123 - Sichuan, China (14) - The Heaven-Slaying Sword

“Ugh…” Rolling on the ground had scraped up his entire body. Mok Riwon briefly let saliva drip from his mouth before checking on Dang Hwa-seo in his arms. “Miss!” “…” Though she was breathing properly, it was clear that she had faintly lost strength in her body. What on earth had happened above? Mok Riwon, his face fraught with worry, glanced down at Dang Hwa-seo before lifting his head. The aura of Dang Sageuk still lingered in the place where the clan hall had fallen. What to do? After a moment of contemplation, Mok Riwon laid Dang Hwa-seo gently on the ground and stood up. “I’ll be back.” Thinking that leaving her unattended could endanger the other members as well, Mok Riwon moved on. * Having honed his body's awareness to a razor's edge, Mok Riwon arrived at the clan hall. There were no other members in sight. “So, you must be Ink Dragon.” Only Dang Sageuk was there. This was Mok Riwon’s first encounter with Dang Sageuk, who, just as Dang Hwa-seo had described, looked like a man whose whole body was crumbling away. Despite the debilitated state, sitting askew amidst the building debris, an aura of majesty was palpable. Yet, it was evident to him. ‘He couldn’t have followed.’ Mok Riwon’s gaze darkened. The Poison King, Dang Sageuk. The elder, whose entire body was eroded by transcendent poison, had the meridians in his legs so damaged that he could no longer take a single step on his own. “That’s right.” “Your tone is hardly respectful.” With the one eye he had left, Dang Sageuk looked down on Mok Riwon, speaking with displeasure. “Is that the tone you use when addressing a senior of the martial world?” A senior. Mok Riwon chuckled wryly. “…Is every single person in your Dang family like this?” “What?” “Do you truly believe you are worthy of being addressed as a senior? Everyone I’ve met thus far has been the same. Pyosan, Dang Unkyung, and even 1st Elder Dang Chogun and yourself.” Swoosh— Mok Riwon drew his sword. “A senior is someone worth following, someone from whom there is something to be learned.” A dark aura flowed out. “But I have nothing to learn from you. From you, I sense not the slightest bit of chivalry.” Mok Riwon’s aim in observing others was always to learn about chivalry and goodwill. From such a standpoint, there truly was nothing to be gained from these individuals. Dang Sageuk laughed as if astonished by the words given. “Chivalry. You dare speak of chivalry to me, who reached the pinnacle after the Blood Fiend’s War?” The rubble quaked. Toxic energy spewed out. The ability to shake space with mere emotion was indeed a trait of those who had transcended. Mok Riwon protected his meridians with his aura. Luckily, Mok Riwon’s fiercely violent inner strength repelled the external toxic energy. “What do you think makes you worthy of being known as Ink Dragon in this world? Why do you think the path of white martial arts still exists in this world?” Dang Sageuk pushed himself up on his knees. His shaky figure managed to stand, a testament to forcing his body to move through sheer power. “It's because of me. Because the Dang family, the Sacheon, and Jun Won, we killed the Blood Fiend that day. And you dare to lecture me on chivalry?” Observing quietly, he pondered. What was the emotion in that lone eye? Had Mok Riwon, fresh from the mountains of Kangseo Province, known then? Now, having encountered the martial world and its people, he understood. The emotion hiding within that eye was arrogance, envy, a sense of defeat, and anger. Mok Riwon had not heard much about it from Dang Hwa-seo. However, like Namgung Jincheon before her, he knew for certain. Dang Hwa-seo was not one to act on personal vendettas, nor was she one to express such anger over trivial matters. She had said, the Dang family had accumulated sins they should not have. Therefore, one should not hesitate in dealing with them. That was not all. “…You misspoke.” Mok Riwon could not let his words go unchallenged. “The one who severed the Blood Fiend’s head that day was none other than Geomseong…” Sudden― Mok Riwon's body jolted. ‘Killing intent…!’ As soon as he attempted to utter the word Geomseong, an intense killing intent exploded. Had he ever been subject to such killing intent? No, never. Among all the enemies Mok Riwon had faced in his life, none demonstrated such dense killing intent. Not even those cruel demons. “Geomseong... Was there such a name in the martial world?” Dang Sageuk’s tone morphed into a growl. “No, at least in the martial world I know of, such a name does not exist.” An additional emotion crept into his voice. ‘Resentment.’ This was resentment. Why such a reaction? Mok Riwon wasn’t completely ignorant of the reason. “The era belonged to brother… Many enemies harbored resentment against him. It was inevitable in a world where the strong dominate. Not all people can harbor the same ideals. Our era was brother’s era. Thus, among the high-level martial artists who couldn’t leave their mark on the era due to him, there were surely those who poured out resentment towards him." Milestone had said. Among them, there were those who had transcended. "The Poison King, that man was particularly dangerous. Despite being a pillar of the righteous martial arts world, he was full of cunning and twisted desires." "Was such a person really promoted to the ranks of the top ten martial artists?" "It couldn't be helped." Mok Riwon remembered the bitter words spoken by Milestone. "We lived in an era where we had to rely even on such hands. That was the time of the Blood Fiend." To put it differently, that was the case. He was one of the four who opposed his surviving at the end of the blood saga. Among them, he was particularly vehement in his refusal. Yet, Mok Riwon tried not to hate him. He simply did not want to think ill of Dang Sageuk for that reason. But now, there was no reason to hold back. Mok Riwon did not want to leave unchallenged someone who was consumed by jealousy and resentment, ignoring the truth that deserved to be acknowledged. "Geomseong did exist. At the site where the Blood Demon was slain. The one who personally took his head was none other than Geomseong, Mok Seon-o." Dang Sageuk's emotions began to boil even more. Mok Riwon tensed up, steadying his mind. Once, Mok Seon-o had said. In a society formed by the rules of power in the martial world, one cannot preach non-killing. "Someday, you too will have to face the day when you must take down a person." So protect what must be protected. This was a reminder from his duel with the martial demon Pae Woong-chu, and it was also a precept he had etched into his heart as he reached pinnacle mastery. "But wield your sword not with the intent to kill, but with chivalry. Do not focus on the act of cutting down your opponent." Wield your sword with chivalry, not with killing intent. Even as the sword cuts through skin and bone, do not recognize it as murder. It sounded like a silly play on words, but now Mok Riwon thought he understood. "Master, I've seen what I must cut through." Mok Riwon faced an evil deed. He faced the deep dark mire that lay beneath sheer malice. But what he must cut through was indeed an evil deed. Firm in this resolve, he firmly grasped his sword. Ssshhh— He executed the Star Alliance’s martial art. The supreme force of five stars enveloped his body. "…!" Dang Sageuk's eyes widened as if they would tear apart. * The colors are different. But how could one fail to recognize what that chilling hue signifies? What the style of the skill denotes? 'Mok Seon-o. Mok Riwon. Mok Seon-o. Mok Riwon.' He compared the two names. He estimated Mok Riwon's age and the period when the blood saga ended. Then he gazed into his eyes. Dark brown, but if you look very closely, a red hue flashes by the moment internal energy is exerted. Eventually, logic formed in his mind. The logic to break through this frustrating situation. The solution to the mystery brought outside by the betrayal of a granddaughter. Dang Sageuk's expression turned blank, then he began to act strangely. "Kuh… Kkhhh…!" He covered his mouth. His shoulders shook. Then he burst into loud laughter. "Kkahahahaha!!!" Oh, how could fate be so intricately woven? No, how could it be so grateful? The heavens surely had not forsaken him. "So that's it! That’s how it was!" Dang Sageuk clapped his hands together. "He lived! In the end, that man sent you into the world!" He saw Cheon Sal-seong staring at him with a stony face. Daring to glare at him. "Despicable murdering demon!!!" Kwwwang—! With a swing of his arms, the building debris exploded. The released toxic qi formed into a giant serpent. It was the Cheon Doksa, a technique only possible at the ninth level of the Black Sky Toxic Claw. Dang Sageuk staggered forward a step. "Wearing a mask, are you! Why, did he infiltrate the righteous martial world to disrupt it from within? Did he tell you to take revenge in his place on the martial world that stole his name?!" "My master never said such things." "Laughable!" Dang Sageuk truly did not believe Mok Riwon's words. "Then what is your reason for revealing your identity to me? Eh? Murder? I see! Unable to overcome your vile nature, you found someone worthy of being killed and created a pretext! Speak the truth, even his call for revenge was merely a justification for murder, wasn’t it!" He unleashed his killing intent. Knowing it would provoke Cheon Sal-seong. Knowing his own wretched body would be seen as mere prey and become even more ferocious. "Absurd! As one who stands to the left of the Toxic King among the Six Kings of the Martial World! I will punish you, who seduced my granddaughter and dared to disrupt the righteous path!" To Dang Sageuk, the truth was no longer important. In his mind, Mok Seon-o was a villain who sought revenge against the righteous martial world that had erased his achievements, and Mok Riwon was merely a sharpened dagger he wielded. In other words, Mok Riwon appeared to him as the key to untangling this complicated situation. But that wasn’t the only reason. "Geomseong! Indeed, that was a title too grand for him! How dare a base villager of no standing discuss occupying the highest position! To speak of a title with 'star' in it!" He had the opportunity to discredit the existence that had always been a wall in his life. The appearance of Cheon Sal-seong provided Dang Sageuk with a monumental opportunity that satisfied him in every aspect. “I almost fell for it! No, had you not revealed yourself, I might never have known until the end! Truly befitting the deceitful nature of a murdering demon!” Dang Sageuk twisted his arm joints with a crack, and the Cheon Doksa hissed, its mouth gaping wide. “Die!” He launched the venomous snake. Even the transcendent poison, faced by Cheon Sal-seong, would surely deal damage. There was no moment to rest. Boom! Crash! Rumble! The snake tore through space, its fangs sinking into everything. Some parts melted away, while others crumbled to dust. Powered by anger and resentment towards the star attempting once again to snatch away what was his, the expelled force began to devastate the surroundings, and at that moment, Dang Sageuk ceased his movements. “Where are you!” He shouted loudly, and a response came back. “Can't you even read the flow of Qi?” It came from the right. Dang Sageuk turned his head and hesitated for a moment as he looked at Mok Riwon's expression. The thing that dwelled within those blood-red eyes was precisely. “You have fallen. Such a level hardly befits the name of transcendence.” It was a look of pity.