Chapter 187 Resolution (3)

Chapter 187 Resolution (3)

Gu Yangjie saw countless people.

First, he saw himself, lost in a trance, striking out with the Thousand-Blade Shadow.

The second was the image of Yu Zhangming, his brow twitching in astonishment.

But the people revealed in his consciousness behind the child were those no longer present in reality.

“You.”

Gu Yangjie forced his voice out.

“You? What kind of language is that to use with the Patriarch while I’m not looking?”

Jin Muwol flashed a gentle smile and blinked at Gu Yangjeok. The fleeting look in his eyes was filled with regret.

“I’m sorry I left you with such a heavy burden.”

“If you knew you were sorry, then why the hell…!”

…did you say that and leave?

Before Gu Yangji could finish, Jin Muwol looked away, seeming embarrassed.

“I hoped you and your elder brother wouldn’t meet so soon. But since things have turned out this way, what can we do? It must be fate wrought by the Primordial Heavenly Lord.”

“That damn fate.”

Gu Yangji spat out the words.

The thought that while he was struggling desperately to survive, the heavens were watching down with satisfaction made his stomach churn.

“How many warriors have been toyed with by fate? Must we just follow it?”

“……”

Jin Muwol said nothing in response. He seemed to wait, if only briefly, for Gu Yangji to steady his breath.

But Gu Yangji laid bare his agitated heart.

“From Jisang to Seo Mun-hwi in Geomseondong. You must have known, Master, didn’t you?!”

“I did.”

Jin Muwol’s voice echoed desolately. Within the image Gu Yangji conjured, Jin Muwol was shrouded in deep gray.

“They were the noble ones who aided me.”

“Are you telling me to sacrifice as many people as you did?”

Gu Yangji bit his lower lip.

Behind Jin Muwol, the people he had seen up until now stood in line.

The aforementioned Jie Shang and Xumen Hui, Shang Xianjian, who was likely captured and killed by Yanyang Jun, the Wulin Alliance’s punitive force killed by the Immortal Demon of Fire and Blood…

All of them were Gu Yangjie’s mistakes, his debts.

They were burdens he could never repay, forever festering in his heart.

A flicker of flame danced in Gu Yangjie’s eyes.

“If killing them can stop the Eight Palms, is it acceptable to proceed without hesitation? Is that what a Taoist should do? Is that the fate the Primordial Heavenly Lord gave me?” “

”Enemy.“

”I will not listen.”

Gu Yangjeok denied Jin Muwol with a resolute expression.

Yet he did not dispel Jin Muwol from his mind.

He had walked too far to indulge in such whims. He had seen too much.

Gu Yangjeok stood facing Jin Muwol and raised his head.

“If that is what you call destiny, if that is the heavenly mandate bestowed upon me by the heavens… I refuse it.”

At those words, Jin Muwol’s face hardened.

Did he want to be forgotten?

Did he willingly let Jie Shang become a madman after being struck by the Surama Mirror?

It was something endured to ensure future generations lived rightly. No matter how unreasonable it felt, as a Taoist, he had accepted it somehow.

But for Ji Yangji to act like this.

As Jin Muwol unleashed a terrifying pressure, Ji Yangji clenched his teeth.

Blood seeped from his lower lip, which he had bitten earlier, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

A world within his mind, fragile and ready to shatter at any moment.

There, Gu Yangji faced Jin Muwol, while outside, he danced the Sword Dance with Yu Zhangming.

The once-thick barrier had thinned to a single thread, creaking as if it might snap at any second.

Yet Gu Yangji did not retreat.

‘When have I ever acted with certainty?’

Wasn’t living always an uneasy tightrope walk?

A hollow laugh escaped him.

If he were to crumble from mere confusion like this, he wouldn’t have started over in the first place.

If he intended to be swayed by shallow words like fate, there would have been no reason to remain in the Huashan Sect.

After sorting out his thoughts like this, Gu Yangjie felt his mind clear.

Even Jin Muwol, glaring at him with terrifying eyes, felt light.

Kkadd…

Amidst the gradually cracking mental landscape, Gu Yangjeok spoke to Jin Muwol in a resolute voice.

“Even if it means wrestling with the heavens themselves, I will bring about a different outcome. It is not the heavens that shape destiny, but humans themselves… I will prove it.”

At those words, Seo Mun-hwi, who had stood expressionless, let out a faint chuckle. He seemed to say something, but it was inaudible.

Yet Gu Yang-jeok felt he knew what Seo Mun-hwi had meant.

Go ahead and do as you please, wasn’t that the implication?

At that moment, Jik Sang, who had maintained a gloomy expression, sent a telepathic message.

[Did you successfully retrieve the secret manual?]

Gu Yangji answered in a solemn voice.

[I will not forget to pass it on to the next generation.]

[Thank you.]

With that final transmission, Jie Shang shed tears before vanishing from the mindscape.

After a moment, Gu Yangji looked at Jin Muyu.

Seeing him again brought to mind Tongtianweng’s bloodshot eyes.

‘I hope you never become like me.’

Gu Yangjeok murmured Tongcheonong’s words to himself.

That must have been the regret Tongcheonong, the immortal, had harbored throughout his life, and his sole expectation for Gu Yangjeok.

“Jie.”

Jin Muwol broke his reverie.

“Yes.”

“Are you confident?”

At Jin Muwol’s question, Gu Yangjeok looked beyond his own mind, seeing himself and Yu Jangmyeong in a state of selflessness, wielding the sword of truth.

Only one barrier remained now.

A single, flimsy membrane, thin enough to tear with just the slightest press of a fingertip.

Gu Yangjeok steadied his breath and answered with confidence.

“Though I am but a flawed being, I have never disappointed anyone thus far.”

“…Is that so.”

Jin Muwol was momentarily lost in the past as he saw the gentle smile spread across Yu Zhangming’s face.

The war against the Gu Demon Sect.

The comrades-in-arms he fought alongside on battlefields saturated with the stench of blood and iron, and Tong Tianong, the master-disciple bonded through life and death.

The memory of Seo Mun-hwi, with whom he had sworn brotherhood over a cup of wine, still lingered within Jin Muwol.

That was why he could remain as a member of the Plum Blossom Society.

‘But when did I begin to forget?’

Jin Muwol let out a hollow laugh.

‘I should have left the future to those who come after me and departed. Why did I cling to regrets and let fear get the better of me?’

Swish.

The moment Jin Muwol took a step back, Gu Yangjeok forged a sword within his mindscape.

Thud.

The sword tip lightly touched the wall.

In that instant, the wall separating mindscape and reality tore apart, revealing a new scene.

The narrow path at the edge of the world.

At the boundary where pure martial prowess alone peels away a layer of human limitation.

Gu Yangjie halted his steps.

* * *

Watching Gu Yangjie, lost in a state of selflessness, Yu Zhangming’s expression hardened.

‘This must stop now.’

Whether he’d reached some enlightenment or not, continuing like this would bury him beneath his own Heavenly Eagle Shadow.

Above all, the blood trickling from Gu Yangji’s lips felt eerie. No matter how resolute Gu Yangji’s heart might be, it was time to withdraw his hand.

But Yu Zhangming couldn’t easily ease the pressure on the Dragon Roar Sword.

To ease up now would be an insult to Gu Yangjeok.

Above all, Yu Jangmyeong wanted to talk to Gu Yangjeok.

There were so many things he hadn’t asked, afraid he might cause pain.

How he had lived after stabbing him in his past life, why he had cried when they first met.

What had driven his actions until now, whether he had suffered…

Countless questions flashed through his mind, but Yu Zhangming didn’t ask Gu Yangjie.

Gu Yangjie didn’t ask Yu Zhangming either.

It was born of fear.

They feared that if they asked, words would soon become heated, they wouldn’t understand each other, and they would drift apart again.

That silence had persisted ever since returning to the Huashan Sect.

Even now, in the midst of their sparring, Yu Zhangming couldn’t bring himself to ask Gu Yangjie.

‘If you had your memories from the moment you were reborn, couldn’t you have lived a life of luxury somewhere other than Huashan?’

Yu Zhangming didn’t understand why he had chosen to remain at Huashan Sect and walk the difficult path.

It was even harder to comprehend, given how often Gu Yangjie displayed a calculating, self-serving nature.

‘I left behind spiritual energy hoping you alone could live comfortably…’

At that very moment.

Kaang!

A single sword thrust plunged downward from above, whipping up a whirlwind.

It was far too fierce to be merely a light blade wind; it was a massive gale.

It was a strike that unleashed dozens of times the inherent sharpness of the sword itself.

‘……!’

Yu Jang-myeong saw the Cheon Gaemyeong torn apart and realized Gu Yang-jeok had broken through the wall.

Yet, Gu Yang-jeok’s eyes showed none of the transcendence characteristic of the Absolute Realm.

Instead, the obsession he had harbored until now seemed to be congealing, threatening to spill out in streams.

Whoosh, clang!

The Dragon Tower Sword and the True String clashed, sparks of red fire flying. Between them, Gu Yangji’s blood dripped steadily.

They had fought in a state of self-forgetfulness while conversing within their minds, so he was already heavily wounded.

Seeing this, Yu Zhangming spoke.

“Did you cross it?”

“……”

“Have you ascended the Heavenly Abyss Pass?”

“No.”

Gu Yangjie shook his head lightly.

“I stopped just one step short.”

Yu Zhangming felt puzzled by those words.

Hadn’t they fought with death hanging in the balance to cross the Heavenly Abyss Pass?

Yet, standing right before it, he hadn’t crossed? From Yu Zhangming’s perspective, it was hard to comprehend.

“What was the reason?”

“That was…”

Gu Yangjie recalled the recent past.

The eccentric he met in the formation was one reason, and the other was Zhi Sha Hong, who had left the Huashan Sect.

The eccentric who had bellowed, “What earthly attachments bind you, preventing you from breaking free from humanity’s shackles?”

Zhi Sha Hong, who had worn a strangely carefree expression ever since reaching the Absolute Realm.

That sight stirred a sense of foreboding within Gu Yang Jie.

Wasn’t one supposed to gradually shed the Five Desires and Seven Emotions after ascending to the Absolute Realm?

The fear that the tasks entrusted to him by Seo Mun-hwi and Jik Sang, or his resolve and will to kill Palma, might also fade, halted his steps.

‘It might be an overreaction. But if it’s true…’

Gu Yang-jeok forced a gentle smile, trying not to show the sudden fear welling up in his chest.

“There will be another chance someday, won’t there?”

Just as he had declared boldly to Jin Muwol, if he became strong enough that even the heavens couldn’t break his will, he would leap over narrow paths and stand atop the world.

As Gu Yangje revealed an awkward smile, Yu Jangmyeong retrieved the Dragon Tower Sword.

Psssst…

The Heavenly Plum Blossom Shadow, unleashed with full force, scattered into plum blossom fragments, drifting throughout the sky.

Afterwards, Yu Zhangming casually surveyed the Plum Blossom Valley.

“By the way, the scenery is lovely.”

“But it’s not a place to rot away for life.”

At those words, Yu Zhangming ruffled Gu Yangji’s hair and chuckled softly.

“Who said that?”

“……”

Gu Yangjie couldn’t shake off Yu Zhangming’s hand and pouted.

But inside, he was filled with resolve.

Whatever fate the heavens had decreed, he would shatter it. He would not let anyone use him as a pawn.

A spark began to ignite within Gu Yangjie’s heart.

* * *

“What on earth is happening to this world… Tsk tsk.”

Cheolpunggae sighed deeply as he checked the urgent dispatches sent from various regions.

With the strongest in Gangseo being declared almost daily, the martial world was turning into a battlefield everywhere as factions solidified their power.

The only place remaining quiet was the martial world north of the river, where the Huashan Sect resided.

There, fellow Taoists appeared to be harmoniously coexisting.

Above all, the Zhongnan Sect was remarkably yielding its position in the middle.

The turning point came immediately after the battle between the Immortal of No Killing and the Suppression Squad.

Cheolpunggae scratched his head vigorously.

‘I never thought the Immortal of Full Prosperity would go that far.’

The Taoist with the highest standing in the current martial world.

Excluding the reclusive monk Anbin, who belonged to no sect, there was virtually no other Taoist on par with Master Mansun.

‘What on earth is so great about the Huashan Sect that he protects them so fiercely?’

Cheolpunggae frowned deeply, straining to find the connection between Master Mansun and the Huashan Sect. But nothing came to mind.

“…Hmph.”

Just as he was cooling his heated head.

Thud!

A blood-stained letter box slammed into Cheolpunggae’s cheek.

“What the hell is this?”

“Clatter.”

Faint, nameless characters were faintly visible on the front of the letter.