“Lord of Ink Dragon Manor, urgent news.”

“Urgent news?”

A flicker of puzzlement crossed Yangcheon’s face.

White Rat’s expression was as bleak as ever. But the energy he held was churning in waves. He seemed genuinely shaken.

“What kind of news is it?”

“The Clan Lord of the Mo Yong Clan, Mo Yonggun, has entered Hunan Province.”

“......Mo Yonggun?”

Yangcheon’s eyes flashed.

The Mo Yong Clan had originally been rooted far to the east of the northernmost Central Plains, in the barren land of Liaoning Province.

But after the Blood Cult incident erupted three hundred years ago, they migrated into Hunan Province and settled there.

Which meant that in Hunan Province, Ink Dragon Manor—a Dark Path coalition—and the Mo Yong Clan, one wing of the Six Great Clans, coexisted.

Their bases were so far apart that they wouldn’t collide immediately, but when they expanded their power in the future, conflict would be unavoidable.

“If he’s the Clan Lord of the Mo Yong Clan, he should be in the Alliance of the Martial World.”

“Yes.”

“In a time like this, he suddenly crossed into Hunan? What reason did he give?”

“We couldn’t learn the reason. But since he has no companions and his pace southward is leisurely, it seems he has business at the main house.”

“Hm.”

Yangcheon stroked his beard.

The Clan Lord of the Mo Yong Clan.

He had made detailed inquiries into the Six Great Clans of the era—great martial houses that were once the Seven Great Clans—the strongest martial families in the world. Especially right before he settled in Hunan Province, he had investigated once more.

The Mo Yong Clan is strong.

Among the Six Great Clans, there wasn’t really a ranking. It was unlike the Nine Sects and One Union, where Shaolin and Wudang were called the absolute peak.

But Yangcheon knew.

Among the Six Great Clans of the era, the Mo Yong Clan belonged to the most dangerous group.

If the Ming Clan ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ of the Nine Provinces were still standing, it might be different, but as things were, the greatest martial houses of the age were Mo Yong and Namgung. It was just that Namgung had the Sword Emperor, giving them overwhelming fame and influence—while the Mo Yong Clan’s real power base itself was large.

They’re a force dangerous enough.

To be blunt, if Yangcheon moved personally, even the Mo Yong Clan would have a hard time enduring.

That was the realm of those who held seats among the Thirteen Seats of the Sacred Heavens. They were transcendents who could face a great sect alone.

But the seat of the head was heavy. If he moved recklessly and suffered harm, the organization would face an enormous crisis.

In other words, under the premise that Yangcheon did not move personally, the Mo Yong Clan was a force Ink Dragon Manor could not ignore even now.

After sitting in thought, Yangcheon spoke.

“He’s moving south alone, without attendants?”

“Yes. At least on the surface, there seemed to be no attendants.”

“So it really is the road to his clan.”

“There’s a very high probability.”

“Hm.”

A quiet interest lit in Yangcheon’s face.

“The Clan Lord of the Mo Yong Clan... the Clan Lord of the Mo Yong Clan....”

Moving without attendants could be interpreted as meaning he still didn’t know Ink Dragon Manor existed in Hunan Province. If he knew, he wouldn’t have the guts to come forward this boldly.

“White Rat. What do you think?”

“.......”

“Isn’t he a truly tempting prey?”

White Rat lowered his head.

“He is, but....”

Uncharacteristically, he trailed off.

Yangcheon smacked his lips.

“So it’s still too early.”

“That is what I believe.”

“No. You’re right. The main force is still weak. If I set my mind to it, it isn’t as though I couldn’t catch and kill him—but there’s no need to force the issue.”

“Yes.” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Yangcheon nodded.

“Understood. Tell the underlings separately. Don’t clash with him.”

“I receive your order.”

“But we should keep watching the Clan Lord of the Mo Yong Clan’s movements.”

“Of course.”

“You may go.”

White Rat bowed and left Ink Dragon Hall.

“Hah. Well, look at that.”

Yangcheon tapped the armrest with his fingers.

“To have prey right in front of me—prey I could seize the moment I reached out—and still have to endure it for the sake of later.”

It was unbearable.

Still, a piece of fortune had rolled in on its own. That counted for something. For now, it seemed he would have to be satisfied with having gained a fine talent.

Then—

TWOOOOUUUNG!

‘......?!’

Yangcheon’s face hardened.

He looked down at his chest.

TWOOOOUUUNG. TWOOOOUUUNG.

His heart suddenly began pounding hard.

SLIP.

He pulled his collar aside and examined his chest.

At the center was a golden palm imprint.

All the wounds he’d suffered then had healed, but that palm imprint still remained.

Yangcheon’s eyes sank deeper.

“......Perverse Lust.”

A memory he didn’t want to recall.

He closed his eyes and examined his interior.

Nothing is wrong.

That was right. His organs, blood flow, blood vessels, and blood channels were all normal.

But Yangcheon felt an unplaceable unease. From time to time, like this, his heart would start thudding on its own.

He didn’t know why. If there were something wrong with his body, that would be one thing—but there wasn’t.

Am I still clinging to that match?

Well. It was a debt he had to repay no matter what.

Yangcheon smiled bitterly and spoke.

“Bring me alcohol. The one that bastard sent from beyond the frontier.”

With the feeling of chewing gall, he would drink the liquor the bastard sent and set his will ablaze.

*****

“What the hell? What is this?”

Pae Yul stared at Yeon Hojeong.

“Are those the ones?”

“They are.”

“Then why are these bastards—?!”

Tang Sang-a shouted.

“This isn’t the time to chat! They’re already within fifteen paces!”

Fast.

Their movement arts were light and aggressive. It wasn’t just meant to scare them—they were charging with the intent to kill.

Yeon Hojeong’s gaze sank.

Where did you find this many strong fighters?

Among them, there wasn’t a single expert who could match Yeon Hojeong, Pae Yul, or Tang Sang-a.

But there were more than forty Peak experts, and even the weaker ones had skill worthy of being called first-rate. And judging by the Killing Intent boiling over their bodies, they had definitely been through countless real battles.

Even a decent sect would struggle to send out strength like this. At minimum, it would have to be a sect famous across an entire province.

In other words, what they were facing was no different from an entire sect bearing down on them.

Mo Yonggun.

Yeon Hojeong’s pupils slowly stained red.

Why? Did you really need to do this?

Tang Sang-a shouted urgently.

“Commander Yeon!”

SHRAAAAK!

In that instant, Yeon Hojeong burst forward with terrifying momentum.

Killing Intent blazing hot as fire poured off him, and the long spear in his hand raised a blue-green whirlpool.

BWAAAANG! THUUNK!

“Gaaah!”

“Aaaagh!”

Horrific screams shook the forest.

A forward-driving strike—one destructive flash loaded with thread-turning.

Three bodies that had been rushing in at the front were shredded to pieces by the spear art that kicked up a gale, and the limbs of two more who were caught in the sweep flew into the air.

KUUUURRRRMMMM!

The Stamping Step that shook heaven and earth was exhilarating no matter how many times you heard it.

It didn’t have the sheer power of the Tiger King’s advance, the White Tiger Dominion Step.

But the Divine Dragon’s footstep that stirred a whirlpool in the lake carried flowing-water flexibility, packed full of mysterious energy.

Yeon Hojeong’s spear spat fire.

THUUNK! THUUNK!

The long spear raged and swept three paces to either side.

It was a spear art overflowing with destructive force—thrusting, spinning, and smashing everything.

It was the Azure Dragon Art—unfolding the Three Dragon-Host Forms through spear work.

The Azure Dragon Art was originally a martial art that emphasized evasion and counterattack over attack.

But Yeon Hojeong’s realm was far too high to be confined by a martial art’s original character. Even with the Azure Dragon Art, he had more than enough skill to pour out overwhelming offense.

Something’s off.

Even as he focused on crushing the attackers, Yeon Hojeong couldn’t shake his doubt.

Is this the work of a third party who knows this operation? That can’t be. This is definitely a picture Mo Yonggun intended. These are all people Mo Yonggun placed here—no question.

Even after seeing the terrifying assault of a spear master for the ages, they didn’t stop.

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes sank.

“AAARGH!”

“Kill them! Kill them!”

“Don’t fall back!”

They looked like they were foaming at the mouth.

The faces of the attackers, charging while screaming themselves hoarse, were full of fear they couldn’t hide. They were afraid of Yeon Hojeong’s ruthless martial arts.

And yet they still came.

They stoked even fiercer Killing Intent than before.

Just looking at the wagons and carts behind them tells me these are Mo Yonggun’s people. If a third party had cut in, there’s no way they’d leave that much wealth lying there—they’d have taken it long ago.

This wasn’t simply running into bandits. A third party hadn’t cut in either.

He couldn’t understand it.

Yeon Hojeong quickly examined the fighters’ faces.

Fear, impatience, anger, killing intent....

In an instant split into instants—

As Yeon Hojeong read the emotions flashing across their faces one by one, something strange flickered in his eyes.

Hope?!

Yes. They were charging while holding hope.

Even though it was obvious they would die if they threw themselves at him first.

It was so unexpected that for a moment he wondered if he’d seen wrong.

What the hell are you people....

Then—

THUD-THUD-THUD!

Ten daggers struck perfectly into the foreheads of the fighters who had reached Yeon Hojeong’s face.

“Be careful!”

FLASH!

Three fighters collapsed before Pae Yul’s flashy Heavy Sword. It wasn’t the Azure Mountain Sect’s martial arts—just an extremely practical, real-combat strike that put power and speed first.

“Hey! What are these bastards?!”

Pae Yul shouted as he swung his sword.

“This isn’t what we were told?!”

Then—

‘......!!’

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed.

No way.

A thought suddenly came to him.

Mo Yonggun, you bastard—don’t tell me...?

CLAAANG!

A fighter’s blade came down for Yeon Hojeong’s head.

If he hadn’t instinctively raised the spear shaft to block, his skull would have split. It was a truly perilous moment.

With shaking eyes, Yeon Hojeong looked at the fighter who had attacked him.

The fighter’s eyes were bloodshot. It looked like he was determined to kill Yeon Hojeong no matter what.

...Damn it.

No way. It can’t be.

But their skill, their desperation, and the coexistence of Killing Intent and hope—two emotions that didn’t belong together—kept strengthening the certainty of that sudden thought.

Yeon Hojeong ground his teeth.

Countless words flashed through his mind.

Mission. Circumstances. Pity. Denial.

“Hey! Ye—!”

KRAAASH!

With a monstrous Stamping Step, Yeon Hojeong unleashed a battle shout.

“RAAAAH!!”

KRRRROOOOOM!

With a single horizontal swing, more than ten fighters were shoved backward.

It was brute-force martial arts. He wasn’t stabbing to kill—he was clubbing them away with the spear shaft—yet it was Strength That Uproots Mountains, Spirit That Covers the World in the flesh.

Yeon Hojeong shouted.

“Be careful!”

Don’t say his name. Prepare for what might happen.

WOOOOONG.

Explosive power gathered into the long spear.

“Hup!”

KRAAASH!

A spear strike that raised a gale turned the ground into ruin.

He wasn’t striking them directly—he was overturning the earth to seal their movement at the root. When he poured powerful martial arts into terrain like that, the fighters at the front toppled in heaps.

ZIIIIIING! ZIIIIIIING!

A blue-green radiance pulsed across Yeon Hojeong’s entire body.

It was an energy so mystical it defied description. The dignity that covered the eight directions was enough to call him a grandmaster of an age.

Yeon Hojeong shouted.

“Stop!”

FREEZE!

Without realizing it, the fighters stopped in place.

Their bodies reacted first, not their heads. That was how shocking Yeon Hojeong’s martial arts were.

But only for a moment.

The Killing Intent in their eyes grew even more vicious than before.

They had thrown away their lives.

Yeon Hojeong shouted again.

“Wait! I have to hear what you have to say first—!”

SHRAAAAK!

Now they didn’t even shout.

As if they had abandoned everything, they only stoked murderous momentum and charged like madmen.

A hollow helplessness rose on Yeon Hojeong’s face.

“...This goddamn it!”