Chapter 215: Chapter 215
The Overlord, Zhuge Gocheon, tilted his liquor bottle.
The liquor, sparkling with starlight, drew a beautiful curve like a waterfall.
Trickle…
A sound that tickled the ears was heard.
A moment later, the crude wooden bowl, embarrassing to even call a liquor cup, filled up with liquor, capturing the moonlight and the night sky.
Zhuge Gocheon, who swallowed the world contained in the liquor cup that could barely be held in one hand, stared at Cheon-hwi sipping liquor right in front of him.
Had he reached thirty years of age now?
No, he looked much younger than that.
‘Even thinking about it again, it’s hard to believe.’
Zhuge Gocheon clicked his tongue inwardly.
He tried hard to converse calmly and drink liquor, but he was filled with astonishment inside.
Such a young man had destroyed the formation he had painstakingly installed.
And it wasn’t just any formation.
It was the Small Heaven and Earth Generation Formation.
It was an absolute formation that went against and twisted the natural order, making even a master of the Heavenly Martial Realm struggle to find the gate of life.
As proof of that, even his friends had only been able to find the gate of life.
The young man in front of him was different.
He literally broke it completely and smashed it to pieces.
‘He is a monster.’
Astonishment naturally rose from within.
Zhuge Gocheon was also someone who had been called a monster or a genius by others.
It would be strange not to call him, one of the Eight Martial Gods who pioneered the realm called the Martial God Realm by surpassing the Heavenly Martial Realm thought to be the pinnacle of martial arts, a monster.
However, even to him, Cheon-hwi in front of his eyes looked like an existence outside the standard.
At a glance, not only had he reached the very end of the Heavenly Martial Realm, but he also seemed to be knocking on the door of the Martial God Realm right now.
How could he not be astonished?
‘Even at that age, the Heavenly Martial Realm still felt far away to me. No, it wasn’t just me but them as well, so just who on earth is this child….’
After looking Cheon-hwi up and down for a long time, he took the liquor cup away from his mouth and asked.
“Are you a Taoist of the Mount Hua Sect?”
“Of course. I’m even wearing the Taoist uniform here.”
Cheon-hwi slightly raised his sleeve.
The plum blossom vividly drawn on the sleeve made of red and black revealed itself in the moonlight.
Anyone could tell it was the Mount Hua Sect’s Taoist uniform.
However, Zhuge Gocheon didn’t have any change in expression even after seeing the sleeve.
“Clothes do not represent a person.”
His voice lowered slightly.
“What I am asking about is your essence.”
“What essence?”
“For example, even if one wields the same sword, doesn’t it differ depending on how it’s used? Some will wield the sword for chivalry, while others will point the sword for their own gain.”
Cheon-hwi let out a chuckle.
He already knew his intention behind those words.
But he only asked back because he thought it was nothing much, yet Zhuge Gocheon seemed to think the answer was quite important.
“The words are complicated, but in short, you’re asking if I am truly a Taoist properly walking the Tao of the Mount Hua Sect.”
“That’s right.”
Zhuge Gocheon moved his pupils inside his narrow, thread-like eyes, staring at Cheon-hwi’s mouth as if to pierce through it.
Cheon-hwi fell into thought.
‘Walking the Tao of the Mount Hua Sect, huh….’
It was a question he had never properly thought about.
That was natural because the only things he was interested in were martial arts and strong people.
Had he ever been interested in anything else?
He just learned Taoist martial arts because he became a Taoist of the Mount Hua Sect.
He had never thought deeply about things like ascending to immortality.
Having finished his thoughts, Cheon-hwi opened his mouth.
“It doesn’t particularly seem like it.”
He had no intention of walking the path of Taoism.
‘What I want is the end of martial arts.’
Cheon-hwi’s eyes became distant as he thought about what he desired.
Countlessly innumerable martial arts.
Reaching their end and obtaining all creation was his true desire.
But at that moment.
Thud.
The air near where Zhuge Gocheon was sitting became heavy.
He hadn’t emitted internal qi.
The emotion he unconsciously revealed had completely overwhelmed the surrounding air.
‘Oho, he even handles intent.’
Cheon-hwi’s eyes narrowed.
Cheon-hwi knew very well what Zhuge Gocheon had just done.
That was not internal qi.
It was a privilege that only those who challenged the Martial God and caught a glimpse of Heaven Beyond Heaven could have, and a natural intimidating presence they inherently possessed.
In that state, Zhuge Gocheon slowly opened his mouth.
“Then what is your essence?”
A subtle sense of pressure rushed in.
It was to the point where his whole body creaked, crushed by the intimidating presence he exuded.
However, a smile hovered around Cheon-hwi’s mouth.
This pressure and intensity.
It gave him a sense of excitement.
“I am just me.”
Zhuge Gocheon’s eyebrows twitched greatly.
“What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what it says.”
Cheon-hwi continued speaking, revealing an expression that asked ‘what are you asking again’.
“Does it matter whether I’m a Taoist or not? Regardless of being a Taoist or not, I am me.”
“….!”
Zhuge Gocheon’s body shook greatly.
At that intense change in emotion, the surrounding air shook greatly and became distorted.
It was a profound statement.
And it was a straightforward statement.
Since it meant to look only at his existence without caring about things like background.
It was exactly like looking at his past self.
Cheon-hwi was captured in his eyes.
His figure, tightly bundled with ambition and fighting against the world alone, overlapped with his past self.
‘I also had times like that.’
Closing his eyes amidst thoughts like a haze, Zhuge Gocheon burst into a hollow laugh.
“Hah. If a figure like you were to appear, I thought it would be from Wudang or Shaolin… or if not them, Kunlun, not Mount Hua, but this is truly hard to predict the affairs of the world.”
If it were Wudang and Kunlun, it would be understandable.
Weren’t the ones called the Eight Martial Gods, like himself, located there?
And Shaolin was different.
Even though none of the current Eight Martial Gods were there, wasn’t it a great sect with the saying that all the world’s martial arts originate from Shaolin?
In contrast, Mount Hua….
‘What a mysterious thing.’
His gaze swept over Cheon-hwi once more for a moment, and he put down his liquor cup.
“Well, I’ll stop the useless chatter.”
“That’s a relief. I was actually worrying about when I should cut off the conversation.”
“Is that so?”
The smile lingering around Zhuge Gocheon’s mouth deepened even more.
For a long time, anyone would always bow their heads and grovel before him.
But the young man in front of him was different.
Not only did he keep his head held high, but he also looked at him as if he were in an equal position.
‘It must be because he has that much skill.’
His eyelids lifted slightly.
The hidden sanpaku eyes revealed themselves, sucking in all the surrounding darkness.
“Then since we’ve seen each other’s faces now, is your business finished?”
“Ay, that’s not it.”
Cheon-hwi’s pure white teeth were revealed.
“How could I just leave after feeling this?”
“Hoho, is that so?”
The moment the two looked at each other simultaneously with those words.
Craaack…
The space between the two split apart.
The clash of fighting spirit and fighting spirit.
The air could not hold on any longer and became miserably distorted, soon beginning to swirl.
If anyone had seen this, they would have been astonished.
Because the thatched cottage where the two were right now was detached from the world.
‘…He’s strong.’
Cheon-hwi’s lips slowly twisted.
The internal energy revealed within the fighting spirit crushed and pressured his whole body.
At the overwhelming amount of internal qi that far exceeded his expectations, Cheon-hwi’s whole body grew hot.
‘It’s been a while since I felt this kind of emotion.’
He wanted to draw his sword immediately.
However, he could not make a rash move right now.
‘It’s dangerous if I show an opening.’
Even the slightest flaw was directly connected to his life.
That was how strong the opponent was.
Perhaps to the point where even if he had been born in the same era as his past life, he would have been a master fighting for the title of the world’s best at the time.
And Zhuge Gocheon was the same in not moving.
He was incomparably cautious.
At a certain moment when the explosive standoff continued.
Srrk…
Zhuge Gocheon suddenly turned his head and looked towards the south.
“But it would be too much right now.”
He withdrew his fighting spirit along with his words.
It was an astonishing speed.
When he withdrew his fighting spirit in less than a breath’s time, Cheon-hwi, who was likewise watching, also withdrew his fighting spirit.
And he also looked towards the south and spoke.
“Tsk, I thought I’d get to warm up my hands after a long time.”
“Isn’t this reaping what you sow?”
“I should have been a little more cautious.”
Cheon-hwi scratched his head as if feeling awkward.
“I’ll come find you later.”
With those words, Cheon-hwi disappeared.
Zhuge Gocheon slightly turned his head to look in the direction where Cheon-hwi disappeared, then opened his mouth softly.
“That will probably be difficult.”
As soon as those words ended.
“Father!”
Zhuge Sin, the Patriarch of the Zhuge Clan, ran over without even being properly dressed and stood in front of Zhuge Gocheon.
“A-Are you alright?”
Although Zhuge Sin was usually incomparably serious, he was currently showing clear signs of panic.
“Hoho, I must have surprised you.”
“…I thought my heart was going to drop.”
Seeing Zhuge Gocheon’s peaceful state, Zhuge Sin calmed his mind and threw a joke.
For not having seen each other for nearly ten years, the relationship between father and son seemed very close.
Soon, Zhuge Sin straightened his clothes and opened his mouth.
“Who did this?”
A faint anger gathered in his eyes.
This place was a forbidden ground.
A place where one should not recklessly step foot without permission even within the Zhuge Clan.
But someone had intruded.
No, not only did they intrude, but they also completely smashed the Small Heaven and Earth Generation Formation to pieces.
“I did it.”
“Yes?”
At Zhuge Gocheon’s answer, Zhuge Sin opened his eyes wide and blankly opened his mouth.
It was a shocking statement.
After installing the Small Heaven and Earth Generation Formation, Zhuge Gocheon had lived inside it for nearly forty years.
But for him to have personally smashed that formation to pieces.
Gulp…
His Adam’s apple moved greatly.
Excited by the possibility, Zhuge Sin very cautiously parted his lips.
“Will you come out into the Jianghu again?”
“No, not yet.”
At the firm answer, the energy drained from Zhuge Sin’s body.
Then he flinched for a moment.
“When you say not yet….”
Looking at Zhuge Sin who could not hide his excitement, Zhuge Gocheon put his hands behind his back and raised his head.
“Right, not yet….”
* * *
Cheon-hwi unleashed the Dark Fragrance Drift to its extreme.
Moving stealthily, Cheon-hwi passed by the martial artists of the Zhuge Clan who had currently surrounded the area in all directions, and safely arrived on the roof of the detached house.
Whoosh…
A cool breeze swept past once, but his heated body did not cool down.
How could it cool down?
When he had seen such intense intimidating presence and power.
Rather, the more he recalled it, the more it seemed to boil up.
“Overlord, is it?”
Cheon-hwi’s gaze turned towards the northern end.
The vegetable garden and thatched cottage where Zhuge Gocheon was could be seen.
It looked a little strange for such a thatched cottage and vegetable garden to appear in the inner courtyard of the Zhuge Clan where neat pavilions were clustered together.
At that moment, a light shone there.
The small, faint light looked so weak as if it would go out at any moment.
The presence of Zhuge Gocheon within it was clearly conveyed all the way here despite being far away.
Before he knew it, profuse sweat had formed on his clenched fist.
It wasn’t just his hands.
His back was also slightly damp.
“This has gotten quite interesting.”
This kind of tension, just how long had it been?
Even tracing back to his past life, that time would easily exceed several decades.
Cheon-hwi swallowed his breath deeply and exhaled.
White breath was puffed out and quickly disappeared in the blowing wind.
“The Eight Martial Gods….”
The corners of his murmuring mouth rose.
It was because excitement surged up once again.
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