One thing was clear.

If someone under my command decided to walk a different path, I would let them go without a second thought.

Whether their heart had already left or not was irrelevant. They weren’t children.

If a person made a decision, respecting it was the right thing to do.

Especially if you disregarded the resolve of your own people — that disqualified you from being a leader.

When Wonyang said she was leaving, I tried to hold her back not because her resolve was unwavering but because the odds of her wasting her life were far too high.

In my previous life, I had never heard the name Namgung Wonyang.

Jin Sohyeop and Baek Myeonggaek were certain about the paths they wanted to take.

Home. The government.

I didn’t stop them. I even gave them famed swords to protect themselves.

Yes, famed swords.

Those swords were undoubtedly famed.

The sword that the Lord of Juyeong Sword Sect had once wielded was a famed blade, as were the three swords he kept in his residence.

They were top-tier weapons, even among those ranked as mystic-grade, and could easily rival the Seolbaek Sword.

I gave one of those swords to Wonyang and the remaining two to Jin Sohyeop and Baek Myeonggaek.

That sword.

There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize it.

Before stepping onto the platform, I had seen it hanging at the waist of a soldier in the corner.

And now, right before my eyes, Cho Sehui drew that very sword.

It was undoubtedly the sword I had given to Jin Sohyeop.

What more needed to be said?

“Sir, please calm dow—”

Ignoring him, I swung my sword.

Cho Sehui, true to his status as a martial artist of the Five Banners Form, furrowed his brow slightly and casually twisted his body to the side to avoid my strike.

My sword, which had been slicing through empty air, abruptly stopped midway.

At the same time, Cho Sehui’s eyes twitched.

Slash—!

In an instant, my sword slashed across the front of his robe.

“…Impressive,” he muttered.

His feet dug into the ground as he rapidly widened the distance between us.

Standing far back, he looked at me and asked, “Where is Jin Sohyeop?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That sword. I gave that sword to Jin Sohyeop. And yet you’re playing dumb?”

I shifted my gaze to the side.

Han Murin had already subdued the man I had pointed out. His cultivation level was only at the Entry Qi Realm, the second level of the Spirit Ascension Stage.

For Han Murin, who was at the Root Heaven Stage, failing to subdue him would have been more ridiculous.

Seeing this, Cho Sehui furrowed his brow deeper.

“…I should clarify to prevent any misunderstandings. I purchased this sword from a market stall.”

“What a joke. It’s been four days since those two were attacked. In just four days, the perpetrator sold the sword, and you conveniently bought it? Do you really think that’s plausible?”

“Well… Regardless, I have nothing to do with it.”

Denying it was his choice.

And it was my choice to reveal the truth.

Without another word, I pushed off the ground and swung my sword.

The sword cut through the air like a wolf howling at the moon.

Thousand-Kill Wolf-Star Technique.

Moonlight Howl.

Cho Sehui started to turn his body to the side to evade, but as if he had seen it somewhere before, he stomped his foot down hard.

His body shot backward, and the energy imbued in my sword exploded midair.

Boom—!!

Cho Sehui’s brow was tightly furrowed.

I was no longer smiling.

Once again, I pushed off the ground and swung my sword.

This time, Cho Sehui raised his sword as well.

Clang.

The blades collided in midair. Cho Sehui didn’t budge, but I was pushed slightly to the side.

No surprise there.

Even though I had reached the Five Dragon Blooming Star, my opponent was still at the Five Banners Form.

Whether he was newly promoted to the Five Banners Form or not was irrelevant — the fact that he had reached it mattered more.

The gap in strength was undeniable.

I immediately twisted my body, swinging my leg around.

Cho Sehui leaned his head back. Then, his sword came swinging toward me.

It wasn’t aimed to kill. It was meant to subdue.

So, I pushed my body forward.

Slash—!

His sword slashed across my shoulder. Blood sprayed through the air, and amidst the scattering drops, I reversed my grip and swung again.

Thousand-Kill Wolf-Star Technique.

Frigid Star’s Piercing Sky.

My power, now more consolidated since reaching the Five Dragon Blooming Star, focused on a single point.

Watching this, Cho Sehui furrowed his brow and once again retreated.

My sword cleaved through the air and struck the ground.

Boom—!!

The force of my energy erupted from the ground, scattering dust and debris.

Frigid Star’s Piercing Sky.

This was the final technique of the Thousand-Kill Wolf-Star Technique and its essence.

I let my sword hang loosely at my side.

“So, Jin Sohyeop and Baek Myeonggaek managed to put up some resistance after all.”

“……”

“How did their Frigid Star’s Piercing Sky fare? Was it threatening?”

Cho Sehui remained silent.

That was the right choice.

In a battle between martial artists to determine the stronger, the decisive factor was the level of cultivation.

You could never overlook the disparity in cultivation levels.

And the next critical factor was the quality of martial arts.

Even if someone with unparalleled martial arts had yet to fully master it, the title ‘unparalleled’ wasn’t given lightly.

Martial arts could create openings.

There was a stark difference between high-grade and low-grade techniques in terms of the martial principles they contained.

“They went to great lengths to leave no traces.”

“……”

“No hair strands, no footprints, and not even a hint of martial arts. But now, seeing your reaction, I think I understand.”

“……”

“Did you almost leave a trace when facing their techniques?”

Cho Sehui’s expression hardened.

“So, against the techniques of two Root Heaven martial artists, did you have to desperately defend yourself?”

Still, Cho Sehui said nothing.

If he had any sense of shame or realization of the mistake he had just made, keeping his mouth shut was the best option.

“I saw two deeply embedded footprints. They weren’t from a footwork technique. They were the traces left when a Five Banners Form martial artist gathers all their internal energy in an instant to move their body.”

“……”

“You managed to evade both of their Frigid Star’s Piercing Sky. No matter how much they were only Root Heaven martial artists, their techniques were of heavenly caliber. If you had to defend against their lethal strikes, traces would have been left behind.”

Cho Sehui swallowed nervously.

“After that, you pierced Baek Myeonggaek’s dantian and kicked him in the solar plexus. That’s how Baek Myeonggaek fell off the cliff, while Jin Sohyeop, who was in relatively better condition, was thrown off as well.”

I hadn’t seen the scene myself, but I could piece together what happened.

“Ordinarily, a Root Heaven martial artist could survive such a fall. Especially Baek Myeonggaek, who had been tirelessly training in the mind technique I taught him. He could have driven his hand into the cliffside or struck it to minimize the impact and land safely.”

Jin Sohyeop was thrown.

He broke branches on the way down, managing to land.

Baek Myeonggaek, unable to react, crashed to the ground headfirst. That’s why his body was in such a horrendous state.

“Anything more to say?”

“…I… don’t know anything.”

“Fine. Understood.”

There was no point in continuing this ‘conversation.’

I retracted the internal energy I had gathered and drew it back into my body.

And then, I converted it into the Heohyeon Energy.

My dantian writhed, and my blood vessels tightened as if preparing for the impending shock.

My eyes flashed.

Mercilessly.

I swung my sword.

Heaven-Defying Sword of Desolation.

Sword of the Vast Heavens.

Cho Sehui’s eyes widened. He belatedly gathered his internal energy and gripped his sword tightly with both hands, raising it to block.

Shhk—!

Both of his arms, still clutching the sword, fell to the ground.

Thud.

The sound shattered the silence of the Hanbing Sect’s main hall.

“A… Aah…!”

His eyes, wide in disbelief, stared at me as I tossed the sword in my hand.

Thuck—!

It pierced cleanly through his dantian. This time, he let out a blood-curdling scream.

I silently approached him and pressed my foot against his neck.

“Is Jin Sohyeop still alive?”

“…Khuk… He… he’s dead…”

“Where’s the body?”

“…”

“I didn’t expect you to spill so easily, but I also didn’t expect you to be this stubborn.”

I drew the dagger from my waist and drove it into his right eye.

Thuck.

“Kyaaah—!!”

“I’ll ask again. Where is Jin Sohyeop’s body?”

****

But Cho Sehui kept his mouth firmly shut as if to say he would never tell.

That was fine.

It was really fine.

I never expected to get it out of him easily anyway.

And I had encountered plenty of bastards like him before.

“Han Murin, bring that guy here.”

The response came from somewhere else.

“You bastard!! Stop it at once!!”

It was Jin Yangje, who had been silently observing the situation.

I turned my head to see Jin Yangje glaring at me, his face twisted with fury.

His qi, having reached the Spirit Ascension Stage, surged out with overwhelming force, but I spoke briefly.

“Are you involved in this?”

“…What?”

“I believe I already told you. If you’re involved, I’ll annihilate the Hanbing Sect.”

“You… You dare keep spouting such reckless threats…”

“Do you know anything about the Thousand-Kill Wolf-Star Technique and the Heavenly Image Heart Technique of Hancheol?”

“Hancheol…? And Heavenly Image… Heart Technique?”

Judging by his expression, he clearly had no idea.

But there was no need to say more. There was still much I could squeeze out of the Hanbing Sect.

So, I kept it brief.

“As a descendant of the Extreme North, I am interrogating the one who assassinated one of our own. You should learn to distinguish when to interfere and when to stay silent.”

Even though I spoke relatively courteously, Jin Yangje showed no signs of backing down.

It didn’t matter.

“Chief Steward Seong.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“From now on, anyone who interferes with what I’m about to do — regardless of who they are — cut off their head on the spot.”

At those words, Chief Steward Seong calmly looked at me, # Nоvеlight # while the people around us started to wear expressions of utter disbelief.

And that reaction was to be expected.

To them, Chief Steward Seong was just an ordinary man.

Chief Steward Seong looked at me and spoke.

“…Are you serious?”

“I am.”

Chief Steward Seong scratched his head, releasing a deep sigh.

“…Remember what we talked about back then.”

“That?”

“You know, that… the Commander…”

At those words, I couldn’t help but smirk.

Chief Steward Seong was afraid of the Commander’s wrath. Back then, he had said he might get beaten to death.

“I’ll repeat what I said back then. If anyone dares to harm Chief Steward Seong, they will have to deal with me first. And if Chief Steward Seong dies, I will hunt down the killer to the ends of the world and slaughter every single one of their bloodline. Be it the Commander or anyone else.”

“…You’re insane. Alright. I really… I really don’t know anything?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep