The moment he heard the words "Little Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult," Tu Wang leaped into the air and surveyed his surroundings in every direction.
Only after confirming once more that there was no one around did he descend to his original spot. Just from this reaction, one could tell how much he cared about and feared the Demonic Cult.
"Why the Little Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?"
It was the appearance of someone Tu Wang had never even imagined.
On the other hand, Hyeok Sagun knew to some extent about the relationship between Jian Wuji and Bisain.
"I understand that the two of them formed a bond while carrying out external activities earlier."
Tu Wang was surprised, but at the same time, all his previous questions were resolved.
The assassins being annihilated, his identity being exposed, Gwangseom failing—when he substituted the Little Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult into all those questions, the answers came easily.
"Yes, that could be so."
Tu Wang had also heard through rumors just how outstanding the current Little Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult was.
"Do you know where they are now?"
"They are hiding in the An Manor near the main alliance."
Since he was fulfilling the role of chief strategist, he naturally knew the location of the An Manor, as well as who had come to stay there.
"Is the Little Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult with them?"
"No, he is currently with Goeak."
The Young Alliance Leader was hiding in the An Manor pretending to be a dead man, while the Little Cult Leader was likely investigating his whereabouts.
"What do you think should be done?"
Hyeok Sagun was the only one whose opinion Tu Wang asked. Tu Wang held his intelligent and coldly rational abilities in high regard.
And more than anything, he knew exactly what Tu Wang wanted. He read his intentions and made plans accordingly.
"Since the Young Alliance Leader wishes to become a dead man, we must kill him, mustn't we."
Moreover, his ability to execute was extraordinary. When something seized his confidence, he handled it first and reported later. He was that sure of himself.
"I have already sent men."
"Goeak is with him as well, so it won't be easy. Whom did you send?"
Hyeok Sagun revealed the names of those who would resolve this situation.
"I sent the Yantian Shuangjian."
They were figures just as unexpected as the Little Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.
"They were still alive?"
They were beings who had once spread fearsome notoriety throughout the unorthodox martial arts world.
They too had been peak experts belonging to the Seven Great Experts of the Demonic Path, but after committing all manner of evil deeds, they were declared public enemies of the martial arts world, trapped in the Martial Alliance's net of heaven and earth, and reportedly killed by a combined assault.
"They were secretly extracted by the main alliance right before death. Since then, the alliance has been using them in secret. I only learned of it recently, when I took up the position of chief strategist."
He felt confident that if it was the Yantian Shuangjian, they could kill Goeak and Bisain.
"You found out they were in the An Manor and sent the Yantian Shuangjian. Won't your involvement later become a problem?"
Hyeok Sagun turned that worry into idle paranoia.
"Would a busy man like myself have time to orchestrate such things?"
From his meaningful smile, one could tell. That someone else was prepared to take the fall for this matter. That they would eliminate a political rival who was a thorn in their eye together with the target.
Hyeok Sagun's handling of affairs was not perfect only on the Young Alliance Leader's side. The preparations against Jian Wuji were already complete as well.
"The problem is the Little Cult Leader. You must never kill him. If you do, everything we have planned will be ruined. We must send him back to the Divine Cult."
Tu Wang nodded with an expression showing he thought the same.
"Do you have a method in mind?"
"There are two methods. The first is to send him back by force. If we are to defeat him without killing him, my lord, you would have to step forward personally."
"What if he holds out to the end?"
He should be able to win against someone like the Little Cult Leader. The problem was if the Little Cult Leader refused to leave with the Demonic Cult at his back.
"Surely he is not sincerely helping the Young Alliance Leader. He must have some ulterior motive. If he senses his life is in danger, he will withdraw."
"What is the second method?"
"It is to use the Alliance Leader of the Demonic Path to send him back. Right now, the Alliance Leader of the Demonic Path does not know that the Young Alliance Leader maintains such a deep friendship with Jian Wuji. If he learns of it, he will certainly send the Little Cult Leader back. A stern order will fall upon the Young Alliance Leader."
He had deliberately blocked the information. To use it at the decisive moment.
"Which method would you choose?"
"The second method is safer and more certain."
"Then why did you mention the first method first?"
"Because I know it is the method my lord wishes for."
Tu Wang smiled with satisfaction.
"I look forward to our future together."
What he had given him was the position of chief strategist, and what he himself was now to receive was the position of Alliance Leader of the Demonic Path.
Tu Wang had recruited Hyeok Sagun long ago. Without Tu Wang's material and moral support, he would never have risen to the position of vice chief strategist.
There had been a few decisive moments in Hyeok Sagun's life that would determine his fate. He was clever, but how many among the military officers were not clever?
Tu Wang had eliminated people who would become strong competitors in advance. Some died of illness, others in accidents. Because these were carried out gradually over time, they were never discovered.
"Proceed with the second method."
"Yes. I will move the Alliance Leader of the Demonic Path and send the Little Cult Leader back first."
Hyeok Sagun donned his bamboo hat once more.
"Then until we meet again, take care of yourself."
Hyeok Sagun slowly moved his steps and left that place.
Tu Wang, left alone, looked up at the moon again.
"Young Alliance Leader, you will die today as you wished. No, perhaps you are already dead?"
When the moon sets, the sun will rise.
* * *
Bisain and Goeak remained in the An Manor.
Though the night had grown late, the two could not fall asleep. They sat in a small pavilion prepared in the courtyard and drank tea.
On the surface he was composed, but Bisain's mind was filled with thoughts of this matter.
Would Jian Wuji find out who was behind this? What would the Alliance Leader of the Demonic Path think of how he had handled this matter? Just how strong was Hwang Seokgyeong? All sorts of thoughts rose up, complicating his mind.
Perhaps moved by the faint moonlight, Goeak spoke in a carefree tone.
"If I retire, I'd like to live in seclusion in a place like this."
Goeak seemed to like this place. It was difficult to find from outside, while inside it was quiet and tasteful.
"You should buy a house in a place with better scenery."
At that, Goeak shook his head.
"Perhaps because I've lived a life accumulating many grudges, being in a closed-off place like this where no one knows of it feels rather comfortable."
Indeed, this was a place that gave one a sense of safety.
"Young Alliance Leader."
"Yes, Senior."
"Don't forget your promise."
"The day I become the Alliance Leader, I will give you the Samgyeok Gwiyeongbo."
That was the reason Goeak was risking his life to help Bisain. After Bisain answered readily, Goeak finally offered a piece of advice.
"Listen, Young Alliance Leader. Do not be deceived by another's kindness. Everyone harbors dark intentions in their hearts."
It was a warning not to trust Jian Wuji. A life debt is a life debt, but when one must suspect, one should suspect.
How could Bisain not know what he was worried about? Jian Wuji was someone even he himself was worried about.
"I will keep it in mind."
After answering politely, this time Bisain asked:
"There is something I wish to ask you, Senior."
"Speak."
"You have already risen to become one of the Seven Great Experts of the Demonic Path; is there a reason you wish to become stronger?"
He had thought perhaps he dreamed of being the best under heaven, or the best of the Demonic Path, but that was not the case. Anger filled Goeak's eyes as he looked down at his empty teacup.
"Because there are those I wish to kill."
"Who are they?"
It was precisely as Goeak hesitated to answer.
The door leading from the courtyard to the outer courtyard opened, and someone revealed themselves. It was a martial artist who managed the An Manor.
The moment they saw him, Bisain and Goeak sprang to their feet.
The martial artist, reeking of hot blood, collapsed on the spot. His back was drenched scarlet with blood.
Two men walked in over the corpse.
The moment Goeak recognized them, his expression turned cold and stiff.
"Yantian Shuangjian!"
At Goeak's words, Bisain was startled.
The Yantian Shuangjian were those who had once made the martial world tremble in terror.
The Yanluo Jian and the Qianshou Jian.
Together, the two were called the Yantian Shuangjian.
Though similar at a glance, the auras they exuded were completely different.
If the Yanluo Jian gave off a rough and fierce impression, the Qianshou Jian appeared coldly rational and without a single flaw.
What surprised Bisain was not that his opponents were the Yantian Shuangjian.
'How on earth did they find this place?'
That this secret place could be breached was impossible. In other words, it meant the Demonic Path Alliance's confidential intelligence network had been compromised.
The Yantian Shuangjian also recognized Goeak.
"Has it been ten years?"
Goeak answered the Yanluo Jian's question.
"It has been twelve years."
Goeak remembered their last meeting precisely.
"We have an old connection, so junior, you may leave."
Though they were younger in age, they called Goeak junior. Because when Goeak rose to the position of the Seven Great Experts of the Demonic Path, they had already been among the Seven Great Experts long before.
The two of them had taken one spot among the Seven Great Experts under the name Yantian Shuangjian, but each possessed the strength to claim a seat individually. They were not two combined into one.
That was why they were evaluated as the strongest among the Seven Great Experts. If their swords had not dulled, this fight would be hopeless.
Bisain could feel Goeak's conflict. He could tell the Yantian Shuangjian's strength from Goeak's conflict.
'Even Goeak has no confidence in handling them.'
Soon, a ruthless decision was handed down.
"Young Alliance Leader, please understand."
What those words meant was this: I will leave, so you die here.
'How could you be so cowardly?'
He could have lashed out coldly, or begged for his life.
But Bisain did neither. In the past, he surely would have, so why were such words coming out now?
"I am sorry that I cannot hand over the secret manual myself. I hope you safely kill those you wish to kill."
He had never been this kind of person.
Acting cool even in a life-threatening situation? That was something only Jian Wuji would say. Ah, perhaps he had truly been influenced by that man. Jian Wuji could afford such composure and survive magnificently, but he himself would simply die.
Bisain did not feel disappointed or betrayed. Such emotions were only felt toward someone one deeply trusted.
In the past, he would have regretted this moment. He would have thought he should have just reported everything to the Alliance Leader. But even that regret did not come.
'I truly have changed!'
That was why it was a shame. Crises of death kept coming, and each time, he felt regret. He wanted to live longer to feel himself changing. He wanted to show that change to him.
And so he wished again.
Like a lie, he wished that Jian Wuji would be sitting on that wall, smiling and saying this.
"If we survive this time, let us really dance."
But today of all days, such a thing would not happen. He was in a safe An Manor—a place he had no reason to come rushing to.
Goeak looked at Bisain for a moment, then turned his back and walked out.
The Yantian Shuangjian watched him pass by in silence.
The moment Goeak brushed past the two of them.
Shiiiek!
Huaaaang!
Goeak and the Yantian Shuangjian turned simultaneously, unleashing a single sword strike and twin palms at each other.
He had pretended to abandon Bisain and leave, but Goeak knew. He knew the Yantian Shuangjian had let him pass in order to strike him from behind and kill him easily. He knew better than anyone that they were such people.
Kwang!
With an explosive sound, they slid backward.
The Yantian Shuangjian retreated three steps, while Goeak, having faced the internal energy of two people, was pushed back seven steps.
"Your cowardly tricks are still the same."
At Goeak's scorn, the Yanluo Jian also sneered.
"Still as quick-witted as a little rat."
Goeak leaped and landed beside Bisain.
Bisain was surprised and moved that he had not fled but come toward him.
"Why have you come here?"
During the earlier palm exchange, he could have ridden the momentum of being pushed back and simply jumped over the wall to escape.
Then the Yantian Shuangjian would have scattered, one chasing Goeak and the remaining one trying to kill him.
Or they could have let Goeak go and simply finished him off. After all, the target they had to kill today was himself.
Whatever situation unfolded, his chances of survival would have been higher than now. There was no way Goeak didn't know that.
"Earlier, you asked whom I wanted to kill once I grew stronger, didn't you?"
Only then did Bisain understand. That the ones he wanted to kill were precisely the Yantian Shuangjian.
"Then shouldn't you have left all the more?"
Because he must have wanted the Samgyeok Gwiyeongbo since he believed he could not yet win.
Goeak let out a light sigh. It was a valid point. As could be seen from the clash just moments ago, he could not yet defeat them.
The gap in skill between Bisain and them would be even greater. In the end, it was an unwinnable fight.
So why did he stay? He was concerned about letting the Young Alliance Leader of the Demonic Path Alliance die, but there was a greater reason than that.
'This is all because of Gwangseom.'
He had been betrayed by Gwangseom and felt filthy because of it. He had been cursing about it all along, but if he ran away like this, in the end he would be no different from the same kind of person.
If Bisain had spoken cold words or cursed, perhaps he might have fled right after the palm strike exchange.
But seeing him send him off with kind words, he ultimately could not leave. And after advising him not to be deceived by kindness, no less.
"It's because I wanted to receive the secret manual from you personally."
Bisain could not know. Whether a person changed when death was near, or whether Goeak had changed because his own attitude had changed.
He thought that one truly never knows what will happen in life.
"If I had known this would happen, I would have stolen that secret manual and given it to you long ago."
Goeak clenched both fists tightly. An incredible aura, resigned to death, flowed out.
"I don't need it now. I'll kill those bastards and retire from today."
Bisain slowly drew his sword. A sharp, cold energy erupted from his blade.
"On the day of your Jinpen Xishou, I shall prepare the largest and most splendid golden basin in the martial world."
And if only I can survive today… on that day, I shall dance as well.
Absolute Regression, Episode 358.