Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: Chapter 8. Chaos is Like a Swamp That Draws Everything In (2)
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True Person Hyeon So sat blankly on the pavilion, gazing at the sunset landscape. The children watched him with puzzled expressions.
Ever since Cheon O-gyeong had left that morning, True Person Hyeon So had been in this state. He sat there all day like a man whose soul had fled his body.
His form was here, but it was as if his spirit dwelled elsewhere.
Normally, the children would have swarmed him, pestering him endlessly. But sensing something off in the air, they kept their distance, merely watching him from afar without disturbing him.
A whirlwind of thoughts churned in True Person Hyeon So's mind. Even in stillness, one thought led to another, rising and fading endlessly.
Fleeting thoughts flickered like shadows.
True Person Hyeon So's eyes stared off into the distance.
When he had been on Mount Hua, he had vaguely believed that diligent cultivation would one day lead him to immortality. But the Dao he so desperately sought did not exist there.
"The Way of Man."
That was the koan now filling his mind.
It had been several years since he lost his disciple and left Mount Hua to wander the world. In that time, True Person Hyeon So had encountered every sort of person.
Some were blinded by greed for wealth, others lost themselves to lust for power.
Some lived in misfortune, while others enjoyed happiness beyond their lot.
"What divides humanity so? Is it innate desires, or the surrounding environment...?"
His musings stretched on without end.
His earnest contemplation carried his mind to realms far beyond.
There were clouds, and beneath his feet, the world sprawled out. The world that had seemed so vast when he left Mount Hua now fit in the palm of his hand.
True Person Hyeon So looked even higher.
His mind, unsated, reached for greater heights. It felt as if he could grasp the truths of the world he so longed for if he just stretched out his hand.
It was then.
"Junior Brother!"
A cold voice shattered his reverie to pieces.
The world shifted.
When he opened his eyes, the cloudy vista was gone, replaced by a stern-faced middle-aged man staring at him.
The moment he saw the man, whose features were sharp as a honed blade, a sigh escaped True Person Hyeon So's lips.
"Senior Brother... Sword Inspection."
"It's been a while."
The one speaking in a voice as cold as his appearance was none other than True Person Hyeon Geom, known as Mount Hua's Foremost Swordsman. Behind him stood Un Gyeong, wearing an apologetic expression.
True Person Hyeon So looked down at his hands with regret.
Enlightenment was like sand, slipping heedlessly through his fingers. A little more time, and he might have grasped something—but his hands were empty.
He didn't know when such a moment might come again. It might never return.
That fact left him with lingering regret.
True Person Hyeon So shook off his regret with a light sigh and rose to his feet.
"What brings you here, Senior Brother?"
"I came to Sakju and heard you were here, so I stopped by."
"......"
"How long do you intend to keep me standing?"
"Please, sit."
True Person Hyeon So gestured to the spot opposite him on the pavilion—the very seat where Cheon O-gyeong had sat the night before.
Cheon O-gyeong had appeared as suddenly as he vanished. But the impact he left on True Person Hyeon So was far from small. Their conversation had given him much to ponder.
Speaking with him had been immensely enjoyable, yet facing True Person Hyeon So now choked him with unease.
"Truly, what is the difference between a demon and a righteous man?"
Cheon O-gyeong, from the Demonic Cult, seemed more like a righteous warrior, while True Person Hyeon Geom, Mount Hua's greatest swordsman from a prestigious sect, exuded a domineering, razor-sharp aura like that of a fiend.
True Person Hyeon Geom scanned True Person Hyeon So from head to toe with eyes as sharp as his sword.
"Time has passed, yet you remain unchanged."
"How could a person not change? I have changed much myself."
"That look in your eyes suggests as much."
"Senior Brother?"
"Do you still resent me?"
"......"
"So you do."
True Person Hyeon Geom's eyes gleamed coldly.
His gaze pierced True Person Hyeon So's chest like a blade.
"I still do not regret that day's events."
"Senior Brother!"
True Person Hyeon So raised his voice. But True Person Hyeon Geom pressed on undeterred.
"Now, Cheon Gyeong's uniqueness stands out, but back then, that child was of no use to Mount Hua. Anyone—not just me—would have judged the same."
"His reputation shakes the world, yet you still refuse to acknowledge him."
"I trust only what my eyes have seen."
"Hoo!"
True Person Hyeon So sighed once more at his senior brother's unyielding stubbornness.
His senior brother was as inflexible as ever, incapable of recognizing others. That obstinacy weighed heavily on True Person Hyeon So's heart.
Silence fell between them for a moment.
True Person Hyeon Geom broke it first. His eyes fell on the children huddled together, watching them fearfully.
"These children now, is it?"
"......"
"First Cheon Gyeong, now this... You truly never change."
"I merely took in children with nowhere else to go."
"Hmph!"
"Did you come just to say that?"
"I came to bring you back."
"I told Un Gyeong clearly: I have no intention of returning for the time being."
"That's why I came myself."
"Senior Brother!"
"I dislike this as much as you, but the sect leader ordered me to fetch you."
"That's..."
"Deny it all you want—you are still an elder of Mount Hua Sect. Never forget that."
"I have never forgotten, even once. However..."
True Person Hyeon So's gaze turned to the children. They stared back at him, faces pale with fear.
The terror of abandonment radiated from them.
True Person Hyeon So's eyes hardened with resolve.
"I cannot leave these children behind."
"You always choose the hard path over the easy one."
True Person Hyeon Geom's eyes grew even colder. It was a gaze that would make an ordinary person quail, yet True Person Hyeon So—who knew nothing of martial arts—met it squarely.
His determination was palpable.
True Person Hyeon Geom yielded a step.
"Very well. Bring the children too. But they will not be accepted as disciples of Mount Hua."
"That is fine. If they do not wish it, I will not raise them under Mount Hua's wing either."
"Hmph!"
True Person Hyeon Geom snorted and turned away.
Un Gyeong stood by, gauging the mood.
"Take Hyeon So and the children to the Sakju branch."
"But that place is too dangerous."
"We'll head straight to Mount Hua from there. No danger at all. With me here, what is there to fear?"
"Under...stood, Martial Uncle."
Un Gyeong replied with a helpless expression.
It was the decision of Mount Hua's Foremost Swordsman. He dared not object.
He saw True Person Hyeon So comforting the terrified children.
"Hoo."
A sigh escaped him unbidden.
***
Mount Heng's other name is Northern Peak.
One of the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains, it had long been renowned as a strategic military stronghold. The range stretched over four hundred li east to west, serving as a bulwark against northern barbarian incursions.
From ancient times, the Hengshan Sect had been famous there. Once rivaling the Nine Great Sects in its heyday, it had now declined to the point of barely clinging to existence.
Its former glory had faded long ago, yet vast complexes of halls remained, as if testifying to its past splendor.
The prestigious Hengshan Sect, with centuries of history, had housed over three hundred disciples bustling with resolve to reclaim its lost glory until just recently.
Now, in the training grounds where Hengshan warriors should have been drilling, strangers had gathered. Numerous fighters, each radiating an extraordinary aura.
They were what the world called Demonic Cult warriors.
Not long ago, at dawn, Demonic Cult forces had invaded the Hengshan Sect. Sect Leader Jwa Gyeong-hak led his disciples in fierce resistance, but they could not withstand the Demonic Cult.
In the end, Jwa Gyeong-hak and over three hundred disciples perished valiantly, and the Demonic Cult warriors took their place.
Even now, Demonic Cult forces continued to pour into Mount Heng, filling the vast Hengshan halls. It was no exaggeration to call it a miniature Demonic Cult.
Among the throng of Demonic Cult warriors, one woman stood out vividly—like a flower blooming alone in a swamp. The striking beauty was none other than Lady Eum Yu.
With each step, her skirt rustled softly against the ground. Many eyes turned her way. Yet Lady Eum Yu paid them no mind, walking proudly onward.
Lady Eum Yu's mind was a tangled mess, leaving no room to heed others' stares.
The world often imagined Demonic Cultists as fiends oozing demonic energy. But most were ordinary folk, differing only in their faith. It was merely that the warriors overshadowed them.
Hunted to the world's edge for decades, their grudge was immense, showing no sign of abating.
It felt like gazing at a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Lady Eum Yu bit her red lips and muttered.
"This won't do."
"What won't do, Saintess?"
A stranger's voice cut into her words.
Lady Eum Yu turned to see a familiar face.
A middle-aged man in blood-red robes, his prominent cheekbones flushed, his hooked nose crowned by bloodshot eyes gleaming with eerie light.
A long object wrapped in cloth hung from his back.
Among the Demonic Cult's countless warriors, only one bore such distinct features.
"Blood Sea Judge Deung Cheon-so."
One of the Seven Great Demon Lords, a madman obsessed with blood. Even within the Demonic Cult, many feared him.
Deung Cheon-so asked.
"Didn't I hear you, Saintess? What won't do?"
"Just talking to myself."
"Is that so?"
Deung Cheon-so stared at Lady Eum Yu with his crimson eyes. She met his gaze unflinchingly. He bared yellowed teeth in a grin.
"By the way, it's been ages since your return. As our Saintess, isn't this a bit too detached?"
"The title of Saintess doesn't chain me to the cult."
"True enough, but do pay a little more heed. Don't wander the world chasing sacred relics needlessly."
"The sacred relic symbolizes our cult. Is searching for it pointless?"
"I didn't say pointless. I just mean you seem to suffer needlessly for it."
"It's no hardship at all."
Lady Eum Yu cut him off sharply.
One might expect embarrassment, but Deung Cheon-so laughed.
"Young blood is full of vigor, indeed. Understood! If the Saintess says so, I'll speak no more. Do take care."
"And you, Blood Sea Judge, curb your foul hobbies. Sins piled for sport will return as calamity."
With that, Lady Eum Yu walked away.
Deung Cheon-so stared at her retreating figure. A faint fury simmered in his red eyes.
"Insolent wench!"
His shoulders trembled.
Only when she was fully gone did Deung Cheon-so call out.
"Blood Rain."
"Yes!"
The man in red robes who appeared suddenly behind him was his trusted subordinate.
"Watch that woman. It'll be a headache if she actually finds the relic."
"Understood."
"And find out who she meets."
"Yes!"
Blood Rain vanished as abruptly as he appeared.
Left alone, Deung Cheon-so smirked coldly.
"Saintess... Ridiculous. A relic of the old era daring to obstruct the Lord's plans..."
Then someone approached.
"What are you muttering about?"
A young man in his late twenties or early thirties. Even Deung Cheon-so dared not underestimate him.
"Captain Burning Heaven."
"Long time no see."
The man offering a fist salute was none other than Captain Burning Heaven Jo Ja-kyeong.
"What brings you here?"
"I have a debt to settle."
Jo Ja-kyeong's gaze turned toward Sakju, a chill glinting in his eyes.
"Cho Yeon-un."
Deung Cheon-so grinned widely at him.
"Perfect timing. I was just about to pay my respects over there."
"Respects?"
"Haven't you met? So Cheon-san—that friend—is here too."
"Surely Ten Li Deathzone?"
Jo Ja-kyeong's eyes shook as if struck by an earthquake.