914——————==

True Martial Home

Mangnyang is dead…?

“……”

I was momentarily stunned by Zhuge Yulong’s words.

So that means Mangnyang pushed me to this Golden Crow Island’s heart and kicked the bucket right after sending me off? He had said he’d die in a few days, so naturally, I was taken aback by his sudden demise.

But soon enough, I replied to Zhuge Yulong.

[ I’m not going back.]

[ Don’t do anything reckless. Right now, you’re deep in Golden Crow Island. Just getting back alive is risky enough, and if you push through even more dangers, you won’t make it out.]

[ ……]

[ Get out of Golden Crow’s fortress while you still can. Hurry.]

Zhuge Yulong’s logic was sound. I had originally planned to rely on Mangnyang’s Sky-Destruction Sun and Moon Fan to return, but with him dead, I was effectively trapped in Golden Crow Island. Returning alone was sure to be a life-threatening adventure, and from Zhuge Yulong’s viewpoint as a strategist, he was telling me to give up on the Golden Crow Egg to minimize further risks.

I understood Zhuge Yulong’s perspective, but I wasn’t about to back down from my own thoughts.

[ Mangnyang told me to get the Golden Crow Egg no matter what.]

[ He wouldn’t have asked you to do that at the cost of your life.]

I gritted my teeth.

[ He might have. But… if what I heard last was Mangnyang’s dying wish, then I have to honor his words.]

[ That’s foolish behavior. Come back right now.]

[ I will not.]

[ ……]

After confirming that my resolve hadn’t wavered, Zhuge Yulong spoke after a brief pause.

[ Fine. Then I will devise a plan that aligns with your wishes.]

[ Really?]

[ But you must promise me. No matter whether you get the Egg or not, you will use this plan and escape the fortress.]

[ Got it. What should I do?]

[ If the Golden Light Saint’s territory holds the Golden Crow Egg, then she will surely step aside. The method is…]

I slowly absorbed Zhuge Yulong’s plan, reflecting on it.

[ Indeed.]

I had only thought of brute force, but there was this alternative!

Zhuge Yulong was definitely one of the greatest strategists out there.

I began to act according to his plan.

I moved away from the area with the Golden Light Saint and returned to the spot I had originally arrived at, calling out loudly for Dong Tian-Jun.

” Dong Tian-Jun, Dong Tian-Jun!! Come out now!!”

A moment later, Dong Tian-Jun appeared using space movement technique, his eyes shining with excitement.

[ What is it, Yuan Tian-Jun? Did you find something?]

” Yes. I discovered where that rat-like person disappeared earlier. But there’s a catch…”

[ A catch?]

” It seems that place is within the Golden Light Saint’s territory. She told me to go back, and now I can’t search any further.”

[ Hmm…]

Dong Tian-Jun tapped his chin and then said.

[ Well, it cannot be helped. It’s not something we can pursue while digging into her domain…]

” But here’s the thing, I have a brilliant idea.”

[ Huh? A brilliant idea?]

” I picked up something that little brat dropped. Take a look at this.”

I discreetly pulled out the Divine Sword and held it up. Dong Tian-Jun’s eyes widened in shock as he realized what it was.

[ Oh… ohhh…!! That’s an incredible sword!! What is that?]

” I’m not exactly sure, but I heard that brat call it the Divine Sword.”

[ The Divine Sword!! The Greatest Sword under Heaven?! I can’t believe it actually exists…]

[ Do you know about it?]

[ You’ve lived in the human world long enough to know better, right? Hmph… Looks like you’re pretty tempted by that sword too.]

Dong Tian-Jun’s eyes shimmered with greed. I smiled slyly back at him.

” Yeah… truth is, I know. That brat probably has a lot of treasures besides the Divine Sword. Even if the Golden Light Saint interferes, I’ve got to get my hands on it.”

[ Do you have a plan?]

” We’ll push them aside by force. You and I, plus a couple more, will demand that the Golden Light Saint make way.”

[ Do we really need to go that far…?]

Seeing Dong Tian-Jun’s wavering gaze, I hammered it in.

” It’s dumb. Why do you think the Golden Light Saint isn’t looking for humans? Of course, she wants to hog that brat all to herself and snatch all the treasures.”

[ Is it really like that?]

” She’s definitely playing dumb. I would do the same.”

[ Hmm! Alright, then. I’ll call for Son Tian-Jun and Zhang Tian-Jun.]

Bleep –

Dong Tian-Jun let out a strange whistling sound, and moments later Son Tian-Jun and Zhang Tian-Jun appeared in the hall. Dong Tian-Jun explained the situation to them, and when they caught sight of the Divine Sword I was holding, they became visibly eager.

[ What an incredible sword… ]

[ Yuan Tian-Jun, you don’t plan on keeping it all to yourself, do you?]

I shrugged.

” Of course not. That brat likely has more treasures, so I’ll help split them fair and square after we finish him off. And then the Divine Sword comes to me.”

[ Ohhhh… ]

[ Awesome, Yuan Tian-Jun.]

They praised me, and I marched forward saying,

” Alright, let’s go!!”

I led the trio back to the front of the Golden Light Saint. Upon seeing us, she frowned deeply.

[ You filthy scoundrels… What are you plotting? Why are you all gathered here?]

I shot a glance at Dong Tian-Jun, and he shouted loudly.

[ Golden Light Saint! You’re hiding that human brat, aren’t you? Step aside right now! Don’t hoard the treasures!]

[ ……]

The Golden Light Saint looked perplexed, but soon Son Tian-Jun and Zhang Tian-Jun joined in.

[ If you’ve got nothing to hide, then get out of the way!]

[ We’re suspicious of you!! Golden Light Saint!]

[ Wh-what?!]

The Golden Light Saint’s expression started to shift to panic. After a moment of scanning her surroundings with a cold gaze, she said,

[ Do you know why I guard this area?]

[ Not really!]

[ It’s because of an order from the previous Grand Master! If you try to force me to back down, it’s no different from defying the wishes of the past Grand Master. If you still want to fight, I’ll gladly oblige.]

Gulp.

Everyone looked taken aback at the mention of the previous Grand Master’s orders. Simultaneously, the shameless intent of simply seeking treasure without justification had many of the Tianjun members hesitating. Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, I quickly interjected.

” Golden Light Saint! If that’s the case, let’s do this. I’ll accompany you inside for a quick look, and if that human is absent, I’ll clear out without a fuss. How does that sound?”

[ Is that really necessary? I swear, I haven’t felt anyone sneaking in here!]

” If you can’t accept that, then we’ll have to keep suspecting you… But you will end up being outcast by us for thousands of years.”

[ Ugh…]

The Golden Light Saint seemed to be in a bind. Direct confrontation might lead to death if it came down to that, but thinking beyond the worst-case scenario of being hated by nearly half of the Tianjun would be a considerable loss for her.

Since the Tianjun were monsters, they were always ready to stab each other in the back given the chance. This was directly tied to her survival.

With no other option, the Golden Light Saint reluctantly nodded.

[ Fine, Yuan Tian-Jun… Follow me.]

” Sure.”

I started exploring her territory, just the two of us. When we got to a point where the others wouldn’t see us, I asked her,

” I don’t quite get it. We, as Tianjun, can operate freely, but is it true the previous Grand Master put you under such orders?”

[ Indeed.]

” What was the reason for the Grand Master’s command?”

[ I don’t know. But no one is allowed to enter here.]

” ……”

It seemed that Jin So-cheong obtaining that Egg in the past was influenced more by fortune than I imagined. Even if it was merely an object obtained by chance, there was no way it could be kept by one of the Tianjun risking their life.

I came close to the secret hallway with the Golden Light Saint, but soon realized the passage was blocked. Confused, I asked,

” What’s this? Is the path cut off?”

[ From here on, even I cannot proceed. It’s a region directly sealed by the Grand Master. If you look closely, you can see the seals put in place by the Grand Master himself.]

I used Fire Eye Golden Spirit to scan the wall. Sure enough, thousands of sorcery words densely marked the wall, and powerful barriers were placed multitudes deep. As I beheld the sight, I thought to myself.

‘ So Jin So-cheong must have broken the seal using force to obtain the Egg back then.’

After thinking it over deeply, I spoke.

” Got it. Since it’s the previous Grand Master’s seal, there’s no helping it! Let’s head back.”

[ You understand?]

” Yes. I won’t argue any further. I’ll convince the rest of them smoothly.”

[ That’s good… Just don’t annoy me any further.]

Just as the Golden Light Saint was about to turn around with a huff,

‘ Now’s my chance!’

I noticed her let her guard down, swiftly pulled out the Divine Sword from a close distance, and in an instant, I stabbed her in the back with a swift strike infused with intent.

Thump.

[ ……!!]

The Golden Light Saint trembled violently from the impact. I swung the Divine Sword horizontally with full intention to finish her off, but the tip met with nothing. Somewhere along the line, she activated her martial arts technique automatically, teleporting away, and from a distance, the Golden Light Saint shouted furiously.

[ You little scoundrel, Yuan Tian-Jun!! How dare you ambush a fellow Tianjun! I won’t let you get away with this… Cough.]

Zing!

The Golden Light Saint’s Golden Light Formation was set to go off, but it only flickered faintly and failed to activate fully. One hit from the Divine Sword had sent her into dire straits. Ultimately, the Golden Light Saint lost her will to fight and made haste to escape.

Shhh.

Once the Golden Light Saint’s aura vanished, I fixed my cold gaze on the wall before me.

Then I infused all my Spirit Power into the Divine Sword and swung it like a hammer.

Bam!

The wall of the passage shattered with a loud crash, and glass shattered all around. Beyond the broken glass wall lay a dark void, and I stepped confidently into that space. With no light, I could see nothing; it took some groping around before my fingertips brushed against something.

” This is it.”

I picked up a round egg. Jin So-cheong must have meant he ‘found’ it because he fumbled around in this darkness just like I did. Immediately after grabbing the Golden Crow Egg, I placed it into my wooden armor and thought to myself.

‘ So far, so good…’

Now the real problem was getting out. But since Zhuge Yulong had given me some sage advice, I didn’t fret as I initiated my next action.

” I offer my Spirit Power as a sacrifice.”

Muttering under my breath, I invoked the summoning technique.

” Come forth, mystical beast from the otherworld!”

Boom!

The beast I contracted when I learned Demon Path from Zhuge Sa materialized instantly. Once I summoned it, I hopped right on top and commanded.

” To the real world!”

Kieeeh!!

” KRAAAAHHHHHH!!”

Boom!

A moment later, I fell from the sky in excruciating pain, crashing down hundreds of feet below to the ground. Since I hadn’t drunk beforehand, I had to endure the impact of hyper-light speed bare-bodied, and although I activated my Spirit Energy and Protection Energy Techniques to shield myself, everything still got wrecked. My body felt like it had been trampled a hundred times by a giant, leaving me in agony, trembling all over.

” Cough, cough, cuuuough…”

Damn it… I really didn’t want to use this method!

I had to drink beforehand to withstand the dimensional shock when riding this beast, but since I hadn’t, I barely managed to cross into another dimension. I almost thought I was going to die, which made me reconsider returning with Mangnyang’s help like before for a stable escape.

But as soon as I saw the blue sky of reality instead of the blood-red sky of Golden Crow Island, my heart calmed down a bit. Somehow I had obtained the Golden Crow Egg and returned to reality. Just barely getting up from the ground, I used the Golden Lamp technique to return to my base.

” I’m back.”

Zhuge Yulong and a few comrades were waiting for me. And on the large bed surrounded by them lay Mangnyang’s corpse.

” ……”

Is he really dead…?

It didn’t feel real. I could almost feel the tears swelling up, but I held back and spoke.

” Mangnyang. I’ve brought the Egg…”

No answer came. Then, Zhuge Yulong, sitting beside me, spoke in a calm voice.

” With this, our treasure hunting is nearly finished. Now what we must do is offer all of this to gain the Law of Cause and Effect and break through the Life Sea.”

In that moment, I couldn’t hold back and called out to him.

” Zhuge Yulong.”

” What is it?”

” Doesn’t it make you sad? Your son is dead…”

At my question, Zhuge Yulong’s expression didn’t change one bit. With a calm face, he replied.

” We both knew that this day would eventually come. As long as I remain your strategist, it’s a fate I can’t avoid. Maybe it would be different if it was an unexpected death, but if you were prepared all along, isn’t it a disrespect to him to mourn half-heartedly?”

” … That’s not what I mean. Mangnyang is dead…”

I bit my lip.

” Don’t you harbor any hatred towards me? Won’t you even say a word of blame?”

I had prepared myself to hear malice and resentment from Zhuge Yulong or Zhuge Bu when I came here. Mangnyang had fought with every ounce of his strength for me, after all, so it would be right for them to blame me. But no, Zhuge Yulong, and even Zhuge Bu sitting beside him, were utterly composed without any emotional shifts, leaving me utterly bewildered.

Then Zhuge Bu, now in a woman’s form, spoke with a slightly raised voice, self-deprecatingly.

” Hatred and resentment? You tore that away from us long ago. Who in this world could rage against death before you?”

” ……”

” To be honest, I didn’t like Hyun that much. I hated and resented him. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t feel anything at the death of a blood relation. After all, we were brothers…”

” Zhuge Bu.”

” So would cursing you lighten my feelings? Not at all… because the reality won’t change.”

Zhuge Bu continued speaking while fiddling with Mangnyang’s hand.

” Don’t come to us seeking forgiveness just to feel better. That’s cowardly.”

” ……!!”

I wanted to respond, to say something back, but I couldn’t find the words. So I shut my mouth again, and Seo Mun-hye spoke up.

” Baek Woong.”

She slowly approached and hugged me, saying,

” Overcome your fate. All we expect from you, Baek Woong, is nothing but that…”

Fate…

I couldn’t help but mull over her words.

‘ Is there really such a thing as fate?’

If fate exists—does that mean opposing gods was my destiny all along?

Is that really the case?

Was Mangnyang’s death also part of fate?

But I didn’t dwell on it any longer; I stood up. Grabbing the Sky-Destruction Sun and Moon Fan that laid upon Mangnyang’s corpse, I announced,

” I’m off to see Cheon Woo-jin.”

As Mangnyang wished, I would eliminate the variables of my destiny and forge a new path ahead.

That was the only thing I could do for the memory of Mangnyang.