Mu-hui, having joined forces with the Plum Blossom Swordmaster, continued eastward toward Changsha, where the Martial Alliance was gathering.

The area where Mu-hui and the Plum Blossom Swordmaster had set up camp was in the western part of Hunan Province, and reaching Changsha at the eastern edge of the province was quite a journey.

Along the way, their group gradually grew, often encountering Martial Alliance forces engaged in skirmishes with the Black Night Palace.

Taking advantage of their eastward direction, Mu-hui, with the help of the Cheonsal Sect, was systematically eliminating any Black Night Palace demons they encountered along their path.

“Miss Im, how are you holding up?” Mu-hui asked, glancing at Im Su-ryeon, who was resting by the campfire.

Though he adjusted their pace to accommodate Su-ryeon, who had no martial arts training, they still moved swiftly. Su-ryeon was not accustomed to such long and fast journeys.

“I can’t say it’s easy, but it’s not unbearable. I’m more worried that I’m slowing everyone down,” Su-ryeon replied, her voice calm and slightly formal as usual.

“Don’t worry. We’re managing just fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

Mu-hui nodded and then asked, “How’s the competition within your trading group?”

“It’s going well, thanks to you and the Mount Hua Sect. Only two competitors remain. I plan to settle it within three years.”

“Three years… It feels like I’ve been taking more than giving, but I’m glad to hear that.”

Su-ryeon smiled slightly, her gaze fixed on the flickering flames. “There’s no precedent for a woman leading the Cheonryu Trading Group. I want to be the first.”

Her eyes reflected the fire’s fierce glow, her voice filled with determination.

“You will be. The Mount Hua Sect stands with you.”

“And you’ll become the sect leader, won’t you?”

“That’s the plan, though I can’t quite picture it yet.”

Su-ryeon turned her head slightly to look at Mu-hui’s profile. ‘It’s a pity,’ she thought.

Since meeting Mu-hui, she often imagined what life would be like as a martial artist. Standing beside him, she felt she had nothing to fear. She envied the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect who shared that privilege.

She had also imagined Mu-hui by her side as she led the trading group, but discussing the future made her realize it was just a fantasy.

‘A merchant must always face reality.’

After her recent kidnapping, Mu-hui was the first and most frequent thought in her mind. It clarified her uncertain feelings, but like any business decision, she calculated the risks and concluded it was not meant to be.

For the greater good, it was the right choice. Even the most renowned merchants couldn’t have everything. The more one held, the more one had to learn to let go.

‘No regrets. I’m happy to have met Mu-hui. Let’s keep doing our best.’

Su-ryeon gently grasped her clothing and nodded to herself.

“What are you looking at?” Mu-hui asked, sensing her gaze.

“Nothing at all,” Su-ryeon replied with a gentle smile.

“I’ll continue to support you from behind, as always.”

“Thank you.”

Her smile seemed a bit more wistful than usual.

‘Is she tired?’ Mu-hui wondered, but his thoughts were interrupted by a presence nearby.

“Eun-gong, are you resting?”

“It’s fine. What’s the matter?”

“We’ve located Jin Am-ma, as I mentioned before. Judging by the direction of their forces, they seem to be heading toward Xiangtan, the destination of the Iron Mountain Fist King.”

“Xiangtan. That’s close by.”

“Yes, we can reach it by tomorrow.”

Mu-hui nodded, confirming the map Jin-young had spread out. Xiangtan was a key strategic point south of Changsha, crucial for blocking the northward advance of the Black Night Palace.

“The Fist King is as elusive as ever, appearing in Hunan after battling the Ghost Mountain Demon in Jiangxi.”

The Iron Mountain Fist King likely found leading troops cumbersome and preferred to roam freely, disrupting battlefields at will.

“It seems he moves as he pleases, gathering information along the way. We barely managed to catch up with Jin Am-ma’s forces.”

“Let’s move at first light.”

“Yes, Eun-gong.”

As Jin-young folded the map, Mu-hui spoke again.

“Without the Cheonsal Sect, this would have been a real headache. Are the disciples okay? It’s quite a dangerous task.”

“Yes, compared to assassination missions, this is easy.”

Jin-young’s face briefly showed a rare hint of bitterness.

“If the main force were intact, we wouldn’t be limited to just gathering information. It’s a shame.”

“Even so, you’re providing invaluable help to the martial world. For now, stabilizing the shaken Cheonsal Sect is what’s important.”

“Indeed, Eun-gong.”

As Jin-young began to fade back into the shadows, Mu-hui called out, “Why don’t you rest a bit?”

“No, there are more reports to come. Please rest, Eun-gong.”

Watching Jin-young disappear, Mu-hui closed his eyes and began to meditate, reflecting on his battle with the Great Protector.

That day’s fight had been incredibly instructive.

He had experienced various demonic arts similar to the Black Heaven Divine Art and confirmed the effectiveness of countermeasures. Experiencing demonic arts of the same lineage was a significant gain.

Organizing his thoughts on demonic arts, Mu-hui delved deeper into the insights of the Cheonsal Sect whenever he had time.

‘To think an assassin could reach such heights, he’s truly remarkable.’

There were aspects he pursued similarly to Mu-hui, and others he viewed from a completely different perspective.

While he couldn’t accept everything, contemplating the insights and questions posed by the Cheonsal Sect was immensely beneficial.

The writings, insights, and questions left by the Cheonsal Sect.

The martial arts of the Cheonsal Sect.

As he pondered deeply, a mental image of the Cheonsal Sect’s leader formed in Mu-hui’s mind.

Though it was merely his imagination, the leader, wielding a curved and a straight blade, exuded the aura of a supreme assassin capable of taking down even the greatest masters—a veritable god of death.

Facing this imagined leader, Mu-hui drew his Heart Sword.

In his mind, Mu-hui and the leader of the Cheonsal Sect began to clash.

Mu-hui’s face twisted and relaxed repeatedly as he engaged in this mental training.

* * *

At dawn, Mu-hui’s group headed toward Xiangtan, only to spot a large number of people ahead, prompting them to take a defensive stance.

“Commoners and the Martial Alliance?” Mu-hui, with his exceptional vision, used his inner energy to see further and spoke.

As they drew closer, it became clear that these were indeed Martial Alliance forces.

They were leading and protecting the commoners, but most of the warriors were covered in blood, with hardly anyone unscathed.

“Leader Yeong-geom!”

“Oh, Leader Geum-san. You’re safe too.”

The alliance members greeted each other warmly, then turned their bright eyes toward Mu-hui and the Plum Blossom Swordmaster.

“Are these…?”

“Yes, they are the Mount Hua Sword Saint and the Plum Blossom Swordmasters.”

“Oh!”

The leaders, initially in awe, quickly composed themselves and looked toward Xiangtan.

“Sword Saint! The Iron Mountain Fist King is holding off the demons alone.”

The news widened the eyes of the Plum Blossom Swordmaster and the other warriors.

“He’s fighting alone?”

“Yes, he told us to retreat with the commoners. It’s embarrassing, but that’s how it is.”

Judging by their condition, the forces from Xiangtan had been fighting for days and were in terrible shape.

Their internal energy was faint and intermittent, indicating they needed immediate rest and treatment.

The Iron Mountain Fist King must have known this and ordered the forces to retreat with the commoners.

“I understand the situation.”

Mu-hui addressed the gathered forces and the Plum Blossom Swordmaster.

“Let’s split up. Leader Yeong-geom, take the forces from Xiangtan and the commoners to Changsha. The remaining forces will go with the Plum Blossom Swordmaster to support the Fist King.”

The leaders nodded in agreement.

“The situation is urgent, so we’ll go ahead. Follow us quickly.”

Mu-hui leaped toward Xiangtan.

As he quickly became a small dot in the distance, Mu-hwa spoke in awe.

“Wow… When will I be able to move like the senior brother?”

“Um…”

Mu-jin couldn’t find the right words and trailed off. The other Plum Blossom Swordmasters and remaining forces felt the same.

As they marveled at Mu-hui’s speed, which made him disappear in the blink of an eye, Hyun-baek was the first to snap back to reality and shouted.

“We don’t have time for this! Let’s hurry.”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

The Plum Blossom Swordmasters and the forces quickly moved in the direction Mu-hui had vanished.

Yet, despite their efforts, Mu-hui’s figure remained elusive.

* * *

Boom!

A heavy sound echoed through the canyon.

The Iron Mountain Fist King, bare-chested, moved his arms, and as his fists clenched, his muscles rippled like living creatures.

When the immense power of his muscles concentrated into his rock-like fists, the trembling muscles suddenly stilled.

This stillness was a death sentence for the demons charging at the Fist King.

Boom!

The shockwave from his punch tore through the air, creating a resounding boom.

The demons caught in the path of his fist were reduced to blood mist, unable to even scream before they perished.

“Third squad! Forward!”

“Clear a path!”

The Fist King’s entire body was a weapon, unleashing techniques that obliterated the demons in his path.

Yet no sharp blade, no overwhelming force or power could penetrate the Iron Fist King’s impenetrable defense, the Muksanip Technique.

Crash!

Even the explosive dark arts of the demonic practitioners, who sacrificed their lives to unleash their power, were no match. The Iron Fist King, his muscles swelling with explosive force, launched himself into the fray.

The black storm of shattered weapons and fabric fragments, remnants of the demonic arts, were rendered powerless against his formidable physique.

“Tickles,” he chuckled, casually brushing off his bulging chest muscles and licking his lips.

“What kind of external technique is that?”

“His muscles! They’re getting even bigger.”

Despite their relentless attacks, the demonic practitioners were left in shock. They had seen all manner of bizarre dark arts in their lives, but nothing as strange as the Iron Fist King’s muscles.

Already a giant of a man, with each punch, his muscles swelled further, making him appear less human and more like a mythical warrior from legend.

“Pathetic. Distracted by shortcuts like dark arts, you neglected to build your muscles, and now look at you.”

Creak!

As the Iron Fist King’s fingers slowly curled into a fist, a chilling sound of metal scraping echoed.

When all five fingers finally closed into a single fist, he struck the air once more.

A massive fist-shaped force swept towards the demonic practitioners, but from the opposite side, a tremendous force surged forward.

Boom!

Even as the fierce wind whipped their heads back, the Iron Fist King fearlessly propelled himself forward.

At that moment, an old man in a black robe descended from above, aiming a double palm strike at the Iron Fist King’s head.

“Finally decided to join the fray after watching from the sidelines?”

“Pleasure to meet you, Iron Fist King. I am Jinamma.”

Jinamma, his arms wrapped in a fierce, swirling dark energy, aimed to tear through the Iron Fist King’s muscles with his fingers.

The Iron Fist King deflected the descending claws with the back of his hand and thrust his fist towards Jinamma’s abdomen.

But Jinamma curled his fingers, catching the Iron Fist King’s punch head-on.

In the brief moment they clashed and separated in mid-air, the Iron Fist King and Jinamma exchanged dozens of blows, each retreating with a final punch and palm strike.

As they prepared to collide once more, a voice filled with amusement echoed from another direction.

“This looks fun. Mind if I join?”

Despite the distance, the voice was crystal clear, causing both the Iron Fist King and Jinamma to turn their heads.

The Heavenly Demon Lord was approaching with a smile.

“Guanyachangcheon.”

“What brings the Heavenly Demon Lord here?”

The three masters faced each other, gathering their energy in anticipation of the impending clash.