Chapter 4: The Sword Emperor and the Divine Physician (1)
Chapter 4
The Sword Emperor and the Divine Physician (1)
Se-woon had once witnessed Sword Emperor Yoo Jin-hak's divine majesty with his own eyes.
It was when he had been dispatched to the battlefield at Mount Heng to deliver weapons to a unit led by Blood Wheels Sura, the former Righteous Protector of the Blood Cult.
Blood Wheels Sura, originally from the Thunderbolt Yin Sect, was notorious even among the Blood Cult for wielding bizarre and sinister martial arts.
BOOM!
CRACK!
Deafening roars shook the heavens and earth as if the sky were collapsing and the ground splitting apart.
Blood Wheels Sura and Yoo Jin-hak were locked in a life-and-death duel.
These were beings who had transcended the Flower Realm, reaching the pinnacle of the Extreme Demon and Mystic Realm—superhumans beyond mortal comprehension.
For Se-woon, it was the first time he had witnessed such a clash between legends.
As Blood Wheels Sura surged forward, scattering crimson energy, the colors of the world shifted in an instant.
Amidst this blood-drenched world—
SWOOSH!
—Se-woon caught sight of the Sword Emperor's graceful swordplay.
'Could someone like him... save the martial world?'
For a fleeting moment, he even entertained such a delusion.
At the time, his own martial prowess had been lacking, so he couldn't even begin to fathom how much stronger the Blood Demon was compared to Yoo Jin-hak.
But that only emphasized how transcendent the Sword Emperor's skills were.
WHOOSH!
Steps so mystical they seemed to fold space itself.
A peerless sword art that endlessly inscribed infinite Taiji in the air.
His blade embodied the principle of softness overcoming hardness—
SLASH!
—and in less than a hundred exchanges, he severed Blood Wheels Sura's head.
During the era when the Blood Demon had yet to fully emerge to complete his grand scheme, the Sword Emperor stood as the greatest obstacle to the Blood Cult's ambitions.
Even after the Blood Cult's invasion began, the Orthodox factions hesitated to unite and retaliate—solely because of his existence.
Though the prolonged peace after the Great Righteous-Demonic War had caused the average martial prowess of each sect to decline significantly compared to a century ago, the strength of the world's foremost master surpassed even that of previous generations.
Everything began when Yoo Jin-hak, a mere lay disciple of the Wudang Sect and now the leader of the Orthodox factions, stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter.
He obtained the Sword Scriptures containing the enlightenment of none other than Lü Dongbin, the Sword Immortal.
The Wudang Sect's essence lay in Taoism.
To inherit the legacy of Lü Dongbin, the Pure Yang Sage, was to claim an indisputable orthodoxy that none could challenge.
Thus, he became the first lay disciple in history to be chosen as the sect leader's direct successor.
Through countless legendary acts of heroism, he mastered even the Wudang Sect's divine technique, the Heart of Yang and Yīn, and ultimately ascended to the pinnacle of the Mystic Realm—known as the Realm of Transcendence.
After the Martial Alliance's founding, the bitter infighting between sects had made unanimous votes for leadership impossible—until Yoo Jin-hak achieved the unprecedented feat of being elected Alliance Chief by complete consensus.
And so, the man hailed as the guardian of the Orthodox factions—
'He died by my divine artifact.'
—met his end at the hands of an assassin wielding the second of the Ten Demonic Weapons: Twin Polar Fangs.
Se-woon's chest tightened with a sinking feeling.
The man he had effectively killed was now staring straight at him.
As the initial shock of his sudden appearance faded, an inescapable guilt began to consume Se-woon's entire being.
"Hmm?"
Had Yoo Jin-hak sensed Se-woon's turmoil?
A mysterious glimmer flickered in his eyes.
Golden Pure Sight.
A technique said to pierce through the depths of one's heart.
'Damn it.'
Se-woon inwardly cursed and swiftly steadied his mind.
Thanks to the opened gate in his upper dantian, his heightened senses allowed him to detect the activation of the Golden Pure Sight.
'Now isn't the time for reminiscing.'
He temporarily set aside his guilt toward Yoo Jin-hak.
The Sword Emperor's presence posed a far greater threat than the ambush by Son Woo-gon and the Tiger-Dragon Guards.
Se-woon quickly assessed the situation.
"Ah, child. That power... is not one to be wielded recklessly."
Yoo Jin-hak had spoken those words.
Crucially, he had referred to it not as a "hidden weapon" or "dagger," but as "energy."
Moreover, he had approached Se-woon and infused his own energy to prevent him from using his innate True Qi.
Which meant—
'He hasn't detected the Shadowless Dagger.'
The dagger, which had been moments away from piercing Son Woo-gon's brow, now hovered motionless in the air.
Se-woon subtly shifted the dagger sideways without changing his expression.
Yet Yoo Jin-hak showed no reaction, continuing to scrutinize him with the Golden Pure Sight.
'Confirmed. He's completely unaware of its existence.'
Just as he had suspected, the Sword Emperor couldn't perceive the dagger.
In hindsight, it made sense—even the Blood Demon hadn't noticed the divine artifact until the very last moment.
'...Then comes the next problem.'
If the worst-case scenario unfolded—where the Sword Emperor decided to execute him on the spot—
Could he survive such a situation?
If he retaliated with the Shadowless Dagger...
Just as Se-woon prepared to move the dagger again—
"Hoho, what is this? I see nothing. A first for me."
Yoo Jin-hak retracted the Golden Pure Sight, a peculiar smile playing on his lips.
"It seems you possess quite an interesting skill, child."
But only the corners of his mouth lifted—his eyes remained cold and sunken.
SHIVER!
A chilling aura swept over Se-woon's entire body.
It felt as though thousands of blades were pointed at him.
Se-woon barely clung to consciousness, fighting the urge to collapse.
And then—
'...Impossible.'
He realized that even with the Shadowless Dagger, he couldn't stop Yoo Jin-hak.
In truth, it had never been possible to begin with.
His successful strike against the Blood Demon had only been achievable after over a decade of meticulous preparation.
"Ah, child. You must be quite startled."
"!"
A new voice suddenly echoed from behind.
An elderly woman's voice, weathered by time.
"Ah... Ah..."
"It's alright, it's alright. This will be over soon, so close your eyes and rest for a moment."
Beside the terrified Seol-i stood a frail-looking nun in tattered robes.
'Since when?'
With imperceptible speed, she pressed Seol-i's sleep acupoint, rendering her unconscious.
Though not on Yoo Jin-hak's level, this mysterious woman was undoubtedly a peerless master in her own right.
After gently placing Seol-i outside the room, the nun returned and glared at Yoo Jin-hak with frosty eyes.
"You senile old horse! Even if you had to leave in a hurry, you should've at least told me where you were going!"
"Haha, my apologies, Boyeon. But I was so startled by the surge of innate True Qi that I didn't have time to inform you."
"You left behind all the wine you were drinking just to chase after this!"
"I'll repay you with two bottles. Please forgive me just this once."
"Tch! Damn fast horse of a man."
Upon hearing the name Boyeon, Se-woon immediately recognized her identity.
As a martial artist from Sichuan, how could he not know?
The current, undisputed leader of Sichuan's martial world was none other than the Emei Sect.
Even the Qingcheng Sect paled in comparison to their overwhelming dominance.
'The Tiger-Subduing Divine Physician.'
And all of that was thanks to the elderly nun before him—Boyeon.
One of the Ten Great Masters of the World and the former leader of the Emei Sect.
'...Things just got even more complicated.'
Regression didn't grant him omniscience.
How could Se-woon have known that these two peerless masters had been nearby at the time?
Boyeon walked past Se-woon and examined I Hoseong, who was foaming at the mouth.
"...Is it possible?"
True to her title of Divine Physician, Boyeon had once reattached severed limbs—a feat bordering on the miraculous.
But her face hardened as she shook her head.
"The wound is too severely mangled. Not even the Great Immortal Dala could reattach this."
The One-Point Kill technique involved crossing two daggers at a precise point, compressing energy before detonating it.
Though silent—as befitting an assassin's art—the wound resembled the aftermath of a thunderclap bomb.
Boyeon's bleary eyes narrowed as she glared at Se-woon.
"...But child of the Tang Clan, the scars left behind are far too brutal for an Orthodox martial art."
A glint of suspicion had surfaced in her gaze.
No matter how vicious the Tang Clan's techniques were known to be, this bordered on the level of unorthodox—even demonic—arts.
SHIVER.
At Boyeon's words, the Sword Emperor's aura shifted.
'Ghk—!'
The last traces of benevolence vanished, replaced by the overwhelming pressure of an absolute sovereign dominating the space.
Yoo Jin-hak turned to the Tiger-Dragon Guards.
"Son Woo-gon, what is your take on this?"
"Y-Yes?"
Son Woo-gon's pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake at his master's sudden question.
But only for a moment—realizing this was his chance, he composed himself and spoke.
"Just as the Divine Physician suspects! The reason I had no choice but to reveal myself was precisely because of this!"
He began shifting blame onto Se-woon.
"As you can see, Tang Se-woon is merely at the Third-Class realm! Yet he effortlessly subdued the Young Master, who was at the First-Class realm—and in the process, clear traces of unorthodox techniques were evident!"
His words spilled out with such conviction that they seemed undeniably true.
Yoo Jin-hak's gaze returned to Se-woon.
"...My subordinate claims as much. How do you explain this?"
His tone now carried a thinly veiled hostility.
Seeing this, Se-woon—
'Good.'
—decided on his next course of action.
Meeting Yoo Jin-hak's eyes squarely, Se-woon replied without hesitation.
"There's nothing to explain. What I used was unmistakably the Tang Clan's martial arts."
"How much of their arts do you think I've witnessed over the years? I can say with certainty that none of their techniques leave wounds like this."
"Even when a great tree withers, its roots remain. I merely painstakingly restored lost secrets and mastered them."
Se-woon showed not a hint of nervousness before the Martial Alliance Chief.
His face remained unreadable as he lied with the confidence of truth.
"That's quite a polished answer for something made up on the spot."
But Yoo Jin-hak wasn't so easily swayed.
Then—
"I'll conclude my respects to you here, Alliance Chief."
SHING!
Everyone in the room gasped.
"—!"
"—!!
Se-woon had suddenly assumed a combat stance once more.
Even Yoo Jin-hak couldn't hide his surprise—
"I must now return to exacting punishment upon the criminal. Will you stop me, Alliance Chief?"
"!"
Only then did Yoo Jin-hak grasp Se-woon's intent—and fury flashed in his eyes.
"And if I do stop you?"
"Then I will die."
THUD.
Se-woon took a step toward Yoo Jin-hak as he answered.
"But I will not stop walking forward."
SHIVER!
His attitude, crossing the line from arrogance into outright defiance, caused Yoo Jin-hak's aura to shift once more.
Flames flickered in the Sword Emperor's pupils.
An overwhelming pressure—unlike anything before—radiated from his entire being.
"Ghk!"
"Kuhk!"
Even Son Woo-gon and the Tiger-Dragon Guards trembled like leaves, groaning under the weight.
Now, the way Yoo Jin-hak looked at Se-woon was no different from how one would regard a lowly unorthodox grunt.
"You would throw your life away for meaningless vengeance?"
Disappointment saturated his voice.
Se-woon felt as though his body might tear apart.
It was like standing against a storm.
The blood vessels in his eyes burst.
Yet he refused to look away—staring straight into Yoo Jin-hak's eyes.
Because despite the Sword Emperor's outwardly furious demeanor—
'This is a test.'
Se-woon had long since discerned his true intentions.
Yoo Jin-hak was sizing him up.
And Se-woon knew that his next response would determine whether he earned the Sword Emperor's favor—or his disdain.
'I can't afford to lose the Sword Emperor.'
Se-woon racked his brain desperately for a way to win Yoo Jin-hak's approval.
But his goal wasn't merely—
—to exploit the Wudang Sect's influence,
—to bask in the Alliance Chief's prestige,
—or to gain recognition from the world's strongest.
It was because he truly wished to walk the same path as the man who had become a beacon of hope for the Orthodox factions.
As the war with the Blood Cult escalated, the righteous sects began withdrawing from the martial world.
The prestigious major sects, far removed from the frontlines, openly sent only minimal reinforcements while preserving their own strength.
But Yoo Jin-hak and the Wudang Sect were different.
The moment the war began, they abandoned their mountain stronghold and marched straight to the bloodiest battlefields.
"Warriors of the Alliance! Follow only my footsteps!"
And at the most perilous fronts, he led the charge—sword in hand.
Though the Tang Clan had been abandoned by the Martial Alliance, Se-woon couldn't blame Yoo Jin-hak.
Because the first faction to be annihilated by the Blood Cult—even before the Tang Clan—
...had been his own sect, the Wudang.
Even when his sworn brothers died.
Even when he lost an eye.
Even when his master perished.
Even when his arm was severed.
The Sword Emperor picked up his blade again the next day.
"If the Alliance Chief does not lead, who else will raise their sword to protect?"
Before being the world's greatest martial artist, he was its greatest hero.
That was Yoo Jin-hak.
SHING!
In a motion too fast for anyone to perceive, Yoo Jin-hak drew his sword—
—the Ancient Pine-Patterned Sword, the Wudang Sect's symbol of authority—
—and rested its gleaming blade against Se-woon's throat.
"Speak."
The killing intent radiating from his sword was so intense that Se-woon wondered if he had misjudged this as a mere test.
But Se-woon endured it without flinching.
'...I don't know.'
After agonizing over it, he still couldn't find the perfect answer to win Yoo Jin-hak's heart.
There was only one thing left to do.
Speak his unvarnished truth.
In this reborn world, his purpose was singular.
To atone for the unforgivable sins of his past life—
"Even if it costs me my life..."
—by dedicating everything he had, until his last breath.
"I intend to mend this broken world, if only slightly."
The Hegemon of Sichuan stood unwavering.