Chapter 194 : The Sigh of the Azure Dragon Sword King

“……We ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍can just break it open, right?”

At ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the answer of the Demon Lord, a cruel smile formed on the lips of Venerable Miru.

“Strike! ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Those things were called the Demonic Cult, nothing but demons. Do not leave a single one alive!”

At ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the command of Venerable Miru, the martial monks of Tibet rushed forward with shouts.

Though ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍they were blocked by the massive fortress walls, for masters who had learned Lightness Skill, such a height was nothing.

At ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍once, hundreds of martial monks ran up the walls as if they were walking on flat ground.

As they looked down at the Tibetan martial monks charging up, the eyes of Goyangma and the Death-Scorching Demon Lord met.

“Form ranks!”

Following Goyangma’s thunderous voice, the Bright Cult martial artists lined up along the walls shouted “Form ranks!” and moved in unison.

With their movements, countless small circles appeared atop the walls.

This formation, where ten martial artists gathered to form a single circular array, was called the Demon-Extermination Formation by the Bright Cult.

A formation that exterminated demons.

For the Bright Cult, which was scorned as the Demonic Cult, it was a rather ironic name, yet in truth, it was not a formation of great efficiency.

From the beginning, it was nothing more than a simple wheel formation where ten people took turns facing the enemy at the front.

The reason such a basic formation was given the grand name of Demon-Extermination Formation lay in the mindset of those who formed it.

There was only one way to break the Bright Cult’s Demon-Extermination Formation.

To kill all ten who formed the array.

Until then, it would never stop—that was the Demon-Extermination Formation.

It was a formation befitting the Bright Cult—fierce and unrelenting—and their fighting spirit itself.

Soon, countless Demon-Extermination Formations collided with the Tibetan martial monks who had climbed the walls.

The Tibetan martial monks who had taken the lead and climbed the walls without hesitation were highly skilled.

In contrast, those of the Bright Cult forming formations atop the walls were all training martial artists belonging to the Training Hall.

Of course, only those with sufficient training had been selected.

Five Demons, Thirteen Bloods, Twenty-Seven Ghosts, Blood Sword Unit, Red Blade Unit, Ten Thousand Swords Unit.

Though they were those who had not made it into these six major combat groups, every one of them had still reached at least the First Rate.

While they held back the enemy with their own blood atop the walls, in front of the gates, the masters of the Gate Pavilion and the Discipline Court stood in formation, bearing responsibility for defending the Main Fortress.

It was to prevent those who crossed the walls from opening the gates.

They did not believe the gates would break from external attacks.

The gates of the Bright Cult’s Main Fortress had never been broken even once.

They had withstood even battles against government troops that used massive artillery.

Thus, the masters of the Gate Pavilion and Discipline Court all stood with their backs to the gates.

Most of the martial artists included in the Training Hall belonged to the Bright Army.

On the other hand, those belonging to the traditional power of the Bright Cult—the Demon Army—were mostly included within the six major combat groups.

Unlike them, the martial artists of the Red Army gathered among themselves and formed groups.

Thus, within the Red Army, there were not a few who possessed the skill to belong to the six main forces of the Bright Cult, yet still remained merely Red Army martial artists.

Under the command of Goyangma and the Death-Scorching Demon Lord, they rampaged across the walls, blocking the masters of Tibet.

All of Tibet had taken action.

There were not a few masters in the Transcendent Realm, and dozens had reached the Supreme Peak.

Opposing them were the Red Army martial artists, led by Goyangma and the Death-Scorching Demon Lord.

Their brutal, rough, and savage martial arts exploded forth, fiercely driving back the lama monks.

Due to the structure of the Bright Cult’s Main Fortress—built in tiers from the very base of the mountain—the battle at the walls separating the outside from the fortress took place at the lowest level.

From above, the evacuated villagers and the training martial artists forming defensive lines to protect them could see the desperate battle on the walls in full view.

Thirty thousand Tibetan martial artists clashed with twenty thousand Bright Cult martial artists in fierce combat.

Behind them, nearly ninety thousand more martial artists still remained, but in a narrow place like the walls, they were of little use.

At times like this, it was better for the weaker ones to withdraw and give the masters more room to maneuver.

Knowing this, though they flinched, no one rushed down toward the walls.

That did not mean any of them were afraid.

Everyone knew.

If the defensive line at the walls collapsed, they would be next.

Above the walls, though it was a higher elevation, the second tier spread across a wide basin.

It was a place filled with the Grand Training Grounds and the living quarters of lower-ranking martial artists.

Out of the remaining ninety thousand martial artists, fifty thousand were stationed there.

Above that, on the third tier, another twenty thousand were stationed; above that, ten thousand more; and on the fifth tier, where the Elders resided, the final ten thousand gathered.

To reach the sixth tier, where the refugees had gone and where the residences of the Cult Leader and the Vice Cult Leader were located, every single one of them would have to be killed.

The quality of the martial artists decreased as one went higher.

But their resolve to die did not lessen.

For the sake of killing the Tibetan martial monks who had invaded their sacred land, they were prepared to throw away their lives like blades of grass.

Shouts, screams, and the clashing of weapons filled the walls, while ninety thousand Bright Cult martial artists and anxious refugees looked down upon the scene.

The Institute of Reason, the moment it recognized the emergency, dispatched messengers to the Ghost Lotus Sect where the Vice Cult Leader was staying and to Cheonghajin where the Cult Leader had gone.

Message hawks were not used.

Though they might be faster, Tibet was known to deploy large numbers of hunting falcons in such situations.

There was too great a risk that the message hawks would be hunted down before even escaping the Main Fortress.

Knowing this well, Lee Jinwon chose to send news by human messengers instead of relying on message hawks that could be intercepted.

Naturally, the news reached Cheonghajin, which was closer to the Heavenly Mountains, before it reached the Ghost Lotus Sect located in Yanqi at the edge of Xinjiang.

Even after hearing of Tibet’s invasion, the Cult Leader could not act rashly.

From right after the battle at Cheonghajin ended, large numbers of steppe warriors had begun to gather.

Cheonghajin was not merely a gathering of deserters.

They were a dam blocking the northern part of Xinjiang.

A dam protecting the poor of Xinjiang from the steppe nomadic tribes who lived by plunder.

The origin of Cheonghajin lay in an entire unit deserting after refusing orders to withdraw from that mission.

Even when they maintained a force of thirty thousand, Cheonghajin had struggled to defend against the invasions of the steppe tribes.

Now that their numbers had been reduced to a quarter, it was only natural that the steppe nomads would drool with greed.

Knowing this, the Cult Leader could not leave his position.

Though the messenger who had rushed in after confirming the enemy had advanced right to the doorstep of the Main Fortress stamped his feet in urgency while reporting, the Cult Leader did not move.

Truthfully, from the Cult Leader’s perspective, it did not matter whether Cheonghajin was swept away by the steppe tribes.

However, if Cheonghajin collapsed so easily, the surplus strength of the steppe warriors would push deep into Xinjiang.

If things went wrong, they might have to face both Tibet and the steppe tribes at the same time.

Even for the Bright Cult, the strongest single sect under heaven, waging war on two fronts at a national scale was impossible.

That was why the Cult Leader could not move.

But he was not staying idle without any plan.

The Cult Leader’s gaze turned far toward the southeast, where Yanqi lay.

“You are now the blade and shield of the Bright Cult. I trust you.”

The Cult Leader’s voice, filled with earnestness, quietly settled over the Cheongha plains, busy with preparations for battle.

Though it had not passed through Kunlun after receiving news from Venerable Miru, the fact of Tibet’s invasion reached the Martial Alliance faster than the wind.

The Beggars’ Sect’s rapid communication network made it possible.

Upon receiving the dispatch “Tibet invasion, primary target: Bright Cult” from the Beggars’ Sect, the Martial Alliance convened an emergency Elder Council.

Since the departure of the Divine Monk of Shaolin, they had been fighting among themselves over who would take the position of Alliance Leader, leaving it vacant.

Thus, in the current crisis, the highest decision-making body of the Orthodox Faction became the Martial Alliance Elder Council.

They agreed to an emergency mobilization of forces.

There was no opposition to each sect sending one hundred masters to Shaolin as quickly as possible.

However, regarding what to do next, dozens of opinions—each with even more differing stances—were thrown about chaotically.

The Nine Sects had their own views, the Six Great Clans had theirs, and the smaller sects had theirs.

On top of that, differences arose depending on whether they were close to Tibet or Xinjiang or not.

After two shijin of such chaos, the council finally narrowed down to two major positions.

One was to immediately commit the full strength of the Orthodox Faction to aid the Bright Cult and crush Tibet’s invasion.

This view was mainly proposed by sects bordering the demonic lands of Qinghai—Yunnan, Sichuan, and Gansu.

The other position was to gather forces but wait.

Just as the Bright Cult had done in the past, they proposed to join only after the Bright Cult and Tibet had fought to mutual exhaustion.

This argument, bolstered by the advantages to be gained afterward, received the greatest support.

After a tense struggle between the two sides, the council ultimately chose the latter.

Because the number of sects supporting it was overwhelmingly greater.

Messages were immediately sent to the sects of Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan, who were in immediate danger.

They advised them to first withdraw to safer regions and return after the Martial Alliance had gathered its full strength.

Around the time those messages were being sent, the Namgung Clan was in turmoil due to an unexpected disturbance.

It was caused by Namgung Chang-yeon attempting to leave the clan, insisting he must rescue Namgung Hee-yeon.

Had it been only him, he could have simply been restrained and confined.

But the situation escalated into chaos because the Azure Dragon Sword King supported him.

The Clan Head, rushing over, spoke to the Azure Dragon Sword King.

“If it is about repaying a life-saving grace, then I too must go! I was also saved by the Vice Cult Leader!”

“Then let us go together, Clan Head.”

“Uncle! You must come to your senses. Neither you nor I are individuals. If you move, the entire world will say the Namgung Clan has moved. The same goes for me!”

“So you would have us ignore the danger they face, after receiving such a life-saving grace?”

“Then are you saying that to repay that grace, we should drag innocent Namgung martial artists to their deaths?”

“I am not asking to send others. Just me alone—”

“Do you think the other sects will tolerate Namgung acting differently from the Martial Alliance in the face of Tibet’s invasion?”

At the Clan Head’s interruption, the Azure Dragon Sword King could not respond.

Because he knew better than anyone the rigidity and stubbornness of the Orthodox Faction.

Seeing him fall silent, the Clan Head continued.

“Namgung will be isolated. We may have to face a powerful external enemy alone. Have you considered the blood Namgung would have to shed then?”

“Hmm……”

At his own words, the Azure Dragon Sword King let out a deep groan, his face twisted.

The Clan Head spoke again.

“The moment you took up the sword, you stood on the boundary between life and death. And the moment you accepted the position of an Elder, your personal stance ceased to exist.”

At those words, the Azure Dragon Sword King shut his eyes tightly and said nothing.

Turning his gaze away from him, the Clan Head added,

“Let us trust him, Uncle. With that killing sword that shakes the world, he will endure.”

At those words, the figure that rose in the Azure Dragon Sword King’s mind was a man with a twisted smile and murderous eyes—Yul Han.

“Haah……”

The sigh of the Azure Dragon Sword King was deep.