Drawing Out the Viper
The pressure was directed solely at Jegal Jong-mi.
No one else in the vicinity felt even a whisper of Yoo Sung's aura.
Even as Yoo Sung's crushing pressure bore down on her alone, Jegal Jong-mi's brilliant mind whirred to life.
At least the absolute peak of the Ultra-Peak Realm. Or perhaps... even beyond.
Frankly, she neither wanted to nor could easily accept that final possibility.
For a young martial artist barely in his mid-to-late twenties, such a realm was an absurdly excessive height to reach.
If it is the latter, I must elevate my assessment of him even further.
Jegal Jong-mi already regarded Yoo Sung as a "high-level variable."
Even with the assistance of the Iron Flower or the Iron Sword, he had subdued the Black and White Twin Sabers and slain four of the Ten Ghosts.
This was not a feat that could be taken lightly under any circumstances.
And the sheer weight of the aura he was currently directing at her only reinforced that fact.
Nevertheless, Jegal Jong-mi maintained her composure and continued the conversation.
It was undoubtedly an overwhelming display of power, but she had not earned her reputation by backing down or showing weakness at the first sign of trouble.
"How much do you trust the people of Sichuan?"
Seeing Jegal Jong-mi ask her counter-question in such a calm, collected voice, Yoo Sung's eyes shifted.
It was a look of clear curiosity, though he did not withdraw his pressure.
"I don't."
Jegal Jong-mi had said "the people of Sichuan," but her underlying meaning clearly referred to the Sichuan Righteous Alliance.
Yoo Sung, fully aware of this, answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Then why are you here?"
"I merely stepped forward to help my maternal family. When every other faction is on the move, it would look rather ridiculous for us to sit idly by."
"Ah, a distraction."
Jegal Jong-mi read Yoo Sung's intentions in an instant.
"You are indeed as clever as the rumors say. But sometimes, cleverness only hastens one's demise. Is that not why the Jegal and Sima clans suffered such heavy casualties during the last war?"
"...Thank you for the advice."
Yoo Sung's words pierced Jegal Jong-mi's heart like a dagger.
Yoo Sung's gaze remained entirely indifferent as he casually poked at the deepest wounds and vulnerabilities of the Jegal and Sima clans.
Provoking him further will only work against me.
Jegal Jong-mi, who had hoped to find even a minor slip-up through their conversation, cleanly abandoned the idea.
In truth, enduring his pressure any longer was becoming a struggle.
"Could you withdraw this pressure? It's starting to get a bit difficult."
"State your business first."
Jegal Jong-mi clicked her tongue at his cold, indifferent tone.
"Do you know Yeo Mi-ho?"
Even at the mention of a completely unexpected name, Yoo Sung remained unperturbed.
"Go on."
"I see you do. Well, of course. If you fought against Matian, there is no way you wouldn't know Yeo Mi-ho. She is one of the successors to the famous Ten Demonic Sects."
Even if one held the lowest seat among the Ten Demonic Sects, the power they wielded was by no means light.
Knowing that Yeo Mi-ho, who carried the surname of the Yeo Clan, was roaming Sichuan, Yoo Sung grew curious about just how much Jegal Jong-mi knew.
"She is in Sichuan. And not just her, but her rivals as well."
The latter part was news even to Yoo Sung.
Once again, he realized the terrifying scope of the Jegal Clan's intelligence network.
Or is the Murim Alliance still active behind the scenes?
Half a year ago, with the dissolution of Matian, the Murim Alliance's very existence had come under heavy criticism.
The argument was that since Matian—the very reason the Alliance existed to protect the Jianghu and project the power of the orthodox faction—had vanished, the Murim Alliance should disband as well.
In fact, the Nine Great Sects and One Gang that led the Alliance had agreed, with only the Jegal Clan and the Namgung Clan opposing the dissolution.
Consequently, rather than a rapid disbandment, they were slowly reducing the Alliance's power through gradual procedures, preparing for a natural dissolution.
With the sudden emergence of the Sichuan Righteous Alliance in the midst of this, the Murim Alliance's position had inevitably become quite awkward.
Yoo Sung had assumed Jegal Jong-mi's arrival, representing the Murim Alliance, was merely to offer superficial congratulations while venting their frustrations.
However, it seemed her true purpose was Yeo Mi-ho and her rivals operating within Sichuan.
"How many of them have entered?"
When Yoo Sung showed interest, Jegal Jong-mi smiled.
It was a smile capable of bewitching almost any man, and even women, but unfortunately, it had absolutely no effect on Yoo Sung.
"If you are going to waste my time with parlor tricks, we have no reason to continue this conversation."
"How cold. Won't you consider working on a job with me?"
"A job?"
"We need to find Pa-gun. Before Yeo Mi-ho does."
"So his disappearance from Baek Mountain was indeed Yeo Mi-ho's doing."
"Essentially, yes. The demonic saber in his possession will soon dye Sichuan in blood. If Yeo Mi-ho retrieves that saber, it will result in a mountain of corpses and a river of blood."
Such was the terrifying power wielded by the Ten Demonic Sects.
"Find his location first."
"If I find it, will you help me?"
"We'll see."
Even without a firm commitment, Jegal Jong-mi smiled brightly.
"Splendid. I shall demonstrate my capabilities first. But before that, you should show yours as well, since you will soon be hunting demonic humans under the banner of the Sichuan Righteous Alliance. Be careful—it seems something is brewing within the Alliance."
"I will."
With that promise of future cooperation, the two turned and went their separate ways.
Crunch!
A man shrouded in demonic energy slaughtered the martial artists blocking his path in a single instant.
"M-Monster...!"
"R-Run away...!"
They realized too late that they were completely outmatched, but it was already far too late.
Whoosh!
Once more, the demonic saber in the man's hand cleaved through the air, and the fleeing martial artists collapsed onto the ground as lifeless corpses.
As the man's demonic saber danced, all life in the vicinity was extinguished.
"Pant... pant..."
Exhaling ragged breaths, the man surveyed his surroundings and tried to fling the demonic saber away.
Yet, contrary to his wishes, the saber remained firmly glued to his hand.
Sssss.
Instead, it extended tendrils of ominous demonic energy toward the surrounding corpses.
The demonic energy of the saber began to siphon the blood and life force from the dead.
"Damn it! It certainly lives up to its name!"
Spitting out a harsh curse, the man shuddered as the stolen energy flooded into his body.
In the past, he might have rejoiced at such a massive influx of energy.
The wall that had blocked his path for so long had crumbled, and his deficiencies had been filled.
The realm he had finally reached after breaking through one barrier after another was what people commonly referred to as the Transformation Realm.
However, he was far too deficient to be called a true master of the Transformation Realm.
Then again, considering the demonic energy coursing through his veins, the term Extreme Demon Realm was far more appropriate than the Transformation Realm.
"Yeo Mi-ho... that wretched bitch dared to use me?"
The man's identity was Pa-gun.
With the Soul-Reaping Saber gifted to him by Yeo Mi-ho, he had slaughtered countless lives, over and over again.
When the number of corpses he had piled up surpassed a hundred and reached a thousand, Pa-gun finally realized.
The true reason she had given him the Soul-Reaping Saber.
—It is not enough. Move more. Offer more blood.
The sinister voice whispering in his ear was the residual consciousness of the Soul-Reaping Saber.
Facing his own demise, the Soul-Reaping Demon had transferred his entire being into the Soul-Reaping Saber.
As a result, the weapon had transformed into a new demonic saber, harboring the residual consciousness of the Soul-Reaping Demon.
Any wielder whom the saber did not acknowledge as its true master would be reduced to a mere puppet, forced to swing the blade until the moment of their death.
Reaching the Extreme Demon Realm allowed one to exert some degree of control over the Soul-Reaping Saber, but that was the absolute limit.
Unless one mastered the unique cultivation technique left behind by the Soul-Reaping Demon, there was no way to fully control the saber.
"That venomous viper. The price for using me will not be cheap."
Pa-gun gnashed his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
He could not afford to die yet.
He had to succeed in his vengeance with this hard-won power.
"Just wait. I will be coming for you soon."
Recalling the organization he had once belonged to, Pa-gun dragged his trembling body upright.
Vitality quickly flooded back into his shaking limbs.
Yet, Pa-gun felt no joy whatsoever.
At this rate, he would end up as nothing more than a puppet of the Soul-Reaping Saber, meeting the same tragic end as all the others.
Before that happened, he had to find Yeo Mi-ho and seize the secret insights of the Soul-Reaping Demon that she had hidden away.
Whoosh.
A short while after Pa-gun departed, a group of martial artists appeared.
They inspected the traces left behind in the area and sent out a signal.
The recipient of their signal was Ma Goon-seong, the Leader of the Demon-Slaying Unit.
Immediately after the festival concluded, the Sichuan Righteous Alliance mobilized.
They wished to display their might using the intelligence gathered by the Demon-Slaying Unit.
Conveniently, there were over five locations across Sichuan where insidious forces had gathered.
They served as perfect sacrificial offerings to showcase the five martial divisions that would bring glory to the Sichuan Righteous Alliance.
"According to the Beggars' Sect's intelligence, the item he obtained is the 'Soul-Reaping Saber.'"
"The Soul-Reaping Saber?!"
"Insane! The Soul-Reaping Saber was here?!"
Everyone was thrown into a panic by the Demon-Subduing Monk's words.
The Soul-Reaping Saber was a cruel, demonic blade that symbolized a dark scar upon the orthodox Jianghu.
It was an existence that had thoroughly doused the celebratory mood following the successful subjugation of the Blood-Sucking Demonic Human.
To think that his relic was currently roaming Sichuan.
"So that was why he stayed in Baek Mountain and secretly created the Blood-Sucking Demonic Human."
Everyone agreed with the speaker's assessment.
Of course, Pa-gun had merely been trying to master the demonic arts he had acquired.
In reality, he was merely a puppet of the Soul-Reaping Saber gifted by Yeo Mi-ho, but no one knew this truth.
"We are continuously tracking his location, but it is no easy task. Therefore, rather than hunting him directly, it would be wiser to eliminate his targets first."
"You mean the escaped Ten Ghosts."
The five members of the Ten Ghosts who had vanished from Hojung had shown themselves once more.
They had already been selected as the perfect prey to demonstrate the power of the newly formed Sichuan Righteous Alliance.
Currently, they were holding secret meetings with those who disrupted the order of Sichuan's orthodox faction.
Although there had been suspicions before that Matian was pulling their strings, this development turned those suspicions into absolute certainty.
"Hunt down the Ten Ghosts, and use that momentum to subdue Pa-gun. A splendid plan indeed."
As Dang Sa-oh smiled with satisfaction, the Demon-Subduing Monk's gaze shifted toward him.
Flinch.
He tried his best to receive that gaze calmly, but it weighed strangely on his mind.
For whenever he looked into the unfathomable eyes of the Demon-Subduing Monk, a sense of unease washed over him.
I must get rid of him quickly.
Since his own strength was insufficient, he could not kill the monk.
In that case, his only option was to expel him from this place as quickly as possible.
"First, we shall head to the west of Sichuan. The Heaven-Cleaving Sword Demon and his lackeys are committing atrocities there."
The Heaven-Cleaving Sword Demon was the leader of the Ten Ghosts, a man of formidable martial prowess.
The demonic spirits under his command were notoriously difficult to deal with, making him the highest priority target.
"The Blue Heaven Unit shall assist the Demon-Slaying Unit."
The Blue Heaven Unit, centered around the Qingcheng Sect, headed toward the western border of Sichuan alongside the Demon-Slaying Unit.
"We shall head north, in accordance with the Sword Queen's wishes."
The Crescent Moon Unit, centered around the Emei Sect, headed north.
The Wind and Cloud Unit, composed of the Diancang Sect and smaller sects, headed east.
That left only the members of the Tang Clan.
Poison Dragon, who led the direct line of the Tang Clan, had a destination in mind from the very beginning.
"We shall eliminate the Black Dragon Gang in the south."
The Black Dragon Gang of Sichuan.
Once the symbol of Sichuan's Unorthodox Path, they had completely transformed after laying their hands on demonic arts.
Their territory had turned into a living hell, and according to the news brought by the Beggars' Sect, the Black Dragon Gang had to be eradicated immediately.
Thus, Poison Dragon and the direct descendants of the Tang Clan stepped forward.
"In that case, we shall clear out the Sasa Sect and its surrounding areas."
Along with the Black Dragon Gang, the Sasa Sect and other minor sects had once belonged to the Unorthodox Path but had now been corrupted by the demonic path.
As the branch family of the Tang Clan took responsibility for them, the first hunt of the Sichuan Righteous Alliance officially began.
Yoo Sung headed toward the Sasa Sect alongside Dang Hwa-young. Just before they departed, Jegal Jong-mi secretly delivered a letter to him.
The Sasa Sect is controlled by Yeo Ui-gi's people. Yeo Ui-gi is Yeo Mi-ho's half-brother, and they share a remarkably close relationship. Since he is the only person who truly follows her, killing him might force Yeo Mi-ho to show herself.
— Jegal Jong-mi
In short, he was the perfect bait to drag Yeo Mi-ho out of her cave.
Yoo Sung nodded slightly at Jegal Jong-mi's suggestion.
He, too, needed a way to draw the hiding Yeo Mi-ho out into the open.
Thus, Yoo Sung set off for the Sasa Sect. At that very moment, the Sasa Sect and its neighboring factions were also beginning their own preparations.