The Creed of the Blacksmiths
The current Lord of Cheolgajang was Na Ho-cheol.
Cheolgajang was a sanctuary where various master artisans gathered to ply their trade.
Among them, three prominent families formed the core of the village: the Na family, to which Na Ho-cheol belonged; the Yu family, led by Vice Lord Yu Dae-soo; and the Nam family, led by the third-in-command and weapon specialist, Nam Ji-hong.
For generations, these three families had taken turns holding the title of Lord of Cheolgajang.
The very first master of Cheolgajang had come from Nam Ji-hong's family.
However, as time passed, the Nam family lost interest in the lordship.
From the beginning, their goal had been singular.
"We will forge the most perfect weapon in the world. We hope the weapons we create will surpass the Ten Great Weapons of the World."
The Ten Great Weapons of the World—legendary armaments possessing the most formidable and devastating power in the history of the Jianghu.
Surpassing them to create the ultimate weapon was the lifelong ambition of the Nam family.
That desire only intensified during the war with Matian, leading them to completely relinquish any claim to the lordship of Cheolgajang thereafter.
Nevertheless, because of their history as the first leaders and their monumental contributions to the founding of Cheolgajang, their influence remained immense.
On the other hand, the Yu family openly sought to profit from Cheolgajang's creations.
It had been the founding principle of Cheolgajang that anyone, regardless of whether they walked the righteous or unorthodox path, could come and freely obtain a weapon if they struggled to find one.
The Yu family was the first to openly oppose this tradition.
The clash between Na Ho-cheol, who sought to preserve the village's original spirit, and Yu Dae-soo, who wished to adapt to the times, was a source of great concern for Cheolgajang.
Many hoped that Nam Ji-hong, as the head of the Nam family, would throw his weight behind one side and bring an end to the dispute.
However, Nam Ji-hong expressed his stance through silence.
"Since the positions of both sides are valid, this too is simply a mindset that Cheolgajang must embrace."
Because of Nam Ji-hong's stubborn adherence to neutrality, Na Ho-cheol found himself visiting him once again today.
"The situation is growing worse by the day."
"Is that so?"
Nam Ji-hong's attitude remained as indifferent as ever.
Even now, he was focused on refining a single blade.
Just what is that weapon?
The artisans of Cheolgajang, including Na Ho-cheol, referred to the weapon in Nam Ji-hong's hands as a Demonic Sword.
After all, the sole reason Nam Ji-hong had stubbornly cut off all contact with the outside world was the weapon before him.
Nam Ji-hong's blade was thick and blunt, looking more like a club than a sword.
Though it had gradually taken on the shape of a blade over time, it still lacked the sharp edge characteristic of a proper sword.
"Is that weapon truly so important?"
"It is."
"That weapon is a Demonic Sword. A cursed blade that bewitches the minds of men."
"You are not entirely wrong. The moment I laid eyes on this, I realized my life's mission. However, let me correct one thing—this is not a sword, but a saber."
"A saber?!"
It was a revelation Na Ho-cheol had never anticipated.
He had naturally assumed it was a sword, but to think it was a saber.
"Ha! So it was not a Demonic Sword, but a Demonic Saber all along."
As Na Ho-cheol lamented while staring at the Demonic Saber, Nam Ji-hong continued.
"In truth, calling it a mission does not do it justice. This is a Heavenly Mandate that must be fulfilled. So, I ask that you bear with the hardship a little longer."
Nam Ji-hong was not blind to Na Ho-cheol's struggles.
Yet, there were two reasons he refused to step forward himself.
One was to shatter the evil malice residing within the Demonic Saber so that it could be used for a righteous purpose.
The other was to preserve the founding spirit of Cheolgajang.
"If you had sought to abandon our founding principles like Yu Dae-soo, I would have spoken up."
"..."
"But you wish to protect Cheolgajang's original spirit. Therefore, there is no reason for me to intervene."
"I suppose you are right."
Na Ho-cheol conceded the point. Though he felt a lingering disappointment at Nam Ji-hong's silence, he did not harbor any real resentment.
Coming here to vent his frustrations was enough.
* * *
Meanwhile, Yu Dae-soo was also spending a long night with his faction.
"No matter how I look at it, Nam Ji-hong's Demonic Sword is a thorn in my side."
"It certainly carries an ominous air."
The Demonic Sword that had driven Nam Ji-hong into seclusion was initially seen as an opportunity by Yu Dae-soo's faction.
But now that more than three years had passed, anxiety was beginning to creep in.
As the old saying went, bringing the wrong object into a household could lead to utter ruin.
"It is time we rid ourselves of that thing Nam Ji-hong is hoarding."
"Will that be possible?"
"It is possible if we are willing to make a sacrifice."
Even Yu Dae-soo could not resolve this through sheer force.
No matter what anyone said, Nam Ji-hong was the direct descendant of the first Lord of Cheolgajang.
While Na Ho-cheol handled the day-to-day affairs of the village, it was impossible to completely ignore Nam Ji-hong's will or the influence of the Nam family.
Even if he pretends otherwise, he ultimately wants to preserve Cheolgajang's original spirit.
No, it was a certainty.
In fact, Nam Ji-hong had wasted over three years obsessing over a blade of unknown origin.
Could the true identity of that weapon be...
The very item the demonic practitioners are searching for.
Fortune had smiled upon him.
Recently, the hottest topic in Sichuan was the hunt for demonic practitioners.
Since the goal of the Sichuan Righteous Alliance was to eradicate the demonic elements throwing the province into chaos, Yu Dae-soo had no intention of letting this chance slip by.
Desperate to forge a connection with the righteous factions of Sichuan, Yu Dae-soo had moved swiftly.
The Diancang, Emei, and Qingcheng sects had responded favorably, while the Tang Clan remained somewhat ambiguous.
I never expected anything from the Tang Clan to begin with.
The Tang Clan was the only faction in Sichuan capable of producing their own weapons.
Famous for their poisons, they also took immense pride in their hidden weapons, which were considered the finest under heaven.
Since their unique armaments were a core source of their strength, they would hardly welcome Cheolgajang's involvement.
Still, thanks to the active support of the other three sects, Cheolgajang had secured a contract to supply a portion of the weapons for the Sichuan Righteous Alliance.
While it wasn't a completely satisfying result, one could not expect to be sated with the first spoonful.
Yu Dae-soo believed this was more than enough for a start.
The only obstacle was Na Ho-cheol and his followers.
"Cheolgajang's belief is to provide weapons to anyone. We do not arbitrarily choose the owners of our weapons. The weapons we forge must choose their own masters. Let us not forget the goodwill of our founding lord out of foolish greed."
Na Ho-cheol, who had opposed him at every turn since childhood, was blocking his path once again.
"We must use this opportunity to sweep them all out. How long must we cling to the past while sacrificing our present and future?"
"Indeed!"
"If the world has changed, we must adapt accordingly."
Yu Dae-soo smiled with satisfaction at the enthusiastic support of his followers.
"Secretly spread the rumor. Let it be known that there is a Demonic Sword bewitching Nam Ji-hong of the Nam family."
At a time when animosity toward demonic practitioners was at an all-time high throughout Sichuan, this information could shake Cheolgajang to its very foundations.
But every great venture carried risk, and crisis was merely another word for opportunity.
Using the entirety of Cheolgajang as bait, Yu Dae-soo aimed to play a decisive hand to change everything.
"If we are not careful, the demonic practitioners might target us."
Despite the concern raised by one of his men, Yu Dae-soo remained resolute.
"Even if they attack! We have the strength to hold them off. Furthermore, the Sichuan Righteous Alliance is on their way, so we can launch a counterattack with their aid! We must not let this golden opportunity slip away."
Moved by Yu Dae-soo's firm resolve, everyone nodded in agreement.
They, too, believed that if they did not act now, Cheolgajang would have no future.
Even if this choice left deep scars on the village, they had no choice but to believe they were in the right.
* * *
The atmosphere inside Cheolgajang was different from what they had expected.
Contrary to its reputation for cleanliness and order, the village was in utter disarray.
It looks as though they were recently raided.
Though there were no corpses or blood in sight, the lingering tension made it obvious that they had barely survived a severe assault.
The dark complexion of Na Ho-cheol, who was waiting for them at the main gate, only confirmed their suspicions.
"It has been a long time, Young Master Ha."
"Have you been well, Lord Na?"
Ha Tae-gun greeted Na Ho-cheol warmly.
Though they did not contact each other often, their bond was far from shallow.
Na Ho-cheol was the first to offer Ha Tae-gun a significant business opportunity back when he was neglected despite being the eldest son.
Starting with that transaction, Ha Tae-gun's character and capability had gradually become known to the world, allowing him to reach his current position. To Ha Tae-gun, Na Ho-cheol was a lifelong benefactor.
How could he possibly ignore a discreet plea for help from such a man?
Na Ho-cheol turned his gaze to the others.
"I welcome you both as well. I would have preferred to host a proper welcoming feast, but our current circumstances do not allow for it. Let us discuss the situation first."
At Na Ho-cheol's polite suggestion, Yoo Sung and Dang Hwa-soo nodded in agreement.
* * *
As expected, Cheolgajang had been raided by demonic practitioners the previous night.
However, there were aspects of the attack that did not make sense.
"Given Cheolgajang's defensive capabilities, you should have been able to easily handle ordinary demonic practitioners."
The strength of the martial guests residing in Cheolgajang was comparable to that of a mid-sized sect.
The fact that they had kept their home intact throughout the century-long war with Matian proved that their martial power was formidable.
It was hard to believe that such a place had been pushed to its limits—until Na Ho-cheol spoke.
"Every single one of them was classified as a Second-Class Wanted threat."
Second-Class Wanted.
This was the classification system used by the orthodox factions to rank the danger level of demonic practitioners.
Though the criteria of the Murim Alliance and the Unorthodox Faction Alliance differed slightly, their classifications were generally similar.
Third-Class Wanted threats were troublesome but could be dealt with by Peak Realm martial artists.
However, Second-Class Wanted threats were entirely different.
They were top-tier Peak Realm masters, and occasionally even Transcendental masters.
Most notably, the nature of their demonic arts was highly explosive, allowing them to temporarily unleash more than double their usual destructive power. This made it incredibly difficult to predict the scale of damage or gauge their true strength.
Anything beyond that—First-Class Wanted threats—referred to Transcendental demonic masters or those who commanded terrifying demonic beasts.
"Are you saying there were that many Second-Class Wanted threats hiding in Sichuan?"
As Ha Tae-gun asked with a furrowed brow, Dang Hwa-soo also found it difficult to comprehend.
"The number of demonic practitioners we eliminated in the recent battles easily numbers in the thousands. Our intelligence network is highly reliable. Yet, dozens of Second-Class practitioners suddenly appeared out of nowhere? And fifty of them at once?"
This was a severe blow to the pride of Dang Hwa-soo and the Sichuan Righteous Alliance.
It implied that there was either a massive blind spot in their intelligence network, or the number of turncoats far exceeded their estimates.
Whatever the case, this is bad news.
Only Yoo Sung remained calm, quietly examining the aftermath of the battle.
Although the villagers had done their best to clean up the traces, they could not deceive Yoo Sung's eyes.
He realized that the faint remnants of energy left behind felt strangely familiar.
Have those bastards shown themselves as well?
The Three Unorthodox Swords had been slain, and the Blood-Sucking Demon and the Soul-Devouring Saber were currently roaming Sichuan.
At the center of it all was Yeo Mi-ho, the successor of the Ten Demonic Sects, and her rivals.
It was an unpleasant truth, but they had to accept that the entirety of Sichuan had become a battleground for the Yeo Clan's succession struggle.
If so, the crucial question was how much of the Yeo Clan's forces were currently stationed in Sichuan.
That was precisely the concern shared by Jegal Jong-mi and the Murim Alliance.
It seemed the reach of Yeo Mi-ho and Yeo Il-cheon extended far deeper into Sichuan than she had anticipated.
Or perhaps, those blinded by vengeance for Yeo Ui-gi, who had died by his hand, had finally made their move.
Whatever the reason...
"To think even the Demonic Blood Sect is in Sichuan."
Dang Hwa-soo, who had finally noticed the traces Yoo Sung was looking at, scanned the surroundings with a grim expression.
"The... Demonic Blood Sect?!"
"I see! No wonder their demonic arts felt so familiar last night!"
Ha Tae-gun gasped in shock, while Na Ho-cheol let out a heavy sigh of realization.
The Demonic Blood Sect was notorious for boasting the largest number of Second-Class Wanted practitioners among all the demonic factions.