Chapter 42. Encirclement
"Encirclement!?"
At Namgung Hu's words, the Imperial King Hall, which had been quiet, instantly became noisy again.
"How could this be!"
"That's impossible! An encirclement? Such a thing can't possibly happen!"
Encirclement.
By whom? The Namgung Family?
Since hanging up the family plaque, the Namgung Family had never once been surrounded by any force. More than that, if they were encircled, it went without saying that the opposing side would be hostile.
The elders' and squad leaders' fierce reactions were, in a way, only natural.
Fundamentally, within Anhui Province, there was not a single force capable of opposing the Namgung Family. If there were one, it would have been the Yangtze Eighteen Water Fortresses, but they were currently bound by an agreement. Moreover, weren't they a water-based force that could not invade over land?
Yet according to Namgung Hu's words, it meant that the landward side—namely the Hefei direction—had been encircled.
Just who could it be? No, to begin with, did that even make sense? It was impossible to believe.
Every elder's expression seemed to say the same thing.
Some of them voiced it aloud in heated outbursts.
"Within this Anhui Province, what force exists that could encircle the Namgung Family? Is there truly an organization with that level of power? And to do it so secretly, without even the slightest omen? This is utter nonsense."
"This is even more absurd than saying Do Heo-ok is aiming for the position of family head."
"It makes no sense. None at all."
Nonsense.
Though their wording differed, all the elders were saying that the current situation defied reason. Not a single person acknowledged the claim that they had been encircled.
Amidst this, Namgung In suddenly tossed out a single word, almost like a joke.
"Heavenly Demon Castle."
The timing was so perfectly apt that all voices were abruptly cut off.
"......"
An exceedingly casual remark from Namgung In.
Short as it was, that single word brought shock and astonishment into the hall along with silence.
In truth, Namgung In had already had Heavenly Demon Castle in mind when he earlier insisted on restraining Do Heo-ok.
At that time, it had only been a vague suspicion, but now it had turned into conviction.
"It seems everyone has forgotten one of the most famous maxims in the martial world, so allow me to add a word."
What if Do Heo-ok was an agent planted by Heavenly Demon Castle?
"The demonic path is everywhere, and yet nowhere."
The reason he had so strongly insisted from the start that Do Heo-ok must be restrained was precisely because he feared this worst-case scenario might occur.
"Heavenly Demon Castle does not exist only in Xinjiang. Because it has been a time of peace, everyone may have forgotten, but those who walk the demonic path exist 'as if they are there, yet not there' throughout the world. This Anhui Province cannot possibly be an exception."
At Namgung In's calm words, the elders, too, became aware of the existence of Heavenly Demon Castle—the demonic supreme power they had long overlooked.
"Heavenly Demon Castle…"
"Could that really be the case?"
"If that's true, wouldn't this be a truly grave matter?"
The elders once again raised their voices one by one.
At that moment, Namgung Jung, who had been quietly listening to Namgung In's words, tilted his head slightly and spoke.
"But even so, there's something I don't understand. Even if, as you say, the force encircling the family is Heavenly Demon Castle, something doesn't add up."
"And what would that be?"
"Even if Heavenly Demon Castle were to do something to the Namgung Family at this time, it would be of no use. This place is extremely far from Xinjiang, whereas Henan Province, where the main headquarters of the Martial Alliance is located, lies right next to this Anhui Province. That means that even if the Namgung Family were destroyed, they wouldn't be able to occupy this place. Moreover, the demonic soldiers of Heavenly Demon Castle who toppled this place would instead be encircled by the Martial Alliance."
Namgung Jung lightly tapped his temple with his index finger as he laid out his thoughts.
"They might try to scatter and escape belatedly, but by then, the Martial Alliance would already have spread a heavenly net across Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Hubei. Even if they somehow survived by breaking through that net, it would still be a journey of ten thousand li back to Xinjiang. I see no path or method by which they could return alive to Heavenly Demon Castle in Xinjiang. On the contrary, because of this, all the hidden branches of Heavenly Demon Castle might be completely annihilated by the Martial Alliance…"
Namgung Jung shook his head.
"When you look at it this way, doesn't Heavenly Demon Castle stand to lose far too much? I simply can't understand it. But if it's not Heavenly Demon Castle, then there's no other force that fits either…"
"I believe that Heavenly Demon Castle in Xinjiang is using this attack on the Namgung Family as a starting point to seriously aim for re-entry into the Central Plains."
"What do you mean by that?"
"According to rumors, there are quite a number of hardline factions within Heavenly Demon Castle that desire an invasion of the Central Plains. They are demonic beings starved for blood and are said to not obey even the control of the Heavenly Demon Castle Lord very well. Thus, I believe the Heavenly Demon Castle Lord is taking this opportunity to deploy those difficult-to-control hardliners here—both to scheme against the Namgung Family, the major sect farthest from Xinjiang, and to weaken the power of the hardliners themselves. Furthermore, if this place is under attack, the Martial Alliance's attention will inevitably be drawn here. Taking advantage of that moment, I suspect that the main force of Heavenly Demon Castle intends to cross Qinghai and expand its influence into Gansu. If they do so, from the Heavenly Demon Castle Lord's perspective, wouldn't that achieve a triple gain in one stroke?"
"Hmm..."
"They would reduce the power of the hardliners within Heavenly Demon Castle, alleviate the dissatisfaction that has accumulated there due to long peace, eliminate one of the core forces of the orthodox path—our Namgung Family—and finally, once again secure a foothold for re-invading the Central Plains."
"…That may be so."
Namgung Jung still did not look fully convinced, but judging by the information they had uncovered so far, Namgung In's explanation was the closest to the truth, so he had no choice but to accept it.
"Enough."
When their discussion had reached that point, Namgung Byeok raised his hand, drawing everyone's attention back to himself.
"I would like to hear more from the Vast Firmament Sword Squad leader and the Boundless Sword Squad leader, but no matter how I look at it, we don't have the time. There are still far too many things unconfirmed, but there is one thing that is certain."
Namgung Byeok paused briefly, then slowly swept his gaze across those seated, his eyes settling into a deep calm. Finally, looking straight ahead, he spoke heavily.
"The Namgung Family is now encircled."
It was a simple word—encirclement—but the weight it carried at this moment surpassed that of any long phrase.
Namgung Byeok instinctively sensed that the Namgung Family had encountered its greatest crisis since hanging the plaque of the House of the Imperial King.
Those gathered here were the true powers that moved the Namgung Family. At Namgung Byeok's words, they too realized that the time had finally come to raise their long-rusted iron swords.
Swosh.
As everyone standing in the Imperial King Hall pondered the word encirclement with hardened expressions, just as when Namgung Hu had entered, the violent sound of rustling garments rang out, and another person appeared inside the Imperial King Hall.
This time, it was Namgung Il, the Heavenly Wind Squad leader, who had gone out to search for the intruder.
The moment Namgung Byeok saw him, he hurriedly asked,
"Did you find him?"
There was no mention of who exactly he was referring to, but there was no one present who did not know the target.
"I couldn't find him."
Namgung Il lowered his head with a distraught expression.
"Wouldn't he have left at least some trace?"
"...I'm sorry."
Namgung Il substituted his negative answer with an apology.
"Did you search every place within the family?"
"We have not yet searched the Imperial King Hall."
It was only natural for Namgung Il to say that.
Who would even think of infiltrating the Imperial King Hall? Even if someone had managed to sneak into the Namgung Family, there were many walls to overcome before reaching this place. Above all, how could one possibly deceive the eyes of the core experts of the Namgung Family who constantly resided within this hall?
Namgung Byeok fell into silent contemplation for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.
"I understand. Go out again and thoroughly search every corner of the family grounds. You must find that person."
"Yes!"
With that reply, Namgung Il immediately left the Imperial King Hall once more.
"Now then, the situation has returned to what it was earlier. The intruder has not yet been caught. Outside… outside the family grounds, it is presumed that individuals believed to be demonic soldiers of Heavenly Demon Castle are encircling the Namgung Family. From this point on, speak freely about what we should do."
The head of the Namgung Family, Namgung Byeok, once again declared that the Namgung Family was encircled. That declaration was, in effect, a proclamation that the time to fight had come.
Namgung In stepped forward first. Without hesitation, he reiterated the argument he had been making all along.
"This proves that all the phrases left behind by the intruder are established facts. If Do Heo-ok truly intends to act as an inside collaborator on the day the moon is full—on his wedding day—there could be nothing more dangerous. Moreover, through our recent reconnaissance, the enemies outside have likely already realized that we are aware of their presence. Because of that, they may very well choose to attack the Namgung Family even earlier, without waiting for the night of the full moon. Therefore, I believe our top priority must be to restrain Do Heo-ok. If, by chance, he knows the core of the Three Emperors Nine Kings Formation, an irreversible disaster may occur."
The Three Emperors Nine Kings Formation.
It was a defensive formation installed on the outer walls of the family estate in preparation for emergencies. Once activated, the Namgung Family would be isolated from the outside world—but in exchange, the family would be perfectly protected.
On the other hand, if Do Heo-ok were to destroy the core of the Three Emperors Nine Kings Formation, it might become impossible to activate the formation at all.
That was precisely what Namgung In feared. That was why he had ceaselessly insisted that capturing Do Heo-ok was the highest priority.
Namgung Byeok quietly looked at Namgung In once, then swept his gaze across the others. Now, there was no one left who opposed Namgung In's words.
In the end, Namgung Byeok nodded.
"It seems there is no one who objects, so we shall proceed that way. Well then… young lady Hye is going to be quite disappointed. Haha... "