Chapter: 541
Time really flew by.
Summer came to an end.
Autumn arrived.
Before long, autumn waved goodbye as winter rolled back in.
This cycle of parting continued on.
Three years.
In the blink of an eye, three years had slipped by.
To anyone looking on, it might seem like a short span of time.
Yet during that brief period, countless events unfolded in the Central Plains.
The first piece of news that made waves was the Murim Alliance’s public announcement of the Tang Clan’s hideous deeds.
The revelation was shocking: the Sacheondang Clan had conducted ghastly human experiments for their own profit.
It spread like wildfire that they had been kidnapping children for years on end just for these experiments.
When the news broke, fury erupted among many.
– “Punish the Tang Clan!”
– “How could a righteous family stoop to that low!”
The backlash was far greater than anyone had anticipated.
Though they claimed to have beheaded all the elders involved in the plots, that alone couldn’t quell the rising tide of rage directed at the Tang Clan.
– “The Tang Clan is no longer one of the four great clans!”
– “What can we call a family that commits such vile acts?”
As whispers like these began to circulate, the chat quickly spread to every corner of the Central Plains.
Part of the reason was likely that the Tang Clan halted all their activities and withdrew from society after the scandal.
And as seasons changed, fewer and fewer people dared to call the Tang Clan one of the Four Great Sages.
The tale of the once-mighty Tang Clan dimmed into obscurity.
All that remained was speculation about which family might rise to fill the vacant spot among the Four Great Houses.
The second incident that followed was sparked by a report from Sacheon. The Alliance learned that indeed, an enemy-grade magic gate had begun to open.
That stirred quite the uproar back then.
The emergence of a red magic gate that hadn’t shown itself for centuries.
This caused quite a bit of chaos initially.
Normally, the Central Plains maintained peace even with monster appearances, thanks to the relatively low dangers posed by green and blue monsters.
Moreover, the martial artists capable of handling those monsters weren’t at an extremely high level.
But the red monsters were a different story.
Ultimate-level martial artists.
So powerful that multiple fighters needed to band together just to have a chance at hunting one down.
This led to an increase in the importance of top-tier fighters overnight.
One fortunate note, however…
For at least five years and even up to ten, the damage anticipated was said to be catastrophic, yet the actual harm caused by the red monsters turned out to be noticeably lower than expected.
The reason?
As soon as news of the red magic gate’s emergence spread, an anonymous informant revealed strategies for dealing with the red monsters.
– “The red monsters possess a barrier constructed of chi.”
– “The barrier rotates, providing full-body protection.”
– “While it has the ability to absorb attacks, a peak-level martial artist focused intently may spot a gap in the rotating shield.”
– “Aim for that spot.”
At first, it seemed beyond belief.
It didn’t take long for word to spread that it was indeed true.
Thanks to that information, the colossal damage expected was significantly mitigated.
Additionally, the frequency of the red magic gate’s emergence was remarkably lower compared to the other tiers, which was likely another contributing factor.
The critical takeaway here?
Whatever the circumstance, the so-called era of peace had been breached.
Then came the third incident.
[The head of the Murim Alliance has changed.]
Immediately following the departure of Nakgeom Jangcheon, the Alliance was compelled to appoint a new leader.
Naturally, political battles ensued.
While the process was kept under wraps within the Murim Alliance, some information did leak out.
Reportedly, there had been a tussle over the leader’s position between the head of the Wudang Sect and the patriarch of the Peng Clan.
Not long after, it was confirmed that Mudanggeom Seon had ascended to the position of leader following Nakgeom Jangcheon.
This was unprecedented.
Since the Murim Alliance’s inception, this marked the first instance of a sect-born martial artist becoming the leader.
And finally, the fourth incident involved…
The rampaging red magic gate in Cheonghae.
Ironically, it resulted in the news that Yi Bijin, the leader of the Kunlun sect, had met his end.
—
A plain in Guangdong Province.
There, a man knelt down, blood pouring from his wounds.
“Cough…”
He doubled over, expelling blood onto the ground.
Thwack!-! Crimson blood dripped ominously.
It was a clear sign that his life was hanging by a thread.
His left arm was grotesquely twisted.
The center of his chest was unnaturally caved in.
Excruciating pain coursed through him.
Yet, amidst that agony, the man managed to chuckle.
“Ha ha…”
The man’s name was Domun Kang.
He wasn’t referred to that way anymore, but just a few years back, he was known as the great Simao.
The Nine Fisted Demon, Domun Kang.
A master of Hwagyeong, capable of reducing opponents to mere mush with nine precise strikes.
Now, he found himself on the verge of death in Guangdong’s land.
“… This is absurd.”
Bleeding heavily, Domun Kang lifted his head.
At the edge of his flickering vision stood another figure.
Dressed in blended blue and black martial attire, with hands clasped behind his back, the figure regarded Domun Kang.
Inspecting him, Domun Kang managed a quavering smile.
“…Couldn’t hit me after all?”
“I grazed you,” came the monotonous reply.
Domun Kang let out a hollow laugh, his tone laced with disbelief due to the youthful voice.
“…Ha…”
A martial technique renowned for its precision, unmatched by any previous masters.
Yet the individual before him had utterly dismantled that reputation.
Did he just barely graze me?
After decades dedicated to honing his craft,
had everything crumbled due to a mere youth who looked no older than a teenager?
“Oh, dear…”
Domun Kang chuckled softly and lowered his head, feeling the weight of despair.
Gradually, as his vision dimmed further, he managed to pose a final question.
“…May I know your name?”
He desperately wanted to know—the name of the martial artist who had so brutally shattered him.
And also…
The name of the one whom he believed would ascend to become the greatest in history.
Domun Kang longed for that name.
The young man, hearing the query, gleamed with bright blue eyes as he replied.
“Name? I’m just the third child of the Gu family.”
“…The Gu family…”
Upon hearing that, Domun Kang caught a fleeting glimpse of a face in his mind.
The monstrous man who had previously sealed his fate.
Same last name.
Could this be his son?
He had heard rumors regarding a child, but the name escaped him.
Yet…
‘…It probably isn’t…’
Such doubts vanished swiftly from his mind.
The monster had wielded flame-based techniques.
The youth before him had shown no such abilities.
Only hand-to-hand fighting had led to his downfall, leaving no doubt this wasn’t from that lineage.
Having concluded that line of thought, Domun Kang inquired further.
“Then… do you have a nickname?”
“Nickname?”
The young man’s eyes flicked around.
A brief moment of contemplation, or perhaps hesitation.
Seconds ticked by.
Finally, the young man introduced himself to Domun Kang by his nickname.
“Heavenly Demon.”
Domun Kang reflected on this revelation.
“… Heavenly Demon…”
A demon sent from the heavens.
A rather pompous title, yet it fit the young man perfectly.
Thus contemplated, Domun Kang…
Thud…
Lowered his head, ready to meet his end.
“Hmm…”
Tap, tap.
The young man shrugged off his hands as he observed the lifeless Domun Kang.
His expression was decidedly apathetic.
Then, he pulled out a letter from his pocket.
A gift from his mentor.
The letter bore the imprint of the Open Gate.
Gazing at its design, he realized it was the seal belonging to the chief of that very Open Gate.
This prompted the young man to adopt a perplexed frown.
It was evident this wouldn’t be anything ordinary.
What nonsense was sent to me this time?
Anxiety bubbled within him.
Without delay, he unfurled the letter to read its contents.
“Ah.”
Surprised, the young man’s eyes widened at the first line within.
A highly unexpected message awaited him.
– “The God Dragon Martial Arts Festival will be held.”
Such a random and wholly unanticipated statement.
Why did that just come out of nowhere?
It was utterly ridiculous to think about.
Yet, gazing at it, the young man felt an inexplicable smile creep across his face.
Perhaps it was a stroke of luck after all.
“I had to get moving soon.”
With a crunch…
He hastily folded the letter, tucking it back into his robes.
Then he glanced upwards toward the sky.
And then he casually remarked,
“Time to come down.”
He said this while fixing a glare at the sun.
RAAAWWWR!
A primal roar echoed from somewhere.
Swoosh-!
Something plummeted rapidly from above, plummeting toward the ground.
Immediately after, a mysterious object collided with the earth.
Khoooom-! KRAAAASH-!
Dust erupted with tremendous force.
Before long, when his vision cleared once more,
grrraaarr…
The young man was perched atop a colossal monster adorned in blue scales.
As he caressed the creature’s scales, he declared,
“Let’s head home first. If we linger, that old man will start fussing again.”
Grrrr…!
Upon hearing his words, the creature bolted forth with vigor.
Boom-!
Soaring swiftly through the sky like it was gliding through water.
The pace was breathtaking.
The landscape transformed in a heartbeat.
With the wind whipping through his hair, the young man continuously clenched and unclenched his fists, mulling over his next steps.
‘This should suffice for preparation.’
Longer than anticipated, but foundational work was finally laid down.
Now it felt like success was within reach.
Yeah!
It seemed at long last, the time was right.
‘Let’s kick things off.’
It was time to really get this show on the road.
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