Jeong Yeon-shin stood face to face with Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja, breathing calmly.

It didn’t take long for a flash of insight to pass over the old Taoist’s wrinkled face.

“I’ve become laughable, haven’t I.”

Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja spoke with an indifferent expression.

He had subtly altered the fundamental structure of demonic energy—originally opposed to the inner energy of a Buddhist Immortal—so that it now emitted an auspicious aura, as if perpetually enveloped in enlightenment.

It was a technique that So Cheonmujuk had once used against Jeong Yeon-shin’s spiritual power, and now it had naturally engraved itself into his upper dantian, the Baihui.

‘It had that much of an impact.’

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly opened his mouth.

“There is no Heavenly Demon.”

“I felt it too.”

Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja glanced at Baek Mi-ryeo, cradled in Jeong Yeon-shin’s arms.

With the demonic energy having dispersed along with the Heavenly Demon, she no longer needed repeated internal circulation. Even if she was an incomplete version of Won Yeong-shin, the First Heavenly Demon had once been such an existence.

“Yet you’ve made companions of the Yozoku and Blood Demon, aided the schemes of So Cheonmujuk of the Demonic Sect, and cut down the spiritual energy of Mount Hua in one stroke... Then, without a life-and-death duel to settle things with the First Heavenly Demon, you gained their recognition and even escorted them into transcendence.”

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t answer.

Spoken like that, it all sounded like the tale of a very wicked man.

“After that, your own demonic energy grew stronger, which means you shared a connection of mind with the Heavenly Demon. As someone who has become the leader of the Divine Sword Corps, I cannot overlook those around you.”

At the same time, Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja’s gaze slowly lowered.

It was toward the head of the dead Imoogi, where the sword still pierced through the crown of the Seventh Apostle. He could sense her faint exhalation.

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke immediately.

“She is a Blood Demon, but repented and became a prisoner of the Divine Sword Corps.”

“Repented? Are you serious?”

Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja asked earnestly.

For a moment, Jeong Yeon-shin almost lost his confidence, but he didn’t let it show.

“...Even if one does not possess righteousness in their heart, they can still perform righteous deeds. That’s something I’ve come to realize lately, and I am guiding her in that direction.”

“Because your heart is in turmoil, I allowed you to speak with the Heavenly Demon. If not for that child, none of it would’ve happened.”

“In that case.”

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly moved his lips.

“The world is indebted to her.”

He elevated his conversation with the Heavenly Demon before the assembled orthodox elders.

Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja’s expression shifted subtly.

“To say such a thing here...?”

“It is the truth. I must now look after a prisoner of the Divine Sword Corps, so you may do as you please, Master.”

Aside from the thousands of warriors and Dan Jeong-jeong, only transcendent beings capable of reading one’s true heart through their divine dantian were present.

Jeong Yeon-shin turned in the air and slowly descended.

The art of Sky-Stepping had now become natural to him.

He was still holding Baek Mi-ryeo.

He had completely turned his back to Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja.

......

The mountain air tightened as if to choke even the breath of withered grass.

An overwhelming tension filled the surroundings—

Right until Jeong Yeon-shin walked on air in front of the Seventh Apostle.

In the end.

The sword wind of the Joint Ascension Demon-Sealing Sword Technique did not strike his back.

And so, the conflict of Jinryeong’s range had come to its end.

Jeong Yeon-shin shifted Baek Mi-ryeo onto his left shoulder.

Then he grasped the handle of Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja’s sword.

‘Her condition...’

The sword blade had pierced all the way through the back of the Seventh Apostle, tearing through the fabric around her sculpted abdominal muscles.

With her one red eye wide open, it seemed she still had consciousness.

The Seventh Apostle’s bloodstained lips moved.

“That woman... who is she?”

Her voice was choppy, likely due to internal injuries.

Jeong Yeon-shin replied calmly.

“My sister.”

“Ah...?”

“I’m pulling it out.”

“Okay.”

The moment she answered, he pulled the sword out in one breath.

So accustomed to pain—she didn’t even groan.

Jeong Yeon-shin asked quietly.

“Your regenerative function seems intact. Am I right?”

“...Who knows?”

“What?”

“My right shoulder’s empty. Should I hop on too?”

“Your abs have healed well. Cover them with the front of your robe.”

Meanwhile, the sword of Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja, now soaked in blood, trembled and suddenly shot up into the sky.

It traced a path back to its master with the mystery of sword control.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t bother watching it to the end—

He descended fully to the ground.

The warriors’ gazes were fixed on the head of the slain Imoogi, barely visible above the ridge.

Jeong Yeon-shin gestured to Mun Gok and Dan Jeong-jeong and began to walk slowly.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

The first to follow him was the Clan Leader of Gaebong, now armless.

As expected from the top-tier figure of a major city—

The old man’s expression was unreadable.

Even with his dantian sealed, he floated his severed right arm beside him.

He had formed a grasp through divine energy alone.

Though it paled compared to the Arm of the Lord of Cheongeuk Sect, it seemed to be decaying very slowly.

The old man’s atmosphere was as carefree as a wildflower.

Perhaps because of that, he looked like a calculating madman.

“I may be far inferior to the Spirit-Awakened Divine Doctor, but I have some knowledge of qi-based medicine.

Your left arm, torn to shreds by that strange radiant sword of yours... seems like a cheap price to pay.”

“It’s the price of rebuilding my nature.”

Tap!

Jeong Yeon-shin flicked his fingers.

It was a wind burst that released the acupoints of the Gaebong Clan Leader.

The old man burst into laughter the moment the wind struck the Qihai Acupoint in his lower abdomen and scattered.

“Now that’s expensive.”

Meanwhile, Jeong Yeon-shin bowed with fists clasped toward Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja and the senior members of Mount Hua.

Then, he slowly turned and began to walk away.

Of course, the Clan Leader of Gaebong followed.

Heegeom’s mouth opened.

“Take care.”

A phrase full of many unspoken meanings.

Jeong Yeon-shin might soon become an enemy of the Central Plains.

Ever since his conversation with the Heavenly Demon, the orthodox sects and the Divine Sword Corps had grown estranged.

Yet even so, he would not be doubted—

Such was the tangled sentiment, like an entwined plum blossom branch.

Surely Hu Cheon Gwangseong-ja, Gi Seong-ja, Gi Hwa-ja, and the Sword Saint Tian Zhu-jin felt the same.

Jeong Yeon-shin accepted all their gazes with his back.

Thud—

“At this pace, it’ll be a long journey to Mount Zhongnan.”

“A-Are these people from the Martial Alliance too...?”

The blood-soaked giant and Dan Jeong-jeong with her dark staff followed behind Jeong Yeon-shin.

At the same time, the Seventh Apostle fluttered down beside him, her sleeve flaring like a bat’s wing.

“...Even if the Lord of the Divine Sword Corps leads such people, they merely walk a different path yet follow the same righteous way...”

It was when Tian Zhu-jin, the Sword Saint of Mount Hua, who had long hesitated between the elders of the sect and Jeong Yeon-shin, spoke with a heavy voice in his defense—

Rustle.

A soot-streaked scarf fluttered like a tease.

A woman of surpassing beauty, equal to Jeong Yeon-shin in otherworldliness, appeared in an instant.

She locked eyes with Tian Zhu-jin.

Then, stepping backward toward Jeong Yeon-shin—

So Cheonmujuk raised a snowy-white finger to her lips and shushed him with a whisper.

Before the old Immortals of the Orthodox Sects could react, she vanished from the spot.

......

Tian Zhu-jin slowly closed his mouth.

Cloud Platform Peak of Mount Hua.

Near the gate.

The silence of the dead Imoogi and the stifled groans of the mountain warriors mingled.

At last, all of it settled on the footprints Jeong Yeon-shin had left behind.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Zhongnan Sect.

The image Jeong Yeon-shin remembered was nowhere to be found.

Unfamiliar halls filled the mountain slopes, and even the roofs and tiles carried the sleek sheen unique to newly built homes. And it wasn’t just the scenery. The spirited shouts and yells of young disciples rang out frequently.

Perhaps it was thanks to the grand martial arts tournament hosted at Mount Zhongnan by the imperial family while the Divine Sword Corps had gone north.

It seemed they had received steady support—large and small—up until Beijing fell to the Martial God. The presence of so many children was proof enough.

Not one of them looked underfed.

This was the same Zhongnan Sect of the Nine Great Sects that Jeong Yeon-shin, in his white robes, had seen before it suffered destruction at the hands of the Sword-Splitting Sect.

“Ah, the old man calling himself the Invincible One left a message for you, Lord Commander. He said when you reclaim the real capital of Ipwang Fortess, to drop by the Grand Pure-Hearted ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Alliance.”

“Yi Beom?”

“Yes, the General Director of the Grand Pure-Hearted Alliance. He’s already famous in the Central Plains. When he saw Hero Mun Gok...? He descended the mountain along with the Martial Army. So did those strange people carrying that Azure Dragon banner...”

Dan Jeong-jeong trailed off.

The phrase “Hero Mun Gok” felt deeply awkward to Jeong Yeon-shin, but since Mun Gok himself only smiled faintly, he didn’t comment.

“So this is the famous Zhongnan.”

The giant spoke.

“It’s at the perfect elevation to block enemies. A celestial realm, distinct from the entrance.”

His tone was calm, yet somehow it felt like he was surveying a territory for future conquest. Anyone who had experienced the northern martial world would likely think the same.

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke without much thought.

“Watch yourself.”

“Hmm?”

Mun Gok smiled again.

“I never act rashly.”

Looking back, it was true.

As an enemy, he had been the most purely overwhelming.

Having accepted him now, Jeong Yeon-shin needed to remain alert so that Mun Gok never turned against him.

Just like now.

“Big Mister!”

A small shadow dashed forward and wrapped around Mun Gok’s shin. The tiny heels left swirling gouges in the dirt as she skidded to a stop.

It was Jeong Hye.

The propulsion technique from Zhongnan's Cloud-Chasing Method had been mixed with shock-discharge strength.

For the child, it was akin to Jeong Yeon-shin’s perfected dynamic technique.

Separate from that, the Divine Sword Corps members following behind froze like trees in a famine.

Until Mun Gok’s large hand slowly reached down to stroke Jeong Hye’s head.

Hyeon Won-chang, who had been carrying Baek Mi-ryeo, instinctively placed his hand on his sword hilt like a ghost.

The child giggled.

“What’s wrong?”

Mun Gok met Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze directly.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly shook his head.

“Hye-ah...!”

Just then, the sect leader Jeong Jung-san and several Zhongnan disciples rushed to greet the guests.

As they did, Lord of Hocheonseong, who had taken note of Mun Gok, began cautiously approaching Jeong Hye.

“Sir Jeong, the one behind you is....”

It was Wi Ji-myohwa, who had returned to Mount Zhongnan.

It was difficult to tell who she meant.

Perhaps the Seventh Apostle, adjusting her black robes with precision.

Or maybe So Cheonmujuk, who had appeared without warning.

Or even Mun Gok, who now stood silently behind So Cheonmujuk.

......

A deep and dusky shadow fell over her, and a voice, as if dragged from the abyss, spoke politely.

“Western Heaven’s King of Illumination, what business brings you here?”

“My, what a bountiful little harvest surrounds my brother. I’m considering relocating the sect south myself.”

So Cheonmujuk shrugged her shoulders.

“With Ipwang Fortess of Yangyang completely ruined, and the Central Plains turned into a demonic realm... there’s no one left to stop the Demonic Sect. The Martial God, the so-called Greatest Sword Under Heaven—they’re all busy fighting each other.

As for you, you should probably go hunt down those ‘Seven Tyrants of the Conqueror’ first, for revenge.”

Perhaps it was because the First Heavenly Demon had vanished.

Her demeanor was the same as always. She was a demon—capable of mocking anything, valuing nothing.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t ask what business had brought her here to pick a fight.

He only turned around slowly and spoke.

“Good timing. I was just about to go get it.”

“What?”

Then it happened.

Remnant Demon Follows Thunderclap.

A dark halo burst from his heart with the sound of thunder, and the scenery blurred in his eyes.

For a moment, dark embers floated around him like flower petals. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

In a world where time seemed to stretch, where body and light were one—

Jeong Yeon-shin naturally reached into So Cheonmujuk’s robes, like in a dream.

He endured the palm strike she reflexively drove into his solar plexus—Dark Sky Palm-Wall Form.

[Hah.]

So Cheonmujuk’s intent pierced in faster than sound.

[This thieving bastard...?]

Her mind reacted instantly to the infinitely fragmented time-space of the Heavenly Radiance Shift.

But Jeong Yeon-shin had already withdrawn his hand from inside her inner lapel.

Rustle.

As the soft silk brushed his fingers, he pulled out a torn half of the Zhongnan Sword Lineage’s secret manual.

In the contest of Grappling Hand versus Defensive Sutra, he had gained a complete upper hand.

As the inertia from his movement past So Cheonmujuk carried him forward, the ground collapsed.

CRAAACK! RUUUUMBLE—!

A dark shockwave exploded in layered bursts from his solar plexus.

Black lightning trailed from his body like tangled threads, slowly settling.

The aftershock of the dark energy covered the area like a black cloud.

Immediately, Mun Gok and the Seventh Apostle stepped casually in front of Jeong Yeon-shin, shielding his back.

Fsssshh—

In the middle of the dusky mist, he quietly closed the manual.

This was not the moment of the Divine Sword Corps Commander,

But of a collaborator of Zhongnan Sect—

The moment the secret text was completed.

At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin felt the contents of the preface flowing into his mind.

He hadn’t opened the book—yet it was clear.

[Protect it well.

Until the swordsman who can speak with the dead appears.

Until one arrives who treasures worldly connections,

And can exchange words with history.

That man is the Greatest Sword of this era.]