The original promise was five exchanges.

But in this moment, these two men were seized by a martial artist’s instinct.

As if they had agreed to it, the two men stamped the ground and rushed straight at each other.

Boom! Boom! KRAK—!

Flame King Hwa Munyeom unleashed the sixth form of the Ihwa Flowing-Water Sword Art, Raging Current, Reverse Ascent.

His sword surged from below to above, creating the illusion of a water pillar erupting upward. Blue sword energy spiraled as it twisted, aiming for beneath Shin Gang’s jaw.

Shin Gang leaned his body back and answered with the third form of the Ihwa Divine-Spirit Art, Flower Mountain, Falling Shadows. Dozens of petal-shaped blades of sword energy rained from his sword tip, scattering and diluting Hwa Munyeom’s attack.

KRAAAANG—!!

The instant the thunderous roar burst and dust flared up—

A single sword thrust through the space and shot in.

It was Hwa Munyeom’s.

Slice—!

It grazed Shin Gang’s shoulder.

Cloth tore, and blood sprayed into the air. Shin Gang did not panic. As if he did not care about something like a wound, he drove his sword forward at once.

Slice—!

Shin Gang’s sword cut long across Hwa Munyeom’s side and swept past.

Blood ran from both of them.

The seventh exchange.

This time, both men went all out.

Hwa Munyeom unfolded the deepest secret of the Ihwa Flowing-Water Sword ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Art, the ninth form, Ten Thousand Forces Return to the Source.

Just as all streams return to the sea, countless strands of sword energy converged into one and surged toward Shin Gang.

Heaven-Earth spirit energy gathered at the sword tip. The air trembled, and space itself quivered.

Shin Gang, too, met it with the greatest secret of the Ihwa Divine-Spirit Art, the ninth form, Severed Flowers Fill the Sky.

A gigantic blade of sword energy erupted from his sword and blanketed the entire Sect Master Hall.

It was a spectacular sight, as though thousands of petals were being whipped into a storm.

The moment the two ultimate secrets collided head-on, an enormous explosion tore through the air, and the Sect Master Hall’s ceiling shattered completely.

KRRRUMBLE—! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Wooden pillars snapped, and roof tiles flew in every direction. Dust and debris billowed thickly.

Through that haze, the two men charged at each other again.

Strangely, the two men were smiling right now.

BOOM—! KRRUMBLE—! KRAAANG—!!

Scrape, slice.

Sword met sword in a continuous chain, throwing off sparks.

In their eyes burned the pure fervor of martial artists. In this moment, they had forgotten every plan and every scheme, focusing only on the sword.

A fist shot out, and a kick came in as well.

Each attacked the other, and attacked again.

Swords tangled and muddled each other’s minds, and if the slightest opening showed itself, they lunged for it at once.

The two men entwined like madmen, and it was almost like a dance.

It was Unhwi’s voice that split them apart as they sank deeper and deeper into that absorption.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

It was truly a low voice.

There would certainly be a considerable number of martial artists crowding around the Sect Master Hall right now, and all of them would be murmuring.

Shin Gang had ordered Sang Jihyeok to keep them under control, and Unhwi had said he would hold Skywind Swordsman Im Suje in place.

There had to be more than one or two people in that crowd—yet a voice spoken this quietly stabbed into their ears?

Unhwi had shown so many bizarre things, but this was something no one could have even predicted.

Still, what was fortunate was that, as a result, the passion of those two cooled, and they came to their senses.

Hwa Munyeom and Shin Gang sheathed their swords and each retreated a step, looking at one another.

“…I’m impressed.”

Hwa Munyeom spoke first. His voice held sincere respect.

“…And I, too, am impressed by you. I don’t particularly like those who have undergone the Gold-Dust Ablution Rite, but you are certainly not a man who belongs in the rear.”

A brief silence passed between them. It was the moment they acknowledged each other’s skill as martial artists.

Without a word, Hwa Munyeom drove the sword he had been holding into the ground beside Mae Wuidong’s corpse.

“I’m going.”

“If there’s another chance next time, we’ll cross blades then.”

“Fine.”

Hwa Munyeom pulled back and left the Sect Master Hall.

His movement art was as soft as water, yet as fast as wind.

Left alone inside the Sect Master Hall, Shin Gang drew ragged breaths.

The Flame King had not used his true power for even a single moment. The one whose hand had been forced and whose reserves had been exposed was Shin Gang.

“…Experience really isn’t something you can ignore.”

He would have to put off the chance to fully appraise the Flame King’s martial arts until later.

Because now, only the final staging remained.

He slowly lifted his sword. The final form of the Ihwa Divine-Spirit Art.

Extinguished Flowers Illuminate the Heavens.

KUUUUNG—!!

A massive blade of sword energy coiled around the entirety of the Sect Master Hall.

And then.

KRRRUMBLE—!!

The Sect Master Hall collapsed completely. Pillars broke, and the roof caved in. As dust rose in a thick shroud, everyone held their breath.

When the dust slowly cleared, two figures were revealed there.

One was a corpse lying on the ground.

A dead body bearing Yeon Songbaek’s face.

The clothes were torn, and the wounds were there, making it look as though he had died after fighting a fierce battle just moments ago.

The other was the man standing tall before it.

With long hair half black and half white streaming, Shin Gang stood proudly even as his entire body was covered in wounds.

Shin Gang slowly swept his gaze around.

Every martial artist of the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect was staring at him with a face struck numb by shock.

Im Suje, Grand Elder Sang Jihyeok, and countless disciples as well.

With all eyes fixed on him, Shin Gang opened his mouth.

“I am Shin Gang.”

His voice was low and deep, yet intense enough to ring throughout the entire sect.

In an instant, a silence fell as if everything had stopped. Not even the sound of wind could be heard.

“Here, I will reveal to everyone the truth from twenty years ago.”

Unhwi watched Shin Gang begin his tale in silence.

There was no satisfied smile, nothing like that.

It was only the result of a transaction.

In the martial world, there is no absolute good, and no absolute evil.

Everything depends on perspective.

Even if it is something to be condemned, if it is justified, it is tolerated—this is the martial world.

He did not deny it.

Right now, Unhwi was not in a particularly good mood.

For martial artists of No-Extremes Incarnation to exchange “five exchanges” does not mean they are fighting to the death—it is, exactly as the context suggests, no more than briefly crossing hands.

It is not quite the same as staging a promised performance, but it is roughly similar.

The problem is what happens when you go beyond that.

From that point onward, regardless of stage, performance, or “crossing hands,” it becomes a fight to the death.

Neither of them will be able to control their emotions, and even if there is no explicit murderous intent, they will be injured one way or another.

What matters is that those two men are at No-Extremes Incarnation.

For beings at that level, “being injured” means at minimum a serious wound.

That is what they are.

And yet these stupid men could not restrain themselves for even that brief moment, and they nearly ruined everything.

Unhwi had reached that realm before, and he had experienced many things like it.

To climb higher, you must know how to restrain it.

He turned his head slightly.

From far away, Flame King Hwa Munyeom would be watching this place right now.

Quietly, Unhwi murmured.

“You disappoint me today.”

Im Suje, standing nearby, did not even realize Unhwi had spoken.

But Hwa Munyeom was different.

From far away, an aura rippled for a moment.

“Let’s talk later.”

At that, a voice transmission came back.

-…All right.

Just then, Shin Gang’s gaze turned toward Unhwi.

“In days past, Yeon Songbaek disrupted the order of the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect and, through personal greed, clashed with the Heavenly Alliance.”

With Shin Gang’s gaze, with his words, everyone listening to Shin Gang inside the Sword Sect shifted their eyes.

Hundreds of gazes in total stabbed into Unhwi.

“Yeon Songbaek wore a mask day and night, led an organization called Cheonrim, and harmed the peace of the martial world.”

By now, the martial world already knew what Yeon Songbaek had done.

The original owner of the organization called Cheonrim had been Yang Seoljin, the Vice Lord of Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace, but that part was not widely known. Long ago, the rumor had spread broadly that Yeon Songbaek was the true owner of Cheonrim, and that was a joint creation by Unhwi and Seo Hyo.

If one traced the actual structure upward, the first Shadow Lord was Yucheong, and at the time, the Vice Shadow Lord was Yang Seoljin.

When Yucheong entered the Original Blood Cult, Yang Seoljin became Shadow Lord, and Yeon Songbaek took the Vice Shadow Lord seat.

The process after that was the same.

After Yang Seoljin entered Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace, the one who effectively operated Cheonrim was Yeon Songbaek.

“I knew that fact from long ago. To call Yeon Songbaek to account, I would have had to be prepared to turn not only Cheonrim, but the entirety of the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect into my enemy. Yes, the clash between the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect and the Heavenly Alliance was, for me, an opportunity. I sharpened my blade and sharpened it again as I waited for the time, to expose just how vile a man Yeon Songbaek was. That Heavenly Arbiter over there may be far below me in the martial world’s allotment, but his strategy, his chivalry, and his firm conviction toward justice aligned with my intent—so we proceeded together, and decided to reveal to the martial world the truth that had been buried for twenty years.”

The gazes that had focused on Shin Gang for a moment concentrated on Unhwi again.

Now they felt so sharp that it was as though his skin were burning.

That meant Unhwi’s condition still was not normal, and it would have been quite painful, but without a single change in expression, he quietly met Shin Gang’s eyes.

How long had that man prepared those lines?

They were so obvious they made you cringe, but in a situation like this, those obvious lines were the right answer.

That is how you move everyone.

Shin Gang continued.

“Yeon Songbaek was not the proud Sect Master of the Five Sword Sects. He was a masked coward who led the private organization called Cheonrim, and a sinner who disrupted the order of the martial world for personal greed. Moreover, he betrayed my master’s will—my master who promised me the Sect Master seat—and launched a surprise attack within the Hidden Cavern on Mount Ihwa, murdering his own master and blood father. That is clearly an act that abandoned the duty of being human, so the bastard is a proven turncoat.”

After that, there was nothing much to it. It was what everyone already knew, and in the end, Shin Gang said firmly,

“From this point on, I will lead the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect. If anyone is dissatisfied, step forward.”

Unhwi glanced to the side at Im Suje.

Im Suje looked at Unhwi for a brief moment, then immediately stepped forward.

He soon reached Shin Gang, then knelt and said,

“We knew nothing at all about the clash with the Heavenly Alliance. The previous Sect Master hid the truth so thoroughly that no one could have known such a thing had happened. Now that everything has finally been revealed, I sincerely congratulate you on your safe return as the true Sect Master of the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect. From this point on, the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect will join hands with the Heavenly Alliance and devote ourselves to the martial world’s justice.”

Shin Gang looked at Im Suje with an odd gaze.

Im Suje formed a solemn fist salute.

And shouted.

“We greet the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect’s Thirteenth Sect Master!”

At those words, every disciple took the same posture.

Today, a new wind blew through the martial world.

The mask called Yeon Songbaek, the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect’s Twelfth Sect Master, was torn away forever, and the true successor Shin Gang, who returned after breaking twenty years of silence, ascended to the seat of Thirteenth Sect Master.

Naturally, the friction that had arisen between the Heavenly Alliance and the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect was cleanly erased in this moment.

The two powers were plainly allies.

Whatever the process had been, only the result mattered.

Now the Heavenly Alliance had become the Central Plains’ new allied power, embracing both the Five Sword Sects and the Four Demon Sects.

Unhwi slowly turned his body.

It was time to return to Cheonsu Mountain.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep