Chapter 467

Shaolin Temple advanced relentlessly.

Most sects suffered without even knowing why they had to become Shaolin Temple’s sacrifices.

Sects well-informed about rumors sought ways to survive and attached themselves to the Baek Li Family. Small sects sent five hundred taels, and mid-level sects sent a thousand taels to the Baek Li Family and joined the Righteous Alliance.

In return, the Baek Li Family gave large flags inscribed with the character ‘Chivalry,’ and if they hung these flags at their main gates, they could avoid Shaolin Temple’s righteous practices.

Some protested to Shaolin Temple about this utterly bewildering treatment.

What connection is there between righteous practices following Buddha’s will and sending money to the Baek Li Family!

If we’re being strict about it, shouldn’t the Baek Li Family and the Righteous Alliance be the first targets of righteous practices!

However, the protests were completely ignored. No matter how famous the celebrities or renowned experts in the martial world, it didn’t matter. Sects without flags hanging were without fail trampled by Shaolin Temple.

Everyone trembled. To survive, to avoid the humiliation of having the family head shaved and dragged to Shaolin Temple, to continue the family lineage, they had no choice but to attach to the Righteous Alliance.

***

“Ten sects from Shanxi and Shaanxi have newly requested help. These are the promissory notes they sent.”

Baek Li-jung skimmed through the ledgers and promissory notes the new strategist had calculated. Every detail was meticulously recorded without a single penny of error.

“You work well.”

“Thank you.”

The newly arrived strategist in his thirties was the former clerk of Tai Lake Trading Company that the Baek Li Family dealt with. For being recruited through the trading company’s recommendation, he was young and worked well, which was satisfying.

The new strategist Mun-su spread out the ledgers and explained.

“The received promissory notes were sent to the Baek Li Family along with the trading company’s loans. The reconstruction of the Martial Arts Alliance headquarters seems to be proceeding without issues. The construction is smooth and the deployment of laborers is appropriate.”

Baek Li-jung looked at Mun-su rather than the ledgers. He swept over Mun-su with a heavy gaze.

“You’re polite, your calculations are accurate, and your speech is clear. The predecessor was also a friend I liked because we got along well, but I like Strategist Mun too. Do you know about the predecessor by any chance?”

Mun-su bowed with his hands in sleeves like a merchant.

“I haven’t met him, but I’ve heard the story. It’s unfortunate.”

“I promised him a glorious future, but ultimately couldn’t fulfill it. Now that Strategist Mun has replaced him, I’ll give you his share as well.”

Mun-su bent his waist and bowed again.

“I’ll serve you with my utmost.”

“Just keep doing as you are now. For people to work long, there must be appropriate rewards.”

Baek Li-jung closed the ledger as if there was nothing more to see.

“Shanxi and Shaanxi have no problems, but there’s no news at all from Huguang.”

“In Huguang, Wudang Sect and the Zhuge Family are holding out, so they seem to be watching until Shaolin Temple enters. I’ll devise a method.”

“For now, let’s watch the situation.”

Mun-su bowed and left carrying the ledgers.

Baek Li-jung quietly watched Mun-su’s back. A twisted smile drew across Baek Li-jung’s lips.

“Great Buddha, you’re more foolish than I thought.”

The greatest anxiety in Shaolin Temple’s righteous practices was the rear. Unless they annihilated all sects as they passed, if several sects raised flags in rebellion, Shaolin Temple would be struck from behind.

Therefore, Baek Li-jung gathering the surrendered sects had great significance for Shaolin Temple too. If sects raising rebellion appeared, even without Baek Li-jung moving directly, they could suppress the rebellion using those who surrendered, making Shaolin Temple’s rear relatively safer.

However.

That was also tantamount to Baek Li-jung gripping the handle of a blade held to Shaolin Temple’s neck.

Throb!

Suddenly, bright blue veins protruded on Baek Li-jung’s face.

Unbearable hunger surged.

Baek Li-jung said while sweating profusely.

“Endure it. I’ll give you delicious prey soon.”

The veins wriggled as if alive then disappeared.

He had accepted the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit and achieved Super Demon. However, to surpass complete demon and become Transcendent Demon was still insufficient.

How shocked he had been when he felt Jin Ja-gang’s internal energy at the Min River!

That time when despite internal energy explosively increasing through Taoist Haewol, that internal energy didn’t move at all and became quiet and hid!

Baek Li-jung had to swallow his shame and hide his body in a drifting wrecked ship to flee.

After that, news that Jin Ja-gang had even crushed the Zoroastrian Cult Leader, the source of the Five Thunder Heaven-Shaking Arts, sent shivers through him.

If he had risen to that realm, at the Super Demon stage he absolutely couldn’t defeat Jin Ja-gang. To beat Jin Ja-gang, he must ascend to Transcendent Demon, and the next sacrifice for Transcendent Demon was needed.

***

Great Buddha Beom-bon, after joining hands with Baek Li-jung, turned back some of the forces sent to other directions and first advanced to Shandong, the eastern end.

In Shandong was Dan Ryeong-gyeong, the Evil Faction’s Grand Matriarch.

However, Beom-bon couldn’t meet Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong had left her hiding place after leaving a poem for Beom-bon.

An arhat monk brought the poem that had been stuck to the wall of Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s room to Beom-bon with a completely stiff face.

Mountains and clouds far away
In dreams I was only held in my beloved’s embrace
But now at dawn my beloved comes
Until the paulownia leaves in the courtyard fall
For a long time, without missing a moment, we’ll share the affections of clouds and rain.

It was a poem about the mutual affection between man and woman. She left a poem that would make even ordinary people blush prominently before the monks and departed.

It was mockery of Shaolin Temple.

Even when the arhat monks searched every corner of the house, all that came out was only this one poem. The arhat monks’ faces turned red with indignation.

However, Beom-bon looked at the poem for a long while then shed a single tear.

The arhat monks looked at Beom-bon in surprise.

“Ah, what a beautiful heart this is. The longing and sorrowful heart toward her beloved is like our single-minded devotion toward Buddha.”

Beom-bon wiped away his tears and rubbed the paper with the poem in his hands. Fire rose and burned the paper, and ashes fell.

Beom-bon spoke toward the arhat monks.

“Buddha endured all temptations under the bodhi tree and attained Buddhahood. If we cannot endure this much, how can we guide the world to paradise?”

The arhat monks immediately put their palms together and chanted the Buddha’s name.

“Namo Amitabha…”

Waiting for the chants to end, Beom-bon said.

“I’ve received Fairy Maiden’s poem well. I should compose a reply.”

His thin eyes opened slightly. Unlike the gentle smile he wore, an eerie gaze flowed out.

“Shandong has fallen into corruption. We will no longer accept Buddhist disciples from Shandong. Except for sects protected under the chivalry flag, sweep them all away. Break and shatter them, purify the filth with the merciless punishment of the Vajra. Show the solemnity of the Buddhist way.”

The arhat monks’ eyes also shone together.

“Great compassion and conversion! Governing precepts, governing meditation, governing sentient beings’ realm, Namo Amitabha Guanyin Bodhisattva. We shall achieve perfect enlightenment through the fruit of three virtues!”

Beom-bon looked at the arhat monks with a pleased expression.

Then muttered.

“Now then, Benefactor Baek Li. There are many experts in Huguang. Please quickly achieve Transcendent Demon and lighten my burden.”

***

While the martial world was covered in chaos and Shaolin Temple focused strength on the east, at the Namgung Family too, Namgung Rak finally moved.

The head of the Namgung Family tried to stop Namgung Rak.

“Father. The martial world is in great chaos. Leaving now doesn’t look good in others’ eyes either.”

Mount Hua Sect also suffered great damage from rebellion within the sect.

To others it looked as if they were trying to strike Mount Hua Sect taking advantage of the opportunity.

However, Namgung Rak didn’t bend his will.

“Just because the one who humiliated our family is in a pitiful situation, should we let it go? We are the victims, yet should the victim receive more criticism than the perpetrator? If they touched the main family, they should have known there would be today’s result. The one who attacked without thinking of their own situation is simply at fault. The eyes of Alliance have no meaning to me now.”

The head of the Namgung Family bowed his head.

“Father is right.”

He didn’t try to stop him to actually stop him. He showed the appearance of trying to stop him once to eliminate any later gossip.

Namgung Rak, who understood that intent, didn’t say more.

“Let’s go.”

Namgung Rak led the younger generation and left the manor.

Rumors spread that the Namgung Family’s Sword King Namgung Rak was heading to Mount Hua Sect leading the younger generation.

Ostensibly, to directly clarify whether the Namgung Family and the Zoroastrian Cult were related.

Though it had already become meaningless since the new Zoroastrian Cult Leader, Demon Emperor, had died, Namgung Rak didn’t care.

Of course, both Namgung Rak and Mount Hua Sect knew that clarification wouldn’t end as mere clarification.

After Namgung Rak explained he was innocent, Mount Hua Sect would have to pay the price for pressuring an innocent family.

A situation where neither side intended to back down anyway.

From Mount Hua Sect too, North Li Sword Immortal, one of the Three Ways and the sect leader, led disciples and left Mount Hua.

Mount Hua Sect also suffered tremendous damage from internal rebellion. However, with Sword King Namgung Rak openly coming to confront them head-on, they couldn’t avoid it.

Giant sects supporting the pillars of the martial world have that much pride and honor to uphold.

North Li Sword Immortal and Namgung Rak naturally encountered each other in Huguang, the middle ground.

All eyes in the martial world focused on their meeting.

Many sects were in turmoil with betrayal and treachery, fighting other sects over interests.

Nevertheless, everyone’s eyes and ears concentrated on the clash between Mount Hua Sect and the Namgung Family.

The Sword Immortal of the Three Ways, or the Sword King of the Two Kings!

It couldn’t be anything but an event sufficient to excite martial artists who had been momentarily distracted by all kinds of chaos. Trivial gains or interests couldn’t compare to great heroes’ confrontations.

Wasn’t it an event where the dragon and tiger that had been sleeping while supporting a pillar of the martial world for long years were clashing?

Not an ambush or despicable scheme but a head-on confrontation.

It was something that made the blood inherent in martial artists’ nature boil.

The martial world was more inflated than ever before.

It was a time when Shaolin Temple conducted righteous practices and completely pushed eastward, and the Righteous Alliance newly emerged.

Northern Heaven and the Zoroastrian Cult had collapsed and the Poison Dragon rose in Sichuan.

Unlike when the Martial Arts Alliance expelled Northern Heaven and the Zoroastrian Cult as heretics and all hierarchies solidified firmly with no room for new stories to emerge.

There were abundant stories for gossips to exchange.

Even villains emerged who seized the opportunity to steal or rob. As villains emerged, naturally new experts who fought them appeared, and their stories began to spread too.

New things happened every day.

Everyone they met was excited and blossomed with stories of the martial world.

Perhaps, though the martial world was festering in the worst state, in another sense it also seemed to be experiencing maximum prosperity.