Chapter 366: Private Martial Union (4)
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Jang Gwang-yeong and the Dark Exalt could not understand what on earth this situation was. No strength or energy could be felt from the scholar-dressed man before them. Even so, it was bizarre.
Naturally, having rolled through the martial world for many long years, they could distinguish at least an empty bluff. However, that scholar-dressed man did not even seem to be putting on a bluff.
“Wait.”
While counting numbers, the scholar-dressed man suddenly turned his head and looked at the wall. Despite there being nothing on the wall, the man frowned.
“There is a rat peeping.”
The man reached his hand out toward the wall. Although no energy was felt from his palm, the wall suddenly crumpled and soon turned to sand.
Behind the suddenly created mound of sand stood Muk Hui-yeong. Muk Hui-yeong’s eyes formed an arc as if he had expected it.
* * *
Gurgle, gurgle.
The sound of the valley stream flowing was clear.
The surroundings were the peak of nature, filled with birdsong, flowers, and a dense fragrance of peaches. It was a place that seemed completely untouched by human hands.
“It has been a long time.”
“How long has it been?”
“Well now…… It has been so long that I can hardly remember. When one reaches this age, memories become jumbled.”
“Age, you say. Are you still trapped in such words crafted by mortals?”
“If you put it that way, why do you use human language? You could simply use mind speech.”
“I am showing consideration for you. For your convenience. I am vastly merciful like this.”
“Just speak honestly. You, too, are ultimately a mortal.”
“Do not utter such insulting words. How is that any different from telling a human that they are a dog?”
“Is a dog better than a human? Surely not.”
“There is no communicating with you.”
Low voices overlapped and exchanged over the sound of the flowing valley water.
The owners of the voices were old men with lush white hair.
“With your level of attainment, ascension to immortality should have been well within reach; why on earth do you stubbornly endure in the lower realm?”
“I am someone who possesses the Daoist title of Hyeon-wol.”
“Is that not also a remnant of mortal days? I reject such things.”
“Then what should I call you? You would dislike it if I called you Jung-sik, wouldn’t you?”
“How could human speech explain my existence? Cease. And I would prefer you not bring up that name Jung-sik. It has been discarded for a long time.”
“Seeing you feel uncomfortable, you haven’t discarded it entirely. If you still remember it, that isn’t discarding it. It’s hiding it away.”
“I am not uncomfortable. It is simply that it does not designate me.”
“Then I shall call you Jung-sik like a nickname. Understood, Zhou Zhongshik?”
“Call me Realm Master.”
“Realm Master is your official title, not your name. I did not come seeking the Realm Master of the Immortal Realm; I came seeking an old friend, so how could I address you so coldly? Since you aren’t uncomfortable with it, I shall call you Jung-sik. No complaints, I presume?”
Hyeon-wol chuckled. It was amusing to see the face of the former Zhou Zhongshik, the current Realm Master, stiffen.
“Do as you please. You are the same as ever.”
“Look here, Jung-sik. Originally, you and I are people who shouldn’t have met. You know that, right?”
“Did you not break the covenant? Before the Emperor.”
“The Penglai Covenant? That was merely empty talk. Weren’t we all behind the scenes anyway?”
“That is also true. I shall not deny it. Our Immortal Realm was so, and you were as well, were you not? Don’t tell me you came puerilely to argue over who was right or wrong?”
“No. I came to make a proposal.”
“A moment ago you said you came to visit an old friend. In the end, you had an ulterior motive.”
“It is a personal proposal. Even I cannot make such a proposal in an official capacity.”
“What proposal?”
Hyeon-wol quietly drew a sharply honed dagger from his sleeve.
“Die in this very spot. I shall follow you.”
The Realm Master, whose eyes had always remained half-open, opened them wide. His sharp emotions had long since been dulled, shaved away by the blade of time. The Realm Master wondered how long it had been since he had been this surprised.
“Ascension should be possible for you.”
“Of course. Since I fought fiercely against the Demonic Cult.”
“Why? Why do you seek to make such a choice?”
“I became afraid. Rather than the fear of ascending, I grew more fearful of the harm when I remained behind without ascending.”
The Realm Master closed his mouth. He already knew that Hyeon-wol feared ascension.
They had merely transcended mortals. They had not yet ascended and gone to the upper realm. When one ascended, memories were erased from those left behind, and everything vanished. Hyeon-wol feared that.
“A fear regarding whom?”
“The masters of this world.”
“And who might that be?”
“Many. My disciples, grand-disciples, and your descendants as well.”
“Remaining in the lower realm for so long has made your mind somewhat strange. Putting that aside, do you think I would die?”
“That is why it is a personal proposal. And a request.”
“Get lost. I let you in for nothing.”
“I am speaking sincerely. Do you not wish to remain in memories as well? In the memories of the people you loved.”
“You speak childish nonsense. What importance is there in something like remaining in memories?”
“I do not wish to give up being human.”
“It is not giving up; it is ascension. It is transcendence.”
“I cannot do that.”
“Let us end the conversation here. I feel no need to continue further.”
When Hyeon-wol blinked, the Realm Master had already vanished. Only the dagger resting on the side table was as razor-sharp as if it would slice through flesh.
* * *
“Who are you?”
The scholar-dressed man asked. I pointed my finger at myself.
“Were you speaking to me just now?”
“Who else is there besides you? Do not play word games.”
“I simply wondered if there was still someone in this Central Plains who did not know me.”
“Must I remember each and every name of insignificant mortals?”
“Are you saying I am insignificant, or that humans are insignificant beings?”
“Do I need to state that for you to know? Naturally the latter.”
“I think I know what that feeling is like. Someone else once said something similar. That even if an ant dies in agony, humans cannot empathize—something along those lines.”
“An accurate description. Indeed, possessing Dao power that cannot be held at that age, you are slightly better than other mortals.”
As expected, the scholar-dressed man saw through the fact that I possessed the Heavenly Eye. I too recognized at a glance that he was no ordinary person. To be precise, I thought that he might not even be a human.
Because even with my Heavenly Eye, not a single thing was visible from him. Just as if looking at the empty air.
“Are you someone from the Immortal Realm?”
“There is a flaw in your words. There are no mortals in the Immortal Realm. All are immortals.”
“I wonder what reason precious immortals would have to descend all the way here.”
“I too do not wish to be entangled. Yet in worldly affairs, one cannot always do only what one wishes, can one?”
“Is there a separate fellow issuing directives?”
“Child. Do not test me. The sin of probing an immortal is not light.”
Sure enough, those called immortals acted fussy. As if they were something extraordinary. But since it was true that I was probing, I had nothing in particular to say. I had tried to subtly glean the structure of the Immortal Realm, but it was not easy.
“The mood is spoiled.”
The immortal glanced over me and turned to leave. Immediately, Yu Il-su hurriedly blocked him.
“No, Immortal. Are you simply leaving like this? If you do not execute those traitors……”
“My mind has changed. Even if those two turn traitor, there will not be much impact.”
“Then what about killing at least the New Justice Association Master here? He is the greatest enemy of the Imperial Palace.”
At Yu Il-su’s urgent words, the immortal’s expression stiffened.
“Are you giving me orders right now?”
“N-No. It is a request, a plea.”
“Everything is my karma. Speak no further now.”
As expected of an immortal, he spouted plenty of airy nonsense. From what I had heard from Hyeon-wol, was an immortal an existence who could only ascend upon accumulating good karma? Indeed, by that logic, killing with his own hands would accumulate bad karma, so it would be uncomfortable for him.
Then I had no need to hesitate.
Lightly lifting my heels, I shot forward forcefully. A sword light surged forth as if to cleave the immortal before me.
Bright Elegance and the stiffened sleeve of the immortal clashed. Despite infusing Bright Elegance with full internal energy, the sleeve did not tear in the slightest.
“……What are you doing?”
The immortal asked in a calm voice.
“Because you seem reluctant to kill me. You see, I am not reluctant to kill you.”
“An utterly mortal, base thought.”
The immortal snorted and whipped his sleeve. Although it was merely a small motion like brushing dust from a sleeve, the colossal force contained within that movement was tremendous.
I fully took the force the immortal released into my sword, rotated it, and returned it. With rotational power added to the force released by the immortal, he would feel as though he were receiving it twofold. It was the subtle principle I had used day in and day out in Wudang.
“A shallow technique.”
However, the force contained in the sword was completely dissipated within the immortal’s palm. It was impossible to tell what principle he had even employed.
My energy simply vanished. He had truly returned my power to nothingness. Even though I had fought martial artists every single day, this was the first time experiencing such a thing.
This was something that defied standard convention. Force was invisible, but it actually existed. Therefore, while there were techniques to deflect or disperse it, completely dissipating it should have been impossible. Otherwise, one could only release another force to counteract it, but the immortal’s method just now was not that either.
“Having strangely good eyes, you must have recognized it.”
The immortal spoke.
“Do you see? You and I do not share the same laws and promises. There is not a single thing you can understand about me.”
“…….”
“And you seem to be misunderstanding something. Refraining from killing you merely serves my karma a bit better; it does not mean I cannot kill you at all.”
The immortal reached his hand toward me with indifferent eyes. No energy was contained in the hand, but I could tell. The moment that hand approached me, I would die.
It was the hand of an immortal that had erased even the colossal force in my sword in an instant. No matter that I possessed Grade 2 talents, I had merely broken away from ordinary humans, not reached the level of an immortal.
Yet for me, it was an attempt I had to make. In any case, if we pushed back the Imperial Palace, it was certain that we would also oppose the Immortal Realm behind it, so I had a duty to gauge the strength of the immortals.
If I were to die futilely here right now, I probably would have died futilely after pushing back the Imperial Palace as well. Thus, death was merely hastened a little.
Yet for some reason, even while recognizing death, the approaching palm was not particularly terrifying. Whether it was because no power was contained in it, or something else, was unknown.
― Warning. Threat detected.
It was then. Small letters floated before me. And I could not fail to recognize this handwriting. Because it was the script of the Martial Talent Shop that I had relied on heavily in this life.
Normally, since I only summoned the Martial Talent Shop when I was alone, it had rarely appeared overlapping with a person like this.
Simultaneously, the immortal recoiled in shock and pulled his hand back. It was the first time seeing him flustered. Though it was something I could not see, it seemed to have caused some reaction toward that immortal.
“……Who are you?”
The immortal asked in a bewildered voice.
“Are you asking again what you asked earlier?”
“I am not curious about the likes of you.”
And for the first time, I could see the immortal’s eyes dye with terror. And the words spat from the immortal’s mouth were words that I could not easily comprehend.
“The one standing behind you…… who is it?”