Chapter 463

Deep within a dark cave where only a faint light seeped in, a small old man sat cross-legged in quiet contemplation.

Energy like the sun raced through hundreds of acupoints and into the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.¹ It took on physical form, rising to envelop the old man’s entire body.

Then the changes began.

Whoooooosh.

Three flower buds bloomed above the old man’s snow-white hair, then vanished.

As the buds formed, the energy they scattered took on a new shape: five rings radiant with dazzling, multicolored light.

It was a phenomenon that could only be displayed by one of the chosen few among Supreme Peak masters who had reached the realm of Five Qi Returning to Origin.

But the changes surrounding the old man did not end there.

Fwoosh. Hissssss!

The five rings symbolizing Five Qi Returning to Origin turned red. Tremendous fire qi erupted from the rings of internal energy brimming with Scorching Yang Qi, coiling around the old man before taking on a blue hue.

Furnace Fire Pure Blue.

When the fire in a furnace grew hot enough, it turned blue. The realm of martial arts the old man had attained was no different.

It was no exaggeration to say that the internal energy and insight he had accumulated over more than a hundred years had already reached the ultimate.

And yet…

Is this as far as I go?

The old man, Fire King Jeok Cheongang, withdrew his internal energy. His cross-legged figure descended from where it floated in midair, and the moment he touched the ground, the strange phenomena surrounding him vanished without a trace.

Only Jeok Cheongang’s hollow chuckle remained in the silent cave.

“Heh heh.”

Why could he not break through the wall before him and advance any farther?

He knew the reason better than anyone. He nodded in acknowledgment, yet he could not help regretting that the wall refused to budge. He even resented the heavens for it.

But rather than furrow his brow, Jeok Cheongang soothed his bitterness with a laugh.

What is there to resent? This old man brought it upon himself.

Martial arts grew stronger through ceaseless training, while insight came only when one emptied the heart.

But Jeok Cheongang had been unable to clear away the dregs that had accumulated in his heart over the past several decades.

Anything left to pile up and stagnate would eventually rot. His rotting heart filled with worldly anguish, inviting an inner demon—and once that inner demon took hold, he could no longer ward off the infirmities of old age.

“If I hadn’t met that brat… I’d probably be smearing shit on the walls by now. Heh heh.”

Jeok Cheongang laughed heartily.

One.

If he could attain just one small insight, he might reach the realm of Returned to Youth.

But he knew that desire was greed as well. Proof that he had not completely emptied his heart.

He looked up. The sky was visible through a small opening in the cave, and Jeok Cheongang addressed someone unseen beyond it.

“Does this mean I should be satisfied with what I have? Is that it?”

No answer came.

Or perhaps he had already received one.

He had taken a born killer as his disciple and caused innocent people to die. Yet thanks to his second disciple, he had at least managed to preserve his sanity. The answer was that he should no longer cling to anything more.

No one had spoken, but Jeok Cheongang heard the answer within his own heart.

“What a fucking joke. After all the fiends this old man has dealt with, this is how I’m treated?”

Jeok Cheongang sighed in complaint, lowered his head, and continued.

“Don’t you think so?”

A man stood where his gaze came to rest. Crouching Dragon Guest² Zhuge Feng waved his folding fan as he answered.

“When I was nine, my grandfather once sat me beside him and said something similar. ‘I don’t know what bastard is up there, but he must have a truly god-awful temper.’ You are saying the same thing now, Senior.”

Jeok Cheongang nodded.

“Zhuge Gonghu did occasionally say something right.”

“He was a wise man.”

“He was also smarter than you. At least he didn’t have the bad manners to wave a fan in front of someone old enough to be his grandfather. Fold that thing before I break it.”

“It will not break easily. I had two nyang³ of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron worked into it.”

“Is your skull made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron too?”

“Ah, I see. Thank you for the lesson.”

Zhuge Feng promptly folded his fan, then looked around the cave.

“But what brings you here? The search is already over, and no one comes here anymore.”

“That is precisely why I came. This old man knows nothing about mechanisms and formations, so I have to prepare in my own way.”

At the word prepare, Zhuge Feng’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“You believe there will be a battle.”

“A martial artist should always be prepared for a fight. Besides, those Dark Heaven bastards are brutal and persistent. This will not end here.”

Jeok Cheongang’s voice was heavy.

Dark Heaven had taken the life of his close friend, Dharma King Hong Dao.

The countless deaths caused by the bloodshed in Henan and Sichuan were more than enough to remind him of the Great Faction War.

“I assume you know that the Heavenly Power Demon was imprisoned in the underground prison beneath the Sichuan Tang Clan.”

“Of course. I also know that before his death, he told Jin Taekyung that Dark Heaven was the successor to the Demonic Cult.”

The Great Faction War, fought for supremacy over the world, had ended in victory for the orthodox faction. But it had not been a sweeping victory. It was a victory that left nothing but wounds.

Had the orthodox faction retained enough strength at the time, it would have pursued the retreating forces of the Demonic Cult and torn out every last root.

But the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the orthodox faction—the dragon and tiger—had both lost most of their strength when the war ended. The long interval of more than fifty years had given the defeated survivors ample time to rise again.

Under a new name.

Dark Heaven.

“So much time has passed before we knew it. The wheel has turned, and troubled times have come again.”

At Jeok Cheongang’s quiet words, Zhuge Feng looked up.

The sky visible through the cracks in the cave ceiling was dark and chaotic. Even if the black clouds vanished tomorrow and the blue sky emerged, the heavenly patterns had already fallen into such disarray that no diviner in the world could read them.

Troubled times.

After completing its long circle, an age of turmoil had returned. An era of calamity was already upon them.

Blood would flow in rivers, and corpses would pile up like mountains.

Death and destruction would run rampant. Orphans who had lost their parents would wander the world, while plague and famine spread because there would be no one to dispose of the rotting bodies.

What is happening now is only a small part of it.

As Zhuge Feng realized that once more, a chill ran down his spine.

But Dark Heaven was not the only reason.

“I see you already had a guest.”

A voice pierced his ears.

Zhuge Feng froze as though someone had dumped ice water over his head.

How?

Though he had not reached the Supreme Peak realm, Zhuge Feng was still a master standing at the very edge of Peak.

Yet he had sensed no presence. Heard no sound.

Even though he had left three guards who followed him like shadows at the entrance to the cave, he had noticed no sign of anything.

That meant the owner of the voice was at least a Supreme Peak master.

If he’s that powerful…

Aside from Jeok Cheongang, the only possibility was Perfected Being Hyeongong of Wudang.

But the voice was far too young and clear.

It sounded like a boy’s.

Ah.

Insight flashed through Zhuge Feng’s mind, and he spun around.

The moment he saw the young medical apprentice he had encountered several times in passing, the fog in his mind dispersed, and a sobriquet slipped from his lips.

“The Slaughter Saint.”

The young medical apprentice, Mungyeong, twitched an eyebrow.

“You already knew?”

“I did not. Not until just now.”

Zhuge Feng continued excitedly.

“But I have always wondered why the greatest assassin in history disappeared. I also wondered why an extraordinary healer known as the Divine Physician appeared only after the Great Faction War had ended.”

“Not bad.”

“I watched you closely once, but I never imagined that you had reached the realm of Returned to Youth.”

Almost nothing was known about the Slaughter Saint. He was a figure shrouded in mystery.

Zhuge Feng stared at Mungyeong with gleaming eyes, then suddenly hesitated.

“But why would you deliberately reveal yourself to me… Unless?”

“You’re quick. Worthy of the Zhuge bloodline.”

“Blood will tell, after all. He may be a little strange, but the boy is clever. Zhuge Gonghu raised his grandson well. Now, putting that aside…”

Jeok Cheongang shrugged and fixed his gaze on Mungyeong.

“What brings you here? Why has an old man who’s been playing at being a child, despite it not suiting him in the slightest, come rushing over?”

“I’ll keep it short. You must leave this place immediately.”

“What?”

As promised, Mungyeong’s answer was extremely brief.

And for Jeok Cheongang, it was nowhere near reason enough to brave that godforsaken Tianling Falls.

“What kind of bullshit is—”

“I should make it even shorter.”

Mungyeong continued in a low, grave voice.

“Your disciple is in danger. No—perhaps everyone is.”

“……!”

The moment he heard those words, Jeok Cheongang realized that he needed no further reason.

He turned toward Zhuge Feng. Blue flames had already kindled in his aged eyes.

“Launch the boat. Right now.”

By the time we reached the final location, the waters of Dongting Lake had turned purple.

I gazed at the sunset shining through the gaps between the cliffs and jagged rock formations, then spoke.

“Don’t move around carelessly from here on. Tie the ferryboat somewhere safe, get onto land, and prepare for anything.”

Dongting Lake was called a lake, but it was so vast that the name hardly seemed adequate.

There wasn’t water in every direction. Small islands were easy enough to find, as were flat stretches of land formed by mud and sand carried in from tributaries of the Yangtze.

If a battle breaks out, fighting on land will put us at a much greater advantage.

None of us had mastered water arts.

I could at least move freely underwater thanks to the Water Rescue Worker Title, but even I could not avoid the debuff that reduced the power of my martial arts by twenty percent.

If things go badly… we need to be able to fight back on land, at the very least.

The others understood my reasoning perfectly well.

Gung Gibang spoke with a determined expression.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Can you swim?”

“I can dog-paddle a little.”

“Go to land before you get beaten like a dog.”

“Hmm. That would probably be better.”

Gung Gibang stepped back, and Hyuk Mujin came forward.

“Captain.”

“You stay on land too. Keep your head down and hide. You won’t be any help if you charge in for no reason.”

“I know. I only called out to encourage you.”

“……”

What a sibu-leol⁴ bastard. I felt what little strength I had left draining away.

I let out a small sigh, then gave Cheongpung one final, earnest warning.

“The Dongting Fisherman may or may not be in there. But if I find him and drag him outside…”

Cheongpung nodded.

“I won’t miss the opportunity.”

“Good. That’s all I need.”

I had no idea just how formidable the Dongting Fisherman was, but with Cheongpung’s help, things would be much easier.

Of course, he might not be here either.

But… how should I put it?

This time felt different.

It wasn’t reason. It was instinct.

I looked at each of them in turn, then leaped without hesitation into the purple water.

Splash!

The familiar sensation washed over me as a System notification rang out.

The Title’s effect activated. Transparent webbing formed between my fingers and toes, and breathing became easy.

Deeper. Farther in.

I pressed onward without stopping.

I swam swiftly through the cold water, passing countless fish.

Then I spotted something in the distance.

What’s that…?

Far ahead, a pitch-black cave came into view.