Wurin’s eyes widened.

“Well now... You really are a crazy bitch.”

“Yes. I’m a crazy bitch.”

Her legs trembled, but she held her ground with willpower alone.

Slowly, she ran her hand through her hair. The gesture had a strangely seductive quality.

“Play with me, and let the others go. I’m not skilled, but I’ll do my best.”

Wurin snorted.

“Don’t spout shit.”

“...”

“Why should I do that? If I kill you all, I’ll have more to bargain with when I return to Lee Jakyum.”

He stepped closer.

“And besides... I don’t eat things with thorns.”

“...Really?”

“That’s right.”

Wurin’s smile turned glacial.

“Though if you remove the thorns, I can manage to eat it. In this case...”

He reached toward Ju Soa.

“If I tear out your eyes and sever the meridians in your limbs, then lay you down and kill the rest... wouldn’t that remove all your thorns? That way, I could devour you quite nicely.”

Black flames rose from Wurin’s hand, flicking toward Ju Soa’s face like a viper’s tongue.

Ju Soa closed her eyes. She was prepared for death.

It happened in a flash.

Wurin’s hand reached toward her eyes. The black fire nearly grazed her skin.

Then—Wurin jerked back.

A faint but sharp sound of air splitting came from below his hand.

A sword.

He immediately withdrew his arm and leapt backward.

His instincts warned of danger.

When Ju Soa opened her eyes, ice crystals were scattering through the air.

The pouring rain melted the frost, soaking the robes of a man.

A drenched cloak.

The man’s back—strangely familiar.

***

“Impressive.”

With that brief praise from Unwi, the Bunta members nearly collapsed from sheer relief.

“You stood your ground against a Transcendence Realm enemy this time.”

In truth, Unwi had arrived quite some time ago.

Precisely when the Black Flame Demon Beast Wurin began confronting them.

He had seen everything.

“You were afraid, but did not flee. Despairing, yet did not abandon hope.”

His voice was calm, yet held a storm within. It pierced the downpour and reached every ear.

Ju Soa could feel it.

Though Unwi’s gaze was fixed on Wurin, his awareness was spread across all the Bunta members.

“Every being makes a choice when faced with fear—flee, or confront.”

His attention shifted to Han Murin.

The faint demonic flame had not died down—it burned stronger.

“Fear itself is not shameful. What is shameful is yielding to it and abandoning one’s path.”

The torrential rain could not drown out Unwi’s voice.

It rang clearly—even in Wurin’s ears.

“In Yangryeong, you once abandoned your duty. But today, even before the shadow of death, you did not halt your steps.”

Wurin folded his arms as if watching a spectacle. Unwi continued without pause.

“To those who rely on destiny, what is fear? Merely another mountain to be overcome. True strength—it is not the sharpness of your blade, nor the depth of your inner energy, nor the height of your cultivation.”

Unwi’s gaze settled.

His heart beat faster, blood surged through his veins.

“True strength is the refusal to break your will, even if you lose everything. Today, you have shown that strength.”

All the Bunta members fell to their knees.

Despite the presence of a master in the Transcendence Realm, their hearts were at peace.

Unwi had once told them—

That with him, there would be nothing in this world to fear.

As they all bowed their heads, Unwi spoke.

“Raise your heads. You are no longer those who abandoned their duty. You are now ones who know how to find their path even in darkness.”

He turned away.

A faint smile touched his lips.

“I forgive you.”

“...Bunta Lord...”

“Fall back.”

As the Bunta members withdrew in unison, a slow clap echoed.

Unwi turned his head.

It was the Black Flame Demon Beast, Wurin.

“Hah... What fine words. I like them. I really do.”

“I’m honored to hear that from you, Senior.”

Unexpectedly, Unwi’s tone was polite.

“Ice crystals... fluid movement... and you didn’t even bother hiding your face under a black veil. That ash-grey hair...”

“...”

“There’s a brat from the polar reaches of Snow Mountain Palace who’s said to play an excellent game of Go. That’s you, isn’t it? Seolsan Magun, Seol Unwi.”

“And you, Senior, must be the Commander of the Mars Unit of Hondo Mayeomgung—Black Flame Demon Beast Wurin.”

“Hah... Correct.”

“Allow me to greet you properly. I’m Seol Unwi, Bunta Lord of Yangryeong.”

“Sure, I’ll accept that.”

But in the next instant, Wurin’s gaze turned ice cold.

“But you’ve made quite the mess. Hard to let it slide.”

“You mean me?”

“You’ve wiped out five caravans already... and here too. I owe Lee Jakyum a debt. I can’t just close my eyes and walk away.”

A peculiar smile curled Unwi’s lips.

“You speak as though you’re asking for something.”

“...They say you’re good at Go. Seems the rumors are true.”

Unwi wasn’t an idiot. From the moment he received the letter from Jang Seok of the Beggars’ Union, he’d seen through everything.

Jeogan’s Lee Jakyum clearly intended to dominate this region under the name of the Sacheon Alliance—but that alone wasn’t enough.

They weren’t the Martial Alliance, nor the Central Blood Sect. They hadn’t clashed with the Sacheon Alliance, and could be reasoned with.

Moreover, it had to be someone with personal ties to Lee Jakyum—and someone whose sect was ambitious about expanding territory.

Hondo Mayeomgung.

Unwi asked,

“Is it Bongnae?”

“...Have you planted spies?”

Unwi shook his head.

“It’s simple. For Hondo Mayeomgung to devour Yangryeong directly would carry too much risk. But Bongnae—that’s a different story.”

“...Because Shinsamgok is in front, and Yangryeong is beyond that?”

“Yes. More importantly, Bongnae lies within Martial Alliance territory. If the Sacheon Alliance clears it out, it’ll become a power vacuum. And if a branch family like Hondo Mayeomgung swallows Bongnae, they’ll only need to keep the Martial Alliance in check.”

“...That’s a bit contradictory. By your logic, wouldn’t it make more sense for us to take Yangryeong directly? If we capture you and trade your life to the Everlasting Snow Palace, things would go much more smoothly.”

Unwi gave a short laugh.

“Why pretend not to know what you clearly do? Beneath Bongnae are two counties, and beyond that lies Geongon Fortress. Castle Magistrate Song Hak is someone even the Martial Alliance hesitates to provoke. And everyone knows the Palace Lord of Hondo Mayeomgung and Song Hak were fellow students at the Blue Gate Academy.”

“...”

“And Song Hak has a problem—taxation. As you well know, neither the Martial Alliance nor the Sacheon Alliance pays taxes.”

“...”

“But Hondo Mayeomgung would be different. To deepen ties with Song Hak, you’d offer a certain tax share. And that would create a situation the Martial Alliance couldn’t touch.”

“...”

“With the imperial army of Yang Empire, Hondo Mayeomgung, and even the Sacheon Alliance involved, the Martial Alliance would stay silent. And Hondo Mayeomgung would slowly expand its reach through Bongnae... eventually becoming the top among all branch sects.”

At this moment, Wurin didn’t feel admiration.

He was shaken to the core.

“...You really are... dangerous.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“...No, you shouldn’t. Someone like you...”

He trailed off.

He couldn’t say it aloud.

That someone like him holding the reins of the Everlasting Snow Palace would elevate its power beyond imagination.

Unwi planted his sword in the ground.

“Regrettably, Senior, you went missing while en route to meet Lee Jakyum in Jeogan.”

“...”

“Hondo Mayeomgung will search for ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) you, but find nothing. Because there won’t be a single witness.”

“...Hah...”

“They might learn that Yangryeong’s Bunta members were involved in disrupting Jeogan’s trade routes, but they won’t be able to tie it to anything else. No matter how hard they dig, it will all come back to one conclusion.”

“...A conclusion?”

“Yes. That in a chaotic world, yet another tragic incident has occurred. As you know, the dead don’t speak. That’s what’s about to happen.”

Unwi brushed his hair back.

Haa...

His breath dispersed into the air.

He had killed many in the Harmonization Realm—but strictly speaking, the gap between Harmonization and Transcendence was immense.

It typically took four Harmonization cultivators to handle a single Transcendence master.

That’s the difference between those who barely touch nature’s energy—and those who fully command it.

So this was unavoidable.

“Ju Soa.”

“Yes?”

“Block the road. If anyone approaches, no matter who it is, take their head.”

“...Understood.”

“Cheonpung, guard the side path along the transport route. Wonyang, lie in wait in the thicket above. And Han Murin.”

At Unwi’s call, Han Murin, who had been glaring at Wurin with burning eyes, turned to him.

The moment he saw Unwi’s calm face, peace returned to him.

His demonic flame died down.

“Observe carefully. Learn the weaknesses in Hondo Mayeomgung’s flame techniques.”

“...Yes.”

“What you witness here today must never be spoken of outside.”

Even Wurin furrowed his brow.

“...You’re taking your time preparing.”

Unwi ignored him.

“Stay silent. It’ll be better for you too.”

He didn’t wait for a reply. That was only right.

He had no intention of ever using this again, but today was an exception.

The tremor began from his danjeon and spread through his body.

Blood Demon Heaven-Piercing Art.

This was the second time since its first use in Seolap.

The vibration shook through his entire form, his blood energy surging.

Spreading from his core, it filled his entire body.

First Gate: Blood Gate’s Breath.

The constraints over Unwi’s body loosened like falling chains. His eyes gleamed brighter. Even his breath disturbed the air.

Wurin’s eyes widened.

“...You... wait... that’s...?”

Unwi met his gaze squarely and murmured—

“Second Gate: Blood Body Yellow Shift.”

The blood energy that enveloped his body began to seep outward.

It was clearly visible—even to the naked eye.

It resembled a dragon rising, its presence overwhelming.

Ordinarily, a cultivator in Early Manifestation Realm shouldn’t be able to open the Second Gate.

But Unwi could.

Heo Hyeon-gi wasn’t ordinary internal energy, nor nature energy, nor Heaven-Earth spiritual energy.

It was something closer to the origin of qi itself.