Chapter 110 - The Hellish Great Journey (9)
Everyone's eyes focused on me.
I didn't take my eyes off Ilmyeong.
"Is the Dragon-Phoenix Summit here?"
Ilmyeong somehow glanced at Namgung Seonhwa before looking back at me.
"... Well, not all of them, but it is true that the Dragon-Phoenix Summit has made a move."
"And the person who wants to see me is 'Yong So-ah'?"
"That is correct."
The Nine Sects and One Gang showing movements that seemed unrelated to the exam, and the Dragon-Phoenix Summit whose reason for being here was unknown.
My mind tangled up due to the confusing information.
My energy was too depleted to make a calm judgment.
Making an analytical judgment was too much.
I decided to just make an instinctive choice based on insight.
"Never mind. If it's for reconciliation, any time we meet would be better than now."
When I brought up the matter of the Demonic Spirit Plateau, Ilmyeong chuckled.
"He probably won't apologize."
He asserted it as if speaking an immutable truth.
I nodded, as I knew that too.
"If that's the case, then there is even less of a reason to see him."
Ilmyeong looked around. Even though people's figures shouldn't have been clearly visible hidden in the darkness, Ilmyeong examined everyone in every corner without missing a single one.
"At this rate, failing the exam won't be the problem. Will you be able to bear all that karma, Benefactor?"
"These two people right here might not have been able to take the exam in the first place because of him."
When I pointed to Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran and spoke, Ilmyeong nodded once again.
In my past life, I had quite a bit of goodwill towards Ilmyeong, but seeing him act like this now somehow ticked me off. Would he still smile like the Little Buddha even if I smacked him in the head?
"Young Master Jin."
Seong Moran joined the conversation.
"We're fine."
As Seong Moran looked at Namgung Seonhwa, she also nodded.
"I'm not fine with it."
"... What's important right now isn't what happened at the Demonic Spirit Plateau. It's the standard Murim exam."
Everyone unknowingly nodded.
They hoped to escape this situation by any means necessary.
My premonition was telling a completely different story, but since everyone was speaking like this, I couldn't hesitate any longer.
I stood up from my seat.
"Where is he?"
* * *
I moved alongside Namgung Seonhwa and Moyong Jaehwa. I had specifically selected only those who could somewhat exert influence on the Dragon-Phoenix Summit.
Ilmyeong slowed down the speed of his ghost-like Vajra Immovable Movement Technique to match our pace.
Since Namgung Seonhwa and Moyong Jaehwa's conditions were already far from normal, simply using movement techniques was consuming a lot of their mental energy.
After following him for about thirty minutes, lights began to shine in the distance.
Torches were lit all around, and a large bonfire in the middle illuminated the area.
Above the bonfire, a greasy pig was turning, giving off a savory scent.
It was a stark contrast to us, who were being chased by thousands of people.
My feelings were needlessly hurt, and I spoke up.
"Is there no consideration for Senior Little Buddha, who distances himself from cooked meat?"
He replied with a Buddha-like smile.
"This is not for us. It is for all of you."
"..."
"I figured you would need to replenish your nutrition first once you took a rest."
The displeasure from my past life resurfaced.
It felt like looking at the surrounding environment changing around us without telling us, even though it was clearly a matter concerning us.
I simply shut my mouth and followed the Little Buddha.
Past the large bonfire, a smaller bonfire was lit further inside.
And around it, seven men and women stood on either side.
There were faces I had seen at the Taiyi Sect, and faces I had seen in my past life.
And standing at the center of it all was that man.
"It's been a while."
"..."
Namgung Seonhwa and Moyong Jaehwa were about to cup their fists in greeting, but they lowered their hands again after looking at me.
Some of the men and women standing on either side frowned at my disrespect toward a senior, but Yong So-ah himself showed no change in expression, as if he didn't care.
"I heard you are going through a tough time?"
His calmly spoken words grated on my nerves.
"Before that..."
Everyone's eyes gathered on me.
"Apologize first."
"...!"
"...!"
"...!"
Then, their eyes widened in surprise. There was even someone whose mouth hung wide open as if they couldn't believe it.
Yong So-ah stared piercingly at me.
In my past life, I couldn't even dare to casually meet those two eyes that seemed to see right through everything.
"My actions were justified. There is nothing to apologize for."
"Do you know how many people almost died because of you?"
"The best choice at the time was for me to leave and bring people back. The fact that you were able to undo the array and get out of there is merely a matter of hindsight."
"Have you not considered that your actions tangled the array and made the rescue even more difficult?"
"In the end, you deciphered the array, and I did the best I could. Since everyone chose their own best course of action, there is no need to apologize to anyone."
"You're quite good at spouting strings of sophistry."
"I heard your companions are exhausted, so are you going to keep dragging out the time pointlessly like this?"
At Yong So-ah's words as he looked at Namgung Seonhwa and Moyong Jaehwa, I readily nodded.
"For what reason did you call me?"
"To help you."
"Ha!"
I was the one who couldn't control my emotions at Yong So-ah's words.
To think the day would come when I would hear that man say he would help me, rather than saying he would kill me.
"Why?"
"Because that is my best option."
That attitude of speaking so casually, as if our past didn't matter at all.
Knowing that attitude was genuine grated on my nerves even more.
"In more detail."
Yong So-ah tilted his head, seemingly unable to understand.
"Does the reason even matter?"
"Justification is the greatest driving force behind the Orthodox faction's movements. Let alone, would the hero of the Orthodox faction, Yong So-ah, make a move all the way out here without a justification?"
Yong So-ah stared piercingly at me with his distinctly alien gaze.
"The Orthodox Council, formed around the Nine Sects and One Gang, is calling all of their remaining disciples here, excluding their main forces."
Namgung Seonhwa's hands trembled faintly.
She seemed to be struggling just from the thought of it. I quietly held her hand.
"Just to catch us?"
"Not you all. Specifically, 'you'."
"That is what I'm curious about. Why are they coming all this way specifically to catch 'me'? Is it simply because I'm expected to enter at the top of the class?"
"To the current Orthodox Council, it is just that important."
"And you are saying you will help me in order to correct that mistake?"
One of the men standing nearby stepped forward.
"I've been letting it slide, but you were like this at the Taiyi Sect too. Your arrogance knows no bounds."
So Jeho of Qingcheng. He was someone who had been at the Taiyi Sect.
I glanced at him once, then ignored him and continued to look at Yong So-ah.
So Jeho's face flushed red, but I paid it no mind.
"Fine. How do you plan to help? You're surely not saying you'll take us to the Murim Academy."
"That is what I will do."
"What?"
"Do you think I cannot?"
The Dragon-Phoenix Summit was a gathering of those with the most outstanding records among the graduates of the Murim Academy of their generation. Furthermore, both Yong So-ah and Ilmyeong were present right now.
"Isn't it not a matter of whether you can or cannot?"
It was something that shouldn't be done.
"The exam rules state that anyone who receives help from their sect or an alliance, or those related to them, will be stripped of their eligibility to take the exam."
"Do you think everyone is following the exam rules?"
"..."
"You only need to decide. Will you do it, or will you not?"
"Fine. I can't really refuse in this situation. I want to hear the condition."
"Condition?"
"There must be a price, right?"
"There is none."
At Yong So-ah's words, not only me but Namgung Seonhwa and Moyong Jaehwa also widened their eyes.
"You simply need to enter the Murim Academy with the highest marks and become the top admitted student."
Yong So-ah slowly raised his hand. Then he pointed out the two people next to me.
"However, neither they, nor anyone else in your group, can accompany you."
A strange silence settled around us.
"..."
"..."
Namgung Seonhwa and Moyong Jaehwa wore expressions of utter despondency, as if watching sand they were clutching in their hands slip away.
"Heheheh."
On the contrary, a laugh slipped out of me because I had expected this.
"As expected, your narrow-mindedness hasn't changed."
"You bastard! You go too far."
So Jeho's shout didn't even reach my ears.
"I refuse."
"Why?"
Yong So-ah had an expression of utter incomprehension.
I gave the best answer I could.
"Because that is not the right thing to do."
Yong So-ah's expression cracked ever so slightly for the first time.
"In more detail."
"In more detail, huh..."
He probably didn't like the current forces of the Murim Alliance.
Because Yong So-ah would create his own faction and encroach upon the Murim Alliance in a few years.
Shaking up the existing factions and reminding them of their incompetence was something up-and-coming factions absolutely had to do.
The emergence of a new hero could also serve as a justification to replace the people of the Orthodox Council and the Elder's Hall.
Furthermore, if he forged that hero with his own hands and could manipulate him to his heart's content, it would be the icing on the cake.
Someone from a lowly sect who could be thrown away without consequence once they outlived their usefulness in the future.
Several things came to mind, but I didn't bother saying them.
Instead, I racked my brain as much as possible to find a way to provoke him.
"Because I cannot agree with the justice you speak of."
His justice ultimately preserved the lineage of the Orthodox faction.
But in the end, his justice abandoned all of my comrades.
"What a waste of time. I can't really call it a substitute, but buy us about a day's worth of time. The Dragon-Phoenix Summit should be able to do at least that much, right?"
I was about to turn around when So Jeho stepped forward again.
"I haven't told you to go back yet."
I ignored his words and took a step forward.
"You bastard!"
So Jeho of Qingcheng emitted an intense killing intent.
The killing intent, which would have been nothing out of the ordinary under normal circumstances, washed over my whole body and felt like it was shredding my nerves.
Namgung Seonhwa and Moyong Jaehwa, who were standing next to me, let out groans and collapsed to the ground.
The killing intent, released without warning, had inflicted internal damage on them.
"Urp."
When Namgung Seonhwa spat out a mouthful of black blood, So Jeho's complexion only then turned pale.
He looked as if he hadn't known this would happen.
The Hundred-Hand Divine Maiden, Dang Seo-hee, quickly darted forward and checked Namgung Seonhwa's pulse. Then, she pulled out a pill from her embrace and popped it into Namgung Seonhwa's mouth.
As Namgung Seonhwa's complexion improved, she then checked on Moyong Jaehwa before turning back to her spot, only to stare piercingly at me.
"You, how much sleep have you gotten?"
"Since when are you asking about?"
"..."
When the cold-faced Dang Seo-hee reached out to check my pulse, I quickly pulled my hand away.
"..."
Dang Seo-hee looked back at me with a sullen face.
"You need to give me your hand."
"I refuse."
"Is it because of So Jeho?"
"It is."
"Will you give me your hand if So Jeho dies?"
"Can you do that for me?"
So Jeho's face turned completely white.
"I can make him shit blood for about a month. Give me your hand in exchange."
"You promised."
Dang Seo-hee checked my pulse, and her eyes, which were always half-closed, suddenly widened.
"Do you have a death wish?"
"Do I have a fatal illness?"
"You're in the most critical condition out of everyone here. It wouldn't be strange if you died right this second."
Namgung Seonhwa and Moyong Jaehwa, having regained their color, looked at me, unable to speak.
"Shake off the pursuers so I can get some sleep."
"You will die at this rate."
"Even so, I have no intention of giving up on the standard Murim exam."
"Then you must follow Yong So-ah."
"Senior Seo-hee."
"Why are you calling me?"
"Isn't there something strange about the people here?"
"?"
"Every single one gathered here is from the Nine Sects and One Gang. The only one from the Five Great Noble Clans is you, Senior Seo-hee."
"..."
"The justice Yong So-ah speaks of is ultimately nothing more than taking sides."
Dang Seo-hee looked at Yong So-ah with half-closed eyes.
Yong So-ah still showed no change in expression.
"I don't know what words Yong So-ah used to tempt you, Senior Seo-hee, but Yong So-ah is also no different from the deep-rooted evils of the current Murim Alliance that he so despises."
"...!"
"...!"
"...!"
