Chapter 91: The Past of the Moon Evil Sword (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91: The Past of the Moon Evil Sword (2)
“Three hundred years ago...? Young Master, what on earth do you mean?”
Sama Yeong asked, looking utterly dumbfounded by my words.
I had expected this reaction.
To claim that I had defeated the Golden Emperor—the man known as the worst tyrant in history three centuries ago—would sound like a preposterous joke to anyone else.
“Gasp!”
Sama Yeong covered her lips with her palm and whispered.
“Don’t tell me... Young Master, are you actually much older than my father...?”
“...No.”
I didn't realize she could misunderstand it that way.
It seemed she thought I had been alive for over three hundred years. Given what I’d just said, I suppose it was a reasonable assumption.
“Do you remember the Foggy Forest?”
“Ah! Yes. What exactly happened back then? You said you’d tell me later.”
At her words, Sama Chak also looked at me with curiosity, his interest piqued.
The Sodam Sword asked me.
I felt I had to tell them at least some of it. This was no longer just someone else's business; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that my father-in-law and Sama Yeong were at the very center of this affair. They needed to know something about that man.
“It happened while we were heading toward Wuhan City. The Foggy Forest suddenly appeared before us.”
“I heard that much from Yeong.”
“Then this will be easier to explain. After entering the Foggy Forest, I found my way into the Fuse, a paradise for the ancient Taoists.”
“The Fuse?”
Both of them looked puzzled. It made sense; there was no way such a name would be known in the secular world. I decided it would be better to mention him directly.
“It is a place created beyond time and space by several masters who attained the Great Dao—including the Sword Immortal—in order to leave the secular world behind.”
“The Sword Immortal?”
The moment those words left my mouth, my father-in-law’s eyes widened.
Was there anyone among those who wielded a blade—no, among anyone in the martial world—who did not know the legendary name of the Sword Immortal?
Sama Yeong also asked me in shock.
“You don’t mean the Sword Immortal I’m thinking of, do you?”
“Yes. That Sword Immortal.”
“T-That’s impossible! It’s said the Sword Immortal ascended to heaven long ago. You’re saying someone like that was inside that Foggy Forest?”
To be precise, he had simply left the secular world along with other Taoists. As the story was passed down, it became distorted into the legend of his ascension. Of course, the ultimate goal of the masters was indeed ascension. To that end, they were cultivating their Way within the Fuse.
“...It is difficult to believe a word you’re saying. Both regarding the Golden Emperor and the Sword Immortal.”
“I expected as much.”
Anyone would find it hard to believe. Perhaps showing them would be better than a hundred explanations. The Sword Immortal might scold me if he knew, but what else could I do?
I drew the Namcheon Iron Sword from its scabbard.
Sring!
“They say seeing is believing, so I shall show you.”
“Show us what?”
“A portion of the Great Dao Heavenly Thunder Sword Method, which I inherited from the Sword Immortal.”
“!?”
At the mention of the Great Dao Heavenly Thunder Sword Method, a strange light flickered in my father-in-law’s eyes. It was common knowledge that the Sword Immortal’s technique had vanished from the world because he ascended without leaving a successor.
As I channeled the thunder energy and concentrated it into the blade—
Crackle! Zap!
Blue streaks of lightning coiled around the blade of the Namcheon Iron Sword.
My father-in-law’s narrowed eyes flew wide at the sight. A peerless master of his caliber would recognize instantly that the energy radiating from the sword was anything but ordinary.
“This is...”
“It is the Thunder Sword of the Great Dao, from the Great Dao Heavenly Thunder Sword Method.”
“Young Master... did you really... inherit a sword technique from the Sword Immortal?”
Sama Yeong asked in a trembling voice.
I nodded casually. Sama Yeong let out a series of exclamations, muttering "unbelievable" over and over. If Yeong-yeong had seen this, her reaction would have been quite a sight to behold.
The Sodam Sword chuckled.
After staring blankly at the blue lightning for a moment, my father-in-law finally spoke.
“The legend that when the Sword Immortal, the Number One Sword Under Heaven, swung his blade, it was as if lightning struck from the heavens... It wasn't just an idle rumor.”
I had heard that legend as well. And it was the truth.
“...You have obtained a serendipitous encounter of a lifetime.”
My father-in-law spoke to me with a slightly trembling voice. I could sense a strange hint of envy in his tone. What swordsman wouldn't be envious of someone who had inherited the legacy of the Sword Immortal, the man once called the greatest under heaven?
“I was lucky.”
Now that I had demonstrated the Thunder Sword of the Great Dao, the reactions of my father-in-law and Sama Yeong were markedly different from before.
Step.
I withdrew the lightning, sat down, and tossed a dry branch into the campfire.
“Everything I am about to tell you is the truth.”
I slowly recounted the events that took place after entering the Foggy Forest. From the ill-fated encounter with the Sword Immortal’s first disciple, Jagyeongjeong, to being trapped in that timeline and eventually meeting the Golden Emperor—I told them the entire process.
“Good heavens.”
Throughout the story, the father and daughter could not hide their amazement.
Of course, I didn't tell them everything. I kept certain crucial details to myself, such as the Seven Stars Profound Gate that allowed me to hear the Voice of the Sword, or the fact that this wasn't the first time I had traveled back in time.
However, I told them everything regarding the situation I had faced.
By the time I finished, Sama Yeong’s eyes were brimming with tears.
“To think that the seven months we spent here were such a long time for you, Young Master...”
“It’s alright. I made it back safely, didn't I?”
Sama Yeong really was a woman at heart. I don't think I’d ever seen her show this many tears before.
After hearing the whole story, my father-in-law looked grim, seemingly more concerned with the gravity of the situation than my personal well-being.
“Then it seems highly likely that the Golden Emperor has avoided showing himself until now because he feared the version of you from that time.”
As expected, my father-in-law’s insight was sharp. He had deduced the circumstances accurately based on what I’d told him.
Sama Yeong spoke up, looking worried by her father’s words.
“Then the one he’s truly after might be the Young Master.”
“I can’t be certain, but it’s possible.”
I was the only one who had ever instilled fear in him. He would want to overcome that fear.
“The fact that a master who had already broken the wall back then has remained hidden in the shadows for over three hundred years suggests he is incredibly prudent and cautious.”
“I share your opinion, Father-in-Law.”
“Hmm.”
I believed that if the Golden Emperor were to step out from the shadows into the light, it would be for one of two reasons: either he was certain he had surpassed me, the successor of the Sword Immortal, or he was certain that I was no longer a threat to him.
Stroking his mustache, my father-in-law said to me, “Perhaps I know what he is after.”
“Pardon?”
“Do you think the Golden Emperor has attained perfect eternal life?”
I shook my head at the question. He really was sharp; we were thinking the same thing.
I had been pondering the difference between having two Golden Eyes versus just one. And I had reached a single conclusion.
“The Golden Emperor’s immortality is incomplete. From the fact that his recovery slows down when he’s wet to the fact that he dies if his head is severed, he falls short of true undying and immortal status.”
“I think so as well. If it were true immortality, there would be no weaknesses.”
If that was the case, we could deduce one more thing: the existence of Seobok, the man with two Golden Eyes.
The Golden Emperor must have undergone the procedure for the Golden Imperial Body through Seobok, reaching a halfway point of immortality. Seobok, on the other hand, was a truly immortal being. The Golden Emperor had imprisoned him and was now trying to recapture him.
Until now, because I didn't know the identities of the Golden Emperor or Seobok, it was hard to guess what he wanted. But now it was different. What that man wanted from Seobok was...
“I believe the Golden Emperor is trying to achieve perfect immortality.”
My father-in-law nodded in agreement.
“The reason he hasn't shown himself until now might be because he assumed you, like the other Taoists, had consumed the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill, the elixir of eternal youth. It was likely because of the final warning you gave him.”
It was quite a coincidence. My final words had become his shackles.
[Do not forget. As long as Your Majesty draws breath, I will continue to watch you. I hope you do not lose your one and only life by crossing my path.]
The man must have considered immortality the minimum requirement to face me—the only way they could truly settle their score.
My father-in-law let out a heavy sigh and spoke in a serious voice.
“Ah... we should have risked everything to catch him back then. By now, he might have already achieved perfect eternal life.”
My father-in-law assumed Seobok had already fallen into the Golden Emperor’s hands.
“We don’t know that for sure yet.”
“We don't?”
“Seobok originally helped the Golden Emperor. However, for reasons unknown, he was imprisoned in Bongnim Valley by the Golden Emperor for a very long time.”
Hearing this, my father-in-law’s eyes lit up. “It could be because Seobok refused to obey him.”
“Yes. If Seobok were the type to easily give away the secret of eternal life, Qin Shi Huang would still be ruling the Central Plains today.”
But Seobok had vanished, just as the Records of the Grand Historian stated. There was no way such a man would have given the secret of perfect immortality to a tyrant comparable to Qin Shi Huang. That was likely why their relationship soured, leading to his long imprisonment in Bongnim Valley.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. The treasure Seobok had hidden by creating the five Demon Swords and splitting the map...
The Tomb of King Ping!
That’s where he hid it.
Seobok had asked the master smith Gu Yaja to ensure the swords were never gathered in one place. And he made it so that ordinary people could never possess these Demon Swords. What could be so important that he would hide it so thoroughly?
The true secret to eternal life. That must be the treasure Seobok hid. That was why the Golden Emperor had used every means possible to obtain the five Demon Swords.
A problem?
That was the crux of the matter. If I were Seobok and wanted to hide the secret of eternal life for certain, I would have asked Gu Yaja to make the map in a way that even I wouldn't know the location.
That was the issue. Even if we set the map aside, he wouldn't have entrusted the secret of eternal life to someone else to hide. That meant Seobok himself likely knew the location. In the end, if Seobok were to break under the Golden Emperor’s pressure, the secret of eternal life could fall into his hands.
There’s no time to waste.
I had to find out whether the secret of eternal life had fallen into his hands or not. There was a simple way. I had to go to the Tomb of King Ping and see if the treasure was still there. Only then would I know if he had it. If that man had already achieved perfect immortality, I might be facing the worst enemy imaginable.
I spoke cautiously to my father-in-law.
“Father-in-Law. May I ask a favor of you?”
“A favor?”
Though puzzled, he nodded. I reached into my pouch and pulled out two medicinal pills.
“What are those?”
“Small Restoration Pills.”
They were two of the three Small Restoration Pills I had obtained from the Shaolin Temple. I handed one to my father-in-law and one to Sama Yeong.
“Internal energy might not mean much to you anymore, Father-in-Law, but taking this Small Restoration Pill will help you recover your vitality much faster.”
“But why give such a precious thing to me?”
Sama Yeong looked at the pill I gave her with confusion.
I smiled warmly and said, “It will be of help to you.”
In my heart, I wanted to give Sama Yeong a Great Return Pill, but I felt I should save those for an absolute emergency. Even gaining ten years' worth of internal energy would be a great help to her.
“Hehe.”
Sama Yeong clutched the pill I gave her tightly, looking precious.
Then, my father-in-law asked me, “What kind of favor are you asking that you would even give me a Small Restoration Pill?”
“I intended to go myself, but I’m afraid time is of the essence.”
“What do you mean?”
“I would like you to go to the Green Forest with Yeong.”
“The Green Forest?”
Unlike my father-in-law, who questioned me, Sama Yeong immediately understood what I was talking about. Jwabaek and the others had not yet returned from the Green Forest. I wanted to go myself, but with Seobok now in the Golden Emperor’s hands, I didn't have the luxury.
“They haven't returned yet?”
“If what A-Song said is true, something must have happened to them. I am sorry to ask this of you, Father-in-Law, but please rescue my acquaintances and subordinates.”
With my father-in-law’s martial prowess, he would have no trouble dealing with the Green Forest as long as the Golden Emperor wasn't there.
My father-in-law frowned at my request and asked, “That isn't difficult, but what do you plan to do?”
“I will use the Sword Flight Art to head immediately to the place where I suspect Seobok hid the treasure.”
“What? How do you know where that is?”
My father-in-law was surprised once again. Explaining everything about the Demon Swords would take too long, so I gave a brief explanation.
“I happened to obtain a portion of a map left by Seobok long ago. In fact, the reason I was heading to Wuhan was to confirm what was there.”
“...So you’re certain that it’s the secret to eternal life.”
“For now, that is my assumption.”
At my words, Sama Yeong said to me, “Wait, Young Master. Rather than going alone, why don't you go with Father...”
“No. The boy is right.”
“Pardon? Father, but...”
“If he moves alone using the Sword Flight Art, he’ll arrive in no time. If you and I go with him, it will only slow him down.”
“Ah...”
Sama Yeong let out a sigh and looked at me. She seemed worried about sending me there alone.
“Don’t worry.”
I stroked her head as she looked up at me with round, kitten-like eyes. Sama Yeong leaned her forehead forward with expectant eyes, but I gently shook my head. I couldn't bring myself to kiss her forehead with my father-in-law watching.
After telling the disappointed girl where we would meet again, I asked my father-in-law to take care of things, mounted the Namcheon Iron Sword, and soared into the sky using the Sword Flight Art.
*
Watching Jin Un-hwi fly away, Sama Yeong sighed and spoke to her father, the Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak.
“I’m worried because it feels like the Young Master is trying to handle everything on his own.”
At her words, Sama Chak shook his head and replied.
“Why don't you worry about your father instead?”
“You were only like that because you were injured, Father. You’re still stronger than the Young Master, aren't you?”
Sama Chak chuckled at that. When Sama Yeong looked at him in confusion, Sama Chak snorted and spoke.
“Do you really think your future husband is weaker than me?”
“Pardon?”
As she questioned him, Sama Chak cleared his throat and ruffled her hair as if he didn't want to answer anymore.
“Ack! What are you doing?”
“You take after your mother; you certainly have a good eye for men.”
“!?”
At the passing compliment from her father, Sama Yeong, who had been smoothing her ruffled hair, broke into a wide, beaming smile.