Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 274

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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 274
Silence settled between the two men seated across from each other at the Byeol Won Pavilion.
For a time, both men regarded each other without speaking.
It was Mae Wi-dong who broke the silence.
“I’ll speak frankly.”
“Please do.”
“I find myself in a rather difficult situation at present.”
Seol Woon-hwi nodded in understanding as he observed Mae Wi-dong release a heavy sigh.
“I sought assistance from various sects for the revival of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, yet the results have become… this.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Rather than regret…”
Mae Wi-dong paused before continuing.
“I’m somewhat afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“Of making the wrong choice.”
Though a master of Heaven-Human Unity, Mae Wi-dong was a man of excessive courtesy.
Perhaps the years he had spent as Vice Alliance Leader had shaped him thus.
Or perhaps he had intended it to be so.
It was a matter worth considering, but not now.
Seol Woon-hwi nodded and spoke.
“I understand that sentiment well.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. Though I have not lived as long as you, Vice Alliance Leader, nor experienced as much as you have, I have faced the choice of losing everything or gaining everything—not just for myself, but with the lives of my people at stake—many times over. Therefore, I understand completely.”
Seol Woon-hwi spoke with measured calm.
“However, Vice Alliance Leader, there is one thing I wish to ask.”
“What is it?”
“What is the goal of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance?”
“The goal, you say…”
“Is it mere survival? Or true revival?”
Mae Wi-dong fell into thought for a moment.
“After the previous Alliance Leader’s passing, you sought aid from the Central Plains to revive the declining Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. Yet you know well—when martial artists gather, power struggles inevitably follow.”
“…”
“You could not have failed to anticipate this, and now I am the victor of that power struggle. Therefore, I believe it is time we both became sincere with one another.”
“Hmm…”
“What is your true goal, Vice Alliance Leader?”
Mae Wi-dong spoke with resolve.
“Revival.”
“Then do you believe the current Heavenly Righteousness Alliance is capable of achieving it?”
It was a direct question.
Mae Wi-dong offered a bitter smile.
“…It will be difficult.”
“Why would it be difficult?”
“We lack talented individuals, our faction is weak, and above all….”
“Above all?”
“We lack appeal compared to other factions.”
Mae Wi-dong spoke with candor.
“This has been a problem since before the Great One took over as Alliance Leader. The Great One, who advocates for martial artist supremacy, assumed leadership of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance precisely to grant it appeal.”
“In the end, it succeeded.”
“Yes, it did succeed. But when the Great One died, we returned to that old question. What appeal does the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance truly possess?”
Frankly speaking, it had none.
If one reveres the Righteous Path, one joins the Martial Alliance. If one reveres anything else, one joins the Four Heaven Alliance.
“So that’s why you chose the O-dae Geom-jong and Sa-ma Oe-jong.”
“Correct. But now it has become even more ambiguous.”
Seol Woon-hwi did not deny it.
“As you mentioned at the Cheon-ui Jeon, if we join hands with Cheonsu-sa, we will have to face both the O-dae Geom-jong and Sa-ma Oe-jong.”
“You believe the losses would outweigh the gains.”
“I won’t deny it, but my heart has been moved.”
Mae Wi-dong’s pupils gleamed.
“Looking at Cheonsu-sa’s path thus far, there have been many occasions where situations that seemed destined for defeat were reversed instead. That means it’s fair to say he never fights battles he cannot win. Am I correct?”
“Close enough.”
“That’s why I intend to stand with Cheonsu-sa.”
At those words, Seol Woon-hwi’s brow twitched slightly.
He accepted so easily?
Mae Wi-dong spoke to Seol Woon-hwi, who was regarding him with an odd expression.
“More than anything, as a martial artist before a person, I cannot help but admire Cheonsu-sa’s genius.”
“Admiration… are you speaking to me?”
“Don’t feign ignorance. Even if I appear as I do, I am a martial artist of the Heaven-Human Unity realm. Surely you don’t expect me not to understand.”
Mae Wi-dong was sincere now.
“You seem to have ascended to a realm that is the Four Stages of Heaven and Earth, yet is not the Four Stages of Heaven and Earth… am I wrong?”
“Your insight is impressive.”
“Haha… rather than broad, it’s simply that being in this position, one learns certain things. In particular, I have great interest in the history of the Thousand Year Chaos. Among those histories, there exists something called the Three Mysteries Unity Theory, which reinterprets the Four Stages of Heaven and Earth realm. I’ve heard it was a theory created by an ancient genius, but that not a single person has ever realized it.”
It was understandable.
Martial artists of the Five Realms of Martial God rank, a higher realm, could discern to some degree what Seol Woon-hwi’s current realm was.
That was proof of what Yeom Wang Hwa Mu-nyeom had found peculiar.
Mae Wi-dong, being a master of the Five Realms of Martial God, could entertain similar thoughts to Hwa Mu-nyeom, but the circumstances differed greatly.
The Three Mysteries Unity Theory was created by Baek Do-cheon, a Vice Sect Leader of the Thousand Year Demon Cult whose name no longer remains in current history, and Seol Woon-hwi first heard of it from Cheon Do-ja.
But Mae Wi-dong knew of it?
Two interpretations were possible.
The first was that Mae Wi-dong held a very keen interest in the Thousand Year Demon Cult.
If this were the case, there was no way to exclude the possibility that Mae Wi-dong’s current identity was a false one. He could be a top executive of the Muk Se-hoe or a subordinate of Yu Cheong.
The second type is those with genuinely broad knowledge and experience.
There are indeed such people—martial artists who enjoy collecting ancient texts and documents from the past, gaining indirect experience through them.
In my previous life, I was the second type.
I collected Secret Manuals that once existed in the Central Plains but had vanished, along with countless documents.
Obtaining and interpreting the Incantation Formula that No Cheon-myeong had obsessed over was an extension of that very pursuit.
But which type was Mae Wi-dong?
I was a direct man.
“I have just one question I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Are you familiar with an organization called the Muk Se-hoe?”
Mae Wi-dong tilted his head.
“…Muk Se-hoe… I’m afraid I don’t know of it. Was it perhaps an organization that existed in the past?”
“That’s not quite it. Then, are you someone who desires the reconstruction of the Thousand Year Demon Cult?”
Mae Wi-dong blinked.
“You said you had one question, yet that became two… To answer you: I have held the position of Vice Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance for over thirty years now. That being the case, would I—of all people—seek to reconstruct not some other sect, but the Thousand Year Demon Cult, the very origin of the Demonic Path and an organization so vile its name cannot even be spoken? Seol Cheonsu-sa, that question is most offensive.”
I regarded Mae Wi-dong quietly, and he returned my gaze.
Our realms were undoubtedly different.
Mae Wi-dong, having achieved Heaven-Human Unity, could kill me where I stood if he wished, yet I, having ascended to the Three Mysteries Realm, would not fall so easily.
Even when I was at the Five Energy Harmonizing Origin, I severed one of the eight limbs of a Thought Entity at the Heaven-Human Realm, and not long ago, I brutally slaughtered Jang I-cheong, who stood but a half-step away from Heaven-Human Unity.
Should we both accept mutual destruction, Mae Wi-dong would suffer grievous wounds as well.
Thus, this standoff between these two men was not strange.
For a time.
As I continued to regard Mae Wi-dong, I rose from my seat and performed the Embracing Fist salute.
“If I have caused offense, I offer my apologies.”
“I accept them.”
Returning to my seat, I spoke quietly.
“The name of this new realm is the Three Mysteries Realm. You are welcome to make use of me, who has ‘created’ this realm.”
Mae Wi-dong shook his head.
“If a man has accepted an apology, he must naturally clear the debt—that is only right. By ascending to the Three Mysteries Realm, Seol Cheonsu-sa, all martial artists under heaven will turn their attention to you. For me to exploit that would not be befitting of a man’s duty.”
Mae Wi-dong spoke with firm resolve.
“I make this clear: I will stand with Seol Cheonsu-sa.”
I smiled.
“A wise choice.”
“Is it truly?”
“I am certain of it.”
I was filled with conviction.
Mae Wi-dong then asked me a question.
“Will all six martial artists you brought join the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance?”
After a moment’s thought, I shook my head.
“…They will not be joining.”
Initially, he had intended to bring everyone together, but during his conversation with Mae Wi-dong, Seol Woon-hwi sensed something.
There was no need to bring them all here.
“Of the people I brought from Yang Ling-ju, I will admit only Han Mu-rin into the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.”
“I see. But I would like to ask you, Cheonsu-sa. Do you have the confidence to revitalize our Heavenly Righteousness Alliance?”
“Beyond revitalization, I can even pursue hegemony.”
Seol Woon-hwi’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
“However, the path will be equally treacherous.”
“I am prepared.”
The conversation between the two men was drawing toward its conclusion.
Now it was time to discuss the truly essential matters.
“I wish to transfer the position of Cheonsu-sa to another.”
“I see. You mean Feng, the Great Hero of Seongchakju.”
“Correct. He possesses sufficient capability to lead Seongchakju.”
“Then what position do you desire, Cheonsu-sa?”
Seol Woon-hwi explained while bending his fingers one by one.
“Currently, Gangbuk Province, Bogae County, Juksan County, and Balwha County are all unclaimed territories.”
“….”
“To place those four regions and Seongchakju under my jurisdiction, an ordinary title will not suffice.”
This was a reasonable assertion.
“Then, are you perhaps seeking the position of Vice Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance?”
Unexpectedly, Seol Woon-hwi’s thoughts diverged from Mae Wi-dong’s.
“I believe it would be inappropriate for me to assume the Vice Alliance Leader position at this time.”
“Hmm… why is that?”
“My age, the scrutiny of those around me, and most importantly, if I become Vice Alliance Leader, I cannot move freely.”
“Then what position do you seek? Are you perhaps interested in becoming an Elder?”
Seol Woon-hwi shook his head.
“I require oversight and disciplinary authority, and….”
Seol Woon-hwi paused briefly, choosing his words with deliberation.
“I need the authority to become the eyes and ears of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, observing all things; to become the sword that establishes order; and to become the shield that eliminates threats.”
Mae Wi-dong’s eyes sharpened.
“You speak of requiring absolute authority to oversee everything, both within and outside the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.”
“Yes.”
“A position where you bear all these responsibilities while remaining in a state of freedom….”
Conviction resonated in Seol Woon-hwi’s voice.
“I propose the position of Heavenly Righteousness Arbiter.”
“Heavenly Righteousness Arbiter….”
“A position unfettered by conventional hierarchy, yet with access to all secrets and power of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. I will establish absolute authority for the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.”
Mae Wi-dong felt the weight of those words.
In essence, he was demanding absolute power second only to the Alliance Leader, while simultaneously accepting all responsibility that came with it.
“And.”
Seol Woon-hwi laughed.
“The position of Alliance Leader for the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance has remained vacant for several months. Surely it’s time to fill it now.”
“…Ah….”
“Take the seat, Alliance Leader. I will support you.”

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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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