Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Farewell (1)
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Martial God (88)
Adalta, who had soared into the air, shot toward Ak Muyoo. Ak Muyoo, devoid of internal energy, was rising into the air before plummeting back down.
Anyone could see that Ak Muyoo was at a disadvantage.
"It's over, you bastard!"
Adalta bellowed.
His crimson demon blade thrust toward Ak Muyoo's heart.
It was right then.
The Celestial Sun Divine Bow, which he had tossed up moments ago, fell in front of Ak Muyoo. Ak Muyoo snatched it with his left hand, drew the Dark Current Arrow, nocked it, and pulled the string.
"Gasp!"
Adalta's face paled.
Had it not been a thrusting motion, he could have dodged or blocked, but with his arm extended forward, there was nothing he could do.
Twang!
"Urk!"
He hadn't even been hit, yet his strength drained from his entire body just from the sound of the released string. He felt his body plummeting sharply.
Thud!
He crashed to the ground and knelt. Propping himself up with his hand, he bowed his head.
Blood was spurting from his heart.
"Have I... lost?"
"Yeah! And the one who'll take your head is someone else."
Whoosh!
At that moment, a black shadow shot toward Adalta. The black shadow attempted to slash.
Sching!
A burst of white radiance exploded from the waist of the slashing figure.
Float!
Adalta's head floated into the air.
Spurt!
Blood then sprayed out like a fountain.
Ak Muyoo raised his head. Adalta's head, which had soared up, now fell back down. He reached out and caught it. He returned the Celestial Sun Divine Bow to its place, yanked his arm, and sheathed the demon blade.
Then he went back to his original spot and picked up Parob's head. With two heads in hand, he started walking.
"Heading down?"
Ara approached and asked.
"Yeah. But..."
"What?"
"It'll be hard to survive in the Border Wastelands, right?"
"This one's the lord of Black Snake Black Dragon Heaven, and this one's the lord of Great Desert Wolf Heaven... You really have no internal energy?"
Saying it out loud made it all the more astonishing. Ak Muyoo, without a shred of internal energy, had taken out two lords of the Eight Desolation Storm Heavens.
"I'm on the verge of collapse right now. Standing is a miracle."
"Still, kid..."
"You're right. Since I'm the one still standing, I win."
"Anyway, you can't stay in the Border Wastelands. Chacha Kingdom might even get wiped out."
"Probably."
Ak Muyoo nodded.
"Were you thinking of staying in Chacha Kingdom?"
"Just a dream."
A lonely smile crossed Ak Muyoo's face.
"...You'll live well."
Smack!
Ara lightly tapped Ak Muyoo's shoulder.
"Ugh!"
Ak Muyoo collapsed right there.
"What's wrong?"
Ara asked, startled.
"I told you standing is a miracle."
"How badly are you hurt?"
Ara pulled open Ak Muyoo's robe and shirt.
"Oh my god! What's all this?"
Ara's eyes widened. Ak Muyoo's skin was entirely dyed red, and blood was trickling from some spots.
"That's why don't hit me."
Ak Muyoo stood up and walked again.
"Right, let's go. No point staying here."
"What about you?"
"Huh?"
"Your master seems to have come too, right?"
"I've been excommunicated."
"Didn't you want to become a monk?"
"Well, when I was there, I thought I wanted to be a monk..."
"But once you got out, you didn't?"
"I'm not sure. Whether I wanted to be a monk or just chose it as an escape..."
"Anyway, you have plenty of time, so think it over. I don't think being a monk is bad."
"Why?"
"It's one of the few jobs where you don't have to struggle just to eat."
"Pfft! Kid. You've had it rough."
Ara raised her hand.
"Don't hit!"
"Ah! Sorry."
"Look at me a bit."
Cold Jade and the other four called out to Ak Muyoo.
"Me?"
Ak Muyoo pointed at himself.
"Yeah! You."
"Granny, do you know me?"
"Nope."
"Then why tell me to come?"
"I said let me see you, not come or go, kid."
"Same thing. Why?"
Ak Muyoo went before the five.
"By the way, I've got bruises all over, so don't touch. If you do, with this..."
Ak Muyoo shook his right arm.
A demon blade slipped out. The five pairs of eyes turned to it at once. Soon, disappointment showed on their faces.
"Can I go now?"
He quickly retracted his wrist to sheathe the blade and spoke.
"Could you roll up your sleeve?"
"No."
Ak Muyoo shook his head.
"I need to see."
Cold Jade extended her hand. It wasn't just extending; it was the Golden Claw Hand to seize his.
Swish!
Ak Muyoo's hand moved at that exact moment.
"Gasp!"
"Urk!"
Cold Jade and the other four froze like ice sculptures. A dagger in Ak Muyoo's hand was pressed to Cold Jade's throat.
"D-Don't..."
"Can't you remove that hand!"
Jeokun bellowed.
"You're the ones throwing your weight around just because you're strong. I said no, so why the fuss?"
"I'm from Dream Demon Heaven."
"So?"
"You think you'll get away with killing me?"
"Do you know who these are?"
Ak Muyoo pointed to the two heads he had set down when drawing the dagger.
"..."
"This bastard is Parob, lord of Black Snake Black Dragon Heaven, and this one is Adalta, lord of Great Desert Wolf Heaven."
"You think they're the same as Central Plains martial artists?"
"They look the same to me. Both are lords."
"Heh! Put it away, kid. You're not even gonna stab."
Cold Jade tapped Ak Muyoo's arm.
"How old are you?"
Ak Muyoo stared at Cold Jade and asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"Your face looks mid-forties, but no matter how I think about it, it seems fake."
"M-Mid-forties?"
Cold Jade's mouth twisted wide at the corners, her cheekbones rising.
"No way, even if you beat me, right?"
"Hohohohoho! Hahaha!"
Cold Jade burst into laughter.
"How old are you?"
"Asking a woman's age is rude, and seeing you don't know that, you've never had a lover your whole life."
"I've been on battlefields for ten years, what lover... Anyway, older than I thought?"
"Much older."
"You feel good digging up the past?"
"..."
Cold Jade blinked. She couldn't grasp what Ak Muyoo meant.
"Painful memories from the past, like breaking up with a man you truly loved or losing a child—does recalling that make you feel good?"
"N-No, of course not."
"That's my point. Whether it's a beautiful memory or a bad one, it's best to leave the past as the past. Dragging out buried history doesn't help life at all, right?"
"Why bring that up?"
"Means I'll never show you."
Ak Muyoo sheathed the dagger and picked up the two heads.
"Let's go."
He left the spot.
"Still, I want to see it."
A raspy elderly voice came from behind the five. Ak Muyoo looked up. It was Noe Baek who had spoken.
"Old man... stronger than the kids?"
Ak Muyoo lifted the two heads to chest height.
"..."
Noe Baek couldn't answer right away. Win or lose aside, the question was absurd.
"Just smash 'em!"
Ak Muyoo scowled at Noe Baek and turned away.
"Khk!"
"Pfft!"
"Khk!"
"Hahaha!"
"Uahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
The elders couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
"Granny!"
Ak Muyoo called Cold Jade.
"What?"
"Over there at the end, there's a sun pattern with a hole in the center. Look out through that hole. There'll be a spot your gaze reaches. Dig there once."
"What's there?"
"Don't know. But if it's not there, there's nothing."
As soon as Ak Muyoo finished, several leaped away. They landed at the spot he mentioned, checked through the hole, went outside, and dug the ground. Brushing away dirt revealed a square rock. The elder struck it with a palm.
Boom!
With a dull thud, the rock shattered and fell below.
"There's a passage."
The elder shouted.
Everyone in the temple rushed there at once.
"Buljeong."
Geumjeong Sinni, about to leap, turned to Ara.
"If fate brings us together again, we'll meet. Take care."
Ara bowed to Geumjeong Sinni.
"When you reach the Central Plains, come find me. Got it?"
"Yes."
Ara nodded.
"Buljeong."
This time, Bullyeon the monk approached Ara.
"Go to Master. I'll go with this kid."
Ara poked Ak Muyoo.
"Ow! I told you not to hit!"
"Ah, sorry."
"Please take care of Ara."
Bullyeon bowed to Ak Muyoo.
"Don't pretend you don't know me later."
"Why would I?"
"Feels like you will. Anyway, don't worry about the return. As long as I don't die, I'll definitely go."
"May fortune follow your path."
Bullyeon pressed his palms together toward Ak Muyoo.
The two watched the departing Bullyeon monk.
"We have to part too, right?"
Ak Muyoo turned to Ageukta and said.
"I have to return to Great Desert Wolf Heaven."
Ageukta said.
"And you all?"
He looked at Mok Bu-seong and Seo Haran this time.
"The lord has come, so we have to go there."
"Me too."
Mok Bu-seong and Seo Haran said in turn.
"Right. It was fun while it lasted."
Ak Muyoo extended his hand.
"Thanks."
Mok Bu-seong gripped Ak Muyoo's hand firmly and said.
"Thanks? Those martial arts were yours originally."
"I'm not talking about martial arts."
"Then what?"
"Seeing you made me ashamed of how I've lived carelessly until now, and I reflected a lot. Seeing you, I was reborn."
"...Aw, embarrassing..."
"I'm serious."
"Instead of words, how about showing it with actions?"
"What actions?"
"I'm broke right now."
"..."
"Have to go to the Central Plains, but no money for even one meal."
"Do you have to bring up money now?"
"To you who's always been well-off, money's nothing, but to me, it's precious."
"Got it, kid."
Mok Bu-seong pulled silver taels from his pouch and held them out.
"..."
"That's all."
Mok Bu-seong said.
"Only three taels?"
"Where do you spend money in the desert?"
"Feels like robbing a beggar, but probably just my imagination?"
"Take it. My family's here now, so I'm fine."
"I'll use it well. And from next time, carry more. Don't you know a man's power comes from his wallet?"
Ak Muyoo glared at Mok Bu-seong then turned to Seo Haran.
"This is all I have."
Seo Haran offered five taels.
"I'll use it well."
"Where will you live in the Central Plains?"
"Not sure yet."
"Then let's meet at Martial God Tower."
"You're going there?"
"Have to challenge it once."
"Got it. I'll go if I can."
Ak Muyoo nodded.
"Take care."
Mok Bu-seong and Seo Haran turned and left.
"Let's go too. Let's go, Jabjong!"
"Yeah."
The two and Jabjong headed toward Chacha Kingdom.