1341——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I said to Hong Gil-dong,

“You can follow along, but I have business with Seo Mun-gbaek. You put a wrench in that, and my annoyance level just went up.”

“Oh dear. I’ll release the binding technique.”

With a swoosh, Seo Mun-gbaek, who had been immobilized till then, could finally move. As soon as he got his mobility back, he whipped out a gun from his coat and fired at Hong Gil-dong.

Tatatatang!!

But of course, Hong Gil-dong didn’t even flinch, and the bullet merely passed hopelessly through his body. Seo Mun-gbaek was taken aback, almost like he just shot at a scarecrow.

“How can you get shot and…?”

“Seo Mun-gbaek, the Great Immortal can nullify any physical attack just by thinking about it. For now, just stay still.”

The Great Immortal’s essence means even top-tier experts need to meet conditions just to lay a finger on him. A gun is basically a toy in front of someone like that.

I sighed and shot Hong Gil-dong a dirty look.

“Are you trying to flaunt the power of the Great Immortal by intimidating Seo Mun-gbaek?”

To my surprise, Hong Gil-dong stammered,

“Not at all! I just wanted to grab attention before the story got too deep. If it offended you, I apologize.”

“Anyway, I’m not in the mood to follow right now. I need to hear about the past exploits of the brilliant Sword Demon from Seo Mun-gbaek, so get lost already!”

Thinking back to Hong Gil-dong’s past self, I really wasn’t fond of him at all, so I just yelled. Given the situation, I could get away with ignoring his words.

Then Hong Gil-dong glanced at Seo Mun-gbaek in shock and said,

“Could it be that guy is a descendant of the Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong?”

“……?!”

I jumped slightly.

“You know of the Sword Demon?”

Hong Gil-dong trembled for a moment.

“Of course! As an immortal of the Celestial Realm, how could I not know? The fierce battles he fought against the evil spirits before the Celestial Realm perished.”

Evil spirit?

My eyebrows furrowed. It felt like Hong Gil-dong was speaking of the Sword Demon with a dread associated with plagues or ghosts. Annoyed by his negative portrayal, curiosity took over, and I replied,

“Then you’re saying you’ve actually seen the Sword Demon fighting in the Celestial Realm?”

“Indeed. But at that time, I was just a fledgling who had barely ascended, so I couldn’t dare stand in front of him.”

“Hmm… But why was the Sword Demon fighting in the Celestial Realm in the first place?”

“……”

Hong Gil-dong seemed to pause, weighing something in his mind. Then he pointed at Seo Mun-gbaek with his finger and said,

“How about this? If Seo Mun-gbaek relates the past records to Lord Baek Woong, I can listen and supplement what I saw and heard. That way, your anger might subside?”

“…Oh!”

“I’ll tell you what he did in the Celestial Realm, too.”

Hong Gil-dong’s suggestion sounded reasonable to me.

‘There are detailed records about the Brilliant Sword Demon, but hearing the eyewitness account from someone who actually saw him would make it more accurate!’

I nodded and said,

“Fine. If you provide ample information, I might consider visiting your Celestial Realm.”

“Thank you for your great kindness.”

Squeak

A moment later, Seo Mun-gbaek set down two chairs and we took a seat. He still eyed Hong Gil-dong suspiciously while unfolding an ancient text atop the desk.

“The first record regarding our clan’s Sword Demon begins with the memoirs of Ming Dragonzi, a rival of Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong from the Wudang Sect.”

“Eh?! M-Ming Dragonzi?!”

“Why, why are you so shocked…?”

“……”

I’m losing it. Is this really an outer universe?

No matter how similar it was to my world, I was taken aback by the sudden mention of Ming Dragonzi’s name. I collected myself and gestured for him to continue.

“Nothing, please go on.”

“Hmm…. Ming Dragonzi’s memoir says that Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong, while searching for his daughter, Seo Mun-hye, disappeared one day and re-emerged after more than twenty years. When he returned, he was just about to be overcome by madness, and he had the head of a fish-like monster with him.”

“A fish-like monster?”

“Probably a member of the Otherworldly Race from that era. Anyway, he told Ming Dragonzi he had found a way to reclaim his daughter and then vanished again; that’s the end of the memoir.”

“……?”

Listening to the tale, I was puzzled and asked,

“That’s the end of the memoir? Why is that? If Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong swept through half the martial world, surely that would be recorded too?”

“The records show that Ming Dragonzi also mysteriously vanished from the martial world at some point. So we don’t know the cause.”

“……”

“And after this memoir, the tale of Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong truly begins in an ancient text called Blood Martial Arts Chronicle. After Ming Dragonzi’s memoir was written, about ten years later, Sword Demon appeared as the Brazen Sword Demon and first attacked the Haenam Sect, wiping it out completely. For a year, he roamed the Nine Great Sects, committing mass slaughter and annihilating nearly ten thousand members of the Imperial Palace’s Iron Guards in a single night.”

“……!!”

“Afterward, he stormed into the Imperial Palace, exterminated the Golden Eagle Guards, and skinned Emperor Zhu Hu Chong alive, wearing his skin as a mask. The emperor soon met his demise. Additionally, he wandered around, slaughtering tens of thousands at will. Finally, he attacked the White Lotus Sect, which was the overlord of the martial world, and had a tremendous duel with the Master and the Dharma Guardian. The outcome of that battle remains unknown.”

“W-What…?”

“During that time, the Central Plains martial world was devastated, causing most martial veins to be severed, and the subsequent martial arts techniques greatly weakened. Our Seo Mun clan has desperately evaded extermination by the martial world for having birthed the evil Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong.”

Seo Mun-gbaek said bitterly.

“…The reason why we hardly have any peak experts these days is likely because of that.”

I couldn’t hide my astonishment at Seo Mun-gbaek’s words.

‘This can’t be happening!!’

Besides the absurdity of the Sword Demon’s martial prowess reaching such heights, his current path was that of a blood-crazed murderer. The Sword Demon I knew wasn’t one who would wipe out the Nine Great Sects while wearing human skin as a trophy. If necessary, he would do it, but he would never take pleasure in such cruelty!

Then, listening to Seo Mun-baked’s account, Hong Gil-dong opened his mouth.

“I think I might know the story that comes next.”

“Really?”

“Indeed. I was about three hundred fifty years old at that time, having just ascended. Hence, I was assigned to observe what was happening in the mortal realm, and naturally, I witnessed the sorrows of Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong myself.”

“…You mean everything Seo Mun-gbaek just said is true?”

“It is. It’s merely recorded in a plain manner… What I saw in that man was a true blood demon. He never ceased to kill.”

“……”

If even the Great Immortal Hong Gil-dong acknowledged it, there was no room for doubt anymore.

In this outer universe, Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong really had become a blood-crazed monster and nearly destroyed the martial world!

‘The Sword Demon… could break like that just because he lost Seo Mun-hye?’

While I was still reeling, Hong Gil-dong continued.

“It would be easier to understand if I showed you what I witnessed back then rather than just trying to describe it.”

“Show me?”

Zing

As Hong Gil-dong concentrated his spirit, a crimson mirror appeared in his hand.

“Using this Blood Mirror, it’s entirely possible.”

Swoosh

As the Mirror emitted a red glow, it created a large screen in the air. The scene looked eerily real, as if it were alive, showing the events through a first-person perspective. Seo Mun-baked, who was watching beside me, furrowed his eyebrows and commented,

“It’s like watching VR on a projector…”

“The terms from the current world are confusing. In any case, this Blood Mirror has the ability to materialize my past memories for others to see. By watching it, you’ll understand what the Sword Demon was like back then.”

“Hmmm….”

“I’ll show you the latter part of the Blood Martial Arts Chronicle, the battle with the White Lotus Sect. It’s no longer recorded in history, but I’ll relay faithfully what I saw.”

Vrum vrum

The screen of the Blood Mirror grew larger and clearer. It was so vivid that it almost felt like I was observing as if I were Hong Gil-dong himself at that time.

“Servant, I’ll do my utmost to show this, so please quell your anger through this.”

Then there was something red.

That red thing looked like a dot, and gradually it grew larger. Soon, I realized that it was actually the image of a man covered in blood, holding a grotesque sword in one hand. The sword too was soaked in blood, obscuring its original form.

Observing, I understood this was from the perspective of Hong Gil-dong, likely using clairvoyance from a great distance.

Slash!!

Blood sprayed like a burst of flames. Simultaneously, dozens of nearby humans had their heads severed in unison, floating lifelessly. Those humans wielded weapons and were enshrouded in faint strong qi, indicating they had been significant experts before turning into souls under the slash of that sword.

The red man, with blood dripping from his weapon, let out an incomprehensible sound. His face and hair were drenched in blood, making it impossible to recognize his features, and he had an unkempt beard.

Uu… ooooo….

It wasn’t the voice of a rational being. Just as I felt a chill about this reality, the Six Harmonies Assembly echoed throughout the world.

[Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong! Your fate drenched in blood isn’t the White Lotus Sect’s karma.]

Uu….

[The sin of asking for recompense in a place that isn’t retribution. Can you shoulder that?]

Materializing in the air was a familiar face – the Master of the White Lotus Sect, Dokgo Uncheon. He looked just as I remembered, and his martial prowess appeared pretty much the same.

“Firm Heart of Heaven’s Abundance!”

‘…Huh? Did he normally layout such things before a fight?’

While I sensed something strange about Dokgo Uncheon, someone flew in beside him, shouting,

“Master!! Be careful! That guy is truly… a demon!!”

Shouting in a heated voice, the person bore a large gash on his face, and it was so deep that one eye was completely gone. However, knowing that I recognized this face made it all the more bewildering.

“……?!”

Th-This Cheong-un?!

Dokgo Uncheon’s next words rendered me even more flabbergasted.

[Lee Cheong-un of the Dharma Guardian, you were told to evacuate the remaining believers, yet you defy my command?]

“Once you’re dead, the White Lotus Sect will cease to exist. I entrusted it to another; I’m here to take revenge for Han Baek-ryeong and Dokgo Jun.”

[……]

“While I’m at it, I’ll take revenge for my own lost eye.”

Dokgo Uncheon looked up at the air for a moment and then spoke,

[To think that we end as it goes back to the greatest rival of old. Do as you wish.]

“Understood!”

Crackle!!

Thunder Spirit

In the next moment, Lee Cheong-un erupted with thunder energy, and his entire body transformed into lightning. I gasped, realizing that it was truly the Thunder Spirit he had used in life.

[I’ll take care of the defense.]

“Alright! Then I shall attack.”

Whoosh

Simultaneously, the immense circle of Heart of Heaven’s Abundance expanded around us in barrier form, and Lee Cheong-un seemed to concentrate the thunder energy throughout his body, almost as if containing it. He was definitely preparing to launch an intense concentrated attack of thunder energy.

‘G-Goodness….’

To think these two would team up?!

I had never even imagined the union of the Absolute Realm and the Thunder Spirit!

Just as I was astonished, the red man, who had only been making incomprehensible sounds, slowly lifted his face to look at them. Then he spoke leisurely.

“O great being… I offer my sacrifice… as per our contract; I’ll turn this world into… hell…”

The sword in the red man’s hand began to glow slowly. And the true face of that man – the Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong was revealed.

Sewn-up eyes.

Blood trickled from the seams of dark stitches on his face, and it seemed blood tears were flowing down his cheeks. Finally, he let out a scream, like something boiling from the bottom of hell.

“Please… save my daughter…!!”

And the battle commenced.