Chapter 96 : Stomach Blade

Chapter 96: Stomach Blade

After acquiring everything he had sought so desperately, Sewoon returned to his seat from the center of the hall.

Looking at his son sitting calmly, as if nothing had happened, Tang Muyeol did his best to conceal his flustered emotions.

It was fortunate that Sewoon had warned him on the way to the Grand Assembly Room that something like this might happen.

Otherwise, he would have fainted from shock the moment names like the Soulfreezing Divine Armor and Snow Blossom Herb were brought up.

As Tang Muyeol calmed his startled heart—

‘…Now comes the real matter.’

Sewoon's eyes gleamed with tension.

From this point forward, the most critical agenda of the meeting—one that would make his own issues seem trivial—was to be addressed.

"The next and final item of the General Assembly. We will now discuss the follow-up response to the Kaifeng Blood Massacre."

The moment Supreme Strategist Jaegal Hoon spoke those words—

The Grand Assembly Hall once again erupted into chaos, akin to the outbreak of war.

"The entire Murim is mocking and ridiculing us!"

"That's right! We must assemble a combat unit immediately and annihilate the Demonic Alliance!"

"What? You’re proposing we start a full-scale Great War between the Orthodox and Unorthodox, all because of how outsiders view us!?"

"They were the ones who attacked first! If we don’t make them pay the price, how can the warriors of the Alliance trust and follow us!"

The members of the Elder Faction and the Alliance Leader’s Faction raised their voices in fierce dispute, veins bulging in their necks.

The Elder Faction naturally insisted that the Murim Alliance retaliate with force and make the enemy pay in blood.

Their mildest proposal was to execute all members of the Demonic Alliance currently imprisoned in the Alliance’s dungeon for causing the incident.

The more radical ones openly called for attacks on the Demonic Alliance’s branches based in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

"We are saying we must identify our target for vengeance and act accordingly! The evidence we’ve uncovered doesn’t definitively prove the Demonic Alliance was behind it!"

"Hmph! That may be true of a few minor details, but why ignore the overwhelming amount of evidence that does point to them!"

"Even that could very well be fabricated—!"

"Moreover, at this very moment, those bastards are claiming to be victims and publicly accusing the Alliance of being behind it all!"

The relentless verbal assault by the Elder Faction further intensified the mood in the hall.

In truth, more than sixty percent of the Alliance already supported an all-out war against the Demonic Alliance.

Many had never witnessed the brutal reality of war during this time of peace.

And the shock and fury sparked by the Kaifeng Blood Massacre were immense.

As the room grew restless in agreement with the Elder Faction’s arguments, Alliance Leader Yoo Jinhak’s expression stiffened.

Sensing this, the Elder Faction launched another aggressive push.

"You speak so lightly just because your sect or family didn’t suffer any losses!"

"Have you no remorse for Great Master Gakgong, who lost his disciple hailed as the future of Shaolin, or Elder Namgung, who lost both his son and daughter!"

"That’s not what I meant—!"

"Amitabha—."

Wuuung—!

Just as the yelling reached its peak, Great Master Gakgong suddenly recited a mantra.

The profound resonance of Profound Qi in his voice silenced the hall instantly.

With everyone’s attention on him, Great Master Gakgong spoke, his gaze cold and penetrating.

"Is there any need to continue this pointless argument?"

"It appears everyone’s stance has reached the extreme. I believe it’s best to halt this debate and proceed with an immediate vote."

"Great Master, what exactly will the vote be on…?"

Supreme Strategist Jaegal Hoon asked, his voice filled with worry. Gakgong replied without the slightest hesitation.

"I propose we vote on two items—first, the dissolution of the ceasefire pact with the Demonic Alliance; second, the Murim Alliance’s transition to a wartime posture."

Gakgong’s proposal would escalate the conflict with the Demonic Alliance into irreparable territory.

It was something unthinkable to come from Shaolin, the traditional neutral guardian of balance.

"…Infinite Light Buddha."

Myeong Iljin-in shut his eyes tight in shock and recited a Buddhist chant.

‘How could this…’

Even in Yoo Jinhak’s eyes, there was visible shock as he stared at Gakgong.

Unfortunately, there was no way to block the proposal.

Once a certain number of elders requested a vote, it had to be carried out without exception.

"Let each of you come forward and submit your vote. Write your approval or disapproval on the paper provided and place it in the box."

After a brief preparation period, a box was placed at the center of the assembly room.

The vote would be carried out solely by the seventeen elders.

Since the Kaifeng Blood Massacre, the Neutral Faction within the Alliance had ceased to exist.

The Beggars’ Sect and Mount Hua Sect had aligned with the Alliance Leader’s Faction, while Shaolin had moved to the Elder Faction.

In addition, the Moyong Clan, convinced the Demonic Alliance was behind the attack, also joined the Elder Faction.

But Supreme Strategist Jaegal Hoon was certain the worst wouldn’t happen.

‘Their goal is merely to show their resolve to the Alliance’s warriors. The vote itself will fail.’

His reasoning was simple.

Namgung, Moyong, Ak, Eon Clans

Shaolin, Kunlun, Kongtong, Qingcheng

—Eight members in the Elder Faction.

Wudang, Beggars’ Sect, Mount Hua, Mount Emei

Diancang, Peng Clan, Jaegal, Mount Hainan, Tang Clan

—Nine in the Alliance Leader’s Faction. One more.

Although the Moyong Clan had defected to the Elder Faction out of anger toward the Demonic Alliance, a new ally had joined the Alliance Leader’s side.

Mount Hainan, previously closer to the Elder Faction, had abruptly switched sides.

Moreover, the recent events involving the Tang Clan had shifted many internal perceptions.

Great Elder Wi Tae-do had privately met with the Alliance Leader the previous day and pledged his support.

‘Not to mention, the Sichuan Tang Clan and its Young Lord have a very deep and solid relationship with the Alliance Leader…’

Just then, the Great Elder of the Wudang Sect, True Man Hyeonyeop of the Righteous Sword of Taiji, cast the final vote and began the vote count.

All eyes, bearing various emotions, were fixed on the box that now contained the ballots.

In the freezing silence that fell, the military official in charge of counting finally spoke.

"I-I will now announce the results."

Tension gripped the room as the first result was revealed.

"Eight votes in favor!"

Yes!

Relief spread across the faces of the Alliance Leader’s faction members.

Everything had gone as predicted.

Only nine ballots remained—votes of opposition.

The ceasefire would remain intact, and the Alliance would not enter wartime.

…However, things began to move in a completely different direction.

“Eight opposed!”

“What?!”

Jaegal Hoon sprang to his feet in shock.

Only eight votes had been cast in opposition, not nine.

Even on Alliance Leader Yoo Jinhak’s face, a hint of bewilderment appeared.

“O-One final abstention. The vote is rendered invalid, and the motion will automatically carry over to the next general assembly!”

“…Abstention?”

“They’re saying… an invalid vote came out?”

As the room fell into collective confusion, only Namgung Myeong wore a meaningful smile.

‘Did you see that, Yoo Jinhak?’

Watching Yoo Jinhak’s flustered expression—something he had never seen before—Namgung Myeong felt a shiver of exhilaration.

And naturally, his gaze turned elsewhere.

Toward the person responsible.

‘He truly kept his promise.’

Feigning confusion with practiced ease—

His new accomplice, Tang Sewoon.

That night.

In a secret chamber within Kaifeng, the Elder Faction held a private meeting.

Seven elders, led by Namgung Myeong, were present.

Only Great Master Gakgong had returned immediately to Mount Song after the vote failed.

Of course, not before he had asked Namgung Myeong to explain everything in detail.

At that moment, unable to contain himself, the Lord of the Jinju Eon Clan, Eon Jahu, opened his mouth.

“I must say, I was truly astonished. I didn’t expect that impudent brat to bow his head and come to you first, Lord Namgung.”

“Indeed. He always strutted around arrogantly, acting superior because of his ties to the Alliance Leader.”

Namgung Myeong brought his wine cup to his lips in silence.

The other elders grew increasingly impatient.

“Lord Namgung, it’s time you spoke.”

“Yes! How on earth did Tang Se—!”

Ssshh—

The moment Eon Jahu tried to say “Tang Sewoon,” Namgung Myeong released a wave of Qi to shut him up.

Faced with the overwhelming disparity in cultivation, a flicker of fear crossed Eon Jahu’s face.

With a cold smile, Namgung Myeong finally spoke.

“From now on, let us refrain from carelessly speaking the name or origin of our mole. Even walls have ears, after all.”

“U-Understood.”

“The longer the mole remains undetected, the more we can deepen the chaos within the Alliance Leader’s faction.”

Namgung Myeong then explained to the other elders the proposal that Tang Sewoon had made through his son.

—I will sow suspicion and cause internal division among them.

—The Alliance Leader trusts me completely. None of them would ever suspect I’ve defected.

—If I cast an invalid vote, the Alliance Leader’s faction will descend into utter confusion.

That was it. The invalid vote that caused the 8-to-8 stalemate had been cast by Tang Muyeol of the Sichuan Tang Clan, under direct orders from Tang Sewoon.

Astonishingly, though Tang Sewoon only held the position of Young Lord, he had already taken full control of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

“But even if he cast an abstention today, are we really going to trust him so blindly?”

“He may wear the mask of a chivalrous hero in public, but in truth, he’s nothing more than a contemptible con artist. For all we know, we’re the ones being played.”

The successor of Qingcheng Sect, who had been openly displeased with Tang Sewoon’s involvement from the start, spoke mockingly.

As others glanced at each other, wary of his tone—

Namgung Myeong curled one corner of his lip and replied.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Even if we’re played briefly by a man doomed to die, what harm is there?”

His chilling words left everyone speechless.

Even the Qingcheng successor fell silent, his face now grave.

“W-What do you mean…?”

“Lord Namgung… Surely you’re not saying you’ll eliminate the mole once he’s served his purpose…?”

“Ah, you elders must have misunderstood my words.”

Namgung Myeong then revealed something even more shocking.

“I meant it literally. I personally took his pulse. That man has less than a year left to live.”

Just before the General Assembly, Namgung Myeong and Tang Sewoon had met in secret for roughly half a keun (15 minutes).

—How can I trust your proposal?

When Namgung Myeong opened with that question, Tang Sewoon unexpectedly extended his hand.

He was offering his inner energy up for observation.

And the moment Namgung Myeong examined it through his own Qi, he realized one undeniable truth.

Tang Sewoon’s innate True Qi was as fragile as a candle flame flickering in the wind.

—The New Monk merely relieved my immediate pain.

—My innate True Qi has already been depleted to life-threatening levels. I’ll be lucky to live out the year.

—That’s why, before I die, I want to ensure the Tang Clan doesn’t fall from the ranks of the Seven Great Clans. I want to secure more power and wealth before I go.

—That’s why I came to you. The Alliance Leader can’t give me that.

The Four Absolutes String Gentleman had only a year to live?

Everyone’s eyes lit up with a strange light.

They were calculating gains and losses in their heads at lightning speed.

“If Lord Namgung personally checked his pulse, then it must be true.”

“That explains why you so easily handed over the Scorching Furnace.”

“Haha… We might as well use him while he’s still of use.”

Even the Qingcheng successor stepped back with a satisfied look.

His expression was as if a blockage in his chest had finally cleared.

At that moment, Namgung Myeong once again opened his mouth, his gaze turning icy.

“While the Alliance Leader’s faction is busy searching for the traitor, we’ll quietly take control of all the primary funding channels and core departments within the Alliance.”

“And once the Murim Alliance has become a crumbling sandcastle, we will abandon it—”

“—and establish a new faction under a new name.”

At last, Namgung Myeong revealed his unrestrained ambition.

He would destroy the Murim Alliance built by the Sword Emperor.

And he would forge a new order.

That was Namgung Myeong’s plan.

“…Have you decided on a name, Lord Namgung?”

Eon Jahu asked, his voice trembling.

“White Path Union (白道聯).”

Namgung Myeong answered.

“That shall be the only name the world will remember among the orthodox forces of Jianghu.”

His eyes gleamed with a savage brilliance.