Chapter 157
Chapter 157
“Looks like you finally landed a blow. Why didn’t you respond a bit sooner?”
When Jongpal grumbled, Youngho rubbed his tired eyelids with his fingers and replied.
“I didn’t know either. I never imagined the upper echelons of this generation were all idiots except for the Murim Alliance Leader. When are those Sect Leaders getting replaced?”
“I don’t fully understand what you mean, but at the very least I know that the position of Sect Leader in the Nine Sects and One Gang isn’t something that changes easily.”
“I know that too. It’s just frustrating. Anyway, once your injuries are fully healed, go play around over there as well.”
The place Youngho pointed to with the tip of his chin was where people were confronting the Asura Squad.
Just a day ago they had been docile fellows, but now they were so filled with poisonous hostility that their eyes were bloodshot.
“Young Master, aren’t you going to join?”
“There’s nothing to gain from beating those guys.”
“You used to spar with us all the time though, didn’t you? So often I thought my body would break down.”
“That’s because you’re my people, so I gave you special treatment. Those guys aren’t worth enough for me to spend my time on. From now on, I’ll have to face the real monsters.”
Monsters.
At that single word, Jongpal’s face slowly stiffened. He knew of beings powerful enough for Youngho to call monsters.
Unaware of Jongpal’s reaction, Youngho waved his hand dismissively.
“Make sure no one comes near my quarters. I’ll be training alone for a while.”
“Understood.”
Jongpal lowered his head and answered.
Youngho entered his room and sat in the Cross-Legged Meditation Posture. After circulating his Internal Energy through his body for a moment, he slowly closed his eyes.
Death.
Throughout his life, Youngho had seen countless deaths. He had seen people die smiling, unaware they were dying. He had seen people die with faces frozen in shock from unbearable circumstances.
All of it was death.
Whether someone was astonished, enraged, joyful, or terrified, once their neck was severed and their heart pierced, they died all the same.
He had seen countless eyes losing their vitality. He had felt countless bodies whose pulses weakened.
He even remembered embracing corpses whose once-hot blood had turned cold and whose soft cheeks had stiffened.
Did he cry? Did he rage?
He could not even remember properly.
He had not even thought of revenge. Even when he wanted to cry, the emptiness prevented any tears from coming.
Only the overwhelming sense of loss—of having lost something—left another hollow hole in his already empty chest.
No matter how fiercely he shouted for them to come back, the dead never returned.
Even if he tightly embraced a corpse with dark-red blood gushing between its wounds, the corpse never cried out in pain.
Until then, Youngho had believed he completely understood death.
Death that arrived suddenly. Death that was predetermined.
Having witnessed countless forms of death, he believed he had grasped its principles.
‘How foolish.’
But that thought had been arrogance.
Only when he saw the soul of Wolharin, the Shamaness of the Demonic Cult, did Youngho finally understand death.
Once he realized the truth of death, he also understood that death itself was part of the Natural Order.
Whether it was death by old age, death from overwork, or death by murder, all death was part of the Natural Order.
It was nothing as grand as destiny.
It was simply the truth that all people eventually die.
The fact that he only realized that after seeing souls… was almost laughable.
Thinking of the souls possessed by Wolharin, Youngho let out a quiet chuckle.
Even if souls were not limited to those personally killed, the number of souls Wolharin possessed was at least ten times greater than the number of people Youngho himself had slain.
After seeing the souls of those on the verge of death and those who had just died, Youngho finally understood the principles of nature.
Within Youngho’s mindscape, a small circle began to form.
The circle gradually expanded until it became a sphere as massive as Mount Tai.
It was so enormous that merely looking at it was overwhelming, yet Youngho instead spread his arms wide as if welcoming it.
As if saying he would accept everything, as if urging it to come to him quickly, Youngho gazed at the sphere with greed.
The intense greed that threatened to devour everything seemed capable of swallowing even himself.
Perhaps sensing that it would harm Youngho, the sphere that had been slowly approaching suddenly hesitated and began to distance itself instead.
“What are you doing?”
Youngho coldly rebuked it.
At his words, the sphere retreated even farther.
The desire for enlightenment was something every Martial Artist possessed.
Especially the enlightenment of an Absolute Master—such insight was on an entirely different level from that of ordinary Martial Artists.
That was why they yearned for it.
If that enlightenment could be made one’s own, one could grow stronger and approach perfection.
Yet the enlightenment drifting away from Youngho showed no intention of coming to him.
Seeing this, Youngho let out a deep sigh.
“I know. If you cling to enlightenment, even the enlightenment meant to come will not arrive. It’s something I’ll gain eventually anyway, but I’m just a little impatient.”
He abandoned his greed.
One must not ruin everything by trying to take even a little more.
As Youngho’s eyes returned to calm detachment, the sphere slowly approached him again.
This time, Youngho simply stood still and quietly watched it.
“How much can I take? Or rather… how much can you give me?”
A brilliant light began to shine from the sphere as massive as Mount Tai.
The light was so intense it could have blinded him, yet Youngho instead widened his eyes.
It was warm.
It felt as peaceful as a baby sleeping in its mother’s embrace.
From the radiant sphere, something very small fell.
When Youngho saw it, he let out a hollow chuckle.
“So this is all I can take… What a pity.”
A sigh escaped him, but Youngho was not disappointed.
What the sphere the size of Mount Tai had given him was merely a shining pebble.
From such an enormous body, it could only give this much…
Youngho calmed his mind and body as much as possible and picked up the pebble.
The moment it touched his hand, it vanished instantly when he blinked once.
Although it was surprising that the pebble in his hand disappeared without any sign, Youngho merely stared blankly at his palm.
As if he wanted to savor the lingering sensation for as long as possible.
“Ha… haha….”
Youngho could no longer suppress the laughter bubbling out of him.
“Haha! Hahahaha!”
Joy? Delight? Ecstasy?
No single word could describe this feeling.
Looking at the radiant sphere towering like Mount Tai, Youngho said,
“You are not nature.”
In one sense it was nature, yet in a greater sense it was not.
“The word ‘nature’ alone cannot describe you. With just a pebble, I’ve gained enlightenment this vast…”
That thing contained something beyond the principles of nature.
It condensed within itself all the truths, laws, and principles of the world.
“…You are the universe.”
If—just if—someone in this world ever devoured that entire sphere, such a being would deserve to be called a god.
Youngho began to see the texture of the world.
Right now, it felt as though he could even cut water.
Youngho had succeeded in comprehending the principles of nature.
The moment he realized that, he felt his body begin to float.
He started letting go of everything in the mortal world.
Even the desires and attachments within him…
“Wait a moment!”
Refusing to surrender to the floating sensation, Youngho desperately thought of something that could anchor him to the mortal world.
“That’s right! I still have to kill that Heavenly Demon bastard!”
The moment he thought of the Heavenly Demon, the floating sensation disappeared completely.
Soon after, the mindscape began to shatter.
“Damn…!”
That had been truly dangerous.
He had never imagined that once one comprehended the principles of nature, ascension would occur automatically.
If Youngho had not harbored resentment toward the Demonic Cult, he would have ascended right then and there.
If he relaxed even slightly, he might ascend immediately.
At that moment, Youngho noticed the gazes surrounding him and asked in confusion.
“…Am I some thousand-year-old Imoogi? Why is everyone staring at me like that?”
When Youngho looked around with an awkward expression, Cheonung spoke with an even more awkward face.
“Think about what you just did. Even if you don’t remember, think about it. I’ve lived a long time, but this is the first time I’ve seen a lunatic like you. Didn’t I tell you, old hag? That guy isn’t human.”
Normally Hwa Ryeong would have exploded in fury at being called an old hag, but this time even she had no choice but to agree with Cheonung.
“To think I’d live long enough to see someone from the Unorthodox Faction almost ascend right in front of the Orthodox Sect… Life really is long.”
Ignoring her baffling remark, Youngho asked,
“What are you talking about? More importantly, why is this place so desolate? There were pavilions here before.”
“You destroyed them all.”
“I was merely organizing my enlightenment.”
“And the aftermath of that caused all the pavilions to collapse. Look at those long-nosed Taoists right now—their eyes are about to roll back.”
Following Cheonung’s gloating gaze, Youngho looked over.
Just as Cheonung said, the Sect Leaders of the Wudang Sect and the Mount Hua Sect looked on the verge of fainting.
For a moment, they had believed Youngho was about to ascend—something even they, Daoists, had never achieved.
There could be no greater humiliation.
“Ahem!”
At that moment, Hye-gak, the Abbot of Shaolin, cleared his throat and spoke.
“It appears the Sword Exalted unfortunately failed to ascend. It would have been a joyous occasion—quite regrettable.”
“It seems my fortune with people isn’t so bad, since the Abbot worries for me. But don’t worry. If it’s ascension, I can do it again right now.”
“…What?”
“Hm?”
“Huh?”
The leaders of the Nine Sects and One Gang voiced their confusion in their own distinctive tones.
Youngho stood up, straightened his clothes, and said,
“It was truly close. If I hadn’t thought about the war with the Demonic Cult, I might have ascended right then.”
There was not the slightest trace of falsehood in his voice.
If anything, he sounded as though he was merely stating his honest feelings.
“So you mean… you could have ascended, but you chose not to…?”
“Well, that’s about right.”
Everyone present thought the same thing.
‘This lunatic….’
He actually chose not to ascend.
Just by looking at their expressions, it felt like their voices could be heard.
Youngho frowned.
Cheonung let out a hollow laugh in disbelief, while Han Yonghu stared blankly as if his soul had left his body.
Hwa Ryeong pointed at Youngho and laughed, calling him insane.
Meanwhile, Kang Chowon and Kang Hosan whispered to each other that their Young Master truly was the most insane man in the world.
“It seems the surrounding pavilions were blown away. What should we do?”
It was shameless for the one responsible to say such a thing, yet Youngho spoke calmly.
“Is there a new pavilion?”
“……”
No one had expected the pavilions to collapse like this.
Still, losing one or two pavilions was hardly a serious matter.
After all, when the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions gathered together, it was actually rarer for things not to break.
“S-Sword Exalted!”
At Hye-gak’s call, Youngho replied without even meeting his eyes.
“What is it?”
“Why exactly did you refuse ascension? Surely you don’t have some other objective?”
Hye-gak’s tone carried sharp thorns.
Youngho looked at him with cold eyes.
“I already told you. I didn’t ascend because I was thinking about the war with the Demonic Cult. Honestly, judging by how you people behave, you’d obviously lose to the Demonic Cult without me. That’s why I didn’t.”
Hye-gak’s lips trembled before they slowly shut.
Even with ten mouths, he would not have been able to refute those words.
Leaving the stunned crowd behind, Youngho asked Han Yonghu about the location of another pavilion.
As the situation flowed forward naturally, Hye-gak instinctively realized something.
People would remember him as a petty man.
Crack—!
At that moment, the prayer beads in Hye-gak’s hand shattered.