Chapter 113 : Divine Thief (1)
Chapter 113: Divine Thief (1)
Mount Wudang.
A sacred mountain located south of Jun County in Hubei Province.
Countless valleys stretched one after another, while towering peaks stood densely packed together.
Its terrain truly embodied the phrase “ten thousand ravines and a thousand peaks,” and its overall shape was round and gently bulging.
Clouds lingered around the ends of its mountain ranges, while thick mist blanketed its midsection, making Mount Wudang resemble a gigantic incense burner from afar.
As Namgung Jun gazed upon the mystical scenery of Mount Wudang, he lightly brushed the dust from his sleeves.
“Fortunately, we arrived fairly quickly.”
“We've been using lightness skills without stopping. We should be able to show at least this much speed.”
Lee Se-ha looked back at the First Rank members, whose chests were rising and falling heavily.
Even for martial artists who had mastered movement techniques, crossing Hubei Province from east to west in such a short time was no easy feat.
For the comparatively weaker First Rank members, it had been a forced march.
After roughly examining their condition, Lee Se-ha's eyes softened.
“Come to think of it, Jun, your stamina has improved quite a bit. Your movement technique has also been steadily improving.”
“I am already a Third Rank member now, Master. I'm no longer the person who had just begun learning martial arts.”
Walking leisurely beside them, Heo Il smiled faintly.
“This reminds me of when I accompanied Young Hero Namgung on his first mission. It has been both a long and a short time, yet Young Hero Namgung's accomplishments continue to amaze me.”
“I've heard that story too. It's honestly surprising that there was ever something Namgung Jun wasn't good at.”
“Hearing stories about Senior Namgung when he was still a First Rank member is fascinating.”
As Heo Il began recounting old stories, Man Ye-won and Yu Geun-su, who had quietly been listening nearby, naturally joined the conversation.
The other swordsmen also occasionally chimed in with light laughter.
Only Gong Jun-am silently climbed the mountain path at the very front.
Perhaps because they had entered from Mount Wudang's southern side, the mountain trail was fairly gentle.
Had they ascended from the north instead, they would have been forced to climb steep cliffs.
Passing countless maple trees, ginkgo trees, and the pine trees that were most abundant on Mount Wudang, the Heavenly Sword Hall eventually reached the mountainside.
“I see it.”
Gong Jun-am spoke for the first time since they had entered Mount Wudang.
The Heavenly Sword Hall members following behind also ended their conversation and looked ahead.
The first thing that caught their eyes was a small pond sparkling beneath the sunlight like scattered gold dust, along with an enormous pine tree that seemed to have endured hundreds of years of wind and rain.
Its trunk was so thick that it rivaled the support pillars of an ordinary pavilion.
Its immense branches stretched high into the sky, casting an enormous shadow across the surrounding area.
Simply raising one's head to behold the pine tree inspired awe.
“It's the largest pine tree I've seen on Mount Wudang.”
“Look over there. There are so many weapons hanging from its branches.”
While the Heavenly Sword Hall members admired the passage of time reflected in the ancient pine, their eyes remained fixed upon the dozens of weapons hanging from its branches.
Various kinds of weapons had been tied to the branches with colorful cords.
Some spears appeared to have been hung only recently, while certain ancient swords looked so old that their age could no longer be determined.
Namgung Jun likewise could not take his eyes off the countless weapons suspended from the tree.
If the pine tree's extraordinary size and thickness were proof of everything it had endured beneath heaven and earth, then those weapons were no different from the traces of everything the Wudang Sect had weathered throughout the Jianghu.
‘Sword-Releasing Pool.’
To pass through the Wudang Sect's mountain gate, everyone, regardless of status, reputation, or martial prowess, had to surrender their weapons at the Sword-Releasing Pool.
Of course, there were rare cases where someone received permission from the Sect Leader to enter while carrying their weapon.
But such exceptions were exceedingly uncommon.
“Welcome, fellow Daoists of the Azure Sky Society.”
A middle-aged Daoist emerged from the Sword-Releasing Pavilion situated directly behind the Sword-Releasing Pool.
Recognizing him, Lee Se-ha stepped forward and offered a respectful greeting.
“True Person Hyeonsa.”
“Hero Lee. It has been a long time.”
“I don't see True Person Hyeonpung.”
When Lee Se-ha asked about the absence of Hyeonpung, the Master of the Sword-Releasing Pavilion and leader of the Wudang Seven Swords, Hyeonsa shook his head bitterly.
“Senior Brother Hyeonpung led the Wudang Seven Swords down the mountain. At present, this humble Daoist alone remains to guard the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.”
“So even the Wudang Seven Swords have left the Sword-Releasing Pavilion. It seems the situation at the front is more difficult than I expected.”
The Wudang Seven Swords always guarded the Sword-Releasing Pavilion as one of the faces of the Wudang Sect.
The fact that all of them—not merely a few—had left their posts caused several experienced Third Rank members to widen their eyes in surprise.
“It's been years since we've mobilized on such a large scale. The forces brought by the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult are anything but ordinary.”
After looking over Lee Se-ha and the Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen, Hyeonsa clasped his hands together.
“We are severely lacking in manpower. The Azure Sky Society's willingness to lend us its strength is something for which I am truly grateful.”
“Even without the alliance forged at the Songshan Gathering, helping was only natural. Wudang and our Society have aided each other for a long time.”
After expressing his gratitude once more by reciting a Daoist invocation, Hyeonsa gestured toward the interior of the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.
“Please proceed.”
Looking at the swords carried by the Heavenly Sword Hall members, Hyeonsa added,
“There is no need to surrender your swords. We are in wartime, and you are honored guests who have come all this way to assist our sect. The Sect Leader specifically instructed us to treat you with the utmost courtesy.”
With Hyeonsa's permission granted, the Heavenly Sword Hall immediately continued onward.
Even so, Namgung Jun could not take his eyes off the Sword-Releasing Pool as he walked.
‘It's unfortunate, but given the circumstances, it can't be helped.’
He had greatly wished to cross swords with the Wudang Seven Swords guarding the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.
Just as the Shaolin Temple had the Four Vajras, the Wudang Sect possessed the Wudang Seven Swords.
They were the swordsmen who represented Wudang, masters who would not fall short anywhere in the Jianghu.
Naturally, Namgung Jun's competitive spirit as a swordsman stirred, but he forcibly suppressed it and followed behind Lee Se-ha up the winding path.
After passing through the mountain gate, the Heavenly Sword Hall arrived directly within the Wudang Sect's grounds.
After sending the swordsmen to their assigned quarters, Lee Se-ha and Namgung Jun headed toward the Supreme Harmony Palace.
The Supreme Harmony Palace was the residence of the Wudang Sect Leader.
However, the person waiting for the master and disciple was not the Sect Leader himself.
Instead, Hyeonmang, the Wudang Sect Leader's chief disciple, remained in his place.
“It has been a long time, Black Cloud Wanderer.”
“It really has. Has it been two years already?”
“Greetings, True Person Hyeonmang.”
After exchanging greetings with Lee Se-ha, Hyeonmang looked toward Namgung Jun, causing his beard to tremble slightly.
“So you are Namgung Jun, the greatest righteous junior. The rumors were not exaggerated. You haven't even reached twenty years of age, yet you're already peering into the realm of a supreme master.”
Namgung Jun merely responded with humble courtesy.
Sensing the humility naturally contained within his bearing, Hyeonmang quietly sighed.
‘So this was why Samgyeong has been wandering in confusion.’
Hyeonmang recalled Samgyeong, the second-generation disciple who had represented Mount Wudang at this Songshan Gathering.
Samgyeong was undoubtedly a genius.
If he continued cultivating both character and martial arts as he had been, he was worthy of inheriting the future of the Wudang Sect.
Yet ever since returning from the Songshan Gathering, Samgyeong had changed slightly.
He often distanced himself from both the sword and the Daoist scriptures, spending long hours lost in contemplation.
The elders of Mount Wudang had refrained from interfering, choosing instead to watch from afar, but they were nonetheless worried about him.
Now that he had seen Namgung Jun in person, Hyeonmang felt he finally understood what had troubled Samgyeong.
‘Samgyeong realized just how vast the world truly is.’
There was nothing to be done in such a case.
All they could do was hope he would overcome it himself and rise once again.
“Primordial Heavenly Venerable.”
Reciting a Daoist invocation in a low voice after thinking of Samgyeong, Hyeonmang invited them to sit.
Master and disciple took their seats.
“I didn't expect the Sect Leader to be absent.”
“The one leading the invading army in Hubei Province is the Sun's End Demon King.”
The Sun's End Demon King, one of the Four Kings of the Bright Heavens.
If a supreme master of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult had appeared personally, then it was only natural for the Wudang Sect Leader to take the field himself.
“True Person, your internal injuries appear quite severe.”
Lee Se-ha carefully examined Hyeonmang's complexion and aura.
No matter how she looked at him, he was not merely standing in for the absent Sect Leader.
“Until four days ago, I too was at the front. Then I suffered grave injuries and returned to the main mountain.”
Namgung Jun quietly examined Hyeonmang's body.
His internal injuries seemed serious, while the bandages wrapped around both arms suggested that even moving was difficult.
‘Wudang's situation is worse than I expected.’
Hyeonmang was the chief disciple designated to become the Wudang Sect's future Sect Leader.
Even from the faint aura surrounding him, Namgung Jun could tell that Hyeonmang stood above ordinary supreme masters.
The fact that even such an expert had suffered injuries like these proved how fiercely the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult and the Wudang Sect were clashing on the battlefield.
“Will the Heavenly Sword Hall also be heading to the front lines?”
“For now, we ask that you focus on guarding the main mountain. Our current defensive arrangements were made with the Heavenly Sword Hall's reinforcements already taken into account.”
Lee Se-ha nodded at Hyeonmang's words.
Although they had borrowed the Heavenly Sword Hall's strength, it was only to defend the dangerously undermanned main mountain.
It was clear that Wudang intended to bear the burden of the actual battlefield themselves.
Hyeonmang's trembling hand moved as he took out a simply decorated invitation from his sleeve.
“And the Divine Thief has sent a notice to the main mountain.”
“The Divine Thief?”
“With the sect thrown into chaos by the war against the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult, this is the perfect opportunity from the Divine Thief's perspective.”
Hearing that, Lee Se-ha's expression sharpened.
“That worthless thief certainly lives up to his reputation for being quick on his feet.”
Listening to the conversation, Namgung Jun silently repeated the Divine Thief's title.
‘Divine Thief.’
The greatest thief currently in the Jianghu.
His own martial prowess had already reached Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit, making him a supreme master.
However, most agreed that his movement technique alone had already reached the Supreme Realm.
Because he had occasionally assisted or acted together with the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult, he was also regarded by the Azure Sky Society as one of its primary targets of caution.
“The Divine Thief's sudden notice... It seems to be one of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult's strategies to create confusion in our force distribution.”
Hyeonmang agreed with Namgung Jun's assessment.
“Precisely. Therefore, only the forces remaining at the main mountain and the Heavenly Sword Hall can stop the Divine Thief. In particular, among those currently at the main mountain, Black Cloud Wanderer is likely the only martial artist capable of properly responding to him.”
Hyeonmang's bandaged hands trembled.
With injuries so severe that even moving was difficult, it was only proper to exclude himself from their fighting strength.
The thought that Wudang's honor could be tarnished by the Divine Thief while he could do nothing only made his heart ache even more.
In the end, the only thing Hyeonmang could do was pray that Lee Se-ha would successfully stop the Divine Thief.
Looking toward Lee Se-ha once more, Hyeonmang lowered his head.
“Black Cloud Wanderer. I leave it to you.”
“I'll do everything I can.”
“The Divine Thief sent a notice?”
After hearing what had happened at the Supreme Harmony Palace, Heo Il's expression hardened.
Namgung Jun looked toward Heo Il's scar-covered right hand.
Even normally, Heo Il's right hand would tremble slightly.
Now, however, it was convulsing twice as violently as usual.
Namgung Jun's gaze sank as he watched Heo Il tightly clutch his scarred right hand with his left.
“Yes. Do you have some connection with the Divine Thief?”
Despite Namgung Jun's question, Heo Il merely bit down on his lip.
Namgung Jun did not press him and simply waited patiently.
It was only when the moonlight sinking into the night gradually tilted westward that Heo Il finally took a long drink from the liquor in his gourd before speaking.
“The Divine Thief... was my former master.”
Namgung Jun's eyelids slowly lifted upon hearing Heo Il's words.