CLS-Chapter 452

Chapter 452:

Slam!

“Hm?”

Wei Jeong-han frowned as he watched Jang-il enter with a ghostly expression, throwing open the door without knocking. No matter how well they could sense each other’s presence, bursting open a superior’s door without knocking was a breach of etiquette.

Normally, while Jang-il’s speech was rough, he never acted in ways that violated proper manners.

“What’s the matter?”

Something was definitely wrong.

And Wei Jeong-han’s impression proved correct, as Jang-il, who had opened the door and entered, spoke with a hardened expression.

“There’s something we need to verify.”

“Verify?”

“Yes.”

It was clear that Jang-il had discovered something. But what was with that expression?

“Speak.”

“That secret manual, you know?”

“Secret manual?”

“The secret manual, the Sword Emperor’s Treasure.”

Wei Jeong-han tilted his head.

“Are you talking about that Sword Emperor’s Treasure that Yan-ho used to peddle?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the problem with it?”

“……”

Jang-il, who had hesitated for a moment, spoke with firm determination.

“We need to confirm how many people within the Tang Family have learned about the Sword Emperor’s Treasure. And whether those who suffered seizures this time are truly related to that Sword Emperor’s Treasure.”

“You……”

Wei Jeong-han’s face contorted.

What Jang-il was saying now wasn’t something that could just be brushed aside.

“Are you saying that the secret manual might be flawed?”

“I thought it couldn’t be.”

Jang-il spoke with a trembling voice.

“Too many people learned it. It should have been called a craze, shouldn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“With so many learning it, only the Tang Family couldn’t be having problems. Conversely…… with so many people having seen and learned it, I thought there couldn’t be any problems.”

“But?”

“My thinking changed today. Because this is the Tang Family.”

Wei Jeong-han let out a low sigh.

“Listen, Jang-il. Do you know how many places took that secret manual?”

Jang-il looked at Wei Jeong-han without answering.

“All the major sects, starting with Shaolin and Wudang, took that secret manual. And they found no problems with it.”

“Yes, that’s what happened.”

“Even Elder Gwon-geuk and Master Shin-gi-su said it wasn’t a flawed secret manual. Yan-ho’s opinion was similar.”

Wei Jeong-han remembered Wei Yan-ho’s evaluation of that secret manual.

Very well-made junk food.

But junk food that wouldn’t cause any particular harm if consumed.

“Yes. That’s why I left it alone. Even if someone deliberately created and spread it, as long as there’s no damage, there’s no problem. But…… one thing bothers me.”

“What’s that?”

“The reason we listened to Wei Yan-ho’s and Shaolin’s interpretations in the first place was simple. We don’t have the ability to interpret what kind of secret manual it is.”

Jang-il’s voice was resolute.

“It’s been hundreds of years since the Muscle-Tendon Classic appeared, but no one at Shaolin dares to say they’ve perfectly interpreted the Muscle-Tendon Classic. If secret manuals were the kind of things that could be perfectly interpreted, there would be no difficulty in learning them.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Secret manuals are difficult for those who haven’t reached the creator’s level to grasp their true meaning even when they see them. They’re paradoxical objects. Secret manuals are created to transmit one’s martial learning to others, but conversely, unless you’re at a similar level, you can’t properly know what’s contained within that secret manual. You just learn as instructed and follow as told. In other words…… even if the secret manual’s owner played tricks, those learning it wouldn’t be able to tell.”

Wei Jeong-han’s expression became serious.

“So you’re saying……”

“Yes.”

Jang-il spoke with conviction.

“If the owner of that secret manual is a martial artist stronger than Wei Yan-ho or Shaolin, even if he embedded some trick within the secret manual, it would be impossible to discover.”

The gazes of Jang-il and Wei Jeong-han met.

Jang-il’s gaze filled with intense will, and Wei Jeong-han’s filled with suspicion.

“What you’re saying is……”

Wei Jeong-han hesitated for a moment.

The statement was so tremendous that it required organization.

“Someone with a purpose spread that secret manual, and the one who created that secret manual might be an existence so great that we can’t even imagine?”

“Yes. That’s exactly right.”

“Listen, Jang-il.”

Wei Jeong-han sighed.

“I’ll acknowledge that what you’re saying has merit. But isn’t it unrealistic? What you’re describing would be difficult even for Jeokan-u  of the past…… no, even the Great Demon Emperor. It’s not because he’s my son. Yan-ho’s abilities have already exceeded what we can anticipate. But to hide his intentions within a secret manual so secretly that even that child would miss it, just how strong would one have to be?”

“Would it be impossible?”

“Not impossible, but realistically……”

“The opponent is the Demonic Cult.”

Jang-il’s words contained many meanings.

“The Demonic Cult has always been beyond what we imagined. I want to ask one thing. Right now, is Master Wei’s certainty that the Demonic Cult couldn’t have raised a martial artist beyond the Great Demon Emperor level during these twenty years based on confidence and calculations from knowing the Demonic Cult well, or are you just guessing that way because your impression of the Great Demon Emperor was so intense?”

“You……”

Wei Jeong-han suppressed his anger.

It was rude.

Insufferably rude.

But he couldn’t deny that it made sense. The Demonic Cult had produced the Great Demon Emperor. Then it wouldn’t be strange if they produced another martial artist beyond the Great Demon Emperor.

Moreover……

‘Mok-u (Wooden Puppet)……’

That name kept bothering him.

Jeokan-u , who called himself a puppet.

‘Mok-u, what could be more ridiculous?’

He was the Great Demon Emperor.

The Great Demon Emperor who drove all of Zhongyuan into terror.

Before the Great Demon Emperor’s appearance, Zhongyuan didn’t highly evaluate demonic arts. Martial learning that could reach the Transcendent level faster than orthodox methods, but couldn’t advance beyond that.

Since the Heavenly Demon, the Demonic Cult hadn’t produced a supreme martial artist. While they could overwhelm with strong forces, they couldn’t trample Zhongyuan’s martial arts centered around an absolute martial artist.

Therefore, Zhongyuan evaluated the Demonic Cult’s martial arts as incomplete.

But after the Great Demon Emperor’s appearance, the assumptions that had been considered common sense until now were shattered.

Extreme Demon.

The Great Demon Emperor etched deep into the martial world’s bones just how terrifying a demon who reached Extreme Demon could be.

The one who stepped into a realm that no one had reached since the Heavenly Demon.

The Great Demon Emperor swept away the martial artists that the martial world prided itself on like autumn leaves in the wind.

‘It was shocking.’

The martial world at that time was also filled with strong warriors. In terms of pure strength, it might have been greater than now. Yet no one could stop the Great Demon Emperor.

The swordsman who boasted of being the best in the martial world fell spurting blood.

The one called the greatest fist under heaven couldn’t last even ten seconds.

Yes. That’s why the title Great Demon Emperor suited him.

Wei Jeong-han had never thought he would see another like the Great Demon Emperor in his lifetime. Of course, Wei Yan-ho was remarkable. Though he was his son, Wei Yan-ho was truly a monster.

But Wei Jeong-han thought that even Wei Yan-ho couldn’t compare to the Great Demon Emperor.

Could Wei Yan-ho someday surpass Jeokan-u ?

His head said yes, but his heart said no.

He had even changed history.

The martial world’s pride, which had nearly lost everything to the demon, transformed his unclear end into their own achievement.

‘The truly ridiculous part is that even in the midst of all that, they couldn’t create a definite hero and handled it through combined effort.’

No one could dare say ‘I killed the Great Demon Emperor.’ Even though it was fabrication.

Had a demon beyond such a Great Demon Emperor appeared?

Even for the Demonic Cult……

Wei Jeong-han gritted his teeth.

There was a possibility. He couldn’t even deny the possibility. The reason he didn’t want to acknowledge it wasn’t because of his respect for Jeokan-u .

If a demon stronger than Jeokan-u  had emerged again from the Demonic Cult, could the martial world handle him?

Even if they built mountains with corpses and created seas with blood, it wouldn’t be possible. Considering what the martial world had done in the past to stop the Great Demon Emperor.

“You’re right.”

Wei Jeong-han readily acknowledged it. Right now, his certainty that the Demonic Cult couldn’t have created a martial artist beyond the Great Demon Emperor was the result of his personal strong impression of the Great Demon Emperor. If he thought rationally, there was no reason it would be impossible.

“If it’s the Demonic Cult, it would be possible.”

Jang-il also nodded.

“So we must investigate. Whether those who suffered seizures truly learned this martial art.”

“I understand……”

Jang-il bowed his head deeply and turned around.

Then Wei Jeong-han called out to Jang-il.

“Listen, Jang-il.”

“Yes?”

As Jang-il turned his head, Wei Jeong-han hesitated for a moment.

“You…… did you perhaps learn it?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Jang-il shook his head. He too was a martial artist, so it wasn’t that he wasn’t tempted, but Wei Yan-ho’s evaluation had stopped him.

“There’s not much good in learning that. It’s not bad martial arts, but there won’t be much benefit from learning it either. It’s full of holes. Rather than learning something half-baked and becoming a mess, just properly learn what you have now. Your martial arts isn’t bad, is it?”

“He told me not to learn it.”

“I see.”

Wei Jeong-han nodded weakly.

“What if.”

“Yes.”

“What if your prediction is correct? If this entire situation originated from the Sword Emperor’s Treasure that Wei Yan-ho analyzed…… what would happen?”

Jang-il answered with a hardened expression.

“If…… even if this secret manual caused such things, it would be fine if we could establish countermeasures. If we could restore the twisted blood flow.”

“What if not?”

“If not……”

Jang-il closed his mouth.

No words came out. He just looked at Wei Jeong-han with a hardened expression.

That was enough.

Wei Jeong-han, who had heard all the answers in Jang-il’s eyes, nodded.

“I understand. Go ahead. I’ll complete the investigation quickly and inform you of the results. There will be things you need to help with too.”

“I’ll do my best to help.”

“Do that.”

Click.

After Jang-il closed the door and left, Wei Jeong-han’s body slumped over his chair.

‘It can’t be.’

It mustn’t be.

Absolutely.

If Jang-il’s prediction was true, the martial world wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath. And……

‘What happened to Yan-ho?’

If Wei Yan-ho was blamed as the source of all this, what should he do?

Wei Jeong-han sprang up from his seat.

Now wasn’t the time to worry, but to act.

Wei Jeong-han, who had blown away all the ominous thoughts rising in his mind, walked resolutely outside.

But his shoulders hung powerlessly, unlike usual.