The banquet of the Jongnam Sect was held modestly.

It was only natural, as the bodies of the dead disciples had been collected and the funeral had not yet been held.

They were just relieving their fatigue by eating food that was good for replenishing their stamina and drinking tea and water instead of alcohol, while engaging in idle chatter.

In the first place, the reason why the sect master of Jongnam, Im Sanil, had held the banquet was simple and clear.

—It is to not be broken.

Everyone in Jongnam knew that the war had begun through the Alliance Friend Order.

But no one had thought that such a fierce battle would take place from the beginning.

Many disciples had died.

And even now, a thick smell of blood wafted from Mount Jongnam due to the blood shed by the dead.

For that reason, Im Sanil had forced a small banquet to comfort the disciples of Jongnam, whose minds and bodies would be exhausted.

Jin Sohyun, who knew this, also attended the banquet and sat side by side with Im Sanil, filling his stomach with the food that the Jongnam Sect had prepared with sincerity.

“Is Great Master Kang moving separately?”

At Im Sanil’s question, Jin Sohyun nodded his head briefly.

“Yes.”

“I see… more than that, it’s amazing. You are the benefactor of Jongnam. I want to take this opportunity to thank you once again.”

As Im Sanil cupped his hands and bowed, Jin Sohyun waved his hand.

“Don’t praise me too much. I just did what I had to do.”

Even though he had said it himself, Jin Sohyun had never dreamed that he would say such a thing.

‘I never thought I would say such a thing.’

Jin Sohyun was so embarrassed that he just sipped his tea.

On the other hand, Im Sanil looked at Jin Sohyun with a gentle face.

‘He is the fortune of the martial world.’

While the Central Plains was in an uproar over the appearance of the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon, some believed that the era of the heretic martial world had now come.

Because of the rumor that a martial artist who had just become an adult had killed a whopping Five Great Masters of the Central Plains and had taken his power.

But Im Sanil did not think so.

‘Heaven has by no means abandoned the righteous path. Isn’t the proof right in front of me?’

Although the heretic path called Jin Sohyun the monster of the righteous path, the Flying Heaven Sword Ghost, Im Sanil wanted to call him the hero of the righteous path.

In fact, there were not a few sects and martial artists who had been saved by him.

Im Sanil moistened his throat with tea and then said.

“What are you going to do from now on? If you need help, our Jongnam Sect will also lend a hand.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m more comfortable moving alone.”

‘As expected.’

According to Jin Sohyun’s past actions, he did not form a group and only moved alone.

Although he did not know the reason, Im Sanil somehow felt that he could understand Jin Sohyun’s inner thoughts.

He did not ask any further and remained silent so that Jin Sohyun could enjoy the banquet.

And so, the small and modest banquet held in Jongnam quietly ended around midnight.

“Ugh!”

Jin Sohyun, who had packed his luggage and stood up, came out of the guest quarters with Cha Seol, and Hwang Jichun appeared in front of him as if he had been waiting.

“Are you leaving already.”

“Yes. It’s not good to stay in one place for a long time.”

“Your target is… the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon, right?” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Jin Sohyun quietly nodded his head.

Hwang Jichun, as if he had known, held out a heavy-looking brown pouch.

“I’ve packed some dried meat, food, and a little money inside. I hope it will be of some help on your journey.”

“Thank you.”

Jin Sohyun took the pouch that Hwang Jichun had held out, bowed his head, and then left the Dowon of the Jongnam Sect with Cha Seol.

“He leaves like the wind, without wanting anything in return.”

Hwang Jichun cupped his hands toward the departing Jin Sohyun, and behind him, the martial artists of the Jongnam Sect lined up and cupped their hands.

Finally, the elders and senior elders of Jongnam, and even the sect master, Im Sanil.

They cupped their hands for Jin Sohyun, who was leaving Jongnam.

“I hope you, at least, don’t break.”

Hoping that the hero of the righteous path, at least, would not be broken.

“Ugh…”

“Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

At Cha Seol’s question, Jin Sohyun shook his head from side to side and said.

“No, it’s just that the back of my head is a little tingly.”

He felt the gazes of countless people from behind him.

It must be the gazes of the martial artists of the Jongnam Sect who were seeing him off.

‘It’s so embarrassing.’

Being treated like a hero was not only unfitting for Jin Sohyun, but it was also so embarrassing that it was difficult.

Nevertheless.

‘Still, it’s not a bad feeling.’

The fact that he had been of help to someone was not a bad feeling.

Rather, it felt like he was gaining strength.

Jin Sohyun went down Mount Jongnam with a much lighter step.

***

“What do you think this means?”

Zhuge Goun and Dokgo Jeokmyeong were in deep thought with a single map.

And in front of them, a middle-aged man stood, wearing shabby clothes but with a dignified air.

Although he looked to be around fifty, he was probably older than that.

The wrinkles engraved on his face made one guess the passage of time he had gone through, but his eyes were still shining brightly.

“Sect Master. Is this the current martial world?”

At Dokgo Jeokmyeong’s question, the middle-aged man nodded his head.

The sect master of the Beggars' Sect, Gu Daepil, placed his unusually large hand on the map and said.

“The world is like the Yangtze River. The farther you look, the more you can feel the flow like a river. And I have been watching the flow of the Central Plains with my own two eyes since I started to walk.”

Gu Daepil, who still looked healthy despite being seventy, continued.

“The Yangtze River, named the righteous path, was flowing very peacefully. But after the appearance of the huge reef called the Heretic Path's Alliance, the flow has changed very much. And the appearance of the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon and the chaotic battle caused by the heretic martial world.”

Gu Daepil looked down at the map of the Central Plains, which had become chaotic, and narrowed his brow.

“The Yangtze River has become like a sea where a storm is raging.”

It was chaotic and chaotic.

Nothing was standing properly.

Waves were crashing from all directions, and the lofty city walls were collapsing.

“At first glance, it seemed that the heretic martial world was causing a chaotic battle against the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, but when I spread out the map like this, I saw something else.”

As he had said, the wooden pieces symbolizing the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families on the map of the Central Plains were leaving their homes and settling in new places.

But the shape was a little strange.

“This is like…”

“A rabbit hunt.”

“…”

The two general managers nodded their heads as if in agreement.

According to the movement of the Central Plains martial world that the Beggars' Sect had brought, the heretic path was by no means moving randomly.

They were driving the righteous martial world with a clear purpose.

‘But it’s strange. It would have been better to separate them and break them one by one.’

The greatest strength that the righteous martial world possessed was its solidarity.

Whenever a crisis came to the Central Plains.

The righteous martial world had become one and had fought their enemies.

Unlike the heretic martial world, which could never mix like water and oil, the righteous path could always hold each other’s hands and have each other’s backs.

That’s why individual destruction was the only answer.

Didn’t the group of the heretic path, who knew this, cause a chaotic battle to prevent the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families from uniting and try to destroy them individually?

But now, they were hunting rabbits as if they wanted them to unite.

Dokgo Jeokmyeong, who was thinking deeply, trembled his lips.

“Don’t tell me…”

The internal general manager, Zhuge Goun, asked curiously.

“Do you have any idea?”

At his question, Dokgo Jeokmyeong swept his forehead and looked at Gu Daepil.

“Am I right in what I’m thinking? Sect Master.”

Gu Daepil answered with a shaded face.

“I’m just hoping I’m not.”

Zhuge Goun, who felt frustrated by the conversation between the two, raised his voice slightly.

“Can you tell me too?”

“Internal General Manager.”

Dokgo Jeokmyeong placed his hand on the map and put a new chess piece on it.

It was a horse.

But it didn’t matter what chess piece it was.

What was really important was what the chess piece represented.

“It’s the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon.”

“The Blood-Sucking Sword Demon?”

The wise Zhuge Goun understood the meaning of Dokgo Jeokmyeong’s words at once.

“Ah…!”

The Blood-Sucking Sword Demon absorbs the blood of masters and steals their power and martial arts.

If he killed all the masters belonging to the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families and absorbed all their power and martial arts, what would happen?

“The worst… number one in the world… no, the number one of all time will be born.”

“That’s it.”

The hair on Zhuge Goun’s entire body stood on end.

Only then did the Martial Alliance realize the true intentions of the Heretic Path's Alliance and the heretic martial world.

And they also understood the reason why the Heretic Path's Alliance had not directly attacked and had blocked the Martial Alliance.

‘It was to buy time.’

They were gathering the prestigious sects and martial families scattered throughout the regions in one place so that the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon could enjoy his feast.

While draining their strength.

“We have to inform them of this fact right now! We can’t let them become the prey of the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon!”

“That’s right!”

At the urgent shouts of the two general managers, Gu Daepil nodded his head and said.

“For that, there is something we have to do.”

The two general managers seemed to know what Gu Daepil was talking about.

“First of all…”

Kung kung—!

Someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

At Zhuge Goun’s question, a familiar voice was heard from outside.

“It’s the Geumcheon Grand Master.”

“Geumcheon Grand Master? Come in.”

The door opened, and the Geumcheon Grand Master, Wi Geumseong, entered.

He cupped his hands briefly to Gu Daepil and then said to the two general managers.

“The White Moon Divine Lord has come.”

***

Gu Daepil and the two general managers of the alliance ran toward the entrance of the Martial Alliance.

Dozens of carriages and carts with the flag of the White Moon Palace had already arrived there.

The martial artists of the White Moon Palace were moving the carts, which were filled with supplies for the war, inside with the martial artists of the alliance, and in the center of them was the master of the White Moon Palace, the White Moon Divine Lord, Cheon Yusin.

“White Moon Palace Lord.”

As Dokgo Jeokmyeong approached Cheon Yusin, he lightly raised his hand and greeted them.

“It’s been a long time, General Manager Dokgo.”

“If you had given us a heads-up, we would have at least come out to meet you…”

“It’s a war situation, isn’t it? It’s not the time to take care of such trivial things.”

Cheon Yusin pointed to the martial artists of the White Moon Palace who had appeared with the carriages.

“I’ve only picked the elites of the White Moon Palace. Although the history of our palace is not comparable to the prestigious sects with a long history that the martial world boasts of, I can confidently say that the level of the martial arts of our palace’s martial artists is comparable to them.”

It was the words of none other than the White Moon Divine Lord.

Since it was a time when even a little help was desperate, the two general managers expressed their gratitude with sincerity.

“Thank you. Thanks to the help that the Palace Lord has sent, the Martial Alliance seems to be able to breathe a little easier.”

“I heard the alliance leader has fallen.”

The smile disappeared from the lips of the two general managers, who had been smiling.

Cheon Yusin had openly brought up a matter that could be said to be very sensitive from the perspective of the Martial Alliance.

“That’s… right.”

As Dokgo Jeokmyeong answered, trying to maintain his composure, Cheon Yusin nodded his head.

“It’s a pity, at a time when a central figure to lead the alliance is needed more than ever.”

“We are trying our best, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

“It seems you have a candidate for the alliance leader in mind?”

At Cheon Yusin’s question, Dokgo Jeokmyeong and Zhuge Goun could not easily speak.

Of course, there was no… designated candidate for the alliance leader.

In the first place, the retirement of Gwak Doyeop, who was on the younger side, was an unforeseen natural disaster.

That’s why they could not give an answer to Cheon Yusin’s question.

“It seems there is no designated person.”

Cheon Yusin said this and came close to the two general managers.

The one closest to being the number one in the world.

The aura that Cheon Yusin, who was known to be the strongest in the martial world, was subtly emitting was enough to overwhelm everyone.

Cheon Yusin asked with a very relaxed face.

“Am I wrong?”