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The words themselves are not shocking. They had heard similar things before, often as half-jokes or in passing. However, even with the same word, wouldn’t its weight vary greatly depending on the time and situation?

It feels like their body is being weighed down by the great weight of the two letters ‘destruction’.

In particular, this word came to a greater extent for those who witnessed the horrors of Hangzhou with their two eyes.

“Destruction….”

A solemn voice came out of Baek Cheon’s mouth.

They saw what happened to Hangzhou, which was considered the most splendid and beautiful in Jungwon, and its terrible devastation.

‘Such a thing happening all over Jungwon…’

Eudeuk.

Baek Cheon’s teeth suddenly clenched strongly. That has to be prevented at any cost.

“This is serious.”

The one who broke the heavy silence was none other than Im Sobyeong. A look of distress was evident on his face as he scratched his head with the tip of his fan.

“Just… It’s just a bit too serious to dismiss as nothing.”

The composure on his face that used to show a carefree smile has long since disappeared.

“If Magyo is as powerful as Dojang predicted and attacks Jungwon, doesn’t that mean the current state of Jungwon can’t stop them?”

Im Sobyeong’s eyes were sharp and cold, unlike usual. Chung Myung quietly nodded.

“Probably so.”

“…That’s a pain.”

Im Sobyeong let out a deep sigh.

When external enemies invade, internal strife are supposed to be resolved. No, it has to be sorted out. But he knows that’s easier said than done.

Of course, from a historical perspective, there are cases where internal strifes were resolved due to the invasion of foreign enemies, but there are also countless cases where the country itself was destroyed both internally and externally because the internal strifes remained unresolved.

Im Sobyeong sighed again and shrugged his shoulders.

“Of course, Magyo… it depends on when Magyo decides to act, but it is true that the situation is not that good.”

Naturally, what came to everyone’s mind at those words were the faces of Bop Jeong and Jang Ilso.

The world was currently divided into three factions.

Ten Great Sects (????(九派一幇)) centered on Bop Jeong, Evil Tyrant Alliance (???(邪覇聯)) centered on Jang Ilso, and Heavenly Comrade Alliance (???(天友盟)) centered on Mount Hua.

Each force is exerting enormous influence within their respective territories.

Im Sobyeong scratched his cheek. He felt uneasy.

‘Rather….’

Right, things might have been better if Magyo had risen five years ago. Five years ago, neither Heavenly Comrade Alliance nor Evil Tyrant Alliance existed.

If Magyo had been active at that time, either Mount Hua or Jang Il-so would have had no choice but to unite around Shaolin. First of all, they would have to survive.

But now the case is different.

In the past five years, Shaolin has lost far too much. It is embarrassing to even compare their status from five years ago to the status now. At that time, Shaolin was considered a sect that protected the world as the Northern Star of Kangho, but now Shaolin has lost all of its status, and even managing the internal strife of Ten Great Sects is difficult.

On the other hand, what about Myriad Man Manor and Mount Hua? It has built up such a tremendous reputation that comparison with what it was five years ago is meaningless.

‘Plus, there’s also the growing enmity….’

What determines human attitude is disposition and emotion. If Bop Jeong, Chung Myung, and Jang Ilso had met in one place five years ago, they would have thought of each other as peculiar, but they would not have thought of putting swords to each other’s throats.

But now, it’s hard to even imagine these three sitting in the same room. That’s how wide and deep the chasm of enmity has grown between them.

‘An alliance of such three factions…’

From Im Sobyeong’s point of view, this notion felt more absurd than the resurrection of Heavenly Demon and the invasion of Magyo.

His eyes fell on Chung Myung.

‘What is that person thinking right now?’

The Chung Myung he knew was always someone who could see farther than anyone else. Even Im Sobyeong, who prided himself on manipulating others like pieces on a chessboard, was surprised once or twice when he realized what Chung Myung’s plan was after some time had passed.

“Chung Myung.”

Hyun Jong also seemed to have the same thoughts as Im Sobyeong, and hinted at Chung Myung.

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“I want to ask you something. If the situation is truly that dire, what do you think we should do now?”

Hyun Jong sighed deeply.

“If we didn’t know, that’d be one thing, but knowing, we can’t just sit still. We have to reduce the damage as much as possible, don’t we?”

“That’s right, Sect Leader.”

The others also nodded as if they agreed with Hyun Jong’s words. But Chung Myung remained silent and unmoved.

“According to what you said, it seems the entire Jungwon must unite to even have a chance. Is that correct?”

“…It is.”

Hyun Jong nodded with his eyes closed. When he opened them again, he looked at Chung Myung with a gaze full of wisdom.

“Then let me ask you….”

“….”

“What do you think is the probability that Ten Great Sects, Evil Tyrant Alliance, and us can form an alliance?”

The disciples around him responded immediately to those words.

“It’s too much, Sect Leader.”

“We can’t hold hands with Jang Ilso!”

“Never will he.”

Hyun Jong was surprised by the fierce opposition and looked around at them. Then, representing them all, Un Gum spoke up.

“Sect Leader. I know what Sect Leader is thinking. I, too, have no choice but to respect the cause of Sect Leader, who is willing to join hands with those Evil Sects for the greater good of all people in the world. However.”

Un Gum spoke with determined eyes.

“Jang Ilso is not a person with whom negotiation is possible. We saw clearly what he did in Hangzhou.”

“…Hmm.”

If someone other than Un Gum had said this, there might have been some room to believe that the youthful arrogance did not see the cause.

But Un Gum is not that type of person. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the most composed person on Mount Hua. The fact that he says something like this means that there is something about Jang Ilso that can only be felt by those who have experienced him directly.

At that time, Tang Gun-ak also opened his mouth.

“And Maengju-nim, negotiating with Ten Great Sects will also be challenging.”

“…Tang Gaju-nim.”

Tang Gun-ak shook his head with a heavy expression.

“What they value most is their pride and personal gain. Do you think they would accept an alliance proposed by Heavenly Comrade Alliance?”

Hyun Jong could not refute this and remained silent.

“Even if we do form an alliance, it won’t be as strong as Maengju-nim imagines. It will be a coalition of individuals with differing thoughts and goals, just as Five Great Evil Sects did in the past.”

As he listened, a sigh naturally came out. These words were likely true as well.

At that time, Chung Myung opened his mouth.

“No. It might not be as difficult as we think.”

“Chung Myung!”

“This punk! What are you talking about!”

The disciples of Mount Hua were startled and looked at Chung Myung. However, Chung Myung just stared at Hyun Jong with an indifferent face.

“It might be easier to unite with Ten Great Sects and bring in Jang Ilso.”

“No, that’s easier said than done….”

“If they want something, just give them what they want.”

Chung Myung resolutely cut off Im Sobyeong. Im Sobyeong clammed up like an oyster.

Chung Myung glanced at everyone present and then continued speaking.

“If they want justification, give them justification.”

“….”

“If you want a profit, just give them a profit.”

Hyun Jong’s expression grew heavy.

“If Shaolin wants to gain the honor of leading Kangho, all we have to do is to bow before him in the name of Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Bop Jeong will be able to cover everything he has done so far with just the justification that he has accepted Heavenly Comrade Alliance’s surrender, so he will respond to any number of requests.”

“That….”

Tang Gun-ak opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but soon stopped.

In truth, this was a very realistic proposal. What Bop Jeong wants most now is to restore the lost reputation of Shaolin. If Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword directly bow their heads before Bop Jeong, all past disgraces (??(失態)) would seem but minor blemishes.

For someone like Bop Jeong, he would even join hands with his parents’ enemies in order to gain this much.

“If Jang Ilso wants practical profits, just give him practical profits. What he wants is to advance into Gangbuk. And to expand the territory of Evil Tyrant Alliance. If we give up the Yangtze River region controlled by Heavenly Comrade Alliance to Jang Ilso, and give the area leading to Sichuan and Shaanxi in appropriate amount, Jang Ilso will accept the offer as if he couldn’t win.”

“…Hng.”

This time, Im Sobyeong let out a groan.

That would clearly be an unsatisfactory result from Jang Ilso’s perspective. However, it is enough bait to bring Jang Ilso to the negotiating table.

There’s no way that damn bastard would back out if there was something he could get for free without shedding a single drop of blood. This is especially true considering how great a price would have to be paid to occupy the Yangtze River and the western lands of Jungwon.

“So… if we desire it, an alliance is possible.”

Hyun Jong did not hastily open his mouth and just looked at Chung Myung. This was because he now knew very well that when this child said things like this, he was hiding his true intentions behind them.

“But, Sect Leader.”

Sure enough, Chung Myung continued in a solemn tone.

“It means we must sacrifice ourselves for the greater good.”

“To that extent….”

“Of course, we just have to give up something small at first. But once the alliance is established in that way, more must be given to maintain it. If no one else is willing to sacrifice, it will ultimately fall on us.”

“….”

“One finger at first.”

Chung Myung’s voice began to carry a cold chill.

“Then an arm.”

“….”

“In the end, we would have to give up all our limbs, and eventually even our neck.”

Chung Myung’s gaze, scanning everyone, was cold.

“All for the sake of the peace of Jungwon.”

Hyun Jong’s face hardened. He understood better than anyone what Chung Myung was implying.

“Perhaps by doing so, we can indeed preserve peace in Jungwon. But Sect Leader… there is one thing Sect Leader must understand.”

Chung Myung’s voice was like a blade the whole time. It contained warnings, concerns, and deep regret that others might not sense.

“There will be no place for Mount Hua in the peaceful Jungwon that has been protected like that. Sect Leader might leave no trace… No, Sect Leader may have to watch from the afterlife the Mount Hua that failed to avoid annihilation and has become an object of disdain and ridicule.”

Hyun Jong’s eyes trembled slightly.

“And yet, if that is the cause that Sect Leader wants to uphold.”

Chung Myung paused for a moment. Then he looked at the disciples sitting around him, one by one, as if he memorizing them.

“If that is the path Mount Hua chooses to take…”

“….”

“I will simply follow.”

Chung Myung quietly closed his eyes.

In the darkened world, a person was watching him with eyes full of blood and tears.

‘Cheong Mun Sahyung….’

Chung Myung’s fist resting on his thigh was clenched.