The Opening of the Demonic Era
In truth, when renowned rising stars like the Hwasan Sword Dragon and the Diancang Single Sword appeared, the ones most surprised were the two members of the Arangdae.
'Our youngest brother... with people like them?'
Although Seong-jin hadn't officially joined the Arangdae, the two had already been treating him as their youngest brother. They had already bragged about him to the entire unit, so even if he tried to refuse now, they would have dragged him in by force!
'But to have connections like this... shouldn't we be calling him "Big Brother" instead?'
'Have we done anything wrong while calling him "little brother" all this time?'
Byeok-wol-rang and Ham Bi-so frantically searched their memories, but they couldn't recall any major transgressions.
'Actually, this is great.'
What did it matter if the new youngest brother was so capable that he ended up becoming their superior? The martial arts world's enforcement units were always getting dragged into the various troubles of the Murim, often ending up in miserable states. The stronger one's colleagues were, the better.
A person's survival rate depended entirely on the level of the comrade standing back-to-back with them. Whether they were already strong or currently weak but possessed a promising future, it was common sense that the more capable a colleague was, the better.
During a mission, a colleague was essentially one's lifeline; a capable colleague was synonymous with a second lifeline. Of course, the first lifeline was always one's own weapon.
"Ugh, Youngest Brother, why have you only appeared now?"
"...What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Thunder Fist?"
Seong-jin, already accustomed to Byeok-wol-rang's drivel, dismissed him flatly. He had briefly considered becoming an official Murim Alliance warrior to utilize the organization's intelligence network, but seeing this atmosphere, he decided against it.
Whether he knew Seong-jin's thoughts or not, Byeok-wol-rang spoke with a much more relaxed expression.
"So, you're saying a master appeared among those hunting for the Map of Treasures, one that the students of the Heavenly Martial Academy couldn't handle? I'll have to report this to the Alliance."
"Hmm."
The appearance of the Bokma-jeon was for Seo-saeng-won's verification; it wasn't necessarily just because of the map. 'If I frame it this way, the issue of leaking heavenly secrets should be fine.' Since it was true that the villains were looking for the map, it wasn't a lie. Furthermore, since there were no additional clues to track the Bokma-jeon, the fact that they had revealed themselves was something Seong-jin welcomed.
"But the Heavenly Demon's Map of Treasures... does such a thing really exist?"
At Zhuge Lin's question, everyone's gaze gathered on her.
The Heavenly Demon. That existence of cataclysmic proportions who had once plunged the Central Plains into a crucible of chaos had appeared like the wind and vanished like the wind. He hadn't launched a massive invasion of the Central Plains to start a great war, nor had he gone on a mindless killing spree. He had simply stolen precious medicinal herbs and treasures from various places before fleeing.
Among those acts, the time he had single-handedly stormed the Shaolin temple, defeated the 108 Arhats, and stolen the Great Rejuvenation Pill had sent shockwaves through the entire Murim.
"It's strange, isn't it? Even if the Heavenly Demon was an unconquerable being, everyone is equal before the passage of time, so he could have died. But how can it be that his tomb is in the Central Plains, and the treasures he stole remain intact within it?"
"That's true. It's unlikely he would have just piled up the precious herbs he worked so hard to obtain without consuming them."
Anyone who has sat in an apothecary for just an hour would know. Managing medicinal herbs requires great care; most herbs must be stored in dry places, away from moisture and sunlight. Even those stored properly must be checked periodically, and the paper wrapping them must be replaced regularly. It's a waste of expensive paper, but it's unavoidable. Otherwise, moisture would seep in, and the hard-earned herbs would be covered in mold in an instant.
"Treasures aside, maintaining the efficacy of precious herbs is even harder. Even if the Heavenly Demon died while clutching them, there's no way herbs left in an unmanaged tomb would remain intact."
"Exactly. And even if he went to the trouble of hiding the tomb's location, why would he create a map to reveal it and scatter it? It's not like he's asking to be robbed, so what reason would he have?"
"So, Miss Zhuge, you believe the map is a trap."
"Because judging it as a trap is the most rational conclusion."
The others didn't seem to think much differently, and the atmosphere was one of agreement with Zhuge Lin.
"Even if the Heavenly Demon wanted to leave his herbs to a successor, he could have just handed them over directly; there's no reason to take this approach. Unless he specifically wanted to leave his inheritance to a descendant who wouldn't appear for hundreds of years."
"A descendant from hundreds of years later..."
"It makes no sense. It's like saying someone with perfectly healthy children and grandchildren would leave their inheritance only to a great-grandchild or great-great-grandchild who hasn't even been born yet. I've never heard of or seen such a thing."
Ham Bi-so dismissed the assumption as absurd.
"Therefore, the rational conclusion is that the map is nothing more than a trap."
In the end, the group concluded that the Heavenly Demon's map was merely a trap. And upon returning to the Murim Alliance to report, they were met with the news that the Heavenly Demon's tomb had been discovered.
Zhuge Hyuk, Zhuge Lin's older brother and the eldest son of the Zhuge Clan leader, had defeated a demonic practitioner and obtained the Heavenly Demon's map that the villain possessed. The location marked on the map was not far from where he had defeated the villain. In the first place, the demonic practitioner had been so focused on following the map's markings that he had left a trail, allowing Zhuge Hyuk to hunt him down. Thus, Zhuge Hyuk found the location written on the map and truly discovered the Heavenly Demon's tomb.
-This is the treasure I found there.
What Zhuge Hyuk presented to the Murim Alliance was a sword with a pine-needle pattern. The Pine-Pattern Ancient Sword. It was the sword of Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of the Wudang Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects. After Zhang Sanfeng ascended to immortality, the sword had remained in Wudang as a sacred relic of the sect leader, but it had gone missing after being stolen by the Heavenly Demon along with the Purple Spirit Pill.
When the Wudang sect leader verified that the Pine-Pattern Ancient Sword brought by Zhuge Hyuk was authentic, the Murim Alliance fell into an uproar. The map was real.
-However, this sword was all that was in the tomb I found. Perhaps he created multiple tombs and left clues in each one to find the true tomb.
Since the ancient times, it was common for emperors to build fake tombs to avoid grave robbers. If someone like the Heavenly Demon had collected treasures, their value would surely rival that of an emperor's tomb. From that moment on, the Murim Alliance named the tomb where the Pine-Pattern Ancient Sword was found "Tomb No. 1" and began securing maps to find "Tomb No. 2."
-It is an order from the General Affairs Department. Put a bounty on the maps and buy them without limit.
-Wouldn't that lead to people forging maps and selling them?
-It's cheaper to spend money to collect them and catch the forgers than to go around hunting for demonic practitioners who have the maps.
Thus, every person in Hubei who knew a bit of martial arts began hunting for demonic practitioners in hopes of striking it rich; even the village women were reporting demonic practitioners to claim the reward. The opening of the Era of Demonic Reversal. Some low-level demonic practitioners, unable to escape the pursuit, eventually ended up selling the maps to the Murim Alliance themselves.
As the situation escalated, the major sects, which had been slow to act, could no longer sit idly by. Forget the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering; if their sect's treasures were lying dormant, what if some third-rate demonic practitioner accidentally found them first? It was a treasure already stolen once by the Heavenly Demon. The consensus was that if they let it be stolen a second time, they deserved to be called the world's greatest disgrace.
"I think I need to help my brother and move with the clan's warriors. What will you do, Hwasan Sword Dragon?"
Most participants of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering had already disbanded their groups and were acting with their own sect members. Zhuge Lin, who had returned to the Murim Alliance, was no different; summoned by Zhuge Hyuk, she asked for the opinions of Yeong-myeong and Dan Mok-cheong before disbanding their group.
"Most of the elders of the Diancang Sect have remained at the main sect. They said since we didn't send many people to Hubei this time, I don't need to push myself."
The Diancang Sect in Yunnan didn't have many treasures stolen by the Heavenly Demon, and it was difficult to send high-level masters to Hubei. Thanks to this, the sect hadn't pressured Dan Mok-cheong, so she was in a situation where it didn't matter what happened.
"What about you, Hwasan Sword Dragon?"
However, Yeong-myeong's situation was a bit special. Hwasan also had a history of having the Purple Mist Pill stolen by the Heavenly Demon, so under normal circumstances, he would have jumped into this matter without looking back. But in the current situation, with the sect in turmoil, it was difficult to blindly set out to find treasures. Above all, hadn't Yeong-myeong promised to help Seong-jin? Seong-jin had no particular interest in the Heavenly Demon. Yeong-myeong couldn't just leave Seong-jin behind and go off to reclaim the Purple Mist Pill alone.
"Well, with the sect leader away, Hwasan is..."
Yeong-myeong trailed off, glancing at Seong-jin. Conversely, Seong-jin spoke firmly.
"We must go to the place they call the Heavenly Demon's tomb right now."
"...Of course, we must lend a hand!"
True to his reputation as Hwasan's greatest talent, his change in stance was as natural as flowing water.
"Since the villains called Bokma-jeon are also chasing the maps, if we follow them, we will surely be able to catch them. I agree with my brother's opinion."
Yeong-myeong, displaying the dignity of a master, nodded confidently. The two members of the Arangdae were mobilized for the Murim Alliance's operation and returned to the main force. While a standby order had been issued to the students of the Heavenly Martial Academy, who were they? The Murim Alliance was ultimately running on the support of the righteous sects, and the rising stars of those very sects were the true masters of the Alliance. In other words, the sect's orders were more important than the Alliance's.
"Since the sect leader has entrusted the sacred relic to my brother, all Hwasan disciples in Hubei will follow my brother's words."
Thus, granted the authority to decide, Seong-jin nodded and said.
"Then, let us first go and examine the Tomb No. 1 that was discovered."
The excavation site of Tomb No. 1. Zhuge Hyuk was the eldest son of the current Zhuge Clan leader and a contender for the position of successor. In the martial arts world, the successor of a clan was not necessarily the eldest son, but the one with the most outstanding martial arts. Even if Zhuge Hyuk was the eldest, he was strictly just one of the candidates for the clan leader position. Of course, the eldest son becoming the next leader was the most common case, but it wasn't absolute. This was because among the competitors, the eldest was the one who was born first and could receive the most precious herbs and support. However, it was also common for the eldest son to be pushed aside by his younger brothers and lose his position as successor. This was not just a competition among the current leader's children, but one that included relatives. Unlike the Nine Great Sects, the martial arts clans were operated around bloodlines. The Nine Great Sects, which accepted talented individuals from all over the world, naturally had a large number of members. On the other hand, the martial arts clans were composed only of a single family's relatives, so there was a limit to their numbers. They couldn't just keep having children to increase the number of disciples like the Nine Great Sects, could they? Furthermore, there was no guarantee that the children born would have talent for martial arts. As a result, the clans had to select the most outstanding person among their existing relatives to maintain their influence.
In that sense, Zhuge Lin was actually a unique case.
"Lin-ah brought the Hwasan Sword Dragon and the Diancang Single Sword? Finally, she's earning her keep for being sent to the Heavenly Martial Academy."
The leaders of the Nine Great Sects were in a position where they had to uphold the traditions and norms passed down from their predecessors, unable to decide the sect's affairs on their own. On the other hand, the leaders of the Five Great Clans could enjoy immense power, unlike the leaders of the Nine Great Sects. Unlike the Nine Great Sects, which had to distribute the sect's resources among many disciples, the Five Great Clans could concentrate all the family's capabilities on one person. Therefore, while the capabilities of the members might be lacking compared to the Nine Great Sects, the clan leader and the successor were not inferior to them. It was a path where, if one succeeded, one could become a king who possessed everything. Zhuge Lin, who had been born with outstanding talent but had given up on the successor competition early on and supported her eldest brother Zhuge Hyuk, was a famous eccentric within the Five Great Clans.
"They are precious guests, so escort them inside immediately."
Unlike the Zhuge Clan, where the successor competition was fierce, the Hwasan Sword Dragon and the Diancang Single Sword were already considered the next sect leaders. At the news of their visit, Zhuge Hyuk greeted the guests with the smile of a victor, and...
"Tell us in detail what you saw there right now."
...was suddenly grabbed by the collar by a ruffian.
"How insolent! Who are you!"
Yeong-myeong, who had entered the room late, saw the situation inside and stepped toward Seong-jin, igniting the flames of Returning to Truth.
Whoosh!
His pure white robe turned red. Even though it was on fire, it didn't burn; instead, the clothing turned red as if it had swallowed the flames. If one had seen the Hwasan sect leader unleash his power even once, this was a sight one could not mistake.
"How dare you..."
"From now on, Clan Leader Zhuge, think twice before you speak."
Yeong-myeong blocked Zhuge Hyuk before he could spew more nonsense. "He was chosen by the Lady of the Azure Wall, and I guarantee it. Whoever treats him must treat him as they would treat Hwasan."