There were eyes watching the Sa Hwal Squad’s shift in attitude closely.They belonged to Hwa Sogwang.To him, it was only natural that they would come to follow Yeon Woo Jin.Once you had witnessed Yeon Woo Jin’s true face, there was no way not to serve him.“Sigh.”The reason he sighed was because those men were now part of the same household.How was he supposed to treat them?In truth, it wasn’t even a dilemma.If Yeon Woo Jin embraced Bukcheon Gate, then of course the right thing to do was to follow his will and treat them as allies.While Hwa Sogwang wrestled with his thoughts, the Young Palace Lord, Hwa Jinhong, approached.“Father. Since we are to be one family anyway, wouldn’t it be good to settle matters in Musincheon?”“In Musincheon?”“Yes. Musincheon has ranks. If we are granted a higher rank than they are, then we have beaten them, haven’t we?”“That’s true.”“Besides, we have the advantage. They don’t know our lord’s true identity. We received the great art before they did, and our lord watched over our martial arts before theirs. We had more time to grow stronger with the power our lord bestowed. If we push ourselves with everything we have, they won’t be able to catch up.”Hwa Sogwang broke into a radiant smile.“Exactly! You’re right. Truly my son. Hahaha!”He patted Hwa Jinhong’s head and gazed at him with pride.“Summon all the elders. From today on, we will open the stores of every single elixir in the Blazing Fire Divine Palace.”“An excellent choice. Bukcheon Gate will never surpass our rank.”“Kekeke. That’s right! Of course!”“By the way, Father, when will our lord visit Bukcheon Gate?”“Well… from what he said, it seems soon.”“Then you must accompany him, Father. You must show that you stood by our lord’s side before Sa Se Hwang ever did.”“You’re right. I must prove it.”“He will be unbearably envious.”At the word envious, Hwa Sogwang’s lips curled upward.“I can’t wait to see Sa Se Hwang’s face twist up.” ****“We should stop by Mount Kunlun, then head to Bukcheon Gate,” said Yeon Woo Jin.Namgoong Hwan thought for a moment, then nodded.“Time is tight, but it should be possible. Good thing I sent the escort goods to Kunlun in advance.”To save every bit of time, he had already dispatched the goods.“Kunlun is the last escort run, right?”“Yes. But… do you intend to bring all of them along?”Namgoong Hwan gestured toward the Sa Hwal Squad.“They won’t listen even if I tell them to go ahead.”“They’re worried, I think. That you might not visit Bukcheon Gate after all.”That was understandable.They had seen it with their own eyes—grace descending upon the people of the Blazing Fire Divine Palace.Of course they longed for the same grace to be given to their sect.“Is that so. Then we’d better hurry. The road is long, and we have no time to linger here.”“Understood. Ah, also—the Palace Lord of the Blazing Fire Divine Palace said he would accompany us.”“He will too?”“Yes. It seems he intends to come because of Bukcheon Gate.”Yeon Woo Jin chuckled faintly at Namgoong Hwan’s words.“Right. Those two sects are rivals, aren’t they?”“He’s bound to be concerned. Afraid you might bestow greater grace upon Bukcheon Gate. I can understand that feeling.”“Then I’ll make him even stronger on the way.”At those words, Namgoong Hwan, Yeo Hwarin, and Lee Hwa Un all flinched.“D-does that include us too?”“Of course.”The three of them grimaced.When Yeon Woo Jin said he would “train” them, it meant life-and-death duels.They were called sparring matches, but in reality they were no different from battles.More than once, they had been pushed to the brink of death.And the absurd thing was—if they really were mortally wounded, Yeon Woo Jin simply healed them as if nothing had happened.So they couldn’t say no.Lee Hwa Un spoke up.“May I first test myself against the Palace Lord?”“Yes, do so.”With permission granted, Yeo Hwarin also spoke.“I wish to face him as well.”“Good. Both of you are eager. That’s a good sign.”No.They weren’t eager.They simply wanted to give Hwa Sogwang, the man who had stirred all this up, a hard beating.And, truthfully, they were curious about the strength of the one called the Flame Emperor.Lee Hwa Un and Yeo Hwarin’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. ****The Young Palace Lord and the elders were summoned as Hwa Sogwang threw open the sealed vaults and scattered every elixir and secret manual.Before departing with Yeon Woo Jin, he urged his people with utmost seriousness.Stake your lives on your cultivation.Grow so strong that Bukcheon Gate could never climb over them.Everyone understood the reason. They nodded with resolute faces.Satisfied by the sight, Hwa Sogwang set out alongside Yeon Woo Jin toward Mount Kunlun.The Kunlun Sect.They were Daoists, but their nature was belligerent.Especially, the martial arts of Kunlun were the bane of demonic arts. During the great Orthodox–Demonic war, the sect that the Demonic Cult most dreaded was Kunlun.But Kunlun had also suffered the most casualties. In the aftermath, they sealed their gates for a long time to rebuild.Still, the years passed and recovery remained elusive.In that time, Musincheon rose to prominence. Kunlun had to ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ make a choice—whether to accept Musincheon’s aid or not.In the end, they handed over secret manuals to Musincheon and accepted their help.They strove desperately to regain their past glory, but it remained difficult.The greatest reason was a sect of Musincheon itself, the Yongho Gate, which had established itself on Mount Kunlun to aid them.Because of it, people turned away from Kunlun Sect, choosing instead Yongho Gate.Though Yongho Gate did not formally accept disciples—since Mount Kunlun was not their domain—people still preferred to leave rather than join Kunlun.This repeated itself, leaving Yongho Gate troubled.They had only come to help Kunlun, but now their presence was hindering Kunlun’s restoration.Kunlun knew this too, but they could not send Yongho Gate away.Without them, Kunlun would not have survived.They revered Yongho Gate as benefactors, treating them with utmost respect.But with time, things changed.What began with good intentions, with the years grew diluted and twisted.At some point, Yongho Gate began to see Kunlun beneath them.And then they began to lord over them.Kunlun had no choice but to endure the arrogance.Otherwise, they truly risked annihilation.Their mistake had been relying too much on Yongho Gate in their desperation to rebuild.Inside the Kunlun Sect Leader’s chamber.The elders all sat gathered, sighing.“Sigh. How did we come to this state?”“How long must we bow our heads to those vile Yongho bastards?”“Send them back this instant. We’d be better off trying on our own.”“Yes. At this rate, they will swallow Kunlun whole.”Listening to the elders, the Sect Leader of Kunlun, the Cloud Dragon Sword King Baek Hoja, opened his eyes and spoke.“I have spent all the sect’s resources to purchase a few Johwadan.”“Johwadan… you mean those famed elixirs of Chang’an?”“Yes. Our first-generation disciples are gifted. I will stake Kunlun’s future on them. If they grow strong and spread Kunlun’s name through the world, we will regain our glory.”“A fine thought.”“Well done. We must try something—whether we succeed or fail, ruin awaits us anyway.”“When will the Johwadan arrive? We will prepare the disciples accordingly.”“They should be arriving soon. I told them to inform me the moment they sighted the escort.”“What of the martial arts to teach the children? We can’t just give them Johwadan without instruction.”“I will transmit to them the Taechung Sword Art.”“The Taechung Sword Art!”“Truly? That is reserved for only the chief disciple, is it not?”“No. I will teach it to them all. At least one of them must rise strong enough to lift Kunlun again.”“We will follow!”Not one elder raised objection—they all shouted their assent.For they had been driven to the brink, unable to endure Yongho Gate’s tyranny any longer.But they did not know.That some among them had already sold themselves to Yongho Gate. ****Yongho Gate’s Kunlun branch.The branch master sat arrogantly as he received his report.“What? Kekeke. Johwadan?”“Yes. They mean to raise their disciples with it.”“Tsk, tsk. They should just live off what we give them.”He looked at the two old men before him.Baek Unja and Baek Sanja, Kunlun’s elders.“You two are fortunate. Today, our Gate Master himself will visit. I’ll put in a good word for you.”Their faces lit up.“Thank you.”“If Yongho Gate accepts us, we will do anything.”“With such merit, I’m sure the Gate Master will take you in.”The branch master smiled but mocked them in his heart.As if Yongho Gate would accept traitors.Their Gate Master, Do Jinbyeok, despised betrayal most of all.If he saw them, he would likely cut them down on the spot.Tsk, tsk. Pathetic wretches. Traitors dreaming of joining our Yongho Gate, ranked twenty-fourth under Musincheon.The branch master stroked his chin.Johwadan…Then he grinned.If I present that to the Gate Master, he’ll be most pleased.He turned to the two.“Do you know when the escort arrives?”“We don’t know for sure. But it should be soon.”He nodded.“Very well. Go wait for good news.”“Understood.”After they left, he ordered his men:“Send scouts immediately to check every escort traveling toward Mount Kunlun.”“Yes.” ****“We found it. There’s an escort moving quickly toward Kunlun, its banner reads ‘Shincheon.’”“Really? And the others?”“There are some, but none headed for Kunlun Sect.”“Hmm. Then the Shincheon Escort Bureau must have the Johwadan. Correct?”“Yes. Shall we take it by force?”“Are you so thoughtless? What if the main branch learns of it?”“My apologies. I was careless.”“Be cautious. Never forget we are under Musincheon.”“Yes.”“For now, let them receive it.”“Yes?”“We’ll go when they’re handed the Johwadan. Catch them in the act. Then we’ll quietly suggest they yield it to us.”“Ah!”“That way it isn’t robbery, and the main branch will not scold us.”“Brilliant.”“Are the rumors true? That Johwadan’s effects rival the greatest elixirs?”“I’ve heard it’s even stronger than the Sohwadan. About midway between the Sohwandan and the Dahwandan.”“Whistle… incredible. Who could have crafted such a wonder? I must know. Such talent should belong to Yongho Gate.”“Shall I inquire?”

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