Not long before arriving here,
Someone appeared before Baek Hyang-muk, who had just subdued the fleeing masked man.
It was none other than his disciple, Lee Jeong-gyeom.
The murderous aura emanating from Lee Jeong-gyeom was entirely different from the pure and righteous path that Baek Hyang-muk and Taeguk Sword Master Jongseon Jin-in of the Wudang Sect had taught.
It felt more like the energy of a demonic heretic.
"Master..."
Though Lee Jeong-gyeom quickly concealed that energy, it was already too late.
Baek Hyang-muk aimed his sword seal at him and demanded,
"When did you start deceiving me?"
"Master, what do you mean? I..."
"I asked when you started lying!"
"..."
Unable to respond to Baek Hyang-muk's repeated questioning, Lee Jeong-gyeom glanced at the masked man and sighed.
His expression seemed to say he had hoped this day would never come.
"So you did know all along."
At those words, Baek Hyang-muk let out a sigh.
As the successor of the Sword Immortals had suspected, it seemed his disciple had long been under the spell of the cursed Sword Spirit of the Fearsome Killing Sword.
Realizing how thoroughly he had been deceived gave him chills.
Consumed by a deep sense of betrayal, Baek Hyang-muk scowled and said,
"You must have laughed at this old man for never noticing."
At that, Lee Jeong-gyeom tilted his head and hurriedly responded,
"How could I ever mock you, Master? Despite me being under the Sword Spirit's spell, I've always been grateful to you for believing in me and keeping silent."
"What?"
Baek Hyang-muk couldn't hide his confusion.
He had believed Lee Jeong-gyeom had been possessed by the cursed Sword Spirit, but his words sounded no different from how he usually spoke.
He was the same disciple he had always known.
Baek Hyang-muk asked,
"...So you weren't possessed by the Sword Spirit?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? Didn't you say you've been fighting against the Sword Spirit?"
"Didn't you know that I've been fighting it all along?"
'!?'
Baek Hyang-muk was stunned.
Fighting the Sword Spirit? What was he talking about?
Then what about all the past massacres and the death of Jongseon Jin-in of the Taeguk Sword? How could those be explained?
"You remember everything? You're saying you were fighting it the whole time?"
"...Yes. If it weren't for the help of Master Mansasinui, I wouldn't have even known I was under the Sword Spirit's control."
"Mansasinui's help?"
Only then did the mystery surrounding the figure that the successor of the Sword Immortals had mentioned—Mansasinui—begin to make sense.
---
"You bastard, were you the one impersonating my disciple all this time?!"
At Baek Hyang-muk's furious shout, the blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom let out a mocking laugh.
What did that laugh mean?
Boiling with rage, Baek Hyang-muk shot forth a crimson blade aura like a lightning strike.
It was powerful enough to cut an enemy in two instantly, but the blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom easily neutralized it with a mere swipe of his sword seal.
-Chak!
The blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom sneered and said,
"Impersonate, huh? How amusing."
"What?"
"Who's impersonating whom?"
With that, the blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom swung his sword seal.
A sharp blade aura tinged with dark energy shot straight toward the two disciples.
The real Lee Jeong-gyeom leaped forward and stretched out his hand toward the flying aura.
Before it could even touch him, it veered off and shot upward.
-Chak!
It was a move from the Energy Reversal Technique that the blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom had displayed earlier.
But surprisingly, unlike the blackened version, who had to touch something directly to redirect energy, the real Lee Jeong-gyeom could divert it even before contact.
His sensitivity to energy was beyond imagination.
"Truly, a natural talent."
Even the blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom acknowledged this.
But still curious, he asked bluntly,
"How are you resisting the Sword Spirit of the Fearsome Killing Sword?"
"I don't see any reason to tell you."
-Pat!
With that, both the real Lee Jeong-gyeom and Baek Hyang-muk launched themselves into motion.
Knowing the blackened version wasn't someone to be taken lightly, they seemed to intend to subdue him with a joint attack.
But they had to stop midway.
The blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom had suddenly drawn a poisoned needle and aimed it at me.
Baek Hyang-muk shouted,
"How cowardly! Let him go at once!"
The blackened version sneered,
"You're seriously mistaken."
"What?"
"This guy is more dangerous than the lot of you. Do you really think I'm having a hard time dealing with you?"
The moment he finished speaking, he threw the needle at me.
-Swish! Thud!
"Gah!"
The needle pierced straight through the heart.
The pain was even sharper than when my lower dantian had been pierced.
"So-hyung!"
"You bastard!"
Seeing my heart get pierced, Baek Hyang-muk and Lee Jeong-gyeom cried out in shock.
As if savoring their reactions, the blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom smirked at me.
"You thought I'd leave your middle dantian alone?"
"Urghhh…"
"This will hurt. The Exploding Blood Needle is designed so that even if your body regenerates, the sharp fragments will stay embedded and won't fall off."
Clearly, he had prepared thoroughly.
He had assumed I had regenerative abilities and set a trap accordingly.
Turning away from me, he said,
"Taste the helplessness of being unable to do anything. I'll kill you last."
Then he began walking toward the others.
Baek Hyang-muk shouted and sprang forward,
"You scum!"
Like a hawk swooping down on prey, Baek Hyang-muk struck with a sword technique.
It was Blood Spiral Blade of Heaven, a form of the Blood Heaven Grand Sword technique.
Though not yet at its peak form, in the hands of a swordmaster like Baek Hyang-muk, it was nearly perfect.
However—
-Papapapapak!
Amazingly, the blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom stood still and casually blocked the attack.
He even redirected the force imbued in the sword technique, scattering the blade aura in all directions.
"What?!"
Baek Hyang-muk looked stunned.
He had believed that the concentrated force of the Blood Heaven Grand Sword could counter the Energy Reversal Technique, but seeing it fail, he was clearly shaken.
The blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom sneered,
"That might have worked three hundred years ago, but not anymore."
"Three hundred years?"
"Was it worth staining your reputation by using the Blood Demon's martial arts, only to find it meaningless now?"
Having effortlessly blocked Baek Hyang-muk's sword strikes, the blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom found an opening.
With blinding speed, he aimed his sword at Baek Hyang-muk's forehead.
But just in the nick of time, the real Lee Jeong-gyeom struck at the blackened one's neck with blade aura, foiling the attack.
-Swish!
The blackened one gracefully dodged with fluid footwork.
The two disciples attacked simultaneously.
Realizing the Blood Heaven Grand Sword was ineffective, Baek Hyang-muk switched to his personal style: Silent Immortal Sword.
Meanwhile, Lee Jeong-gyeom supported with Taeguk Sword techniques.
The synergy between them was perfect—Baek Hyang-muk leading, and Lee Jeong-gyeom filling every gap.
-Chachachacha!
"Ha! This is fun!"
The blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom laughed in excitement as he fended them off.
Without moving a single step, using only one hand, he blocked their relentless and flawless sword strikes—a truly awe-inspiring feat.
Shocked by such overwhelming skill, Baek Hyang-muk and Lee Jeong-gyeom were speechless.
And then, the blackened Lee Jeong-gyeom drew a circle with his hand—
-Papang!
"Ugh!"
"What the—!"
-Chwarurururu!
As if colliding with something, the air rippled like waves, and their figures were flung away.
When Lee Jeong-gyeom looked in shock, the darkened Lee Jeong-gyeom smirked and said,
"This is the completed Igi Jingyeong (移氣眞經)."
"Igi Jingyeong?"
"It's nothing like the incomplete version you learned through the baek (魄)."
His words caused Lee Jeong-gyeom's eyes to waver.
With confusion, Lee Jeong-gyeom asked,
"...Did you also master it through the spirit of the Geopsalgeom?"
At that question, the darkened Lee Jeong-gyeom burst out laughing uncontrollably.
"Hahahahahaha!"
After laughing for a long while, he shook his head with disappointment.
"To say something like that after seeing the completed Igi Jingyeong… how pathetic."
"What exactly are you?"
"I'm someone who is essentially your master."
"What are you talk—"
Swish!
Before Lee Jeong-gyeom could finish, the figure of the enemy suddenly appeared behind him.
Failing to follow the movement, Lee Jeong-gyeom hurled himself forward in a hurry.
Though he couldn't keep up with the speed, his keen ki sense allowed him to detect the opponent's movement.
"Your ki sense is impressive. But—"
As the darkened Lee Jeong-gyeom extended his sword fingers, a streak of black energy pierced straight through Lee Jeong-gyeom's back.
Thud!
"Guh!"
Gritting his teeth, Lee Jeong-gyeom twisted his body and launched a palm strike at him.
It looked like an ordinary palm strike, but it was Sipdan Geum (十段錦)—a powerful martial art of the Wudang school, where ten layered strikes are embedded in one.
"Your training is shallow."
But even that fearsome technique was deflected. As the darkened Lee Jeong-gyeom lightly reached out, the rippling air barrier bounced the attack back, striking Lee Jeong-gyeom instead.
Boom! Crash!
Lee Jeong-gyeom was sent flying, crashing through trees.
Baek Hyang-muk caught him using the Ehwajeopmok technique, dispersing the shockwave.
Crack!
The ground cracked from beneath Baek Hyang-muk's feet due to the immense pressure.
Such overwhelming energy caused heat waves to rise from his body.
Even for a master like Baek Hyang-muk, neutralizing both Sipdan Geum and the enemy's energy was too much.
Drip...
"Master...?"
Seeing blood drip from Baek Hyang-muk's mouth, Lee Jeong-gyeom's voice choked up.
It was the first time he had seen the famed Infinite Sword of Justice, the greatest swordsman of the orthodox sect, injured like this.
Catching his breath, Baek Hyang-muk said,
"Stay alert. If we let our guard down here, we're both dead."
"...Yes, Master. I'll keep that in mind."
Steeling his resolve, Lee Jeong-gyeom nodded.
The darkened Lee Jeong-gyeom sneered at them.
"Pointless gestures."
"Whether it's pointless or not, we won't know unless we try."
Baek Hyang-muk raised his energy to its peak, causing trees around him to sway violently from the wind pressure.
He was prepared to stake his life right there.
But the darkened Lee Jeong-gyeom remained calm and arrogant.
"I'll end this within three moves."
"What?"
In martial arts, saying someone isn't even worth three strikes (samchojijeok) is a way to insult an overwhelmingly weaker opponent.
Infuriated, Baek Hyang-muk's expression turned icy cold.
But as a seasoned master, he kept composed.
Poised to strike, he asked,
"With your level of skill, there's no reason for you to go this far, imitating my disciple. What is your intention?"
"Hah!"
The darkened Lee Jeong-gyeom snorted dismissively.
It seemed he was irritated by the word imitating.
But that was all—he wasn't the type to easily reveal his thoughts.
Still, Baek Hyang-muk pressed on.
"Were you ordered by Emperor Geumsang to impersonate my disciple? To eventually frame him as the infamous killer Sahryung?"
The darkened one's eyes narrowed.
Clearly offended.
And yet, perhaps having a change of heart, he spoke.
"Don't be mistaken. Who do you think arranged for that brat to obtain the Geopsalgeom?"
"...You're saying it was you?"
"He was the one doing the imitating, not me. Of course, he was overtaken by my baek, so it's as if I did it myself."
"What do you mean? What is baek...?"
Slash!
Before the question could be finished, a wave of black energy sliced through the air.
Baek Hyang-muk countered with his own energy, but the difference in power pushed him back more than ten steps.
Swooshhh!
"This conversation ends here. The fact that you both die here hasn't changed."
He clearly no longer wished to talk.
Then, Baek Hyang-muk looked at me.
The darkened Lee Jeong-gyeom sneered.
"Looking at him won't change anything."
Ignoring him, Baek Hyang-muk raised his voice so I could hear.
"This is as far as this old man can uncover."
'!?'
The darkened one turned to me with sharp eyes.
Swish!
His figure dispersed like mist and appeared above me.
He then tried to stomp my throat—to confirm the kill.
At that moment, I caught his foot with my hand.
Crack!
The darkened one's eyes narrowed.
"How are you moving?"
Even after piercing my key pressure points, lower and middle dantians, how?
Because Chehwamanbyeonsul isn't just for disguising appearance.
It can alter muscles, shift organs and meridians—completely restructuring the body.
I said,
"You should've gone for the neck from the start."
"You bastard!"
He tried to pour more power into the stomp.
At that moment, dozens of long needles embedded in my body shot out in every direction—like the Tang Clan's secret technique Mantian Huayu (満天花雨).
Papapapapapak!
He hurriedly retreated, bouncing the needles away using Igi Jingyeong techniques.
He tried to attack me again, but Baek Hyang-muk struck preemptively, blocking with sword energy.
And Lee Jeong-gyeom, concealing all his energy, aimed for his back.
"Hmph!"
Boom!
But waves of energy knocked them both away.
Swooshhh!
As Baek Hyang-muk was pushed back, he said to me,
"I don't know how you survived, but I'm glad you did."
He still thought I was the disciple, not the heir of the Sword Sage.
"Thanks to you."
Actually, when my middle dantian was blocked by Namcheon Iron Sword, I used Chehwamanbyeonsul to modify my internal structure.
I pretended to be defeated, waiting for him to reveal everything.
The sudden arrival of the master and disciple pair complicated things slightly.
Still watching the enemy, Baek Hyang-muk said,
"Your master is with the Martial Alliance. I'll hold him off—take my disciple and get help."
"Master! I can't let you!"
Realizing the sacrifice, Lee Jeong-gyeom refused.
Baek Hyang-muk whispered something through voice transmission—probably trying to convince him.
I stepped forward and said,
"That won't be necessary."
"That monster is far too powerful. Unless it's your master, he can't be stopped. Listen to—"
Flash!
Before he could finish, the darkened figure lunged at me.
"Even if you've recovered, nothing changes!"
I thrust my palm to the ground.
"Namcheon."
Suddenly the ground rumbled violently.
RUMBLE!
Then the Namcheon Iron Sword burst from the earth.
—"I've been waiting."
It had been buried deep.
Gripping the sword, I thrust it at him.
He spun his sword fingers in a circle, releasing Igi Jingyeong's deflective force.
Ripples in the air stopped my thrust mid-air and rebounded with stronger force.
"Don't think I let you win earlier. This is my true martial prowess."
Black mist surged from his body, enhancing Igi Jingyeong's repulsion effect.
Crack!
Nearly thirty jang (approx. 10 meters each) of ground began to collapse from the pressure.
"...This is ridiculous power!"
"Step back, brother!"
Baek Hyang-muk and Lee Jeong-gyeom shouted in shock.
Feeling triumphant, the enemy grinned.
But then—
Fwoooosh!
My blood surged, creating steam from intense circulation.
Red lightning enveloped my body—an effect of both thunder spirit harmony and Blood Demon Transformation.
Crackle!
The darkened one's eyes trembled.
"This side too..."
With those words, I rotated the sword tip and pushed harder.
The ripples of Igi Jingyeong warped inward.
Then—
RIIIP!
It started tearing apart.
Panicked, he twisted with all his might.
And then—
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!
The sword strike, imbued with red lightning, pierced the air.
The fusion of energy, thunder, blood, and the True Blood Gold Body—a feat I hadn't performed since the incident at Dohwasan.
But my strength now was incomparable to back then.
He narrowly dodged, losing a chunk of his shoulder, and looked back, swallowing nervously.
"Th—the mountain...!"
Lee Jeong-gyeom's shocked voice came from behind.
The mountain behind had a gaping hole over a hundred jang wide.
"You... just what are you..."
Baek Hyang-muk gasped in astonishment.
They might misunderstand even more, thinking I'm stronger than the Sword Sage's heir.
But first—the fake Lee Jeong-gyeom.
Smirking at him, I said,
"Since you're not the real Lee Jeong-gyeom... I don't need to hold back."
"Wait—"
Slash!
"Gaaah!"
He tried to say something, but I didn't listen—I slashed his waist.
He tried to block with Igi Jingyeong, but it was useless.
I cut right through it.