Chapter 334

The Zhuge family youth shouted.

“The Zhuge family is no longer a lackey of Yangtze River Sword Sect! Our Zhuge family has already left Yangtze River Sword Sect. The brothers and young ladies here are the same!”

It turned out that all the youths here were rising stars from sects that had left Yangtze River Sword Sect this time. They had gathered together to strengthen their bonds.

Besides the three great sword sects of Jiangdong – Taehang Sword Sect, Seongso Sect, and Hong Sword Sect combined – there were also the Hwangbo family and the Peng family from Hebei. Especially Murong Cheon from the Murong family was one of the Three Dragons along with Baek Li-gwon and Yang-jeon.

With rising stars of this caliber gathered in one place, their combined strength was considerable. To be called rising stars in famous families or sects meant there would be virtually no peers who could match them.

Of course, that didn’t apply to Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang looked around at the rising stars and said.

“You seem to have forgotten, but shouldn’t you have been curious about why I possess a sword command in the first place?”

Unexpectedly, the rising stars weren’t flustered. They looked as if wondering why he was asking something so obvious.

A sword command was proof of Yangtze River Sword Sect’s promise to guarantee one’s identity and support all activities. It could be seen as Taoist Haewol’s proxy.

But they weren’t curious about Jin Ja-gang possessing a sword command?

The Zhuge family youth snorted.

“Hmph, that’s only natural.”

At his words, Jin Ja-gang felt a severe sense of disconnect.

Jin Ja-gang thought briefly then said to Woon-jeong.

“Let’s just go back.”

“What?”

Woon-jeong asked back as if he couldn’t believe Jin Ja-gang’s words. Unexpectedly, Jin Ja-gang wasn’t angry and was calmly suggesting they return.

“Are… are we really just leaving?”

“I think we’ve seen enough scenery.”

“Well, yes…”

Woon-jeong hesitated then turned around to follow Jin Ja-gang.

The rising stars shouted.

“Stop right there!”

Jin Ja-gang turned around and asked.

“This is the second time.”

“What?”

“That you’ve picked a fight with me.”

Ordinary people don’t keep count of such things. Counting the number of provocations was a warning not to cross the line.

The Zhuge family youth’s complexion worsened. But strangely, the corners of his mouth were smiling.

“So what are you going to do about it? Go ahead. Run wild like thunder all you want. It’s only for now anyway.”

Jin Ja-gang stared at the Zhuge family youth. He couldn’t understand what kind of recklessness this was. Did they really believe Jin Ja-gang wouldn’t act because there were many people around?

Somehow it sounded like they had something to rely on despite leaving Yangtze River Sword Sect.

“What do you mean ‘only for now’?”

A young lady from the Hwangbo family shouted.

“It means our Righteous Alliance won’t leave you alone!”

A young lady from Hong Sword Sect continued.

“The Righteous Alliance is a gathering to establish justice in the martial world and punish villains like you who run wild without fear!”

Jin Ja-gang asked back.

“Isn’t there already the Martial Alliance?”

“No! The Martial Alliance is already finished. We’re going to create a new martial world with new hope!”

A youth from Taehang Sword Sect also gritted his teeth and added.

“The Righteous Alliance is led by the greatest hero of the martial world, Indestructible Heavenly Sword Hero Baek Li. Many heroes from various sects including us are gathering under him. Scum like you won’t even be able to set foot anywhere.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at them and said.

“That seems different from what I heard.”

“What?”

“Isn’t the Righteous Alliance a gathering that follows Taoist Haewol’s will? Yangtze River Sword Sect is also there. But leaving Yangtze River Sword Sect and denying the Martial Alliance is strange.”

“Hmph. You don’t know anything. Our Righteous Alliance respects and follows that person’s noble will, but we don’t follow Taoist Haewol himself. Rather, Taoist Haewol bears responsibility for making the martial world like this. And there’s evidence that he conspired with demonic cults to maintain his position!”

The Taehang Sword Sect youth shouted excitedly.

“He hid a demonic cult’s Enlightened Teacher in Guizhou branch for decades and deceived everyone until now. And you helped that demonic cult’s Enlightened Teacher there, so you know well. Plus, seeing you carrying that sword command now means Yangtze River Sword Sect is no different from being in the same group!”

These people believed that Taoist Haewol and Yangtze River Sword Sect had colluded with demonic cults. Same with Jin Ja-gang. That’s why they didn’t find it strange that Jin Ja-gang was using a sword command.

Originally, it was Indestructible Heavenly Sword, not Taoist Haewol, who had imprisoned Yelu Hwan in Chongqing.

But if they already believed this much, even if Jin Ja-gang told them the truth, they wouldn’t believe it.

Someone had cleverly instilled wrong facts by exploiting their boiling youthful passion.

‘Baek Li-jung!’

Baek Li-jung, who created the Righteous Alliance, was undoubtedly the culprit. He was shifting the blame for anything unfavorable to him onto Taoist Haewol and Yangtze River Sword Sect.

So these people might firmly believe their cause was the world’s justice.

Or perhaps the justification someone threw them aligned with their own interests…

Jin Ja-gang stared at the Taehang Sword Sect youth. Perhaps burdened by that gaze, he shouted as if driven to desperation.

“The era of the Righteous Alliance will come soon! Then both the unorthodox sects that run wild without fear of heaven and the clinging Qingcheng Sect will be finished!”

Woon-jeong, who had been listening quietly, got angry again.

“What? No, why do you keep picking on our Qingcheng?”

The rising stars mocked Woon-jeong.

“Look at this nothing relying only on Poison Dragon.”

Woon-jeong’s expression hardened. Woon-jeong had never left Sichuan, but had skills enough to once capture Jin Ja-gang. Moreover, his loyalty to Qingcheng Sect was strong, so he couldn’t tolerate insults to his sect.

“Apologize for what you said about our Qingcheng.”

“Apologize? How impudent…”

The rising stars emitted killing intent. Each raised their internal energy.

But then Jin Ja-gang, standing still, suddenly spoke.

“There’s no killing intent.”

“What do you mean!”

To the rising stars’ question, Jin Ja-gang answered.

“I don’t feel any killing intent from you.”

At those words, the rising stars emitted even denser killing intent.

They raised their internal energy, prepared to attack, and spread refined killing intent befitting rising stars of prestigious families.

Nine people concentrated their killing intent toward Jin Ja-gang and Woon-jeong. An ordinary person’s legs would tremble and they’d barely be able to stand.

But Woon-jeong just scratched his temple with a confused expression. He could sense the killing intent, but didn’t think it was particularly threatening.

“Huh, that’s strange?”

Woon-jeong hesitantly looked at Jin Ja-gang.

His eyes asked why the killing intent was like this.

Jin Ja-gang nodded slightly as if understanding.

Woon-jeong had also experienced quite a lot unexpectedly. Especially just recently, he had experienced the killing intent emitted by Shaolin’s Beom-mong, Zhongnan Sect’s Bulgi, and Funeral Parlor’s Yeong Hyeon-sa.

Back then, he really felt like he was going to die. But the rising stars’ killing intent now felt like killing intent for show rather than truly intending to kill someone.

Having experienced it directly, the comparison was stark.

“You’re right. Hmm, there really is no killing intent. No, it’s as good as none.”

But from the rising stars’ perspective, being told they had no killing intent while emitting it made them even angrier.

“Ugh!”

“These… these bastards… still looking down on us!”

The Hwangbo family’s young lady shouted again in a sharp voice.

“Hmph! The Righteous Alliance’s masters will come soon. Once they arrive, someone like you…”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang understand why these rising stars were so confident.

“Ah.”

Righteous Alliance masters were coming. So these people were keeping Jin Ja-gang here.

“How long will it take?”

“How long will what take?”

“The time for those Righteous Alliance masters to arrive.”

Perhaps thinking there was no more need to hide, the Zhuge family youth answered confidently.

“He entered Wuhan just a while ago. It’s too late to try running away now.”

“Then it’ll take at most about one meal period.”

“A short time. That’s how much time your life has left.”

“I don’t understand.”

Jin Ja-gang quietly asked back.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t think you could survive until then.”

Jin Ja-gang slowly turned his head and looked at the rising stars with indifferent eyes.

The rising stars flinched. At his unwavering straight gaze, the rising stars even felt some fear.

Someone shouted.

“You don’t seem to know, but Brother Murong here is Fire Dragon, one of the Three Dragons. If we all combine our strength, do you think we can’t last one meal period!”

Silent Dragon and Swift Dragon had died to Jin Ja-gang. But if they didn’t think of winning and just held out, they thought it was worth trying.

Woon-jeong asked seriously as if talking to himself.

“What kind of master is coming that they think they just need to hold out until then? A really amazing master must be coming.”

The rising stars answered confidently.

“He’s someone who could steam and eat someone like Poison Dragon alone and have leftovers.”

Poison Dragon had already left countless battle records. Yet they were this confident, which meant truly amazing person was coming.

“He’s a great hero who fought alone against Taoist Haewol and revealed truths no one else could discover. He even accomplished what no one else could do.”

Déjà vu.

Jin Ja-gang felt a very familiar feeling from the rising stars’ tone. At the same time, even memories still vividly remaining in the depths of his memory.

He thought he knew who it was.

“Fine.”

Jin Ja-gang made up his mind.

Jin Ja-gang smiled very slightly, raising the corner of his mouth, and said.

“Anyway, fortunately for you, think that you lived because I didn’t draw my blade this time.”

“How dare!”

“What do you take us for!”

The rising stars got angry, but their hands didn’t leave their sword hilts. They were feeling fear toward Jin Ja-gang, who showed no disturbance at all from their killing intent.

Jin Ja-gang called Woon-jeong.

“Taoist Woon-jeong.”

“What!”

“They insulted Qingcheng Sect, but is it okay to endure it?”

“…What?”

Woon-jeong went “hmm” and pondered briefly.

Then he nodded as if understanding.

“Sigh. It can’t be helped. Then I’ll close my eyes for a moment. Do as you wish. Whether you massacre them or cut their bodies into several pieces, I won’t care.”

“…?”

“I was trying to help them because I thought you might do that, but they kicked away their fortune themselves, so it can’t be helped. Sigh…”

Jin Ja-gang said to Woon-jeong, who had already closed his eyes.

“It’s not something I should do, but something Taoist Woon-jeong should do. They seem to need sermons, not beatings.”

Woon-jeong turned his head pretending not to know.

Jin Ja-gang called Woon-jeong.

“Taoist Woon-jeong?”

“Alright. I get it.”

Woon-jeong seemed to be gradually becoming worldly and cunning as he was exposed to the martial world.

Woon-jeong stepped forward boldly and picked up an empty brass bowl and a long brass chopstick from the table.

The rising stars were startled.

“What are you planning to do to us!”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“We’re going to do as you wish. Since you said you’d capture me, there’s no need to go through trouble. We’ll wait here.”

“What?”

“It means I want to see who it is before leaving.”

“This, this bastard…”

“Taoist Woon-jeong. Please.”

Woon-jeong said.

“Don’t resent me. I feel like I’m being used by Poison Dragon somehow, but since you kept bringing up my sect, I have no choice either.”

Woon-jeong struck the brass bowl.

Clang!

Instantly, the rising stars’ bodies trembled.

“Ugh!”