Chapter 1088

I’d made it through more crises than I could count.

Even if I counted only the life-or-death situations I’d faced inside Gates, I had enough experience to rival any old hand in Murim.

So I knew one thing very well: the worse the situation, the more clearheaded I had to be.

And now, four days after arriving in Xining, clearheaded judgment and a few more pieces of information had finally led me to a conclusion.

“Mujin.”

“Yes, sir. Just give the order.”

Hyuk Mujin looked at me with blazing eyes and thumped his chest.

“Your reliable right-hand man is right here, Captain.”

I addressed the guy who was more like a shabby little toe.

“I think we’re fucked.”

“Pardon?”

“I said I think we’re fucked. For real.”

“…Are you serious?”

The fire in his eyes went out as if someone had doused it with cold water, but I could only answer calmly.

“Yeah. Completely.”

“But you weren’t saying that a few days ago.”

“I wasn’t. Not at first.”

But the situation had changed beyond recognition.

The Yangtze River Channel League and the Green Forest Alliance.

As if getting blindsided by those two bands of thieves wasn’t enough, Potala Palace in Tibet had joined forces with Dark Heaven.

Potala Palace’s rise at precisely this moment also meant we could no longer count on support from Sichuan.

And the Central Plains—

“Now that even the Great Nation’s military vessels guarding the Yangtze’s tributaries have been wiped out, the waterways through the Central Plains are practically in their hands for the time being.”

I wanted to deny it, but I couldn’t anymore.

A messenger eagle had arrived the night before, confirming the reports that Seafaring King Pa Ryun’s Yangtze River Channel League pirates had scored an overwhelming victory against the Great Nation.

“Even if they suffered a crushing defeat this time, don’t they still have plenty of military vessels left? The Great Nation has more strength than that, and the Yangtze is huge.”

Mujin had a point.

The Great Nation wasn’t called great for nothing.

The battle with the Yangtze River Channel League had dealt it a terrible blow, but if that alone were enough to make it lose control of the entire Yangtze, it never could have claimed to rule the world in the first place.

The important thing, though, was—

“Time. Time is the problem, isn’t it?”

A familiar voice cut in.

Bow Saint emerged from behind Jeok Cheongang, who had appeared at some point.

“Even that little time they’ve gained will be more damaging to us than anything.”

Exactly.

Whether their reign lasted only three days or their glory faded as quickly as a flower, there was no way to stop the Yangtze River Channel League right now.

By the time the Great Nation invoked its authority to requisition every ship it could and gathered its naval forces from across the land, it would already be too late.

By then, Qinghai—no, Xining itself—would be completely surrounded, front and back.

“So how many of those damn bandits have gathered?”

I answered Jeok Cheongang.

“Our estimate so far is around thirty thousand.”

“Hah. They’re coming in packs like dogs. Then again, numbers are about the only thing those dark-path bastards have to brag about.”

“If it were just numbers, that would be much better. Take out their leaders, and the rest would collapse on its own.”

As was true everywhere, dark-path figures and unorthodox factions were especially dependent on the people at their center.

They gathered and scattered around individuals who became their leaders through overwhelming strength and the ability to command others.

Seafaring King Pa Ryun.

And Green Forest Battle King Tae Gunak.

If we took out those two Supreme Peak masters who embodied the dark path, the combined forces of the Yangtze River Channel League and the Green Forest Alliance might not be such a difficult opponent.

Of course, that was only if no new uninvited guests showed up.

“Right, Dark Heaven. You said they’d joined them.”

“Yes. Ten thousand of them. A full third of their forces.”

Jeok Cheongang smacked his lips at my answer.

“They’ve put a tight leash on those two. Made sure they won’t dare bare their teeth at their master.”

“That’s what makes it worse. Even if Pa Ryun and Tae Gunak are taken out now, their forces will still come after us.”

“Of course. Those cowards have seen for themselves that the dark arts they’d only heard about are real. They’ll tuck their tails between their legs even tighter.”

Ten thousand enemies had appeared.

Right in the heart of the Central Plains.

The existence of Moving Formations had always worried the Central Plains Murim. Having that fear become reality was another matter entirely.

It seemed even great sects like the Zhuge Clan and Wudang couldn’t ignore it.

Though they all but ruled Hubei’s Murim, even they had chosen to avoid a direct confrontation.

I’d heard the Zhuge Clan had gone so far as to flee to Mount Wudang, leaving behind the family home where they’d put down roots for hundreds of years.

They’re weaker than the other great sects, so I understand. But was that really the best choice?

I found myself thinking of Zhuge Feng, Family Head of the Zhuge Clan and the Crouching Dragon Guest.

We hadn’t known each other all that long, but from what I’d seen of him while I was in Hubei, he was a good man.

Like a rock in a raging current, he was free-spirited yet steadfast, with the ability to back up that resolve.

And more than anything, he deserved to be called a Great Hero.

So why?

I wanted to ask.

Not in the privacy of my own thoughts, but to their faces.

The Nine Sects and One Gang. The Five Great Families. The many Sect Leaders and Family Heads of the orthodox factions.

The Murim Alliance—the single banner they had all raised together.

I wanted to look those people, who had never hesitated to call themselves righteous, straight in the eye and ask:

Was this the righteous path they were so proud of?

Was their so-called great cause the reason they couldn’t stop the traitors heading west?

Crack.

The bones in my fist popped. I hadn’t realized how tightly I’d clenched it.

Jeok Cheongang, who had been watching me with a somber gaze, spoke.

“Anyone can become a coward when faced with a crisis.”

“I know.”

I added quietly, remembering a past that still lingered like a scar.

“I’ve been one myself.”

“It sounds like you’re saying you’ll never do it again.”

“I promised myself.”

“You must feel it in your bones, but even judging by what we know so far, their strength is beyond anything we imagined. If Xining is surrounded, we’ll be in for a very difficult fight.”

As if agreeing, Bow Saint nodded quietly. Both had reached heights martial artists could scarcely dream of, and yet even they had to consider the possibility of defeat. That was how dire things were.

“I told you before: anyone can become a coward in a crisis.”

Jeok Cheongang fixed his deep gaze on me. His voice was low and steady.

“In a situation like this, not a soul under heaven could blame you for withdrawing to fight another day.”

Withdraw to fight another day.

Mujin’s eyes widened as he understood what Jeok Cheongang meant. Bow Saint stayed silent.

And I—

“Probably. No, definitely.”

I met Jeok Cheongang’s gaze and continued.

“Even if I withdrew to fight another day—no, if I ran away—they’d have no right to criticize me.”

“Even if they did, it wouldn’t matter. If anyone dared to criticize you, I’d personally rip out his tongue. If anyone pointed a finger at you, I’d turn it to ash.”

“I know that too.”

“Then?”

“I’m staying. Here.”

At my calm reply, Jeok Cheongang’s brow furrowed.

“Why?”

“Because if we leave, Qinghai is finished. The countless civilians staying in Xining won’t even have time to escape.”

“If we fight to the death here, it may not just be Qinghai that falls into their hands. It could be the whole world.”

He wasn’t being arrogant. He wasn’t exaggerating.

The Three Saints and Ten Kings were symbols of the Murim world, and its strongest forces.

It was embarrassing to admit, but I, too, had become something of a symbol.

And a gap in our forces could lead straight to defeat.

As I fell silent, Jeok Cheongang went on with something like a sigh.

“The world has already looked away. The Nine Sects and One Gang, the Five Great Families, the Murim Alliance—they’ve all turned their backs. And you still mean to make such a foolish choice?”

That was when I finally parted my tightly closed lips.

“Even so, we have to.”

“What?”

“No. Because everyone has turned away and abandoned us, we have to do it even more.”

Jade is beautiful even as it shatters.

The light it gives off as it breaks into dozens of pieces is more brilliant than ever.

That is jade shattering.

That is why it is called jade shattering.

It is so brilliant, you forget the word destruction.

Because it breaks rather than be defiled.

“Have you ever seen jade covered in filth and dust?”

Jeok Cheongang stared at me, eyes wide. I continued, slowly but clearly.

“I haven’t. But I know that jade already covered in filth loses its value, at least for a while.”

Even then, the jade’s true nature doesn’t disappear.

It might look like nothing but filth, but the light is still hidden within it.

Yet no one who sees its beautiful surface covered in grime will want to touch it.

Not unless a sudden downpour washes the jade clean.

Not unless someone who remembers what it looks like finds it and carefully wipes it off.

So—

“Better to break than to be defiled.”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

I felt the air tremble and let out the breath I’d been holding.

Yes. This was right.

Even if it ended in death, I couldn’t let that original brilliance fade.

I had to make everyone remember. I had to make them realize what mattered most—the thing they’d briefly forgotten amid excuses about the great cause and fears of what they might lose.

The jade called justice.

And I would do everything in my power to protect it.

I wouldn’t break. I wouldn’t be defiled.

There was still far too much to do before I faced that brilliant final moment.

The greatest, strongest wall casting its shadow over the world was still standing.

The Lord of Heaven.

Just then, as the meaning of those two words rang through my heart and drew nearer than ever, Jeok Cheongang—head bowed, lost in thought amid the heavy silence—suddenly spoke.

“You asked whether I’d ever seen jade covered in filth and dust?”

He muttered as if speaking to himself, then raised his head.

Though his body had grown young again, a familiar face was reflected in eyes that held the weight of his years.

“Yes. I saw it. I remember it very clearly.”

He looked at me.

His gaze, drawn back to that day in the not-so-distant past, began to shine.

“That was when I realized how brilliant a light the mangy, weak little whelp in front of me was carrying.”

“…!”

“I told you, didn’t I? If anyone dared to criticize you or point a finger at you, I’d personally punish them. But do you know something?”

The furrows between his brows deepened.

With a clear smile on his face, he slowly reached out and rested a hand on my shoulder.

“If you’d made the same choice as them, I never would have forgiven you.”

Bow Saint spoke with a faint smile.

“Unfortunately, that won’t be happening. Your Disciple is far too good for that.”

A laugh escaped me before I knew it.

Yeah. That was probably true.

The Jeok Cheongang I knew had been that sort of person from the start.

First, he’d go find everyone who insulted his one and only Disciple and beat them to a pulp. Then he’d use whatever strength he had left to give his idiot Disciple a thorough beating.

“Looks like you’ll have to use that strength somewhere else.”

Jeok Cheongang laughed out loud at that.

“That’s the plan. I’ll squeeze out every last drop of strength I’ve got.”

And before half a day had passed, his words became reality.