Chapter 234

Chapter 234
Chapter 234

“While traveling… I picked it up.”

A quiet murmur. The tone was level, the voice hushed. Yet an unspoken tension wound its way through his entire frame. In truth, it was hardly an unwarranted reaction. The Taiji Sword Elder, supreme master of Wudang and one of the Heavenly Martial Ten Sages, was casting his gaze toward the ultimate seat of the world’s premier sect. A giant of such staggering magnitude was a rarity across the entirety of the martial arts realm. Perhaps only the Blood Death Alliance Leader or the Abbot of Shaolin could compare—and, looking to the future, the Heavenly Demon as well.

‘No time to lose my nerve. Honestly, this is rather thrilling.’

The Sky-Shattering Sound Sage, One Laugh Buddha, the Great Sea Dragon King—and now, the fourth of the Heavenly Martial Ten Sages. These were absolute entities soaring beyond the mortal heavens, figures ordinary mortals could scarcely hope to address even once in a lifetime. In his past life, he had barely caught fleeting glimpses of their distant silhouettes from afar as his sole point of contact, and now here he was, standing before the fourth.

‘Reverse Heaven Fate-Reversal, Return and Fulfill Wishes. I cannot yet say for whom, but as you can witness, I am thriving.’

Relaxing his stiffened muscles, he deliberately curved the edge of his lips upward.

“Indeed. Was it not on your route toward the Tang Clan? It appeared at my threshold weeping its eyes out, so I merely scooped it up.”

“It sought you out?”

To make even the Sword Elder repeat his words—truly a testament to his advanced years. If he dared utter that thought aloud, however, he would likely be thrashed within an inch of his life.

“It did. But why the astonishment? Are you acquainted with Won-woo?”

The Sword Elder, who had been gazing at him impassively, finally broke his silence.

“It possesses such a striking form, and its spiritual aura is extraordinarily pure and enchanting… yet you would scarcely believe such a thing, would you?”

Who on earth would? Anyone else would dismiss it as an absurd fabrication.

“How could I ever doubt a word falling from the lips of the Sword Elder?”

“Just how much do you comprehend?”

“Comprehend what? It is merely a bird. What is there to understand?”

The Sword Elder fell quiet. Yang-hwi maintained a composed exterior while his mind raced to discern the underlying motive. To his surprise, the response came instead from Hyeon-geom.

“He occupies the highest heavens. Guard your tongue.”

He had attempted a reasonable degree of courtesy, but it must have grated on the swordsman regardless. Still, a figure of the Taiji Sword Elder’s stature would command kowtows from half the world at first glance. Yet what choice did he have?

‘Heavenly Martial Ten Sage or not, he is no master of mine. Why treat him as if he were the sky itself?’

“I speak with the exact same tone I used toward the Sky-Shattering Sound Sage, Honorable Master. All thanks to ‘Jeong-in’—I happen to share a bond with the Sound Sage as well.”

He deliberately emphasized the name “Jeong-in.” Hyeon-geom furrowed his brows and shot a sideways glance at Je-gal Seol-ha. Her expression seemed to ask, Why are you staring at me?, which only served to plunge Hyeon-geom into deeper complication.

“Hyeon-geom. It is of no consequence.”

“Understood. This disciple was overstepping.”

A single syllable from the Taiji Sword Elder, and Hyeon-geom instantly stepped back, offering not a whisper in defense of his pride. This disciple certainly obeyed his master without a fraction of hesitation.

“Boy of the Baek Clan. What did the Sound Sage impart to you?”

Cutting straight to the heart of the matter without pleasantries—he clearly preferred to strip away the layers and converse directly.

“She stated it was the immortal beast of Sword Immortal Ye Dong-bin.”

“Precisely so. It is the Imperial Sky Eagle, the very hawk commanded by the Sword Immortal to guide the mortal world along the righteous path.”

Won-woo, you rascal—what an impossibly grand and ancient pedigree.

“Is that the case?”

“Indeed. As you are well aware, Bin-do carries the direct lineage of the Sword Immortal. Because the Imperial Sky Eagle originates from our lineage as well, I intend to take it under our care.”

A dark scowl threatened to break across his face, but he managed to check it just in time. The phrasing sounded noble enough, but it was nothing less than an undisguised attempt to annex Won-woo.

“What price are you offering?”

Against an adversary of this caliber, an outright rejection might result in him being crushed to powder. A cunning strategy sparked in his mind.

“If the price is right, it is not entirely unsellable.”

The Sword Elder’s long, snow-white, transcendent brows twitched upward. Nor was he alone—every individual present wore an expression of sheer astonishment. To speak so casually of selling the Sword Immortal’s mythical beast, a claim validated by the Sword Elder himself—Hyeon-geom’s disbelief bordered on outright rage.

Yet the most violent reaction came not from any man, but from the bird itself.

-Kkeeaaak? Kkkeeaaaak!

Won-woo projected an unmistakable wave of betrayal, as if crying out, How could you do this? What distinguished Won-woo from ordinary avians was an intellect sophisticated enough to comprehend human speech. A telepathic message flashed directly into the bird’s mind.

-Quiet down. I am arranging a life of luxury for you.

“You inquired what I desire. There are two conditions.”

“State them.”

“First, Won-woo is no ordinary creature. Even if I relinquish him into your care, you must not coerce him to remain against his own volition.”

“How could I ever mistreat the immortal beast of our Ancestor in such a manner?”

“Second. To what extent did you investigate my background?”

He rubbed his hands together with feigned avarice, playing the part of a profit-driven merchant. The Sword Elder displayed no further outward reaction.

“Tch. Nearly two centuries of life, and this is how he responds.”

Everyone had caught on to his game; attempting to rattle their composure with petty theatrics was no longer effective.

“Currency? Any sum you name. That is the easiest price to pay.”

“Compensate me with your reputation instead of coin.”

“My reputation?”

“I wish to borrow the prestige of Wudang—or of the Honorable Master himself—on a future occasion.”

Though phrased politely, it was essentially a blank check of endorsement. Fearing an immediate refusal, he quickly appended:

“The Sword Immortal’s beast returns to the lineage of the Sword Immortal! It is akin to recovering a lost sect token. My heartiest congratulations!”

The subtext was clear: a matter of such monumental weight could not be acquired cheaply.

“You make a valid point.”

The Sword Elder nodded readily, a outcome somewhat anticlimactic. He had hoped to probe his interlocutor’s temperament and eccentricities, but his bid to seize the initiative had failed. Well, his opponent was the Taiji Sword Elder after all. An ancient monster with countless vipers coiled within his breast—even his peers among the Heavenly Martial Ten Sages maintained a cautious distance.

“More importantly, what brings you to this humble dwelling?”

He had anticipated massive political fallout from the turbulence of the second preliminary rounds. Yet for the Sword Immortal’s successor in person to appear here was unthinkable.

“Young man. I came here in person to discover your ultimate objective.”

Your objective. Why on earth would the premier Sword Elder of the world concern himself with the ambitions of a young master from a mid-tier clan?

“What ambitions could a youth harbor? Merely fame and glory.”

The Sword Elder quietly shook his head. “I do not believe you.”

“Yet it is the absolute truth. To elevate my personal renown and aid in the revival of my clan, I entered the Dragon-Phoenix Rivalry.”

Not a shred of falsehood—it was the unvarnished truth.

“Then why provoke a clash with the Namgung Clan?”

Should he hesitate with a guilty expression, or reply with bold swiftness? He chose the latter.

“To fulfill that very objective.”

“You disseminated those rumors. Yet even if the Baek Clan dominates Jiangxi, it will not be enough to topple Namgung. The disparity in power exceeds tenfold.”

This time, he met the Sword Elder’s gaze without an instant’s hesitation. A profound, tranquil gaze, yet fathomless beneath the surface.

‘Conversing with the Sword Elder is an opportunity in itself.’

It was akin to holding aces at the gaming table; better to raise the stakes and risk ruin than let the chance slip through his fingers.

“It is the exact same reason Wudang requires the Blood Death Alliance.”

Heroic legends necessitate villains. Grudges aside, the Baek Clan desperately required a colossal adversary on the scale of the Five Great Clans. Hence, the banner had been willingly handed to Namgung Cheon-yeong.

“Did the Sound Sage impart even that much to you?”

“That…?”

“The Sound Sage is unaware. She would never condone it. Rak-bul suspects but allows it to run its course. The Dragon King? A strict neutral who ignores anything occurring outside the Orthodox Alliance.”

He was clearly probing how deeply the boy understood the founding of the Martial Alliance. At the present juncture, that information remained a closely guarded secret.

‘…A slight misstep?’

“Thus I ask: did you divine this old man’s aspiration independently, or did you deduce it? No matter. You are already aware.”

The slip was confirmed.

“Young man. Do you comprehend why the Sound Sage avoids seeking you out?”

‘A reason? There is a specific cause?’

That explained why the Sound Sage frequently summoned Je-gal Seol-ha yet never once called upon Yang-hwi. The answer spilled naturally from the lips of the Taiji Sword Elder.

“The Sound Sage watches with wary eyes and inner torment. The brilliant talent she accepted as a secular disciple… bears too close a resemblance to the one she despises above all others.”

“Young man. You resemble me.”

There was no need to ask in what manner. He understood instantly.

‘Indeed. You and I share numerous traits.’

Yang-hwi’s personal vow: to elevate his clan to the preeminent supreme clan under heaven. Yet at its deeper, truer core: to spread his father’s will and the righteousness of Gae-cheon across the entire world. For the sake of that objective, he would stop at nothing… precisely like the Sword Elder, who carried the legacy of the Sword Immortal in his own distinct fashion.

“Boy. The Sound Sage judged my path with a single phrase: Yu Gong Moving the Mountain.”

Yu Gong Moving the Mountain—the foolish elder who resolves to shift a towering peak. An idiom praising stubborn perseverance, yet wielded here with a different connotation. To attempt shifting a mountain entirely alone, like Yu Gong, was sheer folly.

“I yearn for eternal peace across all under heaven. To guide humanity rightly and bestow tranquility.”

It was the noble ideal every righteous knight-errant dreamt of, yet an aspiration eternally beyond mortal reach.

“True. A single man cannot move a mountain. But what of ten thousand Yu Gongs?”

Both Ye Dong-bin and Jang Sam-bong possessed boundless qualifications, yet neither founded an institutional sect. The Taiji Sword Elder had chosen a path distinct from his grandmaster and master. Somehow, Yang-hwi grasped the sentiment behind those words.

“My individual power is lacking, leaving my lifelong dream unfulfilled. But if countless individuals tread that same path together…”

That explained why Wudang was founded and disciples were nurtured. That explained why Wudang had been propelled to the pinnacle of the world to give birth to the Martial Alliance.

“Wudang’s Way is Taiji; and Taiji is Mutual Generation. To walk alongside one another, to live together—that is how we pile up the mountain of peace.”

A gentle spiritual aura emanated from the Sword Elder, circulating and unifying like Taiji itself—natural as the elements, yet potent beyond measure.

“Shaolin treats the salvation of all beings as its Way, yet it is not mere Non-Action; it remains active, ever seeking Mutual Generation. Whether Yu Gong’s endeavor is folly or not—my aspiration endures.”

The Soaring Heavens of Namgung, the Four Days of Point Spear, the Gae-cheon of the Baek Clan. Each sect pursued its own distinct Way. And Wudang’s Way was Taiji.

“Young man. Bin-do founded Wudang and embraced Taiji as his Way—earning the moniker ‘Taiji Sword Elder’.”

The Way of Wudang was Active Mutual Generation. Such was the essence of the Taiji Sword Elder’s Taiji.

“Therefore I pose this question to you: will you walk the Way of Yu Gong alongside this old man?”

A prolonged silence settled over them. He simply stared into the eyes of the Taiji Sword Elder—eyes glowing with an innocent purity that belied his two centuries of existence.

‘Now I understand.’

Why the Taiji Sword Elder had sought out the young master of a minor, mid-tier clan; why the Sound Sage had distanced herself, choosing merely to observe from afar.

‘A disciple’s fundamental duty is to satisfy the master who watches.’

‘Our paths are not identical, Sword Elder.’