novelraw Chapter 56 : Chapter 56
Chapter 56 : Chapter 56
Chapter 56 Wudang is Taiji (3)
Following behind the old man falling slowly downward, Jaun threw his body into the air.
Jaun, who quickly fell to where the old man was, stepped lightly on the air and matched his speed with the old man.
“Ho. Not bad.”
Glancing at Jaun and smiling, the old man slowly landed on the ground.
“Follow me.”
The place the old man’s steps headed to was a small thatched cottage deep inside the bamboo forest.
Jaun, watching the back of the old man bending his waist to open the door of the thatched cottage and enter, flinched in surprise.
It was because although the old man was clearly visible to his eyes, he was not properly felt by his senses.
‘He is a person in the realm of becoming one with nature. To the extent that even his existence is faint as he harmonizes with the surrounding scenery.’
Jaun’s heart began to pound at the appearance of an absolute master encountered for the first time in the Jianghu.
The old man, who spent some time rummaging for something inside, came out holding two bottles of alcohol.
Looking at Jaun, the old man raised the alcohol bottles near his face, shook them a few times, and threw one of them to Jaun.
“Drink. Let’s talk a bit.”
As the old man sat at the entrance of the house, Jaun also cautiously sat next to him.
The old man opened the bottle, and Jaun followed suit, opening the stopper of his bottle.
A sweet fragrance spreading thickly.
Following that, a clear energy surged from the bottle.
The old man brought the bottle to his mouth and gulped it down, and watching him, Jaun also put the bottle to his lips and swallowed a mouthful.
‘……This is?’
Just like the beef jerky he ate a little while ago, clean and refined energy of nature was felt in the alcohol as well.
“You drank the vitality possessed by a Spirit Beast and the spiritual energy held by medicinal herbs together. How does it feel to take a step closer to nature?”
The energy swallowed through the beef jerky a while ago harmonized with the energy of the alcohol and began to wrap around Jaun’s meridians.
As the energy wrapped around his meridians, the energy felt from all directions seemed to become much clearer.
“It’s good. It feels as if it’s washing the inside of my body…… I didn’t even get this kind of feeling when I ate a Spiritual Pill .”
“Chuckle. The Spiritual Pills of the Murim only have the efficacy of adding internal energy. This contains the energy of nature that I have refined for decades, so the feeling will be different from a Spiritual Pill.”
Having said that, the old man brought the remaining bottle to his mouth again.
And the two emptied the alcohol in the bottles without a word for a while.
The old man, who was drinking quietly, turned his head and looked at Jaun.
“I intended to spend the rest of my life with nature, but perhaps because my roots are a Taoist of Wudang, the unfolding situation bothered me a bit. So I came out to meet you. Did you say you came from the Murim Alliance’s Demonic Academy?”
“Yes.”
“Right. How do you intend to investigate from now on?”
At the old man’s words, Jaun gathered his thoughts for a moment and answered.
“I will have to search for traces of the missing disciples.”
“And after that?”
“If I can rescue them, I will rescue them, and if the situation makes that difficult, I intend to prevent such a thing from happening again.”
“Do you have the power to rescue them?”
“Although I lack it, I intend to do my best.”
The old man, nodding his head, brought the bottle to his mouth again.
“Doing your best even if lacking…….”
The old man, muttering to himself, stopped talking for a moment and looked at the bamboo forest before continuing.
“On the way up to Wudang. Did you see the signboard written ‘Divine Dragon Explores the Sea’?”
“Yes. I saw it.”
“In the morning, clouds settle thickly over the mountain ridges of Wudang. The sages expressed the pavilions visible sporadically amidst the sea created by those clouds as a Divine Dragon. A Divine Dragon strolling through the sea of clouds. They wanted Wudang to become such an existence.”
The old man paused for a moment and then continued.
“Even on that day when the third-generation disciples went missing, a sea of clouds was spread fully over the mountain ridges. At one end of that sea, I felt an energy that shouldn't be felt here. It was a rough energy like the one you possess now.”
Jaun opened his eyes wide in an instant and turned his head to look at the old man.
“I agonized. Over what I should do. In the meantime, time passed little by little, and until those possessing that rough energy left, in the end, I couldn't move a single step from here.”
With troubled eyes, the old man brought the bottle to his mouth again.
Then, he let out a small sigh and opened his mouth.
“To become closer to the Immortal Realm, one must break free from all delusions and shake off the karma of the secular world, and I worried that this matter might create more karma with the secular world.”
The old man, lifting the bottle and pouring all the remaining alcohol down his throat, threw the empty bottle to one side.
“It was a shameful thing and a selfish choice. In the end, only regret remained, and I couldn't sleep for a while. I came to my senses belatedly, but by then it was already too late.”
With eyes full of remorse, the old man looked back at Jaun.
“This old man was called by the name Sword Immortal in the Jianghu. Even ten years ago, there were few who could take my sword, so if I had set my mind to it, I could have sufficiently prevented the disappearance of the third-generation disciples.”
The old man’s deep sigh followed, for who knew how many times.
“Even though I possessed the power, I hesitated until the end, and weighed the lives of twenty young disciples, like clots of blood, against my realm.”
The old man’s eyes closed quietly.
“……Primordial Celestial Worthy. Oh, Primordial Celestial Worthy. What choice has this foolish Taoist made.”
Jaun couldn't find the right words to say to the old man who was lamenting quietly with his eyes closed.
The old man, who had stopped speaking for a moment, opened his mouth again.
“Child. I have already given you two bribes. Do you know the reason?”
“I do not know well.”
Jaun shook his head.
“……I wanted to ask you a favor.”
The old man turned his body and looked up at Wudang.
“Since you have experienced Wudang today, you must already know, but the current Wudang is losing its splendid appearance of the past.”
“…….”
“Now that the Demonic Cult and the Sado Alliance have gained power, and the Murim Alliance cannot check those two forces at once, most sects are hiding their heads like turtles, only looking after their own safety. Of course, Wudang hasn't escaped that mold either.”
The old man, who walked a few steps forward, turned back.
“Even this old man called the Sword of Wudang is thinking only of himself, so how could other Taoists of Wudang be any different? As the laws of nature are, I tried to console myself that people have no choice but to be like that, but I was so ashamed that I couldn't focus on anything.”
Raising his hollow eyes to look at Jaun once, the old man lifted his hand and scratched his head.
“I even considered stepping forward belatedly now, but I worried that if I stepped forward, I might just give them unnecessary alarm and ruin the matter. In the end, just as I was unable to do this or that, you came here just in time. I thought perhaps this might be the last chance the heavens granted out of pity for this old man.”
The old man let out a small sigh.
“It is a shameless request, but could you rescue the missing children on my behalf? This is the favor I wanted to ask.”
Jaun, looking up at the old man with empty eyes, slowly rose from his seat.
“If it is that, there is no need to ask. I came here to investigate this matter, and if I discover anyone there, I will do my best to save them.”
The old man, looking at Jaun and nodding, smiled gently.
“I thought such an answer would come out. Even if I hadn't meddled like this, you would have done well. However, I am worried that there isn't much time.”
Jaun, looking straight at the old man, opened his mouth.
“As you said, time is important. If you really want to correct the mistake, I hope you tell me everything you know.”
Nodding slightly, the old man opened his mouth.
“I should do so.”
Turning his head to look down the mountain, the old man continued.
“If you cross Wudang’s mountain gate and go straight down, there is a small shrine nearby. I felt their energy from the forest to the right of that shrine. The number of people is around five. Their martial arts level is First-Rate or higher. This is everything I know.”
To Jaun, who was completely in the dark, it was information like a ray of light.
“Even just that will be a really big help. Thank you.”
As Jaun bowed politely, the old man smirked.
“What is there for you to be thankful for. This unworthy old man is the one to be thankful.”
The old man, staring blankly at Jaun, opened his mouth as if he had decided something.
“Child. Since it has come to this, won’t you accept one more bribe?”
When Jaun looked at the old man with a puzzled expression, the old man bent down, picked up a tree branch from the ground, and held it out.
“Raise your sword. I intend to give a return for your help in advance. I hope this will be of at least a little help not only for Wudang’s matter but also for what you intend to do in the future.”
One Emperor, One Immortal, Three Sovereigns .
The five strongmen said to possess the highest martial prowess in the current Murim.
It was the teaching of the Wudang Sword Immortal, who corresponded to the 'One Immortal' among them.
At the old man’s words containing great determination, Jaun bowed deeply from his spot.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but even if you don’t do that, I will do my best.”
“Chuckle. Do not feel burdened. Since I cannot pass on the oral instructions to you who are not part of Wudang anyway. It is just a dying old man meeting a child he likes and trying to loosen up his body once. Whether you can gain something from there or not will entirely be up to you.”
‘If he goes this far, there is no reason to avoid it. Rather, it is something to welcome with open arms.’
Jaun, declining no more, slowly took Red Blood out of his bosom.
The old man, confirming that Jaun had taken his stance, began to slowly raise his energy.
Like fog filling the mountain, the old man’s energy began to cover the surrounding space in an instant.
— Flinch
As the old man’s massive energy surged, Jaun hurriedly raised his internal energy to oppose that energy.
The old man, examining Jaun’s energy, opened his mouth with surprised eyes.
“Such refined demonic energy. This is definitely not energy that can be learned at the Demonic Academy.”
The old man’s expression, which distorted for a moment, gradually calmed down as time passed.
“Haha. So that was it. That was it. The string of fate still remained.”
The old man slowly raised his head and looked at Jaun.
“Jeong-cheon. Are you that person’s disciple?”
At the old man’s words, Jaun’s body flinched in surprise.
‘Come to think of it, Father said he was acquainted with all of the One Emperor, One Immortal, and Three Sovereigns.’
He pondered for a moment whether he should reveal his identity, but it wasn't something he could hide even if he tried from the old man who had already grasped deep into him.
“Yes. That’s right. He is the one who took me in and raised me.”
Hearing Jaun’s words, the old man sighed and pondered for a long time.
After a long deliberation, the old man looked up at the sky for a moment and readjusted his grip on the tree branch.
“A large star fell and the flow of the heavens lost its rules and became tangled, so I wondered what happened. So it has come to this. The fact that you came out to the Murim means that Jeong-cheon, that person, left this place before me. So the demonic people were committing such reckless acts.”
The old man, nodding as if he realized something, opened his mouth again.
“Right. Even otherwise, I had a debt of the heart remaining to that person. It turned out well rather. With this, I can wash away that debt a little.”
Finishing his words, the old man slowly extended the tree branch forward.
“Try receiving it once. I will verify how far you have inherited that person’s true teachings.”
At that moment, massive energy rose from the old man’s body.
Jaun felt as if a rough storm was sweeping over his face.
Enormous momentum began to swirl around Jaun in all directions.
As Jaun glanced toward the top of the hill where Wudang’s buildings were gathered, the old man smiled and opened his mouth.
“I have already set up a barrier of energy around this forest, so you don’t need to worry about anything else. Do not mind others and run wild to your heart’s content.”
“……Thank you.”
Jaun felt the last wall remaining in his heart crumble down.
If the Sword Immortal’s energy was surrounding the area, no one in Wudang would be able to notice whatever he did here.
‘It is not an opportunity easily obtained.’
He hadn't even thought that a situation where he could open up everything he had and exchange swords with a master of this caliber would come again.
Therefore, Jaun raised his energy with a willing heart.
Explosive black demonic energy burst out from Jaun’s body and began to spread in all directions.
“Magnificent!”
The old man, feeling the energy Jaun raised and nodding with a satisfied expression, shook the tree branch slightly.
“The essence of Wudang’s martial arts lies in its solidity. So do not worry about me and come at me.”
The old man lowered the tree branch slightly and took a defensive stance.
A smile began to spread increasingly on the lips of Jaun, who began to fill Red Blood with his internal energy.
— Jiiiing
Red Blood, having absorbed the demonic energy pouring from Jaun, began to cry low.
The dagger filled with Jaun’s demonic energy was emitting dark red light in all directions before he knew it.
Jaun, having raised his energy to the full, slowly raised Red Blood.
‘Trivial tricks will have no meaning.’
Jaun decided to bring out the ultimate techniques of the Heavenly Killing Demon Sword from the beginning.
At the same time, massive demonic energy burst out from Jaun’s body and began to fill the surroundings.
Red Blood, slowly fluttering in the empty air held in Jaun’s hand, reflected the moonlight and scattered a gloomy light.
[Heavenly Killing Demon Sword , Seventh Form. Yama Breaks the Heavens ]
The moment Jaun swung the sword, the energy spewing from Red Blood became a dark red flame and spread fiercely toward the surrounding forest.