Chapter 55

Chapter 55

"But isn't it quieter than expected?"

Jang Sam-tae looked around, scanning the surroundings. It would not have been strange for a huge commotion to break out, but strangely, not only the members of the Demonic Cult but also those of the orthodox faction were staying quiet.

It was normal for blades to clash.

Keeping their mouths firmly shut, they glared at each other and gnashed their teeth, yet none drew their swords, and no one was seen using lightness arts recklessly either.

This was highly unusual.

"Because it is the holy land of the Martial God. Moreover, since the remains of the Three Heavens lie asleep here, no one would want to cause a pointless disturbance."

Namgung So-hye glanced around the surroundings and muttered.

At first, she too had thought that a bloodbath might sweep through.

However, whether because Namgung Cheon, the Alliance Leader of the Murim Alliance, and Sa Do-hak of the Demonic Cult had already reached an agreement, not a single person drew their sword.

There were surely people mixed in here who were no different from mortal enemies.

"The holy land of the Martial God… Was it that grand?"

At those words, Namgung So-hye looked at Dan Woo-hyun with a highly surprised expression.

Anyone who had learned martial arts would have heard the basic stories.

Of course, there were also many stories about Zhang Sanfeng, Bodhidharma, or the Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult, but if one had to pick the most famous ones, it would be the stories of the Three Heavens.

That was because they had exerted a massive influence on the current Murim.

Yet, there was only one person who had truly become a legend.

An existence whose actual existence was still being debated back and forth.

It was the story of the Martial God.

"It was just a story passed down as a legend, and no one practically believed it. They said he slaughtered tens of thousands, that no one could defeat him, and that he eventually mocked even the heavens and incurred the wrath of the Eight Immortals, dying in the end after failing to determine a victor despite fighting for over a thousand days."

"Stories are bound to be exaggerated."

Dan Woo-hyun let out a smirk.

Slaughtered tens of thousands?

In truth, he had slain many, but he had never counted them one by one. There was no way to verify the number simply by his sword being dyed crimson with blood.

The amusing part was the story about the Eight Immortals.

'It is not something to be embarrassed about.'

Dan Woo-hyun nodded his head repeatedly, clearing his throat.

The truth was that the moment he felt their presence, he had turned into a block of ice and could not remember anything.

It was merely that their figures had briefly entered his fading vision.

For someone who was a legend to be sealed away so ridiculously, even if it was a surprise attack, was a story worthy of ridicule.

"Ah! Of course, there is also a story like this. That when the Eight Immortals appeared, he actually ran away with his tail between his legs, got caught, and died…"

"Hahaha!"

Dan Woo-hyun burst into laughter for the first time in a while.

This one was false, but it was quite amusing. He did not know who had spouted such nonsense, but if they were in front of him, he might have ripped their mouth off.

"Is… is the story of the Martial God that amusing?"

"It does pique my interest. By the way, what are you doing here?"

"I am just… checking to see if any strange people are coming."

Namgung So-hye shrugged her shoulders.

The role of the Phoenix Squad was strictly to keep watch over the perimeter. Blocking the waterway leading into Gunja Island was also for that reason.

Although Namgung So-hye was inside Gunja Island, that did not mean her mission had changed.

Standing and endlessly staring at the utterly tranquil waterway was also part of her duty.

She had already been bored, but then Dan Woo-hyun had arrived. That was also why she clung to his side and refused to leave.

"It seems there are no members of the unorthodox path?"

Namgung So-hye nodded.

Among the three sets of remains to be recovered, the only one that could not be verified was that of Nam Ju-ryeon.

However, unfitting for the name of the Three Heavens, she had not associated herself with any organization.

As if maintaining neutrality.

Because of that, the unorthodox practitioners could not claim her remains.

The moment they stepped foot here, it was obvious they would not survive the joint attack of the orthodox and demonic factions.

Since many people had already resolved to do so.

"Amusing. That people are swayed by mere remains that are a thousand years old."

"They are not remains of a level that can be dismissed as 'mere'. They are a sort of symbol."

Dan Woo-hyun laughed and turned his gaze. In that situation where many people were visible, there were a few individuals who particularly stood out.

Especially those wearing Taoist robes.

They wore blue Taoist robes and Taoist caps.

Swords were fastened to their waists, and the name Wudang was clearly engraved on them. Their eyes flared with intensity even more than the others.

"Who are they?"

"They are from Wudang. How can you not recognize them when you are a martial artist?"

"I see… Are they trying to recover Tae Gong-jin's remains?"

"That's right. When it comes to Tae Gong-jin of the Three Heavens, even their founder, Zhang Sanfeng, is said to have bowed his head to his greatness."

Dan Woo-hyun chuckled, wondering if he was really that grand. The Tae Gong-jin in his memory was just a foolish guy plagued by misfortune.

It was then.

"Found it!"

A loud voice resounded from somewhere.

The gazes of the people wandering around Gunja Island simultaneously turned toward that direction.

At this point, the word "found" was equivalent to discovering the entrance to the secret cavern.

"I… I should get going too!"

Namgung So-hye hurriedly flew off.

Those who found it first would get the opportunity to enter first. Since that was the agreement, confirming whether the one who found it belonged to the Demonic Cult or the orthodox faction was the urgent priority.

Hmmm, Dan Woo-hyun stroked his chin.

"What shall we do?"

"Well…"

The direction from which the sound came was the northwest.

Was there an entrance in such a place?

However, since he had been a highly elusive fellow, and had even fled to escape Dan Woo-hyun toward the end, it was perhaps natural that there were holes here and there that Dan Woo-hyun did not know about.

Having finished his thoughts, Dan Woo-hyun nodded.

"You all stay here and watch the situation."

"What do you plan to do, Master?"

"I will go… take a quick nap."

"Excuse me?"

What kind of sudden nonsense was that?

Cold sweat broke out on the faces of Jang Sam-tae, Gwon Mu-jin, and Hong Won-chang.

Dan Woo-hyun, starting to move slowly, walked toward the north while gazing at the scenery. Because a thousand years had passed, the scenery of the past was no longer visible.

Only the shape of the island faintly resembled it.

What had been over there, and what had been right there.

Walking while recalling such memories reminded him once again that a truly vast amount of time had passed.

Feeling anew that the phrase "a thousand years" was by no means light, he headed toward the north of the island.

Then, he eventually stopped walking.

Where he stood was a cliff at the northern tip of the island.

Below was a cliff dozens of zhang high, and it seemed that no matter how skilled one was in lightness arts, they would not be able to climb up or down the steeply cut cliff.

For the moment one took a misstep, they would plummet.

Dan Woo-hyun threw his body downward. He was literally falling. However, before falling very far, he reached out and grabbed a rock.

Moving lightly to take another step, though it was clearly a bare cliff, Dan Woo-hyun's body was mysteriously sucked inside.

Soon, a massive entrance revealed itself.

A space so wide that there would be plenty of room even if hundreds of people gathered at once. The marks all over the walls were bizarrely shaped, like the scales of an imugi.

Dan Woo-hyun muttered while stroking the wall.

"This formation lasts truly long. To think it has not disappeared even after a thousand years."

He laughed.

It meant that even though a thousand years had passed, not a single person had set foot here.

Those called the Three Heavens had probably failed to find the entrance and made a path to enter from somewhere else.

That was probably why it was discovered now.

"Was it a bit further inside?"

His memory was hazy, so he walked while tilting his head.

In that space where only the sound of his footsteps echoed, even though it was clearly pitch black with not a single speck of light, Dan Woo-hyun walked as if he could see.

This cave was a place created by an imugi.

And it was also the place where he had tussled with Dan Woo-hyun for a long time. Therefore, no matter how much time had passed, he could not easily forget the path.

One step, two steps.

He kept moving toward somewhere.

In fact, even though keeping one's direction would have been quite difficult, his steps were unhesitating.

Tilting his ear slightly, he could hear the voices of people from afar. They were probably in the middle of exerting considerable effort to enter this place.

However, because the path was more winding and longer than expected, it seemed difficult for them to arrive quickly. Meanwhile, Dan Woo-hyun stopped walking before he knew it and looked at the wall in front of him.

Although it was a space with nothing but a wall, when he reached out his hand, he was sucked inside.

The same formation had been used to hide the entrance here, and there were quite a lot of such places hidden throughout this cave.

Eventually, the moment Dan Woo-hyun stepped inside, the interior of the cave came clearly into view.

The first thing to be seen was a large cavern. That space, several times wider than any he had seen so far, seemed like it would be difficult to create even with human strength.

The second thing to be seen was the cave wall.

The sword marks left in all directions made one feel that the traces were already ancient.

However, they were quite crudely made, seeing which Dan Woo-hyun smirked and turned his head. At the end of his gaze, three sets of remains sitting quietly came into view.

"They carved the marks on the wall again. So that no one could recognize them…"

It might be so, or it might not.

Perhaps they had overlaid the marks because they wanted to test their own realm against Dan Woo-hyun's.

In any case, because of that, to whoever looked at it, it appeared as nothing but crude marks.

Dan Woo-hyun turned his gaze again and read the writing carved on the wall.

In memory of the Martial God, seeing the place of his beginning.

In memory of the Martial God, praising his achievements.

In memory of the Martial God, pouring out resentment.

In memory of the Martial God, shedding tears for what could not be protected.

In memory of the Martial God, laying his spirit tablet to rest.

In memory of the Martial God, the Three Heavens sleep here.

Tae Gong-jin.

Nam Ju-ryeon.

Cheon Mu-gwang.

Reading that, he hung a smirk on his mouth once again.

Even though he was alive and well like this, they had fallen asleep bearing their resentment, without even knowing such a thing.

Dan Woo-hyun, who approached the three sets of remains which now had nothing left but bones, sat down in front of them and let out a small sigh.

Then, he spoke in a low and quiet voice.

"It has been a long time."

Knowing full well that they were no longer in a state to hear him, he continued to speak as if those in front of him were listening to his story.

"Since a thousand years have passed, it is only natural that I should also be by your side, yet I remain in the land of the living while you have gone to the afterlife."

It was regrettable that he could not pour alcohol for them because there was none. Recalling their faces in his mind one by one, he pulled out the remnants of the past.

The Three Heavens were those who had admired Dan Woo-hyun's strength since childhood. Wanting to catch up to him, they searched for him, and every time they saw his face, they drew their swords to clash.

Even the reason their skills improved day by day, allowing them to exert immense influence on the Central Plains Murim, was because of the existence of Dan Woo-hyun, a presence they could never reach.

The one among them who was the most special was none other than Nam Ju-ryeon.

She was neither particularly pretty nor special. Unlike Tae Gong-jin or Cheon Mu-gwang, she possessed not a single bit of talent.

Yet, she was an existence who achieved everything through blood-and-sweat-stained effort. Because she possessed nothing, she was a child who struggled to grasp something in her hands.

Just like Dan Woo-hyun.