The Secret of the Boundless Divine Sword

How many men had Jin Somyeong cut down while fleeing at full strength?

The terrain changed again and again beneath his speed. He crossed not only ravines, but rivers so broad they might as well have been seas.

"Stop him! We absolutely cannot let him get away!"

The faintly audible roar made irritation surge through him.

The Cheonsi Sect's pursuit was far more persistent than he had expected. What made it especially troublesome was that even when he changed direction, they noticed and reacted almost immediately.

This won't do. I don't know how they're tracking me, but I need to deal with that first.

Otherwise, he would never escape this situation.

After gauging the spiritual power he had left—roughly half—he came to a stop. If he was going to make a stand, he would do it while he still had enough strength to resist.

"..."

After a brief hesitation, Jin Somyeong took a red pill from his subspace.

A First-Grade Longevity Pill.

He tossed the life-extending elixir into his mouth without the slightest hesitation. He suppressed the dense vitality spreading from his stomach and waited in silence.

"Whew. It has been a long time since I had to do something this exhausting. Young Master, I burned my own lifespan to track that wretch, so I expect to be properly compensated."

"Haha. Do not worry. That man is a sword cultivator."

"A sword cultivator? And what of it..."

"I recently learned a secret art. With it, I can refine a sword cultivator into a living corpse puppet while preserving his Sword Qi."

"Oh? If it succeeds, it would be useful against the Giant Sword Sect. That one in particular seems quite strong. He should make an excellent corpse puppet."

"I will need to experiment on a living Foundation Establishment sword cultivator, but..."

The Cheonsi Sect disciples, now close enough to be seen clearly, surrounded Jin Somyeong.

It would not be easy.

There were more than twenty of them, and among them he could see several cultivators at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. The outlook was bleak.

...Still, at least I know who I have to kill.

His gaze flicked toward the old man in gray robes who had complained about using lifespan to track him. At that moment, the Young Master lifted his chin arrogantly and openly appraised Jin Somyeong as if he were a fish already trapped in a net.

"Those Giant Sword Sect bastards have too much of a temper, so capturing them alive is no simple matter. But this one is an unaffiliated cultivator. He should know the value of his life."

"Indeed."

"Hey. If you understand, then give up already. Even becoming a corpse puppet is better than dying, is it not? ...Hm?"

Just as the Young Master twisted his lips in mockery, Jin Somyeong suddenly reached out.

"You."

He pointed at him and spoke calmly.

"You, at least, I will kill here no matter what."

"...Ha! A sword cultivator through and through. You cannot even grasp the situation—ghk?!"

The Young Master, who had been snorting in derision, recoiled in horror and twisted aside. Something discreet had shot from Jin Somyeong's fingertip.

A gray bead, fired straight toward his heart, grazed past his shoulder.

The Young Master's face contorted as he leaped backward, and several disciples moved in to guard him.

"Young Master! Are you unharmed?"

"I'm fine. It only grazed me."

Watching the Young Master pat himself down with an uneasy expression, Jin Somyeong gave a faint laugh.

Then he called out loudly enough for everyone surrounding him to hear.

"What struck you just now was a hidden weapon refined with pill toxin. Even a graze will make your next breakthrough several times harder."

The disciples flinched and, with visibly repulsed expressions, each took a step back.

"...Pill toxin?"

"You mean the poison that builds up from taking medicinal pills? He refined a hidden weapon with that?"

The once-solid encirclement loosened all at once.

No one wanted their cultivation to become more difficult because of pill toxin. That was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a truly horrifying prospect.

"It is a bluff! How could such a hidden weapon exist in this world? Do not be afraid! Maintain the encirclement! Even if it is real, I will deal with it somehow—"

At the very instant the Young Master shouted to keep morale from collapsing—

Rumble!

A bolt of lightning fell from nowhere.

With searing heat intense enough to melt the earth, dark crimson lightning coiled around the Boundless Divine Sword.

Hissss...

A skin-crawling sound rose from the ground melting from the aftermath alone. The Cheonsi Sect disciples recoiled in alarm and shouted.

"He's making a last stand! Put distance between us!"

"Protect the Young Master!"

As expected of demonic cultivators tempered by war, they moved quickly. In an instant, they formed a solid defensive formation around the Young Master.

But Jin Somyeong had never been aiming for him in the first place.

Boom!

At the same time as the dazzling lightning burst out, his figure vanished.

He charged toward the gray-robed old man who had been standing back and watching from a distance.

"No!"

A few disciples reacted belatedly and tried to block him, but it was already too late.

Crack!

The Boundless Divine Sword, wreathed in lightning, drew a half-moon through the air.

The old man who had tracked Jin Somyeong did not even have time to scream before he was reduced to chunks of flesh.

"You—!"

The Young Master's face crumpled like a shattered window, but Jin Somyeong's expression was not especially bright either.

That one strike just cost me five years.

The lightning mingled with Sword Qi blazed with a radiant brilliance, but that brilliance was the light of burning lifespan.

He could not drag this out.

Pressed by the First-Grade Longevity Pill's energy rapidly draining away, Jin Somyeong swung his sword.

Boom, boom, boom!

He scattered lightning-laced Sword Qi in every direction.

Someone, frightened by the ferocious momentum, stepped back, and the encirclement naturally collapsed.

"What are you doing?! Stop him! Stop him even if it costs you your lives!"

The Young Master screamed like a madman, but how could that be easy?

No one wanted to stand in Jin Somyeong's way.

Whoosh!

He converted even the remaining energy of the Longevity Pill into blood energy and accelerated.

If he could widen the distance and use the Concealment Pearl to hide himself, it would be over.

Slice!

He cut down an unknown cultivator who was hastily retreating and used his powerful body to break through the encirclement.

"You useless trash! When we return, every one of you will be severely punished!"

The Young Master clenched his teeth and tapped his waist.

At once, an ominous black coffin shot out.

Grrrrrk.

A sound like a massive boulder being dragged filled the air. As the coffin slowly opened, the stench of rotting corpses wafted out.

The moment the pale-faced man sleeping inside the coffin opened his eyes—

Thoom!

A heavy pressure crushed down on Jin Somyeong's shoulders, and he nearly vomited blood.

He had felt such an oppressive aura only once in his life, and shock seized him.

Third-rank! That is Golden Core-level aura!

His feet, which had been moving without pause, froze in place.

He felt like an insect pinned to a board. Under the unknown pressure, even twitching a finger was difficult.

Forcing his creaking head to turn, he glared at the Young Master.

No—he was not what mattered now.

The cause of this situation was the corpse-like man standing beside him, the one who had emerged from the coffin.

"Absurd. Do you mean to say you woke me to catch a mere whelp like that?"

"Corpse King, I am ashamed to ask, but I beg your assistance. Ah! You must keep him alive."

"Tsk. For your father's sake, I will grant the request."

When the bloodless, pale man stretched out his hand, Jin Somyeong felt as though the entire world were collapsing.

Pressure squeezed in from every direction until even breathing became difficult.

Kh...

His spiritual power shriveled beneath an aura he could not possibly resist, but he did not give up.

He could not let himself be captured obediently like this.

He decided to resist with everything he had, without considering what came afterward.

Crunch.

He bit his tongue to rouse his fading consciousness. Then he drove the five viscera, evolved into spiritual organs, into a berserk state.

Beyond the already exhausted energy of the First-Grade Longevity Pill, he offered up his actual lifespan and drew out the Boundless Great Ability.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

In an instant, Sword Qi that had reached the edge of uncontrollability surged up along the blade.

He forced down the blood rising in his throat and tightened his grip on the Boundless Divine Sword, now wrapped in radiant light.

Then—

"No. That is not how a sword is used."

Along with a clear voice that seemed to appear from nowhere, the Boundless Divine Sword slipped from his grasp and floated into the air on its own.

The motion was so soft and natural that Jin Somyeong only realized he had lost hold of the sword after it had already happened.

"Ah."

He looked down at his empty hand, then raised his gaze.

A robe white as snow. Red eyes. Long hair falling to her waist, streaming in the wind.

The figure of the woman who had appeared like an illusion and taken hold of the Boundless Divine Sword imprinted itself upon his eyes.

A strange presence dominated the entire battlefield.

No one dared move. Even the man who had reached the third rank was no exception.

"Is that not far too wasteful? A sword is meant to be..."

From above to below.

A single ordinary slash, without so much as Sword Qi forming upon it. That was all.

"...concise."

The third-rank being who had been displaying such terrifying pressure, along with nearly twenty remaining cultivators—every last one of them—

split vertically and fell to the ground.

With a single casual swing of her sword, the world fell silent.

The only ones left were Jin Somyeong, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unidentified woman, and the Young Master, who trembled in terror.

The woman glanced sideways at Jin Somyeong with her red eyes and clicked her tongue.

"What is the meaning of that sorry state? Were you intending to die in battle?"

"..."

"Actions become habits, and in the end habits become nature. To ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠think you would try to trade your life for a fool like that."

After reproaching him coldly, she flicked her hand lightly, and a warm energy seeped into Jin Somyeong's lower abdomen.

He flinched and touched the area around his dantian. His spiritual power, which had been raging wildly after he burned his lifespan, settled into calm.

The woman who had appeared from the Boundless Divine Sword had done something for him.

Then, as if some troublesome matter had arisen, she let out a sigh and swung her sword.

Craaaack!

The void split open.

Beyond the fissure torn along the path of the blade, an exotic landscape could be seen. It had connected to some place he did not recognize.

Faced with that astonishing authority, Jin Somyeong closed his mouth before he could speak.

He had too many questions. So many, in fact, that he could not even decide what to ask.

"I will send you far away, so leave. Now that I have revealed my power, nothing good will come of you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠remaining here."

Whooooosh!

A powerful suction force surged from the rift, making Jin Somyeong stagger.

It felt as though that strange pressure would drag him in. He did not need to ask whose power it was.

Ugh.

Forcing himself to resist the pull, he stared directly at the woman who had emerged from the sword and asked,

"The Boundless Divine Sword...? No—what should I call you?"

He had only managed to ask her name, yet no answer came. After a long silence, she turned away completely.

Did he not even have the right to know?

For some reason, the strength seemed to drain from him. Just as disappointment stirred within him—

My name is Hong Seol.

A voice as cold as a blade rang inside his head. It was a sound transmission sent through Divine Sense.

Immediately afterward, before Jin Somyeong could ask anything else, he was sucked beyond the spatial rift.

Hong Seol glanced aside.

With icy eyes, she looked at the Young Master, who was trembling so badly he could not even lift his head.

"What are you still standing there for like an idiot?"

"...Y-yes?"

"Get out of my sight. Go wait for the day my disciple kills you."

The Young Master, his face deathly pale, fled in a panic. Left alone, Hong Seol slowly turned her gaze.

She stared at the place where Jin Somyeong had disappeared and let out a sigh.

"Without trials, one cannot reach the Dao... I hope you survive."

It was unclear to whom she was speaking.

At a glance, it sounded like words meant for Jin Somyeong, yet somehow they also seemed like a vow to herself.

After murmuring alone, she glared up at the sky, then vanished like an illusion.

Meanwhile...

Jin Somyeong, who had been sucked into the rift in the void, clutched his throbbing head.

Kh.

His vision kept whipping from one scene to another, making it impossible to get his bearings.

A volcano where a giant slept, a blue plain, an ancient castle buried in snow—the scenery changed continuously.

He understood instinctively. He was being moved an astonishing distance.

Just as he was forcing down the urge to vomit—

"Ah."

His spinning vision suddenly fixed in place. Jin Somyeong, who had somehow arrived in the middle of a dense forest, snapped back to his senses.

He hurriedly checked his surroundings, but nothing appeared dangerous.

Chirp... chirp...

Judging from the faint birdsong, this was certainly a place where living creatures could survive.

Slightly relieved, he examined his physical condition.

Nothing in particular hurt, but because he had gone berserk after consuming lifespan, he needed to inspect himself carefully.

There was both good news and bad news.

His lifespan had decreased slightly, leaving him with 210 years.

Whew. Excluding the First-Grade Longevity Pill, I lost about three years.

That, at least, was a relief.

If the woman who had appeared from the Boundless Divine Sword—Hong Seol—had not helped him, he would have had to pay a far greater price.

Who in the world was she? Some expert sealed inside the Boundless Divine Sword?

If so, when had she awakened?

Was it from the moment he encountered the white flames in the Red Cloud Secret Realm?

Or was it because the sword had absorbed dozens of Dharma artifacts?

All sorts of questions and minor concerns arose, but in truth, none of them mattered now.

When he touched the area around his dantian, he could feel that his spiritual power had increased by one and a half times.

Foundation Establishment, Second Layer.

Because Hong Seol had forcibly stabilized the energy he had unleashed by consuming lifespan, his realm had risen.

Swish!

When he extended his sword-command fingers, the Sword Qi he had learned from Hong Seol coiled around his fingertips.

The moment he poured in the spiritual power accumulated through the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art—

Crackle!

The lightning-wreathed Sword Qi radiated a ferocious momentum, but something felt lacking.

Naturally, the single slash she had unleashed came to mind.

As he recalled that scene, almost engraved into him, all stray thoughts vanished, leaving only one desire.

He wanted to learn it.

That sword had been all the more chilling for its silence. He wanted to master it.

"...Could I call her Master?"

Jin Somyeong muttered without realizing it, then gave a bitter smile.

She had barely told him her name. As if that would ever happen.

Looking down at his waist, where the Boundless Divine Sword was gone and only the scabbard remained, he kicked off the ground.

First, he had to figure out where this place was.