Tang Sang-a’s face had flushed bright red, as if it had caught fire.

Tang Gwan quietly watched his daughter’s face, then opened his mouth.

“Enough.”

“Keuhuk!”

Tang Sang-a collapsed on the spot.

“Huff, huff!”

Her body, gasping for breath, was soaked in sweat.

She was so exhausted that her entire body trembled. She was in no state to speak, let alone lift her head.

Tang Gwan placed a hand on her back.

WOOOOONG.

A sharp strand of True Qi ran through the acupoints all over her body, scattering the turbid qi.

That was not all. It bolstered her almost completely depleted internal force, restored her vitality, and used dense True Qi to hasten her recovery.

A short while later, Tang Sang-a straightened herself.

“Thank you, Father.”

Tang Gwan spoke in a hard voice.

“You have improved since yesterday, but you are still far off.”

“Yes.”

“The martial arts within the Emperor’s Poison Scripture are by no means easy. The Guiding-Reversal Three-Yang Return-to-Origin Art may be one of our clan’s greatest martial learnings, but the Emperor’s poison art stands above it. It requires not only the proliferation of poison qi, but an ideal martial realization as well. That is why knowing the formula does not mean you can master it, and why abundant poison qi alone cannot generate True Qi.”

Tang Sang-a listened to Tang Gwan’s words with a serious expression.

“But ideal martial realization is not something gained simply by agonizing over it without end. To approach it, you need ascetic training that continually breaks the body’s limits.”

“Yes.”

“One who knows pain comes to understand the value of a single sip of water. When you realize that value, a new path opens.”

It was then.

Ga Deoksang appeared in the distance.

“Clan Lord.”

Tang Gwan raised a hand without even looking back. Ga Deoksang flinched and stopped where he stood.

Tang Gwan continued.

“The cycle must be faster. To break through your limits, your body must be in peak condition. Through complete recovery and complete breakthrough, through this cruel, vicious process, you must grasp what your power—what your soul—is trying to release. That is the realm the Emperor’s Poison Scripture calls Breaking the Summit and Ascending as Emperor.”

“Yes.”

“I will be away from the Martial Alliance for several days.”

Surprise appeared on Tang Sang-a’s face.

“Has something happened?”

“It is top secret. At the earliest, it will take three days. At the latest, it may take half a month.”

“Ah......!”

“When I return, you had better have improved, even if only by a hair. Remember this. The reason I am teaching you the Poison Scripture before Yangseon is because I saw in you the slightest possibility of raising our clan’s name.”

Tang Gwan turned around.

“Do not overdo it.”

His steps as he approached Ga Deoksang were without hesitation.

Before she knew it, Tang Sang-a called out.

“Father!”

Tang Gwan stopped walking.

Tang Sang-a forced herself to sound bright.

“Please be careful.”

Tang Gwan looked up at the sky for a moment, then headed toward Ga Deoksang again.

“Let’s go, beggar.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Last night, the Mo Yong Clan Lord left the Martial Alliance. Considering the Mo Yong Clan Lord’s skill, we estimate he will reach Kaifeng in four to five days.”

Je Gal Munho’s eyes shone.

“We have detected the Provincial Defense Commissioner’s movements. He is currently at a tavern called Sangan Pavilion in Kaifeng Prefecture. We do not know what he is doing there, but the fact that the highest military authority in Henan Province has been staying in a tavern for several days is strange in itself.”

Yeon Wi asked, “Will the Mo Yong Clan Lord be safe?”

“He will have made sufficient preparations. Even if something happens, he will return alive somehow. Besides, Kaifeng Prefecture has many of the Beggars’ Union’s top experts. I do not think there is any need to worry.”

“That is a relief, then.”

“The problem is the Tang Clan Lord and Commander Yeon.”

Je Gal Munho asked Tang Gwan, “Is your physical condition all right?”

Tang Gwan answered bluntly, “Who are you saying that to?”

His answer carried unrestrained confidence. Je Gal Munho nodded.

“We must assume the opponent’s skill is equal to our Clan Lords, or perhaps above them. If, by some chance, there are helpers with him whom the Beggars’ Union has not detected, it could become truly dangerous.”

Tang Gwan gave a thin laugh.

“I will be the safest one there, so spare yourself the useless concern.”

Je Gal Munho nodded.

“Understood.”

It was likely not merely confidence.

Tang Gwan was the head of the Tang Clan of Sichuan, and the son of Tang Hyeong, the Dark King and one of the Thirteen Seats of the Supreme Heavens. Tang Gwan’s talent and ability had been recognized by Tang Hyeong himself, the strongest man in the martial world. Perhaps, just as Tang Gwan said, the safest person really was him.

“And Commander Yeon.”

“Yes.”

“Will you be enough on your own?”

“Mm.”

Yeon Hojeong sighed.

“Honestly, I am not confident. So I am thinking of taking one more person with me.”

“Who?”

Yeon Hojeong silently pointed at Mookbi.

Je Gal Munho smiled.

“Yes, if it is Vice Commander Mook, her ability can be trusted.”

Mookbi lowered her head.

“I will do my best to handle it without any problems.”

“You have been working hard. Ah! By the way, it really is right in front of you now.”

“Yes?”

“The Wall of Martial Arts. I have never seen anyone break through as smoothly and gradually as you.”

“Ah......”

As if embarrassed, Mookbi lowered her head.

“I am still far off.”

Yeon Hojeong snorted.

“Far? You are still a long, long way off.”

Tang Gwan sneered.

“You brat, at this rate, she will catch up to you soon.”

“I cannot let something that embarrassing happen.”

“A man who prospers by his mouth dies by his mouth. It seems you need some humility.”

“Is that really something you should be saying, Clan Lord?”

“......Insolent brat.”

Je Gal Munho looked at the two of them with an expression that said they were hopeless, then turned his gaze to Yeon Wi.

“Clan Lord Yeon, please take charge in front of the eastern main gate of the Martial Alliance. If the Tang Clan Lord fails, that man will certainly come to the Martial Alliance.”

“Understood.”

“In other words, Clan Lord Yeon and I are the final gateway. I am sure the Tang Clan Lord and Commander Yeon will take care of things, but we cannot afford to lower our guard either.”

Yeon Wi smiled.

“I have sharpened my sword well, so it can be swung at any time.”

Je Gal Munho smiled and nodded. Truly, Yeon Wi’s sensible response was deeply reassuring.

“Now, then.”

Je Gal Munho rose from his seat.

“Let us begin.”

Whoosh.

No sooner had he finished speaking than everyone in the room vanished.

*****

Drip. Drip.

The sound of cold sweat falling from his forehead to the floor sounded as loud as thunder.

It could not be helped. The person standing before Donggak now was a master ranked even higher than Gyu Jeok, the Twelfth Warrior-General he had seen not long ago.

I expected that a general ranked above the Tenth Warrior-General might come, but......

Donggak swallowed despite himself.

I never imagined this person would come.

It was not simply a matter of whether he was stronger.

This man’s martial arts were one thing, but his nature was brutally cold and cruel.

Gyu Jeok understood dignity. He understood restraint, and he was fairly tolerant of mistakes made by those beneath him. But this man was not like that.

One of the Divine Flame Cult’s Eighteen Warrior-Generals, and among them a monster ranked above the Tenth Warrior-General, the line said to mark the true powerhouses.

He was the Fifth Warrior-General, Yo Roe.

Damn it! Why him, of all people......?!

It was then.

“You are Donggak, was it?”

Donggak flinched.

“Yes, Lord Yo Roe.”

“So you do not know where Gyu Jeok went?”

Donggak’s face turned pale. The intense Killing Intent and authority in that voice felt as if they were shaking him all the way down to his dantian.

What made him even more afraid was the fact that he must not make excuses. No, whatever answer he gave had to be clear and truthful. If he stated the facts exactly as they were, he might have the smallest sliver of hope. But if he let an excuse or a lie leave his mouth, he would die at once.

Donggak squeezed his eyes shut.

“I beg your forgiveness.”

“......”

Silence fell.

It had not even been a cup-of-tea’s worth of time, but to Donggak, it felt like half a day.

A moment later.

“Get up.”

“Yes!”

Donggak quickly rose to his feet.

Then Yo Roe came into view.

......!!

Donggak’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck them.

He has grown stronger.

A man sat there in a lax posture, reading the documents the old man had brought him.

He was so huge that he called to mind a great mountain.

Even though he was clearly seated, his height was not very different from Donggak’s. His arms and legs were as thick as the waist of a grown man, and his torso was as thick and solid as an ancient tree.

He was a gigantic man whose entire body was wrapped in tremendous muscle. At this size, even calling him a giant would not be enough.

On top of that, despite his overwhelming physique, his beard and hair were neatly groomed. His features were fierce, but his dress and bearing were no less refined than those of any noble.

WOOOOONG!

Hup!

Donggak used every bit of strength he had to soothe the Inner Qi that was trying to run wild on its own.

It was worse than when he had faced Gyu Jeok. The pressure of facing him up close was truly tremendous. People said that, among masters of such a level, the difference of a single move was the difference between heaven and earth, but Donggak had never imagined that gap could be this vast.

For one who had cultivated the same type of Inner Qi, there was no choice but to be disarmed before a higher-level, more formidable power. With superhuman patience, Donggak controlled his Inner Qi.

Yo Roe, the enormous man, spoke without taking his eyes off the documents.

“On the way here, I saw the place where there had been a fire.”

His voice was low and resonant, as if he were speaking inside a cave.

The atmosphere was completely different from Gyu Jeok’s. Apart from the degree of strength, the temperament he gave off was simply different.

“Just in case, I examined the traces. The area was so broad that I could not search all of it, but at least from what I saw, there were no traces of heat-yang arts.”

“......!”

“Yes, that is certainly how it looked. And yet this damned instinct of mine keeps making me pay attention to that place.”

Yo Roe asked as if tossing the question aside.

“What do you think?”

Questions like this were truly as troublesome as they came.

Donggak maintained as much composure as he could.

“If it bothers you, Lord Yo Roe, then there must surely be a reason. I will examine it once more.”

He could not help the tremor in his voice. Yo Roe let out a mocking laugh.

“Hey, Donggak.”

“Yes, Lord Yo Roe.”

“Do you know why I am keeping you alive?”

Donggak swallowed. His face had already gone as pale as it could go.

“......I-I do not know. I beg your forgiveness.”

“If I kill you, I will have to pointlessly pull out another person and secretly bring that person all the way here. Of course, I will have to train that person again as well. But right now, there is no time, and no one I can urgently remove from elsewhere. That is why I am keeping you alive.”

“......!”

“But there will not be a second time.”

“Y-yes! Yes!”

HWARURURUK.

Yo Roe burned all the documents in his hand.

“Find Gyu Jeok’s trail. I will give you ten days. If you fail to find him within that time, then even if it is troublesome, I will find a replacement.”

Donggak fell flat on the spot.

“I will find him without fail!”

“You had better take responsibility for those words.”

“Yes!”

Yo Roe stared down at Donggak for a long while, then yawned.

“Still, after running for a while for the first time in ages, I feel refreshed. Over there is so damn stifling.”

He was not saying it for anyone to hear. To begin with, Yo Roe did not regard Donggak and the old man as fellow human beings.

Yo Roe looked up at the ceiling with a languid face, then asked as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“There was a village nearby, was there not?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Yo Roe rubbed his chin.

“I would like to unwind a little, but with the Martial Alliance so close by, that feels rather awkward...... Would it be better to simply advance on the Martial Alliance now?”

Yo Roe’s eyes flashed.

His gaze, filled with blue flame, did not belong to a human being.

“This is unbearably dull. Is there nothing amusing to do?”