Chapter 139: Heaven-Slaying Star (2)

“You already know, Brother. The Clan Leader favors Eldest Brother.”

“…I know.”

“But if you inherit the Heaven-Slaying Star, everything can be overturned.”

Once the Heaven-Slaying Star had been granted, it could not be taken back.

Even if the Head of the Ma Clan desired it, once it was already granted to Ma Chulsoo, it couldn’t be reversed.

In that moment, I realized how things had gone in my previous life.

‘So in my past life, Ma Chulsoo inherited the Heaven-Slaying Star from Ma Jinyoon. Was the power he attained in that life due to the Heaven-Slaying Star?’

I had believed it was purely achieved through Ma Chulsoo’s own effort and talent, so the shock and disbelief were immense… but regardless.

“This is the greatest plea of my life. Please, Elder Brother, ascend to the peak of the Ma Clan—the path you’ve long pursued.”

“I…”

Ma Chulsoo couldn’t bring himself to speak.

As time passed, Ma Jinyoon’s breathing became erratic, and a murderous aura began to rise from him.

It meant his body was slowly reaching its limit.

At this rate, Ma Jinyoon’s body would collapse even before the Ma Clan Leader could arrive.

And then—

“Kekeke, that won’t do.”

“Who’s there?!”

From beyond, a hoarse, aged voice rang out.

“I’ve put in so much effort for this day. You think I’ll let someone else take it?”

Flash!

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a massive hand-shaped light rippled through the air in front of us.

A tremendous force, beyond imagination!

“Dodge!”

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!

The blast surged out for dozens of feet, and everything inside the cave shattered into fragments.

“Khk!”

It wasn’t a sword aura but palm force—so it wasn’t the Ma Clan Leader who had arrived.

But the level of the one who had appeared now… was beyond anything we could handle.

‘Another monster?!’

Fortunately, since we weren’t his target, we didn’t suffer major injuries.

Still, it didn’t mean the situation was good.

Lying on the ground, I shouted forward.

“Which elder are you?! Reveal yourself!”

“Kekeke, the little brat of the Jin Clan has quite the luck to survive.”

With a click of the tongue, an old man stepped into view.

“To withstand the Heaven-Opening Great Palm Seal, even if it was a glancing blow… impressive.”

*Heaven-Opening Great Palm Seal*?!

I hadn’t experienced it myself, but I knew the name.

It was one of the Cheon Clan’s secret martial arts!

Which meant—this old man standing before us was one of the elders of the Cheon Clan!

“If you want my name, ask Yama when you meet him.”

“You coward!”

Normally, when someone asked for your name, it was courtesy in the Murim world to answer!

I quickly glanced behind me.

‘Ma Chulsoo and Ma Jinyoon?’

I had seen Ma Jinyoon throw himself to shield Ma Chulsoo at the last second when the palm force came crashing down.

As expected—

“Haah, haah!”

Thankfully, both Ma Jinyoon and Ma Chulsoo were alive.

But the cost was devastating. Ma Jinyoon, already a mess, was now in a state so ruined it was hard to even look at him.

Before I could ask if he was alright, Ma Jinyoon raised a trembling finger and pointed at the old man.

“Jin Yeomyung! Huuuk! That bastard… is one of the three… who ambushed me!”

“…!”

“He wasn’t the one chasing me, but he’s definitely a peak master!”

Indeed, unleashing such a wide-range force wasn’t something someone at Master Level could do.

The elder who ambushed us clicked his tongue softly.

“I planned to knock you out and drag you away quietly, but you keep forcing me into massacres.”

The old man turned toward me.

“I saw how you fought Song Yangja. Quite impressive.”

So he had been watching us ever since we arrived in the Iron Steed Prison Cave?

“But it seems that mysterious power of yours isn’t something you can wield right now. Hehehe…”

He had quickly realized the power I used against Song Yangja was an external force.

‘The Second Heavenly Demon’s power isn’t responding.’

The life force that had reacted to my murderous intent earlier was now quiet, as if it were in hibernation.

In other words, from here on out, I’d have to face this peak master with only my own strength.

‘With Ma Jinyoon barely clinging to life and Ma Chulsoo needing protection?’

Impossible.

I had to give up and escape this time.

But to give up now… felt like such a waste.

For a moment, I hesitated.

‘Should I bring out the second one…?’

In my original life, the goddesses had told me—

They couldn’t grant me a power that would greatly tip the balance of this world.

That even reincarnation itself was already an enormous privilege.

That if I abused powers from another world too much, it could severely affect the fabric of this one.

That was why, even after reincarnating into this world, I had only awakened my sixth sense and nothing more.

But now, with the Second Heavenly Demon’s power dormant, to stand against this old man, I needed to break the rules.

‘Damn it… I really didn’t want to use it.’

The second power, unlike the first sensory awakening, came with a cost.

It was better to resolve this without using it, if I could.

Just as I was caught in that dilemma—

“I’ll protect Elder Brother—no matter whaaaaat!”

*Boom!*

With bloodshot eyes, Ma Jinyoon suddenly charged at the old man.

The elder’s expression twisted with irritation.

“You damned brat! You should’ve stayed down!”

“Kyaaaaah!”

Ma Jinyoon, seemingly having lost all reason, unleashed his demonic nature and pounced.

So it hadn’t been a lie that he had fought against three peak-level masters—Ma Jinyoon, though on the brink of death, violently drove the old man back!

“Y-You little…!”

The old man couldn’t use poison against Ma Jinyoon.

Of course—he was clearly after the Heaven-Slaying Star. If Ma Jinyoon died, all his efforts would go to waste!

*Zzzzt!*

In an instant, a pungent bloodlust surged from Ma Jinyoon’s sword.

That bloodlust began at the blade and slowly coiled around his entire body, forming a domain.

I widened my eyes at the sight.

It was a presence eerily similar to the Heaven-Slaying Qi that Cheon Yura had shown me when she faced the Colorful Flower Lord.

The bloodlust Ma Jinyoon was now unleashing had a quality so similar that it vividly brought Cheon Yura to mind.

The old man standing before that domain flinched and hastily unleashed a torrent of palm force.

“You plan to pour out all your power and die?!”

“I… will protect…!”

Kwa-gwa-gwang!

The elder’s palm force collided with Ma Jinyoon’s bloodlust domain.

But the palm force couldn’t penetrate the crimson territory at all—it vanished powerlessly.

At that moment, I instinctively knew what this domain was.

‘That’s not the Blood Flow Demonic Spirit Sword Art or the Blood Dragon Heaven-Slaying Sword Art.’

It was the ultimate forbidden technique of the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan, said to have been created by the First Head of the Ma Clan to surpass the First Heavenly Demon—

Blood Demon Dragon Sky Sword Formula!

‘No! If he uses that power, Ma Jinyoon will really die!’

Even when I first encountered him, he was already barely holding on.

And now, he had thrown himself directly into the elder’s Heaven-Opening Great Palm Seal to protect Ma Chulsoo.

Just that alone would have been enough to leave most martial artists dead without a trace!

Seeing Ma Jinyoon now, I was certain.

He was pouring out the very last of his latent energy—everything he had!

“No! Stop!”

Ma Chulsoo cried out in desperation, but Ma Jinyoon did not budge.

“You bastard… I tried to receive the essence of the Heaven-Slaying Star intact, but now you’ve gone too far!”

The elder, truly enraged, began to exude demonic qi from his entire body.

“If I must damage the core of the supreme art a little, so be it. I’ll kill you and extract the Heaven-Slaying Star with the Corpse Reanimation Art!”

“Grrrrgh! I… will protect!”

No matter how powerful the Blood Demon Dragon Sky Sword Formula was, with Ma Jinyoon’s body in its current state, he’d struggle to even exchange a single blow.

‘Damn it!’

I couldn’t hesitate any longer.

Just as I was about to press my thumb to the area near my heart—

“…So it was you. The one behind this disgusting farce.”

…Huh?

Whoooosh!

Suddenly, a massive stream of crimson sword qi exploded into view.

It wasn’t palm force—but sword qi.

No, could that even be called sword qi?

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwam!

Like a roaring tidal wave tearing through the earth, the massive crimson slash flew straight toward the Cheon Clan elder—

—and severed his right arm.

“Keurghhh!”

Even the Heaven-Opening Great Palm Seal, once considered a supreme art, paled before the sheer force of this blow.

Though the elder had reflexively responded, proving he had indeed reached the peak master realm, the attack came with such overwhelming force that it rendered all defense meaningless.

A blow that ignored all barriers—an absolutely certain strike.

From past experience, I realized this was a form of Sword Heart.

Tap!

And then, a middle-aged man descended upon the scene, holding a sword drenched in blood.

He glared coldly at the elder who clutched the severed stump of his arm.

“O-ro, how dare you disgrace the bloodline of the main family.”

The elder, now identified as O-ro, shrieked in disbelief.

“Sword Demon?! How are you here?!”

“…!”

Blood Dragon Clan Leader, Sword Demon Ma Seonghwan!

O-ro couldn’t hide his fear as he shouted at Ma Seonghwan.

“Ghhh! Are you trying to make enemies of the Cheon Clan?!”

“What nonsense. It was your clan that first stirred trouble with ours.”

At Ma Seonghwan’s scornful reply, Ma Jinyoon, who had been preparing to pour out everything, let his aura subside.

“C-Clan Leader… Clan Leader…?”

“Clan Leader!”

Both descendants of the Ma Clan clenched their teeth at Ma Seonghwan’s dramatic arrival.

They were grateful for the rescue—but they knew all too well that his actions were not born out of love for his sons.

After a brief glance at his two children, Ma Seonghwan spoke.

“Let’s deal with that one first.”

“What?”

O-ro opened his mouth in disbelief.

“You… you’re going to kill me? A Cheon Clan elder? A member of the Seven Elder Council?!”

“You’re the one who crossed the line. You coveted the Heaven-Slaying Star, which rightfully belongs to the Ma Clan. Now face the consequences.”

“Lies! You’re the one who crossed the line! You coerced a Cheon Technician to artificially create the Heaven-Slaying Star, didn’t you?!”

“That’s right.”

Ma Seonghwan raised his sword without hesitation.

“Which is exactly why… you die now.”

“…!!”

“I don’t know how deep the Elder Council’s involvement is, but the fact that you came alone means, at most, one or two others are aware.”

“Ghhhk!”

Struck where it hurt, O-ro grimaced without a word of protest.

“More importantly—”

Ma Seonghwan’s eyes gleamed icily.

“The very fact that I was able to enter ‘this place’ means he has consented to your death. Understand?”

“Lies! As if he would ever overlook the death of a bloodline member—!”

Slice!

A single blow.

Ma Seonghwan’s slash—so swift no one even saw him move—severed O-ro’s head clean off.

With a dull thud, the head fell to the ground.

I was momentarily dazed by the scene.

‘Incredible… Completely overwhelming!’

To produce such a one-sided result against a peak master!

‘So this is the power of the man known as the Greatest Sword of the Demonic Path…!’

“Now then…”

Having finished off O-ro in a single strike, Ma Seonghwan turned his gaze toward me.

Flinch.

There wasn’t any particular emotion in his eyes—but for someone of his caliber, hiding killing intent was child’s play.

‘No way… is he going to kill me too?’

Fortunately, Ma Seonghwan didn’t swing his sword at me right away.

“You, son of the Jin Clan—you’ve crossed many lines.”

I forced a smile and replied quickly.

“Crossed the line? What do you mean by that?”

“What?”

“If not for me, the Heaven-Slaying Star would’ve fallen into the hands of the Cheon Clan. I’ve done a service for the Ma Clan—I deserve praise, not punishment.”

“…”

If I hadn’t interfered, Ma Seonghwan wouldn’t have come out of hiding.

Ma Chulsoo would’ve been crushed by Ma Jeongcheon before ever meeting Ma Jinyoon.

Though this outcome avoided that scenario…

‘Yeah, there’s no way he’s buying that.’

Especially since I had annihilated two of the Blood Dragon Clan’s elite units—it made my excuse feel a bit hollow.

Judging from Ma Seonghwan’s sardonic smile, he knew it too.

“Shameless. Just like your father.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Coming from Ma Seonghwan, that was the closest thing to praise I’d get.

“Prepare yourself.”

…For what?

Then Ma Seonghwan’s next words made my expression freeze.

“To see whether you deserve to live, even after learning the truth of this place.”

Ah.

I’d forgotten for a moment.

Ma Seonghwan, too, was one of the key figures mentioned in the Record Book—one involved in the Forbidden Art of Defying the Heavens.

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