Chapter 321
Just as he had anticipated, the traps continued.
The moment the Qi-Scattering Powder was detonated, the ailing elderly men suddenly unleashed Fast Sword techniques or hurled hidden weapons—every conceivable ambush was attempted.
But with skills of that level, they couldn't so much as graze a single hair on Cheon-geom's head, not when his mind was steeled and his guard already raised.
He treated the elderly while keeping his extrasensory perception fully heightened, immediately fleeing the thatched cottage at the slightest hint of danger.
"To gather this many elderly men... It must be the Heaven-Severing Earth-Ending Sanctuary."
By the time he stepped out of his thirtieth house visit, Cheon-geom nodded to himself as if he had realized something.
A group of elderly men composed of such high-level Demonic Path masters could only belong to the Heaven-Severing Earth-Ending Sanctuary.
"I should have captured at least one of them."
No matter how meticulously he pursued them, their escape routes were so well-prepared that even with Cheon-geom's martial arts, he couldn't catch them. The moment he thought he had them cornered, they vanished like ghosts.
"Well, it doesn't matter. All I need to do is treat them."
Cheon-geom curled the corner of his lips.
In just a few more days, he would have visited every elderly person living in the Heungsan region.
"They say Cheon-geom, now the Great Lord of the Martial Alliance, has gone alone to Heungsan to treat the elderly afflicted by the strange illness."
Fortunately, rumors had already begun spreading through the Murim that he was healing the elderly.
Using internal energy to treat complete strangers, especially elderly people from remote mountain villages was no easy feat for a martial artist.
Using True Qi for treatment meant he would have to recover his Internal Power through closed-door cultivation afterward.
"Cheon-geom... He truly intends to save the common people."
Once word spread that Cheon-geom was using his Internal Energy to treat civilians, the public's perception of him—once dismissed as madness—shifted almost instantly.
People now praised him as a profoundly righteous figure, an exemplar for the Righteous Faction.
Individuals are smart, but the masses are foolish.
Public opinion was always shaped by rumors and hearsay, and people inevitably got swept up in it.
"Is this enough now?"
The rumors had spread sufficiently, and most of the afflicted elderly had already been treated.
At this point, even if he returned to the Martial Alliance, the backlash would be manageable.
"Just one last one."
Having traveled through the entirety of Heungsan, Cheon-geom now had only one small village left.
Once he treated the elderly here, everything would be over.
Though his True Qi had been significantly depleted, a month of closed-door training would be enough to fully restore it.
"Excuse me."
After explaining the situation once more, Cheon-geom checked the elderly man's pulse.
Upon closer examination, he was relieved to find nothing unusual—just an ordinary old man with no suspicious signs.
"Then allow me to treat you."
The moment Cheon-geom reached for the Life Gate Acupoint to infuse his True Qi—
"Going to such lengths just to conserve your energy, huh?"
The reclining old man let out a low sigh.
In that instant, flames flickered in Cheon-geom's eyes.
"This one's also from the Heaven-Severing Earth-Ending Sanctuary!"
Furious, Cheon-geom abandoned the idea of infusing True Qi and instead struck out with an irritated expression, unleashing a burst of Palm Energy.
BOOM!
The old man's body crashed through the door and was flung outside.
But something was strange.
The sensation against his palm had been oddly soft, and instead of fleeing immediately, the old man lay sprawled on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
"No way—!"
A dreadful premonition struck Cheon-geom, and he immediately examined the old man's body.
"He was wearing protective clothing."
Beneath his robes was another layer of glossy fabric—a shock-absorbing Protective Garment.
Yet despite that, the old man's face had turned deathly pale, and his body wouldn't stop shaking.
Sensing something amiss, Cheon-geom checked his pulse again.
"Even an elixir?!"
Not only was he wearing the Protective Garment, but he had also taken an elixir to fortify his internal organs.
Thanks to that, the old man hadn't been severely injured by Cheon-geom's Palm Energy—just a deep bruise and minor internal damage.
"P-Please... spare me..."
Unable to move, the old man trembled in fear, wringing his hands.
"I-I was just following orders..."
Cheon-geom leaned in close, his face inches away.
"What do you mean by that?"
"A-A month ago... a martial artist gave me a large sum of money, good medicine, and even fine clothes..."
Still sprawled on the ground, the old man shivered as he spoke.
"He said that when it was time for me to suffer because of the medicine... he would send someone to treat me..."
The old man couldn't meet Cheon-geom's gaze, panting heavily as he forced out the words.
"But in return... when someone checked my pulse... I had to say... 'Going to such lengths just to conserve your true qi, huh?'..."
Unable to endure the fear and pain any longer, the old man finally passed out.
Even with the elixir and Protective Garment, he couldn't fully withstand a single strike from Cheon-geom.
"Damn it!"
Flames erupted in Cheon-geom's pupils.
Only now did he realize—he had fallen into a trap.
"If word spreads that I harmed a civilian... everything I've achieved so far will be for nothing!"
Just as Cheon-geom was about to infuse his True Qi into the old man to heal him completely—
"Chief Cheon."
A middle-aged man in plain gray martial robes descended from the sky, followed by dozens of martial artists.
It was none other than Jeong Il-ryong, the head of the Martial Alliance's Inspection Hall, and his subordinates.
"What exactly are you doing right now?"
For a moment, Cheon-geom was at a loss for words.
Because etched onto the surface of the old man's Protective Garment was the unmistakable mark of the Sword Sage's secret palm technique—the Leisurely Hidden Heaven Palm.
"This is a trap."
"A trap?"
"Look. What kind of elderly person living in a place like this could afford such expensive protective clothing?"
Jeong Il-ryong frowned deeply as he spoke.
"An elderly person living in a place like this?"
"Yes, well... you see..."
Cheon-geom disliked the arrogance in Jeong Il-ryong's gaze, but he suppressed his irritation and explained the situation up to now.
If this was the Inspection Hall's leader—a man who lived and breathed the word "evidence"—then surely the mere fact that the old man was wearing protective clothing would be enough to clear his name.
"And what brings you here?"
At Cheon-geom's question, Jeong Il-ryong sighed and replied,
"According to our intelligence, the strange illness plaguing the Heungsan region was deliberately caused by someone."
"Exactly. That's—"
"—You deliberately induced the illness to restore your reputation, didn't you?"
Cheon-geom's eyebrows twitched.
"Are you saying I orchestrated this?"
Jeong Il-ryong fell silent for a moment before speaking coldly.
"After investigating, we discovered that the elderly weren't suffering from an illness—they were experiencing side effects from spirit medicine."
"..."
"And rather than treating them, you were merely alleviating their symptoms by injecting them with the barest trace of true qi."
"That's—"
Jeong Il-ryong cut him off and continued.
"You were careful not to expend too much of your qi, all while making sure the martial world knew you were doing good deeds."
"..."
"But now, even that wasn't enough? You attacked a civilian and then pretended to heal them?"
Cheon-geom, who had been listening quietly, suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
Only now did he realize.
He had been floundering in a meticulously laid trap—one designed by Bu Eun-seol.
No matter how much he explained, it wouldn't matter.
The game had already been rigged against him.
"Sigh."
After laughing like a madman for a while, Cheon-geom suddenly exhaled deeply and shook his head.
"Are the Martial Alliance's leaders all blockheads?"
For an instant, a sharp glint flashed in Jeong Il-ryong's eyes.
"What did you just say?"
"If you're the Inspection Hall's leader, shouldn't you be conducting proper investigations?"
Cheon-geom smirked as he spoke.
"To think the Hall Leader himself would rush here, dancing to the Demon Hall's tune. What's your source? Did you even verify it properly?"
"Cheon-geom. You're far too reckless."
Jeong Il-ryong pointed to a female inspector standing behind him.
It was Jongjeong Yak, the Law Enforcement Commander who had once exposed Danri Muk's corruption alongside Bu Eun-seol.
"So, are you saying our inspector is one of the Demon Hall's lackeys?"
"Where did your information come from?"
"From the Silent Sky Lonely Earth. Our inspector personally investigated it."
"See? It's an elaborate trap, isn't it? Can't you tell? They even covered their tracks by using a double-layered source!"
As Cheon-geom spoke, Jeong Il-ryong's gaze grew increasingly frigid.
"If everything you've said is true, then you must have known from the start that this was a trap?"
"Exactly. Finally, your brain's starting to work."
"Then why didn't you contact the Alliance? If you knew it was a trap, you should have sought a way out instead of stubbornly continuing the treatments!"
"That's... Well, you see..."
Cheon-geom ran a hand through his hair and fell silent.
Even he could see the glaring holes in his own argument.
"Cheon-geom."
Jeong Il-ryong spoke solemnly.
"As a Great Lord of the Martial Alliance, you wield immense authority—and with it comes immense responsibility."
"So?"
"You should have conducted yourself in a manner befitting your position."
"Heh heh heh. Hahahaha!"
Cheon-geom, who had been listening quietly, burst into mad laughter instead.
"This is why the Martial Alliance never progresses—you're all tangled up in pointless bureaucracy. Understand?"
"Cheon-geom!"
"Enough. I already know I'm wrong."
Cutting off his laughter abruptly, Cheon-geom shrugged.
"I'll just resign from my position as a Great Lord of the Martial Alliance."
And without hesitation, he turned on his heel.
"Cheon-geom!"
Ignoring Jeong Il-ryong's shout, Cheon-geom strode away.
Then, gazing at the distant sky, he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
"Now I'll play along properly. Bu Eun-seol."
A bizarre rumor spread throughout the martial world.
Cheon-geom, disciple of the Sword Sovereign—the once-in-a-generation martial prodigy who had wandered the Rivers and Lakes in secret, earning the epithet "Righteous Sword Divine Sight"...
In truth, he was said to be not only mentally unstable but outright wicked.
—They say his so-called 'treatment' in Heungsan was just a sham.
—Exactly. He didn't actually heal them—he only used the bare minimum of internal energy to ease their symptoms.
—And he even attacked them first before pretending to heal them! Sick old people, no less!
It didn't take long for the reputation of Cheon-geom, the once-revered "Righteous Golden Divine Eye," to plummet to the depths.
Cheon-geom had been too confident in himself.
He had believed in his peerless martial arts. He had believed in his sharp intellect.
But the world was not a place one could survive alone.
And to break a system, one had to first adapt to it.
Just like the Demon Hall's heir, Bu Eun-seol.
Now, Cheon-geom had no more choices left.
The only path remaining was a direct confrontation with Bu Eun-seol.
But true to his madness, Cheon-geom began yet another bizarre act.
—Bu Eun-seol. I challenge you.
He boldly declared his duel with Bu Eun-seol to the entire martial world.
—If you have the courage, meet me beneath the Seok Gwang-pyeong cliffs on Mount Taejeong on the night of the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month! We'll settle this fairly!
Mount Taejeong was a skeletal mountain—one composed entirely of rocks and boulders—beneath which lay a vast clearing formed from massive bedrock.
This place was called Seok Gwang-pyeong, and it was so expansive that it could accommodate thousands of people without issue.
This was the Heavenly Sword's final gamble.
By issuing a public challenge, he sought to shake off the infamy that had clung to him and reclaim the immense prestige he had once held.
—Ooh!
The martial world erupted in excitement.
Bu Eun-seol, the Heir of the Demon Hall, who had ascended to the Seat of the Four Gods and Seven Kings at a tender age and inherited the legitimate lineage of Langya Pavilion.
He was the Number One Genius of the Demon Path, practically unrivaled among the younger generation and regarded as the foremost rising Grandmaster of their era.
But who, then, was the Heavenly Sword?
Was he not the one who had mastered the Sword Sovereign's Myriad Forms One Style to perfection, earning the epithet of the Second Sword Sovereign?
A public duel between two once-in-a-generation prodigies—such a spectacle was unheard of!
—Let's go! To Seok Gwang-pyeong!
Martial artists, regardless of affiliation, all began packing their belongings.
Bu Eun-seol and the Heavenly Sword.
They were all heading to Seok Gwang-pyeong to witness the clash between these two peerless geniuses.
The meeting hall of the Hidden Demon Pavilion.
"That lunatic is still scheming till the very end."
Yu Un-ryong, seated by the bookshelf, spat out the words as if chewing on something bitter.
"By challenging him publicly, if he wins, he can wash away all his disgrace in one fell swoop."
Clenching his fist, he spoke in a frigid voice.
"The martial world worships strength. That's just the way it is."
Myo Cheon-u, who had been listening silently, nodded in agreement.
"Or perhaps, even if he loses, his true aim is to reveal his martial prowess and techniques to the Righteous Faction."
Pausing briefly, he added,
"Then again, he might just be trying to reinforce his image as a ruthless demonkin."
Bu Eun-seol's goal was to sever the Heavenly Sword's life in retribution for the brutal murder of Yeong Mun-ho.
But to the martial artists unaware of the grudge between them, Bu Eun-seol's sudden and relentless use of killing moves might seem incomprehensible.
If that happened, it could cement his reputation as a cruel and merciless demonkin in their eyes.
"That doesn't matter."
Yu Un-ryong shook his head.
"Duels or otherwise, killing an opponent in a fair fight is nothing unusual."
"That may be so, but..."
Myo Cheon-u stroked his chin.
"A public duel is still concerning. There's a reason such battles have become rare in the martial world—too many opportunities for underhanded tricks."
"Hmm."
"During the fight, someone could send voice transmissions to coach him, or he might use hidden weapons. Worst case, an outsider could interfere and disrupt the match."
"Would he really resort to such methods? The Sword Sovereign's own disciple?"
Myo Cheon-u shook his head.
"He's a madman. If he cared about honor in the first place, he wouldn't have used torturous methods to prolong his victims' suffering."
"Hmm."
Yu Un-ryong fell silent at Myo Cheon-u's words.
Bu Eun-seol was the Heir of the Demon Hall.
A public fight could bring him no advantage.
Moreover, having ascended to the Seat of the Four Gods and Seven Kings, countless masters would inevitably challenge him in the future.
If he revealed his trump card techniques openly, his enemies would prepare countermeasures.
Creak.
At that moment, the door opened, and Bu Eun-seol entered.
Seizing the opportunity, Yu Un-ryong spoke up.
"Bu Eun-seol. The Heavenly Sword's martial prowess is no laughing matter. If you're not careful, this duel could expose your weaknesses."
Pausing briefly, he continued with a grave expression.
"His reputation is already in the gutter anyway. There will be plenty of chances to kill him later. There's no need to accept his challenge now."
But Bu Eun-seol merely stared out the window without responding.
Finally, Myo Cheon-u, unable to hold back, spoke as well.
"He has nothing left to lose. But you..."
"It doesn't matter."
"Bu Eun-seol."
"It's fine."
Bu Eun-seol's expression was one of absolute certainty.
"None of what you're worried about will happen."
"How? At the very least, your sword techniques will be exposed."
"I'll take the Ice Soul Sword."
Bu Eun-seol replied indifferently.
"Using the Ice Soul Sword will obscure the variations in my techniques to some extent."
The Ice Soul Sword had two unique traits.
First, when infused with internal power, a chilling mist would spread from the blade like fog.
Second, under moonlight, the sword itself would turn translucent.
The combatants would still see the trajectory of the sword's qi, so it wouldn't hinder them.
But for distant spectators, the subtle shifts in Bu Eun-seol's techniques would be impossible to discern clearly.
Coincidentally, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had bestowed upon him a sword perfectly suited for such a duel.
"Besides, our pavilion's sword techniques don't follow fixed forms. If the enemy's swordplay is strong, mine grows stronger in response."
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"Without understanding the Sword Intent of the Formless Heavenly Flow, even if they see my techniques a hundred or a thousand times, they won't be able to counter them."
"Then there's no need to take the Ice Soul Sword after all."
Myo Cheon-u, who had been listening, interjected.
"Using an unfamiliar sword in such a duel would only put you at a disadvantage."
It was a valid point.
All swordsmen had their favored blades, and Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword had already achieved Unity of Sword and Hand—it was practically an extension of his own arm.
"No. I will take the Ice Soul Sword."
"Huh?"
"There's a reason I must use it."
A faint smile played at the corner of Bu Eun-seol's lips.
Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u exchanged glances before reluctantly nodding.
"Understood."
Yu Un-ryong took a deep breath before speaking.
"Then I'll announce that you've accepted the challenge."
Bu Eun-seol was not only brilliant but also meticulous in his preparations.
There was no chance he would make a reckless mistake blinded by vengeance.
If he said it wouldn't happen, then it truly wouldn't.
All this time, Bu Eun-seol had been sowing countless seeds—avoiding direct conflict with the Martial Alliance while orchestrating the Heavenly Sword's downfall.
And now, it was time to reap the harvest.