Have you ever seen a sword weep on its own?
At the sight, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society’s eyes widened.
It was also the first time Jo I-baek had seen a sword weep by itself.
In truth, the most surprised person was Geom Mugeuk.
Since being granted the Black Demon Sword, this was the first time it had wept.
It was said that renowned swords like the Heavenly Demon Sword or the Black Demon Sword would only weep on their own when they achieved perfect communion with their master.
‘Yes, I will not let them mock us.’
When Geom Mugeuk gripped the hilt, the Black Demon Sword finally ceased its weeping.
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society glanced at Jo I-baek.
In that moment, the two men were thinking the same thing.
Jo I-baek spoke to the Four Gentlemen.
“Do not underestimate your opponent. You must fight with caution.”
The Four Gentlemen, too, were inwardly tense, as this was the first time they had seen a sword weep on its own.
Geom Mugeuk questioned them.
“Putting those men aside, are you not martial artists of the Righteous Path? Is it right for you to try and kill someone acting under the orders of the Martial Alliance Leader?”
However, not one of the Four Gentlemen felt a pang of conscience.
There was not a shred of hesitation or doubt.
It meant that up until now, they had carried out all of the True Dragon Manor Lord's commands without distinguishing between right and wrong.
Geom Mugeuk said to them, “That is a title you do not deserve.”
The moment his words ended, the Black Demon Sword was drawn as swift as a thunderbolt.
Flash!
A single streak of sword light scattered, and the Bamboo was cut in two.
It was the swift sword form, the Fifth Form of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique—Azure Heaven Form.
Bamboo of the Four Gentlemen could never block an attack that was faster than ever before.
In a flash, how could one block when their body was already being severed?
Watching Bamboo collapse beside him, spraying blood, Plum Blossom lunged forward.
Swoosh! Thwack!
Plum Blossom saw it.
His lower body remained in place while only his severed upper torso flew forward.
What had cut him in two was the First Form of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique—Balancing Heaven.
Orchid and Chrysanthemum charged from both sides simultaneously.
Their movements, however, were not as agile as usual, shocked by the instantaneous deaths of two of their comrades.
The Black Demon Sword made twelve variations in the air.
It was the Second Form of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique—Changing Heaven Form.
The noble Orchid was uprooted at the sixth variation, and the pure white Chrysanthemum’s petals were torn and scattered at the ninth.
Such was the power of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique at Twelve-Star Great Mastery.
Geom Mugeuk could feel it clearly.
The Flying Heaven Sword Technique, having reached the twelfth star, was becoming more and more refined.
Becoming a Body Invulnerable to All Poisons, the Four Divine Wind Steps reaching the Ninth Star—all these martial arts advancements were influencing the Flying Heaven Sword Technique.
Wuuuuuuung!
After cutting down the Four Gentlemen, the Black Demon Sword wept again.
When facing many opponents, the most important thing is to seize the initiative.
One must plant fear in the hearts of those who charge forward, trusting only in their numbers.
The fear that even with superior numbers, they could still die.
Now, only silence filled the air.
No one was laughing anymore.
Geom Mugeuk did not give his opponents a chance to collect themselves.
Before the order to kill him could be given, Geom Mugeuk moved first.
In a flash, he was cutting down a masked man on his left.
After piercing the man’s heart, he spun, swinging his sword.
Two masked men behind him simultaneously had their throats slit, spewing fountains of blood.
He leaped over another masked man charging from the side, shattering his face with a knee, then consecutively stabbed the masked men behind.
Thwack.
By the time the sound of flesh tearing was heard, Geom Mugeuk had already cut down a masked man who was standing awkwardly on the opposite side.
Considering his own skill, he should never have been defeated so easily, but in a flash, his neck was sliced, and his vision went dark.
The masked men who had jumped down from the roof to launch a surprise attack were instead stabbed in mid-air.
They fluttered down like fallen leaves.
Geom Mugeuk was not just fast; he was far too fast.
In an instant, a dozen men had become corpses.
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society belatedly shouted, “Attack together! Combine your attacks!”
By the time his words ended, four more were dead.
Geom Mugeuk was a tiger that had leaped into a flock of sheep.
Of course, these sheep were no ordinary ones.
They rushed in like madmen, swinging their swords.
Even as they were cut down, their swords found Geom Mugeuk’s body.
However, he did not allow any direct hits, and the glancing blows could not pierce through the Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread and the Ghost Guard Robe.
“He is faster than the Alliance Leader in his prime.”
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society said nothing to Jo I-baek’s words.
In the time it took for him to speak, three more fell.
“He is still human. He will tire.”
That was all they could hope for.
Being human, his inner energy would have its limits.
A dozen men charged, but it was Geom Mugeuk who surged forward.
He ran, but it did not look like he was running.
It was a smooth glide, like sliding on ice.
In his wake, masked men fell to the left and right.
Hidden weapons rained down from all directions.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Geom Mugeuk’s sword scattered sword light, embroidering the air.
All the incoming hidden weapons were deflected.
A few of them lodged in Geom Mugeuk’s body, but his movements did not slow in the slightest.
Geom Mugeuk shot upwards as if soaring.
The masked men who had thrown hidden weapons from the roof fell as a line of corpses.
They died if they charged, and they died if they turned their backs to flee.
They died attacking alone, and they died attacking together.
Even when they succeeded in stabbing him, Geom Mugeuk did not fall.
When he had to allow an attack, Geom Mugeuk would offer a spot protected by the Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread and the Ghost Guard Robe.
Crash.
A masked man, now a corpse, flew through the air and shattered the table where the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society and Jo I-baek were.
“One cannot fight like that with strong martial arts alone. That man… he is someone who has killed countless people.”
Watching Geom Mugeuk fight, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society could tell.
His opponent was truly experienced in battle.
It was impossible to fight like that without having crossed a river of blood.
His opponent was a man who knew how to kill most quickly and efficiently.
“How can he be, at such a young age?”
“Isn’t this why we jumped into this martial world? Because it’s so much fun.”
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society was not afraid.
It was unclear whether it was because he had something to rely on, or because he had already resigned himself to death.
When more than half of the masked men were dead, the rest lost their will to fight.
From that point on, their role devolved from killing Geom Mugeuk to simply draining his strength.
And so, the last masked man fell.
“Pant, pant, pant!”
Only Geom Mugeuk’s ragged breathing echoed in that place.
Of the three masters—the Demon-Slaying Blade, the Invincible Monk, and the Poison Elder—the first to move was the Invincible Monk, Yora-ri.
He rushed in, swinging his iron staff.
He gave Geom Mugeuk no time to rest.
Kaaang! Kaang! Kang!
The iron staff and the sword clashed repeatedly.
Yora-ri pressed on with tremendous force.
Geom Mugeuk stepped back, overpowered by the sheer strength.
Believing he had gained the upper hand, Yora-ri infused his inner energy into the iron staff.
Confident in his inner energy, he had steered the fight into a contest of inner energy.
He was confident in his inner energy, and his opponent was exhausted.
Yora-ri pushed forward with his inner energy.
He was certain he would win, but he had overlooked one fact.
The reason Geom Mugeuk was so exhausted was because he had fought while conserving his inner energy as much as possible.
No matter how much inner energy Yora-ri had, it could not compare to Geom Mugeuk’s.
Yora-ri’s arms, holding the iron staff, trembled as Geom Mugeuk’s inner energy flooded in like a tidal wave.
It was then that the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society, who had been watching the situation, gave an order.
“Poison Elder!”
The moment his words fell, something flew from the Poison Elder’s hand.
Because they were locked in a contest of inner energy, neither Geom Mugeuk nor Yora-ri could avoid it.
Boom!
A dark, poisonous smoke billowed out, swallowing both men.
“It’s done!”
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society shot up from his seat.
Rising with him, Jo I-baek asked, “What kind of poison is it?”
“It is the most potent of the Poison Elder’s toxins, the Extreme Yin Death Poison! This is the end for him!”
“Ah!”
At the leader’s conviction, Jo I-baek finally felt a sense of relief.
He had been desperately regretting his choice, wondering if he had made a mistake.
From within the black smoke, someone staggered out.
In that short time, he had been poisoned and was bleeding from every orifice.
He uttered some unintelligible words and then collapsed.
And when the billowing poison smoke settled, everyone was horrified.
Geom Mugeuk stood there, unharmed.
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society and Jo I-baek shouted at the same time.
“Immune to all poisons?”
“A Body Invulnerable to All Poisons!”
Though he was an enemy, he felt a sense of wonder.
It was the moment he was witnessing the legendary Body Invulnerable to All Poisons with his own eyes.
Enduring the poison was not the problem.
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!
The things floating before Geom Mugeuk’s chest right now.
Within the poison smoke, sword-shaped constructs of sword qi had already formed.
Their number had increased again, and now a staggering twenty of them were floating there.
The Seventh Form of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, Flowing Heaven Form.
Shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh!
The twenty constructs of sword qi flew like beams of light and pierced the Poison Elder.
He swung his twin palms, trying desperately to block them, but he could not stop the twenty constructs of sword qi flying toward his entire body.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
A rainstorm of sword qi pierced through him.
As the Poison Elder fell, the Demon-Slaying Blade was already striking down at Geom Mugeuk’s face.
In that moment, with Geom Mugeuk’s sword embedded in the wall behind the Poison Elder after unleashing the Flowing Heaven Form, he thought he would die if he missed this chance.
Geom Mugeuk narrowly dodged the attack, and just as their faces brushed past each other!
Fwooo.
Geom Mugeuk blew out the smoke he had been holding in his mouth.
“Aaaargh!”
He had held the earlier poison smoke in his mouth and spat it at the Demon-Slaying Blade.
A single mouthful was enough.
The Demon-Slaying Blade clutched his face, writhing on the ground with a terrible scream, and he too died, bleeding from all seven orifices.
Now, the only people left were Geom Mugeuk, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society, and Jo I-baek.
Looking at the corpses strewn everywhere, Jo I-baek felt as if this was all a dream.
But he realized that if he did not wake up from this nightmare soon, he too would die in this dream.
Jo I-baek shouted, “Do not forget! I am on the Alliance Leader’s side! I was the one who informed you that the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society was coming here…”
Fwoosh!
Boom!
Half of Jo I-baek’s face was blown away, and the remaining part was charred as if burned.
A powerful Extreme Yang Energy had been unleashed.
Withdrawing the hand that had unleashed the palm strike at him, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society picked up the wine cup before him and slowly drank.
“I’m the type of person who can’t rest until I’ve done what I have to do.”
It meant he had intended to kill him anyway.
When Geom Mugeuk stretched out his hand, the Black Demon Sword embedded in the wall returned to his grasp.
“You may think you’re so great, but in my eyes, you are insignificant. If you want to live quietly, then live quietly. If you want to be a hero, then step forward with dignity. What are you? Scheming from the shadows, sowing discord from behind, manipulating without being known. Recruiting a father and son separately without their knowledge. Do you think that’s cool? No, it is nothing but cowardly and despicable.”
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society gave a bitter smile.
“What can I do? That’s who I am. It’s just so fun and blissful when I’m plotting things from behind.”
He should have kept doing that.
But as his power and influence grew, he naturally became careless.
Something like today? It was unimaginable back when he only had two or ten people protecting him.
He hid, and hid again.
Now that a hundred people protected him, he had grown arrogant, as if he were invincible.
“I suppose I should return to my roots and start over.”
The body of the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society began to heat up.
At least his martial arts were not insignificant.
In an instant, the surrounding air grew hot.
In that moment, Geom Mugeuk knew.
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society was a user of martial arts of the Ultra-Extreme Yang, even among the Extreme Yang.
‘This is dangerous.’
The Black Demon Sword, having read its master’s mind, let out another long cry.
His head grew dizzy, and he felt suffocated.
It was not an illusion, but pure martial arts, so he could not counter it differently.
He held on by raising his protective energy.
He had never felt such heat in his life.
It felt as if he had been thrown into lava.
Just as the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society was about to unleash a palm strike filled with the flames of Extreme Yang!
The surroundings changed, and the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society was startled.
Whoooosh.
Suddenly, the scenery changed, and he was standing on a snowy mountain amidst a raging blizzard.
The cold blizzard striking his face was real.
Even the battle-hardened leader of the Heavenly Fate Society was shocked by this situation.
“What is this…”
Far ahead, Geom Mugeuk was scooping up the snow on the ground and rubbing it on his face.
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society also touched the snow piled on the ground.
It was real snow.
Whoooosh.
In the fierce blizzard and cold, the Extreme Yang Energy of the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society, which had been burning like a flame, subsided.
As the heat cooled, his killing intent and fighting spirit also disappeared.
The two returned to their original positions.
Standing in the middle of the manor littered with corpses, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society asked, “What martial art was that?”
“Space-Time Displacement Art.”
The moment he heard the answer, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society was no longer there.
His final move was the art of stealth.
A last, secret technique that allowed him to disappear from sight and escape.
His belief that he could survive any situation became that of prey caught in a spider’s web.
Puk!
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society opened his eyes and looked down at his chest.
Geom Mugeuk’s sword, having detected his stealth, had pierced through his heart.
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society mustered his last bit of energy to examine Geom Mugeuk.
Around Geom Mugeuk’s body, energy was being emitted like a spider’s web.
It was the same energy emission he had learned from the Heavenly Demon on their hunt, but now it spread out as densely as a spider’s web, just as his father had done.
There was no gap for the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society’s stealth to slip through.
As if he had no regrets, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society said, “…With that martial art, the Space-Time Displacement Art, poison not working, and stealth not working… Then I suppose I must die.”
Truly, in today’s battle, Geom Mugeuk had used everything he had ever learned.
Before he took his last breath, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society left his final words.
“I… have met someone like you before.”
In that instant, Geom Mugeuk was startled.
“Where? Where!”
But with those last words, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society had already passed away.
‘Hwa Mugi! This leader of the Heavenly Fate Society has met Hwa Mugi.’
Of course, it could have been someone else, but Geom Mugeuk thought the person the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society spoke of was Hwa Mugi.
Hwa Mugi was alive somewhere.
Growing strong like him, walking towards their destiny.
Geom Mugeuk was no longer afraid of him.
Because he too was living his life to the fullest.
Yes, Hwa Mugi was Hwa Mugi.
Now was the time to savor the joy of victory.
He had finally completed the successor trial given to him by his father.
The fact that he had finished it alone, without the help of the Demon Sovereigns, was particularly meaningful.
Geom Mugeuk left the manor.
Once he was gone, the Martial Alliance Leader would take care of the rest.
He had already said his farewells to Jin Pae-cheon and Jin Ha-ryeong, so he could just leave.
Outside the manor, Seo Daeryong was waiting, seated in the driver’s seat of a carriage.
“This is a carriage driven by the winner of the Young Dragon Tournament. You should feel honored.”
Contrary to his words, Seo Daeryong’s eyes were trembling.
Thank you for returning safely.
That fervent emotion filled his face.
“I’ve bought new martial robes for you inside, so please change.”
“Thank you.”
Geom Mugeuk boarded the carriage.
“Let’s go. Home.”
“Who do you want to see the most?”
Geom Mugeuk leaned back in the carriage and closed his eyes.
“The person I want to see most is…”
Only the wind, brushing past Geom Mugeuk's hair, heard the barely audible answer.
“Who did you say?”
When Seo Daeryong turned to look back, Geom Mugeuk, having poured all his mental energy into the fight, had fallen asleep.
The new martial robes he had prepared lay across his lap, not yet changed into.
‘You have truly worked hard, Pavilion Lord.’
And so, the carriage began its journey toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.