Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 91

Transformation Realm.

It was the supreme martial arts realm that could only be reached by surpassing the barrier and attaining the states of Three Flowers Gathered at the Crown and Five Energies Paying Homage to the Origin.

Yet he had declared that he would reach that level in 2 years despite not having gained realization of the peak realm.

‘Is it difficult?’

As if reading Mok Gyeong-un’s thoughts, the Blue Spirit said,

-Die and wake up a hundred times. See if that’s possible. No, if that happens, I will call you Lord for the rest of my life and attend to you.

‘You’re coming on quite strong.’

Mok Gyeong-un twitched the corners of his mouth.

The reason the Blue Spirit was clicking her tongue and coming on so strong was simple.

First of all, even she, who was called a genius that appeared once in a few hundred years, had taken 20 years to reach the realm of Transformation.

Of course, even this was achieved at the young age of 28, so everyone was shocked beyond words.

‘It’s not like the era has disappeared now.’

In the past, there was a time when the martial arts world had experienced a glorious golden age.

There was a period when an unparalleled genius appeared and led the martial arts world at a young age, known as the Little Sword Immortal, but that’s not the case now.

“I hope you keep that promise.”

“Pardon?”

Lee Ji-yeom, the Master of Corpse Blood Valley, asked back as if wondering what Mok Gyeong-un’s sudden words meant.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head.

He didn’t intend to say it out loud, but it was meant for the Blue Spirit to hear.

-Wait and see after 2 years. You will know the greatness of this Venerable.

Mok Gyeong-un smiled faintly at the Blue Spirit’s bold claim.

Just from her reaction and that of Lee Ji-yeom, the Master of Corpse Blood Valley, he realized he had made an absurd declaration, but his grandfather always said something.

[You know nothing until you try. Even your nature…..]

-Zzzt!

“Hmm.”

“My liege?”

When Mok Gyeong-un brought his hand to his forehead and let out a groan, Lee Ji-yeom, the Master of Corpse Blood Valley, asked in puzzlement.

To his question, Mok Gyeong-un slightly frowned.

What was that just now?

He was someone who never forgot something once he remembered it.

He even remembered all the words his grandfather had said to him since he was young, but he couldn’t remember what he had said after those words just now.

‘Why is that?’

When he tried to recall it, his head hurt as if it would crack.

He could endure ordinary pain, but this pain was so severe, as if his brain was being cut out, that he couldn’t help but grimace.

‘Why is this happening?’

His grandfather had said something to him afterward, but he couldn’t remember.

If he tried to uncover it as if it was forcibly hidden, he got a headache.

A memory shrouded in fog.

In the end, Mok Gyeong-un stopped trying to forcibly recall it.

‘………Could it be?’

Did his grandfather do this?

A small doubt arose.

But his grandfather had no knowledge of acupuncture or anything like that and hadn’t done anything special to him.

He felt puzzled, but now was not the time to keep thinking about it.

Mok Gyeong-un relaxed his expression and said,

“It’s nothing. By the way, may I ask a few questions?”

“Feel free to do so.”

Lee Ji-yeom, who had been looking at him with a worried face, answered.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un asked,

“Do you happen to know someone named Ghost Blade?”

To that question, Lee Ji-yeom, the Master of Corpse Blood Valley, answered casually,

“Is there anyone who doesn’t know Ghost Blade, one of the Eight Stars?”

Ghost Blade.

Excluding the Six Heavens who stand at the pinnacle of the current martial arts world, he is one of the eight masters known to have reached the highest realm.

“I don’t know much about the current state of the martial arts world.”

“Ah……..”

Lee Ji-yeom nodded as if he understood.

The time when his ghostly liege was active was a whopping hundred years ago, so the masters who were renowned then and now could be said to be completely different.

At this, Lee Ji-yeom said,

“Ghost Blade’s sect and identity are unknown. He suddenly appeared one day and rose to notoriety by engaging in life-and-death duels with masters who were known for their righteous deeds.”

“Notoriety?”

“Yes. It couldn’t be called fame because none of those who fought him survived.”

“No one survived?”

“Yes. That’s why his notoriety was quite high.”

‘Huh?’

At those words, Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head.

Mok In-dan, the head of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor, had said he had fought him and was injured.

Could it be that that fact was hardly known?

As he was puzzled, Lee Ji-yeom exclaimed “Ah!” as if he had remembered something and said,

“There is exactly one person who survived.”

“Someone survived?”

“Yes.”

‘It must be the head of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor.’

Mok Gyeong-un was naturally convinced of that, but he asked without showing it.

“Who is that?”

“I heard that Baek Sa-ha, the Annihilating Poison King[1], one of the Five Kings of our sect, fought Ghost Blade for dozens of moves.”

‘!?’

What?

Wasn’t it the head of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor, Mok In-dan?

Someone completely different from his expectation was mentioned.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un asked back,

“He…fought Ghost Blade?”

“Yes. It’s quite a famous anecdote in our sect. I remember that the Annihilating Poison King unexpectedly fought him a few months before Ghost Blade disappeared.”

At these words from Lee Ji-yeom, Mok Gyeong-un frowned.

For now, he could learn two facts from Lee Ji-yeom’s words.

One was that Lee Ji-yeom was also unaware of the fact that Mok In-dan, the head of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor, had fought Ghost Blade and survived.

And the second fact he learned was a bit disappointing.

‘Hmm.’

Mok Gyeong-un had come here thinking that Ghost Blade might be a master of Heaven and Earth Society.

But if he had fought someone called the Annihilating Poison King, one of the high-ranking executives here, they might not be on the same side but in an adversarial relationship.

‘Did I make the wrong guess?’

Should he have gone to the imperial palace if he had known this would happen?

As he was thinking that, Lee Ji-yeom asked,

“Is there a problem?”

“Ah. I had heard that Ghost Blade was a hidden master of Heaven and Earth Society. But after hearing what you said, I’m starting to think that might not be the case.”

He thought there was no need to mention the former if he didn’t know anyway.

In any case, even the head of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor, Mok In-dan, didn’t seem to know much about Ghost Blade.

Then Lee Ji-yeom said,

“Ah! There were quite a few such rumors as well.”

“Quite a few rumors?”

“Yes. That’s because the people Ghost Blade targeted and killed were all masters of the righteous and evil sects. The only exception was the Annihilating Poison King, a master of our sect, and I heard that in the midst of a long duel, Ghost Blade stopped the fight first and withdrew.”

‘…….Withdrew first?’

At those words, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed.

Another possibility had arisen.

If he exceptionally clashed with a master of Heaven and Earth Society and withdrew first, there was a possibility that they were on the same side.

“So he could be a master of Heaven and Earth Society?”

“I don’t know about that. The Annihilating Poison King also glossed over what happened at that time……But there were such rumors as well.”

“What kind of rumors?”

“There was also a rumor that Ghost Blade was a secret guardian who received secret orders from the Society Leader.”

“Secret guardian?”

-It seems they still maintain that system.

The Blue Spirit seemed to know about this as well.

Lee Ji-yeom continued,

“The Society Leader has secret guardians who constantly protect him. There are rumors that their martial arts skills are actually on par with the Five Kings.”

“If they are on par with the Five Kings……are they strong?”

“They are strong. Among the Five Kings, there are two supreme masters who have reached the realm of Transformation, and the other three have reached the pinnacle of the transcendent realm.”

-What?

The Blue Spirit couldn’t hide her surprise at this.

That was understandable, as in the era when she was active, there were hardly any among the executive-level members who had reached such a realm.

But had it changed so much in a hundred years?

-How astonishing.

Had the level of Heaven and Earth Society risen to that extent?

Well, back then, it was the early days of Heaven and Earth Society, and it was a period when they were still gaining strength.

Considering that, it might be natural now that they had grown into one of the three giant forces dominating the current martial arts world.

“Ah! Since you said you’re not familiar with the current situation, I should tell you this. The two of the Five Kings who have reached the realm of Transformation are called the Eight Stars in the current martial arts world.”

“Hoo.”

Then it made sense to some extent.

If the Society Leader’s secret guardian was strong enough to be on par with the Five Kings, it was plausible that he might be the disappeared Ghost Blade.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un asked,

“Ghost Blade’s identity still hasn’t been revealed, right?”

“Yes. That’s right. However…….perhaps the Annihilating Poison King, who dueled with him before he disappeared, might know some clues.”

“The Annihilating Poison King might know……I see.”

“Yes. He is the only one who survived a duel with him. But it’s not certain. By the way, why do you ask about this?”

“Ah. It’s not really important, so don’t worry about it.”

At those words, Lee Ji-yeom, the Master of Corpse Blood Valley, showed a puzzled look but soon nodded without further questioning.

“I understand.”

Seeing his attitude, Mok Gyeong-un thought he was truly straightforward.

He could understand why the Blue Spirit cherished the people of the Lee family.

Anyway, two clues had emerged from this.

‘The Annihilating Poison King…..the Society Leader’s secret guardian.’

The Annihilating Poison King might hold clues about Ghost Blade, and the Society Leader’s secret guardian was a candidate who might be Ghost Blade.

The mark that remained on his deceased grandfather.

Mok In-dan, the head of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor, who had a similar scar.

‘It won’t be long.’

Finally, some outlines were starting to appear on this journey of revenge that began with only the clues of scars and footprints.

If it was certain that the person named Ghost Blade had killed his grandfather, he was definitely a target of revenge who had to be killed.

Mok Gyeong-un’s lips twitched.

Lee Ji-yeom, the Master of Corpse Blood Valley, who was watching this, had a glimmer of interest in his eyes.

‘Killing intent……’

Although he was trying his best to conceal it, the subtle killing intent leaking out was no joke.

It was very intense, so to speak.

He tried not to have doubts, but it was clear that his liege had quite unfavorable feelings toward the person named Ghost Blade.

As he was thinking that, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“Ah, by the way. What exactly is the purpose of Corpse Blood Valley?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m just going along with it to infiltrate this place, but as far as I remember, there was no such thing when I was here.”

“Ah. You can think of it as a process of sorting out the raw gems.”

“Raw gems?”

“Yes. As I told you even when you passed the second gate, the trials are a process of assigning and selecting manpower in the right places. If you pass all the way to the final gate here, you will be given a great opportunity.”

“What is that?”

“You will have the opportunity to join the subordinates of high-ranking executives or become their disciple.”

“Disciple?”

“Yes. Since you can be considered the best talent at the point of passing all the gates.”

The trials of Corpse Blood Valley are difficult to pass even for those called martial geniuses who have diligently trained in martial arts since childhood.

But if one were to pass all these trials, they could be called the best talent.

These best talents are given the opportunity to be selected by the executives attending the Final Gate.

“When you say high-ranking executives, do you mean the Five Kings?”

“It could be the Five Kings, the Three Chief Masters, and the Four Valley Masters including myself.”

The Five Kings, the Three Chief Masters, and the Four Valley Masters.

They could be considered the executives and the backbone that led Heaven and Earth Society.

‘So that’s how it was.’

Now Mok Gyeong-un understood why the boys were risking their lives in Corpse Blood Valley.

If they were chosen by the executives and became their disciples, they would gain immense power within Heaven and Earth Society and learn advanced martial arts, so how could they miss this opportunity?

There were reasons to seize it even at the risk of their lives.

Lee Ji-yeom, the Master of Corpse Blood Valley, cautiously said to Mok Gyeong-un,

“Please forgive me for the disrespect I have shown you so far, my liege.”

“No, it’s fine. You didn’t know, so what’s there to forgive?”

“Now that I know at least this much, I will have my subordinates pull some strings to get you out.”

“Get me out?”

“That’s right. Although the Society Leader’s order was to have you participate in the trials of Corpse Blood Valley, there was no command that you must be kept alive, so we can easily process it as if you died.”

If that happened, the Lord would be able to escape the Society Leader’s sight and have time to secretly recover his martial arts here in Corpse Blood Valley.

That’s what he thought, but Mok Gyeong-un shook his head.

“No. I don’t think there’s a need for that.”

“Pardon? Why would you……”

There was no need for his liege to suffer through this voluntarily.

If his liege, who had already reached the pinnacle of martial arts, secluded himself, wouldn’t he be able to sufficiently return to his past level?

As he was thinking that, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“We should make the most of this situation.”

“What do you mean by making use of this situation?”

“Didn’t you say that if I pass the trials, I can become a disciple of the executives?”

“That is true, but there’s no need to…..”

“What kind of wound do you think would be more painful?”

“Pardon?”

What did he mean by that?

As he was puzzled, Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly and said,

“A wound that festers and bursts from the inside is really painful compared to a wound on the outside.”

‘!!!!!!’

At these words from Mok Gyeong-un, a glimmer appeared in the eyes of Lee Ji-yeom, the Master of Corpse Blood Valley.

It was because he understood what Mok Gyeong-un meant by saying this.

Thinking that he sufficiently understood, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“Then shall I try to get a recommendation?”

“By recommendation, you mean?”

“In your eyes, Valley Master, whose attention would be most beneficial among those executives?”