Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 298

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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 298
Jang Seok startled visibly and shook his head.
“How could I ever strike a Great One from behind…!”
“If Hye Jung-san decides to move, it will happen without your knowledge.”
Seol Woon-hwi’s voice carried a calm sense of reality.
“Right now, Hye Jung-san is panicked. He’s already lost a disciple as dear as a son, and within days, both his right and left arms have been severed. But he is a clever man. Even in his panic, he will surely be calculating his next move, and given time, he will find ways to turn this situation to his advantage. That is when he will attempt to use you.”
Jang Seok’s face turned pale.
“I will make my own preparations as well, and conduct cross-verification through those I can command, but if there is a trap I cannot see through…”
Seol Woon-hwi chuckled softly. His laughter carried a transcendent composure.
“Then I should fall into it. After all that effort.”
Jang Seok bowed deeply with a moved expression.
“Great One. I will do my very best in my own way. If the Sect Leader of the Beggar Sect attempts such schemes, I will certainly inform you.”
“Do not overexert yourself. And maintain the distance between us as we discussed before.”
“Understood.”
Seol Woon-hwi gazed into the empty air for a moment before speaking again.
“And from now on, as Branch Chief of the Seongchakju Branch of the Beggar Sect, you will become the core of an information network directly connected to both Seongchakju and the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.”
Jang Seok’s eyes gleamed. This was far more than a simple promotion—it meant shouldering enormous responsibility.
“So I’m asking: can you tell me the composition of the envoy group?”
Jang Seok smiled brightly.
“I anticipated you would ask, so I brought it already.”
He withdrew a carefully folded piece of paper from his garment and handed it to Seol Woon-hwi. As I unfolded the list and read through it methodically, a subtle change began to appear at the corners of my lips.
Interest, and a certain calculating smile.
Jang Seok watched me and asked carefully.
“It seems something amusing has occurred to you.”
I nodded and turned to gaze at the Cheon Ryong Palace.
I was genuinely curious.
What level of skill did Mae Wi-dong, the Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, possess?
He was a master of Heaven-Human Unity holding one of the Eight Seats of Cheonin, yet I had never once witnessed him fight.
This would be a fitting stage.
“Jang Seok.”
“Yes, Great One.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
Jang Seok smiled brightly.
* * *
Five days had passed.
In the Cheon Ryong Palace of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance Main Headquarters, ten men and women sat gathered.
The Alliance Leader Mae Wi-dong and nine envoys dispatched from the Nine Gate Society.
Seol Woon-hwi entered a place suffused with indescribable tension.
The already frigid atmosphere became sharp as a blade’s edge.
In particular, there was one intensely piercing gaze.
Jo Tae-hwa, the Vice Sect Leader of the Ihwageomseonchong and the Golden Steel Sword Hero.
As a master of Heaven-Human Unity, he was the strongest person in this place aside from Mae Wi-dong, the Alliance Leader.
“Your divine perception is quite clear.”
At his words, Seol Woon-hwi hesitated.
Slowly, his head turned.
“Are you Jo Tae-hwa, the Vice Sect Leader of the Ihwageomseonchong?”
“You know well.”
“I understand you’ve come here both as Vice Sect Leader and as part of the envoy delegation.”
Jo Tae-hwa let out a snort of laughter.
“And?”
“I dare say this to you, Senior—observe proper courtesy.”
Jo Tae-hwa’s brow furrowed sharply as he prepared to hear what came next.
Was this truly madness?
“Courtesy? This bastard is completely insane….”
“If you wish to be addressed by your age and hear yourself called Senior in the Murim, then consider this: I hold the position of Cheonin Palzwa, and the Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance himself sits in that place. How dare a mere Vice Sect Leader lower his tone to speak to me?”
It was just as Jo Tae-hwa began to slowly rise from his seat.
Mae Wi-dong, who had been quiet, quietly interjected.
“Great Hero Jo, if I may be so bold—since you’ve come to have a conversation, perhaps it would be wise to compose yourself first.”
“…Listen here, Alliance Leader Mae. I came to this place as the Vice Sect Leader of the Ihwageomseonchong, and now I’m forced to hear such words from a green-faced boy? And the voice of someone who’s made a mistake is so loud—should I really just sit here and watch? How exactly do you manage the operations of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance….”
Jo Tae-hwa stopped speaking and immediately swung his arm to the side.
Crash——!!
Seol Woon-hwi’s Jinwha Cheonryeong Geom, which had been extending forward, was flicked to the side.
“This impudent bastard is now wielding a sword….”
Again, he stopped mid-sentence.
Because Seol Woon-hwi, using the rebound to spin his body, had swept his heel toward Jo Tae-hwa’s head.
Jo Tae-hwa, raising his left arm to block, immediately drove his foot forward.
Everyone thought the same thing.
Seol Woon-hwi would be struck by that kick and sent flying far away to crash into the wall.
This was the natural sequence of events.
Mae Wi-dong was too far away to block, and there was not a single person nearby with the will to intercede on his behalf.
That was correct.
Everyone who thought so immediately widened their eyes.
Seol Woon-hwi’s foot stirred the ground and in an instant shifted half a step to the side. The speed was impossibly smooth, like a shaft of light itself, and Jo Tae-hwa’s foot naturally passed by Seol Woon-hwi’s side.
Jo Tae-hwa’s eyes widened.
“…What…?”
The palm of Seol Woon-hwi, who had released the Jinwha Cheonryeong Geom, extended forward.
Imperishable Golden Steel Palm.
It struck Jo Tae-hwa’s chest with perfect accuracy.
Crash——!!
With a thunderous roar, Jo Tae-hwa was driven backward in a tumble.
He lifted his head.
As a master of Heaven-Human Unity, his mind and body remained composed despite such a blow, but his expression did not.
“…Buddhist martial arts, then. Profoundly mysterious indeed—how does one from Snow Mountain know such Ascending Martial Arts?”
“Is that what concerns you now?”
“…You….”
“Please, sit. All matters have their proper order.”
After drawing the Jinwha Cheonryeong Geom and sheathing it, Seol Woon-hwi turned his back and walked away.
Jo Tae-hwa, frowning as if bewildered, glanced around the room.
Everyone was flustered, thinking the same thing.
Let’s talk first, at least.
It grated to give the man any face, but they sat down regardless.
Seol Woon-hwi, taking a seat in the empty space, quietly surveyed those around him.
Jo Tae-hwa of the Ihwageomseonchong, the Diamond Sword Hero.
Yu Myeong-san of the Suncheon Sword Sect, the Moonlight Sword Master.
Park Cheon-woon of the Heavenly Sound Sword Sect, the Flame Dragon Swift Sword.
Im Jeong-wol of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, the Light-Splitting Soul-Severing Sword.
O Mu-nyeom of the Divine Slaughter Sword Sect, the Mount Tai Sword Hero.
Han Cheol-su of the Hondo Maryeom Palace, the Blood-Bearded Demon.
Noh Tae-san of the Black Heaven Demon Prison Palace, the Mysterious Sword Master.
Baek Seol-hwa of the Heavenly Demon Yin Spirit Gate, the Jade Maiden Sword Immortal.
Jeong Woon of the Heart Demon Dao Gate, the Black Wind Blade Wanderer.
All of them were core figures wielding substantial power within their respective sects.
Except for Jo Tae-hwa, who had reached Heaven-Human Unity, all the others were masters of the Heaven-Human Realm.
Seol Woon-hwi slowly opened his mouth.
“There was a minor incident, but all matters have their proper order….”
Trailing off, Seol Woon-hwi rose briefly from his seat and performed the Embracing Fist salute.
“I, Seol Woon-hwi of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, offer my respects to you, my seniors.”
The atmosphere remained cold.
Unbothered, Seol Woon-hwi sat back down.
Jo Tae-hwa spoke coldly.
“Very well, let’s set aside our earlier clash. Now tell us—how do you intend to handle this situation?”
Next, Yu Myeong-san spoke.
“Heavenly Righteousness Alliance Leader, I can roughly guess why you summoned us here.”
Park Cheon-woon of the Heavenly Sound Sword Sect continued.
“You must know what became of the talented individuals we dispatched to aid the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. In particular, Jin So-cheon was a martial artist of great promise, one our sect had high hopes for. So now, explain how you intend to take responsibility.”
It was not over.
Im Jeong-wol of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect spoke with a sharp voice.
“Hang Ryeo, whom we sent from the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, is dead. And the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance bears clear responsibility for that death. Yet you ignored all our letters until now, suddenly summoning us? That must mean you have something to say—and it had better satisfy us. Otherwise, the Azure Cloud Sword Sect will be enemies with the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance forever.”
As if waiting for her cue, Baek Seol-hwa of the Heavenly Demon Yin Spirit Gate spoke.
“So Ryeong-hwa, whom we sent to the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, is also dead. I’ll skip the obvious talk about promising futures and such—just tell me why you killed her and how you’ll take responsibility for it.”
Seol Woon-hwi listened in silence.
Mae Wi-dong, glancing at him, felt a spark of curiosity.
How exactly did he plan to break through this deadlock?
Seol Woon-hwi slowly opened his mouth.
“We all know what needs to be known, don’t we?”
“…What?”
“You wouldn’t have come all the way to Cheonsu just to burden yourselves with stating the obvious.”
Everyone turned their gaze toward Seol Woon-hwi.
He had orchestrated this entire situation. It was only right to hear what he had to say.
His eyes gleamed with intensity.
“Let’s begin with the Nine Gate Society.”
“…”
“Your plan to establish the Nine Gate Society was ambitious enough. The strategy was sound, and the resources were adequate. The problem was singular: the one executing it lacked the necessary caliber.”
Jo Tae-hwa of the Ihwageomseonchong bristled, but I paid no mind.
“The Nine Gate Society is finished. Your plan to join hands with the Unguk Jojung and drive out the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance has crumbled. That’s why you’re all here, isn’t it?”
Jo Tae-hwa, unwilling to concede, opened his mouth.
“You speak nonsense. Joining hands with the Unguk Jojung and driving out the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance? Yes, that was the original plan, but the circumstances haven’t changed significantly. The bonds between the Odaegeomsong and the Four Demonic Outer Sects remain strong, and the Nine Gate Society hasn’t been dissolved. Can the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance truly stand against the Nine Gate Society?”
Seol Woon-hwi remained silent.
Jo Tae-hwa spoke with unwavering confidence.
“You must satisfy us here. You’ve weakened the Nine Gate Society’s forces by killing our people. And you did so while violating the principles of the Murim.”
“You speak of principles.”
“Ask anyone in this world. If there exists a madman who kills those who came to help, then regardless of reason, such a person deserves ridicule and condemnation from all. What have you accomplished that warrants such audacity?”
A faint smile played at the corners of Seol Woon-hwi’s lips.
“You force me to discuss matters we both already understand.”
“What?”
“Very well. I shall explain. Tell me—why did such things occur?”
“…”
“I’m asking what initiated all of this.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Do you know why the Green Forest Sect near the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance was destroyed?”
Seol Woon-hwi met Jo Tae-hwa’s gaze directly.
“What was Baek Mu-jin of the Ihwageomseonchong’s reason for sowing discord in Seongchakju and then striking from behind?”

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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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