Different from a Year Ago
The Demon Blood Divine Cult, hm...?
Ryeong slipped away from the massacre in leisurely strides. The very moment Mount Jongnam unsealed its gates, the first thing she had stumbled upon was the gory footprint of the Demon Blood Divine Cult.
Was stopping them truly her destiny?
Wearing a bitter grimace, she stepped back onto Mount Jongnam. At that exact moment, carried on a chill breeze, someone lunged at her from the shadows.
“A full year has passed, and this is still the best you can do?”
“Kh!”
It was Jinyeong.
He had transformed beyond recognition compared to a year ago. In the past, he had known nothing of stealth or ambushes, but after undergoing assassin training under Ryeong's brutal tutelage, his entire presence had shifted.
He had already attained the mature Peak Realm, stepping firmly into the ranks of true experts.
Of course, his assassin training had hardly been smooth sailing. Not long after they began, the Sect Leader had caught them red-handed.
Naturally, Taecheong Jin'in had flown into a rage. Where in the world had anyone heard of a disciple of the proud Jongnam Sect practicing the base arts of an assassin?
Yet Jinyeong's response had been enough to force Taecheong Jin'in to step back.
In the end, Taecheong Jin'in had no choice but to grant his permission—especially after delivering the bitter blow of the mountain's sealing to the boy. Even so, a safeguard was required. He commanded Jinyeong never to neglect his training as a swordsman, ensuring he would not lose himself to the dark arts of assassination.
Since Ryeong had only intended to teach him the basics anyway, she accepted the terms. Yet now, Jinyeong was evolving into an assassin far faster than she had ever anticipated. His progress in swordsmanship was by no means slow, but his grasp of assassination techniques kept pace right alongside it.
A genius. The kind of prodigy people so often spoke of stood right before her eyes.
“Didn't I tell you to rein in your killing intent when you strike? Radiating bloodlust like that gives you away before you even make a move.”
“But what am I supposed to do when the intent to kill bleeds out on its own the moment I resolve to take a life?”
“That's because you've never killed anyone before. Once you do, even just once, you'll realize human life isn't such a precious, grand thing after all.”
“...I still don't quite understand.”
Whoosh!
In a flash, Ryeong leveled a tree branch straight at Jinyeong's throat. Before he could even register the movement, his entire body froze stiff.
“See that? Could you react at all?”
“It... it truly is on another level.”
“Come on. I have something to tell the Sect Leader.”
“To the Sect Leader?”
“It's time to step into the Jianghu. How long do you plan on hiding away in Jongnam? Follow me.”
Ryeong strode toward the Sect Leader's quarters without hesitation, all the more resolute now that traces of the Demon Blood Divine Cult had surfaced.
There must be a sacred relic at Mount Wudang as well.
The Demon Blood Divine Cult had raided Wudang before, but had failed. Although Wudang had been able to prepare because Jongnam had already been struck once, the Taoist cradle had still suffered considerable damage because the Cult attacked with meticulous preparation.
The Cult's objective was sacred relics. If they had poured so much blood and effort into Wudang, it was practically guaranteed that a relic was enshrined there.
The problem is that there's nothing I can do about that right now.
Wudang was teeming with masters in the Transcendent Realm. Experts on par with sect leaders were lined up in droves. Most were eccentric hermits living in deep seclusion upon Mount Wudang. Yet from the Wudang Sect's perspective, where would be the safest sanctuary to hide a relic? Deep within Mount Wudang, where those reclusive masters resided—a place so vital that even those who had severed ties with the mundane world would have no choice but to draw their swords if it were threatened. Surely Wudang's relic rested there.
Even if it isn't Wudang's, I have to get my hands on a sacred relic.
It had been well over a year since she last saw that old bastard Hyeok. Circumstances indicated she needed a relic to meet him again. For now, her objective was to head for the Tang Clan. She intended to check on the safety of Jongnam's relic entrusted to them, and in doing so, establish contact to speak with Hyeok. If she could confer with him just once more, she would be able to formulate her future plans.
Entering the Sect Leader's chamber without a shred of hesitation, Ryeong dropped a bombshell.
“I am heading out into the Jianghu. Please grant your permission.”
“Denied.”
“Sect Leader. There is nothing more for me to learn in Jongnam.”
“...”
At Ryeong's blunt declaration, Taecheong Jin'in let out a low groan. Her words were entirely accurate. She was someone who had absorbed all of Jongnam's martial arts in a mere eight months—a talent that defied all history.
It was made possible thanks to the Celestial Immortal Divine Art. That miraculous divine art had opened her eyes to an entirely new realm. Overcoming the barrier of the Transcendent Realm was proof enough; the foundation had been laid for her to become even stronger than she had been in her previous life as Cheonsal.
Not only the Heaven-Killing Art, but she had also achieved great mastery in the Flowing Clouds Sword Method and the Thirty-Six Swords of All Under Heaven. Once her enlightenment reached completion, she would undoubtedly shatter the barrier into the Profound Realm.
It was precisely because he knew this that Taecheong Jin'in hesitated. She was such an invaluable gem that he wished to keep her sheltered, hidden away from the world. Yet that was merely an old man's selfish desire. Ryeong was the kind of woman who would bolt straight out of Mount Jongnam even if forbidden. After all, she had only joined Jongnam in the first place at Taecheong Jin'in's earnest plea.
“Are you taking Jinyeong with you?”
“He has zero experience in the Jianghu. He needs to face it now. Besides, it seems the Demon Blood Divine Cult will formally emerge before long.”
“I have heard little news of those heretics. Do you know something?”
“I do not know for certain either. However, a whole year has passed. I doubt they will remain quiet much longer.”
Ryeong was well aware that remnants of the former Heavenly Demon Cult and Blood Cult were lurking across the martial world. If the Demon Blood Divine Cult stepped into the open in full force, immense chaos would tear through the Central Plains from within.
“Even if only to stop them, Jongnam must prepare. Jinyeong and I shall be the vanguard.”
“They are not foes we can avoid merely by sealing our gates... Has the time truly come to venture into the world?”
Taecheong Jin'in's worries deepened. Though he longed to protect them, he knew this was a threshold they had to cross. A frog trapped in a well had to leap into the wider world eventually, lest it perish within its narrow confines in the near future.
“Go, then.”
Ultimately, Taecheong Jin'in granted his consent. He judged that Mount Jongnam could no longer contain Ryeong and Jinyeong within its boundaries.
At this, Ryeong cupped her fists in a respectful salute.
“We shall return, Sect Leader.”
As Ryeong stepped out of the chamber with a relaxed expression, Jinyeong, who had been pacing anxiously outside, rushed up to her.
“How did it go?”
“Let's head to the slaughter site. I have something to say to the Lord of the Tang Clan.”
“H-He permitted our journey? The Sect Leader did?”
Ryeong nodded and walked past him. His face flushed with excitement, Jinyeong darted around to block her path.
“We need to pack our swords first! What's the rush?”
“I'm going ahead. Pack my luggage too and catch up.”
“Young lady? Young lady! You can't just leave like—”
Ryeong ignored Jinyeong's frantic shouts. Her destination was Hu County. She had just confirmed earlier that Lord Tang was there. Going straight to the Tang Clan estate would be pointless anyway, as she wouldn't even be permitted to lay a finger on the relic without the clan head present. She planned to offer a formal greeting after a whole year—and ruffle his feathers a bit while setting out toward the Sichuan Tang Clan.
After executing her lightness skill for a short while, Ryeong arrived in Hu County. The swordsmen of the Thirty-Six Swords of All Under Heaven welcomed her warmly.
“Oh, Ryeong. What brings you here?”
“I received the Sect Leader's permission to travel the Jianghu. I came to see Lord Tang.”
“What about Jinyeong? He was always glued to your side.”
“He'll catch up shortly after packing my bags. More importantly, how is the situation?”
“Grim. We found traces of the Demon Blood Divine Cult here as well.”
Every single one of the Thirty-Six Swords welcomed Ryeong with open arms. Her peerless talent had been more than enough to send shivers down all their spines. The sheer joy of teaching someone the sword—Ryeong was a student who grasped ten concepts when taught only one. There wasn't a single swordsman among the Thirty-Six Swords who could possibly dislike her.
“The Demon Blood Divine Cult... To think those wretched insects butchered an unorthodox faction.”
“Why do you wish to see Lord Tang? Surely it's not...”
“I don't know what you're imagining, but of course not.”
Relieved by Ryeong's answer, the swordsman Cheongjeon ushered her inside. With all the corpses cleared away, leaving only the blood-carved character for 'Cult' behind, Dang Heo-gun stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring intently at the inscription.
“Lord Tang. Our disciple wishes to speak with you.”
“A familiar presence. Your name was... Ryeong, was it?”
Dang Heo-gun glared at Ryeong with piercing eyes. In an instant, his suffocating martial pressure swept over her.
Just as Cheongjeon moved his hand toward the hilt of his sword, Ryeong raised a hand to stop him. She had instantly realized that Dang Heo-gun was testing her.
“It has been quite a while since we last met, Lord Tang. Isn't this greeting a bit excessive?”
“I know not what business brings you to seek me out. Have you finally decided you wish to join the Tang Clan?”
“Not in the slightest. My conviction that Jongnam is far better remains unchanged.”
The corners of Dang Heo-gun's eyes twitched. He clearly refused to accept the notion that Jongnam surpassed the Tang Clan. Yet that was an objective fact; the Tang Clan possessed fewer top-tier masters than Jongnam. Even more so now, after Jongnam had undergone a full year of closed-door cultivation during its mountain sealing.
“I merely came to verify that our sacred relic is safe and sound. It is an order from our Sect Leader.”
“And why come here instead of heading to our main estate?”
“A grave incident occurred right near Mount Jongnam, so I had to come see it for myself. Even more so when it involves the Demon Blood Divine Cult.”
Ryeong barely swallowed the words bubbling up inside her throat. If you can't figure out why I'm here, are you even fit to be the Lord of the Tang Clan? She felt an overwhelming urge to spit it out, but held back since voicing it would spark an actual brawl.
By now, you must have realized it too.
That the present was vastly different from a year ago.