Chapter 43

When Jeok Leegeon returned to his spot, Jeong Charyeon was alone.

The three old men were nowhere to be seen.

Charyeon's face was flushed red as she was lost in thought.

She closed her eyes and opened them again, then closed them again, and even smiled. It seemed she couldn't hear the sounds around her.

She was completely immersed in deep contemplation. The teachings of the old men were being organized one by one in her mind. It would become the foundation that would lead her to become a true master.

Jeok Leegeon silently waited for her to come to her senses.

How much time had passed?

"Huh? When did you get here?"

Jeok Leegeon, who had been dozing off, frowned.

"Let's go. I'm starving."

Charyeon looked around. The sun was high in the sky.

"Has that much time already passed? Ah! What about the elders?"

"How would I know? You were with them."

"Ah, I made a mistake. I didn't even say goodbye."

Charyeon jumped up and fidgeted, looking for the old men.

"Don't worry. You'll meet them again next time."

"Do you really, really have to make that happen?"

"I promise. But did you learn anything?"

It was more than just something. It was the teaching of the Supreme Demon Queen.

She felt like she had already reached the Great Achievement stage of the Crimson Snake Sword Art. Of course, it was just a feeling.

"Thank you."

"Then treat me."

I could treat you to more than just one meal, I could treat you to everything I have.

The problem was that she only had two nyang to her name.

For the first time since they met, Charyeon took the lead.

"Let's go. My treat."

At the same time.

A man was running desperately.

The man's name was Myeong. Covered in blood from his injuries, Myeong was teetering on the verge of collapse.

Myeong was so tired. His eyelids felt like they weighed a ton, and his waist and ankles ached as if they were about to break.

He wanted to give up everything and lie down on the spot. He wanted to spread his arms wide to those relentlessly chasing him and shout, 'Do you want to cut open my belly that badly? Come and cut it open!'

But he couldn't.

"I must inform them."

The fate of Jianghu was at stake.

He stumbled and fell several times, but each time, Myeong got back up.

After running like that, he finally arrived at the rendezvous point, a bamboo forest.

Peeep--

He whistled softly.

Someone appeared from the bamboo forest.

It was a woman who came to meet him. The woman first showed her identification tag.

It was the identification tag of the Righteous Alliance Black Tortoise Unit. The organization in charge of information within the Orthodox Alliance was the Black Tortoise Unit.

Myeong's face brightened. He had been met at the place he had hoped for.

"I am Myeong of the Northern Sky Hegemon Clan."

There was no time for lengthy greetings.

"Let's get out of here first. The pursuers are right behind us."

"There's a secret hideout of ours nearby. We'll be safe if we can just get there."

The secret hideouts of the Black Tortoise Unit were mostly protected by Array Formations and were safe.

The woman took the lead and started running.

As she ran, the woman asked.

"Why didn't you report to your superiors and contact us directly?"

"That is..."

Myeong, who had been hesitating, decided to reveal everything to her.

He was still being pursued. There was no telling when the two of them would have to separate. Both of them needed to know the secret.

"My direct superior, Bong Suchan, has betrayed us."

Bong Suchan was one of the Four Great Elders of the Northern Sky Hegemon Clan and the chief in charge of this Dragon Phoenix Gathering.

The woman was shocked.

"Betrayed us? To whom?"

"If he's a traitor, I couldn't trust anyone. That's why I requested the help of the Orthodox Alliance."

"Has the demonic cult started to stir again?"

"No. They're a new group."

"A new group?"

"They are the Bi-hyeon Society."

"Bi-hyeon Society?"

"They're plotting a great conspiracy with this Martial Arts Tournament. We must inform the leader of the Orthodox Alliance of this fact as soon as possible. We don't know how many spies there might be in the main family."

"This is truly unbelievable."

The woman's pace slowed as if she had been shocked. If Bong Suchan, not just any Martial Artist but one of the Four Great Elders of the Northern Sky Hegemon Clan, had been co-opted by some organization, the repercussions would be enormous.

Then, the woman turned around and shouted.

"The pursuers are catching up!"

The pursuers began to appear at the end of the road.

Myeong hurriedly said.

"The Infinite Martial Arts Tournament must be canceled. The Dragon Phoenix Gathering must be canceled."

The woman urgently asked.

"Has this information not been leaked anywhere else yet?"

"You're the first."

"That's a relief."

"That's... what? What did you just say...?"

Thwack!

A dagger was lodged in Myeong's chest. Curiosity preceded the tragedy of death.

"...Why?"

The woman smiled brightly.

"It's not the Bi-hyeon Society... it's the flying swallow association."

Myeong's knees buckled.

'Ah! This woman has also been co-opted by that organization.'

At the same time, Myeong thought that the flying swallow association was a more vast and terrifying organization than he had imagined. He regretted that he should have gone to the head of the Northern Sky Hegemon Clan, even if it meant taking a risk. But it was all over now anyway.

With a long sigh, Myeong died.

The pursuers were approaching from afar.

The woman who killed Myeong put on a mask. Drawn on the edge of the white mask was a flying swallow.

The woman knelt before a middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader of the masked men.

"Yeon Sipyuk greets the Vice-Leader."

The eyes of the man called Vice-Leader were extremely sharp and piercing.

He was the kind of person who could cut someone with just his gaze.

"Rise."

Yeon Sipyuk obediently rose from her seat.

"What happened to the other one?"

"Yeon Sipsa is chasing after him, so she will report the results soon."

"We can trust that child."

The man smiled with satisfaction.

"How is the work progressing?"

"It's going well according to plan."

"There must be no mistakes."

The woman smiled brightly and replied.

"This Dragon Phoenix Gathering will be a nightmare, one that will never be forgotten."