The Sky Falls(3)

 

“Haaap!”

“Cha!”

 

The cries of a young boy and girl, still covered in sweat, echoed across the training ground covered in blue stones.

 

The children were clashing with such ferocity that it could have been mistaken for a real battle.

 

The children were Lee Gwak’s offspring, Lee Cheong and Lee Soo-ah.

 

After being separated for a long time, the two children had begun sparring a few days ago, and their matches were so fierce that they resembled actual combat.

 

Whoosh!

 

Their movements were so swift that even first-class masters would struggle to keep up. It was astonishing that such young children could display this level of martial prowess, but unfortunately, only two people were watching their spar.

 

Lee Gwak and Han So-cheon.

 

They watched the children’s match with hawk-like, sharp eyes. But there was no worry on their faces.

 

Lee Cheong and Lee Soo-ah had been sparring like this for several days now. Though the sparring seemed dangerous to an outsider, there hadn’t been a single real risk. The children had grown skilled enough to control themselves even in the midst of intense exchanges.

 

In truth, their martial abilities were already approaching that of peak-level experts. Considering their age, it was nothing short of astonishing.

 

Clang!

 

Their weapons clashed repeatedly, echoing through the grounds.

 

The sounds of Lee Cheong and Lee Soo-ah clashing continued to reverberate through the training ground.

 

Previously, Lee Soo-ah possessed martial arts far superior to Lee Cheong’s. This was because Lee Cheong’s body was too weak to properly learn martial arts. However, over time, Lee Cheong’s martial prowess had caught up with Lee Soo-ah’s.

 

It was an unbelievably, incredibly fast growth rate.

 

During that time, Lee Cheong had put in blood, sweat, and tears.

 

He improved his skills by sparring not only with Lee Soo-ah but also with other martial artists of the Mad Martial Sect. Lee Soo-ah had also worked hard just the same.

 

Especially after Mok Cheon-gang, who could be considered her master, joined the Mad Martial Sect, she stuck close to him to learn martial arts privately.

 

Thanks to that, her martial arts were also growing at a very rapid pace.

 

Lee Cheong wanted to surpass Lee Soo-ah, and Lee Soo-ah didn’t want to lose to Lee Cheong.

 

Their competitive spirit was the driving force behind each other’s development.

 

Lee Gwak and Han So-cheon watched the children spar and chatted quietly.

 

After returning to the Mad Martial Sect, Lee Gwak had always stayed by Han So-cheon’s side. Whenever they had time, they talked and shared their interests.

 

So much so that they lost track of time.

 

Then, someone appeared and interrupted their conversation.

 

“Brother!”

 

The person with the bright smile that didn’t match his large build was Cheol Gwang-woo.

 

Cheol Gwang-woo stomped heavily towards Lee Gwak and Han So-cheon.

 

“Welcome.”

 

“Sister-in-law!”

 

Cheol Gwang-woo greeted Han So-cheon.

 

Lee Gwak offered Cheol Gwang-woo a chair.

 

“Sit down.”

 

“But first, look who’s here.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Only then did Lee Gwak notice the petite figure hidden behind Cheol Gwang-woo’s massive frame.

 

The moment he saw the figure’s face, a smile also appeared on Lee Gwak’s face.

 

“Who is this?”

 

“Long time no see, Brother.”

 

The woman holding onto Cheol Gwang-woo’s huge arm and greeting him was none other than Bang Ye-in.

 

Lee Gwak sprang up from his seat to welcome her.

 

“How did you get here?”

 

“This guy pestered me until I had to come.”

 

Bang Ye-in shot a glance at Cheol Gwang-woo. He made an awkward expression.

 

While at the Mad Martial Sect, Cheol Gwang-woo had consistently sent letters to the Bang Family Inn saying he missed her.

 

The letters were so full of detailed, heartfelt expressions of how much he missed Bang Ye-in that she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

 

Fortunately, the task of inheriting her father’s secret techniques was finished, so Bang Ye-in packed her bags and came to the Mad Martial Sect.

 

Lee Gwak spread his arms wide and looked her over.

 

“Haha! Welcome.”

“If you treat me poorly, I’ll just go back.”

“Who would dare treat you poorly? Gwang-woo is here too, so make yourself at home.”

 

Lee Gwak brought Bang Ye-in to Han So-cheon.

 

Han So-cheon greeted her with a smile.

 

“Long time no see, Miss Bang. Thank you for coming such a long way.”

 

“Of course I had to come. How is it, Sister, you look exactly the same as before? Not a single thing has changed.”

 

“You too, Miss Bang. It seems like you haven’t aged at all.”

 

“Hey! That can’t be. Oh, please, speak comfortably. Like before.”

 

“Shall I?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Since quite some time had passed since they parted on Mount Hua, it was a bit awkward at first. But soon, they were chatting comfortably.

 

Seeing the two women getting along so well, Cheol Gwang-woo grinned happily.

 

It seemed he didn’t need to worry about whether she would adjust to life at the Mad Martial Sect.

 

“Uncle!”

 

Just then, the children who had finished sparring came running over.

 

Lee Cheong and Lee Soo-ah each clung to one of Cheol Gwang-woo’s arms.

 

“Woo-rah-cha!”

 

With one child in each arm, Gwang-woo spun around in place. The children laughed heartily at the dizzying speed.

 

Having lived together for some time, they were already familiar with Bang Ye-in and treated her comfortably.

 

They even took over a table and sat down to chat.

 

It was a peaceful scene that seemed out of place in such turbulent times.

 

Their sight naturally made Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo smile as well.

 

After watching them for a while, Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo quietly slipped out of the training ground. It seemed their chatter would continue for quite some time.

 

“Heehee!”

 

Even while walking with Lee Gwak, Cheol Gwang-woo kept grinning from ear to ear.

 

“Are you that happy?”

 

“Of course. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her. Hehe!”

 

Cheol Gwang-woo couldn’t hide his laughter. Understanding his feelings, Lee Gwak also smiled. But his smile didn’t last long.

 

“Sect Leader!”

 

A strategist from Heaven-Connecting Pavilion ran toward them, his expression grave.

 

Lee Gwak and Gwang-woo immediately sensed something was wrong.

 

“The Military Advisor requests your presence in Heavenly Pavilion immediately.”

 

Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo looked at each other.

 

They immediately followed the strategist into the Heavenly Pavilion.

 

The moment they entered the Heavenly Pavilion, they could feel the tense atmosphere. Inside, the leadership of the Mad Martial Sect—Lim So-bo, Cheong Un-san, and Cheon Wol—and Nam Woo-gyeong were gathered together.

 

Lee Gwak approached them and asked.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“Don’t be alarmed.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“The Jade Heaven Alliance has collapsed.”

 

Nam Woo-gyeong told him not to be surprised, but it was certainly something to be surprised about.

 

Lee Gwak couldn’t hide his surprise.

 

“Is that really true?”

 

“Yes. We just received the news. The Jade Heaven Alliance has collapsed, and the martial artists are scattering and fleeing.”

 

“Ugh! I can’t believe the Jade Heaven Alliance collapsed so quickly. I thought it would last at least a few more months.”

 

“I feel the same way. It appears that assassins were used to break through the Jade Heaven Alliance’s defenses. As a result, the warriors of the Jade Heaven Alliance were helpless.”

 

“What happened to the Alliance Leader?”

 

“He is dead.”

 

“…….”

 

For a moment, Lee Gwak pressed his lips tightly together. The news was that shocking.

 

Nam Woo-gyeong continued.

 

“They say he lost his life after battling Go Geom-wol for hundreds of exchanges.”

“So it ended like that after all.”

 

“After killing Ja Hong-cheon, Go Geom-wol threw his corpse into Lake Dongting as fish food. Even in death, he was humiliated. I don’t know why Go Geom-wol went that far, but regardless, the Jade Heaven Alliance is finished.”

 

Nam Woo-gyeong’s voice trembled slightly.

 

The Jade Heaven Alliance collapsing this quickly was a major event that exceeded his and the Hao Clan’s expectations.

 

Not only the Hao Clan, but most sects in the world were in a panic. Among them, the embarrassment felt by the Seven Major sects was beyond words.

 

They absolutely did not want the Jade Heaven Alliance to collapse so pitifully. Even if it had to fall, they hoped for at least a mutual defeat with the Celestial Demon Troupe.

 

However, Celestial Demon Troupe destroyed the Jade Heaven Alliance much faster than they had expected with their unimaginable power.

 

 

 

Now that the massive breakwater known as the Jade Heaven Alliance had collapsed, they had to face the raging tidal wave of the Celestial Demon Troupe directly.

 

“Our Mad Martial Sect is better off, being far from the heart of the Jianghu, but factions directly exposed to the Celestial Demon Troupe’s threat, like the Thousand Kingdom School or the Sky High Castle, are in big trouble.”

 

“They must be busy preparing countermeasures.”

 

“Well, no matter how hard they rack their brains, can they come up with a proper plan? If they had that kind of foresight, they wouldn’t have let that little fox be taken from them by you.”

 

Nam Woo-gyeong looked at Lim So-bo.

 

Lim So-bo, with a serious expression, picked up the thread.

 

“The Celestial Demon Troupe’s military strength has far exceeded our expectations. Based on the strength they’ve shown so far, even if the Seven Major Sects combine their power, we cannot guarantee victory.”

“What’s the estimated number of Jade Heaven Alliance survivors?”

 

“We are still assessing that.”

 

“Find out as soon as possible.”

 

“You mean if there are any usable individuals among them, we should recruit them?”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Lee Gwak nodded.

 

Just because the Jade Heaven Alliance collapsed didn’t mean all its strength was annihilated. Many martial artists must have died, but those who were perceptive or had strong martial arts would have surely escaped to preserve their lives.

 

Recruiting just them would be a great help to the Mad Martial Sect’s strength.

 

Lee Gwak looked at Nam Woo-gyeong again.

 

“Do you know what happened to Miss Dan Li by any chance?”

 

“Her whereabouts are mysterious. After the battle, she wasn’t seen anywhere.

According to witness testimonies, it’s certain she clashed with two of the Ten Blood Demons and was seriously injured, but no one knows what happened to her after that.”

 

“Please track her whereabouts.”

 

“I’m already on it. If she’s alive, we should be able to find out where she is. So don’t worry.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“It’s only natural. Why thank me?”

 

“Phew!”

 

“Still… it’s unbelievable, isn’t it? That the Jade Heaven Alliance fell so easily?”

 

“It only proves how formidable Go Geom-wol is.”

 

“Hmm…”

 

Nam Woo-gyeong’s expression flickered with fear.

 

Lee Gwak had once told him about Go Geom-wol, but he hadn’t taken it seriously.

 

Back then, he figured it’d take Go Geom-wol at least ten more years to rise—especially with figures like Jin Gwang-hon still around.

 

He thought Go Geom-wol would have to wait to be handed power.

 

But instead, Go Geom-wol overpowered his own master and seized the position of leader.

 

And that was what truly terrified Nam Woo-gyeong—not just Go Geom-wol’s martial strength, but his ruthless mind and perfect timing.

 

He moved when no one expected it—and achieved what no one had in a hundred years.

 

A complete warrior. Master of martial arts. Master strategist. A mind like a serpent. Cold enough to overthrow his teacher.

 

A rare existence in history.

 

And now, they had to face him.

 

Compared to him, even Jade Heaven Alliance had been easier to deal with.

 

Just thinking about it made their legs go weak.

 

Only Lee Gwak remained calm.

 

The shock from earlier had already faded from his face.

 

He knew better than anyone how terrifying Go Geom-wol truly was.

 

He didn’t doubt that Go Geom-wol had the power to destroy the Jade Heaven Alliance.

 

‘The day I meet him is approaching.’

 

With Jade Heaven Alliance gone, the next obvious target was the Seven Sects.

 

Even if they tried to unite now, Go Geom-wol wouldn’t let them.

 

And if they too fell, then Mad Martial Sect would be the last line of defense.

 

But compared to the Celestial Demon Troupe, Mad Martial Sect’s strength was meager.

 

Lee Gwak accepted this reality—and that gave him peace of mind.

 

When he first met Go Geom-wol, the gap had seemed insurmountable.

 

But he never gave up.

 

Without dwelling on Go Geom-wol, he simply walked his own path of martial arts in silence.

 

As time passed and he continued down that road, Go Geom-wol’s figure—once so far beyond his reach—slowly came within sight, as if close enough to grasp.

 

He could not yet claim to stand as an equal, but it was true that he had drawn incomparably nearer than when they first met.

 

Reaching this point was already a miracle, but there was no law that said further miracles could not happen.

 

His time was still flowing.