Chapter 128
Chapter 128
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Nameless (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“To think I'd get to see such a fine spectacle in my final years!”
Nameless wore a gentle smile, unlike his usual self.
For Ouyang Jue, it was a great relief.
If Nameless had immediately charged in and used another technique after executing Thunderclap Heaven-Rend, Ouyang Jue surely would have lost after just a few exchanges.
But Nameless had simply stood still afterward.
It must have been because the move Ouyang Jue displayed had unraveled the knot in Nameless's heart.
The outcome left Ouyang Jue with a sense of regret.
'If only I were a little more skilled...'
Wouldn't I have been able to give Nameless a proper fight?
Wouldn't I have been able to find a clue to further advance my martial arts?
It was just a spar where they had exchanged a few moves. The emotions felt in that brief moment dug into him like fangs.
“Don't feel sorry toward me.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue raised his head.
Nameless's face was filled with a solemnity he had never shown before.
*You clashed with me and overcame it, so you have the right to be proud.*
His gaze seemed to convey such words.
Only then did Ouyang Jue puff out his chest.
Nameless smiled.
“At your age, is there anyone else who has achieved what you have? It is truly admirable. You have mastered every principle you spoke of.”
“...It doesn't suit you.”
As Ouyang Jue awkwardly wiped the spot below his nose with his hand, Nameless turned his head toward Wi Jin-cheon.
“Did you see that?”
“Yes.”
“That is the mountain you must overcome. And the wall.”
Nameless instructed Wi Jin-cheon with such a sagely demeanor that his behavior until now felt like a lie.
But Wi Jin-cheon found it so awkward that he tilted his head, wondering if Ouyang Jue had hit Nameless wrong.
From the first time they met until now, Nameless had always been frivolous in his actions and harsh with his words.
No matter what anyone said, Nameless was the type to laugh heartily and raise his fists.
'But this side of him now is...'
Wi Jin-cheon felt a sudden chill and pointed at Ouyang Jue.
“Master! Did this bastard hit you wrong?! What's wrong with you?”
“...”
When Nameless said nothing, an even greater chill ran down Wi Jin-cheon's spine, and he bellowed.
“They say people change before they die, but cut it out! You're scaring me!”
“You, you idiot! I meant for you to hold onto him!”
“...?”
Nameless looked at Wi Jin-cheon with a profound gaze.
Though his frame and talents were different, Wi Jin-cheon's current state was just like his own past.
To possess such power yet have to live confined to the Heavenly Martial Peak was a great heavenly punishment.
For now, he might be content with having gone from an orphan of Zhangjiajie to a martial artist, but how long would that last?
Life is finite.
But the successors of the Heavenly Martial Peak were destined to live so long it felt infinite.
'At the peak of Wulingyuan, a breathing corpse for a long, long time.'
Nameless still remembered his master's last breath.
His master had told him he was sorry.
Nameless had felt rage toward the master who whispered the secret at the very end.
He had planned to master all the arts of the Heavenly Martial Peak and then venture into the martial world to challenge the strong, but it all came to nothing.
He couldn't believe that this cramped Wulingyuan, not even as large as the manor of a small martial family, was to be his grave.
Eventually, he even felt a deep sense of betrayal toward his master.
But in the end, Nameless built his master's grave here and a small thatched hut next to it, where he began to teach Wi Jin-cheon.
He felt guilty, wondering if he too would end up following in his master's footsteps.
Then, about five years ago.
Nameless told Wi Jin-cheon the truth.
And this was the reply he received.
“I'm content.”
He said that even though his master was eccentric and violent, he was happy that he had taken him in and cherished him.
Wi Jin-cheon was that kind of child.
From that night on, Nameless gradually began to forget Jin Mu-wol. It was the moment his purpose shifted from struggle to his disciple.
That was why he broke the precept of avoiding entanglement with the martial world as much as possible and sent him to the Nine Dragons Competition, allowing him to see the Martial Alliance.
The knowledge gained in his youth would become a source of pain later, but Nameless wanted Wi Jin-cheon to be happy.
Even now, Nameless pleaded with Ouyang Jue as if begging.
“My rival, Jin Mu-wol, is dead. But couldn't you become a rival for that child?”
“...”
Ouyang Jue could not answer immediately, weighed down by the gravity of those words.
It was because he sensed a slight madness in Nameless.
'If I refuse... does he intend to fight again?'
He shuddered at the chilling thought that this time, it wouldn't end with Thunderclap Heaven-Rend, that Nameless would do something drastic.
But soon, Ouyang Jue broke into a pleasant smile.
At least Nameless wasn't the type to hide his true intentions from others.
He judged that, unlike some people, Nameless wasn't the type to wrap his secrets in layer after layer to harm others.
That earned Ouyang Jue's favor. Furthermore, he was curious to see how strong Wi Jin-cheon would become under the tutelage of the Heavenly Martial Peak.
Words of affirmation flowed from Ouyang Jue's lips.
“Of course.”
“Thank you. Truly... thank you.”
As Nameless slightly bowed his head, Wi Jin-cheon showed a look of astonishment.
Just then, the Omniscient One spoke.
As if bringing up words he had hidden until now, the Omniscient One's face held a hesitation unlike his usual self.
“Nameless, there is no need for that.”
“Even from you, I do not want any meddling.”
Despite Nameless's cold dismissal, the Omniscient One did not back down.
There was something he had to say. But even the Omniscient One could not predict how Nameless would react upon hearing it.
'I will be hated.'
Pushing down a bitter smile, the Omniscient One continued what he was saying.
“In the near future, the precept that binds the Heavenly Martial Peak will be broken. When that time comes, Nameless, you too will be able to leave in search of rivals in the martial world.”
“...What?”
Nameless's eyebrows twitched.
Beyond whether it was true, the mere fact that the Omniscient One knew such a thing sparked a sense of betrayal.
If he knew, why hadn't he said anything until now?
Nameless revealed his fiery temper.
“Omniscient One! You've been hiding this all this time!”
“I had no choice. It was the original law of causality, and a request left by the founder of the Heavenly Martial Peak.”
As the Omniscient One spoke nonchalantly, Nameless felt as if someone had poured oil on his chest.
His anger flared up.
“Knowing everything, was it amusing for you to watch me in this state!”
“...I am sorry.”
*Thump!*
Nameless immediately circulated the Heavenly Escape Mind and Heart Arts and tried to strike down on the Omniscient One's crown.
But there was someone who blocked his path.
*Kaaang!*
Seeing the trembling Severing Manifestation, Nameless glared at Ouyang Jue with sharp eyes.
“Move!”
“I cannot.”
“Get out of my way right now!”
“Listen to the end of the story!”
As Ouyang Jue's eyes flashed and he unleashed his elegant swordsmanship, Nameless took a step back.
*Drip.*
Blood was trickling down the back of his hand.
'Even if I was agitated, to think he could pierce my protective aura at a single point.'
Is Ouyang Jue growing stronger even at this very moment?
Nameless took a deep, hot breath and calmed his mind.
Finally, Nameless sat down where he stood and glowered at the Omniscient One.
“Let's hear you try to make an excuse!”
The Omniscient One bowed his head once more.
* * *
The Omniscient One's explanation was concise.
What the Eight Evils were, that the Black Dragon living on Mount Mao had been vanquished, and what meaning the Heavenly Martial Peak held.
At some point, Wi Jin-cheon had approached and was now guarding Nameless's side, which was why Nameless couldn't recklessly swing his fists.
But it was unfair.
The fact that he had been swept up in a grand scheme he knew nothing about seemed to shatter Nameless's pride.
“So... the Heavenly Martial Peak is a secret sect that is only liberated when the Eight Evils rise again?”
Nameless let out a laugh of disbelief.
“What a grand secret, one that even its successor doesn't know!”
“...”
“And yet an outsider knows about it!”
Nameless radiated killing intent, as if he would split the Omniscient One's head open at any moment.
But he couldn't actually do it.
As Ouyang Jue had said, there had been an accident that even the Omniscient One had not anticipated.
“...To think such an accident occurred during the succession of the Heavenly Martial Peak, even I did not know.”
About a hundred years ago.
Judging by the total amount of internal energy Nameless currently possessed, it must have happened around that time.
The incident where someone who had left the Heavenly Martial Peak harboring discontent returned after losing everything.
The Omniscient One looked at Nameless with somber eyes.
“If you were me, could I, having just learned the truth myself, have told you?”
“...”
Ouyang Jue looked at the stiffly frozen Nameless and predicted inwardly.
He couldn't have.
That would be no different from making a fool out of all the days Nameless had spent yearning for Jin Mu-wol.
It was a truth that rendered all of Nameless's past struggles meaningless.
If he had heard it then, could Nameless have accepted it right away?
Could he have laughed heartily as he usually did?
Ouyang Jue's head shook slightly.
Just then, the Omniscient One spoke.
“Nevertheless, the reason I brought this up to you, Nameless, is because that day is not far off.”
“...If I.”
Nameless's voice was thick, as if it were boiling up from a deep place.
“What will you do if I ignore these fellows called the Eight Evils? If I leave the martial world to seek out the strong beyond it! Do you think you can stop me?”
“That would be impossible.”
The Omniscient One answered honestly.
If Nameless was determined to go astray, the Omniscient One's skills were not enough to stop him. On the contrary, he would have to be prepared to have his head smashed.
However, for Nameless, the rise of the Eight Evils would be an opportunity to quench his thirst.
Fate is not something one can easily escape.
The reason the successor of the Heavenly Martial Peak was a battle demon like Nameless was surely also due to such a fate.
The fate of Heavenly Escape, destined to fight the Eight Evils.
The Omniscient One began to persuade Nameless in a calm tone.
“But strong warriors who can tear apart the years you've found so tedious will continue to appear in the martial world. The Eight Evils are not the only problem. Eccentric masters and hidden experts who have been in seclusion will emerge to stop them, or perhaps to take advantage of the chaos. I swear this on my name as the Omniscient One.”
As if in response to those words, Ouyang Jue loosened the top of his martial arts uniform.
“...?!”
Nameless's eyes widened.
If it were simply a matter of having many scars, he would have just snorted and moved on.
But the scars etched all over Ouyang Jue's body were such that even Nameless could not look away.
Every single one was a near-fatal wound.
They crisscrossed one another. A few were so deep that the flesh beneath was visible.
'He survived even after receiving wounds like these?'
Nameless was inwardly impressed. At the same time, he shuddered at the pain Ouyang Jue must have endured.
“Is it because you died once and came back to life that you could become this strong?”
“Not necessarily. But isn't it an interesting prospect?”
Ouyang Jue murmured words he didn't truly mean.
“To have an opponent against whom you can clash with the martial arts you've trained your entire life, the skills you prided yourself on having mastered...”
“...”
“If you can compete with the martial arts you've both painstakingly mastered and emerge victorious, isn't that proof of a martial artist's life?”
As Ouyang Jue spoke in a stoic voice, Nameless suddenly saw him in a new light.
A warrior who had experienced a hundred battles.
A martial artist who had overcome countless crises and adversities!
And yet, he was not afraid to fight others.
In fact, he had faced Nameless himself twice and never backed down.
Even when he was outmatched not only in age but also in the internal energy Nameless prided himself on.
Nameless closed his eyes for a moment.
Ouyang Jue's presence felt even greater than when they had first met.
'Indeed... that fellow Ouyang Jue is a true martial artist!'
Was Ouyang Jue eighteen now?
He had to take back what he'd said about it taking fifteen years.
Ten years, no, five years would be enough.
'Or maybe it will take even less time than that.'
What the Heavenly Martial Peak called Pure Azure.
What martial artists called a perilous path on a cliff's edge.
Nameless opened his closed eyes. Then, he turned his head to the Omniscient One.
“I apologize for my excessive anger.”
“No need to be sorry. I was willing to take at least one light blow.”
The Omniscient One gazed steadily at Nameless.
“But don't do it again.”
“...”
“After you split my crown, what were you planning to do? Don't tell me. Were you planning to die at his hands, as his enemy, in front of your disciple?”
To the Omniscient One's words, Nameless couldn't bring himself to say no.
'Is this the insight he's honed over hundreds of years of life?'
After hesitating and muttering for a moment, Nameless shook his head slightly.
“I have no such intention, not anymore.”
“If the day comes when we meet again, I hope we do so under more pleasant circumstances.”
The Omniscient One said this as he rose to his feet.
He then glanced once at Ouyang Jue and his lips twitched.
But Ouyang Jue spoke first.
“Thank you for everything, Nameless.”
“Yes, let's meet again.”
As Ouyang Jue began to descend from Wulingyuan, the Omniscient One and Daexiong followed behind him.