Kwaang—!

With a single motion of Guyangdo’s hand, the solid stone wall blocking the passage crumbled with a thunderous crash.

As the pale dust slowly settled, Guyangdo’s gaze descended coldly beyond it.

“Hiding beneath a common tavern like ants... who would guess the rot within runs this deep.”

“I–Intruders!!”

“Stop them! Report to the Lou Zhu, quickly!”

The underground of Hwaoru erupted into chaos at the sudden appearance of Guyangdo and Gwangcheon.

They had lived like shadows for so long without a single intruder until now; the sudden arrival of two elder ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) masters was enough to throw Hwaoru’s warriors into complete panic.

“Block the intruders!”

The warriors of Hwaoru drew their weapons, moving to bar the two men’s path.

In an instant, the open passage was choked tight again by the gathering warriors.

Underground, with the corridor so narrow, there was no way forward without cutting through those who blocked the way.

“Gwangcheon, you just stay put. Dealing with small fry like these, I’m more than enough on my own.”

Whoong— Kwagagagak—

When Guyangdo swept his massive blade in a horizontal arc, the warriors barring their way fell in an instant.

At the sight of their comrades’ meaningless, one-sided deaths, fear spread across the remaining warriors’ faces.

“If you don’t want to die, step aside.”

When Guyangdo took a step forward, they instinctively stepped back—but even with fear written all over their faces, they did not yield the way.

“D–Don’t retreat! Hold out until the Lou Zhu arrives!”

At the shout from one with some command authority, Guyangdo gave a short, cold laugh.

“Fine. If you won’t get out of the way, I’ll simply cut you all down. Your twisted loyalty means nothing to me.”

He raised his blade.

Whoong—

“Graaah!”

“R–Run!!”

Whoong— Hwoong—

Kwagak! Thud!

Guyangdo’s blade showed no mercy.

Ever since learning of Hwaoru’s existence, Guyangdo had pursued them relentlessly.

These were foul creatures who, behind the glittering mask of Hwaoru, had committed murder, human trafficking, and kidnappings without end.

And that wasn’t all.

They had planted spies inside Shaolin, and given that Mount Hua’s old leader had turned out to be a Hwaoru spy, it was clear they were plotting something far from ordinary.

The reason Guyangdo and Gwangcheon had come here was to sever that threat at the root.

“The stench of rot is choking.”

Bang—

With a mere wave of Gwangcheon’s hand, a thick iron door bent inward.

From inside the cell, those clutching each other in fear stared in wide-eyed shock.

“Amitabha. Follow this passage and you will reach the outside.”

At that moment, something came whistling in from behind Gwangcheon—

Kwaang! With a deafening crash, part of the stone wall crumbled away.

What had been hurled into it was one of Hwaoru’s own warriors.

Even in the midst of the general shock, only Gwangcheon retained his calm smile.

“Hurry now. Who knows when they’ll come again. You must go straight to where people are.”

At his words, the captives seemed to awaken from their daze and scrambled to their feet.

“Th–Thank you!”

“Thank you, thank you!”

While Gwangcheon watched them flee, supporting each other, Guyangdo approached.

“They keep coming without end. This really is like an ant nest.”

“Let us hurry. The only way to minimize needless killing seems to be that.”

“Your problem is that your heart is too soft. Scum like this don’t stop unless you pull them out by the roots.”

“Who can say—perhaps one or two among them might still have a chance at redemption.”

Guyangdo shook his head and moved on.

The two of them swept through Hwaoru’s underground, freeing prisoners and cutting down its warriors.

After some time—

As they stepped past sprawled corpses into the deeper reaches, Guyangdo stopped in his tracks.

“An assassin?”

From the shadows, a man emerged.

His realm was Super Peak.

He carried an aura entirely unlike the rabble they had cut through earlier.

“To appear only after all your subordinates have died despite the uproar—how despicable.”

“I would call it caution.”

The man’s weapon was a dagger with a silver thread tied to the end of its hilt.

He gripped the dagger in his right hand, the silver thread coiled around his left, and lowered into stance.

“Enough. You saw, didn’t you?”

“....”

The man glanced down at the corpses of his men.

He had seen the intruders’ power with his own eyes.

He knew well he was no match for them. But—

“Wouldn’t retreating here be the truly despicable act?”

“And Hwaoru’s vermin, who specialize in low and dirty acts, worry about such things?”

Guyangdo too raised his blade.

“Then, just as you wish...!”

Whoosh—

Before the clash, Gwangcheon had already stepped up beside Guyangdo, taking a stance.

Golden and sun-bright qi flared from the two of them.

The man blocking their way frowned, unable to gauge their exact number—

When—

Tok.

“!”

A hand landed on his shoulder.

He turned in surprise to the man who now stood at his side, and immediately bowed his head.

“I greet the Lou Zhu of Hwaoru.”

“Well done, Eunwol.”

The newcomer patted the one called Eunwol on the shoulder twice.

“This is enough. If you wish to live, flee. These are my guests—of course I must be the one to greet them.”

“I obey.”

In the next instant, Eunwol’s figure vanished from before their eyes.

Sensing Eunwol’s presence receding quickly, Guyangdo turned his gaze on the man who had appeared.

“So you’re the Lou Zhu.”

Guyangdo’s eyes swept over him—then his expression froze.

This one is no ordinary man.

The man had hair the color of fresh-spilled blood, and looked no more than thirty.

And yet his cultivation... could not be measured.

Even for Guyangdo, who had reached the Hyeongyeong realm, his level could not be gauged.

What trick have you used?

Guyangdo’s grip on his blade tightened.

The same was true for Gwangcheon at his side.

— Guyangdo. Perhaps we should change the place...

“Would you like to change the place?”

Even as Gwangcheon sent a voice transmission suggesting they move to avoid collapsing the ground and devastating the area, the man cut in as if reading his thoughts.

“If we fight here, won’t the ones you just saved die before they even see the light?”

His lips curved upward.

Gwangcheon’s face went rigid.

That was precisely the reason he had wanted to move—he didn’t want the escapees caught in the battle.

It was easy enough to guess, and yet... something about it gave him a bad feeling.

“...Very well.”

Guyangdo too agreed with a faintly uneasy look.

****

Tat— tadat—

Guyangdo kept his eyes fixed on the man’s back as they ran.

When the man had offered to take the lead and shown his lightness skill, Guyangdo thought he meant to flee.

But no—he was truly leading the way, keeping just the right distance ahead, matching speed with two Hyeongyeong-level masters.

He must be a Hyeongyeong master.

Could his youthful appearance be the result of reversing aging?

Banrohwan-dong (Returning to Youth).

When a martial artist reaches the Hyeongyeong realm, there comes a moment of complete transformation—

Bones and muscles realigned, danjeon expanded, meridians cleansed—reborn into the perfect body for martial cultivation.

Some, whose enlightenment runs especially deep, even regain a youthful body. This was called Banrohwan-dong.

In his lifetime, Guyangdo had only seen one person undergo Banrohwan-dong.

And now this man is such a master...?

It was hard to believe.

To think there was another in the world who had done it.

And yet there was no other way to explain the man before them.

If he truly has undergone Banrohwan-dong, he might be stronger than me and Gwangcheon.

Still, there were two of them and one of him; they had a fair chance.

No one had ever surpassed the Hyeongyeong realm.

We must kill him with our own hands.

Tat— tadat—

The three of them descended into a barren peak—

A stony mountain area, uninhabited and desolate, where no villages lay nearby—safe to fight without harming bystanders.

Gwangcheon glanced about.

Something felt wrong.

This was the very place he had been thinking of—

And yet...

He could not shake the sense that this man had been reading his thoughts from the start.

Along with the unpleasant energy seeping from him, an inexplicable unease kept Gwangcheon more alert than ever.

The man turned to face them, smiling at ease.

“I’ve been thinking it was about time you arrived.”

He stroked his chin as if mulling something over.

“Perhaps you’re a bit late. I believe you came about half a month ago.”

Guyangdo’s brows drew together.

Half a month—

That was exactly the time he had spent teaching Namgoong Seolhwa to wield the Imugi’s power.

Indeed, if he hadn’t met her, he would have struck Hwaoru half a month ago.

Does this bastard... know something?

“How disappointing.”

A dark, blood-red energy began to gather around the man, thick and viscous like gore, reeking of malice.

As it swirled and surged, the grass and plants nearby began to wither.

The smile had long since vanished from his face.

“Since you never came, I let myself expect something for nothing, didn’t I?”