No one would readily acknowledge it. Especially if they claimed to be an orthodox sect.

Hwangbo Myeong-rin sneered again. She didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

“You say I used your martial sister as bait? You must be seeing things. Or.”

Her lips curled up. A smile formed without the slightest hesitation.

“Are you trying to slander me? You rootless mongrel.”

“Isn’t it you who lacks roots?”

It wasn’t Jeong Yeon-shin. His restraining hand was pushed back by Hyeon Won-chang’s body.

The Desolate Sect Divine Hero who stepped forward spoke. His appearance, slightly smiling while adjusting the hero’s band on his forehead, was like a picture.

“Your words about mongrels don’t seem like those of an educated person.”

“What?”

“You must have received numerous precious medicines since childhood? I hear your Shandong has Lu cuisine. Among them, I know the dumplings wrapped with various ingredients are excellent. Perhaps you wrapped and ate pages of the Four Books and Three Classics with your medicine. Is that how your family taught Confucian principles? I heard the Hwangbo family was noble, but that must have been false.”

The words flowed like clear water.

“How dare you lowborn…?”

Hwangbo Myeong-rin’s mouth opened slightly for a moment. Hyeon Won-chang looked at her cynically.

“They said Shandong food was salty. Your words are truly bland. Two people witnessed your misdeeds, yet you shamelessly deny it? I’ve never heard of such a poor character as Hwangbo Myeong-rin among Shandong martial arts noble families. Isn’t that right?”

Hyeon Won-chang asked while looking around. Those who met his eyes averted their gaze one by one.

A refreshing smile lingered on Hyeon Won-chang’s lips.

“You want to die!”

Hwangbo Myeong-rin took a step forward with her footwork. The energy gathered in both hands was fierce.

In that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand beside her blurred.

With a crack, her body spun in the air.

He had struck her cheek with his body refined by the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique, adding his power.

“Puhuk!”

The moment Hwangbo Myeong-rin fell miserably.

The other families’ rising talents each took their energy gathering stances. Eight held swords gleamed with the bright sunlight.

“If your words are true, this too is proper. However, understand us.”

“There is no neutrality in the murim under heaven. If we don’t know the truth, we can only take the side of those we share friendship with.”

Two among the rising talents spoke. A subtle wariness lingered in their tone.

Unlike those who had shown goodwill after Jeong Yeon-shin exchanged greetings with Lazy Flame Dragon.

They said even orthodox sects don’t share the same nature. The disciples of the Nine Sects worshipped Buddha or the Primordial Heavenly Lord.

As mountain ascetics, they were mostly detached from fame and profit.

Martial Families were different. It was a term used when powerful families continued for a long time.

While advocating righteousness, they pursued profit. Their way of realizing chivalry was completely different.

Some wealthy practitioners with powerful martial arts spoke without restraint.

They said it’s not easy to find true champions of justice outside mountain sects.

‘I heard there were those who enjoyed acts of chivalry…’

Not some family young masters. They were right before his eyes. Powerful ones had colluded.

The group’s leadership lay with Hwangbo Myeong-rin. It was that way from the composition. South Zhili was in the lower region of Shandong.

The Hwangbo nobles were said to act as royalty in Jinan, Shandong Province. The nearby martial arts families’ disciples had to treat them differently.

‘Hwangbo Myeong-rin’s side had more value.’

He deliberately didn’t kill her. He judged with blue-level discretion. Lazy Flame Dragon was a young master destined to die.

He seemed to be used just to raise the family’s reputation. The siblings who had been struck by Jeong Yeon-shin were the Hwangbo family’s future.

“I heard there are spirit beasts too.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said. There was a young man who quickly approached to support his sister.

He had picked a fight with Jeong Yeon-shin on Huizhou’s main road and was knocked down with one strike. They said he was the Hwangbo family’s second young master.

“Even after you did this…”

“I’m speaking.”

He flinched when quietly observed. The second young master couldn’t even meet his gaze and turned his eyes away.

“I heard noble families have beasts cleverly raised with clan secret techniques. They’re called spirit beasts.”

“……”

“They say these animals understand human speech and display mysterious abilities. Call your family’s warriors. As many as possible. Who knows if the Blood Flame Sect might send reinforcements?”

The Eight Great Families of the murim were called nobles. They had solid regional foundations and supreme martial arts like royal mansions.

It was a world where spirit beasts could be bought with gold. Direct bloodline descendants of the Hwangbo family would surely possess at least one messenger bird.

Whether carrier pigeons or whatever else didn’t matter. Shandong wasn’t far from here. They needed to keep sending messages.

So that when part of the Hwangbo family’s military force was empty, Desolate Sect could secure justification for punishment and immediately advance north.

Indeed it was so.

The moment he finished speaking, wings moved from inside the second young master’s collar. It was a small bird resembling a swallow.

The second young master made a small message using a small brush and ink container used during journeys and tied it to the bird’s leg. However, he didn’t release it.

He said:

“The moment we send the message, we lose our value. Wouldn’t you rush to kill us then? We’ll decide when to release it.”

“Think about it. It doesn’t end with sending it once. Consider the size of South Zhili and Shandong. That bird needs to keep going back and forth.”

“…You’re right.”

He silently acknowledged his mistake. He seemed wary of Jeong Yeon-shin’s martial might.

Even with internal injuries, he must think Jeong Yeon-shin could lead them to mutual destruction. In the martial world, it was called dying together.

‘This fellow has become quite cautious.’

Jeong Yeon-shin looked up at the departing bird’s tail and lowered his head.

Hwangbo Myeong-rin, having regained consciousness, was glaring murderously. In contrast, the second young master couldn’t raise his head.

They could never harmonize. Yet they had to become companions.

“Whoever brought those blood demons, we need to join forces. Since they seem to have come to kill even the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering’s rising talentd.”

It was Lazy Flame Dragon.

He looked at both sides once before stuffing a winter cherry into his mouth.

His eyes, while chewing the flower bud, soon stared blankly at Jeong Yeon-shin.

* * *

Twenty days had passed. They had shaken off the Blood Flame Sect’s pursuit several times.

It was a Heaven-Spanning Net that started from the south. They couldn’t return to Huizhou.

Rather, receiving protection from the Hwangbo family coming down from Jinan would be quicker.

The entire group looked like complete beggars. It was because they had been forced to take mountain paths completely separate from the main road.

It was a plain at the end of a very long mountain range. They had drawn closer to Shandong.

‘Now it’s a race against time.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought. He had even grown used to hunting birds for food.

Even when sleeping, one of the Radiant Demon Wing’s three people had to stay awake.

It was because they couldn’t fully trust the rising talents including the Hwangbo siblings.

Enough time had passed. The mission was successful. The Hwangbo family and Desolate Sect would be rushing from both sides.

It was a battle between the martial arts noble family ruling Jinan, Shandong and Desolate Sect which governed the entire Central Plains.

If the battlefield was Shandong, it wouldn’t be strange for either side to arrive first. That would be true for a sudden mission.

‘They’ll come simultaneously.’

They said the Blood Flame Sect had difficulty inserting spies due to their techniques. The Hwangbo family was different. They must have rushed out ignorantly.

Once they crossed north of South Zhili, they could never escape Desolate Sect’s eyes.

Desolate Sect had been watching them from before. It was a long-planned operation.

There was a high possibility that the military force including Radiant Demon Wing was already hiding in the rear while concealing their presence.

“The family’s guard unit is coming, they said. It’s over now.”

By now, Hwangbo Myeong-rin had completely regained her confidence. She spoke openly.

The second young master’s face beaming with smiles looked delighted.

The later-period disciples and Hwangbo family warriors watching from behind had expressionless faces.

“Gu Gwa of Chasing Truth Sect. It’s about to begin. Are you ready for the family’s interrogation?”

Hwangbo Myeong-rin, who seemed to even feel pleasure, was the same. She even wore a playful smile.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t answer. Just as he was about to draw out a newly comprehended sword technique, his sword-carrying steps suddenly stopped.

WHOOSH! BANG!

Someone landed behind Jeong Yeon-shin. An enormous vibration echoed.

They seemed to have jumped from the hill behind. The feeling of the ground shaking was incomparable to the thunderclap bombs.

He knew without looking back. The overwhelmingly rising energy wave was very familiar.

“Squad Leader?”

It was Shin So-bin’s cry. Jeong Yeon-shin’s maternal uncle. Ma Jin, the leader of Radiant Demon Wing, had descended.

BANG! BANG!

Two energy waves of similar size struck down like meteors. They seemed to be on either side of Ma Jin.

The thick rising dust reached the front.

It was energy resembling the ancient heavens and spirit that felt both eerie and profound. This too wasn’t unfamiliar.

The heads of Azure Sky Squad and Annihilation Team. The Azure Sky Squad leader had given spirit pills when Jeong Yeon-shin first entered, and the Annihilation Team leader had overseen his blue rank promotion examination.

There were more. They were ones who had always eaten and slept together after his entry.

WHOOSH!

The reverse wind from the lightness techniques of Radiant Demon Wings blue-ranked masters swept everywhere. Perhaps around twenty people.

He could feel them stopping behind the leaders with their highly trained body protection movement. It wasn’t the end.

Similar-sized groups descended and spread left and right immediately. Their energy waves were equal to Radiant Demon Wing’s.

They must be Desolate Sect’s Azure Sky Squad and Annihilation.

They were the Seventeen Divine Sword Squads supporting the civilians under heaven. They said two or more gathering together were invincible.

“Lighting Flash!”

WHIS!

Along with Cheong Myeong’s shout, a long object rushed toward the back of his head.

Jeong Yeon-shin, slightly twisting his body, caught it at once. The cool sensation wrapping around his palm was extraordinary.

It was the Desolate Sect sword. He immediately placed it at his waist along with the Northern Light sword.

Another one flew in. The white pill caught in Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand spread a fragrant scent.

Cheong Myeong seemed to have seen through his internal injury. It was Shaolin’s Clear Righteousness pill.

This was the end. The Lightning Flash’s supplies were complete.

THUD!

Desolate Sect’s Divine Sword Squad.

Jeong Yeon-shin trembled at the festival of energy waves rising like wildfire.

Could there be a more powerful force in the world?

At this moment, he felt as if an invisible force was supporting his right hand drawing the sword.

Simultaneously, Hyeon Won-chang approached. His footsteps were light as if about to fly.

He grabbed and tore down the cloth covering beside Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder with one hand.

RIP!

The character ‘Hwang’ (荒) was revealed. It was golden text meaning the direct disciple of Desolate Sect’s lord.

Someone unknown swallowed empty breath.

“Tyrant Sword Hwangbo Jun.”

Jeong Yeon-shin calmly opened his mouth.

As he slowly rolled the Clear Righteousness pill in his left hand with his fingers, a silence as if time had frozen suddenly surrounded the plain.

“You may begin.”

He said, holding down his sword.