A Gathering Storm
Swoosh!
The Swordsman’s strike was indeed fierce, fitting for the eldest of the Three Evil Travelers.
Unlike the Saber-wielder, who mindlessly pursued slaughter, or the Fist-fighter, who couldn't even recognize his own grave, the Swordsman maintained a proper, calculated balance.
Boom!
The Sword Qi blooming from his blade, laden with dark-red demonic energy, lunged straight for Yoo-sung.
Second Form of the Thousand Slaughter Sword Style.
Soul of a Thousand Slaughters.
The Soul of a Thousand Slaughters, a technique said to be completed only after slaying a thousand people, pressed down on Yoo-sung with an eerie, sinister howl.
‘Impressive in its own right. I can see why the Swordsman is held in such high regard among the Three Evil Travelers.’
Though grouped together under the same moniker, the Swordsman was at least a step higher in cultivation than either the Saber-wielder or the Fist-fighter.
He was a demonic master who had broken through the wall of the Peak Realm and, given the opportunity, could look beyond into the Transcendental Realm. That was the Swordsman.
But his opponent was simply too formidable.
Yoo-sung had already fought a demonic practitioner who had mastered the Thousand Slaughter Sword Style to its absolute limit.
‘Did he call himself the Thousand Slaughter?’
The Thousand Slaughter Sword Style unleashed by that man, who was born with the destiny of slaughter, was incomparable to the Swordsman's current display.
"You bastard! What are you daydreaming about?!"
The Swordsman unleashed a furious strike at Yoo-sung, enraged that his opponent was distracted right in front of him, but his blade only cut through empty air.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Once again, Yoo-sung's fist struck the Swordsman's chest.
The Swordsman had anticipated the blow and dodged quickly, so it wasn't a critical hit, but the pain was far worse than expected.
Still, he could endure this much.
"Not yet..."
Because he hadn't even shown his true martial arts yet.
Just as the Swordsman glared and tried to thrust his sword,
Slice.
"I'm short on time."
With a detached voice, the Swordsman's head fell to the ground.
A moment later, his headless body collapsed with a heavy thud.
"W-what in the world..."
The demonic practitioners brought by the Three Evil Travelers finally showed themselves, but it was already too late.
They trembled violently, looking back and forth between the dead Three Evil Travelers and Yoo-sung.
"You're a nuisance. Rest in peace."
With a cold, indifferent voice, a gust of wind enveloped the demonic practitioners.
"...!"
Leaving behind the demonic practitioners who died without even being able to scream, Yoo-sung walked away leisurely.
His destination was Baekmyo County.
At this moment, Yoo-sung did not know what kind of storm his choice would bring to Sichuan.
Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
After effortlessly killing the Three Evil Travelers, who had been a major headache for the Sichuan Tang Family, Yoo-sung leisurely made his way back to Baekmyo County.
‘I must hurry.’
Thinking of the number of Fire Elixirs in his robe, Yoo-sung felt reassured.
Honestly, he wanted to bring more, but excessive greed always leads to trouble.
Leaving his regrets behind, Yoo-sung strode forward.
Swish.
With a single step, Yoo-sung executed a movement technique that others could not hope to follow.
If anyone had witnessed it, they would have been dumbfounded, but fortunately, there was no one around.
After running for some time, the distant lights of Baekmyo County brought a bright smile to Yoo-sung's face.
Twitch.
‘Who are these guys now?’
His smile quickly faded. He sensed unfamiliar presences lurking around Baekmyo County.
‘That one is from Cheondo Gate, and that one... the White Wolf Fort?’
He felt two entirely different energies observing Baekmyo County.
He wanted to subdue them immediately and interrogate them, but Soso came first.
‘I'll just attach a tail to them.’
With a flick of Yoo-sung's hand, a gentle breeze slipped into their shadows.
Sensing their presences slowly leaving Baekmyo County, entirely unaware of what he had done, Yoo-sung finally revealed himself.
"You've worked hard."
Greeting his family, Yoo-sung handed over the Fire Elixirs he had brought.
"They say it won't be easy to get Fire Elixirs for a while. Demonic practitioners have been appearing in Sichuan, so the Tang Family is on high alert."
At Yoo-sung's words, the family's expressions darkened.
"Because of that, the Lord of the Tang Family is planning to gather even the branch members to display the Tang Family's might. He asked me to convey that we should be careful, as the Tang Family will be highly sensitive for the time being."
"Hoho, the world is in turmoil."
"Indeed."
As Yoo-sung finished speaking, the family members reacted in their own ways. Many expressed worry for Dang Joong-myung's safety.
As the conversation continued, Yoo-sung sent a telepathic transmission to Bing-hwa.
— Go to the back mountain secretly later. There are a few more Fire Elixirs there.
Bing-hwa remained calm despite the sudden transmission. The fact that he didn't bring them out openly meant he had acquired them through other means.
Being highly intelligent, Bing-hwa understood why Yoo-sung had made this choice.
— Thank you. I will use them in an emergency.
Now that the Fire Elixirs to secure Soso's safety were mostly accounted for, they began to worry about Do Yoo-mi and Ha Tae-gun.
"Brother-in-law and Sister said we don't need to worry for now, but I can't help but feel anxious."
Yoo-chan was deeply worried about Yoo-mi and Ha Tae-gun, who had returned a few days ago.
"No matter how reckless they are, they won't dare to openly try to kill Yoo-mi and me."
As Ha Tae-gun had said, even if he was only the eldest son in name, the elders of the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild stood behind him.
Usually, their presence was highly bothersome and uncomfortable for Ha Tae-gun, but in a situation like this, it was actually quite helpful.
Hearing that Ha Tae-gun and Yoo-mi would try to buy time by playing a delicate game of tug-of-war with them, Sang-woon and Yoo-chan fell into deep thought.
"The problem is that we cannot openly interfere in Brother-in-law's family affairs."
"Indeed, that is the issue."
Sang-woon shared Yoo-chan's concern.
Ideally, he wanted to send a few martial artists from the Heavenly Sword Academy to act as bodyguards for Yoo-mi and Ha Tae-gun.
Since the Heavenly Sword Academy had traditionally dispatched martial artists freely and received a small referral fee, it wouldn't normally be an issue.
However, there was no way the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild would meekly allow it.
Furthermore, if the Heavenly Sword Academy moved, Cheondo Gate would surely move as if they had been waiting for the chance.
If things went wrong, it could severely worsen the internal conflict within the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild.
Thus, Sang-woon and Yoo-chan could not make a hasty move.
"For now, we should return to the guild and keep an eye on the situation."
Ultimately, they decided to wrap up the inconclusive discussion.
Watching Do Yoo-mi and Ha Tae-gun pack the Fire Elixirs Yoo-sung had brought and stand up, the family meeting came to an end.
"If something happens, calling for help then will be too late. If you notice anything even slightly strange, contact us immediately."
At Do Sang-woon's stern warning, the two nodded and left the Heavenly Sword Academy.
‘Hmm.’
Watching the two depart, Yoo-sung fell into thought.
He decided he would have to personally visit the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild sometime soon.
‘They will be making their move soon as well.’
Thinking of Cheondo Gate, which sought to swallow the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild, Yoo-sung calculated when they would strike.
They would likely move in the near future, so he needed to prepare in advance to ensure the safety of Yoo-mi and Ha Tae-gun before they did.
Slide.
Inside a luxurious room, a middle-aged man was meticulously polishing his saber.
This middle-aged man was known as one of the strongest masters of Baekmyo County, alongside Do Sang-woon.
The Master of Cheondo Gate, Kwak Yoo.
As the successor of Cheondo Gate, he was willing to do anything for the glory of his sect.
In his youth, despite being the successor of Cheondo Gate, he had joined the Sichuan Martial Arts Alliance, starting as a mere foot soldier and tenaciously enduring everything, all for the glory of Cheondo Gate.
If there was one moment of regret in his life, it was his relationship with his former friend, Do Sang-woon.
‘To think we would be entangled so tiresomely like this.’
Honestly, it was an incomprehensible situation.
Even if they were both minor sects in the periphery,
He had never expected the Heavenly Sword Academy, which was nothing more than a mere martial academy, to grow to the point of daring to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Cheondo Gate.
‘No wonder I found him so irritating and detestable from the moment I first saw him.’
He had only maintained a friendly relationship because of his father's urging, and he had highly coveted the academy's Thirteen Forms of the Heavenly Sword and its martial artists.
In the end, it hadn't been a bad deal since he had enticed their trained martial artists to join him and expanded Cheondo Gate, but...
Gradually, it was becoming a burden.
Watching the Heavenly Sword Academy begin to grow at an explosive rate at some point, Kwak Yoo made his decision.
"Whew. It's about time to end this tedious, ill-fated relationship."
Muttering his resolve in a low voice, Kwak Yoo's eyes flashed sharply.
As Kwak Yoo directed his fierce hostility toward the Heavenly Sword Academy,
Knock, knock.
A cautious knock was followed by Kwak Young's voice.
"Father, may I come in for a moment?"
"Enter."
With Kwak Yoo's permission, Kwak Young entered with a stiff expression.
"What blunder did you commit this time?"
When Kwak Yoo clicked his tongue at Kwak Young's expression, Kwak Young's face stiffened even further.
"Do I really have to marry that woman?"
At Kwak Young's complaint, Kwak Yoo's gaze grew even colder.
"Pathetic fool. Are you making such a face over a mere marriage?"
"But..."
Kwak Young did not like Ha Tae-young, his betrothed.
Even if her beauty was considered top-tier, her personality was utterly repulsive.
It was to the point where people whispered and called her the "Poisonous Spider."
She was a woman who would fly at his throat to slit it the moment things went south.
‘To spend my entire life walking on eggshells around that bitch!’
Just imagining it filled him with a terrible sense of dread.
However, he lacked the courage to voice his complaints directly.
If he did, the meager attention he had managed to secure from Kwak Yoo would completely vanish.
"Besides, it seems the Chief of the White Wolf Fort is about to make a move."
"Yes, if it's Pagun, it is about time he moved."
With the news of Baekho-bu's death spreading, rumors had been circulating in the streets that Pagun was grieving and furious over his death.
But Kwak Yoo, who knew Pagun's personality all too well, did not believe a single word of it.
In the first place, the only reason Baekho-bu had been wandering around this area was because Pagun wanted him to die at either his or Do Sang-woon's hands.
There was no way Pagun, who was constantly looking for an opportunity to bring Baekmyo County under his heel, would miss this chance.
‘Now, while everyone's attention is focused on the White Wolf Fort, is our chance.’
While Do Sang-woon and Pagun clashed, he intended to completely seize the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild for himself.
To do that, they needed to move quickly.
"We must move up your wedding. Let's settle this before the White Wolf Fort begins to run wild in earnest."
"...Understood."
Though he was highly reluctant, Kwak Young obediently bowed his head.
If marrying that Poisonous Spider was what it took for him to become the Master of Cheondo Gate, he had no choice but to endure it.
‘In the end, with Father's personality, he won't let that bitch remain my wife forever anyway.’
Kwak Yoo was a man of far greater pride and ambition than himself.
If his daughter-in-law, Ha Tae-young, tried to cross the line even slightly, Kwak Yoo would either eliminate her entirely or completely sever her limbs.
The former would be the best outcome, but even the latter meant he wouldn't have to worry about Ha Tae-young anymore, so it wasn't a bad deal for Kwak Young.
Until then, he would have to play along with Ha Tae-young while securing his position as the successor of Cheondo Gate.
‘Pathetic fool.’
Watching Kwak Young's smirking face, Kwak Yoo clicked his tongue inwardly.
He already saw right through Kwak Young's foolish thoughts.
Even so, he left him be because there was no reason to care.
For now, there was no better successor than Kwak Young, so he planned to just watch.
‘If it really doesn't work out, I can always replace him.’
Having finally broken through the wall a few months ago, Kwak Yoo now had plenty of time.
He no longer needed to obsess over Kwak Young.
Unaware of this fact, Kwak Young stood alone, lost in his delusions, barely holding back his laughter.