"One year ago… the Blood Cult declared war against the world."
The moment those words were spoken, everyone reacted differently.
Ming remained calm, his expression unchanged—so calm it felt unnatural.
Gluttony stood frozen, his brows deeply furrowed. As a former general, he understood better than anyone what those words meant.
A cult declaring war against an empire was already madness…
but declaring war against the entire world?
That meant the Empire.
The Murim Alliance.
Every major force without exception.
Greed's eyes widened at the name Blood Cult. The image of that scarred woman flashed through his mind.
Pride was the most shaken of all.
For a brief instant, his expression cracked—pure disbelief flashing across his face. But he quickly regained control, masking his emotions behind a calm exterior. Still, Ming noticed that fleeting moment.
Envy and Wrath were also shocked, but their reactions were muted. They felt the weight of the news, yet it stirred nothing deeper within them.
Only silence followed.
Gluttony stepped forward and said coldly, "Tell us everything. Start from the beginning."
The boy swallowed hard. Fear filled his eyes as he looked at them.
These people… he thought. They must be experts who just came out of seclusion.
He had heard rumors before—about old martial artists who disappeared for years, cultivating in isolated places, only to return when the world had already changed. He had never believed those stories… until now.
That was the only explanation he could think of.
The entire world knew about the war, yet these people knew nothing.
Convinced, the boy nodded nervously and said,
"Yes… I'll tell you everything."
"It all started after those two traitors were sent to the Red Line—Jisoo and Hao."
Hearing those names, Ming's eyes shifted briefly toward Gluttony and Greed.
They understood immediately.
He was talking about them.
Ming spoke calmly, "What did they do?"
The boy hesitated, then said, "You… you really don't know, seniors?"
He took a breath and continued,
"There was a massive incident. An entire city was wiped out by the Blood Cult. Men, women, children—none were spared. Later, it was discovered that Hao and another man named Soho had secretly helped the Blood Cult from the inside."
Greed's fists clenched. Gluttony's jaw tightened.
"The Murim Alliance investigated the matter," the boy went on. "When the truth came out, they decided to execute them. Soho was executed."
His voice lowered.
"But when they tried to execute Hao, Soho brother—General Jisoo—appeared and fought the Murim Alliance. In the end, the Alliance Leader personally defeated Jisoo."
The boy shook his head in disbelief.
"Because of Jisoo's past contributions to the empire, they didn't execute him. Instead, he and Hao were both exiled to the Red Line."
Silence fell.
Greed and Gluttony's anger surged, their killing intent almost leaking out.
Being called traitors made their blood boil.
They wanted nothing more than to kill the man speaking.
But they endured.
They said nothing.
After they were sent to the Red Line, the Blood Cult made its next move.
They launched an attack on General Guan Yu.
The assault was sudden and brutal. Two Heaven Realm experts descended on him at once.
Even though Guan Yu himself was in the Heaven Realm, facing two opponents at the same level was impossible to win.
He fought anyway.
In the end, the attackers were forced to retreat—but not before Guan Yu was left gravely injured, his body pushed to the brink.
Hearing this, Gluttony's expression darkened.
Guan Yu…
He was the most loyal and strongest man under the Emperor. A pillar of the empire.
If they manage to take him out… the empire will fall into chaos.
At that moment, Gluttony understood.
This was not a random attack.
It was a calculated move—
a blade aimed directly at the heart of the empire.
The boy continued.
"At the same time General Guan Yu was attacked, the Blood Cult also struck another target—Hong Shunbao, one of the Ten Heavens and leader of Beggar's Sect."
Hearing this, Pride frowned.
Both attacks were perfectly timed.
"One strike to weaken the empire," Pride said coldly,
"and another to blind the Murim Alliance. With Hong Shunbao targeted, information would be cut off."
Ming and the others glanced at Pride.
It made sense.
Pride then looked back at the man.
"Is he alive?"
The man swallowed hard.
"For now… yes. When the attack happened, he was together with Abbot Mingyuan of the Shaolin Temple."
The moment that name was spoken, Greed's aura exploded.
His black qi surged violently as he stepped forward.
"If he's alive, then fine," Greed growled.
"But if he were dead… how would I take my revenge?"
The man trembled, nearly collapsing under the pressure of Greed's killing intent.
"Y-Yes… he's alive. I swear!"
Ming raised a single hand.
"Greed. Calm down."
His voice was quiet—
but it cut sharper than a blade.
Greed froze. The raging qi instantly dispersed.
He clenched his fists, then lowered his head.
"I apologize for my outburst, my lord."
Ming looked at the boy and said calmly,
"Continue. Speak wisely."
The boy trembled. His body leaned back as if he wanted to run, but he knew it was impossible.
There was no escape.
With a shaking voice, his eyes flicking toward Greed, he continued.
"B-Both of them are alive. When they were attacked, the attackers didn't know that Hong Shunbao was with Abbot Mingyuan. Together, the two of them repelled the Blood Cult."
He swallowed hard.
"That… that's all I know."
After a short pause, he added,
"After that, the empire officially declared war against the Blood Cult and ordered the Murim Alliance to defend their own lands."
His voice grew weaker.
"Not long after… the Blood Cult captured Yunnan. When the empire and the Murim Alliance tried to reclaim it, the Mongols attacked other regions. The army had no choice but to split."
The boy clenched his fists.
"And then… Japanese pirates also began attacking coastal areas. People are saying the Blood Cult is working with the Mongols and the Japanese… but we don't have any proof."
Hearing that, Pride frowned.
"No matter how I look at it… something feels wrong. How could Yunnan not be reclaimed? With the empire's army, capturing Yunnan shouldn't be that difficult. The empire has eleven Heaven Realm generals, and together with the Murim Alliance's ten Heavenly experts… how could they fail to break through?"
Ming spoke calmly, his voice cold and precise.
"What if the empire is doing this for its own benefit?"
Everyone turned to him.
Pride looked confused.
"But how does the empire benefit from all this?"
Ming's gaze sharpened.
"Did you forget the agreement?"
He raised one finger.
"The Empire would recognize Murim's independence.""The Murim Alliance would turn its strength against foreign invaders."
Silence spread.
Ming continued, his tone merciless.
"With everything happening now, Murim is forced to fight on the front lines. And if the alliance grows weak…"
His eyes darkened.
"The emperor stabs them from behind."
A chill ran through the group.
"Foreign threats eliminated. Murim crippled. empire Authority fully restored."
Ming finished quietly,
"And everything is solved."
A heavy silence followed.
No one spoke.
Pride felt a chill crawl up his spine—not because of the Blood Cult…
but because of the man beside him.
Ming lowered his hand and said calmly,
"In war, the greatest enemy is never the one in front of you."
His eyes turned cold.
"It's the one waiting for you to bleed."