novelraw Chapter 219 : The Turbulent Martial World (2)
Chapter 219 : The Turbulent Martial World (2)
Chapter 219: The Turbulent Martial World (2)
Silver Moon Great Axe.
It was the only divine weapon ever wielded by the Heavenly Demon—and the last trace he left behind.
Of course, long before Sewoon was even born, the Silver Moon Great Axe had melted away and vanished, becoming the Frozen Shackles, and then transforming into the Ice Wheel Thread now held in Sewoon’s hands.
Yet even if its form had changed, the power of the Silver Moon Great Axe was unmistakably contained within the Ice Wheel Thread.
Suaaah!
Sewoon slowly looked down at the Ice Wheel Thread.
A pale, whitish radiance glimmered faintly along the thread.
Gazing at that throbbing light, Sewoon spoke in a low voice.
“The Heavenly Demon left the Silver Moon Great Axe behind for a ‘purpose’.”
The Heavenly Demon had departed, leaving his divine relic behind as he vanished.
Yet if he had already resolved to disappear from the martial world, why would he bother leaving his divine relic behind at all?
Certainly, the Silver Moon Great Axe was an object beyond the mundane, but to the Heavenly Demon—who had ascended to the Life and Death Realm—it would have been no different from a farmer’s tool.
However, to say it had simply become useless did not sit right.
The aura left behind within the Silver Moon Great Axe bore far too many traces of deliberate refinement.
Then that meant……
‘He left it behind intentionally. His final trace. Yes—so that a successor in the future would find him. As a clue.’
Now, he could be certain.
The intent embedded within the aura he had left in the Silver Moon Great Axe was far too clear.
‘But if that’s the case, why did he leave in the first place?’
The questions were endless.
Sewoon’s next question was simple: Why did the Heavenly Demon leave?
He had been just a single step away from achieving what no one else had ever accomplished—the unification of the martial world.
Had he advanced just one more step, the Heavenly Demon would have taken everything.
Supreme authority, standing above ten thousand others, subjugating both the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Alliance at once.
The devoted followers of the Demonic Cult, who revered him like a god.
And on top of that, absolute martial attainment.
Yet the Heavenly Demon ultimately did not take that final step and vanished as if it were all a lie.
No matter how much he pondered it, only vague conjectures surfaced.
‘Of course it wouldn’t be easy. It’s the greatest unresolved mystery in the history of the martial world.’
In truth, the reality behind the Heavenly Demon had become a legend no one could interpret.
Countless scholars, fortune-tellers, and storytellers had each put forth their own explanations for the Heavenly Demon’s actions, but not a single one rang true.
Even the old masters of the past had failed to find the answer.
‘Yes. Even I—.’
Sewoon quietly unfurled the Ice Wheel Thread.
Suaaah!
As the Ice Wheel Thread floated in midair, a chilling aura rippled outward, and like a Pursuit Thread, it continued to resonate toward a certain direction.
It was an utterly natural flow, as though a fragmented self were trying to reclaim itself.
The faint vibration spreading from his fingertips echoed again and again within the stillness.
Woooong!
That was it. The Ice Wheel Thread was reacting to Reverse Heaven Qi.
‘If Reverse Heaven Qi hadn’t reached eight stars, I wouldn’t have noticed anything at all.’
Upon fully reaching the Extreme of the Manifestation Realm, Reverse Heaven Qi had rapidly advanced all the way to eight stars.
And the now far stronger Reverse Heaven Qi was clearly resonating with the Heavenly Demon’s aura engraved within the Ice Wheel Thread.
A reaction entirely opposite to the previous nature of Reverse Heaven Qi, which had rejected all other energies.
‘I don’t know why, but for me, this is good fortune.’
If he followed the direction guided by the Ice Wheel Thread, what lay at the end was obvious.
The traces left behind by the vanished Heavenly Demon.
They would surely be there.
‘I don’t ask for much. Even if there’s no secret manual, even a minor remnant of martial arts the Heavenly Demon once displayed would be enough.’
Simply witnessing the footsteps of one who had gone before was enough to gain profound instruction.
He would obtain a clue to the threshold of the Life and Death Realm—the realm he so desperately sought.
The Extreme of the Manifestation Realm.
It was certainly one of the ultimate pinnacles a martial artist could reach.
But there was no time to stop. He had to move further.
To destroy the Blood Demon, he needed to ascend to the Life and Death Realm as quickly as possible.
If the Manifestation Realm was the comprehensive culmination of all techniques cultivated thus far, then the Life and Death Realm was the tempering of the mind—the path to essence itself.
His heart urged him to depart immediately and begin the pursuit, but—
“……Hah.”
Sewoon let out a long breath.
He slowly turned his head.
Before his eyes lay documents piled like mountains and reports awaiting his management.
‘That brat, Yeo Seon—he really never gets tired of bringing me mountains of work every day.’
Through the war, the territory of the Sichuan Tang Clan had expanded greatly, and there was a pressing need to handle postwar administration for the newly incorporated forces and subjugated regions.
“Ugh, well, I can’t put it off forever.”
Thinking that he should deal with it as quickly as possible, Sewoon reached out toward the documents.
Just then—
Knock, knock.
There came a sound of knocking at the door.
“Clan Head, did you call? This humble one is Yeo Seon.”
It was a familiar voice.
Yeo Seon—who had gone beyond the role of Chief Instructor to become the de facto grand strategist overseeing everything within the Tang Clan.
‘I really can’t live like a noble.’
Suppressing the urge to laugh, Sewoon spoke.
“What is it?”
“A distinguished guest has come seeking an audience with you, Clan Head. I came to inform you.”
A glint appeared in Sewoon’s eyes.
A “distinguished guest” meant exactly that—a truly important visitor.
And if Yeo Seon himself described them that way, it meant they were anything but ordinary.
Who could it be?
Several faces flashed through his mind, but—
“I’ll come out right away.”
Sewoon stood from his seat and spoke.
“I should have come sooner to offer my thanks for saving my sect……. It took far too long to deal with the aftermath of the suffering endured by innocent commoners. Hoo, I am ashamed.”
Wi Taedo greeted him with a solemn clasp of his hands.
The former Grand Elder of the Mount Hainan Sect had, just days earlier, formally ascended to the position of Sect Leader.
As he looked at Sewoon, his eyes brimmed with gratitude and deep emotion.
“No, I personally witnessed that horrific battlefield. How could I be unaware of Mount Hainan’s situation? Please, don’t trouble yourself over it.”
Sewoon replied, lightly shaking his head.
At that sincere response, Wi Taedo seemed to be moved all over again.
“Hoho, you are far too humble……. Still, hearing such words from you directly fills me with both apology and gratitude.”
“I, too, offer my words of gratitude. The grace of saving our sect—whatever benefaction you may desire in the future, Benefactor, I will gladly follow.”
Nam Mujin, who stood beside him, also bowed his head and spoke.
Sincerity was embedded in his voice.
And that was only natural.
That nightmarish night when the demonic practitioners of the Southern Sea Sun Palace descended upon the Mount Hainan Sect.
Had it not been for Tang Sewoon, the Mount Hainan Sect would not exist today.
Nam Mujin—who had already harbored an exceptional respect for Sewoon as a member of the Jecheon Unit—now looked at him with eyes bordering on worship.
“Oh my, oh my. With the two of you coming at me like this, I hardly know what to do with myself. Now, now—you must have traveled a long way, so please sit comfortably and have a cup of tea first.”
“Haha, then we shall accept with gratitude.”
Thus, for the first time in quite a while, the three of them began conversing over tea in a peaceful atmosphere.
Yet instinctively, Sewoon realized—
‘Hmm. What is it they came here to say?’
Even while engaging in ordinary conversation with him, the two kept subtly gauging his reaction.
It did not seem malicious. Rather, there was only an anxious restraint, as though they were hesitating to broach the main point.
‘I can guess what it is, but I’ll wait until they speak first.’
At that moment, Wi Taedo cautiously opened his mouth.
“I heard that the Tang Clan has been extremely busy dealing with the aftermath of the war, and it seems that was no exaggeration. Now that I’ve come and seen it, everyone in the clan is running about as though their feet are on fire.”
“Yes. Since we are proceeding with utmost care to avoid causing confusion among the commoners, the workload has only increased.”
“That makes sense. The Tang Clan’s territory has expanded immensely, after all.”
Sewoon merely responded with a faint smile.
That was true.
The domain of the Sichuan Tang Clan had expanded beyond comparison.
First, large numbers of the Tang Family Slopes were relocated to Gansu Province, and the main base of the Tang Escort Bureau was moved there, absorbing everything belonging to the Lee Trading Company.
Escort Bureau Lord Tang Muyeol personally took action and swallowed the Lee Trading Company’s entire commercial network, and now, in both name and reality, the Tang Escort Bureau had become the number-one trading company of the Central Plains.
“Still, Gansu and Guizhou Province seem to have stabilized now, but eradicating the lingering harm of the Heaven-Piercing Sect is proving difficult.”
“I-is that so?”
At Sewoon’s words, Wi Taedo carefully controlled his expression, lest his surprise show.
‘So it’s true… the Six-Soul Blade Emperor, master of the Martial Reverence Alliance, has truly sworn loyalty to the Tang Clan Head.’
‘How in the world did he tame that tiger who once raged with madness for nothing but martial arts?’
Feigning ignorance of their inner turmoil, Sewoon took a sip of tea, and Nam Mujin spoke.
“…Clan Head, this may be discourteous, but there is something I wish to ask.”
“Hm. What is it?”
“Is it… truly the case that the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and the Tang Clan have formed an alliance? If that is true, how did you manage to deal with them, who never associate with any force in the martial world—?”
“Hey! You brat—!”
“It’s fine.”
Before Wi Taedo could finish scolding him, Sewoon raised his hand to stop him.
Nam Mujin’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Sewoon.
He was genuinely curious how such a feat had been accomplished.
“I believe the time has come to let the truth be known to the martial world. Telling the two of you a bit earlier should be fine.”
“…Pardon?”
“The Beast Palace is not our ally.”
“??”
“Like the Martial Reverence Alliance, it is a force that falls under the Tang Clan’s umbrella.”
“???”
Both Nam Mujin and Wi Taedo stared, blinking with their mouths agape.
Under the umbrella?
There was only one meaning to those words.
“…Th-then does that mean the master of the Beast Palace is… you, Clan Head of Tang?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“!!”
Their eyes trembled as though an earthquake had struck.
And yet, how could they not be shocked?
For a man of the Central Plains to become the master of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace—one of the Outer Four Palaces.
How could such a thing be easily believed?
Sewoon smiled and continued.
“Rather than explaining it in words, it would be easier to show you directly.”
Suaaah.
As he moved his fingertips, blue Ink Imprints rose and flowed across his body.
The patterns enveloping him were not a mere release of presence, but resembled an ancient beast awakening and beginning to move.
“Th-this is…!”
“Beast Battle God…!”
“Yes. I obtained a miraculous encounter with the Battle God. Since then, the warriors of the Beast Palace have been following me.”
“!!”
The moment they saw the Ink Imprint of the Battle God—passed down only in legend—the two had no choice but to believe.
They looked at one another, unable to speak for a long while. Then, as if he had reached a firm resolve, Wi Taedo’s gaze hardened.
At last, it was time to speak the true purpose of their visit.
Thud.
“Sect Leader?!”
“Clan Head of Tang.”
Suddenly, Wi Taedo and Nam Mujin dropped to their knees before Sewoon.
Startled, Sewoon tried to raise them.
But Wi Taedo continued speaking with his head bowed.
“Please allow our Mount Hainan Sword Gate to stand together with the Tang Clan.”
“!!”