Chapter 186

Yang Seoljin, in her capacity as Deputy Palace Lord, finished conversing with the guests and headed toward the Main Pavilion.

If the Palace Lord had many duties, the Deputy Palace Lord had even more.

Today, too, she had received guests—but they weren’t the kind one could dismiss lightly.

They were none other than envoys from the Five Great Sword Schools.

Having concluded a constructive discussion with them, Yang Seoljin was now about to report on it—but something felt off.

Why was the Palace Lord absent, and why was Hyunsim standing there instead?

On the surface, she wore a calm smile, but her thoughts were a tangled mess.

Lately, Seol Jungcheon’s mood has been strange... Could this be a red flag finally being raised?

As soon as the thought that the plan was starting to go awry took hold, Hyunsim gave a strained smile and spoke.

“...The Palace Lord is currently away.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. And, well... hmm...”

As if something was too awkward to bring up, his demeanor made Yang Seoljin tilt her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“...Well, the thing is... the Palace Lord told me to keep this as secret as possible, but I thought... perhaps you, Deputy Palace Lord, ought to know after all...”

“...Did something happen to the Palace Lord’s body...?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Hyunsim stepped closer and whispered in a small voice.

“...Eighteen years ago... do you remember?”

“Eighteen years ago...”

Yang Seoljin’s eyes gleamed.

“Are you talking about the time he went into retreat to ascend to the Grand Void Formless realm?”

“That’s right. Right now... it’s similar to back then.”

Yang Seoljin brushed her hand over her face.

What was he saying?

So—

Seol Jungcheon had a new woman?

“...He’s also stopped pursuing the legend of Lord Seolheon recently, hasn’t he?”

“He has.”

“It seems the Palace Lord has decided to take a different approach.”

“...Are you saying...”

“Yes. It seems he’s planning to repeat the same process as when he brought back Hyeon Seollin.”

Yang Seoljin let out a hollow laugh inwardly.

She had noticed Seol Jungcheon’s demeanor subtly shifting lately, but now she saw—it hadn’t changed all that much after all.

Seol Jungcheon was still the same as ever.

More than that—

“Do you know who it is?”

When she asked about the new mistress, Hyunsim shook his head.

“...The Palace Lord instructed absolute secrecy. He didn’t even reveal where he was going.”

“...”

“Still, I believe the Deputy Palace Lord has the right to know.”

“I agree.”

“In that case, I’ll try tailing the Palace Lord.”

“If you find out who she is, please be sure to let me know. We mustn’t repeat what happened with the one who nearly became ‘Madam.’”

“Of course.”

Looking at the smiling Hyunsim, Yang Seoljin thought:

This idiot too, he's hopeless.

A natural smile drew across her face.

“I’ll do my best to keep the Palace Lord’s absence confidential. So... go on.”

“I’ll do as you say, Deputy Palace Lord.”

As Hyunsim turned to leave, Yang Seoljin added,

“By the way, the envoys from the Five Great Sword Schools just left.”

“Did they?”

“Yes. Our discussion went well.”

In that moment, Hyunsim could sense it.

This cunning bastard, Yang Seoljin, had done something.

And he was right.

“Due to internal corruption, the Celestial Righteous Alliance is on the verge of collapse. I’d like to try and revive it.”

“...You mean the Celestial Righteous Alliance?”

There were many alliances in the Central Plains martial world.

Among them, the representative of the righteous path was the Martial Alliance, and that of the hegemonic path was the Sichuan Alliance. Many imitators had sprung up over time, but none ever managed to surpass the traditions of the Martial Alliance, which dated back even before the Millennium Cataclysm. Nor could they overtake the legacy of the Sichuan Alliance.

Because of that, those two remained the only true alliances representing the righteous and hegemonic paths, respectively.

Among them, there was a group that was neither righteous nor hegemonic, and not even demonic—a neutral faction. That was the Celestial Righteous Alliance.

“The Five Great Sword Schools have agreed to send verified individuals one by one. And when I suggested that Everlasting Snow Palace might lend support to this cause, I said I would first consult with the Palace Lord and inform them once a decision was made... Please be sure to mention this when you meet the Palace Lord. If you do, he won’t have much to say about you tailing him.”

Saying it was due to urgent business would indeed give Seol Jungcheon no room to complain.

Hyunsim, watching the ever-meticulous Yang Seoljin, suddenly became curious.

“If the Palace Lord decides to send someone officially, who do you think he should send?”

“Of course, someone of Polar lineage. Personally, I’d like to recommend Lady Cha Seollin.”

“Lady Cha Seollin... I was thinking Lady Hyeon Seollin might be more suitable.”

Yang Seoljin gave a slight smile.

“I’m well aware of Lady Hyeon Seollin’s great potential, but she’s currently inside a secret realm. If she were to come out, the exhaustion would be extreme—sending her straight to the Celestial Righteous Alliance might be too much.”

Of course, no one knew yet that Unhwi had already emerged from the secret realm.

Everyone inside had perished, and the lone survivor, Seol Horyeong, was making his way covertly toward Cheonseol Province, while Seo Hyo was headed for Yangryeong Province.

Their movements had been truly secretive, and Unhwi was currently at the peak of the Snowy Mountains.

A strange smile tugged at Hyunsim’s lips.

He hadn’t realized it at first, but now he saw—Yang Seoljin was as black-hearted as they came.

A sudden question surfaced in his mind.

If Hyeon Seollin had seen through this man’s true nature, just how perceptive must she be?

And why would someone of that caliber allow such a traitor to remain untouched?

“What are you thinking about?”

At Yang Seoljin’s words, a chill ran down his spine.

He could guess now.

As he’d heard on Snow Mountain—just who was backing Yang Seoljin?

It was Yu Cheong of the Original Blood Sect. A man so quiet he barely left a trace of his presence. So then, to hold someone like that accountable, what would it take?

Only one thing.

Justification.

And knowing Unhwi’s nature, he wouldn’t settle for something as flimsy as a letter.

Cold sweat began to trickle down.

...Don’t tell me... he’s planning to strike the Original Blood Sect...?

Even Hyunsim hadn’t known the full scope of the grand scheme Unhwi was drawing.

Could it be the Palace Lord knew?

No, was there anyone else who knew besides him?

The match with the Celestial Daoist was famous.

And when asked what they played over, Unhwi hadn’t hidden it.

He’d told the Celestial Daoist not to interfere with anything that happened in the martial world from now on.

And that period of noninterference would last ten years.

He wiped his face.

Only now was something beginning to take shape in his mind.

He looked up and stared at Yang Seoljin.

Unhwi was using Yang Seoljin as a stepping stone to remove Yu Cheong—and through him, uncover and annihilate the forces protecting him.

And who was the Celestial Daoist?

A man who kept his word without fail.

His promise not to intervene for ten years also meant that even if the Original Blood Sect were to be wiped out, he would not step in.

Madness.

Then when would that time come?

Just how far ahead had Unhwi prepared?

For any plan to begin, there must be a prerequisite step. Was Unhwi’s plan already in motion?

If so...

When would Yang Seoljin die?

Hyunsim wasn’t a fool, but since he hadn’t stepped fully into Unhwi’s inner world, he couldn’t know the details. Still, one thing was certain.

Yang Seoljin would die—soon.

“...General Director...? Is something wrong with your body? You don’t look well at all...”

“A... ah, no. I’m fine.”

Hyunsim wiped his sweat and forced a smile.

“It’s just... I’m a little worried.”

“Worried, you say.”

“In a time this critical, our Palace Lord—who should be the very center—has fallen for a new woman... How could I not be worried?”

“Haha... well, there’s nothing to be done. If the Lord of Snow Mountain chooses so, then that must be the right path.”

Yang Seoljin chuckled and continued.

“Now go on. I’ll take care of the remaining matters.”

“Yes.”

So said Hyunsim as he sprang to his feet.

For now, it was best to focus on what lay immediately ahead.

***

Atop the peak of Snow Mountain, amidst the howling storm, Unhwi sat in utter stillness.

At the level of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, his Ren and Du meridians had already formed a perfect cycle. The unification of his Middle and Lower Dantians was nearly complete.

But the final moment remained.

Having been born with turbulent meridians, Unhwi could never raise his realm quickly.

The realizations within his body were already so vast that every time he ascended a realm, his growth would leap to near the peak of that level.

It was both a blessing and a curse.

If he did not allow his body time to adapt within that realm, his meridians would rupture upon ascending.

That was the cost.

And by now, sufficient time had passed. He could now safely enter the Five Qi Toward the Origin stage.

Slowly, Unhwi’s Eight Extraordinary Meridians began to open.

The Conception and Governing Vessels, already opened, were joined first by the Yin Linking Vessel, then the Yang Linking Vessel, which began to tremble.

Unhwi’s breath deepened.

The Yang Heel and Yin Heel Vessels opened together in unison.

All eight of the strange meridians had been opened. The internal energy circulating through his entire body now formed a perfect flow.

KWOOM—!

A tremor echoed as if it shook the heavens and earth. Now that the Eight Meridians were open, the unified qi between his Middle and Lower Dantians began to undergo a radical transformation.

The True Dantian was beginning to form.

Amidst the storm, Unhwi’s robes billowed. A strange phenomenon unfolded around him. The storm could no longer touch him, diverted as if blocked by an invisible wall.

CLANG—KWOOM—!

A series of resounding tremors followed. As the Middle and Lower Dantians fully merged, the True Dantian neared completion.

His Sea of Qi twisted—and finally, it fused completely with the True Dantian.

In the silence that followed, Unhwi opened his eyes.

A flash of light burst from his gaze, and his internal force surged in all directions.

For a moment, even the snowstorm ceased.

Having ascended to the realm of Five Qi Toward the Origin, Unhwi slowly rose to his feet.

His steps no longer seemed to touch the ground.

He looked down at his right hand.

The one shattered in Shaolin’s secret realm still ached faintly—but it was far better now.

That meant his body’s regenerative ability had improved even further.

At this rate, four days at most.

Within that time, he would be fully recovered.

Now, the realm ahead of Unhwi was The Four Realms of Heaven and Earth.

There would be no issue ascending further.

He slowly turned and assumed a respectful fist-and-palm salute.

“You’ve arrived, Palace Lord.”

“...Unhwi.”

She didn’t call him Hyeon Seollin.

She called him by name.