A New Era Dawns, A New Wind Blows

"*Haa... haa...*"

The Four Great Protectors, the true power of the Demonic Heavenly Cult, were Masters whom Yeo Un-hwi had evaluated as comparable to the Twelve Venerables.

Now, Jujak, one of these absolute Masters, was uncharacteristically gasping for breath.

*Good heavens...*

She was in deep shock.

She had always been more confident in her Lightfoot skill than anyone else. Honestly, she secretly harbored the pride that she might be the World's Greatest in that aspect. Even the other Four Great Protectors had often marveled at her Lightfoot skill. Her master, who was no longer of this world, had even told her that none of the current Twelve Venerables would be faster or more miraculous in Lightfoot skill than she. He was never one to speak idly, so she believed him without a doubt.

But now, that pride of hers had been shattered, all thanks to the new Heavenly Demon she now served.

Yeo Un-hwi's Lightfoot skill was on an entirely different level. It was incredibly fast, fluid, and miraculous. Its realm was so profoundly high that she couldn't simply say it was a few steps above hers. At first, she had desperately tried to keep up with Yeo Un-hwi's speed, but she quickly grew exhausted. It was simply too much.

But she didn't know. She didn't know that Yeo Un-hwi, out of consideration for her, hadn't even displayed half of his true skill.

Yeo Un-hwi glanced back, then stopped and spoke. "Don't push yourself too hard. I'll go on ahead, so take your time."

Jujak wanted to say she couldn't, but knowing she couldn't hold the Heavenly Demon back any longer, she simply nodded obediently and replied that she understood. After telling her the destination, Yeo Un-hwi, with a promise to see her later, revealed his true power and soared into the sky.

*CRACKLE!* The sound of thunder assaulted her ears. So incredibly fast was his speed that the shockwave it generated actually pushed Jujak, who was standing behind him, back a step.

For a moment, Jujak's face went blank. She then reflected on her arrogance, having believed there was no higher realm to reach in Lightfoot skill, and resolved to dedicate herself even more to training.

*No, even so, isn't that level just impossible?*

No matter how much she thought about it, Jujak lacked confidence.

Regardless, she once again soared in the direction Yeo Un-hwi had taken. Their destination was Hebei, the Peng Family.

The sky was clear, without a single cloud. Peng Seo-yeon gazed blankly up at the sky, enjoying the cool breeze.

Suddenly, the recent events felt unbelievable to her. So many things had happened. Among them, the scene that kept replaying in Peng Seo-yeon's mind was from “that day”.

That day, when the Demonic Cult stormed in to drench Hebei in blood, there she saw another side of her husband she had never known. Peng Seo-yeon had truly been shocked, as she thought she knew everything about her husband.

But because he was there, she didn't lose her father and many other things besides.

Yet, for some reason, whenever she thought of that day, tears welled up in her eyes. It was all because of her husband.

That day, Peng Seo-yeon learned many things her husband had kept hidden until then. Learning such a painful truth, she often found her eyes welling up with tears those days, wondering how difficult it must have been for her husband all that time.

It was the same now. "I miss Papa."

Yul-i, who was playing with a paper pinwheel she had made at the Academy, said from beside her.

Stroking her adorable daughter's head, Peng Seo-yeon also nodded. "Yes. Mama does too."

It was then. Once again, a pleasant, cool breeze blew. *Rustle.* Yul-i's paper pinwheel spun round and round. And beyond it, Yeo Un-hwi stood. with his usual warm smile.

Then, *Drip.* The tears she had held back until now finally streamed down.

*What is this?*

Peng Seo-yeon, embarrassed, wiped her tears with her sleeve. But soon, a smile exactly like his spread across her lips.

"I'm back."

"Welcome home."

At Yeo Un-hwi's words, Peng Seo-yeon smiled gently. Their gazes towards each other were deeper than before.

And then, "Papa!" Before she knew it, Yul-i ran towards her father with a wide smile.

It was a pleasant afternoon, with the breeze rustling.

"...What did you just say? Is that... truly the truth?"

"It is."

Unlike Yeo Un-hwi, who nodded nonchalantly, the Family Heads of the Five Great Families stood with their mouths agape, a sight uncharacteristic of their usual demeanor.

*Inside the Peng Family's Family Head's Hall, after two days, the Family Heads had practically kidnapped Yeo Un-hwi, who had reappeared, and brought him to the Family Head's Hall.*

How eagerly they had waited for him, after he had displayed such miraculous Martial Prowess and then had vanished without a word. Thus, Hwangbo Gyun finally posed a question to Yeo Un-hwi, who was now seated before them. He asked where he had been. It wasn't a challenge; well, perhaps it sounded a little like one, but it was a question born of genuine curiosity.

But Yeo Un-hwi's answer to that question utterly astonished everyone in the Family Head's Hall. "Did you truly go to the Demonic Cult? And you dealt with the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor and all Ten Great Demon Stars?"

"If they were to hear what happened to the forces they sent here to Hebei, they certainly wouldn't stand idly by. It's impossible to know what schemes they might concoct or where they might attack first, so I believed a preemptive strike was necessary." More than anything, he didn't want the Peng Family, or Hebei, to become a blood-soaked battlefield again.

"Hmph." Even Sword Emperor Namgung Hwan, Poison Rain Tang Jinwoo, Heavenly Brain Jegal Sung, and Gale Divine Fist Hwangbo Gyun, from their mouths, which rarely lost composure in any situation, came hollow, deflated laughs.

His words certainly made sense. But even so, who would ever conceive of attacking the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains alone? The very idea of launching a preemptive strike on the Demonic Cult's Main Headquarters was equally unthinkable. It wasn't as if most of their forces were depleted; although four—no, five—of the Ten Great Demon Stars had been lost, the Demonic Cult's Main Headquarters still retained most of its power. Moreover, the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor, one of the Twelve Venerables, and five of the Ten Great Demon Stars were still intact. Yet, he had broken through all of that, slaughtered them, and returned.

At Yeo Un-hwi's utterly nonchalant delivery of such terrifying news, everyone's faces went blank for a moment. *What kind of man was he, exactly?*

"Hmm? Is there a problem?" Yeo Un-hwi, feeling their gazes, tilted his head as if asking what was wrong.

"Ha, ha! Hahahaha!" At his appearance, Hwangbo Gyun let out a hollow laugh, then burst into loud laughter.

The other Family Heads also began to laugh. Had they ever, in their entire lives, heard such an absurd story? Moreover, they had never imagined they would fully believe such a tale without an ounce of doubt.

That was because they had already clearly witnessed with their own eyes the unbelievable power Yeo Un-hwi possessed. But even so, it was astonishing that such a straightforward and decisive man existed.

Of course, if one possessed the power and had made a decision, wouldn't everyone wish to put it into action? But that was not something just anyone could do.

It was clear just by looking at the Twelve Venerables. Even if some of them appeared to act recklessly, that wasn't actually the case. More than anything, they avoided clashes among the Twelve Venerables as much as possible. Even if they fought, they would somehow avoid a battle to the death.

The most recent conflict among the Twelve Venerables was the clash between Spear Ghost and Blade Emperor several years ago. And even that was known to have ended inconclusively after a few exchanges.

It made sense. The more one possessed, the greater the fear of losing it. The more so, one would avoid extreme and violent methods, and instead seek other ways to preserve what one had.

But Yeo Un-hwi was different. After fending off the Demonic Cult's surprise attack, he moved faster than anyone.

His thoughts were deep, but his deliberation was brief. And at an unexpected moment, he stormed the Demonic Cult, utterly annihilating the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor and all Ten Great Demon Stars.

He had conceived the best way to resolve the unstable situation and put that plan into action. His absolute Martial Prowess that made it possible was astonishing, but his decisiveness in execution was truly remarkable.

In truth, these were things only possible because Yeo Un-hwi had been the Blood Demon before his Regression. There were no second chances. It was a continuous string of moments where if he didn't move first, he would die without accomplishing anything. In that environment, he had realized more acutely than anyone that to avoid losing even one more thing, he had to move faster and more diligently. He had no luxury or time to leisurely weigh his options and ponder.

Yet, as Yeo Un-hwi simply smiled calmly, without revealing his painful past and suffering, people could only marvel at him.

Now, with this, one of the former Twelve Venerables and one of the current Twelve Venerables had lost their lives to a single man, at that.

"Then, for a while, we won't have to worry about the Demonic Cult," Jegal Sung agreed with Namgung Hwan's words.

"That's right. They've lost most of their forces. Even so, they won't disappear. They never do."

"Indeed."

Still, it was a relief. Before Yeo Un-hwi's return, their main concern had been how the Demonic Cult would act next, but now all those worries had vanished.

"Haha. Anyway, the Murim is going to be greatly shaken by this." Everyone nodded at Tang Jinwoo's words.

The news that the Demonic Cult's massive forces sent against the Peng Family had been defeated was already beginning to spread. That fact alone was stirring up the entire Murim. But what if the news of the Demonic Cult Leader and the Ten Great Demon Stars being annihilated also became known?

Indeed, it was unknown what would happen. The landscape of the Central Plains Murim, which had seen almost no change for decades, was now beginning to shift dramatically.

This massive upheaval would ultimately stir countless factions and Masters who had remained quiet until now. For events that would ignite their passions were unfolding continuously. Martial Artists were precisely such people.

History had always repeated itself in this way. And this pattern would usher in a new era, a new wind.

Who would be swept away by this wind, and who would endure? What heroes and Demonic Leaders would emerge? No one could know. Change always brought fervent dreams and excitement to some hearts, and fear to others.

"Therefore, I have something to say." Yeo Un-hwi opened his mouth, looking at the Family Heads of the Five Great Families.

Immediately, all eyes turned to him. "Speak." Peng Mugang, who had remained silent until then, nodded.

Then Yeo Un-hwi's eyes gleamed as he spoke. "I wish to form an Alliance, a new Alliance centered around the Five Great Families."

At Yeo Un-hwi's unexpected words, everyone's eyes widened.