Chapter 162

“There’s no need to go that far.”

The answer to Namgung Woo’s question came not from Gowon but from someone else.

Completely white hair and beard, yet the face revealed almost no wrinkles. It was hard to guess his age.

However, from his serene demeanor, one could tell he had lived through many years.

“Master Sasukjo, why would you personally…?”

Gowon himself was nearing middle age. The one he called Sasukjo was a senior elder, surpassing even the ranks of the previous generation’s supreme masters.

Originally, such a figure would be deep in meditation at the heart of Wudang Mountain. Gowon’s face showed a hint of confusion at his sudden appearance.

The elder master ignored Gowon and spoke to Namgung Woo.

“Enough. Take it and go. If that sword is drawn within our sacred grounds, the pure energy of the Wudang Sect will be tainted.”

The elder master recognized the demonic sword. The Dragon Eye Wood scabbard and the Jeseon Scripture inscription suppressed its evil energy, making it hard for even top masters to detect. Yet, he saw through it from a distance?

He was a master of such a high level that even the Azure Tranquility Eyes were unnecessary.

“…But, the Sword Unsheathing Pool…”

“Tell the sect leader I allowed it.”

“Yes, Master Sasukjo.”

As soon as the responsibility was shifted to him, Gowon accepted it without hesitation. The elder master’s eyes narrowed, and he muttered under his breath, “Tsk, spending too much time in the secular world has made you soft.”

Among the three known supreme masters of the Wudang Sect, one was the sect leader, another was a senior elder. Thus, Gowon was often the one handling external affairs, spending more time outside Wudang Mountain than within.

Knowing it was for the sect’s sake, the elder master’s tone was more of a teasing joke than genuine dissatisfaction.

“What are you doing? Take him away now.”

“Understood. Great Master of Changcheon Pavilion, I will allow the sword.”

Namgung Woo no longer resisted. Though he wanted to test himself against Gowon Jinin, he felt it unwise to push further when permission was granted.

“Those behind you, sheathe your swords. If you don’t like it, you can have a go with Gowon.”

The elder master only allowed Namgung Woo and the demonic sword.

The attitude was that other swords drawn within the sacred grounds wouldn’t matter much, but the demonic sword’s evil energy would spread if unsheathed.

“Do as you wish.”

At Namgung Woo’s words, Geumshin immediately stepped forward.

“Then, let’s exchange a few moves.”

His eagerness to fight at any opportunity was truly monk-like.

This time, Gowon didn’t hold back either.

The Songmun Sword, symbolizing the Wudang Sect, was drawn.

Whoosh.

“Come.”

§

The Jasogung, where the Wudang Sect leader resides, is located northeast of Tianzhu Peak, the highest peak of Wudang Mountain. It’s quite a distance even after passing the mountain gate.

The terrain gradually steepened, but the steps of the martial artists ascending Tianzhu Peak never faltered, lightly tapping the ground.

Among them, only one carried a weapon.

“Brother Geumshin, does it still hurt?”

Yang Kwae asked Geumshin, who was rubbing his head.

When Geumshin removed his hand, a bulge was visible on one side of his head, covered by his messy hair.

It was a bump from his duel with Gowon.

“Don’t mention it.”

“Why did you challenge him?”

“These are all experiences. Do you think opportunities to spar with a master like Gowon Jinin are common? The Great Master deliberately created this situation for you to gain experience… It’s lamentable that only I understand the Great Master’s intentions.”

So, Namgung Woo’s defiance at the Sword Unsheathing Pool wasn’t just martial pride but a hidden grand intention!

Realizing this belatedly, Yang Jeong’s expression turned serious.

“Hmm… I had no idea… I hope the Great Master isn’t disappointed…”

“Hey, Jeong! This won’t do. Let’s go back and challenge him now.”

Yang Kwae seemed ready to turn 180 degrees and head back to the Sword Unsheathing Pool. Jegal Seon-a also glanced at Paeng Ha-ryeong and cautiously sent a Whispering Transmission.

[Ha-ryeong, should we go too?]

[Seon-a, don’t say silly things…]

Where had the sharp intellect of Jegal Seon-a, who deduced the Beonse Sect’s identity from a few clues, gone?

To Paeng Ha-ryeong, who called herself a Namgung Woo expert, Namgung Woo’s earlier demeanor was genuine martial pride.

He probably wanted to test his growth from Daepa Mountain firsthand. The feeling of understanding something in theory versus executing it in practice is entirely different.

Unlike the others who were swayed by Geumshin’s plausible explanation, Paeng Ha-ryeong saw the truth.

“Now I see… No wonder he suddenly became so stubborn.”

“With the Dokgo Family’s next battle uncertain, he must want to maximize his strength. As expected of Brother Geumshin, his depth of thought is extraordinary.”

Even Mun Se-gang, who was guiding them, seemed influenced.

‘So that’s what it was!’ Mun Se-gang’s admiration was no different from the Yang Brothers.

Despite the surrounding reactions, Namgung Woo remained indifferent. But Paeng Ha-ryeong saw through it. Namgung Woo was thoroughly ignoring the misinterpretation, pretending not to hear!

For Namgung Woo, enduring the admiring gazes was unbearable, but fortunately, it didn’t last long.

The distance from the mountain gate to Jasogung wasn’t far for martial artists using light footwork, and Namgung Woo, familiar with the terrain, subtly increased the pace, shortening the time.

“Only the Blue Sword Emperor may enter. Please wait outside.”

Mun Se-gang, a Wudang disciple, also wasn’t permitted inside Jasogung, so he stopped with the Changcheon Pavilion members.

Namgung Woo entered Jasogung, escorted by their gazes. As a Taoist temple, there were no attendants. Wudang disciples or Taoist children likely filled that role—Namgung Woo shook off his tension with such light thoughts and followed the gently flowing energy.

The Wudang Sect leader he met was surprisingly a middle-aged man with an overly haggard complexion for a martial artist.

If Gowon was an elder, the sect leader before him should be of the same generation, yet his appearance was vastly different from Gowon’s.

Unlike martial artists who maintain youthful vigor, his hair was streaked with white, and dark circles hung under his eyes. Yet, the transparent, profound gaze couldn’t be hidden.

Despite the imbalance of spirit, energy, and body, his lofty spiritual enlightenment transformed that imbalance into a new equilibrium.

It was the opposite of Namgung Woo’s past, where transcendent spirit and energy compensated for the lack of body.

‘This person…’

The Wudang Sect leader. The Mystic Heaven True Immortal, Gohyeon Jinin.

Once called the Wudang’s top swordsman, he now held his position with an unyielding spirit despite his failing body.

“I am Namgung Woo, head of the Namgung Family.”

At Namgung Woo’s introduction, a faint ripple appeared in Gohyeon’s calm, mirror-like black eyes.

“I am Gohyeon, leader of the Wudang Sect.”

After exchanging greetings, Namgung Woo already felt his thoughts were being read.

Like how the hearing of the blind becomes astonishingly sharp, Gohyeon seemed to have gained profound spiritual depth in exchange for his physical decline.

There was no need for circumlocution. Namgung Woo discarded all prepared formalities and spoke directly.

“I need the Wudang Sect’s help.”

“Lest this foolish one misunderstand, may I ask in what aspect you require assistance?”

“Assistance in mutual aid.”

What Namgung Woo sought from the Wudang Sect was what the Wudang Sect had longed for over fifty years.

“We aim to capture Dongbang Hwa.”

Hearing the name, Gohyeon’s gaze remained unshaken.

He had already anticipated Namgung Woo’s visit and why he sought the Wudang Sect’s aid.

“Do you wish to use our sect’s name to block the Imperial Family’s interference?”

To supplement the legitimacy of his reign, Hongwu Emperor promoted Shaolin Temple.

To bolster his usurpation’s justification, Yongle Emperor elevated the Wudang Sect.

The current Imperial Family, descended from Yongle Emperor, could never take the Wudang Sect’s name lightly.

“But you already know, don’t you?”

That Dongbang Hwa was also a Wudang disciple.

“That he was the Wudang Sect leader two generations ago, I heard from the Jegal Family head.”

During the Blood Sect’s calamity, the Wudang Sect, second only to Shaolin, threw all its strength into the turmoil.

The sect leader himself descended the mountain and plunged into the calamity’s vortex, only to lose their representative too soon.

The vacant seat was filled by a young disciple who had barely passed the initiation. He was Dongbang Hwa, Heo Rok.

And Heo Rok, near the calamity’s end, suddenly defected from the Wudang Sect, turning to the dark path and founding the Banunbang.

Heo Rok’s connections with the Imperial Family were likely based on his brief tenure as Wudang Sect leader.

Thus, even under Man Gwibi’s protection, using the Wudang Sect’s internal affairs as a pretext would make it difficult for the Imperial Family to intervene actively.

Though Man Gwibi, who had repeatedly defied norms, and Seonghwa Emperor, who granted her absolute immunity, might act unpredictably, the Wudang Sect’s name held undeniable power.

“Sect Leader, this must be important to you as well.”

Erasing the Wudang Sect’s shame.

During the Unmong Great War, the Wudang Sect mobilized all available supreme masters. Their opponent was none other than Dongbang Hwa and Banunbang.

However, Gohyeon interpreted Namgung Woo’s words slightly differently.

“Have you realized?”

Gohyeon’s ruined body.

The marks on his body were from a martial art Namgung Woo knew, having experienced it himself.

“It was Dongbang Hwa, wasn’t it?”