Chapter 571

Blue eye-light was said to be the symbol of the Azure Moon Sect.

The first heart art created by the founding Sect Leader, who had sought to resemble the moon, had initially done no more than turn its practitioner’s eyes blue.

But it evolved again and again, eventually reaching the point where it directly altered the eye-light itself.

The second Sect Leader, the first to awaken it, had supposedly claimed that it could only mean the moon had chosen him.

It was decisive proof that a martial art’s inner qi could exert a special influence on the human body.

At the time, people called it a blessing. Some had even jokingly called its bearers children of a god.

That was how Moon Eye had been recorded: like a myth or a fairy tale.

Which also meant that Moon Eye was that extraordinary.

And it carried a distinctly different air from the blue eyes possessed by foreign-looking people.

That was why.

I can’t mistake it.

I could not mistake eyes like those.

Not when we practiced the same heart art.

“...”

Moon Eye.

It was undoubtedly Moon Eye.

THUMP! THUMP!

A strange resonance pounded within my chest as I stared at the person before me.

I could not see their face clearly, but their eyes were plain enough.

In truth, that was enough.

You could learn a great deal from someone’s eyes.

“...You.” 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

I took a step forward.

I knew it.

That’s him.

The person I had been looking for.

Yoo Cheongil’s master, supposedly somewhere in Xinjiang.

Was that the person the Young Cult Leader had meant?

Why?

If it really was him, then why?

The possibility alone had been strange enough. Seeing him before me made it even more absurd.

If he was Yoo Cheongil’s master, then he should have been older still.

He’s alive?

The fact that an old monster like that was still alive was shocking enough.

Why is he in Xinjiang?

Why was someone who might as well have been an ancestor of the Azure Moon Sect in the Demonic Cult’s territory?

Just as I began to approach—

A chill raced down my spine.

“...”

An unfamiliar presence wrapped itself around my entire body.

Killing intent.

My instincts, suddenly bristling with alarm, forcibly stopped my feet.

Then—

“Your instincts are sharp.”

“...”

A rasping voice, old and smoke-charred, scraped across my ears.

“I thought a disciple of that damned bastard would be useful enough, but... heh heh heh. Looks like that bastard ended up raising something worse than himself.”

“...Who are you?”

Something about this felt wrong.

There was a crowd all around us, yet it felt as if only that person and I stood here.

“Who do you think I am, disciple of the Sword Saint?”

“At least I know you’re someone important from the Azure Moon Sect.”

“Your eye for people isn’t bad either.”

“...”

Would you even call that an eye for people?

Not knowing would have been stranger.

“Then do not come any closer.”

“...Excuse me?”

“I’ll commend you for recognizing me, but I dislike you.”

SSSSHH.

It was the same killing intent as before.

I swallowed hard.

“I dislike you enough to want to tear out those two eyes, rip out your dantian, and carve you to pieces.”

“Those are some harsh words. You’re making me nervous. We’re from the same sect, aren’t we?”

“Yes. That alone is why you are still alive.”

“What do you mean by—”

“Do not seek me out. Do not be curious. Do not interfere. This is my arrangement, and my warning.”

“Sir—”

CLINK.

Before the sound even reached my ears, my body was already moving.

I gripped the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword and settled into a stance.

Strangely, the old man had not made a single move.

Then what was this feeling?

“Heh heh heh. Your instincts really are sharp... It’s remarkable. I find myself wondering how that damned thing managed to raise you.”

“...”

“Do not look for me again. Next time, you will lose your head.”

The old man turned and walked away.

I stood still and watched his back, saying nothing until he vanished into the distance.

Why was he acting like that?

Why did he hate me when he was here of all places?

Those questions mattered less than one thing.

What was that?

That feeling just now.

The cold sensation I had felt while looking at the old man.

The sensation of a sword, even though he had never drawn one.

I focused on it.

What was that?

That unfamiliar feeling had made my entire body freeze.

It was strange.

No matter how I looked at it, it was strange.

Only after the old man disappeared could I open my palm and inspect it.

It was drenched in sweat.

Had it merely been an illusion caused by killing intent?

No.

That was not it.

What the hell was it...?

As I turned the question over dozens of times—

[I will grant you this: your instincts are sharp.]

The Heavenly Demon spoke.

[You sensed something you should not have been able to see. It is not a good thing, so forget it.]

...So there really was something.

[There was. Even when it is absent, it is there. It is something you must pursue someday, but not now. Try to chase it, and your legs will be torn apart and burned to ash. Forget it.]

“...”

Forget it?

Forget that feeling?

After he said something like that, how could I possibly forget?

I did not think I could ever forget what I had sensed from that old man.

If anything, the Heavenly Demon’s warning only made it harder to let go.

*****

By the time I returned to the residence, only silence remained.

Had I gotten back too quickly because I had been lost in thought?

Even so, I could not sense anyone’s presence.

Just as I began to wonder whether everyone had gone out, a faint presence drifted from upstairs.

Someone was coming down.

“Oh. You’re back.”

It was Cloud Dragon.

“I did get back, yes... How are you feeling?”

“...I can move around a little now.”

Cloud Dragon answered awkwardly.

It seemed the wounds Heavenly Sword had given him were only now beginning to heal.

“Where is everyone else?”

“I don’t know. Most of them were gone when I woke up. Ah, Senior Yu Yeon seemed to have come back earlier, but...”

“So she is not here now.”

“...Yes.”

“All right.”

Had everyone gone out?

It was almost impressive how freely they could wander around Xinjiang.

There was no reason to go looking for them.

They had made it this far. They could take care of themselves.

It’s not like I have time to worry about them anyway.

I now knew that person was in Xinjiang.

I did not know whether he truly was Yoo Cheongil’s master, but I knew he was from the Azure Moon Sect and that he bore hostility toward me.

That was enough.

Now I needed to think about what that meant and act accordingly.

Seeing that person... what does the Young Cult Leader want from me?

Would there be any benefit in approaching him when he had made his hostility so clear?

Hard to say...

I knew nothing about Yoo Cheongil’s master.

At most, I knew he was probably someone from an earlier generation of the Azure Moon Sect.

That was it.

Which meant that, for now, approaching him was dangerous.

I’ll put this aside for later.

I had training scheduled again tomorrow.

I did not have the leisure to chase after that old man and get myself killed.

“Hmm.”

I went into my room.

There was nothing else to worry about.

All I had to do was wait for night.

A night when the moon had risen, but clouds might hide it from sight.

*****

“Perfect.”

Night came, and the time I had been waiting for arrived.

I opened the window.

I had spent the entire time shut in my room, doing nothing but organizing my plans. Before I knew it, the moment was here.

The lights of the county town were still faintly visible, but they were gradually going out.

Only then did I change clothes.

I wore a black, utterly nondescript outfit with no ornaments of any kind.

Then I pulled on a face covering.

That should do it.

This was enough to hide my face.

Once I finished preparing, I stepped onto the window frame and sprang out.

I moved slowly, erasing my presence as I went.

Before long, I arrived at the inn I had visited during the day.

As I neared the entrance, I spotted someone.

“Hmm?”

A guard.

The man watching the entrance narrowed his eyes at me.

“...Who are you?”

He could tell at a glance that I was not a guest, so he asked with a tense expression.

“This is an ordinary inn. There’s nothing here worth stealing...”

“I don’t need anything to steal. Who is the highest-ranking person here? I came because I have something to say.”

“...You are not dressed like someone who came to talk. State your identity.”

“That’s true.”

A precise observation.

Then he should have known the answer too.

“If I intended to reveal my identity, I would not be dressed like this.”

“...Are you some lunatic wandering around under the moon? Get lost. It would be better for you to leave while we are still willing to let you live—”

He did not get to finish.

I slipped forward and seized the guard by the throat.

“Ghk!”

Before he could cry out, I struck him beneath the jaw and knocked him unconscious.

“...”

What should I do with him?

I left the unconscious guard where he was and looked toward the entrance.

Walking in openly seemed like a problem.

Still, I’m dressed like this.

I should at least pretend to sneak in.

I climbed onto the second-floor window ledge.

I slipped my sword into the closed window and cut through the latch.

SHHK.

The window came free.

CREEEAK.

I opened it as carefully as possible and looked inside.

I activated Moon Eye.

My vision cut through the darkness.

There was nothing special inside.

It was simply the second floor of an inn.

Nothing about it looked particularly remarkable.

But—

Where is it?

I was not looking at the building.

I was looking for energy.

As I reminded myself of that and stepped inside—

WOOOOONG.

“Tsk.”

The instant my foot touched the floor, I clicked my tongue.

TAP-TAP-TAP.

I had felt something, and the moment I did, presences sprang up all around me.

They set something up.

I looked at the wall.

Several talismans had been pasted there.

Ah, damn.

They pulled some bullshit, didn’t they?

Talismans that alerted them whenever someone entered.

Were they using spiritual energy?

I had not expected them to be attached to the wall.

It was a mistake born from the fact that I was not particularly skilled at breaking in or infiltration.

And the price of that mistake was—

“Who is it?!”

“An intruder...!”

People I had not even known were there rushed out from all directions with swords in hand.

“...The guard at the entrance is unconscious. Damn it. Did he come through the entrance?”

“There’s someone over there!”

“An intruder! Get him—!”

“Alert the people upstairs!”

The moment they realized I was an intruder, they drew their weapons.

They did not look like people who belonged in an inn.

Ah, hell.

I had hoped to investigate more peacefully.

But it seemed I had no choice.

“Reveal your identity.”

The man at the front pointed his sword at me as he spoke.

I pulled my face covering down slightly.

I had already put on the mask I had prepared underneath, so my face was not a problem.

Then—

FWWWWOOOOSH—!!!

I drew up my demonic qi.

My Moon Eye turned red.

[Did you ask who I am?]

Stay calm.

It was embarrassing, but I had to do it.

I lowered my voice and delivered the line I had prepared to the Sky-Crushing Palace remnants.

[I am.]

[The Heavenly Demon.]

[Hah.]

The real Heavenly Demon laughed as if he could not believe it.