The Next Day.
Jin was staying at an inn on the far edge of the sect.
A quiet place—no guards, no decorations.
He removed his clothes and stood before the mirror.
The wound on his chest was slanted, wide, not yet healed.
It was not a superficial injury.
He touched it with his fingers and spoke in a low voice:
— This…
— The first time this has happened to me.
He sat down on the bed.
He remained silent for a long while.
— If I hadn't cheated at the very end… I would have died.
— And yet…
He exhaled slowly.
— It was a victory… without taste.
The Council of Elders
On the same day, the Council of Elders convened.
But this time…
There was an empty seat.
Shin Han-Dra's seat.
A brief silence followed,
then the discussion began.
An elder with a white beard said:
— This can no longer be ignored.
Another replied:
— An elder from the Ten Thousand Peaks…
— Killed.
— Standing.
A third interjected:
— It's not just how he died,
— but the location…
— the timing…
— and the sole witness.
A fourth elder spoke quietly:
— A boy. Nineteen years old.
Murmurs rose.
— Impossible.
— Even if he's talented…
— This surpasses every standard.
A broad-shouldered elder said:
— We've read the reports.
— He wiped out an entire elite squad of the Shin Clan… then faced an elder alone.
Another snapped back sharply:
— Don't speak as if he's an invincible monster.
— Shin Han-Dra fought with honor.
— And he was injured in the end.
An old elder said calmly:
— But the result is the same.
— Han-Dra is dead.
— And the boy is alive.
Silence.
Then someone said:
— The real question…
— What is the next step?
Another replied:
— If the Shin Clan moves on its own,
— it's an internal matter.
A third elder interrupted:
— But if a Transcendent intervenes…
— everything changes.
But… the killing of a council member
could not be ignored or dismissed
as merely an issue of the Poison Clan.
An elder said coldly:
— Do we allow such escalation within the sect?
Another responded:
— And do we have the luxury to forbid it?
An elder in the corner said:
— This boy…
— If left alone,
— will become a breaking point.
Voices rose.
— Kill him now, it's safer!
— No, that would set a precedent!
— Ignoring him is even more dangerous!
— Direct intervention will expose our intentions!
Finally, an elder spoke in a low but decisive voice:
— We observe.
Because this is what the Sect Leader wants.
If we ruin his plans… we will all die.
The council fell silent.
Within the Shin Clan
In a dark hall, the senior members of the Shin Clan gathered.
Faces grim, anger tightly restrained.
One of them said:
— Our elder is dead.
— And there has been no response yet.
Another said:
— The boy is still within the sect.
A third replied:
— We can send three squads.
— No, four.
A fourth snapped irritably:
— Do you want another massacre?
Elder Han fought him alone
so the clan would not be destroyed,
and that person respected that decision.
Now you want his death to be meaningless?
An elderly elder said:
— You've all seen the reports.
— This is not mere talent or a normal fighter…
— This… is an aberrant phenomenon.
— I have seen only one person with such strength at that age.
Another shouted:
— But leaving him alive is an insult!
The voices escalated.
— We must take revenge!
— Not now!
— Blood cannot be washed away with silence!
Throughout the debate…
the old man seated at the head of the table did not speak.
He held a staff with a dark purple crystal.
His eyes were closed.
At last, someone said:
— This decision is not ours.
Silence fell.
All gazes turned toward the old man.
— This matter…
the elder said in a low voice,
— belongs to you, O Transcendent.
Shin Yuan-Zi.
He did not open his eyes.
Final Scene
As before.
A high peak. A cold wind.
The Supreme Guardian stood there,
and beside him sat the same man as last time.
This man was:
the leader of the Demonic Sect,
one of the four strongest swordsmen in the world,
a being who had surpassed the definition of humanity—
recognized by the Tower as a Constellation while still alive.
The Heavenly Demon: Cheon Mun-Woo.
The Guardian said:
— When do you want me to stop the battle?
Cheonma answered without hesitation:
— When those who should not die intervene.
— Or when the battle becomes… impossible for him.
The Guardian hesitated briefly.
— Very well…
— It seems you intend to ignite the sect.
Cheonma smiled faintly.
— The world will soon tremble.
— Humanity reaching the fiftieth floor will change everything.
— Stagnation… is useless.
The Guardian fell silent for a moment, then said:
— I cannot speak on this matter…
— You are the one who has seen the future because of them.
But… this young man… his aura… his appearance… even his personality…
He is a replica of that man.
Could it be—
Cheonma cut him off with a killing glare,
as if he did not wish to remember what he knew,
as if this topic itself was forbidden to mention.
He said:
— It is better not to speak of this now.
— Erase it from your mind for the time being.
That man certainly knows.
Only when he intervenes…
will you understand for yourself.
Then they remained silent for a long time.
End of the chapter.