[Chapter 1]
Gwi Ryeongja silently stared at the midnight visitor.
As the master of the Gwi Gate, having navigated through the Sword Mountain and Sword Forest, he had encountered many intruders.
They came in various types. Some were confident, some were meticulous, some were good fighters, some were cunning, and occasionally, there were those who were confident, meticulous, good fighters, and cunning. Of course, even those never left this manor alive.
But the man standing before him was different from all the previous intruders.
Seeing those weary eyes that had tasted all the bitter flavors of life, only one thought crossed his mind.
'Damn, is today the day of my death anniversary?'
Gwi Ryeongja suppressed his anxiety and asked calmly.
"Have we met before?"
"No."
The man's voice was low yet pleasant to hear.
"Then, what brings you here at this hour?"
Please, let him not say with that good voice, 'It's a good day to die, you ghostly bastard.'
"I have a request."
Gwi Ryeongja, who had been to the gates of hell himself, felt a sense of relief as he asked.
"Speak."
Then, the most astonishing request he had ever heard in his life flowed from the man's mouth.
"Send me to the past."
Silence fell for a moment.
Gwi Ryeongja, who was gazing at the man with a subtle look, asked quietly.
"How can a human turn back time?"
"I wouldn't know. You, who can wield the Great Regression Technique, should tell me."
Gwi Ryeongja did not deny this.
"How did you know I could perform it?"
The Great Regression Technique was a secret art passed down only within his family.
"Seo Jin."
The name he longed for overwhelmed Gwi Ryeongja with emotion.
"How do you know my sister?"
"She was a companion during my wandering days."
"Where is she now?"
"She's dead."
"Ah!"
Gwi Ryeongja let out a deep sigh. The Great Regression Technique had been researched in his family for centuries. Even in his father's time, it was incomplete, so he and his sister had worked from a young age to help their father complete it.
And ten years ago, his sister couldn't bear it anymore and left the family in what was almost a nighttime escape. Gwi Ryeongja understood her. Under the pretext of the family's great cause, she had dedicated all of her blossoming twenties to the research.
"How did Jin die?"
"Don't worry about revenge; I've taken care of it. Before she died, she asked me to tell you this. She lived a life without regrets. She hoped you would, too. Don't live a life only studying the Great Regression Technique; live your own life."
Gwi Ryeongja fell into deep regret.
The man waited for him to compose himself before asking the most important question of the day.
"Did you complete the technique?"
Gwi Ryeongja slowly nodded.
"Yes. In my generation, I finally completed it."
A flash of joy crossed the man's face. When he smiled brightly, it was clear he was quite a handsome man.
"When can you return?"
"That cannot be determined. I could go back ten years, thirty years, or even to my infancy. If unlucky, I might go back to yesterday."
"I am fortunate, so I will not worry."
"You think you can return immediately."
A hint of bitterness crossed Gwi Ryeongja's face.
"The technique is impossible. If it were possible, I would have already returned."
"Didn't you say you completed the technique?"
"I haven't gathered all the necessary materials."
"I will gather the materials."
"It's impossible."
"Tell me."
"Among the ninety-nine materials needed for the technique, there are five that I couldn't obtain. The first of them is something you can never find. Have you heard of the 'Thunder Bell'?"
"The sacred object of the Heavenly Wind Cult?"
"That's right. Exactly."
The Heavenly Wind Cult was the successor of the Blood Sect and held the greatest power in the outer world.
"To perform the Great Regression Technique, you need the sound waves produced when the Thunder Bell rings. However, that bell is the treasure of the Heavenly Wind Cult and is placed behind the leader's throne. Can you still say you'll retrieve it?"
Gwi Ryeongja couldn't even ask to borrow the Thunder Bell. If he did, his family would be annihilated by the temperamental leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult.
"I will get it."
With a determined response, the man left without giving Gwi Ryeongja a chance to stop him.
'Is he insane?'
Gwi Ryeongja thought so at the time, regretting that he hadn't asked more about his sister.
The man returned several years later.
One sleepless night, tormented by insomnia, Gwi Ryeongja saw him again, as if in a midsummer night's dream.
He was carrying a large Thunder Bell on his back. The evil spirits carved into the bell looked even more grotesque, as if angry about the long journey from Saewoe to here.
"Would you like to give it a ring?"
Gwi Ryeongja inspected and re-inspected the Thunder Bell with wide-open eyes.
"This can't be! Ugh! This can't be!"
It was hard to believe, but this was a genuine Thunder Bell with a subtle flow of the Blood Sect's energy.
"This is insane! How on earth did you get this?"
"I'm a man of my word. What's the next material?"
The man's calm yet confident gaze showed that his recent boast was not mere bravado.
'He is no ordinary person.'
But soon, Gwi Ryeongja sighed.
"Even though you were lucky enough to bring the sacred relic of the Heavenly Wind Cult, you won't be able to get the next material."
"What is it?"
"It's the Divine Incense Brazier of the Divine Dragon Family. The Great Regression Technique requires incense from the Divine Incense Brazier."
The Divine Dragon Family.
A symbol of a newly emerging righteous faction after the Martial Alliance's closure, and the family with the greatest power. A force known to be stronger than the Heavenly Wind Cult.
"Got it. I'll hear about the third material after I bring the incense burner."
"Are you leaving the Thunder Bell with me? What if I take it and run away?"
"I'll inform the Heavenly Wind Cult that you ran off with the bell."
After leaving words that challenged Gwi Ryeongja to try, the man hurriedly left.
And time passed again.
—Will he manage to get it this year?
Every year brought doubts. That doubt repeated for five or six years until one autumn, the man returned with the Divine Incense Brazier.
"You really brought it!"
Gwi Ryeongja could not believe it even as he looked directly at the Divine Incense Brazier.
"How on earth did you manage to bring this?"
"If I wrote it all down, it would take five or six books."
"Tell me. I'd read even ten books. I'm curious!"
"No time for that."
What made this man turn the impossible into possible? With this ability, he could live well even in this life. Yet, he was so determined to return?
"Is revenge the reason you want to go back?"
"Yes."
"With your skills, you could achieve revenge in this life too, no?"
"Impossible."
"Who is your enemy that makes it impossible?"
A name flowed from the man's mouth.
"Hwa Moogi."
"Ugh!"
Gwi Ryeongja let out a gasp at the name.
Hwa Moogi.
He had two nicknames. The first was Sambong. It was a nickname that would suit an elderly scholar renowned for his knowledge or skill. However, his Sambong did not mean "peak" or "to serve". In Hwa Moogi's case, Bong meant "to seal".
Justice Martial Alliance – Sealed
Evil Alliance – Sealed
Heavenly Demon Cult – Sealed
The leaders of the three most powerful forces that sustained the martial world all died by his hand. The leader of the Martial Alliance was dead, the leader of the Evil Alliance was dead, and the Heavenly Demon was dead. Their families and masters who did not surrender were all killed as well.
Thus, his second nickname was "The Greatest of All Time".
Hwa Moogi, the greatest of all time.
The absolute being of this era.
After sealing the three places, Hwa Moogi declared his home as the Supreme Alliance of the World, and thousands of masters who revered him gathered around him. Those who witnessed his unification of the martial world called him the "Immortal Martial God".
"Oh my god! Even if you regress, you can't beat him!"
"I will kill him no matter what."
"How on earth? He's the greatest martial arts genius since the creation of the martial world."
"I grew up hearing that I was a genius too."
"He has a heavenly martial body bestowed by the heavens!"
"I have a heavenly martial body too."
"What? Who exactly are you?"
"The Heavenly Demon, who was killed by him, was my father."
"!"
Gwi Ryeongja was greatly shocked by the man's words. He never dreamed that this man was the son of the deceased Heavenly Demon.
Only now did he understand the things the man had accomplished earlier. He knew the man wasn't ordinary, but he didn't expect this level of identity.
"How did you survive?"
The man then loosened his clothes. The scar on his chest was so severe that Gwi Ryeongja almost exclaimed, 'Good heavens, are you a ghost?'
"When I opened my eyes, I was amidst a pile of corpses. I crawled out just before being buried alive."
"I see."
"The reason I cannot forgive Hwa Moogi is not because he tried to kill me, nor because he killed my father, nor because he killed my treacherous brother. What's the big deal about being killed by someone when living a life tainted by demonic influence?"
"Then?"
"That day, Hwa Moogi killed not only the servants and skilled workers who didn't know martial arts but also the children. He even killed the dogs and cats they raised. He annihilated all life in sight."
"Lies! I can't believe it."
"Whether you believe it or not is none of my concern."
Gwi Ryeongja could sense that the man's words were true. The man he had known so far would not lie about such matters.
"Who he is doesn't matter anymore. In reality, he might be a great hero with grand intentions. Some might even applaud him for eradicating the Demonic Cult. But to me, Hwa Moogi is nothing but a heartless enemy who killed my family without a shred of mercy. No matter how much I calculate and ponder, I cannot kill him in this era, so I must go back and kill him. Before I do, I need to ask him: why, as strong as you are, did you have to kill even the children?"
Gwi Ryeongja stared at the man, stunned. He had never imagined the man had such a story.
The man placed his hand on his chest.
"That day, my guard died trying to protect me, leaving a hole here. A friend who never even had the chance to get married or make a proper friend, because he was busy protecting me day and night. So, please don't waste more of my precious time and tell me. What is the third ingredient?"
"You really are…"
"A busy man. So, the next ingredient!"
Gwi Ryeongja let out the deepest sigh since he had met the man.
"No matter who you are, this time you won't be able to get it."
"What is it?"
"It's the Core Essence of 10,000 year Carp. The last recorded sighting of it was three hundred years ago. It might not even exist in this world anymore."
"Truly a damn technique. Should I just cut you down right here?"
"Please hold back."
"I must. After coming this far, how could I not? Wait here. This might take quite some time."
"Do you think the 10,000 year Carp will just come up if you cast your fishing line?"
"A 10,000 year Carp is still just a carp, right? It must be somewhere in the water in this world. Wait here. I will get it."
Watching his figure walking towards the impossible, Gwi Ryeongja thought that stories about the man's brother or even his unknown name were not so important after all.
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[A/N: Read on ethiclearners.com and get early access every wednesday and saturday]