Chapter 479: The Old Days Revealed

Read more at Nineheavens.org

A faint light like peculiarity momentarily flickered across Cheol Ryu-heun’s face, which had been filled only with apathy.

‘Ha. So that’s how it was.’

Having muttered to himself, he naturally recalled his meeting with Ju Yu-gang in his mind.

At that time, he had discerned the hidden properties of the government-issued iron sword using energy sense based on divine energy from his Divine Martial Sword days.

‘No wonder… I felt something dangerous…’

-Isn’t that iron sword a dangerous artifact?

-…!

-I mean the power dwelling in the sword. Well, I didn’t know at first either, but now I vaguely get the feeling.

-Hmm, that’s surprising. To notice that without even holding it in your hand…

-It must be because my energy sense has developed. Did you deliberately disguise it as an ordinary government-issued iron sword?

-There are circumstances behind that.

-Alright, I won’t say more. If problems arise because of the sword’s power, tell me anytime.

-You mean you can help with even that?

-What’s so novel about it between us?

-Between us…?

-Yes, between a superior and an errand boy.

-Kugh…!

‘Anyway, it’s quite interesting. The invisible threads connecting people… Now it’s I who will receive help, not him.’

It was another moment of realizing the mystery of fate.

He had thought the history of the sword Ju Yu-gang possessed was definitely not ordinary, but he never expected it would be a work of the legendary ancient swordsmith Ou Yezi.

And to think it was the Zhanlu Sword, famous as a cursed sword…

There was hardly anyone who didn’t know its blood-drenched history.

Since ancient times, the Zhanlu Sword had been renowned as both a famous sword and a cursed weapon.

It was said that if a nation’s monarch possessed it, violent madness would gradually intensify until finally causing indiscriminate slaughter of loyal subjects and wise ministers beneath him…

Gan Jiang told him the old tale connected to it.

“The Zhanlu Sword was fated to become a cursed weapon. Within that sword, the resentment of hundreds of soldiers who had been buried alive on the battlefield had gathered and seeped in as a kind of ghostly energy.”

Hearing those words, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke in a low voice.

“Then what you’re saying is…”

“Yes. I gave advice on making the Zhanlu Sword. He always wished for the death of the king of the neighboring nation that had oppressed his own country. Therefore at that time… He had no desire to give them a proper sword. When he came to me with such troubles, I told him something that could serve as an appropriate solution.”

“What was it?”

“I told him that after crafting the sword, he should go with talented sorcerers renowned for their skills at the time to a place where battles had been fought against the neighboring king’s army. I said that if he succeeded in summoning and gathering the resentful thoughts of the fallen warriors lingering there… In other words, the energy of ghosts… He should then work to have them infused into the sword. So that the vengeful spirits’ anger toward the monarch would affect its possessors for generations to come…”

“And so that’s how the Zhanlu Sword, an artifact that forces a terrifying fate, was born.”

“The result was… As you know, successful.”

As he said, it was so.

From the time the neighboring nation’s king, famous as a tyrant, obtained the Zhanlu Sword, he engaged in even more savage and evil deeds.

Then he randomly cut down and killed even the subjects who had devoted all their loyalty and sincerity, causing the national fortune to plummet in a bad direction by his own hand.

In the end, that nation, having fallen into the abyss of decline and ruin, was soon absorbed and unified by the nation Gan Jiang belonged to, vanishing into the background of history.

And the king who had been corrupted by madness due to the fate forced by the Zhanlu Sword ended up taking his own life just before surrender.

Starting from that incident, the ominous rumors of the Zhanlu Sword had circulated until now, but finally, through Gan Jiang, the truth about the sword’s power that had been rampant with wild speculation was revealed.

“He… Regretted making the Zhanlu Sword after seeking my advice. Of course, I who gave the advice was the same. Although it was limited to monarchs, we still made an artifact that corrupts people, so naturally our hearts were not at ease. Therefore, the two of us vowed and pledged never again to craft a sword based solely on the power of curses. Honestly… Though I presented a plausible theory at the time, I didn’t know it would actually succeed.”

The moment Gan Jiang’s words ended, Cheol Ryu-heun’s low question followed.

“Was that the first impetus that led you to write that booklet?”

“You’re quick on the uptake. That’s right. Taking that as an impetus, whenever I had spare time, I always thought about the essence of handling soul energy and its integration with weapons. Then later, after witnessing the strange phenomenon of the sword fused through my wife’s sacrifice, I embarked on research in earnest.”

At that very moment, as something occurred to Cheol Ryu-heun, he recalled a scene from the past that he had glimpsed through the thoughts of Wang-ryu, the Black Tortoise Divine General of the Four Divine Generals.

The contents of a conversation with the Heaven Emperor Society Lord in a rectangular inner chamber, revealed from Wang-ryu’s perspective…

-I report to you.

-I know. A report has already come from the Central Heaven Tower. The whereabouts of the Zhanlu Sword are still shrouded in mystery, aren’t they?

-Ah… Yes. I am truly sorry, my Lord. It seems someone moved before us in secret. Otherwise…

-You suspect the Grand Marshal?

-Yes. I wonder if false information was spread from the start to make us run in vain. Shall I deploy additional reconnaissance personnel?

-Forget it. It’s not something I absolutely need anyway, so just leave it. We might get our tail stepped on unnecessarily. The Grand Marshal has experienced every kind of battle. It would be unwise to underestimate his abilities.

-Yes… You mean this is a time to exercise restraint.

-That’s right.

The point in time corresponding to that memory was the day when the Heaven Emperor Society Lord first mentioned that the ancient Spiritual Awakening Stone had shown a reaction.

In other words, it was a scene from three or four days before identifying the location of the Divine Martial Sword and killing its possessor, White Gate Sword Gentleman Sagong Woon of White Peak Sword Sect.

-The Sect Master of White Peak Sword Sect… He currently possesses the Divine Martial Sword. Now I must meet him. And I shall test the tremendous functions of my newly born divine sword.

Having recalled that again, Cheol Ryu-heun’s apathetic gaze quietly and deeply sank in an instant.

‘At that point, he had already successfully melted the Longyuan Sword, Tai’e Sword, and Gongbu Sword to complete a new divine sword that could destroy the Divine Martial Sword. But why was he curious about the whereabouts of the Zhanlu Sword, which was already unnecessary to him?’

Most likely, there must be some other use for it.

In any case, it was fortunate for Cheol Ryu-heun.

Because the Zhanlu Sword had not fallen into the Heaven Emperor Society Lord’s hands through someone’s arrangement and was instead entrusted to Ju Yu-gang.

‘Hmm, he said the Grand Marshal was suspected… Then Ju Yu-gang, disguised as a county magistrate, must also have some connection to him.’

His arrow of suspicion pointed toward one figure.

Master Gongsun.

He suspected that person might be the owner of the title Grand Marshal.

‘Grand Marshal… That name itself is no ordinary thing. Nine times out of ten, it’s a military official who bears important duties within the imperial household.’

Having finished his brief thoughts, Cheol Ryu-heun looked at Gan Jiang before him and spoke.

“Will you now transmit your knowledge to me?”

“Yes. Not only the essence I newly researched… But also receive entirely the divine energy accumulated in the paired twin swords. That power will help in the future annihilation of enemies who abuse my friend’s legacy.”

Having said so, Gan Jiang soon turned his head.

The object where his gaze rested was none other than the divinity of the Heavenly Realm positioned nearby… Huan Hou.

“It’s alright. Transmit it to your heart’s content. This does not violate the will of heaven. Moreover, he has already connected with divinities of the Great Universe through his body, so transmission of divine energy in the mortal world is not much of a problem. Especially since he has already absorbed even the power of the divine beast Black Tortoise…”

“Hoho. Yes. Hearing those words puts my mind at ease.”

Having answered with a benevolent smile, Gan Jiang soon took his wife Mo Ye’s hand and approached Cheol Ryu-heun’s side.

Then, as both closed their eyes gently, suddenly a brilliant light burst forth from their entire bodies.

Whoooosh…

The light thus explosively released instantly covered Cheol Ryu-heun’s entire body, and whether from that power’s influence, the atmosphere and ground produced vibrations and rumbling sounds.

Rumble… Rumble rumble…!

* * *

At the same time, a mountainside of a towering peak.

A force boasting truly magnificent scale was situated with snow-capped peaks as its backdrop.

It was none other than the Heavenly Demon Cult’s main headquarters… The origin and traditional hegemon of the Demonic Path in the western frontier Jianghu.

Inside, within a room of a certain large pavilion, a young man lay obliquely on a reclining chair, deep in thought about something.

The young man’s identity was the current Great Prelate, Extreme Heaven Demon Emperor Gun Mu-ak.

He was once again recalling the conversation before parting with Cheol Ryu-heun today.

-To be precise… Was the plan to transfer the otherworldly Demon God’s power to his own body?

-Yes, he was confident that the soul body would transfer to himself. Originally, the complete summoning of the otherworldly Demon God was set as the ultimate goal. But because a variable called me appeared, the goal changed slightly. To take away at least that fragment.

-Why did he covet the Demon God’s power? Could it be he intended to supplement the power of his divine sword?

-Most likely. A kind of strengthening of spiritual divine energy.

-In that case, one prerequisite condition absolutely follows.

-The soul.

-That’s right.

-A powerful soul ego that can exert divine energy at a level capable of even controlling the spiritual energy of an otherworldly Demon God… Of course, it’s certain he possesses it. Since he already destroyed the Divine Martial Sword. But… What that soul ego is, I don’t know.

-By my speculation, the main body of the divine sword’s divine energy would be the soul of its creator himself, Ou Yezi.

-…!

-That’s the core for now, and there would be other elements too.

-You seem to know something deeply?

-Of course I know.

-…

-Because I also know the essence that is connected to the creation of that divine sword.

Suddenly, a faint smile flickered across Gun Mu-ak’s lips.

‘Ha… He means to use Gan Jiang and Mo Ye to create a new divine sword. Truly, is there anything impossible for him…?’

At that moment, two people’s voices were heard from outside.

“Great Prelate, your guests have arrived.”

“They are all waiting in the great hall.”

It was the report of Eun Yi-bi, the Demon Heaven Left Attendant Little-Face Bell Demoness, and Ya Baek-ji, the Demon Heaven Right Attendant Delusional Seductive Demoness.

Gun Mu-ak quietly rose to his feet and spoke while picking up the Demon God Sword.

“Let’s go.”