Chapter 67: Heavenly Killing Star
Chapter 67
Heavenly Killing Star
The moment Do Yecheon gripped the sword, he instinctively knew.
This blade Yajang had handed him was something entirely different from the one before.
No—could such a thing even be described as merely "different"?
Whoosh—
An indescribable exhilaration surged from the hand gripping the sword, flooding his entire body. At the same time, an unfamiliar yet natural sensation—as if the sword had become an extension of his own limb—awakened within him.
'It's like... I've connected with a fragment of my soul I never knew existed.'
Do Yecheon couldn't hide his astonishment.
Because everything he had ever believed about weapons was crumbling from its very foundation.
'I always thought swords were nothing more than tools to convey a warrior's will...!'
Yet now, merely by holding it—
Do Yecheon found himself drowning in countless new realizations, sinking deep into contemplation.
This was the moment of enlightenment—a step toward a higher realm.
And Se-woon watched it all unfold.
"Hmm."
His expression was as serene as ever, as if this were just another ordinary day.
Though witnessing a warrior attain enlightenment simply by gripping a sword was a rare spectacle—
'Well, six out of ten tend to react like this.'
Even the most wondrous sights grow dull when seen too often.
After all, a Divine Craftsman wasn't called such for nothing.
Even excluding the Ten Great Demon Arms, countless recipients of his weapons had wept tears of awe.
At any rate, Se-woon had known from the start that the sword he initially gave Do Yecheon was improperly repaired.
'Tch, and this was supposedly the Martial Alliance's senior blacksmith.'
The reason a blade crafted by a senior blacksmith of the Martial Alliance had turned out so shoddy was obvious.
The smith must have assumed all practice swords were the same and focused only on superficial repairs.
Outwardly, it would have looked fine.
'Fine—on the surface, at least.'
But Se-woon recognized it as trash the moment he saw it.
He believed every weapon in the world carried its own history and bond with its wielder—even something as insignificant as a practice sword.
That was why, before repairing it, Se-woon had studied Do Yecheon's hands.
Unbeknownst to the swordsman, Se-woon had overlapped the shape of his hands and the sword in his mind, absorbing the martial essence of Mount Hua's techniques embedded in the blade—along with Do Yecheon's unique imprint.
Then, meticulously refining the sword based on that understanding, he had forged a weapon reborn solely for Do Yecheon—one of a kind in this world.
As Se-woon waited patiently, not disturbing Do Yecheon's moment of enlightenment—
'It's about time.'
He anticipated the moment of transformation.
And right then—
Swoosh!
Clang!
Do Yecheon suddenly assumed a stance, completing his preparations to unleash his martial techniques.
Sensing the beginning, Se-woon took a step back and observed.
The swordsman's eyes were clouded, as if shrouded in darkness.
He had clearly entered the Mang-ajigyeong—the state of self-oblivion, where even one's own existence is forgotten in supreme concentration.
Clang!
Swish—!
Finally, Do Yecheon began swinging his sword.
But this was no longer the reckless hacking at the Gon-O Stone from before.
He was performing a true sword dance.
Se-woon's eyes gleamed with intrigue as he watched.
'The Plum Blossom Sword Technique...!'
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique—Mount Hua's supreme sword art—once renowned enough to earn him the title Sword Dragon, was now unfolding before him.
But—
The dance was breathtakingly beautiful, yet equally terrifying.
To Se-woon, Do Yecheon's swordplay resembled a painted scroll.
A withered plum blossom, frozen at the tip of a branch after enduring endless cold.
The blossoms conjured by his sword had long since wilted, drained of all color.
There was only one reason.
Whoosh—
The dreadful energy radiating from the blade in his grip.
A sinister, violent force—unlike the demonic energy wielded by the Blood Cult's fiends, yet equally horrifying.
Se-woon's eyes narrowed.
'Even seeing it again, it's astonishing. Is this the essence of a star ranked among the highest of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars?'
The 108 Malefic Stars consisted of 36 Heavenly Stars and 72 Earthly Fiend Stars.
Most Heavenly Stars possessed power surpassing the Earthly Fiends—
But among them, the Heavenly Killing Star ranked within the top three.
Indeed, through Se-woon's sword, Do Yecheon was unknowingly unleashing the essence of his star.
Half a moment later, the seemingly endless sword dance halted.
"Hah... haah..."
Do Yecheon gasped for breath.
Though he leaned on his sword like a cane to keep from collapsing—
Surprisingly, his complexion was noticeably brighter than before.
'My body feels so light.'
Despite expending tremendous energy, vitality surged through him.
For so long, he had exhausted himself suppressing the Heavenly Killing Star's energy, trapped in relentless fatigue—
Yet now, he felt refreshed, as if waking from a long, deep slumber.
'The Heavenly Killing Star's energy raging inside me has calmed. No—this isn't just calming. Some of it has actually been released...!!'
As he assessed his condition, Do Yecheon suddenly noticed something—and froze in shock.
'Wh-why is the blade...?!'
Only then did he see the change.
The sword's edge had darkened as if dipped in ink, stained a pitch-black hue.
There was only one scenario where a blade transformed like this.
When a warrior's demonic energy corroded it.
A sword tainted by demonic energy became a demonic blade.
"!!"
Panicking, Do Yecheon tried to hide the sword—only to lock eyes with Se-woon.
The blacksmith's expressionless gaze left him unable to conceal his dismay.
There was no excuse he could offer.
Even a child knew the tales of demonic blades—let alone a martial artist.
But then—
As Do Yecheon stood paralyzed—
Reach.
"!!"
Se-woon silently extended his hand.
In that moment, Do Yecheon felt as if the sky were collapsing.
There could only be one meaning behind that gesture.
Surrender the demonic blade and prepare to be arrested by the Enforcement Hall.
This was no trivial matter.
A martial artist under the Martial Alliance's jurisdiction had birthed a demonic blade.
Even as a blacksmith, Se-woon was still part of the Alliance—he couldn't ignore such an emergency.
Handover.
As he passed the sword to Se-woon, Do Yecheon instinctively shut his eyes tight.
Once the Enforcement Hall's enforcers arrived, they would seal his dantian and imprison him forever in the Hall of Repentance.
But that didn't matter to him.
All he cared about was the disgrace his master and sect would suffer for hiding the Heavenly Killing Star—and the stain it would leave on their illustrious name.
'How can I face my master now...?'
But then—
Rustle—
Rustle...
An odd noise reached his ears.
When he opened his eyes—
"!!"
An unexpected scene unfolded before him.
Se-woon hadn't taken the sword to the Enforcement Hall.
'...Why is he repairing it again?'
Without a word, the blacksmith was sharpening the blade anew with his unique thread.
Bewildered, Do Yecheon stared blankly—until—
'W-wait a minute!?'
This wasn't an ordinary repair.
Now that his perception had heightened, he could see it clearly.
Innate Qi?
Yes—astonishingly, the thread polishing the blade was wrapped in traces of Innate Qi.
Under that pure, nature-aligned energy, the blackened sword gradually regained its original hue.
Why would he expend his life's essence—Innate Qi—so freely for my sake?
His mind swirled with endless questions—until—
Se-woon finished his work and handed the sword back.
"Again."
"!!"
Do Yecheon didn't need to ask what "again" meant.
For a long moment, he stared at Se-woon with contemplative eyes—then—
Clang.
He took the sword.
His vision clouded once more.
Whoosh—
Do Yecheon re-entered the state of self-oblivion and resumed his sword dance.
But this time—
The scenery painted by his blade was subtly shifting.
The same cycle repeated again and again.
"Again."
Once the dance ended, Se-woon purified the blackened sword.
"Again."
Do Yecheon took it and began anew.
Through this process, the insights Se-woon had engraved into the blade naturally transferred to him.
[The sword doesn't destroy. It merely guides the suppressed stellar essence toward its rightful path.]
[The sword is just a medium—a bridge between your innate nature and martial arts.]
[If you keep rejecting your nature, you'll never overcome the Heavenly Killing Star.]
It was only natural for the painted scenery to change.
Guided by the sword, he was gradually accepting the Heavenly Killing Star's nature—something he had always resisted.
In a way, it was only natural Se-woon knew how to conquer the Heavenly Killing Star despite never experiencing it himself.
'Congenital disability and Reverse Heaven Energy—he has lived bearing curses far worse than yours.'
The day Se-woon's martial arts soared after embracing those two energies in his past life—
Was the day he finally acknowledged the truth Dokma had spoken: his nature aligned with that of a demon.
At last, the final, desperate sword dance unfolded.
[Do Yecheon. If the Heavenly Killing Star demands death—then kill.]
The future guardian of the Sleepless City's lord—the one who would later devour Saparyeon—the Moonlit Blade.
To Do Yecheon, the Heavenly Slaughter Sword Demon—future foremost sword of the邪派.
[If sparing the Blood Cult's demons means others suffer—then slaughter them.]
As Se-woon's words echoed—
Swish—!
Swish—!
This time, the blade did not blacken.
Because at last, the Heavenly Killing Star's essence had merged with the Purple Mist Divine Art through Se-woon's sword.
In that paradoxical, extreme harmony—
The withered plum blossoms began blooming anew.
Life returned to the shriveled buds.
The frozen branches stirred under warm sunlight, uncoiling at last.
Until now, the plum blossoms Do Yecheon had seen in his master's and sect's swords were all crimson.
But his own blossoms were changing hue.
The unfurling petals took on an entirely different color.
Like the sky clearing after storm clouds—revealing its true form.
'...This is my sword.'
Blue Plum Blossoms.
The azure sky was embedded within these new blossoms.
Lush blue petals scattered, blanketing the training grounds.
Gazing at the dazzling spectacle he had created—
Do Yecheon recalled the meaning of blue plum blossoms, once told by his master.
"Yecheon, the blue plum blossom symbolizes... endurance..."
"...and hope."
Exhausted, Do Yecheon crumpled to the ground.
Clang!
Se-woon moved like the wind, catching him before he fell.
Then, gently, he laid the unconscious swordsman down.
A faint smile lingered on Do Yecheon's lips.
'Good. You've suffered enough—rest now.'
Se-woon watched him, lost in thought.
Though the world didn't know it yet, he was certain—even those born under malefic stars could alter their fate through relentless effort.
In his past life, he had met those who, despite being born under cursed stars, had ultimately forged destinies of blessing.
"Well, this much should count as a success for Mount Hua."
Just as Se-woon allowed himself a moment of satisfaction—
Thud-thud-thud!
"...?"
Deafening footsteps suddenly echoed around him.
Bang!
Clang!
In an instant, a group of martial artists surrounded the training grounds.
Each wore uniforms emblazoned with the character for Law on their sleeves.
Their leader, a deputy, fixed Se-woon with a cold glare and declared:
"By the authority of the Martial Alliance—we arrest the criminal, Yun Hui!"
The Four Chuan Tyrant.