Chapter 43

Slaying the Third Elder

The wind created by Cheon-gwang swept past, wrapping around those who blocked Cheon Muyang's path.

Snap!

Perhaps because it was an artificial wind.

The current could not continue and dispersed somewhere in midair.

Writhe.

The path that unfolded ahead.

There were still many ominous beings, yet not a single one of them could stop Cheon Muyang.

Unable to live, unable to die, all they could do was writhe periodically—this was their final struggle.

"...."

"They don't even possess the bare minimum of humanity."

Cheon Seon-hak clenched his teeth.

Though he had lived through countless trials and hardships, even Cheon Seon-hak was unfamiliar with the Demonic Cult's insidious and horrific methods.

Seeing them even now—moving blindly according to implanted commands, without feeling any pain—left him at a loss for words.

"Uncle, this is the Demonic Cult."

"...."

The world feared the Demonic Cult.

To the point that merely mentioning it was considered taboo.

Yet people only feared it.

They did not truly understand why the Demonic Cult was frightening.

"And it's also the reality that the Central Plains' martial world has been turning away from… the truth."

"You're right."

Perhaps the orthodox martial world knew of the Demonic Cult's threat, yet did not want to acknowledge it.

By forcibly turning away like that, the Central Plains' martial world even forgot the danger of the Demonic Cult.

The entire martial world of the Central Plains was the same.

'They probably thought it didn't concern them.'

The Demonic Cult hid in the shadows, so they believed the martial world of the era would remain peaceful.

'But that wasn't true. The enemy we truly needed to guard against was the Demonic Cult.'

The sudden downfall of the Cheon Family.

In every step of that long chain of events, the Demonic Cult had been involved.

'And for decades, at that.'

If the schemes directed at the Cheon Family were this deep, how sinister must the grand design aimed at the entire Central Plains be?

'That means their danger has already reached a critical point.'

They needed to understand.

That the Demonic Cult was the true enemy.

Yet the orthodox martial world had forgotten.

'How long do they think this false peace will last?'

The orthodox martial world was enjoying an age of great peace.

But in truth, it was nothing more than a castle of sand—glittering on the outside, hollow within.

'Until the Cheon Family fell, the martial world of the Central Plains did nothing. Perhaps the Demonic Cult's true grand plan began with the downfall of the Cheon Family.'

Mu-myeong was dead.

And so, there was no way to know what future lay beyond the Cheon Family's collapse.

'Still, they wouldn't have moved without confidence.'

The orthodox martial world, which had deliberately ignored the Demonic Cult's threat, could not be expected to withstand a Demonic Cult that had prepared so thoroughly.

'Does that mean the downfall of the Central Plains' martial world… is also a predetermined future?'

If the future was predetermined, then it had to be changed.

Cheon Muyang did not hold the current orthodox martial world in particularly high regard, but whether he liked it or not, the age of the orthodox sects had to continue.

'It's a matter of choosing the lesser evil.'

There was no such thing as the best choice.

So the only option was to avoid the worst.

In other words, to choose the lesser evil.

From that perspective, the Demonic Cult was the worst—so the orthodox martial world, as the lesser evil, was at least preferable.

At the very least, the world would not be engulfed in flames.

"We must stop the Demonic Cult."

The Wolf King let out a snort and smiled.

"Is your sense of chivalry burning that brightly?"

"Not quite. It's just that…"

As the Wolf King said, it wasn't because some heroic righteousness had flared up.

"I simply believe that this is the path that's best for the Cheon Family."

"Somehow, I get the feeling that sticking close to you means I'll never run out of interesting events."

The Wolf King had wandered his entire life.

And so, instinctively, he could tell.

That staying near Cheon Muyang would inevitably drag him into all sorts of interesting trouble.

'Every now and then, there's someone like that—someone who stands as if at the center of the world.'

And people like that—

'More often than not, they die in turmoil before ever realizing their ambitions…'

The Wolf King smiled faintly.

For some reason, Cheon Muyang did not seem like the type destined for such a trivial end.

'Among them, one becomes a dragon and changes the world.'

For example, an emperor.

Or a peerless martial artist who surpasses the greatest of the age to contend for supremacy across all eras.

'I can smell it.'

The smell of something interesting.

Seeing that smile, Cheon Muyang casually made an offer to the Wolf King.

"If you want to stay with the Cheon Family, you'll need to earn your keep properly."

"Damn, you're disgustingly picky."

"How about becoming an exclusive instructor?"

"What did you say?"

"If you don't like it, forget it."

"Who said I didn't like it!"

"Then that settles it."

Cheon Muyang gave a faint smile and stepped forward.

Of course, there was no way that smile reached the Wolf King.

"Why the hell is that bastard only so damn rude to me?"

"Try acting with some manners first."

"W-what?"

With words that were hard to tell whether they were provocation or advice, Cheon Seon-hak patted the Wolf King's shoulder a few times and followed after Cheon Muyang.

"Seriously, this guy and that guy, all of them!"

The Wolf King grumbled as he followed the two.

How much farther had they climbed?

A lone, abandoned hut came into view in a clearing.

"...."

Yet he didn't need to look inside to know what was there.

Drip.

Drip, drip.

The pools of blood soaking the ground near the hut were proof enough.

Blood that hadn't even fully dried.

It still smelled fresh.

Crunch.

That amount of blood couldn't have belonged to just one person.

"Come out. Now."

Hooong!

Uncontrollable fury was poured into Cheon-gwang.

Cheon-gwang, which had always produced only clear and pure sounds, let out a ghostly wail at this moment.

Creeeak!

Along with a grating sound—

A slightly distorted blue sword aura slashed into the hut.

Crash!

The hut collapsed.

Through the small cloud of rising dust, the silhouette of a person appeared.

In the hands of the one presumed to be the Third Elder dangled a tiny, pitiful child.

"So you've finally come, Eldest Young Master."

Traces of blood still lingered around the Third Elder's mouth.

The child's limp body was frighteningly emaciated.

"That filthy hand…."

Once again, Cheon-gwang let out its ghostly scream.

"Move it."

Swoosh!

As if he had no intention of dodging—

The Third Elder wore a grotesque smile and raised the child to use as a shield against the incoming slash.

"Will an innocent child die to the Eldest Young Master's sword?"

His mockery was an added bonus.

Yet Cheon Muyang's expression did not change.

"I told you before—there's not a single thing that falls outside my expectations. You're predictable."

The slash that had been flying straight suddenly curved at a certain point.

"...!"

As if he had anticipated it—

Avoiding the child, the curved slash cut cleanly through the Third Elder's wrist.

Slice!

With a chilling sound, the Third Elder's wrist fell through the air.

Fwaaash!

In that instant, Cheon Muyang, the Wolf King, and Cheon Seon-hak all surged forward at the same time.

Their goal was the same.

To force the Third Elder back.

"...!"

But the attacks of the other two were also filled with raw emotion.

"You unforgivable bastard!"

There was the Wolf King, erupting like blazing flames—

And Cheon Seon-hak as well, swinging his sword with icy calm.

Faced with that, the Third Elder instinctively had no choice but to retreat.

In the meantime, the child who had been held by the Third Elder fell to the ground.

Thud!

Catching the fallen child, Cheon Muyang checked for signs of life.

Twitch!

Thankfully, the child was still alive.

Cheon Muyang poured his inner energy into the child.

However, the child's vitality—already worn down to the limit—remained perilously fragile.

"Well, well. After cutting off my wrist, aren't you awfully confident?"

"...."

The Third Elder's greasy voice.

Even that felt repulsive.

Holding his tattered wrist, he pressed it against the severed stump—and astonishingly, it reattached itself.

"Keuheuheuheuheuheu! Even if it's cut off, I can just put it back on."

"...."

Demonic arts were martial arts that defied the heavens.

And so, there existed demonic arts that even sought to defy death itself.

In exchange, they demanded the deaths of others—making them paradoxical arts in the truest sense.

Cheon Seon-hak's voice, cold as ice, rang out softly.

"Third Elder… I once thought that, though our paths differed, you were still worthy of respect as a martial artist."

Though the Third Elder was now corrupted, he had not always been so.

In Cheon Seon-hak's memories, the Third Elder had been a swordsman—one who lived for the blade.

"Why did it have to come to this?"

Perhaps Cheon Seon-hak's regret sounded like pity to him.

The Third Elder finally vented the resentment he had long kept bottled up.

"Shut up!"

"...."

"Those of the Cheon bloodline don't know! Do you think I wouldn't know there's a sword art passed down only to you bastards!"

"Was that really all there was to it?"

"The sword was everything to me! And yet, after mastering every sword of the Cheon Family, how could I possibly fall behind you—who took up the sword later than I did?"

Inferiority.

At its source, it was ultimately the sword.

That was why he could not bring himself to acknowledge that Cheon Wi-gang and Cheon Seon-hak—both of whom had taken up the sword later than he—had reached the Enlightenment Realm.

'For someone who lived only for the sword, that's only natural.'

Cheon Muyang himself had once thought the same way.

That there must be a sword permitted only to those bearing the Cheon surname.

But in truth, that was not the case.

The Third Elder had also possessed the authority to enter the Heavenly Dragon Repository.

And the swords kept there were not reserved solely for the direct line of the Cheon Family.

'Even the sword passed down only within the Inspection Corps wasn't exclusive to the direct line.'

Which meant the Cheon Family was not a clan meant only for those bearing the Cheon surname.

The Third Elder surely knew that as well.

It was simply that—

'He didn't want to admit it.'

The fact that, despite wielding the same sword, he had failed to reach the Enlightenment Realm.

But how could that possibly be blamed on the Cheon Family?

That did not justify the Third Elder's turn to demonic arts.

Thus, Cheon Muyang looked at the Third Elder with eyes filled not with anger, but with pity.

"You're deeply mistaken."

"What did you say?"

"Just because you failed to achieve it, why would you assume others must fail as well?"

Even if they practiced the same sword—

The results were different.

How could identical starting points ever guarantee identical destinations?

"Your limit was simply… there."

More than anyone, the Third Elder had yearned to reach the Enlightenment Realm.

And because of that, he failed to see what he already possessed, obsessing only over what he lacked.

"Shut up! Then how do you explain that sword of yours? That sword—there is no such sword among the Cheon Family's techniques I know!"

The Third Elder thrashed in desperation.

Snrk.

For reasons he himself didn't quite understand, Cheon Muyang laughed.

'So this is how miserable the end of someone trapped by nothing but obsession looks.'

They said even villains had something to teach.

At the very least, in this moment, Cheon Muyang learned something through the Third Elder.

And now, it was time to pay the price for that lesson.

"Ah… my sword? Then watch closely. This is the very Cheon Family sword you dismissed as worthless."

Hooouuung!

The Third Elder twisted.

His craving for the sword had been nothing more than a means to reach the exalted realm of Enlightenment.

And because of that, he had never been able to see the Cheon Family's true sword.

"...!"

Cheon-gwang shot up toward the sky.

It was the same basic stance Cheon Muyang took every day on the training grounds.

And it was also the very first stance—and the one he had held the longest—that the Third Elder himself had taken upon entering the Cheon Family.

"Even death is a luxury for you."

Cheon-gwang came crashing down.

There was nowhere on Mount Putuo where one could evade the heavenly descent of Cheon-gwang.

"Ah…."

As he looked upon the radiance falling toward him, the Third Elder finally realized—

That his sword had been wrong.

"What on earth… have I been looking at and learning all this time…?"

The moment Cheon-gwang cut him down—

The Third Elder reached the Enlightenment Realm he had so desperately yearned for.

Thud!

Though it lasted for no more than the briefest instant.