Chapter 123
Dang Sojeo and I emerged from the Yi In-gwan cave about a week after passing the Guangjian trial.
As we stepped outside through the stone gate, the tunnel inside the cave was still bathed in a faint green glow. Mak Woojeon and Ga Yooak, both trapped in their madness, wandered like ghosts within that eerie light.
Dang Sojeo asked me quietly through our mental link.
“It’s been a whole month, yet they’re still moving around. They must not have eaten anything. Could it be that their madness is keeping them alive?”
I shook my head and replied.
“No, that’s not it. According to our master, time inside Yi In-gwan flows differently from the outside world. He said it moves about five times faster there. So while a month has passed for us, for them it’s probably been less than a week.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
For the past month, we had been training under Master Jeong Myeong-gwang, the legendary Guangxie Sword Spirit, who taught us the Moonlit Sword Dance.
A month was already the length of the leave I’d been granted from the front lines. If I didn’t return soon, I risked being marked a deserter.
But since time inside Yi In-gwan passed five times faster than reality, less than a week had actually elapsed outside.
“Grrrrr!”
Suddenly, Mak Woojeon’s red eyes locked onto us.
He had finally spotted us.
“Graaaargh!”
With a fierce roar, he charged.
This was the monster who, on the brink of transcendence and driven mad by his madness, wielded power nearly equal to that of a transcendent master. And now, he was coming straight at us.
Dang Sojeo asked me urgently, “What do we do?”
I smiled calmly and answered, “What else?”
Grinning, I drew my sword.
“This is the perfect chance to test what we’ve learned.”
As I spoke, I unleashed the first form of the Moonlit Sword Dance.
Flying Moon.
Immediately, my mind slipped into a hallucinatory state.
Whoosh!
The world around me blurred into a dreamlike haze, as if wrapped in a mystical veil.
The Moonlit Sword Dance is a secret technique that draws the mind into a hallucinatory trance through the sword movements. Normally, you’d start the dance first to enter this state, but after a month of training, I had internalized the technique enough to reverse the order.
In other words, I could enter the hallucination first, then execute the movements.
This was true for other sword styles as well.
So, the moment I drew my sword, I slipped into the trance and smiled brightly at the charging Mak Woojeon.
In this dreamy, surreal state where everything felt like a fleeting illusion, I felt an almost godlike omnipotence.
“Graaaargh!”
Mak Woojeon swung his sword with wild fury.
“Hmph!”
I scoffed and met his gaze, and suddenly his sword slowed, as if crawling through molasses.
Everything around me slowed too.
I had, through sheer will, slowed the flow of time around me.
Of course, in reality, I was simply accelerating my own mind to make the outside world seem slower—but even knowing that, the feeling of controlling time itself filled me with exhilaration.
Watching his sword move in slow motion, I smiled.
“Slow, aren’t you?”
Of course, my own movements were slowed as well.
But a sword moving that slowly posed no real threat.
I lightly pressed down on the blade as it came at me, deflecting it, then leapt up, narrowly dodging his strike.
Suspended in midair, I spun gracefully and slowly drew my sword.
I saw my blade trace along his side, leaving a thin, red line.
Drops of blood bubbled up like tiny pearls, floating in the air.
“Graaaargh!”
He roared in agony, his face twisted in pain.
Landing firmly, I pressed down in the opposite direction, pushing against his momentum.
My body resisted the force and slowly turned back toward him.
Then, I slowly thrust my sword forward.
Right into the back of his neck.
Ssshhhk!
I felt the subtle pressure as my blade slid inside, soft and yielding like piercing tofu with a knife.
A rush of euphoria flooded my mind.
My senses sharpened to the point where I could feel the flow of air at the tips of my hair, my spirit soaring as if I were a god.
For a moment, a fierce urge to remain in this state forever flared up like wildfire.
But my mind, fortified by the Great Serenity Heart Technique, resisted the temptation.
“Phew.”
I exhaled slowly and emerged from the hallucination.
The world snapped back to normal speed.
“Gah!”
I pulled my sword from Mak Woojeon’s pierced neck, slicing through with a clean motion.
Shhhhk!
Blood sprayed like a fountain from the gaping wound.
Pffft!
By the time the blood splattered everywhere, I had already leapt back to Dang Sojeo’s side.
The fight had been far too simple.
She smiled brightly and congratulated me.
“That was amazing, Jin! You really looked like a transcendent master!”
I smiled awkwardly and replied, “Not really. I think he was just so starved he was weak. Honestly, I probably could’ve beaten him without using the Moonlit Sword Dance.”
That wasn’t false modesty—it was the truth.
No matter how powerful the Moonlit Sword Dance was, if Mak Woojeon had been in full strength, there was no way I could have taken him down so easily.
He looked two or three levels weaker than before, likely because he’d been wandering mad and starving.
Dang Sojeo smiled gently.
“Still, it’s true you took down a tough opponent with ease. Congratulations.”
I returned her smile with a nod.
“Thanks, Ye-eun. You take care of Ga Yooak over there. I’ll watch your back.”
After spending a month together inside Yi In-gwan, we’d grown quite comfortable with each other.
We hadn’t dropped formalities completely, but at least we’d stopped using titles like “Master” or “Sojeo” and just called each other by name.
Trying to lighten the mood, I said seriously, “By the way, it’s amazing. Even with just the first form, Flying Moon, I’m not sure I can handle it. The sensations in the hallucination are intense, and it’s not easy to come back from it.”
We were currently only trained in the first form of the Moonlit Sword Dance, which has five forms in total.
Our master had warned us that attempting the higher forms would be too dangerous given our current mastery of the Great Serenity Heart Technique.
So while we knew the later forms, we hadn’t yet practiced them.
And that was a wise decision—the first form alone was already challenging to maintain sanity through.
Dang Sojeo took a deep breath, her expression tense as she looked ahead.
“If Jin says that, then I should be even more nervous.”
Her gaze fell on Ga Yooak, whose red eyes blazed as he charged fiercely toward us.
I glanced at Ga Yooak, then smiled reassuringly at Dang Sojeo.
“No need to worry. You’ll handle it. I trust you, Ye-eun.”
She looked momentarily startled, then smiled brightly back at me.
Her smile was like sunlight, lighting up the dim, green-tinged cave.
After Dang Sojeo skillfully dealt with Ga Yooak, we finally emerged completely from the cave.
There, waiting for us, was Do Munseung.
He ran toward us with a bright expression.
“You two! You’re safe!”
We were caught completely off guard.
We hadn’t expected him to still be waiting.
When we entered the cave, I had deliberately killed thousands of other warriors and faked my own death with a false killing blow to him.
It was so he could slip away unnoticed while we were inside.
But I had clearly underestimated him.
Instead of escaping, he had buried the dead warriors and waited outside the cave for us to come out.
“Why would you do that? What if we never came out, or Mak Woojeon came out instead? What were you thinking?”
I asked, stunned.
He laughed simply and said, “If it weren’t for you two, I’d be dead anyway. That risk was worth taking. Besides, I wasn’t planning to wait forever. If you hadn’t come out by today, I would’ve left.”
But I didn’t really believe he would have just left.
I chuckled, amazed.
He was the very image of a righteous gentleman from a storybook.
I paused, then after a brief discussion with Dang Sojeo, decided to tell him about our Guangjian master.
I thought he might be an even better candidate to learn the Moonlit Sword Dance than we were.
The Moonlit Sword Dance’s hallucinations deepen with each form—from first to fifth.
No matter how hard we trained the Great Serenity Heart Technique, we couldn’t guarantee we’d be able to master all five forms.
But if a man like Do Munseung, a true righteous gentleman, learned it?
Though his skills were weak now, if he reached a certain level, he might be able to perfectly perform all five forms of the Moonlit Sword Dance.
“First, we’ll activate the cave’s mechanism to seal off the entrance. So, Donghyeong, you should stay hidden and train quietly until the Sucheonhoe calms down, then try to get inside.”
He looked at us with deep gratitude after hearing my advice.
“I’ve never heard of warriors sharing a fateful opportunity like this… You benefactors truly are noble people. I will never forget this kindness.”
Noble people…
Hearing that from someone as righteous and honorable as him was honestly a bit embarrassing.
We could teach him how to get inside, but whether he could learn the Moonlight Phantom Sword Dance would ultimately be up to our master’s judgment.
And to pass through the Second Gate, he’d have to meet another righteous person of equal caliber. I wasn’t sure if that was even possible.
After leaving him with a few more words of advice, we changed back into our disguises as the Blue-Red Twin Swords and headed toward Sucheonhoe.
We had some cleanup to do.
Though the Sucheonhoe’s leader, Mak Woojeon, had been blinded by greed for the fateful opportunity and committed evil acts, the Sucheonhoe itself was undeniably an essential sect for the people in this region.
So, we needed to make sure it didn’t completely collapse.
We secretly contacted Na Cheol-gyeong, one of the elders of Sucheonhoe, known for his integrity.
He was a straightforward, principled swordsman, and according to Hao Moon’s intel, he had recently been shunned by Mak Woojeon.
Probably because Mak Woojeon saw him as a threat to his plans.
“…That’s why we killed Mak Woojeon,” I said.
I didn’t reveal that I was Yu Jin of the Lightblade Assassins, but after hearing the gist of what had happened over the fateful opportunity, he closed his eyes tightly.
Then, with a pained expression, he asked, “Is there proof that the leader did such a thing?”
“I’m sure you’ve noticed that many of Sucheonhoe’s warriors and conscripted disciples from nearby sects have been disappearing. And that Mak Woojeon has been acting behind your back.”
He let out a bitter laugh and sighed.
“Yes, that’s true. I just thought he didn’t tell me because our temperaments didn’t match… but how could it be…”
We told him where Mak Woojeon’s body was, along with those of Gayuak and the other Sucheonhoe warriors.
It was in the Light Soul Hall, but the entrance was sealed by the mechanism, so even those who knew about it wouldn’t be able to find it.
“If Elder Na Cheol-gyeong finds Mak Woojeon’s body, he’ll have the justification to take control of Sucheonhoe. We hope that under his leadership, Sucheonhoe will rise again as a true righteous sect.”
In my harsh voice, still disguised as the Blue-Red Twin Swords, Na Cheol-gyeong nodded gravely.
After finishing our talk with him, we set off again.
It was finally time to head to the Sichuan Sect’s main gate.
The Sichuan Sect’s main gate was located in Chengdu, the heart of Sichuan Province.
We pushed on with minimal rest and arrived there in just three days.
The city was bustling and vibrant.
Passing through the gate, we were immediately struck by the crowds and the rows of shops lining the streets.
I marveled aloud, “I lived in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou, but this place looks far more prosperous. It’s fitting for the center of Sichuan, home to the great sects Tangmen, Qingcheng, and Ami.”
“Yes, it’s a very lively place,” Tang Sojeo replied, though her expression was far from bright.
In fact, as we neared the city, her face had grown darker.
Just approaching the Tangmen seemed to weigh heavily on her mind.
I placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen. And even if it does, I’ll be right by your side.”
She smiled and nodded, her eyes shimmering like starlight, moist with emotion.
Shortly after, we arrived at the Tangmen’s main estate, located in the city center.
It was a massive manor, grand enough to be mistaken for a royal palace.
At the front gate stood about twenty warriors, radiating sharp, intense energy as they guarded the entrance.
Each one was impressive—not just in martial skill, but in their disciplined, military-like posture and alertness.
The leader of the gate guards seemed to be a martial artist at the peak of his abilities.
To think such a warrior was merely guarding the gate—no wonder the name Sichuan Sect carried such weight.
As we approached, the lead guard stepped forward respectfully and asked, “This is the Sichuan Sect’s main gate. May I ask your business here?”
He probably didn’t recognize Tang Sojeo, despite her being part of the sect.
She answered casually, as if it were no big deal.
“I am Tang Ye-eun, daughter of the Tang family, currently on leave from the front lines at the call of the sect leader.”
The guard’s eyes widened in recognition.
“Ah, Miss Tang Ye-eun. You’ve only been with the Tang family for three years, so I hadn’t had the honor of meeting you. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“Not at all. I understand.”
We waited briefly at the gate before another peak-level warrior came out to escort us inside.
He spoke politely but with a businesslike detachment, as if dealing with a stranger rather than family.
“Welcome back safely, Miss. The sect leader has ordered that you be brought directly to the main hall.”
Tang Sojeo’s face showed surprise.
“To the main hall? Right now?”
“Yes, immediately.”
She looked worried, but had no choice.
“Understood. Let’s go.”
I silently followed behind her.
The escort glanced at me briefly but made no move to stop us.
We walked past a vast training ground and several enormous pavilions behind the main gate, finally arriving at the grand main hall.
The escort entered first and loudly announced our arrival.
“Miss Tang Ye-eun has arrived!”
A low, powerful voice responded from within.
“Enter.”
We stepped inside.
There, dozens of warriors stood in formation.
I scanned them quickly and noticed many wore uniforms not of the Tang family’s green, but from other sects.
It seemed a meeting involving warriors from multiple sects was underway.
At the center of the formation, on the highest seat in the hall, sat the man I had seen before at the Justice Alliance meeting.
He was the sect leader of Sichuan Sect, the revered and feared Duke of the Cave, Tang Jeonghu.
His handsome face was hard to read, his expression cold and indifferent.
Tang Sojeo and I stepped forward.
When we reached him, she bowed deeply and said, “I report that Tang Ye-eun, daughter of the Tang family, has returned safely.”
The greeting was stiff and formal—hardly what a daughter would say to her own father after four years apart.
Yet no one around seemed to find it strange.
Tang Jeonghu nodded once and asked, “You’ve been at the front for four years now?”
True to form, he skipped any pleasantries and went straight to the point.
Tang Sojeo bowed politely and replied, “Yes, it has been four years.”
He asked again, “Then you’ll be discharged in a year?”
That was a fact—after five years of service, one could leave the front lines.
But to ask so bluntly about discharge a year from now felt loaded with meaning.
Tang Sojeo’s expression tensed slightly as she answered, “Yes, it will be five years then. But the girl intends to re-enlist after that…”
Before she could finish, Tang Jeonghu cut her off bluntly.
It was a statement that shocked her deeply.
“Arrange your wedding for a year from now. Your match has already been decided.”
“…What?!”
Tang Sojeo’s face went pale as if drained of all color.