Chapter 158

Chapter 158
## Chapter 158. The Black Flame Dragon Who Calms the Chaos (3)

With the arrival of dawn, fresh intelligence was delivered via Hao Gate.

“Sigh……”

“Is there a problem?”

In response to Seong Mo-ran, who still bore the grime and blood of the previous night’s conflict, I silently passed over the message retrieved from the carrier pigeon.

“Good heavens……”

Her countenance mirrored my own dismay.

One sect.

Three martial halls.

Completely wiped out.

Such was the tally of the Orthodox Path factions obliterated in a single evening.

Had circumstances differed slightly, the Yujang Sect would have been added to that body count.

“What exactly is their objective? Are they truly prepared to ignite an all-out conflict with the Murim Alliance?”

Given that the vast majority of the assaulted organizations were minor, independent entities lacking any affiliation with the Murim Alliance, their goal was singular and transparent.

‘Instilling absolute terror.’

*GRIND.*

Where Deceit beguiled and manipulated the adversary, and Demon crushed and eradicated them, Blackness magnified terror to force a retreat.

An agonizing certainty that no middle ground existed.

A brutal proclamation that clemency would not be granted.

A devastating reality that resistance meant death.

The sole alternatives remaining for those who crossed paths with the Black Path were total surrender and flight.

The psychological impact was devastatingly efficient.

In the wake of the nocturnal slaughter, two martial halls had already shuttered their gates in panic, while another pair of sects had hastily gathered what possessions they could carry and fled.

A suffocating dread had paralyzed the entirety of Yueyang.

“Representative.”

Turning toward the call, I observed the Academy Students, the companions of Jang Woo-jae, assembling before us.

Much like our own companions, they had not yet cleansed themselves of the grime from the prior night’s desperate struggle.

“What brings you here?”

“……”

The young man acting as the spokesperson for the Academy Students deliberately dropped to his knees.

In unison, the remaining Academy Students followed his lead, kneeling one after the other upon the earth.

“……What is the meaning of this?”

They maintained a steadfast gaze toward me, ignoring my attempts to bid them rise.

“We implore you not to abandon the Yujang Sect.”

“……”

“We recognize that our past behavior—constantly calculating and watching your reactions—must have earned your disdain. For that, we offer our genuine repentance and make this request. Please do not cast aside our companion, Woo-jae.”

I had initially categorized their association as being no different from any other standard alliance.

Much like the Righteous Path Association, the Orthodox Path Association, or the Twelve Peak Citadels.

A gathering born of necessity among individuals lacking independent strength.

A collective focused solely on personal preservation.

“Every single one of us owes a profound debt of survival to Woo-jae. We cannot stand by and watch our friend perish before we have the chance to return his benevolence.”

“引导……”

“We shall also commit ourselves entirely to this cause. Please, Representative, lend him your formidable strength.”

The intense conviction burning in their eyes made it impossible to dismiss them as a mere coalition of convenience.

I let out a weary, quiet breath.

“Please, stand up.”

“Representative……”

“Even without your request, my course was already set. I gave my word to the Mukhyul Gang during last night’s confrontation.”

“……Our deepest thanks! We are profoundly grateful! This benevolence will never be forgotten.”

Though dragged into a conflict that wasn’t originally theirs, they embraced the burden as if it were an intrinsic duty.

They reminded me of the reclusive paragons who emerged from obscurity when the Great Righteous-Demonic War ravaged the realm in my previous existence.

These were no craven opportunists concerned only with self-preservation.

At that moment, Jang Woo-jae stepped away from the terrace and slowly made his way toward our position.

“Representative Jin. The Sect Leader requests your presence.”

He was visibly straining to maintain a composed facade, yet the brittle fragility of his emotions threatened to shatter at any second.

Feigning ignorance of the vulnerability he wished to conceal, I gave a simple nod.

“Very well.”

—

Eighty-seven.

That was the grim tally of wooden boxes arranged across the Grand Training Ground.

When one considered that the entire sect numbered a mere three hundred souls, a staggering third of their forces had been snuffed out in a single brief clash.

This was the brutal reality of warfare.

This was the true nature of combat.

If I were merely risking my own solitary existence, the burden would be light.

Yet while I engaged the enemy, those in my orbit were cut down in this manner.

This precise horror was the reason I had so fervently desired the rapid ascension of the Taeul Sect throughout this journey.

It seemed Hong Sa-ryeon and the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers accompanying me were equally crushed by the profound mourning blanketing the Yujang Sect, as they followed behind me in somber, respectful silence.

“You have arrived?”

The countenance of the Sect Leader, whom I had not seen since the prior evening, had withered so severely it appeared as though a decade of hardship had ravaged him overnight.

His broken demeanor strongly evoked the memory of Hong Mun-gi from my past life.

“Are you holding up?”

“引导……”

My polite inquiry went unanswered.

Instead of offering a direct reply, his gaze wandered over us and the gathered Academy Students before he spoke.

“It is a profound blessing that none of your company sustained injuries during the night. We owe our deepest gratitude to the heavens, the earth, and the ancestral spirits for that mercy.”

“引导……”

“I must make a solemn appeal to everyone assembled here, most notably to you, Young Master Jin.”

“Speak freely.”

The leader of the Yujang Sect parted his parched lips with visible effort.

“I ask that you all depart and seek your own safety immediately.”

“……What are you implying by that?”

“As of this day, the Yujang Sect dissolves and withdraws from the Jianghu.”

My gaze shifted to Jang Woo-jae.

Evidently already apprised of the decision, Jang Woo-jae was gnawing on his lower lip to the point of drawing blood, desperately fighting back his tears.

“Numerous allied sects that were previously organizing a counter-offensive have notified us of their retreat. We have likewise concluded that abandoning Yueyang at this juncture is the sole method to prevent further slaughter.”

The leader of the Yujang Sect let his posture sag, exhaling a heavy, protracted breath.

After a tense interlude, he lifted his eyes to meet mine, his gaze heavy with remorse.

“We cannot allow you to court destruction on our behalf, Young Master Jin.”

“I have no objections to staying.”

The Sect Leader offered a slow, appreciative nod.

“Your understanding of righteous chivalry surpasses that of any young martial artist I have ever encountered within the murim.”

“引导……”

“The salvation granted to the Yujang Sect today shall be etched into our hearts, even if our banner ceases to fly. When Woo-jae rears his own kin, he shall pass down this tale, and his descendants shall do the same for generations to come.”

As if swearing a holy oath, the Sect Leader clenched his fist with sudden intensity.

“……No matter how many centuries wash over us, the memory will endure, and this debt of honor shall be answered.”

Throughout the pavilion, the disciples of the Yujang Sect wept silently.

Their centuries of heritage had been brought to ruin in less than a day.

The reality of losing their ancestral home and being scattered to the winds was a shock they could scarcely comprehend.

“Where do you intend to find refuge?”

The Sect Leader cast a melancholy gaze across the expanse of the hall.

“Those with families will return to their roots. The displaced shall join me in journeying toward Hubei Province, where my spouse’s kin reside.”

“The path ahead will be arduous.”

“Undoubtedly.”

The Sect Leader’s mouth twitched as though he wished to utter another request, yet the words failed him.

I stepped into the void of his silence.

“Our group shall protect your caravan.”

His lips trembled before he finally offered a nod of profound relief.

“Could we perhaps secure your protection merely until we clear the boundaries of Yueyang?”

An expression of deep embarrassment colored his features, likely due to the perceived shame of asking for further aid.

Regardless, both our contingent and Jang Woo-jae’s companions were required to journey back to the Academy.

Just as I prepared to formalize our agreement to escort them out, a martial artist burst into the chamber, gasping frantically for air as if his lungs might burst.

“S-Sect Leader! Disaster has struck!”

“……What further catastrophe could possibly befall us now?”

“You must witness this for yourself outside, immediately.”

“……?”

Led by the Sect Leader, the various Hall Masters and our own company rushed toward the outer perimeter behind the frantic scout.

—

The shattered remnants of the main gates and the perimeter wall lay breached, creating a massive, jagged opening.

As we looked through the newly formed gap at the forces arrayed beyond, collective curses erupted from our group simultaneously.

“Those absolute bastards……”

Rank upon rank of combatants stood marshaled outside the shattered breach.

Even past the immediate perimeter, I could sense the heavy breathing of dozens more hidden figures.

The coalition of the Black Path had completely encircled the entirety of the Yujang Sect.

Faced with this overt display of overwhelming force, an Elder lamented in despair.

“How can human beings possess such cold-blooded malice?”

Neither the surviving disciples of the Yujang Sect nor our own party could take a single step beyond the estate lines.

When my patience wore thin and I attempted to breach the perimeter, the figure wielding the massive scythe from the previous evening materialized to block my advance.

“Take one step past this line, and not a single blade of grass within the Yujang Sect will be left standing.”

“引导……”

“Did I not warn you last night? You should have properly prepared yourself.”

“Why push things to such an extreme?”

“Your misguided righteous idealism will only cause rivers of blood to flow through Yueyang. Our actions are merely a preventative measure to halt that outcome.”

It seemed even the thugs of the Black Path acquired a talent for sophisticated rhetoric once they climbed high enough in rank.

“A remarkably noble justification for slaughter.”

“Knowing the cost, do you still intend to step outside?”

“……Never mind.”

Had I chosen to force my way through, breaking their blockade was entirely within my capabilities.

However, the collateral damage of such an action was something I could not shoulder.

Regardless of how effectively I performed in combat, the ultimate devastation would fall squarely upon the vulnerable members of the Yujang Sect.

Furthermore, it was obvious that reinforcements from alternative Black Path factions, extending far beyond the mere ranks of the Mukhyul Gang, were openly massing in the area.

Their strategy was to conclude this campaign swiftly through absolute numerical dominance.

No matter how intensely I scrutinized the tactical landscape, an immediate counter-strategy failed to materialize.

Just then, a loud altercation flared up near the main entrance.

“Hey! I told you to get out of my way! I have urgent matters to attend to within!”

“Access is strictly denied.”

“Listen to me, you fools! Fight for control of Yueyang all you want, but there are fundamental boundaries that cannot be crossed. Are you telling me the Black Path murim expects to govern this city after actively obstructing the duties of the Murim Alliance Yueyang Branch Chief?”

The voice was instantly recognizable.

Moments later, pushing past the guards with a train of attendants, Dang Hyeok-je stepped into the courtyard.

“Branch Chief.”

“Ah.”

The moment Dang Hyeok-je caught sight of me, his brow furrowed, and he signaled his subordinates with a sharp flick of his eyes.

The attendants immediately unslung the heavy packs from their shoulders, moving through the traumatized crowd to distribute provisions of rice and rations of Golden Wound Medicine.

“How were you alerted to our situation?”

I had been searching for a method to establish contact with Dang Hyeok-je, but the blockade had rendered it impossible.

In response to my inquiry, Dang Hyeok-je scrutinized my expression before speaking.

“Look here, young man.”

“Yes?”

“Why don’t you wipe that terrifying look off your face first?”

“Excuse me?”

“You look precisely like an enraged fiendish demon right now.”

“I don’t see how……”

Turning my gaze toward Eun-ho, the youth froze momentarily before offering a grim nod of agreement.

“Are you truly that incensed?”

“……Somewhat.”

“Do you honestly believe your fury matches my own?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The primary benefactor who promised to fund my operations is currently facing execution, leaving me in a position where I have to unpack the very crates I spent days preparing to move.”

“What are you implying?”

“Are you aware of the full scale of what the Black Path coalition has assembled within Yueyang?”

“……I noted their numbers were immense.”

“They haven’t merely mobilized local mercenaries; they have successfully recruited five prominent figures from the Eight Evils.”

At Dang Hyeok-je’s revelation, the gathered martial artists in the courtyard could not suppress their collective gasps of horror.

The Eight Evils were renowned as the undisputed apex masters of the Black Path murim.

Their deployment to Yueyang signaled an absolute refusal by the Black Path to abandon this campaign halfway.

“Are they genuinely prepared to declare war on the Murim Alliance?”

“They won’t take it to that extreme. However, if their only obstacle is a martial artist of your current standing, wouldn’t they consider themselves fully capable of wiping the slate clean?”

“引导……”

Having committed resources of this magnitude, it was undeniable that they would not stand down until they had wrested total dominance over Yueyang.

One question continued to plague me.

“What prize could possibly justify such an insane gamble?”

From a rational standpoint, it defied logic.

At this stage, it had crossed the line from a calculated risk into the realm of dancing naked on the edge of a executioner’s blade.

A single misstep would ruin them, and any major complication would result in their absolute destruction.

“Even if they manage to secure a temporary victory, do they possess no fear of the inevitable retribution from the Murim Alliance?”

Dang Hyeok-je agitated the back of his neck with a frustrated scratch.

“The political landscape isn’t going to play out quite that simply.”

“How so?”

“The territory and influence they secure during this campaign may very well become a permanent fixture.”

Yueyang represented a commercial prize of immense value to any major power established within the Jianghu.

There was zero probability that either the Murim Alliance or the Diancang faction would willingly sit idly by and permit such a lucrative hub to be plundered without consequences.

“Have you forgotten the existence of the Black Path Alliance?”

“Pardon?”

“The grand unification of the Black Path Alliance is currently being forged, with the Four Emperors Peak serving as the foundational core, is it not? These local factions undoubtedly intend to buy their way into that grand coalition and secure a powerful seat at the table. Once the Black Path Alliance is officially ratified, even the Murim Alliance will be hesitant to initiate an all-out war. They clearly viewed this as a gamble worth the existential risk.”

A sudden clarity struck my mind.

The disparate, confusing clues floating through my thoughts finally snapped into a coherent, terrifying picture.

“……Damn it all.”

“Indeed, it is thoroughly damnable.”

“They have absolutely zero intention of backing down.”

This was no longer an affair where a moderate compromise or a tactical withdrawal was possible.

When one evaluated the staggering wealth and authority the founding sects of the Murim Alliance had accumulated over the past half-millennium, no Black Path organization alive would pass up the opportunity to become a charter member of the emerging Black Path Alliance.

Operating under the classic gambler’s delusion of ‘win big now and handle the fallout later,’ they intended to seek absolute immunity beneath the umbrella of the Black Path Alliance.

Should they succeed, Yueyang would remain within their iron grip indefinitely.

“I have already dispatched an urgent courier requesting reinforcements from the Murim Alliance headquarters, but the bureaucratic gears grind slowly; it will be a considerable duration before an army is marshaled and sent.”

“They will arrive to find a city already fully conquered.”

“What is your counter-move?”

“引导……”

Those bastards were likely salivating at the mere thought of the astronomical wealth awaiting them at the conclusion of this gamble.

A gambler riding a massive winning streak cannot be dissuaded by any force on earth.

“Branch Chief, I require you to act as an intermediary.”

“Be realistic, boy. Didn’t you just acknowledge it yourself? They have no intention of retreating.”

“Which is precisely why your intervention is critical, Branch Chief. Deliver a formal proposition to their leadership: let us settle this entire conflict through a definitive Decisive Martial Duel.”

“……Do you truly believe they will entertain such a proposal?”

Even if we formally conveyed our willingness to settle the dispute via a structured martial contest, they would likely laugh in our faces.

Possessing total tactical superiority, they had no logical incentive to risk everything on a Decisive Martial Duel.

“If they refuse to accept a voluntary duel, we simply must engineer a situation where they have no alternative.”

We merely needed to employ the exact same psychological leverage they had used against us.

—

The Black Path blockade, featuring the core forces of the Mukhyul Gang, maintained their suffocating perimeter around the Yujang Sect well into the evening hours.

As if putting a severed head on display in the town square to suppress any thoughts of insurrection, their encirclement was so flawlessly executed that not even a droplet of water could have slipped through their net.

I stood watching the night sky.

The precise instant the luminous moon slipped behind a dense shroud of dark clouds,

I activated the Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art and launched my form into the upper atmosphere.

*WHIZZ—*

Because my primary focus lay in suppressing all acoustic signatures to the absolute limit, my maximum velocity was severely curtailed; nevertheless, it proved more than sufficient to clear the boundaries of the Yujang Sect unobserved.

*TAP.*

Touching down approximately thirty jang distant from the besieged estate, I broke into a direct sprint toward the headquarters of the Mukhyul Gang.

Due to the suffocating aura of impending violence gripping Yueyang, even the local commercial houses and taverns had shuttered early and extinguished their lanterns, yet the compound of the Mukhyul Gang blazed with illumination as bright as midday.

‘Unbelievably arrogant.’

Boisterous music drifted from the central grand pavilion, punctuated at intervals by the raucous, slurred shouting of intoxicated men.

Sensing two distinct, exceptionally heavy concentrations of internal energy radiating from within the structure, it became evident they were hosting a celebratory feast for two of the Eight Evils that Dang Hyeok-je had warned me about.

‘That implies the remaining Three Evils are currently stationed at the Black Axe Palace.’

With a cold, deliberate focus, I pulled my dark hood low over my features, utilized the Ghost-Breathing Step to erase my presence entirely, and secreted myself upon the roof tiles of the main pavilion.

A significant period passed in absolute stillness.

Gradually, the incoherent mutterings of drunken sleep replaced active conversation, and the festive melodies slowly ground to a halt.

Fixing my internal senses onto one specific target whose signature I had been tracking within the structure, I tracked his movements with meticulous precision.

Upon verifying that the target of my observation had retired to the most secluded, private quarters of the pavilion,

I carefully circulated my internal energy to scan the immediate vicinity for any concealed Shadow Warriors.

‘As I suspected……’

An ancient adage within the martial world posited that the Orthodox Path met its end through reckless bravado, whereas the Black Path perished due to superficial arrogance.

The Supreme Leader of the Mukhyul Gang was a creature who embodied that ancient wisdom perfectly.

To put it bluntly, he was a fool whose critical faculties were entirely compromised by vanity.

Carefully lifting a single clay tile from the roof structure, I slipped through the narrow aperture and descended silently into the bedchamber.

The Supreme Leader of the Mukhyul Gang, who was in the middle of stripping off robes heavily stained with wine, apparently registered a spatial anomaly; he pivoted with blinding speed, whipping his blade from its sheath.

*CLANG—*

“Who goes—”

The interrogation died in his throat.

*SQUELCH—*

The dark edge of the Black Dragon Sword had already transfixed his chest, piercing his heart and halting its rhythm instantly.

“Y-You are……”

I locked eyes with the dying man, who reeked intensely of alcohol.

“Terror is a weapon that can be wielded by anyone, not just you.”

His eyes protruding in shock, the Supreme Leader of the Mukhyul Gang appeared utterly incapable of processing his own demise even as his knees buckled and he crashed to the floorboards.

“Who dares infiltrate this place!”

In that identical heartbeat, I registered two immense, terrifying currents of martial power descending upon my position like twin bolts of lightning.

*POP!*

Shattering the wooden roof structure, I launched myself upward into the night air.

“Haha, what an intriguing little rat. How did you manage to bypass our Sensory Perception?”

My gaze locked with that of Snake Evil Ak Jung-hak, the individual heralded as possessing the most lethal and swift Movement Art among the entirety of the Eight Evils.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I channeled the Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand through both palms, immediately unleashing the devastating sequences of the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist.

*THUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUD!*

*POP, POP, POP, POP!*

The torrent of incendiary fist strikes I unleashed clashed violently with the concentrated Kick Qi he deployed in retaliation, generating a cascade of miniature explosions that scattered fireballs across the sky.

“Gah! Sword Evil, assist me!”

Snake Evil, having directly absorbed the searing residual heat of the Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand, stumbled backward in distress.

The exact instant Sword Evil whipped up a tempest of sword pressure to suppress and extinguish the spreading conflagration, I pushed the Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art to its absolute absolute limits, vanishing into the darkness away from the Mukhyul Gang compound.