His sharp, sunken eyes, his lips that were twisted and cracked, his skin which reminded him of a rough old tree, and his bloodless face.
Everything spoke of the hardships that Desolate Gold Elder had endured.
However, it wasn't hard to guess what he had been through without even looking at his face. Above all, his arm, which had been cut off just below the shoulder bone, clearly explained the situation.
Desolate Gold Elder looked at the person sitting across from him with a haggard face. The person who was half-lying on the throne was looking down at Desolate Gold Elder with legs crossed. His gaze was extremely arrogant.
He couldn't tell if the look in the eyes was contempt, concern, or laughter. Maybe it was everything.
Desolate Gold Elder consciously straightened his shoulders. Otherwise, his shoulders would keep hunching over on their own.
Because he committed a crime?
Of course, that could be true, but that isn't all.
That Jang Ilso he met after three years wasn't the Jang Ilso he knew at all.
In just three years, Jang Ilso had turned into someone who suited that throne so well. Even the great lord Desolate Gold Elder was overwhelmed by his momentum.
"… such a boring joke."
Jang Ilso spoke in a languid voice.
"It hasn't been long since the Black Dragon King lost his arm in the Plum Blossom Island, and now the Desolate Gold Elder shows up with his arm cut off… if this keeps up, I will have to bring in a prosthetic limb physician for the Four Sects Alliance."
"…."
When there was no answer from Desolate Gold Elder, Jang Ilso shook his head. There was nothing more boring than talking to someone who doesn't even understand a joke.
"Fine. Let us talk."
At those words, Desolate Gold Elder's blank eyes stared at Jang Ilso.
"You can try to make excuses or persuade me. I don't know if any of that will save you from the arm you lost while fighting the Demonic Cult."
A cruel gaze mixed with hint of laughter pierced Desolate Gold Elder. It was completely different from Desolate Gold Elder's gaze which was amost close to a corpse.
However, Desolate Gold Elder didn't particularly feel fear in those eyes. what he had experienced was too shocking to be afraid of those eyes.
"… High priest…"
Desolate Gold elder forced his lips which was not opening.
"That one… is no human."
Jang Ilso's two eyes sank gloomily.
"You have learned something great in return for giving up an arm."
"… I am not making any excuses here, Alliance Lord."
Desolate Gold Elder's lips began to tremble slightly. As if even thinking about the high priest was a difficult and painful task for him.
"Nothing worked. Nothing… even the sword I put into the monster's chest couldn't hurt him."
The moment those words came out, the eyes of Jang Ilso twitched.
Putting aside the personal feelings about Desolate Gold Elder, His Ghost King's Incarnation which included 12 forms was a great sword technique which even Jang Ilso had to acknowledge.
But is there anyone in this world that Desolate Gold Elder couldn't even hurt?
'It isnt realistic at all.'
Jang Ilso leaned ahead slightly from his backrest.
"Give me more details."
"In my life… this is the first time that I have encountered something like that. it isnt something that people can do anything about. Nothing works well… really, just nothing."
"There is nothing in the world which people cannot do anything about."
Jang Ilso calmly said.
"Kangho already drove those Demonic Cult people to ruin a hundred years ago. And now? What a low quality joke you say."
"… A joke?"
Jang Ilso's eyes flashed with annoyance at the question from Desolate Gold Elder.
He still thought it was nonsense, but he couldn't ignore the issue, so all of this felt more uncomfortable. The reason was very simple. The one who was making that claim was none other than the Desolate Gold Elder.
If the person who had said this was the Black Dragon King or the Thousand Faced Scholar, he could have dismissed it as a scared guy speaking nonsense.
However, Desolate Gold Elder wasn't like that. The Desolate Gold Elder that Jang Ilso knew wouldn't lose his senses even if his head were about to be cut off.
"… I didn't understand it. No… to be honest, I was scared."
'So…"
Jang Ilso opened his mouth in a serious tone.
"Are you saying that someone like you, so strong, couldn't do anything against him? A high priest?"
Desolate Gold Elder hesitated instead of answering right away. It seemed like he, too, needed to organize his thoughts.
"… It is a bit different."
"Different?"
"He was definitely strong. It was unbelievable too. He fought against me and a hundred elite warriors whom I led at the same time, all without him getting wounded."
As if recalling the scene, Desolate Gold Elder shivered.
"Right… true. Now that I think about it, it surely is strange."
"Stop with your mumbling and talk properly. Unless your head is also at a loss now."
When Jang Ilso urged, Desolate Gold Elder hesitated for a moment and spoke in a slightly cracked voice.
"… I failed to show my skills."
Jang Ilso's eyes flashed with an odd color when he heard that.
"Be more specific now."
"There wasn't anything wrong with his body. I cannot deny that I was overwhelmed by his momentum, but that doesn't explain it all. Even though I did my best, my sword didn't feel like my sword at all. It was as if… yes, it was as if I was swinging my sword in deep water."
Jang Ilso slowly licked his lips.
"Demonic Arts…"
The legends about the Demonic Cult were always absurd.
The most absurd thing of all is that they were never the majority, yet they always dominated the entire Central Plains.
No matter how fanatical they were, if they were beasts born from the same person, there wouldn't be much difference in what they learned.
But, listening to the words of Desolate Gold Elder, it felt like the secret of their strangeness was somewhat resolved.
And Desolate Gold Elder added.
"… it was like we had encountered a wall. A wall that couldn't be overcome by anything."
Jang Ilso's face hardened, and he was lost in thought.
Looking back, there were no Evil Sect people who gained fame in the battle against the Demonic Cult. In the previous war against the Demonic Cult, the Evil Sect was simply swept away helplessly.
It is natural for the Evil Sect to submit to the strong.
It is ridiculous, for sure.
Surrender only has meaning when survival is guaranteed in return. What is the point of submitting to the Demonic Cult, which doesn't allow those who surrender to live?
At that time, the absolute leaders of the Evil Sect would certainly have fought the Demonic Cult. However, strangely, these people, who were clearly not behind the Justice faction, had no record against the Demonic Cult.
Then the interpretation becomes all too obvious.
"A matter of compatibility."
"… Seems like it."
Jang Ilso pressed his temples.
According to what Desolate Gold Elder said, the martial arts of the Demonic Cult might have been a kind of compatibility issue for the Evil Sect.
'N-Not just for us.'
If that was the case, the Demonic Cult's evil hand wouldn't have been able to sweep away the entire martial arts sects. It should be seen as something that can swallow up the entire Central Plains.
'But then, how?'
Is that realistically possible?
Who on earth could create something like that? If that is possible, then that ability must have already surpassed that of humans.
"… No, it can't be."
Jang Ilso's fingers, which kept pressing down on his temples, gained strength.
'No. This isn't it.'
When a person like Jang Ilso encounters a situation, he tries to understand the cause, effect, and principles of the situation. This is because he feels uncomfortable with things that are not accompanied by understanding.
However, sometimes it is better to focus on the phenomenon itself rather than understanding. If you deny what you cannot interpret, you may eventually fall for your own tricks.
'Interpret it as it is.'
Even if that doesn't make sense, even if it is something that his head cannot understand, in this situation, acceptance will produce better results than denial.
"How many of them are there?"
"I couldn't be sure of it properly."
Jang Ilso frowned.
"But it is certain that they are not the majority. It seemed that there were no other high priests there besides the one I saw."
"… so it means they are the vanguard or the group that broke away from the main force. No, maybe that is all that was left of the Demonic Cult."
Desolate Gold Elder nodded as if agreeing.
"Then the solution is simple. We just have to kill that high priest by any means necessary."
"Pushing ahead with numbers won't work. His martial arts seem to be made for massacring people in numbers."
"In other words, you ran after losing to him. You sure say good things after what you did. You don't seem to even know shame, lord."
"I understand that."
Jang Ilso's eyes dimmed for a moment.
But Desolate Gold Elder mumbled, staring blankly into space as if he couldn't see the reactions of anyone.
"If you face that monster directly… you will understand that shame is nothing more than a luxury. You will surely know…"
"Tsk."
Jang Ilso clicked his tongue as if he was annoyed. Then he leaned back in his chair.
'Why Hangzhou of all places?'
The most important thing in war is the money. And the place where the Demonic Cult had set out was the wealthiest land in the Southern lands. If that place were to be burned down, it was obvious that the money collected by the Four Sects Alliance would be greatly affected.
No matter what, he had to resolve it as quickly as possible.
He closed his eyes quietly and calmly sorted out the situation.
'The solution is…'
How much time had passed like this?
Jang Ilso's eyes, when they opened, looked cold.
"… Immortal Path."
"…."
"Immortals."
Jang Ilso smiled crookedly as if he had finally found a solution.
"If those guys really have an incredible power that cannot be understood with common sense, then the only ones who can break them down are Immortals and Buddhists. I never thought I would believe in such nonsense as the spirits of destroying evil."
He looked up at the ceiling as if he was in despair.
"But… rather than denying what happened, I think it would be better for me to turn into a foolish fanatic."
Jang Ilso, who had been looking at the ceiling with his head up, finally slowly got up.
Desolate Gold Elder followed his movements with his eyes and asked.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I need a knife."
Jang Ilso's eyes turned cold.
"The situation isn't that easy to handle. It doesn't seem like an easy enemy to take on with two crippled men. If I step ahead and fail, it would be the worst. Then everything would fall apart. I absolutely cannot fail."
"…."
"Then I need to obtain the right sword. A sword that can definitely cut off the monster's head."
Desolate Gold Elder is a man of extraordinary intelligence. Even without a detailed explanation, he clearly knew who Jang Ilso meant by 'sword.'
"Do you think they will respond?"
"Hmm. Such nonsense, great lord. I am not asking them to respond. I am making them respond."
"…."
A wicked laughter came from the mouth of Jang Ilso with sharp eyes.
"The world is so funny. Who would have thought that I would be reaching out to them? Hahahaha."
His laughter shook the hall.
After laughing like that for a while, he walked ahead without hesitation, making loud clanging sounds.
Behind him, the Desolate Gold elder simply watched Jang Ilso's moving body with both concern and anticipation.