Chapter 224

Chapter 224

In the past, when I was learning strategy from Jegal Pyeong, I once asked him this. What is the method to definitely crush an opponent in a strategic battle?

At that time, I was suffering consecutive defeats against Jegal Pyeong in strategic warfare. I hadn’t won even once out of dozens of battles, so I thought this uncle must have some mysterious stratagem.

Inferior to Jegal Hwi. Never once victorious against Jegal Pyeong. I naturally thought the opponent must have some kind of secret technique, so I asked Jegal Pyeong about it. And.

At that time, Jegal Pyeong taught me.

There’s no need to be an idiot who deliberately jumps into the board the opponent has set up.

If you want to foil the opponent’s strategy, you just need to change the premise of the board itself.

The main palace.

Looking at those in the distance lighting candles and entering inside the palace, I raised my gaze upward. The sight of Heukya still looking only at me.

“The candle effect is certainly definite.”

I’ve never lit one, but I can tell just by looking at that. Even though people are passing by right in front of it, Heukya’s gaze is only looking at me, who hasn’t lit a candle. Looking at that, when a candle is lit, not receiving Heukya’s attacks is almost at an absolute level.

“Gang-i’s strategy seems to have worked properly too.”

The armory and the separate palace. Those who came out from all those places are heading toward the main palace. Since they’re still in different directions, they haven’t encountered each other yet, but if they penetrate deeply inside the main palace, they’ll definitely run into each other.

When that happens, the situation ends. The three forces will fight each other and ultimately either mutually annihilate or survive in a near-death state. And there, Seonwoo Gang will jump out and clean up the remaining ones to finish.

It’s not a bad strategy. If this situation was just an opening ceremony as originally assumed, and if it was a situation where they absolutely had to advance to the central area, it was a good enough strategy that I should have thought of words of praise to say when meeting Seonwoo Gang.

‘There’s no time for that now.’

The three forces meet and mutually annihilate, and after that Seonwoo Gang attacks to annihilate the rest.

It’s an excellent strategy, but that strategy requires time. In the current rapidly changing situation, there’s no leisure to wait for that time one by one. Then the method is one.

Overturn this situation itself.

“Phew.”

Penetrate from the surface.

Swaeaeaek!

Lightly touching the inner power that had sunk deeply below the dantian, I slightly twisted my body to avoid the tail flying toward me. Heukya’s tail embedded in the ground with a roar as if splitting space.

“I have no business with fakes.”

Heukya intervened in the opening ceremony, and that Heukya said Cheonma would descend here.

I don’t know how much of that is true. Heukya doesn’t lie. There’s no such guarantee. Can you believe a yokai’s words at face value?

However, even so, the fact that something is definitely happening is certain. Since Heukya interfered with the opening ceremony, this place will soon become a hell painting.

Then what the sect master, I, must do is one thing. Protect the disciples.

Escape them from danger.

‘From Yongcheon to Myeongmun, from Gokji, and to Jangsim.’

‘Through Baekoe, Cheonju, Gihae, to Junggeuk.’

Thunder races through the blood pathways.

Yang energy and yin energy. The unrefined thunder formed by the collision of opposing energies stimulated the blood pathways with a tingling sensation, activating all the senses throughout the body. Awakening vision. The air burning white-hot.

‘In this situation, how should I overturn the board? What’s the method to make Seonwoo Gang have no choice but to come out?’

Let’s think.

Daring to make such a gamble means Seonwoo Gang’s side also doesn’t have enough candles to endure. If they had enough candles, they could have just gone to a place like the underground Noeyok and quietly endured.

The current situation where they have no choice but to gamble is Seonwoo Gang’s present situation. From Seonwoo Gang’s standpoint, what’s the most undesirable thing that shouldn’t happen?

‘That would be the three forces cooperating.’

If the three forces meet and decide to sacrifice a few members of their forces to cooperate, Seonwoo Gang’s plan is completely shattered.

Of course, that probability is extremely low. You could say it doesn’t exist. No matter how much they’re from the black path, cutting down someone once accepted into their force with the group’s power is something that inevitably causes a major blow to reputation. There wouldn’t be anyone who would go that far just to advance to the central area once. 

What if you create an environment where they have no choice but to cooperate even without sacrificing anyone?

Cheonroesin Jin

Tongcheon

The blood pathways boil.

At the unconventional operation of inner power, the opened Baekoe point scatters intense burden throughout the entire body. Thunder simultaneously forming.

I slowly extended my sword and aimed at the target. The sight of martial artists entering the main palace with tense expressions, still not even noticing my location, is clear to my eyes.

The next moment I swing my sword.

──Pajik!

I was standing in front of the martial artists.

“Wha……!”

The sight of martial artists flustered by the sudden attack.

Befitting skilled martial artists, they immediately try to raise their swords, and I smile faintly while thrusting the sword tip. The blade piercing through the opponent’s bracelet, transforming into lightning as if piercing through the world.

Seogeok!

“Haeyeon! These damn bastards……!”

Perhaps they knew each other—the martial artist at the front swings off the sword qi and rushes in. Slowly. So leisurely that it makes me want to yawn.

Kagagagak!

Leisurely observing the sparks flying where blade met blade, I drew up my inner power. The sight of those looking at me with killing intent as if certain I came to kill them.

“What kind of bastard are you……! An Orthodox Path guy!”

“I used to be. Not anymore.”

As I smiled faintly while shaking off the sword tip, the martial artists took a step back. Looking at me with a gloomy expression as if facing an unstoppable natural disaster.

“I’ll ask one thing.”

“Do you happen to know the method to unite those who were fighting each other to death?”

“What the hell is that…….”

“Ah, no need to answer. I already know the answer.”

The method to make those who can’t mix like water and oil fight together.

That’s simple. Countless human histories prove it.

“When facing a common enemy, and moreover a huge enemy that can’t be handled alone, people unite.”

“……Are you saying you’re such an enemy?”

“As if.”

An enemy who can crush even the combined three forces.

I’m not quite at that level yet. If I use my full power properly, it might be possible, but I have no intention of wasting power to that extent here.

However, do I even need to step forward myself?

“It would be good to unite.”

“If you want to survive, that is.”

One step forward.

The inner power drawn up simultaneously with my words transformed into thunder. The sword tip extending at the same time.

Seogeok!

At my appearance cutting down neither a person nor a bracelet, the sight fell to those standing dumbfounded. The appearance of a travel bag completely cut in half, showing its contents.

“Isn’t it petty to rely on the power of such artifacts?”

“Wha, wha, what……!”

“A true martial artist should face each other fair and square.”

Looking at the sight of Heukya starting to look this way the moment the candle was cut, having been surveying the center, I smiled faintly. If you think about it, isn’t it a simple story?

“How dare you! How can a martial artist try to rely on such external objects!”

A huge enemy that must be faced together.

There’s no need to deliberately create such a thing. It’s right in front of us, so why go far to find it?

So there’s only one thing to do.

“The only thing to trust is your own sword, so try to survive well.”

Cut down all the remaining candles.

If I do that, Seonwoo Gang won’t be able to avoid coming out either.

We’re doomed.

At the hellish scene visible in the distance, Seonwoo Gang, who inadvertently harbored such an impression, raised his hand and dry-washed his face. And Paeng Jin, who had been sitting next to him, quietly spoke.

“……I’m feeling this anew, but. Seonwoo Gang. Your sect master doesn’t seem to be in his right mind?”

“Are you insulting our sect master right now?”

“I’m serious.”

“……Actually, I think so too.”

Seonwoo Gang, who had let out a deep sigh, inadvertently affirmed Paeng Jin’s words and clicked his tongue at the martial artists being knocked away here and there by Heukya’s attacks. The situation had changed hopelessly.

‘Heukya’s attacks are powerful.’

Attacks reaching to the outer palace are Heukya’s attacks.

That said, the attacks received from Heukya in the outer palace aren’t actually that threatening a level. When in the outer palace, if you keep your wits about you firmly, even he could evade attacks at a level he could avoid to some extent.

That’s why when the area lord appeared, in the early stages, several experts penetrated the inner palace showing bravado that they would just catch Heukya. The Gongdongpa sect leader did so, and the Jongnam’s Sword Hero also overestimated his skills and went inside.

What happened as a result?

‘They were eliminated without enduring long after entering the inner palace.’

The Jongnampa expert was eliminated almost as soon as he entered.

The Gongdongpa sect leader also endured for a long time, but in the end being eliminated was the same. The moment he entered the inner palace, he couldn’t even think of escaping and was knocked around here and there before getting hit by the tail and eliminated with his bracelet cut.

No matter how much they’re experts who survived to the latter half of the opening ceremony, not everyone is an expert at the level of the Nine Sects and One Gang sect leaders. Among them, some survived by luck, and some survived because they have special skills.

If such people enter the inner palace without even lighting candles and encounter Heukya, what will happen?

‘They’ll be annihilated.’

Because there are many people, they might be able to endure a bit longer. But in the end, that’s where it ends.

With about thirty people, no matter how much they rush in, they can’t do anything about Heukya. It wouldn’t be easy to even withstand one of the nine tails.

‘Alliance is essential.’

Those in the main palace will have to ally to survive. And if they succeed in surviving that way, there’s a high probability their alliance will solidify.

Should he just watch that happen?

‘No.’

If the objective was simply to advance to the central area.

Then he could just watch. With just the accumulated points, like adding alcohol to alcohol or water to water, he could just quietly blend in.

‘That’s not why I participated in the opening ceremony.’

What was the reason for coming here? To obtain elixirs? To obtain martial arts?

That’s not it. He doesn’t particularly need elixirs since he received them from Namgung Sega, and martial arts aren’t important either since he has ones tailored to himself. What’s truly important is experience.

Only that experience of crossing swords that can only be obtained in this place.

“What should we do? Penetrating there seems like suicide. Should we pull back once and aim for another opportunity?”

“No.”

At Paeng Jin’s question, Seonwoo Gang, who firmly shook his head, tightly grasped the sword fastened to his left side and closed his eyes. And the answer that followed.

“We’re penetrating inside.”

“……What are you going to do by penetrating inside?”

“That’s obvious.”

It had become difficult to profit by annihilating the opponent. If the opponent is annihilated, when they enter, they too will be swept up in Heukya’s attacks and annihilated.

Then the premise itself must be changed. A method to profit without annihilating the opponent. A method the planners wouldn’t have even imagined.

“Join that alliance.”

“Join and catch Heukya.”

This was the only method.