Geom Mugeuk deliberately provoked him.
Geugak Soma had said that if one lacked sufficient inner force, there was no avoiding the Mutual Destruction Art. In other words, even the Demon Supremes could be in danger. The Lord of Villains’ Valley also had to live, since they needed to hear his clues about the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society.
But when it came to inner force, Geom Mugeuk was more confident than anyone here. No matter how profound Yang Cheogi’s inner force was, it could not surpass his own, which had already exceeded the Demon Supremes’ and now included the power he had absorbed from the Blissful Enchantress.
“Let’s go together, then, down that road to the Yellow Springs. I talk a lot, so at the very least, you won’t be bored.”
Yang Cheogi’s eyes, taking it as mockery, grew even redder. It was a hair-trigger moment, as if the Heavenly Light Instant-Kill Art might be unleashed at any second, yet Geom Mugeuk provoked him further.
“You really are leaving after dreaming only of things you’ll never achieve until the day you die.”
Those words were like touching Yang Cheogi’s reverse scale. Demon Supreme, Sect Master, Alliance Leader, even Valley Lord—he had achieved none of them, and the wound left by such a life was far too deep.
Just as Yang Cheogi decided, Yes, it will be you—
Whoooosh!
The Lord of Villains’ Valley, who had been waiting for his chance, sent a palm strike flying toward Yang Cheogi’s back.
From the Lord of Villains’ Valley’s perspective, Geom Mugeuk absolutely could not be allowed to die. If Geom Mugeuk died, there was no way the Demon Supremes would let him live.
Yang Cheogi spun around like a thunderbolt and thrust out a palm strike.
With an ear-splitting boom, both the Lord of Villains’ Valley and Yang Cheogi were shoved backward. Yang Cheogi was pushed back farther. It was not because his inner force was lacking, but because he had already drawn up his power to use the Heavenly Light Instant-Kill Art and thus could not fully display his usual strength.
The enraged Yang Cheogi shot out the Blood-Soaring Finger.
Piiing!
And the sound that followed was not the sound of the Blood-Soaring Finger piercing flesh, but the sound of a sword penetrating a body.
Thuk!
The Blood-Soaring Finger missed the Lord of Villains’ Valley’s face by a wide margin. Blood had splattered on the tip of Yang Cheogi’s outstretched finger.
He slowly lowered his head and looked down at his own chest. A blue-edged sword blade had emerged from his back and protruded out through the front of his chest.
With the sword still lodged in him, Yang Cheogi slowly turned around.
He had thought Geom Mugeuk or one of the Demon Supremes had ambushed him, but they were standing where they had been all along.
He saw the unfamiliar man who had launched the surprise attack. He was the Lord of Villains’ Valley’s last remaining limb, a master of stealth and swordsmanship. The Lord of Villains’ Valley’s final move had not been Seok No, but this man. The hidden ace he had kept secret even from Yang Cheogi had worked perfectly.
Yang Cheogi’s knees slowly buckled. He had neither the strength nor the chance to turn his head and choose someone else.
“Damn it… I had no intention… of taking you… with me.”
At that moment, red light burst from Yang Cheogi’s eyes.
Pop! Pop!
The two eyes of the man who had ambushed him burst, and he collapsed backward. At the same time, Yang Cheogi, who had poured out that light, also had both eyes burst and died on the spot.
If he had not done even this much, he would have died without ever using the Heavenly Light Instant-Kill Art, so he had no choice but to drag down the man who had ambushed him. An opponent whose name he did not even know.
He died without being able to use even his final secret art on the person he wanted. Just as Geom Mugeuk had said, even until his final moment, he had only dreamed of things he could never achieve before departing.
Geugak Soma gazed at his corpse impassively. It was the moment the long-standing grudge that had dragged on for so long ended with his martial uncle’s death, yet he revealed no emotion. He did not feel relieved, nor did he feel sorrow.
The Lord of Villains’ Valley, on the other hand, was smiling.
In the end, the one who had survived was himself. Though even his hidden trump card, his subordinate, had died, what mattered was that he had survived this moment.
“Spare me as promised!”
Yang Cheogi’s death, his subordinate’s death—none of it had any meaning to him.
Geom Mugeuk stared coldly at him and said,
“Whether you live or die depends on you.”
The Lord of Villains’ Valley began to speak about the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society.
“The leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society never revealed his identity. Even when he met us, he appeared wearing a bamboo hat with a veil attached. If we contacted him, he would not meet us. He was always the one who contacted us and set the time and place.”
“How did the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society draw you in?”
“What else? Money.”
He had offered an enormous sum, enough to move him.
“Still, don’t look down on me. Money is precisely what this position is. You people wouldn’t know. How unstable this seat is. How many madmen there are who would gladly die after sitting in it just once.”
What allowed him to protect that position was money.
The Strange Demon and the Iron Chain Master were both experts who could aim for the position of Valley Lord at any time. What bound their ambitions was also money, which allowed them to indulge in pleasure.
“You said you had a clue that could help find him.”
“That’s right. In exchange, promise me here and now. That you will spare me. Swear it on your Divine Cult.”
“I swear on my cult. If you give me a clue that can lead us to the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society, I will spare you.”
Only then did the Lord of Villains’ Valley reveal the clue.
“You think I blindly trusted a man calling himself the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society? I investigated him in secret. But it was not easy. Those I sent to investigate either disappeared or were found as corpses. Even so, I sent more, and then more. And in the end, I learned one thing.”
An unexpected phrase came from the Lord of Villains’ Valley’s mouth.
“The Little Dragon Tournament.”
The Little Dragon Tournament was a martial arts competition hosted by the Martial Alliance, selecting talented youths from the righteous sects and bringing them into the Martial Alliance’s elite.
“This is information my spies obtained at the cost of their lives. The leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society is definitely plotting something related to this Little Dragon Tournament!”
The Lord of Villains’ Valley trembled with anxiety, afraid they would say this was not enough.
But there was no need. Geom Mugeuk was recalling one fact related to the Little Dragon Tournament.
‘Ah! Come to think of it, this was that year!’
Geom Mugeuk nodded.
“Fine. I’ll acknowledge it as useful information.”
“Then you’ll spare me?”
“I will keep my promise. I sincerely hope you survive.”
“?”
When Geom Mugeuk and the Demon Supremes turned their backs and left the hall, villains were waiting outside.
There was the spear-wielding Demonic-Strength Giant Spear and his men, of course, as well as Silver Moon and his assassins, groups made up solely of drug-addled men and women, hunters, and beggars. They were the very ones who had not attacked us earlier.
The moment we came out, they began pouring into the hall one by one, their eyes filled with killing intent and greed.
Curses erupted from within, and soon sounds of fighting followed. Along with the screams of several people, the scream of the Lord of Villains’ Valley could also be heard.
This sight made it abundantly clear why Villains’ Valley could not become a single organization and emerge into the world. This place was hell.
* * *
At the entrance to Villains’ Valley, I formally expressed my gratitude to the Demon Supremes.
“Thank you for helping me.”
At that, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon said,
“Did we do anything? They fought among themselves and died.”
“It happened that way because all of you were here. Imagine if I had gone in alone. I’d be in there covered in blood, causing a complete uproar right now.”
My eyes met each of the Demon Supremes’ in turn.
The eyes within Geugak Soma’s eyeholes conveyed deep gratitude.
Originally, this was something that would never have happened. But because I intervened, he was able to end an old grudge.
The Single Blossom Sword Supreme smiled and said,
“Thanks to you, it was nice to get some fresh air.”
The Single Blossom Sword Supreme, who had said she would not become my wing, had served splendidly as one this time. Sometimes, the more someone says, I will not belong anywhere, the more easily they are drawn into that very place. Perhaps it is because they know they fall in deeper than anyone else that they guard against it in advance.
Beside her, the Drunken Demon drank wine. He had begun to act in earnest to reconcile the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Single Blossom Sword Supreme. Though he had made a mistake in his youth, he was now acknowledging that mistake and trying to set it right. I like that, brother.
Lastly, my eyes met the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s. If he had not come to the Yellow River Inn earlier, I might have died.
I did not say thank you. My feelings had already been carried in my gaze.
I do not know how things with these people will end. Whether things will be good like this, only for our relationship to sour over some incident, or whether we will become far closer than I can even imagine now.
I know what will happen at the Little Dragon Tournament, but my relationships with these newly connected people had never existed in the past. All I can do is give my best in each moment.
“What are you planning to do now?”
At the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s question, I answered without hesitation.
“I have to go to the Martial Alliance.”
The Little Dragon Tournament will be held at the Martial Alliance’s main headquarters in about two months.
“It will be dangerous.”
“This successor trial is about capturing the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society. Failing the trial would be more dangerous for me.”
“So? You intend to participate in the Little Dragon Tournament yourself?”
“No. If I compete, I’ll be exposed in the end, so I should remain nearby. There is someone else I can have participate. Someone completely unknown in the murim.”
“Who is that?”
At that, an unexpected person came from Geom Mugeuk’s mouth.
“Your disciple, sir.”
Looking at the startled Blood Heaven Blade Demon, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“I’ll have Investigator Seo participate in this tournament.”
If I ask Tongcheon Pavilion, they will create a perfect fake sect for me. Seo Daeryong will compete as a member of that sect.
“What role will you take?”
“If I serve as a page or a guard, I won’t stand out.”
The Demon Supremes all sent me looks that said, Would you really not stand out just because you do that?
Perhaps worried, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon tried to come along.
“I will go too.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned toward the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber.
“Everyone will think that saber is a fake, right? There’s no way the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would come all the way to the Martial Alliance carrying even the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber. Isn’t that so?”
He had phrased it indirectly, but he was saying the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would stand out too much and could not come.
Geugak Soma’s mask and the Single Blossom Sword Supreme’s Hundred Flowers Sword, engraved with red camellias, were also far too well known in the murim.
If Ian went, she would draw every gaze, and the same was true of large Jangho’s facial scar. Seo Daeryong was perfect for this task.
“This sounds fun. Little brother, I want to go too.”
As if the Drunken Demon would not stand out anywhere.
“Later, while we drink, I’ll tell you everything that happened. Ah, and regarding the leader of the Heavenly Mandate Society, I may ask you elders for help again. I still have two chances left out of the three to request aid. I’ll be counting on you then as well.”
The Demon Supremes nodded. Geom Mugeuk felt reassured. If they helped him, he truly felt confident he could even have a bout with the Martial Alliance.
‘Now then, right arm. Let’s make your name known at the Martial Alliance.’
* * *
After parting with the Demon Supremes, I headed straight for Wuhan in Hubei Province, where the Martial Alliance was located.
Using Swift Step, I raced along, savoring my utmost speed. Between trees, through crowds, leaping over boulders, I ran and ran.
No one recognized me. Even a beast that chased after me gave up, unable to catch me. In a flash, I had vanished far into the distance.
The earlier I arrived, the more time I would gain for martial training, so I ran and ran with the fastest Swift Step I could muster.
After arriving near the Martial Alliance’s main headquarters, I bought preserved food and supplies needed for living in the mountains from the marketplace, then entered the mountains.
Seo Daeryong, who had received my message, would take quite some time to arrive here, and the Little Dragon Tournament was even farther off than that.
Until then, I intended to shut myself quietly in the mountains and do nothing but train.
From that day on, I entered training.
I forgot people, forgot the mission, forgot revenge.
I trained as though I had been born solely to practice martial arts. I trained with the mindset that sleep was something to be done after death. I ate and trained, circulated my energy and trained, trained and trained.
One month later, I was walking through the marketplace as a bearded man.
I had deliberately not cut the beard I had grown in the meantime. I threw away the martial uniform I had worn during training and bought a set of shabby, cheap clothes that would not stand out.
When I went to the inn where we had arranged to meet, Seo Daeryong was waiting.
Having entered the Martial Alliance’s territory, he was visibly nervous.
Seeing him after so long made me very glad. Even though our eyes briefly met, he did not recognize me.
Then, when I sat down in front of him, he belatedly recognized me and was startled.
“Pavil—!”
Before the word Pavilion Lord could come out, I covered Seo Daeryong’s mouth.
“You want to spread rumors that I’m here?”
“No, of course not. I was just surprised.”
My unkempt hair, my beard like a mountain bandit’s. If Seo Daeryong had not recognized me at a glance, then there would be no one who would recognize me.
“But why do you look like this?”
“It’s a disguise.”
“Ah! What is with that beard? What kind of low-level disguise is this? People will stare even more.”
He said that, but he was just as conspicuous. He was wearing a white martial uniform with the character for righteousness, 正, embroidered on the chest.
“Look at me. With this much, anyone would see me as a righteous sect member, right?”
“Look around. See if anyone else is wearing clothes like that. That’s exactly the kind of outfit a new recruit who just joined the Martial Alliance wears excitedly for a few days before shoving it into a corner.”
“I still think it’s better than that filthy beard.”
“Not shabby, but filthy?”
We looked at each other and laughed together. After such a happy reunion spent attacking each other’s appearances, Seo Daeryong asked seriously,
“But why did you call me all the way here?”
Seo Daeryong had come here without hearing anything in advance. To Seo Daeryong, who was tense and on edge, I spoke with a meaningful smile.
“Let’s do a job together.”