A cave made of an ice wall.
Not only the walls and ceiling, but also the floor that Cheon Myeong was now stepping on was all made of a blue ice sheet.
'As expected... it was worth Baekjo saying that it didn't know the location anymore.'
Following the ice tiger, Cheon Myeong had that thought in his mind.
After passing through the narrow gap between the cliffs, a cave was immediately connected.
Since the inside of the cave had a very complicated structure that could be called a maze, if he had not been guided by the ice tiger, wouldn't he have had to search the entire cave to reach his destination?
It seemed that it had been almost half a shichen since he had started to follow the ice tiger from inside the cave, so he could roughly tell that the scale of the cave was considerable.
So if he had tried to search the entire inside of the cave without the help of the ice tiger, he might have wandered around the cave for several days and nights... no, forever, and in the end, he might not have been able to reach his destination.
"..."
As a result, it could be said that saving the ice tiger had been a great fortune for Cheon Myeong.
Of course, although he could only say that for sure if the Three Sacred Treasures were at this end, at least until now, Cheon Myeong had been thinking that way.
'It's all thanks to this guy.'
Cheon Myeong thought, looking at Baekjo, which was in Seol Baekmyo's arms.
If Baekjo hadn't stopped him, Cheon Myeong would have surely killed the ice tiger.
Because not only could he have obtained a tough hide that could even repel his own sword ki, but if he were lucky, he might have even been able to obtain the ice tiger's inner core.
Although saving the ice tiger was flowing in a better direction as a result, Cheon Myeong was still suspicious of Baekjo.
"Baekjo."
"Peep?"
"By the way, how did you come to think of the ice tiger?"
There was no way Baekjo would have a point of contact with the ice tiger.
Hadn't Baekjo been with Cheon Myeong all along since it was born from an egg?
So Cheon Myeong was curious about what route Baekjo had come to know about the ice tiger, and he couldn't help but be curious about what words it had used to make the ice tiger guide them now.
"Peep, peep."
"...What?"
Cheon Myeong couldn't help but be dumbfounded, hearing Baekjo's words.
To say that it didn't know how that had happened.
As Cheon Myeong looked at it as if to say, 'if you don't know, then who on earth would know', Baekjo answered in succession.
"Peep, peep, peep."
"...Hmm."
"Young Master, what did Baekjo say?"
Seol Baekmyo asked Cheon Myeong, who was swallowing a groan after hearing Baekjo's answer.
"It says that it suddenly came to mind..."
"Does that mean that it didn't know about the ice tiger at all until then?"
"It seems so."
"Could it be that Baekjo had met the ice tiger in the past?"
"..."
At Seol Baekmyo's question, Cheon Myeong could not give any answer.
He was sure they had never met... but for a memory to suddenly come to mind, didn't that mean that they had met in the past but had forgotten for some reason?
Since Cheon Myeong also didn't know what was what, he couldn't say anything to Seol Baekmyo.
Cheok-
At that moment, the ice tiger, which had been walking ahead, finally stopped its steps.
As that presence was felt from the front, Cheon Myeong immediately looked at that side, and discovering what was beyond the direction where the ice tiger was standing, Cheon Myeong's two eyes widened.
"...!"
A sword stuck on an ice pillar that had suddenly popped out of the floor.
Just by having a sword stuck in a cave like this, that sight now felt very mysterious.
On top of that, since a sword with a purple blade was stuck there, the ice pillar also took on a purple light, creating an even more mysterious atmosphere.
"...Ah."
As if there were a hole somewhere, light was occasionally pouring down from the ceiling.
Cheon Myeong, who was staring at that sight blankly.
Then, as if he had suddenly come to his senses, he shook his head from side to side and looked at the place where the sword was again.
'Is that... the real Three Sacred Treasures?'
However, something was strange.
The Three Sacred Treasures were supposed to be made up of three sacred treasures, as their name suggests.
But what was seen there was only a sword, and just in case, he looked around, but the other two were not seen.
"Ice tiger."
At Cheon Myeong's call, the ice tiger turned its head.
"Is it just that sword? Is there... nothing else?"
"Grrr."
The ice tiger, which answered Cheon Myeong's question.
However, since Cheon Myeong could not understand the ice tiger's words, Cheon Myeong's head naturally turned to Baekjo.
"Peep, peep."
"..."
The only thing it was protecting was that.
Through Baekjo, Cheon Myeong could see that the ice tiger had just said that to him.
'So... there's only the Heavenly Demon Sword here.'
It seemed that the Heavenly Demon Tablet and the Heavenly Demon Mirror were in a different place, not here.
From the feeling, Cheon Myeong had the thought that it might be in a completely opposite direction, not the North Sea, but very far away.
"..."
To think that the Three Sacred Treasures were all scattered in different places.
If so, even if he were to retrieve only what was there, wouldn't it be impossible to awaken to the ultimate of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in the end?
Perhaps because he had expected that he would surely be able to awaken to the ultimate of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art if he followed the ice tiger, that disappointment was immediately revealed on Cheon Myeong's face.
'No, it's too early to be disappointed yet.'
Isn't what seems to be the Three Sacred Treasures there now?
Although it seemed that there was a difference in appearance compared to the replica, that was undoubtedly the Heavenly Demon Sword.
For now, he should be glad that he had found one of the Three Sacred Treasures.
Thump- thump-
At that moment, Cheon Myeong moved his steps to where the sword was.
Seol Baekmyo and Baekjo watched him silently from their spots, and the ice tiger also just watched Cheon Myeong, who was approaching the sword, from its spot.
Amidst those gazes, Cheon Myeong finally arrived in front of the ice pillar where the sword was stuck.
Pat-
Cheon Myeong, who lightly jumped up and stood on the pillar.
Then, the distance to the sword became so close that he could reach it just by extending his hand.
"..."
Cheon Myeong stood still and looked at the sword for a moment.
And his right hand, which was slowly reaching out.
Cheon Myeong's hand, which was heading towards the sword as if he were handling a baby, was very careful.
Thump-
And finally, Cheon Myeong grabbed the sword.
'Somehow... it's nothing.'
Was it because he had thought it was not an ordinary sword?
Cheon Myeong had thought that something would surely happen the moment he grabbed the sword.
However, unlike Cheon Myeong's expectation, even when he grabbed the sword, there was not even a hint of something happening, and he only felt the same as when he was holding an ordinary sword.
'...No, I haven't drawn the sword yet, have I?'
If he were to draw the sword from the ice pillar, something might happen.
With that expectation in his heart, Cheon Myeong put strength into his right hand.
Then, if he were to draw the sword like pulling out a radish...
"...?"
At that moment, a look of bewilderment appeared on Cheon Myeong's face.
In contrast, the sword, which was so quiet that it was motionless.
As if nothing had happened, the sword was stuck there in a very quiet manner.
'What is it?'
He had definitely put strength into it and had tried to draw the sword, but seeing the sword that was still stuck to the pillar, Cheon Myeong couldn't help but have a question.
However, soon, a vein appeared on Cheon Myeong's right hand.
'Yes, the Heavenly Demon Sword has to be at least this much!'
At the same time as that thought, Cheon Myeong's face brightened again.
Even when fishing, if the fish doesn't come easily, wouldn't you think it's a big catch?
As the sword did not come out with just a light application of force, Cheon Myeong also had a similar expectation.
Grip-
Cheon Myeong grabbed the sword with the maximum force he could give.
An average sword would have its handle crushed with just that grip.
However, discovering that the sword he was holding was fine, Cheon Myeong's face became even brighter.
'Good...! Something is happening!'
Just by not breaking, this sword can now be said to be not ordinary.
Cheon Myeong, who was shouting with joy in his heart and pulling up the sword.
However, the joy did not last long.
'What is it?'
He had definitely given it all the force he could.
Why on earth is this thing not moving an inch?
For a moment, Cheon Myeong thought that he might have been mistaken, but that thought disappeared in an instant when he saw the vein that had appeared on his right hand.
'It still won't come out?'
What on earth is it?
It seemed that Cheon Myeong had never seen such a strange sword in his life.
Although one might be frustrated if the sword did not come out at the point of using all one's strength, Cheon Myeong rather became more determined when he saw that.
Woong-!
At that moment, a red light of energy flowing from Cheon Myeong's body.
Even Cheon Myeong had not expected that he would go this far just to draw a sword.
'Yes, let's see who wins, you or me.'
If it doesn't work here, he will raise his energy even more.
Filling the cave with his demonic ki, Cheon Myeong raised the sword again.
'W-what is it?'
As Cheon Myeong's thick demonic ki was suddenly felt, Seol Baekmyo couldn't help but be flustered.
No, to go that far just to draw a sword stuck in the ice...
Although one might think so from the outside, the person in question, Cheon Myeong, was very serious now.
Crack-
And at that moment, a crack began to form at the part where the blade and the ice met.
As soon as he saw the crack, Cheon Myeong, who spurred on even more.
That appearance could be called a red incarnation.
Crack- clang-!
At that moment, a tremendous sound echoed in the cave.
And a sword that had been pulled out of the ice pillar.
As he felt that he had won the tug-of-war with the sword, an arc formed on Cheon Myeong's lips.
'Yes, even if it's the Heavenly Demon Sword, it's just a sword.'
Still, it is the Heavenly Demon Sword.
Just by making him this serious, it was worth praising.
Woong-
It was then.
A pulsation suddenly felt from the sword.
From the sword he was holding, Cheon Myeong could feel a pulsation like that of a living creature.
'What is it?'
The pulsation occurring from the sword was getting more and more severe.
Because of the pulsation that seemed as if it would explode at any moment, Cheon Myeong tried to let go of the sword he was holding without realizing it.
However.
"...!"
Regardless of his will, for some reason, Cheon Myeong could not let go of the sword he was holding, and as if it had become one with the sword, the sword did not fall from Cheon Myeong's hand.
And of course, Cheon Myeong did not know what was going on now.
-Have you come...
At that moment, a voice was heard in Cheon Myeong's head, as if someone were speaking to him.
A voice that was clearly transmitted.
Seeing that it was heavy, it was presumed to be the voice of a middle-aged man.
'Have I come...?'
Cheon Myeong immediately had that question.
But before that, who on earth was the person who was speaking to him like this?
Unlike being spoken to normally, since it felt as if the voice were being directly hammered into his head, Cheon Myeong was now confused.
"Who on earth are you..."
It was then.
Flash-!
A radiance that suddenly occurred from the sword.
A purple light flashed like the sun.
"...!"
The radiance instantly swallowed Cheon Myeong.
And.
Cheon Myeong could no longer see anything.
(End of Chapter)