The 113th speaker, please.
I walked slowly into Mansadong.
Because it was made into a holy place by the Apostolic Alliance, the interior was well-decorated. It was well-ventilated and the interior was bright thanks to the night lights placed throughout.
After walking for a while, a wide space appeared. This was Mansadong. On the newly built wall, the life of Mansajongju was recorded in writing and pictures.
It contained the story of his unfortunate childhood, his arduous training in martial arts, his heroic tales from his youth, and his life story leading up to his becoming the grand master of the Sasang sect.
But that was it. There was nothing else. There was a reason why Visain had put me here. It was simply a place where the life story of the legendary Sapagosu from three hundred years ago was recorded.
The climax of his life was his fight with the Heavenly Demon.
Although he did not win, he survived the fight and is still remembered today.
According to the records on the wall, he stayed here for ten days while recovering from his injuries and then left. Fortunately, there was water there, so he was able to endure it.
It was written that after that he went into seclusion and never showed up in the martial arts world.
It was not written that he left here a lecture on his own learning before he died.
So how did it become known?
Ten years from now, an earthquake occurs here, the wall collapses, and a new space is discovered.
I pulled out the black magic sword.
Jiiing.
The black magic sword was adorned with a sky blue sword light.
A sword with a sharp blade was embedded in the lower part of the western wall. It was cut straight along the lower dividing line made for writing and pictures, so that a person could pass through it.
The collapsed wall was this very west wall. The wall wasn’t thick, but I cut deep enough to penetrate the wall, and then used my inner strength to push the boulder, and it was pushed in.
I crawled there and went inside. This inner space was the space where Man Sa Jong Ju left his knowledge before he died.
On the wall was written a lecture on the subject of learning that he had left behind. Judging from the fact that it was left in a secret place, it seems that he did not want people who were not destined to see it.
I read it slowly.
It was a lecture on the entire field of martial arts based on the enlightenment gained through the fight with Cheonma.
The ignorance of the Mansajongju was so high and noble. For ordinary masters, it was useless content that could be seen a hundred times. However, I was not an ordinary master.
I read and reread. The great apostolic masters of the past three hundred years left behind. There was no need to memorize. It was a realm of understanding.
At first, I gained enlightenment from the difference. It was a new learning from the Sapa martial arts that was completely different from the magic of the main school.
But the more I read and reread it, the more I realized that all martial arts originated from the same root.
It’s both the same and different. What parts are different and what parts are the same? Knowing the mystery of these subtle differences is the difference between becoming a peerless master or not.
I drew my sword and swung it, then read the text again, and then used my skills like a madman again. The experience was fresh and intense.
If I had only learned the magic arts, or if I had only learned the martial arts of the Sapa, then his teachings would not have been so great.
However, although I was based on magic, I lived my entire life transcending sects. That is why the final enlightenment of the Mansajongju had a great impact on me.
At some point, while I was using the beginner’s technique of the Bicheon Sword Technique, I realized something.
Before I knew it, I had achieved the Twelve Great Stars of the Bicheon Sword Technique.
Just as water flows down, the teachings of Mansajongju naturally led me to the next level.
The Ten Great Stars and Twelve Great Stars are realms of another dimension. A martial art has finally reached its ultimate state and is now complete.
“ah!”
I was happy. In my past life, I had never achieved the Twelve Great Stars in any martial art. Now that I had achieved the Twelve Great Stars in the noble martial art of the Bicheon Sword Technique, I felt as if I was flying.
I knelt down on the spot and bowed down. Although he was the great leader of the Sapa sect, I expressed my sincere gratitude.
“Thank you so much for leaving such great teachings. Although the apostle did not receive this precious connection, the person who was trying to help your descendants received it, so please do not be too disappointed.”
As I bowed and was about to get up, something caught my eye.
There was something hidden in a place where I had to lie down to see it. I went closer and saw that it was a letter. It was a letter left by the Mansa Jongju. The last of them caught my eye.
“… … I realized that even if I took this ten thousand year black spirit mushroom, I would not be able to kill Cheonma. Therefore, I will not take it and leave it for future generations. Yeonja, please treasure this relationship.”
“Eternal Black Spirit?”
I was surprised and looked around where the letter was. There was a small hole behind where the letter was. When I looked inside, I saw that there was indeed a perennial black ash tree growing there.
I injected some internal energy and pushed, and the mud wall collapsed, revealing a small space.
Surprisingly, what was growing there was none other than the Eternal Black Spirit. It was a more effective elixir than any elixir I had ever taken.
If I had not bowed down to the Lord of Mansa with gratitude, I would not have found the temple, nor would I have discovered the Mannyeonheukyeongji. Whether it was the Lord of Mansa’s intention or a coincidence, I had been given a second chance.
‘Thank you again.’
I carefully dug up the Eternal Black Mushroom. Eternal Black Mushroom was smaller than regular Mushroom. The spiritual energy that had accumulated over many years was contained in this small mushroom.
I took the Mannyeonheukyeongji on the spot.
A tremendous amount of energy spread throughout the body. If someone who couldn’t handle this energy ate it, it could cause their blood vessels to burst.
However, I was able to melt the Eternal Black Spirit without any side effects, based on the pure internal energy accumulated from the elixir I took before and the strong blood vessels strengthened with the Heavenly Vein Strengthening Technique.
I concentrated on melting my energy by one, two, and three times. After the energy settled in my dantian, I opened my eyes.
Although he didn’t know how deep his father, the leader of the martial arts world, or the leader of the apostles each had internal energy, he was now confident that his internal energy was no less than that of the three.
The teachings of the Mansa sect left on the walls and temples were left as they were. When an earthquake occurred and the walls collapsed, most of them were destroyed, so there was no need to erase the teachings of the Mansa sect with my own hands.
I crawled out of there and filled in the rocks I had dug out back where they were.
Since there was still some time left until the two promised poems, I read the part about the final fight between Cheonma and Mansajongju.
In the fight between Mansajongju and Cheonma, the Cheonma spirit was revealed. Since it was a painting drawn by the Sapha people, the Cheonma spirit was depicted as if it were a demon.
I looked at the Cheonmahon carefully.
If you achieve great success in the Nine-Hour Demonic Arts, you can manifest the Heavenly Demon Soul.
Will I ever be able to create the Heavenly Demon Spirit? What will my Heavenly Demon Spirit look like? Will it appear in a smaller form than its gigantic form?
My heart started pounding just thinking about it.
Right then.
Sigh. I had the illusion that the spirit of the heavenly horse in the painting was looking at me.
나는 깜짝 놀라서 천마혼을 다시 쳐다보았지만, 천마혼은 그림 속 모습 그대로였다.
사실 두 번째 경험하는 일이었다.
예전에 아버지가 마기로 나를 압박할 때, 심연 속에서 거대한 무엇인가가 나를 쳐다보는 느낌을 받은 적이 있었다.
지금도 딱 그 느낌이었다.
구화마공에 대한 간절한 마음 때문에 자꾸 환상을 보는 것일까?
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“다음에는 그림이 아니라 내가 발현했을 때 봅시다.”
그렇게 천마혼에게 인사한 후 나는 만사동을 나왔다.
밖에서 비사인이 기다리고 있었다. 그는 호기심 가득한 눈빛으로 나를 살폈다. 하지만 그의 수준으로는 어떤 변화도 알아볼 수 없었다.
“잘 읽었소. 정말 성지라 할만한 곳이오. 만사종주는 정말 대단한 분이오.”
“두 번 다시 올 생각 마시오.”
“당신들에게나 성지지, 내겐 답답한 지하동굴일 뿐이오. 한번 봤으면 됐소. 자, 나갑시다.”
우린 같이 들어왔던 연못을 통해 밖으로 나갔다.
폭포 아래로 나온 우리는 절벽 위로 날아올랐다. 단번에 올라온 나에 비해 그는 중간에 절벽을 한 번 박차고 올라섰다.
사도맹 본단을 향해 달리기 시작했다.
그렇게 쉼 없이 달리다가 잠시 쉬어가기로 했다. 언덕에 나란히 앉아 쉬던 중에 비사인이 걱정스럽게 말했다.
“지금쯤 한바탕 난리가 났을 거요. 사도맹의 후계자가 실종 상태니 말이오. 그것도 천마의 자식과 함께.”
“생각보다 별일 없을 수도 있소.”
그러자 비사인이 나를 쳐다보며 물었다.
“왜 그렇게 생각하시오?”
“소마께서 일랑에게 언질을 줬을 거요. 위험한 일은 벌어지지 않았을 테니 굳이 소란 떨지 않아도 된다고.”
“그렇게 하라고 극악소마에게 시켰소?”
나는 고개를 가로저었다.
“때론 말하지 않아도 알 수 있는 것이 있지 않겠소?”
“후계자가 되고 사도십삼랑과 떨어져 본 적은 이번이 처음이오. 그런데도 난 그들이 어떻게 움직일지 전혀 예측할 수 없소.”
그는 씁쓸한 표정을 감추지 못했다. 난 그들의 분열을 유도했기에 그에게 약간의 미안함이 있었다.
“혼자가 된 소감이 어떻소?”
“아직은 잘 모르겠소. 많이 불편할 줄 알았는데, 그리 불편하거나 불안하지 않소.”
“나와 있어서 그럴 거요. 내가 사람을 편하게 해주는 매력이 있소.”
뻔뻔한 내 말에 비사인은 어이없다는 표정을 지었다. 그와 함께 있다 보니 미세한 표정 변화를 읽을 수 있었다. 처음에는 다 그 표정이 그 표정인 뭉개진 얼굴이었는데, 자세히 보면 차이가 있었다.
“이제 비공자 표정을 읽을 수 있겠소.”
내가 표정 이야기를 꺼내자 그가 흠칫했다. 극악소마에게 가면처럼, 비사인에게는 얼굴 흉터가 역린 같은 것이었다. 하지만 나는 망설이지 않고 그 부분을 건드렸다.
“나중에 믿을만한 수하가 생기면 그 사람에게는 표정을 자세히 보여주시오. 그래야 그가 비공자의 감정을 읽을 수 있을 거요. 오히려 가까운 관계일수록, 비공자를 존경하면 할수록 표정을 못 읽을 수가 있소. 그런 우는 범하지 마시오.”
“왜 내게 이런 조언을 해주는 거요?”
“사도맹이 잘 돌아가기를 바라서요. 본교와 귀맹, 그리고 무림맹이 균형을 이루기를 바라서요. 그 균형이 무너지면…… 아시잖소? 어떤 일이 벌어질지.”
“정말 그것뿐이오?”
“나라고 어디 사람 믿으라고 배웠겠소? 그래도 믿어야 할 때는 믿소.”
“당신이 이렇게까지 위험을 감수하는 이유가 이해가 안 돼서 그렇소.”
“이유야 간단하지. 놈은 우릴 죽이려 했소. 소마님을 이용하려 했고. 죽여야 할 이유는 충분하오. 그렇다고 끝까지 도울 거라 믿진 마시오. 우리가 복수심에 미친 강호초출도 아니고 상황 봐서 아니다 싶으면 곧장 발을 뺄 거요. 이번 일은 어디까지나 비공자 당신 문제니까.”
비사인은 마음이 복잡한 듯 보였다.
“어떻게 해야 할지. 솔직히 좀 혼란스럽소.”
처음 만난 비사인과 지금의 비사인은 확실히 달랐다. 상처 입은 자존심은 사람의 눈을 가리기 마련이다. 하지만 지금의 비사인은 분명 자존심보다는 현실을 이겨내려는 의지가 강했다.
“간단한 일 아니오?”
“무슨 말이오?”
“저쪽이 한 그대로 갚아주면 되는 일 아니겠소? 그가 당신을 죽이려 했으니 당신도 그를 죽이시오. 사도맹주를 죽여 권력을 잡으려는 것이 아니라 후계자인 비공자를 죽이려 했으니 당신도 똑같이 그 손자를 죽이시오. 석관추에 대한 두려움과 경외심 따윈 버리시오. 그는 권력을 탐하는 추악한 늙은이일 뿐이니까. 증거고 나발이고 다 집어치우고 그냥 죽여버리시오.”
비사인은 크게 고개를 끄덕였다.
“맞소. 이 문제는 정말 간단한 문제였소.”
꽉 막혀 있던 뭔가가 뚫린 모양이다.
“놈들을 모두 죽이겠소. 막아서는 자들도 모두 죽이겠소.”
“당연히 그래야지요. 간단한 문제를 복잡하게 만들지 마시오.”
잠시 나를 쳐다보던 비사인이 물었다.
“지금도 내 표정이 읽히오?”
“읽히오.”
“어떻소?”
“기뻐하고 있소.”
“정말 내게도 표정이 있었구려.”
“몰랐소?”
“몰랐소. 다들 내 얼굴 피하기 바빠서.”
“다들이 아니라 당신이었겠지. 이제 거울은 그만 부수시오.”
원래라면 발끈했을 그 얼굴에 더 짙은 미소가 지어졌다. 그 얼굴을 빤히 쳐다보다가 내가 먼저 자리에서 일어났다.
“자, 달립시다!”
