In the past, when Cheon Myeong was still Jangcheon, he had felt a wall in his martial arts.
However, that wall was made of glass through which he could see what was beyond, and Cheon Myeong, who had confird that there was sothing more beyond it, had no choice but to cling to it.
A higher realm. A more powerful force.
He had felt that he could beco stronger than he was now, but in the end, Cheon Myeong had ended up in this state before he could achieve that feat.
'The secret formula I don't know. If I can just learn that, my Heavenly Demon Divine Art will beco more perfect than it is now.'
Of course, that was just Cheon Myeong's speculation.
However, as his martial arts realm grew higher, Cheon Myeong could instinctively be sure that there was sothing empty in his Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and from that mont on, his goal as a martial artist beca to find out what it was.
And now.
Cheon Myeong thought that Cheon Jin would be able to tell him what it was.
"The complete... Heavenly Demon Divine Art, you said?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Does that an the Heavenly Demon Divine Art you are practicing now is incomplete?"
"Yes."
As Cheon Myeong answered, a rather complicated feeling seed to be felt on Cheon Jin's face.
'How... does he know that fact?'
This was a fact that he himself had only been able to know after hearing it directly from the previous leader.
No, to be honest, he hadn't understood it at all when he had heard it.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art he was practicing was incomplete? At that ti, Cheon Jin could not understand what was incomplete about such a perfect martial art.
"..."
However, as his martial arts realm grew higher, Cheon Jin could finally understand what the story he had heard at that ti ant.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is perfect. There was probably no martial art in this world that could show such majesty.
However, in the midst of that perfection, there was definitely an empty part that was not revealed.
'Did he... realize that on his own without any clues?'
It had taken him a trendous amount of ti to discover that flaw.
But for Cheon Myeong to be pointing out that flaw in this place now.
The complexity that appeared on Cheon Jin's face ca from that question.
"...Why did you think so?"
"I just... had that feeling."
"Just?"
"The Heavenly Demon Divine Art I have learned now is certainly perfect. Even in this state, I could probably compete for the title of the best of all ti."
"..."
"However, it cannot beco a crane among a flock of chickens... no, a hawk among a flock of cranes."
To be a crane among chickens, but not an eagle among cranes.
It was truly an arrogant and rude statent.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a martial art that even the martial artists of the orthodox factions looked up to and coveted.
Cheon Myeong's remark just now was the sa as criticizing Cheon Jin, who had learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and furthermore, the previous leaders and the entire Demonic Cult.
Therefore, it would have been normal for an angry roar to co out of Cheon Jin's mouth right away, but Cheon Jin was just looking at Cheon Myeong with a aningful gaze.
"...Is that your thought?"
Cheon Jin, who had been maintaining his silence, opened his mouth and asked.
"Yes, that's right."
"..."
Smirk-.
Cheon Jin smiled.
Although he was soone who really didn't laugh usually, for so reason, he had been laughing a lot recently when it ca to matters related to Cheon Myeong.
"I see... but I have taught you everything I can."
"Yes?"
"It ans that I am also practicing the sa Heavenly Demon Divine Art as you."
What does this an?
Could it be that the thought that there was an incomplete part in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was just his own delusion?
Hearing Cheon Jin's words, Cheon Myeong could only have that thought.
"However, my thought that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art I have learned is incomplete is the sa as yours."
"..."
"It was twenty years ago that I started to have that thought."
No, did I ever ask you when I was curious about your thoughts?
The fact that Cheon Jin's thoughts were the sa as his was not that important.
'So is there more to the secret formula of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art or not!'
That was all Cheon Myeong was curious about.
However, hadn't Cheon Jin himself just said that he and Cheon Jin had learned the sa Heavenly Demon Divine Art?
At that mont, a thought suddenly ca to Cheon Myeong's mind as if he had been hit on the head.
'The secret formula did not exist in this era either...?'
Hearing what Cheon Jin had said until now, he had no choice but to think so.
"Ha..."
A sense of futility that rushed in like a wave.
He had firmly believed that he would be able to learn the perfect Heavenly Demon Divine Art in this era, but now he had realized that it was impossible.
Like a child who had just realized that there were no fairies in this world, Cheon Myeong looked at Cheon Jin with a blank face.
Swish-.
At that mont, Cheon Jin, who was getting up from the grand master's chair. And he ca down the stairs and walked closer to Cheon Myeong.
"Follow ."
Cheon Jin said as he passed by Cheon Myeong.
Then, Cheon Myeong looked at Cheon Jin, who was walking past him, with a puzzled face, and Cheon Jin continued to speak while maintaining his steps.
"I will show you the way for your Heavenly Demon Divine Art to beco more perfect than it is now."
"...!"
The mont he heard those words, Cheon Myeong's two eyes couldn't help but widen.
'There's a way like that?'
And Cheon Jin knows that way?
But if so... why doesn't Cheon Jin use that thod himself?
From the conversation so far, he could tell that Cheon Jin was also practicing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in an incomplete state, just like him.
"..."
He still didn't know anything.
Although he didn't know where Cheon Jin was trying to take him now, wouldn't he be able to find out sothing if he followed him?
It seed that it would be more refreshing to check it out for himself, whatever it was, rather than staying in this frustrating state.
Swish-.
As soon as he thought so, Cheon Myeong imdiately followed Cheon Jin.
***
The place where Cheon Jin took Cheon Myeong was the Heavenly Demon's Tomb.
The Heavenly Demon's Tomb was a place where the spirit tablets of the successive leaders were enshrined.
Therefore, it was also a place where only the leader could enter, except for the people who managed this place within the Demonic Cult.
"..."
The inside of the Heavenly Demon's Tomb was pitch-black.
Since it was not even allowed to bring in fire so that the inside would not be damaged, he could only secure his vision with the light of the night-luminescent pearls that were occasionally embedded inside.
'Why did he bring to a place like this?'
Looking at the back of Cheon Jin, who was walking silently in front of him, Cheon Myeong couldn't help but have that question.
In fact, this was not the first ti Cheon Myeong had entered the Heavenly Demon's Tomb.
No, in fact, Cheon Myeong had frequently co and gone from this place in the past, to the point where it was embarrassing to count the number of tis.
'I had lived here for a while to find clues about the lost secret formula.'
If it was the Heavenly Demon's Tomb where the spirit tablets of the successive leaders were enshrined, wouldn't there be a clue about it? For a while, Cheon Myeong had made that guess and had searched the inside of the Heavenly Demon's Tomb thoroughly.
Of course, it could be a great disrespect to search a place where the spirit tablets of the successive leaders were enshrined for personal reasons. But could that really be a personal reason?
At that ti, Cheon Myeong had moved with the thought of protecting the Demonic Cult from external invasion by any ans, so it could not be said to be a personal reason.
'At that ti, I searched the inside of the Heavenly Demon's Tomb as if I were looking for lice, but I couldn't find any clues.'
But the fact that Cheon Jin had brought him here, could it an that there was a part he had missed at that ti?
Cheon Myeong followed Cheon Jin's back silently, harboring that question.
Thump- thump-.
'He's going in very deep...'
After entering the Heavenly Demon's Tomb, Cheon Jin had been walking deep inside for a long ti.
If he had co in this far, he would probably arrive at the end of the Heavenly Demon's Tomb...
As he went further inside, the spirit tablets of the leaders from earlier generations than the current location were enshrined, so if he continued to walk like this, it seed that he would be able to reach the place where the spirit tablet of the first leader was enshrined.
Thump-.
At that mont, Cheon Jin, who had been walking endlessly, finally stopped his steps.
Accordingly, Cheon Myeong, who had naturally stopped.
'This place is...'
In the end, the two had co to the innermost part of the Heavenly Demon's Tomb.
That ant that the spirit tablet of the first leader was enshrined here, and Cheon Myeong had, of course, been to the place where the spirit tablet of the first leader was enshrined in the past.
"We've arrived."
Cheon Jin said in a low voice.
He had roughly guessed it when he had continued to go inside, but as expected, was the destination the place where the spirit tablet of the first leader was enshrined?
'What on earth is in this place...'
In the past, the place he had had the greatest expectations for was the place where the spirit tablet of the first leader was enshrined.
However, since he already knew that there were no clues here, Cheon Myeong turned his head towards the side where the spirit tablet was enshrined without any particular expectation.
"...?"
However, as soon as he turned his head, Cheon Myeong could see that the sight he had seen in the past and the sight he was seeing now were sohow different.
'This is...'
On the wall that had been clean in the past, sothing was now hanging.
It was a portrait depicting a person.
Cheon Myeong imdiately knew that that portrait was the portrait of the first leader and Heavenly Demon, Cheon Seon.
'Why is a portrait hanging here?'
When he had co here in the past, there was nothing hanging here.
Of course, it was a little strange that all the other leaders had portraits hanging but only this place didn't, but at that ti, he had just thought that they had not been able to prepare a portrait because it was so long ago.
Cheon Myeong could now know that that thought was wrong.
"It is a portrait that contains the appearance of Cheon Seon, the first leader and Heavenly Demon, when he was alive."
"..."
"The way to the ultimate aning of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is contained in this portrait."
"...!"
The ultimate aning of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? Wasn't that what he had been longing for until now?
'That way is in this portrait?'
Hearing that what he had been desperately searching for until now was right in front of his eyes, Cheon Myeong imdiately turned his head towards the portrait.
And Cheon Myeong, who was staring at the portrait as if he were going to count the number of Cheon Seon's hairs.
At that mont, Cheon Myeong could see that things that were very familiar to him were drawn in that portrait.
"...?"
In the old days, a person who had shown trendous majesty with a power that no one could approach, and who had founded the current Heavenly Demon Divine Cult with that power. The notoriety that Cheon Seon had spread in the world at that ti is still famous now.
However, to the point where he didn't seem like a person who had spread such notoriety in the past at all, Cheon Seon in the portrait was smiling a gentle smile.
The objects drawn in the portrait along with that gentle smile.
Cheon Myeong could see that those objects were the real Three Sacred Treasures that were said to have been used by Cheon Seon in the past.
"..."
It was not strange at all that the Three Sacred Treasures were drawn in the portrait. Because the Three Sacred Treasures were said to have been objects used by Cheon Seon before they were the sacred treasures of the Demonic Cult.
However, what was questionable to Cheon Myeong was the being sitting on Cheon Seon's arm.
'Baekjo?'
Why are you there?
Cheon Myeong thought as he looked at the white-colored bird sitting on Cheon Seon's arm.
(End of Chapter)
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