Chapter 146

Baek Mu-Gun immediately met up with his two wives after obtaining Baek Cheon-Sangs permission. After explaining the circumstances, he expressed his intention to save So Yeon-Hwa. Mu-Gun would have understood if they were baffled and angry for taking the risk to save his old lover, but Namgung Hyun-Ah and Dan Seol-Young actually understood his feelings. However, they could not let him tread on a tigers tail alone. Hyun-Ah and Seol-Young objected to Mu-Guns request to save Yeon-Hwa.

If I were Lady So, I would not want you to be in danger because of me, dear.

Thats right. I would rather die than put you in danger, my dear.

Hyun-Ah and Seol-Young dissuaded Mu-Gun by trying to speak for Yeon-Hwa.

Although she could be of the same mind, I still cannot leave her to die. From your perspective, you may not understand why I would take the risk for another woman, but all of this happened because of me. It is my obligation to save her. Do you want me to be a cowardly man who avoids responsibility, beloved wives? Do you really hope for that?

What about your responsibility to me and Sister Dan? We came here believing only in you, dear. As our husband, it is your obligation to be responsible for us until the very end. Is saving Lady So far more important to you than taking responsibility for us? Hyun-Ah refuted against Mu-Guns headstrong argument.

Perhaps because Hyun-Ah had a good point, Mu-Guns tone softened down to almost a plea as he said, If she were simply in danger, I would have gladly obeyed your wishes. However, as I have already said, she was taken captive because of me. As a martial artistno, as a human being, wouldnt it be wrong to turn a blind eye to this?

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

You have already made your decision, havent you? Seol-Young asked.

Yes. However, if my dear wives object, I will go on with the journey with a heavy heart.

If you say it like that, how are we supposed to object? Hyun-Ah sighed.

I know how you two feel. To be honest, if I were in your shoes, I would have been absolutely opposed to it as well. Nevertheless, I am going for my own sake and nothing else. I do not want to be ashamed of myself as a man and as a martial artist. I want to do the right thing. So, for my sake, please let me go. I will definitely return safely to you two.

Hyun-Ah and Seol-Young could no longer deny Mu-Guns determination.

Fine. Since you have already decided, I will no longer oppose it.

I will allow you to go with my blessing as well, dear.

Thank you, Mu-Gun sincerely told Hyun-Ah and Seol-Young.

If you are thankful, then return to us safely.

I will.

With Hyun-Ah and Seol-Youngs permission, Mu-Gun prepared to leave for Mount Yuhua. The next morning, he left the Baek Sword Sect early in the morning.

* * *

As Mu-Gun made his way to Mount Yuhua, the Seven Great Families deployed their forces and went to war against the Four Great Evil Clans. Two Absolute Realm masters and five hundred martial artists were dispatched from the Great Ximen Family, the Guangdong Jin Family, and the Hebei Peng Family. On the other hand, the Great Namgung Family, the Great Zhuge Family, and the Sichuan Tang Family each deployed two Absolute Realm masters as reinforcements.

The Sichuan Tang Family sent two Absolute Realm masters as reinforcement to the Great Ximen Family, which led five hundred martial artists to the Heretical Emperor Hall in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. Considering they had four Absolute Realm masters in their ranks, the Great Ximen Family was not too worried about the fight.

Even if the Nine Celestial Demons Sect was behind the Heretical Emperor Hall, they would likely only have an Absolute Realm master or two present. Even if the Heretical Emperor Halls Patriarch was taken into consideration, they thought four Absolute Realm masters would be enough to secure victory. The Great Ximen Familys warriors crossed the borders of Jiangxi Province and advanced to Nanchang. On the off chance that the Heretical Emperor Hall laid in ambush and was planning a surprise attack, they prepared thorough countermeasures.

However, even when the Great Ximen Family was only a days distance away from Nanchang, the Heretical Emperor Hall still showed no movements. Hence, the Great Ximen Family began to harbor doubts.

The Heretical Emperor Halls combat force was not strong enough to win against the Great Ximen Family. However, the fact that their headquarters showed no signs of movement at all evidenced their confidence in fighting off the Great Ximen Family without any surprise or ambush operation.

The Great Ximen Family ultimately concluded that the Heretical Emperor Hall had asked for the Nine Celestial Demons Sects help. However, that begged the question of how many martial arts masters the latter deployed as reinforcements.

If only one faction of the Nine Celestial Demons Sect is supporting the Four Great Evil Clans, they will have trouble deploying more than two Absolute Realm demonic practitioners. Even if they send the Upper-Peak-Realm demonic practitioners that follow the Absolute-Demonic-Realm masters as well, we can still easily suppress them with our forces, Ximen Ying, one of the Great Ximen Familys Absolute Realm masters, said.

The Great Ximen Family had four Absolute Realm masters collectively known as the Four Peerless Ximen Masters. Ximen Ying was one of them. However, that did not mean that the Great Ximen Family only had four Absolute Realm masters. The Four Peerless Ximen Masters were simply those who were still on active duty. Some of their elders were also Absolute Realm masters, but they no longer engaged in murim-related activities. The other Great Families were no different.

The previous Patriarchs of the Seven Great Families, known as the Seven Saints, were such people. One of the things that made the Seven Great Families fearsome was their elders since nobody knew just how many of them were Absolute Realm masters. For that reason, no one could recklessly attack the Seven Great Families.

The Nine Prominent Sects also had many masters that murim was not aware of. Most of them were normally cultivating deep in the mountains, only ever showing up when their clan was in danger. Through those hidden masters contributions, the Nine Prominent Sects managed to preserve their legacy despite the long war against the Three Greatest Demonic Sects.

We should not take this so lightly. The Underworld Sect could be concentrating their forces on just one of the evil clans, Tang Sa-Dok, a Sichuan Tang Family Absolute Realm master, raised a different view.

The Sichuan Tang Family, like the Great Ximen Family, had four active Absolute Realm masters among their ranks. They were known as the Four Peerless Tang Masters.

If they focus their forces on one of the Four Great Evil Clans, that would mean that they are abandoning the other three clans. Will they really do that? Ximen Ying asked.

They might not necessarily be throwing the other clans away, Sa-Dok said.

What else could they be plotting?

If they make their forces retreat instead of defending against the other Great Families, they could avoid suffering any losses.

If our fellow Great Families occupy the other Great Evil Clans bases while theyre empty, the Great Evil Clans members would have nowhere to go. Why would they do that? Ximen Dao, another member of the Four Peerless Ximen Masters, asked.

If the Nine Celestial Demons Sect sends all their Absolute-Demonic-Realm masters to one place and repel one of the Great Families attacks, the other Great Families will have no choice but to retreat. If they remain in the Four Great Evil Clans headquarters, the Absolute Realm demonic practitioners might come as reinforcement and recapture the headquarters, Sa-Dok explained.

That would certainly be a problem. Why are you only telling us something so important now, though? Ximen Ying asked.

I only thought about it when the Heretical Emperor Hall remained silent.

Isnt it also possible that this is simply empty bravado? Ambushes or surprise attacks would not work against us anyway, so they are probably trying to make it look as if they have the power to stop us. Perhaps by doing so, they are hoping to instill fear in us and make us retreat on our own accord, Tang Ho-Rim, a member of the Four Peerless Tang Masters, said.

I doubt it, Ximen Ying said in a baffled tone.

Well, it does sound ridiculous even though I am the one who said it. Ho-Rim shrugged.

Still, isnt there a limit to how many Absolute Realm demonic practitioners the Underworld Sect can send to one place? If the Underworld Sect is really connected to the Four Great Evil Clans, then they are likely not located that far from the latters headquarters. However, as you are well aware, the Four Great Evil Clans are located quite far from each other. Even if they want to gather all their forces in a single area, it would be impossible given the time and distance, Ximen Dao countered Sa-Doks reasoning after being lost in thought for a while.

That is true. However, they can just deploy Absolute Realm masters who were not at the Four Great Evil Clans headquarters. Simply put, it is essential to note that we cannot identify how strong their forces actually are, Sa-Dok replied calmly.

If I knew this would happen, we would have brought more Absolute Realm masters with us.

Considering the Nine Celestial Demons Sect can also target our headquarters, it would have been too risky to mobilize more Absolute Realm masters, Sa-Dok spoke rationally.

What should we do now? Ximen Ying asked Sa-Dok.

It would be best for us to monitor the situation a little bit longer.

Whys that?

Wont we reach an answer based on how the other evil sects react?

If the other Great Evil Clans run away from the attacks of the other great families, then as the Thousand Divine Hands said, it is highly likely that the Underworld Sect has deployed their Absolute-Demonic-Realm masters at the Heretical Emperor Hall, Ximen Ying said, finally understanding what Thousand Divine Hands Sa-Dok meant.

If we wait around, the Heretical Emperor Hall wont just stand by and watch. If we do not take the initiative, they will probably attack first instead, Ximen Dao rebutted.

Ximen Daos constant opposition could have displeased Sa-Dok, but the latter was not particularly angry. He knew that Ximen Dao did not harbor any ill intentions, and the doubts that he raised all made sense anyway.

Youre not wrong, Blazing Divine Sabermaster. Thats why we have to closely monitor the Heretical Emperor Hall. That way, we can immediately retreat as soon as they show any signs of trying to attack us, Sa-Dok replied.

Wont that just give them more time? Ho-Rim, who had been listening quietly, asked.

What do you mean? Sa-Dok asked.

Sa-Dok and Ho-Rim were cousins, but Sa-Dok was a year older than Ho-Rim.

Time for the Underworld Sect to deploy additional Absolute-Demonic-Realm masters to the Heretical Emperor Hall, Ho-Rim explained.

The Golden Divine Whip Dragon has a point.

Considering the distance between the Four Great Evil Clans, it would take at least a month at the earliest for the Absolute-Demonic-Realm masters in the other evil clans to gather at the Heretical Emperor Hall. Even if they began making their way to this place before we even got here, it would still take them fifteen days to get here. We should be able to reach a conclusion before then, so we should not worry too much about it.

As expected of you, Cousin. That means we can stand by and wait without having to worry about the other Absolute-Demonic-Realm masters joining up with them, Ho-Rim said, supporting Sa-Doks opinion.

If the Underworld Sects Absolute-Demonic-Realm masters have really gathered at the Heretical Emperor Hall, we could still find ourselves in a dangerous situation, so dont let your guard down.

That goes without saying.

The Great Ximen Family and the Sichuan Tang Familys joint forces increased the number of people tasked with monitoring the Heretical Emperor Halls movements and heightened their vigilance. They did not forget to monitor the situation at the other Great Families end as well. Meanwhile, the Underworld Sects Absolute-Demonic-Realm masters within the Heretical Emperor Halls ranks tried to figure out the intentions of the Ximen-Tang joint forces, which had stopped advancing despite only being a days distance away now.

I doubt any new forces will be joining up with them, at least, so theyre most likely just keeping watch of the situation right now, Heretical Emperor Hall Patriarch Eum Hwa-Seong reported to Windpath Demonic Monarch Jo Pung-San, Dark Shade Demonic Monarch Do Cheon-Bang, and Limitless Demonic Monarch Jwa Cheong-Mok. The three Demonic Monarchs were sitting on the elevated seats in front of Hwa-Seong.

Does that mean they have caught wind of our plans? Windpath Demonic Monarch Jo Pung-San asked the other Demonic Monarchs.

We should consider that as the most likely case. However, considering they have not retreated yet and are instead monitoring us, they likely are not certain of it yet. They are probably observing the situation with the other Great Evil Clans before deciding what to do, Dark Shade Demonic Monarch Do Cheon-Bang replied. Based on the way he spoke, he seemed to be the oldest and highest-ranking among the three Demonic Monarchs.

We should wipe them out before the other Great Evil Clans abandon their headquarters and run away, Limitless Demonic Monarch Jwa Cheong-Mok suggested.

They will most likely retreat as soon as we make a move. We can easily catch up to them since they are only a days distance away, but we cannot rule out the possibility that they have requested reinforcements from the Great Ximen Family headquarters. If the Great Ximen Familys masters join up with them while we are giving chase, they may counterattack, Dark Shade Demonic Monarch Do Cheon-Bang disagreed.

What should we do, then?

I heard the Heavenly Killer Sect was out on some kind of operation at Mount Yuhua.

Isnt Mount Yuhua not too far away from here?

If they move quickly, they could reach this place in two days. If we team up with the Heavenly Killer Sect, things will be much easier.

How do we know when their operation will be finished? Everything will be alright if their timing matches ours. However, if it does not, it could mess things up for us, Windpath Demonic Monarch Jo Pung-San argued.

From what I heard, they are trying to lure the Golden Shield Sword Dragon, who was responsible for ruining our operations in Fujian Province, to Mount Yuhua and kill him. The Heavenly Killer Sect is one of the Three Greatest Assassin Organizations of the Central Plains. Considering they are accompanied by the Heavenly Killer Sects Demonic Monarchs, their operation likely wont take long. A better question would be whether the Heavenly Killer Sect will help us with our plans. If we promise to help them with their operations in the future, they would probably be willing to help us in return, Cheon-Bang elaborated.

We should send someone to where the Heavenly Killer Sects forces are now and request their cooperation.

I agree. I am actually planning to send a Higher Demon under my helm.

Lets observe and see how the situation progresses first.

Fair enough. There is no need to hurry anyway, so lets just keep monitoring the Great Ximen Family and the Sichuan Tang Family while waiting for the Heavenly Killer Sects answer.

Understood. Did you get everything we have just discussed? Windpath Demonic Monarch Jo Pung-San turned to the Heretical Emperor Hall Patriarch.

As you desire, we will closely monitor the Great Ximen Family and the Sichuan Tang Family, Hwa-Seong responded cautiously.

Excellent. You will also benefit if we handle this situation properly, so make sure you do your job properly, Pung-San said.

I am just honored to be able to serve the esteemed Underworld Divine Demon.

I will make sure to convey your loyalty to the esteemed Underworld Divine Demon.

Thank you. Heretical Emperor Hall's Patriarch Eum Hwa-Seong bowed and left the clan hall seemingly overwhelmed.