Chapter 376: Stagnant Water Is Bound to Rot (1)

PAAAAANG!

The air shook from a lightly thrust fist.

It had not been packed with powerful Inner Qi, nor had its speed been astonishingly fast, yet around that fist, the air spread outward in transparent concentric circles.

“How is it?”

At the absolute master’s question, the woman bowed her head.

“For me as I am now, it is a realm I would not dare imagine.”

“Of course it is. However, since it seems you recognized the martial principles contained within that ordinary-looking fist, your own enlightenment does not seem far off either.”

“Thank you.”

“There is no need to thank me. Rather, I am sorry. I have been so busy with work that I could not even teach my disciple properly. As a master, I have no face before you.”

A strange light shone in the woman’s eyes.

The master she knew was not someone who would say such things to a disciple. He was endlessly blunt and cold.

“Countless martial arts exist in this world. Each day, hundreds of martial arts disappear, and hundreds more are born. Yet what all those martial arts pursue is one thing.”

“.......”

“Death.”

“.......”

“A person dies if his head is cut off or his heart bursts. He dies if he loses too much blood, and even a simple wound can rot and kill him if not properly tended. One can even die from pain alone. People are that fragile.”

The absolute master withdrew his fist.

“In the end, the essence of martial arts lies in my survival and the opponent’s death. Half-baked fools led astray by useless teachings put on the airs of gentlemen and believe there is the Way in martial arts, but that is nothing more than empty theory. Martial arts are not that.”

The absolute master raised his index finger.

“It is exactly this long. If a hole of this depth and this thickness opens in the head or chest, a person dies. And every martial art under heaven is a fighting art created to produce that result efficiently.”

“.......”

“Thus, a good martial art is clean and without excess. That is why the Way can be contained within it. Those are the martial arts called first-rate.”

He had said there was no Way in martial arts, yet in the end, he said the Way could be placed within martial arts.

In other words, because martial arts themselves had no Way, the one to contain that Way could only be the person.

The absolute master, Yangcheon, said, “To step into martial arts, into the martial path, understanding the essence honestly is more important than anything else. Once you then completely embody that essence, even that ordinary punch from a moment ago can reduce a ten-thousand-geun boulder to powder.”

“Yes.”

Yangcheon smiled.

“I have no doubt that this realm will come to you soon as well. You have improved astonishingly since I last saw you. You have truly worked hard.”

The woman closed her eyes.

“Those words are more than I deserve. Without your exceptional teachings, Master, it would have been an achievement I could never have dared reach.”

Yangcheon laughed and sat in the iron armchair.

“The Central Plains is vast. And there are many strong people. Perhaps there are far more powerful masters living in seclusion than those who have made their names known to the world.”

“I am feeling that for myself.”

“You defeated those many strong people and only then reached your current position. I want to give you a great reward.”

“The punch you showed me, Master, is a reward more precious than any treasure. I will take that punch as my goal and devote myself to progress every day.”

“Heh heh heh.”

Yangcheon let out a hearty laugh.

“How very like you. Yes, you have always been that way. Though your talent was never as outstanding as the first’s, nor were you as skilled in battle as the third, you always walked your own path in silence.”

“.......”

“Now, at last, that effort of yours has fully bloomed. Even the first or the third would not find it easy to face you as you are now.”

The woman’s eyes shone.

Other than her master, she was a person who feared nothing in the world. That was why she had never thought of surpassing her master or trying to defeat him.

However, there were two opponents she absolutely wanted to crush. They were the eldest senior brother and the third her master had just mentioned.

Until now, her master had never once spoken to her about the eldest senior brother or the third. That master had mentioned those two.

He did not say they would not find it easy to defeat me. He said they would not find it easy to face me.

In other words, her achievement could be said to be equal to, or greater than, the eldest senior brother’s or the third’s.

She calmly controlled the joy surging up inside her.

Yangcheon asked, “Your martial arts have improved so greatly, and you have completed the work entrusted to you beyond expectation, so I will call you back to headquarters soon. You have worked hard.”

“Thank you.”

“Before that.”

Yangcheon’s eyes instantly sharpened.

“I have not received a separate report regarding the matter of Putuo Hermitage. You handled it properly, did you not?”

The woman, Buseon, bowed her head again.

“I released unseen poison into clean water, so Putuo Hermitage will be unable to interfere in the martial world’s affairs for the time being.”

“Are you certain?”

“I am certain. A group that has never experienced conflict by nature only develops desire when it first falls into chaos. In order to draw the position of the next Sword Queen to their own branch, they will be unable to step into the martial world for at least three years.”

Only then did Yangcheon smile in satisfaction.

“Well done. You handled it well to the very end.”

“Thank you.”

“And one more thing.”

Yangcheon frowned slightly.

“Have you received separate contact from the Yin God’s side?”

“I have not. In nearly half a year, he has not once reported on time.”

CRUUUNCH!

The armrest of the iron armchair was hideously crushed as if it were clay. It was the result of Yangcheon’s terrifying grip strength.

“What an amusing bastard. Truly amusing. Then again, since he cannot contact Black Sheep at headquarters, he must have noticed that something feels strange too.”

“.......”

“Very well. You have suffered much on the road. Go back and rest......”

It was then.

“Manor Lord.”

At the voice coming from far away, Yangcheon’s eyes shone.

“What is it, White Rat?”

“A guest has come.”

“A guest?”

There were not many people who even knew of Ink Dragon Manor’s existence. And yet a guest of the Manor Lord?

“Clan Lord Mo Yong has come in person.”

In that instant, Yangcheon’s eyes blazed.

A short while later.

Whoosh!

From far away, from within the dense forest, a powerful qi wave stretched out, and Mo Yonggun felt a rare tension.

Step. Step.

The sound ringing up from the ground with each step was beyond chilling.

“Well now. I never imagined you would come looking for me without even sending word.”

“.......”

“As you know, I am not an idle man. At first, I intended to send you back. But for some reason, my intuition was not good. So I set my work aside for a moment and came in person.”

A tremendous pressure could be felt from that calm voice.

As expected.

Mo Yonggun closed his eyes.

A master of the Supreme Heavens...... This is only the second time I have faced him, but he truly exceeds imagination.

His qi wave, voice, and presence—none of them fell within common sense.

The First Warrior-General? There was no comparison. Venerable Gonggong? Mo Yonggun had never seen his full power, but he could be certain that even Gonggong could never exert this level of pressure.

Yeon Wi’s absolute single sword strike might be able to wound a master of this level. But since this was a master whose fundamental capacity could not even be compared, he would not simply stand there with his eyes open and take such a sword strike.

How laughable. Unless it is an elder master of the Orthodox Path, no master in the current Martial Alliance can be this man’s opponent.

The arrival of a giant of an era, one who had transcended all the limits of humanity and martial arts.

Yangcheon appeared.

“You have come.”

Yangcheon’s eyes flashed.

“Did you come alone?”

“I did.”

With Yangcheon’s ability, he could hear not only the animals dwelling in this area but even the faint wingbeats of insects. That was why Mo Yonggun could not lie.

Even so, the reason Yangcheon asked was because he fundamentally did not trust Mo Yonggun.

“I believe I told you I was not an idle man.”

“I heard you.”

“Then you had better choose your words carefully. If I think you have wasted even a little of my time, I will tear out half your roots.”

Mo Yonggun’s roots. It meant the Hunan Mo Yong Clan.

Mo Yonggun spoke calmly.

“I am not an idle man either, so I will not drag this out pointlessly.”

“A wise judgment. But before that, is there not something we must settle?”

“What is it?”

Killing Intent appeared in Yangcheon’s eyes.

“You did not contact me separately. Worse, you drove away the attendant I sent with that daughter of yours.”

“.......”

“If you cannot explain yourself properly, this precarious cooperative relationship ends today. And unless we are together, you are clearly an enemy, so I will have to kill you here.”

“.......”

“Speak. Why did you break our promise and act on your own?”

Mo Yonggun looked at Yangcheon with deep eyes.

He is an extraordinary master. There is no doubt about that. The claim that he can face a great sect alone is no empty boast. I cannot even imagine how many more years I would have to train to reach the same realm as that man. However......

He could read serious anger and wounded pride in Yangcheon’s eyes and face.

As a martial artist, he deserves respect. But as a leader, he is not first-rate.

At Yangcheon’s level, he was certainly a capable leader. In a general sense, that was so.

However, when limited to the role of a leader, Mo Yonggun did not think Yangcheon’s abilities were so remarkable. The fact that he only felt that now must have been because Yangcheon’s presence was simply that overwhelming.

He wandered the world alone and fought against it, but he has not been operating an organization in earnest for long.

A small smile formed around Mo Yonggun’s lips.

Even a transcendent master like him cannot do anything about a lack of experience.

Yangcheon’s eyebrow twitched.

“Your answer?”

“I will answer. But there is a matter ten thousand times more important than that answer, so may I speak of that first and then answer you?”

“......You are truly an amusing man. In some ways, enough to draw admiration. I have seen many people until now, but I have never seen anyone act so insolently before me as you do.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“I have no use for wordplay! If you do not answer at once......!”

“You know of the ones called the Three Creeds, do you not?”

“......What?”

“You do not know? Then I will put it differently. Do you know of the Perverse Lust Cult?”

Whoosh!

In that instant, Yangcheon’s aura changed.

It grew even more violent, but the qi wave was not directed at Mo Yonggun.

The emotion cast across Yangcheon’s face was surprise. It was not a feigned reaction, but sincere. He was purely astonished.

Mo Yonggun’s eyes deepened.

“So it was as I thought. Vice Manor Lord Yang knew about them as well.”

“You......”

HOOOOOOONG!

The qi wave pouring out suddenly burned hot.

Mo Yonggun felt his breathing turn tight for an instant. Yangcheon’s aura, burning with confusion, rage, suspicion, and passion, swept over Mo Yonggun’s entire body.

Yangcheon asked in a sharp voice, “How does a bastard like you know of the Perverse Lust Cult?”

Pajijijik!

In that instant, Thunderclap energy rose from Mo Yonggun’s body.

A qi wave burning with passion was not Yangcheon’s alone.

Mo Yonggun glared at Yangcheon with eyes filled with rage. It was a true, passionate rage, one whose density was not lacking in the least compared to Fighting King Yangcheon’s.

“You knew about them, and yet you were holed up in this pathetic cave playing boss?”

“What did you say?”

Mo Yonggun roared.

“I am asking whether, while that base filth from beyond the frontier is trying to swallow the Central Plains whole, you were trying to fatten your own belly instead of chewing those sons of bitches to pieces!!”