Chapter 348 |
Chapter 348
Truth
The last emperor of the Hwan Empire gathered numerous martial arts books to create a sinister martial art called the Hunwon Divine Elixir Technique. Some of these books might have ended up in the current royal family's possession.
While this news was shocking, the immediate concern wasn't the royal family.
"So, the martial arts techniques you taught your subordinates and the weapons you handed out were all based on those books?" Mu-jin asked.
The So-cheon-ju replied, "We brought some ourselves, but more than half were discovered later."
"There must have been quite a lot of them?"
"...About half didn't even exist. And most of what we found were worthless compared to what the books described."
Mu-jin recalled Dao Yuetian's Black Path upon hearing So-cheon-ju's response.
It might have been that among the books gathered from the Hwan Empire, there was some vague information about the Black Path. After some tracing, they found that the Black Path was an heirloom of a small sect called Cheon Seom Moon. However, when they seized it, it seemed to be nothing special.
At the same time, the thought of it all seemed disgusting.
"You've been secretly growing stronger by scouring those stolen books for over a hundred years. Truly tenacious bastards."
Someone voiced their opinion instead of Mu-jin, and a bitter smile spread across So-cheon-ju's lips.
"We have you to thank for that."
"???"
Everyone looked at So-cheon-ju with puzzled eyes, and he sneered with a resigned expression.
"From what I've heard, the first Cheon-ju and his followers didn't have the luxury of properly establishing and nurturing an organization like Shinchun. They were too busy fleeing from the royal family's eyes. We were able to establish Shinchun properly thanks to the Great Demonic War."
"Are you talking about the Great Demonic War that happened forty years ago?"
nn
"Huh. You mean you've been hiding for over sixty years."
While everyone in the conference room had shocked expressions, Mu-jin realized something felt off. Then, he remembered a piece of information he heard from Ou-yang Pae in Nanzhao.
"Are you talking about the Great Demonic War that happened a hundred years ago? After the Hwan Empire was driven out and the current royal family took power, the Great Demonic War broke out shortly after, and as a result, the Demon Cult was pushed to Xinjiang."
"Hehehe. For someone who fights so brutishly, you sure know a lot."
He continued to speak, looking at the gathered martial artists of the orthodox sects as if they were idiots.
"The Great Demonic War was initially instigated by the current royal family. They joined forces with the Murim warriors to drive us out. They feared they would face the same fate, so they incited your conflicts. Even after that, you continued to fight among yourselves, manipulated by the royal family's schemes. But thanks to that, we had the time to catch our breath, so those royal bastards are just as stupid. Hahaha."
While the royal family was busy stirring up conflicts among the Murim warriors and while the warriors were fighting territorial battles, Shinchun slowly and steadily grew stronger.
However, being traitors, all they had were minimal funds and a few hundred books. Moreover, it was difficult to grow in power without being noticed by the royal family or the Murim warriors.
"And to think they repeated the same stupid act twice, isn't it laughable?"
Forty years ago, the Great Demonic War broke out again. After that event, Shinchun rapidly increased in power. They instigated conflicts between the orthodox and demonic factions, exploiting the gaps to quickly grow stronger, discovering various divine techniques, miraculous elixirs, and mystical weapons written in the books.
Shinchun lost a third of its total power to cripple Hyun-gwang, yet that power was only a tenth of Shinchun's current strength. To be precise, compared to the Shinchun before Mu-jin weakened them.
"Thanks to you, the current Cheon-ju and I could properly master the Hunwon Divine Elixir Technique. Before the second Great Demonic War, it wasn't easy to obtain miraculous elixirs. Hahaha."
So-cheon-ju kept babbling like a madman but hadn't completely lost his mind.
"All this is thanks to your greed and ignorance. Hahaha. Because of your foolishness and greed, Cheon-ju has already attained the power to reach the heavens. Now, only destruction awaits you all!"
As So-cheon-ju shouted in rage, he suddenly turned his head and glared at Mu-jin, who was breaking his bones like twigs.
"You too. Cheon-ju will not leave you alone."
This was So-cheon-ju's last hope. He didn't believe Cheon-ju would save him. To Cheon-ju, he was merely a substitute to lead Shinchun in the future when Cheon-ju's lifespan ended. But, at least, he believed that Cheon-ju would bring despair and pain to those who oppressed, tortured, and tormented him.
Mu-jin, looking into So-cheon-ju's eyes filled with absolute malice, chuckled and grabbed his remaining fingers.
"Where does a hostage get off making threats?"
"Aaaargh!!"nn
"If your Cheon-ju is so great, it shouldn't matter if you spill the information, right?"
"Uuuughh!!!"
"So, tell me. Where is Cheon-ju's main base?"
As he asked, Mu-jin ground So-cheon-ju's toes with his heel, speaking again.
"What's the name of the In-ju hiding in Beijing? Where is the injured Ji-ju hiding? Hmm? Why not spill everything now?"
Amidst Mu-jin's continuous questioning, So-cheon-ju's screams echoed non-stop.
* * *
After a prolonged interrogation, Mu-jin entrusted the unconscious So-cheon-ju, Jo Geon-yang, to a physician. It wasn't because he felt sorry for the unconscious Jo Geon-yang. He had already obtained the necessary information and kept him alive for possible future use.
When Mu-jin returned to the conference room after leaving So-cheon-ju with the physician, a strange silence hung in the air. Especially on Hwang-bo Ak's face, there was a look of utter confusion.
As the head of the Hwangbo family, one of the pillars of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Noble Families, he believed he knew most of the events occurring in the Central Plains.
For some reason, he felt like a frog in a well, dizzy with the realization of his own ignorance.
Namgung Chang-hwi was equally shocked by the news, but his expression remained calm, likely due to his usual temperament.
As Mu-jin scanned the conference room, he was the first to speak.
"So, what are you planning to do, General?"
In response to Mu-jin's question, Jegal Muhwan gave an unexpected answer.
"Well... This is a matter that's difficult to decide quickly."
Unlike Jegal Muhwan, who usually had the best solution ready and subtly led people with his words, this time he chose to step back.
Mu-jin asked the first thing that came to his mind.
"How about going to the royal family? Last time, we lacked evidence, but now we have Jo Geon-yang, don't we?"
"If the chance of failure was ninety percent last time, it's still only fifty percent now. Betting on fifty percent without knowing the royal family's strength or reaction seems too risky."n
"Why do you say it's only fifty percent? We even identified the identity of the In-ju now."
During the interrogation of So-cheon-ju, they discovered the identity of the In-ju hiding in Beijing. Surprisingly, the In-ju was not an official drawing a salary from the royal family. He was the head of a Confucian academy, Yusu-won, located in the bustling area of Beijing. It was a place where scholars exchanged ideas and socialized, making him well-connected despite not being an official. While he couldn't directly influence the royal family, he could gather various information about them using his connections. This made him crucial for Shinchun's operations.
Despite having Jo Geon-yang, a descendant of the former royal family, and evidence of a rebel gathering information in the heart of Beijing, Jegal Muhwan remained skeptical.
"There's no guarantee that So-cheon-ju will give the same testimony in front of the emperor. We could torture him in the emperor's presence, but there's no certainty that the emperor would believe a confession obtained under torture."
"Aren't interrogations through torture common in the royal family? From what I know, they often use it to charge people with treason and execute their entire families."
"That's precisely the problem. The royal family uses torture to gain 'justification.' The emperor believes whatever suits his interest. If the results aren't favorable, the confession is dismissed as being obtained under torture. If the results are favorable, it's taken as the truth."
"…."
In the end, it would all depend on the emperor's whims, and the biggest issue was that no one here could predict the emperor's intentions.
"Since it's a gamble with equal odds, it's best to return to the Murim Alliance and decide together with the Alliance Leader."
Everyone in the conference room nodded in agreement, acknowledging the wisdom in Jegal Muhwan's suggestion.
Seeing the reactions, Jegal Muhwan added, "For now, let's focus on other matters instead of the royal family. We know where the injured Ji-ju is recuperating and the location of Cheon-ju's base, don't we?"
"Are you suggesting we launch a surprise attack on those locations?"
To Hwang-bo Ak's question, Jegal Muhwan shook his head.
"If what So-cheon-ju said is true, Cheon-ju's power is beyond estimation. The entire alliance might have to risk everything. Especially since we can't be sure of the royal family's help, there's no need to attack on our own."
"So, our target is the Ji-ju."
Jegal Muhwan smiled at Mu-jin's words.
"Exactly. Since he's still injured, if we deal with him swiftly before they can respond, it will significantly benefit us in the upcoming war."
* * *
Heukta Mountain, near Saku County in Shanxi Province.
n
Situated near the northern border, it was in a remote, frontier-like area. There, hidden deep in the mountains, was the hideout of someone dreaming of a new world.
Today, an elderly man came as a guest to this hideout. Or rather, he was more of a criminal than a guest.
"I greet the Cheon-ju."
Prostrating himself fully on the ground was an old man once known as one of the Three Swords of the World and the supreme master of the demonic sects in the Central Plains.
Cheon-ju, looking down at Hyeok Jin-gang with emotionless eyes, spoke.
"I've heard the news."
At his cold voice, Hyeok Jin-gang involuntarily flinched.
"Not only did you lose the war, but you also abandoned So-cheon-ju and fled?"
The sound of Hyeok Jin-gang swallowing echoed loudly in the silence, like thunder in his ears, causing him to tremble.
But Hyeok Jin-gang knew better than to make any excuses. Cheon-ju was the one who stood above all. Trying to persuade him with words would only lower his chances of survival. It was better to wait for his judgment.
Cheon-ju looked down at Hyeok Jin-gang, who was trembling like a pitiful old man.
After barely suppressing his anger, Cheon-ju spoke.
"Go to the In-ju in Beijing and deliver this message: From now on, I will personally take action."
Originally, he planned to remain hidden until he unified the Murim. He intended to reveal himself at the last moment, to reclaim what was taken by the filthy creatures who stole from his ancestors, and to wage war against the royal family of the Chu dynasty.
However, too many things had gone awry. Their identities were exposed in Murim, and his successor was captured by the enemy. Though he could always create a new successor, the so-called "heroes" of the Jianghu were the problem. They could no longer easily obtain sacrificial offerings through human trafficking.
For Shinchun to regain its strength and for him to produce successors who mastered the Hunwon Divine Elixir Technique like himself, it would take decades of patience and endurance. But Cheon-ju did not want to leave the task of reclaiming the throne from the Chu dynasty to his descendants.
He wanted to expel the Chu dynasty and become the new emperor of the Hwan Empire. This was the grand ambition befitting the first Cheon-ju, the demigod who mastered the Hunwon Divine Elixir Technique.
'Until I achieve that great ambition, I will keep you alive.'
Cheon-ju turned his head south, looking down at the trembling, worm-like Hyeok Jin-gang still prostrated on the ground.
There lay the Central Plains, which would soon belong to Cheon-ju. The Murim warriors and the royal family of Chu, who dared to take what was his, would all fall before him.