The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering Begins
The night the bracket for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering preliminaries was finalized, Baekri Hyeong found sleep elusive. He climbed onto the roof of his assigned quarters and looked up at the moonlight. Not a single speck of dust or wisp of cloud marred the sky, allowing the bright lunar glow to fill his vision. If only the future could unfold as beautifully as that radiant moon. With demonic infiltrators already embedded in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, he could clearly envision the chaos that lay ahead. Still, there was one small comfort: the Murim Alliance was currently maintaining an extreme state of vigilance. Perhaps it was because this was the first Dragon-Phoenix Gathering since the election of a new Alliance Leader. Countless experts had gathered at the Murim Alliance, resolved to conduct the event without the slightest opening for error.
Of course, masters had visited the Alliance during every previous Dragon-Phoenix Gathering as well. Whenever an unknown martial artist appeared, they would mark them as a potential disciple or keep a close eye on promising talents with the intent of recruiting them into their sects. That was likely why the Alliance could not simply detain everyone who entered. After all, Moyong Gwang had rebuilt the Alliance under the banner of equality; any misstep risked accusations of discrimination.
“Still… I never expected to see you again like this.”
“Shall I just leave?”
“No. If you came, there must be a reason. I’d like to hear what you have to say after so long.”
Baekri Hyeong sensed a familiar presence and swallowed a quiet laugh. The heir of the enemy faction’s leader, now inside the heart of the orthodox alliance. Cheon Hwangyeol, the Young Lord of Sapaecheon, had grown remarkably in the past year. With arms folded, he looked down at Baekri Hyeong.
“Why have you entered the Alliance? If discovered, it could spark conflict between the Alliance and Sapaecheon.”
“It was the Heavenly Lord’s command. To prepare for any unforeseen developments, he sent me into the Murim Alliance alongside the Hegemon Brigade.”
“The Hegemon Brigade?”
The Hegemon Brigade was widely acknowledged as one of Sapaecheon’s finest units. Every member had absorbed Cheon Yonghyeon’s teachings and wielded their own variations of the Silent Dragon Soul Origin Fist. In other words, the entire brigade breathed through the peerless mental technique known as the Silent Dragon Hegemon Divine Art.
“What do you intend to do? If you’re exposed, it will become troublesome.”
“Every member of the Hegemon Brigade has reached at least the Peak Realm. So stop worrying and focus on what you must do.”
“That aside, why come to me tonight?”
“I wanted to tell you that we’ll watch your back, so fight to your heart’s content.”
Cheon Hwangyeol’s eyes were filled with trust. He placed complete faith in Baekri Hyeong, the man who had elevated him to the Hwajing realm. Even though Baekri Hyeong belonged to the orthodox side—the nominal enemy—he had raised the Young Lord of Sapaecheon’s cultivation. That alone was reason enough to trust him.
“Thank you for thinking well of me. Please act with caution as well, Young Lord. This place is a den of demons.”
“I know. Thanks to the one who raised me to the Hwajing realm, I’m already moving carefully. Don’t worry.”
“That’s truly reassuring to hear.”
Baekri Hyeong offered a faint smile, and Cheon Hwangyeol departed with a promise to meet again. So that was why sleep had refused to come. Unlike others, Cheon Hwangyeol and the Hegemon Brigade under his command were genuinely trustworthy. Even if an unexpected incident occurred, the number of Transcendent Peak Realm experts gathered at the Murim Alliance easily exceeded three digits. What could the Heavenly Demon Cult possibly achieve in such a place?
As long as the Demon God doesn’t appear. Of course, unless they’ve lost their minds, they won’t send the Demon God.
Within the Heavenly Demon Cult existed the Seven Demon Gods, masters who had reached the early stages of the Hyeongyeong realm. Each one surpassed the Ten Great Masters of the World in raw power, and even within the Cult their strength and status were revered. In his previous life, the Mad Demon God who had pursued Baekri Hyeong to the very end had been one of them. If a Demon God-level expert and an entire sect launched a coordinated assault…
That could be dangerous.
But would they really do such a thing? If they possessed the strength to bring that level of force, they would have already wiped out the Qinghai Branch and launched a full-scale invasion. No matter how unpredictable the Heavenly Demon Cult’s strategies were, the scale of this raid on the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering could not grow too large. At least, not if one thought logically.
**********
“Seol Baekgeom has appeared. Furthermore, upon sensing his presence, the Thunder Sword who had been staying with the Namgung Clan has also shown himself.”
So the experts are gathering in one place one after another.
“Yes. Additionally, a member of the One Kill Gate remains. Shall we eliminate them?”
The One Kill Gate… It’s been a long time since I heard that name.
The one receiving Mun Ho-sik’s report existed within a mirror. The mirror was the Phantom Demon Mirror, a sacred artifact of the Phantom Demon Sect that allowed conversation through the infusion of internal energy regardless of distance. The recipient was Mun Tae-sik, the Sword Demon Sect Leader. Having recently emerged from seclusion to plan the raid on the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, his eyes gleamed with interest upon hearing the name One Kill Gate. It was only natural; within the Heavenly Demon Cult, the One Kill Gate was second only to the Heavenly Lord in the amount of curses and fury it provoked. The failure of the past uprising had been due to the Heavenly Lord and the One Kill Gate. If only one of them had existed… even if the uprising had failed, the damage would not have been so severe. Fortunately, time had passed, the Heavenly Lord had grown old and his fate unknown, and the One Kill Gate was believed to have been annihilated. Yet now he was hearing that a member of the One Kill Gate had appeared.
“What shall we do?”
If they are participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, they won’t pose much of an obstacle. Watch them, attempt to recruit them, and kill them if the opportunity arises.
“Understood.”
Also, the Demon God will personally participate in this operation.
“..!”
Mun Ho-sik trembled the moment he heard the words “Demon God.” The Seven Demon Gods were peerless masters who rarely left their seclusion even within the Cult. If they took part in an operation, success was guaranteed. Mun Ho-sik, having followed the Sword Demon Sect Leader, had witnessed many Demon Gods. Each one was a monster—monsters who had reached the realm beyond the demonic. If such monsters supported this raid, victory was more than assured.
The Earth Demon God will be with us. Therefore, once preparations are complete, use it.
“What about the Phantom Demon Sect and the Killing Demon Sect…?”
The Killing Demon Sect refused, but the Phantom Demon Sect has agreed to join. Complete the preparations for the Soul-Destroying Blood Formation.
“I receive your command.”
Mun Tae-sik’s words ended there. The Phantom Demon Mirror was a sacred artifact with a time limit, and the internal energy consumption was extreme, so only the essential points could be conveyed. Even if the distance were short it would be one thing, but the distance from Mount Tian to Anhui was considerable. Still, a large-scale operation involving the Earth Demon God, the Sword Demon Sect, and the Phantom Demon Sect was about to begin.
“Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years.”
It would not be long now. The time was approaching when the heavens of the demonic path would crush both the orthodox and unorthodox factions and stand at the pinnacle of the martial world, spreading the greatness of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the might of the Heavenly Demon far and wide.
**********
A day passed, and the morning of the preliminaries finally dawned. An enormous crowd had gathered inside and outside the Murim Alliance, making it difficult to walk properly. Seeing the smiles on their faces, Baekri Hyeong reaffirmed his resolve. To ensure those smiles never faded, he had to do his utmost.
“Group One of the preliminaries, enter.”
Thus, on the stage specially constructed for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, the judge announced the start of the preliminaries. The judge for today’s matches was Cheongjin, the sect leader of the Qingcheng Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects. He was renowned for his upright character and was perfectly suited to judge the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, where personal or sectarian interests must be completely disregarded.
The participants of Group One were as follows: Namgung Suryeon, Paeng Hojun, Mi Yojin, and Gwang Gunjo. To any observer, it seemed obvious that Namgung Suryeon and Paeng Hojun would advance without difficulty. Yet Baekri Hyeong was certain that Paeng Hojun would be eliminated and Mi Yojin would advance.
Looking at it this way, it really feels new.
Through this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, Mi Yojin would earn the epithet Fist Phoenix. She was the tragic woman who would later become the first to charge into battle during the war against the Heavenly Demon Cult and meet her death. Her notable trait was that, despite being born in the unorthodox faction, she had been taken in by the Jeomchang Sect. Because of this, she possessed a loyalty so deep she would gladly lay down her life for the sect.
For now, I’ll just watch.
Since Mun Ho-sik’s movements were not yet visible, Baekri Hyeong decided to observe the match. Besides, if the Heavenly Demon Cult intended to attack, they would surely strike during the finals when the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering reached its climax. The preliminaries had only just begun; they would not launch an assault now.
“If two people admit defeat first, the remaining two will automatically advance to the main tournament. As previously announced, alliances are permitted, so handle that among yourselves… We will now begin.”
Cheongjin raised his hand to the sky, and the previously noisy spectators fell silent. It had been a full eight years since the last Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Everyone in the stands had waited so long to witness its opening match. Just as cold sweat began to form at the temples of every spectator, Cheongjin’s voice rang out.
“Begin!”
“Waaaaaaaah!!”
The magnificent curtain of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering had risen.