novelraw Chapter 260 : The Path of Overlord of the Heavens
Chapter 260 : The Path of Overlord of the Heavens
Chapter 260: The Path of Overlord of the Heavens
Before he realized it, Sewoon had sunk alone into stillness.
Tang Muyeol had left the room long ago, saying he needed to preside over a meeting, yet Sewoon felt as though he were still beside him even now.
That was because the warmth of his father’s embrace, and his firm, unwavering teachings, still lingered deeply in his heart like an afterimage.
The miserable deaths of Yoo Jinhak and Myeong Iljin-in, and the horrific despair he had endured amid the ruins of Huayin County.
All of that pain had become inner demons gnawing at his soul, tightening around him like shackles—but now, things were different.
‘Now, I must walk a new path I have never taken before.’
Not for the sake of revenge, but to protect the comrades and family who stood behind him.
His father’s words shook his mind like a peal of thunder.
After his regression, every one of his actions had been aimed at a single goal: revenge against the Blood Demon.
That obsession with vengeance had driven him toward the extremes of martial power, but at the same time, it had blinded him and paralyzed his reason.
‘If only I had realized this a little earlier… I could have protected the both of you.’
As he carefully retraced the course of his battle with the Blood Demon, he finally understood why he had been so easily suppressed, despite having received the Heavenly Demon’s arrangements.
But that was no longer the case.
The flames of vengeance had not disappeared from his heart, but the “outer wall” that enveloped those flames had grown far stronger.
And the material that formed that wall was none other than Sewoon’s unyielding, resolute will.
It was not some lofty mission to save the Central Plains.
It was simply a genuine will—to protect the people he loved at his side.
At that moment, Sewoon opened the eyes he had been keeping closed.
‘I will reconstruct everything anew, starting from the very first step.’
Hwa-ruk!
Kwa-ga-ga!
The Golden Heaven Harmonizing Qi that had been slumbering within him began to boil violently.
Uuuuuung—!
The aura erupting from his body was no longer uncontrollable madness.
It was a harmonizing power that seemed to embrace and purify all things.
Compared to before, it was incomparably stronger—yet beautiful as well.
Chureok.
Slowly, Sewoon extended his hand and grasped the sword lying before him.
It was the final keepsake left behind by Yoo Jinhak.
The blade itself had already been destroyed by the Blood Demon’s power, but the hilt still bore Yoo Jinhak’s traces in full.
Holding that sword, left desolate with nothing but its handle, Sewoon clenched it tightly.
‘I will inherit the final Taiji you drew, Alliance Leader.’
Sewoon focused on the tip of the sword. His inner energy flowed into the hilt like a living creature.
Shaaah!
A faint light began to bloom from the old hilt, soon giving rise to a colorless, invisible aura beyond ordinary sight.
A formless blade born of the Golden Heaven Harmonizing Qi.
Sewoon carefully overlaid his Formless Sword upon the hilt.
Paseuseu…!
His Formless Sword began to embed itself into the hilt, as though it were becoming the blade itself.
A strange ripple spread through empty space.
Like two different dyes blending to create a new color, multiple energies intertwined and emitted a brilliant glow.
‘Not yet. More—compress more Formless Swords into one…!’
True to its name, the formless had no shape.
Sewoon layered countless Formless Swords atop one another, compressing them densely.
Chwaaaah!
As a result, a solidity emerged there—so firm it felt like a real blade.
But Sewoon did not stop there.
After setting the sword upright before him using psychokinesis, he spread both hands wide.
Chwaaaah!
Sewoon overlaid the Heart-Blade Heavenly Net, imbued with his own realization, onto the completed Formless Sword.
Formless blades spread like a spiderweb, endlessly layering themselves over the solid blade.
Pa-bat!
Chwaruruk!
Countless streaks of sword radiance were engraved into the blade like dazzling flashes of lightning, amplifying its power beyond imagination.
This was no mere weapon.
It was a divine sword and a demonic sword alike—perfectly harmonizing Yoo Jinhak’s will, Sewoon’s realization, and his Vital Essence and demonic qi.
It was a martial armament that defied the principles of the world, something that had never once existed throughout the flow of time—an existence that only Sewoon could wield.
Yet the moment the sword was completed, a fitting name naturally came to him.
“……Pure Yang.”
A name taken from the courtesy name of Lü Dongbin, the Sword Immortal whose legacy Yoo Jinhak had carried on.
That was what Sewoon called the sword completed before his eyes.
‘Everything you left behind has reached me, Alliance Leader.’
Sewoon could not suppress the surge of emotion rising within him.
The greatest force that had allowed him to complete all of this was the final realization Yoo Jinhak had left behind, even at the cost of his own life.
The true meaning of the Dao that Yoo Jinhak had pursued his entire life now touched Sewoon.
Not strength—but gentleness that embraced all things.
His death had never been in vain.
‘The moment I can wield this sword perfectly… I will be able to truly stand as an equal against the Blood Demon.’
He knew it instinctively.
The instant he fully obtained this final fragment Yoo Jinhak had left behind, he would be able to transcend beyond the ultimate limit of the Life-and-Death Realm.
Kwa-rururung!
Kwa-ga-ga!
In an instant, a massive wave erupted from Sewoon’s body.
His realm was advancing yet another step.
The will and martial intent he had engraved grew ever firmer and more solid.
At last, Sewoon opened his eyes.
They no longer wavered, nor did they hold despair.
Only a deep, unyielding light remained—one that seemed to pierce through all things in existence.
Having reached maturity within the Life-and-Death Realm, his cultivation advanced one step further, arriving at a point just before the ultimate extreme.
The next moment—
“Shall we begin now.”
Sewoon slowly opened the door and stepped outside, into the light pouring in.
Inside the conference hall of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Numerous martial artists were gathered around a circular table.
The pressure emanating from their extraordinary qi and presence was enough to rival the grand assembly hall of the Murim Alliance.
At the head seat sat Tang Muyeol, with the elders of the Tang Clan, Tang Serin, and Jin Mubek, the Lord of the Ten Thousand Iron Hall, gathered alongside him.
Left sat Wi Tae-do, the Sect Leader of the Southern Sea Sword Sect, and Gong Taemun, the Leader of the Martial Exalt Union.
Right sat Umun Geol, the Palace Lord of the Beast Palace, and even the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden, the Sect Leader of the Shrine Maiden Sect.
Everyone who had ties with the Tang Clan was present.
Yet without exception, worry filled their faces.
The aftershocks of the great chaos that had recently swept through the martial world weighed heavily upon their shoulders.
“Supreme Clan Head. The Blood Cult’s forces are truly running rampant. At this point, we must also step forward with our full strength.”
Jin Mubek, the Lord of the Ten Thousand Iron Hall, voiced his opinion in a firm tone.
Loyalty toward his lord and hostility toward the Blood Cult were intermingled in his gaze.
However, before any response to Jin Mubek’s words could emerge, the meeting shifted to another topic.
“The sects belonging to the White Path Union are sending urgent messages, begging for assistance. Can the Tang Clan not lend them its strength?”
“That will not be possible. Their plight is regrettable, but at present, we are hard-pressed even to protect ourselves.”
The Tang Clan’s Chief Steward cut off the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden’s words, his face darkening.
“The Demonic Alliance bastards are attacking the sects of Guangxi to divert internal chaos. The damage to commoners is rapidly increasing, so a swift decision is required.”
Gong Taemun, the Leader of the Martial Exalt Union, added his voice as well.
Seizing the opportunity created by the Blood Cult’s instigation of war, the Demonic Alliance had gone completely berserk.
Taking advantage of Moonlit Night’s death and the loosening of governmental intervention, the remnant forces of the Five Evils were pushing their blades forward.
It was truly a tangled situation, complicated by countless issues.
With each person’s opinions and interests intertwined, Tang Muyeol found himself unable to unify the many voices into one.
“Has the Palace Lord still not recovered?”
“……!!”
At Umun Geol’s words, silence descended upon the conference hall.
All eyes turned toward a single spot.
The empty seat beside Tang Muyeol.
The seat where Sewoon should have been sitting.
Everyone wanted Sewoon there, yet upon hearing that his body and mind had not yet recovered, none could easily continue speaking.
Even the Sword Emperor—once the beacon of the martial world—had been forced to kneel before the Blood Demon.
They could not even dare to imagine how deep the wounds Sewoon had suffered while facing such an enemy must have been.
And yet, they still needed him.
They hoped that Dark Heaven Overlord Tang Sewoon would become the new unifying core of the martial world.
Creeeak.
“!!”
“?!”
It was then.
With the heavy sound of a wooden door opening, everyone’s gaze snapped toward the entrance.
Shaaah!!
Kwa-rururung!!
“Keugh!”
“……!!”
‘W-what is this?!’
A destructive aura, like the raging waves of the sea, suddenly engulfed the hall.
Every martial artist present went beyond shock, their faces draining of all color.
It was an overwhelmingly transcendent presence they had never felt before.
Even those who had once faced the Sword Emperor Yoo Jinhak directly were left dumbfounded by a power on an entirely different level.
“I have kept you waiting.”
“……!!”
The one who entered through the door was none other than Sewoon.
The momentum radiating from his body completely dominated his surroundings.
His voice was quiet, yet the dignity contained within it made every heart tremble.
‘H-how is that even possible?’
‘Th-that’s beyond the Manifestation Realm. He has gone past it.’
‘At that age, the Life-and-Death Realm…?! No—can that even be possible?!’
People could not suppress their awe as they looked at Sewoon.
They could not believe the reality before their eyes, yet their senses were telling them the truth.
Gradually, fear gave way to reverence and respect within their gazes.
“Congratulations on your attainment, Clan Head!!”
“My heartfelt congratulations!!”
Jin Mubek, the Lord of the Ten Thousand Iron Hall, was the first to drop to one knee and offer formal respect.
Emotion was clearly mixed into his voice.
Chureok.
Thud.
Starting with him, all members of the Tang Clan and the leaders of every force that had come under Sewoon’s banner simultaneously paid their respects.
Those who had formed ties with him, including the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden, also offered their bows, disregarding rank or standing.
In truth, it was only natural.
For any martial artist, how overwhelming would it be to witness with one’s own eyes the ultimate realm they all sought to reach?
Sewoon slowly cast his gaze toward them.
He carefully looked over everyone gathered in the hall.
On his father Tang Muyeol’s face—relief and pride.
In the eyes of his sister Tang Serin—tears of joy.
On Gong Taemun’s face—unchanging loyalty.
On Wi Tae-do’s face—deep trust.
In Umun Geol’s eyes—reverence and respect.
And then Jin Mubek, and the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden as well.
‘Ah…’
All of these people had gathered here because they believed in him.
After his regression, the path he had walked had never been meaningless.
He was not alone.
This was different from his former self, who had tried to block the chaotic age caused by the Blood Demon all on his own.
There were those who followed him.
There were those who believed in him.
And there was also himself—willing to lay down his life to protect them.
‘Yes. My path was not wrong.’
Sewoon’s chest swelled with emotion.
He did not want to betray their trust.
He wanted to protect them and make the peaceful world they dreamed of into reality—without fail.
That was the path that repaid Yoo Jinhak’s final sacrifice, and the path that followed his father’s teachings.
Sewoon firmly solidified the new realization engraved within his heart.
Not revenge, but protection.
Not destruction, but guardianship.
That was the path he must walk.
“From now on, ‘our’ path will change.”
At Sewoon’s next words—
“Effective today, the Overlord of the Heavens Assembly declares war against the Blood Cult.”
The conference hall filled with tremors of awe and resolve.