The descendant of the martial god, Zhu Wuncheon, who unified Zhongyuan in the past, and the current owner of the imperial family belonging to one of the Sixteen Prominent Clans, a master in the sky who commands the admiration of all with a mere gesture—Zhu Wenzhang.
Although not widely known, the one who is the direct fiancée of the Namgung Clan and, single-handedly, killed countless warriors from the Black Lotus Union, annihilated the Ki-Lian Sect and Sword Sect, and is said to be a master in the sky—Seo-jun.
The two martial prodigies of the skies have now met.
The Emperor and the Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil.
Their meeting, as expected, drew the attention of many martial artists.
A martial artist of the sky is not something one can easily encounter.
Even the martial artists of the smaller factions and those from the Sixteen Prominent Clans swallowed dryly in the face of the immense tension that filled the air.
What kind of conversation could these distant, unapproachable masters be having?
The watching martial artists dared not disturb them, holding their breath, careful not to disrupt their moods.
“So, are you really the Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil?”
“Are you going to keep using that awkward dialect?”
“Oh. Is it that awkward?”
“It’s really awkward.”
“Well, I tried to be a little friendly, but it seems it wasn’t working?”
The Emperor lightly laughed. The Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil looked at him with eyes half-lidded.
Though no one raised their energy, just the act of locking gazes sent a chill down their spines.
The martial artists held their breath. They replayed the conversation between these two legends over and over in their minds.
A single word from these martial artists standing at the pinnacle of power was more precious than gold.
Then, with a slight click of the tongue, the martial artists flinched.
“I am Seo-jun, Grand Preceptor of the Namgung Clan.”
“Grand Preceptor? Oh, is that what it is?”
The Emperor scanned the Namgung Clan with a strange look in his eyes. His mouth held a faint smile, but his eyes were serious. The martial artists who met the Emperor’s gaze trembled and bowed their heads.
The Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil spoke in a subdued voice.
“Don’t stand in the way here. Go inside.”
“Did I do something? Your eyes look rather unpleasant.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Hmm. That’s quite a problem.”
The Emperor waved his hand with a smile. His robe sleeve fluttered with the gesture, slipping down as he moved.
“Then, let’s call it a day.”
As the Emperor walked away with a peculiar smile, he glanced at the Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil.
“We’ll meet again soon. Young friend.”
The Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil raised his hand without a word.
Was it a variation of the sword stance? Many martial artists, unable to understand its meaning, racked their brains, but the Emperor seemed to recognize the gesture and laughed loudly.
“Haha…! Yes. I’m looking forward to it as well.”
****
“Seems like a rather odd person, doesn’t he?”
With everyone staring, Seo-jun shrugged his shoulders as he returned to his room.
“Right? He kind of gives off that Seo-jun vibe.”
“What…! Hey, Kim Chun-bong…!”
“What? It’s true.”
“Ugh. I’m sleeping with my sister tonight.”
“What? We agreed to sleep together today!”
“Then cancel it quickly. What’s the resemblance between him and me?”
“Ugh…! What are you saying?!”
“Fine! Come here…”
Geum Chun-bong, watching the usual playful antics of the two, chuckled.
While martial artists outside were busy speculating the meaning of his gestures and words, the great martial artist known as the Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil was, after all, just a human being.
Her father, Namgung Jincheon, was the same. He too was a person who longed for his deceased wife.
Though Seo-jun may be different, Namgung Sua felt the same way.
She didn’t fully know, but she suspected that the Emperor might feel the same as well.
While they certainly possessed something extraordinary compared to others, Namgung Sua understood that it wasn’t necessary to deify them completely.
Seo-jun often said, “Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding.”
That’s what Aizen, the soul… from somewhere, had said, and Namgung Sua agreed with those words quite a lot.
When you revere someone as a god, they become gods. They become an existence beyond comprehension, something untouchable.
However, when you look at them as a person, someone who occasionally weakens, who sometimes seeks support, you can see them as an individual standing on the ground.
“Right?”
Namgung Sua, standing behind Seo-jun, smoothly executed the Mount Tai Crushing Strike.
The gentle pressure on his head made Seo-jun silently nod.
“Right.”
But one thing was clear.
“You should know, though, that it depends on the person. Some of them have already become gods, as you said.”
“Hehe, of course. Anyway, what I really want to know is…”
Namgung Sua paused, her lips curling into a mysterious smile.
“…If it’s you, my dear.”
“What?”
Seo-jun froze as he processed the meaning of “my dear,” a short word, yet it held a strange resonance, much like a command.
Looking at Chun-bong, it seemed she had the same thought as Seo-jun, as she merely opened and closed her mouth.
“W-what’s wrong, Seo-jun?”
“Why, Chun-bong?”
“Should I call you ‘my dear’ too…?”
“Hmm…?”
It didn’t matter if he was called “oppa” as usual, did it?
Even after marriage, calling each other by name might feel a bit awkward, but calling him “oppa” shouldn’t be a problem.
It seemed that there were people who did that as well.
“Feels like I’m losing…”
Chun-bong fell into deep thought. Seo-jun shrugged.
“I haven’t been married, so I don’t really know.”
Slap!
A hit came. The reason was unclear.
****
Chun-bong, who had been agonizing over the proper title, finally fell asleep as it became bedtime.
The nemesis of the good little child of the New Country, Geum Chun-bong, could indeed be called a demon.
“Demon.”
Suddenly, Noksopyeong came to mind.
As Seo-jun was contemplating whether to recruit her when he returned to the Demon Cult and form his own faction, a strange energy lightly brushed against his senses.
“What is he even doing?”
Frowning, Seo-jun left the room. With a light push against the ground, he moved and found the Emperor standing there.
“What's this, you little brat?”
“Oh, are you trying to match my dialect? Too bad. Using that dialect has become a hassle now.”
“Not that. Just, damn it.”
Tsking, Seo-jun casually sat on the roof, and soon after, another presence approached. It was Hwangbo Ryung.
“Ryung, did you call this guy too?”
Hwangbo Ryung gave Seo-jun a strange look.
“Yeah.”
“Did you know him already?”
“Seen him a few times.”
“Then you must know. Isn’t this guy’s head a little strange?”
“I can’t deny it.”
Having gained an ally, Seo-jun lifted the corners of his mouth and looked at the Emperor.
“Did you hear that?”
“This is disappointing.”
The Emperor chuckled. Hwangbo Ryung looked at him with narrowed eyes.
“So, what’s this? You didn’t call me for some trivial matter, right?”
“Of course not. It’s not something trivial.”
The Emperor pulled something from his robe and tossed it to both Seo-jun and Hwangbo Ryung. Seo-jun’s eyebrows twitched as he caught it.
“Liquor?”
“Isn’t it time to strengthen the bond between a few fellow countrymen?”
“I have a lot of bad memories with the imperial family.”
“Oh, that kid, Zhu Yangil? He’s just a kid. Don’t be petty.”
What is he thinking? Looking at the Emperor, Seo-jun saw him drink the liquor without hesitation.
“Ah… the reason I came here myself was for that.”
“Are you here to apologize?”
“I didn’t do anything, so why apologize? I just came to take a look. How will the next generation of Namgung turn out?”
The Emperor smiled slyly. Hwangbo Ryung looked at him with a dubious expression but reluctantly tilted the liquor bottle.
‘Is he a little off?’
For some reason, Hwangbo Ryung seemed to be looking at the Emperor’s every move, almost as if he was watching his steps.
It didn’t seem like submission, but there was a sense that he wasn’t eager to clash.
Seo-jun clicked his tongue and shook the bottle of liquor.
“With that attitude, the so-called Emperor isn’t quite human yet.”
“Hmm?”
“You can’t just command people around.”
In an instant, the Emperor’s eyes flashed. Hwangbo Ryung also looked at Seo-jun with a strange gaze.
A faintly expanded domain stretched out and did something.
“Climbed up the ranks recently, huh? Pretty impressive.”
The Emperor smiled slyly. From a distant building, a shadow jumped up.
“Hey, you little brat…!”
It was Pae Jin-gwang. He leapt up and landed next to Seo-jun, making his eyebrows furrow in anger.
“What are you putting in the mouth of a sleeping person?”
“Heavenly?”
“Hah, look at this guy’s arrogance.”
“Did you bring what I asked for?”
“Here.”
Pae Jin-gwang tossed a bottle of liquor. Seo-jun caught it and threw it to the Emperor.
“Catch.”
“Why?”
Seo-jun smoothly took the bottle the Emperor had been drinking and handed it to Pae Jin-gwang.
“Here. This seems like expensive liquor.”
Not sure, but if it was what the Emperor was drinking, it must be quite high-class liquor.
“Oh? Shaoxing wine, huh?”
Pae Jin-gwang smelled the liquor and looked at the Emperor and the bottle alternately.
“If it were Beijing, wouldn’t Erguotou be better?”
“Liquor is meant to be enjoyed according to taste.”
The Emperor chuckled and inspected the liquor Pae Jin-gwang had brought.
“Ah, this is top-quality Guonchun wine.”
He subtly pulled back from Seo-jun, keeping the bottle of liquor with him.
“You won’t be able to change it now. This is much better than the liquor I brought.”
“What?”
Seo-jun glared at Pae Jin-gwang.
“Old man, what kind of liquor is the Namgung Clan drinking with their money?”
“Anhui has Guonchun wine. I didn’t ask for it, but they gave it to me when I asked for liquor.”
“Well, if you're going to drink it all anyway, just drink something cheaper.”
“Even if you drink Guonchun wine by the crate, it won’t even put a scratch on the Namgung Clan’s wealth.”
That’s true. In the first place, Pae Jin-gwang staying in the Namgung Clan would be worth it. Even if he drank expensive liquor to the point of bursting, the Namgung Clan would profit.
Isn’t it the martial artists, similar to Huachenjing, who guard the clan?
One of the reasons Seo-jun was able to roam freely in Zhongyuan was because of Pae Jin-gwang.
“By the way, the King of the Martial World has reached… a level that’s not quite there yet, huh? But still, he’s reached a respectable level. It’s quite surprising.”
The Emperor’s golden eyes glinted as he looked at Pae Jin-gwang.