Chapter 01
A well-forged sword often contains a soul.
That soul is me.
When a well-forged sword is imbued again with will and sustained by faith, even divine power can emerge.
That, too, is me.
The sacred artifact of the Huashan Sect—
The Zaha Divine Sword (Zihaxin Jian).
That was the name that referred to me.
When I was in my prime, I truly soared.
The weak would flee at the mere mention of my name.
The strong would be cleaved in two, and even those stronger than them could not lift their heads in front of me.
Torturing the so-called legendary swords of the world was quite entertaining.
Huh… but what good is that now?
Time waits for no one, neither people nor swords.
Now, I was little more than a decrepit tiger clinging to what was left of its fangs and nails.
Day by day, as my divine power waned, I found myself cornered in a room, muttering, “Time, oh time…”
Speaking of which—
My back aches even more than usual today.
It must have been about a hundred years ago.
After sparring with that so-called Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, testing the sum of 7,940 moves, I sometimes experienced pains like this.
Of course, it wasn’t a human back; it was the sword’s spine, the equivalent of a human’s lower back, that ached.
The fight had to have been quite intense.
I had never seen such a sword in my life.
Nor had I ever faced such a formidable opponent.
In the end, victory was mine, of course.
But so what?
All that remained was lingering damage.
This back of mine refuses to heal.
Old and weak, it was nothing but a frustration.
Back in my youth, I could have fixed this effortlessly with divine power.
On a day like this, it’d be perfect to soak myself in a warm forge and receive a final tempering.
…Thinking about it, it’s infuriating.
Who caused my divine power to decline so that I’d be stumbling like this?
If it weren’t for me, who would have stopped that Heavenly Demon from rampaging through Huashan?
Who would have held back the thousands of demons following him?
So they should be grateful, shouldn’t they?
Well… to be honest, my later years weren’t too bad.
Though I said “cornered in a room,” it was actually a detached house large enough for ten families to run around.
Even better, I had children ready to serve and protect this old man at any time.
And there was someone who came every day to tend to me.
Though all they did was apply oil, daily tempering made up for it, and I wouldn’t have to complain.
Speaking of which, it should be about time for them to arrive. Why haven’t they come yet?
The door creaked.
Just in time, they arrived.
A person entered the detached house.
White robes embroidered with plum blossoms, and a splendid white beard brushing the chest.
It was the Huashan Sect’s Grandmaster, Hyeon Cheonja.
This young master was the one tending to me.
But today, it wasn’t just one, but two.
Could it be?
I instinctively turned my attention.
Alongside the young master was a man so small he appeared only about four feet tall.
He wore a sleeveless outfit, revealing thick arm muscles, a broad torso, and a solid neck.
And I knew people with this kind of physique.
A blacksmith!
Also called a weapons master or forge master.
So you knew I longed to soak in a warm forge?
Of course, my young master, despite his youth, understood this old man’s desires remarkably well.
But more than that, this blacksmith carried an unusually powerful aura.
A proper blacksmith indeed!
The physique was impressive, and the divine energy enveloping him was unmistakable—it closely resembled my own.
Confident eyes, commanding presence…
“Is this the sword I must repair?”
The deep, resonant voice pleased me.
Most blacksmiths would not even look a young master in the eye, but this one dared to speak boldly.
“Can you repair it?”
“Of course.”
“I trust only you, Choi Noya.”
“I swear by my name, I will restore this divine sword to its original state.”
…He even dared to promise?
I didn’t know about other things, but I was already looking forward to his tempering.
We’ll see about this!
The young master carefully extended his hand toward me, hanging on the wall.
Today, my wrinkled hand felt unusually large.
And I noticed a deep sorrow in his eyes.
Another intruder, I presume?
It didn’t seem urgent, though.
Hmm.
Whatever the case—
Don’t worry, young master.
One thing was certain.
As long as I regain my energy, I can handle any problem.
Nothing is impossible with strength.
Having been fed and cared for all these years, surely I could manage this.
It’s not that I lack capability.
Just heal my back and restore my divine power.
Those who speak of illnesses and chaos… the world was yours while I was away, right?
Once healed, I’ll reestablish order, that’s for sure.
Especially…
You, Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.
Next time we meet, I’ll break you properly.
I’m sure you’ve been languishing somewhere since that day, though.
“Here we are.”
The young master led me to the highest peak of Huashan—Dongbong.
There stood a forge I had grown familiar with.
Huashan originally had no forge, but this one was specially made to repair me.
“Then we’ll begin immediately.”
Choi Noya checked the prepared forge and tools and started working.
I focused entirely on the blacksmith called Choi Noya.
This is no ordinary craftsman!
Even the flames in the forge were different.
After a long period of preparation, the divine forge, the Fire God (Huoshen), made the sword shiver in awe.
“It’s done. The sacred flame is ready, and even iron that has endured millennia will melt easily.”
Choi Noya finished lighting the forge after seven days and nights on the peak.
Then, he immersed his body in the forge for another seven days and nights.
It was the most exhilarating experience a sword could have.
Finally came the moment of the final tempering.
The wait was worth it.
Taang!
A crisp, clear sound rang out.
The impact was multiplied many times upon my body.
Simultaneously, I felt my lost divine power returning.
Uuuuuuuuuuung—!
The aching subsided, and divine power filled me, producing an even deeper resonance.
I was returning.
Back to the time when I commanded thousands of swords and ruled the world.
Taang! Taang! Taang!
Choi Noya hammered relentlessly, like a possessed man.
Returning to my former divine power happened almost instantly.
Twice as strong, easily.
Three, four, five times…
Choi Noya showed no sign of stopping.
Taang!!!
As if creating a masterpiece of his life, he poured everything into this work.
At first, it exhilarated me, but as it progressed, unease crept in.
Uuung.
Excess is never good.
It’s time to slow down…
Yet, before the sword’s resonance even completed, disaster struck.
Jjeoeng!
A foreboding sound unlike any during the tempering.
Choi Noya’s panicked face… and fragments of steel scattered on the ground.
I had broken.
Not just any sword—me.
The sacred Zaha Divine Sword of Huashan.
……
For a moment, I was speechless.
But I couldn’t just wallow in shock.
The broken sword unleashed immense pressure across my body.
Kwaang!
Guh!
I barely held on against the overflowing divine power, but the problem was that it was rapidly dissipating.
Divine power resides in the soul, but the soul is bound to its vessel—the sword. There was no way around this.
Choi Noya!
Reassembling the broken sword was the only solution.
But Choi Noya seemed… off.
In plain words, he had lost it.
“The sword… it broke?”
Now is not the time! Right now…
“I’m ruined… Huashan’s warriors won’t forgive me.”
You wretched scoundrel!
Choi Noya sneaked a glance outside and then fled.
Left alone, I stared helplessly at the sky through the window.
Please… just this once…
All I could do was pray to the heavens.
Yet no reply came.
Just this once…
Perhaps my desperation reached them.
From the high heavens, phantoms began to descend.
They were familiar beings.
Death messengers, the kind that go berserk if one is dead.
In my wandering days in the martial world, I met them almost daily.
Seems it’s my turn now.
Our eyes met.
They spoke without words.
You are finished.
Yet their gaze only steeled my resolve.
Who says so?
I would not end so meaninglessly.
I said it before: a well-forged sword often contains a soul.
Even if its divine power wanes, the will and faith within its soul remain.
Until that will and faith are broken, I will not depart this world.
And…
‘From the chaos of the sickly, the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, to the young master’s sorrow…’
There was so much left to do. I could not leave.
The problem was that Choi Noya had fled, severing my only lifeline.
I decided to keep it simple.
First, chase these bastards away, then think.
If I could just drive away the death messengers in front of me, I’d gain some time.
The situation wasn’t bad.
Though my vessel was broken and power spilling out, divine power was overflowing like never before.
Uuung!
My vast divine power spread across Huashan like an ocean.
The awe-inspiring sight overwhelmed everything.
Even the death messengers hesitated.
‘□□□ □□□□!’
Yet true to their fearsome reputation, they did not retreat easily.
After some shouting, they plunged into my divine power without hesitation.
That was their mistake.
They underestimated me.
The death messengers, who seemed to pass easily, were suddenly caught in the divine power.
They struggled, but it was useless.
I had never been more serious.
And I learned something new.
Even death messengers sweat when they’re in trouble.
Already pale, their faces grew even paler against the divine energy.
Scram.
I drove the frozen death messengers out of my divine power.
I didn’t expect them to bow and leave, but I didn’t care.
These messengers had a reputation for ruthlessness.
And my expectations were correct.
‘□□ □□ □□□□!’
The death messengers, babbling again, enveloped themselves in underworld energy and charged.
What could I do?
Their struggles had already exhausted them.
This time, I didn’t restrain them, sending them flying beyond the mountains like flies.
After a while, they staggered back.
‘□□□□ □□□□ □□□□□□!’
What are they saying? Are they cursing?
More importantly—
Soon, today will be a funeral for you.
But that would be too messy to handle.
Nothing is impossible.
Once my divine power dissipated, it would be over anyway.
Handling the aftermath could wait; first, survival.
I had to settle this with the death messengers.
Uuung!
Divine power condensed into a single point.
Just as I was about to unleash it at the death messengers—
Ssshh—
As if the sky opened, a dark space appeared, and a new death messenger emerged.
His robes were more splendid than the others, and his rank seemed higher.
Support arrives when things get tough?
How cheap.
Yet strangely, the new death messenger, upon seeing me, didn’t charge but lightly bowed.
Not a sign of surrender, but what trick was this?
My doubts lingered for a moment.
The death messenger lifted his head and parted his lips.
Through the divine power covering Huashan, his message reached me:
“Lord Zaha is invited by Yama.”
