Chapter 159

Chapter 159: When the Rain of Chaos Falls, the Sleeping Dragon Stirs (3)

Eum Yu-gyeong opened her eyes. Before her stretched a broad back, as wide as a prairie. And she recognized the familiar scent. Someone was carrying her on their back, moving with incredible speed through the air.

The scenery around her was blurring past at tremendous velocity. There should have been a crushing pressure and a howling wind, yet strangely, she felt perfectly at ease.

A faint smile curved Eum Yu-gyeong's lips.

"Yul… cheon."

"I'm late. I'm sorry."

A voice was heard, deep and resonant, carrying an unmistakable weight of trust.

Eum Yu-gyeong gently shook her head while still pressed against the man's back.

"No. More importantly, how did you find me?"

"My woman was in danger. Of course I came."

"Yul-cheon."

"It seems we've bought some time. Let's rest for a while."

The man gradually slowed, and at last came to a complete stop.

He set Eum Yu-gyeong down upon a rock by the riverbank. He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirty.

Despite his imposing stature of over seven chi, his face held a gentle, honest quality. But his piercingly bright eyes and firmly set lips spoke to an indomitable will.

At the man's waist hung a massive blade wrapped in linen cloth.

Eum Yu-gyeong's gaze fell upon his hand. The hand that had just been supporting her was drenched in blood.

"Yul-cheon. Your hand…"

"The recoil is a real pain in the ass. I still need a bit more time to control it perfectly."

The man smiled as though it were nothing. But Eum Yu-gyeong could not.

The man's name was Geom Yul-cheon.

He was her lover, and her spiritual anchor.

Without him, she could never have risen this far. She would have remained the Cult Leader's puppet forever.

It was because of him that the present Eum Yu-gyeong could exist.

Geom Yul-cheon stroked Eum Yu-gyeong's hair and spoke.

"There's that look again. Anyone would think you were gravely injured."

"Are you all right?"

"Even if I weren't all right, I'd be all right."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Sure it does."

Geom Yul-cheon's glib retort drew a smile from Eum Yu-gyeong despite herself.

Thinking back, Geom Yul-cheon had always been like this.

He smiled in any situation, and no matter how desperate things became, he never fell to despair. Even when merely surviving was a struggle, he always remained a beacon of hope for others.

That was why they called him by that name.

The Unyielding.

The man who would never bow.

That was why so many had placed their trust in him and walked into the jaws of death. And not one of them had regretted it.

Eum Yu-gyeong gazed at Geom Yul-cheon, her eyes filled with affection and admiration. To receive such a look from a woman like Eum Yu-gyeong was no easy feat.

"You went to find the Thousand-Day Secret Record, didn't you?"

"That's right!"

"Did you find it?"

"Yes! There must be a clue to the sacred relic within."

"Well done."

Geom Yul-cheon smiled.

It was the kind of smile that inspired trust simply by being seen.

It was a smile that only a man who had overcome countless adversities and death itself could wear.

It was at that moment that Geom Yul-cheon's eyes turned sharp.

"It seems we've picked up a tail."

"A tail?"

Eum Yu-gyeong hastily looked back. In the distance, a figure was approaching at tremendous speed using movement technique.

A peculiar light flickered in Eum Yu-gyeong's eyes.

"Do you know him?"

"So-cheon… He is one of the Nine Heavenly Dragons that Shaolin has nurtured."

"I see."

Geom Yul-cheon nodded.

In the meantime, So-cheon had closed the distance. His movement technique was truly extraordinary.

So-cheon performed the Shaolin-specific greeting of palms pressed together.

"Amitabha! This humble monk is So-cheon of Shaolin."

"I know."

"What is your name, Layman?"

"Geom Yul-cheon."

Geom Yul-cheon did not conceal his true name. A flicker of interest crossed So-cheon's face.

Geom Yul-cheon asked.

"What brings you here?"

"She took a text from Shaolin."

"So you've come to retrieve it?"

So-cheon gently shook his head.

"No. The Thousand-Day Secret Record is a book I have read myself. It contained nothing of particular importance."

"Then why?"

"Because of you."

"Me?"

Geom Yul-cheon pointed at himself.

"That is correct. The strength of your presence makes my blood boil."

"Ha!"

"I wish to cross blades with you."

"A monk with quite the fighting spirit. You might end up with a broken nose."

"Before being a monk, I am a martial artist."

Geom Yul-cheon drew upon his internal energy. His gray robes billowed outward.

The terrifying presence that spread through the area was such that it seemed the very surroundings had been trapped within So-cheon's shadow.

Geom Yul-cheon smiled.

"The Supreme Great Ability, is it?"

"Your eye for detail is remarkable, Layman. That is correct. It is the Supreme Great Ability."

The Supreme Great Ability was one of Shaolin's legends.

It was said that upon achieving great completion, one would gain infinite power, and with the strength of a single individual, could bring peace to the world.

But in all of history, no one had ever mastered the Supreme Great Ability beyond the eighth stage. That was why it was also called an incomplete martial art.

So-cheon's level was the eighth stage.

Like the patriarchs before him, he had reached his limit. But the difference was that So-cheon was incomparably younger than any of the patriarchs who had come before.

No one in history had ever reached the eighth stage of the Supreme Great Ability at So-cheon's age. If a few more years passed, he would surely break through the barrier, and completion was well within reach.

"If it is the Supreme Great Ability, it might be worth indulging."

Geom Yul-cheon smiled and tilted his head. The sound of cracking bones echoed.

Whoosh!

So-cheon's Supreme Great Ability was growing in intensity. The energy swelled like a snowball, pressing down upon Geom Yul-cheon's shoulders. But Geom Yul-cheon paid it no mind and walked toward So-cheon.

The blade hanging at his waist swung loosely.

Eum Yu-gyeong watched the scene in silence.

Though the aura emanating from So-cheon was formidable, she was not the least bit worried.

So-cheon was undeniably strong. Perhaps the strongest of all the Nine Heavenly Dragons.

But such worldly strength did not work on Geom Yul-cheon.

Geom Yul-cheon was one who walked upon a plane beyond the human.

He was an existence that could not lose.

As long as the souls of the one hundred and two men who had willingly died for him were watching over him, he could never be broken.

"Prajna Palm!"

So-cheon deployed the Prajna Palm, one of Shaolin's supreme secret techniques.

Backed by the Supreme Great Ability, the Prajna Palm possessed truly cataclysmic power.

Geom Yul-cheon drew the loosely hanging blade.

"If you don't want to be swept away by the current of the age and vanish without a trace, break through the wall, monk."

Whoosh!

Geom Yul-cheon's blade parted the Prajna Palm and advanced toward So-cheon.

Eum Yu-gyeong turned her head.

She did not need to confirm the outcome with her eyes.

Geom Yul-cheon, the Unyielding Martial Artist.

A young man who had sacrificed his own life to save Geom Yul-cheon once called him this:

Geom Yul-cheon of the Demonic Path.

Geom Yul-cheon himself was the Demonic Path.

'So-cheon can never be his match. If there is anyone in the current world who could stand against him, there is only one.'

Eum Yu-gyeong recalled a man.

A man who limped on one leg, yet with a single fist could send the world trembling with fear.

'The Fist Demon.'

***

Dam Ho raised his head and looked up at the sky.

The sun was setting. The western sky was dyed entirely red, and twilight crept steadily toward where he stood.

It was time to make camp for the night.

Dam Ho gathered branches and lit a campfire.

In the past, this would have been Bang Jin-bo's task. But without him, Dam Ho had to do it himself.

Tonight's meal was dried jerky.

The jerky that he would have eaten without complaint in the past somehow felt tough today. But Dam Ho did not complain and simply chewed the meat in silence.

Neigh!

Beside him, the Dark Horse grazed on grass and snorted. Without Bang Jin-bo, it too seemed to feel a sense of emptiness.

Dam Ho too felt the absence of Bang Jin-bo. But he did not feel it as a loss.

Bang Jin-bo would also need to stand on his own someday. That time had simply come a little sooner. With Hwang Gyeong-mun and Hwang Hye-ryeong, Bang Jin-bo would surely be well cared for.

The only regret was that he had not been able to create a martial art suited for Bang Jin-bo. But a new martial art could not be created overnight.

It required time. If he continued to work at it without forgetting, someday he would be able to create a martial art for Bang Jin-bo.

Dam Ho organized his thoughts in this manner and gazed at the campfire.

In the deep darkness, a single flame cast a faint light upon the world. The sight stirred something in Dam Ho.

'No matter how thick the darkness, a single small flame can never be completely swallowed.'

Time flowed on.

For a long while, Dam Ho sat motionless, watching the campfire.

When dawn approached, the fire had died out, and only white smoke rose into the air. Still, Dam Ho did not move.

He moved only when the sun appeared on the eastern horizon.

With a small piece of jerky clenched between his teeth, he mounted the Dark Horse.

"Let's go."

The Dark Horse surged forward as though it had been waiting.

Dam Ho let the Dark Horse carry him. After riding for half a day, a great river appeared. Dam Ho followed the river on horseback.

After riding for some time, a ferry landing came into view. A fairly large boat was moored there.

Though not as massive as the Sky-Treading Ship, it was large enough to accommodate the Dark Horse without issue.

Quite a few people were waiting at the landing to board. Among them, the most conspicuous was an enormous carriage.

Drawn by four horses, the massive carriage was completely sealed, without so much as a window.

Around the carriage, over a dozen warriors stood guard. The people waiting to board were intimidated by the warriors' menacing atmosphere.

Dam Ho dismounted the Dark Horse and walked toward the landing. The warriors guarding the carriage regarded him with wary eyes.

Dam Ho paid them no mind and purchased a ticket. He stood at a distance, giving the impression of complete indifference, but the warriors' guarded stares did not waver.

At that moment, a crewman called out.

"Everyone, please board. We depart in one quarter of an hour."

The people handed their tickets to the crewman and boarded.

Once a reasonable number of passengers had boarded, the warriors hauled the carriage onto the boat.

"Be careful not to damage the cargo."

The man who appeared to be their leader shouted. The warriors responded and carefully loaded the carriage.

Dam Ho was the last to board. The moment he stepped onto the deck with the Dark Horse's reins in hand, the boat set off.

Dam Ho found a spot on the deck with the Dark Horse.

This was not a journey upstream like aboard the Sky-Treading Ship. The purpose was to cross to the other side of the river.

If he endured for half an hour, they would reach the opposite bank. Then he would be rid of the warriors with their menacing atmosphere. Perhaps that was why the people quickly regained their composure.

Dam Ho too gave the carriage no further thought.

His mind was filled only with the thought of how he could reach Mount Hua in the shortest time possible.

'Master.'

While Dam Ho was thinking of Sage Hyeon-so, the boat suddenly lurched. It had encountered a strong current.

Crack!

As the deck tilted, the carriage, which had stood firm until now, began to slide. The warriors desperately seized the four corners of the carriage and held on. But its immense weight caused it to slide toward where Dam Ho stood.

Thanks to the warriors' desperate efforts, the carriage came to a stop.

Dam Ho raised his head. Through a crack in the carriage, he could see a large, dark eye.

Eyes filled only with despair and anguish, they were quickly obscured by the warriors and disappeared from view.