Emperor's Sword [EN]: Chapter 57

As soon as the acupressure was finished, Pa Cheon helped the two men sit up. He placed his palms against their Mingmen acupoints [located on the lower back, considered vital in traditional Chinese medicine] and began to channel internal energy into their meridians [energy pathways in the body]. A faint, cool energy enveloped the three of them.

★ The two men’s complexions seemed much improved. They had faintly regained their natural color, and their heartbeats were steady. The gazes of those watching them were filled with relief.

‘Heavenly Demon, what should we do now?’

-Is it starting now? Honestly, I’m also worried.

=Lay Master, please sit in the lotus position first and calm your mind. Then, clear all distractions and relax your body as much as possible. You must not try to raise your internal energy or have any distracting thoughts. Just keep your palms on the Baihui acupoints [located at the top of the head] of the two men.

-If you, Pa Cheon, have any distracting thoughts or lose your mental stability, not only will we be in danger, but you will also be in considerable danger. Take as much time as you need to prepare.

‘That’s quite a difficult request. Clear my mind? Alright, I’ll give it a try.’

Pa Cheon sat in the lotus position at the heads of the two men. As he tried not to think, more and more thoughts kept coming, one after another, and even thoughts he never usually had were running rampant in his mind.

★ Half an hour had passed, but his mind was not calming down. He himself was surprised at how many distracting thoughts he had.

‘This won’t do. It seems like too much to ask of me.’

=Lay Master, don’t try to force yourself not to think. Instead, follow the fleeting images of your thoughts. If you do, no other thoughts will intrude, and you will gradually reach a state of no-thought.

‘Isn’t that something only enlightened monks like you can do?’

=Everyone is a Buddha, and everyone possesses Buddha-nature. They simply haven’t realized it. I will help you. Let go of your attachments and cleanse yourself, realizing the return of all beings.

The bonds of the mind come from attachment, so if you let go of your mind, there will be no more wavering. Form is emptiness, and image is illusion, so all the principles of the world are based on this.

Things remain in their place, but human minds project things differently according to their desires, so their transformations differ. Things are one, life is one, and death is one. Everything comes from emptiness and returns to emptiness. Emptiness is void yet full, not found anywhere yet everywhere. The distinction of ‘I’ comes from the mind, and attachment to the mind creates form and desire.

Desire captures the mind, establishes intention, and intention establishes the body to follow it, and from this, suffering arises. Therefore, if you abandon the mind, the ‘I’ disappears, and when the ‘I’ disappears, desire also disappears, and suffering does not arise.

If you abandon desire, abandon thought, abandon image, and abandon the ‘I’, then there will be no more wavering, and you will be firm, without doubt, without advancing or retreating, and you will exist alone. This is called entering Samadhi [a state of meditative consciousness], and it is also called entering the Way. The greatest mission and happiness of humans lies in this.

‘Let go? Let go of what? What I’m attached to. What is that? The reason for living? Well, why do I live? For what? Why do I live so fiercely? Damn it… I wouldn’t know, would I? Damn it, I can’t do it. No matter how much I chant these empty words, nothing will be solved. Yeah, I’d rather just chant the Cheonbugyeong [an ancient Korean scripture].’

Pa Cheon chanted the Cheonbugyeong. The distracting thoughts that had been surging so fiercely vanished in that instant, and his mind calmed down. Pa Cheon didn’t even notice it. He didn’t try to interpret it or force himself to think about its meaning. He was just chanting it.

‘Ilsi muse il, seok sam geuk mujin bon, cheon il il ji il i in il sam, il jeok sip geo mugoe hwa sam… bon sim bon tae yang ang myeong, in jung cheon ji il, il jong mu jong il.’

Pa Cheon kept repeating it. His mind was filled with the eighty-one characters, and gradually even those disappeared, and no thoughts came to mind. At first, the characters seemed to dance, then they came together to form words, and then they tore apart again, carving out other characters. Then, all the characters were broken down and scattered like dots.

No one knew what was happening under the sky of Gaebong that night. Only the sky knew, and only those involved knew. The night deepened silently, and darkness enveloped the world. Even when a new light tore through the curtain of night, the world remained unchanged.

★ It was still an ordinary day, but it was a special day for the Martial Alliance. Since the founding of the Martial Alliance, the first day of every month was a gathering called the Jeongdo Daeyeon [a monthly meeting of the Martial Alliance]. On this day, representatives from the branch offices outside had to be dispatched, and the heads of each major sect had to show their faces at the Martial Alliance. In addition, it was also the day when all the executives of the Martial Alliance gathered in one place. For this reason, it was also the day when the remaining elders who were usually away from the Martial Alliance would appear. The Jeongdo Daeyeon was always busy from the morning, but today it was even more so. Moreover, the expressions on people’s faces were somehow stiff.

‘What on earth does that mean?’

Dokgo Han-cheon’s face hardened at the report from the military advisor, So Cheon-ak.

‘It was such a sudden attack that we couldn’t take any measures, and they were annihilated, according to the report. By the time support arrived from other branches, they had already disappeared without a trace.’

‘What was the Shinan branch doing that they didn’t even know about their movements?’

‘I’m sorry. Not a single carrier pigeon was sent from them. This alone shows how swift their actions were.’

‘Hmph, this is absurd. Not just one, but eight branches were annihilated?’

‘And most of them were branches in the southern region of Hogwang Province and Zhejiang Province… Coincidentally, all the branch managers are said to be from our Northern Sword Society.’

‘What? Does that mean the Hangzhou branch is also included?’

‘Yes. It is said that less than a hundred people survived out of more than 2,000.’

‘If the Hangzhou branch, the strongest of the branches, is in that state, then there’s no need to look at the others.’

‘They’re almost completely annihilated.’

‘What are their movements after that?’

‘Their whereabouts are unknown.’

‘This is no ordinary matter.’

‘All the executives are gathered at the Taeui Hall right now, and there’s a lot of talk about this matter.’

‘There’s going to be another outburst. Especially if the heads of each sect who attended the Jeongdo Daeyeon join in…’

‘The timing is bad. Why does this have to happen now…’

‘Damn it… One way or another, today is going to be the worst day. Alright, let’s go. What can they do anyway? If you think about it, this is also due to the lack of unity in the Alliance. They must feel something too.’

It was a truly shameless statement. He should have been worried about his own safety, but instead, he was acting so confident…

★ The Taeui Hall was filled to capacity, and the Vice Alliance Leader and the Elder Council Leader were already visible in the upper seats, but Pa Cheon was not. Just below the upper seats were the heads of the eight sects of Gujeongnyeon [Nine Righteous Sects], who had come to the Alliance for the Jeongdo Daeyeon, the heads of the four major families out of the five major families of Oryeonhoe [Five Mountains Alliance], and the chief elder of the Guryeongjin of the Southern Alliance.

As the Alliance Leader entered the room with the military advisor, a few people rose from their seats. They were all masters of the Northern Sword Society. The rest remained seated without moving. Dokgo Han-cheon’s eyebrows twitched at the sight. He didn’t even sit in his seat but stood and scanned the room.

‘Ahem… Today, as the Alliance Leader, I would like to say a few words to all of you who have come to the Alliance for the Jeongdo Daeyeon and to the executives of the Alliance. You have already heard about the annihilation of the eight branches.

The Demonic Alliance was never hiding. They were waiting for an opportunity to overthrow the righteous path. At times like this, our righteous sects must unite…’

‘Alliance Leader!’

Dokgo Han-cheon’s face turned red. No matter how much dissatisfaction there was with him, he was still the Alliance Leader, and someone had interrupted him in a public setting with a rather challenging tone!

‘Why, what is it? Head of the Mount Hua Sect.’

His voice was filled with his displeasure. The man called the Head of the Mount Hua Sect was a man in his sixties with a clear impression. He was the first sword of Mount Hua, known as the Plum Blossom One Sword. He was also one of the Seven Wonders.

‘Isn’t this gathering not for listening to such talk? The fact that the branches were attacked and annihilated shows that we haven’t been paying enough attention to their movements, doesn’t it? I’ve been wanting to point this out for a while, but I’ll say it now. Is the Alliance Leader a martial artist or a merchant?’

‘Hahahaha’

‘Hehehehe’

The hall was instantly filled with laughter, but the faces of the Northern Sword Society masters were contorted. It was clearly mockery.

‘All I hear every day is about overturning the merchant world, taking over the courier companies, opening brothels, and other such nonsense. Surely, the Alliance Leader doesn’t think that this position was given to him to make money, does he?’

‘That’s going too far, Head of the Mount Hua Sect.’

‘Oh, is that the military advisor? Well, you’re from the Northern Sword Society, so it must be embarrassing to hear. But I have to say what I have to say. Alliance Leader, what do you think?’

‘Umm… I admit my mistakes, but that’s a bit too harsh. Still, I am the Martial Alliance Leader…’

‘That’s right. That’s exactly it.’

This time, it was Peng Ho-woo, the head of the Peng family of the Oryeonhoe, known as the Bungsan Divine Fist. He had always been grinding his teeth at Dokgo Han-cheon, so he wouldn’t miss such a good opportunity.

‘The Alliance Leader is just the Martial Alliance Leader in name only… In reality, he doesn’t have the ability to manage and control the Alliance. If you think about it, today’s situation is also due to the incompetence of the Alliance Leader, isn’t it?’

‘Head of the Peng family, aren’t you going too far?’

This time, it was the Iron Blood Swordsman of the Iron Blood Hall. He was also a master of the Northern Sword Society, so it was a natural reaction.

‘I’m not finished yet. Let’s be honest. Since the Martial Alliance was formed, what has the Alliance Leader done? Besides making money from business, what else has he done? And since we’re on the topic, I’ll continue. I can understand expanding your power by swallowing up the merchant world. I can even concede that a hundred times, saying that it’s something that can happen if you want to lead a large organization like the Martial Alliance. But where does all that profit go? Did you form the Martial Alliance to monopolize it for yourself?’

Peng’s words decisively touched Dokgo Han-cheon’s nerves. He had been trying to maintain his composure, but he was still human, and he couldn’t hold back his rising anger.

‘Peng Ho-woo! Don’t speak carelessly.’

Murmuring, murmuring.

‘Hahahaha, so you’re finally showing your true colors. You were originally a petty person who was only interested in your own selfish desires, and you were never fit to be the Martial Alliance Leader. The process of growing the power of the Northern Sword Society was also full of despicable and vile methods. It’s actually a miracle that you, who don’t even know your place, managed to seize the Martial Alliance Leader position and hold on to it until now.’

‘Y-you… Do you think you can say anything you want? By the authority of the Alliance Leader, I will immediately dismiss you from your position as an elder and expel the Peng family from the Martial Alliance.’

‘Hahahaha, good, very good. I was wondering if you would keep wearing the sheep’s skin until the end… So you’re showing your true colors so quickly.’

‘Head of the Iron Blood Hall!’

‘Yes, Alliance Leader!’

‘Arrest that man in the name of the Martial Alliance Leader.’

‘Understood.’

‘Hmph! Who do you think you are to arrest me?’

The voice came not from in front of Dokgo Han-cheon but from beside him. It was Namgung Hwi, the head of the Oryeonhoe.

‘Vice Alliance Leader!’

‘Dokgo Han-cheon, take off your mask now. There is no place for you.’

‘Amitabha! Dokgo Lay Master’s vile and despicable plot has already been revealed in broad daylight, yet you still look up to the sky?’

Ji-woo also joined in.

‘Hahahaha, so you guys finally plotted to push me out. You chose me as the Alliance Leader, and I’ve organized the organization this much, and now you’re trying to push me out? Do you think that will happen as you wish?’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

It was the words of Gae Wang.

‘The days when you were ignorant of your place and acted recklessly are all over. You should beg for your life. Do you still believe that there is a way for you to survive?’

At their attitude, the masters of the Northern Sword Society were dumbfounded and were preparing to attack at any moment. Except for them, everyone else already knew the truth, so they were not at all flustered. Rather, their eyes were filled with contempt.

‘Hahaha, Senior Gae Wang. You’re going too far. I thought you would understand me since you were my father’s friend…’

‘You’re playing games.’

This time, it was from the entrance. It was Pa Cheon. As he entered, Dokgo Han-cheon’s face turned sharply, and a wave of resentment surged.

‘Are you still going to insist that you are Dokgo Han-cheon?’

‘Wh…what are you talking about? Hahaha, I know that you’ve been manipulating everything from behind. You’re greedy for the Alliance Leader position and are tearing apart the righteous martial world. I’m informing all the masters of the Northern Sword Society. Arrest these men immediately.’

‘Understood.’

Shouts erupted from everywhere.

‘Hahahaha, the area around the Divine Sword Pavilion is already surrounded by the masters of the Northern Sword Society. All the paths leading to this Taeui Hall have also been secured. There is no way for you to survive. I will eliminate all of you and reorganize the Martial Alliance.’

‘You’re dreaming. And you don’t need to explain it to me, I already know that the masters of the Northern Sword Society are surrounding this place. But what a pity? They won’t listen to your orders. Of course, if you were the real Dokgo Han-cheon, it would be a different story.’

Pa Cheon spoke so calmly that it was Dokgo Han-cheon who was flustered. Gae Wang and the others who had been beside them had already moved down, and So Cheon-ak and the others had moved to Dokgo Han-cheon’s side. And here and there in the Taeui Hall, the masters of the Northern Sword Society were surrounding the Taeui Hall. Yet, Pa Cheon and the other executives of the Martial Alliance were completely calm.

And Pa Cheon’s last words even changed the faces of So Cheon-ak and the Iron Blood Swordsman.

‘What are you standing there for? Why don’t you attack them…’

The Iron Blood Swordsman raised his hand. As he raised his hand, the masters of the Northern Sword Society, who had already been questioning Pa Cheon’s words, all stopped and could not take the next action.

‘Master Moon! What do you mean by that?’

‘What! Are you listening to the words of that traitor?’

Dokgo Han-cheon shouted, but the Iron Blood Swordsman didn’t budge. He also had a hunch. Hadn’t he thought that the Society Leader had changed too much since some time ago?

‘All the masters of the Northern Sword Society, listen. That man is not the Northern Sword Society Leader, Master Dokgo Han-cheon. That man is a public enemy of the martial world who killed him and is impersonating him. Moreover, he even captured the former Society Leader, the Sleeping Dragon Emperor, and his grandson and committed acts that no human being could do.’

Murmuring, murmuring.

‘Shut up. You don’t need to listen to that man’s words. I am the Northern Sword Society Leader. Obey my orders. Kill them all.’

His voice was cracking, and his usual dignity was nowhere to be found.

‘Master! Do you have any proof?’

It was the Iron Blood Swordsman’s words. He was an elder who was secretly playing a central role among the masters of the Northern Sword Society, and knowing his usual prudence and loyalty, the people of the Northern Sword Society were not moving and were watching the situation.

By now, the Iron Blood Swordsman and Saman Cheon-noe had left Dokgo Han-cheon’s side and were approaching the crowd of heroes.

‘Proof? The Emperor will have to take care of the rest.’

‘Hahahaha, what a cunning man. Even when everything is over, you still refuse to admit your mistakes!’

Two people were entering the hall, parting the crowd. They were!

‘We greet the Emperor.’

The masters of the Northern Sword Society all knelt down. The people who had entered the hall were the Sleeping Dragon Emperor, his grandson Dokgo Moo, and Dokgo Seol-ran. Seeing them, Dokgo Han-cheon involuntarily took a step back.

‘Th…this can’t be. How can you be… You should have already been dead…’

In the end, he was admitting his own guilt. However, his surprise was so extreme that he didn’t even realize it.

‘Hmph, I didn’t know this day would come. I lost my son to you… I’ve lived a miserable life, swallowing tears of blood. I’ve endured the pain, waiting for the day of revenge… But in the end, the heavens did not refuse this old man’s wish.’

‘Lies… Those men are fake. Don’t be fooled. Masters of the Northern Sword Society, obey my orders, Dokgo Han-cheon. Kill them all.’

The Iron Blood Swordsman stood up.

‘I have been serving the Emperor for decades. Did you think that such a trick would work in front of me? Who on earth are you?’

It was a matter that everyone was curious about. At the Iron Blood Swordsman’s words, Dokgo Han-cheon realized that everything had gone wrong. His gaze turned to Pa Cheon.

‘Because of you, my lifelong dream is collapsing here. But don’t be happy. That doesn’t change anything. If I can’t have it, no one else can. Black Flame Troops!’

Sss sss sss

‘Yes.’

Two men in black appeared from behind Dokgo Han-cheon. They were the leaders of the Thousand Swords Unit, and they were also members of the Blood Demon Heaven with Dokgo Han-cheon.

‘Kill them all.’

‘Understood!’

Behind them, the 2,000 demons of the Thousand Swords Unit were gradually appearing. Seeing this, the Sleeping Dragon Emperor gave an order.

‘Iron Blood.’

‘Yes, Emperor.’

‘Since it was a mistake committed in the name of the Northern Sword Society, the Northern Sword Society will take care of it. Can you do it?’

‘Understood. I have been waiting for that order.’

‘Swordsmen of the Northern Sword Society! Do not leave a single minion of the devil alive.’

Waah!

‘Attack!’

The two forces collided. In terms of numbers, the Northern Sword Society was much larger, but the Thousand Swords Unit seemed stronger.

‘Die!’

Kwaang!

The room quickly turned into a scene of chaos. Swords flashed, and blood painted the air. Screams made it clear that this was a battlefield. Just then, a group of people joined them. Who were they?

‘Let’s show the power of the Righteous Commandos. Kill them all!’

They were the 500 commandos of the Righteous Commandos, the best of the later generation of the righteous path. As the best of the later generation, they quickly changed the flow of the battle from the beginning. The executives of the Martial Alliance had retreated to one side and were only watching their fierce battle. This was because it was the Northern Sword Society’s own doing, so they wanted to give them a chance to reap what they had sown.

But that wasn’t it. As the 500 commandos joined the fierce battle, they began to feel impatient. When they saw the faces of their sons, daughters, or disciples, it was not easy to just stand by and watch.

‘Hey, you bastards, that’s my son!’

In the end, starting with the cry of the head of the Peng family, they also joined the fierce battle. The battle they joined was too one-sided. The Thousand Swords Unit, which was called the elite of the Northern Sword Society, could not possibly win against dozens of sect leaders and the best of the later generation of the righteous martial world. They were helplessly spitting blood and falling or being cut in half.

The only people who did not participate in the fierce battle and watched were the Sleeping Dragon Emperor, his grandson and granddaughter, and Pa Cheon. Pa Cheon was only looking at Dokgo Han-cheon.

‘Hey, you bastard, what are you doing? You should run away quickly. Are you going to die here like a dog?’

Pa Cheon prayed that he would run away. The place where he would run away was where their forces were stationed, wasn’t it? Killing that one man would be useless. Drawing out and finding out their forces in the Central Plains! This was more important to him.

‘That’s right. Yes, run away quickly.’

Dokgo Han-cheon had already retreated and was secretly disappearing into the chaos.

‘Hmph, run away until you sweat… Hmph, Hwan-no, I’m counting on you.’