Chapter 124
Chapter 124
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Journey (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Wulingyuan was, as always, shrouded in a dense tapestry of mist and clouds.
It was a rugged land, untouchable by any convenience of civilization.
This was Wulingyuan in Zhangjiajie, a place sometimes called the origin of old-generation martial arts.
Ouyang Jue lifted his head.
‘It was once famous for all sorts of barbaric training methods.’
Even now, a martial artist who had foolishly trained only their external body would be mockingly asked if they were from Zhangjiajie.
His impression of the place was particularly poor, as he had seen many who relied solely on their external strength act recklessly during his past life as a wanderer.
Therefore, Ouyang Jue asked the Omniscient One with a measure of doubt.
“Surely you didn’t bring me here to meet some thick-headed savage?”
“Thick-headed savage? He is a man so strong that he ranks within the top five of all the martial artists I have ever seen.”
Ouyang Jue couldn’t help but be surprised by those words.
For the Omniscient One, who must have seen countless martial artists over his centuries of life, to say such a thing.
Ouyang Jue no longer doubted the man said to be in Zhangjiajie. A small sense of anticipation even began to stir within him.
“Hoh… So where is he?”
“At the summit of Heavenly Martial Peak.”
“Heavenly Martial Peak?”
The name sounded familiar, and Ouyang Jue tilted his head to one side.
Soon, he was able to recall a name.
“Ah! That Heavenly Martial Peak!”
“You know of it?”
“A man named Wi Jin-cheon. I first saw him at the Nine Dragons Tournament and met him again at the Martial Alliance.”
Although they hadn’t formed a close friendship, the familiarity helped Ouyang Jue feel less burdened by the foreign land.
A slight sense of looking down on him even arose.
After all, he had easily defeated Wi Jin-cheon at the Nine Dragons Tournament, and he hadn’t received the impression that he had grown much stronger at the Martial Alliance.
The fact that he had participated in the Nine Dragons Tournament alone, without any companions, had also made him seem somewhat shabby.
As a triumphant expression appeared on Ouyang Jue’s face, the Omniscient One wore a strange smile.
“I hope you maintain that attitude.”
“…Why?”
“It’s nothing. This journey will be worthwhile.”
As he said that, the Omniscient One suddenly covered his mouth and laughed, making Ouyang Jue feel that something was amiss.
But he couldn’t be afraid before even meeting the man.
Instead, the extremely narrow path leading to Heavenly Martial Peak felt far more perilous.
‘Can that bear really pass through here?’
One wrong step, and the path could collapse, sending them all plunging down a cliff thousands of feet deep.
Just as Ouyang Jue was about to open his mouth, the Omniscient One, as if to say not to worry, took out a talisman.
*Slap.*
The moment the talisman was placed on the great bear’s back, Ouyang Jue instinctively sensed that its weight had lightened.
To put it in specific numbers, it felt about twenty *gwan* lighter.
Compared to its original weight, the difference was like heaven and earth, leaving him utterly astonished.
“If a spellcaster like you were to enter a battlefield… I don’t even want to imagine it.”
“That’s why the Mandate of Heaven was always shaken, from the era of the Hegemon-King of old to when Chancellor Cao ascended the throne.”
The Omniscient One smiled faintly.
“Though the mystics of the East are still used importantly as chief priests, I, at least, have no such ambitions.”
“That’s a relief.”
In a way, it was also a pity.
A man who had no desire to accept the stipends of the Ming dynasty would hardly be satisfied with the Mount Hua Sect.
‘It might not be a bad idea to find something during this journey to keep the Omniscient One tied down.’
Reaffirming the Omniscient One’s value, Ouyang Jue began to walk cautiously along the narrow mountain path.
*Crack!*
At the sudden sound, Ouyang Jue roared.
“Hey, you damn bear-pig!”
“Groar!”
The great bear swung its front paw, venting its displeasure.
***
They finally arrived at the summit of Heavenly Martial Peak.
There was nothing there but a single small, thatched-roof house. It was worse than even a martial family’s home in the mountains, let alone a sect.
Ouyang Jue’s lips trembled.
“Don’t tell me this is another one of your jokes.”
“A joke? We’ve come to the right place. Besides, isn’t it amazing that a house this size was built atop Wulingyuan?”
The Omniscient One maintained a calm expression.
But it wasn’t as if he wasn’t nervous either.
He had only ever met the man at Mount Mao; this was the first time he had visited his actual residence.
Moreover, given his usual temperament…
*Crash!*
Suddenly, one of the thatched house’s doors shattered and flew straight toward Ouyang Jue.
“…?!”
“Hey, you damn mutt!”
At that voice, Ouyang Jue’s eyes widened, a mix of admiration and shock on his face as he glanced at the Omniscient One.
Just then, he heard the Omniscient One’s telepathic message.
—I said he was strong, not that he was wise.
—You crazy…!
Ouyang Jue hastily took half a step back, then immediately stomped the ground and assumed a ready stance.
He then brought his right hand to his side.
*Squeeze…!*
Leaving a finger’s breadth of space, he clenched his fist as if gripping Mount Tai itself.
“Hooo…”
Although the door was only three steps away, he took a short but deep breath.
If he were to strike it recklessly, he would suffer internal injuries from the profound energy deeply imbued within it.
But he didn’t have enough time to circulate his Purple Mist Divine Energy.
So, without wasting a single breath, with minimal movement.
He had no choice but to use his forearm rather than his fist, striking it briefly to neutralize the force in the door and create an opening.
Having decided on his fist’s path, Ouyang Jue acted concisely and quickly.
*Swish.*
For a moment, Ouyang Jue’s form seemed to vanish, melting into the thick mist that covered Heavenly Martial Peak.
But in the next instant, his elbow was in contact with the door.
*Clang!*
A sound like steel striking steel rang out, and the resulting shockwave scattered the mist.
Moisture soaked his entire uniform, dulling Ouyang Jue’s breathing.
For someone practicing fist arts, the loss of tactile sensation and obstructed breathing were troublesome issues.
However, as if he felt no hindrance at all, or rather, as if he had anticipated this, Ouyang Jue circulated his Purple Mist Divine Energy.
*Fwoosh—*
The violet-hued energy coursed through Ouyang Jue’s entire body before enveloping his fist.
Ouyang Jue’s eyebrow twitched.
“Calling a Daoist of the Mount Hua Sect a damn mutt?”
*Boom!*
His fist struck the door. But it didn't end there; Ouyang Jue continued to pummel it relentlessly.
*Crash, cra-cra-crash!*
As the barrage of blows continued, the internal energy the mysterious man had imbued in the door became null and void, leaving nothing but splinters of wood.
But as if even that wasn't enough, Ouyang Jue opened his clenched fist and unleashed the White Crane Palm.
*Thud!*
A mighty palm, forged from Purple Mist Divine Energy, struck the air, sending the wooden fragments flying back to where they came from.
The power contained within the fragments was equivalent to at least five years of internal energy.
Each one was like a deadly hidden weapon, but Ouyang Jue did not let his guard down.
‘I’m just returning the bullshit he started.’
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than a deep voice came from beyond the thatched house.
“Hoh. Not bad.”
From within the shadowed interior of the house, a man’s figure became distinct.
His body was reminiscent of an ascetic who had dedicated his entire life to training.
Ouyang Jue frowned, recalling the half-baked practitioners he had met in his life as a wanderer who had only trained their external bodies.
But he was soon shocked.
*Sssss…*
Without the man extending his hand, or even forming a finger seal.
All the splinters sent flying by the White Crane Palm turned to ash and scattered.
‘That’s impossible unless he’s a master of extreme internal energy.’
Cold sweat trickled down the side of Ouyang Jue’s face. Unlike before, where he had always held the upper hand in internal energy, it would be difficult this time.
He could feel that his opponent’s internal energy was at least a full sixty-year cycle’s worth.
As Ouyang Jue glared at the man with wary eyes, the man grinned and stepped out of the thatched house.
“Were you that upset I called you a damn mutt? Are you pouting?”
“Pouting! What you said was an insult to the entire Mount Hua Sect!”
“What a load of crap.”
The man, who uttered vulgarities without a second thought, brushed his bangs back with his left hand.
“I heard everything you said from the moment you arrived in Zhangjiajie. What was that about calling us savages?”
“…!”
Could it be that he had a special divine art like Jin Mu-wol, allowing him to hear sounds from a great distance?
If so, it would be difficult to rebuke him using his recent words.
Ouyang Jue spoke with half-sincerity.
“My apologies.”
“Too late.”
The man bared his crimson gums in a grin.
A moment later.
Wi Jin-cheon appeared, carrying a load of firewood.
The sight that greeted him made him erupt in a fit of rage.
“You… you damn master! Is destroying the house your daily routine?!”
“It’s my pleasure. It’s not like I’m the one who has to fix it, right?”
As if to say Wi Jin-cheon would be the one fixing it anyway, the man laughed cheerfully as he stomped on the wooden debris.
Wi Jin-cheon’s face contorted.
“Fine, let’s settle this today! You lowlife!”
“Uh… let’s postpone that.”
“Why, are you scared?!”
The man raised a hand and scratched his cheek.
“No, not that… We have a guest today.”
“A guest?”
“He said he’s seen you before.”
At those words, Wi Jin-cheon’s expression turned sullen.
“You know I don’t have any friends. Who was it that kept me cooped up here my whole life, aside from a few times…?”
“Come on, it’s true.”
The man thumped his chest, then picked up something that was rolling around in the wreckage.
“Come over here.”
“If this is a joke, I’ll find a way to poison you.”
Wi Jin-cheon carelessly tossed the firewood aside and began to approach the man.
But the closer he got, the less it looked like an object.
A shiver of fear ran down Wi Jin-cheon’s spine.
“…What is that?”
“Oh. I think he said he was a Daoist.”
At those words, Wi Jin-cheon immediately dashed forward.
“Did that bastard master finally cause some real trouble?!”
“He was pretty skilled, though.”
The man’s leisurely voice only fueled Wi Jin-cheon’s anger.
Who on earth had come here only to get beaten up by such a terrible person?
They couldn’t have been weak.
Since this man didn’t even treat people as human unless they had a minimum level of qualification, they must have been a martial artist at least at the peak level.
‘If word gets out to the martial world that he beat up a Daoist like that…!’
*That crazy bastard,* Wi Jin-cheon muttered curses as he pushed his way through the mist.
When he finally saw the face, his jaw dropped.
“…Ouyang Jue?”
“It’s been a while.”
Exhausted from using too much internal energy, Ouyang Jue was dangling from the man’s hand.
***
After recovering his stamina and helping Wi Jin-cheon fix the thatched house, the mist had turned a shade of orange.
Wulingyuan in Zhangjiajie was always shrouded in rain and fog.
The fact that this was the only way to tell the time was a truly regrettable point for Ouyang Jue.
‘Fucking savages.’
Ouyang Jue recalled the man’s martial prowess once more.
The power the man possessed was beyond imagination, making him wonder if this was what the Black Dragon would be like if he had learned martial arts.
There was a reason the Omniscient One had boasted that he was among the top five.
‘Perhaps he got close to him to find a way to fight the Black Dragon.’
When he heard the story from the Omniscient One, it turned out they had occasionally sparred at Mount Mao.
The result was the Omniscient One’s overwhelming defeat.
It was only natural; a spellcaster’s frail body would have been no match for the man.
“He’s strong, isn’t he?”
At the Omniscient One’s words, who had approached him at some point, Ouyang Jue nodded.
“A little.”
“For someone who collapsed from exhaustion, you have a sharp tongue.”
“Hmm? No, that’s not it.”
A faint smile played on Ouyang Jue’s face.
“He’s probably the one who’s frustrated.”
He hadn’t drawn the sword at his side, nor had he used any sword arts even after revealing he was from Mount Hua.
He had only fought with the White Crane Palm.
The fact that it had still been a close battle… would surely have wounded the man’s pride.
Ouyang Jue looked forward to tomorrow.
“I have to make sure I properly repay the debt of being called a damn mutt.”
Ouyang Jue was the type to hold a grudge.