Enshrinement as a God

The Twelve Honored Ones of the World.

The Four Unrivaled Swords.

The Black Qilin.

Wenzhong.

The two great masters of the Black Contemplation Fortress and the number one sword of the evil path.

If it had not been for the life-and-death battle between the Sword Immortal and the Black Qilin, he would have been Jeshin's greatest support and patron.

Although Daji had never met him, he, who had been in the Hermit's Valley before he had broken his seclusion, was a formidable master whose fame had been well known even in the Non-Duality Gate.

But now that Wenzhong was bedridden, everyone thought that he had become a cripple and would never get up again.

But his breath had not been cut off.

If Wenzhong were to be miraculously resurrected, it was clear that Jeshin would trust and to rely on him again.

And So Ho would never tolerate such a situation.

Moreover, since it was difficult to persuade such a strong person, if he were to turn into an enemy, he could not help but be a great burden.

An ultimate master who stood against the master of the Black Contemplation Fortress for Jeshin and to blindly offer his loyalty.

Wenzhong was a risk factor for them in many ways.

"Grand Preceptor Wen is recuperating in the deepest part of the inner court, and if you try to eliminate him carelessly, you might get a backlash."

Daji had seen Wenzhong only once after she had arrived at the Black Contemplation Fortress.

Jeshin had taken her to Wenzhong, who was sleeping in a certain place, saying that he had to introduce Daji to him.

Daji, who had found Wenzhong, could not help but be greatly surprised at his appearance, who was lying unconscious, with his bones and skin emaciated.

How could he be alive and not dead in that state?

Although the aura of death was circulating throughout his body, what power and will were still holding him in this world...

—Didn't you also suffer from a long illness in bed, young lady? Please give my uncle the strength to get up from his sickbed.

In Jeshin's eyes, who was looking at Wenzhong, a deep sadness and an unacceptable anger were sleeping.

If the Sichuan Alliance had not broken its promise and had not launched a cowardly ambush, Wenzhong would not be in this state now, and Jeshin would not have lost the position of the successor of the Black Contemplation Fortress so easily.

Daji silently watched as Jeshin's hatred for the Sichuan Alliance grew.

When that huge ember that was burning in his heart came out, what its destructive power would burn and how it would move depended on the wind that was blowing towards the fire.

That very wind.

So Ho wanted her to be that wind.

"If you command, I will..."

"Useless. I will handle it on my own, so the Black Mage should not step forward."

"Yes, Miss Daji..."

Although the Black Mage, who looked down on the people of the Central Plains, was reluctant, he could not disobey Daji's command.

"Where is the young master now?"

"I believe he has headed to the Paecheon Pavilion of the main hall."

The Paecheon Pavilion was a pavilion that Mo Guangdi had built to admire the scenery outside the main hall.

The fact that Jeshin, who did not usually go in that direction, had headed there was somewhat strange.

It meant that there was a command that could move him, and in the Black Contemplation Fortress, there was only one person who could give him a command.

"What about the young master's guard?"

"I believe the Berserker is accompanying him."

"The Berserker? You mean he was entrusted with the young master's guard?"

"It seems that he was itching for a fight, so he volunteered to be a guard... since the great cause is right in front of us, the Berserker will not act carelessly."

Daji's expression hardened as if she were angry.

Although there was no doubt about the Berserker's skill, he was the most inappropriate person to be a guard.

"Who made such a decision without my permission? Didn't I say that we should absolutely exclude any actions or risk factors that could reveal us?"

"That is..."

"Red Mage!"

At Daji's high and sharp shout, a person appeared like a ghost in front of her.

Unlike the Black Mage, he, who had hidden his body in a red robe, bowed his head respectfully in front of Daji.

The Black Mage, as if the sudden appearance of the Red Mage was bothering him, naturally kept his distance from him.

"Go and find the young master right now and to watch him from a suitable distance. You must not intervene unless it is the worst-case scenario."

"Yes, Miss Daji."

The Red Mage glanced at the displeased-looking Black Mage and then disappeared from the two's sight like a ghost again.

"Under the sun, the Red Mage is... ugh, ugh!"

The Black Mage, who was speaking in a dissatisfied tone, suddenly grabbed his own neck and let out a painful groan.

Daji looked down at the Black Mage with her demonic eyes and did not say a single word.

The Black Mage struggled and stretched out his hand towards Daji.

"F-forgive me..."

"Stop."

At Daji's one word, the Black Mage gasped for breath.

No matter how great a power he had, if people like him could not make a sound, they could face death more easily than ordinary people.

"Regarding the young master, you must not change anything or to act rashly without my word. If there is a hindrance to the work, it will be my father's anger that will fall, not mine..."

"Yes. I will keep that in mind."

Sheng Wang.

The Black Mage, recalling him, who was now called So Ho, felt his blood run cold in fear.

Although he was now crouching and recovering his strength, if it were his original self, he would have raised the banner of war with the flesh and blood of humans and would have built a tower with their bones to cause a war, rather than a cumbersome plan.

Everything except his skin was already in So Ho's grasp.

Since that contract was also valid in this world, his word was no different from the word of a god.

The Black Mage quietly followed Daji, who was walking out of the building to meet Jeshin.

* * *

Paecheon Pavilion.

This place, which was right behind the main hall of Mo Guangdi, was a three-story pavilion from which one could see the Black Contemplation Fortress at a glance.

The area ten zhang outside the Paecheon Pavilion was a sacred and inviolable territory that no one could approach without Mo Guangdi's command.

The fact that Jeshin had visited this place also meant that there had been Mo Guangdi's command.

'What on earth is his scheme...'

Jeshin could not hide his discomfort as he approached the Paecheon Pavilion.

Jejeong's coronation ceremony was approaching in a fortnight, and in line with that, Jeshin's great cause was also being prepared quickly.

But if today's call was because he had noticed the plan...

Thump. Thump.

Jeshin looked at the man who was following him with a distrustful gaze.

As all of So Ho's subordinates did, although he could not see his bare face because he was covering his face, his appearance of carrying a huge saber on his back, which was about half his body, on his slender physique was truly strange.

Although he was a man who looked so weak that he might not be able to properly swing a sword, let alone the saber he was carrying, the skill of So Ho's subordinates was a law that could not be known from the outside.

Jeshin did not doubt the skill of him, who was called the Berserker.

But now, as he was climbing the Paecheon Pavilion, he recalled Huang Feihu, who had always guarded his side, and he felt the absence of his empty seat.

Although he had made him step down from the position of a personal guard for a while, taking responsibility for not being able to properly protect him at the So family manor, perhaps because of that, he seemed to have become a little distant from Huang Feihu.

In addition, he had also become distant from Shiyue, who had not spared his advice and help by his side more than anyone else, while he was carrying out the great cause.

Although he was now paying more attention to them because So Ho's subordinates and So Ho were useful for his plan and for the future great cause, he was planning to find Huang Feihu and Shiyue again after the matter was sorted out.

In the Paecheon Pavilion, Mo Guangdi was enjoying a drink with a small table set up.

Although it was his father whom he was seeing for the first time in several months, Jeshin could not dare to look at Jeul and knelt down and took a fist-and-palm salute.

"This subordinate, Jeshin, has arrived at the command of the supreme one."

"Come and sit down."

The one who had answered was not Mo Guangdi, Jeul.

By his side, Jeshin's older brother, Jejeong, was also there.

Seeing his face, which was like that of a victor, Jeshin felt a surge of nausea.

Jejeong, as Jeshin did not move at his words, turned his gaze towards his father, Jeul, as if he had no choice.

"Your subordinate has changed."

"...I have recently invited many masters."

"It's a good thing that the number of masters in the Black Contemplation Fortress is increasing."

Jeshin, who had heard Jeul's words, could not grasp his intentions and was inwardly anxious.

He could not tell if he was genuinely welcoming the increase in the number of masters in the Black Contemplation Fortress, or if he was wary of him growing his power.

"Is it just masters? They say that he has also brought a beautiful young lady."

"That is...!"

Jeshin, who had been bowing his head deeply until now, raised his head in anger.

At that, Jeul's two eyes, which were looking at him with a colder gaze than ice, froze Jeshin's heart.

"A girl. Is she so beautiful that you would react like that?"

"That is not it."

"It's a natural thing for a man to seek a woman. If your heart is so, how about you marry that child and to start a family?"

"Since my older brother is not yet married, how can I..."

"It seems that it would be a good thing for you and for that child. Since the matter of ruling the Black Contemplation Fortress is now entrusted to Jeongyi, it would be a rewarding thing to concentrate on ruling a family."

Jeshin gritted his teeth without realizing it.

At the sight of Jeul, who was so openly showing his favoritism, Jeshin felt a surge of injustice, sadness, and anger.

"My dream is in the Black Contemplation Fortress, and my life is also in the Black Contemplation Fortress. How can you tell me to abandon the Black Contemplation Fortress and to live?"

"Then how about you send that girl to Jeongyi?"

"What... do you mean?"

"If she is the daughter of the So family of Sichuan, she is not inferior as the wife of the master of the Black Contemplation Fortress."

"Father!"

An angry voice came out of Jeshin.

He could not tell from where to where he knew.

But it was clear that he was sure that Jeshin's new subordinates had appeared from the So family manor.

Jeul was surely testing Jeshin.

Jeshin shuddered at the heartlessness of Jeul, who was testing him again after he had already declared Jejeong's victory.

He could not understand how far he was planning to push him, and why he was pushing him away like this even though he was his own child.

"I am still the supreme one of the Black Contemplation Fortress. Where are you looking for your father?"

Jeshin pressed his clenched fist on the ground and did not release his prostration.

"Jejeong."

"Yes, supreme one."

"What about you?"

"I have seen the daughter of Master Xi before, but she is too much for me. To take away the woman whom my younger brother has a crush on does not seem to be a matter of face for me as an older brother, and as the future supreme one of the Black Contemplation Fortress."

'Are they playing with me now?'

Jeshin felt his head go blank with shame.

It seemed that in a well-written story, only Jeshin was stripped naked and was being made a laughingstock.

The blood had drained from his clenched fist, and he felt the taste of blood from his clenched molars.

But if he were to make even a slight slip of the tongue in this place, his neck might be cut off right away, let alone the great cause.

"Foolish words. The marriage of the master of the Black Contemplation Fortress is the future of the Black Contemplation Fortress. As long as we have not subdued the Sichuan Alliance, the wealth of the So family manor and his subordinates will be a great help for the complete conquest of the Sichuan martial world."

"But..."

"Or are you planning to leave the disgrace that the Black Contemplation Fortress has retreated twice from the Sichuan Alliance 'again'?"

Crunch!

The sound of Jeshin's molars breaking was heard.

Jeul was now blaming not only Jeshin, but also Wenzhong, who could not get up from his sickbed.

"Jeshin."

"...Yes, supreme one."

"After the coronation ceremony is over, take your subordinates and to leave the Black Contemplation Fortress."

"I... want to serve the supreme one here in the Black Contemplation Fortress and to plan for the world."

This one word was Jeshin's last request.

It was Jeshin's sincere heart and also his wish.

Jeshin opened his mouth with difficulty and looked at Jeul straight.

Hoping that his father would accept his last sincere plea, he stretched out his last hand with the same appearance as when he had craved Jeul's love in his childhood.

But Jeul, with his dark face, was still looking at him with an expressionless and heartless gaze.

"Your place is not here."

Jeshin's last cry did not reach him.

Jeshin felt his heart break into pieces with misery and pain.

(End of Chapter)