I look at the Sword Demon, who brings a long sword he didn’t use against the Alliance leader, and ask.
“Senior, what kind of sword is that?”
The Sword Demon replies.
“It is the sword of my ancestors. I do not use it often but must bring it with me at such times.”
“Does it have a name?”
“The Bright Sword.”
The Sword Demon and the name of his sword do not match together. What could the story behind that be?
Even though I know he will refuse, I make an unreasonable request.
“Senior, can I take a look at the sword?”
The disciple is shocked as he looks at the Sword Demon after hearing my request. The Sword Demon simply smiles as he says.
“A look?”
He simply hands me the sword, allowing me to look at it. Nothing unusual about it so far.
It gives off a modest feeling. There is no intricately designed sheath, and there is nothing unusual about the handle either. Overall, it feels a little strange that it has a mixture of indigo and black colors. The most impressive thing about it is the weight.
“Why is it this heavy?”
“Because it is weighted.”
I grab the Bright Sword with my left hand and move it around. It looks dull on the outside, yet the sword is smooth and dazzling.
‘It has to be a famous sword.’
I suddenly get a strange feeling as I slowly pull it out. I feel goosebumps rise all over my body.
“Hmm…”
I look at the Sword Demon.
“… senior, am I imagining things?”
I look up at the sky and around us.
I hear the screaming of people and their sobbing. It doesn’t feel close but is similar to echoes from another room. If I continue listening to it, I feel like my heart might succumb.
I put the sword back inside its sheath, and silence returned.
The Sword Demon says.
“That was none of your imagination. You held up pretty well. Usually, many people pass out as soon as they pull it. If you touch it for a long time, your dreams start to go wild, so give it back here.”
I return the sword to him and say.
“I had a good look. No, do I even get to say that? Well, it is an amazing sword.”
Hearing my words, the Sword Demon calmly receives the sword with a confused expression.
“Amazing?’
I look at him and say.
“It is a rare thing to see.”
“What do you mean?”
“It is a Demon Sword of high rarity. Whether it is a Demon Sword or Righteous Sword, you fought the Alliance leader using a wooden sword. That means my senior is a strong man. It is quite impressive.”
My thinking is correct.
If the Sword Demon had fought with this, it wouldn’t be strange if their fight had lasted three days and three nights.
The Sword Demon nods and says gently.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
He then looks at his disciple and says.
“The Low Down Sect leader understands my heart.”
The disciple bows his head and says.
“I understand too, master.”
The Sword Demon smiles.
“Let’s go.”
The Bright Sword must have a story behind it, but I don’t ask him about it. Every person has a story that is difficult to talk about.
Since he didn’t use that weapon against the Alliance leader, then it means that the Bright Sword holds a deep story behind it.
It is only fitting to hear that story after paying the price in time. The Sword Demon holds his sword, and together with his disciple, the three of us head towards the Great Red Mountain.
“The Moon Pill Flower is in the Great Red Mountain?”
“It is beyond it, to be precise.”
The Sword Demon looks surprised.
“Are you speaking about the red peak?”
“You know of the red peak?”
The disciple, who doesn’t know about it, asks his teacher.
“Master, what kind of place is it?”
“It is a place where warriors would often meet and fight. It is a unique battleground. That is a place where it is said that the rough terrain had become flat due to powerful people. Actually, it is a place that cannot be understood with just your naked eyes. The ground is red with dust, and the peaks are of unknown origin.”
The disciple looks at his master.
“Did the Three Disasters fight here?”
To which Sword Demon replies.
“I don’t know. There are always rumors about them, which makes it hard to determine the truth. However, if those tales are true, the warriors must have often fought there to change the landscape to such an extent.”
The disciple then speaks with a dry smile.
“If so, then the Moon Pill Flower might not have bloomed there naturally and was instead cultivated by one of the Three? Wouldn’t it be better to rethink this visit then?”
The Sword Demon shakes his head.
“It cannot be.”
I feel the urge to speak for once but decide to stay silent. If that place is being managed by one of the Three Disasters, I should have died already.
The three of us cross the Great Red Mountain and look at the vast, dark-red plain beneath it. Peaks of various shapes are all around it.
It truly is a place of strange shapes. With these thoughts in my head, I jump down.
“Let’s go.”
After a while, the three of us move like the wind through the dust. I head straight to the highest peak I see.
While running, I see the disciple who shouts.
“No, how did you?!”
This peak only looks moderately tall when viewed from atop the other peaks. However, it looks massive when we look up at it while running through the plains. It doesn’t look like it will allow humans to easily climb up.
And if it is the highest peak, it means it is steep and tall.
The Sword Demon, running on my right, asks.
“This is the highest peak. Does it have a name?”
“It is called the Red Wild Lonely Peak.”
At first, I didn’t understand why a peak was called lonely. But, as I continue to climb it, I begin to understand the meaning behind it. It is because the peak is a place where unfathomable loneliness can be felt.
The Sword Demon sighs.
“Ah, if that is its name, then it must have been visited by people of ancient times.”
I then tell him.
“Senior, it will be more convenient once we get to the top. Do your best and move at full speed. I don’t know if your disciple can do it, though.”
The disciple snorts.
“Shut up.”
I take the lead to show them how comfortably they can move. I then leap high into the air by slamming my foot to the ground and soar high above. I feel my thighs swell as I reach the top by kicking and balancing my body repeatedly.
When I look down, I see the Sword Demon using footwork and moving near me without much of a gap between us.
The two of us stare at the disciple who has yet to arrive.
“…”
It looks like he might have stumbled in the middle, coming up with loud sounds as his hands and feet try to get a grip using ice.
Bababak!
I click my tongue.
We came here for the flower. Does he have to show off like that?
He somehow reaches the top with trembling hands.
The Sword Demon looks quite displeased at the state of his disciple.
“You must have enough qi to do this. What are you doing? It was like seeing the stone dragon move. Well, you’re busy drinking all day long, but make time to learn footwork in the future. You came all the way here to just make me ashamed.”
The disciple looks shocked.
“Master, this is my first time climbing this peak.”
I snort at his excuse.
“Shut up.”
I turn to look at the peak’s center before the disciple can speak anymore. The Sword Demon then sighs.
“Ah, it is there.”
On the small side of the peak are flowers in bloom.
The three of us walk to it. As we promised, we are taking cautious steps. This is because the flower has a tendency to wither on its own.
Actually, some of them have already scattered all over. In between those fallen petals are some healthy flowers that are moving in the wind.
The disciple then says.
“It really is here.”
I then tell him.
“Cut it with your sword. Take the flower with your blade as it falls. Do you know what I mean? If you touch it with your hands, its effect will decrease.”
The disciple then asks the Sword Demon.
“Master, won’t you have any?”
“It will be foolish to be greedy for what doesn’t suit me. The two of you should hurry and get your body ready to cultivate this. Stop talking now.”
The disciple and I exchange glances. I usually get a bit drunk in these situations, so I take a deep breath.
‘I hope this disciple doesn’t make a mistake.’
But mistakes that do happen are also fate.
I nod and sit down to match the moment as I pull out my sword to cut a flower. I then immediately gulp it down without touching it.
I look at the disciple, who is chewing on it with a smile.
The Sword Demon then speaks with a calm tone.
“Start.”
The three of us sit cross-legged in a triangle as the Sword Demon looks at us with his arms crossed. With my eyes open, I feel it will be alright to absorb the Moon Pill Flower’s qi. I begin to feel the coldness wrap around my body.
I don’t really need to cultivate it, but then I look towards the Sword Demon sitting cross-legged in front of me.
That sword was called the Bright Sword.
I know that sword is very dangerous due to the ominous ghostly voices I heard when I drew it.
The Sword Demon doesn’t have any other demonic items on his body, and he is trustworthy.
As I cannot be anxious about the dangers of a weapon, I often make eye contact with the Sword Demon while cultivating.
Even if I don’t cultivate, the Sword Demon doesn’t look shocked.
He looks at his disciple and me. Then his disciple closes his eyes.
In the end, we are waiting together for his disciple to finish.
I can’t predict when it will end, so I decide to close my eyes and fold my arms.
This situation is where the disciple doesn’t have a week to get this done. I open my eyes at the same time as the Sword Demon.
“…!”
The Sword Demon holds out his hand as if to tell me not to get too excited.
Even the disciple is frowning with his eyes closed as he feels the flow of qi change. The Sword Demon then says.
“Mong Rang, calm down and do what you need to.”
The Sword Demon stands up quietly, turns his back to us, and looks to the front. Muffled sounds emanate from the bottom of the peak as a woman in red jumps lightly to the top.
I stand right next to the Sword Demon as she suddenly appears. A woman who looks to be in her thirties, but it is difficult to estimate her age. She has a large mouth and a small dimple on her cheek.
I know right away that she isn’t one of the Three Disasters, but I can’t figure out who she is.
The woman then says to the Sword Demon.
“Did the Moon Pill Flowers wither?’
To which he responds.
“I apologize if this senior had raised them. There was no signpost saying anything.”
I am a bit puzzled.
“…”
To be honest, I am curious about the woman’s identity. However, I am even more curious about why she wasn’t here when I took the flowers in my past life.
The woman then says.
“This is so confusing that I cannot even speak. Disciple, is it alright to say those things when you are stealing? I came here because I heard a strange noise.”
The Sword Demon then says.
“The footwork of my disciple is rather slow. That was why senior heard it. Since I am no longer part of the Demonic Cult, there is no need to call me a disciple.”
“You left the Cult?”
“Please understand that I left because of an argument with the Cult leader.”
The woman looks surprised.
“You argued with the Cult leader? That is surprising. Can you tell me why?”
The Sword Demon replies in an emotionless voice.
“The leader desired to create the Heavenly Pearl, but I was opposed. We ended up fighting.”
As soon as the Heavenly Pearl is mentioned, I become shocked. To exaggerate slightly, I can even feel the Heavenly Pearl inside me buzzing.
The woman smiles with her big mouth.
“ Heavenly Pearl? Big Brother must have gone insane. That’s so like him.“
I glance at the woman.
How many surprises am I going to get today? First, it’s the mention of the Heavenly Pearl, and then this woman calls the Cult leader Big Brother.
She looks at the Sword Demon and says.
“The fact that you left a fight with Big Brother alive is unheard of. Or perhaps he was especially caring of you and couldn’t kill you.”
To which the Sword Demon says.
“Does he have an emotional side? Senior, you should be careful with your words. Even your relationship with him as your Big Brother is useless in front of him.”
The woman nods.
“Can Heavenly Pearl be made so easily? Then who is next in command after you left?”
“I don’t know. I am not interested.”
The woman looks at the Sword Demon with a calm expression and says.
“But the Moon Pill Flowers have withered. Let’s hear how you will make up for it.”
The Sword Demon replies.
“Are you really the one who cares for these flowers, senior?”
The woman smiles again and throws a parchment from her sleeve toward him. I smile as I see it flying through the air.
It is the map that I had in my past life.
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