Chapter 88: He Who Acts Alone and Moves Alone, the Lone Wanderer (1)

The light was fading from Jwa Mun-hyo's eyes.

A life was ebbing away.

Until his last breath, Jwa Mun-hyo could not comprehend what had befallen him. He perished without leaving even a final word.

"Sect Leader!"

Chae Gyu clutched the lifeless Jwa Mun-hyo to his chest.

The surviving warriors of the Hengshan Sect gathered around Jwa Mun-hyo and Chae Gyu.

"Kuhuk!"

"Sect Leader!"

They wept for Jwa Mun-hyo's death and glared at Dam Ho.

They had come down from Heng Mountain lightheartedly. They had never expected to lose their Sect Leader and fellow disciples here, and the shock they felt was all the greater.

"Kill him!"

"We must avenge the Sect Leader!"

The Hengshan Sect warriors prepared to charge at Dam Ho once more. But Chae Gyu held them back.

"Everyone, stop."

"Elder!"

"But he is the Sect Leader's enemy!"

Naturally, the warriors protested. But Chae Gyu was resolute.

"This is an order from your elder. If you disobey, I will expel you all from the sect."

"Kuhuk!"

At Chae Gyu's extreme order, the Hengshan Sect warriors could move no further. No matter how grief-stricken they were, expulsion from the sect was a fear worse than death.

When the warriors finally calmed, Chae Gyu looked down at Jwa Mun-hyo's body. The once vigorous face had turned deathly pale.

"Sect Leader."

Chae Gyu gently closed Jwa Mun-hyo's eyes and rose to his feet.

His gaze, fixed on Dam Ho, held a cold fury.

His heart demanded vengeance, but his reason whispered restraint.

Half of the warriors he had brought to this place had perished in an instant, and even the Sect Leader had been no match for this man.

The opponent was a master beyond his ability to fathom.

With their current forces, they could not possibly defeat him. It was infuriating, but it was reality.

That was why he had to remain as rational as possible.

If he was not careful, not only would the Sect Leader's revenge go unfulfilled, but every disciple present here might lose their lives as well.

He had a duty to return the surviving disciples safely to the Hengshan Sect.

"We will return to the Hengshan Sect. Will you let us go?"

Chae Gyu stated his intention to withdraw, yet there was nothing servile about his manner. His composure appeared distinctly different in Dam Ho's eyes.

"And if I do?"

"We will rebuild our strength and seek revenge against you someday."

"But why would I let you go? It would be simpler to kill you all here."

"Then we will accept death without resistance."

"……"

"Killing those who cannot fight back is not something you would relish, I think. Especially not someone of your temperament."

This was a gamble with his life.

Chae Gyu was staking his own life, the lives of his fifty disciples, and the fate of the Hengshan Sect to provoke Dam Ho.

His mouth was dry, but Chae Gyu showed no sign of it and stared fixedly at Dam Ho.

After an eternity of silence, Dam Ho's lips finally parted.

"The Hengshan Sect may need a Sect Leader like you."

"Does that mean you will let us go?"

"I will."

"Even knowing that we will seek revenge?"

Though he had hoped for it, Dam Ho's unexpected answer made Chae Gyu's pupils tremble.

"Yes."

"You must be a madman."

"Perhaps."

Dam Ho nodded.

Had anyone else spoken such words, he would have crushed their skull without hesitation.

Chae Gyu had been desperate to protect his disciples. And yet he had not abandoned his convictions. Such a man was truly rare.

At the very least, since Dam Ho had re-entered the world, he had not encountered such a person. That was why, just this once, he wanted to give Chae Gyu a chance.

Chae Gyu asked.

"What is your name?"

"Dam Ho."

"I will remember it. The Hengshan Sect will never forget your name."

"Good."

"My name is Chae Gyu. Remember it well. For someday, I will drive a sword through your heart."

"I look forward to it."

Dam Ho nodded and began to walk away.

Though he still limped slightly, the sight was so terrifying that the Hengshan Sect disciples parted to either side.

Beneath the crimson-stained sky, Dam Ho's figure gradually receded. Watching him go, Chae Gyu murmured involuntarily:

"He who walks alone… the Lone Wanderer."

Chae Gyu did not know.

That the words he had murmured without thought would become the name that replaced Dam Ho's Dark Fist.

The Lone Wanderer.

Dam Ho walked alone.

***

An unbelievable rumor swept through Hunan Province.

A man who wielded fists had appeared—a demon of uncommon caliber.

He had annihilated the An Family Manor and killed the Sect Leader of the Hengshan Sect.

Nam Hak, the chief disciple of the Gokdong Sect, had been defeated by him.

He was a merciless killer who never spared those who crossed his eyes.

Shin Gang-hyeol-seong.

The Blood Star that had appeared in Xinjiang.

But some called him by another name.

Fist Demon.

In the history of the martial world, no one had ever earned such a blood-soaked alias in so short a time.

People began to take notice of Dam Ho.

Whenever two or more gathered, Dam Ho became the topic of conversation. Especially in Hunan Province, where he had recently shown himself, there was no end to the talk of him.

But strangely, after the bloodbath at the Heng Mountain Sect, he had vanished without a trace. This only fueled people's curiosity further.

***

Sang Ma-gyeong-won, the sect leader of the Agyang Sword Sect, was frowning deeply. It was because of his uninvited guests.

Seated before him was a middle-aged man in his early forties, wearing a light blue scholar's robe.

Sharp facial features and eyes, and pupils that gleamed with an intensity that seemed to pierce through a man's very core.

All of it felt oppressive.

The middle-aged man's name was Namgung Chang—a man from the Namgung Family.

Sang Ma-gyeong-won knew nothing about Namgung Chang. But the mere fact that he hailed from the Namgung Family, one of the Five Great Families, was enough to exert tremendous pressure.

The Five Great Families.

The Hwangbo Family, based in the northern capital of Shandong Province.

The Jin Family of Anpyeong, descended from the Pearl Marquis.

The Peng Family, overlords of the Hebei region.

The Jegal Family of Hubei Province.

And finally, the Namgung Family of Anhui Province.

Among the hundreds and thousands of martial families scattered throughout the world, these five possessed unrivaled military power and influence.

Each had a history spanning centuries, and their strength and influence were in no way inferior to the Nine Great Sects.

While most of the Nine Great Sects were located in the interior of the Central Plains, the Five Great Families were concentrated along the eastern coast.

This was closely tied to the history of the Central Plains.

When the Nine Great Sects first emerged, the heart of the Central Plains was the interior. But as dynasties changed and the capital was moved to the present-day northern capital, nearby coastal cities began to flourish.

Most of the Five Great Families had experienced explosive growth alongside the dynasty's relocation of the capital, achieving the prestige they held today.

Because of this, some viewed the Nine Great Sects as the traditional powers and the Five Great Families as the emerging forces.

The Namgung Family had established itself in Anhui Province three hundred years ago. Even then, they possessed formidable wealth and military strength, but they had not yet reached the level of influence they held today.

In any case, the current Namgung Family had grown to a degree that even the Nine Great Sects found burdensome, and their power was not something the Agyang Sword Sect could dare compare itself to.

It was not unreasonable for Sang Ma-gyeong-won to feel uneasy about Namgung Chang.

Namgung Chang had introduced himself as an elder of the Namgung Family.

Beside him stood a handsome young man. To a stranger, he would have appeared to be a scholar—his skin was fair, and he wore a gentle smile.

The young man's name was Namgung Su. He was not known in the martial world, so Sang Ma-gyeong-won did not recognize him. Nor did he have the bandwidth to concern himself with him.

Sang Ma-gyeong-won asked cautiously.

"What brings an elder of the Namgung Family to our humble sect?"

"Before that, I have heard that Miss Hae of the Haenam Sect is staying here. Is that correct?"

Namgung Chang's voice was exceedingly soft and measured. But the moment Sang Ma-gyeong-won heard it, he felt an inexplicable chill.

"That is correct, but…"

"Then you have likely received some prior notice."

"What do you mean?"

"Just as Miss Hae said, an important gathering will soon be held here. I have come ahead to make arrangements."

"A gathering, you say?"

"That is something I cannot disclose yet."

Namgung Chang gently shook his head.

"Agyang is practically the front yard of our Agyang Sword Sect. And yet you tell me that a gathering will be held in my front yard, and you won't even tell me why?"

"The matter is of utmost importance, I'm afraid. I ask for your understanding, Sect Leader Sang Ma."

"What?"

Sang Ma-gyeong-won could not accept Namgung Chang's words.

This was akin to a guest barging into the host's home and declaring that they would use the yard as they pleased, and the host should not interfere.

The problem was that the martial world was ruled by power.

If the Namgung Family, a member of the Five Great Families, had sent someone to make advance arrangements, how important must the other attendees be?

"Then can I at least know who will be coming?"

"The Five Great Families."

"Hmm!"

"The Nine Great Sects."

"Ha!"

The more Namgung Chang spoke, the more Sang Ma-gyeong-won's face drained of color.

A gathering of the Five Great Families and the Nine Great Sects was far beyond his ability to involve himself in. If he offended even one of them, the Agyang Sword Sect would cease to exist that very day.

"And the Haenam Sect as well. For now, you need only know that important figures will be coming here."

"The entire Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families? Every single one?"

"That is correct. The matter is so significant that this neutral ground was chosen as the meeting place."

"Hmm!"

Sang Ma-gyeong-won was left speechless.

They called it neutral ground, but sects existed here as well. The Agyang Sword Sect was the most prominent, and the Uiseon Sect, one of the Five Great Sects of Hunan, was nearby.

Yet their talk of neutral ground was nothing but a thinly veiled contempt for the sects that had already established themselves here.

Namgung Chang continued.

"Therefore, we require the cooperation of the Agyang Sword Sect. I trust you will be of assistance."

Though phrased as a request, its contents were nothing short of a threat. The problem was that the Agyang Sword Sect lacked the power to refuse their threat.

"Hmm!"

Sang Ma-gyeong-won let out a low groan, and Namgung Chang smiled.

Namgung Chang knew.

That Sang Ma-gyeong-won could absolutely not refuse his proposal.

The martial world was a place where the powerful ruled.

And now, those who possessed power enough to encompass the martial world were converging upon this place.

The smell of blood was carried on the wind.

“Sect Leader Kang!”

Yang Tae and Wang Yisheng looked at Kang Gyu.

Kang Gyu’s face contorted.

Something ominous was happening.

“I’ll leave it to you!”

Wang Yisheng, who was in the best condition among them, immediately rushed ahead.

Kang Gyu sat cross-legged right where he was and began circulating his internal energy, preparing for any eventuality. Yang Tae’s stomach was also in poor condition, but in such situations, a sect leader’s well-being took priority.

Yang Tae stood guard with a sour expression on his face.

As Wang Yisheng ran up the mountain path, the smell of blood grew increasingly intense.

“This doesn’t bode well.”

Something terrible must have happened to the thirty Iron Umbrella Sect warriors who had gone ahead. This meant that Sect Leader Kang and the others might also be in danger. He needed to assess the situation quickly and return.

Wang Yisheng soon arrived at the source of the bloody smell.

“Ugh!”

A horrific scene.

All the Iron Umbrella Sect warriors lay dead.

Each corpse was in a wretched state. Blood had spilled as if blood sacs had burst, creating pools of blood everywhere, with small streams even flowing between them.

“Th-this…!”

Wang Yisheng was speechless at the sight of this tremendous massacre.

“What villain would dare!”

The perpetrator seemed to have already left.

Though angry and somewhat fearful, he needed to gather evidence. Wang Yisheng quickly examined the corpses, searching for any survivors.

“Hey! Is anyone still alive?”

But instead of an answer, a series of sharp whistling sounds cut through the air.

Ping! Ping!

Wang Yisheng had remained vigilant and responded by quickly leaping into the air.

However, he couldn’t completely avoid the hidden weapons. They weren’t fired from a distance but from directly in front of him, from below.

He twisted his body twice in mid-air to dodge, but two needles still embedded themselves in his abdomen.

“Guh!”

Wang Yisheng landed in shock and stepped backward.

From among the blood-soaked corpses, a figure covered in blood-no, a blood-drenched human-rose to its feet.

Wang Yisheng, despite having needles lodged in his abdomen, didn’t miss the opportunity.

He stomped hard on a pool of blood, causing it to splash upward and obscure the blood-covered figure’s vision. Then he shook his sleeve, revealing a bamboo tube hidden inside.

Twisting the bamboo tube in his hand as if squeezing it, he fired several metal nails.

Because he had obstructed the blood-covered figure’s vision with the splashing blood, the figure was hit by several metal nails in the shoulder and neck area.

Papapak!

“Got you, you b*st*rd!”

The blood-covered figure seemed about to collapse.

Meanwhile, Wang Yisheng quickly took out an antidote and swallowed it. It was the single antidote pill he had received from Sect Leader Kang Gyu when he was sent to assist Iron Umbrella Sect.

The blood-covered figure staggered but then stood up again. He grabbed the nails and pulled them out. Blood spurted with each nail removed.

But that was all. He seemed completely unaffected, despite the nails being coated with poison.

Wang Yisheng scoffed.

“You’re quite composed. Do you find my hidden weapons laughable? Even in Poison Valley, my Fire Cloud Nails are not to be taken lightly!”

“You also seem fine after being hit by Iron Umbrella Sect’s prized Joint-Breaking Needles.”

“Well, that’s…”

He had endured because he took the antidote.

‘But what about him?’

Wang Yisheng frowned. He couldn’t understand how the blood-covered figure before him had neutralized the poison. Surely he couldn’t possess the antidote for Fire Cloud Nails, so had he expelled the poison with internal energy?

If he had that level of internal energy, he would be an opponent beyond Wang Yisheng’s capabilities.

No, from the beginning, if this was the person who created this sea of blood, he must possess such skills.

Wang Yisheng tensed, swallowing nervously as he asked,

“Are you the one who created this sea of blood?”

The blood-covered figure, Jin Ja-gang, didn’t deny it.

“Yes.”

“Whose orders are you following?”

“I come from the Medicine Sect.”

Wang Yisheng was slightly confused. It had been too long since he had heard the term “Medicine Sect.”

“Medicine Sect? From the Central Plains?”

Yunnan was a frontier region, so “Central Plains” typically referred to the martial world around Henan Province.

Since there were dozens of Medicine Sect factions in Yunnan, there were also considerable Medicine Sects in the Central Plains.

This was something Jin Ja-gang had never considered before. Having never left Yunnan since birth, he wouldn’t know.

“Are there Medicine Sects in the Central Plains as well?”

“Now, probably…”

Wang Yisheng stopped mid-sentence, noticing something off about Jin Ja-gang’s words.

“You… you’re from here in Yunnan, not the Central Plains!”

“You look like you never imagined that possibility.”

“That’s impossible… a master like you from the Medicine Sect…”

“Everyone reacts that way when I say I’m from the Medicine Sect.”

Wang Yisheng shouted,

“Stop lying! Would someone from the Medicine Sect soak thirty innocent people in blood? Say something that makes sense!”

Even in this situation, Wang Yisheng was trying to deflect from the core issue.

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t help but laugh hollowly.

Most people from the poison sects had said things like, “We killed all the Medicine Sects, are you really a descendant of the Medicine Sect?” But Wang Yisheng was trying to corner Jin Ja-gang with nonsensical arguments.

Having taken the antidote for the Joint-Breaking Needle, he was likely trying to buy time until it took effect.

But Jin Ja-gang had already experienced such verbal tactics several times. He remained unshaken.

“Is someone from the Medicine Sect not allowed to kill?”

“Where would there be such a person from the Medicine Sect!”

Jin Ja-gang smiled with murderous intent.

“It’s because you threw me into hell. While crawling out, I resolved thousands, tens of thousands of times to kill you all.”

“What?”

“Anyway, I’m glad.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m glad to see you don’t have even a shred of conscience. Not a hint of remorse is visible.”

Wang Yisheng scoffed.

“So? Does that make it easier for you to kill? Your thinking is still immature!”

“No.”

Jin Ja-gang bared his white teeth through his blood-covered face as he glared at Wang Yisheng.

“It’s just more satisfying to kill someone like you.”

“You young brat, all talk…”

Wang Yisheng gritted his teeth as he secretly prepared a surprise attack.

But just as he was about to move, he hesitated momentarily.

His stomach suddenly began to sting.

‘The Joint-Breaking Needle? But I already took the antidote for that!’

A burning pain suddenly spread from his esophagus to his chest and stomach.

Something was wrong!

‘Is the antidote not working? But there’s no other reason for this…!’

Jin Ja-gang said,

“Seeing that you came here alone, it seems the other two are already poisoned, but you weren’t affected. I’ve heard that some poisons don’t work on certain people. So I tried a different poison this time.”

“Th-that just now? Wasn’t that the Joint-Breaking Needle?”

“One of them was indeed a Joint-Breaking Needle.”

Wang Yisheng was flustered.

He had been hit by two needles.

“Y-you damn…!”

Wang Yisheng had to grit his teeth to avoid groaning in pain. Nevertheless, cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

“What was the other one?”

“The other one was a poison called Four Emperor Divine Water.”

Four Emperor Divine Water was considered one of the finest poisons used by Shadow Bureau. Even martial arts masters of considerable skill couldn’t survive if poisoned by it.

Wang Yisheng swallowed hard.

‘So what Sect Leader Kang and Master Yang suffered from was Abundant Sediment.’

He didn’t know when the Abundant Sediment had been administered, but Wang Yisheng had apparently resisted it due to his constitution.

Originally, even with the same poison, the time of onset and symptoms can vary depending on a person’s constitution. With luck, one might survive with almost no side effects.

But such luck doesn’t strike multiple times.

While special poisons like Abundant Sediment might work that way, assassination poisons are different. They’re made by mixing various poisons with a primary poison to ensure they don’t fail.

Four Emperor Divine Water was such a poison.

“Guh.”

His body was already becoming stiff with paralysis.

The Four Emperor Divine Water poison had spread instantly. Using snake venom as its primary ingredient, it caused both pain and paralysis simultaneously.

Wang Yisheng clenched his teeth and fists. Sweat beaded on his forehead from enduring the pain and began to drip down.

‘If, if only I had realized sooner!’

He could clearly feel that he had been poisoned. It was a mistake to feel secure after taking the antidote.

If he had known it was a different poison needle than the Joint-Breaking Needle, he would have sealed his acupoints to prevent the poison from spreading.

But his opponent had deceived him by claiming it was a Joint-Breaking Needle and even allowed him to take the antidote. He had engaged in conversation leisurely, buying time for the poison to spread.

‘How foolish…!’

To be so carelessly defeated by such a young man, despite his extensive experience in the martial world!

His vision darkened.

He was about to die pathetically, having fallen for such a simple trick.

Though he wanted nothing more than to strike down this opponent with a single blow, even that wasn’t easy now.

The fact that the young man used both Abundant Sediment and Four Emperor Divine Water meant he was likely the one who had annihilated Shadow Bureau as well.

What chance did he have against someone who had wiped out both Stone Forest Gang and Shadow Bureau?

All Wang Yisheng could do was hurl curses.

“You young brat… using such dirty tricks!”

Of course, Jin Ja-gang remained completely unmoved.

“Would you believe the words of someone trying to kill you?”

Wang Yisheng was momentarily speechless, but it was all or nothing now.

“Even in battle, there’s a minimum level of morality!”

Jin Ja-gang almost burst into loud laughter as anger welled up in his chest.

Hahaha!

To attack without warning, annihilate the Medicine Sect, torture people and use them, and then claim morality!

Do these people truly feel no guilt?

Shameless.

Truly, utterly shameless, as if their faces were covered in iron armor.

It was because they were so shameless that they could commit such acts and still speak such words.

Jin Ja-gang was so angry that the veins in his head felt like they might burst, but he didn’t show it.

“That’s different from what I know… but fine.”

Jin Ja-gang took out a paper-wrapped medicine from his clothes and threw it in front of Wang Yisheng.

“What’s this?”

Wang Yisheng looked at the folded paper with suspicious eyes.

Such papers were typically used to wrap powdered medicine. There was a high possibility it was an antidote!

Indeed, Jin Ja-gang said,

“An antidote.”

Wang Yisheng flinched.

Even while thinking it couldn’t possibly be true, he was conflicted.

‘Could his words be true?’

No, common sense dictated that an enemy wouldn’t hand over an antidote.

But Wang Yisheng’s only chance of survival was to take the antidote.

Wang Yisheng glanced at Jin Ja-gang’s expression. Jin Ja-gang’s face was serious. That alone wasn’t enough to determine the truth.

“Nngh.”

His body continued to stiffen. The pain was severe, like being stabbed with needles all over his body.

The pain was excruciating, and to survive, he needed to take the antidote as quickly as possible.

But before that, he couldn’t help but ask,

“Why, give me, the antidote?”

Jin Ja-gang answered,

“As you said, to see if there’s any morality in this battle.”

“Hehehe. Do I look like a fool to you? This must be, guh, poison! Gugh. Something to make me suffer… more!”

“You’re already poisoned, why would I use more poison? That’s definitely the antidote for Four Emperor Divine Water.”

Wang Yisheng realized there was logic to this. There was no reason to administer more poison to someone already fatally poisoned.