Botamun.
It wasn’t part of the Nine Great Sects representing the Righteous Faction, but it was one of those sects that everyone in the world knew about, just like the Nine Great Sects.
And now, Botamun had been attacked.
Botamun was not only a sect for women but also a holy site of Avalokiteshvara, so the footsteps of worshippers never ceased.
And those worshippers clearly saw it.
“Blood Sect Rebirth! World Unity!”
The roar announcing the revival and ambitions of the Blood Sect, along with the attack by a massive Saber Beast against Botamun.
Even the nuns, no matter how devout, couldn’t contain their anger, and they charged forward in a fit of rage, but most fell helplessly to the Saber Beast’s attacks, losing their lives.
Botamun, with its long history, had inherited the Celestial Water Array Formation, which was known to rival any other sect, but it had been preserved merely to retain the past legacy and hadn’t been trained to face entities in practice.
In a situation where they couldn’t even imagine an entity would ambush them, they somehow unfolded the Celestial Water Array Formation, but they crumbled helplessly under the Saber Beast’s assault without mounting a proper counterattack.
It was not the Celestial Water Array Formation that faced the Saber Beast, but rather the masters of Hwa-gyeong.
Legendary experts, namely the Sword King and Elders, took on the Saber Beast.
Though they couldn’t deal a fatal blow due to their inability to gather power through formations, they managed to evade the Saber Beast’s attacks and inflict minor wounds.
In the end, the Saber Beast, continuously exposed to small attacks, retreated in exhaustion, but by that point, Botamun had already been shattered.
Numerous disciples had died or been injured, and among the critical masters, there were severe injuries too, with many historic palace halls destroyed.
The next day, the Saber Beast attacked again.
This time, Botamun was fully prepared to face the Saber Beast, but it soon found itself caught off guard.
Unlike yesterday, this time, an attack from Blood Persons came from the rear.
They successfully fended off the Saber Beast, but Botamun suffered great harm from the Blood Persons.
Having experienced numerous injuries during the two days of conflict and feeling unable to face both the Saber Beast and the Blood Persons, Botamun chose to protect lives rather than its sect.
Aghh!!
In the now-empty Botamun, the Saber Beast rampaged through the palace halls, and as if that wasn’t enough, the energy of fire began to spread through Botamun’s grounds.
Botamun, a sect comparable in fame and power to the Nine Great Sects, was conquered by the Blood Sect in less than three days!
This news spread throughout the world faster than the wind, causing everyone and every sect to stir.
Crunch!
And soon, a letter was sent to the large factions capable of operating the Array Formation.
It was a message from the Shaolin Temple, the Northern Dipper of the Martial World and one of the most influential organizations in the world.
The news of the gathering of the Martial Forest Alliance had arrived.
*
Is this place wrong?
Seo Mun-yeon twisted the array while reading the terrain of formation. For an agile martial artist, a disturbance in Qi would likely make them instinctively jump back. Soon, under Seo Mun-yeon’s guidance, the flow started to take shape.
The surroundings shifted in response.
“Wow, this is truly amazing.”
At the sound of a genial voice, Seo Mun-yeon turned around.
Behind her stood Moyong Mo, sporting a friendly smile.
Moyong Mo approached the wall and reached out.
It was a wall merely chest-high for an adult male.
Moyong Mo clearly touched the air above the wall, but their hand met a barrier.
Ding ding ding!!
And then a loud bell rang.
“There was a high wall just now, it’s absolutely flawless!”
“An impenetrable fortress is good, but I thought a trap to induce carelessness was necessary, too.”
They believed that intruders would carelessly attempt to jump over where the defenses seemed weak, and those intruders would meet the wall and trigger the bells attached to it.
“Hahaha! This is reassuring! If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll lend my modest strength wholeheartedly.”
“I’m already receiving more help than I deserve.”
“You can ask for more! If you’re a benefactor to my older brother, then you are a benefactor to me, too!”
The boisterous Moyong Mo raised his voice upon seeing Jegal Seong-chan from afar.
“Then I’ll trust in you, Master Seo Mun-yeon! I must be off now!”
Spotting Jegal Seong-chan’s arrival, Seo Mun-yeon nodded.
“You’ve completed the restoration of the Array Formation.”
“Yes. Perhaps I miscalculated the flow of Qi changing day and night; there were some blocked sections.”
Seo Mun-yeon smiled at Jegal Seong-chan.
“Have you been worried about it?”
“Cough. I simply wanted to check on the progress.”
‘Honestly, it’s all about being indirect.’
Thinking that, Seo Mun-yeon lightly chuckled as she held Jegal Seong-chan’s sleeve, and while he coughed awkwardly, he didn’t shake off her hand.
The two walked through the grounds of the Moyong Clan, engaging in light conversation.
“I hear the restoration of the Array Formation means the direct line members of the Moyong Clan will be sent outside.”
“Is that so? Then, discussions regarding the Shengsu Faction will also take place.”
Seo Mun-yeon recalled Moyong Mo and Moyong Yeon-hwa.
To save the Shengsu Faction by all means, the two had been striving hard.
Moyong Yeon-hwa was persuading each and every elder and master, while Moyong Mo was working diligently, leveraging their charm to build connections with the members of the Moyong Clan, fostering a positive public opinion for the restoration of the Shengsu Faction.
“I hope it goes well.”
With the bond made through Ho Cheon-an, Seo Mun-yeon had grown fairly close to the two of them.
Every time she mentioned Ho Cheon-an, she would recall the various emotions displayed by Moyong Yeon-hwa and couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Who would have thought that Moyong Yeon-hwa would harbor feelings for Ho Cheon-an?
How bewildered she had been upon realizing that fact early on.
But knowing she was even forsaking love to persuade the main family for the restoration of the Faction, Seo Mun-yeon found herself supporting Moyong Yeon-hwa.
Of course, she supported the resolution of the Shengsu Faction issue, not the pursuit of love for Moyong Yeon-hwa.
“Indeed.”
At Jegal Seong-chan’s muttering, Seo Mun-yeon looked at him with curiosity.
“Have your feelings changed?”
Jegal Seong-chan was a person akin to a scholar in both positive and negative senses.
Honesty and punishment.
Even if there were mitigating circumstances, he believed that those who couldn’t overcome twisted desires and aligned themselves with the publicly-known Blood Sect should be punished accordingly…
“I thought that, but… seeing Yeon-hwa, the young lady who often socializes with the hawk, and Moyong Mo, who is working hard, I can’t help but wish for a good outcome.”
“…Is that so.”
Never would she have imagined that the stubborn scholar Jegal Seong-chan would speak such words.
Seeing the signs of gradual change within this blockhead made Seo Mun-yeon smile.
As the two brewed a cozy atmosphere, a martial artist from the Moyong Clan approached them.
“Excuse me, you two. I bear urgent news.”
The Moyong Clan martial artist relayed the news about the Blood Sect’s uprising and the destruction of Botamun to the two.
“Goodness… how can such a heinous act take place…”
“…The Blood Sect.”
“The tournament will be held soon. Botamun will be left empty, so you two should return to your residences for your safety.”
Back at her place, Seo Mun-yeon fell deep in thought.
With the Blood Sect declaring its ambitions for the world, she, Jegal Seong-chan, and the Jegal Clan naturally found themselves entangled in it, leading to countless thoughts brewing in her mind.
How will the world unfold from here?
As Seo Mun-yeon pondered this question, Ho Cheon-an surfaced in her mind.
“Did you foresee this situation?”
No matter how much animosity existed with the Blood Sect, she felt it was overly ambitious to think a group of individuals with differing backgrounds could unite to form an array, but perhaps someone did foresee the situation unfolding as it was.
Seo Mun-yeon’s mind raced.
In a situation where no one predicted the Blood Sect would lead entities in a quest for dominion over the world, would there really be anyone prepared for such a scenario?
Only one person in the world, Ho Cheon-an, had prepared against the uprising of the Blood Sect.
‘Ho Cheon-an, you will rise to become the center of the world.’
Seo Mun-yeon rummaged through her clothes and pulled out the Gratitude Plaque belonging to Ho Cheon-an. Though it had been meticulously crafted by Tang So-yeol, it felt more like it had been forged from gold than iron.
If Ho Cheon-an survives and plays a vital role in the Blood Sect’s upheaval, they would undoubtedly emerge as a hero of the Martial World.
“May I enter?”
Awakened from her thoughts by the familiar voice of Moyong Yeon-hwa, Seo Mun-yeon realized how deep her contemplation had been, as darkness had already settled.
“Please come in.”
Seeing Moyong Yeon-hwa, who had come to find her, Seo Mun-yeon could easily guess the purpose.
“I know this visit at such a late hour is inappropriate, but this is the only time I could come.”
“Are you heading to the Central Plains?”
Moyong Yeon-hwa nodded.
“Yes. Besides the news of Botamun, I just received a message from the Shaolin Temple saying they will hold a Martial Forest Alliance. They will likely gather there to discuss responses to the Blood Sect. I, too, will be heading to Hunan tomorrow.”
“I see….”
Moyong Yeon-hwa smiled at Seo Mun-yeon’s worried Gaze.
“Don’t worry. This is rather a chance to wash away the stigma surrounding the Shengsu Faction. Depending on our merits, we might even revive the Faction, right?”
“Hmm…”
Seo Mun-yeon withheld her words.
It isn’t easy to shake off negative perceptions.
To regain their status lost in the Shengsu Faction, they would have to achieve remarkable merits… but could they really do this with the Blood Sect’s entities running rampant?
Moyong Yeon-hwa said it was an opportunity, but truly, it would not be an easy road to walk.
“Please wait a moment.”
While looking at Moyong Yeon-hwa, an idea suddenly struck Seo Mun-yeon, and she picked up a brush and began to write something.
Though Moyong Yeon-hwa couldn’t tell, what Seo Mun-yeon was writing down was the method to transform Oh Seong-jin into Six Star Chen.
‘I’m sorry.’
As she swiftly moved her brush, Seo Mun-yeon internally apologized to Hyeok Gi-rin.
Having made this choice despite knowing Hyeok Gi-rin’s feelings for Ho Cheon-an could be seen as betrayal.
However, increasing the number of members in Seong-jin was the best course of action for keeping Ho Cheon-an and his group safe as they were about to face off against the Blood Sect, as well as a means to achieve what Moyong Yeon-hwa wished for, ultimately contributing to staving off the Blood Sect’s uprising.
‘You must live first before you can pursue love, right?’
Seo Mun-yeon sealed the now-thickened stack of papers, like a thin book, and handed it to Moyong Yeon-hwa.
“If you meet Ho Cheon-an, please deliver this.”
“Huh? But I have no way of knowing if the Brain Knife Outcast will even make it to Hunan. Wouldn’t it be better for someone else to deliver it?”
“If it’s not meant to be delivered by you, then it loses its value.”
With a bewildered expression, Moyong Yeon-hwa accepted the stack of papers and bowed her head to Seo Mun-yeon.
“Though I cannot grasp the full extent of your profound intentions, I understand your kind heart that concerns me. Thank you very much.”
“I wish you all the best in your endeavors.”
The next dawn, together with a few sects that received messages from Shaolin Temple, Moyong Yeon-hwa, Moyong Mo, and one of the elders of the Moyong Clan set off for Hunan.
As sects from all across the land gathered in Hunan’s Martial Forest Alliance.
Bam Bam Bam!!
The Bicheongmacha was also racing toward Hunan’s Martial Forest Alliance.
