The Thousand-Li Eye
Myeong Hwarin, the Thousand-Li Eye, stood before the main gate of the Murim Alliance, clutching a single dagger tightly to her chest. The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, held only once every five years, had been delayed this time because of the monstrous talent named Baekri Hyang at the previous event. Eight years had passed since then, drawing the eyes of the entire martial world. Simply participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was enough to elevate a martial artist's reputation.
With hesitation in her heart, the woman prepared to submit her application for the gathering.
"State your origin and name."
"Well... my origin is a sect that has already been destroyed. Is that all right?"
"State it regardless. I ask for your understanding regarding our strict security measures."
"...I am Myeong Hwarin, the last disciple of Ilsalmun."
"Confirmed. There will be a simple test, so please wait over there."
"Thank you!"
Myeong Hwarin nodded brightly at the guard's permission. Since Moyong Gwang had taken control, the Murim Alliance had proclaimed equality. She had come here on a whim, and finally received approval. To bring Ilsalmun back into the light, the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was essential. She would achieve excellent results here and rebuild her sect.
With an upright heart, Myeong Hwarin moved toward the waiting room where the participants of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering were gathered. The room was bustling. The young talents of prestigious orthodox sects were busy forging connections, while the quiet ones radiated an aura that warned others not to approach.
'...Hmm?'
Among them, Myeong Hwarin noticed one particularly unusual martial artist. A man with his eyes closed in meditation, yet from him emanated an ominous energy. Ilsalmun was a sect that spoke of slaying evil, not one that trained in assassination techniques. The reason it bore the name Ilsalmun was because the eyes of its martial artists were extraordinary. Eyes that could perfectly distinguish the wicked from the virtuous. That was the sole condition for becoming a disciple of Ilsalmun.
Yet from this man, Myeong Hwarin sensed an endless dark energy, as if he were not of the orthodox factions at all.
What would happen if she spoke to him? She knew she should not draw attention to herself, but Myeong Hwarin gathered her courage and approached the man.
"That's enough."
"..!"
"Come any closer and you won't like what happens. I prefer to be alone."
When she had drawn near enough, Myeong Hwarin stopped at the sound of his voice, sharp as a frozen blade. It was not the threat in his tone that halted her. The moment he opened his eyes, the dark energy radiating from him grew even more immense.
The man, meanwhile, frowned at her reaction.
'She noticed.'
He had not even infused killing intent, merely threatened with words, yet her face had turned deathly pale. From what he had heard outside, this woman seemed to be a disciple of Ilsalmun. Knowing what kind of sect Ilsalmun was, the man realized this operation would not be easy.
'The plan to massacre the young talents of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering... I wonder if I can actually pull it off.'
The man's true identity was Mun Ho-sik, the Sword Demon Lord and son of Mun Tae-sik, leader of the Sword Demon Sect. He had successfully infiltrated the gathering under his father's orders, but he had never expected to encounter Ilsalmun's "eye."
'She must have realized I'm not orthodox. But since she has no one to confide in, she'll keep it secret for now... I'll deal with her once the gathering's atmosphere heats up.'
Having made his decision, Mun Ho-sik withdrew his gaze from Myeong Hwarin and returned to meditation. However, the outside suddenly grew noisy, forcing him to break his concentration.
"It's... it's the Baekri Clan..."
"That person is the young master of the Baekri Clan, Baekri Hyeong..."
"I heard he's on par with the greatest experts of the Extreme Demon Realm."
"This year's new dragon will probably be him. I just hope we don't end up in the same group."
It was because of Baekri Hyeong's arrival, the one who had stopped the Heavenly Demon Cult's movements. The reason the Sword Demon Sect had gone into seclusion and its forces had dwindled was all because of that single child. He was only twelve years old, yet the realm he had reached was comparable to Mun Ho-sik's own—at nineteen.
Meanwhile, Baekri Hyeong, who had entered the Murim Alliance's waiting room, could not relax his hardened expression. Though some of the faces here had been comrades in his past life, there were two he should never have seen again.
'Myeong Hwarin, the Thousand-Li Eye... and Mun Ho-sik, the Sword Demon Lord.'
They were faces he could never forget. Especially Myeong Hwarin, known as the Thousand-Li Eye, had been a madwoman who had lost her mind. According to his memories, she was the last disciple of the destroyed Ilsalmun, but she had later sided with the Heavenly Demon Cult, leading to a catastrophe where all strategies and tactics were exposed.
And what of Mun Ho-sik, the Sword Demon Lord? That man was a high-ranking expert of the Heavenly Demon Cult who would later become the master of the Sword Demon Sect after his father Mun Tae-sik ascended to the position of Sword Demon God. To think two demonic practitioners had infiltrated this place.
'Something is going to happen at this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.'
There were too many eyes here to suddenly kill Mun Ho-sik. The main event had not even begun, and without knowing his plan, Baekri Hyeong could only watch him closely. He could not kill him yet.
"Excuse me... You're the young master of the Baekri Clan, Baekri Hyeong, correct?"
"..?"
"Ah, I am Myeong Hwarin of Ilsalmun. Would it be possible to speak with you for a moment?"
Baekri Hyeong was taken aback by Myeong Hwarin suddenly addressing him. Was this how her personality had been? He remembered her as someone who despised the weak and stood above others with a sinister smile. He had never imagined she would speak so anxiously.
Still, Baekri Hyeong thought it would be good to converse with her. Assuming she was the same as in his past life, Myeong Hwarin might not yet have been recruited by the Heavenly Demon Cult. If she was still a demonic practitioner, he could extract information through conversation.
Baekri Hyeong moved to a corner, erected a qi barrier, and gestured for Myeong Hwarin to speak freely. Then she uttered something shocking.
"Young Master Baekri Hyeong... are you perhaps not of this world?"
"What? Are you saying I've become a ghost?"
"Ah, no. That's not what I meant... It's just that I've never seen someone with both yin and yang visible at the same time..."
"..?"
"I possess special eyes that can determine whether a person is good or evil. And with you, Young Master... both good and evil are visible. More precisely, neither is greater—they coexist."
Myeong Hwarin's eyes sparkled. It was proof she was using the Sun and Moon Eye Art taught by Ilsalmun. Eyes that could distinguish good from evil. Then she shouldn't side with the Heavenly Demon Cult, right? But before he could finish that thought, she spoke even more shockingly.
"Young Master Baekri Hyeong... are you not a person of this time period?"
"What are you suddenly saying? That's impossible."
"But I've never encountered a case like this before... Ah, no. That's not important. There's only one thing I want to tell you."
Myeong Hwarin rambled for a moment before collecting herself and conveying her thoughts. She had come to participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering to rebuild Ilsalmun. Upon arriving at the waiting room, she had discovered a martial artist radiating an unusual energy.
"I don't think that person is from the orthodox factions."
"You can determine that?"
"Yes. It's just my personal guess, but... I think he might be from the Heavenly Demon Cult."
"The Heavenly Demon Cult, huh."
Baekri Hyeong's eyes gleamed at her words. After all, demonic practitioners always referred to their cult as the Divine Cult or the Main Cult. Even when deceiving others, they never used the term Heavenly Demon Cult. It was part of their doctrine; they preferred to call it the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult instead. Yet Myeong Hwarin had said "Heavenly Demon Cult" without hesitation.
'She hasn't been recruited by the Heavenly Demon Cult yet. Or perhaps she can say it because she isn't one of them.'
Even so, calling it the Heavenly Demon Cult was like revealing her comrade to an enemy. Baekri Hyeong knew Mun Ho-sik was a demonic practitioner because of his past life, but no one else present had realized his true identity. Except for Myeong Hwarin.
"Do you have a place to stay at the Alliance?"
"Pardon? No, I don't."
"I'd like to hear more details. Stay with me for the time being."
"Eeeh?"
Myeong Hwarin was startled by Baekri Hyeong's sudden suggestion. This was the first time anyone had proposed sharing a room so directly. His serious demeanor made her wonder if Baekri Hyeong had unusual preferences. Perhaps that was the source of the evil she sensed within him.
Just as that thought crossed her mind—
"What are you doing?"
"..? What? How did you get in here?"
"It just opened for me?"
Namgung Suryeon had passed through the qi barrier Baekri Hyeong had erected. She had not broken through it—she had simply walked in.
...What was with this girl?