Return of the Mount Hua Sect
Chapter 839: The Agreement Papers Are Still There (4)

“Did you say the Four Precepts Alliance?”

Hong Dae-Kwang nodded at the slightly loud voice of Hyun Jong.

“Yes! Sect leader. The Four Precepts Alliance has declared Unification of the Evil Way.”

“Unification of the Evil Way…”

A groan escaped Hyun Jong’s mouth as he repeated the phrase.

Meanwhile, Jo Gul looked at Yoon Jong with a puzzled expression, clearly not understanding what had just been said.

“Uh… sahyung.”

“What?”

“What is this Unification of the Evil Way?”

Yoon Jong, shocked, turned to look at Jo Gul. Jo Gul, noticing the contempt on Yoon Jong’s face, protested in defense.

“Ah, no, I know what it means! Aren’t they trying to unite the Evil Sects?”

“Ugh… I am glad you know.”

“No, but hasn’t the Evil Faction already been unified? The sects did come together as one… of course, there is the Green Forest. Still, now half of Green Forest belongs to Heavenly Friends Alliance and has almost completely stepped back from banditry, so it is difficult to call it an Evil Faction….”

Hong Dae-Kwang, who heard those words, looked toward Jo Gul and shook his head.

“That’s half right and half wrong.”

“Uh?”

“It is true that Shenzhou Five Sects represents the Evil Faction. But it cannot be said that they are all the Evil Sects out there. Aren’t there many such sects in the world?”

“R-right.”

The Galho Clan, which Jo Gul took down, was one of the Evil Sects.

“Now the Four Precepts Alliance has declared that it will bring all the Evil Sects in the world under its control.”

“Uh? All?”

Only then did Jo Gul understand what the Unification of the Evil Way meant, and he felt flustered.

“Is that alright? The…”

“It is a bit tough. That is the habit of the Evil Faction in the first place.”

“Habit?”

When Jo Gul asked what he meant by that, Hong Dae-Kwang clicked his tongue.

“Think about it. They are the Evil Faction. Evil Faction! These are the people who absolutely hate rules and order. Would such people bow their heads to others? Why do you think the Evil Faction is pushed aside by the Justice Faction?”

“…because their martial arts are weak?”

“Wrong.”

“Then?”

“It is because they cannot create such a big force.”

Baek Cheon asked as if he didn’t understand.

“But isn’t the Shenzhou Five Sects comparable to the Nine Great Sects?”

“Right, right. But there is a limit. The Evil Faction couldn’t get any bigger than that. When the power was expanded beyond it, if the leader’s control didn’t reach the corners, there would be internal fights and the entire faction would split.”

“Ah…”

“The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families are all sects that are hundreds of years old. But, even if the Evil Faction is large, it cannot survive for a hundred years. Because over time, it collapses on its own.”

Hong Dae-Kwang’s face contorted.

‘So, think about it. It is normal for the Evil Faction to be divided even within themselves, so does it make sense to truly bow down to another faction?’

Hyun Jong was deep in thought, letting out a sigh, and opened his mouth.

“Branch leader Hong.”

“Yes, sect leader.”

“But as far as I know, the Evil Faction also gives in to the strong sects?”

“If you look at the inside story, it is a bit different. Some sects line up near Mount Hua, right?”

“…”

“…None?”

“That…uh…”

At that time, Chung Myung poked him on the side.

“Ah, we are in Xi’an now.”

“R-right! We are! There are many!”

“…”

Hong Dae-Kwang felt like he had asked for something he couldn’t say, so he continued to speak hesitantly, avoiding the gaze of Hyun Jong.

“Yes… that, uh… in any case, just because there are sects lined up, the higher sect cannot give instructions to the lower clans. Isn’t that something which cannot be done even to the sub-sects of a sect because of the principles of the Justice faction?”

“Yes.”

“The reason for lining up is simply to gain an advantage. The same goes for the Evil Faction. But what the Four Precepts Alliance is saying now is not just to bring the lower clans into line. The idea is to subjugate them and make them their slaves. The idea is to bring together the many sects in the world that are tagged as Evil under the name of the Evil Faction. In other words….”

Hong Dae-Kwang bit his lip and said.

“Only the Evil Faction will remain in the world; the Evil Faction will be the Four Precepts Alliance, and the Four Sects Alliance will turn to the Evil Faction.”

“W-what is that?”

Hyun Jong’s face turned slightly pale. Only now did they understand how tremendous the declaration of unification was.

“Is that possible?”

“Of course, it isn’t. If it were possible, there would have been countless people who would have attempted such a thing by now. But…”

When Hong Dae-Kwang hesitated to speak, Chung Myung took over.

“That very impossible thing is possible now.”

“Hm?”

“With the emergence of the Four Precepts Alliance, the powerful sects are no longer able to keep each other in check, and the Justice faction, who step in at the right time and take advantage of the situation, are also unable to approach this land.”

“Hmm… that is…”

“But.”

Chung Myung smiled and laughed.

‘I thought they would be busy handling the internal aspects… so they are going to come out like this? The land where the knife was cut probably didn’t even heal yet, and yet Jang Ilso, that bastard….“

In Chung Myung’s opinion, the current Jang Ilso was no different from a greedy pig. No matter how great he was, there was no way he could swallow the entire pirates, Black Ghost Fort, and Lower District Sect at the same time.

So he thought he would have a hard time sorting things out, but it turned out to be the opposite of what Chung Myung expected.

“What do you think will happen?”

“Hmm.”

Im So-Byeong, receiving Chung Myung’s gaze, scratched his chin.

‘Actually… although this is extreme, it is a reasonable number. When there is conflict internally, it is best to create enemies on the outside.’

‘Right.’

“If the internal reorganization continues like this, there will eventually be a power struggle among the Four Sects Alliance. But if they turn their knives outside, whether they are strong or weak, they won’t be biting down on each other’s throats for a while. And that could be what Jang Ilso is aiming for.”

Chung Myung’s eyes sunk in.

“I don’t think that is all.”

“Uh?”

“Unification of the Evil Faction. This war is none other than a war carried out in the name of the Evil Faction.”

“… isn’t that obvious?”

“In other words, those who subjugate are also subjugated in the name of the Evil Faction.”

“Ah!”

Im So-Byeong flinched as if he had missed that.

“Right, then….”

Hyun Jong, unable to follow their conversation, asked with a stern look.

“Chung Myung. What does that mean?”

“When the Shenzhou Five Sects subjugate the Evil Faction sects in each land, the subjugated sects’ lands come under them. But if they subjugate in the name of the Four Precepts Alliance, they will follow the orders. And so…”

“… are you saying that all of that power will turn up under Jang Ilso, the Alliance leader? Everyone coming under his command from now on?”

“Precisely.”

Chung Myung smiled, showing his teeth.

“A crazy person is doing a crazy thing.”

In every aspect of the world, there were stages. The reason you needed to take that step was that the consequences of ignoring the rule were significant.

They had just achieved a form of union, yet they were enriching themselves while neglecting internal maintenance? And leading the other sects of the Shenzhou Five Sects, which could not be considered as much, to completely surrender to him?

This was no different from a blatant provocation directed at the other leaders of the Shenzhou sects.

Baek Cheon asked with a stern face.

“Of course, there will be backlash, right?”

“You must have the confidence to press that, right? If it succeeds, the benefits will surely be great.”

No matter how great the sects belonging to the Shenzhou Five Sects were, if it attracted all the other sects, its power could not be taken lightly. No, at least in terms of numbers, it would be more than enough to overwhelm the other sects.

If that happened, even the Black Dragon King, Thousand Faced Scholar, and Black Ghost Fort leaders wouldn’t dare touch Jang Ilso.

“And if they fail?”

“Death.”

Chung Myung giggled.

“He will die the most gruesome death without leaving a single piece of flesh behind. He probably knows that.”

All small and medium-sized sects that protest would be trampled and subjugated. In the meantime, he must keep in check the other leaders of the Shenzhou Five Sects, who might try to stab him in the back at any time.

This was an incredibly dangerous tightrope Jang Ilso chose to walk on.

But now that the lingering effects of war hadn’t subsided yet, Jang Ilso had declared that he would continue on this tightrope.

“What do you think? The odds of success?”

Chung Myung frowned at Baek Cheon’s question.

“… can he? No, maybe… half and half?”

“Half?”

At that level, it was a close gamble and even he would not be sure of winning.

“That Jang Ilso?”

Baek Cheon unconsciously made a remark about Jang Ilso, but there was no need to change his words.

“I am giving him that much chance because it is Jang Ilso. If it were any other guy, he would have already died and turned into dog food by now.”

On the contrary, Chung Myung held Jang Ilso in high regard.

“Then…”

Baek Cheon gulped and opened his mouth. He was torn between asking immediately or waiting, but he couldn’t hold back.

“… What if Jang Ilso succeeds despite the slim odds? Then what happens?”

“What if he succeeds?”

“Yes, then what?”

Chung Myung twisted his lips into a smile.

’On the outside, it might look like the Four Precept Alliance has unified the Evil Way, but in reality, it will be like the Ten Thousand People Clan swallowing the Evil Faction. In other words…“

“…”

“An unprecedented Evil Sect, which has never appeared before, will be born.”

Chills ran down Baek Cheon’s spine.

“And Jang Ilso will become the only person to lead the greatest sects of all. This has never happened before in the history of Kangho.”

A dead silence fell in the hall.

It was such a huge statement that they had no idea how to react.

Chung Myung’s low laughter echoed through the silence.

People looked at Chung Myung with blank faces.

“An insane person just does insane things. If you’re not going to get everything, it doesn’t matter if you don’t get torn, right?”

For the moment, Jang Ilso would have endured again and again.

Now, Jang Ilso had started to move.

He would never stop until he devoured the entire world or burned it down. Even if he swallowed too much, his stomach exploded, and he died, or even if he burned himself from the fire he made!

Because that was the way people like Jang Ilso lived their lives.

Meanwhile, Baek Cheon’s face, looking at Chung Myung, was stiff.

Everyone was weighed down by the gravity of Jang Ilso’s actions, but only Chung Myung seemed happy.

Maybe it was an illusion…

“I am curious, too.”

At that moment, Chung Myung spoke with a bizarre smile.

“Is Jang Ilso really capable of keeping the entire Evils Faction under his command, or is he just an idiot who will explode and puke out everything he inhales?”

Chung Myung’s gaze turned to the door. To be exact, beyond the door.

Until now, the world seemed to be waiting for Chung Myung to make a move. But now, the world is starting to come upon Chung Myung.

‘This is how it stays interesting.’

Chung Myung clenched his fists.

“But… well, the result is the same. I will prove to him that the mistakes he makes are irreversible.”

He fixed his gaze to the south and smiled, showing his teeth.

And maybe.

Someone far away, out of sight, might be looking at them and smiling.