Chapter 195: Saber King and Venerable Buddha (3)

Back when I offered the key to Heaven of Sacred Spirits to the Cult Leader—

At the time, he had told me everything he knew about what Heaven of Sacred Spirits truly was.

“It’s said to be a river that cuts across the domains of the two most powerful beings from the mythic era.”

At my words, Venerable Buddha widened his eyes.

“Astonishing. I wasn’t expecting an answer… Was it the Demon Lord Benefactor who told you this?”

“Yes.”

“Heh heh, since you already know to some extent, this will be easier to explain. To be straightforward, the Taiji Sword Lord has long been seeking the entrance to that place.”

“When you say entrance…”

“I don’t know exactly what form it takes or how it works either. All that has been passed down to each successive Abbot of Shaolin is this one thing—‘a key’ is needed to enter.”

“……”

“However, there is one thing I speculate.”

“And what would that be?”

“Just reaching that place grants mortals unimaginable power.”

It wasn’t an entirely improbable assumption.

No, judging by my past experience, it was actually quite likely.

“He wandered all across the Central Plains, performing both heroic and wicked deeds to build up his reputation. At the same time, he was desperately searching for the entrance. I’m certain his visit to Luoyang is also because of that.”

“Hmm…”

If his primary goal was eliminating the Soul-Corrupting Lust Fiend, then was the secondary one locating the entrance to Heaven of Sacred Spirits?

I sneered with a cold expression.

“How utterly devoted. To think the so-called Head of Mount Wudang would serve them so loyally.”

At that moment, Venerable Buddha shook his head.

“It’s not because of them.”

“…What?”

“The Taiji Sword Lord’s ultimate goal is the revival of the Wudang Sect.”

I was so dumbfounded I opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish.

“…Revival, you say?”

“That’s right, Benefactor.”

Venerable Buddha continued his explanation.

“To restore Wudang to the days when it surpassed both the Southern and Northern Twin Heavens and even threatened the Heavenly Demon Cult. That era, when Wudang was truly the strongest sect in the Central Plains—that is what he seeks to revive.”

I raised my voice in disbelief.

“But as far as I know, he’s not a pure-blooded Wudang member.”

Venerable Buddha smiled gently.

“You must be referring to the Ten Heavenly Lords.”

So he did know about them.

“…Yes.”

“But Benefactor, the Ten Heavenly Lords are still human.”

“……!”

“Though they bear strong blood from their ancestors, they are scattered in pieces across this vast Central Plains.”

Adopted into certain families, disciples of various sects, or members of different groups.

“Because of that, even if they are part of the Ten Heavenly Lords, it isn’t unusual for them to feel a sense of belonging to the places where they were raised, rather than the Heaven-Defying Society.”

Venerable Buddha spoke with a tone that hinted at self-deprecation.

“Unless ‘the time’ comes, the Heaven-Defying Society doesn’t put much pressure on its members. That’s why it’s so hard to find them, and even harder to uproot them entirely.”

For a brief moment—

I wondered if Venerable Buddha had once been a member of the Heaven-Defying Society himself.

“Benefactor.”

Venerable Buddha took my hand and spoke solemnly.

“In battles to come, those more dangerous than the Ten Heavenly Lords will be humans infected by their ideology and consumed by various desires. Please, remember my words.”

Those desires might be fame and success—

Or honor, whether personal or collective—

Or even a supposed righteous cause.

“…I will keep that in mind.”

I nodded deeply.

***

The sudden private conversation with Venerable Buddha turned out to be surprisingly fruitful.

‘More than anything, obtaining the Classic of Muscle Changing and Marrow Cleansing. was an incredible gain.’

It was still uncertain how much this divine art would resolve the problems within me.

But at the very least, if Venerable Buddha’s explanation was correct, it would be a tremendous help in reaching Extreme Demon.

‘Damn master just disappeared without even teaching me this…’

The master who had so boldly claimed he could fix my problem was now away, trying to sever ties with the Heaven-Defying Society.

Of course, he had made that decision entirely for my sake, so I had no right to resent him.

“Greetings, Lady Yeonju.”

“Who’s ‘Lady Yeonju,’ huh? Who?!”

Far in the distance, Baek Sang-ah, flanked by experts of the unorthodox sects, shrieked at my greeting like she was having a fit.

“Come here! Now!”

Baek Sang-ah grabbed my collar and dragged me into a quiet corner.

Then, after pinning me against a wall, she slammed her hand next to my head and glared menacingly.

“What are you planning to do? The whole plan’s ruined now.”

Currently, the Black Lotus Union was incredibly busy preparing for a grand opening.

As soon as rumors spread throughout Luoyang that the Black Lotus Union had defeated Sword Supreme Sage Gwan Hyun, numerous merchant groups and investors began to swarm in within just a few days.

The Black Lotus Union was now on the verge of beginning full-scale construction for its main headquarters in the north of Luoyang.

I nodded with a slightly enlightened expression.

“Yeah, it’s kind of messed up now.”

“Young Master Jin?!”

“As long as the two of them are holding the line, the Wudang sect won’t dare make any aggressive moves. They might even retreat.”

From Baek Sang-ah’s perspective, that was the worst possible outcome.

Her grandfather, the Righteous Alliance Leader, was about to finish preparations and come up north, and all the unorthodox sects had their eyes fixed solely on her.

“T-Then what are you planning to do?”

“We toss out bait.”

“…Bait?”

I pulled a booklet from inside my robe.

It was none other than the dossier on the Colorful Flower Lord that the Soul-Corrupting Lust Fiend had passed on.

“Bait that Sword Supreme Sage Gwan Hyun absolutely won’t be able to ignore.”

Whether he was looking for it under orders or for personal reasons didn’t matter.

Even if I only revealed part of its contents, he would never leave Luoyang.

‘Considering he knows that the Saber King and Venerable Buddha are holding out here, I might be able to draw something enormous out of him.’

With that thought, I smirked wickedly.

***

Jegal Eun was in a foul mood lately.

By nature, she was full of curiosity and liked sticking her nose into everything.

Especially when it came to romance—her instincts were so sharp, people joked she was the reincarnation of Wu Hou.

And right now, her attention was laser-focused on her respected elder sister, Baek Sang-ah, and her companions.

“Young Hero Hwangbo, did they go out again today?”

“Yes. Truly remarkable people.”

Hwangbo Mun, who had been training, wiped his sweat and smiled.

“Even though the streets of Luoyang are crawling with unorthodox sect bastards, they show no fear.”

“……”

He wasn’t wrong.

Currently, the streets of Luoyang were overrun by members of unorthodox sects united under the name of the Black Lotus Union.

Led by a mysterious high-ranking female martial artist named Demonic Sword Flower, other unknown warriors of Peak Realm level—called Ten Thousand Evil Blade Emperor and Ten Thousand Evil Buddha Emperor—had appeared as well.

Rumors were rampant that these people were powerful Extreme Demon masters sent by the Demonic Cult as reinforcements…

‘But something doesn’t add up…’

Jegal Eun’s instincts told her that wasn’t the case.

She suspected that Baek Sang-ah and her two companions were somehow involved in the strange developments unfolding in Luoyang.

Her reasoning? Even though the Black Lotus Union had seized power, the trio’s visits to the Dokgo Clan hadn’t decreased significantly.

Though they claimed it was part of routine patrols, Jegal Eun easily picked up on the lie behind those words.

Currently, things were looking grim for the second-generation disciples of the great families.

Namgung Cheong had still not recovered from his injuries(!), and rumors swirled that even Sword Supreme Sage Gwan Hyun had been defeated.

As a result, the second-generation disciples were essentially left adrift.

They had become aimless, wondering when it would be time to leave Luoyang altogether.

And in a time like this, someone is going out day and night for patrols?

‘Could it be… blackmail?!’

She had always found that bodyguard named Jin Yeowoon suspicious.

His martial arts were far too strong, and he didn’t even seem to be Baek Sang-ah’s lover!

‘Something’s going on. I just know it.’

Truth be told, Jegal Eun had secretly tailed the trio for several days.

But to her disappointment, she’d gained little for her efforts.

More often than not, she lost track of them completely at some point.

‘I have no choice. I’ll have to follow them at night this time!’

After repeated failures over the past few days, her suspicion—disguised as curiosity—had reached its peak.

So when the trio left the clan late at night, she put on a mask and began tailing them once again.

‘Where are they even going?’

Jegal Eun kept a close watch on the group as they headed north.

‘At this rate, they’ll end up in the Black Lotus Union’s territory… huh?!’

She’d only looked away for a brief moment, but the three had once again vanished like ghosts!

“Argh! I lost them again!”

Grinding her teeth, Jegal Eun stomped the ground in frustration.

Boom!

BOOM!

Suddenly, there was the sound of explosives in the distance, and flames erupted in the dark northern part of the city.

“We’re under attack!”

“A-a monster has appeared!”

‘That place…?’

If she remembered correctly, that area was a residential cluster where the unorthodox sect members—those who had gathered to join the Black Lotus Union—were staying.

Jegal Eun instantly recognized that this was a crossroads.

She could either retreat safely back to her clan, or press forward into danger.

She chose the latter.

Activating her body-lightening technique, she sprinted north at full speed.

And then—

Kaga-gang!

Ka-ga-ga-gang!

“What the hell is this monster?!”

“O-our swords won’t work!”

“Even the Chunggeom isn’t effective! Get someone who can use Sword Qi!”

“S-sword Qi isn’t enough! We need the Division Leaders!”

By the time she arrived at the scene, the situation was sheer chaos.

Two bizarre-looking beings had suddenly appeared and were indiscriminately slaughtering the unorthodox sect members. Even if most of them were third-rate warriors, the massacre was disturbingly one-sided!

Hiding behind a wall, she watched in horror as these things tore through people—and doubted her own eyes.

‘Are… are those even human?’

They stood a head taller than even the burliest warriors.

But more shocking was what was attached to their arms—

‘It’s like… their arms themselves have become blades…’

Suddenly—whip!

One of the two monsters jerked its head toward the wall where Jegal Eun was hiding.

“Eek!”

Their eyes met.

‘A third eye?! I—I need to run…!’

These creatures weren’t human.

One of them had an additional eyeball embedded in its forehead—a grotesque sight she’d never seen before.

She tried to leap away with superhuman reflexes.

Swaak!

But the creature moved even faster, slashing its blade-like arm in a trajectory that would cleave her clean in two.

KAAANG!

“Kyaaaah!”

She barely managed to block it by drawing her Chunggeom in the nick of time.

But the price was steep—she flew back, coughing blood from severe internal injuries.

“Cough! Cough!”

Something was strange.

Just one move.

Only a single technique had been used, but in that fleeting instant, she sensed something familiar in the monster’s movement.

“Wu-Wudang… Sect?”

Twitch!

At those words, the creature’s body flinched ever so slightly.

But only for a moment.

Ssshh—

The monster raised its blade once more and took its stance to strike her down.

‘Th-this is the end!’

Jegal Eun sensed death approaching and shut her eyes tightly.

However—

Fortunately, the heavens had not come to claim her life.

“Yeonju-nim has arrived!”

“Wuaaaaah!”

“…!”

The distant cries of the unorthodox sect members echoed through the air, and then, a thick wave of black demonic energy surged skyward.

And then—

A concentrated wave of black qi burst forth, cutting across dozens of jang in distance, slamming straight into the monster in front of her.

KWAAANG!

The strike sent the monster’s body hurtling back into a wall.

Seconds later, Demonic Sword Flower, wearing a black mask, landed at the scene.

“A-are you okay, Eun-ah?”

Demonic Sword Flower rushed over to Jegal Eun in a panic.

“Why do you keep following us like this… ah.”

She slipped up, forgetting she was still wearing her mask, and blurted out a familiar tone and wording.

Jegal Eun, picking up on the voice and the atmosphere, reflexively responded.

“Ba-Baek Sang-ah unnie?”

“……”

“……”

A suffocating silence settled between the two women.

Just then—

“Ma-Mag…!”

Jegal Eun’s eyes widened as she seemed to realize something, and just as she was about to scream—

Thud!

A dull impact struck the back of her head, and Jegal Eun’s body slumped forward and collapsed.

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