Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 368 – 7th Heaven (1)

“Then, let the Master and the Spiritual Sword Sanctuary swear loyalty to me.”

‘!!!!!’

At Mok Gyeong-un’s unexpected demand, Master Ou Cheonmu’s expression twisted terribly, incomparable to before.

Until now, no matter how surprised he had been, he had tried to maintain his composure as much as possible.

However, this time, it was difficult to maintain it.

Although he had said with his own mouth that he would grant anything desired, he never expected a demand to swear loyalty.

“This person truly!”

“Master!”

“It cannot be!”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s demand, the sword disciples of the Spiritual Sword Sanctuary and the guests rose up.

No matter how disappointed they were with the Master’s submissive behavior, this was a completely different matter.

Even if they didn’t know his exact identity, everyone knew that person was a Fire Faith Order member.

The Fire Faith Order was an organization suppressed by the country for the crime of deceiving the masses.

Telling the Spiritual Sword Sanctuary to join such an organization was tantamount to telling them to turn against the country and the people of the Central Plains.

“Master, this is not right. Joining the Fire Faith Order would ultimately…”

-Whoosh!

A guest who was shouting towards the Master suddenly had to stop speaking, startled by a sword hilt that stopped an inch in front of his brow.

Though stopped, the sword controlled by energy still carried an aura as if it would pierce his forehead at any moment, leaving the guest rolling his eyes, not knowing what to do.

Then Mok Gyeong-un’s voice reached his ears.

“You’ve been mistaken from the start, but who said I was a Fire Faith Order member?”

“What?”

“I can’t say I have no connection with them, but I’m not a Fire Faith Order member.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just myself. And…”

-Swish!

As Mok Gyeong-un raised his hand, the remaining seven swords floating in the air flew around in all directions like living things, showing a threatening appearance.

Feeling wary, the sword disciples and guests took defensive stances.

-Swish! Swish!

The speed at which the swords flew around was incredibly fast.

Their eyes were tinged with tension.

With seven swords flying around independently, they couldn’t help but think inwardly that he was a monster.

Even controlling one or two swords would greatly divide one’s attention, but moving this many swords simultaneously with the marvel of Sword Control with Energy was beyond their level of comprehension.

“You keep telling the Master he shouldn’t do this or that, but why don’t you step forward yourselves?”

“……”

No one opened their mouth at Mok Gyeong-un’s provocative words.

There weren’t even any who rashly stepped forward.

Although it looked like they were simply flying around on the surface, the seven swords were intricately interlocked as if forming a battle formation, trapping them.

If they stepped forward carelessly, they might be the first to fall.

Seeing them like this, Mok Gyeong-un sneered.

“Are you really the ones who said you could give your lives for the Master? Don’t you have the courage to fight unless the Master steps forward first?”

Would such provocation go unchallenged?

A middle-aged swordsman among the guests couldn’t contain his anger and shouted, trying to launch himself towards Mok Gyeong-un.

“Who says we have no courage! I, Bi-yong Sword Woong-seong, will…”

-Thud!

“Ugh!”

A sword controlled by energy pierced through his right shoulder.

With a death cry, the swordsman who had identified himself as Woong-seong fell forward, clutching his shoulder.

“Brother Woo!”

Another swordsman who was close to him tried to step forward.

Then a sword brushed past his face.

“Huk!”

-Thud!

His severed left earlobe fell to the ground where the sword had passed.

The swordsman, clutching his cut ear, froze as if turned to ice, unable to move from that spot.

The same was true for the others.

They thought they might suffer the same fate if they moved carelessly.

Then someone shouted.

“We must move simultaneously!”

“That’s right. No matter how good his Sword Control with Energy is, it’s only seven swords. How could he block us if we all move at once?”

Right at that moment,

Mok Gyeong-un lightly waved his hand,

-Swish swish swish swish swish swish swish!

‘No way?’

‘It, it got even faster?’

Not only did the seven swords fly around at a speed incomparable to before, but they also brushed past between them, threatening to cut them if they moved even a little.

Just a moment ago, they thought they had found a solution, but now they were at a loss, suppressed by the aura of the swords flying at tremendous speed.

To them in their bewildered state, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“Shall we test how long it would take me to kill all of you?”

-Flinch!

At these words, everyone’s expressions hardened.

Master Ou Cheonmu might be able to annihilate everyone here within a quarter-hour if he put his mind to it.

But if that monster, whom even such a Master had given up fighting, was determined to kill them, how long would it take?

A quarter-hour? No, half of that?

“A-are you threatening us now?”

“It’s not a threat, I’m just telling you what’s about to happen.”

“Wh-what?”

As they were flustered, Mok Gyeong-un glanced at Master Ou Cheonmu and said,

“If loyalty is burdensome, let’s change the conditions, Master.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t interfere with what happens from now on. Then I’ll guarantee the lives of the Master and your sons.”

‘!?’

At these words from Mok Gyeong-un, the eyes of the sword disciples and guests trapped between the flying swords controlled by energy shook wildly.

Until just a moment ago, the incident was a conflict with the Master’s family.

But suddenly, the sparks had flown to them, and in an instant, a knife was at their throats.

Truly, the human heart was unfathomably fickle.

As the life-threatening sparks flew to them, their gazes, without exception, turned to the Master.

“……”

Master Ou Cheonmu sighed at their gazes.

Their gazes seemed to say they would resent him if he didn’t help them.

‘He’s not someone I can handle.’

Ou Cheonmu inwardly clicked his tongue.

This person was an expert at driving situations to extremes.

If he had to watch their deaths helplessly because of the condition to grant any request, ultimately, he and the Spiritual Sword Sanctuary would have to bear all this resentment.

‘Aah.’

How did he end up at odds with such a devil-like person?

It was truly lamentable.

-Swish swish swish!

“Oh no?”

“The swords?”

The trajectories of the flying swords controlled by energy began to narrow gradually.

It really looked like he intended to kill them all.

At this, Ou Cheonmu shouted,

“Do you really intend to kill them?”

Mok Gyeong-un answered without stopping the swords controlled by energy,

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“This is excessive. They were merely trying to help this old man.”

“If they tried to help, isn’t this level of readiness natural?”

“That’s…”

“It’s called meddling when you interfere without the ability to handle it yourself. They’re just paying the price for their meddling.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s firm words, Master Ou Cheonmu finally had to make a choice.

He bowed his head to the ground and shouted,

“I swear loyalty to you, noble sir!”

His shout echoed loudly throughout the cliff-surrounded area.

‘Ah… Father.’

Ou Woong-hwang, the eldest son and Junior Master, couldn’t hide his bitterness at his father’s choice to finally swear loyalty.

Although he had no choice, as a son, it was unpleasant to see his father forcibly submit to someone.

But how could spilled water be returned?

He had to accept it.

-Swish!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un made a gesture of lowering his hand.

Then,

-Clang! Clang!

The swords that had been flying through the air lost their power and fell to the ground.

The sword disciples of the Spiritual Sword Sanctuary and the guests, freed from the threat of the swords controlled by energy, were relieved but didn’t know what to do out of guilt as they looked at the Master.

It was because Master Ou Cheonmu had finally sworn loyalty to save them.

They couldn’t help but feel sorry for this.

-Swish!

A strange light flickered in Master Ou Cheonmu’s eyes as he raised his head to check if Mok Gyeong-un had stopped threatening them.

It was because of the gazes of those looking at him.

Just a moment ago, they had seemed to not understand his choice.

But now it was the opposite.

‘…Don’t tell me he intended even this?’

Ou Cheonmu looked at Mok Gyeong-un.

Seeing him smile slightly as he looked at himself, Ou Cheonmu felt goosebumps all over his body.

What on earth was this person?

He had thought he had simply driven the situation to extremes and ultimately obtained what he wanted.

But it wasn’t just that.

‘Did he create justification?’

The sword disciples and guests, perhaps because they thought they had been saved by his oath of loyalty, showed no disappointment or dissatisfaction with this choice.

It was as if they thought this choice was natural and unavoidable.

‘Hah…’

This might be his true terror.

The ability to move even the hearts of others at will was a frightening power.

Just like Master Ou Cheonmu, who was deeply afraid of Mok Gyeong-un even after swearing loyalty, there was another person who viewed this situation seriously.

She was Jeong Myeong Sa-tae of the Hangshan Sect, dispatched as an investigator from the Righteous Alliance.

‘For Master Ou to swear loyalty to someone?’

This was not something that could be simply overlooked.

Master Ou Cheonmu was one of the Six Heavens, called the pinnacle of the current martial world.

Even if he had lost his will to fight due to lack of real combat experience and acknowledged defeat, he was still a peerless expert of the grand master level who had surpassed wall after wall.

Moreover, as Master Ou Cheonmu was a craftsman and sword disciple respected by all swordsmen of the Central Plains, he had tremendous influence.

‘This is serious.’

That person possessed martial arts worthy of being called a new seventh heaven.

For such a person to take Master Ou Cheonmu under his wing would disrupt the balance of power that had been maintained until now.

‘I must quickly inform the Alliance headquarters.’

This was an issue that warranted convening the entire council of elders of the Righteous Alliance.

Although he declared he wasn’t a Fire Faith Order member, judging from his reckless actions, he was definitely not an orthodox sect member.

If he was from an evil sect, this incident could be considered an even worse outcome than the annihilation of the Namgoong family’s leader and their elites.

‘But how can I find out who he is?’

It would be troublesome if she carelessly stepped forward and became at odds with him.

As she was pondering this, coincidentally, Master Ou Cheonmu asked Mok Gyeong-un,

“Although I have sworn loyalty, I still don’t know your esteemed name. How should this lowly one address you?”

To this question, Mok Gyeong-un answered briefly,

“Cheonma. Call me Cheonma (Heaven Demon).”

‘!!!!!’

At these words, Jeong Myeong Sa-tae’s eyes widened.

On her way here, she had heard one strange rumor.

It was a story that the One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation of Shaolin, called the birthplace of the Orthodox Sect’s martial arts, had been broken by a single True Enlightened One Step.

As it was such an absurd story, she had dismissed it as mere gossip.

But she remembered exactly what they had called it.

‘Heaven Demon’s Sovereign Step.’

They had definitely said that.