At that moment—

Unhwi’s movement stopped. A gleam of blue light flickered in his eyes.

It was as if time had slowed.

As Seo Hwabaek’s dagger flew toward Unhwi’s chest, Unhwi’s right arm moved. The arm that had supposedly been too injured to use until now—suddenly reached out and caught the dagger.

The world froze.

Seo Hwabaek’s eyes widened. In that moment, he realized he’d been fooled.

Thwuck—!

Unhwi’s left index finger drove straight into his solar plexus.

Clatter.

The dagger fell from Seo Hwabaek’s hand. The blue aura around it dissipated instantly.

Inner Snow Heart-Shattering Fist (Naeseol Swaesimgwon).

Form One: Frozen Heart, Single Finger.

Unhwi withdrew his finger.

No blood emerged from Seo Hwabaek’s solar plexus—and that was precisely the point.

Because from that exact point, every meridian in Seo Hwabaek’s body had frozen solid.

He collapsed with a thud, staring up at Unhwi with a look of disbelief.

“…What… was that…”

He wanted to ask everything.

If Unhwi’s right arm was functional, why had he only used his left?

How had he hidden it?

Did he deliberately allow a dagger to pierce his shoulder to bait an Ipshin Realm opponent?

Was all of this pre-calculated?

But Unhwi had no desire to answer any of that.

He simply swung his leg.

Thud—!

Seo Hwabaek’s shattered head scattered like snow across the ground.

Unhwi turned in silence.

He pulled the dagger from his shoulder, stopped the bleeding with ease, and continued walking—

—as if nothing had happened.

***

Back at the carriage, Yang Cheol was just about losing his mind.

He gnawed at his fingernails, staring in the direction Unhwi had vanished.

Unhwi had called Seo Hwabaek a coward, but honestly, if Yang Cheol had been in Seo Hwabaek’s shoes, he would’ve done the same.

Unhwi had been right—it was the only logical move.

Let’s skip the rest.

No Cheonmyeong, a Heaven-Man Unity master—known as One Pillar Defying Heaven—ran a martial academy in Yangryeong.

Not just a Heaven-Earth Apex warrior, but one of the Five Divine Extremes was living in a single province. That alone made him a deterrent.

And more importantly, No Cheonmyeong personally instructed young lords and sect heirs from Yangryeong and the nearby cities.

That was power.

A quiet, invisible force that united Yangryeong, Jeokan, Saryang, and Bongrae. If anyone wanted to seize Yangryeong, they would need at least two Heaven-Man Unity masters—and maybe even someone at the Pre-Heaven Realm.

That was war.

And if warriors of that level started moving, the intelligence networks would definitely pick it up.

In other words, as long as Unhwi stayed in Yangryeong, he was untouchable.

If someone wanted to kill him, it had to be outside the province.

On the road to Yangryeong, or on the road from Yangryeong back to Central Murim.

…Does that man even realize how valuable he is?

He probably did. Even if he didn’t show it.

The entire Central Murim had now split into two factions—

Those who wanted Unhwi dead, and those who wanted to embrace him.

Even without knowing the exact allegiances, that fact alone proved Unhwi’s worth.

Haaah…

Yang Cheol sighed and was just about to sprint off in Unhwi’s direction when—

He froze in place after taking just a single step.

“Ah… y-you’re back, sir… Huh?!”

Unhwi was covered in blood.

His right hand had clearly been sliced open, as if he’d grabbed a blade. His left shoulder had obviously been pierced by a dagger.

There was no way he could be bleeding that much otherwise.

Unhwi pulled out a bottle of Gold Wound Salve from his inner robes and began applying it to his hand and shoulder.

The bottle looked cheap, but it was high-grade medicine—top-tier.

“…You said a quarter-hour, but you’re back faster than expected.”

“I told you. Seo Hwabaek was a coward.”

Yang Cheol looked up.

“For dealing with cowards, a quarter-hour is more than enough. Yang Cheol.”

“Yes, Lord Hyeonseollin.”

“Did you find anything useful on the bodies?”

“Just a few silver taels and some weapons. Nothing else.”

No clear indication of when they infiltrated. No sign of why they had been waiting here.

There was time to investigate—but Unhwi wasn’t interested.

Someone else could handle that.

“There are a few things I’d like you to do.”

Yang Cheol, still applying medicine, staggered.

“Requests, sir? Please, just give the orders.”

“Then I’ll order it.”

Unhwi faced him and spoke.

“I’m heading to Hancheon Gorge from here. You…”

He trailed off, then ripped a strip from one of the corpses’ robes and scrawled something on it with blood. He handed it to Yang Cheol.

Then, in a whisper, he said something that made Yang Cheol’s eyes widen.

“You really… want me to deliver this to that person?”

“You’ll have to time it perfectly.”

“…I understand.”

“And right about now, my eldest brother should be heading to Cheonseolmun with a team of elite warriors. Quietly, of course.”

“Ah…”

“Next up is Baekryeongak, one of the three major branches of Seolgung.”

Yang Cheol swallowed.

“It’s only been a day, but Baekryeongak will have sensed that something’s wrong. Yangryeong has five top-grade carrier hawks. Use them immediately to send a direct order to Seol Hwaryeong at Seolhasan Manor and to my second and third siblings: encircle Baekryeongak.”

Yang Cheol blinked.

That wording… was strange.

No, not strange. Terrifying.

“L-Lord Hyeonseollin… what are you saying…”

“There’s no need for confusion. Send it under my name, ‘Hyeonseollin,’ but make sure to include this: ‘This is by command of the Palace Lord.’”

That was madness.

“If you do that, no matter what happens afterward, you’ll be punished!”

“I will be.”

“Then just send it under your own name! Please, sir—don’t do this!”

Unhwi looked at Yang Cheol with gentle eyes.

“Yang Cheol.”

“…Yes?”

“You believe I should be the next Palace Heir.”

That made his heart plummet.

“Don’t worry. I won’t punish you for thinking so.”

“….”

“But do you really think you’re the only one who believes that?”

“…Ah…”

“Soon, Eternal Snow Palace will become an iron fortress. The core power must rest with the Palace Lord and the Heir. But you already know. You know how Seolsan—and Central Murim—see me.”

There was no denying it.

Now, when people spoke of Seolgung’s genius, they meant Seol Unhwi.

He was seventeen—and already Ogijo level.

Even if Seol Horyeong had reached Ipshin, Unhwi would soon surpass him.

That alone was a seed of division.

Or maybe that seed had already sprouted. Yang Cheol hadn’t realized it, but the moment he believed Unhwi should be Heir, the division had begun.

“Forging a letter using the Palace Lord’s name is high treason. But if it’s used to eliminate traitors from Seolgung, then merit and crime will cancel each other out.”

“…Ah…”

“The Palace Lord will still have to punish me somehow. But that’s the point. It gives him a reason.”

“…A reason for what…?”

“To send me to the Thousand Righteous Alliance.”

Yang Cheol’s eyes flew open.

“Don’t overthink it. This is Murim.”

Unhwi had already told Seol Jungcheon to send him to the alliance. But a ruler couldn’t just exile such a powerful force without a pretext.

So Unhwi would create that pretext himself.

That way, it was easy for everyone.

“…Why go so far, sir…”

Unhwi looked at him.

“If you use the Palace Lord’s name, there are ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) those in Seolgung who admire me now—who may turn on me. They might even…”

“…Call you a monster…”

“You know the answer. I already told you.”

Unhwi smiled softly.

“If I can protect and elevate Seolgung, I’ll do anything.”

“….”

“Even if it means using underhanded tactics, even if I must exploit the Palace Lord’s name—if I can achieve something that way, who in Seolgung would dare harbor impure thoughts?”

Yang Cheol felt it down to his bones.

The extraordinary nature of the man named Unhwi.

He cupped his hands and bowed.

“…I will carry out your commands. No matter what.”

“I’m counting on you.”

With that, Yang Cheol headed to Yangryeong.

Unhwi took the reins himself and drove toward Hancheon Gorge.

***

They had been riding for about three hours.

A man landed next to the driver’s seat.

It was Seo Hyo.

He looked genuinely surprised.

“Did you get into another fight somewhere?”

“This is Murim, isn’t it.”

“True. Murim indeed.”

Seo Hyo looked at Unhwi with a curious gaze and spoke quietly.

“Congratulations. You’ve reached Ogijo.”

“So I have.”

“You’re rather cold about it. I’m being sincere.”

Since their talk on Seolsan, Seo Hyo had warmed up a little in how he addressed Unhwi. Unhwi didn’t mind—but there was something that needed clarifying.

“You’re later than I expected.”

“…I didn’t imagine you’d head to Hancheon Gorge.”

Of course not.

“You were waiting near Yangryeong?”

“I was. But it worked out. Here we are.”

Unhwi gave him a level look.

“Then let’s get to it. Speak.”

Seo Hyo nodded.

“It’s been about a day since we parted at the summit. As you expected, your eldest brother has returned to Cheonseolju and is now leading an elite force toward Cheonseolmun.”

“And the fugitives?”

“None so far.”

“Baekryeongak?”

“Also quiet. And…”

“And?”

“Do you plan to assist in rebuilding the Thousand Righteous Alliance?”

Unhwi gave a faint smile.

“What do you think?”

“I think you will.”

“Why?”

“To disperse power.”

Seo Hyo was sincere.

“For Daeseollin to become Palace Heir, he’ll need not just authority, but influence. But there’s a growing voice that wants you to take that seat. You know it. The Palace Lord knows it. In some way or another, you’ll have to go to the Alliance. They’ll probably assign secret guards as well.”

Unhwi nodded silently, and Seo Hyo continued.

“Let me get to the main point. Not just the Five Sword Sects—but the Outer Demonic Sects seem to be getting involved.”

Unhwi’s brow furrowed slightly.

“The Outer Sects?”

“Yes. Specifically, the Black Sky Demon Prison Palace (Heukcheon Masugung).”

“You’re certain?”

“Absolutely. And while it’s not yet confirmed, it looks like the Chaos Flame Demon Palace (Hondo Ma Yeomgung) and the Heavenly Shadow Demon Sect (Cheonma Eumryeongmun) may also be moving toward the Alliance.”

If three of the Outer Demonic Sects were participating—

“That’s practically a righteous-versus-demonic war.”

“Maybe not to that extreme—but if you’re going, you’d better be fully prepared.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep