Chapter 39

Raising the Sword

Cheon Muyang recited each and every charge the accused had committed before everyone.

They were so detailed that even the Third Elder could do nothing but listen, unable to offer a single excuse.

Some among them had committed crimes so heinous they defied all human decency—and those individuals, without exception, had their heads personally taken by Cheon Muyang.

"Imprison the rest in the Thunder Prison."

For those who remained, he ordered imprisonment.

And so, unintentionally, the Cheon Family's Thunder Prison was filled to the brim with criminals.

"First Young Master! First Young Master! I truly didn't know! I swear I didn't know that the funds would flow there!"

"Please show mercy. Haven't I devoted myself to the Cheon Family all these years? At least take that time into consideration—"

Some clutched desperately at Cheon Muyang's trouser hems, begging.

But Cheon Muyang already knew their futures.

"No. Whether you intended it or not, you contributed to the downfall of the Cheon Family."

He coldly brushed aside their pleas.

"If you truly didn't know, then that ignorance itself is a crime. But... did you really not know?"

Chill.

They were met with Cheon Muyang's killing intent–laden expression, twisted like that of a malevolent god of death.

Woom!

At any moment, it seemed he might draw his sword and take their heads—and they were terrified.

"So consider yourselves fortunate that your heads are still attached."

They were not even worth killing.

He intended to let them rot in the Thunder Prison for the rest of their lives—so that they would learn.

'From the very bottom, watch how high the sky of the Cheon Family you sought to betray truly is.'

That would be the final fate of those who had once turned their backs on the Cheon Family's sky.

"If there's any good news...."

Cheon Muyang gave a short, humorless chuckle.

"Soon enough, someone you recognize will be joining you. That should keep you from getting lonely."

"...!"

They realized then—

Cheon Muyang had never once asked who stood behind them.

"So don't even think about trading that worthless bit of information for your lives."

"...!"

They were criminals.

And small fry.

Even if they tried to betray the Third Elder, that cunning old fox would never have left behind evidence.

And in the first place, who would believe the words of clearly guilty men?

"You're already finished."

Despair overtook them.

Cheon Muyang's declaration was no different from a death sentence.

They would rot away in that underground prison for the rest of their lives.

"Aah...."

Black hair turned white in an instant.

"What? Are you regretting the wealth and power you piled up all this time?"

Cheon Muyang mocked them.

How could they not regret it?

"But you should never have stepped beyond the path of humanity."

The moment they became entangled with the Black Merchants—

They were no different from being entangled with the Demonic Cult behind them.

Whether they knew it or not.

"Take them away."

"Yes!"

Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak stepped forward.

With their dantians already destroyed, the powerless men couldn't even resist as they were dragged away.

Boom!

The Third Elder's presence faded.

At least for this moment, it was Cheon Muyang who completely dominated the hall.

And so, Cheon Muyang addressed everyone.

"My role as Inspection Corps Leader ends here. From this point on, I will speak as the First Young Master of the Cheon Family."

From the beginning, Cheon Muyang had not gathered the entire family merely to pass judgment on their crimes.

What came next was the real matter.

"...!"

Even Cheon Muyang's presence changed.

Standing tall and dignified, he was resolute—like a general capable of facing ten thousand alone.

Who could look at Cheon Muyang now and still call him a ruffian?

Even those who had doubted the rumors of his change could instinctively tell—

He was no longer the same man once known as a ruffian.

"What do you all think of the Cheon Family?"

"...?"

"I believe the Cheon Family, as it stands now, is not right."

The moment he finished speaking—

The atmosphere sank heavier than it ever had before.

As everyone fell silent, the Third Elder seized the moment, wearing a triumphant smile as he challenged him.

"What nonsense is this? That the Cheon Family is not right? No matter that you are the First Young Master, how could you dare make such a statement!"

It was the tone of an elder lecturing a junior.

However—

That junior was a ruffian.

In other words, it meant a ruffian who regarded insubordination as a virtue.

"How could it not be so? A family where there's no way to rise without connections to the Council of Elders—are you saying that's right?"

"...W-what did you just say?"

He had crossed a line that should never be crossed.

Cheon Muyang continued speaking with a smile.

"Well, let's just say that was a ruffian misspeaking and let it pass."

At that moment—

Pfft!

Laughter burst out somewhere in the hall.

"Who was that!"

The Third Elder's sharp shout forced it to subside, but Cheon Muyang became certain.

'There are many who harbor dissatisfaction toward the Council of Elders.'

All personnel decisions—except those of the Heavenly Dragon Sword Corps and the Heavenly Phoenix Sword Corps—were made by the Council of Elders.

As a result, an unspoken atmosphere had formed in which connections to the Council outweighed ability.

"How can you just let such words slide!"

"Then make it a formal issue. Do as you please. That said, Third Elder, please step aside."

"...!"

Cheon Muyang continued speaking, blatantly disregarding the Third Elder.

"Of course, some of you may feel that it's absurd for me to say such things."

The mad ruffian of the Cheon Family.

That past was like a brand that might never fade in an instant.

Memories would not disappear.

And scars would remain forever.

"However, I will dare to say this."

He might not have the qualifications.

Even so, he wanted to say it.

No—he had to say it.

"The Cheon Family will reclaim the values it has lost."

Lost values.

And the values he wished to give to them once more.

What those values were—

He wanted them to know.

Gulp!

The sound of someone swallowing echoed.

And then—

"W-what is that?"

From within the crowd came a question filled with anticipation.

"Pride."

"...!"

"I will restore the pride you have lost."

What Cheon Muyang wished to give them was pride.

'That is the respect owed to those who willingly gave their lives for the Cheon Family.'

Cheon Muyang remembered.

The countless lives that would one day be sacrificed for the Cheon Family.

Those gathered here were the very pillars that upheld the Cheon Family.

'Why did they do it?'

What could possibly be more precious than life, that they would give it up for the Cheon Family?

It was laughable.

Hadn't he done the same?

'I did as well.'

There had been only one reason.

To repay the debt of gratitude he had received from the Cheon Family.

'Repaying a favor.'

How foolish that sounded.

And yet, how romantic.

That was why Cheon Muyang took pride in those who had never betrayed the Cheon Family, even as it fell.

"The Cheon Family will change."

There was no need to explain exactly what would change or how.

The Cheon Family was a family of the sword—and a martial family of the Jianghu.

In the end, wasn't lost pride something that could only be restored through the sword?

Whoooong!

And so, instead of words—

Cheon Muyang chose to speak with his sword.

"Ah...."

Everyone held their breath.

From Cheon Gwang burst forth a vivid, aching-blue strand of sword qi, shooting straight toward the heavens.

Hiss!

Cheon Gwang moved slowly.

That sword pierced through the sky of the Cheon Family—its very essence.

"Gasp!"

Those who had never learned martial arts—

And those who had—

All felt as though they had been living blind until this very moment, and had now opened their eyes anew.

"H-how!"

Awe filled every pair of eyes.

Cutting down half of the Cheon Family's alliances didn't even qualify as a noteworthy incident anymore.

How could anyone harbor other thoughts before such a wondrous sword?

"Beautiful...."

To have lost pride—

Also meant that one had once possessed it.

Thump.

Cheon Muyang's sword naturally called to mind what pride they had once held in the past.

'Pride....'

At one time, they had taken pride in being able to repay the Cheon Family for the grace they had received.

But the Cheon Family had slowly rotted and decayed.

In that process, they lost their pride, leaving behind nothing but obligation.

'You no longer need to live like that.'

Cheon Muyang's sword was consolation, praise, and recompense for those who had devoted themselves to the family all this time.

'To those of you who have upheld the Cheon Family—I will give you pride.'

That was the best and greatest gift Cheon Muyang could offer—

And also a firm resolve he made to himself.

"Ah...."

Cheon Muyang's sword came to rest.

Like snow.

Like rain.

The scattering radiance falling from the heavens intertwined with the thunder and lightning still raging above the Cheon Family's sky, descending beneath the tip of Cheon Gwang.

Drip.

Someone shed tears.

Someone else clenched their fists.

Cheon Muyang's resolve—to grant them pride—had surely reached them.

"Thank you."

Cheon Muyang bowed deeply.

It was an expression of reverence toward those who would one day die—for the future.

"...."

He raised his head once more.

Cheon Muyang felt it.

'It's changed.'

Something had changed.

The emotions welling up in their eyes—

They were something that could rightly be called pride.

'This is just the beginning.'

When that budding sprout finally bloomed—

The Cheon Family would be able to stand tall in the Jianghu.

'But before that... I must cut out that rotten root.'

There was still a long road ahead.

Cutting away the branches alone would not cause the trunk to wither, nor would it affect the roots in any way.

'Supreme Elder... I look forward to the day you finally take off that mask.'

The Supreme Elder, Cheon Jungho.

He had not even appeared here.

Glance.

Cheon Muyang met the gaze of the Third Elder, who was staring at him intently from nearby.

Undisguised killing intent rippled across his face.

Cheon Muyang responded to that blatant hostility with a light smile.

Then, moving his lips just enough for only the Third Elder to see, he spoke silently.

"You're next."

"...."

The Third Elder's lips twisted.

『Do you really think someone like you can?』

—as if asking that question.

Whoosh!

Perhaps displeased with the atmosphere of the Grand Training Grounds, now thoroughly swayed by Cheon Muyang, the Third Elder soon left the grounds.

There was urgency in his steps.

'Of course you'd be impatient. Be even more impatient.'

The more so, the sooner one revealed their true colors.

'All of this must have reached Cheon Jungho by now. He must have realized as well—that I suspect the Third Elder.'

If so, Cheon Jungho would abandon the Third Elder in order to hide himself even deeper.

'Cheon Jungho does not forgive mistakes. Even the Third Elder—if necessary, he will cast him aside.'

Because it was not yet time.

The Anti-Heaven Demons had not yet fully matured.

Even in the destined future, didn't they only accomplish their grand design ten years from now?

'Whatever choice you make....'

It didn't matter.

The Third Elder was already no more than a chicken rib.

Discard him—or use him.

Either way, the Third Elder's fate was all but sealed.

'After the Third Elder—it's you, Supreme Elder.'

Was it coincidence?

From not too far away, Cheon Muyang sensed a faint gaze upon him.

"We'll meet soon."

Snap!

The gaze vanished.