[Madness is often caused by inner demons. When inner demons accumulate, corrupted qi takes root in the middle dantian. That corrupted qi then begins to affect the upper dantian. And if such days continue without end — eventually, the mind breaks.]

It must have been about ten years ago.

There had been a madman in White Cloud Village, at the foot of the mountain.

His grandfather had explained it while watching the man from a distance.

[I’m sorry to say — too much time has passed. He likely won’t survive much longer. If he had been found just a little sooner……]

And the madman had died not long after, exactly as his grandfather had said.

So what of the Crazed Fiend?

The dark red veins spiderwebbing across the old man’s neck.

That was clear and unmistakable evidence — corrupted qi from the middle dantian had already swallowed the upper dantian.

Did that mean it was too late for him as well?

‘It’s not too late.’

A master who had cultivated martial arts didn’t fall ill easily.

A master who had surpassed the pinnacle realm — and certainly one who had reached the realm of transformation — would find illness nearly impossible.

But the Crazed Fiend was unmistakably a patient in the grip of madness.

‘I recognize that look. The eyes of someone who has lost something. He must have lost something I can’t even imagine. Which is why…… someone of his level lost his mind.’

Perhaps he had gone mad because madness was the only way to keep living.

Whatever the case, what mattered was this: the Crazed Fiend had gone mad, and he had once been a master who had reached at least the realm of transformation.

His mind and spirit had collapsed — but the body, trained beyond anything ordinary, was still holding on.

Which meant——

There was still a way.

‘Corrupted qi originates in the middle dantian. Even now it’s almost certainly seeping out without pause. If I can block the path that corrupted qi flows along——’

And he could do it.

Because he had the Lingering Heart Sword Art.

‘Once. Just once is enough to strike the chest.’

Shhring.

Seo Woojin drew his sword slowly.

The moment the blade cleared the scabbard, an indescribable pressure seemed to press down on his body from all sides.

‘The problem is how to get inside that monster’s reach……’

The Crazed Fiend’s dull eyes gradually regained their focus.

“You draw a sword? Child. Have you been corrupted by the demon folk? Or did they threaten you? Don’t do this. The moment one commits evil, it becomes a mark that cannot be erased. You would be no different from a demon yourself.”

When he spoke like this, there was nothing about him that seemed mad at all.

Seo Woojin swallowed and answered.

“Then stop me, Senior. Stop me from becoming a demon.”

The Crazed Fiend sighed.

“Very well. I have no desire to raise my hand against a child like you — but if turning you back to the right path requires it……”

And then.

The Crazed Fiend vanished without a sound.

Shhk!

A faint whoosh of displaced air reached him a beat too late.

By instinct, Seo Woojin angled his sword flat and twisted his body.

BOOOOOOM!

Pop pop pop!

A thunderous crash, and he was thrown stumbling backward, step after step.

Damn it——!

Beyond what he had imagined.

The old man’s feet were fast, and his movements were silent. What appeared to be a casual swing of his fist carried the force to cleave a mountain.

Shhk! Shhk!

There was no time to think.

Every fraction of his focus went to deflecting the punches that kept surging in.

‘There’s no opening…… not even a crack——!’

Sting!

He had thought he dodged it.

But the shockwave from the fist alone opened a cut across the bridge of his nose.

Tap tap tap! Thud!

Driven back without cease, he ran into a large tree behind him — cutting off his retreat.

And the Crazed Fiend didn’t miss the opening.

He spun his body in a wide arc and drove his fist forward.

No technique, no style — just a punch.

But——

‘I’m going to die——!!’

Even feeling the terror of death, Seo Woojin kept his head.

He dropped into a split, lowering his upper body.

Simultaneously, he swept his sword at the Crazed Fiend’s lower body.

Dodge and attack in the same motion.

Shhk!

“……!!”

But the Crazed Fiend moved as though he had seen it coming.

He launched himself into the air and twisted his body mid-flight.

His right leg swept horizontally — aimed at Seo Woojin’s throat.

“Gkh——!”

Whoosh!

BOOOOOOOM!

Seo Woojin threw himself almost flat to the ground and barely got clear.

The tree took it instead.

It didn’t crack — it exploded.

Craaaaaash!

The tree collapsed to the earth.

Seo Woojin finally recovered his footing and wiped the cold sweat from his face.

‘This is bad.’

It was like being up against his grandfather.

The difference was that the Crazed Fiend had open killing intent behind every movement.

The old man landed and fixed his gaze on Seo Woojin.

He almost seemed mildly impressed that he hadn’t gone down yet.

“To possess such exceptional martial ability and still choose to stand with the demon folk. That makes you all the more unforgivable.”

In the old man’s eyes, he was already a servant of demons.

‘At this point I can hardly deny it.’

Seo Woojin smiled before he could stop himself.

The Crazed Fiend was as immovable as a mountain. Breaking through him seemed impossible.

And yet a laugh came out.

Was it the self-deprecating laugh of someone in a hopeless situation?

No.

His heart was pounding — pounding with the pressure of having to overcome this.

The fact that his heart was beating fast with excitement even now, in this situation.

The thought that he might be just as mad as the old man — that was what made him smile.

He moved the true qi in his dantian.

The rotation began, and a massive vortex formed in moments.

Ready to unleash a typhoon at any instant.

Whooooooo.

One great gust of wind passed.

“This time I’m going first, Senior.”

Whoosh!

Seo Woojin moved.

BOOOOOOM!

Mountain birds scattered in every direction at the crash——

And the two of them collided again.

BANG!

“What do you mean he disappeared!! The Crazed Fiend is gone!!”

Gok Taejun’s voice cracked with agitation. Cheon Doyun’s cold voice cut in over it.

“How did he get away?”

The man prostrating himself before the two flinched hard.

He stumbled over his words, barely managing to speak.

“Th-there were rumors circulating at the site about demon folk appearing. A-and then word came that demon folk had actually shown up……”

Cheon Doyun let out a slow breath and replied shortly.

“Short version.”

“Yes, yes! Wh-when our men tried to report back immediately — th-the White Dragon of the Four Black Dragons appeared, and……”

He didn’t need to hear the rest.

If the Four Black Dragons had moved, they wouldn’t have left loose ends.

Every man deployed for this job was dead.

The man groveling before him had probably been lounging somewhere comfortable, found out late, and come crawling in only now.

Cheon Doyun laughed quietly.

Gok Taejun’s expression soured at the sight.

“You’re laughing? You can actually laugh right now?”

“I can’t help it. I didn’t have high expectations — but failing at something as simple as watching and waiting. The fact that you associate with insects like this is baffling, honestly.”

When the arrow turned back toward him, Gok Taejun’s face went rigid.

But he had nothing to say in return.

The men he had introduced had failed — there was no arguing that.

Cheon Doyun shook his head and rose from his seat.

Then——

Shing! Shck!

Thud.

In a single motion he drew his sword and cut the prostrating man’s throat.

Gok Taejun clicked his tongue faintly — but raised no objection.

He asked instead.

“What’s the plan now? Shouldn’t we put people out to find the Crazed Fiend while we still can?”

Cheon Doyun flicked the blood from his blade and answered.

“Pointless. If this information is only reaching us now, it means Woon Seorin’s side has been controlling it. They’ve almost certainly scattered false trails of the Crazed Fiend’s movements all over the area.”

“Tch. That scheming woman. So we just sit here and wait? If they lured the Crazed Fiend out, it means they have some kind of plan, doesn’t it?”

Cheon Doyun swept back his hair and sighed.

“Right. Did the Cho Clan sell Woon Seorin the information too? Hah — no. That’s not what matters right now.”

He murmured it half to himself, then turned toward the map hanging on the wall.

“Luring him means they needed somewhere away from our eyes. A place where information can be tightly controlled and things can be done quietly.”

It wasn’t difficult.

He had already been thinking of this location.

Tap.

Cheon Doyun pressed his finger to a point on the map.

“Tianmu Mountain. The Crazed Fiend will be there.”

Gok Taejun was already on his feet.

“I’ll get the warriors together.”

“Call Suryeon too. Even if they managed to lure the Crazed Fiend out, they won’t have the force to subdue him. Since it’s come to this — let Suryeon be the one to deal with him.”

“Understood. I’m going.”

Gok Taejun left immediately.

Alone in the room, Cheon Doyun finally let his composure slip.

Damn it.

There was no excuse for this. It was his mistake, plain and simple.

He had underestimated them. If he had kept even a small amount of his guard up, he never would have trusted those insects with anything.

But it was still recoverable.

No matter how capable the Four Black Dragons were, they couldn’t subdue the Crazed Fiend.

He told himself that. Held onto it.

And still had to spend a long while suppressing the rage simmering inside him.

Fwwwt!

Mountain birds took flight in a rush of wings.

There was only one path leading into Tianmu Mountain from Lin’an County.

Yoo Geonwoo — having cleared out Cheon Doyun’s eyes in Hangzhou — had arrived at that path and was watching the birds scatter into the distance.

Most likely the signal that Seo Woojin and the Crazed Fiend had clashed.

“Hmm.”

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried.

In fact, he had fully expected Seo Woojin to take a serious beating. Maybe even be left crippled.

But stopping him hadn’t been possible.

[Those are the Military Advisor’s orders. This matter is entirely in Young Master Seo’s hands. Even if he is on the verge of death — our intervention is to be delayed until the absolute last possible moment.]

What was Woon Seorin thinking?

If he actually died from this, was there a contingency?

Or was she trying to confirm something.

Whether he had what it took to go all the way with them.

“Interesting. I’d honestly rather watch it in person.”

Yoo Geonwoo clicked his tongue and turned.

At a distance — a sizable group was closing in.

“Sharp.”

Seo Woojin really wasn’t ordinary.

[I’ll be scattering false information — but they may find this place faster than we expect. You two keep their approach blocked.]

Yoo Geonwoo exhaled quietly.

The instinct to predict the enemy’s movements and prepare for them was good.

But did Seo Woojin realize how much that raised his own exposure?

“Song Biryeong will be holding the middle of the mountain as fallback if I get pushed through. Which means the only one actually at his side is the Chief……”

It was reckless.

No matter how he thought about it, this plan carried far too much risk.

Was this Seo Woojin’s reckless gamble?

Or a precisely calculated judgment?

Yoo Geonwoo stopped turning it over and shook his head.

“What’s there to think about. Wrap this up fast and go help. Right?”

He glanced sideways — and someone emerged from the undergrowth.

Muk-yeong. He had been watching the Cheon and Gok Clan’s movements.

He relayed the information through hand signs.

— Gok Clan’s Blood Breaker Unit, over thirty strong. The Cheon Clan candidate, Cheon Suryeon, is with them. Gok Taejun is leading the group personally.

At Muk-yeong’s briefing, Yoo Geonwoo shook his head.

“Hah. I thought I recognized a face in there.”

Gok Taejun at the front of the group had clearly spotted Yoo Geonwoo too — his pace was picking up rapidly.

In moments he had arrived and stood before them.

“White Dragon……. You dare——”

At Gok Taejun’s fury, Yoo Geonwoo raised a hand in casual greeting.

“Ah. How’s the head? You passed out so suddenly that day — you’d believe me if I said I was genuinely concerned, wouldn’t you?”

Gok Taejun roared.

“Shut your mouth!! You dare mock me!! I remember every single thing you did to me that night!!”

Yoo Geonwoo let out a thin, cold laugh.

“And knowing that — you still walked around with your head that high? For an heir of the Gok Clan to have taken a hit from someone who used to beg in the gutter……”

“I told you to shut it, you——!!”

BOOM!!

Gok Taejun’s fury erupted. He drove his foot into the earth, and the ground cracked beneath it.

He looked ready to hurl himself at Yoo Geonwoo at any second.

He would have — if a woman hadn’t stepped in between them.

“Young Clan Head Gok. We don’t have time for this.”

“Grk.”

Under ordinary circumstances he would have screamed at her to stay out of it. But one look at those cool, flat eyes — and the words died in his throat.

Gok Taejun swallowed his frustration and stepped back.

The woman moved forward in his place and folded her hands in a formal salute toward Yoo Geonwoo.

“I’m Cheon Suryeon.”

She stated her name. Then got straight to it.

“You’re not going to step aside, are you?”

Yoo Geonwoo smiled faintly, a little reluctant.

“I was hoping to wrap this up quickly and be on my way. But it looks like that’s not going to be easy — I wasn’t expecting the Cheon Clan’s killing machine to come in person.”

A sharp thing to say to a woman — but Cheon Suryeon’s expression didn’t change.

She simply answered in the same measured tone.

“No. Then stop us. Attack.”

At Cheon Suryeon’s small nod, the Gok Clan’s Blood Breaker Unit surged forward as though they had been waiting for exactly that signal.

Watching the enemies close in without a sound, Yoo Geonwoo exhaled.

“Haah. Muk-yeong. Watch yourself.”

“……”

A brief exchange of looks——

And then Yoo Geonwoo and Muk-yeong launched themselves at the incoming force.

BOOOOOOM!

At the thunderous crash, the mountain birds were sent wheeling frantically into the sky once more.

(End of Chapter 18)