848——————==

True Martial Home

I decided to head towards my next target, the Twelve Joules Sect Leaders. I should include Ha Eun-cheon as a target as well, but trying to pickpocket him felt like chasing some ridiculous odds and would likely just stir up trouble, so I could let that one go. My first stop ended up being the Azure Dragon Gate.

The Azure Dragon Gate’s signature technique was the Giant Knife, and they specialized in the Turning Wheel Blade Technique. They were actually the first sect I faced off against when I was roaming around challenging the Twelve Joules. I suddenly found myself reminiscing about when I was squaring off with the Azure Dragon Sect Leader.

‘Back then, I barely won by inducing a gap in their defense using Huatuo’s Five Animals Play techniques.’

If we fought now, I could take him down in one second flat—no doubt. Since then, I’ve gained dozens of world-class martial skills and spent a long time refining my practices. To me now, the Azure Dragon Sect Leader is just a warm-up, but it made me feel a bit bittersweet.

I missed that time when I was taking on the Twelve Joules and had a young martial artist’s ambition and spirit.

Though I’ve learned so much and gotten stronger, I still haven’t reached the end of my journey.

Perhaps it would have been better to settle down as a martial arts master in Goryeo and live a more comfortable life…?

“……”

I shook off those thoughts and kept moving. I had come too far to worry about that now. To solve the singularities, the world’s demise, and the mysteries of my past life, I might need ten times the adventures and journeys that I’ve had so far. I needed to step forward instead of looking back.

Whoosh!

I easily pulled off a pickpocket job on the Azure Dragon Sect Leader and checked what I got. There was a peculiar item in his sleeve.

‘A bell?’

It looked like one of those small decorative bells little girls wear in their hair. Come to think of it, I had heard that the Azure Dragon Sect Leader had a young daughter, and I guessed this bell was a gift for her.

‘I should return this.’

I quietly placed the bell back in the Azure Dragon Sect Leader’s residence and then started my spree of pickpocketing from the Twelve Joules leaders.

Next, I approached Yeom Myeong, the head of the National Defense Alliance, which protects Goryeo. The haul from this one was the richest I’d gotten so far, and I was genuinely surprised. The amount of money he kept with him was enough for an average person to live off for a lifetime.

‘He’s a noble, but why carry so much cash around?’

Anyway, after deciding to use it wisely, I proceeded to rob the remaining groups—Goryeo Alliance, Flowing Water Gate, Hekgwa, and North Sea Sect. Having stripped more than half of the Twelve Joules clean, I thought about where to hit next and decided to start with the Zhu Yi Sect.

‘That Haedong Milcheon guy is the last one to hit.’

Both the Zhu Yi Sect Leader and the Sịn Sålbi Sect Leader are formidable opponents. I didn’t have a precise measure of their martial prowess from my previous life, but one thing was certain: they were peak experts that would be hard to find even in Central Plains. Considering they’re in the top echelon among the Twelve Joules leaders, I had to approach them cautiously.

Before using any strange techniques, I decided I’d first observe their martial skills. I activated my Stealth Technique and invisibility to close in on the Zhu Yi Sect Leader from about a hundred steps away and began my observation with my internal powers heightened.

I kept observing for about half a day. The Zhu Yi Sect Leader seemed to be going about his daily life not using any particular martial skills when suddenly he glanced in my direction.

‘What’s going on?’

Did he notice me?

Did I really manage to conceal all my martial arts and aura and even use Stealth and Invisibility while hiding a hundred steps away?

Only a master of the Absolute Realm could pull that off!

A shiver ran down my spine, but the man didn’t seem to have fully noticed me. He just tilted his head slightly, feeling some discomfort, and then headed somewhere. I sighed in relief and thought.

‘Hmm… I must have lost focus from watching for too long. Did he really catch that subtle flow? Still, that’s impressive.’

Eventually, I saw him meeting someone. I read the shadow through the window and used lip reading to interpret their conversation.

[You traveled a long way.]

[It’s an honor to meet the Zhu Yi Sect Leader.]

[No need for grandiose greetings. You’re from the Dan clan, so you needn’t treat me like your superior.]

Oof

From the Dan clan, huh?!

‘might be at risk of being spotted, but let’s see!’

This time I activated my Fire Eye Golden Spirit to use my penetrating powers to see through the indoor walls for a glimpse of that person’s face. Upon seeing the face of someone from the Dan clan, I tilted my head in confusion.

‘Who is this? I don’t recognize them. It’s not Hong Gil-dong…’

Is he central?

Wearing robes, there’s no doubt he’s a monk.

I thought the leader of the Dan clan and the absolute master, King Hong Gil-dong, would be here, but luckily it seemed it wasn’t him. The monk waved his hand and replied to the Zhu Yi Sect Leader.

[No need for such words. I, Hyecho, am just an old soul from a bygone era… and now being part of the Dan clan, I’m merely a remnant of the past. I can’t even compare to the leader who has protected our nation since Goryeo.]

[Hyecho. Let’s stop sharing modesty and get to what’s important. You have something critical to convey?]

[Indeed.]

[Are you here to warn me about the mysterious thief, the Divine Thief?]

The Zhu Yi Sect Leader asked bluntly, but it seemed the Dan clan member, Hyecho, was shaking his head in response.

[The Divine Thief merely brushes away the superficial, but doesn’t engage beyond that. His martial skills are quite renowned, so rather than picking a fight, it might be best to let him take what he wishes, as the leader indicated.]

[Hmph… so you mean he’s stronger than me?]

[That’s not the case. There’s no need to waste energy fighting an unknown superhuman without a grudge. It seems his interests lie in honor rather than money.]

[… What about the honor of us Twelve Joules leaders? The leader seems to think it’s more important to keep Twelve Joules hidden from the world.]

The Zhu Yi Sect Leader’s discomfort was evident at Hyecho’s suggestion to let the thief have it, causing Hyecho to smile gently.

[The leader said an opportunity will soon arise. You must not let the minor evil fester in your heart while waiting for the great opportunity.]

[Opportunity?]

[The leader mentioned you could trust him to give you a heads-up. A powerful being in the celestial realm suddenly disappeared, and as of late, the whole heavenly world has been frozen… They predict it won’t be long before the celestial realm withdraws its influence over the earth.]

[That means internal strife is so serious that they can’t afford to keep paying attention to external affairs.]

[Exactly. And if the celestial realm’s watch and control lessen… they’ll attempt to capture the Sea God.]

[I’ve only heard of the Sea God, but is he really that formidable? Can they really catch him?]

[To be precise, it’s not about battling him head-on but suppressing and weakening the seal of the Earth’s Demonic Realm. It will lead to great conflict, so prepare your mind…]

I see.

From Hyecho’s words, I understood Ha Eun-cheon’s current mindset. I wasn’t sure what was happening in the celestial realm, but I figured that since the Jade Emperor was absent, the Queen Mother of the West would withdraw the influence of the celestial immortals over the realm and enter a defensive mode to overcome the current crisis. It seemed they were genuinely preparing to tackle the Sea God, just like the first time I experienced.

‘The Guardian of the Moon Sovereign must have been restrained somehow.’

If it weren’t for that, the Dan clan wouldn’t have come all the way here chatting about future plans. I considered it a stroke of luck to have gathered this intel and waited until Hyecho departed.

Bam!

Using my techniques, I swiftly approached the Zhu Yi Sect Leader’s vicinity and pulled off a Thunderclap pickpocket. I also easily took down the Sầubí Sect Leader next. The Thunderclap generally creates a huge visual effect, but now that my internal power has reached its zenith, I could perform it in an extremely quiet and stealthy manner.

‘Hyecho’s hints are proving to be quite beneficial…’

If both leaders had tried to catch me with all their senses heightened, I might have gotten caught despite my skills. But thanks to Hyecho suggesting they just let it go, I was able to breach their usual defenses. After overcoming these two significant hurdles, I set my course for the headquarters of Haedong Milcheon.

I grinned coldly.

‘Heh heh… It’s time for revenge.’

There’s a grudge against this one. I’d firmly decided to get back at the Haedong Milcheon leader, and now I realized this was the moment. I then employed my strange arts to disguise myself as a close aide of Milcheon and began relieving Milcheon of his possessions.

Swish!

Normally, you’d just take off after a successful pickpocket, but I wasn’t stopping there.

‘That jerk mocked me for being ugly while he was wandering on the verge of death from Divine Fever, didn’t he?!’

I’ll show him that a quiet thief can turn into a full-blown robber!

I checked to see if anyone was around and promptly struck the back of Haedong Milcheon’s head.

Thwack!

“Cough!!”

Before he even realized it, my sudden attack knocked him out cold. I grabbed him by the neck and used the Golden Lamp technique to move, ending up in a remote mountain on Tamra Island, where I slapped his face to wake him up.

Slap, slap!

“Ugh… Wh-who’re you?!”

I covered my face and distorted my voice as I spoke.

“Someone who holds a grudge against you!”

“What…!!”

“The grudge from the last time you mocked me, how could you have forgotten about it?!”

Haedong Milcheon looked bewildered.

“I’ve got so many grievances… just tell me your name.”

“……”

What a careless guy…

At the same time, I realized I’d asked a stupid question.

‘This guy wouldn’t know what went on in the previous life…’

Should I just give up on revenge now?

Am I seriously going after the wrong guy here?

“Damn!”

But the grudge I felt from being mocked for my ugliness surged back up and I lifted my foot to kick Haedong Milcheon’s ribs. If I forgot about it now, it would just be unfair for me.

Thump! Thump!

“Ahhh! Why are you doing this?”

“Aw, shut up and take your beating!”

Thump! Thump!

As I rained blows down on Haedong Milcheon without infusing them with internal power, I felt a bit of relief. Haedong Milcheon let out groans from each hit, but he wasn’t seriously injured—just a little bruised, which I considered just fine.

I spat on my hand and rubbed it on his forehead.

“Hmmm… just behave yourselves from now on.”

“……”

“Not really a grudge, just a piece of advice.”

Haedong Milcheon appeared to want to curse me, but if he did, I had a feeling he wouldn’t make it out alive, so he held back on his words. Finally, I felt genuinely good and left him there after marking his acupoint back where he originally was.

That’s all Twelve Joules leaders cleaned out!

The only one left is the Emperor!

Just as I thought that and returned to Zhuge Sa,

“Baek Woong.”

Zhuge Sa said with an uneasy expression.

“There’s an uninvited guest waiting here. Do you see?”

“……”

“A lone guest smashed through my formation and has been waiting for you to arrive. Don’t ask why I didn’t resist; it’s tough for me using my power.”

Only then did I notice a beautiful girl with ebony hair sitting across from Zhuge Sa suddenly looking my way.

“Nice to meet you, Divine Thief.”

I stared at her in disbelief before slowly opening my mouth.

“… Han Baek-ryeong.”