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Chapter 7: The Chaotic Gathering

“Uh-oh.”

Feeling the gazes pouring in, I wore an awkward expression.

Who would have thought it would all unravel so quickly?

No matter how much I forced a smile, nobody else laughed. They all stared at me with wide eyes.

Having their eyes glued on me felt both burdensome and strange.

“Is it really that shocking?”

I honestly couldn’t understand why they were so surprised.

“Why can’t they just do this easy thing?”

All they had to do was grab it and pull! Instead, they kept fidgeting, making excuses and wasting time.

Thus, I found it utterly incomprehensible.

“Is this really that hard?”

What on earth was so complicated? Just do it as it appears!

“Hmm…”

A doubt crossed my mind.

Could it be that I was the strange one here?

If they were that shocked, it must mean my actions were indeed very peculiar…

“What’s going on?”

I pondered seriously.

What could be the reason they found me so odd?

What made it so difficult?

“Could it be because of the Heart Eye?”

Whether one can see the difference in the flow of energy or not.

If that’s the difference, then the cause could be my Heart Eye.

The Heart Eye allows one to read the flow of energy, making it easier to grasp techniques with it.

What this implies is—

“Is the Heart Eye specialized for unraveling formations?”

That could be possible.

Otherwise, their reaction would be hard to explain.

Then comes the really big question.

“Why didn’t the Martial Master tell me this?”

That made this the biggest mystery of all.

If the Martial Master knew the Heart Eye had such abilities, surely they would have mentioned it, yet there was no sign of such an explanation at all.

“Hmm…”

For now, I decided to ask the Martial Master about this later.

Suuuuu–!!

Before long, the barrier that had slowly been lifted completely vanished around the pavilion.

The barrier that had bound several teenage masters and numerous transformation realm martial artists dissipated feebly.

“It’s… lifted!”

“The barrier is gone…!”

“Lord of the Pavilion–!!”

“Quick, bring the Clan Leader!”

As the barrier vanished, the martial artists rushed in as though they had been waiting for it. Though the pavilion stood quite high, they all climbed quickly due to their proficiency.

Watching their hurried movements, I narrowed my eyes slightly.

“Nice.”

The situation was slightly different from what I expected, but regardless, I had succeeded in unraveling the barrier, and it had taken much less time than half a day.

That was all that mattered.

This would serve as enough groundwork for my final plan in this endeavor.

Thud.

Someone fell beside me.

In an instant, I felt a chill in the air.

The presence of that figure felt significantly unnerving.

“Haha.”

I had to stifle a laugh as soon as I saw the culprit.

It was the current Clan Leader, Geomseon.

His expression was all scrunched up, not making an effort to hide his feelings.

No matter how much I ignored him, he was a top-tier master of the Central Plains.

With his aura unleashed, others around him had no choice but to shrink back.

It was a strong presence.

“…”

Before any other figures could approach, Geomseon descended, his body stiffening as he spotted someone.

That someone being the Heavenly Lord.

“…Senior.”

Geomseon spoke, and the Heavenly Lord replied.

“It’s been a while. I suppose I must call you Clan Leader now.”

“Why have you come here?”

The Heavenly Lord smiled, but Geomseon’s expression remained grim.

Or rather, it had grown even more grim.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be reachable for a while?”

“That was true. My feelings haven’t changed.”

“Then… what does this mean?”

“Hmm.”

The moment he began to speak, the Heavenly Lord suddenly turned to look at me.

At that sight, I immediately shook my head.

“I just had something to attend to.”

“…”

Fortunately, this time, the mention of the Young Master didn’t come up.

After all, rumors were bound to spread, and it wouldn’t be long before they reached Geomseon’s ears, but for now, I wished to avoid it.

Once Geomseon mentioned the Heavenly Lord, only then did the others send him glances.

It seemed they were in such a hurry that they hadn’t noticed the Heavenly Lord’s presence.

“The Heavenly Lord is here?”

“Then, surely, the thunder we heard earlier…?”

Although we were quite a distance from where the demon beasts were summoned, the thunderclap must have been loud enough to be seen from here.

Truthfully, it would have been odd not to notice something that large.

“Did you help with this, Senior?”

“Not at all. I merely lent a bit of help at the end. The real work was done by the others.”

“…”

“From the looks of it, it appears you’ve been through some uncomfortable situations, Clan Leader. Are you all right?”

“…You don’t need to worry about me.”

Geomseon said with a voice that had deeply settled.

“This is a matter of the Clan. I will handle it myself.”

“…Hmm.”

The Heavenly Lord let out a shallow sigh upon hearing his words.

He appeared to be displeased.

“Clan Leader.”

“…Yes.”

Geomseon looked ready to burst at any moment.

While observing him, the Heavenly Lord continued speaking.

“I know from experience that this path leads further into the depths, not to the exit.”

“…What are you suddenly talking about?”

“I hope you’ll realize someday, but I wish for it to be before it’s too late.”

“…”

Geomseon frowned slightly upon hearing his words, but that was where it ended.

There was no more meaning in further words.

He surely had a mountain of tasks to get done immediately.

“…Cheongryong Great Lord and Bi Mapah.”

“Yes—!”

“Yes, yes…!”

Upon being called, Il Cheonggeom and Seomgeom approached and offered their respect to the Clan Leader.

The Clan Leader looked at them and asked.

“I will give you time, so after you tidy up, report to me in detail what the situation is.”

“…I will obey.”

Having received the command, the Great Lords moved, and within the settled air, Geomseon’s gaze shifted.

That gaze soon fell on me.

“…”

His eyes were filled with a myriad of emotions, a gaze brimming with unspeakable thoughts.

I stared back into Geomseon’s eyes quietly.

Was he hoping I would bow?

What were his intentions? I wondered for a moment, waiting.

“From what I gather, it seems that unraveling the barrier was your doing.”

“Yes.”

I nodded at Geomseon’s words.

Were he going to inquire about that?

“How did you do it?”

“…Pardon?”

I was taken aback by the question.

“How did I do it…?”

“…I just did it, that’s all?”

Was my answer not satisfactory? Geomseon’s expression crumpled.

But what could I do?

“No, really… I just did it.”

What was he expecting me to say?

I couldn’t provide further explanation, no matter how I tried.

“It loosened up just by pulling it apart.”

“…”

To be exact, I pulled apart the areas that seemed like they would loosen up, but I didn’t know it would actually work.

“…Anyway, isn’t it good that it worked out?”

It was all good as long as it was undone, right?

I tried saying that, but Geomseon’s expression remained unchanged. I wondered what the issue was when suddenly—

“The barrier that had bound these people and even the Wind Dragon Great Lord wasn’t easy to lift. It’s hardly believable that you managed to do it so effortlessly.”

“…”

Oh, I see.

Only then did I realize what Geomseon meant.

That old man.

“Is he doubting me?”

It was a formation that even Bi Mapah, renowned for her mastery of formations, struggled with for an extensive time.

If I had effortlessly torn it apart, it must have looked suspicious to Geomseon.

Moreover.

“It’s odd that my presence would appear here.”

Waltzing in with the Heavenly Lord in the limelight would be puzzling in itself.

“To be blunt, it’s only natural he would feel suspicious of me.”

That’s fascinating, indeed.

He was sharp-witted beyond what I expected.

“Although I did come out hastily, to think he would suspect me right upon arrival. As I said before, Geomseon doesn’t seem like a foolish man.”

However.

“Even if you ask me like that… I don’t have much to say. It worked, so it worked.”

What’s he gonna do about it if he has doubts?

Simply saying, “I tried it, and it worked,” doesn’t require any further elaboration.

Geomseon’s doubts wouldn’t change a thing.

My bold attitude might have appeared to rile him, as the lines in Geomseon’s forehead deepened.

“…You brat.”

Just then, as Geomseon approached me—

“Clan Leader–!!”

“Get a grip!”

Loud voices came from behind us.

Immediately, everyone’s gaze shifted.

The location was precisely where the barrier had been placed earlier.

It was where Bi Mapah had been releasing the barrier, and where the noise originated.

“Clan Leader…!! Quickly, get a physician!”

Those from Wind Dragon Order shouted urgently.

With good reason, the Bi Mapah, who had been manipulating the technique moments ago, had collapsed.

Blood oozed out profusely, her breaths incredibly weak.

“Huff… huff….”

“Clan Leader… please–!”

Her gaze was nearly unfocused. As I looked into those eyes, it became clear.

Bi Mapah was certainly looking at me.

While the others may not have noticed, I was convinced.

Her eyes were losing their life force.

I stood watching her for a brief moment.

“Clan Leader—!!”

Not long after, Bi Mapah finally took her last breath.

It was the sudden demise of Bi Mapah. As everyone panicked amid the unexpected event—

“Is it now?”

I secretly nodded.

Now was the opportune moment. I gathered strength in my heart.

[Prepare.]

It was a signal sent to the gluttony beast that was groaning somewhere.

It was truly time to execute the final plan.

As the brief moment passed—

Suuuuuu—!!

“Eh?”

At that instant, while everyone was fixated on Bi Mapah’s death—

One of the martial artists glanced upward as if he discovered something.

“Look, everyone look over there…!!”

With the shout, heads turned.

Then, something began to slowly rise into the sky.

It was unmistakably visible, even without straining to look.

Under the gradually clearing sky, something of massive size appeared.

While it was relatively smaller than the crimson emblem that had arisen previously, it was incomparable in stature.

The reason being—

“That’s a living being.”

Unlike the phenomena that resembled a symbol, this was undeniably a living creature.

Something of vast size that couldn’t even be hidden by the clouds.

To put it bluntly, one would be more afraid of that.

“What on earth is that?”

Was it not over yet?

Thinking that, despair gradually seeped into everyone’s expressions.

[Growl—!!!]

A rough growl resonated, shaking the ground.

Could it be that the beast emitted that sound? It was unbelievable.

As everyone heightened their guard, gazing at the monster—

“…Something is coming.”

Something appeared to be dropping from the writhing entity in the air.

Slowly descending was, surprisingly, a person.

With arms folded behind and a black martial robe fluttering.

That was certainly a human form.

“…Could it be…?”

Someone, recognizing the figure, expressed surprise.

“…Heavenly Demon…!”

The softly whispered words struck loudly for some reason.

The one who proclaimed himself as the Heavenly Demon, the instigator of this ambush.

The leader of the mysterious organization that had been unraveling a bloodstorm across the Central Plains.

The Heavenly Demon.

Once again, he revealed his presence.

I gripped my heart painfully as I watched the Heavenly Demon slowly descend.

“Just half a moment….”

Just hold out for that much.

Recalling the limits of what my mind and energy could withstand, I focused.

This was—

The final operation I had prepared for them.

 

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