13.Pressure from the Righteous Sect, and the Two Men Standing at a Crossroads

At one of the main headquarters of the righteous sect,

the key figures of Mount Hua and Kunlun gathered.

Present at the meeting were Jin and Wi-yeon's senior martial brothers and sect leaders.

News of the inn incident had spread quickly throughout the martial world.

And the moment it was revealed that she was 'Lee So-eun,'

the attitude of the righteous sect shifted drastically.

"The Demonic Sect tried to take her.""If it's true that she was part of the Demonic Sect in the past…?""Protecting her is dangerous!"

A wave of opposition surged through the assembly.

However,

Jin and Wi-yeon stood firm at the center of it all.

They were fighting to protect her.

Jin spoke resolutely.

"Yi-seon—no, Lee So-eun—is NOT part of the Demonic Sect!"

His voice rang through the hall.

"She left the Demonic Sect.

She no longer has any ties to them."

Wi-yeon supported him.

"It may be true that she was once part of the Demonic Sect.

But we have seen her live as a righteous martial artist."

However,

their words were not enough to sway the elders.

A senior martial artist from Mount Hua spoke.

"Jin, I understand your feelings."

"But we are part of a sect. This is not a decision you can make alone."

Jin clenched his teeth.

"Then… does this mean our sect refuses to accept her?"

The Mount Hua Sect Leader firmly responded.

"Yes."

The air became chillingly heavy.

Wi-yeon was also facing similar pressure.

A Kunlun senior looked at him and said:

"Wi-yeon, you are acting too emotionally."

"The sect is not something you can decide on your own."

The Kunlun Sect Leader also spoke.

"We understand your reasoning.

But you are a disciple of Kunlun.

You cannot act independently."

Jin and Wi-yeon gritted their teeth.

They were fighting to protect Yi-seon,

but in the end, they too belonged to their sects.

Under the crushing weight of the sect leaders and senior martial artists,

they had no choice but to bow their heads.

However,

they did not back down.

They declared with unwavering determination.

"Lee So-eun was exiled from the Demonic Sect. She is no longer one of them!"

"And we will stand by her as a fellow martial artist!"

"To attack her is to attack us!"

At that moment,

all the martial artists in the hall murmured among themselves.

"Mount Hua and Kunlun's finest disciples are standing up for one person?"

"Are they willing to abandon their sects for her?"

"Protecting someone from the Demonic Sect is too dangerous…"

However,

Jin and Wi-yeon's voices grew even stronger.

"If our sects refuse to accept her—"

"Then we will leave, even if it means abandoning our sects!"

At that moment,

silence fell over the entire martial world.

Even the elders of the righteous sect were left speechless.

Jin and Wi-yeon were not people who spoke lightly.

And yet,

they had just declared that they would abandon their sects for her.

In the end,

the sect leaders decided to postpone their final decision.

Would they cast her out,

or reconsider in light of Jin and Wi-yeon's pleas?

One thing was certain—

Lee So-eun was now a figure that the entire martial world had their eyes on.

Chapter 27 – The Rejected One, and a New Encounter

The major orthodox sects had finally made their decision.

They would not accept her.

Though there were some voices within the Mount Hua and Kunlun sects who wished to defend her, in the end, she was cast aside under a single justification:

"We cannot accept someone from the Demonic Cult into the Orthodox Sect."

Even the elders of the orthodox sects spoke with unwavering resolve.

"Even if she has no direct ties to the Demonic Cult, we cannot accept her into the martial world while things remain so unstable."

"We do not wish for unnecessary conflict with the Demonic Cult. There is no reason to invite such a risk."

"Two sects have already stepped forward to protect her. We cannot afford to let this issue cause further division."

And so,

the orthodox sects rejected her.

Wei Yeon and Jin were enraged.

"If this is the justice of the martial world, then what does 'righteousness' even mean!?"

Jin clenched his teeth in frustration.

But the sect leader of Mount Hua merely let out a weary sigh.

"We wish to protect her as well."

"But we cannot afford to turn the entire martial world against us."

Wei Yeon and Jin could say nothing more.

They had fought for her,

but in the end, the orthodox sects abandoned her.

Meanwhile,

the Demonic Cult had begun to move in earnest.

The moment they learned that the Orthodox Sect had turned her away,

they acted without hesitation.

Within the cult, a strong sentiment arose—they had to reclaim her.

"If she returns to us, the prestige of the Demonic Cult will rise even higher."

"We cannot afford to leave her alone. The Orthodox Sect has abandoned her—now is our best chance."

"Retrieve her. If she refuses, bring her back by force."

And so,

the Demonic Cult began their pursuit.

Lee So-eun watched all of this unfold in silence.

And she made her decision.

She had to leave.

Just as she had in the beginning.

She had to escape the martial world altogether.

She belonged neither to the Orthodox Sect nor to the Demonic Cult.

She had no place in either.

"So, I truly have nowhere to belong…"

Silently, she prepared to leave.

She said nothing to Wei Yeon or Jin.

On a night veiled in darkness,

she vanished without a trace.

However,

it didn't take long for Wei Yeon to notice her absence.

"…So-eun?"

His instincts immediately screamed that something was wrong, and he quickly looked around.

But she was already gone.

Jin, too, jolted upright and began searching for her.

But she was nowhere to be found.

"Damn it…!"

For a brief moment, they were at a complete loss as to where she had gone.

But one thing was clear.

She had left on her own.

At that moment,

Wei Yeon murmured quietly.

"…Could we have ever stopped her?"

Jin clenched his fists but had no answer.

She had made this choice herself.

Not long after Lee So-eun set off alone,

a group of unfamiliar individuals appeared before her.

They were all women.

Dressed in neatly arranged martial attire, they carried themselves with a powerful presence.

A woman, seemingly their leader, stepped forward.

Her sharp gaze locked onto So-eun's.

And then,

she spoke in a calm but firm voice.

"We've finally found you."

Lee So-eun narrowed her eyes.

"…Who are you?"

The woman stared at her and, with an unwavering tone, said:

"We are the Qingyun Society (靑雲會), a martial organization composed solely of women."

"And we have come looking for you."

Lee So-eun's expression wavered.

Who were these people?

Why were they searching for her?

A new force had entered the fray—

And with them,

a new fate was beginning to unfold.