Chapter 130 Heaven’s Will (2)

Chapter 130 Heaven’s Will (2)

To an old man like Shin Anja, Mantongja’s words were clearly arrogant beyond measure.

“…Haha.”

Yet laughter escaped him.

Setting aside notions of heaven or divine will, he felt immensely pleased, as if he had glimpsed the will possessed by a human.

From that day on, Shin Anja took Mantongja as his personal disciple and began teaching him.

He even passed on the lifespan he had received as the successor of the Mosan Dao lineage to Mantongja.

It was only natural that Xinanzi, who had forcibly suppressed his aging, rapidly declined.

When word of this spread, everyone pointed fingers at Xinanzi, calling him mad.

Even reclusive Daoists began to disparage him.

“The history of the Mosan Sect ended because of Xinanzi.”

Bearing that disgrace, Shin Anja was buried deep underground.

Man Tongja walked over that spot and spent his years. During that time, he gathered the weapons and martial arts necessary to oppose Palma.

In that process, his own name became known, but it was unavoidable.

To oppose Palma meant reaching the realm of divine entry.

To find something of that caliber, a certain level of fame was necessary.

Thus, for hundreds of years, Mantong-ja wandered, searching for a way to oppose Palma.

One of those methods was Chameon, and another was reviving the dying Cheonmubong.

And now.

Mantong-ja could tell Shin Anja that those hundreds of years were not wasted at all.

“So that’s it. The fixed outcome finally began to shift—all because of you!”

At those words, Gu Yangjeok tilted his head nonchalantly.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t. It just means even Heaven grew weary of my will and finally gave way.”

A radiant smile spread across Mantongja’s face, as if something had made him immensely happy.

There, Gu Yangjeok couldn’t bring himself to reveal that he had learned the Cheondun Sword Technique through improper means.

Above all, he couldn’t explain it.

‘If they ask how I knew the original form of the Cheondun Sword Technique remained in the bloodstain left by Yeo Dongbin… ‘

No matter how he tried to explain, he couldn’t hide the fact he had returned.

Above all, it was an act akin to stealing his original destiny; Man Tong-ja would never view it favorably.

Gu Yang-jeok forced himself to act unaware.

“Is that so? I don’t know what it is, but since you’re so pleased, I must have done well.”

“That’s not it at all!”

Wan Tongzi pounded his chest with a stern, serious expression.

“It’s that my arrangements surpassed Heaven itself! If slaying the Black Dragon wasn’t enough, and even Heaven’s Will failed to foresee the future and went awry, then there’s hope!”

At those words, Gu Yangji’s gaze sharpened.

The heavenly will he claimed to have seen must surely be the outcome from his past life.

Gu Yangji asked with a faint smile.

“So, what was the heavenly will originally like?”

“Killed by the Eight Palms.”

“……What? Killed?”

“It doesn’t just mean losing their lives. It means everyone living on Zhonghua’s soil became as good as dead.”

Wan Tongzhi’s face twisted as if recalling a cruel scene.

“A world where parents sacrifice their children without hesitation, where the moral principles that should be upheld become nothing but a joke. That was the future I originally saw.”

Gu Yangji pressed him again, as if to reconfirm.

“Is that truly the case?”

“It is.”

Wan Tongzi, considering it a settled matter, spoke with a clear voice, but to Gu Yangji, it carried a different weight.

‘If I had killed the executioner in my past life yet still pledged loyalty to the Hebei Pang family…’

Wouldn’t that mean I’d have to live like a beast for the rest of my life?

Just like my nickname back then, ‘Bloodhound’.

Gu Yangjie frowned, realizing the gravity of the situation.

‘Man Tongzaya, you’re rejoicing that the heavens’ energy has been disrupted just because I possess the Heavenly Dull Sword Technique, but is that really the end of it?’

He felt uneasy.

He hadn’t obtained the Heavenly Dull Sword Technique through any special fate or divine opportunity; he had infiltrated the Zhongnan Sect himself to learn it.

It wasn’t Mantongzi who disrupted the heavenly energy—it was him.

‘Saving Ha Jin’e, destroying the Black Dragon Sect, bringing the Huashan Sect into the Martial Alliance, even annihilating the Jin Zhu Yan Clan… I’ve done quite a lot.’

Amidst all that, to check the Zhongnan Sect and grow stronger, he adopted the Heaven-Defying Sword Technique and mastered the Golden Armor Fist.

If one were to count how many actions differed from his previous life, they would be too numerous to even fathom.

Thanks to that, the Huashan Sect, which had been on the brink of annihilation, rose to become the premier martial arts sect in Shaanxi. Gu Yangjie himself achieved a level of systematic strength unmatched in his previous life.

He didn’t even entertain regrets.

He only worried.

About whether he could truly protect the ‘destiny’ he had changed with his own hands.

“ “Wan Tongzhe, do you intend to continue opposing Palma?”

At those words, Wan Tongzhe answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Of course.”

Gu Yangji chuckled softly, wondering if the question had even been necessary.

Having killed the Black Dragon to save Wan Tongzhe, the battle with Palma was unavoidable before the Huashan Sect’s revival.

Therefore, he would face it head-on and fight to win.

Gu Yangji wiped the smile from his face and locked eyes with Mantongzi.

“Would you also tell me what the Heavenly Dullness is, and the arrangements still remaining within the Heavenly Dullness Sword Technique?”

Was he trying to gauge Gu Yangji’s resolve?

After staring at Gu Yangji for a long while, Mantongzi finally answered.

“That’s easy enough.”

Man Tong-ja took out several talismans and swiftly drew a protective barrier.

He meticulously adjusted his magical power to prevent any sound from escaping, creating a web-like barrier.

Once even the smallest gap was sealed, Man Tong-ja spoke.

“The Heavenly Fortress is an arrangement left behind by the sword immortal Yeo Dong-bin before ascending to immortality, and a martial art hidden to oppose the Eight Palms.”

“What? So there are seven places like Cheonmubong left?”

At those words, Mantongja expressed regret.

“No, that’s not it. Except for Cheonmubong and one other, all were wiped out by the Eight Palms.”

“And the other one?”

“The Peerless Band.”

At that, Gu Yangjie frowned.

“The Peerless Band… you mean that place that supposedly played a major role in the fight against the Nine Demon Sect?”

“A misjudgment.”

Man Tongzi shook his head, still seemingly unable to comprehend.

“If they were carrying on Cheon Dun’s legacy, they should have waited for the right moment. Why on earth did they go and play the hero like that!”

“…Hmph.”

As Mantongja poured out his grievances about the Muwangpa for quite some time, Gu Yangjeok found himself crossing his arms unconsciously.

‘If they knew their secret manual was in the Huashan Sect… would they faint on the spot…?’

In fact, Baek Dan-hyeon was working day and night to absorb it into the Huashan Sect’s martial arts.

‘If I ever meet the Peerless Sword Sect, I’ll have to talk to them about it.’

Gu Yang-jeok swallowed his words silently.

Somehow understanding his expression, Man Tong-ja awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“Ah. Right, I still haven’t told you what the arrangement for the Heavenly Dull Sword Technique is.”

A peculiar smile appeared on Mantongzi’s face.

“Don’t blame me later.”

With that, Mantongzi set off toward the Dongxue Cave in a remote corner of Hubei, and Gu Yangjie followed behind.

Jianxian Cave (劍仙洞).

The name was strikingly simple and small, in stark contrast to the cave’s immense size.

Gu Yangji glanced around at every passing spot, but detected not a single sign of life.

There weren’t even hoofprints.

Human footsteps had ceased for at least thirty days.

Otherwise, the undergrowth wouldn’t have grown this thick.

In other words, it meant that for at least thirty days, no one had entered or exited Sword Immortal Cave.

Some might ask if someone inside Sword Immortal Cave was undergoing ascetic training, consuming the Wall-Breaking Pill…

Gu Yangjeok could state this with absolute certainty.

‘The idea of long-term training while consuming the Wall-Breaking Pill is utter nonsense.’

Training meant moving enough to burn flesh and toughen muscles.

How could one possibly recover from such physical exertion with something like the Byeokgokdan?

Unless one appropriately combined elixirs to boost vitality, such a thing was nearly impossible.

Gu Yangjeok turned his head to look at Mantongja.

“Is some kind of formation drawn inside here?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it a mechanical formation?”

“I don’t know that either. But this much is certain.”

Wan Tongzi gazed into the darkness beyond the Sword Cave.

“The Sword Cave is an arrangement created by Ye Dongbin himself. Not a single martial artist who entered there has ever returned.”

“……!”

“Still, you intend to go in?”

At those words, Gu Yang-jeok’s face stiffened.

Within that seemingly shabby facade lay a mysterious and treacherous truth.

Perhaps it was an arrangement worth risking one’s life to challenge.

To say he wasn’t afraid would be a lie.

No matter how much stronger he had become, he still fell short compared to Palma, and he hadn’t even defeated Myeong-myeong.

If this arrangement was personally devised by Yeo Dong-bin, it would be even more terrifying.

But what if, after overcoming it, the sweetest fruit awaited?

What if it granted an advantage in the battles against the powerful foes to come!

Gu Yang-jeok gazed sharply beyond the Sword Forest.

“If we don’t enter, then what was the point of coming this far?”

At those words, Mantongzi gave a faint smile, as if he had expected as much.

“Brave indeed.”

“Brave? Hardly.”

Gu Yangji chuckled.

Forcing himself to laugh once, the interior that had seemed endlessly dark now appeared slightly brighter.

Thud.

Gu Yangji stepped forward.

* * *

Thud… Thud…

With every step he took, a deep echo filled the entire cave.

A master of Gu Yangji’s caliber could easily muffle his footsteps, yet here in the Sword Spirit Cave, he couldn’t.

Had Yeo Dongbin deliberately made it this way?

Gu Yangji advanced slowly, sharpening his senses.

It was a first for him.

His senses felt numb from his own movements, and the more he walked, the more he felt like he was sinking into a swamp.

Gu Yangjeok slowly calmed his mind.

‘It doesn’t seem to be just the darkness…’

Should he call it something special?

Ever since entering the Sword Spirit Cave, all his senses felt like they were screaming.

Mud clung sloppily to his ankles. It was intensely unpleasant, making him want to use his lightness skill to dash out of the Sword Spirit Cave immediately.

Gu Yangji clenched his teeth tightly.

“Who’s there!”

“…!”

Gu Yangji’s shout echoed off the cave walls.

Of course, there was no reply.

Instead, the echo of his own shout reverberating off the cave walls sharply assaulted his ears.

The pain was intense, and Gu Yangji involuntarily squinted one eye.

But it wasn’t in vain.

Kwoong!

The point where the sound reflected unnaturally.

Gu Yangji pinpointed that location precisely and immediately unleashed the Moon-Defying Shadow Step at full force.

If he stayed here any longer, he would either lose his mind or be destroyed by his own power.

Thus, with the thought that he had no choice but to play a gamble-like move, Gu Yangjeok had just shouted.

Fortunately, that move was hitting its mark perfectly.

Had the guardian of the Sword Cave not been there, it would have been a perfect plan.

“…Damn.”

Ssssh!

The sound of scraping against the scabbard assaulted Gu Yangjeok’s senses.

It was just that, yet Gu Yangjeok could discern much.

Fundamentally, the opponent’s sword was mere scrap metal compared to the Chameon, and the scabbard was heavily rusted.

Their strength seemed weak too; despite striking first, they hadn’t swung the sword with force.

So if he reacted quickly, he could block it!

Gu Yangji drew the Zhanxian while deploying the Dapuyue Wuying stance.

Kaang!

Already moving at blinding speed, the Zhanxian in Gu Yangji’s grasp was a deadly weapon simply by being held.

Moreover, Gu Yangji’s martial prowess was far beyond the level of flustered swordplay amidst his swift footwork.

“…Hmph!”

A single breath.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Yangji wielded the sword freely with just that one breath.

Clang, clang!

The sword clashed with the opponent’s blade, sending sparks flying.

Seizing the opening, Gu Yangji landed steadily and immediately launched a follow-up attack.

‘Now that I know his position, the darkness is no longer an obstacle!’

Then, a voice came from within the darkness.

“Wait a moment…”

It was an extremely aged, weary voice.

“Why not sit down and rest for a bit before fighting?”

This was the first encounter with the blind swordsman, the so-called Forgotten Sword.