Chapter 179: The Viper’s Den
Master Gonghyeon's fingers stopped over his prayer beads.
For a long while, he simply stared at me in silence.
“You suspect... the Alliance Leader is behind all of this?”
“Yes.”
Master Gonghyeon's expression grew grave.
“Why do you believe that?”
I began by explaining what I had witnessed at the Jesaeng Pavilion.
“I saw a man wearing Righteous Alliance robes force medicine into Paeng Dohyeon's mouth.”
Gonghyeon's eyes narrowed.
“Medicine?”
“A black pill.”
I nodded.
“Not long after Paeng Dohyeon swallowed it, his heart meridians stopped.”
Master Gonghyeon's eyes trembled.
Hyeongwon, Myeongjeon, and Yu Seola listened with stiff expressions as well.
I went on to explain the secret passage and underground prison I had discovered while following the man who killed Paeng Dohyeon.
The old medicinal storage building behind the Jesaeng Pavilion.
The hidden passage inside.
The underground prison large enough to hold countless people.
And the conversation I overheard there.
“They were planning to use the Demon Expulsion Unit to arrest martial artists under accusations of colluding with the Demonic Cult.”
Master Gonghyeon's fingers tightened around his prayer beads.
“They said those prisoners would officially be recorded as having died during interrogation.”
My voice lowered.
“But in reality, they would be taken underground.”
Gonghyeon frowned.
“What did they intend to do with them after imprisoning them there?”
“I couldn't learn that much.”
I deliberately left out the Shadow Corps and the experiments.
I couldn't present memories from my previous life as proven facts.
“But the medicine used on Paeng Dohyeon was unfinished.”
I continued,
“And I did hear the name of the man who originally created it.”
Gonghyeon's gaze sharpened.
“Who?”
“Baek Cheongu.”
Master Gonghyeon's brow furrowed.
“Do you mean the deceased White-Robed Benevolent Gentleman, Baek Cheongu?”
“Yes.”
Then I added,
“And I also confirmed the identity of the masked man who ordered Paeng Dohyeon's death.”
Gonghyeon looked straight at me.
“Who was he?”
“Heo Seongbaek.”
Master Gonghyeon's lips tightened.
“Heo Seongbaek...?”
His disbelief was obvious.
Heo Seongbaek.
An elder of the Righteous Alliance.
One of Moyong Cheonhwi's longtime confidants.
And yet that same man had ordered Paeng Dohyeon's death and was managing the underground prison.
After thinking for some time, Gonghyeon slowly asked,
“Is there any possibility that Heo Seongbaek acted alone out of some personal motive?”
I shook my head.
“The scale is too large for one man to have created on his own.”
I continued calmly.
“They built a prison beneath the heart of the Righteous Alliance.”
“They intend to use Alliance martial artists and even the Demon Expulsion Unit itself.”
I met Gonghyeon's eyes.
“How could Heo Seongbaek possibly arrange all of that alone?”
I paused.
Then added,
“And there is one more thing.”
Gonghyeon's eyes narrowed.
“Another?”
“The person who tried to kill me in Falling Death Valley was Moyong Seong.”
The atmosphere shifted.
“He directly told me he was carrying out someone else's order to eliminate me.”
Then—
“And he intended to disguise my death as an attack by the Demonic Cult.”
Moyong Seong had tried to kill me.
The Righteous Alliance had used my supposed death to inflame the righteous faction's anger and establish the Demon Expulsion Unit.
Then the Demon Expulsion Unit was to arrest martial artists under accusations of colluding with the Demonic Cult.
And Heo Seongbaek had prepared the underground prison where those people would eventually be taken.
“I find it difficult to believe all of these incidents happened independently of one another.”
"..."
“At the very least...”
I continued,
“none of this could have happened without the knowledge or approval of Moyong Cheonhwi, the Alliance Leader.”
Rustle.
The prayer beads rubbed together inside Gonghyeon's hand.
A long time passed before he spoke.
“He means to stir hatred toward the Demonic Cult...”
His voice trembled faintly.
“then launch a conquest...”
Gonghyeon's expression darkened.
“and use that achievement to seize control of the righteous martial world?”
If the Alliance Leader personally destroyed the Demonic Cult...
his authority would become almost impossible to challenge.
Even the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families might eventually fall under Moyong Cheonhwi's influence.
But Gonghyeon's conclusion wasn't enough.
I immediately responded.
“Simple ambition cannot explain everything that has happened.”
Gonghyeon looked back at me.
“You believe there is another objective beyond that?”
“Yes.”
I took a short breath.
“Two hundred years ago, True Immortal Cheongun left a warning about something.”
Gonghyeon's expression stiffened.
“I believe everything Moyong Cheonhwi is doing ultimately connects to that great evil.”
"..."
I had already seen where his road led.
Before my regression, Moyong Cheonhwi had launched the conquest of the Demonic Cult and plunged the entire martial world into war.
Now...
he was clearly preparing the same path again.
Gonghyeon shook his head.
“But that alone does not prove—”
“You saw it yourself, Abbot.”
I interrupted him and raised the Heavenly Law Sword.
Every gaze inside the cavern shifted toward it.
“You saw how this sword, connected to True Immortal Cheongun, reacted to the energy consuming Shaolin.”
Both the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and Shaolin had suffered the same corruption.
Both of their leaders had heard the same command to kill.
And the blue flames of the Heavenly Law Sword had burned away the energy in both places.
“Yet Moyong Cheonhwi is trying to blame every incident on the Demonic Cult.”
I lowered the Heavenly Law Sword.
“The same strange power appeared inside both the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and Shaolin.”
“And Moyong Cheonhwi is using these incidents to prepare for a conquest of the Demonic Cult.”
"..."
I stared directly at Gonghyeon.
“Do you truly believe all of that is coincidence?”
A heavy silence settled over the cavern.
Master Gonghyeon closed his eyes for a long while.
As Abbot of Shaolin...
he understood better than anyone what it meant to suspect the Alliance Leader of the Righteous Alliance.
Eventually, his voice emerged, subdued and bitter.
“A man entrusted with defending the righteous path...”
He looked toward the fallen monks.
“using the name of righteousness to drive the martial world into flames.”
His gaze passed over Baekheo and the unconscious Dharma Hall warriors.
Had we arrived only slightly later...
the violence inside the Cave of Repentance would have spread across all of Shaolin.
Gonghyeon released a long breath.
“If Moyong Cheonhwi truly stands behind all of this...”
His face darkened.
“and if he is truly connected to that great evil...”
He looked troubled.
“then what are we supposed to do?”
I answered immediately.
“Expose the truth.”
His eyes returned to me.
“We have to stop Moyong Cheonhwi and his people from borrowing the name of the Demonic Cult to throw the martial world into chaos.”
"..."
Master Gonghyeon stared at me for a long time.
Then he spoke.
“Taoist Han.”
“Yes.”
“I do not believe your words are delusional.”
He slowly rose.
“You risked your life to stop the disaster inside Shaolin.”
“You even saved Baekheo and our disciples.”
His expression grew solemn.
“I do not believe you would deceive Shaolin with an accusation this grave.”
He paused.
“However...”
His voice lowered.
“the person you accuse is the Alliance Leader.”
I said nothing.
The Righteous Alliance and Shaolin were two pillars of the righteous martial world.
The moment Shaolin openly turned its blade toward Moyong Cheonhwi...
the entire righteous faction could be thrown into turmoil.
“I cannot act simply because I personally trust you.”
Gonghyeon's voice was firm.
“I need undeniable evidence that what you say is true.”
I nodded.
It was exactly the answer I'd expected.
The important part was that he didn't dismiss my suspicion as nonsense.
“I'll find the evidence.”
Gonghyeon's eyes widened slightly.
I continued.
“I'll bring you proof that exposes the ugly face Moyong Cheonhwi has hidden from the world.”
He frowned.
“Do you have a way?”
“Before that...”
