Chapter 162: Commander of the Demon Expulsion Unit
The Grand Training Ground of the Righteous Alliance.
At the very front stood an enormous raised platform.
Countless martial artists had gathered before it.
They were all promising young disciples sent by their respective sects to join the Demon Expulsion Unit.
They studied one another with cautious curiosity...
and no small amount of competitive spirit.
Among them were disciples of Kunlun as well.
Hyeongwon.
Myeongjeon.
Yu Seola.
Kunlun's finest young talents stood proudly among the crowd.
And there was Jin Gwangung, who had personally led them all the way here.
Unlike the other martial artists standing around with tense expressions...
Jin Gwangung was glaring at the platform as though something had already pissed him off.
His arms were crossed.
His eyes were fierce.
Jin Gwangung was already a huge, intimidating man.
With that face twisted into a scowl...
nobody dared approach the area around him.
And there were some here who knew Jin Gwangung's reputation.
“Is that First Elder Jin Gwangung?”
“You mean Kunlun's Mad Bear?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down. I heard he throws punches first whenever something annoys him.”
Whispers about him could be heard here and there.
But Jin Gwangung didn't seem to care.
He simply kept staring at the platform.
Then one of the people looking in Kunlun's direction suddenly pointed.
“By the way, who's that?”
“Who?”
“The man in the bamboo hat standing beside the Kunlun Taoists.”
Just as he said...
unlike the other Kunlun members who openly showed their faces, one martial artist stood quietly behind Jin Gwangung with a bamboo hat pulled low over his head.
It was tilted so far down that no one could see his face at all.
Judging by the gray martial robes he wore...
it was at least clear that he belonged to Kunlun.
Still, no one gathered here paid much attention to him.
They simply assumed he was one of the countless promising young martial artists who had come to participate in the Demon Expulsion Unit.
Then—
BOOM!
The sound of a drum shook the entire Grand Training Ground.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With every beat...
the murmuring among the gathered crowd gradually faded away.
A moment later...
someone climbed onto the raised platform.
He was an elderly man with a long beard and an imposing presence.
He slowly looked over the crowd.
Then spoke.
“On behalf of the Righteous Alliance, I offer my gratitude to the young heroes gathered here today.”
His voice carried across the entire training ground.
“I am Heo Seongbaek, an elder of the Righteous Alliance.”
Heo Seongbaek.
An elder who had long overseen external ceremonies and official declarations for the Righteous Alliance.
He wasn't known as someone who roamed the martial world with sword in hand.
But whenever the Alliance had something to announce under its name...
he was usually the one standing at the front.
There couldn't have been anyone more suited to today's founding ceremony of the Demon Expulsion Unit.
Heo Seongbaek strengthened his voice.
“Our martial world now stands at a critical crossroads.”
His gaze swept across the gathered young martial artists.
“The shadow of the Demonic Cult is once again creeping into the Central Plains, and traces of their reach have already appeared in many places.”
Several young martial artists' expressions hardened.
“The Lee Munjeong incident during the Dragon-Phoenix Awakening Tournament.”
“The traces of the Demonic Cult discovered near Kunlun's border.”
Then—
“And above all, Kunlun's Young Hero, Han Mujin, who lost his life to the Demonic Cult's assassins.”
The moment Han Mujin's name was spoken...
murmurs spread throughout the Grand Training Ground.
Han Mujin hadn't been famous in the martial world for very long.
But the fact that he was said to have inherited the martial path of True Immortal Cheongun...
and the achievements he'd displayed during the Dragon-Phoenix Awakening Tournament...
had left a strong impression among the younger generation.
Naturally, the sudden death of Kunlun's Young Hero had come as quite a shock.
Heo Seongbaek continued.
“The death of Kunlun's Young Hero, a talent who should have helped lead the future of the righteous martial world, has left us with a warning.”
His voice deepened.
“The threat of the Demonic Cult is not some distant danger waiting in the future.”
“It is a cruel reality that can strike us at any moment.”
Heo Seongbaek paused.
Then bowed his head slightly toward the Kunlun delegation.
“The Righteous Alliance will never forget the pain and sacrifice Kunlun has suffered.”
The expressions of many young martial artists grew resolute.
Anger over a rising star of the martial world being cut down by the Demonic Cult.
A firm will to punish the cult responsible.
Those emotions began to take root in their hearts.
Moyong Seong silently watched from beneath the platform.
On the outside...
he wore the same solemn expression as everyone else.
But inside...
he was delighted.
This was good.
Very good.
Han Mujin's death.
That death had brought the Demonic Cult...
an enemy the righteous faction had begun to forget...
back to the center of discussion.
Soon, Heo Seongbaek raised one arm.
“And that is why...”
His voice rang out.
“today, here and now, the Righteous Alliance intends to forge a new path for the righteous martial world.”
The murmuring died away once more.
Then—
“The Demon Expulsion Unit.”
Moyong Seong nearly cheered inwardly.
Those were the words he'd been waiting to hear.
Heo Seongbaek continued.
“The Demon Expulsion Unit will monitor the movements of the Demonic Cult.”
“It will root out cult forces hiding throughout the martial world.”
His voice rose.
“And in time, it will become both the shield and sword of the righteous martial world.”
The enthusiasm of the gathered young martial artists grew hotter with every word.
And Moyong Seong quietly savored the sight.
On the surface...
the Demon Expulsion Unit would serve as a guardian and watcher, protecting the righteous faction from the Demonic Cult.
But in reality—
Sooner or later, they will become limbs that move according to my will.
And that wasn't all.
The Demon Expulsion Unit would become the foundation...
the first stepping stone...
for the great undertaking still to come.
Moyong Seong suppressed the smile threatening to burst onto his face.
Just a little longer.
Soon...
it would be his turn to step onto this stage and bring the ceremony to its grand conclusion.
And finally...
that moment arrived.
Heo Seongbaek turned his head.
“And as the one most suited to lead this Demon Expulsion Unit...”
His gaze settled on Moyong Seong.
“the Righteous Alliance wishes to nominate one man.”
Moyong Seong slowly stepped forward.
Countless gazes immediately focused on him.
Heo Seongbaek's solemn voice rang out.
“A young hero renowned as the Heavenly Origin Star.”
Then—
“Young Master Moyong Seong shall be nominated as Commander of the Demon Expulsion Unit.”
Cheers erupted throughout the training ground.
“Heavenly Origin Star!”
“Moyong Seong!”
“That's right! Who else could lead the Demon Expulsion Unit besides Heavenly Origin Star Moyong Seong?”
Moyong Seong lowered his head slightly as though humbled.
But inside...
he was enjoying this more than anyone.
The cheers of the crowd.
The gazes filled with anticipation.
Naturally...
all of it belonged to him.
Moyong Seong stepped to the center of the platform.
Then clasped his hands in a martial salute toward the gathered martial artists.
“This is a position far beyond what I deserve.”
His tone was modest.
“However, if this is a responsibility I must bear for the greater cause of the righteous martial world...”
“I will not avoid it.”
They were exactly the sort of words one expected from the upright young hero who would someday lead the righteous martial world.
Admiration appeared on many faces.
Enjoying the gazes fixed upon him...
Moyong Seong continued.
“For many years, the Demonic Cult has brought disorder to the martial world.”
“They hide within darkness and harm our fellow martial artists.”
Then his expression darkened solemnly.
“Recently...”
“even the young hero of Kunlun who stood beside me during the Dragon-Phoenix Awakening Tournament...”
He paused.
“fell to their assassins.”
His gaze shifted toward the Kunlun delegation.
He had done it deliberately.
He wanted everyone to see him offering consolation to Kunlun...
the victims.
But—
Huh?
Moyong Seong inwardly frowned.
The expressions of the Kunlun disciples looking at him were nothing like what he'd expected.
They weren't grieving.
Their gazes were cold.
Far too cold.
They were staring at him as though he were their mortal enemy.
