Chapter 113

The Divine Thief (1)

Mount Wudang .

A sacred mountain located south of Jun County in Hubei Province.

Layer upon layer of valleys stretched across the land, while countless steep peaks rose densely into the sky. It was truly a landscape of ten thousand crags and a thousand peaks. The mountain's overall shape was rounded and bulging. Clouds lingered around the ends of the mountain range, while mist blanketed its middle slopes, making Mount Wudang resemble a gigantic incense burner when viewed from afar.

As Namgung Jun gazed upon the mystical scenery of Mount Wudang, he lightly brushed the dust from his sleeves.

"At least we arrived fairly quickly."

"We've been using movement techniques without rest. We should be able to manage this much speed."

Lee Seha looked back at the First Clouds, whose chests were heaving heavily.

Even for martial artists proficient in movement arts, rapidly crossing Hubei Province from east to west was no easy task.

For the First Clouds, whose martial attainments were comparatively lower, it had been a forced march.

After briefly examining their condition, Lee Seha's eyes softened.

"Come to think of it, Jun, your stamina has improved a lot as well. Your movement arts are steadily advancing too."

"I am a Third Cloud now, Master. I'm not the same person I was when I first began learning martial arts."

Heo Il, walking leisurely beside them, smiled faintly.

"This reminds me of when I accompanied Young Hero Namgung on his first mission. Whether it feels long or short, his growth has always been astonishing."

"I've heard that story too. It's strange to think there was ever something Namgung Jun wasn't good at."

"Hearing stories from Senior Namgung's days as a First Cloud is fascinating."

As Heo Il began recounting old memories, Man Ye-won and Yu Geun-su, who had been quietly listening nearby, naturally joined the conversation.

Other swordsmen occasionally chimed in with amused remarks as well. Only Gong Jun-am silently continued climbing at the front.

Perhaps because they had entered from the southern side of Mount Wudang, the mountain path was relatively gentle. Had they approached from the north, they would have been forced to scale steep cliffs.

After admiring countless maple trees, ginkgo trees, and the pines that were most abundant on Mount Wudang, the Heavenly Sword Hall group eventually reached the middle slopes.

"I can see it."

For the first time since ascending Mount Wudang, Gong Jun-am spoke.

The Heavenly Sword Hall members following behind stopped their conversations and looked ahead.

The first things that caught their eyes were a small pond sparkling as though sprinkled with golden dust and a colossal pine tree that appeared to have endured centuries of wind and rain.

Its trunk was so thick that it rivaled the support beams of large halls.

Its immense branches stretched high and far, casting a vast shadow over the surrounding area.

Simply raising one's head to take in the pine tree inspired a sense of awe.

"It's the largest pine tree I've seen on Mount Wudang."

"Look over there. There are a lot of weapons hanging from the branches."

While the Heavenly Sword Hall members marveled at the weight of years embodied by the pine tree, their eyes were drawn to the dozens of weapons hanging from it.

Various weapons were suspended from the branches, tied with colorful cords.

Some spears looked as though they had been hung there only recently, while some swords were so ancient that their age could not even be guessed.

Namgung Jun could not take his eyes off the countless weapons hanging from the tree.

If the extraordinary size and thickness of the pine tree were proof of what it had endured through the myriad changes of the world, then those weapons were no different from the traces left behind by the Wudang Sect as it weathered the storms of the martial world.

Sword-Releasing Pool.

To pass through the gates of the Wudang Sect, everyone—regardless of status, reputation, or martial prowess—had to surrender their weapons at the Sword-Releasing Pool.

There were rare exceptions in which visitors crossed the gates while carrying their weapons with the Sect Leader's permission, but such cases were uncommon.

"Welcome, fellow Daoists of the Changcheon Society."

A middle-aged Daoist emerged from the Sword-Releasing Pavilion behind the Sword-Releasing Pool.

Recognizing him, Lee Seha stepped forward and offered a respectful greeting.

"True Man Hyeonsa."

"Hero Lee. It has been a long time."

"I don't see True Man Hyeonpung?"

When Lee Seha asked about Hyeonpung, the master of the Sword-Releasing Pavilion and leader of the Wudang Seven Swords, Hyeonsa shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Senior Brother Hyeonpung descended the mountain leading the Wudang Seven Swords. At present, this humble Daoist alone guards the Sword-Releasing Pavilion."

"The Wudang Seven Swords left the pavilion? It seems the war situation is harsher than expected."

The Wudang Seven Swords always stood watch over the Sword-Releasing Pavilion as the face of the Wudang Sect.

The fact that all seven had left—not merely a portion of them—caused several experienced Third Clouds to show visible surprise.

"Why do you think we've mobilized on such a large scale for the first time in years? The forces brought by the Sun Moon Demonic Cult are no ordinary matter."

After looking over Lee Seha and the Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen, Hyeonsa clasped his hands together.

"We are desperately short of manpower. We are truly grateful that the Changcheon Society has willingly come to lend its strength."

"Even if it weren't for the oath made at the Songshan Assembly, helping would be only natural. Wudang and our Society have supported each other for a long time."

After expressing his gratitude once more with a Daoist salute, Hyeonsa gestured toward the interior of the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.

"Please, go on up."

Then, glancing at the swords carried by the Heavenly Sword Hall members, he added:

"There is no need to surrender your weapons. This is a time of war, and you are honored guests who have come all this way to aid our sect. The Sect Leader has instructed that you be treated accordingly."

With Hyeonsa's permission granted, the Heavenly Sword Hall members immediately continued onward.

Even so, Namgung Jun could not take his eyes off the Sword-Releasing Pool as he walked.

It's a shame, but given the circumstances, it can't be helped.

He had greatly wanted to cross swords with the Wudang Seven Swords of the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.

Just as Shaolin had its Four Vajras, the Wudang Sect possessed the Wudang Seven Swords.

The Wudang Seven Swords were the swordsmen who represented the Wudang Sect—figures who would not fall short no matter where in the martial world they were placed.

Naturally, Namgung Jun's competitive spirit as a swordsman stirred, but he forcibly calmed himself and followed behind Lee Seha up the narrow mountain path.

Passing through the mountain gate, the Heavenly Sword Hall soon arrived within the grounds of the Wudang Sect.

After sending the swordsmen to their assigned lodgings, Lee Seha and Namgung Jun headed toward Taihe Palace .

Taihe Palace was the residence of the Wudang Sect Leader.

However, it was not the Sect Leader who awaited master and disciple.

Instead, True Man Hyeonmang, the Wudang Sect Leader's direct disciple, stood in his place.

"It's been a long time, Chuk-un Yuhui."

"It certainly has. Has it been two years already?"

"Greetings, True Man Hyeonmang."

After exchanging greetings with Lee Seha, Hyeonmang turned toward Namgung Jun, his beard trembling slightly.

"So you're Namgung Jun, the foremost young talent of the Orthodox Path. The rumors were not exaggerated. You're not even twenty, yet you're already peering into the realm of supreme masters."

Namgung Jun simply responded with a humble salute.

Feeling the humility naturally emanating from his bearing, Hyeonmang let out a faint sigh.

So this is why Samgyeong has been wandering in thought.

Hyeonmang recalled Samgyeong, the second-generation disciple who had represented Mount Wudang at the Songshan Assembly.

Samgyeong was unquestionably a genius.

If he continued cultivating both virtue and martial arts as he had until now, he was someone worthy of inheriting the future of the Wudang Sect.

Yet after returning from the Songshan Assembly, he had changed slightly.

He spent less time with the sword and the Daoist scriptures and more time lost in contemplation.

The elders of Mount Wudang refrained from interfering and merely observed from afar, but they were nevertheless concerned.

Now that he had seen Namgung Jun in person, Hyeonmang felt he finally understood what weighed on Samgyeong's mind.

So Samgyeong realized just how vast the world truly is.

In such cases, there was little anyone could do.

One could only hope the person would overcome it themselves and rise again.

"Primordial Heavenly Venerable."

Murmuring a Daoist invocation, Hyeonmang invited them to sit.

Master and disciple took their seats.

"I didn't realize the Sect Leader would be absent."

"The one leading the invading army in Hubei Province is the Sun's End Demon King."

One of the Four Kings of the Bright Heavens, the Sun's End Demon King.

If a peerless expert of the Sun Moon Demonic Cult had personally appeared, it was only natural that the Wudang Sect Leader would take the field as well.

"It seems your internal injuries are quite severe, True Man."

Lee Seha carefully observed Hyeonmang's complexion and aura.

No matter how he looked at it, Hyeonmang was not merely standing in for the Sect Leader.

"Until recently, I was at the front lines as well. Then I suffered serious injuries and returned to the main mountain."

Namgung Jun discreetly examined him.

His internal injuries appeared grave, and judging by the bandages wrapped around both arms, even ordinary movement seemed difficult.

The Wudang Sect's situation is worse than expected.

Hyeonmang was the Sect Leader's direct disciple and the designated successor of Wudang.

The faint aura he emitted alone revealed that he stood above ordinary supreme masters.

For someone of his caliber to suffer such injuries meant the battles between the Sun Moon Demonic Cult and the Wudang Sect had intensified considerably.

"Will Heavenly Sword Hall also be deployed to the front lines?"

"For now, focus on guarding the main mountain. The defensive forces here were arranged with Heavenly Sword Hall's reinforcement in mind."

Lee Seha nodded.

Wudang was clearly willing to use Heavenly Sword Hall's strength to fill the gaps in its defenses, but it also intended to shoulder the primary battlefield itself.

Hyeonmang slowly moved his trembling hands and withdrew a simple letter from his sleeve.

"And the Divine Thief's notice has arrived at the main mountain."

"The Divine Thief?"

"With the sect war against the Sun Moon Demonic Cult throwing the main mountain into chaos, this is a golden opportunity from his perspective."

Lee Seha's expression sharpened immediately.

"Sounds exactly like that useless thief who only knows how to run fast."

Listening to the conversation, Namgung Jun recalled the Divine Thief's title.

Divine Thief 

The greatest thief in the current martial world.

His own martial prowess had already reached the Three Flowers Converging at the Crown realm, but most agreed that his movement arts alone had reached an absolutely transcendent level.

He had occasionally cooperated with or moved alongside the Sun Moon Demonic Cult, making him one of the individuals the Changcheon Society kept under close watch.

"A sudden notice from the Divine Thief. It appears to be one of the Sun Moon Demonic Cult's strategies to disrupt the distribution of our forces."

Hyeonmang nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. That is why the forces remaining at the main mountain, together with Heavenly Sword Hall, must stop him. In particular, among those currently at the mountain, Chuk-un Yuhui is probably the only martial artist capable of properly responding to the Divine Thief."

Hyeonmang's bandaged hands trembled.

With injuries so severe that even moving was difficult, it was only reasonable to regard himself as unable to contribute.

The thought that Wudang's honor might be tarnished by the Divine Thief while he could do nothing about it made his heart ache all the more.

In the end, all he could do was pray that Lee Seha would successfully stop the thief.

Looking at Lee Seha, Hyeonmang lowered his head once more.

"Chuk-un Yuhui, I leave this matter to you."

"I'll do everything I can."

***

"The Divine Thief's notice arrived, you say?"

After hearing what had transpired at Taihe Palace, Heo Il's face stiffened considerably.

Namgung Jun looked toward Heo Il's scar-covered right hand.

Even under normal circumstances, Heo Il's right hand trembled slightly.

But now the spasms were at least twice as severe as usual.

Watching Heo Il clutch the scarred hand tightly with his left, Namgung Jun's gaze deepened.

"Yes. Do you have some connection with the Divine Thief?"

Rather than answering immediately, Heo Il merely bit down on his lip.

Namgung Jun did not press him and waited patiently.

By the time the moonlight filtering through the night had begun to tilt westward, Heo Il finally raised the gourd at his side and took a long drink.

Then he spoke.

"The Divine Thief... was my former master."

Namgung Jun's eyelids slowly lifted at Heo Il's words.