Chapter 308 : The Message
Chapter 308: The Message
The Heavenly Sword Family had been defeated by the attack of the Divine Dragon Family, which had joined hands with the Sovereign Family.
The majority of both the main and branch families had burned down, and the Heavenly Escape Sword Art along with the World-Opening Sword they had protected were stolen.
The surviving martial artists of the Heavenly Sword Family were striving to avenge their families and recover the secret manuals and sword left behind by the Sword Immortal.
Then suddenly, a man named Jang Woo-hyun appeared and resolved everything.
The martial artist who defeated the Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord, Yong Cheon-myeong.
To the Heavenly Sword Family, Jang Woo-hyun was no different from a benefactor.
“My name is Yeo Il-mun.”
“I am Jang Woo-hyun.”
“The Heavenly Sword Family owes Great Hero Jang an enormous debt.”
“No. I only fought because I had matters of my own to settle with Yong Cheon-myeong. So please do not feel burdened.”
A strange light flickered in Yeo Il-mun’s eyes.
Within that brief exchange, he sensed the same thing Yong Un had.
Jang Woo-hyun had defeated one of the Six Heavens, yet he remained calm.
He was neither arrogant nor did he look down on others.
‘Has there ever been someone like this among those who reached that position?’
At the sight, he once more examined the Demon-Extinguishing Brigade.
The atmosphere was relaxed.
Lighthearted and cheerful, with freedom visible within it.
Unlike the Heavenly Sword Family, they were not united as one.
Even if the Demon-Extinguishing Brigade’s predecessor had been the Battle Ghost Division of the Hundred Martial Assembly, showing such an atmosphere meant they were not being controlled.
From Yeo Il-mun’s perspective, it was astonishing that someone could command such powerful individuals without controlling them.
“Haha, Great Hero Jang is truly someone beyond my understanding.”
“I am merely a martial artist of the Central Plains Murim as well. I heard you were looking for me.”
“Yes. I very much wished to meet you at least once. There were things I wished to ask as well.”
Yeo Il-mun paused briefly before carefully speaking.
“I heard that you possess Heavenly Escape.”
“Ah…… yes. That’s correct. Though I don’t currently have it with me.”
Jang Woo-hyun panicked slightly, worried they might ask for it back.
After all, if one were to be precise, the Heavenly Escape Sword Art originally belonged to the Heavenly Sword Family, not him.
If they asked for it back, he would have nothing to say.
“There’s no need for you to worry so much.”
A small smile appeared on Yeo Il-mun’s face.
At that moment, Jang Woo-hyun looked like a child worried about getting scolded for losing something important.
Even if Jang Woo-hyun forcibly took the Heavenly Escape Sword Art here, no one would be able to stop him anymore.
He possessed that level of power now.
‘And yet he still shows such consideration.’
It was clear he was someone who cared for others and did not intimidate people with his strength.
“It is shameless of me to ask this, but there is one thing I wish to inquire about. If it makes you uncomfortable, you need not answer. Perhaps……”
“Old man, hurry up and spit it out already. Our Captain’s busy. And just ask directly, there’s no need to worry. He’s not the kind of person to care about stuff like that. Ah, but let me say this in advance— if you say some bullshit, I won’t just sit—”
“Senior Seo, please.”
“Yes, I’ll step back.”
Seo Ryeom retreated backward to his original position.
“You really need to stay quiet.”
“How can someone remain so consistent even after getting old?”
“Stay quiet? I’m the left wing of the Demon-Extinguishing Brigade, so should I just sit around doing nothing? Huh? The right wing and temporary vanguard should do something too. Those two never do anything, yet anyone watching would think they’re the leaders.”
Seo Ryeom boldly shot back against the scolding directed at him.
Seeing his energetic grumbling, Jang Woo-hyun ended up smiling slightly.
The same situation happened every time, but it was awkward to scold Seo Ryeom too much since he knew the man acted like that out of concern for him.
And this time as well, the atmosphere softened because of it.
“You may ask comfortably.”
After hesitating briefly, Yeo Il-mun finally spoke.
“I heard that Great Hero Jang obtained the Heavenly Escape Sword Art. Have you mastered that secret manual?”
Since he had already spoken with Yong Un, he knew Jang Woo-hyun had obtained the Heavenly Escape Sword Art through Yong Seo-hee.
“To be precise, I don’t think it would be correct to say I mastered the secret manual itself. However, I did learn martial arts through the Heavenly Escape Sword Art.”
An uproar erupted among the Heavenly Sword Family martial artists standing behind Yeo Il-mun.
The Heavenly Escape Sword Art.
A secret manual that had been preserved within the family for a very long time.
No one had ever mastered it, and some even claimed it was not truly a secret manual despite appearing as a book.
It was a bizarre object whose true nature nobody understood.
Yet Jang Woo-hyun claimed he had mastered it.
“It is a shameless request, but would it be possible for you to tell us its contents?”
Yeo Il-mun lowered his head deeply.
No matter how much it was originally the family’s secret manual, asking another person about the martial arts they had mastered was not an easy matter.
However, Jang Woo-hyun did not mind much.
From the beginning, he had intended to tell the martial artists of the Heavenly Sword Family what the Heavenly Escape Sword Art truly was.
“There’s no need for you to apologize. Though it became connected to me by fate, the Heavenly Escape Sword Art originally belonged to the Heavenly Sword Family.”
With the full attention of the Heavenly Sword Family martial artists fixed upon him, Jang Woo-hyun continued explaining.
“I heard that the Heavenly Escape Sword Art is both a secret manual and a Dharma Treasure. It is also a clone of the Sword Immortal. I formed a connection within the Thousand-Year Seeking Sword Garden and personally learned martial arts from the Sword Immortal within the world created by the Heavenly Escape Sword Art. I did not learn any specific sword technique or supreme divine art. What I learned were the fundamentals of martial arts, the path I should walk forward on, and the proper state of mind. It would be more accurate to say I learned about martial arts itself, which I had not yet fully established.”
As the explanation continued, exclamations repeatedly burst forth from the Heavenly Sword Family side.
The true identity of the secret manual no one had ever mastered.
As time passed, there had even been people who doubted whether it was truly a secret manual at all.
However, the leadership of the Heavenly Sword Family knew the truth.
The Heavenly Escape Sword Art was one of the Sword Immortal’s clones.
Though it no longer appeared now, long ago the Sword Immortal’s clone had occasionally revealed itself.
“The Heavenly Escape Sword Art exhausted its lifespan and is no longer with me. I apologize. It was an important secret manual of the Heavenly Sword Family, yet I used it without permission.”
“No. It merely found its true owner through fate.”
Even if its power was inferior to the original body, it was still a clone of the man first called the Sword Immortal.
Its discerning eye would not have vanished, and there must have been a reason it chose Jang Woo-hyun.
Yeo Il-mun had no right to question that choice.
“Bring that over here.”
Yeo Il-mun slightly turned his head and called for a martial artist behind him.
The martial artist carrying a long box on his back stepped forward and handed it over.
“Will you please accept this?”
Yeo Il-mun held the box and opened it.
Inside was a sword covered in cracks and half broken apart.
It looked like an ordinary sword with nothing special about it.
The power it emitted was also extremely faint.
Yet Jang Woo-hyun immediately recognized what it was.
Because it remained vividly within Yong Cheon-myeong’s memories.
‘World-Opening.’
“The World-Opening Sword, the sacred relic of our family. It appears the Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord used it while fighting Great Hero Jang. Am I correct?”
“Yes. After the battle, I completely forgot about it. How did you find this?”
“We bear the duty of protecting the World-Opening Sword, so we always had a method of tracking it in order to recover it whenever possible.”
The Heavenly Sword Family possessed a method of tracing the World-Opening Sword, so they had been waiting for an opportunity from the moment it was stolen.
Then recently—
The World-Opening Sword suddenly weakened, as though it had lost its power.
Realizing something had happened, they moved immediately.
And they recovered the World-Opening Sword after it was broken during the battle with Jang Woo-hyun.
“World-Opening is a peculiar sword.”
Even Yeo Dong-bin had said he obtained it by chance.
A sword whose creator and exact power were unknown.
However, they did know a few things about it.
“According to the stories passed down, World-Opening is a key shaped like a sword. There was even a rumor that it was a secret manual left behind by an existence dwelling in a place far beyond our understanding.”
Yeo Il-mun closed the box and held it out toward Jang Woo-hyun.
“Please accept this, even though it is broken.”
“What? But this is the sacred relic of the Heavenly Sword Family. Why give it to me?”
“We no longer need it. Most likely, this will be of greater help to Great Hero Jang.”
Jang Woo-hyun repeatedly refused, saying it was unnecessary, but Yeo Il-mun remained stubborn.
As the two continued their back-and-forth over whether to accept it or not, Jang Woo-hyun slightly frowned at the vibration coming from his waist.
Quickly moving his hand, he suppressed the source of the vibration— Dragon King Scale—with his power.
‘Wait, you bastard. If you suddenly devour it here, people will panic.’
As though it understood his thoughts, Dragon King Scale immediately quieted down.
Then it trembled briefly.
It almost seemed as though it were asking him to hand over the World-Opening Sword.
Between Dragon King Scale’s request and Yeo Il-mun’s continued insistence, Jang Woo-hyun ultimately had no choice but to accept the World-Opening Sword.
“Thank you for accepting the sword.”
“No, I’m the one who should be thankful. You handed over your family’s sacred relic.”
“Not at all. It was an object we could not properly use anyway. Only now has it found its true owner. Great Hero Jang, there is one final thing I wish to ask. It concerns the Sword Immortal.”
“If it’s something I know, I will gladly answer.”
Yeo Il-mun spoke with a tense expression.
“Great Hero Jang… did the Sword Immortal remember us?”
Dozens of eyes filled with expectation turned toward Jang Woo-hyun.
“He said with words that he was disappointed.”
Dozens of eyes trembled.
They resembled the eyes of children on the verge of tears after having their food taken away.
Even the martial artists of the Heavenly Sword Family themselves believed the Sword Immortal’s words were justified.
Those who claimed to inherit the Sword Immortal’s legacy could not even master Heavenly Escape, and their family had been crushed by another faction.
Disappointment was only natural.
“But though his words sounded harsh, he regretted it and felt apologetic.”
The eyes that had nearly filled with tears now brimmed with hope instead.
Jang Woo-hyun remembered the gaze of Yeo Dong-bin as he grumbled.
His eyes had been filled with regret and sorrow.
“Though the Sword Immortal may speak that way, he cares for the Heavenly Sword Family more than anyone else.”
“T-that…… is that truly true?”
“Yes. This is something I…… can state with certainty.”
He did not use the word disciple.
Judging from the expressions of Yeo Il-mun and the others, he felt things would become much more complicated if he said such a thing here.
At some point, tears had filled Yeo Il-mun’s eyes in place of hope.
The Heavenly Sword Family had been formed from the very beginning by those who followed and revered Sword Immortal Yeo Dong-bin.
To them, Yeo Dong-bin was their faith, their dream, and their goal.
They had believed they could no longer reach him.
They thought they had lost everything.
Yet suddenly his successor appeared and delivered Yeo Dong-bin’s words to them.
‘He is not someone who would lie.’
One could tell simply by looking into Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes.
What he spoke now truly conveyed the thoughts of Sword Immortal Yeo Dong-bin.
“Though I doubt such a day will come, if you ever require our strength, please call upon us at any time.”
With faces overflowing with emotion, the martial artists of the Heavenly Sword Family cupped their fists in salute.
Receiving their greeting, Jang Woo-hyun returned the gesture.
“If there is ever anything I can help with, I will certainly do so as well.”
To Jang Woo-hyun too, the Heavenly Sword Family was not unrelated.
They were connected to his master.
And he had already received two items that could be called their sacred relics.
Someday, no matter what it was, he intended to repay them.
“Hmmm.”
While Jang Woo-hyun and the Heavenly Sword Family created a warm atmosphere together, Seo Ryeom became serious in the back.
“At this rate, aren’t we going to lose the Captain?”
Watching Yeo Il-mun crying while smiling, it was difficult to refute those words.
---
As payment for summoning the Great Sage Equaling Heaven last time, Seon Tae-gyeong had gained the ability to borrow his power.
They could even communicate briefly.
And through Seon Tae-gyeong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven heard something interesting.
-The Captain will be heading to the Demon Realm. We are currently searching for a method.
‘Jang Woo-hyun is coming to the Demon Realm?’
And apparently, he had become even stronger.
“UHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Laughter burst out naturally.
This time, he would be able to meet him not as a clone, but in person.
Just imagining what would happen in the future made him excited.
‘How strong has he become?’
Even to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, a Great Demon himself, Jang Woo-hyun’s talent and absurd growth rate were astonishing.
He felt neither jealousy nor fear.
The only thing filling him was anticipation that even more entertaining things would happen as Jang Woo-hyun grew stronger.
Though Jang Woo-hyun himself did not realize it, he always carried battle wherever he went.
“Hehehehe.”
The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who had been about to go out and fight, instead flopped down onto the ground.
Today, he no longer felt like fighting.
Every battle suddenly seemed boring.
While lying there, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven suddenly remembered something.
“Huh? So that’s where I saw it before!”
The small piece of paper Jang Woo-hyun had received from Im Gwan-hwa.
He had wondered where he had seen those letters before, and now remembered they resembled the writing on the stone tablets the Nine-Body Great Sage had shown him while he was being punished by his elder sister and forced into self-reflection.
Back then too, he had been lying at the foot of the mountain, which was why he only remembered now.
“Is that related to Jang Woo-hyun?”
The Great Sage Equaling Heaven sprang to his feet.
He did not know exactly what it was, but if he brought it over, it felt like something interesting would happen.
After all, Jang Woo-hyun seemed capable of reading those characters.
Rising to his feet, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven immediately headed toward the residence of the Nine-Body Great Sage.
---
A forest where the trees grew upside down.
At its deepest point lay the place where the Nine-Body Great Sage resided.
There stood a gigantic tree growing upside down like all the others, and among its branches rested an enormous boulder.
“Where’d you go? I’m coming in.”
Without waiting for permission, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven smashed through the entrance and walked inside.
“Hm?”
The moment he entered without permission, unpleasant energies surged toward him from all directions.
Poisons capable of instantly melting even stone and lethal even to demons, along with dozens of manifested purple curses.
“What’s with all this trashy stuff?”
With a casual wave of his hand, all the incoming energies vanished.
“Now where could it be?”
The inside of the boulder was far larger than it appeared from the outside.
The cavern-like space was large enough to fit an entire city inside.
After looking around for a bit, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven quickly found what he sought.
In one corner stood a table over ninety feet long, upon which more than ten stone tablets rested.
Beside them were massive rocks and thick logs, as though entire cliff faces had been ripped away and brought here.
“He sure gathered a lot.”
The stone tablets, rocks, and wood all bore strange writing.
‘These look even more complicated than what Jang Woo-hyun was looking at.’
They looked similar, but far messier and with far more strokes.
As he picked up the stone tablets, knocked on them, and examined the rocks and wood, he noticed two common points.
The first—
“They’re all ridiculously sturdy.”
None of them broke easily.
It was almost as though whoever wrote them wanted the contents to survive for a very long time and eventually be passed down to someone.
‘Did they write letters or something?’
The second—
“Except for the first line, they all say the same thing.”
Whether it was the stone tablets, the rocks, or the wood, only the very first line at the top differed slightly.
Everything written beneath it appeared to be identical.