The Black Death God of the world, called a mere brat by this being.

Jeok Seong had a guess about who he was facing.

“It seems you’ve figured out who I am,” the old man said.

“Y-yes! The Black Death God Jeok Seong greets the great Martial God Ilmushin!” Jeok Seong prostrated himself, trembling.

The cold gaze of Yeon Cheon-baek bore down on him as he asked, “Very well. Then what are you doing here?”

“I-I noticed the child was in danger… S-so I came to help!” Jeok Seong stammered.

Yeon Cheon-baek scrutinized him for a moment, as if assessing the truth of his words. Then, he looked around at the scattered corpses.

“Bandits, I see.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

Seeing the scene, Yeon Cheon-baek let out a heavy sigh, berating himself.

“My careless judgment nearly cost me the most precious thing in this world.”

The ordeal had left him deeply unsettled.

Although he had brought along part of the Cheonmu Guard, what if someone stronger, beyond even their capabilities, came to this place?

Should I have brought the Cheonmu Guard leader as well?

Yeon Cheon-baek resolved to station even stronger warriors around Yeon Woo-jin.

He needed discreet individuals, hidden in the shadows, whose faces were not widely recognized.

And then, his eyes fell on Jeok Seong.

There he was.

As Yeon Cheon-baek fixed his gaze on him, Jeok Seong felt an unshakable sense of unease wash over him.

“For now, we’ll wait until Woo-jin wakes up. Then, I’ll hear the whole story and decide what to do with you. Stay where you are and don’t move.”

“W-what?”

“Don’t like it?”

Jeok Seong could almost feel his head rolling off if he dared to protest.

“N-no, sir! Understood!”

“Good. Wait there.”

“Y-yes!”

Jeok Seong was on the verge of tears.

He had only come here with the simple intention of driving out some commoners, thinking it would be an easy task.

Still, he felt fortunate that it had been him who arrived.

If it had been another assassin, things could have been much worse.

Today could have been the end of Saengsamun.

On the other hand, this was terrible news for his leader.

The very person Saengsamun had been avoiding at all costs—he had encountered the leader of Mushincheon.

Jeok Seong stared in disbelief at what was before his eyes.

The Martial God of Mushincheon, a man who ruled the world with iron and blood, was tenderly nursing someone.

Carefully, as if the boy might crumble at the slightest touch, Yeon Cheon-baek massaged the child’s body.

This was the same man whose enemies all claimed he wasn’t the Martial God Ilmushin but the Martial Demon Ilmushin.

He was notorious for showing no mercy to his foes.

To avoid becoming his enemies, countless martial sects had surrendered to Mushincheon.

Even the Nine Great Schools and the Five Great Clans had formed alliances with Mushincheon to avoid his wrath.

The Alliance of the Way of Evil had gone into hiding to escape him.

Everyone in the martial world lived in fear of provoking him, bowing low and holding their breath.

Yet this fearsome being was now devoting all his care and attention to a single child.

“Ugh…”

After a while, the boy stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

“Woo-jin, are you awake?”

“Grandpa?”

“Yes, my dear. You must have been so scared.”

“Grandpa!” Yeon Woo-jin cried as he threw himself into Yeon Cheon-baek’s arms.

Yeon Cheon-baek gently patted Woo-jin’s back.

“Were you very frightened?”

“Yes…”

“That’s why I told you, if anything happens, raise the flag and stay in the main hall!”

“I wanted to protect them.”

“Protect who?”

“My people…”

Yeon Woo-jin’s sorrowful eyes turned toward the fallen servants.

“But… I didn’t have the strength to protect them…”

Tears streamed down Woo-jin’s face as Yeon Cheon-baek embraced him tightly.

“Don’t worry. I will give you that strength. Strength so no one in this world will ever dare harm you again.”

“Grandpa…”

To feel the anguish of powerlessness…

Yeon Cheon-baek understood that pain better than anyone.

Though fury swelled within him, there was no one left to direct it at—all of the bandits were already dead.

Yeon Cheon-baek’s gaze shifted to Jeok Seong.

Jeok Seong flinched and quickly lowered his head, avoiding the intense stare.

“Woo-jin.”

“Yes?”

“They say this man saved you. Is that true?”

At the question, Woo-jin turned to look at Jeok Seong.

“Yes. If not for him, I would have been in real trouble. He saved my life.”

Hearing this, Jeok Seong let out a sigh of relief. His life had been spared.

But the words that followed from Yeon Cheon-baek made him freeze in shock.

“Thank you for saving Woo-jin. As a reward, I’ll assign you to guard him.”

Guarding the boy—how was that a reward?

“If you’re smart, you’ll understand what I mean.”

Was Jeok Seong smart?

He was.

To guard someone so precious to Yeon Cheon-baek meant becoming one of his closest aides.

But accepting this position wasn’t so simple.

Jeok Seong belonged to Saengsamun.

As he hesitated, Yeon Cheon-baek chuckled softly.

“Is it the Saengsamun leader you’re worried about?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Hah, loyal too? I like you even more now.”

“Th-thank you, sir.”

“Let’s go.”

“W-where are we going?”

“Where else? To Saengsamun.”

“Why there?”

“You’re worried about your leader, aren’t you? I’ll go and submit a formal request to hire you.”

Would the leader even consider accepting such a request?

No, he would have no choice.

Otherwise, that would be the end of Saengsamun.

Jeok Seong’s bigger concern, however, lay elsewhere.

For years, Saengsamun had gone to great lengths to avoid Mushincheon’s attention, and now he was about to bring the Martial God straight to their door.

“I-I’m sorry! Please, just submit the request to me directly, and I’ll handle it myself. I’ll protect the young master, I promise!”

“What’s wrong? Afraid it would feel like betrayal to reveal the location? Don’t worry—I already know. Saengsamun is in Cheonbugok. You didn’t think I’d be unaware, did you?”

He knew precisely.

“Should I send Mushincheon’s warriors there right now? To confirm whether or not Saengsamun is really there?”

At Yeon Cheon-baek’s words, Jeok Seong collapsed to the ground in a bow.

“N-no, sir! You’re right! That is the location!”

“Hah! You should have just said so from the start.”

Yeon Cheon-baek’s gaze, one of disdain, softened entirely when he looked at Woo-jin.

To Woo-jin, he showed a gaze filled with nothing but love and care.

“Woo-jin, Grandpa has to step out for a bit.”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

"You don’t need to worry anymore. Bad people won’t invade this place again."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I’ve taken care of everything. You know, don’t you? How great your grandpa is?"

"Yes!"

Yeon Woo-jin still didn’t know that his grandfather was the Martial God of Mushincheon, but he was aware that he was an extraordinary figure.

"I’ve also arranged for new servants to replace the ones we lost. If you need anything, just tell them."

At Yeon Cheon-baek’s words, Woo-jin’s expression clouded with sadness. Seeing this, Yeon Cheon-baek grew visibly anxious.

"W-why do you look like that?"

"I want to hold a memorial for the people who died."

"Of course. I’ll make sure it’s prepared."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

At Woo-jin’s gratitude, Yeon Cheon-baek’s stern face softened, and he affectionately patted the boy’s head.

"My dear Woo-jin is such a kind-hearted child. Now, Grandpa will handle some matters and return soon."

"Okay. Come back safely."

Yeon Cheon-baek looked at Woo-jin with eyes full of love. Then, as he turned to Jeok Seong, his gaze turned cold.

"Let’s go."

"Yes, sir!"

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The entire Cheonbugok Valley trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

The members of Saengsamun residing in the valley also felt the tremors.

Even the Saengsamun leader stepped outside, scanning his surroundings in confusion.

"What’s going on? An earthquake?"

But it didn’t feel like an ordinary earthquake. There was an ominous air to it—an intuition that had rarely been wrong.

Beeeep!

The emergency signal pierced the air, shattering his attempt to calm his unease.

"Damn it! So, it wasn’t an earthquake after all!"

This wasn’t a natural disaster. The entire valley was shaking because of someone’s sheer power.

Could there truly be a being capable of such absurd strength?

Yes.

"It can’t be…"

Hoping he was wrong, the leader’s worst fears were confirmed as a subordinate ran up to him in a panic.

"S-sir! There’s been a disaster! The Gate of No Return has been completely destroyed!"

The Gate of No Return was the entry point to the Saengsamun stronghold, marked by a warning inscription:

"None who cross this gate shall return alive."

"We tried to stop him, but it was no use! He didn’t even lift a finger, and everyone collapsed, coughing up blood!"

"R-retreat the men immediately! Hurry!"

"What?"

"Quickly! We absolutely cannot make an enemy of that man! Greet him with the utmost respect!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

The Saengsamun leader bit his nails, trying to calm himself.

"Of all times, why does this have to happen when Jeok Seong isn’t here…"

If Jeok Seong had been nearby, perhaps he would feel a bit less uneasy.

A deep foreboding weighed on him, a sinking feeling that today might mark the end of Saengsamun.

Still, there was a silver lining.

At least Jeok Seong would survive.

Sighing heavily, the leader steeled himself to greet their uninvited guest.

"Y-you… why are you here?"

The leader stammered upon spotting Jeok Seong.

"I’m sorry, Brother. There was nothing I could do," Jeok Seong said, bowing his head.

Before the leader could respond, the old man standing beside Jeok Seong spoke.

"So, you’re the leader of Saengsamun?"

Crack.

Boom.

Even though the words were spoken softly, the immense inner energy they carried made the pavilion tremble, leaving the leader’s ears ringing painfully.

Suppressing his discomfort, the leader quickly responded, "Y-yes, sir! That’s correct!"

He already had a strong guess about the man’s identity, which naturally compelled him to speak respectfully.

"Hah, you’re quite polite," Yeon Cheon-baek said with a faint chuckle.

"T-thank you, sir."

"I think I made it clear who I am when I arrived. Do I need to demonstrate further?"

"No, sir! It’s more than clear! You’re the Martial God Ilmushin!"

"Hah, good. You’ve saved me the trouble. If you’d mentioned the wrong name, I would have destroyed every building here before we started talking."

Was that a joke?

Probably not.

"Why are you so tense? I was joking."

That wasn’t a joke.

"Tch. What a dull lot," Yeon Cheon-baek muttered.

The leader of Saengsamun kept his head bowed, unable to meet his gaze.

"Let’s skip the pleasantries and get to the point."

"Of course, sir. Please speak."

"I’m taking this guy."

"W-what?"

"I said I’m taking him."

The leader’s pupils trembled.

"W-what will you use him for?"

"I intend to assign him as a guard."

Guard? Guard for whom? Surely not for the Martial God himself.

"How much?"

The leader’s eyes widened.

Should he accept payment?

Was this money a toll for the afterlife?

Unable to respond, the leader watched as Yeon Cheon-baek casually tossed a silk pouch to him.

"This should be enough, right? If it’s not, let me know."

The leader held the pouch, then immediately tried to return it.

"N-no, sir! I can’t accept this!"

"Take it. It’ll put my mind at ease."

At Yeon Cheon-baek’s cold words, the leader clutched the pouch tightly, trembling as though it were a precious relic.

"A-as you wish, sir."

"Good. I’ll take him now."

"This man is like a brother to me. Please… take good care of him," the leader said, bowing deeply.

Yeon Cheon-baek chuckled. "Don’t worry. He’ll serve an important role. If you ever face any difficulties, contact Mushincheon. I’ll order them to assist you unconditionally."

"W-what?"

"After all, we’re family now, aren’t we? Or… am I mistaken in thinking we’re family?"

If he denied it now…

The leader had seen it.

Those emotionless eyes of Yeon Cheon-baek.

Eyes that didn’t even register the existence of Saengsamun.

Eyes that could annihilate them in an instant.

"N-no, sir! You’re absolutely correct! From this day forward, Saengsamun belongs to Mushincheon!"

Satisfied with the answer, Yeon Cheon-baek smiled and addressed Jeok Seong.

"Prepare yourself and come over."

"Yes, sir!"

And with that, Yeon Cheon-baek vanished in an instant.

Both men remained frozen, unable to move for a long while.

Finally, the leader of Saengsamun turned to Jeok Seong with a murderous glare.

"Care to explain what the hell just happened?"

Jeok Seong looked utterly exasperated.

"Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me."

"Try me. I’ll listen."