraped across the floor. Her footsteps faded toward the tavern door.
Upon returning to the Cold Wolf Sect, Yu Hwarin immediately sought out the Sect Leader.
Night had deepened, and the citadel lay in silence. Though her steps weren’t loud, they echoed through the quiet world.
Un Hojin stood at the window, gazing in the direction of the Heavenly Sound Cult.
“The information has been leaked. The Murim Alliance will move.”
Yu Hwarin reported from one knee.
“Good. Let’s refrain from intervening at all.”
Un Hojin’s voice was cold.
“Wouldn’t it be wise to reach out to Yeon Sohye? Even if we don’t summon her immediately, she would appreciate even just material support.”
“As expected... You’re close to Yeon Sohye.”
“…….”
“Let’s watch for now. See how the Murim Alliance moves. They’ll make contact with Gugwi, won’t they?”
“They will.”
“Who should go? To the land of the Heavenly Sound Cult.”
“If the Captain of the Blue Blood Unit were alive, he would go… but now, it’s hard to say. Since we need to send a practitioner of Black Flame Shatter, I imagine someone of at least Captain level will be dispatched.”
Yoo Hwarin nodded. The candlelight flickered out, and the room darkened.
“Interesting.”
Un Hojin chuckled lowly.
His laughter subtly trembled through the air.
Tatata! Tatak!
The candlelight flickered as if about to go out.
Yoo Hwarin sat before her desk, flipping through papers as she read the latest report from the Heavenly Sound Cult.
Rustle.
She turned a page with her fingers.
Then, the door creaked open, and a young disciple entered.
His footsteps echoed lightly on the stone floor. His face was pale, and his breathing was short. Though it wasn’t a long distance, his expression clearly showed he had rushed.
‘It’s begun.’
Yoo Hwarin silently stared at the disciple.
“A report.”
He bowed his head as he spoke. His voice was trembling, but tightly restrained.
“Captain Nohun of the Initial Contact Unit from the Murim Alliance entered the land of the Heavenly Sound Cult and died. His body has been recovered.”
Yoo Hwarin’s hand stopped.
She set the paper down and looked out the window. Mist cloaked the mountain range, and faint moonlight lit the citadel.
She held a moment of silence.
‘Who killed him?’
The thought flashed through her mind.
It was she who had alerted the Heavenly Sound Cult to Nohun’s intrusion. No—technically, it was the External Covert Division.
One anonymous carrier pigeon. A single, simple line.
‘Captain Nohun of Initial Contact, breached the border, north of Sambong Valley.’
That one line had sent Nohun straight into the Heavenly Sound Cult’s elite forces.
“What about the Initial Contact search unit?”
“Annihilated. Only some corpses were recovered. Most were shredded without a trace by Living Spirits. Nohun’s body was also burned black and found at the bottom of the valley…”
Yoo Hwarin nodded at the report.
With things taken this far, the Murim Alliance’s fury was bound to erupt. She looked at the candlelight and smiled.
‘It’s only just begun.’
“Erase all traces of us… and ensure we remain completely uninvolved. Do not interfere under any circumstances.”
“Understood.”
The disciple responded while prostrating.
The Cold Wolf Sect didn’t desire a blood-soaked war between the Murim Alliance and the Heavenly Sound Cult. That would never happen. They both knew the damage would be immense—there was no way they’d cross swords.
In the end, unless the balance of power was broken, they would return to negotiations like before.
What the Cold Wolf Sect gained from this… was time alone.
That brief opening while the Murim Alliance and the Heavenly Sound Cult focused on each other.
During that time, the Cold Wolf Sect could perform Soul-Summoning Arts the Murim Alliance would never tolerate. Forbidden spirit summoning, the secret probing of the Spirit Essence Mine. While their eyes were turned away.
This was what the Sect Leader wanted.
She rose from her seat.
Her hand gripped the desk to steady herself.
The candlelight swayed in the wind, casting long shadows.
Smoke rising from beyond the valley painted the sky red. Her black cloak brushed the floor, and her fingers holding the black sword trembled slightly.
‘I hope she received it safely.’
A faint smile crossed her face. Her lips curved, and her cold gaze softened.
While the Heavenly Sound Cult was fully focused on the Initial Contact Unit’s intrusion, the Covert Division had dispatched another disciple via a different path.
They carried more supplies than one could ever risk during full alert.
A secluded mountain path.
Shouldering a bundle. Clothes, jerky, a few nyang of silver. The little necessities for surviving in unfamiliar territory. And one map showing the locations of safehouses the Cold Wolf Sect had prepared in the Heavenly Sound Cult’s lands.
Old caves, abandoned temples, secluded mountain huts.
Yeon Sohye would have received it.
With those in her hands, she could rest and evade pursuit for a while.
Yoo Hwarin approached the window.
Cold wind brushed her cheek. Her black hair fluttered, a few strands covering her face.
Un Hojin arrived at the Spirit Essence Mine.
A foggy dawn. The black mountain range brushed against his robe.
Had it not been for the Heavenly Sound Cult’s attack, the value of this place would have gone unnoticed. He stepped inside. The damp air pressed on his lungs. When he lit a torch, the traces of souls carved into the cave walls were revealed.
Though Gugwi had purified many spirits, this place still brimmed with resentment.
Un Hojin’s lips curled slightly.
Gugwi hadn’t seen the true depth where the original spirits lay. He must have left without touching that place.
He moved deeper. His footsteps echoed quietly.
Then he stopped.
An altar in the dark, pulsating with a black crystal. Centuries of accumulated grudge.
Un Hojin reached out.
Tssssss!
He began the creation of the Spirit Essence Entity—for the resurrection of the Manifest Demon Emperor.
A sorcery utterly forbidden by the Murim Alliance.
The souls whirled violently.
Black energy burst from his palm, engulfing the altar.
A searing pain, like his skin burning, surged through him, but he gritted his teeth and endured. This power would give flesh and blood to the withered shard of the Spirit Flow Core. It would give it strength.
The crystal grew, radiating a crimson glow.
“With this power… the Demon Emperor shall awaken.”
His voice echoed through the cave.
Wind blew from outside.
Un Hojin looked at the altar.
The price of taboo—but one worth paying.
While the Murim Alliance’s gaze remained fixed on the Heavenly Sound Cult, the Cold Wolf Sect took one step forward. Unnoticed by all.