Hwa Sogwang carefully broached the subject as he entered the room where Yeon Woo Jin was staying.
“Um... my lord. Could sothing be done for the leadership as well?”
When Yeon Woo Jin looked at him with a puzzled expression, Hwa Sogwang scratched his head and explained.
“You told us to prepare disciples who could undergo body strengthening. I was wondering if the leadership of the Blazing Fire Divine Palace might also be included...”
“Ah, that. Of course. Include them. The more who grow stronger, the better.”
“R-really? Th-thank you, my lord!”
Beaming, Hwa Sogwang declared,
“We will fight with all our lives for Musincheon.”
“What are you saying? You should fight for yourselves.”
“...What?”
When Hwa Sogwang asked back in surprise, Yeon Woo Jin’s face grew serious.
“Sit down first.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
At his grave tone, Hwa Sogwang unconsciously swallowed hard and sat.
“The reason I’m making the Blazing Fire Divine Palace strong is because sothing far greater is coming.”
“Sothing greater? What kind of thing?”
“The Heavenly Demon Cult is about to reveal itself.”
“What?”
What was he talking about now?
The Heavenly Demon Cult, here? Out of nowhere?
Yeon Woo Jin told Hwa Sogwang everything that had happened so far.
“G-good heavens! Did the Celestial Secret Daoist truly say such things about the heavens’ fate?”
“Yes. That is why I’ve been traveling the Central Plains, making people stronger.”
“S-so that’s what it was about?”
“Yes. Which is why I need you, Palace Lord, to introduce to other sects of the Demonic Path. Besides the Blazing Fire Divine Palace here in Qinghai, there is also Bukcheon Gate, isn’t there?”
At the ntion of Bukcheon Gate, Hwa Sogwang’s brow furrowed.
“Y-you an to make those bastards stronger as well?”
“As I just said, now is not the ti to quibble over good and evil.”
At Yeon Woo Jin’s words, Hwa Sogwang groaned.
Still, his face twisted with dislike at the thought of Bukcheon Gate.
“Why?”
“They and the Blazing Fire Divine Palace are mortal enemies. It’s trouble enough already with their endless ploys to surpass us. If they grow stronger, I fear those tricks will only grow worse.”
“If that happens, I’ll co back and reclaim the strength I gave them.”
“...That’s even possible?”
“Yes.”
Astonishing.
In Hwa Sogwang’s eyes, Yeon Woo Jin truly seed a god.
If the power could be withdrawn at will...
“I understand. I will guide you to Bukcheon Gate, my lord.”
“Oh, and on the way here we encountered so suspicious people. ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) I thought perhaps you might know them, so I brought them here.”
“Suspicious people?”
“Yes. They disguised themselves as bandits and attacked us.”
“What? I-is that true?”
“Yes.”
Ambushed on the way here, by n disguised as bandits—
Flas rose in Hwa Sogwang’s eyes.
Who dared?
“Where are they?”
“In the next room.”
“Allow to see them.”
“I’ll co too.”
****
Entering the next room, Hwa Sogwang examined the prisoners.
He knew all too well who they were.
Rage boiled within him, but with Yeon Woo Jin at his side, he swallowed it down with superhuman effort and spoke quietly.
“It’s been a while, Sa Hwal Squad Leader.”
At his words, the leader of the Sa Hwal Squad averted his gaze and replied,
“In this shaful state, forgive for not greeting you properly.”
Grit.
Hwa Sogwang clenched his teeth.
“Was it Sa Se Hwang who ordered you to attack the escort heading for the Blazing Fire Divine Palace?”
“The Gate Master knows nothing of this. It was entirely my doing.”
At those words, Hwa Sogwang glanced sideways at Yeon Woo Jin.
Then he sighed.
“You truly don’t understand the situation.”
“What do you an? I know it well. You will kill , won’t you?”
Hwa Sogwang shook his head.
“No. Quite the opposite. I almost pity you.”
“Pity? I need no such thing.”
“No, you’ve committed an act you should never have. You’ll understand what I an before long.”
As the Sa Hwal leader tilted his head, Hwa Sogwang turned and bowed deeply to Yeon Woo Jin.
The squad leader’s eyes widened in shock.
The Fla Emperor, bowing his head to soone?
“My lord, these n are of Bukcheon Gate.”
My lord?
Did the Fla Emperor have a master?
At that mont, Lee Hwa Un, who had been silent, stepped forward.
“My lord, these n are insolent. Would it not be best to exclude them from this journey?”
Not only the Fla Emperor, but even the Green Forest Grand Emperor called him lord.
Who was this youth with such mysterious powers, that two giants of the martial world bent their heads to him?
Then Yeon Woo Jin spoke.
“Let’s at least go and see. I’m curious what sort of man their Gate Master is.”
“I will guide you,” Hwa Sogwang said.
The Sa Hwal leader cried out urgently.
“The Gate Master knows nothing! It was all my doing! Punish and end it with !”
His desperate resolve to protect his master was plain.
Seeing it, Yeon Woo Jin smiled.
“Since you care for him so much, you can’t be entirely bad. That makes even more curious.”
At his words, Hwa Sogwang added,
“He is not a wicked man. His flaw is a deep inferiority complex toward .”
“Then let’s finish what we must here first.”
“Understood. I’ll have preparations ready at dawn.”
****
What do warriors desire most in their training?
Opportunity.
Everyone dreams of becoming stronger, yet the path to strength is never easy.
But if one encounters a rare chance, the path can be shortened.
Thus, many wander the Central Plains under the guise of training, seeking such fortunes.
But if it were easily obtained, would it still be called opportunity?
Of course not. Very few ever gained it.
And now, such a chance had fallen upon the Blazing Fire Divine Palace.
In the training hall, faces flushed with anticipation.
A chance to grow strong.
And yet doubt lingered.
Could it really be as simple as the Palace Lord said?
There was one fact Hwa Sogwang had not told them.
That was this—
“Gwaaaaah!”
The fact that they would have to endure unbearable pain.
As the Flow-Reversal Heavenly Muscle Formation began, screams like those from a torture chamber echoed through the training hall.
“Stop! Stop!”
“Ugh! P-please, make it stop!”
So writhed, begging to be released.
“Ghhhk!”
“I-I will endure! I must grow stronger!”
Others clenched their teeth, bearing the agony for the sake of strength.
Most chose to endure, driven by the will to grow.
When at last the process eased, they thought it had ended more quickly than expected. Manageable, even.
But that was a grave mistake.
When soone asked, the answer dashed their hopes.
“Is it over?”
“No. It hasn’t even begun.”
“What? But we’ve already endured such pain!”
“That was only to accustom your bodies to pain. Without that, you would die from what cos next. It’s the stage of building resistance.”
How much greater could the pain be, that one needed resistance first?
The agony so far had already been trendous.
“Then... compared to what is to co, how much was what we just suffered?”
“What you’ve endured so far? Barely a tickle.”
With a bright smile, Yeon Woo Jin said what to them was monstrous.
Their faces froze in disbelief.
“C-can we quit, then? Leave before it goes further?”
But Yeon Woo Jin shook his head.
“No. Once you’ve entered, you cannot leave until the entire process is complete.”
“W-what...”
Their faces crumpled in despair as they stared at the formation beneath their feet.
Then the array began to glow once more.
It had begun again.
“Ah...”
Bowing their heads, they braced themselves for the return of tornt.
****
The Sa Hwal Squad Leader and his n from Bukcheon Gate were also dragged into the training hall.
To their eyes, it was less a hall for training and more a chamber of torture.
Though odd, that the ones screaming were all n of the Blazing Fire Divine Palace.
“L-leader... it seems they an to torture us.”
“Never in my life have I heard screams like these.”
“Indeed. I’ve tortured n who refused to speak, but even then I’ve never heard such sounds.”
“Strange. Why are those disciples of the Blazing Fire Divine Palace being tornted so?”
The squad leader, Gi Parang, sighed.
“How should I know? I was dragged here too. Perhaps they committed so grave betrayal. One thing’s certain—they’ve sinned heavily.”
“But the one inflicting the tornt... isn’t that the youth said to be the Fla Emperor’s lord?”
“He must be so pervert who enjoys torture. Looks like we fell into foul hands. Forgive , n.”
“No, we volunteered for this.”
“That’s right. It’s not your fault, leader. Just rotten luck.”
“This torture? We can endure it!”
“We are not weaklings like the Blazing Fire Divine Palace!”
As they steeled themselves, the demon-like Yeon Woo Jin turned his head toward them.
At once, their bodies stiffened in dread.
They prayed desperately that his gaze would pass them by.
But heaven crushed their hopes.
He began walking slowly toward them.
Beside him, Hwa Sogwang’s voice could be heard, asking again and again,
“Will you truly subject them as well?”
“Yes.”
Hwa Sogwang sounded as though trying to dissuade him.
“You know why I do this.”
The Sa Hwal Squad mbers thought,
—Because he enjoys it.
Hwa Sogwang hesitated.
“I know, but... these are the very n who attacked you, my lord.”
“I know.”
“And yet you would show them grace?”
“If making them strong saves even one more life, isn’t that the better choice?”
The exchange only deepened the squad’s bewildernt.
What were they hearing?
It looked as though Yeon Woo Jin intended to grant them a favor, while Hwa Sogwang was reluctant.
Wasn’t this torture?
They tilted their heads in confusion as Yeon Woo Jin began drawing an array beneath their feet.
The sa formation etched under the Blazing Fire Divine Palace disciples.
The Sa Hwal Squad shouted,
“You will gain nothing from torturing us!”
But Hwa Sogwang’s face twisted with fury as he barked,
“You cursed fools! Do you not even know what fortune you’re about to receive?”
Fortune?
How could torture be fortune?
Was this what it ant to accept the lord’s tornt as a blessing?
anwhile, the formation was complete.
“Place them on the array,” Yeon Woo Jin said.
Scowling, Hwa Sogwang stood the immobilized squad mbers one by one atop the glowing patterns.
They tried to resist, but with their acupoints sealed, they could not move.
Like wooden dummies, they stood upon the formation.
Light flared, and they clenched their jaws, bracing for what was to co.
Determined not to scream.
Determined not to break.
But their resolve shattered instantly.
“Gaaaahhh!”
“Aaaaghhh!”
Pain as if every joint in their bodies were being torn apart engulfed them.
Never in their lives had they felt agony like this.
They longed to thrash and writhe, but with their points sealed, they could not.
Which only made the tornt feel doubled.
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