Heavenly Inquisition Sword Novel - Chapter 285
.jpeg){kind=tracking}
Chapter 285: Hiding the Sword in the Sky
Chilriha Village, Midday
In a small house on the eastern slope of the mountain, Shim Tong, the Old Dao of Nine Heavens, pulled out rations from his backpack while muttering.
“I packed a lot of provisions thinking we’d be leaving soon, but it seems like I’ll end up eating them all at home.”
Yeon Jeokha, sitting at the table and munching on dried meat, remarked:
“Old Shim, if you don’t like staying at home, you can go to the back mountain to eat.”
“It’s not that I don’t like being at home, it’s just that I’ll get tired of eating these rations after a while. If we leave after eating this for days, we’ll have to eat the same on the road.”
“Tsk tsk! You’re like a little child, old and all, and only thinking about food. Don’t you understand how dangerous it is to spy on the leader of the Yoomyung Cult? If you want to meet Wol-ah and Geum-ah, stop complaining.”
“No matter how powerful one is, without food in the stomach, they’ll die. Eating is important.”
“That’s why the departure was delayed, so you can do that important thing for a long time. Aren’t you grateful? Or would you rather keep buzzing like a fly?”
“Young Master, I’ve never complained about Lady Namgung. I only said I’ll be eating these rations for a long time. Why do you always get so worked up when I mention Lady Namgung?”
“What? Worked up? Me? Now you’re making things up?”
“I was just saying your devotion to Lady Namgung is commendable.”
Yeon Jeokha put down the dried meat and glared at Shim Tong.
Shim Tong, a bit frightened, quickly added:
“I mean, it’s good to see you so loyal and following her.”
Yeon Jeokha returned to his dried meat.
Shim Tong, watching Yeon Jeokha’s reaction, began to eat his rations in silence.
After a while, Yeon Jeokha stood up.
“Young Master, where are you going?”
“To the back mountain.”
“Hehe, it seems you’ve finished the dried meat. Why?”
“Why? To practice swordsmanship, obviously. I can’t do it in this small yard. If you don’t want to die, you should train too. Or better yet, relax and leave this world.”
“Oh! Don’t say that. Go ahead, I’ll follow you soon.”
“Suit yourself.”
Yeon Jeokha left and began to walk slowly towards the mountain.
Spring was in full bloom, and the outside felt warmer than the inside of the house.
Yeon Jeokha climbed the mountain slowly. Since it was a low hill, it didn’t take him even fifteen minutes to reach the top.
Just as he finished a round of the Nine Heavens Swordsmanship practice, he heard a sound below. It was Shim Tong, who had just started to climb.
Shim Tong’s steady footsteps halted at the curve below, followed by his characteristic groan of effort.
‘What a racket,’ Yeon Jeokha thought as he began the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship. Even without using internal energy, the sword wind was sharp.
After practicing both techniques, Yeon Jeokha sat on a rock and began meditating on the techniques of the Hidden Heavenly Sword, also known simply as the Heavenly Sword Technique.
He still hadn’t grasped its essence.
‘The Hidden Heavenly Sword’
Literally means “hiding the sword in the sky.”
‘It can’t be.’
What could it mean to hide a sword in the sky?
Despite the musings of Taoist Immortals, it had to be a metaphor.
Out of curiosity, he looked up at the sky. The blue sky was adorned with fluffy clouds.
‘It can’t be that the clouds are the sword.’
Trying to cut a cloud would do nothing but tickle.
Even so, Yeon Jeokha reached out towards a cloud and, out of habit, recited the Hidden Heavenly Sword technique.
The cloud remained unchanged.
“Damn it! What’s hidden?”
Frustrated, he jumped up.
Then, on an impulse, he launched himself into the air, shouting:
“HIDDEN HEAVENLY SWORD!!”
Propelled by his energy, Yeon Jeokha ascended thirty meters into the air, as if trying to reach the stars.
‘Higher!’
His eyes burned with determination.
But he couldn’t ascend any further and began to fall.
Before touching the ground, he used the Nine Divine Dragons Turning technique, descending gently like a feather.
Shim Tong, who had been watching him, rushed over.
“Young Master, did you succeed?”
“Did I succeed in what?”
Yeon Jeokha looked at him disdainfully.
“You just shouted ‘Hidden Heavenly Sword.’ I thought you had mastered the technique when I saw you fly into the sky. Wasn’t that it?”
“I was just venting.”
“Oh no! Don’t vent like that, you could cause a huge commotion. Your shout was so loud it must have been heard even at the Justice Alliance.”
“Can’t I shout on the mountain?”
“Yes, but experts from the Justice Alliance might come to investigate. The shout was that loud.”
“I don’t care. Let them come.”
At that moment, the sound of footsteps was heard below, as if the experts from the Justice Alliance were already on their way.
Not wanting to give any explanations, Yeon Jeokha leaped towards the valley.
Shim Tong, following him, also jumped quickly.
Shortly after, about ten experts from the Justice Alliance arrived at the summit.
The team was led by Taeul Sangin from the Qingcheng Sect and Mu Mu Jin-in from the Quanzhen Sect.
Mu Mu Jin-in surveyed the surroundings but found nothing suspicious.
“Wow, what a thing. It sounded like a noise that shook heaven and earth.”
At that moment, a Taoist from the Wudang Sect looked up and shouted:
“Heavens! What is that?”
Everyone followed his gaze and gaped.
In the blue sky floated a cloud shaped like a giant sword.
Mu Mu Jin-in approached Taeul Sangin.
“What do you think that is?”
“It’s a cloud shaped like a sword.”
“That’s obvious, but why does it have that shape? Do you have any idea?”
“It seems like a natural phenomenon to me. I don’t think a human could create something like that.”
Mu Mu Jin-in nodded.
The cloud was so large it could cover a village, something impossible to create by a human.
However, the coincidence between the sound that shook the sky and the sword-shaped cloud was unsettling.
“It doesn’t seem wise to ignore this.”
“Agreed, but finding out who made that sound is more important. Linking it to the cloud might be an exaggeration.”
Taeul Sangin believed the cloud was a natural phenomenon, something no human could achieve.
“Maybe you’re right. Perhaps I let my imagination run wild.”
Even the Leader of the Yoomyung Cult couldn’t do something like that.
At that moment, the Taoist from the Wudang Sect spoke up.
“The place where Young Master Yeon is staying is at the foot of the mountain. He might be related to the sound.”
“Let’s confirm with him!”
The team quickly descended.
Eastern Demon’s Residence
In a spacious hall, three middle-aged men were discussing. They were members of the Twelve Demon Lords: Guiyeong Ja, also known as Guiyeong Jagun, Hyeol Cheonjin, and Heo Mukchun.
Guiyeong Ja, after emptying his liquor cup, sighed.
“Ah! What do we do with that damn Grand Inspector, Yeon Jeokha?”
Since becoming a disciple of the Great Chaeju and obtaining the title of Demon Lord, he had dominated the world. The recent events in the Justice Alliance made him want to bite his tongue in shame.
“Brother, that bastard won’t last long. Just a little more patience. The Great Chaeju also understands the strength of the Yoomyung Cult. He won’t prolong this fight.”
“What’s the Great Chaeju’s stance?”
“The advisors keep suggesting reaching an agreement with the Yoomyung Cult, at any cost. The Leader of the Yoomyung Cult has already reached the level of immortality, so the Great Chaeju won’t prolong this fight.”
“But it’s clear that he has no more interest in the Justice Alliance. The Great Chaeju knows we’re in contact with the Yoomyung Cult and hasn’t said anything. That means he approves.”
“Hmm, approval.”
“The Murim will be restructured around the Yoomyung Cult. The era of the Seven Great Sects is over. The martial families are in decline.”
“I’m not interested in those fools. I just want to destroy Yeon Jeokha and Shim Tong.”
“First, we need to show the others what kind of trash those two really are. That way, when we hand them over to the Yoomyung Cult, there won’t be any objections.”
“How?”
“We could expose their hypocrisies to the others. Let them see what they really are.”
“Hypocrisies?”
“Yes, they’re pretending to be heroes. Let’s show what they really are, and others will think differently.”
“How?”
“We could send a known pervert to the brothel that Shim Tong frequents. The Demon Lords have never discriminated between brothels. If the girl he desires is assaulted, others will change their opinion of them.”
“Heh… well. Let’s show the truth. Let’s send a pervert to the brothel and let him have fun with Wol-ah. Haha!”
Guiyeong Ja, delighted with the idea, laughed as he moved with glee.
He could avenge Shim Tong and cause discord among the others, all at once.
English