Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Enlightenment
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“Are you curious as to why I responded only to you?”
“I am. Very curious. I don't know when this painting was created, but at least a few hundred years must have passed, and many martial artists must have seen it in that time. Among them was the Mad Swordsman who discovered it most recently.”
“Hahaha.”
Mok Yeong-cheong let out a good-natured laugh before speaking.
“What reason would I have to respond to men like them?”
“Then am I different?”
“You are different. You're a descendant of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
What kind of nonsense was this?
The Ouyang Clan was a pillar of the Orthodox Faction, and in my past life, I had never once strayed from it.
Furthermore, in my past life, I was from the Hwa Clan, which had been a pillar of the Orthodox Faction for generations.
So why was he suddenly calling me a descendant of the Heavenly Demon Cult?
“I think you've taken your joke too far.”
“This is no joke. You've learned the Universe's Will Divine Art, haven't you? And you've mastered it to its very peak.”
“I have. Are you suggesting the Hwa Clan are descendants of the Heavenly Demon Cult? That is absolutely not true. I can swear on it.”
“How can you swear on something that happened a thousand years ago? Tsk, tsk.”
Mok Yeong-cheong chuckled dismissively.
He was right.
A thousand years was enough time for mountains and rivers to change a hundred times over, and for forty generations to pass.
Moreover, if the Hwa Clan's ancestor had been a descendant of the Heavenly Demon Cult, it was more than plausible that he would have converted to the Orthodox Faction to seek revenge on Cheok Eun-gwang, who had destroyed the Heavenly Demon Cult and established the Dark Heavenly Cult.
“Then why is the name Hwa, and not Mok?”
“How could we use the Mok surname with Cheok Eun-gwang watching so intently? Besides, the Mok surname is a rare one. That's why my son was adopted into the family of my close friend, the Hwa family. You probably know what happened after that. The Hwa family, once a simple merchant household, suddenly transformed into a prominent martial arts family of the Orthodox Faction. Hwa Jin-un. His real name was Mok Jin-un. He was my son.”
I was deeply shocked.
I never imagined the Hwa Clan held such a shocking secret history.
Hwa Jin-un.
He had risen to the ranks of the Ten Grand Masters of his time, and thanks to him, the Hwa Clan was able to establish itself as a renowned martial family.
“Then are the Universe's Will Divine Art and the Heavenly Will Sword Art both martial arts of the Heavenly Demon Cult?”
Mok Yeong-cheong shook his head.
“Those are strictly martial arts of the Orthodox Faction. If Hwa Jin-un had used the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon Cult, Cheok Eun-gwang would have noticed, and the Hwa Clan would have been annihilated. The Dark Heavenly Cult was the strongest military power at the time.”
Mok Yeong-cheong had fought a great battle with Cheok Eun-gwang over the Heavenly Demon Cult, and when defeat seemed imminent, he sent his young son, Mok Jin-un, to the Hwa Clan.
The martial arts manual he sent with him was the *Secret Records of Heavenly Will*.
The *Secret Records of Heavenly Will* was not a manual of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
The Heavenly Demon Cult had continuously collected martial arts manuals from the Orthodox Faction of the Central Plains, and this was one acquired by his predecessor.
The Heavenly Demon Cult realized the terrifying power of the *Secret Records of Heavenly Will* and had it secretly passed down and studied only by the cult leader.
“Cheok Eun-gwang doesn't know this. Only those of the Mok bloodline do. The heretics of the demonic path fell powerlessly before your Heavenly Will Sword Art, did they not?”
“They did.”
“That's because the Heavenly Will Sword Art is the natural enemy of demonic arts. Hwa Jin-un, who knew the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon Cult well, meticulously developed the Heavenly Will Sword Art to effectively suppress demonic arts.”
At this point, I had no choice but to believe Mok Yeong-cheong's words.
“Watch closely.”
Mok Yeong-cheong raised his sword and took a ready stance.
Since it was the Heavenly Will Sword Art, I focused intently.
Was it because he had researched the Heavenly Will Sword Art from the perspective of demonic arts?
His Heavenly Will Sword Art was fundamentally different from the way I performed it.
What was clear, however, was that he too had grasped the ultimate essence of the Heavenly Will Sword Art.
I was completely absorbed, utterly shocked.
It was truly fortunate to witness, up close, the Heavenly Will Sword Art that had been elevated to its peak from an approach completely opposite to my own.
The enlightenment I gained in this short time was comparable to what I had achieved through a lifetime of honing my skills in my past life.
This was only possible because we had both trained our martial arts to their absolute limits and understood the ultimate essence of the Heavenly Will Sword Art.
How long had I been watching in a daze?
“We'll meet again. Hahaha.”
Mok Yeong-cheong suddenly vanished into the darkness.
As I looked around, wondering what had happened, I heard Cheong's voice from another direction.
“Affectionate, are you all right?”
My eyes shot open.
It was a dream.
No, it couldn't have been a dream.
How could a dream be this vivid?
“Are you all right?”
“I'm fine. What happened to me?”
“You were staring intently at the painting when you suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.”
It wasn't a dream.
Surprised and fearful, I opened my palm to find it drenched in cold sweat.
I stared blankly at her and the Ten Thousand Fathom Cliff.
Then, a sudden realization struck me.
“I think I was being too cautious. They... Heav... no, they don't know the true value of this painting. They'll send warriors to find it, I'm sure, but they won't deploy a dragnet of high-level masters.”
My thinking had changed after my conversation with Mok Yeong-cheong.
They would have sent moderately skilled masters to retrieve the Mad Swordsman's belongings.
If they knew it was a painting related to the Heavenly Demon, Mok Yeong-cheong, they would have sent far more powerful masters and would have already stormed this place by now.
After all, they would know that the mountain in the painting was the Ten Thousand Fathom Cliff of Mount Tongtian.
Of course, not all my questions were answered.
Why, then, did they feel such fear at the mere mention of the box containing the painting?
I shook my head.
“What should we do now?”
“Let's stay here for a few more days, then head to the Martial Arts Alliance.”
“Understood.”
After Cheong withdrew, I let out a long breath and gazed at the Ten Thousand Fathom Cliff.
It was still a mystery how I had managed to converse with Mok Yeong-cheong.
But I was certain he would try to speak with me again.
Our conversation had been cut short.
I stood up and drew the Soul-Reaping Sword.
Recalling the Heavenly Will Sword Art that Mok Yeong-cheong had demonstrated, I slowly savored it, performing the forms, and then performed the Heavenly Will Sword Art as I had come to understand it while living as Hwa Un-ryong.
I compared the forms of the two sword arts and contemplated their differences.
The time spent thinking grew longer than the time spent performing the forms.
Sometimes, after executing a single form, I would be lost in thought for an entire day.
I waited for Mok Yeong-cheong after that, but he did not appear.
Nor did any members of the Dark Blood Heaven Cult.
‘The Founder will surely appear again later. Still, this wasn't a wasted effort. It was a precious time to reinterpret the Heavenly Will Sword Art. It feels disrespectful to say this to Founder Hwa Jin-un, but the Heavenly Will Sword Art wasn't perfect.’
For ten days, I performed and contemplated the Heavenly Will Sword Art.
And I was able to elevate my skill by another level.
Because I had practiced the Heavenly Will Sword Art for my entire past life, I was able to gain new insight through Mok Yeong-cheong's advice and research from a new perspective.
Confident that Mok Yeong-cheong would reappear someday, I decided to leave this place.
“Let's go. To the Martial Arts Alliance.”
“You seem a little different.”
“Different how? I'm the same.”
“How should I put it? You now truly feel like a great grandmaster.”
“And before?”
“It felt like you had several different auras mixed together. Of course, you were incredibly strong. But it’s hard to put into words... it was like you were wearing clothes that didn't fit. You'd seem strong one moment and weak the next. The aura of an unapproachable grandmaster would flow from you, only to suddenly change into that of an ordinary warrior. I'm sorry. Am I making any sense?”
“Hahahaha. You must be tired too, Cheong. Let's go.”
I burst out laughing and leaped away, and Cheong followed behind me.
She had spent a lot of time with me and we had overcome crises together, so she knew me well.
She had likely witnessed the process of Hwa Un-ryong's consciousness adapting after entering Guyang Cheon's body.
Jangjahyeon.
We boldly pushed down as far as Jangjahyeon.
We encountered members of the Dark Heavenly Cult along the way, but I disposed of them all.
After meeting Mok Yeong-cheong, my sword had become even colder, and not a shred of hesitation remained.
“I'll rest here. Report to the Martial Arts Alliance.”
In Jangjahyeon, there was both the Shanxi Provincial Branch of the Martial Arts Alliance and a safe house for the Demon-Slaying Pavilion.
Cheong received instructions from the Martial Arts Alliance via carrier pigeons at the safe houses set up across the Central Plains and reported the information she had gathered.
“Understood.”
After sending Cheong off, I drew the Soul-Reaping Sword again.
I repeated the process of slowly performing the Heavenly Will Sword Art and then sinking into meditation.
I had ordered Cheong to report to the Martial Arts Alliance for two reasons.
First, to relay the important information we had gathered so far to the Alliance. Second, to confirm whether the Dark Blood Heaven Cult had extended its influence to this Shanxi Provincial Branch.
If they had, they would send masters here.
A sudden worry crossed my mind that they might harm Cheong.
But I quickly shook my head.
I resolved not to worry excessively about things that hadn't happened.
I entered a meditative state again, focusing on the Heavenly Will Sword Art.
A few days later.
Cheong appeared.
Her eyes were welling with tears.
“I'm sorry.”
I could guess what had happened.
I realized the Shanxi Provincial Branch was connected to the Dark Blood Heaven Cult.
Then, three martial artists appeared from behind Cheong.
They weren't masters on the level of the Mad Swordsman, but looking at the three of them, they felt connected as one.
‘These men move as a single unit, using coordinated attacks to subdue their opponents. If that's the case...?’
My ability to read an opponent's energy had certainly improved.
As the thought of defeating them arose, my dantian opened, and true energy flowed out.
Simultaneously, I drew the Soul-Reaping Sword and lunged at them.
“Hah! Block it!”
I ignored the attacks of the two men closing in from both sides and focused on the black-robed warrior directly behind Cheong.
“Cheong! Get down!”
Cheong quickly dropped to the ground as I commanded, and my sword rained down upon the black-robed warrior.
*Clang. Clang. Clang.*
“Gah!”
He failed to block the consecutive lightning-fast strikes, and his left arm was severed clean off near the elbow.
At the same time, sharp auras from both sides charged, aiming for my body.
Unable to dodge or counterattack, I pushed the Universe's Will Divine Art to its peak.
*Stab.*
*Slice.*
I sustained cuts to my side and left arm.
I needed to treat them immediately, but I ignored them for now and fired a Thunderclap Bolt at the warrior on my left.
*Thwump.*
Startled by the powerful energy blast at close range, he frantically dodged, but his balance was completely thrown off.
*Slice.*
I followed up instantly, slitting his throat.
*Slice.*
My side was cut again.
I was relentless, but these guys were no ordinary foes either.
Because I had raised the Universe's Will Divine Art to its peak for defense, the wounds weren't very deep.
It only looked like I had taken heavy damage because I had been cut in several places and was bleeding.
The moment his sword aimed for my neck, the Soul-Reaping Sword left my hand and flew into the air.
“Gasp! The Sword Control Art!”
A breathless sound escaped his lips as the Soul-Reaping Sword pierced his heart before returning to my hand.
My encounter with Mok Yeong-cheong had brought much enlightenment, giving me a new perspective on the Sword Control Art.
Before, I had been trapped in the mindset that one must execute forms perfectly according to one's level of internal energy.
For example, one would only perform the Sword Control Art after attaining three cycles of sixty-year energy.
Of course, that was correct.
That way, one could withstand an opponent's counterattack and have a way to respond even if the Sword Control Art took longer to execute than expected.
But now, my thinking had changed.
Now, my only thought was that if a technique was necessary, I would execute it immediately to subdue the opponent, without thinking about the consequences.
“Lie down. You need treatment.”
Cheong had approached me at some point.
She had subdued the black-robed warrior with the severed left hand and rushed to my side.
If he had been in his right mind, he wouldn't have been taken down by Cheong.
But his left hand was gone, and his mind must have been in turmoil watching his comrades, whom he believed to be invincible, fall one by one.
In that state, he made the mistake of forgetting Cheong's presence, and that's where the fight was decided.
“Ugh. It hurts.”
“Don't be a baby.”
“I'm telling you, it really hurts.”
Cheong ignored my words, quickly stopping the bleeding and closing the wounds.
“My goodness, why are you so reckless? You could have died.”
“If I hadn't done this, you could have been hurt. When cornered, they would have surely taken you hostage.”
“Why would you care about someone like me?”
“Because you're my precious comrade.”
Cheong's eyes reddened.
“Bite down hard.”
Cheong's hands moved quickly and precisely as she treated my wounds.
Dammit.
The pain was so intense I thought this must be what hell felt like.
I could have treated this much myself, but Cheong must have been worried I would die.
The treatment was finished.
Or rather, the external suturing was finished.
Still lying down, I circulated the Universe's Will Divine Art and began to regulate my breathing.
After reaching the pinnacle of martial arts, I could regulate my breathing in any posture.
*Fwoooosh.*
As a powerful energy emanated from my body, Cheong quickly backed away.
‘He's definitely different. He's become so cold and so much stronger. And he... he acknowledged me.’