Once the troops had all set out, I decided to give each of the children careful instructions on what to do in case something went wrong while I was away.

Up until now, I’d never felt the need to do such a thing, but this time a strange unease kept gnawing at me.

'Why am I feeling so restless?'

It was a prickling sensation in the corner of my chest.

Maybe I could have brushed it off as nothing—chalked it up to the fact that Gun Hye-rin had been exposed as a member of the Demonic Cult.

But this tingling in my upper dantian wasn’t something I could ignore.

When I asked Gun Hye-rin, she explained that the upper dantian was tied to emotions, will, and spirit—one of the least understood centers.

It might have been no different from knees aching before the rain: unscientific, but with reason behind it.

"Ranghu, I know it’s unlikely, but if Geumdo ever ends up in danger, protect him. But be careful not to let the children get hurt."

At my words, Ranghu clasped my hand and nodded, then thumped his chest as if to say I could leave it all to him.

Behind him, the worker wasps that had come out to see me off all pounded their chests in the same fashion.

The sight, like a formal military parade, made me laugh.

Bwoong.

"Yeah. I trust you’ll do well."

I told Ranghu to guard slow-moving Geumdo, and to Yo-hwa I gave the task of keeping track of the messages coming in from the spiders I’d sent with the expeditionary forces.

I’d attached her spiders to each column so we could gather intelligence.

"Yo-hwa, watch the battle lines carefully through the spiders we sent with the expedition. Keep track of the reports Soto passes on."

- Kissit. 『Understood, Brother. You can trust Yo-hwa.』

Since Yo-hwa could monitor the state of each front in real time, I intended to use that to the fullest.

If not for her, I would have had to scatter the wives across each front—but fortunately, there was no need.

To Cheong-yu Sojeo, I entrusted the protection of the others.

"Cheong-yu Sojeo, if something urgent happens, please make sure the others don’t get hurt."

- Shiaa. 『Don’t worry, So-ryong. I’ll protect the others.』

If some sudden crisis broke out and someone had to come up with a proper plan and explain it to the children, Cheong-yu Sojeo was the only one who could do it.

And then, the most dependable—Cheongwol.

"Cheongwol, if a dangerous situation arises, I’ll be counting on you."

Even the protective inner energy of martial artists couldn’t pierce Cheongwol’s shell. She was a walking tank.

If—though I thought it impossible—the expeditionary army were to fall and even the Beast Palace came under threat, the only one who could hold back the Blood Cult’s bastards was Cheongwol.

- Grrng. 『Do not worry. Even if I must die, I’ll protect them all.』

"No, you mustn’t die. That would make me sad."

- Grng. 『Ah... understood.』

After that, I went down the line, giving instructions to Elder Sister Jeokwol, Hwanji, Hwana, Moji, Soji, and the rest. Just as I was about to leave, Gun Hye-rin, who had come to see me off, tugged at my sleeve with a worried expression.

"Master, wouldn’t it be better if I went with you?"

"You said yourself you don’t know how to handle the Realm of Life and Death."

"Even so..."

Her reasoning was that if I found Jimjo and attempted a breakthrough into the Realm of Life and Death, she should be by my side to help.

She also argued that during Hyeon-gyeong there had been sudden lightning strikes, so she should be there for any such surprises.

And she reminded me that Blood Demon wasn’t an easy opponent.

But with this ominous premonition weighing on me, I chose to leave Hye-rin behind in the Beast Palace with the other wives.

All I had to do was deal with Jimjo, but here someone had to help support the battlefield.

And if my intuition proved true and things went wrong, we would need as many experts here as possible.

"Stay close to Hwa-eun and the Princess. If danger comes, don’t worry about being exposed—use your martial arts right away."

"Are ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) you sure that’s all right?"

"There’s only one thing you need to think about, Hye-rin."

"And what’s that?"

"Not getting hurt."

Since she was already exposed, it would be foolish to try and hide her identity only to end up injured. I told her flatly not to get hurt, and her cheeks flushed.

"Ahem. So-ryong underestimates me far too much. Even though I am the Heavenly Demon..."

"I know. The Heavenly Demon. The pinnacle of the Demonic Cult. Yet in bed, you always..."

It wasn’t that I underestimated her—just teasing.

Compared to the more forward Princess and Hwa-eun, Hye-rin was always much meeker in bed.

Passive, rather than aggressive.

Maybe it was just that she always let me win. Blushing, she muttered,

"Th-that’s only because you’re too skilled. I only have you, but you’re always practicing with the other two in actual combat. Of course I can’t win. Once I build more experience, I’ll be able to match you."

"I’d be fine if things stayed just the way they are forever."

"Ugh..."

I pulled her into a hug, then turned to the Princess.

"Ji-ryeon, you mustn’t get hurt either. Understood?"

"Of course. You take care of yourself too, So-ryong."

I hugged her as well, and she whispered in my ear,

[Come back quickly. I can’t sleep well anymore when you’re not beside me.]

I stroked her hair gently, then said my last farewell to Hwa-eun.

"Hwa-eun, I’ll be off."

"Go safely."

Instead of more words, I held her in a tight embrace, and she smiled softly.

"Then we’ll guard this place well."

Her smile carried many things—trust, gratitude, and more.

This whole journey was about keeping the promise I’d made to her.

"Yes. I’m counting on you."

"So-ryong, go safely. Don’t worry too much about us here."

"Yes, Sister Seol."

When I finished with Hwa-eun, Sister Seol, who had been standing behind her, jumped forward to bid me farewell.

Right now, my foster father was already away at war.

That left only Sister Seol and a handful of defensive troops to guard the Beast Palace.

If the expedition ran into trouble, the wives were supposed to use the children to cover a retreat and hold this place.

"Then, everyone, I’ll be going."

I set Hongbi on my head and let Yeondu coil around me.

As I soared into the sky, the children below waved their antennae and hands.

My body was carried toward the place where this journey had begun—and where it would end.

***

A cool wind brushed past my head.

Hainan lay southeast of the Beast Palace.

The fastest route was to cut through Dai Viet, so our forces were marching across that land.

Below me I could see the movement of troops—the Third Army, formed mainly of martial artists.

Their columns pushed through the border and headed for the nearest city.

There had been no fighting yet.

The border of Dai Viet, controlled by the Five Venoms Sect and the Blood Cult, had no soldiers standing guard.

No doubt those bastards believed we would never dare to invade Dai Viet.

After all, war isn’t something easily started.

But that was their mistake.

If they were gathering strength to strike at the Central Plains, how could we possibly sit idle?

Our army had already crossed the border and was advancing on the city. Surely the first clash would take place there.

For a moment I considered following and watching the battle in that first city unfold—but my bad premonition made me decide not to waste time.

Once the troops had vanished from sight, a roar of voices began to echo faintly from the distance.

It seemed the march of salvation had reached the place where hell on earth was unfolding.

***

Of the three expeditionary forces into Dai Viet, the Third Army was composed mainly of martial artists allied with the Martial Alliance—three thousand Imperial soldiers and five thousand martial artists, for a total of eight thousand.

Although the official commander was a general of the Imperial Iron Cavalry, he was not the one truly in charge.

The three thousand Imperial troops were mostly ordinary soldiers with little martial training. Their role was to support the martial artists.

The First and Second Armies had more cavalry trained in martial arts, but their numbers were too few, so the Third Army relied almost entirely on martial artists as its backbone.

Thus, the real commander was one of the Three Sovereigns of Murim, respected by all martial artists—the Martial Alliance Leader, Zhu Jung-hak.

"Scouts report a city ten li ahead!"

As the army advanced swiftly past the border, a martial messenger rushed to kneel and deliver his report to Zhu Jung-hak.

It was the city nearest the border, already scouted in advance, and it was spread out right in front of the Third Army’s path.

They would be the first to clash with Dai Viet’s settlements.

Upon hearing the scout’s report, Zhu Jung-hak turned to the general of the Imperial Army.

"What do you intend?"

Although Zhu Jung-hak had been entrusted with command, he asked out of courtesy.

The general smiled lightly.

"The command belongs to the Alliance Leader. Please act as you see fit. I am here only to provide support."

Unlike the generals who had once been sent to watch over the martial artists, this one was from a family with ties to Murim. His tone was gracious.

"Understood."

Zhu Jung-hak smiled, then turned back. Immediately, several men stepped forward.

"Alliance Leader! Let our Azure Dragon Unit take the vanguard!"

"No, Alliance Leader. This task was meant for Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Sword Unit!"

"Amitabha. To strike down demonic heretics is Shaolin’s duty. How could we shirk this? We shall take the lead."

The leader of the Azure Dragon Unit, one of the Martial Alliance’s combat corps, bowed first. Then Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Sword Unit and their sect master offered their fists in salute.

Even Great Monk Hyegak, who had come with Shaolin’s forces, stepped forward.

Hyegak was of the same generation as Great Monk Hyewon, the abbot of Shaolin itself, and his enmity toward the Blood Cult matched Zhu Jung-hak’s own. He had long supported him.

Zhu Jung-hak listened, then spoke to them.

"This is only the beginning. We cannot waste the strength of our warriors here."

He turned his gaze toward one part of the army.

"Would you be willing to step forth to prevent the junior warriors and soldiers from suffering heavy losses?"

He was looking at a shabby cart, where an old man, a middle-aged man, and a young woman were seated.

"What, already making an old man work?"

Grumbling, the old man rose from the cart and walked forward. The woman and the middle-aged man followed him.

Then three figures stepped out with them.

An old man, a middle-aged man, and a young woman—but as soon as they appeared, everyone else stepped back.

For the ones who had come forward were none other than Geolhwang, one of the Three Sovereigns; Leg Demon So Su-ryeon, one of the Five Evils; and Xintu Galjihong.

With those three present, no one else dared volunteer.

Geolhwang’s fame was unmatched, Galjihong was just as renowned, and So Su-ryeon was a woman obsessed with leg techniques—her martial arts swept aside anything nearby. Unless one was as quick as Xintu himself, it was impossible to move alongside her.

As everyone fell back, Geolhwang grumbled again, and So Su-ryeon said,

"Brother, you remain here. Xintu and I will open the way."

"Will that be all right?"

"Of course. A thief may not inspire trust, but he’s good enough to clear a path."

"Why do you always pick on me? Elder Sister Yeongryeon and Brother never treat me like this—only you single me out."

To an outsider, it might seem odd that this middle-aged man was whining to a young beauty. But in truth, the three of them were of similar age.

So Su-ryeon still kept her looks in her twenties despite the years flowing by and even after her rebirth through spiritual transformation. The secret was a peculiar cultivation technique she practiced—one coveted by women throughout the Central Plains.

A technique that let one maintain the beauty of their twenties until death.

At his whining, So Su-ryeon snapped,

"Enough. Just follow me."

"Yeah, yeah..."

With that, Xintu and So Su-ryeon dashed off toward the city ten li ahead.

The stench of blood and decay began to seep into their noses.