Chapter 187: Secret Manual

Just as the powerful warriors of the Radiant Light Sect held aliases inspired by the Ten Immortals, the Baekmu Society granted nicknames based on the nine sons of the dragon.

Tang Myung, who also had ties with Jang Woo-hyun, was one of the nine figures representing the Baekmu Society and bore the name Geum Ye, thus he was called “Thousand Sword Geum Ye.”

Seo Ryeom bore the name Cho Do and was called “Three-Illusion Sword of Cho Do,” though he had previously been known by the alias Three-Armed Phantom Beast Sword.

Three-Armed.

The term “three arms” was given because Seo Ryeom wielded three swords.

A three-sword style using both hands and the tail.

A martial art only a Beastkin could demonstrate.

Seo Ryeom’s attacks were, in a way, simple. He fought using the two swords in his hands, and when he saw an opening, he thrust with the third sword held in his tail.

Though simple, it was a tricky and dangerous attack method.

Even Jang Woo-hyun, who was currently facing Seo Ryeom, didn’t find his attacks easy to handle.

Despite struggling against this unfamiliar style of attack, Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes gleamed.

‘As expected.’

His past thoughts had been correct.

The absurd martial arts manuals he had seen while staying at the Silver Flower Trading Company were related to the Central Heavens.

The martial technique Seo Ryeom now displayed, using three swords, was similar to the Four-Limbed Sword Style, which used both arms and legs to wield swords. The only difference was that the tail replaced what would typically be used as a leg.

Seo Ryeom’s attacks were sharp, with sword paths that defied expectations. For Jang Woo-hyun, who couldn’t exert his full strength, it was a major disadvantage.

But Jang Woo-hyun smiled. Witnessing new martial arts and experiencing the unknown brought him joy.

“Captain, this isn’t the time to be smiling.”

As Seo Ryeom increased his speed, it became harder and harder to respond. Even thinking simply, Jang Woo-hyun wielded two swords, while Seo Ryeom wielded three—he was bound to be at a disadvantage.

One sword short. Jang Woo-hyun recalled the name Four-Limbed Sword Style and adapted on the fly.

Tik. Tidik.

Unable to use internal energy or Will-Form Qi Projection, he couldn’t control the Dragon King’s Scale at will. But separating the blades shaped like swords wasn’t difficult.

Blade scales peeled off one by one from the sword-shaped Dragon King’s Scale.

Jang Woo-hyun kicked the throwing blades up with his foot.

‘I don’t have a tail, but I do have legs.’

Startled by the sudden hidden weapon rising from below, Seo Ryeom had no choice but to retreat.

Even with all his experience, he hadn’t expected such an attack.

Jang Woo-hyun continued his offensive. He spun the sword created from the blade scales in his hand, kicked up more with his feet, and even clenched one in his mouth to slash with.

He suffered wounds that tore at his mouth, but he didn’t pay them much mind. Injuries like that would heal quickly.

Lacking a tail, Jang Woo-hyun used his knees, elbows, shoulders—every part of his body—to wield the blade scales.

“That guy…”

From the side, watching the duel, Mak Ya-wol spoke up.

“…He’s imitating Ryeom’s martial art, isn’t he?”

Though the method differed without a tail, the use of body parts other than hands clearly looked like an imitation of Seo Ryeom’s technique.

It seemed unbelievable, but Jang Woo-hyun was demonstrating it right in front of them—no one could deny it.

Mak Ya-wol turned to the Wind-Passing Great Sage standing beside him, his question full of disbelief.

“That guy’s mimicking a monster’s movements, and you’re surprised by this?”

“Mimicking a monster’s movements? Who are you talking about?”

He asked, but the Wind-Passing Great Sage didn’t answer—his eyes remained fixed on Jang Woo-hyun.

“…Don’t tell me, he’s copying you?”

From the widening smile on the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s face, Mak Ya-wol realized his guess was correct.

What followed was a question: Why?

Why would a human imitate a monster’s movements—especially one as skilled a martial artist as Jang Woo-hyun?

“That guy will copy anything to win, to grow stronger. Whether it’s a monster’s fighting style or a martial art technique.”

‘And he learns incredibly fast too.’ The Wind-Passing Great Sage chuckled again, finding this whole situation immensely entertaining.

Mak Ya-wol furrowed his brows as he stared at Jang Woo-hyun.

‘What kind of person is that guy?’

Mak Ya-wol, an Ascendant, had once been a wanderer.

Having fought through countless battlefields, he had honed his skills enough to ascend and joined the Baekmu Society, where like-minded people gathered.

He had battled both in the Lower Realm and the Central Heavens, but he had never seen anyone like Jang Woo-hyun. Even among the myriad warriors of the Baekmu Society, there was no one like him.

‘Is this why they fight together?’

Mak Ya-wol looked toward the Wind-Passing Great Sage beside him.

A monster obsessed with battle.

Few had survived being entangled with him. And yet, strangely, this battle-crazed Great Monster traveled as if a comrade with Jang Woo-hyun.

Mak Ya-wol had found it strange, but seeing what Jang Woo-hyun was displaying now, it all made sense. A martial artist like that would be an endlessly fun opponent for the Wind-Passing Great Sage.

‘Once Ryeom is done, I’ll give it a try too.’

Looking forward to a duel with Jang Woo-hyun, Mak Ya-wol turned his gaze back to the two fighters.

After exchanging blows for some time, Jang Woo-hyun and Seo Ryeom took some distance from each other.

Seo Ryeom, curious about something, smiled and opened his mouth.

“Captain, what’s the name of that sword that splits into pieces?”

“Dragon King’s Scale.”

“Dragon King’s Scale, huh. A fitting name.”

Thinking that no name could suit it better, Seo Ryeom charged at Jang Woo-hyun once more.

A smile spread across both their faces as they looked for an opening in each other.

Yong Seo-hee returned directly to her clan after parting ways with Jang Woo-hyun.

While she had been held by Yang Jeon-gun, the Central Heavens Martial Realm had fallen into chaos, and at the center of it all was the Divine Dragon Family.

Yet, Yong Seo-hee had not been caught up in that war.

When the Dragon Emperor of the Heavens and the current head of the Divine Dragon Family sought to start a war, not everyone followed them.

Yong Seo-hee’s family was a branch of the Divine Dragon Family. Her grandfather had opposed the war.

As a result, he was punished by the Dragon Emperor of the Heavens and suffered grave injuries. Those who had sided with her grandfather were all confined within the clan.

Naturally, when Yong Seo-hee returned home, she too was placed under a form of house arrest. Though stifling, she didn’t mind much. Instead, she locked herself in the archives, saying there was something she needed to find.

And today, she found a book she had seen long ago in the vast archives of her family.

‘吞食千寶之龍 — Devouring Dragon of a Thousand Treasures.’

A dragon that devoured a thousand treasures.

A monster that had ascended from the Lower Realm to the Central Heavens and swallowed countless Dharma Treasures.

The book Yong Seo-hee was reading claimed that, twenty thousand years ago, that dragon ascended to the Upper Realm alongside a single martial artist.

‘It’s similar to the Dragon King’s Scale.’

The book described the monster devouring Dharma Treasures, and the scene was oddly familiar.

‘So I was right.’

The book stated that when the Devouring Dragon of a Thousand Treasures swallowed a Dharma Treasure, it vanished into another space—just like when something was placed into an Inner Robe. And that process was similar to how the Dragon King’s Scale consumed Dharma Treasures.

‘Could that dragon really be connected to Orabeoni’s Dharma Treasure?’

To Yong Seo-hee, the resemblance was strong. But the brief passage in the book she held wasn’t enough to confirm it.

For several more days, Yong Seo-hee searched the vast archives for any mention of the Devouring Dragon of a Thousand Treasures.

But strangely, the only record of the dragon was in that first book she had seen.

‘How could there be nothing else?’

The Divine Dragon Family, whose members were mad for dragons due to their draconic lineage, had no other record of such an unusual dragon.

That struck her as odd.

‘Is it just too old?’

The Devouring Dragon of a Thousand Treasures had appeared around twenty thousand years ago. While a cultivator whose lifespan extended in millennia might remember, to those of the Central Heavens Martial Realm, twenty thousand years was no short span—records might simply have been lost.

“Huu…”

Taking a deep breath, Yong Seo-hee resumed her search through the archives.

She wanted to help Jang Woo-hyun, who had saved her, and she was personally curious as well. So she had no intention of stopping this investigation.

After digging through record-engraving tools and books for quite some time, she turned her head at the sound of someone approaching.

“Who’s there?”

A man stepped in front of her, walking past the shelves.

“Uncle Tae-ryung? I heard you’d gone with my uncle…”

The sharp-featured middle-aged man was Jeok Tae-ryung, the right-hand man of her uncle. Yong Seo-hee knew him well.

“What brings you here?”

She took a step back cautiously. Though they had once been close, the current circumstances weren’t favorable.

Jeok Tae-ryung served her uncle. And her uncle now stood on the opposite side of her grandfather.

Unlike her grandfather, her uncle sided with the Dragon Emperor of the Heavens and the head of the Divine Dragon Family. It was said he was actively involved in the war.

Given such circumstances, the sudden appearance of Jeok Tae-ryung, her uncle’s right-hand man, naturally put Yong Seo-hee on alert. She no longer looked at him the way she once did.

“It’s been a while, Miss. I’m glad to see you’re well.”

“Yes, I’m well. But my grandfather isn’t, is he?”

Her pointed tone made Jeok Tae-ryung smile bitterly.

“What brings you back?”

As her uncle’s closest aide, he should’ve been at his side, in battle.

“You’re misunderstanding something.”

“Misunderstanding what?”

“Lord Mu-hwi hasn’t severed ties with the elder.”

Yong Mu-hwi was her uncle’s name.

“What are you saying?”

“I just visited the elder. That’s how I found out you were here, Miss.”

“So… what exactly are you talking about?”

None of it made any sense.

After her parents passed away, Yong Seo-hee had lived with her grandfather and uncle’s families. She was never treated differently. They were all cherished family who had loved her deeply.

But because of the Dragon Emperor of the Heavens, that close family bond had fractured.

Her grandfather believed the actions of the Dragon Emperor of the Heavens and the Divine Dragon Family Head were wrong, and so he refused to obey them. As a result, he was attacked by the Dragon Emperor and gravely injured.

In that situation, her uncle chose to side with those who had harmed his father. He followed the Divine Dragon Family Head.

Thus, the relationship between her grandfather and uncle completely broke down.

That was what Yong Seo-hee had believed—until now. Jeok Tae-ryung was saying she had misunderstood.

“Lord Mu-hwi is not following the Divine Dragon Family Head. He’s been waiting for the right moment.”

“What do you mean, ‘waiting for the right moment’?”

At her question, Jeok Tae-ryung pulled a book out of his Inner Robe.

“Take this.”

“What is it?”

“A few days ago, the Thousand Sword Family was destroyed. The Dragon Emperor was searching for two items there. This is one of them. Please, take it.”

Pressed by Jeok Tae-ryung, Yong Seo-hee accepted the book he offered. A jolt of energy surged through her, and she nearly dropped it.

“What is this…?”

“Miss, you must run with that.”

“What?”

Her eyes widened at the sudden command.

“That’s the secret manual of the Thousand Sword Family. It’s no ordinary book. It only appears as a book—it’s not a real one. It cannot be destroyed or burned. Even if discarded, it will return to its owner once it recognizes them. You felt a jolt earlier, didn’t you?”

Yong Seo-hee nodded with a dazed expression.

“It’s recognized you as its owner. It won’t leave your side now. Take it to either the Tai Chi Sect or the Beast King Sect. Those sects can protect it. I don’t know what the Dragon Emperor is plotting, but he must never get his hands on that manual.”

“What in the world is this…”

Yong Seo-hee looked at the book.

On the cover were the words: Heavenly Escape Sword Art (天遁劍法).

What she now held in her hands was the secret manual left behind by the first person ever known as the Sword Immortal.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep