novelraw Chapter 230 : Negotiation?
Chapter 230 : Negotiation?
Chapter 230: Negotiation?
Upon returning to the main hall of the Five Elements Cult, Jang Woo-hyun was greeted by new information from Seo Gyeong-mu.
“Law Keeper Wooho has left to negotiate with the Northern Ice Palace.”
Before entering a war against the Radiant Light Sect, it was necessary to settle things around them. Thus, the Five Elements Cult decided to speak with the two factions that were always embroiled in conflict along its borders.
The Solar Palace of Scorching Flame and the Northern Ice Palace.
The Five Elements Cult had always played the role of mediator in the feud between the two sects. However, they no longer had the luxury to concern themselves with such matters. The upcoming war with the Radiant Light Sect would require mobilizing every ounce of strength the cult possessed.
And the Radiant Light Sect was no pushover—they couldn't afford to split their attention while facing them.
“Has your body fully recovered?”
“Not completely. Wooho is taking the lead because he has some connection with the Northern Ice Palace. As for the Solar Palace, the Vermilion Bird Pavilion Head will handle that.”
Since the Vermilion Bird Pavilion Head wielded fire qi among the Five Elements Qi, he had a certain connection to the Solar Palace as well.
“The Ice Palace will most likely accept our request. But the Solar Palace might be a bit more difficult.”
Perhaps due to their cultivation of Yang-Strength Techniques, the martial artists of the Solar Palace were often hot-blooded and quick-tempered. Jang Woo-hyun had seen their volatile martial arts during the Ten Sects Assembly and was well aware of it.
“At least it’s fortunate that Elder Cheok is the one coming from their side. Even if this is being called a negotiation, in truth, we’re the ones asking for a favor. We need to approach them humbly, but he’s someone we can talk to.”
“Elder Cheok… Do you mean Elder Cheok Hwa-hong?”
“That’s right. You know him?”
“Yes, we’ve met before. I had the chance during the last Ten Sects Assembly.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Though the chaos in the Central Heavens Martial Realm following the assembly had buried many memories, it was during that very assembly that the name "Jang Woo-hyun of the Cheonrin Sword Alliance" had first come to light.
“Would it be alright if I went with them?”
“You?”
“I have a personal connection with Elder Cheok Hwa-hong. I believe I can be of help.”
Seo Gyeong-mu looked slightly flustered.
He owed Jang Woo-hyun a great debt and knew well that he was an exceptional martial artist. However, this was a diplomatic visit—or rather, more of a request than a negotiation. Jang Woo-hyun didn’t quite seem suited for it.
‘If it were a battle or a war, that’d be one thing.’
Seo Gyeong-mu was well aware of the nature of both Jang Woo-hyun and the Annihilation Squad. If he sent them in recklessly, they might end up creating trouble with the Solar Palace even before confronting the Radiant Light Sect.
“You don’t need to worry.”
Reading Seo Gyeong-mu’s concerns on his face, Jang Woo-hyun reassured him by recounting a story from the Ten Sects Assembly.
“There was this young disciple from the Solar Palace… what was his name again… Anyway, we had a minor conflict.”
That arrogant martial artist, Yu I-geon, had been showing off at the assembly. Jang Woo-hyun had given him a few well-deserved hits at the time, and Elder Cheok Hwa-hong had thanked him for it. He even said he owed Jang Woo-hyun and invited him to visit the Solar Palace.
“Since it's on the way, I’ll go and talk to him. In any case, it’s better to wrap things up quickly and face the Radiant Light Sect head-on.”
Despite Jang Woo-hyun’s confident demeanor, Seo Gyeong-mu couldn’t give his approval right away. A lingering anxiety still clutched at his judgment.
On the surface, it seemed like a good arrangement. The Five Elements Cult was in a position where they had to make a request, and the person they’d be dealing with owed a debt to Jang Woo-hyun.
On top of that, manpower was currently scarce. Two of the Five Elements Guardians had died, and even the Law Keeper Wooho, who had not fully recovered from his injuries, had been dispatched.
By all measures, Jang Woo-hyun was more than qualified to be part of the envoy.
‘The problem is his temperament.’
If Jang Woo-hyun moved, the entire Annihilation Squad would follow. These battle-hardened fighters might end up exchanging blows with the Solar Palace if things went wrong.
“There’s no need to worry. The scenario you’re fearing won’t happen. We want to fight the Radiant Light Sect, not the Solar Palace.”
With those confident words from Jang Woo-hyun, Seo Gyeong-mu finally decided to entrust the task to him.
They had no intention of fighting. They didn’t want to cause any trouble.
But the Solar Palace’s attitude was strange.
‘What’s this bastard’s problem?’
Before meeting Elder Cheok Hwa-hong, the envoy from the Solar Palace behaved rudely and arrogantly—as if he was looking for a fight on purpose.
“Cheonrin Sword Alliance? Do you really think you belong at this meeting? This is an event between the Solar Palace of Scorching Flame and the Five-Wheel, Five Elements Cult. A no-name group like the Annihilation Squad has no place interfering.”
The man, who frowned as he spoke, was named Eon Neung-hyeon of the Solar Palace.
His eyes didn’t seem able to settle on Jang Woo-hyun, flicking nervously here and there—as if he didn’t even dare to look at him properly.
Though Jang Woo-hyun hadn't released his qi, the Annihilation Squad members around him—such as Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol—had made no effort to conceal their strength, and it was enough to make anyone tremble.
Those behind Eon Neung-hyeon were also tense, their bodies wound up tightly.
“What’s wrong with you? Where is Elder Cheok?”
“He stepped out for a moment. You, Hero Woo, may wait. But the rest of your group should vacate the area.”
Despite repeated provocations, Jang Woo-hyun didn’t respond. He would only respond to a worthy opponent, and Eon Neung-hyeon was nowhere near that level.
“Those of you in the back, step aside. We—”
“Tch, this bastard’s really asking for it.”
A voice suddenly rang out from behind, cutting Eon Neung-hyeon off mid-sentence.
“Do we look like a joke to you?”
A sharp sword edge was already pressed against Eon Neung-hyeon’s neck.
“Captain, should I just slice him?”
Seo Ryeom, who had taken position behind him, asked.
Jang Woo-hyun had no intention of causing trouble, but the others couldn’t simply stand by in the face of such disrespect.
Besides, it had been a while since the Annihilation Squad last fought.
They were itching for combat, and recently, they had even acquired new weapons. All they needed was an order, and they’d be ready to brawl.
“Let it go. I’m not particularly offended—”
“What do you think you’re doing!”
Before Jang Woo-hyun could finish, martial artists behind Eon Neung-hyeon shouted out.
“Grabbing someone from behind in a negotiation meeting—what outrageous behavior!”
“Are you saying you want to fight us?”
They struck aggressive stances, drawing up their qi.
Seo Ryeom was bewildered by the sudden development. He couldn’t understand why they were acting this way—surely they recognized who he was.
If he so desired, Seo Ryeom could have sliced them to pieces before they even made a move.
“What the hell are you doing? What did you prepare that you’re suddenly shouting like this?”
“Think about what you just did!”
“That’s right! We didn’t do anything, and yet you pointed a sword at us first!”
Flustered though they seemed, the martial artists of the Solar Palace spoke their piece. But their actions only irritated another.
“Tch, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
Mak Ya-wol, who had been silently observing, stepped forward.
“Captain, let’s just kill them all.”
“Mak! Hero Mak!”
Startled, Woo Il-do shouted, but Mak Ya-wol barely reacted.
“They keep pushing it after we gave them leeway. Let’s deal with this lot before we face the Radiant Light Sect. Or we can use this as a reason to side with the Ice Palace.”
The moment the Ice Palace was mentioned, the demeanor of the Solar Palace martial artists shifted. Until now, their expressions had flickered with unease and fear, but now they changed entirely.
“You dare speak of the Ice Palace in front of us—”
【In the Solar Palace’s territory, you speak of siding with the Ice Palace?】
BOOM!
A voice boomed through the area, followed by a blaze crashing down through the ceiling.
A wave of scorching heat swept outward. The faces of the Solar Palace warriors lit up the moment the voice rang out.
Whoosh!
A blazing pillar of fire split apart, and from within emerged a man clad in ornate red garments.
His hair was neatly swept back, his eyebrows thick, and his features sharp. Each step this young man took made the Solar Palace martial artists smile with growing pride.
“To think you’d dare side with the Ice Palace in Solar Palace territory.”
Standing tall, he glared at Mak Ya-wol.
“And who the hell are you supposed to be?”
“I am Hwa Jin-myeong, Young Palace Master of the Solar Palace of Scorching Flame.”
At the word Young Palace Master, Mak Ya-wol’s expression shifted, and just as he opened his mouth to respond, Jang Woo-hyun kicked the table in front of him.
The table flew toward Hwa Jin-myeong, but with a wave of his hand, it turned to ash and scattered. His display drew quiet admiration from all within the hall.
“So, it’s you? The one who orchestrated this mess?”
“What? You’re the Cheonrin Sword Alliance’s Jang Woo-hyun? I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
Jang Woo-hyun’s brow furrowed at Hwa Jin-myeong’s shameless act.
Watching Hwa Jin-myeong’s perfectly timed entrance, Jang Woo-hyun now understood why the Solar Palace warriors had acted so strangely.
‘He was trying to create justification.’
A reason to fight. Hwa Jin-myeong had staged all of this just to test blades with Jang Woo-hyun.
“You could’ve just said you wanted to fight. What’s with all this cowardly theater?”
“……”
Having his intention exposed so bluntly, Hwa Jin-myeong was momentarily caught off guard.
When Jang Woo-hyun’s name first became known, he was already in the Realm of Transcendence. Those who had encountered him—Yu I-geon and Cheok Hwa-hong—had spoken of it.
But in just a few years, his name and status had transformed.
Jang Woo-hyun, the Cheonrin Sword Alliance Leader of the Annihilation Squad.
The man who defeated the Heavenly Demon at the Demonic Heaven Palace and now commanded powerful warriors of the White Nothingness Society.
Any true martial artist would feel curiosity.
And Hwa Jin-myeong, successor of the Solar Palace, was one with ambition—he naturally wanted to test himself against Jang Woo-hyun.
By chance, Cheok Hwa-hong was away when the Annihilation Squad’s Thunderstrike Star arrived. Recognizing him, Hwa Jin-myeong had his subordinates stage this confrontation—all to face Jang Woo-hyun.
“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? So our captain was right—this was all your doing?”
Seo Ryeom, lowering the blade from Eon Neung-hyeon’s neck, looked at Hwa Jin-myeong with scorn. The other Annihilation Squad members followed suit, their expressions shifting.
To the Annihilation Squad, such behavior was simply pathetic.
“So it was true?”
“Is he stupid?”
“That kind of idiot is their Young Palace Master?”
“What a moron.”
Mocking voices trickled from the Annihilation Squad. For ones used to getting on each other’s nerves like Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol, agitating others came easily.
“Red-faced dumbass.”
“Flaming idiot.”
“Hot-headed dunce.”
“Stupid mutt.”
“What’s that even mean? That one doesn’t fit.”
Amused by their childish jeers, the Annihilation Squad chuckled. And at last, Hwa Jin-myeong snapped.
“Insolent!”
BOOM!
Unable to hold back his rage, Hwa Jin-myeong stomped the ground, summoning a massive wave of flames. Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol easily blocked the expanding firestorm.
“Got guts, I’ll give you that—but you’ve still got a long way to go.”
“Yeah. If you’re the Young Palace Master, you should be fighting Ye-ju, not the captain.”
Having reached the Boundless Realm, Maeng Ye-ju’s skill ranked among the top successors of the Ten Sects and Three Clans. Facing her would be the proper match.
“Ye-ju, you take—huh?”
As Seo Ryeom turned to call for her, he froze. His eyes picked up on the sudden change in the surroundings.
Like an infernal hell, flames consumed everything. Breathing became difficult, and the faces of the Annihilation Squad contorted.
The shift in aura and oppressive energy caused both Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol’s faces to harden.
‘We underestimated him?’
They hadn’t fully grasped his strength. Which meant Hwa Jin-myeong’s power was comparable to their own.
Far from the fool he first appeared to be—Hwa Jin-myeong’s ability was real.
Maeng Ye-ju wouldn’t be enough. The strength he now revealed was enough that even Seo Ryeom or Mak Ya-wol couldn’t guarantee a victory.
Hwa Jin-myeong, newly appointed as the Young Palace Master of the Solar Palace, was another prodigy.
As Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol tensed—
“Oh.”
A short breath of admiration escaped.
Turning toward the voice, they saw Jang Woo-hyun smiling, his eyes glowing.
And in that moment, the two realized—
Even if the Solar Palace had a prodigy, the Annihilation Squad had a monster far beyond comparison.