Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 117

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 116. The Lone Walker, the Lone Walking School—Part 1
Two rumors struck the realm like thunder.
The first concerned the Demonic Cult’s invasion of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans’ assembly.
The Demonic Cult’s appearance sent shockwaves through Jianghu.
Though decades had passed since they vanished from the world, their terror remained carved deep in people’s minds.
News of the Demonic Cult’s return ignited fear in the hearts of the masses.
The martial prowess they displayed by crashing that assembly was nothing short of terrifying.
Many fell dead, including Yu Jin Sang, an elder of the Jeomchang School, and the martial prowess shown by the one called Golden Lion was beyond belief.
He was an Absolute Master who wielded Qi as he pleased.
Not a single master present at the assembly could stand against him—not even Cheong Heo the Zhenren of the Wudang Sect.
At the Demonic Cult’s appearance, despair gripped the people.
Now that they had revealed themselves, a full-scale invasion was only a matter of time. Just as in the past, they would drench Joongwon in blood once more.
As the prospect of the Demonic Cult’s invasion drew near, fear seized everyone.
It was then that a second rumor spread.
It concerned the Mad Blood Wolf, Dam Ho.
Word blazed across Jianghu that the band of Demonic Cult members who had infiltrated the assembly of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans had been routed by Dam Ho alone.
The Mad Blood Wolf, or so called the True Blood of Shingang.
None of the rumors about him were ordinary.
In Shingang, he had destroyed the Seocheon Mountain Estate; in Jianghu, he had killed the Sect Leader of the Hyeongsan School; and now he had stood against the Demonic Cult members who invaded the Akyang Sword Sect.
His erratic movements left people in a state of profound confusion. Yet one thing was certain.
He was not a follower of the Demonic Cult.
That alone was enough to draw a breath of relief. Had he been one of them, it would have been a catastrophe.
Rumors then began to circulate that the Mad Blood Wolf was actually a disciple of the Hua Shan Sect. People hungered for the truth, but the Daoists of the Hua Shan Sect and disciples of the Nine Great Sects alike kept their lips sealed.
What had transpired within the Akyang Sword Sect could only be called humiliation from the perspective of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans.
The shame that fell upon the Jongnam School in particular was nothing short of disgraceful. For this reason, rumors spread that the Jongnam School was grinding its teeth against Dam Ho.
But given the circumstances of the times, they dared not show it openly.
A man who compromised with no one and walked alone.
That must have been why.
His martial arts came to be called the Lone Walking School.
And so Dam Ho became a legend.
Following the Demonic Cult’s appearance, the founding of the Murim Alliance gained momentum.
Now no one questioned the necessity of the Murim Alliance. It had to be established.
Not only the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans, but numerous martial schools volunteered to join the Murim Alliance.
The establishment of the Murim Alliance began at once.
First, the Akyang Sword Sect voluntarily donated land.
A hilltop overlooking Dongting Lake—the perfect location. As if waiting for this very moment, the Eun Gabo provided the initial construction costs.
The Uiseon Sect dispatched support personnel, and warriors from throughout Joongwon gathered, eager to join the Murim Alliance.
The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans, along with countless other schools, sent their elite in great numbers.
Just as the Murim Alliance’s founding progressed smoothly, Dam Ho vanished abruptly from Akyang.
Many pursued his whereabouts, yet his trail was nowhere to be found. Still, they relentlessly tracked his traces.
The Mad Blood Wolf Dam Ho was worthy of such pursuit.
By any measure, he was the eye of the storm in present-day Jianghu. The course of his actions could shift the entire landscape of conflict.
Not merely the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans, but all of Jianghu watched his every move.
“So they’re building the Murim Alliance in Akyang, then?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“That’s not good.”
At his subordinate’s reply, a man in his early fifties furrowed his brow.
A long scar, as if carved by a blade, ran down the left side of the man’s face, giving him a most unsettling appearance.
At the man’s waist hung a great Nangya Sword. Its handle gleamed with polish from long years of use.
Normally, those past fifty grew somewhat gentler in their gaze, no matter how fierce they might be. But this man was different.
Even at over fifty, the man’s eyes burned with an intense flame of ambition that would not be extinguished. This only made his presence all the more formidable.
The man’s name was Jo Yun San.
His true identity was the Stronghold Leader of Heuksuchae, one of the Eighteen Naekrip Strongholds.
Among the Naekrip, his epithet was the Mad Blood Wolf Lord.
When he first threw himself into the Naekrip, no one paid him any attention.
Every year countless men entered the Naekrip, and countless fell. It was a brutal place, a realm of the survival of the strong.
The weak did not survive; the strong could not guarantee tomorrow if they let their guard slip for even a moment.
Jo Yun San began at the bottom of the Naekrip, in a small mountain stronghold called Heuksuchae. But it was not long before he emerged like a tool sharpening in the darkness.
What made him stand out most was plunder itself—the very essence of a Naekrip bandit’s calling. He raided merchant caravans and escort agencies, amassing vast wealth.
Soon he caught the eye of a Stronghold Leader, became his trusted lieutenant, and within years had become Stronghold Leader of Heuksuchae himself.
Since Jo Yun San became Stronghold Leader, Heuksuchae had grown relentlessly, its power swelling until it claimed a place among the Eighteen Naekrip Strongholds that represented Naekrip itself. That had been years ago.
An ordinary Naekrip bandit would have been content at such a point. But Jo Yun San’s ambition ran far deeper than that.
He was no man to settle for being merely one among eighteen Stronghold Leaders. He wanted to become the Supreme Stronghold Leader of all Naekrip.
Yesterday and today alike, his ultimate goal remained the same: Supreme Stronghold Leader of Naekrip.
Jo Yun San walked to the window.
The full expanse of Heuksuchae opened before his eyes.
Massive logs had been stacked to form a perimeter, and some twenty stronghold buildings clustered together within. There was a vast open ground large enough to gather hundreds at once, and a well that never ran dry even in the harshest drought.
It was a natural fortress—one that Jo Yun San had painstakingly cultivated for more than a decade. At any given time, more than a thousand Naekrip bandits made their home here.
With such strength at his command, Heuksuchae ranked among the upper echelon even within the Eighteen Naekrip Strongholds.
Jo Yun San muttered to himself.
“To bring down the Supreme Leader, I need a powerful card to play.”
Heuksuchae was formidable, but Pawangchae, led by the Supreme Stronghold Leader Hwang Gyeong Mun, was stronger still.
With Naekrip’s finest masters entrenched in Pawangchae, there was no way to topple it through conventional means.
“That’s why I have to take that woman. If I can seize her as a hostage, I can shake that old man to his core—I’m certain of it.”
“But that woman is guarded by Muk Il Gwang, said to be the finest master of Deungryong Tower. With ordinary strength, we won’t even get close to her.”
“Then we use our heads.”
At his subordinate’s words, Jo Yun San’s eyes gleamed with a sharp, terrible light—the manic brilliance that earned him his epithet, Mad Blood Wolf Lord.
“The woman is in Akyang, yes?”
“She is, sir.”
“And Akyang is where the Murim Alliance is being built?”
“That’s correct.”
A low hum escaped his lips.
Jo Yun San stroked his chin.
His mind raced with fierce intensity.
A plan began to take shape.
“There’s a Deputy Stronghold Leader near Akyang, isn’t there?”
“Yes, sir. He’s out gathering intelligence on the movements of the Hua Shan Sect daoists.”
“Send him my letter and tell him to go to Akyang.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate answered without the slightest hesitation.
Jo Yun San’s gaze turned glacial.
‘I should have killed that woman back then.’
＊＊＊
Dam Ho rode Black Ghost along a narrow forest path, with Bang Jin Bo and Cho Yeon Woon on horseback at his side.
The route they traveled was no ordinary road. It was a hidden trail used mainly by hunters and herb gatherers—unmarked on any map.
Their guide was Cho Yeon Woon himself.
From his years of wandering across the realm, Cho Yeon Woon had learned many such secret paths that others knew nothing of. This was one he had used before.
By taking this route, they could slip into Hubei Province unseen by any eyes.
Cho Yeon Woon glanced sidelong at Dam Ho.
His friend had become far too famous. During their stay at the inn, countless people had come seeking him out.
Some wanted to build a connection with him; others sought to exploit him. Most, of course, would have lost control of their bladders the moment they met his gaze.
Though Dam Ho didn’t seem to mind, the constant interruption was troublesome enough that he’d decided to leave Akyang for a time.
Akyang was currently the eye of the storm.
With the Murim Alliance taking shape, warriors from countless sects arrived in steady streams, turning the streets into a crushing press of bodies.
The speed at which the Alliance’s buildings rose was little short of miraculous. Every skilled carpenter for leagues around had been pressed into service, and thousands of laborers hired.
Each morning brought new halls that hadn’t existed the night before. At this pace, the Murim Alliance would be complete in less than a month.
This was possible only because of the backing of Jinjueon Ga and Eun Gabo, merchant families numbered among the realm’s greatest trading powers. What they would receive in return, only they knew.
Yet buildings alone did not make an Alliance. The Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans, along with countless other factions, would soon be locked in fierce negotiations over their shares of influence.
Akyang had become a vast negotiating chamber—a roaring crucible.
The number of warriors dispatched, the funds contributed, the fame carried through Jianghu—all these factors would determine one’s standing within the Alliance. Everyone was tense, acutely aware of every move.
Dam Ho found such chaos distasteful. So he’d informed Ki Ye Hwa of Hao School of his departure and left Akyang behind.
Hao School’s branch offices were scattered across Joongwon; using them, he could check on the work he’d commissioned from Ki Ye Hwa at any time.
“Here we are.”
Cho Yeon Woon’s voice pulled Dam Ho from his reverie.
He lifted his gaze and saw a sizeable mountain looming ahead.
“Cross that ridge and you’ll enter Hubei Province. Stay on the narrow paths as you go, and you’ll reach Tongseong without losing your way.”
“Understood.”
“But you’re really leaving?”
Cho Yeon Woon’s face showed reluctance.
He too longed to depart, but unfortunately he held the post of Sect Leader of Baekjeon School.
He had to attend the Murim Alliance gathering in place of his master, Jang Il San.
Dam Ho looked at Cho Yeon Woon.
“Take care.”
“Sigh! What a cold friend you are.”
Cho Yeon Woon exhaled a long breath and turned to Bang Jin Bo.
“You’re going too?”
“Of course.”
“Sigh! I can already hear my complaints about losing weight.”
At Bang Jin Bo’s matter-of-fact reply, Cho Yeon Woon sighed once more.
Cho Yeon Woon had grown accustomed to the food Bang Jin Bo prepared. Meals made by others tasted so bland he could barely eat them.
“What about So Cheong?”
……
At Cho Yeon Woon’s question, a shadow fell across Bang Jin Bo’s face.
Bang Jin Bo didn’t know how much Eun So Cheong had wept when he heard of the departure. In the end, Bang Jin Bo had to promise that he would return soon.
“Thank you for everything, brother.”
Bang Jin Bo bowed deeply to Cho Yeon Woon.
“I enjoyed our time together. Let’s meet again soon.”
“Yes! Take care of yourself, brother.”
“I will!”
Cho Yeon Woon broke into a bright smile.
The thought that these weren’t people he’d never see again eased his heart. They were people he would inevitably encounter someday, as long as he remained part of Jianghu.
Cho Yeon Woon waved his hand.
“Farewell, friend.”
“Farewell, friend.”
“Right! Eh?”
Cho Yeon Woon’s eyes widened in surprise at Dam Ho’s offhand reply.
Though they had spent considerable time together, this was the first time Dam Ho had used the word “friend.”
A radiant smile bloomed across his face.
Dam Ho had already turned away, so Cho Yeon Woon couldn’t see his face. Yet he was certain Dam Ho’s cheeks had flushed red.
“Hahahaha!”
Cho Yeon Woon’s laughter scattered on the wind.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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