Chapter 632 (New)

Cap. 632 – The Lazy Demonstrates (2)

Baekgeom Fortress was… how to put it… yes, comparable to a violent gale.

In retrospect, the magnitude of its strength was truly staggering.

One didn’t even need to bring up the lineage of the Great Family of the Infinity Sword. In those days, Baekgeom Fortress possessed qualities that outshone the Nine Orthodox Schools of that era without even needing to lean on its ancestral prestige.

Hmm?

Whether they possessed the capability to confront the Righteous Martial Alliance on their own?

No, they did not.

However, it was within the realm of possibility.

Ah, don’t give me that baffled look. I shall clarify it for you.

Though it appears our supply of spirits has run dry.

What?

That I should cease my drinking?

…My friend, you are revealing your true colors more frequently now.

To pass away? You say I will pass away?

Ah, that is not what you meant! That if I continue to consume alcohol in this manner, my end will come swiftly?

You scoundrel, it amounts to the same thing!

A distinction? There is no distinction at all!

Ahem!

Regardless…

Taking on the Nine Schools single-handedly is an impossibility. No organization in the world has ever managed such a feat.

Ah, yes, quite right. We must exclude the Demon Cult from that statement.

But setting them aside, no one else could manage it. Not even the Great Family of the Infinity Sword.

Eh? Was it achievable?

No.

The individual who accomplished it was not the Great Clan itself, but rather Baek Muhan.

Whether that is the same thing?

It is not.

What the martial world trembled before in those days was not the Great Clan, but exclusively Baek Muhan.

If that were not the case, they would not have carried out a massive slaughter of the Great Clan the moment Baek Muhan vanished. No matter how startling his disappearance was, if they had truly been terrified of the clan, they wouldn’t have dared to act.

The Great Family of that era was more powerful than any individual orthodox school, but not more powerful than the sum of all of them.

So why was there such fear regarding Baek Muhan?

A redundant question.

Because Baek Muhan possessed more strength than the entirety of the Great Clan combined.

…What have you been paying attention to this whole time? Now you inquire how a person could be that powerful?

I already informed you. Baek Muhan was not a mere mortal. He was simply Baek Muhan.

Wow, you fail to grasp even the most fundamental concepts.

Well, let us move past that.

In any event, the logic behind why Baekgeom Fortress could strike at the Righteous Martial Alliance was straightforward: even though Wei Yanho had brought some order to the chaos, they still lacked the solution to the mystery of the plague.

That is why the Alliance could not afford to confront them carelessly.

Despite Wei Yanho’s ability to treat the affliction, that could only happen after the dust settled. He was unable to perform such tasks in the heat of a clash.

Engaging an advancing foe with a fractured force while your own comrades descend into madness?

There is nothing more haunting than that scenario.

Yes, the circumstances were not favorable in the slightest.

And what was the outcome?

Keh keh keh, that was…

“Baekgeom Fortress?”

The complexion of the Master of Divine Abilities turned ghostly.

“What are you saying? Did you say Baekgeom Fortress?”

“Y-yes, they are currently marching toward Luoyang.”

“This is…!”

The Master of Divine Abilities clutched his leg with a tight grip.

An error! A mistake beyond forgiveness!

They had failed to station observers along the path of the enemy’s approach.

It was a logical oversight. The path the enemy took was the same one their retreating allies had used. Wei Yanho had rescued many souls, but the issue was that they had all turned into invalids, and those who had slipped into unconsciousness had to be transported by the surviving members of the Alliance.

In the middle of such a crisis, it was unfeasible to send out advance units to brace for an enemy strike.

“I assumed we had more time…”

It wasn’t as if they lacked a strategy. They had calculated that, after taking such heavy hits, the opposition wouldn’t be able to regroup so quickly. Even if they did, why would they challenge the Alliance in isolation? It seemed like a pointless gamble.

If they simply waited, the Demon Cult would eventually arrive. Why take on the Alliance alone?

Any person with a shred of logic would have stayed their hand. Yet, their maneuvers completely defied the logic of the Master of Divine Abilities.

“Jo Hyun-ah! Jo Hyun-ah! You mindless, useless fool!”

He bit down on his lip with force, cursing himself. He understood that conflict rarely followed a logical path—he had learned that through painful trials—and yet, he had once again fallen for the delusion that things would unfold as he envisioned.

He hadn’t realized he was so lacking in skill.

He felt such a deep sense of humiliation that he felt unworthy of the title Master of Divine Abilities.

“W-what is our course of action then?”

“Great Strategist!”

The council chamber dissolved into turmoil in a heartbeat. Every eye was on Jo Hyun, waiting for him to declare a plan.

But what options did he have?

“F-first…”

Just then.

“What is there to do? This is actually ideal.”

“…Huh?”

The Master of Divine Abilities shifted his gaze toward the speaker. The voice was far too familiar.

Rotating his head, he spotted Wei Yanho moving unsteadily.

“Ideal?”

“Precisely.”

“In what way?”

“What are you implying? Just a moment ago, the Great Strategist mentioned we should strike them first, correct?”

“…Yes.”

“Well, they’ve arrived on their own. The fewer the complications, the better.”

That…

It certainly sounds appealing when phrased that way.

“Listen, you brat! We aren’t ready, and we have wounded people scattered everywhere.”

“Is it not the same for them?”

Eh?

The Master of Divine Abilities cocked his head to the side.

Now that the point was raised, it made sense.

“If we take the time to regroup, they will do the same. Ultimately, the situation remains unchanged. If victory eludes us now, it won’t be any easier to find later.”

That was also a valid point.

It was quite bizarre.

Wei Yanho possessed a strange talent for stating truths in a way that made them sound incorrect. His logic was sound, yet coming from his lips, it felt preposterous.

“So let us go out to meet them. They’ve traveled quite a distance.”

“Mmm…”

The Master of Divine Abilities rose to his feet.

Before he could utter a word, Wei Yanho was already heading for the exit. And, almost instinctively, the faction commanders were trailing behind him.

Observing the scene, the Master of Divine Abilities couldn’t stop a dry chuckle from escaping.

“The reins of authority are changing hands.”

Whether the rest of the world chose to acknowledge it or not, the focal point of the martial arts world was now gravitating toward Wei Yanho.

Outside the gates of Luoyang, a crowd was forming.

Jangil let out a heavy sigh as he observed the display.

“This is… quite a sight.”

With the density of the buildings, it wasn’t always obvious, but the Righteous Martial Alliance commanded a staggering number of followers. People were pouring out of the city gates like an erupting nest of ants.

And that wasn’t even the full extent of their numbers. The sects from Shaanxi were not present in this gathering.

With such might, it was no mystery why they had stood as the heart of the martial world for hundreds of years.

“Should we not be organizing a different defense?”

Wei Jeonghan shifted his gaze at Jangil’s inquiry.

“Organizing?”

“Yes. Since the foe is on the offensive, our defensive posture seems quite flimsy. Perhaps reinforcing the walls…”

“That would be futile.”

Wei Jeonghan gave a slow shake of his head.

“Walls only hold value if they can stop people from passing through. But among the ranks approaching us, there are surely over a thousand who could tear those stones down. What would be the point?”

“…You have a point.”

“Military maneuvers only function when two conventional armies meet. Martial artists are not soldiers in an army. That is why the Master of Divine Abilities is such a respected figure.”

Jangil gave a slow nod of agreement.

Even though he had seemed lost of late, the Master’s status was beyond comparison. Were it not for the Jegal Family, no one could take his place.

In fact, not even the Jegal Family could fill his shoes when it came to matters concerning the Alliance.

His recent bouts of hesitation were not entirely his doing. In the previous conflict with the Demon Cult, at least there were no turncoats joining the enemy, nor were people losing their minds for no apparent reason…

“And there certainly wasn’t anyone like Wei Yanho stirring up trouble.”

It sounds like a joke, but that previous war was at least grounded in some level of sanity. This one, by contrast, had completely abandoned it.

In numerous ways.

Jangil scanned the area with a look of high tension.

Seeing such a massive gathering of experts made his nerves tingle.

“I suppose I should call it impressive.”

All these practitioners of the martial arts brought together. Just how much power did this force hold?

If they simply decided to do so, they could likely topple the imperial palace itself.

“However, the Demon Cult is even more formidable.”

And Baekgeom Fortress isn’t lagging far behind them either.

The world is vast, and the number of masters is endless. I never anticipated I would feel the weight of the martial world’s power so tangibly.

“Still, abandoning the advantage of the terrain to fight in the open feels wrong. No matter how brittle the walls might be, they are surely better than nothing.”

“There are civilians within the city.”

“…”

“If we entrench ourselves just to gain a minor edge, we can no longer claim to be the Righteous Martial Alliance.”

“What is the value of dying for a principle like that?”

“What is the value of living if you abandon it?”

Wei Jeonghan spoke with absolute conviction.

“The Alliance exists as the Alliance because we have the people’s trust. In terms of history, Shaolin and Wudang are older. In terms of raw force, the Alliance does not outclass the Cult. What permits us to stand for the martial world is the fact that the people’s will is behind us. A triumph achieved by betraying our core identity is no triumph at all.”

Jangil remained quiet.

It was noble. Far too noble.

Those were grand and virtuous sentiments. And for that very reason, they failed to strike a chord with him. As a member of the Beggar Sect, he had been lectured on justice until his ears rang, and while he didn’t lack the desire to do what was right, looking at Wei Jeonghan made him realize how exhausting it was to uphold such lofty ideals.

Sensing his mood, Wei Jeonghan offered a small smile.

“And it isn’t solely for that reason. There are practical factors as well.”

“Practical factors?”

“Have you forgotten? They have the means to drive people into a frenzy. Would you rather manage that crisis within the confines of the city walls or out here?”

“…I hadn’t considered that.”

Jangil nodded with a heavy expression.

“It isn’t just a matter of fighting them head-on.”

There were too many factors stacked against them.

Dealing with Baekgeom Fortress was daunting enough, but there was a mountain of variables to navigate.

And yet…

Jangil stole a glance at the back of Wei Yanho, who stood at the very front. He should have appeared as a figure of reliability, but…

He let out a long, weary sigh.

“This is going to turn into a total mess.”

Just looking at him made Jangil’s blood pressure rise.

“Hey, you! Can’t you do something about the state of your body?”

“Why should I?”

“Do you honestly think you can fight in that condition?”

“Would you like to test it?”

“Grr…”

Jangil rubbed his head in pure irritation.

“Shouldn’t you be fighting at your absolute peak to ensure a win?”

“No.”

“What?”

What was he rambling about now?

“Even if I were at my absolute peak, I couldn’t win.”

“What? You’re giving up without even trying?”

Jangil’s eyes went wide with shock.

“One doesn’t need to fight to see the truth. Just by looking at them, I can already tell I’m outmatched.”

“Then what is your plan?”

“It’s simple. If I can’t win, I call for my father.”

“…Me?”

Wei Jeonghan pointed to himself, looking utterly bewildered.

“No, not that father. I mean…”

Wei Yanho, who was just about to clarify, suddenly snapped his head toward the horizon. Then, his voice dropped to a low, serious tone:

“They have arrived!”