Now that I thought about it, there wasn’t even anyone left to finish off with Thunderous Qi. Regardless, I had already engraved the horror of Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance into their minds. I then withdrew the Hundred Battles Tenfold Technique, which had been swirling around both of my arms.

The dock was still a complete mess, but surprisingly, over ten ships hadn’t sustained any real damage aside from rocking violently.

That was because they had floated off a bit farther away.

Just then, from inside the flagship, a man with a bothered look on his face walked out and stood next to the middle-aged man who had spoken with us earlier.

Not just us, but even the ship captains aboard the larger vessels fixed their eyes on this newly arrived man.

This lunatic had no shirt on and was wearing pajama pants. He looked slightly older than the middle-aged man, and his black hair was heavily streaked with white, giving it a deep gray hue.

He casually threw on an ash-colored robe handed to him by his subordinates, letting it hang loosely over his bare chest, and then said,

“...What the hell is this commotion?”

He spoke like someone who had just been roused from sleep by a loud noise. For a leader of a group, his tone was full of irritation. Still, despite his scolding, he didn’t seem the least bit surprised.

I couldn’t hear the middle-aged man’s voice as he reported the situation, but the gray-haired man responded,

“One person caused all this mayhem? Then he’s worthy of challenging the King of Dongho. Whoever committed this outrage, step forward.”

Finally, I heard the middle-aged man answer.

“He’s known as the Lord of Haomun.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“...Yes, sir.”

“Tell him to come out himself. Why are the ships so far away? Advance. Bring them in close. Are you really frightened by just four men? Move forward.”

At his command, the flagship and over ten ships moved forward, drawing nearer to the shores of White Sand Island.

The four of us glanced at each other, somewhat taken aback by this man's ridiculous tone.

“Is that gray robe guy the Number One of the Heretic Path?”

“Looks like it.”

“What about the middle-aged one?”

“Could be a disciple, maybe just a subordinate.”

As the flagship approached, the gray-haired man called out to us.

“Which one of you is the Lord of Haomun?”

Naturally, I replied.

“That would be me.”

“Young bastard with a smart mouth. Didn’t your parents teach you manners?”

I nodded.

“Nope.”

“...”

“What, something wrong?”

The gray-haired man suddenly shook his shoulders and laughed.

“You’re a ridiculous one.”

The middle-aged man beside him explained.

“He’s always like that.”

“None of you speak properly. All of you, get off the damn ship. This disaster happened because you just stood around gawking. How long do you think it’ll take to fix all this? White Sand Island’s supposed to be a decent fishing spot. Tsk.”

Once the boats reached the shore, over a dozen top-level martial artists flew through the air and landed on land.

The middle-aged man from the flagship also moved lightly to reach the shore.

As the officers of the Heretic Alliance all turned their attention to the flagship, the gray-haired lunatic wearing only a robe over his bare skin leapt into the air.

I didn’t know what kind of light footwork he used, but he floated in a slow, feather-like motion. It left quite an impression.

Even from that alone, it was clear he wasn’t your average expert.

He was grinning oddly as he approached.

He wasn’t tall, and his frame was scrawny. No matter how generously you guessed, he looked at least in his fifties. Judging by his relationship with the middle-aged man, he had to be even older.

I’d seen this kind of man before—his atmosphere was eerily similar to that of the Great Rakshasa I’d killed long ago.

He didn’t seem like someone you could hold a decent conversation with.

We stood in a brief standoff with the gaping pit left behind by Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance between us. I watched the wreckage of broken ships, drifting water, body parts, and rubble swirl inside.

If there’s such a thing as hell, it probably looks like that pit.

When I looked up after admiring the crater, the gray-haired lunatic was admiring it too.

He pointed and spoke.

“Look at that. That sword’s still usable. Go fetch it. Shame to waste it.”

As soon as he spoke, one of the officers leapt lightly into the pit, landed among the wreckage, grabbed the sword, and sprang back out. It wasn’t an easy move—he used floating debris as stepping stones.

The man who retrieved the sword approached, and the lunatic snapped at him.

“You use it. Why are you bringing that filthy thing to me?”

“Ah... yes, thank you.”

Hearing this, the Sword Demon chuckled through his nose.

The gray-draped man looked at him.

“You must be the Sword Demon. Did you just laugh at me?”

The Sword Demon answered.

“Old man, who the hell are you? It’s strange that no one knows your name.”

“Do you expect to know everyone in the world? How dumb can a former Left Guardian of the Demonic Cult be? No wonder you fought with the Cult Leader and ran off.”

The Lecher chimed in.

“What the fuck is this senile old bastard babbling about?”

The gray-haired man asked the middle-aged one,

“Who’s that brat?”

“He’s called Mongrang, second son of the Wind-and-Cloud Mong family.”

“Is there such a family in Jianghu?”

“Apparently tucked away somewhere.”

“Anyone dumb enough to put ‘wind and cloud’ in their family name must’ve been destined to collapse. Sounds like they’re already ruined.”

“They are.”

“He looks like a damn courtesan’s brother. Can’t believe he trained martial arts instead of chasing skirts. And that ugly bastard next to him?”

The middle-aged man cautiously asked,

“May I answer?”

“You’d better.”

“He’s the last survivor of a wiped-out sect called Six Harmonies Gate. His real name’s unknown, but he’s called Master Yukhap. A swordsman.”

“What a long intro for someone I don’t give a shit about. Then that leaves the Haomun Lord, right?”

“Yes.”

The gray-haired man looked at me.

“You brat. I’ve heard of Haomun. Rumor is, you spout crap about protecting workers. If that’s true, why have you killed so many? I’ve been in Dongho a long time, but no one’s slaughtered people like you. How the hell is a madman like you getting this kind of treatment? What the hell is the Martial Alliance doing, not locking you up?”

The middle-aged man asked him,

“Does his face look promising?”

“No way. If he were a servant boy, he’d fight with his master. If he joined the Martial Alliance, he’d be in prison. If he joined a sect, he’d be brawling with his senior. Look at the mess you dragged me into. He’s the type to stir up shit wherever he goes.”

For the first time in a long while—hell, maybe since I started walking Jianghu—I got verbally slapped around like this. The Lecher, the Drunk, and the Sword Demon looked at me with intrigued expressions.

The Lecher even chuckled a bit.

They were clearly curious what I’d say in return.

But I didn’t feel like retaliating. I looked at the three of them and said,

“...He’s right, though. Been a while since I met a wise fortune-teller.”

I replied to the gray-haired man’s words with a polite tone of gratitude.

“Yeah. That’s me. Not surprised, are you? Looks like you’ve been eating your years with your asshole, old man—you’re freakishly insightful. I commend you. Ptooey! You bastard. Studied physiognomy in hiding, huh? Tell me, do I have the face of Dongho’s king? You razor-sharp reader of faces. Well? Can’t figure it out?”

A harmonious symphony followed: “How dare you,” “Shut your mouth,” and “I’ll rip your lips off.”

Whatever. I was a servant boy who caused my master grief. I did clash with the Martial Alliance and even fought the Demonic Cult.

I never joined a sect, but I was dragged around by Gwangseung.

So the old man wasn’t wrong.

That’s just who I am.

So what?

I waited until their chorus of curses ended, then spoke.

“Shut it, you thieving bastards. So, who the hell is the Number One of the Heretic Path?”

The gray-haired man smirked and placed a hand on the middle-aged man’s shoulder.

“The Greatest Sword of Dongho.”

The middle-aged man nodded slightly.

“Yes, sir.”

“Right. That’s him.”

That was unexpected. But then the gray-haired man continued.

“And I’m the Number One of the Heretic Path.”

“...Ah, so they’re not the same guy after all.”

Just then, the Sword Demon’s voice pierced the air.

“...Old man.”

“...?”

We all turned to look at him.

People glanced between the Sword Demon and the Number One of the Heretic Path.

The Heretic Leader, who seemed to be the Dongho Sword’s master, looked silently at the Sword Demon and grinned.

“Got something to say, Sword Demon?”

Then came something unexpected.

“The elite from the old headquarters of the Cult invaded the largest heretic faction—what was called the Heretic Alliance. They killed, enslaved, and turned it into the new Cult stronghold. That’s where today’s Heavenly Demon Cult sits. If I remember correctly, the Heretic Alliance Leader at the time was captured and had his head displayed on their so-called Dragon Gate. What was your relationship to him?”

The Number One of the Heretic Path smiled and answered.

“How did a former Left Guardian come up with that question?”

The Sword Demon replied,

“Since the Cult destroyed the Heretic Alliance, people in Jianghu have avoided the word ‘heretic.’ That entire faction was eradicated, leaving behind bad omens. Though once a proper term, it’s now replaced with ‘dark path.’ Every time I heard ‘Number One of the Heretic Path,’ something felt off. If you really are from the destroyed Heretic Alliance, your obsession with that term would make sense.”

The man said nothing.

The Sword Demon slashed the air with his words.

“...Especially if you’re calling yourself the Number One of the Heretic Path. If you’re a survivor playing king to this band of rats, then you’re the most fitting rat king of them all.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

That was one hell of a counterstrike.

Turns out, the Sword Demon could talk when he wanted to.

The Heretic Leader let out a wet, phlegmy chuckle. Then he suddenly dropped his smile and spoke quickly.

“You’re right. I’m from the Heretic Alliance. It’s surprising, isn’t it? The Cult annihilated the old Heretic Alliance, but I’ve carried on the legacy.”

The Sword Demon didn’t flinch.

“You mean to tell me that instead of seeking revenge, you’ve spent your days looting in this place?”

The Heretic Leader threw open his robe with both hands and stepped forward.

“What else would I be doing? Hiding here in Dongho. Hidden real well.”

“....”

That tone gave me chills. I might be insane, but this guy’s madness was of a different breed.

A mix of fugitive and recluse insanity—deeply unsettling.

Then his eyes glinted with eerie light.

“Left Guardian, I’m just like you. You’re afraid of the Cult Leader too, that’s why you’re wandering. If you were truly great, you’d have gone back and challenged him. Don’t you want to become Cult Leader yourself? Huh?”

His tone had become childishly mocking. He was projecting nonsense onto the Sword Demon.

“Sword Demon, you’re nothing more than a lost swordsman who couldn’t surpass the Three Calamities. Especially since you served right next to the Cult Leader—you must know the gap best. Think you can handle it? No matter how many times you swing that sword, the gulf remains. It must torment you in your dreams. You think you’re stronger than the Three Calamities? You’re not. That’s why I’m content here in Dongho. If you want to mock me, take a look at yourself first, you runaway.”

“....”

The Heretic Leader looked around at his subordinates and chuckled.

“The Martial Alliance? Oh, we should talk about them too. When the Cult warned us to vacate the Heretic Alliance’s territory, we shamelessly begged the Martial Alliance for help. We weren’t exactly on good terms, but we tried to convince them—if we fell, the Cult would come for them next. Do you know who pleaded with them? Huh?”

My arms broke out in goosebumps. I looked down, then checked the expressions of the Four Great Villains.

“...Wow.”

The messenger who begged the Martial Alliance for help... survived?

I asked,

“You were the messenger?”

The Heretic Leader pointed at me and wagged his finger.

“Yeah. It was me. I ran my ass off. ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Got rejected, mocked, scorned, laughed at. Still remember it all. Not a single person pitied us. That’s the Martial Alliance for you. In the end, even the former Cult Leader who slaughtered us died. And the great Sword God who killed him... faded away without regaining his former glory. If we had joined forces, at least the Sword God would still be alive and be called the greatest in the world. Bunch of idiots.”

It was a rather emotional tale, but I said whatever came to mind.

“...So you trained your ass off to become the greatest under heaven, but the Three Calamities scared you so bad you nearly pissed yourself, so you hid in Dongho, huh? O venerable messenger. Had you gone into the mountains, you’d be the Mountain Bandit King by now.”

Still, he was seasoned. He laughed off even my insults.

Then, laughing like a lunatic, he said to me,

“The ones I rate highly are the Three Calamities. Not you lot. If Im Sobaek were that great, I’d already be dead. If any of them came here, they might threaten me with words, but not you. Know your place. Get it straight. Other high-level masters have come here acting like you and ended up in the water. Plenty came to kill me and ended up sunk. I basically raised the fish here feeding them trash like you. My men catch those fish and serve them for dinner. How’s that?”

I answered,

“If you were that confident, why didn’t you accept when I first suggested a one-on-one? None of this would’ve happened. My offer still stands, old messenger of the Heretic Alliance. You listening? Still having nightmares about the Cult Leader, huh? Pitiful life. Now that I look closer, your face looks like a snake.”

“Heretic,” huh? What a curious term.

Massacred by the Demonic Cult.

Shunned by the righteous path.

This man had lived it all—and now, he glared at me with the eyes of a heretic.

The eyes of one who had strayed from the righteous path.