Chapter 724: Divine Dragon Martial Arts Festival.

Why are you leaving out the talk about Amipa’s betrayal?

To those words spoken like that, Gwonseon’s reaction is truly intense.

Widened eyes, hastened breathing. Even the thumping heartbeat.

Everything pointed towards one result.

Seeing that reaction, I lift the corners of my mouth.

‘Honestly, I was just testing the waters.’

My confidence was about fifty percent.

A creeping sense of discomfort. Feeling that, I organized my thoughts.

The conclusion derived from that was that.

Squeeze-!

I applied force to the hand holding Gwonseon’s cheek.

Grrrn…

Then he let out a short groan.

“Not much of what you’re saying makes sense.”

Amipa is looking for Bongsun-i to clear the Eulryeong Sword Matriarch’s false accusation?

Such pretty words.

Although the former Sword Matriarch acted outside of Amipa due to some circumstances, even so, because she was a person of Amipa, they should clear her name if she was falsely accused.

If that’s the intention, it’s certainly commendable.

But there was a problem here.

“If that were the case, you should have done it sooner.”

Why are you stepping forward only now?

“It’s been at least twenty years since the war ended.”

Many years have passed since the Great War of Jeong and Sa ended.

However, what did Amipa do during that time?

“They did nothing.”

They did nothing at all.

The Sword Matriarch being treated as a heretic and being framed for instigating the war? If they knew that, they should have done something.

“You old geezer. Saying you could only step forward because Bong… no, Pyeonyeon-i appeared, that’s just an excuse.”

There should at least be some mention that you did something before that.

“Ah, there was something.”

Things that might have happened to Amipa over the past decade or so.

I knew that.

‘The moment they mentioned a connection with Bongsun-i, I looked into it.’

It wasn’t particularly secret information. It was something one could find out with just a little searching.

Linking it with the current situation, it couldn’t help but seem quite strange.

“Over the past twenty years, the sect has become considerably active. And yet, the number of merchant guilds providing sponsorship didn’t increase.”

“…!”

Hearing my words, Gwonseon’s body trembled slightly.

Seeing that, I continued speaking.

“You call yourselves the guardians of Sichuan only now… but that wasn’t the case in the past, was it?”

Only now that Dangmun has retreated is Amipa taking responsibility for Sichuan.

Until then, Dangmun occupied most of the territory.

The difference in influence was significant.

Dangmun occupies most of Sichuan.

Not only the sponsorship from merchant guilds, but also businesses run by the Dangmun family itself, Dangmun’s position was truly soaring at that time.

Currently, the Demonic Gate occurring throughout Sichuan was also handled by Dangmun, meaning Amipa was relatively suppressed.

However.

“Reconstructing buildings. Expanding land, of course… and they even held quite a few festivals.”

Where on earth did the money come from for all that?

As one of the Nine Great Sects, it’s not like they’d be without money, but compared to their standing, it was undeniably extravagant spending.

“Where on earth did that money come from?”

I was full of questions.

“Huh? Where did it come from?”

Moreover, Amipa rarely even attended the Murim Alliance’s major events.

While junior disciples occasionally appeared at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, they never achieved good results.

Despite that, the number of disciples increased.

The number of disciples is an indicator of a sect’s standing, and naturally, as the number increases, the costs required for management inevitably rise.

‘A time when they hadn’t notably built ties with the Alliance and sponsorship from merchant guilds was scarce. Despite that, the sect’s standing didn’t just avoid decreasing; it was maintained, even rising.’

How could that happen?

Was the sect swimming in money?

That might be the case.

‘They might have secretly discovered the Bigo Mine.’

Money can come from various situations, so that’s possible.

Also, the fact that Amipa hadn’t stepped forward regarding the Eulryeong Sword Matriarch until now…

…it’s possible they didn’t know about Bongsun-i’s existence and only recently found out about the false accusation.

But.

“That’s not it.”

Squeeeeze.

I don’t believe in such miracle-like situations.

“Grrr… ngh…”

“You must have known it was a false accusation long ago. Did you find out when the war ended? Or did you know beforehand? I don’t care about that. What’s important is that you knew.”

It’s highly possible Amipa knew the Sword Matriarch’s circumstances.

That’s why.

“The reason you kept quiet until now, despite knowing that, must be because you made a separate pact.”

The reason you maintained your position as one of the Nine Great Sects, even while significantly losing ground to Dangmun.

“What did you receive from the Murim Alliance?”

“…!”

“You probably received something, even if it wasn’t money. Maybe a promise for the future, or money to survive right now.”

A flicker appeared in Gwonseon’s eyes.

A subtle fear enveloped it.

“You must have greedily taken it all, you know. A person claiming to be a sect leader.”

I had to be careful.

If I failed to control my strength, Gwonseon’s head would be crushed.

“I…”

My voice trembled.

“That’s why I hate you people. You fuckers.”

Grrrrrrr.

Vibrations burst from the tips of my feet, cracking the training ground.

“I can’t bring myself to like you. You disgusting bunch.”

Maybe it’s because I lived diligently after regressing, but I’ve developed some patience.

Look at me now. Aren’t I keeping this senile old geezer alive instead of killing him?

“Ghk… sob… sob.”

Drip…

Blood flowed down from beneath the hand covering the mouth.

It was Gwonseon’s blood.

Heat emanated from the hand I was holding.

My body was heating up due to emotion, but my mind was colder than ever.

“Now, let’s sort this out.”

Amipa, who profited greedily and kept quiet until now. What’s the reason they’ve shown up now?

Is it really Bongsun-i’s appearance?

No.

They discovered Bongsun-i only after coming to Hanam.

If so, it’s correct that they didn’t know until then.

Then why did they show up?

This kind of thing could be quickly understood if you piece together the situation. The reason Amipa revealed themselves again is simple.

The reason is…

“Because Dangmun collapsed.”

The fact that Sichuan Dangmun collapsed due to an incident.

That must be the reason.

As Dangmun collapsed, their position decreased.

As a result, Amipa’s position naturally rose.

The frequency of handling the Demonic Gate likely increased too.

Accordingly, the frequency and amount of sponsorship from merchant guilds likely increased.

So what happens then?

‘What happens? Their heads just get bigger.’

Anyone is like that.

When humans receive more than their capacity, they forget their place.

It means they forget how they used to live.

I knew such situations all too well.

I thought it wasn’t that strange.

‘Because all humans are like that.’

My expectations for humans are rock bottom to begin with.

They are beings like that by nature, so I just think it’s natural.

It’s just that.

‘I just hate those who deny this while knowing.’

Those who think they themselves are different.

When I see those kinds of guys, I want to burn them to death.

Just like now.

“So that’s why you revealed yourselves?”

The reason Amipa appeared in Hanam.

“Since you seem to have regained some strength, did your past wrongdoings suddenly come to mind?”

This is a warning to the Murim Alliance.

That they haven’t forgotten what you did.

How ridiculous is that?

I also know Amipa tried to pull foul play on those participating in the martial arts festival.

I don’t know what their intention was with this, but ultimately, one thing is important.

“Since your heads got bigger, did you just want to come out into the spotlight?”

I swung the hand I was holding and sent Gwonseon flying.

Thump! Roll roll!

Gwonseon’s old body rolled across the floor.

“Cough… cough… gasp!”

Thump!

Knocking down the coughing Gwonseon, I stomped on him with my foot.

“Grrr… ugh…”

“Worse than insects. Old man. You haven’t become an adult, even after reaching that age.”

Yes, Gwonseon hasn’t become an adult.

Which is why.

‘He’s being subjected to foul play by his own disciples.’

It’s a matter that has progressed to the point where Gwonseon doesn’t even know.

Ah, of course, but I have no intention of telling him this.

Of course, the little bit of pity I had…

Respect disappeared from my words long ago.

Respect is limited to those who are ‘adults’.

In my eyes, Gwonseon was not an adult.

Looking at him, all that remained was contempt and disgust.

“What do you want?”

“Hk… Y-you…”

“What are you trying to do by finding Pyeonyeon?”

Crackle.

“Gaaaah!”

I applied more pressure with the foot pinning him down. Crack!

Gwonseon’s chest was breaking.

“What use is her existence to you people?”

I pondered.

And I thought.

My coldly cooled mind worked quickly.

I would likely reach a conclusion soon.

I knew that well, but…

“Actually, it doesn’t matter.”

It was meaningless now.

Swish.

I removed the foot that was pressing down and reached out my hand.

Then, Gwonseon’s body, lying there, floated up, and his neck was grabbed right into my hand.

“Ghk… hnk… gasp…”

“I think this much confirmation is enough.”

There’s no need to see any further.

“You are not human to me.”

That was the judgment I made about Gwonseon.

It seemed unnecessary to see any more.

“What… what are you saying?”

Gwonseon struggled slightly, as if not understanding my words.

His eyes were filled with questions and confusion.

“You… surely you’re not thinking of harming me…?”

“Oh my. Those are frightening words.”

I smiled.

“The leader of the Great Amipa surely didn’t come without informing someone. If I kill you here, how troublesome will that be from now on?”

For now, it’s just troublesome. I don’t know how it will be if it gets worse.

“Besides. You shouldn’t kill esteemed individuals, should you?”

Saying that, I put strength into my heart.

Thump-!

My heart pounded strongly as demonic energy spread throughout my body.

Sssshhh–!! Heat permeated my eyes.

Gwonseon, watching this, widened his eyes.

“Wh-what… gasp!”

He sputtered words as if surprised, then his body froze solid.

It was only natural.

For an unfathomable energy must have been permeating his body right now.

“Ghk… Gaaaaah!”

Gwonseon’s body started trembling violently.

I watched that with calm eyes.

‘Just a little bit.’

If there had been even a tiny decent aspect, I wouldn’t have done this deliberately.

Even as I thought that, I chuckled.

‘Or maybe not.’

This didn’t seem quite right either.

After all, didn’t I already know?

That it would turn out like this.

‘If I were to pinpoint the time, it was probably the day of the martial arts festival.’

A few days ago. Right after I killed an Amipa martial artist who fled after seeing Bongsun-i.

If I knew, I would have known from that moment on.

‘That it would turn out like this.’

The problem here was that I had unnecessary expectations.

Perhaps he might be a decent person?

Perhaps not entirely rotten?

Those damn expectations.

“I have problems too. Since my body became young, I’ve become unnecessarily emotional.”

This makes what I said to Cheoljiseon ironic.

“Still, it’s fortunate. Thanks to you, it’s become certain.”

I erased the expectations I held inside.

Thanks to that, I could smile.

“I’ll use you well before discarding you. Especially you, you’ll have quite a lot to do.”

What will be discarded?

I didn’t need to mention it.

Because it’s something that can be known without saying it.

I spoke to Gwonseon with a smile.

“Hk–!”

Then, his eyes were consumed by darkness.

---

Four days had already passed since the third round preliminaries ended.

It had been that long since the postponement caused by Turyong smashing the martial arts stage.

Soon, I heard news that the repairs on the damaged martial arts stage were finished, and the fourth round preliminaries would begin.

As it was an unprecedented event, there were several changes.

The third round preliminaries, which weren’t properly concluded.

A small number of participants who should have competed then had mixed into the fourth round preliminaries.

In the first place, there weren’t that many matches remaining, but due to the added participants, changes arose in the matchups as well.

Most people probably wouldn’t mind that much.

“Why the long face?”

I had to give a wry smile looking at the person who came with me.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re completely different from last time.”

The one I was looking at and talking to was none other than Seong-yul.

The guy who looked like he would die from extreme tension last time now looked somewhat relaxed.

The reason was probably…

‘Because of the changed matchup list.’

Seong-yul was scheduled to fight a Kunlun martial artist.

However, the list changed, and he ended up fighting a different opponent.

Perhaps because of that, Seong-yul looked completely relaxed.

“…Are you that happy?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“…”

I shook my head at Seong-yul’s reaction.

It was a truly ridiculous lie.

Just what could be the reason he looked so uncomfortable?

At this point, I was becoming curious even if I wasn’t before.

Should I find out? I suppose beating him until he spills would work.

After briefly considering it, I soon dismissed the thought.

‘It doesn’t seem like a time to be so happy just because the matchup list changed.’

I felt sorry for Seong-yul, who looked so relaxed just because it changed.

I turned my gaze to the matchup list.

• Jin Imseok of Gwangju Jin Family vs. Peng Woojin of Habuk Peng Family.

“Sigh.”

Why must they meet each other like that, of all people?

I sighed, looking at Seong-yul pretending to be expressionless and relaxed.

‘He’ll handle it.’

For reference, the Kunlun Sect disciple originally scheduled to fight Seong-yul will now fight Tang Soyeol.

It was now a point where really only a few people remained.

It was the time when familiar names naturally started facing each other one by one.

As if to prove that, familiar names were visible on the list.

• Pyeonyeon of the Xi’an Pi Family vs. Yeongpung of the Mount Hua Sect.

Surprisingly, Bongsun ended up fighting Yeongpung.

‘Who will win?’

Pure curiosity arose.

Looking at the matchups, Bongsun seems more advantageous, but…

‘You never know.’

I don’t know how much stronger Yeongpung has become since the last time I saw him.

This was something I couldn’t be certain about.

Besides that, many martial artists I had identified beforehand as being at the Hwagyeong level were visible.

Around that time, a few individuals who seemed to be hiding their strength were also catching my eye.

“Haha.”

I had to let out a wry smile after confirming my name written below the matchup list.

“I wondered why they bothered changing even the matchup list.”

Logically, they would just add matches, so why bother changing things? But seeing that, I seemed to understand.

After confirming the opponent’s name written next to mine, I let out a sigh.

It couldn’t be helped.

Because the opponent was who it was.

• Gu Yangcheon of Shanxi Gu Family vs. Yu Yeon of Shaolin.

Shinryong (Divine Dragon).

My opponent was Shaolin’s hope.