A short but unmistakable surge of killing intent. Even Seol Lihyang, whose cultivation was the lowest among us, trembled instinctively at the overwhelming threat, causing everyone’s expression to stiffen.

“There’s no time to leisurely wait for permission.”

Without hesitation, I leapt over the wall using lightness skill.

The interior, though clean as if newly built, felt desolate and empty. Tang Sowol glanced around and spoke.

“Which way should we go?”

“This way.”

Though the killing intent had vanished as if blocked by something, I could still faintly sense its location, being particularly sensitive to such things.

Heading directly toward the sting I felt at the back of my neck, we soon came upon a firmly shut door.

The silence around us was uncanny, but the unnatural flow of qi from within made the situation clear.

“A concealment formation?”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems Jeomchang Sect is trying to hide something. This doesn’t look like an ordinary disturbance.”

“We’re going in.”

“You do realize this means interfering in another sect’s internal affairs. Are you sure?”

“I had a bad feeling from the start. This time, please trust me completely.”

Seo Mun-Hwarin asked again, perhaps hesitant about interfering in Jeomchang Sect’s matters. She wasn’t wrong, considering the unspoken rules of the martial world. But now wasn’t the time to care about that.

I stepped forward and opened the door. Inside was a training ground. The Jeomchang Sect warriors, realizing our presence belatedly, drew their swords in alarm.

“Who are you?!”

“Even if we arrived without notice, drawing swords first—is that the way of Jeomchang Sect?”

An elderly man pressed his lips together. His cultivation was at the edge of Peak Stage, and his formal robes suggested he was a sect elder or someone of similar standing. He paused at my words, then slowly sheathed his sword.

“Are you from the Tang Family? My apologies. However, this is an internal matter of Jeomchang Sect. Would you please leave for now? We will properly receive you as guests shortly.”

He positioned his body to block the center of the training ground.

Of course, it was too late. We had already seen everything.

A frenzied woman struggling wildly and multiple experts trying to subdue her.

“This is a Jeomchang Sect matter, you say?”

“Yes. One of our disciples seems to have fallen into qi deviation. Please step back so no one gets hurt.”

“Qi deviation, huh.”

I nodded and then drew my sword. Even if her aura was concealed and her disheveled hair obscured her eyes, I knew.

That was no ordinary case of qi deviation.

“How dare you! You call yourself guests and now draw your sword? Is this the Tang Family’s way?!”

The elder parroted my earlier words right back at me. I chuckled and released my aura in full.

“W-what…?”

The elder flinched, stunned. With his experience, he must have sensed the unique aura of someone in the Flowering Stage. I walked past his frozen figure and spoke.

“This isn’t a Jeomchang Sect matter. It’s a matter of the martial world. And that’s not qi deviation—it’s the Heaven-Slaughter Star.”

With that, I swung my sword.

Wuung—

In sync with my motion, the sword let out a clear ring and emitted a pale, condensed energy.

Though the blade cut through empty space, it wasn’t mere showmanship.

What I held was the resolve born from the pain of my blade failing to reach its mark when it mattered most.

Now, with my will infused into my sword, I would strike even what couldn’t be cut, reach even what couldn’t be reached.

Ssskuk.

The sword cut through space itself, slicing the concealment formation in a single stroke.

It wasn’t merely disrupting the energy maintaining it—it cleaved the formation itself.

The barrier dissolved cleanly without recoil, along with the twisted flow of meridians it had suppressed.

At the same time, the sound and dense killing intent that had been trapped inside burst outward.

“Aaaaahhh——!”

“Third Elder! Sword Division Chief! Is the acupuncture point sealed yet?!”

“It’s not working, Sect Leader!”

“We can’t hold her anymore! At this rate, we’ll—!”

The sect leader and two others were desperately trying to subdue the rampaging woman. It didn’t look easy.

No wonder—the Heaven-Slaughter Star was no joke. Her killing intent was horrifying.

The sect leader, a Sub-Perfection master, seemed to be holding up, but the others, though Peak Stage, were clearly struggling.

As someone who often uses killing intent to subdue enemies, I could tell immediately.

Their cultivation couldn’t withstand such intense killing intent. Their bodies were stiff, their movements sluggish.

In some cases, this kind of exposure could even result in internal injuries.

They seemed young for their positions and might one day reach Sub-Perfection, but that day wasn’t today.

Unable to do anything effective, they alternated pressing random acupuncture points. I grabbed both by the napes and yanked them back.

They collapsed weakly, clearly exhausted. With the two gone, the Heaven-Slaughter Star’s killing intent focused solely on me.

“As expected, quite the extraordinary aura.”

If my killing intent was like a sharpened blade, hers felt raw and primal, like a beast’s fangs.

What was unusual, however, was its purity.

Killing intent usually stems from a desire to kill, and is accompanied by emotions like anger, urgency, or hatred.

But in her case, none of those were present.

She might have felt annoyance or frustration at being restrained, but those emotions didn’t taint her killing aura.

She was simply radiating a pure desire to kill—for no reason at all.

That was what made it so unnerving.

“But, she’s still far from complete.”

The Heaven-Slaughter Star wasn’t fully awakened yet. Though fierce, her killing intent wasn’t quite on par with what I had once harbored.

I pressed an acupuncture point with internal energy infused not just with qi but with my will, cultivated at the Flowering Stage.

That would prevent the killing aura from interfering.

“Just rest for a while.”

In an instant, her head drooped and her body slumped. The thick killing aura vanished completely.

The middle-aged man, Jeomchang Sect’s sect leader, gently laid her down on the floor. He looked both exhausted and oddly relieved.

“Are you from the Murim Alliance?”

“I’m from the Tang Family. But I doubt our purpose is any different.”

“I knew this day would come eventually. I just didn’t expect it to be today. Would you grant me a moment? I’d like to speak.

With you, and with my daughter as well.”

He gently brushed the tangled hair from the woman’s face. Her features resembled his greatly.

***

After the chaos, the sect leader invited us to his office.

He laid his daughter—the Heaven-Slaughter Star—on a bed in the corner.

It seemed this kind of incident had happened before. Being both her father and the only one capable of stopping her, he had clearly prepared in advance.

He sat with his back straight despite his worn expression, a gesture to show he was still the sect leader.

“We should introduce ourselves. I’ve been so focused on internal matters these past months that I’ve barely kept up with outside affairs. Even with a renowned figure before me, I have no idea who you are.”

“That’s understandable. But I wouldn’t say I’m that renowned.”

Maybe because of my youthful appearance and Flowering Stage cultivation, he mistook me for a rejuvenated senior expert.

I shook my head at the memory of similar misunderstandings in the past, as Tang Sowol chuckled behind me.

Meanwhile, Seo Mun-Hwarin nodded solemnly, and Seol Lihyang simply looked away, sighing deeply.

Surprised by our reactions, the sect leader blinked and asked again.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No. If anything, we’re the ones in the wrong.”

I gave a respectful martial bow.

“I’m Cheon Hwi-da of the Tang Family. I’m known as the Blood Flame Sword Demon.”

“W-what?! You’re really the Blood Flame Sword Demon?! I only just heard of your breakthrough to Sub-Perfection not long ago, and yet—!”

The sect leader gaped, stunned. As his gaze moved to the others, they each introduced themselves and their titles.

Realizing that two Flowering Stage martial artists stood before him, the sect leader gulped and spoke.

“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Heo Yunsang, sect leader of Jeomchang Sect. Though I pale in comparison to you all, I am known by the title ‘Flashing Sword.’”

“Please don’t be so formal. I’m much younger, and not nearly as well-established in the Murim.”

“Thank you. Then, I shall call you Young Hero Blood Flame Sword Demon.”

Softening slightly, the Flashing Sword poured us tea and gestured to the bed.

“And this child is my daughter, Heo Soye. I suspect you’ve already guessed—but she’s likely inherited the Heaven-Slaughter Star.”

“Yes. I noticed something strange about her killing aura. Seeing it in person confirms it.”

“You say ‘likely,’ as if there’s still a chance she’s not. That gives me false hope.”

“I’ve never seen the Heaven-Slaughter Star with my own eyes until now. I’m only being cautious. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”

“Ah. Forgive me. I know you’re right. I just… as a father, I can’t let go of my hopes.”

Letting out another deep sigh, Heo Yunsang downed his hot tea as if to drown his regret.

Clack.

He set the cup down and continued, his voice heavy.

“What happens to my daughter now?”

“Does she often lose control like that?”

“Not always. But it’s becoming more frequent.”

“Then, there’s no immediate danger. But we will have to send her to the Murim Alliance.”

She doesn’t need to be executed—yet. But she must be confined.

Understanding the implication, the sect leader stared silently at his empty teacup before speaking.

“If… if I were to begin strict internal control of her from now on—”

“Forgive my bluntness, but I don’t believe Jeomchang Sect has the capacity to contain the Heaven-Slaughter Star.

And if needed, you would have to sever her meridians and destroy her dantian. Could you truly do that?”

Severing a person’s meridians and destroying their dantian is no simple matter. It causes extreme pain, and many end up crippled for life.

Even then, the Heaven-Slaughter Star could still overpower most martial artists.

If things get truly out of control, killing her may be the only solution.

But I doubted the Flashing Sword—who had tried so hard to hide his daughter’s nature—could do it. He must have known that himself, for he simply lowered his head.

A heavy silence settled over the office.

That silence was broken by the slamming of the door and a desperate voice.

“Master! What happened to Soye—ah…”

The man froze upon seeing us, then let out a sigh of disbelief. And we, too, were surprised.

Because I recognized him.

“Brother Jang?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep