Chapter 200: Heuk-am, Hidden Ghosts (1)

Chapter 200: Heuk-am, Hidden Ghosts (1)

A single beautiful blue flower

I wish to pluck you and offer you to the heavens.

Under the Nine Heavens, the Serpent-Slaying Heaven, I wish to pluck you and offer you to the Heavenly Lord.

As the Heavenly Lord swung his sword and severed the serpent, that sword became known as Heuk-am, or darkness.

As the Heavenly Lord drove out the demons with a mirror, that mirror became known as Mang-hon.

As the Heavenly Lord rang a bell to expel the evil spirits, that bell became known as Gwi-ryeong, or ghost bell.

As the Heavenly Lord shattered the Nine Heavens, thus a new sky descended.

The Serpent-Slaying Heaven descends.

Heuk-am appeared young.

If one were to guess his age by his appearance, he would be in his mid-thirties.

However, Il-oh, who brought the tea leaves, did not dare to guess the age of Heuk-am.

When he first met Heuk-am ten years ago, he looked exactly the same.

Just like Mang-hon and Gwi-ryeong, Heuk-am has existed since the beginning of the Evil Cult.

It was unclear which generation of Heuk-am he might be, but it was clear that he was a man whose age could not be measured by his appearance.

His deeply set eyes and firmly closed mouth hinted at his personality.

Heuk-am merely opened his eyes to look at Il-oh.

“Boil it and bring it.”

“Yes.”

Why would anyone hesitate in such a secure place?

Il-oh quickly prepared the tea set to brew the tea.

Meanwhile, Heuk-am continued to be immersed in meditation.

No weapon was visible by his side. Yet, there was an overwhelming eeriness as if one’s breath could stop at any moment.

Very few knew the true extent of Heuk-am’s martial prowess, but at the very least, he was strong enough to tear apart several Supreme Peak masters with his bare hands.

Heuk-am symbolized the sword of the Evil Cult Leader, the Heavenly Lord. His martial arts reached the heavens. Among the Three Great Divine Positions, including Mang-hon and Gwi-ryeong, he was the strongest.

This meant that Heuk-am’s martial arts were unsurpassed within the Evil Cult.

“Hoooh...”

Heuk-am inhaled. It was as if a giant old tree was sucking up the water from the earth.

The last time he inhaled was at least 30 minutes ago.

While breathing slowed down during energy circulation, this was excessive.

Heuk-am was more akin to a plant than an animal.

Il-oh, who brought the tea set, brewed the tea beside him as if accustomed to it.

After adding the leaves and brewing the tea, he discarded the first infusion and brewed the tea a second time.

As the deep fragrance of the tea filled the abandoned garden...

“Hoooh...”

Heuk-am took another long breath.

An unbelievable harmony occurred then.

Tsstsstsstssts—

The weeds within the radius of where he was sitting lost their vitality and withered instantly.

In contrast, Heuk-am’s aura grew more vigorous.

The feeling of being as detached as an old tree was no longer there.

His enormous stature, nearly seven chi tall, was overpowering just by its presence, further emphasized by his long, untied black hair.

“Have you brought the tea?”

“I will pour it for you.”

Il-oh poured the tea into the teacup.

The hot steam vigorously rose from the tea-filled cup.

Heuk-am absurdly swallowed the tea in one gulp.

It was hot enough to cause burns, yet he did not even grimace.

“Is this what they call fine tea?”

However, he looked at the empty teacup as if disappointed, then threw it to the ground.

Clang-

The teacup shattered into pieces.

“I cannot understand the taste of the Sword Emperor.”

“Shall I brew another pot?”

“That will be all for today. What tea next time?”

“The Sword Emperor also enjoyed the Maojian tea from Xinyang.”

“Prepare that one.”

Heuk-am, who seemed utterly disinterested in tea, tasted fine teas only because of the Sword Emperor.

It was a whim of Heuk-am that began when he heard that the Sword Emperor enjoyed tea.

It was unusual for the typically reticent and serious Heuk-am to exhibit such capricious behavior.

However, Il-oh, who had served Heuk-am for quite a long time, was not surprised.

“I will prepare it.”

“Hmm.”

The only thing Heuk-am truly had passion for was martial arts. His curiosity about the Sword Emperor and his desire to know more stemmed from the fact that the Sword Emperor met Heuk-am’s standards.

Heuk-am, who could be said to have reached the zenith of martial arts, saw him as a worthy opponent.

The Sword Emperor was such a precious opponent.

“The Wudang Sect is noisy,” Il-oh said while tidying up the tea set.

Their bodies seemed to dissolve like mist, mysterious and ominous.

Heuk-am fell into thought.

“Come to think of it, there was that young man from the Baek Noble Clan.”

An envoy of the Murim Alliance had arrived at the Wudang Sect.

He had heard reports that Baek Yi-gang was among them.

The boy from the Baek Noble Clan had been entangled in a case of meridian blockage disease before. He was the sufferer of the Great Yin Meridian Blockage, who should have died long ago, yet he was still alive somehow.

The name Baek Yi-gang, which had not interested him until now, took hold in Heuk-am’s mind after a long time.

And then Wudang.

The thirty-two who were filtered out in the first test all held onto their dreams, eagerly awaiting the next test.

No one yet knew what the next test would be, so they all speculated and made a fuss.

Among the 32, only one person remained calm.

Yi-gang, who had a better alternative after learning Zhang Sanfeng’s martial art, was that one person.

Yi-gang was sitting in the open field.

‘But what exactly is the martial art left in the hidden cave?’

To an observer, it might seem like he was meditating alone, but in fact, he was conversing with Zhang Sanfeng.

「Didn’t I tell you before?」

‘You didn’t tell me.’

「Ah, hmm...」

Only the Sword Emperor himself, who has visited the hidden cave so far, knew the martial art.

Yi-gang suddenly realized that this was a very important issue.

What kind of martial art was it that Zhang Sanfeng didn’t leave it to the Wudang, even going so far as to specify that it wasn’t meant for Wudang?

「It’s definitely not a Wudang martial art.」

‘Is it a sword technique? Or a cultivation technique?’

「It’s not a cultivation technique, and it’s a bit difficult to call it a sword technique...」

‘So, what is it then?’

「No, is it a sword technique? Hmm... no, that’s not it.」

Yi-gang clicked his tongue in annoyance.

As he had felt during their first meeting, Zhang Sanfeng, contrary to his appearance, had an indecisive side.

He glanced at Yi-gang and then cleared his throat.

「It’s a dance.」

‘A dance?’

「A sword dance, I’ve named it Heaven Ascension Dance.」

Heaven Ascension Dance. It didn’t sound like the name of a profound divine art.

「I devised it towards the end of my life... I didn’t specifically leave it with the sect.」

How impressive must this sword dance be that it shocked the Sword Emperor so much?

Yi-gang became truly curious.

「Shall I show it to you?」

‘Is that possible?’

「There’s nothing I can’t do.」

Zhang Sanfeng assumed a stance as if to dance, then slowly lowered his arms.

「However, it doesn’t quite feel right without holding my sword. Would you like to join me with your own?」

Yi-gang picked up a sword, and it was suggested that he mimic Zhang Sanfeng’s movements.

Yi-gang looked around to make sure no one was there. His keen senses confirmed no one was near, so it seemed alright to perform the sword dance.

「Now, take this position like so...」

“Mm.”

Yi-gang copied Zhang Sanfeng’s stance.

It was far from practical as a fighting stance.

Zhang Sanfeng looked very delighted.

「As with any dance, footwork is most crucial. Do you dance well?」

‘No.’

「Ha, I’ve never seen a Taoist who can dance well. It’s natural that Taoists shouldn’t indulge in music and dance... Now, slowly...」

Yi-gang slowly followed Zhang Sanfeng’s movements.

He could not yet feel anything profound or extraordinary.

It was just after he had copied three movements.

“No way!”

A thunderous shout rang out.

He had made sure there was no one around, but suddenly someone burst forth.

Yi-gang froze as he recognized who it was.

“H-how could you...!”

The one who appeared was the Sword Emperor.

He looked utterly shocked, unlike his usually detached demeanor.

“Explain yourself—!”

He had witnessed Yi-gang performing Zhang Sanfeng’s Heaven Ascension Dance, which was supposed to be a secret not shared with anyone.

「Ahem.」

Zhang Sanfeng cleared his throat and then swiftly retreated into the Divine Demon Disk.