Chapter 69: Divine Craftsman

‘Tang Sewoon.’

Namgung Myeong looked at Sewoon with eyes as cold as ice.

The gaze of the two men colliding in midair resembled wild beasts sizing each other up.

But apart from them, everyone else reacted in the same way.

Why is that guy coming out from there?

When faced with a situation too unexpected, both the body and mind froze.

Just as nothing but question marks floated inside everyone’s heads, the first to belatedly grasp the situation was—

“Kuhaha, this is a masterpiece! He’s even crazier than my damned disciple told me!”

It was none other than the eccentric Hong Ilshin.

He clutched his belly on the mat and rolled around in laughter.

That unruly laughter finally jolted the Elders back to their senses one by one.

Chae-chae-chaeng!

The Court of Justice Lord and its martial artists who had surrounded Sewoon immediately drew their swords.

Especially Somoon Gyeong, who looked as if he would cut down Sewoon at any moment.

His face, usually devoid of expression, was flushed red.

It was surely because, as the Lord of the Court of Justice, his pride had been crushed by failing to see through Sewoon’s disguise until now.

“How dare you mock the Alliance. Do you truly wish for death?”

“Hmm? Mock? What do you mean by that?”

Sewoon tilted his head, pretending not to understand Somoon Gyeong’s words.

“Ah, I thought you had noticed all along but tolerated it since I was using it so openly. Was that not the case?”

“!!”

“Hmm, how unexpected. That the Lord of the Court of Justice could not even recognize a light disguise. If that is the case, I sincerely apologize.”

“You dare…”

Grinding his teeth, Somoon Gyeong pulled qi from his Dantian.

The overwhelming energy of a master at the very peak of the Supreme Peak Realm burst forth toward Sewoon.

It was meant to frighten the puppy that knew no fear of tigers, to make him piss his pants.

Paaah!

“-!!”

Sewoon only chuckled faintly and easily deflected the force hurled at him.

Everyone around them was once again shocked.

To withstand that kind of pressure meant that Sewoon had to be at least standing at the threshold of the Supreme Peak Realm, if not beyond.

‘A descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan endured the might of the Court of Justice Lord?’

‘…Is that brat truly standing before the peak of Supreme Mastery?’

‘No, even the Nine Dragons Four Phoenixes would have struggled to breathe under that pressure.’

Whether of the Alliance Leader’s faction or the Elders’ faction, everyone’s eyes on Sewoon shifted.

It was now clear he was not merely a reckless fool without strength.

‘Then, the report that he fought against the Poison Demon wasn’t an exaggeration?’

Especially Hwangbo Geon could not hide his shock, his mouth gaping wide open.

He had always dismissed reports of Sewoon with a snort, but seeing it with his own eyes left no room for denial.

Uuuung!

At that moment, Somoon Gyeong’s sword erupted with a ringing sword cry.

“…I will sever your sinews and meridians, and make you kneel properly.”

Murderous intent flickered in his eyes, but Sewoon did not step back.

Rather, he issued a clear warning.

“I think I’ve endured enough. But if you insist on crossing the line, then I too cannot stay my hand.”

“Oh yeah? Let’s see—!”

“Lord, sheath your sword.”

At that instant, Jaegal Hun stopped Somoon Gyeong.

“Chief Strategist, this man—!”

“Did you not hear me tell you to put away your sword?”

“…!”

Somoon Gyeong was unwilling to retreat, but Jaegal Hun firmly settled the situation.

With the Alliance Leader absent, full authority had been delegated to the Chief Strategist.

Damn it!

Somoon Gyeong cursed inwardly.

“…Everyone, stand down.”

In the end, he had no choice but to withdraw his sword.

As the tense situation was temporarily defused, Jaegal Hun looked steadily at Sewoon and spoke in a heavy voice.

“You said you are Tang Sewoon.”

“Yes.”

“Do you understand that what you’ve done cannot be overlooked, even if the Tang Clan is part of the Alliance?”

“Yes, I am aware.”

“Hmph.”

“That insolent brat!”

Members of the Elders’ faction erupted at Sewoon’s unshaken attitude.

Yet Jaegal Hun, unmoved, only studied Sewoon more deeply.

“Then why did you commit such acts?”

At his question, Sewoon answered in a flat voice, devoid of emotion.

“A security system full of holes, metallurgy that has degraded to the point of being worthless, and physicians who cannot even diagnose a warrior suffering from internal injuries.”

“!!”

“I did it because I was asked to uncover the infected wounds of the Alliance.”

For a moment, several Elders, including Heuk Yagong, were struck speechless.

Hwangbo Geon, who was in charge of verifying the new recruits of the smithy, and Eon Jahu, the Lord of the Medicine Hall, could not help but feel the sting of his words.

Jaegal Hun pressed further.

“And who would make such a request of you?”

“I cannot tell you that.”

“…Even if your life is at risk for not saying?”

“Yes. Even so, I cannot speak of it.”

“Impudent!”

“How dare you spit nonsense in such a sacred place!!”

“Silence, all of you!”

“?!”

Jaegal Hun roared at the Elders’ faction.

As they faltered, he reminded them of what they had overlooked.

“Do you still not understand?! Who else would dare assign such a task to the Young Lord of the Tang Clan!”

“!!”

Only then did the Elders belatedly recall a single figure in their minds.

Only one person could possibly give the order to infiltrate the Murim Alliance without fear.

“S-surely not.”

“…The Alliance Leader?”

That was right. It was none other than the Sword Emperor Yoo Jinhak.

After all, Sewoon had once been recognized by the Alliance Leader and even received Wave Moon.

As the uproar filled the hall, Sewoon quietly observed.

‘As expected, these bookworms bite the bait the fastest.’

He was inwardly satisfied.

Of course, Sewoon had never received any such order from the Alliance Leader.

He had simply bluffed, thinking if he pretended there was something, they would convince themselves.

It would be troublesome if the Alliance Leader returned and said, “I never ordered such a thing,” but—

‘The Sword Emperor isn’t here. What can they do?’

He had already gathered information that the Alliance Leader was away and would not return for at least three or four days.

Until then, no one could verify the truth of his claim.

As confusion spread across the assembly—

“Boy. For something you made up on the spot to escape the situation, it is not bad at all.”

It was Namgung Myeong who spoke.

His cold gaze, like the frigid winds of the North Sea, was fixed on Sewoon.

“Clan Head Namgung. Do you still intend to insist that the Young Lord of the Tang Clan is a spy of the Demonic Alliance?”

“Yes.”

“No, Clan Head Namgung.”

“The claim that the Alliance Leader entrusted him is only this man’s one-sided story. Based on facts alone, all he has done is bring harm to the Alliance.”

“Elder Namgung speaks true!”

“We must not be swayed by his glib tongue!”

“We must torture him at once and extract his confession that he is a spy of the Demonic Alliance!”

Namgung Myeong tried to seize on any excuse to brand Sewoon as a spy of the Demonic Alliance.

The fortunes of the Sichuan Tang Clan may have somewhat recovered of late, but—

If Namgung Myeong and the Elders’ faction bit down on him like this, even lies could become truth.

To be branded as a spy of the Demonic Alliance meant not only losing his Dantian and becoming a cripple, but also the possibility of his entire clan being annihilated overnight.

Yet Sewoon spoke out with composure.

“But listening to you, Clan Head Namgung, you keep claiming I have harmed the Alliance.”

“Claim? Your deceitful tongue truly knows no end.”

Namgung Myeong twisted the corner of his mouth into a sneer.

“Not only did you create sinister and aberrant weapons in the smithy, disrupting the order of the Alliance, but you even attacked the great disciple of Mount Hua Sect.”

“Hmm, very well. Then I shall prove them one by one.”

Before Namgung Myeong could even spit out “What?”—

Saaa!

Whooo.

A cool breeze suddenly stirred inside the Azure Dragon Hall.

What is this?

Both the Alliance Leader’s faction and the Elders’ faction could not hide their bewilderment.

It was unavoidable—

The Azure Dragon Hall was a perfectly sealed chamber, save for its entrance. Once closed, no wind could enter.

And then—

Suuuu!

“!!”

“Wh-!”

Everyone’s eyes bulged at the sight.

The practice saber Sewoon had forged, kept as evidence by one of the Court of Justice martial artists, slipped from his hand and floated in the air.

And from that saber drifting in the air, the breeze was flowing.

“Psychokinesis…?!”

“No, that’s—”

“…A thread?”

Only then did they notice the thread connected to the saber.

It was a sight none of them had ever even heard of before.

That impossibly fine thread moved as if alive, gracefully guiding the saber through the air, like Psychokinesis itself.

At a flick of Sewoon’s finger, the floating saber drifted slowly toward one man.

“Would you assist me in proving this, Clan Head Peng?”

“…!”

At his words, Peng Taesan, Clan Head of the Hebei Peng Clan, could not hide his shock.

The practice saber that Sewoon had transformed into a Treasure Weapon belonged to none other than his son, Young Lord Peng Geonho.

What Sewoon had felt from the saber was the fierce aura of Peng Clan’s Five Tigers Gate-Severing Blade.

Though Peng Taesan’s mind raced with thoughts, he recalled Sewoon’s earlier words—

‘He said it was by the Alliance Leader’s order…’

He made his decision swiftly.

Clang.

The moment Peng Taesan grasped the saber’s hilt—

Saaa!

Paaah!

“!”

“!!”

The gentle breeze bursting from the saber turned into a raging storm.

The saber’s energy surged outward like crashing waves, shaking everything around.

Normally, they would have thought this an ambush and attacked Sewoon immediately, but—

No one dared.

‘Ah…’

‘This is…!’

It was because within the raging wind flowed pure and unmistakable Profound Qi.

The Treasure Weapon Sewoon had created with only Golden Bridle Qi and Innate True Qi—

Contained a righteous and pure energy that no practitioner of the Orthodox Path could deny.

Suuu.

The solemn silence beginning at Peng Taesan’s fingertips soon came to an end.

“This kind of Treasure Weapon… No, how can such a weapon even exist?”

“Th-that’s impossible…”

“No, what Dae Noya sees may differ, but…”

Even Namgung Myeong was left speechless.

Thud.

Suddenly, a sound echoed as knees struck the stone floor.

The Elders turned their heads and gasped.

It was Heuk Yagong, whose pride reached the heavens.

He was kneeling reverently before Sewoon.

“…Please. I beg you.”

With a vacant expression none had ever seen before, he pleaded.

“Please accept me as your disciple, O Divine Craftsman.”

He kept bowing to Sewoon again and again.

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