Rebirth of the Thunder God

‘Someone has rummaged through this place!’

It wasn't just that Namgung Hui's keen eye had spotted it.

The intruder had simply left without even thinking of erasing their tracks.

Footprints were left here and there, and the place was full of signs of being dug up.

Namgung Hui, wondering if it was the work of the Hoicheon Association, felt his mind go blank.

A situation that should never have happened.

If the Heavenly Demon Divine Art fell into the hands of the Hoicheon Association, he could not guarantee how the tide of battle would turn in the future.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art being a divine art was one thing, but if they were to secure the legitimacy of the Cult Leader, the Blood Cult would be integrated under the Demonic Heaven of the Hoicheon Association.

Namgung Hui quickly took out Chichi and asked.

"Chichi. Are there any traces of a manual here?"

[Uh. There's an old parchment stuck in that crack in the ceiling.]

Namgung Hui, half in anticipation and half in apprehension, flew in the direction Chichi pointed.

As expected, as Chichi had said, a parchment that looked like a manual could be seen there.

He quickly snatched it and descended to the floor.

‘As Chichi said, this is definitely a manual. And it's not an ordinary one, but a supreme divine art.’

But Namgung Hui's expression, having obtained it, was not particularly bright.

After reading even the name of the martial art, his expression was colored with even more complexity.

Joy, sadness, emptiness.

All of these passed across Namgung Hui's face, and in the end, he had no choice but to wear a bitter smile.

‘The True Emperor Sword Form. How coincidental.’

The ultimate principle of the sword that the Azure Sky Martial God had researched in his later years.

The Emperor Sword Form that Namgung Hui had obtained from the Azure Sky Pavilion was an incomplete incantation that he had left behind midway.

Since Namgung Hui had filled in the rest with his own insight, it was hard to see it as a complete Emperor Sword Form.

That was why Unhak, who had recognized it, had not considered it the traditional martial art of the Namgung family.

Unlike that incomplete Emperor Sword Form, what was in Namgung Hui's hand was the completely finished, true Emperor Sword Form.

Perhaps the Sword Emperor had acquired this on the battlefield.

If so, the speculation that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had been in his hands gained more strength.

Just as he had obtained the Martial God's belongings, there was no law that said he couldn't have obtained the belongings of the Heavenly Demon, who had mutually destroyed with him.

"Chichi. You don't feel any traces of other manuals?"

[Well. I don't particularly feel any. It seems something is left in another room, but this is all there is here.]

The legacy in the other room was not Namgung Hui's.

Although those would also be quite outstanding, Namgung Hui was only chasing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

‘Do I have to turn the entire Kunlun Sect upside down? Or should I honestly confess everything to the Sect Leader and ask for help?’

As many people as possible should not know.

Because the more people who knew, the more he didn't know where the information would leak.

Namgung Hui had planned to obtain the Heavenly Demon Divine Art alone and either destroy it or hide it.

But if the whereabouts of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art were unknown like this, even that was something he couldn't attempt.

As Namgung Hui bit his lip, Chichi spoke.

[Perhaps because my spiritual power has become stronger, I can faintly feel the whereabouts of the manual that left here.]

"Really?"

[Uh. I feel it from that cliff at the corner of the Kunlun Sect.]

Namgung Hui, perhaps because his heart was in a hurry, took in the direction Chichi was pointing with his eyes and rushed outside.

"Sect Leader! What is on that cliff over there?"

As Namgung Hui even shouted, the Sect Leader was slightly flustered.

But he soon regained his composure, looked at Namgung Hui's fingertip, and frowned.

"Why do you suddenly ask that?"

"I'm asking because my future actions will change depending on what is over there."

At Namgung Hui's fierce question, the Sect Leader answered with a troubled expression.

"That is the place where Cheongheo, whom you were looking for, is sealed. Don't tell me you're asking, knowing that?"

In an instant, a hypothesis passed through Namgung Hui's mind.

The case where Cheongheo Jin-in, who had obtained an outstanding talent, came to know the whereabouts of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and secretly smuggled it out to learn it.

As Namgung Hui always said, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, as much as its transcendent power, had a considerable difficulty of entry.

It wasn't for nothing that they went through a selection process under the name of the Heavenly Demon's trial.

That would apply to even the flying and crawling talents of the Kunlun Sect.

‘In a situation where he didn't even have a master, he must have fallen into Qi deviation while trying to learn it unreasonably.’

Did the disciples of the Kunlun Sect also know that he had learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?

They probably thought he had learned some strange Daoist art from the Heavenly Dao Immortal.

Namgung Hui, who had witnessed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art with his own two eyes, knew the reason why it was by no means called a demonic art.

A martial art more profound and deep than any orthodox divine art.

Even his sworn brother, the Azure Sky Martial God, did not hesitate to praise the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

In the first place, the reason Namgung Hui was so obsessed with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was also largely due to his sworn brother's share.

"Sect Leader. It seems I must see Cheongheo Jin-in within today."

***

Namgung Hui, who had returned to his guest room, read the True Emperor Sword Form he had obtained from the Supreme Purity Peak.

He hadn't had the leisure to read it at that time, but now that he had time, it was a chance to read it.

Perhaps if he didn't read it now, he might never be able to read it in the future.

The beginning of the parchment was like this.

[My older brother and my younger brother have died.]

Namgung Hui had no choice but to tilt his head from the very beginning.

The reason was that after the first, Namgung Cheonhu, came the second, Namgung Cheonjung.

In other words, there was no person called 'younger brother'...

‘...There is. If he's talking about me.’

Although they were sworn brothers, if he were to call him 'younger brother,' it wasn't impossible.

But since Namgung Hui had not heard it directly in his lifetime, he had not immediately thought of it.

It seemed the Sword Emperor had inwardly thought of Namgung Hui as his younger brother.

Namgung Hui, putting aside his happy heart, read the text again.

[And so, I first ran to the place where my older brother was said to have died in battle. Arriving there, I had no choice but to open my eyes wide for two reasons. First, all the scenery in sight had turned to ruins, and I wondered if this was really the work of a human. And the result of just two humans fighting looked like a battlefield where Indra and Asura had fought.]

Namgung Hui nodded his head at the Sword Emperor's words.

If it were the Heavenly Demon and the Martial God, they were more than capable of creating such a scene.

[Second, the other reason I was surprised was that my older brother, who seemed as if he would never die, had already stopped breathing. And the Heavenly Demon, who was called a demon god, had also stopped breathing. As a result of my repeated checks, the two were already not of this world. Because the moment I searched their bosoms, their corpses were already cold.]

‘My sworn brother and the Heavenly Demon really did mutually destroy each other. If Cheonjung even confirmed it, I have no choice but to believe it.’

Inwardly, Namgung Hui had also thought that his invincible sworn brother might be alive.

The Heavenly Demon was also an invincible incarnation that seemed as if he would never die.

Should I say it felt as if an impenetrable shield and a spear that could pierce anything had clashed?

In the end, both of them had died.

[Fortunately, I was the first to discover their corpses. If the Demonic Cult side had found them first, my older brother's insight would have been passed on to the enemy. But thanks to applying a tracking scent to my older brother's clothes, I found the corpse first and obtained not only the Emperor Sword Form but also the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.]

Namgung Hui, confirming that Namgung Cheonjung had indeed obtained the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, let out a sigh of relief.

At any rate, it meant that it had not fallen into the hands of the Hoicheon Association or the Blood Cult.

[But the joy was short-lived. As soon as I took the manual, the enemy's pursuit began. At first, I thought they were the remnants of the Demonic Cult, but they were not. Although they had learned a destructive martial art like a demonic art, it was refined and stable like an orthodox martial art. Moreover, their orderly appearance was like watching a military unit.]

‘Don't tell me these guys are!’

[The enemies' net was relentless. They attacked as if they had been waiting every time I avoided the Demonic Cult's base. It was the same even when I tried to pass through the righteous faction's garrison. It seemed there was a traitor inside. In the end, I headed for the Kunlun Mountains, taking a big detour through the Central Plains. It's dark under the lamp. I judged that since this place had already been turned into ruins by the Demonic Cult's air raid, the watchful eyes would be neglectful.]

‘Cheonjung used his head quite a bit. Since it's a vast area and even spirit beasts are rampant, no matter how much they are, they wouldn't be able to rashly narrow the encirclement.’

[The enemies' pursuit, which had been so persistent, became sporadic. But it wasn't completely shaken off. When it seemed I had widened the distance, they would catch up at some point, and if I was careless, the enemy's blade felt as if it would touch my Adam's apple at any moment. I hid myself thoroughly during the day and moved only at night. As a result, after half a month had passed, I was able to arrive at the Kunlun Sect.]

Although the words were written briefly, thinking of the hardships Namgung Cheonjung must have gone through, his eyes stung.

Since the handwriting was also very shaky at this point, it felt even more painful.

[Upon entering the Kunlun Sect, the enemies' pursuit was completely cut off. But since carelessness was forbidden, I hid myself with the power of the barrier and never showed myself. I did not inform my family of my life or death. I was afraid that a possible traitor would hear my news and rush to the Kunlun Sect. The enemies must have known the fact that I had taken the manual. If not, such a persistent pursuit would not make sense.]

The story of Namgung Cheonjung that followed was roughly about how he had lived in the Kunlun Sect and how he had been greatly indebted to the Daoists of the Kunlun Sect.

In the meantime, he realized that the injury he had sustained while fleeing was not healing, and he said he was leaving a treasure map and this writing for future generations.

Although he didn't know why only the treasure map was leaked and only this Emperor Sword Form remained, at any rate, he had protected the Heavenly Demon Divine Art until he breathed his last.

‘I'll have to ask the Mad Dragon, who obtained the treasure map, for sure where he got it. If he's still alive.’

Since there was still no way of knowing the trends within the Blood Cult, it was unknown if the Mad Dragon was alive.

Hoping that he and his allies were alive, Namgung Hui read the back of the Emperor Sword Form.

Now, the martial arts incantations began in earnest.

The beginning was almost the same as the incomplete Emperor Sword Form that Namgung Hui had found in the Azure Sky Pavilion.

But the moment it passed the middle part, the group itself was changing, as if it were a completely different martial art.

As expected, since he had realized a lot in his later years, it was not just a correction, but a level of complete transformation.

As it had changed, the incantation of the Emperor Sword Form had naturally progressed.

‘At this level, I can even apply it to the latter half of the Thirteen Flashes of Thunder.’

The common point between the Emperor Sword Form and the Thirteen Flashes of Thunder.

It was that both dealt with a hegemonic blow that seemed to press down from the sky.

Perhaps his sworn brother, Namgung Cheonhu, had also gotten inspiration from seeing the Thunder God Divine Art.

Here and there, incantations reminiscent of Thunder Ki appeared sporadically.

And the words 'Heavenly Prison' and 'Thunder Power' were seen not infrequently.

Just as Namgung Hui had created the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Heart Art based on his sworn brother's martial art.

It seemed his sworn brother had left the True Emperor Sword Form, referring to Namgung Hui's Thunder God Divine Art.

Although their bodies and souls were far apart, as much as they were far apart, their respective groups had met, transcending space-time.

Namgung Hui calmly placed the incantation of the Emperor Sword Form in his mind, no, in his heart, and then carefully folded the parchment and stored it in his bosom.

Now that the Emperor Sword Form was settled, the next turn was.

"Namgung Daoist friend. Our side is all ready. If you are also ready, please come out."

It was time to recover the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

(End of Chapter)