Chapter 378 The Path to Becoming a God (6)

Chapter 378: The Path to Becoming a God (6)

Lion Alliance Headquarters.

While discussing the invasion of Honam, General Yi Yeoryeong and his military officer Baek Muha received news.

“Mu Hwangseong and Jeong Do-maeng?!”

It was intelligence regarding the movements of Jeong Do-maeng and Mu Hwangseong.

Lee Yeo-ryeong thought he must have misheard.

The righteous faction alliance had surrendered without a single act of defiance before the godlike might of their leader.

Yet, before the ink on the surrender treaty had even dried, they were planning another invasion?

Gulp.

Now they were forced to kneel before the Lion’s Throne once more, begging for the Alliance Leader’s aid.

Lee Yeo-ryeong issued her orders with a fierce glare.

“Muha, immediately order the First, Seventh, and Tenth Commanders to head toward the Hanam region and block Jeong Do-maeng. Have the Third and Fifth Commanders deal with Muwangseong. I’ll go to Sajajeon.”

“Before you go to Sajeon… I believe we need to confirm a few things.”

“Confirmations?”

“Doesn’t it seem odd? No matter how deep the grudge between the Zhengdemaeng and Wuhuang Fortress and our Lion Alliance runs, they aren’t foolish enough to fight a losing battle. They must have been certain of victory to make such a decision.”

“Confidence, you say…”

Lee Yeoryeong, pondering Baek Muha’s advice, nodded.

“He must be the Mu Hwangseongju.”

“Correct. I see no reason for such a choice unless he participates. And.”

Thud.

Baek Muha pointed to a section of the Central Plains map spread out before them and continued.

The Western Heaven.

It was precisely the territory of the Nine Dragons Fortress.

“The defeated army and Nine Dragons Fortress will be together as well.”

“Jinmu Hall…”

Yi Yeoryeong pondered the name of the warlord.

“Then isn’t that rather fortunate? The current greatest adversary, the Lord of Muwangseong, and the future adversary destined to rise, the Fallen Army, are coming to their deaths.”

Of course, she didn’t care.

The reason was his conviction that no matter how powerful the Lord of Muheungseong and the defeated army might be, they were nothing but mere children before the Alliance Leader.

“I agree. The Lion Alliance, with the Alliance Leader at its helm, is invincible. The miscellaneous factions of the righteous sects joining forces is meaningless. However, we should use what we can.”

“What do you mean?”

Baek Muha let out a cruel laugh.

“How about we use this opportunity to make a change?”

“A shake-up…?”

“The Lion Clan is an organization that serves the Lord and the Lord’s family like limbs. Numbers matter, not actual strength.”

“Muha! Surely not?”

“That’s correct. This is our chance to eliminate those who aren’t on our side. So that only the Lord remains above the Commander-in-Chief. Won’t that stabilize the future power structure? The Lord and the Lord’s household supported by the military, and the factions within the Inner Court supporting the military.”

“……”

Looking ahead to the post-war era, Yi Yeoryeong slowly nodded in agreement.

“……Very good.”

* * *

The journey to the Lion Alliance was remarkably easier compared to before.

With a large force exceeding ten thousand, logistics would be a problem, but we were only about five hundred now. We could advance by procuring supplies on the spot as we went, as long as it wasn’t too much trouble.

Moreover, not a single one among those five hundred was unskilled.

But as they approached the city where the main headquarters of the Hoyeon Society was located.

“Halt!”

We came face to face with a group radiating a sinister aura.

“You rat bastards! Do you think you’ll pass through the Western Heaven lands unharmed after ignoring the treaty?!”

“……”

Judging by their numbers, roughly three thousand.

What was peculiar was that, while not all of them, a significant number were practically a rabble.

How to put it…

Like a pack of wolves with stray dogs mixed in?

Before I could say anything, the notoriously hot-tempered head of the Hwaryong Clan dashed out in a single bound.

“What a worthless wretch blocking my path! Withdraw the warriors you brought and clear the way. I’ll show mercy worth a thousand gold pieces and spare your life!”

POW!

The enemy’s torso split cleanly in two.

‘No, he said he’d spare me if I surrendered… He said he’d show mercy…’

What the hell is this? Killing me without even giving me time to move aside.

What choice did he have?

“Eradicate the bandits of the Samma Sect!”

Killing them to clear the path is the only way.

Waaah-!

As the Grandmaster shouted, the warriors of Nine Dragons Fortress swarmed out like a swarm of bees.

It was the beginning of a blood-soaked massacre.

* * *

A short while later.

Having annihilated the enemies blocking our path, we took a breather.

“Tenacious bastards.”

If they were going to lose, they should have fled. I don’t understand why they fought to the bitter end.

“Heh heh heh, that’s why they’re called the Sapa, isn’t it?”

“Little old man.”

“Hey, are you getting more taciturn the further we go?”

“Well then, now that you mention it, oh my, has the Great Sage of the Black Dragon Sect arrived? What shall we do?”

“You madman. Take this.”

The Immortal of the Azure Dragon raised his one arm and handed over a bottle of liquor.

“This is liquor I brewed myself.”

“I was craving some liquor anyway. I’ll drink it well.”

“Hmm, you seem deep in thought.”

“The very thought of a mere mortal facing a god-soldier fills me with dread.”

“A god of war… From where I stand, you seem more than worthy of that title yourself?”

“I thought so too at first. But the more I think about the Lion Clan Chief, the more inadequate I feel.”

He shrugged his shoulders and continued.

“Perhaps even if every absolute master in the Central Plains, myself included, joined forces, we might still lose. Truly.”

“Huh… It’s hard to believe. How could such a person walk the path of a heretic…”

“Well, don’t worry too much about it.”

“Hm?”

“Just in case, I brought my weapon.”

“A rookie… Do you think that would work against someone who’s surpassed Hyun-kyung’s level?”

“It will certainly work on masters beyond the realm of the mortal world.”

“Such an artifact exists…? Did you perhaps bring armor made from dragon scales or a qilin’s horn?”

“It’s far more formidable than that.”

I pulled out my secret weapon and showed it to Taecheong Jin-in, who was eagerly anticipating it.

“San…cho Bo…tan?”

Sancho Bomb ver. 21.

An artifact created through the relentless efforts of my third wife, Qingchao, the martial world’s foremost mad scientist.

Now it’s time to show off an item equipped with the martial world’s strongest CC skill, comparable to modern tear gas.

When your level and stats fall short, you have to win by relying on gear, right?

“If it hits properly, they won’t be able to recover.”

“……”

Tae Cheong Jin-in fell silent, clearly startled.

* * *

The enemy attacks continued relentlessly afterward.

Though not in the same numbers as before, they came in waves of a thousand or five hundred at a time.

The strange thing was that the enemy’s strength seemed to be retreating like the fifth refill plate at an all-you-can-eat meat restaurant.

The high-ranking members of the Lion Clan couldn’t possibly be unaware of this.

Then there’s only one conclusion.

‘Internal purges, I suppose.’

It means sending the disobedient ones to their deaths.

To them, it must seem like both our country and the Dongmaeng or Muheongseong are all coming to their deaths.

They probably think unification is imminent.

So they’re using us in their internal power struggle.

“Well now, they underestimated us.”

As we pushed and pushed our way into southern Anhui Province, they armed ordinary civilians with spears and lined them up before us.

As members of a righteous faction, we couldn’t possibly harm innocent civilians.

We deployed the martial arts world’s elite special forces, the Shadow Venom Corps, to execute a beheading operation against the enemy leadership, wiping them all out.

Ah, and for the record, I never once stepped forward during this operation.

The last hope of the righteous martial arts world shouldn’t step forward so easily.

The true protagonist always makes their entrance at the very end.

We planned to maintain maximum security, guarding and guarding, until we could turn the Lion Clan Leader’s jaw.

Anyway, after breaking through, breaking through again, and breaking through to the very end, we finally reached the Lion Clan’s headquarters.

At that point, the forces of the Wuhuang Sect and the Zhengdomaeng had not yet arrived.

“What are you going to do?”

Grandfather asked for my opinion in a worried tone.

“Let’s wait and see. Guests are still arriving.”

“If they try to pick us off one by one, we’ll suffer heavy casualties.”

“Didn’t you see before we left? No matter how many come, they’re no match for me.”

“What if the Lion Clan leader intervenes?”

“The one I saw doesn’t move with his subordinates.”

“Huh… Still, it worries me.”

“If you insist, shall I try to negotiate?”

“Talk?”

“Yes. Not everyone has arrived yet. Let’s start when they do. Like this.”

“What the hell are you talking about… Wait, hold on…!”

He flew forward and unleashed a roar packed with his full inner strength.

“Hey!”

The ground shook and the sky trembled at the roar. Those with weaker internal energy bled from their ears, while the masters frowned and focused their gaze on me.

I bellowed at them as if the heavens themselves were splitting apart.

“Lion Clan Leader, if you’re out there, let’s have a drink together!”

“……”

“……”

In that instant, a deathly silence fell over the battlefield.

The men atop the Lion Clan headquarters walls glared at me with eyes filled with rage, while my allies stared back in utter bewilderment.

“What the hell is that bastard?!”

“Is the leader your friend?!”

“Kill him! Whoever it is, go kill him! No. I’ll go kill him myself!”

“Isn’t that guy a traitor?”

“Let’s join forces and kill him!”

The Lion Clan headquarters erupted into chaos in an instant.

“Hey, you bastard! Why aren’t you coming over here?!”

“If anything happens, we’ll rush to protect the leader!”

“Everyone, draw your weapons!”

The allied camp was just as noisy.

But that too was short-lived.

Creak.

The massive iron gate swung open.

[Did you call?]

When the Lion Clan leader appeared, bottle in hand, every mouth shut tight.

“No snacks, but is that okay?”

His eyes, the only window to his thoughts, narrowed.

The moment I saw that look, I knew.

‘He’s a snack addict.’

The type who doesn’t want to drink together.

* * *

A short while later.

Panap, Hopisamseon, Chongpohoe-a, Seosiseol, Ojeongpoja, Songseogyeo-eo, and so on.

With a table laden with Dongcheon’s signature dishes between us, the Lion Clan Chief and I began drinking.

“Wow! What is all this?! Thanks to you, I’m living it up!”

Swish.

He picked up the bottle placed before him and filled my cup.

Swish.

The bottle moved through the air, filling the Lion Clan Leader’s cup.

“Cheers!”

[…….]

Gulp.

The ghostly taste of the liquor made my eyes snap open.

“Wow! This…!”

[It’s a fifty-year-old Guijing Gongjiu. I brewed it myself.]

“Lee Yeol! You’re more skilled than you look?”

He asked, taking a swig.

[So, you never became a god after all.]

“Hmm… Ah, that?!”

[You could have easily become one. If time was the issue, I could have given you more.]

“Ah, it’s fine. I deliberately chose not to.”

Actually, I did find a way to break through the limit not long ago.

The problem was, it just didn’t sit right with me.

[Why?]

“I heard you have to completely abandon all seven emotions. So I just gave up. I don’t even know what this god you’re talking about is in the first place, and I doubt I should become a god by discarding even my human emotions.”

[I can’t understand that. If you just abandon useless emotions, you can become a god.]

Splash.

I filled his cup with liquor and said.

“Maybe someone who’s lived as long as you doesn’t need emotions, but I still want to stay human. So please understand, Mr. Namgoong Muyeong.”

[……!]

I could tell from the look of utter bewilderment in his eyes.

My deduction was correct.