NOVEL NEXT Chapter 626
Chapter 626 – Dark Heaven Village
Two and a half years had passed since then—
Yeodong-bin had defeated exactly one thousand demons.
Swishhh
On the blood-stained ground, Yeodong-bin stood silently, sword in hand. In front of him lay what once were called “humans,” now grotesquely transformed and lifeless. Were they even truly dead? It was questionable whether they could still be referred to as “living.”
Currently, Yeodong-bin was utterly exhausted. The fatigue stemmed not just from the battle he had just fought, but also from the heavy realization of what he was truly up against.
Otherworldly races.
These entities he had never really grasped before—indescribably evil beings silently flooding in from another world, committing horrific atrocities worse than even monsters. Hundreds dying was laughable, and at times, human farms or living hells unfolded.
The truly frightening part was that these otherworldly beings were often more cunning and powerful than mere monsters, making it nearly impossible to defeat them. Sometimes even the Taoist masters meant to exorcise these demons had become pawns of the otherworldly.
In the past, Yeodong-bin hardly ever lost when fighting martial artists or monsters, but as his adventures began to intersect with high-level otherworldly beings and powerful demon sorcerers, he often returned from battles grievously injured. Of course, those injuries were healed by the Fire Dragon Incarnate within the Fire Dragon Sword, but each time, Yeodong-bin felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
Ordinary humans would surrender after a few fights against the otherworldly. Going insane in the face of such overwhelming despair from the foreign evil would be the norm, and they would quietly attempt to live as if they had seen nothing. They simply could not endure the reality that such evil beings roamed free, treating humanity like toys.
But—Yeodong-bin somehow endured.
Because he was an unprecedented anomaly.
Even after suffering excruciating pain, with bones and flesh crumbling, he fought like his life depended on it and sought revenge, ultimately winning. Even when he threw himself at the otherworldly in desperate attempts to bite back or self-destruct, he triumphantly emerged victorious. Yeodong-bin had endured countless bloody fights, his tremendous survival instinct allowing him to continue his exorcism for a thousand times.
Even now, Yeodong-bin was engaged in a grueling battle against a powerful high-level otherworldly being ravaging a town in Sichuan. After a full day of fighting, he barely managed to bring the creature down. While he freed the town from its ordeal, countless souls had already been consumed or sacrificed to the hatching grounds.
“Ugh…”
As the rain poured down, Yeodong-bin knelt.
A small leaf ornament.
It was a gift from a little girl he had seen in front of the village a few days ago, who smiled brightly as she handed it to him.
[Taoist! Are you here to save our village?]
[Taoist! Take this. It will bring you good luck!]
There was no basis for the belief that the leaf ornament would bring good luck. That girl had long since become a meal for the high-level otherworldly race. While flesh-eating monsters might not torment humans too much, high-level otherworldly beings savagely devoured them just for fun.
That girl must have died suffering in hell.
Yeodong-bin thought.
What could possibly justify that child’s tragic death?
Even the most heinous sinner could not be said to have died more disgracefully than that little girl, who had done nothing wrong.
Why on earth did this brutal, heartless reality exist?
Drip drip
Yeodong-bin couldn’t tell whether the moisture trickling down his cheek was rain or something else.
“Ugh… Aaaah…”
Silent sobs escaped him as he clutched the leaf ornament tightly. Until now, he had fought driven by a fierce instinct unique to his struggling face, unwilling to lose to the otherworldly—but now, he finally understood.
A happy life.
Wealth, honor, and fame.
What he had pursued in the mortal world was merely a phantom, a misguided attempt to vindicate the harsh life he had endured as an orphan.
In this crazed world, such a life was utterly vacant, and he sensed that he would only continue to suffer and struggle until the day he died.
I will change it.
I will change this mad world!
After that, Yeodong-bin’s mindset and demeanor shifted. While he continued to fight for his life against the otherworldly, a new flow filled his sword. It was a clear current that illuminated the path ahead rather than an oppressive force.
The Fire Dragon Incarnate realized this fact and asked.
[Yeodong-bin. Your Heavenly Escape Sword Technique is changing.]
“Yes, Master.”
[Do you not consider your Heavenly Escape Sword Technique to be the sword of a reigning overlord? Why aim to change it?]
In response to that question, Yeodong-bin answered.
“A sword of an overlord cannot save humanity. The embodiment of power, the Overlord, ultimately accomplished nothing and was left holed up in the Celestial Realm, unable to protect even the one he loved most.”
[Then what do you believe to be stronger than the sword of an overlord?]
“The sword of the world.”
Boom!
A massive pavilion erupted behind Yeodong-bin. The towering otherworldly creature had eroded the entire pavilion to make it its lair, but Yeodong-bin unleashed his new sword technique and struck it down in one blow. A fierce determination blazed in Yeodong-bin’s eyes.
“I will become the sword that carries the world!”
Following this, Yeodong-bin’s Heavenly Escape Sword Technique changed in appearance day by day. The powerful foundational techniques, once composed of 96 movements, began to crumble and lose their forms, and at times, even Yeodong-bin himself was unsure of what techniques he was unleashing. However, even if the forms deteriorated, his sword did not weaken; instead, it grew stronger day by day.
After another year had passed, Yeodong-bin realized that the sword he pursued held within it the essence of the Six Intent Saintly Heaven Diagram.
Heaven and Earth, Sea, Wind, Cloud, Rain—
There were no techniques therein, only intention. Yeodong-bin pondered if what he was manifesting was formless sword qi, but it differed greatly from what was commonly known. He understood that when he embodied the will of nature, the sword would unfold accordingly.
As Yeodong-bin underwent rapid growth, his exorcisms accelerated even further. The number of high-level otherworldly beings he could defeat increased as he broke through to the Absolute Realm, and soon enough, his Heavenly Escape Sword Technique and name became renowned across the world.
Even when faced with high-level otherworldly beings that could have been impossible to defeat alone, his companions, the Eight Immortals, would band together to fight. Although Yeodong-bin could barely use ancient techniques, his other companions were geniuses in that regard and could sufficiently support him. Once the Eight Immortals combined their strengths, there was no monster they could not defeat.
One day, Yeodong-bin was heading towards a small village to save it alone. As he approached, someone blocked his path.
“It’s been a while, Yeodong-bin.”
“Who are you… Sang Gwanwna.”
Sang Gwanwna, who had once sent Yeodong-bin to the battlefield at Mount Ye, suddenly revealed herself. As Yeodong-bin regarded her warily, Sang Gwanwna spoke.
“I believed you would become the greatest sword demon in the martial arts world. And I had plans to make you my subordinate once your demonic nature arose and you became a monster… but you’re attempting to overcome this chaotic era in an unusual way.”
“Do you desire chaos in this world?”
“I desire chaos and balance simultaneously. Just enough for us to intervene—”
Sang Gwanwna’s eyes shone with intent.
“Don’t you suspect it yourself? Even if you defeat all the high-level otherworldly beings and great demons in this land, that would merely bring about a temporary peace. The true [rulers] regard this world as a lid to be flipped and look upon the era of destruction beyond good and evil.”
“……”
“My master seeks to save humanity that will be utterly annihilated in that era. His will embodies true justice for mankind and acknowledges Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen as the ruler of humans.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
At that moment, the Fire Dragon Incarnate unleashed an illusion and roared furiously.
[Are you spouting nonsense! Is it to be expected since you’re Changqie’s hound?]
“Fire Dragon Incarnate.”
[My disciple will never get caught up in such nonsense. Get lost.]
At that, Sang Gwanwna’s smile turned enigmatic.
“Is that so? You know better than anyone that the Celestial Realm is a nest of hypocrisy and the most sinister of beings… Can you genuinely claim that your disciple ascending to the Celestial Realm is better than coming to us?”
[……]
As the Fire Dragon Incarnate hesitated for a moment at those words, Yeodong-bin spoke decisively.
“So what do you want?”
“Yeodong-bin. Join us as a companion. Then my master has promised to grant you powers rivaling our own.”
“I refuse.”
“What a pity…”
Boom!
Yeodong-bin finally summoned the power of the Fire Dragon Sword and clashed with Sang Gwanwna. As she firmly resolved not to let him go, the confrontation became inevitable. However, while fighting, Yeodong-bin realized how immense the hidden power Sang Gwanwna possessed; he began to realize that he would inevitably lose if things continued like this.
Thud.
“Ugh.”
Sure enough, mid-battle, Yeodong-bin was bitten by a horde of monsters secretly summoned by Sang Gwanwna and became paralyzed. Although he quickly shook off the monsters, the critical opening had already left him vulnerable to Sang Gwanwna’s hands, and he found himself lying flat on the ground.
Boom!
As defeated, Yeodong-bin thought he was about to die, but Sang Gwanwna spared his life and said,
“With such a degree of power, you cannot hinder our plans. You will die while struggling and uselessly trying to save humanity in the shackles of despair.”
Her voice dripped with mockery.
After being defeated by Sang Gwanwna, Yeodong-bin managed to regain his composure and continued eliminating monsters on his adventures. Nearly a decade into his exorcism, he caught wind of information that demon sorcerers planned to summon an entity.
“A dragon?”
At a gathering of the Eight Immortals, everyone looked puzzled. The sudden idea of summoning a dragon was confusing since dragons were inherently divine and benevolent—so they didn’t comprehend the implications of such a summoning. Then the eldest among the Eight Immortals, Jang Gwa-ro, who had ascended from the Earth Immortal to just below the Great Immortal, spoke gravely.
“According to intelligence from the Celestial Realm, that dragon is not the Heavenly Dragon we’ve been thinking of. It is instead a colossal dragon of destruction with the ability to annihilate this world and reset it.”
Han Sang-ja, the youngest among the Eight Immortals and Yeodong-bin’s disciple, curiously inquired.
“Why are the demon sorcerers summoning that?”
“I’m not entirely sure. Perhaps it’s because we’ve been eradicating the forces of magic for so long that they seek to revive their own power.”
At that moment, another Eight Immortal, Jo Guk-goo, tapped his jade tablet and spoke in a calm voice.
“According to information I heard in Luoyang, those demon sorcerers are receiving support from Wu Zetian. There must be a significant connection to her.”
“Is that true? Wu Zetian is currently the most powerful figure in the Central Plains…”
“Hmm. But it’s merely the power within the human world; I cannot fathom why she would ally with dangerous beings like the demon sorcerers.”
While the Eight Immortals contemplated Wu Zetian and the demon sorcerers with grave concern, Yeodong-bin’s thoughts were different.
The dragon to be summoned was undoubtedly connected to Sang Gwanwna.
Moreover…it would be an unprecedentedly mighty and formidable entity.
He realized that the sense of crisis felt by the Eight Immortals was hardly even a prelude to the actual problems ahead.
“Everyone, I have a request.”
Recognizing that he could not win in this state, Yeodong-bin proposed to the Eight Immortals.
“Please assist me in completing the Six Intent Saintly Heaven Diagram before the dragon is summoned. And also, seek help from the White Lotus Sect.”