The Legend of the Northern Blade

It was a place that had been abandoned long ago. Sharp as a knife, a high mountain encircled the basin like a folding screen. Within it lay waterfalls and valleys, but the water had turned black, reeking with a foul stench, and the trees had withered, adding to the desolate atmosphere. The once grand pavilions that filled the basin had long been deserted and neglected, barely maintaining their forms.

Oddly, even though decades had passed since its abandonment, the air still hung thick with the scent of death.

Half a day ago, people began to gather in this forsaken place.

The first to appear was an old musician. Carrying a large guqin on his back, he sat in the center of the basin and began to play. Deep sorrow filled the old musician’s half-closed eyes, resonating in the notes he played.

In harmony with his sadness, dark clouds covered the sky. The wind carried his melodies far, making even the mountains and trees seem to weep.

Finally, the dark clouds released their rain. Raindrops fell on the old musician’s head, trickling down and soaking his clothes, yet he did not stop playing.

The second man to arrive watched the old musician with pity. His black cloak fluttered like wings, and his golden eyes shone brightly, even in the pouring rain.

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In a world of countless martial artists, only one man possessed such distinctive features—the Black-Winged Divine Spear.

His gaze never left the old musician, the Celestial Sound Demon Yoon Cheon-Hak, who was playing a requiem in memory of his only disciple, Geum Dan-Yeop. Unable to grasp the depths of Yoon Cheon-Hak’s sorrow, the Black-Winged Divine Spear remained silent, simply watching.

Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed behind Yoon Cheon-Hak. A giant, resembling a black bear with two large axes strapped crosswise on his back and disheveled hair hanging down to his shoulders, appeared, causing the air to stir rapidly.

“Hmph! I wondered who was making such a fuss. It’s just the Sound Demon,” the giant said, exuding an overwhelming aura.

“Long time no see, Choo-San,” the Black-Winged Divine Spear greeted, his golden eyes gleaming.

The giant smirked. “Moon-Chun,” he returned the greeting, calling the Black-Winged Divine Spear by his real name, Woo Moon-Chun, a name known to almost no one.

Woo Moon-Chun narrowed his eyes. The giant’s name was Man Choo-San, better known as the Mountain-Splitting Devil Axe. Like Woo Moon-Chun, Man Choo-San was one of the Four Great Demon Generals, and his aggressively destructive nature and formidable physical strength made him the most feared among them.

“Has it been thirty years?”

“Ha! Seems about right. You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Neither have you.”

Decades had passed, yet their appearances remained unchanged, as if time had overlooked them. Yet, for some reason, no one questioned this anomaly.

Suddenly, another voice, a woman’s, chimed in. “I thought I would be the first to arrive, but three of you are already here.”

The three men quickly turned to look at the newcomer, a woman who appeared to be in her thirties, with dazzling beauty, lustrous black hair, and mysterious silver eyes. It was the Fairy of the White Night, So Geum-Hyang.

Man Choo-San grinned. “Heh! Long time no see, witch.”

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“You haven’t changed at all.”

“If people change too easily, it means their death is near.”

Three of the Four Great Demon Generals had gathered. Their overwhelming presence repelled even the raindrops, scattering them. After decades, they were reunited, though not completely.

Woo Moon-Chun looked around. “I don’t see Jin-Myeong. Is he not coming?”

“He’s probably wandering the world again. His wanderlust isn’t a new thing.”

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They recalled the one who hadn’t shown up, Shadow of the Blue Wind Yoo Jin-Myeong, a member of the Four Great Demon Generals and the fastest person in the world. As his alias suggested, he was a free spirit who rarely appeared unless necessary.

“But when we make a decision, he’ll be the first to arrive. That’s the kind of person he is,” So Geum-Hyang said, and everyone nodded.

If it was important, Yoo Jin-Myeong was the kind of person who would come even if told not to. There was no need to be anxious or doubtful about his absence now.

Soon, five more people joined them, among them an ordinary-looking old man and a woman who seemed to have just come from farming. They looked like common folk one might see in the countryside or on the streets, yet their auras and presence were as formidable as those of the Four Great Demon Generals.

Seeing them, Woo Moon-Chun murmured, “So, even the Six Demon Lords have gathered.”

If the Four Great Demon Generals were the external symbols of Silent Night, then the Six Demon Lords, including the Celestial Sound Demon Yoon Cheon-Hak, were its true leaders, spreading their influence and training disciples across the land. Although ranked below the Four Great Demon Generals, even they couldn’t treat the Six Demon Lords lightly.

With the gathering of the Four Great Demon Generals and the Six Demon Lords, a tense atmosphere filled the place.

Finally, Yoon Cheon-Hak stopped playing and stood up.

“Cheon-Hak, your grief must be overwhelming.”

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“We’re deeply sorry about Dan-Yeop.”

The Six Demon Lords offered their condolences, trying to console Yoon Cheon-Hak, who had lost his disciple. Geum Dan-Yeop had been like a child to them too, and they still vividly remembered his excited expression when he first started learning martial arts.

Despite their attempts to comfort him, Yoon Cheon-Hak’s expression remained icy. “I didn’t summon you here to be comforted. Dan-Yeop wanted us to end our isolation and re-enter the world, and I intend to fulfill his dream.”

“Cheon-Hak!”

“As soon as the Lord of the Night arrives, I will formally request that we reengage with the world,” Yoon Cheon-Hak declared.

A hush fell over the room. Some faces lit up with excitement, others were clouded with worry.

The kindest-looking among the Six Demon Lords, an elderly villager, interjected, “Cheon-Hak, many young ones might die or get injured.”

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“You know as well as I do that we can’t suppress them indefinitely. They’ve longed to venture out for years now, but we’ve only held them back. Dan-Yeop died for them. I won’t let his sacrifice be in vain.”

“Hmm!”

“Dan-Yeop yearned for the Silent Night to awaken, to roar at the world, to unsheathe the sword of retribution. Look around—here we stand, old fools stifling the dreams of the young for comfort and safety,” Yoon Cheon-Hak cried out, his voice verging on a wail.

His forceful words made Man Choo-San, the Mountain-Splitting Devil Axe, smirk. Surveying the barren basin, now a land of death, he laughed, “Haha! You’ve finally come to your senses. Indeed, Dan-Yeop was killed by your foolishness. Remember, comrades, that this was our home! Have you forgotten how it was destroyed, how we were expelled? If so, you are indeed hopeless fools.”

“Mountain-Splitting Devil Axe, your words are too harsh. Even if you are one of the Four Great Demon Generals, we are the Six Demon Lords. Show some decorum,” a man in his mid-forties snapped, stepping forward. Dressed like a butcher ready for the slaughter, his presence unleashed a fierce killing intent so palpable that even the wind hesitated before him and raindrops scattered in all directions.

He was Seven-Fingered Demon Lord Jang Hwang, a renowned figure within the Six Demon Lords and master of the Savage Beast Blade, famed for the most potent killing intent in the realm. Not even the Four Great Demon Generals took him lightly.

Still, Woo Moon-Chun sneered, unfazed. “Oh? Want to try me?”

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“Are we really doing this?” Jang Hwang narrowed his eyes, his killing intent surging.

Man Choo-San grinned, gathering his qi.

The air vibrated as their killing intents clashed, spreading an oppressive aura that made breathing difficult for bystanders. The room pulsed with tension, teetering on the brink of violence.

Yoon Cheon-Hak stepped forward. “There’s no need to fight. The Lord of the Night will make the final decision.”

“Hmph!”

At Yoon Cheon-Hak’s intervention, the combatants gradually withdrew their energies. The Lord of the Night, the absolute ruler of Silent Night and the undisputed master of darkness, commanded their ultimate allegiance. No one, not the Four Great Demon Generals nor the Six Demon Lords, could defy his will.

For decades, Silent Night had labored to usher in the era of the Lord of the Night, their true sovereign, and now he was on his way here.

Yoon Cheon-Hak gazed upward as the rain ceased, revealing a clear sky. “Whatever decision the Lord of the Night makes, I will obey. If he commands me to crawl like a dog, I’ll crawl. If he orders me to bark, I’ll bark. My sole wish is to avenge my disciple, Dan-Yeop, and to confront Heaven’s Summit.”

The voice of a master mourning his disciple, heavy with vengeance, dissipated into the breeze.

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Jin Mu-Won suddenly raised his head and gazed intently ahead.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Myeong Ryu-San asked, baffled by Jin Mu-Won’s sudden change in demeanor.

Silently, Jin Mu-Won continued to peer forward. Soon, the silhouette of a sprawling city emerged at the edge of the horizon.

“Wow, is that Wuhan?”

It was indeed the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province, the crossroads of all the cultures of the Central Plains, with the formidable Heaven’s Summit looming in its backdrop.

A flood of memories flickered through Jin Mu-Won’s mind, as vivid as a spinning lantern. He remembered the unforgiving skies of the north, his father who was forced to commit suicide, and his own frail form, cradling his father’s body, bowing under the fierce wind.

“Has it really been ten years?” he murmured to himself.

After a long journey, he had finally arrived at Heaven’s Summit, the land of the absolute rulers.