Chapter 188
Chapter 188
“Hmm…….”
The man with the long white beard let out a low murmur before speaking.
“It seems this is as far as I go.”
At the man’s words, the woman beside him gave a hollow laugh and said,
“To think that the famous Jang Wijin would end up like this…….”
The Immortal who had given instruction to Youngho and had provided the greatest help in allowing him to reach the Transcendent Realm.
The one who taught the hero who prevented the destruction of the world was none other than Jang Wijin. A man worthy of receiving the respect of all existence.
Jang Wijin let out a faint chuckle as he looked at the Immortals numbering nearly ten thousand.
“Both seniors and juniors are treating me far too generously.”
Jang Wijin looked at his hand, which had already begun to fade. Through the translucent hand, the land of the Immortal Realm could be seen.
“I tried to slip away through a trick, but as expected, if one goes against the Natural Order, death becomes inevitable.”
“Then why did you interfere in the mortal world…… Still, I offer my respect. The moment one deviates from the Natural Order, one should immediately be erased, yet you have endured for over two days. At the very least, it’s something I could never even imagine. Only someone like Jang Wijin could accomplish such a thing.”
“Didn’t you once boast that you understood nature better than I did, Seonhye?”
“That much is true. Which is precisely why I learned from you. Pride is good, but when it grows excessive, it eventually becomes stubborn obsession.”
With a warm smile, Jang Wijin said to Seonhye,
“I’m glad you seem to understand my words now.”
Jang Wijin looked one by one at the Immortals who were showing him their respects.
Not all of them were good people, but at the very least, seeing them properly paying their respects as he departed made Jang Wijin laugh heartily.
“Hahaha, it seems my life was not wasted after all. To think that this many Immortals would come merely to mourn my ‘erasure.’”
“…….”
Seonhye listened silently for a moment before speaking.
“What’s the reason?”
“For what?”
“You know what I mean. Youngho clearly tried to use Innate True Qi to perish together with the Heavenly Demon. If you hadn’t interfered, that would certainly have happened.”
“You’re asking why I helped the next generation even at the cost of erasing my own soul?”
“Yes.”
“Simply because I pitied him.”
“…….”
Seonhye could not say anything.
Jang Wijin, who had always been strict and rigid, had sacrificed himself merely because he felt pity?
“……You do realize how significant your existence is in the Immortal Realm, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. Do you think I wouldn’t know that? But compared to that, the life of the boy named Youngho seemed far too unfortunate.”
“Hasn’t he lived far too long to still be called a boy?”
“To me, he’s still a boy. Just as you sometimes think of me as a younger brother.”
“…….”
“Anyway, Youngho’s life was extremely strange and terribly gloomy. Even if Youngho had been an evil being, there was no reason for him to suffer that much. He lost, and lost, and lost again. And through Regression, he even lost the last precious thing he had managed to keep.”
“You mean his memories?”
“Yes. He formed bonds with many people—Namgung Cheon, Hwangbo Nyeong, Kang Hosan, and others. Half of them were ill-fated ties, but the fact that those memories vanished doesn’t change anything. Of course, now that the Heavenly Demon is gone, he will fill what he lost with new bonds.”
“He’s strong, so he certainly will.”
“But that possibility only opened because I helped him. If I hadn’t helped, that unfortunate being named Youngho would have lost every bond he had and finally lost his own life as well.”
It had been a miserable and resentful life.
If Seonhye had been placed in the same situation as Youngho, it would not have been strange if she had gone mad.
“It may be shallow sympathy, but more than that, I helped because I admired him. After enduring such terrible trials, shouldn’t it finally be time for him to become happy?”
“……You talk too much. Do you have nothing to say to your comrades?”
“You asked for an explanation, so I gave one. Yet even after granting the request, you complain… Tsk! That’s enough. I’ve seen your faces, so that’s good enough.”
Jang Wijin said with a gentle smile,
“It’s truly time for me to go now. There may be someone who walks the same path as I did, so let me offer a piece of advice.”
Jang Wijin cast aside his usual dignified demeanor and spoke with a mischievous expression, as though he had returned to his youth.
“The feeling of one’s soul being erased is rather unremarkable. If you ever get the chance, you should try it at least once.”
With those words, the being who had passed through countless cycles of reincarnation and had become an Immortal under the name Jang Wijin disappeared from the world.
The erasure of the soul.
It meant one could no longer reincarnate and had stepped outside the cycle of reincarnation. Even the Immortals did not know what became of someone who left that cycle.
They merely joked idly that perhaps the Jade Emperor of myth existed outside the cycle.
After Jang Wijin departed, the Immortals stared for a moment at the place where he had stood and spoke.
“……He’s gone.”
“He really went.”
“Why does that bastard leave in such a way no matter how he goes?”
“They say madmen resemble each other… It’s no wonder Youngho inherited that man’s lineage.”
Jang Wijin’s final moments, which delivered a novel shock to the Immortals even at the very end, greatly helped them send him off with laughter.
Boom!
Unlike the peaceful Immortal Realm, a gruesome scene was unfolding in the mortal world.
“I’m sorry. Even if I had ten mouths, there are no words left I can say.”
Han Yonghu knelt down and slammed his head toward Youngho. Blood flowed from his forehead, which had struck the ground with enough force to make the earth tremble.
Youngho let out a long sigh as if annoyed. However, Han Yonghu seemed to interpret it differently, and his body trembled greatly.
Raising his head to look at Youngho, Han Yonghu asked in a solemn voice, as if he had made a great decision.
“I will give you my head. If you wish, I will even give you the Abbot’s head. So please, let that satisfy you.”
“If the Murim Alliance Leader dies, we’ll be in even more trouble. You need to rule for at least ten more years. If it isn’t you, there’s no one we can reason with, and the Orthodox–Unorthodox War would break out.”
When Youngho pointed out something he had already considered, Han Yonghu groaned.
‘What in the world were they thinking doing something like this!’
He had placed surveillance on Shaolin just in case, but he never expected them to shake it off.
‘They should have known the person I placed there was mine—how could they…!’
If he could, Han Yonghu would rather personally slaughter Hye-gak and tear him to pieces instead of letting Youngho do it.
Hye-gak had committed something no human should ever do, and he would pay the appropriate price.
‘Shaolin and Mount Hua…….’
Perhaps the Nine Sects and One Gang would become the Seven Sects and One Gang, but that was still a lighter punishment than everything disappearing entirely.
If Youngho were in perfect condition, he could destroy something like the Nine Sects and One Gang whenever he wished.
Perhaps it would be impossible if he were alone, but numerous talents—each called a genius in their own field—were loyal to him.
Even Kang Hosan, who had the least presence among the talents personally nurtured by Youngho, was someone who could build a group comparable to a Great Sect if he set his mind to it.
Although he had lost one eye and his ability had declined, a tiger does not lose its ability to hunt simply because it has only one eye.
Youngho looked at Han Yonghu, whose darkened complexion seemed pitiful, and said,
“There are two things I will demand.”
Compared to the fact that he had nearly lost his life, it was a very small number. However, Han Yonghu knew.
Youngho never desired trivial things—only major ones.
“The Murim Alliance must do nothing no matter what danger I face.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Whether the Unorthodox Faction attacks me or the Orthodox Sect attacks me, you may know about it, but you must not move.”
Realizing the meaning of Youngho’s words, Han Yonghu’s expression darkened.
It did not mean he did not want help from the Orthodox Sect.
It meant that Youngho would personally punish them, so the Orthodox Sect should not interfere.
Han Yonghu simply looked at Youngho with eyes filled with deep fatigue and nodded.
Even Cheonungjo—who usually joked that Youngho’s conditions were always insane—said nothing this time.
No matter how one looked at it, this mistake was entirely the fault of the Orthodox Sect.
And because of this mistake, the Orthodox–Unorthodox War had nearly broken out.
The seriousness of the situation had grown exponentially.
“It’s unavoidable. A handful of Orthodox Sect members leading a bunch of idiots is simply your ecosystem. Don’t blame yourself too much.”
“Do I look like I’m blaming myself?”
“No. I thought you might need comfort.”
Cheonung, who had been sitting in the room with a face as stiff as stone, changed his expression for the first time.
“……Don’t say with your expression, ‘What kind of bastard is this?’”
“At least you’re aware of it. Anyway, my friend is too pitiful, so hurry and tell us your second demand.”
“Yes. First, the Unorthodox Alliance will not bear the financial damages caused by the war. There’s a big difference between the Murim Alliance saying we don’t have to pay and the Unorthodox Alliance declaring that we won’t pay.”
“I expected that. But perhaps because the first condition was more shocking, this one feels less severe.”
“That was the intention.”
“……Thank you.”
“I’m finished here. The Five Great Families and the Nine Sects and One Gang have accumulated wealth over the years. If they use it, they should be able to handle it.”
“……You’re worried about public sentiment?”
“Yes.”
Han Yonghu immediately understood Youngho’s concern.
Youngho, who many expected to be judged as absolute evil, had received far more generous evaluations than expected.
First, rumors that Youngho had killed the Heavenly Demon improved public sentiment by a third.
And half of the people who heard about the collapse of the Demonic Cult defended Youngho.
If it had ended there, things would have been manageable, but……
“Kunlun is the problem.”
“Kunlun is the problem.”
The surviving disciples of the Kunlun Sect had begun revealing all the good deeds Youngho had done.
They told everyone how he suddenly came to Mount Kunlun and warned them that the Demonic Cult might annihilate them, urging them to descend the mountain immediately.
They revealed how he stopped the Heretical Arts of the Demonic Cult and gathered every good deed they could find, turning Youngho into a rather admirable Martial Artist.
Although he was a Martial Artist of the Unorthodox Alliance, some people even claimed he walked the path of the Righteous Path in certain aspects.
Some even praised Youngho as perfect.
If it had ended there, it would have been fine—but the common people began debating why Kunlun had not withdrawn from the frontline.
As those heated discussions continued, suspicion arose that the Murim Alliance had pressured Kunlun.
Since Kunlun itself praised Youngho, people felt something was strange.
“That’s the problem—we can’t refute it.”
“Kunlun held the line like an iron fortress for the sake of the common people… but even if we explain it, they won’t accept it, so just blame the Murim Alliance.”
“What else can we do…… People ignore the truth even when it’s given to them.”
Leaving behind Han Yonghu, who answered weakly, Youngho stood up and said,
“I’ve said everything I needed to say. And just in case, let me add this—if my companions are ever in danger, you must move.”
“I know. You mean we should protect everyone except you.”
“That’s correct. Even if an assassin tries to kill me, the Orthodox Sect will only give a warning, so don’t worry.”
“Hearing those words come from your mouth truly puts me at ease.”
“Then I’ll take my leave. I’ll have the others withdraw so your conversation won’t be disturbed.”
“……Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Then I hope you have a peaceful night.”
That night, nearly seventy assassins who attacked Youngho’s residence lost their lives by his hand.