Chapter 309 The Hidden Strength of the Xingshan Sect

Chapter 309: The Hidden Strength of the Xingshan Sect

Hengshan Sect’s Sect Leader, Wei Zhengguo, asked the Outer Sect Leader, Zhi Guangjinren.

“How many supreme masters capable of moving to Aoyang are there?”

“Yes, seven from the northwest and four from the east can move directly to Akyang.”

This meant they could immediately mobilize a full eleven supreme masters.

It was indeed the formidable strength befitting the Hyeongsan Sect, renowned as one of the most powerful among the Nine Great Sects.

But Wei Zhengguo was not satisfied with that.

“Send the nine supreme masters residing at the main headquarters as well. Make it twenty and attack.”

“Yes? Ah, yes. Understood.”

To Jaguang Zhenren, that seemed an excessive deployment of forces.

How could they possibly send twenty supreme masters just to deal with the likes of the invincible Golden Demon and the lowly scum of the Half-Human Council?

Moreover, if the headquarters sent nine supreme masters, that would leave fewer than ten supreme masters remaining at headquarters.

While it was absolutely unthinkable, if something were to happen at headquarters, it could leave them short on defensive forces.

Yet, Master Jaguang bowed his head to Wei Zhengguo’s order without raising any objection.

In the current Xingshan Sect, voicing dissent against the Sect Leader’s orders was a reckless act.

Moreover, Jaguangjin personally had a reason why he absolutely could not disobey the orders of the ruling faction.

“Then I’ll gather the masters from the northwest and east and have them wait at the headquarters for the masters departing from the main base. We can meet up at Saeum, south of Dongjeong Lake.”

“Yes, proceed that way.”

Wei Zhengguo fixed his murderous gaze upon Aoyang in the northeast, where the scum from the model of Hunan Province were said to be hiding.

This time, it was finally time to completely wipe out those troublesome Banxing Society bastards.

Wei Zhengguo had tried every possible method to deal with those Banxinghui bastards over the years.

But I simply couldn’t find the bastards lurking in the shadows of Honam Province.

So this was the outcome of everything we’d dragged out until now.

A situation where even refuting the charges had become difficult due to their testimony.

Wei Zhengguo gritted his teeth as he thought.

‘If only I had dealt with them earlier, I wouldn’t have faced condemnation from the martial arts world.’

Of course, the exposés by the Fujian Yong Clan and the Hainan Sect were also painful.

But Wei Zhengguo judged that since they weren’t directly involved, there was still room to refute their claims.

If they flat-out deny it and systematically destroy the evidence piece by piece, what can they possibly do?

Wouldn’t they ultimately lose their justification?

So the real problem was those bastards from the Ban Hyeong-hoe.

But the infuriating bastards who’d been crawling around like vermin had now crawled out into the open themselves.

This was undoubtedly the best opportunity to eliminate them all at once.

If only he could wipe them out completely this time, Wei Zhengguo felt this whole affair could easily turn into a blessing in disguise.

“Remember this! The most important thing is not to lose sight of those Ban Hyeong-hoe bastards! If you ever have to choose between Akyang and those bastards, abandon Akyang and pursue them!”

“Yes, Grandmaster!”

Wei Zhenggu muttered to himself as he watched the messenger head out to send a telegram to the supreme masters dispatched by Master Zhaoguang.

“No matter how much noise those bastards in other regions make, it’s useless. As long as we can keep Hunan Province quiet, those scum will be nothing more than a passing summer shower.”

***

At the same time.

At the Golden Seal in Akyang, Sunwoojin’s group was reuniting with the Banhyunghoe members.

“I-rang!”

“Soeun!”

“Young Master Seonwoo, how have you been?”

“Master Son, you look as healthy as ever.”

Seonwoo Jin and Jin So-eun shared a joyful reunion with the wandering scholar Son Dae-su and his granddaughter, Son I-rang.

Despite their significant age difference, Seonwoo Jin and Son Daesu greeted each other warmly as if meeting an old friend. Jin Soeun and Son I-rang, in particular, embraced each other tearfully, as if reuniting with a long-lost sister.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere was slightly different for the Ban Hyeong-hoe members reuniting with Seol Pung and Yeon Tae-jin.

“Master Seol!”

“Master Seol!”

“You’ve returned, Young Master!”

They wore expressions of profound gratitude on their faces, treating Seolpung with the utmost respect and deference, as if meeting a superior.

The reason was that when they had faced annihilation during the attack by the former Liuhe Sword Sect’s Bankrupt Branch, Xuefeng had appeared like a comet and saved them. He was etched in their minds as their benefactor.

Even Zheng Xiaoshang, the leader of the Half-Brotherhood and the renowned Iron-Fist Hero, treated Xuefeng as a superior.

With a deeply moved expression, Zheng Xiaoshang addressed Xuefeng.

Master Seol, not only did you save my life last time, but now, thanks to you, our Banxing Society has fulfilled its long-cherished wish. Now that the entire martial world knows of the Xingshan Sect’s tyranny, I can die without regret!

Seol Pung then gripped his hand firmly and said.

“Why speak such words? Did you not say your dream was to avenge the family members lost to the Xingshan Sect? Wait just a little longer. Soon, you will be able to fulfill that dream.”

At his words, Zheng Xiaoshang wept hot tears and said.

“If I live to avenge my family, I will devote my remaining life to you, Master. Even if you drive me like a beast of burden for the rest of my days, I shall never complain!”

“I feel the same, Master! If you grant me the chance to avenge myself on those Xingshan Sect scoundrels, I will live the rest of my life as your loyal servant!”

“I too feel the same, Master!”

“Master!”

“Master!”

The members of the Banxing Society seemed ready to swear allegiance—or even sign a slave contract—at any moment, if only it meant revenge against the Xingshan Sect.

It was as if Xue Feng, not the Iron-Fisted Hero Zheng Xiaoshang, was the leader of the Banxing Society.

Seolpoong looked slightly flustered at their enthusiastic reaction and glanced toward Seonwoojin.

But Seonwoojin merely nodded back with a pleased expression.

After all, it wouldn’t hurt at all if Seolpung gained the full support of the Banhyung Association.

After watching them for a moment, Seonwoojin clapped his hands to lighten the mood.

Clap! Clap!

“Now! Everyone, please pay attention!”

At his words, everyone present—Seonwoojin’s group, Seolpung’s subordinates, and the Banhyunghoe members—all turned their attention to Seonwoojin.

According to information just obtained from the Banxing Society, Wei Zhengguo, the leader of the Xingshan Sect, has decided to resolve this situation by first dealing with this matter. Is that correct?

At his words, the wandering cultivator Son Daesu nodded.

The news had just arrived from the spy planted within the Hyeongsan Sect.

With a dark expression, he supplemented Seon Woo-jin’s words.

“They’ve dispatched twenty supreme masters: seven operating in the northwest, four active in the east, and nine from the Hyeongsan Sect’s main headquarters.”

The room began to stir.

“Whoa!”

“Twenty supreme masters? Is that even possible?”

“Those Xingshan Sect bastards…”

Dispatching twenty supreme masters all at once—it was no wonder people called them the Hyeongsan Sect.

Even among the Nine Great Sects, let alone the Five Great Families, only Shaolin, Wudang, and Huashan possessed such strength.

Hearing this, Zheng Xiaoshang, the deputy leader of the Half-Brotherhood, asked with a worried look.

“If they come at us like that, wouldn’t it be better to retreat first? Wouldn’t fighting such a force head-on be too reckless?”

At his words, the members of the Banxing Society gritted their teeth and nodded.

Though they hated the Hyeongsan faction intensely, they felt there was no choice in such circumstances.

But Seon Woo-jin did not agree with his words.

He smirked and shook his head.

“Fighting them head-on would be reckless. But if we don’t fight them head-on, wouldn’t that be fine?”

“…Not fight head-on?”

“Yes. They haven’t gathered all twenty of them in one place yet. Besides, while they don’t know our full strength, we know exactly who they are and where they’re coming from, don’t we?”

Several people gasped as if they had suddenly realized something.

“Ah, that’s right!”

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense too.”

“So we’ll be fighting them one by one?”

Seon Woo-jin nodded at the murmurs around him and looked at Seol Pung, speaking solemnly.

“Brother, please lead only the few most powerful members of the Yeon Sojeo and Banhyunghoe factions eastward.”

He was asking Seolpung to take responsibility for the four supreme masters approaching from the east.

Seolpung smiled faintly and nodded at those words. Then, turning to Seolpung’s subordinates, he continued.

“The Three-Pronged Spear Master, the Great Hero Gam, and the Ghostly White Elder, Elder Brother Jeongchil and the White-Bone Demon Hong Elder, the Invincible Golden Sword Great Hero, and Young Master Jin will journey northwest with me.”

It was a group comprised of three masters ranked among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Masters and four supreme experts.

Seon Woo-jin seemed intent on taking them to handle the seven coming from the northwest.

He then addressed the remaining members.

“The rest of you, please wait at Akyang. Once we’ve handled our assigned area and returned, we’ll head to Hyeongsan together with you.”

Upon hearing those words, the members of the Ban Hyeong-hoe trembled violently as if struck by lightning.

The revelation was simply too shocking.

Ban Hyeong-hoe leader Jeong So-sang, his expression blank, repeated the words as if unable to believe what he had just heard.

“So… you just said you’re going to Hyeongsan?”

Seon Woo-jin gave him a sly smile and replied.

“Yes, I’m going to Hyeongsan. The time for revenge has finally come.”

Time for revenge.

All the members of the Banhyunghwe felt something surge up in their chests in that instant.

Seon Woo-jin’s words felt like a drum beating hard against my heart.

Revenge…

It was the longing that every member of the Half-Brotherhood had never forgotten, not even in their dreams.

But even they themselves, honestly, hadn’t thought it possible before they died.

Yet Seon Woo-jin was now saying he could do it, that he would do it right now.

Their hearts began to race as if they might burst.

With eyes brimming with emotion, they repeated Seon Woo-jin’s words once more.

“Revenge…”

That word, so sweet, made them feel they could die happy right now.

***

Anhang, Hunan Province.

This place was located in the northernmost part of Hunan Province, a region reached immediately after crossing Dongting Lake from Aoyang.

Within Anxiang, the premier martial arts faction, the Heavenly Middle Sect, had been a puppet sect controlled by the Xingshan Sect for several years.

The Xingshan Sect had bolstered the Heavenly Middle Sect to bring down the Hongwu Sect, then the foremost power in Anxiang. With the backing of the Xingshan Sect, the Heavenly Middle Sect easily destroyed the Hongwu Sect.

It went without saying that both the Hongwu Sect and the Heavenly Middle Sect were subsequently swallowed up by the Xingshan Sect.

Currently, three supreme masters of the Hyeongsan Sect resided within that very Cheonjung Gate.

This was precisely the gathering place for the most skilled masters from the northwest earlier this year.

Once all seven from the northwest gathered here, they planned to move together to Shangyin in the south, where all twenty were to assemble.

Sitting in the reception room of the Heavenly Gate, the lay disciple of the Xingshan Sect, the Sword Master of the Burning River, Mo Dongzhu, yawned with a bored expression.

“Haaah!”

At that, Ziming Zhenren, another supreme master of the Xingshan Sect, smiled faintly at him and asked.

“It seems you’re quite bored. Since there are people coming from Cheonjasan at the western edge, it will take some time. And no matter how bored the priests are, how could they compare to me or Priest Jagang, who have been staying here all along? So please bear with it a little longer.”

Mo Dong-ju chuckled softly and nodded.

“Well, I suppose the senior brothers must be the most bored of all.”

This place, Cheonjungmun, was the stronghold responsible for the northern part of Hunan Province under the Hyeongsan Sect.

That’s why Ziming Zhenren and Zhiqiang Zhenren had been staying here for several months already.

Thus, they were also the ones who had to endure the longest wait.

“Ugh!”

Mo Dong-ju yawned so wide his jaw nearly split, then asked Jameungjin with sleepy eyes.

“This priest is so boring, but couldn’t you just go without me? With twenty of you going anyway, I doubt there’d be much for me to do.”

At that, the Immortal of Strength standing beside the Immortal of Clarity frowned sharply and said.

“You’re talking big, Priest. Are you daring to defy the Grand Master’s orders? I know you’re a free spirit, but this time you’ve crossed the line. How could you utter such thoughtless words?!”

Mo Dong-ju replied with a sly grin.

“Oh dear, I can’t even make a joke, can I? This priest was wrong. I made a dull joke, so I deserve the scolding. My apologies, Senior Brother.”

At his words, Master Jameungjin gave a hollow laugh, while Master Jagangjin responded with a slightly displeased expression.

“A joke?! There are things you can joke about and things you can’t, isn’t that right?! How dare you joke in the name of the Grand Master?!”

Mo Dong-ju grinned and replied.

“If I had followed the Grand Master’s orders so diligently, why would I be a lay disciple? I’ve apologized, so please stop, Senior Brother.”

Seeing the unusual look on his face, Master Jia Gang swallowed his words and decided to stop.

“Hmph! Well, that was a rather dull joke. Be more careful in the future, Brother Mo.”

Though he seemed smooth and easygoing now, Mo Dong-ju had actually been notorious as a troublemaker since childhood.

Once his eyes rolled back, he’d tear at his sparring partner’s flesh until chunks fell off, or even set fire to the sect’s buildings—he was a complete bastard.

Knowing Mo Dongzhu’s vile nature well, Zhiang Zhenren chose to simply hold his tongue.

Meanwhile, Mo Dong-ju felt a pang of regret inside when Master Janggang stepped back on his own.

He had hoped that if he kept nagging, he could use that as an excuse to bite and tear, then slip away from the situation. But it seemed that wasn’t going to happen.

‘Well, as he said, disobeying the Grand Master’s orders would be a dangerous thing to do.’

Mo Dong-ju sighed inwardly in resignation.

Frankly, he had no desire whatsoever to obey the head disciple’s orders.

No, to be even more honest, he felt like demanding how anyone could possibly do such a thing.

He knew what it meant to defy the Sect Leader within the Hyeongsan Sect now, so he tried to endure it as much as possible. Yet, as time passed, his doubts about the Sect Leader and the sect’s activities only grew stronger.

He hadn’t joined the righteous Hyeongsan Sect to engage in such dirty deeds.

I felt so frustrated I wanted to quit everything and shut down the place.

That was when it happened.

Whoosh!

The three people in the reception room suddenly jumped up, startled by the killing intent that seemed to emanate from outside.

“Huh?!”

“What is it?!”

“Enemy?!”

A powerful killing intent was shooting in from outside.

It was the killing intent of at least a peerless martial artist.

What was even stranger was that despite someone emitting such a killing intent, the surroundings were eerily quiet.

The three exchanged glances and swiftly dashed out of the reception room.

Bang!

As soon as they stepped outside the door, they could see the one—no, the ones—who had shot the arrow.

Three people stood in the open space outside the reception room.

They were two shabbily dressed old men and one short-haired woman of striking beauty.

One of them, Zheng Qil, saw the martial artists of the Xingshan Sect and laughed savagely.

“Hehehe! My turn has finally come! I’ll show you Hyeongsan Sect scum the terror of this old man, Jeung Chil!”

Then, the White-Bone Demon Hongchu beside him also laughed eerily and responded.

“This Hongchu will show you the might of the White Bone Demon.”

The two had been harboring resentment over how they’d been pushed aside by the Three-Pronged Spear’s Gam Jak-hyeong and the Ghost Sword’s Baek Gi-ryang during their last attempt to aid the Invincible Golden Sword, Chohagwon, failing to make any impact whatsoever.

That’s why this time, they had begged Sunwoo Jin to let those who hadn’t fought then go first.

Standing beside them, Jin So-eun gave an awkward smile and murmured.

“I don’t really need to…”

Seeing the three, the self-proclaimed immortal scanned the surroundings quickly with a tense gaze.

Then he addressed the other two.

“This is strange. They’ve made it this far, yet there’s no sign of anyone nearby. Everyone, stay alert.”

At his words, Master Jia and Mo Dongzhu also looked around as if they had just realized something.

Indeed, there was no trace of the Heavenly Gate Sect disciples anywhere nearby.

It meant everyone had been subdued without them even realizing it.

That was when it happened.

Zeng Qili didn’t wait any longer and charged forward like lightning.

Thud!

“This one’s mine!”

The man he tackled was Zeng Qilin, the highest-ranking among the three.

Zam Chil’s speed came at him like a dart, and Jameung Jin-in, his expression tense, swiftly drew his sword and slashed.

“Where are you going!”

Thwack!

Zeng Qil’s swift footwork was clearly something astonishing that Zhen Mingzhen had never seen before.

But Zeng Chil’s swift footwork was precisely why Ziming Zhenren believed that if he couldn’t control himself, he might end up charging straight into the sword.

He slashed horizontally across the charging Zeng Qil’s face and thought.

‘Got you!’

Swoosh!

But that was a mistake.

As Zengchi, charging at incredible speed, suddenly halted in place, the sword passed mere inches from his face.

It was astonishing body awareness and physical control.

Jeongchil paused briefly before charging forward again, flinging his hands out.

Swish!

“!”

Jameungjin was stunned.

Zengchi’s own speed was already at the level of a hidden weapon, and he had charged at that speed to unleash hidden weapons at close range.

There was no way to block it.

Jameungjin hurriedly released his entire body’s energy.

“Haah!”

Whoosh!

It was his protective aura.

As a sky-blue barrier erupted from his entire body, he barely managed to deflect the hidden weapons.

Thud!

But Zengchi’s attack wasn’t over yet.

His figure had already soared into the air.

As Zaming Zhenren hurriedly followed his gaze upward, Zheng Qi, having spun once in midair, now stared down at him with one leg raised high.

Seeing this, Ziming Zhenren’s eyes widened.

“!”

The next instant, Zeng Qil’s heel struck down like lightning upon the protective energy barrier.

“Thunder Dragon Kick!”

CRASH!

“Guhhh!”

Zengchi’s kick struck the protective energy barrier, so it didn’t actually inflict damage.

However, the sheer destructive force forced Zhiming Zhenren to maintain his protective aura while being sent flying backward.

It was the moment when Zhiming Zhenren’s internal energy, already depleted by a quarter due to the protective aura, was drained by nearly half in an instant.

Zeng Qi laughed lightly and shouted.

“Khehehehe! The taste of the Thunder Dragon Pavilion’s hand is truly the best! Or should I say the taste of its foot?! Khehehehe!”

The martial technique Zeng Qi had just used was the Thunder Dragon’s Wind Dragon Retreat Technique, taught to him by Xian Wuzhen.

After mastering this Wind Dragon Retreat Technique, Zeng Qi was finally able to break through the century-old barrier that had blocked his cultivation for nearly twenty years.

He had finally met the minimum requirement to ascend to a realm equal to the Thirty-Six Great Masters of the World.

Jameungjin was flung far away and hastily withdrew his protective energy shield.

Having already expended nearly half his energy, maintaining the protective force any longer was too dangerous.

But it was at that very moment.

Zeng Qil’s hidden weapons shot forth like rays of light.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

“Ugh!”

Zheng Qilin hastily swung his sword, forming a blade barrier.

Shwaaah!

Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

The dagger struck his sword barrier and bounced away.

But he had no time to catch his breath; he had to strike down immediately.

Because in that instant, Zheng Qi had already charged right up to him.

“You bastard!”

Shwaaah!

It was at that very moment.

Jeongchil laughed frivolously and kicked his foot up.

“Ehehehe!”

Wind Dragon Retreat Technique, First Stroke

Wind Dragon Gale

In an instant, Zengchi’s foot shadow split apart.

The shadow of his foot, imbued with crimson energy, filled the surrounding space.

Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Then, the sky-blue sword energy of the Self-Illuminating Immortal and the crimson foot energy of Zengchi began colliding like fireworks from all directions.

Pababababang!

As a result, it was Ziming Zhenren who was pushed back.

“Ugh!”

“Khehehehe! This is thrilling!”

Zeng Qil had primarily relied on swift divine techniques, shadow arts, and close-quarters combat tactics up until now.

However, compared to divine arts and dark techniques, martial arts did not demonstrate such great power, and it was true that Zheng Qi himself did not particularly enjoy close combat.

After learning the Wind Dragon Retreat Technique from Sunwoo Jin, Zeng Chi gained a newfound appreciation for close combat.

It was almost miraculous that such a martial art could exist that fit him so perfectly.

Zeng Chi, whose smaller stature had always forced him to fight at a disadvantage in close quarters, could now significantly increase the distance between himself and his opponents after mastering the retreat technique.

Moreover, while others would have had a dead angle within the gap of the retreating technique, Jeong Chil had none.

His short legs, far from being a disadvantage, had actually eliminated any blind spots.

Distances too far for his legs to reach were covered by his memorization anyway, so there was no inconvenience.

As a result, Zengchi finally managed to leap over a barrier.

It was the barrier of a hundred years of internal energy cultivation.

This was also why he was so thirsty for combat lately.

Wind Dragon Retreat Technique, Fifth Step

Whirlwind Dragon Strike

Zengqi’s feet, spinning like a whirlwind, plunged like an awl into the protective aura of the Immortal Zhen.

It was a powerful blow that seemed capable of piercing even rock.

Puuuuuuk!

As Zengqi’s body plunged forward, piercing through the protective aura, Zaming Zhenren could no longer hold on. He spat blood and was flung backward.

“Guh!”

Zheng Qi’s remaining energy was insufficient to maintain the protective aura needed to withstand Zhen Mingzhen’s strike.

Spinning in midair, Zhiming Zhenren staggered as he barely landed on the ground.

His eyes darted urgently to track Zeng Qil’s movements, only to find him already standing above him, raising his foot high.

Jameungjin’s eyes widened in shock once more.

“Thunder Dragon Strike!”

Zeng Qil’s foot struck down like a bolt of lightning.

It was aimed at Jameung Jin-in’s head.

CRASH!

Unable to emit any more protective energy, Ziming Zhenren’s head exploded without a trace.

His body, too, split cleanly in two as if struck by an axe.

However, blood did not spatter excessively.

This was because the severed areas were charred black, as if struck by lightning.

Leaving the corpse of the Immortal Zaming behind, Zheng Qi smiled with a refreshed expression and said.

“Khehehehe! As expected, you gotta shout the herbivore’s name to clear your head with the Brain Dragon Horn! Khehehehe!”

It was the futile death of Zhenren, who held a fairly high rank even among the supreme masters of the Hyeongsan Sect.