The fight ended not long after.

When Do Mun-tak died, the remaining elders could not use their strength. A few tried to run away, but they were brutally slaughtered by the martial artists who were enraged at the fact that they had been tricked.

After the fight was over, a sense of emptiness lingered in the underground plaza.

“Heo…”

“To think that it was all a fake after all that effort.”

“Then does it mean that all these things were also made?”

“Even that maze?”

The people whispered and poked, touched, and prodded all over the plaza.

Unfortunately, no special mechanism traps or anything appeared.

Only the altar where the Blood Demon Sect had placed their sacrifices was left in the plaza.

‘The Complete Truth Sacred Altar…’

Cheon Mubaeck quietly looked around.

‘Is there nothing?’

…No, that can’t be.

‘The Complete Truth Sect was more of a religious group than a martial arts sect. They had built sacred altars not only in Mount Zhongnan but also all over the martial world, and there were many rumors that they had stored the sacred objects of the Complete Truth Sect…’

How much time had passed?

The people, who had realized that there was really nothing in this plaza, began to leave the plaza one by one. There was a passage that led directly to the exit of the plaza. It seemed that the elders of the Blood Demon Sect had come and gone through this way.

“Is there really nothing here?”

At Neung-heo’s question, Cheon Mubaeck sighed.

“It might have already been looted.”

“Already looted? By those Blood Demon Sect guys?”

“They didn’t seem to know either. That’s why they probably made this place, which was just a maze, look like the tomb of the Red Blood Sword Demon, the Ghost Tomb.”

“Heo. Then it means that it was looted a long time ago.”

“If someone hadn’t activated the mechanism trap, the maze would have been solved quickly.”

“Eum.”

At Cheon Mubaeck’s words, Neung-heo tried to cough in vain.

Although the maze was complicated, if Neung-heo had not touched the mechanism trap in the first place, he would have gotten out of the maze, even if it had taken some time.

Then the underground plaza where the altar was placed would have appeared.

It was a surprisingly easy structure. In a word, if someone had discovered this place, it was worth taking out the things inside a long time ago.

“Young hero.”

Cheon Mubaeck turned his gaze and looked at Cheonghyeonjin.

“Yes, Jin-in.”

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to save my life in this trap.”

Cheonghyeonjin took a fist-and-palm salute and bowed his waist deeply.

When he bowed, Gukbo and the disciples of Mount Hua who were behind him also bowed their waists all at once.

Cheon Mubaeck shrugged his shoulders.

“I just did what I had to do. Just like at Shaolin.”

What I had to do.

That’s right.

‘I can’t just stand by when someone touches my things.’

At Shaolin, he had fought because they had falsely accused the Azure Star Escort Agency.

Here too, he had thought that the Blood Demon Sect might have taken the sacred objects of the Complete Truth Sacred Altar, and he had fought because they were blocking his way.

Cheon Mubaeck’s personality was not a good one.

Of course, he did not do bad things, but he was not the type to just mercifully let go of those who invaded his interests and territory.

So it was just something he had to do.

In the meantime, Shaolin had been saved, and the martial artists who had gathered here had also been saved.

There was nothing special.

But Cheonghyeonjin, as if he had taken it differently, had an impressed face.

“Indeed… young hero, the word ‘sword hero’ really suits you.”

“You praise me too much.”

Cheonghyeonjin shook his head with a bitter face.

“It seems it was an excessive greed. A great enemy called the Blood Ghost Valley has appeared, but I was blinded by a mere secret manual and was greedy, and in the end, I got nothing and almost lost the disciples of Mount Hua here. Mount Hua will now return to Mount Hua. And we will immediately start tracking the Blood Ghost Valley.”

Cheonghyeonjin said firmly.

“Will you go to Mount Hua with us?”

Cheon Mubaeck flinched for a moment and then shook his head.

“First, I have a few things to look into personally. I will visit Mount Hua without being late.”

Cheonghyeonjin, who had been looking at Cheon Mubaeck seriously, nodded his head.

Cheon Mubaeck glanced behind Cheonghyeonjin.

“Do you have something to say? That… Plum Blossom One Sword.”

“I am Gukbo, young hero.”

“I am Cheon Mubaeck.”

Gukbo hesitated for a moment and then took a fist-and-palm salute.

“With this incident, I have keenly felt that I was a frog in a well. Young hero, I also want to be of help in your heroic journey. When you track the evil enemies called the Blood Ghost Valley, I will also fight by your side.”

“I understand.”

Although the gaze of Gukbo, who was looking at him, was hot, Cheon Mubaeck did not bother to pay attention.

When even Mount Hua had left the underground plaza, almost all the people who had thought that there was nothing more to be gained here had also disappeared.

“Wow. There was really nothing. In the end. Really.”

Neung-heo muttered in a hollow voice.

“Well, among the treasure maps that are circulating in the martial world, ninety-nine out of a hundred are all fakes…”

Well, how long has it been since the Complete Truth Sect was annihilated?

In the meantime, is there a guarantee that the sacred objects are safe?

Cheon Mubaeck tried to shake off his lingering attachment.

‘Perhaps Lü Dongbin did not make this place, but it might be a sacred altar to commemorate Lü Dongbin.’

Lü Dongbin was revered as one of the Eight Immortals in the Central Plains, as the master of Wang Chongyang, who had founded the Complete Truth Sect.

Unlike Cheon Mubaeck’s plan, this place might just be an altar to commemorate him.

“Neung-heo.”

“Yes.”

“It’s been a while, so I’ll watch your training for a bit.”

“…Why is the story suddenly going that way?”

“I saw you secretly slipping away while you were fighting those Blood Demon Sect guys.”

“Wow. Do you have eyes in the back of your head?”

“I just poked you once, but it’s true?”

“…”

“It seems you’re slowly pulling back, using the excuse that you lack skills. I’ll give you special training from today.”

“Special, you say? Isn’t there just normal training?”

“No.”

“Hoo. You’re taking me around to vent your anger.”

* * *

“Hey, Mr. Lü. Are you cooped up in a cave again, practicing the Tao?”

“What brings the Sword King here?”

“What do you mean, what brings me here? I came because I thought you might have died, since you haven’t been seen in the martial world for so long.”

Cheon Mubaeck crossed his arms bluntly.

His friend and rival, Lü Dongbin, smiled benevolently and welcomed him, sitting in a cross-legged position.

‘Well. His energy has deepened again.’

Are you drinking elixirs like soup all by yourself?

Cheon Mubaeck looked at Lü Dongbin’s face and narrowed his eyes.

Although he himself, who was constantly training his internal energy and martial arts, was getting more white hair and was aging, Lü Dongbin still had black hair and his face was glowing.

“You’re not doing any sword-fighting in the martial world and are just doing nothing, so your face is so shiny.”

“It is in the midst of doing nothing that one finds the Tao.”

“What Tao, do you reach the path of the sword by just sitting and meditating?”

Lü Dongbin smiled brightly.

Cheon Mubaeck, with a dumbfounded expression, drew the sword he had been carrying on his back.

It was the great sword of the Sword King, which everyone in the martial world feared.

“Well, whatever, let’s have a match.”

Lü Dongbin shook his head.

“Your sword is full of killing intent. No.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill the only friend I have.”

“No, that killing intent will be directed at you, not me.”

“You’re not a Taoist who practices the Tao, so what’s with the bullshit?”

Anyway. He only learned strange things from his master.

Well, since his master was an immortal, his disciple would not be a normal guy either.

“What is the purpose of continuing to swing the sword?”

“Well…”

Cheon Mubaeck plopped down on the spot. And he looked at his sword and muttered.

“I don’t know. At first, I held the sword to survive from beasts and bandits… but at some point, it wouldn’t leave my hand.”

“…”

Lü Dongbin looked at Cheon Mubaeck with a deeper look.

“Is it to see the end of the sword?”

“Isn’t it the same for you?”

Although he was just practicing the Tao here.

Cheon Mubaeck looked at Lü Dongbin’s sword, which was placed behind him.

Before he had become a disciple of an immortal as the rumors said, wasn’t Lü Dongbin a great swordsman, to the point where he had wondered if there was a swordsman of this level?

“That’s right.”

“How long has it been since you’ve held a sword, saying that?”

“Even if you let go of the sword from your hand, you do not forget the sword.”

That was a natural statement.

But Cheon Mubaeck did not answer bluntly.

Although he had lived longer than Lü Dongbin, considering his repeated past lives, whenever Lü Dongbin said this, he had no choice but to listen.

“Letting go of the sword from my hand. This is my way of reaching the path of the sword.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Cheon Mubaeck snorted.

“A sword is sharpened and becomes sharp when it is stained with blood. A sword develops in the midst of struggle.”

Cheon Mubaeck said proudly.

This was something that had no room for debate.

It was what he had experienced and felt during his numerous past lives.

He had thrown himself into the storms of the martial world with a single sword in his arms.

So Cheon Mubaeck had gone through numerous past lives, and in this life, he had become the Sword King.

Perhaps after a few more lives, he would become the Sword God, and then he would reach the end of the sword.

“This is my path of the sword.”

At his unwavering voice, Lü Dongbin nodded his head.

“That’s right, that’s your path of the sword. If you don’t give that up, you will one day reach the end of the sword.”

“That’s a very grateful statement.”

“But my friend. Although the purpose of reaching the Sword Kiuk is the same, the methods are all different.”

“Right, you’re saying that your way is also right? Well, it probably is. Although it doesn’t look like it in my eyes…”

What he couldn’t deny was that he was ridiculously strong.

“Where is there a right and a wrong?”

Lü Dongbin released his cross-legged position and slowly picked up his sword.

“If you keep practicing with an unwavering belief, you will reach the end.”

“Well. I wonder if that belief can remain unshaken even after hundreds of years.”

When Cheon Mubaeck said bitterly, Lü Dongbin answered nonchalantly.

“It can be shaken. But, what’s the problem with that?”

“Huh?”

“If it’s shaken, you can just think about something else for a while, cool your head, and come back.”

“You want me to let go of the sword from my hand?”

“You don’t have to let it go. I’m just saying you should think about something else.”

“Something else?”

“Instead of your path of the sword, look at the paths of the sword of other people with interest, as if you were watching.”

Cheon Mubaeck did not answer.

When was it?

Was it from the time he had thought that he was walking the path of the sword himself?

He had thought that his own way was right.

No, it was actually right. As he had gone through hundreds of years of past lives, he had developed and had gotten closer and closer to the end of the sword.

The more he did so, the more Cheon Mubaeck had thought that his path was certain and was absolutely right.

And, that had not changed even now.

But he had found comfort.

“Right. What the hell, if I think it’s not right later, I’ll just look for a new path of the sword.”

Even if it wasn’t this way,

The fact that there might be another way.

That was quite reassuring.

So.

“That’s that, and let’s have a match, Mr. Lü.”

Lü Dongbin, the only rival that Cheon Mubaeck had acknowledged in his hundreds of past lives, smiled brightly.

* * *

“…”

Shit.

As soon as Cheon Mubaeck opened his eyes, he felt a sudden urge to curse.

“It’s been a while since I’ve dreamed of a past life.”

And of all things, it was a dream of the time of the Sword King, when he had been with Lü Dongbin.

“Well.”

Cheon Mubaeck buried his face in the bed again with a hollow voice.

As he went through his past lives, he was bound to have regrets from each life, and that would remain as a lingering attachment.

So every time Cheon Mubaeck started a new life, he had tried to not think about his previous life as much as possible.

Because a single thread of lingering attachment might cause a heart demon at some point.

But.

“Why is Lü Dongbin appearing?”

Cheon Mubaeck narrowed his brow.

Well, if you’re going to appear in a dream, you should have given me something.

I didn’t get anything from the Complete Truth Sacred Altar.

“…”

It was then.

Cheon Mubaeck suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Cheon Mubaeck, who had been closing his eyes for a long time, suddenly got up from his seat and shouted.

“Neung-heo!”

“…Ah. Why are you waking up a sleeping person?”

“Get up.”

“I don’t have the strength to get up because my body was destroyed by the special training until this evening.”

“Let’s go! To find the treasure map!”

“What kind of bullshit is that again?”

“It wasn’t that there was nothing.”

At Cheon Mubaeck’s words, Neung-heo stared blankly for a long time and then barely muttered.

“Ha… it seems you had a lot of lingering attachment, pretending not to. At times like this, you’re a complete kid. A kid.”

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep