Chapter 49 – The Sword Demon and the Sword Emperor Gaze Upon Each Other 

Swooooosh!

A large warship was moving southward along the Yangtze River.

It was the vessel carrying Hoyeon’s group, who had left the Murong Clan six days ago to return to Anhui.

Hoyeon was seated cross-legged in the cabin, eyes closed.

He was currently concentrating his energy into his Gihyehyeol (a specific acupuncture point).

Rumble!

Crack!

Thunder rolled in the clouds as lightning flashed, and Hoyeon could sense that his internal injuries had fully healed.

‘I did push myself too far. Even though I took the Baekseon Gangche Bodan, I went all out with my flame aura in this condition.’

If sword qi was like dew delicately clinging to a blade of grass, flame aura (giyeom) was like oil spread on it and lit ablaze.

It required an explosive surge of internal energy at once, placing a heavy burden on the body.

‘It’s like pouring buckets of water down a narrow channel—it’ll break the channel.’

He had one Gapja worth of internal energy in his dantian, but using it all at once strained his weak meridians, resulting in internal injuries.

‘Still, it’s useful in emergencies. I’ll ask Sanggwan-hyung to get me more Baekseon Gangche Bodan. Maybe even something better.’

Currently aboard the ship, along with Sanggwanhae and Dang Segi, were warriors from both the Sanggwan and Sichuan Dang clans.

When Hoyeon had gone to say goodbye, they said they were also heading to Anhui and asked to join him on the journey.

‘Even Yul came along.’

What surprised him was Murong Yul.

Leaving her clan in the middle of the successor competition? That was almost like declaring she was giving up her bid to be heir.

‘It was a long shot, but giving up so openly? That’s different…’

Take Jegal Ahyeon, for example—she returned to her clan to build influence by gathering her own people.

Even if Yul couldn’t become the heir, it would have been wiser for her to gather power for future options—whether that meant independence or negotiating with the eventual successor.

‘Whatever the plan, power comes first. Well, I guess she knows what she’s doing. Same with Ahyeon.’

Thinking of Ahyeon made him concerned.

‘Ahem. She should be fine. Her spiritual misalignment seemed somewhat resolved.’

He had helped suppress it with his Will Resonance Technique every time they met, but more importantly, she seemed to have found a way to control her powers herself.

‘Her stabilized powers mean her soul has grown stronger. Something must have happened—either a shock or a resolved determination.’

Hum…

With that thought, Hoyeon now focused on his Indanghyeol (another acupuncture point).

‘…It’s increased by about 50%.’

He himself had changed as well.

The spiritual energy felt in his upper dantian had evolved in both quantity and quality.

This was the result of sealing the Baihui points of over fifty children at Baekyak Mountain’s medicine hall.

Spiritual energy strengthens the more it’s used—especially when pushed past limits.

In the past, as the Sword Demon, he had burned his soul’s energy to kill, kill, and kill again.

This time, he had done it to save children.

‘Still… who the hell are those bastards? Spiritual engineering, really…’

What he heard from Murong Hak’s sword was truly shocking.

An unknown organization was using a mystical artifact called Shinpyun to extract children’s spiritual energy and artificially create spiritual power users.

‘Spiritual engineers, huh. What a sick joke.’

To find more clues, Hoyeon had scoured the entire Baekyak Mountain hall and touched every single sword in the looted stash.

But no new information emerged—only suspicion.

‘One thing’s certain: Guchunseong is involved with them somehow. We’ve found traces in both Noklim and Salmak already.’

While deep in thought, pondering over one question after another—

An old voice rang out from outside the cabin.

“Ahem. The river wind is awfully cold. Couldn’t a kind young fellow bring this old man a blanket?”

‘Ugh, why is that old man again…?’

Frowning, Hoyeon grabbed a blanket nearby, feeling like he had just gained another headache.

Swooooosh!

The cold wind of the Yangtze River whipped across the deck.

Ordinary folks would have felt frozen by it, but the old man standing there was just fine.

“Hoho, thank you.”

“Ah, yes.”

‘Yeah, right. Like someone who’s long surpassed heat and cold resistance really needs a blanket…’

Hoyeon stared incredulously at Murong Sangcheon, now wrapped snugly in the blanket.

He wanted to say something snarky, but upon spotting the Black Night Emperor Sword at the old man’s waist, he held his tongue and bowed slightly.

“It’s cold out. Why don’t you go inside for some tea?”

“Hoho, I’ll pass. I’ll be holed up for months in Henan. Best to enjoy the fresh air while I can.”

Murong Sangcheon smiled kindly and studied Hoyeon’s face carefully.

“You really do look like him.”

“Pardon?”

“Janghak. I mean Namgung Janghak.”

“……”

He’d said something similar before.

Seeing Hoyeon silent, Murong Sangcheon nodded and continued.

“Namgung Janghak. Your grandfather. Though you probably never met him—he died young.”

Gazing at the river, Murong Sangcheon muttered nostalgically.

“He was quite the handsome man. Ladies adored him. When we walked together, the scent of flowers followed us.”

“……”

“But he had no interest in romance. His mind was solely on restoring the Namgung Clan’s prestige.”

“……”

“He worked tirelessly to recover the clan’s lost martial arts and restore its name.”

Hoyeon simply listened as the old man reminisced.

Then Murong Sangcheon turned his gaze on Hoyeon.

“He died without fulfilling his dream—but now his grandson has realized it for him.”

“…Is that so?”

“I’ve heard you restored the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art. You’re called Lightning Child, yes?”

“Something like that.”

“Sixteen. It’s a fine age to set your ambitions.”

Murong Sangcheon grinned and asked a question.

“Do you have ambition?”

“Ambition, sir?”

“Call it a dream, or a purpose.”

“Well… I’m planning to make the Namgung Clan the greatest in the world.”

“Huh?”

Murong Sangcheon widened his eyes, then burst into hearty laughter.

“Puhaha! The greatest clan in the world? I like it! But to do that, you’ll have to surpass this Sword Emperor, won’t you?”

“Well, you’re quite old, sir. Give it time and I’ll naturally overtake you.”

“Khaha! Hahaha!”

Murong Sangcheon roared with laughter—tears even welled in his eyes.

“Hahaha! You’re right. Youth always wins. I concede.”

He licked his lips and looked at Hoyeon, a strange desire glinting in his eyes.

“Did you know ambition comes in different kinds?”

“Different kinds?”

“Public and private. Gong-yok and sa-yok. Do you know the difference?”

“Well, public ambition benefits others. Private ambition is for personal gain.”

“Close enough. Only one thing lacks sa-yok. The universe itself.”

Snap!

He pointed to the dark night sky.

“The universe’s motion is not for selfish gain—it simply births and nurtures all things. That’s pure public intent.”

“And private ambition?”

“It begins from desire—for wealth, power, or strength. That’s private.”

Hoyeon sensed a deep truth behind the old man’s words.

Murong Sangcheon was sharing his own enlightenment.

“To reach a higher level, remember this: The natural world changes through causality, but the mind changes through purpose.”

“…Why are you telling me this?”

Hoyeon looked at him warily.

Enlightenment is a martial artist’s lifetime achievement—it’s not something one casually shares, even with family or closest disciples.

“Heh heh. Because I have ambition too. When I was young, I wanted to fight the Sword Demon. He was the undisputed best.”

“……”

“But he’s dead. And in the 300 years since, martial arts have advanced so much… Even if he returned, he might not be the best anymore.”

“……”

“So what about the Namgung sword that killed the Sword Demon?”

Snap!

He pointed at Hoyeon with a sly smile.

“Young man. Be ambitious. Don’t wait for me to die of old age. Climb the wall. Stand beside me—and see what I see.”

“……”

Hoyeon’s eyes darkened.

At that moment—

“I-It’s river bandits!”

“That flag—it’s the Sea God Gang!”

“I see the River Alliance flag too!”

“No way! We paid the toll just days ago!”

Swooooosh!

Three massive warships sliced through the water.

BOOM! THUD!

“Wahahaha! I am Yuk Gupa, the Slaughterer of the Waterways! Where is the brat Namgung Hoyeon?”

A hairy brute leapt like a meteor from the lead ship, brandishing his sword.

Clang!

“I won’t waste words! Hand over Namgung Hoyeon and you can pass. Resist, and—!”

Vwoooom!

Red aura erupted from his blade, and the crew gasped in horror.

“G-God help us! It really is the Slaughterer!”

“He’s a transcendent master!”

“Wh-Who’s Namgung Hoyeon?!”

Thud! Tatatatak!

To make things worse, the bandits began leaping aboard their ship.

Chaos broke out on the deck.

But Hoyeon and Murong Sangcheon stood still, gazing only at each other.

With a serene smile, Murong Sangcheon said,

“You’re talented, young man. Watch closely. This is the name of the wall you must reach—Ten Thousand Phenomena, Solely the Mind.”

“Khuhuhu! That blue-robed brat over there? Kill the old man, capture the boy!”

Snap!

Yuk Gupa pointed his blade at Hoyeon.

At the same moment, Murong Sangcheon formed a sword sign with his right hand.

Hoyeon’s brow twitched—

And then, the impossible happened.

Vwooooom—!

A golden sword manifested on the deck.

Murong Sangcheon swung it leisurely, like lifting a teacup.

PUKUAAAAH!

Yuk Gupa and his minions were cleaved in half.

Their swords—enchanted or not—were all severed.

Whoosh!

Murong Sangcheon swung again, and the three warships split vertically.

CRAAACK!

RUMMMMBLE!

The sundered ships slowly sank into the Yangtze River.

Everyone on deck was too stunned to even comprehend what had happened.

SPLAAAAASH!

Water droplets sprayed into the sky like rain from the impact.

Vwoooom!

The golden sword now stood behind Murong Sangcheon, shining a divine halo over him.

Deep shadows accentuated every wrinkle of his aged face as he looked at the stiffened Hoyeon.

“Remember me. I am the Light Sword Emperor, Murong Sangcheon. I’ll be waiting for you—above the heavens.”