All of the martial artists of the Silent Night who had hidden among the crowd were exterminated. Most had disguised themselves as ordinary folk, which made them difficult to identify , but Dam Soo-Cheon nevertheless hunted them down one by one, striking each of them down as if he had known their locations in advance.
Dam Soo-Cheon's dramatic entrance boosted the crowd's spirits, and they erupted in fiery support and cheers. If not for him, their morale would have plumted, and the prestige of Heaven's Summit and the Demon Hunters suffered irreparable damage.
Martial artists and Demon Hunters alike began chanting his na in unison:
"Dam Soo-Cheon! Dam Soo-Cheon!"
"The Lone Star of the Azure Sky has overwheld the Silent Night!"
The people's cheers seed endless. Madness could be felt in their voices, as if the gloomy atmosphere from monts before had been a lie.
Watching the scene unfold, Jin Mu-Won muttered, "The perfectly-tid arrival of a hero? How dramatic."
Every chaotic age called for a hero, and whoever t the people's expectations was crowned as such. In that sense, Dam Soo-Cheon was clearly born with a hero's destiny.
"Either that, or this is your magnum opus."
Jin Mu-Won's gaze shifted toward a woman sitting in the grandstands—Seomoon Hye-Ryung.
She was watching Dam Soo-Cheon receive the crowd's fervent support intently.
Suddenly, as if she sensed Jin Mu-Won's stare, she turned toward him, a faint triumphant smile playing on her lips.
Jin Mu-Won rose to his feet. This was Dam Soo-Cheon's stage, so there was no longer any reason for him to stay. He had no intention of sitting at soone else's banquet and joining in the applause.
He strode out of Heaven's Summit as the resounding cheers echoed behind him.
Shaking his head at the sound of their madness-tinged voices, he returned directly to the Tang Clan's manor.
Tang Gi-Mun and Ha Jin-Wol greeted him.
"Welco back."
"Who won?"
Jin Mu-Won told them about Dam Soo-Cheon.
Ha Jin-Wol scowled slightly upon hearing the news. "So Dam Soo-Cheon appeared after all. That's like giving wings to Seomoon Hye-Ryung."
"Is Dam Soo-Cheon really that formidable?" Tang Gi-Mun asked.
"They say he's the greatest talent in a hundred years. Usually, talented people are lazy, but Dam Soo-Cheon is obsessively driven, almost fanatically so. The phrase 'improving with every day' might as well exist solely to describe him."
"If you say so..." Tang Gi-Mun nodded, accepting Ha Jin-Wol's opinion with no further comnt.
Jin Mu-Won looked around. "Where's Ryu-San?"
"He went out a while ago."
"Is that so?"
"Didn't you see him at the arena? He said he was going to watch the duels."
"It seems our paths didn't cross."
"Hmm! That could be."
Tang Gi-Mun clicked his tongue. After earning the alias 'the Unyielding Bloodhound', Myeong Ryu-San had begun going out more often. People wanted to be with him, and he enjoyed their attention. Although Tang Gi-Mun disapproved, he had no choice but to let it be, as his disciple was still receiving his poison treatnts without fail.
He let out a soft sigh. I suppose one can't escape their origins.
Ha Jin-Wol clapped his sworn brother on the shoulder as if reading his mind. "That kid will be fine. He may be drunk on his imdiate success, but he's not a bad person at heart."
"It's strange to hear you say that."
"Why?"
"Don't you dislike him?"
"Not really, no. I just can't acknowledge him because there are many traits of his that I don't approve of."
"Isn't that the sa thing?"
"It's different."
"I don't see how." Tang Gi-Mun shook his head in puzzlent.
Ha Jin-Wol let out a small laugh and turned to Jin Mu-Won. "Welco back. I was just about to send for you."
"Is sothing wrong?"
"Let's go inside first. Mu-Sang is waiting."
Ha Jin-Wol led them to a room in the farthest corner of the manor. Inside, Seo Mu-Sang was examining sothing intently, but he looked up when he spotted Jin Mu-Won.
"Liege?"
"What are you looking at so seriously?"
"Please take a look at this."
Seo Mu-Sang handed Jin Mu-Won a docunt filled with unknown symbols and numbers.
"What's this?"
"It's the number of ssenger pigeons currently flying in and out of Heaven's Summit."
As befitting the world's number one organization, Heaven's Summit amassed a vast amount of information. So important information was delivered in person, but much of the rest relied on ssenger pigeons.
As the forr Head Inquisitor, Seo Mu-Sang had managed more ssenger pigeons than anyone else. It was only natural that he would be knowledgeable about Heaven's Summit's information network.
"The number of ssenger pigeons flying in and out of Heaven's Summit has increased more than threefold since yesterday."
"What does that imply, exactly?"
Ha Jin-Wol explained, "It ans sothing urgent is happening within Heaven's Summit. A sharp increase in ssenger pigeons ans a sharp increase in communications. That only happens when there's an unexpected incident or when Heaven's Summit is moving a large number of troops."
"So, does that an there's so movent in Heaven's Summit that we don't know about?"
"That's right. The problem is what will result from this movent. It could be that the Silent Night's activities have been detected. But what if that's not it?
"They could be targeting ."
"Correct. Of course, this is just a hypothesis , but still, you need to be fully prepared."
"Understood."
sep
"A witch..." Yu Jang-Hwan muttered, his eyes trembling.
Although he was the young master of a rchant association, he was first and foremost a martial artist. He had studied martial arts since childhood and had forged his own path based on his own strength. He prided himself on having seen everything while traveling the world with the rchant association.
However, he had never witnessed a scene as grueso as the one unfolding before his eyes.
Death was rampant. The people who had been vividly alive just monts before were now lifeless. Their broken, cut bodies were scattered on the ground, and the earth was stained with blood.
"Blegh!"
So of the escorts who saw the scene began to vomit, and soon the entire group was affected.
Yi Deung-Myeong was no exception. As Head Escort, he had witnessed many deaths, but never such a grisly sight.
As soon as a silvery aura wrapped around Eun Han-Seol, death filled the scene. The martial artists of the Zhongnan Sect and the Taoists of the Kunlun Sect attacked her with all their might, but they were no match for her.
She was a miniature typhoon. The silvery storm of blades she unleashed sliced and pulverized everything in its path. The Zhongnan martial artists attacked with all their might, but they were utterly powerless against the natural disaster that was Eun Han-Seol.
The Blue Mountain Sage unleashed the Thirty-Six Swords Below Heaven, one of the Zhongnan Sect's greatest sword arts. In the face of her silver soul energy, however, his sharp and magnificent swordsmanship was completely overpowered.
Eun Han-Seol waited for him to unleash all thirty-six swords, then killed him with a single blow. His body was torn to shreds, leaving only scattered remains.
Within seconds, not a single one of her attackers was still breathing. Even the tenacious Kunlun Sect Taoist who had survived their previous encounter t his end at her hands.
Finally, she ceased attacking, and her crazed, silvery-white eyes returned to their original color. Despite having committed such a trendous slaughter, not a drop of blood stained her clothes. She was still clean and as beautiful as a fairy.
Nevertheless, in Yu Jang-Hwan's eyes, she no longer looked beautiful. She was terrifying.
A witch. She's definitely a witch.
He wasn't alone. A deep shadow of fear cast itself over the faces of the Silver Horse rchant Association escorts, including Yi Deung-Myeong.
"Ugh!"
When Eun Han-Seol looked at them, the escorts of the Silver Horse rchant Association slowly began to back away.
Her expression turned cold. She could see the fear in their eyes. Those who t her gaze quickly bowed their heads. No one dared to look her in the eye, not even Yu Jang-Hwan, who had been flirting with her re monts ago.
What did I do wrong? I only fought to survive.
Eun Han-Seol walked toward Yu Jang-Hwan, but he quickly turned his head away. He was afraid of this young girl. He was terrified of the way she dished out death without hesitation.
Eun Han-Seol asked, "Did I do sothing wrong?"
"Uhm..." Yu Jang-Hwan couldn't readily answer. The escorts and rchants who witnessed this could only swallow dryly. If Eun Han-Seol got angry, they would die too.
Eun Han-Seol shifted her gaze toward Yi Deung-Myeong, but he too quickly turned his head away. While he prided himself on having nerves of steel, he couldn't help fearing her.
Still, he thought that he had to say sothing. If she felt ignored, she could lose her temper and beco violent again.
"Y-Young Lady Eun has done nothing wrong. H-however, the Zhongnan and Kunlun Sects won't see it that way."
"Why not?"
"Because they never forget a grudge."
"They were the ones who attacked first. I am not the one who started this fight."
"I... know. However, great sects like Heaven's Summit and the Nine Great Sects think they're the center of the world. Naturally, they only think of everything from their own perspective. They quickly forget the wounds they inflict on others, but never the ones they receive."
"I'm not afraid of them."
"You're strong, so you may not be, but we are."
"......"
"They say you can command even ghosts with money, but that only goes so far. The truly strong aren't afraid of the wealthy. The mont the Nine Great Sects turn their backs on us, the Silver Horse rchant Association will be ruined," Yi Deung-Myeong explained vaguely.
Eun Han-Seol caught the hint perfectly. "I understand. It seems we must part ways here."
"I'm sorry. Still, rest assured that we will keep our mouths shut about you, Young Lady. You don't need to worry about that."
"I'm not worried." Eun Han-Seol cast a glance at Yu Jang-Hwan, who was still reluctant to look at her. "Just because sothing was good yesterday doesn't an it will be good today. The human heart is like a reed, swaying even in a small storm. The one who is the sa yesterday, today, and tomorrow is a true man."
Her words, like a song or a poem, held many hidden anings.
Yu Jang-Hwan quickly raised his head. "Y-Young Lady Eun?"
Unfortunately, she had already turned around and started walking away. He held out his hand, but she didn't slow down.
His eyes shook as he watched her leave without looking back, as if she had no lingering attachnts.
"Young Lady Eun!"
"We must let her go."
"Head Escort."
"She's a being we cannot contain. If we involve ourselves with her any further, the entire Silver Horse rchant Association could be wiped out."
"Damn it!"
A faint tremor ran through Yu Jang-Hwan's shoulders. Logically, he knew that Yi Deung-Myeong was right, but emotionally, he had not yet accepted it.
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