Chapter 80
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Kangho's Strongest
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A wine pool and a meat forest.
That was the meaning of the term—a pond made of alcohol and a forest composed of meat.
Kwangwoo was now surrounded by meats piled high like a forest and beautiful women, drinking himself into a stupor without a care in the world.
Seated at a table overflowing with meats from the land, sea, and ocean, encircled by rare beauties the likes of which the world seldom saw, he had nothing left to envy in life.
Hahaha...!
As Kwangwoo guzzled his drink with a beauty in his arms, a unfamiliar young man approached and prostrated himself on the floor before him.
"Please teach me your martial arts."
Kwangwoo nodded readily at the man's plea.
"Of course. I'll teach you."
But as he rose from his seat, Kwangwoo staggered, unable to keep his balance.
His eyes were bloodshot red, his gaze unfocused—he didn't look the least bit normal.
As Kwangwoo stepped outside, some twenty young men who had been waiting bowed their heads in greeting.
"We pay our respects to Master."
Hahaha...!
Kwangwoo laughed heartily, delighted that the young men called him their master.
This was a village inhabited by the Won clan.
Originally, they had amassed great wealth through trade with foreign lands, but they suffered devastating attacks from martial artists covetous of their fortune, resulting in many deaths and injuries.
The Won clansmen weren't without martial skills of their own.
But to protect themselves, they needed something far more powerful.
And so, they ventured into the martial world in search of a master who could pass on such arts to them.
Having heard the tearful pleas of a beautiful woman, Kwangwoo took pity on them.
"I shall help you all."
The beauty's tears had blinded him to any consequences.
"This is the introductory form of Rain Immortal Storm Clouds!"
Spreading his legs into stance, Kwangwoo unleashed a barrage of punches straight ahead.
Whoosh! Boom...!
The sound of air tearing ripped through the air with every thrust of his fist.
Whirl!
Spinning his body like a whirlwind, Kwangwoo kicked out in all directions with both legs.
Pow! Bang! ...!
After demonstrating the full sequence of forms, Kwangwoo stood in place and began reciting the breathing technique.
The young men strained to catch every word, committing the oral formula to memory without missing a beat.
Once he had imparted the entire breathing method, Kwangwoo turned to head back inside.
At that moment, one sharp-eyed young man spoke up.
"Which sect's breathing technique is this, Master?"
Kwangwoo declared his affiliation without hesitation.
"One Immortal Sect. One Immortal Sect."
From afar, watching the scene, the corners of Crimson Moon Demon Lord's mouth stretched into a long grin.
Kekeke...
"Indeed, even One Immortal Sect has preserved its lineage like us. It had to be that place—otherwise, such a formidable master wouldn't just drop from the sky out of nowhere."
Then, a man approached from behind and prostrated himself before speaking.
"Mountain King Woo Jung-ho and his men have been completely wiped out."
Kekeke...
"My mistake. I entrusted One Immortal Sect's disciple to a fool like Woo Jung-ho. Had I known his identity sooner, my subordinates wouldn't have had to sacrifice themselves... Withdraw."
"Understood."
As the man retreated backward in silence, Crimson Moon Demon Lord made his way to his own chambers.
A beautiful woman bowed at the entrance to his room, awaiting him.
She was Crimson Moon Demon Lord's favorite concubine, the one who had seduced Kwangwoo and lured him here.
"With the aphrodisiac extracted from yang noble flower mixed into his wine, he'll never escape Your Lord's grasp."
"You've done well."
Hehehe...
The woman let out a flirtatious laugh.
"What effort was it? If anything, it felt exhilarating to get some fresh air after so long. Shall I bring that big lug's brother next time?"
Kekeke...
Crimson Moon Demon Lord chuckled.
"Would you follow after your master?"
The beauty's master was the Illusion Master, killed by the big man's brother.
"Of course not. I'm no fool like my late master."
"Patience. I have someone else to deal with him."
The woman wrapped her arms around Crimson Moon Demon Lord's neck.
"And who might that be?"
"The undying old freak."
Her already wide eyes grew even larger.
"You don't mean... that old man?"
Kekeke...
"That old freak can certainly cut him down."
Her hands trembled, goosebumps rising all over her body.
Kuhahaha!
The sudden burst of laughter from my mouth left me more than a little flustered.
This wasn't my laugh—it was the Great Heavenly Demon's.
The junior disciples training in martial arts looked up at my face, startled by the sound.
"He's coming."
This voice wasn't mine either.
I abruptly stood and peered beyond the wall.
An elderly monk and a Taoist priest.
The monk and priest walked side by side toward us.
The old monk was surely the Divine Monk, and the priest the Wudang's One Yang Progeny.
"Master!"
Spotting the Divine Monk and One Yang Progeny approaching, Myeong-gak and Cheongpung burst through the gate.
Not just them—Zhuge Ji and Namgung Hye straightened their clothes and followed out the gate.
I sat on the porch bench, waiting for them to arrive.
Soon, guided by the junior disciples, the Divine Monk and One Yang Progeny entered through the gate.
Two pairs of deep eyes, their divine light restrained, fixed upon me.
"Welcome. Go Un-san greets you both."
I bowed first in courtesy, and the Divine Monk and One Yang Progeny clasped their hands in return.
"I am Initial Hermitage."
"One Yang Progeny of this generation."
"Please, come inside despite the humble surroundings."
I led the Divine Monk and One Yang Progeny into the kitchen.
As they took their seats, Myeong-gak and Cheongpung hurriedly prepared tea and brought it out.
The Divine Monk gazed steadily at Myeong-gak and spoke first.
"You look much improved compared to when you were moping around the temple."
"Yes, Master. I much prefer this place to Shaolin."
The Divine Monk merely smiled faintly at Myeong-gak's candid reply.
"Has there been progress on the Dao?"
This time, One Yang Progeny asked Cheongpung.
"I've made great strides in martial arts, if not the Dao, Master."
"Martial arts too lead to the Dao—neglect them not."
True to their monk and priestly ways, their conversation differed greatly from ordinary folk.
"You two, come in as well."
The Divine Monk called in Zhuge Ji and Namgung Hye from outside.
As the juniors sat, I began preparing the meal.
Myeong-gak recounted everything that had transpired in detail.
By the time he covered the appearance of the Ultimate Sword Demon, the emergence of the Nine-Finger Flame Demon, Kwangwoo's disappearance, and Mountain King Woo Jung-ho's death, the food was nearly ready.
"We only have simple fare here."
I set out steamed dishes, soup, rice, and liquor on the table.
"Join us."
I sat down, shooting a glance at the juniors.
"Serve yourselves."
The juniors rose without a word.
Hehehe...
The Divine Monk and One Yang Progeny watched the scene with evident amusement.
They poured liquor into each other's cups and then into mine.
"It's been ages since I tasted such fine grain liquor. Shaolin truly is no place for idlers, eh? Isn't that right, Priest?"
One Yang Progeny drained his cup with relish.
"Why not descend the mountain for good this time? Divine Monk."
Hehehe...
The Divine Monk and One Yang Progeny merrily emptied their cups, enjoying the soup and steamed dishes as accompaniments.
Like their disciples, they showed no pickiness with the food.
After finishing a bottle of liquor and polishing off their rice bowls clean, they rose as if their business was concluded.
"We'll be on our way."
They hadn't asked me a single question.
They had simply observed my face and actions intently.
"Please visit again. That'll be one silver tael."
One Yang Progeny's pleased expression stiffened slightly as he exited the kitchen.
Hehehe...
But the Divine Monk appeared thoroughly delighted.
"Here you are."
Handing me one silver tael, One Yang Progeny followed the Divine Monk out of the house.
Just as the Divine Monk stepped through the gate, he turned and asked me,
"Have you ties to the demonic path?"
The Divine Monk's profound gaze seemed to pierce straight to my lungs.
No—it felt like he was looking at the Great Heavenly Demon within me.
I answered the question in a calm voice.
"I do not yet know what the demonic is, nor what the righteous is. Would the Divine Monk enlighten me?"
A glint of light flickered in the Divine Monk's deep eyes.
"What could an old bald donkey from Shaolin who’s only grown in years possibly know? I do not know either. But it seems you and I shared no light bond in a previous life. Farewell for now."
As the Divine Monk and One Yang Progeny departed, the junior disciples followed to see them off.
The moment they vanished from my sight, I collapsed onto the porch bench.
It had been just a brief exchange of words.
Yet never in my life had I felt such tension.
'Was that tension mine, or the Great Heavenly Demon's?'
"What did you make of that child, Divine Monk?"
One Yang Progeny asked as they walked a path where spring blossoms were beginning to bloom.
"He seems a child with a storied past. He could be a hero to save the world—or a demon to destroy it."
Hearing the Divine Monk's reply, One Yang Progeny halted and turned to gaze at the house atop the hill.
"To my eyes, it brimmed with demonic and ghostly qi. Yet strangely, the child himself bore none of it. I wonder why."
The Divine Monk nodded as well.
He too had sensed the demonic and ghostly qi.
Not just the house on the hill—the entire vicinity was shrouded in it.
Countless deaths were likely buried beneath the earth.
Yet the Divine Monk trusted his eyes and his disciple.
A child who claimed ignorance of righteousness and demonic would not become a world-destroying demon, even if fated with the demonic path.
"Namo Amitabha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva..."
As the Divine Monk's Buddhist invocation flowed from his lips, the forest thick with ghostly qi brightened in an instant.
It was as if thick darkness retreated before a radiant light.
Feeling it too, One Yang Progeny smiled faintly.
"Primordial Heavenly Lord."
I was so curious about the Great Heavenly Demon's reaction that I couldn't wait until nightfall.
"I'm taking a nap, so don't wake me."
I'd always napped for about half a shichen even during the day, so the juniors thought nothing of it.
Though I lay down in my room, sleep evaded me.
Moreover, the Great Heavenly Demon rarely appeared during the day, so even asleep, meeting him was uncertain.
After tossing and turning, I finally drifted off and summoned the Great Heavenly Demon in my dream.
"Come out."
But he didn't appear.
"Ah... damn it. The Divine Monk is long gone—there's no need to be so scared."
I deliberately prodded the Great Heavenly Demon's pride.
It proved effective, as his laughter echoed and he materialized before my eyes.
Tsk tsk tsk...
"Did I say I was scared?"
The Great Heavenly Demon appeared unchanged from his nocturnal form, his lion-mane hair whipping about.
I could tell at a glance that this great demon was thoroughly enraged.
"Why so furious? Don't tell me you were truly afraid of the Divine Monk?"
The smirk on the Great Heavenly Demon's face chilled coldly.
"Today, I shall rip that impudent mouth of yours to shreds."
"Answer me before you do. Was the Divine Monk truly that formidable to make even you tense?"