The Regressed Young Master’s Guide to Living on Easy Mode

Chapter 60 : The Empty Lord (4)

The Heavenly Emperor was supposed to have died at the hands of the Demonic Emperor. But the Heavenly Emperor did not die.

The Sword Emperor was also supposed to have died at the hands of the Demonic Emperor. And the Sword Emperor also did not die.

The Demonic Emperor, with his sword at the Sword Emperor's neck, said.

"There is an unknown force in the martial world. And that force is larger than imagined, has a long history, and exists everywhere, moving the martial world in the shadows."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Kill me quickly."

"The Heavenly Demon Cult has already been taken over by them. So I started the war as they intended. To meet you, the Heavenly Emperor and the Sword Emperor, naturally."

Swoosh.

As the Demonic Emperor sheathed his sword, the Sword Emperor asked with surprised eyes.

"Is it really true?"

"There's no need to lie in this situation."

Even so, the Sword Emperor did not completely trust the Demonic Emperor. That was natural. The rift between the Orthodox Faction and the Demonic Cult was already hundreds of years deep. The exchange between them had long been cut off, and the only news that was occasionally heard was the Orthodox-Demonic War.

"Is the Heavenly Emperor alive?"

"Yes. I didn't kill the Heavenly Emperor either. I just told him the same story as today."

Hearing that, the Sword Emperor was curious. He wondered how the Heavenly Emperor would have reacted. However, the Heavenly Emperor he knew was a being who would never compromise with the demonic path.

"What did that guy say?"

"He didn't believe me until the end. Seeing his reaction, it seemed he was preparing something of his own."

"Well, that's a reaction worthy of him. But it's strange. If you had noticed their existence, couldn't you have just uprooted them from the Heavenly Demon Cult? You're the strongest."

"It's not that I haven't tried. But I failed every time."

"Are you saying that there is someone in this martial world who is stronger than you?"

"Yes. And what I know is that they operate as a thorough cell organization, and everything is decided by a small number of beings."

"I can't believe it. Stronger than you. Then shouldn't we consider this martial world to be over?"

"I thought so too... but they seemed to be afraid of something. Seeing that they are still in the shadows. So I think now is the best time."

"What do you mean?"

"The last resort to save this martial world. A plan to create a being who will surpass me."

"Hah! To be honest, I still can't believe your words. You start a war out of the blue and then say that there is a huge force in the martial world, and that they are controlling the martial world from behind. And among them, there is someone who is stronger than you, the Demonic Emperor."

"It's up to you to believe it or not, but in my judgment, the only beings in this martial world that are not touched by their hands and can be trusted are you two, the Heavenly Emperor and the Sword Emperor. That's why I came to you myself."

"Then, even if this is true, it means we can't hope for anyone else's help. Because we don't know who is on their side."

"Exactly."

"I really can't believe it. Alright! Conceding a hundred, a thousand times, assuming that what you say is true, what should I do? No. Should I ask like this? What is the real reason you started the war?"

* * *

At that time, the Demonic Emperor had lifted his shirt and showed him.

There was a broken vessel.

-This is the reason I came. I can no longer face them.

The Demonic Emperor was dying. It was even more absurd that he had defeated him in such a state.

And a short while later, the news that the Heavenly Emperor, whom the Demonic Emperor had clearly said he had not killed, had died spread throughout the martial world. A few days after that, someone wearing a mask came to him.

On that day, the Sword Emperor had barely survived with his life, but in return, he had lost his martial arts, which were more important than his life.

Only after being hit like this did the Sword Emperor realize that the Demonic Emperor's words were true.

And by the time he was about to do something, the Demonic Emperor had also died.

After going around and around and facing reality, the Sword Emperor was now looking at a child.

"To raise a martial artist greater than the Demonic Emperor..."

In the Sword Emperor's view, it was no exaggeration to say that the Demonic Emperor's martial prowess had already reached the realm of divinity. But who could do what even he could not?

If he hadn't met this child, he would have thought so.

* * *

I feel good for the first time in a long time.

I have stabilized the rampant internal energy and increased the amount of internal energy I can use. At this rate, I should be able to go somewhere and not get beaten up.

Perhaps because the use of internal energy has increased, my range of perception has also increased.

At the gaze I felt from one side, I turned my head, and the 'I'm not the Sword Emperor' elder was outside with his eyes open for the first time in a long time.

"Elder?"

"Seeing your good expression, you must have achieved a satisfactory accomplishment."

"That's not it. I just feel like I can finally act like a human. By the way, why are you awake?"

"There's something I want to show you. Give me your sword."

"You're not in good health, are you okay?"

"I sometimes wonder what you think of me."

"A former martial artist who was once successful, but whose dantian was destroyed and is living a slightly better life than a life where he wets his pants every time he urinates?"

"The description is quite specific, and it's strangely annoying."

"I'm the type of person who can't compromise on this kind of thing."

"Yes. Everyone has their own tastes. I understand, so give me the sword."

"Are you really going to do it? Are you going to be bedridden for a few days again? The other day, you said you were feeling good and then you threw your back out while messing around with a sword and were bedridden for a whole month."

"I can't tell if you're worried or teasing me."

"Of course, I'm worried."

"Then put down that raised corner of your mouth and speak."

Swoosh.

His arm slowly rises.

His back, which had been bent until now, straightens.

A sharp momentum settles on his skinny body, which looks like it will collapse at any moment.

Light fills his cloudy eyes. His eyes become clear.

The old man who had been lying in his room because his body was not well was gone.

I could tell instinctively.

The person in front of me now was the idol of all the swordsmen in the Central Plains in the past.

The Sword Emperor, Jin Cheol-ho.

"Give me the sword."

I could not disobey those words.

Clank.

I naturally handed over the sword.

Swoosh.

The hand that brushed over the surface of the sword showed an unparalleled respect for the sword.

As the fingertip left the tip of the sword, the sword rang with a 'jing'.

The sword's cry.

A sound that rang without using any internal energy.

The pinnacle of the sword that can only be heard when the sword and oneself have become perfectly one.

"Watch carefully. I can't do it again."

And so, the sword is slowly raised.

At that single movement, goosebumps rose on my arms as if the weather had suddenly turned cold.

Hah.

When I exhaled, I could see my breath.

Considering that it was early summer now, it was by no means a normal phenomenon.

But the being in front of me was making it happen as if it were natural.

The sword, which had stopped in the air for a moment, moved again.

The speed was extremely slow, but I could tell what it was cutting.

The grain.

The path that exists in this world, invisible but definitely existing.

Cutting the grain was something I could also do.

Sizzle.

But a different result from what I had cut was unfolding in front of me.

Cutting the grain meant cutting something. Therefore, I had been able to cut off the flow of the opponent's strong qi by cutting the grain.

Crack.

Ice formed in the air along the path the sword had passed. It was like watching a beautiful sword dance.

Finally, the sword dance ended, and the ice fell.

Clang.

The ice that hit the floor shattered, and I returned to reality.

The Sword Emperor asked me.

"Did you see?"

If I said I saw, I saw, and if I said I didn't see, I didn't see. Therefore, I couldn't answer whether what I had seen was correct.

At my bewildered expression, the Sword Emperor lowered his sword and looked up at the sky.

"It seems the time has really come."

The vitality that had been felt until just now was rapidly disappearing. I knew exactly what phenomenon was happening now.

Because I had also experienced it early on.

The final radiance.

A phenomenon where the last life is burned before death, emitting a bright flame.

The Sword Emperor had shown me that sword path just now at the cost of his remaining life.

–

"Elder! Why on earth?"

"Heh heh. You don't have to call so loudly, I can hear you."

"Why did you do this?"

To be honest, even if  he did as the Demonic Emperor said, I didn't think I would succeed.

However, the question still remained.

If he had this much power, he could have killed the Demonic Emperor, the Heavenly Emperor, or himself long ago, but they didn't.

And the fact that they had come to him only after he had recognized their existence.

There were still many unanswered questions.

The fact that their existence was a threat to the martial world also didn't really resonate with him.

Unlike the Demonic Emperor or the Heavenly Emperor, he was a complete novice in politics.

The only thing he was good at was swinging a sword.

Complex things didn't suit him in the first place.

Whenever he faced difficulties, he always cut through them with this sword and moved forward.

That was the life the Sword Emperor, Jin Cheol-ho, had lived.

"It's a sword path that has not yet been completed."

If there is a wall, cut through it.

Grin.

The Sword Emperor showed a satisfied smile.

Because he had a feeling that even if he didn't know about other complex circumstances, this child would be able to go the same way as him when a difficult situation came.

"If someone blocks your way, cut them down and move forward. That is the way of the sword."

It was the last words the Sword Emperor had left.

* * *

The Sword Emperor died.

I was standing blankly in front of his grave.

To be honest, I had known that a day like this would come someday.

The Sword Emperor's health had been rapidly deteriorating, and there were more days when he had his eyes closed than open.

However, I had never imagined that it would be today.

Everyone is born and will face death someday, so I wasn't particularly sad about the Sword Emperor's death. Come to think of it, he was a person who didn't have much of a connection with me.

However, it was true that he had left a strong impression on my life.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was half-jokingly my master in my martial arts.

So I decided to call the Sword Emperor my master.

"Master. I'll try to complete the sword path. We've lived together for 3 years, so we have a sense of loyalty."

Come to think of it, he had also saved my one-year lifespan.

"Should I call you father?"

-This guy!

"It's cooler to have the Sword Emperor as a father than a gambler."

-This bastard!

For some reason, I feel like I can hear my father's voice from the afterlife.

A month passed since then.

No matter how I think about it, I think I was scammed by my master.

For the past month, I had been swinging all night to understand the meaning of the last sword path my master had taught me, even if not perfectly.

And there was something I had barely found out.

Combination.

Instead of cutting the grain, it was to put yin energy into the grain and freeze the grain itself.

To put it simply, it could be said to be similar to the principle of how ice is made, but this was not just ice.

Specifically, it was ice mixed with impurities.

Normally, you would think that pure ice is harder than ice mixed with impurities, but in reality, ice mixed with impurities is harder than normal ice.

The reason was cohesion.

The impurities were holding the ice more strongly.

What my master had tried to show me at the end was probably this.

A martial art that cuts the grain and at the same time, puts yin energy in between and freezes the grain itself.

To put it simply, it is a martial art that freezes internal energy.

The ice created in this way would be an ice with a cohesion that could not be compared to existing ice.

However, in that process, for some reason, my hair had turned white.

And the atmosphere also felt strangely calm. It was as if I were not me, but someone else.

I couldn't complain about this anywhere, but it wasn't a bad change.

Because I had been thinking of having to disguise myself when I went out into the martial world later, but now I didn't have to.

And my body's condition was also not perfect, but it was enough to protect my body wherever I went.

"Shall we leave now?"

The time had come to move to find out about the third force, which was the original purpose.

My junior sister was growing up well, as expected.

Even if I didn't do this, there was a high possibility that my junior sister would get rid of all those guys later, but I felt at ease only after confirming their identity with my own two eyes.

For now, it would be good to hide among ordinary people and observe the situation of the martial world.

For that, a merchant group that could go anywhere would be most appropriate.

A merchant group of the size of the Five Great Merchant Groups of the Central Plains would be able to visit and observe various places.

And so, when I was about to leave after saying my last goodbye to my master.

I could feel someone approaching this way quickly.

As soon as I felt the presence, I turned my head, and someone had already arrived.

'Fast.'

It was a woman wearing a deep bamboo hat.

'Could it be them?'

She approaches me without hesitation. I naturally become wary and put my hand on the hilt of my sword.

'If you come closer, I'll cut you.'

The woman entered my range. I, in order to subdue the woman, clank! drew my sword and swung it as it was.

Swoosh!

A sword that draws a clean trajectory along the grain.

It is a sword strike with increased cutting power. Normally, if you tried to block it, you would be cut along with the sword.

Thump.

The woman blocked my sword strike by just raising one finger.

'At least the Demonic Zenith or higher!'

Gulp. Cold sweat ran down my back. I'm screwed.

"Not bad."

The voice that was heard sounded quite young.

The face revealed above the bamboo hat was a young face with baby fat still on it. Although it was the first time I had seen her today, her appearance was strangely familiar.

"Are you the disciple of the Sword Emperor, elder?"

'She knows my master?'

Is she an acquaintance of my master? But she's too young for that.

"That's right, but who are you?"

"I am the current Heavenly Lord."

A word I've never heard before.

"What is that?"

"It seems you haven't heard anything from the Sword Emperor, elder. You must have heard of the Suicide Squad."

"The Suicide Squad?"

I had a strong feeling that I had heard it somewhere.

"Yes. The original name is the Martial World Secret Suicide Squad. In short, the Suicide Squad, and it is composed of a total of ten people, and its purpose is to reclaim the Orthodox Faction from the Demonic Cult. And this time, with the death of the Taeju, one seat has become vacant. So I have brought you. The Empty Lord."

I remembered the Suicide Squad. I remembered what the old Divine Monk had told me.

"The Empty Lord? A stray ghost? Are you referring to me?"

"Yes. You really don't know anything."

What was certain was that since she knew my master, who had cut off ties with the world, she was a member of the Orthodox Faction.

But she doesn't even look like she's an adult yet, but she's already at the Demonic Zenith... no. Since this is the territory of the Orthodox Faction, is it the Transformation Realm?

This meant that her martial talent was at least at the level of my junior sister.

To think that such a being existed again under the sky, it was just surprising.

"Follow me. The comrades are waiting."

I confirmed that the third force definitely exists in the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Then what about the Orthodox Faction? Originally, I had planned to get a job at a merchant group and go in and out of the factions of the Orthodox Faction to collect information, but if I joined the Suicide Squad, even though I don't know exactly what it is, everything would be solved.

The opponent is mistaken that I am my master's disciple.

'If it doesn't work out later, I can just run away.'

"What should I call you?"

"We, the ten lords, are all equal. You can call me whatever you want."

Seeing that it's the ten lords, it seems there are a total of ten people.

"I'll call you by your name. What is your name?"

At that moment, the woman's eyes trembled slightly and then returned to normal.

"It's Eun Ga-yeong."

"I think I've heard that name somewhere. I'll just call you the Heavenly Lord."

Although I pretended not to know on the outside, I knew this name.

The Rakshasa Divine Maiden, Eun Ga-yeong.

The person whom the previous Martial Alliance Lord, the Heavenly Emperor, Yoo Mu-gun, had taken in as his adopted daughter solely based on her talent, and the unprecedented evil woman created by the Orthodox Faction who had sent four of the Heavenly Demon Cult's military units to the afterlife alone when I was the Young Lord in my past life.

-To show yourself only after all your subordinates have died, how cowardly! And you call yourself the Young Lord of the Demonic Cult!

I can clearly see her shouting at me. Now I completely remember that face.

-It's tragic and resentful! Why did the heavens give such power and authority to a bug like you! Why did the heavens choose a bug like you, not the Orthodox Faction!

-If you're so bitter, you should have been born in the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Slice.

And so, the Rakshasa Divine Maiden had died, leaving behind numerous legends. And one of them was the Gansu Province battle. And it was a fact that was later known, but the Rakshasa Divine Maiden was a Heavenly Martial Body, which was only passed down in legends.

"Follow me. I'll guide you to the Suicide Squad."

"Alright."

A legend was in front of me.

Should I run away now?

Swoosh.

Our eyes met.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"No. I just felt a chill and looked back."

"How bland. Let's go quickly."

If I had run away, I would have been really screwed.

(End of Chapter)