Chapter 265: Murim Alliance Leader Lee Ha-seong
The man who had stopped the war with a single word strolled leisurely through the very center of both factions.
As the most famous martial artist of the Orthodox Faction of his era, there was no one present who did not recognize him.
Jin Seong-un was also seeing him for the first ti, but upon noticing Sima Baek, the Chief Strategist, walking beside him, he was able to guess his identity.
A man of truly free-spirited nature, yet having reached the Huajing Realm just past the age of forty, he had been forcibly elevated as the head of the Murim Alliance.
Murim Alliance Leader Lee Ha-seong.
He ca to a stop between the martial artists of the Hebei Peng Clan and the Wudang Sect.
As he slowly swept his gaze across the Orthodox martial artists lined up on both sides, his eyes suddenly t Jin Seong-un’s.
Jin Seong-un’s eyes widened in rare surprise.
He had already seen several masters of the Huajing Realm—Jin Baek-cheon of the Ice Palace, the King of Assassins, the Wudang Sword Immortal, and even the Saber King present here. Yet the feeling given off by this man was entirely different.
The mont their eyes t, it felt as if lightning had struck his mind, a powerful sensation piercing through his entire body.
The Alliance Leader and Jin Seong-un abruptly entered into a staring contest.
Amidst this, the Saber King spoke.
“Alliance Leader, what brings you out here in full?”
At that, Lee Ha-seong turned his head toward the Saber King. The Saber King’s eyebrows twitched openly.
‘Could it be that he has crossed the wall?’
Recently, the Alliance Leader had not shown himself to the world, and all matters of the Murim Alliance had been handled by Chief Strategist Sima Baek.
Various rumors had circulated, but at the very least, the heads of the Five Great Clans and the Nine Sects One Gang knew the reason.
The Alliance Leader, who had shocked the world by reaching the Huajing Realm just past forty, had suddenly gained enlightennt in his fiftieth year and entered closed-door training.
The Alliance Leader spoke calmly.
“I heard that while I was away, the Orthodox martial artists were about to wage war among themselves, so I ca by.”
“Rather than a war, it’s rely a minor dispute due to conflicting interests.”
When the Saber King said that, the Alliance Leader ignored him completely and instead asked White Cloud Sword Hyeon-un.
“Senior, just what kind of conflicting interests led to this crowd gathering and pointing blades at each other, trying to kill?”
“Ha Joo-myeong is an evil man. We are rely doing what we must as martial artists of the Orthodox Faction.”
Hyeon-un spoke with an inexplicable hint of apology. He knew well that the Alliance Leader detested involving himself in such matters.
He was far too free a man to be confined as the head of a massive organization like the Murim Alliance.
A man who suited wandering the world with nothing but a single blade had been elevated as Alliance Leader simply because he had reached the Huajing Realm and belonged to no faction, thus maintaining political neutrality.
Indeed, the Alliance Leader looked at the Orthodox martial artists with a weary expression before speaking.
“Has any blood been shed among the Orthodox?”
White Cloud Sword and the Saber King shook their heads. The only ones who had died here were the hired wanderers from both orthodox and unorthodox factions brought by Myriad Gold Manor.
It was thanks to Hyeon-un and Tang Tae-san quickly grasping the situation and halting the conflict as soon as the Hebei Peng Clan appeared.
The Alliance Leader nodded and continued.
“Then that is enough. As long as I live with both eyes open, there will be no war among the Orthodox. Everyone, disperse.”
The Alliance Leader issued a unilateral order to disband.
Yet no one moved.
Instead, the Saber King raised his great saber and pointed it at the Orthodox martial artists before him.
“If they withdraw first, we have no reason to fight either.”
The Alliance Leader turned his head and looked at him.
Their gazes collided head-on.
“Put your blade away. If people learn that the so-called Murim Alliance Leader broke the blade of the Hebei Peng Clan’s head, how saddened would the Chief Strategist be? He’d probably spend the night drinking, lanting how pathetic the Orthodox have beco.”
Beside him, Chief Strategist Sima Baek let out a small sigh. Ever since this Alliance Leader had taken office, his days had been truly exhausting.
At the Alliance Leader’s blunt remark, the Saber King’s aura flared for an instant. Even if his opponent was the head of the Murim Alliance, he too was the Clan Leader of the Peng Clan and a master of the Huajing Realm.
At that mont, the Alliance Leader released his own aura in response.
It was neither domineering nor savage, but calm—yet in that instant, his presence alone crushed the vast expanse of Myriad Gold Manor.
Kugugugugung—!
The aura emitted by a single person shook the heavens and earth.
Not only Jin Seong-un, but also the Saber King, White Cloud Sword, the Poison Lord, and the other masters imdiately realized it.
The Alliance Leader, who had entered closed-door training, had reached a new realm.
As everyone fell silent, the straightforward Saber King asked,
“Have you surpassed the Huajing Realm?”
The realm implied by those words was clear.
The Mysterious Realm.
Even throughout all history, very few had ever reached it.
Every era had absolute masters who reached the Huajing Realm, but martial artists of the Mysterious Realm sotis did not appear for hundreds of years.
Instead of answering, the Alliance Leader simply said what he had to.
“Put your blade away. It is the Alliance Leader’s command. Senior White Cloud Sword, you should also stop. There are many watching—should you not act with the dignity of your age?”
Though his tone was gentle, combined with the martial prowess he had just displayed, it exuded overwhelming pressure.
The Saber King, suppressed by that presence, shifted his gaze behind the Alliance Leader.
At so point, dozens of figures had silently descended around him.
All clad in white martial uniforms, each carrying a white sword.
The elite White Sword Hall of the Murim Alliance.
Yet what shook the Saber King’s pupils was not their leader.
From the leader of the White Sword Hall and half of the martial artists at the front ca a cutting, aggressive battle intent, while from the other half ca a suffocating, iron-wall-like aura.
The Saber King looked toward those with the iron-wall presence.
‘So those fellows ca out together with the Alliance Leader from closed-door training.’
The White Sword Hall was divided into two units.
The White Battle Unit, specializing in attack and breakthrough.
The White Wall Unit, specializing in defense and protection.
During the Alliance Leader’s closed-door training, it was the White Wall Unit that had guarded him most closely. In truth, the Murim feared the White Wall Unit more than the White Battle Unit.
The White Battle Unit was straightforward—they fought and broke through. They were extrely strong, but top-tier forces of the Murim did not fear strength alone.
But the White Wall Unit was different.
They defended exceptionally well. The most experienced and intelligent masters focused not on destroying the enemy, but solely on blocking.
It ant they were impossible to kill.
Fighting the White Wall Unit ant the extension of ti itself.
A battle against them would never reach a conclusion—it would simply drag on endlessly. anwhile, the Murim Alliance would continue to send reinforcents.
In other words, to fight the White Wall Unit was, in essence, to fight the entire Murim Alliance.
The spear and shield of the Murim Alliance had both gathered.
And on top of that, the Alliance Leader had reached the Mysterious Realm.
The Saber King had no choice but to acknowledge it. This was not a situation he could resolve with his great saber.
Soon, he sheathed his blade.
The Alliance Leader nodded in satisfaction and then spoke.
“Were you the one who started this war?”
The question was directed at Jin Seong-un.
Jin Seong-un calmly t his gaze and replied,
“No.”
“……”
The Alliance Leader’s eyebrow twitched. Even from just a single exchange, he could clearly sense that the man before him was far from ordinary.
Sima Baek, who had been silently observing all of the Alliance Leader’s words and actions, suddenly stepped forward.
“Myriad Gold Manor oppressed that child through vile ans, and in the end, they crossed the line—thus forcing that child to wage this war. If you ask who the mastermind is, it would be Myriad Gold Manor, Alliance Leader.”
The Alliance Leader turned his head to look at Sima Baek.
This old man was not usually so talkative.
That exact thought showed on his face, causing Sima Baek to cough awkwardly. It was all the more so because he had already talked Jin Seong-un’s ears off about this matter on the way here.
After briefly organizing his thoughts, the Alliance Leader spoke in a firm tone.
“Two organizations not affiliated with the Murim Alliance wish to wage war in the ways of Murim—what can I possibly do? If the Orthodox martial artists do not intervene in this war, then I have nothing left to do here.”
In other words, Seong-un Inn and Myriad Gold Manor were to settle it themselves.
For Jin Seong-un, this was rather welco. After all, the reason he had gathered forces in the first place was to guard against people like the Hebei Peng Clan stepping in to aid Myriad Gold Manor.
“Let’s do that.”
Replying indifferently, Jin Seong-un picked up a single sword and began walking forward step by step. With the Alliance Leader’s command already given, the martial artists of the Hebei Peng Clan and the Hwangbo Clan could not block his path.
Jin Seong-un stopped in front of the Saber King and stared straight at him. The Saber King made a baffled expression.
“Are you telling
to move aside? You should be the one leaving.”
“Yes, well.”
Jin Seong-un simply stepped aside.
The Saber King stared at his back with an incredulous look, as if wondering what kind of lunatic that was.
The Alliance Leader wore a similar expression.
He had never expected that the boy would truly walk in alone with just a single sword. After all, inside were the elite Golden Guard of Myriad Gold Manor.
Even compared to the elites of major clans and sects, the Golden Guard lacked nothing.
The Alliance Leader quietly asked Sima Baek in a voice too low for others to hear.
“Chief Strategist, it seems you favor that child. If you wish, I can go bring him back.”
Doing so would an going back on his earlier words, but it was better for his pride to take a slight hit than for his Chief Strategist to feel uneasy.
To begin with, Lee Ha-seong was a man with no attachnt to position or honor.
But the Chief Strategist shook his head.
“That child will handle it himself.”
“He’s still young.”
“He’s about the sa age as when you annihilated the Demon Cult’s Poison Demon Unit in Qinghai.”
“That was because it was .”
“That child is also himself.”
Since it was rare for Sima Baek to praise and evaluate soone so highly, the Alliance Leader looked at Jin Seong-un’s back with renewed interest.
Soon, another man walked up beside Jin Seong-un.
Naturally, it was Seo Yu-gyeom. He was a core figure of Seong-un Inn.
Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom walked side by side. They held little expectation for Seomun Ak and Moyong Hyeon. After all, the Alliance Leader had clearly stated that the Orthodox martial artists should stay out of this matter.
Before being mbers of Seong-un Inn, the two were rising prodigies of the Seomun Clan and the Moyong Clan.
Seomun Ak watched their backs with a conflicted expression.
It was right to uphold loyalty to friends—but as a martial artist of the Orthodox Faction, it was also proper to follow the Alliance Leader’s command.
As his dilemma deepened, he glanced to the side.
Moyong Hyeon looked utterly relaxed.
That annoyingly calm expression, as if he had nothing to do with Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom, irritated Seomun Ak.
“Jin Seong-un.”
Seomun Ak suddenly called out.
Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom stopped and turned around.
Then Seomun Ak spoke loudly, as if for everyone to hear.
“Moyong Hyeon and I are going too.”
Moyong Hyeon’s eyes widened as he stared at Seomun Ak.
Ignoring him, Seomun Ak continued.
“We’re also waiters of Seong-un Inn.”
Moyong Hyeon tightly shut his eyes.
At that mont, in front of all the Orthodox martial artists, Moyong Hyeon—known as the Sword Dragon—was reduced to Moyong Hyeon the waiter.
Murmurs spread among the surrounding martial artists.
“Are they really going against the Alliance Leader’s command?”
“Wait, didn’t he say they were waiters?”
There were many who hadn’t known that Seomun Ak and Moyong Hyeon were working as re waiters at an inn.
But now, there were none left who didn’t know.
Seomun Ak felt extrely embarrassed. But thinking that Moyong Hyeon must be even more embarrassed made him feel strangely at ease—almost amused.
As Seomun Ak walked toward Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom, he suddenly turned and addressed the Alliance Leader.
“Alliance Leader, I am Seomun Ak, second son of the Seomun Clan.”
“I know. The infamous delinquent.”
“So my reputation has reached even your ears. In any case, as I just said, I am now a waiter of Seong-un Inn. That one over there, Moyong Hyeon, is the sa. Since you said Myriad Gold Manor and Seong-un Inn should settle this themselves, it is only right that we join the fight.”
The Alliance Leader looked at him for a mont, then turned to confirm Seomun Jeok’s expression.
Far from being ashad, he looked as though he was proudly displaying a great treasure to the world.
The Alliance Leader did not fully understand the situation involving inns and waiters, but seeing a man like Seomun Jeok approving of it, he saw no reason to oppose.
“Very well, waiter.”
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
Seomun Ak answered brightly and joined Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom.
Now all eyes turned to one person.
Moyong Hyeon.
At this mont, he was forced to choose.
Logically, the correct choice was to abandon his friends as he usually would. There was no rational reason to risk his life playing the role of a waiter.
However, he overlooked one fact.
This was a gathering of Orthodox martial artists.
And Orthodox martial artists loved the illogical thing called romance.
They expected sothing from him.
Loyalty to friends. Choosing the difficult path for the sake of chivalry.
Even his father, the Alliance Leader, and the Chief Strategist were looking at him with similar expectations.
If he lived up to those expectations, he would gain great honor and recognition after victory.
If he failed, he would be scorned regardless of the outco.
A high-risk, high-reward choice.
But there was one massive variable that crushed all logic—Jin Seong-un.
Moyong Hyeon soon made his decision.
“…Alliance Leader, I am Moyong Hyeon, eldest son of the Moyong Clan. If permitted, I wish to stand with my friends.”
“Do so, waiter.”
“……”
Moyong Hyeon let out a quiet sigh and picked up his Northern Star Sword before heading toward his friends.
Seomun Ak burst into laughter.
Thus, Jin Seong-un’s group entered Myriad Gold Hall without obstruction.
.
.
.
The interior of Myriad Gold Hall was vast, like a palace.
Inside, over thirty martial artists stood, watching them with tense expressions.
They, too, had eyes and ears—they had clearly grasped what had happened outside.
Jin Seong-un, Seo Yu-gyeom, Seomun Ak, and Moyong Hyeon faced off against the Golden Guard.
Jin Seong-un spoke.
“Do you feel nothing?”
“……”
“The hired wanderers fought first. Then the Orthodox martial artists. And now, it’s your turn. anwhile, your leader hides until the very end while unrelated people are sacrificed one by one. This is not the way a proper organization operates.”
That was how Jin Seong-un saw it.
A leader should stand at the very front, not drive subordinates into death. At the very least, he should appear on the battlefield and take responsibility.
But Ha Joo-myeong was nowhere to be seen.
To et him, one would have to kill everyone below him first.
A coward’s thod.
“We only protect Myriad Gold Manor.”
“For what purpose?”
“For Myriad Gold Manor.”
So said the Captain of the Golden Guard.
Jin Seong-un nodded. Even if the leader was flawed, there was no reason to disparage the convictions of his subordinates.
Those who carried swords always fought for their own reasons.
Rather than continue the conversation, Jin Seong-un raised his sword.
“Very well.”
At once, the four of them and the thirty martial artists charged at each other with full force.
---
Outside, the Alliance Leader, the Chief Strategist, and everyone else watched Myriad Gold Hall.
Though the war had stopped, the outco of the fight between Myriad Gold Manor and Seong-un Inn would still greatly affect them.
“They’ve clashed.”
The Alliance Leader muttered quietly.
He heightened his sensory qi to the extre and observed the situation inside.
His expression changed mont by mont.
“Huh… wow… my, my…”
Exclamations escaped his lips one after another.
Then he sent a voice transmission to two n.
* You may stop worrying about your sons.
They were Seomun Jeok and Moyong Cheon.
Among those watching, they were the most tense—it was only natural.
Hearing the Alliance Leader’s words, both n felt relieved.
Though the Alliance Leader was lazy, indifferent, disliked work, and constantly sought freedom—he was not one to speak falsely.
After so ti passed—
All sounds from inside ceased.
“It’s over.”
The Alliance Leader declared the end of the battle.
Everyone waited tensely for soone to erge.
But even after so ti, no one ca out.
Just as so began to suggest that they should go in—
KWA-AAAAANG—!
A massive explosion suddenly erupted.
The surrounding martial artists recoiled in shock and hurriedly retreated.
Those who had fought earlier recognized those flas.
A fierce crimson blaze burst out from within the hall, soon engulfing the entire Myriad Gold Hall.
KRRRRRUMBLE—!
In the end, the flas consud the very structure, and the towering hall collapsed completely.
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