Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Ominous Movements

As soon as I returned to the surface, I pressed the small metal mechanism beneath the wall of the Abandoned Martial Hall.

Click.

The split floor panels slid back into place.

The staircase leading underground disappeared, and the Abandoned Martial Hall returned to exactly how it had looked before.

“Completely hidden.”

I had no intention of telling anyone about the underground space.

The sect is already unsettled enough as it is.

It was true that Kunlun had quickly regained stability after Baek Cheongu's death.

But the representative of the Righteous Alliance envoy group had died inside Kunlun territory.

And from a horrific poison, no less.

His death had already been ruled an accident caused by his own carelessness.

Even so...

knowing how suspicious the Righteous Alliance bastards were, they were bound to keep a close eye on Kunlun for some time.

And if news reached them that a "secret underground chamber left behind by True Immortal Cheongun" had suddenly been discovered?

It would only create unnecessary trouble.

Kunlun had finally settled down.

There was no reason to throw the sect back into chaos.

And more importantly...

[That darkness was an immense evil whose scale could not even be measured, one that twisted the laws of the world.]

The words carved into the stone wall refused to leave my mind.

The "existence that distorted the laws of heaven and earth" described by True Immortal Cheongun.

Until I understood exactly what it was...

I had a strange feeling that this place needed to remain secret.

And that wasn't the only reason.

[And the next Flow you must seek is Hua....]

The "Flow" that contained the essence of True Immortal Cheongun's martial enlightenment.

I had barely glimpsed one fragment of it...

yet my martial arts had already stepped into a new realm.

And there wasn't only one such fortuitous encounter.

There were several.

If I can find all of those Flows....

The result would be enormous.

The absolute realm shown by True Immortal Cheongun's embodiment...

the Formless Sword.

Perhaps I might even reach that realm someday.

There was no reason to share information this important with anyone else.

I need to become stronger.

Only then will I have a path to take revenge on Moyong Cheonhwi.

My ultimate enemy.

Moyong Cheonhwi.

The man called the strongest under heaven.

No...

perhaps even the strongest of all ages.

If I intended to face an enemy like that...

I had to become stronger.

Much stronger.

Only then could I complete my revenge.

I need power no one can challenge.

No matter what.

The next day, I woke far earlier than usual.

The instant I opened my eyes, one thing immediately surfaced in my mind.

...That Flow from yesterday.

The supreme thread left behind by True Immortal Cheongun.

That invisible line that had cut through the air from his fingertips.

The final trace still lingered in my head like a faint afterimage.

Maybe now... I can see a little deeper into it.

I got up and left the Abandoned Martial Hall's archive.

Normally, I could sense Jin Gwangung's presence somewhere around the Abandoned Martial Hall.

But today...

there was no sign of him.

He had probably gone somewhere before dawn.

Considering how unpredictable he was, I didn't think much of it.

Actually, this works out perfectly.

I can train in peace.

I headed directly to the training ground beside the Abandoned Martial Hall archive.

Long ago...

this had been where those who researched martial arts in the Abandoned Martial Hall practiced.

“Huu....”

Once I arrived, I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing.

Then I recalled what I had seen yesterday.

No...

more accurately...

the "Flow" engraved into my body and mind.

My feet moved naturally.

Swish....

I wasn't forcing myself to perform anything.

The movement connected as naturally as flowing water.

I instinctively understood.

My footwork matched the Flow shown by the embodiment perfectly.

I followed that natural movement and raised the sword in my hand.

Here... like this.

The tip of the sword cut through the air and drew a thin line.

Slowly.

But clearly.

Without breaking my breathing rhythm, I shifted my feet and turned my wrist.

The sword tip seemed to be guided by something as it smoothly connected into the next line.

Swish...

Shhhh...

Two thin, faint lines appeared in the air.

Then three.

Gradually, they began connecting into a single Flow.

A sword path is forming.

The lines were still faint and thin.

But their trajectories closely resembled the pattern I had seen from True Immortal Cheongun yesterday.

I steadied my breathing and tried to connect the second thread.

But...

it wouldn't connect.

Just as the next line was about to form...

a tiny crack appeared in the movement.

"...It broke."

My foot shifted slightly out of place.

That tiny mistake shattered the Flow.

The line continuing from my sword tip immediately scattered and vanished into the air.

The instant my concentration broke...

the Flow could no longer continue.

The perfect Flow shown by True Immortal Cheongun's embodiment...

I was still far from reaching it.

"...I have a long way to go.”

A little disappointment rose inside me.

But I quickly suppressed it.

Right.

There's no need to rush.

For now, this much is enough.

Only one day had passed.

I still had plenty of time.

If I repeated it.

If I kept trying.

I felt as though I could eventually connect that unreachable thread completely.

“One more time.”

I adjusted my stance and stepped forward.

Just as I was about to continue the Flow I had lost...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Someone pounded violently on the front gate of the Abandoned Martial Hall.

“Mujin! Are you there?! It's urgent!”

A desperate shout shattered the stillness of the early morning.

Who is it?

The Abandoned Martial Hall was located deep in the mountains, far from the center of Kunlun.

Because of both its location and its reputation...

almost no Kunlun disciples ever visited.

And yet someone was looking for me before sunrise.

In a desperate voice.

I immediately left the training ground and headed toward the main gate.

When I opened it...

a young Taoist stood there, gasping for breath.

His entire body was soaked with sweat.

He had clearly run all the way here.

“Haa... haa... M-Mujin...!”

His breathing was ragged.

“I'm glad you're here...!”

He bent deeply at the waist.

Ever since winning the Elders' Lecture Gathering, my standing inside Kunlun had risen higher than ever.

And since I was the direct disciple of First Elder Jin Gwangung...

very few people stood above me in seniority.

Unless someone was at least Hall Master rank, they generally had no choice but to address me respectfully.

I looked down at him and naturally spoke with a slightly commanding tone.

“Catch your breath and speak.”

“What happened?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Why are you looking for me this urgently at dawn?”

“You even interrupted my training.”

The young Taoist trembled like a junior disciple about to be punished.

“Th-That's...”

He swallowed.

“An order was issued to bring you back to the main sect immediately!”

“Bring me back?”

I frowned slightly.

“Who gave that order?”

The Taoist answered at once.

“The Sect Leader!”

“He ordered us to bring you to the Sect Leader's Palace immediately!”

“The Sect Leader...?”

“Yes!”

He nodded quickly.

“He said you must return as fast as possible.”

The Sect Leader was urgently summoning me before dawn?

I had no idea why.

But one thing was obvious.

Something unusual was happening inside Kunlun.

I didn't ask any more questions.

If the Sect Leader was calling me this urgently...

then it had to be serious.

I took a short breath.

Then I spoke to the young Taoist.

“Understood.”

“I'll head to the Sect Leader's Palace immediately.”

I turned at once and activated Void Night Shadow Step.

Cutting through the cold morning wind...

I raced forward.

The sun had not yet risen.

The darkness ahead only deepened the ominous feeling in my chest.

Something bad had happened.

An inexplicable unease spread upward from the bottom of my chest.

I increased my speed, trying to shake it off.

I continued using my movement technique without rest through the freezing dawn air.

After running for quite some time...

I finally arrived at the Sect Leader's Palace.

Four Taoists stood guard in front of the entrance.

Unlike their usual relaxed demeanor...

their faces were full of tension.

The moment I approached...

“You've arrived, Mujin!”

All four bowed almost simultaneously.

Their attitude toward me carried genuine respect and courtesy.

It was a reaction I could never have imagined back when everyone treated me as some lowly Event Hall worker.

“Please enter, Mujin.”

“The Sect Leader is already waiting inside.”

I nodded lightly.

The Taoists bowed again.

Their courtesy was almost as formal as though they were greeting a First Elder.

I crossed the threshold with a faint sense of satisfaction.

The familiar scent of wood greeted me inside.

But the atmosphere was different.

Heavy silence filled the Sect Leader's Palace.

And then...

...Jin Gwangung?

Deep inside the hall, beneath the light of an oil lamp...

Jin Gwangung stood with his arms crossed.

So this is where he was.

He had been absent since dawn.

Apparently, he had already been summoned here.

Jin Gwangung turned his head.

“Hah. Looks like you got called here too.”

He clicked his tongue.

“What the hell is going on that they're dragging people around before sunrise?”

“Can't even let an old man sleep properly.”

His tone was full of complaints.

But I didn't miss the subtle stiffness around his mouth.

For Jin Gwangung...

he looked unusually tense.

He had clearly realized that something serious was happening too.

Just as I was about to answer him...

Creaaak.

A side door at the back of the hall slowly opened.

Sect Leader Cheon Gwangcheon stepped out between the flickering lamps.

His usual gentle smile was nowhere to be seen.

It looked as though something had weighed on him throughout the night.

A deep, dark shadow covered his face.

With every step he took...

the air inside the Sect Leader's Palace seemed to grow colder.

I bowed respectfully.

“You're both here.”

Even those few words came out low and heavy.

Something was definitely wrong.

Jin Gwangung couldn't hold back any longer.

“What exactly happened?”

“Why did you call us here at this hour?”

"..."

Cheon Gwangcheon didn't answer immediately.

He simply looked back and forth between me and Jin Gwangung.

After a moment...

a deep, heavy sigh escaped him.

“Haa....”

The unease inside me grew stronger.

Then finally...

the Sect Leader spoke with difficulty.

“...It seems...”

His voice was grave.

“we've detected movement from the Demonic Cult.”

The moment those words fell...

the entire Sect Leader's Palace was swallowed by silence.