Black and White Martial Emperor

Tremble, tremble.

Gangryang felt every inch of his skin quiver from the shock.

He was not frightened of Yangcheon. It was partly his nature, but his recent close training under a seeker of the Way had also brought immense growth in both his martial arts and his state of mind. He had gained the strength not to bow even before overwhelming power.

And yet he was trembling.

His mind had not yielded, but his body had reacted first.

Incredible.

Gangryang swallowed without realizing it.

This is the power of one of the Thirteen Seats of the Supreme Heavens—an absolute master counted among the strongest in the Central Plains!

Srrr.

The air brushing over his skin felt like blades.

The cold mountain air had vanished. In its place came a scorching wind, sharp enough to cut. His skin stung as if it had been flayed, his joints creaked, and the blood-swollen muscles throughout his body throbbed as though they might burst at any moment.

He has not even released a qi wave, yet it is already this bad. My body is terrified from nothing more than his Killing Intent.

Gangryang clamped his right wrist with his left hand.

Damn it. He is far more of a monster than I expected.

At that moment, he remembered his late father’s words.

“What? Hahaha! Yes, it would be wonderful if I could reach the realm of the Supreme Heavens, just as you say. But, Ryung, remember this. The world is full of monsters who defy common sense. The Supreme Heavens stand at the very peak among them. Your father may be counted among the leading masters of the Dark Path, but even if I trained for another ten or twenty years, I do not have the confidence that I could join the ranks of the Supreme Heavens.”

His father had always been brimming with confidence when it came to martial arts. He had been gentle with his family, but his powerful resolve and confidence had earned him the name of one of the Dark Path’s greatest men.

Yet that had been the one time his father had spoken weakly.

Even after ten or twenty years of training, he could not reach the Supreme Heavens...

Gangryang’s eyelids trembled faintly.

Only now do I understand the weight those words carried.

THUD!

The massive blade of Mad Dragon sank halfway into the ground.

“It is regrettable in many ways that we are meeting again like this. Have you been well?”

Unlike Gangryang, Yeon Hojeong’s expression remained perfectly calm as he spoke with an easy smile.

Yangcheon looked at Yeon Hojeong with clear eyes.

He was not glaring with fierce, narrowed eyes, yet it felt as though thousands of daggers were pouring from his gaze. It was not the look of a human being.

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“Has the sudden appearance of a familiar face left you at a loss for words?”

“...Yes. It is good to see you.”

A faint smile touched Yangcheon’s face as well.

Gangryang’s complexion turned pale in an instant.

Danger!

The extreme sense of danger made his heartbeat double.

Fortunately, despite what Gangryang felt, Yangcheon did not make a move.

“There have been a few times when old subordinates I thought dead returned without a word. Men so stubborn and vicious that they clawed their way back into this world through death itself. Even now, those men work diligently under my command.”

“...”

“But you cannot be put to use again. You should have hidden in some mountain village for the rest of your life and farmed fields instead of showing your face.”

Yeon Hojeong snickered.

“The affection we built over time must have run quite deep, if you still call me a subordinate.”

“Affection? Well... yes, now that I think of it, some affection did build up. In more than sixty years of life, I have never seen anyone quite like you. You had nerve, a quick mind, and even your martial arts were excellent. To be honest, for a very brief time, I even considered passing Ink Dragon Manor on to you someday.”

Buseon, Yangcheon’s disciple, looked shaken.

She had never seen or heard her master give such lavish praise to a junior.

“But now that I see you again, you truly are a rat bastard. Still, they say heaven appears unfair, yet hides fairness within it. Heaven gave you ability and resolve, but it did not give you a decent nature.”

“Is that so?”

It was an odd reply.

Yangcheon’s voice grew steadily colder.

“So your true identity was Yeon Hojeong—the eldest son of the Yeon Clan of Green Mountain in Gangdong, and the greatest younger-generation master under heaven?”

“Do not attach such embarrassing epithets to me. I am simply Yeon Hojeong.”

“Yeon Hojeong... Yeon Clan...”

The corner of Yangcheon’s mouth curled upward.

“Are you curious how long it would take to erase one sword clan from that provincial backwater of Gangdong?”

“...”

“There would be no need to send anyone. I am very angry right now. A stroll to Gangdong to work off my temper and uproot your family might make for a rather entertaining diversion. What do you think?”

“People truly do not change easily.”

“...?”

“Even if you sit on a throne and throw your weight around, your caliber remains the same.”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes turned cold.

“You are a fierce general, but never a great one. In that regard, Mo Yonggun is the better man.”

FWOOOOSH!

Fire-like Killing Intent erupted from Yangcheon’s body.

It had been an instinctive reaction, yet Yangcheon’s voice grew calmer still.

“You two certainly know how to play.”

“Is that so?”

“Mo Yonggun and Yeon Hojeong. Do I truly seem so easy that the two of you can come to me one after another and try to shake me?”

As time passed, the Killing Intent grew denser, but Yangcheon’s expression and voice became more composed.

“Why do you think I have not ripped your head off already and am still wasting words on you? Because I fear the Martial Alliance? Because I worry about the future of headquarters? Or because some paltry loyalty, not worth three pennies, remains?”

“...”

“No. I am leaving you alone for my own sake. It is true that, since taking the seat of Lord of Ink Dragon Manor, I became drunk on power. Because of that, I did many foolish things.”

“...”

“I do not want to be that man anymore. That is why I am holding back.”

Trickle.

Yeon Hojeong looked down at Yangcheon’s interlocked hands.

His nails had dug into his own flesh. He was making an effort to maintain an indifferent expression and steady his heart.

This is unexpected.

Yeon Hojeong was quietly surprised.

Yangcheon, you are actually capable of growth.

Those who sat high above others, those with towering reputations, those with power.

Whether it was political authority or real strength, anyone superior to others in a given field tended to resist change. Put simply, they grew arrogant.

The Yangcheon Yeon Hojeong knew had been no different. He had enough human charm and was not an incompetent leader, but he had tasted the sweetness of power and possessed one of the greatest reputations in the martial world.

In other words, stagnation was inevitable.

And Yeon Hojeong had believed that, among the masters of the Supreme Heavens, Yangcheon would remain stagnant longer than anyone.

But he had been wrong.

Was it because of Mo Yonggun?

Yeon Hojeong nodded.

“I appreciate that. Honestly, it would be difficult for me to face you as I am now.”

“As you are now?”

“Why? Does that bother you?”

“...You truly are amusing. You are confident that you will someday reach this realm as well?”

“Of course. And it will not take long.”

Yangcheon stared at Yeon Hojeong for a moment before the corner of his mouth rose.

“The Limitless Realm people speak of—the realm they call the Supreme Heavens—lies beyond human common sense. It is not a realm one reaches through mere effort. If effort alone were enough, every fool in the world would already be called a master of the Supreme Heavens.”

“I know.”

“Yet.”

Yangcheon tilted his head.

“At least the Yeon Hojeong I knew was not the sort to waste time staring at a tree ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) he could not climb.”

“I am no different from the man you saw then. I merely put on a more exaggerated act than I do now.”

“To deceive me?”

“Yes. To deceive you.”

Yangcheon watched Yeon Hojeong without a word. Yeon Hojeong likewise closed his mouth and met Yangcheon’s eyes head-on.

The scorching wind that had roiled like lava faded away, and the original cold mountain wind cooled the air once more.

How...?

Buseon looked at Yeon Hojeong with unsteady eyes.

How can he be like that?

She had served her master far longer than any of her fellow disciples. Because of that, she knew in her bones how terrifying Yangcheon’s martial arts were and how overwhelming his presence could be.

Even though she had broken through the Wall of Martial Arts three years ago, she still found it difficult to meet her master’s gaze. Even when he did not release his presence, mere anger from him could strike at mind and body alike.

But what was this man?

How could he stand so boldly, looking straight into the eyes of her master—a master of the heavens beyond heaven—without shedding a single drop of sweat?

The Green Mountain Tiger Commander... I heard he was an unprecedented genius who had accomplished unbelievable feats over the past few years.

Buseon swallowed.

He is even more frightening than his reputation suggests!

Then an utterly unexpected sight left everyone stunned.

“HAHAHAHAHA!!”

A man threw his head back and laughed madly, as though the sky itself might split apart.

Astonishingly, that man was Yangcheon.

After glaring at Yeon Hojeong for a long time, Yangcheon burst into thunderous laughter, seemingly relieved of something.

Even Yeon Hojeong looked at him strangely. Yangcheon’s reaction had come without warning.

At last, Yangcheon nodded with satisfaction.

“Good. This is good.”

“What is?”

“I will be honest. Before coming here, I thought about many things. Worthless thoughts, really. Once this conversation ended, I intended to kill you where you stood.”

“I thought that might be the case.”

“But I have changed my mind.”

Yangcheon shifted his posture.

He leaned back slowly, bracing himself against the rock with both hands. Then he crossed his legs openly. The pose was lax and free-spirited, almost ostentatiously so.

“I will hear you out. For now.”

“For now...?”

“You may think whatever you please of me. Your judgment means nothing to me now. And I will not think about what comes afterward either.”

“...”

“Explain why you wanted to meet me. I am curious what words will come from that slick tongue of yours.”

“If you like what I say, will you let me go?”

“Of course. To put it simply, do you think a man as exceptional as you would walk into a death ground without arranging some way to survive?”

“If you kill me, war will break out.”

“You overestimate your own worth. War does not begin so easily.”

“I know. Even so, war will break out.”

“So you do have something you are relying on. But listen.”

Yangcheon smiled grimly.

“I do not care if war breaks out. So explain why you came here—why you summoned me. Carefully, and preferably politely.”

A sincere smile appeared on Yeon Hojeong’s face.

Well, well.

Yangcheon had never been the sort of man who could be called the finest leader of an organization.

You never needed an organization like that in the first place. Your long-held ambition kept you from growing, but the seat that suits you was never the head of the Dark Path.

The position of Lord of Ink Dragon Manor did not suit Yangcheon.

What suited him was his present appearance—this ease. That carefree posture was what made Yangcheon worthy of the name Fighting King.

The leader of the Dark Path alliance has returned to being a master of the Supreme Heavens.

Yeon Hojeong opened his mouth.

“I came to treat you.”

“What?”

“I came to remove the poison of the Yin Desolation Divine Palm—the Perverse Lust Cult Leader’s palm mark stamped on your chest.”

“...!!”