Episode 497

The Great Tree Dies and Sprouts (1)

The Heart Blade represented the pinnacle of a swordsman’s abilities.

 

Like the Victory Blade or the Flowing Blade, it was imperceptible to the naked eye and was often dismissed as mere legend.

 

“Hoo!”

 

Lee Gwak let out a shallow sigh.

 

After gaining insight at Mount Qilian, Lee Gwak had been able to manifest the Heart-Blade. Now, with his achievement raised, he could summon it at will.

 

The Heart-Blade was a profound realm, but it came at a price.

 

It consumed unimaginable amounts of spiritual strength and internal energy. Because of this, Lee Gwak had once nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

 

‘I won’t be able to unleash it a second time.’

 

Although his Eight Snakes Art soon restored his internal energy, the strain on Lee Gwak was immense.

 

He had killed the leader of the Hellblood Assassins, but he could not rest easy yet.

 

This was because the poison released from the assassins’ dying bodies was spreading further and further.

 

If left unchecked, it would claim countless lives.

 

Lee Gwak sheathed his blade and swung his arms wide.

A powerful suction force drew in the poisonous energy spreading through the air.

 

Chuwahhak!

 

Lee Gwak’s face instantly turned pale.

 

Circulating his energy so recklessly right after using the Heart-Blade was a strain even for him. However, Lee Gwak did not stop using the Eight Snakes Art.

 

Like water being sucked through a straw, the poison rushed between his palms and condensed into a sphere.

 

The sphere was a condensed mass of poison.

 

The poison held by the thirty members of the Hell Blood Assassins had been concentrated into this large sphere.

 

Lee Gwak applied even greater pressure to the sphere. It then compressed to the size of a child’s fist.

 

Just then, someone approached Lee Gwak.

 

“Please hand it over to me.”

 

It was none other than the Divine Physician, Dam Soo-rin.

 

Dam Soo-rin held out a small porcelain bottle to Lee Gwak. It was a precious object she used to collect poisonous substances.

 

Without hesitation, Lee Gwak placed the condensed sphere of poison into the vial. Dam Soo-rin sealed it with a lid.

 

“Phew!”

 

Only then did Lee Gwak let out a sigh of relief.

 

Lee Gwak wiped his sweat and looked at Dam Soo-rin.

 

“Thank you.”

 

 

 

“It’s a vicious poison. If it were to leak into the world, it would surely bring great calamity. I will keep this safe,”

 

She tucked the vial into her robe.

 

As Lee Gwak nodded, the Celestial Demon Troupe warriors, who had merely been watching until now, charged at him again.

 

“The bastard is tired too. We can kill him now.”

 

“Charge!”

 

They rushed toward Lee Gwak with tremendous momentum.

 

Just then, a large man launched himself towards them.

 

Boom!

 

The warriors charging at Lee Gwak were blasted away with a roar, as if hit by a falling boulder.

 

Their limbs bent grotesquely, their chests caved in, and they died instantly from the staggering force of the impact.

 

The one who took dozens of lives with a single blow was none other than Mok Cheon-gang.

 

Straightening his back, he spoke to Lee Gwak:

 

“Leave this place to us. Great Hero Lee, you should go to that one over there.”

 

Where Mok Cheon-gang pointed was Go Geom-wol.

 

Sa Yeon-hee, who was facing Go Geom-wol, seemed to be in danger.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Lee Gwak bowed his head to Mok Cheon-gang, who smiled faintly in return.

 

A fearsome aura radiated from Mok Cheon-gang’s entire body. It was so dreadful that the warriors of the Celestial Demon Troupe dared not approach.

 

Since the war began, hundreds of Celestial Demon Troupe warriors had died at the hands of Mok Cheon-gang. Among them were Ma Jin-mun, the leader of the Mid-Heaven Pavilion, and even Jo Mun-san, the Blood Eye Blood Claw, one of the Ten Blood Demons.

 

Despite being masters who commanded respect throughout the martial world, Ma Jin-mun and Jo Mun-san were no match for Mok Cheon-gang.

 

In the chaos of battle, few radiated a presence as fierce as his.

 

Thud!

 

Mok Cheon-gang blocked the path behind Lee Gwak and let out a wild laugh.

 

“Without my permission, no one shall approach Great Hero Lee.”

 

“Guhk!”

 

“Da-damn it!”

 

The Celestial Demon Troupe warriors’ faces filled with despair as they crashed against the wall that was Mok Cheon-gang.

 

With Mok Cheon-gang covering his back, Lee Gwak could move without any hindrance.

 

And it wasn’t just Mok Cheon-gang.

 

Ki Jin-hwi, Seo Jong-myeong, Cheol Gwang-woo, Seok Yi-cheon, and others threw themselves into the fight to secure a path for Lee Gwak to reach Go Geom-wol.

 

Because they believed in Lee Gwak, they were willing to sacrifice themselves.

 

‘Please bring an end to these troubled times. I trust in you, Leader.’

 

‘Gwak-ah!’

 

‘Brother!’

 

 

 

Their wishes reached Lee Gwak. But Lee Gwak did not even glance their way. His eyes saw only Go Geom-wol. Ki Jin-hwi and the others felt no resentment.

 

They had their roles to play, and Lee Gwak had a task that only he could accomplish.

 

Of all the warriors present, Lee Gwak was the only one capable of facing Go Geom-wol.

 

Kwaang!

 

“Argh!”

 

As if to prove it, Sa Yeon-hee let out a short scream and was sent flying.

 

Her entire body was drenched in blood.

 

She had unleashed all the secret techniques she knew against Go Geom-wol. But they were ineffective against him.

 

Not a single scratch was visible on his body.

 

Sa Yeon-hee raised her head and looked up at Go Geom-wol.

 

Looking up at him, she imagined an impenetrable iron wall that she could neither climb nor chip away at.

 

She despaired.

 

‘He’s not human…’

 

Despite exhausting all her energy, she had failed to leave a mark on him. This truth crushed her spirit.

 

Despair gnawed at her heart, and with such a broken will, she could no longer fight at her full strength.

 

Worse still was that Go Geom-wol did not even look at her.

 

His gaze was fixed only on Lee Gwak.

 

From the beginning, she had never been his opponent.

 

He had not even considered her worthy.

 

Without sparing her a glance, Go Geom-wol walked past.

 

For Sa Yeon-hee, the humiliation of being ignored as the supreme sword of Martial Sword Troupe cut deeper than his blows.

 

The distance between him and Lee Gwak gradually narrowed.

 

When there were about thirty feet left, the two men stopped almost simultaneously.

 

Go Geom-wol was the first to speak.

 

“Lee Gwak! You’ve really come this far.”

 

“You said you would be waiting.”

 

“Did you come because of those words?”

 

“It was the goal of my lifetime.”

 

Lee Gwak’s words stirred Go Geom-wol’s heart.

 

To be another man’s lifelong target, to be the one worth staking everything against, was an honor.

 

Especially if the challenger was a martial artist like Lee Gwak.

 

That’s how much Go Geom-wol acknowledged Lee Gwak.

 

 

 

When he first met Lee Gwak, he was just one of many talented martial artists. In fact, he couldn’t even be compared to Go Geom-wol, who had already achieved great things. However, Lee Gwak had walked the Path of Sura and now stood on equal footing with him.

 

Words forged through hardship carried weight.

 

Go Geon-wol murmured, “Good.”

 

And it was no lie.

 

He truly felt joy.

 

This was the top of the Jianghu.

 

Whoever emerged victorious here would lead the future Jianghu. And Go Geom-wol believed without a doubt that he would be the victor.

 

It was a conviction.

 

Faith in himself.

 

Faith in his destiny.

 

It was even better because his opponent was Lee Gwak.

 

A smile naturally rose to his lips.

 

Lee Gwak also looked at Go Geom-wol with a smile on his face.

 

He had finally come this far.

 

To the place where Go Geom-wol stood.

 

The once-lowly martial artist of the Jade Heaven Alliance had overcome all sorts of adversity to reach the very pinnacle of the Jianghu.

 

Becoming the leader of the Mad Martial Sect, becoming the leader of the Heavenly Justice Alliance none of that brought him as much joy as the fact that he could now stand face-to-face with Go Geom-wol on equal footing.

 

Just standing here meant his life was not in vain.

 

And so he smiled.

 

But the smile was brief, and soon an icy, frost-like air swirled between the two.

 

It was time to decide the outcome.

 

The longer their conversation lasted, the more warriors from both the Celestial Demon Troupe and the Heavenly Justice Alliance died.

 

For the sake of their subordinates, they now had to settle this.

 

Chae-kkek!

 

Go Geom-wol gripped the sword at his waist.

 

It was the same sword he hadn’t even unsheathed when facing Sa Yeon-hee.

 

Sseureung!

 

Lee Gwak also drew his blade.

 

Sunlight shattered across its edge.

 

Holding their weapons, they began walking towards each other.

 

***

Pu-uck!

 

“Keuk!”

 

The body of a Celestial Demon Troupe warrior, struck by Lee Cheong’s fist, crumbled.

 

“You little brat…!”

 

A nearby Celestial Demon Troupe warrior glared fiercely and charged at Lee Cheong.

 

 

 

Lee Cheong swiftly avoided his attack and swung his blade.

 

Jjeo-eong!

 

There was a metallic clang as his blade collided with the warrior’s weapon.

 

The warrior was huge and extremely strong. His mace carried tremendous power.

 

It was too much for the young Lee Cheong to handle.

However, Lee Cheong cleverly diverted the attacks, minimising the impact.

 

“Keu!”

 

Lee Cheong bit his lip.

 

Despite diverting most of the impact, he had still suffered a significant blow.

 

His insides churned, but he forced himself to move.

 

Shwish!

 

He used the Cloud Steps, then unleashed the fourth form of the Eight-Sects Blade Arts, Blood Dragon Fire.

 

Because he executed it hastily, it lacked its full power, but it was enough to throw his enemy off guard.

 

“Urgh!”

 

The Celestial Demon Troupe warrior reeled at the unexpectedly fierce counter.

 

He had never imagined such skill from a boy.

 

His footwork faltered, and Lee Cheong’s strike pierced his abdomen.

 

Thuck!

 

“Argh!”

 

The warrior’s eyes widened in disbelief, as if to say, Killed by a child? Impossible.

 

Lee Cheong gritted his teeth and pulled the blade from the warrior’s abdomen. The warrior’s body then collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

 

Lee Cheong’s eyes were bloodshot.

 

He looked as if he might burst into tears at any moment. A battlefield, a place where people kill each other, was far too harsh for a boy like him. But Lee Cheong stubbornly held back his tears.

 

This was a battlefield.

 

A place where if you didn’t kill your opponent, you would be killed.

 

To survive here, he had to become a demon.

 

There was no room for childish weakness.

 

Not far from him, his sister, Lee Soo-ah, was engaged in a fierce battle with Celestial Demon Troupe warriors.

 

She was holding her own against one warrior.

 

So Lee Cheong had to do his part too.

 

Lee Cheong looked around for his next opponent.

 

And then, one figure stood out more vividly than all the rest.

 

It was not a Celestial Demon Troupe warrior.

 

It was a boy not much older than Lee Cheong himself.

 

 

 

It was Jang Cheon-hwa from the Heavenly Martial Sect, who had joined the Heavenly Justice Alliance recently.

 

Jang Cheon-hwa had also joined the battle alongside the warriors of the Heavenly Justice Alliance.

 

Though it was his first time stepping onto the stage of the Jianghu, he displayed outstanding skill and made a strong impression.

 

The warriors from the Heavenly Justice Alliance who fought alongside him were also highly skilled.

 

They were tightly grouped around Jang Cheon-hwa, demonstrating formidable power. But suddenly, Jang Cheon-hwa stopped fighting and stared intently at one specific spot.

 

This puzzled Lee Cheong.

 

Lee Cheong’s gaze naturally followed to where Jang Cheon-hwa was looking.

 

For a moment, Lee Cheong’s pupils shook.

 

‘Father!’

 

Where Jang Cheon-hwa was looking, Lee Gwak and Go Geom-wol stood.

 

The two boys, without even realizing it, began moving towards the place where the two men were fighting.