Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 368

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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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Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 368
The Divine Dragon Immortal reflected on the past.
Once renowned as a prodigy of the Hwa-san Sect, he had been struck from the records after his dantian was destroyed.
A child who had come to Kunlun as a lay disciple, seeking one last hope.
“I heard rumors of an esteemed master with omnipotent alchemy. I’ve come seeking you. Master, I beg your mercy. I will give you everything.”
A voice trembling with desperate passion.
It must have been all the more agonizing for one blessed with talent to rival the heavens.
For a warrior, the dantian is everything.
“Please restore my dantian. I will do anything. Anything!”
The Divine Dragon Immortal understood immediately upon seeing the child.
That the child carried the Mandate of Heaven.
“Dou. Dou never reached Bin-do and Yeon-yeon.”
I did not help.
Because I could not overcome my jealousy.
The moment when years of cultivation became meaningless.
How long did it take to escape the Sim Ma that followed?
‘In the end, only when that child came to me at last could I break free.’
Baek Cheon.
Your successor has finally reached me.
A path you never desired continues through you.
Eung-hyo Je-il of the Baek family, the greatest of the Gaecheon Baeks.
Not bound by blood, but by fate.
The demon that child harbored was utterly, profoundly vicious.
What is a demon, truly?
It is resentment.
A resentment so deep it defies the heavens themselves.
Stagnant and rotten, darkening inevitably.
And yet…
The Divine Dragon Immortal spoke softly to himself.
“Do you know, child?”
All crows in the world bear black feathers, yet in their infancy they are covered in pristine white, fluffy down.
A body of primordial wholeness and celestial divine meridians.
A vessel of all demons and all forms.
Will you shine in the light, or become turbid in the darkness?
“Child, which way will you lean?”

* * *
Mukhpa wailed with a low, resonant hum.
The sight was like a child reunited with a lost mother, weeping uncontrollably.
‘In a way, it’s a natural reaction… but it’s quite fascinating.’
When I first obtained Mukhpa, I’d harbored such thoughts.
This pitch-black sword was undoubtedly a relic of Cheon-u Geom-sin Baek-cheon.
The aura and spiritual essence contained within were far too pristine to be anything else.
‘Yet for a Sword Spirit’s pair to yearn so desperately like this…’
I swept my senses across the surroundings, heightening my perception.
The traces of a formation array were immediately visible.
A formation array had been installed within this cave.
Its effect was to scatter and disperse spiritual energy.
This was also why turbid demonic qi vibrated within the cave, which should have been a spiritually pure and sacred nexus of spiritual veins.
“The Black and White Twin-Feathered Sword.”
The name of Cheon-u Geom-sin Baek-cheon’s beloved blade, discovered through my investigation of Baek Hwa-mun.
Mukhpa’s primary function was its sharpness.
Even without a Sword Spirit, wielding Mukhpa and drawing out sword qi allowed me to cut through various things with ease, though not quite reaching the level of Mighty Qi.
When I further manifested intent and wrapped it in Mighty Qi, its power became exponentially greater.
That’s why I’d been curious.
What would the Sword Spirit of the Black and White Twin-Feathered Sword be like?
“This blade… it’s a Demon Sword?”
The source of the turbid energy was none other than the pure white Sword Spirit itself.
Over countless ages, demonic qi that had seeped out and corrupted through the formation array was the true nature of that murky energy.
Baek Do’s beloved blade, the greatest under heaven, was actually a Demon Sword.
‘A Demon… that couldn’t have been the case. If so, he wouldn’t have founded a clan for such a great cause as Opening Heaven and Establishing Righteousness.’
Never compromise with the trivial.
Never bend.
If necessary, spread wings to cover the heavens themselves.
That is Opening Heaven and Establishing Righteousness.
“I’m curious, certainly, but what does the past matter?”
I spoke as if addressing the blade itself.
“You’re my companion now, Black and White Twin-Feathered Sword. I am your master.”
Mukhpa hummed in response. I extended my other hand and grasped the white Sword Spirit.
The aura left me feeling somewhat uneasy, but the sensation alone was exquisitely pleasant.
“A true masterpiece, you are.”
I brought the tip of the white Sword Spirit to rest upon Mukhpa.
Then the white Sword Spirit and black sword blade merged into one, their colors beginning to intertwine.
Black consumed white, staining everything from hilt to blade in darkness.
Yet white refused to be consumed, and from hilt to blade, down the center—
A pristine white line remained. A single, perfectly straight path.
“How amusing.”
A smile tugged at my lips as the words escaped unbidden.
I had just grasped the function of the white Sword Spirit among the black and white dual swords.
Mukhpa’s function was sharpness, which could be seen as amplification.
But the white Sword Spirit’s function was the complete opposite.
Suppression.
The demonic aura no longer leaked out.
Like fine clay patched over a cracked vessel.
‘Let me test it… ah, when I use martial arts, it flows out again.’
But what a difference that makes.
If demonic aura had continued seeping out while I stood still, I would have been branded a Demon without question.
Now, as long as I controlled the witnesses, I could actually use my martial arts.
Whether by silencing their tongues or their necks.
I glanced upward slightly.
The cave ceiling blocked the sky from view.
“Quite the tangled situation, isn’t it? Fascinating.”
When the white Sword Spirit had been harboring demonic aura, what function had this black blade truly displayed?
I could guess well enough, which made it all the more intriguing.
Because I understood what it wanted.
Because the path itself might change.
“Geom Seon. You said it when we first met. That Seolha and I originated from Cheonma.”
I will not yield.
Never.

* * *
[Gain a companion. Unite the sword paths. Scheme to pierce the heavens.]
The characters of the Geom Seon’s Destiny refuse to fade.
Until now, they would disappear once I fulfilled their meaning.
Well, I suppose that’s only natural.
The Black and White Twin Swords’ function is the amplification of sharpness and the suppression of qi.
Impressive as they are, if a sword of merely this caliber is all we have, then I’ve only accomplished the first phrase—gain a companion.
Unite the sword paths. Scheme to pierce the heavens.
Combine the sword paths to scheme at piercing the very sky.
There’s still more to accomplish.
‘I’ll manage it as we go.’
As I entertained that thought, Chu Dal spoke in a gruff voice.
“So where exactly are we headed? Western Xiang, no less. The ancestral home is at least tens of thousands of li away.”
Before answering, I surveyed my surroundings.
The Kunlun mountain range visible behind us.
Directly ahead, a camel’s head swaying lazily.
From now on, we were in Western Xiang.
Beyond the realm—a land of plateaus and deserts.
“We’re going to search for the legacy of Gwigyoe Jungok-gun, the greatest under heaven of old. And fulfill the Divine Dragon Immortal’s request as well.”
Seolha raised her hand.
“Why suddenly the legacy of Gwigyoe Jungok-gun? I thought we were just sightseeing.”
Ah, I hadn’t mentioned it?
I glanced subtly toward Neung-o.
It would be rather embarrassing to say I was going to recover it because I felt sorry for losing his arm.
“The Geom Seon ordered it.”
“Ah, then we should definitely go.”
I was glad I’d brought up the Geom Seon’s Destiny.
From now on, whenever I’m at a loss for words, I’ll just blame the old master.
“Anyway, the scenery here is so different and truly beautiful. This really feels like a proper sightseeing journey.”
Originally, Seolha had dreamed of sightseeing with Yang Hwi ever since she deserted the victory banquet.
But due to the demonic qi of the Seo Seon faction, we’d traveled all the way to Kunlun sleeping rough every night.
All that accumulated frustration was now melting away.
“Yang Hwi. I’m hungry. When do we eat?”
“What? We just ate less than two hours ago?”
“Hehehehe.”
Whether this child’s name is Adu or something else, seeing her laugh like that made her seem rather endearing.
At that innocent smile, the corners of my mouth lifted.
“It’s too early to stop for a meal, so how about some dried meat? I’ll stuff it inside a cake for you instead.”
“Yang Hwi is the best!”
Watching Adu contentedly working her jaw, my heart grew at ease.
Who in this world would ever regard that bastard as a disciple of Cheonmu-sip-jon and the greatest under heaven… or rather, the second greatest under heaven?
‘Well, perhaps that’s what makes it terrifying.’
It was then.
“Hmm. I’ve heard the Western Frontier is barren with few inhabitants. How curious.”
Neung-o spoke out of nowhere. I responded naturally while reaching for the Black and White Twin Swords.
“Right? They’re swarming like a pack of dogs.”
Whether more people actually lived here than expected, or they were simply concentrated near the border with the Central Plains, I couldn’t say.
In any case, it was time to draw steel.
“Fifteen total. About seven at the peak realm, but they’re all demons.”
“We’re all at the transcendent realm—well, all but one—so they’re merely weaklings to us. Though the locals must be suffering considerably.”
“Master, are you teasing me as well?”
“My apologies. That wasn’t my intention.”
“Never mind. I’ll handle them myself.”
Chu Dal’s form melted away silently into the shadows.
Though Chu Dal was still only at the peak realm, if he laid down Heavenly Silkworm Threads in advance while concealed and launched a surprise attack, dealing with these bastards would be simple.
In fact, Chu Dal alone—the one who couldn’t kill—was capable of subduing them all.
“Seven peak-realm demons among mere bandits.”
“It is unusual to see so many demons, isn’t it?”
“According to what the Divine Dragon Immortal said, they seem intent on invading Kunlun with some purpose in mind.”
The Central Plains and the Western Frontier had almost no contact with each other.
Beyond the distance, their cultures, customs, and many other things differed greatly.
People were inherently narrow-minded, after all, prone to rejecting and opposing those different from themselves.
“Well, kill them all and things will clean themselves up. While we’re at it, we’ll extract information.”
“That hardly seems like something a righteous sect’s successor should say, brother.”
“Demon bastards deserve it.”
How much had I endured from the demonic cults in my previous life?
These bastards even bore the labels of bandits and thieves.
I wouldn’t feel a shred of guilt slaughtering them all.
“Hmm?”
“What is it, brother?”
I launched myself forward without answering.
I’d sensed something strange emanating from the bandits Chu Dal was facing.
There was no doubt. The energy they wielded was distinctly different from before.
“Ugh, ugh?! Brother, please save me!”
As expected, Chu Dal was in danger.
Considering he’d already subdued them halfway, it was strange—yet inevitable.
The energy these bastards wielded was Bright Qi.
“Tch. I told you never to let your guard down, you fool.”
“But they suddenly unleashed their latent power and went berserk!”
The boy’s excuse was—
Still, I’ll take a look.
The Ilwol Myeonggyou bastards aren’t ordinary demons.
-Kiiieeeeeee!
The moment I drew the Black and White Twin Swords, a piercing cry echoed through the air.
The demons flinched at the blade-like momentum of my aura.
“Hey. You lot. Why are you harboring Spiritual Qi instead of Primordial Qi in your middle dantian?”
It was disturbingly unnatural.
Those demon bastards—or rather, I wasn’t even sure if they deserved to be called demons anymore.
They were human, yet they carried Spiritual Qi instead of Primordial Qi in their middle dantian and lived?
“Answer me, and I’ll grant you a merciful death. Stay silent, and I’ll tear your jaws open before I kill you.”
Either way, I had to kill them.
Because I’d witnessed them leaking demonic energy.
It was at that moment.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
All the demons dropped to their knees in unison.
And simultaneously, they cried out.
“Sect Leader!”
“Ilwol’s descent! Ten thousand demons bow!”
“At last…!”
“Forgive us for not recognizing you!”
…What’s gotten into them?

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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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