Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: The Tale of Cheongmu
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He had mastered the righteous martial arts.
Even with a wicked heart, he had forcibly acquired the Six Yang Divine Art, so he mastered Wudang's techniques without any sense of incongruity.
There was no need for the process of enlightenment. He had already comprehended it all.
Thus, his mindset remained utterly unaffected by any righteous influence. He was still evil, still vile.
If anything, he was a fiend in Taoist robes. An utterly avaricious fiend at that. What heart demon would he fall to from practicing the Two Forms Heart Art? His roots were rotten to the core.
"I'm fine."
"What?"
"I absolutely won't fall to a heart demon."
Jinmu declared confidently.
"Hah!"
What nonsense was this?
He had explained it clearly enough, yet here he was smirking with a casual 'Nah, I'm good.'
As Jinmu showed no sign of backing down, Ungong's brow furrowed deeply.
For one pursuing advancement through righteous secret arts, fixating on trivial matters would inevitably shallow one's cultivation.
Thus, to persuade Jinmu—who would elevate Wudang's name—to abandon this path, Ungong decided to reveal a painful memory he had never shared with anyone.
"It was a hundred years ago."
A hundred years ago?
This was before Jinmu—no, Hyeokryeon Mugang—had even been born.
He had figured the old man was ancient, but...
Still, how had he lived this long? Had he sucked up all the spiritual energy of Wudang Mountain by himself?
"Anyway, long ago back then, there was someone who last practiced the Two Forms Heart Art."
Like a grandfather's bedtime story, Ungong began reciting in a low voice.
Two Forms Heart Art.
The tale he had awaited was finally unfolding.
Jinmu listened intently, eyes sparkling like a grandchild nestled on grandpa's lap.
"The Sect Leader at the time, Cheongmu, entered secluded cultivation to practice the Two Forms Heart Art, just like you, insisting he would be fine."
Cheongmu.
A name he had never heard before.
"The two forms were originally one Taiji. Splitting the one into two allows cultivating yin and yang arts in a single body. But even divided, they must return to unity. That is harmony. Do you think that's easy?"
This was the same explanation from earlier.
Old folks really do repeat themselves.
But Jinmu kept his ears open until Ungong finished.
"To fill the yin aspect of the Two Forms Heart Art, he separately learned a fiend sect's heart art. But in merging them into Taiji, he failed to balance and fell to a heart demon, ultimately becoming a fiend who brought disaster upon the sect."
Mentioning yin-yang arts, it made sense he had learned a fiend sect's martial art or demonic art alongside Daoist heart methods.
But disaster?
He had never heard of such an event.
"It's unfamiliar, isn't it? Cheongmu's records in the martial world only cover his decade of activity. Everything else was internal Wudang matters, contained before leaking out. It was the ultimate shame for Wudang back then—no line could be left in history. Thus, aside from that decade's records, all traces of the Two Forms Heart Art were erased, and the fiend's martial arts were abolished."
A Sect Leader turning fiend would indeed be humiliating.
But something felt off.
Even he, the Lord of Evil Hegemony Heaven, hadn't been stopped by Wudang—yet this guy got contained by these mediocre Wudang Taoists?
Whatever. It didn't matter much. Jinmu wanted the Two Forms Heart Art to learn the Ink Dragon Chaos Origin Art anyway.
He had zero intention of achieving Taiji.
"He must not have been that strong."
"What? Nonsense!"
Ungong suddenly bellowed at Jinmu's mutter, glaring with bulging eyes.
"Not strong? If he hadn't barely regained his senses, suppressed his demonic qi, and offered his neck to his disciple in atonement for taking his fellow disciples' lives, not just Wudang but the entire world would have been drowned in blood!"
Damn, that startled him.
If it's no, just say no—why explode like that? Cantankerous old coot.
The entire world drowned in blood?
What was this old man babbling about?
The supreme under heaven or some such nonsense? Wudang had a guy like that?
"In just those ten prime years, he forged an unrivaled legend in martial history. I swear, no one stood tall before him. Had he achieved Taiji, even the emperor wouldn't have dared lift his head."
What? Come on, even in exaggeration...
The emperor bowing his head?
The emperor who commands millions with a gesture.
Had this guy lived too long and gone senile?
Yet Ungong's blazing eyes held not a speck of deceit.
And it wasn't 'they say he couldn't'—it was 'he couldn't.'
"But how do you speak of it like you saw it yourself?"
"That's..."
Ungong, who had been raging with bulging eyes, suddenly slumped his shoulders and wore a sorrowful expression.
"Because I was the disciple who cut off his head."
"......"
Ah, I see.
So he was the top dog everyone bowed to.
And this great one regained his senses and offered his own neck?
Shouldn't have asked.
This old man was definitely senile.
There was a reason he had spent his long life holed up in the scripture pavilion copying manuals.
Had he claimed to be Cheongmu himself, Jinmu might have believed a bit.
He'd have kowtowed and begged for the Two Forms Heart Art.
As Jinmu sighed and rose to leave, Ungong continued.
"Anyway, after that, the second volume of the Two Forms Heart Art—the Taiji Canon—was divided into four parts."
Wait, two volumes?
There was an extra one?
"Two volumes?"
"Yes, originally two. But per his final wish, to prevent any future Wudang member from achieving Taiji and falling to demonic influence, the Taiji Canon was split and sealed in four Daoist sects excluding Wudang."
This old man, stringing him along.
So it didn't exist!
Jinmu grew irritated as he listened.
"Then what the great disciple receives from the Sect Leader is...?"
"The first half."
"......"
"But without the latter half to form Taiji, it's not the true Two Forms Heart Art."
In other words, the first volume was the Two Forms Heart Art proper, and the second was the Taiji essence.
Of similar importance, but Jinmu only needed the first half.
The latter half? He didn't care about that Taiji nonsense...
Ultimately, useless to him.
"Then the split Taiji Canon is worthless without the first half. Can't practice Two Forms Heart Art, can't merge the internal arts."
"No. Cheongmu ordered the main text and Taiji essence each split into two and sealed in four places, so the latter half likely contains annotations for the first."
What? So the latter half was superior? Obtain it alone and you could practice Two Forms Heart Art?
This old man was toying with him.
"Do the other sects know this?"
"Who knows. If they kept the secret, no one would."
"......"
Jinmu eyed Ungong suspiciously.
"No rumors of anyone finding it in between?"
"Haven't heard any."
"Anyone else in Wudang know this tale?"
"I told you, it was shameful history, unrecorded. The next Sect Leader, Unjeong, didn't pass it on."
"Ah, right."
Back to square one.
No one was told.
No records.
This was Ungong's story alone.
Jinmu had no desire to bet his future on a mad old man's imagination.
Not worth hearing more.
He sighed involuntarily.
He couldn't even believe Cheongmu had existed.
Someone that great should have been famed across the martial world, yet no one had heard of him.
And though a fiend, he had regained his senses.
A Taoist who treats ancestors like his own body—cutting down the self-proclaimed supreme expert Sect Leader and living? Absurd.
Someone that skilled would be walled up for reflection or something until old age, not beheaded.
They'd invoke ancestral rites, sever tendons, grind bones to dust, and scatter them.
He had hoped those eerie eyes meant something, but...
Mistook divine light for madness; that's why they differed from others.
The seeming abyss was just vacant stare.
"Anyway, with time passed, who knows if the Taiji Canon remains. Not even ours, split and incomplete—would they preserve it?"
Ungong muttered wistfully, but Jinmu had lost interest.
Cheongmu? Emperor bowing? Taoists and their tall tales...
"Yes, probably not."
Damn old man. Hoped his long life meant some chant from the rear, but no—just vague history.
An uncertain latter half...
Interest fully gone, Jinmu rose without regret, but Ungong's worried voice persisted.
"The talk drifted, but anyway, abandon this vain desire for the Two Forms Heart Art and..."
After the conversation with Ungong, Jinmu returned to Void Serenity Hermitage and sorted the books from the scripture pavilion by type, per his master's orders.
But he couldn't focus.
He had luckily obtained the Supreme Purity Pill and reached the Strong Realm, but his original goal, the Two Forms Heart Art, had flown away completely.
"Damn it. Shouldn't have chosen Wudang's Sword?"
This title was a real pain.
Actions needed justification. His moves represented Wudang, demanding utmost caution.
But regretting now was pointless.
The Supreme Purity Pill had long been digested—and flushed away.
Original plan: learn Two Forms Heart Art, get master's permission, leave Wudang.
With Two Forms Heart Art gone, no reason to stay in this tiresome place.
Time to seek master's permission and go.
Not a short trip, but a long absence needed reason.
"Isn't there a good way to leave?"
As Jinmu muttered gravely, Cheongsang, sorting manuals beside him, asked curiously.
"Uncle Master? Planning a wandering journey?"
"Huh? What?"
"You said you're leaving Wudang. Thought maybe a wandering journey."
"What?"
"Didn't know?"
He knew of it.
Wandering Journey.
Jinmu was aware.
It meant roaming the world broadly.
A warrior wasn't just strong in martial arts.
One needed to know the jianghu.
Through training and wandering, gaining experience to become a true warrior.
The wandering journey built diverse experiences and connections.
That was its purpose.
"I heard wandering journeys are for great disciples?"
"Yes. But you're Wudang's Sword."
"......Huh?"
"Wudang's Sword represents Wudang externally, handling outside matters. More fitting than for a great disciple."
"Ah!"
Yes, exactly.
Why hadn't he thought of that?
A way to leave Wudang.
Perfect justification for master's permission.
As Wudang's Sword, naturally wander to gain worldly experience.
No one knew his overflowing past experiences.
In the unpredictable martial world, who could argue against gaining experience to become greater?
Good kid, Cheongsang.
Sharing such valuable info freely.
"Hahaha! Cheongsang, you pretty thing."
"Huh?"
"That's it."
Cheongsang tilted his head at the sudden praise.
"Where's Master?"
"At the Five Dragons Palace reconstruction site."
"Got it! Rest now. Train personally if you want."
"Huh? Ah, yes."
With Cheongsang dismissed, Cheongu eyed him expectantly.
"Uncle Master, what about me?"
"Still tons of unsorted manuals?"
"......"
"No slacking. I'll check tonight."
"......Yes."
Leaving disappointed Cheongu, Jinmu strode vigorously to the Five Dragons Palace site.
No need for reputation or merits now. Great disciple? With Two Forms Heart Art gone, screw that.
Time to leave.
One thing left.
Master's permission.
Then roam the central plains freely.
Master had improved much. Hunting alone fine, slowly regaining martial arts.
Yes, for Jinmu's temperament, this was long enough. Get permission now and leave!
A crooked horn must be pulled straight at once!