Heavenly Inquisition Sword

Episode 307. It’s Not Just a Sword Technique

Over the red desert, a man and two women appeared.

They were Yeon Jeokha, Old Shim, and Namgung Yeon, who had traversed the Gate of the Earth.

Yeon Jeokha looked around in disbelief.

They had put all their effort into entering the Gate of the Earth, but the landscape before them was entirely new.

A ground made of red sand?

“Sister, is this really the Gate of the Earth?”

“I’m not sure. I can’t see the formation points.”

At the words “I can’t see the formation points,” Yeon Jeokha and Old Shim looked up at the sky.

Yeon Jeokha frowned.

“Huh? This is strange.”

Just a moment ago, the sky was dark, but now it was as bright as midday.

It seemed that the flow of time was completely disordered.

Old Shim also commented.

“Miss Namgung, it was just early evening a moment ago, so why is the sky so bright now?”

“It must be due to the influence of the Eight Gates. The time is still early evening. Only about two hours have passed since we entered the formation.”

Old Shim nodded.

Considering how many times the formation had changed, it made sense that about two hours had passed.

“Young Master, isn’t this formation incredible?”

“Yes, it is.”

Yeon Jeokha also agreed with Old Shim.

He hadn’t imagined that a formation and sorcery technique could have such overwhelming power.

“Wow, this is a problem.”

“Why?”

“The sky is blocked, so we’re like blind men again.”

“……”

Yeon Jeokha looked around with a somber expression.

They were in a vast desert with no idea where to go.

Namgung Yeon was the first to move.

“Let’s go. If this is the Gate of the Earth, any path should lead to the destination.”

Yeon Jeokha and Old Shim quickly followed her.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Old Shim, who had been silent, glanced sideways at Yeon Jeokha.

“What’s the matter now?”

“I was wondering why the Hidden Heavenly Sword didn’t work.”

“I don’t know.”

“Then ask Miss Namgung. If you don’t know something, you should find out.”

Old Shim insisted stubbornly.

He didn’t understand why Yeon Jeokha wasn’t seeking advice from Namgung Yeon.

Yeon Jeokha frowned but didn’t argue.

He knew Old Shim meant well.

Namgung Yeon listened to their conversation with one ear while continuing to walk.

She was also as curious as Old Shim about why the Hidden Heavenly Sword wasn’t working.

But she knew that Yeon Jeokha was more frustrated.

That’s why she waited patiently until he was ready to talk.

The uncomfortable silence ended when the ground shook about fifteen meters in front of them.

“It seems something else is going to come out.”

Old Shim looked at Yeon Jeokha cautiously.

He had seen how Yeon Jeokha was frightened by the zombies that had emerged from the ground before.

Sssshhh.

Scorpions the size of alligators emerged from the sand.

Their tails rose to eye level, making one shrink back just from looking at them.

Yeon Jeokha commented disdainfully.

“They’re scorpions.”

He knew Old Shim was watching him sideways because of his earlier reaction to the zombies.

He had only been scared because they were zombies for the first time.

Now, even if zombies appeared, he could face them with a smile, but being treated like a coward irritated him.

Yeon Jeokha drew his dagger and charged forward.

Clang!

The metallic sound echoed as his dagger clashed with a scorpion’s stinger.

Seeing that the stinger didn’t break, Yeon Jeokha immediately retreated.

It was unbelievable that the stinger didn’t break under such a sharp dagger.

“Wow! Why are they so tough?”

“Haha, it seems you forgot they’re supernatural beings.”

Old Shim teased him as he advanced.

His sword gleamed with energy.

Shhkk! Shhkk! Shhkk!

Old Shim cut down three tails in quick succession and shouted proudly.

“They’re weaker than the steel corpses… Ah!”

Old Shim screamed and quickly retreated.

Green venom spurted from the severed tails, dissolving everything it touched.

Even his clothes had holes in them.

“Damn! It’s venom!”

The venom splashed onto other scorpions, but they seemed immune.

Old Shim looked at Yeon Jeokha with concern.

“It doesn’t seem safe to cut their tails.”

“Did any get on you?”

“No, I avoided it in time. It just grazed my clothes.”

“If we cut their tails and they release venom, we’re in trouble. There are too many of them.”

Yeon Jeokha looked ahead.

There were dozens of scorpions in sight, and the ground was still shaking.

Namgung Yeon, after thinking for a moment, drew her sword.

“If we can’t cut them, we’ll have to push them aside.”

She deployed the technique of the Great Celestial Wind Sword.

Her swordsmanship transformed into a strong wind that surged forward.

Whoosh!

The scorpions were swept aside, making strange noises as they collided with each other.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Namgung Yeon moved forward.

The path opened by the wind technique was about fifteen meters, enough to get through the scorpions.

When they exited, Old Shim exclaimed.

“See! Strength isn’t everything. Isn’t that right, Young Master?”

“Obviously.”

Yeon Jeokha replied in a low voice.

He had thought brute force would be enough, but he had failed.

Old Shim kept talking.

“It would be good if we saw something clear. But with power blocking us, it’s complicated.”

He was insisting that Yeon Jeokha seek advice from Namgung Yeon.

Yeon Jeokha sighed silently.

“Old man, if I don’t know something, how can I ask?”

He understood Old Shim’s frustration.

But honestly, he didn’t know what to ask.

What do I mean?

He had completely mastered the Hidden Heavenly Sword technique without any obstacle.

Even so, it wasn’t working, so what was he supposed to ask?

As he walked, Yeon Jeokha glanced sideways at Namgung Yeon.

“Well, I should at least mention it.”

Old Shim kept insisting, and not asking could offend Namgung Yeon.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember when I cut through the clouds before?”

“Yes.”

“That was the Hidden Heavenly Sword.”

Yeon Jeokha explained to Namgung Yeon that he had learned the Hidden Heavenly Sword at the Wudang Sect.

“Why isn’t it working now? I did it the same way, but it doesn’t work.”

“What do you think the Hidden Heavenly Sword is?”

Namgung Yeon took the opportunity to say what she had been thinking.

Although she hadn’t mentioned it before, she had been reflecting on it.

“The sword technique that Hwa Ryong taught Yeon Dabin, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Hwa Ryong and Yeon Dabin were sorcerers. Very skilled sorcerers.”

Yeon Jeokha understood Namgung Yeon’s implication.

Sorcerers and sorcery were far removed from his world.

“But Sister, don’t they say that sorcerers haven’t been able to master the Hidden Heavenly Sword?”

“That’s their problem. All sorcerers seek enlightenment, but none have achieved it. The same goes for Buddhism. Everyone wants to become Buddha, but no one has succeeded.”

Yeon Jeokha didn’t understand how that related to whether the Hidden Heavenly Sword worked or not.

“Sword techniques are learned with the body. If the body remembers it, you can use it even if the mind forgets. But sorcery is different. It’s more about the mind and heart.”

Namgung Yeon pointed to her head and chest.

“I believe the Hidden Heavenly Sword isn’t just a sword technique.”

“It’s not a sword technique?”

“Think about the Hidden Heavenly Sword. Could you call it a sword technique?”

“I suppose not.”

Yeon Jeokha nodded.

The Hidden Heavenly Sword was different from common sword techniques.

It wasn’t about movements but about the concepts of ‘single point’ and ‘infinity.’

“Yeon Dabin was a sorcerer before he was a swordsman. You think you did it the same way, but there might be subtle differences. There are no coincidences in swordsmanship or sorcery.”

Yeon Jeokha didn’t argue.

“What you’re saying is true. When I achieved it, I had a strange feeling.”

“What kind of feeling?”

“I felt as if my mind was full of words and that everything I said would become reality.”

“Remember that feeling. It will increase your chances of success.”

“But it’s hard to replicate. I do the same thing, but it doesn’t work.”

The conversation returned to the starting point.

Yeon Jeokha shrugged, frustrated.

Everyone knew it.

But he couldn’t replicate it.

Old Shim, listening to the conversation, intervened.

“Young Master, the answer is clear. Learn sorcery. It’s not just a sword technique, so learn sorcery. That will open the way.”

“What? Are you telling me to become a sorcerer?”

Yeon Jeokha exclaimed.

Namgung Yeon nodded, seeing logic in Old Shim’s words.

“It could be a good idea. Learning sorcery will definitely help you with the Hidden Heavenly Sword.”

“Really?”

Yeon Jeokha’s tone softened immediately.

Yeon Jeokha’s sudden change in attitude made Old Shim murmur incredulously.

“When I mentioned it, you said you didn’t want to become a sorcerer. But now you’re saying yes. Wow! I knew you were devoted to the Sister, but this is too much.”

Yeon Jeokha pretended not to hear and kept walking.

Old Shim’s constant murmurs stopped when they reached a sand dune.

About three hundred meters ahead, two familiar pillars stood tall.

“Sister, those are the Gate of the Earth, right?”

“Yes.”

Namgung Yeon smiled with relief.

She had been worried, but it seemed they had entered the Gate of the Earth correctly.

“Let’s hurry. I’ll take the lead this time.”

Old Shim ran quickly.

He had felt regret for letting Namgung Yeon lead all the time.

Yeon Jeokha and Namgung Yeon followed closely behind him.

When they reached the Gate of the Earth, Old Shim drew his sword and kept watch around them.

However, not a single scorpion appeared.

“Miss Namgung, what do we do now?”

Namgung Yeon, observing the pillars carefully, replied.

“These two pillars seem to be the center of the formation. If we destroy them, the Gate of the Earth will also fall.”

“Understood.”

Old Shim approached the pillars.

At that moment, the ground began to tremble.

Old Shim immediately retreated.

In the blink of an eye, the debris turned into a stone colossus about thirty meters tall.

“Raaaargh!”

The stone giant raised its arms toward the sky and roared.

The sound echoed across the land, making the sand dunes tremble.

Yeon Jeokha looked at the colossus with his mouth open.

“What is that now?”

But the colossus wasn’t the only thing that appeared.

From the red sand, scorpions began to emerge in countless numbers.