Chapter – 60
“Revere!”
A dense killing intent burst forth over the arena.
“There will be no second mercy for those who do not kneel.”
“……”
All of Hwacheongji fell silent.
The descendant of the Former Emperor, appearing shrouded in golden light, and the Imperial Jade Seal of the Great Ming.
Judging by the Crown Prince’s reaction, both were genuine.
“Th-then doesn’t that mean the justification is on their side?”
There was no one throughout the Central Plains who didn’t know that the current imperial throne had been seized through usurpation.
And now, the legitimate bloodline had appeared bearing the jade seal that proved imperial authority. To anyone, it was obvious which side held the mandate.
“B-but even so, what are we supposed to do right now? The Prince of Yan’s heir is standing right there—we can’t just acknowledge them.”
“What do you mean, what should we do?”
Another martial artist gave a crisp answer.
“We’re people who survive by reading the room. We move according to the will of those above us.”
Even those not part of the conversation naturally turned their gaze toward the platform.
It was where the representatives of the Martial Alliance were gathered.
But the mood on the platform was no different from that of the common martial artists below.
They were wavering.
Those who valued legitimacy above all, and those who believed legitimacy without power was nothing but incompetence.
Yet regardless of faction, no one stepped forward.
Kill them!
Kakakakang!
They had all witnessed the overwhelming divine might Moyong Hwi had displayed against the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guards.
If one were to engage a master like Moyong Hwi in a life-and-death battle in such a crowded place, at least one-third of the martial artists present would certainly be injured or killed.
Those who stepped out first wouldn’t even need to be considered.
They would die for certain.
And so, for a matter of the imperial family rather than their own sects, there was no reason to stake their lives.
That was the origin of the silence.
“You are reckless.”
The one who broke the silence was the Crown Prince—the Prince of Yan’s heir.
“Reckless?”
“To gamble everything on nothing but legitimacy?”
The Crown Prince stared straight at Moyong Hwi.
“You should have raised an army instead.”
Moyong Hwi’s gaze remained calm.
Fixing his eyes on him, the Crown Prince raised his voice.
“Let it be known to all!”
His voice rang out.
“Whoever captures or kills these traitors immediately shall receive ten thousand taels of gold. Their sect shall be additionally rewarded with one hundred thousand taels of gold. And furthermore—”
His voice dropped.
“In the future, there shall be no restrictions whatsoever on that sect’s proselytizing or recruitment. Naturally, this applies only to the sect that captures the traitors. I swear this by my authority as Crown Prince.”
“…!”
A stir ran through the martial artists.
It was commonly known that the Great Ming’s annual tax revenue did not even reach three hundred thousand taels of gold.
Yet he was offering ten thousand taels immediately, plus one hundred thousand taels to the sect.
The sheer amount was staggering—but what truly shocked them was his final declaration.
No restrictions on recruitment.
Under the non-aggression pact between officials and the martial world, sects were limited in how many disciples they could take.
Of course, major sects like the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families circumvented this through lay disciples, but a workaround was still a workaround.
Even the great sects were bound by countless restrictions.
And yet now, the Crown Prince was proclaiming—
Deal with the traitors before them, and he would make their sect the unquestioned greatest power under heaven, protected by the imperial family.
“……”
The gazes directed at Moyong Hwi slowly changed.
From an absolute master of the imperial house who once contended for supremacy—
To an aged expert of a bygone era.
No matter how strong he was, he was still only one man.
Advanced in years.
And ultimately, even the martial artists of the Jianghu felt the pull of their identity as subjects of the Great Ming.
Beyond loyalty lay supremacy.
The momentum shifted.
“Kill him!”
At once, nearly everyone in Hwacheongji launched themselves forward.
It was a spectacular sight.
At this rate, no one in the world could survive.
Yet even amid the human wall surging from all directions, Moyong Hwi remained calm.
“So this is how it ends. Nothing has changed in twenty years.”
“What did you say?”
Moyong Hwi’s eyes sank.
“In the end, our true objective was never just to display legitimacy to the world.”
His figure blurred.
“It was you.”
“!”
In an instant, Moyong Hwi seized the Crown Prince and, clutching Ju Mun-gyu as well, vanished beyond the human wall.
“!”
It was a movement too fast to react to.
Five figures immediately shot into the sky.
Yong Sobek and Kang Yu.
Byeokyeongja of Cheongseong, Abbot Museong of Shaolin, and Hyeonje of Wudang.
Yong Sobek, leading alongside Kang Yu, grimaced.
“You bastard! You said they wouldn’t harm anyone if we just watched!”
Kang Yu nodded easily.
“I’m sorry.”
“……”
Something about that response was suspicious.
Normally, the kid would have panicked and made a fuss.
There was only one reason Kang Yu would react like this.
“You planned this from the start…!”
Kang Yu fixed her gaze on the retreating Moyong Hwi.
“They definitely have another plan prepared. If this goes wrong midway, there’s no telling where things will end up.”
“So our goal was to wipe them out anyway?”
“And we have to protect Lady Hyehwa too.”
“What!?”
Yong Sobek scowled.
“At a time like this, do you think those people kept their promises!?”
“They didn’t seem like completely bad people.”
“Hah!”
Kang Yu turned back to him.
“We’ll lose them at this rate. I’ll go ahead first.”
Yong Sobek’s eyebrows twisted.
“You brat! Lightness skill is stepwork, and stepwork is lightness skill! How dare you—”
In an instant, she became a distant dot.
Kwa-kakakakaka—
“……”
His already disheveled hair flew wildly.
“Ghk!”
Left behind in an instant, Yong Sobek poured every ounce of strength into his Quchi acupoint.
Kang Yu landed on the ground.
It was near where Moyong Hwi had descended after disappearing from sight.
A stone mountain surrounded by sheer cliffs.
Sparse old trees and withered bushes.
About ten zhang away, a fairly large cave entrance was visible.
The only place suitable for hiding.
Kang Yu was just stepping toward the cave entrance when—
“Stop!”
Figures rained down from the sky.
The one at the forefront carried a familiar scent.
Though masked, it was clearly Moyong Seong, head of the Moyong clan.
He drew his sword.
“You cannot pass through here—”
“I’m sorry.”
Kang Yu blurred and appeared at the cave entrance ten zhang away.
“I’m in a hurry.”
Behind her, twenty figures collapsed.
Not long after Kang Yu entered the cave, a presence approached from behind.
She turned to see Yong Sobek.
“You’re here.”
“Hoo…”
Instead of answering, he caught his breath.
His heart pounded, sweat soaking his entire upper garment.
In contrast, the child before him looked perfectly composed.
She really is on par with that divine thief when it comes to lightness skill…
The situation outside—masked men sprawled everywhere—was no longer surprising.
Yong Sobek steadied his breathing.
“L-let’s go.”
The cave sloped gently downward in a single path.
As they descended, Yong Sobek frowned.
“Hmm.”
It was secluded, but not unfindable.
For such an elaborate scheme, it was far too exposed.
No matter how dark it is under the lamp…
Why hide in such a careless place?
That question was answered at the end of the long cave.
They faced Moyong Hwi, sitting cross-legged with his back turned.
Yong Sobek’s brow furrowed.
“You…”
Moyong Hwi’s calm voice echoed through the cave.
“I have heard rumors of the Heaven-and-Earth Step all my life. To finally meet you.”
“……”
Yong Sobek exhaled softly.
Moyong Hwi—absolute master of a bygone era, first Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and the foremost founding contributor of the Great Ming.
Yet from his back, the overwhelming presence he had displayed in Hwacheongji was gone.
Instinctively, Yong Sobek knew.
The flame was dying.
He was dying.
That divine might had been a final flare—born of Innate True Qi, a last returning glow before death.
Yong Sobek surveyed the narrow cave.
“…So this wasn’t a planned hideout. You fled here in desperation.”
He asked,
“Why go this far, in that condition?”
Moyong Hwi’s shoulders shook faintly.
“It wasn’t a wrong plan. There were merely disruptions along the way.”
“Disruptions?”
Moyong Hwi slowly turned his head.
His gaze met Kang Yu’s.
“So it was you. There were many suspicious points during the gatherings.”
“Do you know me?”
“How could I not.”
His eyes grew sorrowful.
“Because so much changed because of you.”
“……”
Originally, the enemy’s plan had been to seize the Tang Clan and smuggle out vast amounts of poison—
Using it to assassinate imperial figures and completely sever the relationship between the court and the martial world.
In the ensuing chaos, Moyong Hwi and Ju Mun-gyu would reclaim the stolen throne.
But Kang Yu had ruined the plan at the Tang Clan from the outset.
And now, all that remained was a bent, dying body.
“Why didn’t you give up? Even leaving behind your Innate True Qi, this wouldn’t have been a flame so easily extinguished.”
Moyong Hwi laughed hoarsely.
“What use is living? With so little breath left, I drew my sword, hoping at least to cut down a radish or two.”
“A radish? You mean the Crown Prince?”
Yong Sobek looked at the Prince of Yan’s heir lying neatly before him.
He was unharmed.
Merely unconscious.
His steady breathing proved his safety.
Even while fleeing, Moyong Hwi could have killed him countless times if he wished.
“Why sheath the sword you had drawn?”
Moyong Hwi smiled bitterly, gazing at the sleeping Crown Prince.
Love and hatred mixed on his face.
“I received a request.”
“A request?”
“The last words of a dear friend. To protect the future generation, no matter what.”
Moyong Hwi gently stroked the Crown Prince’s head.
“At the very least, he is that man’s child.”
“……”
The only man Moyong Hwi could call a dear friend was Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Great Ming.
Meaning—
Though enraged by the failure of his plans, he could not bring himself to violate Taizu’s dying wish.
In the end, Moyong Hwi chose his duty as commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards over vengeance for the former emperor.
He withdrew his hand.
“Take him. Before my resolve wavers.”
After a moment, Yong Sobek picked up the Crown Prince.
Though it all felt strangely hollow after so much effort, it was not an incomprehensible outcome to someone who had lived through Moyong Hwi’s era.
Yong Sobek examined the Crown Prince’s qi.
As befitted the son of the martial-minded Yongle Emperor, a considerable amount of qi coiled in his dantian.
The flow of true qi was intact.
After a brief hesitation, Yong Sobek asked what he had resolved not to.
“Ju Mun… Where is the Former Emperor’s second son?”
Moyong Hwi’s voice grew heavy.
“I left him somewhere suitable. Do not seek him.”
“You know this won’t end there.”
“His internal organs were already ruined twenty years ago. He won’t last long anyway.”
“But—”
Anger flared in Moyong Hwi’s eyes.
“So in the end, you insist on seeing blood!”
His eyes were bloodshot—
Yet not a shred of qi could be felt.
A candle guttering at the end of its wick.
Ashes on the verge of collapse.
They had safely recovered the most important piece—the Crown Prince.
Yong Sobek closed his eyes briefly, then opened them.
“I won’t search for him.”
Moyong Hwi’s shoulders sagged.
“Thank you.”
“But you must answer one thing.”
After all, the goals of the Golden Bell and the Beggars’ Sect in this matter were the same.
“Tell us about the organization you belonged to.”
Which also meant—
If you don’t, we’ll look for Ju Mun-gyu.
A threat that was not quite a threat.
After studying Yong Sobek, Moyong Hwi spoke.
“We cooperated briefly because our goals aligned in attacking the imperial family. I do not know the details. But the plan to use the Tang Clan to annihilate both the court and the martial artists was solely the cult’s design.”
“What is the organization’s name?”
“The Five Elements Cult.”
“The Five Elements Cult?”
“A group formed jointly by people of the Central Plains and those beyond the borders. I don’t know their exact numbers, but compared to the Central Plains, they would be a drop in the bucket.”
“So an elite few?”
“That would be accurate.”
“Why did they want to exterminate the imperial family?”
“To break the non-aggression pact through misunderstanding. To divide the court and the martial world.”
Yong Sobek’s gaze flicked to Kang Yu.
The Golden Bell had already determined as much.
“We already know that. I’m asking for the fundamental reason.”
Moyong Hwi shook his head.
“As I said, I was close to an outsider. I don’t know the full truth. However—”
“However?”
“The true target of breaking the pact was not the imperial family, but the martial world. The hatred they bore toward the Jianghu was no less than ours.”
“……”
A hatred rivaling that of a dispossessed heir and the commander who failed him.
Yong Sobek asked a few more questions, but none of the answers were especially useful.
Still—
A man at death’s door.
A desperate plea not to seek the Former Emperor’s descendant.
There was no reason for Moyong Hwi to lie.
“…It’s a lie.”
“Hmm?”
“He’s deceiving us.”
Kang Yu suddenly spoke up.
Yong Sobek turned.
“What are you talking about, all of a sudden?”
Her gaze wasn’t on either of them.
It was on the Crown Prince in Yong Sobek’s arms.
“The Prince isn’t the Prince.”
“What?”
She was naïve at times, but not one to spout nonsense.
“What do you mean—”
That was when—
“!”
A blade-like killing intent slammed into the back of his head.
It was Moyong Hwi.
Where did that strength come from, in a man whose life was supposedly spent?
“You wretch! There’s still qi left in you?!”
With his hands bound by the unconscious Crown Prince, Yong Sobek barely raised a defensive art.
Bang—
“Ghk!”
With the sound of tearing flesh, Yong Sobek was blasted through solid rock.
Moyong Hwi roared.
“How did you know?!”
A sword wrapped in pale killing qi came crashing down toward Kang Yu’s neck.
