abc-du-gratuit Chapter 274 : Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute (2)
Chapter 274 : Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute (2)
Chapter 274: Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute (2)
The place Seonwoo Baek-rin brought Jang Woo-hyun’s group to was the Land of the Virtuous, located along the border of the Central Heavens Martial Realm.
The people of the Land of the Virtuous possessed appearances no different from ordinary humans, but uniquely, each was born together with two tigers.
The unusual translucent tigers were Spirit Beasts and could be considered another soul belonging to the people of the Land of the Virtuous.
At the northernmost region of the Land of the Virtuous—
One sect belonging to the Ten Sects and Three Clans had settled there.
The Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute.
A group belonging to the martial world yet refusing to fight.
It was a place where people sought to discipline their inner selves, refining themselves through cultivation and contemplation in order to advance toward the next realm.
It was a sect completely unsuited to someone as free-spirited as Seonwoo Baek-rin.
Yet strangely enough, she had settled there.
Thanks to Seonwoo Baek-rin’s abilities, the three people including Jang Woo-hyun quickly arrived at the Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute.
And immediately upon arrival, messages were sent to the Demon-Slaying Corps martial artists.
“With the Heavenly Blade Lord’s help, we arrived at the Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute.”
Ten days after Seon Tae-gyeong informed them of the location—
The martial artists of the Demon-Slaying Corps arrived in the Land of the Virtuous.
“Leader! Are you alright?”
“Woo-hyun!”
“Brother!”
“Jang Woo-hyun, are you alive?”
Every member of the Demon-Slaying Corps rushed toward Jang Woo-hyun.
Starting with Jin Ha-un and Cho-su, then Maeng Ye-ju, the former members of the Hundred Ghost Division including the Black Wilds Moon and Seo Ryeom, and even Eon Neung-hyeon and Yu I-geon of the Solar Palace who had survived.
Jang Woo-hyun also welcomed the companions he was seeing again after several days.
One arm had been bitten off and remained missing, while his face was filled with exhaustion.
The wounds inflicted by Yong Cheon-myeong had yet to heal, and Jang Woo-hyun’s complexion looked terrible.
“You always…….”
Cho-su started to scold Jang Woo-hyun for charging in alone again, but his words trailed off.
Cho-su also knew that if Jang Woo-hyun had not stepped forward when Yong Cheon-myeong appeared, the Demon-Slaying Corps would have suffered far greater losses.
Jang Woo-hyun was the kind of person who stepped forward to block the greatest threat for the sake of his comrades.
Knowing that temperament, Cho-su could not bring himself to say more.
“I’m glad to see everyone again. And thank you for surviving.”
The powerless smile on his face carried complete sincerity, causing everyone to smile faintly in return.
“You worked hard too, Leader. Just being able to meet again like this is already fortunate.”
After fighting one of the Six Heavenly Lords, simply being able to face each other and smile was an incredible blessing.
It would not have been strange if they had all been annihilated.
“What happened exactly?”
At Seo Ryeom’s question, Seon Tae-gyeong, standing beside Jang Woo-hyun, explained what they had gone through.
When he spoke about the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s final stand, Seo Ryeom’s eyes widened.
“Uh…… so does that mean we can’t meet the Great Sage anymore?”
“You could meet him again if he were summoned once more, but for a while, it will not be easy to call him.”
The Projection that accompanied the Demon-Slaying Corps had contained a tremendous amount of power.
Since that Projection had been destroyed, the Wind-Passing Great Sage himself must have suffered damage as well.
He could not be summoned immediately again.
Seo Ryeom, who constantly bickered with the Wind-Passing Great Sage, found himself speechless for a moment.
He had naturally assumed the Wind-Passing Great Sage would always be beside Jang Woo-hyun.
He had never imagined something like this.
“W-Well…… it was only a Projection anyway…….”
Fortunately, the Wind-Passing Great Sage had not truly died, so they could still look forward to meeting him again someday.
“What happened with the others?”
At Seon Tae-gyeong’s question, the Black Wilds Moon began recounting what they had experienced.
The battle outside the Microcosm and the events that followed because of it.
“The Five Elements Cult suffered more damage than expected. And…….”
The Black Wilds Moon paused briefly before suppressing the emotions swelling within him and continuing.
“……Fifteen died.”
That was the number of dead from the Demon-Slaying Corps.
Excluding Seo Ryeom and the Black Wilds Moon, there had originally been thirty-two martial artists from the Battle Fiend Division.
Nearly half of them had died in this battle.
Until now, they had suffered injuries but never deaths.
That was why the shock among the group was even greater.
“…….”
Hearing of his comrades’ deaths, Jang Woo-hyun remained silent for a long while.
“The subordinates who departed always knew such a day could come as long as they lived in the martial world. So don’t blame yourself too much.”
“That’s right, Leader. The guys would hate this atmosphere too. Instead, let’s burn with fighting spirit. For revenge.”
Even though Seo Ryeom tried to sound cheerful, the atmosphere did not improve.
In the deeply sunken silence, only the sound of breathing could be heard.
The one who broke the oppressive silence was Cho-su.
“Are you alright?”
Jang Woo-hyun’s condition looked far too terrible.
Even sitting appeared difficult for him.
“It’s a little hard, but I’m alright.”
“Everyone out. He hasn’t even recovered from his injuries yet. We’ve seen his face, so let’s talk later.”
“Leader, recover quickly. We can’t just let this end after taking a beating like this.”
“I said get out already. Stop talking about that stuff right now.”
Cho-su dragged Seo Ryeom away, and the others also filed out one after another.
Watching his comrades leave, Jang Woo-hyun lowered his hand beneath the table.
He did not want them to see his trembling hand.
---
“Does the Leader really seem alright?”
After moving far away from Jang Woo-hyun’s lodging, Seo Ryeom finally spoke.
To him, Jang Woo-hyun looked far too different from usual.
He resembled someone whose entire body had lost strength.
“He must be having a hard time. No matter how incredible the Leader is, his opponent was a monster.”
The Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord, Yong Cheon-myeong.
No one present had truly witnessed the full extent of his power.
They had already needed to use every ounce of their strength merely to deal with fragments leaking from outside the Microcosm.
How difficult must it have been for Jang Woo-hyun, who directly confronted him?
It had surely been worse than they could imagine.
“Big Brother will recover soon.”
At Jin Ha-un’s words, everyone nodded.
After everything they had seen together until now, they trusted Jang Woo-hyun.
If it was the leader of the Demon-Slaying Corps, then he would surely overcome this ordeal as well.
“Let’s do what we need to do.”
“What do you mean, what we need to do? Brother Cho, do you have something in mind?”
“I’m returning to the Nation of Mechanical Marvels.”
The sudden declaration caused the nearby companions to widen their eyes in surprise.
“I need to repair Thunder Roar Fortress. Since things turned out like this anyway, I’m planning to completely remodel it while Woo-hyun recovers. I also obtained things from Lee Ahn in the Corpse-Blood Realm.”
No matter how much Thunder Roar Fortress was modified, it would still be meaningless before the power of the Six Heavenly Lords.
But if it could create even the briefest opening, if it could help Jang Woo-hyun even a little, Cho-su intended to do everything he possibly could.
“I’ll return to the Beast King Sect.”
Maeng Ye-ju also revealed her destination.
Though she had maintained contact, she had wandered outside for far too long.
Moreover, despite Haeryang personally taking action, the Beast King Sect’s war still had not ended.
Maeng Ye-ju intended to return to her sect and lend her strength.
“Right. Let’s not just sit around wasting time.”
The group had no intention of simply sitting around worrying about Jang Woo-hyun.
For the sake of moving forward and preparing for the next battle, they decided to use this time to reorganize themselves.
After discussing things for half a shijin, everyone chose their destination.
“We’ll go together with Brother Cho.”
The Demon-Slaying Corps martial artists including Seo Ryeom and the Black Wilds Moon decided to head to the Nation of Mechanical Marvels.
Maeng Ye-ju and the two surviving Solar Palace martial artists, Eon Neung-hyeon and Yu I-geon, chose to return to their own sects.
The ones remaining at the Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute were Jin Ha-un, Yong Seo-hee, and Seon Tae-gyeong.
“Don’t worry about Big Brother.”
“Ha-un, I’m counting on you. Tae-gyeong, are you really sure you don’t want to come with us?”
“There are few of them, but the institute still has spellcasters. I want to meet them. Even if I go to the Nation of Mechanical Marvels now, there’s nothing I can do.”
Everyone decided what they needed to do.
Two days later—
As dawn broke, the members of the Demon-Slaying Corps exchanged farewells and departed for their respective destinations.
---
Even six days after the companions left, Jang Woo-hyun’s condition showed no improvement.
He still lacked strength, and his bitten-off arm remained unchanged.
“The injuries inflicted by the Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord won’t heal easily.”
Although Jin Ha-un fully understood Seon Tae-gyeong’s words, he still worried.
The Jang Woo-hyun he knew was someone who, no matter how powerful the opponent, would shake it off quickly and begin training again as though nothing happened.
‘Is he really alright?’
His concern gradually deepened.
Filled with anxiety, Jin Ha-un wandered before Jang Woo-hyun’s room several times every day.
Then he encountered Jang Woo-hyun emerging outside.
“Where are you going?”
Yong Seo-hee, who was carrying medicinal soup, hurried over as well.
Both looked at Jang Woo-hyun’s still-unhealed injuries with eyes full of concern.
“I’m just going to get some fresh air.”
“Should we come with you?”
“No. I want to walk alone for a bit.”
“Will you really be alright?”
“I’m really fine. I just want to sort out my thoughts while walking alone.”
Jang Woo-hyun smiled at the two of them before heading outside.
He slowly walked through the grounds of the Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute.
The visible buildings were simple but neatly organized.
Just from the architecture alone, the nature of the Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute was obvious.
As expected, the disciples he encountered were calm and gentle.
Due to the sect’s nature, they did not offer extravagant hospitality, but since he was someone brought by the Heavenly Blade Lord, they still tried their best to care for him.
Stepping outside the main gate of the sect located halfway up the mountain, Jang Woo-hyun looked back.
Towering peaks filled his vision.
Countless caves had been carved into those mountains, and many people supposedly practiced wall-facing cultivation there while contemplating the path they should walk.
“Huu.”
Jang Woo-hyun let out a long breath.
Closing his eyes, he tightly clenched his fist.
Without realizing it, his arm had begun trembling.
For the first time, he had become afraid of someone.
The Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord, Yong Cheon-myeong.
Within the world Yong Cheon-myeong created, he could not display his strength.
No matter how desperately he struggled, he could not reach Yong Cheon-myeong.
The Microcosm of a martial artist who had reached the Immortal Realm was power beyond what could even be called martial arts.
He could not grasp how he should fight or what strategy he should use.
An unbeatable monster.
Strength impossible to catch up to.
Power impossible to stop.
That was what Jang Woo-hyun felt from Yong Cheon-myeong.
And that was not even the end of it.
‘My judgment was wrong.’
Because of his mistaken judgment, they had lost comrades.
Even if the Wind-Passing Great Sage had only lost a Projection, fifteen martial artists of the Demon-Slaying Corps had died.
Martial artists living in the martial world could never separate themselves from death.
But this incident had not been their choice.
If they had not interfered in the Five Elements Cult’s battle—
If he had not recklessly acted while trusting in his insignificant talent—
Then none of this would have happened.
‘It’s because of me.’
Jang Woo-hyun blamed himself.
He had not been someone capable of bearing the weight of others’ lives, yet he had acted too hastily.
‘Who do I think I am?’
To think he dared oppose one of the Six Heavenly Lords.
Every time he recalled Yong Cheon-myeong, his body trembled.
The arm bitten off by the dragons was not failing to regenerate.
He was unconsciously refusing to regenerate it.
That was the fear remaining within Jang Woo-hyun’s heart.
If he restored this arm, it felt as though he would need to charge forward again and raise his sword once more.
He did not want that.
Taking even a single step forward terrified him.
‘Can I really do it?’
Negative thoughts continuously filled his mind.
Faint green energy occasionally flickered behind his head, but Jang Woo-hyun failed to notice.
He merely continued blaming himself and drowning in negativity.
Taking a deep breath, Jang Woo-hyun slowly began walking again.
If he remained standing there any longer, he felt he would go mad.
Trying to shake off the negative thoughts, he walked for a long time.
He tried not to think about anything at all.
---
How long had he walked while emptying his mind?
Jang Woo-hyun eventually arrived before a city.
Though a small wall surrounded it, the gates stood wide open, and no guards stood watch.
Even from afar, the city’s vitality could be felt.
Like iron filings drawn to a magnet, Jang Woo-hyun headed toward it.
Since it was a city of the Land of the Virtuous, translucent tigers walked beside the people, making the streets wider than those of ordinary cities.
The city was clean and orderly, and the faces of the people were bright.
Whenever they encountered Jang Woo-hyun, they looked slightly surprised at first, but soon smiled and greeted him.
The weather was cool, but the city itself felt warm.
The good energy of the people gradually calmed Jang Woo-hyun’s heart.
He had always charged forward without stopping.
But in this city, he wanted to walk slowly.
Avoiding a tiger passing beside him, he continued onward.
Whenever people smiled and greeted him, Jang Woo-hyun lightly lowered his head in return.
He wandered through the city with a peaceful heart.
Fabric shops, inns filled with laughter, tea houses, general stores, and all kinds of street vendors—
Many shops lined the streets, and the liveliness of the people could be felt everywhere.
A place where ordinary people lived without conflict.
Suddenly, Jang Woo-hyun found himself wanting to settle down in a place like this.
Poke. Poke.
‘Maybe I can finally put down the sword.’
Poke. Poke.
‘Maybe I can stop fighting now.’
Poke poke poke.
Feeling something repeatedly poking his thigh, Jang Woo-hyun turned his head.
A child with eyes full of curiosity stood there.
The child looked up at Jang Woo-hyun, while beside him two tiger cubs rolled around on the ground.
“Your head looks weird.”
“Hm? What does?”
“Huh? Strange. Earlier it was green.”
“My head?”
“Yes. But Mister, doesn’t it hurt?”
Jang Woo-hyun could not properly understand the child’s words.
“Uh…… do I look like someone who’s hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Where do I look hurt?”
“Your arm. Mister, doesn’t your arm hurt?”
The child pointed toward Jang Woo-hyun’s missing arm.