—Srrrrrr—
Something was walking through the water of the cavern, which rose up to its waist.
It was a grotesque being with the lower body of a serpent and the upper body of a human.
A creature with four glowing yellow eyes approached a man whose entire body was covered in smooth, snake-like scales, and said,
"Master. Thanks to your grace, I have been reborn anew."
"That form suits you better than that filthy human body."
"It is all thanks to your foresight, Master. I believe it was wise to relocate my soul in advance and leave only the spirit in the physical body."
The half-snake, half-human creature bowed its head in gratitude.
But the man it called Master remained standing with his hands behind his back, staring into the hole in the water where Jin Unhui and the human-faced serpent had fallen.
Water was rapidly rising through that hole and filling the cavern.
"Could it be... he's still alive?"
Surviving such wounds should have been impossible.
And didn't his master personally strike him down?
To that question from the snake-man, the man replied,
"That imperfect immortality of his stems from an imbalance in the Five Elements. His Metal element is strong, making him extremely weak to Water. He cannot survive in that state."
"Then why...?"
"It's a pity."
"Pardon?"
"That someone who was born closer to my bloodline than anyone else in centuries should die like this... it's a shame."
That was why the man had been watching the hole.
He had observed countless descendants through serpent eyes over the ages.
From those who shared his fury and sought to cleanse the world in blood, to scholars with a variety of talents.
But never had anyone awakened the traits of a true dragon.
"Sunyangja..."
Had that man not tainted him, he might have become mine.
That was the only regret.
But soon he shook off the attachment and raised his head to speak to the half-human, half-snake creature.
"It's time."
"Ahhh!"
"Where is the current center?"
"Not far from here is the Murim Alliance, an organization formed by hypocrites who claim to uphold justice."
"The Murim Alliance?"
Southwest from Jiangsu Province, past Anhui and into Hubei.
In Wuchang, the sacred land of the righteous sects, the Murim Alliance was located.
The man curved his lips into a smirk and said,
"It's time to show those filthy, greedy humans that their very way of life is twisted."
"I have waited only for those words."
—WOOOOOOO—
The man's body floated into the air.
As he ascended, the surrounding demonic creatures focused on him.
He shouted loudly to them:
"I, the Demon Sage, command all non-human beings—cleanse the world in blood! Eradicate the human seed and purify the world. Thus, accumulate the karma of demonic cultivation!"
—KRRRRROAAAAR!
—OOOOOOOOHHH!
The inhuman demonic creatures howled in response to the Demon Sage's command.
Their ominous and evil roars were a bloody declaration of war against the world.
---
---
I stared at my master in a daze.
The world that had just been covered in darkness was now glowing with radiant light.
This wasn't the afterlife...?
'Master, where are we?'
—You're in your own mindscape.
Mindscape?
Ah... that's why Master appears like that.
'But how are you here, Master...?'
—I've always been by your side.
'By my side...? Wait—ah!'
Seeing the Sodam Sword in his hand, tears suddenly welled up in my eyes.
'Namcheon...'
It reminded me of the Namcheon Iron Sword.
Just like Sodam, he had been with me through thick and thin.
He was my master, my advisor, my companion—I never imagined he'd die like that.
Words couldn't begin to express the sorrow.
I never thought I'd miss those moments when he earnestly spoke of his previous owner.
—I can feel your grief.
'Namcheon Iron Sword has been shattered.'
—All things fade eventually. Thus, all partings will come in one form or another.
'...But not like this!'
At the very least, I didn't want to part with him in such a way.
He was the sword of the great Namcheon Swordmaster, and my companion and friend through so much—his death was unforgivable.
—Grit—
My teeth clenched.
That monster who had reduced him to such a state...
I looked at my master and asked,
'Who is that man? Why did you never mention him to me even once back at Dohwaseon?'
—Sigh...
My angered question made Master sigh deeply.
Then, with a light wave of his hand—
In the radiant world, as if drawing with an ink-black brush, something began to be painted midair.
It resembled that man.
But unlike now, his eyes were full of spirit and clarity.
—He was once called Baekmuja, and was taken in by Jeongyang Jin-in even before I was.
Jeongyang Jin-in, head of the Eight Immortals.
He was revered as the master of all Taoist sages.
Come to think of it, that man once called himself a kyoryong (dragon-in-training) who wished to become human, and also claimed to be Baekmuja, the origin of the Central Plains sword sect.
I had merely thought of that, but perhaps due to this being my mindscape, Master answered immediately.
—He was, even before being a kyoryong, an exceptional martial artist beyond compare.
'Then why...?'
—That's precisely why Jeongyang Jin-in took him in. To ensure that strength wasn't misused, but directed righteously.
"Righteously," huh...
From my perspective, that being has completely fallen into corruption.
It was no coincidence he called himself the "Demonic Lineage" (마선).
Ultimately, he took a wrong path, but originally he was someone filled with a strong sense of justice and a pure soul.
'How could such a being seek to cleanse the world with blood?'
....
My master said nothing in response to my words.
He simply waved his hand, and I saw a house burning in flames and people dying there.
There, I saw that being holding someone and crying out loud.
'What is this?'
Before becoming a Daoist immortal, Hwarang Jin-in (화룡 진인) had built his own family in the mortal world. That place is the sword gate (검문) he established.
'.... If that place is really it, then how?'
A spear must come out of its sheath. As he rose to fame as a martial artist, he made countless enemies and grudges.
'Are those people the ones who did this?'
Yes.
That's why he began to resent humans.
But for such resentment, the scope became absurdly large.
Wouldn't it be enough to take revenge only on those who destroyed his family?
At my question, my master answered:
Before entering the Daoist immortal realm, Hwarang Jin-in took an oath to the Three Pure Ones (삼청).
'An oath?'
To abandon everything related to the mortal world.
'.....'
Just like in Buddhism, those who ascend to immortality must sever ties with the mortal world and learn to control their desires and passions.
He had to endure witnessing all his blood relatives die right before his eyes.
Now I understand why he began to go astray.
Hwarang Jin-in tried to help him control his anger. But there was something we overlooked.
'What was that?'
He was a supernatural being.
When my master waved his hand, I saw the being's form change as he wailed.
His hair turned blood red, and his eyes gradually whitened.
He had those same chilling serpent eyes.
No matter how much he refined the Way and became more humanlike, his true nature originated from being a serpent dragon—a mythical serpent and dragon hybrid.
'Couldn't he hold back?'
He couldn't overcome the latent demonic nature within himself.
'So what happened?'
My master waved his hand once more, and I saw the being's body swell.
Then he transformed into a figure one might see in legends or myths.
It was a being called a dragon (용).
With antlers like a deer, black scales, white serpent eyes.
And feathers on his back burning red.
It was not a holy spirit, but a fallen demon dragon (교룡) itself.
His rage drove countless innocent people to death.
'Ah!'
At that moment, a story about my master came to mind.
The legendary tale of how he defeated the evil demon dragon using the Great Dao Cheondun Sword Technique (대도천둔검법).
'So it was my master who defeated him?'
He faced him but couldn't fully defeat him. Even if he chose the path of demons after corruption, he was like an elder and master to Nohbu.
'Master?'
...Nohbu's Cheondun Sword Technique originated from Hwarang Jin-in.
'What?'
I couldn't hide my surprise at that.
Was the Cheondun Sword Technique not invented by my master?
To clear my doubt, my master explained:
It was Hwarang Jin-in who made the law tool Cheondun out of his horns for Nohbu. He greatly influenced the completion of the Great Dao Cheondun Sword Technique.
'Then does the technique not work on him?'
Though corrupted, he is a dragon. The spiritual creature controlling thunder and lightning and breathing fire wouldn't be easily subdued by his power.
Now my question was answered.
The secret behind why the immensely powerful Great Dao Cheondun Sword Technique didn't work.
No matter how badly he was injured by water, the thunder strike of the technique, capable of collapsing mountains, should have been fatal.
Yet, that being endured it.
'Then how did you defeat him?'
When any power reaches its extreme, it even transcends elemental advantages.
'What do you mean?'
Even if darkness is covered by light, light can also be engulfed by darkness.
'Ah...'
Even if he suppressed him with the extreme Cheondun, how could he perfectly destroy the source of his power? Ultimately, Hwarang Jin-in sealed him with the spiritual tool Youngbo Pilbeop (영보필법).
I never imagined such a backstory existed behind that legendary tale.
But that wasn't the important part.
That being was freed from the seal, and with the elixir of immortality hidden by Seobok, he regained his original power.
He might even have become stronger.
'..... So he was resurrected.'
Yes. Nohbu hoped the heavenly decree he read was wrong.
'Did you foresee this situation?'
How could a heavenly decree know everything perfectly? He only suspected that the coming blood calamity might be related to this.
With those words, my master handed me the Sodam Sword (소담검).
I recalled the Sodam Sword wailing and being surrounded by blue light as I was fading into unconsciousness.
'What about Sodam?'
I agonized over where to place the remaining spirit (백) of Nohbu.
Then I saw in the heavenly decree that you would confront that terrified being head-on.
'You mean...'
Yes. The Sodam Sword that has stayed by your side all along carries the spirit of Nohbu.
'!!!'
That sent chills down my spine.
The last sword spirit had been nearby from the start.
Until now, I didn't even realize it.
Even the Sodam Sword seemed unaware that such a secret was hidden within it.
If you hadn't faced the one who is the origin of Cheondun, you wouldn't have met Nohbu again in this mental realm.
'Ha...'
To think all of this was my master's arrangement.
I was stunned beyond words.
Then suddenly I remembered my current situation.
Although in a mental realm, I was gravely injured and sinking to the bottom underwater in Taeho.
Could I survive this?
Whether you live or die now depends entirely on yourself.
'Depends on myself? What do you mean?'
Woowooong!
While I was confused, a gleaming white sword appeared in my master's hand.
It was no ordinary sword.
Raising the shining sword, my master said with a meaningful tone:
I will pass on to you Nohbu's final secret.
---
This all happened within a mere three days.
In the southern part of Jiangsu Province, countless martial sects, factions, and more than thirty large and small villages suffered tragic deaths overnight.
The estimated death toll was over forty thousand — the worst catastrophe ever.
And the mysterious massacre continued, quickly moving southwest.
Because of this, the news swiftly reached the main headquarters of the Martial Alliance.