Chapter 128 Nameless (2)

Chapter 128 Nameless (2)

“In my twilight years, I get to witness such a splendid spectacle!”

Nameless wore an uncharacteristically gentle smile.

For Gu Yangji, it was truly fortunate.

Had he charged in immediately after using the Thunderclap Heaven-Shattering Strike and unleashed another technique, he would surely have been defeated without lasting more than a few exchanges.

But Mu-myeong stood still afterward.

It was likely because the move Gu Yangji had displayed had eased Mu-myeong’s pent-up frustration.

The outcome left Gu Yangji feeling regretful.

‘If only I had a little more skill…’

Couldn’t he have fought Mu-myeong to the fullest?

Couldn’t he have found the key to advancing his martial arts even further within that battle?

It was merely an exchange of a few moves. The fleeting emotion he felt gnawed at him like a sharp fang.

“Don’t feel sorry for me.”

At those words, Gu Yang-ji lifted his head.

Mu-myeong’s face was filled with a solemnity never seen before.

You clashed with me and prevailed; you have earned the right to stand tall.

His gaze seemed to convey these very words.

Only then did Gu Yangji relax his chest.

The nameless man smiled.

“At your age, is there truly anyone else who has achieved what you have? Truly admirable. You have mastered every subtlety I taught you.”

“…It doesn’t suit me.”

As Gu Yangji awkwardly stroked his upper lip, Wuming turned his head toward Wei Jinchuan.

“Did you see that?”

“Yes.”

“That is the mountain you must climb. And the wall you must breach.”

With a demeanor so refined it made his previous appearance seem false, Wuming instructed Wei Jinchuan.

But to Wei Zhenchuan, it seemed utterly awkward. He tilted his head, wondering if Gu Yangji had struck Wuming incorrectly.

From their first meeting until now, Wuming had always acted frivolously and spoken harshly.

No matter what anyone said, he was the one who would laugh heartily and raise his fist.

‘But what on earth is this current state…’

A chill ran down Wei Jinchuan’s spine, and he pointed at Gu Yangji.

“Master! Did this guy hit you wrong?! What the hell is going on?”

“……”

When Wuming remained silent, Wei Jinchuan felt an even deeper chill and shouted.

“They say people change before they die, but come on! That’s scary!”

“Dammit, you fool! I said catch this bastard!”

“……?”

Wuming stared at Wei Jinchuan with a piercing gaze.

Though their builds and talents differed, Wei Jinchuan’s appearance mirrored his own past.

To possess such power yet remain confined to Tianwufeng forever was a tremendous heavenly punishment.

For now, he might be content with rising from an orphan in Zhangjiajie to a martial artist. But how long would that last?

Life is finite.

Yet the successor of Tianwufeng lived so long it felt infinite.

‘At the peak of Wulingyuan, a breathing corpse for ages.’

Wuming still remembered his master’s final breath.

His master had told him he was sorry.

Wuming felt anger toward his master as he whispered secrets in his dying moments.

He had planned to master all the martial arts of Tianwufeng and then challenge the strong in the martial world, but it all came to naught.

He couldn’t believe this tiny, cramped Wuling Garden, not even the size of a small martial family’s estate, would be his grave.

Eventually, he even felt a deep sense of betrayal toward his master.

But in the end, Muming built his master’s grave here and constructed a small thatched cottage beside it to teach Wei Jinchuan.

He felt guilty, thinking he was ultimately following in his master’s footsteps.

Then, about five years ago.

Muming told Wei Jinchuan the truth.

And this was the response he received.

“I’m satisfied. “

He said that even though his master was eccentric and violent, he was happy that he had taken him in and cherished him.

That was the kind of child Wei Jinchen was.

From that night onward, Muming gradually forgot Jin Muwol. It was the moment his purpose shifted from struggle to his disciple.

Because of this, he broke his vow to avoid entanglement with the martial world as much as possible, sending the Nine Dragons War and allowing him to witness the Martial World Alliance.

Though the sights of his childhood would later become his torment, Wuming wished for Wei Jinchuan’s happiness.

Even now, Wuming pleaded with Gu Yangjie as if begging.

“My rival, Jin Muwol, is dead. But you… could you become that child’s rival?”

“……”

The weight of those words left Gu Yangjie unable to answer immediately.

He sensed a hint of madness in Wuming.

‘If I refuse… does he intend to fight again?’

This time, it wouldn’t end with a Thunderclap Heaven technique; the chilling feeling that he might commit something worse made him shudder.

Yet, within moments, Gu Yangjie wore a cheerful smile.

At least Wuming wasn’t the type to hide his true feelings from others.

Unlike others, he judged him not to be the type who wrapped secrets in layers upon layers to harm others.

This earned Gu Yangji’s favor. Moreover, he was curious just how strong Wei Jintian, trained by Tian Wufeng, would become.

Gu Yangji’s mouth formed words of affirmation.

“Of course.”

“Thank you. Truly… thank you.”

When Muming bowed his head slightly, Wei Jinchuan wore a look of shock.

At that moment, Mantongzi spoke.

As if finally uttering words long concealed, Mantongzi’s face showed hesitation unlike his usual demeanor.

“Muming, there’s no need for that.”

“Even you, I don’t want your interference.”

Despite Muming’s cold rebuff, Mantongzi did not back down.

There was something he absolutely had to say. But even Mantongzi couldn’t predict how Muming would react upon hearing it.

‘He’ll hate me.’

Pushing away a bitter smile, Mantongzi continued what he had been saying.

“Soon, the rules binding Tianwufeng will be broken. When that happens, Muming, you too will be able to leave and seek out rivals in the martial world.“

”……What?“

Muming’s eyebrows twitched.

Regardless of whether he believed the fact, the very knowledge that Mantongzhe possessed such information stirred betrayal within him.

If he knew, why hadn’t he told him until now?

Muming’s fiery temper flared.

”Mantongzhe! You’ve been hiding this all this time!”

“I had no choice. That is the fundamental law of causality, and the request left by the founder of Tianwufeng.”

As Mantongzi spoke indifferently, Wuming felt as if someone had poured oil on his chest.

Rage blazed fiercely.

“Knowing everything, did you find it amusing to watch my plight!”

“……I’m sorry.”

Thud!

Wuming immediately activated the Heavenly Dull Heart Technique, aiming to strike down Mantongzi’s Heavenly Spirit Blade.

But someone blocked his path.

Clang!

Seeing the trembling sword, Wuming glared sharply at Guyangji.

“Get out of the way!”

“I cannot.”

“Get out of the way now!”

“Hear me out!”

As Gu Yangji flashed his eyes and unleashed elegant swordplay, Muming took a step back.

Drip.

Blood trickled down his knuckles.

‘Even in my rage, I never thought he could pierce my defensive aura.’

Was Gu Yangji still growing, even at this very moment?

Mu Ming took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

After a moment, he sat back down and glared at Man Tongzi.

“Go ahead, try to explain yourself!”

Man Tongzi bowed his head once more.

* * *

Man Tongzi’s explanation was concise.

What the Eight Palms were, how the Black Dragon dwelling on Mount Mo had been vanquished, and the significance of the Heavenly Martial Peak.

Wei Jinchuan had approached unnoticed and now stood guard beside Mumeong, preventing him from lashing out recklessly.

But he felt wronged.

The notion that he’d been manipulated by some grand scheme he knew nothing about felt like it was shattering his pride.

“So… Cheonmubong is a secret gate that only opens when Palma strikes again?”

Wuming let out a laugh of utter disbelief.

“What a grand secret indeed—a secret even the inheritor doesn’t know!”

“……”

“But an outsider knows it!”

Wuming radiated such murderous intent it seemed he might split Man Tongzhi’s head open at any moment.

But he couldn’t actually do it.

As Gu Yangji had said, an accident had occurred that even Mantongzi hadn’t anticipated.

“…I never imagined such an accident could have happened during the succession at Tianwufeng.”

About a hundred years ago.

Judging by the total amount of internal energy Wuming currently possessed, it must have been around that time.

The incident where someone who had left Tianwufeng in dissatisfaction returned having lost everything.

Wan Tongzi stared at Wuming with gloomy eyes.

“If you were me, could you have told me that fact, which I only just learned?”

“…….”

Gu Yangji looked at Wuming, stiff as a board, and inwardly anticipated.

That’s impossible.

It would be no different than rendering all the days Wuming had longed for Jin Muwol utterly foolish.

It was a truth that rendered all the worries Muming had carried until now meaningless.

Could Muming have accepted it immediately upon first hearing it?

Could he have laughed heartily as usual?

Gu Yangjie shook his head slightly.

Then Mantongzi spoke.

“Yet I brought this up to you, Muming, because that day is not far off.”

“…What if I…”

Wuming’s voice was thick and heavy, as if it had boiled up from deep within.

“…What if I disregard those Palma scum? What if I leave the martial world and go searching for the strongest beyond its borders! Could you stop me?”

“That would be impossible.”

Wan Tongzi answered honestly.

If Nameless truly intended to go rogue, Man Tongja’s skill alone couldn’t stop him. He’d have to be prepared to have his head smashed instead.

But for Nameless, Palma’s rampage was likely an opportunity to quench his thirst.

Destiny isn’t something one can easily escape.

The reason the successor of Tianwufeng was a battle-crazed warrior like Nameless was undoubtedly tied to that very destiny.

The fate of the Heavenly Fist that must fight Palma.

Man Tong-ja began persuading Moo-myeong in a calm tone.

“But the strong who will tear apart the years you found tedious will continue to appear in the martial world. Palma isn’t the problem. To stop them, or to exploit the chaos, hidden geniuses will emerge. I stake my name, Mantongja, on that certainty.“

As if echoing those words, Guyangjeok unbuttoned the top of his daobu.

”……?!”

Mumyeong’s eyes widened dramatically.

Had it been merely numerous wounds, he might have just chuckled dismissively.

But the scars etched across every part of Guyangjeok’s body were so profound even Mumyeong couldn’t look away.

Each one was a near-fatal wound.

They crisscrossed his body. Some were so deep they exposed his insides.

‘He survived wounds like these?’

Mumyeong marveled inwardly. Simultaneously, he shuddered at the agony Gu Yangjeok must have endured.

“Having died once and come back to life, is that how one becomes this strong?”

“Not exactly. But isn’t it fascinating?”

Gu Yangji murmured words he didn’t truly believe.

“The martial arts you’ve honed your entire life, the skills you’ve mastered to their ultimate limit… To have an opponent capable of clashing with all of that…”

“……”

“If you can defeat someone who has equally mastered their martial arts through relentless pursuit, isn’t that the very proof of a warrior’s existence?”

As Gu Yangji spoke in a flat voice, Mumei saw him in a new light.

A warrior who had weathered a hundred battles.

A martial artist who had overcome countless crises and adversities!

Yet he did not fear fighting others.

Indeed, he had faced Mumei himself twice and never backed down.

Not only in age, but even in the inner strength he possessed, he was superior.

Muming closed his eyes for a moment.

Gu Yangji’s presence felt even more imposing than when they first met.

‘Indeed… that Gu Yangji is a true warrior!’

Gu Yangji was only eighteen now, wasn’t he?

The words about it taking fifteen years had to be retracted.

Ten years, no, five years would be enough.

‘Or perhaps even less than that.’

The Heavenly Martial Peak called it Pure Azure.

The martial artist called it the Path of Heaven’s Edge.

Mumyeong opened his closed eyes. Then he turned his head toward Mantongzi.

“I apologize for losing my temper.”

“No need to apologize. If it was just a light blow, I was prepared to take it.”

Mantongzi stared intently at Muming.

“But don’t do that again.”

“…….”

“After splitting my Heavenly Spirit Dog, what did you plan to do next? Surely not… Did you intend for that enemy to kill you right in front of your disciple?”

Muming couldn’t bring himself to deny what Mantongzi had said.

‘Indeed, the insight honed over hundreds of years of life.’

After a moment’s hesitation and stammering, Mumeong shook his head slightly.

“I have no such intention… going forward.”

“If the day comes when we meet again, I hope it will be under slightly more pleasant circumstances.”

Man Tong-ja rose from his seat as he spoke.

He glanced once more at Gu Yang-jeok and pursed his lips.

But Gu Yang-jeok spoke first.

“I’ve been grateful all this time, Moo-myeong.”

“Yeah, see you next time.”

As Gu Yang-jeok began descending from Moolungwon, Man Tong-ja and Dae-woong followed behind.