Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 126

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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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The Sichuan Tang Sect, the Habuk Peng Family, the Jinju Eon Family, the Hwangbo Family, and the Guangdong Jin Family.
Five of the families known as the Eight Great Families.
The five clan leaders who currently governed these houses sat huddled together in one room, sipping tea. Their expressions looked bitter, yet their eyes burned brighter than ever before.
“So it’s come to this. The fall of the Moyong Family… how remarkable.”
“Geom Seong went too far.”
“Even so, the Nine Schools and One House shouldn’t have deposed the Alliance Master!”
Voices flew back and forth across the room.
The Orthodox Martial World trembled. The Martial Alliance’s Alliance Master, Geom Seong, had vanished, and it was none other than the people of the Nine Schools and One House who had brought him down.
By nature, the relations between the Nine Schools and the Eight Great Families had never been particularly close.
Each harbored pride in their own traditions, and because of this, they often clashed in power struggles, openly or not.
Yet in recent decades, no exceptional talents had emerged from the Nine Schools, and as real authority shifted to the Namgung Clan, the Eight Great Families had grown considerably stronger than the Nine Schools.
Everyone in this room knew this far too well.
“Not only the Sword Emperor but also the Alliance Master has vanished… I wonder if they’ve conspired together.”
Eon Ha-pyeong of the Jinju Eon Family.
He knitted his brows and sighed deeply. These events had unfolded so suddenly that suspicion gnawed at him—could someone be pulling strings from behind?
Yet these men were secretly satisfied with the situation.
The Namgung Clan’s shadow had not merely obscured the Moyong Family; it had also cast itself over those gathered here, forcing them to bow before the name of the Sword Emperor and follow his lead.
Now, with the Sword Emperor and the Alliance Master both gone, everything seemed poised to unfold according to their wishes. They did not show it on their faces, but each believed the others thought the same.
This was why they sat together like this.
“What of the Zhuge Clan Leader?”
“He continues to search for the Sword Emperor, by all accounts. He won’t listen to reason, and he shows no interest in joining our cause.”
Jin Gu-ak, the Clan Leader of the Guangdong Jin Family, sipped his tea with a faint smirk. It was fortunate that the Zhuge Family had not joined them. Brilliant minds like his always created friction with others.
It was better that such men stayed away.
“In any case, it seems the Eight Great Families must now be called the Five Great Families.”
Eon Ha-pyeong chuckled softly.
The Five Great Families.
Though they were still called the Eight Great Families, there were five families among them with the oldest history and legitimate pedigree—these were known as the Five Great Families.
The Sichuan Tang Sect, the Namgung Clan, the Moyong Family, the Zhuge Family, and the Hwangbo Family.
Though the Sichuan Tang Sect and the Hwangbo Family were present here, the other three did not truly rank among the Five Great Families by right. How greatly they had coveted that name?
Eon Ha-pyeong’s gaze turned toward Dang Jung-ak, the Clan Leader of the Tang Family, and Hwangbo Won, the Clan Leader of the Hwangbo Family.
Both wore expressions of displeasure.
Yet they dared not speak aloud, for they all understood that should those gathered here fail to stand united, the position of the Eight Great Families—or the Five Great Families—would be gravely threatened.
“The people of the Nine Schools and One House have looked down upon us, the Eight Great Families, and have even deposed the Alliance Master. I believe we all agree that we can no longer walk alongside them.”
Dang Jung-ak spoke seriously, his gaze sweeping across the four others.
They could not remain with the Nine Schools and One House. Resentment lingered between them, and there seemed no way to resolve it. Now, it was right that they part for their own interests.
As he watched the four men nod, Dang Jung-ak’s resolve hardened.
“Then, believing that all of you agree, I hereby formally announce the founding of the Cheondo Society here and now.”
It was the moment the Orthodox Martial Alliance split in two.

***

“What in blazes are you all trying to do!”
The Great Abbot of Shaolin.
The one called Kwon Seong.
Seon Jin, the absolute authority upheld by Shaolin, surveyed the Martial Alliance headquarters and thundered his reproach. Before his eyes sat the worthy monks of the Nine Schools and One House, and they all avoided meeting his gaze, their faces dark with discomfort.
Seon Jin’s fury had reached its peak.
It was Bae Bun-in, the elder of Wudang, who finally stepped forward.
He bowed respectfully and approached Seon Jin.
“We could no longer abide by his outrageous conduct, Abbot. Surely you understand our position……”
“What foolishness! Was it not you who elevated Geom Seong and placed him in that seat? Then are you not equally responsible for failing to guide him properly from beside him?”
“Which is precisely why we removed him.”
“Hmm. Amitabha… Amitabha……”
Seon Jin shook his head slowly.
What they said had a certain logic to it. They had raised a king with their own hands and now deposed him with those same hands. History had repeated this cycle countless times.
Yet if one thought about it even briefly, did it not strike one as strange?
The sudden absence of the Sword Emperor, then Geom Seong’s ascension to the seat, and the events that followed. And now, Man Hu-ryang himself had vanished without a trace.
The whole situation felt as though it had been orchestrated from the beginning by someone’s hidden hand. He should have methodically investigated what had gone wrong and how to set it right, but instead, they had acted in haste, driven by passion.
‘I know all of this was done for the sake of the Nine Schools and One House, but…….’
In the old days, the power of the Nine Schools could not match the Eight Great Families. Even if it amounted to only the Namgung Clan, the Moyong Family, and the Sichuan Tang Family—it was true that many people gave their thumbs up to the Eight Great Families rather than the Nine Schools and One House.
There must have been countless grievances.
Without doubt, today’s incident was the result of that discontent.
Seon Jin squeezed his eyes shut and muttered a Buddhist chant.
All of it seemed to be nothing but the fault of his own lack of virtue.
“For the Murim Alliance to become a truly proper faction from this point forward, you must ascend to the position of Alliance Master, honored one.”
Go Dam-jin stepped forward, clasped his fists in salute, and spoke firmly. It could not be anyone else. If it were not Seon Jin, who possessed deep respect from the people, the Murim Alliance would be thrown into far greater turmoil than before.
A sigh escaped from Seon Jin’s lips.
‘How am I to handle this…….’
He gazed upward at the unseen heavens and shook his head.
Then, suddenly, he recalled something he had not yet asked. Seon Jin’s gaze turned naturally toward Go Dam-jin, and his lips moved.
“Now that I think of it…… have you found the ones who took Moyong Hyeok-mun away?”
“We are still inquiring into it. They left Henan early this morning, so we have sent beggars to every major road and are mobilizing all our intelligence networks.”
Go Dam-jin swallowed hard as he recalled that time.
There were only three of them, but each one of those three possessed a power that seemed, perhaps, even greater than that of the entire Murim Alliance. That overwhelming martial prowess he had witnessed before his eyes—he was certain it would never fade from his memory.
And so they had to be found.
Some connection had to be forged with them, however slight.
“I see…….”
Seon Jin’s voice was hollow.
No one knew what he was thinking. But the resolute will that soon appeared in his eyes tensed every person in the room.
“Old monk though I am, I shall accept what is asked of me…… but do not think that doing so will serve your private interests well.”
When Seon Jin turned back, his gaze was sharp.
Most of the people present had already learned of the transaction with Man Hu-ryang in the process of elevating Geom Seong to the position of Alliance Master.
Some turned their faces away, avoiding his eyes.
It was at that moment that a sound came from outside.
Soon the door creaked open and a musty smell drifted in. Yet more than that smell, many eyes widened at the sight of the figure entering.
A man with tangled hair falling to his shoulders, dressed in rags that might as well be called tatters, with a single jade staff thrust through his belt.
Every person in this room knew who he was.
Even Seon Jin was startled.
Bang No-baek.
An outstanding figure from Gaebang. Though many said he could not compare to the Sword Emperor, he was nonetheless one of the Five Immortals from the Nine Schools and One House.
Why had he appeared here, when he had seemingly withdrawn from the world and shown no sign of himself?
“Hic!”
Bang No-baek hiccupped and, leaning against the door, raised his Wine Gourd to his lips. Without a word, he gulped down the liquor in great swallows, and then—perhaps in good spirits—he let out a small moan and gazed around at the people in the room.
“You lot did something truly shameful, but those bastards lack all sense too…….”
What he was saying made no sense whatsoever.
But then Bang No-baek drew a letter from his breast and flung it down.
It flew through the air and settled carefully onto the table. On its face was unmistakably the seal of Gaebang—a sign that this was reliable information gathered directly by that faction.
“Look. At what you have wrought.”
Most of the people, including Go Dam-jin, hesitated and could not bring themselves to reach out. This was a letter thrown by none other than Bang No-baek.
Since he had not explicitly told anyone to look at it, there was confusion about who should be the first to open it.
In the end, Seon Jin stepped forward.
He reached out and grasped the letter. He slowly unfolded it and pressed each character inscribed within into his mind one by one.
After reading for some time, he carefully set the letter down.
“Aah.”
A short sigh escaped him.
Dismay was evident on his face.
“Is this truly the truth?”
“You don’t trust my information, old man? Has your judgment grown dull now that you’ve become a blind monk?”
“Hehehehe, Amitabha…….”
What could possibly be in that letter to warrant such a reaction?
Many could not hide their bewilderment.
For the two people who should have explained it had firmly sealed their lips.
Finally, one of those who had been watching the room’s mood—Heo Kong, the Master of Wudang—picked up the letter and read it.
He kept his gaze fixed upon the paper for a long while, imprinting the same content into his mind again and again.
His expression made clear that he could not believe what he was seeing, no matter how many times he read it.
Bang!
Could he not contain his rage?
He roughly set the letter on the table and raised his voice.
“Is this truly the case?”
“Would I repeat myself?”
At Bang No-baek’s gaze, Heo Kong’s frame tensed visibly.
Everyone knew Bang No-baek’s nature. He was infamous for throwing punches before asking questions if something displeased him, and those gathered here all carried memories of beatings from him since childhood.
They all lost their nerve under his cold stare and turned away.
“But… but this… doesn’t this mean splitting the Orthodox Faction in two? The Cheondo Society!”
“What do you mean by that!”
Voices rose from all corners of the hall.
What was the Cheondo Society, and what did it mean to split the Orthodox Faction in two?
Hearing only words without meaning, the confusion only deepened.
A low murmur rippled through the crowd.
The hall grew deafening. The noise swelled until one could scarcely hear the voice of the person standing beside them.
Bang No-baek, watching it all unfold, grasped his Wine Gourd and tapped the wall lightly with it.
Thud!
The sound was gentle and crisp, yet its force was tremendous.
In an instant, everyone fell silent as if jolted awake. All eyes naturally gathered toward Bang No-baek and Seon Jin.
This was the Internal Force of one called among the Five Immortals.
Seon Jin lost his words and laughed helplessly.
“Peace, all of you. On this matter, someone must go and meet with the Sichuan Tang Sect’s clan leader.”
Seon Jin’s voice spread quietly through the hall.

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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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