The Great Purity True Man’s face was haggard, as if he had aged several years overnight.

It was a sight that clearly showed his inner turmoil.

The Great Purity True Man looked around and said.

“Shall we take a walk? Great Hero.”

“Yes.”

The Great Purity did not lead the way. He stepped aside and walked shoulder to shoulder with Cheon Mubaeck.

At a glance, they looked like father and son, with a moderate distance between them, but their steps were not awkward.

Unlike their slow steps, Wudang was bustling.

After the joint memorial service was over, the young disciples and the warriors of the Red Scarf who were running around busily came into view.

The two groups, who had been at odds with each other until just a while ago, were naturally intertwined.

It was the young disciples of Wudang who were treating and nursing the Red Scarf warriors lying on their sickbeds.

It was the old warriors of the Red Scarf who were comforting the young disciples who could not hold back their grief after losing their masters or senior martial brothers.

Was it because of that?

Their steps slowed down. Although the Great Purity had come to find Cheon Mubaeck with something to say, he remained silent. Cheon Mubaeck also did not rush him to speak.

Even without talking, Cheon Mubaeck could see what was in the Great Purity True Man’s heart.

What he wanted to talk about, what worries he had in his heart. He could guess.

Then suddenly, when they were about to pass in front of the Zixiao Palace, which had still not been repaired.

Cheon Mubaeck stopped in his tracks.

“I think I walked like this when I first came to Wudang.”

“…That’s right. Even then, this humble Taoist took a walk with the Great Hero.”

Cheon Mubaeck smiled lightly.

“But it’s different from then.”

“…”

“Then, the sect leader walked ahead of me, showing me his back. Now, we are walking shoulder to shoulder.”

The Great Purity True Man did not answer and just stared at Cheon Mubaeck.

“And then, it was fast. As if we had to go to our destination quickly, we walked without looking around.”

It was different now. He looked around, looked far away, widened his field of vision, and walked without a purpose.

“Rather than having no purpose, it’s because everything around can be a purpose.”

“Everything around?”

The Great Purity True Man, who had been silent, his voice trembled slightly as if he had felt something. Cheon Mubaeck, who had stopped, looked at the Great Purity True Man with clear eyes.

“What is the purpose of Wudang?”

“Purpose…”

“To cultivate the Tao and ascend? To realize the will of nature and shed the flesh?”

The Great Purity True Man closed his two eyes. Then his eyelids slowly opened and his mouth opened.

“…Taiji.”

Taiji

Harmony, and balance.

Cheon Mubaeck had witnessed the Taiji disappearing from the Great Purity True Man’s face here before.

“To lose the Taiji is to lose balance, and this means going against the natural order, right?”

“…That’s right, Great Hero.”

“The sect leader has gone against the natural order, and Wudang has suffered a great, irreversible wound because of it.”

“…”

Although it was calm, the words became a dagger and were mercilessly embedded in the Great Purity True Man’s chest.

The content that the elders had been hushing up.

Cheon Mubaeck had directly confronted the content that they had tried not to show.

But surprisingly, the Great Purity felt a sense of relief.

He did not answer anything and walked again. Cheon Mubaeck also walked with him.

How long had they walked?

“Sect Leader?”

“Has the sect leader come?”

Cheon Mubaeck smiled bitterly at the sharp gazes pouring in from around.

The place the Great Purity True Man had found was none other than the pavilion where the Red Scarf Society stayed.

The gazes of the Red Scarf warriors looking at the Great Purity True Man were full of hostility.

It was inevitable.

But Chuhonsak came out calmly and greeted the Great Purity True Man.

“The leader must have been waiting.”

At those words, the Great Purity True Man put his hands together and entered the pavilion.

A coffin well-made of good wood.

And inside it lay the corpse of Mucheonak.

As if he had been cleanly prepared, he looked peaceful, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. Cheon Mubaeck had also heard about Mucheonak’s end.

“Brother…”

The Great Purity True Man touched Mucheonak’s corpse with sad eyes. His action was so sorrowful that even Chuhonsak, who had a slightly sharp face, had a complicated expression.

How long had passed?

Through the deeply sunken silence, the Great Purity True Man’s sobbing voice flowed out.

“I have to bear it all. Everything must be my responsibility.”

The Great Purity True Man spoke as if he were confessing.

“…”

It had to be so. He was the sect leader. The pinnacle of Wudang.

He had to be flawless, and he had to be pure white.

The power of the sect leader in the sect had to be solid, and his prestige also had to not be shaken. That’s why he shouldn’t be in that position.

This matter had clearly gone against the natural order.

Even among the elders, the theory of the sect leader’s responsibility would rise fiercely. Especially centered on the Martial Faction elders. But even among the elders, there were definitely those who found it hard to accept the idea of the sect leader taking responsibility.

Because for the sect leader to take responsibility was to admit that the sect was wrong.

Then it was discord again. Conflict again.

“Yes. So, I have to take responsibility for everything. Everything must be my fault.”

“Do you think that is the natural order?”

“It is the natural order to achieve balance. Only after talking with the Great Hero did I realize that I was caught in my own stubbornness until the very end. The terrible stubbornness that only I could protect and follow the Tao of Wudang, that Wudang would not be Wudang without me…”

His sunken eyes were gradually filled with a clear light.

And beyond that, the faint Taiji gradually revealed its form more clearly.

“Then are you thinking of stepping down?”

In the first place, from the time the Great Purity True Man had come to find him.

He had immediately realized what he was worried about.

It was to step down from the position of the Wudang Sect Leader.

It was unavoidable. As time passed, all the actions that the Great Purity True Man had taken this time would be revealed, and a fierce theory of responsibility would arise.

Moreover, the Red Scarf Society had finally proved their worth at the last moment.

They had widely announced to the entire martial world that the will of 40 years ago had not changed.

So the Red Scarf and Wudang now had to roll as one, and it was clear that the friction between the two would decrease.

Because the warriors of the Red Scarf and the disciples of the Wudang Sect were feeling a brotherhood that went beyond comrades.

‘But for this young man, who has not been in the position of sect leader for long, to step down already…’

It meant the failure of Wudang, and although the number was small, anyone could predict that the influence of the Red Scarf Society within Wudang would become enormous.

There was no problem right now. The Red Scarf was the sword that protected Wudang, and Cheon Mubaeck was also sure that there would be no reason to turn Wudang into an enemy. Because the vice-leader, Chuhonsak, and the warriors under his command had all fought for Wudang.

But what if, after a long time, their will changed?

Perhaps Wudang would forget the Tao of Wudang.

The sword of the Red Scarf would become Wudang.

Cheon Mubaeck looked at the Great Purity True Man.

His deeply agonized face gradually brightened. In the end, although his actions were certainly wrong, it was certain that his intention and purpose were clearly to protect the Tao of Wudang.

The Great Purity True Man’s eyes, which were looking at Cheon Mubaeck, shone brightly.

‘A man more like the Taiji than Wudang.’

So now the Great Purity True Man wanted to have a conversation with Cheon Mubaeck. He didn’t know why.

Perhaps it was the thought that if he talked with Cheon Mubaeck, his frustrated heart would be relieved.

In the end, it was the right decision.

‘Age doesn’t matter. This person is the Taiji itself, the number one hero in the world, and a man of the hour.’

He had seen, felt, and learned many things from Cheon Mubaeck.

The Great Purity True Man made up his mind.

“I will not step down from the position of sect leader.”

The face of Chuhonsak, who had been silent next to him, twitched.

Cheon Mubaeck’s expression also became strange.

Did he mean that he could not follow the Tao of Wudang without him? Was he still looking at only one purpose far away?

But unlike that doubt, the Taiji that appeared on the Great Purity True Man’s face became darker.

And then the Great Purity True Man’s mouth opened.

“I will be excommunicated from the Wudang Sect.”

* * *

“Do you really have to do that?”

At Venerable Jincheong’s question, the Great Purity True Man smiled and nodded his head.

“I ask you, junior brother.”

“Sect Leader… no, senior brother, wouldn’t it be enough to repent of your sins and apologize in front of the disciples and the warriors of the Red Scarf?”

“No. It shouldn’t be like that.”

At the Great Purity’s firm words, Jincheong closed his mouth.

He had understood the meaning of those words long ago. Not just stepping down from his position, but being completely excommunicated by others.

Didn’t it mean that he would be removed from the records of Wudang?

If such a measure was announced, rather, the Red Scarf warriors would react by saying, ‘Do you really have to go that far?’

And since excommunication meant destroying the dantian and being kicked out…

“Please overlook that. To atone for my sins, and for our brother, who was the sword that was broken while protecting Wudang. We have to regain balance.”

“Balance, you say?”

“The Taiji has white and black. But if you look at the current martial world as a large Taiji, this black is dyeing the white. In the end, it will eventually turn completely black.”

The Taiji.

The white was the Orthodox Martial World, and the black was, in fact.

“The Demonic Path…”

“Yes. The Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero said so. The crisis that the current martial world is facing is a greater evil than what everyone is feeling. Since the balance has already collapsed towards the Demonic Path, shouldn’t Wudang, which embraces the Taiji, restore the balance?”

“Then… do you mean you will track down the Blood Demon Valley guys, senior brother?”

“Yes. If that is the natural order. If it is the natural order to return the black-dyed Demonic Path to its original state, I plan to do so.”

“Then let’s do it together. Just step down from the position of sect leader, and as a sign of atonement, take on the role of the leader of the strike team and go out into the martial world, isn’t that much better? To be excommunicated from Wudang.”

The Great Purity smiled faintly and shook his head.

“I will go outside the Central Plains.”

“To outside the Central Plains, you say?”

“The Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero, that friend, said so. He said he would somehow manage the Central Plains, so he asked me to go outside the Central Plains. Isn’t that a great confidence? The grand cause of calmly protecting this vast Central Plains alone.”

“…”

“That young man is following the natural order. Since I myself have committed the mistake of going against the natural order, that is the only way for me to regain the Taiji and achieve balance according to the natural order.”

Jincheong closed his mouth. He felt a dizziness from the Great Purity True Man’s eyes, which were full of a clear light. That young age. The appearance of his senior martial brother, who had felt so reliable as the top talent of Wudang, overlapped.

“I am sorry to you. I have entrusted you with too great a burden.”

“Hoo. It is a great burden. A very great burden. But, I will try my best.”

“Please do not forget the Tao of Wudang. Junior brother, no. Sect Leader.”

“…”

The Great Purity said so and drank the tea water. After the various memorial services were over, the excommunication would be officially announced. Although a person would be mentally anxious, the Great Purity True Man had a leisurely face.

Then he suddenly asked.

“Where is the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero?”

“He, he said he had something to ask the Taoists, so I have arranged a place for him.”

“To the Taoists?”

“Yes. He said he had something to ask about the immortal energy…”

* * *

The reason Cheon Mubaeck had sought out the four Taoists was simple.

The four Taoists who freely utilized the immortal energy as if they were handling internal qi.

It was to get a solution to the problem of his middle dantian from them.

The Taoists were also amazed to see Cheon Mubaeck.

“Heo. For someone who has not cultivated the Tao to have immortal energy.”

“Indeed, is the saying that all things return to one correct? If one hones the sword, one will obtain the Tao and come to handle the immortal energy…”

Cheon Mubaeck let the Taoists, who were examining his body, be. The sight of the old men with immortal-like appearances touching Cheon Mubaeck’s body here and there was quite an interesting sight. Neung-heo, who was next to him, let out a laugh as if he found it funny, but on the other hand, worry appeared on Zhuge Seola’s face.

After the battle at Pocheon Mountain Manor, Cheon Mubaeck’s complexion had been not just pale, but so pale that his veins were visible, and it had remained so.

So she couldn’t help but be worried.

“Yes. You want to know how to handle this immortal energy, right?”

When the Taoist finally got to the point, Cheon Mubaeck’s eyes shone and he nodded his head.

The way to handle the immortal energy. If he just knew that, Cheon Mubaeck planned to do it somehow.

But although he hadn’t expected much, they were very fundamental stories. To cut off ties with the secular world and cultivate the Tao, to forbid killing…

And at the sound he heard at the end, Cheon Mubaeck’s expression contorted strangely.

“You must forbid all meat!”

Cheon Mubaeck, without realizing it, met Neung-heo’s eyes. In an instant, it seemed as if the same thought had crossed their minds. Neung-heo said firmly.

“Give up, Lord.”

“Yeah. Let’s give up. This is not it.”

He couldn’t stand not eating meat.

“You are a man who gives up surprisingly quickly.”

“Think of me as a man with a more decisive decisiveness than anyone else.”

At the sight of Cheon Mubaeck, who had always seemed like an old man and an adult, grumbling, Zhuge Seola couldn’t help but laugh. Because he now looked like he was his age.

But Cheon Mubaeck was serious.

‘No matter how important internal cultivation is in martial arts, the firmness and foundation of the body must naturally be basic. To forbid meat means to give this up. This was the reason why the Martial Faction elders hated the Taoist Faction.’

Of course, that wasn’t the real reason.

“Well, it’s not like you can handle the immortal energy just by not eating meat.”

Not eating meat was just a basic thing.

What the Taoists were saying was a very fundamental story. To read the Taoist scriptures, cultivate, and cultivate the Tao.

Unfortunately, for Cheon Mubaeck, who had faced the enemy called the Blood Demon Valley, it was something he could not do.

‘I’ll have to find another way.’

And that method was closer than he had expected.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep