Ep500 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

Cheonma successfully destroyed the second altar at Mount Hua. Her unstoppable stride continued onward to the third. Tai Mountain. Known as the eastern peak among the Five Great Mountains, it's a vast and sacred place within Daoism. It is said to be where Qin Shi Huang performed sacrifices to the heavens and the earth after unifying China. Opting not to soar into the sky, she instead chose to climb Tai Mountain directly from the ground. "Truly, a magnificent mountain." Her leisurely ascent, taking in the surrounding scenery, made her appear no different than any other tourist visiting Tai Mountain. Finally, she reached the summit without showing any signs of fatigue and gazed down at the view below. Then, she lifted herself from the earth. Her ascent into the sky drew astonished cries from some of the tourists. "No, that's impossible...!" "A person ascending into the heavens!" "Is she a celestial maiden returning to the sky...?" Ignoring their reactions, she continued her ascent until she reached the clouds, where the third altar appeared before her. Following the white tiger of Heng Mountain and the vermilion bird of Mount Hua, the sacred beast enshrined at Tai Mountain was none other than the Azure Dragon. She extended her hand towards the altar, engraved with the image of a blue dragon amidst the clouds. In the blink of an eye, an unprecedented force surged and struck the altar. BOOM! A small cloud of dust arose, leaving shattered debris in its wake as the only evidence that an altar had once stood there. "This makes three." Only one more altar remained to be destroyed. Once she accomplished that, all preparations would be complete. As she descended slowly back to the ground, her gaze turned southwest. Far beyond her sight lay another of the Five Great Mountains. "The last one is Song Mountain..." Song Mountain, another of the Five Great Mountains known as the central peak. She was certain that destroying the altar located atop this mountain would prove the most challenging yet. For, like the presence of the Mount Hua Sect, another sect had its roots firmly planted on Song Mountain. "Ah, finally, I'll get to experience the legendary Hundred and Eight Arhats formation." The illustrious Shaolin Temple. The pillar holding up orthodox martial arts among the Nine Great Schools. Among them, Shaolin is considered the spiritual foundation of orthodox sects. Its martial arts, honed over a long history, were unmatched. "...I'm trembling." Even she couldn't conceal her trembling before that name. It wasn't just because of their reputation. Before ascending Tai Mountain, one of the spies from the Demon Sect had brought her news. A disciple of Mount Hua had informed the Alliance about the events at Mount Hua. This meant that soon, all the masters from the Wulin Alliance would converge on Song Mountain. She might have to face not just the masters of orthodox and unorthodox sects in Jianghu but all of Jianghu. No matter how vast her cultivation had become, she was still only one person. Facing the entirety of the martial world, how could she not tremble? Her gaze, now alone at the empty peak, turned back towards Mount Hua. Where her lover, pierced by her sword, had collapsed, unconscious. A thought crossed her mind. "Is this how you felt back then?" He had walked alone through a sea of danger, determined to reach the Demon King's stronghold. Surely, the feelings he had as he ascended to face the Demon King at the summit were akin to her own now. Such thoughts filled her with compassion for him back then. "...It's alright." Cheonma pressed her temples to quell the headache induced by these overwhelming memories. The past no longer mattered. Soon, the dust-covered ancient tomes would burn, and a new story would unfold. "This time, I will be by your side..." With her spirit renewed by determination, her steps set forth towards Song Mountain. * * * After much deliberation, the Wulin Alliance had gathered under a united front. Song Mountain. Here, they resolved to take Cheonma's head to preserve peace across the martial world. However, not all the masters in the alliance would march to this battle. Though they prepared to fight with desperate resolve, they had to be ready for any eventualities. Foreseeing the grim future that awaited should they fail at Song Mountain. Thus, they divided into two groups. One remained behind to prepare for unforeseen circumstances, while the other set out to confront Cheonma. In this process, another wave of tension arose. Between the Martial Alliance Leader Hyunhak and the Pitch-Black Lotus Sect Leader Dogyeong. The tension stemmed from the two leaders responsible for the Wulin Alliance. "I will go." "I cannot accept that." One of them had to remain with the alliance. If they were defeated by Cheonma, someone needed to restore order and lead them. Heading to Song Mountain was akin to walking toward certain death. Both were undeniably the top martial artists in Jianghu. They would be the ones engaging Cheonma the most. Given all this, it would be understandable if one of them decided to stay out of fear. "I am stronger." Do Gyeong, the Pitch-Black Lotus Sect Leader, stated bluntly, basing his argument on facts. He was known to be half a step or even a full step above Hyunhak. It wasn't just a rumor; it was the truth. Therefore, he argued that, as the stronger of the two, he should face Cheonma. But Hyunhak had a different perspective. "I acknowledge your martial prowess, Leader Do. However, martial arts cannot be judged solely by strength." "......" "In a duel, I may be a step below you, but against demonic arts, you know which of us would be more advantageous." "That..." He could not deny the truth. Hyunhak's Taoist martial arts were more effective against demonic arts than Do Gyeong’s forceful techniques. Taoist techniques, known to counter demonic energy effectively, were second only to the Buddhist styles. "I understand your desire to cross swords with Cheonma. But isn't there something more important at stake?" A significant number of martial artists from the Buddhist and Taoist sects were set to participate in this battle. They were selected to counter Cheonma's formidable demonic arts. If their commander employed forceful martial arts... "It wouldn’t just be ineffective but could harm everyone involved." "......" Do Gyeong had no counterarguments. Hyunhak's reasoning was flawless. "Much is at stake in this battle." The lives of the alliance members. And, more broadly, the fate of Jianghu itself. "If you insist on going despite knowing all this, I will not argue further." "......" Do Gyeong was a martial artist through and through. From when he first walked, he played with weapons and practiced martial arts. Battles with formidable opponents always invigorated and motivated him. There are stories of him traveling all of Jianghu in his youth, challenging every master he came across. Though those tales are from his younger days. It was said by many that as he aged and his status grew, his fiery competitive spirit finally extinguished. Do Gyeong merely scoffed at such tales. "Nonsense." The reason he stopped fighting as frequently wasn’t due to age or status. It was simply that as he grew stronger, he began discerning the worthiness of opponents. And among those he deemed worthy, almost all were noticeably below his level. Naturally, this was the case. His moniker was the Black Death Emperor. Known as the One Emperor amid the One Demon and the Three Lords, he was a master representing all of Jianghu. In such a scenario, everything seemed pointless. Why fight when the outcome was obvious? Yet, there was still someone who stirred his competitive spirit: Cheonma. The One Emperor, rated above the Three Lords. And the One Demon, evaluated even higher. Thus, he yearned to duel her. He even harbored plans to pass on his position as leader of the Pitch-Black Lotus Sect to someone and head to Mount Ten Thousand Peaks alone someday. To him, it was a lifelong goal and dream, not easily relinquished. But what could he do? Things had reached this point. Swallowing his pride and with tears in his eyes, he reluctantly backed down. "Don't come to regret it after death." Hyunhak replied with a jovial laugh. "I'll die grateful for ensuring a bright future for the martial world." "Hmph..." The following day. Hundreds of martial artists from the alliance set out for Song Mountain. Author's Note: It's finally the 500th chapter... Reaching this point, I can truly feel that the conclusion is not far off. I'm determined to push on till the very end. Thank you to everyone who has stayed with me and those who have been part of this journey. Please bear with me a little longer. I will see you in the next chapter. Thank you for reading, as always. Have a restful night.