Chapter 445: A Twist (3)

Rustle…

Leaves fell from the trees, and the wind blew.

A lady picked up one of the leaves that fell to the ground.

Even though it should have had a beautiful color in this season, the leaf was dead and dry.

“…”

The lady frowned slightly at the sight.

After staring at the lifeless leaf in her hand, she turned her gaze to look for why this had happened.

The reason was right in front of her.

The land of Sichuan was right in front of her. Beyond that border, there was a dark aura that filled the forest, which made it look like a living hell, and it was completely lifeless.

The shocking part was how it only took around five years for a green forest full of life, to end up in that state.

This was the influence of Demonic Qi.

This forest also served as a warning to the Orthodox Faction.

After the Demonic Demons destroyed the Tang Clan and killed the Poison Queen, they spread their Demonic Qi into this forest.

This not only symbolized that this was the Demonic Cult’s territory now,

…But it’s also a warning that the Orthodox Faction cannot cross this border.

Because the lady knew that, she couldn’t do anything but bite her lips.

Her golden pupils, filled with light, gazed in a direction.

She was looking far into the distance as if she was looking for something or someone.

Because of that, the lady failed to notice someone approaching her from behind.

Rustle.

When she heard a clear noise, she widened her senses and tried grabbing her sword hilt,

Tap.

“…!”

But she couldn’t in the end. Someone else’s hand prevented her from doing so.

After preventing the lady from using her sword, the person who just appeared spoke to her with a light smile.

“You must have a lot on your mind, Celestial Sword.”

It was an old man with eye-catching white hair.

The lady calmed her Combat Qi in shock after seeing the old man.

Then, she immediately bowed her head to show respect.

The old man was high in the ranks.

“…I greet the Heavenly Venerable.”

The old man was none other than one of the Three Venerables, the Heavenly Venerable.

The lady observed the outfit he was wearing.

“…”

It was a gray color.

The Heavenly Venerable always wore a blue outfit that symbolized his clan, but ever since the Namgung Clan fell, he insisted on wearing a dark outfit such as this one.

The last remaining Namgung.

That was a different name the Heavenly Venerable was called by.

“It seemed like you didn’t notice my presence at all. Is something the matter?”

The lady smiled bitterly after hearing him.

“I’m sorry.”

The Heavenly Venerable brushed his beard and smiled after hearing the lady, the Celestial Sword’s response.

“It’s not something you should be apologizing for. I was only concerned, and I should be the one apologizing for sneaking on you.”

“Not at all… I was just spacing out as I had a lot of things in my mind.”

The Heavenly Venerable nodded lightly after hearing the Celestial Sword.

After the short greeting, the Celestial Sword asked him a question with a slightly exhausted expression.

“Are you joining us on this mission?”

“Indeed.”

The Celestial Sword slightly bit on her lips after hearing him.

It seemed like the helper that the Beggar King talked about was none other than the Heavenly Venerable.

“I heard from the Beggar King that we’ll start heading out tomorrow. Is that a decision made by the Lady of Resolution?”

The Lady of Resolution was the current strategist of the Murim Alliance.

“I’m not sure, as I haven’t heard it myself, but that seems to be likely.”

The Heavenly Venerable gazed to the side after hearing the Celestial Sword.

It didn’t seem like he was very fond of this decision.

However, he didn’t show any complaints.

Because of the Lady of Resolution’s records, it was hard for him to show complaint even if he couldn’t understand her decision.

“…Will you be okay?”

The Celestial Sword asked the Heavenly Venerable.

The Heavenly Venerable gave her a strange look after hearing her question.

Then, he let out a smirk.

He knew exactly what the Celestial Sword was asking about.

The Heavenly Venerable going on this mission meant that he was ignoring the warning that the Heavenly Demon had made.

Because of that, his eyes became much colder.

“Are you asking that because you are worried about me, or because you are worried about how the Heavenly Demon will react?”

The Celestial Sword quickly responded after hearing his deeply emotional words.

“That’s obviously…”

Right as she was about to respond, she stopped herself midway after biting her lip.

She wanted to say that she was worried about the Heavenly Venerable, but she realized that wasn’t the truth at all.

After realizing the truth, the Celestial Sword bowed her head low to towards the ground.

“I’m sorry for my rudeness…”

The Heavenly Venerable’s Qi calmed down after he heard her response.

Then, after a short silence, the Heavenly Venerable slowly walked past her.

He walked towards the border that separated the land of Sichuan from the outside.

After arriving right in front of the border, the Heavenly Venerable spoke in a very deep tone.

“Raise your head.”

“…”

“I know what you are worried about.”

Rather than anger, the Heavenly Venerable’s voice contained bitter emotions.

“…How ironic. The almighty Three Venerables can’t even move a single step just because one person made a warning.”

“…”

Just one person.

Despite saying this himself, everyone knew just how horrifying the Heavenly Demon was.

-I will not permit the Three Venerables to enter this land from now on.

Just one phrase from her tied the Three Venerables’ feet.

The power she showed after making her appearance.

Her not being pushed back while fighting against the Three Venerables, and her causing disasters with a single hand gesture, was enough to fill people with fear.

The Heavenly Venerable knew.

The Orthodox Faction and the Murim Alliance was able to endure in the Central Plains only because the Heavenly Demon wasn’t making her move.

Even if it hurt his pride, that was what the truth was.

Reality won’t change.

No one knew why the Heavenly Demon remained still for the past few years, but the martial artists of the Orthodox Faction including the Three Venerables all knew that this war would end if the Heavenly Demon became serious.

The Heavenly Venerable thought to himself with that horrifying existence in mind.

Just what are you waiting for?

He couldn’t understand the monster.

Despite her having more than enough strength to end this war, she insisted on not doing anything.

What a frustrating situation it was.

He thought about the Celestial Sword’s concern.

He accidentally let his anger out because he knew that he couldn’t win against the Heavenly Demon.

Even if he was here for assistance, he wasn’t going to step into the land of Sichuan. Or at least that was the plan made by the Murim Alliance.

Haha.

He chuckled to himself at the thought.

Not going to step in, huh?

How ironic this phrasing was.

It wasn’t him choosing not to step into the land, it was more so that he couldn’t bring himself to.

Him still protecting his pride even in a situation like this angered him.

The Heavenly Venerable closed his eyes.

He saw nothing.

It felt as if he was looking at his future.

However, he saw a very tiny light.

It looked so tiny and fragile that it seemed like it would crumble to pieces if he made the slightest contact with it.

After seeing that, the Heavenly Venerable opened his eyes.

He then turned around.

Just like the Sword Emperor had when he was young, a lady with golden hair and pupils was standing in that spot.

The lady continued to stare into the forest as if she were still bothered by something.

She looked to be around thirty years of age, and she had a very fragile-looking body.

Her body seemed too tiny and fragile in the Heavenly Venerable’s eyes, but she was currently the Central Plain’s biggest hope.

“…”

The Heavenly Venerable suppressed his sigh from coming out of his mouth.

Her being the hope of the world.

Him relying on her.

His vengeance, which had slowed, died down. All of it hurt him.

The Heavenly Venerable erased the thoughts that piled up in his mind and started to walk.

“…Let us go back.”

“Yes.”

After hearing the Heavenly Venerable, the Celestial Sword followed after him.

The words of the Silent Fist shook the headquarters.

Murim Alliance’s forces started to gather at a village that was just outside of Sichuan.

This had a big meaning.

The Demon Emperor asked the Silent Fist with intrigue filling his eyes now.

“Is that true?”

“Yes, Captain.”

His gaze moved to the side after hearing the Silent Fist’s firm answer.

He seemed to be full of questions.

I too reacted the same way.

What is suddenly happening?

The Murim Alliance started gathering forces all of a sudden.

At the very least, I didn’t have any memory of this happening.

Moreover…

The Silent Fist’s words from earlier echoed in my mind.

-The Celestial Sword is there as well.

…How come?

The Celestial Sword.

Wi Seol-Ah shouldn’t be in Sichuan at this time period.

It was her job to hunt Demonic Humans outside of Sichuan, and she shouldn’t have been in Sichuan as it was an area that the Heavenly Demon took over.

I don’t understand.

The Murim Alliance probably knew better than me.

They couldn’t afford to send her to a war so recklessly.

She was the last remaining hope in the current situation.

Losing her would mean their defeat in the war.

Yet they are putting Wi Seol-Ah in this situation?

Deploying the Celestial Sword when they weren’t even sure about their plans.

The thought had already started to hurt my head.

I at the very least thought that she wouldn’t appear in the upcoming battle in Sichuan.

However, the Murim Alliance not only started to gather their forces, but something like this even happened.

Where did it start to go wrong…?

When did the story of this world start to twist?

If I had to look for a reason,

Is it perhaps because of my appearance?

That was the only obvious answer, but I still couldn’t understand.

Was it really possible for things to change this much just because I appeared?

I understood that history could be changed easily with the smallest actions, but this was way too absurd.

This feels as if…

Someone noticed that I came down to this world.

It almost felt as if someone was forcing events to change because they noticed my presence in this world.

I clenched my hand into a fist with a frown.

Whichever the answer was, the Celestial Sword couldn’t afford to appear in the upcoming event.

She was the last hope for this world.

Sigh…

I thought about the lady with a small figure.

What a horrible burden she had to carry.

No one else was able to carry the burden, which was why she was forced to.

…Damn it.

The thought of it made me want to curse out loud.

The supposed sky of the Central Plain was known as the Three Venerables.

The Four Noble Clans were known as the pillars of the Orthodox Faction.

The Ten Sect Alliance grew in power by guarding their regions.

All of these groups existed, but how come only one lady became their hope?

Moreover, I bit my tongue as I thought about why she couldn’t afford to appear in the current situation.

It was understandable why I reacted this way.

There was a reason why the Celestial Sword became the Central Plain’s hope.

…Destruction of the Demon.

The power she had specialized in fighting against Demonic Humans.