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The Mount Hua Sect's fall began with the loss of the Violet Mist Divine Art.
To trace the story back, one would have to go fifteen years into the past, but that held even less value than tracing the curves of Sagong Hee and Seon Ju-hee's pressed-together breasts with my eyes, so I simply dredged up the memory from its conclusion.
'That was also Grand Duke Ju-ji's scheme.'
The Eldest Prince assassinated the Mount Hua Sect Leader.
I don't know the exact method, but the Mount Hua Sect Leader died from poison. As it happened, she perished without transmitting the Violet Mist Divine Art, so no one remained to pass it on to the next generation.
Publicly, that is.
'That Sword Immortal fellow—why didn't he just teach the Violet Mist Divine Art to anyone earlier in the future?'
I couldn't fathom that part at all. Did the Sword Immortal not know that the Mount Hua Sect Leaders had lost the Violet Mist Divine Art?
No.
He believed.
He was convinced that the Mount Hua juniors would someday achieve greatness on their own and comprehend the arrangement of the Violet Mist Divine Art he had left behind in the Plum Blossom Library.
But just as that moment approached, the one who realized his arrangement—Blood Flower Sword—went and joined the Blood Cult to destroy Mount Hua instead of reviving it with the Violet Mist Divine Art. So in a sense, it only made sense that he coughed blood, turned his back on the mortal world, and ascended to the heavens.
The future Sword Immortal must have departed the secular world with a heart that was practically vomiting blood.
But the present Sword Immortal left with a hearty laugh, and I suddenly found myself leaving Seon Ju-hee the mnemonic formula for the Violet Mist Divine Art in place of the Silver Rainbow Sword.
"Mmm..."
Whether or not she knew she had become the future of Mount Hua, Seon Ju-hee was pressed right up against Sagong Hee, rubbing her breasts against her. It was rather impressive that she did that even in her sleep, but I could understand the feelings behind it well enough.
Sagong Hee was pretty enough to captivate even women. As a keepsake of Seon Ju-hee accepting my manhood and receiving my seed, Sagong Hee had shown her real face and fallen asleep holding Seon Ju-hee.
The Taiji Plum Blossom.
A group that followed Sagong Hee regardless of rank, age, or martial prowess. Among those who followed the White Path's Number One Flower, this one was composed solely of women, and I found that entirely commendable.
Through Sagong Hee, I could embrace a woman of such remarkably unique tastes!
"......Hoo."
I slipped out from between the two of them, sat on the edge of the bed, and placed a hand on Seon Ju-hee's back.
'There's no need for me to look after Mount Hua as well.'
Mount Hua was a sect beyond my interest.
From the start, out of the Nine Sects and One Gang, there were only four I paid much attention to. I'd only wanted to check once just how impressive that gender-ambiguous Plum Blossom Sword Warrior must be, after they picked a fight by claiming to be lovesick for Sagong Hee.
But after this and that, I ended up embracing Seon Ju-hee.
I laid the foundation for her to move beyond the title of Plum Blossom Sword Warrior and advance toward becoming the true Mount Hua First Flower.
Will she still be able to regard me as a sworn younger brother even after learning the truth about me? If she accepts me as a Sex Demon...
'No chance of that.'
I felt sorry for Seon Ju-hee, but this relationship was nothing more than a fleeting spring dream. I had taken her virginity, and she would be intoxicated by Sagong Hee while nursing her heartache.
'Still, who knows how things will turn out later.'
Would she be able to maintain her feelings for Sagong Hee and her A-bung younger brother to the end? Could she transcend the limits of her previous life, inherit the Sword Immortal's will, revive the Violet Mist Divine Art, and rebuild the Mount Hua Sect?
Would she forget tonight's events and take another man into her arms?
'Since I made Sagong Hee say those words, I'll pay special attention to you.'
I placed my hand on Seon Ju-hee's back and gently infused a wisp of my true qi. Rebirth Transformation or Marrow Cleansing were essentially meaningless here, and while I wasn't deeply versed in Mount Hua martial arts, I could at least guide her to the level that the future Mount Hua Grandmother had reached.
'Primordial Clear Mind Method.'
Its nature was slightly different from the Violet Mist Divine Art, but I recalled the realm the Blood Jiangshi had breached in the Mount Hua Grandmother and swept through Seon Ju-hee's qi meridians.
She would easily reach the late Peak Realm, and with just a little more cultivation, she would quickly attain the Transcendent Realm. If she continued to refine her martial arts for three more years, she might even proudly list her name among the candidates for Sect Leader.
'Then she'll appear at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?'
At the next Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, the Six Phoenixes Supremacy Battle was certain to be a fierce clash of Peak Realm and Transcendent Realm masters.
Sagong Hee, Lee Si-a, Dokgo Yeon, Dang Seo-hee, Yoo Seol-ra, and Paeng Yuwol, whose qi and blood had loosened from childbirth.
Already, six masters at the mid-to-upper level had filled the ranks just off the top of my head, and there were plenty more right behind them at the early stage of the Peak Realm.
Would Seon Ju-hee become the first in Mount Hua history to bear the epithet of Plum Blossom Phoenix? If she ascended to the rank of the Six Phoenixes, wouldn't she earn the title of Violet Plum Phoenix? Or perhaps Violet Mist Phoenix.
"Let us meet again later, Lady Ju-hee."
If she appeared at the next Dragon-Phoenix Gathering and boldly ascended to the Plum Blossom Phoenix seat, I would have no choice but to reconsider my views on the Mount Hua Sect.
To simply throw away the bond I held as A-bung... Seon Ju-hee was a little—no, she was far too precious for that.
"......Little brother."
She was awake. I was greatly startled that she hadn't been sleeping, and Seon Ju-hee stirred, sat up, and looked at me.
"......"
Without a word, she gazed at Sagong Hee for a moment, then reached a hand toward me. Spreading her fingers wide with the Violet Mist Divine Art, she gripped my face and silently drew close.
Peck.
She pressed her lips lightly to mine and pulled away, then retreated from me.
"Keep it a secret from your sister."
A long thread of silver stretched between her lips and mine. Seon Ju-hee swallowed it, then grabbed my face again with the Violet Mist Divine Art and kissed me once more.
If the first had been a light kiss, this one was a deep kiss, entwining our tongues together.
"...And make sure no other good-for-nothing men loiter around your sister."
Seon Ju-hee said only that and lay back down as if nestling into Sagong Hee's embrace. Her ears were red beyond measure, and the lingering warmth on my lips drew an involuntary smile from me.
"......"
The impish kiss left me dumbfounded, but I decided to follow her wishes.
'She didn't catch me guiding her energy flow, did she?'
It had only looked like she'd just woken up. Wanting to express my thanks to Seon Ju-hee, I pressed myself against her from behind as she lay on her side and began to explore her body with my hands. Not as much as Sagong Hee, but true to her title as Plum Blossom Sword Warrior, her body was exceedingly voluptuous.
"...Little brother."
Seon Ju-hee sighed and reached back, gripping my buttocks firmly. The sensation of a woman grabbing my backside was quite odd, but when I saw that she was using her hand to block the spot where my manhood would touch, I swallowed hard.
"Just play quietly with your hands so you don't wake your sister... Understood?"
"......"
As Seon Ju-hee instructed, I slipped my hands inside her clothes and kneaded her breasts until the dawn rooster crowed. In between, I rubbed my manhood against Seon Ju-hee's palm, and eventually, she slipped her hand inside my pants.
So carefully that Sagong Hee wouldn't wake. Yet in a way that let me fully savor Seon Ju-hee's entire body.
So that I could memorize this texture and leave Mount Hua with a peaceful heart.
I touched Seon Ju-hee until the morning sun rose.
* * *
"Hah, hah!"
Moyong Ran let out ragged breaths, pushed to the brink of exhaustion from expending immense true qi.
"......"
Bang Yeong-hui beside her was no different, sprawled on her back with her Body Transformation Art completely undone, two Black Cloaked Warriors unconscious nearby.
"Indeed, you're not called the Six Phoenixes for nothing. Our girls are quite strong—you withstood that and still won?"
"I... trained, after all."
Moyong Ran steadied her trembling hand and aimed the blade forward. Though the Moyong Family is famed for its sword techniques, the Wind-Splitting Blade she had mastered was perfectly suited to smashing that very stereotype.
"To beat Sword Pavilion's rising stars like this... I'm glad I didn't send them to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. They'd just get crushed by the Six Phoenixes like this."
"...It is because I am strong."
Moyong Ran's fighting spirit blazed.
"After the Murim Alliance Leader's daughter, Dokgo Yeon, I am the strongest."
"Compared to the Taiji Flower?"
"......"
Moyong Ran couldn't readily answer. She had never faced her directly, but Moyong Ran could not easily guarantee a victory.
However, she too was a member of the Moyong Family, a branch and pillar of one of the Eight Great Families, rich in history.
"I will win."
A martial artist must possess a pride that pierces the heavens, and so Moyong Ran was convinced of her own victory.
"No matter how much she launches her sword with the Taiji Wisdom Sword, her sword is fundamentally heavy. She will not be able to match my speed."
The Clear Wind Blade Technique was the most suitable blade art for Moyong Ran, allowing her to move her body as lightly as a butterfly. If she really did engage in a spar with the Taiji Flower, she could pierce through the Taiji Flower's sword control and burrow into her heavy body to secure a win.
"Heheu, is that so? Well then, I can't just sit idly by."
Clank. The Demonic Sword Consort drove her iron sword into the ground and drew the blade at her hip. It was slightly narrower than the other swords, yet gave off a weighty impression—an ink-black blade. Moyong Ran swallowed hard.
"You don't seriously think that just closing the distance is all you need against someone who uses the Sword Control Art, do you?"
"......!!"
Schwing.
The iron sword planted in the ground began to rise. Moyong Ran gulped at the sight of the Demonic Sword Consort, who showed almost no openings at all.
"Come, try to break in. I once incurred a great debt to the Sword Saint of your family, and I'll repay it with this."
"What...? There is no... Sword Saint... in our family?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a trivial old story no one knows. You wouldn't know it anyway, since it happened before you were born. But as someone who carries that debt of gratitude, I can't just let it pass."
The Demonic Sword Consort's iron sword soared through the air. Moyong Ran hurriedly tried to assume the starting stance of the Clear Wind Blade, but the controlled blade the Demonic Sword Consort had launched flew at her like an arrow.
Puu—ook!
The iron sword pierced someone through. Moyong Ran turned her head at the thick scent of blood that wafted from behind her.
"Butting in so cluelessly when women are talking."
"Keu, keuhuk..."
The iron sword the Demonic Sword Consort had thrown stabbed into the heart of an unknown Black Cloaked Warrior. He collapsed, spewing dark-red blood from his mouth, and in his hand was a paralysis needle aimed at Moyong Ran's back.
"It, it can't be...!"
"Since it drew the attention of every Sex Demon in the Central Plains, incidents like this will happen constantly from now on."
The Demonic Sword Consort held the ink-black sword horizontally and spun around once. A crescent-shaped sword qi flashed from the blade swung in a circle, and in the blink of an eye, the surrounding area was sliced away along the arc of the sword.
Fwoossssh!
Fountains of blood erupted from behind the split trees. Every single one of them had their lower halves stiffly erect as their necks flew off.
"Th-this is...!"
"Why? Should I have gone easy?"
The Demonic Sword Consort retrieved the bloodied iron sword and cleaned it with a light downward flick. Not a single drop of blood remained on the iron blade.
"These are all men who come to violate women. If you don't kill them, you'll be the one who gets devoured."
At the Demonic Sword Consort's stern yet gentle reprimand, Moyong Ran resumed her starting stance. Just then, a huge man appeared behind her, holding a club.
"Huaaaat!"
The man intended to crush Moyong Ran's slender body with his club, shatter her legs to immobilize her, and then violate her. There was no mistaking his intent.
Tap!
Moyong Ran lightly leapt upward, used the club as a foothold, and spun her body backward. Then she infused her internal energy into the blade to produce a faint blade qi.
Ssslice—!!
Along with the sound of a clean cut, Moyong Ran alighted softly back onto the ground. The giant looked down, then soon collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Thud.
Something as thick as Moyong Ran's forearm fell to the ground in a shower of blood. Moyong Ran aimed her blade toward the spot and spoke to the Demonic Sword Consort with determination.
"I... will defeat the Sex Demons, but I do not wish to take their lives."
"...Isn't that even crueler? Heheu, fine. It's far better than clumsily subduing and releasing them."
The Demonic Sword Consort spread her arms and grinned.
"Let's pull up the roots of the Sex Demons in the Central Plains, young lady Moyong."
"...I am not a young lady, I am an adult."
Moyong Ran aimed her blade directly at the Demonic Sword Consort now. There were no more traces of Sex Demons nearby, and the Demonic Sword Consort's iron sword began to rise into the sky again.
"Junior Moyong Ran humbly requests instruction from the Sword Pavilion Master."
"Heheu, the orthodox path kids truly are polite. Every one of those Demonic Cult brats has no hope at all."
The Demonic Sword Consort assumed her starting stance. The Great Origin Sword Technique that had made her the Sword Pavilion Master gave off a more 'orthodox' feel than any other martial art.
"Come at me. I'll make you a body that won't fall prey to Sex Demons."
Moyong Ran drew her sword and flew forward.
In the deep hours of the night, to keep from being violated by Sex Demons, Moyong Ran boldly poured every ounce of her strength against the finest swordswoman of the Demonic Cult.