Chapter 288

Chapter 288

I don’t know what I’m doing.

‘Why… did it come to this?’

The trigger was nothing special. While holed up in my room, I was assigned surveillance duties.

I didn’t want to go out, but I had to. This wasn’t Uicheon Sect or the Baekri Family, and it wasn’t a place where I could do as I pleased.

Fortunately, surveillance duties weren’t really anything special. In the current situation where masters from the Murim Alliance, Sado Alliance, and Demonic Cult were all standing guard, there was no one causing disturbances. I simply fulfilled my duties by standing there blankly and looking around.

That should have been all there was to it, but at some point, I ended up fighting with Namgung Hyeon.

Why?

“Respond!”

Kaaaang!

Sword met sword.

The sparks flying before my eyes, the intense shock transmitted to my wrist—Baek Risan followed the trajectory of Namgung Hyeon’s sword with vacant eyes. A tidal wave of Sword Qi flying in, occupying the entire space.

‘……Dense.’

Dense and intense. A sword that seemed to embody the endless sky.

Normally, I would have thought first about how to respond. I would have calculated before the sword extended, found the opponent’s opening, forcibly split open the middle of the Sword Qi and burned through it.

‘But.’

However, the current Baek Risan was different.

‘Slow.’

I’ve already seen countless times that merely ‘responding’ isn’t enough.

Kagagagak—!!!

“……!”

White flames scattered.

The sword of Namgung Hyeon, which had been continuously spewing Sword Qi, was blocked mid-swing and drew a graceful circle. Lowering his body and drawing a half-moon, Namgung Hyeon aimed for the waist.

Pale blue-white Sword Qi targeted the waist. Using the Footwork Technique to shake the ground and destroy the lower body’s balance, pushing in with sword strikes to twist the upper body with the impact. Balance subtly thrown off by the slightest shock.

‘The longer this goes, the less chance I have.’

The True Flame White Blossom Art that Baek Risan learned is a martial art that pours out all one’s power in a short time.

Once the warm-up ends, Baek Risan’s attack power becomes absurd. If one can’t withstand it all, it must be ended before the warm-up finishes.

Sky-Blue Infinite Sword

Clear Heaven Formless

The atmosphere vibrated. From the densely woven Sword Qi.

Though the Sword Qi clearly didn’t take the form of a net, Baek Risan saw the illusion of a net closing in on her. Sword Qi crossing through the air as refreshingly as an artist drawing lines with a brush, encroaching on all sides.

“What’s wrong, Baek Risan! Do you only plan to run!”

The range of movement narrowed. Like being caught in a spider’s web, each struggle shortened her stride, and her breathing became rough.

Baek Risan, who had been helplessly watching the incoming Sword Qi, vacantly drew up her internal energy and met the sword. And.

Slowly, as Baek Risan looked at the Sword Qi restricting her movement and filling the world, the moment she loosened her grip on her sword.

“Will you give up too? Like the Uicheon Sect Leader!”

“…….”

Namgung Hyeon’s voice pierced her ears.

‘……Give up?’

In that moment, Baek Risan’s eyes widened.

Kaaaang—!!!

Instinctively shaking off the flames, Baek Risan looked down at her sword that was resonating and emitting sword cries, slowly lowering her gaze. The sight of the Uicheon Sword hanging at her waist, just as Baekri Un had always worn it.

‘……Come to think of it, that’s right.’

Baekri Un is dead. That much is an indisputable fact. Didn’t I see it right before my eyes?

There were no external injuries, but they said his soul had been torn away. I confirmed that his dantian and all his blood vessels had been completely shredded. Baekri Un met a perfect death.

However,

‘Then… why didn’t he block it?’

Was Heukya’s attack fast?

Of course it was fast. Even I, who had somewhat adapted to the speed, could barely follow it with my eyes.

But conversely, that means even I could faintly confirm its shape. Baekri Un’s movements using Lightning Qi went beyond merely being fast—they even gave the feeling of ‘flashing.’

There’s no way Baekri Un with that kind of speed couldn’t react to that attack. It wasn’t that he couldn’t block it but that he didn’t block it.

Why?

‘……It’s strange.’

A rising sense of incongruity.

Having dealt with the continuous attacks rushing in desperately, Baek Risan continued her thoughts in a daze. It was truly strange beyond measure.

‘What is Oppa’s strength?’

Speed? Or destructive powerful strikes?

Those are also among Baekri Un’s characteristics, but the masters who actually faced Baekri Un didn’t cite such things as Baekri Un’s troublesome points. The ability to perfectly see through schemes. That ability to predict the decisive blow as if seeing right through it—they said that was the real thing.

Besides that, there are plenty of strange things.

Baekri Un taught to win first, then fight.

Baekri Un said that facing a master should become a challenge, not a gamble.

He said to examine all possibilities and choose not the most comfortable path but the path with the highest probability. He also said to resist until the very end.

The fact that such a Baekri Un died without any resistance against Heukya. That’s.

—Isn’t it strange no matter how strong Heukya is?

Kaaaaaaang—!!!

“……!”

Flames soaring up in an instant.

White flames flickering their tongues like a snake—at the sight, Namgung Hyeon, who had stepped back one pace without realizing it, looked at Baek Risan with surprised eyes. And watching such Namgung Hyeon, Baek Risan loosened her grip on her sword.

‘If he was aiming for something.’

Baekri Un can’t use mystical arts. Because he’s a martial artist, not a mystic practitioner.

So it wouldn’t be that he pulled some trick with mystical arts. Since Baekri Un is a martial artist, there would be no way to avoid death there.

Then what’s the variable?

‘Uicheon Sect.’

Didn’t Baekri Un tell me? That Uicheon Sect is a Divine Artifact. That nothing would be strange no matter what happened.

“……That’s enough.”

“What’s enough?”

“I said something came up that I need to check.”

Slowly.

Life returns to the dead eyes.

Despair lifted, and anxiety, anger, and impatience filled the inside. The same negative emotions. But emotions with different textures.

There’s only a difference in degree, but they’re ultimately similar emotions. Yet the reason they don’t feel the same is one thing.

It’s because the eyes hold a glimmer of hope.

“Move aside. You don’t need to beat me awake.”

“……What if I can’t be certain?”

“Do I really need to tell you directly with my sword?”

Seeing Baek Risan shake off her sword with an annoyed expression, Namgung Hyeon wore a faint smile beneath his stern expression. And.

“Yes. I’d like you to make it clear.”

“Haah.”

At Namgung Hyeon’s words, as Baek Risan let out a deep sigh and drew up her internal energy—

“That’s enough.”

Cheongha, who had pushed through the crowd, looked directly at Namgung Hyeon and Baek Risan while sighing.

“Young Master Namgung Hyeon of the Namgung Family. Young Master Baek Risan of the Baekri Family.”

“Yes.”

“You’ll need to come with me for the crime of causing a disturbance within the grounds.”

“……Ah.”

At the sight of Cheongha looking back and forth between herself and Namgung Hyeon with a deeply furrowed brow, Baek Risan blinked involuntarily and sheathed her drawn sword. And the words that followed.

“……He started it.”

“…….”

“Can’t you let me go?”

***

It may be stating the obvious, but prestigious orthodox sects are crowded with people year-round.

For instance, if you cross the mountain gates of a major sect, even if they’re not disciples of that sect, you’ll find disciples from other sects who came to request martial matches, merchants who came to establish connections, or retainers swarming everywhere.

In reality, this is because power is closely connected to interests. The vast Central Plains continent. In places where administrative power doesn’t reach, you need power to protect what’s yours.

Prestigious sects swarm with people. This is true regardless of whether they’re major sects or small-scale sects. What matters to them isn’t the number of disciples but the sect’s power itself. And.

From that perspective, it was truly natural that the only visitor coming to the current Uicheon Sect besides Iryang was no one.

Because news of the Uicheon Sect Leader’s death in battle had reached even this Huayong.

If the Uicheon Sect Leader had died, all that remained in Uicheon Sect would be greenhorn disciples.

“Death by taking Heukya’s attack.”

“…….”

“What do you think?”

Haun Trading Company’s office.

After checking the information brought by his subordinate Haomun member, Iryang casually asked Gayeom, who stood beside him. At Iryang’s casual question, Gayeom solemnly hardened her expression.

“Wouldn’t it be… bad news?”

“Bad news?”

“Yes. Someone closely connected to us has died in battle… it would be strange if it weren’t bad news.”

“Gayeom sees it that way.”

“Does Master see it differently?”

“Yes.”

Iryang, who had chuckled, pushed back his office chair and looked out the window. Fixing his gaze in the direction of the manor that would be at the edge of Huayong County.

“Gayeom, do you remember when you first met the Uicheon Sect Leader?”

“Wasn’t it when we saved the manor?”

“That’s right. That bizarre manor that ate people.”

The manor that was speculated to be a Divine Artifact. The manor whose name was changed to Uicheon Manor.

That manor stopped eating people from the time Baekri Un moved in, and Iryang knew what that meant. Didn’t it mean the manor recognized Baekri Un as its master?

“Do you think a Divine Artifact has a human heart, Gayeom?”

“……That’s nonsense. How could an object have will? It’s not even alive.”

“You’re right.”

Objects cannot have will. They’re merely used according to their utility.

The same goes for Uicheon Manor that Baekri Un obtained. If Uicheon Manor had a human heart, those who challenged Uicheon Manor wouldn’t have died.

But Uicheon Manor, which has already devoured dozens of people, still remains open and accepts people. The Uicheon Sect disciples residing inside are still alive and well.

What does that mean?

“The death is highly likely to be a disguise.”

“……Pardon?”

“Because Uicheon Manor hasn’t returned.”

Iryang, who had casually stated his opinion, continued.

“Do you know this, Gayeom?”

“What do you mean?”

“No matter how bizarre a Divine Artifact is, it doesn’t suddenly appear out of nowhere. It’s when an originally existing object gains spiritual nature and evolves. That’s what a Divine Artifact is.”

“…….”

“Conversely, that means Uicheon Manor also has a maker.”

After Baekri Un purchased Uicheon Manor and discovered Uicheon Manor’s extraordinary background.

Iryang investigated the history of Uicheon Manor. Because the growth rate shown by Baekri Un and Baekri Un’s disciples was too excellent to be considered simply the effect of a Divine Artifact. Because they all showed appearances that could be called once-in-a-generation geniuses.

No matter how well Baekri Un teaches, there are limits. If it’s a Divine Artifact with such tremendous effects, even its origin wouldn’t be ordinary.

Thinking so, Iryang released information agents to deeply explore the history of Huayong County and Uicheon Manor. And what he learned was one thing.

Uicheon Manor existed even before Huayong County came into being.

No, from the beginning, Huayong County itself had prospered centered around Uicheon Manor.

“As Gayeom knows, villages don’t prosper centered around abandoned houses.”

“Yes. Well, that’s…”

“The fact that Huayong County developed centered around Uicheon Manor means, conversely, that there was a time when Uicheon Manor had a master. What does that mean?”

“……That Uicheon Manor has a long history?”

“Wrong. It means that Uicheon Manor closes its doors when its master dies.”

After the master died, Uicheon Manor began searching for a new master.

If that’s true, the same method should have been implemented this time too. Choil, Choa, and Seou, who remain in Uicheon Sect with Iryang’s help, should have been given a test seeking eligibility for manor ownership. But.

“Did any of them take a test or die of a heart attack?”

“…….”

“There weren’t any.”

The manor still remains as Uicheon Manor, and no one has taken the test. What does that mean?

“It means Uicheon Manor still judges that its master can carry out his purpose.”

“That means…….”

“Didn’t I just say?”

Baekri Un is alive. Even if not alive, at least there’s a possibility he’ll survive.

Ultimately, it means the cooperative relationship between Baekri Un and Iryang hasn’t broken yet. Because Baekri Un hasn’t died. Then.

What should be done from now on?

“Let’s prepare for his return.”

“What should I prepare?”

“Information.”

I don’t know what will be needed. So collect everything that’s in turmoil in the current Murim.

Having finished his judgment, Iryang quietly raised his gaze.

“Let’s start with Sinseon Valley.”

Thinking that he’ll probably be able to prepare a good gift.