Chapter 39
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Establishing the Sword
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Cheon Muryang recited, one by one, the crimes they had committed for all to hear.
He was so detailed that even the Third Elder could only listen, unable to offer any excuse.
A few had committed unspeakable atrocities, and those few, Cheon Muryang personally beheaded.
“Throw them in the dungeons.”
He ordered the rest to be imprisoned.
And so, the Cheon Family's dungeons were unexpectedly filled with criminals.
“Great Young Lord! Great Young Lord! I truly didn't know. I swear I didn't know the funds would flow there!”
“Please, have mercy. Have I not dedicated my life to the Cheon Family? Please consider all those years…”
A few of them clung to Cheon Muryang's leg, begging.
But this was Cheon Muryang, who already knew their futures.
“No. Whether you intended to or not, you contributed to the fall of the Cheon Family.”
Cheon Muryang firmly dismissed their pleas.
“If you didn't know, that in itself is a crime. But… were you truly unaware?”
A chill ran down their spines.
They faced Cheon Muryang's expression, twisted with killing intent like that of a malevolent spirit.
*Vwoom!*
The aura he exuded, as if he might draw his sword and strike off their heads at any moment, terrified them.
“So, you should consider yourselves fortunate that your heads are still on your shoulders.”
It would be a waste to simply kill them.
He intended for them to rot in the dungeons for the rest of their lives, forced to understand.
‘From the very bottom, you will watch just how high the sky of the Cheon Family you sought to betray truly is.’
That would be the final fate of those who had turned their backs on the Cheon Family.
“If there’s any good news…”
Cheon Muryang smirked.
“Soon, someone you know will be joining you. At least you won't be lonely.”
“...!”
They realized.
Cheon Muryang had never once asked who was behind them.
“So, don't even think about trying to save your skins by selling that worthless information.”
“...!”
They were criminals, but they were also small fry.
Even if they tried to betray the Third Elder, that cunning man would never have left any evidence behind.
Besides, who would believe the words of such blatant criminals?
“Because you bastards are already finished.”
They fell into despair.
Cheon Muryang's declaration was like a death sentence.
They would have to rot in those underground dungeons for the rest of their lives.
“Ah…”
Their black hair seemed to turn white in an instant.
“Why? Do you regret losing the wealth and power you've accumulated?”
Cheon Muryang scoffed at them.
How could they not regret it?
“But you shouldn't have strayed from the path of a human being.”
The moment they got involved with the Black Merchants.
It was the same as getting involved with the Demonic Cult behind them.
Whether they knew it or not.
“Imprison them.”
“Yes, sir!”
Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak stepped forward.
Their energy centers already destroyed, the powerless men were dragged away without a struggle.
*Thud!*
The Third Elder's presence seemed to diminish.
At least for this moment, it was Cheon Muryang who had complete command of the grounds.
And so, Cheon Muryang spoke to everyone.
“My role as the Head of the Inspectorate ends here. From now on, I will speak as the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family.”
From the very beginning, Cheon Muryang hadn't gathered everyone in the family just to condemn the guilty.
The real reason started now.
“...!”
Cheon Muryang's entire aura changed.
Standing tall and majestic, Cheon Muryang was as steadfast as a general capable of facing a thousand foes.
Who, looking at him now, would dare call him a scoundrel?
Even those who had been skeptical of the rumors that Cheon Muryang had changed could now sense that he was clearly different from the scoundrel of the past.
“What do all of you think of the Cheon Family?”
“...?”
“I believe that the Cheon Family, as it is now, is not on the right path.”
The moment he finished speaking.
The atmosphere grew incomparably heavier.
While everyone was silent, the Third Elder, sensing an opportunity, retorted with a triumphant smile.
“What are you saying? That the Cheon Family is not on the right path! How can you make such a statement, even if you are the Great Young Lord!”
His tone was that of a family elder scolding a junior.
However, that junior was a scoundrel.
A scoundrel who considered insubordination a virtue.
“How could it be otherwise? Are you saying a family where one cannot advance without connections to the Council of Elders is on the right path?”
“...W-what did you just say?”
He had crossed a line that should not have been crossed.
Cheon Muryang smiled and continued.
“Well, let's just say that was a slip of the tongue from a scoundrel and move on.”
Just then.
*Pfft!*
A chuckle erupted from the crowd.
“Who was that!”
The laughter died down at the Third Elder's furious shout, but it was enough to give Cheon Muryang certainty.
‘It means there are many who are dissatisfied with the Council of Elders.’
The Council of Elders decided on all personnel matters except for the Heavenly Dragon and Heavenly Phoenix Sword Corps.
Thus, an atmosphere had subtly formed where connections to the Council were valued more than ability.
“How can we just let that remark slide!”
“Then, by all means, make it an official issue. Do as you please. Now, if you would step aside, Third Elder.”
“...!”
Cheon Muryang completely ignored the Third Elder and continued speaking.
“Of course, some of you may feel that it is absurd for me to be saying this.”
The utter scoundrel of the Cheon Family.
That past was like a brand that might never be erased.
Memories would not fade, and the scars would remain forever.
“But, I will dare to say it.”
He might not have the right.
Nevertheless, he wanted to say it.
No, he had to say it.
“The Cheon Family will reclaim the value it has lost.”
The value that was lost.
And the value he wanted to give them.
What that value was.
He wanted to show them.
*Gulp!*
Someone could be heard swallowing hard.
Along with it.
“W-what is it?”
A voice full of anticipation called out from the crowd.
“Pride.”
“...!”
“I will help you reclaim the pride you have lost.”
What Cheon Muryang wanted to give them was pride.
‘That is the proper way to honor those who willingly gave their lives for the Cheon Family.’
Cheon Muryang remembered.
He remembered the countless lives that would be sacrificed for the Cheon Family in the future.
The people gathered here were the very backbone of the Cheon Family.
‘Why did they do it?’
What could possibly be more precious than life that they would give theirs for the Cheon Family?
It was ironic.
Hadn't he done the same?
‘I did, too.’
The reason was simple.
It was to repay the debt of gratitude they owed the Cheon Family.
‘Repaying a debt.’
How foolish.
And yet, how romantic.
That was why Cheon Muryang was proud of those who never betrayed the family, right up to the moment of its downfall.
“The Cheon Family will change.”
There was no need to explain what or how things would change.
The Cheon Family was a family of the sword, a martial family of the martial world.
After all, for a family like theirs, lost pride could only be reclaimed through the sword.
*Fwoosh!*
And so, instead of words.
Cheon Muryang chose to speak with his sword.
“Ah…”
Everyone held their breath.
A sharp, clear stream of blue sword energy erupted from the Heavenly Light Sword, soaring toward the sky.
*Shhhk!*
The Heavenly Light Sword moved slowly.
Its blade pierced through the essence of the Cheon Family's sky.
“Gasp!”
Those who knew no martial arts.
And those who did.
All of them opened their eyes anew, as if they had been living as blind men until this moment.
“H-how!”
Shock filled everyone's eyes.
Striking down half of the Cheon Family's allies was nothing compared to this.
How could anyone harbor ulterior motives in the face of such a wondrous sword?
“It’s beautiful…”
To have lost pride meant that they must have once possessed it.
A poignant feeling stirred in their hearts.
Cheon Muryang's sword made them recall the pride they had felt in a distant past.
‘Pride…’
There was a time they had been proud to be able to repay their debt to the Cheon Family.
But the Cheon Family had slowly rotted and become corrupt.
In that process, they had lost their pride, and only a sense of duty remained.
‘You don't have to feel that way anymore.’
Cheon Muryang's sword was a comfort, a praise, and a reward for those who had dedicated themselves to the family until now.
‘To you who have supported the Cheon Family, I will give you pride.’
It was the best and greatest gift Cheon Muryang could offer.
And it was also a firm resolution he made to himself.
“Ah…”
Cheon Muryang's sword form came to an end.
Like snow.
Like rain.
A shower of light fell from the sky, mingling with the thunder and lightning still raging above the Cheon Family estate, and descended upon the tip of the Heavenly Light Sword.
*Drip.*
Someone shed tears.
Another clenched their fists.
Cheon Muryang's will to restore their pride had surely been conveyed to them.
“Thank you.”
Cheon Muryang bowed his head deeply.
It was an expression of respect for those who would die in the future.
“...”
He raised his head again.
Cheon Muryang felt it.
‘It's changed.’
Something had changed.
The emotion welling up in their eyes.
It was something that could well be called pride.
‘This is just the beginning.’
When that bud blossoms into a flower.
The Cheon Family will be able to stand tall in the martial world.
‘But before that… I must cut out that rotten root.’
There was still a long way to go.
Pruning the branches wouldn't cause the trunk to wither and die, and it had no effect on the roots whatsoever.
‘Grand Elder… I wonder when you'll throw off that mask.’
The Grand Elder, Cheon Jungho.
He hadn't even shown up here.
*Glance.*
Cheon Muryang met the gaze of the Third Elder, who was staring at him intently from nearby.
An unconcealable killing intent rippled across his face.
Cheon Muryang responded to the blatant hostility with a light smile.
Then, he mouthed words small enough for only the Third Elder to see.
“You're next.”
“...”
The corner of the Third Elder's mouth twisted.
*You think the likes of you can?*
...he seemed to ask back.
*Whip!*
However, perhaps dissatisfied with the atmosphere of the grand training ground, which had been moved by Cheon Muryang, the Third Elder soon left.
A sense of urgency could be felt in his steps.
‘He must be anxious. Get more anxious.’
The more he did, the more likely he was to show his true colors.
‘All of this has probably been reported to Cheon Jungho. He must have realized it, too. That I suspect the Third Elder.’
If so, Cheon Jungho would likely abandon the Third Elder to hide himself even deeper.
‘Cheon Jungho does not forgive mistakes. Even if it's the Third Elder, he'll cast him aside if necessary.’
Because the time was not yet ripe.
The Anti-Heavenly Ghosts were not ready.
Even in the destined future, hadn't their grand plan come to fruition only after ten years from now?
‘Whatever he chooses…’
It didn't matter.
The Third Elder was already a liability.
Whether he was discarded or kept.
Whatever the choice, the Third Elder's fate was all but sealed.
‘After the Third Elder, it's your turn, Grand Elder.’
Was it a coincidence?
Cheon Muryang felt a faint gaze on him from not too far away.
“Let's see each other soon.”
*Snap!*
The gaze vanished.