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Chapter 644: The Thunder Blade

“Isn’t it in the Hidden Chamber of Sichuan?”

“What do you mean it’s inside the Treasure? What kind of nonsense is that?”

Nangong Ming’s words left me momentarily dazed.

Whoosh.

A chill swept through. Just an illusion.

The surroundings had been still for ages, so there couldn’t be any wind blowing.

It was purely a sensation I was feeling.

Cold.

An emotion rising from within pierced through my chest and infiltrated my brain. Not a bet but a subtle poke at the Upper House.

Something thick and heavy. When I started feeling a chill about it, I finally managed to pull myself together.

“What do you mean…?”

The words I barely managed to utter trembled.

“The master’s thoughts were inside the Hwasan Sect’s treasure. That wasn’t something the seniors intended, right?”

Could my memory be faulty?

Even if I pondered that for a moment, I knew better than anyone that it wasn’t.

It made more sense to believe that Nangong Ming had just explained it wrong.

‘Could he mean it was in the Hidden Chamber?’

So… what was it again?

The name of that treasure has slipped my mind.

Was Nangong Ming saying that this treasure was somewhere in the Hwasan Sect’s Hidden Chamber in Sichuan? That seemed more plausible.

But.

‘If that’s the case, Nangong Ming’s reaction makes no sense.’

I still remember his expression, surprised by the fact that it was inside the treasure.

That was undoubtedly a genuine reaction.

‘Think.’

What on earth was happening?

While I was still wide-eyed in confusion, Nangong Ming furrowed his brow and spoke up.

“To say it was in the treasure… Is that the truth?”

“Yes.”

How could I forget?

When I was sending the treasure to Hwasan Sect, I absorbed energy and even heard Noya’s voice back then.

It’s been over five years since that day, yet I’ve never forgotten.

And that’s what made it more problematic.

‘What on earth happened?’

Things were misaligned.

Thus, I had to find out exactly what was misaligned.

“…You said Shin Noya, the Sword God, was in the Hidden Chamber?”

“Yes.”

“Could it be that his thoughts were placed within the treasure?”

I voiced my question first, based on the puzzles that had come to mind.

In response, Nangong Ming lightly shook his head.

A clear negation.

“That has never happened, and it shouldn’t be possible.”

“It shouldn’t be possible, you say?”

“Placing one’s thoughts in the treasure is merely a waste of time. It was a matter we absolutely shouldn’t do for our desired goals.”

“Goals…”

Probably Shin Noya’s rebirth. Or his previous life.

The goal Nangong Ming spoke of was certainly that.

Hearing his words, I began to think. Could what he said be a lie?

Could the very author known as the Thunder Blade be a deception too?

I had to consider such possibilities.

“Then…. does that mean the matter concerning the treasure was not intended by the seniors?”

I continued to speak while immersed in my thoughts. I couldn’t show signs of suspicion toward my opponent.

‘What if…’

If Nangong Ming was telling the truth, then there was indeed a scenario that came to mind.

A few months back when I was in Hubei. The unexpected encounter with Yeongpung.

His words kept echoing in my head.

[I think I’ve become the successor.]

Yeongpung had secretly told me he was the successor of the Sword God. Hearing that, I feigned surprise and scoffed.

Of course, it was a natural reaction. Noya’s successor was me.

Even if Yeongpung was a figure from Hwasan, that fact wouldn’t change.

At that time, I truly believed that.

‘…Yeongpung said he discovered it in a cave in Sichuan.’

The familiar energy he carried and the voice he mentioned.

I presumed Yeongpung wasn’t lying, but I thought there must have been an unknown problem.

However, deep inside, I was still convinced I was the real successor.

But.

Now, that belief started to waver a bit.

‘The situation matches up.’

The cave discovered in Sichuan.

The traces and energy inside it… And the voice too, it was like a perfect match for what Nangong Ming mentioned about the Hidden Chamber.

What if that place was truly Noya’s Hidden Chamber left behind by these individuals?

‘But that’s just remnants and opportunities. In the end, it differs from rebirth.’

Just like how I obtained Noya’s energy and thoughts from the Hwasan Sect’s treasure.

Yeongpung merely got traces, and that’s distinct from the unique concept of rebirth.

He failed at rebirth.

That was the proper interpretation.

“There’s no doubt his thoughts were inside the treasure. Not just any treasure, but the Hwasan Sect’s treasure. Do you have any guesses about this?”

Setting Yeongpung’s story aside, I spoke of what I had experienced.

“I don’t know. If what you say is true, it means something unusual has occurred.”

“…”

Thud. Thud.

I secretly tapped my waist with my fingers.

I couldn’t understand it, no matter how much I thought about it.

‘What happened?’

There had been previous arrangements, yet the situation turned out this way, as Nangong Ming said, indicating something bizarre must have occurred midway.

I suspected that what Yeongpung experienced might relate to that bizarre occurrence…

‘Something must have gone wrong, leading to Noya’s failure at rebirth, and his thoughts remained in the treasure.’

Meanwhile, Yeongpung found Noya’s traces in Sichuan and was even recognized as the successor within the sect.

The past heroes I met seemed unaware of this fact.

‘Tang Je-mun and Yeon Ilcheon might not know, but Huang Abulyeong and Nangong Ming seem oblivious.’

If Nangong Ming in front of me was genuine.

Twisted and turned. The intertwined paths were so convoluted that I couldn’t see the end of them.

How did Noya fail at rebirth? I couldn’t help but ask Nangong Ming.

“Why, on earth, did you want to make the Sword God undergo rebirth?”

There were too many things to think about, yet I couldn’t arrive at a conclusion.

So, I needed to extract at least some other information.

Apart from the fact that Noya failed to be reborn, I decided to ask why it had to be Noya.

I didn’t ask how such a thing was possible—that was a futile question for now.

The goal was more important at this point.

As I posed my inquiry, Nangong Ming looked at me with a strange expression.

“Why are you curious about that?”

“Because it’s strange.”

How could it not be strange?

“The greatest hero of his time was King Yeon Cheon.”

The anecdote about a small clan somewhere in Sichuan that overshadowed the large sects and noble houses with his presence remains well known to this day.

He even established the most powerful upper house in the Central Plains with both strength and fame accompanied by wealth.

He was one of the heroes who stood against the Blood Calamity and led the world to prosperity, the King of the World, Yeon Ilcheon.

Moreover.

‘He was a reincarnator like me.’

A being capable of defying time itself.

Yet.

“Then, why did you choose the Sword God instead of him?”

Why choose the Sword God over the greatest hero of his time? It was something I had always been curious about.

“…”

In response to my question, Nangong Ming fell silent.

I waited. It seemed he wasn’t ignoring the question, but rather pondering what answer to provide.

After a moment of waiting, Nangong Ming looked at me and finally spoke.

“He was the right one.”

“Pardon?”

An oddly strange response came out.

“No matter how I think about it, he was the only one.”

“I don’t understand.”

So, the only option was Shin Noya?

That can’t be true…

“…Actually, was the Sword God stronger than Yeon Ilcheon…?”

“No, he never defeated him. Neither I nor anyone else did.”

“I see.”

The notion that there was a hidden powerhouse was a tempting thought, but Nangong Ming seemed resolute.

“Then why?”

“Successor.”

“Yes.”

“You said you conversed with Shin Cheol’s thoughts, didn’t you?”

“…That’s correct.”

Though it was more of a bickering and exchanging insults than an actual conversation, if that counts as talking, then sure.

“In your view, what kind of person was he?”

“…Can I answer without holding back?”

“Go ahead.”

“He was a crazy old man who didn’t act like a sage despite claiming to be one. He was clueless and had a terrible temper, getting mad after just ten words of exchange.”

“…”

Oh no. Did I say too much?

Maybe I should have been more diplomatic. But Nangong Ming’s reaction was unexpected.

“You must be his successor.”

I thought he might be angry for insulting his friend, but for some reason, he nodded.

That reaction somehow rubbed me the wrong way.

“That’s not the answer I was looking for, but I see. He was indeed not like a sage.”

Nangong Ming’s expression shifted slightly as he recalled Shin Noya.

He seemed nostalgic.

“Unlike other sages who filled their mouths with falsehoods, he spoke with curses and didn’t seem interested in dignity or honor—once he picked up a sword, he was a madman.”

“…”

While he appeared nostalgic, his words were contradictory.

What kind of life did the real Noya live? To be treated like a madman by his friend…

Shaking my head.

‘What a strange person he must have been.’

For a normal person like me, it was incomprehensible.

The more he explained, the more I thought it was unwise to leave things to Noya.

“One thing.”

Nangong Ming spoke to me with a clear voice.

“He was a guy who wouldn’t bend his beliefs.”

“Belief?”

Belief.

That difficult and heavy word weighed down on my shoulders slightly.

“Why did you ask about Shin Cheol?”

“Yes.”

“Because out of all of us, his beliefs were the most steadfast.”

His beliefs were steadfast.

What could that possibly mean? I couldn’t grasp it.

That must have shown on my face since Nangong Ming continued with his explanation.

“Hwang Abulyeong has a steady mind but is weak.”

This referred to the Shaolin hero, the balding old man contained within the carp.

“Knowing that, he chose to retreat and remain in Shaolin.”

He retreated.

Did that mean he gave up on rebirth?

“Tang Je-mun, unlike Hwang Abulyeong, had a strong conviction, but his inability to act was his greatest weakness. Not to mention, they weren’t a good match.”

I remembered the woman I encountered by the lake in Sichuan. She was gentle and beautiful, contrasting sharply with her name.

“Yeon Ilcheon had incomplete beliefs, and I had lingering attachments. Therefore, it was Shin Cheol.”

“I still don’t understand. What on earth does that mean?”

He kept droning on about beliefs. What kind of nonsensical stuff was that?

Didn’t those heroes save the world out of strong conviction?

Inquire I did, but Nangong Ming wore a peculiar expression.

He seemed to be bittersweet or perhaps enlightened.

“We must not collapse.”

So, the ensuing words felt particularly precarious.

“That’s why we had to choose someone who wouldn’t break under any circumstances.”

“What does that have to do with beliefs? Are you saying the others had weak beliefs?”

“No, everyone was strong.”

“Then….”

“The issue is that the direction of their beliefs was different.”

Nangong Ming’s gaze became oddly blurry.

“Do you know what belief was most important to us?”

“…I have no idea.”

“It was the world.”

My eyes widened slightly at his words.

“We had to save the world, which necessitated an unyielding belief.”

“That’s.”

“Hwang Abulyeong was unsure that his belief would not waver at any moment, Tang Je-mun was weak, and that guy’s belief was love—so he should be excluded.”

Love. No need to inquire whom it was directed toward.

Even the oblivious old man likely understood that.

“This applies to me as well. I….”

Nangong Ming, who halted his words for a moment, continued speaking to me.

“I sought the revival and safety of the clan over the world.”

His words carried a slightly complicated tone, prompting me to tilt my head.

“How is that different?”

To save the world means to avert the Blood Calamity.

Isn’t that sufficient? I didn’t understand why he was viewing it differently.

“It’s different. Very much so.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is a difference between living for the world and it being an addition. The reason we all had to step back is that.”

“If that’s the case, did Noya live for the world?”

“Yes.”

“…!”

That answer was delivered without a hint of hesitation. Surprisingly, my mouth fell shut at that statement.

“He aims to save the world. The sole reason he raised his sword was that. Even as the sect leader of a sect, he held onto that conviction firmly.”

That man?

I was about to argue based on my recollection of Noya’s temperament and how he was not the type to have such a conviction, but I remembered that I myself had regarded Shin Noya as a hero.

“A sword raised solely to save the world. The reason we chose him and sought to bind his soul to the Hidden Chamber was that very reason.”

As Nangong Ming paused mid-sentence, he seemed lost in thought.

“How could the body appear correctly while the soul remains trapped in the treasure?”

He pondered as if it was a mystery. Indeed, something must have gone wrong in the plan—someone’s doing…

Wait?

“Hold on.”

I was about to speak when it hit me; I just heard something strange.

“Senior.”

“Say it.”

“…What do you mean by the Sword God’s body appearing correctly?”

Nangong Ming mentioned that the body had manifested properly.

Though the soul didn’t, Noya’s physical form was certainly reborn?

I asked in panic because I felt I had stumbled upon tremendous information.

“What do you mean?”

Nangong Ming looked at me again. Then he said.

“Isn’t he right in front of you?”

“…What?”

At those words, I immediately glanced around.

Pejon and Seongyul. Along with the Black Lion and Gungju.

They were all standing rigidly, completely frozen in place.

Someone among them?

When I looked back at Nangong Ming with a shocked expression, his gaze was fixed on one person.

“You.”

It was me.

“You are his reincarnation.”

Hearing those words, my expression twisted into something bizarre.

“What?”

…Me?

 

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