Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 3

Failure or Success?

He opened his eyes. It was probably morning, but this place was a deep cave! There was no change to indicate that. The interior was still dark, but to Yunwen’s eyes, the outlines of all objects were clearly projected as if it were broad daylight. Only the regular breathing of Hwan-no and Ui-no could be heard. They must have been very tired! His eyes were not the kind and pure ones of the past. They were the curious eyes of a mischievous child, as if he was about to do something! That was it. As soon as he got up, he looked at the two old men.

Heh heh, they’re still sleeping. This feeling like my whole body is about to explode! Good, very good. This feeling like I can do anything! It’s not bad at all! What kind of place is the martial world? According to the memories of the Heavenly Demon, it’s a very exciting place… And the memories of Hyeneung? A very troublesome place! Well, it doesn’t matter which one it is. I’ll be the one to create the martial world from now on… Heh heh heh. But the memories of the two aren’t fully sorted out yet! It’ll happen eventually.

-Hey, why are you staring blankly at one spot?

“What are you talking about?”

-Why is your focus stuck in one place? It’s frustrating.

“Huh? Then are you saying you’re seeing it too?”

-You idiot! You and we are already one body, or rather, we share one body. Of course, you’re the one in control, but we can feel everything you do.

=That’s right, benefactor! We see what you see, and we feel what you feel.

“Really? That’s amazing. Hey, Heavenly Demon, about your martial arts, does it really work as the theory says?”

-What? What do you think of my martial arts to say such a thing?

“Good, instead of staying here, let’s go outside and test it out.”

-As you wish, but your inner energy is still weak, so it will be difficult to fully execute it.

“I know that much.”

Step, step.

He was stepping out of the cave. Then, he suddenly stopped.

No, I should start practicing from here. From now on, I need to make martial arts a part of my life. Everything is connected to martial arts! I need to completely master the martial arts of the two as soon as possible.

He was circulating the inner energy gathered in his dantian [an energy center located in the lower abdomen] throughout his body. This was the Heavenly Demon’s unique inner energy cultivation method, called the Heavenly Demon Mind Method. It was possible not only in a sitting position but also in a standing and lying position, and even while sleeping. Various elixirs injected by the two old men had already dissolved in his dantian and were being sublimated into inner energy. The inner energy, starting from the Stone Gate and Qi Sea [acupoints], surged through the Juque, Zhongting, Yutang, and Yintang points, reaching the Baihui point [acupoints on the head]. Since the Ren and Du meridians [major energy channels] were already opened, it rushed through the Du meridian’s Naohu, Lingtai, and Mingmen points, reaching the Changqiang point [acupoints along the spine]. The hot fireball was growing bigger and fiercer, and soon it was beyond his control. After spinning around endlessly, it now turned in the opposite direction. This was the unique wonder of the Heavenly Demon Mind Method that made the Heavenly Demon who he was. Unlike ordinary inner energy cultivation methods, it did not have a fixed path for inner energy. It surged through all 365 acupoints of the body, vertically and horizontally, but without any blockage. They corresponded and harmonized with each other, unleashing tremendous power. The inner energy was constantly surging to and from the Yongquan point on the soles of his feet, the Yangchi point on his wrists, and the Laogong point on his palms [acupoints]. At first, he felt a tingling and subtle pain, but as time passed, it felt cool, and he even felt a refreshing sensation as if his constipation had been relieved. His body was slowly rising. Had he risen about a foot from the ground?

Swoosh.

He shot out in a standing position without bending his knees. This was the ultimate lightness technique of the Heavenly Demon Flight Technique. It could be executed in any posture, and the body was moved freely using only inner energy, without the power of muscles. Yunwen, who was barely making it through the sharply curved cave passage, had beads of sweat on his forehead. It was still clumsy, like a beginner driver, but he was gradually getting used to moving around, relying on the Heavenly Demon’s memories.

Swish.

The sound of cutting through the air rose sharply, echoing through the cave. The cave was longer than he thought.

“Ugh.”

Finally, his body, which had come outside, flinched for a moment. He was suddenly scared when he came outside. The cave was located in the middle of a cliff, and his body was floating in the sky. Due to this hesitation, his inner energy was momentarily scattered.

“Uh… uh… uh-oh.”

Whoosh.

Yunwen was falling straight down!

-Get a grip, you idiot! Concentrate your mind and hold onto your inner energy!

Was it because of his words? His body, which had been falling 30 feet in an instant, was slowly stopping. Still upside down, he looked down. The forest looked small and blurry, showing how high he was.

-You fool… My Heavenly Demon Mind Method is supposed to keep the inner energy from breaking in any situation, yet you’re showing such a pathetic sight… Can’t you focus and do it right?

“Ugh, I know… Damn it, it’s my first time, so it can happen. Were you a Heavenly Demon from the beginning?”

-You always have an answer.

“What?”

If martial artists had seen this, they would have been dumbfounded. How could someone talk while suspending their body in mid-air? Of course, there were such advanced lightness techniques in the martial world, and there were experts who could do it, but who would believe that someone who had just started learning martial arts could use such an extraordinary technique?

Anyway, Yunwen’s martial arts practice was starting like this.

“First, I should try using sword techniques. But what should I do since I don’t have a sword?”

He had landed on the ground. The surroundings were filled with various strange trees and rocks, and there was no movement of any living creatures.

-You’re so stupid. Just use a tree branch, or use your hand instead?

“Do you have a problem with that? Your tone is quite annoying.”

-Hey, why would I have a problem? I’m just saying.

That brat is being cheeky. You’re completely caught by me. But is that monk sleeping? Why isn’t he saying anything?

“Hyeneung, are you sleeping?”

=No, benefactor. I was just thinking about your future actions…

“Why are you worrying about that? You’re being presumptuous.”

-Hey, that’s his job, why are you acting like it’s something new?

Look at this guy, he’s subtly trying to act friendly. And it seems like he’s trying to ostracize Hyeneung… What a sly one.

-Aren’t you going to try it soon?

“Tch, it’s a historical moment, but there’s no one to watch. It’s so boring.”

-You’re just playing around.

Ugh, I should just recite the Cheonbugyeong [a sacred text] again. No, let’s not. Is today the only day out of all the days? I’ll catch him another day.

“Okay, good. Then I’ll break off a tree branch.”

As he stretched out his hand, a pine branch about 10 feet away broke off and flew towards him. As he brushed the branch, the small twigs fell off before his hand even touched them! He grabbed it and made a solemn expression. It was a somewhat clumsy stance. His feet seemed narrower than shoulder-width, and his butt was sticking out. And the words that came out of his mouth were:

“Heavenly Demon Three Swords, First Form, Heavenly Demon Manifestation, Flash!”

Swoosh!

Bang!

His mouth was wide open and wouldn’t close. He was staring blankly at the scene in front of him and the stick in his hand.

“Heh heh… This… this was created by my hand.”

Look at what was in front of him. It was as if a path had been cleared through the middle of the forest, and the ground was sunken three feet deep.

-You’re so surprised by that.

=Amitabha.

“Good, very good. Heavenly Demon, I like your martial arts.”

-Hehe, you admit it too.

“If the first form is this powerful, the other two forms must be amazing, right? Good, let’s try them all while we’re at it! Haa!”

With a loud shout, he leaped into the air.

“Heavenly Demon Three Swords, Second Form, Heavenly Demon Reversal, Change!”

Kuwawaaaang!

“Heavenly Demon Three Swords, Third Form, Heaven-Shattering!”

Kukukukukung!

“Hahaha, this time it’s palm techniques! Heaven-Shattering Asura Palm, Launch!”

Pooang!

“World-Shocking, Absorb!”

“Blood-Soaked World, Nothingness!”

“Woo ha ha ha ha, Heaven-Shattering Blood Jade Finger!”

“Whirling Unflowing Strength!”

…

His mouth was filled with hearty laughter, and terrifying powers that could shake the heavens and earth were pouring out, cutting through the quiet forest.

Whirring.

He landed on the ground in a cool pose and looked at the scene he had created with a satisfied look. The forest was completely overturned, and even the huge rocks connected to the cliff had been reduced to dust. There were many sunken areas at the bottom of the cliff, and some places were scorched by flames.

“Woo ha ha ha ha, amazing. The Heavenly Demon’s martial arts are incredible. I suddenly feel respect for you… Did you create all of this?”

-It’s not time to say that yet. The pinnacle of my martial arts is sword techniques. The third form, Heaven-Shattering, that you used is the beginning stage of controlling a sword with inner energy! When you can fully unleash the essence of Heaven-Shattering, you can move from controlling a sword with your hand to controlling it with your eyes, and further to controlling it with your mind. And even the Natural Sword or Cosmic Sword that I couldn’t surpass isn’t impossible. That’s the level you need to reach to shut up those arrogant bastards from beyond the heavens.

“Haha, I admit it. Okay, I’ll acknowledge you even if you act a little cocky from now on.”

He was constantly laughing. Because of that, he was neglecting to think about the meaning of what he had said.

=Amitabha, but why don’t you try my martial arts, benefactor?

“Uh… I’m sorry to say this, but when compared to the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts… there’s a difference in power. But that doesn’t mean your martial arts are inferior. I’ll try them out eventually.”

-Haha, you really have an eye for things. That’s right, how can those monks compare to me, no matter how good they are?

That brat is flying high just because I praised him a little. Am I giving him too much encouragement? Well, I’ll let it slide for today. Heh heh, amazing. He looked around again, unable to stop smiling with satisfaction.

“Are you saying you’re going down now?”

“Yeah.”

“Hoo, I can’t stop my lord’s journey, but isn’t it too hasty?”

“They say strike while the iron is hot. Now that I’ve made up my mind, there’s no need to hesitate any longer, right?”

“My lord, then please go down first. We will come down a little later.”

“Why? Do you have something to do? We should go down together if possible.”

“No, we have some preparations to make for you, my lord. Please go first. And please keep this Huanggak token safe. It will be very useful to you in the future.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. If you go to any of the Golden Frog Money Exchanges scattered throughout the Central Plains and show this, they will give you as much money as you need. And if you visit Kaifeng, don’t forget to find the Beggar Clan. If you show this to the former clan leader, Beggar King, Feng Cheon-ho, he will know how to treat you.”

Oh, this has such a use? Well, the founder was such a meticulous person, so he wouldn’t have failed to prepare something like this. The more of these, the better, right? Very good. Don’t you have any more, old men? If you do, don’t hide them and give them all to me, heh heh.

“Okay, I’ll use it well.”

He looked at the Huanggak token again. There was a hole at the top of the token, and a gold string was attached to it.

“Then, let’s meet in the Central Plains later.”

Swish, swish, swish.

“M-My lord.”

“He just left without even giving us a proper farewell.”

Yunwen disappeared before their eyes using the familiar Heavenly Demon Concealment Technique.

Martial world! Do you know? That a nuclear bomb that will shake the era has been thrown into your embrace!

Title: [Serial] Emperor’s Sword 5. Bloodshed of Mount Tai! Related Materials: None [58628]

Sender: Im Samyeol (logos333) 2000-12-19 17:31 Views: 2045

-Emperor’s Sword-