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626——————==

Dark Heaven Village

Two and a half years later—

Yeodong-bin had defeated exactly one thousand demons.

Swoosh

Standing silently on the blood-drenched ground, Yeodong-bin held his sword. Before him lay what once was referred to as ‘humans,’ transformed into unpleasant shapes and now dead. Or were they even dead? One had to wonder if that could truly be called ‘life.’

At this moment, Yeodong-bin was utterly exhausted. It wasn’t just the fatigue from the battle but also the weariness that came from understanding what he was truly fighting.

Otherworldly races.

Those beings he had previously failed to notice—unspeakably wicked entities surreptitiously spilling into this world from another, wreaking havoc that was more atrocious and terrifying than any demon. Hundreds would die, and sometimes they’d turn places into human ranches, or living hells.

The truly frightening aspect was that these otherworldly races were often more cunning and powerful than demons, making it almost impossible to repel them. In fact, sometimes the Taoists and masters meant to defeat demons ended up becoming lackeys for these otherworldly beings.

Yeodong-bin, who had rarely lost in battles against martial artists or demons, found himself suffering severe injuries and retreating more often as adventures led him to encounter high-level otherworldly beings and powerful sorcerers. Of course, such wounds were healed by the Fire Dragon Incarnate from the Fire Dragon Sword. Still, each time, he felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.

Any ordinary human, after a dozen battles with the otherworldly races, would surely give up. It would be normal to go insane in the face of such overwhelming evil despair from another world, striving to live a quiet life, pretending they’d seen nothing. It was unbearable to endure the reality that unspeakable wicked beings were treating humans like toys.

But—Yeodong-bin held on, nonetheless.

He was an unprecedented oddity.

After losing to the otherworldly races, he endured the excruciating pain of having his bones and flesh shattered, yet he fought with his life on the line and avenged his losses. He fought savagely, gnawing at the otherworldly beings and throwing himself into self-destruction only to emerge victorious. Yeodong-bin underwent hundreds of desperate battles, and his incredible fighting instinct enabled him to carry out one thousand exorcisms.

Even now, Yeodong-bin was battling a powerful high-level otherworldly being that was ravaging a town in Sichuan, having fought with it for an entire day just to barely defeat it. He liberated the town from the tragedy, but countless had already been devoured or offered as sacrifices in the hatching grounds.

“Gah…”

Yeodong-bin kneeled as the pouring rain soaked him.

A small leaf ornament.

It was a gift from a little girl he had seen a few days ago in front of the village, smiling brightly as she handed it to him.

[Taoist master! Are you here to save our village?]

[Taoist master! Take this. It will bring you good luck.]

There was no basis for the belief that the leaf ornament would bring good luck. That girl had long since become one of the high-level otherworldly beings’ meals. Unlike the mere flesh-eating demons, which only tormented humans for sustenance, the high-level races savored the act of devouring humans, delighting in their suffering.

That little girl must have suffered in the depths of hell before her death.

Yeodong-bin pondered.

Why on earth did that innocent girl have to die so tragically?

Even the most brutal criminal facing execution in torturous dismemberment wouldn’t suffer more cruelly than that little girl.

Why does this horrific reality exist in the first place!

Drip drip

Yeodong-bin couldn’t tell if the liquid running down his cheeks was rain or something else.

“Ugh… Aaaah…”

He silently wept as he clutched the leaf ornament tightly. Until then, he had fought driven solely by the fighting instinct unique to those who despise losing to the otherworldly races—but now he could see the truth.

A happy life.

Wealth and fame, along with honor.

The life he had pursued in the mortal realm was nothing more than an illusion compensating for the harsh existence he endured as an orphan.

In this insane world, that life was utterly hollow, and he finally grasped that he had no choice but to endure suffering and struggle from birth to death.

I will change it.

I will change this mad world!

From then on, Yeodong-bin’s heart and stance transformed. Though he still fought for his life against the otherworldly beings, a new flow infused his sword. It shone with clarity, lighting the path ahead rather than merely imposing pressure.

The Fire Dragon Incarnate recognized the change and asked,

[Yeodong-bin. Your Heavenly Escape Sword Technique is evolving.]

“Yes, Master.”

[Do you not believe your Heavenly Escape Sword Technique to be the Sword of the Overlord? Why do you wish to change it?]

To that question, Yeodong-bin replied,

“A Sword of the Overlord cannot save humans. Those who sought mere power and became embodiments of strength, like the Chao Overlord, ultimately saved nothing; they merely hid away in the Celestial Realm. That sword failed even to protect the one they loved most.”

[Then what do you believe is stronger than the Sword of the Overlord?]

“The Sword of the World.”

Boom!

Behind Yeodong-bin, a massive tower exploded. A giant otherworldly being had infested the entire tower, using it as a base, but Yeodong-bin unleashed a new sword technique and struck it down in one blow. His eyes blazed with intense determination.

“I will become the sword that embraces the world!”

After that, with each passing day, Yeodong-bin’s Heavenly Escape Sword Technique evolved into a different form. The powerful basic techniques, originally made up of 96 moves, crumbled one by one, losing their shape, sometimes leaving Yeodong-bin unsure of what technique he was even using. Yet, even though the form weakened, his sword did not grow any weaker; instead, it became stronger by the day.

A year later, Yeodong-bin realized that the sword he pursued was imbued with the essence of the Six Intent.

Heaven and Earth, Sea and Wind, Clouds and Rain.

There were no basic techniques, only intention (意) existed. Yeodong-bin contemplated whether he was manifesting the Formless Sword, but it differed greatly from what the world described as the Formless Sword Qi. He realized that when he shaped the will of nature, the sword manifested accordingly in that moment.

As Yeodong-bin continued to experience rapid growth, his exorcisms accelerated further. As he broke through the Absolute Realm, the number of high-level otherworldly beings he could defeat increased, and gradually, the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique and Yeodong-bin’s renown spread widely across the world.

Even when high-level otherworldly beings appeared that were hard for Yeodong-bin to take down alone, at that time, his comrades, the Eight Immortals, combined their strength to fight. Although Yeodong-bin could barely use sorcery, his fellow companions were geniuses of it, providing ample support. Once the Eight Immortals joined forces, there were no demons they could not defeat.

One day, while Yeodong-bin was heading to save a small village alone, someone blocked his path.

“It’s been a while, Yeodong-bin.”

“You are… Sang Gwanwna.”

Sang Gwanwna, who had sent Yeodong-bin to Mount Ye in the past, appeared out of nowhere. As Yeodong-bin eyed her warily, Sang Gwanwna spoke.

“I believed you would become the strongest Sword Demon in the Martial Arts World. And when your demonic nature surfaced and you turned into a demon, I intended to make you my subordinate…. But you are trying to overcome this chaotic era in a remarkable way, aren’t you?”

“Do you desire the chaos of this world?”

“I want both chaos and balance. Just the right amount of our intervention…”

Sang Gwanwna’s eyes glinted.

“Don’t you also suspect it? Even if you were to defeat all the high-level otherworldly beings and great demons in this land, it would only result in a temporary peace. The true [Rulers] view this world with a lid, transcending good and evil, and gazing toward the era of destruction.”

“……”

“My master seeks to save humanity, which will suffer terribly in that era. His will is humanity’s true justice and is recognized by Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen as the king of humans.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

At that moment, the Fire Dragon Incarnate unleashed an illusion and shouted angrily.

[You’re rambling! Is it natural because you’re a dog of Chi You?]

“Fire Dragon Incarnate.”

[My disciple will never be ensnared by such nonsense. Get lost.]

Sang Gwanwna then smiled strangely.

“Oh really? You know best that the Celestial Realm is full of hypocrites and the most vile beings… Can you truly assert that your disciple ascending to the Celestial Realm is better than coming to us?”

[……]

As the Fire Dragon Incarnate hesitated at her words, Yeodong-bin spoke firmly.

“So what are you suggesting?”

“Yeodong-bin. Become our ally. Then, my master has promised to grant you powers equal to ours.”

“I reject that.”

“What a shame…”

Boom!

Yeodong-bin then enhanced the power of the Fire Dragon Sword and clashed against Sang Gwanwna. Determined not to let him go easily, she raised her spirit, leaving him no choice but to fight. However, as they battled, Yeodong-bin realized that Sang Gwanwna hid an immense power, and he recognized that he would inevitably lose if things continued as they were.

Splat

“Ugh.”

Just as expected, while they fought, Sang Gwanwna secretly summoned a horde of demons that paralyzed him. He managed to shake off the demons, but he had already opened a fatal gap, and soon found himself flat on the ground beneath Sang Gwanwna’s hand.

Crash!

As a defeated Yeodong-bin lay there, thinking this was the end, Sang Gwanwna chose not to finish him off and said,

“With that kind of power, you cannot interfere with our plans. You will die trying fruitlessly to save humans from this despair’s cycle.”

Her voice dripped with mockery.

After being defeated by Sang Gwanwna, Yeodong-bin struggled to pick himself up and continued his adventures, eliminating demons one after another. When nearly a decade of exorcism had passed, he caught wind of a plot by the wicked demon sorcerers to summon a certain entity.

“A dragon?”

The members of the Eight Immortals gathered, all intrigued. They were puzzled by the sudden talk of a dragon being summoned, as dragons were originally considered divine and benevolent beings, and they couldn’t grasp what this summoning meant. Taking a solemn tone, Jang Gwa-ro, the elder among the Eight Immortals and now elevated to rank just below the Great Immortal, spoke.

“According to the information from the Celestial Realm, that dragon is not the Heavenly Dragon we imagine but a giant dragon of doom, possessing the ability to annihilate this world and return it to nothingness.”

Han Sang-ja, the youngest of the Eight Immortals and currently Yeodong-bin’s disciple, asked, intrigued,

“Why would those demon sorcerers summon that?”

“…I’m not quite sure. Perhaps because during our curse-lifting adventures we’ve eliminated a considerable number of the demon forces, they aim to revive their power.”

At that moment, Cao Guo Jiu, another member of the Eight Immortals, knocked on his jade tablet and spoke in a composed voice.

“According to information from Luoyang, those demon sorcerers are said to be receiving support from Wu Zetian. There must be a significant connection to her.”

“Is that true? Wu Zetian is currently the most powerful figure in the Central Plains…”

“Hmm. Yet it’s merely the power of the human realm, and one wonders why they would ally with such dangerous beings like the demon sorcerers.”

As the Eight Immortals delved into contemplation about Wu Zetian, the demon sorcerers, and the giant dragon, Yeodong-bin’s thoughts diverged from theirs.

The dragon to be summoned was undoubtedly related to Sang Gwanwna.

And… it would be an unprecedentedly formidable entity.

He realized that the sense of impending danger felt by the Eight Immortals was barely even the surface of the threat.

“Everyone, I have a request.”

Then, recognizing he would lose if things continued, he suggested to the Eight Immortals,

“Before the giant dragon is summoned, please help me complete the Six Intent Saintly Heaven Diagram. And also, request assistance from the White Lotus Sect.”

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