The Butcher of the Abandoned Temple
Seong-jin’s team, tasked with tracking the demon, finally arrived at the village where the last sighting had been reported.
“Before we face the demon, I think it would be best if we shared our martial arts styles with one another.”
Before the battle, Byeok-wol-rang suggested they coordinate their skills.
“I’m not asking you to reveal your secret manuals. We just need to know what kind of martial arts each of us uses so we don’t end up tripping each other up.”
As he spoke, Byeok-wol-rang subtly shifted his footwork. Judging by the distance he was maintaining, he seemed well-versed in fist and kick techniques.
He clenched his fist and added, “I primarily use fist techniques, and my nickname, Byeok-ryeok-gwon (Thunderclap Fist), reflects that. As you can see, that fellow Ham Bi-so uses a saber.”
Ham Bi-so carried a massive saber on his back that was nearly as tall as she was. Given the size of the weapon, it was certainly no mere ornament.
“But my main strength is poison.”
“That’s not quite right…”
Ham Bi-so was the type of person who would unhesitatingly adopt the strengths of others if it meant becoming stronger. Whether it was the destructive power of a giant saber or the unpredictable variables of poison arts, she would learn and master whatever was necessary to make it her own.
That was how she earned the nickname, Dok-ryeong-gong-ju (Princess of Poison Spirits).
“Blehh.”
Ham Bi-so grinned at Byeok-wol-rang’s introduction and stuck out her tongue. Pierced through her tongue was a small, bean-sized bead of blood-poison.
“My bodily fluids are all highly toxic, so be careful. Without this, even I would be poisoned by my own toxins.”
“That just means you’re a truly venomous woman.”
“You’re really going to die.”
Seong-jin couldn’t help but chuckle at the two of them. He tapped the sword hilt at his waist and said, “I don’t have a particular nickname, and I use a sword.”
The sword Seong-jin carried was one he had looted from the Sal-mun (Killing Gate).
‘I left enough traces of fist techniques at the Hwasan Inn; it’s better to use a sword for a while to avoid suspicion of being the Thunder Demon Asura.’
Since he had already left sword marks using his telekinetic sword technique at the Sal-mun, no one would find it strange that he was using a sword now. There was no reason to invite unnecessary suspicion until the interest in the Thunder Demon Asura died down.
“How is your skill level?”
Seong-jin partially drew his sword to reveal his Sword Qi. To manifest Sword Qi while the blade was still half-sheathed required the ability to project energy from only a portion of the blade. The fact that he could do this meant he was already at the top tier of first-rate martial artists. For someone of his age to handle Sword Qi so skillfully was truly extraordinary.
“At your age? This is a level that wouldn’t lose to the rising stars supported by the Nine Great Sects!”
For an unknown newcomer to reach a level comparable to the elites raised by major sects, they had to possess talent far beyond the norm. If someone training alone in the mountains wanted to be stronger than the elites who were fed medicinal herbs by influential sects, they naturally had to be superior.
“Damn it, we have to bring him into the Arangdae before any other unit snatches him up! Hey, youngest, you can call me ‘hyung’ from now on.”
“Yes, Master Byeok-wol-rang.”
“Hey, why only him!”
Afterward, they practiced their coordination through a simple discussion of their techniques. One might wonder how that was possible with words alone, but for masters who had reached the first-rate level, it was entirely feasible. They established rules: when to engage in certain situations, and when to retreat. As for the specifics of ‘how much’ to commit, each individual judged and executed it on their own.
In the Murim world, those who lived on the edge of a knife were merely third-rate. Even those recognized as full-fledged martial artists anywhere in the world were only second-rate. It was the masters recognized by everyone as experts who were truly first-rate. For such masters, coordinating in real combat with only a brief agreement was no difficult task.
“This should be enough. Let’s go catch this so-called Hwa-an-geom-ma (Fire-Eyed Sword Demon).”
“Huh? Weren’t we supposed to wait for the Murim Alliance’s intelligence here?”
“I’ve caught his presence with my senses.”
Since his middle dantian had been activated by the demonic energy, Seong-jin’s entire body was energized without needing to circulate internal energy like those who practiced demonic arts. Furthermore, he had gained one more ability: the power to sense the presence of demons.
The last sighting of the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon had ended in this vicinity. And just by arriving here, Seong-jin could detect his traces.
“I will take the lead. Follow me.”
Using his light-footwork, Seong-jin led his team members along the direction of the traces. Eventually, they arrived at an abandoned temple deep in the mountains.
“He’s hiding here? It’s certainly a suspicious place, but I don’t feel any presence.”
Where people stay, traces are inevitably left behind. No matter how great a technique for concealing one’s presence might be, it could only dampen the aura; it couldn’t completely erase the fact that someone had been there.
“It’s a formation.”
However, a formation was different.
‘Even after the knowledge of Taoist arts was lost due to the Investiture Covenant, this is a technique that blossomed again in the lower realm.’
The term ‘Taoist technique’ encompassed both formulas and formations; the formations of the Murim world were merely at a very basic level.
“Our youngest knows about formations, too?”
Among the wandering swordsmen who didn’t belong to any sect, many were illiterate. Who would study literature while living a life on the edge of a blade? While many martial artists studied to read martial manuals, the majority of commoners did not. Naturally, it was rare for anyone to have studied specialized subjects like formations unless they were from a noble family or a major sect.
“During my time in the mountains, I received some teachings from Taoists who looked kindly upon me.”
Knowledge of formations was already known to the world, so it did not constitute a leak of heavenly secrets. Even if the deep knowledge had vanished due to the Investiture Covenant, the phenomena themselves had not. The world was still filled with natural energy, and that energy flowed constantly, riding on weather patterns, spiritual veins, and terrain. At the intersections of spiritual veins, the density of natural energy was higher than elsewhere, so abnormal phenomena were bound to occur.
Strange fog or the birth of spiritual creatures were minor issues. In places where fire energy gathered, will-o’-the-wisps would float, and where wood energy gathered, bushes would grow noticeably faster than elsewhere.
‘Just like how the spiritual herbs of Mount Bongnae grew in an instant.’
If such phenomena occurred regularly with consistency, even an outsider could see that the flow of natural energy was producing specific effects. These were naturally occurring formation effects. The attempt to artificially reproduce such effects—and the research results accumulated through repeated trials—eventually led to the reproduction of Taoist arts. That was what a formation was.
‘The Investiture Covenant does not interfere with achievements gained through one’s own realization, rather than leaked heavenly secrets.’
Ultimately, people were studying natural phenomena to rebuild the knowledge of Taoist arts, and formations were a part of those achievements. However, the level was still in its infancy.
‘What the Murim world calls a thousand-year-old formation is child’s play from the perspective of an immortal.’
Breaking through the formation of the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon, which even the Murim Alliance hadn’t found, was no different than twisting a child’s wrist for Seong-jin.
‘Heavenly Evasion Sword Technique (Cheon-dun-geom-beop).’
To hide oneself from the heavens. Seong-jin deconstructed the essence of the Heavenly Evasion he had learned from Yeo Dong-bin and reassembled it in reverse order. The technique to hide everything from the heavens could also become a technique to reveal hidden things to the entire world.
“Break (Pa).”
As he suddenly thrust his sword into the empty air, the space where the tip touched began to ripple like water. He rolled up the air with the tip of his sword. As he pushed aside the rippling space like pulling back a curtain, the things hidden beneath were exposed in their raw state.
The reality of the temple revealed was a human slaughterhouse, where the bodies of travelers who had crossed the mountain were hung like meat in a butcher shop.
“This…!”
Inside that slaughterhouse, the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon, who had been hanging a new victim’s body on a tree, saw the three of them, spat out a curse, and drew his sword.
As his nickname suggested, the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon had the appearance of a good-natured man. A bear-like build with a smiling face. His shaved head and monk’s robes were evidence that he had once been a monk.
“Dogs of the Murim Alliance! How did you find this place…!”
“Damn it, it seems there are far more victims than reported. What were you thinking, touching even commoners?”
“The Bodhisattvas here are those who offered their bodies as alms, praying for the completion of my demonic arts, so do not touch them rudely.”
“Are you occupying an abandoned temple just because you’re a defrocked monk? If so, why use a sword instead of a staff?”
“Isn’t a blade more convenient for cutting the meat offered as alms?”
“You’re insane.”
Byeok-wol-rang waited without attempting a preemptive strike, despite hearing the madman’s words.
‘Are you ready?’
‘Yes.’
If they encountered the enemy, they would start the engagement with a brief delay to allow Ham Bi-so to prepare her poison. That was one of the tactics they had agreed upon during their earlier discussion.
‘Here I go!’
Once the poison was ready, Byeok-wol-rang launched the first offensive. When a swordsman and a fist-fighter clash, the swordsman holds the initiative in the exchange. A swordsman has a longer reach, and in the worst-case scenario, he can discard his sword to fight on equal terms, whereas a fist-fighter has no such option.
The Fire-Eyed Sword Demon moved his sword path to the point where Byeok-wol-rang was approaching. Jumping into an opponent’s sword path with one’s bare body was suicide. Even if he tried to dodge and circle around, his movement would become predictable, and the power of his strike would diminish.
‘But there’s no need to be satisfied with the first strike.’
Just before entering the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon’s range, Byeok-wol-rang stopped abruptly and swung his arm.
Thud!
Byeok-wol-rang’s fist energy struck the side of the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon’s sword energy. The sword path twisted, and the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon flicked his wrist, using the recoil to redirect the blade toward Byeok-wol-rang’s neck. It was an exchange worthy of first-rate masters, happening in an instant.
Byeok-wol-rang could have blocked it with his other hand, but clashing his bare hand against a blade was a significant disadvantage. It was a situation that would lead to a loss even if he blocked it. However, he was not alone.
Whoosh!
Ham Bi-so, having drawn her great saber, aimed for the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon’s legs.
With a flash, Ham Bi-so’s saber grazed the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon’s leg. In an instant, the scales of judgment tipped, and this time, it was the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon who retreated. He pulled his body back quickly and turned to run without hesitation.
‘If the Murim Alliance dogs found this place, I don’t know how many of them might have come!’
Even if he defeated the two in front of him, it might not be the end. Therefore, when he failed to suppress his opponents early on, he chose to flee without regret.
Blocking his path was the greenhorn who had been with the two. It was Seong-jin, who had circled around widely to secure the rear while Byeok-wol-rang and Ham Bi-so were engaged.
“You wet-behind-the-ears brat! As a mere guest warrior, you dare to block me!”
In martial arts, age is not absolute. The world was overflowing with masters who achieved greatness at a young age, as well as mediocre people who remained second-rate even in their old age. However, no matter how talented one was, if one was young, their internal energy was bound to be lower. And if their internal energy was low, the level of their martial arts was bound to be lower as well.
After all, if there were techniques that could only be used with sixty years of internal energy, someone without that level of energy couldn’t even practice them. The minimum internal energy required to open the Ren and Du meridians—without that minimum, one could not become a first-rate master.
‘Unless he’s a rising star fed on medicinal herbs, there’s no way a brat working as a guest warrior without a sect could have accumulated that much energy at that age!’
Having finished his assessment, the Fire-Eyed Sword Demon tried to bypass Seong-jin without a moment’s hesitation.
“The performance is certain.”
Seong-jin, who had been hiding his internal energy level with Ham Bi-so’s poison, held the sword wrapped in the formation’s effects through the essence of Heavenly Evasion.
He accelerated the sword with the power of magnetism.
‘The essence of the Heavenly Evasion Sword Technique isn’t just for telekinesis.’
The powerful repulsive force emitted by the lightning energy pushed the blade. It was as if he wasn’t swinging the sword, but firing it. Even observing the movement of his muscles with the keen eyes of a first-rate master, the movement of the magnetic force could not be predicted. And a result different from expectation causes a greater danger than not expecting anything at all.
“Evil Dragon Decapitation.”
Simultaneous with Seong-jin’s draw, the evil was severed.