Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 467 – The Beginning of a Calamity (4)

“Urgent report! The entire force of the Righteous Alliance is rapidly advancing south towards our headquarters!”

‘!!!!!!!’

Taken completely by surprise by this sudden report, Shadow Clan Master Ya-seon stood up with a furrowed brow and asked:

“Did you say the entire force of the Righteous Alliance is advancing south towards here?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Judging by your attire, you’re from the southern Hubei branch. When did you first receive this news?”

“Well… that…”

Bang!
Axe-Destroying King Ho Tae-gang slammed his hand on the armrest and raised his voice.

“Can’t you speak properly?”

“We… we found out as they were preparing to cross the Yangtze River.”

‘!?’

The main hall fell into an icy silence at the messenger’s report.

There were two reasons for their reaction.

First, learning about it as they were preparing to cross the Yangtze meant that either the Righteous Alliance had moved so swiftly that none of the branches noticed them coming down from Henan through northern Hubei, or all the branches had already been taken out. Second, although the messenger had hurried, some time had passed since he left, which meant the enemy had likely already crossed the Yangtze and reached Hunan.

If so, it wouldn’t be long before the Righteous Alliance forces reached their headquarters.

Assuming they hurried, it was entirely possible within two weeks.

“Of all times…”

“It seems information has leaked out.”

The main hall was in an uproar.

It hadn’t been long since they’d fought a war and were still sorting out internal matters, yet for the Righteous Alliance to advance south with all their forces like this meant information had undoubtedly leaked.

Sword Demon Ji-oe clicked his tongue and muttered:

“We’ll be fighting a real battle in a short time, something that hasn’t happened in decades.”

“Ahem. Lord Ji-oe.”

Ou Cheon-mu, the master of Spiritual Sword Sanctuary and one of the Seven Heavens, lightly rebuked him.

Beyond being an external recruit, this was now their problem too.

A war against the Righteous Alliance’s forces was absolutely not something to be taken lightly.

“The Righteous Alliance… This could severely damage morale.”

Poison King Baek Saha expressed this concern.

They were about to engage in all-out war with the Righteous Alliance forces so soon after fighting their own war.

Even the top executives were taking this seriously, so the morale of the regular warriors would likely plummet.

Thud!
Bright Blade King Son Yun lightly tapped the floor with the sword cane he was leaning on and spoke.

“We don’t have the luxury of staying silent. If the messenger’s report is true, we need to organize our forces and move out before they reach our headquarters.”

“That’s right. If we resort to a defensive battle, the damage will be uncontrollable.”

Defense Guardian Go Yeon-byeok also agreed with this.

Even if they had systems in place for a defensive battle, there were many non-combatants from the clan inside.

If these people got caught up in it, not only would there be casualties, but they might even be taken hostage.

Therefore, defending the headquarters should be the last resort.

At that moment, Ou Cheon-mu, the master of Spiritual Sword Sanctuary, looked at everyone and said:

“If we’re going to fight this war anyway, let’s boost our morale. If the top executives here show low morale, it will affect those below us.”

“Master Ou’s words are correct. This was a war we’d have to fight eventually anyway. Since we’re fighting it, let’s try to change the game properly this time.”

Poison King Baek Saha, who was actually of a similar age despite looking different due to his body transformation, agreed and supported his words.

Axe-Destroying King Ho Tae-gang said to Shadow Clan Master Ya-seon:

“Lord Hwan, please send a messenger to our lord urging him to return. Although his mission is important, we cannot be without our leader in an all-out war against the Righteous Alliance.”

“Huhuhu. Understood. I’ll do that.”

“Well then! Let’s start the strategy meeting…”

Before he could finish his sentence,

Another person dressed as a messenger rushed into the main hall.

Ho Tae-gang clicked his tongue and asked:

“What is it now?”

“Urgent report. The Evil Alliance is also advancing south with all their forces, divided into an advance and rear guard.”

‘!!!!!!’

The expressions of the executives, who had been trying to raise morale until just moments ago, immediately hardened.

This was true even for Axe-Destroying King Ho Tae-gang, who had been leading the atmosphere.

What on earth was this news?

The Evil Alliance? Aren’t they located even further north than the Righteous Alliance?

“The Evil Alliance is advancing south? Is this information certain?”

Corpse Blood Valley Master Lee Ji-yeom asked in a serious voice.

This was because among the three major forces in the current martial arts world, the Righteous Alliance was undoubtedly the strongest.

For this reason, Heaven and Earth Society had been maintaining friendly relations with the Evil Alliance, if only for the sake of balance.

Why on earth would they be advancing south?

“Could they have mistaken this for an opportunity to attack the empty Righteous Alliance headquarters?”

To this, the messenger replied:

“No. It’s reported that the First Alliance Lord of the Evil Alliance, the Unruly Evil Hegemon Emperor Hang Sim, has already led an advance force of 8,000 cavalry past the Righteous Alliance headquarters and reached northern Hubei.”

The First Alliance Lord of the Evil Alliance, Unruly Evil Hegemon Emperor Hang Sim[1].

He was called the Hegemon of the North and was one of the Seven Heavens, the pinnacle of the current martial arts world.

“Given that no sects under the Righteous Alliance tried to stop them as they advanced south, it seems clear…”

Though he didn’t finish his sentence, the same thought crossed the minds of all the top executives simultaneously.

‘An alliance between the righteous and the demonic!’

This was something that had never happened since the great war between the righteous and demonic factions in the past.

***

Two days later.

Six Offices Commander Jin Ye-rin, who had been heading towards the Evil Alliance headquarters, also couldn’t hide her bewilderment when she heard this news after stopping by a Evil Alliance branch with a branch leader from the Nine Blood Cult.

“The First Alliance Lord of the Evil Alliance led the advance guard south?”

“That’s correct.”

“Haah… What on earth is going on?”

She had been planning to try to prevent Secret Society from awakening the Six Demons in Datong, north of Shanxi Province, with the help of the Evil Alliance.

But this news was like a bolt from the blue.

To the bewildered Jin Ye-rin, the branch leader said:

“We’re not entirely sure either since it happened so suddenly, but we hear that a wooden box with the seal of Heaven and Earth Society arrived at the headquarters containing the heads of five hundred branch leaders and members from various branches in Heaven and Earth Society’s territory. That seems to have triggered it, but we’re also confused about why they suddenly allied with the Righteous Alliance…”

“They allied with the Righteous Alliance?”

“That’s right.”

Jin Ye-rin’s expression turned serious at the branch leader’s answer.

There had been no sign of this at all when she had received help from the Evil Alliance.

For this to happen so suddenly…

‘Secret Society…’

-Grind!

They must have plotted something.

Although she had been distanced from the martial arts world while serving as an Imperial Guard, she knew that the Evil Alliance and Heaven and Earth Society had quite friendly relations.

For them to become enemies, and to form an alliance with the Righteous Alliance, who had been their mortal enemies since the great war between the righteous and demonic factions, was hard to understand.

‘What should I do about this?’

She couldn’t help but be troubled.

Things had gone awry.

This meant that getting help from the Evil Alliance to stop the Six Demons was now out of the question.

Then, suddenly remembering the mention of an advance guard, she asked:

“Did the Second Alliance Lord… Did he also participate in this war?”

The Second Alliance Lord Golden Indestructible Body[2] Hae Yeok-won and the Fifth Alliance Lord Asura Slaughter Blade[3] Yoo Gyeong were from the Nine Blood Cult.

They were also reliable allies for her, the only survivor of the Jin family.

Although they were Alliance Lords of the Evil Alliance, they had heard about Secret Society from her, so they couldn’t have been without doubts about this.

To her question, the branch leader replied:

“I heard that the Second Alliance Lord strongly opposed this war, but according to the final decision of the Alliance Lords’ meeting, I believe he’s leading the rear guard.”

With the wooden box containing the heads of Evil Alliance branch leaders and members, there was no choice but to yield to the justification for war.

But what was important to Jin Ye-rin wasn’t that.

Her eyes sparkled as she asked:

“Where is the rear guard now?”

***

The backyard of Harmonious Immortal Pavilion.

Woooong!
A cloud of smoke rose, forming a circle, and someone leapt out from within it.

That someone was none other than Yeo Su-rin, a diviner of Harmonious Immortal Pavilion.

As soon as Yeo Su-rin emerged from the smoky portal, about a dozen diviners rushed out to the backyard with talismans and ritual tools, apparently having sensed her spell power.

“Sister Yeo?”

One of them, a diviner with a handsome face, recognized her with furrowed brows.

“Senior brother!”

Yeo Su-rin’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as she tried to hug him.

But the diviner called senior brother firmly rejected this, leaning away from her.

At this, she spoke with a sulky face:

“Isn’t that too much after not seeing each other for so long?”

“Men and women should keep their distance. Why are you trying to cling to me like this? More importantly, why are you only coming now? Didn’t you receive the message Master sent?”

“Message? I didn’t receive anything. I was actually coming to ask Master for help, but did something happen?”

To her question, the diviner called senior brother clicked his tongue and replied:

“So you didn’t know how serious the situation has become.”

“What do you mean the situation has become serious?”

“The seal at Great Yan Temple has been broken.”

“What?”

Yeo Su-rin’s eyes widened.

Great Yan Temple of the Esoteric Buddhist sect in Datong, northern Shanxi Province.

They were monks who cultivated Buddhist law, but as members of the esoteric sect, they were also skilled in sorcery.

The abbot of Great Yan Temple, Great Master Gakwon, was one of the Six Direction Gods who had inherited spiritual power and sorcery from previous generations, and had long guarded the being sealed in Great Yan Temple.

Only the Six Direction Gods, called the pinnacle of diviners, knew about that being.

“Has the White Great Peng Demon King been released?”

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible. I heard that seal was made by over a thousand Moon-level and higher diviners pouring all their spell power into it. And until now, at Great Yan Temple, they’ve been chanting the Demon Subduing Sutra…”

“And yet that seal has been broken.”

Yeo Su-rin’s expression turned serious.

‘I feared it might be true, but Lord Mok’s concerns are really coming to pass.’

She had come here to consult with her master, the Red Eyebrow Old Immortal, for this very reason.

If Secret Society was trying to move the Six Demons, the leaders of the Imaemangnyang, this was no longer just a matter for the martial arts world.

It was the worst calamity for the Central Plains, requiring all diviners to take action.

It seemed her master’s absence was likely due to this as well.

“Then did Master go to the meeting of the Sixty-Four Diviner Sects to discuss this?”

To her question, the diviner called senior brother shook his head and replied:

“No, that’s not it.”

“No? Why not? The release of one of the Six Demons, the kings of Imaemangnyang, is nothing short of a catastrophe…”

“Along with that, the worst situation has occurred.”

“What could be worse than that?”

“Seventy percent of the diviners from the Sixty-Four Diviner Sects suddenly vanished as if they had evaporated.”

“What?”

She couldn’t hide her shock.

Seventy percent of the diviners from the Sixty-Four Diviner Sects would amount to tens of thousands of diviners disappearing.

What on earth is going on?

As she wondered, the diviner called senior brother was about to place his hand on her shoulder but hesitated, barely touching it with his fingertips as he spoke:

“It seems Master is currently investigating that. For now, since most of the diviners active outside have all disappeared, Master has ordered all diviners of our pavilion not to leave Harmonious Immortal Pavilion. That’s why we sent you a message to return. Anyway, it’s fortunate that you’ve come back like this. For the time being, don’t leave Harmonious Immortal Pavilion and stay inside here…”

“No, I can’t!”

“What? What do you mean you can’t?”

“If that’s true, then I especially can’t stay here.”

“What on earth are you saying? Master called for you to return and ordered not to leave the Pavilion. Are you saying you’re going to disobey?”

“Senior brother.”

Grab!
Yeo Su-rin suddenly grasped his hand.

The face and ears of the diviner called senior brother instantly turned red.

To him, she spoke pleadingly:

“I need Master’s great ritual tool from the Divine Origin Hall!”

“What?”