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The Martial Alliance Sichuan Branch Leader’s Office

Inside, a conversation was unfolding between the Branch Leader Mokriseon and Il Cheonggeom right after exchanging pleasantries.

“I received the information well. Thanks to the Branch Leader, the investigation will proceed more smoothly.”

“Not at all! If I can be of any help, I’ll prepare even more and come to see you.”

“Your goodwill is appreciated. It really makes me feel at ease.”

“Hahaha…”

As he spoke, Il Cheonggeom tucked the letter given by the Branch Leader into his bosom.

The information was plentiful. While the precise locations weren’t provided, there were overlapping sighting spots, so starting the search there seemed appropriate.

Originally, intel on the sect members, including the Sect Leader, was obtained from the Main Sect.

Il Cheonggeom didn’t think the search would be difficult.

The problem was.

‘How far along has the Star Dragon sect progressed?’

The Star Dragon sect had arrived three days earlier. It was crucial to assess how much they had unraveled the issue. That was the critical perspective to focus on.

‘…Star King.’

Just thinking about it made his expression twist.

What should he do about that damn bastard? Il Cheonggeom struggled to suppress his grinding teeth.

‘How dare….’

Crunch—! His fists clenched tightly.

Three days ago, Il Cheonggeom recalled the humiliation he had faced.

It was approximately two days into their journey to Sichuan when he received a letter from one of his members.

The letter ordered him to return to the Main Sect at once from the Gold Dragon Master and Star Dragon sect.

Caught off guard by the sudden letter, Il Cheonggeom panicked, but he quickly returned to the Main Sect without much thought.

The seal on the letter was too definitive to doubt.

There was no other explanation.

‘The seal of the alliance is made of rare treasures.’

With his unique betting method, he could confirm whether the letter was genuinely from the alliance. Thus, he was certain.

This letter came from the alliance, and simultaneously, it certainly came from Muk the Strategist.

His doubts were put to rest. Although they had initially set out together for a purpose, the alliance’s intent took precedence.

Thus, he returned to the Main Sect, only to find—

‘…What?’

Il Cheonggeom’s eyes widened instantly. He had heard a shocking statement.

-You’re saying there wasn’t any order sent?

None among the Main Sect, including Muk Yeon, claimed to have sent any order to Il Cheonggeom.

It was absurd. The seal made of rare treasures was right there! How could this even happen?

He couldn’t comprehend it. However, one thought crossed his mind.

‘No way.’

Strangely, Il Cheonggeom could think of a culprit. There was no physical evidence, but his suspicions were steadfast.

‘It’s that bastard.’

It had to be the Star King. It was his doing.

Il Cheonggeom thought so. The reason was simple.

The look in that bastard’s eyes when he received the letter. The smile he bore just before leaving came flooding back into his mind.

‘That punk…!’

Did the Star King mock him? Judging from that, Il Cheonggeom bit down on his teeth like they might break.

However, it was not a confirmed suspicion. There was no time to hesitate.

For now, he had to quickly set off for Sichuan with the Star Dragon sect.

If someone had forged the order and sent false information, he ought to halt the mission temporarily and revise the plan. However, Il Cheonggeom did not do that.

Part of this was due to his previous suspicions, and in addition—

‘Not yet.’

There was a reason why he specifically chose to go to Sichuan.

He wanted to return to Sichuan at all costs.

Therefore, he moved much faster than usual.

His members quickly reached their physical limits, but Il Cheonggeom ignored it and increased the pace.

Thanks to that, he managed to reduce the time difference in arriving in Sichuan.

And so, he faced the Star King once again. The moment he laid eyes on him, he was convinced.

‘So it’s definitely you.’

The intensity in his gaze, his breath, and even the momentum he exuded seemed to inform him without words.

He was declaring himself the culprit. How did it feel to be toyed with like this?

At that point, it was clear he never intended to hide anything.

With fury welling up to his throat, he rationally assessed his situation in the corner of his mind.

But why?

If it was indeed the Star King who meddled, how did he forge the seal made of rare treasures, and what could be his motives?

He couldn’t find an answer.

If it was simply to mess with him, he wouldn’t have chosen such a complicated approach.

The backlash he would face for this mischief was too great.

In Il Cheonggeom’s view, the Star King was not the sort to act so foolishly. If that’s the case, there must’ve been a reason to carry it out in this manner.

‘What could it be?’

For what purpose did he pull these stunts? Was it genuinely just to mess with him?

‘If that’s the case, he has committed a colossal mistake.’

Even if a genius thought the world was his, he has crossed a significant line this time.

No matter how meticulously he handled things, if he reached the point of forgery, physical evidence would surely remain, and he wouldn’t be able to easily brush it off.

While Il Cheonggeom turned his thoughts back to the present, he gradually focused his strength in his eyes.

A chilling intent seeped into his gaze.

‘Even without reaching the alliance,’

There may be no need for that. He had his own reasons for coming to Sichuan in the first place.

‘…That bastard can never return to Hanam.’

Perhaps he might face an accident during the mission, however slim the chance may be.

It was ordinary for someone to encounter accidents leading to death while investigating or moving forward for missions.

And with that in mind—

‘This time shouldn’t be any different.’

No matter how young a king he was, he wouldn’t be so different.

Accidents were inherently unpredictable.

As he contemplated this, Il Cheonggeom steadied his breath.

‘Whatever happens, do not have regrets.’

It was that bastard who stirred him from his calm state.

If he had simply refrained from appearing and intervening with him or the alliance, a lot of this could have been avoided.

But the one who created this situation was ultimately the Star King.

Just as he was about to move, he heard Mokriseon’s voice calling him.

“Oh, over there… Blue Dragon Master.”

Il Cheonggeom quickly rearranged his expression.

Even though he had clashed with the Star King just moments ago, his current expression seemed a tad ferocious.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah, it’s not that. I have one thing I’d like to ask separately.”

“Go ahead.”

“It concerns the Star Dragon Master…”

The Star Dragon Master? Feeling uneasy as it referred to the Star King, Il Cheonggeom’s eyes narrowed slightly.

At that moment—

“Our member claimed to have seen something before… Do you know anything about it?”

“What are you referring to?”

What could it be they saw? Il Cheonggeom questioned with curiosity, prompting Mokriseon to speak once more.

“Uh, there have been rumors that the Star King sometimes coughs up blood or seems unwell… Do you know anything about it?”

“…”

Il Cheonggeom’s expression twisted curiously at Mokriseon’s words.

“Is that really true?”

“Yes. We’ve tried to maintain strict confidentiality… but about this, you, Il Cheonggeom—”

“Good job.”

“Yes?”

“Please continue to manage this strictly as you have. This is something that still shouldn’t be known within the Main Sect.”

“Oh! I see now.”

Realizing this, Mokriseon finally had a look of comprehension.

“Then I will ensure to keep it a secret.”

“I appreciate it.” With that, Il Cheonggeom patted Mokriseon’s shoulder twice before turning to leave.

As he turned away, there was a slight lift at the corner of Il Cheonggeom’s mouth.

*

Soon after, the search for the Star Dragon sect began.

It proceeded based on the information Mokriseon provided. The area was not particularly vast.

There was ample information, plus they had previously verified some details.

Specifically, the locations where the Star Dragon sect had moved. Though they hadn’t officially shared information, it was still something they could deduce. This combined with Mokriseon’s information guided their search.

The primary objective was to track the movements of the Gyecheon Sect. They needed to confirm the precise locations before they could delve deeper.

The documents known to the alliance were almost in ruins.

While they could see a few people passing by, they didn’t appear to be members of the Gyecheon Sect, no matter how they looked.

‘It seems they have already relocated.’

It seemed they had moved long ago.

This led Il Cheonggeom to wonder if they had already left Sichuan.

‘That can’t be the case, given that all recent routes point to Sichuan.’

There were occasional sightings of movement outside of Sichuan, but those were in very limited numbers.

Most were spotted in Sichuan.

Moreover.

‘The Star Dragon sect isn’t searching outside of Sichuan.’

It was essential to thoroughly search all internally first.

‘At this speed…. In no more than fifteen days.’

Within that time, they seemed likely to catch a glimpse of the Gyecheon Sect.

“Great Lord.”

He turned his head at the voice. One of the members was handing him a letter.

“This is the search status for the eastern region.”

Receiving the letter, he examined it. The locations and circumstances were meticulously detailed.

“Nothing has been discovered in the current area.”

“Correct. They must be either further out… or perhaps…”

“Could they have utilized formations?”

“That seems to be a reasonable assessment.”

Formations, huh.

That could very much be the case. However.

“For now, we’ll keep that in mind but exclude it from searches until after the third day.”

“Understood.”

There wasn’t enough data to alter their search routes.

It was barely the first day. Expanding their scope too much would lead to obvious problems.

For now, it was best to handle this step by step.

“And this is…”

Just after he had finished marking the search process, it appeared that he had something else remaining.

“This is the action route of the Star Dragon Master that you requested.”

Hearing those words, Il Cheonggeom’s eyes sparkled.

They were far clearer than during the update on the search progress.

After accepting the letter, Il Cheonggeom’s eyes narrowed oddly.

“Is this all?”

“…I-I’m sorry.”

The urgency in the member’s voice made their response frantic.

“There were many eyes around, and the Star Dragon sect possesses high-level martial artists, so… this was the best I could do for now.”

“Tsk….”

While he wasn’t satisfied, he couldn’t find fault.

Just as the member had said, he knew this was the best approach.

The martial artists of the Star Dragon sect were of high caliber.

And not only that, but they were remarkably better than other troops.

Even excluding the Great Lord, there were four transformation realm martial artists.

Even if it was only the beginning, that many transformation realm martial artists were ludicrous.

This had certainly caused some pushback within the Main Sect, but Muk the Strategist had insisted on bringing these individuals himself, so it was deemed possible.

‘This is troublesome.’

With characters like these currently with the Star King in Sichuan, it was nearly impossible to keep an eye on him without being detected.

‘At this rate, even fifteen days might be difficult.’

To achieve his aim, he faced a steep mountain to climb. Il Cheonggeom gently bit his lip.

What should he do? Tying this into a mission was tough since he had yet to learn anything substantive.

“…You did well. You may head back for now.”

“Understood.”

After sending the member back, Il Cheonggeom bit down on his fingertips.

Perhaps he bit down a little too hard, as some blood entered his mouth.

“Gu Yangcheong.”

A face emerged in his mind that made him want to slice it off immediately.

Just thinking about it caused thoughts of killing intent to rise. It felt as if he had some kind of deep injury.

‘Looks like he has plenty of connections.’

The problem was the surrounding eyes. There were issues of importance in many respects.

‘This is the perfect time.’

It also made him feel impatient.

Il Cheonggeom had to forcibly tamp down the emotions swelling inside him.

That guy was strong. No matter how young, Il Cheonggeom had to acknowledge the realm he was in.

If he fought with all his strength, the outcome was uncertain.

It was absurd, but it was the reality. He could tell from just a few encounters.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, this guy might soon reach the level of teenage masters.

That is, he knew that’s why it was more critical to act now.

‘That guy has internal injuries.’

He wasn’t sure how severe or how deep they went, but he could tell he had internal injuries.

Somehow trying to control it, his energy still felt unstable.

It was evident even to the naked eye.

‘He couldn’t have intentionally emitted such energy.’

He could control his energy, but letting it flow so chaotically was impossible.

Should he go wrong, his energy could spiral out of control, possibly leading to an internal injury tribulation.

Such unease could scarcely be discerned without careful observation. It was nearly impossible to fine-tune that level of control.

‘So, having internal injuries is indeed a fact.’

The real problem, however, was.

‘Even in that state, he easily defeated the Gold Dragon Master.’

No matter how grievously injured, it didn’t mean he was weak.

As he brutally defeated the Gold Dragon Master, Il Cheonggeom witnessed it unfold.

The Star King ultimately triumphed over the Gold Dragon Master, and he did it with ease.

There was a hint of backlash from coughing blood and he appeared to feel some pain, but ultimately, he seemed just as strong.

Unless it were an illness, his internal injuries would heal, and if that were the case, the current situation wouldn’t be comparable.

Therefore, it was the opportune time.

Before he lost all chances, he needed to seize this opportunity.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Il Cheonggeom sighed. Both the Divine Dragon sect and Star Dragon sect had not yielded anything favorable.

It felt like everything he had meticulously built was shaking. This all seemed to have started with the emergence of the Star King.

However, even so.

‘I will not crumble.’

This was the height he had worked so hard to achieve. He absolutely wouldn’t fall for something so trivial. If he could shake off the distractions plaguing him, he surely wouldn’t waver at such foolishness.

Il Cheonggeom steadied his energy as if making a vow. And then—

Swish—! Whoosh—!!

Suddenly, as Il Cheonggeom drew his sword, he swung it.

The energy-infused sword blade cut through the air and abruptly halted as if aiming at someone.

“Who goes there?”

His voice, laced with energy, pierced into the surroundings. Il Cheonggeom’s gaze was resolute.

Though it seemed like nothing was present, something was undoubtedly there.

“If you don’t come out, I will strike.”

He warned once, and as no movement was registered, Il Cheonggeom’s sword traced a circle.

Just as his unique dazzling sword intent sliced through the night air.

“Excuse me.”

Someone materialized from what appeared to be empty space.

It was an elder with long black hair. Upon seeing him, Il Cheonggeom tightened his grip on the hilt.

‘Strong.’

The elder radiated strength.

By not being able to gauge his true realm, it suggested he was of a level comparable to Il Cheonggeom.

Who exactly was this guy? As he scrutinized the elder with heightened wariness, the elder spoke.

“I am Daehwan, leading the Gyecheon Sect.”

“…!”

As the elder introduced himself, Il Cheonggeom’s eyes widened.

 

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