A Shared Enemy
He was always running.
That was how Eon I-gyeom remembered his past.
From his very earliest memory, the first thing that came to mind was the sight of martial artists wielding gleaming blades, chasing him down.
No matter where he fled, the rogue mercenaries seeking the bounty on the public enemy of the Murim would pursue him to the ends of the earth, swinging their swords.
He had come close to death dozens of times, and his injuries numbered tenfold.
Whether by fortune or misfortune, he had survived.
It was all thanks to the family's secret arts he had desperately mastered.
Fifty years ago, the Jinju Eon Clan was renowned for its corpse-refining arts and mysterious spells.
Once a deeply rooted, prestigious family of the Jianghu, Eon I-gyeom's ancestral home had been utterly annihilated overnight.
It was triggered by a horrific slaughter that swept across the Central Plains, sparing neither the Orthodox nor the Unorthodox factions.
The problem lay in the true culprit of these atrocities. When the killer was finally caught, it was revealed to be not a human, but a jiangshi.
Consequently, the Jinju Eon Clan was accused of being the mastermind behind the massacre.
Regardless of sect or family, there was no other force in the martial world that practiced corpse-refining arts.
Naturally, the Eon Clan protested that the accusation was absurd and demanded a thorough investigation.
However, only more evidence implicating them continued to surface.
The Eon Clan argued that it was a frame-up, that some hidden force was trying to corner them.
Yet, their pleas fell on deaf ears. Ultimately, they were branded as public enemies of the Murim.
Hunted by both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, the clan was wiped out.
Eon I-gyeom was the sole survivor, the last bloodline of the fallen Jinju Eon Clan.
Simply surviving each day was an agonizing struggle.
Whenever his throat burned with exhaustion and he wanted to throw everything away and die, only one thing kept him going.
"Go. I will buy you time."
"I am sorry. For leaving you with such a heavy burden..."
He had not even been able to stay by his father's side in his final moments.
His father had chosen death, sacrificing his own life to save his son.
And he had left behind a single request.
"Please, clear the false accusations cast upon our family, and restore our Jinju Eon Clan to its former glory."
A dying wish to rebuild the family. At times, those words felt like a curse.
Yet, had it not been for that request, Eon I-gyeom would have given up long ago. His life had been that much of a living hell.
If there was one saving grace in his hellish existence, it was his innate talent.
Eon I-gyeom was what people called a genius. As he grew older, he rapidly distinguished himself in both the secret arts and martial arts.
Once he achieved mastery in his martial and secret arts, allowing him to fight back against his pursuers instead of running, Eon I-gyeom realized a crucial truth.
'There is a culprit who targeted my family.'
Those hunting him were not just rogue mercenaries after the bounty.
Though their traces were faint and subtle, there were enemies who exuded a foul, sinister energy.
Yet, these foes were like a mirage in the great desert; no matter how hard he searched, he could not find even the slightest clue.
That was why he joined the Dongchang. Their intelligence network was the best under heaven.
It was then that he began using the alias Heo I-gyeom.
While working as a member of the Dongchang, he secretly began recovering his family's spellbooks and martial arts manuals scattered across the Central Plains.
The members of the Eon Clan had sacrificed their lives to hide their martial arts and spellbooks in spatial rifts or various corners of the Central Plains while fleeing.
This was the history behind the items Eon I-gyeom was searching for.
Among the countless heirlooms, the one he had to find first was, without a doubt, the clan's sacred relic, the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo.
Only with this heirloom, passed down through generations of clan leaders, could he perform the Eon Clan's most vital secret arts.
He searched for the identity of his enemies while looking for the relic, but both remained shrouded in mystery.
With not a single clue in hand, Eon I-gyeom felt as if he were sitting on a bed of needles every single day.
Although he used the alias Heo I-gyeom and secretly altered his identity using magic, there were no perfect, eternal secrets in this world.
If his secret were ever exposed, Eon I-gyeom would undoubtedly face a death more horrific than anyone else's.
After all, he had deceived the imperial court, infiltrated it, and abused the power of the Dongchang for his personal gain.
Even "that person" in the imperial palace, who looked upon him favorably, would never forgive such a transgression.
Thus, he believed he was walking a solitary path, hiding his identity from everyone. But...
'Who on earth is this man?'
Eon I-gyeom stared blankly at Jeok-un.
Jeok-un was currently reciting the latter half of the Soul-Consuming Heart Mantra.
Eon I-gyeom himself had only managed to acquire the first half of this mantra. He had not even found a clue regarding the second half.
But what shocked him even more was...
'How does he know our family's decryption method?'
Jeok-un was reciting the complete second half of the Soul-Consuming Heart Mantra.
Even if one obtained the original manuals of the Jinju Eon Clan, the true text could only be deciphered using a strict decryption method passed down solely through the bloodline.
Because their family martial arts and spells were deeply intertwined with corpse-refining, the principle of Biinbujeon—never transmitting the arts to outsiders—was strictly applied.
It was a safeguard created because anyone practicing the Eon Clan's martial arts and corpse-refining without proper guidance would suffer horrific consequences.
Yet, the man before him was reciting the Soul-Consuming Heart Mantra flawlessly.
This meant he had not only obtained the original text of the second half but had also acquired the decryption method.
Eon I-gyeom could not believe his eyes and ears, even as he watched and listened.
"This should be enough," Jeok-un said, stopping his recitation.
Eon I-gyeom asked urgently, "How do you know my family's decryption method...?"
Instead of answering the question, Jeok-un spoke of something entirely different.
"The Blood Sect."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The culprits who destroyed your family. The ones you've been searching for."
"!"
According to the investigation conducted by Jeok-un and Eon I-gyeom before his regression, the culprit behind the fall of the Jinju Eon Clan was indeed the Blood Sect.
Unlike the Eon Clan's corpse-refining, which harmonized with the laws of nature, the Blood Sect was a group that raised corpses through human experimentation and all kinds of wicked sorcery.
They were a branch of the Demonic Cult.
"Have you ever heard of the Demonic Cult?"
"The Demonic Cult...?"
It was a name he had never heard before.
The Dongchang closely monitored and investigated the various cults and pagan religions rampant in the Central Plains, as any treasonous intent would turn them into rebels.
Yet, even as a member of the Dongchang, Eon I-gyeom had no knowledge of the Demonic Cult.
"The Demonic Cult operates in the shadows. It's only natural you don't know them."
Jeok-un nodded as if it were obvious and continued his explanation.
"The Blood Sect is the same. The Jianghu merely knows them as a simple cult. In truth, the Blood Sect is a faction under the Demonic Cult. They coveted the Eon Clan's Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo and corpse-refining arts, which is why they instigated the massacre."
"..."
Eon I-gyeom's expression wavered.
"Those are just words without proof... Why should I believe..."
"Mount Heng," Jeok-un cut him off again, abruptly mentioning the mountain.
"The Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo is there."
"!"
Even if it were a joke, he could not simply brush it aside. It concerned the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo, of all things.
"If you don't believe me, go see for yourself. Then you will."
Confronted by Jeok-un's sheer confidence, Eon I-gyeom fell silent once more.
It was exactly as Jeok-un said. Mount Heng lay a thousand li south of Changsha.
There, the Eon Clan's sacred relic, which Eon I-gyeom had sought even in his dreams, awaited.
Whether Jeok-un was speaking the truth or weaving a lie, everything would be brought to light once he went to Mount Heng.
'Is it real? He doesn't... seem to be lying.'
Eon I-gyeom was deeply conflicted.
Judging by Jeok-un's demeanor, he didn't appear to be fabricating a story.
Yet, an unsolvable question lingered.
'But if it's the truth, why on earth is he telling me this? What reason does he have to help me?'
There was no such thing as goodwill without a price.
There had to be an ulterior motive, but he couldn't fathom what it was.
Eon I-gyeom had reached his current position by analyzing situations with a cold, calculating gaze, but Jeok-un presented far too many anomalies.
'My head hurts.'
He was so confused and shaken that he felt a throbbing headache coming on.
Just then, Jeok-un spoke again.
"Why do you think I went out of my way to visit Poyang Lake right after the battle of Tongseong County ended?"
"..."
Eon I-gyeom's eyes widened.
This was actually something he had found puzzling as well.
The Black Sky Mad Dragon had slain Dang Maeng of the Martial Alliance and Seo Do-yeom of the Black Hegemony Castle.
The Martial Alliance's Tongseong County branch had been shattered, and the Geukrak Island branch had been wiped out.
In a critical situation where reclamation forces from both sides were rushing in to restore order, he had suddenly appeared in the spatial rift where Eon I-gyeom was.
"Don't tell me..."
"Yes, I went to meet you, Eon I-gyeom."
"!"
"As I said, you and I share a common enemy: the Demonic Cult. If the Blood Sect gets their hands on the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo, the Demonic Cult will grow uncontrollably powerful. So, I must stop that from happening."
"...Then, if you already know the location of the relic, why are you telling me?"
You could have taken it for yourself, and I would have been none the wiser.
In response to his unspoken question, Jeok-un chuckled.
"You'll understand once you go to Mount Heng. I could reach the place where the relic is kept, but I couldn't enter. There is a spell barrier that only those of the Eon bloodline can bypass."
"Ah."
If that was the case, it made sense why Jeok-un hadn't claimed the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo.
"The one who told me about this was also a renowned master of the Eon Clan. He was the one who taught me the decryption method as well..."
Jeok-un looked out the dark window with melancholic eyes, as if reminiscing.
In the distance, the dawn was breaking, scattering the darkness.
"It's thanks to him that I grew strong so quickly. But he passed away a long time ago. That's why I sought you out."
"!"
The "renowned master" Jeok-un referred to was none other than Eon I-gyeom himself.
To be precise, it was the Eon I-gyeom who had stood by Jeok-un's side before his regression.
Just like Hae-yeon, Eon I-gyeom had put aside his family's long-cherished desire to assist Jeok-un with all his heart and soul.
Jeok-un was merely paying back that debt while seeking a way for them to thrive together.
"However, even if you go to Mount Heng right now, you won't be able to obtain the Black Spirit Sesame Bamboo. According to the one who passed this down to me, you need to be at a realm higher than your current one."
The Eon I-gyeom of his past life had said that one must reach the Peak Transcendent realm to break the spell barrier.
Thus, it was currently impossible for the present Eon I-gyeom to obtain it.
"But one thing is clear."
Jeok-un emphasized that single point.
"We share a common enemy, and to defeat those bastards..."
Jeok-un pointed at Eon I-gyeom, then at himself.
"You need me, and I need you."
"..."
"Think of it as a temporary alliance. Once we've served our purpose, we won't ever have to see each other again anyway."