Chapter 141: Whoosh!
Chapter 141
Whoosh!
Infiltration of the Black Market (1)
In an instant, a massive blaze erupted within the Divine Flame Forge.
The heat pouring out was so intense that it felt as though summer had abruptly descended upon the Iron Hall.
'......What in the world?'
Even Jin Mu-baek, the Flame King—one of the top three masters in the martial world when it came to the art of scorching yang energy—was drenched in sweat.
If the Mystical Forge was a mere candle flame, the Divine Flame Forge was akin to the blazing sun in the sky.
But Guyongyeon wasn't the only one astonished.
'Is this really its full power?'
Even Se-woon, who had created both the Divine Maiden Sect Leader and the Divine Flame Forge, found his eyes widening in surprise.
And rightfully so.
'This is the ultimate forging furnace—one I hadn't even witnessed in my past life.'
In his previous life, the wild flames of the Beast Palace had been lost after the death of Oh Mun-tak, making this his first time experiencing the Divine Flame Forge's true capabilities.
But the shock was fleeting.
Se-woon pressed his palms together, then slowly spread them apart.
Whoooosh!
Golden threads, infused with his energy, unraveled from his wrists like silk ribbons, multiplying into hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strands before transforming into a new shape.
Like the Blood-Silk Demon Queen Seo Su-rin's Celestial Silk—one of the Ten Great Demon Arms—the threads intertwined, weaving themselves into a single, seamless sheet of fabric.
'Let's begin.'
It was time to properly wield the unknown power of the Divine Flame Forge.
"Elder."
"Yes! Patriarch!"
"Watch closely. Learn well."
"......!"
Guyongyeon's heart pounded so violently he feared it might burst.
His entire life had been dedicated to catching even a glimpse of the legendary Divine Craftsman's techniques. And now, Se-woon was about to demonstrate them right before his eyes.
"Even if my eyes burn to ashes, I will not blink—I will watch every moment!"
Se-woon gave a slight nod, satisfied with Guyongyeon's resolve, then extended his hand.
Swoosh!
The elongated golden threads shot into the blazing pit of the Divine Flame Forge—
Snap!
—only to freeze mid-air, rigid as steel. One end remained clenched in Se-woon's grip, while the other plunged deep into the inferno.
Yet, astonishingly, the threads did not melt.
Hiss!
"!!"
Instead, they absorbed the flames, turning a deep, molten red.
But the change wasn't just in color.
Sizzle!!
'Ghk!'
An unimaginable heat surged through Se-woon's hand—pain so excruciating that an ordinary martial artist would have fainted instantly.
But Se-woon did not let go.
Clang!
Clang!
Gritting his teeth, he endured the agony and struck the threads with his hammer.
Hiss!
Golden energy poured from his body as he channeled his full power into the forging process.
Under Se-woon's will, a new form began taking shape within the threads.
At last, the creation of another Divine Artifact had begun.
As Se-woon's body burned like molten lava, feverish and searing—
[Here, take it, Demon Smith. This is the Soul Transference Great Method you sought.]
A memory surfaced in his mind—of a man.
Ghost Shadow, the Blood Brain—second only to the Blood Demon himself in the Blood Cult's hierarchy of sorcerers.
The man grinned wickedly, holding one of the Ten Great Demon Arms: the Delusion Veil.
True to its name, the Delusion Veil resembled an ordinary headscarf—similar to the ones worn by scholars or strategists.
But its true horror lay in its ability to amplify curses and sorcery to terrifying extremes.
'A demonic weapon that magnifies the effects of any hex or spell cast by its wearer.'
Se-woon had handed it over, hoping to use the Soul Transference Great Method to escape his crippled body and take revenge on the Blood Demon.
But his plan had failed spectacularly.
Instead, Ghost Shadow used the Delusion Veil to subjugate one of the Five Evils of the Evil Faction, pushing the world one step closer to the reign of demonic tyranny.
'He knew I would fail from the beginning.'
Only much later did Se-woon learn the truth—the Blood Demon himself had ordered Ghost Shadow to betray him.
Of the Ten Elders, Ghost Shadow had always been the Blood Demon's most useful pawn.
Which was why, if given the chance, Se-woon would prioritize eliminating him above all others in the Blood Cult.
Even disregarding his personal vendetta, the chaos Ghost Shadow had sown with his soul-manipulating sorcery was incalculable.
But there was one silver lining...
'Right about now, he should be scheming in the shadows—plotting to take control of the Qingcheng Faction and kill me.'
Shockingly, Se-woon knew exactly where Ghost Shadow was at this very moment: Sichuan, weaving his dark conspiracy.
Hiss!
Whoosh!
Blazing flames and dazzling light erupted simultaneously.
The only thing grounding this surreal spectacle in reality was—
Clang!
Clang!
—the relentless ringing of the hammer.
Enduring both physical and mental torment, Se-woon recalled Ghost Shadow's past machinations in Sichuan.
'In my past life, he infiltrated the Qingcheng Faction in secret. He dragged their already corrupt sect even deeper into depravity, turning them into the overlords of Sichuan.'
Acting as Yi Hoseong's strategist just before the Blood Cult's rise, Ghost Shadow manipulated the Qingcheng Faction into orchestrating the downfall of none other than—the Emei Sect.
They staged a false-flag massacre, sacrificing innocent civilians and pinning the blame on Emei.
Though Emei protested their innocence, no one believed them—the evidence against them was too damning.
Even Bok Ho-shin couldn't intervene, as he had secluded himself due to a sudden, incurable illness.
'And this time, the scapegoat will be us—the Tang Family of Sichuan.'
What confirmed Se-woon's suspicions was a message from Jang So-pyeong:
[The Qingcheng Faction's movements are suspicious. The Patriarch should investigate personally.]
[The man assisting Ma Geol-ryun, their newly promoted chief disciple, is oddly unsettling. His background checks out, but... call it a beggar's intuition.]
Upon verifying the description of the man—sent from the Cheoncheon Unit's safehouse in Sichuan—Se-woon recognized him instantly.
It was the Blood Brain.
His disguise matched exactly what Se-woon had seen in his past life.
But Se-woon didn't see this brewing storm as a crisis.
No—he was grateful.
'This gives me the perfect excuse to wipe out all the trash that's of no use to saving the world.'
He already knew the false-flag operation they were planning.
And he intended to turn it against them—using it as justification to exterminate them all.
Just as Se-woon's killing intent toward the Qingcheng Faction and Ghost Shadow peaked—
Fwoosh!
Shhhhk!
The silk-like golden threads rewound, returning to his hand.
Now dyed a deep vermilion, the threads shimmered in the air, radiating a hypnotic power that could cloud the mind.
'With this, the Puppet Threads are complete.'
True to their name, the Puppet Threads granted Se-woon the ability to manipulate enemies like marionettes—bending them to his will.
In his past life, this had been one of his most devastating weapons against the Blood Cult.
But this wasn't the end.
Whoooosh!
Rumble!
Suddenly, Se-woon's golden energy surged beyond his physical form, taking on a new shape in the air.
Bloom!
A breathtaking golden lotus unfurled—
—marking the moment of Heavenly Flowers Scattered, a phenomenon said to occur when a martial artist achieves supreme enlightenment.
Guyongyeon's eyes trembled violently, as if shaken by an earthquake.
"......Mystic Realm!!"
Indeed. Heavenly Flowers Scattered was a realm experienced only by the rarest of masters—those who had truly crossed the threshold into the Mystic Realm.
Legends said that achieving it could even expand one's innate energy reserves—something thought to be fixed at birth.
"Congratulations, Patriarch...!"
Swallowing his overwhelming emotions, Guyongyeon spoke.
But strangely—
"......Patriarch?"
Se-woon gave no response.
Instead, he tilted his head, lost in thought as if something unexpected had occurred.
Yet it wasn't due to any mishap.
As Guyongyeon had guessed, Se-woon had successfully taken his first step into the true Mystic Realm.
'......There's still room to strengthen the Puppet Threads further?'
But an unforeseen development had arisen.
For the first time, the Divine Flame Forge's true potential had manifested.
What he thought was the final product could be enhanced even further.
'No—perhaps "evolved" is the better word.'
Unfortunately, it wasn't possible right away.
'I'll need materials.'
Just as the Extinction Thread required sacred relics, evolving the Puppet Threads would demand a material brimming with vast demonic energy.
In Se-woon's memory, there was only one place to obtain such a thing.
His eyes darkened like a still, midnight lake.
'Another reason to visit the Black Market.'
And fortunately—
That was exactly where he was headed next to crush the schemes of the Qingcheng Faction and Ghost Shadow.
Most shops are named after what they sell.
Silk shops, bookstores, tea houses, butcheries—all follow this rule.
But what do you call a place where anything can be bought, and anything can be sold?
The martial world already had a name for such a place.
The Black Market.
The next day.
Zhongjiang County, north of Chengdu.
The landscape was desolate.
Most houses were charred ruins, and the once-bustling market streets stood abandoned—not a soul in sight.
Years ago, a horrific plague had turned this place into a forsaken wasteland.
Crunch.
Amidst the ruins, a suspicious figure appeared.
Cloaked entirely in black, his face hidden behind a mask.
'Tch. To think I'd set foot in a place like this.'
His identity?
None other than the leader of the Qingcheng Faction—Juk Seong-ja, the Lone Flying Sword.
The self-proclaimed Hegemon of Sichuan.