Chapter 473

Chapter 473 – The Wheel of Blood Moves Again (2)

With the Cult Leader emerged from seclusion, the Demon Cult regained vitality.

Since Sang Han-cheon had already made full preparations to march, their movements starting the war had no hesitation.

Intelligence that the Cult Leader emerged and the Demon Cult started moving also reached Blue Sky Alliance. Immediately Blue Sky Alliance's leadership meeting was convened.

Cho Yeon-woon, So Cheon, Hae So-wol, Cheong-un and others all gathered. From outside, people thought they'd fiercely debate establishing countermeasures, but actually the atmosphere inside wasn't so urgent. Rather it was even relaxed.

They were leisurely drinking tea.

Longjing tea, hard to obtain after the great disaster, brought vitality to their exhausted minds and bodies. Truly luxury enjoyed after long time.

After the Demon Cult seized Central Plains' south, quality tea imports completely stopped, so for them who'd had to drink cheap tea, this moment was most precious.

"Phew! Good. Too good."

"Silver Family Manor's Young Lady seems to have paid special attention."

"Why not? His lover is here, so even tea quality changes."

"When will those two hold their wedding?"

"They say after war ends."

"Then for Jin-bo and So-cheong's sake too, we must end the war quickly."

Thud!

Cho Yeon-woon set his teacup on the table. Then others also tossed remaining tea into their mouths setting down cups.

They silently looked at each other's faces for a moment. Their faces were full of trust's light.

During the past year, they'd prepared truly desperately.

They'd created Iron Blood Hell Training Hall raising individual martial power, and built communication networks and close cooperation relationships with sects throughout Central Plains. Plus unexpectedly even Divine Demon Alliance's cooperation.

They'd done everything they could. Though they couldn't know how war would turn out, they'd completed all possible preparations on their end.

Anyway since they'd prepared everything assuming war with the Demon Cult, now that the Demon Cult attacked, there was no reason to prepare anew or move busily.

Just do as usual.

That was their mindset.

Convening the leadership meeting wasn't to prepare special emergency measures but merely time to have leisure. Having run urgently without breathing room for the past year, such time was truly precious to them.

They chatted and giggled for a while.

They burst into laughter even at trivial banter they'd never normally laugh at.

"Hahaha!"

Among them, Cho Yeon-woon laughed most freely until tears welled in his eyes.

While laughing, he carefully looked at Blue Sky Alliance leadership's faces. Thanks to them during the past year, he could prepare and come this far.

Though he didn't know how many would survive after war ended, Cho Yeon-woon clearly had reason to remember their faces.

After the laughing storm passed, silence came to the room. The dreamlike time had passed. Time to return to harsh reality.

Most preparations were finished but one unsolved matter remained.

So Cheon asked about that point.

"Amitabha! By the way, how will you handle places like Jinzhou Yan Family or Hebei Peng Family? Alliance Leader."

Both Jinzhou Yan Family and Hebei Peng Family were families possessing martial power and wealth strong enough to enter the Five Great Families.

Right after Namgung Family, fellow member of Five Great Families, was annihilated by the Demon Cult's rough waves, they locked their gates forbidding outside entry. Choosing gate closure.

Gate closure was no different from publicly declaring martial sect's external activities forbidden. Abandoning qualification and activities as martial sect, they thought there'd be no reason to clash with the Demon Cult.

Many martial artists cursed their cowardice.

Like Wudang Sect, choosing gate closure unavoidably after suffering great damage from the Demon Cult was understandable, but choosing gate closure from fear of the Demon Cult was unforgivable no matter what reason they gave.

Sects choosing such cowardly gate closure weren't just Jinju Yan Family and Hebei Peng Family. Among Central Plains' prestigious sects too, sects giving up fighting the Demon Cult weren't few.

Especially among mid-tier sects such tendencies appeared often. Rather small sects' martial artists fought desperately to death, while those with much to protect completely gave up fighting, trying to maintain current wealth and power through gate closure's expedient.

Some sects even switched to the Demon Cult's side. Sects that sided with the Demon Cult jumping on trends, turning into enemies, were also quite many.

Blue Sky Alliance secretly sent envoys to sects that chose gate closure requesting cooperation. But many sects still hadn't sent any answer.

Silent refusal. But So Cheon and Blue Sky Alliance's leadership hadn't given up yet.

Though Blue Sky Alliance had raised power much during the past year, winning great war with the Demon Cult without their help was impossible.

Cho Yeon-woon answered simply.

"I'll handle that myself."

"How?"

"I already have a method in mind."

"What method?"

Instead of answering, Cho Yeon-woon looked at the large flag hanging in the barracks.

Hundred Battles Flag.

A shabby flag made by mending countless tears and rips with needle and thread, patching with scrap cloth.

Hundred Battles Sect's final pride, an object like Cho Yeon-woon's symbol. Cho Yeon-woon had never once kept the Hundred Victories Flag away from his side.

Mixed emotions crossed Cho Yeon-woon's eyes looking at the Hundred Battles Flag.

'Master.'

Cho Yeon-woon came outside alone.

Below his feet Blue Sky Alliance slumbered in darkness.

Too shabby to call an alliance. But Cho Yeon-woon wasn't ashamed of that appearance.

Though he didn't know how others' eyes saw it, during the past year he'd truly run hard. Here contained his blood, sweat, and passion intact.

"You've succeeded, Cho Yeon-woon. Blue Sky Alliance's Alliance Leader. Damn!"

He quietly sighed.

Before people he showed relaxed smiles, but actually he felt crushed about to collapse under tremendous pressure. What sustained him was people's expectant gazes and responsibility to continue his sect Hundred Battles Sect's teachings.

"Huuu!"

"You'll make the ground sink. Why such heavy sighs?"

The moment Cho Yeon-woon sighed again, a familiar voice came from behind.

Cho Yeon-woon wasn't surprised, saying.

"Jin-bo came."

"My! Those sighs are so big. I could hear them from the kitchen so I couldn't concentrate."

The one appearing behind Cho Yeon-woon was precisely Bang Jin-bo.

During the past year, Bang Jin-bo had matured further. Now grown enough to call adult rather than boy. Still loving cooking though, he wore an apron.

Cho Yeon-woon grinned.

"Can you hear my sighs all the way there?"

"Yes! Very loudly."

"Ridiculous."

"I know, ridiculous."

"Huuu! Sorry."

"Is it that hard?"

"Hard rather than, how should I say, just feeling a bit tired? Someone like me as Blue Sky Alliance's Alliance Leader. Isn't it really funny? I think of myself as Drunken Cloud Dragon, but others call me Azure Dragon Divine Hero. Sometimes I'm so ashamed of myself I want to crawl into a mouse hole."

"That just means you've grown that much. Nothing to be ashamed about. What serious worry I thought."

Bang Jin-bo pouted his lips.

Instantly Cho Yeon-woon's eyebrows shot up.

"Hey, I'm serious."

"You don't know how amazing you are?"

"What?"

"Others calling you Azure Dragon Divine Hero isn't just nice talk. Because you're that amazing. Sometimes even I see that side of you as unfamiliar. That you have such responsibility and leadership. Sometimes I think the old you was freer and better, but I still like the current appearance too."

"Stop! It's embarrassing."

"I'm embarrassed too. Anyway just stay as you are now. Whatever the result, you did your best. They say exhaust human affairs, await heaven's decree."

"Shut up!"

"Wasn't that last line good?"

"Not good at all. Well, thanks to you I relaxed though."

"Hehe!"

Bang Jin-bo burst into his characteristic laughter. Looking at his face made him grin. So he laughed.

After laughing heartily, he felt refreshed.

He remembered when he first met Bang Jin-bo.

Back then Bang Jin-bo had lost his father, plus being fat lacked confidence. Naturally timid. That such a child grew to this extent, even comforting him instead, seemed truly unpredictable.

Cho Yeon-woon casually draped his arm over Bang Jin-bo's shoulder. And quietly whispered.

"Any special food tonight?"

"No."

"Hey! You dare dismiss the Alliance Leader like that?"

"Fine! I'm being generous. What do you want?"

"Suddenly I want Five Spice Pork."

"This late?"

"Can't you?"

"Fine. Wait a bit."

"Thanks."

"Tch!"

Bang Jin-bo pouted his lips again. But it wasn't an offended expression at all.

Then Cho Yeon-woon suddenly remembered something asking.

"By the way, where's Ho?"

"He went up to the mountain peak earlier."

"Alone?"

"Yes!"

At Bang Jin-bo's answer, Cho Yeon-woon looked at Lesser Mount Hua's peak.

***

Dam Ho stood alone atop Lesser Mount Hua closest to the full moon.

The full moon illuminated the whole world. But moonlight alone couldn't fully remove darkness. Therefore far more places looked dark than bright.

Dam Ho gazed down at the world containing that darkness in his eyes.

He couldn't read heaven's energy like Taoist Hyeon-so. What he could do was only felling enemies with two fists, far from such profound studies. But even he could feel the dark energy encroaching on the world.

Recently the darkness encroaching on the world was expanding its force more explosively. The world before being encroached by darkness looked precarious like a candle about to go out.

Then a man appeared behind Dam Ho soundlessly. The man appearing suddenly as if space-traveling knelt on one knee toward Dam Ho.

"Master!"

He was precisely Gi San-wol.

Gi San-wol quietly looked at Dam Ho's back.

Dam Ho's build was ordinary. His build wasn't tremendous, nor was he tall. Yet he felt huge.

As if a vast ocean filled his back. So he couldn't easily look away.

Dam Ho turned around looking at Gi San-wol. Then Gi San-wol bowed his head deeper.

When he first met Dam Ho and pledged loyalty, it contained somewhat selfish calculation. He'd thought he could leave after repaying debt for being rescued from Avici Hell. But spending a year with Dam Ho, he'd truly been won over by the man Dam Ho. So he'd vowed to go with him to the end.

Whether Dam Ho knew his heart or not, he opened his mouth indifferently.

"Him?"

"As expected. He's started moving."

"You're certain?"

"Certain, Master."

Gi San-wol answered putting power in his voice. At that, Dam Ho silently nodded.

Dam Ho's eyes sank deeper.

Seeing that appearance, Gi San-wol felt his lips go dry. Though he'd spent the past year with Dam Ho, he still wasn't used to such appearances.

Suddenly he recalled a memory from a year ago.

When he first met Dam Ho in that hellish space where even time's flow couldn't be felt.

If an ordinary person, going mad and committing suicide already wouldn't be strange. Yet Gi San-wol gritting his teeth and enduring was because of vengeance toward Heavenly Evil Cult.

After coming into the world, he moved tracking Heavenly Evil Cult's whereabouts.

Though others couldn't find Heavenly Evil Cult that cut tails and hid, he was different.

He was a soul magician raised by Heavenly Evil Cult. Therefore he knew them better than anyone.

During the past year, Gi San-wol tracked Heavenly Evil Cult and finally could find traces.

As the Demon Cult moved, they too started moving.

As if they'd been waiting.

"They are…"

Gi San-wol speaking quietly unknowingly widened his eyes.

Because moonlight pouring over Dam Ho's shoulders looked like huge wings.