Chapter 27 : Master’s Gate (2)

The number one person under heaven!

It was a heart fluttering phrase.

Anyone, no matter what field they were in, wanted to be called the number one person under heaven.

A potter in the field of pottery, a weaver in the world of textiles, would anyone dislike being called the number one person in the field they were confident in?

The phrase ‘number one person under heaven’ was by no means a disliked phrase.

There was also a number one person under heaven in the martial world.

Who was stronger? If one was in a state of such speculation, then they were not the number one person under heaven. Among two, among three, among the five swords of the martial world… none of them were the true number one person under heaven. They would be mentioned as the strongest people in the world, but they were not the number one person under heaven.

The number one person under heaven must have no one to compare with.

It was fine to the extent of saying, ‘Wouldn’t so and so be able to face them?’ Such a statement did not tarnish the phrase ‘number one person under heaven’. Because the number one person under heaven was at the top, and the person called ‘so and so’ was challenging them.

The number one person under heaven had to be a truly invincible champion.

For that reason, a number one person under heaven had not appeared in the martial world.

Two heroes, three great masters, five great masters, ten great masters…

Although there were such phrases to refer to the strong, was there a number one person under heaven? Strictly speaking, it was a structure where an absolute, sole number one person under heaven recognized by all could not appear.

If someone were to call themselves the number one person under heaven, they would have to fight a bloody battle almost every day.

But now, a number one person under heaven had appeared in the current martial world.

Duke Heo Dogi.

The people of the world called Heo Dogi, the master of the Sacred Sword Sect, the number one sect that led the current martial world, the number one person under heaven.

Fifteen years ago, Heo Dogi had appeared like a comet, breaking his thirty years of seclusion.

He had broken his vow to never step into the martial world and had suddenly taken up his sword. And after meticulous planning and thorough preparation, he had raided the Sacred Sword Sect and pursued and killed over a hundred demonic masters who had slaughtered the sect master and his family.

He had completely wiped out all the demonic beings who had invaded the Sacred Sword Sect, including the Yin Mountain Four Demons who had attacked and killed the eldest son, Heo Munseung, as well as the Crossbow Soul Demon and the Original Yin Divine Maiden.

They were all absolute demonic beings who were known to have died or gone into seclusion.

Heo Dogi had no choice but to become the sect master because he could not leave the Sacred Sword Sect, whose lineage had been cut off.

But Heo Dogi was not called the number one person under heaven just because he had wiped out all the demonic beings.

Of course, Heo Dogi was the martial artist closest to being the number one person under heaven.

Heo Dogi’s martial name was the One Move Severing Sword. He could end a fight in one move.

In his youth, even when he roamed the martial world, he had only unleashed the Illuminating Thousand Swords up to the eighth level.

He had not yet unleashed the ninth or tenth levels.

He had been in seclusion for thirty years since then. After Heo Dogang had become the master of the Sacred Sword Sect, he had been cooped up in the Lesser Enclosure and had devoted himself only to martial arts training.

He was definitely the number one person under heaven.

But despite that, Heo Dogi was not called the number one person under heaven.

Ten Years of Invincibility!

Although he had seized the world, he had to be satisfied with being told that there would be no rival for the next ten years.

But now, Heo Dogi was called the number one person under heaven.

Not only the martial world, but all the people of the world pointed to Heo Dogi as the number one person under heaven. Without a moment’s hesitation. Even people who did not know martial arts would say ‘Heo Dogi’ when they heard ‘number one person under heaven’.

Strangely enough, the reason why Heo Dogi came to be called the number one person under heaven had nothing to do with the martial world or martial arts.

The martial arts grand instructor who taught martial arts to the national army, the million strong army.

Heo Dogi had become the grand instructor of the million strong army.

A year later, Heo Dogi was bestowed the title of Duke by the current emperor.

Because he was not royalty, he could not be given the title of king. But he was bestowed the status of a duke, which was comparable to a king. A status where he could enjoy fame and prestige comparable to royalty.

He had risen to the highest position a non royal could reach.

The fact that the emperor had bestowed the status of a duke on Heo Dogi meant that he considered him a sworn brother.

Heo Dogi’s acquaintances called him Changsuk. Martial artists called him the One Move Severing Sword or the Sacred Sword Sect Master. But after he was bestowed the status of a duke, everyone called him Duke.

And from then on, he began to be called the number one person under heaven.

Heo Dogi had created a new martial art called the Heaven Straightening Sword Art when he became the grand instructor of the million strong army.

He had organized the insights he had gained so far and created ten sword forms and distributed them.

The Illuminating Thousand Swords were divided into three stages.

The first, the most basic stage, was the Heaven Straightening Sword Art, which the million strong national army trained in.

Because the Heaven Straightening Sword Art was also based on the Illuminating Thousand Swords.

The Heaven Straightening Sword Art was easy to train in groups, and its power was strong. It was for real combat, and it displayed powerful combat strength on the battlefield. The training period was also short, and it did not require any special true energy.

The Heaven Straightening Sword Art was a sword art for military training.

In fact, after the grand army had trained in the Heaven Straightening Sword Art, it was evaluated that their combat power had become twice as strong.

The million strong army had become as strong as a five million strong army.

The second martial art was the true energy of the Sacred Sword Sect, the Illuminating Thousand Swords.

Heo Dogi had no children. After he became the master of the Sacred Sword Sect, he had taken eight wives, but none of them had had children. So the Heo family’s dragon lineage was cut off.

Instead, he had ten disciples called the Ten Lesser Swords.

They had diligently trained in the Illuminating Thousand Swords. It was evaluated that they had surpassed the level of training of Heo Munseung, Heo Munhak, and Heo Mungi in the past. Well, the Ten Lesser Swords were all middle aged now, weren’t they?

These ten people were strong, without a doubt.

Naturally, the Illuminating Thousand Swords were the strongest sword art in the martial world. All the challengers were being defeated.

But there was a limit. The Illuminating Thousand Swords that the Ten Lesser Swords had trained in were not the complete Illuminating Thousand Swords. It was fine not to know, but something that could lead to a breakthrough in development was missing.

The hidden principles!

There were ten hidden truths in the Illuminating Thousand Swords. They were also called the ten martial principles.

The correct name was the Ten Illuminating Explanations.

The Ten Lesser Swords did not know all of the Ten Illuminating Explanations. They had not been taught three of the ten.

Heo Dogi was thinking of passing on the complete Ten Illuminating Explanations to only one person.

This was also a fact that had already been officially declared.

Who was the person who could most faithfully inherit the sword art? He would only pass it on to him. And the one who received the complete Ten Illuminating Explanations would become the next master of the Sacred Sword Sect.

The Illuminating Thousand Swords executed with the complete Ten Illuminating Explanations, this was the most supreme Illuminating Thousand Swords.

Heo Dogi had thrown open the main gate of the Duke Heo’s residence for the heroes of the martial world.

Let anyone who wants to challenge, challenge! If anyone defeats the Illuminating Thousand Swords, I will immediately step down from the position of the grand instructor of the national army and return to my hometown. It is not that I am returning to my hometown because I was defeated. Because the position of the grand instructor of the national army must be held by the strongest person.

In fact, the main gate of the Duke Heo’s residence was open all day, twelve two hour periods, day and night.

Many people had challenged.

But no one had met Heo Dogi. They had all retreated bitterly.

To meet Heo Dogi, you had to prove your martial arts. You had to prove that you dared to point your weapon at the number one person under heaven.

The method of proof was simple.

You just had to fight and win against one of the ten disciples of the Ten Lesser Swords who had trained in the Illuminating Thousand Swords.

It was very simple.

But, no one had even passed this gate.

The Duke Heo’s residence was the number one family in the martial world.

* * *

Creak!

The back door of the Duke Heo’s residence opened.

Only the servants used the back door. So the gatekeeper’s nose was bound to be high.

“What is it?”

The servant who had opened the back door said quite arrogantly. But he soon widened his eyes.

A carriage!

A large carriage that seemed like it would only be seen at the main gate was standing there. Not only that, but there was also a martial artist sitting in the carriage.

It was not a servant, but a martial artist who had come.

‘What is this?’ he thought. But soon, the thought of ‘Oops!’ also surged.

The gatekeeper quickly straightened his clothes and ran to the side of the carriage.

Swoosh!

The one who had driven the carriage silently held out a red card.

“Ugh! …Living Sword Sect Master!”

As soon as the servant saw the red card, he immediately bowed his waist.

“Did the Sect Master send you?”

“That’s right.”

“What did you load in the carriage… Ah! This is because, as you know, I have to report it accurately.”

“A body.”

“A body? A body?”

“That’s right.”

The servant blinked his eyes blankly.

It had been well over ten years since he had guarded the back door of the Duke Heo’s residence. During that time, many strange things had come in. But this was the first time a body had been brought in.

“You just have to deliver the red card inside. Go quickly. There are people watching.”

The swordsman who had driven the carriage said with a fierce look.

* * *

“A body has been sent from the Living Sword Sect.”

The gatekeeper reported.

“A body? An interesting thing has come after a long time. I’ll go.”

The fifth, Oh Jinbuk, stood up abruptly from his seat.

“Be serious.”

The second, Cho Gapyeong, said with a frown.

“Senior brother, a body has been taken out of this residence, but has one ever been brought in from the outside? It’s obviously an interesting thing, so what’s with being serious? You’re too much, senior brother.”

Oh Jinbuk grumbled. But he did not go outside and came back and sat down.

The two were from the Ten Lesser Swords.

In the old days, Cho Gapyeong was called Lightning, and Oh Jinbuk was called Long Attendant. It meant a pockmarked person.

Now they all had names.

Their positions had brought back the names they had thrown away. Not only that, but it had also created a hierarchy among the senior and junior brothers.

Now they were not called by nicknames like one eyed or trash. Even though they were from the same Ten Lesser Swords, they did not speak informally to each other. They had become senior brothers and junior brothers, strictly following the order of their entry into the sect.

“Eldest senior brother. What should we do?”

Cho Gapyeong asked the person sitting in the upper seat.

The first, Jeon Gaseong!

He had lost his left eye, so he always wore a black eye patch. So his nickname was also one eyed or one eye.

The word one eye was still used. His title was the One Eyed Blood Sword.

The One Eyed Blood Sword, Jeon Gaseong, said, “The second brother is right. It is a matter that requires seriousness.”

“Good grief, what’s so complicated about looking at a body once? I really don’t understand.”

“You!”

The second, Cho Gapyeong, glared at the fifth.

“Who said anything? There’s nothing to think about, but you’re being serious, that’s why.”

Oh Jinbuk grumbled.

Jeon Gaseong frowned, as if he was displeased with the two bickering.

He looked at the fifth and said, “The fact that the Living Sword Sect Master sent a body means that it cannot be resolved at the Living Sword Sect’s level… and the fact that he wants us to look at the body directly means that the cause of death is astounding. From the moment we look at the body, our Duke Heo’s residence will not be able to avoid getting involved in this incident.”

Even the reckless and unrestrained fifth, Oh Jinbuk, kept his mouth shut and just listened to his eldest brother’s words.

Cho Gapyeong looked at Jeon Gaseong and said, “Eldest senior brother, but we can’t not look at the body that has been sent, can we? Even if we get involved, it is something we must do as the number one family in the martial world.”

“Well…”

Jeon Gaseong raised his hand and touched his forehead.

He was being very cautious, unlike himself. It was a matter that seemed trivial to anyone. He was being too cautious.

Then the complexions of Cho Gapyeong and Oh Jinbuk also gradually hardened.

The playfulness disappeared from the fifth, Oh Jinbuk’s face. No, he became coldly tense.

The eldest senior brother, Jeon Gaseong, was a genius.

He acted by looking two or three steps ahead of others. At the moment, they did not understand why he was acting this way, but as time passed and incidents occurred one after another, they would then realize that Jeon Gaseong had acted after seeing the situation up to this point.

Fifteen years ago, Jeon Gaseong’s role had also been great when they had dealt with the previous sect master and the three dragon bone sons.

He had established all the detailed plans. He had thoroughly analyzed and gathered the demonic masters, and had decorated the scene to the extent that anyone would have no choice but to say that it was the work of demonic beings.

If Jeon Gaseong was serious, it was really serious.

Jeon Gaseong frowned and said, “We will have to look at the body. Then… shall we entrust this matter to the eighth brother?”

“To the eighth brother? Is there a need to distinguish between the inner court and the outer estate for such a matter?”

Cho Gapyeong said with a tilted head.

They just had to look at the body. What kind of sword he was struck by, what kind of sword form was used, what level of martial artist he was struck by… they just had to tell them what they had found out after looking at the body.

Did they have to distinguish between the inner court and the outer estate for such a matter?

Jeon Gaseong smiled and said, “This matter is quite troublesome. There’s no need to have a headache for no reason, is there? And this is strictly a matter of the martial world, so the outer estate should see it. Yes, that would be good. Entrust it to the eighth brother.”

What was power… as time passed, a conflict had arisen even among the Ten Lesser Swords. They had been divided into a faction that followed the eldest senior brother and a faction that followed the third, Sanmyo.

This was also a dispute between the inner court and the outer estate.

The outer estate resolved the challenges of martial artists. They went around the national military camps and passed on the Heaven Straightening Sword Art. There were also times when they directly took charge of and guided the soldiers.

The inner court managed the household affairs of the Sacred Sword Sect. But this was just a name, and they mainly took charge of matters related to the imperial palace. Due to the nature of the work, there were many things that were mainly secret.

The martial artists of the outer estate could make a name for themselves, and the martial artists of the inner court were busy hiding.

It was inevitable that a conflict would arise between Jeon Gaseong, the head of the inner court, and Shin Dopa, the head of the outer estate.

The current situation was slightly advantageous for the outer estate.

The inner court had three people, and the outer estate had seven. There were two more people who followed Sanmyo Shin Dopa.

Due to the nature of the work, more personnel had been deployed to the outer estate’s work, and that had become the power balance.

The eighth brother, Jo Chuhan, was the monthly officer of the Golden Moon Outer Estate.

He would hand over the body to him.

Jeon Gaseong had judged that it would be better for the outer estate to handle it than the inner court.

It was decided that way.

* * *

“A body?”

Jo Chuhan frowned.

“Yes. It was sent from the Living Sword Sect.”

“Is that so?”

Jo Chuhan stood up.

The moment he heard that a body had been sent from the Living Sword Sect, he had guessed that it was a request to examine the cause of death.

Before that, he also had information. He knew that the body had come in through the back door. It had been handed over to the eldest senior brother before the outer estate. He had sent it to the outer estate, saying that it was a matter of the martial world.

He just had to look at the body, but the eldest senior brother had not touched it. Why? He was extremely curious.

“What kind of cause of death is it…”

He muttered as he walked.

Clatter!

The wooden coffin opened.

A body was loaded in the wooden coffin.

It had been preserved, so even though it had been a long time since he had died, it had not yet rotted. The color of his flesh had turned pale and his hair had fallen out, but instead of the smell of rotting, the smell of preservatives was strong.

“!”

Jo Chuhan’s gaze immediately fell on the heart.

He looked at the heart. With fiercely wide eyes… he looked, emitting streaks of murderous glint.

“Look at this?”

Jo Chuhan twisted his lips and smirked.

“What kind of blade is it?”

The one who had brought the body, the Raging Dragon Sword, Gu Jiyu, asked.

“This blade, who used it? First, tell me the appearance of the one who used this blade.”

Jo Chuhan asked, looking at Gu Jiyu.

(End of Chapter)