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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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A humid wind blew from Xia Honghu, carrying the scent of the lake.
Hundreds of martial artists stood on either side.
Nearly two thousand in total, radiating killing intent and fighting spirit.
The air crackled with energy, causing ripples on the surface of Xia Honghu.
The morning mist, dispersed by their combined auras, retreated, and the very flow of Qi in the area was disrupted by their breathing.
Namgung-Woo stood in the center, among the leaders.
Even Zhuge Chong, with his internal injuries temporarily suppressed, was present.
He couldn’t miss a battle of this magnitude.
Beside him stood another figure of comparable influence and prestige.
Tae-mun Jin-in, the foremost swordsman of the Hengsan Sect, a beacon of the righteous factions in Hunan, where the unorthodox factions held sway.
While a sect leader wasn’t always the strongest member, it was true for the Hengsan Sect.
Daoist Go-won-jin of the Wudang Sect, standing nearby, was renowned, but even he deferred to Tae-mun Jin-in.
The others were no less impressive.
The leader of the Twin Peaks Sect, the most powerful sect in Xiangyang.
Baek-hak-geom Yu-won, one of the Ten Great Swordsmen of Huguang, a close friend of the Iron Cloud Squad Leader and present to support the Zhuge Family.
The gathering was filled with renowned figures, names that would elicit recognition throughout the Nine Provinces.
But no one questioned Namgung-Woo’s presence among them.
They all knew of his skill and his accomplishments.
The skirmishes since the start of the Yunmeng War.
The Azure Sky Group’s exploits.
They were legendary.
Even Tae-mun Jin-in had struggled against the unknown expert from the Banun Clan, while Namgung-Woo had fought him to a standstill.
Their combined efforts had eventually driven the enemy back in the Battle of Hengsan, a feat still talked about.
At least equal to Tae-mun Jin-in, a renowned Peak Realm expert.
The emergence of such a young prodigy was met with cheers from the righteous factions.
Moreover, his constant companions, Peng Ha-ryeong of the Peng Family and Zhuge Seon-ah of the Zhuge Family, ensured his fame spread quickly.
In fact, he was more famous for his supposed romantic entanglements than his martial achievements.
If he hadn’t proven himself on the battlefield, he would have faced endless challenges and gossip.
Even now, he was the target of both admiration and envy.
If the admiration faded, he knew what would replace it.
‘But this is the end.’
Directly across from him, Dongfang Huo, the leader of the Banun Clan, stood.
As he activated his Ever-Clear Vision, their gazes met.
The enemy was watching him.
His eyes filled with undisguised killing intent.
A hand rested on his shoulder. He turned to see Tae-mun Jin-in.
“Don’t be nervous, Nam Woo.”
“Tae-mun Jin-in.”
He hadn’t even noticed when his foot had moved forward half a step.
“He has a new arm.”
“…It hasn’t fully healed.”
His Ever-Clear Vision revealed that the meridians in Dongfang Huo’s new right arm weren’t connected to his body.
“But it’s more than just a prosthetic.”
“The Banun Clan… a troublesome bunch. They dabble in everything. I hear they’re even experimenting with corpse manipulation, a forbidden art.”
“We should be cautious.”
As they discussed Dongfang Huo, the sun rose, pushing back the pre-dawn darkness.
Dawn.
The appointed time.
Zhuge Chong, who had been conserving his strength and managing his injuries in a folding chair, rose.
“As we discussed…”
“Father!”
“…Jun-ah.”
Namgung-Woo saw Zhuge Jun approaching and sighed inwardly.
‘It was bound to happen.’
The Zhuge Family had tried to keep them apart, but a battlefield, where everyone gathered, was different.
If Zhuge Jun requested an audience with the leaders, there was no stopping him.
While addressing Zhuge Chong, Zhuge Jun’s eyes sought Namgung-Woo.
He saw a challenge in his gaze.
“Before we begin, I request a duel.”
A duel.
A one-on-one confrontation.
In the Murim, such challenges were usually called “sparring” or “duels,” but this was a battlefield.
The terminology of war was appropriate.
He saw the burning intensity in Zhuge Jun’s eyes, the competitive spirit.
‘If they won’t let me see her, I’ll at least show her what I can do.’
His lingering feelings for Peng Ha-ryeong.
He was still serious.
Even after the family’s pragmatic decision to prioritize Namgung-Woo, an outsider, he hadn’t given up.
“That’s…”
Before Zhuge Chong could respond, the others spoke.
“Truly the spirit of a Zhuge descendant.”
“One of the Seven Dragons. Living up to his reputation.”
“Family Head, grant his request.”
Zhuge Chong frowned.
He couldn’t make all decisions unilaterally.
He was the leader of the righteous factions, but he relied on the support of many others.
He needed a valid reason to ignore their opinions.
And Zhuge Jun’s request lacked a compelling justification.
He must have been waiting for this moment.
A shrewd move, worthy of a Zhuge.
Normally, he would be proud of his son’s tactical thinking, but now, he felt uneasy.
Reluctantly, he gave his consent.
“…Very well. Granted.”
Zhuge Jun didn’t smile.
His expression remained serious as he bowed to the assembled martial artists and turned.
The enemy ranks were stirring.
There was no time to waste.
He strode towards the opposing side, passing Namgung-Woo.
“I don’t run. I face my challenges head-on. I don’t… avert my gaze.”
He was gone before Namgung-Woo could reply.
Watching him approach the unorthodox factions, Namgung-Woo pondered his words.
He was ready to face his challenges.
Even if his identity as a Namgung was revealed, even if he had to fight the Dugu Family, he would no longer run.
But that wasn’t what Zhuge Jun meant.
He wasn’t asking about how he would navigate the world, but about something smaller, perhaps even trivial.
A single connection.
‘Now, I understand.’
Even the most oblivious person would understand by now.
Anything else would be deliberate ignorance.
He understood the meaning behind her calling him “Oppa.”
In truth, he had known her feelings long before she started using that term.
He had simply ignored them.
Out of fear.
Fear of forming deep connections in a world he might eventually leave.
‘Perhaps that fear was the starting point of everything.’
His reluctance to form attachments had made it difficult to find a purpose in this world.
‘In that sense, I’m almost grateful to you.’
Consciously or unconsciously.
He had forced him to confront the connection he had been avoiding.
‘After this battle… I’ll give you an answer.’
He glanced towards the Azure Sky Group.
Was it a coincidence? Or had she been watching him all along?
Their eyes met.
She smiled and waved.
He smiled back and returned the wave.
“Woo, look ahead. It’s begun.”
Tae-mun Jin-in’s words brought his attention back to the battlefield.
“Who is that…?”
A duel was unfolding between the two armies.
Zhuge Jun’s challenge had been accepted.
It was a no-win situation for the other side.
Refusing would have demoralized their troops.
Even though martial artists weren’t like ordinary soldiers, morale was still a crucial factor in a large-scale battle.
Since Zhuge Jun, a rising star, had stepped forward, the other side had sent their own.
“The Banun Clan doesn’t have any rising stars. It’s a gathering of established experts seeking immortality. That’s the eldest son of the Wan Family of Guangxi, I hear.”
“The Wan Family of Guangxi. One of the Four Noble Families of the Black Path League.”
He had heard of the Wan Family’s involvement but hadn’t seen any of them until now.
The Wan Family, based in Guilin, Guangxi Province, was often compared to the Zhuge Family.
Their Family Head was even known as the “Ghost Martial Marquis,” a title derived from Zhuge Liang’s posthumous title.
It was said they held a grudge against the Zhuge Family.
“They intend to crush the Zhuge Family’s reputation…”
As Tae-mun Jin-in commented on the Wan Family’s intentions, the duel intensified.
Zhuge Jun, wielding iron wires, versus the Wan Family’s eldest son, wielding a Judge’s Pen.
Both used unusual weapons, resulting in a unique and captivating display of martial arts.
‘Zhuge Jun’s footwork is superior, but not by much.’
It wasn’t so much his superior skill as his reliance on the Foresight of Heavenly Secrets.
But he was undoubtedly ahead.
As Zhuge Jun pressed his advantage, capitalizing on his superior mobility…
‘That’s…!’
His footsteps, guided by the Eight Trigrams of the Foresight of Heavenly Secrets, faltered.
A mistake?
No.
Zhuge Jun’s focus was at its peak. He wouldn’t make such a simple error.
It was a deliberate act of sabotage.
‘Dongfang Huo.’
No one else noticed. Only he saw it.
A subtle, almost imperceptible disruption, visible only to his Ever-Clear Vision.
A devious technique, possible only for someone like Dongfang Huo, a sorcerer perhaps even more skilled than Yi Ja-ryong.
Zhuge Jun’s footwork crumbled. The small misstep had a catastrophic effect.
The Judge’s Pen pierced the meridian in his leg, disabling his Foresight of Heavenly Secrets.
His legs froze and he couldn’t recover his stance.
The Judge’s Pen aimed for a vital point.
‘I’m… I can’t…’
He couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. He knew death was imminent.
‘I haven’t… even told her…’
He wanted to close his eyes.
He wanted to escape the approaching death carried on the tip of the Judge’s Pen.
But he didn’t. And because he didn’t, he saw it.
Clang! Shatter!
The Judge’s Pen, exploding into fragments before his eyes.
And Namgung-Woo’s back, shielding him from the Wan Family’s eldest son.
“I too… will no longer avert my gaze.”
Namgung-Woo’s eyes looked forward.
Acknowledging his past.
His blue eyes finally began to see the world as it truly was.
“The duel is over. Dongfang Huo, fight me yourself instead of resorting to such petty tricks.”
Dongfang Huo smirked, then lowered his hand.
“Kill them all.”
The final act of the war.
The Yunmeng Showdown.
The battle began.
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