Jang Ilso walked silently, leaving behind the disciples of Mount Hua, and glanced back at Ho Ga-Myung.
"Hmm."
At that strange sigh, Ho Ga-Myung looked at Jang Ilso with questioning eyes. Jang Ilso spoke.
"That's unexpected."
"…Which part do you mean?"
"I thought by now you would have brought up dealing with those guys again."
Ho Ga-Myung sighed deeply. It wasn't a completely wrong guess.
The reason he had retreated was because Jang Ilso's safety was not guaranteed. Although it hurt his pride to acknowledge Mount Hua's Sword Saint so highly, Jang Ilso's life was a thousand times more important than his pride.
So, if it were the usual him, now that Jang Ilso's safety was secured, he might have gone wild insisting on breaking the promise and killing those guys.
"Alliance lord."
"Hmm?"
"I'm not that stupid."
Jang Ilso chuckled at Ho Ga-Myung's words. Of course, Jang Ilso never thought Ho Ga-Myung was stupid. He wasn't the kind of person to give up a position just because of high loyalty.
A bitter smile briefly crossed Ho Ga-Myung's face as he looked at him.
"You say that, but if you wanted to take their lives, there would have been many ways. Perhaps in your mind, their usefulness is not yet over."
Hearing that, Jang Ilso smiled gently.
"I wish you'd have noticed that a little earlier."
"It's not an easy thing, Alliance Lord."
Ho Ga-Myung sighed deeply.
"Whatever the reason, what vassal would just watch their lord jump into the fire?"
"Tsk tsk. That's your problem."
"Even if you say that, I have no intention of changing my mind."
Ho Ga-Myung is by no means stupid. In fact, in managing forces, he shows abilities beyond Jang Ilso.
The reason Jang Ilso can casually execute crazy strategies is because Ho Ga-Myung exists to operate the troops with full power according to whatever he does.
The limbs realize the thoughts. In that sense, Ho Ga-Myung truly deserves to be called Jang Ilso's right hand.
Yet sometimes Ho Ga-Myung appeared frustrated for one reason: for him, Jang Ilso's safety always comes before victory or gain.
Jang Ilso shook his head as if giving up on persuading him.
"You're right. They must not die yet. No, to be precise, the Mount Hua Sword Saint must not die yet. At least not until today."
At that time, Thousand Faced Scholar, who had been silently listening to their conversation, gently asked.
"Could it be because of the Heavenly Demon?"
Jang Ilso glanced at Thousand Faced Scholar. The corner of his mouth twisted into a chilling smile.
"Well. Who knows…"
Seeing that smile, Thousand Faced Scholar felt his mouth dry up.
Right now, Jang Ilso cannot fight properly due to his injuries. Perhaps at this moment, the most dangerous person to Jang Ilso is not the Mount Hua sect or the Heavenly Demon, but the Thousand Faced Scholar beside him.
Surely Jang Ilso knows this fact. Yet he showed no caution towards Thousand Faced Scholar.
That composure rather made Thousand Faced Scholar nervous. Of course, even before, his presence was unmatched, but the presence felt from Jang Ilso now was incomparably greater.
"The Heavenly Demon. Yes, they were certainly threatening."
Jang Ilso's eyes narrowed sharply as he recalled Heaven Killer's figure.
"Even I… got goosebumps."
The Heavenly Demon Cult is strong.
Denying that is neither pride nor anything else. It's just foolishness not to grasp reality. The Heavenly Demon, where someone like the Heaven Killer exists so calmly, might be so strong that even if all of Central Plains united, it would be hard to fight against.
"But that's all."
Jang Ilso drew a clear line.
"Not preparing for the future is foolish, but neglecting what must be done now because of distant matters is even more foolish. I'm not so idle as to be distracted by foolish fanatics who may or may not appear again."
"However, Alliance lord, if the existence of the Heavenly Demon they speak of is true…"
"Still, nothing changes for me."
Jang Ilso's voice came out indifferently.
"Certainly… someday, as they say, that Heavenly Demon might return and the Heavenly Demon Cult might invade Central Plains."
Ho Ga-Myung nodded.
Just the existence of Heaven Killer makes it hard to ignore the possibility of the Heavenly Demon's return. For someone of that caliber to believe in a vague legend and act so reserved is beyond Ho Ga-Myung's understanding.
"But that doesn't mean we can just wait idly for that unknown time. Human life isn't that long. And my patience isn't that great either."
A chilling expression flashed briefly on Jang Ilso's face, but soon softened as if nothing had happened.
"And… isn't there no real way to prepare? Should we happily get along with those Justice faction pigs just because the Heavenly Demon is scary?"
"…That's difficult."
That's practically impossible. Even if Jang Ilso wanted it, the Justice faction wouldn't accept it. The emotional rift between them is already too deep.
"Rather…"
Ho Ga-Myung glanced back.
If the Justice faction's center was the Heavenly Friends Alliance led by Mount Hua Sword Saint, there might have been another way. But the Nine Great Sects and the Four Sects Alliance are fundamentally unable to cooperate.
"If you're truly afraid of the Demonic Cult, there's only one way."
Thousand Faced Scholar and Ho Ga-Myung looked at Jang Ilso simultaneously. Jang Ilso did not glance at them but stared into the distant sky.
"Before that Heavenly Demon returns to invade Central Plains, I will unify Central Plains. Then there will be no need for awkward cooperation. Everyone will unite under me to face the Cult."
This is also an absurd statement. Unifying Central Plains is not easy.
But to their ears, this sounded more realistic. Compared to the dreamlike talk of Justice and Evil Sects cooperating, unifying Central Plains felt more tangible.
And…
Thousand Faced Scholar's eyes narrowed slightly.
'It's not necessarily that difficult.'
Just three years ago, no one imagined that Jang Ilso would unite the Shenzhou Four Clans into the Four Sects Alliance and become its leader. And in just three years, he would completely subjugate even that alliance.
Compared to that absurd achievement, leading the Four Sects Alliance to unify Central Plains seems easier.
"Stagnant water doesn't flow until the dam breaks. Those so stubborn they won't move even with a dagger at their throat won't feel threatened by a Heavenly Demon they haven't seen with their own eyes."
"…"
"So nothing has changed. We just have to do what we must, as always."
Ho Ga-Myung nodded heavily.
Absurd delusions and strangely realistic talk mixed in. It was hard to know what to believe or dismiss. But Jang Ilso's words definitely had a compelling power.
"Alliance Lord."
"Hmm?"
"May I ask just one thing?"
"Go ahead."
Jang Ilso gently consented, and Ho Ga-Myung hesitated slightly before asking.
"But if… the Demonic Cult's attack comes sooner than expected, and it happens while we are fighting the Justice faction, what will you do?"
"Tsk tsk. Ga-Myung, Ga-Myung. You're saying strange things again."
Jang Ilso snorted with laughter.
"Why should we worry about that now? If the Justice faction begs for a truce and cooperation, then we can think about it. And if they don't lower their pride even then, isn't it better to die together?"
"…"
"Remember this well. Even if we unite to stop the Demonic Cult, fighting again to defeat the Justice faction afterward is an impossible task for everyone. Think about the nature of that cursed Demonic Cult's martial arts. The side suffering more damage will inevitably be us."
Clink.
Jang Ilso's ring made a chilling sound for a moment.
"In other words, by then the world won't be mine. If it's a world I can't have, whether it falls or not, what does it matter to me? Rather…"
Jang Ilso's eyes drew a strange spiral.
"It's better if it all burns away completely."
Ho Ga-Myung silently closed his eyes.
Indeed… even if Justice and Evil sects unite to stop the Demonic Cult, in the end only the Justice faction benefits.
"…To fulfill the Alliance Lord's will, we must settle this before the Demonic Cult runs rampant."
"That's right."
"Understood."
Ho Ga-Myung also nodded heavily as if firming his resolve. The most important thing to him was Jang Ilso's safety, and second was carrying out Jang Ilso's will.
"But… what does that have to do with saving the Mount Hua's Sword Saint? If what you say is true, wouldn't it be better to kill the threats quickly?"
"I told you. The Heavenly Friends Alliance is united around it now. If the Mount Hua's Sword Saint disappears, the Heavenly Friends Alliance is nothing. If we kill the Mount Hua Sword Association here, the Heavenly Friends Alliance will quickly split and become easy prey."
"That's certainly true."
"Can we reap those benefits?"
After a moment's thought, Ho Ga-Myung shook his head.
"It's difficult."
"Why?"
"Because we can't cross the river before stabilizing the Pirates and the Black Ghost Fortress. Also… right now, the death of the Desolate Gold Elder and the injury of the Black Dragon King are critical."
"Right, right. Then who will seize the opportunity we created?"
"…The poisoned Nine Great Sects."
Jang Ilso nodded.
Probably the Nine Great Sects hate the Heavenly Friends Alliance as much as the Four Sects Alliance… or even more. So they would have no hesitation in exploiting that weakened gap.
"So far, drawing the line centered on the Yangtze River had meaning. But if the Nine Great Sects swallow the Heavenly Friends Alliance, that line becomes a wall we cannot cross. That's the worst outcome."
"Indeed…"
That's why Jang Ilso also had to keep Chung Myung alive.
It's truly a strange relationship.
"A useful pawn, truly valuable."
Muttering, Jang Ilso turned back, toward someone beyond the distant horizon.
After silently gazing at the horizon for a while, Jang Ilso spoke in a cold voice.
"But… not anymore."
"…"
"One who raises a tiger cub must never lower their guard. You never know when that cat will become a real tiger. Those who fail to notice that time will have the tiger's fangs sunk into their neck."
That was Ho Ga-Myung's concern. That Chung Myung was too dangerous to keep alive just for his value.
"Every pawn has its time of usefulness. So this will be the last time. Next time…"
A cold light briefly flashed in Jang Ilso's eyes.
Like a giant dragon eyeing the world on the horizon, he then turned without hesitation.
"Let's go. We'll be busy for a while."
"Yes, Alliance lord!"
As he moved, Jang Ilso's mind began to spin rapidly.
'The Demonic Cult, Nine Great Sects, Heavenly Friends Alliance, and the Four Sects Alliance…'
A variable called the Heavenly Demon appeared in an already complicated situation. But Jang Ilso rather enjoyed this situation.
'Everyone will come to know. Opportunities are not waited for, but created.'
His excited eyes flashed cruelly.