[Sword Empress's POV]
Step, step.
"The Martial Alliance, huh…"
It had been quite a while since I'd last set foot here.
Aside from the time I'd searched for "Dan Yoo-sung" after Soyeon's incident, I rarely left the mountain. As a martial artist trained in Huashan's swordsmanship—not its sect leader—I had little reason for the Alliance to summon me. And if they did, unless it was urgent or unavoidable, I'd have declined.
The current Alliance Leader, along with the sect leaders, faction heads, and family patriarchs of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, belonged to a different generation than mine. An old relic like me, stubbornly lingering past my time, would only make them uncomfortable if I showed my face too often. So, I avoided public appearances as much as possible.
To reiterate, I wasn't Huashan's sect leader.
That's why I'd intended to refuse this summons too…
"Yeo So-cheon…"
