Chapter 309

Chapter 309

The heavenly energy twisted.

-Now it’s difficult to read.

A pitch-black sky.

Heukya, who had been sitting on a rock watching the stars, quietly muttered and closed her eyes. The appearance of astronomy that had flowed properly until the Great Seal broke but now was twisted and broken here and there as if a huge explosion had occurred.

-Both yokai and humans fade away futilely.

Countless lives flickered in and out of existence.

Heukya, who turned her eyes from the feast of countless falling stars, quietly exhaled and closed her eyes. On such a tranquil and quiet night, it seemed memories from tens of thousands of years ago surfaced.

-He, Heukya-nim. Here are offerings.

Though a yokai, she didn’t live like a yokai.

That didn’t mean she lived humanely. It just meant she lived leisurely without being swayed by desires, living as the flow took her.

Even so, because her lineage was so noble and overwhelming, most yokai and humans feared her. Even without trying to frighten them, there was no one who didn’t fear the symbol of the black night. Heukya was in name and reality a Great Yokai anyone could see.

That’s when it was.

-Good yokai. Give me some water.

When she met that man.

-…….

A weak human. A human who would clearly die with a single wave of her finger.

However, despite that, the man didn’t fear her. He even said the ridiculous thing of calling her a good yokai.

-Thank you. As thanks, let me at least comb your hair.

When she gave him water out of interest, he combed her hair. That didn’t feel bad either, so she accepted it.

Life with the peculiar fellow began that way.

Already a story from tens of thousands of years ago.

-I still don’t understand you.

The man said he wanted to leave a scar.

He said that because he, as a human, couldn’t hurt a yokai no matter what he did, he wanted to imprint an invisible wound.

She didn’t know if that succeeded. However, even now after tens of thousands of years, the man’s face was vivid. The breathing he exhaled until the end. The faint smile. Even the touch of his hand stroking her head.

From beginning to end, and until the very last moment.

Heukya didn’t understand the man. Why the man approached her, what he truly wished for.

-If I become like you, the day I understand will come.

Leaving an invisible scar.

She would repay the wound received from a human with the same wound. Like the man who pursued life by embedding himself in Heukya’s memory that would live tens of thousands of years even if he died.

Heukya too embedded her existence in this continent’s, this world’s history. That was Heukya’s earnest wish.

──!!!

-It’s time.

Yokai power was refined.

Heukya, who awoke from her reverie at the howl of a yokai that was a divine beast, breaking the quiet night, quietly raised her arm. Starlight just falling from beyond.

-It won’t take long.

She had waited tens of thousands of years, and what remained was merely a few years.

-I will personally bring down this world’s curtain call.

When the curtain closes, actors naturally exit. Then where do exited actors meet?

Don’t they meet behind the curtain?

-Wait for me.

Heukya, who uttered those words, closed her eyes. And.

Mount Tai began to move.

In the far distance, toward Beijing that would become the final piece.

***

Originally, unlike the Sado Alliance which maintained a centralized system, the Murim Alliance had a structure where the Alliance Leader alone couldn’t decide everything.

Thinking about it logically, that was natural. Unlike the Sado Alliance which originally had a short history and no separate focal point, the sects composing the Murim Alliance were all places with deep history and excellent legitimacy.

Nine Sects and One Gang, and the Five Great Families. Besides them, countless prestigious orthodox sects.

No matter how much one competed for number one under heaven with martial force, there was no one who could unilaterally lead such people. Given the foundation of the orthodox martial world that valued justification, it was natural that the Alliance Leader had to decide almost all major alliance matters through meetings, excluding parts he could resolve with his own authority. And.

Because of that, Sword Saint Wi Jihak’s head was about to split right now.

“Didn’t I say we should send reinforcements to Yunnan first?”

Because the meeting wouldn’t end easily.

“Please calm down, Sect Master Tang.”

“Hmph.”

At the appearance of the green-robed man sweeping across the assembly with cold eyes while crossing his arms, everyone awkwardly averted their eyes and stopped the man. However, the man continued speaking regardless.

“Gansu, Liaoning, Shanxi…… These places already have forces responding, and are close to the Murim Alliance.”

“…….”

“Yunnan too has Cheomchang responding, but it’s a remote place and far from the alliance. So to avoid catastrophe, it was decided in the last meeting that sending reinforcements first was proper procedure. Am I wrong?”

“Immeasurable Buddha. Those words are correct, but…….”

The Wudang Sect Leader, Yeongsa Jinin, who had been listening to the story of the Sichuan Tang Family’s head, Poison Heart Hand Master  Tang Cheol for a moment, recited a Taoist title and took up the words.

“It can’t be helped. The yokai suddenly appeared in Liaoning.”

“…….”

“The Beggar’s Gang Leader is critically wounded and wandering between life and death. Despite chewing Hallucination Grass to remove fear, they couldn’t block the yokai forces. That means they’re opponents that can’t be dealt with by ordinary martial force. It’s right that the alliance level should block them.”

“That’s the problem.”

“…….”

“What on earth is the Imperial Palace doing? The Sado Alliance?”

Gansu was Gongdong Sect, Yunnan was Cheomchang, Liaoning was Beggar’s Gang and Paeng Family, Shanxi was Shaolin.

The orthodox sects were blocking most of the areas where yokai were pushing in. Despite the Imperial Palace and Sado Alliance’s forces not falling far behind the orthodox sects, they were holding back.

“If it’s a situation where only the Murim Alliance keeps suffering losses, what meaning does this alliance have?”

“It’s for humanity.”

“For humanity? How absurd.”

Thud!

Tang Cheol, who sneered, stamped his palm seal on the stone table placed before him.

“For me, there’s only one humanity to protect. My family. My clan. My relatives. And my close friends too.”

“…….”

“That’s the extent I must protect. But using the alliance as an excuse to drive my children into a deathtrap, and just wait with mouths shut for reinforcements to come? Do you think that makes sense?”

“We will send them.”

“You will. After we’ve all died and collapsed.”

That would be too late.

If Yunnan falls, next is Sichuan. Already having difficulty blocking the yokai pouring out from Qinghai, what would happen if yokai poured out from both directions, ultimately from three directions?

“Then it won’t matter how many martial families are in Sichuan. Qingcheng, Emei, and even our main family. They’ll all drop dead.”

“Sect Master Tang!”

“Am I wrong?”

At the Sect Master Tang’s appearance sweeping across the assembly with a cold gaze, everyone fell silent and averted their eyes. And Sect Master Tang clicking his tongue while watching that scene.

“Nothing but cowards.”

“……Sect Master Tang. It would be better to cool your head a bit.”

“Hmph. I don’t know what would change by cooling my head and coming back.”

At the words of the Gongdong Sect Leader, who at least was in a similar situation to them handling Gansu, Tang Cheol, who turned his head, pulled out a long pipe and disappeared outside the conference hall. And the heads of each sect sighing deeply while watching the departing Sect Master Tang’s back.

“Haah…… What should we do?”

“Sect Master Tang’s words aren’t wrong. The cooperation from the Sado Alliance and Imperial Palace is too weak compared to expectations.”

“Didn’t they say they have circumstances?”

“We’re not comfortable enough to accommodate those circumstances, are we?”

Is the Sado Alliance’s cooperation insufficient?

That’s not it. The Sado Alliance was already greatly helping with supplies by opening Heuksi connected through formations that distorted space across the entire Central Plains. The Imperial Palace too was devoting full effort to support materials and manpower.

But that’s precisely where it stops. They couldn’t receive cooperation beyond that.

That was because both the Sado Alliance and Imperial Palace were devoting their full strength in Shaanxi.

“Sangwi…….”

“…….”

“If we can’t catch that yokai, everything ends the same anyway. So we can’t criticize preparing to catch Sangwi.”

“But won’t the Central Plains collapse before catching that yokai?”

“We can’t throw away even a sliver of possibility, can we?”

Sect Master Tang’s words weren’t wrong, but they couldn’t unconditionally request cooperation from the Imperial Palace and Sado Alliance accepting those words either. If they didn’t prepare properly, it was clear that not only the Central Plains but all humans on this continent would be finished.

“If even one place’s situation concludes, the war situation will greatly improve…….”

Such heavenly fortune doesn’t come easily. They would have to squeeze out a method somehow.

“Urgent news from Yunnan!”

“Wh, what?”

As if responding to the appearance of executives holding their heads and groaning, a martial artist who rushed in hurriedly from outside prostrated and moved his mouth rapidly. Information transmitted in an instant.

“Confirmed appearance of Gwonryeong Hayul in Yunnan! According to the Sword Immortal, presumed to be a Transcender! Confirmed to have turned to the yokai’s side!”

“……What? How could Gwonryeong……!”

“Succeeded in killing Hayul through combined attack by Chilryun Jeokyeol, the Sword Immortal, Cheomchang Sect Leader, and several other martial artists! In exchange, confirmed that Chilryun Jeokyeol died!”

“……Haah.”

They caught a Transcender with that much force?

The heads who hastily stood up then stroked their chests at the following news and closed their mouths in bitterness. Though it was fortunate they caught a Transcender without much loss, it was clear their forces had decreased.

“Jeokyeol…… A regrettable talent has gone.”

“I don’t understand why Gwonryeong turned to the yokai side. She wasn’t that kind of person.”

“Having been a yokai hunter for a long time, didn’t she suffer Qi Deviation?”

“Perhaps…….”

Then it wasn’t impossible to understand. Since there were even martial artists who fell into Qi Deviation, couldn’t distinguish front from back, and killed their own relatives with their own hands.

“Understood. You may go.”

“……And!”

“There’s still more left?”

“……All traces of yokai active in Yunnan have vanished!”

“What?”

What does that mean?

Feeling everyone’s gazes concentrate on the unexpected words, the martial artist carefully answered.

“Though the clear reason hasn’t been revealed, confirmed that all yokai traces have completely vanished……!”

“…….”

“Cheomchang and Yunnan’s two hundred seventy martial sects and evacuation of common people has concluded!”

“Is that really true!”

The fact that Yunnan’s evacuation work finished conversely meant they could pour that much force into other places.

The Gongdong Sect Leader, who unconsciously kicked away his chair and stood at the improvement in the situation, burst into loud laughter.

“Excellent. Excellent!”

“If Yunnan’s forces begin deploying to other places, we’ll have breathing room soon. We’ll be able to evacuate all common people without much damage!”

“Hahaha. Cheomchang has done a great deed!”

Great fortune.

Thud!

“Ah, you came at a good time, Sect Master Tang!”

Those who began conversing harmoniously, at the appearance of Tang Cheol who kicked open the door, the Gongdong Sect Leader addressed Tang Cheol. And.

“News just came, but Yunnan’s matters have all concluded…….”

At the Gongdong Sect Leader’s words, Tang Cheol, who clenched his fist crushingly, gritted his teeth and spat out words.

“Sh, shut up.”

“……What?”

Thud thud!

Those who looked at the ashes falling from Tang Cheol’s hand briefly held puzzlement, then their expressions hardened seriously. Debris within the ashes that looked like talismans to anyone.

“This is the Life-Death Talisman of the children dispatched to Qinghai.”

“…….”

“I told them to tear the Life-Death Talisman if a situation came where they absolutely couldn’t resist.”

The Sichuan Tang Family’s elites were needless to say, strong individuals. For such people, a situation they couldn’t resist, couldn’t even dare to defy, was only one.

“Sangwi.”

“…….”

“Sangwi has begun to move.”

Destruction approaches.