Chapter 44: Outing (1)

No doubt about it.

These were the marks of the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword being executed from the First Form all the way to the Tenth Form.

‘In-incredible.’

I kept tracing the marks with my hand.

To be honest, I still couldn’t quite believe what the Pavilion Master had said.

Granted, the profoundness and complexity were certainly enough to be considered one of the highest-level sword arts even within our cult. But since I hadn’t yet reached the true level of mastery, I hadn’t fully grasped just how exceptional it was.

But now—seeing the sword path etched onto the Iron Gate with no damage to the surrounding area—it was finally starting to sink into my skin just how astounding it really was.

‘Even the head of the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan couldn’t pull this off, could he?’

Not even the current head of the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan, hailed as the greatest demonic swordsman, could do this.

“Do you understand what this mark signifies?”

“If I think about it logically… it would mean that if you recreate this sword path exactly as it’s carved here, the door should open.”

“Exactly!”

Looking at the sword path carved into the Iron Gate, the conclusion was obvious.

‘It must be executed from the First Form to the Tenth without interruption.’

If it were just about recreating the sword path, I might have been able to manage it somehow.

However—

I turned to the Pavilion Master and said,

“Right now, I can’t do it.”

“Hm? Why not?”

There was a hint of confusion on the Pavilion Master’s lips.

“With my current level of skill, I can’t replicate the sword path on this door as it is.”

I took a step back and released my Sword Qi.

Then I performed the First Form, Opening the Heavens with Falling Flowers, and traced it along the sword path etched into the Iron Gate.

Screeee—shhkk!

A sharp blade of sword qi traced the exact trajectory of the sword path.

“Hm!”

A faint light flickered for just a moment along the trail left behind.

It lasted maybe… two seconds?

“Please watch again.”

This time, I pushed out my sword qi with more force. I didn’t need to show Qi Projection, but the sheer amount of internal energy—nearly enough to qualify as a proper sword technique—slammed against the Iron Gate once more.

Again, the path flickered with light.

It lasted just a bit longer than before—maybe 2.5 seconds?

The Pavilion Master now understood what I was trying to say.

“I get it now.”

As he looked at me with disappointment, I gently tapped the Iron Gate.

“To open this door, I’d need to fully unleash the Heavenly Record Sword using Qi Projection. Sword Qi or even a strong sword technique won’t be enough.”

“Hmm!”

Normally, it would take about twenty seconds to execute all ten forms of the sword art.

Which meant that the sword path from the First Form needed to glow for twenty seconds straight.

And yet even with Sword Qi, it had only lasted two seconds. To make it last for twenty, I’d definitely need Qi Projection.

“On top of that, to execute the full sword dance cleanly without damaging the surroundings, I’d truly need to reach the Pinnacle of Demonic Extremity.”

“……”

“That’s at least decades away.”

“Yes, I see. What a shame.”

The Pavilion Master sighed softly.

I wondered what lay behind that door.

He must’ve had a good idea, which was why he brought me here.

“Pavilion Master.”

“Speak.”

“I’d like you to make me one promise.”

“A promise?”

“You brought me here as part of my reward, didn’t you?”

At that, the Pavilion Master paused slightly.

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Then promise me this: when I finally do open this door one day, you’ll grant me and the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan priority access to whatever lies inside.”

“You say that like you already know what’s in there.”

“I don’t. But you wouldn’t have brought me here under the guise of a reward if you didn’t already know there was something valuable inside.”

The Pavilion Master’s expression hardened slightly.

He thought for a moment before finally letting out a sigh.

“I can’t give you everything.”

“Then claim whatever the Cheon Clan must have. But give the rest to the Jin Clan.”

The Pavilion Master let out a hollow chuckle.

“Are you sure you don’t know what’s in there?”

“Yes. I truly don’t.”

“It’s like you’ve got a hundred sly serpents coiled up inside. Very well. I agree.”

I didn’t know what lay behind that door.

But there was one thing I was sure of.

The shame of the Cheon Clan.

Whether it was a secret technique or some treasure, something inside that place had been hidden away by the Cheon Clan—or the former Heavenly Demon Cult—for a reason.

‘Even if I can open it… I must not do it now.’

If I opened that door now, the Pavilion Master might very well try to erase me completely.

I had to be alone, with no one interfering, when I opened it.

‘But what is that?’

Up until now, I had been so focused on the sword path that I hadn’t noticed it.

At the center of the iron door, something like a marble was embedded.

Upon closer inspection, it was about the size of a human head, though because of the massive door, it looked tiny—like a speck.

“That’s a Qi-Absorbing Orb.”

“A Qi-Absorbing Orb?”

I had heard of such things, but this was my first time actually seeing one.

“It absorbs internal energy to activate a specific mechanism. It’s mostly used in high-level mechanical formations.”

“Oh? Then that means…”

If I poured internal energy into it, the door might open?

The Pavilion Master, reading my expression, shook his head.

“Of course we’ve tried everything. But no one has been able to meet the conditions of the Qi-Absorbing Orb.”

He gently brushed his hand against the orb, his expression tinged with regret.

“In this kind of mechanism, it only works when internal energy with a specific attribute is infused.”

“It didn’t work, huh.”

“That’s right. Just so you know, we’ve tried internal energy from all the top clans within the cult, including the Six Great Demonic Clans and the Cheon Clan. Even the current Cult Leader tried. They all failed. We even tried internal energy from the Orthodox Faction.”

There was resignation in the Pavilion Master’s voice.

If someone of that martial level reacted like that, it truly meant he had tried everything possible.

And yet—

Somehow, I felt like I could do it.

‘There must be a reason why Master specifically told me to learn the Heaven-Flying Boundless Divine Art.’

The Heaven-Flying Boundless Divine Art sounded like a Taoist cultivation technique in name, but in truth, it was a demonic art.

Or more precisely, it was a demonic art that followed the principles of Taoism.

‘Shall I try it?’

If infusing my internal energy here actually opened the door, it might turn out to be a disaster… but for some reason, I didn’t think that would happen.

‘Would they really go through the trouble of engraving the sword path of the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword, and then embed a Qi-Absorbing Orb on top of that?’

There were only two possibilities one could infer from this.

Either it was a trap—or it was another kind of safeguard.

‘Just a bit, let’s try putting in just a tiny bit.’

If it truly seemed like the door was about to open, I could pull back right away.

With my senses, I’d be able to retrieve my internal energy before any signs of activation actually happened.

I slowly approached the door and reached out toward the Qi-Absorbing Orb.

The Pavilion Master didn’t stop me. On the contrary, he looked on with great interest.

Tsutsutsutsu…

Like a gentle stream, pure internal energy flowed from my palm into the Qi-Absorbing Orb.

And then—

At that moment—

—Why?! Why, Master?!—

‘Gasp?!’

A man, holding a blood-covered woman in his arms.

Crying tears of blood, he screamed in agony.

—Did I… did I really desire so much? Is it really too much to ask to love one person, to hold the one I love in my arms? Was that such a terrible greed?!—

Ah.

Aah…

A memory from the distant past clawed its way through my mind.

Someone’s memory, flowing into me through the Qi-Absorbing Orb.

‘A… shrine?’

A colossal shrine stretching toward the heavens.

And at the summit of that shrine, seated in overwhelming presence, was someone referred to as Master.

Not far from that position, a man hurled words that bordered on a curse toward his master.

—I will never, never give up! If it means saving her, I won’t forgive you—not even you, Master!—

Below that master stood six figures gazing down at him.

One of them shouted at the man.

Though obscured by sunlight, his massive frame was unmistakable—a towering man with immense bulk.

—Senior Brother Jeon! How dare you speak so recklessly to Master?!—

Someone holding a gigantic blade stepped in to restrain the giant.

—Let him be,Junior Brother Jin. He’s already lost his reason if he dares defy Master—no words will reach him now.—

—He’s gone mad. He had the right to stand at the very pinnacle, and yet he threw it all away for a single woman.—

—I heard he even took the hands of those people.—

—Then he’s no longer a senior brother. He’s a traitor.—

……

Everyone except one threw harsh words at the man named Jeon.

All four who spoke, excluding the one called Jin, looked at Jeon the same way.

With absolute contempt.

Contempt for the man who once led them from above… now fallen in the ugliest way possible.

—Never forget this, Master! The one who betrayed me first was none other than you!—

As the six stood above and Jeon’s hatred surged toward them, Master opened his mouth to speak—

“Why are you just standing there blankly?”

“Huh?”

“Did you gain something?”

The Pavilion Master’s voice snapped me back to reality.

‘What was that vision just now?’

I blankly recalled what had just happened.

‘A memory… from someone’s past?’

Piecing together the current clues—then the man glaring up at the master beneath that shrine could only be…

Mu Myeong?

“You there! Pull yourself together!”

“Urgh!”

Unable to take it anymore, the Pavilion Master grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently.

My head jerked back and forth a few times before I finally snapped out of it.

“Did you discover something unusual?”

I quickly shook my head. I needed a cover story first.

“Ah, n-no. The rate at which my internal energy was being absorbed was just… faster than I expected.”

Wait?

Internal energy?

I had said it as a desperate excuse without thinking, but—

‘W-what the hell?!’

Stagger—!

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of weakness surged through me, and I collapsed on the spot.

“H-Hey!?”

The Pavilion Master quickly grabbed my arm to support me, but I still couldn’t get control of my body.

‘My… my dantian is completely empty?!’

When your dantian is emptied to that extent, the vessel usually cracks, or your body suffers damage.

But this time, it had been so cleanly drained that it made the situation even more alarming.

“You overdid it. To recklessly infuse internal energy like that without restraint…”

“N-no…”

“Tsk tsk, can you stand?”

Being treated like some amateur who couldn’t even manage his own internal energy made anger rise in my chest, but…

“Thank you, Pavilion Master.”

It wasn’t the time to arouse suspicion. Best not to do anything that would make the Pavilion Master wary of me.

And besides—what I had just seen… I had a feeling that wasn’t everything.

‘If I pour in more internal energy, I might be able to see the next part.’

The problem was, just to see that short ten-second scene, I’d lost everything in my dantian.

‘Unless I reach the level of Extremity, there’s no way I can attempt this again.’

At least I’d memorized the path through the formation at the entrance. As long as I could handle that again, I could return to this place.

And just then—

“Independent of the Main Thousand-Day Pass, I will grant you personal access to this place. You may return to challenge it whenever you wish.”

To think he’d grant me unlimited access even before I asked!

‘He’s desperate.’

Yes—he was dying to steal the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword’s mantras from me.

But I wasn’t some ordinary civilian, and with the backing of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, even someone like the Pavilion Master from the Cheon Clan couldn’t force me.

Sure, he could risk a conflict with the Jin Clan, but it didn’t seem like he was ready to go that far—at least not yet.

“Thank you. Then I’ll take it that our debts to each other are settled.”

“Straightforward. I like that.”

The Pavilion Master nodded in satisfaction.

“Hmm, now shall we move on to the next matter?”

“The next matter?”

I thought he might cling desperately to this topic, but thankfully, he didn’t.

“I mean the assassin that recently appeared.”

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