Chapter 156
An unfamiliar voice echoed directly inside Suhyeok's head.
Low.
Deep.
An old man's voice.
...Six Directions Voice Transmission?
Because it reverberated from every direction at once, Suhyeok couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.
He could only tell that it originated somewhere on the upper floor of the pleasure house.
[Will you come up?]
[All four of you.]
The others didn't seem affected by the Six Directions Voice Transmission.
They were still focused only on Namgung Geon, who had just been carried away.
I can at least sense his silhouette.
The old man was at minimum on par with the current Martial Alliance Leader.
An absolute master Suhyeok had never encountered before the regression.
Among the known experts of the 50th floor, only the Heavenly Demon should've been around that level.
Who was he?
A hidden master concealing his identity?
If so...
Why reveal himself now?
And for what purpose?
[Don't be so wary.]
[I only wish to have a conversation.]
"..."
The old man was calling them up, but Suhyeok couldn't sense any hostility.
If anything...
It felt as though the man wanted something from him.
"We'll go up."
Following the old man's guidance, Suhyeok headed toward the top floor with Cheon Sohee and the other three.
At the very end of the highest floor...
They could see the silhouette of an old man beyond the door.
[Come in.]
"...Brother."
Bong Taesu immediately prepared himself for battle.
"He seems to be inside."
"Are we really going to meet him?"
Kim Hyuna and Lee Yumi reacted similarly.
Only Cheon Sohee and Suhyeok remained calm.
The old man's aura had already begun raging through the corridor.
The very density of the air had changed.
The moment they stepped in front of the door...
A tremendous pressure crashed down on their shoulders.
...Is he testing us?
But...
[‘Ring of Mental Immunity’ activates.]
[Rank is used to expand the effect range.]
[The target's aura is forcibly resisted.]
Whoosh.
The pressure vanished in an instant.
Suhyeok strode forward without hesitation.
He opened the door and entered.
At last...
He met the owner of the voice.
"You are...."
"So we finally meet face-to-face."
The old man laughed.
"To think you'd resist my aura."
"I expected something along those lines, but I didn't think you'd shake it off so easily."
"Kuhahaha!"
There was something strangely familiar about his face.
He resembled someone Suhyeok knew.
His blue hair had faded with age...
But his golden eyes remained strikingly clear.
Suhyeok stared at him for a moment.
Then asked,
"...What is your relationship with the Martial Alliance Leader?"
The old man clicked his tongue.
"You're only asking now?"
"What a shame."
"The Cult Leader beside you seems to have recognized me already."
Cheon Sohee answered calmly.
"I've never seen you in person."
"But your aura resembles that annoying Alliance Leader's."
"Even your shameless personality is identical."
"Hm."
The old man stroked his beard.
"Come to think of it, you may truly never have seen me."
"I often visited when your father..."
"That is, the previous Cult Leader, was still young."
Then he turned back toward Suhyeok.
"This old man's name is Namgung Sunwoo."
"I once spent a brief time involving myself in the mundane world."
"Now..."
"I'm merely a decrepit old man."
"Heh heh."
Cheon Sohee looked annoyed by his casual tone.
She tightened her grip around Suhyeok's arm.
"What he says is true."
"There is no need to concern yourself with an old man from the Immortal Forest who already withdrew from the world."
"More importantly..."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Why did you summon this lady's husband here?"
Namgung Sunwoo burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"Kukuk."
"That personality of yours is just as obnoxious as Cheon Yeowoon's."
"If the other old fellows in the Immortal Forest heard you, they'd love it."
"If you weren't a friend of the Grand Cult Leader..."
Cheon Sohee smiled coldly.
"I would've cut out that mouth right here."
"Considering the circumstances, I'll let it slide."
"Heh heh."
"Yes, yes."
"How gracious of you."
Suhyeok replayed their exchange in his head.
The Immortal Forest....
He had heard of it before.
After the great war between the orthodox and demonic factions ended, five absolute masters who had led the era supposedly grew tired of worldly affairs and withdrew from society.
They no longer interfered with the matters of the Central Plains.
Instead, they lived as though they were immortals detached from the world.
The place where those masters gathered...
Was called the Immortal Forest.
Suhyeok immediately cupped his fists.
"This is my first time meeting you in person."
"Sword Immortal."
Bong Taesu, Kim Hyuna, and Lee Yumi followed suit.
"Haha."
"There's no need for formal greetings at this point."
Namgung Sunwoo looked over the group.
"Now that I think about it, I see a few familiar faces."
"You must be..."
"A child of the Eon family."
"And I don't recognize the young lady beside you."
"Then...."
His gaze moved to Lee Yumi.
His face immediately brightened.
"Oh!"
"Yes, yes!"
"You must be the great-granddaughter Hyeon told me about!"
"Your name was..."
"Ah, right!"
"Seon-a!"
"Hahaha!"
"You've changed your appearance, so I didn't recognize you at first."
Namgung Sunwoo seemed genuinely delighted.
He casually called the Martial Alliance Leader Hyeon.
Even Suhyeok didn't speak to the Alliance Leader that way.
There really was something different about this man.
Meanwhile...
Lee Yumi was far more concerned about something else than suddenly being called his great-granddaughter.
"I hid it..."
She muttered to herself.
"How did he see through it?"
"I stacked over a hundred layers of perception interference..."
"How did he..."
Her perception-interference magic had been something she'd prepared with considerable confidence.
Yet Namgung Sunwoo had seen through it instantly.
Bong Taesu and Kim Hyuna looked awkwardly at her.
Even the Sword Immortal seemed slightly taken aback.
"Now, now."
"Don't just stand there."
"How about we share a meal?"
"I even brought some special medicinal wine from the Immortal Forest──"
"Hahaha, Lord Sword Immortal!"
Bong Taesu was already sitting down.
"Let's eat!"
Namgung Sunwoo burst out laughing.
Some time later...
Most of the food on the table had disappeared.
So had the medicinal wine.
Bong Taesu, now pleasantly tipsy, spoke first.
"Hehehe."
"Lord Sword Immortal."
