Applying heat doesn't make water boil instantly. But if heat is applied continuously, the water will inevitably boil over someday.
The current situation was exactly like that.
Even with news that the Demonic Cult had appeared in the south of the river, the people in the north showed little reaction. After all, the south was too far away for them.
For those who lived day by day tilling fields, the calamity happening in the south, a place they might never visit in their lifetime, did not resonate with them.
But what made them truly realize the gravity was a piece of news that came across the river.
The Demonic Cult that invaded Hangzhou annihilated all its people, leaving not even a single rat alive.
Hangzhou, once the most splendid city in the world, became a city of death in just a few days.
Those who heard the news could only doubt their ears and be horrified.
What kind of place was Hangzhou? Even if not the largest city, it was undeniably the most prosperous city in the world. Even those who had never been there knew of it.
How could one not be shocked that such a place was destroyed overnight?
Such things were not unheard of. Sometimes when northern invaders attacked, a city would be completely destroyed and refugees would flee in droves.
But this incident happened not in the distant north, but in the southern region that was rarely invaded. The shock was incomparable.
"Is, is this really true?"
"Don't you keep hearing the same thing over and over? It must be true!"
"No… No matter how elusive the Demonic Cult is, does it make sense for them to suddenly appear in the south? They didn't just fall from the sky. And… how big is Hangzhou? How could it fall? I just can't believe it."
"Hey you! Didn't all the merchant traffic heading south stop?"
"Me-merchant traffic?"
There's a joke that even in war, merchant traffic doesn't stop. Merchants are those who would cross battlefields if there's money to be made.
Even when the Yangtze River was completely controlled by Pirates and crossing it meant risking one's life, the merchants of Central Plains risked danger to continue their trade.
That such people were not heading south was clear evidence that something serious had happened beyond the river.
"Th-then what happens now?"
"What happens? It'll be just like a hundred years ago."
"N-no way…!"
People were instantly engulfed in fear. And they all began to remember.
The story from a hundred years ago that had been forgotten. The tales passed down from generation to generation about the Demonic Cult.
Specifically, how ruthless those Demonic Cult people were.
During that terrible war, blood flowed like rivers and corpses piled like mountains. Just hearing about it sent chills down one's spine. The thought that such a war might happen again was enough to make even those indifferent to the southern events tremble.
"Shouldn't we stop it?"
"How? What can we do?"
"No, didn't Shaolin and the Nine Great Sects stand up to stop the Demonic Cult before? Then they have to do something this time too!"
"Shaolin? That Shaolin is just watching the fire from across the Yangtze River right now."
"No, why?"
"Didn't the Four Sects Alliance control the south? There's a fire there, but Shaolin wouldn't risk themselves to jump in."
"What nonsense is that! Does the Demonic Cult care about Justice faction or Evil Sects? Didn't they fight desperately against the Demonic Cult regardless before? Shaolin was the most active in that war!"
"Maybe back then. But now Shaolin seems incapable. Or maybe they don't want to join hands with the Evil Sect even if it means death."
"Th-this stupidity…"
People disdain the Evil Sect but do not fear their existence. The Evil Sect is already very familiar to them.
If unlucky, one might suffer great harm or lose life, but ordinary people rarely get involved with the Evil Sect in their lifetime.
To them, the small-time thugs in back alleys were far more threatening than the massive Evil Sect alliance. So Shaolin ignoring the south out of pride was not welcome.
"Then when will Shaolin move?"
"I don't know. They'll fight when the Demonic Cult heads north."
"Then what about the south? Are there no people there? Are those living under the Evil Sect alliance not worth saving? They just leave them to the Evil Sect?"
"Have you ever seen those noble gentlemen care about such things? When Pirates ran rampant and civilians near the Yangtze were massacred, they were just meditating on mountains. It was the Sichuan Tang family that saved people then, not Shaolin."
"Those damn bastards! Always talking about righteousness and peace in Central Plains, but when trouble comes, they just step back and watch. If they care so much about position, how are they different from those scoundrels in the Evil Sect?"
Once water starts boiling, it doesn't cool easily.
Fear of the Demonic Cult, worry about when they might flood north, and the behavior shown so far by Shaolin and the Nine Great Sects all mixed and began to boil.
Those called the Justice faction in Central Plains receive privileges.
They can carry swords openly in daylight without interference, and even if they fight, the authorities do not stop them. Many people deliberately use their businesses more and even directly support them.
All this is tolerated because commoners believe they will step in to help when injustice occurs.
The government is strict and generally indifferent to commoners' lives. If taxes aren't paid properly, they intimidate and punish people.
In contrast, the Justice faction helps without taking from them. Thus, commoners trust the Justice faction more than the government.
But at this moment, the commoners who had endured began to doubt their sincerity. How many lived in Hangzhou? With so many dying, how could they trust those who sat idle?
"Then what should we do? Should we flee…?"
"Hey, fleeing isn't easy. How will you survive if you leave here?"
"It is better than dying. Will a spider web grow in a living mouth?"
"How is that different from dying? Will you make your family beg?"
"That is…"
Unable to do anything, days passed with simmering frustration.
Just as the boiling public sentiment was about to explode, news began to spread rapidly from the south.
The rampant Demonic Cult was annihilated.
The elite of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, led by Mount Hua, were dispatched to the south and beheaded the Evil Sect leader.
The Heavenly Friends Alliance temporarily allied with the Four Sects alliance to defeat the Demonic Cult.
The commoners who heard these simultaneous news cheered.
"Mount Hua! It's Mount Hua again this time!"
"If it's Mount Hua, I knew they'd step up! They're the ones who solve problems!"
"Hey! Why only talk about Mount Hua? Didn't the Heavenly Friends Alliance move together?"
"Isn't that the same thing? Mount Hua leads the Heavenly Friends Alliance. The Alliance is Mount Hua, and Mount Hua is the Alliance!"
"That's right, that's right!"
For those trembling in anxiety, this news was like a sip of sweet nectar.
"They beheaded the Demonic Cult person? Does that mean the Demonic Cult is completely eradicated now?"
"We don't know. We have to see if this is Demonic Cult's main force or not."
"Still, it means all those who appeared this time were dealt with, right?"
"Seems so. After all, Mount Hua is the only one to trust!"
Most who raised their voices didn't even know Mount Hua existed a few years ago. But now, they praised Mount Hua without hesitation.
Evaluation ultimately comes from achievements and deeds.
Even things not highly regarded at the time become strength when repeated continuously.
From when Pirates ran rampant on the Yangtze, or even earlier during the Green Forest chaos, Mount Hua was the first to rush and save civilians, and those deeds remained clearly in everyone's memory.
"While those stupid Shaolin monks just watched, Mount Hua risked the danger and rushed south."
"Is that surprising? Wasn't Mount Hua always like that?"
"Mount Hua does all the hard work, but those swindlers puff themselves up! They're worse than the Evil Sect."
"The Nine Great Sects are completely rotten. Tch! The rice I gave to beggars before was wasted!"
People's reactions were more intense than expected.
Many had viewed Mount Hua's deeds kindly, but no one thought their power surpassed Shaolin.
But Mount Hua going south and defeating the Demonic Cult was proof their power was no less than Shaolin's.
No, even if lacking, it's the same. No matter how sharp a sword is, if not drawn from its sheath, it's just a stick. People began to favor the dagger in front of them rather than waiting for the unsheathed sword.
"I feel a bit uneasy."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"No matter what, allying with the Evil Sect is a bit…"
"What nonsense is this fool saying? Did the Evil Sect alliance massacre Hangzhou people because of that?"
"No, not really…"
"If you watch people die just to avoid allying with the Evil Sect, that's putting the cart before the horse! Should the so-called prestigious Justice faction defeat the Evil Sect, or protect the commoners? What's more important? Huh?"
"…Well."
"Tsk tsk tsk. Didn't you know there would be people like you among Mount Hua? Honestly, even if those Shaolin bastards just stood by, it would have been fine. Yet Mount Hua risked disgrace and danger to save people in the south, and you can't even praise them! I misjudged you badly!"
"I-I was short-sighted. Oh, please don't be angry."
"Never say such things again! If you spout nonsense and next time Mount Hua doesn't move, only people like us will die! Got it?"
"Ah, I got it."
Water doesn't boil all at once.
And the same went for public opinion about Mount Hua. The deeds of Mount Hua and the Heavenly Friends Alliance over years had gradually heated the world. When the Demonic Cult reached its boiling point, it finally began to boil explosively.
Even Chung Myung and the abbot did not anticipate this level.