The reappearance of the Demonic Cult in the world was a major incident.
How shocking was it, you ask?
You know it well, don't you? The martial arts tournament for later-stage disciples that hadn't been held at Mount Hua for decades turned into the Mount Hua Bloodbath.
The rumors that the Demonic Cult had appeared at Mount Hua and that countless people were injured spread throughout the land in an instant.
People were no longer interested in the results of the martial arts tournament.
Even you are like that, aren't you? How did you come to know about the Mount Hua martial arts tournament?
That's right.
You knew it by the name Mount Hua Bloodbath.
That's how shocking it was that the Demonic Cult had shown itself again. To all the people of the Central Plains.
Hm?
Baek Geomseon?
...Well, what can be done?
His stomach might be churning a bit, but since he didn't leave much of an impression when the Demonic Cult members attacked, it's an unavoidable result. If he felt wronged, he should have shown his prowess.
Actually, since it was right after his victory, if he had shown even a little of himself fighting against the Demonic Cult members, his fame would have spread.
Well, he couldn't have stepped forward in that situation.
As was revealed later, what Baekgeomseon aimed for at that time was to show themselves blocking the Demonic Cult and firmly imprint the name of Baekgeomseon in the world.
But Wei Yan-ho took all that fame, so wouldn't that be infuriating?
What?
Could the Baekgeomseon personnel there have stopped the Demonic Cult?
No way.
That would be impossible.
So Baekgeomseon had prepared something separately. The problem was that they couldn't use what they had prepared at all.
Why, you ask?
Hehe hehe hehe.
It's not like Master Musan is the only elder in the Orthodox faction.
Didn't you notice that there was someone who, despite their fame and skill, strangely didn't show up in this incident?
Yes, that person.
That person blocked Baekgeomseon.
***
"...You won't open the path?"
At his words, the old man in black robes smiled gently.
"I said you could go after defeating me, didn't I?"
"Why do you block our way? Mount Hua is currently under attack by the Demonic Cult bastards. Why are you blocking the path of those going to help?"
"I don't know. Perhaps I've become a lackey of the Demonic Cult."
The old man frowned.
The probability of the Taoist before him becoming a lackey of the Demonic Cult was lower than the probability of all of Shaolin declaring they would grow their hair starting tomorrow. The Taoist before him was none other than the one closest to the position of Greatest Sword Under Heaven and an elder of Wudang, the Taiji Sword Immortal.
"What reason do you have for causing such trouble?"
"That's what I want to ask you, Heavenly Flow Sword."
The man called Heavenly Flow Sword smiled slightly.
"Don't you say you're going to stop the Demonic Cult?"
The Plum Blossom Sword Immortal also smiled gently as he responded to Heavenly Flow Sword's words.
"Baekgeomseon and this place are quite far apart, so how did you know in advance that the Demonic Cult would attack this place and come all this way?"
"I happened to get hold of intelligence."
"And you knew this alone without informing anyone else?"
"You say interesting things. Who should I have informed?"
The Taiji Sword Immortal's eyes grew cold.
"Do you mean we should have asked the Nine Sects for help, or that we should have informed the Orthodox Martial Alliance to take measures?"
"Either one."
"Why should we do that? We are not an organization belonging to the Nine Sects or the Orthodox Martial Alliance."
Heavenly Flow Sword spoke proudly.
"Baekgeomseon stands alone and complete. You are not someone who wouldn't know this fact, yet you act so unreasonably..."
Heavenly Flow Sword's words had no flaws.
Baekgeomseon was not a subsidiary organization of the Orthodox Martial Alliance or the Nine Sects. Although dealing with the Demonic Cult was a problem for all of Jianghu, if Baekgeomseon could handle it themselves, there was no need to inform other sects and request help.
Even knowing this, the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal did not open the path.
"Then I suppose I'll just have to be unreasonable."
"Heh heh heh heh."
Heavenly Flow Sword quietly looked at the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal. His eyes had sunk extremely low.
"Do you think you can't open the path and act like this?"
"How could that be? The renowned Heavenly Flow Sword of the world couldn't fail to handle one old man. Even if there were no others, you are someone who could easily cut me down alone, aren't you, Heavenly Flow Sword?"
"The Sword Immortal flatters this old man's face."
Even while looking at Heavenly Flow Sword laughing emptily, the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal's expression did not soften.
The world does not know this man.
The nickname Heavenly Flow Sword, given because he lives drifting with the sky and wind, is just a nickname given by those who don't know this man's true terror.
One duel in his youth.
That duel made the Taiji Sword Immortal obsess over the names Heavenly Flow Sword and Baekgeomseon for his entire life.
"Hmm..."
Heavenly Flow Sword, who had been quietly looking at Mount Hua visible in the distance, slowly nodded his head.
"Now it seems there's no particular benefit to be gained from climbing Mount Hua. If Master Musan has stepped forward, it will be difficult to gain any more advantage."
Heavenly Flow Sword quietly stroked his beard and clicked his tongue.
"Really, when there's something good, you should share it a bit. You can't keep trying to monopolize everything like that."
"It's not about monopolizing, but about going in the right direction."
Heavenly Flow Sword clicked his tongue.
Breaking vested interests is not an easy task. The Nine Sects, Orthodox Martial Alliance, and Heavenly Medical Alliance only checked each other when there were no other enemies. The moment any force challenges their stronghold, the three forces band together as if they had never checked each other before, trying to protect their positions.
'It was expected, but they're more agile than I thought.'
Killing the Taiji Sword Immortal here and climbing Mount Hua would only result in losses. The name of the famous Taiji Sword Immortal would cloud people's judgment.
"Very well. I'll just withdraw today."
The Taiji Sword Immortal looked at Heavenly Flow Sword with a somewhat melancholy face.
"Rather than just withdrawing today, don't you have any thoughts of truly working for the peace of Jianghu?"
"The peace of Jianghu? Are you referring to a world where the Nine Sects hold power and lead?"
"...You know that's not what I mean, Heavenly Flow Sword."
"I wonder. There's only one thing I can say. Sword Immortal, although I withdraw today, you can no longer stop us. Now that we've brought the name of Ten Thousand Swords back into the world. Now Jianghu will have to pay the price for its long hypocrisy."
"Did you say hypocrisy?"
Heavenly Flow Sword didn't bother to answer those words. Silently looking at the Sword Immortal, Heavenly Flow Sword turned his body.
"I'll be going."
"...Travel safely."
Heavenly Flow Sword walking away with steps that were by no means fast, but leisurely.
Watching his retreating figure, the Taiji Sword Immortal looked up at the sky to overcome the frustration rising in his chest.
'Troubled times are coming.'
The Demonic Cult has reappeared, and there are even forces using that Demonic Cult. There was no evidence, but Baekgeomseon had definitely moved the Demonic Cult. If he hadn't blocked Heavenly Flow Sword's path, everything that happened at Mount Hua would have flowed according to Baekgeomseon's intentions.
"Does Heaven truly not grant peace to Jianghu?"
Dark clouds were gathering in the distance.
As if trying to wash away the blood thick on Mount Hua.
"Why are you withdrawing, Grand Elder?"
The question was cautious.
Though he couldn't understand, the voice was small and the tone respectful to convey that this wasn't said out of dissatisfaction.
Heavenly Flow Sword answered with a gentle smile.
"What benefit would there be in climbing Mount Hua now?"
"But then wouldn't the work of moving the Demonic Cult at great cost become meaningless? According to the original plan, shouldn't we have climbed Mount Hua to help Geomseon defeat the Demonic Cult members?"
"That's right."
"But if we withdraw like this..."
Heavenly Flow Sword quietly shook his head.
"It's regrettable, but unavoidable. I didn't expect the Orthodox Martial Alliance to move so quickly from the beginning. I underestimated Master Musan too much."
"Even so, if we return like this, the plan so far..."
Heavenly Flow Sword looked at the speaker with resolute eyes.
"Do you know what you should avoid most when making and executing plans?"
"I don't know."
"Wasting manpower and time trying to somehow restore a plan that's already gone wrong. Plans are like water streams – once their direction goes wrong, they can never return to their original direction. The best method is to quickly cut off the water."
"...Yes."
"This matter is the same. Now that Master Musan and the Orthodox Martial Alliance have stepped forward, would things flow according to the original plan if we climbed that mountain?"
"They would not."
"Right, they couldn't. Then we must quickly withdraw. In any case, we announced the revival of Ten Thousand Swords at Mount Hua. It's regrettable that we couldn't spread the name of Ten Thousand Swords throughout the world in a more certain and clear manner, but there will be such opportunities in the future."
"Yes, Grand Elder."
After finishing his words and walking forward, Heavenly Flow Sword quietly clicked his tongue.
'Things have gone seriously wrong.'
When proceeding with such matters, it was something he always emphasized that things almost never go according to plan. But he didn't know things would be twisted like this from the very start.
Outwardly he emphasized Master Musan's intervention, but he had another reason for withdrawing.
'Wei Yan-ho has already taken all the fame.'
It was a place to announce the revival of Ten Thousand Swords to the world. There shouldn't be anyone shining brighter than Ten Thousand Swords in such a place.
"Tsk, coveting small things and losing big ones."
Heavenly Flow Sword shook his head.
If he had eliminated Wei Yan-ho when he first saw him, this wouldn't have happened. But there's no point regretting what's already passed...
"I can only hope Geomseon has learned much."
"Grand Elder!"
"Hmm?"
At the urgent voice calling him, Heavenly Flow Sword turned his head.
"L-look there!"
Looking with enhanced vision toward where they urgently pointed, he could see Demonic Cult members descending the mountain.
"Huh..."
Heavenly Flow Sword clicked his tongue as if pitying.
"The Demonic Cult is withdrawing like that? Gwang Muryang, who was in charge of the attack, is famous within the Demonic Cult for being violent, yet he's withdrawing so obediently... What kind of miracle did Master Musan perform, or..."
Heavenly Flow Sword, who had been stroking his beard as if his head was complicated, showed a subtle smile.
"Yes, that's right. It couldn't be that easy. This is about waiting three hundred years to grasp the world again. It would be strange if it were resolved easily."
"...Will it be alright?"
"There's nothing to worry about."
Heavenly Flow Sword declared firmly.
"The plan has only just begun. At Mount Hua, we only tried to announce the beginning. Now the world will know. What it means that Ten Thousand Swords has returned."
"Yes, Grand Elder."
"However..."
"Yes?"
"It's nothing."
Heavenly Flow Sword turned his body and fell into thought.
'Wei Yan-ho's existence is more of an obstruction than expected.'
Perhaps special measures might be necessary, Heavenly Flow Sword thought as he quickened his pace.
******