Chapter 88

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.