Book 13 Chapter 8

Stories I don't want to hear!

"The masters of these swords have gathered here to resist only one person. Only to resist one person! And only then did we finally conclude that we had greatly underestimated him. Him, who is darkness itself, fear itself, and despair itself. It was a conclusion that was already far too late."

The story is about to begin again. A story about "him." I hate it now. I'm scared. No more! I wanted to scream, "Please stop!"

When Swordmaster Seob Unmyeong, Gongdap Unjong Gye, and Sword Master Yonggyeong tried to start an old tale, the delegation from Cheonmu Academy honestly wanted to cover their ears. They didn't want to hear it. They wanted to refuse any further continuation of the story, which only piled despair upon despair rather than hope.

They felt an ominous premonition that if they continued to listen to the story, they might completely lose their confidence.

Only then could they truly understand the meaning of Jong Gye's warning to them.

'If you let your guard down, you might be swallowed by the afterimages!'

Perhaps it was because they had neglected that warning, but without realizing it, their minds were slowly being eroded by fear.

For the first time, they, who had always received praise, envy, and jealous glances from those around them, felt so insignificant. However, reality forced them to overcome that barrier, even if it was against their will. Otherwise, there was only frustration. But no matter how young and flexible their minds were, there were limits.

They secretly prayed for it to stop, but Seobmyeong had no intention of doing so, and they had no right to stop him. So, they could only listen powerlessly as the story began again.

"You must know how surprised we were when he appeared here. We stared at him blankly, as if seeing a mirage or a phantom."

"He" did not seem human.

"As you know, we were in charge of the third gate of the Three Gates of Destruction. The third and final one. Yet, we heard no sound until he arrived here!"

Some looked as if to say, "What does that have to do with it?", but most of them let out gasps of admiration.

"Ah!"

Yun Junho was no exception.

Seobmyeong glanced at Yun Junho and continued,

"The first and second gates are not very close to here, but not so far that sound couldn't reach!"

Only then did understanding dawn on most people.

"In fact, we expected a great battle to occur. We should have heard loud noises, whether it was the sound of weapons, dying screams, or anything else. But it was as if the entire mountain was covered in a veil of silence and stillness, and we heard nothing. It wasn't that our ears refused to hear."

A brief silence.

"His appearance was as if he had sprung from the ground! His mere presence unsettled us, giving him a more advantageous position."

Seobmyeong, as if recalling that moment, looked around with a somber expression and continued,

"We called that sword formation the Hundred and Eight Extinction Sword Formation (百八滅劫劍陣). It was a deadly sword formation created by analyzing and researching variations of Shaolin's Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation, combined with the Plum Blossom Sword Formation of the Huashan Sect, the Big Dipper Heavenly River Formation of the Wudang Sect, and the Blood Chain Sword Formation of the Blood Sword Sect. No other sword formation in the martial world at the time could surpass the profoundness of this formation."

It was a formation created by dozens of renowned swordsmen and knowledgeable minds in the martial world, who spent hundreds of days and nights brainstorming. There was no way they wouldn't have felt proud.

"Many famous figures of the time were gathered there. You can say that everyone who deserved the title of Sword Master (劍豪) was there. That's easier to understand. If they disappeared, the seeds of Sword Masters scattered throughout the martial world would wither!"

Therefore, a separate countermeasure had to be prepared for him.

"The owner of the Green Jade Tathagata Divine Sword (綠玉如來神劍) that you wear at your waist was also there. Do you know of Reverend Kongheo?"

Seobmyeong asked, pointing to one of the two swords hanging at Yongcheonmyeong's waist.

"Th-that person is my master's master… my grand-master. I only heard that he passed away during the Blood Tribulation, but I didn't hear any other details. Only that he was one of the greatest martial monks in Shaolin history…"

"His greatest strength was actually the sword. He was also present at that gathering. He was guarding the right flank of the sword formation with me. He was a great person who never hesitated to sacrifice himself for the sake of the sentient beings of the martial world… However, even the Tathagata's sword light could not stop his hand."

Yongcheonmyeong's body trembled with a shudder.

Who knew such a secret history existed! It was the first time he had heard of it. However, none of the elders of his sect ever spoke of that matter. Even though it was a proud act rather than a disgraceful one…

'Could it be that they didn't want to tarnish the undefeated legend of the Bodhidharma Tathagata Sword?'

The elders of the sect must not have wanted the last hope of Shaolin to be extinguished.

Seobmyeong continued, paying no attention to Yongcheonmyeong, who was floundering in shock.

"It wasn't just him. There was also Guo Yeol, the so-called First Sword of Huashan, who is now called the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal, the eldest disciple of Yoo Hwan-gwon. We were close friends… such a valuable talent. I lost too many friends that day, sharing sword intentions over drinks…"

Ju Chakdan's disciples from Huashan Sect, Jo Cheon-u and Hwa Seol-ok, along with Yun Junho, let out short gasps of shock. The eldest disciple of Grandmaster Yoo Hwan-gwon was someone so far above them that it was impossible to even compare.

Seobmyeong didn't stop there.

"Chuseong, the Beggar Sword (乞人劍) of the Beggar Sect, was also there."

"Yes? But why a swordsman from the Beggar Sect…"

No Hak's eyes widened.

As far as he knew, the Beggar Sect had no sword techniques. It had long been established that the supreme martial art of the Beggar Sect, a group of beggars, was the 36 Forms of the Dog-beating Staff Technique (打拘棒法).

"You didn't know yet? You really don't know the story of the famous Sword Light Beggar Sword?"

"I-I'm sorry."

No Hak couldn't bring himself to say he knew when he didn't.

"Sigh, the dead are quickly forgotten."

The old man sighed deeply.

"Beggar Sword Chuseong was a very peculiar beggar. Although he was a beggar, he was very interested in swords. So, he devoted his life to researching whether the Dog-beating Staff Technique could be adapted into swordsmanship. And after decades of time, his efforts finally bore fruit. He said he created it after researching all the miscellaneous sword techniques accumulated in the Beggar Sect and most of the famous sword techniques of the martial world… That's strange. Surely there should be thirty-six sword forms left by Chuseong in the Beggar Sect? They are called 'Thirty-six Forms of the Abandoned Dog' (절견삼십육검식)!"

Not only the others, but even No Hak, a promising beggar from the Beggar Sect, had never heard of it. Well, there was something similar. But he thought it was just idle talk from the elder beggars who liked to exaggerate…

"Could it be… the Sword King's Sword (乞王之劍) that only circulated as a rumor…"

"That's a bit exaggerated."

'To think he kept something so good hidden. I must ask him to tell me later.'

No Hak made a decision. This decision would later become a turning point in the life of a beggar who would come to be known as the Sword King.

Seobmyeong then looked at Namgung Sang and said,

"Do you know the saying 'Mantis trying to stop a chariot' (螳螂拒轍)?"

Namgung Sang quickly nodded. Then, he glanced at Bi Ryuyeon. He not only understood its meaning but had also practiced it with some friends.

"It means a mantis trying to stop a moving chariot. It's used to refer to reckless people who try to do something impossible with their abilities."

And the price for that is always very bitter.

"That's exactly what we were."

"He" did not engage in childish acts like uttering threats. He didn't even need to. His mere presence was enough to instill fear in them. No one could face that fear and resist. They were as powerless as infants unable to leave their cradles.

The Swordmaster's voice trembled eerily as he spoke of the situation at the time.

"This time, it might be interesting!"

Facing the supreme sword formation composed of 108 Sword Masters, "he" said.

Although the number of people was more than half less than the number of participants in the second gate's Wolf Pack Formation, their spirit and momentum were even greater. But for "him," such facts were merely a trivial amusement.

'This overwhelming spirit! It's more than the rumors!'

Seobmyeong realized this at a glance. He was immediately filled with the urge to twist the necks of those who had downplayed the rumors.

He couldn't believe it. Suddenly, the world felt full of lies.

How could he pass through two gates, meticulously crafted by dozens of strategists who had spent sleepless nights, without a scratch?

'If we let him pass here today, the fate of the martial world is doomed!'

A iron chest with eighteen locks. If that fell into his hands… Seobmyeong's mind screamed with chilling fear. That must be prevented at all costs.

Seobmyeong shouted.

"108 swords! 108 heroes! We will never retreat. Today, we will perish here with him. The fate of the martial world will be protected by your courage, pride, blood, and lives!"

Waaah!

A roar filled with burning righteousness erupted.

No one expected to leave here alive.

There is nothing more terrifying than someone who has accepted death.

But the world was cruel. The world had insurmountable things.

Drawing sword!

Forming the formation!

Activating!

108 pure white sword blades reflected the sunlight, scattering countless rays of light. At the Swordmaster's signal, the Hundred and Eight Extinction Sword Formation was finally activated.

The formation, based on the changes of the Five Elements (五行) and Eight Trigrams (八卦), moved nimbly like a fierce beast, baring its steel teeth to ensnare it. However, the beast's ferocity and cunning were beyond human imagination.

"Come on!"

The beast raised its claws towards its obstruction.

"He didn't just watch us form a complete encirclement. As he extended his hand, darkness erupted from his fingertips. And a gale swept through."

A frenzied storm like sunlight stained black. The sky turned dark, and the earth screamed. Gravel and dust violently bounced through the air. It was impossible to even open one's eyes. It was the gale of the grim reaper, bringing death and despair.

"It felt like the invisible claws of a beast were tearing apart space! As if a mad Wind God was rampaging with a blade of wind! Blood splashed, flesh was shredded, and countless lives perished…"

The wind, with wings of blades, swept in all directions.

Blood, screams, and death!

"…It was as if all creation was drenched in blood and crying out…"

They were cut, cut, and cut again.

Where the dark whirlwind swept through, death inevitably followed. The formless blade flashing in the darkness spared nothing. The black gale possessed a sharpness even greater than any famous sword. It knew no forgiveness or mercy, only death and ruthlessness.

Countless treasured swords were broken in half powerlessly, falling to the ground with their owners' lives, becoming gravestones. Over them, a rain of blood poured again. The earth greedily swallowed their righteous blood.

"All the swords stuck here are the beloved swords they carried at that time. Now, they are all swords that have lost their masters and even their own lives. And a graveyard was formed, using those swords as gravestones."

A broken sword cannot be rejoined and used again. Having already lived its life, it has no practical value even if rejoined.

"And… in the midst of that nightmare, I alone survived cowardly. No, it would be more accurate to say he let me live! As a messenger to publicize his achievements!"

He could still not forget the shame and humiliation of that time.

"Look!"

The Swordmaster flung aside his tattered robes.

"……!"

Bi Ryuyeon's eyes widened. Not only that, but Na Yerim, Jang Hong, Lee Jinseol, and Dokkoryeong were the same. The eyes of the audience twitched.

The eyes of the entire delegation, including the representatives of Ice Sword and Flame Sword, widened.

His body was as dry as a dead tree on a parched land continuing to suffer drought. But that wasn't the important part.

They had just seen the same marks on him a little while ago. The sword marks covering the Swordmaster's entire face were hideous, but they were nothing compared to the wounds on his body.

The dense, spiderweb-like scars that had ripped apart his upper body. These were scars of the same form as the ones they had seen on the Wall of Scars.

And it was the mark of a loser that would never disappear, even after a hundred years.

"I-impossible!"

Ice Sword and Flame Sword cried out simultaneously. They had seen these scars in one of the nightmares of the past. How could they forget them even if their bones turned to dust! It was the most painful and sad moment of their entire lives.

The two looked at each other simultaneously and reached an unspoken agreement.

"Th-these scars…"

Their voices were filled with great turmoil. Their throats were choked, and they couldn't speak properly.

It was undeniable.

If their memories were not mistaken, the scars were exactly the same. A hundred years and twenty years.

"Is… is it possible that 'he' is still alive?"

An anxious tremor pounded in their chests.

However, there was also something strange. If "he" were alive, their master, who had shown a clear state of mind for a while, not a confused one, would not have failed to warn them.

'Was it to prevent our reckless revenge? Or…'

The answer did not come quickly. The doubt still remained. But there was nothing they could do. It was certain that it was not an answer that could be obtained in a day or two.

"Hmm…"

Bi Ryuyeon continued to observe silently without uttering a single word. His eyes were as deep as an abyss, and no one could know what he was thinking at that moment. Not even Na Yerim.

Scattered pieces repeatedly combined and separated within his mind through countless combinations. However, no shape had been completed yet.

"Then that arm… it must be his…"

Ice Sword said, pointing to the Swordmaster's loose sleeve. But the answer was unexpected.

"No! This is not his doing."

The old man shook his head.

"Then…?"

Who else dared to take Swordmaster Seob Unmyeong's sword-wielding right hand?

"Me!"

"Yes?"

To their bewildered question, Seobmyeong answered again.

"Me! The culprit is Swordmaster Seob Unmyeong!"

"Such an outrage…"

"…you who did not…"

Those who were about to express righteous indignation had to quickly seal their lips.

"I cut off this right hand myself. Most of the scars on this face were also self-inflicted. It was an act of recklessness born of despair at my own inadequacy and shortcomings. They are indelible, and cannot be erased, traces of madness."

After being defeated by "him," Seobmyeong was said to have been out of his mind for a while. He had lost all his friends and respected seniors with whom he used to drink and talk about swords. There was no one left to talk about swords with. He was in anguish. And he resented himself for not being able to protect them, or rather, not being able to die with them.

His right hand trembled as if afflicted with a tremor. He couldn't even hold a bottle of liquor properly, let alone a sword. Seobmyeong knew that his right hand would never be able to hold a sword again. And he also knew that he would never be able to surpass "him." He was already a worthy loser.

He was angry. Unbearably angry.

Boiling hatred, uncontrollable impulses. He wanted to destroy everything.

At that moment, all his hatred and resentment concentrated on his right arm.

Useless thing!

He grabbed the sword with his left hand and severed his right hand with a single stroke. Along with a swishing sound, a roar like a beast's cry erupted from his throat. He wandered in darkness for a while after that. If it weren't for Martial God Hyeok Wolrin, he probably wouldn't have been able to escape that deep darkness.

"It's because you couldn't control yourself. It was natural to be defeated! Self-mutilation… it's the height of foolishness!"

Again, merciless words came from Bi Ryuyeon's mouth. The air around them instantly turned cold. They looked around. Everyone's faces were pale, and they could only open and close their mouths like fish in a pond, unable to say anything. They seemed speechless.

"Ryu, Ryuyeon!"

"Wh-why are you…"

Honestly…

Did he have the guts of a tiger? People couldn't understand why Bi Ryuyeon was acting so recklessly. But Bi Ryuyeon, as always, was shamelessly confident.

Perhaps that consistency alone should be praised. Or should it be vehemently criticized?

However, for Bi Ryuyeon, who believed that suicide was the most irrational and self-controlled act in the world, full of recklessness and foolishness, it was a natural thing.

The Sword Master, being naturally that way, easily let it pass, but this time he thought it was unforgivable. He thought that this time Swordmaster Seob Unmyeong, living up to his epithet 'Iljibeoncheon' (일지번천, branch-picking), would not leave Bi Ryuyeon alone with a branch. He had no intention of stopping him. No, he even wanted to beg him to do so.

However, the Swordmaster quietly went against the majority opinion. Then, with a bitter smile, he nodded.

"Yes, it might have been self-inflicted…"

"I felt jealousy rather than fear or awe towards him! Yes, what I felt was intense jealousy! Intense jealousy towards someone who had surpassed human limits within a human body!"

It was the jealousy of someone crawling at the foot of a mountain towards someone who had reached the summit.

The problem was that it was a mountain that could never be climbed by effort alone. A mountain that only the chosen by God, or those who defied God and rejected heaven, could climb. "He" climbed it, but Seobmyeong could not.

Although they met the same person, the emotions felt by the three of them were all different.

The fear of Gongdap Unjong Gye, the awe of Sword Master Yong Gye's, and the jealousy of Swordmaster Seob Unmyeong!

"And then he was disappointed in himself and declared himself a loser."

Seobmyeong said in a low voice.

Although the emotions they felt towards him were all different, all three of them were equally captured by his afterimages.

"I cannot tell you more than that, but I can tell you what happened afterward! After the Blood God was miraculously defeated and the Blood Tribulation ended, the leaders of the martial world reached a conclusion. That is, to remove the traces he left behind from the martial world! The conclusion was that remnants of transcending human limits would only bring forth fear. However, only one place in this martial world was left behind. As a place to test whether future talents could surpass 'him'. The Martial God and the Martial Empress each established Cheonmu Academy and Macheon Pavilion, and dedicated themselves to education for a hundred years, to foster such talents in the martial world. And after a hundred years, the seal of Cheonmu Peak was broken, and you all came here! To undergo trials and tribulations!"

Seobmyeong's words were solemn.

"The shadow of the tribulation has not yet been completely washed away. Moreover, those powers have only grown stronger in the darkness. Now, show me what you can do! Show me your skills! I will test whether you truly have the right to pass through here."

"But may I ask one thing?"

Bi Ryuyeon said.

"Of course, it won't be a bother, so ask whatever you like!"

Seobmyeong nodded readily.

"Hmm…"

Then Bi Ryuyeon scratched the back of his head as if troubled. He didn't want to be misunderstood.

"Uh, I haven't thought for a moment that it would be a bother?"

Then Seobmyeong's gaze turned to Bi Ryuyeon.

"An interesting young man!"

For the first time, a smile that could be called pleasant appeared on the old man's scar-covered face.

Maharyeong thought this was also quite grotesque. Of course, he knew it was rude, so he didn't say it out loud.

"That man, whom everyone talks about in hushed tones as 'him'. Uh, so, his name is Tian Jie (天劫) Blood God Wei Tianwu (위천무). What kind of person is he? Hearing this continuously, I suddenly worry if he might have eighteen arms and legs combined."

Bi Ryuyeon felt the need to know more about him. It was a premonition of sorts.

Seobmyeong answered his question readily.

"Twenty!"

"What?"

What kind of nonsensical talk was this?

"Why are you so surprised? I was talking about twenty fingers and toes combined!"

The old man, who flustered people with his nonchalant tone, was saying it as if it were nothing. Many of the onlookers were surprised by Seobmyeong's behavior.

"Grandpa, you're quite something."

Bi Ryuyeon said with admiration.

Seobmyeong pondered for a moment. Then he made a decision.

"No one has ever seen his face properly! It's no exaggeration to say that no one in the current martial world knows his appearance. It may sound absurd, but even I, who met him directly a hundred years ago, have nothing to say if asked what he looked like. This is because he always appeared before people wearing a strangely shaped silver mask (銀假面) that covered half of his face. No one has seen under that mask. But everyone remembers one thing."

This applied not only to the old man but to everyone who had met him. It was a memory that could never be forgotten, no matter how desperately they wished.

"What is it?"

Bi Ryuyeon, whose curiosity was ignited, asked impatiently. A strange premonition had been bothering him since earlier.

"He had one peculiar physical characteristic. That is, his two eyes, revealed outside the silver mask, sometimes flashed with golden light. People called it golden demonic eyes (魔眼) and feared him as the Golden-eyed Demon God (魔神)!"

'Golden eyes?'

Namgung Sang and the Zhuque Squad felt as if they had seen it somewhere before. The golden eyes did not sound foreign or strange to them at all. However, they couldn't recall the details.

Na Yerim's eyes naturally turned towards Bi Ryuyeon. Although she couldn't see them clearly because they were hidden by his bangs, his two eyes were as calm as a lake on a windless day, and of course, no energy was emanating from them.

Na Yerim inwardly let out a wry smile and turned her head back to its original position.

Yes! It was a completely useless concern. Even she was taken aback by her sudden odd thought.

'Was I this frivolous?'