Chapter: 16
The Namgung Clan Lord’s Hall.
Despite the dozens of retainers gathered inside, the vast hall was so silent that not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
At the center of that overwhelming silence sat a single man upon the grand master’s chair.
Beneath his indifferent gaze, only Zhuge Hwa wore her usual gentle smile.
Unlike her, however, the Second Young Master, Namgung Jin, felt an immense burden pressing down on him.
With his elder brother, the First Young Master, away at the Murim Alliance, that pressure felt even heavier.
At the very end of the line of retainers, in the least noticeable position, stood Namgung Cheon.
Unlike Namgung Jin and the others, he neither tensed up nor avoided the man’s gaze.
From the beginning until the end, his eyes remained fixed solely upon Namgung Mugang, who sat upon the grand master’s chair.
The emotions reflected in those eyes were neither fear nor reverence, nor anything that could be described with a single word.
…So we meet again.
While everyone else was crushed beneath the suffocating pressure and could not even lift their heads, Namgung Cheon alone calmly faced him.
Namgung Mugang merely sat there, yet his presence alone seemed to weigh down the entire hall.
It was different from when they had crossed swords.
Now, the depth born from countless passing years had been added to him.
That unchanging strength strangely calmed Namgung Cheon’s heart.
The Great War between the Orthodox and Demonic factions.
Their duel in the Blackwood Forest.
At first, it had been a life-and-death battle between righteousness and evil, between enemies.
But as time passed, that meaning gradually faded away.
Only at the tips of their swords had they found exhilaration and mutual understanding.
It was a feeling neither of them had experienced anywhere else.
And in the end…
Standing there, drenched in blood, smiling at one another…
Without exchanging a single word, they had traded swords and made a promise.
That someday, at the very summit of the world, they would fight one final battle.
Yet now…
He could do nothing but look up at that man from within the body of his own son.
Even so…
Namgung Cheon’s eyes flickered like flames.
Someday.
He would cross swords with him again.
No matter how vast the gap between them was now, he only needed to grow faster than the years that man had accumulated.
The moment he reaffirmed that resolve, Namgung Mugang slowly swept his gaze across each of the assembled retainers.
Wherever his eyes landed, even elders who had survived countless hardships unconsciously lowered their waists.
Namgung Jin felt as though he could barely breathe.
Finally…
His gaze stopped upon Namgung Cheon, who stood at the very end of the line.
The youngest son.
The only one who neither avoided his gaze nor yielded, meeting him head-on with unwavering determination.
Naturally, Namgung Mugang’s eyes shifted to his son’s waist.
On one side hung Azure Heaven, the pride of the Namgung Clan.
On the other rested Ink Soul, the jet-black sword he himself had personally sealed away.
The sight of light and darkness existing side by side caused a brief ripple to pass through his otherwise indifferent eyes.
Like a tiny pebble falling upon the surface of a tranquil lake.
But only for a moment.
He showed no further reaction.
He simply looked at his son in silence.
The strange stillness flowing between father and son made the air within the hall even heavier.
The other retainers had forgotten even to breathe as they watched the silent exchange between the two.
Then the silence was finally broken by the Grand Elder, Namgung Gyeong.
Stepping forward, he spoke.
“Clan Lord, I shall report the major affairs that have taken place during your absence.”
Namgung Mugang gave a slight nod.
Without hesitation, Namgung Gyeong began his report.
He covered the administration of the clan, its finances, and relations with the Murim Alliance.
Finally, lowering his voice, he reached the subject everyone had been waiting for.
“Lastly… my report concerning the Third Young Master.”
A report concerning the Third Young Master.
At those words, the elders, who had maintained indifferent expressions throughout the earlier reports, subtly shifted in posture.
Every eye turned toward Namgung Cheon once more.
After glancing briefly at him, Namgung Gyeong continued.
“As previously reported by letter, the Third Young Master has achieved Sword Resonance…”
After briefly mentioning Sword Resonance, he immediately moved on to the results of the martial tournament.
Though his report was simply an objective listing of facts, its contents were enough to leave everyone in the hall stunned.
The defeat of Guo Shan, Master of the Thunder Gate.
The death of Gal Museong, leader of the Blood Sword Division.
Everyone already knew these events.
But hearing them formally spoken by the Grand Elder carried an entirely different weight.
As the report continued, quiet gasps spread throughout the hall.
Several elders looked toward Namgung Cheon with unmistakable admiration.
Then, just as the atmosphere reached its peak, Namgung Gyeong delivered the final blow.
“…Thus, he defeated nine experts throughout Hefei and its surrounding regions. His final opponent was Mujin, the Extinction Sword, disciple of the Wolf King.”
The instant the title “Extinction Sword” was spoken, the atmosphere in the hall turned heavy.
Several elders who had only recently returned with the Clan Lord and had yet to hear the news gasped in disbelief.
“He defeated the Wolf King’s disciple?!”
Meanwhile, even those who already knew the story unconsciously swallowed dryly upon hearing the report delivered before the Clan Lord himself.
Mujin, the Extinction Sword.
He was a transcendent master whom even most of the elders present could not confidently claim they could defeat.
For the youngest young master to have defeated such a man meant that his martial prowess had already surpassed that of the clan’s elders.
Namgung Gyeong drove the final nail into the astonishment of the gathering.
“Furthermore, Mujin, the Extinction Sword, has voluntarily become the Third Young Master’s personal retainer and is currently residing within the main estate.”
Voices of amazement echoed throughout the hall.
Using one’s own strength to recruit an outside transcendent master.
It was both an extraordinary achievement and a dangerous variable capable of disrupting the clan’s balance of power.
Yet the report was still not over.
As though turning the atmosphere upside down, Namgung Gyeong’s voice became even lower.
“However, the problems hidden behind the tournament must not be overlooked.”
The excited mood instantly cooled.
The elders belonging to the factions supporting either the First or Second Young Master—especially the Seventh Elder, Namgung Do—allowed faint smiles to appear on their faces, as though they had been waiting for this.
Namgung Gyeong calmly listed the consequences brought about by the tournament.
“Because of the Third Young Master’s actions, the existing power structure of Anhui’s underworld—including the Blood Sword Division—has completely collapsed.”
His words made it clear that achievement and consequence were two sides of the same coin.
“Numerous minor demonic sects are now competing to seize the vacant position of dominance, and their struggles have greatly unsettled the people of Anhui.”
The people.
At that word, several elders frowned and cast dissatisfied looks toward Namgung Cheon.
Ignoring them, Namgung Gyeong delivered his final report.
“And with the collapse of the Blood Sword Division, the Black Four Lotus—who had previously received tribute from them—has announced that it will dispatch the Black Wind Unit under the pretext of conducting an investigation.”
As the report ended, heavy silence once again settled over the hall.
The Grand Elder’s report had been completely objective.
Yet its contents clearly turned into arrows aimed directly at Namgung Cheon.
He had achieved glorious accomplishments.
But he had also created problems that now had to be dealt with.
Every retainer held their breath, waiting to see how Namgung Mugang would judge the matter and upon whom he would place responsibility.
All eyes shifted between Namgung Mugang upon the throne and Namgung Cheon, who still stood without the slightest movement.
At that moment, the Seventh Elder, Namgung Do, stepped forward and raised his voice.
“Clan Lord! This is clearly the disaster brought about by the Third Young Master’s excessive ambition! The clan must immediately step in and restore order—”
Before he could continue, Namgung Mugang quietly raised a hand.
Every sound within the hall vanished.
After remaining silent for a moment as though contemplating, Namgung Mugang looked toward Namgung Cheon.
“Cheon.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think?”
Namgung Cheon answered without the slightest hesitation.
“The duels I fought all followed proper procedure. None were carried out because of personal emotions. Furthermore, the chaos within Anhui’s underworld is merely the natural consequence of uprooting the rotten root known as the Blood Sword Division. Therefore, I do not believe my actions were wrong.”
Several elders frowned at his confident response.
Ignoring them, Namgung Cheon continued.
“However.”
His voice grew firmer.
“Even so, since all of this began because of me, I will also be the one to bring it to its conclusion.”
He admitted no wrongdoing.
But he accepted full responsibility.
That proud declaration caused a strange light to appear in Namgung Mugang’s deep eyes.
The retainers held their breath as they waited for the Clan Lord’s answer.
After what felt like a long time, Namgung Mugang finally spoke.
“Very well.”
Several elders’ expressions immediately stiffened.
Ignoring them, he continued.
“I entrust this entire matter to you.”
Full authority.
It meant far more than merely assigning responsibility.
It meant granting him authority equal to that of the Clan Lord regarding this affair.
The once-overlooked youngest young master had now been given complete control over the matter involving Anhui’s demonic factions and the Black Four Lotus.
“C-Clan Lord! This is—”
The Seventh Elder, Namgung Do, tried to protest.
Namgung Mugang’s next words crushed everything that followed.
“It is the Clan Lord’s command.”
The command of Namgung Mugang.
The Sword Emperor.
The Clan Lord.
Before the absolute weight of those words, neither Namgung Do nor anyone else dared speak again.
Yet Namgung Mugang’s astonishing declaration was still not over.
“Everyone may leave now.”
“Only Cheon will remain.”
A private audience.
Not only had he granted the Third Young Master full authority…
Now he intended to meet him alone.
The retainers could scarcely hide their shock.
Just what had the Clan Lord seen in that overlooked youngest son to make such unprecedented decisions?
Yet none dared object.
Silently lowering their heads, the elders and retainers left the Clan Lord’s Hall one after another.
Only Zhuge Hwa departed with a faint smile whose meaning no one could understand.
Creeeak…
Boom.
As the massive doors closed, only two people remained inside the enormous hall.
Father and son.
And once-rivaled enemies…
The Heavenly Demon and the Sword Emperor.
Namgung Mugang descended from the grand master’s chair and slowly approached Namgung Cheon.
Yet his eyes were fixed not upon his son’s face, but upon the jet-black sword hanging from his waist.
Ink Soul.
Then he spoke.
“I never thought I would see it again.”
Deep emotion lingered within his voice.
To him, Ink Soul was not merely a piece of cold steel.
It was the remnant of that long-forgotten day.
“…”
Namgung Cheon found himself unable to answer.
He had felt the exact same emotions when he first saw Ink Soul again.
So… you’ve been waiting as well.
After silently gazing at the sheath for a long while, Namgung Mugang finally lifted his eyes to meet his son’s.
Complex emotions filled them.
Looking alternately at the two swords hanging side by side at his son’s waist, he asked,
“Was Azure Heaven alone not enough?”
“Why did you also seek Ink Soul?”
It was a sincere question.
One sword symbolized the righteous path of the Namgung Clan.
The other was the legacy of the one who had stood at the pinnacle of the Demonic Path.
Two swords that should never coexist.
Why had his son chosen to wield them both?
Namgung Cheon answered without wavering.
“Azure Heaven showed me the honor of the Namgung Clan.”
He paused briefly before lowering his gaze toward Ink Soul.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“But this sword…”
“It showed me power itself.”
“…Power.”
Namgung Mugang quietly repeated the word.
It was such a simple answer.
And because of that, it was one he understood completely.
Within his son’s reply, he sensed no desire for fame or reputation.
Only the pure, primal yearning of a martial artist seeking greater strength.
The very same longing his old rival had once possessed.
At last, he turned away.
“I hope you can bear its weight.”
That was the end of their conversation.
Namgung Mugang slowly walked back toward the elevated seat where the grand master’s chair stood.
He never looked at his son again.
Namgung Cheon silently bowed in respect toward his father’s retreating figure.
After straightening, he remained still for a moment, watching Namgung Mugang return to his seat.
Or rather…
He looked upon the immense sky he would one day have to surpass.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he turned around.
Step by step, he walked steadily toward the enormous closed doors.
Boom.
The instant the heavy doors shut behind him, the magnificent scenery of the Clan Lord’s Hall disappeared from sight.
Only a single ray of light slipping through the crack of the doors dimly illuminated the corridor.
Namgung Cheon stopped there for a moment.
He could feel it.
The overwhelming presence beyond the doors behind him.
It was an Azure Heaven still far beyond his reach.
A heaven so distant that he could scarcely even dare to look up at it.
But…
His hand slowly reached toward Ink Soul at his waist.
The cold sensation of the hilt settled into his palm.
This… is my resolve to one day reach the Azure Heaven that is you.
His eyes gleamed with chilling determination.
Wait for me, Namgung Mugang.
For the day I reach Azure Heaven.
For the ending that we were never able to see together.
