HBWnovel Chapter 251
Chapter 251
After a brief introduction, Docheol officially became a member of the Gae Gak Sect.
While her combat prowess made her a perfect fit for the vacant position of Grand Protector, for now, she remained an ordinary disciple.
Resources were lacking to create a title worthy of her abilities, and the trust between us wasn’t yet fully established.
Of course, given Docheol’s personality, she’d likely follow my orders to some extent.
After all, I defeated her, and she acknowledged that fact.
However, my other followers were a different story.
There’s an old saying about a rolling stone displacing a settled one, and Docheol might start bullying my followers.
That, I cannot allow.
While Baekrang or Red Dragon might handle her, the other followers wouldn’t stand a chance.
The gap in strength could lead to unnecessary accidents.
Thus, it’s best for her to remain an ordinary disciple for now, as a gesture of respect toward the others.
That aside, the fact that a member of the Four Fiends had joined the Gae Gak Sect left me with mixed feelings.
On the surface, it felt like the sect was becoming an organization that leaned toward the monstrous side of things.
While my followers all looked relatively tame to my eyes, that’s from the perspective of a lizard.
Humans, for instance, would probably be startled just by the sight of a seemingly docile Crocodile King Lizard.
Even our “cute” representatives, Tus and Pus, would likely terrify people at first glance.
Despite their adorable faces, they were the size of wolves.
If humans encountered something beyond that level of spiritual power, they might faint or foam at the mouth.
It’s fortunate that the Ten Thousand Great Mountains are cut off from the outside world.
That said, I’m not overly concerned about human perceptions.
No matter what we do, the True Dragon, a master of public opinion, could defeat us with a single statement.
If the True Dragon declared us as evil, the Gae Gak Sect would instantly become public enemy number one in the martial arts world.
Thus, the priority is ensuring we don’t fall prey to the True Dragon’s narrative.@@@@
By slowly expanding our influence, as Red Dragon did with the Mount Hua Sect, we could mitigate the impact of the True Dragon’s propaganda.
At the very least, we could split the Central Plains in two, creating an opportunity to unite my followers and confront the True Dragon directly.
...When I think about it, I really do sound like some shadowy mastermind. But that’s probably just my imagination.
“This Gae Gak Sect, it’s quite a profound group. Gae Gak... Gae Gak is Gae Gak, and Gae Gak is Gae Gak, yet Gae Gak is also Gae Gak,” Docheol muttered after hearing Soyeong’s chatter.
Why does she seem so fond of it?
Even I found the doctrine confusing at first, so someone hearing about it for the first time would likely feel lost.
“To be honest, I didn’t care what your intentions were. I lost to you and submitted. Whether you killed me, took my neidan, or enslaved me, I was prepared to follow your will completely.”
“Enslaved...? Your body...? G-Go Daehyup! You’re still so young, and you’re already resorting to such shameless acts?”
Soyeong’s ears turned bright red.
Docheol’s phrasing was... odd.
“Enslaved to work her body” didn’t sound particularly Gerorong.
It was probably meant in the context of a combat slave.
“But the more I hear, the more intrigued I become. Gae Gak... of all things, why Gae Gak...?”
“Gegek.”
What’s wrong with Gae Gak?
Don’t pay too much attention to Soyeong’s nonsense.
While her chatter might sound like nonsense to others, to me, it’s usually meaningful.
Still, this time it really is nonsense.
“To seize the highest from the lowest—that is Gae Gak. And the Gae Gak Sect exists for that purpose, does it not?”
“Ahem, and I’d like you to know that this Gae Gak Sect owes much of its success to a certain adorable young lady from the Tang Clan.”
Soyeong, could you at least put a bit of effort into lying convincingly?
Although, she’s not entirely wrong.
The Gae Gak Sect was indeed born thanks to Soyeong misinterpreting my cries as “Gae Gak.”
...Wait.
Could it really be true that Soyeong is the reason the Gae Gak Sect exists?
Even the Gae Gak philosophy and the epiphanies I’ve had under its banner... were they all thanks to her?
But judging by her reaction, I was wrong.
As I kept silent, Soyeong kindly explained.
“Wait, you’re the Gomodo?”
Docheol sounded uncharacteristically startled.
“This is... Gomodo?”
Her hands squished my cheeks, which was slightly annoying, but the sensation wasn’t unpleasant, so I let it slide.
“The Gomodo I knew was more menacing... bloodthirsty...”
What kind of being was the former Gomodo, for Docheol to describe him as menacing?
“Well... judging by the power I saw earlier, you could indeed be called the Gomodo’s successor.”
I had assumed Docheol, being under the True Dragon’s influence, would dislike the Gomodo, but her reaction wasn’t bad.
She seemed to revere strength, so she might even like the title.
Her focus was on challenging the True Dragon, so such matters were irrelevant to her.
“Indeed, with a tail like this, one can’t deny you’re the Gomodo.”
“Gek!”
Docheol lifted me by my tail.
It’s a bit odd to base her recognition on my tail, but since the name Gomodo includes “tail,” I guess it makes sense.
“Still, that doesn’t change anything. Even as the Gomodo’s successor, storming Kunlun now would be suicidal. As much as I enjoy fighting, I want no part in a futile endeavor.”
If even Docheol refused to consider it, that shows how hopeless the idea was.
“But that doesn’t mean you should give up. You must use what you have to close the gap between you and the True Dragon and make the fight feasible.”
Docheol seemed to want me to grow stronger—at least enough to make a fight with the True Dragon viable.
It was clear that our goals aligned.
“As I said earlier, the True Dragon is injured. While he’ll keep an eye on you, he’s in no position to act directly.”
“Gegek.”
“This is an opportunity, though you still can’t attack him outright.”
“Gek...”
She’s talking so much—it must mean she has something in mind.
“Instead, there’s a way to deal a significant blow to the True Dragon.”
I knew it.
“And it could also make you and your followers even stronger.”
Settling into her hand, I waited for her to continue.
“The Ten Thousand Great Mountains are a sacred land for mystical beings. It’s where the True Dragon and the Gomodo emerged, a place of unparalleled spiritual significance. Of course, its treasures aren’t limited to mystical beings.”
“Gegegek.”
“Yes, exactly what you’re thinking.”
So, that’s it.
“W-What exactly is it?”
Soyeong pretended to know but quickly revealed her confusion.
“...What is it?”
I knew it.
“Gegek.”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure either, but I let out a sinister laugh as if I did.
“The spiritual medicines produced here are on another level. The True Dragon’s followers have been gathering them to aid his recovery.”
The True Dragon’s subordinates are collecting spiritual medicines in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains?
Stuff like Hwarina or Seolsam?
“If you destroy their operations and steal the medicines, both you and your followers will benefit greatly.”
So, she’s suggesting I become a thief?
There aren’t many lizards as principled as me, you know.
“Gegege...”
Letting out an evil chuckle, I popped a stolen dumpling into my mouth, recalling a certain white-haired someone.
It seems the time has come for this righteous thief to act once again.