The masters of the orthodox and unorthodox factions—particularly those from Hwasanpa and Gonryunpa—breathed a sigh of relief. They believed that the leader of the Magyo was dead. With Heukwolcheon defeated, they assumed the cult would collapse, and that the order of the Murim would soon fall into their hands. But they would soon realize how gravely mistaken they were.
The leaders of the orthodox sects believed they had finally grasped the full nature of the Magyo. Its successors had already filled the vacant position of their lord, and they had been functioning as de facto leaders behind the scenes. Convinced of their analysis, the elders resolved to eradicate the Magyo once and for all.
But their calculations were completely wrong.
The truth was, the leader of the Magyo—the Heavenly Sword Demon King—was still alive.
In the midst of internal strife and confusion within the cult, she had remained silent. Now, she was preparing to strike once more and shake the foundations of the Murim.
The Heavenly Sword Demon King had spent this time carefully observing the movements of the Magyo and the increasing pressure from both the orthodox and unorthodox sects. While others believed the cult was falling apart, she summoned the masters of the Chilheukhoe and made a critical decision—to appoint a new second-in-command.
Heukwolcheon's defeat had momentarily unsettled the cult, but the void he left behind was about to be filled by someone equally formidable.
"Heukwolcheon fell because he was lacking in skill. The true strength of the Magyo must now be led by me." With that, she declared her return.
She was more than a powerful martial artist. Her cunning, her strategic insight—those were the true forces that would revive the cult. She had already begun the process of reforging the Magyo's core.
"Summon the Chilheukhoe. It's time to disrupt the Murim once more." Her orders were sharp, resolute. Her followers, already attuned to her authority, began preparing for the dawn of a new era under her command.
Meanwhile, the masters of the orthodox sects—still blind to the reality—remained convinced they had crushed the Magyo's backbone. They believed that with Heukwolcheon's fall, the cult had fractured and the war was won.
"The cult leader is dead, isn't he? That means we've already claimed total victory," said Yun Gwang-ho smugly to Jang Tae-jun of Hwasanpa. He believed the core of the Magyo had collapsed beyond recovery.
Jang Tae-jun let out a slow sigh.
"Don't be so arrogant," he warned. "The Magyo is not a house of cards to crumble with one man's death."
He suspected that even if the cult leader had died, the organization would not simply dissolve. What he had not anticipated—what none of them had—was that the cult's true master still lived, and that the Magyo was a force one step ahead of them.
The Heavenly Sword Demon King had chosen a new heir. In the wake of Heukwolcheon's downfall, the Magyo had staggered—but with her return, the hierarchy quickly reformed. With calculated precision, she appointed her second-in-command and began reasserting control.
"This is only the beginning," she said. "We will reclaim the full power of the Magyo. This is our first step."
Together with the warriors of the Chilheukhoe, she monitored the movements of the orthodox and unorthodox factions. Their belief in the death of the cult's leader had left them vulnerable. And while they celebrated, she was already rebuilding the storm.
"While they assumed the leader of the Magyo was dead, we have already completed our preparations to rise anew."
Quietly but relentlessly, the Heavenly Sword Demon King laid the groundwork. Soon, the factions of the Murim would find their balance undone, their plans shattered—because the true resurrection of the Magyo had already begun.
***
Chapter : The Misjudgment of the Righteous and the Duel of the Past
The leaders of the righteous factions—especially the heads of Hwasanpa and Gonryunpa—were deeply concerned about the state of the Magyo. They were convinced that Heukwolcheon had taken over as the new cult leader and now controlled the sect. But their assumption was nothing more than a grave misunderstanding.
They believed Heukwolcheon had risen to lead the Magyo, dominating its ranks. Yet they had completely overlooked the existence of the Heavenly Sword Demon Queen—Cheongeom Mawang—who had always remained the true core of the Magyo.
But the righteous factions were unaware of this. Hwasanpa's leader, Jang Tae-jun, recalled the duel he had once fought against Cheongeom Mawang. Rumors at the time had claimed she was already over sixty, but her martial arts and mental strength had transcended age. That legendary confrontation had ended in mutual destruction—or so it was believed—claiming the lives of the previous leaders of Hwasanpa and Gonryunpa alike.
Remembering that clash, Jang Tae-jun realized that defeating the Magyo wasn't merely about superior martial arts. If the Heavenly Sword Demon Queen was still alive, her return could mean they were up against a force just as deadly as in the past.
"If we truly want to destroy the Magyo, we need to know exactly who their leader is," Jang Tae-jun said coldly. "Heukwolcheon? Thinking he's the real leader is a delusion. The true master of the Magyo is Cheongeom Mawang."
Yoon Gwang-hoo, the head of Gonryunpa, remained silent, pondering his words. "Then why did Heukwolcheon take that seat? There must be a reason."
Jang Tae-jun sighed. "The Magyo doesn't fall easily because its strength lies in its ideology and unwavering will. We believed we had destroyed them, but the real threat still lives."
They revisited what it meant for the successors to claim the leadership of the Magyo. Believing Cheongeom Mawang was dead, they had assumed Heukwolcheon rose in her place. But they were wrong. By focusing on Heukwolcheon's ascension, they had missed the true danger.
"Heukwolcheon's defeat doesn't mean the end of the Magyo," Yoon Gwang-hoo said gravely. "Even after his fall, the sect remains strong."
At that moment, Jang Tae-jun remembered how his own master had died fighting Cheongeom Mawang. "The Magyo doesn't collapse just because one leader falls. Its system and ideals are strong enough to continue the fight even under a new leader."
***
Chapter : The Magyo's Trap and the Return of the Heavenly Sword Demon Queen
After achieving a major victory against the Magyo, the Cheongpunghoe grew increasingly confident. Determined to raise their influence in the Murim, they laid out a bold plan—to lure remnants of the Magyo into a controlled zone and seize their key stronghold. But what they didn't know was that the Magyo had set the trap first.
As Cheongpunghoe entered the supposedly weakened stronghold, they were met with scattered resistance. Magyo warriors appeared, but they were quickly overpowered by Cheongpunghoe's combat formation and tactical prowess. The fight felt almost too easy.
But doubt crept in. Could the Magyo really have fallen so easily?
Then, a young woman appeared—smirking, confident, almost amused. She gazed at the Cheongpunghoe warriors with contempt, her voice calm and cutting.
"If you thought the Magyo would fall this easily, you were sorely mistaken," she said. "The power you failed to see… is already in motion."
One of Hwasanpa's warriors stepped forward, enraged. "How dare you speak so arrogantly? Who are you to say such things?"
He lashed out with a surge of sword energy, aiming directly at the woman. The strike tore through the air like a gale. Cheongpunghoe's members braced themselves, but the woman simply sidestepped the blow and countered. In a blur, she struck the Hwasan warrior with deadly precision, and blood spilled as he collapsed instantly.
Jang Tae-jun froze. Her technique was impossibly fast—and exact. He gripped his sword tightly and stepped forward. At that moment, he and Yoon Gwang-hoo shouted in unison:
"That's… Cheongeom Mawang?!"
The young woman stood before them, exuding an aura of unaging, lethal grace. "Correct," she said with a smile. "I am Cheongeom Mawang."
Gone was the image of a woman in her eighties. Through mastery of internal energy and the art of reverse aging, she had returned in a young, beautiful, and terrifyingly powerful form—radiating the presence of someone who had transcended time itself.
"I've long passed the time when I should have become the next leader," she said. "Now, behold."
With a flick of her fingers, seven black swords flew into the air—her signature Chilgeommu. The blades sliced through the sky like shadowed lightning, each radiating a menacing force.
The leaders of Hwasanpa and Gonryunpa stood stunned. They had believed she was dead, never expecting her return—let alone like this.
Then the warriors of the Chilheukhwe appeared. With a nod, Cheongeom Mawang stepped back. "I will withdraw for now. The Chilheukhwe will carry out the will of the Magyo."
Composed of the most elite warriors of the Magyo, the Chilheukhwe unleashed a storm of pressure. Overwhelmed, the Cheongpunghoe had no choice but to retreat. The power of the Magyo was far from gone—it had only just returned.