NOVEL NEXT Chapter 682
Chapter 682: Dark Heaven Village
“Ah, what a wild mess this is!”
Based on what I thought, being a Sect Leader meant a prestigious position and a mountain of wealth, but oh how wrong I was!
“I won’t eat this slop!”
“Aida, there are countless souls outside who would kill for a crumb of this. Quit your whining!”
My younger sister, Aida, tossed the bread aside in a fit of tears while our father, the Head of the White Lotus Sect, gave her a fierce look.
As I surveyed the sad excuse for a feast, it struck me that the dining atmosphere in a noble household hardly differed from that of an ordinary family.
Before me was a watery broth that looked like it had been strained through a sock, paired with bread so hard and craggy it could double as a weapon.
Seriously, even a child would scrunch up their nose at this!
With a sigh, I gripped the bread, determined to dunk it in the soup. But just as I tore it apart—
Crack!
Was that the sound of a bone snapping, or maybe just my hopes?
—
At Dark Heaven Village, the Master of the White Lotus Sect summoned the Dharma Protectors at Zhuge Sa’s request, and simultaneously proposed an alliance to the Twelve Joules. The conditions? The Master would transfer half of the Central Plains to the Twelve Joules and share ownership of any divine artifacts from the White Lotus Sect, along with the teachings of the Su Shin martial arts. The response took about three days, and then the Twelve Joules’ leader arrived with the Three Masters in tow.
Smiling broadly, the leader of the Twelve Joules remarked, “I expected something ridiculous, but these terms are indeed solid. Alliance accepted!”
[Do I really look that naïve to him? Ahah!]
“Well, well! Is that so?”
The Twelve Joules leader brushed off the Master’s words, but in that moment, everyone present sensed it.
The Twelve Joules leader definitely knew what those divine artifacts were!
If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have rushed here himself with the Three Masters on his coattails.
‘Reading the intent of the conversation wasn’t a problem since he recognized the immense value of those divine artifacts…’
Zhuge Sa’s brow furrowed internally. Though they were enemies, the Twelve Joules leader was genuinely an enigmatic figure with an astonishing amount of hidden strength. If he could capture the Twelve Joules leader just to extract information, it would halve Baek Woong’s journey immediately, he was convinced of that!
Zhuge Sa briefly considered if, with the aid of the Great Destruction once unleashed by Baek Woong and his allies, they could collaborate at this meeting to capture the Twelve Joules leader. But he quickly realized that was a foolish idea. Without knowing the extent of the leader’s martial arts, they risked a colossal blunder!
Finally, the Master of the White Lotus Sect laid out before the Twelve Joules leader that there existed a powerful enemy called the Eight Parts of the Divine, and they were in dire circumstances. After he had finished speaking, the leader of the Twelve Joules replied:
“If that strong divine being is the case, I don’t think I can help much. Most of the Twelve Joules aren’t capable of facing such foes.”
[If you want the cost of the alliance, you better take it seriously. Do you think those guys will let you be after they break our sect?]
“Well… that’s quite true. I understand you.”
After pondering for a moment, the Twelve Joules leader said, “Alright, let’s fully cooperate. Just tell me what can be done.”
Zhuge Sa stepped forward. “Twelve Joules leader, I want to borrow the forces of the Wood Essence to cast a Great Divine Technique!”
“Really? You know I hold the Wood Essence?”
“In a situation like this, there’s no need to measure distances between us. If we lose to the Eight Parts of the Divine, we’re all toast.”
Zhuge Sa explained his plan casually, and the more he elaborated, the look of shock appeared on the faces of the Three Masters standing behind the Twelve Joules leader, who remained silent as well. Once they heard Zhuge Sa’s plan in its entirety, the Twelve Joules leader clapped his hands together.
“… Impressive. I didn’t expect someone of your caliber to still exist in the Central Plains.”
‘So will you accept my plan?’
“Of course! If we can eliminate the Eight Parts of the Divine, my own plans will progress much easier. However, I would like to know first what kind of master you serve?”
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
The Twelve Joules leader leaned forward. “You don’t appear to be working for the Master of the White Lotus Sect. What kind of lord would a strategist and powerful demon sorcerer like you serve so earnestly?”
“I’ll just mention that my lord is the most foolish in the world.”
Once the meeting concluded, they started preparing the plan. The battlefield would inevitably be the White Lotus Sect’s ground, and they needed to be ready for a fight before the Eight Parts of the Divine returned.
While observing the Elder Council’s experts diligently training in martial arts from a tall building, the Master of the White Lotus Sect thought,
‘Those guys are indeed regarded as top-notch peak masters in the Central Plains martial world, but would it matter against the Eight Parts of the Divine?’
“……”
‘As I researched ancient secrets in the library, I was constantly filled with despair regarding that fact. The martial world in this realm is just a small village; it’s merely the lid on a hidden pot… even reaching the Absolute Realm wouldn’t make one comparable to an underling of the Celestial Realm.’
Zhuge Sa stifled a laugh while listening to this.
“Is that what a busy person calls a simple thought?”
‘Yong Junil has arrived,’ the Master of the White Lotus Sect turned toward Zhuge Sa.
‘Why did I call for him? I had requested, but still…’
“Well, don’t we need a new successor for the Heavenly Spirit Pill? We killed Yong Bi-cheon from our side, thus leaving the position of the Wind Spirit Sect Dharma Guardian vacant.”
Zhuge Sa’s eyes glimmered for a moment.
“I’m more curious as to why you haven’t passed the Heavenly Spirit Pill to Yong Junil until now. Why leave it vacant all this time?”
‘……’
“Isn’t the Heavenly Spirit Pill just a minor detail?”
The Master of the White Lotus Sect stayed silent before finally answering, ‘Yong Junil is in the guest hall. Go on and meet him.’
“Got it.”
Zhuge Sa moved away from the Master and approached Yong Junil at the guest hall. Of course, meeting him alone could lead to an unexpected ambush, so he had Jin So-cheong accompany him.
As they met, the air suddenly thickened as Jin So-cheong and Yong Junil locked eyes from behind Zhuge Sa, sending a chill through the space around them. Zhuge Sa couldn’t discern their levels accurately, but it felt like two peak masters were exchanging glances full of caution. With a smile, Zhuge Sa greeted Yong Junil.
“Hey there, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you. You are Zhuge Sa, the leader of the heretical sect?”
“Yep, and you must be Yong Junil, the next Dharma Guardian of the Wind Spirit Sect.”
Yong Junil nodded.
“Yes. What brings you here to see me?”
There was clear animosity between them. After all, it was Baek Woong and his crew who had decimated the forces of the Wind Spirit Sect.
Yet, even though facing the killer of his father, Yong Junil’s expression didn’t betray the slightest flicker of emotion.
“Haha.”
Zhuge Sa eyed him closely. “I have a small request for you—to slowly step up and assume the role of the Wind Spirit Sect’s Dharma Guardian. You see, we have a colossal enemy looming ahead.”
“……”
“I’ve noticed you’ve been making excuses to refuse the Heavenly Spirit Pill. The Sect Master has likely left you alone because he understands your motives… what’s the reason you’re turning it down?”
“I think there’s no reason for me to explain that to an outsider like you.”
“Well, you’re right about that. But may I venture a guess?”
Yong Junil seemed to disregard Zhuge Sa, closing his eyes. Nonetheless, Zhuge Sa was undeterred and continued.
“You know exactly what the Heavenly Spirit Pill entails—gaining infinite internal power at the cost of something significant. That’s why you’re avoiding it, am I right?”
“……”
“The Master probably noticed that you realized this too. But he isn’t pressing you because your capabilities are vastly greater than that of Yong Bi-cheon.”
“I still don’t understand what you mean.”
“Knowing the essence of the Heavenly Spirit Pill means you’ve waded into the undercurrents of this world…”
Zhuge Sa smiled slyly. “You used to be a top-tier member of the scholars, traversing various truths and principles, right? And then you go and establish the Huashan Sect only to become the leader of the Nine Great Sects? Not only that, but you’ve somehow obtained unmatched power surpassing the martial arts of the Wind Spirit Sect even without the Heavenly Spirit Pill… as a Sect Leader, I wouldn’t hand you the Heavenly Spirit Pill. Your strength surpasses what could be managed by the Sect Master.”
“……”
“The Master doesn’t want to face a second Lee Cheong-un in half a century either.”
At that moment, Yong Junil slowly opened his eyes. His reaction changed as Zhuge Sa laid everything out.
In a deep tone, he said, “You didn’t come to convince me merely to obtain the Heavenly Spirit Pill.”
“Sharp-minded, aren’t you? Just like a leader of the Nine Great Sects.”
“Speak your desires; I’m willing to talk.”
Zhuge Sa didn’t bother to retort, “Haven’t we been chatting about this since the beginning?” He knew that Yong Junil’s mention of “talk” implied he recognized Zhuge Sa as a legitimate counterpart in their dealings.
Zhuge Sa said, “It’s nothing major. The White Lotus Sect will likely crumble soon, and after it falls, I thought we could become good business partners.”
“You dare to speak recklessly in front of the heir to the Wind Spirit Sect?”
“Hehe! Your identity as the heir to the Wind Spirit Sect isn’t impressive enough. If you had a real connection, wouldn’t your priority be accepting the Heavenly Spirit Pill and preventing the weakness of your sect, regardless of its drawbacks?”
“… Why would I help out a crumbling White Lotus Sect?”
“For mutual benefit, and because we both need to use each other. However, I have to consider my future moves as well, and I figured you would make a fine trading partner.”
“Hmmm…”
Yong Junil rested his chin on his hand and suddenly unleashed his sword intent.
Bam!!
In an instant, three Blood Shadows swirled like mist around them. They were the peak masters of the Su Shin Sect, who, upon receiving the Master’s command, had been silently monitoring their conversation and were taken down in a blink.
Zhuge Sa admired this sight. “Incredible!! The leader of the Huashan Sect is so powerful! Each of them could easily take on the likes of the leaders of the Nine Great Sects!”
He sighed, “What an awful personality. While Jin So-cheong could eliminate listeners, you’re forcing me to be your errand boy till the end.”
“Hahaha… I don’t really get your point, but the listeners must be getting antsy, huh?”
“Get to the point.”
“Fair enough.”
With a sly smile, Zhuge Sa said, “Soon, my lord will return. After the White Lotus Sect crumbles, I’d like you to assist my lord in the fight. You should have the capability for that.”
“I find no reason to do that.”
“I can create the motivation. If you follow our proposition…”
Zhuge Sa then presented a tempting offer to Yong Junil. The latter was taken aback, pondering deeply, and eventually nodded reluctantly.
“I accept. I will ally with you.”
“Well thought out.”
“Please handle the Heavenly Spirit Pill matter without causing undue problems.”
Swish!
Yong Junil vanished on the spot, opting to return to Mount Huang rather than linger in bad company. Zhuge Sa swung his arms back and forth, muttering to himself:
“Now let’s see, I’ll deal with the remnants of him… and if I can extract all his secrets, even better!”
Lost in his thoughts, Zhuge Sa then turned to Jin So-cheong, “Jin So-cheong, what do you make of Yong Junil’s current power level?”
“Strong.”
“Don’t make me Baek Woong! You need to explain how strong!”
At Zhuge Sa’s insistence, Jin So-cheong glanced at the slain elite members of the Su Shin Sect scattered around them and commented, “He’s on par with me.”
“Is that so? So that means he’s at least at the threshold of the Absolute Realm.”
“Perhaps.”
“I recall him not being this strong in the past; what went wrong?”
“… It seems that even when he annihilated the Namgung Clan, he didn’t show his full strength. Today, he is truly revealing his prowess.”
Zhuge Sa clicked his tongue. “Tsk! What a filthy secretive brat! That guy might be as strong as Miyamoto Musashi or an esteemed Sect Master!”
“That’s definitely not true. If that were the case, he could swiftly wipe us out right here or dealt with the Master himself after claiming the Heavenly Spirit Pill.”
“Hmm, I see! Do you have any inkling about the form of martial arts he uses, particularly that sword form?”
“None. We’ll only find out once we face him directly.”
Jin So-cheong shot a sidelong glance at Zhuge Sa. “What are you planning now?”
“What am I planning?”
Zhuge Sa replied, “The outcome hinges on a single moment. If we can’t land a hit on the Eight Parts of the Divine with the power of the Wood Essence, it’s game over.”
“Then it all depends on Cheon Woo-jin.”
“Exactly.”
Zhuge Sa looked up toward the heavens. “… It also depends on the intentions of Master Mangnyang.”