bayedsolid Chapter 268 : Seo Pae, Risks It
Chapter 268 : Seo Pae, Risks It
Seo Pae revealed his form, breaking his long concealment, but no one among the Council of Seven showed him any favor.“I understand your desire for revenge, but world affairs don't always go as planned.”
At Je Song’s words, the other six nodded.
Seo Pae let out a sigh inwardly. It was he who had organized the Council of Seven, and it was he who had settled the affairs of the Asura Demon Sect as quickly as possible.
However, those actions were driven more by a heart for the Asura Demon Sect than by mere revenge.
Finally, Je Song spoke the words he had been harboring in his mind.
“You are not hoping for us all to die, are you?”
Heuk Hyo completed Je Song’s suspicion into a conspiracy theory.
“If we all die, then you would be able to take control of the cult.”
“Would I really want that?”
“Then why are you trying to send us out?”
“Did I not tell you? The battle at the Overgrown Plain is of utmost importance.”
“Is that truly the only reason?”
Je Song sent a suspicious glance.
Sano, another member of the Council of Seven, opened his mouth.
“After we all die, you might negotiate with that bastard Lee Jaseung. Does he not have a weakness in his identity as the Black Way Alliance Leader? Eventually, he will accept a negotiation. If that happens, you could not only preserve your life but also live comfortably for the rest of your days. Is that not where your thoughts lie?”
They did not nod, but everyone’s eyes agreed with those words.
Now, Seo Pae did not hide his sigh. It was the limit of the Asura Demon Sect. The limit of the Asura Demon Sect, which possessed a mere forty-year history established through treason.
They feared Lee Jaseung.
The words spoken just now were their true inner feelings. They wanted to offer up the Asura Demon Sect to preserve their own lives.
He knew well that they were not great people. However, he had not realized they were such pathetic bastards.
‘Do you think Lee Jaseung will spare you just because you surrender? You pathetic bastards. Do you think there is anyone who would believe you now if you revealed that Lee Jaseung is the Black Way Alliance Leader?’
This is what happens when foolish people are backed into a corner. They distort reality and hope for things to happen that will never occur.
Je Song spoke firmly.
“We will handle this war ourselves. You may withdraw now.”
Seo Pae bowed politely to them. There was no longer any hope for the Asura Demon Sect. The moment Yao Hong died, the Asura Demon Sect was finished as well.
Seo Pae slowly walked out of that place.
His mind was filled only with the regret that he should have died at the hands of Lee Jaseung on the day Yao Hong died. If he had, he would not have experienced this disgusting sight.
At the entrance of the building, Seo Pae looked up at the sky for a moment.
There was only one thing he could do now.
‘Lee Jaseung, you took the most precious thing from me, so now I will take yours.’
* * *
The wind blowing across the Overgrown Plain was hot.
The martial artists of the Black Way Alliance and the Murim Alliance were full of heat. Facing a great battle, they emitted brave gazes.
Lee Jaseung stood before them.
Lee Jaseung had fought with all his might while coming this far.
He fought with the heart that killing one enemy saved one ally.
The mere fact that Lee Jaseung always displayed his divine power at the lead made the morale of all his subordinates rise to the ends of the sky. When the Alliance Leader led the way at the risk of his life, how could the subordinates spare their own lives?
And now, the final moment had almost arrived. They would win this fight and strike the Demonic Cult headquarters.
In the distance, the figures of the Demonic Humans standing in line were visible.
However, the masters of the Council of Seven were not to be seen.
Even at this moment, they were discussing how they might survive. Even that was suffering difficulties due to divided opinions.
Lee Jaseung looked at everyone and spoke.
“Today’s fight will soon become a new history. I am so proud and happy to be with you at this historical moment. Thank you for allowing me to stand in this position.”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
At Lee Jaseung’s heartfelt words, an immense shout erupted.
Lee Jaseung walked toward the Demonic Humans. As he always had, he stood at the lead.
Swooooosh!
The battle began as Lee Jaseung’s Sword Qi swept through the Demonic Humans.
* * *
Twenty days later, Seo Pae was drinking alcohol at an inn.
The people around him were busy talking about the war.
“Did you hear the news that the Alliance Leader won a great victory in the battle at the Overgrown Plain?”
“I heard. They say he won with minimal sacrifice.”
“He is truly an amazing person.”
“I heard that the allied forces of the Murim Alliance and the Black Way Alliance led by the Alliance Leader have already invaded the main headquarters of the Demonic Cult.”
“Is the unification of the world, which no one in the Jianghu could achieve, finally happening!”
“If that really happens, I will buy you drinks grandly.”
“And I will dance naked.”
“Then it would be better if unification does not happen.”
“Hahahaha.”
Listening to their conversation, Seo Pae wore a bitter smile.
The situation was flowing as expected.
If the masters of the Council of Seven had joined forces that day and mobilized all of their private armies, perhaps they could have held a glimmer of hope.
Soon, Seo Pae emptied his cup while shaking his head. All that remained now was to be defeated individually.
In the first place, the moment Yao Hong died, the fight was over.
The hidden trump cards all became useless. The organizations and secret weapons that only Yao Hong could move.
However, those were all things only Yao Hong could move. He had not informed Seo Pae of them.
It was because he did not trust people.
He had no interest in matters after his own death.
A defeat created by distrust and selfishness.
Eventually, those powerful things would be dismantled or fall into the hands of Lee Jaseung.
‘He is a truly lucky bastard.’
It was luck created by a corrupt era.
The Black Way Alliance, the Murim Alliance, and the Demonic Cult. Everyone was rotten to the core.
He had a justification, and proper strength was added to that justification.
He felt the thought that heaven and this Jianghu might have wanted him. Does the Jianghu truly have a self-purifying function?
‘Still, the story would be too boring if he just met a happy ending so submissively, right?’
A cold smile formed at the corners of Seo Pae’s mouth.
He had left the Demonic Cult headquarters and ran straight to this headquarters of the Murim Alliance.
There was one last thing to do here. He had come to kill Baek Seolyoung.
He was a man who possessed skills superior to anyone else when it came to stealth. Setting aside a frontal confrontation, he would be fully capable of killing Baek Seolyoung in a surprise attack.
A man approached, placed a folded paper on the table, and passed by. Seo Pae picked it up and unfolded it. Both people performed such natural movements that no one around them thought their behavior was strange.
What was drawn on the paper was a blueprint, and small red circles were drawn here and there.
It was the blueprint of the manor where Baek Seolyoung was staying, and even the positions of the escort warriors were marked. It was information he had bought using all the money he possessed.
Seo Pae emptied his last cup and rose from his seat.
Tonight, Baek Seolyoung will die.
That night, Seo Pae silently climbed over the wall of the Murim Alliance.
No one guarding the Alliance discovered even a shadow of Seo Pae.
Seo Pae possessed truly mysterious stealth arts.
The closer he got to Baek Seolyoung’s residence, the tighter the security became. Those guarding were not ordinary escort warriors. They were the martial artists of the Black Way Alliance Guard Hall.
However, even they did not detect Seo Pae’s intrusion.
He was a man who had been the most mysterious existence within the Demonic Cult as the hands and feet of Yao Hong.
Ssss.
The door to Baek Seolyoung’s residence opened silently.
Seo Pae entered quietly.
Although it was in the darkness, the energy of Baek Seolyoung lying on the bed was felt.
Seo Pae did not make a single sound, let alone footsteps.
He stood before the bed.
Baek Seolyoung was asleep while covered by a blanket.
A sword was drawn silently from Seo Pae’s waist.
If Baek Seolyoung died, Lee Jaseung would go into a frenzy.
‘Yes, you will also taste an irreversible sorrow!’
Whish!
Thud!
Seo Pae’s sword pierced into the bed.
In the next moment, Seo Pae’s eyes widened. He quickly pulled back the blanket of the bed.
A woman was lying on the bed.
The sword was pierced into the floor of the bed next to the woman’s chest. She had moved to avoid it just before being stabbed. Since he had not even felt a hint of her avoiding the attack, her skill was immense.
The woman on the bed was not Baek Seolyoung.
The woman asked Seo Pae.
“Was Yao Hong truly that precious in your life?”
Shockingly, it was Yim Sayeon.
Seo Pae also knew of Yim Sayeon. Because of that, Seo Pae could not move. Just by easily avoiding the previous attack, Yim Sayeon had sufficiently proven the difference in skill between them.
“Why are you—?”
Yim Sayeon raised her body from the bed.
In the meantime, Seo Pae tried to pull out the sword, but the sword pierced into the bed did not budge. It was not because the sword was pierced deeply. Yim Sayeon had the sword caught between her fingers, and her inner Qi overwhelmed Seo Pae.
“Sit there.”
At Yim Sayeon’s words, which were like a command, Seo Pae sat in the chair placed before her.
Yim Sayeon sat on the edge of the bed. It was a distance where they could touch each other if they reached out a hand.
“Just what was that man to you that he was so precious? What was so important that you came to commit such trashy behavior?”
At Yim Sayeon’s question, Seo Pae’s expression hardened.
“Do not speak so carelessly of another’s affairs.”
“Those are not words that should come from the mouth of one who came to take another’s life.”
Yim Sayeon’s gaze was colder than anything else.
“How did you know I would come?”
He wondered if the side that sold him the information had betrayed him, but that was not it.
“A letter flew in from that boy Lee Jaseung. He told me to protect Seolyoung since someone might come to kill her.”
“Just how did Lee Jaseung know?”
“He said he detected your presence when he fought Yao Hong that day.”
Lee Jaseung detected a concealed existence that day.
At first, he thought it was the Heavenly Demon Soul. However, after facing the Heavenly Demon Soul personally, he knew it was not the Heavenly Demon Soul.
After the Council of Seven was created, Lee Jaseung received a report from Dan Woobin.
That there was an existence who assisted Yao Hong with only a voice.
Also, that he had summoned and created the Council of Seven.
He monitored him using all information networks and detected that he headed toward the Murim Alliance. If so, the purpose was obvious.
Lee Jaseung, who could not leave the battlefield, immediately sent letters to Yim Sayeon and Mook Young.
Clearly, Seo Pae possessed sufficient skill to enter this place secretly.
However, it was not to the extent of avoiding Mook Young’s eyes. Because Yim Sayeon had come instead, Mook Young had intentionally overlooked his intrusion.
“He is a truly impressive man huh.”
“Do you not regret it? Not being able to serve a man like Lee Jaseung as your leader.”
“I don't.”
Because if he did, his life would become too pitiable.
Seo Pae asked.
“Do you believe it, Elder? That he can make this Jianghu a good place to live?”
“I wonder.”
“Do you truly think that the people of the Orthodox Faction, the Unorthodox Faction, and the Demonic Humans can unite as one?”
Yim Sayeon merely maintained a look that said she wondered.
In contrast, Seo Pae actively stated his opinion. Because it was likely the last words he would speak.
“The thought that the world of those who wear swords will become one is merely an illusion. Is it not because they are scoundrels who cannot do so in the first place that they have fought while being divided? Water and oil never mix. Even if you forcibly put them in one place, stagnant water is bound to rot.”
After hearing all of his words, Yim Sayeon spoke calmly.
“Yes, your words might be right. It might be impossible for the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demon to become one. However, are you not curious? What if it actually happens? What would the Jianghu look like if Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demon became one? I am curious. And I think that if it is that child Lee Jaseung, he might be able to mix water and oil into one.”
The gaze of Yim Sayeon looking at him deepened with regret.
“It is a shame you will not be able to see it.”
In the next moment, Yim Sayeon’s hand cut through the air.
Thump.
His breath was cut off by a single move that flew as if lightly grazing him. His skill was sufficiently outstanding, but it was not enough to face Yim Sayeon. Moreover, since he had released his concealment, this result was natural.
Seo Pae died while sitting and dropped his head.
Looking at him, Yim Sayeon said softly.
“Stagnant water will be calm and peaceful. When it begins to rot, another Lee Jaseung will appear and open the stagnant path.”
There was another message left in Lee Jaseung’s letter.
It was a request for her to come to him because he had something to discuss regarding the matter of Cheon Myeongin.
She looked out the window and said.
“By the time I arrive, he will have become the new owner of this Jianghu.”