Unhwi could not even begin to guess what scheme that insane bald monk was plotting.
Not someone else—
But Gun Mugeol of all people?
This had never happened in the previous life.
Whose influence had reached him?
Yu Cheong?
Or the Heavenly Wayfarer?
Or if not them—
The Undying Maitreya?
After a brief moment of thought, Unhwi quickly reached a conclusion.
Judging from the circumstances, there was a high probability this had been the Undying Maitreya’s independent action.
There was no reason for Yu Cheong to do it.
Nor any reason for the Heavenly Wayfarer to do so.
“Did you report it to this seat?”
“I did.”
“And how did he react?”
“...He found it interesting.”
“Did he laugh?”
Jeong Docheon thought for a moment before nodding.
“Yes. He laughed. But it was slightly different from usual.”
“How was it different?”
“Normally, he laughs like ‘Heh heh heh...’ But when he heard Gun Mugeol had come, it became more like ‘Ho ho ho.’”
The Heavenly Wayfarer’s laughter implied many things.
The fact that even the sound of it had changed meant he suddenly had far more to think about.
This was undoubtedly something even he had not anticipated.
More things had changed than expected.
“Jeong Docheon.”
“...Yes.”
“I will overlook the matter involving the Northern Wind Merchant Group.”
“T-Thank... thank you!”
“However, if you pull tricks on that side one more time, you will die.”
“O-Of course not!”
“Even if the Vice Leader gives the order, refuse him politely.”
“...That would be...”
“Do you dislike that? Then it cannot be helped.”
Unhwi rose from his seat and drew the True Fire Heavenly Spirit Sword from the storage pouch.
“In that case, I have no choice but to kill you here.”
Just as he was about to swing the sword—
“O-Of course I should refuse him. Yes. Refusing would be the correct choice.”
“And why is that?”
“B-Because... it goes against the will of the Blood Heaven Sect.”
A faint laugh escaped Unhwi.
Jeong Docheon truly was quick-witted.
The Blood Heaven Sect did not rely on petty tricks.
It had no need to.
Because it possessed overwhelming power.
To resort to scheming meant one lacked something.
And the Blood Heaven Sect could lack nothing.
One could use one’s head. One could devise strategies.
But even without schemes or tricks, one still had to be capable of resolving everything through absolute force.
That was what it meant to be the greatest organization in the Central Plains.
“Good. Do not forget that mindset.”
“Yes...!”
“And I will settle the matter of the Thunder Forest Blood Regiment by tomorrow. Make preparations.”
“Preparations...?”
“Gather the Great Elder faction and Elder Lee’s faction together.”
“...Understood.”
“Then leave.”
“At once!”
Jeong Docheon hurriedly withdrew.
After returning the True Fire Heavenly Spirit Sword to the storage pouch, Unhwi sat back down.
At that moment—
“Young Master? May I come in?”
It was Chief Seong.
“Enter.”
At Unhwi’s permission, Chief Seong entered together with Ju Soa.
Unhwi spoke first.
“The task I assigned?”
“We gathered the information, but... those bastards were extremely uncooperative.”
Unhwi chuckled softly.
“I expected as much.”
As Unhwi extended his hand, Chief Seong immediately passed over a stack of papers.
Unhwi unfolded them and read quickly.
The moment he saw the first line, a hollow laugh escaped him.
“What a spectacle.”
“It really is.”
After scanning through the documents, Unhwi set them down on the table.
As he had declared in the grand hall, he intended to resolve the internal problems of the Blood Heaven Sect first.
And those problems would not be solved with words alone.
Someone approached his side.
“Our Blood Heaven Arbiter. There was something I wanted to ask before but never had the chance.”
“Ask.”
“...What happened to me?”
On the journey here, Unhwi had revealed the truth of his previous life to them.
Ju Soa’s question was simple.
What had happened to her in the previous life?
The answer was equally simple.
“The first time I met you was in Yangryeong.”
“That’s right.”
“It was inside a secret realm.”
“A terrifying secret realm.”
“That is where your time came to an end.”
Ju Soa let out a small laugh.
As though she had expected it.
“I was betrayed?”
“That’s right.”
“Then the man who tried to kill me back then was one of ‘their’ people?”
“You could say that.”
Ju Soa crossed her arms and sank into her chair.
“So what exactly am I supposed to do?”
The reason Unhwi had brought them here was simple.
To entrust them with something extremely important.
And extremely straightforward.
“As before, I will continue requesting information from Chief Seong.”
“Naturally.”
“You and Namgung Wonyang will assist him.”
“...Assist him how exactly...?”
“It means you may spill blood if necessary. You are the protectors of the Blood Heaven Arbiter. Your actions are equivalent to mine, and the words leaving your mouths are the same as words spoken by me.”
Unhwi’s voice was resolute.
“You are not Blood people. But you are my people. Obstacles will arise, and problems will occur, but I trust you will resolve them.”
“And if someone appears who’s too difficult for us to handle?”
“If you die, I’ll avenge you at the very least.”
Ju Soa laughed faintly.
“You really make terrifying jokes.”
“I am not joking.”
“......”
“Remember this well. If either of you dies, then whoever killed you—regardless of who they are—will die by my hand. They will experience pain beyond anything they knew in life, and even if they flee to hell itself, I will pursue them there and kill them.”
Unhwi’s gaze, his tone—
Everything about him was absolute.
This was a declaration.
And a promise of will.
Unhwi was always like this.
“So do not worry.”
“...Okay.”
Ju Soa seemed slightly moved.
This time, Unhwi asked:
“But Namgung Wonyang is nowhere to be seen.”
***
Namgung Wonyang’s life was filled with training.
Before Unhwi chose her at Seolap, she had trained for one reason only—
To survive.
Even then, she trained endlessly.
The problem was that she had no proper teacher, so her growth had been slow.
But that was no longer true.
After meeting Unhwi and receiving his guidance, her abilities had advanced at a terrifying pace.
She had reached the Five Energies Returning to Origin realm almost instantly, and now stood on the verge of the Harmony realm.
Ju Soa, who had already entered the Harmony realm herself, found Namgung Wonyang frightening.
No—
How could someone wake up and train, then continue training endlessly without pause?
Ju Soa had never once seen her stop.
Even after relocating to One-Origin Plateau, Namgung Wonyang had not ceased training.
Today was no different.
She was training.
After beating apart straw dummies, she had transitioned into practicing sword forms—
When suddenly, Namgung Wonyang’s eyes sharpened.
Every hair on her body stood upright.
An overwhelming killing intent swallowed her entire body whole.
This was no ordinary martial artist of the Four States of Heaven and Earth.
This presence stood far above that.
One of the Five Realms of Martial Divinity.
Yet she neither feared nor retreated.
She reversed her grip on the sword and instantly thrust backward.
But—
Thunk.
It was caught effortlessly.
Immediately releasing the sword, she kicked off the ground. The storage pouch Unhwi had given her contained multiple swords.
She drew another one.
The instant she landed, however, she froze.
“...You...!”
Her eyes trembled with fury.
A man stood there holding her sword.
A man who appeared to be in his early forties thanks to reborn flesh.
He smiled faintly.
“There is a perfectly good word called ‘uncle.’”
“Why would you ever be my uncle?”
“And your tongue is short as ever.”
The commander of the Blood Spirit Regiment.
Namgung Ho casually flicked the sword away.
Like a dagger, it grazed past Namgung Wonyang’s cheek before embedding itself in the head of a straw dummy across the yard.
Thunk.
The sound was chilling.
But she did not show it.
No matter how powerful her opponent was, she would never retreat.
That was the mindset Unhwi had taught her.
Even if she died, she would die fighting.
She had no intention of turning her back.
A strange smile spread across Namgung Ho’s lips.
“You’ve grown far more than expected. If my younger brother saw this, he’d probably be pleased.”
Her hands trembled.
Not because of fear.
But because the words leaving his mouth were utterly revolting.
To Namgung Ho, that man had been his younger brother.
To Namgung Wonyang, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° he had been her father.
And why had he died?
Because this bastard had killed him.
Blood vessels burst within her eyes.
Her grip tightened around the sword.
She raised it before her.
It might still be too early.
But—
“We’re family, aren’t we? Especially now that there are so few Namgungs left. Why don’t you come back?”
How could she possibly remain still after hearing words like that?
“Let me see your talent. Whether you inherited the blood of my beloved younger brother... or the blood of that wife of his I never cared for.”
Namgung Ho smiled brightly.
“Surely you aren’t frightened. Like you were back then?”
Namgung Wonyang launched herself forward.
Her sword shot toward Namgung Ho’s face.
The martial art she had polished endlessly.
The martial art Unhwi had taught her.
Azure String Shadowless Sword Art.
A sword form like the sound of azure strings burrowing into the ears, leaving not even a shadow behind.
Ghostlike sword intent surged from every direction.
Namgung Ho silently watched the countless strikes converging upon him.
Then his eyes flashed.
As someone who had already reached the Harmony realm, he could tell immediately—
This was unquestionably a supreme martial art.
And woven throughout the swordsmanship were traces of the Namgung family’s martial arts.
No—
That was not quite right.
It resembled the Namgung family’s martial arts themselves.
As though every aspect of the Namgung style had been reconstructed specifically for Namgung Wonyang.
His eyes widened.
Tilting his head back and twisting his body sideways, he avoided every strike.
Yet even while evading, he could feel it.
The value of this martial art.
This was absurd.
Someone had refined it to this degree?
A thought suddenly surfaced.
A genius.
Namgung Wonyang could not possibly have created this herself.
Which meant there was only one answer.
The man currently sending him voice transmissions.
-Unless you want to die here as well, do not kill Wonyang.
Namgung Ho glanced sideways.
Not far away stood a man with his arms crossed, watching calmly.
Blood Heaven Arbiter Seol Unhwi.
He was the creator.
The realization was shocking.
Namgung Ho silently reached out.
The sword Namgung Wonyang was swinging suddenly fell into his grasp.
Unfortunately, while the value of this martial art was extraordinary, Namgung Wonyang herself remained only at the Five Energies Returning to Origin realm.
There was no possible way she could threaten Namgung Ho, who stood at the Harmony realm.
That was what he thought.
At that exact moment, Namgung Wonyang released the sword and drew another one.
Then thrust immediately.
Heavenly Azure Sun-Moon Sword.
The signature martial art of the Namgung family.
Yet this too was different.
As though it had undergone countless refinements.
And yet it remained overwhelmingly tyrannical.
Namgung Wonyang wielded it desperately.
Its speed was astonishing.
Its precision even more so.
This was not the level of the Five Energies Returning to Origin realm.
Something was wrong.
Namgung Ho moved to seize the blade—
Then instinctively twisted his head aside.
Slash!
Namgung Wonyang’s sword grazed across his face.
He had been cut.
The wound was shallow.
But he had undeniably been cut.
Namgung Ho’s eyes turned cold.
Fury surged within him.
This worthless bitch.
He had shown consideration because they shared blood, yet she no longer knew her place.
Immediately, he moved to draw his own sword—
-Does your memory fail you so easily?
Namgung Ho flinched.
-Draw it, and you die. Namgung Ho.
His fist clenched tightly.
Then he casually waved his hand.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth swept through the air and smashed into Namgung Wonyang.
She crashed across the ground, rolled twice, then rose back to her feet.
Only then did she notice—
Unhwi had arrived.
He walked forward slowly.
Then naturally took his place beside Namgung Wonyang.
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