822 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Translated and Implemented Instructions --- In the clutches of suffocating pressure, Mok Yeon (묵연) could only let out a strangled groan. His feet were already hovering above the ground, as he was lifted by his neck. The sensation of suffocation and pain was palpable, but the more pressing issue was the overwhelming sense of powerlessness and fear. There was absolutely nothing he could do—only let out labored breaths that echoed the turmoil inside. "Haa... guh..." The room was frigid. It was the heart of autumn, where even the ignited fire couldn't ward off the chill. Yet, now the cold had dissipated. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead, something Mok Yeon quickly realized. The room wasn't cold any longer—heat radiated through, and the temperature had escalated rapidly. He glanced down to see what was causing this change. It was the person altering the room's atmosphere and gripping his neck. Though an ordinary person's close proximity made it difficult to discern in the shadowed space, one could not miss the fiery, burning eyes. Those eyes alone revealed the identity of this person. "Mok Yeon," came the heavy voice into his ear. "I shall ask once more." The voice carried no variance in its tranquil tone, yet Mok Yeon sensed the suppressed wrath lacing it. It was anger. This man’s anger was at the brink, barely contained. A man strangely cold even when wielding fire arts, now furious—Mok Yeon found it peculiarly striking even in his current predicament. "Where is my son?" “Guh…” The grip on his neck slackened ever so slightly, allowing him just enough leeway to speak. Sensing this, Mok Yeon cautiously mustered his words. “If—it is you… then you must already know, don’t you?” The man’s eyes narrowed slightly in response, acknowledging Mok Yeon’s statement. Mok Yeon was certain. This man was always sure of himself. Once enraged, he was unstoppable, but he maintained his boundaries until it reached that point. More so, he understood too well the calamities his wrath could unleash. Hence, it was all the more terrifying. A man who knew his power too objectively well. From the beginning, Mok Yeon found this man, Gu Cheolwoon (구철운), formidable. Unshakably steadfast, with the strength to uphold such steadfastness, yet his power was perilously overwhelming. Even so, he imposed shackles upon himself. Though he could easily cast them off at any time because of his immense strength, his steadfast principles held him back. It was this self-imposed restraint that was fearsome. “…” The owner of the burning eyes, Gu Cheolwoon, quietly gazed at Mok Yeon, then released his grip. Thud—! Free from the snare, Mok Yeon’s body collapsed to the floor, his aged frame crumbling seatedly. “Cough—! Cough—!!” Amidst the raspy coughs, Gu Cheolwoon leaned closer, locking eyes with Mok Yeon. “I will change the question.” “…Cough.” “Why did you do it?” “…!” Mok Yeon’s body stiffened at Gu Cheolwoon’s voice. Even without Qi awareness, he could tell. The present sensation was a murderous intent. A chilling sensation methodically crawled up his throat. Even his ability to breathe seemed dictated by the other. His vision grew distant, the only thing visible were Gu Cheolwoon’s red eyes. The air he inhaled had become searingly hot. Each breath felt as though it might incinerate his very lungs. ‘Still the same.’ With this sensation, Mok Yeon recalled a distant past. They were not, then, the Three Supremes (삼존). The World's Greatest Martial Artist of that era. Amidst the heads and chiefs of the Nine Great Sects (구파일방), against these unbeatable odds, the then-youth uttered: - "There's no reason to flee." A voice utterly devoid of tremor, now deeply low and resonant, yet back then, it faintly reverberated towards them. - "Therefore, I will not run." Even with a dying woman hidden behind him, amidst his own copious blood loss, the young man continued to speak. To this, someone said—if recollection served correctly, it was U Bong Chwi Gae (우봉취개). Even now, they can't win against the odds, he instructed, surrender that monster and return home. Otherwise, it would mean death, he had said. To all appearances, it was a battle with no chance of winning. There was nowhere to flee, and neither victory nor escape seemed possible. Everyone knew this, yet if the heart dies— - "Why do you decide my defeat?" His eyes had not yet died. - "I have not yet lost." - "Even at the moment my breath ceases, this will hold true." His heart burned, flaring brilliantly. Even with the ultimate powers before him, the youth did not yield. - "So, come." What could be described as a flame. This was a human-shaped fire. A fire that would relentlessly blaze until it extinguished only with its own breath. A conflagration fueled by sheer determination and will. Recalling that time, Mok Yeon found himself unknowingly smiling. Heh-heh... “…” Gu Cheolwoon’s forehead creased at that smile, an apparent discomfort with such an expression in these circumstances. “…I apologize.” Mok Yeon offered a straightforward apology. Why was he smiling now? Upon reflection, he immediately understood. “I didn’t mean to laugh. I just suddenly thought of your son.” Indeed, that was evidently the reason for the laughter. “Though I thought him similar yet distinctly different from you. Now I see he’s quite like you.” His musings on Gu Cheolwoon being an eternal flame brought to mind another flame. A mysterious child who seemed to contain an untold secret, eternally fascinating. He considered this child a continually blazing flame akin to Gu Cheolwoon. Yet, standing here now, he couldn’t see them the same way. ‘He is cold.’ While the father appeared cold but was truly fiery beneath, The child seemed fiercely burning yet was cold. Though indeed a flame, inexplicably, a profound cold emanated from deep within. Despite being only around twenty, his eyes carried the weight of many years. And at moments, there was palpable enmity in his tone and voice. --- Newly Encountered Words: None Translated and Implemented Instructions --- So, to be cold means to restrain oneself. At any moment, he could ignite and engulf his surroundings in flame, yet he concealed himself behind that coldness. In truth, that side was what Mok Yeon (묵연) feared more. Yet suddenly, “Phew…?” Mok Yeon found his breath returning unexpectedly. The oppressive breathing eased, and the once suffocating intent seemed to have diminished. It was a peculiar feeling that prompted him to lift his bowed head. Gu Cheolwoon's (구철운) blazing eyes still lay straight ahead, but somehow there was a shift in his gaze. ‘It’s lessened.’ The stare didn’t seem as menacing as before. Was it an illusion? And if not, why? As Mok Yeon pondered over this strange change, "Back then. We did make a promise, did we not?" Gu Cheolwoon addressed Mok Yeon. Although his tone seemed somehow altered... "If I granted your desires, I would be left unharmed." “…” "And so, I fulfilled your wishes." The weight of Gu Cheolwoon's words was too heavy for Mok Yeon to interrupt with questions. “I carried out the war you desired, burning many to form a mountain. Moreover.” A chilling glimmer flashed in Gu Cheolwoon's eyes. “Even knowing the atrocities committed in the name of righteousness by the Murim Alliance (무림맹), I turned a blind eye.” Mok Yeon's words were stifled. There was no discernible emotion in Gu Cheolwoon's eyes, yet that made it all the more unnerving. “That was of no consequence. I had long since realized the collapse of justice and consensus. It lacked importance to me.” The more Gu Cheolwoon spoke, the more Mok Yeon understood. Emotion was gradually seeping into his words. “Even the bothersome task of restraining the Five Great Demons (사마오제) - I didn’t refuse it. It wasn’t a difficult task, after all.” Creak. The table shifted. The table, along with the papers piled atop it, shook and scattered. “Even when the elders made wrong decisions. Even when my subordinates succumbed to death as a result.” Crack. A crack split through the building. “That, too, was inconsequential. The promise was all that mattered to me." “…Gu Daehyo (구 대주).” “You know, don’t you?” Despite Mok Yeon’s call, Gu Cheolwoon continued to voice his thoughts. “That I could have shattered this trivial promise at any time. Isn’t that right?” “…” Mok Yeon responded with a slight nod instead of words. “Yet, I refrained solely because of a foolish stubbornness.” Gu Cheolwoon's hand moved. "A stubbornness to honor a certain wish." To honor whose wish, one might wonder. Though that crucial part of the statement was missing, Mok Yeon knew the answer. "And so, I endured." Crack-crack. Fiery flames slowly coiled around his rough hand. “I let her go with my own hands, according to our promise.” Though the encircling flames didn’t grow, their clarity intensified. “That was to uphold the end of the bargain.” Fwoosh-!! The flames, as if ready to explode, converged tightly. In that instant. Boom-!!! Someone appeared, charging forth. Gu Cheolwoon, seeming anticipated, responded with his hand. Crack-! The fiery hand seized the incoming blade. His gaze, unwavering. Gu Cheolwoon paid no mind to the blade’s owner, focusing solely on Mok Yeon. “Everything was for your promise. Didn’t I say it back then?” Ping-! With pressure on his hand, Gu Cheolwoon shattered the gripped blade. Then. Bang-!! “…!!” Amidst the tumultuous noise, someone fell to their knees. It was the Sword Emperor (검제), leader of the guards safeguarding the Murim Alliance, who had entered and launched the attack. Kneeling with a scowl, the Sword Emperor seemed to have taken a blow, though only sounds of something breaking could be heard without clear sight of the event. “I will protect what needs to be protected, and you must do the same. If not, I will not hold back. Do you remember this?” “…I remember it.” “Indeed. You do remember.” Acknowledging Mok Yeon’s reply, Gu Cheolwoon nodded slightly. Then, firmly— “Guh!” He reclaimed hold of Mok Yeon’s neck. “Then why did you?” A voice seeking understanding. “Why is that child working under the alliance?” “Guh…” Left breathless, there was no answer to the question. “I did as I was told.” “Ugh.” “I did so to gain reprieve.” As Gu Cheolwoon continued, the Sword Emperor prepared to move. Yet, in the end, he could not. This was because Mok Yeon gestured for him to remain still. “Since I wished not to reveal myself, I refrained from interfering with the children, as requested.” Both Gu Cheolwoon’s voice and expression conveyed this emotion. Gradually, his eyes were consumed by rage. “And yet.” Sssiiik. A fervent sound resonated from the floor. The flickering flames began consuming the ground inch by inch. “Why do you meddle with my 'conviction'?” With emotion woven into his words, the flames blanketed Gu Cheolwoon. Mok Yeon was facing a catastrophe. If it ignited here, it would be an unstoppable disaster. “Answer me. Otherwise.” Gu Cheolwoon fixed his gaze on Mok Yeon, speaking. “Today, I shall erase the Murim Alliance from the world.” It was no lie. Just as he had with the Tang Clan (당문), Gu Cheolwoon would genuinely obliterate the Murim Alliance. That, For him, it wouldn’t be a difficult task.