Chapter 179

The King Ascends to Martial Arts Alliance Leader

Blood Emperor bellowed out loud to the outside.

“Prepare the banquet! It’s in commemoration of Master Junja’s ascension!”

“Understood.”

The Blood Emperor laughed alone, then noticed the young disciple’s displeased expression and said awkwardly.

“By the way, did you kill the Sword Saint?”

The disciple shook his head.

“We couldn’t settle the contest.”

The blood-bound one felt relieved inside. After all, the young man wasn’t a powerhouse capable of overwhelming the Three Deities.

‘Oh, is that so?’

Blood Emperor said.

“Then perhaps you’d like to rest now. Or would you rather have a final showdown with me? For your information, I won’t engage in a one-on-one duel against your esteemed master, the Dongja. However, since the Dongja and I have no grudge against each other, I simply wish for peaceful coexistence. What do you think?”

This is the Blood God Palace.

There was absolutely no reason for the Blood Emperor to fight the Young Master alone.

As the Blood Emperor looked at the Young Master as if inviting him to choose freely, the Young Master smiled.

“Blood Master, seeing you so confident, I suppose you single-handedly killed all the survivors of the Ten Thousand Horses Palace.”

Blood Emperor nodded.

“To become a Blood God, one must grow accustomed to the scent of blood.”

At that moment, someone knocked on the door of the Palace Lord’s Chamber.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound was somewhat irritating. Blood Lord looked at the door with a displeased expression and said.

“Come in.”

The palace chamber door opened, and a man dressed in white robes, adorned with a dragon pattern embroidered in golden thread, walked in.

His skin was as pure as white jade, and his expression revealed no emotion.

The boy couldn’t help but feel an unpleasant sensation creeping up his spine, forcing him to stand up.

The aura emanating from him was unusual.

The boy looked over and saw a man with a long sword at his waist standing still, watching him warily.

The Blood Lord suddenly grinned as he looked at the two of them.

‘Right. A fight between the two of them should be quite entertaining.’

Both the boy and the man showed signs of displeasure due to each other’s presence.

The man looked at the Blood Lord and asked in a casual tone.

“Blood Lord, who is this old man who looks so young?”

His voice was remarkably soft.

Blood Master pointed at the boy.

“You’ve met a distinguished guest. He is Master Dong, one of the Three Masters of the Demon Path, whose reputation stands alongside that of the Master of the Way. Show him proper respect. He is not someone you can dare to treat with disrespect.”

As the Blood Emperor spoke recklessly, the man said.

“You come here first.”

Blood Emperor shook his head wearily.

“Let’s rest a bit. We have honored guests today. Please, let’s rest. If you keep this up, I won’t have any choice.”

Suddenly, the Blood Lord stood up, pulled off the robe he was wearing, and exposed his bare skin.

“You insolent brat, today I’ll strip you bare.”

The man frowned and said.

“Cut it out.”

“You should stop this nonsense. Back off. I’ll strip down to my underwear.”

As the Blood Emperor shed his robe, his upper body was revealed, etched with hundreds of sword scars. His entire body was lacerated, as if a Go board had been drawn upon it.

The Blood Master addressed the young disciple.

“Young master, look at this body. These are all wounds that man carved into me. I’ve never lived in my right mind either, but he’s no ordinary villain. You must be careful. He’s not an easy opponent.”

As if reluctant to fight, the Blood Master pulled down his pants. Now, only his underwear remained; he would be completely naked.

The man finally turned around, sighed, and headed toward the palace gate.

Then, the blood-stained man, clad only in his undergarments, spoke to the man.

By the way, according to the news brought by Master Dongsa, it seems the gentleman master you so longed for was killed by the King of the White Path. From what I hear, it appears to be an undeniable fact. Now, it would be best for you and I to cease this futile battle. We haven’t settled the score for years now. Did you train your martial arts to torture me? I doubt it. In any case, it’s tragic that Master Junzi died in the meantime. If you truly need an opponent to fight, go find the King of Fists first. I won’t stop you…”

The boy stared at the man’s back and asked.

“Are you the lowly master of this age?”

The man kicked open the door to the Blood Palace without a word and vanished. The Lowly Lord occasionally stayed at the Blood Palace, continuing to torment the Blood Emperor. Since there was no other master to contend with besides the Blood Emperor, he was a force the Blood Palace could do nothing about.

CRASH!

Blood Emperor clicked his tongue and hastily pulled his clothes back on.

“Did you see that? He’s completely insane… Ah, I should watch my words.”

The young disciple asked, his expression startled.

“How could a woman defeat the Lowly Star…”

Blood Emperor brought a finger to his lips in shock.

“Shh.”

The young man blinked, and the Blood Lord continued speaking.

“Didn’t I tell you? They’re vicious bastards. If martial arts are strong, they don’t care about gender. All the internal rivals must have been killed or mutilated somewhere. Look at my body. Fighting them is exhausting. Treat me like a man. Though I am the sort who finds such things hard to bear…”

The boy stared at the blood-soaked robe the man was wearing.

It didn’t look like the marks of a duel, but rather the marks of torture. Yet, surviving with such injuries intact didn’t seem normal either.

The boy asked.

“Is he your sworn enemy?”

Blood Rite answered.

“I don’t know. It’s hard for either side to gain the upper hand, and it seems the other side hasn’t played all their cards yet. As the gentleman said, it’s a stalemate where neither can overwhelm the other. Anyway, if you intend to kill me, you must come with the consent of the lowly. Otherwise, the entire lowly class won’t stand idly by…”

Blood Emperor chuckled.

The Blood Palace and the Vicious Clan had become entangled in a bizarre, twisted relationship forged by the Gentleman. Suddenly, the young boy gazed at the Blood Emperor and burst into a hearty laugh, the first in what felt like an eternity.

“Hahahahaha…”

As the boy continued pointing at the Blood Emperor and laughing, the Blood Emperor said with a sour expression.

“Master Dongja, have you lost your mind? Why are you acting like this? All of a sudden.”

“You fool. Remarkable. You stripped down every time you faced death. What an absurd fight this was… Was I wrong? Even so, the lowly one was a step above. Ha ha ha ha.”

Blood Emperor replied with a expression stripped of laughter.

“Think whatever you like. It was a draw, anyway.”

The young man was so utterly flabbergasted he burst into laughter, making the Blood Palace echo thunderously.

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At the gathering of all the Martial Alliance members, Alliance Leader Yu Jeong-hong ascended the podium to announce his retirement.

The members still did not know who the next leader would be. They all held their breath, waiting for Yoo Jeong-hong’s words. They only knew that Yoo Jeong-hong had returned a few days ago, looking truly haggard, alongside Gwang-sin and Ui-sin.

Yu Jeong-hong looked at the members and said with a calm expression.

“I have decided to retire.”

Yoo Jeong-hong looked around at the gray-haired members, chapter leaders, and elders scattered throughout the room.

“The old ones should retire with me. This is my final order.”

Gloomy voices murmured from all around.

“Understood.”

Yoo Jeong-hong continued.

Though I need no one’s permission to retire, as this is a matter of the martial world, I sought permission from my seniors. This retirement is granted by Senior Gwangshin and Senior Uisin. Those retiring alongside me will be announced shortly. And the vacant positions will be filled by young successors chosen by the new leader. While the selection of a new leader is sometimes done through competition among multiple candidates, this time, with the help of our seniors, we have appointed someone by nomination. Therefore, the new leader is the person nominated by me, Senior Gwangshin, and Senior Uisin. If you wish to raise any issues regarding this appointment, you should go to Senior Gwangshin. Make this known throughout the martial world.”

Each swallowed hard.

It was a situation where raising an issue could get you killed.

Yoo Jeong-hong had meant it as a joke, but no one laughed.

Yoo Jeong-hong continued speaking.

Senior Gwangshin has a request. He asked that we not bother the new leader with frequent dueling requests or challenges. Still, it would be strange for the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance to change without any duels at all. During the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, the new leader will accept challenges. We will limit it to no more than two challenges, so the preliminary tournament to select challengers before that will be handled by the Martial Arts Alliance. It would be most convenient for everyone if only the winner challenges once. The new leader has returned to their family home to inform them of this matter and will take a few days’ rest before returning to the Alliance. Therefore, all tasks related to transferring the leadership position must be completed during this interim period.”

“Understood.”

“I thought I’d feel only relief, but there’s also a sense of unease. Yet I’m simply too old. Fortunately, the new leader is young. He’ll be much younger than some of the members. But the leader of the martial arts world is the leader of the martial arts world.”

Yu Jeong-hong smiled.

“Since I’m far stronger than any of you anyway, you’d better show some respect. Accept it even if I announce organizational changes or key personnel appointments somewhat arbitrarily, since the authority to make such decisions now rests with me. He’s not from a major sect or clan, so he doesn’t have a vast network to plant his own people everywhere. Maybe ten at most. I’ll handle these minor issues from my position as an elder, ensuring they don’t cause major disruptions. Don’t worry.”

“Understood.”

Suddenly, Yoo Jeong-hong loosened his collar slightly, revealing the dragon-patterned armor he wore underneath to the guards.

This time, I survived by the skin of my teeth. It was you, my fellow clan members, who saved me. I owe my life to you. See to it that the young clan leader is cared for in the same way. In return, should any great crisis or danger arise in the martial world, the young clan leader will step forward to resolve it. Let us unite, high and low, to care for this martial world where incidents and accidents never cease. That is the sole reason for our Martial Arts Alliance’s existence. I never turned a blind eye to the weak being bullied, and the new leader will be no different. I can think of nothing more to say.”

After Yoo Jeong-hong finished speaking, he looked around at the guards.

The leader of the guard unit, who had protected Yoo Jeong-hong for many years, spoke.

“Lord Myeong, it has been an honor to serve you all these years.”

The leader drew his sword toward Yoo Jeong-hong. He intended to perform the sword salute. Following him, not only the guard unit but also the other members who had been listening to the old leader drew their swords in unison.

As the sword salute from the clan members unfolded before Yoo Jeong-hong…

Yoo Jeong-hong, standing on the dais, drew his sword and replied.

“Members of the clan, it has been an honor to serve alongside you as well.”

The old leader performed the sword salute toward the members.

It was the first and last time the members would ever witness the martial arts leader’s sword salute.

Though never hailed as the greatest under heaven, Yoo Jeong-hong, who held the position of Martial Alliance leader for so many years, was indeed a hero. Though the nobleman may never have considered Yoo Jeong-hong a hero, that nobleman is now dead and gone…

In his own time, there could be no one left who did not consider Yoo Jeong-hong a hero.

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After Dan Woosung finished his short leave and bid farewell to his family, he stood at a crossroads for a moment, waiting for someone.

Only the Ssangbo brothers followed Dan Wooseong.

Originally, Dan Woo-sung and Baek Yak had planned to travel together to the North Sea to meet Baek Yak’s father, the Prince, and seek his permission for their marriage.

However, with Danwooseong taking office as the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, their plans had gone awry. Baekyak planned to return briefly to the North Sea before reuniting with him at the Alliance. Of course, when Baekyak returned and explained the situation, his father would be stunned. After all, the man who would soon be his son-in-law had become the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance.

A short while later, two men carrying bundles approached from the fork in the road.

Their expressions couldn’t help but look strange.

Their expressions suggested they couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.

Dan Woo-sung grinned as he looked at his friends.

It was Sima Jue and Zhu Ziliang. He planned to enter the Martial Arts Alliance with these two.

Zhu Ziliang would naturally join the military circuit, while Sima Jue would enter the Alliance Leader’s escort unit.

Whose decision was this? Naturally, it was the decision of Dan Wuxing, the leader of the Martial Alliance.

As the sole heir destined to inherit the courier agency, Gu Xiong couldn’t join the Martial Alliance.

The ragtag friends who had suddenly joined the Martial Alliance stood for a moment, gazing at Dan Wuxing, then saluted.

“Sima Jue, a lowly disciple of the martial world, greets the Alliance Leader.”

“Zhu Ziliang, who came at your summons, greets the Martial Alliance Leader.”

Dan Woosung gave a few awkward nods before responding.

“Let’s go, to the Martial Alliance.”

Then, Sima Jue and Zhu Ziliang rushed forward, wrapped their arms around Dan Woosung, and burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha… This crazy bastard became the Martial Arts Alliance Leader!”

“Young Master Ho-gu, you’ve become the leader of the martial arts world!”

At that moment, someone bellowed from beyond the fork in the road.

“Hey, you bastards!”

Gu Woong was running over.

“Hey, I can see you off too, can’t I?”

Gu Woong, who had suddenly appeared after a furious dash, leapt into the air and recklessly pounced on the three, laughing.

“Wahahaha!”

Guwoong wrapped his right arm around Danwooseong’s neck and said.

“Hey, let’s try choking the Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s neck.”

Guwoong, who had been laughing the loudest, was actually the first to have his eyes turn bloodshot.

“Ah, I want to go too. It feels like everyone else is succeeding and I’m the only one who hasn’t.”

“Success? What are you talking about? You’re going to suffer.”

Jujaryang patted Guwoong’s chest as he spoke.

“You’re the leader of our neighborhood now. Take good care of this place. Since we’re gone, you’re the king of the riffraff. Leader Guwoong, we’re off.”

Sama Gyeok said, extending his hand to Guwoong.

“The leader of our neighborhood. See you again.”

Gu Woong clasped Sima Jue’s hand and nodded.

“Alright. Take care.”

Guwoong spread his arms wide and embraced Danwooseong. The two briefly patted each other’s backs.

“I’ll take care of the neighborhood. You go take care of the martial world.”

Danwooseong said, patting Guwoong’s back.

“I don’t know if I’ll get leave, but I’ll come by often.”

Gu Woong waved to the three of them, his eyes reddening.

“Go now. You two brothers, go and take care of yourselves.”

The Ssangbo brothers bowed their heads to Guwoong.

“Stay well, brother.”

After walking for a while, Danwooseong suddenly turned around, and the rest of the group turned to look behind them as well.

Guwoong, visible in the distance, stood still in that spot, then waved his hand toward this side.

Guwoong shouted loudly.

“Hey! I totally forgot to ask!”

Danwooseong replied.

“What is it?”

“Does being the Martial Arts Alliance Leader make you the best in the land?”

Dan Woosung nodded and answered his friend.

“Of course. I am the best in the land.”

The Martial Alliance Leader might not always be the best under heaven, but for now, it was synonymous.