From the Lingering Garden Palace, one of the sectâs largest gardens, you could look up and see the frosted peaks of the Tian Shan Mountains. If you looked around, you could see the beautiful wetlands, and all the natural beauty of the garden; in particular, the endless flowing of the artificial ponds over stone, the bonsais, and the plants.
And the three-story wall that blocked everyone else from seeing it.
A noble figure in neat clothes sat in the garden, savoring his tea. He felt a breeze and opened his mouth.
âWhat happened?â
Cheon Gwang, the Earth Demonâs man, appeared in front of him.
âWe have a problem.â
âA problem?â
âRight. Weâve been discovered.â
âDid⌠we leave traces?â
âDonât worry. We used the Bone Crushing Powder; their existences were erased.â
âHmm.â
Bone Crushing Powder would dissolve a body without leaving so much as a drop of blood behind. The fact that he used it indicated the situationâs urgency.
âI canât believe it.â The Earth Demonâs expression hardened. âWe had expert warriors sufferâŚâ
The experts he spoke of were the Earth Demonâs core troops; all of them were skilled at tracking and stealth, so it was unlikely they would be caught.
âThere were masters who cannot be found in the Supreme Pavilion.â
âI know.â Obviously it wouldnât be possible without the higher ranks involved.
âIt really is odd, My Lord. After all, why would people take the Supreme Pavilionâs side right now?â
âI think we have a leak.â
âIs that possible? Weâve been so careful all this time.â
âCarefulâŚâ The Earth Demon smiled. âHow many people are with me right now, Cheong Gwang?â
âMy Lord, IâŚâ There was nothing he could say. Rumors had spread that the Earth Demon was the weakest of the Heavenly Demonâs four disciples. Some thought that was good, others, bad. Regardless, finding out who spread the rumors was meaningless now.
âI feel sorry for you all for making you follow such a weak lord.â
âNo. We have no doubt that our Earth Demon will be the Heavenly Demonâs heir.â
âHeirâŚâ The Earth Demon didnât hide his expression. It showed weakness, in a way, but Cheon Gwang understood.
The Heavenly Demonâs disciplesâthe power they held, the officials they bribedâeverything about them was superior to the Earth Demon. Sometimes the officials bowed to them.
âBy the way, what happened to the guy who gave me information?â
âWe sent a 2nd grade escort. There will be a martial arts test today.â
âHm.â The Earth Demon looked towards the wide mountain peaks.
The Tian Shan Mountains were known as the Ever-Snow Mountains because their peaks were white year-round. The Earth Demon wanted to go and rest there.
âI am concerned,â Cheon Gwang said. âThe book the man handed overâif itâs wrongâŚâ
âCheon Gwang, have you seen this Seol-Hwi person?â
âI only know what I heard from My Lord.â
âRight.â The Earth Demon set his teacup on the table. âAfter some research, I found out that he has a grudge against the Supreme Pavilion Lord. He snuck into the Pavilion Lordâs man office and got caught trying to steal martial arts.â
âWhaâheâs a low-level member.â
That wasnât bold, it was just crazy.
âHowever, something doesnât add up. The Supreme Pavilion Lord found out but didnât punish him immediately. Why?â
âI donât know.â
âDo you know what happened to Seol-Hwiâs squad members? Theyâre all dead. The Mount Hua bastards got them.â
Cheon Gwang was shocked. Not long ago, heâd heard that some 3rd grade group was attacked by Mount Hua. Apparently they were Seol-Hwiâs subordinates.
âSo the book is credible?â
âMaybe. But what if this is all the Supreme Pavilion Lordâs plan?â
Seol-Hwi was the only survivor, and he somehow brought them this book. Whoâs to say this wasnât a setup?
âWe canât pick a side yet.â
âHuh? What do youâŚâ
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The Earth Demon sipped his cold tea and stared into the ripples on the pond.
âThe book Seol-Hwi gave me had a note in it, written by the Supreme Pavilion Lord. It contained many things about the sectâsecrets, too. An incident like this will shake the sect to the core; itâs too much for a single person to handle.â
If Seol-Hwiâs subordinates were really dead, then the accusations had to be true. They couldnât afford to overlook thisâit was too big of an opportunity for the Earth Demon.
âIn that case, it is natural for the Supreme Pavilion Lord to send him to the library.â
So it was true that Seol-Hwi was tracing the Supreme Pavilion Lordâs activities. There was no way that the Supreme Pavilion Lord would remain silent if the secret documents went missing, and it would be even more heartbreaking if Seol-Hwi was in on it.
âThen why did My Lord send Seol-hwi to the test island?â Seol-Hwi was important but dangerous. Why send him to the island and give him a sword and pills, too?
âI promised him. He asked for a chance to be strong.â
âWith his skills, isnât it impossible to pass?â
âWell, thatâs true.â
He gave Seol-Hwi a sword and pills, but that was bare minimum. It wouldnât be enough to pass the testâeveryone who attempted it was the best of the squads.
âItâs impossible, but stillâŚâ The Earth Demon stared into the sky. âIf he can survive, then⌠maybe heâll give me some energy?â
Ah! The weight of being a disciple of the Heavenly Demon, the fatigue of being at a standstillâthat child, Seol-Hwi, seemed similar to the Earth Demon.
The Earth Demon felt another breezeâa signal to be alert. Someone was coming.
âUnpleasant guests are coming.â
Three people walked in: the End Demon, the Demon Lord, and the Fang Spirit. Juniors and seniors, disciples of the Heavenly Demon.
âHereâŚâ Seol-Hwi shook his head. He remembered admiring the enchanting scenery, but it was a place heâd only ever seen in passing. This wasnât the five pavilions, nor was it an office; this was an independent domain where only the Heavenly Demon and his disciples stayed.
âGrnnnk!â Goeun woke up and struggled to escape the sack Seol-Hwi had stuffed him in. Seol-Hwi shut him up with his fist.
The road terminated at a gate in the long wall, guarded by a warrior.
âWho are you?â
WhatâŚÂ Seol-Hwi sighed. What kind of guardâŚÂ After all the life and death battles Seol-Hwi went through, this guard had a higher combat power than he did.
âI asked you a question!â
âI came to meet the fourth disciple.â
âWhat?â The guardâs expression softened. âWas this meeting arranged in advance?â He looked around, a little worried. âFollow me. But if you lied, your life is on the line.â
âSure.â Seol-Hwi slung Goeun over his shoulder and followed the guard.
It wasnât difficult to find the fourth disciple. They found him in a cluster of people at a pond.
âSeol-Hwi, was it? Stay here.â
âYes.â Seol-Hwi waited while the guard carefully approached the group and then came back.
âGo.â
âThank you.â
As Seol-Hwi approached, he felt something was wrong. When he got there, he couldnât help but freeze in place.
Damn it! The first disciple! All six and a half feet of him examined Seol-Hwi with an expressionless face.
No numbersânothing, except the name. The Demon Lord and the Fang Spirit, even the Earth Demonâall of their statuses looked the same.
âWhy are you here?â The Earth Demon looked more flustered than shocked.
How do IâŚÂ His brain locked up. Seol-Hwiâs prisoner was the first discipleâs spy.
âI asked you why you are here!â
The Demon Lord, the second disciple, and the Fang Spirit, the only woman, became curious because of the Earth Demonâs loud voice. More importantly, heâd attracted the first discipleâs full attention.
âUm, IâŚâ
âSajae.1â The Demon Lord said. âWhy? Who is it?â
Time frozeâbut Seol-Hwi felt it all going horribly wrong.
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A curse.
A death wish.
âŚand something worse than both.
He had no more lives left. And what were these +3, +2, +1 numbers?
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