Chapter 453
Chapter 453
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 116
>Chapter Title: Arrangement (5)
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“I am indeed just myself, as you said. My name is Jin Yun-hwi. As you’ve guessed, I’m the ancestor of that child, Jin Ye-rin.”
A glint appeared in Mok Kyung-un’s eyes.
Was it the weight of years etched into his gaze?
Even with the face of a young man, he exuded an aura that seemed to encompass the entire room.
And though his eyes were clearly black, they shimmered with flecks of crimson and gold every time the light caught them—truly mysterious.
At that moment, Cheong-ryeong spoke up, her voice laced with genuine astonishment.
“...The... Supreme... Sword... of the World.”
The Supreme Sword of the World?
One of Mok Kyung-un’s eyebrows arched at her words.
Was she referring to this man?
As he puzzled over it, Cheong-ryeong continued in a trembling voice.
“Few remember the grandmasters from the era of ancient martial arts after the Great Cataclysm. I’ve only heard fragments passed down orally myself.”
“...And?”
“Among them was one utterly absurd tale.”
Absurd?
“The man who bore both the infamy of a fiend and the renown of a righteous hero...”
The infamy of a fiend and the renown of a righteous hero?
Come to think of it, the man had described himself that way.
[Who knows how I’m remembered now, but there was a time I was called the Blood Demon, treated as a villain, and another when I was hailed as the Sword Immortal, the epitome of virtue.]
“And the one who severed the neck of the Flood Dragon.”
‘Flood Dragon?’
The world teemed with countless mythical beasts.
Of course, encountering one in a lifetime was exceedingly rare.
And among those rarities, the most auspicious and pinnacle of spiritual creatures in the long history of the Central Plains.
That was the Flood Dragon—true dragon.
‘...Did that thing actually exist?’
He had pored over texts like the Essentials of the Philosophers, the Foundational Book of Yin-Yang, and the Initial Records of Strange Phenomena from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Yet nowhere did he find accounts of anyone actually seeing a dragon.
That was why, despite being called a mythical beast or spiritual entity, the dragon was regarded as the most fantastical existence.
And this man claimed to have beheaded one?
Regardless of truth, possessing such monumental fame made him nothing short of legendary.
Just then, the being who had removed his demon mask—Jin Yun-hwi—chuckled softly and spoke.
“Ah, a correction. Not the thing itself, precisely, but its lingering will.”
“Lingering will?”
“It might sound complicated, but what you see before you is merely a remnant of will. I planted a fragment of my po soul into this world of bamboo slips.”
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes narrowed at Jin Yun-hwi’s words.
He might think himself incapable of grasping it, but Mok Kyung-un had experienced something similar once before.
It had been inside Shaolin Temple’s Meditation Cave.
The practitioner gazing at the stone wall.
He had assumed it was just a residual thought, yet it had spoken to him.
[If you’ve gained enough, return now to where you belong.]
That was when Mok Kyung-un realized.
It wasn’t a mere residual thought.
It possessed intent.
Because of this, Mok Kyung-un was inwardly even more shocked.
The Meditation Cave practitioner’s remnant had only shown him something, but this one had sparred with him.
Yet even then, Mok Kyung-un hadn’t witnessed its full power.
Unlike him unleashing everything, his opponent always seemed to hold back.
So how strong was the real one, beyond mere will?
Impossible to gauge.
Mok Kyung-un stared intently at Jin Yun-hwi before finally sitting in the chair at the prepared table.
-Tak!
Jin Yun-hwi gestured to the steaming tea and said,
“Have a cup.”
“No need.”
“You’re quite guarded.”
“If it’s just a remnant of will, this is nothing but an illusion deceiving the senses.”
Jin Yun-hwi shrugged at Mok Kyung-un’s firm words, then downed his tea.
-Slurp. “Sharp one. The type who hears one thing and grasps ten, eh?”
“Spare the flattery. What’s your purpose in bringing me here?”
“Purpose?”
“Yes.”
“What do you think?”
“I asked first. Jin Yun-hwi.”
-Whoosh!
No sooner had Mok Kyung-un spoken than a shortsword flew in, circling him rapidly.
As if expressing displeasure.
Jin Yun-hwi waved it off.
“Enough, Sodam. He means no harm.”
At his words, the shortsword stopped circling Mok Kyung-un and returned to his side, hovering in midair and humming softly.
-Hummm!
Mok Kyung-un eyed it curiously.
“That shortsword—what is it?”
At first, he’d thought Jin Yun-hwi simply had a deep bond with his blade.
But increasingly, it felt like the sword possessed ego—its own will.
Far from a mere spirit sword or telekinetic control.
No flow of qi at all.
Jin Yun-hwi smiled faintly at the question.
“This friend’s name is Sodam. An old companion.”
“...Doesn’t seem like an ordinary shortsword.”
“Nothing in this world is ordinary, friend.”
“Friend? When did you see me?”
“Ah, right. I glimpsed your existence through the Will of Heaven, but not your name. Care to share? Or will you say ‘I am just me’ again?”
Mok Kyung-un let out a faint sigh.
“...Cheonma. Call me Cheonma.”
“Cheonma? Quite the grandiose name.”
“I’m not here to chat idly with you. Jin Yun-hwi. Get to the point. Why drag me here?”
“Just when I was starting to like you, you’re in such a rush.”
“I’m not leisurely enough to waste time on a mere remnant that isn’t even the man himself.”
Jin Yun-hwi’s lip curled at Mok Kyung-un’s bluntness.
“And yet you sat down anyway. Out of necessity, no?”
“...”
“Honest—I like that. Truth be told, this meeting was to decide your fate.”
“What?”
What nonsense is this?
Decide my fate?
Jin Yun-hwi continued smiling at Mok Kyung-un, whose eyes had chilled with irritation.
“Cheonma. Even if you’ve lost everything and become a mere mortal, the essence of demon within you remains unchanged.”
“...Demon?”
Jin Yun-hwi set down his teacup, sounding surprised as Mok Kyung-un echoed the word.
“You still haven’t reflected on yourself?”
“What are you getting at?”
“...I see. That’s unexpected. I figured by now you’d at least know what you are. But no? Then you’ve reached this point through your human ego alone?”
Mok Kyung-un shot to his feet at those words.
Looming over Jin Yun-hwi, he shouted,
“Whatever’s inside me can’t control me. I am myself, and I live by my will alone!”
Jin Yun-hwi’s lip twitched.
Then he smiled.
Mok Kyung-un scoffed at the enigmatic expression.
“Amusing, is it?”
“No, not at all. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
“What?”
“Unlike my fears, you’ve forged a steadfast ego. Cheonma.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Let’s call it good news. If the demon within had consumed you and stolen your will, I’d have sealed you away forever.”
‘!?’
Seal me away?
As wariness flared, Jin Yun-hwi refilled his teacup.
“The key is will. That’s what I needed to see. Without it, you’d be an unprecedented calamity upon the world.”
“Calamity?”
“The coming calamity is bad enough—another would bring only ruin. I couldn’t stand by, so I merely created a chance to avert it.”
“More riddles?”
Mok Kyung-un couldn’t follow at all.
What was he trying to say?
As he puzzled, Jin Yun-hwi traced something in the air with his index finger.
The air became paper, his finger a brush, inscribing words.
It was the incantation of the Pasa Eight Forms.
“The Pasa Eight Forms aren’t just a compilation of insights. They awaken the will of those who comprehend the incantation.”
“Will?”
“If your will and ego were weak, the demon inside would’ve devoured you instantly. But as you see, yours is firmer than anyone’s. That’s the greatest strength humanity possesses.”
“...Sounds like you orchestrated me learning the Pasa Eight Forms.”
“I won’t deny intent.”
“What?”
“Even with arrangements, without the karmic tie, we wouldn’t be meeting like this.”
Countless events flashed through Mok Kyung-un’s mind at his words.
The supreme manual Pasa Eight Forms reaching him wasn’t mere chance but layered fates, as if destined to his hand.
Too coincidental to dismiss as luck.
After a moment’s thought, Mok Kyung-un spoke.
“If its arrival to me was arranged, could it not also fall into the hands of one who’d wreak havoc?”
A sharp, piercing question.
‘Exactly.’
Not just Mok Kyung-un and Cheong-ryeong had obtained the Pasa Eight Forms.
The Secret Meeting Leader, Mok Gan, had mastered it too.
Cheong-ryeong inwardly expected Jin Yun-hwi to falter at the direct hit.
But he showed no reaction.
Instead, he replied calmly.
“Remember when I said the Will of Heaven is like hazy mist?”
“...”
“That existence the Will revealed holds two madness-filled wills in one body. Utter chaos, wholly unlike you.”
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes narrowed.
He had divined two coexisting wills within the third Mok Gan—the Three-Eyed One—through the Will of Heaven?
Jin Yun-hwi continued.
“When two strong wills coexist in one body without one weakening, what happens?”
“You mean ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’?”
“At least their endless strife and chaos would delay the coming calamity, however slightly.”
“So the Pasa Eight Forms falling to him was to sow discord between those wills?”
“As expected, you grasp it instantly. But it’s only a stopgap.”
-Shh!
Jin Yun-hwi rose, and the table and teacups vanished.
Donning his demon mask again, he spoke in a meaningful tone.
“Even delayed, that time approaches. Two madness-soaked wills merging fully in chaos is inevitable. The being born from that union will drag all living things in the Central Plains to ruin.”
“...So what’s your point?”
“I know you’re no seeker of virtue or justice. But if there’s anything precious to you, however small, only you—who lives in this era—can protect it from the ruin ahead. Not I, a mere relic of the past.”
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