Chapter 253
Chapter 253
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 253
Chapter Title: The Sword Venerable Emerges
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An old man stood proudly atop the mountain peak, as if cleaving the summit itself.
He possessed a back as straight as an ancient pine and a height exceeding seven feet.
His white hair was neatly bound atop his crown without a single strand out of place, and his beard was trimmed to just the right length.
Hu—
After exhaling once, the old man slowly lifted his eyelids.
Beneath his faintly silvered eyebrows, his gaze slanted sharply upward, evoking the fierce eyes of an eagle.
Deep wrinkles carved beneath those eyes bore witness to the inexorable flow of time, yet the rest of his skin showed few cracks.
As if the years themselves could not easily erode it.
But the most astonishing feature was something else entirely.
His eyes.
Far from the hazy gaze of an aging mind losing its edge, they gleamed with a sharpness that seemed to pierce straight to an opponent's core with a mere glance.
Thus, the man who stood at the pinnacle, sunlight at his back as he surveyed the world, was known by many titles in the secular realm.
The Supreme Patriarch of the Cheon Clan.
Demon Death Sword Venerable.
And Gu Mu Jon.
The bearer of all those weighty honors.
His name was Cheon Sumyeong.
"……."
Gazing down at his feet, he soon spotted a single figure and moved lightly.
In the blink of an eye, Cheon Sumyeong appeared before the man, who startled and bowed his head deeply.
"Congratulations on the Supreme Patriarch's safe return!"
"Are you from the main house?"
"Yes, that is correct!"
Like a meek lamb trembling before a predator, he dared not raise his head.
At this, Cheon Sumyeong glanced at the log cabin nearby and the man's attire before speaking.
"It seems Jungak instructed you to report on my movements."
Flinch!
Not only had he called the patriarch's name as casually as a neighborhood child, but the old man's words pierced the truth itself. The man broke out in cold sweat.
It was true, and it could easily be seen as surveillance, potentially displeasing him.
"Th-that is…."
As the man trembled, unable to form proper words, Cheon Sumyeong spoke.
"I won't reprimand you for it."
"……!"
His face lit up with relief at the mercy. But his expression hardened again at the words that followed.
"However, keep silent about my seclusion having ended."
That meant defying the very orders from the patriarch who had sent him here.
Not reporting the Supreme Patriarch's return was tantamount to deceiving the Cheon Clan.
Yet his moment of hesitation was brief.
There had only ever been one path he could choose.
"As you command!"
The man at Cheon Sumyeong's feet bowed loyally and shouted at the top of his lungs.
Cheon Sumyeong gave a slight nod in response before vanishing from before him.
Once his presence had completely faded, the man finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding and muttered while propping himself against the ground.
"…The Supreme Patriarch has returned."
There had been no prior signs, yet he had abruptly ended his seclusion and emerged.
And now, he was to keep it secret.
'What on earth is the Supreme Patriarch thinking….'
A well of inexplicable anxiety mingled with worry and concern.
Nevertheless, as instructed, he had no choice but to seal the truth away and remain here as if nothing had happened.
"Defying that one's words in the Cheon Clan……."
Was simply impossible.
A certain village nestled between mountains along the Shin River.
It was a harsh locale, yet positioned at the crossroads of nearby cities, making it a geographic necessity for travelers.
Thus, it was a peculiar village where transients outnumbered residents.
Consequently, it boasted more taverns than inns.
Those seeking comfortable indoor meals headed to inns, while others preferred outdoor taverns shaded by awnings, enjoying cool breezes.
And since this village saw many outsiders, the freer atmosphere drew even more to the taverns.
"We'll have to set out in two days."
"Watch out—fierce beasts have been prowling the mountain paths lately."
"Another round of baekju here!"
"I hit it big at gambling last night. How about I treat everyone today?"
The tavern patrons gathered in groups, chattering noisily.
They hadn't started at the same tables, but sharing the common bond of being passersby, they quickly opened up and became drinking companions.
However, amid them was one table where a lone seated figure deterred easy approaches.
There, Cheon Sumyeong sat primly, gracefully pouring liquor into his cup. His demeanor seemed from another world entirely, keeping people at bay.
"…Harsh stuff."
He brought the cup to his lips, savored it, and murmured.
He hadn't expected much from the baekju sold at a remote mountain village tavern to begin with.
Intense and bitter, yet cheap.
It was the drink for those short on coin but eager to get drunk fast.
Yet to Cheon Sumyeong now, even that wasn't so bad.
The first liquor to touch his lips in years—he took simple pleasure in its mere existence rather than judging its quality.
Thus, sipping with basic snacks, he began taking in the people's chatter.
"Word is Taego Blade Gate's expanding south lately. Looks like they're finally making their move."
"Heard the third young master of Jupyeong Strike Clan fell into qi deviation and is fighting for his life…."
"Rumors of clashes between Kunlun Sect warriors and our side at the Shin River borders lately, but the true motives haven't been confirmed yet…."
Since entering seclusion, a span of time that was short if brief, long if extended, had passed.
In that interval, countless changes must have swept through the murim world and beyond.
Cheon Sumyeong had no desire to return to the Cheon Clan and receive a sanitized report structuring those changes.
First, he wanted to blend among ordinary folk and hear their unfiltered ramblings.
And as if matching his intent, the conversations soon turned to matters that piqued his interest.
"Relations between the Murim Alliance and the Four Black Unions have soured even further lately. They won't even make eye contact anymore, unlike before."
"Knew it was coming. Their coexisting in the Central Plains was the real oddity."
"Still, doesn't look like war's breaking out imminently."
The Murim Alliance and Four Black Unions' relations worsening.
Cheon Sumyeong mulled it over and nodded faintly.
The orthodox factions could never truly unite, and the worse their ties, the better for the cult.
While they exhausted themselves pointing blades inward, the cult could build strength without interference.
Even more favorable was that no outright war had erupted—a perfect cold standoff.
Mutual destruction from war would be ideal, but if a victor emerged and one side swallowed the other whole….
'That would be the worst outcome.'
The winner would monopolize everything, fully conquering the Central Plains.
Their next target would inevitably be the cult.
Maintaining the current balance was thus optimal.
"But that's not the priority. The cult took a major hit too."
"You mean Gu Mu Jon?"
"Exactly. Who could've predicted the previous Leader would be erased from Gu Mu Jon so suddenly?"
"Samseong Chwiil, was it? New rising experts are being floated as replacements."
At their words, a question arose in Cheon Sumyeong's mind.
'The previous Heavenly Demon was removed from Gu Mu Jon?'
……Already?
He had anticipated it to some degree.
That the previous Heavenly Demon's name would one day vanish from Gu Mu Jon.
What puzzled him was how soon it had happened.
Merely a bit over thirty years.
Never sighted once in that time, but a long seclusion made it plausible.
Yet erased already.
The unnatural timing invited suspicions about what lay behind it, followed by mild concern.
'In that case, only two demons remain among Gu Mu Jon.'
Their numbers would lag behind the orthodox.
Given the symbolic weight of the Gu Mu Jon title, it could dent the cult's momentum.
As that faint worry stirred, the next snippet from the patrons resolved half his curiosity.
Though it birthed another breed of doubt.
"But hasn't Samseong Chwiil already dwindled to two?"
"True. Who knew the Leader would subdue one so effortlessly, before their tales even spread wide."
What?
Cheon Sumyeong doubted his own ears.
He had heard three experts nominated as candidates for the vacant Gu Mu Jon spot were dubbed Samseong Chwiil.
Yet the Leader had dealt with one of them?
'How could that fool?'
The Hyeok Mulin in Cheon Sumyeong's memory was a frail son-in-law with some talent, but separated by chasms from not just Gu Mu Jon but even counted high experts.
As his face betrayed incomprehension, their ensuing talk made Cheon Sumyeong's eyes widen.
"Mm. With the Leader's keen insight, he saw it coming."
"Indeed. He's already got five of the Seven Great Demon Clans under his thumb, hasn't he?"
"……!"
That was the most shocking tale Cheon Sumyeong had heard in nearly thirty years.
Loyalty sworn from five of the Seven Great Demon Clans?
'How on earth did that fool manage it?'
The last image of Hyeok Mulin he'd witnessed firsthand defied belief or understanding.
Before ascending to Leader, he lacked both the prowess and acumen—surely allied as a mere puppet for the clan's benefit.
Yet now, dominating five clans and eyeing Gu Mu Jon.
Huh.
Recalling him, Cheon Sumyeong's lips curved in a pleased smile.
Good. Utterly positive for the clan regardless.
Whatever fueled the growth, as the clan's son-in-law, Hyeok Mulin's rising prowess and fame meant ever-greater gains for the Cheon Clan.
His granddaughter's stature would soar beside such a Leader too.
As Cheon Sumyeong's face settled into satisfaction, the next exchange drifted over.
"Now just two clans stand till the Leader unifies the Seven Great Demon Clans."
"Only two, but arguably tougher than the five already claimed."
"Fair. What's left are the ironclad Gu Clan and the Cheon Clan."
They sighed in unison at the thought of those two.
"Mountains upon mountains ahead. I'm curious how the Leader breaches the Gu Clan's fortress."
"For me, the Cheon Clan side feels the steeper climb."
"Cheon Clan? Why's that?"
"Obvious, isn't it? The Leader divorced Lady Cheon, turning the Cheon Clan into enemies. No real contact with Gu Clan yet, but with Cheon Clan, it's already a blood feud where they can't share the same sky…."
Mid-conversation, they flinched and fell silent.
An old man had appeared at their side unnoticed.
'Wh-when did he get here?'
Wary glances toward the elder who'd closed in without a sound, they posed the question.
"Got business with us?"
The old man slowly parted his lips.
"Repeat that talk you just had. Once more."
They exchanged looks and tilted their heads.
No reason not to oblige, so they answered toward him.
"That the Leader's blood enemies with the Cheon Clan…."
"Before that."
"Then, two clans left till the Leader unifies the Seven Great Demon Clans…."
"After."
As if homing in on something specific, one man frowned and spat curtly at last.
"Then, that the Leader divorced Lady Cheon…."
"Yes. That one."
Cheon Sumyeong's calm delivery masked rising fury beneath.
"Is that… truly the truth?"