MAF 01

Chapter 1:

Prologue – Reincarnation

No one can foresee their own death.

One might have a wish like ‘I want to die like this,’ but how one will actually die remains unknown until the moment arrives.

The Heavenly Strength Sword Hero, Muheul, was no different. Having lived as a chivalrous hero for over half a century, he never imagined he would stand at the crossroads of life and death in this manner.

‘Great Master… I… I am not wrong. I am not!’

Muheul let out a sigh as he sprinted through a steep, cliff-sided ravine.

Those chasing him were not evil villains from the demonic path. If they were, he would have fought them head-on.

“Heavenly Strength Demon Muheul!”

“Just the other day, you were the Heavenly Strength Sword Hero, and now you’re the Heavenly Strength Demon!”

In his youth, he was an orphan picked up by a venerable monk, a troublemaker of Shaolin Temple. As an adult, he became a chivalrous hero of the turbulent times, and after slaying the Heavenly Demon, he was hailed as a great hero of the martial world.

Yet now, they called him a demon. It was unfair and infuriating, but there was nothing he could do.

“We’ve finally cornered him!”

“In the name of the crime of killing the Great Master Ahen, the grand patriarch of Shaolin’s Zen Sect, we shall execute you!”

“I did not kill him!”

He had planned to escape the ravine and hide in the forest. But the exit was already blocked.

‘Damn it! Already here?!’

An immense pressure radiated even from his mere presence! A single white-haired old man blocking the path exuded a terrifying aura.

Muheul held his sword but had no intention to strike. His plan was to deflect and slip away if the enemy attacked.

But his opponent did not move as Muheul intended. Instead of drawing a weapon, he stomped his foot on the spot.

It was as if the mountains shattered and the sky collapsed. The very ground beneath his feet gave way.

Muheul flipped several times in mid-air, barely managing to land. But by the time he regained his posture, his pursuers were already right behind him.

‘A stomp that simultaneously shakes hands and feet… that’s the Diamond Stamp of Taijiquan! But since when did Wudang have such a master?’

“You are a venerable elder of Wudang, yet you do not know me? Wudang’s sect leader, Master Xiancheng, is a sworn brother who shared battlefields with me!”

He shouted boldly, but it seemed to have no effect.

Muheul gripped his sword with both hands and surveyed his surroundings. Four enemies had caught up and stopped.

Judging by their auras, each one was a foe he could not guarantee victory against in a one-on-one fight. It was a truly desperate situation.

“You’ve finally stopped, Shaolin’s disgrace.”

“Master Deyang. You, who entered Nirvana long ago… why are you here? How?”

Master Deyang was a Shaolin monk. The last time Muheul saw him was thirty years ago, yet somehow, he appeared younger now.

“I was merely suppressing my voice to protect the righteous path during this great calamity befalling the martial world.”

“Tch. What a laughable excuse. And that energy billowing from your dantian, what is that?”

It wasn’t just Master Deokyang Seonsa. Everyone gathered here was a deeply wrinkled old man, each possessing horrifying levels of inner power.

“So, a shaven-headed monk, unwilling to face extinction, practiced Taoist longevity techniques? Lord Buddha would surely praise you highly.”

“Cease your insolent tongue, Shaolin’s scoundrel!”

“The one who used Taeunja must be the supposedly deceased Wudang’s Master Taiyun. The other three must also be revered elders from various sects.

Even when the Heavenly Demon ran rampant, you didn’t show yourselves, yet you gather now to capture me?”

“Enough! Not just us, but masters from every sect are converging on this location.”

“You must know that with your level, you cannot overcome us.”

He knew. He knew all too well.

Muheul could sense how formidable his opponents’ inner energy was. All five had achieved the cultivation of three gapja’s cycles.

Achieving even one gapja cycle elevates one beyond the ordinary. With three, they were walking landslides and stormy seas.

Whether a fight could even be considered a fight against such beings was doubtful, let alone winning.

But he could not bear to die like this, unable to clear his name or avenge his master.

‘I have no choice but to gamble.’

Originally, Muheul had intended to inform his master of his enlightenment and take his time to complete the great technique.

But when his master was killed and the martial world fell into chaos, these supposedly deceased former masters appeared out of nowhere.

To survive, he had to complete the great technique now, right here.

‘From the Miryeol point, through the Hyeopcheok and Okchim points, reaching the upper dantian, then descending through the Jakgyo and Zhonglou to the lower dantian.’

Muhul regulated his breathing and circulated his inner energy. Performing the Great Heavenly Cycle in front of the enemy was an unimaginable act, so his opponents remained completely unaware.

“The only reason we haven’t killed you without question is that we thought even you might harbor some sense of injustice.”

“Nonsense. All I know is I was ambushed during the morning chanting. The martial arts of my attackers belonged to familiar sects, so I intended to demand answers from each.”

“Enough! You were the only one who met the Great Master that night.

Are you saying the Great Master committed suicide after meeting you?”

“Someone must have been hiding. I cannot be captured before the true culprit is found.”

‘Guide the essence to the upper dantian, unify essence, energy, and spirit, and forge the great elixir in the lower dantian.’

But the great technique was still incomplete. Muheul felt a stabbing pain in his head, chest, and solar plexus and halted his energy circulation.

Having created the technique himself, he had anticipated reaching even this point.

Muheul pooled his vital energy in his three dantians and simultaneously invoked the Tantric mantra of the Esoteric Vajra School.

‘Release all five chakras, burn the breath of life to ignite the inner fire, and cycle it through all chakras. I’ve never completed it before, but now is the time I must!’

He couldn’t be discovered performing the great technique. Muhul steadied his breath and spoke again.

“Ambushed suddenly, burdened with a false accusation… what was I supposed to do?

It still pains me that I couldn’t even recover my master’s remains!”

“Don’t just be angry, listen to us. If you are falsely accused, doesn’t that mean the real culprit is after something?”

“Didn’t you hear anything from Master Ahen? That some great threat was looming over the martial world?”

Muheul hesitated at those words. If this was a scheme to sow discord, then fighting here, win or lose, wouldn’t solve the problem.

Muheul spoke, softening his voice slightly.

“I heard nothing. The Great Master was a great Buddhist teacher, not a martial monk. He didn’t even practice martial arts.”

“That he was. And more intelligent and learned than anyone.”

“Indeed. For example, he could have restored the lost Supreme Pure Golden Pill Heart Scripture.”

Muheul was not one to miss the glint of desire in those words.

Thump! He nearly caused his blood to reverse flow, almost falling into Qi Deviation.

Muheul’s vision swayed violently. What stood before him? A venerable Buddhist monk? A Taoist perfected being?

No.

They were wretched creatures trying to escape the afflictions and desires of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

“So it was you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Perfected beings? Great Masters? In truth, you’re just vile old things scrambling for immortality like the First Emperor, ugly and pathetic!

At least the First Emperor died early, but you live on, spreading your depravity, making you even uglier!”

“You wretch! Mind your tongue!”

The Supreme Pure Golden Pill Heart Scripture was a sutra rumored to have contained the secrets to ascension and eternal life.

The original was lost to fire, and disciples passed down fragments from memory. Recreating the original was impossible, and even interpretations of the fragments were incomplete.

The one who gathered those fragments, interpreted them, and recreated the original was Master Aheon.

It certainly contained profound enlightenment, but its limits were clear.

Once lost, it became a fantasy, not something so extraordinary as to surpass other profound sutras.

Yet, Muheul’s martial prowess was so exceptional that it fueled this fantasy.

In truth, Muheul’s attainment was the result of cultivating not just that scripture, but also Taoist inner alchemy and Esoteric Tantra. But would those greedy, glinting eyes believe that?

Above all, thinking of his master who died unjustly for allegedly interpreting that damned text, he didn’t want to tell them anything.

“Kill me and bury that scripture too. That’s the only thing you scum can do!

But you will never be able to bury the truth. My brothers who shared blood on the battlefield will avenge me!”

“Tsk. So you intend to destroy your master’s final achievement? That is not the duty of a disciple.”

“We seek to protect you and the scripture from the demonic path. Why are you so foolish?”

“The demonic path? Who is the demonic path? You are the demons!”

“It seems words are useless. I’d like to rip out that tongue, but you need to speak, so we’ll just cripple your dantian!”

‘Damn. Blinded by rage. I still need more time.’

It was too late. The five old freaks rushed at Muheul. He swung his sword in resistance.

The power of three Gapja cycles was indeed immense. Blocking their attacks was out of the question; even deflecting or evading them was nearly impossible.

Even dodging wasn’t perfect. If he avoided a direct hit, the piercing shockwave of energy would still strike his body.

Even with his protective energy shield activated, damage accumulated. Yet, Muheul endured.

The amusing thing was, the five old freaks had abundant energy but significantly lower martial skill than Muheul.

Muheul had cultivated martial arts from across the land without discrimination. Even the arts of Japanese pirates, Tibet, and the Southern Barbarians were no exception.

He used one to support another, complementing each other. His movements were as if wings sprouted from his limbs, swift and seamless like a canopy.

“This scoundrel’s talent is extraordinary.”

“The problem is he uses that extraordinary talent to bring chaos and darkness to the martial world.”

“Wait. There’s something strange about him.”

“What is it?”

Muheul clicked his tongue. In his effort to mitigate damage, the circulation of his inner energy became visible externally.

“What? His inner energy is flowing through the Governor Vessel meridian.”

“Performing the Great Heavenly Cycle while fighting? How is that possible?!”

“Could that be the secret of the Supreme Pure Golden Pill Heart Scripture?”

“Pfft.”

Muheul couldn’t help but laugh. Even though his internal organs were shaken and blood flowed, seeing the old freaks astonished pleased him.

‘Perfect. While they’re shocked, I’ll buy time with words.’

“You have forgotten the teachings of the Great Ancestral Teacher. To merely touch the Heavenly Cycle method for the sake of accumulating a bit more inner energy faster risks Qi Deviation!”

“Y-you mean the original Great Heavenly Cycle? And it can even be done while fighting? Is that the secret of the scripture?!”

“Who knows? You will never find out.”

During this gap, he raised his inner fire to the crown of his head, then lowered it below his navel.

One final step remained. Merge the power gathered in the secret chakra with the vital energy in the upper chamber to unite body and spirit. If the plan succeeded, Muheul would ascend to immortality and escape this place.

But there was no time. The five freaks, their minds set, showed no mercy and unleashed their palm forces in an instant.

It was a force that seemed to tear the heavens and split the earth. Their intent was to shatter his limbs and crush his organs, leaving only his life intact.

Muheul gritted his teeth and swung his sword. The sword shattered. His arms broke faster than he could feel the pain.

But his body’s central axis was still intact. Just before the palm force struck his torso, a light brighter than the sun flashed in Muheul’s eyes.

‘I’ve succeeded!’

The Baihui point at his crown opened, and vital energy pierced through heaven and earth along his spine.

Scattered energies gathered at their source [Five Qi Returning to Origin]; the Jade, Golden, and Nine Fires, the three flames, converged in his upper temple and merged into one [Three Flowers Gather at the Crown].

“What, what is this?!”

“His vital energy! His inner power!”

The world turned blindingly white around Muheul’s head, then was swallowed into pitch-black darkness. And nothing remained.

‘Is this the immortal realm? Did I succeed?

No. That’s not it. Did I fail after all?’

Muheul was drifting in a void.

Had he failed to complete the great technique? Was the method fundamentally wrong? Or was the problem being attacked before he could finish?

Muheul felt his very being withering away. If this continued, he would lose his soul and consciousness and disappear forever.

‘I cannot give up. I must find a way.’

Muheul struggled desperately. Soon, he found a place in the void that seemed empty and accessible.

A small light in the darkness, a small hole. Muheul swam toward it.

Finally, the light and his body merged as one.