Chapter 1078

Qinghai Lake was like a small sea, just as its name suggested.

It was more than ten jang¹ deep and stretched for thousands of li.²

Without the ships, our allies—who’d even abandoned their horses on the way to Qinghai—would have had to walk for days and nights. But the dozens of ships that arrived after Cheongheoja, the Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sect, could easily carry all three thousand of us.

Shhhhh!

A bow carved with the shape of a cloud sliced through the water.

I was silently watching the lake, where the bitter cold had left thin ice in places, when a voice reached my ears.

“Isn’t it strange? Winter is still a long way off, yet we’re already seeing this.”

I turned to find a sturdy-looking middle-aged Daoist. His face and voice were still unfamiliar, but we’d exchanged a brief greeting when I boarded the ship yesterday. I had no trouble remembering his Daoist name.

“Oh, Perfected One³ Hakso.”

The Daoist’s smile turned awkward.

“It’s Hak Su. Not Hakso.”

“……”

“……”

The silence grew awkward fast. After a moment, I forced myself to speak.

“Uh, did you happen to change your Daoist name recently?”

“No. Not once since I joined Kunlun.”

“Then how long ago did you join?”

“Certainly not yesterday. It’s been over forty years.”

“I see.”

“Yes.”

No trouble remembering, my ass.

With nothing left to say, I looked up at the sky. “Uh, well. Nice weather.”

Rumble, crash!

Thunder and lightning suddenly broke out overhead. Hakso—no, Hak Su—glanced at the sky and answered uncertainly.

“You must like stormy weather.”

“……Of course. I don’t just like it—I’m crazy about it.”

I’m going to lose my mind.

It was far too late to take any of it back. I stared at the dark sky, knowing I’d screwed up, and Hak Su let out a quiet laugh.

“I understand. It happens now and then. Not so often that it particularly stands out.”

At that generous response, befitting a Daoist of the Kunlun Sect, I swallowed back tears and bowed my head.

“……I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. We’ve known each other for only half a day. It’s an easy mistake to make. Besides, Fellow Daoist Jin, you have a great responsibility on your shoulders.”

Hak Su laughed heartily, but I’d still been rude. All the more so because the man standing before me was Cheongheoja’s Senior Disciple and might one day succeed him as Sect Leader of Kunlun.

“I’ve often heard about you, so I know what sort of person you are. Just as the third one said, you’re a very amusing man.”

“By the third one, you mean…”

“You’ve guessed correctly. Hak Woo, the Kunlun Cloud Dragon. He’s my youngest Junior Brother. Though given our ages, he’s closer to being my Disciple.”

Hak Su looked well past forty and nearly fifty, old enough that no one would have found it strange if Hak Woo, who wasn’t yet thirty, had been his Disciple. In fact, they were fellow Disciples of the same Master, Cheongheoja.

“In any case, I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time. It’s deeply unfortunate that we’ve met under these circumstances…but you came all this way to save our sect. Nothing could make me happier.”

Caught off guard by Hak Su’s praise, I scratched my head. I’d heard thanks like this before, but I had no desire to act the hero, as though I were somebody important.

Besides, the real battle hasn’t even begun.

Of course, the allies about to gather in one place were stronger than any force I’d ever seen. Two of the Three Saints had joined us, and the Fire King Jeok Cheongang—a master who could hold his own against them—was with us too.

If several other Supreme Peak masters, myself included, and our handpicked three thousand elites joined the main force, we might even have the upper hand against Dark Heaven’s massive army invading Qinghai.

But…

No one knows how things will unfold from here.

I couldn’t get an exact count, but as far as I could tell, Dark Heaven’s forces numbered close to a hundred thousand. Every last one was a monster, little different from the undead, with physical abilities far beyond those of a human.

That alone was a serious complication. But something else had been weighing on me with fear for some time now.

The Lord of Heaven.

An absolute being lurking beyond an abyss whose depths I couldn’t fathom, swallowing the world—heaven and earth alike.

I couldn’t even imagine what would happen if that bastard appeared before us soon.

There’s a good chance the Lord of Heaven will enter this battle. Dark Heaven can’t afford to back down.

Four Demon Lords and a Demon Empress, who’d been like his own limbs, had already fallen to my hand, and we’d inflicted heavy losses on his forces along the way.

If the Lord of Heaven lost an army of a hundred thousand in Qinghai as well, the blow would be enormous, even for him.

And yet, one thing still bothered me.

Then why make such an absurd choice in Gansu?

I bit my lip and recalled the Grand Sorceress’s words.

Get stronger. Even stronger than you are now.

She’d let me live instead of killing me when my life hung by a thread.

No.

What I remembered was the intent of whoever had given her that order.

The Lord of Heaven doesn’t want me—Jin Taekyung, the Blazing Flame Divine Dragon—to die.

The truth I’d realized on that snowfield, covered in blood and corpses, dug through my mind like a sharp awl, leaving questions I couldn’t answer and suspicions I could scarcely believe.

Maybe. Maybe the Lord of Heaven’s real purpose is…

A headache struck without warning. I barely swallowed the groan rising in my throat.

“……Fellow Daoist? Fellow Daoist Jin, are you all right?”

A voice broke through my thoughts. Hak Su was watching me with concern.

“Are you feeling unwell? Your face…”

As he trailed off, I reflexively looked down at the water. A rigid face stared back from the clear surface, then broke apart as the bow carried us forward.

Just like my thoughts.

“I’m fine. Just a little seasick.”

A feeble excuse from a Supreme Peak master. Hak Su studied me for a moment before speaking carefully.

“I can’t claim to know everything that troubles you, but if you ever wish to talk, you’re welcome to come to me.”

He laughed heartily, then added, “Of course, I wasn’t being entirely serious, so don’t worry about it. But I can at least tell you some good news that might lighten your heart a little.”

“What good news?”

“By now, word of the situation in Qinghai must have reached the Central Plains. Before long, the Sword Saint—no, the Alliance Leader—will lead the righteous warriors of the world here to join us.”

Hak Su sounded full of hope. For a moment, I’d wondered if he really had good news. Now my spirits sank.

Could that really happen?

First secure your own life, then strike your enemy.

It was an old saying from Go:⁴ make sure you survived before you attacked. And by that measure, the world was still an unstable stockpile of bombs.

Besides…

As long as they have the Moving Formation, it’s almost impossible to commit all our forces to Qinghai alone.

But I swallowed the words on the tip of my tongue. I couldn’t bring myself to crush the hope of the earnest, kind-looking Daoist before me—not while I was still confused myself.

“Hmm.”

“Is something wrong?”

Hak Su looked puzzled by my vague response. I held back a bitter smile and shook my head.

He’d learn the harsh truth soon enough, even if it wasn’t today.

“No. It’s better news than I expected, that’s all. Caught me off guard. Anyway, how much farther to our destination?”

“About half a day, I think.”

“Half a day. Two or three shichen⁵ at most, then.”

Crossing Qinghai Lake directly by ship had saved us a considerable amount of time. I nodded, thinking about what lay ahead, then muttered as I remembered something I’d almost forgotten.

“Oh, right.”

“Is there something you’re curious about?”

“No. It’s about time we hauled him out.”

“Pardon?”

Leaving Hak Su to puzzle over that, I shouted to the house elf who had to be somewhere nearby.

“Head down!”

A moment later, the rude house elf’s indignant voice rang out.

“This is driving me crazy! Why now?!”

“Just felt like calling you. Wanted to check where you were.”

The house elf—Hyuk Mujin—came running. At my casual answer, he looked like he’d swallowed shit.

“What am I, some stray dog?”

“Absolutely not. What sin did a good dog commit in a past life to deserve being compared to you?”

“……One of these days, I’m going to get sick of this shit and quit.”

“Good. Please do.”

I laughed quietly at his grumbling and started walking.

“Anyway, how’s the job I gave you going?”

“I was right in the middle of it. He’s more tight-lipped than I expected.”

“And?”

“So I made him heavier. Chained a water jug to his ankle. He loved it.”

“Good work. You’ve got a knack for this.”

“What can I say? I learned it all from you, Captain.”

As I walked along, chatting with Hyuk Mujin, Hak Su followed behind us, caught up in the situation. He blinked.

“Forgive me, but what in the world are you talking about?”

He stared at the empty deck. I shrugged.

“You’ll see.”

“But see what—”

“Mujin.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rrrrattle.

Hyuk Mujin stepped forward briskly and pulled on a chain extending over the side of the deck. A man in black, his whole body blue, rose out of the water.

“Gah! I-I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

“On your life?”

“Of course—cough—of course!”

He’d spent a full day and night as one with the blue waters of Qinghai Lake. It was hardly surprising that he might be ready to cooperate now.

Still, I studied the panting man closely.

“If there’s even the slightest lie in what you tell us, your parents will live long, sick lives.”

“……”

“Devoted son, aren’t you? Right, Mujin?”

“Yes, sir!”

“N-No! Anything but that…!”

Rrrrattle. Splash!

Hyuk Mujin answered with gusto and released the chain. The blue water swallowed the man’s desperate scream.

The ancient tradition of dipping someone in the Yangtze lived on at Qinghai Lake.