He was a middle-aged man in a black robe. His face wore a full smile and his gait was unhurried.
“There is great honor in being received personally by Lord Hwa.”
Because this was a place where he lived alone, Hwa Munyeom, naturally, had to be the one to receive him when soone ca here like this.
He was Eun Unsaeng, the Soul-Exterminating Sword Lord.
A martial artist of the Slaughter-Soul Gate, the king of the Great Desert.
Hwa Munyeom set his teacup down.
“You ca from far away.”
“That is so. I indeed ca from very far.”
Eun Unsaeng rose to the Plum Pavilion and took a seat opposite Hwa Munyeom as if it were the most natural thing.
“You were invited to the Heavenly Alliance’s inauguration ceremony.”
“But you did not attend.”
“I was delayed by urgent matters in the middle of it.”
Eun Unsaeng smiled, and Hwa Munyeom, finding it ridiculous, let out a dry laugh.
And Hwa Munyeom’s heart was broad.
“They say the Great Desert is one of the most chaotic places even among the Central Plains. The one who governs there must be pulled in all directions and would find it difficult to leave his post; if new problems arose... I can understand that.”
“Hahaha. Thank you for the praise and for your understanding, but that is too flattering. I am surviving the Great Desert rather than governing it.”
Eun Unsaeng fell silent for a mont, then continued with a wry smile.
“The Great Desert is so barren and dangerous that if anyone wanted to travel there I would try to dissuade them.”
“You lead the Slaughter-Soul Gate in such a place. That is admirable.”
“Admirable... that may be too much praise.”
Eun Unsaeng looked Hwa Munyeom directly in the eye.
“But I should tell you why I ca today.”
“Please do.”
“What if the Heavenly Alliance and the Slaughter-Soul Gate joined hands?”
Hwa Munyeom’s eyes narrowed.
“Join hands?”
“Exactly. The Great Desert is distant from the Central Plains, which ans it is freer from the Central Plains’ scrutiny.”
Eun Unsaeng lifted his teacup.
“If the Heavenly Alliance needs sothing, the Slaughter-Soul Gate can provide it. The Great Desert holds things the Central Plains does not.”
“For example?”
“Information, supplies, and people.”
Eun Unsaeng took a sip of tea.
“The Great Desert is full of those who fled the Central Plains: those driven out by the orthodox, those pushed aside by the heterodox, and those who simply want a new life. You know this well, do you not?”
He did know.
Hwa Munyeom rose from his seat and returned the salute.
“I heard you killed Mandaeungryong Sword Sangchun and Xuan-Xuan Master.”
“That is so.”
“I feel I have not properly thanked you for that, so I want to thank you now.”
Eun Unsaeng waved his hand.
“That was a favor asked by that genius of the snow mountains who now serves as the Heavenly Arbiter, so I did it for him. It hardly rits thanks.”
Hwa Munyeom laughed, and Eun Unsaeng laughed too.
“Shall we return to the point?”
Hwa Munyeom sat again and poured tea into Eun Unsaeng’s cup.
“Continue.”
“Very well. Among those who fled to the Great Desert are many capable people, but they have no path back to the Central Plains. If the Heavenly Alliance opens that path, would it not benefit both sides?”
Hwa Munyeom nodded.
“So you an to send them into the Heavenly Alliance.”
“Yes. Of course not by coercion. Only those ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ who wish to will be sent.”
“What is the cost of that cooperation?”
“Simple.”
Eun Unsaeng smiled.
“Do not forget the Great Desert. Extend your hand when needed, and when in danger turn your back to us.”
Hwa Munyeom considered for a mont.
“A fair offer.”
“Is it not?”
“Then why co to first instead of speaking with the Heavenly Arbiter?”
“Originally I intended to speak with the Heavenly Arbiter, but order matters, and I judged keeping that order would best show my sincerity.”
Hwa Munyeom snorted softly.
As most knew, Hwa Munyeom was not a man given to asserting authority. Whether or not he was considered inferior to the Heavenly Arbiter, he already held Seol Unhwi’s deeds in high regard, and he wanted to know the other party’s sincerity.
The Slaughter-Soul Gate was not a sect of the righteous path.
The Great Desert itself was so barren that to govern it ant blood on one’s hands in a way far different from ordinary martial artists.
If Eun Unsaeng stacked the corpses he had killed, it would at least make three or four towers.
From Eun Unsaeng’s words and actions, Hwa Munyeom discerned the man’s sincerity.
“Very well. Let us join hands.”
“You are more straightforward than I expected.”
“The Slaughter-Soul Gate of the Great Desert is terrifying in na, but that sa reputation makes it reliable.”
Hwa Munyeom extended his hand.
“I welco cooperation between the Heavenly Alliance and the Slaughter-Soul Gate.”
Eun Unsaeng took the offered hand.
“May this be a good bond.”
They shook hands.
After discussing the details, signing a petition, and drinking tea together, Eun Unsaeng slowly rose after nearly two watches of conversation.
“Then I will take my leave.”
“Are you returning directly to the Great Desert?”
Eun Unsaeng shook his head.
“I will et one more person.”
Hwa Munyeom did not ask who; it was obvious.
It would be the Heavenly Arbiter, Seol Unhwi.
A peculiar smile crossed Eun Unsaeng’s lips.
“I t him long ago and I want to see him again.”
Hwa Munyeom smiled thinly at that smile.
“That will be an interesting eting.”
“I hope so.”
Eun Unsaeng left the Plum Pavilion.
When his figure vanished, Hwa Munyeom resud his tea.
***
Seol Unhwi and Chief Seong walked slowly.
This is an anecdote sowhat embarrassing to tell, but before entering the hidden realm the two had hidden their carriage and horses at the foot of Watching-Moon Peak.
They had even set up a formation, but after finishing conversation with Geum Mujeok and Dugohyeon and returning there, the carriage and horses were gone.
The formation was crude but had been thoroughly destroyed; the carriage and horses had been completely stripped.
Their belongings had been left in the dusk pouch, so those were safe, but the important thing was they had been robbed.
“Shall we track them?”
“It is unnecessary.”
“...This is humiliating. Shouldn’t we catch them?”
“It was my mistake to hide them there, and those who destroyed it did so at the risk of their lives. You must understand that.”
“You seem suddenly rciful in a strange place.”
Seol Unhwi did not answer.
“There was a village nearby. There we might find horses...”
Seol Unhwi’s voice trailed off.
Chief Seong sensed nothing, but seeing Seol Unhwi’s expression he instantly went on guard.
“...Young master?”
“Step back.”
“What...?”
“Imdiately.”
There was tension in Seol Unhwi’s voice.
As Chief Seong instinctively moved back, a voice rang out from the sky.
“Tianhun turns to long night; divine spirits vanish all.
One thought severs myriad ties; forever shall they not return.”
The sky darkened.
More precisely, a band of heavenly-and-earth spiritual essence evaporated in an instant.
“They say from Dao nothingness gives rise to being and being returns to nothing. The Tianhun Extinguish-Divine Formula does not defy that law; it rely realizes that principle at extre speed.”
A thunderous voice bood.
“It returns the heavenly-and-earth essence to nothing in an instant and sends divine spirits into a long night; one thought severs myriad ties—this is the Tianhun Extinguish-Divine Formula!”
A trendous pressure poured down.
Chief Seong’s face went pale. Even now that he had reached Celestial-Being state, the power was hard to bear.
But Seol Unhwi remained calm.
“Troubleso.”
As Seol Unhwi had said, Chief Seong had been about to step back, but upon sensing the magnitude he moved to protect Seol Unhwi.
Or rather, he tried to move. Seol Unhwi grabbed the back of Chief Seong’s neck.
“Wait, young mas—”
Whoosh!
Seol Unhwi hurled Chief Seong backward; the man flew dozens of paces and landed in safety.
Seol Unhwi had already pushed his latent qi to the extre.
He drew the Truefla Heavenly-Spirit Sword from the dusk pouch.
A dazzling light stread from the blade.
He raised the sword.
A sensation as if the world were inverted spread outward, as if the entire world focused on that single blade.
The Reverse-Heaven Vastness Sword.
One form: Vastness Single Sword.
He swung the sword in a large arc from low to high.
KRAAAASH!
When the sword qi cleaved the sky and collided directly with the Tianhun Extinguish-Divine Formula, an enormous light erupted.
The darkness of the Tianhun Extinguish-Divine Formula scattered, and the sword qi of the Vastness Single Sword vanished.
Silence followed.
Seol Unhwi sheathed the sword and looked up at the sky.
“Greetings, senior Eun.”
A brief silence passed.
Then—
“Ha ha ha ha ha—!”
A roaring laugh burst out.
A man fell from the sky.
A middle-aged man in a black robe.
Eun Unsaeng.
“You scoundrel! It’s been a long ti!”
He landed and looked at Seol Unhwi.
“Truly... a remarkable fellow you are!”
“You intended to surprise , did you not, senior?”
“That I did, but I did not expect the Tianhun Extinguish-Divine Formula to be so easily countered.”
Eun Unsaeng shook his head in admiration.
“Reverse-Heaven Vastness Sword...? I have never heard of that art; is genius truly genius!”
“You flatter .”
Chief Seong rushed forward.
“Young master! Are you all right?”
“I am fine.”
Seol Unhwi reassured Chief Seong and turned to Eun Unsaeng.
“You did not reply to the invitation nor attend the inauguration, and yet you suddenly appear like this. I did not expect it.”
“I had urgent matters.”
Eun Unsaeng approached with a smile.
“Forgive , fellow. I had business.”
“There was business, so it cannot be helped. No need to worry.”
“But courtesy must be observed. That is why I ca myself.”
“Did you co to see the Alliance Lord?”
“I did. I established a close pact between the Heavenly Alliance and the Slaughter-Soul Gate. Go and look into the specifics yourself.”
“I will.”
Eun Unsaeng scanned the surroundings.
“But you know,”
“Speak.”
“Those two were more troubleso than expected.”
The two he referred to were the Great Desert fugitives’ lieutenants, Mae Wuidong’s subordinates who had hidden in the Great Desert: Mandaeungryong Sword Sangchun and Xuan-Xuan Master.
“Was that the best you could do?”
“It was the best.”
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