Crimson God-Slaying Sword (2)
By the time I dispatched the two early Peak martial masters and turned my gaze, the Crimson God-Slaying Sword, Hwa Yeong-bin, had already slain Demon Sword Yang Bul-gi and was now looking my way.
From what I heard, he too had been investigating the women's abduction. Unable to find a lead, he had come to seek aid from Gogeom Sect, only to stumble upon us by chance.
We agreed to postpone further discussion and first return to Gogeom Sect—since we were worried about Bisa-yeong and Lady Jeongan.
But when we reached the main gate, we found them safe, walking out together—along with one unfamiliar figure.
"Senior Brother Hwa!"
Lady Jeongan's face lit up brilliantly as she ran toward Hwa Yeong-bin.
I also caught sight of Bisa-yeong's slightly bitter expression as he watched her.
Yet even as she rushed toward him with the momentum of an embrace, Hwa Yeong-bin only smiled gently and said:
"You seem as bright as ever, Lady Jeongan. I'm glad you're unharmed."
Seeing that expression, I finally understood the stories I'd heard from the two young ladies.
The tales of a man who had mourned a lost lover for more than a decade, devoting himself to the Emei Sect.
I couldn't explain why, but that radiant, almost dazzling smile of his seemed unbearably sorrowful.
Just looking at him made it clear:
That man could never be happy.
And suddenly, I recalled—though not exactly the same, I had seen that look once before, in my past life.
Yes. Captain Seol Pung's eyes looked just like that.
After all my friends—Bisa-yeong, Bae Jong-gwan, and the others—had died, and even Lady Sojeo was lost to the Poison Ghost.
He behaved as always, joked and smiled outwardly, but in his eyes lingered an emptiness no burden of duty alone could explain.
Perhaps even then, Seol Pung had lost something he could never forget.
And perhaps…
As I was thinking this, the man standing beside Bisa-yeong suddenly smiled and addressed me.
"An honor to meet you. I am Lee Geon of Cheongseong."
Snapping back to myself, I replied quickly:
"Ah, a pleasure. I am Seonu Jin of the Flying Dragon Brigade."
He was a youth so beautiful he could almost be mistaken for a woman. Slender frame, bright smile, and most striking of all, his eyes remained firmly shut.
He laughed lightly.
"I am blind. I beg your understanding."
He said it so casually, I felt embarrassed.
"Ah—if my gaze was rude, forgive me."
"Not at all. It's just that if I don't mention it, people are always curious."
Speaking with him, one thing became immediately clear:
He did not seem blind at all. He moved and acted as though he saw everything—and perhaps more.
At the very least, one truth was certain:
He is a master. Perhaps even beyond Captain Seol Pung.
Then Hwa Yeong-bin spoke.
"He is my junior disciple. His martial skill is strong, but this is his first time in the jianghu. I hope you'll be good friends to him."
Lady Jeongyeon gasped.
"Senior Brother Hwa's disciple?! Then he's the long-rumored fifth disciple of Grandmaster Cheonggwang Jin-in?!"
Lady Jeongan was also startled.
"Ah! Then that's how he used the Cheongun Jeokha Sword!"
At that, both Lady Jeongyeon and I were stunned.
"What?! Did you say… Cheongun Jeokha Sword?!"
We turned wide eyes on him, and he only smiled sheepishly.
It must be true.
Lady Jeongyeon murmured in awe:
"Heavens…"
There was an old saying about Cheongseong Sect:
"He who unites Azure Clouds and Crimson Sunset may challenge the Realm of Myth."
It referred, of course, to the Cheongun Jeokha Sword.
In the long history of Cheongseong, those who had mastered it numbered fewer than ten.
And every one of them had been hailed as an absolute master of the martial world.
The most famous example was the current Cheongseong Monster Immortal, Cheonggwang Jin-in.
But even he had not manifested the Cheongun Jeokha Sword until his forties.
And this young man—barely in his early twenties—had already done it?
Could it be… that after a hundred years, the titles of God of War, Demon God, Thunder God, and Sword God would find a new heir?
Yet in my past life, I had heard nothing of such a figure.
I looked again at his radiant, youthful face.
Embarrassed, he confessed:
"I haven't fully united Azure Clouds and Crimson Sunset. It's only an imitation. That's why Master ordered me to rest a year, then enter seclusion again."
Seclusion, huh.
Perhaps that explained why I had never heard of him in my previous life.
I asked:
"Then your seclusion—will it last until you perfect the Cheongun Jeokha Sword?"
He shook his head awkwardly.
"Master said not to emerge until I've glimpsed the Mythic Realm itself."
"Ah… the Mythic Realm."
Good heavens.
So his aim was truly the Sword God's realm.
I had no words.
After we eradicated the Blood Cultists from Gogeom Sect and freed the women, dawn was already breaking.
We had already informed the authorities and nearby sects that Gogeom Sect had been taken over by the Blood Cult long ago and was behind the kidnappings. Cleanup would be handled.
We then told Hwa Yeong-bin about Jeonghyeop Clan and Lady Jeong In being held captive.
He groaned.
"Jeonghyeop Clan was a Blood Cult base? Bai Yuzhiryong Gu Yu-sang… was one of them?"
He looked deeply shaken, clearly having known Gu Yu-sang personally.
But soon he steadied himself, his eyes gleaming with killing intent.
"To think the Blood Cult was lurking right beside me all along. I can hardly believe it."
Then he turned to his junior, Lee Geon.
"You must return to Cheongseong at once. Tell Master everything, and request troops to destroy Jeonghyeop Clan. If Master hesitates, ask Elder Cheongwon instead."
Lee Geon asked:
"And you, Senior Brother?"
"I will go to rescue Lady Jeong In. Time is short."
I exchanged a look with Bisa-yeong, both of us smiling faintly.
Every judgment he made was swift, wise, and reassuring.
But then came words that wiped the smiles from our faces.
He said:
"Jeonghyeop Clan is currently focusing its full strength on assaulting Mount Sword Sect. Remember—act quickly, and the task will be easier."
"What?!"
We all stared in shock.
"Jeonghyeop Clan attacked the Mount Sword Sect?!"
Hwa Yeong-bin nodded grimly and explained—
He nodded gravely and explained:
"To assault the Mount Sword Sect, nearly a thousand men gathered and began moving discreetly last evening. No doubt they intend to strike at dawn. I learned of this when I went to the Hao Clan to gather intelligence."
Bisa-yeong and I locked eyes.
Gulp.
His gaze trembled like a ship battered in a storm.
I suspected mine looked much the same.
"Exterminate the demonic filth! Slaughter every last stray of the unorthodox sects!"
The renowned Peak master of Jeonghyeop Clan, Blade Tyrant Kyung Ga-deung, was the first to vault the walls of the Mount Sword Sect.
He immediately swung his great saber.
Slash!
"Gaaah!"
"An attack! Uwaaaah!"
It took no more than two strokes to fell the guards.
Behind him, a thousand Jeonghyeop Clan warriors surged over the walls like a tidal wave.
"Leave no one alive! Kill every unorthodox rat and honor the spirit of Hero Hwang Jang-gon!"
"Waaaaaaa!"
Hwang Jang-gon, the Iron General, had been Kyung Ga-deung's sworn brother, and since he'd died in the previous battle, Kyung had resolved not to let a single Mount Sword Sect member live.
The outer defenses of Mount Sword Sect crumpled like paper pierced by a needle.
Bisa-yeong turned to me.
"Shouldn't we go back?"
At the thought of each of my comrades' faces, heat surged from my chest up into my skull.
I could not allow a single one of them to die.
There was no question which mattered more—Lady Jeong In of the Emei Sect, whom I had never even met, or my own sworn brothers and sisters.
Yet after a moment of reflection, I exhaled slowly and shook my head.
"Even if we went now, we'd be too late. Besides…"
Two faces rose vividly in my mind—those of the people I trusted more than anyone in the world.
I told the still-anxious Bisa-yeong:
"The Mount Sword Sect has Captain and Lady Cheongyeon. If it's those two, even in the worst case, they'll ensure none of our comrades come to harm."
Bisa-yeong's expression flickered through many emotions, but in the end he forced a smile.
"You're right. With those two there, perhaps they've already crushed Jeonghyeop Clan by now. Yes… we should finish the task here first. That's the wise choice, isn't it?"
I nodded back with a strained smile.
"Yes. This is our role."
If we could rescue Lady Jeong In, we could draw the Emei Sect to our side.
And if we secured the support of both Cheongseong Sect and Emei Sect, no matter how vast Jeonghyeop Clan's forces, they would be like a candle in the wind.
Together with the Crimson God-Slaying Sword, Hwa Yeong-bin, we set out swiftly for Gwaneum Hall, where Lady Jeong In was said to be held.
Meanwhile, at Wulin Alliance's Mancheongak—
The Alliance's intelligence bureau and headquarters of the Dark Shadow Division—Grand Strategist Jegal Ji-gang was reading a newly delivered report, his expression grim.
"So… the Strong Demon, Jeo Ung-won, was hiding in Sichuan's Jeonghyeop Clan, and that clan is a forward base of the Blood Cult? Are you certain?"
The Mancheongak master standing before him bowed his head.
"It has not been fully verified. But the report came with this—an authentic Blood Cult manual."
Jegal Ji-gang received the torn manual and examined it.
It was the very same Blood Cult secret art that Seonu Jin had split in half and sent via Sak Muhun.
Sak Muhun, having destroyed the Dark Shadow Division's 8th Squad, had used their carrier pigeons to deliver the report to the Alliance.
Jegal Ji-gang judged it highly credible. His eyes blazed with fury as he ground his teeth.
"The Blood Demon… how dare he!"
The Mancheongak master asked cautiously:
"Shall we dispatch a force to Jeonghyeop Clan?"
Jegal Ji-gang stroked his chin in thought, then shook his head.
"No. We must first confirm it. Send letters to the Sichuan sects. Tell them to verify if Jeonghyeop Clan is truly a Blood Cult base. If it is, they are to erase it utterly."
"Yes, at once!"
He added, his eyes sharp as blades:
"And also send a letter to the Sword Saint at the frontlines. Tell him the same. Add that this could spark the Second Great Blood War."
At that, the Mancheongak master's face darkened.
"The Second… Great Blood War?"
"If this proves true, the justification will be undeniable. But do not worry too much. We'll resolve it before it comes to that."
"Yes, Strategist!"
Jegal Ji-gang then frowned at the torn manual.
"But why was it sent in pieces?"
"That… I do not know."
He pondered, then asked:
"This report came from the Dark Shadow Division's 8th Squad, did it not? The same squad that reported the Strong Demon moving north?"
"Yes, Strategist."
"If I recall, we never ordered them to pursue the Strong Demon. And yet they followed him, discovered Jeonghyeop Clan's ties, and even obtained their manuals?"
"Yes… it seems so."
Jegal Ji-gang's gaze sharpened dangerously.
"Suspicious indeed. Summon them back to the Alliance. And bring me all records of their past reports."
"Yes, Strategist!"
Jegal Ji-gang looked toward the distant frontlines, eyes like drawn blades.
He had long known the Blood Demon would not honor their non-aggression pact.
He had suspected the Blood Demon would plant puppets north of the front.
But he had not imagined the puppet would be a great clan on the scale of Jeonghyeop Clan.
And now, to dare abduct women of the Nine Great Sects—this was beyond all bounds.
Back in his office, he muttered quietly:
"So… Sichuan will not satisfy you, Blood Demon? Heh… then good. Better this way. With this, I can clip your wings and bind you with debt all at once."
He had told the Mancheongak master this might escalate into a Second Great Blood War.
But he knew he would never allow it to come to that.
He smiled faintly.
By crushing Jeonghyeop Clan, he would destroy the Blood Demon's painstaking forward base and place the Demon himself in heavy debt.
And in the process, he could also resolve matters with the Sword Saint.
His mind was already turning, calculating how best to exploit this situation.
After a moment's thought, he picked up a brush and began drafting a personal letter—to the Blood Demon himself.