The Black Wind Sword Venerable, Dokgo Dan-ya

Watching from a distance, Jang Min — the Withered Tree Divine Lord, Vice Curtain Lord of the Killing Curtain — let out a gasp of admiration before he could stop himself. It was much like Ju Cheon-ui's reaction. Perhaps he had made an enemy of a man he should never have made an enemy of.

Was that even possible? He had pegged the brat's strength at, at best, the Five Dragons Ascent — and yet ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now the boy looked to have reached the Three Flowers Gathered at the Crown. This. None of it made any sense. All he had consumed was a single five-hundred-year ginseng, and that alone had carried him to Three Flowers Gathered at the Crown?

Across this vast Murim there were hundreds of masters at Three Flowers Gathered at the Crown or Five Qi Gathering at the Origin, but no one had ever shown such an overwhelming rate of growth. And that ruthlessness, that decisiveness. Was he dreaming?

The Withered Tree Divine Lord reached a rather different conclusion than Ju Cheon-ui had. If not now, the chance might never come. Now. That man had to die. If he was left alive, the Killing Curtain would be annihilated.

Of the assassins the Curtain had deployed across all of Yeon-su Town, fully sixty were dead — not counting those who had been inside the inn. Sixty out of roughly a hundred and thirty was nearly half, and they were still dying even now. This could not go on. He had to act. Just as he reached for the dagger at his waist—

"Heheheheheh."

Every hair on his body stood on end. The moment he turned his head, he was struck dumb. Why was this man here?

"The... the Flying Dragon Great Hero...?"

"Truly remarkable, wouldn't you say?"

"...How are you here...?"

"Well? What did you think of my disciple's skill?"

"...Pardon? Your disc...iple?"

"That's right. My disciple."

An alarm bell went off in his head. Wait. Yi Do was the disciple of Myo Man-ri, the Flying Dragon Great Hero? Then none of this made sense.

"...Is he truly your disciple?"

"Not yet, but he soon will be, so you may as well consider him one."

What kind of nonsense was that?

"So nothing is settled yet, I take it."

"Hahahaha. Right. But... if I were to help the boy here, might he not develop at least a little desire to take me as his master?"

"..."

"Ah — and I should have said this first. If you draw that dagger now, your head will come apart. Understood?"

He swallowed hard.

"So what will it be? Die here, or take whatever assassins still breathe and crawl back to the Killing Curtain?"

That changed everything.

"...But a debt of blood cannot be settled this way."

"Tsk. How dare you speak of debts and blood before me?" Myo Man-ri grinned. "Do you want the Killing Curtain to close its doors today?"

He flinched. This man could easily do exactly that. In the end, he gave the order.

"Enough—!! Stand down!"

The assassins stopped. Myo Man-ri began to walk. The Withered Tree Divine Lord walked too, and the two men approached Yi Do.

"It's been a while. This fellow has been rampaging quite spectacularly in the meantime."

"So it would seem. But why have you come along?"

"Come along, my foot, you brat. I'm the one who just saved your life. Come now — isn't something like respect welling up in your chest?"

Yi Do's gaze was frigid. And it was aimed, precisely, not at Myo Man-ri but at the Withered Tree Divine Lord.

"Jang Min. Vice Curtain Lord of the Killing Curtain?"

"...Insolent whelp. I am a far more senior figure of the Murim than you — is that any way to speak?"

"Senior? You have a gift for comedy. A nobody like you?"

"...If not for the Flying Dragon Great Hero, I would kill you where you stand."

Myo Man-ri slipped in smoothly. "Then I can finally keep the promise I made back then. Come — let's head to the Asura Sword Sect."

"When did you ever make that promise?"

"Tsk, boy. I decided to think I did. Isn't that good enough?"

Yi Do did not answer. He only kept glaring at the Withered Tree Divine Lord, who did not look away either.

"Don't want to go?"

Without taking his eyes off the Divine Lord, Yi Do spoke. "What's in it for me?"

"What's in it — everything is. Back in Jangryeong Commandery, you were plainly carrying out a plan to put the entire commandery beneath your feet. But no longer. The commandery lies in ruins and you have nowhere to go, so the Asura Sword Sect would make you a very fitting backdrop."

At Yi Do's unresponsiveness, Myo Man-ri let out an awkward laugh. "Truly, you please me in every way. Very well — if a mere backdrop won't do, how about this? I'll provide you a place to train."

"A training ground, you say."

"That's not all. If you work to raise the Asura Sword Sect's honor, the sect will supply your cultivation resources. From common elixirs that aid ring absorption to spirit elixirs brimming with spiritual qi — there are plenty. And no one will dare trouble you; you will train in perfect peace. Well? How about it?"

That much, at least, was acceptable.

"Now you've piqued my interest. But can you truly afford to take me on?"

"Hm? Afford? Hahahaha, boy. Do you take the Asura Sword Sect for some Yi Clan of Jangryeong Commandery?"

Yi Do stayed silent for a moment. "First, there are a few things I wish to say."

"Very well, speak."

"The debt between me and the Killing Curtain is not something you can settle on my behalf, Myo Man-ri."

"And how do you figure that?"

"Simple. They may have started it — but only I decide when it ends."

"Hm... then that would mean..."

Myo Man-ri's words never finished.

A staggering volume of pure harmonious qi erupted from Yi Do's body — enough to push him into overload. It surged first toward his legs. His leg muscles swelled, and the amplified qi was loaded into them all in a single instant. Yi Do kicked off the ground.

Even Myo Man-ri had momentarily lost track of Yi Do's movement. If it was that fast for him, what chance did the Withered Tree Divine Lord have? Worse, the man had been standing right beside Myo Man-ri, tension long since drained away. He had never so much as imagined Yi Do would attack — but in the end, those were just excuses.

Too late, the Withered Tree Divine Lord froze in horror. A shadow fell across his eyes. Yi Do's fist.

For the briefest of instants, a red blood qi swirled in both of Yi Do's eyes. It felt only natural.

KWAAAKRAAAANG-!!!

With a deafening roar, the Withered Tree Divine Lord's head exploded. Thud. Yi Do brought his foot down on the heart of the headless corpse — KRAK-! — and crushed it flat.

He intended to annihilate the Killing Curtain. Reconciliation? There was no such thing. Either Yi Do died, or the Killing Curtain was exterminated. Under this sky, only one of those two outcomes would remain.

Yi Do turned his head and spoke to Myo Man-ri, who was still blinking. "Can you still afford to take me on?"

"...Uh... huh?"

"I have no intention of groveling at the bottom. If I go to the Asura Sword Sect, then the Asura Sword Sect may well end up on its knees beneath my feet. Can you truly afford it?"

The corners of Myo Man-ri's mouth curled upward, slowly. "...Heh... heheheheheheh."

Myo Man-ri burst into mad laughter.

Myo Man-ri grasped the meaning of Yi Do's actions at once. There was no need to overthink it. It was exactly as Yi Do had said. Whether the enemy started it or he did, how it ended was for Yi Do alone to decide.

The grudge with the Killing Curtain. Who was it that had hauled assassins all the way to Yeon-su Town to plague him? Who had forced him to kill over a hundred men, counting those slain inside the inn? The Killing Curtain. However it was dressed up, the Killing Curtain and Yi Do could not coexist under this one sky. Yi Do had simply acted.

Myo Man-ri, who had been staring blankly at the man who had just blown apart the Killing Curtain's Vice Curtain Lord, soon began to laugh like a madman. It was practically a cackle. He thumped Yi Do's shoulders with both hands.

"Now that's my disciple. Afford you? Of course I can. I've spent all this time searching for someone like you. Yes — this is exactly it. This is the very image of a martial artist walking the true path of the hegemon. Heheheheheheh. Good. Good. Come to the Asura Sword Sect."

"I'll go, but I won't be your disciple."

"Hahahaha. We'll see about that soon enough, won't we?"

Then — "Didn't you say you'd be leaving the Asura Sword Sect before long?"

"I did. But the world doesn't bend to one's will. If I bring you along, that Sect Master fellow looks ready to lose his mind... Whatever you do, don't fall for him. You're mine."

"Don't say strange things. I belong to no one."

"Heheheheh... yes, yes." Whatever Yi Do said, he simply liked it.

That was when it happened.

"We greet the senior of the Murim."

At the courteous voice, Yi Do and Myo Man-ri turned. Two dozen or so men and women stood there, draped in blue robes. On the chest of the middle-aged man at their head were embroidered the words Leader of the Blue Dragon Squad. That was the man who had just spoken — Ju Cheon-ui, the Red Dragon Divine Lord and leader of the Blue Dragon Squad.

At the sight of him, Myo Man-ri burst out laughing. "Hahahaha. It's been a while."

"...Indeed it has. You haven't changed a bit, Senior."

"Changed? What use is a man who changes? One must always walk the straight path."

"Well said. Which brings me to my request — would you yield that man, Yi Do, to us?" Out of context it might have sounded like a challenge, but it was nothing of the sort. "I wish to take that man into the Blue Dragon Squad of the Murim Alliance."

"Hah. The Blue Dragon Squad... What use would a fully bloomed dragon have playing in the children's sandpit?"

"You still speak too freely. Children, you say? It is an assembly of the very finest among the young prodigies whose names resound across every corner of the Murim."

"But whether he goes there is not for me to decide. That's for this young man here. Isn't that right?"

"True enough."

With that, Ju Cheon-ui approached Yi Do. "A pleasure. I am Ju Cheon-ui, leader of the Blue Dragon Squad."

It was a truly strange feeling. He had never expected to see this man like this. When Yi Do had killed him in his past life, the man had left a strong impression — his resolve had been unshakable, and even in a hopeless situation he had never turned his back to run. Yi Do had liked him for it, and so, after taking the secret manual from his chest, he had delivered it to the man's clan, the Ju family. That he had also learned the man's martial art, the Red Dragon Divine Art, in the process was Yi Do's own affair.

"Going to the Asura Sword Sect isn't a bad choice. But you know as well as I do — no matter how great an Eight Great Sect it may be, it cannot fully shield a man hunted by the Brocade Guard. The Murim Alliance, though? That's another matter."

Listening quietly, Myo Man-ri's brow began to twitch, little by little — a clear sign of unease. Yi Do asked, "And how would it be different? The Murim Alliance?"

"Different. The Murim Alliance comprises a great many martial organizations. Even the royal house of Jeok must weigh the risk of pressing a single power like the Asura Sword Sect against the risk of pressing the entire Alliance — and those two risks are worlds apart. To say it once more: the Asura Sword Sect is truly a magnificent sect, but the difference between standing together and standing alone is not one to dismiss."

It was sound reasoning, and Yi Do nodded. And yet — since when had he cared about such things? Yi Do had already made up his mind. The Asura Sword Sect. That place had him curious.

And he knew exactly why. That sect, which had wielded tremendous power among the Eight Great Sects, would be annihilated in the Righteous-Demonic War ten years from now. The only one to survive it would be Myo Man-ri. Afterward, Myo Man-ri would assault the Imperial Palace, and everything that everyone knew would unfold. Yi Do had no intention of stopping it. He was no chivalrous hero — what would be the point? He was simply curious.

"I thank you for the offer, but I owe Myo Man-ri a small debt here. As a man of the Murim, how could I ignore a debt owed?"

"Hm..."

"And though you may not know it—"

Yi Do raised his sword and cleaved the empty air. . With a crack of thunder, five bolts of lightning slammed into the ground.

"Back in Jangryeong Commandery, Myo Man-ri taught me a martial art. And now he has come to my aid like this. How could I turn my back on him?"

Ju Cheon-ui's expression looked conflicted. "...Hm... A true shame... a real shame. Could you promise me one thing?"

"Say it."

"Since you value debts and grudges so highly, I'll see to the ordinary martial artists hunting you. By your own logic, that would count as settling a debt, no?"

"It would."

"...Then in the days to come, do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not make an enemy of the Murim Alliance."

Yi Do's brow twitched slightly.

"I know your methods run excessive. But for my sake — no need for much. Just once, just a single time, grant me the chance. Can you do that?"

Among martial artists, there were occasionally those with remarkably sharp instincts. Ju Cheon-ui was one of them. Yi Do was no demonic cultivator, but his methods were excessive — and men like that draw a hard line between friend and foe. Since Yi Do prized debts and grudges, this was simply Ju Cheon-ui preparing ahead of time.

Yi Do nodded. "Yes. I will."

"Thank you. I wish you a bright road ahead."

With that, Ju Cheon-ui led the Murim Alliance's martial artists out of Yeon-su Town. Beside Yi Do, Myo Man-ri smirked. "So you were swayed, eh?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Impossible. The Murim Alliance itself, and you weren't tempted?"

"No."

He had said, over and over, that his mind was firmly set. Yi Do turned his head.

In the past, Yi Do's epithet had indeed been the Mad Sovereign. But he was not the first to bear that name. Before him, there had been one other Mad Sovereign — the Blood Heaven Mad Sovereign, Myo Man-ri. As the last survivor of the fallen Asura Sword Sect, he would resurface in the Murim ten years after the palace incident. A Public Enemy of the Murim and a Grand Demon Head, he had struck at the Imperial Sword Sect and the Murim Alliance alike, only to meet his end under the combined assault of the Sword Emperor, Sect Master of the Imperial Sword Sect, and Cheonhwang, leader of the Murim Alliance. He had been one of the Ten Great Masters of the World — a strongman among strongmen who had ascended to the Realm of Myth.

"Now — I'll say it again. Do not, under any circumstances, become that Sect Master's disciple."

"Why not?"

"Why? Because the moment you go under him, he'll do nothing but spout nonsense about worshipping some strange god called Asura."

That was, indeed, one of the reasons. The martial art Yi Do had learned from his master was called the Asura Heaven-Breaking Five Secrets — sharing the very word Asura with the Asura Sword Sect. What connection there might be, he was truly curious to find out. In his past life everything had collapsed so completely that not even a record remained, and he had never been able to learn the answer — but this time would be different. There was still time before he needed to find his master.

"Well then — off we go."

Wisu Commandery, in the Kingdom of Jeok. This region lay along the border with the nation of Yeon. Charitably, it was the Murim in its truest, most untamed form; less charitably, it was a lawless madhouse beyond even the worst chaos. The reason was simple.

First, in Jungsu-gun, on the Yeon side of the border, stood one of the Eight Great Sects: the Heaven-Breaking Fist Sect. On its surface, the Fist Sect walked the righteous path, but in truth it walked the hegemon's path just like the Asura Sword Sect — only with such intensity that people whispered it had crossed over into the demonic outright. These two sects utterly dominated the entire surrounding region, and — just as two suns cannot share one sky — clashes broke out every other day. They avoided battles at each other's main headquarters as much as they could, but their wars at the branch sects were the most vicious of all.

And it did not end there. The region was so lawless that the royal houses of both Jeok and Yeon had been reduced to near-helplessness. The Asura Sword Sect's Sect Master, the Black Wind Sword Venerable Dokgo Dan-ya, and the Heaven-Breaking Fist Sect's Sect Master, the Invincible Fist Emperor Gong Wi-ryang, were as good as kings of this whole territory.

In the Sect Master's hall, Dokgo Dan-ya, the Black Wind Sword Venerable, pressed one hand to his forehead, his head throbbing.

"Sect Master. You must make a decision."

The man urging him was Cho Dong, one of the Asura Sword Sect's Eight Elders, known as the Jade Hand Sword. At the Realm of Harmony, he was regarded as a master among masters.

"The Great Elder has already gone beyond the point of control. The Asura Sword Sect professes righteousness even as it walks the hegemon's path."

Standing before the forehead-pressing Sect Master, Cho Dong continued in a clear, deliberate voice. "Every time the Great Elder descends the mountain on the pretext of saving some prospective disciple, another sect is annihilated. Whatever our own path may be, he goes too far. With the Heaven-Breaking Fist Sect of Yeon already under suspicion of demonic practice, if we too come under such suspicion, no one can say what will follow. Sect Master — keeping Great Elder Myo Man-ri with the Asura Sword Sect will cost us more than it gains."

"So?"

"We Seven Elders request the dismissal of Great Elder Myo Man-ri."

In the end, Dokgo Dan-ya let out a long sigh. What on earth was he to do with these fools?

"Fine — all well and good. One question. If the Great Elder is dismissed, who takes his seat?"

"...Pardon?"

"You know full well the Great Elder stands on the very threshold of the Realm of Entering Divinity. Who among you, exactly, could fill that seat?"

"..."

"Cho Dong. Will you do it?"

"...That is..."

Sweeping his gaze across the assembled elders, Dokgo Dan-ya said a single word with an expression of utter languor. "You've grown old."

"..."

"Why do you cower when the whole world lies open for contention?"

Those words contained everything. The Asura Sword Sect had stagnated. Wisu Commandery was no small territory, yet every day they fought the same people over the same reasons, and whenever they tried to expand, those same people came to obstruct them. Stagnation was inevitable. Cho Dong and his faction were afraid — inwardly and outwardly alike. Dokgo Dan-ya sighed once more inside. There was no talent. Far too many of them wanted stability rather than to gaze ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the heights. Only one man gazed upward alongside him.

Myo Man-ri. He was not without his excesses, but that man and Dokgo Dan-ya were alike. The one difference: Myo Man-ri roamed in search of disciples, while Dokgo Dan-ya roamed in search of a successor worthy of the Asura Sword Sect.

"But Sect Master. You must use this opportunity to dismiss the Great Elder—"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Cho Dong, you brat. Are you running your mouth again?"

Every head turned toward the entrance of the Sect Master's hall. There stood a middle-aged man wearing a look of open contempt, beside a handsome, utterly expressionless young man. Myo Man-ri and Yi Do.

Already aware of their arrival, Dokgo Dan-ya had been watching Yi Do in silence — and Yi Do did not look away either. Slowly, interest kindled in the languid depths of the Black Wind Sword Venerable's eyes.

"Sect Master — surely you haven't decided?"

"As if."

Myo Man-ri smirked and walked up before Elder Cho Dong. "Good ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grief, what am I to do with this overgrown brat? Hm? You there. Why does a grown man cower so?"

"...Great Elder, your methods grow more excessive by the day. The Asura Sword Sect itself now stands on the brink of being branded demonic — that is what I am telling you."

"You fool. We don't walk the demonic path, so what does it matter what outsiders squawk?"

"I am saying we ought to prevent it before it comes to that."

"Tch."

Myo Man-ri's hand patted Cho Dong's head. "This adorable little thing — you never used to be like this. Is the age finally catching up with you?"

Cho Dong slapped the hand away — but apparently even that made him endearing.

"Weren't you planning to leave the sect anyway? Just take your leave now, while you're at it."

"That was the plan, but you lot have gotten under my skin too thoroughly. I can't leave now."

Myo Man-ri laughed and called back to Yi Do behind him. "Hey, disciple."

"Not your disciple."

"Sharp-tongued brat. Fine — Yi Do. What would you do?"

"About what?"

"These fools are petitioning the Sect Master to have me dismissed, right now as we speak. What would you do?"

"Have you committed offenses that warrant dismissal?"

At the question, Myo Man-ri shook his head.

"And do you share the Sect Master's aims, Myo Man-ri?"

Myo Man-ri turned to look at Dokgo Dan-ya. The Sect Master was smiling. "Seems we do?"

"Then those gentlemen over there are a future rebel faction, looking to break the Asura Sword Sect from within."

"So... it would seem?"

"Then what is there to debate? You kill them."

At Yi Do's toneless words, Myo Man-ri was, if anything, startled. "But they have served the Asura Sword Sect loyally?"

"Loyalty is not eternal. Allowances could be made, of course — some will merely have been swept along. Give those a single chance. But the ringleaders will be torn limb from limb."

"...Hm..."

This time too, it was Myo Man-ri who swallowed. And Yi Do was inwardly surprised at the sight. So he was not quite that far gone after all.

Then it came.

"Haha... hahahaha."

Dokgo Dan-ya burst out laughing.

"Great Elder."

"What?"

"You said you'd gone to fetch a disciple?"

"Can't you see for yourself?"

"From what I heard a moment ago, he isn't your disciple yet."

A meaningful smile played at the corners of Dokgo Dan-ya's mouth. And at his next words, Myo Man-ri's face twisted violently.

"This time, it seems you've brought back the real thing."