Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: A Trap (1)
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The sun had risen, but the back alleys of Hangzhou were still dark.
Moreover, this was a forbidden place, one that even the residents of these back alleys avoided.
"Tsk."
Into such a place, someone appeared, clicking their tongue.
It was the Third Elder.
"So he got away."
The Third Elder stopped in his tracks.
This was the spot where Cheon Muryang had sliced through the man consumed by demonic energy, along with the entire building.
"You're lucky, Great Young Lord."
But, as if nothing had ever happened,
not a single trace of debris remained.
It was as if the building had never existed in the first place.
"But you don't know yet, Great Young Lord, that the Cheon Family has already fallen into an irreversible abyss."
With a sinister smile,
the Third Elder walked to where the building had once stood.
Though the ground was covered in dirt, he paid it no mind, kneeling and plunging his hand into the soil.
*Woooong!*
His hand grasped something.
It was a dark, crimson stone.
But its surface was so smoothly polished that it wouldn't have been strange to call it a gem.
"Kehehehehe."
Picking up the stone, the Third Elder let out a grotesque smile.
Treating the stone like a precious elixir, the Third Elder tucked it into his robes and promptly left the area.
*Whoooosh!*
The wind blew over the desolate land.
The life that had ended here was buried beneath the earth, forgotten.
* * *
Cheon Muryang left Hangzhou.
On the road to the Cheon Family.
A question arose in his mind.
*'Why would the Wandering King go to the Cheon Family?'*
He wondered if it might be related to the reason the Wandering King had come to Hangzhou.
*'Remember. What happened around this time?'*
Nameless wouldn't become Cheon Muryang's guard for another five years.
So, right now, he should be in the midst of training under Cheon Wigang and Cheon Seonhak.
*'Ah...!'*
A memory surfaced.
One day, Cheon Wigang had abruptly left the family estate.
*'And when he returned a few days later... he had suffered severe internal injuries.'*
It was right around this time.
When Nameless had asked what happened, Cheon Wigang had just brushed it off as nothing.
*'What if that... was his duel with the Wandering King?'*
It made sense.
The Wandering King was also an absolute master who had reached the Transcendent Realm, so not even Cheon Wigang could guarantee victory.
*Thud!*
Cheon Muryang stopped in his tracks.
"My lord?"
"Not the Cheon Family."
If his assumption was correct,
the Wandering King's goal from the start must have been to meet Cheon Wigang.
"Pardon?"
"Mount Tianmu... no. It's Mount Mogan."
Mount Tianmu was near the Cheon Family estate.
It wasn't a good place for a duel.
That left Mount Mogan.
*Whip!*
Cheon Muryang's head snapped around.
Not west, but north.
"We're going to Mount Mogan."
"Yes, sir."
Without another word of explanation, Cheon Muryang raced toward Mount Mogan.
Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak could only follow.
* * *
Geumsan was in a difficult position.
It was because of his companion, the Wandering King.
He had expected it, but the Wandering King was even more willful and resolute in his beliefs than he'd imagined.
"Your Majesty, if you would just listen..."
"You're noisy. I told you, I have my own sources of information."
"It's all a misunderstanding..."
"A misunderstanding? Do you think I don't know the Cheon Family is behind those Black Merchants?"
The Wandering King ground his teeth.
In a fit of rage, he slammed his saber into the ground.
"And you."
"Huk!"
"Aren't you a Black Merchant yourself?"
"That's the misunderstanding..."
"Then why were you at that place?"
"Th-that is... it's a very long story."
The Wandering King's murderous aura enveloped Geumsan.
"Shut up. The only reason I'm not killing you is because I need a witness. So if you don't want to die, you'd best keep that mouth of yours closed."
"…!"
Geumsan realized that no matter what he said,
the Wandering King's decision would not change.
*'He's completely misunderstood...'*
When you mix a lie with the truth,
the lie can become truth.
It wasn't the Cheon Family that was involved with the Black Merchants, but the Council of Elders. In the grand scheme of things, however, one could say that was still the Cheon Family, so the lie had become truth.
"Much better now that it's quiet."
The Wandering King smiled darkly as he looked at Mount Mogan, now within reach.
"He won't disappoint me."
Having already seen the sword of Cheon Muryang, the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family, the Wandering King's expectations were high.
*Crack!*
*Crackle!*
Rolling his neck, wrists, and ankles to warm up, the Wandering King's fighting spirit was already blazing.
"Let's hurry."
Geumsan felt like he was going to die.
And so, the Wandering King and Geumsan arrived at Mount Mogan.
"There it is."
From the moment he set foot on Mount Mogan, the Wandering King seemed somewhat excited.
He could feel the vibration of a sword calling to him.
"You there. Don't run away. Just watch. Got it?"
"Y-yes, sir."
Geumsan was puzzled.
*'I can't tell if he simply wants to fight, or if he wants to pass judgment on the Black Merchants.'*
Perhaps it was both.
"This is tedious. I'll take a shortcut."
*Fwoosh!*
The Wandering King swung his saber lightly.
Each time, a path was forged.
He pushed through the undergrowth.
When there was nothing left to cut,
"Are you the Wandering King?"
The Wandering King came face to face with Cheon Wigang.
It was a perfect clearing.
Swinging his right arm, the Wandering King aimed his great saber.
*Shing!*
"I am the Wandering King."
"…!"
Geumsan covered his mouth.
It was because of the boundless fighting spirit erupting from the Wandering King's entire body.
"It is an honor to meet the Family Head of the Cheon Family, whose fame resounds throughout the martial world."
The Wandering King provoked him with his entire being.
*Twitch.*
The Wandering King's muscles bulged as if they were about to burst, ready to lunge at any moment.
Seeing this, Cheon Wigang's own aura began to rise.
"Let's save the conversation for dessert."
Cheon Wigang's firm will was like an iron wall.
"Hoh."
A strange light flickered in the Wandering King's eyes.
His reputation was well-deserved.
"I'm glad we understand each other."
*Swiiish!*
The Wandering King's great saber moved.
It felt as heavy as a moving boulder, yet it was not as dull as one.
*'A tree branch?'*
To Geumsan, watching from nearby, the Wandering King's great saber looked like nothing more than a tree branch.
The great saber advanced with a light grace.
With a sharp sound of tearing air, it rushed toward Cheon Wigang.
"A fine saber."
But Cheon Wigang did not retreat.
Cheon Wigang's sword, incomparably thin and slender compared to the Wandering King's great saber, moved straight forward.
*Kraaaang!*
The sword and saber met at a single point in the air, and the resulting roar shook the entire Mount Mogan area.
*Klang, klaaang!*
Following that, a light yet heavy,
and yet unbroken flow of sword and saber continued.
"Ah..."
Geumsan had never learned martial arts, but he could feel it.
*'It's a fierce battle of wits.'*
The fact that it was unbroken meant
that the two men were perfectly reading each other's intentions.
*Kaaang!*
The moment that rhythm broke,
the flawless offense and defense, without a single opening, would shatter.
In an instant, they exchanged hundreds of blows.
The Wandering King, who had been on a one-sided offensive, couldn't help but admire the impenetrable iron wall of a sword.
*'So this is... the iron wall of the Cheon Family.'*
Generally, when one becomes the head of a family, they are bound to neglect their martial arts.
So the Wandering King had thought he would have the upper hand, but Cheon Wigang was different.
*'We're evenly matched.'*
*Tingle.*
The feeling of every hair on his body standing on end.
The Wandering King always enjoyed this sensation.
Having lived his entire life on the brink of life and death, dueling a strong opponent was like breathing to the Wandering King.
"Let's see..."
*BOOM!*
The Wandering King's rhythm changed.
"Let's see if you enjoy a chaotic brawl as well."
The Wandering King forcibly twisted the exquisitely linked flow.
"…!"
A saber with a completely different flow from before came rushing in.
But Cheon Wigang did not retreat.
After all, the title 'Iron Wall' was not granted to those who backed down.
*Kwagagagagang!*
The surrounding area was decimated.
The ground split open.
The sky collapsed.
Between the heavens and the earth, only the two of them existed.
*Drip.*
*Drip, drip.*
Blood fell upon the desolate earth.
A smile deepened on the Wandering King's lips.
"Kehehehe. This is fun, indeed."
He felt the pain of his organs twisting, but the Wandering King was used to it.
"Hmm..."
Cheon Wigang was also bleeding.
The pain, felt after so long, was somehow welcome.
*'How long has it been?'*
This duel with the Wandering King made the warrior's blood he had hidden within his iron walls boil.
"Come."
"Of course. It's just getting interesting."
The Wandering King had no intention of resting.
*Grrrr!*
The Wandering King's great saber scraped the ground as he charged once more.
*Kuuuuung!*
The clash between the two men who had reached the Transcendent Realm continued.
Was it because of their extreme concentration?
The two men did not sense the darkness gathering around Mount Mogan.
* * *
Geumsan was the witness to this duel.
The tense duel between the two, where neither could claim an advantage, was finally beginning to show its end.
*Fwoooosh!*
The cries of the sword and saber intertwined.
In that moment, the heavens and the earth were split asunder.
A path to ascend to the heavens opened.
The sword and saber that filled the space between them flew toward each other.
"…!"
Geumsan clenched his jaw.
Blood trickled from his lips.
He felt it was the only way to keep from fainting.
*Grind.*
*'I have to endure...!'*
He watched with wide eyes.
In that instant, Geumsan doubted his eyes.
*'Why are there two swords?'*
He saw two swords.
It was no illusion.
When he opened his eyes again,
Geumsan could see a single dragon ascending into the sundered sky.
"Ah..."
At the same time,
Geumsan lost consciousness.
*Thump.*
His body collapsed.
The sundered sky slowly closed.
At its center stood three people.
"You..."
"…"
The Wandering King and Cheon Wigang stared at Cheon Muryang, who had suddenly intervened.
"The two of you have no reason to fight."
It was Cheon Muryang.
"This is all... a misunderstanding."
*Drip.*
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
When beasts fight, it is instinct to join forces and kill any intruder who interferes.
And the Wandering King and Cheon Wigang were absolute beings who far surpassed the category of mere beasts.
It was a miracle he hadn't died instantly.
"How did you..."
The Wandering King couldn't hide his bewildered expression.
Even if it wasn't their full power, it had been a blow sufficient to decide the victor.
*'You're telling me he blocked that?'*
He hadn't just blocked it.
He had redirected Cheon Wigang's sword strike into the sky as well.
Cheon Muryang smiled at the Wandering King.
"Didn't I tell you that day? I said you'd better use your full strength, because I have no intention of holding back either."
"Insolent brat."
"The excitement has cooled."
Cheon Wigang spoke as if it were nothing, but inwardly he was astonished.
*'He read me perfectly. That sword... it is a sword of the Cheon Family, yet it is one I do not know.'*
It felt as if his own swordsmanship had been completely dismantled.
Otherwise, how could he have diverted the flow of the sword so naturally?
*'It's not Seonhak's sword, either.'*
This meant.
One thing.
*'Is that your own sword?'*
Cheon Muryang must have also found a new sky in the Celestial Dragon Library.
*'A sword I could never obtain.'*
To become strong, Cheon Wigang had to give up and compromise on many things.
The price he paid was his open-mindedness.
For Cheon Wigang, who had to learn the sword that would carry on the Cheon Family's legacy, a free sky was not permitted.
He didn't regret it, but.
*'If only I could have remained purely a martial artist...'*
what kind of sky,
what kind of sword he might have obtained, he suddenly wondered.
"But a misunderstanding? What are you talking about?"
"…"
As if his strength had given out, Cheon Muryang finally collapsed to a sitting position.
"Hoo..."
Only after taking a deep breath did he seem to feel a bit better.
"Someone intentionally summoned you, Wandering King, to Hangzhou."
"Who? And why?"
"A pawn of the Demonic Cult, most likely. They probably wanted you both to perish together."
"Khahahaha! You spin your bullshit with such sincerity."
The Wandering King laughed maniacally.
Cheon Wigang's eyes also grew deep and somber.
These were not words that could be ignored.
"Whether it's bullshit or not, you can see for yourself."
"What?"
Without even looking at the Wandering King, Cheon Muryang spoke to Cheon Wigang.
"Family Head, this place is a trap."
"But didn't you say their goal was mutual destruction?"
Since the duel with the Wandering King was undecided, wouldn't that goal remain forever unachieved?
"If their desired outcome is mutual destruction... couldn't they just make it happen?"
*Flinch!*
Only then.
did the two men realize.
That they couldn't sense any other living presence in the surrounding area.
"Do you understand now?"
After steadying his breath a few times, Cheon Muryang forced himself to his feet.
"That you're already in a trap."