Chapter 597: You Were Quite the Amazing Fellow
Chapter 597: You Were Quite the Amazing Fellow
Exhaustion hung heavy over everyone.
The warriors of the Heavenly Will Palace huddled around their campfires in silence. There was no idle chatter, no boasting of past exploits—only hollow eyes staring into the flickering flames.
It was then that a man approached, a wooden box balanced on his shoulder. It was Geom Mu-geuk, clad in the standard uniform of a Heavenly Will Palace martial artist.
"I don't recognize your face."
At the question from a warrior across the fire, Geom Mu-geuk set the box down and squeezed into the circle.
"That’s because it’s our first time meeting. Hey, make some room, will you?"
The other warriors let out short, dry chuckles. With so many reinforcements stationed in the camp, it was impossible to know every face. They simply assumed he was a fresh arrival sent to fill the gap left by someone who had fallen.
Geom Mu-geuk pulled a bottle of wine from his box, took a long swig, and tossed it to the man who had first spoken.
"Where did you get wine?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"No. Fair point."
The man took a deep drink. The others waited their turn, each taking a desperate gulp as the bottle was passed around. As the war dragged on, finding alcohol had become as difficult as plucking stars from the sky.
Geom Mu-geuk’s behavior was so natural, and the gift of wine so welcome, that no one suspected the stranger. If he were an enemy, surely he wouldn't just walk in and sit among them like this.
He had successfully infiltrated deep into the heart of the Heavenly Will Palace’s camp. His target was the central command tent visible just ahead.
This won't be easy.
The area was heavily guarded, but the sentries weren't the real problem.
While he currently lacked the internal energy to perform the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, he could still execute a modified version of the Wind God Four Steps. Evading the eyes of ordinary guards was simple enough.
The real issue was the Palace Master of Heavenly Will and the true masters guarding him. He wouldn't be able to sneak past them unnoticed. Still, having come this far, it would be a waste to turn back. He had to find a way.
Just then, the warrior from before nudged him. "Is there any more wine?"
"There is. But can you handle the consequences if you drink it?"
Geom Mu-geuk jerked his chin toward the large central tent. He was implying the wine was reserved for the high-ranking officers inside. They might get away with filching one bottle, but if they took more and got caught, the price would be far steeper than the wine itself.
The man didn't dare ask again. Instead, he spat out a bitter complaint.
"Damn it. I wonder when this cursed war will finally end."
The others around the fire chimed in.
"It’ll end soon. Haven't you heard the rumor? The Martial Emperor Divine Sword has arrived. He’ll be dueling our Palace Master any day now."
"What if our Palace Master loses?"
"What do you mean, 'what if'? Then we’re all dead meat."
At the mention of death, they actually laughed—a grim, hollow sound.
Listening to them, Geom Mu-geuk realized they were no different from the warriors of the Murim Alliance. They might have joined the war with grand ideals, but as time passed, everyone shared the same single wish: for the slaughter to end.
Suddenly, a warrior came running from the distance.
"The Palace Master has returned!"
Everyone scrambled to their feet, and the camp became a hive of frantic activity.
Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes gleamed.
That means the Palace Master isn't in that tent right now.
Carrying his box, Geom Mu-geuk moved swiftly toward the command tent. He set the box down nearby and put his skills to use. Even without using flashy footwork that could deceive a man to his face, slipping into a tent guarded only by ordinary warriors was child's play for him.
As expected, the interior was empty. Everything inside was luxurious—from the thick furs covering the chairs to the ornate table, and even the wine bottle and jade cups resting upon it.
He had entered knowing the Palace Master would arrive shortly because he had a specific plan in mind.
Soon, footsteps approached from outside, and two men entered.
When they stepped inside, Geom Mu-geuk was nowhere to be seen.
He had activated the Space-Time Displacement Technique. The pocket he had created was only large enough for one person to stand in—a sliver of darkness without a single ray of light.
It was the only space he could manifest with his current internal energy. This was only possible because his constant training in the Space-Time Displacement Technique and the Time Heaven Secret Technique had raised his mastery to a level where he could fold space with a mere pittance of energy.
From within the displaced space, Geom Mu-geuk watched the two men. They were an old man and a middle-aged man.
Deep furrows of time were etched into the old man’s face, yet it felt wrong to simply call him "old." His back was straight, and his gaze was piercing. He didn't give off the feeling of a setting sun at the end of its life, but rather the scorching heat of a sun at its zenith.
This was Wi Mu-cheon, the Palace Master of Heavenly Will.
He was the very man who had ignited a war against the Murim Alliance, the symbol of the Orthodox Faction.
Wi Mu-cheon paused abruptly and scanned the room. He seemed to have sensed a slight dissonance in the air. It was a moment that revealed just how formidable his martial prowess truly was.
"What is it, My Lord?" asked the middle-aged warrior who had entered with him.
He had a hardened expression, looking like a man who would never retreat under any circumstances. This was Baek Yang-gi, the Palace Master of the Guardian Palace, one of the Three Great Divine Palaces.
"It is nothing."
Wi Mu-cheon had failed to detect the Space-Time Displacement Technique.
He sat in his chair and poured wine from the bottle on the table.
"Then please, rest well."
As the Guardian Palace Master turned to leave, Wi Mu-cheon spoke.
"Do you know why the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Unorthodox Path Alliance are not intervening in this fight against the Murim Alliance?"
The Guardian Palace Master turned back and answered.
"I presume it is because they hope the spirit of the Orthodox Murim will be severely damaged by this war."
Wi Mu-cheon nodded at the calm reply.
"Indeed. The strategy of 'borrowing a knife to kill.' They intend to strike the Murim Alliance using the Heavenly Will Palace as their blade. That is their scheme."
Wi Mu-cheon had started the war knowing their intentions better than anyone.
It was a strategy that exploited the long-standing hatred between the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic factions. Because of that ancient animosity—the inability to stand seeing the other side prosper—he was confident they would never help the other, even if they were under attack.
Just as expected, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Unorthodox Path Alliance did not aid the Murim Alliance. Instead, they provided back-end support to the various minor sects that were helping the Heavenly Will Palace.
"They likely believe we will both be destroyed in this fight against the Orthodox Murim."
The smile formed by the wrinkles around Wi Mu-cheon’s mouth was full of confidence.
"But because of their arrogance, we shall be the ones to emerge victorious."
The Guardian Palace Master’s gaze deepened. Who is the truly arrogant one? Does the Palace Master truly believe he can achieve the unification of the Murim?
"Have a drink."
Wi Mu-cheon held out a cup to the Guardian Palace Master, who accepted it respectfully.
Trickle.
"You were against this war."
Their gazes locked over the wine falling into the cup.
The Guardian Palace Master knew. He knew the Palace Master’s desperate dream was the unification of the world. He knew he had prepared for many years for that dream. And yet...
"The Martial Emperor Divine Sword is a powerful man."
The Guardian Palace Master knew these words could wound Wi Mu-cheon’s pride if taken the wrong way. But they were words that had to be said.
Even if they killed the Martial Emperor Divine Sword, many hidden masters of the Orthodox Faction would emerge once the Murim Alliance collapsed.
And was that all?
The Unorthodox Path Alliance remained, and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult remained.
Unification of the World.
The only thing that could fill those four words was blood.
And the moment those words were combined, they became a monster that could never be satiated, no matter how much blood it drank. One couldn't even imagine how much blood would have to be poured out to complete that sentence.
Wi Mu-cheon silently poured a cup for himself.
Of course, the Guardian Palace Master knew. The Palace Master wasn't a madman crazed for blood. He simply had a powerful will toward the unification of the Murim. He understood the ambition. As a martial genius, Wi Mu-cheon was the most powerful master in the history of the Heavenly Will Palace.
"I apologize."
At the Guardian Palace Master’s apology, Wi Mu-cheon said something unexpected.
"This war is not my war."
Wi Mu-cheon emptied his cup. The Guardian Palace Master waited until he finished, then poured him another as he asked, "Then whose war is it?"
"Heavenly Will's."
A brief silence followed.
The Will of Heaven.
The Heavenly Will Palace existed to protect and carry out that will. No one knew exactly when the palace had been founded, but the fact that it was an organization dedicated to the Will of Heaven remained unchanged.
"I do not believe Heaven desires blood."
The Guardian Palace Master shared his honest feelings. He knew this, too, would offend the Palace Master, but it was something he had to say. The Guardian Palace existed to protect the Heavenly Will Palace.
Wi Mu-cheon stared at the Guardian Palace Master. The tension escalated, but the Guardian Palace Master did not flinch.
As if he had expected this reaction, the Palace Master did not get angry. Instead, he shared a startling fact.
"The Secret Casket has awakened."
"!"
The Guardian Palace Master was shocked. Not only him, but Geom Mu-geuk, who was listening from the void, was also stunned. He knew the Secret Casket was related to the Heavenly Will Palace, but he hadn't expected to hear about it here.
What could it mean that the Secret Casket had awakened?
"As you know, the Secret Casket is a sacred relic of this palace, said to contain the Will of Heaven. No one knows who made it or for what purpose, but after the first Palace Master obtained it, the Heavenly Will Palace has existed through the generations to protect it."
From his words, Geom Mu-geuk learned the true origin of the artifact.
So the Secret Casket was a sacred relic of the Heavenly Will Palace.
He understood more clearly why the casket had brought him here.
The Guardian Palace Master looked at Wi Mu-cheon with a face full of shock. He found it hard to believe. For years, the Secret Casket had existed merely as a symbol. Like a bell in one sect, an incense burner in another, or a sword in a third.
But that Secret Casket has awakened?
Wi Mu-cheon showed him the proof directly. He pulled something from his robes.
"The Secret Casket produced this."
What Wi Mu-cheon held was a small Secret Casket.
The moment he saw it, the Guardian Palace Master knelt on the spot in a gesture of respect. It was identical in shape to the large Secret Casket.
"In accordance with the Will of Heaven, I shall follow the intent of the sacred relic with my whole being."
The Secret Casket, the sacred relic of the Heavenly Will Palace, was not something one dared to look at directly. In reality, the Secret Casket was kept in the palace treasury, and only the Palace Master was permitted to enter.
Wi Mu-cheon’s eyes were also filled with awe and respect as he looked at the casket.
"I can feel the power contained within. It is a terrifying power. Not something the likes of the Martial Emperor Divine Sword can stop."
Only now did the Guardian Palace Master understand why the Palace Master had started such an unreasonable war.
It was at that moment.
Incredibly, the Secret Casket wailed.
Woooooong.
Even Wi Mu-cheon was startled. This was the first time it had reacted since he had obtained the small casket.
Wi Mu-cheon held the casket high, and the Guardian Palace Master bowed his head low.
"I have started this fight according to the Will of Heaven."
"I shall assist you, My Lord, so that you may surely achieve the unification of the world according to the Heavenly Will."
A resolve to no longer question the meaning of the war bloomed on the Guardian Palace Master’s face.
Watching this, Geom Mu-geuk realized one thing.
The Secret Casket didn't wail because of the Palace Master.
It was because the Secret Casket in his own robes was vibrating right now. Geom Mu-geuk could feel it instinctively.
They are the same casket.
Across three hundred years, the two Secret Caskets were resonating with each other. The fact that he had been brought here across such a long time must have been possible because that casket was here.
You... you were quite the amazing fellow.
Sorry. I didn't know you were such a grand sacred relic when I drew a smiley face on you.
Just then, a subordinate’s voice was heard from outside.
"The Divine Maiden of the Divine Maiden Palace has arrived."
The Divine Maiden was the leader of the Divine Maiden Palace, another of the Three Great Divine Palaces.
The two men were surprised by the news of her arrival. The fact that the Divine Maiden had come to the battlefield in person meant something incredibly important had happened.
"Bring her in."
A moment later, women dressed in white robes entered first. As they lined up on both sides to create a path, the Divine Maiden walked in between them.
Ye Seol, the Palace Master of the Divine Maiden Palace.
Her eyes were covered with a white cloth. Though her eyes were veiled, she was known to see everything in the world. A sacred energy flowed from her body, and with every step she took, it felt as if mystery was blooming like a shimmering haze.
Wi Mu-cheon greeted her respectfully. Although the Divine Maiden was technically his subordinate, she was a special existence.
"What brings the Divine Maiden to such a treacherous place?"
The Divine Maiden spoke, her voice possessing a calm dignity. In a voice that commanded everyone's attention, she said:
"A prophecy has been handed down."
At those words, both Wi Mu-cheon and the Guardian Palace Master were stunned.
The reason the people of the Heavenly Will Palace respected and valued the Divine Maiden was because she read the heavenly secrets and delivered prophecies. Among all the Divine Maidens in history, she was the one who gave the most accurate prophecies.
Wi Mu-cheon and the Guardian Palace Master both clasped their hands in a fist salute.
"On behalf of this palace, we listen to the Will of Heaven."
Expectation filled Wi Mu-cheon’s eyes. This was a prophecy delivered on the eve of a crucial battle. He desperately hoped it was a positive prophecy regarding his unification of the world.
"It is said that the unification of the world shall be achieved."
Joy flooded Wi Mu-cheon’s face. Yes, there was a reason the Secret Casket awakened. Now I know why it wailed.
But then, startling words flowed from the Divine Maiden’s lips.
"However, the Will of Heaven does not lie with you, My Lord."
"!"
Confusion clouded Wi Mu-cheon’s face.
Didn't she just say the world would be unified? But the Will of Heaven didn't lie with him?
A shocking prophecy followed from the Divine Maiden.
"The time when the Heavenly Will of this palace shall be fulfilled is three hundred years from now."