CHAPTER 174

Eternal Heaven Sword Demon, Baek Seo-gun, hailed from Xinye County in Henan Province.

She worked as a maid for the Jung Clan, a martial family.

The treatment wasn't bad.

Having lost her parents early on, she was pitied by the head of the Jung household and his wife.

Baek Seo-gun was tasked with serving the eldest son of the Jung family, a boy ten years her junior.

Her young master was more often called Ban-ak, a nickname, rather than by his real name, Jung Daemyung.

Even from a young age, he was an exceptionally handsome nobleman. His hands were large, and he was never stingy with silver.

The Young Master of Flowers, Jung Daemyung, or Jung Ban-ak.

The young master had connections with many women, thanks in part to Baek Seo-gun's efforts.

She would deliver his love letters to the young ladies of neighboring villages and return with their replies.

The rewards were always generous. Baek Seo-gun received a substantial allowance, all in silver.

Though Baek Seo-gun's beauty was also exceptionally striking, Jung Daemyung did not see her as a woman.

He saw her as a young nanny. For Baek Seo-gun, that was enough.

Even when there were replies that displeased the young master, rejecting his affections, she was still rewarded with her allowance.

The nobleman, Jung Daemyung, had peculiar superstitions since his youth—an almost obsessive belief.

One of his convictions as the heir of a great landowner was that employing someone without offering compensation would bring misfortune.

Few servants disliked the young master.

There was little need to tread carefully around him regarding his love letters. His overwhelmingly attractive appearance often overshadowed any shortcomings.

The young master's face shape and features were so strikingly perfect they seemed almost unreal.

Once, he joked about seducing a woman from Desolate Fortress, and none of his friends or servants dismissed it as mere bravado.

He was barely thirteen at the time. Such was his combination of family standing and physical appearance.

Baek Seo-gun wasn't particularly envious of him.

Around that time, she was secretly practicing martial arts.

She was ten years into her training. The Jung Clan was a third-rate martial family, unable to detect her progress.

She had come across a supreme martial manual and spent years cultivating it. It was a stroke of fortune that would be difficult to replicate in a lifetime.

It happened during the late Yuan Dynasty, in a cavern she stumbled upon after misstepping and falling into a gorge formed by a battle between strange entities.

In that cavern, a book lay before the corpse of a divine clan member seated in meditation.

The corpse and the manual were both untouched by decay—a mysterious domain.

When Baek Seo-gun met the eyes of the corpse, spiritual energy engraved itself into her dantian.

It felt as if a handful of the sun had been embedded within her. A mystical sensation filled her lower abdomen.

'I am destined to roam the world.'

She had encountered the inexplicable and could only regard it as her destiny.

Her life wasn't meant to end in Xinye County. Her existence was meant to stretch out toward the martial world.

—Here, I shall hone my strength and pledge myself to the Profound Martial Alliance.

She made that resolution. With grand ambitions, her personality became more spirited.

She got along well with the young master, Jung Daemyung. So much so that the ten-year-old taught his twenty-something maid how to play Go.

It was then that she learned of the "Ten Essentials of Go".

"Isn't 'Abandoning stones to take the initiative' contradictory to 'Refrain from greedy moves'? How can you take the lead while avoiding greed?"

"Foolish. Why is that contradictory? It's about taking the lead without straining yourself. Even if you sacrifice a few stones, don't become impatient."

It was sound advice. Baek Seo-gun thought that if the young master ever had children, he would raise them well.

Even while secretly cultivating her internal energy, Baek Seo-gun never neglected her duties to the young master.

When she finally left the Jung Clan one moonless night, it was no different.

"Thank you for raising me."

She bowed with clasped hands toward the vast manor. It was when her Eight Illusory Divine Arts had reached the fourth stage.

She had cultivated with unparalleled talent. In Xinye County, she believed there was no martial artist who could match her.

And she was right.

It was a martial art capable of prevailing even in the wider martial world.

Not a single vagabond could withstand her strike, even during her early practice bouts.

By the time she faced experts of the Profound Martial Alliance, she had reached the sixth stage of the Eight Illusory Divine Arts.

Any sect would have gladly taken her in as a guardian or protector.

Rejecting all such offers, she crossed the threshold of the Profound Martial Alliance—a Demonic Faction sect supported by the King of Flames.

As befitting a sect that combined such rare conditions, their wealth and authority were immense.

She enjoyed it for a long time.

Like the other elders of the Thirteen Celestial Demons, Baek Seo-gun gradually transformed into a monstrous figure within the martial world.

Wealth and the path of tyranny did that to her. At some point, she had become a supreme expert who had cultivated for decades.

She became someone who could grasp even the affairs of the uppermost echelons of the martial world.

One day, she heard rumors of a rising star in Desolate Fortress. The news came alongside the death of Sword Blossom.

Only then did she learn of the Jung Clan's annihilation. She felt a faint sense of pity, mixed with curiosity.

'The Tyrant Sword Tribe Leader spared a genius? Admired their spirit and talent? That doesn't seem like him. He must have an ulterior motive. Perhaps the fall of Desolate Fortress aligns with his lifelong ambition.'

She found herself wanting to see Jung Daemyung's son at least once. It wasn't an overwhelming desire.

In some parts of Henan, she was no longer called the Sword Demon but the Sword Sovereign.

Baek Seo-gun, who had earned the moniker Eternal Heaven Sword Demon, now lived a life far removed from the third-rate Jung Clan.

'I thought as much. Radiant Demon Squad Leader, is it?'

She became intrigued by a notice that had spread across the Central Plains.

The name of Jung Yeonshin, Lightning Genius was on the guest list for the Martial Alliance's Opening Tournament.

To stave off her boredom, she asked her lord for permission to journey to Shaanxi.

It was readily granted. Even the great sects backed by the King of Flames found famine to be no trivial matter.

It was better to secure supplies from the outside to maintain their martial army.

The plundering in the Hanzhong region, it seemed, originated with Lightning Genius.

'I wonder how much our little young master knows about the Tyrant Sword Tribe Leader.'

Baek Seo-gun smiled as she gazed at the gorge.

Her face bore a smile as deep as her internal energy. Her half-white hair resembled a lion's mane, cascading thickly down to her shoulders, suiting her appearance perfectly.

The Eight Illusory Divine Arts carried the remnants of the divine clan, so after the age of thirty, her face appeared as if frozen in time, as though she had cultivated the Immortal Body Arts.

The same was true of her muscles, trained for wielding the Illusory Sword.

It meant every day was her prime.

Thud.

She stood atop the rugged rock mountains of the Seven Crowds Gorge. The wind howled fiercely as it passed through her fingers.

Jagged stone peaks spread out in every direction, filling her sight as if they would pierce her vision.

While playing Go with her first disciple atop the Western Peak Road, she suddenly felt drawn to the scenery of the gorge, deciding to visit.

She didn't know why. Perhaps it was because the miraculous encounter from Xinye County suddenly came to mind.

It's said that by this age, the upper dantian connects to the heavens.

There's also a saying about the Mandate of Heaven. Perhaps some destiny was guiding her steps, so Baek Seo-gun casually stepped forward.

For someone like her, a supreme expert, the Nine Provinces and Eight Desolations were a realm of absolute freedom.

It was the fools confined to Desolate Fortress who were mad. Chivalry? What a laughable virtue during a famine.

"I'm also curious about the young master. He wouldn't have mastered the Jung Clan's third-rate martial arts."

She was a maverick of the martial world. Talking to herself wasn't strange.

Her life had long been one where no one dared criticize her for voicing her musings aloud.

As she hummed her way forward, a group came into view. At the end of the Seven Crowds Gorge, some individuals were surrounded by subordinates.

Powerful yang energy and refined killing intent filled the air. Aroused by the spectacle, the Sword Demon, or rather, the Sword Sovereign, couldn't help but take interest.

Soon, the voices of the strangers reached her ears.

"These people think Hanzhong is their backyard? Never thought I'd get caught like this."

A man with immense yang energy spoke, holding off seven martial artists alone.

Wielding intangible, blazing heat in both hands, he struck, and none of his opponents could endure even a single exchange.

It appeared to be the Lazy Flame Dragon of the Hwangbo Clan, known for his formidable talent and short lifespan.

Just as the intelligence had suggested, he was traveling with Jung Yeonshin, Lightning Genius.

Another man wielded peculiar sword strikes that seemed to mirror the Sword Techniques of the Jung Clan.

Despite his agile body movements, the area beneath his sharp, heroic brow appeared subdued, giving him a stoic air.

It seemed like a situation with an intriguing story to tell, one that could rekindle Baek Seo-gun's interest in the martial world.

'It seems the treasure troves have walked straight to me.'

Among them, a young girl darted through the gorge, her piercing strikes like flashes of light.

Her cultivated sword aura was so refined that her ebony hair fluttered like silk, her movements unmarred by any blemishes of a martial artist.

She was as beautiful as Baek Seo-gun herself.

"Interesting. A swordsman of Dianqing Sect who claims to shoot the sun?"

Baek Seo-gun muttered with a smile. The other two weren't bad either. Judging by their energy, they seemed to hail from the Gongsun and Murong Clans.

Whoosh!

Her gray robe made a loud noise as she took a step forward. Her next step landed three zhang ahead.

To an untrained villager, it might have looked like she was using a teleportation technique. With her hands behind her back, she moved as if leaping through space.

At the same time, she drew her sword and hurled it.

Boom!

It was a sound as if the atmosphere itself had been torn apart.

The blade's trajectory carved a dazzling arc in the air above the heads of the sect disciples.

It gleamed brilliantly, disappearing like a shooting star. Truly befitting the moniker of a Sword Demon who had earned her title as an elder of the Profound Martial Alliance.

Baek Seo-gun brought her index and middle fingers together. It was the well-known sword technique gesture.

The moment her fingers extended like a dagger, a surge of energy emanated from the hilt of the blade in the sky.

A terrifying aura seemed to crush even the wind.

"Sword Sovereign!"

"Sword Sovereign? Eternal Heaven Sword Demon…!"

Their faces shifted between admiration and shock.

Baek Seo-gun's effortless strike descended.

The shockwave radiating from the airborne sword obliterated all the gathered energy on the battlefield, unraveling it completely.

A gust of wind, fiercer than the canyon's natural breeze, swept through the scene. Her strike hadn't even landed, defying conventional understanding.

A supreme expert.

An individual who stood above all others, overlooking the martial world from the pinnacle.

Someone capable of challenging the black-ranks of Desolate Fortress and carving out their will.

An independent figure, free from the oppression of state-backed sects. As one of the Thirteen Celestial Demons' secret weapons, Baek Seo-gun gazed at the disciples.

Her steady eyes made Gongsun Min and Murong Mingjun flinch.

Baek Seo-gun's lips curved slightly, forming a somewhat weary smile.

"Follow me. As long as you entertain me, I won't kill you. Eat, drink, and reveal your martial arts. When the amusement fades, I will sever your heads."

"You think the martial world is in your hands? If we don't follow, you'll strike us down, just like these soldiers?"

The Lazy Flame Dragon retorted, giving Baek Seo-gun a peculiar look. She was familiar with that kind of gaze.

It was the insightful look that only prodigies of the ages could possess.

They bypass the process of understanding martial arts through sheer intuition and easily achieve martial prowess beyond their years.

Baek Seo-gun herself was such a person, as was the young leader of the Ming Sect who visited the main Profound Martial Alliance three years ago.

'I can't comprehend it. How could the bloodline of the Jung Clan lead such a person? If there were even a trace of Jung Daemyung's blood in him, this would never be possible.'

She turned without hesitation, lost in thought.

Thock.

The sword that had wandered through the air returned on its own and slid into Baek Seo-gun's scabbard. The boy from the Gongsun Clan gasped sharply.

The faces of the other party members didn't look any better. They were utterly trapped as hostages.

Had the Eternal Heaven Sword Demon not been such an eccentric figure, their heads would have already rolled.

"I should've reduced their numbers faster. If not for your subordinates, we might've had a chance to escape."

Only the Lazy Flame Dragon remained calm. Was it because he had already accepted his short life span? His wry expression appeared almost leisurely.

"Looks like I'll be lectured by that young leader again—about my incompetence, no doubt."

"The young leader, are you referring to Lightning Genius?"

Baek Seo-gun asked without looking back.

With her steps, the encirclement moved as well. The Lazy Flame Dragon and his companions had no choice but to follow her.

"That's right. Just don't try anything foolish."

"Foolish?"

"If you're planning to use us as hostages to do something against the young leader, I'll kill all of them and take my own life. For what it's worth, I'm the eldest son of Shandong's greatest noble clan. I have my pride."

The Lazy Flame Dragon spoke softly. Next to him, Heon Wonchang muttered something about insubordination.

Baek Seo-gun laughed derisively but didn't lay a hand on anyone for two days.

As a supreme master of a major sect in the Demonic Faction, she focused on filling the void left by her ennui, indulging her idle curiosity.

Much like when she first left the Jung Clan in search of a new world.

She confined them in the largest tent among the camps established in the Seven Crowds Gorge.

Whenever she felt like it, she would bring someone out. The martial arts of the great sects, unleashed by these young warriors, became her source of amusement.

She pressured them as if they were caged animals. When she sustained a minor burn from the Flame Energy of the Lazy Flame Dragon, she merely laughed.

"I still can't believe it. How did the likes of the Jung Clan's bloodline take you in?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

The Lazy Flame Dragon replied lazily.

Boom—!

With a thunderous roar, an overwhelming wave of energy erupted beyond the peaks. It was astonishingly auspicious. For a moment, Baek Seo-gun's eyes gleamed.

It was an energy technique that radiated divine nature on the surface. An old memory was pulled from her mind.

The spiritual essence left behind by the divine clan expert in the cave of the Eight Illusory Divine Arts resembled this.

"Ah, looks like I'm really going to get scolded now."

"Is that the Radiant Demon Squad Leader?"

The Lazy Flame Dragon mumbled with a grin, prompting Baek Seo-gun to ask.

"Can't you tell just by feeling it?"

"Let's go."

A great movement unfolded. The martial army of the Profound Martial Alliance, which had established their camp, began to move.

Baek Seo-gun, known here as the Sword Sovereign, disappeared first, followed by the Lazy Flame Dragon, Heon Wonchang, and the warriors of the Alliance.

Thanks to Baek Seo-gun's eccentricity, their movements had been unrestricted from the start. No one stood in their way.

It was a short distance. The Lazy Flame Dragon trailed Baek Seo-gun to the source of the thunderous roar.

There, they saw a young leader, clad in brilliant crimson martial robes[due to soaking blood], standing face-to-face with her.

How far had he run? His completely disheveled hair revealed his smooth forehead.

The jet-black hair that reached his shoulders matched the pitch-black long robe he wore.

Jung Yeonshin, who had been staring intently at Baek Seo-gun, shifted his gaze. His eyes met the Lazy Flame Dragon's over his shoulder.

"Incompetent fool."

The boy spoke abruptly. The Lazy Flame Dragon sighed.

"I have no excuse."

"As you should."

Soon after, the Little Sword Queen arrived. Her steps, which seemed to fly with her body-movement technique, stopped at the sight of Jung Yeonshin.

Surrounded by the Profound Martial Alliance's martial soldiers, she parted her lips.

"If I become a hindrance, I'll end my own life."

The Little Sword Queen, Chui So-ok, was no ordinary person. As a promising swordswoman of the Dianqing Sect, she valued honor above life itself.

She exemplified the traits of the orthodox martial world, as praised by the gossiping elites—a martial artist fitting for this era.

"I, too, have a sense of shame. Watching the young leader and that old monster fight to the death will be satisfying, though."

She spoke about honor with a blank expression. Jung Yeonshin nodded slowly.

"I'll avenge you."

"That's the first kind thing you've ever said to me. It's rather heartwarming."

The Little Sword Queen smiled faintly.

At that moment,

"You haven't cultivated the Jung Clan's Divine Sword, have you? It seems you've reached a realm impossible to achieve with such crude swordsmanship."

Baek Seo-gun suddenly asked. She had been staring at Jung Yeonshin with a peculiar expression for quite some time.

"The Jung Clan's Divine Sword?"

The boy's brows furrowed slightly. It was a name he hadn't heard in ages. The swordsmanship of the Jung Clan.

His grandfather had claimed it was a crude, third-rate swordsmanship cobbled together as an unofficial disciple of the Zhongnan Sect.

"Do you know the Jung Clan?"

"Your insolence bothers me. Arrogant brat. I need to see if you're worthy."

Baek Seo-gun raised her sword technique gesture and moved her hand. Her index and middle fingers grazed the sword aura at her waist.

At the same time, her blade rose into the air, scattering pure white radiance. A skill many martial artists assumed to be Spirit Heaven technique.

By then, Jung Yeonshin had already lifted the Beiming Sword above his head.

Swish.

The black sleeve of his robe slid off his shoulder, revealing his bare right arm, toned with muscle from his hand to his bicep.

The sword trembled. It made a sound as if it were crying. Aligned perfectly upright, the blade seemed to merge with his body.

A high stance.

Calm yet chilling.

'What is that?'

The Lazy Flame Dragon's eyes widened slightly at the unfamiliar posture.

Whoosh!

The sword in the young Radiant Demon Squad Leader's hand emitted an invisible wave of force.

Its density was immense. Though unseen, the translucent gust seemed to envelop the battlefield.

Baek Seo-gun's sword, which had been advancing toward the void, paused. For an instant, the supreme master's technique halted.

It was clearly not by her will. The pressure spreading across the field was overwhelming.

Those with shallow internal energy would kneel before even receiving a single strike.

In that moment, without any forewarning,

Hoo-whoosh!

The boy and Baek Seo-gun's figures crossed paths. In an instant, their positions swapped.

Step.

Having executed extreme speed with a burst of energy, the young Radiant Demon Squad Leader lowered his sword. The white trail of his blade lingered in the air.

Behind him, a long arc of light distorted. Baek Seo-gun, standing to the side, also now held her sword.

It was an abrupt exchange of blows between supreme masters. The warriors of the Profound Martial Alliance, unable to intervene, remained silent.

Neither appeared to have suffered critical injuries. Yet, something had changed about Baek Seo-gun.

The symbolic half-white hair that flowed like a lion's mane was now scattered. The ends of her long hair fluttered like feathers.

Caught by the relentless gorge winds, it mixed with the glow of the setting sun.

The young Radiant Demon Squad Leader, his sword lowered, turned his body.

Glancing briefly at the scattered strands of hair, he tilted his head slightly and slowly spoke.

"A short cut suits you."

The boy said.