Chapter 115 The Bright Sword Tomb-1

Chapter 115: The Bright Sword Tomb-1

The Thousand-Heaven Sect was now in complete disarray, like a beehive that had been thoroughly disturbed.

Therefore, internal reorganization should have been the first priority, but Suqianhui’s leader, Mak Woo-jeon, impatient and anxious, ordered his subordinates to recklessly pursue the strange figures.

As a result, the Thousand Heaven Sect’s defenses were now completely breached.

Seon Woo-jin slipped back into that very hole like a shadow.

It was the most effortless infiltration Sunwoo Jin had ever performed.

Even infiltrating the Nagajang, a minor power in Gwiju Province, hadn’t felt this effortless.

‘If I’d known it would be like this, I might as well have brought Lady Tang along.’

With a relaxed smile, Seon Woo-jin soon located the dungeon where the prisoners were held.

Now, it was finally time to rescue the monk of the Yeongnam Sword Sect, his original objective.

‘And while I’m at it, I might as well gather some intelligence too.’

After rescuing Do Munseung, I also planned to investigate the secrets of Makwoojeon.

It seemed the extent of the damage hadn’t even been properly assessed yet, so who would notice if one or two more people disappeared?

A short while later, Sunwoo Jin found Do Munseung inside an outdoor cell of the Brain Prison.

Surprisingly, he lay unharmed atop a haystack.

His face was deep in thought, seemingly lost in contemplation, but surprisingly, his body showed no signs of injury whatsoever.

Seon Woo-jin, concealed in the nearby shadows, sent him a telepathic message.

– Brother Do. Listen without making a sound.

At that, Do Munseung, who had been fidgeting with his feet, froze in surprise.

– I’m the one who tried to help you when you were taken away this morning, Brother Do. Knowing your innocence, I came to rescue you.

Hearing the voice, Do Munseung slowly rose from his seat.

He glanced around cautiously, then peered outside and slowly shook his head.

‘Huh?’

Seeing this, Seon Woo-jin frowned.

That signal seemed to be telling him not to rescue him.

It was highly unusual for someone who was about to be executed and had even attempted to escape to refuse to be saved.

Seon Woo-jin decided he absolutely had to talk to him.

So, he began moving stealthily toward the prison while remaining hidden.

A short while later, he was able to knock out not only the guard watching over the prison cell but also everyone else imprisoned in the nearby cells.

Of course, they wouldn’t have felt a thing.

Do Munseung stared blankly at Seonwoojin, who had appeared before him, silently taking the blood of everyone around him without anyone noticing.

“Are you… by any chance, the Dark Blood Fragrance?”

Am Hyeolhyang was an assassin of unknown identity, counted among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Assassins alongside Gu Yu-eumma and Ji Gi-eum.

Seon Woo-jin chuckled softly at the question and replied.

“No. I merely learned the art of concealment as a hobby. By the way, why did you choose not to flee? Weren’t you in a position where you could have been executed?”

At this, Do Munseung wore an apologetic expression and bowed his head first to express his gratitude.

“First of all, I am deeply grateful that you came to rescue me, someone you’ve only met once.”

And then he went on to say this.

He had originally believed he was to be executed, but what he heard today after being captured was somewhat different.

Hearing this, Seon Woo-jin frowned and asked.

“You say it was different?”

“Yes, they told me that if I just went into a certain cave and retrieved what they wanted, they wouldn’t execute me and would send me straight home. But if I refused, they said they would execute all the members of the Yeongnam Sword Gate as accomplices who helped me escape.”

Enter a cave and retrieve the desired item…

Seon Woo-jin’s eyes flashed upon hearing this.

Somehow, this felt like it was connected to the secret of the Magwojeon.

The secret that killed countless unmanned soldiers in the north—and perhaps the very secret that made him one of the Thirty-Six Generals of the Realm years later.

‘If that’s the case…’

Seon Woo-jin, who had instantly devised a plan in his mind, asked Do Mun-seung again before speaking.

“Do you believe their words? The promise that if we bring them what they want, they’ll spare us and send us back alive?”

Do Mun-seung shook his head with a bitter expression.

“I don’t believe that. What I do believe is their threat that if I refuse their offer, they’ll execute even the members of my family.”

Seon Woo-jin let out a deep sigh.

He had ultimately decided to sacrifice himself to avoid endangering the members of the monastic community.

As expected, Do Munseung was a man of such upright character, just as he had appeared at first glance.

It was a regrettable situation.

But from Seonwoo Jin’s current perspective, that decision was also something to be grateful for.

With a lighter heart, Seonwoo Jin spoke to Do Munseung.

“If that’s your decision, may I make a suggestion?”

At that, Do Munseung’s eyes widened in surprise.

“A proposal?”

“Yes. It’s a proposal that might save you, Do-hyung, and prevent many more people from dying.”

As Seon Woo-jin continued his story following those words, Do Mun-seung’s gaze grew increasingly serious.

***

Late into the night, the Supreme Patriarch of the Thousand Sects, the Heavenly Sword Master Mak Woo-jeon, drove his subordinates relentlessly in pursuit of the men known as the Blue-Red Twin Swords.

But even with hunting dogs mobilized, they couldn’t find any trace of the men.

I didn’t want to admit it, but it seemed I’d completely missed it after all.

“Grr!”

Gritting his teeth in rising fury, Makwoojeon suddenly recalled the words spoken by the blue-clad stranger.

‘You sacrificed so many lives for your own selfish desires, yet you still deny being the most wicked villain in the Four Provinces? How utterly shameless.’

The memory twisted Makwoojeon’s expression.

How did he know?

And how much did he know?

As he agonized over this, something suddenly flashed through Makwoojeon’s mind.

It was the thought of Do Munseung, imprisoned in the Brain Prison.

‘No way?!’

Makwoojeon spun around and dashed like a bolt of lightning toward the Thousand-Thunder Prison.

If these were the ones who had toyed with him to this extent, they likely knew about him too.

‘No way, no way.’

Makwoojeon’s heart pounded like a madman.

Dong Munseung himself might not know, but he was a crucial figure to Makwoojeon.

But if those bastards knew about him too, and had lured him out just to snatch Do Munseung away in the meantime… nothing could be a bigger disaster than that.

But when he hurriedly rushed over moments later, what met his eyes were the guards and prisoners sound asleep, and Do Munseung, also asleep in his own cell.

“Haa, haa.”

Makwoojeon, exhaling ragged breaths, watched his sleeping figure for a moment before slowly turning away.

Of course, seeing the guards sleeping without any vigilance around them made his anger surge.

But venting his anger on them now felt like he might not be able to stop himself.

He might end up killing his own men.

Stepping out of the brain prison, Makwoojeon looked down at his hands, still trembling violently with rage.

‘When did it get this bad…’

He couldn’t control the rage boiling within him.

It felt as if the flames burning within his chest would devour all his reason in an instant.

Gritting his teeth, he struck his own cheeks hard with both hands.

Smack!

‘No. Pull yourself together, Makwoojeon!’

Makwoojeon forced himself to steady his mind, which threatened to be swept away by the rage.

Fortunately, he could still do it.

“Huuuu.”

Taking a deep breath, Makwoojeon gritted his teeth and thought.

All of this was because of the Gwanggeomneung.

That he, Makwoojeon, was tormented by his inner demons.

The death of his son, Mak Se-ryeol, who was called the Future of Thousands of Generations—all of it.

Therefore, to end this cursed situation, Makwoojeon absolutely had to break the seal of Gwanggeomneung.

By any means necessary…

Makwoojeon paused briefly, then turned to look toward the prison cell where Do Munseung lay asleep.

Now, only Do Munseung remained as Makwoojeon’s sole hope.

If even he, reputed as the most virtuous gentleman in these parts, cannot break the seal of the Sword Tomb, then the only remaining option is to bring the entire mountain crashing down.

***

The next day, Dō Munseung had to receive visits from warriors starting early in the morning.

“Rise, Doh Munseung. It is time to move.”

In the dim light before dawn, Do Munseung glanced at the eastern sky brightening and asked them sleepily.

“Already?”

This made one of the already irritable warriors snap angrily.

“When I tell you to come out, you come out! Why do you have to talk so much?!”

Then another warrior beside him tried to restrain him.

“Hey, hold on. He told us to bring him back politely.”

“Hmph! Polite, my foot!”

Do Munseung sharply observed their expressions.

For some reason, they too seemed extremely on edge.

Outside the prison, several horses were already prepared.

And on one of them sat the Thousand-Circle Master, Mak U-jeon.

His weary eyes fixed on Do Munseung as he spoke.

“Come in, Young Master Do. I’m sorry to have summoned you so early when you must be tired. We simply don’t have much time to spare.”

He had no desire to show courtesy to the man who had captured him and was threatening the lives of the Yeongnam Checkpoint family.

So Do Munseung merely bowed his head silently.

That attitude made Mak U-jeon’s eyes twitch, but he didn’t prolong the conversation further.

Do Munseung and the warriors soon departed for Suseonhoe.

They moved stealthily, wary of spies and careful not to draw attention, clearly prioritizing security.

Restrained and left to the mercy of the horses they led, Do Munseung glanced back once before slowly closing his eyes.

It was as if she didn’t care where he took her or what he did to her.

But it wasn’t because he had given up.

Though Koro could detect no scent, his body still carried the lingering trace of the scent Seon Woo-jin had left behind yesterday.

It was the scent of the Sicheondang Sect, colorless and odorless, and he had been certain no one but them could detect it.

Therefore, he was likely pursuing him from behind.

That very hero who had come to rescue him from the Thousand-Pillar Prison after just a single encounter.

The reassurance that he was not alone was once again calming Do Munseung’s heart.

It was then.

Suddenly, the head monk of the temple, Master Makwoojeon, addressed him.

“Why don’t you ask anything? Aren’t you curious where we’re going?”

Slowly opening his eyes, Do Munseung answered, his gaze cold.

“I have only one question. Whether the Abbot will keep his promise not to harm the members of the Yeongnam Sword Sect.”

Hearing this, Makwoojeon stared at Do Munseung for a moment.

Then, finally, he gave a bitter smile and said.

“You really are different from others. You might just succeed.”

He nodded and said to Do Munseung.

“I swear on my honor—no, on my life—that if you cooperate with us, not a single hair on Yeongnam Geommun’s head will be touched. You can trust me.”

Do Munseung’s eyes softened slightly as he asked again.

“And what about me? Can I return safely too?”

Caught off guard by his sudden question, Mak U-jeon seemed at a loss for words, unable to answer.

He could only look at Do Munseung with an awkward expression.

Do Munseung nodded.

I felt I could guess the answer without even needing to hear it.

It seemed to mean he would never send it back.

It was a despairing answer, yet unexpectedly, Domunseung merely nodded calmly and said.

“So that’s how it is. It seems there was never any way for me to survive after all.”

Makwoojeon couldn’t help but admire his composure, as if he were discussing someone else’s affairs.

Indeed, Do Munseung—it seemed he was worthy of the reputation as the foremost righteous man in southern Sichuan.

Perhaps this man truly could break the seal of that cursed Sword Tomb.

While Makwoojeon was briefly lost in such thoughts, Domunseung asked him again.

“Then could you explain exactly what I must do now? Even if I must die, I want to know why I must die.”

After a moment of silence, Makwoojeon finally sighed and spoke.

“Alright, since you’ve already accepted the situation, there’s no reason to keep it hidden.”

And what he revealed was something Do Munseung had never anticipated.

“Do you happen to know anything about the Sword Demon of the Wilds, Jeong Myeong-gang, who was one of the absolute masters of the martial world about fifty years ago?”

“…Zheng Mingjiang, the Broad-Shouldered Sword Fiend?”

The martial world saw its supreme masters change roughly every thirty years. So even if someone was a supreme master from an earlier generation, it was only natural that people wouldn’t know them unless they were legendary names like the Thunder God or Sword God from a hundred years ago.

It took Do Munseung a long moment of searching his memory before he could barely recall the name.

“Ah, I recall hearing about him. You mean that capricious monster who committed murder or made deals depending on his mood that day, right?”

At Do Munseung’s words, Mak Ujeon chuckled softly and replied.

“That’s right. That’s how he’s known. His capricious nature led him to kill countless people and incur their hatred, yet despite that, his peerless skill meant no one could stop him. He was a truly formidable swordsman. That’s why he was usually called the Mad Swordsman rather than by his nickname, the Mad Swordsman and Righteous Hero.”

“I see. But why bring up his story all of a sudden…?”

At that, Mak Woo-jeon’s expression suddenly brightened.

He wore a delighted expression, as if he couldn’t hold back laughter just from thinking about it.

His expression suddenly turned childlike, like a kid showing off a toy, as he answered Do Munseung.

“We discovered the tomb of that Broad-Sword Demon. The tomb we believe likely contains his spirit essence.”

“…What?!”

Although Makwoojeon’s abrupt emotional shift was unusual, this time even Do Munseung couldn’t maintain his composure at what he’d said.

Discovering the tomb containing the essence of a former supreme master? For martial artists, that was a stroke of luck worth sacrificing one’s life to obtain.

Makwoojeon smiled, seemingly pleased by the startled look on Do Munseung’s face, and continued.

“That very tomb is where you must go.”

“…Me?”

Makwoojeon’s explanation continued.

The entrance to that tomb was an artificially created underground cave, and it was said that everyone who entered lost their sanity and went mad.

“Truth be told, it was written at the cave’s entrance. Only those with a pure heart may enter.”

And that was why they had to forcibly bring in Domoonsung, reputed as the most righteous man in the vicinity.

Then, as if he didn’t understand, Domunseung frowned and asked.

“I don’t quite understand. If the problem is losing one’s mental composure and going mad for whatever reason, wouldn’t it be better to have masters step in? Masters like the Abbot, I mean.”

But Makwoojeon shook his head and let out a deep sigh. The face that had been wearing a satisfied smile just moments ago was now cast in a deep shadow.

Indeed, it was too abrupt an emotional shift.

“Why wouldn’t we have thought that? Of course we did. So… at first, my son Seoryeol went in. I figured a martial artist at the peak of his powers would be sufficient.”

Deep regret clouded Makwoojeon’s face as he spoke.

Do Munseung, seeing his expression, could guess how things had unfolded.

He said nothing more, simply watching him.

After a moment of silence, Mak Woo-jeon murmured again, his expression heavy.

“How arrogant we were. To think we dared disregard the arrangements set forth by the absolute being, even though we hadn’t even reached the pinnacle of mastery.”

It was said that Mak Se-ryeol, a young master in his thirties who had been called the Hope of Thousands, entered the cave with such confidence only to emerge a madman.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

I should have remained cold-hearted, but seeing Seryeol go mad with my own eyes, I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it. So I tried to go inside. But then the Vice-Head, Gayuak, stopped me and entered the cave first. And… he too ended up going mad.

For Makwoojeon, who had been rejoicing over discovering the previous Absolute One, Yujin, all of this was nothing short of a nightmare.

But the worst nightmare came immediately after.

The madman Gayuak committed the heinous act of brutally slaughtering Mak Se-ryeol, the son of Mak U-jeon.

It happened near the cave entrance, so it unfolded right before Makwoojun’s eyes.

“It happened in the blink of an eye. At the time, I couldn’t believe it. So I too tried to rush straight into the cave.”

But the moment he stepped inside the cave, Makwoojeon could feel it immediately.

An inexplicable impulse was soaking into his very soul.

Thus, Makwoojeon had no choice but to step back, summoning superhuman patience.

It was all too clear that if he continued, he too would meet the same fate.

After finishing his words, Makwoojeon’s eyes remained fixed on the empty space, unfocused as if still gazing at that scene.

Then, having listened silently to Makwoojeon’s words, Do Munseung sighed and spoke.

“They call it the Sword of Light, but it’s nothing but a trap brimming with malice. Is his spirit truly there?”

Makwoojeon replied with a faint, weary smile.

“I don’t know. But… we can’t just give up now, can we?”

Do Mun-seung said no more.

Why did you drag yourself into this when you couldn’t give up? Why should I risk my life for it?

Because in the eyes of Mak Woo-jeon, who had lost even his son and now stared ahead with a dark expression, an unmistakable flame of greed flickered.

Do Munseung could see it clearly.

***

By the time Do Mun-seung’s party arrived at their destination after riding for quite some time, the sun was already setting low in the sky.

And finally, Do Mun-seung could see the place in question: the Gwanggeomneung.

It was a secluded cave beneath a mountain, deep within the heart of the forest.

Makwoojeon pointed at the place, surrounded by countless warriors keeping watch, and said to Domunseung.

“That is precisely the place I spoke of. It is where you must go. But it will soon grow dark, so rest today and enter tomorrow.”

Glancing at Makwoojeon, who spoke as if granting a favor, Do Munseung looked back at the cave entrance.

Inside the cave, black as the entrance to hell, two red eyes glowed.