Chapter 47
The fight was still going on in the Great Sima Family’s manor. Usually, surrender was the most obvious choice whenever a battle becomes unfavorable. However, the Great Sima Family’s martial artists didn’t stop fighting until the end.
The Asura Cult’s demonic cultivators thoroughly brainwashed them to never surrender to the enemy, even if it meant losing their lives. Adhering to that, they fought to the bitter end.
Baek Mu-Gun’s anger against the Nine Celestial Demons Sect grew larger upon witnessing the Great Sima Family’s warriors charging in blindly despite their hopeless situation. He vowed there and then that he would uproot the Nine Celestial Demons Sect’s seeds in this lifetime. Around seven to eight minutes later, the last Great Sima Family martial artist fell, ending the fight.
Huangfu Ren, Mu-Gun, and the three Absolute Realm masters then gathered at the Great Sima Family’s meeting hall.
“So, is this person the Asura Blood Monarch?” Huangfu Jian asked while pointing to Wee Jong-Ak, who was still unconscious and restrained.
“Yes.”
“Proving that this person disguised himself as the Great Sima Family’s patriarch will be a problem.”
“Can’t we just get him to confess?” Huangfu Gang asked, unaware of what Huangfu Jian meant.
“That’s not going to be easy. He has reached the Absolute Demonic Realm, so the dreamer's herb won’t work on him.”
When Huangfu Jian expressed his disagreement, Mu-Gun replied, “The Nine Celestial Demons Sect used the Myriad Illusion Body Transformation Art to copy not only the face but also the voice of the person they wanted to replace. The change is so intricate that even the closest family members of the person they replaced wouldn’t notice. Even though he’s an Absolute Realm expert, finding traces of it is difficult.”
“So how do you plan to reveal the truth then?” Huangfu Jian asked, frustrated.
“The Myriad Illusion Body Transformation Art requires a certain amount of internal energy. Depleting his internal energy will cause it to automatically come undone. If we nullify his internal energy in front of everyone, his original appearance will return.”
“However, that alone won’t prove he’s a demonic practitioner of the Asura Cult,” Namgung Ho rebutted.
“Removing the Demon Seal Ring he’s wearing will easily prove that.”
“Demon Seal Ring?”
“The ring on his left hand.”
As Mu-Gun said, a dark ring was on Jong-Ak’s left hand.
“How would removing it reveal his identity?” Huangfu Gang asked.
“The Demon Seal Ring conceals demonic qi. The Nine Celestial Demons Sect uses it to prevent getting caught while disguised as righteous sect figures.”
“Despite being so young, you know quite a lot of details about the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.” Namgung Ho looked at Mu-Gun suspiciously.
“The Heavenly Seafarer left behind various knowledge about murim. I learned about this from him.”
“I see.” Namgung Ho was swiftly convinced.
“So, in summary, removing the Demon Seal Ring would expose his demonic qi, ultimately revealing that he’s one of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect’s demonic practitioners. We can then nullify his internal energy to undo the Myriad Illusion Body Transformation Art and show everyone that he disguised himself as the Great Sima Family’s patriarch,” Huangfu Jian summarized.
“That’s right. That would naturally prove that the Great Sima Family is a covert force of the Asura Cult and stop anyone in murim from condemning the two esteemed families. Rather, they will be praised for exposing the Asura Cult’s dark secret.”
“You made a great contribution in this matter but won’t be able to gain anything. Are you really okay with that?”
“I do not wish for anything else. Destroying the Nine Celestial Demons Sect will be more than enough.”
“Do you have an irreconcilable grudge against the Nine Celestial Demons Sect?”
“The Nine Celestial Demons Sect threatens murim’s safety. Hence, as a member of murim, even if I don’t have a personal grudge, isn’t only natural to confront them? Personally, it is also the will of my sect to destroy the Three Greatest Demonic Sects, including the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.”
“I see. We, the Great Huangfu Family, see your great cause of protecting the murim’s safety in high regard. We will continue to stand with you in the future.” Huangfu Jian expressed his desire to continue having a connection with Mu-Gun.
He liked Mu-Gun very much and wanted to recruit him into the Great Huangfu Family. To do so, he had to keep interacting with Mu-Gun.
“We from the Great Namgung Family are of the same thoughts,” Namgung Ho quickly added.
Mu-Gun’s identity was questionable, but his skills were the real deal. He couldn’t lose a talent like Mu-Gun to the Great Huangfu Family.
“It’s very reassuring that such esteemed families are willing to join my cause. Since we’ve brought this up, it is highly likely that the other factions of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect have also begun to move given that the Asura Cult has done so. For now, it would be of the utmost priority to figure out their identity.”
“Do you have any idea where to start?”
“I think we should investigate the forces that emerged around the same time as the Great Sima Family. Could you two esteemed families handle that?”
“You want us to take care of it?”
“Of course, I’ll also be investigating the forces that I suspect. I’m asking for your help because I can’t look into all the forces alone. If such a task proves too difficult with just the Huangfu and Namgung families, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to conduct an investigation with the other Seven Great Clans and Nine Prominent Sects.”
“This matter certainly requires the entire murim’s cooperation to deal with.”
“If we can prove to the other Seven Great Clans and the Nine Prominent Sects that the Great Sima Family is a disguised force of the Asura Cult through the Asura Blood Monarch, they’d likely step up to overthrow the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.”
“The Nine Prominent Sects will try to meddle in this incident in some way, so let’s prove the existence of the Asura Cult then and discuss the plan to overthrow the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.”
“You’ll obviously be with us too, right?”
“I’m sorry, but I will be moving on my own. I personally don’t want to be tied up.”
“That’s such a pity. How do we reach out to you? Isn’t it likely that we’ll need your strength again?”
“If the Seven Great Clans and Nine Prominent Sects work together, you’ll have no need for me. However, if you still require my assistance, send a pigeon message to the Thousand Aroma House in Nanjing. I’ll make a move as soon as it has come to my attention.”
“We’ll do that. Shall we leave now, then?” Huangfu Jian asked without stalling any further.
“I’m thinking of leaving tomorrow if there’s nothing left to do here. There is something I have been putting off doing.”
“What a shame. If you ever come to Jinan, do stop by the Great Huangfu Family. We’ll welcome you as an honored guest.”
“The same goes for our Great Namgung Family.”
“Thank you.”
Mu-Gun smiled bitterly at the kindness the three Absolute Realm masters showed him. It was ridiculous that the descendants of the Seven Saints, who betrayed him in his previous life, were showing their goodwill to somehow get him to join them. If Mu-Gun could do as he pleased, he didn’t want to interact with anyone from the Seven Great Clans. That way, he could take revenge on the Seven Saints without reservations.
However, for murim’s safety, he had to endure this level of discomfort. At any rate, if the Seven Great Clans and the Nine Prominent Sect were to unite in investigating, identifying, and destroying the Nine Celestial Demons Sect’s covert forces, they’d be able to slow the latter’s rampage down. If they strengthened themselves as much as possible in the meantime as well, then they’d be able to fend off the Nine Celestial Demons Sect even if they went on a rampage.
***
Three members of the Great Huangfu Family’s upper brasses were at one of the Great Sima Family’s quarters.
“Hmmm, I don’t know if it’s right to let Young Master Gu go like that.”
“That was his decision. How could we have stopped him?” Huangfu Gang responded to Huangfu Jian. They had no choice but to let him go.
“I honestly find it hard to fully believe that he is the Heavenly Sea God Sect’s successor.”
“Are you implying he’s up to something?” Huangfu Ren asked.
“You mentioned that the Great Sima Family recently occupied the Thousand Aroma House in Nanjing, right?”
“Yes.”
“The Great Sima Family wouldn’t have done that just to take over a brothel. The Thousand Aroma House is very likely the hidden headquarters of some sort of force.”
“I think so, too.”
“And Young Master Gu likely has something to do with those forces.”
“Still, it seems to be a force of little importance, considering one squad from the Great Sima Family was enough to take over it,” Huangfu Gang said with an unenthusiastic expression.
“That could be the case if you only take their martial prowess into consideration. However, if this force is competent in other matters, then the story changes.”
“Other matters?”
“Information, for example. What if they were the ones who found the Heavenly Seafarer’s legacy and allowed Young Master Gu to inherit it? What if they have information about the legacy of other former masters?”
“If so, then they would be the perfect golden goose.”
“However, it’s just a conjecture. We can’t constrain Young Master Gu with that alone. Making an enemy out of him will do more harm than good.”
Huangfu Jian nodded in agreement with Huangfu Ren.
“That’s why this matter’s so worrying. It seems like Young Master Gu refuses to join our ranks and become one of us.”
“Even if so, we currently have a way to get in touch with him, so I think it’s better to just observe for now. The best course of action we can probably take right now is to build an amicable relationship with him over time and get him on our side through marriage just like the Patriarch suggested.”
“It would be nice if that’s all it takes, but do you really think there’s any possibility of that happening?”
“I hinted at it the other day, but he didn’t seem to be particularly interested. However, he’ll change his mind once he sees Yunxiang in person.”
“Well, if he’s a man, he won’t be able to stop himself from being fascinated by Yunxiang’s beauty. What a shame. If I knew this would happen, I would have already brought Yunxiang with me.”
“I didn’t think that far either.”
“That doesn’t mean I blame you. Anyway, the Great Namgung Family surely wants Young Master Gu to join them as well, so we should be careful not to lose him to them.”
“Of course.”
“However, it bothers me that we are moving on without questioning what happened at the Thousand Pine Valley. Shouldn’t we at least get a proper apology from him?” Huangfu Gang said while being dissatisfied.
He liked Mu-Gun as a martial artist. However, he thought questioning what happened at the Thousand Pine Valley was still a must.
“That matter also makes me feel bumped and vexed, but I think we should let it go given his contribution to protecting murim’s safety this time. There’s also the will of the Patriarch, who wants to make him a member of the family.”
“Young Master Gu also seems to have considerable information and knowledge on the Nine Celestial Demons Sect. Delaying the grudge we have against him until the Nine Celestial Demons Sect has been completely rooted out is imperative for murim’s safety,” Huangfu Ren added his opinion following Huangfu Jian’s comment.
“There’s no helping it, then.” Huangfu Gang nodded, seemingly convinced.
Just like that, the Great Huangfu Family’s two Absolute Realm masters as well as Huangfu Ren promised to let Mu-Gun leave later.
The next day, Mu-Gun bid farewell to them and left the Great Sima Family.
***
Meanwhile, the Lee and Taiyun Households’ forces stopped moving toward Yangzhou and returned to their headquarters upon confirming that the Great Sima Family had been annihilated. It would be difficult to deal with the two clans without Great Sima Family’s forces. Retreating, for now, was wiser than forcing a fight and losing their troops for no reason.
They also checked on what happened to the Asura Blood Monarch.
If the Asura Blood Monarch and the key figures had fled, there would be insufficient evidence to confirm that the Great Sima Family was a disguised force of the Asura Cult. Although they captured the Flying Shadow Platoon Leader, it would be difficult to prove that the Great Sima Family had been infiltrated by the Asura Cult with him alone. If so, there would be enough justification to condemn the Great Huangfu Family and the Great Namgung Family. They could accuse the two clans of wanting to expand their power in Jiangsu Province, which was why they destroyed the Great Sima Family, then declare that they were a disguised force of the Asura Cult.
If they used that to bring enmity to the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Clans, they would be able to benefit from it. On the other hand, the Asura Blood Monarch being captured alive was the worst-case scenario. Not only would that prove that the Great Sima Family was a disguised force of the Asura Cult, it would also reveal the Nine Celestial Demons Sect’s existence.
If that happened, the Seven Great Clans and the Nine Prominent Sects would certainly try to unravel the covert forces of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, which would in turn weaken their grand plan.
However, confirming where the Asura Blood Monarch was proved difficult. The Great Huangfu Family and Great Namgung Family thoroughly held their tongue on the Asura Blood Monarch’s situation. No one knew that the Asura Blood Monarch was captured alive except for the five people in the meeting hall.
The Great Huangfu Family and the Great Namgung Family secretly moved the captured Asura Blood Monarch to Anhui Province and sent a messenger to the Shaolin Temple, which was considered the head authority of the Nine Prominent Sects, and requested them to confirm the existence of the Asura Cult.
Once someone from Shaolin Temple had confirmed the Asura Blood Monarch’s identity, then they’d be able to justify the destruction of the Great Sima Family. Moreover, the Seven Great Clans and the Nine Prominent Sects would form an alliance to overthrow the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.
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