By Zephyria 
“Y-Youngest…”
Seong Mu-jae gasped for breath in short, shallow bursts. Lying on his side, he struggled to lift his head and looked at Seong Mu-yeon.
“Run…”
In the end, he couldn’t finish his sentence and let his head drop.
“Brother…”
Seong Mu-yeon could not believe the sight before his eyes.
They had been separated for only a brief moment.
While they were setting fire to the Demon Subjugation Valley, Seong Mu-jae had grumbled the entire time as if he were reluctant, but inwardly, he had been enjoying himself.
There was no way he couldn’t have known.
How could he have failed to notice the color returning to that pale face and the eyes sparkling with hope…?
Escape was right in front of them.
Freedom was within reach.
Once they breathed in the fresh air, they could go anywhere they wanted. They could meet old acquaintances again.
He had only looked away for a second… How could he have vanished so futilely without even putting up a proper fight…?
The blood flowing from Seong Mu-jae’s abdomen soaked the ground. And the moment he saw Peng Yuan-jin right beside him, hands drenched in blood, something snapped inside Seong Mu-yeon’s head.
“Aaaaagh!”
Explosive inner force surged from his dantian, circulating through his entire body. Kicking off the ground, he launched himself and threw a punch toward Peng Yuan-jin.
Bloodshot veins strained in Seong Mu-yeon’s eyes.
This man had taken everything away.
“My, my…”
However, his strike did not reach Peng Yuan-jin. The fist, imbued with blue inner force, stopped dead just before it could smash into his jaw.
“Please refrain from such violent behavior.”
Peng Yuan-jin smiled, his eyes curving.
For some reason, it felt as if a transparent barrier stood between him and Seong Mu-yeon, making it impossible to move further.
Seong Mu-yeon strained with every fiber of his being, the veins in his neck bulging, but even the blue inner force enveloping his fist faded away. Gradually, his fist unclenched, and the strength drained from his body.
The fighting spirit that had been raging in his eyes slowly subsided and then sank.
“…….”
Seong Mu-yeon slowly lowered his raised hand.
“Have you calmed down? Good. This place is too remote and deep, and the air is stagnant, so it is not a place for a person to stay long. Let us head outside for now.”
“…….”
Following his instructions, Seong Mu-yeon slowly turned around. Then, he began to walk ahead along the mine tunnel.
“Humans are truly foolish. No matter how intelligent a person is, once they become excited and blood rushes to their head, they fall for the same trick twice. Seeing that, I find it quite pitiful.”
“…….”
“A foolish person… You should have turned around and run away, just as the Sixth Young Master wished in his final words.”
The mine tunnel was still filled with hazy smoke.
Someone who had popped out from a side tunnel bypassed them and quickly distanced themselves.
“We will not be going that way. This way.”
Seong Mu-yeon lowered his brows and moved forward as Peng Yuan-jin led. Every time he stepped on the uneven stone floor, grains of dirt rattled.
As they walked along the winding mine tunnel, a fresh night breeze brushed against his skin. Seong Mu-yeon looked up. A cliff stretched out wide beneath his feet.
“We just need to watch from here until the work is finished.”
“…….”
Far below in the canyon, it looked as if a swarm of black ants were crawling.
There was a force aiming weapons at the people pouring out of the abandoned mine. The sound of clashing weapons and screams echoed continuously in his ears.
The people were bewildered when smoke suddenly billowed from the abandoned mine and enemies poured out. Their surprise was short-lived; they became flustered by the overwhelming number of enemies, and their lines crumbled.
The rescue party had already been lacking coordination. To make matters worse, the enemies held the advantage in sheer numbers. The Demonic Cult quickly seized control of the battlefield again.
“Hahahaha! Die, every last one of you!”
Furthermore, the situation worsened as the Poison Freak burst into manic laughter, scattering poison-tipped hidden weapons indiscriminately.
Among them, Peng Do-hwan’s great sword was particularly conspicuous. Every time he swung his sword, three or four people were swept away.
“Do-hwan not only recovered all the Innate True Qi he lost by taking the Spirit Pill, but his inner force has also temporarily increased. Thanks to that, even the Masters of the Peng Clan cannot stand against him. Since it wasn’t gained through enlightenment and wasn’t properly absorbed, it won’t last long, though.”
“…….”
He felt no sensation, no desire. He was dazed, as if a thick fog had settled in his mind. It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling.
Rather, it was peaceful.
The six senses, including sound, smell, and sight, were like a single body that could not be separated since birth. However, only after distancing himself from his senses did Seong Mu-yeon realize that the constant stimuli of the world had been exhausting.
It was quiet and peaceful.
He felt no desire to resist at all.
If only he could drift in this peaceful repose forever, like a leaf floating on a lake…
“Those who are poisoned, fall back! We have prepared antidotes!”
While staring blankly down at the battlefield, Seong Mu-yeon turned his eyes toward a familiar voice. The person shouting at the top of his lungs in the middle of the battlefield was Jegal Un. In his hazy consciousness, Seong Mu-yeon felt a flicker of doubt.
Why is Jegal Un here?
“Do-hwan! Get a hold of yourself! Can you not recognize your uncle!”
The Habeok Peng Clan…
“Do not leave your back exposed! Never retreat until your life ends!”
Il-gwang…
“It’s miserable, isn’t it? It’s a shame to just watch from here, but it can’t be helped. Unlike Do-hwan, I don’t particularly enjoy using my body. It’s hard and tiring work. And the great sword is far too heavy.”
Peng Do-hwan muttered. He was leaning diagonally against the rock wall, looking down. Even though the fight wasn’t over, he exuded the leisure of a victor.
When Seong Mu-yeon didn’t react, Peng Yuan-jin seemed to lose interest; his smile vanished, and he turned his gaze back to the battlefield. The rescue party was being pushed back by the Demonic humans pouring out of the Demon Subjugation Valley.
“As they say, it’s a case of being outnumbered. No matter how outstanding a Master is, they cannot hold out long against human wave tactics. I didn’t intend for it, but thanks to the Young Master, it was solved easily. Thank you.”
“…….”
“Unfortunately, I am not of much help in a chaotic brawl like this, so I did call ‘him’ just in case, but it seems that wasn’t necessary.”
“…….”
“Enchantment is a tricky technique that requires delicate concentration, so it’s difficult to exert its effect in a one-versus-many situation. It is most effective one-on-one. I was slightly impressed a moment ago. To have endured that long shows great mental strength.”
“…….”
Seong Mu-yeon’s gaze was fixed beneath his feet. His eyes, which had been drifting meaninglessly over the fierce battle scene, happened to spot someone.
It was an unremarkable boy.
He stood out exceptionally because of his clothing, which was distinctly different from those around him. Covered in sweat, dirt, and blood, the boy was clutching his arm as if he were injured. He hurriedly used his belt to roughly stop the bleeding and then raised his sword again.
A Demonic human, spotting an opening, approached stealthily from behind and raised a razor-sharp weapon.
Twitch…
Seong Mu-yeon’s finger flickered.
No bloodshed occurred. The boy, having managed to notice the approaching presence, ducked to avoid the sword and launched a counterattack.
“…….”
“Since you won’t remember this once you regain your senses later, shall I tell you a secret?”
Peng Yuan-jin, busy following the trajectory of Peng Do-hwan as he tore through the battlefield, missed the twitch of Seong Mu-yeon’s finger. He had become excited on his own and spoke words that didn’t need to be said.
“For enchantment to work, the target must basically trust the Flowering Bone. Otherwise, it takes longer to cast the spell, or it fails entirely. That is why the Flowering Bone clan possesses beautiful appearances. Since anyone tends to lower their guard at a glance when they see a beauty, isn’t it a truly useful survival method? Although it has the weakness of not working at all on someone who closes the door to their heart and lets no one in, regardless of how beautiful the person is.”
“…….”
“Even the Seven Sons, who are thorough in everything, would not have fallen for my enchantment if you hadn’t been emotionally excited a moment ago.”
“…….”
“The Sixth Young Master threw his entire body into the effort for the Demon Subjugation Valley until the very end.”
Twitch.
Seong Mu-yeon’s pinky finger trembled once more.
“He was a completely useless person to the Seven Sons from the start. If he hadn’t run away with the Spirit Pill from the beginning, he might have lived a bit longer… Truly foolish, that Sixth Young Master.”
Sixth Young Master… Sixth Young Master.
“Hold on! Just a little longer!”
Below the canyon, the fierce battle was still in full swing. The smoke that had filled the sky had subsided. The Demonic humans, having regained their composure, recovered their sharp momentum and pushed the enemy back using their numerical superiority.
“Aaaaagh!”
Desperate screams echoed gloomily through the canyon. Sensing the end, Peng Yuan-jin’s smile deepened.
“Now that he’s dead, you’ll probably feel relieved in a way. There is nothing as frustrating as a useless family member.”
No. He wasn’t… that kind of person.
Seong Mu-yeon’s trembling grew more violent. The shaking that started from his fingertips soon spread through his entire body. Now, even Peng Yuan-jin could not fail to notice.
“Seven Sons?”
It was then.
Somewhere in the pitch-black night sky, a streak of light flashed. At a glance, it looked like the trail of a passing meteor. But as that streak of light burst again, and then another, and another… as they began to scatter clusters of light in succession, everyone looked up at the sky.
It was scattering red Sword Energy.
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art.
Clusters of light like red petals exploded.
“It’s the Hwasan Sect! The Hwasan Sect has arrived!”
Amidst the emotionally charged shout of the boy, dozens of martial artists descended from the sky like Divine Generals.