Nano Machine to 437

 Chapter 432: The Five Spirit Beasts (1) It has been more than a month since the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun, took the North Sea Ice Palace. The Ice Palace, which lost its structure, ended up in ruin and in water. The palace had been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years, but rebuilding something which collapsed wasn’t an easy task. Everyone moved to the east from the old site and started to rebuild the palace. Of course, even if they were planning to build a new palace, making a palace from nothing is still difficult. Since more than half of the site was submerged in water, working on the site would be difficult. So how could they do it? “This is great.” People were looking down from a hill towards the place where many people in white clothes worked. They were the elders of the North Sea Ice Palace and Baekhyun. Baekhyun couldn’t help but be in awe at the ruins of the palace. ‘Is it possible to achieve that level of greatness if I constantly practiced martial arts?’ It was natural for him to think that way. The huge hole in the ruined Ice Palace where water began to emerge from was now completely frozen with no trace of water. Chun Yeowun made it possible. ‘He really is not human.’ He still remembered how Chun Yeowun froze it. Chun Yeowun, who created ice swords that were as strong as cold steel, froze the water-filled hole by exuding cold qi along with the Sky Flash. Thanks to that, they were able to start construction without any problem. “Even if he isn’t related to the North, there is no one else other than him who can do that, right?” At Baekhyun’s words, Sol Am-baek, who was next to him, nodded and answered. “He isn’t in a stage where normal people can even be compared to him. Still, it’s only because of him that things went smoothly. King.” Shockingly, Sol Am-baek called him king. How did this man turn into the king? “Right. I ended up misunderstanding the master until I realized his true wisdom.” Baekhyun thought that everything had been stolen away from him. He hated how a situation occurred where the throne was being taken away by someone other than a blood relative. However, in front of the council, Chun Yeowun made an unexpected announcement. [I will take Prince Dan Baekhyun as my disciple and pass on the Ice Cold of Heaven to him.] Baekhyun and all the others were puzzled. But that wasn’t the end. Chun Yeowun, who had promised to take Baekhyun as his disciple, announced that he would step back from being king and pass on the post to his disciple. Although they acknowledged the Divine Object choosing its owner, the palace people rejoiced when they heard that outsiders weren’t going to control them. ‘Maybe he was aiming for that since the beginning.’ It didn’t matter since one way or another, they knew that they would end up as subordinates of the Demonic Cult. Just because he entered the academy as Chun Yeowun’s disciple, it didn’t mean the person in charge would change. However, Baekhyun, who became the palace king, wasn’t countered by any palace officials. “King. Are there no lessons today?” One of the elders asked him. After becoming his disciple, he was taught the Ice Cold of Heaven from Chun Yeowun. And it was about time for his class. “They said that they would be interrogating him today.” Everyone knew who that was. “… why don’t you ask the Lord to execute Dan Jucheon? It’s better to get rid of him, even if the elders object to it.” “That’s how the elders think.” The majority of the elders wanted Dan Jucheon to be executed. However, along with, elder Seol Young-gwi, one of the instigators, he was currently being confined with his blood points sealed. “If he is executed, the backlash from him and those who support him will increase.” “Hmm…” Baekhyun didn’t know if the elders thought of that. However, the problem was that there were still many followers of Dan Jucheon. Baekhyun’s supporter, Chun Yeowun, displayed the martial arts of the North Sea Ice palace and eroded some dissatisfaction, but the words of Dan Jucheon, in the end, caused a big stir. [Kill me! I will never follow you!] From his stand, he said that he would never work under the Lord of the Demonic Cult and asked to be executed. Judging that he had lost everything, he was ready to accept death and even gained the support of a few officials. Moyong Kang and Jegal Sohi of the Yulin thought that Chun Yeowun would get rid of the ones who rebelled, but shockingly, he did no such thing. [I’m not a resident of this place, if I execute him here, will you and your men be able to handle the consequences?] Baekhyun was unable to respond to Chun Yeowun’s question. Right now, the Ice Palace was oppressed under the power of Chun Yeowun, but one day, when he leaves, the backlash will resurface. At that time, Baekhyun accepted Chun Yeowun’s decision. ‘… I don’t know. But keeping him alive is dangerous. Wouldn’t it be better to deal with the opposition?’ Whenever the elders were concerned, such thoughts would enter their minds. But, the final decision would be made today. ‘Because this is going to be the last interrogation…’ It wasn’t known why Chun Yeowun was interrogating Dan Jucheon for the last time today. At the same time, the temporary detention room in the reconstruction site of the Ice Palace. In the middle of the site, which was full of barracks, there was only one building made of ice, an ice prison built by Chun Yeowun with the newly found Ice Cold of Heaven technique. An ice prison that was cold enough to make even Dan Jucheon’s body go numb and unable to move. ‘This is really the Ice Cold of Heaven technique.’ Cold qi couldn’t be produced to such an extent. It was lucky that the technique was found, but learning it would be impossible. ‘Did he have no problems learning it because he is past human limitations?’ In the past, one of the five strongest warriors of Wulin used cold qi. Despite being above Dan Jucheon in strength, he wasn’t exemplary in cold qi. There was no other way to say it, but Chun Yeowun is a true monster. ‘I thought I would die from the cold.’ Regret. Being imprisoned like that, it was hard waiting for death. It was then. Keek! The entrance to the ice prison was opened, and someone entered. It was hard to see the man because of the light behind him, but he could guess who he was by looking at his long hair. ‘Lord Chun.’ Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult who visited him just three days ago. However, the atmosphere was different from when he first saw him. Gooooo! ‘Kuk!’ He wasn’t sure since he had been inside the ice prison for a long time, but being close to Yeowun made him run out of breath. ‘… he completely absorbed the core!’ Dan Jucheon bit his tongue. He never knew that the core, which held humongous energy, could be absorbed in such a short time. He was a monster before absorbing the core. Dan Jucheon couldn’t even imagine what Chun Yeowun was now. At that time, Chun Yeowun approached, Step! He unsealed Dan Jucheon’s blood points. Chun Yeowun, who unsealed the blood points, spoke first. “We found the body of Wong Sangho, the elder of the Ice Palace who disappeared.” “…” “Based on your words, one charge on them for the missing dragon head has been dropped.” At Chun Yeowun’s words, he bit his lip. “… No.” He said one charge. It was said that one of the heads of the Dragon Turtle, which should have been on the western side of the ruins near the Demonic Cult’s barracks, had disappeared. At that time, the whereabouts of Won Sangho, an elder who followed Dan Jucheon, were unknown, and then his body was found. Dan Jucheon claimed that it wasn’t him, but his innocence wasn’t proven. Fortunately, the palace officials who were working on the reconstruction found Won Sangho’s frozen body. “It could be the Yulin.” Dan Jucheon argued that it must be Yulin who stole the head. And it made sense. The Blade God Six Martial clan could have stolen it too, but they later found that a few people of the Yulin had gone missing. Lieutenant Mak Wijong, the temporary captain of the Black Shadow troops, had disappeared along with some other men. Moyong Kang and Jegal Sohi claimed that they disappeared to find the core, but since they couldn’t find Mak Wijong in the underground despite coming across the Blade God Six Martial clan, Yulin was at the top of the suspect list. However, Chun Yeowun didn’t think like that. “No. It isn’t the Yulin.” “… what do you mean by that? Weren’t there people of that faction who disappeared?” “Some of their bodies have been found.” “What?” Shockingly, the bodies of some of the men of the Black Shadow troops were found two days ago. A hundred miles to the southeast, people found their corpses which were left behind after animals ate them. The corpses were extremely damaged, but there was one thing that couldn’t be hidden. “There were traces of the Blade God Six Martial clans’ martial arts on their bodies.” “No? … So they stole it?” Dan Jucheon’s eyes trembled at the results. The Red Mountains of Lhasa. The Potala Palace which was located on an alpine mountain at an altitude of 12,139 feet. The Potala Palace was known to be the sacred place of the Bodhisattva. It was a mystery how the palace was built in such a high place. The building, made of a mixture of granite and wood, had a white exterior wall and a dark red roof. The majestic palace towering over the mountain left viewers in awe. Normally, everyone would look at it in awe. However, there was a problem with the palace. The Potala Palace was divided into two parts; the White Palace and the Red Palace. The ruler, the Dalai Lama, was in charge of the affairs and held religious ceremonies in the Red Palace. The Red Palace, where one would normally hear the recitation of sutras, was completely gone. Half of the palace was in ruins as there had been a war, and in the middle of it, more than a thousand bodies were burning. Fire! “Ugh.” A man shook his head at the smell of the burning flesh. Among the black soot, a bunch of sparkling white marbles could be seen. They were called Sarira or relics and they gave off a mysterious light. “They came out in large numbers because there were a lot of monks.” The Potala Palace was full of the monks’ disciples. When the dead Dalai Lama was burned in the perpetrator’s hands, the relics that came out of him were equal to what came out of ten disciples. That was proof of how strong he was. However, even the Dalai Lama wasn’t able to withstand more than three sword techniques and died. “How long will it take for the Blade Lord to completely absorb it?” Two days ago, he locked himself in the Dalai Lama’s room in the White Palace. He informed his men to never disturb him unless it was something urgent, as he dealt with something difficult. At that time. Flap! Flap! “Uh!” A hawk flew across the blue sky towards a man. It wasn’t a wild hawk, he naturally lowered his claws and settled down on the arm of the bandaged man. This hawk was trained to deliver letters. There was a small cylinder tied to its toenail, and when untied and opened, a rolled-up paper came out. Swoosh! When the paper was opened, there was nothing written on it. It was empty, but the bandaged man, who was accustomed to it, took out a reagent from his pocket and dripped a drop of it on the paper and strangely the paper began to turn dark at places. “Let’s see.” The eyes of the bandaged man who was examining the content were unusual. Soaked in embarrassment, he gave the hawk over to a subordinate and entered the White Palace. Entering the White Palace, he rushed towards the Dalai Lama’s room, which was towards the basement. After going downstairs, there was a thick and large door. Gulp! The bandaged man, who gulped, carefully knocked on the iron door. Knock! After knocking a couple times, instead of hearing any answer from inside, the tightly shut door began to open. Kiiik! Swoosh! As the door opened, cold air escaped out. The bandaged man entered the room with trembling footsteps, looking at everything which had frozen as if they were in the North Sea. In the middle of the room, a giant bird with its head cut off and an enormous body came into view. It was one of the five Spirit Beasts, the carcass of the Great Bird, which is known to transform into a large fish in the Arctic. ‘Where is he… ah!’ As he looked around, he saw a middle-aged man meditating on the corpse of the Great Bird. He was the Blade Lord. An intense cold qi emanated from his body, and it seemed like he had absorbed the beast’s core in two days. ‘Kuk, how do I explain this?’ Scary. There were supposed to be no more problems. However, never in his wildest of dreams would the man have thought that their plans would go awry. As he was hesitating, the Blade Lord, who was seated with his eyes closed, opened his mouth. “I told you to not disturb me unless it’s something important.” “Bl-Blade Lord!” Thud! The man fell flat on the ground and apologized. “What happened?” “Th-that…” “Do you want me to aim for your heart?” Swoosh! With a voice full of displeasure, intense energy surrounded him. In the end, the man decided to tell him what he read. “Bl-Blade Lord! The men of the Slaughter Blade Master and the Spirit squad were all killed.” Woong! “Uhk!” As soon as his words finished, the body of the bandaged man floated into the air and was dragged towards Blade Lord, who was sitting on the dead bird. “What are you talking about now? Did they all die unable to take down the Ice Palace warriors and the Dragon Turtle?” “N-not that. Two masters and a couple more are alive…” Wheeing! “Kuk!” Blade Lord grabbed the neck of the man and asked. “Doesn’t that mean they failed?” “Kuk… Kuk… Demon… Demon God… in… North Sea… Ice Palace…” ‘!?’ The grip on the man weakened with those words. The man decided to let him explain. “Demon… God?” “Ye-yes! If he hadn’t intervened, they would have safely brought the dragon to our place… a- a young prince of the palace seems to have requested the Demonic Cult to send reinforcements! Even then, our people ended up colliding with him and one of the dragon’s heads…” Phut! With strong force, the man’s body was thrown to the side. The power was so strong that after the impact the man began to cough up blood. “Kuak! Kuah!” Not caring, Blade Lord jumped up from his seat and mumbled in a voice filled with anger. “… it can’t be. Is he also aiming for the five Spirit Beasts!” Chapter 433 - The Five Spirit Beasts (2) Chapter 433: The Five Spirit Beasts (2) Many scholars had books called the Three Great Books. One of them was the Moral Sutras of Heaven. It was a book that narrates the legends and the bizarre stories from the distant past, enough to be referred to as a Spirit Book, which has one hundred and eight chapters. The book mentioned something about the Book of Rites and the Five Classics, which talk about spirit beasts: the Yinglong, Qilin, Phoenix, Dragon Turtle, etc. There were only legends, and there was no mention of them appearing or anyone discovering them. However, the five spirit beasts discussed in the Moral Sutras of the Heaven were different. As if the author had seen the five spirit beasts in person, he described them very vividly. The five spirit beasts first appeared in Jianghu in the days of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Spirit beasts weren’t usually found, but when one does appear, it only happens when an era passes. While ferocious spirit beasts such as the Dragon Turtle and the Flame Qilin slaughter humans, most spirit beasts focus on accumulating spiritual power because their purpose is to ascend back to the heavenly realm. Significant information was written on the last page of the book, which described the details of the five spirit beasts, but most of it was just passed down generally. However, someone who took this seriously appeared and turned Jianghu into a mess. The first emperor to control the Jianghu was the Qin Emperor. According to the story, a priest named Seo Baek led thousands of people into Jianghu to find the five spirit beasts in order to fulfill the wishes of the Qin Emperor. In it, it was written that Seo Baek, who headed into Jianghu, disappeared, and the emperor eventually disappeared. However, it was said that the priest had found the Great Bird, one of the five spirit beasts, but decided to hide it as he heard that the emperor had turned into a tyrant who ruined the name of the royal family. Dalai Lama’s room which was located in the White Palace of the Potala Palace. On the desk in the office, there were four different papers. One of them was a map that pointed to the Potala Palace, and in the lower right corner, the words ‘King’s Belonging’ were written. It belonged to a bureaucrat named Seo Baek. Gooooo! The entire room was filled with energy, and the air seemed heavy. The bandaged man took off his bamboo hat, he looked like he was about to die, but he didn’t show his fear. Because the wrath of the Blade Lord couldn’t be escaped even after death. ‘Ouh, I’m going to die.’ In recent years, all their plans had failed, and now, it was taking a turn for the worst. It wouldn’t be very strange if the Blade Lord killed him in anger. It was then. The Blade Lord opened his mouth. “First the Flame Qilin’s core, now even the core of the Dragon Turtle got taken away. Huh.” “…” He couldn’t answer. If he made any excuses, the Blade Lord would definitely kill him. Slightly lifting his hand, he made sure only one item on the desk was lifted. It was the map of the entire continent, the North Sea Ice Palace, the Empire, everywhere. A few places were marked, indicating the locations of the five spirit beasts. “Everything has become useless!” Clench! Blade Lord clenched his hands. And, Wheeing! Three maps floated in the air and burned. The Blade Lord’s eyes burned in anger as he looked at the maps, which turned into ashes. ‘Eek!’ To the bandaged man, the Blade Lord spoke. “I’m giving you one last chance. Head to the Changbai Mountains first and get the core.” “Cha-changbai Mountain is…” “Do you think that I’ll hand over the remaining spirit beasts to him!” Bang! When Blade Lord slammed his fist on the desk, it broke and turned into ashes. Blade Lord was so strong that he didn’t have to put much effort into destroying things. “Blade Lord… the Changbai mountain entrance is guarded by ‘that man’. You have seen that man’s martial arts…” He was scared. The Blade Lord’s first appearance in Jianghu was around 20 years ago. Their first target was the spirit beast which held the power of Wind in the Northeast’s Changbai mountain. However, far from entering the mountain, right at the entrance, everyone was defeated, and they had to return. After that day, the Blade Lord trained for twenty years. The Blade Lord reached the Divine Master level, yet he never once mentioned the Changbai Mountain as he was conscious of the defeat. Wheeing! Clench! “Kuak!” Hwang Heol, who was caught by the neck again, was in agony. He tried to avoid arousing the Blade Lord’s anger, but he failed and ended up getting pulled into his grasp again. “Who told you to get rid of ‘that one’?” “Kuak… uh?” “The fact that Chun Yeowun obtained two cores of the five spirit beasts means that he will aim for the other one to gain the power of immortality. He will also head to Changbai Mountain! Do you get what I’m saying?” At those words, Hwang Heol’s eyes fluttered. It was because he understood what the Blade Lord was saying. The temporary ice prison in the North Sea Ice Palace. Chachachacha! The golden staff disintegrated and turned into armor that completely covered the chest and upper back. Dan Jucheon, the former deputy king, was shocked by the change. The golden upper body armor disintegrated and formed into the staff once again. “Th-this is the hidden power of the Divine Object?” Chun Yeowun nodded his head at the question. Dan Jucheon, who was shocked, pursed his lips. He had argued with Chun Yeowun that finding the Divine Object was a plain coincidence and that he only became its owner because he found it first. ‘Neither in the ancestors’ records nor the legends have I ever heard of the Divine Object possessing such power.’ He couldn’t help but be surprised. There was no record that the Divine Object had the power to transform itself. If so, that meant that not a single king had managed to unfold the true power of the object. None of the past owners of the staff were actually able to use the weapon. The only thing the ancestors knew of the hidden power of the Divine Object was that it possessed the Ice Cold of Heaven technique as it’s engraved on the staff. ‘If so, that means he was chosen by the staff…. Does that mean that the staff chose someone, not from the family bloodline?’ Thud! He knelt down. It was even more shocking than when he first found out that Chun Yeowun had been chosen. He had no choice but to think that the spirit of Dan Young, the first ancestor, was disappointed in his descendants. ‘Did we reap what we sowed?’ Maybe it was destined for the Divine Object to fall into the hands of an outsider. Desperate, Dan Jucheon looked at the golden armor. Chun Yeowun spoke to him. “If you are planning to give up your life, I will behead you right here. But, I have one last proposition.” “Proposition?” “For you, the North Sea Ice Palace might be your final destination, but it’s the beginning for me.” ‘!?’ Dan Jucheon’s eyes widened at the word ‘beginning’. He knew what it meant. ‘Is it possible… that he plans to be the strongest?’ The true purpose of the Lord of the Demonic Cult. It was impossible for Chun Yeowun, who had the qualities of a king, to just stay as one of the five strongest warriors. Chun Yeowun continued to speak. “Are you satisfied with being just the king of this palace?” “That…” It was the future he had long dreamed of. It was the lifelong wish of Dan Jucheon, who thought that he would always be the second choice for the people of the palace. However, the next words that came out of Chun Yeowun’s mouth were even more shocking. “If you swear allegiance, follow me. I’ll give you the position of Ruler of the North.” “Ruler of the North!” It meant that he wouldn’t be tied down to the North Sea Ice Palace but be made a person in charge of the outside world. It wasn’t just simply following Chun Yeowun, but a position which was a lot bigger than he could achieve. Dan Jucheon was shaken. ‘Ruler of the North? Does that mean that I’d rule the entire north?’ He never thought that far. He was satisfied with reaching the Supreme Master level inside the Ice Palace. And that was the extent of his ambition. With a tiny spark, it seemed like a fire inside him began to burn. Chachachachacha! ‘Ah!’ The Divine object, which had transformed into armor, had once again turned into a golden staff. Chun Yeowun, who grabbed it, handed it to Dan Jucheon. “This Divine Object will be the symbol of what I’m proposing.” Tak! As if possessed, Dan Jucheon’s hand reached out for the staff and grabbed it. Shockingly, the Ice Cold staff, which had rejected him in the past, no longer rejected him. “Ahh!” Clench! Dan Jucheon’s eyes, which looked at the staff he grabbed, came to life once again. ‘… this Demon God is setting me ablaze!’ It was unknown if the man in front of him was going to be the strongest in Wulin. But the desire to take up a position beside him began to grow in Dan Jucheon. ‘I will stand again!’ After all, the pain and regrets he had were pushed aside, Dan Jucheon’s broken heart, which was ready to accept the death, was completely revived. With life back in his eyes, he knelt on one knee. Thud! “I will accept the opportunity that the Demon God has given me with all my heart! Although I am lacking in skill and body, please accept my loyalty!” Chun Yeouwn spoke with a smile on his face. “I am appointing you the head of the Academy and 3rd Great elder.” “Yes!!!” Dan Jucheon responded once again while clenching the Divine Object. Clench! Thus, in the Sky Demon Order, where Chun Yeowun had taken power, the 1st Great Elder was Ran-yeong, the 2nd Great Elder was Wang Jing, and then came Dan Jucheon. What would happen if the people of Wulin found out that Chun Yeowun managed to gain another Supreme Master under him? This was huge. This was the first time that Chun Yeowun had revealed his true ambition. ‘It’s fine.’ Chun Yeowun looked at the Ice Cold Staff in the hands of Dan Jucheon and remembered what happened. A new thing was discovered during the disaster. Chun Yeowun had gradually begun to imbue cold qi from the first level into the staff. As he already had yin qi, he was able to learn cold qi until the 4th level without much training. If Dan Young, the founder of cold qi, had seen that, he would have been shocked. When he was about to enter the 5th level, something unexpected happened. Grasp! A dazzling light rose from the Divine Object. Chun Yeowun had gotten sucked into a place with infinite darkness. It wasn’t the first time that happened. The same thing had happened when he got the Sky Demon Sword. In that place, Chun Yeowun saw another vision. Flutter! Flutter! [This can’t be…] A scene of an unidentified middle-aged man wearing a white fur coat subduing a huge bird with humongous wings at the North Sea Ice Palace. The man who subdued the Great Bird for half an hour inserted the golden staff into the heart of the bird. Intense energy flowed out from the heart of the Great Bird and began to get absorbed into the staff. [This is…] Chun Yeowun looked at it as he remembered what he saw before his ascension. In the past, some men used the Sky Demon Sword to cut off the head of Imoogi and put the sword into its heart. [Are they absorbing the spiritual energy of the spirit beasts?] It seemed like the scene played out for a long time, but it was a fleeting vision for Chun Yeowun, who escaped from the disaster, but he found out what the hidden power of the golden staff was. The only reason the staff was able to produce such a large amount of cold qi was because it had absorbed the spiritual energy of a spirit beast. Chun Yeowun guessed what the animal was. The only spirit beast with the shape of a bird was the Great Bird. [This was the hidden power inside the Divine Object.] Chun Yeowun absorbed the power of the Great Bird, which was inside the staff, after taking in the Dragon Turtle’s core. As it hadn’t been touched for hundreds of years, there was no loss of energy inside the staff, however, the cold qi inside Chun Yeowun was in harmony with the power of the Great Bird. After absorbing all the spiritual energy, the staff was able to disintegrate and transform into a type of armor. [… there has to be something.] Chun Yeowun found it strange. So he had Nano analyze the material of the golden staff. And he found some surprising results. [The metal of the golden staff is the same material as the Sky Demon Sword. It is a substance that does not exist on earth.] [Ah!] He heard from Baekhyun, the new King of the palace, that Ice Cold Staff, a sacred item of the North Sea Ice Palace, was made by mixing gold with pieces of the meteorite that fell. That said, then the Sky Demon Sword, too, must have had pieces of meteorite in it. ‘Is it just a coincidence that two weapons made from fallen stars have come into my hand?’ He had such a question. In any case, thanks to the absorption of the Great Bird’s energy, other people were able to touch the staff. Chun Yeowun took all the spiritual energy and gave the Ice Cold Staff to Dan Jucheon without any regrets. He already had a Nano suit, which meant another piece of armor was meaningless. ‘There is nothing to lose if I can acquire a talented person like him by my side.’ Dan Jucheon’s face, while he held the staff, was glowing with joy. It was then when someone rushed into the prison. “Lord!” It was Hu Bong. When Chun Yeowun looked at him, he spoke in an urgent voice. “The former Lord has woken up!” Chapter 434 - The Five Spirit Beasts (3) Chapter 434: The Five Spirit Beasts (3) Marakim, the Great Guardian, stayed by Chun Yeowun’s side most of the day. However, whenever he had free time, he would visit the infirmary and check on the Former Lord, Chun Inji, who was unconscious. The first buildings built by the Ice Palace warriors during the reconstruction were the infirmary and lodgings. It was natural that there were many wounded people in the battle fought in the underground and against the dragon. A separate infirmary was built for the members of the Six Swords. Over there, an old man, full of wrinkles, was lying down on a bed. The lightning seemed to have burned away everything from his hair, eyebrows, and beard, but the majestic appearance of the Former Lord of the Demonic Cult didn’t disappear. “Lord…” Marakim’s eyes, which had been looking through the gaps in his mask, were sad. Since Chun Inji was the Lord he served, the words ‘Former Lord’ didn’t come to his lips. Hu Bong, who was in the infirmary with him, didn’t blame him either. “I think we should hurry up and head back to our place. Great Guardian.” Marakim nodded at Hu Bong’s words. The current condition of the Former Lord Chun Inji wasn’t very stable. The damage to his energy was so great that he showed no signs of waking up even when Chun Yeowun and Marakim tried to infuse their internal energy. All the members of the North Sea Ice Palace couldn’t figure out the cause. Chun Yeowun could guess, [… maybe it is the side effect of that worm in his head.] Chun Yeowun used Nano’s assistance to bring out the worm from his brain and disintegrate it as it flowed out through his nostrils and mouth. However, since it had been in his head for a long time, there was no way he could be fine. [The Former Lord even suffered damage to his heart because of the side effects of the Blood Rever…] It took several months for even the Former Lord Chun Yujong to wake up. The exact cause was unknown, but since Chun Inji had been in the dark for a long time, no one could predict when he would wake up. Chun Yeowun decided to hurry back to the Ten Thousand Mountains as soon as he absorbed the core and finished the work in the Ice Palace. ‘Lord… please wake up. A lot has changed while you were away. The cult was controlled by the six clans… the Blade God Six Martial clan, which you considered as a danger, is now afraid of the current Lord.’ It would be horrible if Chun Inji left the world without knowing all that. “Lieutenant Hu. Please look after him.” “Understood.” It was the moment when he was about to leave the infirmary. “Cough… cough!” Marakim turned his head at the heavy cough. Shockingly, Chun Inji, who had been lying on the bed, woke up. “Lord!” Marakim approached him right away and supported him so he could raise his upper body and cough. His condition, with that haggard face and coughing, didn’t seem good. “Cough… Great… Guardian…” Marakim’s eyes trembled at the voice of Chun Inji, who called him after a long time. Marakim asked Hu Bong in an urgent voice. “Lieutenant Hu. Bring the Lord here right now!” “Ah, understood! I will go fetch him right away!” Tat! Hu Bong, who was too shocked at the sight of the Former Lord waking up, hurriedly moved. “Lord! Are you alright?” “Cough… Cough… Great Guardian, to see you again like this.” Although his condition was bad, Chun Inji looked at Marakim with happy eyes. Seeing his subordinate for the first time in twenty years was a good sight for him. “Cough! Cough!” “Lord!” Marakim’s eyes widened. The corners of Chun Inji’s mouth had blood. When they were infusing their internal energy, they found no traces of internal damage. The only damage was to the internal energy itself. Flustered, he tried to help Chun Inji, but he refused. “Cough… cough… I am fine. It isn’t mine.” Drip! He told Marakim to not worry, but the nosebleed which started seemed severe. Chun Inji cleared his breath and soon tried to condense his energy. Goo! However, his body was giving out a gold hue, which was something completely different from what the cultists do. “This?” The energy of martial arts and Buddhism made it look like a halo was created behind Chun Inji. Marakim had seen that kind of energy before. “The Yin Jin Jing (Reverse Health Preservation)?” It was a supreme technique that only the highest monk of the Shaolin Temple could learn. Bodhi Dharma, who created it, is said to have known and contained the true essence of Buddhism. ‘How does the Lord know the Reverse Health Preservation?’ It was a technique that was completely different from the things taught in the Sky Demon Order. He knew that what was taught in their cult would enhance one’s internal energy, while the Reverse Health Preservation would strengthen the body. However, since the characteristics are different, it could create conflicts with the techniques learned in the cult, which meant that one technique had to be abandoned to learn the other. Pak! Then someone opened the door to the infirmary and rushed in. “Lord!” It was Chun Yeowun. He rushed over the moment he heard the message from Hu Bong. Goooo! “This is?” Chun Yeowun frowned at the energy which was flowing in the infirmary. Although he never directly experienced it, he knew that this was the energy of Buddhism. “What the hell is going on?” At Chun Yeowun’s question, Marakim shook his head. “The Former Lord woke up, but his condition didn’t seem good as he was coughing up blood. And then he started this… as you can see that this is the Reversal Health Preservation.” “Reversal Health Preservation? How does grandfather know the martial arts of the Shaolin Temple?” “I think we will find out once he is done.” The reason was unknown to Marakim too. However, the haggard complexion on Chun Inji gradually turned brighter. There was no other option than to wait. How long has it been? The energy which had been radiating for an hour slowly subsided. When the golden energy completely disappeared, Chun Inji opened his eyes. “Sigh…” Chun Inji, who looked better, sighed. And then found Chun Yeowun, who was standing near him. ‘!?’ He only looked for a moment, but he was shocked. Even though Chun Inji’s internal energy had been damaged, he was still someone who reached the Supreme Master level, and he could understand the power of an opponent. ‘Who is this young one? And what amazing power…’ The young man in front of him, his power couldn’t be measured. The aura of martial arts which was emanating from him was thrilling. Chun Inji looked at Chun Yeowun with serious eyes and asked Marakim who was standing next to him. “Great Guardian. Who is this young man?” Chun Yeowun was the one who answered. “… Chun Yeowun, who is here for his grandfather, the Former Lord.” Wide! Chun Inji’s eyes shook as he looked at Chun Yeowun. “Chun Yeowun? Hwayeon’s child?” He couldn’t have not known the name. He remembered it correctly because he had intervened directly because of the riots of the six clans about Chun Yujong marrying her. ‘This man is her son?’ He was the one who was named Chun Yeowun before leaving the cult. It was because Chun Yujong, who didn’t ask for names for the children born to his six other wives, asked him for the first time. “He is the current Lord.” “The current Lord?” Chun Inji was more shocked at Marakim’s words. “No?… Is, is that really true?” It was unbelievable. Chun Inji blinked his eyes a couple of times while looking at Chun Yeowun. He assumed that the current Lord was still Chun Yujong. It was because he thought that Chun Yujong would carry out his words about taking down the Blade God Six martial clan. ‘How could this child be the Lord… what happened!’ He couldn’t help but be shocked. He thought that the next Lord would be from the six clans. Chun Yeowun didn’t belong to any of those clans, Chun Inji felt very upset that no matter how much Chun Yujong loved Lady Hwa and her son, he would be unable to protect the kid from the six clans. ‘What a miracle!’ He thought that the Cult would be bound by the six clans. However, he couldn’t express his joy when he realized that the Lord was no longer bound by the other clans. It was amazing, yet he wouldn’t have believed it. However, seeing Chun Yeowun’s energy, he knew that it was achieved. “It is amazing that you became the Lord… come closer!” At Chun Inji’s words, Chun Yeowun calmly approached the bed. Chun Yeowun felt strange at the mention of his mother, Hwayeon’s name. It was because, after her death, Chun Yeowun never felt any kind of love. “You are very similar. Just like your mother…” With that short word, he said everything he wanted to say. Chun Yeowun spoke, despite trying to stay blunt, his voice seemed emotional. “I am glad you are safe… grandpa.” Chun Inji’s eyes trembled at the last word, grandpa. He, too, had no choice but to soften his heart at the sight of his flesh and blood after 20 years. ‘Grandchild…’ Just the word made him cringe. “Heh heh heh.” At that thought, Chun Inji smiled. Although he was strict with Chun Yujong and his other kids, he couldn’t help but soften as he looked at his grandson, who was all grown up. ‘… he’s different.’ It was Chun Yeowun’s first time seeing Chun Inji since he was a baby. For the first time, Chun Yeowun was able to feel emotions rising inside him, feelings of love when he looked at his grandfather’s smile. ‘Family…’ A feeling, an emotion he never felt since childhood. Blood was really strange. It made even Chun Yeowun’s frozen heart melt. ‘I wanted the Lord to see how much we have changed.’ Marakim, who looked at those two, decided not to speak. Sometimes, men do not express much, yet an exchange of emotion gets communicated through the eyes. And now there was such a situation. Somehow, Chun Inji’s complexion darkened as if he remembered something. “Great Guardian! This place is?” “Calm down. This is the North Sea Ice Palace.” Marakim, who noticed how Chun Inji became, tried to calm him. When he heard the word ‘North Sea Ice Palace’, he wondered. “North Sea Ice Palace? Then… kuek!” “Grandpa!” He grabbed his head with both hands. When Chun Inji was in pain while breaking down in cold sweat, Chun Yeowun and Marakim tried to support him only to get refused. “I’m fine, fine. It’s because my memory isn’t perfect.” Chun Inji was in a confused state. As he got released from the clutches of the worm, his memories were mixed. There was only one thing he could remember. “Yeowun-ah!⁽¹⁾ W-we need to stop them right now! We shouldn’t let the core of the Dragon Turtle fall into their hands.” “Calm down.” “There is no time for that! When they get the cores of the five spirit beasts!” “Grandfather!” As Chun Inji staggered and tried to get up from bed, Chun Yeowun pushed him back onto the bed gently. Thud! ‘This power?’ Although his condition wasn’t perfect, Chun Inji could still feel the overwhelming power from Chun Yeowun. He guessed it by seeing him, but the feel of it said that he was way stronger than he thought. “The core hasn’t fallen into their hands, so don’t worry.” “It-it didn’t fall into their hands?” With a smile on his face, Chun Yeowun answered by scratching his head. “I took the core of the dragon.” “What?” Perhaps it was an unexpected answer. Chun Inji looked at Yeowun in shock. It was flustering how just a minute back, he was trying to prevent them from getting the core. “Y-yeowun-ah. You took it?” To prove it with action rather than words, Chun Yeowun gathered thunder qi on his hand. Crackle! “This! This is… true?” At the lightning flashing in his palm, Chun Inji was shocked. He never imagined that Chun Yeowun would have obtained the core of the dragon. “haa…” Thud! With a sigh of relief, Chun Inji leaned back onto the bed. He was genuinely happy about it. Hesitating for a bit, Chun Yeowun asked with a worried expression. “… grandfather. You just woke up, but I have been meaning to ask, what happened? Rather than trying to get the five spirit beasts… why did you get caught by the Blade God Six Martial clan and used by them?” There were so many questions, and he unintentionally asked them all at once. Maybe Chun Yeowun was in a hurry. Even if the questions weren’t answered, Chun Yeowun wouldn’t be upset. “Ahh…” Chun Inji closed his eyes as he sighed deeply, and the eyes of Marakim and Chun Yeowun, who were looking at him, were mixed with curiosity and worries. If they thought about it, the man had sacrificed himself for the sake of protecting the Yulin and the Demonic Cult. ‘I was stupid. I was overconfident in my strength.’ But it was arrogance. Even when all the masters had combined and tried to take the enemy down, they got caught. Fortunately, one of the five cores was absorbed by Chun Yeowun. Chun Inji, who cleared his thoughts, opened his eyes and spoke. “Everything is this old man’s fault. Because of me, Saint Gu-jung and ‘they’ too got sacrificed.” “Saint Gu-jung?” The saint Gu-jung was the head of the Shaolin temple, who disappeared eighteen years ago. The man from the Moyong clan was indeed talking about Saint Gu-jung. As they were confused, Chun Inji spoke. “They came to the North Sea Ice Palace to take the core of the dragon, those ones.” “Are you talking about the Blade God Six Martial clan?” “… you know about them too. Ugh, I was just trying to stop them from waking it up.” ‘Ah!’ Marakim’s eyes lit up at Chun Inji’s regretful words. He vaguely guessed why he disappeared. It could be because of the Blade God Six Martial clan. The Former Lord continued to speak. “I don’t even know where I am supposed to start… right. This is the right place. Do you know about the five spirit beasts? The Imoogi, the Dragon Turtle, the Flame Qilin, the Great Bird and the Feng bo.” Chun Yeowun and Marakim also knew them. These are the five spirit beasts mentioned in the books. “We came to the North Sea Ice Palace, but then came to learn that the Blade God Six Martial clan were aiming for the core of the five spirit beasts.” ‘I knew it.’ At those words, Chun Yeowun nodded his head as one of his questions was answered. Thanks to the recent incident, he assumed that they were trying to gather the cores of the spirit beasts. “It is really fortunate that you took one of them, the Dragon Turtle. My memory isn’t perfect, but they are aiming for the cores of the other ones too.” “That… I guessed that to some extent.” At Chun Yeowun’s words, Chun Inji looked puzzled. “You guessed?” “I prevented them from taking the core of the Flame Qilin in the Royal Shrine of the Imperial Palace.” “… what?” Chun Inji couldn’t hide his embarrassment. The core of the Flame Qilin, which was in the Imperial palace, he was about to say that they shouldn’t be given it. “Considering what grandfather just said, the reason why they had planted the spies in our cult was because they aimed for the core inside the cult.” “No. What now?” Chun Inji knew nothing about the Imoogi. Chun Yeowun showed his right arm, which was covered in a black band, soon to change into the shape of a sword. Chachachacha! “Thi-this is?” “The Sky Demon Sword.” “Sky-Sky Demon Sword!!!” Being the Former Lord of the cult, there was no way that he was unaware of the Sky Demon Sword. The legendary sword which could only be obtained by the true heirs of the Sky Demon Order. It was shocking that Chun Yeowun was the one holding it. But the surprise didn’t end there. “The Sky Demon Sword contains the core of the Imoogi. As you can see… I took this away too.” ‘!!!’ Chun Inji looked at Chun Yeowun as he heard the words of the Imoogi core being with him. He wondered what all happened when he was being held behind the iron mask. “Ye-Yeowun-ah! Yeowun! You said you stopped them from the Royal Shrine. Did you take the core of the Qilin too?” “Yes.” “What? What… the… what… ha!” Chun Inji was at a loss for words. He had to make a lot of sacrifices to get that information. He even tried very hard to somehow let the cult know that the five spirit beasts had to be taken away from the Blade God Six Martial clan, but it was absurd that his grandson, Chun Yeowun took three cores. ‘… did he take the core of the Great Bird too?’ Seeing Chun Inji’s reaction, Chun Yeowun became a little worried. Chapter 435 - To Changbai Mountains (1) Chapter 435 To Changbai Mountains (1) It took a long time for former Lord Chun Inji to calm down. The news filled with surprises about the Sky Demon Sword and the cores made his heart tremble. ‘How could all of this be?’ It was considered that the legitimacy of the Demonic Cult was cut off after the seventh generation Lord, Chun Muhui. A false sword was replaced by the actual Sky Demon Sword. The blood of the heavenly family. But despite the huge gap in time, a new Chun Ma was born in the Demonic Cult. “This old man forgot to formally greet you.” ‘!?’ Chun Inji staggered as he stood up, straightening his back, he slowly began to kneel on one knee and clasped his hands. “Grandfather!” Chun Yeowun tried to dissuade him but to no avail. “Chun Inji, the 22nd Lord of the Great Sky Demon Order, greets the current Chun Ma!” Tears were falling from the corners of his wrinkled eyes. It was a joy that the Sky Demon Sword was once again brought into their lives. And it wasn’t some other person from the clan but his very own grandson. Chun Yeowun, who looked at that, spoke. “Grandfather, this is troublesome.” “What is troublesome? This is the happiest day of this old man’s life.” ‘… he’s serious.’ Chun Inji loved the Demonic Cult. Not just as the Lord, but he cherished just being a member of the cult. Therefore, he disappeared, intending to carry all the burdens and sacrifice himself. ‘He is a true Cultist.’ He felt the same respect after meeting Ran-yeong, the great woman who sacrificed herself in the Royal Shrine for many years. If only the heads of the six clans within the cult had acted like them, the Demonic Cult wouldn’t have suffered. As the emotions subsided, the trembling of his heart stopped as well. Chun Yeowun asked with worry. “Grandfather. You said your memory isn’t perfect. Would you like to talk after you rest a little more?” To that, Chun Inji shook his head and answered. “… No. I have had enough sleep.” He smiled widely and looked at the sword, which had transformed back into a wrist guard, and his expression changed into a serious one. “Yeowun-ah, the fact that you obtained the Sky Demon Sword… and that you obtained the cores before they fell into the hands of the Blade God Six Martial clan might be the guidance of Chun Ma.” “Guidance…” Suddenly, Chun Yeowun remembered the illusion he saw when he held the Sky Demon Sword for the first time. At that time, a man who was supposed to be Chun Ma had spoken. [It will take a long time. I don’t think it will happen in my lifetime.] Why did those words come to his mind? “Maybe it’s just the thought of the people who stay in the Cult. Heheh, but one thing is for sure, it seems like something bad is going to come. This could be fate. Now is the time for everything to be revealed. Ahm.” Chun Inji, who nodded at his words, started recalling stuff. “According to what you said, as time passed, it must have been around 25 years ago.” Chun Inji, who was the Lord of that time, had a great reputation. During the reign of Chun Inji, the Demonic Cult was expanding its territory to the west, the domain of the Forces of Evil. And the Forces of Evil was led by one of the five strongest warriors, King Hang Yen, who had defeated the former head Ok-hyun. Even though he was called a ferocious monarch, he was unable to defeat the army of the Demonic Cult, which was led by Chun Inji, and he ended up getting pushed back. “It was a time when we continued into the west. Even after having a few victories, there seemed to be a lot of dissatisfaction among the six clans.” “… I remember. At that time, everyone seemed puzzled at the order to subjugate the west, despite us having the power and number to take over the Yulin faction which was in the north.” Marakim also added to Chun Inji’s words, as he remembered those days. At that, Chun Inji seemed upset. “I can say it out loud now, but at that time, I didn’t see another choice. This old man had made an oath to him.” “Oath?” “… with Saint Gu-jung, the former leader of the Shaolin Temple.” Seventy years ago, Chun Inji had passed the six tests of the Academy. Chun Inji was so talented that he managed to pass the six tests, which no one had passed for a long time, and not long after that, he took over the title of Lord. “It had been fifty years or so since I first saw Gu-jung.” Chun Inji, who was full of spirit and energy, tried to move to the north, the place of the Yulin, just as the previous Lords of the Demonic Cult had done. In fact, there was a time when he was trying to go north until the Henan province. “At that time, Saint Gu-jung was the one who stopped me.” Saint Gu-jung, the then leader of the Shaolin Temple, was called the ‘enlightened one’ and was respected in the Yulin. However, he wasn’t famous for anything other than that. However, Saint Gu-jung, who brought ten disciples and one hundred and eight Hanjin, was different from the rumors. “I found out for the first time. The fact that many hidden geniuses were in Wulin.” Surprisingly, Chun Inji, who was called one of the five strongest warriors, experienced defeat for the first time. As a result of the battle, which lasted for half a day, he suffered severe internal injuries and was defeated. “Grandfather lost?” Even Marakim was shocked. It was his first time hearing about it. “Huhu, for the first time, I managed to learn the true power of the Shaolin Temple.” They seldom participated in any events, but once they moved, they weren’t a force that could be tackled. “… that was why you didn’t take over the north?” “Well, you can think of it that way. One thing… in the beginning, it was because of my pride.” “Pride?” “At that time, I lost to Saint Gu-jung, I made an oath with him.” The oath was to meet once every five years at a fixed place and compete in martial arts. Chun Inji, who had suffered his first defeat ever, wanted to fight him again. At that time, Saint Gu-jung suggested. [Amitabha! Lord Chun. Let us meet again and compete, but if you keep bringing your army every time, there will only be more casualties. Wouldn’t it be better if only you and I fight each other?] At first, Saint Gu-jung suggested meeting once every ten years. However, ten years was too long for the Lord of the Demonic Cult. As Chun Inji asked it to be every five years, Saint Gu-jung accepted, and their relationship started to bloom. “It’s embarrassing, but for the first twenty years that I met him, not once did I ever win.” Chun Inji constantly honed himself to win. However, Saint Gu-jung, who had the will to prevent the Demonic Cult from moving North, also didn’t neglect his training, every time, the result was the same. During the four meetings, the two of them had a strange affinity as rivals. “The fact that we did not go to the north in the end for the past years…” Chun Yeowun decided to cut his words, not wanting to hurt his grandfather’s pride. Not caring, Chun Inji smiled. “Hehehe, you take this old man too lightly. The fifth time I competed with him, I defeated him for the first time.” The fifth battle ended in victory. A long-awaited victory, and despite defeating Saint Gu-jung, Chun Inji was unable to move north. The twenty-five-year relationship was enough time for them to understand and respect each other. “Since I beat him for the first time, we turned into healthy rivals. The relationship between the two of them was strange. Starting out as enemies, they turned into friends. After that, Chun Inji, considering his friendship with Gu-jung, decided to give up on the North and turned his attention to the west, the Forces of Evil. From a political standpoint, Saint Gu-jung was nothing less than a hero. However, only the two people who battled knew that fact. “Whenever I suffered from political affairs or had concerns, I would meet up with him and talk about the deep dissatisfactions I had. He was a true Buddhist.” It seemed like he missed those past days. Chun Inji’s expression turned dark. “And then one day, it happened.” As usual, Chun Inji headed to the promised place to meet with Saint Gujung, he waited for a fortnight but was unable to meet him. He was wondering if he should wait any longer, but then he found information. “Someone from the Shaolin Temple said that some leader went missing from the mountain southeast of the Anhui fortress, and Saint Gu-jung went there directly.” Thinking that it was inappropriate to be involved in the affairs of Yulin factions, he wondered if he should wait a little more or return. However, Chun Inji, who was conflicted, knew that he wouldn’t get too many chances to meet Gu-jung, not being able to overcome his curiosity, he headed to Mt. Biam. The southeast of Anhui fortress wasn’t far from the Demonic Cult, so he thought of heading there alone. “After five days, I arrived at Mt. Biam and tried to find out the whereabouts of Saint Gu-jung.” Naturally, Saint Gu-jung and the other monks of the temple would be trying to find the missing person. However, Chun Inji, who was on Mt. Biam, found something deep in the forest. “It was a coincidence, but there were traces of a fight.” Several traces. He found traces of a technique that belonged to the Shaolin Temple and traces of a technique that he had only seen once before. “Extreme Art of the Blade God!” Chun Yeowun, who guessed it, opened his mouth. “Extreme Art of the Blade God?” “It’s a technique of the Blade God Six Martial Clan.” “Oh, how did you find out the name?” “I heard it from one of their members.” Chun Inji couldn’t hide his surprise. Either way, it was the right answer, and Chun Inji nodded. “… right. It’s the Extreme Art of the Blade God. This old man who passed the sixth test in the academy saw their ultimate technique, which seemed like the greatest one in the world, and it seemed like Gu-jung had fought with one of them.” Since it was the first time he ever came across such a shocking technique, Chun Inji clearly remembered the slashes. However, his techniques were inherited from the cult’s hundreds of years of legacy, so he didn’t think deeply about the new slashes. It was because he thought that he would never cross paths with a master of the sword technique. However, upon discovering the slashes, Chun Inji decided that something felt unusual and tried to find Saint Gu-jung right away. “In the traces I found, the Shaolin Temple technique used was a lot lower than Gu-jung’s level, so I guessed it was the traces from the missing leader.” Saint Gu-jung had reached Mt.Biam before Chun Inji. Realizing that, Chun Inji tried to find him in a hurry, he searched for two days and finally found traces of martial artists. And footprints heading to the east. “I hurriedly followed and reached a gorge which was in the west of Zhejiang province. There, I was lucky enough to find Saint Gu-jung.” It was literal luck. It was because there were sounds of battle from the side of the gorge. So he hurried there. “Saint Gu-jung was competing with an unknown master.” The monks of Shaolin Temple, who were his company, all turned into defiled corpses at the bottom of the valley, and Saint Gu-jung seemed to be struggling. Chun Inji joined in and helped Gu-jung. “Starting with the basics, we used every technique we could think of, but their martial arts, it definitely depended on the blade technique and the Blade God.” No matter how excellent the martial arts were of the unknown man when Chun Inji joined, the situation reversed. Although it took a while, they were able to defeat the enemy. “Saint Gu-jung said something while we were subduing them.” [Lord Chun! You can’t kill them!] The reason was unknown, but it was a request, so a few people were captured without being killed. Saint Gu-jung was tired from the long battle. When he recovered the next day, Chun Inji heard about what had happened. [Lord Chun. They are the descendants of the Blade God.] He expected that to some extent, but it was still shocking. The descendants of that person had disappeared a long time ago, but they surfaced again? “This old man thought that this only started when Saint Gu-jung was looking for that missing man. But I was wrong.” “It wasn’t?” Chun Inji, the former Lord, answered Chun Yeowun’s question. “… Saint Gu-jung knew about them.” “Knew about them? Like their existence?” “Yes.” Saint Gu-jung revealed the truth, pointing to the descendants. [I didn’t want to tell you, strongest one, but since Lord Chun seems to know a little about them, I’ll tell you. Amitabha.] Five hundred years ago, the Blade God first appeared in Wulin. The first victim was Chun Muhui, the seventh Lord of the Demonic Cult. The Blade God, who killed one of the five strongest warriors, disappeared and reappeared exactly two years later. That was, “Mt. Song!” “Huh? How do you know that?” When Chun Yeowun knew about it, Chun Inji couldn’t help but be puzzled. Marakim answered it. “After you disappeared, the Lord passed the sixth test in the academy, and when he entered the cave, he learned about the legacy of the Sword Demon.” “What? You passed the sixth test?” Chun Inji couldn’t hide his surprise. Thinking about it, it would be strange if Chun Yeowun, who had such outstanding skills, was unable to pass the sixth test. “… you keep surprising this old man. Huhu.” After he calmed down from the surprise, Chun Inji spoke again. “The place he appeared again, two years later, was Mt. Song. At that time, Gong Yun, a master in the Shaolin Temple, was assassinated despite being one of the five strongest.” It was even shocking that Chun Muhui, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, had been murdered. Gung Yun was a monk who had been respected by many in Yulin. This was why Yulin was dead set on catching the mysterious person who suddenly appeared and killed people. The 9 great clans and the smaller clans had the same wish too. “The result, you might know, was a failure.” After that, two years later, Yuk Jingkem of the Forces of Evil was killed by the Blade God. “At that time, the only person who stopped him was the Sword Demon. Having passed the sixth test, you know why the academy was built?” “… to prepare for the Blade God and his descendants who will appear in the future.” “Right. However, that isn’t the only reason.” “Then?” “As two strong people of the Yulin were murdered, a secret group was formed within the faction to track him down.” Chun Inji took a deep breath once and said, “The name of the secret group which Saint Gu-jung belonged to was Eun Jarim.” Chapter 436 - To Changbai Mountains (2) Chapter 436: To Changbai Mountains (2) “Eun Jarim!” Chun Yeowun and the Great Guardian Marakim were both shocked. Eun Jarim. It was supposed to be a legendary group, only heard about. Eun Jarim literally meant hidden martial artist. Eun is taken from the word which means a group of martial artists, a hidden group of warriors. According to the legends, Eun Jarim is comprised of warriors from all the great clans of Wulin. However, since not much is known about it after five hundred years, the people of Wulin regarded it as a false rumor. However, “Eun Jarim is an organization which actually exists. Saint Gu-jung belonged to it.” Such a group existing was shocking. And their purpose wasn’t to relay their own techniques but to find and block the descendants of the Blade God who would appear in the future. “Among the factions of the past, there were many who were concerned about the Blade God who suddenly appeared.” That was a natural reaction. Most of the five strongest warriors of that time were killed by that one man. It was nowhere like the usual battles of the Wulin, where clans fought each other for victory or defeat. The unprecedented murders were enough to raise doubts. “They prepared differently from our cult.” Unlike the Sword Demon, who was focused on cultivating warriors who could defeat the Blade God, Eun Jarim focused on tracking his existence. But there was a huge problem. The Blade God left no traces. It was as if he never existed. “Giving up would have been better, but the Eun Jarim was sure that he would show up again. It was like they were able to foresee the distant future.” And that prediction came true. It was said that the people in Eun Jarim, who searched day and night, found traces of the Blade God’s descendant for the first time. It was more than two hundred years before the Blade God disappeared. “Then, that means that the Extreme Art of the Blade God was found two hundred years back?” “… it was just a trace.” Eun Jarim found some marks which were believed to be from the Blade God’s descendant on Mt. Baekyang. They were all elated about finding some traces, but there was something odd about it. The sword marks they found seemed far less complete than the marks left on the bodies of the Shaolin monks who were recently killed. “As if they weren’t inheriting the martial arts of the Blade God, the senior of Eun Jarim said the newly found marks were imitating the previous ones.” ‘Eun Jarim senior?’ Chun Yeowun had some doubts about that senior who was mentioned, but he didn’t ask about it. Chun Inji continued to speak. “And after the traces were found, his whereabouts were unknown, but five years later, traces were once again found to the north.” And the traces were discovered after a very long time. However, the traces found this time were far more advanced than the ones at Mt. Baekyang. Of course, even if it was better, the traces still seemed lacking compared to the Blade God, but there was considerable progress. “Did Eun Jarim find them?” “No. It was as if they completely hid themselves, leaving nothing but a few traces behind. Even the Eun Jarim who pursued them were beginning to have doubts.” Even though time kept passing, the fact that there were traces meant that the descendant of the Blade God would appear once again. Therefore, Eun Jarim decided to not give up and continued to search. “Since the first day Eun Jarim was first formed, they have found numerous traces of the Blade God’s sword technique. And we were able to discover a fact through those traces.” “Fact?” “The traces left behind by that descendant were turning more and more similar to the Blade God’s.” “Ah!” The traces were becoming closer and closer to perfection. In the end, it was safe to say that he would completely display the perfect technique of the Blade God. “Eun Jarim came up with that hypothesis. There are descendants of the Blade God, but they weren’t taught by the Blade God in person.” Chun Yeowun nodded, agreeing to it. ‘A reasonable hypothesis.’ Although the Blade God’s martial arts are more difficult to learn, the fact that the Blade God could use them meant that some kind of training existed. However, just because he wasn’t seen anywhere didn’t mean that the training methods weren’t taught or that the descendants were all self-taught. “The one thing which matters is that what the Eun Jarim and the past Lords of the Cult were worried about was gradually turning into reality.” The Sword Demon and Eun Jarim were concerned that the Blade God would appear again. It was because they knew that even if the three major factions joined forces, they would still be unable to handle the Blade God if he appeared with skilled warriors. “At that time, the thing they were worried about finally happened.” They were beginning to appear. No matter how secretly they moved, anyone was bound to get caught. They realized that people of the Blade God Six Martial clan hid within the Wulin, and people tried to find them. “We noticed it because the masters inside the Eun Jarim were starting to disappear one after the other.” As a hidden organization, Eun Jarim consisted of a small number of masters. As a result, when three or more masters went missing, people noticed that the Blade God’s descendants became braver. The Blade God Six Martial clan was researching a method to teach their martial arts. “Ahhh… then the Shaolin Master, Master Ju-am?” At Chun Yeowun’s question, the former lord nodded his head. Master Ju-am also belonged to Eun Jarim, and he decided to be bait. Traces of the Extreme Art of the Blade God appeared in Anhui, Zheijiang, Jiangsu, and Master Ju-am tried to lure them out. “As you said, Master Ju-am did a great job. It was his sacrifice which brought the first contact with those monsters.” Saint Gu-jung was the one who told Chun Inji all that. Chun Inji, who learned all about Eun Jarim from Gu-jung, remembered it. He thought that perhaps helping them uncover the descendants of the Blade God might change the future of the Demonic Cult. “Actually, I had no choice. When Gu-jung revealed it to me, he said it with the intention that I would join him.” Saint Gu-jung, who said that he was going to the base of Eun Jarim along with the captured men, asked Chun Inji to cooperate with him. “… I thought that it would be good for the cult.” Too many problems in a short amount of time. There was a saying, to scare snakes by stomping on the grass, but no one could do that, as no one knew where the descendants were even hiding. “And that was how I turned into a member of the Eun Jarim and worked with them.” That was twenty years ago. More than half of the hidden secrets about the former lord Chun Inji have been revealed. Marakim turned bitter as the story ended. ‘Lord, no, former lord, has such a sense of duty and carried that heavy burden all alone.’ It was by no means an easy task for the Lord of the Cult to give up everything and sacrifice himself. It was something that had to be respected. “… but how did grandfather get into the hands of the Blade God Six Martial clan?” Chun Inji asked with a puzzled expression at Chun Yeowun’s question. “Aren’t you curious about the captured descendants of the Blade God?” “There is a worm in their heads. And when you try to extract it, it blows up.” Chun Yeowun had been able to obtain a lot of information by capturing the people of the Blade God Six Martial clan. Based on his experience, he thought that Eun Jarim would have come up with a way to get information. With a smile, Chun Inji spoke. “Ha! Yeowun-ah, you are making a strong impression on this old man. Right. You are right. Before we could get anything, their heads would explode, and they died.” He praised him, but Chun Inji’s voice seemed bitter. It was because the sacrifice of Master Ju-am had turned insignificant. As Chun Inji joined, many more descendants were captured by the Eun Jarim, but they failed to find information every time. “The masters in Eun Jarim and this old man thought that it wouldn’t work this way.” Twenty years ago, they encountered unexpected enemies. Enemies who seemed invincible. “The man who seemed invincible didn’t fall even when the five strongest warriors came together to kill him.” He appeared with four men in iron masks. Thankfully Chun Inji and the others were able to respond thanks to the Eun Jarim masters who were hiding and gathered close by. [Old Colleagues. Enjoy this. Kukul!] At first, no one understood what the man said. The man who seemed invincible lost and the others were caught. Managing to subdue them, they took off the iron masks. “… they were the dead masters of Eun Jarim who died in the hands of the Blade God sixteen years ago.” They couldn’t find any reason for what happened. They tried to find numerous answers to solve their questions, and while trying, the masters in iron masks’ heads would explode, and they would die. Among the four, only one faced a different death. He was Master Ju-am, who sacrificed himself in the past. “Shockingly, we managed to get information before Master Ju-am died.” Although not all the information could be remembered, Master Ju-am told them important facts about how he was abducted. “He said that those people held a huge force and that they reached a level where they could deal with the entire Wulin.” Master Ju-am, who gave the information, died pretty soon after. In fact, he was severely wounded during the battle, there was no way they could have saved him. But unlike the other three, he died normally. “With the permission of Gu-jung, the brain was dissected to look for the reason, and that was when we learned about it.” The brain of Master Ju-am had contracted. As if the brain had gone into hibernation. “While examining, one thing was noticed, it seemed like something was affecting the functioning and will of the body’s owner.” While listening to the story, Chun Yeowun looked at Chun Inji with trembling eyes. It was because one question he had was solved. “Grandfather!… Don’t tell me that you joined because of it?” “… Right. You’re right. It was to infiltrate their base directly.” He didn’t deny what was running through Chun Yeowun’s brain. The Reverse Health Preservation was created by Bodhi Dharma, something which needed extreme mental strength. Unlike other methods, this method had a great effect in stabilizing the mind and body. “Did the former Lord disappear to learn more about them?” Marakim thought that Chun Inji had left to restore the Demonic Cult to its former glory. To that, Chun Inji answered. “That is the reason, but it was also to learn the Sky Demon Sword.” Chun Inji believed that only the Sky Demon Sword could oppose the Blade God Six Martial clan. However, learning it took a lot of time, and it seemed impossible to complete it. “I was going to stay in the Cult until I mastered it. But…” The more he began to depend on the spirit of Buddhism, the lesser the Sky Demon Sword unfolded. As the secondary energy began to grow in his body, Chun Inji decided that it would be better to hand the cult over to Chun Yujong and the six clans before they noticed the changes in his body, and left the cult earlier than planned. Thud! Marakim knelt down and spoke in a trembling voice. “Ho-how could you go through all that on your own? If only you let me know…” Pat! At that, Chun Inji gently placed his hand on Marakim’s shoulder. “Great Guardian. Your mission is to protect the Chun Ma and the next Chun Ma of the cult. How could this old man overlook your role?” “Ahh!…” ‘Grandfather…’ Chun Yeowun was speechless at the sacrifices Chun Inji had made. It wasn’t that he was kidnapped by them. Rather, he let himself get kidnapped so he could find out information about the real enemies. To win a war, several tricks will have to be used