Chapter 161

The Strong Gather

Kwangshin personally tidied up the Martial Alliance’s quarters prepared by Yoo Jeonghong. He organized the clothes he had changed out of and the bedding, dusted everything off, and wiped down various surfaces with a dry cloth. After trimming his beard while looking in the mirror, he stared blankly at his own face.

His hair seemed somehow darker now.

Had he somehow regained his youth through the Elixir of Youth? Though nothing could be more joyful than reclaiming youth, Gwangshin’s expression held no joy to begin with.

His mind was filled only with this thought.

‘I held on for a long time.’

Had he been alone, he likely wouldn’t have endured.

There was Uisin, Geomshin, and Yujeonghong. There was also a junior named Kwonwang, and now there was Cheolmyeongho. He had never explicitly said thank you, but he was naturally grateful to them—the rare men who had stood by his side, even briefly, for a madman like him.

Truthfully, few men could speak properly without trembling in front of Gwangshin, so his circle of relationships was extremely narrow.

Cheol Myeong-ho’s voice came from outside the door.

“Master?”

“I’ll be out shortly.”

“Yes.”

He rummaged through his pockets and found a few useless vouchers. There was no use for the money. He pulled them all out and laid them on the table.

After discarding everything, Gwangshin opened the door and stepped out. Cheolmyeongho and Gwangma were waiting there.

Kwang-shin addressed the two.

“There’s no need for you two to go to Guohua Mountain.”

When Gwangshin tried to dissuade them again, Cheolmyeongho replied with a stern expression.

“I will go with you.”

Gwangma added.

“I’m going too.”

Kwang-shin said.

“I understand you’re worried about me and want to come along, but you’re offering to accompany me knowing what might happen there?”

Cheolmyeongho gave an awkward smile.

“Come with me. Master, even if you leave alone, I’ll follow soon enough. The Mad Priest has no business left in the Martial Alliance. Guohua Mountain is better than prison, after all.”

Suddenly, the three men looked at each other.

It was rare to find men so utterly without a place to go.

The place they merely wished to go might well be where they met their end.

Guangxin spoke as if it were inevitable.

“Then let’s go. To meet our fate.”

As soon as Gwangshin received Yoo Jeong-hong’s message, he made his preparations and set off for Guwhasan. It had nothing to do with whether Yoo Jeong-hong was leaving or not. He was moving solely because Uisin’s letter stated that Gwangshin absolutely must come.

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The Demon Lord had been gazing at Tiantai Temple, perched atop Gu Huashan’s Ancient Sutra-Reading Platform, for a long time. Perhaps because the temple blended with the bizarre rocks and crags, it looked more rugged, like a martial arts sect, than it felt desolate and quiet.

“Do you know this place?”

When the Blue-Eyed Maya appeared behind him and asked, the Demon Lord replied.

“This is Tiantai Temple. Do you know it?”

“This is my first time.”

Cheongmok Maya surveyed the wide open space where he stood. He figured the Demon Lord must have chosen this spot for the final battle. The area was entirely surrounded by cliffs, with peaks jutting out here and there.

It was a suitable place for masters to compete.

As the Demon King kept glancing at the Heavenly Monk, Cheongmokmaya spoke.

“If it bothers you so much, I’ll go up and make it an empty temple.”

The Demon Lord shook his head at the words of Blue-Eyed Maya, who now acted like a subordinate.

“There’s no need for that. We shouldn’t disturb those who are practicing.”

“Are there practitioners here?”

“It’s a fine temple. There must be.”

The Sorcerer turned and gazed at the three peaks rising beyond the open field.

The final battlefield was a fairly wide open space.

Its outer perimeter was surrounded by three unnamed peaks and Tiantai Peak.

Suddenly, the Demon Sage flew toward the central peak, sat cross-legged, and as he did so, the peak’s name became Gentleman Peak.

The Demon Sage closed his eyes, sealed his lips, and forgot the affairs of the world.

He intended to keep his eyes, ears, and mouth closed until a challenger visited this place.

Cheongmok Maya naturally could not disturb the meditation of the virtuous sorcerer. She suddenly gazed intently at the monk seated atop the bizarre rock formation.

He wouldn’t kill them, but he intended to verify which monks were present.

This was because, barring special circumstances, most masters of the Buddhist sect tended to side with the White Path.

Cheongmok Maya flashed toward the monk atop the bizarre rock formation, bypassing the usual mountain path as he headed for the monk.

Shortly after Cheongmok Maya vanished, the Demon Dog Master, who had previously engaged in a light-body contest with Uisin, appeared and surveyed the surroundings.

He looked at the Demon Lord, who was closing his eyes.

Anticipating that no conversation would take place, the Demon Dog also flew to the peak on the left where the Demon Gentleman was seated and sat cross-legged there.

The nameless peak became Dog Son Peak.

Of course, Gyeonja would think of it as Tiger Peak, but that was something for when he survived.

Master Dog Son kept his eyes open, occasionally glaring at the Demon Gentleman. He was curious to see how he would act, so he had no intention of competing with him just yet.

What Gyeonja wondered was who, in the end, would become the unrivaled champion of the world at Guwhasan.

As always, Gyeonja was looking around with an angry expression when, from below the mountain, two figures she hadn’t seen in ages were rapidly ascending using lightness skills.

It was the Lady of the Ten Thousand Horses and Fire Master.

The moment they reached the clearing, Gyeonja asked.

“Palace Master, where is the Fist King?”

The Palace Master of Ten Thousand Horses smiled with an inscrutable expression and replied.

“We didn’t meet him. The upper section was guarded by a descendant of Baek Moo-jin. We confirmed that the ice technique Baek Moo-jin used is still intact.”

Gyeonja cut off the Palace Lord’s words and turned to ask Master Hwa this time.

“Master Hua, did you kill the Sword Saint?”

Master Hua answered.

“I never saw it. They say it resides within the Hwasan Sect’s forbidden realm. Only by killing the Hwasan Sect’s Grandmaster and all his disciples could one reach the forbidden realm. That was not the battle I desired. Anyway, are these all the surviving masters?”

At that moment, the Azure-Eyed Maya, who had ascended to the Heavenly Dao, flew through the air and landed in the open space.

The Ten Thousand Horses Palace Master bowed her head slightly.

“Master Mok, it is good to see you.”

Chung Mok Maya nodded, and then Master Hwa asked.

“Master Mok, where have you been?”

Pointing toward the Heavenly Dao Temple, Qingmu Maya replied with a puzzled expression.

“They call it Cheondasa Temple. Not a soul in sight, yet someone has neatly combed the grounds. Seems there must be someone managing the temple.”

Having finished speaking, Qingmu Maya glanced at the Palace Master of Ten Thousand Horses and Master Hua before naturally moving toward the remaining peak.

Master Hua called out to Qingmu Maya, stopping him.

“Master Mok, where are you going?”

Chungmok Maya stopped and replied.

“There’s one peak left, so I was heading there.”

Master Hua smiled.

“One remains, yet how can you attempt to ascend? Young Master has not yet arrived, and I am still here.”

The Lady of the Ten Thousand Horses Palace took a step back and looked at the two madmen.

They were starting that conversation just to claim a single peak.

The Horse Palace Lord said.

“Do as you please. I’ll guide those arriving here and there while I look around.”

As if signaling she wouldn’t intervene, the Horse Palace Princess vanished…

Cheongmok Maya turned and looked at Hwa Sabu.

“Must I compete with you here?”

Master Hua retorted.

“Is there really any need to compete? Wood has never been my element to begin with. You should know that better than anyone. It’s better for the two of us to face Baekdo together.”

Chong Mok Maya looked at Master Hwa.

“I see. So Fire Wheel Immortal was here all along.”

Though they had lived respecting each other within the Ten Thousand Horses Pavilion, they were adapting to the world the moment they stepped out. Among the Five Elements Demons, the most belligerent man was Fire Wheel True Immortal.

Chengmo Maya pointed to the remaining peak, as if conceding.

“You may ascend. After all, when the young master returns, we’ll have to come down anyway, so it would be troublesome.”

Master Hwa nodded.

“I’ll handle that part myself. Thanks for the concession.”

Hualun Zhenren soared into the air and claimed the remaining peak.

Of course, since the boy who had clashed with the sword spirit had only a fifty-fifty chance of returning, this peak would be called Huulun Peak for the time being.

Qingmu Maya gazed at Junzi Peak, Jianzi Peak, and Huulun Peak.

With matters having turned out this way, it was inevitable that Qingmu Maya would have to face the first life-and-death trial.

Gyeonja, who had been watching, spoke.

I sparred with Uisin for seven days and nights straight, yet we couldn’t decide the winner. That man will come here. He’s probably already contacted the surviving masters of the White Path. For now, I’ll have to send the Palace Master of Ten Thousand Horses on a dumpling errand.

Gyeonja looked at Cheongmokmaya.

It just so happened that the Lord of the Ten Thousand Horses was absent when he spoke to him, so Qingmu Maya was in the position of having to deliver the message.

But Master Gyeon was an even more unsettling man than Master Hwa, leaving him with no words to respond.

Qingmu Maya sighed, then suddenly felt someone’s gaze and turned his head.

A monk stood motionless before the Great Temple.

“······.”

“…”

Cheongmokmaya’s eyes widened. This was someone he hadn’t noticed when surveying the monk. What was truly astonishing was that the monk was a giant, standing a full seven feet tall.

Master Gyeonja and Master Hwa were also watching the monk who had appeared on Cheon Dae Mountain.

Suddenly, the monk, who had drawn the gaze of all the martial arts masters, quietly pressed his palms together in a prayer gesture. He then bowed his head, as if paying a respectful greeting to the masters of the martial world. After that, he turned and reentered the Cheon Dae Temple.

For a moment, Master Gyeonja, Master Cheongmokmaya, and Master Hwa were speechless.

His appearance was truly unexpected.

Cheongmok Maya asked.

“Have you mastered martial arts? I wouldn’t know.”

Master Hua said.

“You must have. That physique wasn’t gained from sweeping.”

Gyeonja added.

“Since he showed no interest, let him be.”

The three men looked at the Demon Cultivator. The Demon Cultivator had closed his eyes as if unwilling to speak, so they couldn’t ask him about the monk who had suddenly appeared.

Then, as Gyeonja and Master Hwa began their qigong practice…

Only the Blue-Eyed Maya remained, standing alone in the vast open space.

Cheongmok Maya had no choice but to plop down on the empty lot and begin regulating her qi. Whoever came up, she would be the first opponent for the White Path master, so she had to be thoroughly prepared.

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Dan Woo-sung was still learning the Journey Through Heavenly Realms technique from Uisin while heading towards Gu Hwa Mountain.

What could compare to the joy of one mastering martial arts?

With a human body, he could run as fast as if he were not human. The Art of Running Through Heaven and Earth was not merely a martial skill for running fast. Dan Woo-seong, in order to catch up to Yi Shin, separated the body techniques and footwork when deploying the Art of Running Through Heaven and Earth.

This meant the Roaming the World Technique was also highly useful in combat.

The Five Elements Divine Skill was, from the start, a martial art of enlightenment.

As soon as Dan Woo-sung mastered the Roaming the World Technique, he unleashed his imagination and fused it with the Five Elements Divine Technique. The realm he sought was reaching the pinnacle of martial arts through total enlightenment. Therefore, the Roaming the World Technique taught by Ui-sin had unexpectedly intertwined with the Five Elements Divine Technique, altering the very nature of their offensive and defensive battle.

Dan Wooseong, who had been running alongside Uisin, suddenly bent his upper body. As soon as he pushed off the ground, he moved at a low altitude, skimming the ground as if gliding over a great distance.

Then, both Uisin and Dan Wooseong halted their lightness techniques simultaneously.

Ahead stood men clad in bizarre attire.

Human heads, arms, torsos, and legs were impaled on long poles. It was a truly horrific sight.

Yet the words written on the fluttering banner were impossible to ignore.

“The Grand Master of the Ten Thousand Horses Palace, torn limb from limb while confronting the Half-Moon Society.”

At the very front of the procession, a flag bearing the Crescent Moon Society’s emblem fluttered. These were not the main forces, but the subordinates sent ahead by Crescent Moon Society leader Gao Tianhui to carry the Grand Master’s body into the martial world.

Yi Shin let out a sigh.

“Heh heh, they say Lord Sohan had a cruel side to him. The Black Path truly is the Black Path.”

At Yisin’s words, the entire procession halted and glared at Danwuseong and Yisin. These were men who wandered about seeking death at the hands of the Ten Thousand Horses Palace. Naturally, they had no reason to fear Danwuseong and Yisin.

A warrior from the Banwol Meeting glared at Danwooseong and demanded,

“Who are you?”

Dan Wooseong replied curtly.

“I am the Mingwang who sent the letter.”

Few in the martial world knew the alias “Mingwang.” The Banwol Association warriors exchanged glances among themselves, briefly set down the poles and burdens they carried, then bowed respectfully toward Danwooseong.

“We greet the Mingwang.”

The entire Banwol Society observed proper etiquette. They had no choice. According to the Society Leader, the letter had effectively saved countless lives.

Danwoo Seongdo also looked at the men of the Black Path and responded with equal courtesy.