"Sorry to interrupt you guys, but now’s really not the ti to be arguing."
Yoon-Jae said while glancing between Heon-Tae and Ji-Hoon.
Heon-Tae clenched his fists and looked away from Ji-Hoon.
"Fine, I don’t care what you do anymore."
Heon-Tae walked away from Ji-Hoon.
Cheong-San and Cheong-Su looked at each other before following Heon-Tae.
Seeing this falling out, Sol didn’t know what to say or do.
"Brother Sol..."
Byeong-Ho suddenly said from next to Sol.
"...Would you commit genocide in pursuit of revenge?"
Sol turned to look at Byeong-Ho with a confused expression.
"What do you an, Brother Byeong-Ho?"
Byeong-Ho went silent for a bit, then said.
"Nothing, forget I said anything."
Sol tilted his head, but he didn’t push for Byeong-Ho to explain what he ant.
Ji-Hoon watched Heon-Tae, Cheong-Su, and Cheong-San walk away, and he sighed internally.
’I’ve already made up my mind.’
Ji-Hoon then turned and lifted his hand. His palm faced forward, and the space in front of him distorted.
Bang!
A loud sound of sothing shattering echoed through the hall, causing it to tremble.
Everyone looked on as the space shattered to reveal two large golden doors with the carving of fierce dragons on both of them.
The double doors swung open inwards, and a bright golden light shone out, almost blinding everyone.
When the light’s intensity waned, everyone removed their hands from their eyes to see that it was the exit to the outside world. However, everyone’s faces went pale as soon as their eyes fell on the outside world.
"WAH!!!"
Mar-Dule cried out and suddenly dived behind Jinji. But his plump body couldn’t fit behind Jinji’s smaller body.
Heon-Tae, Cheong-Su, and Cheong-San also instinctively tried to hide their faces by turning their backs to the door. They even thought of running away, but to where? This hall had no other doors or windows.
Yoon-Jae’s reaction was to step in front of Sol to block him, but Sol also raised his hands to cover Yoon-Jae’s face.
Though each of the youths’ attempts to hide was as poor as Mar-Dule’s own.
What everyone saw that made them react like this was the familiar figure of an old man.
Elder Gu.
He was standing just inches away from the entrance, and behind him were a few more Elders from the Academy. They were talking to each other, but their voices didn’t enter the hall.
Ji-Hoon’s expression changed when he saw them, and he went to imdiately close the doors. However, he realized that Elder Gu and the other Elders didn’t react to their appearance.
"Wait, everyone, rember that it’s not possible to see into the palace from the outside. So, they can’t see us right now."
Upon hearing that, Mar-Dule’s head popped out from behind Jinji, while Yoon-Jae lifted Sol’s hand from his face.
"That was close, I thought I had dood my Barbarian Race to be enemies of the Holy Sects and Great Clans."
"Think you gluttonous bastard! If they’re here, that ans the dinsion is opened!!"
Yoon-Jae yelled.
"Let’s calm down. As of now, they might not know we’re in here."
Cheong-Su said, but Heon-Tae paused biting his nails, and then said.
"How could they not know? Fourth Brother, they might have seen the path we created in the Formation Arrays to get to the Palace! Even if they don’t know we’re in here, they know that soone is definitely in here! Also, with all the shaking before, they definitely suspect that soone is after the Inheritance!!"
Heon-Tae’s words caused everyone’s hearts to start pounding wildly in their chests.
What were they going to do now? Things had beco so complicated.
Ji-Hoon silently stared at Elder Gu, who was observing the barrier, and his eyes narrowed.
"Isn’t this a good opportunity?"
Everyone paused to look at Ji-Hoon.
Byeong-Ho’s body suddenly tensed, and Sol glanced over at him.
"What do you an?"
Mar-Dule asked.
Ji-Hoon turned to everyone, and an ominous expression appeared on his face.
"I an, now that these Elders are gathered here, isn’t this an opportunity?"
"To do what?"
Yoon-Jae narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Ji-Hoon.
Ji-Hoon paused, then said.
"To kill them."
After he said that, a suffocating silence forced its way into the hall.
"That–Is that possible? They’re in the Spiritual Realm, and so of them are Direct Elders of the Six Holy Sects and the Five Great Clans, so they have powerful Martial Arts Techniques and weapons at their disposal."
Cheong-San’s Divine Sense stuttered out.
"If I activate those Formation Arrays outside, then it’s possible."
"No, that’s going too far. If we do that, then there’s no going back. It would condemn all of us here to a life where we can’t ever remain in Jianghu if we were discovered. I very much like my life as it is now, so go on your suicide mission after we all leave."
Yoon-Jae said this in a cold voice.
Sol stepped forward and added.
"Brother Ji-Hoon, if the Elders of the Academy die, then it’s going to blow things out of proportion. Right now, our main priority is to find a way to leave without having our identities revealed."
Ji-Hoon frowned.
"Brother Sol, you of all people should be willing to take revenge on the Holy Sects and the Great Clans for what they did to Sect Leader."
Sol flinched.
"This is a good opportunity to deal a huge blow to those bastards. Shouldn’t we take it?!"
Hearing this, Heon-Tae narrowed his eyes at Ji-Hoon but said nothing. However, his hand slowly wrapped around the hilt of his blade.
Tensions began to rise, and soon, it suddenly felt like a wide chasm had appeared between Ji-Hoon and everyone else.
Cheong-San stepped forward and said with his Divine Sense.
"Eldest Brother, don’t do this. We should talk this out."
"There’s nothing to discuss, Fifth Brother. I did all of this so I could rebuild the Forgotten Sect and take revenge on the people who destroyed my father’s ho. I’ll never forgive those people for what they did."
Ji-Hoon suddenly paused, and as if sothing had co to him, he released a grin. But this grin wasn’t normal; it was sick and twisted. It was sort of a glimpse into his current thoughts on his slow descent into madness. A madness awoke by a power that wasn’t his.
"The Six Holy Sects and the Five Great Clans have slaughtered my Forgotten Sect’s Elders... and disciples. Isn’t it ti to pay them back in the sa way?"
"You’re fucking crazy!"
Yoon-Jae imdiately stepped forward, enraged by Ji-Hoon’s words, but Sol stopped him.
Mar-Dule didn’t move or say anything, but a vicious light slowly appeared in his eyes as he stared at Ji-Hoon.
Byeong-Ho couldn’t help but close his only eye and release a sad sigh.
"Of course, I won’t harm those of the Alchemy Pavilion and Brother Mar-Dule’s Runes and Formations Pavilion. I’ll spare Youngest Brother Huashan Sect’s disciples, too. But everyone else is guilty."
"You don’t get to decide who is guilty and who isn’t, Eldest Brother."
Ji-Hoon turned to look at Heon-Tae, who spoke.
"In this Dinsion, I’m no different from a God. If I say they’re guilty, then they are."
"Are you serious?"
Cheong-Su’s feelings at this mont were complicated, especially as he clutched the guqin in his arms. But he couldn’t agree with Ji-Hoon’s words.
"Eldest Brother, are you really going to commit genocide? What about those that aren’t a part of the Six Holy Sects and Five Great Clans, are you going to kill them as well?!"
Ji-Hoon remained silent. However, he suddenly raised his hand.
In the outside world, Elder Gu and the other Elders started to panic as the Formation Arrays around the palace started to activate.
They couldn’t be heard, but just by looking at their expression, one could tell the horror they were feeling. They probably knew what would happen if those Formation Arrays were activated.
However, the mont Ji-Hoon raised his hand, Byeong-Ho’s tensed body shot forward like a drawn bow being released.
Before Ji-Hoon could react, Byeong-Ho appeared in front of him, his sword slashing out and quickly appearing just inches away from severing his neck.
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