Chapter 41- The Dagger in The Bag (12)
The Evil sect.
Pang Hyeon-cheol, the Headmaster of the Sunmoo Academy and holder of the title ‘Sword Emperor,’ came to hear that name almost inevitably. He had long harbored doubts about the Sword Demon’s activities.
Of course, righteous sect martial artists were quick to condemn him as a murderer who indiscriminately slaughtered others. But in fact, if one examined closely, one could see that he only killed martial artists with particularly suspicious backgrounds.
Some of those killed even included practitioners who had been expelled from the righteous sects after their serious crimes were belatedly discovered. If it had happened just once or twice, it could be dismissed as coincidence.
But when it exceeds a certain threshold, coincidence becomes a deliberate pattern orchestrated by someone. From that point on, Pang Hyeon-cheol sensed something suspicious and had been secretly investigating the Sword Demon’s disappearance.
However, during this process, Pang Hyeon-cheol encountered an unexpected obstacle. For some reason, not only records related to the Sword Demon but even eyewitnesses had vanished without a trace.
‘Is someone deliberately erasing the Sword Demon’s traces? No, that’s not quite right.’
The existence of the Sword Demon, a legend of the evil sect who left tremendous scars on the righteous sect, was like an indelible wound. This meant they were trying to erase not the Sword Demon himself, but ‘something’ related to him.
Pang Hyeon-cheol urgently reported this fact to everyone in the righteous sect’s Alliance, but was met with cold mockery. He was even nearly expelled from the Alliance for allegedly defending the evil sect.
‘After all that effort, I only managed to obtain the name ‘Evil sect,’ and to think I would hear it directly from the person himself.’
Indeed, that weight was far heavier than he had imagined, especially right after an unfortunate incident. Pang Hyeon-cheol moistened his dry lips with tea from his cup and continued speaking.
“So what you’re saying is… These villains called Evil sect are hiding in the shadows, freely manipulating both righteous and evil sects?”
“That’s right.”
“With all due respect… It’s too significant a claim to accept immediately without any physical evidence.”
There certainly were suspicious circumstances in abundance. However, the reality was that no physical evidence existed to support these circumstances. Hearing this, Mu-myung nodded as if in understanding and replied.
“I understand what you mean. But I’m not the only one who has suffered at the hands of the Evil sect.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know about what the Murong Family recently experienced?”
“I know that the Family Head’s actions turned the Murong Family upside down.”
For someone of the Sword Emperor’s stature, who wields considerable influence in the righteous sect’s Alliance, all kinds of information naturally reaches his ears, whether he wants to hear it or not. Especially when the news is particularly loud.
“Then do you also know the reason behind it?”
“No, I don’t. Although the righteous sect’s Alliance is now in dialogue with them, until recently we had cut off communication… Are you saying the Evil sect was behind that commotion?”
“That’s right. Cleverly, The evil sect had infiltrated the Murong Family and was attempting to take control.”
“I can’t believe such a thing happened.”
He had heard about the unfortunate incident that recently occurred in the Murong Family. However, he didn’t know the exact reason, and could never have imagined that the Murong Family Head had joined the evil sect.
“Are you sure there’s no mistake? Although they severed ties with the righteous sect’s Alliance, the Murong Family is still a prestigious family that holds a position as one of the Five Great Families…”
“Even here in this Sunmoo Academy, which could be considered the front yard of the righteous sect, the evil sect’s puppets were hiding. You should understand what that means better than I do.”
“…”
“Nothing can be absolutely certain anymore. We must constantly doubt and question.”
Pang Hyeon-cheol could not rebut Mu-myung’s pointed remark. Naturally, the Sunmoo Academy selects its instructors through rigorous procedures. However, it was also a fact that these procedures had recently become lax.
“If you still doubt my words, go visit the Murong Family yourself. Mention my name, and they will explain everything kindly.”
“That won’t be necessary. Who else knows about this?”
“Besides the Murong Family, perhaps the Leader of the Four Evil masters.”
‘The Leader of the Four evil masters… the heart of the evil sect ruled by the blood relative of the Sword Demon. Indeed, he must have informed his own blood relative of this fact first.’
Although he was reluctant to acknowledge that the righteous sect, the origin and root of all martial arts, had fallen behind the evil sect, there was no time to stand on pride.
It felt like the stifling fog that had obscured everything was finally beginning to clear. Accepting the existence of the Evil sect resolved all the questions that had accumulated until now.
At the same time, Pang Hyeon-cheol could also discern what the Sword Demon was targeting. From what he heard, The evil sect was undoubtedly too formidable even for the Sword Demon to face alone.
What did that mean?
‘The Sword Demon is clearly recruiting allies to oppose the Evil sect.’
The Murong Family and the Leader of the Four Evil Masters – the righteous and evil sects joining forces? It seemed absurd, but Pang Hyeon-cheol had already determined through his investigations that recent movements in the martial world were unusual.
‘Perhaps… It really might be possible.’
An unprecedented alliance between the righteous and evil sects, who had always been mortal enemies.
‘This should be enough to convince him, right?’
Though the person directly involved had no such thoughts whatsoever.
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The Evil sect originally believed firmly in and worshiped power. They always pursued overwhelming strength and believed it was the truth. Therefore, they ridiculed the current martial world as mere puppies.
Yet even the Evil sect uniquely acknowledged the Sword Demon as a martial artist. In fact, the Sword Demon perfectly aligned with the principles that Evil sect pursued, overwhelming martial prowess that no one dared approach.
Thanks to the Sword Demon, who single-handedly consumed 70% of the evil sect, the cult lost all its fighting strength and faced the crisis of complete dissolution. They were saved only because the righteous sect joined forces with them to stop the Sword Demon.
If not for that, the evil sect would not have survived to rebuild its strength until now. But this created a problem, the evil sect, which had originally been united under one doctrine, split apart.
[Overwhelming power is the ultimate goal we pursue. There is no need to even consider anything else.]
[How can power only mean brute force? People and hermits, this land and buildings too – everything can become a weapon and power.]
[You’re all talk. Because of you, the evil sect has grown weaker.]
[My goodness, how absurd. If it weren’t for us, you would have been crushed by the Sword Demon long ago, with not even a trace remaining.]
[We simply lost in a contest of power against power. If we had disappeared then, we wouldn’t have to witness this disgraceful state.]
The Sura Cult pursued only overwhelming martial power, while the Baeksa Cult saw power in not just force but also in money and the art of manipulating people. They had split into these two doctrines and were checking each other.
If the plot to devour the Murong Family had been the Baeksa Cult’s, then in contrast, the Sura Cult used force to eliminate obstacles. Though their roots were the same, their approaches were completely different.
As a result, Elder Jeok-yeong, who personally led the Baeksa Cult, was sighing deeply despite his beautiful pale face. With the simple-minded Sura Cult, he had every reason to be deeply worried.
‘The existence of the Sword Demon has already become known throughout not just Hanam but the entire Central Plains.’
Fortunately, not all of the Baeksa Cult’s schemes and plots had been revealed, but some suspicious sects and families had begun investigating.
‘The Sword Emperor of the Sunmoo Martial Arts Academy, the Jegal Family, and that damned woman from the Four Evil Masters. Not only that, but masters who had been hiding in the shadows have begun to move.’
Rumors spread like a horse galloping a thousand miles. They tried urgently to bury the rumors somehow, but in reality, burying the Sword Demon’s reputation was nearly impossible.
Moreover, the Murong Family and the Leader of the Four Evil Masters were secretly in contact, planning something. The idea that the Murong Family, one of the Five Great Families of the righteous sect, and the Leader of the Four Evil Masters from the evil sect would unite seemed preposterous.
But there was just one person who could make it possible.
“The Sword Demon!!… You’ve returned as a far more troublesome enemy than I expected.”
That’s not to say that the Sword Demon of the past was easy. Rather, his overwhelming power was so formidable that even Jeok-yeong, who viewed humans as insects, had to pay respect. But there are limits to what one can do alone.
In the end, even the Sword Demon suffered a fatal wound from the combined attack of the righteous sect and Evil sect, forcing him to live in seclusion for decades. But now, that same Sword Demon had begun secretly gathering strength.
‘Has he learned from his past defeat? If he succeeds in gathering forces at this rate…’
Jeok-yeong felt a chill run down his spine for only the second time in his life.
He must stop this at all costs. For the continued existence of the Evil sect.
