As the first day of the Je Hwa Jeon was drawing to a close, the sun had already set.
Despite the fatigue and hunger, the audience continued to cheer without pause.
"Lost... I lost..."
The final match, which took a long time, had finally ended.
In the end, the one who remained was a young man named Yeong Sung.
A young man whom I had met by chance at an inn with Yeong Feng in the past.
He was probably the one with the highest potential among the third-generation disciples, and aside from Yeong Feng, he had the smoothest skills.
Incidentally, Goo Ryeong Hwa did not advance beyond the first victory.
Even the first victory was due to the opponent's carelessness, and no matter how suddenly Goo Ryeong Hwa changed, there was a clear limit.
Although Goo Ryeong Hwa had lost, her expression as she descended from the stage looked refreshed.
It seemed she had gained more than she had lost from the defeat.
"Wasn't there a female disciple of the Yi family earlier?"
"Oh, the pretty one..."
"She was a new disciple, I think. What was her name again...?"
People were already starting to remember Goo Ryeong Hwa.
The movements of the small girl were so outstanding that it was only natural.
With the matches all over, the disciples began to tidy up after exchanging formal greetings.
At the same time, people were preparing to leave.
Given the location of the Huashan Sect, it would be dangerous to descend too late at night, so they had to start leaving soon.
Unable to bear the boredom, Nam Gung Bia, who was half-asleep, was taken care of by Wi Seol A, and approached those who were diligently cleaning up the stage.
It was because I saw a familiar face.
"Yeong Feng Dojang."
"Ah, Goo Xiaojie...?"
It was Mi Gongzi, Yeong Feng, who was diligently working among the disciples.
For the Sword Dragon to be tidying up... the world is full of surprises.
Yeong Feng smiled warmly at me.
"Ah, were you watching the Je Hwa Jeon?"
"I ended up watching it all the way through."
It was really by chance.
I had intended to leave when Goo Ryeong Hwa was eliminated, but Wi Seol A insisted on staying a bit longer.
Moreover, Nam Gung Bia had fallen asleep on my shoulder, so I ended up here.
When I spoke, Yeong Feng thought for a moment and then said with a flash of realization.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Xiaojie..."
"Huh? What for?"
"I have to go to bed early today, so I can't join the night practice..."
"•••I wasn't planning to anyway?"
What kind of ridiculous imagination is this, and why is it about me?
I felt a bit annoyed.
"Then what brings you here...?"
In response to Yeong Feng's question, I changed to a more serious expression.
It was an important matter, so I needed to change the atmosphere. It seemed to work, as Yeong Feng's face stiffened slightly and he leaned in.
I leaned close to Yeong Feng's ear and asked carefully.
"During the first match, when my brother fought... could you tell me the name of the disciple?"
After asking, I pulled back slightly, and Yeong Feng's expression was twisted.
"•••What?"
He looked at me as if I were a madman.
It was well past midnight.
Most people would be asleep by now.
Nam Gung Bia, who had been half-asleep on the way back, would have fallen asleep long ago.
Jian Zun and Wi Seol A would be the same. I took this opportunity to slip out and look around.
A few guards were standing watch quietly. Fortunately, Wu Lian was not among them.
I deliberately chose this time, and it was fortunate.
I suppressed my presence as much as possible and, after checking, climbed over the wall and slipped out.
I had prepared an excuse that I was going for a walk, but I wasn't caught, which was amusing.
My skills have improved, but I didn't expect to get out so smoothly...
'I'll have to have Wu Lian train me a bit more later.'
Is it because I've been staying at the Huashan Sect?
In any case, I managed to slip out without any issues.
I gathered my energy and quickly descended the mountain.
I needed to return early in the morning to avoid complications, so I had to move quickly.
'They said it was the western forest.'
I had a general idea of the location, but without a map, I had to be cautious.
I was heading to the Huashan Sect's captured branch of the Black Night Palace, specifically where the Blood Demon had resided.
Originally, I had planned to watch Goo Ryeong Hwa's match and leave, but since it was late, I decided to go at night.
'Fortunately, Yeong Feng knew about it.'
The reason I sought out Yeong Feng earlier was for this.
The talk about the disciple who fought Goo Ryeong Hwa was half-joking.
'He said his name was Yeong Jin.'
Of course, I remembered the name and the face.
If Yeong Feng had refused to tell me due to sect rules, I would have gone to either the Kai Bang or Xiaowen to get the information.
But Yeong Feng answered without hesitation.
I even asked him, "Why don't you ask why I'm asking?"
- 'Xiaojie must have a reason for asking.'
Yeong Feng's answer made me chuckle.
Where does this boundless trust come from?
It was almost unsettling.
Recently, many people have shown me a lot of trust. While it feels good, it also comes with a sense of unease.
'Is it overwhelming?'
While these are new experiences for me, it doesn't feel like such a convenient situation.
Thud!
I stopped moving in the direction Yeong Feng had told me.
I wasn't at the exact location, so I had to use my senses to find it.
'The Wulin Alliance must be managing it now.'
The Huashan Sect, a righteous sect, is officially part of the Wulin Alliance.
While the Huashan Sect might have initially discovered and managed the site, it would have been handed over to the Wulin Alliance by now.
"It would be good if the search is over..."
I thought the Wulin Alliance would have finished their search and withdrawn by now.
If not, it would be better to turn back rather than force anything.
After all, coming here was partly a gamble.
After running for a while, I finally reached my destination.
In a terrain surrounded by thickets, a particularly large cave was visible. It was hard to spot at night due to the sparse human presence and the surrounding trees.
'With such terrain and an array activated, it wouldn't be easy to find.'
I wouldn't have found it just based on Yeong Feng's description.
If it were someone else, that is.
'There's still a faint presence of dark energy.'
A faint but lingering dark energy was still present in the cave.
I followed this energy, which made it easier to find despite the difficult terrain.
'Has the Wulin Alliance completely withdrawn?'
I used my energy to check the surroundings, but there were still no signs of anyone.
I cautiously stepped into the cave.
Swoosh!
The cave was filled with a damp, dark atmosphere. I produced a flame in my hand to serve as a torch.
As I slowly followed the walls, the cave turned out to be much larger and longer than expected.
I had to walk quite a distance from the entrance.
Using my energy as a guide, I eventually reached a flat area.
Given the cave's terrain, it didn't seem to be very large.
'They used this as a branch?'
Even seeing it with my own eyes, it didn't make sense. It seemed woefully inadequate as a branch.
Even if the Huashan Sect and the Wulin Alliance had swept through, the remaining structures made it clear.
This place had very little, if any, practical use as a branch.
'What were they doing here?'
| |.
Telegram's largest novel sharing group.
Over 100,000 novels available for download
.......
After navigating through the narrow passages, I arrived at a relatively large space.
This was the only place large enough for people to move around.
A massive chair on the wall seemed to be where the Blood Demon resided.
'This is a room?'
There were no traces of anything significant. It seemed they had already cleaned it up.
There didn't seem to be anything worth discovering here. Perhaps it would be better to seek information through the Kai Bang or Xiaowen.
"Hmm?"
I paused at a pungent scent that brushed against my nose.
The cave was filled with an unknown, blood-like smell.
'What is this...?'
It was an unusually strong smell.
It was so nauseating that it made my stomach churn. How could the Wulin Alliance leave without leaving anyone behind?
A chill ran down my spine, and I took a step back.
Then I realized.
'It's not a smell.'
It wasn't an aroma.
It was closer to a qi.
Where? Where is this energy coming from?
'Even if it's energy, why didn't others sense it?'
If they had, they wouldn't have left it behind.
'Where is it coming from?'
I increased the flame in my hand to light the room more. As expected, the space was surrounded by stone walls except for the entrance.
However, the energy was clearly coming from one of the walls.
Was it an array? It didn't seem to be, as I couldn't sense any concentrated energy.
'Maybe a mechanism?'
Did they invest enough to create a mechanism for just a branch? The Black Night Palace's technical capabilities couldn't be that advanced, could they?
But if it was related to the Demon Sect, it wouldn't be surprising.
I felt the walls, thinking there might be traces of a mechanism.
'I'm not an expert in this, but since the branch's owner was the Blood Demon...'
Given that he didn't seem to be particularly intelligent, the mechanism probably wasn't very sophisticated.
It was just a guess, though.
I moved from the wall to the chair.
I didn't sense anything unusual here...
Tap tap.
"..."
I felt something protruding under the armrest of the chair.
Unlike the right armrest, something was slightly more prominent.
I pressed it out of curiosity, and it went in easily.
However, nothing changed in the room, contrary to my expectations.
Given the location, the search team should have found it.
Thinking it might not be the right place, I was about to look elsewhere when a thought struck me.
Just in case.
I slightly manipulated the residual dark energy in my body.
I had to do this separately since it didn't mix with my energy.
Gurgle.
I could feel the dark energy in my dantian stir.
In that state, I pressed the protruding part again.
Creak... creak...!
"Damn."
The part I hoped wouldn't be the case turned out to be true.
The blood scent was secondary; now I understood why the Wulin Alliance and the Huashan Sect didn't find any significant traces.
Tai Zangui, who had installed hundreds of mechanisms in the Demon Sect's main palace.
This was similar to his work, a crazy mechanism that recognized dark energy.
Rumble!
The cave shook with a rumbling sound, and dust flew as the wall trembled.
Eventually, a wall behind the chair opened, revealing a massive door.