Chapter 333
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00333 Celestial Realm ————————————————————————=
Treasure of Suspicious Fishhook!
The fishing hook crafted and used directly by the Three Sovereigns is right here in my hand. And the moment I heard Mangnyang’s words, I felt a strong determination to annihilate the Namgung Clan in this lifetime. If I destroy the Namgung Clan, the Suspicious Fishhook will just come as a bonus.
So, I casually asked Namgung Myeong, “I know it’s a bit late to ask now, but since you and Namgung Hwan got kidnapped, someone must’ve emerged with the Suspicious Fishhook, which means at least the Eight Swords of Namgung are aware of its identity and whereabouts, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Such an important item, did the Eight Swords of Namgung trust them?”
“……”
As Namgung Myeong fell silent, Mangnyang interjected, “It’s more like there was no need to trust them.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Suspicious Fishhook on its own holds no power even if it knows secrets. Whether it’s purification ability or communication ability, it’s not something directly useful in the martial world. However, in situations like kidnappings or reconnaissance of important enemy territories, one can use the Suspicious Fishhook to send messages. For example, in a case like this where the clan leader has been kidnapped, the Eight Swords of Namgung might have attempted to use the Suspicious Fishhook to communicate…”
“Oh, so it only works with a companion.”
“Yes, indeed.”
“But it seems that the internal space is such that the Suspicious Fishhook’s communication couldn’t get through.”
I felt a sense of understanding from Mangnyang’s words. Looking at Namgung Myeong, who seemed clueless, it was hard to believe he had been receiving messages from the Eight Swords of Namgung. The distorted time in the internal space probably blocked even the Three Sovereigns’ treasures from getting through.
Namgung Myeong ground his teeth.
“The Suspicious Fishhook can be considered everything for the main family. Have you taken enough already? You should stop now.”
“Where do you usually keep the Suspicious Fishhook?”
“I created a separate room in the main building using mechanisms to store it.”
“First, tell me the location.”
After hearing the location of the separate room from Namgung Myeong, I went to the abandoned building of the Namgung Clan to verify it myself. I pulled a small handle, and with a rumbling sound, the mechanism’s door opened.
“Interesting!”
Indeed, there was a spacious mechanism room where three or four adult men could stand, and the Suspicious Fishhook would typically be placed here. Standing alone in the empty mechanism room, I smiled victoriously.
‘From now on, I’ll be able to grab the Suspicious Fishhook straight from the Namgung Clan.’
Once you’ve been to a place through the Golden Lamp Technique, you can teleport there the next time. I cut down on my schedule again and returned to Jinrang Valley with a sense of satisfaction. Then, I questioned Namgung Myeong further.
“Is it just you, Namgung Hwan, and the Eight Swords of Namgung who know the secrets of the Suspicious Fishhook? If you’re planning to interrogate all the Namgung Clan folks, don’t even think of lying.”
“That’s all there is. Honestly. How could I mention such secrets to anyone outside the clan!”
“Hmm…”
As I continued, Mangnyang stepped forward and said, “Forget the Suspicious Fishhook for now, tell me where the Emperor Sword Technique and the martial arts secrets of the Namgung Clan are.”
“Ugh!”
Namgung Myeong gasped in surprise, but soon spoke as if resigned, “We pass down our secrets through oral tradition, so we don’t have anything written down separately.”
“You’re still trying to think your way out of this, huh? If I find the secret techniques, I’ll erase you immediately, but you think claiming it’s oral tradition will let you live a little longer?”
Mangnyang muttered with a smirk and continued.
“Don’t get it twisted. Your life value remains the same.”
“……”
“Just to let you know, I could extract the information by torturing your son.”
At this, Namgung Myeong hurriedly said, “Hwan is still at a low level and doesn’t know any secret techniques. I’ll tell you.”
“Torturing your son in front of you sounds fun.”
With that retort, Mangnyang stood up and sat Namgung Hwan, who was unconscious and tied, in a chair. Namgung Myeong’s eyes widened, and as Mangnyang poured internal strength into his hand and brought it to Namgung Hwan’s eyes, he continued speaking.
“I definitely expect there to be some secret techniques. Those secrets must be worth at least one of Namgung Hwan’s eyeballs.”
“Ugh.”
“I’m going to count to three.”
After a moment of extreme anguish, when Mangnyang counted two, Namgung Myeong shouted.
“The secret techniques are with Namgung Jo, my uncle, who lives in Ezhou!!”
Just as Mangnyang was about to dig into Namgung Hwan’s eye with his fingers, he halted and glanced back to say, “Namgung Jo? I’ve never heard of him. What’s his nickname in the martial world?”
“……”
“You really can’t understand a thing, can you?”
Pffft!
Mangnyang muttered briefly, gripping Namgung Hwan’s shoulder tightly. Blood vessels bulged from his shoulder, and Namgung Hwan woke up screaming.
“Ahhh!! Ah… Father!!”
“Do you want to see your son’s arm ripped off?”
“Ugh… I’ll talk. I’ll tell you, so please…”
Namgung Myeong shouted in panic as if he’d lost his mind. Then he said, “My uncle is known as the Master of Shadowless Sword in the martial world! Is that enough?”
“……!!”
Gasp!
“Is he from the Namgung Clan?”
In that moment, both Mangnyang and even Jin So-cheong, who had been silent, stood up in shock. Particularly, Jin So-cheong looked very surprised.
“It can’t be…”
I tilted my head as I didn’t know the name well. Then I asked Mangnyang, “Mangnyang, who is the Master of Shadowless Sword?”
Mangnyang stood there dazed before shaking off his thoughts and replied, “A peerless master from over a hundred years ago. But I never imagined he would be from the Namgung Clan.”
“Sounds like an amazing expert. But why are you surprised?”
“Well… he was the Greatest Sword under Heaven at that time.”
“……”
The Greatest Sword under Heaven!
It sounded simple, but that title held something that could stir the hearts of anyone in the martial world. It meant that in the vast Central Plains, filled with unparalleled experts and reclusive masters, he claimed to be the strongest in swordsmanship, which was also a name that could get you killed by the very next saber stroke. Yet he survived and made a name for himself in the world; a person possessing such a title could only be an extraordinary power.
Mangnyang continued, “You might not know since you only care about the present martial world, but if you dig a little deeper, you’d have heard of the Master of Shadowless Sword. Though he lived over a century ago and wasn’t well-known since he was a master of the Correct and Neutral Sect, it was said that his skill was on par with the Master of the White Lotus Sect back then. In the Righteous Sect, no one could match him with a sword, and now he’s practically a legend.”
“The Master of the White Lotus Sect… that’s hard to believe, considering how much of a monster he must be.”
“That’s true.”
“More than that, over a hundred years ago? Back then, the current Master of the White Lotus Sect must have been active too, right?”
“That’s likely the case. Think about Dokgo Seong.”
“That’s true.”
Dokgo Seong was nearing old age even during the purging of the Thunder God Lineage, so he must be at least eighty or ninety now. If even he followed the Master as an uncle, the Master of the White Lotus Sect would likely be just as powerful as he is now. Suddenly, I recalled a point and asked Namgung Myeong, “If the Master of Shadowless Sword is your clan’s Namgung Jo, shouldn’t the Eight Swords have called upon him with the Suspicious Fishhook during a clan crisis? He should’ve come.”
“Even if we called, he probably wouldn’t have come. He has severed ties with the Namgung Clan.”
“The Master of Shadowless Sword severed ties with the Namgung Clan? Why?”
Namgung Myeong hesitated before saying, “He felt disillusioned with our clan’s policies. So he completely withdrew from the martial world and has been living reclusively for almost eighty years. He’s living as a common man, abandoning the clan’s achievements.”
“Hmm. What’s his name as a commoner?”
“Seoljo. He works as a blacksmith in a small village.”
It seemed the Master of Shadowless Sword was against the tyrannical expansion policies of the Namgung Clan. I nodded contemplatively and said, “Alright, then why did the Master of Shadowless Sword take the secret teachings of the Namgung Clan with him?”
“He said we didn’t have the right to own them. So he would keep them until a person capable of achieving the Emperor Sword Technique appeared.”
“I see.”
Namgung Myeong’s claim of oral tradition wasn’t entirely false. Also, if the elder expert viewed them unfavorably, he might think it inappropriate to create separate secret techniques. I asked an important question.
“So what’s in the secret techniques the Master of Shadowless Sword possesses? Is it the Emperor Sword Technique?”
“It includes the Emperor Sword Technique, along with other practical secret techniques of the Namgung Clan and sword techniques that only my uncle is privy to.”
“So it’s the unique sword techniques of the Master of Shadowless Sword.”
Mangnyang snickered coldly from the side.
“Trying to deflect our attention there, are you? You aiming to set us against the Master of Shadowless Sword?”
“……”
“Baek Woong, this is enough. Let’s start wrapping things up with these guys.”
“Understood.”
I realized the time had come and approached Namgung Myeong. He must have prepared for this, as he gritted his teeth and said, “Cowardly bastards! You said you would spare us, yet you never honor your promises.”
“We won’t kill you; you and Namgung Hwan will be thrown to the victims and their families as they are now.”
“Hehe… Isn’t that the same thing?”
Namgung Myeong forced a laugh while tears streamed down his face.
“Yes, I and my son deserve to die. But I don’t think it’s proper to be judged and killed by commoners like you pretending to be the will of heaven!”
“……”
To be fair, it was indeed pitiful how Namgung Myeong had been struck down by pure misfortune and met such an extreme fate in just one day. Moreover, as a peak expert who had built renown in the martial world as the Sword King, he deserved a respect not easily granted to the despicable behavior he displayed. As I hesitated, Jin So-cheong said to me.
“Baek Woong, let’s make this clean.”
“What do you mean? We have to kill him horrifically as planned…”
“Let’s just let this one slide. The outcome will be the same anyway.”
With those murmurings, Jin So-cheong continued.
“Namgung Myeong has provided significant information, so he deserves to die comfortably. But in the next life, ‘Namgung Myeong’ won’t get such an opportunity.”
“What you’re saying is from my perspective, Jin So-cheong.”
“……”
“I may experience your memories indirectly, but you’re not the same Jin So-cheong as before. You live only once.”
I sighed.
“Right now, it’s you who feels the most anger towards the Namgung Clan; are you willing to let this opportunity go? Can you really hold back?”
“Of course.”
Jin So-cheong looked at me with peaceful eyes.
“Namgung Myeong treated me kindly when I visited the Namgung Clan before. I consider this a repayment of that debt.”
“If that’s how you feel… I understand.”
I glanced at Mangnyang. He shrugged.
“No objections. Do as you wish.”
“Understood.”
Swoosh!
A moment later, with a clean strike, Namgung Myeong’s head rolled away from my sword strength. As someone who had reached the realm of a master, I cut it off as cleanly as possible, so there should have been no pain.
Namgung Hwan, who had been writhing in agony, was seated and wide-eyed at the sight of his father’s head detaching. He immediately cried out.
“Father!!! Aaaah!!”
No matter how grave the sins committed, killing a parent in front of their child struck a chord in my heart. Yet, thinking of the heinous crimes committed by the Namgung father-son duo, I spoke slowly.
“Don’t be angry. Soon you’ll come to envy your father.”
“Ahhh! I’ll kill you! I’ll…!”
“Shut up.”
I grabbed his hair and subdued his blood, knocking him out. Then, I headed to the Shadowless Gate, where the victims were being sheltered, to explain the situation to the Sword Demon. He eagerly responded.
“Let them go. I’ll find someone to tear Namgung Hwan into a thousand pieces.”
“Thank you.”
“That sounds fun.”
After dealing with Namgung Hwan as well, I returned to Jinrang Valley. With the tasks concerning the Namgung Clan now roughly completed, I straightened my back and spoke.
“Now it’s time to find the Master of Shadowless Sword, right?”
“No.”
“Huh?”
Mangnyang shook his head.
“That will be for your next lifetime. It’s too dangerous now.”
“Hmm. Is that so…”
“Even though he severed ties with the Namgung Clan and is a reclusive master who turns a blind eye to the clan’s crisis, once Namgung Hwan faces the Thousand Kills Slash in public, he won’t be able to maintain his composure upon hearing the rumor. He might end up fighting a bloody battle with the former Greatest Sword under Heaven.”
“……”
That does seem valid. The Namgung Clan may be weak, but the Master of Shadowless Sword might indeed be a formidable opponent, possibly more powerful than all the Namgung Clan combined. Facing such an expert would be incredibly daunting. Jin So-cheong added his thoughts.
“If it’s the Master of Shadowless Sword, he’s likely reached the next level of the Mind Control Technique. I’d prefer not to face him before becoming stronger.”
“The next level?”
“I believe the reason he withdrew with the secret techniques of the Namgung Clan is that he was worried he’d forget the foundation of martial arts. Just that shows he’s among the top experts of the Central Plains.”
If Jin So-cheong warns against it, it seems prudent to avoid a confrontation.
‘The Seoljo living in the Accursed Valley.’
I should at least remember that.
Then Mangnyang said, “Let’s wrap things up with the Namgung Clan for now. The only thing we need to do now is…”
“The White Lotus Sect, right?”
“Exactly.”
Nodding, Mangnyang continued.
“It’s time to join the White Lotus Sect.”
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