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“This is more chaotic than I envisioned!”

Lee Kwang had the Golden Eagle Guard’s leader captured and immediately began to activate the Eight Trigram Seal.

The Thunder God Lineage’s vision torture technique, the Eight Trigram Seal, inflicted brutal pain on its victim, making it unbearable unless you were made of steel.

Smash!

“Ahhhhh!! Help me! Please… I’ll tell you everything!”

The pain was so intense that three blood vessels in the Golden Eagle Guard leader’s temple burst at once. Lee Kwang paused the torturous seal for a moment, looking sympathetic.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? But then again, you’re part of the Golden Eagle Guard, so I suppose it can’t be helped.”

“Ugh…”

Watching this scene unfold made me swallow hard. I’ve used the Eight Trigram Seal before, but the guy there looked like he was experiencing hellish agony. A top-tier Golden Eagle Guard who’d undergone all sorts of torture training couldn’t hold out for even half a second before spilling the beans.

“Where’s Hwang Yeon for real?”

“Hah… ugh… at Ahsan Hong…”

Without hesitation, Lee Kwang plucked out the leader’s right eye. The transparent lens dripped down as the leader screamed.

“Ahhhhh!!”

“You think you can just toss out some fake intel and get away with it? Do you think I haven’t worked in the intelligence agency’s torture department?”

“S-sorry… please… let me go…”

Thud!

Lee Kwang stomped on the leader’s eye, bursting it. Then he spoke, unfazed.

“Listen well. I can detect your body’s responses, the involuntary muscle movements, the pounding of your heart, and know right away if you’re lying.”

“Hah… ugh…”

“Don’t think I can’t kill you. I left one of those fools alive over there.”

The leader of the Golden Eagle Guard looked utterly despondent. In that moment, he genuinely felt crushed. He hesitated before asking.

“Will you let me go?”

“That depends on your intel.”

For about a meal’s duration, the leader of the Golden Eagle Guard spilled information. When Lee Kwang asked questions, he answered eagerly. It felt genuine, as if he thought that with Lee Kwang able to read heartbeats, he wouldn’t dare lie.

“Then it’s time for the second interrogation.”

After hearing most of it, Lee Kwang stopped the bleeding for the leader, taking another whole meal’s duration to listen carefully to more info. It was almost a reevaluation process. When the Golden Eagle Guard’s leader was on the brink of collapse, Lee Kwang silently pinpointed his death point.

Snip!

As the leader’s neck turned forward, Lee Kwang murmured.

“You wouldn’t feel any pain.”

“Master, what do you plan to do?”

Lee Kwang answered Jin So-cheong’s question without a moment of hesitation.

“I’m going back as a military officer.”

“Huh?”

“If General Hwang Yeon is trapped in Luoyang’s Great Jail, it’s impossible to extract him by force. And any further actions would lead to treason charges.”

I couldn’t help but blurt out in disbelief from the side.

“Isn’t exterminating the Golden Eagle Guard already treason?”

“Usually, yes. But not for me.”

“…?”

“I don’t have time to explain in detail. Let’s burn all the evidence and get out of here.”

We all gathered corpses and debris for half a jjin, then poured oil on them and set them ablaze.

Whoosh!

To be honest, the Golden Eagle Guard would likely take care of it, but it felt more comforting to handle it ourselves since there was a chance they’d manipulate the martial arts traces left on the bodies to frame us.

‘This does seem pretty brutal, but I’ve become rather numb to it myself.’

Carrying out a massacre and burning the corpses was inherently heretical, but no one in this place cared. As the scent of burning flesh wafted through the air, Lee Kwang pointed towards a girl peering from a nearby bush.

“Is that girl someone you know?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been debating whether to let her approach.”

I focused my attention where Lee Kwang was pointing, and to no surprise, there was a girl peeking her head out from the thicket. I immediately deduced it must be Miho, so I hurriedly exclaimed.

“Miho! You came all the way here?”

“Hiiing…”

Miho walked over, burying her head into my chest. Like a truly innocent girl, she whined softly.

“I was scared…”

“Okay, okay, I understand…”

There’s no way she could’ve been scared. Being a Nine-Tailed Fox, she likely giggled while sneaking a peek at everything from somewhere. And once she assessed the situation, she feigned coming over to join. While I consoled Miho, I still worried about Lee Kwang suddenly attacking.

“Your heartbeat is quite loud.”

Miho’s face flushed slightly.

It wasn’t that I was excited; it was the tension from the threat to life or death, but I didn’t feel the need to explain it. Then I introduced Miho to Lee Kwang.

“This is Miho, my companion. She’s a sorcerer friend.”

“Oh… a sorcerer.”

“She’s not a suspicious girl.”

“I trust you.”

Lee Kwang accepted this readily. I sighed with relief internally, though cold sweat dripped. I hadn’t really ‘lied.’ Having discovered Lee Kwang’s keen insight into deceit, I felt I needed to be more cautious in my dealings with him moving forward.

Clop, clop!

Then I followed Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong back to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School. It was peaceful, as if the massacre from days ago were just a lie.

After returning to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, I needed to tidy up and sort out Miho’s living situation. Lee Kwang turned to Miho and asked.

“Do you want to join the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School?”

“Yes! I want to!”

It seemed Miho’s current disguise theme was ‘Innocent Sorceress Girl.’ Her acting was so spot-on that even Lee Kwang looked unable to discern her true nature. Nodding, Lee Kwang said.

“Then go in as a three-line trainee.”

“Got it!”

“I’ll waive the training fees for you.”

Thus, the Great Demon Miho began learning martial arts at the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.

“…”

I watched this process with disbelief.

That late night, I received a visit from Miho. It seemed she had used transformation magic to sneak in very discreetly. This time, she appeared as an exceptionally beautiful maiden, playfully stroking my jawline.

“Why were you so tense during the day?”

“Don’t joke with me! You’re a demon, right? What were you thinking revealing yourself in front of Lee Kwang? What if you get caught?”

I protested harshly. I hadn’t been able to say anything before due to Lee Kwang’s presence, but when Miho appeared, I truly felt anxiety. The thought of risking my life to fight Lee Kwang for Miho’s safety made everything seem dark.

Then Miho pretended to think deeply before breaking into a soft smile.

“Don’t worry. Even demons can learn martial arts well. After all, internal power is just the flow of Qi, so if I draw upon the power of my inner dan, it won’t be much different.”

“That’s not what I mean…”

“Kya ha ha, I know, I know.”

Suddenly, Miho wrapped her arms tightly around me. The unexpected embrace made my heart flutter. She gently nibbled on my earlobe.

“Ugh.”

It felt electrifying.

As her nibbling sent shivers down my spine, I felt a sudden tension in my lower body. Miho’s seductive influence was intensely stimulating me. It felt like my very core was about to overflow. Miho laughed sweetly.

“Oh, did you get excited?”

I quickly raised my internal power to suppress that arousal and replied,

“Ugh, stop joking.”

With her silver tail gently wrapping around my wrist, she said,

“It’s my job to protect you for the next ten years. It’ll be tough if I’m not nearby, right? For the next ten years, this maiden will continue living as the human girl ‘Miho’ by your side.”

I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

“Then stay quiet.”

“Hmmm? Without saying anything?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Well, obviously you need to buy me food!”

I was speechless.

“Says the Great Demon Nine-Tailed Fox that has a taste for food…”

Miho feigned indignation and huffed.

“Hmph, I just returned to the Central Plains after hundreds of years. Isn’t it natural to want delicious food? The Dongyoung land was so barren that there wasn’t much variety in food.”

“Fine.”

I sighed and pulled out a treasure chest of gold and silver I’d hidden nearby. This chest contained a ton of treasures collected from the Pirate Chief’s secret space. I took out a handful of what looked like precious metals and necklaces, handing them to her.

“Use this to buy whatever you want for the next ten years.”

Miho narrowed her eyes.

“Hmmm, are you just going to settle with this?”

“Ugh… What on earth do you want more?”

“Well, love?”

“What…?”

Thud!

Miho suddenly lunged at me, knocking me over. Then she sighed slowly, looking earnestly into my eyes. It felt as if she was pouncing on me. I could easily escape with my internal power, but my head was spinning.

“What are you trying to do?”

An alluring scent wafted through the air. Miho’s eyes locked onto mine.

“Baek Woong, I’m curious. Since descending from the Heavenly Realm to the Mortal Realm, no one has acted for me in hundreds of years. You’re the first, without using enchantment, to ask me for something and help.”

“…”

“And I’m feeling jealous.”

Miho started gently stroking my hair. There was a clear longing in her gaze that couldn’t be hidden.

“I’m jealous of the past self who was constantly sorry to you…”

Miho liked me too. Yet, it felt closer to obsession or curiosity than genuine affection.

I’ve never dated anyone, but I could tell there was a fundamental difference.

I wanted to understand Miho’s feelings. However, I couldn’t quite resonate with her obsession. I had hardly ever thought of being loved by anyone. I gazed at Miho with a distant look before finally saying,

“You know, something similar happened before.”

“What?”

“There was a time when I stopped to rest in a village. Back then, you tempted me too, but I rejected you.”

“Why…?”

In response to Miho’s question, I sighed and replied,

“Because I have a goal.”

“Is it to defeat the Demon Subjugation Hall?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you think that’s unrealistic?”

“You said that back then too. My answer remains the same.”

I remained lying down, slowly replying,

“I can’t do anything until I achieve that.”

“…”

“Even if you say you want me through enchantment, I don’t believe that will change anything.”

“Baek Woong, don’t you think you’re living too seriously?”

Miho got off me, turning her back while walking away and saying,

“What troubled you is just [memories]. What you are living is [the present]. Why not enjoy the now since it’ll just be the past in time?”

“If I live like that, I’ll definitely have regrets.”

“Regrets?”

I raised myself halfway and continued,

“I’ve regretted too many times already. I just don’t want to have any more regrets.”

“Hmmm…”

Suddenly, Miho used a transmission technique and teleported right in front of me.

“Huh.”

Then she gazed into my eyes closely before wrapping my head in her arms. Next, she gave me a forceful kiss. Warmth intertwined in my mouth, and a pleasant fragrance tickled my nose. I wanted to touch her sultry body because of the allure from Miho, but I held myself back.

When the long kiss finally ended, Miho smiled seductively and said,

“My pride was hurt.”

“What do you mean?”

Miho chuckled gleefully.

“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll make sure you cling to me for the next ten years, ho ho ho!”

Whoosh!

In a flash, Miho vanished from the spot. I sat there dumbfounded, almost as if everything that had just happened was a dream. Thankfully, I had held myself back, but before I knew it, my lower body felt quite damp. Despite trying to maintain self-control, the genuine allure of the Nine-Tailed Fox had made my body react involuntarily.

“Aahhh… that girl.”

I lamented, stripping off my clothing for the night and preparing to wash them. It was too embarrassing to ask someone else for help with this.

Bang, bang, bang!

As I beat my clothes at night, I was overwhelmed.

‘What the hell…’

And my animosity towards the Demon Subjugation Hall grew stronger.

From the following day, I began training martial arts with Lee Kwang. Since he already had a read on my skill level, he didn’t say much but simply told me.

“Follow the path of the sword. Train focusing on the Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique.”

“Yes.”

“That will suit your aptitude.”

It seemed that the peak move I’d shown Lee Kwang had solidified his resolve. Watching him carefully, I asked,

“Um, I have a question…”

“What is it?”

“My master mentioned that our Thunder God Lineage has a longstanding rival relationship with the Wind Spirit Sect.”

“That’s right.”

“Yet at the same time, he said the martial arts of the Thunder God Lineage have a 70% win rate against those of the Wind Spirit Sect. This is something my previous master never gave me a definitive answer on, so why was the Thunder God Lineage chased off by the Wind Spirit Sect?”

“…”

Lee Kwang looked as if he had just taken a hit. He shook his head.

“There’s a very complicated past. However, one thing is for sure: it’s not that our martial arts are inferior to the Wind Spirit Sect.”

“I see…”

It seemed like a secret story that couldn’t yet be revealed with the current circumstances. Lee Kwang stared at me seriously for a moment before saying,

“Since you seem to feel pressure regarding your talent, I won’t push you too hard. However, I will do my utmost to guide you on the parts I can. I, Lee Kwang, am truly pleased to have a new disciple of the Thunder God Lineage.”

“Thank you.”

I unfolded the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique and the Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique first.

It seemed that since I’d broken through the peak level, my sword techniques flowed seamlessly without any blockages. Especially when combining more than one technique into a combined finish, I succeeded smoothly, and my swordplay’s power had easily doubled since before.

As Lee Kwang watched my demonstration, he looked at me with intrigue.

“You’re not just sticking to the Thunder God Lineage’s basic techniques; you’re integrating several techniques to augment your martial arts. What techniques are you using?”

“You saw through me.”

I scratched my head shyly before responding, as there was no point in trying to deceive him.

“I’m using the True Qi Manipulation Technique from the Hyun Cheon Divine Art to control the complex flow and the Thunder and Wind Interaction from Hua’s 108 Needles to make it automatically stick together. When the swordplay gets too complex, this method is extremely helpful.”

“True Qi Manipulation and Hua’s Needles…!! You’ve learned some outstanding first-rate martial arts.”

“It was a fortunate encounter.”

Lee Kwang appeared genuinely astonished. I then explained to him how the True Qi Manipulation Technique and Hua’s 108 Needles complemented each other. Lee Kwang listened thoughtfully for a moment, chewing over it in his head, then remarked,

“This is definitely an unexpected application. However, there are aspects where your internal power consumption is inefficient compared to the results.”

“Is that so?”

“Perhaps you weren’t aware of the drawbacks because you possess the internal power of the Heavenly Spirit Pill level.”

Lee Kwang added.

“Teach me that technique. I’ll do a little research on it.”

“Sure.”

Just a few days later, after I taught Lee Kwang the True Qi Manipulation Technique and Hua’s 108 Needles, on the third day, he said to me,

“Try doing it like this.”

He then taught me a new technique that seemed to integrate the True Qi Manipulation Technique and Hua’s 108 Needles. I skeptically followed Lee Kwang’s instructions.

Swish, swish, swoosh!

“…!!”

I was astonished as I realized the power being emitted from my Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique was far more powerful and natural than before. It seemed that the previously stumbling True Qi Manipulation Technique and Thunder and Wind Interaction had balanced out within me, becoming a wholly new martial art.

I was stunned that my abilities could grow so easily.

As I stood there in shock, Lee Kwang appeared satisfied and said,

“Let’s make this the new secret technique for the Thunder God Lineage. What do you think of the name Baek Woong’s Formation?”

This was truly astonishing.

Just by hearing it, they managed to create a new secret technique in the span of three days.

I had suggested it, but it was Lee Kwang who finalized it.

Before me stood a real martial arts genius.

I felt a mix of frustration and bitterness as I muttered in a begrudging voice,

“The name is horrible…”

“…”

But eventually, by Lee Kwang’s insistence, the name was established as Baek Woong’s Formation. Lee Kwang wanted to pass this on to Jin So-cheong, and I readily agreed, returning to practice Baek Woong’s Formation in my own way.

My abilities were growing immensely. As I integrated the Baek Woong’s Formation, transitioning internal energy became much smoother, allowing me to utilize many techniques that I couldn’t prior. It felt like I was breaking through barriers because of this impetus.

This strange occurrence happened about a month later.

And it was absolutely unexplainable.

“It’s been a while.”

Standing at the front entrance of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School was a figure whose face I could never forget in my dreams. That mask, that demeanor, that attire of the Golden Eagle Guard’s chief commander – I could only remember one person fitting that description.

The Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard!

“…!!”

The moment I saw him, it felt like my blood was boiling. I wanted to leap at him and attack, my blood pumping vigorously, but I forced myself to hold back. The Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard stopped in front of Waryong Hall, while Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong stepped out to greet him.

“Hey! Get in there!”

The instructors of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School shouted at the disciples crowded around to gawk at the foreigner, and soon enough, only four of us remained in that spot, including the Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard. We stood there, three Zhang apart, facing each other.

Whoosh!

A cold wind swept through the area.

The Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard smiled broadly as he greeted Lee Kwang.

“Greetings, my friend. Is it been 15 years?”

Lee Kwang replied dryly,

“Seems so.”

“I feel sorry about what happened at Water Merging Valley. I didn’t expect you to come in person.”

“I wasn’t planning on getting involved much. You know that what the Golden Eagle Guard is doing is patriotism. But you guys messed up when you overstepped my boundaries.”

Looking at Lee Kwang’s unbothered demeanor, the Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard showed an expression of disbelief.

After a while, he burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Boundaries! Unless it’s you, no one could speak such words to the Golden Eagle Guard!”

“I actually found it unpleasant. Did you truly think five squads could hold me back?”

The Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard shook his head.

“Not at all. Let me reiterate; we never expected you’d show up. When Jang Gyeong-ik called for help, we thought he’d only be asking one or two righteous sects for aid. I never thought that clueless clown would risk everything to ask you directly.”

“Is that a necessary adventure?”

“Heh heh, you really didn’t consider the notorious reputation from your days as Azure Dragon. Jang Gyeong-ik would crap himself and pass out if you merely raised your voice.”

“…”

Listening to their back-and-forth, I finally understood the full context.

In short, the Golden Eagle Guard had never anticipated that Lee Kwang would come. Instead, they likely hid five squads to deal with any disorderly ruffians daring to pose as righteous while using the fake Hwang Yeon as bait. However, Lee Kwang had come and smashed everything, causing a hiccup in their plans.

The Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard glanced at me and said,

“Just as I heard, there’s a new disciple.”

“That’s right.”

“I heard your disciple’s name resounding across the Death Sea. Congratulations on having a good pupil.”

“You should consider taking on a disciple yourself.”

“My work is too covert for that.”

The Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard, indulging in trivial chatter, then said,

“As we both know, we can’t touch you. The powers granted to you by the late emperor remain effective. However, keep in mind that if you go beyond mere self-defense, you’ll inevitably be slapped with a charge of treason.”

“You’ve turned into quite the fool. Coming all this way just to throw around threats?”

Lee Kwang shot back, catching the Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard off-guard. The expression on his face showed he didn’t expect to hear such words from an old friend. But soon enough, he regained his composure and said,

“So what should we do? Understand this: had it been someone other than you who orchestrated this, I would have mobilized a hundred thousand soldiers to wipe out your clan! Let’s keep it civil and go our separate ways, shall we?”

“Looks like you really are bored to tears.”

“What…?”

Lee Kwang smiled coldly as he toyed with the Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard.

“If you truly are that bored, how about guiding my trainees for a bit?”

“Guide them?”

“I’m just curious if spending too long in the palace has helped your Divine Arts technique blossom. Would you help this friend?”

“Fine.”

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