Chapter 209: Venerable Buddha (1)

The clash between the Heavenly Slaying Demonic Sword and the Taiji Wisdom Sword.

The victor of the fierce battle that blew away the surrounding area—

“Huff! Huff!”

Thud!

Gwan Hyun sat down on the spot, unable to stand any longer.

“How could… the sword of Mount Wudang…”

Gwan Hyun, trembling all over, radiated a stubbornness that refused to accept the situation.

Seeing that, Cheon Yura quietly spoke.

“It was a small difference.”

“A small difference?”

Gwan Hyun slowly lifted his head.

“In terms of sheer strength, you were superior. However, you failed to recognize the contradiction within your own sword.”

“A contradiction? Did you just say a contradiction?”

Cheon Yura answered firmly, as if stating a fact.

“You pursued a sword that embraces everything, yet your heart was rejecting that very notion. That imbalance fractured what would have been a perfect sword form. I merely exploited that fracture.”

“……!!”

Gwan Hyun fell silent, clearly caught on something.

‘Dao Zun…’

The All-Encompassing Taiji of Dao Zun, which had accepted everything he threw at it without even the slightest scratch.

Though it was a technique of a traitor, perhaps he had been chasing that Taiji form for a while now without realizing it.

“I see… I was still trapped in his illusion.”

Gwan Hyun slowly raised his head.

“Kill me. Do not offer mercy to the defeated.”

“…Aren’t you still capable of more? You still have plenty of strength left, don’t you?”

Just as she said, Gwan Hyun’s awakened body was rapidly recovering with time.

Though his ultimate technique had been broken, he still had enough energy to fight a thousand more battles.

But he shook his head.

“I could feel it during our fight. That sword of yours—its power is the natural enemy of the strength that the Assembly granted me.”

The ability of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art to break through the mysteries of all creation.

What the Heavenly Demon Founder said—that she had chosen the ‘correct answer’—had not been a lie.

If he had rushed in blindly, drunk on power, he would have been crushed even more miserably than this.

“More importantly, if I am not killed now, I will once again become a vessel of desire and run rampant in the name of Wudang’s revival. If you don’t want to see that, it’s best to end me while my mind is still at peace.”

“……”

After a moment of silence, Cheon Yura sheathed her sword.

“No, I won’t kill you.”

“…Why not?”

“Now that the duel is over, killing you is not my place. Even I must prioritize vengeance.”

She turned her head toward someone.

“Isn’t that right, Jin Yeomyung?”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

Jin Yeomyung, who had approached without anyone noticing, was standing nearby with a calm look in his eyes.

Cheon Yura’s gaze sparkled slightly as she looked at him.

“You must have made some progress.”

Jin Yeomyung slumped his shoulders and shook his head.

“I really wanted to die. No, I actually did die several times… Haah, I never want to experience that again.”

A thousand-day hell from which one could not return until reaching the end.

It had been training that pushed both body and spirit to the limit—so grueling that fighting Gwangsin again would have been preferable.

Just then, Cheon Yura tilted her head as if noticing something was missing.

“That So Cheon or whatever… where is he? Seems like he disappeared.”

To that, Jin Yeomyung replied with a grim smile.

“When I came out, the Founder dragged him away.”

At the moment of the final clash between Cheon Yura and Gwan Hyun—

“Uwaaah!”

So Cheon was blown back by the shockwave of the explosion.

“Ugh, Founder-nim… You couldn’t have blocked that for me…?”

Covered in dirt and dust, So Cheon pouted.

“You know how to use Taiji, and yet you whine like this.”

“Do you think I’m a monster like Yeomyung or the Young Cult Leader?!”

“You have talent. Stop slacking off and train properly.”

With both natural talent and inherited martial arts, So Cheon had the potential to achieve greatness.

However…

“Such a pain…”

“……”

“Becoming strong just means more entanglements… It’s just annoying…”

So Cheon didn’t realize it.

That a vein had bulged visibly on the forehead of the handsome Heavenly Demon Founder.

Nor that So Cheon had just accomplished a feat none of his other disciples had ever achieved!

“Haha, I knew about your innate gifts, but now that I’ve seen them firsthand, I’m a little annoyed.”

“Huh? Wh-What…?”

In an instant—

Pop pop pop!

Feeling an overwhelming sense of danger, So Cheon quickly tried to distance himself from the Founder.

But before he could react, one of the Founder’s split bodies appeared behind him and grabbed him by the nape.

“Uwaaagh!”

“The innate gift of the Great Thief. If fully awakened, it’s said you could even steal from the pockets of the gods. But historically, no one has managed to develop it that far.”

“W-What are you doing?!”

Ignoring So Cheon’s protest, the Heavenly Demon Founder smiled serenely.

“Among my disciples, I’ve had a Heavenly Slaughter Star, a Martial King’s Body, even that rare Ghostly Yin Physique. But I’ve never properly taught a thief.”

“Wh-What does that have to do with me…?!”

“This shall be a new challenge in my life. And you won’t leave this place until you’re worthy.”

“Uwaaah! Why me?!”

So Cheon cried and screamed, but with his meager skills, how could he hope to shake off the Founder’s grasp?

At that moment—

A tear in space opened next to So Cheon, and out of it crawled a completely battered Jin Yeomyung.

“Ye-Yeomyung! Save me…!”

“…….”

Jin Yeomyung, who had been staring at So Cheon and the Heavenly Demon Founder with hollow eyes—

Sssk!

—extended his thumb and drew it across his neck in a slicing gesture.

Nod.

Wearing a pleased expression as he read Jin Yeomyung’s intent, the Heavenly Demon Founder grabbed So Cheon and threw him into the space Jin Yeomyung had emerged from.

“P-please, spare…!”

The cry for mercy was cut short.

So Cheon’s body was swallowed whole by the space.

Clicking my tongue as I watched So Cheon vanish, I muttered inwardly.

‘What the hell was that…?’

The Heavenly Demon Founder originally had no particular interest in So Cheon.

Sure, he had unblocked his meridians as a form of instruction, but that was it.

But judging from what just happened, it seemed So Cheon had managed to seriously irritate him.

‘It takes a certain kind of talent to piss off the greatest master in history.’

Returning my thoughts to the present—

“Well, I’m sure the Founder will deal with him as he sees fit.”

Losing interest in So Cheon, he returned to the main topic.

“What do you intend to do with this one? Surely, you bear a grudge against him?”

“…?”

At the mention of a grudge, Gwan Hyun raised his head.

It was understandable he’d be confused. After all, why would a completely unrelated Demonic Cult scion hold a grudge against him?

“…….”

I stared at Gwan Hyun with complicated emotions.

He was the one who, in collusion with the Demonic Faction Lord Han Mubaek, brought about the end of the Heartless Demonic Empress Cheon Yura.

Emotionally speaking, no number of reincarnations would ever allow me to forgive him.

‘If I followed my heart, I’d behead him right now…’

But throwing away the card that was Gwan Hyun in such a pointless manner—especially as someone who claims to be her strategist—was a betrayal of my own role.

I steadied my breath and knelt on one knee in front of him, matching his gaze.

“Gwan Hyun.”

“Speak.”

“Have you considered the proposal I gave you previously?”

At that, Gwan Hyun let out a short, hollow laugh.

“The ridiculous offer to make me the Murim Alliance Leader, you mean.”

“That’s right.”

He stared at me in silence for a while.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“At a time like this, do you think I’d be lying?”

“There must be a price, then.”

“Of course.”

Making Gwan Hyun the Murim Alliance Leader was a move that defied belief.

Naturally, it came with a heavy price.

“First, I need you to act as a double agent between the Heaven-Defying Society and the Murim Alliance.”

Even though his life would be on the line, Gwan Hyun snorted.

“A simple matter. What’s next?”

“…I need information on the Ten Heavenly Lord.”

I took out the ledger I’d received from the Soul-Corrupting Lust Fiend.

Gwan Hyun’s brow twitched when he saw it, but otherwise, he showed no reaction.

“As you know, this is the account book of the Colorful Flower Lord, one of the Ten Heavenly Lord.”

“That’s the very thing our sect tried so desperately to destroy.”

“Yes. But this ledger alone can’t tell us everything. We don’t know if the names listed are mere collaborators or actual members of the Ten Heavenly Lord.”

I returned the book to my robe and continued.

“I want you to use every resource available to dig into the Ten Heavenly Lord and share what you find.”

“That’s not much different from the first request. Anything else?”

“This is the last one…”

After a moment’s pause, I spoke the final condition.

“Once you become the Murim Alliance Leader, cede control of the entire southern region of Gansu Province, the northwestern part of Shaanxi Province, and the northern region of Sichuan Province to the Cult, and establish a one-hundred-year peace treaty.”

“…….”

At that, Gwan Hyun fell silent.

He mulled it over for a long time before speaking.

“…Wouldn’t it be better to just go to war and take it?”

“With the current power of our Cult, that would certainly be possible. But in doing so, the peace treaty would become meaningless. That’s not what I want.”

It wasn’t something Gwan Hyun could decide lightly.

Even if our Cult could crush any resistance from the local sects by force, the act of handing over territory would be a permanent stain on the history of the orthodox sects.

“Hrrrmmm…”

I offered some subtle persuasion to help guide his decision.

“I understand that this is a difficult decision for the Mount Wudang Sect. But since the Heaven-Defying Society is involved, you can use the situation to ease the political backlash.”

“…I see. That framing might work.”

Being politically astute, Gwan Hyun grasped my point immediately.

He slowly stood up.

“No need for grand martial principles. If Wudang can reclaim its former glory, I’ll walk through any hell with a smile.”

“You’ve made the right choice.”

“You’d better live up to all that talk you’ve been spouting.”

Gwan Hyun and I clasped hands.

My decision here would eventually cost the Southern Sword King dearly…

But honestly, when it came to political allies, the outcome between the Sword King and Gwan Hyun had already been decided back in my past life.

“Well then, first of all—”

Just as I was about to discuss what to do next—

“Hahahah! That won’t do! No, no!”

A familiar booming laugh rang out.

“Even demonic and wicked paths can be tolerated, but evil must never be!”

Boom!

From the heavens, a massive golden hand descended, slamming down onto Gwan Hyun with pinpoint accuracy.

“Kuaaaagh!”

KWAAAAANG!

“…?!!”

Gwan Hyun instinctively raised his sword in defense—

But the enormous hand pierced through his guard and sent him flying into the distance.

“…Jinin?!”

The shockwave was so delayed due to the sheer speed that it felt unreal.

I muttered the name of the martial technique that had just launched him with disbelief in my eyes.

“Tathāgata Divine Palm?”

There was only one technique in all of the Central Plains that manifested in this way—

And only one person who could wield it at such a level.

“You… how did you….”

The one floating in the sky, having just ambushed Gwan Hyun, was none other than—

The Venerable Buddha, Master Myeongjeong.

I had no idea how he had entered this place.

But it was undeniable that it was him who had launched that attack on Gwan Hyun.

Wearing a benevolent, Buddha-like smile, Master Myeongjeong pressed his palms together in a respectful gesture.

“You have obtained a great opportunity, benefactor.”

“…….”

“Even utilizing the power of the Yukgeun Sesugyeong, I had thought at least ten years of seclusion would be necessary. Yet, as expected, your very existence is a blessing to the martial world. Amitabha….”

“That’s not the issue right now, Master.”

I clenched my teeth and glared at Myeongjeong.

His presence still felt similar to before—

But the essence I now faced made me question if he truly was the same person I’d once met.

“Master. Why… why do I feel Demonic Qi radiating from you?”

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