Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 270

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 270. A Tangled Thread (1)
“Alliance Leader. Elder Council member Yi Ja Gyun has made a move.”
“The Law Enforcement Hall?”
“Indeed, but as of today, the Law Enforcement Hall Master has officially prohibited visits to the prisoner. Currently, Yi Ja Gyun is in a private audience with the Law Enforcement Hall Master.”
Meng Ha Sung furrowed his brow.
“In a situation like this, why would he bother going to the Law Enforcement Hall?”
“There are several possibilities to consider, but the most likely seems to be a demonstration of some kind.”
“To Jeon Chil Sung?”
“Yes.”
Meng Ha Sung, who had been tapping the table in silence, asked in a low voice.
“Why does Jeon Chil Sung specifically target Yul Baek of the White Faction?”
“Pardon?”
“Of course, with the Blue Faction Master listening to everything, Jong Mu Seok had no choice but to mention Yul Baek. Naturally, he had to seize upon it, but with Jeon Chil Sung’s influence, couldn’t he have ignored Yul Baek and targeted the Black Faction first instead?”
Gong Sun Baek nodded.
“I believe it’s because of Gonryun.”
Jong Mu Seok had applied external pressure to release O Gyeong Ha.
However, neither O Gyeong Ha nor the White Tiger Sword Sect had any particular connection to the Blue Faction. Rather, they had ties to the Black Faction.
“Gonryun’s Grand Elder, currently the real power of the Black Faction, Yun Hak Ja, is an arrogant man but not a fool. It’s said that more people watch his expression than that of the actual Black Faction Master.”
“Precisely. I’ve considered that angle as well, and I suspect Jong Mu Seok may have received bribes from someone connected to Gonryun or the Black Faction’s Elders, or perhaps they have leverage over him.”
The probability was high.
Jong Mu Seok was a simple man with poor anger control, but that didn’t make him completely foolish.
If he had accepted bribes from O Gyeong Ha personally or from the White Tiger Sword Sect, he would have simply ignored it. That level of thing wouldn’t be a problem.
For something significant enough to move a Martial Alliance Elder, it ultimately required the involvement of someone at a similar level of power.
“I think the same way. The Blue Faction has potential, but on the surface, it has the fewest members among the three factions. Jong Mu Seok causes plenty of trouble, but he’s not someone so insignificant that he’d be abandoned so readily.”
“Correct.”
“Then perhaps the Black Faction or Yun Hak Ja’s side intended to use him as a spy.”
“They likely meant to use him at a critical moment.”
“Then is now that critical moment? Since they moved Jong Mu Seok without stepping in themselves.”
Gong Sun Baek shook his head.
“It absolutely won’t be.”
“Right?”
“I was going to tell you once I became more certain… but I suspect Jeon Chil Sung’s Blue Faction side has also noticed that Jong Mu Seok received bribes or has leverage against him.”
“And the Black Faction realized this too, so they decided to use him as a sacrificial piece to damage the Blue Faction?”
“As a result, the Blue Faction lost one member, and now even the White Faction is being attacked, isn’t it?”
“Then how could the Black Faction be certain the Blue Faction would attack the White Faction?”
Questions piled upon questions.
Yet Meng Ha Sung had already predicted this chain of events to some degree. Still, he posed these questions deliberately to solidify his own convictions.
Gong Sun Baek responded with a nod.
“The ones who informed Jong Mu Seok of the White Faction Elders’ misconduct were likely the Black Faction or Yun Hak Ja.”
“So he knew of multiple instances of corruption?”
“Furthermore, you’re aware of the corruption within the Blue Faction’s Elder Council. For Jong Mu Seok, uncovering his colleagues’ misdeeds would have been no difficult task.”
“In other words, Jong Mu Seok has become nothing more than a puppet. He likely believed he held cards that would ensure his survival even in the worst scenario.”
“Yet an unforeseen variable emerged that he never anticipated.”
“Tambi Ryeong-ju?”
Gong Sun Baek shook his head.
“While Tambi Ryeong-ju is involved, the true variable is Young Ho Gyeong.”
“Hmm.”
“Young Ho Gyeong, the clan leader, was a man who staked his life solely on loyalty to his lord. Yet whether by choice or circumstance, he now applies tremendous pressure upon Jong Mu Seok.”
“Indeed.”
“Of course, the Alliance Leader himself directly exposed O Gyeong Ha to apply pressure on Young Ho Gyeong, but the shift in his stance proved quite dramatic.”
In essence, layers of coincidence and inevitability had woven together to bring matters to this point.
“Then Jong Mu Seok must now be hoping that either Jeon Chil Sung or the Black Faction will rescue him.”
“According to our intelligence, he harbors no expectations of the Black Faction. In fact, observing how he grasped at Jeon Chil Sung’s connections at the last moment suggests he’s in no position to make requests of the Black Faction.”
“Our deductions align perfectly.”
“Yes.”
Of course, they possessed no physical evidence—only circumstantial suspicion.
Yet Meng Ha Sung and Gong Sun Baek understood well.
That situations appearing incomprehensible and complex on the surface were, in the vast majority of cases, born from something far simpler and profoundly human.
“Soon it will begin. Jong Mu Seok’s confession.”
“Indeed.”
Meng Ha Sung’s gaze deepened.
“Now then, how will Jeon Chil Sung move?”
* * *
Ya Hon, who had been observing Moyong Bi in silence, spoke in a measured tone.
“You know the scent of the musk we exclusively use, and you’re aware of ultrasonic transmissions as well. It’s remarkable how much you know about us.”
“Indeed.”
“Yet your confidence doesn’t appear to stem from martial skill alone.”
Moyong Bi replied with indifference.
“You’re mistaken. My confidence comes from skill and authority. Nothing more.”
“Then this conversation becomes far easier.”
Ya Hon crossed his arms.
“You said you summoned me to learn more about us and Jeon Chil Sung?”
“I did.”
“Then you must be curious why we serve under Jeon Chil Sung and do such things.”
“I was curious, but speaking with you now, the threads seem to be unraveling.”
Ya Hon’s eyebrows twitched.
He could not believe that his opponent had grasped something in so brief an exchange.
“Would you care to share your thoughts?”
“Wouldn’t it make our conversation more intimate if the answer came from your lips rather than mine?”
Ya Hon offered no response, fearing he might inadvertently reveal information he should keep hidden.
Moyong Bi nodded and spoke.
“I found it strange. That confidence of yours.”
“…?”
“It makes sense. You serve the Four Kings School. Looking at both previous and current eras, it’s hard to find an assassination group as formidable as you. You have reason to be confident.”
“….”
“Even so, your confidence seems excessive. The Martial Alliance may not be what it once was, but it remains the pillar of the Orthodox Martial World. If the Martial Alliance so much as sneezes, some region in the Central Plains will feel the tremors.”
“….”
“Even if you survive to the end, there will be no place for you to stand. Your circumstances would only grow harsher. Even if persons in power secretly purchase your services, the fact that your situation will become more difficult is as obvious as fire. Yet you display such confidence—there can be only one answer.”
“…?!”
“You’re grasping another thread. Whether you’ve become a secret force within the Martial Alliance, aligned with some faction approaching its power, or serve someone with an extremely high likelihood of controlling the Martial Alliance itself.”
Ya Hon’s eyes wavered.
Maintaining composure in any situation is the virtue of an assassin, but this time it was impossible.
Moyong Bi’s gaze grew increasingly piercing.
“First, you’re not a secret force of the Martial Alliance. If such a force existed, I would have heard of it without fail. If a secret force existed that even I haven’t heard of, the petty political struggles happening now would have already been resolved long ago.”
Setting aside everything else, Gong Sun Baek could not have failed to notice such a thing.
Gong Sun Baek is someone who spent six years with Meng Ha Sung preparing thoroughly for the normalization of the Martial Alliance. And if he knew such a force existed, he would have certainly told me.
Even a random stone that suddenly got involved moves alongside the Alliance Leader.
“Some faction approaching the Martial Alliance’s power… I cannot say. The world is vast and people are many, so such a force might exist.”
Those were his words, but there was the Black Sect.
Another religion derived from the primitive religion of Persia that would become the predecessor of the Holy Blood Cult.
Whooooom.
I opened the Brain Gate Heart Technique to its maximum and combined the Infinite True Qi with the Brain Gate True Energy, observing Ya Hon’s reaction.
‘His heart is racing.’
His heartbeat faltered for just a moment, but quickly returned to calm.
Cold sweat did not form, and his wavering eyes did not change significantly.
‘Has he attached himself to the Black Sect?’
I did not entirely dismiss the possibility, but the likelihood remained low.
What exactly the Black Sect desires remains unclear. However, one thing is certain—they will bring great chaos to the Central Plains.
‘Regardless, in the end they will also seek to destroy the Martial Alliance. But would they have accepted assassins from the Four Kings School for that?’
If their purpose was to destroy the Martial Alliance, they would have persuaded the leadership rather than assassins.
From my perspective, suspecting that there are threads of demonic influence within the Martial Alliance, it was difficult to believe the assassins had attached themselves to the Black Sect.
‘Of course, I cannot be certain of that either. However, the likelihood is low. Then….’
Moyong Bi’s face became expressionless.
In that moment, Ya Hon felt his entire back prickle with goosebumps.
From an opponent who cast no killing intent, he felt an indescribable intimidating presence.
A terrifying pressure that suggested he would be caught and killed whether he used stealth techniques to flee or assassination arts to counterattack.
“You.”
“….”
“Have you attached yourself to the Ho Yeon Family?”
Ya Hon swallowed involuntarily.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have blinked an eye, yet inexplicably, he found himself unable to conceal the truth.
“…I see. The Alliance Leader felt the same way. He said the Ho Yeon Clan was giving him quite the headache. He even summoned the Moyong Clan members, aside from the Elder Council, to excise this disease demon that is the Ho Yeon Clan.”
“….”
“No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem like something the Death King would do. Is it the independent judgment of the younger generation?”
“That is….”
“It has to be.”
Moyong Bi’s eyes shifted once more.
Ya Hon felt his heart lurch. The subtle change in his gaze alone was altering the very color of the tension in the air.
“If the Death King has formally joined hands with the Ho Yeon Clan, then I myself will take the lead in erasing your entire generation.”
“…!!”
A terrifying surge of tension.
Before this meeting, Ya Hon had calculated his odds of victory at eight or nine out of ten. But in this moment, he realized the probability of his own assassination was nearly ten out of ten.
Then Moyong Bi smiled again.
“However, if that is not the case, then there is room for our relationship to turn favorable.”
The atmosphere shifts with nothing but changes in expression and gaze.
For Ya Hon, who had endured countless life-and-death battles, witnessed the deaths of countless people, and faced countless masters, this was the first opponent who radiated such overwhelming tension.
‘Grandmother, no—beyond even Grandmother!’
Thud.
The Sealed Demon Divine Spear drove into the ground.
“The heir of the Central Plains’ Assassination King would never have attached himself to those fools without reason. So, shall we hear what reason drove you to join hands with them?”
Ya Hon swallowed hard and spoke.
“How are you so certain that we joined hands with the Ho Yeon Clan….”
“Didn’t you say not to waste time?”
“….”
“You’ve already been caught by me.”
Damn it!
Ya Hon cursed inwardly.
Moyong Bi gestured with his hand.
“Come closer. Speak clearly into my ear. Why did you join hands with them?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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