## Chapter 2555 – 2555. The Ascent To Radiance

Mok Juguen’s eyes bulged, his face contorted in shock.

“Wh-what? The Young Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Church was the son-in-law of the Namgung Clan?!”

“Do I look like I’m lying?”

“N-no, it’s just… what brings you here? This is the territory of the Martial Alliance. If your identity is exposed to them…”

Though it was being kept quiet, the Demonic Cult and the Martial Alliance were at war. And where I was now was under the influence of the Martial Alliance. If my presence was known? The Martial Alliance would immediately send a force to subdue me.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m exposed. I’ll win.”

Even within the Martial Alliance, a master of the Three Peaks was considered an elder-level figure. Elder-level figures didn’t move easily. And even if they did, I wouldn’t lose if we fought.

‘If it looks like I’m going to lose, I can just run.’

The Martial Alliance’s inescapable net? Let them try. My space-shifting scroll was invincible.

Mok Juguen’s eyes wavered. He glanced at me, then cautiously opened his mouth.

“…I know this is presumptuous, but… isn’t the Namgung Clan in danger? There doesn’t seem to be a need to reveal that you’re their son-in-law. No, it might be better to hide your identity as the Young Heavenly Demon here…”

I frowned, looking displeased, and Mok Juguen quickly shut his mouth and lowered his head.

Anhui Province, where the Namgung Clan was located, was within the Martial Alliance’s territory. I knew that. But it wasn’t like the Namgung Clan belonged to the Martial Alliance.

“The Namgung Clan doesn’t belong to the Martial Alliance. If you had to pick a side, it would be the Imperial Palace.”

“…The Martial Alliance isn’t easy to deal with. If they wanted, they could easily cause trouble for the Namgung Clan.”

“Don’t underestimate the Great Namgung Clan. And before that, don’t speak so presumptuously. I’m letting it slide this time, but it’s the last.”

“……”

Mok Juguen glanced at me and shut his mouth.

These guys always try to climb on top of you if you give them an inch.

‘This bastard. He thinks the Martial Alliance is some big deal. Both the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Church are nothing in front of the Emperor.’

This was also due to the Emperor’s leniency. If the Emperor had cracked down on the martial world, they would be groveling and begging for mercy.

‘Since the Emperor doesn’t interfere with the martial world, they think the Martial Alliance is the best.’

The Namgung Clan had the Emperor as their backing. No matter how powerful the Martial Alliance was, they wouldn’t last long if the Emperor stepped in. The Martial Alliance couldn’t touch the Namgung Clan.

I examined the carriage again. It wasn’t just a carriage with a mechanical formation installed. The carriage itself was a magical artifact. I reached deep inside the carriage and felt a chill.

“I see why you’re pulling the carriage even with a spatial storage. It’s to preserve the elixirs, isn’t it?”

There was an item called a spatial container, similar to my inventory. Unlike items in my inventory, things placed in a spatial container slowly changed over time. Food would spoil, and elixirs could lose their potency.

“…It’s more for maturation than preservation. If you just put them in a spatial container, they won’t mature properly.”

Mok Juguen didn’t say anything pointless like asking for the elixirs back. He wasn’t completely clueless. The moment he said that, his head would have been sliced off.

“I know. I’ve eaten more elixirs than you by a factor of ten. How could I not know? Where were you headed?”

“Our destination is Tongbi City, about four days away.”

Tongbi City? It was the first time I’d heard of it. This world was so vast. City names didn’t even register in my mind.

“I was getting tired of wandering aimlessly. I’ll accompany you for a while.”

“…You’re going to accompany us? We’re worried we won’t be able to serve you properly.”

“I don’t expect anything from the likes of you.”

The reason I was accompanying them was because I was bored.

A master shines brightest when there are weaklings nearby. To play the role of a master, there had to be underlings.

“…We’re from the Gu-Eung Escort Agency, transporting a special delivery. We don’t walk, we use light footwork to travel.”

“I’ll match your speed. It’ll be good practice for my light footwork.”

“…Understood. Is it alright if we depart after an hour?”

“You want me to wait an hour?”

“We’d like to collect the bodies of our comrades. We also need to take the bodies of the bandits. We need evidence to spread your fame a little faster, don’t we?”

“That makes sense. I’ll wait an hour.”

The escorts collected the bodies. They didn’t just put the bodies in the spatial container. They collected the escorts’ bodies and belongings as intact as possible, while they dismembered the bandits’ bodies as if they were performing a public execution. They also collected the heads.

The rest of the bodies, internal organs, and blood were scattered everywhere. It was a complete mess.

“Are you taking out your anger on the bandits’ bodies?”

“We scatter the blood to attract beasts and monsters. Even the ferocious ones become less aggressive when they’re full. It reduces the frequency of attacks on passersby.”

“Even passersby should have some level of martial arts or means to protect themselves. Is there really a need for that?”

This world was so dangerous that ordinary people who didn’t know martial arts stayed in villages or cities. When they did move, they moved with escorts or hired mercenaries.

“It’s a kind of tradition, a superstition. We’re not the only ones living in this world.”

I nodded, understanding. This world wasn’t one where superstitions were just superstitions. You couldn’t just dismiss them as primitive.

After the cleanup, the escorts began to run, pulling the carriage with their light footwork.

As expected of superhuman beings, they were as fast as a car on a highway. I leisurely ran behind them with my hands behind my back. I didn’t use the Flying Thunder God Technique. If I ran with that, they wouldn’t be able to keep up.

After about 30 minutes of running, I got bored and went back to reality, using auto-mode.

Three days later, we arrived at Tongbi City.

“Great One! We’ve arrived at our destination, so we’ll take our leave! Of course, we’ll spread your fame in our name!”

“Oh, go ahead. But who governs this city? Is it directly managed by the government?”

“It’s the Fire Dragon Sect.”

“That’s a grand name.”

“It’s a sect founded long ago in Tongbi City by a branch family of the Sichuan Tang Clan who lacked talent in poison techniques. Their relationship with the Tang Clan isn’t bad. In practice, the Fire Dragon Sect is a subordinate sect of the Tang Clan.”

“A branch family without talent in poison techniques? Did they have talent in fire techniques?”

“Yes. They were said to have considerable talent in fire techniques. And now, they’re famous for training in both fire and poison techniques.”

Fire and poison were opposites. It was very difficult to master both poison and fire techniques at the same time. It was practically impossible without a special martial art.

‘But if they’ve become famous enough to manage a city, it means they have a special martial art.’

Most likely, they had the Tang Clan’s support.

“Great One. You are our benefactor for saving us. May I be so bold as to ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“The elixirs you took were supposed to be delivered to the Fire Dragon Sect.”

“Were they sent by the Tang Clan?”

“Yes. To be precise, they were elixirs ordered by the Tang Clan from our Gu-Eung Escort Agency. We’re going to the Fire Dragon Sect to explain the situation. It’s our job, so we can’t avoid it.”

“So, you’re saying the Fire Dragon Sect and the Tang Clan might target me, so I should get out of this city?”

“…The Fire Dragon Sect is skilled in hidden weapons and poison techniques, as they train in poison techniques. And this city is managed by the Fire Dragon Sect. You’ll need to be careful about sleeping and eating.”

“What’s the Fire Dragon Sect Leader’s cultivation level?”

“It’s known that he’s at the upper stage of the Five Qi, facing the wall of the Three Peaks.”

“Were the elixirs in the carriage meant to help him overcome that wall? He must be quite angry.”

I chuckled.

So what if the Fire Dragon Sect Leader was angry? He was just a brat who hadn’t even overcome the wall of the Three Peaks. I wasn’t afraid at all.

“I hope my words have been of some help to you.”

“They were helpful. It was quite entertaining. Now, go.”

I looked around and headed towards the most extravagant building. Most of the buildings that were flashy without any elegance were the best brothels in the city.

‘It’s a shame the Fire Dragon Sect Leader isn’t at the Three Peaks.’

I decided to soothe that disappointment at the brothel.

I had money and a dick ready.

• • •

Dang Oh was dumbfounded after hearing the words of Mok Juguen, the head of the Gu-Eung Escort Agency.

“The son-in-law of the Namgung Clan and the Young Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Church is brazenly here, and he stole the elixirs that were supposed to come to our sect? And instead of running away, he came into the city and is holed up in a brothel?”

“…Yes. I’m sorry. This request was also a mistake on our agency’s part, so I will inform the agency head and provide appropriate compensation.”

Mok Juguen lowered his head. But Dang Oh, who was furious, raised his fist and slammed it on the table. The table couldn’t withstand his inner force and shattered.

“Damn it! Not only did he ignore me, but he also ignored the Tang Clan! Am I supposed to just stand by after this?!”

“He’s an absolute master of the Three Peaks.”

“Do you think poison doesn’t work on absolute masters? There are plenty of cases of absolute masters being killed by poison! He’s messed with the Tang Clan. Moreover, an elder of the Tang Clan will be arriving soon for his own breakthrough! If we don’t do something about him, the elder will be disappointed!”

Dang Oh considered himself a member of the Tang Clan.

His surname, Dang (煻), was a combination of the character for fire (火) and the Tang Clan’s surname (唐). It was a name his ancestor had received from the Tang Clan a long time ago.

“The Tang Clan repays kindness twofold and grudges tenfold…! If I let someone who has earned the Tang Clan’s wrath go, I’m not a member of the Tang Clan!”

Strictly speaking, he was a very distant branch family member and the leader of the Fire Dragon Sect, so wasn’t he not a member of the Tang Clan?

Mok Juguen didn’t voice his thoughts. He quietly shut his mouth.