Return of Mount Hua Sect

“It is called the Four Precepts Alliance…”

The Desolate Gold Elder mumbled quietly with a cracked tone.

This wasn’t normal.

Especially when considering the impact the creation of this Alliance would have on the Central Plains.

‘It is dangerous.’

Of course, as Jang Ilso said, a union of this kind might be needed to fight against the Justice Faction, which was running rampant. But, if they thought about it, there was a high chance that the creation of this new Alliance would instead create a steadfast enemy for them.

Kukuku.

At that moment, Jang Ilso scratched the table with his fingertips. The shape of the Central Plains was drawn on the table along the tip of his finger.

“This is the current strength of the world. First, the influence of the Nine Great Sects.”

Considering the Southern Island sect was on an island in the South Sea, Qingcheng in Yunnan, and Kunlun at the end of Cheon province, it might be unreasonable to limit the sphere of influence of the Nine Great Sects.

But they couldn’t say it was completely wrong.

In the end, the center of the Nine Great Sects was Shaolin and Wudang. Since the two sects were centered around the Hunan region, the Northern Plains and the surrounding areas were guarded by Southern Edge, Kongtong, and the Beggars Union. The center of the Nine Great Sects was clearly Hunan and the Northern Plains.

“And the Heavenly Friends Alliance of the West.”

“Hmm.”

The Thousand-Faced Scholar’s face flinched slightly.

Although he really didn’t want to admit it, he couldn’t deny that the Heavenly Friends Alliance was currently exerting enormous influence on the western side of the Central Plains.

‘It isn’t even funny.’

To the west of the Central Plains were the Kunlun Sect, Diancang, and Emei Sect, along with Qingcheng.

Of course, they were not gathered together like the Nine Great Sects in the center, nor were they sects that actively participated in the affairs of the Central Plains. ȓᴀŊöBĚṧ

But even so, the Nine Great Sects were the Nine Great Sects. One couldn’t ignore the Heavenly Friends Alliance, which built a solid sphere of influence to keep those forces in check.

‘Southern Edge’s luck must be great. To begin with, Southern Edge is located west of Mount Hua. If Southern Edge had continued to be active, the Heavenly Friends Alliance wouldn’t have even started.’

Whether it was Mount Hua that caused Southern Edge to close its gates or whether Southern Edge had found a gap to withdraw, it was clear that their resourcefulness was beyond average.

This was clearly visible in the eyes of the Thousand Face Scholar.

From the North Sea Ice Palace in the north to the Nanman Beast Palace in the South, it was one long line.

‘If they can maintain that line until the end, instead of the Nine Great Sects, the Heavenly Friends Alliance will become the force that represents the world one day.’

But…

There were a lot of unsettling factors, obviously.

“And what is left?”

Tak!

Jang Ilso stretched out his hand and hit the table. The place his hand touched was none other than the provinces south of the river.

“The Southlands.”

“…”

The influence of the officials hadn’t reached it yet. Therefore, the sects directly South of the Yangtze River gathered to avoid the oppression of the Nine Great Sects and officials.

“The key is the Yangtze River! If the sects in the Southlands can work together to protect the Yangtze River, they will not be able to move south. Then, first, we can firmly obtain the land in the South.”

“Then it is no different than before?”

“The world has changed.”

Crack.

Jang Ilso grabbed the table. A handful of wood was torn by his hand.

“The Heavenly Friends Alliance brought together people who couldn’t relate to each other. And the existence of that Alliance made the Nine Great Sects, which were fighting one another, unite again. Now, the world of people sticking their necks up and protecting their own sects is done. What remains now is which of them will survive!”

“Hmm.”

“The world will be reorganized into three factions.”

The Thousand-Faced Scholar laughed as if it were a joke.

“The world is divided into three already. Does that resonate well?”

“Shouldn’t it?”

“Hehehe.”

After a bizarre laugh, he nodded.

“Well, that’s good. Because I decided to agree with Hegemony Lord’s thoughts from the start. If one looks at the current situation, it is clear that if things continue like this, everyone will be ruined.”

When it came to handling information and analyzing the situation, the Lower District was second to none. The words that came from his mouth were surely powerful.

Even Black Dragon King seemed intrigued by it.

“Are you planning to make the Yangtze River the core?”

“I cannot say it is the core. But one could say that it is the most important place right now. If the Yangtze River is washed out, there will be no way to divide the Southlands and the Northern Plains. The key is to firmly instill the thought of both sides enduring danger when it comes to crossing the Yangtze River.”

“…you mean to rip off the arms, then rip off the stomach and eat the internal organs?”

The Black Dragon King pondered those words and smiled.

Actually, there was nothing bad about that. In order for the Nine Great Sects to target the Evil Faction in the Southlands, they needed to attack the pirates and open the way. If that happened, the first to fall would be the Yangtze.

In such a situation, why would they refuse to take the initiative and provide support?

“Kuahahahah! Now, this weird guy is finally saying something worth listening to. If so, I will also join the Four Percept Alliance!”

The eyes of the Black Dragon King shone.

“It would be better to abandon the idea of using the 18 River Families as a shield. If something like that happens, I will definitely cut off your heads.”

“Such a useless worry. Because we also need the Yangtze River to live.”

Jang Ilso lightly waved his white hand and clearly expressed his intention.

Tak. Tak. Tak.

The Desolate Gold elder, the last man left, was resting his chin on one hand and tapping the table with the other. He saw them mumbling, and it seemed like he was calculating the profits and losses.

Tak!

As if he had reached a conclusion, he frowned and tapped his finger on the table.

“It doesn’t make sense.”

“The reason?”

“It isn’t enough.”

He crossed his arms and explained.

“When hundreds of clans are scattered, the level of strength isn’t important because all kinds of circumstances come into play. But when those forces are merged into two, the only question that remains is who is stronger.”

“….”

“Even if the four sects in the Southlands unite and gulp up all smaller sects to merge, they will not have enough strength. If we aren’t careful, we could fail sooner because of the Alliance.”

The Thousand-Faced Scholar frowned and refuted.

“If you take advantage of the ties between the Heavenly Friends Alliance and the Nine Great Sects….”

“That sounds very much like a dream. The center of the Heavenly Friends Alliance is the Sichuan Tang family and Mount Hua. Justice faction. No matter how bad their ties are, if they are from the same faction, they can join hands at any time. Even if they don’t join, they won’t attack each other by fighting the Evil Faction.”

“….”

“If you don’t have the strength to single-handedly stop the Nine Great Sects, it is like jumping into the flame with firewood in hand. We won’t have any trace left. And this is impossible without the Green Forest. And haven’t they sided with the Heavenly Friends Alliance?”

Jang Ilso nodded his head.

“Reasonable words.”

“Hmm?”

To Jang Ilso’s unexpectedly obedient attitude, the elder frowned.

“Is there a way to make up for the lack of strength? Even if we attract all sects in the Southlands, and not replace the Green Forest?”

“Yes.”

Jang Ilso shook his head and then lifted the glass to take a sip.

Tak.

And he put it down with a smile on his lips. His red lips were wet, and he looked more magical.

“If it is the Southlands, yet. But… there is no need to gather strength just in the Southlands.”

“…If not the Southlands?”

“Wouldn’t that be a sufficient answer?”

When Jang Ilso pointed to the back, everyone turned their heads with surprised faces.

‘Who?’

‘I felt nothing!’

In particular, the look of shock couldn’t be hidden on the faces of the Thousand-Faced Scholar and the Desolate Gold Elder. They never thought there could be someone who could approach them without being detected.

“…”

There was someone standing in the dark corner where the lamp light didn’t reach.

The moment they saw him, wrapped from head to toe in dark red, blood-red long cloths, everyone’s spines went cold, and their hair stood on end.

“…Who is that?”

“The Blood Palace Lord?”

“The B-Blood Palace?”

In the end, a cry of shock came from the Black Dragon King’s mouth.

The Blood Palace.

The most secret and mysterious of the Five Palaces. The place whose base wasn’t even known.

Power and stealth.

A place where those two incredible features combined. The Blood Palace Lord, who was said to be the strongest among the Five Palaces, had appeared here.

“The… Palace….”

A creepy voice, as if someone were scratching metal with a blade, came from the darkness.

“The Ten Thousand People… clan leader agreeing with… all….”

The Black Dragon King and the other two all looked at each other.

“…If the Blood Palace Lord is with us…”

“It is a different story.”

When it came to the Blood Palace, it wasn’t a place that was inferior to the Green Forest. No, if they looked at strength alone, they might be so strong as to be compared with the Green Forest.

Didn’t the force that emanated from the Blood Palace Lord prove that now?

The Desolate Gold Elder quickly flicked his head to think.

“There are already enough numbers. What is lacking is the number of skilled people. In that case, the Blood Palace is a much better option than Green Forest.”

The calculation was done.

He smiled.

“Enough. The Black Ghost Fort will share the goal with the Alliance.”

“The Yangtze River, too, will join with the Alliance.”

As everyone’s eyes turned to the Blood Palace Lord, he too nodded, as if there was no need to speak.

“The name is the Four Percept Alliance, and the clans are five…”

“Symbolism is important. The Blood Palace Lord doesn’t seem unhappy either.”

“More sects will gather under the Alliance. It is better if it would not be Four and Evil.”

Tak. Tak. Tak.

Jang Ilso wordlessly placed the five empty drinking glasses in front of them and began to fill them.

“That is a great decision.”

“But!”

At that moment, Desolate Gold Elder raised his hand.

“Before we share a glass, there are things we must make clear.”

“Please speak.”

“Who does the work?”

“…”

Everyone went silent without an answer.

“There is no point in maintaining this Alliance with this current system. I don’t know if the Justice factions can run like that, but we cannot. Clear coordination and a firm system are needed.”

“Hahahaha! That is right. But there is no need to worry about that. I will become the leader and guide you!”

“It is too much for you, Black Dragon King. Don’t step out of your place.”

“Thousand Faced Scholar! Do you wish to die right now?”

A loud voice erupted, but the Thousand-Faced Scholar ignored it and let out a crooked laugh.

“Information is power. I am suitable because I know the circumstances of all clans.”

“Even if you have power, you cannot do anything without money. The one who provides the money is the one who holds the power, right?”

“You people…”

It was as if three people exchanged cold glances with each other.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

Jang Ilso poured the drink into the glass and shook his head lightly.

“Do you have different thoughts?”

“The only person who can become the leader of the Alliance is me, Jang Ilso.”

A flame burned brightly in the Black Dragon King’s eyes.

“This damned brat… in the end, it was a clever move.”

“Claims need evidence.”

“I also know what areas will definitely benefit me.”

Jang Ilso smiled and pushed a glass of alcohol in front of everyone, one by one.

“The Black Dragon King’s mastery is excellent, but the power of harmony is lacking. There will definitely be friction elsewhere. Moreover, the Black Dragon King cannot leave the Yangtze River. If one has a regiment on the front line, won’t everything end the moment the front line is pushed back?”

“… hmm.”

The Black Dragon King let out a sigh as he looked at the glass in front of him.

It was annoying, but it wasn’t wrong.

“Information is extremely important, but sometimes it can be harmful. No one wants to follow someone who knows their weaknesses and secrets.”

“… is it a fundamental problem? Tsk.”

The Thousand-Faced Scholar also accepted the drink held out in front of him. He, too, had no choice but to agree with it.

“No one could ignore the strength of money, but this place is Kangho. And being sensitive to profit means that the person involved has personal gain. Isn’t the leader of the Alliance a suitable position for someone who can sacrifice his or her own interests for the sake of everyone?”

“… that is the truth.”

The Desolate Gold Elder also nodded. When the interests of the Alliance and the interests of his clan conflict, he cannot choose the former.

Jang Ilso picked up one of the two remaining glasses of drink and threw it at the Blood Palace Lord.

“It goes without saying that there are other sects.”

Tak.

The Blood Palace Lord, who received the drink, nodded silently.

“Not just that…”

Jang Ilso’s eyes shone with madness. Everyone who saw those eyes couldn’t help but flinch.

There were people who all had negative views of the world, but there was something about Jang Ilso that made them sick of it. It was as if the initiative had been passed to him.

“Those who are confined to their own land and only look at the path ahead cannot become the alliance leader. The person who becomes the leader must be greedier than anyone else. Because of that, they must have greater greed than anyone.”

Jang Ilso’s eyes turned, and he grabbed the side of the Northern Plains on the map he had drawn before.

Crack.

He clenched it hard enough to tear off the entire part. The shattered wood turned into powder and flew.

“I don’t just want to occupy the Southlands and stay in that barren place, pretending to be king. I don’t have any thoughts about it. I want that place more than anyone else. Just looking at it makes me thirsty and hungry. It is a hunger that will not be relieved by a thousand glasses of alcohol or grains.”

“…”

“You share whatever you can get from the land. Neither people nor money nor land mean anything to me. There is just one thing I need: to subdue everything in the world in the name of Jang Ilso.”

Everyone held their breath.

Jang Ilso’s eyes were filled with madness, which proved that the words weren’t lies.

“Only he is worthy.”

“…”

“Follow me. Then I will guide you. Not to this smelly corner of the Southlands, but to the Northern Plains, the central region!”

“Hahahahah!”

The Thousand Face Scholar laughed loudly and shook his head.

“Really, I cannot stand it. This Lower District clan leader greets the Alliance Leader.”

As the Thousand Face Scholar said this, the Desolate Gold Elder also sighed and nodded.

“That would be the most profitable path. Desolate Gold Elder of the Black Ghost Fort greets you.”

“… damn it.”

The Black Demon King didn’t seem to like it until the end, but he couldn’t back out now.

“Do not expect politeness from me.”

“Of course.”

“… the Black Dragon King of the 18 River Families accepts Jang Ilso as the leader of the Alliance!”

“Drink.”

Jang Ilso raised his glass first, and everyone followed suit, lifting their glasses high.

“As of this time, we are brothers. Drink! A sword to those who betray!”

Bang!

The drinking glasses clashed roughly in the air.

Eventually, everyone emptied their glasses in one go.

The Four Precepts Alliance of the Evil Faction.

Finally, the Alliance that would turn the world upside down was born.

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