Chapter 662: Villain and Hero.

Squish.

I moved through the passage, stomping on the wetness.

Seong Yul was left waiting outside.

It felt unnecessary for him to come in with me.

Squish-! Squish-!

Beyond the water-logged footsteps.

The space, still without a single lamp lit, and the stuffy air brushed against my nose, but…

Nothing posed a problem for me.

The dark passage was brightly visible beyond my pupils.

The stuffy air only soured my mood; it couldn’t harm my body.

After walking for about half an hour…

Woong-!

I felt a subtle energy brush past my body.

The flow of energy was subtle. Was this also part of the sorcery?

‘Definitely different from a formation.’

When I looked at formations, I had absolutely no idea how they were even made or used.

But this, I could see.

Even if I didn’t know the principles behind its creation or its purpose, I could see the flowing energy.

Things that were invisible could be seen.

It was a novel experience.

Swish.

As my fingertips brushed the energy, it moved like flowing water.

Thump.

My heart reacted, causing a recoil.

‘Oh.’

As I touched the energy, the ring bound to my heart began to stir.

It spins.

The ring is rotating.

The sensation was similar to the rotation of the Nine-Flame Wheel Technique.

Thump-! Thump-!

Kiiiiiiing-!

As my heart pounded, the ring spun faster, and a subtle ecstasy rose within me as I felt the flow.

It’s a truly wondrous sensation.

The ring, now split into two, continued to increase its speed.

Feeling this, I waved my fingertips.

Woowoong.

The barrier of sorcery rippled with my touch, and as I watched its flow, my Mind’s Eye (心眼) spontaneously opened.

It wasn’t my will. Or was it? Perhaps I instinctively opened my Mind’s Eye.

I couldn’t know. Amidst such thoughts, my eyes rapidly read the flow.

‘This is amazing.’

I thought it could only read my own energy, but surprisingly, the Mind’s Eye could also see the flow created by the sorcery.

Densely piled and chaotically tangled threads.

So complex it hurt my eyes just looking at them.

Normally, I would have cursed and gotten rid of them the moment I saw them.

‘Hmm.’

The ring spun faster.

My hands moved slightly, observing the countless threads.

I could see. And I knew.

I already knew what needed to be done.

Kiiiiiiiiiing—!!!

It’s hot. My heart felt feverish from how fast it was spinning.

It was so hot that it made me frown.

Contrary to how it looked, I felt it might get a little dangerous if it continued like this.

It’s bothersome, should I just stop here?

‘Hmm.’

My reason was clearly saying so, but…

Kiiiiing—!!!

Unfortunately, I’m not exactly a rational person, so my body seemed unwilling to stop, contrary to my thoughts.

So, what should I do?

‘It seems like two isn’t enough to handle the heat.’

It seems the ring, being only two, can’t handle all the heat.

So, what must be done?

‘If two isn’t enough, then use three.’

I grabbed the threads and put strength into my heart.

Szzzzzt-! I felt friction from within.

Pressure burst forth from beneath the spinning wheel.

It hurts.

It felt like the ring was speaking.

Saying it wasn’t time yet.

‘So what?’

I ignored it.

‘I decide when it’s time.’

It felt like it would work.

My mind was telling me this was the way.

Following that path, I began to reassemble it within my body.

Unknown fragments shot out from the ring, scraping the inside.

Just as I wondered if they were residual energy from the recoil…

Chiiiiiiiiiik—!!!!

The friction intensified, and simultaneously, a sensation brushed against the bottom of the ring.

Fragments that had broken off from the ring gathered, forming another ring.

Though its shape was imperfect, it was clearly a third ring.

Kiiiiiiing—!!!

The newly formed ring knew its role from the moment it was born.

It spun further according to my will.

The anxiety that it couldn’t withstand the heat disappeared.

A sense of stability emerged.

Feeling this.

Squeeze.

I gripped the threads of sorcery before me and pulled them hard.

Tuduk-!! Dududuk—!!!!

Unlike how tightly bound they were, the threads snapped just from being pulled.

Whoosh-!

A strong gust of wind brushed past my shoulder and scattered.

At that moment.

Woowoong.

“Hmm?”

I could feel the sorcery spread around this space dispersing.

It’s all disappearing. Huh? Shouldn’t it all disappear?

As I was slightly flustered by the unexpected situation.

Tadadak-!

Hurried footsteps echoed from the space ahead.

“Th-the energy is coming from this way-!”

“The barrier is down! Summon more sorcerers!”

“Quickly, find the intruder and stop them…”

The subordinates of Pildu-ma, along with many others who gathered, appeared and stiffened upon seeing me.

“…”

Seeing them, I too had to stiffen.

It seems I’ve caused some trouble.

‘…I just meant to touch it a little. I made a mistake.’

I intended to observe moderately and move on, but while concentrating, I tore it apart without realizing it.

It seems something exploded because of that.

First, I brushed off the energy in my hands.

If I hadn’t been wearing a mask, my expression would have been a sight to behold.

“…You…! H-how…?”

Faced with words laced with bewilderment, I pondered for a moment.

Hmm.

‘It’s probably better to just answer honestly.’

Since there seemed to be no room for excuses, I decided to tell the truth as it was.

[It was a mistake. My apologies.]

“…”

“…”

The men’s expressions turned bizarre at the apology spoken with sincerity.

It seems the apology didn’t land.

---

A vast space, seemingly the central part deep inside the cave.

Facing a table, an old man carefully poured liquor into a cup.

Jjoreureuk.

The liquor filled a cup that was rather large to be called a mere cup.

The old man, placing the bottle beside him, offered the prepared liquor to his guest.

“I apologize for not being able to properly show courtesy, having received an urgent summons.”

At the old man’s words, the guest didn’t reply, merely staring at him.

A mask with a slight crack, and beyond it, long, flowing black hair and a sturdy build.

The aura of a powerhouse emanated just from him sitting there.

It was pressure enough to change the very air.

“Kkeueu….”

The pressure was so intense that the old man’s subordinates had to curl up, unable to even breathe properly.

Juruk.

The old man glanced at the man, hiding the sweat beading on his cheek.

‘This has become troublesome.’

Truly troublesome.

The old man was certain the man’s aura was unfavorable.

The reason was likely the lack of proper ceremony.

Despite announcing his arrival, no proper escort was sent.

He must have taken offense.

‘It was a mistake.’

I tried a subtle power struggle to gauge his character, but…

The man was far rougher and more domineering than the old man had anticipated.

He was so rough and strong that just for initiating a power struggle…

‘He destroyed all the surrounding barriers.’

The dense barrier, meticulously crafted by sorcerers spanning several miles.

It was designed to inflict immense recoil if tampered with using incorrect methods.

The formation experts of the Alliance would take months just to discover it, and its deactivation would take even longer.

It was something that would take the barrier’s creators at least fifteen days to dismantle.

He erased such a thing in less than half an hour?

Recalling this, cold sweat formed on the old man’s forehead.

‘…Does that mean he also endured all the recoil from it?’

The assumption of normal deactivation didn’t even cross his mind.

With this amount of time, destruction must have been the only option.

‘But how can he be so unharmed?’

The man maintained a serene posture as if nothing had happened.

It was power that could instantly kill even a martial artist of the Hwagyeong realm if caught in the recoil.

To withstand that and still be in this state…

‘Just what kind of monster is he?’

I cannot possibly fathom it.

That was the old man’s judgment.

“…I recognize my lack of courtesy, so please withdraw your anger.”

[Anger?]

At the old man’s words, the man tilted his head.

[What are you talking about? I am not angry.]

The old man’s brow twitched at the man’s words.

[Rather, I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t realize it would disappear so easily. My apologies.]

“…”

The old man secretly clenched his fist.

The man was clearly playing with the old man.

After nonchalantly tearing apart that formidable barrier, he framed it as a mistake, saying it was easy, and was even offering an apology himself.

This was pressure.

Proof that the barriers you created could be broken so easily, and…

A warning not to dare defy him.

The man was speaking through the demonstration of his power.

“…I shall ensure greater caution next time.”

No further words came from the old man.

The man merely watched the old man silently from behind his mask.

A brief silence passed.

The man adjusted his mask and addressed the old man.

[Hmm…. You can handle that yourself.]

Did he mean he was giving me another chance?

Just as the old man was barely calming his nerves.

[The tasks I asked you to handle seem to have been done reasonably well.]

The old man nodded at the man’s words.

“…I tried my best within my capabilities.”

[That’s right. It wasn’t bad.]

The requests the man had left with the old man.

The first one.

“Immediately after carrying out the task, I left information regarding the Sacred Cult.”

If they were to undertake any action, they were to claim themselves as members of the Sacred Cult.

They were explicitly instructed to add that they were executing the cult’s affairs as limbs of the Heavenly Demon (天魔).

That was the man’s request.

“Since the traces were intentionally left, some information is likely already circulating within the Alliance.”

[It doesn’t matter.]

Such trivial matters held no meaning.

The old man stroked his beard at the man’s nonchalant attitude.

[Then, what about the second request?]

“…I have prepared that as well. I can present it immediately if you wish.”

At the old man’s words, the man gestured, and a woman appeared from within his shadow.

The woman, one of the man’s subordinates.

She had also been assisting the old man’s side during the past period.

Upon the woman’s appearance, the old man took out a letter from his bosom and handed it over.

[I trust the handling was done well.]

“…I did my utmost.”

[Yes, you must have.]

Otherwise, you’ll end up like the barrier I just broke.

The man didn’t utter the rest, but the old man somehow understood his meaning.

Tension arose once more.

The liquor cup remained untouched.

It also meant the man had no intention of removing his mask.

Seeing such a man, the old man voiced a question.

“…There is something I wish to ask you.”

[Speak.]

“What should I call you?”

[Hmm?]

The man tilted his head at the question, then reacted as if he had realized something.

[Cult Leader (敎主). Call me that for now.]

“…So be it.”

Paejon, one of the Three Venerables. Or perhaps, the Foremost in Martial Arts.

That was the man’s true identity.

He himself had affirmed it, and more importantly.

‘The evidence must be the traces he intentionally left when he attacked Wudang.’

He attacked Wudang, the sect of the Alliance Leader and one of the Nine Great Sects, and killed an elder.

The martial art used then was a divine technique known to be created by him – information that he used the fist techniques of Tuapa Cheonmu has spread throughout the Central Plains.

Only one martial art was known to cause disasters with fists and shatter bodies with a single blow.

Being able to use it meant it was either Paejon himself or his disciple.

‘There’s no talk of Paejon having disciples.’

In the past, there were rumors that a martial artist from Shanxi, called the True Dragon (眞龍) back then and now known as the Little Yama, might be Paejon’s disciple.

‘That too was just baseless gossip without evidence.’

Little Yama used fire techniques, and no one had ever seen him use Paejon’s martial prowess, so it was truly just baseless rumor.

Besides, even if Paejon had a disciple, they likely wouldn’t have been able to unleash that level of power.

Consequently, whispers began to spread among the public: wasn’t it possible that Paejon, who had disappeared for over a decade, had reappeared in a different guise?

If this were true, how could the heavens of the orthodox sects have fallen?

Since no one knew the reason, the situation was such that nothing could be ascertained from rumors alone.

However, the important point here was.

‘That the Alliance must have already heard those rumors.’

The man before me seemed utterly unconcerned by such matters.

‘…It means he doesn’t care even if the Alliance knows..’

What could the mere Martial Arts Alliance possibly do?

Knowing wouldn’t change anything.

Such was the attitude of the man, the Cult Leader.

-Don’t you want to crush the Alliance?

-Don’t you want to crush those bastards who tore you apart?

He recalled the Cult Leader’s words when he confidently sought him out.

He wanted to crush the Alliance, and proposed they work together if their goals aligned.

‘…Then, perhaps he was showing me?’

Wasn’t breaking the barrier not just to pressure us, but to directly demonstrate his power?

He possessed the strength to crush the Alliance, wasn’t he showing that?

‘I see. That was it.’

The old man nodded repeatedly, grasping the meaning, and cautiously spoke to the man.

“…I realized your intentions too late. I apologize again. I must have seemed quite lacking.”

[Hm…?]

The man uttered something in response to the old man’s words.

A few seconds of silence followed.

Feeling something amiss, the old man tried to call out to the man, but…

“Cult…”

[It’s fortunate you’re perceptive.]

Knowing his intentions were understood, the man showed a pleased reaction.

As expected, the reason the old man had thought of seemed correct.

“Ah… Then, can I consider the test passed?”

[Test?]

“Fulfilling the requests you made. Didn’t you say that was the test?”

[Ah, did I do something like that…?]

“Cult Leader…?”

[While not everything pleases me, I’ll let this slide.]

The man dismissed the old man’s words and added.

[Therefore, I shall ask. Cheonra Grand Master. What is it you are plotting in Henan?]

“…”

Now that he deemed it passed, was he getting straight to the point?

It couldn’t be described as anything but a truly proactive action.

‘…A plan?’

The old man rolled his eyes, surveying his surroundings.

This person possessed overwhelming power, and their goals aligned, but should he really speak so easily?

As a moment of hesitation crossed him.

[Cheonra Grand Master.]

A heavy voice pierced the old man’s ears.

[Stop thinking so hard. I don’t have much patience.]

Along with a chilling warning, the oppressive energy intensified in an instant.

Kkeugeugeuk-!!

Seueueu…

Vibrations spread through the cave, causing debris to fall.

“Heeuup…!! Kkeu…!”

Those inside writhed in pain.

I could feel his determination not to give me any time to think.

[If you’re going to do something trivial even after coming this far, then so be it.]

Just as the man slowly began to rise, intending to unleash his energy.

“…We are-!”

The old man blurted out as if shouting at the man.

The energy had not yet subsided.

It was likely because the old man hadn’t finished speaking.

Sensing this, the old man painfully added.

“The Alliance… will awaken a hidden secret…”

Then.

Seueueu….

The emanating energy weakened slightly.

It seemed like he was saying, ‘Go on, tell me.’

[A secret?]

A subtle interest sparked in the man’s voice.

It couldn’t be helped.

[You think a mere secret can bring down the Alliance? Explain in detail.]

As the pressure eased, my blocked breath returned.

I felt like coughing, but the old man suppressed it.

“…Beneath the lands of Henan, there lies a secret sealed by the Alliance.”

[Beneath the ground?]

“Yes… We intend to break that seal and bring down the Alliance.”

[What is sealed there to make you act like this?]

The man didn’t hide his amusement as he listened, forcing the old man to bite his lip at his reaction.

To think he had to reveal what he had spent his entire life obtaining so easily…

It was incredibly disheartening, but there was no other way.

Moreover.

‘Perhaps this person might be the one to fulfill our aspirations.’

Recalling such a desire, the old man finally added.

“…A Dragon.”

[Hm?]

The man’s head tilted at the old man’s word.

Perhaps because it was something he knew nothing about.

“Centuries ago, a monstrous being that attacked the Central Plains. A Dragon (龍) is sealed beneath this land.”

[…]

“We intend to break its seal and bring down the Alliance.”

The being known as the Dragon, or the Hundred-Level Monster.

The entity that brought disaster to the Central Plains hundreds of years ago was hidden beneath the lands of Henan.

‘He must surely be surprised.’

The fact that it still existed, and was even sealed, was tremendous truth.

To say they would release it was truly an immense undertaking.

The old man revealed the weighty truth and observed the man’s reaction.

He had expected a surprised reaction, but…

[Ah… Really…?]

“…?”

[Hmm… Is that so. How truly curious.]

For some reason, the man’s interest seemed to have completely cooled, his voice turning lukewarm.