Seobaekjung, the leader of the Tianhe Sect, was staring out the window.

The usual scene: warriors laughing as they passed through the training grounds, no different from any other day.

Even though his son had been released some time ago, the Demon Sect remained silent.

“As expected! Truly impressive.”

Seobaekjung recalled the man with the satgat hat. He had entrusted the task to him because he believed he would succeed—but he hadn’t expected it to be done so neatly.

The days of walking the tightrope between the righteous sects were over. Now that he owed his allegiance to the righteous side, it was time to join hands with them. Naturally, he had to secure the best possible outcome for the Tianhe Sect in this alliance.

Just then, his subordinate Yumaeng entered.

“Did you call?”

Seobaekjung gave him a secret order.

“Send this invitation to the Demon Exterminator Lord and notify the sects that follow us as well.”

He planned to hold a secret banquet.

He was aware that the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) leaders of the sects who had once followed him were displeased with his alliance with the righteous sects. Their grievances needed to be calmed as soon as possible. It took a long time to gather them, but only an instant to lose them.

This matter could not be resolved by his persuasion alone. Jin Hagun, the Demon Exterminator Lord and future Murim Alliance leader, would have to come personally to soothe them.

“Now, I will gather the people; you show your capability.”

Jongyeom, leader of the Small Sword Sect, was more nervous than ever before.

As the head of one of the top ten sects in Honam, he had never been this tense. Pacing back and forth in the main hall, switching between drinking water and tea, sitting down then standing up, repeatedly going in and out of the restroom, walking the courtyard, and returning—all repeated several times.

His son, Jongtae, found his father’s behavior unfamiliar. The father who always showed a confident demeanor was now nervous, even sweating cold sweat.

“Who exactly is the guest coming today?”

The father had sent all the warriors out of the room for various reasons. Only a few trusted warriors remained inside. It was clear the guest was to be received in secret.

Such an important visitor, yet his father did not reveal who it was.

“There’s no benefit in knowing beforehand. Even if you find out later, you must not be shaken. Just quietly follow my orders.”

At that moment, a report from a subordinate came from outside.

“The guest has arrived.”

The door opened and a man entered the main hall.

Jongtae froze at the sight. The young man’s face bore a terrifying scar. Not only that, but he exuded a subtle aura of killing intent.

“A heretic master!”

The visitor was none other than Bisa-in, heir of the Satan Alliance. Thirteen warriors followed him—the Satan Thirteen Rangers—who spread out around the hall, taking control of the space. Their individual presence was overwhelming.

Jongtae felt suffocated just from their presence, but the truly terrifying people entered last.

The final two men radiated a dreadful aura, causing Jongtae’s legs to tremble naturally. They were absolute masters belonging to the Seven Great Heretic Masters of the Satan Alliance.

Goeak.

A master of martial body techniques called “Slashing Iron Man,” who had mastered it to the extreme, known to crumple iron swords with bare hands like paper.

Infamous in Murim for his eccentricity and cruelty, he was feared for torturing and killing those who crossed him with extreme pain—so much that even heretic masters dreaded encountering him in their dreams.

Gwangseom.

Renowned as the fastest master of quick swordsmanship in the heretic faction, his “Thunder-Chasing Three Swords” technique was the fastest among Satan’s swift sword arts.

Taciturn by nature, it was impossible to guess his thoughts. A man whose sword was fast but tongue slow, ranked among the top seven masters of the heretics.

Bisa-in had heeded Geom Mugeuk’s advice and brought these two fearsome masters along.

“I greet the Small Sword Sect leader, Jongyeom.”

“Pleasure. I have long heard of your reputation, Sect Leader Jong.”

Bisa-in greeted Jongyeom and introduced Goeak and Gwangseom.

Upon learning their identities, Jongyeom and Jongtae paled and bowed deeply. The absolute heretic masters they had only heard of in stories were right before their eyes.

Only then did Jongtae understand why his father was so nervous, and why he hadn’t told him who the visitor was. If he had known earlier, he would have trembled standing beside his father.

“This is my son,” Jongyeom politely said, bowing.

Though the occasion was dangerous and difficult, he intentionally brought his son along, knowing how valuable such encounters were for a warrior’s experience.

“Your son looks tall and intelligent.”

“He still has many shortcomings. Go and bring some tea.”

Jongtae nervously fetched the tea.

His hands trembled while carrying the cup. Both Bisa-in and Jongyeom noticed but said nothing. It would be strange not to tremble serving tea to the Satan Alliance heir and masters Goeak and Gwangseom.

After delivering the tea, Jongtae stood a little apart and listened to the conversation between his father and Bisa-in.

“Please take the seat of honor.”

Jongyeom offered his seat, but Bisa-in did not sit.

“The seat of honor is for Sect Leader Jong.”

Bisa-in seemed to say, “I am not here to take your place.”

Jongyeom cautiously took his seat, and Bisa-in immediately got to the point.

“You know about Tianhe Sect’s alliance with the Murim Alliance, yes?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I will be direct. Sect Leader Jong, do you wish to follow the righteous sects?”

Before receiving an answer, Bisa-in quickly added,

“Do not misunderstand my bringing these two peerless masters as pressure. They are here to show you that from now on, we are the ones who will protect the Small Sword Sect.”

Indeed, Goeak and Gwangseom sipped their tea quietly, showing no sign of hostility. Their calmness made Bisa-in’s presence even more formidable. He was the only one who could command these fearsome men to quietly drink tea instead of threatening.

“No matter your answer, the Murim Alliance will not harm the Small Sword Sect. I swear on my name. Speak freely.”

“Yes, I will.”

Jongyeom knew the fate of his sect would change based on his answer.

“I do not wish to follow the righteous sects. I break out in hives at the very mention of them. Until now, I have followed Tianhe Sect only because they had deep ties with the Satan Alliance.”

Before finalizing, Jongyeom calmly voiced his concerns.

“Honam has long been a stronghold of the Demon Sect. The reason my sect stayed under Tianhe’s protection was to avoid the Demon Sect’s blade.”

Bisa-in’s eyes gleamed with trust as he firmly declared,

“We will block that blade from now on.”

Then Jongyeom added another worry.

“Tianhe Sect itself will not look favorably upon us.”

Bisa-in answered even more decisively.

“In that case, the Satan Alliance will not look favorably upon Tianhe Sect.”

Jongyeom stared at Bisa-in’s face. Jongtae was inwardly surprised and impressed. The father who had been trembling so much now showed such confidence. He was boldly securing what needed to be promised without hesitation.

“Can you promise this?”

“I swear on the name of the Satan Alliance’s young lord.”

Jongyeom wasted no time. He immediately stood, bowed politely, and said,

“From now on, the Small Sword Sect will share its fate with the Satan Alliance.”

Bisa-in stood and bowed as well.

“The Satan Alliance will share its fate with the Small Sword Sect.”

It was the moment the Small Sword Sect’s new fate was decided.

Bisa-in quickly took his leave, as many more sects awaited him.

Before leaving, he said to Jongyeom,

“Many sects will join the Small Sword Sect’s cause. You may proceed boldly.”

Bisa-in, the Satan Thirteen Rangers, and the two masters Goeak and Gwangseom left the place.

Only then did Jongtae sigh in relief.

“Were you trying to scare me to death?”

“As you live in Murim, you will face many such occasions. You must respond calmly as you did today.”

He knew his son would handle it well. Had he been frivolous, he wouldn’t have brought him along today.

“Shouldn’t we have signed a contract to seal the promise?”

“If they try to break their promise, what meaning would a mere contract have?”

Jongtae saw a new side of his father. The man who usually kowtowed and laughed with the Tianhe Sect leader was not the same now.

“I’m truly surprised you made this decision so quickly.”

“Not as quickly as you think.”

“What?”

“From the day I secretly received word to meet until now, I have not slept a wink.”

Jongyeom looked at his son.

“Our lives depend on this. How could I just decide casually?”

Jongtae bowed respectfully, feeling he had never truly respected his father until now.

“Thank you for letting me be here.”

Even in this moment of emotion, one worry remained—the Demon Sect.

“Will the Demon Sect just stand by?”

“Of course not. Now that the Satan Alliance has moved, they will start moving too.”

Seobaekjung’s gaze followed the door through which Bisa-in had left.

“With the Tianhe Sect’s young lord emerging in the Central Plains, the sleeping Murim has begun to stir.”

“No matter what comes, I will adapt like bamboo.”

Those were his father’s words. Yet now, his father’s thoughts had changed. Just like today’s visit from the Satan Alliance heir, in the future the Small Sword Sect would be led by Jongtae.

Seobaekjung hoped his son would live safely rather than become a Murim hero—just as he himself had.

“My father survived by behaving like bamboo. But even bamboo breaks in a strong wind. You must live like flowing water.”

That was the advice he wanted to give his son in the face of the coming tide of change.

The gatekeeper of the Cheonma Sin Gyo Honam branch stood guard at the main gate as always.

After standing watch all day, the hardest part was boredom. So he chatted with comrades during shifts, and today one of his men brought news.

“It seems Tianhe Sect plans to hold a secret banquet.”

“A banquet? Where did you hear that?”

“I know the food provider for the banquet. There are rumors that great masters from the Murim Alliance will attend.”

But the rumors did not end there.

“There are also rumors that masters from the Satan Alliance have entered Honam. Something unusual is brewing.”

Both rumors were unwelcome news from the Demon Sect’s perspective.

The gatekeeper said to his subordinate,

“The atmosphere is tense these days, so don’t blabber nonsense.”

“But are we just going to back down before the righteous sects?”

“Enough!”

“Yes.”

After a pause, the gatekeeper said,

“In my opinion, the young lord of the Tianhe Sect is not one to back down.”

All nodded. They had witnessed the elimination of the Honam branch leader and the capture of Tianhe Sect’s heir. The young lord was definitely someone beyond their expectations.

At that moment, a warrior shouted.

“Someone’s coming.”

Two figures were slowly walking toward them from afar.

They walked slowly, but the feeling was chilling. The gatekeeper looked at his men, wondering if he was the only one feeling this way. But their tense faces and tightly gripped sword hilts showed they felt it too.

The gatekeeper’s gaze returned to the approaching figures.

They were just walking, so why did he feel such trembling?

Their forms gradually became clearer.

One subordinate whispered shakily,

“Should we raise the alarm?”

Normally, this would be absurd. How could they raise an alarm without knowing who was visiting? Were the gatekeepers scared? It was a matter for beating the one who suggested it with a stick.

But the gatekeeper hesitated. Should he raise the alarm?

The two came closer, and the fear grew. All the men gripped their swords. Such warriors gave off an overwhelming presence. If they were enemies, the gatekeepers felt they would all die.

“Raise the alarm!”

One warrior ran inside, and soon the alarm bell echoed.

Despite the alarm ringing, the two continued walking calmly toward the gate.

They reached the main gate.

The thin old man with cold eyes carried a huge greatsword on his back. The other was a muscular giant, whose frightening face made eye contact difficult.

Sensing the demonic energy from their bodies, the gatekeeper finally relaxed. Yet his heart pounded wildly, and his body trembled. The overwhelming presence made the gatekeeper realize:

“They are the Majons!”

Only then did the gatekeepers realize who they were. Though never seen directly, they had heard countless tales of the Majons. The huge greatsword, the massive fist, and the unmatched demonic energy and presence.

They were Hyeol Cheon Doma and Gwon Ma.

The gatekeepers bowed deeply in unison. They rejoiced inwardly:

“We have arrived too!”

Hyeol Cheon Doma quietly asked with sharp eyes,

“Where is the young lord of the Tianhe Sect?”