Rebirth of the Thunder God

-Peoeoong!!!

As the fireworks exploded and a rain of brilliant flames fell onto the podium.

-Kwaaaang!!!

A roar louder than the fireworks rang out, and the earth shook.

If only the earth had shaken, it would not have been a problem.

"A bomb went off!! Everyone, run!"

As the martial masters said, this was not the aftermath of fireworks exploding, but rather the appearance of a thunderclap bomb having gone off.

The Four Divine Troupes had definitely said they had thoroughly inspected it.

'There must have been a spy within the Four Divine Troupes. Was that the part that didn't sit right?'

It wasn't that Namgung Hui hadn't anticipated this.

But there was also the word of Heon Wonsu, a member of the Black Tortoise Troupe.

And he had thought, would they really cause harm to such innocent spectators?

In the first place, what would they gain by doing this?

By making the mistake of beating the grass and scaring the snake away, they would only awaken the vigilance of the Orthodox Faction Martial Alliance.

That was why Namgung Hui had thought, would they really go this far?

In any case, the disaster had occurred.

Namgung Hui first ran to Beak Seolhwa, a reliable ally.

"Seolhwa. You're not hurt, are you?"

"Do you think I'd get hurt by an explosion like this? What about you, did you misstep?"

A small laugh escaped Namgung Hui's lips at her retort.

Both she and Namgung Hui himself had protective ki, so there was no way they would be injured by such an explosion.

On top of that, hadn't he given her the mysterious robe he had recently obtained?

At least in an explosion like this, Beak Seolhwa would be safer than Namgung Hui.

"Thanks to your concern, I'm not hurt either."

"W-what. When did I say I was worried? By the way, this must be a thunderclap bomb, right? What are you going to do?"

"In a normal situation, it would be right to receive instructions from the Martial Alliance, but since there's a spy from the Hoicheon Association within the Martial Alliance, it would be better for us to move separately."

"The target?"

"All suspicious people."

"Alright. I'll take the east and south. Namgung Hui, you take the west and north."

"Got it."

After answering, Namgung Hui threw himself towards the west as Beak Seolhwa had instructed.

As he did so, he checked how many people were injured.

Fortunately, it seemed no thunderclap bombs had been buried in the audience seats, as everyone had only minor injuries, nothing more than scratches.

As he executed his movement technique, Namgung Hui once again felt a sense of doubt.

'What is their real purpose? If they intended to ruin the martial arts tournament, shouldn't it have gone off during the opening ceremony?'

And it didn't seem like the purpose was to kill either.

For now, if he caught a culprit or a suspicious person and questioned them, he would be able to find out something.

Namgung Hui suddenly thought that the only ones who would do such a thing were the Hoicheon Association or the Blood Cult.

'The Hoicheon Association had Ju Hwayeong just now. I was wondering why she disappeared so quickly, so this was her intention.'

Namgung Hui quickly turned his body in the direction she had disappeared.

Fortunately, it was not much different from the direction Namgung Hui was heading, so he was able to catch up to Ju Hwayeong's back soon enough.

"Your Highness, the Princess! Are you alright?"

Those who appeared to be her bodyguards surrounded Ju Hwayeong.

It was to the point where it looked like overprotection, as if she had nothing to do with this situation.

Still, Namgung Hui did not let go of his suspicion and gently landed, executing his concealment technique.

A nimble footstep that no longer even let out the sound of footsteps.

In that silence, Ju Hwayeong's voice was heard softly.

"Was it the Association's doing?"

"That is something we have not yet confirmed. However, there was no movement from the Association while we were watching."

"Really? Then is it those Blood Cult bastards? Well. It doesn't matter whose doing it is. If the two of them fight, it will be to our advantage."

The more Namgung Hui heard her words, the more his doubt grew.

A third force that was neither the Hoicheon Association nor the Blood Cult.

Of course, that in itself lacked a sense of unease.

Only then would it make sense for her to be a direct disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.

'Asking directly is the fastest way.'

Since Namgung Hui also had a friendly relationship with the Mount Hua Sect, he judged that she would not be able to openly show hostility.

If she had been an enemy, the Mount Hua Sect Leader would not have taught her martial arts.

As Namgung Hui released his concealment and revealed his presence.

"Who is it!"

"Oho. It's the child called the Hidden Dragon."

"I don't think I'm at an age to be called a child by you."

"Ahem. You brat! How insolent!"

Originally, when a bodyguard berated someone like this, someone would step in to stop them.

But Ju Hwayeong urged the bodyguard on with a look that said, "go on, do more."

"Ahem! I'll endure it since I'm in front of the Princess."

"Tsk, tsk. A man who has drawn his sword should at least cut a radish. Why do you just berate and stop? Are you perhaps scared of the Hidden Dragon?"

"That's not it. Isn't he a person the Princess has her eye on? I can't do that to someone who might become the Princess's person in the future."

"When did I say this and that. You might as well just cut that off and become a eunuch. By the way, Hidden Dragon. What is the reason you followed me?"

Namgung Hui looked intently into Ju Hwayeong's eyes and said.

"If you've learned the ultimate techniques of the Mount Hua Sect, you should know that my relationship with the Mount Hua Sect is not ordinary."

"Yes. I heard from the Sect Leader that you are a benefactor of the main sect. Thanks to you, I also learned the Ten-Thousand-Li Purple Mist, so I should thank you. But what does that have to do with you following me?"

"Given the situation, I'll be brief. I thought you were a force of the Hoicheon Association. But hearing what you said just now, it seems that's not the case. And it doesn't make sense for a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, which has been harmed by the Hoicheon Association, to be affiliated with them."

"Hahaha! Yes. A valid question. Well, ordinary people wouldn't know how many imperial family members there are and how complicatedly they are intertwined. Where the Imperial Heaven began... no. Anyway. Just as you fought with your own family, I am also a body that has lost my mother to the Imperial Heaven. In fact, the title of princess is just an empty shell. That's why I became a direct disciple of the Mount Hua Sect..."

Even the Thunder God, who was ignorant of the ways of the world, knew that the emperor had many children.

Wasn't the Sunflower Manual a martial art created to put a leash on the promiscuous emperor?

Setting aside that fact, even a child would know that the imperial family's genealogy was complicated.

But since it was not good to leave even a shred of doubt, Namgung Hui asked once more.

"Are you really in a hostile situation with the Hoicheon Association?"

"Since you seem to want a definite answer, I'll give it to you. Yes. I am an enemy of the Hoicheon Association. Rather, a pursuer of the Association like you will need an ally like me. I'll be direct, Hidden Dragon. Become my person. Then I will promise you not only the revenge you want but also wealth and glory."

"What exactly does 'my person' mean? A friend? Or are you talking about an alliance?"

At Namgung Hui's retort, the bodyguard next to him and Ju Hwayeong let out a laugh and said.

"Hmph! Are you a dragon that just woke up from a long sleep? It seems you don't quite understand my meaning. My person, that is, to marry me and become an Imperial Consort."

Imperial Consort.

Just as the husband of a princess becomes a Prince Consort.

The husband of a princess also ascends to the spousal title of Imperial Consort.

In other words, it meant to become an official family by marriage.

In fact, there was no more certain alliance than that.

"You're joking too much. Do you think I'm that ignorant of the ways of the world? I already know that not just anyone can become an Imperial Consort. It can't be decided in a flash like that. And would a kite with a broken string like you really be of any help?"

An imperial family member who had fallen out with the Hoicheon Association.

There was nothing as unsightly as a peacock that had lost all its feathers.

It meant there was no need to become blood relatives and form an alliance.

"You're not a complete country bumpkin. That's not what we had gathered. Alright. Let's stop the jokes and get to the main point. Join our Anti-Heaven Alliance. The Mount Hua Sect Leader is already with us. Not only that. A place called the Divine Land Fortress has also recently joined."

'Even Jin Myeongho has joined? The Mount Hua Sect Leader is also there, so there's no reason to refuse.'

"Are there any restrictions or special requirements? I don't want to be tied down if possible."

"We won't tie you down. But there have to be some restrictions. Only then can we trust and rely on each other, right?"

"Restrictions... Can I decide after hearing what the restrictions are?"

"Of course, you can. The restrictions we propose are..."

* * *

While Namgung Hui was having a secret conversation with Ju Hwayeong.

Beak Seolhwa was chasing a suspicious group on the opposite side.

Their number was about ten.

They were all wearing masks, making them extremely suspicious.

Although they moved in an orderly fashion, they seemed to be in a hurry.

"Brother. We didn't set that off, did we? We were supposed to..."

"That's enough. We just have to do as we're told. We're almost at the target, so refrain from idle talk."

"..."

They stopped their steps at a certain pavilion and surrounded it.

From here on, they seemed to be communicating through telepathy, as Beak Seolhwa could no longer hear their conversation.

As if planning a surprise attack, they immediately drew their swords.

After finishing their preparations, they looked at each other and nodded.

The masked men roughly threw open the door and entered.

-Kudangtangtang!

"Keuak!"

A scream was heard, but strangely, the owner of the voice was not the one who was ambushed.

"No! Did they know we were coming?"

It was the masked men who had launched the surprise attack.

It seemed like a swift surprise attack operation, but how did the people in the pavilion know in advance and launch a counterattack?

"Thanks to Lady Baek's telepathic message, we were spared."

The people who came out of the pavilion all looked like nuns, and the only nuns who would reside in the Martial Alliance were from the Emei Sect.

"It was rather fortunate that the place these guys were targeting was people I knew."

Beak Seolhwa had been in charge of Eun Seolrin's security before her matches had begun in earnest.

Since Eun Seolrin was not an inflexible person, she had entrusted the security duty back to the Emei Sect once Beak Seolhwa advanced to the main tournament.

He didn't understand why she had singled out Beak Seolhwa and dragged her around in the first place, but anyway. It seemed the current target of the masked men was Eun Seolrin.

Beak Seolhwa, who had realized that, had sent a telepathic message to Jeonghyeon inside to inform her of the situation.

And the surprise attack had no choice but to end in failure.

But that didn't mean the ten masked men were done for.

A commotion was currently breaking out, and the Martial Alliance warriors must have all run off somewhere.

The one who appeared to be the leader of the masked men stepped forward and said.

"Did the nuns of the Emei Sect take over the escort of the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild again? Well, it doesn't matter. We just have to take care of them all. Boys."

At the leader's command, they all skillfully formed a sword formation and surrounded the nuns of the Emei Sect.

On top of that, the leader turned his body towards Beak Seolhwa and continued.

"White Phoenix. You've interfered well. You were a wench I had to take care of anyway, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to get rid of you at this opportunity."

There were five Emei Sect nuns in total.

They were numerically at a disadvantage against the nine masked men, excluding the leader.

On top of that, fighting while protecting Eun Seolrin was bound to be disadvantageous even with the same number.

Beak Seolhwa decided to quickly get rid of the leader in front of her and join them.

The masked leader had the same thought, so in an instant, Beak Seolhwa and the masked man clashed swords.

-Kang!

The moment Beak Seolhwa clashed swords with the masked man.

She realized an unexpected fact.