The Fox's Trap and the Youngest Immortal

The party that had struck down the Hwa-an Sword Demon began to crush the nearby demons with the force of a landslide, guided by Seong-jin’s keen sensory perception.

"So, you're telling me this is the result of a mere seven days and nights?"

The Grand Overseer, having received the report, spoke as if he couldn't believe his ears.

Ever since the Murim Alliance Leader declared that this subjugation of the heterodox sects would be part of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, he had been receiving real-time reports from all over and compiling the rankings.

The result was that Seong-jin’s team, which included the two-man demon duo the Ghost Valley Twin Killers, had eliminated seven first-rate masters, putting them firmly in first place.

"The second-place team only has two first-rate masters, right? Most of them seem busy just trying to track the demons down."

Even demons who have lost their sanity and run wild possess a basic survival instinct.

The world is vast.

There are very few demons who openly cause trouble in Hubei, where the Murim Alliance is located. Even the few that exist, like the Hwa-an Sword Demon, usually hide within formations and build up their demonic arts by using commoners as sacrifices; those who openly go around committing massacres are few and far between.

It wasn't some remote rural village; there were simply too many powerful experts around for a mere demon to act like a tyrant.

Consequently, setting out to hunt experts of the demonic path was more of a struggle to find them than it was to actually fight and win.

"It’s more miraculous that they found them in such a short time than the fact that they caught them. The two official martial artists on that team aren't even from the intelligence unit, are they?"

The roster of the team members was already public. Since Byeok-wol-rang and Ham Bi-so were selected for their martial prowess rather than any exceptional intelligence-gathering skills, it meant that finding the hidden heterodox experts was entirely the achievement of the guest martial artist.

"Because of this, we've received requests for information disclosure regarding the guest martial artist, Seong-jin, from both the Arangdae and the Jamyeongdae. There are even rumors that the Yulryeong-bu is interested."

"The Arangdae would be interested if those two recommended him, and the Jamyeongdae is an intelligence unit, so it makes sense for them to covet him, but why the Yulryeong-bu?"

The Yulryeong-bu was a department with a unique position within the Murim Alliance. It was a completely independent organization that neither the Murim Alliance Leader nor the Overseer’s Office could command. It was a surveillance body created by the various righteous sects that invested in the Murim Alliance to audit their investments. Therefore, the enforcers of the Yulryeong-bu were composed of experts dispatched from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans.

This raised a question: why would the Yulryeong-bu, composed of 'internal' personnel from each sect, show interest in Seong-jin, who was strictly an 'external' hire?

'There is one reason.'

The Yulryeong-bu held many powers, but the most famous and powerful among them was the right to appoint the Murim Alliance Leader. Considering that the Alliance Leader held personnel authority over the numerous institutions within the league, the Yulryeong-bu could effectively staff the Murim Alliance with whoever they pleased.

Given that members of the great sects checked each other and could not ascend to the position of Alliance Leader themselves, they were forced to desire an 'external figure' who would represent their interests.

'Are those Yulryeong-bu bastards eyeing him as a candidate for the next, or perhaps the next-next, Murim Alliance Leader?'

However, the power dynamics within the Murim Alliance could not be explained by a simple statement like "the great sects control everything." Since the great sects, which were effectively the rulers of their respective regions, would never bow to one another, there were as many candidates for the Alliance Leader as there were sects.

Considering that each sect had its own preferred candidates for the various martial units and department heads, the power structure of the Murim Alliance could flip in an instant depending on who was elected.

"Who in the Yulryeong-bu is showing interest? Is it the Mount Hua Sect?"

Mount Hua had recently suffered an incident where Baek-geom-ja, a top expert representing the sect, was severely injured by an attack from the Thunder Demon. If someone skilled in tracking demons appeared in such a situation, Mount Hua, which needed to wash away its humiliation, would be the first to show interest.

The Grand Overseer asked, assuming as much, but the answer the adjutant gave was entirely different.

"No, Mount Hua is quiet. The Diancang Sect, which is effectively allied with Mount Hua, is the same."

"Then who on earth is it?"

"That is..."

The name that came out of the adjutant's mouth was one the Grand Overseer had never expected.

"It is the Beggar Sect."

Meanwhile, Zhuge Lin was indignant.

"Why is it always those guys again!"

The "second-place" prizes that started with the Hwa-an Sword Demon and the Ghost Valley Twin Killers continued, and her team was having all their targets stolen one after another.

"To find the demons faster than my family's intelligence network... Where on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠earth are they getting that information!!"

She had intended to use the Zhuge Clan's intelligence network to earn points with the Mount Hua Sword Dragon. But whenever she went to catch the demons, another team had already beaten her to it. Since it was the same team every time, it was only natural for her to vent her frustration.

However, venting and harboring hostility was the way of the commoner. Zhuge Lin, the embodiment of cold, bloodless rationality, first vented to manage her psychological state, then derived a solution with a clearer mind.

"We will split our personnel!"

The strategy she proposed was as follows:

"If the problem is that we keep getting beaten to the punch, the three of us should scatter and target three demons simultaneously. That way, even if one of us gets beaten to it, the other two can secure their targets."

"Is that really okay? We formed a three-person team specifically for safety."

"Two super-first-rate experts who have reached the realm of Returning to Truth, and one late-comer from a prestigious sect with solid foundations. This is enough."

Zhuge Lin, Yeong-myeong, and Danmok-cheong. Yeong-myeong was already considered to have surpassed the realm of a late-comer, and Zhuge Lin and Danmok-cheong were also formidable experts in their own right. Of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠course, since variables always exist in actual combat, it was true that they should stay together to guarantee a "perfect victory without a scratch." However, it was also a fact that their skills were sufficient to escape safely even if they encountered a strong demon.

"We will track three demons simultaneously, and once we confirm the Arangdae is moving, we will regroup to catch the other two. If we find a demon, we won't engage immediately; we'll track them and buy time until the rest of the team joins."

If they targeted three locations at once, even if one was snatched by the Arangdae, they could secure the other two. It was clearly a risky strategy, but Yeong-myeong and Danmok-cheong accepted the proposal.

'If we move separately, it will be easier to chase after Brother ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Joo.'

'And I won't have to look at Yeong-myeong's face as much.'

Though their reasons differed, they reached a consensus, and Zhuge Lin set out alone to track an unknown demon.

'I don't have the exact details, but according to eyewitness reports, it's a first-rate demon.'

Since demons were dying before she could even gather information, she had no choice but to move even with incomplete data.

"The last sighting was here."

A secluded mountain path. Considering that demons tend to avoid crowded places because they never know when they might be overcome by impulses and cause trouble, it was natural for them to choose such paths.

"Heavenly Eye Formation."

As Zhuge Lin performed a hand seal on the spot, the effect of the formation triggered. Formation study began with the idea that special phenomena occur according to the flow of Qi. Implementing such formations not through terrain but through human hands was the essence of hand seals. Since Qi flows through the body of a martial artist who has mastered internal energy, they can form the structure of a formation simply by performing specific physical movements. This was the basis of the Zhuge Clan’s formation arts, and the Heavenly Eye Formation was a technique that recreated the 'Heavenly Eye,' one of the six supernatural powers of Buddhism, as a formation.

Things that were previously invisible began to appear to Zhuge Lin, who had activated the formation, and she soon found the demon's trail.

'Leaving traces like this... I suppose they aren't much of an expert.'

The opponent was likely someone who had just entered from outside and had never been chased by the Murim Alliance. Zhuge Lin followed the trail using the Heavenly Eye Formation, and—

"Oh my, what a child using such interesting techniques."

What she encountered at her destination was a woman with eyes as red as blood. A woman of such beauty that any man—or even another woman—would be left breathless, but Zhuge Lin could not say a word.

In the eyes of Zhuge Lin, who had the Heavenly Eye Formation active, she could see six tails fluttering behind the woman's back.

"However, it is a pity. Once you have seen this, you cannot return alive."

The energy flowing from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fingertips of the Six-Tailed Fox gripped the entire area.

"Th-this...!"

Zhuge Lin was horrified by the sight. That a six-tailed monster was disguised as a human. That the mere act of its breathing was casting a charm on the surroundings. And because a sight more shocking than anything else was unfolding before her eyes.

"Unity of Body and Sword (Shin-geom-hap-il)?"

What bloomed from the monster's fingertips was clearly the pinnacle of martial arts created by humans.

"That's impossible! How could a mere creature...!"

The Zhuge Clan possessed some of the best formation knowledge in the world. Naturally, in the process of studying numerous naturally formed terrains, they had encountered spirit beasts or monsters that could speak human language. However, the entities the Zhuge Clan had been able to verify so far were limited to "individuals that appeared after the Investiture Covenant." In their common sense, spirit beasts or monsters were nothing more than special animals.

But the monster from the Bokma-jeon, which had lived since before the Investiture Covenant, was an existence that easily transcended Zhuge Lin's common sense.

"Is there any reason why we cannot obtain the enlightenment that you humans gain after only a few decades of training?"

Zhuge Lin hurriedly tried to flee, but her body would not move.

"It is a pity. I have no interest in the low-level martial arts of humans."

From the moment she made eye contact with the woman, she was already under the influence of the charm.

"I have no choice but to use the status of a student of the Heavenly Martial Academy as a consolation."

As the woman's hand brushed her cheek, Zhuge Lin felt goosebumps rise. The cold sensation of dealing with a corpse, the survival instinct screaming that her life was hanging by a thread, the experience as a martial artist preparing to fight—despite all these factors, the woman's hand felt as warm as a mother's.

The familiarity felt from something that absolutely should not be familiar meant that all the senses she was receiving were being distorted by the opponent.

'A Unity of Body and Sword that disrupts the senses!'

If that were the case, the moment the technique was activated without any preparation, she was already in the palm of the opponent's hand.

At that moment, Zhuge Lin's brilliant mind reached the most rational conclusion.

'I am already a dead person anyway. If so, it would be better to commit suicide here...!'

It was more rational to acknowledge that there was no path to survival and commit suicide than to be subjected to the Soul-Stealing Art, have her family's secrets stolen, or put the other team members in danger. A ruthless conclusion. However, Zhuge Lin, acknowledging that there was no other answer, attempted to destroy her own Dantian, and—

"Young lady, please value yourself more."

A boy who had jumped in late blocked that action.

"Do you not have a bright future with many days left to live?"

He was a boy who looked younger than anyone else present. Yet, the words that came from his mouth were more aged than anyone else's.

"Such things should be done by someone who is only waiting for the day they depart."