WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

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◈ Memoir of a Regressor ◈

Chapter 24: Iron-Blooded Demon Emperor

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In the north of Jeok Nation lay a place called Myriad-Lotus Mountain.

Myriad-Lotus Mountain stood at the exact center of Masu County to the north, Sumi County to the south, Hwan County to the west, and Anseong County to the east. The famous Emperor Sword Sect was based there.

The vast lands in all four directions were home to countless sects, yet even those who dominated their own regions did not call themselves the greatest.

They did not dare.

The Emperor Sword Sect was the greatest power across all four regions.

From Myriad-Lotus Mountain, the Emperor Sword Sect practically ruled those four regions. It was a force even the imperial family of Jeok Nation did not dare make a move against.

That was the Emperor Sword Sect.

In truth, the Emperor Sword Sect was not the only one. All Eight Great Sects of the martial world were much the same.

On Myriad-Lotus Mountain, a man with long hair and a long white robe swung his sword.

The ultimate technique, the Heavenly Wind Emperor Sword Art, unfolded alongside the Emperor's Descent Steps.

A clearly visible concentrated force aura began to gather at the tip of his sword.

The sword he had raised high into the sky came to an abrupt stop.

The man's eyes flashed.

As if he intended to cut down everything before him, he brought it down in a powerful strike.

Kwwaaaaang-!!

The cliff before him collapsed completely. The tremendous roar of the impact was enough to shake heaven and earth.

As the man slowly sheathed his sword and straightened, applause rang out beside him.

Clap, clap, clap.

Several people were applauding.

The man turned his head in surprise.

He immediately performed a cupped-fist salute.

“Greetings, Sect Leader.”

“Ho ho. That will do.”

The old man had white hair and a white beard.

He looked exceptionally kind, but there was nothing kind about his physique.

He stood nearly seven feet tall, with a six-foot sword hanging at his waist.

This man was the Sword Emperor, Gun Mu-gyeol, one of the Ten Greatest Masters Under Heaven.

“Your achievement is truly remarkable. You have already reached Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. Elder Ma must be very pleased.”

“You praise me too highly.”

“Ah, you brat, do not call it excessive praise. Few people reach Three Flowers Gather at the Crown at your age. Humility is good, but you must acknowledge your accomplishments when the time comes. Ho ho ho. Truly... it is enough to make me marvel. With talent like yours, you are surely fit to contend for a place among the Ten Greatest Masters Under Heaven someday.”

“Your praise is too generous. I do not know how to accept it.”

“Ho ho ho. You brat...”

Gun Mu-gyeol patted Jang Un-yeon's shoulder.

“This is not only Elder Ma's fortune. It is also a fortune for our Emperor Sword Sect. How can I, as Sect Leader, simply sit still? Tell me if there is anything you want.”

Jang Un-yeon seemed to consider it for a moment before speaking clearly.

“I would like to visit my hometown.”

“Hmm... Your hometown? You mean Jangnyeong County?”

“Yes.”

“But this is an important time. Now that it has been revealed that two of the Eight Great Sects are lackeys of the Millennium Demonic Cult, a great war will break out before long. Remain at the Sword Sect for the time being.”

Jang Un-yeon was dissatisfied, but what could he do?

The Sword Emperor was practically an absolute ruler within the Emperor Sword Sect. If Gun Mu-gyeol said something was right, then it was right.

“Yes. Then I will postpone my trip home.”

“Good. You have thought it through. Is there anything else you want?”

“...There is one request I would like to make, if I may.”

“Speak.”

“I would like to enter the Heavenly Archives Pavilion.”

“Hmm...”

“Three shichen should be enough.”

The Heavenly Archives Pavilion was where the Emperor Sword Sect's martial texts had been compiled.

It was filled with the arts of masters who had once made their names, as well as martial arts left behind by experts of the Emperor Sword Sect.

Gun Mu-gyeol smiled.

“Very well. I permit you to enter the Heavenly Archives Pavilion. But you will have six shichen, not three. Since I have prevented you from returning home, I should at least compensate you that much.”

“Thank you.”

“Good. Go in at once.”

“Yes.”

After sending Jang Un-yeon into the Heavenly Archives Pavilion, Gun Mu-gyeol stood atop the cliff with his hands behind his back.

No matter how often he saw it, he never grew tired of the breathtaking view.

A man approached him.

Unlike Gun Mu-gyeol, whose hair was white, this old man's hair was black. His body was just as powerfully built.

This was Ma Heuk-rang, one of the Emperor Sword Sect's Eight Great Elders.

He was also the master who had first discovered Jang Un-yeon and brought him to the Emperor Sword Sect.

He asked quietly, “Sect Leader. Is it truly right to hide it from him?”

Gun Mu-gyeol turned around.

Elder Ma's face was filled with concern. Gun Mu-gyeol sighed.

“You know how extraordinary the talent of someone who has reached Three Flowers Gather at the Crown is, do you not?”

“I know... but it is still something he should know.”

“It is not something he needs to know now. If he learns that his clan has been destroyed, it will only fill his head with distracting thoughts. His growth will stop, and that stagnation may continue. You know that well.”

“I know, but... Haah. I simply cannot understand how something like this could have happened. The destruction of his clan...”

Gun Mu-gyeol also felt regret.

There was no doubting Jang Un-yeon's incredible talent.

That talent needed to keep blooming.

If Jang Un-yeon learned that his clan had been annihilated, it would weigh heavily on his mind. His growth would not simply stop. He might even suffer a qi deviation.

That could not be allowed.

“And I hear that Won Hu, a first-generation disciple, has also died. The culprit's name is...”

“Yi Do.”

“Yi Do...”

“Yes. I hear he reached the Circulation Realm at seventeen. His talent may be comparable to Un-yeon's, but... they have already become enemies who cannot live beneath the same sky.”

Gun Mu-gyeol did not deny it.

He also understood what Elder Ma meant.

“How much time do you need?”

“...A fortnight will be enough.”

“A fortnight. Good. Go.”

This did not simply mean that Ma Heuk-rang should leave the cliff.

“Thank you, Sect Leader. I will go and settle this matter in advance.”

“I say this out of needless concern, but given Yi Do's initiative and temperament, he has more than enough potential to become a demonic fiend who throws the martial world into chaos. Do not hold back. Do you understand?”

“Of course. I will go and ‘wipe out his clan’ cleanly.”

Elder Ma left as well.

Gun Mu-gyeol, now alone, silently returned to admiring the breathtaking view.

The Emperor Sword Sect had to move like an emperor, worthy of its name.

Anyone who dared touch it had to be left with regret that chilled them to the bone.

That was the spirit of the Emperor Sword Sect.

* * *

Most sects had something called an Elders' Council.

What, then, was an Elders' Council?

Taking the Yi Clan as an example, it referred to the members of the clan who had been with Yi Se-geuk since before he became Clan Head.

In a broader sense, it included blood relatives and ordinary martial artists alike.

They had belonged to the clan for far too long, and some had devoted themselves to it. They could not be cast aside like worn-out shoes after all that devotion.

The Elders' Council had been created to treat them with respect.

Most sects had something similar.

The Yi Clan currently had four elders.

They had all been with Yi Se-geuk since before the Yi Clan grew powerful.

One had once been a General Steward. Another had served for thirty years as the Head of the Financial Administration Pavilion, managing the clan's funds from the time of Yi Se-geuk's predecessor until recently. There was also the Head of the Martial Hall, who had laid the foundation for and developed the Yi Clan's unique martial art, the Azure Star Sword Art, while training its martial artists.

The four elders had gathered in the Elders' Hall, and none of them looked pleased.

“They tell us to remain in our residences... What in the world is this supposed to mean?”

“Exactly. This is wrong, terribly wrong. How much have we done for the Yi Clan, only to be treated so shabbily?”

It was only natural for them to say such things.

The Yi Clan had now become the unquestioned greatest power in Jangnyeong County.

It had completely absorbed the Sang-un Trading Company and everything belonging to the Jang Clan. The Yun Clan had also moved into the Yi Clan and settled there.

There was nothing left but to soar. No, it had already soared.

And a new Clan Head's inauguration ceremony was being held at that very moment.

The second son, Yi Won, had finally become Clan Head.

Yet the four of them had not been invited.

They were not outsiders. They were members of the Yi Clan, yet they had not been invited to the inauguration ceremony.

They had simply been told to stay where they were.

Did that make any sense?

As they each poured out their dissatisfaction, the door to the Elders' Hall opened.

Creeeak.

A man entered.

Yi Do.

The moment they saw him, the four elders each voiced their complaints.

How could they be treated this way?

What had they done wrong?

They had served the Yi Clan loyally for decades, so how could they be barred from even showing their faces at a celebration attended by every outside power?

And so on.

Yi Do silently listened to every word.

After a while, the noisy elders began to fall silent one by one.

Only then did Yi Do open his mouth.

“Are you finished?”

“...”

“Then let me speak. Seniors, are you very disappointed?”

Ak Gwi-gwang, the former Head of the Financial Administration Pavilion, who had been silent until then, replied as though he had been waiting for it.

“Is that even something you need to ask? How many years have we devoted to the Yi Clan, only for you to treat us so shabbily!”

Yi Do, as a direct descendant, held a higher position than them, but they were elders.

Under the clan's rules, elders were the most respected figures, and they held the position of advising the Clan Head directly.

He could overlook this much.

Yi Do took a ledger from his robes.

“I will not drag this out. Does anyone know what the ‘material expenses’ written in this ledger are?”

“...Did you come here just to ask that?”

“Not exactly, but I thought I would ask while I was here. If anyone knows, I will let them live.”

They thought they had heard him wrong.

The last part, especially.

“...What did you say?”

“I truly hate repeating myself, but given your age, you seem incapable of discerning right from wrong, so I will make an exception this once. To repeat myself, if any of you know about these material expenses that cost more than five hundred taels of silver every month, I will let you live.”

“...You intend to kill us?”

Yi Do looked puzzled instead.

“Is that not obvious?”

“How could that be obvious? We are elders! We have spent decades with the Yi Clan and are the foremost contributors to its growth!”

Yi Do shook his head.

“The Sang-un Trading Company and the Yun Clan were decisive in allowing the Yi Clan to grow. You taught trash like the Clear Sky Sword Art as though it were some unique martial art, which made the Yi Clan be considered the weakest in Jangnyeong County. The Head of the Financial Administration Pavilion cannot even manage the clan's finances properly, yet he sits as an elder, nothing more than a parasite wasting food. The former General Steward was fooled by Lady Sang's words and persuaded the other elders. And the Head of the Medical Pavilion over there, despite having once been a physician, deliberately killed martial artists who did not like Yi Se-geuk and committed all sorts of deeds. Foremost contributors? Are you joking with me?”

The elders flinched again and again with every word Yi Do spoke.

How did he know all that...?

Yi Do no longer spoke.

He gripped the dagger hidden in his sleeve with his right hand and threw it.

Thunk-!

It buried itself in one elder's forehead.

It sank so deeply that only the hilt remained visible.

Thud.

The elder who had once been General Steward fell dead.

“Three remain. If you have anything to say about the material expenses, you should decide quickly.”

Yi Do slowly walked over and pulled the dagger from the former General Steward's forehead.

He did not hesitate for even an instant.

He threw it again.

The dagger curved through the air like a snake before burying itself in the forehead of the elder from the Martial Hall.

Thunk.

Thud.

Now two remained.

Ak Gwi-gwang, the elder from the Financial Administration Pavilion, and Gang Hae-sun, the elder from the Medical Pavilion.

Yi Do slowly walked over.

Before he could pull the dagger from the dead elder's forehead, Ak Gwi-gwang shouted.

“Stop! I will speak.”

Yi Do answered with action rather than words.

He threw the dagger.

Thunk-!

Ak Gwi-gwang flinched. Gang Hae-sun, two zhang away from him, slowly fell over.

The instant Ak Gwi-gwang saw the dagger in Gang Hae-sun's forehead, he collapsed to the floor.

“There is no reason to leave those who do not know alive. Still, it is fortunate that at least one of you knows something.”

Yi Do approached Gang Hae-sun, pulled out the dagger, and walked toward Ak Gwi-gwang.

“What are these material expenses?”

“...The former Clan Head obtained a stroke of fortune long ago.”

“A stroke of fortune?”

“...Yes. I do not know the details, but I know this much. It was an inheritance left behind by the Iron-Blooded Demon Emperor.”

Yi Do was a little puzzled.

“What does that inheritance have to do with money?”

“...Do you not know who the Iron-Blooded Demon Emperor was?”

To be honest, Yi Do's knowledge was broad. That did not mean he knew everything.

“...Do you truly not know the great demonic tyrant, the Iron-Blooded Demon Emperor, who drenched the martial world in blood four hundred years ago...?”

“I do not. I need to know how these material expenses were used.”

“...Move the bed in the Clan Head's bedroom to the side. You will find a hidden space there. A massive iron door blocks the underground passage, but it is a trap. Look at the wall beside it, and you will find a small protruding corner. Press it, and another hidden space will appear. That is all I know.”

It sounded as though there was something quite extraordinary there.

Yi Do had never respected his father in his entire life, but if this gift proved worthwhile, he felt he could show him the slightest bit of respect.

“Will you let me live now?”

Yi Do smiled.

Ak Gwi-gwang took that smile as a good sign.

“Thank you... I will work harder from now on. When officials came to investigate, I was never caught even once. I will surely be useful.”

Yi Do reached out and grabbed Ak Gwi-gwang by the shoulder.

“By the way, Elder.”

“...Yes, go on.”

“Shouldn't new wine be put into new wineskins?”

“...What?”

“I said I would let you live. I never said I would let you live intact.”

“...What are you saying...?”

“I will cut off your limbs and gouge out both your eyes. I will also tear out your tongue so you cannot speak. Then I will throw you onto the mountain behind the Yi Clan.”

“...You... You...!”

“You have given me such good information, so I cannot let you meet such an end. I will give you a choice. What I just described is the first choice. The second is to die by my hand right now, without pain.”

“...You demon.”

Yi Do took that as his answer.

Without hesitation, he drove the dagger down.

Crack-!

Ak Gwi-gwang's head split open.

Yi Do rose to his feet.

These were people who had planned to overturn the Yi Clan together with Lady Sang.

The thought of letting them live?

He had never had any intention of doing so.

“Yeom Gil-seong.”

At Yi Do's call, the servant who had been waiting outside opened the door and entered.

He had become Yi Do's loyal subordinate within the Yi Clan.

“Throw all of them onto the mountain behind the clan.”

The servant smiled brightly.

“Yes, Young Master.”

Footnotes:

The Korean wordplay in the Elders' Council explanation connects “devotion” with “worn-out shoe.”

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