Book 6 Chapter 31

The events of the past

The time of the current sword cultivator

Flew back a hundred years

And he stood on the foothills of Mount A'mi.

The events of that day he kept as his own secret.

When Hyunggeomja participated in the tournament of the Thousand Calamity Blood Sea, he was a young man of 18. He witnessed an unbelievable sight then, and still polishes his sword, yearning for that realm.

That event was a shock to the young him, equivalent to the sky suddenly collapsing and the earth overturning.

An old man and his greatly respected Senior Brother, who had drawn his sword and was facing the old man. It seemed they had clashed a few times already, as his Senior Brother Gongson Ilchwi's breathing was noticeably irregular.

"Kid! Why don't you surrender now? This young brat has no manners! Do you want to die?"

The old man's tone was filled with mockery. It was the kind of tone that said he was tired of playing games.

Hyunggeomja saw his Senior Brother trembling with fear for the first time then. It was an unfamiliar sight, this weakness in his Senior Brother, who had always been so dignified and noble.

However, Gongson Ilchwi didn't seem to want to admit defeat. His pride, nurtured by the joint strategy of the Nine Great Sects, could not possibly allow him to meekly admit his defeat to an unknown old man. Gongson Ilchwi gathered his last bit of strength and unleashed a final blow.

"Uyaaah! Taiji Wugong!"

The sword's profound energy flowing serenely like the waves of the Yangtze River! Its subtlety, capable of overcoming strength with flexibility!

The legendary sword technique of Wudang, Taiji Huijian, was embodied before Hyunggeomja's eyes in its most perfect form. He felt that even if the old man was strong, he wouldn't be able to stop that. But Hyunggeomja soon saw with his own eyes that his thoughts were wrong.

"Kwaaah…!"

In an instant, the sky, the earth, and everything in this world were engulfed in a golden flash, and Gongson Ilchwi's entire body was riddled with wounds.

It was an enchanting sight, like a golden net cast over the heavens.

Gongson Ilchwi, who was considered the joint hope of the Nine Great Sects, second only to Moyong Jeongcheon, known as the Divine Sword Hero at the time, was effortlessly defeated by a single move from the aged, white-haired old man.

For the young Hyunggeomja, it was an earth-shattering shock.

It was Hyunggeomja himself who carried Gongson Ilchwi, who had fallen unconscious with wounds like blood-soaked spiderwebs all over his body, down the mountain.

And he sealed what he saw that day deep within his heart, never revealing it to anyone. Perhaps his Senior Brother Gongson Ilchwi didn't even know he had witnessed the event.

Gongson Ilchwi himself only knew that Hyunggeomja had discovered him by chance while on a reconnaissance mission for surprise attacks after the incident had concluded. Even after a hundred years.

From that day on, Hyunggeomja could not forget the old man's single move, stolen from behind a tree. He could not forget the image, so clearly burned into his soul like a brand. Even in his dreams, the old man's single move became increasingly vivid, covering his entire body.

A single move that plunged the hope of the nine sects into despair with a mere gesture!

From then on, Hyunggeomja had only one goal. He wanted to embody that unknown old man's single move with a single sword, a sword that was the pride of Wudang. And in the final chapter, he wanted to clearly unravel it.

To unravel a sword move, one must first be able to embody that targeted sword move to perfectly shatter the illusion. The Samjeong Taiji Jianhui, which he passed on to his beloved disciple Cheongheun, was also created during this process.

To embody the illusion of a golden net that tore through the sky and then to unravel it, Hyunggeomja could not let go of his sword. And so it was, for 50 years! Finally, he suddenly realized one crucial difference. It was a sudden, unexpected enlightenment.

Freedom!

The old man's move was infinitely free. The harmony of heaven and earth, the boundless freedom that was not bound by anything was contained within the old man's single move.

From that day on, a peculiar elder appeared in Wudang, who enjoyed meat, drinking, and singing and dancing. This eccentric Daoist had the formidable identity of the former sect leader of Wudang. Even though all the elders and disciples of Wudang treated him as a lunatic, an oddball, and dismissed him as practicing heretical arts, he steadfastly walked this path.

He couldn't bring himself to utter the sect's shame.

"How could he unleash such a technique? What was lacking in my sword move?"

Hyunggeomja's question was filled with passion. He looked like a virile young man burning with the passion of his twenties.

"Grandpa's sword is not yet free. It is too bound by conventions."

Hyunggeomja could not readily understand Biryuyeon's words.

"Freedom? I always wanted to be free. To do that, my body had to be free first. Because mind and body are one, I thought that if the body was free, then the mind would be free. I was too bound by Wudang's reputation, its rules, even the framework of its techniques… I couldn't pursue such freedom from the heart! That's why my disciple suffered so much thanks to me… And yet, I'm still not free… still not enough?"

Biryuyeon delivered the finishing blow to the bewildered Hyunggeomja. It was a stake driven into his wavering heart.

"Hmm, from what I see, Grandpa seems to be trapped by the obsession with wanting to be free, and thus not truly free!"

Biryuyeon's words struck Hyunggeomja's entire body with the force of a lightning bolt. It was an overwhelming ecstasy, as if some mass of consciousness within him exploded and multiplied tenfold.

A moment of enlightenment!

At that moment, Hyunggeomja consciously knew that his sword had changed. It was a truly mystical feeling.

"Ha, haha… hahaha… Uhahahahaha…!"

A roar of laughter erupted from Hyunggeomja's lips. He wanted to express his bursting joy in some way. He felt he could do anything else if there were other ways to express his joy, like dancing naked or getting outrageously drunk.

He felt like his heart would explode from the overwhelming ecstasy if he didn't express this joy soon.

"My, my! Such powerful laughter for such an old man! Such vitality!"

It was a broad, refreshing laugh that even the onlookers found heartening.

No matter how one looked at him, it was hard to imagine that this was the master of Cheongheun, the "Three-Form Sword", the "Martial Supreme" of Gujinghui, who appeared so solemn and serious. Where was the number one sword of Wudang in this? And moreover, the former sect leader, to make matters more interesting!

He couldn't believe it.

Damn it!

Heuksaldo Heuksang, the leader of the third squad of Amhonbiyongdae, wanted to cry.

With a single gesture from Biryuyeon, Heuksaldo Heuksang, unable to properly escape, was caught like a sparrow. This was the first time he had ever experienced such humiliation. However, he might be in a better situation than his other subordinates as he had at least survived. Of course, only time would tell.

Biryuyeon placed his foot on Heuksang's chest, who was rolling on the ground with his acupoints suppressed, and said with a blank expression:

"I believe you will endure any pain or torture without yielding. Even if your belly is split open like a cross, even if you are dismembered and your organs pulled out, even if your eyes are gouged out, your tongue is cut off, or a hole is drilled into your skull, you will never open your mouth, I believe.

I hope you don't disappoint me. Since you won't let any secrets slip out anyway, it doesn't matter what I do to your body, does it? Right?"

Heuksang's nerves stood on end, and his heart shriveled with fear. A terribly ominous premonition gripped his entire body. This person's gaze was not something a normal human could emit.

"H-hey! Young man! Wait a minute!"

Heuksang thrashed about frantically and cried out in desperation.

"What did you say? I can't hear you!"

Biryuyeon shouted loudly in the direction where no one was. He acted as if he paid no attention to the object thrashing about at his feet.

Looking back at Heuksang under his foot, Biryuyeon's eyes began to gleam strangely.

"I saw nothing!"

Hyunggeomja quickly pulled his foot away. He meant he would not interfere no matter what happened.

"Poobooobobob!"

Ignoring Heuksang's pleading words, Biryuyeon began to stomp on him indiscriminately.

"Kkweeeek!"

A miserable cry, testifying to the tragic end of a human, echoed throughout the mountain.

It was a painful price for failing to gauge the situation.

"Then Grandpa, I'll see you next time."

"Hoho! Indeed. I look forward to our next meeting!"

"Then, I'm off after eating well!"

After hastily bidding farewell to Hyunggeomja, Biryuyeon began to ascend the mountain using the extreme technique of Bonghwangmu Bii Kwancheon.

Springing!

It was a speed as fast as a streak of lightning.

"Just who is that child?"

It seemed he had to return to the main story. An unusual aura enveloped the entire Wudang Mountain. This was not something that would end lightly.

Hyunggeomja got up and walked towards Wudang Sect on the middle slope of Jaso Peak. With each light step, his figure slid forward five zhang.

It was an extreme display of Wudang's divine method, Ti Yun Zong, which allows one to play in the clouds.