Chapter 215

So he asked:

“Do you need me?”

“I do.”

“How long will you need me?”

Unhwi paused for a moment, as if thinking, then answered briefly:

“Ten years.”

“Ten years? That’s enough?”

“It’s more than enough.”

That “ten years” referred to the time Sim Munryong would spend affiliated with the Everlasting Snow Palace.

“Alright, let’s make it ten years. I’ll rebuild Mount Hua after that, so don’t try to stop me, yeah?”

“I won’t.”

“...That was awfully firm.”

Sim Munryong scratched his head.

Where was the heart of the Central Plains?

If you looked at a map, the place most definitively considered the “heart” was Gongneung—home of the Murim Alliance’s main headquarters.

Northwest of Gongneung was Sichuan.

Not quite the heart, but still near the solar plexus, you could say.

Then where was Cheonyeomeng located?

In Cheonsu.

Travel southeast from Gongneung for about half a month, and you would enter the territory of Un Nation (Un-guk)—and within its outer regions lay Cheonsu, where Cheonyeomeng held its domain.

After separating from Sim Munryong at Icewhite Gorge, Unhwi and Commander Seong headed straight for Cheonsu.

A high-level meeting was scheduled to be held at the Cheonyeomeng’s main hall precisely fifteen days later.

The envoys contributing to the reconstruction of Cheonyeomeng would all be gathering there—but unfortunately, traveling from Icewhite Gorge to Cheonsu on horseback would take at least fifteen days, at a minimum.

Time was tight, so Unhwi rushed.

“...Young master. Your injuries are serious. Can’t we rest a few days before heading out?”

“As I’ve said before...”

Unhwi grimaced as a stab of pain ran through his shoulder. Drawing in a breath, he continued:

“A promise only holds meaning when it remains unbroken—no matter the situation.”

“...Young master...”

“There’s a scheduled time, and everyone agreed to meet by then. If I was the one who took a detour, then I have to take responsibility for that decision.”

“...”

“I’ll recover on the way.”

“Then at least... let’s get a carriage. If we don’t stop, we’ll arrive on time, and you could recover while resting inside...”

Commander Seong trailed off.

Because yes—he was right.

Across from them was a carriage.

Five horses were hitched to it—clearly first-rate breeds, even at a glance.

And the man standing politely in front of the carriage looked at them with a calm smile.

Medium-length hair. Average build.

Draped in a flowing black longcoat.

Seo Hyo of Cheonrim smiled softly.

Commander Seong looked at Unhwi, baffled.

“Did you... send word ahead of time?”

Unhwi shook his head.

“...Then how did—”

“Commander Seong.”

“...Yes, young master.”

“What do you think is the most important quality in running an organization like Cheonrim?”

“...Let’s see. Strength? Good judgment?”

“Situational awareness.”

“...?”

“Seo Hyo is sharp. He can read the board. He understands what decisions must be made once he’s on the field—better than anyone else.”

Commander Seong asked,

“So... you predicted this?”

Unhwi answered confidently:

“I didn’t.”

“...Then why are you acting so cool about it?”

Unhwi fell silent, as if he had nothing to say.

Naturally, the two said no more as they approached Seo Hyo.

He greeted them with a smile.

“You’re a little late.”

“You brought what I asked for?”

“Of course. But for now, let’s get in the carriage. You seem badly injured.”

Without a word, Unhwi climbed in. Commander Seong and Seo Hyo followed.

Fifteen days ago, when Unhwi returned to Yangryeong Province, he’d met Seo Hyo in secret.

At that time, he told Seo Hyo that he would be going to Cheonyeomeng, and Seo Hyo said he would prepare some intelligence in advance.

What Unhwi referred to as “what I asked for” was precisely that information Seo Hyo was now handing over.

Unhwi began meticulously reading through the massive stack of paper Seo Hyo provided. First up was the list of envoys—and it was fascinating.

“As you’ve probably already seen, the Divine Execution Sword Sect from among the Five Great Sword Sects isn’t listed, and from the Four Outer Demonic Sects, Simma Demon Sect is absent.”

The groups bound for Cheonyeomeng were as follows:

From the Five Great Sword Sects:

Suncheon Sword Sect

Ihwa Sword Sky Sect

Heavenly Sound Sword Sect

Blue Cloud Sword Sect

From the Four Outer Demonic Sects:

Mixed Path Flame Demon Palace

Black Sky Demon Prison Palace

Heaven Demon Yin Spirit Sect

And lastly, one group that was neither—a sect entirely outside that structure:

Everlasting Snow Palace

Eight sects in total, all heading to Cheonyeomeng.

“Why is the Divine Execution Sword Sect not attending?”

“There seems to have been pressure from the Murim Alliance.”

“Murim Alliance?”

“Yes. Vice Lord Jegal Yeonghyeon went there personally and held a private meeting with the sect master. The details are unknown, but apparently Jegal Yeonghyeon made demands, and the sect master responded by smashing the carriage he rode in on and beheading every single warhorse he brought.”

Unhwi smirked.

“So the sect master refused Jegal Yeonghyeon’s offer.”

“That’s right. But looked at another way...”

“It means the Murim Alliance already has operations in play.”

“Exactly. This campaign might be more difficult than expected.”

Unhwi’s smile didn’t fade.

“Seo Hyo.”

“Yes, Supreme Commander.”

“Jegal Yeonghyeon is a cunning man. There’s a reason he’s Vice Lord of the Murim Alliance.”

His eyes gleamed with certainty.

“Monitor the Divine Execution Sword Sect closely. If anything changes, report to me immediately.”

Seo Hyo considered that for a moment, then his eyes glinted.

“...You suspect the conflict between the sect and Jegal Yeonghyeon is staged.”

“The story of Jegal Yeonghyeon getting humiliated by them has probably spread widely, hasn’t it?”

“It has.”

“Neither Jegal nor the sect master are fools. If they made such a public scene, it means something was planned behind it.”

“...I’ll investigate.”

Unhwi nodded and resumed reading through the documents. In a quiet voice, he listed names and titles:

“Ten Thousand Forms Sword Emperor Jang Icheong.

Windstorm Sword So Yehwa.

Clear Sound Swordmaster Jin Socheon.

Azure Feather Swordsman Hang Ryeo.

Crimson Flame Lord Hwa Muryeong.

Heaven Wolf Demon Fang Heukmyeong.

Soul Demon Spirit So Ryeonghwa... Are all of them really attending?”

“Yes. Some have already arrived at Mount Cheonsu. Others are en route.”

It was deeply interesting.

Aside from Jang Icheong, a warrior from Ihwa Sword Sky Sect, all of the others ranged from Ipshin Realm to Mythic Realm—clearly the central players.

But one person stood out.

Jang Icheong.

“A Heaven-Earth Apex martial artist... Has Cheonrim made a move?”

“Yes. Cheonrim has a strong interest in the reconstruction of Cheonyeomeng.”

Unhwi paused in thought and then asked quietly,

“Who set this whole thing up?”

He had originally heard about Cheonyeomeng’s revival from Yang Seoljin.

But from the way things were unfolding... something felt off.

“To be clear, it wasn’t Cheonrim.”

“Then was it Mae Wuidong?”

Mae Wuidong, once Vice Lord of Cheonyeomeng, had naturally stepped into leadership after Ye Wonje’s death.

“He was the one who sent letters to the Five Great Sword Sects and Four Outer Demonic Sects asking for support. But I doubt he expected the Everlasting Snow Palace to be involved.”

That alone raised a fundamental question.

“Then who killed Ye Wonje?”

“...We don’t know. But I can say ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) with certainty: It wasn’t Cheonrim.”

That had to be true.

If Cheonrim had killed Ye Wonje, they wouldn’t be handling things this way. More than that, they simply didn’t have the power to kill someone like him.

Cheonrim wielded financial influence, not military strength.

Especially not enough to kill someone like Ye Wonje—let alone in a way that wouldn’t immediately backfire.

And if Yang Seoljin had somehow orchestrated it to insert Everlasting Snow Palace into the equation, the logic still didn’t track.

No—Cheonrim was not involved.

Which also meant Yu Cheong and Yang Seoljin weren’t behind it either.

A new lens was needed.

When someone dies, it’s usually the person who stands to gain the most that’s responsible.

And right now, Mae Wuidong had gained the most.

So did that mean Mae Wuidong killed Ye Wonje?

Even that wasn’t clear.

If he had, why would he ask outside factions for help?

“If it was him, he’d have used poison or something—but no poison traces were found.”

“You’re sure?”

“I can’t say it with absolute certainty. But based on compiled intel... the probability is high.”

“So it wasn’t poisoning... then what was the cause of death?”

“His head was severed. Whether it was by sword or blade, they couldn’t determine the weapon.”

“Hm...”

“As you know, assassinating someone at the level of Flower-Realm Manifestation is nearly impossible.”

Unhwi froze.

“...Flower-Realm Manifestation?”

“You didn’t know? It was top secret—but apparently, four days before his death, Ye Wonje broke through to the Flower-Realm.”

“Even if it was recent, a master at that level... to be decapitated cleanly, without leaving a trace?”

“...Exactly.”

Who could it have been?

Who killed Ye Wonje?

“I’ll look into the Murim Alliance and Sichuan Alliance as possible culprits.”

Unhwi nodded—but skepticism lingered in his expression.

He had dealt with both Kang Cheonwoo and Gun Mugyeol in his past life.

If Kang Cheonwoo wanted Ye Wonje dead, he wouldn’t have gone the assassination route. He’d have marched to Cheonyeomeng and challenged him to a life-or-death duel on the spot.

Gun Mugyeol was similar.

He could pull off an assassination—but it was unlikely. Gun Mugyeol was the kind of man obsessed with stacking cards in his hand. If he wanted Ye Wonje dead, he would’ve orchestrated it through layers of schemes and used someone else to deliver the killing blow—maximizing gains in the process.

That’s just the kind of man he was.

And now, another name floated through Unhwi’s mind.

It was a vague sense—nothing concrete—but for some reason, he kept thinking of the Celestial Daoist.

“Seo Hyo.”

“Yes, Supreme Commander.”

“Go ahead. Say what you’ve been holding back.”

Letting out a sigh, Seo Hyo set down the documents and spoke:

“Yu Cheong has noticed.”

“You mean about Yang Seoljin’s disappearance.”

“Yes.”

Unhwi smiled faintly.

“How much do you think he knows?”

No matter how brilliant Yu Cheong was, the Snow Palace was now completely under Seol Jungcheon’s control.

Anyone who might’ve acted as Yu Cheong’s eyes and ears had either died—or been crippled.

So how much could he really see?