Chapter 591 (New)

Chapter 591: The Lazy to the Rescue (1)

Gwanggu Shingae released a long, weary breath.

“Wei Yanho possesses a peculiar type of clarity. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say he functions entirely on his gut feelings. Whether this was an innate trait or a byproduct of being forced into constant vigilance during his training under the Sword Emperor, I cannot say. Regardless, his intuition is razor-sharp.”

“I see.”

Gwanggu Shingae’s face wore a complex look.

“Even without a shred of physical proof, it appeared that Wei Yanho had already caught the scent of the truth.”

“That is…”

“Looking back, the signs were staring us in the face.”

At that specific moment in time, the connection hadn’t been made. Looking back now, it is clear that the most obvious truths are often the hardest to distinguish in the heat of the moment.

“How could he radiate demonic energy? Why did the act of releasing that power send him into a mindless rage? The answer is elementary: it was because he was a practitioner of Demon Arts.”

“…”

The historian gave a slow nod.

When stripped down to its basics, the logic was undeniable. There is fundamentally only one way to manifest demonic energy, and that is through the study of Demon Arts.

Yet, it wasn’t a lack of intelligence that prevented so many from reaching that conclusion at the time.

“It seems impossible for such a massive number of people to be secretly studying Demon Arts simultaneously.”

“Exactly. That was the stumbling block. You might find a few individuals who would knowingly pursue such dark paths; human greed is a powerful motivator. But it was inconceivable that a multitude could learn them all at once. Secrets of that magnitude cannot be kept. If that had been the case, the truth would have surfaced within days. However!”

Jangil stopped for a beat to let the weight of his words settle before continuing:

“What if the practitioners were entirely unaware that their techniques were actually Demon Arts?”

“…That would certainly change things.”

“Precisely. If they were ignorant of the nature of their own power, how could anyone else possibly catch them?”

“But… is such a thing even feasible?”

“No. Not if you follow the rules of logic.”

Gwanggu Shingae shook his head firmly.

“That is precisely why nobody even considered the possibility. It was beyond imagination. Not a single soul suspected, even in their wildest fantasies, that they were delving into Demon Arts.”

“Then, if that holds true… are you suggesting a martial art existed that appeared perfectly orthodox to any master in the world, yet transformed into Demon Arts upon being practiced? Doesn’t that contradict the very principles of martial cultivation?”

The historian was not a warrior himself. He was a man of letters and research, not a fighter. Yet, even with his limited grasp of the subject, the idea sounded preposterous. Frequently, only a master can spot a technical flaw, but this was the kind of absurdity that even a layman could identify as nonsense.

It defied the fundamental categories of the martial world.

“Wouldn’t that effectively erase the boundaries between orthodox, demonic, and heretical styles? Wouldn’t it dismantle the unique identities of every sect?”

“Precisely.”

“But how could such a feat be achieved?”

“Consider the logic. There is more to it.”

Gwanggu Shingae’s tone grew more animated.

“Creating such a deceptive martial art would be a fruitless endeavor if you couldn’t convince anyone to actually practice it.”

“…You have a point.”

“Therefore, this technique had to be irresistible. It had to be something so magnificent that any martial artist would crave it, even if it meant ignoring the secret techniques of their own ancestors. It had to be a style they simply could not turn away from.”

The historian squeezed his eyes shut.

The description Gwanggu Shingae provided led to only one possible conclusion.

“The Treasure of the Sword Emperor.”

“Exactly.”

The Treasure of the Sword Emperor.

A manual purported to hold the profound insights of the King of Swords.

Was there a single person alive who, upon finding such a prize, would choose to ignore it? Who could possibly walk away from the chance to master the legendary skills of the Sword Emperor, the man hailed as the pinnacle of martial history?

The temptation was absolute.

Any person would dive into those pages. The moment it touched their palms, they would dedicate every waking hour to unraveling its secrets and perfecting its forms.

The historian suddenly grasped two horrifying implications.

“So…” he said, his voice heavy as he organized the timeline. “Someone fabricated a fraudulent Treasure of the Sword Emperor? A text that wore the mask of the Emperor’s techniques but was actually a vessel for Demon Arts.”

“That is exactly what happened.”

The historian’s features went cold.

It was easy enough to describe such a scheme. With a brush and ink, one can write tales of flying steeds or subterranean tigers. Bringing such a deception to life, however, was a task of a different magnitude.

“How could such a thing be possible?”

“It isn’t. At least, not for ordinary men like us.”

“…”

“But there existed an entity capable of it. Imagine someone who had mastered the Demon Arts more thoroughly than anyone else in history, while also possessing martial knowledge that rivaled the greatest legends. A being who could forge his own brand of Demon Arts and become the source of all darkness in this world.”

“…The Heavenly Demon.”

“Correct.”

A heavy, oppressive silence filled the cabin.

Could a being capable of such a feat even be classified as a human?

If martial arts are tools shaped, used, and refined by humanity, this was something that transcended human limits.

To describe techniques that look orthodox but are secretly demonic is as paradoxical as speaking of “freezing flames” or “water that flows toward the sky.” For someone who could bend reality to that extent, calling him a god would be no exaggeration.

It suggested he could simply bypass the constraints of logic, truth, and the natural order.

“I… I find it hard to comprehend.”

“Do not try to wrap your mind around it.”

Gwanggu Shingae shook his head slowly.

“It is impossible. Even I do not truly grasp the full extent of it. Can a tiny ant truly understand the nature of a human? No matter how hard it watches, it only knows that the human is a colossus. This is no different. No amount of analysis will provide you with an answer. This is an existence you don’t understand; you simply accept it.”

The historian pressed his lips together.

“The Heavenly Demon.”

He finally understood the true horror associated with that name. For a being capable of such a grand deception, there was no need to further explain his raw power.

It was a given that he could command the heavens and shatter the earth.

“How could such a monster be stopped…?”

“He had his own motivations.”

“But with that level of power…!”

“Patience. You will find out. We are nearing the conclusion.”

A soft sigh escaped him.

“A hero who preserved the world…”

It was common knowledge that the Radiant Martial Sovereign had been the savior of the world, but few were aware of just how close to the brink of ruin they truly were.

Looking back at the events piece by piece, it was nearly impossible to see how they had survived that darkness.

“So, regarding the Treasure of the Sword Emperor… was it the Radiant Martial Sovereign who…?”

“Yes. Wei Yanho was the one who sold it.”

“Was he unaware of its nature?”

“Of course he was.”

Gwanggu Shingae’s brow furrowed.

“Because he rose to power so quickly after his debut, people tend to get confused. But when he first made his mark on the martial world, there were countless masters far more powerful than him. If those veterans couldn’t see the truth, how could he?”

“…”

“However, it seems that as his own skills reached a certain peak, he began to harbor doubts. Eventually, he made the discovery: that the source of the spreading rot could be traced back to his own actions.”

“Wait, but that means…”

The historian’s face darkened.

It was a harsh perspective. It was factually true that Wei Yanho had traded the Treasure of the Sword Emperor for coin, and that was the catalyst for its distribution.

“But wouldn’t that have occurred regardless? It was their overarching scheme.”

“True.”

Gwanggu Shingae conceded the point.

“However, it would not have spread with such velocity or reach. Perhaps it would have infected two or three sects, but no more. Wei Yanho undeniably accelerated the catastrophe.”

“I understand…”

“I am not saying he was solely to blame. Paradoxically, his actions prevented an even worse outcome.”

“The Blood Massacre?”

“Not just that. The slaughter at Mount Na was already written in the stars. But consider this: when that tragedy occurred, no one had actually verified the authenticity of the Treasure of the Sword Emperor. They had only uncovered the tomb of the Sword Emperor.”

“That is true.”

“If someone had claimed it and confirmed it truly contained the Emperor’s secrets, what do you imagine would have followed?”

The historian swallowed hard.

Total anarchy.

The entire martial world would have erupted into a global war to claim it. When the Great Family of the Infinity Sword shared a similar name, the world shook. What would happen if it were the actual legacy of the Sword Emperor?

In the martial world, a single drop of Pure Stone Liquid can trigger a bloodbath. If the Treasure of the Sword Emperor—something more precious than an entire river of that liquid—became public, the fallout would be beyond calculation.

“That was precisely their goal. Their original intent was to fracture the martial world using the Treasure of the Sword Emperor. But Wei Yanho effectively devoured the treasure and then handed it out to everyone.”

Gwanggu Shingae let out a cynical chuckle.

“A prize only has value if it is rare. If every street urchin in every village has a copy, how can it be considered a treasure?”

“That is logical.”

“The repercussions of selling the text were grave. However, I don’t believe for a second that the world would have been better off if Wei Yanho hadn’t stepped in. Even if it wasn’t his primary goal, it turned out to be the most effective solution.”

The historian nodded.

“Everyone shared that view, except for him. Yes… I really should have seen then that he was far more emotionally vulnerable than he let on.”

The historian found no words to offer.

In Gwanggu Shingae’s distant, unfocused eyes, there was a deep well of regret.

How much burden had this man carried?

The deep lines etched into his face seemed to tell a different story now.

“So, the Radiant Martial Sovereign set out to confront Baekgeom Fortress?”

“In reality, his objective was to protect the Shaolin Monastery and the Wudang Sect, among others.”

“Is that not essentially the same thing?”

“There is a nuance there. But that is a digression.”

“So, the next part of the tale involves that event?”

“Yes…”

“Where you played a significant role, according to the accounts…”

“Significant role, my foot!”

Gwanggu Shingae’s voice snapped with sudden energy.

“I was merely struggling to stay alive! What role? I had no grand strategy. I only drew my blade because there was no other path left to me. He is always like that.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He takes a simple situation and ties it into knots like a fool. I should have seen it coming! I’ve said it a thousand times: wherever Wei Yanho goes, chaos follows. I knew his presence invited disaster regardless of his intent, yet I still walked right into it. I actually convinced myself that things would be different this time.”

“…”

“And for that mistake, I paid a very heavy price.”

“What lesson did you learn?”

After several long sighs, Gwanggu Shingae answered with a look of profound resignation:

“People do not change.”

“…”

“Not ever.”

With those final words, the historian could easily picture the tragedy that had unfolded.

Regrettably so.