WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 531: King of the Sword Tomb

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I wasn't mistaken.

There was no way I could be mistaken.

The Red Phoenix Bangle was sending such a clear signal. If I pretended not to notice it, I ought to cut off my arm.

Or my head.

Since I didn't want to cut off my head, I had no choice but to admit it.

'We're fucked. Completely fucked.'

I couldn't even guess what level of opponent this was.

Had the Sect-Protecting Dharma King come?

That couldn't be it. Maybe the Flying Demon Brigade or the Heavenly Demon Black Sword Unit had arrived instead.

Judging by the intensity of the Red Phoenix Bangle's vibrations so far, this wasn't some half-baked group like the Flame Demon Ghost-Eye Unit or the Crimson Yin Demon Wolf Unit.

Calling those units half-baked was absurd to begin with, but still.

'Is this place really the Heavenly Demon Tomb or something...?'

Otherwise, it was ridiculous to deploy someone with this much demonic qi in a place like this.

"...Look here."

Then, several pieces of information suddenly connected in my head.

"Hey!"

"...Huh?"

Startled, I looked up and found everyone staring at me.

Only then did I realize I had been speaking.

"Yes. Please continue."

The Ilju Sect Investigation Unit Leader, who had spoken to me, wore a blank expression.

"Shouldn't you be the one speaking?"

"All right. Please focus."

The others stepped closer.

Their gazes gathered on me amid the silence.

"Now, please tell me one by one what you think we should do."

I said it shamelessly.

I hadn't even applied the third plan to the current situation yet, and the connections I had just made had left my thoughts in disarray.

"Huh?"

"What does that mean?"

Bewildered sighs broke through the heavy silence.

Even Cheonsim Seonsa and Dang Suje, standing at the front, looked faintly disappointed.

"What was I expecting from a brat who isn't even thirty?"

Still, it couldn't be helped.

Like someone had just muttered, it would be hard to accept a brat under thirty trying to lead everyone as though he knew everything.

Especially with Dang Suje and Cheonsim Seonsa here.

If I wanted to seize the initiative, I had to build my way up step by step, then drive in the final nail at once.

"Th-Then why did you stop the fight so forcefully earlier?"

"Because I know killing someone won't solve this."

"Good grief..."

The martial artists looked as though they couldn't believe the situation they were in.

At the same time, I applied the third plan to the situation in my head.

That failed too.

Just as I was about to consider the fourth plan...

"First... as Young Hero Jin said, there's no point in us fighting among ourselves here. His methods may have been excessive, but he stopped the conflict from escalating. He did what needed to be done."

The Ilju Sect Investigation Unit Leader spoke in my defense.

Just what one would expect from a member of a deeply rooted sect, a rare sight these days.

"We should find that out first. Why did the Martial Group suddenly flee in the dead of night?"

Dang Suje casually threw out the question.

Many people muttered among themselves, but no one stepped forward to answer.

"That's right. Didn't the Martial Group say they would remain here, conserve their strength, and leave together with the Martial Alliance investigation teams that came in later?"

It was the greatest contradiction in the current situation.

Those who had been furious at being deceived returned to the fundamental question.

Why had they changed their minds?

It wasn't as if they could communicate with the outside.

This was my turn to speak.

"It's probably because of the Black King's Wraith."

The words I casually dropped drew two distinct reactions.

Some tilted their heads, as I once had.

Others shuddered just from hearing its name.

"The Black King's Wraith?"

Dang Suje was clearly among the former.

"You mean that ghost story? They fled because of a ghost?"

Dang Suje looked over the people who had reacted in shock.

Martial artists showing fear over a mere ghost must have looked pathetic to him.

But...

"It isn't just a ghost."

Everyone's gaze returned to me.

This was the moment. Would my words carry weight, or would this end as nothing more than a brat's cute struggle?

"You there."

I pointed to one of the survivors I had spoken with.

"You said you saw the Black King's Wraith a few days ago, didn't you?"

"I-It was fifteen days ago."

"And you, sir?"

"I saw it ten days ago."

"You beside him."

"I saw it five days ago."

I had only asked three brief questions, but everyone quickly understood my point.

"The Martial Group fled to avoid the Black King's Wraith."

Dang Suje still looked unconvinced.

Several hundred martial artists fleeing from a mere ghost.

He simply couldn't understand it.

The same was true for those who had never encountered the Black King's Wraith.

"They fled because of a ghost, is that what you're saying?"

I understood their confusion because I had thought the same thing until moments ago.

If not for the Red Phoenix Bangle's reaction, I would have considered the Black King's Wraith nothing more than a ghost too.

"The Black King's Wraith isn't an ordinary ghost."

"Then... are you saying it really is the Black King himself?"

"That's not it either. The Black King's Wraith is probably..."

Even I would have been deceived.

"A demonic monster."

Without anyone noticing, I glanced down at the Red Phoenix Bangle.

The massive vibration I had felt in the cave where we rescued the Moyong Clan.

And the vibration I had felt just now.

The greater the amount of demonic qi, the more violent the vibrations became.

That meant the Black King's Wraith possessed more demonic qi than any being we had encountered so far.

"What was it like when you encountered the Black King's Wraith?"

The survivor furrowed their brow as if recalling a horrible memory, then spoke with difficulty.

"I-It felt like falling into a swamp where there was nothing at all. My internal energy kept scattering, and killing intent boiled within me. It felt as though my internal energy would reverse at any moment. It's shameful, but... I only managed to flee after nearly biting through my tongue."

Those who had not experienced it could not easily understand the story.

Being exposed to demonic qi went beyond unfamiliarity. It was outside the realm of ordinary experience.

It was even more alien to people who had protected their minds and bodies with internal cultivation methods their entire lives.

"Even so, are you saying several hundred martial artists working together couldn't defeat it?"

I answered.

"When we encountered them in Mukrim, fewer than five of them held us Academy students back."

We might still be young, but Academy students were above the average level of the people here.

"And the Black King's Wraith isn't the only thing in this cave."

Central Wing was vast, and thousands of people had gathered there.

They had enough people to resist.

Yet three main roads crossed Central Wing, while dozens of side paths connected to them like a web.

"The Martial Group's leaders decided they couldn't deal with the jiangshi, the demonic beings, and the Black King's Wraith here."

They had made a rational decision. Yes, a rational decision.

But it was...

'A cowardly kind of rationality that served only themselves.'

I recalled their true faces once more.

The restless atmosphere quieted for a moment after my explanation.

Then someone raised a hand.

"Wait, something's strange. Wouldn't it be better for them to leave with us? Their food would run out faster, but the number of people certain to get out would increase, wouldn't it?"

Of course, I had no intention of ending my explanation there.

Stopping now would justify their actions.

"I met a Wudang Sect disciple, and he said the Black King's Wraith eventually moves toward wherever the most people are gathered."

Everyone's expressions froze at once.

This was how people usually looked when confronted with a cruel reality.

"Those bastards... I mean, the Martial Group probably intended to use us as bait too."

"Son of a bitch."

"Those damned bastards!"

Exercising one's rights meant accepting responsibility as well.

Yet the Martial Group had abandoned those who followed them and fled to preserve themselves.

The people's anger began to boil even more fiercely at such cowardice, avoiding responsibility while taking every benefit.

"We don't have enough food to hold out until the Martial Alliance arrives, and we don't know when the enemies or even the Black King's Wraith might attack us..."

"Th-Then... what are we supposed to do now?!"

"What the hell do those demonic beings want?!"

Unable to find answers in this suspicious situation, everyone raised their voices.

Then Cheonsim Seonsa, who had been quietly watching the situation, asked me a question.

"What do you think? It seems to me that what you think is what matters most in the end."

I searched through the library in my mind and rapidly applied plans to the situation, predicting their outcomes.

I had only reviewed the fifth plan, but it suited the situation better than the rest.

"What I think...?"

"You went to the deepest part of the cave and brought our Shaolin Sect and the Moyong Clan safely to Central Wing."

He looked directly at me with calm eyes.

"I want to know what judgment you will make."

I didn't know why Cheonsim Seonsa was giving me this much support, but I had no intention of letting the chance pass.

I pretended to consider it for a moment, buying time. Once everyone's attention had fully settled on me, I voiced the plan I had chosen.

"I think we should leave, of course."

Remaining here, clinging to false hope or sinking into helplessness, would mean nothing but waiting to die.

Things would eventually unfold exactly as those bastards wanted.

So we had to leave.

Even at my firm answer, Cheonsim Seonsa asked without wavering.

"All of these people?"

A faint smile formed on my lips.

"No."

Everyone's eyes wavered again.

Their distrust sharpened, as though they feared being betrayed once more.

I accepted every bit of it and continued.

"Everyone here-"

I raised a finger and pointed at those listening in on our conversation.

"Those people as well."

They exchanged glances, then looked back at me.

The way they looked at me as if I were insane hurt me a little.

'This is the best plan. What do you want me to do?'

#

Once the plan was set, all that remained was to carry it out.

The sooner, the better.

The interval between the Red Phoenix Bangle's vibrations seemed to be growing shorter.

"Together? With those Black Path bastards who could attack us at any moment?"

Of course, our lofty White Path members were still taking their sweet time.

"Are you still dividing people into black and white? Do those demonic beings and jiangshi distinguish between the White Path and the Black Path? Isn't this better than everyone dying here?"

No one argued against my rebuke, but that didn't mean anyone was easily convinced.

"Why the Black Path? Can't the White Path do this alone?"

Dang Suje frowned as though he didn't like it either.

But there was an important reason.

"The Martial Group took every White Path master they could with them. We don't have nearly enough masters to open the way."

"..."

In martial world battles, absolute masters matter as much as strength in numbers.

One master could do the work of a hundred people alone.

Especially with Soul-Returning Iron Zombies present, trying to overwhelm them with numbers was no different from gnats throwing themselves into a brazier in an attempt to put out the fire.

And I wasn't a gnat.

"We might succeed using only the White Path without the Black Path's help. But far more people would certainly die. If you don't mind being among those casualties, raise your hand."

As expected, no one raised a hand.

"What changes if the Black Path is included?"

The Ilju Sect Investigation Unit Leader asked.

The more I saw that person, the more I liked them.

"First, we can divide our forces into three groups."

"You're saying we'll use all three main roads."

The Sword Tomb's main roads were wide, but they couldn't accommodate nearly fifteen hundred people moving at once.

If they suffered a flank attack from one of the side paths connected to those roads, the losses would be terrible.

"Then... does that mean we'll be using each other as bait too?"

It was a cold-blooded plan.

But of all the plans I had drawn out, this one would save the most people.

People groaned.

"Fine. I understand it all. It even sounds fairly plausible. But there is one major flaw in your plan."

"What is it?"

"Will those Black Path bastards... no, will the Black Path readily agree to this plan?"

"No."

"Could you think before you speak? You keep taking the wind out of us."

I had thought it over plenty before saying it.

"I don't expect them to agree readily. That's why we need to persuade them."

"Persuade?"

#

When Gongsun Pung heard that the Martial Group had made a run for it, he laughed so hard his stomach hurt.

Just as he had said, the filthy true nature of Earthlight Fist Sage Gong Choryang and the Martial Group had been exposed.

Gong Choryang was as good as finished.

Once this news reached the outside, Gong Choryang would never be able to hold his head high again.

As Gongsun Pung enjoyed watching the White Path's chaos, the scene suddenly settled down, and one bastard stepped into the center of their group.

The madman who had come to the Black Path camp out of nowhere and asked why they wouldn't cooperate with the White Path.

But as the madman's speech continued...

The thought that he was the one who was fucked became clearer and clearer.

'The Black King's Wraith is really coming here?'

He tried to deny reality.

But what if it really was coming here?

Before he could even organize his thoughts...

"Come out already."

The madman had somehow strode right up to him.

"I'm sure you heard everything. Please join us."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Which part don't you understand?"

"All of it, from beginning to end."

Jin Sowoon looked around.

"Are you really going to stay here, eat moss, and wait for death?"

"That's none of your concern."

He could understand everything else, but the White Path and Black Path leaving together?

"No Black Path martial artist in their right mind would make that choice."

"How many people in the Black Path are in their right minds to begin with?"

This bastard had said he would persuade them, hadn't he?

Just as Gongsun Pung was about to glare at him over that completely unpersuasive attitude...

"How many people in the Black Path can properly coordinate a sword formation? How many came here as part of a sect or organization? To put it bluntly, aside from a few masters, aren't the rest of you no different from street thugs?"

"..."

The anger rising in the Black Path martial artists' chests proved that truth could be a weapon too.

"What are you trying to do?"

Unable to bear it any longer, Gongsun Pung glared at him.

"We're trying to live. We're trying to live together."

The answer he received was even more bewildering, yet it carried a strange strength.

"Bastards have appeared who are killing the White Path and Black Path alike. Do we really need to split into White and Black right now and point swords at each other?"

The boy's words were certainly persuasive.

Still, Gongsun Pung wasn't about to easily trust the words of the treacherous White Path.

He had paid dearly throughout his life for placing shallow trust in others.

"You want to use us as meat shields too..."

"The White Path will take the lead."

"What?"

"The injured will be in the rear. The Black Path will take the middle."

That made even less sense.

In a procession forcing its way through an escape route, casualties were certainly higher toward the rear.

But with enemies scattered everywhere as they were now, wouldn't the vanguard suffer greater losses?

If anything, more people would be ground down at the front.

Then why...?

"While running, the White Path is better at forming sword formations and coordinating with one another, aren't they? The Black Path still has many masters, but there are limits to what Black Path members alone can break through. Join us."

There wasn't a single flaw in his words.

Still, Gongsun Pung couldn't easily open his mouth.

He felt as though he was being drawn in by something he couldn't explain.

Rather than get swept along vaguely, he decided it would be better to refuse and was about to shake his head.

"Just join us already!!!"

Jin Sowoon suddenly shouted.

"W-What?"

"You're being ridiculously frustrating. Just join us. If you really can't trust us, follow behind and stab us in the back! If we go down the road to the underworld together, at least we won't be lonely!"

Since receiving the epithet White-Strike Fist Wanderer, Gongsun Pung had rarely heard such harsh words, and his mind went blank.

"The Five Fists of the Black Path would weep. What are you thinking, acting so indecisively? Keep it simple, stupid, and clear. Either come with us! Or die with us!"

"..."

He was too dumbfounded to speak.

This rough language was coming not from another Black Path martial artist, but from an Academy graduate and hall master, one of the White Path's finest.

"Decide already! Are you doing it or not?!"

Gongsun Pung hid his surprise as best he could and opened his mouth.

"When you said we could stab you in the back... did you mean it?"

"I'd rather die cleanly by a sword than get torn apart by jiangshi."

"..."

The words were raw, but strangely compelling.

As Jin Sowoon said, if they stayed here and hesitated, they would accomplish nothing and die.

"...Will you keep your promise that the White Path will lead?"

"If my name isn't enough, I'll stake the names of Shaolin Sect and the Tang Clan as well."

"Benefactor Jin... what are you saying?!"

"The Tang Clan has nothing to do with this."

He was guaranteeing it with the names of Shaolin Temple and the Tang Clan.

"Hmm..."

Gongsun Pung looked into Jin Sowoon's eyes.

Among the White Path martial artists who couldn't hide their shock, Jin Sowoon's eyes didn't waver.

They were the eyes of someone who believed he would never die here.

Gongsun Pung felt as though the decision had already been made.

"You said we'd divide our forces into three?"

"Yes."

"And you intend to lead one of them?"

Jin Sowoon nodded.

A man who wasn't even thirty acted as if everything had already been decided, despite the masters surrounding him.

Gongsun Pung steadied himself and looked around again.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on one person.

He understood why he had felt so uncomfortably drawn along.

No, he became certain.

The one moving everyone, the one who had taken control of this place, was...

"Let's go together."

Jin Sowoon.

"Fine. I will go with you as well. If you betray us, I'll personally carry your head to the Taeul Sect."

Jin Sowoon smirked and added,

"Please close my eyes and tuck in my tongue before you take it. Mess up my hair as much as possible too, so it looks like I fought desperately."

The quality of that joke far surpassed that of most Black Path martial artists.

Was this fellow really one of the White Path's elite?

The moment he finished speaking, Jin Sowoon turned away.

As if the rest of the work naturally belonged to Gongsun Pung.

As if it were only right.

For some reason, Gongsun Pung was willing to accept that too, and he was surprised by his own feelings.

'...What is this? From a brat like that?'

He looked at Jin Sowoon's back again.

Countless White Path martial artists did not block his path. Instead, they clung to him.

There was authority in that back.

The kind of authority found only in people who carried countless responsibilities and kept moving forward.

"Great Hero Gongsun! Do you really intend to join them?"

The Black Path martial artists rushed over.

Gongsun Pung quickly came to his senses and began doing what he needed to do.

He didn't want to keep getting dismissed by a brat who wasn't even thirty.

"You all heard him, didn't you? I won't waste words. If you want to live, find people you can coordinate with as well as possible from now on."

Footnotes:

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