Chapter 17: North Heaven Alliance Leader 4

Baek Moo-jin’s expression was quite serious.

Despite their overwhelming numerical superiority, Baek Moo-jin’s words left people bewildered, as if spoken by a ghost.

Baek Moo-jin’s gaze swept over the rebel forces. No one openly moved at his words, but several glanced fearfully at Dan Mok-heon or stole glances at the masters of the Dan Mok Sword Clan.

Baek Moo-jin did not miss those glances.

It meant that among them were those who had been pushed into this by someone stronger than themselves. Even if that wasn’t the case, they were at the very least uncertain about what he intended to do.

Baek Moo-jin looked at Dan Mok-heon.

‘The ringleaders are Danmokheon and the Danmok Sword Clan… If I overwhelm and kill them, the situation will change.’

Danmokheon, sensing the crowd growing restless at Baek Mujin’s words, immediately barked an attack order in an angry voice.

“Attack!”

Yet, among all those gathered here, the first and fastest to move was none other than Baek Moo-jin himself.

Baek Moo-jin soared into the air without even the sound of a leap.

Then, the sound of a sword being drawn echoed through the air…

A dazzlingly white blade released a pure white sword energy that engulfed the masters of the Danmok Sword House.

With sharp clangs, the Danmokumokga masters swiftly drew their swords to deflect the sword energy.

But the sword energy pouring down upon them was not meant to cut.

With a shimmering sound, the lower bodies of four Danmokugye masters instantly froze solid.

Crackle-crackle-crackle!

A truly shocking situation.

Even more shocking was Baek Moo-jin’s effortless action.

Moreover, it was a frigid sword energy rarely seen in the martial world. Eyes widened instantly, regardless of friend or foe.

But if he missed this golden opportunity, Gu Yanghou would forfeit his claim to being both a martial leader and a supreme master.

The surprise attack Baek Moo-jin had just launched was the perfect chance for Gu Yang-hu to conserve his strength.

Gu Yanghou spun in place like a whirlwind, then traced the path of the Pado in the air while releasing his sword energy.

Gu Yanghou’s Overlord’s Force: Dual Severance.

Unlike Bai Wuzhen’s sword energy, Gu Yanghou’s blade, completely formless, poured down upon the upper bodies of the Danmoge Sword Sect masters.

Splatter, splatter, splatter! Blood spurted upward with each sound.

But Danmokheon proved truly different.

Dan Mokheon evaded Baek Mujin’s Hanbing sword energy, which fell over a wide area, then consecutively deflected Gu Yanghu’s sword energy as well.

Without hesitation, Dan Mok-heon shot forward like an arrow, locking into combat with Gu Yang-hu.

Gu Yanghou, seemingly pleased with Baek Moo-jin’s preemptive strike, burst into laughter as he slashed at Dan Mok-heon’s sword.

Sparks flew, and Gu Yanghou’s laughter echoed out, growing longer and longer.

But was there still a man left, the leader of the enemies?

Someone shouted at those still hesitating.

“What are you just standing there for?! The only way to get out of here alive is to kill those two! Kill them! Kill them… Guh!”

The man, who had been frantically looking left and right, suddenly stopped speaking.

Baek Moo-jin was staring at him, his long sword already thrust deep into the instigator’s abdomen.

Baek Moo-jin examined the man and found him somewhat peculiar.

His attire was that of the North Heaven Sect, yet the shape of his long sword was that of the Single-Blade Sword Sect.

He was both a spy and an agitator.

As Baek Moo-jin withdrew his blade, the man collapsed to his knees with a thud. Clutching his stomach, he managed a few words before breathing his last.

“Fools… you’ll all die…”

Baek Moo-jin wiped the blood from his sword and glanced around the room with a bitter expression.

Despite Gu Yanghou and Dan Mokheon still clashing fiercely, for some reason, no one else stepped forward.

There were only two opponents, after all?

They were frozen in place, more stunned by Baek Moo-jin’s bizarre martial arts than by Gu Yang-hu.

Seizing the moment, Baek Moo-jin spoke in a soft tone that bordered on intimidation.

“Those who were forcibly dragged here would be wise to stay put.”

How many had actually been forced to come?

Staying still was foolish.

But the icy technique Baek Moo-jin had used kept flickering in their minds.

Baek Moo-jin threw out another cryptic remark, splitting the minds of those already torn by conflict.

“Of course, the entire Danmok Sword Sect will perish.”

This statement once again stirred up the conflicted individuals.

Sure enough.

Swordmen of the Danmu Sword Sect, who had been scattered among the crowd or had been lurking as undercover members of the North Heaven Alliance, suddenly leapt out and charged at Baek Moo-jin.

As Baek Mujin soared into the air and landed on one side of the courtyard, those who had spread out in a circular formation closed in on him, swords drawn.

Baek Moo-jin clicked his tongue.

‘Quite the day for accumulating killing karma.’

Plunging his sword hilt into the backyard ground, Baek Moo-jin generated a single blossom of White Flower in his left hand, then instantly burst it outward in all directions.

With a shwaaaaah, a frigid force surged toward the charging figures.

With a thud-thud-thud, the warriors charging forward froze mid-motion.

Next, Baek Moo-jin slashed forward with the sword he held, spun his body once, and then drew a single stroke backward.

Could they have ever imagined witnessing such a brutal scene?

The frozen figures’ heads fell to the ground with hollow thuds.

The gap in martial prowess was incomparably vast.

Both the freezing and the slashing occurred in an instant, leaving the onlookers unable to clearly grasp the situation.

Only the fact that the necks of those charging at Baek Moo-jin were gone was starkly evident. Those watching could only swallow hard repeatedly at Baek Moo-jin’s martial prowess.

After sheathing his sword, Baek Moo-jin glanced sideways toward Gu Yang-hu.

Just then, Dan Mokheon’s torso, which had been backing toward the pond, was split diagonally in two. Gu Yanghu, drenched in blood, wiped his face with his left hand and looked back.

Corpses lay scattered around Baek Mujin, and those who had followed Dan Mokheon stared at Gu Yanghu and Baek Mujin with faces as pale as the dead.

Gu Yanghou surveyed the group and said.

“You don’t tell me this is the end? You fools.”

That statement served as a signal. The sound of weapons clattering to the ground erupted from all directions like a crashing wave.

Then, with thuds and thuds, people’s knees hit the floor.

They couldn’t even utter a plea for mercy.

Their will to fight had already been shattered.

No one even considered breaking through Baek Moo-jin to join Dan Mok-heon.

But Gu Yanghu looked at Baek Moo-jin and spoke reproachfully.

“You’ve done something strange. Aren’t you more vicious than I am? You don’t think I’ll spare them, do you?”

Gu Yanghou intended to wield his own ruthless power, one by one, turning the rear courtyard into a sea of blood. Despite enduring countless slanders, complaints, and grievances over the years, Gu Yanghou had endured it all, waiting for this day. It was to weed out these scum in one fell swoop.

Dan Mokheon’s sword technique proved surprisingly formidable, prolonging the fight beyond expectation. Yet Gu Yanghou believed the outcome would have been the same even if more like him had joined the fray.

Only Bai Muzhen’s response was both strange and astonishing.

‘A strange bastard has entered.’

Regardless, it was true that Bai Muzhen had brought the situation to a quicker conclusion. As Gu Yanghou watched with a sour expression, Bai Muzhen replied in a calm tone.

“Before you kill them all, hear me out.”

“What is it?”

“First, arrest them all. Then, track down and kill the Danmok Sword Clan.”

“And the rest?”

“I’ll explain when you send them out in chains.”

Baek Moo-jin stared at Gu Yang-hu with a stern expression. Gu Yang-hu snorted and nodded.

“I look forward to seeing what you mean.”

3.

Some sword-wielding forces waited outside the courtyard, then returned after escorting the rebels back per the leader’s orders.

His throat parched, Chief Gu Yang-hu ordered his attendant to fetch wine urgently from the courtyard.

A wine table was set up in the courtyard for the rare occasion.

Without changing his clothes, Gu Yanghou filled Bai Muzhen’s cup and said,

“Everyone has withdrawn. Now speak.”

“Yes.”

Baek Moo-jin scratched his chin briefly, cleared his throat once, and continued.

“Did you intend to kill them all, Lord?”

“Why ask when you know the answer?”

“You could have killed them all. The gap was too great.”

“That’s true. Is that the problem?”

“Rumors will spread that a rebellion broke out in the Northern Heaven Sect, and that those who entered the rear courtyard all died by the Sect Leader’s hand.”

“So what?”

“Their comrades are in the North Heaven Alliance. Even if each has just one friend in the Alliance, once this news spreads, over a hundred members of the North Heaven Alliance will be shocked. Add in their families… the number of people affected will only grow.”

“Didn’t they join the rebellion? Isn’t this the natural consequence?”

“I still have more to say.”

“Go on.”

“While they’re detained for verification, their acquaintances will rage, curse, and fume over their foolishness. Whether you execute them or spare them is your decision, Lord. But personally executing them versus delaying execution to follow the Alliance’s procedures yields different outcomes. Most importantly, it gives those around them time to accept and understand what’s happened.”

“Enough. I understand that much. Now that I think about it, aren’t you a worse villain than I am?”

“Is that so?”

“If you understand, drink that and get up. It’s punishment wine.”

Baek Moo-jin downed the penalty drink.

Gu Yanghou is a man of strong pride.

How else could he be called a tyrant while belonging to the righteous faction?

Even this much conversation was unusually verbose for Baek Moo-jin. Yet Gu Yang-hu sent Baek Moo-jin away without so much as a hint of anger.

After all, he couldn’t think of a rebuttal to Baek Moo-jin’s claim that given time, those around him would come to accept it.