The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 73

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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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Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family – Chapter 73

“….”
White Bone Old Demon furrowed his brow slightly, his gaze sweeping across the Evil Faction leaders gathered before him.
His expression betrayed clear displeasure.
He turned to Hwan Hui-gung, who stood foremost, and spoke in a voice thick with phlegm.
“Why such shock, Hwan Hui-gung?”
“Ah, well….”
Hwan Hui-gung stammered excuses despite his bewilderment.
“I never expected you to appear. After all, Senior, you withdrew from the world more than a decade ago, did you not?”
White Bone Old Demon had long been regarded as an elder of the previous generation.
A decade prior, when the Shanxi Martial World alliance gathered to suppress him, he had simply vanished without resistance.
Since then, he had ceased all martial activities.
Everyone assumed he was dead or would never resurface….
Yet here he stood, revealed once more.
“So? Do you harbor complaints?”
White Bone Old Demon spoke in a low, measured tone.
“…!”
Immediately, a tremendous malevolent aura erupted from him, crushing down upon Hwan Hui-gung and the four other Evil Faction leaders.
A power beyond measure.
Truly the strength worthy of a master at the Heavenly Martial Realm.
All their faces drained of color.
“P-please, Senior. I beg you to withdraw your wrath.”
“Hmph.”
Yet that oppressive force vanished instantly at Ho Won-mun’s plea—the one who had brought him here.
“Cough! Cough!”
Hwan Hui-gung and the remaining Evil Faction leaders finally drew proper breath.
They coughed, their eyes fixed on White Bone Old Demon with undisguised fear.
“This leniency is the last you shall receive. Should you doubt me again, next time will not end so mercifully. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes! Yes, we understand!”
Hwan Hui-gung nodded vigorously.
Ho Won-mun exhaled a long breath, then addressed the four still-trembling men with composure.
“Should White Bone Old Demon assume command of the alliance, the Bukcheon Sword Family, however formidable, would not dare move against us. That alone is significant, is it not? Other Evil Faction sects, recognizing the tide turning in our favor, will seek to align themselves with us.”
“….”
“Should that occur, we five founding powers of this alliance would command the entire Evil Faction of Shanxi Province. Does that not sound promising?”
“Y-yes, it does sound promising.”
One of the Evil Faction leaders, listening to Ho Won-mun’s words, spoke up.
He glanced nervously at White Bone Old Demon standing behind Ho Won-mun as he spoke.
“That’s right. With White Bone Old Demon present, all the martial artists of Sanseo would surely flock to us.”
“In that case, the Bukcheon Sword Family alone won’t be much of a problem. We might even develop into a force capable of influencing the entire northern martial world.”
“I agree as well. I have no objections.”
The remaining sect leaders began showing positive reactions to the formation of the alliance, one by one.
In truth, their enthusiasm had little to do with genuine confidence in the alliance’s success.
They feared the White Bone Old Demon whom Ho Won-mun had brought.
If they dared contradict him, his grip might crush their skulls on the spot.
Given the ominous atmosphere, such a thing was entirely possible.
“Excellent. Then let us consider the alliance officially established.”
Ho Won-mun spoke with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Senior. We shall handle spreading word of the alliance and subjugating the other sects ourselves. Do you have any further commands for us?”
“The primary reason for forming this alliance was to check the Bukcheon Sword Family, was it not?”
The White Bone Old Demon spoke in an icy voice. Ho Won-mun nodded in agreement.
“Yes. To be precise, it is to suppress those who are rising again.”
“Then achieve your objective. First, do not attack their main house directly. Instead, assault their branches and allied forces to isolate them. And should they attempt to send reinforcements to aid them….”
Crack.
The White Bone Old Demon clenched his fist, producing a sound like grinding bone.
“Engage those reinforcements and diminish the Bukcheon Sword Family’s military strength. After repeating such tactics two or three times, the Bukcheon Sword Family will have no choice but to withdraw like a turtle pulling its head into its shell.”
“Yes, Senior.”
Ho Won-mun bowed respectfully. Observing the Evil Faction leaders still trembling with fear, he grinned wickedly.
“I trust you all heard that. Then let us proceed as planned.”
“Wait….”
“For now, yes. That location would be ideal. Gui Chang Sect Master, you shall be the first to attack the Bukcheon Sword Family’s Yeong Seok Branch.”
“M-me?”
“Your faction holds the greatest influence in that region, does it not? Do not be so fearful. We shall provide support.”
“But you just said to pressure them without attacking! What if a full-scale war breaks out….”
“It matters not. The instruction not to fight was specifically regarding their main house. Attacking the branch is part of the plan. You need only hold their reinforcements and buy time. Then we shall attack other branches to disperse their forces. The Bukcheon Sword Family will be paralyzed, unable to act.”
“B-but….”
Ho Won-mun asked with an irritated expression.
“Why do you hesitate? Perhaps you wish not to follow the Senior’s decision?”
“N-no, that is not it!”
The man called Gui Chang Sect Master shook his head fearfully.
To do otherwise would have his skull shattered immediately.
Satisfied with the answer, Ho Won-mun raised the wine cup before him and drained it.
“Then let us begin.”
He spoke with a sinister smile.
“We shall thoroughly destroy the Bukcheon Sword Family in this opportunity.”

* * *

Several days had passed since I announced the formation of the Wind Cloud Unit.
As expected, Father readily accepted both the establishment of the Wind Cloud Unit and Sa Gong-cheon’s appointment as its commander.
Moreover, he demonstrated his full support by bestowing upon Sa Gong-cheon spiritual elixirs and weapons.
Was it thanks to that?
The moment we announced the Wind Cloud Unit’s formation, countless applicants came flooding in.
Many martial artists belonging to the Bukcheon Sword Family expressed their desire to join the Wind Cloud Unit.
Yet it was impossible to accommodate all of them.
“From this moment forward, we shall select the Wind Cloud Unit members through a simple examination.”
Sa Gong-cheon, the newly appointed commander of the Wind Cloud Unit, prepared screening tests with the assistance of the Iron Blood Sword Squad.
The tests began with basic physical assessments, then progressed to evaluating martial prowess, teamwork, and loyalty to me.
Those who remained numbered approximately two hundred martial artists.
“Congratulations on becoming the first cohort of the Wind Cloud Unit. All of you must strive to become the strength of our young lord.”
They were the true beginning of the Wind Cloud Unit.
I could not help but gaze upon them with an overwhelming sense of emotion.
-Why?
‘Because in my first life, I could never have dreamed of such a sight.’
A military force prepared solely for my sake.
In those days when everyone despised me, such a thing was unimaginable.
There were countless who moved mechanically merely because the family head commanded it, and even among them were those who refused to obey because they resented me.
Yet now that such circumstances had come to pass, I could not help but feel moved.
-The situation is quite different from back then. But do not let your guard down because of it.
‘Let my guard down?’
-Do you truly believe that everyone here was selected because they possess such strong loyalty to you? They simply saw a promising new path of advancement within the family and rushed to seize it. Most likely, the majority harbor no particular loyalty whatsoever.
‘That’s true….’
-Then take time to inspire them and make them truly yours. That is your first task.
I accepted the Senior’s advice deep within my heart.
Though his words seemed cold at first glance, they were the truth.
But what should I do first to win their hearts?
After much deliberation, I reached a decision.
I would bestow upon them a new martial technique.
“Young Lord, a new martial technique?”
“It’s called the Wind Cloud Step. I created it by appropriately modifying the family’s footwork technique.”
This was one of the martial techniques I had developed through trial and error when first creating the Wind God Step.
Without mastering the Wind God Technique, one could not use the Wind God Step, but with extreme refinement, one could achieve similar movements.
Unlike the Gale Step, which pursued only raw speed, what the Wind Cloud Step pursued was balance.
Internal energy, speed, and stability—all harmonized together to form the Wind Cloud Step.
I personally transmitted this technique to the Wind Cloud Unit.
“I never expected we could learn a new martial technique….”
“This was created directly by the Young Lord, you say?”
“Truly, joining the Wind Cloud Unit was the right choice.”
Naturally, the members of the division received the teachings with great enthusiasm.
I hadn’t taught them inferior martial arts—the Wind Cloud Manual was more than sufficient as an ascending technique.
Moreover, the fact that I had personally created this martial art and shared it with them carried significant weight.
They were all deeply moved by my active commitment to their advancement.
It was during this time that—
“Young Master, we have a crisis!”
One of the Saeying Division members responsible for intelligence burst into my Administrative Office with an urgent shout.
“What is it?”
I spoke calmly to help them compose themselves.
The division member then silently handed me a crumpled letter.
“This is….”
I took it and read it, unable to help but furrow my brow.
[The Yeong Seok Branch has been attacked by an unidentified force. Support from the main house is requested.]
It was something I had completely failed to anticipate.

* * *

An emergency family council was naturally convened.
The leadership of the Bukcheon Sword Family could not hide their shock upon seeing the letter I shared.
“The Yeong Seok Branch has been attacked….”
“Who could be behind this?”
“What is the scale and level of the enemy forces? Young Master, was there no information about that in the letter?”
“We are still assessing the situation. However, if the enemies were insignificant, they would not have sent a support request all the way to the main house.”
The senior members nodded gravely at my words.
I exchanged glances briefly with my Father and my Great-Uncle.
[Could this be the work of the Black Night Fortress?]
[That possibility certainly exists. However, we should consider other possibilities as well.]
[Regardless, we must respond immediately.]
The fact that a branch of the Bukcheon Sword Family had been attacked.
It was an urgent matter that demanded the fastest possible response.
I raised my hand as the senior members continued their heated debate.
“I will go there myself.”
“You, Young Master?”
One of the elders asked in a startled voice.
He spoke with evident concern.
“That is not a decision to be made so hastily. This matter could prove quite dangerous.”
“It would be better to send the Iron Blood Sword Squad instead….”
“No. The Iron Blood Sword Squad is our strongest blade for protecting the main house. There is no guarantee another incident won’t occur, and I believe it is best they remain here to monitor the situation.”
“So you truly intend to go there?”
“Yes. However, I do not intend to go alone.”
At my words, the elder who had been conversing paused, his eyes widening.
“The Wind Cloud Unit! You intend to depart with the Wind Cloud Unit.”
“I’ve come to believe that we must eventually face real combat. I plan to use this opportunity to fight alongside the Wind Cloud Unit and defeat our enemies.”
I spoke thus while gazing toward Father.
Ultimately, the decision rested with Father, as the family head.
Father deliberated for a moment before exhaling a long sigh.
“No matter what I say, I doubt I can break your stubborn resolve. Besides, there truly is no better alternative than the Wind Cloud Unit.”
“Does that mean….”
“The concern is that the Wind Cloud Unit lacks experience coordinating in actual combat, but I trust that you and Sa Gong-cheon will handle this admirably. Above all, you have proven yourself through your actions thus far.”
Father regarded me with earnest eyes.
“Go and return safely.”
“Thank you for your trust.”
I bowed my head respectfully as I spoke to Father.
“I shall demonstrate to those who dared lay hands upon the Bukcheon Sword Family the price of their audacity.”

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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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