Episode 465

The Wrath of the Displaced (3)

Clashes between the Jade Heaven Alliance and the Celestial Demon Troupe continued relentlessly.

 

If the Celestial Demon Troupe seized a Jade Heaven Alliance fortress one day, the  Jade Heaven Alliance would reclaim it the next. This cycle of attack and defense repeated endlessly.

 

Despite the Jade Heaven Alliance’s repeated pleas for reinforcements from the Seven Great Sects, the Sects remained unmoved.

 

They had no intention of aiding the Jade Heaven Alliance.

 

In particular, the Myriad Merchant Troupe and the Thousand Kingdom School, who had lost their leaders to Jade Heaven Alliance, harbored deep resentment. Far from cooperating, they hindered the Jade Heaven Alliance at every turn.

 

Ultimately, the Alliance had to fight the Celestial Demon Troupe alone.

 

The Celestial Demon Troupe focused solely on the Jade Heaven Alliance and Dragon Heaven Valley, deliberately avoiding conflict with other factions to prevent any outside intervention.

 

Though the other sects knew they would be next once the Jade Heaven Alliance and Dragon Heaven Valley fell, they turned a blind eye to the crisis.

 

As things reached this point, cracks began to form within the once-impenetrable fortress of the Jade Heaven Alliance.

 

Deserters started slipping away under the cover of night.

 

At first, it was just one or two, but as time passed, the numbers grew. It was clear to everyone that more would follow.

 

Naturally, the Jade Heaven Alliance went into emergency mode.

 

A meeting of the leadership was convened, and dire warnings were issued: anyone caught abandoning their post would face severe punishment.

 

Fortunately, the threats worked, and there were no more deserters, but morale had already hit rock bottom.

 

Ja Hong-cheon gazed at the Jade Heaven Alliance with a grim expression.

 

Normally bustling with activity, the fortress was now eerily quiet. Most of their forces had been deployed to the front lines against the Celestial Demon Troupe.

 

The remaining troops were less than a third of their usual strength.

 

Even so, the forces left behind were still enough to annihilate most sects in the Jianghu in a single strike. Keeping such power idle within the Jade Heaven Alliance was a massive waste.

 

Yet, they had no choice but to hold back—because of their feud with the Seven Sects.

 

With their forces already stretched thin against the Celestial Demon Troupe, they couldn’t afford to ignore the looming threat from the Seven Sects.

 

“Was my judgment wrong? Have I, Ja Hong-cheon, misread everything?”

 

His eyes were darker and sunken deeper than ever before.

 

Ja Hong-cheon rarely showed emotion, but the repeated setbacks had shaken him.

 

The most devastating was his encounter with Lee Gwak.

 

It wasn’t just the physical wounds.

 

Lee Gwak had left a deep scar in Ja Hong-cheon’s once-unshakable heart.

 

The wound was still fresh, and for the first time, his will was faltering.

 

Crunch!

 

The wine cup in his hand crumpled like paper.

 

The liquor dripped between his fingers, but Ja Hong-cheon didn’t care.

 

“So Jin Gwang-hon’s been eliminated after all?”

 

He had tried everything to contact Jin Gwang-hon, but it was as if the man had vanished from the world.

 

Jin Gwang-hon was the only person Ja Hong-cheon considered a true rival. Ja Hong-cheon understood him better than anyone else, perhaps even better than his own inner circle.

 

That’s why he could sense it.

 

Something had gone terribly wrong.

 

Jin Gwang-hon wasn’t orchestrating events anymore.

 

From experience, Ja Hong-cheon knew there were only two reasons someone like Jin Gwang-hon would go silent:

 

“He was either forcibly retired… or dead.”

 

Neither possibility was good for Ja Hong-cheon.

 

As far as he knew, there was only one person in Celestial Demon Troupe who could possibly challenge Jin Gwang-hon.

 

“Go Geom-wol must’ve devoured him.”

 

Ja Hong-cheon had thought of Go Geom-wol as a tiger. But he hadn’t realized the beast had grown bold enough to devour its own master. Or perhaps he had simply refused to believe it, trusting Jin Gwang-hon too much.

 

This despite having experienced Go Geom-wol’s strength firsthand.

 

Ja Hong-cheon ground his teeth.

 

“That won’t happen to me. I’d rather die than be tossed aside by my disciples and rot away as an old relic.”

 

If he had his way, he’d rule the Jade Heaven Alliance forever.

 

He would never willingly pass his position to a disciple. That was why he hadn’t mourned or even felt anger when he heard his disciples had been killed or defeated by Lee Gwak.

 

To him, disciples were merely future competitors. If they were naturally weeded out, he had no reason to grieve.

 

But the real problem wasn’t his disciples.

 

It was how to overcome the current crisis.

 

“If Jin Gwang-hon really was eliminated by his disciple… this might actually be an opportunity.”

 

Ja Hong-cheon’s eyes gleamed.

 

A young tiger might have luckily taken down an old lion, but it wouldn’t have fully digested the kill yet.

 

Unifying a massive faction like the Celestial Demon Troupe would take an enormous amount of time. One misstep could trigger internal rebellion and civil war.

 

“If we drag this out and let them consolidate their power, we may never get another chance.”

It was a gut feeling.

 

The intuition of an old tyrant who had ruled the Jianghu for decades whispered to him:

 

If you miss this opportunity now, you’ll never get another.

 

Boom!

 

Ja Hong-cheon stood abruptly.

 

“Summon the leadership council. Now.”

 

“Right now, my lord?”

 

A martial artist waiting outside cautiously asked.

 

“Yes. Immediately! Gather every single one of them.”

 

“Understood!”

 

With that, the guard’s presence vanished.

 

Left completely alone, Ja Hong-cheon muttered under his breath.

 

“This is the deciding match, young tiger.”

 

***

Creeeak!

A twisted, metallic groan echoed through the air.

 

Immediately, tension gripped the faces of Ki Jin-hwi and Seo Jong-myeong.

 

Lee Soo-ah also stiffened, gripping the sword at her waist.

 

It was the first sign of change in nearly a month since she had arrived at Kongtong Mountain.

For the past month, Lee Soo-ah, Jin Hui, and Seo Jong-myeong had remained at the ruins of Kongtong Mountain, waiting for Lee Gwak to come out.

 

Day after day passed, but there was no sign of him.

 

Still, they never lost hope.

 

They could have given up from sheer exhaustion, but none of them lost hope.

 

Not once did they leave their posts guarding the ruins of the Kongtong Sect. And now, after nearly a month, something finally happened.

 

Groooan!

 

A deep, resonant noise rumbled from the ground.

 

The tension in their faces grew heavier.

 

Someone was dismantling the mechanisms below and ascending.

 

It could have been Lee Gwak, but it could also have been Jin Gwang-hon.

 

They had to prepare for the worst, which was why the three of them couldn’t relax.

 

Lee Soo-ah’s anxiety was on another level entirely.

 

‘Dad!’

 

Of course, she believed it was Lee Gwak. The alternative was too unbearable to consider.

But she had to be ready.

 

Lee Soo-ah clenched her teeth.

 

Her eyes were red and bloodshot, as if she were about to cry at any moment.

 

Jin Hwi and Seo Jong-myeong didn’t have time to comfort her; they were just as tense.

 

If it was Lee Gwak, there would be no problem. But if, by some cruel twist of fate, it was Jin Gwang-hon, the worst possible scenario would unfold.

 

Though they had recovered significantly over the past month, they were still no match for him. If he escaped from the underground prison, none of them would survive.

 

Time passed in unbearable tension.

 

The vibrations under their feet grew stronger.

 

BOOM!

 

Finally, a deafening explosion erupted directly below them, followed by silence.

 

No more sounds. No more tremors.

 

Gulp.

 

Ki Jin Hwi swallowed dryly.

 

Then—

 

CRASH!

 

The entrance to Endless Prison collapsed in a cloud of dust.

 

A shadowy figure emerged from the swirling debris.

 

Before the dust had even settled, Lee Soo-ah threw her sword aside and sprinted forward like a squirrel darting up a tree.

 

“Dad!”

 

She leaped into the man’s arms.

 

“Oof!”

 

The man staggered with an exaggerated grunt, then gently embraced her.

 

Lee Soo-ah buried her face in his chest, rubbing her cheek against him.

 

“Dad, I hate you!”

 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

 

“Waaah!”

 

Lee Soo-ah sobbed while Lee Gwak stroked her hair.

 

“Whew…”

 

“Mmm…”

 

Ki Jin-hwi and Seo Jong-myeong finally exhaled.

 

They sheathed their weapons and approached.

 

Ki Jin-hwi looked Lee Gwak up and down.

 

“You alright?”

 

“I’ll manage. How long has it been?”

 

“Nearly a month.”

 

“Longer than I thought.”

 

“We thought something had happened. But Soo-ah’s faith never wavered. We just had to wait.”

 

“I see.”

 

Lee Gwak continued to comfort Soo-ah in his arms.

 

Seo Jong-myeong asked,

 

“What happened? Did you really defeat Jin Gwang-hon?”

 

“Barely.”

 

“Hmph…”

 

Seo Jong-myeong couldn’t help but grunt.

 

He had known Lee Gwak was strong, but to defeat Jin Gwang-hon?

 

That was hard to believe.

 

Jin Gwang-hon was on another level entirely.

 

He hadn’t earned the name Solitary Divine Demon for nothing.

 

He was lonely because no one could match him, and godlike because none could surpass him.

 

And now, Lee Gwak had brought him down?

 

“Luck was on my side. He was badly injured and couldn’t fight at full strength.”

 

“Still! You’ve made history. A legend in the Jianghu!”

 

Seo Jong-myeong couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice.

 

His hatred for the Celestial Demon Troupe ran deeper than anyone’s. He had spent his youth on the front lines of the siege fortress, yet revenge had always felt distant.

 

In the end, far from achieving vengeance, he had lost all his subordinates to their counterattacks.

He had even lost the will to live, until now.

 

The news of Jin Gwang-hon’s death reignited the fire in his heart.

 

“Kuhahaha!”

 

Seo Jong-myeong laughed wildly at the sky.

 

It was a desperate, almost painful laughter, as if wrenched from his very soul. Then, he dropped to his knees.

 

“Hng…! Did you see? Did you hear? Lee Gwak killed the Solitary Divine Demon, Jin Gwang-hon. Now, close your eyes and rest in peace.”

 

He was speaking to his fallen comrades from the siege fortress.

 

The sight was so heart-wrenching that neither Ki Jin-hwi nor Lee Gwak could bring themselves to speak.

 

Seo Jong-myeong called out each of his subordinates’ names, tears streaming down his face.

 

“Rest well, Yu Pyo. In your next life, don’t serve a failure like me. Find a worthy leader and fulfill your ambitions.”

 

After mourning even the youngest of his fallen, Seo Jongm-yeong finally stood up.

 

He swayed unsteadily.

 

Though he had rested here for a month, his body was still in terrible condition.

 

He had been holding on purely through sheer willpower.

 

His body was gaunt, his skin deathly pale, but his eyes still burned with venom.

 

Seo Jong-myeong reached out to Lee Gwak.

 

“Give me Bisa.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Lee Gwak handed the sword over without hesitation.

 

A storm of emotions crossed Seo Jong-myeong’s face as he held Bisa.

 

It was the last sacred relic of the Diancang Sect and the symbol of his leadership.

 

He had once wielded Bisa to command the martial artists of Seize Fortress. But now, Seize Fortress had fallen, and his martial artists were all gone.

 

The only thing left to give his life meaning stood before him.

 

Seo Jong-myeong gripped Bisa and bowed deeply to Lee Gwak.

 

“I, Seo Jong-myeong, pledge the rest of my life to you. Use me as your loyal hound. That is the only path left for me.”

 

“Leader!”

 

“You are the leader now. No, I should call you Sect leader.”

 

Seo Jong-myeong addressed Lee Gwak as Sect leader.

 

Lee Gwak knew no words would change Seo Jong-myeong’s mind.

 

Seo Jong-myeong had always been stubborn to a fault.

 

Perhaps that was why he had clung to his hatred of the Celestial Demon Troupe for so long, using it as fuel to keep living.

 

Lee Gwak looked at him with pity.

 

“You don’t have to stay with me. No one would blame you if you laid down your burdens and lived in peace now.”

 

“That’s not for others to decide. It’s my choice.”

 

“Brother!”

 

“I’ve lived my entire life swinging a sword, driven by hatred for the Celestial Demon Troupe. Just because their leader is dead doesn’t mean that hatred vanishes in an instant. I want to fight until the day I die—and I want to do it by your side. If you tell me I’m a burden, I’ll leave without hesitation. But if not, then allow me to be your strength.”

 

“Sigh…”

 

Lee Gwak exhaled deeply.

 

He had accepted that no words would change Seo Jong-myeong’s mind.

 

“Dad!”

 

Lee Soo-ah, who had been clinging to Lee Gwak, looked up at him. Her eyes seemed to urge him to accept Seo Jong-myeong.

 

Lee Gwak made his decision.

 

“I appoint you as the Guardian of the Mad Martial Sect. Will you accept?”

 

Thud!

 

Seo Jong-myeong drove Bisa into the ground and dropped to one knee, looking up at Lee Gwak.

 

“Warrior Seo Jong-myeong swears before heaven and earth to serve as Guardian of the Mad Martial Sect with unwavering loyalty. Should my oath be false, may I suffer eternally in the fires of hell.”

 

Ziiing!

 

As if answering his vow, Bisa let out a sharp cry, its resonance echoing across Kongtong Mountain.