Drrrrr—From the body of the Martial Deity Heaven Lord—whom they’d all assumed was “nothing special”—a colossal force began to surge.That force was so overwhelming that the fog rippled away in every direction, and in an instant the world turned clear.“Good grief.”Yeon Cheon Baek was looking at something.Following his gaze, there were footprints.They were the impressions left by a body that had grown heavy.The prints told them which way people had come.Vmmmmm—Power started to gather in layers between Yeon Cheon Baek’s overlapped hands.Then he thrust that mass straight toward the line of footprints.Bwa-woom—KWA-KWA-KWA-BOOM—The tremendous energy ripped forward in a straight line and annihilated everything in its path.KRRRRRR—Blasted by that force, the fog peeled back on all sides, and the tunnel it bored became an exit.The captain seeing it could only gape wordlessly.He had just watched a natural formation get pulverized by raw strength.Is that even possible?A human had just beaten nature.As the formation broke, the heavy weight on their bodies lifted.Apparently that oppressive qi had been compressing the fog here; the moment it dispersed, the fog began to unravel.“Heh-heh. Been a while since I stretched.”The Martial Deity Heaven Lord wore the refreshed look of a man who’d finally exerted himself, while the captain stared, dumbstruck.Yeon Cheon Baek glanced at the captain.“That impudent brat tricked us. Heh. Still—he’s got some loyalty.”This wasn’t human.Could Gwangpung Shinga survive a man like that?No.They weren’t a gale. They were a breeze.The true gale was standing right here.Could a breeze beat a gale?It would get swallowed.Utterly.“What now? That one’s not going to tell us anything straight.”“Hmmm.”Yeon Cheon Baek looked at the captain.“Let him go in peace.”“Understood.”Buk Mu Gyeol shaped a formless sword and slit the captain’s throat in one smooth draw.Papapap—Buk Mu Gyeol dug a shallow pit and buried the man who had died on the spot.“What do we do next?”“What else? We find the next crew. Stick close to a merchant train and we’ll meet them.”“A sound plan.”“First, let’s get out of here.”“Yes!” ****“Hahaha! They say all within the Four Seas are kin. When hardship hits, we help each other.”The hearty laugh belonged to the master of a merchant guild.They introduced themselves as the Sacred Sea Merchant Guild, and welcomed Yeon Cheon Baek’s party without hesitation.“How did you lose your way in this desert?”“First time through. It happened.”“That man doesn’t look like he’s from the Central Plains.”The Merchant Guild Master eyed Buk Mu Gyeol as he spoke.“Right. I’m taking him to the Central Plains for a visit.”“Ah, I see! Well done. The Central Plains have magnificent sights—may your journey be full of them.”“Much obliged.”“I’ve heard the Gale Sect’s gotten bolder than before. Is that true?”At the mention of the Gale Sect, the Merchant Guild Master let out a sigh.“Don’t get me started. Before, they’d let you pass for a set cut. Lately it’s worse. What we prepare isn’t enough—they’re laying hands on the goods themselves.”“If you refuse, they kill you?”“That’s what they say. A guild I knew was wiped out. A few, actually.”“Don’t you resent the Central Plains folk for not dealing with them?”“Everyone has their reasons, do they not? This isn’t the Central Plains, so they can’t move lightly. More than that, no one knows where the Gale Sect’s base is. How do you raid what you can’t find?”“Where on earth are they hiding? From their name and scale, their base can’t be small.”“Exactly. I’ve crossed the Great Desert more times than I can count and never seen a base that size.”They’d asked in case he had information, but it seemed the Merchant Guild Master had none.Which meant they’d have to wait for the Gale Sect to come rob these people’s goods.“Do you always run into them on the road to the Central Plains?”“With good luck, you might pass without meeting them.”We can’t just pass.He was thinking exactly that when—Dudududu—With the sound of hooves, a plume of dust rose on the horizon.The Merchant Guild Master’s expression hardened at the sight.“Speak of the tiger. There they are.”He hurried to get the guests off the wagons, afraid innocents might get dragged in.But one man stood, loosening his shoulders.Buk Mu Gyeol.“What are you doing?”“Those are the Gale Sect, aren’t they?”“They are, but—?”“I’m going to go take them.”“Take who?”He barely finished the question before Buk Mu Gyeol had launched, shooting toward the onrushing band.“—Hah!”The lightness skill the Master saw made him gasp.“A—a master!”The shock didn’t end there.Chzzzzng—Bandits shattered off their saddles, frozen mid-gallop.The Merchant Guild Master nearly fainted.In a blink, Buk Mu Gyeol crushed the charging wave, then grabbed several more and started freezing them one after another.“Graaagh!”“Ghk—!”At the Gale Sect’s screams, the caravaners clapped hands over their ears without realizing.The screaming wouldn’t stop.After a time, Buk Mu Gyeol returned, wearing a satisfied smile.“Looks like we found it.”“Where?”“If you ride straight northwest, you’ll see a ruined fortress. Near that ruin there’s a passage leading to the Gale Sect.”“A ruined fortress?”“Yes. Same color as the ground. From a distance it doesn’t look like a fortress—just flat earth.”Hearing the exchange, the Merchant Guild Master shot up his hand.“Oh? I know where that is.”“You do?”“Yes, I can guide you.”“Then we’ll impose.”“What do you intend to do once you find the Gale Sect… may I ask?”Yeon Cheon Baek grinned at the question.“Make sure they never do this again.”“How?”“If they disappear from the world, they can’t.”Ah.Of course.So they were on their way to wipe out the Gale Sect’s line?With only three?Could that even be done?Who were they, really?“Who are you?”Gwangpung Shinga answered for them.“I am Gwangpung Shinga.”“Gwangpung Shinga… the Beggars’ Sect Lord?”“That’s right.”“Wh-why would the Beggars’ Sect Lord be here…?”“I’m not that grand. And this gentleman here is the Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”“Ghk! Th-the Northern Sea Ice Palace… that Northeastern Dem— Hup!”He slapped a hand over his own mouth.The people of the Northern Sea Ice Palace hated nothing more than that label Northeastern Demonic Palace.Buk Mu Gyeol’s most hated epithet was Northeastern Demonic Emperor.But to Central Plains folk, that epithet defined him; they used it even if they didn’t like it.Of course, anyone who said it to his face wound up as an ice sculpture.The Merchant Guild Master snuck a look at Buk Mu Gyeol.Then Yeon Cheon Baek scolded him.“What sort of mess have you been making that you jump out of your skin at a word you said yourself—‘Northeastern Demonic Palace’?”“Well… the word ‘demonic’ annoys me, so I pulled the tongues of people who said it and killed them all.”“Tsks. Don’t do that anymore.”“Y-yes, understood.”“If you carry yourselves properly, they’ll call you a Divine Palace, not a demonic one.”“I’ll bear it in mind.”A man who could reprimand the Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace?Who in the world was he?The answer reached the Merchant Guild Master’s ears.“Pay your respects. This is the elder known as the One Martial God, the Martial Deity Heaven Lord, Yeon Cheon Baek.”“Kh—! M-Marital Deity Heaven… Lord?”It was the most shocking moment of his life.He dropped to the ground at once.“I-I failed to recognize the mighty Martial Deity Heaven Lord.”“No matter. You can fail to recognize a face. I’m not walking around ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) with ‘Martial Deity Heaven Lord’ written on my forehead. Think nothing of it.”“Th-thank you.”“Now that you know who I am, you know what becomes of the Gale Sect, don’t you?”“Y-yes.”“I’ve been meaning to deal with them, but other business delayed me. Time to finish it.”“I—I see.”“Guide us.”“R-right away.” ****Northwest, at a ruin.From a distance, Yeon Cheon Baek, Buk Mu Gyeol, and Gwangpung Shinga studied the broken walls.“Even knowing it’s there, you could doubt your eyes. How do these bastards even find their own front door?”It was baffling, even if you knew the direction.The Merchant Guild Master spoke up.“By scent.”“Hm? Scent?”“Yes. My sense of smell’s sharper than most. I can catch it.”Sniff, sniff—The others tried, but smelled nothing.“I don’t smell a thing.”“Only people with keen noses can. The horses probably get it strong.”“Hmmm. Knowing the bearing alone won’t be enough to find it.”“You could, but it would take time. I remembered the smell here—that’s why I could bring you in quick.”“I see. Thank you. We’re going in to root out the Gale Sect. Take your people and clear the area. If you run into them while we’re gone, it’ll be trouble.”“Understood. Then please take care.”“Mm. I’ll erase this worry of yours completely.”“Thank you.”“Go on.”“Yes—see you in the Central Plains.”“Right.”Once the Merchant Guild Master bowed and departed, Yeon Cheon Baek looked toward the ruin.“Let’s have a look.”“Yes!”As they approached, hoofprints appeared here and there.A few gusts of sand, and even those began to fade.The desert itself was erasing the trail.Remarkable.No wonder no one could find them.They circled slowly, looking for an entrance.There wasn’t one.“They’ve hidden it with a formation.”Yeon Cheon Baek smiled and breathed power into his eyes.Lines of energy rising from the terrain lit up plain as day.“Heh. The ruin’s a decoy.”“What do you mean?”“That fortress over there is the real one.”He pointed—at empty air.“They veiled the fortress with a formation.”Yeon Cheon Baek lifted his foot and stamped hard.Thoom—Drrrrrr—With one stomp, the whole ground shuddered.At the same time, the unseen fortress started to waver into view.Thoom—One more stamp, and the blur sharpened.People on the walls gaped down at them in disbelief.“Let’s go.”They stepped through the rippling space behind Yeon Cheon Baek and emerged before a towering, crystal-clear wall.This was the Gale Sect of the Great Desert.Warriors on the battlements stared, stunned—then came to and clanged the alarm bell.DING—DING—DING—!“Enemies! Alarm! Alarm!”Monsters had forced their formation open and walked in.“Shall we start at once?”Hearing the bell, Buk Mu Gyeol asked carefully. Yeon Cheon Baek smiled.“Wait till they’re all here. Then we start.”“Understood.”Buk Mu Gyeol drew up his internal energy and prepared to fight at a moment’s notice. ****The Gale Sect’s Great Khan sat on a massive chair, speaking with his strategist.“What was that? I just felt something off.”The moment he felt it, the hall trembled.Drrrrr—“Feels like an earthquake.”“No. Something strong enough to shake the ground is outside.”“If something like that came, the alarm bell would be ringing.”DING—DING—DING—DING—The words were barely out when the bell began to roar.“It’s ringing.”“So it is. Truly an enemy, then.”“This is my first time hearing the alarm.”“Likewise.”“If enemies are here, that means they found us. The formation should make us invisible—how did they get here?”“Some of the boys we sent out must have been taken and gave up the location.”“Maybe. But this is a first. Who are they, and where’d they come from?”

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