Chapter 390: The Greatest Sword Under Heaven (1)
The Ten Absolutes Art was the exclusive martial art of Il Taegong Ok Ilhwa.
Upon reaching the Ten Absolutes, all fear and dread disappeared, leaving only murderous intent to reign supreme. It was a martial art said to have reached the realm of harming others with sheer will.
‘He didn’t even show us the Ten Absolutes Art, yet he taught it only to the Great Young Master.’
Yang Gwak felt despair and fear as he retreated.
Either way, since he had disrupted the Great Young Master’s deed and many had witnessed it, one could say he had succeeded.
Because Yang Gwak and Dong-o had turned the place into chaos, Ok Kirin’s lust had completely faded.
He wanted to beat those who had interfered to death right away, but as his position as successor was not yet firmly secured, he had no reason to act rashly.
Even Dong-o was a disciple his father treasured more than even the Great Elder Han Domyeong.
He could not treat such a person carelessly.
“Damn it! A young man and woman just wanted some fun, yet there are too many meddling pests!”
Ok Kirin threw on his clothes roughly and then asked Hong Ahyul,
“Junior Sister, where is the Azure Dragon Three Marbles?”
Hong Ahyul was dumbfounded when Ok Kirin suddenly brought up the Azure Dragon Three Marbles.
For someone who had been about to commit rape to suddenly talk about such a matter, she couldn’t make sense of it.
But she could neither openly rebuke nor curse the Great Young Master, so she answered with a troubled heart.
“……I don’t have the Azure Dragon Three Marbles.”
“I asked where it is, didn’t I!”
Having failed in his deed, Ok Kirin now wanted to pressure his Junior Sister by interrogating her about the whereabouts of the Azure Dragon Three Marbles.
As Hong Ahyul faltered, Dong-o stepped forward.
“Yul doesn’t have the Azure Dragon Three Marbles. It was taken.”
“What? Taken? Hmph, I know Senior Brother gave it to Junior Sister. How could you let it be stolen? Do you not know how important that is?”
Ok Kirin glared at Dong-o with murderous eyes before turning back to Hong Ahyul.
“You don’t realize what a grave mistake you’ve made. You will answer for it later. But tell me, who took it?”
Dong-o, fearing Hong Ahyul might be severely blamed, mixed truth with lies.
“Yong Hwarin took it.”
At those words, both Ok Kirin and Yang Gwak let out a sigh.
“Hah!”
“That Yong Hwarin again!”
Ok Kirin stormed back to his quarters in anger, with Hua Yingwei following close behind.
Yang Gwak said to Hong Ahyul,
“This matter must be reported to our masters and set straight. How long must you suffer such treatment just because you’re a woman? You must be too shaken now, so I’ll report it right away.”
Leaving only those words behind, Yang Gwak left in haste.
Dong-o, wearing a bitter expression, helped Hong Ahyul dress as he spoke.
“Just think of it as if you almost got bitten by some stray dog.”
Hearing that, Hong Ahyul’s shoulders trembled.
“Hic… If it were just a stray dog, I could curse and forget. But having to see that bastard every day—that’s the real hell.”
Dong-o could say nothing and only patted her back.
‘This is troubling. Perhaps I should tell the Great Young Master that they share the same blood. If not, one day Ok Kirin will surely cause disaster.’
Dong-o let out a long sigh.
Upon returning to his quarters, Yang Gwak immediately wrote a letter and sent it by carrier pigeon to the Heavenly Demon Sect.
He reported that the Great Young Master had tried to assault his Junior Sister and that he himself had stopped it.
He recalled Il Taegong’s character and was sure he would send a reply within days.
‘Ok Kirin! You’ve made a mistake. You don’t know how much Il Taegong cherishes Junior Sister. With this, your position as heir of the Heavenly Demon Sect is finished.’
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Yang Gwak, smiling in delight, suddenly burst into loud laughter.
It had been a long time since he had felt so pleased.
Listening to Hua Yingwei’s report, Ok Kirin’s lips twitched.
His lust still had not subsided; he was brimming with desire.
He felt like killing someone just to vent it, even the smallest things irritated him.
“So, the man who was with Yu Maelim was called the Greatest Sword Under Heaven?”
“Yes. That is what we overheard.”
“No wonder he didn’t seem like an ordinary fellow.”
“But how did he end up in that state?”
“That, we do not know.”
“Jo Wonmok is the main contributor of the orthodox side. We can’t just leave him alone.”
“That’s true. If you capture or kill Jo Wonmok, the Great Young Master’s renown will grow even greater.”
“Indeed. Normally, I wouldn’t even dare, but if he’s been poisoned and lies insensate, even a third-rate martial artist could defeat him. Heaven itself has granted me an opportunity.”
If he killed the Greatest Sword Under Heaven, recognition from the Heavenly Demon Sect would only be a matter of time.
Ok Kirin didn’t want to let this chance slip away.
“Go to the Twelve Masters of the Absolute Peak Swords and tell them to prepare for battle.”
At present, many orthodox martial artists returning from the Shaolin Temple meeting were staying at the inn.
If they saw the Twelve Masters of the Absolute Peak Swords, it would cause serious trouble.
For they were men who exuded such strong demonic qi that anyone could tell they belonged to the Demonic Path.
Thus, they were hiding in the forest near the inn.
Having severed all human ties, they could not suppress their demonic qi unless they deliberately used stealth techniques.
This was the Twelve Absolute Peak Swords’ only flaw.
In the middle of their meal, Mo Biyoung suddenly put down her chopsticks.
“What’s wrong? Lost your appetite?”
Worried, Yong Hwarin asked, and Mo Biyoung smiled.
Now, even the smallest of her actions drew his concern, and that made her happy.
She was beginning to understand what it meant to become the woman of the man she adored.
When she found herself reading Yong Hwarin’s expressions to guess his thoughts, she realized she wasn’t so different from other women.
At times, she felt as if her entire life as a martial artist was being denied. But the happiness she felt as a woman was so much greater that the sense of loss vanished easily.
“I have something to tell you.”
Her expression turned serious, and Yong Hwarin rinsed his mouth with tea, preparing to listen.
“Grandfather came by.”
The unexpected words startled Yong Hwarin.
“Really? When?”
“Half a shichen ago.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me to go with him to the Blood Demon Castle.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told him I belong to the Heavenly Central Sect, so I couldn’t go.”
Yong Hwarin smiled gently.
“Then that’s fine. No need to make such a serious face over that.”
Wanting to ease her heart, he spoke as if it were nothing important.
“But Grandfather said that we might have to fight each other. I think that means the main force of the Blood Demon Castle is somewhere nearby. Since the young lord of Blood Demon Castle was defeated by Gagaga, I suspected they must have come leading the main force to take revenge.”
“That could be true.”
Hearing Mo Biyoung’s words, Yong Hwarin nodded, realizing the situation might indeed be serious.
“Perhaps Grandfather meant it as a warning for me. Telling me to flee this place quickly.”
“I think the same.”
The thought that if Blood Demon Castle was pursuing them, they would face a fierce battle weighed heavily on Yong Hwarin.
On top of that, he now faced the situation of having to fight Mo Biyoung’s grandfather, though she had already become his woman.
That troubled him.
As if knowing his thoughts, Mo Biyoung spoke.
“Grandfather and I have chosen to walk the path of martial artists. We decided to live as warriors with swords in hand, not bound by blood ties.”
Because Yong Hwarin knew how difficult a decision that was, he said nothing and simply took her hand gently.
That alone melted away the gloom in Mo Biyoung’s heart.
The warmth of her beloved was more comforting than any words.
At that moment, Yong Hwarin felt as if someone was watching him from above and lifted his head.
A blue rat the size of a cat was hiding in the beam, staring down at him.
Its large black eyes seemed to have something to say.
‘The Demonic Master must have sent some information.’
Thinking that, he told Mo Biyoung,
“Yeong Mae, I’ll step into my quarters for a moment. Someone has delivered information to me.”
Startled by something she had never heard before, Mo Biyoung looked at him, but Yong Hwarin left out the part about the Demonic Master and only said there was someone who conveyed information through the Azure Messenger Rat.
Though curious who it was, Mo Biyoung didn’t ask.
Yong Hwarin was grateful for her consideration—that she never pressed if he didn’t wish to speak.
Had she asked who had sent the Azure Messenger Rat, it would have truly put him in a bind.
“Let’s go to our room.”
Strangely, just hearing those words always made Mo Biyoung’s face flush red.
When they entered the room, the Azure Messenger Rat, which had followed them, climbed onto the table.
Yong Hwarin took a powder from his robe and sprinkled it onto the table.
As expected, the Azure Messenger Rat ate it and then vomited something up. Even though Yong Hwarin had seen it before, he still wasn’t used to it.
Mo Biyoung recoiled in shock and turned her head away.
Yong Hwarin picked up a wax-sealed letter from the mess the Azure Messenger Rat had expelled.
As he read it, his expression gradually darkened.
“Is it bad news?”
Worried, Mo Biyoung asked.
“It turns out it wasn’t only Blood Demon Castle pursuing us. Heavenly Demon Castle also seems to be stationed here in Yeonam.”
“A double disaster.”
Even though Yong Hwarin had achieved the Sword Unification, it would be hard to guarantee survival if he faced both Blood Demon Castle and Heavenly Demon Castle at once.
That was how powerful the two forces were.
“And they intend to send the Heavenly Demon Sect against me as well.”
“What? Why?”
“Currently, Yang Gwak is holding the Black Silk Centipede, but he lied, saying I stole it. Because of that, they’re sending the Great Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect after me. In other words, they want me to deal with him.”
“That’s far too dangerous a plan.”
“No. As long as they don’t reinforce with more forces, I have confidence I can win. And I might even be able to seize the Black Silk Centipede. In any case, I should devise some strategies of my own.”
With the information sent by the Demonic Master, Yong Hwarin was able to grasp certain facts about what had happened in his previous life.
‘Now I understand why the Heavenly Central Sect was crushed so helplessly. No matter how fiercely they resisted, they couldn’t have stood against the masters of Blood Demon Castle and the Heavenly Demon Sect. Thinking about it, it’s remarkable they held out in such bitter resistance for so long.’
Yong Hwarin realized that in his past life, the destruction of the Heavenly Central Sect had not been only due to the Great Dabie Sect, but also because of the involvement of the Heavenly Demon Sect and Blood Demon Castle.
That thought stirred up rage within him toward both the Heavenly Demon Sect and Blood Demon Castle.
‘Of course, it might have been because of me that they got involved. But I’m certain—back then, when many powerful figures not belonging to the Great Dabie Sect appeared, they were indeed masters from the Heavenly Demon Sect and Blood Demon Castle.’
