novelraw Chapter 251 : A Person’s Heart Does Not Die (2)
Chapter 251 : A Person’s Heart Does Not Die (2)
Chapter 251: A Person’s Heart Does Not Die (2)
On the cloud-wreathed peaks of Mount Hua, atop Lotus Peak, Daoist halls roofed with blue tiles rose quietly into the air.
As a clear and pristine aura enveloped the surroundings, the sacred grounds of the Mount Hua Sect—one of the most renowned great sects of the Orthodox Path—remained steeped in tranquil peace as always.
However today, unlike usual, a heavy silence had settled over the office of the Sect Leader, Myeong Iljin-in.
Holding a worn teacup in his hand, Myeong Iljin-in sat immersed in deep worry.
Across from him sat his disciple, Do Yecheon, upright in a reverent posture.
The wounds he had sustained in the battle against the Poison Demon Yelü Seung had yet to fully heal, and his shoulder trembled faintly. Even so, his gaze remained firm and unwavering.
Myeong Iljin-in’s eyes lingered on Yecheon’s trembling shoulder.
A trace of tender concern crossed his face.
“It seems the pain is still severe. I told you not to push yourself and to rest.”
Myeong Iljin-in’s voice was filled with the deep concern of a master.
To him, Do Yecheon was not merely a disciple, but family—bound by profound affection.
“It’s nothing worth mentioning, Master. This level of pain is nothing at all.”
His voice carried deep respect for his master, along with an apologetic heart toward the one worrying over him.
Watching him, Myeong Iljin-in slowly shook his head.
“Haa… how can you be so stubborn?”
“Isn’t that because I resemble you, Master?”
“Why, you brat.”
At Yecheon’s jest, Myeong Iljin-in let out a small chuckle.
However, the harmonious exchange between master and disciple did not last long.
“…In the end, the Treasure Map caused far too great a ripple. We are sending all Mount Hua disciples down the mountain to quell the situation, but it is not easy.”
“Yes. Awakening those who have fallen prey to vain desires is never an easy path.”
Their conversation, as expected, returned to the great chaos caused by the Treasure Map that was shaking Shaanxi.
Myeong Iljin-in’s voice carried a deep sigh.
His heart was unsettled by the large-scale bloodshed that had recently erupted in Gansu and Shanxi, as well as the ominous movements of the White Path Union.
He sensed that an age of chaos had arrived—one in which the long-standing order of the martial world was collapsing.
At that moment, Do Yecheon spoke cautiously.
“The martial world has fallen into utter ruin, Master. In this turbulent situation, the Mount Hua Sect must also make a decision.”
“……”
Do Yecheon’s gaze was resolute, without the slightest wavering.
With the order of the martial world being shaken to its roots, Mount Hua stood at a crossroads, forced to choose a path.
As a member of the Jecheon Unit, Yecheon had accompanied Tang Sewoon and witnessed the hidden underside of the martial world, coming to keenly realize the necessity of change.
“…So you intend to bring up that matter again.”
“Master.”
Myeong Iljin-in slowly raised his head.
His gaze drifted toward the distant clouds outside the window.
Those clouds, which had always brought him peace, appeared like ominous storm clouds today—for reasons he could not explain.
“Mount Hua has always been one of the pillars of the Murim Alliance. Even in such a chaotic time, that fact will not change.”
There was deep trust in his words—trust in the Murim Alliance, and in the Murim Alliance Leader.
The Sword Emperor Yoo Jinhak was the final bulwark of the Orthodox Path.
Myeong Iljin-in believed that aiding him was the rightful path the Mount Hua Sect should walk.
However, Do Yecheon shook his head.
Unyielding resolve was etched across his face.
“No, Master. Of course the Sword Emperor is a pillar of the martial world, but the one who can overcome this age of chaos is, rather, Clan Head Tang.”
“Yecheon, do you not realize that he is walking a distorted, unorthodox path?”
Tang Sewoon.
The destructive and unpredictable man who had conquered Guizhou and annihilated the Heaven-Piercing Gang.
Though he had declared himself between Orthodoxy and Unorthodoxy, his actions thereafter did not hesitate to verge ever closer to the Unorthodox Path.
Yet Do Yecheon did not retreat.
He understood better than anyone what Tang Sewoon pursued—the man he followed as his life’s benefactor and as the Captain of the Jecheon Unit.
Even a deep reverence for Tang Sewoon seeped into his voice.
“Clan Head Tang has never defected to the Unorthodox Path. He merely stepped into the abyss himself in order to save a martial world mired in chaos.”
“Enough! Will you not stop…!”
Swallowing back a groan, Myeong Iljin-in tried to dissuade Yecheon.
Yet even as he spoke thus, Myeong Iljin-in himself harbored deep gratitude and appreciation toward Tang Sewoon.
How could he not be grateful? Tang Sewoon had concealed the fact that Yecheon carried the Heaven-Slaying Star, and had even taught him how to overcome it.
But that was a purely personal debt of gratitude.
Myeong Iljin-in could willingly give his life to repay that kindness, but mobilizing the Mount Hua Sect was an entirely different matter.
At that moment, Do Yecheon spoke in a low voice.
“The Sword Emperor follows principle, but an age of chaos already set in sometimes demands power that transcends principle. Clan Head Tang—no, only Clan Head Tang—can bring this chaos to an end, Master.”
Myeong Iljin-in felt the sincerity in Yecheon’s words.
But…
“Enough!”
Myeong Iljin-in cut him off decisively.
On his stiffened face, worries as dark as storm clouds had gathered thickly.
“Whatever intentions that child may harbor, whatever true intent he may possess! Our Mount Hua Sect cannot abandon the principles of the Orthodox Path! Aiding the Alliance Leader and restoring the fallen White Path—that is our duty!”
“……!”
Myeong Iljin-in’s resolve was firm. Amid the chaos of the martial world, he believed that upholding the Murim Alliance was the final line the Mount Hua Sect had to defend.
Do Yecheon could no longer refute his master’s words.
It was not that he failed to understand his master’s will.
‘Ah… the martial world will only grow more chaotic….’
It was simply heartbreaking.
Then, at that very moment—
Kwarurur!
Kwaaang!!
“?!”
“!!”
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the very heart of the Mount Hua Sect.
The thunderous roar shattered the peaceful stillness into pieces.
Mountain birds perched beneath the eaves shrieked and scattered in panic.
“Enemies! The enemy has invaded!”
“Defend the mountain gate! Stop the intruders!!”
Along with the frantic shouts, the alarm bell rang out.
Cha-chaeng!
Aaaagh!
The clash of metal, screams, and agonized groans began to mingle.
Pabat!
Taat!
Myeong Iljin-in and Do Yecheon were already launching themselves forward.
The momentum enveloping their moving forms scattered like a raging storm.
‘What…!’
After confirming the situation outside, Do Yecheon’s eyes trembled as though struck by an earthquake.
Under the faint moonlight, pitch-black shadows surged in like a tidal wave.
They brutally trampled the Mount Hua Sect’s meticulously woven formations, tore apart Daoists, and advanced without hesitation.
Their movements were utterly ruthless, and the killing intent pouring forth from them was like icy blades.
“All Mount Hua disciples, form the Plum Blossom Sword Formation!”
“Yes!!”
At Myeong Iljin-in’s thunderous roar, the Mount Hua Daoists—momentarily thrown into confusion—snapped back to their senses and formed ranks in perfect unison.
Yet amid this, after witnessing the intruders’ extraordinary martial prowess, Do Yecheon let out a grim murmur.
‘Because of the Treasure Map, most of the sect has gone down the mountain. Did they choose this moment deliberately…!’
But what unsettled him the most was not that.
Without the slightest hesitation, these ruthless attackers were wielding Lethal Sword Techniques against fellow disciples—yet the aura rising from their bodies was not that of the Unorthodox Path, nor of demonic practitioners.
An astonishingly pure aura overflowed from the intruders’ entire beings.
Step.
“Everyone, stop.”
At that moment, a single figure stepped forward from the front of the invaders and revealed himself beneath the moonlight.
Unlike the others, he made no attempt whatsoever to conceal his identity. He was draped in an extravagantly ornate Daoist robe.
“Namgung Myeong…!”
The name escaped Myeong Iljin-in’s lips before he could stop himself.
That was right. The one who had dared to invade the Mount Hua Sect was none other than the head of the White Path Union and the master of the Namgung Clan—Namgung Myeong.
Step. Step.
Without offering any reply, Namgung Myeong strode straight into the heart of Mount Hua. Behind him followed hundreds of elite warriors of the White Path Union.
The level of cultivation among those he had brought to topple one of the Nine Sects One Gang was overwhelmingly threatening.
Their blade-like killing intent pressed down upon the Mount Hua Daoists.
The younger Daoists of Mount Hua, whose cultivation was still insufficient to withstand such pressure, trembled in terror, their hands shaking as they gripped their swords.
A smile, seemingly polite, rested on Namgung Myeong’s face—but his eyes were endlessly cold.
His voice cut through the air like an icy dagger.
“It feels as though it has been quite a long time since I personally visited the Mount Hua Sect. A pleasure, Sect Leader.”
Namgung Myeong’s words were steeped in mocking derision, as though ridiculing Myeong Iljin-in’s dismay and the sect’s dire predicament.
Myeong Iljin-in ground his teeth at Namgung Myeong’s arrogant demeanor.
Though this was undeniably a moment of life-and-death crisis, as the Sect Leader representing Mount Hua, he had to face it with dignity. Resolve, not fear, filled his expression.
“Namgung Myeong!! What madness is this?!”
Myeong Iljin-in’s voice rang out firmly, his eyes blazing with fury.
“To commit such a wretched atrocity! Have you truly decided to abandon the path of the Orthodox Sect?!”
He openly condemned Namgung Myeong’s conduct for betraying principle.
Yet Namgung Myeong did not wipe the smile from his face. Instead, his gaze grew even colder and more chilling.
“Haha, Sect Leader. Even in this situation, you speak of righteousness before me? It seems you still do not understand the laws of this overturned world.”
“……!!”
Only then did a look of shock surface on Myeong Iljin-in’s face.
An indescribable madness had taken root in Namgung Myeong’s eyes.
Namgung Myeong slowly intoned,
“There is no longer black and white in this world. Only ‘power’ rules everything.”
“!!”
Snapping back to his senses at that arrogant proclamation, Myeong Iljin-in raised his voice.
“The Alliance Leader will judge you! Are you not afraid?!”
“……!”
At that, a chilling smile spread across Namgung Myeong’s lips.
“Why should I fear something like the Sword Emperor?”
Namgung Myeong retorted coldly.
His eyes held only one conviction—that he alone could become the sole ruler of the martial world.
Daring to invoke Yoo Jinhak before him, Myeong Iljin-in was met with Namgung Myeong’s declaration.
“Sect Leader of Mount Hua, listen well. Today, I will give your sect two choices.”
Namgung Myeong’s explosive gaze seemed to pierce through everything.
Under his overwhelming pressure, the Mount Hua warriors tightened their grips until their knuckles nearly shattered.
“First, enter the White Path Union and kneel beneath me.”
“?!”
Namgung Myeong blatantly declared his intent to absorb the Mount Hua Sect into his own faction.
It was an act of arrogance that sought to deny their long history and honor in an instant.
“If not…”
Namgung Myeong spoke the final words.
“Then today, the Mount Hua Sect will be exterminated.”