The Hell Darkness Emperor was, quite literally, a monster.A monster who had blocked without effort the Heavenly Strike born of Sa Se Hwang and the combined inner strength of four elders.Was this not a strength that transcended imagination itself?If the Hell Darkness Emperor was that strong, then just how powerful was the Martial Deity Heaven Lord?It was beyond guessing.“I will grant you another chance. Will you follow us?”At the Hell Darkness Emperor’s words, Sa Se Hwang bit down hard on his lips.If it was for the sake of saving his subordinates, then he had to obey this man’s words.As he hesitated, the Hell Darkness Emperor spoke again.“Your subordinates are not yet dead. If you submit, I will heal them all and spare them. But if you refuse, I will kill them all. Decide.”At those words, Sa Se Hwang looked around and saw that not a single one of his fallen men had died.So it was not that the enemy had been weak, but that they had deliberately refrained from killing, suppressing instead—and that had made them seem weaker.To suppress without killing was twice as difficult as killing outright.“As expected of Musincheon… truly living up to the name.”There was only one choice Sa Se Hwang could make.In the end, bowing his head, he spoke.“I will follow.”At his words, the elders clenched their eyes shut.For in truth, they too did not wish to die.The Hell Darkness Emperor looked upon Sa Se Hwang and said:“You, along with the elders of Bukcheon Gate behind you, will all come with me.”Sa Se Hwang and the elders rose with difficulty and followed behind the Hell Darkness Emperor.As they trailed after him, they looked upon the collapsing Bukcheon Gate with hollow smiles.So it was true, flowers cannot stay red for ten days.To crumble in such futility.For what had they struggled and clawed so desperately to live?If only they had spent that time for the sake of their subordinates instead.Regret lingered.And worry for his son who had escaped.May he have fled safely from this place.And may he tell the world of Musincheon’s atrocities.With such thoughts, he forced his unwilling feet to move. ****Deep in the mountains.A group of people were hurrying along.“Let us rest here for a while.”“Sub-Gate Master, we are fine.”“You must flee farther.”“Enough. We have run without pause for a full day. The enemy does not seem to be pursuing. Let us rest before we go.”“As you command.”These were the Sub-Gate Master who had escaped Bukcheon Gate, and his subordinates.“Mother must have escaped safely, right?”“Yes. I confirmed that the carriage slipped away in another direction.”“May she be safe… But what of Father? Did he escape? Or… did he remain at the gate?”“If it is the Gate Master…”“He would have remained. If it is Father, he would have stayed.”“Damn Musincheon! To strike people in the back like this.”“All that talk of righteousness was a lie. They are seed more poisonous than the heretical sects.”“We must tell the world. Spread the truth of Musincheon’s foul nature.”At their outbursts, the Sub-Gate Master let out a sigh and said:“If we tell the world, how much do you think they will believe us?”“…What?”“Do you think they will believe us? Or do you think they will watch Musincheon’s eyes?”“Well, that…”It was the latter.Even if Musincheon did not meddle in the other sects of the Central Plains, its influence across the martial world was unimaginable.When even Shaolin, the spiritual center of the Central Plains, watched Musincheon’s eyes, how could the other sects be different?“Then what do you intend to do now?”“For now… let us go to the Blazing Fire Divine Palace.”“What? Of all the many sects, why there?”“They are our enemies, are they not?”“They are. But for that very reason, they are also the only sect we can trust. In our situation now, they are the only ones who would accept us if we ask for aid.”“You think they will accept us? We would be fortunate if they only mocked us and drove us out.”“No. They will accept us. And they will believe our words. That is what I believe.”“How can you be so certain? Sub-Gate Master, you speak as though you have never experienced the vicious dogs of Blazing Fire Divine Palace.”Shaking his head at his men’s words, the Sub-Gate Master said:“Father always told me: if ever calamity befalls the gate, and I have cause to escape, then I must seek the Blazing Fire Divine Palace.”“What? The Gate Master said such a thing?”“Yes. The one he hated most, and yet trusted most, is none other than the Lord of the Blazing Fire Divine Palace.”“That cannot be…”“The two were once closest friends. From youth they competed with each other, rising together to their current thrones. If the Palace Lord knows Father has suffered, he will surely aid us. I believe it.”“Understood. Then we will set our course toward the Blazing Fire Divine Palace.”“Good. I do not know the geography, so I leave it to you.”“Yes! Trust me alone. I will lead us by the fastest road.”The Sub-Gate Master nodded, leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes.“You should all get some rest as well. Once we recover our strength, we move again.”“Yes.” ****The next day.Exhaustion had been so great that the Sub-Gate Master, Sa Gong Cheon, and his company had fallen into a deep sleep.When Sa Gong Cheon opened his eyes, he jolted upright in shock.He had slept far longer than he intended.They had to hurry.Just as he moved to rouse his men—He sensed presences.Raising his head, Sa Gong Cheon looked up.“Gasp!”Above him, masked men in black were staring down intently from the trees.They had thought they’d put a great distance between themselves, but sleeping too long had allowed their pursuers to catch up.Sa Gong Cheon cursed his own complacency.To be captured by them so miserably.Whoosh—Flutter—Thud—One of the masked men leapt from the tree, landing before him.In a cracked voice, he spoke.“Come quietly. Your Gate Master surrendered to us without resistance.”Impossible.That his father had surrendered meekly?He was sure they were lying to confuse him.“You think I will believe that?”“Believe or not, it does not matter. We were going to subdue you and take you anyway.”At the man’s signal, the others in the trees moved as one.“Do not kill—subdue them.”At the order, the masked men moved with perfect coordination.Swish—Swish—In moments, the warriors who had fled with Sa Gong Cheon were all subdued.Only Sa Gong Cheon remained.Shing—Drawing his sword, he watched the men surrounding him with sharp vigilance.At the same time, he sought ceaselessly for an opening.He intended to pierce through it and escape.But no opening showed itself.Though he was alone, his enemies showed no carelessness, layering double and triple ironclad defenses around him.Against opponents stronger than himself, who did not neglect their guard, there was no way out.Was he to be captured like this?Tears nearly welled.If only he had been stronger.Then he would not have had to suffer such humiliation.Still, he could not surrender without trying.Clutching his sword tight, he swore to take at least one with him.Seeing this, the leader of the masked men sighed and stepped forward.Swish—In a speed unseen by the eye, he subdued Sa Gong Cheon in an instant.“Ughk!”Thud—Not even knowing how his acupoints had been struck, Sa Gong Cheon collapsed.“Let us go.”At the words, one of the masked men hoisted Sa Gong Cheon onto his shoulder.They were about to depart when—Someone blocked their path.“What!”The masked men flinched in shock.The man barring their way stared intently at the unconscious Sa Gong Cheon.“Yes, Gong Cheon. It is indeed someone I know. Hahaha!”After laughing, his eyes turned murderous as he glared at the masked men.“But… who are you bastards, to be taking this boy?”Fwoosh—The overwhelming energy that surged from his body made the masked men stagger.“Urghk!”“While I speak kindly, put the boy down.”“We cannot—”Wham—Thud—The masked man carrying Sa Gong Cheon collapsed in an instant.And before they knew it, Sa Gong Cheon was in the stranger’s arms.“I was not making a request.”“Who are you?”“Me? I am Hwa Sogwang.”“The Flame Emperor!”“Why would the Flame Emperor aid Bukcheon Gate? Were you not mortal enemies?”“Enemies, yes. But also the closest of friends. It is fine for me to touch them, but I will not let others do so.”Crack—Rolling his neck, Hwa Sogwang looked over the masked men.“Masks on your faces… so you do not intend to reveal yourselves.”Hummm—“Then come at me. I will smash one of you to pieces and ask questions after.”An overwhelming energy gathered in his hand.Seeing this, the leader of the masked men cried out:“Damn it! He is beyond what we can handle. All of you, retreat!”At once, as though waiting for the signal, the masked men leapt to flee.But not one escaped.With a grin, Hwa Sogwang said:“Did I say I was alone? I am not.”Thud—thud—Thud—thud—Though unseen, the fleeing masked men were all subdued, stacking neatly upon the ground.Now, unlike before, it was the masked leader who found himself surrounded.Not only by Hwa Sogwang, but by others of formidable presence as well.“Sub-Gate Master!”At that moment, someone came running, calling out.It was the Sa Hwal Squad Leader of Bukcheon Gate.Hwa Sogwang handed Sa Gong Cheon to him, then glared at the leader.“Shall I give you a chance? If you can break through these people and escape, I will not pursue.”The leader looked around.Hwa Sogwang kindly introduced those he was looking at.“What? That one looks easy? To look down on the Green Forest Grand Emperor, is it? Impressive.”“Th—the Green Forest Grand Emperor!”As if the Flame Emperor were not enough, the Green Forest Grand Emperor as well.The leader turned his gaze to the side.A woman.“What? Because she is a woman, she looks easy? The Sword Queen, perhaps?”“T—the Sword Queen!”Madness.The phrase a desperate plight rose unbidden to his mind.He could not even defeat the Flame Emperor, and yet here were the Green Forest Grand Emperor and the Sword Queen as well.How could all these people be gathered in one place?There was no way out.Then, the masked leader’s eyes fell upon Yeon Woo Jin.‘If I take him hostage…?’Perhaps there would be a gap to escape.At the slightest opening, he poured his all into lunging toward Yeon Woo Jin.Seizing him, he let out a loud laugh.“Keh keh keh! You were careless. It seems you cherish this one. What will you do? If you let me go, I will spare him. But if you try to catch me, I will tear a hole in his throat!”Crack—His grip tightened, ready to snap the neck at once.But none showed the slightest tension.“Tsk, tsk. Of all things, you grabbed the strongest ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) among us.”What?He had picked the one who looked weakest.“Since time is short, let us just take him.”Huh?Did they not understand the situation? He was the one holding the boy by the throat. Who was catching whom?“Do you want to die?”Then Yeon Woo Jin gazed at him and said:“That is not how you make threats.”“What do you—ugh!”His pupils turned black.And at the same time, a chilling coldness pressed in.In that instant—Crack—“Gyaaaaah!”Yeon Woo Jin had seized the hand gripping his neck and snapped it cleanly.“This is how you make threats.”Such pain.Something was wrong.It was not his first time having a bone broken.There was pain, yes—but always bearable.He could even reset the break without changing expression.But not this time.The agony was so great he could hardly breathe.Why?Had he broken the bone in some other way?The thought lasted only a moment.The pain was so immense his mind went blank, unable to think at all.Then the pain vanished, replaced by a cool sensation in his arm.What?In an instant, the broken arm had healed.Huh?Was it a dream?No.The pain just now had not been a dream.What was happening?In his bewilderment—Crack—“Gyaaaaah!”The arm that had just healed was broken once more.And the unbearable pain returned.

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