Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 403 – Ritual of Three Veins (3)

“Heh heh heh. How interesting to say that this old man’s disciple lacks a foundation.”

The surrounding area buzzed with commotion at these words from the Annihilating Poison King Baek Sa-ha.

-Murmur murmur!

“Did the Annihilating Poison King just call him his disciple?”

“He certainly did.”

“No way. What’s going on?”

It was understandable, given that even when Shadow Clan Master, one of the Three Clan Masters who could be considered a high-ranking executive, took Mok Gyeong-un, a hostage from the righteous faction, as a disciple, it caused considerable controversy.

But the Annihilating Poison King was one of the Five Kings, considered the greatest fighting force in the Heaven and Earth Society.

For him to step forward and officially call Mok Gyeong-un his disciple at what was essentially an official emergency gathering was tantamount to a public announcement.

‘So he’s finally revealing it.’

Mo Yak clicked her tongue inwardly.

In fact, she knew that the Annihilating Poison King had some kind of relationship with Mok Gyeong-un, as the Young Master Na Yul-ryang had mentioned something after regaining consciousness from his injury.

However, she had assumed that the reason for not making this public was out of consideration for Mok Gyeong-un’s background.

She didn’t expect him to step forward at such a crucial moment.

-Goooo!

The Annihilating Poison King Baek Sa-ha revealed his characteristic aura as he opened his mouth.

“If the foundation is the problem, our Baek family is willing to provide any support necessary. No one can disregard my disciple.”

The surrounding murmurs fell silent all at once in the face of his aura.

It was only natural that the average members would be overwhelmed, as the influence of the Baek family, a sect specializing in poisons, was counted among the top five within the Heaven and Earth Society.

However, Mo Yak didn’t show much reaction to this.

‘It’s fine.’

This much had already been anticipated.

Although the addition of the Annihilating Poison King’s Baek family’s power to the Shadow Clan couldn’t be ignored, public opinion against allowing Mok Gyeong-un, a hostage from the righteous faction, to participate in the Ritual of the Three Veins was still stronger with just these two factions supporting him.

Moreover, since the forces supporting Young Master Na Yul-ryang and the Head of the Earth Vein were still overwhelmingly dominant, if they could just push the negative public opinion a little more…

But it was at that moment.

“Oh my, oh my… Seems like you’ve already forgotten.”

-Swish!

Jang Neung-ak, the second disciple of the Society Leader, stepped forward elegantly, unfurling his fan.

All eyes turned to him.

Come to think of it, he was the one who had first introduced Mok Gyeong-un as the successor of the Moon Vein.

‘What trick are you trying to pull?’

Mo Yak had been curious about his intentions, wondering why he suddenly put Mok Gyeong-un, who had inherited the martial arts of the Moon Vein, into this situation, especially since Na Yul-ryang was already aiming for the Society Leader position despite his lack of ability.

Was his goal to disperse the factions as much as possible?

No, if that were the case, it would only disperse his own faction, so what was he up to?

-Zzzzt!

At that moment, Young Master Na Yul-ryang, who had been glaring at Jang Neung-ak, frowned and brought his hand to his right eye.

What’s this?

Despite not uncovering his eye patch to open his Demon Eye, he felt a strange discomfort that made his eye twitch.

Puzzled by this, Na Yul-ryang glared at his second senior disciple, Jang Neung-ak, with sharpened eyes.

‘…Could it be?’

Just then, unexpected words spilled from the mouth of the second young master, Jang Neung-ak.

“I, Jang Neung-ak, though the second disciple of the Society Leader, have been moved by the character and martial prowess of Mok Gyeong-un, the successor of the Moon Vein present here, and have decided to serve him.”

‘!!!!!!’

The plaza erupted into commotion once again at this sudden declaration.

Everyone had assumed that Jang Neung-ak, known for his capricious nature and skill in strategy, had some ulterior motive for bringing Mok Gyeong-un, who had inherited the Moon Vein’s martial arts, into the picture.

But this was a completely unexpected development, leaving everyone shocked.

“What? How could the Second Young Master…?”

“Serve a mere hostage from the righteous faction as his lord?”

“My goodness.”

The impact was tremendous.

This wasn’t just anyone, but one of the Society Leader’s disciples.

Jang Neung-ak had been one of the most likely succession candidates after Young Master Na Yul-ryang. For him to publicly support someone other than his own senior disciple naturally caused confusion.

Moreover,

The advanced disciples of the Five Mountains Alliance, which Jang Neung-ak led, gathered around him.

They were Ko Yeon-hu, the Grand Leader of the First Mountain’s Hegemon Group; Seo Hye-in, the Leader of the Fourth Mountain’s Rising Mist Group; and Jeo Mo-pal of the Fifth Mountain’s Giant Rock Fist.

Although two of them, Wi Maeng-cheon of the Second Mountain and Ho Jong-hyeok of the Third Mountain and leader of the Indestructible Group, had lost their lives, their forces remained intact with him.

Naturally, this led to the question,

“Wait, doesn’t this mean that the Guardian Clan Master, father of Grand Leader Ko Yeon-hu, is also supporting this?”

Ko Yeon-byeok, one of the Three Clan Masters known as the Guardian Clan Master.

He was a master of the Fist, known as the Iron-Blooded Man, and was responsible for guarding the outer castle of the Heaven and Earth Society.

-Clench!

Mo Yak bit her lip hard.

She never expected the Second Young Master Jang Neung-ak, of all people, to come out like this.

She hadn’t anticipated at all that he, who had never hidden his desire to become the Society Leader, would give up on this ambition.

This was even more surprising given his alliance with Wi So-yeon, but what kind of bolt from the blue was this?

It was as if the entire force of the Second Young Master Jang Neung-ak had been added to Mok Gyeong-un’s side.

‘Wait… Could it be?’

Mo Yak hurriedly looked around, searching for Wi So-yeon, the youngest disciple of the Society Leader.

Recently, she had managed to kill Ho Jong-hyeok, the son of the Axe-Breaking King, through a scheme, leaving traces of the Bright Sun Sword Technique, the secret martial art of the Bright Blade King Son Yun, to break their alliance.

However, since she hadn’t yet confirmed whether they had noticed the scheme and were just putting on a show or not, she was looking for Wi So-yeon with a sense of dread.

If by any chance Wi So-yeon’s faction also unexpectedly supported Mok Gyeong-un, it would be tantamount to nearly half of the forces joining him.

However,

‘She’s not here.’

Wi So-yeon was nowhere to be seen.

Even Son Yun, the Bright Blade King who supported her, and his disciples were absent.

Gi Ok-ryeon, Wi So-yeon’s confidant, also seemed to be missing.

Coincidentally, Gi Ok-ryeon’s father, the Sun Rock Valley Master, was away from the association due to a mission.

‘Did they succeed in the Elder Hall?’

Come to think of it, they had said they would secure Wi So-yeon in the Elder Hall.

Perhaps that’s why Wi So-yeon wasn’t showing up despite the emergency gathering.

In any case, it was fortunate that she didn’t appear and unnecessarily show her support.

Moreover,

-Swoosh!

Mo Yak turned her head to look at one of the female executives standing behind Na Yul-ryang.

She was Hang Yeo-ryang, one of the Four Valley Masters known as the Sound Valley Master.

Originally, Hang Yeo-ryang had publicly supported the Second Young Master Jang Neung-ak.

This was due to her friction with the Bright Blade King Son Yun, who supported Wi So-yeon, the youngest disciple.

However, when Jang Neung-ak and Wi So-yeon formed an alliance, Mo Yak had managed to wedge herself between them and successfully bring the Sound Valley Master Hang Yeo-ryang under their wing.

‘It was good that we recruited her even though the Young Master didn’t approve.’

The Sound Valley Master was such an unpredictable character that everyone in the association was wary of her.

However, her power was not something that could be easily ignored.

‘We still have the upper hand.’

She had to admit it.

That guy’s caliber was not one to be under someone else, leaving aside orthodox and unrighteous factions.

But it’s not like this side had been sitting idle either.

There was a hidden card that even the Elder Hall hadn’t noticed until the end.

She had intended not to reveal this in case of emergencies, but given how the situation had turned out, to clearly dominate in terms of power…

-Thud!

At that moment, someone approached, setting down a large axe on the ground.

It was Ho Tae-gang, one of the Five Kings and one of only two people in the Heaven and Earth Society to receive the title of Eight Stars.

Everyone was momentarily speechless at his appearance, covered entirely in blood.

Nevertheless, he approached Mok Gyeong-un without any hesitation, knelt on one knee, placed a hand on his chest, and paid his respects.

-Murmur murmur!

The society members were once again astounded by this sight.

Although the Second Young Master Jang Neung-ak had said he would support Mok Gyeong-un, seeing this beast-like man, who had received the title of Eight Stars and was known for his strong pride, kneeling down was truly shocking.

But it didn’t end there.

-Rumble rumble rumble!

At that moment, another group began to arrive from the entrance of the plaza.

The one leading them was none other than,

“The Corpse Blood Valley Master?”

The figure walking in with a demon mask and red robes fluttering was indeed the Corpse Blood Valley Master, Lee Ji-yeom.

Having been stationed furthest outside the outer castle, he had only just arrived.

Despite being a founding contributor, he had been pushed away from power, but he still commanded considerable forces, making his sect an unfortunate one that had been pushed out and almost confined outside the outer castle.

Thanks to this emergency gathering, he had entered the inner castle after a long time.

But as soon as he reached the center of the plaza,

-Thud!

“Corpse Blood Valley Master Lee Ji-yeom pays respects to his lord, Young Master Mok Gyeong-un.”

‘!!!!!!’

Everyone was not just surprised but utterly bewildered at the sight of Lee Ji-yeom kneeling before Mok Gyeong-un.

This was true even for Vice Leader Mong Seo-cheon, who was watching from the top of the main platform.

“No. What is this…?”

He was already surprised by the number of forces supporting Mok Gyeong-un, but he never expected even the Corpse Blood Valley Master to follow him, let alone the Destruction King Ho Tae-gang, one of the Eight Stars.

Even the Society Leader seemed quite surprised by Mok Gyeong-un’s support base exceeding expectations, his eyes gleaming with interest.

‘The Corpse Blood Valley Master… Ah. So that’s why.’

They were forces that had supported the Moon Vein long ago.

Because of that, they had been pushed out beyond the outer castle despite being founding contributors.

If that child was indeed the will of the specter as he had predicted, it wasn’t incomprehensible that the Corpse Blood Valley Master Lee Ji-yeom would follow him like this.

However,

‘The word “impressive” is no longer sufficient.’

In just half a year, and considering the time spent on confidential missions, the actual period of his presence wasn’t that long, yet he had managed to make so many follow him.

It was truly astonishing that his qualities as a leader were to this extent.

‘Was that why?’

The Society Leader’s gaze became enigmatic.

-Clench!

Mo Yak’s lips were bleeding from how hard she was biting them.

She had tried to manipulate public opinion to prevent Mok Gyeong-un from participating in the Ritual of the Three Veins by emphasizing his background as a hostage from the righteous faction.

However, it had already reached a point where that was no longer possible.

The forces supporting Mok Gyeong-un had already surpassed half of those within the Heaven and Earth Society.

‘Damn it.’

Even if she revealed her hidden card, there was no way to overturn the supporting forces and prevent Mok Gyeong-un’s participation.

Her eyes welled up with tears of frustration.

She had wanted to use her intellect to somehow create a stepping stone for Na Yul-ryang to become the Society Leader, but now it seemed that plan was crumbling, leaving her utterly devastated.

-Pat!

Someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

“This is enough.”

It was Na Yul-ryang.

“Young Master…”

“Mo Yak, you have more than fulfilled your role as my Zhang Liang.”

Zhang Liang.

He was the strategist of Emperor Gaozu of Han.

Despite his high praise, tears streamed down her face as she felt she had ultimately failed to be of help.

Removing his hand from her shoulder, Young Master Na Yul-ryang walked into the empty center of the plaza with determined eyes and spoke loudly.

“Now that the Heaven Vein, Earth Vein, and Moon Vein have all come forward, what is there to hesitate about? Let us proceed with the Ritual of the Three Veins.”

At his words, Yang Jeong, the head of the Earth Vein, also stepped forward.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for. Now, let’s see which of the Earth Vein, Heaven Vein, or Moon Vein is most suitable to be the leader of this association through the Ritual of the Three Veins!”

Unlike his spirited and boisterous voice filled with fighting spirit, Yang Jeong’s expression wasn’t as bright as before.

This was because the successor of the Moon Vein, revived after a hundred years, had more supporting forces than expected.

No matter how much he had raised the power of the Earth Vein to its peak, it was inevitable to feel psychologically intimidated when faced with so many followers.

However, he soon erased these distracting thoughts from his mind.

What mattered in the end was the Ritual of the Three Veins.

Regardless of the number of supporting forces, the one who achieved final victory here would become the next master of the association.

-Step step step!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un walked towards the center of the plaza where they were standing.

Perhaps because it seemed that the Ritual of the Three Veins to determine the next successor of the association was finally beginning, the atmosphere became increasingly charged.

As he walked forward, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.

“Now that I’ve announced the revival of the Moon Vein in front of everyone, I’ve achieved my primary objective.”

“Primary objective… Hmph!”

Young Master Na Yul-ryang snorted at those words.

He was determined to settle things here and now, fighting to the death given how things had turned out.

Even if Mok Gyeong-un possessed overwhelming skills, it was still uncertain since he hadn’t opened his Demon Eye yet.

But then,

“The entertainment ends now.”

“What?”

-Tap!

Mok Gyeong-un, having reached the center, stood arrogantly with his hands behind his back and then opened his mouth, his voice infused with qi, as if intending for everyone to hear.

“I proclaim to all.”

His voice echoed like thunder.

The qi in his voice was so strong that those with weak internal energy covered their ears in pain.

But Mok Gyeong-un’s next words shocked everyone in the plaza.

“The Heaven and Earth Society will disappear by my hand, by Heavenly Demon’s, today.”

‘!!!!!!’