⚔️ War of Three Factions: Wugeuk Cheonseo

• 🗺️ The World of Murim

Jianghu is a world where martial artists who have learned martial arts live, risking honor, power, and survival. The Righteous Alliance and prestigious sects are located in the center of the Central Plains, while the Five Great Families, Nine Schools and One Gang, evil forces, and numerous cities are scattered across the north, south, east, and west.

In the southwest lies the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and outside the Central Plains, external forces such as the North Sea Ice Palace, Southern Barbarian, Potala Palace, and Hainan Sect rule their own territories. The government does not intervene in Murim disputes unless large-scale civilian massacres or treason occur.

-🥋 Martial Arts and Realms

Martial artists accumulate internal energy in their dantian through cultivation methods and learn martial arts including sword, saber, spear, fist, and palm techniques. As internal energy deepens, attack power, defense, recovery, and endurance strengthen, and at high realms, one can freely handle Sword Qi and Sword Gang.

The realms of secular martial artists are as follows:

3rd Class → 2nd Class → 1st Class → Peak → Transcendent → Transcendent (Hwayeong) → Profound (Hyungyeong) → Life and Death (Saengsagyeong)

Every martial art has separate mastery stages:

Entry → Mastery → Ultimate

Even in the same realm, victory or defeat varies depending on martial arts mastery, compatibility, combat experience, weapons, and psychological warfare. However, a difference of one realm or more is absolute and cannot be easily overturned by mere will or surprise attacks.

Currently, Righteous Alliance Leader Yoo Seol-hwa, Evil Tyrant Union Leader Jang Mu-hyeok, and Heavenly Demon Cheon Mu-jin are all at the Mastery stage of the Profound Realm. Namgung Family Head Namgung Yeon, Black Night Society Head Baek Ya-ryeong, and Poison Demon Dang So-rin have all reached the Ultimate stage of the Transcendent Realm.

-🏯 The Three Great Factions

⚪ Righteous Alliance

The largest coalition of righteous sects that values chivalry, righteousness, justification, and order. Centered around the Nine Schools and One Gang and the Five Great Families, it is responsible for dispute mediation, subjugation orders, martial arts competitions, and maintaining order in the Jianghu.

Alliance Leader Yoo Seol-hwa is cautious and fair, refusing to condemn without evidence. Namgung Family Head Namgung Yeon is a staunch swordswoman who cooperates with the righteous faction but prioritizes her family's independence and honor.

⚫ Evil Tyrant Union

The largest coalition integrating various evil sects. It values freedom, utility, and merit over justification; internally, skill and performance determine status.

Union Leader Jang Mu-hyeok delegates authority to capable subordinates but never forgives betrayal. The Black Night Society is not an independent force but a direct subordinate organization of the Union Leader, with its head Baek Ya-ryeong overseeing intelligence, infiltration, tracking, assassination, and monitoring of illicit trades.

🔴 Heavenly Demon Cult

A massive force independent of the Central Plains Murim. It values strength, will, and performance over bloodline and justification, and cultists obey the Heavenly Demon's authority and commands.

Heavenly Demon Cheon Mu-jin is an absolute ruler who despises flattery and meaningless slaughter. Poison Demon Dang So-rin is Cheon Mu-jin's direct subordinate, in charge of poison arts, medicine, detoxification, and secret investigations.

-📜 Wugeuk Cheonseo and the War of Three Factions

Thirty years ago, the Righteous Faction, Evil Tyrant Union, and Heavenly Demon Cult fought a great war to claim the Wugeuk Cheonseo.

The Wugeuk Cheonseo is not just a manual of peerless martial arts. It is an ancient celestial book said to record the principles of completing the Realm of Life and Death and surpassing human limits.

To end the war, the previous three leaders divided the book into three volumes.

First Volume: Kept by the Righteous Alliance Middle Volume: Kept by the Evil Tyrant Union Last Volume: Kept by the Heavenly Demon Cult

The three forces maintained a truce for thirty years, agreeing not to encroach on each other's storage sites.

However, on the eve of the truce renewal, the three volumes, which were strictly sealed, vanished simultaneously. No traces of external intrusion or broken seals were left.

The Righteous Alliance suspects the Evil Tyrant Union, the Union is wary of the Demonic Cult, and the Demonic Cult tracks both external conspiracies and internal traitors. With attacks on messengers, information manipulation, disappearance of convoys, and disputes over strongpoints, the Jianghu is heading toward all-out war again.

Throughout the incidents, sword scars and records reminiscent of Mumeong, a hidden master who disappeared long ago, are found. However, no one knows Mumeong's age, realm, status, or purpose.

-⚖️ Laws of Survival in the Jianghu

In the Jianghu, those who rely only on strength die, and those who rely only on justification die.

Do not recklessly confront those in higher realms; first, check the opponent's sect, title, and martial arts lineage. If poisoned, detoxification and treatment take priority over meditation, and mysterious manuals or elixirs might be traps rather than fortuitous encounters.

Rumors in inns are clues, not the truth; the source and purpose of information handled by the Beggars' Gang, Haohui, and Black Night Society must be verified. Favors and promises build forces, but betrayal and grudges are tracked through generations.

Above all, remember one rule:

Not knowing those stronger than yourself is the greatest danger.

☁️ The Celestial Realm Beyond Life and Death

The Realm of Life and Death is the final realm humans can reach. From the Natural Realm beyond that, it is classified as the domain of Immortals.

Natural Realm → Void Realm → Heaven-Person-Earth Realm → Transcendence Realm → Fish-Immortal Grade → Jade Emperor Grade → Heavenly Venerable Grade → Primordial Heavenly Venerable

Immortals handle celestial power and the laws of heaven and earth rather than internal energy. An Immortal's true name contains their existence and authority; if an ordinary martial artist hears it fully, they may suffer severe internal injuries or lose their life.

Only spiritual creatures that have reached the Heaven-Person-Earth Realm or higher are called true Divine Beasts. The Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermilion Bird of the South, and the Black Tortoise of the North protect their respective directions, seasons, and natural laws.

The Wugeuk Cheonseo is not an all-powerful manual containing all the secrets of the Celestial Realm. However, it is the best clue in the mortal world, showing the first gate toward the Natural Realm after completing the Realm of Life and Death.