Chapter 418

“This fellow?”

Haewol raised his eyebrows.

Glitter glitter.

Golden Beads! Large pupils with golden energy moved left and right, examining Baek Li-jung.

Baek Li-jung’s smile became fishy.

Master Haewol tilted his head.

“Eh… what…?”

It’s not visible.

Baek Li-jung’s thoughts.

“This damn fool. You…”

Killing intent filled Master Haewol’s voice.

“You’ve crossed the line!”

Instantly a tremendous gale swept from behind Master Haewol.

Master Haewol’s hair stood on end.

CRASH!

A deep hole formed where Master Haewol had been standing and the deck was smashed. Demon Cult’s Vanishing Master behind Master Haewol had sneakily struck Master Haewol’s back.

Vanishing Master’s palm had passed through Master Haewol’s back and protruded forward. But that was Master Haewol’s afterimage. The afterimage faded and disappeared. Master Haewol had already moved his body to avoid it and was standing on the bow side where cargo was piled up.

All four masters from Demon Cult looked at Master Haewol and revealed hostility.

“What.”

Master Haewol said looking at the four masters.

“I was the one who brought you in, so why are you taking Baek Li-jung’s side?”

The four masters’ expressions were impassive. As if they already knew Master Haewol’s thoughts.

Baek Li-jung mocked Master Haewol.

“Now you’re finally revealing your scheme. You intended to bring in Demon Cult and make both sides destroy each other.”

Master Haewol looked at Baek Li-jung.

“You know that yet you’re interfering? You bastard! Not content with accepting both pure and turbid, you’re aiming for ultimate evil?”

Ultimate evil is the extreme of evil.

“Interfering? Ultimate evil?”

Baek Li-jung clenched his fists tightly. Crack, rough sounds came from his joints.

“You knew I was interested in Demon Cult’s Five Thunder Toad Art. And ten years ago, you finally told me the secret between Enlightened Master and my wife. Until then I thought Woo-am was the child’s father.”

Master Haewol only listened silently with a frowning expression.

“You incited me like that to make contact with Enlightened Master who had entered the martial world. Why did you do that? Why did you want me to have ties with Demon Cult?”

Baek Li-jung spat out words as if vomiting blood.

“From then you were laying stones for the future. You only thought of me as one of the go stones. A stone to be discarded someday.”

Master Haewol answered quietly.

“Correct. It’s true that I incited you to connect with Demon Cult. To understand Demon Cult’s situation, as you said… I needed bait. To catch the big demon.”

“You failed, didn’t you.”

“I failed.”

“The fact that you’re in this place is proof that your plan failed.”

Baek Li-jung glared at Master Haewol while grinding his teeth. Killing intent mixed with anger spread out instantly.

“You dared use me as bait that would fail? I had originally given up my greed for martial arts. If you hadn’t incited me, it wouldn’t have come to this. Thanks to you, I even lost my son.”

“Are you acting spoiled now?”

“Spoiled? Not at all. I will surpass you with my own power without depending on you. The Martial Alliance is now mine.”

Master Haewol clicked his tongue looking at Baek Li-jung.

“You fool. Northern Heaven and even Demon Cult. How do you intend to handle the aftermath? If you don’t have the capacity, at least know your place.”

Baek Li-jung glared with a murderous expression.

“You were the one who incited me to join hands with Demon Cult, so why do you blame me?”

“So. Did you beg for Demon Cult’s martial arts?”

Master Haewol shouted.

“If you had been a proper person, would you have been bewitched by such wicked words! This is exactly what it means that your capacity was insufficient.”

“Bullshit!”

Baek Li-jung ground his teeth.

“Don’t pretend to be the only good one, righteous one, great hero. It’s disgusting. You too are ultimately just a hypocrite who used others for your own benefit.”

“Yes. You can see it that way. Anyway, it’s true that I made you like this. Direct your resentment at me. I’ll carry it all.”

Master Haewol pointed at Baek Li-jung with his hand.

“But you crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Since I raised you, I’ll take you with my own hands.”

Baek Li-jung’s eyes turned up as if he got chills. But he mocked Master Haewol.

“Demon Cult has been in contact with me since before you brought them into this matter. From then I had already left your hands. So now there’s no one on your side here. But what will you do alone?”

Master Haewol shook his head.

“Many think that I became alliance leader just to drink tea and play around, but do you know what I worked hardest at without others noticing after becoming alliance leader?”

Master Haewol spoke as if chanting while slowly raising his internal energy.

“Precisely martial arts training.”

Master Haewol’s hair all rose toward the sky, and the sacks under his feet stirred.

Then the transport ship loaded with tremendous weight began to shake entirely.

ROOOOOAR!

The river surface rippled.

“Ugh!”

“Urk!”

The ordinary sailors on the transport ship swayed, unable to maintain their balance. Unable to endure the pressure, the sailors chose to jump into the sea.

Splash, splash.

The splashed water droplets didn’t sink but continued floating up. Water droplets floated up beyond the gunwales, creating a mystical scene.

Several unorthodox sect masters frowned and resisted the momentum with internal energy, but except for them, almost no one was shaken.

Master Haewol stood tall before them and said.

“If I kill too many today, only trash will remain later and it’ll be hard to clean up.”

Mang Ryo raised the corners of his mouth.

“Why worry about such things? Just leave the aftermath to us and die comfortably.”

“That fellow’s really got a mouth on him.”

Master Haewol pointed at Mang Ryo with his finger.

Mang Ryo swung his left hand forcefully.

CLANG!

The finger wind Master Haewol shot was hit by Mang Ryo’s hand and bounced toward the river. A sailor who had jumped into the river was accidentally hit by the finger wind. A finger-sized hole was punched through the sailor’s head and blood and brains burst out the back.

Mang Ryo shook his hand as if it was numb. But his left hand drooped and dangled from below the wrist.

“What. It’s broken.”

Mang Ryo laughed like a madman.

Master Haewol also snorted at Mang Ryo’s behavior in disbelief.

“Are you crazy?”

“Well of course I’m crazy, but aren’t only you people here the same?”

Displeased with Mang Ryo’s retort, Master Haewol shot another finger wind. But this time Baek Li-jung blocked that finger wind.

CLANG! Baek Li-jung blocked Mang Ryo’s front with his undrawn sword sheath and deflected the finger wind.

Master Haewol spoke words that were unclear whether praise or lament.

“Your skills have rapidly improved. How much have you done against human relations while aiming for ultimate evil?”

Baek Li-jung ignored Master Haewol’s words and said to Mang Ryo.

“I said Red Shadow Pills weren’t enough. You’re getting in the way, so get out.”

“Well, alright then.”

Mang Ryo was sufficiently satisfied just from blocking Master Haewol’s finger wind, so he withdrew without complaint.

Baek Li-jung drew his sword.

SWISH.

It was Heaven Vermillion Sword containing the energy of the red sunset.

“Now let’s die.”

Taking that as a signal, Demon Cult’s four masters and five unorthodox sect masters slowly approached, pressuring Master Haewol.

Thunder Emperor Ga Mu-ru didn’t move, but Master Haewol seemed concerned about him as he glanced at him. Even just staying still, Ga Mu-ru was threatening.

“I’m here, where are you looking!”

Instantly Baek Li-jung placed his sword-holding hand against the back of his opposite hand and released palm force.

It was Baek Li-jung’s special technique, Thunderous Song Palm. Master Haewol swept both hands to trap the Thunderous Song Palm’s force between his sleeves. He spun it round like a ball then shot it up to the sky.

RUMBLE!

The internal force of Thunderous Song Palm spread out making thunder sounds in the air.

Baek Li-jung bared his teeth.

Master Haewol’s martial prowess in casually receiving and deflecting the Thunderous Song Palm used as a surprise attack was indeed not something to be taken lightly.

Master Haewol mocked.

“Subordinated to power, acting like a beast. What would someone dominated by power have to fear from you?”

Baek Li-jung’s eyes bulged.

Then among Demon Cult’s four masters, Vanishing Master spoke in a calm tone.

“Sacred Fire Good God Ahura Mazda, how long must we wait?”

The three masters also spoke one by one.

“We have no interest in martial world affairs. Let the conversation end there.”

“When it gets boring, concentration scatters.”

“We just do our job and welcome Ahura Mazda, that’s all.”

Master Haewol frowned.

“What deal did you make with them that they’re so desperate to kill me?”

From the stern, Mang Ryo shouted noisily.

“I’m curious what kind of deal it is too!”

Baek Li-jung made a desolate expression.

“Freedom. Freedom of missionary work. Freedom to distribute doctrine.”

Mang Ryo stuck out his tongue, and Master Haewol’s expression also became quite distorted.

Allowing Demon Cult to proselytize in the martial world ultimately means an increase in believers, and the increase of believers means expansion of religious power.

Moreover, it’s not simple proselytizing, as Demon Cult worships a monotheistic god.

But in the Central Plains, Taoism’s Taoist sects and Buddhism’s Buddhist sects are already established as the two pillars. So permitting proselytizing in the Central Plains contains the meaning that Demon Cult will eliminate even the Taoist sects represented by Wudang and Qingcheng sects, and Buddhist sects like Shaolin and Emei!

It couldn’t be simple proselytizing.

“You’ve gone mad! Captured by personal desire, handing the Central Plains over to them!”

When Master Haewol shouted, Baek Li-jung also shouted back.

“You brought this upon yourself!”

Simultaneously, Demon Cult’s four masters rushed in.

FLUTTER!

Fire Flame Master in red clothes swung a flag taller than himself.

Fire caught on the fluttering energy.

WHOOSH! Even though fire caught, the red cloth of the flag remained intact. Made of special material, fire blazes but the cloth itself doesn’t burn.

“Be extinguished and cleanly erased before the sacred fire!”

WHOOOM! The swinging speed wasn’t fast. But if touched by the flames, Master Haewol’s flesh would burn together.

Master Haewol was about to strike down the middle of the flagpole with his hand, but for some reason lowered his head.

CRASH!

The flag was driven into the piled sacks. Those heavy sacks flew into the air, pushed by Fire Flame Master’s strength while on fire.

SPLASH! SPLASH! They were so heavy that when thrown into the river, they created great water sprays.

More surprising was that even submerged in water, the fire on the sacks didn’t go out for a while.

Fire Flame Master struck the deck with the flagpole.

CRACK! The thick deck split as is. The flagpole also wasn’t an ordinary flagpole but iron. Made by twisting thousands of thin iron threads into a flagpole. It has the flexibility of a spear but is hundreds of times heavier.

Small Truth Master extended her palm toward the retreating Master Haewol.

POP POP BANG! The piled sacks burst and salt powder scattered.

The giant with rough beard, Earth Store Master, used axes. He continuously threw two hand axes the size of human heads. The hand axes flew making loud sounds, then drew parabolas and returned to Earth Store Master’s hands.

The hook-nosed old man, Myriad Enlightened Master.

He was the most sinister of the four, and whenever gaps appeared between the three masters’ attacks and Master Haewol tried to counterattack, he immediately stepped forward to attack Master Haewol’s back.