Chapter 22 – Tomb of the Sword God (10)

“How can this be…”

Tak Un-jin stared with trembling eyes at the suddenly lifeless Mo-go. The death of Mo-go meant only one thing: Living Corpse No. 1, whom he had dispatched, Cheol Mu-yeop, was dead.

“No. 1 is a fiend that even a master from the Twelve Kings cannot face alone. No one but the Ten Great Martial Masters can handle No. 1 by themselves…”

Tak Un-jin knew well that the Ten Great Martial Masters had not come here. The famed masters of each faction would never move unless their own forces were on the brink of annihilation.

Besides, those who took immense pride in their own martial arts would hardly be interested in something like the Sword God’s manual.

“No, I can’t be certain. Someone might have come out of curiosity. What a shame that the warriors of the Heaven-Defying Brigade are dead.”

But regret was meaningless now. Having gauged the power of the Iron Corpses and confirmed their usefulness in conquering the Central Plains, he no longer had any reason to stay.

“No. 2, follow me.”

[As you command, Master.]

The remaining Living Corpse, No. 2, nodded. There was no need to retrieve the Iron Corpses. Thinking it best to let them run rampant, Tak Un-jin headed outside. And then he saw him. A young man standing at the entrance of the cave.

“Are you Tak Un-jin, the Heaven-Defier, Third Elder of the Western Heaven Demonic Cult?”

A look of astonishment spread across Tak Un-jin’s face.

* * *

Just as Yu-jin had instructed, Namgung Hwa-rin and Na Ye-jin gathered the unconscious individuals. Then, Na Ye-jin began to administer the medicine Yu-jin had prepared.

“What is that medicine, Your Highness, the Moon Empress?”

“It’s a remedy Yu-jin gave me. He said that a direct hit from those corpses can cause poisoning, even without direct contact with their blood.”

Na Ye-jin explained as she gave the medicine to the fallen young men and women. The medicine Yu-jin carried could neutralize almost any poison, a necessity he kept for his own sake.

To master the Green Phosphorus Poison Fire, Kang Yu-jin had been forced to study the art of poisons. As a result, his body had become capable of emitting a potent toxic aura at a moment’s notice, poisoning any living thing nearby.

Though he could now control it completely, it had been dangerous for a time, so he always carried an antidote as a precaution. Even Yu-jin hadn’t expected it to be used like this.

“Will Young Master be alright?”

Na Ye-jin flinched at the term “Young Master” but didn’t let it show in front of Namgung Hwa-rin.

“You know Yu-jin’s strength as well as I do, don’t you? Don’t worry.”

Breathing a sigh of relief at Na Ye-jin’s words, Namgung Hwa-rin tended to the fallen with renewed vigor.

Just then, Kang Yong-hoon’s eyes fluttered open, and he struggled to sit up. He looked at Namgung Hwa-rin and spoke.

“My brother… where… did he go…”

“Young Master Kang, you need to rest for now.”

But despite Namgung Hwa-rin’s earnest plea, Kang Yong-hoon did not relent.

“I asked… where my brother… went, Lady Namgung…”

Kang Yong-hoon’s gaze was fiercely intense, belying the fact that he had just regained consciousness, and Namgung Hwa-rin found herself unconsciously overwhelmed. At that moment, Na Ye-jin placed a hand on Namgung Hwa-rin’s shoulder and looked at Kang Yong-hoon.

“He went to catch the fiend. He also said he would find the true mastermind. He is likely searching for this mastermind now. But we don’t know his exact location.”

“Ah, so you are the Moon Empress. This junior, Kang Yong-hoon… pays his respects… Thank you for telling me.”

With that, Kang Yong-hoon recklessly pushed himself up and took off. The two women watched him go with pity in their eyes.

After Kang Yong-hoon had disappeared and everyone’s complexions had returned to some semblance of normal, Na Ye-jin also rose to her feet.

“You can hold this place, can’t you? I will go and clean up those who are disturbing Mount Huang.”

“I understand.”

Namgung Hwa-rin could hardly object to the words of the world-renowned Moon Empress. Na Ye-jin then launched herself into the air to deal with the Iron Corpses.

Most of her internal energy had already recovered, and she could not remain idle. For she was the Moon Empress, one of the Twelve Kings.

* * *

“Who are you, and how did you get here?”

Tak Un-jin spoke, glaring at Kang Yu-jin with a cold expression. He had personally set up a formation here to prevent intruders.

Any breach of the formation was supposed to alert him to an enemy’s presence. How could this have happened?

Tak Un-jin felt a sense of unease but did not show it.

“You are not worthy of knowing my name. As for how I got here, let’s just say it was my own ability.”

Yu-jin replied with a cold smile, looking at Tak Un-jin. It was only natural that Tak Un-jin’s face contorted at the arrogant response.

“Make him taste excruciating pain before you kill him, No. 2.”

He had to be killed anyway, but Tak Un-jin, vowing that Yu-jin would not have an easy death, gave the order to No. 2.

No. 2’s original name was Woo Jin-ho. He was a famous swordsman, known as the Phantom Sword for his swift and unpredictable swordplay.

Like Cheol Mu-yeop, he was a master on the verge of the Transformation Realm, but he could never break through that wall. He too had set out to obtain the Sword God’s manual, only to be subdued by Tak Un-jin and turned into a Living Corpse.

*Kwoooar!*

As he drew his sword, a tremendous aura washed over Yu-jin, but Yu-jin merely smiled. After briefly absorbing the pressure, Yu-jin spoke.

“You must have come for the Sword God’s manual as well, correct? Unfortunately for you, it fell into someone’s hands long ago. It was several years ago.”

At Yu-jin’s words, the faces of Woo Jin-ho and Tak Un-jin hardened. To think that the whereabouts of the manual they could never find would come from Yu-jin’s mouth.

“And the owner of that manual is me.”

[You bastard!]

Enraged by the words of the man who claimed to have mastered the very manual that had utterly twisted his fate, Woo Jin-ho immediately charged at Yu-jin, swinging his famed sword.

Yu-jin promptly swung his own sword, and soon, sword energies clashed violently, shaking the cave.

‘Fighting here isn’t a very good option.’

With that thought, Yu-jin quickly exited the cave, and Woo Jin-ho gave chase. Tak Un-jin also pursued Yu-jin, his reason being the Sword God’s manual.

[No. 2! Do not kill him! We must find out about the manual!]

Hearing Tak Un-jin’s telepathic message, Woo Jin-ho eased the power in his swing slightly. Yu-jin effortlessly deflected Woo Jin-ho’s blade.

Having reached a more open space, Yu-jin looked at Woo Jin-ho and spoke again.

“Are you curious about the Sword God’s martial arts? I shall show you.”

Saying so, Yu-jin drew a different sword for the first time—not the one given to him by his family. It was the sword hidden within a scabbard engraved with a jet-black dragon: the Ink Dragon.

The blade, revealing itself to the world for the first time, was black, its material unknown.

The darkness it held was a pitch-black void that seemed to absorb all light.

Yet, a faint light emanated from within it, not bright but incredibly sharp and clear. And the dragon emblem engraved in the center seemed to overwhelm any who looked upon it.

“This is the first time I have used this sword to kill someone. You should feel honored enough to die. I will now show you the Profound Heaven Ink Phosphorus Sword, the art that made a man into a god.”

With any other sword, it was difficult to draw out even half of the Profound Heaven Ink Phosphorus Sword’s true power. To unleash its full potential, one had to use the Ink Dragon.

Feeling a sense of exhilaration at unleashing the Profound Heaven Ink Phosphorus Sword with the Ink Dragon for the first time, Yu-jin gathered his power. A darkness deeper than the blade itself converged upon the sword.

Seeing this, Woo Jin-ho, who had lost the emotion of fear upon becoming a corpse, felt terror. The aura was simply too ominous.

“To die while witnessing the martial art of a god—is that not a glorious death? Especially for you, who has offered both body and soul.”

With those words, Yu-jin slowly swung his sword. The wrath of the Sword God descended upon the earth.

*Kwakwakwakwang!*

A wave of darkness surged toward Woo Jin-ho, swallowing everything in its path. Woo Jin-ho hastily erected a protective barrier of energy and swung his sword.

But in the face of such overwhelming power, his attack and defense were meaningless. The wave of darkness instantly engulfed Woo Jin-ho, completely annihilating him. Even his regenerative abilities were useless before this power.

‘Such absurd power.’

Tak Un-jin trembled involuntarily. The cave where he had been staying had vanished without a trace. If he had been inside, he would have disappeared with Woo Jin-ho without knowing what happened.

But Tak Un-jin was facing death all the same. Yu-jin’s gaze had already turned to him.

*Flinch!*

Looking at Yu-jin, Tak Un-jin felt as if he were seeing his eternal lord, the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon, who inspired awe even in Tak Un-jin, who had already become a Living Corpse and reached the very peak of the Transformation Realm.

Yu-jin now possessed the same presence and aura as the Heavenly Demon.

Despite having used such immense power, Yu-jin showed no openings whatsoever. All of this made Tak Un-jin tremble in fear, but he soon steeled himself.

“I am a warrior of the Western Heaven Demonic Cult. But before I am a warrior, I am a disciple who lives for the advancement of the cult. I cannot die so meaninglessly in a place like this.”

With those words, Tak Un-jin unleashed an attack on Yu-jin. A massive crimson dragon surged to swallow Yu-jin, and in that instant, Tak Un-jin turned and began to run at an incredible speed.

“Do you think you can escape?”

Effortlessly dissipating the crimson dragon, Yu-jin spoke and, closing the distance at tremendous speed, threw a Green Phosphorus Poison Fire.

Sprinting with all his might for the first time in his life, Tak Un-jin barely managed to evade the attack, but not completely. His upper body burst into flames.

“I cannot die like this!”

Shouting in desperation, Tak Un-jin ran to a cliff and leaped off. A river flowed below. But in the next moment, Tak Un-jin felt an immense force pierce his body.

A crescent-shaped blade of energy launched by Yu-jin had sliced through his upper body vertically. When the Green Phosphorus Poison Fire touched the wound, Tak Un-jin felt even more excruciating pain as he fell into the river.

‘If the Green Phosphorus Poison Fire touches a wound, it’s over. Even diving into a river can’t extinguish it. It’s a bit anticlimactic, but is it finally over?’

With that thought, Yu-jin turned around. He then moved to help Ran and Eun Seol-rin, who would be fighting the Iron Corpses.

* * *

Kang Yong-hoon searched ceaselessly for Kang Yu-jin, but finding him on the vast Mount Huang was virtually impossible. He stared at the flowing river and muttered.

“I was powerless before that corpse. But my brother brings death to such a creature as if it were nothing. At this rate, I will never be able to defeat him. Huh?”

Just then, a corpse caught his eye. It was mangled, a testament to the attack it had suffered. But Yong-hoon could see the manual clutched in its hand.

“Hellfire Mad Dragon Arts…”

He could tell it was a demonic art at a glance, but Kang Yong-hoon hesitated. The Hellfire Mad Dragon Arts was a notoriously wicked martial art, even within the Western Heaven Demonic Cult.

Tak Un-jin himself lacked the talent to master it properly. Even after forcibly turning his body into a Living Corpse to enhance his power, he had been unable to grasp its true secrets.

It was that esoteric of a demonic art. However, it was also known as one of the ultimate demonic arts, one that could allow a practitioner to reach the Peak of Demonic Arts (Transformation Realm) or even Transcendent Demonic Arts (Profound Realm) if mastered properly.

“I won’t learn it as it is. I will analyze its strengths and weaknesses, suppress the demonic energy, and completely erase its characteristics as a demonic art. I can accept that its power might be reduced as its demonic nature is weakened. With this, I will surpass my brother.”

As if brainwashing himself, Kang Yong-hoon spoke these words and tucked the manual of the Hellfire Mad Dragon Arts into his robes. This was the only hope he had left.