Chapter 544: Sword Demon (Sword Demon)

The season is spring.

A time when flowers are just beginning to bloom.

In a small county in the Guangdong region, the flowers of conversation were blooming day and night.

“Hyung Un, did you hear about that?”

“Hm?”

Un, an herbalist, listened intently to the words of Mr. Ju, a woodcutter from the next house.

“Hear what?”

“Oh ho, Hyung. You’re always late with the gossip.”

Seeing that Un seemed unaware, Mr. Ju excitedly began to speak.

“It’s the rumor that they’re holding a martial arts tournament in Henan this time.”

“A martial arts tournament?”

Un reacted to Mr. Ju’s words.

A martial arts tournament? Suddenly?

It was a story he had never heard before.

“What kind of martial arts tournament?”

A martial arts tournament at this time?

As Un asked with apparent interest, Mr. Ju said with a smile.

“I don’t know the specifics… but I heard the new Alliance Leader plans to hold it as a commemoration.”

“Well, I’ll be.”

A commemoration.

“Speaking of which, wasn’t this Alliance Leader the sect leader of Wudang?”

“That happened quite some time ago, didn’t it?”

Mr. Ju was right.

It had already been three years since Wudang Sword Immortal, the sect leader of Wudang, ascended to the position of Alliance Leader.

At the time, he was the first Alliance Leader from a formal sect.

As he was the eye of the storm in an era of upheaval, everyone expressed their concerns.

“He’s leading us well, so it’s good to see.”

“Mm.”

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Wudang Sword Immortal succeeded in gaining public support.

An era thrown into chaos by the outbreak of the Red Demon Gate.

The first thing the new Alliance Leader did in that chaos was to redeploy the Sword Brigade to each region.

As times changed, the danger posed by Blue Demons had become so low.

Small sects or unknown families in the region could handle them, but.

The emergence of Red Demons had hastened the cracks.

Wudang Sword Immortal first deployed the Alliance’s Sword Brigade to more regions.

Furthermore.

“And besides, haven’t the opportunities to join the Sword Brigade increased?”

As more Sword Brigades were deployed, the need to recruit personnel also increased.

Originally, the Alliance’s Sword Brigade was a place that ordinary martial artists couldn’t enter.

Prestigious sects and renowned families.

If the Alliance’s Sword Brigade was a place only accessible to those from prestigious sects, renowned families, or rising stars beginning to make a name for themselves in the Central Plains,

now, any martial artist could join the Sword Brigade if they passed the test.

Since joining the Alliance’s Sword Brigade carried immense honor, naturally, many people took the Sword Brigade tests.

Within those tests, outstanding talents distinguished themselves and became part of the Sword Brigade.

With the number of Sword Brigade members increasing, the damage caused by Red Demons remained, but it was becoming manageable in comparison.

“Ah, they say Old Man Baek’s grandson became a Sword Brigade member this time.”

“Wow… He was strong as an ox even as a kid, so he finally made it?”

“He kept shouting that he wanted to become a martial artist, and he finally did.”

“Ho ho.”

Upon hearing the news, Un burst into laughter.

“The world has changed so much. In just a few years.”

“Isn’t this all thanks to the Alliance Leader, Hyung Un?”

“Oh, honestly, you attribute everything to the Alliance Leader. Anyway, finish telling me what you were saying earlier. A martial arts tournament?”

“Ah.”

At Un’s words, Mr. Ju clapped his hands as if just remembering.

“It’s not that, but I heard the Alliance is holding a martial arts tournament to select members for the Sword Brigade.”

“For the Sword Brigade?”

Hearing this, Un made a subtle expression.

It was understandable, as linking a martial arts tournament to selecting Sword Brigade members seemed odd.

As if anticipating Un’s reaction, Mr. Ju continued immediately.

“Now, don’t be surprised when you hear this. The rumor is they’re actually selecting the Divine Dragon Brigade again.”

Upon hearing Mr. Ju’s words, Un’s eyes widened like saucers.

It couldn’t be helped.

“…The, the Divine Dragon Brigade?”

The Divine Dragon Brigade (神龍隊) was the Sword Brigade comprised of the top experts representing the Martial Arts Alliance.

It was the direct subordinate unit of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader.

Throughout its long history, it was known as the symbol of the Martial Arts Alliance.

It boasted an ancient lineage, and exceptional individuals among the dragons and phoenixes of the era were selected for it.

The leaders of the Divine Dragon Brigade historically held records of becoming the Martial Arts Alliance Leader later on.

However.

“Isn’t that… a unit that disappeared long ago?”

Now, it was merely a relic of the past.

In the past, during the time Sword Venerable served as the Alliance Leader.

The Divine Dragon Brigade, led by Alliance Leader Sword Venerable, entered the Great Demon Gate opened in Henan to explore it, but.

An incident occurred where they were annihilated, with only a few exceptions.

Consequently, Alliance Leader Sword Venerable stepped down from his position, and the Divine Dragon Brigade was effectively disbanded.

Thus, over ten years passed.

And that Divine Dragon Brigade.

“Is the Divine Dragon Brigade really being revived now?”

“What’s wrong with that? It’s good if it’s revived.”

“…That’s true, I suppose.”

Mr. Ju was indeed correct.

People of the Central Plains always yearned for experts.

The Divine Dragon Brigade was like proof of expertise within the ancient history of the Martial Arts Alliance.

Just as the Divine Dragon Brigade was a symbol of expertise to the people of the Central Plains.

Their reappearance naturally stirred excitement.

“If this goes well, won’t they hold events like the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering again?”

Mr. Ju spoke excitedly.

“The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering…”

The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, held annually right after the massacre of young talents at the Divine Dragon Pavilion, had not been held for several years.

It was a festival celebrating the emergence of new talents and the young generation who would lead the Central Plains in the future.

It was quite a disappointment for them not to hear news about it.

Especially since this generation was known to be exceptionally talented, their disappointment was doubled.

“With no news, aren’t rumors just spreading?”

This was the biggest problem caused by the suspension of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

Even though they were called the most talented generation in history.

Since their status was unknown due to the suspension of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, rumors were only escalating based on this.

Rumors like “[A disciple from some minor sect obtained a fortuitous encounter and broke through]” or “[The young master of a certain family regained memories of being a top expert in a past life and reached the Hua Jing realm]” were circulating.

Amidst these absurd tales, the ones that spread particularly widely were naturally about the geniuses representing the current young generation.

It was the talk about the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes (六龍三鳳).

Even in this small inn, their names were mentioned dozens of times.

“I heard Sword Dragon is personally receiving guidance from Plum Blossom Immortal this time.”

It was said that the top talent of Mount Hua learned martial arts from the sect leader and finally made a plum blossom tree bloom.

“Thunder Dragon has entered seclusion, right?”

Thunder Dragon (雷龍) Namgung Cheonjun was reportedly learning swordsmanship seriously from his father, Sword King.

However, for some reason, he wasn’t leaving his family’s estate.

“There’s not much news about Fighting Dragon and Sleeping Dragon.”

“Fighting Dragon was always quiet, but there’s that story about Sleeping Dragon.”

“What story?”

“I heard someone saw him in the North Sea?”

“…The North Sea?”

How could Sleeping Dragon, who should be in Wudang, possibly be seen in such a place?

Moreover, seeing him in the North Sea, which prohibits outsiders, was obviously a false rumor, so few would believe it.

Besides these, various other rumors, perhaps because they weren’t corrected, continued to grow.

Like Sword Peak of Shanxi reaching the Hua Jing realm.

Or Snow Phoenix joining the Hundred Flowers Trading Company out of the blue, despite belonging to the Moyong family.

And then there was the Tang family, which caused a major incident, took responsibility for it, and was no longer called one of the Four Great Families.

There was even talk that Poison Phoenix, a member of their bloodline, joined the Night Execution Guard.

It was a time when unbelievable stories were being exchanged endlessly.

“Hyung Un, did you hear about this?”

“What is it this time?”

“It’s the news that a new Divine Dragon has been produced.”

Hmm?

Hearing Mr. Ju’s words, Un made a subtle expression.

He had just been lamenting the suspension of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

“A Divine Dragon, suddenly? What kind of nonsensical talk is that?”

“It is strange, but it’s not just anywhere; they say it’s an official announcement from the Alliance.”

“From the Martial Arts Alliance…?”

“Yes, they say a young disciple from Shaolin became a Divine Dragon. And furthermore… don’t be surprised.”

Mr. Ju rolled his eyes widely as he prepared to deliver the next piece of information.

“…This Divine Dragon, they say, is a martial artist in the Hua Jing realm.”

“Huh?”

The carefully delivered words were quite shocking.

“Hua Jing…?”

“They say he’s a young disciple who just barely passed his teens.”

“That’s impossible!”

Un raised his voice slightly, unable to contain himself.

How could he not?

“Someone barely past their teens reached the Hua Jing realm?”

It would be surprising enough if someone reached the peak, let alone the Hua Jing realm.

Reaching Hua Jing? What kind of ridiculous talk was that?

And a young disciple at that?

It was simply absurd.

“Whether you believe it or not, the Alliance has officially announced it.”

“Even so, does that make any sense?”

“Isn’t it good if it’s true?”

At Mr. Ju’s words, Mr. Ju chuckled.

“If it’s a young disciple from Shaolin, of all places, isn’t that good for us too, Hyung Un?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The mere appearance of such hope from Shaolin is a great blessing in this era, don’t you think?”

With various incidents erupting one after another, compounded by the emergence of the Red Demon Gate, the so-called era of upheaval had arrived.

Despite several years having passed, the Central Plains continued to change.

This was enough to cause anxiety for many.

Even though the Alliance Leader was working tirelessly to manage the situation and yearning for peace, the conclusion that always calmed such anxieties was different.

Hope (希望).

People always crave possibility.

The hope that they could overcome this situation.

The possibility that they could overcome it in the future.

And.

The existence that could make it happen.

That is what people in the Central Plains usually called hope.

In this era of upheaval, Shaolin’s youngest Hua Jing expert, officially announced by the Alliance, would be enough to quell the anxieties of many.

That’s probably why Mr. Ju made that expression as he spoke.

“…Mm…”

As if understanding this, Un nodded in his own way, but.

He was having a strange thought inwardly.

‘The youngest Hua Jing expert.’

It was a title given to the suddenly appearing Divine Dragon, but if he had reached Hua Jing after passing his teens, it wouldn’t be an unfitting title.

However.

As he heard those words, Mr. Ju was thinking of someone else.

‘Surely, there was someone else.’

Even if the Divine Dragon was an officially announced fact.

Just a few years ago, there was someone who carried similar rumors.

If the current Divine Dragon had passed his teens.

Rumors had spread that a boy who hadn’t even reached his teens had reached Hua Jing.

The boy swept through the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, becoming a new Dragon (龍).

Later, during the Divine Dragon Pavilion massacre incident, he even stopped the main culprit who caused the event.

Immediately after, rumors spread that the boy had surpassed the peak and reached Hua Jing.

No one believed it.

How could they believe it?

It was a fact that couldn’t be believed without direct confirmation.

‘That kid’s name…’

He couldn’t recall the name.

It was because his actions were quiet compared to the huge rumors surrounding him.

For the past three years or so, there were virtually no rumors about that boy.

Thanks to that, unlike the commotion back then, things had become somewhat quiet now.

‘He must have the surname Gu, being Sword Peak’s younger brother.’

No matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn’t.

Perhaps the only fortunate thing was that his nickname was firmly lodged in his mind.

The boy’s nickname was definitely…

“Little Yama (小閻羅).”

It was quite a fierce nickname for a righteous sect martial artist, so it remained clearly in his memory.

Hearing Un’s words, Mr. Ju tilted his head.

Mr. Ju looked like he knew too.

“Come to think of it, that kid existed too. Wonder what he’s up to.”

“Of course, he’s from a renowned family. He must be living better than us.”

“That’s true.”

Un chuckled and took another sip of alcohol.

“Neither you nor I should be worrying about those fortunate people living well right now.”

“Yes.”

Unlike the cheerful conversation just moments ago, his voice held complex emotions.

“…They still haven’t caught him, have they?”

At the words, Mr. Ju nodded.

“It’s terrifying.”

“I know, right? A murderer…”

As the words were softly spoken, the atmosphere in the inn turned cold.

Not just the two of them, but everyone else in the inn held their breath.

Murderer. It was a rumor that had recently spread through the county.

Starting about a month ago, somewhere in the county, as night turned into day, dismembered corpses began to be discovered.

The bodies appeared as if they had been sliced by a sharp sword.

Meaning they were brutally murdered and mutilated.

A month had already passed since the first discovery.

The culprit still hadn’t been caught, and although not daily, such incidents continued to occur every few days.

“What does the Alliance say?”

“What else can they say? They say they’re trying to catch him. That they’re making efforts.”

“Ugh.”

With the Sword Brigade members already busy with demons, this situation only slowed down their progress.

In the past, with the lower risk of demons, they would have prioritized this matter.

But that wasn’t the reality now.

Mr. Ju sighed as he assessed the situation.

“What kind of lunatic is doing this?”

“It’s obvious they’re not sane. How could people like us understand the mind of such a person?”

This person not only kills people but also butchers them into pieces.

It was a truly barbaric method.

“I hope they catch him soon. I want to see his face.”

“Why would you want to see his face? Aren’t you already trembling in fear?”

“Aren’t you curious, Hyung Un? What kind of person does such things?”

“You must have plenty of lives to spare, being curious about such things.”

Perhaps because of the trivial talk, a small chuckle could be heard in the inn.

Just then.

Deureuk.

A sound came from a corner seat in the inn.

Amidst the noisy atmosphere, someone quietly got up.

The cold noodles on the table were cold, but there was no sign of them having been eaten.

Beyond his pale complexion, he was a youth with fair, pale skin and unkempt long hair.

The strange thing was, the youth’s eyes were tinged with yellow (黃).

Kkiik.

The youth who got up stared in the direction of Mr. Ju and Un, maintaining a hazy gaze.

The youth seemed to be a martial artist, as he wore a sword at his waist.

Seuuk.

As he moved, he gripped the sword hilt with his pale hand.

Just as he was about to slowly walk towards the people.

“Sit down.”

Meomchit.

At the voice from nearby, the youth stopped moving.

His gaze shifted.

As his yellow eyes met the source of the voice, the owner of the voice came into view.

Someone wearing a bamboo hat pulled down low was diligently eating.

For some reason, all the food was dumplings.

The youth knew him.

He was someone who had been seated there since the youth entered.

After swallowing the dumpling he was eating, he looked at the youth and said.

“It feels good to be at a delicious place after a long time. I was getting pretty annoyed eating only tasteless food lately.”

As he lifted his head, the bamboo hat lifted slightly.

Through the gap, the first thing visible was clear blue eyes.

“I haven’t finished eating yet, so just sit down. Don’t do anything stupid…”

“…What… are you?”

“Besides, I’m already enduring the disgusting smell of blood, forcing myself to enjoy this. Understand?”

At those words, the youth’s eyes widened slightly.

Because he understood the meaning behind the words.

As if to confirm this, he continued with a laugh.

“Wash yourself once in a while, you bastard. You stink.”

“…”

Cheolkeok.

Hearing the words, the youth moved his sword.

The person with blue eyes sighed upon seeing this.

“Right. If he listened to words, he wouldn’t be that idiot.”

While the words were still being spoken, the sword blade had already moved.

A sword path filled with a chilling aura.

The moment its tip was about to reach the opponent in an instant.

A Deudeuk-! sound was heard.

“…!”

His vision shifted. It wasn’t intentional on the youth’s part.

His head moved on its own.

Only then did the youth realize his face had been hit, causing his head to turn.

Immediately after, his body flew up. The youth’s body was rapidly flung away and slammed into the wall.

Kwaaang!

The wall collapsed, scattering wood fragments and dust everywhere.

It was a sudden event.

The people in the inn were startled and jumped up.

Amidst the chaos, the person in the bamboo hat remained unchanged.

Without moving at all, he continued to pick up and eat dumplings just like before.

The only difference was that his gaze was fixed on the shattered wall.

The person who had been calmly watching it casually grabbed a few more dumplings before getting up.

Then, examining his hand, he let out a small laugh.

“As expected.”

Seeing that laugh, the inn patrons shuddered.

The reason was.

“You’re the most satisfying to hit!”

Because the smiling face looked terrifyingly menacing.