Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Disasters Always Come Without Warning (1)
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A group of about a dozen men, led by a burly fellow in his late forties, sat atop a nine-story pagoda overlooking the brightly lit city of Eoyang.
"Heh heh! What a sight."
Far off in the distance, a fierce battle raged on Dongting Lake.
A hulking giant over seven feet tall clashed with a slender girl against the warriors of the Namgung Clan.
From up here, their fight was visible in vivid detail, as if one could reach out and touch it.
The leader of the group was named Gwak Geo-cheol.
He was the deputy stronghold leader of the Black Water Stronghold, one of the Eighteen Bandit Strongholds of the Green Forest. Excluding the stronghold leader Jo Yun-san, he held the highest position there.
He looked rough and brutish, but in truth, he was sharp-witted and skilled in schemes. That was why Jo Yun-san trusted him so deeply.
But that trust wasn't entirely a blessing. It meant he had to handle all the dirty work.
Gwak Geo-cheol had arrived in Eoyang just a few days ago. The first thing he did upon entering the city was visit the Heavenly Abode Tower to take a courtesan.
The strongholds had women too, but none as soft and supple as the courtesans of the Heavenly Abode Tower. He reveled in pleasure with his men, indulging in the courtesans to his heart's content.
He lost track of how much liquor they drank. When he came to, the floor was littered with empty bottles, and naked courtesans lay scattered about.
That dreamlike time had ended yesterday.
"We should have taken out that bastard first."
Gwak Geo-cheol muttered as he watched the giant displaying terrifying prowess against the Namgung Clan warriors.
The giant was none other than Mok Il-gwang. He fought desperately to protect Hwang Hye-ryeong.
It was Gwak Geo-cheol who had tipped off the Namgung Clan about Hwang Hye-ryeong's presence. He planned to use them to eliminate her.
Until now, everything had gone smoothly.
"As expected of the deputy leader. How did you come up with such a brilliant scheme?"
One of the men beside him rubbed his hands together in flattery.
The man's name was Gong So-chu. He looked scrawny, but his hands were ruthless and his heart even more so. He was one of Gwak Geo-cheol's most reliable underlings.
Thinking back, his connection with Gong So-chu spanned over twenty years—nearly as long as his bond with stronghold leader Jo Yun-san.
Gwak Geo-cheol chuckled.
"Flattery won't get you anything extra, So-chu."
"Heh heh! Do I look like I'm after something? These words come straight from the heart."
"Tch! You and your silver tongue."
"It's been twenty years serving the stronghold leader and you, sir. We know each other like the back of our hands, don't we? Heh heh!"
Gong So-chu burst into a cheeky laugh.
Gwak Geo-cheol smirked at his impudence and turned his gaze back to Dongting Lake.
Boom!
A massive spray of water shot up, the thunderous roar reaching even here. It was the aftermath of Mok Il-gwang unleashing a full-power strike.
The Namgung Clan warriors scattered backward in disarray.
Their panicked expressions were clear even from afar, overwhelmed by Mok Il-gwang's martial prowess.
A gap opened in their encirclement. Mok Il-gwang seized the moment, scooping up Hwang Hye-ryeong and breaking through the Water Dragon Formation line.
Propelling his massive frame with water-stepping technique to reach the shore, he then unleashed lightness skill and vanished from sight.
The Namgung warriors belatedly raised a clamor, pursuing them, but Mok Il-gwang and Hwang Hye-ryeong were already gone.
"Wh-what?"
Gwak Geo-cheol shot to his feet.
"They couldn't even eat the meal we served them."
He vented his frustration.
"Deputy leader?"
"Track down that woman and her brat immediately. If they slip out of Eoyang and join the Overlord Stronghold, things could get messy."
"Understood."
"You idiots! What kind of Five Great Clans warriors are those? So-chu!"
"Yes!"
"Take some men and scout their escape route."
"Shall we handle it ourselves?"
"Why would we? Tip off the Namgung bastards. If word gets out that we're involved, the grand stronghold leader will move. He mustn't know anything until the grand undertaking."
"Got it. We'll just pass on the intel then."
"Go, quickly."
"Yes!"
Gong So-chu took a few underlings and descended the pagoda.
Those he brought were the best trackers in the Black Water Stronghold. With their skill in finding even a needle hidden in fallen leaves, locating Hwang Hye-ryeong and Mok Il-gwang would be no trouble.
"Tch! Should've just killed that wench back then. Would've saved us all this hassle."
Gwak Geo-cheol bit his lip hard.
***
Wuhan was the capital of Hubei Province.
To the south, rivers like the Yangtze were well-developed, and to the north, the official roads were excellently paved. It had long been famous as a transportation hub connecting in all directions.
Especially in Hubei, with its vast lakes, even as an inland region, freshwater fish cuisine was highly developed.
"Wow!"
Upon arriving in Wuhan, the first thing Bang Jin-bo did was head straight to the market.
Stalls lined the streets densely. On them lay various fish caught from the nearby Yangtze and East Lake, bellies up.
Bang Jin-bo wandered the market excitedly.
Dam Ho, on the other hand, scanned his surroundings with indifferent eyes.
His face remained impassive, but his mind churned with thoughts.
'Eum Yu-kyeong.'
It was clear she hailed from the Demonic Cult. They'd met at the Thousand Gold Horse Pavilion, and she'd admitted it herself.
Her junior brother, Sin Mu-wol, was undoubtedly a Demonic Cultist too.
'Then what about the Golden Horse Lion?'
Sin Mu-wol had transmitted that they'd lost the Golden Horse Lion.
The Golden Horse Lion had claimed affiliation with the Demonic Cult. So the three should be comrades in the same boat. Yet Sin Mu-wol's tone held clear resentment toward the Golden Horse Lion.
'Eum Yu-kyeong said she's searching for a sacred relic.'
He'd never heard tales of Demonic Cult sacred relics. He couldn't even guess what it might be.
Dam Ho figured the Demonic Cult's internal affairs were quite complicated. But he didn't dwell deeper.
There were limits to speculation with limited info. No need to overthink it yet.
'When the time comes, our paths will cross.'
No matter how vast the martial world, fate would bring them together eventually.
The threads of favor and grudge that sustained it were tough and sticky—once entangled, escape was impossible.
Dam Ho and they were already bound by such ties. As long as he breathed, they'd meet again someday.
As he walked, Dam Ho's eyes caught a shabby old bookstore. The scent of musty paper wafted from within, filled with countless books.
He told Bang Jin-bo he'd be at the bookstore and entered.
Inside, books were piled so high there was barely room to stand.
The elderly owner, past seventy, dozed off in his chair.
Dam Ho pulled a book from the shelf stocked with martial arts manuals.
It was titled Wind and Cloud Divine Fist.
The grandiose name made his eyebrow twitch. But flipping through, the contents were nothing special.
The others were the same. Dragon-Tiger Fist, Thunderbolt Divine Fist—flashy names, but no real substance.
Dam Ho wasn't disappointed. He hadn't expected genuine martial arts manuals here anyway.
He swiftly scanned the shelves of manuals. In moments, twenty passed through his hands.
His casual flipping paused suddenly.
A certain passage had caught his eye.
[Only the lone wanderer stands tall in the world.]
The abrupt line seized his attention.
Not a martial formula, nor anything profound. Yet that single line shook Dam Ho to his core.
He closed his eyes.
Lone wanderer... solitary traveler... and himself...
His thoughts spread infinite wings.
One thought birthed another, his imagination stretching endlessly.
Dam Ho's shoulders trembled faintly.
Whoosh!
In that instant, the Dark Soul Heart Technique stirred.
A thread of inner energy rose, swiftly circulating through his entire body.
Dam Ho didn't consciously direct it. He couldn't even perceive it.
In the darkness, he felt boundless freedom.
Lone wanderer—those three words held everything he desired.
Only then did Dam Ho realize his true nature.
'I've always been alone.'
His thoughts extended further.
Far off, a light appeared.
A pitch-black light.
Infinitely dark, yet shining.
As Dam Ho reached for it—
—No, Ho-ya.
A voice suddenly shattered his reverie entirely.
'Master.'
Dam Ho turned.
There stood his master's apparition.
The master he'd longed for even in dreams, Immortal Hyeon So, gazed at him.
'Master!'
The apparition of Immortal Hyeon So looked exactly as he had twelve years ago.
Immortal Hyeon So shook his head.
—No.
'Master!'
—Not yet, Ho-ya.
Dam Ho turned back.
The dark light was fading bit by bit.
He could still grasp it if he reached out.
—Ho-ya!
Immortal Hyeon So's voice rang out again. Turning, Dam Ho saw him smiling gently.
—Ho-ya, protect yourself.
'Master, I...'
Dam Ho let go of his lingering attachment to the dark light and walked toward Immortal Hyeon So.
The figure grew fainter.
Dam Ho reached out. But his hand passed through empty air.
The apparition vanished like an illusion, leaving Dam Ho alone.
Dam Ho opened his eyes.
A burst of dazzling light flashed out briefly before vanishing.
Regaining his usual gaze, he looked around and was slightly startled.
The shelves around him had collapsed in ruins, books strewn everywhere.
In one corner, the elderly bookstore owner trembled in terror.
Only then did Dam Ho realize what had happened.
'Did I fall into the Heart Demon Realm?'
The Dark Soul Heart Technique was a fusion of the Huashan Sect's Profound Heaven Heart Technique, various Demonic Cult methods, and Dam Ho's own insights.
With the Profound Heaven Heart Technique as its sturdy foundation, he'd rarely risked heart demons until now.
But unexpectedly ensnared by the words "lone wanderer," the entire Dark Soul Heart Technique had surged.
Seeking perfection, it moved on its own. But it overreached.
Trying to fly the path meant for walking and running caused cracks everywhere.
What if he'd seized that black light?
Dam Ho shook his head.
He'd nearly gone berserk.
Had he plunged into the Heart Demon Realm, the bookstore's destruction wouldn't have been the end.
Still, it wasn't for nothing.
Though on the verge of rampage, his Dark Soul Heart Technique had grown even more solid, thanks to stopping in time.
"Master."
As faint longing rose in Dam Ho's eyes—
"D-Dam Swordmaster?"
Someone called from the bookstore entrance.
Looking up, a plainly dressed man stared at him with fear-filled eyes.
"Who are you?"
"I-I'm Jang So-chul of the Haomen Wuhan branch."
"Haomen?"
"Yes! The Eoyang branch sent an express letter..."
Jang So-chul's voice trembled involuntarily.
From the moment Dam Ho entered Wuhan, Haomen had tracked him. As a person of interest, they located him swiftly upon the letter's arrival.
Entering to deliver it, he'd witnessed a horrifying scene.
Black energy swirled around Dam Ho like a vortex. It resembled a massive beast spreading dark wings.
The mix of killing intent and madness in that black aura struck Jang So-chul like a heart-stopping blow. In all his years seeing countless warriors, he'd never beheld such an overwhelming sight.
Jang So-chul respectfully offered the letter.
Dam Ho tore open the envelope and read.
"Jo Yun-san... Black Water Stronghold..."