CHAPTER 210

Baek Seo-gun enjoyed the wealth and power of the Demonic Faction's Profound Martial Alliance for a long time.

Like the other masters of the Thirteen Celestial Demons, she made a name for herself. She was called a monster of Jianghu.

Unlike the orthodox martial world, the world of the evil sects did not bother with trivial formalities.

If a sect's power and one's own martial skills were unmatched, one could enjoy a life no less enviable than that of a king.

As the Sword Sovereign of the Demonic Faction, she buried away the life of hardship. She had to.

Though the world of the Demonic Faction didn't care as much about one's roots as the righteous factions did, if her humble origins were exposed among the elders of the great sects, ridicule would follow.

Roots defined a person. The place of one's birth was their foundation.

It was an accepted truth. Even in Jianghu, where warriors regarded their sects as their hometown.

It was a world where one's origins mattered greatly.

Jung Clan of Xinye County, Baek Seo-gun of the Jung Clan, Baek Seo-gun of Xinye County...

Her heart, dulled by wealth and luxury, was weighed down by ennui.

Unlike the elders of the Profound Martial Alliance who reveled in pleasure until death, she lost her passion early on.

Perhaps it was because she had turned her back on the years that had established her foundation. At some point, even the precious Dragon Well Tea tasted like plain water to her.

Even when she drank Seofeng Liquor, a famous national spirit, she felt no intoxication.

The Profound Martial Alliance's young master, who ignorantly clung to her, declaring his love, was equally unimpressive.

Even when she cut his face with a blade, she felt no emotion. If her sect leader had taken issue with it, she would have left the alliance herself.

Though she had grown accustomed to wealth and prosperity, and had no intention of abandoning the alliance, Baek Seo-gun found her life increasingly tedious.

Then, a master from the Jung Clan emerged.

With her leader's permission, she faced this Lightning Genius swordsman with genuine excitement.

She felt refinement in the boy. The elegance she had long missed seemed to radiate from Jung Yeonshin, Lightning Genius.

The Ten Essentials of Go.

One of the strategies commonly taught in the art of Go was embedded within his technique: even if you sacrifice a stone, you must secure the initiative.

It was the mindset of "winning the important moment." Another way to interpret it was to seize "what matters most."

Eternal Heaven Sword Demon, Baek Seo-gun, was a figure so adept with the sword that she was called a Sword Demon.

She had a deep understanding of swordsmanship's inherent will. It struck her all the more deeply because the swordsman before her bore a striking resemblance to Jung Ban-ak, the noble figure of her past.

She realized that the years she spent growing up in the Jung Clan had not been meaningless.

She vividly recalled the kindness of Jung Daemyung and the teachings of Jung Ban-ak, who had once guided her when she was just a troublemaker.

In a sense, Lightning Genius had helped Baek Seo-gun rediscover her roots.

"It's absurd."

She muttered as she looked down at the Jung Clan's second son.

A different face appeared in her mind's eye.

A face imbued with the noble elegance of Ban-ak.

Jung Yeonshin, the third son of Jung Ban-ak from Xinye County.

She assumed he must have been raised under unparalleled teachings.

His body bore the traces of discipline and refinement, his poised yet aggressive grip on the sword spoke of mastery, and his martial achievements were those of a true noble lineage.

To her, he seemed as dignified as a young lord who could rival the heir of the Ming Cult itself.

Even his arrogance wasn't a flaw in her eyes. His casual manner of speech as the master of Desolate Fortress was endearing to her.

How could this be possible?

Eternal Heaven Sword Demon, Baek Seo-gun, recalled her encounter with the leader of Hao Sect.

He had not poured her any wine, only receiving it. Casually seated, he had shared something shocking.

— …He didn't grow up delicately... The rumors about Lightning Genius from Desolate Fortress are strange, aren't they? They say he built his martial foundation alone at such a young age. But Xinye has been a backwater village since the rampage of that ghost from the Yuan Dynasty. I don't know how much to believe from the villagers' mouths.

From the leader of Hao Sect, she received a detailed description of the Jung Clan's third son.

She had come to verify the truth of the rumors she heard. Even as she crossed the land with her light footwork, she found it hard to believe.

Could such a refined child have really grown up despised?

Though Jung Yeonshin's gaze had seemed somewhat lonely when they met, she had assumed it was due to the massacre of his family, which shaped his disposition.

To her, the Jung Clan had been a warm martial household.

Jung Yeonshin, was the legacy left behind by the head of the Jung Clan before his passing, a gem polished to brilliance.

He had risen from a third-rate martial household to become the squad leader of Desolate Fortress, a boy who painted her childhood memories of the Jung Clan with newfound value.

She didn't want to believe Hao Sect leader's words. At least not until Jung Jungsan's confession had unraveled everything.

— My father distanced himself from him. It has always been that way, since birth.

It came from the mouth of a Jung Clan descendant. Those words shocked her more than any revelation from a top-level martial artist.

— Ban-ak truly...? I have mastered techniques beyond your comprehension. If I detect any deceit, I will break your bones immediately. Ban-ak distanced himself from Yeonshin? Why?

— I-I am only stating the truth! In our county, any child born at the cost of their mother's life is considered accursed!

— Continue.

— There is a Taoist temple called Spirit Temple in the village! The Taoist who resides there said the same. That Yeonshin's presence would harm the land's energy... No one befriended him. My father, being the landlord, bore the responsibility for this.

— Such ignorance...

For days, she fed Jung Jungsan nothing but water.

She heard countless stories and asked even more questions.

Eternal Heaven Sword Demon, Baek Seo-gun, was the second most formidable martial artist in the Profound Martial Alliance.

As the influential figure of the Demonic Faction, she was used to draining people emotionally and physically.

The refined Jung Jungsan was no match for her interrogation. He had to spill every detail of his brother's life, day and night.

His trembling voice remained etched in Baek Seo-gun's ears.

Everything was beyond her imagination.

The sharp intent from her brow flickered faintly. The sword at her waist stirred on its own.

This was due to the synchronization of her mind and inner energy.

Her sword telekinesis was in its perfected form through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. Her sword responded to her emotions.

Baek Seo-gun's lower lip trembled slightly.

"That man's stubbornness was so...!"

Jung Ban-ak was a cursed man. He had left Baek Seo-gun with good memories during her youth, only to burden her with overwhelming shame in her present as a swordmaster.

Her hands shook. The memories of the time she spent with Jung Yeonshin felt as recent as yesterday.

She vividly recalled the sunset that cast long shadows over them as they passed through Seven Crowds Gorge.

'But that child…'

She stood abruptly.

— Had I not made a significant choice, I would have walked through Xinye County holding your hand. But it's fine as it is. You've received plenty of love. Your complexion speaks volumes.

The words she had spoken to Jung Yeonshin came back to her. What else had she said?

— I'm curious how you were raised.

"..."

Her lips parted slightly, and a silent sigh escaped like a voiceless groan.

As the Sword Sovereign of the Profound Martial Alliance, she felt her sense of pride crumble. The feeling burrowed deep into her chest.

The past she thought she had reclaimed had been tainted. Jung Yeonshin had not been nurtured by Ban-ak's hands. Instead, he had been scarred.

"You're not as clueless as I thought. The Zhongnan Sect's pursuit has caught up. The surrounding presences are getting noisy."

She muttered as if in a trance, lost in deep thought.

Startled, Jung Jungsan, kneeling before her, looked up at Baek Seo-gun, but she didn't even meet his eyes.

How could she suppress the shame and guilt that pierced her heart?

"The Zhongnan Sect is said to be preparing for the Tyrant Sword Tribe's attack. I will lend a hand."

If she skewered a few heads of the Tyrant Sword Tribe's masters and offered them, perhaps she could gain some favor from her young master.

She was even willing to ally with the Zhongnan riffraff to face the Tyrant Sword Tribe leader.

'I can't go to him empty-handed.'

She had experienced the tender nature of Jung Yeonshin, who cherished his subordinates. Though he didn't show it, he was full of affection, and he might care for his nephew within the Zhongnan Sect in a special way.

Even if she was wrong, it didn't matter. As widely known, Jung Yeonshin and the Tyrant Sword Tribe had already clashed within the Zhongnan mountains.

Presenting the heads of the Tyrant Sword Tribe's members would suffice as a polite gesture.

The Sword Sovereign's thoughts flowed freely.

She had heard that Jung Yeonshin had experienced the Namgoong Clan of Southern Etiquette.

The Radiant Demon Squad's Jung Yeonshin, the newly appointed leader, had already become famous with various tales even before his official activities began.

Among the secret information accessible to a top leader of the Thirteen Celestial Demons was a rumor that the White Qilin known as Dark Sword, born from a family assassin, was serving under the Radiant Demon leader.

Swoosh.

Suddenly, Baek Seo-gun's white hand brushed her ashen hair behind her ear.

'She thought, I will become your Dark Sword.'

* * *

The white rank warrior, Ma Ung, was a master of Desolate Ma Clan.

At twenty, he was a promising young talent dressed in white martial robes.

He had a bright future ahead of him. The peculiar cases of Jung Yeonshin, Shin So-bin and White Qilin were merely exceptions.

If he wished to enter the Divine Sword Squad in the future, many martial factions would extend their hands to him.

'I don't want to fall into ruin.'

In the midst of the ongoing power struggle between Zhu Yeon-jeong, the royal consort, and Ma Jin, the newly appointed clan leader, Ma Ung stood with Zhu Yeon-jeong's faction.

Even though he was a distant cousin of Ma Jin, he had made this decision after long deliberation.

He had witnessed the deterioration of the martial prowess among the elders of the clan.

The culmination of that decline was the previous clan leader.

The Legendary Hero, Ma Yeonjeok.

At thirty, he ascended to the Purple Rank, shocking the world. His prime years were near legendary.

It was said he could replace the rarely active Fortress' Lord and had flown the flag of Desolate Fortress far and wide since his youth.

But even he could not avoid decline.

Such was the fate of those who trained in the clan's tyrannical martial arts, driven by their loyalty to the Fortress' Lord.

Practitioners of the Fusion Fist Strike soared quickly but fell just as fast.

It wasn't much different from the martial arts of the Demonic Faction.

Because it was a family matter, the Fortress' Lord did not intervene. Only the clan's blood relatives had a voice in such matters.

Yet the clan could not let go of the Fusion Fist Strike. Their ancient family martial art had built their reputation as the top martial clan of Desolate Fortress.

Rather, they sought to complement its flaws by incorporating the principles of other martial arts, so valuable was this legacy.

Among the noble families under Desolate Fortress, the Ma Clan produced the most masters.

Even the proud General Affairs Bureau regularly expected to recruit power from the Ma Clan. They carried the momentum of a chariot with eight heads.

"Nothing unusual on the flanks."

"Let's switch shifts for a moment."

In the garden surrounding a small pavilion, five warriors moved to different positions.

One leaped onto the pavilion's roof, while the other four discreetly guarded the surroundings. Ma Ung took his place at the main gate.

Desolate Fortress was vast, with many secluded spots like this one.

The chirping of insects echoed clearly. The hazy light filtered through the dense pine leaves.

The glow of the setting sun spread transparently, carrying the faint scent of winter.

Autumn had passed. A sliver of Ma Ung's heart was caught in the transition.

Lady Zhu was right.

Zhu Yeon-jeong, who possessed the royal martial art known as the Golden Immortal Eight Methods, had summoned Ma Ung and given him an order.

She had instructed him to closely observe the condition of the previous clan leader, Ma Yeonjeok, as Ma Jin, hastily appointed as clan leader, was behaving suspiciously.

In a sense, Ma Ung was a spy for Zhu Yeon-jeong's faction. He served her voluntarily.

It was to fully acquire the Golden Immortal Eight Methods. He believed it was for the good of the clan.

He had already left several marks along the way to guide Zhu Yeon-jeong's subordinates.

The condition of the previous clan leader, Ma Yeonjeok, was a critical issue. He was a figure of utmost protection.

It wasn't something Ma Jin could handle alone, even if kept secret. The approval of the clan's elders was required.

Now, it was only a matter of time.

The political blow Ma Jin would face would be enormous. Zhu Yeon-jeong, who had built many connections through the Golden Immortal Eight Methods, would ensure it.

That noble royal consort never failed to achieve her goals.

Even the prominent figures within her faction at Desolate Fortress would see it as inevitable.

'Clan leader, please forgive me. The clan must change.'

As Ma Ung silently apologized, suddenly, a gust of wind swept across his face.

Thwack!

His vision blurred. It was accompanied by the terrifying energy of a blue-robed master who appeared like a mirage.

Behind him, a woman with strikingly long black hair opened her lips. She too wore a flowing blue robe.

"Chung Myung, why have you acted without permission?"

It was the Wave Swordswoman, Baek Miryeo. Known for her swordsmanship, martial prowess, and beauty, there was no one in Desolate Fortress who didn't know of her.

"Don't be offended. The leader granted me permission to act first and report later, but only me. Anyway... this guy gives me chills. That's how I see it."

The face of the handsome man in a blue hood seemed to float upward. Was he unfolding the Void Body Technique?

No.

Ma Ung realized belatedly that it only appeared that way because he was falling.

'The Radiant Demon Squad... the famous Demon Sword...!'

Barely turning his head, Ma Ung's eyes widened as if they would tear apart.

When had he appeared?

The long bue cloak fluttered behind him.

Whoosh!

By then, over a dozen blue-robed masters had surrounded the area like a wall.

They were the familiar warriors of the Radiant Demon Squad. The surging energy from their bodies swept through the bushes like a tidal wave.

The protective wall of elite warriors, symbolizing the blue-robed masters, was unmatched in strength, their martial power revered by civilians as something close to mystic authority.

A force capable of crushing any scheme in an instant.

The leader had arrived.

Step.

Radiant Demon Squad Leader Jung Yeonshin calmly crossed the threshold of the pavilion's entrance.

No one could stop him.

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