The news that heavenly mountain had fallen spread with terrifying speed. The news was rife not only in the Central Plains but also in the martial alliance, and for days, the entire martial alliance was abuzz with the story.
“The evil cult lord has finally crushed the Demon Cult, whom he regarded as such an enemy… Is he truly skilled enough to make the Cult Leader kneel?”
“Hasn’t he been rushing to subdue any demonic cultist he sees? It was only a matter of time…”
“More than that… Can’t we interpret this as the Sandow Union’s intention to dominate the Central Plains? Then we should also prepare something…”
“But for more than ten days, the Sandow Union has not ventured out of its headquarters. Judging by their continued silence, I don’t think we need to jump to such conclusions…”
The heads of each clan and sect were busy voicing their opinions in hushed tones. Among them, Jegal Seol-ran, the next head of the Jegal clan, raised her head and asked the martial alliance lord.
“Now that things have come to this, does the martial alliance lord have nothing to say?”
At those words, everyone’s gaze immediately turned to the martial alliance lord. Namgung Eui, who was standing beside him, glared at Jegal Seol-ran with a sharp look. Although the gaze pierced her face, Jegal Seol-ran looked only at the martial alliance lord with an unwavering gaze.
The martial alliance lord coughed dryly a couple of times, as if feigning illness.
“Ahem… It is only natural for us to prepare for danger. It would be good to reorganize the front lines and prepare from now on.”
The heads nodded and agreed with each other at the opinion he barely managed to voice.
“…It has been a long time since ‘that incident,’ but the martial alliance lord doesn’t seem to have fully recovered yet. Are you alright?”
Jegal Seol-ran asked somewhat sharply. Then, the martial artists of the Jegal clan standing beside her glared at the martial alliance lord and secretly sneered. In response, the gazes of the other heads toward the martial alliance lord did not seem so favorable. The martial alliance lord was very displeased with this atmosphere, but he had nothing else to say.
“I’m fine. The medicinal herbs sent by the Jegal clan have been very helpful.”
When the martial alliance lord replied, Jegal Seol-ran faintly pulled up the corners of her lips into a smile and rose from her seat.
“The most influential force in the Central Plains is undoubtedly our martial alliance. But these days, it doesn’t live up to its old reputation. If the Sandow Union were to suddenly attack us and we were to be shattered like the Demon Cult, we would really not be able to hold our heads up high. Such a thing must not happen.”
She expounded her opinion in a steady voice, as if for the martial alliance lord to hear, and some of the heads who heard her words nodded in agreement. As Jegal Seol-ran’s voice seemed to carry more weight with the people than his own, the martial alliance lord simply kept his mouth shut and wore a serious expression.
Jegal Seol-ran continued without hesitation.
“For the time being, it would be good for everyone to remain here and discuss how to restore our strength and prepare for the Sandow Union’s attack.”
*
The meeting adjourned, but the martial alliance lord could not leave the conference room and stared down at the empty table. Namgung Eui cautiously looked at him and was about to open his mouth when suddenly the martial alliance lord’s fist slammed down on the table. The ebony surface cracked.
“…”
“…Martial alliance Lord. Please don’t get too excited. It’s not good for your health.”
“Are you also looking down on me!”
Despite his son’s worried concern, the martial alliance lord Namgung Mun shouted and raised his head. Namgung Eui looked at him with a troubled face for a moment before shaking his head.
“How can you say such a thing? I have always respected you, Father.”
“I’m sick of such flattering words.”
Namgung Mun, who muttered as if exhausted, pressed his throbbing temples with his fingertips and frowned as much as he could. These days, his mind was filled with one thought. Although he had committed countless shady deeds, he did not feel a shred of shame, but somehow, contacting Joo Mu-jeong was constantly on his mind like a thorn in his throat.
What if that wretched guy left a trace? What if his weaknesses were exposed as a result?
No. This is just unnecessary worry. Even if Joo Mu-jeong left some evidence, except for that one time he contacted him, he used a private organization to communicate, so there was no way to reveal his connection.
Even as he tried to reassure himself, his stomach churned uneasily.
After encountering Jin Geum-ryeon, Namgung Mun’s mind was constantly filled with his face. His appearance was frighteningly similar to his cousin, Namgung Cheon. Of course, Namgung Mun did not directly stain his hands with Namgung Cheon’s blood. However, even if the Demon Cult had not acted first, it was unknown what punishment the then-head of the clan would have given him, since he had reported Namgung Cheon’s misdeeds to the clan.
Namgung Mun unknowingly clenched his trembling hands tightly.
“…”
Namgung Eui’s heart was also uneasy as he looked at such a martial alliance lord. That was because Namgung Mun seemed quite precarious these days, and he was always worried or angry, so it seemed like there was an unspeakable problem.
Of course, Namgung Mun had been acting like that ever since he was defeated by Jin Geum-ryeon.
It seemed that the aftermath of the defeat to Jin Geum-ryeon was quite significant.
“I’m tired. You may leave now.”
“…Yes.”
In the end, when the martial alliance lord muttered in a hoarse voice, Namgung Eui had no choice but to step aside. He moved his steps and when he reached the entrance of the conference room, he turned his head slightly and said to Namgung Mun.
“Father, if you ever have anything you want to say to me, please tell me anytime.”
At those words, Namgung Mun’s back turned cold.
While Ak Mujin was asleep, Jin Geum-ryeon took off his dirty clothes and carefully wiped his entire body with a warm, damp towel. He placed dried snacks on the table for him to eat when he woke up and left the inner chamber. Since it was right after dealing with the Demon Cult, the inside of the Sandow Union was somewhat excited, but it would not be good if this chaotic atmosphere lasted for a long time, so as the Lord, he needed to calm them down a bit.
In fact, he had some concerns even as he headed to the main hall. He had joined the Sandow Union entirely to find Ak Mujin, so now that the threatening forces to Ak Mujin had disappeared, he did not feel like staying here any longer. Leading a large group also required quite a bit of effort.
When Jin Geum-ryeon appeared in the main hall, the four Hall Lords of the Sandow Union greeted him and bowed.
“Lord, you have arrived!”
“Lord!”
Nodding, Jin Geum-ryeon walked quickly and sat on the throne, first praising their achievements.
“Everyone has worked hard this time. Was the cleanup done well?”
When Jin Geum-ryeon asked, Hao Mun-ju stepped forward and bowed with her hands gathered.
“Yes. It may be impossible to completely eliminate the remnants, but we have eliminated all the visible ones for now. I was thinking of taking this opportunity to incorporate those with the will into the Sandow Union to increase its size, but since they are all fanatics, there were no sane ones, so we dealt with them by destroying their dantian.”
“Well done.”
Hao Mun-ju, who had reported the situation in an organized manner, returned to her place and stood again. Everyone except Hao Mun-ju, who was maintaining her usual expression, was smiling brightly, and their eyes all seemed to look up to the Lord.
Certainly, this feat would have been impossible without Jin Geum-ryeon. No matter how much they set up camp from all sides and infiltrated heavenly mountain to raid the Demon Cult followers, Jin Geum-ryeon had already dealt with seven tenths of the Demon Cult followers, including the Cult Leader.
Jin Geum-ryeon, who somehow felt uncomfortable with the gaze, scanned them once and slowly opened his mouth.
“The compensation for the Sandow Union members will be handled as previously stated, and a banquet to celebrate their achievements will be held in five days. Any objections?”
“No, Lord!”
“None.”
Jin Geum-ryeon was about to say something more, but stopped and slowly rose from his seat as if the matter was over, gesturing to dismiss them.
At that time, the Mountain Lord of the Black Dragon Gang stepped forward and bowed.
“Lord! Lord, you can conquer the world. If we take this momentum and crush the martial alliance, wouldn’t the world become the world of the Sandow Union?”
At that remark, the Green Forest King and the Head of the Waterway Alliance stared at each other, then turned their heads to look at Jin Geum-ryeon. However, Jin Geum-ryeon’s face was frozen, so they bowed their heads even further and silently closed their mouths. Hao Mun-ju also narrowed her brows slightly and glared at the back of the Mountain Lord’s head.
Jin Geum-ryeon stood still and looked at him before slowly opening his mouth.
“…Actually, I was thinking of stepping down as Lord this time.”
“Yes?”
“Lord?”
“What do you mean!”
To quit being the Lord when they were at their most powerful. This was a statement that would shock everyone. Hao Mun-ju reacted the most strongly and jumped out of her seat.
“Lord, although the heavenly mountain side has been dealt with, there are still many things that have not been resolved. Also, if you leave us after leading us like this, who will we unite around in the future?”
“…….”
Jin Geum-ryeon did not answer. Hao Mun-ju looked at him anxiously.
“Please withdraw that thought.”
“Please withdraw it!”
“This Mountain Lord has presumptuously made a mistake! Please withdraw it!”
Following Hao Mun-ju’s words, those standing behind her shouted in unison. The Mountain Lord had only wanted to lift his spirits by seizing the opportunity, but he regretted saying unnecessary things at the unexpected reaction and sweated coldly.
Jin Geum-ryeon, who had briefly taken in their appearance, had expected this kind of backlash, but he considered it to be more intense than he had thought and let out a small sigh.
“There is still plenty of time, so I will think about it slowly.”
Leaving those words, Jin Geum-ryeon left the main hall, forcibly averting the gazes of the Hall Lords who were staring intently at him. Those who were left behind in the main hall in vain could only look at each other and stir.