Chapter 9
At first, he doubted his own eyes.
"The Slender Moon Squad greets the Black Qilin, the number one sword of the Black Path among the Twelve Honored Ones of the World."
The ones prostrating before his eyes were clearly the Slender Moon Squad of the Black Contemplation Fortress.
Ten years had passed since he had turned his back on the martial world, beyond righteousness and evil, and left the Black Contemplation Fortress.
In the tenth year of his refuge in the Hermit's Valley, the subordinates of the Black Contemplation Fortress had found him.
The Slender Moon Squad were subordinates he had personally organized to be the hands and feet of his second nephew, Dixin, before he left the Black Contemplation Fortress.
That was why, although a considerable amount of time had passed, he was able to remember Zhao Wei.
"How did you find this place?"
"Old Master Shiyue told us."
Shiyue was Dixin's martial arts master and one of the masters of the Black Contemplation Fortress.
"That walnut-headed old man is still alive and blowing ill winds!"
The cave shook lightly at the man's booming voice.
Shiyue might have known how to find the Hermit's Valley.
But finding the Hermit's Valley and entering this place were two different matters.
It was impossible that they had the price to pay the old monster.
"So you found the Hermit's Valley that way, but how did you get in here?"
"We met a mysterious old master at a tavern outside the Hermit's Valley. He showed us the way."
"What did you pay as the price?"
"The price, you say..."
"There's no way you could have satisfied Hongjun's demands. Did you give him a secret treasure of the Black Contemplation Fortress?"
At the man's angry question, Zhao Wei waved his hands in denial.
"No, sir. He only asked for a guide boy, he didn't ask for anything else."
"A guide boy?"
It was unbelievable, but Zhao Wei would not have lied in front of him.
'Is he now accepting human sacrifices?'
He was an unpredictable monster from the beginning, so it wouldn't be strange at all whatever he did and whatever he received.
"A useless thing to do."
If the world-renowned Black Contemplation Fortress and the Slender Moon Squad, who were in charge of Dixin's personal protection, had come to find him, there was only one reason.
"Young Master Xin wishes for the Old Master to return."
Zhao Wei's voice was trembling slightly.
It was the task of bringing back the legend of the evil path, whom he had only seen from a distance in the past.
Especially, the suffocating pressure that spread within the small cave was so threatening that even Zhao Wei, who had fought against numerous masters, found it hard to bear.
"Xin... Dixin sent you?"
The pressure soon turned into killing intent, and the calm energy soon became a torrent.
It felt as if his blood and qi were flowing backward from the pain of being cut by hundreds and thousands of swords, but Zhao Wei gritted his teeth and forced out his voice.
"Old Master Wenzhong, please think of the young master and return!"
"If I return, a storm of blood will blow in the Black Contemplation Fortress."
The Qilin was originally a spiritual beast that designated the emperor.
The reason his nickname became the Black Qilin until he reigned as the hegemon of the Black Contemplation Fortress was because he was seen as the talent who would lead the evil path's world.
But there cannot be two suns under the sky.
The Black Contemplation Fortress Lord, Di Yi, would not sit back and watch his appearance.
And Dixin was trying to call him back to the Black Contemplation Fortress, knowing all of this.
Unable to withstand the ferocious energy emitted by Wenzhong, the subordinates of the Slender Moon Squad began to collapse.
But Zhao Wei held on, never losing his consciousness.
This was because this moment was the moment that would change the future of the Black Contemplation Fortress, the thousand years of the evil path martial world, and the future of the young master.
"This..."
With a trembling hand, Zhao Wei took out the letter that Dixin had given him from his pocket.
The letter floated in the air and flew into the grasp of Wenzhong, who was sitting in a cross-legged position.
Fwoosh!
Wenzhong's eyes closed as he saw the words that flickered like flames in the letter that burned to ashes in his grasp.
Azure Sky Palm
'That young brat...'
He had paid more attention to him because he was the child his sister had left behind, and the child who had been more poignant when he left was now dreaming of the world.
The desire to overthrow his father and turn the world upside down with his help was too big a dream for a mere fifteen-year-old boy.
He caressed the golden whip of the flexible sword hanging at his waist.
"Blood will tell."
The blood of a world-ruler who desires the world.
He didn't know if it was his sister's blood or the blood of the Black Contemplation Fortress Lord, Di Yi, but...
"Hoho, in the end, they made you move your butt."
Wenzhong, awakened from his thoughts by the shrill voice, stared intently at the old man leisurely enjoying tea in front of him.
Old Ancestor Hongjun.
The old monster of the Hermit's Valley, a half-immortal, or a strange immortal, etc.
The titles he was called by were different depending on the person, or whether they were hostile to him or had goodwill towards him.
But the reason why the Mountain Peak, the Sea Isle, and the Non-Duality all called him Old Ancestor and did not confront him was because they had respect and fear for his endless martial prowess.
Nothing was known about his identity or his true martial prowess, but one thing was clear: he was the guardian of this Hermit's Valley and also its gatekeeper.
"How dare you!"
The Slender Moon Squad tried to step forward at Hongjun's attitude, but Wenzhong stopped them with a light gesture.
In the first place, things like the prestige of the Black Contemplation Fortress or the Twelve Honored Ones of the World were meaningless here.
Especially if the opponent was the Old Ancestor Hongjun in front of them.
"I must leave the Hermit's Valley."
"So it has come to that in the end..."
Hongjun held his tongue, as if he had expected it to some extent.
But according to the laws of the Hermit's Valley, there was something he had to say to Wenzhong.
"You must pay the price."
"What is it?"
Wenzhong had already paid a great price to enter the Hermit's Valley.
He had paid a part of the sword art of his unique martial art, the Spatial Sword, as the price.
Although a sword art didn't have much meaning to a supreme master of Wenzhong's level, the fact that the sword art of his unique martial art was leaked was quite an unpleasant thing for him.
But entering the Hermit's Valley was worth enduring that much.
Moreover, since the Spatial Sword required special training conditions, it was not something that could be displayed just by knowing a single phrase of the sword art.
"If I ask you to leave behind the Time-Space Eye, can you do so?"
Wenzhong's face, which had maintained its composure until now, contorted fiercely.
He didn't know how he knew about the Time-Space Eye, but it was the essence of the Spatial Sword and also Wenzhong's weakness.
For a moment, Wenzhong's body seemed to tremble, and then Wenzhong's body, along with Hongjun's, began to distort.
At the sudden change, the Slender Moon Squad and Agong, who was next to them, were startled and lowered their posture, but the two, Hongjun and Wenzhong, did not move an inch from their spots.
"Are you planning to display your sword art to me?"
Hongjun, grinning, was like an excited child.
The golden whip hanging at Wenzhong's waist began to tremble finely.
If he were to strike, it was clear that one of them would die in this spot.
And what was clear was that the situation was by no means favorable to Wenzhong.
"State another condition."
"If you don't, it seems you're willing to force your way through."
Hongjun was still looking at Wenzhong with an expression that was not the least bit tense.
Wenzhong felt a cold sweat run down his spine and couldn't help but sneer.
He was breaking out in a cold sweat!
Had there ever been another opponent who had made him so tense since he had reached the supreme level?
There was a reason why the great Tongtian of the Sea Isle Sect and the Three True Ones of the Mountain Peak avoided this monster.
Flick!
The golden whip that was touching Wenzhong's fingertips naturally wriggled from his waist.
The teacup on the table slowly rose into the air.
The Black Qilin, Wenzhong.
A move of the number one sword of the evil path and one of the Twelve Honored Ones of the World was displayed.
The members of the Slender Moon Squad, who were lined up behind Wenzhong, also took a stance to draw their own swords.
But after taking the stance to strike, they could not make any movement.
Not only could they not blink their eyes, but even their tongues would not move.
Everything except the freedom to think was frozen in an instant.
Wenzhong, with difficulty, slowly stood up, looking at Hongjun who was still looking at him.
The teacup floating in the air was still tilted and floating above the table, and even the sound of the rain outside the noisy tavern could not be heard.
Everything except Wenzhong was stopped.
The Spatial Sword.
Wenzhong's peerless sword art was being displayed.
His golden whip slowly tightened towards Hongjun, who was still smiling an unknowable smile.
"Don't make a fuss."
Hongjun, looking at the golden whip slowly approaching him, raised his hand as if it were nothing and struck the table.
Thump!
He had struck the table with a gaunt and dry palm, but the sound was like thunder.
In an instant, a shockwave centered on Hongjun filled the tavern, and the members of the Slender Moon Squad and Agong, who had been unable to move, were thrown to the ground.
Swoosh!
The sound of the rain, which had not been heard, was heard again, and the ceiling of the tavern vibrated loudly.
The teacup that had floated in the air fell to the ground unceremoniously, and the golden whip that Wenzhong had drawn could no longer advance towards Hongjun.
"Hmph!"
Wenzhong let out a short sigh and retrieved his golden whip.
He had no intention of killing Hongjun in one go, nor did he have the thought of killing him.
But he was shocked that a move displayed within his sword domain could be broken so easily.
He didn't know if he had intended to fight to the death, but this strike was a show of force.
The Time-Space Eye.
An indispensable element for displaying the Spatial Sword.
Wenzhong felt a throbbing in the scar on his forehead.
The large wound he had received at a young age had given him the power to see a third space.
Although it was only a glimpse of a fleeting moment, with this power, he had walked the path of an absolute master.
If he were to give the Time-Space Eye to Hongjun, it was self-evident that Wenzhong's martial power would be greatly reduced at this time when a great event was ahead.
In the first place, even if he wanted to give the Time-Space Eye, there was no way to do so.
If Hongjun still insisted on the Time-Space Eye as a condition, Wenzhong had no other choice but to force his way through.
"I'll ask you one more time. Can you not give up the Time-Space Eye?"
"That's right."
At Wenzhong's firm answer, Hongjun maintained his silence for a moment.
"Then you may just go."
"...Really?"
Wenzhong made a disbelieving expression at Hongjun's words.
Numerous masters came to the Hermit's Valley, and half of them couldn't even find the entrance to the Hermit's Valley.
This was because unless one had a connection or used a special object, one could not find the proper path or would meet with disaster before that.
And half of those who found the Hermit's Valley met Hongjun and turned back again.
Although it was different for each individual, the demands of Hongjun, who controlled the entrance to the Hermit's Valley, were difficult to accept easily.
To enter the Hermit's Valley, one had to pay a price.
The masters staying within the Hermit's Valley were all those who had accepted Hongjun's demands.
At least as far as he knew, there was not a single person who had ignored Hongjun's demands and entered the Hermit's Valley.
But this Hermit's Valley, which was so difficult to enter, was even more difficult to leave.
To leave the Hermit's Valley, one had to pay an even greater price.
The Mountain Peak Sect, the Sea Isle Sect, and the Non-Duality Gate...
None of them dared to pay the price to leave the Hermit's Valley.
Taoists and monks who had turned their backs on the secular world, demonic and evil path people who sought the fruits of greed in the Hermit's Valley, and even mysterious people from the West or strange beings.
"There's no need to doubt. As long as you leave the Hermit's Valley, a price must be paid. In the end, you will regret this."
Hongjun said it as if it were nothing, but to Wenzhong, it was no different from a prophecy that he would eventually pay a price corresponding to the Time-Space Eye.
He didn't know when that time would be, or what that price would be, but it was clear that it would not be light.
"Then my business here is done."
"Do what you intend to do, so that you have no regrets."
Wenzhong felt a small sense of displeasure at Hongjun's tone, which seemed to see through the reason why he was breaking his seclusion.
As Wenzhong and the Slender Moon Squad were about to leave, there was someone who became anxious.
"Wait a minute!"
Agong, who had only been watching the atmosphere, was startled when the Slender Moon Squad and Wenzhong were about to leave just like that, and he called out to them.
"You have to take me with you!"
Agong was intimidated by Wenzhong's cold gaze, but he turned his head to look at Zhao Wei and spoke urgently.
At Agong's pitiful words, Zhao Wei was troubled, but a promise was a promise.
It was a promise made in the name of the Slender Moon Squad, so he couldn't ignore it.
But he was a child he had thought of as a disposable piece from the beginning.
Looking at Agong's face, it was clear that he had been practicing the True Heart Auxiliary Method without rest since he was left at the tavern.
The opponent was a master who was so powerful that he could be seen as an equal to the peerless master Wenzhong, a master whose level he couldn't even fathom.
Agong's value was too low to risk danger against such a master.
"Impossible."
However, the voice of the answer did not come from Zhao Wei's or Hongjun's mouth.
(End of Chapter)