As the first day of the Jehwa-jeon came to a close, the sun was already setting.
Though it was around the time when one would be quite tired and hungry, the spectators showed no signs of fatigue as they continued to cheer without pause.
"I... lost..."
The final sparring match that had taken a long time finally ended.
The one who remained at the end was a young man named Yeongseong.
He was the young man I had happened to encounter at the inn with Yeongpung in the past.
If I recall, he was said to be the most senior among the third-generation disciples, and excluding Yeongpung, he possessed the most polished skills.
For reference, Guryeonghwa couldn't advance beyond her first victory.
Her first victory in sparring was actually achieved because her opponent was careless, and no matter how much Guryeonghwa had suddenly changed, her limits were clear.
Though Guryeonghwa experienced defeat, her expression when coming down from the sparring stage looked refreshed.
It seemed she had gained more than she had lost from the defeat.
"That female disciple from the second generation earlier."
"Ah, the pretty one..."
"She was a disciple I'd never seen before, what was her name again..."
People were already starting to remember Guryeonghwa.
It was understandable, as the movements shown by the small girl were too outstanding to be called merely a girl's footwork.
With all the sparring matches seemingly finished, the disciples came out to clean up after the final courteous bows exchanged between participants.
At the same time, people were preparing to leave.
Given the Hwasan Sect's location, it would be dangerous to descend too late at night, so they needed to start heading down gradually.
Namgung Bia, who had been half-asleep out of boredom, was being looked after by Wiseola, when I approached those who were diligently cleaning up the sparring stage.
It was because I saw a familiar face.
"Master Yeongpung."
"Huh, Young Hero Gu...?"
It was the beautiful young master, Yeongpung, who was working hard among the disciples.
The Sword Dragon himself is organizing chairs... The world truly is an unpredictable place.
Yeongpung smiled warmly upon seeing me.
"Ah, were you watching the Jehwa-jeon?"
"Somehow I ended up watching until the end."
I really did end up watching by accident.
I was going to leave when Guryeonghwa was eliminated, but Wiseola kept whining that she wanted to watch a little more.
On top of that, Namgung Bia fell asleep leaning on my shoulder during that time, so it all added up and I ended up staying until the end.
When I spoke to him, Yeongpung thought for a moment before his eyes lit up and he spoke.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Young Hero..."
"Yes? About what?"
"I need to sleep early today, so I won't be able to do night training together..."
"...I had no intention of doing that anyway?"
What kind of nonsensical imagination is this, and yet I was flustered.
Something felt strangely unpleasant.
"Then what did you need...?"
At Yeongpung's question, I changed to a somewhat serious expression.
It was an important matter, so I needed to change the atmosphere. It seemed to work, as Yeongpung also leaned in with a slightly stiff face.
I carefully whispered into Yeongpung's ear.
"About the disciple who fought with my younger sister earlier... Could I know their name?"
After asking the question and slightly pulling back, I saw that Yeongpung's face was scrunched up.
"...Excuse me?"
He was looking at me like I was somewhat crazy.
A time past the hour of the Pig.
A time when most people would be asleep.
Namgung Bia, who had been half-asleep since the return, would have fallen asleep long ago.
The Sword Lord and Wiseola would be the same. I took this opportunity to slip out and survey my surroundings.
A few guards on watch were visible. Fortunately, Muyeon didn't seem to be around.
I had deliberately chosen this time, so that was fortunate.
Suppressing my presence as much as possible and observing the situation, I slipped out over the wall.
I had prepared the excuse of going for a walk if caught, but surprisingly, I wasn't detected.
Part of it was that my level had risen significantly, but I didn't expect to be able to slip out this smoothly...
'I should have Muyeon beef up the security later.'
Is it because they're staying at the Hwasan Sect that they're so lax?
Either way, I was fortunately able to slip out successfully.
Wrapping my qi around me, I quickly descended the mountain.
For things not to go wrong, I needed to return at least by early morning, so I had to move quickly.
'They said it was the western forest.'
I roughly knew the location, but I didn't have a map, so I needed to be careful.
I was now heading to the branch of the Black Night Palace that the Hwasan Sect had subjugated. To be precise, the place where the Night Blood Demon had been staying.
Originally, my plan was to leave after just watching Guryeonghwa's sparring match, but since it got late, I was going even if it was late at night.
'It's a good thing Yeongpung knew.'
What I wanted to ask Yeongpung about earlier was this.
The talk about the disciple who sparred with Guryeonghwa was half a joke.
'He said his name was Yeongjin.'
Of course, I still remembered the name.
And the face too.
If Yeongpung had said he couldn't tell me due to sect matters, I was planning to go to either the Beggars' Sect or the Haomun right away to get the information.
However, Yeongpung simply answered my question nonchalantly.
I even went so far as to ask, "Aren't you going to ask why I'm asking?"
—Since Young Hero is asking, I believe there must be a reason.
A hollow laugh came out at Yeongpung's answer.
Where does that boundless trust come from?
Rather, he trusted me so much that it felt uncomfortable.
Lately, an unusually large number of people had been showing trust in me. While I thought it was a good direction, it was accompanied by an indescribable uneasiness.
'Is it because it feels burdensome?'
It could be because I hadn't experienced such things in the past, but I felt like that wasn't quite a convenient explanation.
Tap-!
Moving in the direction Yeongpung had told me, I stopped my feet.
Since it wasn't the exact location, I had to navigate to some extent using my qi sense.
'The Murim Alliance is probably managing it now.'
The Hwasan Sect, being an orthodox faction, clearly has its name listed in the Murim Alliance.
The Hwasan Sect, which discovered the initial traces, would have been managing it, but by now the matter would have likely been handed over to the Murim Alliance.
"It would be nice if the search was already finished..."
I thought that by now the Murim Alliance would have finished their search and withdrawn.
If not, rather than forcing myself to do something, it would be better to return.
In the first place, the thought of coming here was half a gamble anyway.
After running for quite a while longer, I finally reached my destination.
Amidst the terrain surrounded by bushes, a particularly large cave was visible. Not only was it a place with few human footprints, but the surrounding trees were covering it, making it difficult to find in the middle of the night.
'With a formation set up in this kind of terrain, there's no way it would be easy to find.'
If I had tried to find it with only Yeongpung's explanation, I absolutely wouldn't have been able to.
That is, if it were someone else.
'It's faint, but it's still there.'
The faint sensation of demonic qi from the cave was still lingering.
Since I moved following that energy, even though the terrain was difficult, I could find it easily.
'Did the Murim Alliance all withdraw?'
I surveyed the surroundings using my qi, but there was still no sign of human presence.
Like that, I cautiously stepped into the cave.
Sssss-!
Along with a damp sound, the cave was filled with darkness. Then, flames emanated from my hand, serving as a substitute for a torch.
Walking slowly along the wall, the cave was much wider and longer than I thought.
I had to walk quite a long way from the entrance.
Using my qi as a trail marker, a flat area appeared.
Given the terrain was a cave, it didn't seem to have been made large.
'They used this as a branch?'
Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn't understand. It looked woefully insufficient to serve as a branch.
Even if the Hwasan Sect and Murim Alliance had swept through first, just from seeing the remaining buildings, I could tell.
This place's usefulness as a branch was so sparse it was almost non-existent.
'What on earth were those guys doing here?'
After wandering through extremely narrow passages, the place I arrived at was a relatively large space.
Given its size, this was the only place where people could come and go.
A large chair located against the wall—it seemed to be the room where the Night Blood Demon had resided.
'Calling this a room is really something else.'
There was nothing that could serve as a trace. Had they already cleaned up in that regard?
There didn't seem to be anything worth discovering here either. Just as I was thinking that for information, aside from what I already knew, it would be better to find it through the Beggars' Sect or the Haomun rather than trying to get it directly...
"...Hmm?"
I paused at the bloody scent brushing the tip of my nose.
An indescribable smell of blood was permeating the cave.
'What...'
It was a smell dense enough to be strange.
It was so nauseating that it made my stomach churn, and the Murim Alliance left this behind without leaving any members behind?
A chilling sensation ran down my spine, and I took a step back.
Only then could I vaguely understand.
'It's not a smell.'
It's not a scent (香).
This was closer to qi (氣).
From where? Just where was this energy emanating from?
'Even if it's energy, it's the same thing. Why couldn't others sense this?'
If they had sensed it, they wouldn't have left it like this and disappeared.
'Where is it coming from?'
I increased the flame in my hand to brighten the room a bit more. As expected, except for the entrance, it was a space blocked by stone on all sides.
But the energy was clearly being felt from one wall.
A formation? Judging by that, even when concentrating, no energy was felt.
'Is it a mechanism?'
I wondered if they would have invested enough to create a mechanism for a mere branch, and whether the Black Night Palace's technical prowess would be that high.
But if they were connected to the Demonic Cult, it wouldn't be strange.
I felt along the cave wall. If it was a mechanism, I thought there would be traces left.
'I'm not exactly an expert in that field, but given that the owner of the branch was the Night Blood Demon...'
Seeing as he wasn't the type to use his head much, the mechanism's operation wouldn't have been that complicated.
It was just a simple guess, though.
Moving away from the wall, I felt along the chair.
I couldn't feel anything strange here either...
Click.
"...!"
I felt a rough sensation from beneath the chair's armrest.
Unlike the right armrest, there was something slightly more protruding.
Pressing it just in case, it went in easily.
However, unlike my expectation that something would appear, there was no change in the room.
Well, if it was in this kind of position, the search team wouldn't have missed it.
Thinking this wasn't it, I was about to look elsewhere, but my body stopped at a sudden thought.
Just in case.
I slightly touched the faint demonic qi remaining in my body.
When using internal qi, it didn't mix, so I had to touch it separately.
Gurgle.
I could feel the demonic qi dormant in my dantian flinch.
In that state, I pressed the protruding part once more.
Screech... Creak...!
"...Fuck."
The part I had hoped wouldn't be the case turned out to be right.
Setting aside the bloody scent, I could understand why the Murim Alliance and Hwasan Sect couldn't find any other traces.
Tai Can Gui (太殘歸), who had stuffed hundreds of mechanisms when creating the main palace of the New Cult in the future.
This was like the work of that madman who created mechanisms that required demonic qi to activate.
Rumble-!
Along with a sound that shook the cave, the wall trembled, scattering dust in all directions.
Then, the wall behind the chair opened, revealing a massive door.
Along with a sickeningly foul smell of blood.