A few days ago.
On the outskirts of Yung Jung Mountain, where the Zhuge Family’s headquarters is located.
Hidden among the terrain, quite far from the foot of the mountain, a gaze quietly observed several cavalry and carriages exiting through the formation technique’s living gate.
‘To think they would go out in such numbers all at once… Oh right, there’s a Murim Alliance meeting coming up soon.’
A shadow, thoroughly concealing its presence while periodically scanning the surroundings for signs of detection from the Zhuge Family’s sorcerers.
The figure stayed still, holding its breath until those who had exited completely left the area, confirming several times that all humans had disappeared nearby before slowly rising.
“Hoo, as expected of the Zhuge Family. If I hadn’t prepared beforehand, I would have been discovered.”
A middle-aged man in a worn and tattered robe, who had quietly been lying in the bushes, brushed the dirt from his clothes and let out a quiet sigh.
He began to loosen his stiff body by moving his limbs around and glanced lightly at the formation technique of Yung Jung Mountain, frowning slightly.
‘There was no particular discomfort felt from those who just left. So, they’re still at the Zhuge Family’s headquarters?’
Having followed traces of an alien spirit’s power manifesting from the numbers around Dongjeong Lake, he had come quite a distance to reach this point.
From a magical perspective, his faction, the Mosan Sect, was just as prestigious as the Zhuge Family. However, as an individual sorcerer, approaching their headquarters any further would be risky, so he had been observing from this distance instead…
‘Strange. Given their actions so far, it shouldn’t be this quiet.’
Yet even after all this time, he still hadn’t grasped any clear clues.
There wasn’t any significant news coming from his comrades dispatched to other regions either.
“Hee hee hee, what a pickle. Could it be that I should have checked the direction of Mudang Mountain instead? From everything I see, the connection seems clearer here… Did Bin Do miscalibrate?”
But having no results, he couldn’t simply brush it off now.
Soon, he pulled various ceremonial items from his backpack and let out another light sigh.
It appeared that this situation wouldn’t resolve anytime soon.
A few days later.
Another otherworldly individual appeared at a distant location from the Zhuge Family, starting their formal activities.
However, Cheong Gwan, absorbed in thoughts of this side, and indeed no one in this world realized it.
*
“Hmm, this should be sufficient. Should I head to the next location now?”
For Harley, who had already surpassed conventional senses, finding a secret vault in the ruins of a collapsed building was no trouble at all.
Just from the vibrations caused by his footsteps, he could precisely assess the state beneath the ground, and by extending his energy, he could almost read the materials of objects as if peering through them.
His Spatial Dimension Storage was filled with valuables, secret techniques delivered to Huber for interpretation, and several high-quality corpses filtered and sent to Hans.
Having sorted through things somewhat, he exited the scene with a light step.
With a harvest more substantial than anticipated, he felt quite cheerful.
Then, after a little while had passed.
A group of five or six individuals in robes cautiously approached the deserted site.
“…What on earth is this?”
“Heh, is this truly the Suramun?”
“Nothing intact at all. Then their words were true…”
They looked around the completely demolished sect grounds, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Since they had received truly unbelievable news, they intended to verify the facts from a distance, but given the current situation, it was far worse than they had heard.
Naturally, their expressions started to stiffen.
The collapsed buildings, the roughly disturbed ground, the bodies scattered around, and the blood seeping from them.
The remaining traces of battle starkly illustrated just how desperate the fighting had been here.
And…
“Leader, take a look at this.”
“…The corpses are gone.”
“Yes, there don’t seem to be many remaining. From the traces, it looks like only the strongest masters’ bodies were taken.”
“They wouldn’t think to bury them separately in this situation.”
The unease they felt grew as they examined the remaining traces.
“There are signs of disturbances on this side among the demolished debris! It seems like they were looking for something…”
“Could it be they were after something the Suramun possessed?”
“Even so, would they have done all this alone…? Perhaps there was another accomplice?”
“…But the remaining traces clearly align with the testimonies…”
Shadows fell on the faces of those investigating the scene.
The descriptions of the fugitives seemed to echo in their minds like a haunting memory.
The sudden appearance of a bizarrely dressed, muscular giant.
His wild laughter and the chapter of the sect being systematically crushed, along with the last glimpses of skilled fighters desperately charging at him.
Their consistent accounts were far too concrete to be written off as mere illusions.
“…Leader, wouldn’t it be wise to join forces with the Zhuge Family? I heard they are not far from us.”
“I think so too. In a situation where a monster capable of exterminating the Suramun roams free, it’s probably safer over that side…”
“…For now, let’s head back. The decision lies with the Four Hundred.”
Having discussed among themselves, the Mount Wu sect’s sorcerers cautiously joined their hands in prayer, then hurriedly turned away.
In a bid to quickly reunite with their main force and inform them of the situation here.
Eventually, the Mount Wu sect confirmed the facts through them and decided to contact the Zhuge Family.
This would result in gathering their two delegations, even as both factions maintained a degree of wariness towards one another amidst their ongoing interactions.
*
“Heh, the Suramun?”
“No wonder it suddenly got so quiet. So that’s what happened.”
“If that’s true, aren’t we in danger too? The Suramun Master Kwang Ak is a top-tier fighter. If the sect that possesses such a person was destroyed, even teaming up with the Mount Wu might not be enough to deal with it…”
“But can we just sit around? We have to do something…”
In the somewhat tumultuous atmosphere following the sudden contact from the Mount Wu sect.
Hugo, having heightened his senses to grasp the situation, nodded slowly.
‘…So that’s how it is.’
In simpler terms…
‘This is my fault, isn’t it?’
Feeling awkward, he scratched the back of his neck.
The headquarters of the Mount Wu sect and the Zhuge Family were not that far apart.
In a straight line, they were roughly around a hundred kilometers away from each other.
Naturally, their paths would overlap to a certain extent, so it wasn’t too strange that they discovered the traces left by Harley.
In fact, if both sides wanted, they could have joined forces much earlier.
‘But they didn’t, it seems, due to some adult circumstances. But now, those are the Mount Wu sect warriors, huh.’
He stole a glance at the distance, observing the leaders of both factions engaged in conversation.
The elder of the Zhuge Family and a serious-looking middle-aged sorcerer with a fresh impression speaking earnestly.
‘…Kwang? Truly Wu’s Mount, the twin peaks of justice among the martial arts world. The level of the leader stands out.’
Even though the Zhuge Family was not particularly famous for its martial prowess, when lined up alongside each other, the comparison was undeniably apparent.
With Hugo’s original senses, he wouldn’t have noticed, but since acquiring the Heavenly Body Technique recently, his energy perception had developed significantly, allowing him to grasp the level of expertise subtly.
‘The skill performance is certainly remarkable. I’ve been absorbing the herbal elixirs I had stored away, the speed of that process has increased at least tenfold; if it continues like this…’
While he was internally pleased and monitoring the unfolding situation, suddenly…
“…!!”
The eyes of the Mount Wu sect’s elder turned towards him, locking gazes for a brief moment.
Shiver—
His senses sharpened instantly, and goosebumps erupted all over his body.
In that fleeting moment, he felt as if his entire body had been scanned in an instant.
Then, seeing a glint in the opponent’s gaze, Hugo awkwardly smiled and subtly turned his head away.
‘…Ah, I should have managed my gaze better.’
He had let his guard down right after defeating the Suramun Master, who was of the same rank.
‘But that was Harley’s victory, not mine. I’m still far from that.’
If the Current Realm is viewed as transcending humanity, then Kwang was essentially the pinnacle one could achieve as a human.
He wasn’t a figure Hugo could dare to touch yet.
Not yet.
‘Well, from the start, Hugo has never learned anything other than the Ganghwan Realm techniques, so it doesn’t matter too much. …But Mount Wu… if things go well here.’
The opponent was not only a figure with the background of being the leading pillar of the right factions alongside the Shaolin Temple but also a top-tier fighter who had risen high among martial artists.
Being able to observe such a person right side-by-side would be a significant opportunity in many ways.
‘If there are any skills, please don’t just keep it to yourselves, let’s share a bit.’
There was still over half the distance left to the destination, Shaolin Temple.
And in this situation, creating an opportunity was not that difficult for Hugo.
*
“Ugh— so regretful, so regretful.”
Immediately after finishing the conversation with the Zhuge Family.
The Mount Wu sect elder, Woon Hyun Jin, let out a sigh, shaking his head in dismay.
“What’s wrong? Is there some issue…?”
One of the martial artists accompanying him tilted his head in confusion, but he didn’t respond, instead gently closing his eyes, recalling the young man he had just seen.
An outstanding physique that had not neglected his training, and the depth of his internal energy was surprisingly profound for his age—one could only wonder how much elixir he had consumed.
More than anything, what stood out was that he seemed like he was communicating with the very essence of the world through his entire body, reminiscent of the legendary Public Spirit Body.
‘Of course, it can’t really be compared, but if that young man continues to grow and surpass his limits, who knows what could happen?’
Thus, feeling regretful was only natural.
If he grows well, he is sure to become a pillar in raising the name of the sect; however, the situation suggests that he may be cultivated with the Zhuge Family’s full intent to nurture him as if he were the precious final product.
Even if they were both within the same bounds of the right factions, strictly speaking, they were just as competitive to one another, making it less than favorable.
In the past, he might have felt resentful; now, however, it was a time of chaotic uncertainty that could not be predicted.
‘However… the issue is that his nature seems arrogant.’
Being practiced in the mindset of self-cultivation, he could faintly sense.
That the young man regarded him, the elder of the Mount Wu sect, as insignificant… no, that he looked down upon everyone in that space unconsciously, almost as if observing a child’s performance.
It wasn’t so much about outright disdain for someone specific but rather a natural perspective of looking down from above—like one would view a child’s antics.
Such a gaze was certainly not one fitting for a young man who hadn’t yet reached the Current Realm or detached himself.
‘If he had met a temperamental individual, he wouldn’t have survived this long. It seems the Zhuge Family has coddled him quite a bit.’
Perhaps the Zhuge Family sent him to this place, hoping to correct that facet of his personality, wishing he could experience the wide world and temper his arrogance.
“Hoo, but I still want to see what kind of skills he has…”
He stroked his beard, mumbling to himself.
This was certainly someone who was persistently prickling his nerves.
Whether he would become a giant who would lead the world in the future or ultimately succumb to his talents and fade away was hard to tell.
But at this moment, he couldn’t help but be curious about what accomplishments he had achieved.
“If only I could create a chance…”
In the end, he reached a conclusion similar to someone else’s intent—it would ultimately depend on whose ambitions reign supreme.
