Jin Muhyeok rose and shouted.

“I will do it! I will surely accomplish it!”

“All right. A warrior must hold that kind of spirit.”

Yeong Unseong nodded with satisfaction.

When Yeong Unseong stood, Jin Muhyeok bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Lord Yeong.”

“Save your thanks until after you succeed.”

Yeong Unseong looked out the window.

Seol Unhwi — a truly interesting man.

There had never been anyone so destructive in martial history.

He was a little puzzled.

‘Why didn’t the Original Sect bring him in?’

He was genuinely curious.

Why on earth?

***

The Heavenly Alliance’s main headquarters at Cheonsu looked completely different that day from how it normally did.

The vast Heaven-Righteous Plaza was packed with the martial world’s leading figures.

To the north sat Hachunmyeong of Taiun Temple, Iron-Mountain True Person, and beside him sat Yu Jeonghyeok, the Predecessor Sword Lord of the Steel-Ship Philosophy Gate.

To the south were Li Wigwan, the Heaven-Chasing Single Sword, and Mo Sahyeong, the Iron-Sword Emperor, seated side by side.

To the west sat the Sage Zen Master and Clear-String True Person in formal posture, and to the east Dukho Hyeon, head of the Dukho family, sat alone. All seven of the men just mentioned were masters who had reached Celestial Being Stage; in the martial world they were called the Eight Seats of Celestial Men.

They commanded high allotments in the martial world, their power and the level of their subordinates were all very high. Clearly they were not people who would come here idly.

But they had to come.

What day was this?

It was the day of the Heavenly Alliance’s succession ceremony.

Mae Wuidong, ascending to Alliance Lord, was one of the Eight Seats of Celestial Men; there was no way a peer of the Eight Seats could fail to attend the appointment of their fellow Seat as Alliance Lord.

More than half of them had been somewhat close to the Heavenly Alliance when Ye Wonje was alive, so it would have been strange not to come.

Above all, Snow Mountain Army Lord Seol Unhwi.

They wanted to see in person the genius who had created a new realm.

Besides the Eight Seats, masters from countless sects filled the seats, and there was one strange thing.

No matter how /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ much they looked around, not a single person from the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace could be seen.

Of course there were people like Joo Soa, Namgung Wonyang, and Noh Cheonmyeong, but strictly speaking these were Unhwi’s people, not Snow Palace retainers.

This was Unhwi’s intention: the moment he sat in the Heavenly Arbiter seat he secretly sent a missive to his main palace.

Do not allow any one person from the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace to attend.

No one — including Hyunsim, the backbone of the White-Snow Spirit Corps, even the Polar Descendants — anyone at all.

In the end, Seol Jungcheon accepted it.

So among the martial world people there were already rumors that Unhwi had been expelled from the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace; on this point Chief Seong asked a single question.

What on earth was he thinking?

Was it really necessary to go this far?

Unhwi did not answer, and Chief Seong only thumped his own chest in frustration.

In any case, the succession ceremony was being carried out in a solemn atmosphere.

First Mae Wuidong stepped forward before the Heaven-Righteous Hall.

He wore the Alliance Lord’s symbol, the Yi-Tian Robe.

It was a majestic garment of sky-blue embroidered in gold thread with dragons and phoenixes intertwined.

“Thank you deeply to the many noted figures of the martial world who have attended this day.”

Mae Wuidong’s voice rang throughout the plaza.

“From today the Heavenly Alliance will open a new era.”

Applause erupted.

All eyes turned to the hall’s doors.

The doors opened slowly.

Unhwi appeared.

The garment Unhwi wore was the Xuan-Yi Wind-God Robe, the symbol of the Alliance’s Vice Lord — by having him wear it while being appointed to the Heavenly Arbiter seat, it was effectively showing everyone that the position carried power comparable to Vice Lord.

The Xuan-Yi Wind-God Robe was a long, elegant garment of black embroidered in silver thread with clouds and wind motifs. It flowed down to his ankles and it did not look out of place at all.

On the right chest the Alliance emblem, the Righteous Sword, was finely embroidered in silver, and clouds whipping in the wind were dynamically expressed on the sleeve ends and collar.

The plaza fell silent at Unhwi’s arrival.

His presence had changed dramatically.

Five Origins Stage? That was not it.

As he himself had said, he had clearly created a new realm.

A natural dignity of a master who had risen through the Heaven-Earth Apex radiated from Unhwi’s body.

Unhwi descended the steps slowly and stood beside Mae Wuidong.

“From today I will take up the newly established Heavenly Arbiter position in the Heavenly Alliance — Seol Unhwi.”

His voice was calm but intense.

“I will help build a new order in the martial world alongside the Heavenly Alliance.”

Applause rang out again.

But louder than the applause were the thoughts in the martial world’s hearts.

‘He really has changed.’

‘A genius… he really is a genius.’

‘The genius who toyed with the Martial Alliance and Four-Heavens Alliance now seizes real power within the Heavenly Alliance… what a change of times.’

The succession-cum-inauguration continued.

Representatives of each sect offered congratulatory speeches in turn, blessing the Alliance’s future.

All the while Unhwi stood quietly, observing his surroundings.

Were there any suspicious movements, any dangerous qi?

Then—

A commotion rose at one side of the plaza.

People began to murmur.

Unhwi’s gaze turned that way.

A man in black was walking slowly forward.

A resolute will was etched on his face, and he gripped a sword hilt in his hand.

It was Jin Muhyeok.

A fallen martial man expelled from Gaebang had appeared at this sacred occasion.

The atmosphere in the plaza shifted abruptly.

People whispered and wary looks poured in from all directions.

Jin Muhyeok ignored every gaze and continued forward with an enraged expression.

He suddenly shouted.

“Seol—! Unhwi—!!”

A tremendous presence poured out from the Celestial Being Stage master and reverberated across the plaza.

“Because of your plotting I lost everything—!!”

Naturally there were those who stepped forward to block him.

They were Unhwi’s people, including Chief Seong.

But Unhwi waved his hand.

“Come out.”

A path opened.

Unhwi spoke in a quiet voice.

“I do not know what you are talking about.”

“…You—! Do you deny it?”

“I am not denying it. Why are you here?”

“…What?”

“Even the Gugyeolgae, someone of such tremendous authority, in the end could not bring himself to kill his own disciple by his own hand, apparently.”

“You cooked my teacher alive, didn’t you? The scar on his brow is proof. I came here to settle the debt as a martial man.”

Unhwi gave a short laugh.

“I have a rough idea what you’re thinking.”

Unhwi, not a fool, had already guessed the full reason Jin Muhyeok stood here.

Hyejeongsan.

He was certainly not a man to be trifled with.

How could the Gugyeolgae of the Gaebang, a top master who had reached the Supreme Void of Non-Being, overlook a Celestial Being stage warrior fleeing?

He was even a central figure in factional purges.

This had been intentionally spared.

As Unhwi said, Hyejeongsan did not want to soil his own hands.

Going further, it could be seen that he had deliberately given his beloved but reduced-to-a-puppet disciple one last chance to die as a warrior in the final moment.

Whatever the reason, Unhwi did not care.

Jin Muhyeok’s intention to spoil the ceremony was clear.

Unhwi’s response had to be equally clear.

Unhwi extended his hand to the side.

Chief Seong, who had been standing back a moment, placed the Jinhwa Cheonryeong-geom in Unhwi’s hand.

Sssrrriing.

The sword was drawn.

Unhwi’s eyes darkened.

“Your count.”

Jang Icheong was also Celestial Being Stage and Jin Muhyeok likewise, though their sub-stages differed.

Jang Icheong’s count was five.

No matter how tricky Gaebang’s martial arts were, it should end within four moves.

“…Four moves…? You mean to say you will kill me with only that much?”

“That much is unnecessary. And—”

Unhwi’s pupils flashed.

“If you came to settle your debt, do not merely talk. Come.”

A killing light surged to the corners of Jin Muhyeok’s eyes.

“You arrogant bastard. Fine. Today I will kill you and restore my honor!”

Jin Muhyeok stamped his foot.

A stage that everyone could see was set.

What was Unhwi truly like?

To what extent did this new realm reach?

Unhwi’s pupils turned snow-white.

Heaven-Snow Dominion.

CRAAAAANG—!!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep