Chapter 335: Kaiyang (2)

- Crackle!

Crimson lightning connected to a hundred swords like tree roots, reminding me of what happened at the fuse.

[So you've finally awakened the sixth star of the Big Dipper Sword Technique — Kaiyang (開陽).]

[It's all thanks to you, Master.]

[How could your talent be due to my virtue alone?]

[You flatter me.]

My master was very pleased with me.

Even I hadn't expected to unlock Kaiyang, the sixth of the Seven Star Swords, while I was still at the fuse — and neither had my master.

The sixth star, Kaiyang, held a power on a completely different level than the others before it.

Even if it wasn't long-ranged, it allowed me to receive aid from all nearby swords.

[Bindo, this is called "Ten Thousand Swords, One Will (萬劍理心)."]

It was indeed a fitting name.

So many swords resonated with my mind and will.

My master had once told me that by combining this Kaiyang power with Thunder Sky Evasion (뇌벽천둔), he had slain a jiao dragon — a beast that had brought calamity to the world in ancient times.

'A power strong enough to slay a creature beyond human — a jiao dragon.'

And now, I intend to use this very power against the semi-immortal being, Emperor Geumsang.

My master had warned me never to use this power on mere mortals, but this man had already surpassed that threshold — he had become a monster.

He deserved nothing less.

"You wretch!"

The Emperor shouted at me with a voice full of rage.

But judging by his trembling golden eyes, he must have realized that he couldn't withstand this.

Too bad — I had no intention of showing mercy.

'Thunder Sky Evasion, Fifth Stance — Heaven's Sword, Falling Thunder (天劍落雷).'

I extended my sword seal toward him.

In that instant, over a hundred swords connected by crimson lightning surged down upon Geumsang like a torrent of thunderbolts.

- Whoosh! Crackle-crackle!

The downpour of crimson lightning was truly a spectacle to behold.

Everyone who witnessed it stood stunned, their mouths agape in awe.

- BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The devastating impact of the Heaven's Sword, Falling Thunder caused the ground to cave in, even punching deeper into the earth.

The quake-like aftershock shook everything, splitting the floor open.

"Wh-What is this?!"

"Is this truly human power?"

"Everyone, fall back!"

The Gold Guards and eunuchs, terrified, hastily retreated.

The tremors and cracking ground only ceased when the Heaven's Sword, Falling Thunder was finally over.

What remained was a massive dark hole — the earth had collapsed deeply.

Dust rose into the air from within.

Surviving that would be nothing short of a miracle. Even I had to admit the power was overwhelming.

Now I understood why Master had forbidden using it on humans.

Then, I felt a faint trace of aura behind me.

"Yeonsaeng!"

Someone was running toward me — it was Prince Gyeong.

To have survived the destruction of the main hall and the ensuing chaos… he was quite something.

Perhaps the saying "an emperor is chosen by the heavens" was true.

Looking at the ruined surroundings and the massive hole in front of me, he let out a gasp.

"Ha!"

Even he hadn't expected this result.

Gone was the face filled with tension and despair — now he beamed at me, even showing his gums.

"As expected of my Martial Champion. I always believed you'd win, Yeonsaeng."

'Yeah, right.'

I scoffed inwardly.

Inside the palace, he had been pale as a ghost.

Now he acted as if he'd forgotten all that, completely unable to hide his joy.

But I understood why he was so pleased.

"P-Prince Gyeong's Martial Champion?"

"So that woman is Yeonsaeng, the Martial Champion?"

"That monster-level martial artist is his warrior?"

"At this level, she must be the greatest martial master in the realm."

From all around, I heard the voices of Gold Guards and eunuchs.

Just from that, I knew what Prince Gyeong's intention was in loudly praising me as his Martial Champion.

To use this moment for political gain — impressive in a way.

Clicking my tongue internally, I whispered to him:

"But, Your Highness… what about the others in the palace…"

- Flinch.

I didn't finish my sentence. I turned my head and looked into the massive pit where the dust was starting to clear.

'...He's tough.'

I thought his entire body had been erased by the Heaven's Sword, Falling Thunder — far beyond mere decapitation.

Yet, faintly, I could still sense his aura from deep below.

He was clinging to life with sheer willpower.

"Why the grim face?"

"He's not dead yet."

"What?"

Prince Gyeong was incredulous.

It was unbelievable that someone could still be alive after something that looked like a natural disaster had struck.

"I must finish him."

Even the slightest mercy couldn't be afforded to that man.

The lesson from the incident with Jagyeongjeong was clear — only total annihilation would suffice.

I was about to jump into the pit.

Then—

"Stop!"

I turned my head at the voice.

From the direction of the destroyed main hall, a dusty middle-aged man with a long beard stood clutching two women.

They were the Empress and the adopted daughter of Mansasinui.

"The Empress!"

Gold Guards and eunuchs panicked.

After all, the mother of the Yeon Empire had been taken hostage.

'So she survived too.'

If Prince Gyeong had survived, then it wasn't too strange that masters under Geumsang had also made it out, even if they couldn't use their inner power.

But they weren't the only survivors.

Another man walked out of the ruins, gripping two people by their necks.

"Y-Your Majesty!"

The man with the bandaged face.

He had clearly recovered his inner power — it made sense he could escape in that condition.

In my focus on killing Geumsang, I had erased thoughts of others' safety from my mind.

'Tch.'

Too far.

Even with my speed, there was no way I could save all four people at that distance.

There would definitely be casualties.

"Yeonsaeng. There are many eyes watching."

Prince Gyeong whispered to me.

He was right — hundreds of people, from Gold Guards to eunuchs, were watching.

If I were to abandon someone in front of them, it would be scandalous — especially before I became Emperor.

'Should I just silence them all?'

Maybe the best way would be to remove all witnesses.

To make sure no one would know what truly happened.

Just as I was thinking that—

"Let him go, and I'll release these people."

It was Mongju shouting at me.

"Ha!"

I snorted at his words.

Did he really think I'd give up someone I barely caught because of hostages?

Mongju shouted again:

"If you agree, nod your head."

He was asking me to signal since he assumed I couldn't hear.

They must be desperate — but I had no intention of leaving future threats behind.

Even if it meant bearing resentment...

Then, I heard someone's voice directly in my ear.

[Excuse me.]

…Excuse me?

I turned my eyes toward the speaker.

It was the man with the bandaged face.

A master beyond limits and one of Geumsang's subordinates — why was he calling me like this?

While I hesitated, his voice continued.

[You may not believe it, but I'm on your side.]

[On my side?]

[Even in this state, I am known in the martial world as Manbakja (萬博者).]

In that instant, I almost gave myself away.

Manbakja Du Gong.

One of the Eight Great Masters and a friend of my father-in-law, Wolak Sword Saman Chak.

From Seolbaek, I had heard that he, like Seobok, had also been captured by Geumsang.

But to think that this was him…

As I reeled from the realization, the secret voice continued.

[They think they brainwashed me with poison, but my own Poison Arts, "Janghyeon Brain Technique (長賢腦功)," can even alter the blood vessels of the brain.]

'Ha!'

This was an entirely unexpected situation.

He had thought that the man hailed as the smartest in the world had died in vain at the hands of enemies alongside his father-in-law, one of the Five Great Villains. But to think he had infiltrated from within and held out all this time.

> [I was waiting for an opportunity, and it's truly fortunate that you managed to subdue that monstrous fellow.]

As he said that, he motioned with his head toward Mongju and the hostages in front of him.

Then he sent me a voice transmission again.

> [Even though you're a supreme martial artist, there's some distance between you and them. I'll rescue them myself. Just pretend to go along with that guy's words and buy some time.]

At his words, I gave a slight smile.

> [That won't be necessary.]

> [What?]

If the hostages were only held by that Mongju guy, then the situation had changed.

I made direct eye contact with Mongju, who was staring at me.

In that instant, his eyes glazed over, and then he released the hostages he had been holding.

"Huh?"

And then, he immediately slashed his own throat.

Slash!

He had committed suicide.

'!?'

The masked old man, Dugong, who was hiding his face with a bandage, couldn't hide his surprise at Mongju's rolling head.

In truth, sound wasn't necessary—just visual contact was enough to use the technique of Illusory Mind Projection (정요 환의경).

He had only waited for the right moment because the Emperor and the daughter of the Grand Divine Physician had been held hostage, and any premature action might have backfired.

"Ahhhh!"

The Empress and the Grand Divine Physician's daughter, who had been held hostage, collapsed weakly to the ground.

Seeing this, Dugong clicked his tongue and sent me another voice transmission.

> [Amazing. You're truly a maste—]

Before he could even finish, I looked up in response to a massive energy surging from above.

A colossal Dragon Fist Wind formed, powerful enough to churn the clouds, and it began rushing down from the sky at terrifying speed.

Whoosh!

I hurriedly reached out and used Vacuum Grasp to push King Gyeong (경왕) out of the way.

But even that wouldn't let us escape the blast radius.

I leaped skyward and slashed toward the descending Dragon Fist Wind.

Slash! Crackle-crack!

The massive energy attack was split in half by a sword strike infused with crimson lightning.

Gasps erupted from all around at the spectacle.

But my attention was elsewhere.

'Old Man Biseon!'

Though I had poured all my energy into that last strike, it was merely a diversion.

Looking below, I saw Old Man Biseon supporting the bloodied Emperor, who had crawled back up from the ground.

The Emperor mumbled something, then pulled out the imperial seal from his chest and crushed it with force.

Immediately, Old Man Biseon placed his hand on the Emperor's body.

'No way!'

Without time to think, I rushed toward them with full speed.

The Emperor glared at me with burning rage in his eyes.

Vwoooom!

'I can't let him escape.'

Crackle!

Crimson lightning blazed from my footstep trails as I flew forward.

But the Emperor's body was already being sucked into a rippling spatial distortion.

---

Northern Chaoyang, Hubei Province.

A hidden house surrounded by cliffs.

Inside the blacksmith's forge within the house, someone stumbled in, gasping for breath.

Covered in blood—it was none other than the Emperor.

Startled, the blacksmith inside was completely flustered.

"H-How did this happen to you..."

"This is none of your concern."

"But... your wounds need treatment..."

He didn't look remotely okay.

Blue flames flickered from his wounded areas—it looked critical.

The Emperor roughly grabbed the blacksmith by the collar and growled.

"The sword... where is the sword?"

"I-I finished it just before the last half-hour of the previous hour."

The terrified blacksmith pointed toward a large brazier where a sword with a complex, blood-red pattern—undoubtedly the Blood Demon Sword—was placed.

The Emperor let go of the blacksmith and approached the sword.

At that moment, someone called out to him.

"Your wounds look serious, my lord."

The Emperor whipped around.

Standing at the entrance was a middle-aged man with a kindly appearance—Naejang, one of his three most trusted aides.

"Naejang..."

"Your wounds don't seem to be healing properly. Regardless of the circumstances, you should rest and recover."

At these words, the Emperor drew the Blood Demon Sword with a twisted expression.

"I don't have the luxury to wait for recovery."

"But..."

"I must go there immediately."

Hearing his urgency, Naejang's eyes gleamed with a strange light—just for a moment.

Then he bowed respectfully and said,

"Then allow me to accompany you."

---

The tomb of King Pyeong of Chu, Wuhan, Hubei Province.

In the deeply hidden stone chamber, two figures appeared—the Emperor and Naejang.

Still limping, the Emperor said,

"He might come. Go outside and stand guard."

Naejang obediently bowed and stepped out of the chamber.

Once alone, the Emperor drew the five swords he carried on his back, one by one, and inserted them into carved slots in the pentagonal sarcophagus.

Click!

The sword clicked tightly into the groove with a magnetic pull.

Rumble!

Mechanical devices activated, and black liquid began to flow from the floor.

The liquid formed curved patterns on the ground.

"As expected."

He continued inserting the remaining swords into the carvings around other sarcophagi.

Each time, more of the dark liquid flowed and expanded the pattern—it began forming a map.

"Aaaah..."

Only one sword remained.

The Emperor walked toward the northern sarcophagus and inserted the Assassin Slayer Sword (겁살검).

Clunk! Rumble!

As the final sword was inserted, something extraordinary happened.

The ceiling opened, revealing a small hole containing a glowing pearl.

The light from the pearl shone straight down, pointing to a specific location on the completed map.

"At last..."

It was at that very moment.

Thwack!

Someone stabbed the Emperor in the heart.

"Gah!"

Despite his severe injuries, few could conceal their presence and land such a blow.

As he collapsed forward onto one knee, a voice spoke from behind.

"You've done well."

The Emperor turned his head with difficulty.

The one who stabbed him—was Naejang.

"You... betrayed me?"

The Emperor trembled with rage. Naejang pulled out the blade and pressed it against his throat.

"Betrayal? That would require loyalty in the first place."

"What?"

Naejang sneered.

"I thought I wouldn't feel anything after waiting so long for this moment... but it actually feels great."

"What are you saying? You feel great?"

"Oh yes. Why wouldn't I, after fulfilling a promise to a friend?"

"What? What nonsense are you—ugh!"

As the Emperor groaned in pain, Naejang smiled and said,

"Gyeongjeong (경정) wanted to behead you himself. But alas, the world is not so kind. He died in vain for righteousness, while you continued your miserable life."

The Emperor's expression hardened.

"You... were with him from the start?"

"Only now you realize? You're dumber than I thought."

Naejang sneered.

The Emperor was so stunned that he couldn't even speak.

Then, his voice dripping with hatred, he said,

"So you betrayed me from the beginning... just to gain immortality?"

To that, Naejang burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha! You really think I'm that petty?"

Shaking his head mockingly, Naejang added with a smirk,

"You've suffered long enough. I'll answer your dying question."

His kind tone was deceiving—he wanted the Emperor to die in despair, knowing the truth.

He wanted to see his reaction when he realized his 300 years of effort were in vain.

"Listen well. That 'thing' you've been desperately chasing... was all to resurrect my master, the Demon Immortal (마선)."

"The Demon Immortal?"

"He is the true savior who will cleanse this filthy world."

"Hah..."

The Emperor scoffed in disbelief, and Naejang beamed with satisfaction.

He had endured over 300 years under this foolish man, hiding the truth, waiting.

It was finally over.

Naejang pressed down on the sword.

"You won't get to see the world purified by his blood... but your greed ends here."

The Emperor trembled.

"Farewell."

Naejang pressed harder.

Thud!

The Emperor caught the blade with his hand.

Naejang smirked.

"A final struggle? Your body can't possibly—huh?"

Crack!

A fracture appeared on the blade where the Emperor held it.

Sensing he still had strength, Naejang released the hilt and tried to stab his forehead with his fingers.

In that instant, the Emperor grabbed his throat like lightning.

Grab!

He then hurled Naejang out of the chamber and slammed him against the wall.

Boom!

"Urgh!"

Naejang was shocked by the overwhelming strength.

'What the hell?!'

Unless he awakened his demonic powers, he should've had the upper hand in internal energy.

But now, even with injuries, he was being overpowered?

Then the Emperor said,

"So that was your goal all along."

"What?"

"From trying to put Ja Gyeongjeong's spirit into the sword to stabbing me in the back—it was all to revive that Demon Immortal."

'!?'

Naejang's pupils trembled.

He had spoken the second part himself, but the first was a secret.

Something was wrong.

"...What are you?"

Crackle!

Before he could finish, the Emperor's face began to distort and change...

It became someone else's face.

'!!!'

It was Jin Unhwi.

"You—how!?"

Naejang was speechless.

The tone, the knowledge of the hidden base, the demeanor—it had all matched the Emperor perfectly.

What was happening?

Then Jin Unhwi, with a mocking smile, said,

"You really thought I'd let everything go your way?"