Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 98

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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 97. When Many Gather, Each Raises Their Voice—Part 1
As time passed, more and more martial artists arrived at Dongting Lake.
At first, only warriors from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans were present, but as word spread, martial artists from smaller and mid-sized sects began to arrive as well.
By this point, even those unconnected to the Jianghu had begun to sense that something significant was unfolding at Dongting Lake. Though none knew precisely what.
Every inn brimmed with martial artists, and tension settled over the streets. People held their breath, uncertain what was to come.
Amidst all this, rumors circulated that warriors from the Wudang Sect had entered Wongang, and whispers arose of Shaolin monks spotted in the vicinity.
As evidence, a security perimeter spanning three hundred paces had been established around the Cheonha First Tower. Neither Jianghu warriors nor common people were permitted to approach its vicinity.
In this situation, the most anxious was the Uiseon Sect, which had its base in Wongang.
Sim Woo Won, the Sect Leader of the Uiseon Sect, gazed forward with a grave expression. Across from him sat figures rarely seen in one place.
A middle-aged man clad in crimson robes and a middle-aged swordsman whose face was obscured by a black beard.
None other than Namgoong Chang and O Gun Ui.
They had arrived unannounced and requested an audience. Naturally, Sim Woo Won lacked the strength to refuse their proposal.
“What brings you two to the Uiseon Sect?”
“I’ve heard that the Uiseon Sect accomplishes much good. So I thought I would pay my respects.”
Despite Namgoong Chang’s praise, Sim Woo Won’s expression did not soften.
His guest was an elder of the Namgoong Clan—a figure of incomparable stature. Sim Woo Won was not naive enough to take such a man’s words at face value.
Moreover, he had not come alone. At his side stood O Gun Ui, the second-in-command of the Haenam Sect and a martial artist of exceptional prowess. Unfortunately, the Uiseon Sect possessed no one capable of standing against him.
Sim Woo Won exhaled deeply.
“Ah! If you require my assistance, please speak freely.”
At his words, Namgoong Chang smiled broadly.
Intelligent men were a pleasure to deal with. They calculated the situation themselves and gracefully conceded without resistance.
Meanwhile, his only task was to set the mood.
Namgoong Chang opened his mouth.
“As you likely know, a great assembly will soon convene here. A grand gathering of the entire Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans.”
“Hmm.”
Sim Woo Won released a low hum of acknowledgment.
It was something he already knew. Yet hearing it directly from a member of the Namgoong Clan carried a different weight.
This was happening in Wongang, which he considered his own domain. Moreover, the site of the gathering was the Cheonha First Tower, which bore a close relation to his sect. He could not have remained indifferent had he tried.
“But why hold the assembly here? The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans could gather anywhere—surely there are finer locations.”
“It is a fine place, indeed.”
“Pardon?”
“Dongting Lake. Its position is accessible from all directions, and its scenery is breathtaking. I wonder if there exists a more perfect location beneath heaven.”
“That much is certainly true.”
Though he sensed something unsettling, Sim Woo Won nodded in agreement.
After all, the Uiseon Sect and the Akyang Sword Sect had established their bases near Dongting Lake for precisely the same reasons.
“We intend to purchase land near Akyang.”
“Pardon?”
At Namgoong Chang’s unexpected remark, Sim Woo Won blinked in confusion. Then Namgoong Chang smiled gently.
“There is no need for alarm. I merely mention that we wish to acquire land.”
“Ah, but why would the Namgoong Clan purchase land in Akyang…?”
“It is not the Namgoong Clan that will purchase it. The Murim Alliance will.”
“The Murim Alliance?”
“Indeed. The Murim Alliance.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Shortly, the Murim Alliance will establish itself at Dongting Lake. We consider Akyang the optimal location.”
“Hmm.”
Sim Woo Won released another low hum.
The Murim Alliance—something he had never contemplated was coming to pass.
Now he could begin to understand why the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans were gathering here.
The Murim Alliance was no mere federation of martial sects.
If it truly came into being, it would wield extraordinary power. Should it be spearheaded by the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans, no force in the current Jianghu could oppose or check it.
Namgoong Chang’s words meant that the Murim Alliance would establish itself in Akyang. Who possessed the strength to defy their intentions?
The gathering of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans at the Cheonha First Tower was not to decide whether the Murim Alliance should be established.
Its establishment was already determined.
The question was how to divide the stakes among the participating sects. Surely that was why they were gathering at Dongting Lake.
‘Hunan Province has neither the Nine Great Sects nor the Five Great Clans. A perfect neutral ground. There is no better place to establish the Murim Alliance and fairly divide such tremendous interests.’
Hunan Province did possess the Five Great Sects of Hunan. But they were the sort that could be handled by any single member of the Nine Great Sects.
Which of the Five Great Sects of Hunan would dare oppose an assembly disguised as the Murim Alliance, backed by the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans? It was impossible.
The more he considered it, the more his spine prickled with cold dread. Sim Woo Won’s back was already drenched in cold sweat.
How he spoke now would determine the fate of the Uiseon Sect. His mind churned in turmoil.
After a long moment of thought, Sim Woo Won finally opened his mouth.
“How may the Uiseon Sect be of service to you?”
“Sect Leader Sim is indeed wise.”
Namgoong Chang’s eyes gleamed with profound intensity.
Sim Woo Won saw himself reflected in Namgoong Chang’s pupils—a diminished figure, visibly shrinking under the weight of the gaze. He hated to admit it, but that was the truth.
Sim Woo Won chose his words with care.
“Tell me what needs to be done. I will give my utmost effort.”
“There is much the Uiseon Sect can help with. I will not refuse such aid.”
At Namgoong Chang’s words, O Gun Ui’s expression hardened slightly.
Sim Woo Won could not know the true nature of the storm gathering over Dongting Lake—a tempest that a minor sect like the Uiseon Sect would find nearly impossible to weather.
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The massive Yunma Dagang Vessel cut through the Yangtze River, pressing southward.
The vessel’s deck was crowded with passengers. Among the many clusters of people scattered across the boards, certain figures stood out distinctly.
They were some twenty Daoists, each wearing a Nanhua Cap and a simple Daoist Robe.
Many Daoists existed in the world. In every region where a mountain held a name, there was inevitably a Daoist temple.
But the Daoists aboard this vessel were truly exceptional. They were not ordinary temple Daoists—they were from the Hua Shan Sect.
Though the Daoists made no show of their affiliation, those around them recognized at once where they had come from.
One would have to be blind not to recognize Daoists of the Hua Shan Sect, one of the two great pillars of Daoism alongside the Wudang Sect.
At the center of the Daoists stood an elder who appeared to be in his early fifties. Though dressed in the same ordinary Daoist Robe as the others, his eyes held a luminous, profound light.
The elder’s Daoist name was Hyun Mu.
He was a disciple of Hyun Cheon, the Sect Leader, and among the Hua Shan Sect’s finest masters. He led this expedition of Hua Shan Daoists toward Akyang.
The Daoists surrounding Hyun Mu were disciples selected by the Hua Shan Sect; most were Second-generation Disciples, though a few First-generation Disciples had come as well, given the gravity of the matter.
Among the First-generation Disciples, one figure drew particular attention: a female Daoist. She wore the Nanhua Cap and Daoist Robe like the others, yet the natural curves of her form remained visible.
The female Daoist, who appeared to be in her early-to-mid thirties, was named Han So Yoo.
She was a rare female Daoist among the Hua Shan Sect and had achieved remarkable distinction among the First-generation Disciples. She was one of the illustrious Plum Blossom Thirty-Six Sword Masters, a rank that all disciples of the Hua Shan Sect aspired to join.
The years had deepened the light in Han So Yoo’s eyes and granted her the refinement of the plum blossom. Among the Hua Shan disciples, there was scarcely one who did not admire her.
Han So Yoo murmured to herself.
“Three years? Has it been that long?”
It had been three years since she had last ventured into the world. At that time, an Evil Martial Artist called the Crouching Dragon Bloodfiend had appeared in Shanxi Province.
He had committed countless atrocities, yet Shanxi Province possessed neither a sect nor a master capable of stopping him. At last, the desperate people appealed to the Hua Shan Sect in Shaanxi Province.
Han So Yoo had then departed with five of the Plum Blossom Sword Masters to eliminate the Crouching Dragon Bloodfiend.
The Crouching Dragon Bloodfiend fought fiercely, but he was no match for Han So Yoo and her five companions. In the end, he fell beneath Han So Yoo’s blade, and from that sequence of events, she had gained immense renown.
The Plum Blossom Immortal.
That was Han So Yoo’s byname.
Then the warm voice of Hyun Mu broke through her reverie.
“So Yoo, what occupies your thoughts so deeply?”
“Nothing of consequence, Master.”
“As Dongting Lake draws near, I see you’ve grown sentimental.”
“No, Master.”
“It is no fault. We may be Daoists, but we are not free from the Five Desires and Seven Emotions.”
Hyun Mu’s voice carried a deep warmth.
To the disciples of the Hua Shan Sect he was endlessly benevolent, yet to the enemies of the sect, he could be crueler than anyone.
“You have borne much hardship these years.”
“What could I have done?”
“Without you and Myeong Gyeong, the Hua Shan Sect of today would not exist. You two are the future of Hua Shan.”
It was the highest praise Hyun Mu could bestow.
For more than a decade, driven by the mission to revitalize Hua Shan, she had poured all her strength into the effort. Thanks to this, the sect now enjoyed its greatest prosperity in twenty years. Yet it still had not reached its former glory. Thus, there could be no rest.
“What of Myeong Gyeong?”
“We agreed to meet at the next port.”
“Then we shall see him soon.”
A faint smile played at the corners of Hyun Mu’s mouth.
Whenever the name of Myeong Gyeong was mentioned, all the elders of the Hua Shan Sect showed the same change of expression.
Twelve years ago, when Hyun Gyeom had chosen Myeong Gyeong—a mere Outer Disciple—as his student, passing over all the Inner Disciples, many had harbored doubts.
Could an Outer Disciple truly receive the full teachings of Hyun Gyeom? But Myeong Gyeong proved worthy of Hyun Gyeom’s choice, achieving startling feats.
He had mastered the martial arts of the Hua Shan Sect with astonishing speed and broken through every barrier in his path.
Hyun Gyeom, the finest master of the Hua Shan Sect. Myeong Gyeong, its greatest prodigy. Together, they rendered the impossible possible.
This journey to Akyang was not merely for the founding of the Murim Alliance. Rather, its deeper purpose was to provide Myeong Gyeong with invaluable experience.
Myeong Gyeong was the future of the Hua Shan Sect. The sect’s own destiny would depend on how much further he would grow.
At present, Myeong Gyeong traveled separately from the Daoist contingent, moving south by his own path. All of this was Hyun Mu’s deliberate arrangement to sharpen him.
“I wonder how much further he will have grown by the time we meet. The anticipation is considerable.”
“Teacher!”
“Think about it — I’ve been blessed with fortune. Over more than a decade, we haven’t lost a single disciple of the Hua Shan Sect.”
At Hyun Mu’s words, Han So Yoo closed her eyes.
‘Not a single person lost? That child will never be acknowledged as a disciple of the Hua Shan Sect, even in death.’
Most of the Hua Shan Sect had forgotten about him. But a few remembered. Han So Yoo was one of the handful who did.
‘Dam Ho.’
His name echoed in the hollow of her mouth.

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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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