Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 52

If only I could drift with the cool river breeze, cleanse myself in the river, purify my mind in the wind, remain steadfast through the ages, and occasionally blush with shame when looking at the sky…

Pa Cheon’s face was filled with a freshness unlike any other time. The overflowing joy and the excitement of his heart were clearly reflected in the light on his face. The Beggar King, Pung Cheon-ho, kept glancing at Pa Cheon’s face. He had an expression that showed he couldn’t understand Pa Cheon’s change, but he was pleased that Pa Cheon was in a good mood, even if he didn’t know why.

Pa Cheon recalled the events of the previous night.

Having forgotten everything in their kiss, the two young lovers had no reason to stop the fire that had begun to ignite between them, nor did they want to. Their gazes were both yearning for something, and they both felt it. Smiles spread across Pa Cheon and Seol-ran’s faces, and it was a signal for a journey into a new world.

Pa Cheon’s hands moved busily, and Seol-ran, not wanting to be outdone, took off each other’s clothes. In an instant, the two of them were completely exposed to each other in their natural state, engraving the sight into their eyes. And then, another long kiss… Nothing else came to mind. They had no room to think of anything else, only the passion, love, and burning thirst of the moment. The confirmation of each other through their fingertips and skin was enough to make their minds go blank.

Pa Cheon’s strong arms trembled as he lifted Seol-ran’s body, and they soon fell onto Seol-ran’s bed, the place where she had cherished her love for Pa Cheon. Their eyes, locked together without a gap, were filled with trust and love, and it flowed out of their eyes, filling the bedroom. Words were no longer needed between them. Mute gestures were enough. Because there was no pretense, it was the most sublime and beautiful language, beyond words.

‘Her milky white skin…’

“Your Excellency!”

“Huh?”

“We’ve arrived.”

“Oh… really?”

The two got out of the carriage. The Beggar Clan members didn’t usually ride in carriages. Today, it was purely for Pa Cheon’s sake. As one of the Five Greats of the Martial World and the protagonist of the highest seniority, he couldn’t be expected to walk, could he? The carriage had already entered deep into the Martial Alliance, and as the Beggar King and Pa Cheon got out, many people greeted them. At the very front was an elderly man who greeted Pa Cheon and the Beggar King warmly.

“Welcome. It is an honor to meet the Jade-Faced Divine Dragon, Great Warrior Moon. I am Namgung Hwi, the Vice Alliance Leader.”

He was Namgung Hwi, the leader of the Five Lotus Society and one of the three vice leaders of the Martial Alliance, known as the Azure Sky Divine Sword. He was a handsome man with a straight nose, clear features, and kind eyes. Pa Cheon returned his greeting with a respectful bow.

“It is an honor to receive such a warm welcome.”

“You are too kind. Please, come inside. The Alliance Leader is waiting for you. Please come along as well, Elder.”

He was speaking to the Beggar King, Pung Cheon-ho.

‘Pung-gae is in charge of the Elder Council, right? Then… shall I meet that thick-faced guy?’

The interior of the Martial Alliance was similar to the buildings of the Northern Sword Society, but there were also many new or under-construction buildings. The only difference was the increase in the number of people. Namgung Hwi led Pa Cheon and the Beggar King to the Divine Sword Pavilion, a nine-story building that used to be the Northern Sword Society Leader’s residence.

As they approached the Divine Sword Pavilion, hundreds of swordsmen drew their swords and raised them to the sky, and a roar that shook the heavens erupted from their mouths.

“We congratulate the Jade-Faced Divine Dragon, Moon Yoon, on joining the Alliance!”

‘They’re really good at making people feel awkward. I might need to learn this.’

They entered the Divine Sword Pavilion through the rows of swordsmen.

Many people were already waiting in the Grand Hall on the 8th floor. The Supreme Seat at the center was occupied by the Peerless Divine Sword, Dokgo Han-cheon, and below him, seats were arranged according to rank. All the seats were occupied, and as Pa Cheon and the Beggar King entered, everyone stood up. Dokgo Han-cheon, who had been sitting on the Supreme Seat, was rushing towards the entrance.

‘Here we go again.’

“Oh my, Great Warrior Moon. It’s been so long! How could you leave so heartlessly without a single word… Was our relationship only that much? I’m very disappointed.”

The Alliance Leader grabbed Pa Cheon’s hand, looking disappointed, and immediately led him inside.

“Vice Alliance Leader, thank you for your hard work. Please, come this way. Elder, please come here as well.”

Pa Cheon quickly looked around. He saw some familiar faces, but most of them were people he had never seen before. Next to the Supreme Seat where Dokgo Han-cheon had been sitting, there were five seats, one of which was occupied, and the rest were empty. The Alliance Leader led Pa Cheon to that spot.

The Martial Alliance was essentially led by the Northern Sword Society, but the Five Lotus Society, the Nine-Star Alliance, and the Southern Alliance were also key members. For this reason, even though Dokgo Han-cheon was the Alliance Leader, he couldn’t neglect the leaders of the other three factions, so he gave them the position of Vice Alliance Leader to work together. In addition, seats were prepared at the top for the Elder Council Leader, the Beggar King, and Pa Cheon. Pa Cheon’s seat was right next to Dokgo Han-cheon’s, and it was slightly larger than the other four seats, but slightly smaller than Dokgo Han-cheon’s Supreme Seat.

As Pa Cheon and the Beggar King took their seats, the people in the hall also sat down. In front of them, there was a small table with tea and light snacks.

“Finally, the long-awaited Jade-Faced Divine Dragon has joined our Martial Alliance. Now is the time to eradicate the Demonic Path and raise the righteous spirit of the Central Plains. Our Martial Alliance has already made all the preparations, so we must unite even more and write a new chapter in the history of the Martial World.”

His voice was powerful and clear, and it echoed throughout the Grand Hall.

“Great Warrior Moon!”

“What is it?”

“Would you grant me a request?”

“A request?”

“There is an empty position, and although the world is vast and there are many talented people, I believe that only Great Warrior Moon can handle it.”

“…”

“Please take the position of Commander of the Righteous Order.”

“Hmm!”

“I beg you. If you refuse, we will have to disband the organization itself. So…”

“I understand.”

“Great Warrior! Thank you so much. Hahahaha.”

“That won’t do.”

At the sudden voice from below, Dokgo Han-cheon’s face gradually hardened. Pa Cheon also turned his head to where the voice came from. He was curious. Who would openly express their opposition in front of the Alliance Leader?

He was a young man in his early 30s with clear features and a strong build. His mouth was firmly set, and he seemed to have a stubborn personality.

“Deputy Commander! What is the reason for saying that it won’t do?”

Dokgo Han-cheon’s voice was reproachful, and his tone was rather high.

“We choose the Commander of the Righteous Order ourselves. It’s not that Great Warrior Moon is not qualified for the position, but it’s not a position that the Alliance Leader can unilaterally appoint. This is the common opinion of our 500 Commanders, and I am just speaking on their behalf. If you insist on pushing it through, we will disband and leave the Alliance.”

“What, what?”

This was a clear act of insubordination. Moreover, it was a direct opposition to the Alliance Leader’s will in a public setting, so Dokgo Han-cheon’s face was being completely humiliated.

‘That guy must be one of the Four Dragons. He has a great spirit, a strong personality, and an unyielding spirit. Hmph, Dokgo Han-cheon must be having a headache. Tsk tsk, his organizational control is terrible compared to his ambition.’

It was the moment when Dokgo Han-cheon was completely reduced to an incompetent in Pa Cheon’s eyes.

“What is your name, young man?”

“I am Gwak Woon-sung, the White Dragon of Righteousness.”

‘That’s the guy who’s said to be Zhang Sanfeng’s disciple.’

“Is that so? Then, what should I do to satisfy you?”

At the sudden use of informal language, Gwak Woon-sung’s face twitched, but he didn’t react much. Although he was of the same generation as the Wudang Sect Leader, he was of lower seniority compared to Pa Cheon.

“The Great Warrior must be recognized by our 500 Commanders. The Commander must not only be skilled in martial arts. He must have character, knowledge, virtue, the ability to lead a group, the vision to see the whole picture, and be a righteous person.”

‘Tsk, then I can never take that position. I’m a villain, full of ambition, arrogant, and have nothing to do with righteousness. Hmph, but deceiving you guys is not that difficult for me.’

“Haha, very well. I am ready to take your test anytime, so please let me know.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Pa Cheon’s too easy acceptance left both Dokgo Han-cheon and Gwak Woon-sung speechless.

“Hmm… then, let’s consider that matter settled.”

A groan escaped from Dokgo Han-cheon’s mouth, and for a fleeting moment, a thick killing intent lingered in his eyes, unnoticed by anyone.

“Alliance Leader! May I ask for an introduction to the others?”

“Ah, I have been rude. Everyone, please introduce yourselves… But before that, Great Warrior, please say a few words.”

“Shall I?”

As if he had been waiting for it, Pa Cheon stood up from his seat, scanned the hall, and then looked straight ahead. And then, a loud and powerful voice echoed from his mouth.

“I am a person with many shortcomings. Nevertheless, I do not want to be second to anyone in protecting the Central Plains and upholding the righteous spirit. I swear to the heavens that I will do my best to lay the foundation for the Martial World and establish a thousand-year plan for righteousness. I ask that you guide me and point out my mistakes without hesitation, and I will do my best with all my body, mind, and will for the well-being of the Martial Alliance.”

“Wow!”

Clap clap clap

“For the boundless development of the Great Warrior!”

“May the Martial Alliance last forever!”

A commotion broke out. It was not a particularly special speech, but because it was spoken by the Jade-Faced Divine Dragon, it seemed weighty and powerful. Moreover, his aura…

As he sat down, one person after another stood up and introduced themselves. There was no one in this place who was not famous in the Martial World, and they were all leaders of their respective sects.

The Martial Alliance had a total of 54,000 members, and if you included the remaining forces of each branch and affiliated sect, it could mobilize ten times that number. It was largely divided into 1 Pavilion, 1 Council, 1 Corps, 4 Halls, 5 Divisions, and 5 Units, and there was one more unit under the Alliance Leader. In addition, there were 42 branches in various parts of the Central Plains, and there were 36 major sects and 360 minor sects affiliated with it, excluding the Four Great Righteous Sects, making it the most extensive organization in the history of the Martial World.

Among the three Vice Alliance Leaders, only the Southern Alliance Leader, Lion Saber King, was unable to attend. The Abbot of Shaolin Temple and the leader of the Nine-Star Alliance, Master Jiwoo, and the leader of the Five Lotus Society were also present. The 1 Pavilion was the Divine Sword Pavilion of the Alliance Leader, Dokgo Han-cheon. The 1 Council was the Elder Council, and the Elder was the Beggar King. In addition, the heads of the Four Great Families, the leaders of the Eight Great Sects, and the chief elder of the Southern Alliance were members of the Martial Alliance’s Elder Council.

The 1 Corps was the Righteous Order, which Pa Cheon would eventually lead, and the Deputy Commanders were two of the Four Dragons. In addition, there were 500 Commanders, who were the best of the younger generation from each sect. They were the successors of each sect who would lead the Martial World in the future, or the rising masters who had begun to make a name for themselves in the Martial World.

The 4 Halls were the Divine Eye Hall, the Great Peng Hall, the White Tiger Hall, and the Righteousness Hall, and they were led by Saman Cheon, So Cheon-ak, Han Jeong-il, Ju Ja-gi, and Gong Min-hu, respectively. Among them, the Divine Eye Hall was in charge of the Martial Alliance’s intelligence and information.

The 5 Divisions had the largest number of members, and each of the Four Great Righteous Sects and the 36 Allied Sects had a seat. The Iron Blood Division was a combination of the former Northern Sword Society’s Guardian Division, Heavenly Sword Division, Iron Cavalry Unit, Law Enforcement Unit, and Shadow Assassination Unit, and it had 6,000 members. The leader of the division was the Iron Blood Swordsman, Pyo Haeng-su.

The Heavenly Will Division was joined by Elder Jin Ja-ryang of the Southern Alliance’s Overwhelming Light Saber with 4,000 members.

The White Sword Division was a force from the Nine-Star Alliance, with 500 members from each sect, totaling 4,500 members. The leader of the division was Yun Hak-ja, the third of the Three Immortals of Wudang.

Namgung Hwan, the younger brother of the Five Lotus Society Leader, formed the Heavenly Martial Division with 5,000 members.

The Azure Dragon Division was a group of 12,000 elites from the 36 Righteous Sects, led by the Godly Hand of Creation, Hyung Mu-ryong.

In addition, there were the White Robe Unit, the Azure Robe Unit, the Yellow Robe Unit, the Red Robe Unit, and the Green Robe Unit, which were relatively lower-ranking warriors. They were led by Jo Gil-sang, Wi Su-woon, Wang Gun-cheong, Yeop Cheon-woo, and Hae Gong-shinni. The Green Robe Unit had the most members with 7,000, while the White Robe Unit had only 1,000. The martial arts level of these units increased from the Green Robe Unit to the White Robe Unit.

In addition to these, there was the Heavenly Sword Unit directly under the Alliance Leader, which was a combination of the Northern Sword Society’s problematic Blood Sword Division and Demonic Sword Division, with 2,000 members. They were mainly responsible for guarding the Divine Sword Pavilion and protecting the Alliance Leader.

There was no concept of which organization was superior among the 4 Halls, 5 Divisions, and 5 Units. They each had different duties. The 5 Units were in charge of the upper-level affairs under the direction of the Divine Eye Hall, and the 5 Divisions were the core forces of the Alliance, constantly training. The 4 Halls were in charge of eradicating external opposing forces and tracking the Demonic Alliance.

After Pa Cheon received their greetings, attendants began to enter from outside and set the tables with food. Only then did the stiff atmosphere loosen, and they began to chat or exchange opinions about the state of the Martial World.

“Great Warrior, what do you think of the current state of the Martial World?”

“The state of the Martial World? Well, I don’t know much about it. I’ve heard that the Demonic Alliance has disappeared, and overseas forces have begun to eye the Central Plains, but I don’t know the details.”

“Haha, you know a lot… As you said, the state of the Martial World is very serious, contrary to what it seems. Even though the forces of the Demonic Alliance have not been completely dealt with, at least four or five forces are aiming for the Central Plains. If they were to enter the Central Plains all at once, the Martial World would be finished.”

“Would that really happen? If you think about it, they are also enemies of each other, so wouldn’t they be wary of each other?”

“That’s true, but if the enemy in front of them is strong, forming an alliance is commonplace in the Martial World. So, if their movements… if there are signs of that, we are even thinking of working with the Demonic Alliance.”

‘Oh, so you were thinking that too. Well… anyone who isn’t a blockhead would think that way. But they will never unite, even if they die and come back to life.’

“By the way, didn’t the person who is said to be ‘below one person, above ten thousand’ come with you?”

“Haha, I sent that guy somewhere.”

“I heard that he became the new successor of the Southern Alliance. I’m curious about what kind of person he is.”

“I’ll bring him sometime. Don’t expect too much. He’s still immature.”

“Ah… yes!”

At Pa Cheon’s words, Dokgo Han-cheon hesitated, not knowing how to respond, and Master Jiwoo, the Abbot of Shaolin Temple, spoke to Pa Cheon.

“Great Warrior, I heard that you inherited the essence of Master Hyeneung… Is that true?”

He was an old monk with a kind face and a smile. However, his skin was clean and taut, and if he didn’t have a white beard, he would look like a middle-aged monk.

“That’s right.”

“Perhaps, could you show it to us here?”

“Huh?”

His words were unexpected. It wasn’t that difficult, but he never thought that he would make such a request in this place.

“Actually, there was a meeting at the headquarters because of that. If you truly inherited the essence of Master Hyeneung, you would be our grand-uncle, so it is a very important matter for the headquarters.”

‘Is that so? This seniority system in the Martial World is really hard to understand.’

Pa Cheon didn’t understand their attitude. He couldn’t understand the fact that they would treat someone as an elder just because they possessed the martial arts of their ancestor. However, wasn’t it because of such traditions in the Martial World that Pa Cheon was where he was now? If such a consciousness didn’t exist among the martial artists, he might have acted like a lone wolf, but he would never have dreamed of taking over the Heavenly Demon Sect or being treated as the highest elder of the Martial World.

“Are there any lost martial arts in Shaolin Temple? I will show you the essence of one of the martial arts that you all know has been lost.”

“There are a few…”

Jiwoo seemed to be contemplating.

“Um… perhaps, can you perform the Vajra Divine Finger or the Avalokiteśvara Buddha Palm?”

These two were currently lost and not passed down, but the Shaolin Temple disciples knew what they were like from the records.

“I’ll show you both.”

“Ah…”

The eyes of everyone in the hall were already focused on the conversation between the two, and they were curious about what kind of martial arts the Vajra Divine Finger and the Avalokiteśvara Buddha Palm that Pa Cheon would perform would be.

Pa Cheon’s hand lightly extended forward. There was no preparatory movement, nor did he draw up his inner energy. It was a movement that seemed like a joke, but its power was not light at all.

There was no sound. At first, it seemed like an aura was spreading, but gradually it began to take on a clear shape. It was the face of a smiling Buddha. This was the true form of the Avalokiteśvara Buddha Palm.

It even had a faint golden glow, making one want to straighten their clothes. But it was only for a moment. Pa Cheon quickly withdrew his power.

“Ah, Amitabha… I never thought I would see the Avalokiteśvara Buddha Palm again in my life.”

Jiwoo’s surprise and excitement were truly great. But his surprise didn’t stop there. Soon after, Pa Cheon unleashed the Vajra Divine Finger. As Pa Cheon’s finger pointed at one spot, a dazzling light seemed to burst from his fingertip, and it was only a moment. And then, the finger strike hit the bluestone floor that he had pointed at.

Thud

It didn’t make a very loud noise, but everyone here could feel its power. The area that Pa Cheon had struck was charred black, and a small hole had been punched through it.

“Oh, amazing.”

“Hmm.”

Exclamations of admiration echoed from here and there. They were not surprised by the power of the Vajra Divine Finger. They were surprised by the fact that Pa Cheon was able to perform the finger strike and its speed. Hadn’t the finger strike pierced the target before they could even feel it? What if that was unleashed on them? They really didn’t want to think about it.

“Well, how is it? Have you confirmed it?”

“Disciple Jiwoo greets his grand-uncle.”