Book 28 Chapter 23

thunderous (轟天), to move

-Hyoshi (嚆矢), who was burned to a crisp.

A chamber in the depths of the Black Lagoon.

He sat back in his chair, silent and lost in thought.

"How did things go?"

The man sitting in the Black Heavenly League's most luxurious private chamber spoke up and asked, "What is this man who wears a mask over his face, and who says that whoever sees beneath that mask will die? It was the man himself, one of the strongest men in the Martial Realm.

"Yes, no one has noticed so far. The effect is perfect."

"Yeah, everything's fine, I was a little worried when they came, but I'm glad 'it' was done in time."

"It was a stroke of luck."

From the shadows of the wall, a man's shadow appeared without a sound. Wearing an iron mask on his face, he was none other than the Iron Masked Eunuch, the leader of the Twelfth of the Thirteen Thousand and Twenty-Third Generations.

"Are you all gathered?"

He asked, not the least bit surprised by Iron Mask's ghostly appearance.

"Yes, all the elders met in the chamber a little while ago, my lord."

"It must be noisy by now, everyone."

"What would you like to do?"

Beneath the mask, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth for the first time. Iron Mask, who had never seen his master smile before, couldn't help but feel a sudden chill run down his spine. His master possessed a power that could crush a man's soul, and he could not imagine any resistance to its overwhelming force.

"That's not for me to decide. Now that the Meng Zhu seat is vacant, you can't use the power of the Black Heavenly Clan without permission, that would be very inconvenient."

But he didn't sound uncomfortable at all.

"Indeed."

The iron mask replied in an extremely polite manner.

"Then I'd better go and calm the panicked old men, for as it is, we're not going to wipe out four hundred thousand people, but we're going to have a self-inflicted war, and we can't have a war without a leader."

The cobbler rose from his seat and headed toward the door.

"Then I'll go to the council of elders."

The wheels of fate had already begun to turn. Now it was his job to speed it up even more.

As he expected, the emergency meeting room was chaos.

There's a lot of yelling and cursing. At first glance, it looks like they're arguing, but if you listen closely, they're just getting mad at each other.

These were the Seven Pillars, the seven pillars that held up the sky of the Black Sea. Thirteen pillars, minus the six that had been wiped out in battle a hundred years ago. They were strong enough to survive that great battle, but they were not exceptionally strong compared to each other. They didn't even pretend to listen to each other's commands because no one was exceptional.

The only one who could move them within the Black Sky Alliance was Gal Zhongtian, who was descended from the blood of a demigod. Though he had retired from active duty, the halo of the Demon Lord Gal Joong-hyeok, who reigned supreme in the darkness, still cast a long shadow over the entire island. It was hard to imagine that a new leader would be chosen without his permission, but he had officially retired anyway.

Especially since the culprit was said to be Nabaxian, there was no reason for even the Black Sword Giant to stop them from avenging their child.

"Because even they are in this condition.

The seven debating senators had one thing in common.

It was anger at the loss of their ally.

It was obvious that he would be disgraced if he remained silent, and if he restrained himself this time, the word "coward" would be added to his name by Comrade Jing Tian, and his influence and presence would be drastically reduced.

Well, that's not so bad, he thought, and stepped into the conference room. He didn't even bother coughing in vain.

But when he entered, the room, which had been so tumultuous, was instantly silent. He merely walked in, walked to the chair where he was to sit, and yet all seven of the elders in the room felt his presence and shut up at the same time, as if they had made a promise.

The elders in the room rose from their seats in unison, for though they were called elders, none were older than Ma Tian Gak Zhu, the counselor, advisor, and Elder of the Black Heavenly Blind.

The others followed suit as he walked around the table and sat down at an empty seat.

"……."

Silence. Static. And stillness.

It had been a while, and still no one had spoken up. It was the exact opposite of what they had been saying earlier. The elders could only stare at the celestial master's mouth, unable to open their mouths. Even then, they only glanced at him, and none dared to make eye contact.

Intimidation.

His mere presence gives them a sense of intimidation that crushes their hearts. They were instinctively aware that he was a top predator, far above them, just as a rabbit is to a wolf, a deer to a tiger.

As they felt their survival instincts kicking in, they realized that it was a natural thing to do.

That there is only one path left for them.

The laws of the martial arts are survival of the strongest, and the rules are destruction of the weakest.

So it was only natural to follow the strong.

"Why is it so quiet? Let's restart the meeting."

When he finally opened his mouth, he began to blurt out a few words here and there.

"Yes, what do you suggest we do with the culprit of this assassination, the Spiritual Master Nie Bai Tian?"

From his perch on the throne, he replied quietly.

"Blood for blood is the law of blackness. Blood for blood, blind for blind. I can think of no price other than his life."

"Yes, he's a master of the one-trick pony, like the rest of that bumbling bunch of hypocrites, and he's managed to get away with it for now, but he hasn't managed to escape the wide-area siege yet."

"But the opponent is Nabaxian, and ordinary warriors can't even search for him, let alone track him. I command you to reinforce the peak masters immediately."

"If the Zheng Tian Clan breaks the inviolability pact first, then we will no longer be able to raise our faces to the Black Sea after losing our masters, and our rule over the Black Sea will dissipate like a bubble."

It was a rule of the black community that you had to prove you weren't weak. If you didn't return the favor, you were admitting your incompetence.

"That's right, it's just all-out war now."

"I agree. We need to strike a blow!"

The Elders' gazes turned to Machen Gakju.

We're all in this together, it seemed to say.

Machengakju opened his mouth.

"I will move ten thousand troops."

It was just one word, but the impact of that word was enormous.

"Yes?"

The jolt rattled through the conference room like a raging bull.

"Ten, ten thousand, are you serious?"

One of the elders spoke up, his voice trembling. The impact of the words was great, causing a Black Heavenly Blind elder who had been through the entire war to stutter.

Machen Gakju was nonchalant, as if he didn't understand why he was surprised.

"Why are you so surprised? Isn't that what you wanted?"

There was a moment of silence, as I realized the gravity of the words.

"Has the absence of war for so long dulled everyone's senses? We shouldn't underestimate the potential of the Spiritual Blind. Not only will we be able to capture Nie Bai Tian, but we will also be able to move ten thousand troops to erase the name Zheng Tian Meng from this powerhouse, right?"

"Ha, but to move the Black Heaven and Earth is to move……."

The Black Heavenly Ten Thousand, or Ten Thousand for short.

They represented the greatest power of the Black Rose. They were the ten armies that represented the power of the Black Heavenly League itself. The "Great Sky" that King Rakvio of the West sought to enter was the third of these ten heavens. Only when these ten heavens were combined did they become the "Great Black Sky.

In other words, if they moved, the entire power of the Black Panthers would move.

It's an all-out war.

Only then did the old elders realize what they had been talking about, through their crawling skin and beating hearts. Yes, they had been crying out for war a moment ago. A real war, with corpses piling up mountains, blood flowing in rivers, gale-force winds, and raining blood.

"As I'm sure you're aware, a full mobilization of ten thousand troops requires the consensus of the Senate and the approval of the Blind Lord. A great war cannot begin without a leader. The most important thing you must do now is to fill the vacant position of Lord Meng. Before the Nine Hundred Thousand is completely outside the realm of the Black Heavenly Blind."

The unspoken pressure that the longer you delay your decision, the more likely it is that you will miss out on the Nine Hundred Thousand. The response came quickly.

"Don't worry about that, we've got someone to fill that spot."

"Where is such a person?"

Machenjing replied quietly.

"That's you."

"You mean me?"

The cloakmaster replied slowly, not at all surprised. Not at all surprised, as if this was the natural order of things.

"Yes, you are the only one who can fulfill that mandate right now."

"I'm going to say no."

Machengakju quietly but firmly refused.

"Why?!"

All the elders jumped out of their seats and exclaimed, "I don't understand why you're refusing," as if they couldn't understand why.

"You can't have it both ways. You are well aware of that, aren't you?"

"But this is a state of emergency. A great war is about to break out. An all-out war. The greatest war in a hundred years. But we've been outmaneuvered since the beginning of the war-no, before it began-and we need a powerful, legendary figure to hold us together and raise our morale. And you're the only one who can do that."

"But……."

Machengakju tried to refuse again.

Then all the elders stood up and knelt down on one knee in unison toward the skylight. Then they cried out

"The elders of the Black Sky recognize the master of the Black Sky! Hail, hail, hail!"

Normally, hooray is reserved for the emperor. But this was Murim, a world where such things were routinely ignored. They wouldn't hear it anyway, so what did it matter?

He sat still and thoughtful for a long time, and no one else rose from their crouching position.

The Ten Thousand Pavilions Lord did not answer immediately, but he did not deny it either; he simply stared at the kneeling elders for a long time. After half an hour, no one stood up.

"Hah……."

A nervous sigh escaped the magus's mouth.

"I can't, but if you ask me to, I'll let you take over for a while. But only until this fight is over!"

The heads of the submissive elders bowed even lower.

"Thank you, Master!"

The word "temporary" was absent from everyone's greetings, as if it had never been there in the first place.

The succession process of the Black Sky Clan's Meng Zuoyue was organized at the Great Black Sky Hall, the Black Sky Clan's headquarters. Two sacred items that symbolize Meng Zhu's position, the Black Heavenly Twin Dragon Seal, a jade scepter, and the Four Horsemen's Gold Plaque, were briefly handed over to him. As he sat down on the Black Lion Seat, a giant carved black jade throne that only Meng Zhu could sit on, his entire body radiated with untouchable majesty. The elders were struck with a sense of the apocryphal, as if he were saying that the seat was rightfully his.

Soon, one of the elders came out with an agenda.

"Who would you send to track down the four hundred thousand who have hidden their tails?"

It was the first thing that needed to be prioritized now.

"To chase after a peak cultivator of the order of four hundred thousand requires a corresponding existence. Even if he were a peak cultivator, he would not be able to escape from the Heavenly Realm. I'll have the Seven Stars Constellation on standby for the search."

As if I hadn't already thought of it, the answer came immediately.

"Ohhhhhhh, you mean the constellation of Zodiac?! Indeed!"

There were murmurs of admiration all around.

"If they do, surely, they will be able to catch the tail of the Nine Hundred Thousand, which has hidden itself like a cunning snake."

Bai Xiaochun was a sword master recognized by all, and his skill was said to be comparable to that of the Sword God, so even a modest defeat could not catch his tail. Even if he was currently on the rise.

At that moment, the demonic lion sitting on the black lion throne jumped to his feet, and naturally, everyone's gazes flew toward him.

"As your interim Black Lord, I will make my first appointment."

The captains and elders of the assembled troops stood up and shouted in unison.

"The warriors of the Black Sky await your command!"

After standing still for a moment, Ma Tiankai slowly looked around the room and spoke in a dignified voice.

"I will move the third of the ten heavens to strike at Zheng Tianfeng!"

The elders and captains shuddered at the words. One of them stepped forward and spoke respectfully.

"The heavens will move."

The Jintian was the frontline military force of the Celestial League, whose purpose was to suppress the Xue Tian. They were on the perimeter, ready to move at a moment's notice in response to Xue Tian's movements.

"It doesn't matter, I hope."

His answer was straightforward.

"Ha, ha, but I'm at work. I hadn't even finished my reward before I left……."

Then, in a solemn voice, the Demon King slowly opened his mouth.

"All the more so, since he is in the middle of the sky. This is the blood of a thousand, the flame of ten thousand, and we are here to observe the path of our former master."

It was a blood law, an iron rule, that you get what you pay for.

His voice also contained an uncanny power to control people's minds, and the soldiers didn't dare to speak back.

"I will never forgive those hypocrites, never!"

The stern anger in his voice drew the ire of the left. Everyone resonated with that anger and hatred sprouted. Hatred and anger had the power to incite people most easily.

"I will capture the wretched villain and execute him publicly in front of all the people, and I will hang his head on a high pole and feed it to the crows."

His voice had a power that shook people to their core.

"And his flesh and blood and all those who supported him will not escape the sword of vengeance."

The warriors of the Black Sky, who had been feeling the rage in their hearts, let out a frenzied roar in unison as their emotions exploded. Now it seemed that only blood and death could wash away their raging hatred. The Demon King stretched out his right hand as if to dust himself off and shouted.

"Let the war cry ring out! The greatest war in a hundred years! Warriors of the Black Sky, go forth and fight! The cause is ours! Death to the Nine Hundred Heavens! Destruction to the Zheng Tian Clan! There will be only one heaven left under this martial sky!"

Then all the elders bowed in unison, and cried out in unison, "I am your father!

"Unrivaled! Black Heavenly Eternal!"

The first great war in a hundred years, the voices announcing its beginning were filled with great anger and hatred.

Now, a river of blood was about to flow in the Ganghu Lake.

<Continued from Volume 29 of "Lightning Resistance"