Nano Machine c 381 to 390

 Chapter 381 - Title of Five Strongest Warriors (2) Chapter 381 - Title of Five Strongest Warriors (2) The Imperial Capital. The Dragon Palace was located at the centre of the city. If one was to pick the most splendid and grandiose place in the area, it would be the Jian’an palace where around 100,000 officials moved every day. Jian’an Palace, covered in golden tiles and golden pillars that supported the structure, was the place where the emperor resided. Admiral Seo Tae-sik of the Cardinal Spear and Admiral Yuk Cheong-eun of the West Spear were on their knees, their heads to the ground. “Your Majesty! We aren’t obliged to accept such drastic proposals. Please, refrain from taking such a decision! This isn’t the way.” “Your Majesty! What Admiral Seo said is right, please withdraw this change of State Religion. There are so many arts and religions you could choose from, but please not the Demonic Cult!” No ordinary officials had opposed the emperor’s decision. Only those who had seen the Lord of the Demonic Cult’s actions in the underground shrine opposed it. ‘What kind of situation is this?’ Hearing the emperor’s unexpected decision, they couldn’t understand the reasoning behind it. At first, as the emperor had gone through a terrifying and traumatic experience, they’d thought that he was mentally unstable. ‘There are people who get down on their knees for you, how could you make such a decision?’ The Yulin from Jianghu had a very different attitude towards the Imperial family. Like other people and officials, they were people who gave the emperor their respect, and because of their friendly attitude, they were comfortable with the government’s work. However, based on what had happened a few days before, they were aware that not all the factions within Wulin shared the same attitude. “Your Majesty! The Demonic Cult’s Sky Demon Order isn’t for the empire to follow. In particular that man, Chun Yeowun, he disrespected Your Majesty…” Bang! Before Admiral Yuk Cheong-eun could finish, the Emperor struck his throne. The admiral, who realised the reason, went silent. For a moment he thought he’d be killed. The Emperor had specifically told them to never mention what happened in the Royal Shrine. However, overwhelmed by his emotions, he’d ended up speaking of it. “Your Majesty. Please forgive this lowly servant! I have committed blasphemy!” Thud! Thud! Yuk Cheong-eun smashed his head into the floor and apologized. After a couple of hits, with blood dripping from his forehead, the Emperor raised his hand as a signal to stop. “Th… thank you for showing me mercy, Your Majesty!” Drip! Admiral of West Spear, Yuk Cheong-eun, whose face was covered in blood, expressed his gratitude. Since he’d made the worst mistake in front of the emperor, a little blood wasn’t a huge price. “Hmm.” The emperor looked down at the two kneeling Admirals. It wasn’t like he couldn’t understand their emotions. At first, he’d had every intention to reject the proposal of the Lord of the Demonic Cult’s. However, something had made him change his mind in the end. “I ask you. What do you think of an enemy’s enemy?” “Enemy’s enemy…” When asked by the Emperor, the two Admirals began to think. They had to give a correct answer, but it was a question which had been always answered, ever since the start of war history. “… the enemy of an enemy is no less than our ally. Your Majesty!” The Emperor nodded at the careful answer of Admiral Seo Tae-sik. “That is exactly what Lord Chun told me.” “Ah!” When he came over to the Dragon Palace to give his proposal, Chun Yeowun had spoken those words to him. Of course, how things went during the meeting was a bit different. The Emperor had asked Chun Yeowun what he was supposed to do. And he’d spoken with clear intentions. [Blade God Six Martial Clan is an enemy which needs to be eliminated by our Cult. You already know that, so let me ask you one question. What kind of relationship would you naturally have with your enemy’s enemy if you had to destroy that enemy?] The Emperor had understood very well what Chun Yeowun had been hinting at. The Emperor had come to realize that the Blade God Six Martial clan was a very dangerous existence to the Imperial family based on the various testimonies he’d gathered from people inside the palace, including his son Zhu Taikhan and Elder Cheong-su. ‘If Lord Chun hadn’t stopped those men, then Taiyoon would have become an Emperor who was nothing but a puppet in those bastard’s hands.’ The worst situation would have fallen upon them. If that was the case, the Emperor couldn’t even imagine what would have happened if he had misunderstood the Demonic Cult as the ones who’d stolen the Imperial treasure and killed the guardians in the Shrine. “Your Majesty, first, if he did use the concept of the enemy’s enemy, then the Yulin factions are also considering the Blade God Six Martial clan as their enemy. Moreover, Yulin would always act favorably towards His Majesty and the Empire.” Admiral Seo Tae-sik of the Cardinal Spear countered the Emperor’s words. However, it only created more room for the Emperor to affirm his stand. “And so? Did the Yulin block those men in the underground shrine? Even Elder Cheong-su, who was there as an envoy, stood and watched the situation helplessly, he didn’t even move when I, the Emperor, was being humiliated by the Lord of Demonic Cult.” “Tha… That…” The Emperor hadn’t forgotten it. He’d been told that Elder Cheong-su, a long-time Elder of Yulin, and a scholar, was a well-known martial artist. However, in front of the Lord of Demonic Cult, he’d stood quietly without saying a word. ‘Could such a person even be called an Elder? Ha!’ Even if the officials were powerless, they’d all been ready to risk their lives for the emperor. But this man, an Elder, and a leader of the Forces of Justice, whose art was being kept as the State Religion, had succumbed in front of the Demonic Cult’s power. “I am worried. Those rebels from that clan are formidable enemies that even the Guardians of the Imperial Palace couldn’t stop. Such a Clan is aiming for the throne and the empire, and I see no reason to entrust the State Religion to a faction whose leaders are of no help to me when needed.” ‘This…’ The two Admiral’s faces hardened. They’d cared for the Emperor for many years, and they knew his nature. ‘We overlooked this.’ The Admirals had thought that the Emperor would move closer to Yulin after being humiliated, with the intention of possible revenge. However, this was utterly unexpected. It was true that the Yulin’s Elder had completely neglected the situation whilst the emperor was being humiliated. ‘Besides, Your Majesty excludes his emotions when dealing with politics.’ The Emperor was so radical in politics that he boldly discarded those who lacked utility and always appointed those who are useful to him, regardless of their status. That was how he ruled. ‘Even then, with those rogues…’ It was a risky gamble to hire people who weren’t afraid of the Emperor or the Imperial family. The Admirals couldn’t understand His Majesty’s thoughts at all. However, the decision had been made by the Emperor after much consideration. The Emperor was so furious that he wanted to withdraw his help to the Yulin and even discard the non-aggression treaty, and also discard the state art. ‘Even if I stay far from those Wulin people, will those who are filled with greed stop sending their spies into the Imperial Palace so easily? No, I am sure they’ll do something again.’ He was too confused. That was exactly what the Emperor felt. With concern for the future, he decided to not get emotional. All emotion was discarded and the situation was rationally calculated. ‘If I am to think rationally, that man is strong.’ He saw monstrous power right before his eyes. Even the experienced masters have fallen to their knees in front of him. Even the Guardian Escort who’d lived for hundreds of years and had drunk the Qilin’s blood had turned into a cold corpse with just a few swings. ‘Besides, he is so resourceful that he knew what the East Spear and the Blade God Six Martial clan had planned. ’ If it was calculated as such, the man was someone the emperor wanted to have under his wings. If the Emperor knew how to handle him, he would be the emperor’s strongest ally. ‘Okay. Keeping the enemy’s enemy by my side will give awareness of what kind of people they are.’ If the Demonic Cult’s art got recognized by accepting the suggestion of Chun Yeowun, the Blade God Six Martial clan wouldn’t be able to enter the Imperial palace so easily. It was beneficial in every way. “The reason why I made the Sky Demon Order the State Religion, is to keep Blade God Six Martial clan in check. I am not going back on this, unless you people have thought of a better solution.” In the end, the two Admirals had to withdraw arguments. The Emperor left no room for others to intervene. ‘How can we think of something better!’ The main building of Yulin in the Henan province. The hall where all the leaders gathered had been in complete chaos for three days. They were still discussing their ties with the Imperial Palace after hearing the shocking announcement. For those who’d been concentrating on the Blade God Six Martial clan because of the alliance with the Demonic Cult, this was a heavy blow to them. In addition to that, the controversy of the current Lord of the Demonic Cult’s level continued to be discussed. In the history of Wulin, it was an extremely rare occurrence for a person to reach the Divine Master level. The only ones who were capable of using the invisible swords were all veterans who hadn’t been active for several decades. No matter how strongly the Elder testified, it was natural that people didn’t want to believe him. It was just too much to believe. That was when a visitor came. A middle-aged eunuch in a navy blue robe, a member of the Cardinal Spear. The eunuch was visiting Yulin under the order of his Admiral. The leaders of Yulin, who heard the intentions of Admiral Seo Tae-sik, responded in various ways. Once the eunuch’s message was received, Elder Sathi, leader of the Hangsan clan asked. “Well, Amitabha. Is that really true?” To that question, he nodded. “The Admiral says that if there is a better plan, His Majesty will consider it to some extent.” “Huh…” At those words, sighs escaped from everyone’s mouths. In fact, some of the leaders’ eyes were directed towards Elder Cheong-su with resentment. The eunuch had told them one thing, which the Elder was hiding. The fact that even when the emperor was put in an embarrassing situation, the Elder, out of fear, hadn’t acted. ‘It is no wonder that His Majesty is disappointed in us.’ ‘Tch, this lowers the prestige of Yulin!’ Those gazes drove Elder Cheong-su into a corner. Eyes of resentment and distrust, no matter what the Elder said, it would be of no use at all. ‘God, god. I said everything about how strong Lord Chun was, but they still treat me like this. There is nothing more I can do.’ He’d come to the conclusion that it would be difficult to work with the Forces of Justice any longer Elder Cheong-su got up from his seat, placed his hands together, and spoke. “Since this has happened because of the lack of action on my part, I will take responsibility and step down.” Usually, when such a situation occurred, people would begin to oppose the ones asking to step down, but no one stopped Elder Cheong-su. It was because every leader in the room believed that he was to be blamed for what had happened. “Huh! Are you trying to get out of the mess that you made?” In the midst of the situation, Peng-gyu, with his warlike personality and as head of the Peng family, criticized Elder Cheong-su. Anger rose in the eyes of Elder Cheong-su, who was about to step down from his seat to take responsibility for his actions. “Huh? Are you angry? I didn’t think that you would say anything even if you were given two mouths.” At the constant remarks from Peng-gyu, Elder Cheong-su clenched his fist and took a deep breath. “I admit that this happened because I was powerless, but even if you were there, Peng-gyu, you would have been in the same position as me, I think your words are meaningless. ” “Ha! Even if I was there? I think you have been talking too much these past few days. If I were you, I would have never made such a mistake.” “Words are easy to say, I’m sure you know that too.” “What did you say?” “Should I repeat it again? You are all confident here, but if you were there, I would put my arm on a chopping block that you would have behaved no differently.” As if angered, Peng-gyu’s face turned red, he slammed his hand into the table and shouted. Bang! “Can you take responsibility for those words?” “I wouldn’t say it if I couldn’t. I am sure that you will break something.” “Huh? This is nothing for me!” At that, Peng-gyu got up from his seat and looked at the Great Leader of the Forces of Justice. Tak! “Great Leader! I will take care of this, please send me to the Imperial Palace. I will try my best to persuade His Majesty to restore our relation back to what it was previously.” It seemed like he was confident that he would be given entrance into the Imperial Palace. Even the other leaders in the room thought that he could win. “I’ll show you my true power. Being afraid of a young Lord of the Demonic Cult? Divine? Ha! You are a disgrace to the faction.” Peng-gyu, the head of the Peng family, had been the last to enter the Forces of Justice, unlike the others. He had inherited his position from his father. For him, this was a good opportunity to prove how great he was to Yulin and the Imperial family. “Are you really asking, 17th leader?” “Exactly!” As Yi Mok, the Great Leader of Forces of Justice, asked, someone got up from his seat and stepped forward. “Great Leader, please send me to the Imperial Palace along with the 17th leader.” The man who’d stepped forward was none other than Yeon Buso, the eldest son of Yulin’s Great Leader. Chapter 382 - Title of Five Strongest Warriors (3) Chapter 382: Title of Five Strongest Warriors (3) Yeon Buso. The eldest son of Yi Mok. If one thought about his surname, one would notice that it was different from his father’s. It wasn’t because he wasn’t the real son of the Great Leader. It was because Yi Mok, the unmarried Great Leader of the Forces of Justice, had three children, all of them orphans. Yeon Buso, Kang Soah and Mo Yuju. Although the three siblings were orphans, they were always praised for being worthy of the attention of North Justice Blade Yi Mok. It wasn’t known why his three children hadn’t taken his surname, but it was undeniable that they were going to be the figures who lead the Forces of Justice in the future. Amongst them, Yeon Buso, the eldest son, was going to be the face of the next generation of Yulin. The fact that he had been raised with great care and dedication was the reason why some leaders already supported him. “My lord, please send me to the Imperial Palace along with the 17th leader.” The eyes of the Great Leader opened wide. It was the first time he’d heard Yeon Buso request something. His son had been invited to the meetings several times before, but he’d never expressed his intentions. ‘Hmm… is it because of the Lord of the Demonic Cult?’ Although he wasn’t his biological son, Yi Mok was the one who had raised him, there was no way he didn’t understand his son’s intentions. Although Yeon Buso was never interested in anything else, he seemed particularly interested in anything that had to do with Lord Chun Yeowun. ‘Thinking of him as his opponent?’ The corners of Yi Mok’s lips rose. Being one of the Five Strongest Warriors of Wulin, he was always compared to the Lord of the Demonic Cult. There had even been rumors stating that the North Lord would face the South Demonic Cult’s Lord. It was natural for Yeon Buso to consider Chun Yeowun as his rival as they’d come out of their martial arts school at the same time, and had both gained fame at the same time as well. ‘He is indeed my son.’ Perhaps it was because of Yi Mok’s influence, that Yeon Buso always kept a close eye on Chun Yeowun’s movements, especially since Jegal Sohi had gone to the Demonic Cult as a member of the envoy. Yeon Buso’s eyes, which looked at the Lord, were filled with a sense of victory. ‘It might be risky, but it can be a good experience for him as well. An excellent opponent would be a driving force that can push him past his limits.’ After all, Forces of Justice and Demonic Cult were currently allies, so no major problems would pop up. Of course, fights could erupt between alliances too. The Great Leader nodded in agreement. “Do what you want.” “Thank you!” Pak! Yeon Buso’s face brightened. “Ohho! To go with Leader Yeon! Such an honor.” Peng-gyu felt elated at the unexpected support. Even before entering the Forces of Justice and becoming a leader, rumors had been going around that Yeon Buso was an extremely powerful monster. Less than three months after leaving Yulin to train his abilities, he’d been recognized for his skills in martial arts and was known to be one of the strongest warriors within Yulin. It was common to hear people saying that even if they lost in reputation as martial artists, being older than Yeon Buso was something to be proud of, especially since he was a recognized warrior of Yulin and just a little below the Five Strongest Warriors. ‘I was told that he was around 30 years old, but I can’t guess what happened to push him so far in the power scale’ Peng-gyu was a master in the Superior Master level, but he couldn’t guess what Yeon Buso’s level was. Rumors stated that he had reached the end of the Superior Master level, but there were those who thought that he must have achieved the Supreme Master level already. “I might be lacking in skills, but I want to help the 17th leader.” “Hahaha, you have such great experience, please don’t be too modest. If I am being accompanied by the secret weapon of the Forces of Justice, then my chances of getting the arm of Elder Cheong-su will increase.” At the same time, Peng-gyu raised his right arm and pretended to cut it with the other. Yeon Buso didn’t want to pick a side, but Peng-gyu’s actions were too petty as a leader. ‘The positions of a rich leader and a skilled one have changed. Tch, Tch.’ Peng-gyu of the Peng family is a wealthy owner, and as he was the son of the previous leader, he simply inherited the position. But that didn’t mean that Peng-gyu lacked ingenuity or resourcefulness. It was just that, for a leader of a faction, his temper and aggressiveness tended to drive his opponents into a corner. Despite Peng-gyu’s provocative attitude, Elder Cheong-su didn’t respond. After all, for the last three days, he had warned everyone about it. ‘You are the ones who ignored my warning. Go and see it for yourself.’ Although the Forces of Justice and the Demonic Cult had allied, Chun Yeowun was the kind of person who showed no mercy. He’d been wondering what he was supposed to say if Peng-gyu didn’t make it back alive. The main group of the Forces of Justice wasn’t far from the Imperial capital, because it was located in the same region. If they traveled whilst resting, they could reach the capital within three days, and in just two days if they gave up their sleep. At noon on the third day, the members of Cardinal Spear and the envoy from Forces of Justice arrived. Around fifty or so people from Yulin were waiting for their entry passes to be issued in front of the south gate of the Dragon Palace. However, half of them weren’t martial artists. Half of them were like nuns in grey monk robes with a thin scabbard on their backs. The middle-aged nun at the forefront was none other than a long-time elder of the Hangsan clan, Monk Sathi. “I hope that Monk Sathi doesn’t cross us.” Peng-gyu, the head of the Peng family, grumbled. Normally, he was only planning to move with Yeon Buso, the eldest son of the Forces of Justice Great Leader, and the members of his clan, but at the orders of the Great Leader, the Hangsan clan members had joined in. The reason being, “Amitabha, would it be bad to change Buddhism as a new religion? This is an opportunity for the merciful Buddha to be known by the entire empire. Leader Peng-gyu.” It was just an in-case situation. Although the Emperor had officially announced a change in the State Religion, they thought it would be difficult for the Emperor to change his words. With that in mind, they intended to recommend Buddhism as the next best solution to Yulin. If there was distrust in martial arts because of Elder Cheong-su, the Great Leader decided that it wouldn’t be bad to recommend Buddhism, so he had asked Monk Sathi. “It would have been better if Monk Gak-yeon had come, what could I possibly do? Amitabha!” Monk Gak-yeon had a strong reputation and influence as he was the leader of the Shaolin clan, the largest Buddhist centre in Jianghu. However, since he was currently in charge of a separate task, he couldn’t leave his position. “Let’s talk with His Majesty first. It may not be too difficult to convince him to reconsider his suggestion.” On their way to the palace, the eunuchs had given them various pieces of information. Fortunately, they came to know that even though the Emperor had announced the change of State Religion, he hadn’t completely withdrawn Taoism. As the eunuch had said, there was still time to change his mind. “Amitabha. But this is taking longer than I thought.” They had been waiting at the south gate entrance for more than half an hour and hadn’t received any news. They were told that the eunuch would enter the palace first and bring them an issued entry pass, but it was taking a lot of time. “What will you do if the Lord of the Demonic Cult has already left? Your hopes might collapse if he is not here.” Peng-gyu spoke to Yeon Buso, who was quietly standing alone. When he arrived at the capital, the eunuch had told them that the Lord of the Demonic Cult had returned to the cult and he’d seemed disappointed. ‘Maybe we are not fated to meet yet?’ The young man had a strong desire to meet his rival, who was also the Lord of the new generations. Besides, his fiancé, Jegal Sohi, was praising him too much, and he wanted to see what kind of a person this Lord was. ‘Should I just feel satisfied with observing the traces of his martial arts?’ Yeon Buso had asked the eunuch if the bodies of the people Chun Yeowun had killed had been cremated or not, and the eunuch had responded that they hadn’t. ‘By examining the sword marks on the corpses, I can determine if he really did use an invisible sword or not.’ He too was hoping that Lord Chun couldn’t use the invisible sword. Jegal Sohi had said that he was a Supreme Master when she met him. No matter how gifted Lord Chun was, it was beyond understanding to believe that he’d taken a step into a legendary level in just a few months. ‘What is certain is that Elder Cheong-su spoke too much, it could be that he didn’t understand it since Lord Chun was beyond his level. This is so interesting! Does the sky not want me to meet Lord Chun?’ When he first appeared in Yulin, he’d competed against many masters, but had experienced an overwhelming disappointment. Not a single person his age could compete against him. Even till now, there were only a few leaders who could defend themselves against Yeon Buso’s attacks. That was when he realized that in this world, people like him were called Geniuses. ‘If he really is that strong, we will surely bump into each other sometime. No matter how much he avoids me, we are bound to meet.’ Until then, it seemed like he had to calm his boiling blood. That was when someone came out from the south gate and ran to them. He was the eunuch from the Cardinal Spear. “Has the entry pass been issued? Amitabha.” In response to Monk Sathi’s question, the eunuch nodded. “It was issued. More importantly, we need to hurry up and visit His Majesty right now.” “Right now?” They’d visited the imperial palace before, and they knew it would always take two to three days to meet the Emperor. However, with their passes just having been issued, they were being invited by the Emperor. “Early this morning, the removal of Taoism was accelerated as the people of the Demonic Cult entered the palace!” “What?” Peng-gyu and Sathi were shocked by those unbelievable words. Just a moment ago, they’d felt relieved to know that Taoism hadn’t been completely removed, but now since the members of the Demonic Cult were entering the palace, they would make sure it got removed out as soon as possible. “Amitabha! What a mess!. Leader Peng-gyu and Leader Yeon Buso please go meet the Emperor. I will lead the members of the Hangsan clan and make sure that the temples of Taoism don’t get dismantled.” It was a situation in which the Hangsan clan must act. When she said that she would prevent the dismantlement, both of them nodded their heads. Wondering, Yeon Buso asked. “Did the Lord of the Demonic Cult enter the palace?” “I don’t know. However, if we don’t hurry in, we might not be given permission to enter.” As a result, Yeon Buso sighed. There was no way that a normal eunuch could know if a person with the position of Lord had entered the palace again or not. He was wondering whether he should help Monk Sathi, but after thinking about it, he decided to meet the Emperor alongside leader Peng-gyu. The Taoist temple was located southeast of the Dragon Palace. Built during the reign of the first emperor, the temple, like the other temples in Jianghu, consisted of several halls, three buildings, and was under the jurisdiction of the emperor. Such a temple was experiencing huge riots. Thud! Crack! “You! Stop this now!” “You people! How dare you do this!” The monks in the temple tried helplessly to fight back but to no avail. The members of the Demonic Cult, who had arrived an hour before, were removing all the books and teaching tools from the halls. “You evil demons! This is a sacred temple of Taoism! Get away…” Phuk! “Kuak!” “Who are you calling evil demons? On His Majesty’s orders, we were told to dismantle this place and build a temple of the Sky Demon Order, it would be better for you if you left this place.” A person, dressed as a member of the Demonic Cult, kicked the man. He was continuously obstructing the front of the temple and resisting its dismantle, he wasn’t even willing to listen to what the Demonic Cult members had to say. “You think I don’t know that you blocked the Emperor’s eyes and ears! You wicked people!” Even though the temple was being dismantled, the teachers in there cursed the Demonic Cult. In the beginning, the Demonic cult members had told them to stop their resistance, yet those teachers sat down saying that they hadn’t received any messages from Yulin. They were talking as if the Emperor’s orders meant nothing to them. “I can’t hold back myself any longer!” Wheeeing! At that time, a young man standing in the front yard of the temple ignited a spark in his hands. The teachers and monks who were moving in suddenly went stiff at that sight. The young man with a hood on his head was Hu Bong, the right-hand man of the Lord of Demonic Cult. Whhhooooo! Hu Bong directed the flame at a small tree in the yard, which immediately caught fire. In an instant, it turned black and then turned into ashes. “Ugh!” He was showing the Qilin’s power to threaten them. And it did work to an extent. People who were attempting to resist stared at him, perplexed, unsure of what they were expected to do. ‘Tch. Even those who learn martial arts won’t be able to stand their grounds.’ The teachers and monks in the temple were different. They weren’t trained in martial arts, they were only instructed to not back down if the members of Demonic Cult came, but seeing how the Demonic Cult was ready to act, they couldn’t get themselves to follow those orders. “Those who continue to resist or interfere with our work, make sure their blood flows.” “Yes!” The order was given by Hu Bong to forcefully suppress the temple’s members. That was when the nuns rushed into the temple. “Waaaahhh!” “Huh? Nuns?” Clang! clang! Clang! The nuns, who appeared suddenly, drew their swords and took their positions blocking the members of the Demonic Cult from entry. They were the disciples of the Hangsan clan. When the nuns suddenly appeared before them, the members of the cult looked back at Hu Bong with a puzzled expression, not knowing what to do. “Amitabha!” Amongst the nuns, a dignified-looking middle-aged nun dressed in red robes walked to the front. Monk Sathi, a long-standing member of the Hangsan clan. ‘Thank buddha, I wasn’t too late.’ She’d rushed over as fast as she could. She’d been worried that the temple would be completely dismantled and the teachers kicked out by the time she arrived, but fortunately, it hadn’t happened yet. ‘Ah!’ She looked at Hu Bong, who was standing in the lead with a hood on. She instinctively knew that he was the leader of this group. Judging from the strong energy radiating from his body, she guessed that he was a Superior Master Level warrior. ‘Superior Master? Could this person be the Lord of the Demonic Cult?’ Elder Cheong-su had said that the Lord of the Demonic Cult was a Divine Master Level. However, like the other leaders, Monk Sathi didn’t believe those words. It was impossible for a person who was just twenty years old to go beyond the Supreme Master level and reach the level of a Divine Master. ‘If someone radiates this kind of mixed eerie energy, anyone is likely to misunderstand.’ Foreign energy emanated from the hooded person. It was the Qilin’s energy that was different from normal energy, even those who were skilled in martial arts wouldn’t be able to stop themselves from being confused. “Amitabha.” She looked at Hu Bong and slightly bowed her head to greet him. Her lips parted. “I am Monk Sathi, a long standing member of the Hangsan clan. It is a pity that we have to meet each other in this way even though we are allied forces, but I will have to ask your members to withdraw from here.” Hu Bong made a clueless expression that said he couldn’t understand her words. “If you are a long time member, then you must be a leader of the Forces of Justice. If so, then how can you oppose an order given by His Majesty the Emperor himself?” “Even though there is an alliance between us two, there is a line which shouldn’t be crossed. How could you people devise such a cunning plan to dismantle the temples and schools of our realm!” It was pinched by the statement that the emperor recognized the Sky Demon Order as the State Religion. Hu Bong tilted his head at her words. “Since when did the Imperial palace become your realm?” “Kuk! Amitabha!” Hu Bong spoke, and Monk Sathi’s eyes became cold as she heard those words. When she looked around, she couldn’t find any other people apart from the few members of the cult in the yard. No officials from the palace had come. If they were around, they would have reported this to the emperor, thankfully, the Demonic cult members were the only ones present. ‘It would be better to subdue the Lord of the Demonic Cult here.’ If she could suppress him here, she would be able to persuade the emperor at a later time. Although the foreign energy from his body was bothering her, she would be able to overcome it if she used the martial arts of her temple. “Amitabha. I obviously gave good advice. But as you are asking for punishment, I hope you don’t regret it.” Clang! With that, she pulled out her sword, the Suhyeon sword, when a voice entered her ears. “What do you mean by regret?” “!?” She couldn’t even feel any energy. Shocked by the sudden voice, Monk Sathi tried to move to increase the distance, but an unknown person had grabbed her neck from behind. Clench! “Ahhh!” She tried to strike the man’s hand by raising her internal energy, but her entire body was paralyzed when the man’s energy infiltrated her. ‘Th, such unbelievable force…’ Flustered by the overwhelming power, she looked at the place where the Demonic Cult members were. Kneeling onto the ground with their hands together, they all shouted. “Lord Chun! Lord Chun! Lord Chun! We greet you!” “What?” Monk Sathi’s eyes widened as she realized the identity of the person holding her by the neck. Chapter 383 - Title of Five Strongest Warriors (4) Chapter 383: Title of Five Strongest Warriors (4) Monk Sathi of Hangsan clan. She’d risen to fame at the same age as a typical high-schooler. Because of the way she handled swords in her youth, she was known as the Elegant Sword. In her mid-thirties, she’d been recognized for her sword skills after beheading a notorious swordsman. Currently, she had a strong reputation as a leader of Yulin, but during her time as an active member, she’d only been seen as an excellent female swordsman. “Monk Sathi!” “Ahhh!” The nuns shouted in shock. For the excellent swordswoman, Monk Sathi, to have been attacked by the Demonic Cult, and not just that, but for her to be held by her neck and lose her ability to move… “You- Lord of Demonic Cult?” A man in a black robe, with long hair and a white face. No matter how many times she looked, the young man who seemed to be pinning her in place with just one hand seemed as arrogant as a Lord could ever be. ‘Why is the master not moving?’ Amongst the nuns, there was a younger one who bit her lip. She was the first disciple of Monk Sathi, Wo-seon. [Sister! If this continues our master will be defeated!] The woman who’d sent the message was the second disciple Oh Hye. [Ah! Sister is right!] After hearing Oh Hye’s message, she came back to her senses and told her to perform the Sword of Collective Harmony, a technique of the Hangsan clan. Phat! The two disciples, of the proud Hangsan clan, simultaneously unleashed their technique. The two nuns crossed each other several times, making the watching eyes grow dizzy, and at the same time, moved to attack Chun Yeowun from his left and his right. “Let go of my Master right now!” “You evil Lord of the evil Demonic Cult!” The two swords avoided hitting their master, and seemed to be aimed for the right shoulder and left rib of Chun Yeowun, but something totally unexpected greeted them. Crack! “Ugh!” Someone grabbed Oh Hye’s wrist, which was aiming for Chun Yeowun’s right shoulder. Shocked, she looked at the person who had grabbed her wrist, a muscular young man with a beard. “How dare you! a mere monk trying to get close to him.” The crude hand which held her was so large that her slender wrist could break like wooden sticks from the pressure. Clang! At the same time, Wu-seon’s sword, which had aimed for the left rib, was blocked by someone. With bare hands, he grabbed the sword’s blade and broke it, this man had a unique pattern on his mask. ‘S-strong!’ Shocked, she quickly tried to increase the distance between her and the man. She looked over to see if Oh Hye had succeeded, but a muscular man, twice the height of normal people, had grabbed her by her wrist and lifted her. “Wanghur!” Hu Bong looked at the giant man and shouted warmly. The man was none other than Ko Wanghur of the Demon Fist Clan! After the end of the Demonic Cult civil war, he remained in the Ten Thousands Mountains. It would appear that he’d finally left that place and entered the Imperial Palace. “Hey Hu Bong. It’s been a while. You have been enjoying your time with the Lord alone I see… Ah!” Ko Wanghur raised his hand and waved at Hu Bong. The Lord, Chun Yeowun, had been a monster from the very beginning. ‘Is… it true?’ Ko Wanghur hadn’t been able to follow the Lord on his journey because of his level and had dedicated himself to training. In order to not become a burden for his Lord, he was the only member of the Six Swords to have reached the beginning of the Superior Master level after his exhausting training. It was just yesterday that he was happy about reaching the level of an elder, but now Hu Bong was giving off an energy that was even greater than his. ‘I was so delighted with my results this time, but Hu Bong’s level makes me nervous.’ Hu Bong, wasn’t given major roles in the Six Swords team because of his low martial skills. If he had grown by this much, then it was certain that he could claim a title if he battled for the Six Swords. ‘Who are these people…’ Wo-seon didn’t know what to do when two people with strong energies suddenly appeared. She’d tried to save her master but had ended up causing her fellow sister to be caught instead. It was pathetic to see Oh-hye hanging by her wrist. ‘Other masters have appeared.’ Monk Sathi’s expression darkened after looking at Wo-seon’s reaction. It was her mistake to come here without any prior preparations. ‘Being crushed like this, I can’t even fight… Amitabha!’ It was a truly shameful situation. She could get hurt, but she desperately wanted to get out of the hands of the Lord of the Demonic Cult. “Yo-you take your hand off my body, otherwise!” “Otherwise?” “You will regret it!” As soon as she said that, Monk Sathi began increasing the energy in her body, and gathered it near her chest. Phut! It was something she had learned in the temple for several decades, and she always thought that her skills were profound enough for her to be counted as one of the five strongest warriors. Geshan Da Niu(Hitting Cattle in the Mountain). It meant to hit cattle in the mountain. A high-level method, an attack that could deliver a huge impact when an object is used as a medium. Unable to get out of Chun Yeowun’s grasp, she decided to use her own body as a medium to escape. Chiit! She could feel the energy running through her body. She’d never tried using her body as a medium, but it somehow felt like she had succeeded. Tring! Tring! Fortunately, since she had used her body as the medium, it looked like the energy had flowed to the back of her neck. ‘It was a success! Now all that is left… ah!’ No matter how skilled he was, she thought that if he realized that she was trying to use internal energy to invade his body, Chun Yeowun would naturally remove his hand to prevent any injury. But… Jjjjjjjjjjak! The stone slab under Chun Yeowun’s feet cracked. Upon hearing that, her eyes widened. “N-No way!” The cracking of the slab was the aftermath of her energy, which she had tried to use on Chun Yeowun because of her Geshan Da Niu. Surprisingly, Chun Yeowun had guided the energy that had entered his body through the meridians in his body and discharged it into his feet. He’d accepted her energy and used a more advanced method to avoid getting hurt. “Ho-how did you do that?” Her final supreme attack had miserably failed. From the moment he’d caught her without releasing any energy, she’d guessed that he was stronger than her, but this was different. ‘He is a monster! No, he is the Demon God himself!’ At that moment, the warning she’d been given by Elder Cheong-su, came to her mind. She’d thought his words to be nothing but bullshit, but the man grabbing her by the neck really was a monster. [He, he really is a Divine Master!] Goosebumps rose to the surface of the skin along her back. For a moment, it really felt like he was a Divine Master. If not that, he must be one of the Five Strongest warriors. ‘No, no, no! No one, with the exception of Great Leader Yi Mok, can stand up to this man.’ Whilst she was lost in the abyss of shock, Chun Yeowun spoke to her. “You seem to use the word ‘regret’ a lot.” At that word, Monk Sathi’s face turned red with embarrassment. “Lo-Lord of the Demonic Cult. I am a member of the Forces of Justice, which is allied with your cult! There seems to be a misunderstanding, how about you let me go and we have a proper conversation?” She knew that fighting with him would cause her to meet nothing but a pitiful end. It was fortunate that the Forces of Justice had an alliance with the Demonic Cult. But there was one thing she didn’t know. “If you wanted to talk, you should never have drawn your sword before me.” “!?” Chun Yeowun was the kind of person who repaid ten times what he received. “Ah no. That was…” She was the one who’d drawn her sword at Hu Bong first. From Monk Sathi’s perspective, her reason for drawing her sword was justified as she had wanted to prevent the dismantling of the temple, but she couldn’t deny the fact that she was the one who drew their sword first. Creep! ‘What is he?’ Monk Sathi sensed the energy rise behind her, with fear rising inside her heart, she shouted. “Wa-wait! If you harm me, the alliance…” “The alliance doesn’t mean that we forgive your mistakes. And you shouldn’t have done anything you’d regret in the first place.” Slash! After those words were heard, something swiftly passed over her left shoulder. There was no pain at that moment. But a second later, an indescribably extreme pain shot through her nerves. Thud! She screamed in pain as she gazed down at her broken left arm. “Ahhhhhhh!” Thud! Chun Yeowun threw her to the ground. Looking down at her, screaming in pain because it was her first time experiencing it, Chun Yeowun spoke again. “As a courtesy to the alliance, I’ll only take your left arm.” It was no gratitude, but it was a lot better than taking away the right arm of a swordsman. From Chun Yeowun’s side, it meant showing mercy. Seeing their respected master’s arm fall to the ground was something that horrified the other nuns of the Hangsan clan. Chun Yeowun then gave orders to the warriors of the Demonic Cult. “Bring it down, if they resist, cut them down too.” “Yes!” At the same time, in the Throne Room of the Dragon Palace where the Emperor resides. Thud! Thud! Thud! “Wah!” “I can’t straighten my knees!” Twelve eunuchs of the Cardinal Spear were kneeling on the floor. Although they were skilled people, they couldn’t resist the energy which was pushing them to the ground and humiliating them forcibly. At this sight, the eyes of the emperor, who was on the throne, shone. “Hoo.” In the throne room, fifty steps away from the hall, two men of the Forces of Justice were standing. And the man who was the reason for the pressure the eunuchs were feeling was coming from none other than Yeon Buso, the eldest son of the Great Leader of the Forces of Justice. ‘Shocking. I’ve only heard about him.’ Yeon Buso standing next to Peng-gyu made him a little shocked. He had guessed that Yeon Buso had reached a level that surpasses his own, but to see him bring those people to their knees was surprising. ‘How could a guy of only 30 years old reach the Supreme Master level’ Supreme Master. It was a level that very few people within Yulin had managed to reach. Peng-gyu knew that Yi Mok and seven other leaders of the Forces of Justice had taught this man, but to see his growth was startling. ‘Amazing. In my generation, the best kind of warriors were only born out of wedlock between strong families.’ Of the five strongest warriors of Wulin, Peng-gyu was told that a master who reached this level at the age of thirty was like a monster. A sense of pride filled Peng-gyu’s heart at the thought that he was walking alongside the next generation’s Lord. “Did you see that! Your Majesty! That is Yeon Buso, who is going to earn the title of Five Strongest Warriors of the East!” “Five!” Peng-gyu and Yeon Buso were being praised. They couldn’t praise themselves, but the others were doing it for them. Of course, the Emperor himself had to confirm the ability of Yeon Buso with his eyes, as he wasn’t the kind to easily trust others. [Somehow, make sure that you show them that you can protect the Imperial palace from the Blade God Six Martial clan a lot better than the Demonic Cult.] That was what the Great Leader of the Forces of Justice had said. Yeon Buso was doing an excellent job so far. Even the Emperor seemed a little impressed. Now the key was to persuade the emperor to change the art. However, the Emperor soon sighed and flicked his finger. Snap! As if they had been waiting, eunuchs from all over the corners began to gather. Rush! The number was close to two hundred or so. The palace was so wide that it was filled with only them, but he couldn’t understand why the eunuchs had been called in. The emperor soon opened his mouth. “You must be Yeon Buso.” “Yes, your Majesty.” “Try it again.” “?” At the unexpected command which came out of the emperor’s mouth, Yeon Buso and Peng-gyu’s eyes lit up. They weren’t sure till then, but now they knew that he wanted them to make all the eunuchs in the hall kneel. It seemed like he wasn’t satisfied with what had shown earlier, and was trying to confirm it again. ‘Should I take them down?’ The number was too many for him to make them kneel. Before entering the Dragon palace, he’d left his weapon, and now he was being asked to subdue the eunuchs with his bare hands. The emperor opened his mouth again. “Three hundred people.” “Sorry?” “That is the number of people who knelt down in an instant with a single gesture from the Lord of Demonic Cult.” Hearing the ridiculous number coming out of the Emperor’s mouth, Yeon Buso’s eyes shook. Chapter 384 - Worth and Value (1) Chapter 384 : Worth and Value (1) ‘Three hundred people?’ For a second, Yeon Buso doubted his ears. There were two hundred eunuchs from the Cardinal Spear right in front of them. They were people who surely had learned martial arts. They were at least third-class warriors. ‘Is it even possible to suppress all of them at the same time?’ If one was a Supreme Master, and a member of the 17 leaders of Yulin, they should be able to subdue the eunuchs without taking too long. However, it was a completely different matter to make them all kneel with just a single gesture. ‘Even if we give it our all, we can only subdue a hundred or so.’ Even making them kneel for long would be difficult. Normally one would use their energy to subdue others when they were fighting each other. It was a way to earn a bit of time for a defense. ‘Impossible.’ No matter how much they thought about it, it was absolutely impossible to heed the emperor’s words. It could have been an exaggeration to say that three hundred people had been forced to kneel all at once. They could both see the emperor looking at them with anticipation. ‘Ah, Your Majesty is testing me.’ Yeon Buso thought that he’d figured out the Emperor’s true intention. It must have meant that he was indirectly asking Yeon Buso to showcase his ability to subdue the Lord of the Demonic Cult. What was even more interesting was that Yeon Buso still didn’t think that Chun Yeowun had reached the Divine Master level. [His Majesty seems to be exaggerating about that gesture.] Suddenly Peng-gyu’s voice entered Yeon Buso’s ear. He nodded in agreement. [It seems like His Majesty wants us to show our capabilities.] Peng-gyu could show his skills, but it was much better for Yeon Buso, who was stronger than him to do so. In order to fulfill Great Leader Yi Mok’s order and to satisfy the Emperor, they had to show overwhelming force. However, the task they’d been given wasn’t easy. That was when the emperor opened his mouth. “Can’t do it?” His subtle look of disappointment was clearly visible from afar. Yeon Buso was wrapping his head around the concept of victory. ‘This man is quite clever. It was never my intention to showcase a power which could instil fear in the Emperor’s mind. Is this an opportunity given by the Emperor?’ Yeon Buso strongly believed that he and Chun Yeowun, the Lord of Demonic Cult, must have some fated relationship. In the future, if he became the Great leader of Yulin and led his faction, he would be known as a warrior who had competed for the sake of Yulin in the Emperor’s eyes. ‘I cannot lose to him.’ Pak! Yeon Buso placed his hands together and said. “Of course we can, Your Majesty! However, I will show you something different, because my pride doesn’t let me copy someone else’s performance.” “Something different?” Yeon Buso looked at the Emperor who was puzzled. That was when swords hidden in the belts of the three eunuchs nearby got pulled out. Srrrrng! “Ugh! How-how did my sword…?” “My sword!” The three eunuchs couldn’t hide their embarrassment when their swords got pulled out. No matter how skilled the man from Yulin was, they should have felt at least some kind of energy around them. Float! “Ugh!” The Emperor’s eyes lit up. The three swords floating in the air moved as if they were alive. Among the eunuchs, the three people who’d lost their swords were shocked. “Air Sword!” Air Sword. It was a technique used to make a sword fly, something which only a Supreme Master could do. The other eunuchs mumbled and whispered amongst themselves, the Emperor looked over at Admiral Seo Tae-sik, of the Cardinal Spear, who was standing on the other side. Seo Tae-sik, who understood what he meant, sent a telepathic message to the emperor. [Your Majesty. That technique is considered to be one that could rival a member of the five strongest warriors in Wulin.] In Wulin, the only people who were officially known to have achieved the Supreme Master level were the five strongest warriors. Of course, even in Yulin, several people preferred to hide their skills. It was shocking that a man in his 30s could use this skill. “Five strongest warriors?” Even the Emperor was aware of the five strongest warriors in Wulin. The Guardian escort, who had died while protecting him, was also someone who had shared that title ninety years before. Even in the Yulin faction, he’d heard that only the Great Leader of Yulin could do it, but to see the eldest son perform it in the throne room was a surprise. “… is the Lord of the Demonic Cult one of the five Strongest warriors?” The Emperor asked in a low voice. Seo Tae-sik shook his head and sent another telepathic message. [No. As far as I know, the former Lord of the Demonic Cult was one of them, but not the current one.] “Really?” ‘The five strongest warriors are said to be warriors who are the best in what they do, then how could Lim Gyu-hwa, someone who formerly held that same title, get killed in a couple strikes?’ Just remembering that, made a shiver run down the emperor’s spine. However, what was even more shocking was that the people of Yulin didn’t seem to be aware of Chun Yeowun’s power, or his capabilities. ‘Those with great talent get known to the world even when they try to hide it… that could be how the Lord of the Demonic Cult becomes known.’ Being an Emperor, he couldn’t quite understand how the rankings within Wulin worked, but he was sure of it. That one day, the name Chun Yeowun, a wise man, would hold the title of being the best in the world. Maybe that was why he wasn’t so impressed with Yeon Buso’s power. ‘Who will become the best amongst the strongest warriors?’ Even if the leaders of the Forces of Justice or the leaders of other factions came over directly to showcase their power, the Emperor thought that they wouldn’t amount to anything before Chun Yeowun. Yeon Buso, who didn’t know what the emperor was thinking, was wondering what kind of things he had to show next to move the Emperor’s heart, and then decided. It was to show the strongest technique one could use. Ahhhh! Yeon Buso walked three steps ahead and drew a circle around him with his toe. The eunuchs were puzzled, suddenly, Yeon Buso spoke to the Emperor. “Majesty, then I will subdue the people in this room without taking a single step from this circle.” “That much even the Lord of…” Yeon Buso waved his hand before the Emperor could finish his words, and the three swords which were in the air moved around the room. Yeon Buso spoke to the eunuchs. “If you manage to push me out of the circle, I will admit defeat.” “?” It was arrogance. At that very moment, Yeon Buso moved his hand, and the three swords which were in the air accelerated and quickly passed between the eunuchs, drawing up numerous trajectories. Swoosh! The sound of something passing by rang in the eunuch’s ears. The swords which were moving around could stab them at any moment if they took another step. “S-stop it!” Clang! Two hundred eunuchs drew their swords to stop the Air Sword. In order to not get in the way, Peng-gyu decided to create some distance. ‘It is an Air Sword, so this will definitely work out in our favour.’ Originally, Yeon Buso had intended to use it right away, however, it took some time for him to collect the energy needed. However, it wasn’t too long. “Push him out of the circle!” “Wahhhhh!” The eunuchs of the Cardinal Spear rushed towards Yeon Buso at once. He had declared that he could accept defeat if he got pushed one step out of the circle. ‘Push him forcefully!’ No matter how well known he was in Yulin, there were two hundred people in the throne room, what could he possibly do to stop them? That was what the eunuchs were thinking, but would a strategy made by a Supreme Master be that easy to breach? “Brilliant Sky Sword!” Yeon Buso muttered something and raised his hand to the sky. At that moment, the three swords across the room began flying between the eunuchs. Swoosh! Sharp sounds were created by the Air Sword passing through the gaps between the eunuchs, leaving behind a gust of wind. WHeein! “Ugh!” “This wind!” It was almost like a blast of wind. And the place where Yeon Buso was standing looked like the eye of a typhoon, the eunuchs who came to attack him bounced away and fell back. Thud! “Oh oh!” The Emperor who was watching this seemed slightly impressed. If the Lord of the Demonic Cult displayed a demonic spirit, Yeon Buso’s was more like a warrior’s skill. “Ugh?” “ugh, clothes?” What was even more shocking was that the uniforms of the eunuchs were being violently torn apart. Which meant that Yeon Buso handled his swords so sophisticatedly that he made sure no eunuch was harmed. Peng-gyu clicked his tongue. ‘I was thinking he would show something nice, but he just keeps proving that he is a monster.’ He hadn’t expected Yeon Buso to possess such a high-level technique. Even he, who had been active in Yulin for 20 years, was speechless, even the Emperor himself would have no choice but to admit it. ‘We have absolutely succeeded.’ Yeon Buso smiled slightly. The technique he was using had been made with the help of his father, Yi Mok. Yi Mok was the kind of person who preferred different ideas. He’d made a new technique that could control the air freely, and what Yeon Buso was displaying was his father’s skill. ‘How was it? Your Ma….!?’ Yeon Buso’s expression hardened as he looked at the Emperor’s expression. He’d thought that he had succeeded, but the Emperor looked strangely more disappointed than surprised. “It is amazing, but is that all?” “Sorry?” The Emperor wasn’t satisfied with what he’d seen. In fact, there was no particular surprise because what he’d just seen could be done by Lim Gyu-hwa. ‘What went wrong?’ Peng-gyu, who was sure that they would win the Emperor’s heart, was perplexed. He couldn’t understand at all what Chun Yeowun had done to make the Emperor’s heart not move even once to his marvelous show of supreme strength. “Nothing more?” “Your, Your Majesty?” The Emperor’s tone sounded like he’d lost interest in them, which made Peng-gyu unsure of how he was supposed to deal with the situation. “Your… Your Majesty! The skills which the leader has just shown you are something that even the five strongest warriors in Wulin…” Before he could finish, the Emperor’s eyebrows rose. “Do you think that I don’t know the five strongest warriors?” “I-I didn’t mean it…” “He isn’t present now, but my personal Guardian Escort was one of those five strongest warriors too. Even you people must know about it. Was it Wave Sword?” There was no way they wouldn’t know. Ninety years ago, he’d been called the Sword Emperor, someone whom no one else could match. “You are Yeon Buso?” “… yes. Your Majesty.” “I know that you are good. Then, would you be able to defeat the guardian with three strikes?” “Sorry?” Yeon Buso’s eyes fluttered. No matter how much his skills improved, he was still a Supreme Master. Could he defeat someone of such great power in three strikes? When Yeon Buso hesitated without saying anything, the Emperor waved his hand. “My decision hasn’t changed. You can leave.” “Your-Your Majesty!” They knew that it would be difficult to convince him, but they didn’t expect that it would be this hard. They simply didn’t know it. But Yeon Buso’s skill was what had made the Emperor grow even firmer in his decision. ‘This is a problem. If this goes on, the Sky Demon Order will be fully instated as the State Religion!’ The greatest disgrace to the Forces of Justice. Peng-gyu, who didn’t want to give up, fell to the ground and pleaded with the emperor. “Your Majesty! I know that you are very disappointed with the last incident, but we Forces of Justice can do as much…” “Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” Before Peng-gyu could even finish speaking, a shout was heard from outside the room. It was close to howling, but it could be heard inside the throne room, the Emperor frowned and looked at Admiral Seo Tae-sik. “What is all that fuss?” “I will find out.” When Seo Tae-sik looked over, he saw a couple of eunuchs rushing out of the throne room. Not long after, they came running back in, one after another. Their faces, blue, and their clothes were soaked in sweat from running. Thud! “Your Majesty! we have critical information.” “How many times have I told you people not to make a fuss inside the palace grounds? What happened this time?” Judging from the Emperor’s tone, it seemed that this was something that happened quite often. Since the announcement about the abolition of Taoism, the number of teachers who came in to complain had been troublesome. “Your Majesty! Please let us continue the talks! Wasn’t the very Empire the one who let Taoism flourish from the days of the first Emperor? How could we allow those evil Demonic Cult to enter and dismantle our temples?” Peng-gyu’s face hardened at the words of one of the people who’d come in. He’d thought that something must have happened to delay Monk Sathi’s entry into the throne room, but it seemed like something had definitely happened. That was when Yeon Buso grabbed the teacher who’d come in and asked. “Hold on. Did the Lord of the Demonic Cult appear in the temple too?” “Ugh, how did you know?” Yeon Buso’s eyes widened at the teacher who questioned him back. He’d asked out of curiosity to know if the Demonic Cult’s Lord had appeared in the Imperial palace or not. ‘Wait! The Lord of the Demonic Cult came here? Then wouldn’t we have a better solution?’ Whilst contemplating, Yeon Buso came up with an idea to persuade the Emperor. ‘The emperor seems smitten by the Lord of the Demonic cult. If I can’t persuade them, then it might be better to prove myself to be superior to him.’ This was an opportunity he couldn’t miss. Yeon Buso explained his plan to Peng-gyu who was still kneeling on the ground. Hearing that, Peng-gyu was hesitant for a while and then agreed. It seemed like a waste of time to stand in the throne room trying to convince the Emperor, so they decided to opt for another way. They decided to make the Emperor know that they had given up. “Your Majesty! We are taking a step back!” The emperor clicked his tongue as he looked at the two people who had every intention to return here. What they wanted to do was clear to everyone present. Everyone noticed how Yeon Buso’s eyes twinkled when he heard that the Lord of the Demonic Cult was in the Imperial Palace. ‘They are stupid. These are the kind of people who have to taste defeat in order to know that they are nothing but insects.’ They wanted to stop them, but what could be done? The eunuchs were able to understand the saying, too much curiosity shortens one’s lifespan. Tatatatatata! Some people were rushing to the southeast of the Imperial Palace. The one at the forefront was a eunuch of the Cardinal Spear, followed by Peng-gyu, Yeong Buso, and the Peng family warriors. [He will surely deal with you too.] [Huh?] When they were leaving the throne room, the Emperor said something incomprehensible. They didn’t know what he meant, but this was the only chance they had. ‘If we subdue the Lord of the Demonic Cult, we can change the Emperor’s heart.’ The Emperor wasn’t showing any signs of it, but he was afraid of the Lord of the Demonic Cult. Even after seeing Yeon Buso’s skills, he’d stuck with the Demonic cult. “Sir. Have you seen the Lord of Demonic Cult before?” At Peng-gyu’s cautious question, the eunuch who was leading them nodded his head. “I guess you can say that. To be honest, I don’t think that this eunuch will be able to feel what I felt that day from the Lord of Demonic cult from anyone else.” Even though he said that, the eunuch shuddered at the memory of what had happened. Because of the Emperor’s interest, the eunuchs had seen various factions of Yulin, and the eunuchs would compete with them too, but the man they’d met in the underground shrine made those other people seem worthless. “He is not a person. He should be called a monster, or a Demon God.” “Demon God?” Yeon Buso frowned. This eunuch was speaking in the same way that Elder Cheong-su had. It made him wonder how strong the Lord of the Demonic Cult really was. ‘I am getting excited. The fact that I finally get to meet the man who can stand against me!’ His right hand, which held his most beloved sword, trembled. He couldn’t help but be disappointed when he was informed that the Lord of Demonic Cult had left, but when he heard that he was back, Yeon Buso couldn’t hold back his excitement. “That place!” The eunuch pointed to a building that looked like a temple. They’d thought that the battle would be in full swing since Monk Sathi hadn’t returned, but the place was quiet. “Ah!” But through the gap in the temple gates, they could see nuns kneeling. They were none other than the female disciples of the Hangsan clan. “How could that happen?” Peng-gyu’s face grew distorted. Those women had gone over to stop the dismantling of the temples, however, they appeared to be the ones who had been subdued instead. What exactly happened to Monk Sathi? ‘No.’ Anger rose in Peng-gyu’s heart, but he quickly calmed himself. He’d thought that all his efforts would end up making Yeon Buso the star of the show, but it seemed like he had a chance to prove himself. ‘I will lead the members of the Demonic Cult to Yeon Buso and aim for the Lord.’ All he wanted to do was to build enough prestige as a member of the Forces of Justice, and then he’d get the arm of a true gentleman. clang! Thinking up to this point, Peng-gyu pulled out his Thunderbolt Blade, a family heirloom. “Warriors of Peng. Draw your swords! The time has come to save the brothers and sisters!” “Wahhhhh!” Clang! Clang! Clang! Twenty-five elite warriors of the Peng family had their morale raised at the words of the clan head. In the Peng family, Peng-gyu was the only one who had achieved the Superior Master level. The one who followed was a lieutenant, a Super Master. He prided himself on being strong enough to never get pushed back by the enemy. “Leader Yeon. I will be the first one to strike.” “You can do what you want!” Yeon Buso happily nodded at Peng-gyu’s words, as he showed great determination. Woong! He was determined to do his best from the beginning after having failed to restore the Emperor’s trust. “Follow me!” Phat! Bang! Peng-gyu passed through the temple gate in an instant. Yeon Buso tried to follow in, but something suddenly gave him chills. “What was that? Energy?” It was then, A sudden ear-piercing scream erupted from inside the temple. “Kuakkkkk!” Shocked, Yeon Buso and the warriors of the Peng clan passed through the gate and entered the temple, only to see Peng-gyu, who had entered the temple with unbounded enthusiasm, kneeling in front of someone. “No?!” However, something was weird. As he knelt before the man, Buso realized that his right arm was nowhere to be found, and that blood was gushing from the fresh cut. “L-leader!!!” The warriors of Peng Clan shouted. Yeon Buso hurriedly stopped them from moving further into the temple in anger. “Stop!” At the same time, Yeon Buso looked at the person standing in front of Penggyu. A young man with long hair and fair white skin stood there, and to his surprise, Peng-gyu’s missing right arm was being held in his hands. The young man brushed his long black hair and spoke. “Huhu, there is so much arguing… there seems to be a lot of people getting their arms cut off today.” Chapter 385 - Worth and Value (2) Chapter 385: Worth and Value (2) Peng house. They were considered to be among the three famous households of the Jianghu. Along with his half-brother, they turned into one of the top five strongest groups in Jianghu. Although he was a member of the Forces of Justice, he had ambitions, unlike his docile father. He didn’t have as much talent in martial arts as his younger brother had, but he wanted to be in a 3rd leader’s position, where he gets called the backbone of martial arts. And to get to that position, it took a lot of work. ‘Blade God Six Martial clan is too risky.’ They lacked the information and the Blade God Six Martial clan was too strong for the Peng house to face off against. Meanwhile, an opportunity arose. The absurd thing of the empire’s Religion being changed. There were two reasons for it. The new Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun, who entered the imperial palace, and Elder Cheong-su who went to the palace as an envoy to renew the non-aggression treaty. ‘Elder Cheong-su is the 12th leader. Since he stepped down, the existing leaders will get promoted one by one. But that won’t be enough.’ And as he aimed for the 3rd leader, he would have to climb more and faster. He never thought of an opportunity to come. If he could rectify what Elder Cheong-su had done, he could get a high position. But there was one thing he overlooked. Before stepping down, Elder Cheong-su had mentioned several times that the Lord of the Demonic Cult was a monster. Yet, not a single person believed him. ‘This makes no sense. He reached the Divine Master level? Phut! He should at least make excuses along the lines of not feeling well that day.’ Peng-gyu didn’t pay much attention to the Elder’s words. It was impossible to believe that a person who was in the Superior Master level a few months back went beyond numerous stages and reached Divine Master level. ‘But there is nothing wrong with being careful, just in case.’ Both Elder Cheong-su and the eunuch, even the emperor, seemed afraid of the Lord of Demonic Cult. Perhaps the Lord was skilled and versatile enough, or in the worst case scenario, the end of Superior level. If that was the case, it would be difficult for Peng-gyu, who would be lower than Chun Yeowun, to take him down. Bang! Peng-gyu entered the gate of the temple at once by using energy, and quickly looked for an opponent he could face. On the stairs, in front of the temple, stood a tall, muscular man, and a young man in a blue hood. The moment he saw them, Peng-gyu recognized them as Superior Masters. “That guy! That guy must be the lord!” The man with the big beard looked almost the same age as him. But the man with the blue hood seemed like a young man. In addition, a foreign energy was subtly oozing out of him. ‘Then my opponent has to be that muscular man.’ He could deal with the hooded man immediately, but before he went for the lord, he needed to spill blood of the Demonic Cult to boost his men’s morale. Even people of the demonic cult had emotions, even their morale would drop if they saw one of their own die. ‘That guy!’ In the meantime, Peng-gyu saw a young man standing in the courtyard. Unlike the other members of the Demonic cult, he was wearing a luxurious black robe and his energy seemed very ordinary. ‘It could be a teacher or a regular middle ranked member.’ Peng-gyu was looking for a victim. Though he seemed weak, this man could also be an important figure as he looked like a teacher, so he rushed to the man. “Huh! How dare you aim for our brothers and sisters! You Cultists!” He tried to cut down the young man’s head with one swing. The moment he beheads this young man, Yeon Buso and other warriors of the family will enter the temple immediately. “Ugh?” That was when Peng-gyu’s plan went awry. Slash! The young man’s head definitely should‘ve been cut off, but it moved away with an afterimage. Peng-gyu’s eyes widened. “Ho-how?” He too was able to move at a fast speed, but never had he seen someone move at a speed where afterimages were left behind. ‘Where?’ Phat! As he tried to find him, someone grabbed his right wrist. The young man disappeared and moved to his right. “Damn it!” The moment Peng-gyu was about to move and wield his blade, he felt something creepy. ‘Av-avoid it, I need to avoid it!’ Tak! Peng-gyu, who caught onto an ominous feeling, wielded his sword with all his might, and tried to widen the distance. However, he was caught, and his body wasn’t moving. ‘Ugh! Wh-what kind of power?’ There was one surprise after another. The young man’s hand was aiming to hit Peng-gyu’s right shoulder. Peng-gyu could see a blue light shine in the young man’s hand. “Do-don’t!” Slash! “Ahhhhh!” A scream erupted from Peng-gyu’s mouth as the sharp energy cut through his flesh and bones. It was his first time feeling such pain. It hurt so much that it felt like tears would flow out of his body, but the young man who was holding his severed hand and spoke with a cold voice. “Kneel!” Kuk! Bang! Apart from the loss of balance in his body due to his arm, some invisible force pushed down on him. It was clear to Peng-gyu that he wouldn’t be able to stand at all. It felt like his entire body was incapacitated. ‘Kuek! Th-this makes no sense, he is a monster. How can he do this in the palace… no, no! It can’t be!’ Peng-gyu blinked his eyes. The words of Elder Cheong-su flowed back into his mind when he was down on his knees. [He is a monster, no, he is the Demon God himself.] Peng-gyu raised his head with trembling eyes and looked at the young man in front of him. The white face and strong eyes. The feeling of intimidation was no joke, but no matter how much he looked, it made no sense. A Superior Master getting overpowered by something with normal internal energy! [Th-this means he is a Divine Master!] “Is-is that really true?” Peng-gyu could feel how foolish he had acted. Out of all the people present in the temple, why did he have to choose the Lord of the Demonic Cult? ‘Wh-what have I done?’ Peng-gyu was at a loss for words. Just then, Yeon Buso, the eldest son of the Great Leader of Forces of Justice, and the other warriors of the Peng house entered the temple. Chun Yeowun ruffled his long hair to the back and spoke. “Huhu, there is so much arguing… there seem to be a lot of people getting their arms cut off today.” Yeon Buso’s trembling eyes looked at Chun Yeowun. He never imagined that Peng-gyu, a member of the Forces of Justice, would get taken down so fast. “No!” Looking to the right, he saw the monks of the Hangsan clan kneeling, and in front of them was Monk Sathi. “Monk Sathi!” He was shocked at what he saw. The great warrior and swordsman Monk Sathi, being on her knees, shocked them. Her blood points were hit and she couldn’t move her blood drenched body, but she tried to say something to them. ‘Don’t! don’t try to touch that man!’ She was unable to move her tongue and mouth. If they didn’t want to turn into her, she wanted to warn them to run away, but she was stuck. All of a sudden, members of the Demonic cult blocked the entrance, and at the centre was a person wearing a unique mask. ‘The Dark King!’ The notorious nickname. He was known as a master who was among the top three of the Demonic Cult. Their actions said that people were supposed to come in, but weren’t allowed to go out. ‘Leader Yeon!’ Monk Sathi looked at Yeon Buso, the eldest son of the Forces of Justice, with worried eyes. Her only hope was him, but things didn’t look good. ‘Is he trying to fight the Lord of the Demonic cult?’ Unlike the other warriors of Peng, Yeon Buso’s warriors were only staring at Chun Yeowun. It clearly said that he was planning something. ‘It is him. No doubt.’ Yeon Buso confirmed who the Lord of Demonic Cult was in a single glance. There was only one person whom he couldn’t recognize as a beginner of the Supreme Master level. Regardless of the age, the young man held dignity that gave off the vibe of someone who’s the one and only winner that gets to choose everything. He couldn’t explain it, but he just knew who the Lord of Demonic Cult was. Tremble! Yeon Buso’s body trembled. When he saw the Lord, Chun Yeowun, who he thought of as someone like a rival, a shiver ran through his body. He would have been disappointed if he was less than expected, but this feeling was too great. ‘He has strength that even I can’t fathom. He truly is my soulmate!’ Fate finally bound him to his mate. To meet such a great match outside the Yulin. He was deeply moved. It was a happy thing to have a strong opponent who made one feel nervous enough to risk their life for. Clench! Strength entered his hand which was holding the sword. He wanted to draw the sword completely, but Yeon Buso wasn’t stupid. Yeon Buso put his hands together and shouted. “It is an honor to meet the Lord of the Demonic Cult. I am Yeon Buso, the eldest son of the Forces of Justice Great Leader and the leader of North Justice Blade.” North Justice Blade. There were four armed groups in the Forces of Justice, which had immense power. One of them was North Justice Blade, a group made up of only the best of the best warriors within the Forces of Justice. They were an elite group of distinguished warriors who even killed numerous cultists when war broke out in the past. “Yeon Buso!” Ko Wanghur was shocked when he heard the name. Even though it was shocking that he was the son of the North Justice Blade’s leader, Yeon Buso was called a part of the next generation’s Five strongest warriors not just in Jianghu but in the entirety of Wulin. ‘The Yulin must be shaken up quite a bit to send this man here.’ The State Religion, which hadn’t changed for two hundred years, was taken away without a warning. Chun Yeowun, who thought that the Forces of Justice would react, returned right after he was done with his work in the Ten Thousand Mountains and it seemed like the right decision. ‘The son of Yulin’s North Justice Blade…‘ During his days as a student, Chun Yeowun was compared a lot to this guy by the elders. He heard that there was a genius or monster in Jianghu. ‘But it doesn’t matter.’ Pak! Chun Yeowun threw the severed arm of Peng-gyu to the floor and stepped forward. He only took a couple steps forward, but the warriors of Peng stepped back unconsciously. ‘What energy!’ It wasn’t because they came to know that he is the Lord of Demonic Cult, but from the moment they entered the temple, something just didn’t feel right. In a calmer voice, Chun Yeowun spoke to Yeon Buso. “This is good. Then you must be the representative of the Forces of Justice.” “Umm. That… for now, I think it’s okay to call me that.” Yeon Buso glanced at the leaders. Including the two leaders, he was nowhere near their ranks. Both were seriously wounded and in enemy hands. “We were prepared for the attack.” ‘Ah!’ At the cold voice of Chun Yeowun, Peng-gyu came back to his senses. They were the ones who tried to subdue the Lord of Demonic Cult to persuade the emperor and acknowledge the Yulin arts. But it was decided as such, thinking that Chun Yeowun was weaker than Yeon Buso. ‘Yeon… Leader Yeon can’t face him.’ Even if he was being considered as one of the five strongest of the next generation’s warriors, and was being called a monster, the two of them were on completely different levels. The lord of the Demonic Cult was someone where even all of the five strongest warriors together will have a hard time taking him down. [Leader Yeon! Don’t’! it is better for us to give up on this matter of Religion!] It was Peng-gyu who sent the message to Yeon Buso. He tried to deter Yeon Buso from fighting the Lord of Demonic Cult. Looking at him, Yeon Buso shook his head. [Lord Yeon! It is foolish to fight…] Before Peng-gyu finished, Yeon Buso took a step towards Chun Yeowun. Pak! He bowed his head and spoke. “Lord. First of all, I would like to apologize for attacking your temple.” Peng-gyu was shocked at what Yeon Buso said. Contrary to what he was worried about, Yeon Buso unexpectedly bowed his head and apologized. Even Chun Yeowun was taken aback with the unexpected action. ‘Stepping back?’ It was completely different from the constant glare he was giving from the moment he stepped into the temple. Yeon Buso spoke very softly. “From our point of view, the temples in the empire had been established from the beginning of the founding, and suddenly, it was changed. We were only here to meet with the emperor and ask him to reconsider, we didn’t want to choose this method by any means.” Yeon Buso seemed to be speaking the truth, a man of political influence. There was no reason why he would try to deceive the Lord of the Demonic Cult, as everything he spoke about was something the Demonic Cult knew. When Chun Yeowun, who was exuding vicious energy, quietly focused on his words, Yeon Buso brought in the main topic. “In that sense, I think that this has happened because of some contribution from your cult too.” “Contribution?” Chun Yeowun’s eyes rose. Not caring, Yeon Buso continued. “Didn’t the Forces of Justice and your cult form an alliance to take down a common enemy? I don’t think that the Lord of the Demonic Cult would want the alliance to break down because of this.” ‘Ah!’ At the words of Yeon Buso, Monk Sathi and Peng-gyu sighed in relief. They thought that he bowed his head to overcome the situation, but Yeon Buso seemed to have used his mind. He proved that he wasn’t just skilled in martial arts. “I will take a step back for the sake of the alliance. So, with a little courtesy, I hope the two leaders and their disciples will be released.” ‘A good move, leader.’ Monk Sathi praised the man in her mind. After all, the emperor would only change his heart when the Lord of the Demonic Cult gets subjugated. However, it was impossible to do it in the palace, where all his forces were gathered, so it was better to focus on preserving their already existing power. ‘He said that he would give up on the State Religion, so it is an offer that the Lord of the Demonic Cult can’t refuse.’ In order to face the common enemy, Blade God Six Martial clan, the Lord of the Demonic Cult will try to avoid breaking the alliance. “I beseech you.” Yeon Buso politely bowed again. The son of the Great Leader, who is supposed to lead the clan and the Forces of Justice in the future, came this far for a reason. He was taught in the most eloquent way possible, even though he knew that the Lord of Demonic Cult had no other option. At least, that was what he thought. “You are misunderstanding something.” “!?” They thought that he had no choice but to accept it, but Chun Yeowun’s reaction was different. Chun Yeowun walked slowly towards Yeon Buso, one step at a time. “The State Religion lies in the emperor’s hand, whether you concede or not doesn’t matter to anyone. Since that matter can’t be overturned, aren’t you just trying to do anything you can?” “Th-that…” Yeon Buso was speechless at what Chun Yeowun said. “And it is disappointing to think that you don’t want the alliance to be broken by doing nothing and playing word games with me.” Srrrrng! Chun Yeowun, who approached Yeon Buso, was ten steps away from him when he drew the White Dragon Blade. “Lord of Demonic Cult. I mean it, the alliance will brea…” “Stop speaking nonsense. I’ll take your arm or you do so in return.” “Arm?” Wooong! A horrifying energy released all around. Each cell in Yeon Buso was telling him to face the person he wanted to meet. ‘There is nothing I can do.’ He failed to make sure that the leaders were released without any harm done to them. It seemed that the Lord of the Demonic Cult wasn’t an easy one to face. In the end, it seemed like he ended up in a situation that he wanted from the very beginning. The two leaders looked at Yeon Buso in an apologetic manner. ‘The leaders must be feeling bad. The Lord is stronger than me so I tried to avoid any more bloodshed, but it seems like he and I are destined to compete.’ Judging from it, their fate was tied too strongly for anything to come between that. Sighing, Yeon Buso slowly pulled out his blade from his waist. Srrrng! Aiming his sword at Chun Yeowun, who was walking close to him, he spoke. “I think you too must be aware. I mean, this kind of existence is called family rivalry. When you were in school, you must have been called a genius too, just like I d…” Clang! “!?” Before he could finish his words, cold energy passed through his right arm. Because of the speed at which things happened, Yeon Buso wasn’t able to even know what happened. Drip! Thud! His right arm, which was holding onto the blade, fell to the stone floor. “Kuakkk!” Chun Yeowun’s low voice entered his ears as he screamed in pain. “What am I supposed to do if you are a genius?” “Kuuk!” Phat! The cut was too painful, but Yeon Buso widened the distance between them. Naturally, he did expect to get pushed back because of the difference in their powers, but he never thought that he would lose his arm. ‘I couldn’t even see him! What an unbelievable amount of energy!’ It was obviously cut from the front, which meant Yeon Buso reacted too late. What would one call it? When one gets hurt, knowing that it would happen? Chun Yeowun stepped on the fallen right hand and asked. “I got paid. Do you still want to continue?” Even Yeon Buso, who was always calm and never showed any significant emotional changes, spoke in anger. “How dare you insult me?!” Tatatak! With the help of his blood points, he managed to stop the blood flow. ‘I should avoid fighting up close.’ He managed to create some distance between the two. Biting down on his lips, he gently moved his left hand. Clang! Clang! Clang! Apart from the blade which fell on the floor, two blades were tied to his back, but he controlled all three swords at the same time. It was the same technique that he had shown in front of the emperor. “Hha… haha… I was careless before, but this time, it will be different!” As Yeon Buso waved his left hand, the three blades quickly moved in the mid-air, blurring the vision and rushed towards Chun Yeowun. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! He was proud when showing the technique that he had learnt from his father Yi Mok. Even if he was the Lord of Demonic Cult, Yeon Buso thought that it would prove difficult to prevent getting hit by it. However, something unexpected happened. Swoosh! Chun Yeowun extended his hands to the side where the three blades were flying towards him. The Air Sword stopped right in front of Chun Yeowun. “H-how?” Flustered, Yeon Buso tried to raise the sword force even more, but the three blades had already stopped. They literally didn’t move. Even his father couldn’t stop Air Swords. “W-wait a moment, Lord of Demonic Cult, this is…” “You should have quit it when your arm was cut off.” Wheeing! When Chun Yeowun slightly moved his hand, the three blades turned back and it felt like they were aiming for the owner of the blades. Papaht! “Kuak!” The blades struck both his thighs, and the opposite shoulder and they roared. Blood gushed out of his mouth. “Cough!” Yeon Buso was dumbfounded looking at his blades stuck to his body. Such strength was unfair. ‘Kuuuuk… isn’t he too strong? Is he really at Divine Master level?’ Yeon Buso had just assumed that Chun Yeowun must have been at the end of Supreme Master level. He never thought that he would see someone who reached Divine Master level in his life, he never even heard of any Divine Master level existing among them. ‘He is a real monster.’ Only after being hit was Yeon Buso able to face the reality like the other leaders. ‘… this person is different from me.’ He was never Yeon Buso’s rival. Chun Yeowun approached Yeon Buso, who was vomiting blood on the floor. It seemed like his end was near. This was a natural procedure in battles. “Kuak… what do you plan… on doing? Kill me? But this… will make… the Forces of Justice… your enemy…” “What bullshit are you spouting?” “!?” “Why would I kill you?” “What do you mean?” Chun Yeowun looked down at him with a cynical look, and spoke. “You are a good hostage that I can use at any point and time.” ‘This… he is really…’ Chun Yeowun always left the other person speechless. Chapter 386 - Destruction (1) Chapter 386: Destruction (1) When Yeon Buso, the next warrior of the Forces of Justice and the eldest son of the Yulin clan’s leader, got suppressed with overwhelming power, the warriors of the Peng family surrendered without any resistance. Of course, it was because they knew that Peng-gyu wouldn’t want any unnecessary sacrifices. ‘…. Even if they try, our side will only end up with a lot of injured or dead people.’ He was blinded by his own ambition and set his goal way too high. It wasn‘t even remotely realistic to reach that goal, but the moment he faced reality, he already lost something important. ‘How could such a monster even be among us…’ Never would have anyone thought that a Supreme Master level warrior would be defeated that fast. It was as if the difference between them was like a skilled warrior and a low-ranked warrior. If it weren’t for the skills Yeon Buso displayed, that was what it would have looked like. ‘Does the difference between people grow with each step into the next level?’ Scary. Just one level higher, but said level was indescribably high. The difference in power was way too vast. It had to take a few years or decades for one to go from Superior to Supreme master level. ‘How could he grow this much in a couple of months?’ Elder Cheong-su had desperately tried to stop them, but not a single leader, not even the Great Leader, had listened to his words, and now they were all learning the truth the hard way. ‘Ah…!!!’ He suddenly remembered the bet he placed with Elder Cheong-su before leaving for the palace. They promised one arm to the other, and if Peng-gyu got released, then he was in danger of losing his other arm too. His desire to negotiate with the emperor and give success to the Forces of Justice watered down. Meanwhile, the front yard of the temple was nearly filled with hundreds of prisoners. Around 40 people of the Peng family, and 50 or so women from the Soorim temple and also teachers in the temple, all on the ground looking down in fear. That was when Hu Bong, who was on the top step of the main hall, spoke. “Lord, we didn’t kill any of them, but we did hurt the two leaders and the son of the Great Leader, this might not be in our favor, right?” The warning given by Yeon Buso ran through Hu Bong’s head. From the point of view of Yulin, as if it wasn’t enough to change the State Religion, the Demonic Cult even cut the arms of their leaders. Ko Wanghur, who was next to him, answered. “Hahaha, don’t worry, Hu Bong. Nothing of that sort will happen at the moment.” “Moment?” “This is an alliance that was formed to deal with the Blade God Six Martial clan, but if the alliance gets broken up, it will go back to a four way war and not a three way war. How could the alliance break that easily? It was just Yeon Buso’s tactic to get out of here safely without any more sacrifices.” Chun Yeowun nodded his head in agreement with Ko Wanghur’s words. The reason for the alliance wasn’t peace. “Phew, I guess I was worried over nothing.” “With your personality, it would be weird if you weren’t concerned about it. however, with the Forces of Evil in the west, Blade God Six Martial clan in the east and us in the south, they wouldn’t dare to do such a thing.” As they knew, if the alliance broke down, the Yulin would end up getting surrounded by the enemies from the east, west and south, so they were bound to end up dead. The Yulin would do anything to avoid that. “I wonder how they would react if they knew what happened here. Hehehe.” So far, the Forces of Justice didn’t know what was happening. They simply hoped that their leaders would persuade the emperor successfully. “Lord, what are we going to do with them?” Ko Wanghur asked, pointing to the prisoners who had been tied up with ropes. There was no way that they could keep these people here forever. “We should send them back, excluding Yeon Buso and the other leaders.” If it wasn’t for the alliance, Chun Yeowun would have killed them since their actions were sufficient enough to do so, however it wasn’t desirable to make an enemy out of Yulin at the moment. “Then I will take them over to their base and deliver the message of the Lord!” Ko Wanghur was confident. Taking over the prisoners to the main base of Yulin would definitely incur their wrath upon him, yet, Ko Wanghur boldly took up the task. “No, you don’t have to.” Chun Yeowun shook his head. Looking at the prisoners who were tied down, he spoke. “Put a letter in their hands and send them off, that should be more than enough.” With Yeon Buso and the two leaders in the cult’s hands, no one would dare act recklessly, but Chun Yeowun didn’t want to take a chance. If the Yulin were too furious, they would end up holding Ko Wanghur as a hostage and request an exchange. “Tch, understood.” Disappointed that he wasn’t given the task, Ko Wanghur clicked his tongue. Compared to the other Six Swords, this was supposed to be his first huge appearance, so he wanted to be of more use. Unlike him, Hu Bong laughed and said, “With this incident, the entire Wulin will know about the power of our Lord. Hurray! Maybe the Lord will be given some kind of title or name?” Until then, Chun Yeowun wasn’t known to anyone other than the Demonic Cult. However, with this, the fact that he overpowered three leaders of the Forces of Justice will be known, maybe there was a chance for a special title. For any warriors in the Wulin, a title meant a rise in their reputation. “I’m looking forward to it, hehe.” -------- Three days later, The prisoners of war who were captured by the Demonic Cult returned back. Not only the head of the Peng family, Peng-gyu, but also the swordswoman of Soorin mountain and Yeon Buso, the son of the Great Leader, had gone to the palace for a chance to redeem themselves. The Great Leader and three other leaders had received the reports from Oh Hye of Hangsan clan and Peng Yeo-sik, lieutenant of the Peng family. “Huh. How could this happen… Amitabha.” Ambassador of the Soorim temple, 2nd leader Gak-yeon, was memorizing sutras with a serious expression. It was because this was something that no one had predicted. Who would have imagined that three leaders would end up getting turned into hostages? “Is that really true?” 6th leader, Elder Poong Chungwun of the Forces of Justice, asked Oh Seon, a member of the Hangsan clan, in complete disbelief. They did understand that the power of Chun Yeowun had increased, but they didn’t expect it to reach such a level. “It is the truth. Even leader Yeon was no match for him.” Oh Seon remembered the confrontation which took place at that time. The expressions on the faces of the leaders went sour as they kept on listening. The more they heard about the confrontation, the closer it seemed like a one-sided attack. ‘Did he just steal the Air Swords and use them for his own attack?’ ‘No, that can’t be possible, right?’ This skill, which is known to be something that only the Supreme Masters could use, was the Air Sword. It was a level that only the five strongest warriors, who were currently known as the highly skilled ones of the Yulin, could do, but to disable the Air Swords meant that the opponent was of a much higher level than them. “W… were Elder Cheong-su’s words really true?” A story which no one was ready to believe at that time. Anyone who learnt martial arts would be aware of it. There were a lot of people who couldn’t climb to the Supreme Master level even if they practiced their whole life. Moreover, those who reached the Supreme Master level were only very few remarkable and known individuals. They could be counted on one’s fingers. And not a single person in Yulin who reached the Supreme Master level had climbed into the Divine Master level. ‘Does that mean that he is almost like a God now?’ All one could think of was that this person was chosen by the heavens. Poong Chungwun, who had been in shock for a while, asked the Peng family’s warriors. “By the way, what is it that you are wearing on your back?” “Ah!” At that question, the man’s expression darkened. It was more difficult than talking about what had happened in the Imperial palace. “… There’s something inside? Open it.” At that time, a middle-aged man, who hadn’t changed his expression like the other leaders, opened his mouth for the first time in the meeting. ‘Ah! 3rd leader.’ A man with thick eyebrows and dressed in luxurious blue silk. He was Nam Gung-kyong, the head of the Nam Gung family, a famous swordsman. ‘So he was here too.’ It was only natural for the warriors of Peng to be scared. Nam Gung-kyong, the eastern commander, was in charge of the battlefield in case the Blade God Six Martial clan crossed their borders. He is the 3rd leader. No one thought that he would come over from his position and attend the meeting. “Do as the 3rd leader said.” Poong Chungwun also nodded his head in agreement. After hesitating for a while, the warriors spoke. “Actually, the Lord of Demonic cult has asked me to deliver this wooden box to the leaders.” “The Lord of Demonic Cult?” “Y-yes.” The words „Lord of Demonic Cult“ garnered everyone’s attention. He untied the wooden box he was holding on his back and put it down in front of the Great Leader, Yi Mok’s seat. And when the lid of the wooden box was opened, the faces of the men who watched its content hardened. Shockingly, there were three severed arms inside the wooden box. “Wh-what is this!” The leaders, who just heard what happened in the Imperial Palace, couldn’t possibly not know whose arms they belonged to. It was clear that the arm in a grey monk’s robe belonged to Monk Sathi, and the well-musculary developed arm belonged to Peng-gyu. The last one, with the white sleeve, belonged to Yeon Buso. Bang! Everyone’s eyes turned when a huge sound roared from one’s seat. With eyes clearly in anger, those furious eyes belonged to the Great Leader of the Forces of Justice, who had never lost his cool so far. ‘He is angry.’ It was only natural for him to be angry, he just saw his son’s severed arm. Wheeeing! “Ah!” The severed arm in the white robe inside the wooden box floated in the air and got pulled in by Yi Mok. His eyes trembled in anger as he looked at his son’s severed arm. ‘Lord… of…the… Demonic… Cult.’ His heart, which was like a calm lake, was raging. Never once did the former leader, Chun Yeojung, ever make him this angry. ‘Is this because the Lord of Demonic Cult thinks that I can’t break the alliance?! How dare he test me!!’ Sending only a severed arm was like provoking and ridiculing the entire Yulin. But then, something caught his angry eyes. ‘This is?’ The severed arm was clenched in a fist, and something was inside it. He tried to open it, but the hand was clenched too tightly for him to open. ‘Hmm.’ When Yi Mok began to inject energy into the wrist of the severed arm, the stiff fingers finally stretched out, revealing it. Folded very tightly, something was written on a paper. ‘No way… this can’t be?’ It was strange. Why did he have to make the paper invisible even after placing it in the fist? Judging that it was something important, he carefully looked at it while making sure that the others didn’t know about this message. As he read the contents in her, Yi Mok’s expression changed. ‘!?’ Unaware of this, the leaders were having a serious conversation among themselves. 6th leader Poong Chungwun shook his head, not understanding anything, and spoke to 2nd leader Guk-yeong. “What do you think this means, monk?” “… I, this looks like a warning. The former Lord of the Demonic Cult was known to be a dangerous person, but this Lord is…” There was no need to continue. This act was a warning and provocation. It was as if they were being told that anyone who would get involved in the matter of the State Religion’s change will not be tolerated. “I never thought that this is how things would turn out. Amitabha!” They didn’t know how the Lord of Demonic Cult would react, yet there was no room to protest as they themselves had sent Yeon Buso and the others to the palace. Moreover, it was the Yulin who would lose a lot if the alliance was to be broken. ‘Uhmm. It doesn’t seem like this is the only issue.’ No one spoke, but the Lord of Demonic Cult and his people looked much more dangerous than the Blade God Six Martial clan. “This puts us in a bind.” Not being able to hide his frustration, Poong Chungwun shook his head. Tak! At that moment, Yi Mok put down the severed arm of Yeon Buso and after reading the contents of the paper, he spoke to the leaders. “I am putting forth a proposal.” “Proposal?” To the bewildered leaders, the Great Leader spoke in a low yet confident voice. “A proposal to break the alliance with the Demonic Cult.” Chapter 387 - Destruction (Annulment) (2) Chapter 387: Destruction (Annulment) (2) The abrupt proposal about the cancellation of the alliance by the Great Leader of the Forces of Justice and Yulin. It was enough of a shock so that every leader in the hall was confused. It was natural for the Great Leader to be furious as Yeon Buso was none other than his eldest son, but his decision seemed too extreme. “Amitabha! Great Leader. That request seems premature.” 2nd leader Guk-yeon didn’t directly oppose Yi Mok’s decision, but he thought that the timing wasn’t right. If they did cut ties with the Demonic Cult, they would be ending up surrounded by enemies. “Heavenly God! Great Leader. Although I share the same opinion and understand you in regards to the Lord of the Demonic Cult provoking us too much, it still is an unreasonable proposal to break the alliance.” The 6th leader, Poon Chungwun, objected the Great Leader‘s proposal too. Things would have been different if the Lord of the Demonic Cult was a kid lacking in politics like they originally judged him to be, but with the change in the State Religion, he proved that he was a monster with power. In a situation like this, it was risky to turn someone stronger than the Blade God Six Martial clan into their enemy. “Please, I request that you withdraw that proposal.” Even in the Yulin, the opinions of the two leaders who just spoke would never get ignored because of their reputation. Moreover, being the brain of the Forces of Justice, they had no choice but to discourage and decline the excessive action which would only bring war into their lands. “Does everyone think like that?” All eyes naturally turned towards the 3rd leader Nam Gung-kyong at the question of Yi Mok. It was always necessary for any proposal to have two sides. But, ‘Nam Gung-kyong is a person who has an extreme tendency to go against alliances.’ It was a concern for the people. Even when the truth about the Blade God Six Martial clan was revealed, he was the person who took the lead in opposing the alliance along with Penggyu and Dang Pil-ho, the head of the Dang family. Besides, he was one of the leaders who taught Yeon Buso. Surprisingly, the 3rd leader Nam Gung-kyong looked very worried. ‘…Is that the correct decision?’ It was natural that he was worried. Even within the Yulin, only a few people knew his true identity. He was one of the five families in Jianghu who were believed to be Extremists hoping for a clean world. From the viewpoint of those who were trying to create a world of Justice, the break in the alliance would be welcomed with open arms. ‘Even if Yeon Buso’s arm was cut off, this is an extreme reaction considering the character of the Great Leader.’ Even though Yi Mok’s clan wasn’t that famous or the most flourishing one, he was able to become a member of the Forces of Justice with his skills. However, the means to how he was able to become the Great Leader of the Yulin weren‘t because they were passed down from the elder generation, but because he himself was full of energy and smart enough to achieve the title. And such a Great Leader was coming up with a rash decision. ‘Hmm…’ Nam Gung-kyong’s mind was turning into a mess. In a way, this was an opportunity he shouldn’t miss. ‘At this year’s festival, everyone from the Demonic Cult and the Blade God Six Martial clan will be gathered. It has always been said that the mass killing was barely successful by the books left by the elders, but if the Empire supports us, we might be able to eliminate the leaders of both factions at once!’ Ten days left until the Dano festival begins. At that time, the leaders of the three major powers and the new clan, the Blade God Six Martial Clan, will gather to renew the non-aggression treaty between the Wulin and Imperial family. Opportunities for the heads to gather were very rare. Just the Lord or the main leader of the faction had to be removed. That would be a great opportunity for the Yulin to show their true power. Nam Gung-kyong raised his head and looked at the Great Leader. His eyes seemed focused on going through with the decision of Yi Mok. ‘I guess he is serious.’ If a person like Peng-gyu had placed such a proposal, then Nam Gungkyong would have avoided getting involved in it, thinking of it as a proposal for personal gain, but for the Great Leader himself to put it. Nam Gung-Kyong couldn’t stop feeling suspicious, so he finally decided to ask Yi Mok himself. “Could you let me know why you had to make such a decision?” At that question, Great Leader Yi Mok opened his mouth without any hesitation. “In the beginning, I promoted this alliance in the hopes of outwitting evil with the help of the Demonic Cult. But I was wrong.” “Wrong?” “I have come to realize that if we compromise with one evil in order to get rid of another, it will go against the noble ideas of the Forces of Justice, which have been established since ancient times! Even now, I should correct what I did wrong so we don’t create even more problems in the coming days.” Nam Gung-kyong’s eyes lit up at the words of Yi Mok. At first he was skeptical of the abrupt break in alliance, but it didn’t seem like he had to worry. This was surely an opportunity he wasn’t supposed to miss. ‘This is the chance the leaders should take. I need to put an end to this discussion before the Great Leader comes to change his thoughts.’ Pondering for a while, Nam Gung-kyong opened his mouth. “I heard the resolve of the Great Leader. That nobility of thinking for justice moved my heart. As someone who once opposed the alliance, I am in favor of the Great Leader’s proposal.” “Huh.” A sigh escaped from the 2nd leader’s mouth. This was an expected reaction from Nam Gung-kyong. [Elder Poong. This could be a really long day. Amitabha.] [We need to stop them from going ahead.] 6th leader, who judged that the situation wasn’t turning out well, spoke. “Great Leader! All the decisions need to be made after a fair meeting, so it won’t be possible to proceed unless more than half of the leaders are present. If you are going to make such a proposal, shouldn’t you be summoning all of the leaders?” Poong Chungwun only wanted to buy time. In anger, Yi Mok wasn’t facing reality. With Yi Mok’s personality, if the 6th leader could buy even one day’s time, there was a chance that he would withdraw the proposal the next day. But, “There is no need for that. All the leaders are busy with their duties. Since this was a proposal made by the Great Leader, how about we just go ahead placing our belief in him?” “No! leader Nam Gung!” In Nam Gung-kyong’s opinion both Gak-yeon and Poon Chungwun looked at him with shocked expressions. The greatest authority in the Forces of Justice was in the Great Leader’s hands. As Poong Chunwun said, since the Forces of Justice were made up of numerous clan leaders, all leaders had to meet to decide any matter, but there are possibilities for exceptions. The decision made by the Great Leader, the Great Leader’s Order. The Great Leader could use his authority and process his proposal three times. That was the maximum number of times he could use his authority, and everyone had to follow him without any disagreement. “Leader Nam Gung! How can you talk about invoking the Great Leader’s Order on such an important matter!” Even Poong Chungwun, who would never lose his cool, raised his voice. It was because everyone would lose their right to vote on the matter if the Order got triggered. However, since the Order was such a tricky thing, the past Great Leaders have been extremely careful when using it. The current Great Leader, Yi Mok, had never used it before. “Great Leader, choose this carefully…” “This is good. Following the 3rd leader’s opinion, we’ll go ahead with the use of the Great Leader’s Order in this matter.” “Huh! Great Leader!” “How can you make such a… Amitabha! Amitabha!” The two leaders couldn’t hide their displeasure at the words of Yi Mok, who seemed dead-set on going through. On the other hand, Nam Gung-kyong couldn’t stop smiling. ‘This is not a lie! This is definite!’ All the concerns he had disappeared. Finally, an opportunity rose for him to work as a member of the extremist group. ‘He will be very pleased with this.’ -------- Late at night. In the office of the Forces of Justice. A single candle in a white porcelain lamp was illuminating the dark room. The man in the room opened up a crumpled paper, which seemed more like a booklet, and read it. [The Lord of the Demonic Cult. Call me Chun Yeowun. First of all, I would like to apologize to you for hurting your son and the other leaders inside the Imperial palace. However, I thought that if I didn’t do it, the leader of the Forces of Justice wouldn’t believe me, so I couldn’t help but make all the lords feel a little uncomfortable. The Great Leader’s Oath will have to be made. If that is done, I will safely release your son and the two others. And I will also ask the emperor to consider Taoism in regards to diplomatic relations, in return I expect the Great Leader to do one thing for me. Due to the incident in the Imperial palace, the succession plan may have failed and the leaders of the Blade God Six Martial clan might not appear at the festival. Just like our academy, I heard that your faction is struggling with the problem of spies too. This is why I came up with a good plan. And for that, the Great Lord should…] It was written in a crumbled booklet. In order to deceive the enemies who placed spies, it was written that one should deceive the allies too, along with a message to cancel the alliance for a while. Yi Mok was angry, but he wasn’t interested in taking such extreme steps. However, while reflecting on the contents in the booklet-like letter, he thought that the Lord of the Demonic Cult was rather reasonable. ‘… this is no different than a gamble.’ Wheeing. Yi Mok, who read the contents once again, burned it in the candle. The booklet crumbled and disappeared into ashes. His eyes gleamed strangely as he looked at it. -------- A deep valley of the Yeongja Bong peak, a mountain not far from the southwest of the main building of Forces of Justice. A cave, deep in the dark valley, was covered with bushes. It looked like a cave where wild beasts lived. It was quiet inside. In front of the entrance of such a cave, an unidentified black long-haired man appeared with a bamboo hat. The bamboo hat wearing man knelt down on the entrance of the cave which was empty and opened his mouth. “I have a message for your orders.” As soon as those words fell, a figure moved within the cave. This figure, which gave out no energy whatsoever, was wearing a black mask which completely covered the eyes. One wouldn’t be able to see what’s ahead, but the person didn’t seem comfortable. “How did it go?” A part of the lips, which were covered by the mask, moved. To the question of the masked person, the man answered in a confident voice. “Successful.” “Was the break of the alliance declared?” “It was!” At those words, the man took off the bamboo hat which was covering his face. Shockingly, the man was none other than Peng Yeo-suk of the Peng family. “As expected, everything went perfectly fine. No one spoke about anything, no one in the Peng family was suspicious either.” Peng Yeo-suk pulled up the skin that stretched like rubber. At that moment, the masked man spoke. “Stop it. It was made from a dead body. If you pull it like that, it’ll tear.” “Ugh! So-sorry.” Flustered, he let go of the cheek skin he was pulling at. The masked man asked Peng Yeo-suk. “Did the Extremists move?” “Just as the leader expected, he took care of it. If we make good use of this opportunity, I think we will be able to find out the identity of the person called Hoe-ju in the near future.” The masked man nodded his head in satisfaction. “Good. Three leaders. Until the day that the festival begins, see if they are moving according to the plans of the Forces of Justice.” “Yes!” Shhh! As soon as the masked man’s order fell, Peng Yeo-suk wore his bamboo hat and went back in the speed of light. The masked man mumbled looking in the direction he went. “Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun! I have been hiding my appearance all this time because you interfered in my matters. This time you will pay the price!” Chapter 388 - Non-Aggression Treaty (1) Chapter 388: Non-Aggression Treaty (1) Two days later, the announcement of the Forces of Justice spread all around Wulin. The disbanding of the Demon Justice Alliance in less than a year. Everyone in the Yulin knew that this wasn’t an alliance which would last very long, but this seemed too quick. Even the Forces of Evil, which didn’t know about the outside situation because of the recent internal affairs, were interested in it. The headquarters of the Forces of Evil located in the northwest of Sichuan. In the headquarters, the room used by their leader was the largest. There, a large man with scars all over his body was being informed by a middle-aged man who was wearing an eye patch on his left eye. “That is the current report on the status of Yulin.” “Kul, kul, this is going to be really fun.” The big man seemed like this was an interesting turn of events. It was because this was too good of an opportunity to let go. “Even if we just aim for the Dano Festival, we will end up getting satisfying results… But we are going to miss out on the great opportunity of killing everyone, all thanks to that damn ‘bastard‘!” For the first time, the balance between the three largest factions in Wulin broke down. The Blade God Six Martial Clan was one of the triggers. Unfortunately, because of the internal conflicts, the Forces of Evil didn’t have a chance to take this opportunity. “If the Master recovers his internal wounds, you can take them down at any time.” The big man didn’t respond to the words of the middle-aged man at all. It was because he had joined hands with this man for a better benefit, but it seemed like the future couldn’t be guaranteed. “… Master.” “Right, this isn’t strange or anything. This could be a very natural procedure. What was it again? The old waves of Yangtze river push the new waves ahead? I have been waiting for a long time for this moment to come.” The old waves of Yangtze river push the new waves ahead to replace the old waves. Just as the back waves in the Yangtze river will push the new waves ahead, it is said that a man of the new generation will soon replace the era of an old man. This big man was proud at heart, but he never believed that he could be the top person forever. “Leader! Don’t say such things! Aren’t you the Great Master ‘West Strong’ King?!” It has been a very long time since the middle-aged man worked for the Master, but seeing the weak figure before him, he couldn’t help but feel sorry. The true identity of the man, the one called master, was none other than Hang Yen, one of the five strongest warriors, the West Strong King! Who would have guessed that he, who had been in the Forces of Evil for thirty years, would receive treatment for internal injuries? If the information about his health had escaped this room, it would have caused a major change in the hierarchy of the Forces of Evil. “There are tens of thousands of soldiers looking forward to Master’s return. Shake off your injuries to get rid of that man as soon as possible! Please refrain yourself from speaking such weak things in front of your subordinates.” “Kul, you. I brought you because you used to be meek with your words, but look at your nagging now, Gar Mojam.” The middle-aged man. His true identity was Gar Mojam, the leader of the 18 River families of the Yellow River. He was a top skilled warrior in the Forces of Evil’s alliance. He was also the uncle of the three Gar brothers, who died at the hands of Chun Yeowun. “You are being too much, Master. I am responsible for 3 percent of this alliance’s funds, this is upsetting.” “Kul, kul, kul.” Those words, which were spoken out to make Hang yen feel better, were taken as a light joke. That was how much they valued and trusted each other. West Strong King, Hang Yen went back to the main point. “After listening to your words, I feel like I need to show people that the West Strong King is still alive and well.” “Master, you mean?” “I am talking about the non-aggression treaty which will be made.” A gleam could be seen in Gar Mojam’s eyes. The King himself was injured, and although he was quiet when compared to before, it was a hard reality that the West Strong King couldn’t mobilize power because of the internal conflicts and civil war in his region. “Master. How about we focus on treating your injuries first…” “No. If we don’t make myself present in the festival, the people of Wulin and ‘that guy’ will notice something is wrong.” “Ah!” Something he never thought of before. Certainly, as Hang Yen spoke, ‘that guy’ might be paying close attention to this festival as well. If the West Strong King didn’t send people to the non-aggression treaty by trying to focus on internal power, there was a high probability that ‘that guy’ would attack again. “It is our luck that every time the treaty got renewed, the Master had never gone there in person.” Hang Yen was someone who never attended the treaty because of his extreme pride, not once did he even consider visiting neither the Demonic Cult nor the Imperial Palace. But even if he didn’t attend, if he didn’t send a plausible and sensible person, ‘that guy’ was bound to notice. “Gar Mojam. Make sure to attend it.” “Sorry?” Gar Mojam was perplexed at the unexpected command from Hang Yen. “Master! Under the current circumstances, if I leave and…” “Doesn’t matter. This place is guarded by the most skilled swordsmen.” Currently, the Master of Forces of Evil is being guarded by Gar Mojam, the 2nd in rank Gong Yun and the 5th ranked member of the Forces of Evil, Geum Jongsa. Although those three were guarding him, if one of them went missing, the safety of the injured Hang Yen might get compromised. Hang Yen smiled bitterly at Gar Mojam, who seemed worried. “I am not going to just send you away.” “Then?” “Those bastards of the Demonic Cult killed my nephews.” It was a fact that was found out after hurting the head of the Osang family. In the beginning, he didn’t hear anything from him, but after killing half of his family, he finally decided to speak up. “… we have some debts to pay.” He spoke calmly, but his eyes held rage. Gar Mojam, who wasn’t married, never let anyone who touched his family or friends lead a happy life. It was just that, because of the civil war, his chance of getting revenge had been delayed. “Give me the chance to pay off the debt. When the treaty is done, confusion is sure to arise. And when the confusion starts, we’ll get to know if the Forces of Justice will be the first target or not, right?” Due to the announcement of the Forces of Justice alliance breaking news, the other incidents about the Forces of Justice were being dug out and the matter about the imperial palace had spread out too. Just combining the information they gathered, it was obvious who of the two factions would get targeted. Even if they decided to break ties, the Demonic Cult will be the first to move. “That son of Chun Yujong is running wild these days, someone has to teach him that people can’t run rampant in Wulin just because they‘re ignorant.” Thud! Hang Yen looked at the chest which was covered in scars. The wounds he had suffered from the former Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yujong. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t help but retreat when he was facing the former Lord of the Demonic Cult. ‘I will repay you for the disgrace I had to face with the life of your child’s!’ Gooooo! Even though he was injured, the energy Hang Yen was releasing would make anyone think that he was in good health. “Understood. I will make sure to fulfil my Master’s orders and return.” As Hang Yen ordered, he had to leave in a hurry to attend the treaty. It took 8 days to get to the Tongho region. When Gar Mojam went to greet the Master before he left, Hang Yen asked something he was curious about. “By the way, when they decided to break the alliance this time, what was the Lord of the Demonic Cult called?” “… he was called the Changing Demon because he broke down the trust of the alliance by cutting the arms off of the three leaders of the Forces of Justice who went to the emperor as their envoys.” “Changing Demon? It is so like the Yulin to give out such names.” Except for those of their own faction, they would always give the worst kind of titles to the warriors of other factions. No matter how mad they were, to call the Lord of the Demonic Cult as a Changing Demon was like trying to belittle him. “But the warriors of Wulin don’t call him that. They use a very broad title for him.” “Broad?” “Even the emperor, the great emperor of the empire, said that he could never call the Lord of the Demonic Cult with such a reckless and belittling name, so he called the Lord of Demonic Cult the ‘Demon Emperor’.” “Emperor? Ha!” Hang Yen’s eyebrows rose. Even though he himself, a member of the five strongest warriors, only got to call himself ‘king’, this title for the Lord of the Demonic Cult made him furious. And, ever since the non-aggression treaty was signed, not a single person from the Wulin dared to threaten the Imperial palace directly either. “Make sure that he never gets called with that name ever again.” “Gar Mojam from Yellow River. I obey the command of the Master!” -------- Four days before the non-aggression treaty. The imperial palace envoys arrived at the main hall of the Forces of Justice. In the main hall, eight leaders of the Forces of Justice and the envoy from the Imperial Palace were bowing their heads to greet each other. The person who was from the Imperial palace to deliver the news was Yeongjo, the Northern Commander. Standing in front of the first seat, Yeongjo opened a scroll which had a name on it and proceeded to recite its contents. “… the location will be held in the Jin Castle in Tongho. As it is a peaceful place for both the Wulin and the Imperial family to attend, the number of escorts apart from the heads of each faction shouldn’t exceed 100, and during the ceremony…” As they read the contents, the leader’s expression turned strange. All the three largest factions would probably feel the same way about the treaty. ‘The moment the treaty comes to an end, war will start.’ So, once the meeting came to an end, the leaders tried to prepare for an emergency situation and mobilized the elite warriors from North Justice Blades, the best armed groups in the entirety of Yulin. But, with the content of the emperor’s message, their plan was blocked. ‘Only one group can be sent.’ Of course, that didn’t mean that it was the only way. Representatives of each faction could enter without any restrictions. For example, if the representative of a third clan from Yulin was present there, they might have an edge over the other factions in terms of power. And such a thing would only happen for the Forces of Justice because it was formed by various clans. ‘I know very well who came up with those thoughts. Huhuhu’ A smile crept across the lips of 3rd leader Nam Gung-kyong, who was bowing his head. The current Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun, was still residing in the Imperial palace. Even so, when the alliance gets broken up, the Lord of the Demonic Cult was in the middle of the Yulin’s realm. There were already people of the North Justice Blade of Yeon Buso around the palace. Whenever the Lord of Demonic Cult came out, they would be ready to hit him. ‘This is no use. Lord of the Demonic Cult, no matter what you do to move His Majesty, you will not be able to come out of Tongho alive.’ There were more than a hundred small and medium sized factions which had the same thoughts as the Extremists. Moreover, in case of any emergency, they had already hidden their men everywhere in Tongho, which meant that, in case of an emergency, the Yulin had enough warriors on their side. ‘On the other hand, the Lord of the Demonic Cult’s troops are stranded south of Yellow River.’ Before announcing the break in the alliance, the seven clans of Yulin and six clans from the Hubei region, as well as the disciples of clans which were at the borders of the Yellow River, were prepared to block the forces of the Demonic Cult who would try to advance to the north of the festival. Even if the members of the Demonic Cult wanted to use other methods, they wouldn’t find any way out. ‘This is quite clever.’ As if that wasn’t enough, the Blade God Six Martial clan and the Forces of Evil were keeping an eye on their borders to block the movement of the Demonic Cult’s members too. This was done without any agreement with each other. ‘Even they know that this is a great opportunity. There was only one mistake you made, Lord of the Demonic Cult and that was to create a sense of crisis for everyone!’ And with their members being blocked off at the borders, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun, could only mobilize about 50 members who were currently residing in the Imperial palace. And this was great news to others. A perfect chance to kill Chun Yeowun, the worst kind of enemy, who reached Divine Master level. ‘This is the perfect time to reach our goal!’ A member of the Extremists had managed to complete the Extreme Martial Body. But due to the lack of time, their technique wasn’t tested on many people, but it was said that it had great effect on the successfully completed eighty members. ‘Demon Emperor? Don’t joke with me. Evil never crosses the sky. For the sake of the clear blue sky, Tongho will be your grave!’ Nam Gung Kyong ‘s eyes flashed as they looked at the floor. Starting from the festival, the situation of Wulin would change completely. -------- Time flew by quickly. The long awaited festival had arrived. Dano, the great day, which fell on the 5th lunar month, was known to be auspicious. The Dano Festival, the day when the yang is most prosperous in the year, the festival originated the reign of King Hui of the Chu Dynasty and spread all over. Jin Castle was located in the heart of Tongho. Tongho was the first capital where Zhu Won-myeong, the first emperor, had initially resided and it is a place where he made an oath to the gods of heaven and earth to save the people of his kingdom. In commemoration of that, the non-aggression treaty between the Imperial Family and the people of Wulin was being held in Tongho. It wasn’t a very big castle because it was a small region, but it was enough to accommodate 20,000 people. Before the treaty ceremony started at noon, officials of the Imperial palace, 200 Guards and three thousand soldiers were lined up in five rows. Thud! Thud! Thud! The Guards of the Imperial palace, who were guarding the Castle Gates, were beating the drums as they shouted. “The leaders of Yulin and the heads of each faction have arrived!” The first to arrive were the Yulin clan. It was natural since this place came under their realm. Thud! The first person to step through the entrance of the castle gate was the Great Leader of the Forces of Justice. Yi Mok took a deep breath while examining the castle and the decorations which were put up for the ceremony. ‘Finally, is it going to start?’ Starting today, new changes are going to occur. Five leaders, leading the 243 warriors of each clan, the heads of multiple small factions and a hundred elite warriors of the North Justice Blade, who came back from the Imperial Palace in defeat, entered the palace with determination. Chapter 389 - Non-Aggression Treaty (2) Chapter 389: Non-Aggression Treaty (2) “You can go this way.” The first to enter the Jin Castle of the Wulin people were the heads of each clan of Yulin, who moved to the opposite side of the Imperial palace’s guards under the guidance of the imperial guards. The people of Yulin who were assigned a place close to the western gate got into a formation right away. It showed how orderly and disciplined their faction was. Among those, there were those who couldn’t hide their energy, the elite warriors of North Justice Blade. ‘It was worthwhile to bring in 100 of the North Justice Blade.’ The 3rd leader, Nam Gung-kyong, couldn’t hide his satisfaction while looking at the warriors. The leader of North Justice Blade, one of the best forces of Yulin, was under Yeon Buso, the eldest son of Yi Mok. The warriors of North Justice Blade seemed to be in anger when they learned that Yeon Buso had been captured by the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun, in the Imperial palace. The air seemed to have turned cold, perhaps because they wanted blood to flow. ‘Lord of the Demonic Cult. You have a talent for making enemies.’ The North Justice Blade is made up of only those who are extremely skilled. For the Extremists to have this power on their side was something that could instil confidence in them, and with 100 North Justice Blade warriors, they could destroy 2 to 3 Demonic Cults in one night. Furthermore, ‘Did you pressure the 300 guards and eunuchs? Would you be able to do that again this time?’ The people who attended this time were all masters. There was Yi Mok, the Supreme Master, and the five leaders who were all Superior Masters, including Nam Gung-kyong. Moreover, from the small and medium clans, there were more than 50 Super Master level warriors. They were fully prepared to face the Divine Master. ‘This will be the same for the Forces of Evil and the Blade God Six Martial clan too!’ They will bring their best power to kill Chun Yeowun too. If the three forces attacked at once, it was determined that, no matter how strong Chun Yeonwun was, he wasn’t invincible. ‘The main point comes after dealing with the Lord.’ After dealing with a common enemy, the Demonic Cult, all the other three factions will end their alliance immediately. And the factions which survive in that position will turn into a major faction in the Yulin. ‘At that specific moment.’ He looked up at the sky, the sun was heading towards the middle of the sky and noon was approaching. At the western gate of Jin Castle, the sound of drums echoed around. Thud! Thud! Thud! “The leaders of the Forces of Evil and their clan heads are entering.” The second to arrive were the Forces of Evil. The eyes of Poong Chungwun, a long time member of the Forces of Justice, widened. ‘I heard there was a civil war happening, yet they are attending?’ Even within the Wulin, there were spies placed in each faction. It was done by the Forces of Justice who knew that the Forces of Evil were complicated to deal with. Naturally, they thought that no one would be dispatched to the treaty. ‘Gar Mojam from the Yellow River!’ ‘No way. Why is he here?’ A middle-aged man with a black eye patch entered through the gate. He was the head of the 18 River families and also a tyrant, someone very close to the Forces of Evil. And there were 17 men, who seemed like leaders, who came after him. ‘That one is Bok Ho-sun.’ Jegal Yong-un, the 13th leader of the Forces of Justice, who was the head of intelligence, immediately noticed that one person. The River Family‘s Bok Ho-sun. It was said that Chun Yeowun had drowned them all in the river with his own hands. ‘Where are they?’ As soon as Gar Mojam entered the castle, he looked for the Demonic Cult. One of the facts he found out about them was that the Demonic Cult were looking for the base of the Blue Sky Brotherhood. As a result, it was Gar Mojam who was convinced that the true culprit wasn’t the Blue Sky Brotherhood but the Demonic Cult who disappeared overnight. Today, he was going to make sure to let the blood of Demonic Cult flow for the sake of his nephews, and the Blue Sky Brotherhood’s men who died. ‘I will never forgive those demonic bastards!’ Who the real culprit is was still unknown, but he hoped to find someone called Yang Danwa among the Demonic Cult‘s members. He only heard this name once when he hypnotised someone. [A young man with a pure white face, named Chun Yeowun, the head of the Demonic Cult… ah… they must have come from the Ten Thousand Mountains seeing Yang Danwa there, but also witnessing the Lord treat him so politely, he seemed like a high ranked member of the Cult!] It was said that Yang Danwa had beheaded a person on the command of Chun Yeowun. If he came to the treaty, Gar Mojam was sure to pay back twice the number. He was planning to find out every single member of the cult and decapitate them. Thud! Thud! Thud! Gar Mojam and the River families, as well as hundreds of warriors below them, were about to get into formation under the guidance of the imperial guards, when suddenly the drums began to echo from the east. ‘Is it them?’ ‘Have they arrived?’ The gazes of both, the Forces of Evil and the Forces of Justice, went towards the eastern gate at the same time. Among the three largest factions, the only one remaining was the Demonic Cult. The one who entered was someone other than the one they wanted, the new power and the leading faction, Blade God Six Martial clan. “The three leaders of the Blade God Six Martial clan are entering!” At the shout of the guard, the eyes of all the leaders turned sharp. It would be their first time seeing these people. Through their hands, the sub clans of the Forces of Justice were completely destroyed. ‘Three leaders?’ The Yulin thought that as they were made of six clans, there would be six leaders controlling numerous clans, but only half of them seemed to have come. But the fact that only half of them are here meant a lot. It meant that they were aiming for peace through this treaty. ‘They are coming.’ Everyone’s attention was focused on the spot where they would confront these leaders for the first time. They saw three people walking side by side at the eastern gate. On the left side was an old man with short white hair and red scabbard, and the one in middle was with long hair, and a black cloth covering his eyes. And on the right side was another middle-aged man with a beard and well developed muscles without wearing a top. What was unusual about him was the fact that he was wearing a huge sword that was of the same height as him on his back. “They are unusual, Great Leader.” “…” Yi Mok didn’t respond to the 6th leader Poong Chungwun’s words who was puzzled. However, he had a serious expression on his face. “Great Leader, what should we do?” “… Elder Poong. Maybe everyone here today will risk their lives.” “?” “All three of them are Supreme Masters. Besides… one of them is powerful enough to compete with a Great Leader like me too.” “!?” Poong Chungwun couldn’t help but be shocked at the words of Yi Mok. He couldn’t estimate the exact level of them. He knew that they would be better than him, but he never imagined that they would be so dangerous. “Ugh, what does that mean? Great Leader, does this mean all three of them are capable enough to be on the same level as the five strongest warriors?” At that question, Yi Mok looked at the man in the middle who covered his eyes in a black cloth. The two men on either side of him seemed to have reached the entry stage of Supreme Master level, but the man who covered his eyes with the black cloth looked to be on the same level as Yi Mok. The five strongest warriors had different abilities, but when the standard is taken in a general term, then this blindfolded man can be called one of them. “This…!” Gasp escaped from Nam Gung-kyong’s mouth. In fact, it was a voice closer to embarrassment. There were twelve other masters with unusual energy flows who followed behind the three main leaders, and to his surprise, all of them were Superior Master level. Besides that, the hundred warriors behind them were all close to the initial stage of Super Master level, it looked like they brought in all of their elite warriors. ‘It-it makes no sense to have that much power with them!’ Everyone thought that other factions would come fully prepared. However, this was far beyond the expected range. The first goal of Nam Gung-kyong was to get rid of the common enemy, the Demonic Cult’s Lord Chun Yeowun, and then aim for the Blade God Six Martial clan, but never did he think that he would have to revise the plan. ‘Lord of the Demonic Cult, with him, these ones should be taken down first.’ It was Nam Gung-kyong’s attempt to conserve his power and use it when it was needed the most. If he went according to the first plan and removed the Lord of Demonic Cult with the help of Blade God Six Martial clan, then Yulin forces would have a hard time taking down Blade God Six Martial clan all by themselves. The number of Super Masters and Superior Masters the Blade God Six Martial clan possessed was overwhelming. ‘It looks like they are shocked. Hehe!’ The muscular man without the shirt smiled when he looked at the stiff faces of the Yulin forces. That was when the white-haired man on the left spoke softly after clicking his tongue. “Tch, why do you care what their reactions are like? They are gonna die anyway. Crazy Sword Master, Cha Yunkang.” The man wearing a sword that was his height was one of the top three of the Six Martial Masters of the Clan, Crazy Sword Master Cha Yunkang. Among the top three Martial Masters, he was the only one who competed in the Extreme Art of Blade God. “Why are you being so stern with me now, Fire Sword Master, Noh Dokyung? You are too old to know the joy of being in the spotlight.” The white haired old man, who had a red sword on him, was the Fire Sword Master, one of the Six Martial Masters of the clan. Among the Six Martials, he had been the only person to hold the title of Sword Master for the longest time. Ignoring their chatter, the blindfolded man in the middle spoke to the white haired one. “I expect that everything is well prepared.” “Yes, Sword Master Lee Wook. Once the Sword Master sends a signal, not a single person inside these walls will be able to survive.” The person who covered his eyes with the black cloth was one of the Six Martial Masters, Sword Master Lee Wook. He was the older brother of Lee Baek, who died through the hands of Chun Yeowun. Ever since that incident, Sword Master Lee Wook had been in a bad mood, at which Do Kwang shook his head and spoke. “We are soon going to use the ‘Rage Roaring Thunder’, Sword Master Lee Wook. Wouldn’t everything be solved once the Lord of the Demonic Cult gets removed from this world? Do you not believe in the technique that will be used?” Rage Roaring Thunder. A bomb made by an explosive’s expert a hundred years ago. It was the worst weapon with an explosion radius equivalent to five times the normal blast made by energy. Since the materials needed for the bomb were difficult to obtain, manufacturing it turned hard. Even the Blade God Six Martial clan only had a few and they were all laid out in the underground of this castle. “Even if they are used, it is natural for us to prepare for any mishaps. Even if we remove everyone in here, including that Lord of the Demonic Cult, we would only be taking one small step to our goal.” “… I don’t have time to listen to this. Fine.” The blindfolded man was already crazy before, but after losing his brother, he turned even colder and much more obsessed. After all, the person in charge of this task was Sword Master Lee Wook. Following the orders of the Great Master, they decided to follow and help him. Even the others of the Six Martial masters highly praised him for his thoroughness. ‘As long as this man is here, no one will survive. You, Lord of the Demonic Cult, have interfered with our plans enough times. You will be brought to justice here.’ In that way, the three factions of Wulin had gathered – the Yulin, the Forces of Evil and the Blade God Six Martial clan. The only one that was left was the Demonic Cult. It would be difficult to come to the castle as their path was being blocked. Noon, when the sun was high in the sky. Yet, not a sign of Demonic Cult. Naturally, the leaders of each faction had no choice but to be puzzled. ‘What is this? Why are they so late?’ ‘Are they going to abandon their pride and hide in the Imperial palace?’ It was what everyone was thinking. But then.. Thud! Thud! Thud! At that moment, the drumming sound came from the southern gate of the castle along with the shouts of the imperial guard above the wall. “The Lord of the Demonic Cult is entering!” ‘Finally, they are here!!!’ Wooong! All three factions, which had gathered inside, looked at the southern gate. The cult was the only faction they had targeted and it finally appeared. The guards hadn’t informed about any other leaders or cultists coming along, since they were all blocked near the Yellow River. [As soon as the Lord of the Demonic Cult steps foot into the castle, the war will begin!] [Yes!] At Sword Master Lee Wook’s telepathic order, Master Yi Gam, who assisted him, nodded and answered. Shockingly, the moment they were aiming for wasn’t the end of the treaty like how it was for the Forces of Evil and Forces of Justice. The moment of the beginning of the treaty was known to be the most auspicious moment of all. But that didn’t matter to them, let it be royals or warriors. After all, the Blade God Six Martial clan had decided to kill everyone to keep this matter shut. Thud! Thud! Thud! Some heavy footsteps could be heard from the gate. Everyone looked at the situation curiously, but a few members of the Demonic Cult came in from the northern gate with four to five large wooden boxes and brought them into the castle grounds. It looked strange as the members of the cult were covered in dirt, like they had been rolling in the ground for quite some time. ‘What is that?’ ‘What did they bring?’ As if coming late wasn’t enough, they came in with wooden boxes. Even the top three Masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan were looking at the boxes. When the wooden boxes reached the centre, where the officials and the guards were present, the members of the Demonic Cult came to a sudden halt. ‘What? How big is he?’ In the midst of the warriors of the cult, there was a muscular man twice the size of a normal male adult. Who could ever be that tall? At that moment, the large man kicked the wooden box with his foot. Bang! Creak! The large box fell and with the sound of metal pieces colliding, something fell out. It was something which was round and twice the size of human fists, and it seemed to have a wick on top of it. Woong! ‘What is that?’ ‘An iron ball?’ Everyone seemed puzzled with it, it was their first time seeing such an item, but there were those whose expressions went siff. The Masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan. They couldn’t hide the shock as their mouths opened wide seeing the iron balls which came out of the wooden box. “Nonsense!!” “They, how did they…?” The identity of the iron ball that came out of the wooden boxes was none other than the Rage Roaring Thunder bombs, which they had planted in the underground of the Jin Castle. ‘What the hell!’ Even Lee Wook was shocked, the large man knelt down on one knee and looked at a member who was standing in the middle of the imperial officials, and shouted in a large voice. Pak! “Sorry for being late. Since there were so many, we had to dismantle them and remove every last one of them, Lord.” ‘What!?’ ‘Lord!?’ Everyone looked at the man, who looked like an official of the palace with shock in their eyes, as the large man spoke unexpected words. Chapter 390 - The Heavenly Demon Emperor (1) Chapter 390: The Heavenly Demon Emperor (1) A middle-aged official with a round face was standing on the podium. It was an official uniform, in the Imperial palace he would be someone in a high position, but from the standards of Wulin, he was nothing more than an ordinary person. There wasn’t a single sign of internal energy in him, he wasn’t any different compared to a normal person. So why did that large man get down on his knees and refer to that person as his Lord? ‘Besides, doesn’t he look different from what I’ve heard?’ In the entirety of Wulin, the Lord of the Demonic Cult was being called the ‘Heavenly Demon Emperor’ and his appearance was orally spread to each faction. The moment he would come out from the palace, the factions were ready to send him to heaven. While everyone was shocked, the middle-aged official turned his head and looked at a middle-aged man in blue armor and a eunuch in red, who were standing on the left side of the podium. They were Yeongjo, the Northern Commander and an eunuch from the West Spear. They couldn’t hide their shock when they saw the iron balls roll out of the wooden box. The middle-aged man spoke to them. “Do you want to check them?” “How could such large amounts of bombs be hidden in the Jin castle?” “They are a lot bigger than the ones in the Imperial palace’s armory! How could these bombs be in here?” Everyone who was paying attention to what was happening on the podium began to whisper amongst themselves. They weren’t particularly paying attention to the words, but the word ‘bomb’ was what shocked them. Whisper! Whisper! “Wh-what did I just hear?” “Are those iron balls bombs?” Nearly a hundred or more iron balls poured out of a single wooden box. And if they added up that there were five boxes in total, there were at least five hundred bombs. And since they would need gunpowder for such items, it would be impossible to procure it unless they had an official permission. “We can’t possibly be making a non-aggression treaty with those who possess such dangerous weapons.” “We need to inform His Majesty right away.” Commander Yeongjo and the West Spear’s eunuch shuddered while looking at those bombs. The fact that such large amounts of bombs were hidden in the basement meant that someone was trying to kill everyone in the palace with an explosion. ‘How did this happen?!’ Sword Master Lee Wook couldn’t understand. All of a sudden, he took off the black cloth that had been covering his eyes and looked at the bombs. There were supposed to be members of the Blade God Six Martial clan at the entrance of the underground in the castle. However, finding the bombs meant that his men had been taken down. ‘Ah! That isn’t the problem now!’ Sword Master Lee Wook, who was shocked at the discovery of the bombs, realized an even bigger problem. The bombs, the Raze Roaring Thunder bombs, were the last resort if they couldn’t take down the Lord of the Demonic Cult. And the bombs were discovered by the people of Chun Yeowun! ‘Are those guys members of the Demonic Cult too?’ Sword Master Lee Wook glared at the officials on the podium. Since they were too invested in the situation and the fact whether the Lord of Demonic cult was coming or not, they hadn’t realized that the emperor who was supposed to be there to sign the treaty hadn’t even arrived yet. The fact that it was past noon and the emperor hasn’t arrived meant, ‘This was their very intention from the beginning, to wait until the bombs were found! The treaty wasn’t even a priority for them!’ And he was right. The officials on the podium reached out to the bombs that were poured on the floor. Shockingly, two iron balls floated into the air and got sucked into the hands of an official. “Te- telekinesis!” “Unbelievable! That man is at the very least a Superior Level Master!” The man looked so ordinary that when he showcased such skill, the people of Wulin couldn’t help but be shocked. Telekinesis, which used by the official, was something only people with great internal energy and above Superior Master level could perform. Nam Gung-kyong, the 3rd leader of the Forces of Justice and member of the Extremists, was perplexed. ‘Is that man really the Lord of the Demonic Cult?’ Still, he couldn’t feel anything from the official. Not caring about the reactions of the Wulin people, the official pulled in the two bombs and handed them over to Northern Commander Yeongjo. “Didn’t I tell you that one faction would definitely do such a thing? You need to take this to His Majesty and inform him of this situation immediately.” “Understood!” “If it wasn’t for Lord Chun’s warning we would have been in huge trouble. We will definitely inform him!” Pak! At the same time, the other two men thanked Chun Yeowun. They were going to take those and tell the emperor what they had seen. “You need to hurry.” At Chun Yeowun’s warning, the faces of the two men went stiff. Because they understood the meaning of the warning. It was impossible for a group of people who were bold enough to hide such bombs in the underground to not have something else planned. “We will!” Phat! The two of them sprinted towards the northern gate at the same time. Fortunately, they were both Superior Masters who were only on the podium to confirm Chun Yeowun’s warning. And their footwork was a lot lighter and faster than most people of Wulin had. At that sight, Sword Master Lee Wook was in shock. “Crazy Sword Master!” “Tch! Things are going awry right from the beginning!” If those people went out of the castle gate and went to the Imperial palace to inform them of the matter, they would end up making enemies in not just Wulin but even the empire. It would end up going in a completely different goal from what they wanted. Phat! For the moment the bombs were revealed, Crazy Sword Master Cha Yunkang knew that things would go wrong. Thanks to his quick intuition though, he managed to head towards the northern gate. In accordance to that, Sword Master Lee Wook raised his hand and sent another signal. “Close it!” Then, twelve of his men, who were behind him, took the horn which was in his hand and blew hard. Puuuuuuuu!!! As if waiting for the sound of the horn, the warriors near each gate cut the thick rope which was pulling down the wooden gates. Slash! Thud! When the rope got cut, the wooden gate, which was supposed to stay open, began to close at once. “Wh-what the hell is this?” “Have they taken over the gates?” At that sight, people of the Yulin and the Forces of Evil couldn’t hide their embarrassment. The southern, eastern and western gates were closing at the same time. To get out of the castle, they had no choice but to jump over the huge wall which seemed like it was touching the sky. However, the northern gate was the only one that wasn’t closed yet. ‘They took them out too!’ Sword Master Lee Wook cursed to himself. Having found the bombs in the underground, it meant that the people of the Blade God Six Martial clan at the northern gate were also dealt with. When the northern gate was left open, the Crazy Sword Master, Cha Yunkang, felt annoyed. “Tch! Not helpful at all!” Srrrng! Cha Yunkang quickly pulled out the sword, which was the same size as him, from his back and turned it into a sword which suited him. Wong! He was planning to use internal energy to narrow the distance between him and the two officials; at once, he managed to cover a six foot distance. “When you are planning to fight, internal energy is supposed to gather in the palm.” All of a sudden, someone appeared between him and the two officials who were only 20 steps away from the gate. ‘How did he catch up?’ At the sound from his back, Yeongjo was shocked. It was absurd that he, who was known to be the best swordsman in the Imperial palace, was easily caught by a member of a faction! “I’m going to cut you down!” That wasn’t a bluff from the man following him. The sharp rise in energy was unusual. Whoever he was, he managed to cover up ten steps at once and tried to wield the huge sword in his eyes. ‘This is it for me! Those guys there…!?’ It was right then. Srrrrng! An afterimage appeared right in front of him. The blurry afterimage gradually turned darker and then there was an unidentified long-haired man with a unique mask. “You damn bastard! Stay out of this!” Chuk! The huge man tried to cut him at once, but the masked man evaded every incoming attack with versatile movements, and instead stabbed Cha Yunkang in the neck. Slash! “Haa?” Shocked, Cha Yunkang immediately leaned back. It was difficult for any other warriors to perform such an action in his stance, but the Six Martial Masters of Blade God Six Martial clan went beyond the limits of human beings. Pang! With his body leaned to the back, Cha Yunkang lightly moved his body to the side and quickly swung his huge sword to slash the masked man. Clang! In spite of attacking with tremendous power, the masked man didn’t move further than ten steps away and as he straightened himself, Cha Yunkang narrowed his eyes. “You… You are the Dark King.” The Dark King, Marakim. The name used for the man in the Demonic Cult who was in charge of giving death. He heard that Marakim was excellent in his escape from the attacks of dead Sword Master Lee Baek, but seeing it now, he looked like a true masterpiece. “You know me?” ‘The fact that he is here means that the Lord of the Demonic Cult is here too!’ According to the information gathered, Chun Yeowun, the Lord of Demonic Cult, resided in the imperial palace along with Great Guardian Marakim. The fact that he blocked him meant that one of the officials had to be a member of the Demonic Cult or the Lord himself. “Damn it!” Cha Yunkang ended up cursing. During the meantime, the two officials were already passing through the northern gate. He was supposed to catch up with them, but as a result of this man, he ended up wasting precious seconds. ‘Then that Lord is here too!’ Seeing how Cha Yunkang was blocked, Lee Wook bit his lower lip. The officials shouldn’t be allowed to let go. When Lee Wook raised his hands, three swords appeared. “Follow them!” As Lee Wook pointed to the gate, the three swords moved like arrows. Swosh! Swosh! Swosh! However, halfway to the northern gate, they stopped as if they couldn’t move anymore. As if blocked by a wall, the swords were trembling in the air. “Huh?” Lee Wook, who was shocked, couldn’t say anything. Fire Sword Master, Noh Do-yung, asked in shock. “How could that be happening?” “The control of the Air Swords got taken away.” “What? Taking control of the Air Sword? Who could even do that?” In response to the question, Sword Master Lee Wook looked at the man who was standing on the podium. The middle-aged official who was standing on the podium with his hand outstretched towards the three swords. ‘He is taking control of the Air Swords which are connected to my energy? Quite astonishing abilities.’ Even when Lee Wook raised energy, the swords only trembled but didn’t move ahead. All the people of Wulin who were gathered in the castle grounds went speechless at this sight. Woong! Woong! “Do-does that even make sense?” “Did the Air Swords really get blocked?” The Air Sword itself was a technique which would astonish the people of Wulin, but this middle-aged chubby official was blocking it with just his hand. It meant that he reached an unimaginable level. ‘Divine Master level!’ Among those in the castle, the five leaders of the Forces of Justice and Gar Mojam of the Forces of Evil were able to realize what it meant. Unless one was of Divine Master level, one couldn’t handle such techniques as effortlessly as he did. That man was truly a monster. An amazing thing happened when the official with a chubby face waved his stretched out hand. Wheeing! The swords, which stopped in mid-air, turned towards the opposite direction and aimed for the master of those swords. “This! What!” Sword Master Lee Wook’s eyes went wide due to the shock. The control, which was slowly drifting away, ended up in the hands of the official. The official looked at him and spoke in a cynical voice. “Take these back.” And as he waved a finger, the three swords rushed towards Sword Master Lee Wook. Ordinary warriors would have been shocked and bewildered, but these people were on the same level as the five strongest warriors. “Huh!” Clang! clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Sword Master Lee Wook, and Fire Sword Master Noh Do-yung, who was next to him, drew their swords and blocked the Air Swords. As if that wasn’t enough, they desperately tried to break down the connection of the Air Sword. Clang! An Air Sword was like the greatest weapon of a Supreme Master. ‘Damn it! How could the plan go wrong right from the beginning!’ It was Lee Wook, who was annoyed as his Air Swords got taken away. The two officials had already passed through the northern gate, they were nowhere to be seen. It was definite that catching up with them would be difficult. Whoops! Sword Master Lee Wook grinded his teeth and pointed his finger at the official on the podium and shouted. “Lord of the Demonic Cult Chun Yeowun! How long are you going to put up the beastly mask and act like that! Remove that mask and reveal yourself right now!” “Beastly mask?” Woong! At those words, all the eyes in the castle turned towards that official. They thought that he couldn’t be the lord because of the way he looked and from what they heard, but if that was a mask, then there was a good chance that he was the Lord of Demonic Cult! “Well, it was getting stuffy for me anyway.” The official chucked and grabbed the skin under his chin and pulled it out. The skin stretched like rubber and soon the mask peeled off, revealing the true face hidden behind it. The eyes of the Wulin people, who were looking at him, went wide in shock. ‘Ahhh!’ ‘It was true!’ ‘That is him, him!’ A young man with long hair, white face and sharp eyes like a blade – that is the one they heard so much about. The reputation that shook the entire Wulin. Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, who was called the “Heavenly Demon Emperor“, finally revealed himself.