After finishing lunch with Cheonghuiyeon, Namgoonghwa, and Gak Hwijun and playing around a bit, we ran into Hongryeon and Chaejin, who had just completed their training.
“Perfect timing!” I thought as I headed towards Doje’s room with them.
Doje seemed puzzled as he prepared for what looked like drinking, so I explained what had happened today.
Given the gravity of the matter, everyone fell silent.
“Those who have reached a certain level all know that the final step is ascension,” he said.
For that ascension, one must sever attachments to earthly desires and completely shed lust and emotions.
That was the essential condition for reaching the realm of immortality.
There was once a person.
A being abandoned by the world, who became a total embodiment of hatred.
Desiring to consume all the world’s evils and become evil himself.
He hated the world to that extent.
But a single human cannot take on the world alone.
Only those who have transcended to the realm of immortality can do that.
If one wants to destroy the world according to their own will, they cannot gain the power of immortality, and to obtain that power, they must abandon lust and emotion and let go of that hatred.
And that person…
The one who hated the entire world…
Instead of obtaining the power of ascension while holding onto lust and emotion, he continued to destroy the world until other immortals intervened.
“That is the Cheonma. And what the Cheonma left behind is the Cheonma Divine Art.”
“Well… I’d say anyone interested in Murim would know that much, right?” Chaeeran tilted her head, and everyone nodded in agreement.
Yeah, even Sayoon knew about this since it’s famous enough that there was no need for a detailed explanation.
The Cheonma Divine Art represents the power of hatred and destruction.
The power of a malicious god who wants to erase everything in the world.
“Everyone knows that since the Cheonma, no one has been able to master the Cheonma Divine Art.”
The Cheonma Divine Art was not passed down to the Demon Cult.
Well, it was, but what remained was just a half-baked version missing the most crucial elements.
The Cheonma Divine Art is the power of the gods.
If a human were to grasp it, they couldn’t handle the power and would explode, resulting in their death.
“I’ve heard that countless talented individuals from the Demon Cult have challenged the Cheonma Divine Art.”
About 200 years ago, the genius Wiji Hyuk unified the Demon Cult and became its leader, announcing his intention to challenge the Cheonma Divine Art.
He boldly declared that he would grasp the power of the Cheonma to create a world dominated by demonic cultivation, stepping into the Central Plains to unleash the Divine Art.
And the Murim Alliance, the Shadow Clan, and the Imperial Family could only watch in horror.
Because the moment Wiji Hyuk activated the Cheonma Divine Art, he exploded in an instant.
Everyone was shocked by the sight of only a handful of blood and flesh remaining, and it was later revealed through research.
The power of gods is just the power of gods.
It’s something humans cannot bear.
Even the genius Wiji Hyuk, who could perfectly wield all those demonic arts, couldn’t handle it and burst.
So how did the Cheonma manage to use the divine power of the Cheonma Divine Art so stably?
It must be simply because the Cheonma was special.
That’s why all the families and demons of the Demon Cult were openly saying it.
He was speaking boastfully.
“If you master the demon arts and complete the Cheonma Divine Art, the Demon Cult will immediately recognize you as a Cheonma.”
So, if you’re a demon, challenge the Cheonma Divine Art.
Numerous demons have tried and countless bloodstains were made.
And eventually, the Demon Cult gave up on the Cheonma Divine Art.
However, over a hundred years ago.
A hidden document was discovered within the Demon Cult’s territory, revealing incredible information through its records.
Now, what remains in the Demon Cult is only half of the Cheonma Divine Art.
The way to grasp the power of the gods is to completely sever ties with humanity by abandoning desires and emotions.
But because of that, an ordinary human can never accept the power of the Cheonma; if they try even once to accept and use it, their body would be destroyed and their soul would rise.
Nevertheless, it’s not entirely impossible.
While maintaining desires and emotions, there’s a way to wield divine power by finding the remaining half of the art. It was a record left by the Cheonma to encourage one to seek it out.
Of course, the Demon Cult was bound to cheer.
If they could obtain that half of the Cheonma Divine Art, they could achieve supremacy in demonic cultivation.
If a human were to grasp the power of the gods—not to burn the world in hatred like the ancient Cheonma—the immortals wouldn’t intervene.
Yet…
Since then, nothing had been discovered.
“I risked my life to gather information from Gaebang and Hao-mun and from Dongchang. Countless people have researched and studied to find the remaining half of the Cheonma Divine Art left by the Cheonma.”
I lifted the blueprint.
“And this is one of those traces.”
Everyone, focused on my words, tilted their heads in confusion.
“…Wait a moment.”
Only then did the Doje seem to comprehend the meaning of my statement and asked stiffly.
“No, wait. Sayoon, where on earth did you get such information?”
“It can be found in the imperial palace’s research texts.”
“Imperial palace research texts? How did you obtain those?”
“Hongryeon, as you know, I own land and buildings in other cities besides Seonhwa City. I’ve been making investments and purchasing land, and while demolishing an estate of a long-deceased official, I came across it.”
Honestly, I never expected to acquire it that way.
I bought several estates while investing in a city located about a month’s journey from Seonhwa City, and it was during the demolition of those estates that the workers handed the documents over to me.
“The owner of that estate was an outstanding researcher and conducted various experiments. There were many interesting things aside from that.”
“Is that… still around?”
From the righteous faction’s standpoint, they absolutely needed to prevent anyone from mastering the Cheonma Divine Art.
Since Hongryeon thought it should be completely destroyed first, she asked, but I shook my head.
“It’s gone.”
“Wha… what?! Is it because of me?! I-I’m so sorry! It’s my fault…”
The last time my office was destroyed, Sayoon, who was there, turned pale and made a pitiful face. I shook my head.
It wasn’t Sayoon, the aide to the Iron Blooded Chancellor, who attacked my bookshelf and destroyed it; I remember all the contents of those books, so it doesn’t matter.
It wasn’t Sayoon, the second-in-command of the Blood Iron Demon, who destroyed it with her strong energy, and I remember everything in the book, so it doesn’t matter.
“What, that book is still in the Imperial Palace. If you want to see it, you can request it from the royal family. Maybe I wouldn’t have known back in the day, but now I’m an administrator too. If something does happen, you can always get help from the Murim Alliance.”
I handed the design to the Sword Saint. She tilted her head in interest as she listened to my story.
“Would you like to try tearing this with your energy?”
“Hmm…”
The Sword Saint raised her finger. The energy gathered at her fingertip lightly grazed the paper, and her eyes widened in surprise.
“This… is fascinating.”
Even her energy couldn’t cut through the paper with the design on it. I lightly tapped the untouched paper and continued speaking.
“This design itself represents the power of the Cheonma.”
“It would be good to make armor out of this…”
Chaeran said with disbelief, and I handed her the paper and brush.
Quickly drawing the design on the paper, Chaeran gripped it tightly, and the paper was effortlessly torn apart.
In other words, it didn’t contain the power of the Cheonma.
“Wow… not even with your energy?”
Well, it’s an event item. They did the same thing in Heavenly Bright Moon to prevent it from being destroyed.
I placed the design on the table.
“Then we have to guard this.”
Sayoon said seriously.
If someone masters the Cheonma Divine Art, it would truly mark the beginning of chaos.
She was worried about how many people could die because of that.
“Then what should we do with this?”
“I heard that Namgoonghwa, Gak Hwijun, Yo Heemi, and Ma Cheolpi obtained this. However, the fact that nothing has happened until Cheongho comes means that the Demon Sect still doesn’t know of its existence.”
“Then we should seal it.”
Doje said nonchalantly, but there was a seriousness in his voice.
“Honestly, I’m curious. To gain the power of a god and yet not ascend, staying in the mortal realm. For beings like us, there would be no temptation quite like it…”
But anything could happen in that process. Thus, Doje would likely want to conceal it.
“That’s a wise judgment.”
In Heavenly Bright Moon, many people had died or been injured during the event to obtain the rest of the Cheonma Divine Art.
Just because one obtained half of the Cheonma Divine Art doesn’t mean they can use it. After all, the other half was secretly stored by the Demon Sect.
Of course, I don’t know about future events that might be added later, but as far as I know, there was no way to use the Cheonma Divine Art.
And while the rewards for this event were quite good, that was just the story within the game.
Now that this has become my reality, I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.
“So it means we shouldn’t let the Murim Alliance know.”
“Exactly. I can’t say there aren’t Demon Sect spies in the Murim Alliance.”
Chaejin fiddled with the paper and then grinned.
“So if I can split this, does that mean I can surpass the Cheonma Divine Art?”
“Well… who knows?”
Even I don’t know that.
“Well then.”
I’ve finished my story. It’s up to the Sword Saint and the Doje to decide what to do with it.
I stepped outside and sat in the spacious garden, putting a cigarette in my mouth.
“Mister.”
Sayoon walked over with a clumsy gait and sat next to me. I quickly tried to put out the cigarette, but she just smiled brightly.
“That’s also a fragrance of yours, Mister.”
“Ugh. Just don’t do this sort of thing.”
“Hahaha~!”
She giggled playfully, and when I smiled back at her, she hugged her knees. Sitting squatted on the long bench, she stared blankly at the sky and spoke in a small voice.
“You really know a lot, Mister.”
“There are many things in books. Study hard. Listen well to the Master.”
“Haha. No matter how much I study, I don’t think I can reach your level, Mister.”
“Well, you might pick it up in time. If it really comes to it, I’ll teach you later.”
I extinguished the cigarette and looked at the sky with Sayoon.
“By the way, Mister. Are you getting married to the Master, Senior Sister, and Chaejin Unni over there…?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow… Congratulations!”
I nodded at her cheerful smile. Just as we were chatting, a voice called from behind.
“Could you come in for a moment?”
Looks like a conclusion has been reached. I saw Chaeran coming out, handed Sayoon over to her, and went inside.
The atmosphere in the room was quite serious.
“What have you decided?”
“We’ve decided to seal that thing in Hongseong.”
The Sword Saint spoke seriously, while the Doje frowned hard.
“Tsk. I’d rather keep it myself.”
This wasn’t just anything; it was half of the Cheonma Divine Art.
To say they would keep something that the demonic sect would do anything to get their hands on was quite the statement. There would be honor in it, but the risks were also significant, yet the Sword Saint and Doje were saying they would handle it themselves.
“This isn’t an easy decision.”
“But this is what justice is about. And…”
The Sword Saint scratched his cheek and looked at me.
“If you’re to become the wife of Shinsan Seonja, you should at least be prepared for this much. If you avoid danger and turn away in fear… how could I look at you straight?”
Sigh. That young one is quite stubborn. Anyway, about this in-law matter.
“Yes?”
“We’re planning to establish a Moonjeong branch in Seonhwa City. And the branch director…”
He looked at Chaejin.
“She will do.”
That statement basically allowed Chaejin, who many hoped would become a transcendent and remain in Moonjeong, to keep staying at my inn.
Now, with this, there will be three transcendents in Seonhwa City!
Seongju will surely be delighted. Just that alone would greatly reduce the public safety issues that would arise from the promotion of the city.
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