"It was definitely not a dream.

The Heavenly Demon Sect had clearly fallen, and he was the only one left.

Confused, Jeok-Myung Jin glanced around and saw the Heavenly Demon Palace.

It was the residence of the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the most majestic building in the Demonic Cult.

At least the Heavenly Demon Palace seemed to maintain its shape.

Hoping for something, Jeok-Myung Jin walked towards the Heavenly Demon Palace.

As he got closer, the true form of the Heavenly Demon Palace came into view.

The once splendid building had been ravaged by fire and had lost its former glory.

"What a mess."

Jeok-Myung Jin, with a look of despair, suddenly noticed something strange.

There were traces of human intervention amidst the ruins of the Heavenly Demon Palace.

Someone had obviously made hasty repairs to make it habitable.

Soon after, Jeok-Myung Jin sensed several presences.

They were not from the Demonic Cult.

They lacked the unique demonic energy of the cult members.

Jeok-Myung Jin, hiding his presence, approached them.

There were about twenty people.

One was a master of the highest caliber, and three were first-class masters.

Jeok-Myung Jin eyes grew cold.

To think that these people dared to settle in the core of the Heavenly Demon Sect, even in its ruined state.

He couldn't forgive them.

But just as he was about to enter the Heavenly Demon Palace, Jeok-Myung Jin hesitated.

His eyes fixed on the plaque above the door.

Where the plaque of the Heavenly Demon Palace should be, there was a different inscription.

'Righteous Martial World (正道武林).'

Jeok-Myung Jin mind went blank with shock.

'Could it be... the Martial Alliance?'

----------------------------------------

"Damn it..."

Hawijong lay sprawled in a large chair, cursing.

There was only one reason for his discomfort.

"When will I get out of this damned Demonic Cult lair?"

He was a high-ranking master in the Martial Alliance, once the leader of the White Tiger Division, renowned for his skills.

The White Tiger Division was one of the four main divisions of the outer sect of the Martial Alliance.

In the martial world, being the head of the White Tiger Division commanded respect, not even the heads of significant clans dared to disrespect him.

"And now, because of one slip of the tongue... Damn it!"

In a drunken state, he had insulted one of the three senior elders of the Martial Alliance, the Invincible Divine Fist.

The consequence came swiftly and painfully.

Before he knew it, Hawijong was demoted from his position and made a regional branch head, completely unrelated to power.

And not just any branch, but the Cheonsan branch, which had been the formidable base of the Demonic Cult until ten years ago.

In name, a branch, but in reality, it was a frontline outpost, nothing more, nothing less, established to monitor any remaining remnants of the Demonic Cult.

"Just wasting time in this remote place and then quietly stepping down, that's it. Just for a few unpleasant words, to be exiled to a place as good as a grave, that Invincible Divine Fist is so petty!"

Hawijong grumbled, and Pungdon, his loyal deputy, chuckled.

"Surely the Alliance wouldn't waste a talent like you, sir. Just endure a little longer."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Yeah, right."

But both Pungdon and Hawijong knew that returning to the Alliance was as likely as plucking stars from the sky.

Effectively, his career was over, unless he could achieve something extraordinary.

And that was highly unlikely.

For the past ten years, the Cheonsan branch had seen the Demonic Cult's influence completely eradicated.

"Sudden movements!"

Suddenly, Hawijong shot up, sensing an unusual presence.

'Demonic energy! No doubt about it.'

As the former head of the White Tiger Division, Hawijong had led many campaigns against remnants of the Demonic Cult.

He could distinguish the unique demonic energy of the cult members even in his sleep.

And the energy he felt now was so strong that even the most insensitive warrior could sense it.

His subordinates quickly gathered around him.

'This might be...'

Hawijong trembled with an indescribable premonition, not out of fear.

It was an opportunity for him to return to the Alliance.

'This strong energy means the opponent is no small fry.'

The stronger the opponent, the greater his merit would be.

Hawijong immediately turned to Pungdon and ordered.

"Surround him so he can't escape."

"At once!"

Pungdon and the others dashed out.

Following at a leisurely pace, Hawijong soon saw a young man standing in front of the main gate.

The young man was blankly staring at the building that had become the

Cheonsan branch of the Martial Alliance, formerly the Heavenly Demon Palace.

Seeing the young man, Hawijong's face showed a hint of disappointment.

'He's young.'

Probably in his early twenties.

His thick eyebrows and firmly closed lips showed determination, but he still seemed like a greenhorn just starting in the martial world.

Sighing, Hawijong noticed the sword on the young man's back.

'An unusual weapon for his appearance...'

It was hard to imagine the slender young man wielding such a large, clumsy sword.

But Hawijong knew that such incongruity could sometimes be a significant variable.

'He's not carrying that weapon just for show, there must be something I'm not aware of.'

Hawijong, with heightened alertness, slowly approached the young man.

His men had already blocked all escape routes.

"Are you a remnant of the Demonic Cult? You've boldly come here, are you prepared?"

Hawijong shouted, infusing his voice with inner power to intimidate the young man.

However, the young man didn't even bother to glance at him.

Instead, he raised his head towards the sky and closed his eyes.

'What's this?'

Hawijong was puzzled by the young man's sudden behavior.

But he had no intention of waiting patiently.

"Subdue him."

Just as Hawijong gave the order, the young man's eyes flashed open.

'Gasp!'

In that moment, Hawijong felt a chilling shudder.

His entire body screamed with a warning of imminent danger.

"Be careful!"

Hawijong yelled as he rushed towards the young man.

Whooosh!

In an instant, his hands were filled with the energy of the Pounsu (破雲手), the technique that had elevated him to the head of the White Tiger Division.

"Haa!"

As Hawijong launched his attack, the sword on the young man's back soared into the sky.

Swoosh!

Then, a burst of red light engulfed everything in Hawijong's sight.

----------------------------------------

'This is impossible...'

Hawijong couldn't comprehend the situation he was in.

In the blink of an eye, he had lost his right hand and about twenty of his men.

Only he and Pungdon were still alive, albeit injured.

Hawijong, clutching his severed right knee, looked unrealistically at Pungdon writhing in pain.

'That bastard, he spared me and Pungdon on purpose.'

Not killing the leader was a tactic to extract information.

Soon enough, the young man spoke to Hawijong.

"I have a question."

"You damn brat! Who the hell are you?"

Hawijong, ignoring the young man's words, screamed frantically.

He was genuinely curious about the young man's identity.

To be overwhelmed by a greenhorn was both despairing and humiliating.

The young man surprisingly responded directly to Hawijong's question.

"My name is Jeok-Myung Jin."

"……"

"Now it's my turn to ask."

"What, what? Wait..."

Before Hawijong could respond, a sharp energy flew towards Pungdon.

"Argh!"

Pungdon clutched his right eye and screamed in agony.

"You're insane! What are you doing?"

Horrified, Hawijong realized why Jeok-Myung Jin had spared only the two of them.

If he kept silent, Pungdon would suffer and die slowly.

"Now it's my turn to ask questions," Jeok-Myung Jin said emotionlessly.

Hawijong glared at him, trembling with rage, but had no intention of answering easily.

Either way, both he and Pungdon were unlikely to survive.

But Hawijong was momentarily perplexed by Jeok-Myung Jin's next question.

"What happened to the Heavenly Demon Sect? How can the Martial Alliance be here in the Heavenly Demon Palace?"

"……?"

Hawijong didn't understand Jeok-Myung Jin's question for a moment.

Was he really asking out of ignorance?

It was so absurd that he couldn't help but answer reflexively.

"The Demonic Cult was destroyed ten years ago, what are you talking about?"

"What, ten years?!"

Jeok-Myung Jin's face, which seemed perpetually expressionless, was suddenly filled with astonishment.

Ten years?

Just before he was trapped in the spell, the Heavenly Demon Sect was fine.

Meanwhile, Hawijong realized Jeok-Myung Jin was genuinely shocked.

"You mean you didn't know the Martial Alliance destroyed the Demonic Cult ten years ago? Have you been hiding in a burrow all this time?"

Despite Hawijong's sarcasm, Jeok-Myung Jin was too shocked to respond.

'He's not lying. Then... have I been trapped in the spell for ten years?'

There was no other explanation for the situation.

"Then my senior brother... What happened to Cheongeum Magun?"

"What, what? Cheongeum Magun?"

Hawijong was astonished

at Jeok-Myung Jin's question.

Cheongeum Magun was one of the renowned masters of the Demonic Cult.

But Hawijong's surprise was not just because of his fame.

"Cheongeum Magun is your senior brother? Then you are... a disciple of the Heavenly Demon?"

Instead of answering, Jeok-Myung Jin repeated his question.

"What happened to Cheongeum Magun?"

"He... during the destruction of the Demonic Cult, he was hit by Invincible Divine Fist and fell off a cliff."

Hawijong obediently answered Jeok-Myung Jin's question.

It was a story already widespread in the martial world, no need to hide it.

Hearing Hawijong's answer, Jeok-Myung Jin's expression hardened again.

"My senior brother is dead?"

Jeok-Myung Jin was silent for a while, then suddenly tilted his head.

"Invincible Divine Fist, is that the Fist King?"

Invincible Divine Fist was known as a great master, but Jeok-Myung Jin's senior brother was not someone who could be easily defeated.

"How can you be sure he's dead if he fell off a cliff?"

"We found his body. His face was horribly disfigured, but the Alliance confirmed it was Cheongeum Magun."

Jeok-Myung Jin's was silent again after Hawijong's answer.

"What about the Six Demon Masters?"