Revealed Will (2)

Han Cheol-sang stopped breathing without meaning to.

Swallow Sichuan whole. What did those words mean?

‘No. He said Sichuan first.’

It didn’t mean he would only swallow Sichuan. It meant he would start with Sichuan.

“Patriarch.”

Jin-hyeon silently took three letters from his sleeve and handed them to Han Cheol-sang.

Even unfolded, they were only a little bigger than a palm. And inside those small letters, countless characters had been written in incredibly fine brushstrokes.

The letters were so small that even Han Cheol-sang would have trouble seeing them without raising his internal energy and sharpening his eyesight.

“!!”

After reading all three letters, Han Cheol-sang was silent for a moment.

The contents were truly chilling. So much so that he couldn’t even imagine such things being written in these small letters.

Han Cheol-sang looked up at the ceiling, then shut his eyes tight.

“Is this true?”

“Gold Lord Seomun gave them to me when he left.”

It was information personally guaranteed by the Black Society’s Gold Lord. Then it had to be considered certain.

Han Cheol-sang gritted his teeth.

“No matter how I think about it, this makes no sense. And the information itself feels somewhat speculative.”

“It may not happen. But there’s a chance it will, so he wrote it down and handed it to me.”

“…”

“They’re the kind of people who do it once they say they will. You know that.”

Han Cheol-sang examined the letters once more.

The first letter said the Cheongyang Association was secretly purchasing grain through merchant guilds outside Sichuan.

Using the Divine Iron Merchant House to increase weapons, and outside merchant guilds to stockpile grain?

This information meant one thing. They were preparing for war.

Of course, with the Sichuan Branch watching, they wouldn’t openly try to conquer sects. But if they had enough preparation, expanding their power in the dark was entirely possible.

‘Soon.’

It could become a fight against all of the sects of Sichuan. They would coax and threaten, but the surest method was to eliminate them or force them to kneel with power.

The Cheongyang Association truly intended to conquer Sichuan Murim. They were trying to become the king of Sichuan.

Han Cheol-sang unfolded the second letter.

It contained something so enormous that information about the Cheongyang Association could be treated as ‘nothing.’

“How can even the Heavenly Will Alliance do this? They plan to push Sichuan’s sects into Qinghai Province, and have the Kongtong Sect, Jongnam Sect, and Mount Hua Sect split Sichuan into three and devour it?”

It was shocking.

Jongnam and Mount Hua of Shaanxi, and Kongtong of Gansu, were all great sects belonging to the Nine Sects.

Even before the Eight Wastes Alliance gained power, they belonged to the Nine Sects and boasted the greatest strength in the Orthodox Murim. Now, in the era of the Heavenly Will Alliance, the Nine Sects’ status and strength had become far greater than before.

They could be called sects beyond the heavens. And as if that weren’t enough, three of those sects were saying they would divide and devour Sichuan.

It was absurd, but because the Heavenly Will Alliance was even taking the place of the imperial palace and the government offices, it was entirely possible.

Moreover, they said they would send only Murim sects and clans to Qinghai Province, not civilians. It meant they would drive out the existing local powers and have overwhelmingly powerful sects rule separately.

“They say it’s under discussion, but…”

If it were only under discussion, information like this would not come out. This information came out because the discussion at the Heavenly Will Alliance’s main base was gradually leaning toward approval.

“I think I understand.”

“Huh?”

Jin-hyeon spoke calmly.

“It was written in the Murim History Book that Gold Lord Seomun gave me before. They may be called the Nine Sects, but they are not all equal. It said the sects with the strongest voice and power among them were Shaolin, Wudang, and Mount Hua.”

“That should still be true. Everyone well-versed in Kangho knows that.”

“Jongnam was one step below Mount Hua, and the Kongtong Sect had the weakest power among the Nine Sects and was the group farthest from authority.”

“That’s right.”

“Mount Hua has great practical influence, but it shares Shaanxi with Jongnam. I don’t know about Jongnam, but from Mount Hua’s position, it would make sense to want to expand its territory.”

“!”

“But if Mount Hua said it would swallow Sichuan alone, it would obviously draw hostile looks. So it’s highly likely they secretly agreed with Jongnam to divide it nicely, then proceeded with the matter.”

“That makes no sense.”

Even as he denied it without meaning to, Han Cheol-sang realized that he accepted it inwardly.

Jin-hyeon shook his head.

“Do you know who wants power most in this world?”

“…”

“The strong.”

The strong pursue power far more blindly than the weak. The stronger they are, the more they dream of greater strength and higher authority.

“Those drunk on power see nothing. For them, there is only charging straight ahead. Just like…”

“…”

“The Eight Wastes Alliance Leader.”

Of course, the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader and they were different.

From the beginning, as soon as the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader crossed to the continent, he held the ambition to place this world beneath his feet. And that ambition never wavered until the moment he swept across the world. He had truly carried out his conquest with an overwhelming sense of purpose.

But they were different.

They too might have thoughts of wanting to become the greatest. They might even have thoughts of wanting to take the entire continent.

But reality was not easy. Since the Heavenly Will Alliance had already been founded as an alliance of countless groups, it was absolutely impossible for any one sect to sweep across the world.

Then?

Inside it, they had no choice but to endlessly desire stronger power and a higher position. In their world, those who only cared about preserving their power would be weeded out.

“Then what about the Kongtong Sect?”

“It’s only a guess, but…”

Jin-hyeon pointed west with his hand.

“There.”

“Huh?”

“I said west.”

“…I see.”

There was no proper explanation, but Han Cheol-sang immediately understood and nodded.

Sichuan had fertile land, grew rice well, was famous for silk, and had iron mines.

It was land that could, quite literally, run on its own even if a country were founded there. But from the perspective of Kangho Murim, Sichuan and Gansu always faced great danger.

The Outer Frontier Murim.

Beyond Sichuan, in Qinghai and Xizang, powerful martial groups also existed. And they had always coveted the fertile continent.

In other words, the first places the Outer Frontier Murim would invade were western Sichuan and Gansu. In fact, among the Nine Sects, the Kongtong Sect had clashed with the Outer Frontier Murim the most and had suffered the most damage because of it.

“Mount Hua and Jongnam will likely divide Sichuan’s prime land, and leave the western front to the Kongtong Sect.”

“…”

“In the end, they say they’ll split it in three, but it means the Kongtong Sect will have to guard the borderland even in Sichuan. On top of that, western Sichuan has many snow-covered high mountains, so it’s harsh to live there.”

“That’s right.”

Han Cheol-sang’s face darkened.

“In the end, this is all just a land-grabbing game played by those in power.”

Jin-hyeon shook his head.

“We don’t know anything for certain yet. There isn’t enough information either. At this stage, it’s all only guesses.”

“Guesses with a high chance of being true.”

“At least I think so. But that isn’t what matters.”

“…”

“What matters is that my house is about to be robbed.”

Han Cheol-sang snorted without meaning to. It was a serious situation, but the way Jin-hyeon said it was funny.

Saaak.

An unusual momentum rose from Jin-hyeon’s body.

“If they had a proper reason, they should have contacted the Sichuan Branch Chief beforehand. If not, they should have gathered the representative sects of Sichuan Murim in advance and explained the situation, or coordinated with them.”

“…”

“Proceeding with something everyone is unaware of means they intend to force it through in one strike, then clean up afterward.”

“That would be the case.”

“And that means.”

“…”

“Sichuan Murim has no strength.”

If there had been even one sect in Sichuan with strength on the level of the Nine Sects, would they have thought of pushing this place aside?

They absolutely would not have.

A sect’s power is control. And that control greatly affects the lives of the people as well.

If there had been even one force on the level of the Nine Sects, no, even the Five Great Clans, they would not have thought of pushing Sichuan aside and dividing it up. Even if they had, they would have approached it far more carefully and more conciliatorily.

In the end, they were suffering because they had no strength.

Jin-hyeon did not like that. Especially now that he had decided to make the land of Sichuan his house.

“I won’t watch my step anymore. I will protect my house myself.”

“…”

“The first step is the Cheongyang Association’s downfall.”

There was nothing to hesitate over. What the Cheongyang Association had shown so far was enough to prove it wasn’t a good sect. No, it was closer to vicious.

Then it should be removed. As quickly as possible, without leaving a trace.

“We need to look into it more, but even if the discussion is moving in a positive direction, they won’t be able to proceed immediately. Once a decision is made, they’ll try to push it through without looking back, but they’ll have to be extremely careful until that decision is made.”

“In other words, there is still time.”

“That’s right.”

“There’s one thing I’m curious about. Ah, of course, this is only an assumption, so the conversation from here won’t mean much.”

Han Cheol-sang stroked his chin.

“The other Nine Sects won’t just stand by and watch Mount Hua and Jongnam gain larger territory. I don’t understand how this discussion is moving in a positive direction.”

“That’s even simpler.”

“Pardon?”

“They buttered up influential figures they’re close to. The Nine Sects may be the greatest powers in the Heavenly Will Alliance, but there are clearly powers no less than them.”

Han Cheol-sang let out a sigh.

“The Five Great Clans, and the Four Heroes Alliance…”

“The mere fact that this is being discussed means they deliberately secured backing. They’ll fight among themselves until their heads split open for a while.”

Han Cheol-sang couldn’t help but admire him.

Even if he had lived the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader’s life, showing this kind of insight was truly not easy. Even if these assumptions were not all true, the political acumen Jin-hyeon showed throughout the conversation was based on remarkable insight and outstanding wisdom.

“That’s why I believe the contents of that letter.”

Han Cheol-sang looked at the last, third letter.

The Fifth Elder of Hunan’s Hengshan Sect is moving northwest with the Seven Lotus Swords under his command. The destination is presumed to be Sichuan. They are traveling by carriage, and are expected to arrive in two months at the shortest, three months at the longest.

The Hengshan Sect of Hunan Province. One wing of the Nine Sects, and a sect said to have especially close ties with the Wudang Sect, another of the Nine Sects.

“The fact that the Hengshan Sect, which has ties with the Wudang Sect, sent an elder and some of its main masters means…”

“Right. It means they intend to inspect Sichuan personally. It means someone at the elder level will personally confirm how much land and money Mount Hua and Jongnam will take.”

“In other words, even if they hand Sichuan over, they’ll see everything there is to see and take everything there is to take before doing so.”

“Exactly.”

Han Cheol-sang’s eyes deepened.

“Then…”

“We bring down the Cheongyang Association within two months.”

It was a terrifying statement.

But Han Cheol-sang wasn’t afraid at all. He was only worried about those around him. He trusted his own martial arts.

Jin-hyeon looked north. It was the direction where the White Sword Seol Clan stood.

“We unify Sichuan as one. And… we must become strong enough that no one can covet it.”