Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Exalted White Master
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"Please come back alive."
What unlucky words those were.
Se Yeong slowly stepped into the forest.
No sooner had he passed through the dense trees than a grassy meadow stretched out before him, thick with blades up to waist height.
The grass was so packed there was barely room to set foot.
'Is the supreme lord of the unorthodox factions really living in a place like this?'
Harboring doubts, Se Yeong entered the meadow.
The moment he did, a fierce killing intent surged from all directions.
He sucked in a sharp breath.
Sensing the intense killing aura, Se Yeong immediately raised his iron rod before him.
Yet the razor-sharp intent that seemed about to slice into his flesh vanished clean away the instant he lifted the rod.
What should this killing aura be called?
It wasn't mere chilling energy—it was the aura of death itself, deathly qi.
Se Yeong took another step forward with the foot he had halted.
In that instant, the fierce deathly qi poured in from every side once more.
'Damn.'
Any ordinary deathly qi he might have ignored and pressed on.
But this onslaught from all directions was so vicious it felt like blades carving up his entire body.
As soon as Se Yeong halted his step, the vicious killing intent vanished without a trace.
"What a tiresome prank."
Se Yeong spat his quiet fury toward the invisible foe.
There was no response from the unseen opponent.
In the end, Se Yeong channeled inner energy into his foot and stepped forward.
Thud...!
The moment his foot hit the ground, the thick meadow trembled, sending shockwaves rippling outward in all directions.
Had he infused it with demonic qi, it would have been called the Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step, but this technique was the Heavenly Hand Sect's Heavenly King's Vast Slaughter Step.
The vicious deathly qi surging in wavered for a moment.
But soon it transformed into something far vaster and more ferocious, crashing down upon him.
Thud...!
Se Yeong stepped again, unleashing the Heavenly King's Vast Slaughter Step.
The grass, unable to withstand the shockwaves, toppled in a circle around him.
The vast, ferocious deathly qi hesitated before swelling into an even greater wave, surging like a tidal swell.
Thoom...!
Se Yeong took a large stride forward, slamming his foot into the earth.
In that instant, the tidal deathly qi shredded apart and scattered.
But it lasted only a fleeting moment.
The deathly qi began crashing in again like endless waves.
At the same time, thick demonic qi roiled up from Se Yeong's entire body.
Originally, Se Yeong had embraced the Demonic Cult's demonic qi before the Heavenly Hand Sect's pure energy.
Thus his demonic arts were stronger, but he couldn't reveal them recklessly.
Now, however, he had no time to worry about that.
Thoom...!
As he strode forward with the Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step, the wave-like deathly qi churned and raged wildly.
Thoom...!
With his next step, the frenzied deathly qi tore apart and scattered, only for new deathly qi to surge in even more madly.
The deathly qi blanketed not just the ground but the sky itself.
Ah...
A sigh escaped Se Yeong's lips.
Each time he shattered the deathly qi, it returned even stronger—an endless war.
The outcome was already decided.
Even if he pulverized all this deathly qi, more would blanket heaven and earth anew.
Yet Se Yeong thrust out his iron rod.
Boom boom crash...!
The deathly qi shrouding heaven and earth exploded, shattering into fragments.
Thoom...!
With the Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step, the incoming deathly qi rippled.
Thoom...! Thud...!
Se Yeong advanced several more steps.
Now the deathly qi not only blanketed heaven and earth but surged up from underground as well.
Boom boom crash...!
He swung the iron rod, detonating his demonic qi, but the scattered deathly qi enveloped his entire body in an instant.
The manifested deathly qi turned into blades, piercing his flesh.
His qi and blood twisted, his insides churned, and blood finally gushed out.
Cough...
Se Yeong dropped to one knee on the ground, vomiting blood.
This was nearly the realm of instant death.
Having spewed a bowl's worth of blood, Se Yeong slowly rose to his feet.
At that moment, the forest shook, and a rumbling voice echoed.
"Do not resist. Then you shall not die."
The voice seemed to come from the heavens themselves.
Se Yeong replied calmly.
"Living and merely not dying are worlds apart. I choose to live over mere survival."
Gripping his iron rod, Se Yeong stepped forward.
Better to die proudly in life than cling to a wretched existence.
As if waiting, the deathly qi filling heaven and earth crashed down, and Se Yeong swung his rod.
Boom boom crash...!
The shattered deathly qi slipped in, slicing his side.
His qi and blood twisted again, blood surging up his throat.
Yet Se Yeong did not stop.
Thud...!
Boom boom crash...!
I can see it.
The figure of someone seated in the pavilion came into view.
But the form was so hazy he couldn't tell if it was man or woman, young or old.
It wasn't that the form was indistinct—it appeared indistinct.
Se Yeong steadied his staggering body, only to collapse onto the ground.
Urk...
After vomiting more blood, Se Yeong used his iron rod to barely pull himself up.
The hazy figure began to sharpen slightly.
The form in the pavilion was that of a middle-aged man.
Yet he was so strikingly handsome it was hard at first to tell if he was man or woman.
His hair flowed to his shoulders, swaying in the breeze, and his piercing eyes gleamed like starlight.
"Are you Han Se Yeong?"
Only upon hearing the voice did Se Yeong realize it was a man.
This man was surely the White Master, supreme lord of the unorthodox factions.
"I am."
"From the Demonic Cult?"
"Not... exactly."
The middle-aged man's form grew even clearer.
But his body, having exceeded its limits, refused to obey.
'Grandfather was right after all. I'm still no match for him.'
This sensation of utter helplessness was a long time coming.
"Can you make it up here?"
"Of course..."
Se Yeong tried to step toward the pavilion.
But his legs wouldn't move.
"Come up."
"Just... wait..."
Se Yeong collapsed backward before he could finish.
Thud...!
And lost consciousness completely.
A faint smile graced the man's lips.
Han Se Yeong was the first to walk this far.
Even the famed prodigies of the unorthodox clans had failed to pass halfway.
Most hadn't even managed a single step before collapsing.
'Living and merely not dying are worlds apart... What stirring words.'
Above all, that unyielding pride—even in defeat, head held high—drew a smile unbidden.
"Su Deok, are you here?"
"You summoned me, my lord?"
Ak Su Deok appeared suddenly, kneeling and bowing before the man.
"Look after him."
"Rest assured, my lord. I will tend to him with utmost care."
The lord he knew never smiled.
No, he didn't even know how.
Yet now, this lord smiled for the first time.
"A man full of secrets."
"I thought the same, my lord."
"Arrange another meeting with him before you leave the stronghold."
"Understood, my lord."
The man lifted the teacup before him, savoring the taste.
The tea had long gone cold, yet it was sweet and fragrant.
It felt like the deepest sleep in ages.
Hmm...
As he tried to open his eyes, a pungent herbal scent assaulted his nose first.
'Ah... I passed out.'
Recalling the hazy memory, Se Yeong slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was his body covered in acupuncture needles.
'Was I receiving treatment?'
He turned his head to see an old man with a goatee beard sitting in a chair, gazing down at him quietly.
"You're awake?"
"Where am I?"
At Se Yeong's question, the old man began removing the needles.
"A body as sturdy as yours is a first in my seventy years. Who knows when the internal injuries might flare up? Be careful for a while."
"I asked where this is."
As Se Yeong pressed for an answer, the old man snapped irritably.
"Where else? A clinic."
"That's not what I meant."
"Ugh. I treat you and you complain."
Having removed all the needles, the old man stormed out, stirring a breeze in his wake.
After he left, a familiar face entered.
"One of the unorthodox clans."
Recognizing the face, Se Yeong realized this was an unorthodox clinic.
"Awake? Let's go eat."
At Ak Su Deok's words, Se Yeong rose.
"Your clothes were in rags, so wear these."
He handed Se Yeong a clean black martial robe.
Se Yeong donned it and stepped outside.
Thick darkness had already fallen.
"How long was I out?"
"About six hours."
Se Yeong tested his body as he walked beside Ak Su Deok.
The injured areas throbbed dully, but miraculously, his body felt lighter than before.
Like the feeling after Grandfather massaged him as a child.
"Did you feed me some elixir?"
"Elixir? No, it was the lord who did this."
"What kind of man is the lord?"
They'd exchanged only a few words.
Yet his impression was so intense that the man's face lingered in his mind.
In the martial world, only the Alliance Leader had given him this feeling before.
No, in terms of sheer intensity, this man was first.
"A lonely soul."
An unexpected answer came from Ak Su Deok's lips.
"What?"
"He's lonely. You'll understand someday."
Se Yeong brushed it off lightly.
"Anyway, is the lord a man? Or a woman?"
Ak Su Deok halted, looking at Se Yeong with an expression like he might cry.
"You... Don't spout such nonsense. Lucky I heard it—if others did, they'd beat you to death."
"Ah... Yeah. Just checking 'cause he was so handsome."
"Brother! Where've you been? It's so late."
Paeng Se Gi greeted him most vehemently the moment he entered the room.
"We were worried, Hero Han."
"Did something happen?"
The squad members welcomed him with concerned faces.
"Nothing happened. I'm back, Instructor Kang."
Se Yeong gave a slight bow and took a seat beside the squad members.
"Food will be served shortly. Please wait."
Ak Su Deok left those words and exited.
Once he was gone, Instructor Kang asked in a low voice.
"Something happened, didn't it? Isn't that right, Young Hero Han?"
As expected, it was hard to fool the seasoned instructor.
"I met the White Master."
"Really, brother? How?"
Startled, Paeng Se Gi leaned in close.
Se Yeong answered calmly.
"I lost."
The squad members exchanged puzzled glances at the abrupt words.
"...Pardon?"
"Lost? What do you mean?"
Se Yeong gave a wry smile.
"We didn't fight formally, but in our confrontation, I was defeated."
The squad members gaped at Se Yeong's face.
"Om mani padme hum."
Only after Yeong-gak's heavy mantra did they snap back.
"You really... mean you lost, brother?"
"Yes. Perhaps the martial world's greatest isn't the Alliance Leader, but the White Master."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Until now, the martial world had regarded Alliance Leader Namgung Je as the supreme.
Yet Se Yeong was denying it.
Paeng Se Gi especially seemed outraged at the defeat.
"Brother, aren't you sitting here unscathed?"
"Do I need to drop dead for it to count?"
"No, that's not what I meant."
"I said it wasn't a formal fight."
Even if it had been formal, the result wouldn't have changed.
Unaware of that, Paeng Se Gi sighed in relief.
Whew...
"I thought you'd fought to the death. That doesn't count as a loss."
Se Yeong said nothing.
Could they comprehend it had been fiercer than a battle to the death?