Chapter 329

Chapter 329
## Chapter 329

Murim Alliance Meeting (3)

The Three Gorges territory, situated more than two hundred kilometers away from the Shaolin Temple. A solitary cabin tucked inside an unpopulated mountain pass.

“The opening moves should be commencing shortly.”

An elderly gentleman possessing the air of an enlightened scholar stroked his lengthy, snowy beard and spoke under his breath.

Past the tiny pane of glass he peered through, there lay nothing but a commonplace grove of trees, yet his vision appeared to grasp a far grander domain, extending well past the boundaries of his restricted dwelling.

“Have all the arrangements been completed? This endeavor is directed by the Cult Leader himself. We cannot permit a single misstep.”

“Indeed, Strategist. We have inspected and confirmed every detail multiple times. The Cult Leader himself has given his seal of approval to the strategy.”

“Very well. That is reassuring. Our long endeavors have at last borne fruit.”

The elder gave a slow sign of assent, shutting his eyes as he drifted into memories.

A substantial amount of time had passed in preparation.

Twenty-two years had flown by since the crimson catastrophe at the imperial palace that transformed the destiny of this continent.

The “Golden Island Sect” had been a persistent nuisance in their path, hindering their progression… yet because of that delay, their current arrangements were far more meticulous.

The eradication of the Kunlun Sect, which served as the frontline defense of the Central Plains Murim, was a calculated piece of their grand design.

And the timing aligned flawlessly with this perfect opportunity…

“Utterly ridiculous. Attempting to converse about camaraderie and partnership in an era like this.”

The elder offered a soft mock, shaking his head side to side, as the cloaked subordinate dropping to one knee before him lowered his gaze in absolute quiet.

This gathering, convened under the banner of the Murim Alliance, an entity that had long ago fractured and ceased to truly exist.

Granted, the concept itself wasn’t entirely flawed, provided the global climate remained tranquil and the existing distribution of strength was preserved.

“Hahaha, they have reposed in comfort for far too long.”

Granted, there had never been a single sunrise devoid of conflict, but to the elderly man, such things were merely minor grumblings.

How could they expect to establish harmony after so brief a period of upheaval?

In a volatile age such as this, raw power stood as the sole righteousness.

Tranquility and order could only be forged by means of irresistible dominance.

Yet they chose to squander their hours on trivial networking? How utterly dim-witted.

‘Sparing themselves from the gathering would have been far more sensible… ’

Nevertheless, the Cult Leader refused any compromised resolution.

He demanded undisputed supremacy, secured via unyielding force and absolute subjugation.

To achieve that end, he intended to shatter the remaining fragments of the Murim Alliance, those stubborn fools clinging to a bygone era.

‘Utilizing the Cult Leader’s personal retinue alongside our vanguard squads, victory is assured.’

This day would mark the hour the Murim Alliance was utterly wiped from existence.

Therefore, his primary focus did not rest upon the Shaolin Temple, but rather on the secondary components of their campaign.

“There is no purpose in delaying any further. Deliver the word to all sectors. Initiate the assault.”

“By your decree! The Heavenly Demon descends, all shall submit!”

The cloaked subordinate dissolved into the air like vapor, and…

“Hahaha, the hour is practically upon us.”

…the elderly gentleman, Yalu Huan, who served as the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Strategist and held the title of the Heavenly Riding Demon, chuckled quietly under his breath, letting his eyelids fall.

The moment they had anticipated for so long was finally unfurling.

—

The conflict intensified with terrifying speed.

“Deploy the One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation!”

“Slay every individual who opposes the decree of the Cult!”

“How dare you desecrate this sanctified ground!”

“The Heavenly Demon descends, all shall submit!”

“You wicked degenerates!”

The grand pavilion, which had functioned as an area for amicable relations mere heartbeats before, had transformed into an arena of utter pandemonium and slaughter.

Wails and bellows, profanities and declarations of doom, reverberated through the space.

Rumble—!

The thunderous explosions echoing from the perimeter barricades, where the primary threshold of the Shaolin Temple stood, indicated that this confrontation would not reach a swift conclusion.

The collision of immense spiritual pressures, the swirling gales of Ki… the sheer scale of the energy was breathtaking.

“Ugh, by what means did the Demonic Cult penetrate all the way to the Shaolin Temple…?”

It served as an undeniable manifestation of their foe’s revival, an explicit challenge to open warfare.

It represented the absolute worst imaginable turn of events.

“Argh!”

“Do not overextend your reach! Simply concentrate on staying alive!”

“These wretched fiends… What sort of black magic are they employing…!”

The individuals participating in this assembly for the initial time maintained a degree of trust in their personal prowess.

They did not represent the ultimate masters of their respective schools, but they were the chosen vanguard, fully capable of mastering the diverse hurdles and perils they had encountered during their trek to this destination.

Even so, they found themselves yielding ground, entirely disoriented by the abrupt onslaught.

They offered a desperate resistance, their inner fires blazingly awake…

…until they registered that an anomaly was taking place.

“Avoid letting your blades meet theirs directly! Their spiritual frequency deranges the circulation of our native energy… Urgh!”

“Senior martial brother! These… these monsters—!”

The situation defied reason.

This location was the Shaolin Temple, the ultimate pillar of the orthodox path and the guardians of Henan Province.

Even an entity as formidable and merciless as the Demonic Cult should lack the audacity to strike them so openly in their own home.

Furthermore, it was not merely the monks of Shaolin holding the line here.

Clang—

Namgung So-ran, her blade colliding heavily against the weapon of a cloaked Demonic Cult combatant, ground her teeth together tightly.

‘Ugh, what manner of technique is this? Is it a form of Mountain Poison? An instance of the Absorption Technique? No, that is incorrect. This is… an entirely more structural interference… ’

Her personal internal reserve, developed over decades of rigorous practice and fortified by priceless medicinal treasures, was sputtering and losing cohesion.

The reliable current of Ki, which had perpetually served as her foundation and defense, was now shattered and erratic. She strained mightily just to retain her grip on it, her focus and physical stamina draining away at an alarming pace.

This fundamental disruption was the exact reason why even a sect as legendary and capable as the Shaolin Temple was being forced onto its heels.

‘If this trajectory persists… ’

The manipulation of inner energy was absolutely vital when master-level combatants clashed. If a single faction’s power was corrupted, the resulting deficit was impossible to bridge.

“Haa!”

Clang—

Namgung So-ran drew a deep, ragged breath, rallying her internal reserves through sheer willpower, and executed a massive stride forward.

The action exacted an immense toll on her stamina, yet it realigned the path of her Ki, if only for a fleeting instant.

‘Great Swallowing Flight!’

Whish—!

An explosion of deep indigo force, razor-edged and piercing, tore across the space, cleaving the persistent adversary before her.

“Huu, haa…”

Yet there was zero opportunity for relief.

The foe she had just neutralized was nothing more than a common foot soldier.

‘…This is a desperate predicament. If this carries on… ’

She was unable to count on the aid of her progenitor, the Sword Saint Namgung Woo.

Rumble—!

She could detect his distinctive spiritual signature, tangled within the violent vortex of energy radiating from the exterior thresholds, an indication that he too was locked in a brutal struggle of his own.

His engagement was undoubtedly far more catastrophic than the skirmish unfolding in her vicinity.

‘Even Grandfather, a master who has breached the Mysterious Realm, is meeting heavy resistance… Which implies…!’

Regrettably, she lacked the luxury to ponder the matter further.

“Over there! The female descendant of the Sword Saint! Apprehend her!”

“Ah!”

An additional trio of combatants, possessing a caliber identical to the one she had just put down, were rapidly boxing her in.

She cast her eyes across the immediate area in desperation, her spirit plummeting.

‘…I committed a critical error. I allowed my momentum to carry me too far, becoming isolated from the main group.’

She had barely managed to overcome a solitary foe… and now a trio was descending upon her simultaneously?

It was an entirely unwinnable scenario.

Her weapon was forcefully struck from her hands the moment her internal energy suffered complete exhaustion.

“So-ran!”

The voice of her sibling reached her ears, shouting out her name in panic, yet she lacked the courage to look in his direction.

She had proven to be nothing but a liability rather than assistance.

She had stubbornly insisted on joining this expedition, eager to witness the grander martial world… only to meet her demise in this courtyard?

She glared defiantly at the descending cold steel, her vision burning with unyielding pride.

‘…I ought to have questioned him plainly when I had the chance.’

If she had only secured clarity regarding the hidden capabilities of Ha Seung-hoon… the mysterious visitor from another realm whom she had been monitoring so closely…

Such thoughts were useless now, yet she could not prevent a sharp pang of remorse from surfacing, a lingering regret for tasks left incomplete.

Swoosh—!

Even as her mind churned through these final thoughts, a sharp edge sliced close enough to part her skin, painting the air with a spray of crimson.

“Never neglect to maintain awareness of your immediate environment during a melee, Young Miss Namgung. Furthermore, maintain synchronization with your comrades. Such independent recklessness is a surefire path to an early grave.”

“…Young Master Ha? By what means…?”

“The combatants of the Southern Palace Clan are forging a path toward us. Let us realign with their formation.”

She gazed blankly at the man who had just delivered her from death, the very individual who had occupied her thoughts a moment prior, her analytical mind grinding to a halt.

His shoulders, as he pivoted to guide the way forward, appeared extraordinarily immense and comforting.

—

Despite having just extricated the young lady of the Southern Palace Clan from mortal peril, Hugo maintained his relentless momentum, his form appearing as little more than a phantom trail.

He had never intended to become so deeply enmeshed in this conflict, yet circumstances left him little alternative.

‘They claim their inner energy becomes corrupted the moment they exchange blows with the forces of the Demonic Cult?’

He analyzed the surrounding chaos.

An expert who had reached the pinnacle of the Master Realm on the orthodox side was suffering immensely against a mere handful of minor Demonic Cult foot soldiers. Seeing this, the reason for their rapid retreat became perfectly clear.

However…

Whish— Clang!

Splat!

His blade arced through the air, parrying an incoming strike before seamlessly parting the antagonist’s throat.

An incredibly efficient and lethal execution.

‘For what reason am I completely unhindered?’

In stark contrast to his companions, who were faltering and losing their footing as though compromised by some toxin, he experienced absolutely no negative symptoms while trading blows with the Demonic Cult warriors.

His adversaries, operating under the assumption that he would be similarly incapacitated, frequently allowed their defenses to slacken, only to be instantly dispatched by his counterstrikes.

‘This phenomenon warrants a deeper investigation.’

The primary distinction separating his condition from the indigenous martial artists…

…lay in his status as a traveler from another world, an awakened entity.

If his constitution granted him total immunity against whatever supernatural strategy the Demonic Cult was employing…

‘Huu, I will dedicate time to analyzing this later.’

His immediate objective centered on reinforcing his current allies, while simultaneously cementing a stellar reputation throughout the encounter.

“Ugh… I offer my deepest gratitude for your timely intervention, Young Hero.”

“Huu— You have preserved my existence this day. I shall ensure this debt is honored in the future.”

“Extremely remarkable. To manifest such precision amidst this level of disorder. I must ensure I observe your path closely. Ha Seung-hoon of the Zhuge Clan…”

The feats he was performing were more than sufficient to elevate his standing across the factions.

He was systematically and dispassionately neutralizing threats while the rest of the assembly was fighting for breath, ensuring that those he preserved were left thoroughly awestruck.

‘Naturally, I cannot tip the scales against the true titans of this conflict, but this level of contribution is perfect for restoring their flagging confidence.’

Yet precisely as he was attempting to inject structure back into the defensive line,

An unanticipated disruption manifested.

Swoosh—

Crash—!

A silhouette, traversing the distance at a velocity that defied comprehension, slammed violently into a adjacent pavilion, triggering an ear-splitting collapse of masonry.

Even with Hugo’s significantly augmented perceptual faculties, he had found himself incapable of tracking the movement in real time.

Every set of eyes across the courtyard swung instantly toward the epicenter of the destruction.

Following that impact,

“Is this the entirety of your prowess, Wu Jin? The legendary prestige of the Shaolin Temple is nothing more than a relic of history now.”

…A frigid, detached voice drifted across the ruined temple grounds.

The gathered martial artists required a moment just to comprehend the spoken words, primarily because the individual delivering them had already materialized on the spot, completely undetected by a single soul.

An individual wrapped in ebony attire, his extended, dark tresses drifting lazily in the mountain breeze.

“Is that individual… Could it truly be…?”

“Leader Wu Jin…?”

Not a single soul present recognized his physical features, yet every individual instinctively understood the identity of the newcomer.

His sheer aura was suffocating, instantly commanding the total focus of the battlefield.

A profoundly disdainful pressure, as though he viewed the entirety of creation as beneath his notice.

The sovereign of the abyss, the literal manifestation of malice.

A sovereign of malice descended directly from the firmament.

The realm recognized him as—.

“…The Heavenly Demon.”

The entire assembly went entirely motionless, their muscles locking in place, as the continent’s most dreaded antagonist stepped directly onto the stage.

—

Simultaneously with this arrival,

“Oh! We have finally reached the destination! This promises to be… thoroughly entertaining! Khahaha!”

“…What in the world—?! What is transpirng in this place?! What is that… absolute monstrosity?!”

Two gargantuan figures strode directly into the perimeter of the Shaolin Temple.