“what the ....?”

“My supreme-ruler!”

Jin Geum-woo and his colleagues uttered expletives.

They were climbing Mount Qingcheng to visit the Qingcheng sect. But by the time they reached the gates, they suddenly recognized the smell of blood. They sensed that something must have happened, and so they decided to rush in.

In front of them, a great devastation was unfolding.

Muryeongjin was lying on the floor in the arms of the Muhwajin, while the other disciples of the Qingcheng sect struggled to protect them.

The warriors of the Thunder Gates, High Sky sect, and Jinseong sect launched an all-out offensive attack.

It was already difficult to block the three sect’s collaborative attack. And to make matters worse, the Qingcheng sect also had to deal with traitors among their ranks.

The disciples of the Qingcheng sect did not know how to appropriately respond to the sudden change of their colleagues. Until yesterday, they had been talking and laughing with their fellow disciples, but now they’re fighting each other to death.

This prevented them from attacking properly, and as a result, allowed them to suffer great damage.

It was only after many had fallen at the hands of their comrades that they started to work together. But they were still in a precarious situation, they were barely holding on and they didn’t know how long they could last.

Jin Geum-woo’s eyes widened.

“The Qingcheng sect is being attacked?”

“We have to help them!”

“Come on, let’s go!”

Won Ga-young and Neung Soun agreed with Jin Geum-woo.

They couldn’t afford to hesitate. If they left them as it is, the Qingcheng disciples will suffer more damage. They had to prevent that scenario from happening.

Jin Geum-woo, Won Ga-young, and Neung Soun ran like the wind and plunged into the battlefield.

“Everyone, stop it!”

While roaring, Jin Geum-woo blew a thunderbolt between the Qingcheng sect and Thunder Gates disciples.

Kwaaang!

With a deafening sound, a huge crater was formed on the floor. Stone fragments and soil had splattered in all directions, striking the warriors who had been fighting for a long time.

“Aeuegh!”

“Kerhyuk!”

At the lightning strikes, the warriors screamed and bounced back.

In the meantime, Won Ga-yeong and Neung Soun also faced the disciples of the High Sky and Jinseong sects, respectively.

Although only three people joined, their presence was enough to turn the tide of the war.

While the attackers rushed out, Jin Geum-woo hurriedly spoke to Muhwajin.

“I am Jin Geum-woo of the Golden Heavenly Hall. How did this happen?”

“Oh! So it was Mister Jin. They suddenly joined forces so we were rather helpless against them. It seems that they have been subjected to black magic.”

“What do you mean?”

“Before they attacked us, we could sense that they were being manipulated by looking through their eyes. The sudden betrayal of our disciples— there is no better explanation other than the use of black magic.”

“Hu…!”

Jin Geum-woo let out a sigh.

Those  were the words coming from an elder of the Qingcheng sect and not anyone else. There was no room to refute.

Jin Geum-woo looked at the Qingcheng sect disciples who had betrayed their own sect. He couldn’t find anything strange just by looking at their external appearance.

However, as Muhwajin said, the situation did not look normal.

Most of all, as they attacked their fellow disciples, they showed no sense of remorse or guilt. This would never have occurred if it was just a normal situation.

“It’s magic—”

His gaze suddenly turned to the corpse of Cheong-gyeong who had fallen nearby.

The sight of Cheong-gyeong bleeding from different parts of his body was terrifying. However, what Jin Geum-woo paid attention to was not Cheong-gyeong’s body, but the blood the latter had spilled on the floor.

Jin Geum-woo could see something microscopic wriggling in the blood. It was such a weak movement that no one would have noticed not unless they paid close attention.

The cultivation that he learned was one of the purest kinds in the world. He would never miss anything out of the ordinary, even the smallest detail.

“What is that in his blood— is it cursed poison?”

Jin Geum-woo remembered that depending on the type of cursed poison, it can have a different effect on a person’s psyche.

If cursed poison was really used, then the sudden betrayal of the Qingcheng disciples now makes sense.

Jin Geum-woo shouted loudly.

“It’s cursed poison! They’re being controlled by cursed poison!”

Neung Soun was the first to respond to his voice.

“If it’s cursed poison, someone must be nearby. We have to find him and get rid of him. We’ll take care of this place, so you need to find the caster and get rid of it.”

“Alright.”

Jin Geum-woo radiated a net-like aura and scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes.

One of the effects of the Transcendent Cultivation Technique¹ is that it emits internal qi in all directions like a net to detect any abnormal presence. Since the qi net is as sensitive as a spider’s web, any foreign entity in the area of his senses would surely be detected.

Jin Geum-woo already mastered the Transcendent Cultivation Technique at the highest level.

Tseeu!

An intangible qi was spread out in all directions.

Fifteen meters, thirty meters—

Beads of sweat started to form on Jin Geum-woo’s forehead. This was his limit. However, Jin Geum-woo pushed himself and sent his qi even further.

When his qi reached forty-five meters, Jin Geum-woo’s eyes lit up.

“Found you.”

He felt a presence hiding from a particularly large tree. Without hesitating for a single moment, Jin Geum-woo flew toward the tree and pulled out his sword.

A strong energy soon was engraved on his sword.

“Ha!”

As he swings his sword, the sword filled with energy easily cuts through the tree.

“Shit!”

At that moment, a black shadow popped out, flustered.

It was Heukam.

The unexpected attack by Jin Geum-woo cut his side.

“Reveal your identity!”

Jin Geum-woo shouted and attacked Heukam.

Heukam’s face contorted. Someone had sprinkled ashes on his already cooked rice. Heukam felt great anger towards Jin Geum-woo.

Jin Geum-woo’s sword strikes hit him like a storm.

‘You’ll see!’

Heukam vowed revenge before fleeing.

“Stop!”

Jin Geum-woo tried to pursue him with a frightening force. However, the movement of Heukam was so fast and stealthy that it did not allow Jin Geum-woo to track him.

Suac!

Heukam quickly disappeared from Jin Geum-woo’s line of sight.  It was impossible to find Heukam who had already disappeared into the forest.

“Since I lost him, there will be no end to the repercussions.”

Jin Geum-woo’s face became distorted.

The martial arts of Heukam were not weak. Nevertheless, as soon as he realized that the situation was turning unfavorably against him, he didn’t feel bad about retreating without looking back.

He is the kind of person who values his ​​life more than his pride.

These kinds of people are extremely protective of their own lives, so even if they feel the slightest danger, they hide deep into places where people’s eyes cannot reach. That made them difficult to find and even harder to deal with.

They were the worst kind.

Jin Geum-woo turned around, while struggling to suppress his uneasy heart. It was a pity that he couldn’t catch Heukam, but there was something more urgent that he still had to solve.

Jin Geum-woo flew towards the warriors who attacked the Qingcheng sect.

Even if Heukam disappeared, the warriors were still attacking the Qingcheng sect. It was proof that Heukam’s order was maintained even without the caster.

In the eyes of Jin Geum-woo, Wu Jinghua entered the Thunder Gates.

Wu Jinghua was the only man who could not hide his bewilderment when Heukam revealed his identity.

Jin Geum-woo was sure Wu Jinghua would know about Heukam. If Jin Geum-woo can subdued Wu Jinghua, it was clear that the truth behind today’s incident would be revealed.

“Chaaah!”

Jin Geum-woo rushed towards Wu Jinghua with all his power.

Kwaaang!

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Pyo-wol’s eyes shone sharply at the news brought by Steward Go.

“The Qingcheng sect–”

The final destination of the Thunder Gates was Mt. Qingcheng.

Steward Go confirmed that the Thunder Gates warriors entered Mt. Qingcheng. However, men of the Red Villa, including Steward Go, could not actually go inside the Qingcheng sect.

Because Mt. Qingcheng itself is considered as Qingcheng sect’s territory, they thoroughly prohibited access from outsiders. If, by any chance, Steward Go or the other men of the Red Villa secretly entered Mt. Qingcheng and were caught by the Qingcheng sect, this could put great pressure on Pyo-wol.

For that reason, only the final destination of the Thunder Gates was confirmed and was reported to Pyo-wol.

Steward Go also reported in writing.

[But there was something strange.]

“What is it?”

[The warriors of the High Sky sect and Jinseong sect were with them.]

“You mean they went with the Thunder Gates?”

[That’s right.]

Pyo-wol clasped his chin with his right hand and tapped his chin with his finger. After realizing that Pyo-wol’s behavior was a habit that comes out when he was in deep thought, Steward Go quietly went outside.

‘The Thunder Gates has a grudge against the Qingcheng sect. I was the one who killed Nam Ho-san, the successor of the Thunder Gates, but what they know is that he was killed by the Qingcheng sect.’

It was what Pyo-wol intended.

To make them think that way, he deliberately killed Nam Ho-san by using one of the Qingcheng sect’s techniques.

‘Moreover, Tae Yeon-ho, the sect leader, also died at the hands of Mu Jeong-jin, so their resentment against them is overflowing. The problem is their abilities.’

Because he killed Nam Ho-san himself, he knew the power of Thunder Gates better than anyone else. They were never strong enough to take revenge on the Qingcheng sect.

If they had that kind of potential, the members would not have been so scattered after their sect leader’s death.

‘What if they’re not scattered? If they really were inorganized, they wouldn’t have been able to get together again, would they?’

Thoughts followed one after the other.

‘No matter how good the warriors of the High Sky sect and Jinseong sect are, they are only subsidiary sects. I don’t trust them to get things done. They must have another person helping them. Someone who the Thunder Gates can truly trust and depend on. A place where they would not hesitate to ask for help… It’s the Xiaoleiyin Temple.’

Pyo-wol came to a conclusion at once.

The sects in Jianghu were reluctant to fight against the Qingcheng sect, one of the prestigious sects in Jianghu. Even if the Qingcheng sect is going through a period of decline because of Mu Jeong-jin, it is still a prestigious sect that has continued for hundreds of years.

It was burdensome to fight against such a prestigious sect, because even if they won, there would be no point. There is not much to gain by getting the backlash and opposition of the people of Sichuan.

If so, Jianghu’s sects had to be excluded from the list of suspects.

Pyo-wol recalled the record of the Chengdu’s Directory of Martial Artist.

In the Chengdu’s Directory of Martial Artist, it was written that the origin of the Thunder Gates was the Xiaoleiyin Temple.

It has been a long time since the Thunder Gates became independent and established itself in Chengdu, but the fact that their root lies in the Xiaoleiyin Temple did not change.

Just as a child beaten by a friend of the same age seeks its parents, it was clear that the warriors of the Thunder Gates who lost their sect leader must have asked for revenge for their behalf from the Xiaoleiyin Temple.

‘Without the support of the Xiaoleiyin Temple, they would not have dared to dream of revenge against the Qingcheng sect.’

Supporting the Thunder Gates was not a bad thing for the Xiaoleiyin Temple.

It could be said that it was actually a good opportunity for the Xiaoleiyin Temple because they can now try to expand their influence in Chengdu and Sichuan through the Thunder Gates.

The question was how much support the Xiaoleiyin Temple gave to the Thunder Gates.

‘They wouldn’t have sent a large army. They have to be wary of the eyes of the other clans.’

The Xiaoleiyin Temple is a force outside of Saibei.²

No matter how strong the enmity and fight between two sects, when an outside force intervenes in their fight, they would unite and fight back against the third party.

Jianghu’s two major wars proved that fact.

It was clear that the Xiaoleiyin Temple was also aware of that fact.

Then they had only one choice left.

‘A small number of elites that can support the Thunder Gates.’

Still, a question remains.

Even if a small number of elites were dispatched, if traces of the Xiaoleiyin Temple remained, then they would have no choice but to incur the wrath of the other powerful sects.

If the other sects were to intervene, it was bound to become difficult for the Xiaoleiyin Temple as well. In particular, their ambitions to expand their influence, especially in Sichuan Province, would be severely affected.

The Xiaoleiyin temple is surely aware of that fact.

Then they had only one choice left.

‘They have someone who they don’t mind being caught or someone who will never be caught.’

The scope gradually becomes narrower.

Pyo-wol did not stop thinking.

‘It is not easy to change the situation with a small number of people. So the person they dispatched must possess an overwhelming force, or he has other abilities.’

Pyo-wol thought it would be the latter.

Even if the person possessed an overwhelming force, if he performed the Xiaoleiyin Temple’s martial arts, a trace would inevitably be left behind.

The possibility of dispatching a small number of elites is fading.

Pyo-wol paid special attention to the fact that the warriors of the High Sky sect and Jinseong sect accompanied the Thunder Gates.

The two sects had no significant contact with the Thunder Gates. Nevertheless, there was a high probability that the two sects moved together because they had a certain kind of agreement with each other or that there was a huge benefit involved.

However, no matter how much Pyo-wol thought about it, he found no benefit for the High Sky sect or the Jinseong sect. It was difficult to say that the two sects were bound by a strong bond.

‘How did they move the two sects? Concession or intimidation?’

Pyo-wol frowned.

Neither of these premises really convinced him.

After settling down in Chengdu, Pyo-wol collected rough information about the powerful sects through Steward Go which includes the Xiaoleiyin Temple.

Among the contents of the Xiaoleiyin Temple reported by Steward Go, there was a particularly memorable passage.

—In Jianghu, there’s a person who is good at various magic tricks that have been dead for a long time.

‘Magic? What if there is a certain magic that can control the mind?’

Every assumption he’s ever had started to make sense.

Finally, the scattered beads of truth were pierced with a single thread and completed.