Novel Martial Artist Lee Gwak - chapter 364
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Episode 364
Even the Demonic Path Has Lines One Must Not Cross (2)
Lee Gwak paused for a moment and looked at Dragon Heaven Valley.
At the entrance of Dragon Heaven Valley, numerous martial artists stood guard.
Since the joint attack by the Martial Sword Troupe and the Jade Heaven Alliance, the security of the Dragon Heaven Valley had been doubled. Having lost many comrades due to the betrayal of the Martial Sword Troupe, the vigilance of Dragon Heaven Valley’s martial artists had reached its peak.
Yet, even these martial artists did not show any hostility towards Lee Gwak. Instead, the looks they gave him were filled with respect and even awe.
Especially the martial artists who had participated in the operation to retake the Hundred Eyes Fortress, their faces were filled with respect.
It wasn’t a feeling one would normally have towards someone who wasn’t a member of their own sect. But no one present felt ashamed of their feelings.
Lee Gwak’s presence on the battlefield had been that powerful.
Above all, it was thanks to Lee Gwak’s help that they had survived the battlefield. For that, they regarded Lee Gwak as a benefactor of the Dragon Heaven Valley.
“Dragon Heaven Valley’s Oh Hwi-gyeong greets Grand Master Lee.”
“Dragon Heaven Valley’s Gu Su-chan greets Grand Master Lee.”
Without anyone asking them to, the martial artists of Dragon Heaven Valley rushed to greet Lee Gwak.
Lee Gwak responded to each of their greetings with an embarrassed expression.
After the flurry of greetings, Mok Seon-wol spoke.
“They are truly grateful for your help, Grandmaster Lee. They would likely grant any request you make. I feel the same.”
“I didn’t help them to receive such treatment…”
“That you helped without any ulterior motives makes us even more grateful. You have every right to be proud.”
Mok Seon-wol’s eyes shone brightly as she looked at Lee Gwak. Though her gaze was somewhat burdensome, Lee Gwak simply nodded in silence.
Mok Seon-wol led Lee Gwak to the secret grounds of Dragon Heaven Valley.
In the Secret Grounds, a gray mist swirled around like a living entity.
Lee Gwak noticed layers of traps beyond the swirling gray mist. He also sensed the presence of people hiding around.
Their stealth techniques were so advanced that only a martial artist of Lee Gwak’s caliber could detect them.
Anyone who dared to intrude into the secret grounds without permission would meet their death in the blink of an eye.
Even without the hidden masters, the gray mist only allowed those with the Mok family name to pass.
Mok Seon-wol herself did not know the principles behind the gray mist’s behavior. As far as she knew, the secret grounds had existed since the Dragon Heaven Valley first settled here.
There was only one way for someone without the Mok family name to enter the secret grounds.
That was to temporarily deactivate the barrier from the inside. Only then could someone without the Mok family name enter.
“Let’s go in.”
Mok Seon-wol led the way, and Lee Gwak followed.
Even with the barrier deactivated, the gray mist probed Lee Gwak and Mok Seon-wol like the tentacles of an octopus, as if trying to distinguish friend from foe.
Mok Seon-wol frowned.
No matter how many times she experienced it, she could never get used to the unpleasant feeling.
She glanced at Lee Gwak, worried that he might be uncomfortable. But contrary to her concerns, Lee Gwak’s expression remained calm as he walked steadily.
Mok Seon-wol looked at Lee Gwak with a mix of emotions in her eyes.
As the gray mist cleared, a hidden paradise unfolded before them.
The scenery was so breathtakingly beautiful that it was hard to believe it had been concealed by the dreary gray mist. A small waterfall cascaded into a pond, and rare flowers and plants created a scene reminiscent of a celestial realm.
Yet, Lee Gwak felt no sense of beauty as he took in the picturesque landscape.
It was because of the man sitting cross-legged on a large stone platform by the pond.
His long, unkempt gray hair covered his face and hung down to his waist, while his beard reached his chest.
Strangely, his arms and legs were bound by black chains as thick as a child’s forearm. The chains were firmly attached to a massive stone platform carved from a single boulder.
Like an iceberg, the stone platform protruding from the surface was only a tiny fraction of the massive rock.
.
From behind the gray hair, the man’s eyes gleamed with a ferocious light.
He was none other than the supreme leader of Dragon Heaven Valley, the Seven-Colored Martial Emperor, Mok Jin-myeong.
Whoosh!
A fierce light erupted from behind the disheveled hair.
Mok Jin-myeong’s gaze was so intense that it could have blinded an ordinary person.
Mok Seon-wol introduced Lee Gwak.
“Father, this is…”
“So, you’re Lee Gwak?”
Mok Jin-myeong cut her off abruptly.
His rough tone caught Mok Seon-wol off guard. She hadn’t expected him to be so harsh upon their first meeting.
“Father, that’s rude…”
“Why aren’t you answering? Are you Lee Gwak or not?”
“That’s correct.”
Lee Gwak replied calmly.
“I heard you helped our valley. Is that true?”
“That’s also correct.”
Mok Jin-myeong’s eyes grew even more intense at Lee Gwak’s response.
“You’re quite bold.”
“Did you call me here just to talk about such trivial matters?”
“What?”
“If you’re going to continue with this pointless conversation, I’ll take my leave.”
“How dare you act so insolently in front of me?”
“And where, may I ask, has your courtesy gone?”
“What?”
Whoosh!
In an instant, an explosive aura erupted from Mok Jin-myeong.
The aura swept through the area like a storm.
The sheer force of it was enough to knock down those with weaker internal energy.
“Father!”
Mok Seon-wol tried to stop him, but it was no use. And, Lee Gwak, who faced the aura head-on, remained unfazed.
Mok Jin-myeong’s storm-like aura had no effect on Lee Gwak.
Lee Gwak’s cultivation was not so weak as to be shaken by such a force.
No matter how fierce the opponent’s aura, Lee Gwak needed only a single breath to counter it.
With one simple breath, he unleashed his Eight Snakes Art.
Bam bam bam!
An explosion erupted between Mok Jin-myeong and Lee Gwak.
It was a clash of qi.
“Ugh!”
Mok Seon-wol groaned and stepped back.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She had been injured by the clash between the two.
Mok Seon-wol couldn’t hide her confusion.
She hadn’t expected her father to attack Lee Gwak so suddenly.
Even if he was influenced by the demonic energy, she had thought he would still have some sense of propriety. It seemed she had misjudged.
‘Father! Great Hero Lee Gwak!’
Mok Seon-wol was at a loss.
The level of the two was so high that she couldn’t possibly intervene.
Kwaaa!
The fierce qi wave swept through the area like a storm.
It was as if a giant claw had scratched the earth.
The flowers that had bloomed in the Secret Ground were swept up high into the sky by the storm.
From within the chaos, Mok Jin-myeong’s voice rang out.
“Not bad. But if you think this is enough to challenge me, you’re mistaken.”
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a seven-colored light erupted from Mok Jin-myeong’s body.
It was the Seven-Colored Radiance, the technique that earned him the title of the Seven-Colored Martial Emperor.
Mok Seon-wol cried out in alarm.
She knew just how destructive the power of the Seven-Colored Radiance was.
Once it was unleashed, it would not be withdrawn without drawing someone’s blood. It was not the sort of technique one casually used just to gauge an opponent’s strength.
No matter how skilled Lee Gwak was, it was not something he could easily handle.
Moreover, Lee Gwak had not even drawn his weapon.
Facing the Seven-Colored Radiance without a weapon was nearly impossible. At least, that was what Mok Seon-wol believed.
Then, it happened.
Ssshh!
Mok Seon-wol thought she heard a sharp sound cutting through the air, but no actual sound echoed.
It was just her imagination.
At that moment, the Seven-Colored Radiance pressing down on Lee Gwak vanished without a trace.
Mok Seon-wol’s eyes widened.
The Seven-Colored Radiance couldn’t have disappeared without a reason.
Lee Gwak must have dispelled it.
But Lee Gwak hadn’t moved, nor had he drawn his weapon.
Star Soul was still in its sheath, and Lee Gwak himself stood still, not having taken a single step.
He hadn’t moved so fast that Mok Seon-wol couldn’t perceive it. She was, after all, one of the top martial artists in the Jianghu.
She couldn’t have missed something happening right in front of her.
Lee Gwak had clearly used some method to nullify Mok Jin-myeong’s Seven-Colored Radiance. But Mok Seon-wol couldn’t fathom what technique he had used.
The answer came from her father, Mok Jin-myeong.
“A… Heart Blade?”
Mok Jin-myeong’s words left Mok Seon-wol in shock.
‘Good heavens! A Heart Blade?’
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
She had known that Lee Gwak’s level of cultivation far surpassed her own, but she had no idea he had reached the realm of the Heart Blade.
Attaining the heart-blade realm did not necessarily mean one’s destructive power surpassed that of sword qi. Purely in terms of destructive power, it was still inferior.
After all, it could not be compared to sword qi, which condensed qi into a tangible form and concentrated it on a narrow surface to greatly increase destructive force. But that applied only to a person’s physical body or external matters.
A person who had reached the realm of the heart-blade, or the Heart Sword, was said to be able to influence a person’s inner being, that is, their core meridians or mental domain.
It was the blade of the mind acting upon the spirit.
That’s exactly what had happened.
Lee Gwak hadn’t attacked the Seven-Coloured Radiance.
What he had attacked with the Heart Blade was Mok Jin-myeong’s heart demon.
Although it was only temporary, he drove back the Heart Demon, allowing Mok Jin-myeong to regain his rationality momentarily.
Mok Jin-myeong’s eyes, as he looked at Lee Gwak, were filled with complicated emotions.
Now that he had temporarily regained his senses, Lee Gwak’s presence felt even more unsettling to him.
The reason he had attacked Lee Gwak so abruptly was because Lee Gwak’s qi had greatly stimulated his heart demon.
Unlike others,Lee Gwak’s qi wasn’t rough or overwhelming; instead, it was calm and solid.
In Lee Gwak, Mok Jin-myeong saw a massive boulder that had been forged over countless years.
‘This guy!’
Mok Jin-myeong’s eyes deepened.
He was a born martial fanatic.
His desire for strength was so extreme that it had driven him into the abyss of his heart demon. Yet, he continued to crave martial prowess endlessly.
Even for someone like Mok Jin-myeong it was difficult to gauge the extent of Lee Gwak’s cultivation.
‘Who else in this current world could have reached such a level at his age?’
Suddenly, a possessive longing arose in him.
“Lee Gwak!”
“…”
At Mok Jin-myeong’s sudden call, Lee Gwak silently looked at him. Then Mok Jin-myeong said something completely unexpected.
“Marry my daughter.”
“What?”
“If you marry my daughter, I will pass the Dragon Heaven Valley to you.”
The one most shocked by Mok Jin-myeong’s words was Mok Seon-wol herself.
“Father!”
“Be quiet.”
“Grandmaster Lee already has a wife and children.”
“What?”
At Mok Seon-wol’s response, Mok Jin-myeong’s eyebrows shot up.
He turned to Lee Gwak and asked, “Is that true?”
“It is.”
“It doesn’t matter. A true hero’s character isn’t diminished by having multiple wives or concubines.”
“I must decline.”
You?”
At Lee Gwak’s refusal, the murderous glint returned to Mok Jin-myeong’s eyes.
Even as he displayed a terrifying aura that would make most martial artists’ hearts sink, Lee Gwak remained expressionless and continued,
Young Lady Mok is a good person.”
“Then why refuse her?”
“She’s not someone who should be anybody’s second wife. She deserves to receive someone’s undivided love—and even that wouldn’t be enough.”
“If that is your only reason—”
“My heart is not that broad. It already holds one person, and the remaining space is filled by my children. There is no room for anyone else.”
“Hmm!”
At Lee Gwak’s resolute response, Mok Jin-myeong let out a low hum.
“Ha!”
Mok Seon-wol suddenly realized she was letting out a sigh, and she startled herself.
Had she not harbored any hopes, she would have had no reason to be disappointed.
Unbeknownst to her, her heart had already begun to lean towards Lee Gwak.
Mok Seon-wol sighed once more.
“Haah!”
While Mok Jin-myeong and Lee Gwak continued speaking, she could no longer hear their words.
Azazar
Lol, at first I had thought It was just a classic father’s trying to intimidate who he thinks is his beloved daughter’s new boyfriend
And yes – poor Seon-wol