A candle flickering in the wind. Such is always the life of a swordsman.

Some sword wielders would change the name of their beloved swords as often as a trembling flame. When the tide of life and death surged past them like a tidal wave while roaming the martial world, or when they wished for better fortune.

"......."

Eokyang Sword.

It was the inscription on the blade that rolled across the grounds of Shaolin and finally stopped. It meant "remembering the vast sea," reflecting the nature of the sword’s master, Gwangun Gongsun Wol. An old swordsman who refused to let fleeting, significant moments slip past him.

The roughly carved three characters of the sword's name rippled under the sunlight pouring into the temple.

"Ha...!"

The unfocused eyes of Jegal Cheong, who had been lying like a corpse, snapped sharply back into clarity. At the same time, a menacing gleam filled the old woman's gaze.

"After killing my son! After trampling my pride and my years! That worthless Shin Sword Corps leader has brought nothing but ruin! And you, Gongsun brat! How dare you think you can end this however you please?!"

"Pride."

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly opened his mouth.

"Did you think you were the greatest under heaven?"

Four figures flickered through his mind. Master and nemesis, a cripple and a mayfly. Though their paths diverged from Jegal Cheong’s or Jongnam Sword Immortal’s in terms of sects, their dignity as true masters was another story entirely.

Jegal Cheong laughed.

"Then since you defeated me today, are you now the greatest under heaven of this era?"

"You’ll know after about seven more provinces fall. If you're asking because of the sword technique you just saw, then someday you could accomplish it too."

"What...?"

Jegal Cheong looked as though she had fallen deep into thought.

At that moment—

—Do not overdo it. What you built, that wheel of sorcery, is akin to Daoist inner elixir cultivation.

The gentle voice of Master Beomha whispered on.

—It's like hoarding rare food and miraculous medicine within your body through secretive alchemy techniques your whole life, only to ignite it all at once to seek immortality. However, the power now flooding your body... it's as though you've consumed dozens of Great Return Pills as casually as eating fasting pills. It would not be an exaggeration to call this the most extravagant suicide under heaven.

There was a faint trace of worry beneath the monk’s usual serene demeanor. Jeong Yeon-shin gave a slight nod.

—I do not know yet. Whether I’ll simply collapse, grow stronger, or experience both...

—I vividly recall it from my brief visit. Ipwang Fortress is no longer intact and is under reconstruction.

—It is difficult to say the situation is relaxed, either internally or externally.

—If your absence brings catastrophe upon Yangyang in the near future... Please, do not regret it.

The single exposed eye of the old monk, hidden under a linen eye patch, crinkled kindly.

—Shaolin will not allow it to happen.

By then, Hyung Ran, the Third Madam of the Great Pure and True Alliance, was glaring coldly at Gwangun Gongsun Wol. Contrary to her nickname, Peony Immortal, her colorless gaze distorted even the very air like a blade of frost.

"Gongsun Elder, are you truly going to do this?"

"Maintain the dignity appropriate to your status. At times, it seems as if those from the Alliance forget they represent the face of their leader. So impulsive and reckless."

"You are the one forgetting your oath, Elder. Will you truly throw down your sword before the eyes of the martial army? You shouldn’t have accompanied us to Songshan in the first place...!"

Ten thousand strong. A scale too large to simply turn back without causing a grand incident. Even after Jeong Yeon-shin severed the gate, that remained unchanged.

"No... you should focus on only one thing."

The old swordsman spoke quietly.

"Will you report the deeds of the Shin Sword Corps leader to the Alliance, or will you conceal them?"

"......."

"Though it is called a martial army, the ten thousand ascending Songshan now are the foundation of a nation. Whether you deceive them for great gain or treat them sincerely and maintain your honor, both paths are yours alone, General."

Gongsun Wol even clasped his hands behind his back. Then, he turned away slowly.

"See you at the Alliance."

"Elder!"

"Do not rush this old man. Don't make me a wretch who picks up a sword he already dedicated to the Shin Sword Corps leader. I must seek a new blade."

Step.

Without any hesitation, he walked out of the Shaolin grounds. His aged voice sank into the shallow dust as he vanished.

"Something suitably heavy, suitably dull...."

A single sword remained where the old swordsman once stood. Third Madam Hyung Ran remained silent.

The void left by a supreme swordsman was that heavy.

"......."

Meanwhile, the one-armed, one-legged figure in the straw hat quietly stared down at the Eokyang Sword. He tottered unsteadily, using the bluish sword—even its sheath—as a cane.

His hand caressed the hilt of Dongmong in an odd manner. He opened his five fingers one by one, then lightly clenched them again. Only after that did the mouth beneath the straw hat move.

"I always thought I was better at cutting through space itself. But this... It does leave me a little dazed. I can understand that old Gongsun's feelings now."

"I’ll tell you one more thing."

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke slyly.

"You might be able to grasp it quite easily."

"Hooh...?"

A soft exclamation. It meant, how could such a sucker exist in this world?

Of course, Master Beomha’s face twisted oddly.

—Is that your true intention?

—Whether he uses it or not is his own choice, is it not? He's a man who values his own survival above all. Even if he witnesses an astonishing sword strike, I doubt he would recklessly attempt to imitate it. At most, he’ll just broaden his horizons.

—Truly...?

—Yes.

Just as Jeong Yeon-shin calmly hid his ruthless strategy behind a blank expression—

Suddenly, a storm-like military aura exploded within the Shaolin grounds.

"......!"

The high, long walls shattered into countless fragments, unable to withstand the pounding force. In an instant, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the ground from outside.

Kugugugugugu—

Thick dust clouds rolled into the temple grounds.

At the same time, the sharp stench of blood, metal, and stale air filled every corner. It was the breath of countless warriors exhaling their internal energy, enough to make the scene look like clouds in a landscape painting.

The once-endless horizon of Mount Song’s midrange slopes was now overflowing with human silhouettes.

They each balanced themselves against the steep terrain using their respective martial footwork techniques. Gathered with military precision yet moving as freely as martial artists.

Haa—

Each exhaled a white mist. Fog clung to the leafless forests and the grayish mountain ridges.

The army itself was monstrous.

This was the weight of a martial force numbering in the tens of thousands. Seeing it with one's own eyes was vastly different from hearing about it.

Perhaps it was because this power belonged to the new nation that had seized Luoyang.

'During the transition between Yuan and Ming... The first Shin Sword Corps leader is said to have protected his master amidst people like them.'

Jeong Yeon-shin thought to himself.

Maybe the human world itself was already one enormous gate.

[Standard-bearer!]

It was Hyung Ran's shout.

Boom.

The echo, characteristic of Six Harmonies Martial Formation, shook the peaks of the rocky mountains, causing small stones to tumble down.

At the same time, among the mist of martial aura and the dense crowd, a silhouette of a flagpole swayed.

A mirage-like flag saturated with internal energy faintly illuminated the characters for Great Shun. As if awaiting orders.

The voice of the Six Harmonies Martial Formation followed calmly.

[Withdraw the army.]

"......?"

At the same time, a dusky light flashed across the distant sky, and a meteor-like mass fell onto the opposite peak, almost tearing through the stone cliff entirely.

Only after its trajectory were five or six layers of shockwaves drawn in succession.

The brutal tremor and deafening roar surged up from the ground to the ears without mercy.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang―!

[Why is this thing so hard to break? Do I have to chew it apart? Is all of the Yigeun Washing Sutra like this?]

The thought came from Mu Gok, one of the Six Original Star Lords.

He was pinning Beomryeol against the shattered stone peak, crushing down with a massive knee.

Beomryeol bared his teeth and laughed.

“There were plenty who claimed expertise in swift duels even inside the gates. But how could savage beasts sever it? Even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven cursed the Buddha’s skin and breath.”

The heretical monk Jiokcheon spoke up.

“Mind your eyelids, boy. Someday, I'll crush them like pounding down a fasting pill.”

[That's boring.]

Zzzeoooonnng―!

Mu Gok flung Beomryeol beyond the peak and landed amidst the martial army.

At the same time, a semi-transparent trail surged like a wave from the Shaolin grounds toward the giant.

[First Demon Sword Qi of the Heretics? Hey, now’s not the time, my energy is...]

The thick armor and protective internal force, as well as the very flesh of the Great Shun martial soldiers, were pierced by a single sword strike.

The blow directly struck Mu Gok, and a chilling slicing sound exploded.

Puhwaaaak!

Dark red blood shot up like a fountain.

[Still sharp, huh? Hey, let's retreat! I'm hungry!]

Mu Gok, now bloodied, laughed and leapt off the cliff.

From another ridge, Beomryeol sprang to his feet and unleashed a thunderous roar—Halt!

In that instant, Wonjeok, the elder monk long suppressed under countless martial monks, exploded with vast energy and roared like a monstrous lion with Shaolin’s Lion’s Roar technique.

At the same time, part of the martial army wrapped their ears in a semi-transparent shield of internal force.

It was only then, obeying Hyung Ran's command, that they began to withdraw.

The sign of unification between Heaven and Earth.

"Ah."

Hyung Ran suddenly vanished from her spot and reappeared before the martial army.

The luxurious silk of her noblewoman’s robes fluttered gracefully, and a smooth smile followed the trace.

"Whether there’s a gate or not, Shaolin has already become a demonic realm. There’s no need for further losses. You all, bring back the Celestial Dance Empress."

She commanded the nearby martial soldiers.

But Beomha immediately responded.

"Leave Jegal Cheong where she is."

Hyung Ran sharply turned around, her eyes flashing with a colorless light.

"Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because we retreat, you’ve won. I'm no fool—I'm already considering that the new Divine Sword Master might be unable to move. Having learned the Jeongga Donggong, he might now be urgently channeling his internal flow. Even the Zongnam Sword Immortal has already passed on, hasn’t he? If I cancel our withdrawal here..."

"Let her go."

The one hundred and eight monks stamped their feet.

Kwaang!

A fierce wave of force spread out.

Yet not a single trace touched Jeong Yeon-shin.

All the waves of force twisted and collapsed inward, leaving not even a ripple near the Divine Sword Master.

The incarnations of the Seventy-Two Supreme Arts stood guard.

Hyung Ran’s complexion dimmed.

"Everyone in the gate... they’ve all mastered the Washing Sutra...?"

"Go in peace," said Beomha.

***

"Are you checking your surroundings as you go? I’ve experienced annihilation myself; the road isn't so smooth... Hey, Lady Go."

"Since you once served as the head of the Eon Family, you know better than anyone. Right now, it's not the time to check the surroundings. Speed is the priority. Only after that is it proper to observe the enemy."

A pair of old and young figures were running within a semi-transparent curtain of energy.

The old man, sleeveless and wiry, looked less like a martial artist and more like someone who hadn’t had a decent meal in days.

In contrast, the young woman chewed steadily on jerky as she silently sprinted vertically along the long fortress wall.

Her elegant jade-colored robes fluttered endlessly behind her feet.

"The Divine Sword Master’s absence is certain. As always, Ipwang Fortress makes the mistake of scattering across the Central Plains to ensure its safety. The current Divine Sword Deputy, Shin Hyeolgeukma, is a figure mired in both overestimation and underestimation. With you here, whether he's inside the fortress or not doesn’t matter. The real threats are the unknown Yozoku and Baek Girin Namgung Hwa-shin."

Her tone was clear and precise.

She had a rounded glass lens fitted into her right eye socket, making that eye appear smaller. It was a monocle for enhancing vision abilities, said to have been brought from the Western Regions by the Celestial Dance Empress Jegal Cheong.

The gaunt old man tilted his head.

"While the Divine Sword Master vacates the fortress, we sabotage the awakening of the Ipwang Divine Spear, assassinate Supreme Commander Im Jin-myeong, and if possible, expose Baek Girin’s ultimate technique before retreating... Although national strategies are always based on diversionary tactics, isn't this a bit too petty?"

"We’ve been keeping an eye on the Ipwang Divine Spear since we were preparing our great cause in secret. Even if the Tree of the World falls, he would be the one to trouble the Great Shun the longest... As for Im Jin-myeong, needless to say—he’s the strategist of Ipwang Fortress. Strength without a head inevitably becomes a tool for the nation. And if we also reveal the collusion between Ipwang Fortress and the [N O V E L I G H T] Yozoku, it would be the cherry on top."

"Is it really going to be that easy? The Divine Sword Masters were scoundrels, but never fools. He wouldn’t have vacated the fortress without a reason."

"With my martial vision and your Silent Soul Seven Steps, we have a chance. In a single breath, we can avoid even encountering Baek Girin..."

Suddenly, the woman's monocle, which had been scanning the fortress interior like clairvoyance, darkened. A massive hand was crushing the fortress wall like buckwheat jelly, rushing toward them.

"Yozoku...! Let's begin!"

"Mhm, do your best!"

The old man kicked off the fortress wall in the opposite direction in response. It was a retreating footwork.