Just two moments ago.

The diviners from the Harmonious Immortal Pavilion who had gathered for a shift change were dumbfounded as they looked at the charred corpses.

What is happened had happened?

To find out, the senior brother tried to summon the souls from the corpses of his fellow disciples.

The senior brother’s expression was grim as he formed hand seals after attaching talismans.

Then, from one of the blackened corpses, a soul slowly emerged.

The diviners recognized the soul that appeared in its living form.

[It’s Senior Brother Gi-yun.]

[Senior Brother Gi-yun… How did this happen… Kugh.]

[Be quiet. The senior brother is still performing the divi-ation technique.]

As the diviners, who had been clamoring at the appearance of their dead colleague, fell silent, the senior brother approached Gi-yun’s soul and asked:

[There isn’t much time to hold onto Gi-yun’s soul. What exactly happened?]

But then,

-Hueeeee

‘!?’

The senior brother frowned.

This was because Gi-yun’s soul that had appeared was unable to speak properly, with a blank expression.

He looked as if he had lost his sense of self.

‘What is this?’

The senior brother couldn’t understand it.

Even if the dead couldn’t become vengeful spirits, they would inevitably retain strong attachments from their life.

But Gi-yun’s appearance showed not just a lack of attachment, but a complete absence of consciousness.

[Gi-yun!]

-Hueeeeeee.

[Gi-yun, pull yourself together. You need to tell us something so we can…]

-Hueeeeeee.

-Swish!

Eventually, Gi-yun’s soul dissipated and vanished.

The senior brother was utterly baffled by this inexplicable and strange phenomenon.

Despite his long years of training as a diviner and encountering many souls, this was the first time he had experienced something like this.

If even a small trace of attachment from life remained, it would have said something, but it felt completely empty, like a newborn child.

At that moment, someone came running towards him.

It was Yeo Surin.

[Senior Brother.]

[How did the wooden talisman tracking technique go?]

To this question, Yeo Surin shook her head and replied.

[It’s not working. The Wooden Talisman Tracking Technique, the Harmonious Immortal Spirit Trace Technique… None of the five tracking techniques I know are working. It seems…]

[They’ve completely erased all traces of their techniques.]

[It seems that way. This level of skill would be impossible without someone at least as powerful as our Master.]

Their master was Scarlet-Tailed Old Immortal, the Pavilion Master of the Harmonious Immortal Pavilion, one of the Six Divine Diviners known as the pinnacle of diviners.

Without a Divine Diviner-level practitioner with that kind of power, it would be impossible to erase the traces of techniques so cleanly.

Yeo Surin looked around with devastated eyes and spoke.

[Who could have done this? Could it be that Three-Eyes is still alive?]

[That’s impossible… Didn’t we all see it back then?]

Everyone had witnessed that being’s annihilation.

Moreover, they had remained at the scene to search for any traces of Three-Eyes just in case, but it no longer existed in this world.

At that moment, Yeo Surin pointed towards where the shrine had been and shouted.

[Then who could have discovered this place, burned our fellow disciples, and taken away the statue of Great Strength King that was sealed with the Killing Stone?]

[It’s not a matter of who right now. We must retrieve the statue immediately. Otherwise, another great calamity will befall the Central Plains.]

Among the Six Demons, which were called the Great Calamity among the Evil Spirits, Great Strength King was said to be the strongest in terms of raw power.

[…]

[I’ll return to our pavilion to inform the Master and organize a tracking team. You go to the leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult immediately to report this and ask for help.]

[Yes!]

***

“What? The Cult Leader is away? Then where exactly is he?”

“Well, that’s…”

Grand Guardian Guyang Sa-oh and Seventh Elder Hwan Ya-seon couldn’t hide their embarrassment at Yeo Surin’s question.

They didn’t know where the Cult Leader was either.

He had a habit of disappearing without a trace, and even if they were watching him right in front of them, if he decided to move, no one could notice it.

Seeing their reaction, Yeo Surin sighed and asked,

“Where is Jang Neung-ak, I mean, the Great Commander of the Guards, Go Chan?”

Jang Neung-ak.

He was the second disciple of the deceased leader of the Heaven and Earth Society, but he had changed his name to Go Chan.

Only a handful of people knew the real reason for this, and one of them was the diviner Yeo Surin.

She knew that Go Chan was the Cult Leader’s familiar.

That’s why she was looking for Go Chan, who could communicate with him through their connection even from afar.

If she knew his location, she could instantly go to the Cult Leader using the magical tool given by her master.

But then,

“Well… This is quite unfortunate.”

“What?”

“The Great Commander of the Guards, Go Chan, is also away at the moment.”

“What?”

***

People wearing gray robes with crimson belts walked out of the outer city of the imperial palace.

They were Taoist priests of the Zhongnan Sect, affiliated with the Righteous Alliance.

The two elderly Taoist priests walking side by side at the front with their hands behind their backs were Geon Mun-ja, the a Grandmaster of the Zhongnan Sect, and his disciple Geon Hyeon-ja.

Behind them was a narrow-eyed young man dressed in the attire of an Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This young man’s name was Jin Jong-hyeon, the son of a fifth-rank lecturer at the Imperial Academy and a lay disciple of the Zhongnan Sect.

Although he was a lay disciple, he was being personally taught martial arts by Geon Mun-ja due to his innate talent.

“It’s difficult. So difficult.”

As they moved away from the main gate of the outer city, Geon Mun-ja shook his head.

The reason for his reaction was simple.

It was because he had failed to achieve what he wanted.

The Righteous Alliance had originally been supporting Prince Gyeongjin, one of the four major power factions holding sway over the imperial court. However, the current situation was not favorable.

After the incident with the Peng family of Hebei and the assassination of the envoy sent to the Righteous Alliance, their relationship with the imperial court and government had soured. Despite efforts to mend this relationship on various fronts, it had not been easy.

Since Prince Gyeongjin, whom they originally served, had died in an unexpected accident, they had tried to support the second prince, Prince Jeong, by sending Jin Jong-hyeon to his side.

However, the situation worsened further when the ailing emperor passed away and the young crown prince ascended to the throne.

“Master, are you troubled because of what Prince Jeong said?”

“…It’s problematic.”

Prince Jeong had not given up yet.

He was gathering troops and wanted the Righteous Alliance to help with this.

However, Geon Mun-ja and other executives of the Righteous Alliance were not very keen on this idea.

What Prince Jeong was aiming for was, literally, treason.

‘The chances are low.’

It might have been possible in the past, but now it was difficult.

The crown prince was the son of the Imperial Consort Seo, and behind them was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

Of course, when the crown prince ascended to the throne, she too had been secretly contacting the Righteous Alliance to try and break free from their influence, but this was nothing more than a precarious balancing act.

‘The Heavenly Demon…’

Geon Mun-ja still couldn’t forget the sight from the great war between the righteous and unorthodox sects.

A single sword strike that split heaven and earth.

With just that, he had proven his martial prowess, which could be said to be unparalleled not just in the current martial arts world, but throughout history.

Those who hadn’t seen it considered this story an exaggeration, but the Heavenly Demon had become an indelible presence in the minds of all martial artists who participated in the war.

“Huu. Let’s put this conversation aside for now. By the way, I heard that Joo Woonhyang, a disciple of the Kongtong Sect, became a new Six Offices Commander after just a year?”

“…Yes.”

Jin Jong-hyeon’s expression soured at Geon Mun-ja’s words.

This was because he too had made every effort to become a Six Offices Commander, but had ultimately been outmatched in both skill and influence.

In just a year, using who knows what methods, that guy had even gained the backing of Minister Hang Yun-pa, who held the positions of Grand Preceptor among the Three Excellencies and Commander-in-Chief of the Central Government, reaching even greater heights.

The speed at which he was gaining power was frightening, and when he tried to probe his true intentions, something seemed off.

It didn’t seem like he actually wanted power.

As if…

‘No. That’s too disrespectful.’

How could someone receiving an official salary even imagine such a thing?

This was nothing short of absurd.

At that moment, Geon Mun-ja patted his back as if to comfort him and said,

“There’s no need to be hasty. If you steadfastly follow the path you want to take, you will surely reach your desired destination.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Anyway, since we’ve met after a long time, shouldn’t we see your senior brothers and fellow disciples?”

“Yes.”

“As it happens, I’ve heard of a restaurant called Hwayangjeong nearby, famous for its duck dishes. I’ve made a reservation, so let’s relax and catch up.”

“Understood.”

****

Early evening at the Hwayangjeong restaurant.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman were enjoying their meal at the best spot in the restaurant with the finest view.

However, the waiters watching them were fidgeting nervously.

Then, a middle-aged man who seemed to be in a higher position among the staff walked briskly over, noticed this, and scolded them.

“Didn’t I tell you not to accept any customers after the hour of You (5-7 PM)? How are those people eating there?”

“W-we don’t know either, sir.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? Are you saying they snuck in?”

“We’re not sure. They seem to have ordered and are eating, but no one remembers taking their order…”

This was the reason for their bewilderment.

No one had taken their order.

Yet, the kitchen had already prepared and sent out the food based on an order, and those customers were just starting their meal.

The middle-aged man thumped his chest in frustration at their response and then said,

“Go apologize immediately and offer to pack their food to go.”

“We were about to do that, but…”

“Aish, how frustrating. I’ll go myself. You all quickly prepare to receive the distinguished guests who have made a reservation.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

After sending the waiters away, the senior staff member approached the couple who were dining.

Unlike his attitude towards the waiters, he carefully put on a smiling face and began to speak.

“I apologize, customers. Today we—”

Thud

At that moment, a heavy pouch fell in front of him.

Wondering what this could be, he picked it up and found it filled with silver coins, easily numbering in the hundreds.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man unconsciously swallowed hard.

This amount was enough to rent out the entire place for about a week.

As he was momentarily at a loss for words due to the excessive amount of money, the young man who had given it to him spoke.

“My wife says she likes the smoked salt-grilled duck, so bring out more…”

At these words, the stunningly beautiful woman sitting next to him, gently caressing her slightly protruding belly, interjected.

“It’s not me, but our little one in my belly who wants to eat it.”

“Ah, right. It’s our little one who wants it. Did you hear? Bring more salt-grilled duck.”

“W-well…”

The middle-aged man was at a loss for words at this exchange.

He had been shocked into silence by the large sum of money, but they had already accepted a reservation fee from the Zhongnan Sect Taoists.

Although they were Taoists, they were essentially martial artists, and it was unpredictable what might happen if their mood was soured.

Just then,

Snap!

The young man snapped his fingers at him. Then,

“You want smoked salt-grilled duck? But didn’t you say the Zhongnan Sect Taoists are coming soon? Is it okay to leave those customers there?”

‘!?’

Suddenly, the head chef from the kitchen appeared in front of him.

As he was wondering what was going on, he realized he was standing in front of the kitchen.

It was enough to make ghosts wail in confusion.

As the middle-aged man, flustered by this situation, hurriedly tried to run back to the couple,

-Rumble!

At that moment, a group of Taoists wearing gray robes entered through the entrance.

The middle-aged man’s expression hardened when he saw this.

‘We’re doomed.’

The situation he had been worried about had come to pass.

As he was struggling with how to explain this, he saw the Zhongnan Sect Taoists discover the dining couple and frown.