Chapter 324

The man who came quietly to sit in front of Seol Unhwi looked very different from before.

His long hair was split in two colors—half black, half white—and pinned with a white-jade hair clasp. His frame had grown a little larger as well.

It was nothing like the appearance he had worn when he had disguised himself as Yeon Songbaek. He looked younger now, and sharper.

He was the Sect Master of the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect, and the man who had been playing Yeon Songbaek—Shin Gang. That changed hair color was probably his true hair all along.

"You look much better, Senior."

"You... do not."

He was not saying it to be petty. Seol Unhwi was wrapped head to toe in muslin cloth, and the cloth was stained red in places.

Anyone could see it was not normal.

Shin Gang clicked his tongue as he examined Unhwi closely.

"Looks like you really crawled back from death."

"Since I’m still alive, I suppose I should call that good fortune."

"...I mean I didn’t think you would actually kill Mae Wuidong at Unity of Heaven and Man. You made the result in the end, so before we speak in depth, I’ll first pay you respect as a martial artist."

There was sincerity in Shin Gang’s voice.

Triple Profound Realm.

In the martial world, people currently called that realm a "half-baked Unity of Heaven and Man."

Whether that was true or not, Unhwi had used that realm to beat down Unity of Heaven and Man—overturning common sense and turning the impossible into reality.

Of course, the martial world had already been told Mae Wuidong fell to a heart demon and died in an explosion, so those who knew the truth would look at Unhwi differently.

Like Shin Gang did now.

Unhwi smiled gently.

"You flatter me. I only wagered my life."

"Wagering your life and actually overcoming it are different matters. And the martial art you used...."

Shin Gang stopped. His expression said he was not certain.

"If you’re curious, ask."

"I’ll ask later. First, let’s get to the point. What plan are you making?"

"You already have a guess."

When Shin Gang jerked his chin as if to say go on, Unhwi continued.

"As I told you back then, if it’s the corpse of a martial artist between Unity of Heaven and Man and No-Extremes Incarnation, it should be possible to alter it."

Shin Gang’s eyes flashed.

"Where is it, that corpse?"

"I’ll have it brought to you. Before that, withdraw the barrier."

The moment the surrounding force vanished, Unhwi opened his mouth.

"Chief Seong."

At the call, Chief Seong approached the door at once.

As if he could clearly guess there was a guest inside, Chief Seong did not enter.

He answered.

"Yes, Young Master."

"Bring the frozen one."

"...Understood."

As soon as the sound of Chief Seong leaving faded, Shin Gang asked.

"Frozen?"

"To prevent decay. While I was lying here, several guests came to see me because they were worried."

"...People from Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace, then."

"Yes. One of them even brought an ice essence."

"...Ice essence... Snow Palace really must have spirit medicines overflowing."

"It is a vast land."

In any case, before Unhwi passed out, he had clearly said it.

That he would use Mae Wuidong’s corpse.

Remembering those words, Chief Seong persuaded Joo Che.

And naturally, they used hundred-year ice essence to freeze Mae Wuidong’s corpse completely.

With help in the process from Joo Che, a master at No-Extremes Incarnation, the condition could be called perfect.

"A wise judgment."

Not long after, Chief Seong returned with Mae Wuidong’s frozen corpse. It was in terrible shape. The chest was pierced through, and the neck was severely damaged as well.

Shin Gang muttered while inspecting it.

"A mess."

"A mess. ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Will it be difficult?"

"What do you mean?"

"I’m asking if I need to help you."

After looking Unhwi over once more, Shin Gang let out a dry laugh.

"No. If you push yourself in that condition and die for nothing, won’t our plan turn to foam?"

"Then I’ll speak while watching."

"Watching what?"

"You don’t know what martial art I used."

Shin Gang fell silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"The martial art you use is Snow Palace martial arts and a sword art of unknown origin. But to my eyes right now, this is a fist art. And it reeks of the Blood Cult side. Did you place yourself under the Original Blood Cult?"

Someone like Shin Gang would notice, at least to a point. That was why Unhwi had to settle this much, no matter what.

"I am not of the Original Blood Cult. I only happen to know a few martial arts."

"..."

Shin Gang’s gaze sharpened. But Unhwi did not retreat.

"I won’t explain in detail. I have no desire to let my bottom line be stripped bare."

"Hm...."

"I’ll tell you briefly, just for reference."

Staring at him with strange eyes, Shin Gang asked Unhwi.

"Anything else you’re curious about?"

"Perhaps... did someone else come before I did?"

Unhwi did not deny it. With Shin Gang’s eye, he would be able to sense traces of another person.

"Who?"

"Someone with no interest in the martial world. Someone interested only in me personally."

"...I see."

Shin Gang did not ask further. He could tell Unhwi did not want to talk, and right now there was something more important than that.

Rolling up his sleeves, Shin Gang said,

"Then we begin."

"Where will you start?"

"First I’ll change the face into Yeon Songbaek’s face."

A fine force began to pour from Shin Gang’s hand. As it touched Mae Wuidong’s face, change began to occur little by little.

Shin Gang kept working with intense focus. Mae Wuidong’s face was gradually turning into Yeon Songbaek’s.

"Now we have to alter the wounds."

Shin Gang began to manipulate the corpse’s injured areas. He was making the wounds Unhwi had inflicted with the Blood Demon Soaring-Heaven Art look as if they had been inflicted by Shin Gang’s martial arts.

"The piercing wound in the chest... we’ll have to make it a sword wound."

"The blood energy that pierced through spread into the surrounding meridians and bones."

"...Then we’ll have to carve the bone as well."

"I’ll point it out for you."

When Shin Gang looked at Unhwi, he was seized by a strange emotion.

It had only been recently that he had become Unhwi’s enemy, and yet now they were working together, hand in hand.

This was something no one in the world could ever be allowed to know.

It would be a secret belonging only to the two of them, and among those who noticed, there would be one person on each side.

At most, two.

By this alone, the two of them were being bound by a cord, and in the end, one way or another, they would have no choice but to move in the same direction.

But there was one problem.

It was a naturally accompanying problem: from Shin Gang’s perspective, wanting to hide the secret, one day he would strike Unhwi from behind.

The question he had hesitated over earlier was this one.

Should he ask outright or not—when would he strike?

He chose not to ask.

However, Unhwi had already seen through that question.

"The choice is entirely yours, Senior."

At Unhwi’s words coming in so suddenly, Shin Gang’s brow twitched.

"If you work with me, you’ll stop caring about things like secrets."

"..."

"In the end, as time passes, the new truth that’s already settled will harden in place, and even if someone talks later, no problem will arise. You know why."

Unhwi’s eyes flashed.

"I don’t do petty things like that."

"...Neither do I. Then you and I will have to be together until the moment this world ends."

"I suppose we will."

Who would be above whose head, who would take orders—

That would be decided later.

At least for now, the two were equals.

Shin Gang focused again.

His work was meticulous, and Unhwi, pointing things out here and there, was meticulous as well.

The night deepened, and the work continued.

The two of them were crafting a perfect story to deceive the martial world.

Mae Wuidong’s corpse would become Yeon Songbaek’s corpse, and the martial world, already stunned by the Heavenly Alliance, would be stunned once again by the new truth of the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect.

A story that the true successor of the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect, Shin Gang, had returned and executed the fake would carry that kind of impact.

The two of them had the power to make it happen.

When Shin Gang finished the last touches, he said,

"...It’s done."

The focus of Shin Gang, who had reached No-Extremes Incarnation, was astonishing.

It proved his long-held desire—he wanted to take off the mask that badly.

With a complicated expression, Shin Gang looked at Unhwi.

"Thank you for your effort. It really looks like Yeon Songbaek."

"...Not ‘looks like.’ This is Yeon Songbaek. I changed everything—blood vessel structure, flesh, bone structure, all of it."

Because it was a corpse, it was possible.

If it had been a living person, such work would have been impossible.

"Now we just need to spread the story well. Are you confident?"

"If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have even proposed it."

Unhwi smiled.

"Good work, Senior."

"You too."

Rising from his seat, Shin Gang said,

"Cheonrim has become yours now, so you spread the rumors. I’ll respond as needed. And."

Shin Gang’s gaze swept over Unhwi’s body once.

"I’m sorry I disturbed your rest. I’ll go now, so rest well."

"If you’re sorry, brew and send a few medicinal ingredients that will help my recovery."

Shin Gang let out a dry laugh.

"I have a few. Before long, I’ll send them through a top-grade carrier pigeon."

"Thank you."

"And the corpse?"

"When my body recovers, I’ll carry it over myself. Personally."

Shin Gang stood there a moment longer, then let out a sigh.

No, he could not let it go.

He wanted a clear answer.

"...You’re definitely not ordinary. That’s why I want to hear it clearly. Do you really not think I’ll strike you from behind?"

"Were you planning to?"

"If, when you bring that corpse, I kill you? And then kill all Four Lords and take Cheonrim back?"

"For me, that would be the worst case."

"And even accounting for that, you would come? You’re not just not ordinary—you’re completely, properly insane."

"Is that a compliment?"

"It is."

Shin Gang snorted.

"Normally you keep the number of people who know a secret to the minimum, but from what I see, it doesn’t look like you’re trying to sit in the Alliance Lord’s seat... Which means you have someone you’ve already decided as the next Alliance Lord. Am I right?"

Shin Gang really was not ordinary either.

There was a reason he had run both Cheonrim and the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect—and acted for decades.

"Yes."

Since Unhwi did not deny it, Shin Gang said briefly.

"Bring him. If he’s present, I won’t be able to lay a hand on you, and you’ll be at ease as well."

"I don’t know where to put myself at such consideration. You would increase the number of people who must know the secret just to put my mind at ease."

"Do you dislike it?"

"I don’t dislike it."

"Then there’s no problem."

"There isn’t."

Shin Gang glanced at Unhwi’s wounds and asked.

"Fifteen days?"

"It might be shorter."

"Then we’ll set it at fifteen days."

Right now, Unhwi could barely even walk properly.

The fifteen days Shin Gang spoke of meant at least a level where movement would not be a problem, and Unhwi was saying it would be faster than that.

But Shin Gang wanted certainty.

"Before you come to the Sword Sect, send one letter first."