Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The moment I sensed something unnatural, I moved immediately.

The location was deep within the frontlines, close to what could only be described as ruins.

It was even further in than the forest where the Fire Artisan Demon had been lurking.

This alone was enough to make me deeply suspicious.

"This is Gu Clan territory."

I knew this place better than I had expected.

The forest? That could be dismissed as another Orthodox Faction’s responsibility.

But from the ruins onward, it was Gu Clan territory.

And sure enough, I could sense the presence of Gu Clan’s sword units moving throughout the area.

"A hidden armory in Gu Clan territory?"

That didn’t make any sense.

Not only had I never heard of anything like this…

"If such a place existed, how could we not have known?"

If the Peng Clan leader or the Fire Artisan Demon had discovered the armory in this location,

Then Gu Clan should have known first.

Was it really possible that outsiders had snuck in and uncovered the armory before us?

Well, perhaps—

"The Fire Artisan Demon, the Peng Clan leader, and the other Four Calamities are all high-level martial artists."

I was only thinking this way because my own cultivation level had grown too high.

But they were all Hwagyeong-level warriors.

For those on their level, it wasn’t impossible to erase their presence and steal from the armory undetected.

So in theory, it was possible—

"But still."

Even considering that, I found it hard to believe.

"There’s no way Gu Clan didn’t know."

If this were a different time, then maybe.

But now? That was different.

"My clan isn’t exactly a normal place anymore."

A strange and twisted family.

Would our clan really fail to notice someone moving in and out of our own territory?

I didn’t think so.

"They knew and let it happen."

Of course, there was a small—a very small—chance that they truly hadn’t noticed.

But in my opinion, the more likely answer was that they let it slide on purpose.

"If that’s the case, then this situation is even messier than I thought."

If the Gu Clan knew, then why did they ignore it?

If there really was an armory, then why did it exist in the first place?