ShadowVane

Once feared as the Crimson Storm, Jin Mu-won was the strongest martial artist of his era—until betrayal shattered his path and death consumed him atop a mountain of corpses. But fate had other plans.

Reborn as a boy in a peaceful village at the edge of the Murim world, Mu-won awakens in a new era—one of hidden sects, decaying traditions, and rising darkness. With his memories intact and a mysterious pendant bound to his soul, he uncovers a sealed legacy: forbidden arts, long-lost realms, and a power that should not exist.

Smart, handsome, brutal, and cunning, Jin Mu-won is no hero. He's a predator in a world of prey. As ancient seals break and enemies rise from the shadows, Mu-won begins a ruthless ascent—shattering bones, defying fate, and dragging the martial world into an era of chaos it cannot escape.

Because this time, the demon won’t stop at domination.

He wants everything.

Heavenly Demon Reborn: Chronicles of the One- in-Millennium Genius

Chapter 17: Whisper of the Pendant, Memory of Death

For two days after the battle, Mu-won didn't speak.

He sat cross-legged at the heart of the ruined temple, meditating as blood qi coursed silently through his meridians. The corpse of the Whisper Fang had already been burned—Yeom Ji had insisted.

> "You don't leave bodies behind," she'd said. "Not when the scent of your power is still new."

But she didn't disturb him beyond that.

In his mind, dreams twisted into memory.

Mu-won stood in an unfamiliar city. Stone towers. Burning flags. Screams echoing through alleys. He held a sword made of obsidian flame. At his feet—were corpses.

All wearing the same symbol on their chests: a dragon devouring the sun.

> "This… this was the final war," he whispered.

And there—at the center—stood a man.

Tall. Regal. Eyes like a god. Dressed in black silk and golden embroidery.

> "You should have stayed dead," the man said, smiling.

The pendant burned against his chest, glowing faintly. From its center, a crimson symbol pulsed. A mark… not of this world.

> "So," Yeom Ji said, appearing beside him. "You are more than a prodigy."

He nodded, still catching his breath.

> "I remembered… a past life," he said. "A war. A sword. And a name I want to destroy."

> "Let me guess," she said. "The Heavenly Serpent?"

> "Only in whispers," she said. "A god-like being who rose after the Blood War. He slaughtered every sect that opposed him. Then vanished. Some say he still rules the world from the shadows."

> "Then I'll drag him back into the light."

That night, Yeom Ji lit a small black incense burner and placed three stones around Mu-won.

> "You want to learn how to silence your blood qi?"

She dropped a bloodstained scroll in front of him.

> "Then I'll teach you Fox Shadow Veil — a forbidden art that lets you hide your aura, fake your qi, and even mimic another's presence."

> "Why teach me this now?" he asked.

Yeom Ji met his eyes, and for the first time, he saw sorrow there.

> "Because the next person coming for you isn't an assassin."

> "It's someone from your previous life."

Two days later — Outer ridge of Black Mist Valley

A woman stepped into the clearing, her boots leaving no prints in the snow.

She was tall, elegant, wearing silver-plated armor engraved with celestial runes. Her eyes were cold, her presence lethal.

She held a jade token in her hand—the bounty.

> "Kim Mu-won," she said aloud. "I know you're near."

She unsheathed a sword from her back—black steel, double-edged, carved with ancient runes.

> "I've waited two lives to kill you."