Chapter 541

“......You are strong, Young master.”

“Strong...... It would be more accurate to say that I am not weak.”

And then—

“What you said about acting for Sichuan was nothing more than a facade in the end.”

The wording was slightly different, but the essence was the same. Lu Han did not refute him.

Because it was true.

And excuses did not suit the defeated.

“You tried to gather the subordinate sects and increase your influence within the Sichuan Alliance. You meant to take advantage of Alliance Leader Kang’s death. You encouraged division while trying to place yourself at the center of it.”

Lu Han looked at Unhwi.

He did not deny this either.

“As things often go in this world, there are plenty of times when matters do not turn out as you intended.”

“.......”

“You should have kept your desires hidden in the shadows and chosen your enemy more carefully.”

Lu Han had been glaring at Unhwi through bloodshot eyes.

Slowly, those eyes closed.

That was as far as he went.

His eyes never opened again.

His body collapsed forward.

Unhwi did not catch him.

He simply let him fall.

Thud.

The main hall was silent.

Broken pillars.

A cracked floor.

Through the collapsed roof, the sky of Sichuan could be seen.

Ju Soa stepped out from behind a pillar, brushing dust from herself.

She looked at Unhwi.

Blood was running from his shoulder.

And from his flank.

Two wounds.

The fact that he had suffered even that much was, in itself, proof of Lu Han’s strength, but she did not say it aloud.

Unhwi spoke toward the entrance of the main hall.

“The Azure Dragon Sect is hereby dissolved.”

No one knew how long they had been standing there, but Azure Dragon Sect martial artists had crowded around the entrance.

Dozens of them.

Some held swords.

Yet not one of them had been able to enter.

Because they had seen what was inside the main hall.

The Elders lying on the floor.

Dust and wreckage.

And the two people still standing.

“Settle everything within three days. After that, any sect that still bears the Azure Dragon Sect’s sign will be considered to have shared in the Azure Dragon Sect’s choice.”

No one spoke.

Unhwi walked out.

The martial artists split apart to either side.

Ju Soa followed behind him.

The instant they passed through the gate, a sound came from behind them.

It was difficult to tell whether it was grief or rage.

Unhwi did not look back.

He mounted his horse.

Ju Soa mounted beside him.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“So have you.”

Ju Soa gave a small laugh.

“What hardship? I was just doing what I always do.”

Unhwi took the reins.

The road through Sichuan stretched ahead.

Their horses galloped side by side.

***

They returned to the Sichuan Alliance around sunset.

The moment they dismounted, someone hurried toward them.

It was Liu Zhenheng.

He was not running.

He was walking quickly.

But there was something in his pace that said everything.

It was urgent.

“Young master.”

“What happened?”

Liu Zhenheng pulled a sheet of paper from inside his robes.

It had been folded.

He held it out to Unhwi.

Unhwi unfolded it and read.

It was not long.

But it contained a great deal.

—

A lackey of the Blood Heaven Sect is staining the name of the Sichuan Alliance. The Iron Mountain Sect witnessed the fall of the Azure Dragon Sect. We will not bow our heads beneath a beast of the Blood Heaven Sect. Those who wish to defend the name of Sichuan, knock upon the gates of the Iron Mountain Sect.

—

Unhwi folded the paper.

“When did this begin circulating?”

“As soon as word spread that the Sect Leader of the Azure Dragon Sect was dead. Almost simultaneously.”

Unhwi nodded.

“They were waiting.”

He handed the paper back to Liu Zhenheng.

“Waiting...... Did you expect this?”

“I thought someone might make a move. Let us go inside first.”

Liu Zhenheng fell into step beside Unhwi as he walked inside.

Ju Soa followed behind them, listening to their conversation.

Unhwi asked,

“What kind of place is the Iron Mountain Sect?”

The answer came immediately.

“It is the largest of the Sichuan Alliance’s subordinate sects. It has several hundred martial artists alone. It is not merely a sect. It controls public order throughout much of central Sichuan and holds the major trade routes. Its Leader is Bu Guishan. Have you heard of him?”

Unhwi shook his head.

“He is one of the foremost experts to have reached the Boundless Manifestation Realm. In terms of realm alone, he stands on the same level as the Great Elder, but he has remained there for so long that he cannot be considered an ordinary Boundless Manifestation expert...... There are even rumors that he is approaching the Peach Blossom Fist Realm, though he has not reached that level yet. That is the kind of martial artist he is.”

Unhwi showed no surprise.

Nor did he stop walking.

“Does he have ties to Gun Mugeol?”

Liu Zhenheng narrowed his eyes.

“Why do you think so?”

“He waited for the Azure Dragon Sect to fall before making his move. And his declaration spread quickly. You said it began circulating almost the moment news of the Azure Dragon Sect’s dissolution got out.”

“.......”

“Then the Azure Dragon Sect was bait. Either Gun Mugeol arranged it that way, or he had already reached out to both the Azure Dragon Sect and the Iron Mountain Sect. Either way, the picture is the same. The Azure Dragon Sect moved first and wore me down, then the Iron Mountain Sect stepped forward to strike.”

Liu Zhenheng looked at [N O V E L I G H T] Unhwi.

“If that is true, then confronting the Iron Mountain Sect in your current condition—”

“It does not matter.”

Liu Zhenheng faltered.

“You were wounded at the Azure Dragon Sect.”

“It cannot be helped.”

Whether Unhwi was wounded or not was not what mattered.

Gun Mugeol was thorough.

What if—

What if Kang Cheonwoo had never met Unhwi?

The Sichuan Alliance would have collapsed from within.

The Azure Dragon Sect.

The Iron Mountain Sect.

If both organizations rose in rebellion, the Sichuan Alliance could not avoid a devastating blow.

And once the Sichuan Alliance had been crippled like that, Gun Mugeol would simply swallow it whole.

These were moves Gun Mugeol had prepared long ago.

They had to be removed.

Liu Zhenheng watched Unhwi for a moment.

Then he said nothing more.

Unhwi continued walking.

He entered the main hall.

Ju Soa followed him inside.

Unhwi sat down.

For a moment, he closed his eyes.

He was settling the energy within his body.

The effects of what he had suffered at the Azure Dragon Sect still lingered throughout him.

His shoulder.

His flank.

Two wounds.

Neither was deep.

Ju Soa quietly sat beside him.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are we going straight to the Iron Mountain Sect?”

Without opening his eyes, Unhwi answered.

“Judging by the contents of the declaration, we have no choice but to deal with it today.”

That was true.

The declaration was far too direct.

Far too aggressive.

It was practically a challenge to a fight.

“At this point, we have no reason to wait for them either.”

Ju Soa asked,

“What about taking martial artists from the Sichuan Alliance with us?”

Unhwi shook his head.

“My justification for holding this position is that I am carrying out Senior Kang’s dying wishes. And right now, many people still distrust me. If I take the Alliance’s martial artists with me in a situation like this, their position becomes complicated.”

“Because then it becomes Sichuan Alliance people killing people of Sichuan on the orders of someone from the Blood Heaven Sect?”

“Yes.”

Ju Soa fell silent.

She immediately understood what he meant.

More importantly, the decision had already been made.

Still, she asked just in case.

“I’m going too, right?”

Unhwi opened his eyes.

“Were you planning not to?”

“As if. What do you take me for?”

Unhwi gave a faint laugh and rose from his seat.

His wounds were treated quickly.

It did not take long.

They were not deep.

He straightened his clothes and belted his sword back on.

“Let’s go.”

Ju Soa smiled.

“Yes, my lord.”

***

The Iron Mountain Sect was enormous.

It was not merely a martial sect.

It controlled public order throughout much of central Sichuan and dominated the major trade routes.

It was closer to a small power in its own right than a simple sect.

There were many buildings.

Many people.

A great deal of money.

And many martial artists guarding all of it.

When Unhwi and Ju Soa stopped their horses before the main gate of the Iron Mountain Sect, someone was already waiting outside.

Bu Guishan.

He was in his early fifties.

A large man.

Broad shoulders.

A thick neck.

He had the build of a man who looked more suited to moving mountains than practicing martial arts.

Martial artists stood behind him.

They were not in formation.

They had simply gathered.

Yet there were already a great many of them within sight.

Unhwi dismounted.

Bu Guishan looked at him.

His gaze traveled openly from head to toe.

It was the gaze of a man making an appraisal.

He really is as young as the rumors say.

With that thought, Bu Guishan slowly spoke.

“You have come a long way. If you have something to say, then say it.”

“There is no rush.”

Bu Guishan gave a small laugh.

“No rush...... Then perhaps you should catch your breath first.”

“There is no breath to catch.”

Bu Guishan folded his arms.

“I have heard that the Heavenly Wayfarer, Leader of the Blood Heaven Sect and Supreme Master of the Martial World, respects the path chosen by a martial artist.”

“That is correct.”

“I have heard that a man bears the consequences of his own choices, and that the Heavenly Wayfarer respects those choices. Is that also correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then if you die here, the Blood Heaven Sect will not intervene. After all, coming here was your choice.”

Silence fell for a moment.

Ju Soa’s hand moved toward her sword.

Unhwi remained calm.

“That information came from Gun Mugeol.”

Bu Guishan narrowed his eyes.

“......You are certainly direct.”

“There is no reason to speak around it. But you are not denying it.”

“Why would I?”

Bu Guishan squared his shoulders.

“It is true that you came to Sichuan without the backing of the Blood Heaven Sect. It is also true that I know it. And if you die here, what I stand to gain is equally obvious.”

“The position of Alliance Leader of the Sichuan Alliance.”

Bu Guishan grinned.

“Even if Gun Mugeol absorbs the Sichuan Alliance, he will preserve its name. And I will be the one sitting in that seat.”

“So.”

Unhwi spoke.

“You want a duel to the death? With the position at stake?”

Bu Guishan laughed.

This time, it was not a short laugh.

He laughed loudly and heartily.

“A duel to the death? What kind of man do you take me for, Young master?”

The laughter vanished.

“I am a merchant before I am a martial artist. A merchant uses the surest method available.”

Bu Guishan turned around.

He raised one hand.

The gates of the Iron Mountain Sect opened.

People poured out.

Hundreds of them.

There was no point trying to count.

Armed martial artists filled the area both inside and outside the gates.

They did not form ranks.

They simply poured out.

From every direction.

People climbed onto the walls.

Onto the rooftops.

They surrounded Unhwi and Ju Soa.

Completely.

There was no direction left to escape.

And the situation itself meant that all of this had been prepared in advance.

It would have been impossible to gather this many people in such a short time otherwise.

Bu Guishan stepped backward.

“I wanted to see just how far the Blood Heaven Arbiter’s strength truly extends. Whether the rumors were exaggerated, or whether they were true.”

Then he added,

“Once you have used it all up, I will personally find out for myself.”

Unhwi looked around once.

Then he looked at Ju Soa.

“You take half.”

Ju Soa, who had been drawing her sword, froze.

There looked to be more than fifty martial artists of the Four Realms of Heaven and Earth alone.

“......Half?”

“If half is too many, take as many as you can.”

“Oh, come on.”

Ju Soa gave a small laugh and stepped forward.