“Then show me.”

In that instant, an overwhelming force collided between the two men.

Kwarururung—!!

The entire Palace Lord Hall shook. Paintings hanging along both walls fell, and teacups atop the tea tables rolled and crashed to the floor.

Chief Seong hurriedly «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» moved in front of Unhwi.

“My lord, it’s dangerous!”

But Unhwi rose from his seat with a calm expression.

His gaze turned outward.

Chief Seong asked,

“Why… are you doing that?”

At that very moment, two masters at Limitless Manifestation had begun fighting nearby.

It was utter chaos, and yet Unhwi was only staring outside. From Chief Seong’s perspective, it was enough to drive him mad.

“You need to move away—”

Unhwi quietly placed a hand on Chief Seong’s shoulder.

“There is somewhere I must go for a moment. Watch everything that happens here carefully.”

“…Where are you going?”

He did not bother to answer.

This time, Unhwi looked at Hwa Muryeong.

“Watch their fight. Then you will understand what kind of resolve the Flame King carried.”

Hwa Muryeong nodded.

“And Shin Jueon’s words were mostly meant to shake your emotions. But among them, some parts were true. The Flame King did not choose not to avenge Dong Yuseong. He was unable to.”

Hwa Muryeong’s eyes wavered.

“Dong Murin survived, yet when Shin Jueon tried to kill even him, the Flame King could no longer endure it. That becomes the new justification.”

“He’s been away from the martial world for so long… he must have dulled considerably…”

At her worried words, Unhwi finally let out a soft laugh.

“Just watch.”

More than anything—

“If Hwa Munyeom had truly abandoned the martial world just to rest, he would never have arranged a stage like this in the first place. He would have raised Dong Murin to the Realm of Martial Divinity first, then helped him take revenge. The fact that he did not is precisely why this stage was built.”

Unhwi’s eyes were filled with certainty.

He could say it without hesitation.

From Unhwi’s perspective, Hwa Munyeom was a true powerhouse.

It would not be excessive to judge him the strongest among all Limitless Manifestation masters currently existing in the martial world—and that evaluation included Shin Gang of the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect.

Unhwi shifted his gaze to an old man standing in the corner.

A large scar ran across his face, and where his left arm should have been, only an empty sleeve fluttered.

Jin Seonghak, Grand Elder of the Soul-Dao Demon Flame Palace.

“With just those two, that one can be killed.”

The man and woman both turned to look at Jin Seonghak.

“…Isn’t he at the Celestial Being realm?”

“He’s missing an arm, and his internal condition is far from intact.”

Hearing that, Jin Seonghak let out a hollow laugh.

“I must truly be old. To think I’d hear such words from someone not even worth a chick in the martial world.”

Unhwi did not bother replying.

Even Celestial Being had its gradations.

From Unhwi’s eyes, Jin Seonghak was absolutely not normal.

And yet, there was only one reason he remained here.

He was confident he would survive.

That confidence did not stem solely from trusting Shin Jueon.

“As a senior of the martial world, let me give you one piece of advice.”

Chief Seong and Hwa Muryeong had already drawn their weapons, but Jin Seonghak paid them no mind.

He simply continued speaking calmly.

“Put your weapons away and sit down. That will raise your chances of survival, even if only slightly.”

Unhwi replied.

“Do you believe the person outside will protect you?”

“……”

“You truly understand nothing.”

“You mean me?”

“Yes. The man outside is among the top three most cunning individuals I have ever encountered in the martial world.”

“……”

“Entrusting your life to someone like that… that’s enough. There’s no need to say more.”

Unhwi turned his back.

“Kill him.”

Chief Seong and Hwa Muryeong nodded and kicked off the ground.

And Unhwi’s prediction was exact.

Perhaps he never imagined they would truly attack—Jin Seonghak recoiled in shock, stumbling backward.

And then—

Unhwi, who had already turned away, drew the dagger at his waist and spun as he hurled it.

It was an action no one anticipated, and its speed was terrifying.

Screee—!

The blade tore through the air, slipping between Chief Seong and Hwa Muryeong as they charged, and embedded itself squarely into Jin Seonghak’s right shoulder.

Thunk.

The sound followed a heartbeat later.

The two attackers glanced back at Unhwi in brief confusion.

Jin Seonghak already had only his right arm remaining.

Driving a dagger into that shoulder meant only one thing.

“There’s much to be done, so try not to get injured if possible.”

Chief Seong covered his mouth.

“At my lord’s heaven-great mercy, I, Seong Yangho, am deeply moved.”

Unhwi gave no reply and exited the Palace Lord Hall.

Once outside, he walked on without paying the slightest attention to the martial artists standing guard nearby.

From the moment he had entered the hall, he had sensed that presence.

Among everyone inside, only Unhwi could feel it.

Not because Unhwi was exceptional—

But because that presence was revealing itself only to him.

Even now, his skin tingled sharply.

He walked.

And kept walking.

Unhwi’s destination was the summit of Flame Demon Mountain.

When he arrived, he saw two men waiting there.

One was a man of smaller build than expected.

In his previous life, Unhwi remembered him as larger, but even accounting for age, he was far too gaunt now.

He must have suffered greatly in recent times.

After briefly meeting the blazing gaze of Jegal Yeonghyeon, Unhwi turned his head.

Another man stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

On his back, embroidered clearly in gold thread, was the emblem of the Martial Alliance.

Hair fluttering in the wind.

The man turned.

Though middle-aged, his appearance rivaled that of a youth.

A strikingly handsome man—and on the scabbard at his waist was engraved clearly with the word “Gentleman.”

Gun Mugyeol, Alliance Lord of the Martial Alliance.

He smiled faintly.

“I’ve been waiting a long time, Heavenly Arbiter.”

***

He had personally torn out his throat before, yet then and now, his outward appearance had barely changed.

It was an oddly unsettling feeling.

Unhwi had often seen those he had killed—or who had killed him—again in later lives, but the name Gun Mugyeol carried a different weight.

He was profoundly unpleasant to deal with.

Disgusting, even.

In the martial world, there was a commonly accepted principle.

A favor for a favor. A grudge for a grudge.

That was the usual logic.

But Gun Mugyeol was different.

He turned favors into grudges, and grudges into favors.

If there was a goal to achieve, he would never dirty his own hands—while performing the role of a gentleman from the shadows.

His acting was superb.

So much so that almost no one noticed.

A man who used common morality itself as a tool, solely for his own benefit.

That was Gun Mugyeol.

At first, he had been difficult to predict and hard to face.

Unfortunately, after exchanging schemes several times, he had become easy to read.

Unhwi offered a polite salute.

“I did not expect to meet the Martial Alliance Lord in a place like this.”

“Haha, a place like this? The scenery is wonderful.”

Gun Mugyeol looked down the mountain. In the distance, flames soared skyward and thunderous explosions echoed.

“And there’s even fireworks to enjoy.”

Watching Gun Mugyeol maintain perfect courtesy made Unhwi nauseous.

“You may speak more comfortably. In the martial world, I am far your junior.”

“Haha. So many accomplishments already, and humility as well… very well, then I shall.”

Unhwi asked him,

“Why are you here, Alliance Lord?”

At the blunt question, Gun Mugyeol’s smile deepened.

“The Heavenly Alliance is quite an interesting organization. A massive force formed by the union of the Five Sword Sects and the Four Demon Sects—and with the potential to grow even further. How could one not take interest?”

“So you came personally.”

“I am merely here to mediate.”

“Mediation…”

“Do you think otherwise?”

Unhwi did not answer.

“With the core figures of the Heavenly Alliance and the leadership of the Soul-Dao Demon Flame Palace all gathered to resolve their past frictions, where could one find a better opportunity than this?”

Unhwi nodded.

“So the plan is to kill everyone and absorb the Heavenly Alliance.”

Gun Mugyeol’s eyes twitched, and Jegal Yeonghyeon, standing nearby, flared up.

“Watch your words! The Alliance Lord acts for the greater—”

Gun Mugyeol raised a hand, and Jegal Yeonghyeon trailed off and stepped back.

After silently studying Unhwi, Gun Mugyeol spoke to Jegal Yeonghyeon.

“Leave us.”

“…Alliance Lord?”

“There is something I wish to discuss privately.”

Jegal Yeonghyeon glared at Unhwi, then nodded and disappeared into the brush.

Once they were alone, Gun Mugyeol let out a dry laugh.

“Bluntness and rudeness are not the same thing. You are ruder than I expected—though also very direct.”

“I’ll take that as praise.”

“Heh heh heh…”

Gun Mugyeol rested a hand on the sword at his waist.

“Do you know the origin of this sword?”

“Yes.”

“A gentleman has a gentleman’s way. The Heavenly Alliance is currently in difficulty, and the Martial Alliance can assist. Is that not the convergence of heaven’s fortune?”

Whether alone or not, the mask Gun Mugyeol wore was thick.

A mask not easily removed.

And yet, if he had insisted that Jegal Yeonghyeon leave, there was only one reason.

Gun Mugyeol looked down over the cliff.

“It’s quite high.”

“……”

“At this height, even if a person fell, it would be hard to find the body. Many must have fallen here already.”

His eyes gleamed.

“After living long enough, one learns certain truths.”

“And what would that be?”

“That when something goes out, something comes back.”

“……”

“You’re a genius who created the Triple Profound Realm, but climbing Flame Demon Mountain with an injured body… that must have been difficult.”

As he spoke, Gun Mugyeol beckoned Unhwi closer.

With a faint smile, Unhwi stepped beside him without the slightest hesitation.

“Be careful. One misstep, and you’ll tumble straight down.”

Objectively speaking, a martial artist of Unhwi’s level would not lose even a hair falling from such a cliff.

Especially not with the Martial Alliance Lord standing beside him.

But from another angle—

No one knew Unhwi had come here.

At most, Jegal Yeonghyeon knew—and he was Gun Mugyeol’s loyal subordinate.

If Gun Mugyeol said they had spoken, then he left, heard something fall, went to check, and found Unhwi dead—

Jegal Yeonghyeon would believe it.

That was the kind of man he was.

Gun Mugyeol would then craft his own narrative, and Jegal Yeonghyeon would spread it across the martial world as if it were destiny itself.

Any gaps in the story could simply be filled in later.

And Jegal Yeonghyeon was exactly the sort of man who would work desperately to do just that.

They were capable of it.

They had lived that way all their lives.

“Do you desire the Heavenly Alliance?”

At Unhwi’s blunt question, Gun Mugyeol tilted his head, as though he did not understand.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep