Chapter 484 - Eccentric Immortal (怪仙).
After obtaining permission from the Tang Clan.
I came outside with Uhyeok.
In my heart, I wanted to stay a bit longer with the kids, but.
Since I knew well that there was no time for that, I was focused on finishing the planned matters as quickly as possible.
There was no time to rest.
It truly could not be anything but a damnable life.
While running like that for a while, Uhyeok let out a groan from beside me.
The bastard was stroking his own neck with his hand.
Seeing that, I furrowed my brow.
"See, who told you to act up?"
"...I didn't know you'd really bite. Do you think you're some dog?"
"If you're treated like a dog, you should act like one."
He treated me like a dog first, so I really bit him—what was there to complain about?
I couldn't understand it.
[Even so, you who bit him for real are not in your right mind either.]
Divine Elder spoke to me with pity, but I ignored it.
I turned my head away from Uhyeok and looked straight ahead.
How long had I been traveling past the densely wooded forest?
By distance, they said it was about one shichen, yet it felt like far more than that had passed.
While ceaselessly moving my legs, my mind spun endlessly.
'I left various orders.... I wonder how they will turn out.'
Before leaving the Tang Clan, I had called Nahi and given him some tasks.
This was something I was curious about regarding how it would unfold.
Furthermore.
'I also need to see what answer the Poison King gives.'
I needed to know what response the Poison King would give to my words.
Only by knowing that could I properly set the direction when handling matters.
[Brat.]
'Yes.'
[Do you truly intend to kill them all?]
At Divine Elder's words, I rolled my eyes slightly.
Showing a brief sign of pondering, I answered shortly.
'Yes.'
In truth, there was nothing to ponder.
Everyone involved in this matter deserved to be eliminated.
I thought this was something that had to be done, even setting aside Dang Jemun's request.
'Since I know it will become a problem later, I can't just leave it be.'
[...]
At the very least, it was related to Dang Soyeol.
The part that had always been a question: how Dang Soyeol reached the realm of invulnerability to poisons.
Answers regarding this were gradually emerging.
Recalling it made my teeth clench on their own.
Invulnerability to poisons. The question regarding that supreme yet cruel realm.
It was a stained realm, to the extent that one might wonder if a martial artist, let alone a human, could reach it.
It was not something I had particularly dwelled on before.
But with things turning out this way, I could not help but think about it.
From the outset, gaining perfect resistance to ten thousand poisons, and thereby handling poison arts to reach the heavens—that is precisely invulnerability to poisons.
Could Dang Soyeol have truly reached it through the proper path?
'At the very least,'
in my view, it did not seem like a normal method.
I was sorry for Dang Soyeol, but objectively speaking, she was not a genius.
The Sleeping Dragon running beside me right now was a given, and so were Wi Seola and Namgung Bia around me.
Not to mention Yeongpung, called the top talent of Mount Hua, and Paeng Woojin of the Paeng family.
And.
'...the monstrous bastard who will appear a few years later.'
When compared to the next-generation Divine Dragon called the miracle of Shaolin.
Dang Soyeol was infinitely less imposing.
Put nicely, a bloodline of a prestigious house. Just that level.
Put badly, it might have been hard to even call her a talented prodigy.
That was the level at which I saw Dang Soyeol.
No matter how I looked at it, she definitely lacked the talent to reach invulnerability to poisons, said to be the pinnacle of poison arts.
But she eventually reached it and came to be called the Poison Wall. I had some vague doubts about this part.
The suspicion that the Heavenly Martial Body creation plan, which had been stopped before, was still continuing now.
And Dang Jemun's warning that Dang Soyeol might be involved in this matter.
Looking at this.
I thought something must have happened in the process of Dang Soyeol reaching invulnerability to poisons.
Honestly, up to here, it did not matter.
Had I been a martial artist who cared about chivalry and pursued only proper growth methods, perhaps that would be different.
Since I was someone who chose to grow stronger by any means available, and who threw chivalry and righteousness to the dogs.
Even if Dang Soyeol had raised her realm through an unsavory method, I would not curse her or look at her as if she were trash.
Here, there was only one thing I considered important.
Whether such a process was.
'Desired by Dang Soyeol.'
That was the only thing that mattered now.
Whether she truly wanted that method.
If it was carried out because she wanted it, honestly, I could overlook it as much as needed.
What was important to me was not Dang Jemun's request or the mere Tang Clan.
It was solely Dang Soyeol's will.
'But. If that was not the case.'
Then conversely, I would tear apart and burn everything as much as needed.
If I wished, I was willing to burn down and annihilate the entire Tang Clan.
Would that really be difficult?
'In the past, I thought it was a bit of a stretch.'
Now, I did not think it was so difficult.
Strangely, at that.
Was it because my main body's power had grown stronger?
'I'm still too weak to be arrogant, though.'
I had merely gone from an incomplete Hwagyeong to a complete Hwagyeong.
At this level, erasing a single sect should be overwhelming.
Yet strangely, confidence was overflowing.
No matter how I looked at it, this was not a good sign.
'Something has changed.'
Leaving aside the physical changes or the fact that my dantian's center had shifted to my heart.
It was clear that a change had occurred in the emotional aspect.
Could this also be an abnormal change born from my vessel being reconstructed?
'I need to take a day to find out for sure. Tch.'
The fact that I did not even have time for that was nothing but irritating.
Holding back my irritation, I looked at Uhyeok.
"How much further do we have to go? We already passed a shichen."
Uhyeok made an awkward expression at my question and said.
"Uh... Hmm. They said to just go this way?"
"...?"
My brow furrowed at Uhyeok's ambiguous answer.
"Hey."
"Yeah."
"Don't tell me you don't know the way?"
"Haha. What kind of nonsense is that?"
Uhyeok laughed as if it were absurd, waving his hand at my question.
'Right? There's no way we'd just walk aimlessly without knowing the way.'
The moment I let out a sigh of relief and tried to increase my speed.
"When have I ever come to Sichuan that I'd know the way? Of course I don't."
"What, you bastard?"
At Uhyeok's brazen words, I nearly tripped over my feet without realizing it.
"You don't know the way?"
"You crazy bastard? Then why are you confidently taking the lead!"
"Well, I just thought going roughly like this would work."
"Where's the map! Hand it over, quick."
I snatched the map that Uhyeok fumbled out and surveyed the route.
I rolled my eyes this way and that, checked the map, and then smacked Uhyeok on the head.
Thwack—!
"Kuaack!"
Uhyeok looked at me resentfully after being hit on the head suddenly, but.
I was also on the verge of exploding in anger.
"Hey, you bastard! We came the wrong way!"
"Oh... really? I didn't know that."
"'Oh' my ass... I'm the idiot for trusting you."
I immediately turned around and ran back the way I came.
Grabbing Uhyeok by the collar as I did so.
"Kueock...! Why this again...!"
"Shut up. We're going fast since we're late."
I put strength into my legs as is.
Huuuuk—! I raised my energy to the maximum.
"...!"
Uhyeok's eyes widened seeing this.
Paying no heed to Uhyeok's reaction, I only looked straight ahead.
Ah, still, I kindly gave a warning.
"Hold on by yourself. You can do at least that, right?"
"W-wait!"
Of course, I didn't wait for an answer.
Hwarururuk—!
Blue flames enveloped my body.
Kwaaraaaah—!
I shot forward as if exploding.
Vision inverted repeatedly.
Compared to the speed I had been running until now, it was several times faster.
"Eugaaah...."
Uhyeok tried to say something at the unexpected speed, but.
I lightly ignored such sounds and kept running.
Who would have known.
That Uhyeok would be a directionally challenged fool like Namgung Bia.
"Why is a perfectly fine-looking guy so incompetent at times like this, damn it...."
Uhyeok became a different person the moment he held a sword, but without a sword in hand, he was no different from an idiot.
No, I guess most people called geniuses were like this.
If we're going to live like this, I wish he'd give me his face and height. Damn it.
Kuuuuuk—!
How long had I run like that?
It was when I had run roughly half a shichen more.
Comparing with the path marked on the map, it was about around here.
'I should have come like this from the start.'
Even I found it absurd.
Honestly, I ran at full power because I was pissed, but I had not known I could move this fast.
In terms of speed alone, I had become at least twice as fast compared to before shedding my shell.
'This is why I need to check even more.'
Roughly judging, it felt like I had risen by about half again.
But when actually using power, the feeling was different.
At this point, I thought I should meet the Paejon and ask a request of him.
'To ask him to spar with me.'
It was only because Paejon was the only suitable person around to ask.
Because if I asked the Dark King, I would definitely not end up looking good.
After slightly slowing my speed, I asked Uhyeok.
"Hey. Which way from here?"
"Uuh...?"
"Get a grip. The map only says up to here."
Only the mountain range's name and a rough location were written, so I couldn't know the exact spot.
I thought I had come to the right place.
But looking around, there were still only trees and rocks.
Uhyeok said to me without composing his dazed face.
"Wait... put me down first.... I feel like I'm going to die."
"No, I need to know where your master is...."
We couldn't meet in these bushes.
There should be some dwelling or another.
Where on earth could he be? Could it be that even I came to the wrong place? I shouldn't be at the level of a directional idiot.
Just as I thought that and wondered if I should heighten my senses.
"...!"
I quickly turned my body.
"Uheok!"
Uhyeok shook violently and let out a sound as I turned, but this took priority over that.
Shwiiik—!
Something passed through the space emptied by my turn.
It was sword qi.
Seogeoek—!
The sword qi cutting through the air embedded into the ground and sliced a rock.
Koong—!
The rock split in half and fell with a thud.
I hurriedly landed on the ground and spread my senses.
"Kuaack!"
I couldn't pay attention to Uhyeok, so he couldn't even perform a breakfall and fell face-first to the ground.
"... Ow... I'm dying...!"
I spoke to Uhyeok, who groaned and raised himself.
"I mean draw your sword right now."
"...What sword?"
But this guy asked back without grasping the situation.
What? Uhyeok shouldn't be someone so tactless.
Sarak.
In the time it took to say that, someone appeared from beyond the trees.
He was undoubtedly the one who had fired the sword qi this way.
I examined the figure and narrowed my eyes.
'A beggar...?'
The impression of the person who appeared was exactly that.
He was covering his face with disheveled white hair, and what first caught my eye was the rag-like martial uniform of someone wearing tatters.
The man walked over leisurely with bare feet caked in dust.
Seeing that, I had to sharpen my instincts.
Such a person.
'His sword is insanely clean.'
Because the sword he held in his hand alone was so well-maintained.
Moreover, the killing intent stabbing into my back was no trivial matter either.
Who is it?
While examining the opponent's identity and calming my stomach.
"Huaaaah."
The man let out a big yawn, then began digging inside his ear with his finger.
Then, looking at Uhyeok, who was barely getting up, he sniffed.
"I wondered which bastard was running so wildly all the way here.... What kind of state is this after a few years?"
Uhyeok let out a hollow cough and smiled awkwardly at the man's words.
"Haha. Have you been well all this time?"
"Does this appearance look like I've been well?"
"I'm relieved to see you are still the same, so it seems you've been well."
"Hehe, you rotten disciple. That mouth of yours is still the same."
I had to widen my eyes listening to their conversation.
Because I could tell the man's identity.
'Could it be him?'
Since he called Uhyeok his disciple, there was nothing more to say.
That beggar with the sword was precisely the Wudang Eccentric Immortal.
But.
'Why?'
It wasn't easily understandable.
Though their conversation alone was plenty enough to recognize each other.
The reason I kept having doubts was none other.
'His energy....'
The energy felt from the man. That was the problem.
Setting aside the strange nickname and rumors, the Wudang Eccentric Immortal was clearly a master belonging to the Wudang Sect.
And since he was Uhyeok's master, that should have been even more certain.
'Why is it so savage?'
The energy felt from the Wudang Eccentric Immortal was far too sharp to call him a Taoist immortal.
Moreover, it was excessively rough to call him Wudang.
This was why I could not be certain upon seeing him that he was the Wudang Eccentric Immortal.
"Hmmm."
At that moment.
The Wudang Eccentric Immortal's gaze, which had been looking at Uhyeok, turned toward me.
Though his eyes were hidden because his face was covered entirely by his bangs, I could tell he was looking at me.
"I came wondering what wild thing was running about.... Yet it doesn't seem to be an enemy."
"He's my friend."
Uhyeok said brightly, raising his hand, and the Wudang Eccentric Immortal tilted his head.
"Disciple."
"Yes."
"...You had a friend?"
"I tried making one once. He's not bad."
Despite Uhyeok's words, the Wudang Eccentric Immortal's gaze remained fixed on me.
Only then did I also relax my body slightly and attempt to cup my fists.
"So the first friend you brought... is practically a monster. What is this guy?"
Saying so, the Wudang Eccentric Immortal lifted his hair with a grimy hand.
Only then could I confirm the Eccentric Immortal's face.
'Hmm?'
At the same time, I inwardly swallowed my surprise.
Setting aside the fact that a far handsomer middle-aged man than expected was visible.
It was because his pupils were shining blue.
Moreover, his hair was white...?
In all of the Central Plains, there should certainly be only one family with such characteristics...?
While I was furrowing my brow at the Eccentric Immortal's appearance.
[...Huh?]
Divine Elder also revealed a surprised reaction upon seeing the Eccentric Immortal.
Why is this old man suddenly like this?
'Elder. Why are you like this?'
[No, why....]
The Elder's reaction was unusual.
What is it? Is there something?
Waiting with ears perked for a few seconds.
The Elder spoke to me in a voice seeming unable to believe.
[Why does that bastard look exactly like Myeong?]
At those words, I stared at the Wudang Eccentric Immortal as if glaring.
The Myeong the Elder spoke of was surely.
Nangong Myeong of the Thunder Heaven Sword.