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The atmosphere instantly turned cold as the conversation was cut short.

What should I do… How can I resolve this? As I pondered…

“…was.”

The Gyecheon Sect Leader began to speak again, pretending not to notice.

‘Wow, he’s really going on with this.’

I wanted to point it out, but since he was finally sharing some information, I held back.

“Do you have any idea how ugly and terrifying it is to call something like that a righteous faction?”

“Really? And so what?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. You… you’re definitely not a righteous faction that dreams of justice and cooperation.”

I sensed hesitation in his voice. He definitely flinched when he looked at me. It was as if he was unsure whether he was part of a righteous faction or not. That caught my attention.

“Not a true righteous faction? Then who is the true righteous faction?”

Creak! The Gyecheon Sect Leader stood up as he spoke.

“Ilcheongyo. They are the true righteous faction that carries on their will.”

“Hmm?”

Why did Ilcheongyo suddenly become the righteous faction? There was no time to express my confusion.

“…I’ll make sure to handle things as you say. One—don’t be under any illusions.”

With a swift motion, the sword that had been floating in the air returned to the Gyecheon Sect Leader.

“This is a deal. While you get what you want, Gyecheon will also…!”

“Uh. I know. I know.”

I waved my hand as if to say not to worry.

I was aware of how much the Gyecheon Sect Leader was pushing it.

I had heard about it last time.

That is to say.

“Make me part of the righteous faction. That’s what you want.”

To be precise, he wanted me to speak to the main sect and ensure he could break away from the demonic faction. That was his wish.

This meant that the Gyecheon Sect Leader wanted to escape the demonic faction.

After the Gyecheon Sect Leader left, I sat quietly in the room, staring at the ceiling.

As the serene atmosphere continued, I casually muttered.

“Could you step out for a moment?”

“Yes.”

“Whoa!”

I flinched and lowered my head. Someone was sitting in a space where there had been no one.

Yeonhong… no, it was the King of Demons disguised as Yeonhong.

“Did you call for me?”

“…Ah, yes.”

It was hard to respond. Although the appearance was Yeonhong, the voice was that of the King of Demons. That sense of incongruity was difficult to bear, but I decided to hold my tongue.

“…Oh, it’s not anything else. I just wanted to thank you for your help.”

“It’s nothing.”

“…”

“…”

That was the end of the conversation.

There was nothing more to continue. Since it wasn’t particularly strange, I carefully stood up.

Having dealt with the Gyecheon Sect Leader, it was time for me to take care of my own tasks.

As I thought that and started to move…

“Are you alright?”

The King of Demons spoke to me.

“What do you mean?”

What is okay? I looked at him, puzzled by his strange question.

“Are you fine with sending Daehwan away like that? If you’d like, I can take care of it.”

“…”

His nonchalant words were chilling. The confidence that he could take care of anything if he wanted was genuinely frightening.

How lucky I was that he wasn’t my real enemy.

“No, well… doesn’t matter much.”

“It seems your intentions weren’t good.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

It was clear that the Gyecheon Sect Leader was plotting something; that much was obvious.

“Doesn’t matter.”

It wasn’t anything that affected me too much. I had expected it anyway.

“I made it happen intentionally.”

It was something I had desired to create.

I didn’t know how things would unfold, but the Gyecheon Sect Leader was bound to stir things up.

He merely grabbed my hand because he had his own desires; he wouldn’t just let it lie.

Even knowing that, I intended to let it happen for a reason.

“After all, I’ll be clearing them both out later, so it’s better to put them together a bit now.”

A little scratching was necessary, and considering Il Cheonggeom, I needed to lay the groundwork like this in advance.

The only concern I had was that if the Gyecheon Sect Leader became more involved than I expected.

‘From what I saw today, I don’t think that’s likely.’

He seemed to have a more cautious character than I thought. Thanks to that, I felt I didn’t need to worry about this part.

“But if there’s a bit of a problem…”

I stopped mid-sentence and slightly turned my gaze away from the King of Demons.

‘About what he said about Ilcheongyo.’

You rotten roots aren’t a true righteous faction. You’re fake.

The true righteous faction is Ilcheongyo. I recalled what the Gyecheon Sect Leader had said.

“Hmm.”

Why did he say that?

As I delved into that thought…

‘Ilcheongyo. The true righteous faction.’

I stroked my chin, as my thoughts began to coalesce.

It was strange. Why did he mention that they were a true righteous faction?

And what is Ilcheongyo exactly? It was still an ambiguous situation to think of anything.

In that circumstance, I threw out a hypothesis.

One that seemed odd to tie together, yet could indeed be tied.

A singular anomaly he experienced, or rather, that he might experience.

Wasn’t there a known fact from the previous life?

‘Gyecheon and the opportunity of the Gyecheon Sect Leader.’

In the past, they said that they obtained opportunities by raiding the Geumcheon Clan’s Biwaegun. Now it seemed they had acquired some form of an opportunity as well.

As for why I was certain about this… the reason was evident.

‘The opportunity at Biwaegun was something I obtained.’

The space known as Biwaegun of Geumcheon Clan had been claimed by me in this life, thus the opportunity within it became mine.

It had been confirmed that the space itself had disappeared afterward. So what was the case with the Gyecheon Sect Leader? I naturally thought he must have acquired his opportunities from somewhere else, but…

‘No way.’

What if the Gyecheon Sect Leader had indeed obtained the opportunities from Geumcheon Clan?

And if the identity of that opportunity was connected to Ilcheongyo?

‘The name itself being Ilcheongyo is suspect.’

The past world’s best, Yeon Ilcheon. The coincidence of his name made me feel uneasy. Furthermore, didn’t the Gyecheon Sect Leader just say something?

‘Ilcheongyo is the true righteous faction.’

What did he mean by that? As I pondered deeply, something peculiar crossed my mind.

‘…Righteous faction?’

What is a righteous faction?

Before explaining its values or ideals, I first considered who defines a righteous faction.

There was no need for long searching. This very place is that place.

‘Martial Alliance.’

In this world, whether one is a righteous faction or not does not adhere to the values of the martial artists.

It’s often based solely on whether one belongs to the Martial Alliance.

And the Martial Alliance, which was founded by…

‘Yeon Ilcheon, who once repelled the Blood Calamity.’

Was the organization founded by the very man who had established it.

‘…Hmm.’

The very name of the emergent organization being Ilcheongyo, and its connection to the Gyecheon Sect Leader, as well as the claim of being the true righteous faction;

Was it all just a coincidence? Or, as I suspected, perhaps…

‘Ilcheongyo might be linked to Geumcheon Clan.’

With that thought, I looked towards where the King of Demons was sitting under the guise of Yeonhong.

I couldn’t help it. Considering the King of Demons’ lineage, I had to think of it.

‘The King of Demons was a descendant of the Clan.’

The cursed progeny of the clan. He might know something.

‘But if he knows about Ilcheongyo, why hasn’t he said anything?’

Moreover, I found it puzzling that perhaps he knew it all while remaining silent…

‘Oh.’

It struck me.

‘The King of Demons had mentioned he would investigate Ilcheongyo on his own.’

The one showing interest and wanting to do some more digging was the King of Demons himself.

If that was the case, even if the King of Demons had no direct involvement, it was certain that he sensed something unusual.

‘Did the King of Demons feel something regarding his surname in Ilcheongyo?’

Was that why he wanted to investigate more? It felt like it was coming together.

The fact that this was in Sichuan, where the Clan was located, also played a part.

Was Ilcheongyo really linked to Geumcheon Clan?

And does the King of Demons know that? If it’s true, what then?

With all these questions swirling in my mind, I finally addressed the King of Demons.

“King of Demons.”

Asking directly seemed faster.

The King of Demons looked at me at my call.

Still disguised as Yeonhong. It was still unfamiliar. Though I intended to ignore it and ask the King of Demons something…

“Uh, about this Ilcheongyo…”

“Yes?”

“Could it be… Yeon… huh?”

I froze mid-sentence, caught off guard by something strange.

“…The King of Demons?”

“Yes?”

“Why did your voice suddenly sound like that?”

The odd thing was indeed the voice; until just now, he was speaking in the King of Demons’ voice, yet it had suddenly changed to Yeonhong’s.

What was going on? I restrained my surprise and asked, while the King of Demons merely tilted his head in confusion.

“What do you mean, Great Lord?”

“Yes? No… what’s with the sudden…”

Was he trying to tease me? I was about to tell him to stop when…

Boom-!

“…!?”

The energy barrier door I had set up suddenly burst open, revealing someone.

“Who the hell?!”

I was even more shocked than when the King of Demons showed up earlier.

Who on earth pulled off such a stunt? Hiding my startled heart, I looked at the door and said.

“Who is barging in here so rudely…?”

And then.

“…Huh?”

The face that appeared at the door was one I recognized well.

Light sparkled from the entrance, illuminating a figure as if it were still bright outside. A man stepped through.

He wasn’t very tall, but perhaps due to diligent care, he was a middle-aged man with notable muscle.

His face resembled someone I could recall distinctly, but that kind, gentle appearance was all twisted in anger.

“…Uh… huh?”

Why the hell was he coming out of here? As I stood there, trying to understand, the middle-aged man said.

“…Gu Gongja.”

He was alternating his gaze between me and the King of Demons disguised as Yeonhong.

No, he was the head of the family that ruled Sichuan; once called the master of poison and iron, he was also the father of Tang Soyeol, the current Deputy Lord of the Star Dragon.

The Poison King looked at me and said.

“…Another woman, huh?”

His voice was filled with rage for some reason.

 

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