Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 342

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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 342
“The Alliance Leader and Woon-hwi accomplished the great deeds. I merely assisted.”
“Who do you take for a fool?”
Hwa Mu-nyeom glared at Seol Woon-hwi.
“Gun Mu-gyeol would never have come alone. I intended to kill you, all your people, and swallow both the Hondo Maryeom Palace and the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance in one fell swoop.”
Seol Woon-hwi did not answer.
Hwa Mu-nyeom’s conjecture was precisely accurate.
“As Vice Leader of the Silent World Society, I have heard much intelligence.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom continued speaking.
“Gun Mu-gyeol is no gentleman. He is a hypocrite who will do anything for his own gain. Outwardly he preaches justice, but inwardly he pursues only power and profit.”
Seol Woon-hwi gazed toward the distance.
Far away, the martial artists of the Hwasung Division led by Hwa Mu-ryeong were approaching, bloodstained. Behind them followed Seo Hyo, disguised as a porter, and the newly formed Cheonryeong Geom Dae of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.
All bore signs of exhaustion, yet their eyes gleamed with the joy of victory.
Watching them, Seol Woon-hwi spoke quietly.
“You need not worry about the Martial Alliance.”
“What of the Four Heaven Alliance?”
“The same.”
Seol Woon-hwi turned his head to regard Hwa Mu-nyeom. Their eyes met.
“I intend to hold the Alliance Leader’s enthronement ceremony immediately. Will that be acceptable?”
“Of course.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom answered without hesitation, and Seol Woon-hwi spoke at once.
“It will be very different from when Mae Wi-dong ascended.”
“I know. It will be different.”
….
“But you are still here, are you not?”
Make no mistake—Hwa Mu-nyeom was no fool.
He belonged to a most brilliant class of minds.
This enthronement ceremony would proceed in a direction entirely different from when Mae Wi-dong ascended.
The Heavenly Righteousness Alliance of that time had seemed like a dying ember, barely clinging to life, but now it had been reborn as one of the three great powers of the Central Plains in substance and name alike.
When Mae Wi-dong became Alliance Leader, it was merely a coalition barely maintaining its lineage. But the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance with the Five Great Families and Four Demonic Outer Sects could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Martial Alliance and Four Heaven Alliance as a colossal force.
Though the power of the Hondo Maryeom Palace had weakened, the emergence of the reclusive Yeom Wang Hwa Mu-nyeom only added greater weight.
Where did Hwa Mu-nyeom originate?
From the Hondo Maryeom Palace.
If Dong Mu-rin became the Palace Lord of the Hondo Maryeom Palace with rightful justification, and Hwa Mu-nyeom supported his authority, who could then claim the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance had weakened?
“At the enthronement ceremony, all the sect leaders of the Five Great Families and all the sect leaders of the Four Demonic Outer Sects will come, along with the most renowned figures of the Central Plains. Are you prepared?”
At Seol Woon-hwi’s question, Hwa Mu-nyeom smiled faintly.
“I am indeed.”
His smile brimmed with confidence.
During his years of seclusion, he had made preparations.
Seol Woon-hwi nodded.
“Then might I ask you to handle the aftermath?”
“The aftermath?”
“You must stand behind Dong Mu-rin as he grows. The Alliance Leader must protect him during that time.”
At Seol Woon-hwi’s words, Hwa Mu-nyeom nodded in agreement.
No matter how rich Dong Mu-rin’s experience might be, he was still young.
And to lead such a massive organization as the Hondo Maryeom Palace, he would naturally require the support of an adult like Hwa Mu-nyeom.
“It sounds like you’re asking me to purge the existing factions of the Hondo Maryeom Palace—those who won’t obey willingly.”
“You heard correctly.”
Seol Woon-hwi continued with an expressionless face.
“Internal consolidation is essential for establishing control, is it not?”
“Don’t worry.”
His voice carried absolute conviction.
“If he’s Yu Seong’s son, I must protect him. Besides, that boy has already proven himself sufficiently.”
The fact that he had single-handedly killed both of Shin Ju-eon’s children—the next Palace Lord of the Hondo Maryeom Palace—was itself proof of his talent.
Seol Woon-hwi nodded and gazed upward at the sky.
As the clouds parted, moonlight began to illuminate the earth once more. The crimson rocks of Yeom-ma Mountain were bathed in silver radiance.
Seo Hyo approached him.
Seol Woon-hwi asked briefly.
“Is it finished?”
“Everything is complete.”
The arrival of this envoy delegation meant that all the people of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance who followed Seol Woon-hwi had come.
Shin Ju-eon and Gun Mu-gyeol—both harbored ambitions to seize control of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. Could they simply be left alone?
It was better to eliminate them now while the opportunity presented itself than to deal with them later.
Whether through poison or assassination.
The elite forces of the Hondo Maryeom Palace would move in some fashion, and Seol Woon-hwi had read the situation itself.
That meant he was prepared to counter-strike.
When Seo Hyo said everything was finished, it surely meant they had killed every last one without exception.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Seo Hyo, drenched in blood, smiled faintly.
“I did work hard, but to be honest, I haven’t felt this sense of fulfillment in quite some time.”
Seol Woon-hwi turned his head with a puzzled expression.
“As you well know, when I was active as Cheon Lim’s Daughter, I was always consumed with the thought of cleaning up after Yu Cheong and Yang Seol-jin.”
The phrase “cleaning up after them” was more direct than perhaps necessary, but there was no better word to describe it so precisely.
Because that’s exactly what I had been doing.
Building up Cheon Rim, concealing its dark side, earning money for it.
“But lately… truly, I feel good.”
Seo Hyo raised his right hand. Though it was stained with blood in places, it was clear he was seeing something beyond the blood.
“I am building something. The Heavenly Righteousness Alliance has today been completely reborn as a force of three pillars, and no one in the Murim will be able to deny it.”
I understand his heart.
But.
“We’ve taken but a single step.”
“…Pardon?”
“We have merely begun our journey. I understand your feelings, but the three of us—you, myself, and Senior Hwa over there—must never allow ourselves to be swept away by momentary triumph or despair. I believe you understand why.”
Seo Hyo nodded with a grave expression.
Seol Woon-hwi reached out and patted Seo Hyo’s shoulder.
“Rather than speaking of hardship endured or accomplishments achieved, I will now tell you what I should have said long ago.”
Seo Hyo’s expression brightened with anticipation, but his eyes widened in astonishment at Seol Woon-hwi’s next words.
“I trust you.”
“Great… One…?”
“If the Thousand Year Demon Cult is rebuilt by my hand, you will surely stand at my side.”
Seo Hyo fell silent.
He could feel the sincerity in Seol Woon-hwi’s words.
Seol Woon-hwi, observing Seo Hyo’s reaction, withdrew something from his Storage Bag and handed it over.
It was a Secret Manual.
The moment Seo Hyo received it and examined its contents, his legs nearly gave way beneath him.
“Great… Great One. This…?”
“Speak of this to no one. Train only when the one you trust most stands guard nearby.”
He found himself utterly speechless.
Surely Seo Hyo, of all people, could not be ignorant of this Secret Manual’s value.
The Demon Blood Heaven Gang Art.
The Secret Manual that creates a Heavenly Demon.
During the Thousand Year Demon Cult’s era, many had been called the next Heavenly Demon.
They were commonly known as the “Great Lords.”
Not a single one of them stood below the realm of Great Void Formless, and they shared one crucial commonality.
They had all perfected the Demon Blood Heaven Gang Art.
More precisely, only those who perfected the Demon Blood Heaven Gang Art could earn the title of Great Lord.
In another sense, this was legitimacy itself.
“…Great One… I know my own limitations. I lack far more than I possess to become a Heavenly Demon.”
“I am not giving this to you to become a Heavenly Demon.”
“…Pardon?”
“True to your name—Seo Hyo, Western Dawn—I give this so that you may guard that value and uphold it.”
“Ah….”
“And you are not unaware that whether you become the Heavenly Demon or another does so remains to be seen.”
“….”
“I know you suffer greatly, yet I ask that you endure further hardship and advance your cultivation. For now, as Vice Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.”
Seo Hyo nodded and performed the Embracing Fist salute.
As Seol Woon-hwi turned to depart, he paused mid-step.
“Great One.”
At Seo Hyo’s voice, he stopped and turned back.
“…It is somewhat overdue, but there is something I should have done long ago.”
He gazed at Seo Hyo with unwavering attention.
“May I proceed now?”
“Go ahead.”
At Seol Woon-hwi’s words, Seo Hyo assumed the posture of the Five-Body Prostration right where he stood.
“When I first met you, I thought you were remarkable.”
Seol Woon-hwi gazed down at Seo Hyo in silence.
“But I never imagined it would be to this extent. Yes, I am sincere about rebuilding the Thousand Year Demon Cult. However, Yu Cheong sought to discard me after use, while you have consistently promised to employ me to the very end and have actually followed through with your actions.”
“And?”
“Now it seems the time has come for me to act.”
Seo Hyo continued, his voice resolute as he kept his gaze fixed upon the ground.
“I wish to serve you. Not as this half-hearted alliance we share now, but as your subordinate in a true master-servant relationship.”
Seol Woon-hwi, who had been observing Seo Hyo intently, spoke with casual brevity.
“Rise.”
Seo Hyo immediately got to his feet.
Seol Woon-hwi then posed a question to him.
“There is one thing I wish to clarify.”
“Please speak.”
“Have I ever, even for a single moment, followed your orders?”
Seo Hyo blinked.
Upon reflection, while their first meeting had been ambiguous, from that moment onward and ever since, it had always been Seol Woon-hwi who commanded and Seo Hyo who obeyed.
“The master-servant relationship was already determined from the beginning.”
A small smile appeared at the corners of Seo Hyo’s mouth.
“Continue as you have been.”
“Then may I also call you Master?”
“Which feels more natural—calling me Master, or continuing to address me as you have been?”
“To be honest, I find ‘Great One’ more comfortable.”
This was not because Seol Woon-hwi seemed approachable or any such reason.
He was far more than merely a master—Seol Woon-hwi was truly a Great One.
Rebuilding the Thousand Year Demon Cult would certainly be a difficult endeavor, yet with Seol Woon-hwi at his side, success was inevitable.
And would that be the end?
No, absolutely not.
Success in the rebuilding would also mean Seol Woon-hwi standing at the very pinnacle of the Murim.
He was a man more than capable of achieving such heights.
That was why he was a true Great One in every sense.
Seol Woon-hwi spoke briefly.
“Then address me as Great One from now on.”
“As you wish, Great One.”
“And draft an invitation and send it.”
“An invitation, you say….”
Seol Woon-hwi gazed upon the setting sun and slowly opened his mouth.
“The Martial Alliance, the Four Heaven Alliance, the Five Great Families, the Soul Killing Gate, and.”
Seol Woon-hwi paused briefly before mentioning the final two organizations.
“The Eternal Snow Palace, the Original Blood Sect.”
Seo Hyo, who had been listening intently, posed a question.
“When would be an appropriate time to hold the gathering?”
“One month from now.”
Seo Hyo nodded in agreement.
“Very well, I shall make the necessary arrangements.”
One month later.
This place, Cheonsu, would become the most turbulent location in all of the Murim.
* * *
Ten days had passed since the incident at the Hondo Maryeom Palace.
The invitations had long since been dispatched to all, whether they had expressed their intention to attend or deliberately refrained from responding.
The preparations for the banquet were nearly complete when a new crisis erupted.
King Yun Deok, the ruler of Woon-guk, had passed away.
King Yun Deok, who had always been frail, was expected by all to survive at most a fortnight following the incident that had occurred at the Royal Fortress, yet that period proved longer than anticipated.
Nevertheless, he could not endure a full month.

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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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