Chapter 51

Chapter 51:

Amidst the tension and chaos of the feast, the grand hall fell into an uneasy silence. Just as the envoys, consumed by manipulated animosity, poised to clash, the massive doors swung open with a thunderous creak. A solitary figure emerged, clad in regal robesthat bore the weight of both shame and determination. Cheon Mujin, the first elder, stepped forward, his gaze cutting through the swirling hostility like a blade through the mist. In that moment, the air itself seemed to still, as if the very essence of retribution had taken form.

He does not look like someone who came out of closed training at all. He was wearing something far too regal to be considered as training robes.

Accompanied by that was his neatly arranged hair, and his enigmatic string-like eyes.

The room descended to a still silence at his presence, he was very mysterious, his steps were full of grace yet it felt like he was a walking mountain. Like an unstoppable river flowing down the stream.

At his entrance the entire hall paused and every cultist looked at him with disgust. The once enigmatic and respected first elder of the cult, fell from grace and now he is called as the "The Elder of Disgrace"

A hushed murmur swept through the hall as Cheon Mujin's piercing eyes scanned the room, assessing the turmoil before him. The once raucous feast now held its breath, caught in the gravitational pull of his imposing presence.

With measured steps, Cheon Mujin approached the fray, a cloak of quiet authority enveloping him. His every movement spoke of disciplined power, a stark contrast to the discord that had threatened to consume the gathering. As he reached the center of the room, the hypnotized envoys turned their attention to him, their eyes reflecting a mix of confusion and defiance.

Without uttering a word, Cheon Mujin raised his hand, a gesture that commanded both attention and respect. The air crackled with an unseen force, and the hypnotic influence began to wane. Slowly, the tension lifted, and the envoys blinked, their minds returning from the manipulated haze.

In the newfound stillness, Cheon Mujin's voice echoed with a calm authority, cutting through the remnants of the discord like a blade through the fog. "Enough," he declared, his words resonating with the weight of unyielding resolve.

"This misguided chaos ends here. They are honored guests, and we shall settle our differences with words, not blades."

The room, once a battleground in the making, transformed into a theater of wary respect. Cheon Mujin, a symbol of redemption and strength, had silenced the storm that threatened to shatter their fragile alliances. The first elder had returned, not as a broken man, but as a force to be reckoned with—a living testament to the resilience born from the ashes of disgrace.

*****

That's bullshit. Every positive impression they have about Cheon Mujin from his graceful entrance was nothing but bullshit crafted by Cheon Mujin to make himself look good.

With graceful steps Cheon Mujin walked in front of Cheon Yeowun and cupped his hands together.

"I have returned from my disgrace, my Lord. I'm ready to redeem myself." He said to Cheon Yeowun, the latter was giving him a disappointed look.

Back then at the academy, Cheon Yeowun looked up to Cheon Mujin even though he didn't show it. He saw him as this enigmatic force to be reckoned with; a reliable man that saved him from Baek Oh the Poison Man when he was sent to the detention cave, and back at the academy entrance he saved his reputation from being insulted by a mere guard and then there was also his help when he gave him information about the third test.

But now… it wasn't like back then. He failed to protect his father whom he just learned was genuine to him. His only living blood who actually genuinely loved him.

Though he doesn't blame Cheon Mujin he's just disappointed since he failed to protect Cheon Yujong.

"Hmmm. But it seems that some pesky rat got in." Then suddenly without even a warning Cheon Mujin disappeared from his position. Then in an instant he appeared right before one of the spies who was pretending to be one of the envoys.

He held out his hands with the intent to grab the latter's neck. Seeing Cheon Mujin's hand gradually closing in, his instinct yelled at him. He opened up his palm and enforced qi on it creating a blade qi.

He swung it right at Cheon Mujin's hand intending to cut it in two but suddenly he saw an image of two snakes crawling up his body. One snake was scaled with a beautiful white scale that looks like a porcelain while the other snake was an emerald skinned serpent with glistening scales of green.

"W-what?" Before he could even react, he felt something trail down from the path the two snakes crawled in on his body. A warm feeling and a stinging sensation assaulted him, then he saw it. His body was riddled with wounds, wounds that looked like a trail of slither.

He felt weak and fell to the ground but before his knee could even touch the ground Cheon Mujin grabbed his neck.

"Envoys of Wulin. I assume none of you recognize this man amongst your respective groups, right?" The envoys from the Wulin Alliance came to a realization. The man posing as one of them was unfamiliar to them. This just means one thing, he's a spy.