The Great Heavenly Sword Emperor - Chapter 84

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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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#084. Traces of Blood (2)

Bukgung Danya looked pleased.
Having left the Dongbang Family Estate, it felt good to travel alone with Cheon Mujgyeol again after so long, and his heart felt lighter.
While staying at the Dongbang Family Estate, he had lived in constant discomfort, so he needed this kind of moment.
“But will there be anything left of the Saryeong Church Site? So much time has passed, and if no one’s been there, plants and trees will have overgrown it—it won’t be easy to find, will it?”
“That’s precisely why something might still be there. No one would have disturbed it.”
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
As he said this, Bukgung Danya glanced sidelong at their surroundings.
“You don’t think the Saryeong Church is watching us from somewhere in secret even now, do you?”
“I don’t sense anything at the moment.”
Though he’d met only one Hwan-ryeong, Cheon Mujgyeol was certain.
He could sense the auras of the other Seven Spirits he’d never seen before.
He didn’t know why he could sense the Saryeong Church’s presence, but he suspected it was because of the Cheongeom Emperor’s Martial Arts.
“How strong are those Seven Spirits of the Saryeong Church?”
Cheon Mujgyeol couldn’t answer Bukgung Danya’s question.
He too found it difficult to gauge how strong they were.
The Seven Spirits of the Saryeong Church.
One of them—Hwan-ryeong.
They’d only met briefly, and though Cheon Mujgyeol hadn’t been in his right state, the spirit was undeniably powerful.
He couldn’t be certain he’d win if they met again.
It was the first time since returning to this world that he felt such helplessness.
Whether Bukgung Danya sensed this or not, he continued asking questions.
“If I master all of the Bukgung Family Martial Arts, could I face even one of them?”
“It’s impossible.”
“What?”
Bukgung Danya blinked in shock at Cheon Mujgyeol’s immediate reply, his eyes widening as he stared at him.
“The Bukgung Family Martial Arts are remarkable, that’s true. But how far you can master them is another matter entirely, and it will likely be very difficult.”
At Cheon Mujgyeol’s words, Bukgung Danya’s expression hardened.
“So the Seven Spirits are that strong.”
Bukgung Danya murmured, his voice losing its earlier confidence.
‘I don’t know if I can defeat the Seven Spirits either,’ Cheon Mujgyeol thought quietly to himself.
He kept that thought to himself.
There was no need to further discourage his spirit before they even faced the Saryeong Church.
That said, he’d spoken coldly because objectively assessing an enemy—even if the odds seemed impossible—gave him a slightly better chance of survival.
[You can win.]
Just then, Cheonsingeom interjected abruptly.
Cheon Mujgyeol walked on in silence, his eyes forward.
Bukgung Danya, somewhat taken aback, was also quiet, and Cheonsingeom filled that silence.
[You haven’t yet mastered all of the Cheongeom Emperor’s Martial Arts. If you overcome the wall you haven’t yet crossed, the Seven Spirits are nothing.]
Cheonsingeom spoke with absolute certainty.
Cheon Mujgyeol showed no reaction.
Cheonsingeom’s certainty was likely based on the Seven Spirits of the past.
He couldn’t know how strong they were now, or how much they’d changed.
The two men continued walking in silence for a long while.

* * *

Cheon Mujgyeol and Bukgung Danya continued westward.
They still had a long way to go before reaching the Saryeong Church’s main base.
They had been following the mountain path for some time when it happened.
As the sun began to set, traces of a town appeared before them.
“There appears to be a town up ahead.”
Bukgung Danya pointed in one direction with his hand as he spoke.
He’d thought they’d have to sleep rough without shelter, so he was relieved to see the town.
But Cheon Mujgyeol’s reaction was different.
“Be careful.”
“Pardon? Why do you say that?”
“I sense an unfamiliar aura—not just in that town, but across this entire mountain.”
At Cheon Mujgyeol’s words, Bukgung Danya tensed visibly.
When Cheon Mujgyeol spoke of an unfamiliar aura, it meant the Seven Spirits.
“Surely that Hwan-ryeong hasn’t appeared again?”
Cheon Mujgyeol shook his head at Bukgung Danya’s anxious question.
“It’s not Hwan-ryeong. It seems to be the aura of a different Spirit among the Seven. And it hasn’t manifested directly—it’s more like a trace, similar to what I sensed from Dongbang Yeonhui.”
At his words, Bukgung Danya relaxed slightly, though wariness remained etched across his face as he gazed toward the town.
“Then we must go all the more.”
Cheon Mujgyeol nodded in agreement.
Perhaps this was an opportunity to uncover another clue about the Saryeong Church.
The two approached the town without lowering their guard.

* * *

“The atmosphere feels ominous,” Bukgung Danya murmured, his voice low.
They halted their steps and surveyed the town.
Though traces of life lingered in the air, not a single soul was visible.
“The aura of death is everywhere. Something terrible has happened here.”
“You don’t mean everyone in the town is dead…?”
“No, it doesn’t appear to be that severe.”
At Cheon Mujgyeol’s reassurance, Bukgung Danya exhaled quietly.
Cheon Mujgyeol stood motionless for a moment, studying the town, then resumed walking. Bukgung Danya quickly followed.
They passed a few houses built along a gentle slope and ventured deeper. Suddenly, Cheon Mujgyeol stopped.
He brought a finger to his lips, signaling silence, then changed direction.
Bukgung Danya, now even more tense, suppressed his presence and trailed behind him.
Crouched low behind thick trees and brush, they glimpsed a peculiar sight.
A Mudang and villagers were gathered together, bowing repeatedly and performing a ritual.
A Mudang performing a rite was hardly unusual, but the entire village gathered like this was far from common.
[This is deeply strange,] Bukgung Danya transmitted to Cheon Mujgyeol through silent speech.
[I sense the aura of a Spirit among the Seven emanating from that place,] Cheon Mujgyeol replied.
[Surely that Mudang is…?]
[No, it’s not the Mudang.]
As he spoke, Cheon Mujgyeol pointed ahead with his finger.
Upon a rock formed like an altar, a figure lay motionless.
Whether they were dead or alive was impossible to tell.
[What in the world has happened in this town?] Bukgung Danya wondered aloud in thought, though he sought no answer.
Cheon Mujgyeol knew nothing more than he did.
The two remained hidden, watching the scene for a long time.
After what seemed an eternity, the ritual finally ended, and the villagers rose one by one, dispersing.
Once they had gone, the Mudang remained, continuing something in silence.
Then Cheon Mujgyeol, who had been crouching, stood abruptly.
Before Bukgung Danya could even react in surprise, Cheon Mujgyeol was already approaching the Mudang.
“I have a question for you.”
Having reached the Mudang swiftly, Cheon Mujgyeol addressed her directly.
Yet the Mudang showed no alarm, rising calmly from her place and meeting his gaze.
The day was nearly spent, darkness settling thick over everything, and the surroundings grew dim—yet the Mudang’s pale face remained starkly visible.
“What is it you wish to know?”
“What has befallen this town?”
The Mudang looked toward the figure lying upon the rock before answering, “Strange things have occurred—several times. One man suddenly went mad one day, thrashed about until his mind broke, and died. Another passed away without warning, unknown to anyone. These incidents have repeated several times over recent months.”
“Truly bizarre,” Bukgung Danya remarked tersely from behind.
“That is why the villagers came to me, asking that I perform a Requiem Rite, believing the dead had been possessed by vengeful spirits.”
“If you have no objection, might I examine the matter more closely?”
At Cheon Mujgyeol’s question, the Mudang looked at him intently.

“You’re no ordinary martial artist. And…”
The Mudang gazed at the Cheonsingeom in Cheon Mujgyeol’s hands.
“That blade is far from ordinary as well.”
It seemed the Mudang could sense the spirit of the Cheongeom Emperor dwelling within the Cheonsingeom.
“Look closely. No spirit, however bold, will dare harm the young lord.”
“My thanks.”
Cheon Mujgyeol approached the figure lying on the ground.
“He’s not dead.”
At first he’d thought the man was gone, but the body before him breathed—faintly, but unmistakably.
“That’s correct. But his spirit is not intact. For now, he’s been put to sleep.”
Looking more carefully now, Cheon Mujgyeol saw that the man’s hands and feet were bound tight.
Cheon Mujgyeol took hold of his wrist.
The Taesan Gwan-geom Technique required eye contact, but Cheon Mujgyeol intended to adapt the method, using it to probe the man’s inner state.
Cheon Mujgyeol’s spiritual energy flowed into him.
‘His vital channels are completely shattered. Barely any life force left. Functionally, he’s already dead.’
As Cheon Mujgyeol assessed the man’s condition, an unfamiliar aura pressed heavily upon him.
‘Not Hwan-ryeong’s aura. So—one of the remaining six.’
The energy felt intensely cold, repulsive, and viscous.
Cheon Mujgyeol pushed more of his Naeryeok into the man.
“Aaaaaagh!”
The man on the ground jolted awake, thrashing violently.
The moment he woke, Cheon Mujgyeol activated the Taesan Gwan-geom Technique and fixed his gaze upon the man’s eyes.
Their eyes met, and the man stopped struggling, staring back at Cheon Mujgyeol as if entranced.
‘His soul is indeed damaged. Similar to Dongbang Gyuheon’s, yet… different.’
Dongbang Gyuheon’s spirit had been ravaged by Hwan-ryeong’s Illusion Technique.
But this man was different.
It was as though someone had deliberately wounded and shattered his spirit.
The result was similar, but the method entirely different.
Cheon Mujgyeol kept the Taesan Gwan-geom Technique active, moving his hand to press down on the man’s vital pressure point once more.
Only after the man’s body went limp and lifeless did Cheon Mujgyeol withdraw the technique.
“You possess remarkable abilities.”
The Mudang addressed Cheon Mujgyeol.
“Did you know, then?”
“That this person’s spirit was damaged, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“I did know. It’s a cruel thing.”
“Were the others much the same?”
“They were.”
At the Mudang’s reply, Cheon Mujgyeol and Bukgung Danya exchanged a brief glance.
“I understand. Thank you.”
The Mudang bowed respectfully at Cheon Mujgyeol’s words.
Then, a smile crossing her face, she spoke to him once more.
“I don’t believe it will be a grave concern, but I tell you nonetheless, to be cautious.”
“Is it because of this blade?”
“Yes. The being dwelling in that sword can become a steadfast protector for the young lord—or an instrument of ruin. You must learn to bear and master it well.”
At the Mudang’s words, Bukgung Danya tilted his head slightly.
The Cheonsingeom was said to contain the soul of the Cheongeom Emperor.
The notion of a protector seemed reasonable enough, but the suggestion that it could become an instrument of ruin was harder to accept.
“I will remember it well. My gratitude.”
Yet Cheon Mujgyeol showed little reaction, offering only a brief courtesy before passing the Mudang by.
“Let us go.”
“It seems we shan’t be staying the night in this village after all.”
Cheon Mujgyeol nodded at Bukgung Danya’s words, and together they made their way out of the Town.
The Mudang stood in the darkness, watching the two figures depart for a long time.
It was a night in which the presence of another of the Seven Spirits, following Hwan-ryeong, weighed heavily upon the two men.

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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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