The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

There was a time when all Absolute masters were not strong enough.

Sword Emperor Jang Gyeong was no exception. He, too, had his times of wandering.

There were as many masters in the world as there were grains of sand.

Though Absolute masters were few, when looking back through history, their numbers were not insignificant.

Among them, some remained at the Supreme Peak level for a lifetime and only reached the Absolute realm in their later years, while others attracted the attention of the entire martial world from the beginning of their appearance in Jianghu and grew up as geniuses.

In the case of Jang Gyeong, he was the latter. He had become a Supreme Peak master even before wrinkles formed on his face.

Especially during the third expulsion of the Demon Cult, he slaughtered many demons and ascended to a higher realm. He reached the ultimate Supreme Peak.

When the young Taoist Jang Gyeong of Wudang performed his sword dance, even the vicious fiends trembled in fear.

He became the hope of the orthodox Murim at the same time.

The number of fiends Jang Gyeong killed eventually reached 100, and at the same time, the number of people he saved was more than double that.

He was also honored with the title of Taiji Sword Emperor.

At the earnest request of the Murim Alliance, he stayed at the Kaifeng headquarters.

Many renowned figures in Jianghu wanted to get acquainted with the Taiji Sword Emperor, and the successors who admired him dreamed of witnessing his martial prowess.

However, Taoist Jang Gyeong, who had become the hope of the martial world, had actually lost hope himself.

As time passed, he rarely came out of his annex.

Often, the servants attending to him would come running out with pale faces.

On dark nights without a single star, chilling screams emanated from the Sword Emperor’s chamber.

Jang Gyeong was enduring days filled with dreadful nightmares.

In these nightmares, countless people died.

People Jang Gyeong failed to protect kept dying, right before his eyes, in front of the smiling demonic martial artists.

It was around then that Jang Gyeong turned to alcohol.

It was not a good sight to see a renowned Taoist from the Wudang Sect drinking heavily. Though it was not uncommon in reality, the fact that he was the Taiji Sword Emperor made it significant.

Everyone in the Murim Alliance kept quiet about it.

Divine Monk Mu Myung, a close friend of Jang Gyeong and the best martial master of Shaolin, merely clucked his tongue.

‘Leave him be. He’ll come to his senses soon.’

With such indifferent words, the Divine Monk never visited the Sword Emperor again.

That period continued for exactly one year.

Finally, Mu Myung visited the Sword Emperor’s residence.

The warrior on guard, who had been dozing off, jumped up startled.

“Wh-what brings you here, sir?”

“Tsk tsk, are you tired?”

“No, sir!”

“Then why were you dozing off?”

“…I’m sorry!”

“My ears are going to fall off. I just came to see a friend. Open the door.”

The warrior guarding the door hesitated before responding.

“But I was told not to let anyone in…”

Since some time ago, Jang Gyeong had forbidden even the servants’ entry.

He had only ordered that food and alcohol be brought.

The warrior lacked the courage to defy orders that seemed as if they came from the Taiji Sword Emperor himself.

But Mu Myung only scoffed.

“Goodness! Do you think this is your own private room? Then move aside.”

“Ah.”

“Just say I forced my way in.”

The warrior couldn’t immediately step aside.

But Mu Myung passed through the warrior’s defense as if he were a breeze.

And he simply pushed the locked door gently.

Thud!

Then, as if it had been waiting, the sound of a thud was heard, and the bolt inside unlocked itself.

He neither broke the door nor forcibly unlocked it. It was an unbelievable move.

“Ah!”

“Tsk tsk…”

Mu Myung, ignoring the astonished warrior, walked in with heavy steps.

The annex’s garden was overgrown with weeds.

There were spider webs everywhere, making it look like an abandoned house.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue as he continued walking in.

Jang Gyeong was easy to find.

He was sitting on a chair in the garden, as if dead.

His head hung low, looking every bit the part of a wreck and a drunkard.

“Nobody… should come.”

His speech was slurred. It seemed he didn’t even recognize who had approached.

“You look terrible.”

“Who… hic.”

“The stench is terrible, you mortal.”

Mu Myung wrinkled his nose. A mix of alcohol and a foul odor was emanating from Jang Gyeong.

There were numerous bottles of alcohol placed on a table beside the chair.

“Mu Myung… is it?”

“That’s right.”

“Leave.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I said get out.”

“Hahaha. I don’t listen to even Buddha’s words, why would I listen to someone as insipid as you.”

Jang Gyeong and Mu Myung were friends. The noble and gentle Sword Emperor and the Divine Monk were an odd match but perfectly compatible.

Jang Gyeong waved his hand dismissively but soon let his arm fall.

“I’ve seen how long you’ve been like this. I thought you’d shake it off soon, but a year has passed.”

“…”

“Does the memory of that time still torment you?”

“…”

“Life and death are connected, yet how can a Taoist be so foolish? Are you that saddened by the deaths of those children? Tsk tsk.”

“Shut up.”

“I heard you cry and wail in your nightmares. Have those kids become vengeful spirits appearing to you? Telling you to take responsibility?”

“I said shut up!”

The Sword Emperor tried to rise abruptly but soon staggered and fell back down.

Mu Myung burst out laughing at his pitiful state.

The laughter was so loud that the Sword Emperor covered his ears, feeling as if his skull might crack.

“You’ve become a wreck! A complete wreck! They say ‘flowers bloom brightly for a day,’ but to fall from grace so quickly, this is too much even for a Taoist!”

Anyone seeing this scene would think Mu Myung was insane.

Instead of consoling his friend, the Sword Emperor, he seemed to be mocking him.

“Didn’t I tell you, you crazy Taoist? You were destined to transcend human limits and pierce the heavens with your martial prowess. But what is this now?”

It had been years since Jang Gyeong locked himself up, claiming he was attempting the Absolute realm.

This way, it only seemed hopeless.

He had spent a year holed up, drinking. Even a genius would naturally regress in such a condition.

“I said you were born under a lucky star and would rise to the heavens. Now, get up and prove I was right!”

“Enough…”

“If not, I’ll send you to the heavens myself.”

Entering divinity refers to reaching the Absolute realm.

“For you to live like a wreck, you might as well be dead,” that was Mu Myung’s saying.

Jang Gyeong chuckled.

“…That might be better.”

“Hahaha, good. Go and apologize to the successors who died in front of you.”

Mu Myung also laughed heartily.

Then he lifted a bottle full of liquor and smashed it on the Sword Emperor’s head.

Shatter—!

The sound of breaking stone accompanied the bottle shattering into pieces.

It was a brutal act.

“Now, go to hell and join Ksitigarbha. Assist him and look after the dead children. They must have fallen into hell too.”

He grabbed another bottle to strike.

It was ruthless enough to harm a person.

“I too will grow old and die and find you there. Let’s meet there then!”

Without any bottles left, Mu Myung finally raised his hand.

Golden light brilliantly gathered in his hand. This strike would not end with mere pain.

He aimed the gathered Hand Aura at Jang Gyeong’s crown, the fontanelle.

It was a merciless lethal strike.

“At last, you make me a villain who killed his own friend! Thank you!”

Thud, Jang Gyeong’s skull shattered and brain matter scattered.

A Supreme Peak master would typically possess the ability to foresee events in a split second.

Jang Gyeong made no resistance at all. Mu Myung saw the moment the Taiji Sword Emperor’s skull was crushed by his own hand.

However, that was a delusion.

Surprisingly, the descending hand slowed down.

It came to a complete stop just before reaching his friend’s crown.

The rustling wind stopped, and the sounds of summer insects ceased as well.

Time seemed to slow down indefinitely and then stopped.

Only Jang Gyeong was free to lift his head.

With fierce eyes, he stared at Mu Myung, twisted his body, and dodged Divine Monk’s hand.

At that moment, time resumed.

Crash!

Divine Monk’s hand, continuing its momentum, smashed the chair where the Sword Emperor had been sitting.

Divine Monk raised his head and was smiling broadly.

“Finally, a flower has bloomed on Mount Wudang!”

“What are you doing…”

The Sword Emperor stood up, annoyed, and scrunched his face.

Blood streamed down through his hair.

It was the aftermath of being hit by the liquor bottle earlier.

“You, mad corrupt monk….”

Then, bleeding from his nose as well, he fell down like a tree struck by lightning.

“Haha, what a talent. Truly a genius!”

Divine Monk hoisted the fallen Sword Emperor onto his shoulder.

He was unable to heal his friend’s heart.

But at least, he could prevent him from drinking anymore and ensure his smelly body was washed.

“Even as a wreck, you transcend. One day, you will truly become an immortal.”

“Amitabha.” Divine Monk laughed heartily after chanting the Buddhist invocation.

Despite suffering for several more months, Jang Gyeong was able to make a comeback.

Before long, he truly ascended to the Absolute realm.

The Taiji Sword Emperor was now simply referred to by the synonym Sword Emperor.

---

Swordsman Jang Gyeong.

Once clear-eyed, now his eyes were clouded with a gray haze.

His once smooth black hair had turned ashen.

His once strong limbs had thinned, and the hot blood that flowed in his veins had slowed.

Yet, his enlightenment was undoubtedly profound.

A martial artist at the Absolute realm was said to have transcended human limits.

Decades have passed in this state of entering divinity.

At some point, there was no further development.

There were a few other masters considered to be at a similar level, but perhaps the difference in their skills would no longer determine victory or defeat.

Compatibility, the weather that day, physical condition. Above all, luck.

Jang Gyeong had long forgotten how to advance to the next stage.

The Sword Emperor had lost his way and awaited only death.

What kind of divinity was this entering divinity? He was merely an aging animal, destined to die—a mortal’s fate.

Then one day, he discovered Zhang Sanfeng’s secret cave.

Indeed, the Great Ancestor from the distant past had clearly advanced to the next stage.

The Heaven Ascension Dance was the path to the next level.

It might just seem like a series of movements to the unqualified, but to those who were worthy, it was a ladder.

Naturally, the Sword Emperor became deeply immersed in the Heaven Ascension Dance.

Swish—

Despite not imbuing the sword with Qi, something like a droplet of water scattered from the tip of the blade.

It was real water. Perhaps it was because Zhang Sanfeng had infused the principle of observing water into it. Water had formed at the tip of the sword.

The Sword Emperor thought it resembled his own tears.

Naturally, the ultimate technique of the Absolute realm was executed.

The scattered water hung suspended in mid-air.

In a moment that seemed to stop time, the scattered droplets floated fantastically.

The light of the night pearl scattered through the water droplets, making it look like a sea of stars.

“Ah…”

A sigh-like sound escaped his lips.

With the help of the Heaven Ascension Dance, the Sword Emperor transcended once again.

The final stance of the Heaven Ascension Dance. He stood firm, raising his sword towards the sky.

Lightning flashed from his aged and damaged bones, and his vision was bathed in white.

…

「The Heaven Ascension Dance is, ascending to heaven.」

The Sword Emperor clearly understood the purpose of the Heaven Ascension Dance left by Zhang Sanfeng.

In a state where time seemed to stop, Yi-gang asked in his thoughts, ‘What’s happening now?’

Even the ultimate technique was not eternal.

The technique that seemed to stop time was an application of the Sword Emperor’s will to reality.

Since human mental power has its limits, it can only stop time for a few seconds perceptually.

However, this state had been continuing for several minutes now.

「The mind is in a greatly elevated state.」

‘Elevated means…’

「His mind is now entering the heavenly realm.」

It was an unimaginable tale.

The mind has entered the heavenly realm, which means…

‘Has he ascended?’

The state Go Yo-ja had dreamed of. Wasn’t it the state of becoming an immortal, the Ascended realm?

However, Zhang Sanfeng’s expression grew darker.

「That’s not the problem…」

‘Then…’

「Entering heaven unprepared and still attached to the physical body only means falling back to earth. This junior will forget he even entered the heavenly realm.」

‘He’s losing memories.’

「However, the sense of elevation will remain in the body. The deprivation it brings could be severe… Moving between the realm of immortals with a frail human body will only deplete the vital energy further… In the end, only obsession remains.」

It now made sense why the Sword Emperor’s body seemed excessively frail despite his old age.

The Sword Emperor had grasped a clue to ascension in the Heaven Ascension Dance, but it turned out to be a rotten rope that could never be climbed.

「It’s my fault, all my fault. I should never have left behind the Heaven Ascension Dance.」

Along with Zhang Sanfeng’s voice filled with regret, it seemed as though the Sword Emperor had fallen back to earth.

Thump—

The kneeling Sword Emperor barely supported himself with his sword.

“Gasp, huff.”

He exhaled raspy breaths, tears and cold sweat flowing.

“Almost, I was almost there…”

He exerted his mental power to the limit and raised his head.

Then he said to Yi-gang, “This is the Heaven Ascension Dance… I never saw its end. The reason is that I am not like Founder Zhang Sanfeng.”

「So that’s what you thought…」

Zhang Sanfeng understood the Sword Emperor’s judgment.

It was possible. The Heaven Ascension Dance wasn’t made for anyone in particular.

It was merely a sword dance embodying Zhang Sanfeng’s completed swordsmanship and life, much like an autobiography.

“I tried to mimic even the minor details, but my sword has already solidified. Perhaps you young swordsmen can achieve what I could not.”

「That’s not it… It’s just that you are extraordinary.」

Zhang Sanfeng denied the Sword Emperor’s judgment.

Following the Heaven Ascension Dance does not mean others will experience transcendence.

The sword dance contained Zhang Sanfeng’s life.

The fact that only the Sword Emperor momentarily experienced transcendence by following it was solely due to his own merit.

Born with a divine talent, accumulating numerous experiences, and never stopping his training made this miracle possible.

Knowing such hard-earned efforts made Zhang Sanfeng somber.

“I will soon die, but someday you will surpass me, reaching the realm that the ancient Founder Zhang Sanfeng once stepped upon.”

「No, rather, if there had been no the Heaven Ascension Dance. You might have…」

Perhaps if the Sword Emperor had continued on his own path, he might have truly transcended humanity like Zhang Sanfeng.

Zhang Sanfeng’s words did not reach the Sword Emperor. Finally, the Sword Emperor spoke, “Would you receive the transmission of the Heaven Ascension Dance?”

“Yes!”

Cheong Hye stood up briskly and answered resoundingly.

He was thrilled by the realm demonstrated by the Sword Emperor.

However, the Sword Emperor did not nod in satisfaction; he merely remained silent.

The truly important Yi-gang was still sitting in his place.

He closed his eyes tightly, looked at the Sword Emperor, and then turned his gaze back to Zhang Sanfeng once more.

Zhang Sanfeng made a request to Yi-gang.

「I will tell you the story you wish to hear, and I will surely guide you to the next realm.」

‘…’

「So, please lend me your body for a moment.」

Yi-gang nodded and stood up.

To Cheong Hye and the Sword Emperor, it must have seemed as if he was eager to learn the Heaven Ascension Dance.

Forgetting his earlier fear, Cheong Hye approached happily.

“That’s a good idea…”

Yi-gang touched Cheong Hye’s fainting acupoint.

Cheong Hye collapsed on the spot.

“…What are you doing?”

The Sword Emperor quietly watched Yi-gang.

However, no answer that the Sword Emperor had hoped for came from Yi-gang’s mouth.

Instead, a somehow nostalgic voice rang out.

“You have suffered greatly.”

The Sword Emperor trembled as if struck by lightning.

Using Yi-gang’s body, Zhang Sanfeng spoke, “I will tell you what the Heaven Ascension Dance truly is.”