Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 186

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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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Episode 186. Sword Demon Ascends the Realm
‘The Sword Emperor. Mu Yeo Hae…!’
Ho Yeon fixed his gaze on the young man before him.
He felt nothing.
No vast current like an ocean, no distorting presence that bent reality itself.
Just a tree rooted in place, a deer standing in the undergrowth—nothing more.
‘A Natural Body State? Could it be… he’s reached the Mysterious Realm?’
The Mysterious Realm—a profound and enigmatic stage known by that name for its unfathomable depths.
The character for Mysterious derives from the character for thread—a twisted, tangled skein.
Legend held that Bodhidharma, the first master presumed to have attained this realm, had gazed upon the dark night sky and spoken of how the world was woven from endlessly knotted cords, and thus the name was born.
For this reason, the character for Mysterious carried within it not only the meaning of profound mystery, but also the darkness of the night sky itself.
‘Divine Ascension—when a human body enters a divine stage. Most recently, five hundred years ago, it was the World’s Greatest Master, Pa Sun Hyeol Ma, who achieved it.’
Ho Yeon himself did not know with certainty what the Mysterious Realm truly was.
Though he was called a demon-god, he remained far removed from a true deity.
‘Whether demon-god or divine ascension—one thing alone matters. Is he an enemy? And if he is, can he be killed?’
A deep hum resonated outward.
His concentration sharpened to its limit, and Ho Yeon erased everything from his field of vision except Mu Yeo Hae.
In the same instant, he wove Uigi Yeondong into a needle of psychic force, readying it before the Saengsa Hyeongwan gate.
Should the moment demand it, he would immediately perform a Forced Realm Ascension to match the Sword Emperor’s power.
“Huh-huh, fiercer than a tiger, I see.”
Mu Yeo Hae gazed at Ho Yeon’s flawless preparation and let out a hearty laugh.
“So. Have you measured my strength?”
“…Yes.”
“And what did you find?”
“Two paths lie before me.”
“Ah? Do tell.”
As Mu Yeo Hae spoke with interest, Ho Yeon glanced at Gongsun Il Bi sprawled across the floor and replied.
“The path I walk will depend on how much you cherish your disciple.”
“Hmm?”
“If you do not cherish him, I will flee from this place.”
“And if I do?”
“Then I will take Gongsun Il Bi as a hostage.”
Mu Yeo Hae’s eyebrows twitched at Ho Yeon’s words.
A knowing smile crossed his face as he opened his mouth.
“My sect seems to have quite the influx of guests these days.”
“……”
“If I did not cherish my disciple and instead went to the sect at once to slaughter every child there, what then?”
“…Then.”
Crack! Hiss!
Thud-thud-thud—!
Thunder and lightning split the sky as Ho Yeon wrapped his body in white arcs of lightning.
Immediately after, a strange pressure descended from all directions, warping the air itself as it sought to seize control of heaven and earth.
Clink! Clink!
The swords at his waist began to rattle, and the Sword Demon, whose eyes now blazed with killing intent fierce enough to unmake the world, spoke with perfect calm.
“I will kill you.”
“…Huh-huh.”
Mu Yeo Hae let out a low chuckle.
Yet his translucent eyes were not fixed on Ho Yeon, but on a figure standing behind him.
The man, clothed in rough devilish garb, stared back with hollow eyes.
The gaunt man with a long coffin strapped to his back held Sword Seal Marks curled in both fists, a thin smirk etched on his lips.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
From the coffin behind him, a thousand blades erupted skyward, their points all trained upon Mu Yeo Hae in unison.
Such piercing killing intent left no gap, binding heaven and earth like the web of a divine spider.
“…Remarkable.”
Mu Yeo Hae breathed out in admiration.
And in that moment, his certainty crystallized.
‘So it is this one, after all.’
Based on information he had gleaned from the Divine Maiden of Tianshan, he had been searching for a Defier of Heaven.
Ghost Star Accumulated Corpse Against Heaven Birth.
A star cursed by demons; the breath of the dead rising against heaven’s will to be reborn anew.
Mu Yeo Hae was certain of it now: the Defier of Heaven who stood as the greatest variable in the constellation’s tapestry was none other than the boy before his eyes—Namgung Ho Yeon.
“Sheath your killing intent. Fortunately, this old master holds his disciples most dear.”
……
“Now then, quickly. The child in your embrace trembles, does it not?”
Tsk-tsk-tsk!
At Mu Yeo Hae’s words, Ho Yeon began to slowly withdraw his murderous energy.
Yet the needles of Yeom Ryeok he had fashioned before the Saengsa Hyeongwan—those he did not retract.
Swish.
Ho Yeon thrust his hand into his robe and drew forth the trembling, icy creature nestled there.
“Squeep… squeaky….”
Baek Seol Oh blinked her dark eyes in sudden alarm.
She had fallen asleep while diligently gathering pine nuts and acorns in preparation for winter, and now found herself rudely awakened.
“Sorry, I… sorry.”
“Squeeeeek!”
“What can I do? If you don’t like it, leave the room.”
“Squeep! Squeak!”
“And what gives you the nerve to talk back like that, little dumpling?”
“Squeee…!”
Stretch! Stretch!
Ho Yeon moved his mouth comically, dismissing Baek Seol Oh’s protests by tugging both her cheeks outward.
Mu Yeo Hae, observing this scene, asked with evident curiosity.
“A Frost Crystal Flying Squirrel, then. Unless my memory fails me, that creature was surely a spirit servant of Hao Mun?”
“There are circumstances. I suppose you could say temporary custody.”
Whoosh! Tap-tap!
“Squeak?!”
Ho Yeon flung Baek Seol Oh away, and the creature spread the membrane of her flanks wide, clinging to a nearby tree with a soft thump.
“Go play.”
“Squeep?”
Baek Seol Oh tilted her head uncertainly.
Ho Yeon waved his hand dismissively.
His intention was to evacuate Baek Seol Oh from this place.
Mu Yeo Hae, reading Ho Yeon’s intent, shook his head and spoke.
“Tsk, so you do not trust this old master.”
“Of course I don’t.”
“And why is that?”
“Because someone once told me: can you truly be certain that a tiger will not bite a man?”
It was the words of the old man Namgung Cheon Gang.
Now, at last, Ho Yeon understood what those words had meant.
Those who have something to protect build fences and keep watch for tigers.
At Ho Yeon’s words, Mu Yeo Hae smiled faintly and spoke.
“Is it not rather that you harbor some guilt of your own?”
……
Ho Yeon fell silent.
―There. You should have listened to what grown-ups said.
―Guilty as charged.
Hearing the jibes of the two swords, Ho Yeon smacked his lips and spoke.
“Tch, my apologies.”
“So you admit it, then.”
“There’s no point in making excuses.”
“Yet you pilfered Hwang San’s Sword with such audacity. Remarkable nerve, indeed.”
“The fault lies with the fool who let himself be robbed. Why is my master such a simpleton? He’s the perfect mark for a swindler.”
At Ho Yeon’s words, Mu Yeo Hae wore a bitter smile as he looked toward Gongsun Il Bi.
“I think the same, frankly.”
“Sir?”
“That is why I had hoped Il Bi would not cross over into this world. Yet in the end, he ventured forth into the Jianghu.”
……
Ho Yeon sensed there was more to the story behind those words, so he held his silence.
Mu Yeo Hae changed the subject.
“But I confess myself puzzled. With your level of skill, there would be no need to covet other sword techniques. The Namgung Clan’s sword arts are surely no less formidable than Hwang San’s—are they not?”
“Well… that also has its reasons.”
Ho Yeon scratched the back of his head.
Truth be told, he knew sword techniques in abundance.
The sword arts learned since his Sword Demon days, the techniques of the Namgung Clan, refined versions of those arts, and the Huashan Sect techniques he was currently studying under Ja Ha Shin Geom—tallied together, they numbered in the hundreds.
As a craftsman does not fault his tools, Ho Yeon had long since transcended relying on sword forms and techniques.
And yet the reason he tinkered with this and that was singular.
“I thought if it were the Sword Emperor’s sword techniques, there might be something that could serve as a breakthrough.”
“A breakthrough?”
“A clue for Realm Ascension, I mean. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t find any purchase. The Academy Director said that in my case, excessive talent had become poison…….”
Ho Yeon let his hope show through, barely concealed.
The Sword Emperor—a figure counted among the top three in Zhongyuan’s Martial World.
If one rumored to stand on the verge of Divine Ascension were to share the key to Realm Ascension, it might not be impossible.
‘……I see.’
Just as Ho Yeon held onto that faint hope, Mu Yeo Hae was gazing at something behind him.
The strange man from the Demonic Path who had been meeting his eyes all this while was now directing a look of pity toward Namgung Ho Yeon.
‘Coincidence is merely the phenomenon before one’s eyes. Heaven’s movements appear random and unpredictable, yet perhaps all these currents are, in fact, inevitability.’
It had been ten years since he last visited Hwang San.
He had simply been passing through the area, and the date he had deliberately avoided all these years had aligned precisely.
‘So when I arrived at Hwang San, it overflowed with vitality. Just as it was in those days of old…….’
And that was not all.
Lost in reminiscence, he climbed Yeon Hwa Peak to offer flowers at the shrine—and gasped in shock.
Who could have imagined that traces of the Defier of Heaven he had sought so long lay within this sect?
Yet this Namgung Ho Yeon, confirmed to be that Defier of Heaven, was struggling with Realm Ascension.
Perhaps only one person in Zhongyuan possessed the power to mend this child’s flaw.
And that person was himself.
“Coincidence Accumulated Becomes Inevitability.”
“Pardon?”
“It means that when coincidence accumulates, it becomes necessity. So it is—Heaven has guided me to this place.”
“……?”
Ho Yeon tilted his head in confusion.
Mu Yeo Hae opened his mouth.
“I know why you cannot achieve Realm Ascension.”
“……!”
Ho Yeon’s eyes widened.
“You know? What is it?!”
“It is imbalance.”
“Imbalance? Surely you don’t mean my body remains incomplete? I’ve strengthened my meridians and Hyeol Do with the Cheon Gang Pill, and I haven’t neglected physical training either.”
“I do not speak of imbalance between body and martial force.”
“Then what?”
“I speak of the imbalance between body and soul.”
“…….”
Ho Yeon’s expression turned rigid.
Imbalance between body and soul?
That meant…….
“Why do you remain imprisoned there?”
“……!”
“When such a vast soul is crammed into so small a vessel, Realm Ascension naturally becomes difficult.”
“Y-you! Surely you don’t mean—?!”
Ho Yeon, stricken with alarm, opened his eyes wide as Mu Yeo Hae nodded.
“Yes. I see it. Your soul.”
“……Heavens.”
“Dong Chal Man Sang. Since my childhood, I have been able to pierce through and perceive the truth of all phenomena. This was the genesis of tragedy.”
“Psychic power…… I see.”
Ho Yeon, having regained his composure after the shock, nodded.
The world harbored all manner of extraordinary powers, and it would not be strange if one such gift was the ability to perceive human souls.
“Who are you?”
Mu Yeo Hae asked.
Ho Yeon’s manner of speech changed.
“If you see through me thus, deception would be futile. I am called Dan Wee Myeong.”
“Dan Wee Myeong. I see. A Sword Demon—an Defier of Heaven who defies all reason.”
“Sword Emperor. Then am I to remain imprisoned in Realm Ascension for all my life?”
“Perhaps you’re right.”
“……I see.”
Though sentenced to death as a murin warrior, Namgung Ho Yeon’s expression held nothing but relief.
“Thank you. I have no regrets left.”
“……What are you planning to do?”
“Achieve Realm Ascension. Forced.”
Click-click! Tap-tap-tap!
The moment he decided, Namgung Ho Yeon began driving needles of Yeom Ryeok—honed through Uigi Yeondong—deep into his Saengsa Hyeongwan.
Mu Yeo Hae regarded him with an odd expression and spoke.
“If you proceed that way, there will surely come a day when you must stop.”
“I don’t care.”
Namgung Ho Yeon answered with a slight smile.
“So long as that stopping place is Namgung.”
“Would a warrior as great as you truly abandon ascension to the heavens for the sake of your clan?”
“What’s in the heavens anyway? Can you swear it holds more worth than what exists on this earth? I certainly can’t.”
Tap-tap-tap!
Namgung Ho Yeon drove the needles deeper and let out a triumphant laugh.
“Ha ha ha! Damn this sickly life—I’m finally done with it! I nearly suffocated from how stifling it was. Should have done this long ago!”
“……Heh.”
Mu Yeo Hae burst into hearty laughter.
The Sword Demon Dan Wee Myeong.
He’d heard the man called a madman more times than he could count, yet never imagined him to be this utterly reckless.
“Stop, now.”
“Hmm?”
“I have a method. Stop what you’re doing.”
“A method……you say?”
Namgung Ho Yeon halted the needles and blinked his eyes.
Imbalance between body and soul—merely hearing it, no ordinary method could resolve it, could it?
Whoooosh!
Then Mu Yeo Hae brought his hand to his own solar plexus and grasped something.
Thwick! Crash!
And drew it forth.
A blade whose form could not be seen.
“……The Manifest All-Consciousness.”
“The Formless Wisdom Sword, it’s called. Merely an imitation of the blade that Manjushri Bodhisattva bears, but.”
Slash!
Mu Yeo Hae held the invisible sword upright, a gentle smile crossing his face.
“The Formless Wisdom Sword can cut what cannot be cut. Emotion, memory, will—or even the soul itself.”
“……You’re saying it can resolve my imbalance of body and soul?”
“I wouldn’t call it perfect. It’s a matter of carving down your vast soul to match your body. You’ll have to relinquish a portion of the karma accumulated across your past lives.”
At Mu Yeo Hae’s words, Namgung Ho Yeon smiled faintly.
“That sounds good, actually.”
“Hmm?”
“Severing the bloody karma of a Sword Demon’s soul? I’d be the one asking for that favor.”
“Hah…….”
As Mu Yeo Hae regarded him with an expression of utter bewilderment, Namgung Ho Yeon asked.
“But it’s not free, is it?”
“……Of course not.”
“What do you want? I’m prepared to grant most requests.”
When Namgung Ho Yeon asked with seriousness, Mu Yeo Hae turned his head away.
“Snnooore! Kluuu!”
The unconscious Gongsun Il Bi now traveled through dreamland, even snoring gently.
Mu Yeo Hae spoke with a warm smile.
“I ask for my disciple. Il Bi.”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing grand. Simply that you look after this child as you do now.”
“……I haven’t particularly looked after him.”
“Then that will suffice.”
“Ha, so the saying holds true—like teacher, like disciple?”
“Hehe, do sit down.”
Thump!
At Mu Yeo Hae’s words, Namgung Ho Yeon immediately crossed his legs and sat down.
“Close your eyes.”
…….
Namgung Ho Yeon closed his eyes without a word.
He could perceive his surroundings through Uigi Yeondong anyway.
And if the Sword Demon harbored ill intent, there would be no need for such convoluted methods.
“Well met.”
―…….
“You’ve endured much all this while—watching over that child left upon the riverbank must have cost you no end of worry.”
Mu Yeo Hae spoke to the veiled man standing behind Namgung Ho Yeon.
The man regarded them both in turn with impassive eyes.
“Rest now. From this point forward, he must walk his own path.”
Slash!
Mu Yeo Hae raised the Formless Wisdom Sword high.
The veiled man did not dodge.
He only nodded in acknowledgment.
Whoosh!
The Formless Wisdom Sword passed through the veiled man’s form.
His figure then began to fade rapidly, like hoar frost melting in the morning sun.
―Thank you.
“Don’t mention it.”
―Come to Hell someday. I’ll pour you a drink.
“Heh, it sounds like a curse, but I find I don’t mind it at all.”
Wisper.
As the veiled man scattered like mist,
an unprecedented surge of power erupted from Namgung Ho Yeon’s entire body like wildfire.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
Whoosh!
At the same moment, turbid energy poured from every pore, and acrid black smoke rose into the air.
Realm Ascension had begun.
Watching Namgung Ho Yeon, Mu Yeo Hae murmured softly.
“The birth of a variable must surely have its reasons. Let me see how Heaven shall employ you.”
Snap!
With those words, Mu Yeo Hae’s form vanished.

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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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