Murim Login - Chapter 463

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 463
In a deep, shadowed cave where faint light seeped through, a diminutive old man sat in lotus position, observing himself with profound stillness.
As solar-like energy surged through hundreds of meridians toward the Eight Extraordinary Vessels, tangible qi arose and enveloped the old man’s entire form.
And then the transformation began.
A rushing sound filled the air.
Three flower buds bloomed above the old man’s white hair, then vanished as swiftly as they appeared.
The moment the buds formed and scattered, the dispersed energy created a new manifestation: five luminous circles radiating iridescent brilliance.
A realm achieved only by the chosen few among the supreme masters—a phenomenon visible solely to those who had attained the Convergence of Five Qi, the pinnacle of internal cultivation.
Yet the transformation surrounding the old man did not end there.
A crackling sound erupted, followed by rapid, sharp bursts.
The five circles symbolizing the Convergence of Five Qi turned crimson. Tremendous heat poured forth from the rings of power infused with extreme yang fire, engulfing the old man before shifting to a blue radiance.
The Furnace Fire Turns Pure Blue.
When a furnace’s flames grow hot enough, they burn blue—and so too had the old man’s martial mastery reached such a state.
Over more than a century of accumulated cultivation and enlightenment, his power had reached what could only be called the Ultimate Principle.
And yet…
‘Is this the limit?’
The old man, Fire King Jeok Cheon-gang, withdrew his energy. The moment his form, which had been suspended in the void while seated in lotus position, touched the ground, the strange phenomena surrounding him vanished without trace.
What remained in the silent space was only Jeok Cheon-gang’s bitter laughter.
“Heh heh.”
Why could he not surpass the wall before his eyes and advance further?
Though he nodded while understanding this truth better than anyone, the immovable wall before him filled him with regret and sorrow. He even resented heaven itself.
Yet Jeok Cheon-gang, rather than furrowing his brow, soothed his bitter heart with laughter.
‘What is there to resent? This is a path I chose for myself.’
Martial prowess grows stronger through endless training, and enlightenment arrives only when the mind is emptied.
But for decades, Jeok Cheon-gang had failed to clear the sediment accumulated in his heart.
What accumulates and stagnates will eventually rot. A rotted mind fills with afflictions, and when afflictions take root, the demons of the heart arrive, making it impossible to resist the decay of age.
“Had I not met that one, I would surely be smearing my name on this wall by now. Heh heh.”
Jeok Cheon-gang laughed heartily.
With just one small enlightenment, he could reach the realm of Returning to Youth and Renewal.
But he knew this too was greed—the incompletely emptied heart speaking.
Suddenly lifting his gaze, he saw heaven reflected through a small opening above. Jeok Cheon-gang asked the unseen presence beyond.
“This is meant to satisfy me, is it not? Correct?”
No answer came. Or perhaps he had already received it long ago.
An answer that said: though he had taken a naturally born killing demon as his disciple and caused the deaths of the innocent, thanks to his second disciple he had preserved his sanity intact—so he should harbor no further regrets.
Though no voice answered, Jeok Cheon-gang heard the response echoing from within his own heart.
“Truly absurd. How many demon lords has this old man dealt with, yet I receive such treatment?”
Jeok Cheon-gang sighed with complaint and continued as he lowered his gaze.
“Do you not think so?”
Je-gal Poong, the Reclining Dragon Guest, stood at the end of Jeok Cheon-gang’s line of sight, waving his feather fan as he replied.
“When I was nine years old, grandfather once sat me beside him and spoke such words. Though I know not what manner of being dwells above, it surely possesses a temperament most absurd. Now I hear the same words from you, Senior.
Jeok Cheon-gang nodded in acknowledgment.
“Je-gal Gong-hu—that fellow did occasionally manage to say something sensible, I’ll grant him that.”
“He was a wise man indeed.”
“Of course he was sharper than you. At the very least, he didn’t wave a fan about so disrespectfully in front of someone old enough to be his grandfather. Fold that fan away before I destroy it.”
“It’s not the sort of thing that breaks easily. I’ve embedded two taels of eternal cold iron into it.”
“Is your skull also made of eternal cold iron?”
“Ah, I see. Thank you for the instruction.”
Je-gal Poong quickly folded his fan and surveyed the cave before speaking.
“But what brings you to this place? The search has already concluded, and no one comes here anymore.”
“That’s precisely why I’ve come. I’m no expert in mechanical contraptions, so I must make my own preparations.”
At the word “preparations,” Je-gal Poong’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“You believe combat will erupt.”
“A martial artist must always be ready for battle. Moreover, those Dark Heaven dogs are savage and relentless. This won’t end here.”
Jeok Cheon-gang’s voice grew heavy.
He had lost a cherished friend—Dharma King Hung-do—to Dark Heaven.
The countless deaths born from the blood feuds between Hanan and Sichuan were enough to recall the great Orthodox-Demon War of old.
“You’ve surely heard that Cheon Ryeok-ma was imprisoned in the Underground Prison beneath the Sichuan Tang Sect.”
“Of course. That he called Dark Heaven the successor to the Demon Cult through Jin and So-hyup before meeting his end—I know this as well.”
The great Orthodox-Demon War, fought for dominion over the realm, had ended in Orthodox victory, yet it was a hollow triumph, not a true one.
Had the Orthodox Sects possessed sufficient strength remaining, they would have pursued the retreating Demon Cult forces and eradicated them root and branch.
But the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Orthodox Sects—two dragons and tigers—had lost most of their power with the war’s end, and fifty years of silence had proven time enough for the defeated fugitives to rise again.
Under the new name of Dark Heaven.
“How the years have slipped away. Round and round it goes, and now chaos returns to the world once more.”
At Jeok Cheon-gang’s low voice, Je-gal Poong suddenly lifted his head.
Through the cracks in the ceiling, the sky visible above was dark and turbulent. Even if those dark clouds dispersed tomorrow and the heavens cleared to brilliant blue, no diviner under heaven could read the scattered celestial patterns.
‘Chaos.’
It was chaos returned at last, and the age of calamity now stood at the threshold.
Blood would flow like rivers, and corpses would pile like mountains.
Death and destruction would ravage everywhere—orphaned children would wander the realm parentless, plague would spread from unburied corpses, and famine would grip the land.
‘What unfolds now is merely a fraction of what is to come.’
Realizing this truth anew, Je-gal Poong felt a chill run through him. Yet it was not solely the existence of Dark Heaven that caused it.
“So there was a guest present.”
A voice bored into his ears—someone’s voice. Je-gal Poong froze as if drenched in ice water.
‘How?’
Though he had not reached the supreme pinnacle, Je-gal Poong was nonetheless a master at the very edge of transcendence.
Yet he had sensed no presence. Heard no sound.
That he had detected nothing despite stationing three guards who shadowed him like wraiths at the cave entrance meant the voice’s owner was at minimum a supreme master.
‘A master of that caliber….’
Apart from Jeok Cheon-gang before him, only Xuangong Zhenren of the Wudang Sect.
Yet the voice that reached his ears was far too young and clear—like that of a boy.
‘Ah.’
Je-gal Poong turned around with sudden, crystalline clarity.
The moment I encountered the young Divine Physician whom I had glimpsed only in passing several times before, the fog that had clouded my mind dissipated, and a single epithet flowed from between my lips.
“Sal-sung.”
The young Divine Physician Moon-kyung’s eyebrows twitched.
“You already knew?”
“I did not. Until just now.”
Je-gal Poong continued, his voice trembling with excitement.
“But I have always harbored questions about why the greatest Assassin of all ages vanished. Why such an exceptional Divine Physician only appeared after the Great Demon War concluded—this too has puzzled me.”
“Impressive.”
I had observed you carefully on occasion, yet I never imagined you had attained the realm of Half-Step Returning to Chaos.”
Sal-sung was a figure shrouded in mystery, known to almost no one.
Je-gal Poong, who had been studying Moon-kyung with gleaming eyes, suddenly faltered.
“But why did you reveal yourself to me specifically? Could it be…?”
“Sharp perception. True to Je-gal bloodline.”
“Blood never lies, after all. Even if something seems slightly odd about you, you’re a capable one. Je-gal Gong-hu raised his grandson well. But setting that aside…”
Jeok Cheon-gang, shrugging his shoulders, continued while fixing his gaze upon Moon-kyung.
“What is the matter? What reason would drive an old man who mimics children so poorly to seek me out with such urgency?”
“I will be brief. We must leave this place immediately.”
“What?”
As Moon-kyung had said, his words were remarkably terse.
And for Jeok Cheon-gang, such brevity fell woefully short of justification for crossing that accursed Tianling Waterfall.
“What nonsense is this…”
“Perhaps I should be even more concise.”
Moon-kyung’s voice dropped to a grave depth.
“Your disciple is in danger. Or perhaps… all of you are.”
“…!”
Upon hearing those words, Jeok Cheon-gang realized he required no further persuasion.
As he turned to regard Je-gal Poong, a blue flame kindled within his aged, cunning eyes.
“Set sail. Now.”
* * *
By the time I reached the final location, the waters of Dongting Lake had turned a deep violet.
I opened my mouth as I gazed upon the setting sun filtering through the crevices between cliffs and grotesque rock formations.
“From this moment forward, do not move recklessly. Secure the ferry boat in a safe location, then proceed by land and prepare for any contingency.”
Dongting Lake is a lake, yet its expanse defies the very designation of a lake.
It was not merely water in all directions—small islands and flat terrain accumulated from silt and sand flowing from tributaries of the Yangtze River were easily visible.
‘If combat erupts, fighting on solid ground would prove far more advantageous.’
None of us possessed mastery of water combat.
Though I could move freely underwater thanks to the effect of my [Water Rescue Specialist] title, I could not escape the debuff that reduced my martial prowess by twenty percent.
‘If circumstances deteriorate… I must at least be capable of responding from land.’
These fellows surely understand what I’m thinking.
Gung Ki-bang opened his mouth with a resolute expression.
“Come with me.”
“Can you swim?”
“I can do a bit of dog paddling.”
“Get to shore before you get beaten like a dog.”
“Right. That does seem wiser.”
As Gung Ki-bang retreated, Hyuk Moo-jin stepped forward this time.
“Captain.”
“You stay hidden on shore. There’s no point in you getting involved—you won’t be much help anyway.”
“I understand. I just wanted to encourage you.”
….
Damn fool. Even what little resolve I had is draining away.
I exhaled softly, then turned to Chung Poong one final time with urgent instructions.
“The Dongjeong Fisherman Elder may or may not be in there. But if I find him and drag him out….”
Chung Poong nodded.
“I won’t miss the opportunity.”
“Good. That’s all I need.”
Regardless of how formidable a master the Dongjeong Fisherman Elder might be, with Chung Poong’s aid, the task becomes far more manageable.
‘Of course, he may not be here either.’
But something feels different this time. This isn’t a matter of reason—it’s instinct. After surveying each of them in turn, I plunged without hesitation into the violet-hued waters.
Splash!
Simultaneously with the familiar sensation, a system notification chimed. Transparent webbing materialized between my ordinary fingers and toes according to the title’s effect, and my breathing became effortless.
‘Deeper. Much deeper.’
I pressed onward without pause, swimming swiftly past the frigid river waters and countless fish.
‘That is….’
There, in the distance, a dark cave entrance revealed itself.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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