Shattering the Giant Jade Buddha
Hyeon Yucheon's attack was so blindingly swift that not only Biyeon Sinn-i, drained of her inner power, but even the Snow Cloud Seven Immortals could barely react.
Incredibly, the target of his assault was none other than the Ami Sect's most prized treasure—the martial world's legendary relic and a priceless heirloom of the ages, the Giant Jade Buddha Statue.
This colossal Buddha statue had been carved entirely from the famed emerald jade quarried on Mount Ami, its value alone defying imagination.
Moreover, legend held that it had been crafted by the sect's founding ancestor when the Ami Sect was established, making it more precious to its disciples than their own lives.
The hall where the Ami Sect leader resided—this very space, known as Yeorae Hall, had been named for the statue's presence.
Kwang-chang-chang!
Yet Hyeon Yucheon had boldly struck at the Giant Jade Buddha Statue without hesitation.
As a result, the statue—which emanated a radiant glow and bore a serene smile spanning a millennium—didn't merely shatter into pieces; it crumbled utterly into dust.
"Kyaaah!"
"No, it can't be!"
"The Giant Jade Buddha...!"
In the face of this unbelievable reality, Yeonjeong and the Snow Cloud Seven Immortals were on the verge of foaming at the mouth in shock.
It wasn't just an exquisite treasure or cultural artifact; to the Ami Sect disciples, it was a source of immense pride.
To see such an object collapse at the hands of an outsider—no, an enemy from beyond their walls—how could their hearts not shatter?
"Heavens... heavens preserve us..."
Even Biyeon Sinn-i Yeo Unsa-tae was stunned beyond words.
The Giant Jade Buddha had been passed down through generations, from her time back to the ancestors of ancestors—it was the very soul of the Ami Sect.
To witness it utterly destroyed was a devastation beyond measure.
"Amitabha... How shall I face the faces of our departed sect leaders in death?"
Yeo Unsa-tae shed tears, her grief profound.
Seeing this, Hyeon Yucheon felt he had achieved a measure of vengeance.
His choice had been masterful.
Destroying the Giant Jade Buddha wounded the Ami Sect's spirit far more deeply than simply killing Yeo Unsa-tae. What revenge could be sweeter?
'Next, her head.'
And Hyeon Yucheon had no intention of stopping there.
She might seem pitiful, and tales spoke of her as a kind soul in her youth, but an enemy was an enemy.
He would do what must be done.
Swish!
He raised his hand once more, poised to claim Yeo Unsa-tae's neck.
"Huh?!"
"What is that?"
Yet another unbelievable event unfolded.
From the spot where the massive Giant Jade Buddha had been pulverized, something gleamed into view.
Flash!
Most assumed it was merely shards of the statue's emerald jade catching the light, but they were wrong.
From within the shattered Giant Jade Buddha emerged, astonishingly, an ancient manual preserved in a pristine white crystal case.
The crystal was so flawlessly transparent that the text on the manual shone through clearly.
"Could it be...!"
Yeo Unsa-tae, recognizing the manual, leaped to her feet, forgetting even the near brush with death moments ago.
"Is this not our sect's legendary lightness skill, the long-lost Soundless Phantom Shadow Divine Art?"
Her guess struck true.
Incredibly, the cover of the perfectly preserved manual within the crystal case bore the words Soundless Phantom Shadow Divine Art.
"...!!"
This staggering revelation left not only the Ami Sect members but Hyeon Yucheon's group in utter shock.
Legends had long whispered of an astonishing lightness skill in the Ami Sect.
The fastest in the world, utterly silent without the telltale whoosh of swift movement—and its most terrifying aspect: upon reaching a certain realm, it could conjure afterimages to create illusions.
"The legendary Soundless Phantom Shadow Divine Art truly existed!"
Yeonjeong and the Snow Cloud Seven Immortals gaped in disbelief.
From Hyeon Yucheon's sudden destruction of the Giant Jade Buddha to the discovery of the manual, less than a quarter-hour had passed.
Swish!
As Yeonjeong rushed toward the Soundless Phantom Shadow Divine Art manual—the sect's supreme treasure and legacy—
"Halt."
Yeo Unsa-tae's voice, laced with resolve, echoed through Yeorae Hall.
Thud, thud.
She swiftly retrieved the crystal case containing the manual, withdrew it, and—to everyone's astonishment—extended it toward Hyeon Yucheon.
"...What is the meaning of this?"
Even Hyeon Yucheon was greatly taken aback, staring at Yeo Unsa-tae's stern face.
He had never dreamed she would offer it to him.
"Take it."
Yeo Unsa-tae was resolute.
"Aaaah!"
A collective wail of despair shook the entire Ami Sect.
How could she utter such words?
"Is this sincere?"
Hyeon Yucheon himself could scarcely believe it.
"If you're offering this to buy your life..."
"No. My life is already in your hands, Sect Leader Hyeon—do with it as you will. Take the manual."
The situation grew ever more inscrutable.
The other Ami Sect warriors could no longer contain their fury.
"Leader!"
"You can't!"
"The Soundless Phantom Shadow Divine Art is our sect's legacy, a treasure beyond measure!"
"And to give it to the brigand who shattered the Giant Jade Buddha?!"
Facing their outcries, Yeo Unsa-tae responded with uncharacteristic severity.
"Who could have known such a wondrous manual lay hidden within the statue we revered, bowing and clasping hands before it? Truly, what matters is not the beautiful, precious gemstone Buddha, but the Buddha in our hearts. Some ancestor of old must have hidden it there, hoping later generations would awaken to this profound truth."
Her words rang true.
They carried a deeper wisdom: without shattering what is precious, there can be no progress.
"..."
Yeonjeong and the others fell silent at once.
They felt a twinge of shame, and the profundity of her insight.
To gain a lost supreme technique, they had to destroy the statue they cherished more than life—a grand lesson laced with bitter irony.
"Yet why give it to me?"
Despite this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Hyeon Yucheon remained comparatively calm.
His one glaring weakness had always been his lightness skill, mismatched to his exceptional martial prowess—and here was the perfect remedy.
Of course, he possessed the superb Heavenly Dominion Step, but it suited long-distance travel, not agile combat.
"Had it not been for you, Sect Leader Hyeon, we would never have discovered this manual, even in death. Thus, it is right that you, who shattered the Giant Jade Buddha, take it."
Biyeon Sinn-i Yeo Unsa-tae's words were sincere.
She offered the manual not to beg mercy or favor.
'Every treasure has its fated owner.'
As she had just proclaimed, had the Ami Sect revered the statue as a sacred idol, they would never have found it.
In other words, they were unworthy of this peerless lightness skill.
Still, she could not abandon her descendants entirely, so she added a condition.
"In exchange, return someday and teach this technique to our children."
She meant for Hyeon Yucheon and the Ami Sect to share the skill.
'An excellent condition.'
From Hyeon Yucheon's perspective, it was far from unfavorable.
No—even ideal. Securing Ami Sect's permission now would give his disciples legitimate claim to use it, even after his death.
"Intriguing. I shall honor Biyeon Sinn-i's will."
But vengeance was vengeance.
Swoosh!
Hyeon Yucheon once more conjured his formless sword aura with bare hands.
"Prepare yourself for the end, Biyeon Sinn-i."
At his declaration, Biyeon Sinn-i closed her eyes.
"Leader!"
"No!"
"Please, I beg you!"
Cries erupted anew from all sides.
Hyeon Yucheon remained unmoved.
"Any final words?"
His formless sword aura hovered poised to sever her neck.
"To my watching disciples."
She glanced at him questioningly; he nodded.
"My one lifetime mistake... dragged me to ruin and brought misfortune to many. Thus, resist injustice, become righteous Ami Sect disciples, and attain Buddhahood."
Squeeze!
With those words, Yeo Unsa-tae clenched her eyes shut.
Having forged her Buddhist relic beads in advance, she had but a year left—but death terrified all equally.
Whoosh!
At last, Hyeon Yucheon's formless sword aura swept forth, and just as it seemed to claim Biyeon Sinn-i's final moment—
It grazed not her neck, but passed harmlessly over her head.
"Hm?"
"What just happened?"
Ga Jinuk and Eum Ji-myeong gaped, pupils dilating in shock at Hyeon Yucheon's unexpected action.
A master of his caliber wouldn't err.
It was deliberate—the Demon Sword Young Master's intent.
"Why spare..."
Yeo Unsa-tae, realizing his purpose, looked up at him in astonishment.
"The Biyeon Sinn-i who harbored malice and slew my master is dead."
Hyeon Yucheon had his reasons.
Truth be told, he yearned to take her head.
Yet her devotion—pouring out everything to her disciples and successors—stirred memories of his own master, Demon Sword Ghost Lord Cheon Baeksang.
Not that mere recollection sparked mercy; he harbored none.
The memory had simply resurfaced.
—I never built a family like ordinary folk, nor admired any woman.
The one who caught my eye... was Yeo Un, a disciple of the Ami Sect.
In her youth, Yeo Unsa-tae had admired Cheon Baeksang; likewise, he had noted her when she was merely a promising Ami Sect disciple.
Had fate drawn them together, might they have been an ordinary couple in some parallel world?
'At least, for the woman my master cherished, I'll grant one chance.'
This mercy stemmed not from gaining the Soundless Phantom Shadow Divine Art.
"Yeo Unsa-tae, prepare well for your passing in the year you have left."
At Hyeon Yucheon's declaration, every Ami Sect member wept tears of joy.
"Ahh... ahhh!"
Biyeon Sinn-i Yeo Unsa-tae shed tears of relief as well.
She now owed a debt of the heart to both Cheon Baeksang and Hyeon Yucheon.
The burden was crushing; she could never wrong the Demon Sword Sect in turn.
'Master, is this enough?'
As always after vengeance, Hyeon Yucheon envisioned Demon Sword Ghost Lord Cheon Baeksang's face.
It was a full moon night, and amid its glow, his master seemed to smile radiantly.
This revenge sufficed.