Chapter 352 |
Chapter 352
Local Warfare
"We'll have to stay quite busy for a while."
If local wars break out across the Central Plains, they'll have to move around busily.
Mu-jin spoke with determination, but Jegal Muhwan shook his head.
Before Jegal Muhwan could say anything, Hyun-cheon raised his hand to stop him and spoke as the leader.
"Mu-jin, you will not be moving from this place."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"I mean it literally. You will not participate in the local wars. In fact, most of the top fighters in our alliance will not be leaving."
The Jeongmumaeng was already in ruins after sending out top fighters like Mu-jin once before.
They likely wanted to avoid repeating the same mistake.
"But if we do that, many of the smaller sects might fall into their hands."
"I am aware."
"But why..."
"This is the only way to deal with Cheon-ju and Shin-chun. There are no masters in the current martial world who can face Cheon-ju or Ji-ju alone. When local wars spread across the Central Plains, our top fighters are at a high risk of being ambushed by them."
"Then are we just going to hold out here?"
Hyun-cheon shook his head.
"We will wait only until we can pinpoint Cheon-ju's location. Or, we'll set traps in places he's sure to come. Only then can we capture him."
Hyun-cheon's clenched fists trembled as he spoke.
It wasn't fear of Cheon-ju. Hyun-cheon had witnessed the deaths of those who called him leader right before his eyes.
Although it wasn't an appropriate expression for a monk, it was difficult to quell the anger and resentment.
"...Understood."
In the end, Mu-jin had no choice but to accept Hyun-cheon's words.
Having spent years with Hyun-cheon as a monk and one of the top three disciples of Shaolin, Mu-jin knew him well.
Hyun-cheon, who had always been like a benevolent monk, now proposed a strategy that would result in numerous deaths.
Mu-jin could hardly imagine the agony Hyun-cheon must have endured.nn
Seeing Mu-jin's agreement, Jegal Muhwan began explaining the details on behalf of Hyun-cheon.
"Therefore, the existence of survivors like Kwon Je is crucial. Until we can trap Cheon-ju, countless martial artists will inevitably lose their lives. Our top fighters cannot join the local wars."
"But what is the point of me being here if I can't join the battle?"
"Hope."
Seeing Mu-jin's puzzled expression, Jegal Muhwan opened his fan and began to speak as if giving a speech.
"Even though we were defeated last time, there's hope that things would be different if you were here. No matter how much we retreat and lose lives, there's hope that you will change the situation in the end. That is the role you must play until the fight against him begins."
Only then did Mu-jin understand why the remnants were so happy and welcoming when they saw them.
It seemed Jegal Muhwan had already implanted such thoughts in their minds.
Jegal Muhwan shrugged his shoulders and answered in a tone that suggested he was making excuses when Mu-jin frowned at the idea of such propaganda.
"Without this, there's no hope for this war. Think about it. If we fight local wars without any top fighters and without hope, it would be a meaningless death. Who would willingly sacrifice their lives for a hopeless cause?"
"Wouldn't it be better if we all stayed here together?"
"If we do that, it would be impossible to locate Cheon-ju or set traps. It would be like waiting for them to take over the entire Central Plains. The sacrifice is necessary."
At Jegal Muhwan's cold explanation, Hyun-cheon's face darkened, and he quietly recited a prayer.
"Amitabha."
Thanks to Hyun-cheon's prayer, a brief silence fell. After gauging the atmosphere for a moment, Jegal Muhwan changed the subject.
"That doesn't mean you should just stay here pretending to be heroes. If there's any way to become stronger, let us know. Whether it's miraculous elixirs or training equipment, we'll try to acquire whatever you need. Everyone needs to become a bit stronger for the final showdown with Cheon-ju."
In response to Jegal Muhwan's explanation, Mu-jin, who had been thinking about something since the fight with So-cheon-ju, immediately provided his needs.
Then he asked the question that had come to mind.
"But if we gather here, won't it be dangerous for not only the smaller sects but also the larger families and sects?"
Even though more than half of their strength had been depleted, Cheon-ju had single-handedly overthrown Jeongmumaeng.
If Ji-ju recovered as well, it would be difficult for even the larger families and sects to withstand an attack from Shin-chun.
Especially since they had sent their top fighters to Jeongmumaeng.
"We've already made some temporary preparations for that. Soon, masters from various sects will gather here."
"If more gather here, wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"
"If we leave everything empty, it would be meaningless."
"!?"
Mu-jin looked at Jegal Muhwan and Hyun-cheon with a shocked face.nn
He understood the words but couldn't comprehend if it was possible.
"Will they abandon the places they've protected for hundreds of years and move?"
"If we lead by example, it's possible."
"Leading by example... Could it be?"
"Yes. The remaining people in Shaolin have packed up the important items, including the sutras and martial arts manuals from the Sutra Repository, and are on their way here. Additionally, Hwang-bo Ak, who witnessed Cheon-ju's martial arts firsthand, has actively sent letters to the Hwangbo family, instructing them to gather valuable items and move here immediately."
"...I never thought that fool would be of help at a time like this."
Jegal Muhwan let out a small laugh.
"Yes. With the initiative from Shaolin and the Hwangbo family, and those who survived Cheon-ju's martial arts all sending messages to their homes and sects, everyone who can join will gather here."
"...A true alliance will be born."
* * *
As Jegal Muhwan had said, martial sects from all over the Central Plains gathered towards the outer regions.
Around the same time, as predicted, small-scale skirmishes started to occur all over the Central Plains.
Each one claimed the name of another sect and began to swallow up sects in small towns or cities.
Jeongmumaeng tried to send some of the gathered fighters to mediate or interfere in these skirmishes, but without the top fighters, consistent damage was inevitable.
However, Mu-jin could not know the extent of the damage occurring across the Central Plains.
In a way, it was Jegal Muhwan's consideration.
Cut off from external information, Mu-jin was entirely focused on his training.
The training items Mu-jin requested from Jegal Muhwan were, of course, a high-protein diet and iron weights.
Thanks to surpassing the barrier with the Jade Vajra Technique, Mu-jin could now strengthen his muscles to a level beyond human limits.
However, he wasn't just foolishly increasing his muscle strength.
"Hoo."
After an hour of repetitive weightlifting, Mu-jin put down the heavy weights and exhaled deeply.
He then closed his eyes and focused inward.
Starting from his Danjeon, an immense amount of Qi surged through the blood points throughout his body.
As the Qi coursed through his blood points, it amplified, eventually causing an overload on his blood points, bones, and muscles.
"Hup!"
The enormous Qi that burst out from his skin formed a golden armor around Mu-jin.n
This was Ho-shin Gang-gi, a technique he first successfully performed during the life-and-death battle with So-cheon-ju.
Maintaining the Ho-shin Gang-gi that covered his skin, Mu-jin exhaled after a few seconds.
"Hoo."
At the same time, the Gang-gi that enveloped his skin dissipated like a mirage.
"Still too slow. The duration is too short."
He needed to reach a level where he could activate Ho-shin Gang-gi without delay the moment he thought of it.
The duration needed improvement as well.
Unlike the Invincible Divine Fist, which ended with just releasing the Gang-gi, Ho-shin Gang-gi required continuous mental focus to maintain.
Of course, even if he could freely use Ho-shin Gang-gi, there was no guarantee of victory against Cheon-ju.
No, according to what Jegal Muhwan and the leader had said, it was impossible to face Cheon-ju alone.
'In the original work, it was probably the Heavenly Demon, the Tyrant, and the Sage Monk who fought him together.'
Therefore, Mu-jin thought.
His role was to be the vanguard.
At the forefront, he had to withstand the terrifying martial arts of the enemy, giving his allies time to strategize against him.
* * *
Somewhere in the Central Plains.
Three men were gathered in a large hall.
Unlike the man dressed in a black robe embroidered with dragons, who sat comfortably, the middle-aged and elderly men were kneeling before him, showing utmost respect.
The man in the dragon robe, Cheon-ju, asked the elderly man indifferently.
"In-ju, how is the grand plan progressing?"
"Thanks to you bringing down Jeongmumaeng, which was their central pillar, it is proceeding smoothly."
In-ju, praising Cheon-ju's achievements with his head bowed, replied.
However, despite In-ju's flattery, Cheon-ju's expression remained indifferent.
Both his own accomplishments and In-ju's flattery were so expected that they were of little significance to him.
"Smoothly... But it seems you haven't completely taken over the martial sects in the Central Plains."
"I apologize. It is my inadequacy that has slowed the process. Please punish me."
In truth, it wasn't just due to In-ju's lack of ability.n
Since Cheon-ju destroyed Jeongmumaeng and Shin-chun began its uprising, a fortnight had passed.
Most of the eastern Central Plains was now under Shin-chun's control.
To be precise, most of the 'martial sects' had been absorbed.
Excluding Hebei near Beijing, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Fujian's sects had been absorbed, and more than half of Guangdong, Hunan, and Hubei's sects were also absorbed.
The reason for absorbing instead of destroying was because they needed manpower, as Jegal Muhwan had predicted.
When the new imperial dynasty was established, slaves were needed to carry out the orders of Cheon-ju, who would become the emperor.
Therefore, those who resisted to the death were excluded, but those who threw down their weapons and surrendered were spared and incorporated.
Although those who surrendered could betray later, In-ju was not worried about that.
He had prepared for such eventualities.
He administered poison that required periodic antidotes and took families as hostages, ensuring betrayal was impossible.
Despite the merciless expansion using poison and hostages, the reason progress was still lacking was simple.
It was due to the resistance from Jeongmumaeng, which moved its base to outer Shaanxi Province, and Southern Sky Association, which relocated to Guryongbang in Guangxi Province.
These forces had formed a temporary alliance, creating a defensive line against Shin-chun.
A vertical front line stretching through Shaanxi, Chongqing, Guizhou, and Guangxi had been formed.
The main reason for this front line was ultimately the existence of Hyun-cheon, the leader of Jeongmumaeng.
The fact that Cheon-ju's attack on Jeongmumaeng ended in a partial success prolonged the war.
However, how could a vassal blame their lord's mistakes? Thus, In-ju could only attribute it to his own incompetence.
In response to In-ju's sincere reply, Cheon-ju indifferently looked at In-ju and the recently recovered Ji-ju.
"You must know that now is the time to reclaim the throne from the treacherous rebels."
At Cheon-ju's words, In-ju and Ji-ju bowed their heads.
The current imperial family was too preoccupied to pay much attention to the martial world.
Due to the fierce clandestine struggle for the crown among the princes vying to become the next emperor, the imperial family and high officials were all focused on that matter.
Since the emperor was still alive, it hadn't escalated to the level of civil war, but choosing the next supreme power ensured their attention was elsewhere.
In-ju's report on this allowed Cheon-ju to act boldly, and In-ju could temporarily leave Beijing to join him.
Thus, their time was limited until the internal strife among the princes ended. They had to unify the martial world and rebel before that happened.
"Send a message to the Second Young Master to mobilize the demon cult. We will launch simultaneous attacks from the east and west to end the war in one strike."
Cheon-ju chose to risk everything on a single decisive battle.