Yo Yeon-bi seemed to have a lot bottled up against Yi-gang.

It was not hard to understand.

Just before entering the Crouching Dragon Basin, Yi-gang decided to let Yo Yeon-bi down on his own judgment.

In fact, saying he ‘let him down’ was a softened expression.

He told the Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox to drop Yo Yeon-bi.

The last image Yi-gang remembered was Yo Yeon-bi spinning and falling through the sky.

He told him to go to Azure Forest, but the reply was roughly, ‘You bastard!’

“Didn’t I tell you to go to Azure Forest, Yeon-bi?”

“Hey, you bastard. How am I supposed to get to Azure Forest, when it was the first I’ve ever been to the Central Plains!”

Yo Yeon-bi trembled with clenched fists as she protested.

Yi-gang inwardly thought that as a grown martial artist with money, he should be able to get there.

“…You must have suffered.”

He said that and left it at that.

Yo Yeon-bi definitely had enough travel funds.

He succeeded in traveling west and reaching Shaanxi Province.

After many twists and turns, he arrived at a city called Xi’an with the help of merchants.

But his luck ended there.

The noble young master did not know how to manage money and lost all his funds by staying in expensive lodgings.

While living on the streets, Yo Yeon-bi surprisingly survived with the help of beggars.

“If I had been discovered to be from the Demon Cult here, someone would have stabbed me to death…”

For Yo Yeon-bi at that time, survival was like a joke.

The reckless young master of True Demon Palace lived as a beggar.

For over two years.

One could tell how hard it was without hearing all the details.

Yo Yeon-bi, who once rampaged ignorantly, came to know how harsh and cruel the world was.

“At that time, I formed a bond with a beggar. That friend Noh Shik.”

Yo Yeon-bi, who had no friends, formed a bond with Noh Shik.

That too was a matter of divine providence.

Noh Shik smiled bitterly.

No matter where you looked, Noh Shik now appeared as a demon.

Like Ha-jun, demonic energy wafted strongly from him.

“That time when we returned to the Central Plains , I was able to keep my life, but lost all my martial arts.”

Noh Shik also survived by a stroke of divine luck.

But he was not given a fortunate encounter like Ha-jun.

He lost all martial arts and was left with a broken body.

He lacked the aptitude to perform superhuman feats from the start like Ha-jun.

“The main headquarters of the Beggar Gang collapsed…”

After the Evil Cult took the forefront and persecution of Murim began, the main headquarters of the Beggar Gang fell.

The gang leader also died.

Noh Shik might have avoided trouble because he lost his martial arts and was branded a demon.

He happened to be at the Xi’an branch.

That’s how he formed a bond with Yo Yeon-bi.

Yo Yeon-bi muttered.

“The Demon Cult also split into four or five factions. It’s natural since those stupid elders took power.”

The Demon Cult’s forces were trapped in the Crouching Dragon Basin.

Even the Demon Cult was not in a normal state.

The retired old demon showed ugly greed.

Eventually, the Demon Cult members remaining in True Demon Palace were pushed by power struggles all the way to Central Plains.

They endured here, claiming to be the Demon Cult’s Xi’an branch, rallying around Yo Yeon-bi.

“Why insist on using the Demon Cult’s name?”

“The Demon Cult is still despised. But no one calls for exterminating the Demon Cult to attack us. Since we can’t hide our Demon Arts anyway, we judged this was better.”

Those words were none other than Yo Yeon-bi’s.

Yi-gang thought Noh Shik must have commanded all their actions.

Noh Shik was capable, and honestly, Yo Yeon-bi was a hopeless youth.

But harsh times seemed to have turned the reckless youth into a man.

Yo Yeon-bi spoke with a calm expression.

“It’s fortunate you are here. You’re strong.”

Yo Yeon-bi did not know exactly how strong Yi-gang was.

Yi-gang smiled slightly and nodded at her words.

“Don’t fight with the Hao Sect. Our goals are the same anyway.”

“Alright, sorry about that.”

Yo Yeon-bi extended her hand to the Hao Sectju.

The Hao Sect Leader, with a dazed expression, grasped her hand.

Yo Yeon-bi’s strength was all fabricated.

In situations requiring force, Noh Shik wore a mask and imitated Yo Yeon-bi.

Because of that, even the Hao Sect mistook Yo Yeon-bi for being beyond the Extreme Demon Realm.

“Our goal is to hit the Evil Cult bastards hard, right?”

“Yes.”

The Hao Sect Leader’s expression hardened as well.

Their goal was one. To strike the Evil Cult’s branch leader Master who ruled Xi’an.

Meanwhile, they had been wary and opposed each other.

“Yeon-bi, Noh Shik. I have a question.”

Yi-gang asked the question he had kept in his heart.

“I heard some survivors of the Baek Family remain in Shaanxi Province… Do you know anything?”

Baek Do-yeom and the clan’s warriors.

Even the Hao Sect Leader did not know their whereabouts.

Yi-gang inferred something from the Hao Sect Leader’s ignorance.

The Hao Sectju knew almost all information about the areas where their disciples were.

If the Hao Sect Leader couldn’t find Baek Do-yeom and the clan members, perhaps they were outside his sphere of influence.

For example, a place controlled by the Demon Cult’s Xi’an branch…

“Ah, I forgot to mention.”

Yo Yeon-bi said as if she remembered.

“They are in contact with us. They are hiding right here in Xi’an.”

Isn’t it darkest under the lamp?

They were still hiding in Xi’an.

“They are remarkable people.”

The reason they didn’t leave was clear…

“Their eyes were no different from those of vengeful ghosts.”

They sought revenge against those who destroyed the clan.

The Hao Sect, demons, and the Baek Family.

An unlikely alliance of these three forces was quickly formed.

It was possible because Yi-gang became the focal point.

Baek Do-yeom said he would come immediately upon hearing Yi-gang had arrived.

The place Yo Yeon-bi and Noh Shik used as the Demon Cult’s Xi’an branch was the abandoned Beggar Gang branch.

Under the bridge in that shack, Yi-gang waited for his great-uncle.

Baek Do-yeom.

He was once a difficult figure.

Whether to make Ha-jun the family head or Yi-gang.

He had fought a power struggle with their grand-aunt Baek Seo-ok over this.

Looking back now, it was truly a minor issue.

But there was a time when people obsessed over such trivial matters.

“It’s a bit awkward.”

Yi-gang thought so.

The Heavenly Demon snickered and laughed.

There was some commotion outside, indicating Baek Do-yeom had arrived.

Yi-gang tensed slightly.

Then Baek Do-yeom appeared, pushing open the shack’s door.

He was an ultra-strong master called the Rage Sword Phantom.

Despite his age, his build was imposing, and deep wrinkles on his forehead seemed to show his fiery temperament.

Baek Do-yeom looked terrible.

His hair and skin lost their luster, and his clothes were shabby.

He was a fugitive, so it was inevitable.

Only his gaze remained unchanged.

He glared at Yi-gang with blazing, fiery eyes.

“…Great-uncle.”

He expected a distant reunion, but it was not so.

Baek Do-yeom hugged Yi-gang tightly.

“You’re alive! Thank the heavens!”

Baek Do-yeom’s passion was palpable.

Yi-gang felt his great-uncle’s body was smaller and lighter than expected.

Baek Do-yeom looked at Ha-jun with a complicated expression.

“You, what kind of state is that?”

The fact that the young clan head of the Baek Family became the successor of the Heavenly Demon.

That had not yet been revealed outside.

Though shocking, Baek Do-yeom somehow accepted it.

Now was an era where survival was the issue.

Baek Do-yeom grabbed Yi-gang’s shoulder firmly.

“You must save the clan head and your clan members.”

They were trapped inside the barrier of Crouching Dragon Basin.

Time inside passed much slower than outside, so fortunately they were not at risk of starving.

But they could not be left indefinitely with complacency.

Yi-gang planned to go to Azure Forest to break the barrier and find a way to save them.

Now, the future problem was important.

Noh Shik, Yo Yeon-bi, and Baek Do-yeom planned to attack the Evil Cult members ruling Xi’an.

Yi-gang listened to their plan.

It was a story worth hearing because it revealed the current structure of the Evil Cult.

“The one managing Xi’an here is a man named Jong Eui-ji, the branch leader.”

The Evil Cult’s leaders are effectively the three Cardinals.

Under them are several branches.

The one wearing a black hat with golden tassels is the branch leader.

The branch leader of Xi’an is a man named Jong Eui-ji.

They were said to be coming and going through the ruined Baek Family estate.

“Those filthy bastards dare trample the family with their dirty feet; how can we not punish them?”

Baek Do-yeom’s voice was filled with blazing anger.

One branch leader manages roughly more than ten groups.

Each group leader commands more than ten members.

The enemy’s numbers are at least over a hundred.

“That’s not all, the government troops are also aiding them.”

Moreover, they have numerical superiority.

Except for the Hao Sect, Yo Yeon-bi and Noh Shik command about thirty people, and Baek Do-yeom has a similar number.

Under Baek Do-yeom are his three blood relatives including his children, and retainers skilled in Lesser Yang Cultivation Technique and Vast Sword.

“On our side, there are three Transcendent masters and about twenty peak-level ones.”

In fact, that alone was impressive.

Not all Evil Cult members are strong, so it was quite manageable.

But Noh Shik was cautious.

“It’s a dangerous level, so be sure to make killing that branch leader the top priority.”

“With Yi-gang helping, including his strength, it’s an easy victory!”

Baek Do-yeom looked at Yi-gang with a reassuring gaze.

But Yi-gang’s expression was not bright.

He was thinking inwardly.

‘…Is this right?’

Assuming they strike one Evil Cult branch now.

Yi-gang was an Absolute master, and Ha-jun’s level was not weak.

The chance of failure was low.

But what comes after is the problem.

What would happen if Yi-gang helped them destroy one Evil Cult branch and then left?

The Cardinals would watch over Xi’an.

Would Baek Do-yeom, Yo Yeon-bi, and Noh Shik be okay then?

Yi-gang must leave, so they would have to prepare for death.

Then shouldn’t this be done when they can handle the aftermath?

“Yi-gang, what are you thinking so deeply about?”

Baek Do-yeom asked, and Yi-gang shared his thoughts.

But Baek Do-yeom became serious.

“You bastard! Are you trying to make us look like cowards and fools to the world?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Do you think you’re the only one fighting? Everyone here has lost comrades and family. The war started then!”

Baek Do-yeom was furious.

“If you can’t wield your sword for fear of consequences, how can you call yourself a man and a Baek Family blood?”

“Don’t worry about us. We’re not old enough to hear such worries.”

Noh Shik and even Yo Yeon-bi did not deny it.

“My thoughts were short-sighted.”

To those determined, worry can be an insult.

「Your thoughts were utterly weak.」

The Heavenly Demon also said.

Yi-gang straightened up and listened to their detailed plan.

“The opportunity is planned for tomorrow night.”

Noh Shik explained the detailed operation outline.

Yi-gang stored it in his mind.

The next day, a dark night with even the moonlight hidden by clouds.

Until heading to the family estate with them.

“As you can tell from his name, branch leader Jong Eui-ji is probably Wa1.”

That was Noh Shik’s explanation.

Evil Cult members were secretly active outside the country, even in the East.

“He uses a Wa sword, and his martial arts level is not low. He personally killed the clan’s elders with swift swordsmanship.”

Baek Do-yeom gritted his teeth and said so.

“They come and go in the family estate like their own yard; they must be plotting something. But that is an opportunity for us.”

The Evil Cultists colluded with government troops. When they were at their base, even they dared not attack.

The best strategy was to strike when the branch leader was directly at the Baek Family estate.

“Yi-gang, if you meet branch leader Jong Eui-ji, you must kill him with a single decisive strike. When facing an Evil Cult branch leader, you must do so.”

Baek Do-yeom warned firmly.

It meant not giving any chance and killing immediately when the opportunity arises.

“Those who have poison sacs must be killed first. Otherwise, the consequences will be severe.”

That was a basic strategy against the Evil Cult.

“After the third watch, we begin the infiltration. Prepare yourselves well.”

They sharpened their swords keenly.

And soon, night fell.

The Baek Family walls still stood tall.

Yi-gang looked at the walls with deep emotion and leapt up in one bound.

No sound was left behind.

1. TL/N: Ancient Japanese ️

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep