Chapter 118

Chapter 118: The One Who Walks Alone—The Solitary Path (3)

Sunset was descending upon Mount Hua.

From the Upper Palace atop Lotus Peak, the crimson-drenched Mount Hua unfolded in a single panorama. As the sun set, lanterns began to glow brightly throughout the mountain.

The lanterns of the True Martial Palace atop Cloud Peak, the Golden Heaven Palace halfway up the mountain, and the Manifest Treasure Palace all lit up. The sight was beautiful, but Sage Hyeon-cheon could not feel any appreciation.

"What did you just say?"

A crack appeared in the face that not even a bolt of lightning could have shaken.

Before him sat Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong.

Mu-gyeong's expression was no different from Sage Hyeon-cheon's. His face, always relaxed and composed, was now rigid.

At Sage Hyeon-cheon's question, Un-gyeong answered calmly, "They say Cheong-gyeong is the Fist Demon."

"The Fist Demon is Cheong-gyeong?"

"That is correct."

"You didn't mishear?"

"I am certain. Martial Uncle Hyeon-mu sent word to that effect, and the rumors spreading across the realm confirm it."

"Umph!"

A murmur escaped Sage Hyeon-cheon's lips.

Bewilderment was clearly visible on his face. He was usually skilled at concealing his emotions, so for him to show this level of agitation was truly rare.

The content of Un-gyeong's report was that shocking.

Though Sage Hyeon-cheon was living in seclusion at Mount Hua, he collected external information with keen sensitivity.

The Fist Demon.

He was the martial artist who currently shook the martial world to its core. To dismiss him as merely a rising talent would be far too lenient—the infamy and prestige he had built were by no means light.

The martial world already treated him as a master of the absolute tier. He was even evaluated more highly than Sage Hyeon-cheon himself, the sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect.

And such a master was from the Mount Hua Sect? Moreover, it was Cheong-gyeong, the lame disciple whom everyone had shunned.

It was a fact difficult to believe.

Sage Hyeon-cheon felt a bitterness in his mouth.

Un-gyeong continued his explanation.

"The first place he appeared was in the Divine Stronghold. The Thousand-Gold Demon Prison, where we once pursued the Demonic Cult. He is certainly Cheong-gyeong—the one we abandoned at the Thousand-Gold Demon Prison…"

"Kuh!"

This time, it was Mu-gyeong who let out a low murmur.

His face was even more haggard than Sage Hyeon-cheon's.

He was the one who had decided to abandon Cheong-gyeong that day. For years afterward, he had been tormented by guilt. He had only just shaken it off, and now hearing news of Cheong-gyeong brought the nightmare back to life.

"Fine! Let us say he is Cheong-gyeong. But he denied being a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect?"

"That… is correct."

"How dare he!"

Rage surfaced on Sage Hyeon-cheon's face.

Sage Hyeon-cheon was a man who had devoted his entire life to the Mount Hua Sect. To him, the Mount Hua Sect was everything. No value was greater.

To such a man, Dam Ho—who had denied the Mount Hua Sect—could not possibly be viewed favorably.

Un-gyeong watched the furious Sage Hyeon-cheon with a bitter smile.

If there was anyone who knew how the Mount Hua Sect had treated Dam Ho, it was Un-gyeong.

He had no words to defend himself. He had believed that giving up martial arts early was the best thing for Dam Ho, and had poured out cruel words without mercy.

"Where is Cheong-gyeong now?"

"He seems to have left Azure Sun, but his whereabouts have not been identified."

"Umph!"

Sage Hyeon-cheon let out another murmur.

His mind was in turmoil.

This was the moment when the Demonic Cult had reappeared on the stage of history.

The Martial Alliance had been formed, but ultimately, protecting the Mount Hua Sect depended on their own strength.

At a time like this, any sect with even one more supreme master held a survival advantage. Sage Hyeon-cheon had realized this decades ago.

"Is Hyeon-so still refusing to come out?"

"Yes."

"I must go to Hyeon-so's dwelling."

"Now?"

"Yes."

Sage Hyeon-cheon rose to his feet.

Since becoming the sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect, Sage Hyeon-cheon had rarely left the Upper Palace. That he was now moving in person was proof that something of great import had occurred within the sect.

Sage Hyeon-cheon departed the Upper Palace and headed toward Cloud Peak. Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong followed behind him.

The sight of the Mount Hua Sect's sect leader and his first and second disciples departing together drew the attention of many.

'Where is the sect leader going?'

'The First and Second Senior Brothers are accompanying him. Has something major happened?'

They greeted Sage Hyeon-cheon and his party, though they could not hide their puzzled expressions.

Sage Hyeon-cheon stopped midway up Cloud Peak.

"Hyeon-so's dwelling should be somewhere around here."

Though Sage Hyeon-so had established himself here decades ago, Sage Hyeon-cheon had never once visited. Naturally, he did not know the exact location.

Un-gyeong smiled bitterly and took the lead.

"You must go a bit higher."

"Lead the way."

"Yes!"

In the end, Un-gyeong led them forward.

The path to Sage Hyeon-so's dwelling was overgrown with thickets. Sage Hyeon-so never came out, and the disciples never came to visit him.

The dense undergrowth seemed to symbolize the severance between the Mount Hua Sect's disciples and Sage Hyeon-so, leaving an uneasy feeling.

Un-gyeong followed his memory and pressed on. After walking for some time, he finally discovered a small thatched hut.

It was far too pitiful and dilapidated to be the dwelling of a Mount Hua Sect elder. The roof was caving in, and holes gaped in the walls—one could be forgiven for doubting whether anyone actually lived here.

Sage Hyeon-cheon frowned.

'Hyeon-so lives in a place like this?'

For a moment, he felt a pang of self-reproach at having been so negligent toward Sage Hyeon-so.

But it was only for a moment. He quickly cleared his throat and spoke.

"Hmm! Hyeon-so, are you inside? It's Hyeon-cheon."

"……"

No answer came from within.

Sage Hyeon-cheon raised his voice once more.

"Your senior brother is here. If you're inside, come out at once."

Still, no response came.

"This man…"

In the end, Sage Hyeon-cheon grew angry and entered the hut. The moment he opened the door, his expression changed.

The hut was empty. There was not a trace of Sage Hyeon-so inside.

The hut appeared to have been abandoned long ago.

"How can this be!"

Sage Hyeon-cheon's astonishment was clearly visible on his face.

Though they had not visited often, he had assumed Sage Hyeon-so was doing well. He had never imagined that Sage Hyeon-so would leave his dwelling and vanish without a trace, having been so deeply wounded.

"Martial Uncle…"

"Has he left?"

Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong murmured in dismay.

They, too, had not expected Sage Hyeon-so to be absent from his dwelling.

On the wall of Sage Hyeon-so's room, a message was written in bold, vigorous brushstrokes.

"To see only profit is to miss the truth within."

"Sigh! When one sees only what is profitable, one fails to see the truth contained within?"

Sage Hyeon-cheon let out a sigh.

The words seemed to reproach him for having seen only what was beneficial to the Mount Hua Sect and failing to recognize the true worth of a talent like Dam Ho.

Sage Hyeon-cheon had been blinded by the prejudice that Dam Ho was lame, dismissing his potential.

The words Sage Hyeon-so had left behind lashed at his heart like a whip.

For the first time, he felt shame.

"Un-gyeong."

"Yes, Master."

"Find your Martial Uncle. You must!"

"I understand."

"Sigh!"

Sage Hyeon-cheon's sigh was carried away by the wind.

A cool breeze that should have soothed the heat blew past, but Sage Hyeon-cheon felt only a chill.

The farmer's name was Jang Il.

Jang Il invited Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo to stay the night, and Dam Ho accepted.

Though rough on the outside, Jang Il was in fact a man of extraordinary warmth. He offered them an empty room that he was not using.

Late at night, Dam Ho stepped outside alone.

After walking for a while, he found himself halfway up a small hill.

Dam Ho stood atop a high boulder and gazed at the vast rice paddies spread before him. A breeze blew. The rice stalks swayed in the wind.

Under the faint moonlight, the rippling rice stalks looked like a nighttime sea with waves rolling in.

Dam Ho stood in place for a while, watching the paddies. Then he spoke.

"Come out already."

"……"

"Shall I drag you out?"

"I will come out."

Only then did a voice answer from the darkness.

From behind a large tree in the forest, a black figure emerged. He was a tall, handsome Taoist in his mid-twenties, wearing a splendid robe.

The young Taoist bowed to Dam Ho with clasped fists.

"Amitabha! Junior Brother Myeong-gyeong greets Senior Brother."

"Myeong-gyeong?"

A glint of interest appeared in Dam Ho's eyes.

Though twelve years had passed since he left the Mount Hua Sect, there were names he could not forget. Myeong-gyeong was one of them.

How could he forget?

When he had been wandering between life and death, it was Myeong-gyeong who had become Sage Hyeon-geom's disciple.

This was the first time he had seen him in person. No—he had seen him at the Azure Sun Sword Sect, but at the time, he had not known that the man was Myeong-gyeong.

Myeong-gyeong approached Dam Ho.

"Senior Brother."

"I told you already. I am no longer a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect."

"Before coming here, I heard from Martial Sister. I truly did not know the circumstances. I apologize in your Master's stead."

Myeong-gyeong bowed his head respectfully. But Dam Ho's gaze remained cold.

"So you followed me like a sneaking cat in order to apologize?"

"You knew?"

Dam Ho did not answer. But his silence was answer enough for Myeong-gyeong.

Myeong-gyeong's face reddened slightly.

He had secretly followed Dam Ho right after he left Azure Sun.

It was not merely out of curiosity, nor was it to apologize on his Master's behalf, as Dam Ho had suggested.

From the moment he first laid eyes on Dam Ho, his blood had boiled and he could not endure it.

Myeong-gyeong had glimpsed in Dam Ho the figure of the absolute master he had only vaguely imagined. Mighty martial arts and an overwhelming presence that dominated his surroundings.

Dam Ho had displayed exactly the kind of figure Myeong-gyeong had only dreamed of, in front of countless masters. That image of Dam Ho had stirred something deep within him.

He wanted to fight Dam Ho. He wanted to prove that his Master's martial arts were the greatest.

Dam Ho's eyes narrowed. He had sensed Myeong-gyeong's fighting spirit.

"What are you after?"

"Teach me a move, Senior Brother."

"……"

"Are you not curious, Senior Brother? The swordsmanship of Master Hyeon-geom."

"Not curious."

"Senior Brother!"

"I told you. I am not your senior brother."

"What does it matter? What I call you is not important. Is the desire to fight not what truly matters?"

Myeong-gyeong's fighting spirit burned.

Whirr!

At his waist, the sword emitted a faint hum. It was a sword cry.

The phenomenon that appeared when sword and body had become one—proof that Myeong-gyeong was no mere passionate youth.

Dam Ho's eyes turned cold.

"So you want to fight that badly?"

"I must prove my Master's martial arts."

Shing!

Myeong-gyeong drew his sword.

The moment Dam Ho's gaze became impossibly cold, Myeong-gyeong charged.