The Master leisurely continued walking over the cloud bridge.

“Unfortunately, the strength of our clan is only enough to protect this land from the influence of the Sea God and the evil gods. To do more, we’d need at least the strength of the Heavenly Sovereign.”

“Are you a member of that clan?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I am the Master of the Twelve Joules and am also protecting the Sacred Altar Tree.”

Squeak squeak

Despite the unsettling sound coming from the cloud bridge, I managed to cross without issue. Since the village was forcibly built in a canyon where humans originally couldn’t live, such things were expected. The Master entered a small hut and said,

“What are you doing? Come in.”

“This hardly looks like a sparring arena…”

“Just come in.”

“Alright.”

The opponent was a supreme being from the Eastern Martial World, holding the highest authority. I had heard that the Jeong clan and Yi clan treated the Master with extreme caution. It made sense, given that he was involved in the rise of their ruling authority. When I took off my shoes and stepped inside the hut, I was taken aback by the unexpectedly vast interior.

It was larger inside than out!

“…….!!”

I was startled. The outside hut seemed to encompass just a few rooms, yet this space was almost thousands of pyeong wide. Moreover, it was huge and extravagant like a palace.

‘This must surely be a space created with advanced sorcery.’

As I looked around in wonder, the Master sat down in a chair and said,

“First, before sparring, I’d like to hear your impressions of the Master of the Twelve Joules you’ve fought so far.”

“You want to hear my impressions?”

The Master poured green tea into a glass.

“Even the strongest swordsman in Dongyoung, Lee Cheon-il, couldn’t apply for sparring against the Master of the Twelve Joules. The leaders of the Sahul Clan and Zhu Yi Sect are truly formidable people. That’s why the author is currently satisfied to be the strongest in Dongyoung.”

I knew that already.

I thought the capabilities of the Sahul clan leader and Zhu Yi sect leader rivaled that of Lee Kwang. Even when looking up, their level was beyond estimation. Thus, my spar with the Sahul clan leader ended in a frenzy of beatings after only 50 seconds, and I had a similar experience with Zhu Yi sect leader. They were masters with unfathomable strength.

He smiled softly.

“But no matter how protected you may be by the Jeong clan, requesting sparring from all the Masters of the Twelve Joules—I’ve never seen someone with your kind of nerve throughout our history.”

“……”

“So don’t feel pressured and just speak comfortably. For now, have a seat.”

“Um…”

I awkwardly sat in the chair facing him. Indeed, his doll mask obscured any view of his human face. However, I felt he was male due to his voice and physique, characteristics typical of a man in his twenties. I cleared my throat and shared my thoughts.

“There are many experts on Goryeo soil. It’s beyond comprehension.”

“Oh? Beyond comprehension, you say?”

“In the vast Central Plains, finding even a single peak expert is difficult, yet there are over a dozen peak experts in the Twelve Joules—do you perhaps share teachings among each other?”

My thoughts truly reflected what I had experienced until now. After all, peak experts were typically leaders of the great sects, and many skilled martial artists usually fell into the first-class level. Therefore, it was incredibly hard to find peak experts in the Central Plains. But the leaders of the Twelve Joules had skills comparable to or surpassing that of the leaders of the Nine Great Sects, which was only natural for me to be astonished.

The Master chuckled.

“Yeah, that’s right. Our clan leads the teachings of the Twelve Joules’ martial arts and significantly aids in cultivating experts. It’s no surprise that we have so many peak and peak experts. We’re passing down insights subtlety that wouldn’t be obtainable from any ordinary sect.”

Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I exclaimed,

“You don’t intend to invade the Central Plains, do you…!!”

“Huh? Why would I do such a thing?”

The Master muttered incredulously and shook his head while pushing the teacup into the mouth of his doll mask.

“You’ve watched too many martial arts novels.”

“Well… I can’t say I haven’t read any, but there has to be a plot behind cultivating that many experts.”

The Master clasped his hands together.

“A plot, you say. Then let me ask you this: why do sects cultivate their experts?”

“Well, to expand their influence and display their martial arts.”

“Fool. That’s merely a secondary goal. The primary aim is to inherit martial traditions.”

After saying that, the Master continued,

“I don’t think of war or confrontation with the Central Plains martial world. The beings our clan has set as bitter enemies are far too overwhelming. In case of turmoil, we only train strong martial artists and sorcerers to handle it.”

“Who are these bitter enemies?”

The Master placed his teacup down and spoke.

“… I’ve heard that the White Lotus Sect has devoured 40% of the Central Plains’ martial world. It’s already a certainty that they will dominate the Central Plains within three years. You’ve heard of Baek Woong, right?”

“Yes. The North Sea Sect Leader mentioned it before I arrived here.”

The North Sea Sect Leader. They were based in the cold lands of Liaodong, much further north. In the Central Plains martial world, they were known as the North Sea Ice Palace.

Due to the characteristics of that location, among them were colorful-eyed individuals, which may explain why the North Sea Sect Leader had the golden hair and blue eyes reminiscent of foreigners from the West. I remembered getting utterly defeated in a mere 100 seconds before escaping injury and the North Sea Sect Leader cautioning me about the state of the Central Plains.

“If the White Lotus Sect is likened to minnows when compared to your bitter enemies…?”

“…….!!”

I was utterly shocked. The might of the White Lotus Sect was terrifying, yet how could it be compared to that? It was even more bewildering considering that it was coming from someone who knew the full strength of the White Lotus Sect. Seeing my reaction, the Master waved his hand dismissively.

“Well, it’s just a matter of perspective. The bitter enemies won’t ever descend upon this realm again. We merely block their influence using the powers of the Sacred Altar Tree and eliminate the evil beings or cults serving that Evil God. Just managing that is already exhausting.”

“That’s hard to believe.”

“Haha… just take it as it is. The real fear is knowing there are enemies yet being helpless to act.”

Honestly, I felt like I had a rough idea of who the Master was referring to as his “bitter enemies.”

The Old Ruler that Mangnyang had spoken of!

They were mythic entities that had existed since ancient times, long before the reign of humans or primates, and regarded humans as mere insects. The clan of the Master clearly protected Goryeo and Liaodong from the powers of the Old Ruler using the strengths of the Seven Luminaries and the Sacred Altar Tree.

‘With this level of protection, do I even need to have Ha-in with me?’

The important thing was preventing the Golden Eagle Guard from capturing the Seven Luminaries. However, I had no impression that the Golden Eagle Guard would invade through the barrier surrounding the Sacred Altar Tree and defeat the Master of the Twelve Joules, who couldn’t be overestimated as the strongest, along with his clan. Such a thing would be impossible, unless the Dharma Protectors of the White Lotus Sect arrived all at once.

As I pondered, the Master spoke.

“You’re probably curious as to why I’m rambling on about all this to you.”

“Yes.”

On top of that, I was curious why he was wearing that doll mask, but I held my tongue. The Master shook the cute puppy head and replied,

“You are currently endowed with the blessings of the Queen Mother of the West. Have you ever thought about why you were able to obtain those blessings? The Queen Mother of the West is a divine being of high Taoism, and it’s not easy for her to grant the blessing of immortality.”

“……”

“While I was thinking in response to the report, I reached the conclusion that you must have built an enormous amount of karma. After contacting Master Mangnyang for verification, I learned you presented offerings to the Seven Luminaries Makhya.”

“Do you have a relationship with Master Mangnyang?”

I’m in charge of Goryeo and Liaodong, and he’s in charge of the Central Plains. Isn’t mutual assistance essential?”

“Hmm.”

I was astonished by this unexpected bit of information. It turns out Master Mangnyang and the Master of the Twelve Joules were exchanging information! Then again, if they’re guardians opposing the Evil God, it would make sense. The Master quietly added,

“I can also guess why you came to Goryeo. You probably want to find the Seven Luminaries, right?”

At this point, there was no need for me to lie. With the Master’s strength, killing me would be as simple as lifting a finger. So I candidly replied,

“That’s correct.”

“What’s your reason for seeking the Seven Luminaries? Is it because you’ve heard of the legendary artifact granted the blessings of the Three Sovereigns that could lead to immortality?”

“That’s not the case. There are evil beings targeting the Seven Luminaries, so I’m tracking their movements to protect the Seven Luminaries from them.”

“……”

The Master seemed to closely observe me. While the doll mask covered his face and prevented me from reading his emotions, it was evident that his words were sharp and addressed the very heart of things. He was quite the supreme being from the Eastern Martial World, indeed.

After a lengthy silence, the Master finally spoke.

“I’m also aware that those who stole the Earth Spirit Eight Trigrams Diagram from the Balhae Empire have been moving the Central Plains royalty.”

He appeared to have an understanding of all the events unfolding in the East. The very adversaries that Mangnyang and I had set as our greatest enemies were the Demon Subduing Hall. Currently, Mangnyang was forming the Bancheon Alliance and engaging in a life-or-death struggle against the Demon Subduing Hall.

Suddenly, I felt a surge of emotions and said,

“If that’s the case, why don’t you restrain them? They’re prepared at any moment to summon demons or carry out human sacrifices. If we don’t stop them, something catastrophic will happen.”

“As if I’m just sitting here without knowing that.”

He folded his arms.

“The Central Plains is Master Mangnyang’s domain. His power surpasses that of the Great Immortal, so have you ever thought about why he’s leaving that force unchecked?”

“That’s…”

That point had gnawed at me throughout my past life. Even his disciple, Cheon Woo-jin, had reached the level of a frighteningly powerful Sorcerer; why would Master Mangnyang leave the Demon Subduing Hall be? The Master of the Twelve Joules explained.

“Master Mangnyang is staying near Luoyang not without reason. An incredibly voracious demon is lurking there, and he must marshal all his strength to keep that entity in check.”

“The most voracious… demon?”

“I don’t know for sure. However, as a protector of Taoism, he should be patrolling the entire Central Plains to suppress evil gods, but it seems he’s staying put to maintain the seal on that thing. If Master Mangnyang even slightly leaves that location, an immense evil demon will be unleashed and run rampant.”

“……”

“That being is likely the entity guiding the cult serving the Evil God from the shadows. Since I’m busy keeping the Sea God in check, I lack the resources to assist Master Mangnyang.”

Swallow.

I gulped hard. Master Mangnyang was someone appointed to protect the earthly realm by the Jade Emperor or the Great Immortal. From what I had been told by Mangnyang, no immortal in the Central Plains could act recklessly against him.

To think that even Master Mangnyang was desperately suppressing a demon in Luoyang! What on earth kind of strength did that demon possess?

After saying that, the Master continued,

“Let me ask you one thing. Do you intend to keep hunting for the Seven Luminaries?”

“Of course. I will uncover the whereabouts of all the Seven Luminaries.”

“That’s a good spirit. Now, speaking of sparring…”

The Master, nodding while gazing at me, mumbled,

“How about we do this?”

With a whisper, the Master’s new form glided like a ghost, and before I could even perceive his movement, he’d ascended on top of the sparring stage set in the center.

I had barely noticed his movement, but it seemed his technique was well beyond that of Lee Hyeong-hwan.

Swish!

He brandished the Cosmic Fragment in one hand and said,

“Baek Woong, if you can withstand three moves against this Galaxy Cosmic Fragment, I’ll guide you to where the Moon Sovereign is.”

“`