Chasing after Kang Ryang, Yeon Hojeong thought—

That was definitely Ghost-Shadow Divine Step.

A figure wrapped head to toe in a cloak.

He looked fairly tall, broad-shouldered even. Yet his gait was light—and contrary to that light gait, the aura he gave off was oddly unstable.

Yeon Hojeong could grasp all of that in an instant.

He had broken through the wall of martial arts, and all Four Spirit Qi had entered the proper realm. His five senses could read everything about someone once he caught them.

But I couldn’t read his True Qi.

The distance was too great, the space too open, and there were too many people.

No matter how strong Yeon Hojeong was, it was hard to determine the True Qi traits of a moving person from that far away.

But that movement—he could never forget Ghost-Shadow Divine Step, the signature footwork of Kang Ryang, who had once been one of the Five Divine Generals of the Black Emperor’s Citadel and infamous as an iron-blooded gambler.

Extraordinary within the ordinary. A unique rhythm you can’t notice unless you look closely. Even Kang Ryang couldn’t freely wield that rhythm until the very end of a fight.

Meaning, there was a high chance Kang Ryang hadn’t yet perfected Ghost-Shadow Divine Step. Even if history changed, it was hard for the depth of enlightenment itself to change.

Is it you?

A surge churned in Yeon Hojeong’s eyes as he pushed through the whipping wind.

Is it really you?!

Ghost-Iron Sword Gate had been annihilated because of Ink Dragon Manor. In other words, it was something Yangcheon had ordered.

If it’s him, he could do that.

Yeon Hojeong recalled Kang Ryang—

The eyes of a man who, with experience and years behind him, rarely shook at most things—yet whose nature was brave, and who, once he decided on something, pursued it with a stubbornness that would accomplish it no matter what.

If it’s him, he would’ve come to look around the enemy territory, even just to steady his own heart.

You needed serious guts to “look around” enemy territory at all. The mere fact that Ink Dragon Manor—no, that the Fighting King Yangcheon—had gotten involved would make most martial artists unable to even consider coming near.

But Kang Ryang could. He had always been that kind of man. Strong or weak, once he marked an enemy, he was the sort who would kill him even if it meant his own life was the price.

If it really is you...

Was this fate, too?

In the past, he had met Kang Ryang by coincidence as well. He had crushed him by force, then taken his hand—but without fate’s interference, they never would have stood together.

If it hadn’t been that time, that environment, he wouldn’t even have let him live in ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the first place.

And now, was he meeting Kang Ryang again like this?

...!

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed.

Far away, he could see the black-cloaked man staring at Mount Yuelu for a long time.

And he could see him pouring out intense Killing Intent that filled his whole body.

Yeon Hojeong’s expression changed.

Ghost King True Qi!

That distinctive savage feel clinging to the Killing Intent.

It was far lower in level than Yeon Hojeong remembered. Less refined. His emotions were surging too violently, making it look overly rough—

But it’s definitely Ghost King True Qi!

It was one of the supreme inner methods ranked within the top ten of the Dark Path martial world. A secret divine art that Ghost-Iron Sword Gate never taught beyond even the first part, except to the Gate Lord and the heir.

It’s you!

It truly was Kang Ryang.

His feet almost moved on their own in swelling emotion. Yeon Hojeong forcibly pressed down his pounding heart.

Smoothly.

As he steadied his mind, he drew up Azure Dragon Qi.

Not wrung out to the extreme—refined thoroughly, drawn out in formless shape. Yin Azure Dragon Qi.

WOOOOONG.

Azure Dragon Qi spread in all directions, sweeping through every nearby presence. With so many people around, it wasn’t strange that countless presences were caught within it.

None.

But there was none.

Not a single suspicious person. At least among those caught by Azure Dragon Qi, there was no one cultivating strange Inner Qi or hiding covert power.

Then—

Can I relax?

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes sharpened.

No chance.

Mo Yonggun was meticulous.

He had come to Hunan Province out of nowhere—there was no way it was purely for this. Beyond this mission, Mo Yonggun had definitely come out into the world to play some other scheme.

Mo Yonggun doesn’t usually move alone. But I heard from the Hu Gae that he didn’t bring any subordinates.

Yeon Hojeong frowned.

He brought a guard skilled in stealth.

That wasn’t just because it was Mo Yonggun. Just as high officials bring bodyguards, those with high standing in the martial world all bring escorts.

It was only a matter of whether they showed them openly or not.

If he really brought a stealth escort, there’s no way he noticed my expression change and still didn’t send him after me.

His mouth tasted bitter.

Someone who didn’t even register in Azure Dragon Qi’s perception? At this level, it was fair to call him the best in the business.

He brought an outrageous one.

That was when—

Smoothly.

The black-cloaked man—presumably Kang Ryang—moved.

SHRAAANG.

He wasn’t exactly running, but his speed was considerable.

Watching him head toward the eastern woods, Yeon Hojeong felt his jaw go slack.

That—That idiot!

If the Ghost-Iron Sword Gate heir escaped, Ink Dragon Manor would obviously be desperate to catch him.

Then what was that idiotic gait?

Anyone could see the high-grade martial principle embedded in that footwork. A man who had stared at Mount Yuelu—where Ink Dragon Manor was—while leaking Killing Intent, then used high-grade footwork and vanished.

Who wouldn’t be suspicious?

Smoothly—

Yeon Hojeong flinched.

There it is. Of course.

No suspicious person had been caught by Azure Dragon Qi.

But that was only because there had been no gaze directed at Yeon Hojeong. This was Ink Dragon Manor’s front yard. Naturally, countless informants surrounded the area from all sides.

And Yeon Hojeong could feel those informants’ eyes—turning all at once toward Kang Ryang.

Their gazes were so natural that even Yeon Hojeong hadn’t noticed at first. He could feel it anew: Dark Path informants operated on an entirely different level than the Orthodox side.

But that wasn’t the real problem.

Stupid bastard!

Maybe he couldn’t steady his surging heart—he was now fully unleashing Ghost-Shadow Divine Step.

Anyone with a good eye would recognize that footwork as Ghost-Iron Sword Gate’s martial art.

Yeon Hojeong was about to chase after him—then he flinched again.

...

Damn it.

He’s on me.

He couldn’t feel any gaze or presence at all.

And yet Yeon Hojeong was certain. Mo Yonggun’s eyes were on him right now.

Because if it were him, he would have done the same.

Damn it. I can’t exactly hunt him down and kill him.

And it wasn’t like the bastard could be found even if Yeon Hojeong tried.

For now, I need him to accept my demand—

Yeon Hojeong’s breath caught.

In the moment he hesitated, the black-cloaked man—presumably Kang Ryang—was disappearing into the distance.

Yeon Hojeong felt urgency tighten his chest.

Those woods were dangerous at a glance. With the area ringed, and with the sound of running water, there was likely a valley too. If you went barging into a place like that, you were begging to be surrounded.

No—there was an extremely high chance they’d set a trap even before a surround.

But he couldn’t send voice transmission. Seeing how reckless that idiot was, a single mistake could drag Yeon Hojeong in as well.

He couldn’t ruin the mission to save Kang Ryang.

But he also couldn’t watch Kang Ryang die just to complete the mission.

Smoothly.

Kang Ryang vanished from sight.

Yeon Hojeong’s fist tightened.

What do I do? Do I just turn back like this?!

Was their connection ending here? Now that he’d returned to the past, would the fate that made him meet Kang Ryang again end as nothing more than a passing handful of blood-scent?

That was when—

FSSSS.

Black Tortoise Qi stirred, and at the same time Vermilion Bird Qi surged up.

Killing Intent?!

It was Killing Intent. And it was viciously sinister, needle-sharp.

And that Killing Intent was coming from the woods Kang Ryang had entered.

Yeon Hojeong closed his eyes.

You damned bastard.

WOOOOONG.

“Hey.”

Azure Dragon Qi rising through his whole body stabilized his flesh to an extreme.

He had mostly used Azure Dragon Qi while clashing with the Dark Path. For the time being, he had to win with Azure Dragon Qi and practical hand-to-hand fighting.

“I know you’re listening.”

Yeon Hojeong spoke as calmly as he could.

“Mo Yong Clan Lord sent you to watch me, but this is Ink Dragon Manor. And everyone here is a Dark Path informant.”

He didn’t know if it would work.

But he had to do as much as he could.

If even after this the watcher refused to take his eyes off him—

Then there was no choice.

You made your choice. Now you bear the responsibility.

FLASH!

Yeon Hojeong opened his eyes wide.

“Starting now, I’m going to broadcast your lord’s location to every Dark Path informant without discrimination. I can’t let them know it’s me, so I’ll fire it out by voice transmission.”

Muyeon, hidden and watching Yeon Hojeong, was startled in spite of himself.

Yeon Hojeong continued.

“You can decide whether to tell that information to your lord, or keep tailing me as you were ordered. But I’ll say this in advance—if Ink Dragon Manor learns someone from the Mo Yong Clan is here, they’ll send a force that won’t be small.”

“...!!”

“Choose.”

CRUNCH!

The instant he finished speaking, Yeon Hojeong moved like a gale.

*****

CLAAANG! THUNK!

A heavy greatsword split the head of a warrior wearing a black sheep mask straight down the middle.

It was a powerful, domineering sword—simple and honest, but so fast that the Sword Force itself was heavy.

RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE!

More than thirty members of the Black Sheep Unit encircled Kang Ryang in an instant.

Just when it looked like they were rushing in, they formed a formation—just when it looked like they were forming a formation, an attack was already coming.

It was simple, but extremely effective. A formation that could never be used without perfect coordination—one could call it a formation technique designed for fighting martial artists.

“HOOF.”

Kang Ryang’s eyes shook faintly as he scanned around.

Strong!

Since the battle began, he had killed nine.

To kill those nine, he had already burned more than thirty percent of Ghost King True Qi.

These bastards are strong!

At this level, they were comparable to the Gate’s finest elite.

SHRAAANG!

Palm force poured in from all directions. They had targeted the brief gap as he caught his breath.

Damn it!

Kang Ryang’s body spun.

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-BANG!

A circular slash scattered every bit of the Black Sheep Unit’s palm force.

The palm force itself wasn’t as strong as he expected. But there were more than twenty streams of it. Kang Ryang felt his palm—gripping the sword hilt—throb as if it might split.

You damn dogs!

The Black Sheep Unit never rampaged in excitement.

They were thorough and tenacious. More than that, they were skilled at disrupting the opponent’s rhythm—so the moment it looked like he was gathering power, an attack came in.

Their assault was so dense and precise that his breathing was already close to breaking.

If breathing broke, internal force circulation stopped being smooth.

And if internal force circulation wasn’t smooth, martial arts could not bring out their true power.

More chilling still—the captain, Black Elder, was only watching with his arms folded.

Kang Ryang roared,

“You bastards! Come at me straight!”

SHRAAAAK!

Like a predator, Kang Ryang lunged to the left and brought the greatsword down.

CLAAANG!

Kang Ryang’s martial arts were, without question, impressive.

When he struck, the air itself seemed to burn. To block that single slash, four Black Sheep Unit members had to gather their power together.

RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE!

Kang Ryang’s body whipped around like a storm and swept the area.

CLAAANG! THUNK! THUUNK!

Ghost-Shadow Sword Form followed Ghost-Shadow Divine Step. A killing technique overflowing with murderous aura, unleashed while accepting heavy Inner Qi consumption—three more Black Sheep Unit lives were taken.

“Cough! Huh— Huh.”

At the same time, Kang Ryang’s breathing turned rougher.

WOOOOOONG!

Ghost King True Qi churned like boiling water, shaking his lower abdomen.

Damn it!

He shook the formation by force and killed three more.

And yet the Black Sheep Unit was unchanged. Wearing those ominous masks, holding the same stance as they aimed at him, they felt more vicious than before—like something was grabbing his ankles.

Kang Ryang clenched his teeth.

He couldn’t see a path to break through.