“Hahaha, it’s truly a delightful day!”
“Indeed.”
“I was filled with worry because I heard there are some among the Forces of Yunnan collaborating with the Blood Sect, but now that the sects and experts representing Yunnan are friendly to the new sect, I feel so relieved! Hahahaha!!”
“Heh. Heh. Heh.”
“I wasn’t worried about the relationship with the Dark Dragon Sect since I was with Miss I-seol, but I had many concerns about the Trench Faction’s actions. But things have worked out so well, hasn’t it? Isn’t it a blessing for the Martial World? The personality of Sect Leader Sabok Seol is such that they will easily side with the new sect, which will greatly help in uniting the Yunnan forces.”
Ak Gyeong-cheol’s laugh had a crack in it.
Right. The only ones who are at risk here among the factions led by the current expert Yunnan are them, huh?
I let out a sigh of relief, showing my relieved expression.
“To be honest, I had so much worry before coming to Yunnan. What if there were a sect that actively collaborated with the Blood Sect?”
“Heh. Heh…. It’s unlikely any sect would do that, but what do you think would happen if such a sect existed? What would the new sect do?”
I put on a bitter expression and spoke.
“It would be unfortunate, but to set an example for those collaborating with the Blood Sect, they would meet a terrible end. It would have been hard to leave even a single cornerstone of that sect.”
I could feel Ak Gyeong-cheol’s throat subtly moving.
Looks like he’s getting dry throat.
“Hehe, just imagining it is quite unfortunate. If the Heavenly Demon Sect had feared rising up, would that sect have made such a choice? That would indeed be absurd.”
“Hahaha! Isn’t it lucky that such a thing didn’t happen?”
Ah, I can hear it now.
The sound of a scale moving in Ak Gyeong-cheol’s head.
As I looked at Ak Gyeong-cheol, who was furiously calculating in his mind, he suddenly widened his eyes as if he just realized something and started surveying his surroundings.
Then I leaned in closer to Ak Gyeong-cheol and whispered.
“Oh dear, I must apologize for being slow to catch on.”
Ak Gyeong-cheol, who was deeply into his calculations, looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“It seems that among the acquaintances of Sect Leader, some are in league with the Blood Sect?”
Ak Gyeong-cheol’s eyes went wide.
This was a variation of the ‘it’s about my friend…’ tactic.
It’s a method where one creates a non-existent friend to lead the conversation even though it’s obvious that it’s about themselves. Truly, there’s no better technique in situations where we’re sizing each other up.
“Y-Yes…! In fact, that faction had no choice, to say the least.”
“Of course. I understand completely. The atmosphere made it either the Martial Forest Alliance or the Blood Sect. So it’s possible that a faction made a wrong choice out of pressure.”
As I sighed and nodded, Ak Gyeong-cheol’s face lit up. However, the relieved expression on Ak Gyeong-cheol’s face quickly turned awkward because of my displeased look.
“Um, since Sect Leader Ak Gyeong-cheol is feeling sympathetic, there might be circumstances for that faction, but to be honest, how can we trust them? After all, they have been the ones actively cooperating with the Blood Sect.”
“Gee, you’re quite frustrating… As you said, there were circumstances involved.”
Honestly, after being disgraced by Rano Jingbu and the chaos in Okgyo, the faction’s front yard was devastated, and they’d lost all public support, so wouldn’t we have to acknowledge they might be desperate to recover from that loss?
It’s ridiculous, but instead of scoffing, I closed my eyes and pretended to be deep in thought.
“No matter how I think about it, it would be hard to turn a blind eye to a faction that collaborated with the Blood Sect. However… it’s not entirely out of options.”
“What kind of option? I’m all ears.”
“If the new sect stays in Yunnan, problems will arise, so we need to make Yunnan thrive.”
Ak Gyeong-cheol’s eyes widened.
“If they have established a deep relationship with the Blood Sect, they’d likely know confidential information. If the new sect can provide me with any information to help boost Yunnan, I’d definitely try something.”
Ah, I can hear it again.
The sound of Ak Gyeong-cheol’s head spinning.
What is the worst situation for Ak Gyeong-cheol right now?
If the Heavenly Demon Sect stays in Yunnan, and their connection to the Blood Sect is revealed. In that case, not only would they be targeted by the Heavenly Demon, but they’d also face a coalition from pro-Heavenly Demon factions.
They’d be entirely cornered with no way to escape.
On the other hand, if the Heavenly Demon Sect, having received important information from the Blood Sect, leaves Yunnan?
They could buy time to conceal their connection with the Blood Sect or avoid the situation of being attacked by the defenseless Heavenly Demon.
And from Ak Gyeong-cheol’s viewpoint, if we think positively, there might be a variable arising from the clash between the Blood Sect and the Heavenly Demon Sect that could resolve the current situation.
Of course, the relationship with the Blood Sect would be completely severed, but isn’t it more important to first survive the immediate crisis?
Was he reaching the same conclusion as I predicted? Ak Gyeong-cheol opened his mouth in a subtle tone.
“Actually, a friend of mine has hinted at some information…”
“I shall listen closely.”
It was quite the weighty piece of information, as not only did he lean in closer, practically pressing his lips against my ear, it was a bit uncomfortable, but I endured it, thinking about the information I was about to receive.
“I heard that the Blood Sect’s main base is in Xi’an.”
What Ak Gyeong-cheol said was absolutely astounding.
“I also heard that the Blood Sect has been allied with the Mosan Sect for quite some time.”
As expected.
I believed Ak Gyeong-cheol.
* *
Suddenly, the Heavenly Demon Sect appeared in the Martial World.
Everyone across the world kept their eyes peeled for the movements of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
What kind of happenings would unfold in Yunnan, the destination of the Heavenly Demon Sect?
Most people anticipated a bloody scene. After all, the intention of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s movements was to dominate Yunnan.
However, the news coming from Yunnan was entirely different from what the world expected.
Leading the way, factions such as the Trench Faction and the Dark Dragon Sect declared their friendly stance towards the Heavenly Demon Sect, and there were no signs of a horrific bloodbath, and the rumored exploits of Wi Ji-cheon, who overwhelmingly subdued the Heavenly Demon action alongside the current martial artists, spread widely.
With that news, the world began to tremble.
The first to wobble were the outcast factions that had previously supported the Blood Sect.
Most of the outcast factions supporting the Blood Sect were those who wanted to eliminate the righteous factions with the help of the Blood Sect’s entities behind them.
Would the outcasts earn their notorious reputation for lacking trust?
Mostly, they just sought to easily take advantage of the situation and reap the benefits by allying with the Blood Sect, but the moment the capabilities of the Heavenly Demon Sect were proven, they fled without hesitation.
As the support from the Blood Sect began to shake, the ones who felt most relieved were none other than the Martial Forest Alliance.
“We have canceled the reinforcements from the Hebei Pang family.”
“The frontline faction in Guangdong has reported a successful counterattack.”
“The wolf entities in Shandong have disappeared.”
As news of victories poured in from all directions, the strategists of the Martial Forest Alliance were all smiles. When Se-in, who was overseeing the strategists, recalled the report from Senior Ho received yesterday…
“The Blood Sect has a stronghold in Xi’an, and the Mosan Sect has been allied with them for quite some time…”
Why would the time-honored righteous Mosan Sect ally with the Blood Sect?
The word ‘traitor’ weighed heavily on Se-in’s heart.
Se-in had some suspicions.
Even though it had been quite some time since the Blood Sect’s forces had been active, they still couldn’t pin down the location of their stronghold.
Unless someone among the sects in the Martial Forest Alliance intentionally concealed information, it was impossible to have such a loose grasp if that were the case.
Se-in looked at the strategists and martial artists, scrutinizing their expressions. The identification of the Blood Sect’s stronghold was a reason to launch a full-scale attack, but if they did so, the fact that the Mosan Sect betrayed the Martial Forest Alliance would be disclosed to the factions within the alliance.
Naturally, the Mosan Sect would vehemently deny any betrayal, while the Blood Sect would find out that their stronghold had been discovered, and the forces of the Martial Forest Alliance would struggle to consolidate.
In a situation where solid proof of the Mosan Sect’s betrayal was yet to be established, there was bound to be division among the various sects in the alliance regarding whether to attack the Mosan Sect.
“As the leader of the alliance, I command.”
With that, Se-in made a decision.
“I shall order a full-scale assault on all entities spreading across the world.”
The gazes of the strategists gathered on Se-in.
“Direct every faction of the Martial Forest Alliance to secure the entities scattered across the locations.”
“Understood!”
If they couldn’t be the main force, they at least should be of assistance to the main force. Se-in concluded that the best the current Martial Forest Alliance could do was to prevent the Blood Sect, feeling pressured, from calling their entities back to their stronghold.
As the leader turned to look at the bustling headquarters, Se-in couldn’t help but think of Senior Ho. Those working alongside the Heavenly Demon Sect would be on their way to Xi’an as we speak.
“In the end, it seems it has to depend on you.”
I hope for your victory.
As Se-in held the brush, praying for good news, there were mountains of tasks ahead of him to secure the entities across the world.
