The Return of the Sword God Chapter 136 : Now Is the Time to Choose. -01

Chapter 136: Now Is the Ti to Choose. -01

No sooner had Sang Il-gi finished speaking than the Demonic Fiendess burst into a clear, ringing peal of laughter.

At the sa ti as she unleashed the Soul-Capturing Art to its utmost limit, she also activated a sound-based technique.

However, she did not believe it would work on Sang Il-gi or Ban Hojin.

What she wanted was rely the slightest opening.

Ssshhh—!

Just a tiny gap through which she could withdraw her body.

If the two so much as hesitated for a mont, she planned to seize that chance and flee.

Thus, without even checking the result, she turned and ran.

She poured all her internal energy into her Yongcheon Acupoint, focusing solely on speed.

‘It worked!’

Not a Lightness Skill, but pure speed and distance—focusing only on widening the gap—joy blossod across the Demonic Fiendess’s face.

Though she had not looked back, she could sense the situation within the area.

That was why she knew no one was moving.

Just as she had planned, the opening had been created perfectly.

‘If I keep going like this! I’ll head to a large city and hide myself……!’

She did not spare a single thought for revenge.

It was not that she had given up, but that she clearly understood survival was what mattered now.

And revenge required power. Thus, she focused every ounce of her attention on escaping.

But at that mont, goosebumps rippled across her entire body.

Kwaaang!

Simultaneously, a flash that had flown in from midair exploded beneath her feet.

Sothing imbued with terrifying force had rushed in and detonated.

“Kyaaah!”

She instinctively pushed her Protective Energy to its peak, but it was useless.

The explosion viciously tore through it.

Fortunately, that was where it ended.

Though her clothes were shredded, she suffered no external or internal injuries.

“Where are you in such a hurry to go?”

Instead, Sang Il-gi had descended before her—she had no idea when.

Despite having faced the Awl Fiend, he stood there immaculate, without a single wound.

Yet rely standing in front of her was enough to render her unable to move.

And she had not even been subjected to Acupoint Sealing.

Hic!

“Will you be captured quietly, or will you die here?”

Sang Il-gi asked politely, as the Demonic Fiendess hiccupped in terror.

In his own way, he was showing courtesy.

She understood that as well, so she squeezed her eyes shut and let her arms fall limp.

She demonstrated her surrender through action.

Press.

Sang Il-gi sealed her acupoints.

After sealing both her Paralysis Acupoint and Mute Acupoint simultaneously, he returned to where Ban Hojin and the others were.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Hahaha. I hope I did not co for nothing?”

Ban Hojin gave an awkward laugh at Sang Il-gi, who still maintained formal speech.

Even though he had once asked him to speak comfortably, it seed he had a quiet stubborn streak.

Still, Ban Hojin thought that mutual respect was not such a bad thing.

“Not at all. On the contrary, I’m grateful you ca.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Sang Il-gi smiled faintly.

In truth, even if he had not co, the result would have been the sa.

Among those present, he was the one who knew Ban Hojin’s skill best.

He had worried that he might be intruding unnecessarily, but fortunately, Ban Hojin did not seem to mind.

“Thanks to you, we captured three of the Eight Evils with ease.”

“You could have done so even without .”

“Even so, thanks to you, we captured them without anyone getting hurt.”

“Well, that is true.”

Sang Il-gi soon conceded.

When he heard it put that way, it was not wrong.

After all, more hands naturally made things easier.

“It’s been a long ti, Sect Leader!”

“Have you been well in the anti?”

“Hello.”

As the conversation with Ban Hojin seed to settle, Seonwu Bang, Seo Joun, and Murong Cheok stepped forward belatedly, greeting him with delighted expressions.

Though he was Jeong Iryong’s master, they had shared good tis together, and all of them were pleased by the reunion.

On the other hand, Nan Hui-ju was curious but did not approach.

She quietly waited until the group finished their greetings.

“This is the Rumor Lord of the Hao Sect.”

“Hello. My na is Nan Hui-ju.”

Knowing this, Ban Hojin introduced her once the reunion had concluded.

Of course, he did not ntion Bangcheon Sect.

Unless Sang Il-gi wished to bring it up, he did not yet know what thoughts he harbored, so Ban Hojin remained cautious on that point.

“I have wanted to et you at least once. I heard you helped my disciple greatly.”

“Oh, no. Rather, I have received much help from Young Master Jeong.”

Nan Hui-ju waved her hands at Sang Il-gi, who treated her with the sa courteous first impression.

It was true she had offered help, but strictly speaking, she had benefited more.

Though she had paid what was fair, in truth, she had gained more from him.

So Nan Hui-ju shook her head sincerely.

“I’m relieved that he did not trouble you.”

“Trouble? Absolutely not. If anything, I’ve been the troubleso one many tis. Ah, and my thanks are late. There was so much happening. Thank you for your assistance, sir.”

Nan Hui-ju hastily removed her veil and offered a respectful bow.

She had heard Ban Hojin address him as Sect Leader, but since she did not know which sect he belonged to, she chose a suitably respectful title.

Naturally, she hoped Sang Il-gi would reveal his affiliation himself.

‘I had been curious about Young Master Jeong’s sect, after all.’

Even before he gained the epithet Hidden Dragon, Jeong Iryong had quietly spread among the younger generation talents.

Since those chosen by Ban Hojin all displayed extraordinary talent and growth, many assud Jeong Iryong would be no different.

And that ant many were curious about his sect as well.

Yet Jeong Iryong had never once directly revealed his sect.

“Assistance? Even if I had not been there, the outco would not have changed.”

Sang Il-gi smiled leisurely.

Though Nan Hui-ju was the Rumor Lord of the Hao Sect, he too was a seasoned Veteran of the Jianghu.

Thus, he saw through her inner thoughts at a glance.

“So that is how it is?”

“Of course. I am well aware of Young Master Ban’s abilities as well.”

“That’s right. He truly is remarkable. But if it isn’t rude, may I ask one thing? Perhaps because I belong to the Hao Sect, I find it hard to suppress my curiosity when sothing piques my interest.”

Nan Hui-ju stuck out her tongue playfully, acting cute.

She had lightened the atmosphere by making use of her young age.

Sang Il-gi was not unaware of that fact, but having heard favorable things about her, he pretended not to notice and let it pass.

“Please, go ahead.”

“May I ask which sect you belong to? If it displeases you, you need not answer.”

Nan Hui-ju spoke as politely as possible.

She was careful not to offend him.

Seeing her obviously gauging his reaction, Sang Il-gi smiled kindly.

“I lead a sect called Bangcheon Sect. It is a sect whose lineage is passed down through a single successor, so you likely would not have heard of it.”

“It may be so now, but I think it will beco quite famous in the future. After all, Young Master Jeong has obtained the epithet Hidden Dragon.”

“We do not seek fa.”

“Nor do I. I did not gain the title Hidden Dragon because I desired it.”

Jeong Iryong slipped quietly into the conversation.

The purpose of Bangcheon Sect was to protect the Central Plains Murim, so it had no interest in fa.

However, he did not believe it must exist as a mysterious hidden sect either.

In the past, they had thought there was no need to reveal themselves; now, they felt there was no need to hide.

“Even if one does not desire it, reputation spreads on its own. For reference, I will not speak of it. Reporting to my Sect Leader cannot be helped, but I can promise one thing—we will not sell information about the two of you.”

“You need not go that far. If I had not wished it known, I would not have spoken.”

“Is that so?”

Though she understood Sang Il-gi’s intention, this ti Nan Hui-ju pretended not to.

However, even with his permission, she had no intention of selling information about Bangcheon Sect to just anyone.

As it was valuable information, she planned to carefully select buyers.

Preferably in a way that would not offend Ban Hojin or Sang Il-gi.

‘The closer one is, the more careful one must be.’

A single word could repay a debt of a thousand taels, but it could also create an irreconcilable enemy.

Thus, even as they grew closer, Nan Hui-ju did not allow herself to grow careless.

Instead, she steadied her wavering heart.

Just imagining her relationship with Ban Hojin becoming strained snapped her to attention. Smiling, she t the eyes of each mber of the group in turn.

“I trust you’ll handle it well.”

“Thank you for trusting . Ah, I’ll organize the scene first.”

After answering Ban Hojin, Nan Hui-ju moved the Hao Sect mbers who had been standing like spectators until now.

None of their group were injured, but since the Remnant Fiend, Awl Fiend, and Demonic Fiendess had been captured alive, they attended to them.

They had not been killed because Ban Hojin had said there were things he needed to investigate.

Thus, Nan Hui-ju took the three old monsters, whose acupoints had been sealed, and headed toward a nearby Hao Sect branch.

‘Perfect timing.’

Following her, Ban Hojin smiled aningfully.

Sang Il-gi had appeared at a truly opportune mont.

For what he intended to do going forward, Sang Il-gi’s presence would be nothing but beneficial.

It was also good for the Central Plains Murim.

‘The invasion of Nine Heavens Gate and Ironblood Fortress is happening earlier than in my previous life, but so much has changed from the outset that the future cannot help but change as well.’

If events had flowed in exactly the sa manner, it would have been nothing but favorable for Ban Hojin—but too much had changed for that.

And Ban Hojin was not one to dwell on the past.

If the future diverged from what he knew, he would simply respond accordingly.

And in the grand sche, not that much had changed.

‘It is about ti to make a move.’

Ban Hojin smiled in satisfaction.

He had personally dealt with the Blue and Red Twin Fiends and the Insect Fiend, but not the Awl Fiend and the Demonic Fiendess.

That alone pleased him greatly.

Two of the Eight Evils had been captured without him needing to step forward.

‘This is exactly the picture I envisioned.’

He had suffered enough in his previous life.

Now, he wished to live with a bit more leisure and ease.

That was Ban Hojin’s dream.

Though his favorite Longjing Tea sat before him, Geum Harun did not drink it.

The sudden visit had filled his mind with thoughts.

They had t once before, but this was the first ti the other party had sought him out directly, and so Geum Harun tilted his head in puzzlent.

“For what matter has he co all the way here?”

Reaching for the tea that had long since gone cold, Geum Harun muttered to himself.

At the sa ti, he mulled over the recent news he had heard.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he could not guess the other party’s intentions.

The one thing certain was that it was not related to Geum Family Estate.

“Ever since Hoyeon beca the Young Estate Lord, I have not concerned myself with it at all.”

It had been Ban Hojin who made his second son the successor of Geum Family Estate.

Of course, he knew that had not been Ban Hojin’s original plan.

In truth, had the eldest not committed that foolish act, Ban Hojin would not have involved himself deeply in the succession dispute.

But Geum Sangryong had acted recklessly, and that misstep had ensnared him, causing him to fall out of the competition for successor.

“There is certainly sothing he wants.”

Slurp.

Geum Harun, who had only been idly handling his teacup without drinking, finally took a slow sip of the Longjing Tea.

Whether hot or cold, Longjing Tea possessed an excellent flavor as it passed over the tongue and down the throat—but now, he tasted nothing at all.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Estate Lord. I have brought Hero Ban.”

“Show him in.”

“Yes.”