Have I ever seen such an expression on that friend's face?
Jin Pae-cheon was watching.
A person who was a friend, yet not a friend.
The unfamiliar aura emanating from that old friend, it was the first time in his life as the Martial Alliance Leader that he had encountered such a powerful energy of darkness.
Just from this aura, he could tell that everything Geom Mugeuk had said was true.
He recalled what Hwa Yul-cheong had said just a moment ago.
You've been friends for decades, and you're going to believe the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect?
Is that something he should be saying to me?
After deceiving me for decades.
Jin Pae-cheon struggled to calm his surging emotions.
"Yes, we were friends for decades."
Jin Pae-cheon continued, staring at Hwa Yul-cheong.
"In all those years, was there even a single day we were truly friends?"
Instead of apologizing, Hwa Yul-cheong blamed Jin Pae-cheon.
"If we were at least friends, you wouldn't have hidden in the mist to eavesdrop."
Jin Pae-cheon couldn't adjust to this reality.
After deciding to believe Geom Mugeuk, he had thought a moment like this might come.
The reaction he had imagined from the Heavenly Wandering Hermit was this.
I'm sorry.
I had no choice.
But our friendship was real.
But that was a truly naive thought.
In reality, the man was acting like a stranger he had met only yesterday.
How could a person so completely change their tune in an instant?
Thus, the strongest emotion washing over him was not hatred or anger, but a sense of futility.
The two men's gazes intertwined in the air.
They had never once had a verbal argument in their entire lives, but now they were revealing completely different auras.
Jin Pae-cheon stepped onto Hwa Yul-cheong's battlefield.
Scattered ashes and piled corpses, blood flowing on the ground, screams wailing from all directions.
‘Is this your true self?’
The fiery gaze of Hwa Yul-cheong, standing alone in the center of that battlefield, was so unfamiliar.
Staring at Hwa Yul-cheong, Jin Pae-cheon glanced at Geom Mugeuk.
Truly, if it hadn't been for Geom Mugeuk, he would never have discovered this true self.
"Young Cult Master."
"Yes, Alliance Leader."
Jin Pae-cheon did not say anything more.
His gaze contained all of his emotions, so he said just this one thing.
"I owe you a debt."
Truly, if it hadn't been for Geom Mugeuk, he would have surely been struck down by the Heavenly Wandering Hermit one day.
He would have waited for the most opportune moment.
He never would have dreamed that this friend would stab him in the back.
Geom Mugeuk had not only saved his life but the entire Martial Alliance and the whole of the Righteous Path.
It was an immense debt, but Geom Mugeuk immediately tore up the IOU he could have held over him for a long time.
"A debt? No. It is thanks to you, Alliance Leader, for believing in me. You are the one who discovered this."
It was the moment a gaping hole in Jin Pae-cheon's heart was patched, and the small hole of doubt that had remained in its place was completely filled.
Geom Mugeuk spoke to Hwa Yul-cheong.
"You've finally shown your true colors. How many years has it been? No, how many decades?"
Even in this moment, Hwa Yul-cheong maintained his composure.
His opponents were the Martial Alliance Leader and Geom Mugeuk.
He, who should have known well how strong their martial arts were.
To be calm even against these two meant he undoubtedly had his own preparations.
Geom Mugeuk made sure Jin Pae-cheon did not let down his guard.
"This man knew from the beginning that you were here, Alliance Leader. No, he might have come here having already guessed that fact before he even arrived."
Jin Pae-cheon understood what Geom Mugeuk was trying to say.
It meant to be careful, as the opponent might have a backup plan.
He didn't need to worry about that.
His heart had already grown cold from Hwa Yul-cheong's reaction.
Now, what Jin Pae-cheon was curious about was this.
"For what purpose did you approach me?"
Was he after his position? Or did he have a personal grudge? Or was there some other motive he hadn't even considered? He was incredibly curious about the reason.
But Hwa Yul-cheong simply looked up at the sky without a word, as if he could not say.
The blue sky was visible through the gaps in the bamboo.
At that moment, a single phrase flowed from Geom Mugeuk's lips.
"Palace of Darkness."
In that instant, he could see it.
An earthquake on Hwa Yul-cheong's face.
He could not hide his surprise.
It was a reaction that confirmed Geom Mugeuk had hit the mark precisely.
Jin Pae-cheon also knew of the existence of the Palace of Darkness.
As far as he knew, there was only one Palace of Darkness in the history of the Martial World.
"If you mean the Palace of Darkness, are you perhaps talking about the Palace of Darkness that was one of the guardian clans of the Heavenly Will Palace?"
Geom Mugeuk nodded his head.
"Yes, that's right. It is the Palace of Darkness from three hundred years ago."
Jin Pae-cheon knew well about the conflict between the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Will Palace three hundred years ago.
The person who destroyed the mysterious Heavenly Will Palace, which dreamed of conquering the Martial World at the time, was the Martial Alliance Leader of that era, the Martial Emperor Divine Sword.
How could he not know, as it was the greatest achievement of the greatest Alliance Leader in the history of the Martial Alliance?
Jin Pae-cheon's eyes gleamed with an intense light.
The fact that the Heavenly Will Palace, which was destroyed three hundred years ago, had survived until now and dreamed of revenge was beyond surprising; it was shocking.
At the same time, he could now understand.
He had wondered what reason could make someone hide their identity for decades.
The grudge for the destruction of their clan must have been passed down to this day for the sake of revenge.
Furthermore, the reason Hwa Yul-cheong's aura held such a dark energy was now completely clear.
Hwa Yul-cheong's eyes also gleamed with an intense light.
Earlier, when Geom Mugeuk had called him an Incarnation of Vengeance, he had been half in doubt.
He thought that since he was such a brilliant man, he might have said it based on conjecture.
But Geom Mugeuk knew his identity precisely.
Hwa Yul-cheong looked at Geom Mugeuk, his eyes asking.
‘How on earth did you know?’
Geom Mugeuk couldn't say that he had used the Secret Vessel to go back three hundred years and witness the battle himself.
"The Main Sect can find out anything if we want to."
He let the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect be his answer.
"We have been fighting you for quite some time. It is unlikely that such strong people would simply fall from the sky. I expected you to have a relationship of grudge with the Demonic and Righteous Factions."
Since Geom Mugeuk had been at the center of the fight against the hidden forces until now, it wouldn't be strange for him to have figured this out.
Jin Pae-cheon confirmed with Hwa Yul-cheong once more.
"Are you truly a descendant of the Palace of Darkness?"
Jin Pae-cheon wanted to hear Hwa Yul-cheong's story.
About the Palace of Darkness he spoke of.
That he was a certain kind of person, who undertook this task with a certain kind of heart.
But Hwa Yul-cheong just stared at Jin Pae-cheon with an indifferent expression, as if he had no intention of saying such things.
The friendship of the past years was of no help in this situation.
Geom Mugeuk spoke to him.
"What meaning is there in settling a grudge from three hundred years ago now? For what did you sacrifice your own life? For an ancestor you don't even know?"
Hwa Yul-cheong looked as if he wanted to say something.
But he did not give a reason.
Instead, he smiled mysteriously and asked Geom Mugeuk.
"You think you've won, don't you?"
It was a look that clearly had a plan.
"Did you really think I didn't know that man would come?"
Listening, Jin Pae-cheon felt bitter inside.
He was being referred to as ‘that man’.
It seemed he was the only one who had considered them friends.
Jin Pae-cheon slowly walked forward, revealing an even more powerful aura.
"Yes, if you came knowing I was here, you must have come to see an end with me."
Jin Pae-cheon no longer had any intention of conversing with him.
He was not a friend, but a being like a very patient assassin who had infiltrated for the sake of revenge.
And Jin Pae-cheon decided to kill him with his own hands.
"This is our affair, so we will be the ones to tie the knot."
Hwa Yul-cheong's aura was also formidable, and it was a fight where he could absolutely not let his guard down, as he did not know what kind of martial arts he possessed.
Just then, a truly unimaginable statement flowed from Hwa Yul-cheong's mouth.
"If you draw that sword, Jin Ha-gun dies."
In that moment, Jin Pae-cheon's eyes turned cold.
The reason Hwa Yul-cheong was so composed in front of the two absolute masters was precisely because of this.
"You think you all created this stage today? Not a chance! I am the one who created this stage."
This meant he had already predicted everything.
In other words, this stage was Hwa Yul-cheong's stage.
"Branch Master Jin is being protected by the warriors of the Demon Slaying Branch. You cannot kill him easily, even if you wanted to."
To Geom Mugeuk's words, Hwa Yul-cheong laughed and said.
"Doesn't it occur to you that he's in danger because of that Demon Slaying Branch?"
Geom Mugeuk instantly understood the meaning of those words.
"You intend to use the Soul-Devouring Art."
It meant he would use the Soul-Devouring Art on the warriors of the Demon Slaying Branch to kill Jin Ha-gun.
And today, Hwa Yul-cheong's plan was not just that.
His true plan was this.
"If you want to save your grandson..."
Hwa Yul-cheong's gaze shifted from Jin Pae-cheon to Geom Mugeuk.
"Kill the Young Cult Master."
"!"
Jin Pae-cheon never thought he would make such a demand of him.
He was a man who wouldn't bat an eye at most things, but in this moment, even Jin Pae-cheon was flustered.
In contrast, Geom Mugeuk remained composed with an unchanging expression, not losing his cool.
At that composure, Hwa Yul-cheong asked coldly.
"Why? Do you think we can't kill Jin Ha-gun?"
Then Geom Mugeuk answered honestly.
"No. I think you people could kill him."
Hwa Yul-cheong looked at Geom Mugeuk with an expression that said a remarkable bastard is a remarkable bastard.
If they were trying to kill him using Jin Ha-gun's life as collateral, shouldn't he be in a situation where he had to persuade Jin Pae-cheon that Jin Ha-gun would be safe no matter what?
"Now I understand."
Geom Mugeuk naturally realized one fact.
Some time ago, a master of the Soul-Devouring Art had given a preview of his skills.
Geom Mugeuk had told the Poison King that there must be some intention behind it.
"Now I see why you showed me the Soul-Devouring Art in advance. Wasn't it to let me know how formidable your skills were? To let me know that the Soul-Devouring Art would work on the Demon Slaying Branch."
"In your position, shouldn't you be hiding that fact?"
He had expected him to hide it, and had intended to use the fact that it was hidden to create a conflict with Jin Pae-cheon.
"Ha-gun is my friend. I can't do that."
Hwa Yul-cheong gave a mysterious smile and then said to Jin Pae-cheon.
"He is truly a person worth your affection. But no matter what, you can't kill your own grandson, can you?"
Jin Pae-cheon glanced at Geom Mugeuk and then asked Hwa Yul-cheong.
"What will you do after I kill the Young Cult Master?"
"It will be as if nothing happened. I will leave, and you will continue to protect the Martial Alliance with your grandchildren."
"So what do you gain from this?"
"Killing that Young Cult Master who has inflicted enormous damage on us."
Geom Mugeuk let out a smirk and interjected.
"Is that the only reason? Would a person like that live hiding his identity for decades for just that?"
Hwa Yul-cheong ignored Geom Mugeuk's words and pressured Jin Pae-cheon.
"Don't think too hard. This will be our secret. As long as I don't speak, no one will know that you killed the Young Cult Master because of your grandson. Even if the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect makes such a claim, you can just dismiss it as a conspiracy."
To that, Hwa Yul-cheong added a powerful reason.
"Think about what will happen when such an outstanding Young Cult Master becomes the Cult Master. If you don't kill the Young Cult Master today, the Righteous Path will be destroyed by him anyway. So hurry up and kill him."
While he was persuading Jin Pae-cheon, Geom Mugeuk just stood and listened.
At last, Jin Pae-cheon made his decision.
His grandson's life was at stake, and the future of the Righteous Path was on the line, yet his deliberation was not long.
"I will not kill the Young Cult Master."
At the firm decision, Hwa Yul-cheong went to poke at the Alliance Leader's sore spot.
"Does that mean you truly care more for the Young Cult Master than your own grandson? What would the people of the Martial World think of you if they heard that?"
"Care for him more than Ha-gun! How could that be?"
"Then why are you trying to kill your grandson?"
Could it be that Jin Pae-cheon had made this decision having resigned himself to his grandson's death?
Jin Pae-cheon's gaze turned towards Geom Mugeuk.
"I came to this place today as a spectator."
The moment he heard those words, Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly.
The Alliance Leader had not forgotten the words he had spoken to him.
Added to that was the Alliance Leader's trust.
"I believe this stage will not end in tragedy. Because you wouldn't have invited me to a tragedy."
Hwa Yul-cheong looked at Jin Pae-cheon with a surprised face.
This was a variable.
He had never imagined that Jin Pae-cheon trusted Geom Mugeuk to this extent.
The Jin Pae-cheon he knew was not this kind of person.
Just as he did not know him, he too did not know him.
Naturally, Hwa Yul-cheong's gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk.
"How on earth can this be?"
Geom Mugeuk calmly explained to Jin Pae-cheon.
"So Jeong-rak said before he died. He concluded that if I died, my father would absolutely not stand for it."
Geom Mugeuk was seeing right through Hwa Yul-cheong's plan.
"They have already calculated that if you, Alliance Leader, kill me, a great war between the Demonic and Righteous Factions will occur."
Jin Pae-cheon nodded his head.
Yes, if this wasn't the purpose, there was no way the man who had hidden his identity for decades would back down so obediently.
How could Geom Mugeuk not have made any preparations for this stage today?
"Just as you predicted, I also predicted."
Geom Mugeuk said to Jin Pae-cheon.
"Ha-gun will be safe."
Until he heard those words, Jin Pae-cheon had been on edge.
No matter how much he trusted Geom Mugeuk, it was still his grandson's life on the line.
But Geom Mugeuk said it himself.
Ha-gun will be safe.
Geom Mugeuk said to Hwa Yul-cheong.
"Did you think I would just stand by and watch you kill my friend?"
Hwa Yul-cheong scoffed and said.
"You must think the Demon Buddha or the Poison King will stop it."
He had even anticipated who might have gone from their side to help.
"Yes, it's true those two are Demon Sovereigns who are strong against the Soul-Devouring Art. But that's only for the Soul-Devouring Art used on themselves."
Hwa Yul-cheong smiled meaningfully.
"Can they really prevent Jin Ha-gun's death? From the attack of a subordinate attacking the Branch Master right next to him? Or perhaps Jin Ha-gun will kill himself?"
He looked confident, trusting in the master of the Soul-Devouring Art.
At Hwa Yul-cheong's confidence, Jin Pae-cheon grew tense again.
Naturally, Jin Pae-cheon's gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk.
As he had done until now, Geom Mugeuk did not disappoint him in this moment.
"To help my friend..."
The meaningful smile that had been on Hwa Yul-cheong's face now appeared on Geom Mugeuk's.
"Do you really think they went?"