Chapter 1
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Greatest Under Heaven, Hwa Un-ryong
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The Martial Arts Alliance in Wuhan, Hubei Province.
Watching the torrential rain pour down as if to wash away all the world's filth, I was lost in thought.
As I watched the downpour, the last eighty-two years of my life resurfaced as vividly as if they were yesterday.
The world never let me, the Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, rest.
The forces of the Unorthodox and Evil Factions, no matter how many times I eradicated them, sprang back up relentlessly like weeds in a field.
I never showed them mercy, annihilating every last one.
Just a year ago, when an evil faction called the Blood Palace emerged in Henan Province, I led a thousand elite warriors of the Martial Arts Alliance and, after a bloody six-month battle, wiped the Blood Palace from existence.
It would be no exaggeration to say my life was spent honing my martial arts and eradicating the Unorthodox and Evil Factions.
In that process, I earned the moniker 'the Heartless Alliance Leader' for executing anyone I deemed an enemy without a shred of pity.
But I never once regretted my life.
Yet, watching the rain pour down today, I found myself wondering if my life had truly been a happy one.
Was my life, lived without a family, championing only justice, a happy one?
Happiness. It was a word I had never considered, and the thought left me utterly bewildered.
I tried to shake it off, but the question lingered, resurfacing again and again in my mind.
“Damn it.”
“Is something troubling you?”
I recognized the voice instantly.
Zhuge Mun-hyeon, the strategist of the Martial Arts Alliance and the wisest man in the martial world.
I turned with a faint smile.
Now in his fifties, he looked particularly old today.
“I was just watching the rain. It's been a while.”
“Are you worried about something? You've been standing like this for six hours now. You didn't even notice my arrival.”
“Six hours?”
When I asked with a look of surprise, Zhuge Mun-hyeon gave a gentle nod.
I had been watching the rain, recalling the past.
Reflecting on eighty-two years, six hours didn't seem so long after all.
“I was looking back on my life. Did I live well?”
“Alliance Leader, you worked harder than anyone for the peace of the martial world. Without your dedication, the martial world would have spent its days in despair, facing the ceaseless rise of the Unorthodox and Evil Factions. You have lived a more admirable life than anyone.”
It wasn't the answer I wanted.
But it didn't matter.
At my age, to have lived diligently and earned this much respect was enough.
I slowly made my way to the Alliance Leader's Hall, and Zhuge Mun-hyeon followed a step behind.
After walking for some time, I stopped at the entrance of the hall and looked at a wall.
The wall was covered in powerful calligraphy, detailing my achievements in defeating the Unorthodox and Evil Factions during my tenure as Alliance Leader.
The memories of fighting them, my life on the line, came flooding back.
The Dark Heavenly Cult.
The Blood Heaven Cult.
The Black Way Union.
The Evil Emperor Union.
The Blood Palace.
There were five major enemy factions, but including the smaller ones, the number exceeded twenty.
Even those smaller factions could cause a storm of blood if they were to appear in the martial world today.
“The battle against the Dark Heavenly Cult is the most memorable.”
Zhuge Mun-hyeon spoke with a faint smile, and I gave a slight nod.
We could speak of it with a smile now, but the war against the Dark Heavenly Cult had dragged on for five long years, and over two thousand warriors of the Martial Arts Alliance had fallen.
I, too, had faced death several times before I was finally able to kill their leader, the Dark Heavenly God, Cheok Mu-hyeok, and bring down the Dark Heavenly Cult.
If I were to name my greatest achievement as Alliance Leader, it would undoubtedly be the destruction of the Dark Heavenly Cult.
At that time, I truly thought I might die.
Compared to that, defeating the other Unorthodox and Evil Factions hadn't been so difficult.
I took a few more steps and stopped again.
This time, another of my achievements was carved into the wall, but its nature was slightly different from the last.
It was a challenge not from an evil faction, but from the Orthodox Faction.
Exactly thirty-two years ago.
With the fall of the Dark Heavenly Cult, peace had settled over the martial world.
The Unorthodox and Evil Factions went into hiding in remote areas, and the Martial Arts Alliance entered its golden age.
Then, to my surprise, a new power challenged me.
It was a challenge from the Sword Emperor, Ouyang Ui, a titan of the Orthodox Faction.
“You struggled a great deal at that time, Alliance Leader.”
“I did. It was a challenge from the Sword Emperor, after all.”
My eyes reddened as I recalled the memory.
The Sword Emperor, Ouyang Ui.
He and I, the Iron-Blooded Sword God, Hwa Un-ryong, were known as the Two Pillars of the martial world.
He was my close friend, a comrade-in-arms who had helped me bring down the Dark Heavenly Cult.
We studied martial arts together, and through our spars, our skills improved by leaps and bounds.
And yet, that same Ouyang Ui had challenged me.
“Haaah.”
“If you are weary, please rest in the Alliance Leader's Hall.”
“I'm fine. By the way, how is the Ouyang Clan doing now?”
“They have fallen. After the Sword Emperor passed away, they completely declined. They are no longer the great Ouyang Clan they once were.”
“That's right. So it is.”
The events of the past resurfaced once more.
**
The Sword Emperor had revealed his ambition for the position of Alliance Leader. If the Five Great Clans he led were to fight the Martial Arts Alliance, the martial world would likely face mutual destruction. After much deliberation, I went to him to negotiate.
“My friend. Do you covet my position so much?”
“Having been born a man and become a martial artist, is it not natural to aspire to become the Alliance Leader?”
“If we lead our respective factions into battle, the martial world could be annihilated.”
“So what is it you want to say? Are you telling me to live my entire life as second best?”
Ouyang Ui retorted, staring straight at me.
I couldn't answer for a while.
Ouyang Ui was more than qualified to be the greatest under heaven.
His martial prowess was so great it was difficult to say who between us was superior. He had a generous character, was magnanimous, and his reputation was sterling.
If not for me, he would have become the Alliance Leader.
“Let us decide this with a duel between just the two of us. Is there any need to drag our factions into this?”
“What do you mean?”
“If I lose, I will step down from my position as Alliance Leader.”
For a moment, an undeniable joy flickered across Ouyang Ui's face.
It was what he had hoped for as well.
Even if he won a war against the Martial Arts Alliance, the joy of becoming the leader would be halved if the martial world was left in ruins.
“However. If you lose, your clan must seal its gates for twenty years. And you must never again covet the position of Alliance Leader. Can you promise me that?”
“Of course.”
Ouyang Ui laughed heartily and agreed.
A month later.
Wuhan Prefecture was so packed with martial artists there was hardly room to stand.
The leaders of the Nine Sects and One Union, the heads of the Five Great Clans, and countless renowned masters of the martial world watched our duel with bated breath.
Our duel was truly earth-shattering.
I unleashed everything, including my sword aura and Sword Control Art, but the Sword Emperor matched me with his own, and we could not determine a winner.
The term 'evenly matched' might have been coined for this very moment.
In the end, after a thousand exchanges, we still hadn't settled the match, and our internal energy was so depleted we could no longer manifest sword aura or use the Sword Control Art.
We resorted to dueling with pure technique.
Though our techniques were no longer backed by immense internal energy, the sword qi at the tips of our blades and the ultimate mastery of our sword paths were truly a work of art.
Finally, at the two-thousandth exchange, my sword reached his throat, and the match was decided.
It was a difference of exactly half a move.
Had I been half a move slower, I would have been the one to lose.
“Heavens! Oh, heavens! How I resent you!”
Ouyang Ui collapsed to the ground, crying tears of blood as he screamed.
Even I could acknowledge his bitter frustration.
He was stronger than any member of the Unorthodox and Evil Factions I had ever faced.
“I, Ouyang Ui, will not return to my home like this.”
Thinking he was about to break his promise, I was startled and took a ready stance. Ouyang Ui lunged, his sword extended.
Knowing how formidable he was, I focused all my strength into a thrust aimed at his heart.
Then, a shocking twist occurred.
At the last moment, Ouyang Ui withdrew his sword.
*Thrust.*
My sword pierced his heart cleanly.
*Gurgle.*
Ouyang Ui coughed up blood. With a trembling hand, he caressed my face and spoke.
“I'm... sorry, my friend. I showed you a disgraceful side of myself.”
**
I shook my head, snapping out of my reverie.
It remains a mystery to this day.
Why did he let my sword pierce him and die?
Could we not have remained good friends?
After losing Ouyang Ui, I became even more heartless.
“The Ouyang Clan's downfall was their own doing. Not only the Five Great Clans and the Nine Sects and One Union, but even the sects of Henan Province turned their backs on them. Now, the Ouyang Clan is just an ordinary family.”
I listened to Zhuge Mun-hyeon's words in silence.
“Unfortunately, the Sword Emperor's Heavenly Severing Sword Art and Heavenly Martial Heart Sutra were lost with his death. If not for that, the Ouyang Clan might have been able to rise again. Ah, but of course, with all his descendants being born with ordinary talent, they would have struggled to reclaim their former glory even if his martial arts had survived.”
Zhuge Mun-hyeon explained the Ouyang Clan's situation in detail, but his words went in one ear and out the other.
I was simply lost in my memories of the Sword Emperor.
Today, for some reason, I missed him like crazy.
*'My friend. Are you well? You must have been so disappointed. Just wait a little longer. I'll be joining you soon. Let's share a drink in the afterlife.'*
“I wish to rest.”
I slowly made my way into the Alliance Leader's Hall.
At the head of the hall, upon a red carpet, stood the grand ceremonial chair.
Passing it and going further inside, I entered a simple yet luxurious bedroom.
“Please sleep well. Your heavy heart will feel much lighter then.”
Zhuge Mun-hyeon said as he pulled the blanket over me.
“Thank you. If I were to be reborn, I would want to work with you again.”
“This humble servant will always remain by your side, Alliance Leader.”
I drifted off to sleep listening to Zhuge Mun-hyeon's words.
**
When I woke up, my head was throbbing.
It was the kind of headache one gets after drinking heavily.
I had clearly spoken with Zhuge Mun-hyeon and gone to sleep peacefully yesterday, so why did I feel such a strong hangover?
Feeling dizzy, I sat up, poured water into a large bowl, and gulped it down.
It was the first time I'd realized how refreshing water could be after a hangover.
As the Alliance Leader, I had always lived on high alert, using my internal energy to purge any intoxication from alcohol, so I had never known this feeling.
“Huh?”
Only then did I realize I was in an unfamiliar place.
This wasn't my bedroom.
And a middle-aged man was glaring at me.
*'What is this? What's going on?'*
To prepare for the worst, I tried to circulate my Universe's Will Divine Art.
My six cycles of internal energy... was gone.
My six cycles of internal energy had vanished without a trace.
Searching my dantian thoroughly, I found only ten years' worth of internal energy.
And impure energy at that.
Had I been poisoned with an energy-scattering toxin?
I quickly shook my head.
I had been so careful, and my Universe's Will Divine Art, having reached six cycles, made me immune to all poisons.
An energy-scattering toxin?
Impossible.
Then how could I explain my current situation?
Faced with a situation that negated my entire eighty-two years of life, a single tear fell from my eye before I even realized it.
“So you do have a conscience, seeing as you're crying.”
“Who are you?”
I asked, not losing my composure.
As someone with the highest seniority in the martial world, I felt no need to speak respectfully to such an ordinary middle-aged man.
Furthermore, this unfamiliar place and the ten years of impure energy were proof that something was terribly wrong with me.
Therefore, even if I were to be brutally tortured or, in the worst case, killed here, I intended to maintain the dignity of the Alliance Leader to the very end.
“Who am I? You're asking who I am? You rotten punk.”
The middle-aged man rushed forward, grabbed me by the collar, and started shaking me while spewing vulgarities.
“You get drunk and beat people up, don't you? You squander our fortune at brothels, don't you? Huh? You brat! Do you have any idea how much money we've paid in compensation because of you? And you ask who I am?”
I lightly slapped his hands away.
“What is the meaning of this insolence?”
*Smack.*
In that instant, the back of my head stung, and I saw stars.
“Hey, you rotten punk!”
“You cur! I don't know where this is, but I am Hwa Un-ryong, the Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance. Do not insult me!”
“Hah, this... this kid has completely lost his mind.”
The middle-aged man collapsed onto the floor, an expression of utter disbelief on his face.
It was then.
The door swung open, and a middle-aged woman entered, stepping in front of me.
“That's enough. Cheon-ie will come to his senses now.”
“Hah, come to his senses? I wonder if you'd still say that if you'd heard the crazy things this brat was just spouting.”
“He's probably still drunk and talking nonsense. Let's go back now. The boy must be exhausted, too.”
She forcibly dragged the middle-aged man out, who protested his indignation as he was pulled away.
The back of my head was still throbbing.
What in the world was going on?
Is this a dream?
Yes, it must be a ridiculous nightmare.
Hoping to wake from this nightmare when I next opened my eyes, I fell back asleep.