“Help him? Purely out of goodwill? You? Help Seol Unhwi?”

Ham Jangsik, brazen-faced, shrugged his shoulders.

“Why, am I not allowed? I wasn’t called one of the Five Outstanding Heroes of the Beggars’ Union for nothing.”

Frankly, everyone here was a figure of weight in their own right.

And yet, such people had all gathered in one place, drinking themselves silly—what a ridiculous sight it was.

“But tell me,” Ham Jangsik said, “what do you think will happen?”

At those words, Wi Geumcheon furrowed his brows slightly.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Didn’t Young Lord Seol go to bring back the Lord of the Gangcheon Wave Sect and the Pavilion Master of the Wind-Sword Pavilion?”

Wi Geumcheon gave a thin smile.

“You speak as though there’s a hidden barb in your words. Surely you don’t think the new Celestial Envoy will really return with the two of them?”

“Life rarely goes as one intends. Even if the two of them are known for their obstinacy, who’s to say what may happen?”

Wi Geumcheon glanced at the other warriors of the Seongjak Alliance.

All of them knew well enough.

Just how stubborn a man Pung Muhwi of the Wind-Sword Pavilion was.

And how sly a man Jang Cheonun of the Gangcheon Wave Sect could be.

The idea that those two would come together?

Impossible.

It must not happen. For if those two were to appear here, it would mean the collapse of the Seongjak Alliance itself.

“Heh. The more I think about it, the more laughable it sounds. Those two, coming here? What nonsense—”

Wi Geumcheon let the words trail off.

At some point, every gaze in the pavilion had turned toward a single place. Wi Geumcheon slowly turned his head—and the wine cup in his hand slipped to the floor.

Clang!

Bloodied, Unhwi was slowly walking toward them.

Behind him came Commander Seong, dragging a man in each hand. To be precise, he was hauling them by the hair, unconscious bodies scraping along the floor.

The people in the pavilion recognized who they were. That was why they now sat in such stunned silence.

The Pavilion Master of the Wind-Sword Pavilion, Pung Muhwi.

The Sect Lord of the Gangcheon Wave Sect, Jang Cheonun.

Two giants of the Seongjak Alliance, being dragged in senseless.

“Impossible…”

The muttered words of someone broke the silence.

Unhwi reached the pavilion. Though his clothes were stained with blood and his body bore many wounds, his stride was still firm and commanding.

“Sit them down. Wake them.”

Commander Seong nodded and sat Pung Muhwi and Jang Cheonun each in an empty seat. Then he lightly pressed their acupoints, bringing them back to consciousness.

“Ugh…”

“This place…”

The two men opened their eyes one after another. As they grasped the situation, their faces instantly hardened.

Commander Seong went to Unhwi’s side, examining his wounds. Even as he applied simple treatment, worry flickered in his eyes.

Unhwi slowly swept his gaze around the pavilion. All those present held their breath, eyes fixed on him.

Then Unhwi spoke, calm and quiet.

“The Seongjak Alliance. Now everyone is gathered.”

***

Commander Seong kept his expression as composed as he could while tending Unhwi’s injuries.

There were places where the flesh had been torn, others where it had been ripped open, but the worst was the left shoulder.

And for one reason alone.

He turned his head sharply.

There sat Pung Muhwi, wearing a dazed look. That bastard son of a dog was the one who had done this.

The Indestructible Seal bound on Unhwi’s left arm was a divine artifact, capable even of blocking the strike of a Mythic Realm warrior from the Five Banners.

But that did not mean there had been no backlash.

The external wounds were not the true problem. The internal damage was. Even with Unhwi’s swift recovery, it would be at least half a month before he could properly use his left arm again.

Commander Seong clenched his teeth so hard it ground audibly.

If only he were at the Mythic Realm himself.

Even if he had at least reached the Heaven-Earth Apex…

As though sensing his thoughts, Unhwi quietly patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t burden yourself with useless thoughts.”

“…Young master…”

“Your realm doesn’t matter. Simply being by my side is already a great help, Commander Seong. The one who ought to be feeling guilt—”

Unhwi’s gaze sharpened like a blade.

“—is the pair of fools who cannot grasp the situation and believe what they hold is everlasting.”

The words struck squarely at two men.

Jang Cheonun silently drowned himself in drink, but Pung Muhwi was not so passive.

“…Are you referring to me?”

“Do you deny it?”

“…”

“Then you’re not even human. Or am I wrong?”

Pung Muhwi clenched his teeth.

That alone revealed much.

Jang Cheonun was a master of the Ipshin Realm. Pung Muhwi was a master of the Mythic Realm. For a lone warrior of the Five Banners to subdue both? Impossible. The only reasonable assumption was that Commander Seong had fought alongside Unhwi to take them down.

And yet, Pung Muhwi’s reaction made it clear.

Unhwi had subdued them on his own.

A chill ran down everyone’s spines.

Seol Unhwi.

If even the rumors were daunting, the reality was something far greater still.

“Was it not said? That resolve before a true powerhouse is but a candle in the wind.”

“…”

“There’s no need to belabor words. Pung Muhwi, you, as the de facto head of the Seongjak Alliance, failed to notice what was plain before you. That means the rest of you are no different.”

The drink had fled entirely from Wi Geumcheon’s body. He straightened his robes with great care and then addressed Unhwi.

In a voice utterly respectful.

“Celestial Envoy, you have spoken in riddles from the start. Might we at last be allowed to ask the reason you have summoned the Seongjak Alliance?”

Where there had been no courtesy before, Wi Geumcheon now saw Unhwi no longer as some fledgling youth, but as a profound genius, a sage.

Unhwi opened his mouth.

“With the death of Ye Wonje, the Heavenly Alliance wavers. Vice Lord Mae Widong has reached out to many powers of the central plains for aid.”

He paused, letting his eyes sweep across every face in the pavilion.

“The Five Sword Schools. The Outer Sima Sect. Even the Everlasting Snow Palace. All have agreed to take part in the reconstruction of the Heavenly Alliance.”

“That is why the Celestial Envoy has come here, is it not?”

Ham Jangsik interjected.

“Correct. I am both a delegate dispatched from the Everlasting Snow Palace and one granted the title of Celestial Envoy by the Heavenly Alliance.”

Unhwi turned his gaze between Pung Muhwi and Jang Cheonun.

“And I was given the mission to consolidate Seongjak Province. That is why I have summoned you here.”

Wi Geumcheon’s brows knit.

“Then the Celestial Envoy’s aim is to dissolve the Seongjak Alliance and make this province a direct dominion of the Heavenly Alliance?”

“Do you still not see it? That the Five Sword Schools and the Outer Sima Sect stepping in under the pretext of ‘rebuilding the Heavenly Alliance’—what does that mean?”

“That…”

“It means war.”

The pavilion stirred at Unhwi’s words.

“Do you truly think mighty factions like the Five Sword Schools and the Outer Sima Sect are extending a hand to a faltering Heavenly Alliance out of simple charity? Do you imagine them so benevolent?”

At last, Pung Muhwi spoke.

“You don’t mean… that they intend to seize the Heavenly Alliance itself…”

“Now you begin to see.”

Unhwi gave a cold smile and nodded.

“I don’t know what sort of man Mae Widong is. But the game he has set is the worst of moves.”

“…”

“The highest-level warrior among the envoys they sent was at the Heaven-Earth Apex. And yet, do you truly believe that is all they have?”

Some flinched visibly.

Unhwi clicked his tongue.

“At first they will tread carefully, feigning awareness of the board. But their first goal is singular—to seize control of the provinces where the Celestial Envoys have been dispatched.”

“…”

“By claiming these fertile lands and turning them into their own branch territories, they already gain profit. And from there, their second goal will unfold.”

Unhwi paused, then drained the cup of liquor Commander Seong had filled for him before continuing.

“The more territory they turn into their branch domains, the greater their profit becomes. In other words—”

“…It’s only a matter of time. Once one region is seized, someone will inevitably move to devour another. And once one moves, it becomes the signal fire…”

“Precisely. That is why it means war.”

Neither Unhwi nor any other cared a whit for the so-called glory of reconstructing the Heavenly Alliance.

All eyes were fixed on a single purpose.

Expansion of dominion.

Jang Cheonun set down his cup and asked:

“Then… what becomes of us?”

“Seongjak Province is, in truth, one of the most fertile of all the territories the Heavenly Alliance once held. Strategically vital, rich in resources. Do you think anyone will simply leave it alone?”

Wi Geumcheon’s face turned pale.

“Above us lies Hon Do Ma Yeomgung. To the west, the Black-Heaven Beast Palace. South, the Sooncheon Sword School. East, the Cheongun Sword School… Then you mean, all of them have their eyes on us?”

“Of course. I arrived last to the Heavenly Alliance, and thus was stationed in Seongjak Province, the very target all others covet. But regardless of such circumstance, the Seongjak Alliance will find itself embroiled in conflicts—wars, in all but name—with the other regions.”

“…As though someone were redrawing the board.”

“You see true. A new board indeed. From the moment Mae Widong begged for aid, the territories of the Heavenly Alliance had already become battlefields.”

“…”

“And let me say this plainly. Bending knee to another will not change a thing. The Seongjak Alliance cannot retain its current privileges. It will collapse, inevitably.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“You force me to repeat myself. Lands this fertile are never surrendered to others. Ever.”

“…But even if the Outer Sima Sect may stoop so low, the Five Sword Schools are supposed to revere the orthodox path. For them to do such a thing… it is hard to accept.”

It was a reasonable protest. But tragically, no one here knew the Five Sword Schools and the Outer Sima Sect as well as Unhwi did.

“Listen well. At first, they will act as though they mean to clasp hands. Just as you said, Wi Geumcheon, their reputations will inspire trust and faith. But it will be nothing more than a mirage. Have you not, leading the Seongjak Alliance, gained some experience in such matters? In this martial world, all is decided by strength. No matter how vile the act, so long as one has the power, it can be smoothed over—or even dressed up as the righteous way. I stake everything I am on this promise: one by one, you will all be erased. And in your place will sit the puppets of those who will rule this land.”

Unhwi raised °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° his cup again.

“I do not think of myself as a saint, nor as justice itself, nor even as a chivalrous man. But one thing is certain. You all ought to be grateful that I came to Seongjak Province.”

“…Grateful? To you?”

“I have desires, yes—but they do not lie with your seats or your resources.”

“Then… what you seek… is it something like protection tribute?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep