Namgung Heavenly Demon - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 31

Cheonmuggo.

A place where the spiritual medicines and treasures of the world collected by successive family heads, along with their enlightenments, lay dormant.

Above all, it was an absolute forbidden zone that only the family head could enter.

A place where even the young family head could not carelessly set foot.

Murmurs arose from all directions.

“Cheonmuggo!”

“What on earth are you saying right now…”

The murmurs soon spread into uncontrollable commotion.

The elders no longer maintained their dignity.

Each of them either rose from their seats or spoke with agitated voices.

But Namgung Cheon, who had created all this chaos, showed not the slightest disturbance.

He ignored the countless hostile gazes pouring toward him.

His gaze was, from beginning to end, directed at only one person.

His father Namgung Mugang, seated at the Taesaui.

The outcries of the other elders held no meaning for him.

After all, there was only one person in this place who held the sole authority to decide.

Even Ten Elder Namgung Baek couldn’t bring himself to defend Namgung Cheon, his face pale as he fidgeted restlessly.

How much time had passed?

When the elders’ denunciations reached their peak, Namgung Mugang quietly raised his hand.

With that single small movement, all noise in the Gajujeon ceased as if by magic.

Then Namgung Mugang asked his son.

“Why do you wish to enter that place?”

Namgung Cheon did not hide his intentions.

“To complete the path of my sword and ascend to greater heights.”

At that answer, the brows of several elders twitched again.

They thought his words about greater heights referred to the position of young family head.

But Namgung Mugang did not think so.

‘Yes, those are the same eyes as back then.’

Namgung Cheon’s answer to why he had drawn Mukhon.

—Because this sword showed me power itself.

Yes, you dream of power, of the ultimate end as a martial artist.

If that’s the case.

“Very well.”

“…!”

“Family Head!”

At those words, all the elders’ faces were colored with shock.

Namgung Mugang continued speaking, paying no heed to their reactions.

“However, the door of Cheonmuggo does not open for just anyone.”

He looked around at everyone and declared.

“The law shall not be broken. According to the law left by the first family head, the qualification to enter is given to one who opens the door of Cheonmuggo with their own power.”

“…”

The door of Cheonmuggo.

There was no one present who didn’t know what that meant.

Namgung Mugang asked Namgung Cheon one final time.

“Will you prove your qualification with that?”

At those words, Seven Elder Namgung Do inwardly rejoiced.

‘He’s fallen into his own trap.’

The door of Cheonmuggo.

It was known to be a door that could only be opened by proving one’s absolute mastery.

But Namgung Cheon’s answer exceeded everyone’s expectations.

“I will prove it.”

There wasn’t a trace of hesitation in his voice.

A composure as if he had been waiting for this very test.

At that sight, an imperceptible ripple that no one could read appeared in Namgung Mugang’s deep eyes.

After gazing at his son for a moment, he asked.

“Do you need time to prepare?”

A final consideration for his son, and a question that reminded him once more of the weight of the test.

At that question, Namgung Cheon smiled faintly for the first time.

His gaze swept over Cheoncheon and Mukhon hanging side by side at his waist.

Two swords symbolizing Namgung and Cheonma.

‘What more could I possibly need to prepare besides these?’

Namgung Cheon said quietly.

“I am always prepared.”

* * *

The Gajujeon after everyone had left.

Namgung Mugang gazed silently at Namgung Cheon before opening his mouth.

“Follow me.”

Without further explanation, he headed past the Taesaui toward the massive wall behind it.

Namgung Cheon followed behind him wordlessly.

Namgung Mugang placed his hand on the head of a giant dragon carved into the wall.

Then the energy emanating from his hand flowed into the dragon’s eyes.

Rumble…

With a deep resonance that seemed to shake the entire Gajujeon, part of the wall sank inward, revealing a pitch-black entrance.

Then he said quietly.

“Stand beside me.”

When Namgung Cheon stood next to him, Namgung Mugang continued.

“Follow my steps.”

“Understood.”

The moment Namgung Mugang took a step forward.

Thud.

The wall closed and perfect darkness descended.

Absolute darkness where not a single ray of light was permitted.

And simultaneously.

‘A formation?’

Sharp energy that seemed to cut through skin was felt from all directions.

An eerie sensation as if tens of thousands of invisible blades were aimed at him.

Namgung Cheon realized.

‘One wrong step and my entire body would be torn apart.’

Tap.

At that moment, the sound of Namgung Mugang taking another step echoed through the pitch-black darkness.

The only way to pass through this formation would be to follow Namgung Mugang’s invisible steps with perfect precision.

‘I must perfectly mimic not only the position where his foot touches based on sound and energy alone, but also the exact force with which he presses the ground.’

Namgung Cheon closed his eyes.

As he completely blocked his meaningless vision, his other senses awakened with sharp sensitivity.

Tap.

Once again, the sound of Namgung Mugang’s footstep reached his ears.

And at the same time, he felt a single thin path opening within the formation energy that filled the space.

It was where Namgung Mugang’s footsteps had touched.

‘The sound and flow of energy. If I combine these two…’

The angle of the foot touching the stone floor, the shift in center of gravity, even the way internal energy concentrated at the sole before dispersing.

All that information was rapidly calculated in Namgung Cheon’s mind.

And.

Tak.

Namgung Cheon followed Namgung Mugang’s steps without a single error.

Wooong—.

The blade-like energy split and flowed to both sides as if by magic.

Then the second step, the third step.

Eventually, when he had taken about twenty steps.

‘There’s a consistent flow.’

The order of placing feet, the control of internal energy’s strength and weakness, even the shift of center of gravity.

Everything had standardized rules and rhythm.

A clear form of martial arts.

‘It’s a footwork technique.’

The moment he recognized that the steps breaking through the formation were footwork, he began delving into the martial principles.

Why move straight like a sword, why turn gracefully like a flowing river.

When to step firmly as if treading on mountains, when to brush softly as if stepping on clouds.

‘Every movement has a reason.’

By the time he had walked a hundred steps.

‘I understand.’

Namgung Cheon no longer waited for his father’s footsteps or the flow of energy.

‘Half a step to the left.’

Tak.

Namgung Cheon’s footsteps began to subtly quicken.

Tak. Tak.

Until now, Namgung Mugang’s footsteps came first, followed by Namgung Cheon’s.

But now the two men’s footsteps rang out almost simultaneously.

Perfect harmony, as if father and son were walking shoulder to shoulder.

But that was only for a moment.

Tadak. Tadak.

A subtle difference began to emerge.

Now Namgung Cheon’s footsteps rang out first, followed by Namgung Mugang’s.

Overtaking.

Namgung Cheon was cutting through the formation with his own judgment.

He no longer paid attention to the footsteps following behind him.

How long had he walked like this?

Namgung Cheon, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

It was the end of the passage.

Shortly after, Namgung Mugang, who had been silently following behind him, also stopped.

In the darkness, Namgung Mugang’s quiet voice echoed.

“It’s the Infinite Step.”

Namgung Mugang continued.

“A footwork technique permitted only to the clan head.”

With those words, a ray of light appeared at the end of the passage, soon revealing an open space.

“!”

At the sight before his eyes, Namgung Cheon’s indifferent pupils were colored with wonder for the first time in a long while.

Though they were clearly deep underground, above their heads floated a blue sky and white clouds that seemed within reach.

And ahead stretched an endless bamboo forest swaying like green waves.

A sight that compelled admiration even knowing it was an intricately woven illusion formation.

Namgung Cheon and Namgung Mugang quietly gazed at the scene.

“Walk comfortably.”

With those words, Namgung Mugang began walking first along the narrow dirt path through the bamboo grove.

Namgung Cheon followed behind him.

Swaaaa—.

The sound of bamboo leaves rustling in the wind rang out clearly, as if washing away all the world’s sorrows.

Father and son walked slowly for a while, listening to that sound without saying a word.

After walking for some time, Namgung Mugang spoke quietly without looking back.

“Do you think I brought you here because of the merit you established?”

His voice came through faintly, mixed with the sound of wind.

“Saving Baekcheon Trading Company, creating a huge source of income. Certainly excellent achievements. Things even your brothers couldn’t accomplish.”

Namgung Mugang’s steps paused briefly.

“However, this is ultimately nothing more than clearing obstacles from the roadside.”

He began walking again.

“To finally stand at the peak means going beyond walking the path—you must stand alone at the end of that path.”

Deep solitude was embedded in his voice.

“There are no opponents to cross swords with, no friends to open your heart to. The world’s situation changes with a single sword strike, and countless lives hang on your every word. That is the weight the head of the Namgung, the Realm’s Greatest Swordsmen, must bear.”

Namgung Cheon silently gazed at Namgung Mugang’s back.

The solitude of one who stands at the peak.

‘How could I not know?’

Cheonma. The position above ten thousand people.

That terrible solitude, that piercing emptiness.

No one in this world would understand it as well as he did.

The man now walking with his back turned must have walked such a path alone as well.

‘This is the first time.’

It was the first time he felt the pain of a kindred spirit from Namgung Mugang, whom he had only regarded as a massive wall to overcome.

But Namgung Cheon did not hastily open his mouth.

Because that solitude was not something that changed just because someone acknowledged it.

How long had they walked like this?

The bamboo forest ended and a massive cliff appeared.

In the center of that cliff was embedded a huge door.

Namgung Mugang stopped in front of the door and looked back at his son.

“And I saw in you the qualities to bear such weight.”

His deep eyes gazed intently at Namgung Cheon.

“That is why I give you this opportunity. So you can prove whether you have the qualifications to handle this.”

With those words, Namgung Mugang stepped aside.

What remained was now Namgung Cheon’s responsibility.

Namgung Cheon stood before the door that was like a massive wall.

Cool energy rose from the door like mist.

‘Is it Manyeon Hanjeol?’

The cold iron of the North Sea, said to be stronger than any other iron.

Among them, only those touched by the breath of ice jade could finally earn this name.

Namgung Cheon slowly reached his hand toward the door.

Teok.

Internal energy extended from Namgung Cheon’s hand as it touched the door.

‘As expected.’

A massive formation with thousands upon thousands of minute energy channels intricately intertwined.

And at the center of that formation lay a seal.

‘So that’s why the elders shut their mouths so quickly.’

The elders had known.

That this door was not something that could be opened with simple keys or brute force.

The energy channels densely carved inside the Manyeon Hanjeol were designed to respond only to specific energy.

‘The energy of Cheonggung Daeyeon Simbeop?’

But naturally, simply learning the mental cultivation method wasn’t enough to open it.

‘The entrance is wide and flat, but the deeper you go, the narrower and more complexly twisted it becomes.’

With mediocre internal energy, one could never reach the end.

Drawing out the energy of the mental cultivation method as thin as thread while simultaneously.

‘You need to reach a level where you can maintain it firmly enough to reach those depths.’

A smile played around Namgung Cheon’s lips.

‘It won’t be easy, but.’

He had no intention of stopping here.

Namgung Cheon closed his eyes.

Whooo—.

With a single breath, he sank his consciousness deep into his dantian, into the Gihai.

All external noise, Namgung Mugang’s gaze, and even the bone-chilling cold emanating from the Manyeon Hanjeol were pushed outside his consciousness.

Silence.

In perfect stillness, he faced his inner self.

The vast internal energy coiled in his dantian.

He began to tune that internal energy with extreme delicacy and precision.

‘Drawing the Cheonggung.’

The sky is high and vast, its end unknowable.

Embracing everything while remaining free from all constraints.

Namgung Cheon slowly rotated the energy in his dantian.

What began as gentle ripples on a calm pond gradually grew massive, spreading through his blood vessels to his entire body.

Each time it passed through an acupuncture point, the energy became clearer and more magnificent.

“Inhale.”

The moment he drew in breath, all the acupuncture points throughout his body opened simultaneously.

And refined energy flowed into the door through his palm.

Wooooong—.

The energy that touched the door spread out as if seeping between the cold emanations of the Manyeon Hanjeol.

Namgung Cheon guided the energy following the flow of the formation he had grasped.

Like the sky covering all things, his energy slowly conquered the entire massive door.

‘Daeyeon.’

Like the name of the mental cultivation method meaning to extend greatly without end, his energy expanded infinitely without breaking.

The thousands of energy channels entangled inside the Manyeon Hanjeol began to find their way one by one, assimilating with his energy.

Kugugung—!

A heavy vibration shook the entire cliff.

But the door was still firmly closed.

The magnificence of Cheonggung alone was insufficient.

The final seal was heavier and more solid than anything else.

The sky was not merely vast, but sometimes needed to possess the majesty to command the world with thunder and lightning.

Namgung Cheon instantly condensed the energy that had been spreading gently.

Like clouds filling the sky gathering into a single point to become lightning.

The profound cultivation drawn from the depths of his dantian concentrated in his palm with explosive force.

Kwagwagwang—!

His will-infused internal energy struck the center of the formation with the force of thunder and lightning.

Hwaaaak—!

Blue auspicious energy exploded from his palm, enveloping the entire massive door.

Softness and ferocity.

Embrace and destruction.

The harmony pursued by Cheonggung Daeyeon Simbeop unfolded through Namgung Cheon’s hands.

Kugugung!

The firmly closed heavy door split left and right, slowly beginning to open.

“….”

A strange light flickered in the watching Namgung Mugang’s eyes.

After a moment.

The door opened completely, revealing unfathomable deep darkness behind it.

Namgung Cheon slowly withdrew his hand.

And leaving behind Namgung Mugang who watched silently, he stepped toward the darkness.

Then, from behind him came Namgung Mugang’s voice.

“Take only the one thing you need most. Anything more would be mere greed.”

Namgung Cheon continued walking without a word.

Just before his body was swallowed by the darkness, Namgung Cheon quietly replied.

“One is enough.”

Because someday I’ll seize everything with my own hands.

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