Thud— Thud—!

The man, who was looking at the collapsing shrine with a blank expression, slowly raised the sword with a blood-red blade.

Beneath his feet lay numerous corpses, and in the center of them was an old nun.

For the nun, who was still breathing, the man raised his sword.

“What… is… power… that you… gave up… being human.”

At the old nun’s question, the man answered in a low voice.

“Everything.”

His sword pierced the nun’s heart.

Soon, the nun’s body shriveled up quickly, leaving only her skin.

The man who had killed even the last living nun, Ma Seongun, raised his head and looked up at the sky.

Even though he had fought without a break for a whole half a day, he did not feel any fatigue.

The only thing he could feel was an insatiable hunger.

“It feels like I’ve become a hungry ghost.”

Like the hungry ghosts of hell who can never feel full, Ma Seongun did not feel satisfied even though he had filled Mount Emei with blood and corpses.

There were no other emotions.

Guilt or fear for the slaughter.

As the size of the power accumulating in his body grew, Ma Seongun was losing his humanity.

There were no regrets.

“In the end, what’s important is power.”

Ma Seongun’s gaze went to the roof of the building that had not yet collapsed.

A hawk landed there.

It wasn’t that he was interested in a mere creature.

What he was interested in was the letter tied to the hawk’s leg.

Flap!

The hawk, which had instinctively sensed danger, flew up into the sky, but it was no use.

The sword ki that had flown faster than that struck the hawk’s neck.

Thud—!

The hawk, whose neck had been cut, fell powerlessly, and Ma Seongun took out the letter tied to the dead hawk’s leg and read it.

The content was simple.

A request for support to the Emei Sect to catch the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon.

“That’s a shame.”

The Emei Sect that had requested help was no more.

Ma Seongun sat calmly on the corpses of the dead nuns and sat cross-legged.

The foul smell of blood coming from the corpses could no longer be felt.

Like an immortal on a mountain of corpses.

Ma Seongun was quiet, but.

Inside him, the voice of desire, craving for more blood, was stirring vigorously.

***

Jin Sohyun, who had become the general fortress master of the Green Forest in a whirlwind, was spending busy days.

Of course, he didn’t have to worry about Cha Seol in the meantime.

Not only was she being escorted by Jeokmyeon and Gwan O, but even if they weren’t there, many bandits were following Cha Seol under Jin Sohyun’s permission to make many friends.

“How is that possible?”

Kang Seopyeong stared blankly at the bandits and fortress masters who were following Cha Seol as if they were possessed.

“Don’t be curious.”

Jin Sohyun stared straight ahead with his half-dead fish eyes.

In front of him, snow-covered mountains were visible.

Kang Seopyeong, who was also looking at the mountains that had turned white due to the snow, asked.

“They’re not beasts… will they be lured by something like that?”

“Yes. They didn’t have anything except their own weapons. They didn’t even pack the common Byeokgokdan.”

“Did they think they could just get what they needed by plundering?”

“That’s right.” 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“They’re more vicious than bandits like us.”

The reason why the group of men in black could launch an offensive throughout the Central Plains at such a tremendous speed was because they had nothing.

They crossed the Central Plains with light bodies and plundered from anyone if they needed something.

The targets were the martial factions and martial families.

They, who had stockpiled food in advance for the winter, were good prey for the group of men in black.

And Jin Sohyun used this to instruct the bandits to build a mountain fortress and grill meat there.

Because there would be no smell that would stimulate the sense of smell of the martial artists as much as the smell of burning meat.

Like a fisherman who had thrown a bait, Jin Sohyun looked at the mountain instead of the river.

“They will surely react.”

The group of men in black do not use the main roads.

It was more to not have their movements read than to be conscious of the government forces.

Because in the villages and cities connected to the main roads, there were always the beggars of the Beggars' Sect.

“Hmm.”

After sitting still and watching the mountain for several hours, an arrow was finally shot.

As an arrow with a red feather attached to it crossed the sky, Jin Sohyun shot up.

“They’re here.”

Hwiing—!

It wasn’t just one or two arrows.

‘The scale is quite large.’

Signals came from at least five mountains.

That meant that the scale of the group of men in black was larger than Kang Seopyeong had thought.

“Give the order. General Fortress…”

Before Kang Seopyeong could finish his words, Jin Sohyun’s body ran to the nearest mountain at a fast speed, as if folding space.

The speed was so fast that he didn’t even dare to follow.

“Ugh! Damn it! We’re going there.”

Kang Seopyeong ran down the slope with the bandits of ten mountain fortresses, including Gil Simun.

Kung— kung—!!

Jin Sohyun, who was crossing a distance of dozens of zhang with a single leap, approached the bandits who were running with all their might just to live.

“General Fortress Master!!”

“Aaaargh! Run!!”

“You sons of bitches! Don’t you dare stop there!?”

Fifteen bandits and the group of men in black who were chasing them.

Jin Sohyun took out a flying sword from his bosom and shot it quickly with internal energy.

Ping—!!

The flying sword imbued with the power of lightning flashed with a blue lightning ki and flew past the faces of the bandits to the group of men in black.

“Ugh!”

The moment the flying sword that had passed through five men in black was embedded in the ground, Jin Sohyun appeared above it.

Jin Sohyun rotated his body in the air and threw his flying sword, and the nine flying swords were shot in all directions.

Kwagagang—!!

The time it took for the flying swords that had poured down like rain to kill thirty men in black was literally an instant.

“Wh-what…?”

The bandits who had stopped running looked at the group of men in black who had at some point become corpses and had died, and their mouths fell open.

“Where’s the General Fortress Master?”

“He’s already gone.”

“…He’s not human.”

After that, Jin Sohyun hunted the group of men in black, crossing mountains and mountains, following the signals of the bandits who had become bait.

‘As quickly as possible before they notice.’

He had to deal with them before the group of men in black realized that he had appeared.

Jin Sohyun, who was crossing the mountains faster than a leopard, pouring out his internal energy without reservation, continued his hunt until the sun that had risen in the sky disappeared over the ridge.

“Is this the end?”

Jin Sohyun, who had arrived at the mountain where the last signal had been sent, picked up his flying sword with his own hands and let out a heavy breath.

In the meantime, Kang Seopyeong and the bandits also arrived at the mountain where Jin Sohyun was.

“Phew! This is no ordinary matter.”

He, too, had been through several fights with the group of men in black, and his whole body was wet with sweat and blood.

“How many times has that fellow repeated this?”

Kang Seopyeong looked at Jin Sohyun with a fed-up face.

Each and every fight was so difficult that he had to risk his life.

But Jin Sohyun had repeated such a fight countless times.

To the point where the smell of blood on his hands could not be washed away.

“There are no missed ones, right?”

“Probably… not.”

“It would be a problem if there were. Next time, those bastards will threaten the Green Forest.”

“That’s right.”

While the two were talking, Gil Simun approached and stood in front of Jin Sohyun, not Kang Seopyeong, and reported the situation.

“Of the three hundred bandits used as bait, fifty-five have died. The number of lightly and seriously injured seems to be around a hundred.”

“…”

Jin Sohyun’s face, who had heard the report, showed a sense of complexity.

‘Even though it was composed of only the fast-footed bandits, it’s this much?’

Even though he had moved as quickly as possible so that there would be no casualties, a larger number of bandits than he had thought had lost their lives.

“That’s the life of a thief. It’s a bandit’s life to be robbed by merchants and then to lose their lives in the hands of a master who appears from somewhere. Don’t worry about it too much.”

Even with Kang Seopyeong’s advice, Jin Sohyun’s heart was not at ease.

At that, Kang Seopyeong approached and put his arm around his shoulder.

“Did you think no one would die?”

“That’s not it, but… I didn’t know so many would die.”

“That’s what war is like. If you don’t harden your heart, you’ll be eaten first. By the madness that war brings.”

The madness that war brings.

Jin Sohyun suddenly looked down at his hands.

Although there were no actual bloodstains, the thick smell of blood brushed against the tip of his nose.

Jin Sohyun, who had clenched his open hands, looked back.

‘Did something happen.’

The spies of the Hao Sect, who had always informed him of the movements of the Heretic Path's Alliance and the heretic path forces, had at some point stopped coming.

Since they had come to find Jin Sohyun wherever he was, it wasn’t that they couldn’t find him.

Then there was a high possibility that something had happened to the Hao Sect.

Or they had betrayed him.

“Let’s go.”

Jin Sohyun stopped thinking and turned around.

He had no time to stand still.

***

“Have you come?”

Mu Yu’s eyes scanned Wiso, the Hao Sect Master who had come to find him.

“You called, Great General Manager.”

“Sit here.”

Wiso, who had sat down according to Mu Yu’s guidance, slowly looked around.

No presence could be found there.

“Are you looking for something?”

“No. I just remembered a piece of advice I heard from someone when I was young.”

“Hoho. If it’s a piece of advice that the Hao Sect Master has not forgotten until now, it must be something extraordinary. Can you tell me too?”

“It’s nothing great. It’s just.”

Wiso lifted the teacup placed on his seat.

“A piece of advice… to be careful of excessive silence.”

Wiso and Mu Yu’s gazes met.

“And this place is too quiet.”

“Is it strange?”

“It’s not strange.”

“Have some tea. I didn’t put any poison in it.”

Wiso drank the tea without hesitation.

“You don’t doubt my words.”

“If the Great General Manager wanted to kill me, there would be no need to put poison in the tea.”

“Hao Sect Master.”

“Yes, General Manager.”

“You and the Hao Sect have worked for this alliance for a very long time. I also think I have treated you well for that.”

“That’s right.”

Mu Yu moistened his lips with tea.

“Why did you betray me.”

“…”

Mu Yu, who had put down his teacup, asked again with a face that seemed to not understand.

“Why did you betray this alliance? It’s natural for a field mouse to move its home to a more abundant granary, but you and the Hao Sect are not ordinary field mice. Well, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re a mouse, though.”

“What do you think, General Manager.”

“What do you mean?”

“How do you evaluate the man named Jin Sohyun.”

As Jin Sohyun’s name flowed from Wiso’s mouth, Mu Yu’s eyes changed.

Although his face was angry, a smile spread across his lips.

“The worst. If it weren’t for that bastard… the great cause of this alliance would have been achieved long ago.”

“That’s right. Jin Sohyun is such a being. I’m a mouse, so it’s natural for me to move my home to a place with more delicious food.”

“Does Jin Sohyun seem more delicious than this alliance?”

“That’s right.”

“Phew… Hao Sect Master. I thought you were very wise. But now I see that you were just a… commoner.”

Seuk—

From the place where there was no presence, five figures appeared.

And they were people that Wiso also knew well.

“You are the Five Evils.”

“They are a sword that is too good to be used to catch a mouse.”

Wiso drank all the remaining tea in his cup and leaned back comfortably.

“It’s an honor.”

“If you have any last words, say them now. I will listen.”

“Even if I die, the Hao Sect will not disappear.”

“No. It will disappear. The moment the Heretic Path's Alliance takes the world in its hands, commoners like you will not even be able to raise your heads, and you will not even have a place to set foot.”

“Did you ask me why I betrayed the Heretic Path's Alliance.”

Wiso slowly stood up from his chair.

“Because I could not see the future of the Hao Sect on the path that the Heretic Path's Alliance was going.”

“Hehehe… then I’ll ask.”

Mu Yu also stood up from his seat and faced Wiso.

“Now that you’ve chosen Jin Sohyun… can you see the future.”

“Maybe.”

“Yes. If that is the will of the Hao Sect… rest in peace now.”

As Mu Yu waved his hand and turned around, the One Sword Absolute Evil, Yi Changsu, among the five evils, stepped forward and gripped his sword hilt.

“There are no personal feelings.”

“I’m sure.”

Wiso smiled faintly, and the moment Yi Changsu’s sword was drawn from its scabbard at the speed of a moment.

Three martial artists broke into their front.

“Let me introduce you. These are the travelers that our Hao Sect has…”

Three martial artists approached Wiso’s side as if to escort him.

“They are the Ghost Star Travelers.”

(End of Chapter)