Chapter 352 Spiritual Sword Sanctuary (3)

“Yeonwoo!”

The eyes of Ye Song-ah, the granddaughter of the Holy Fire Priestess, turned red.

She had been desperately missing Ou Yeonwoo during their time apart.

The same was true for Ou Yeonwoo.

“Song-ah!”

The moment he saw her, he felt a sting in his nose.

He had believed that the only way to hide and protect the sacred orb from the imperial palace and various enemies was within the domain of his family, Spiritual Sword Sanctuary.

However, as things had become complicated, he had been afraid of disappointing her, and now seeing her like this, all sorts of emotions arose simultaneously.

“Song-ah…… I……”

-Kwaak!

As Ou Yeonwoo tried to say something, Ye Song-ah hugged him tightly.

Then she whispered soothingly:

“It’s okay. It’s alright, so you don’t need to blame yourself.”

“Song-ah……”

Ou Yeonwoo’s voice choked up.

Where else could he find such a woman?

Apart from the Order, meeting her had been such a blessing for him.

As they were like this, someone’s voice interrupted their reunion.

“I understand you’re happy to see each other, but let’s ask if he’s found the sacred orb.”

The owner of the voice was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.

Seeing him, Ou Yeonwoo cautiously asked with a puzzled look:

“Song-ah. Who exactly is that person?”

At that question, Ye Song-ah whispered in his ear:

“It’s him.”

“Him?”

“The owner of the Holy Fire.”

‘!!!!!!’

At those words, Ou Yeonwoo’s eyes widened.

He had guessed from the tremendous pressure that this person was no ordinary individual, but he never imagined that this man could be the one from the prophecy.

But now that he knew his identity, his heart began to race madly.

Although he had joined the Fire Faith Order, he had inwardly been half-skeptical about his existence.

However, hearing the confident voice of Ye Song-ah, who could essentially be called the new Holy Fire Priestess, and directly experiencing this pressure, he couldn’t suppress the overwhelming feeling.

“Is, is it really true?”

“Yes. He’s the one we’ve been waiting for.”

“Ahhh……”

“Huu.”

At that moment, hearing a shallow sigh from behind, Ye Song-ah startled and hurriedly asked him:

“Did you find the sacred orb?”

“No. My brother took it, but it’s not here.”

“It’s not here?”

“My brother will know where the sacred orb is.”

With those words, Ou Yeonwoo looked at Ou Woong-hwang, the eldest son and young master of Spiritual Sword Sanctuary, who was slowly gathering his energy in a highly tense state.

At his gaze, Ou Woong-hwang parted his lips.

“……Are they your companions?”

“Where is it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. The sacred orb you took from me…… Where have you put it?”

At this question, Ou Woong-hwang’s eyes narrowed.

The strange orb with a brilliant light.

Yeonwoo had clearly called it a sacred orb, and every night he would leave the manor to bow before that orb, reciting some doctrine about a sacred fire or something.

Seeing that even such a formidable expert had appeared to search for it, it was clear that this object was undoubtedly important to the Fire Faith Order.

‘If I were to just hand over such an item, who knows how they might react. And this brat surely……’

Ou Woong-hwang looked at Ou Yeonwoo’s face and suddenly remembered something.

Come to think of it, it was an incredible coincidence.

Wasn’t the Righteous Alliance already looking for the real culprit who massacred Namgoong Jin, the Skyward Swordless, and the elites of the Namgoong family?

The reason why his father, Master Ou Cheonmu, was included as a suspect despite not being a blade user was that he was the only one with the martial prowess capable of killing them all.

But the tremendous pressure felt from behind was at a level that could only be felt from his father.

At this, Ou Woong-hwang spoke with a confident voice:

“……It was you. You were the one who killed the head of the Namgoong family and their elites.”

He was certain that the real culprit was the person behind him.

At his words, Ou Yeonwoo snorted as if exasperated and said:

“Don’t say such nonsense and tell us where the sacred orb is.”

“I cannot tell you.”

“What?”

“Do you think I would carelessly hand over such an important object after you’ve killed the head of the Namgoong family and their elites, putting our family in crisis?”

As he spoke, Young Master Ou Woong-hwang was thinking hard.

Just from the pressure felt from behind, he vaguely understood that this unknown person was a level above him in skill.

Naturally, if they were to fight, the chances of losing were extremely high.

However, if he were to fight with such a peerless expert, the repercussions would certainly be great, and many high-level experts within Spiritual Sword Sanctuary, including his father Master Ou Cheonmu, would notice.

No, he didn’t even need the other experts.

If just his father Ou Cheonmu noticed, the situation would be resolved.

‘I’m not the one at a disadvantage.’

Although it might be precarious right now, the longer he dragged this out, the more advantageous it would become for him.

At this, Ou Woong-hwang calmly said:

“I’ll speak to the esteemed one behind you. This is the domain of Spiritual Sword Sanctuary. Do you understand what that means?”

“I wonder. What does it mean?”

‘!?’

One of Young Master Ou Woong-hwang’s eyebrows raised.

Is this person deliberately acting this way?

“……This is also the domain of Ou Cheonmu, the Supreme Spirit Sword Craftsman, one of the Six Heavens. I understand that you are a formidable expert, but you should know how different the Six Heavens are in terms of rank.”

‘I must make him aware first.’

This person must also be close to a grandmaster-level expert, so he should know.

How wide the qi sense of a peerless expert like his father is.

He must prevent any rash actions.

“Therefore, I advise you in return. It’s not too late even now……”

Before his words could finish:

“If you want to test how many of Spiritual Sword Sanctuary’s members I can kill before your father moves, feel free to keep talking.”

‘What!?’

Ou Woong-hwang’s eyes trembled.

The opponent responded even more strongly.

Normally, one would be conscious of the strongest opponent, but the person behind him was instead focused on his goal.

‘Family members……’

If this person were to make up their mind, surely close to half of the family members would be sacrificed before his father could intervene.

That’s how dangerous this person was.

Even his instincts were warning him against fighting this person.

What should he do?

Should he push back even harder?

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un shook his complex state of mind.

“The choice is simple. If you hand over the sacred orb and that person, Ou Yeonwoo, this will end quietly. If not, Spiritual Sword Sanctuary will see a lot of bloodshed, won’t it?”

-Euddeuk!

Ou Woong-hwang gritted his teeth.

How did it come to this, that such people entered this place called the holy land of swordsmanship and even resorted to threats?

His anger was growing beyond reason.

There was a high probability that things would go as this person said, but if that happened, they would lose the real culprit who massacred the guests from the Namgoong family, and his father would continue to be under suspicion.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be resolved if he risked his life and held them off even for a moment with the determination to die together?

Having made up his mind, Ou Woong-hwang immediately raised his half-step energy with his highest level of inner force.

-Paaang!

Along with this, a sharp energy surged from his entire body with tremendous wind pressure.

Ou Woong-hwang’s move was simple.

After responding to the opponent’s position behind him with his half-step force,

-Seureung!

He would aim for the opponent’s vital points with the swift sword of his quick-draw technique.

Ou Woong-hwang’s sword, which left its scabbard, rushed towards the space between Mok Gyeong-un’s eyebrows with lightning speed and exquisite precision.

It was a sword path that was only possible with thousands or tens of thousands of practice repetitions.

However,

-Chaeng! Puk!

His sword was deflected upwards, piercing the ceiling as if it were nothing, and Mok Gyeong-un’s sword finger was at his nape, exuding a sharp aura.

Ou Woong-hwang’s expression distorted.

‘……I was mistaken.’

He had thought that once his father arrived, the situation would be resolved.

But with this one exchange, he was certain.

This person was already a monster comparable to the Six Heavens, like his father.

What was even more surprising was,

‘To think he’s this young……’

He didn’t even seem to be of age yet, and with his beautiful appearance and features, it was a face he had never seen or heard of before.

Just what is his identity?

How could such a person be unknown in the martial world?

As he was bewildered, Mok Gyeong-un smiled at him and said:

“You’ve made a bad move. How unfortunate.”

With those words, Mok Gyeong-un’s left hand had already grasped his head.

-Pak!

Thinking it was the Golden Locking Hand technique, he hurriedly tried to strike the hand away, but

-Wudeuk!

‘Heuk!’

At that moment, along with the sound of cracking, he felt fingers digging into his skull, and Ou Woong-hwang was about to scream from the tremendous pain.

Of course, that scream turned into a cough as Mok Gyeong-un changed his sword finger to a knife hand and struck his Adam’s apple.

-Pak!

“Keok kek kek!”

Towards him, who was suffering, Mok Gyeong-un smiled coldly and whispered in his ear:

“If you had just given the sacred orb, this would have ended quietly, but since you escalated it, let’s test how firm your resolve is.”

-Ossak!

That whisper was like a devil opening the gates of hell.

***

The Sword Discussion Hall of Spiritual Sword Sanctuary is a place where many swordsmen gather to discuss swords.

The swordsmen gathered here were all renowned in the martial world and had deep expertise in swords.

As it was a place where such outstanding swordsmen gathered to discuss swords, the level was beyond what ordinary swordsmen could approach.

Even Jeong Myeong Sa-tae of the Hangshan Sect, who was a peak transcendent expert with considerable skill in swords, couldn’t help but be amazed listening to the debates they were having.

‘Amitabha. If it weren’t for the Righteous Alliance’s business, I would like to stay here for a few months to discuss swords.’

Any swordsman who handles swords would have the same thought as her.

However, she had a job to do.

It was to find the culprit who massacred the head of the Namgoong family and their elites.

-Step step!

Jeong Myeong Sa-tae was walking through a cave passage along with Moyong Hak, the eldest son of the Moyong family, following Ou Woong-seong, the second son of Master Ou.

This was because Ji-oe and Gok-o were beyond this place, not in the Sword Discussion Hall building.

They had looked around most places in Spiritual Sword Sanctuary for the investigation, but this was their first time here.

This passage was located behind a small waterfall in the rear garden of the Sword Discussion Hall, in a spot that wasn’t easily noticeable at first glance.

‘……They didn’t tell us about this place even though we didn’t ask.’

Moyong Hak clicked his tongue inwardly.

Master Ou’s workspace was one thing, but shouldn’t they have told us about a place like this?

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he finally opened his mouth.

“I’ve just learned for the first time that Spiritual Sword Sanctuary has such a secret space, even after investigating for several days. If we had known earlier, it would have been good for a smooth investigation. Hahaha.”

Unlike his hearty laughter, the content was pointing out this issue.

At these words, Ou Woong-seong, the second son of Master Ou, made a fist-palm salute and said:

“I apologize. Like the Sword Discussion Hall, this area behind it is a place that requires concentration for tests and training even for guests, so we couldn’t inform you. Please understand.”

As he answered so smoothly like a slippery eel, Moyong Hak inwardly clicked his tongue.

He was about to say something more when,

“In any……”

“Amitabha. But what is behind here that requires such concentration from the guests?”

Jeong Myeong Sa-tae cut off his words.

It was her prescription, worried that the atmosphere would become uncomfortable if left unchecked.

“Ahem.”

Realizing her intention, Moyong Hak seemed to recognize his mistake and closed his mouth.

To this, Ou Woong-seong smiled and answered:

“It’s because there’s a test left by our father, I mean, the master.”

“What kind of test is it?”

“You’ll see when we get to Sword Valley.”

“Sword Valley?”

“Ah, yes. At some point, the guests started calling that place Sword Valley.”

“Sword Valley…… That sounds nice. Anyway, now that you’ve said that, I’m eager to see it quickly, aside from meeting the seniors.”

“It will be worth your expectations.”

Ou Woong-seong said with a voice full of pride.

Then Jeong Myeong Sa-tae furrowed her brow and asked:

“By the way, is that a night pearl in the pouch at your waist?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Light is leaking from the pouch.”

At those words, Ou Woong-seong looked at his waist with confusion.

But as Jeong Myeong Sa-tae said, a faint light was indeed leaking from the pouch.

‘What’s this?’

Ou Woong-seong’s expression became strange.

He had received this pouch from his older brother, Ou Woong-hwang.

Inside the pouch was what Ou Yeonwoo had called a sacred orb.

[It’s because of this thing that the brat can’t come to his senses. I should melt it in the furnace right away.]

[You’re going to destroy it?]

[What else would I do with this?]

[Of course, that’s right. It’s best to get rid of it for the youngest’s sake too. Then, may I examine it a bit before melting it?]

[You want to examine it?]

[Yes. It’s peculiar, being neither jade nor iron, so I just want to take a look before melting it.]

[Hmm…… Alright. Take a look, but then get rid of it.]

[Understood.]

Of course, he had received it partly out of pure curiosity, but the real reason he took it from his brother was that he was confident it could be quite useful since it was something Ou Yeonwoo treasured.

But what on earth is this?

How is it emitting light when it’s not even a night pearl?

It seems he really needs to examine it properly to see what it is.

Puzzled, he didn’t show it on his face and smiled at Jeong Myeong Sa-tae, saying:

“Hahaha. You have a good eye. Yes, it’s a night pearl.”

“I see. Looking at the light coming out of the pouch, we won’t need torches.”

“Yes. I often use it for that purpose. Ah! We’re outside the passage.”

A bright light was visible where the passage curved.

Their attention shifted from the pouch to that spot.

As they exited the passage, a massive cliff unfolded before their eyes.

Jeong Myeong Sa-tae and Moyong Hak couldn’t help but exclaim at the spectacular view of the cliff.

But soon, their gaze was drawn to something.

It was a large stone tablet about three zhang tall, standing right in front of the cliff and its precipice.

In front of the tablet, about twenty men could be seen sitting in meditation.

‘What’s this?’

They were all staring intently at the large tablet, but it was unclear why they were doing so.

“What are they all doing over there?”

At Jeong Myeong Sa-tae’s question, Ou Woong-seong shrugged and said:

“It’s the master’s test and they’re trying to receive his teachings.”

“A test and teachings?”

They approached curiously.

As they drew closer, Moyong Hak’s eyes caught something engraved on the tablet.

[劍道劍極]

It was the phrase “Sword Way Sword Extreme” written on it.

There was nothing else, but why were so many people sitting in meditation and staring intently at it?

Finding this strange, he was about to say something to Jeong Myeong Sa-tae when,

“Sa-tae……!?”

Suddenly, Jeong Myeong Sa-tae had stopped, staring at the tablet’s inscription with a shocked expression.

“Sa-tae?”

He called out once more, but Jeong Myeong Sa-tae didn’t seem to hear him, not taking her eyes off the tablet for even a moment.

As he was about to call her again,

“Let her be.”

Ou Woong-seong discouraged him in a low voice.

“Let her be?”

“Elder Jeong Myeong Sa-tae is taking the master’s test.”

“What?”

This is a test?

What in the world is going on?