Chapter 326. Nangong's Demon Sword (1)

As one lives in this world, there are situations that cannot be helped.

Most people, when faced with such moments, give up, find a compromise, or look for an alternative.

They come to realize that dreams and passion alone aren't enough, and as they begin to understand the harshness of reality, they grow into adults.

Nangong Weiwu was the same.

The Black Shadow Division is necessary for the future.

Fifty years ago, when the change in the generation took place and Nangong Weiwu was elected as the Martial Alliance Leader, he created the darkness that he himself had eliminated.

As a result, the Black Shadow Division—the hidden darkness of the Righteous Faction—ended up saving more lives and maintaining peace through its various covert operations.

But by the time he became aware of it, he realized just how much he resembled the very generation he had once despised.

He smiled bitterly, understanding, at last, the actions of those who came before him.

Yes. It's just my turn now.

Rights came with obligations.

Actions came with responsibilities.[1]

As the Martial Alliance Leader, it was time for him to take responsibility.

For the sake of the future, I cannot allow the Martial Alliance to split. I have to stop it somehow.

He had considered countless methods. He gathered people who were considered geniuses and contemplated the situation.

However, there was no good solution.

So, after long deliberation, he came to a conclusion.

This is the best choice.

Zhuge Xiang had said it was the worst.

He was right. It was both the worst and the best choice.

Nangong Weiwu also didn't want to be remembered as a villain.

Hǔ Sǐ Liú Pí Rén Sǐ Liú Míng (虎死留皮人死留名).

Tigers left their pelts behind when they died, and people left their names behind when they died.

Everyone in the

murim

dreamt of fame after their death. They wanted to leave proof that they had been alive. They didn't want to be remembered as villains.

They all dreamed of being remembered as heroes, like the great men of the past.

They longed to be immortalized, to become a source of pride for their families.

To say he had no attachment to the world would've been a lie.

To say he had no desire for honor would have been just as false.

If he truly had no such desires, he would have become a hermit long ago.

I can't allow countless people to be sacrificed because of my greed.

So he chose to die a hypocrite and a tyrant—bearing the burden of hatred, anger, and malice.

That way, the upper leadership would be seen not as perpetrators, but as victims... and be forgiven.

Because there was no other way.

"Be punished!"

At the sound from beyond the door, he opened his eyes. He smiled faintly at the proud voice of his grandson—then quickly wiped it from his face.

"Strategist."

"What?"

Nangong Weiwu wasn't talking to the current strategist. He was talking to the former strategist, Zhuge Zhonghao.

"You've had it rough, having to pick up after your troublesome leader."

"It's fine as long as you know, my friend."

Zhuge Zhonghao let out a chuckle.

It was a strange expression—complicated, yet somehow refreshing.

"Go well, my companion."

"Of course."

As he opened the door and stepped outside, Nangong Weiwu officially became the hypocrite and the villain.

Snow fell in silence.

Inside the Martial Alliance headquarters, every gaze focused in one direction—on Nangong Weiwu, who emerged from the doorway.

He looked around with a cold expression and spoke.

"How foolish!"

His voice was filled with rage.

"I, Nangong Weiwu, the Martial Alliance Leader, have sacrificed my life for the Righteous Faction, so what is this?!"

"Nonsense!" Nangong Shanxu stood up and shouted.

"My grandfather, Nangong Weiwu! You are no longer the Martial Alliance Leader or the previous head of the Family! You are the enemy of the

murim

and a villain!"

Nangong Shanxu steeled his resolve. He clenched his fists. The grandfather in front of him was his enemy. He was a corrupt and rotten villain.

"Exactly what he said," the Juvenile Fist Emperor stood next to Nangong Shanxu and said.

"Enemy of the

murim

, Nangong Weiwu. Your crimes are deeper than those of the hypocrites of the past generations."

Zhou Xuchuan's bet from two weeks ago came to mind.

If you lose, Elder, would you allow us to end this by punishing the Alliance Leader alone?

The Juvenile Fist Emperor had devoted his entire life to eradicating hypocrisy and corruption. Since his conviction was connected to his Path, it would be impossible to change his mind.

"Using his past glory as a shield, he deceived people. Drunk on power, he ran wild, satisfying his own selfish desires."

It would have been best to change the Empyrean Overlord's mind, but since that was impossible, Zhou Xuchuan had decided that the second-best option was to minimize the fallout.

"Not only did he commit unspeakable crimes, he tried to cover them up—and even attempted to blame the elders and upper leadership."

In the end, his gamble had paid off.

Zhou Xuchuan had risked his life to win the bet.

"Completion Sword, no, Demon Sword Nangong Weiwu!"

Aura worthy of the title of the Seven Empyrean Overlords surged like a storm.

"That crime, it's not enough even if you pay for it with your life!"

The actors all gathered.

"What a ridiculous tale!"

It was a scene more suited for theatre—predictable and rehearsed.

"Since we can't reason with him, we'll have to settle this by force!"

A hero from the past had become corrupt and was nothing more than a tyrant.

"I, Martial Alliance Leader Nangong Weiwu! I will prove here who is right and who is wrong!"

Nangong Weiwu drew the sword at his waist, his eyes burning with renewed intensity.

A powerful aura erupted from him, so immense that the crowd gathered at the main gate was left frozen—unable to speak, unable to move.

Great heavens!

Vast Gate Star, He Shang, belatedly came to his senses.

His body trembled from the pressure, but this wasn't the time to be afraid. If he did nothing, the worst would happen.

He was about to give his orders while glancing at the other inciters hiding in the crowd.

"If you value your life, it would be better not to move."

"...!"

Ge Shang stopped cold at the voice beside him.

Tactician Phoenix!

It was Zhuge Xiuluan, with her dazzling beauty and indifferent expression that made it impossible to read her true feelings.

"Little Ghost."

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Yes."

Ge Shang got goosebumps.

At Zhuge Xiuluan's call, a girl's voice was heard from behind his head. But there was no sign of any presence.

"Please keep track of those who aren't paying attention to what's happening at the front. If you see anything suspicious, you can knock them out."

"Understood."

They had expected that there would be spies from the Dark Heavens Association hiding in the crowd, and just in case, they had been monitoring them through the Phantoms.

"Ugh..."

Ge Shang exhaled slowly, weighing the reality of the situation.

Though surveillance was expected—a given, really—Ge Shang still found himself shaken by the turn of events. This wasn't what he had planned for.

I can't move.

Tactician Phoenix, whose name was etched at the top of the Slaughter List, was right next to him, but he couldn't do anything.

He froze at the thought of the expert she had called Little Ghost. He hadn't even noticed if she had left or remained hidden.

With all the central figures of the Righteous Faction gathered in one place, there were experts everywhere.

While the news will reach Blessed Existence...

Blessed Existence had placed a separate watcher outside just in case. The messenger would have run out to report by now, but by the time the word spread, it would all be over.

No matter how much of it was staged, a life-or-death fight couldn't be taken lightly.

"Heup!!!"

Jing Bai was the one who signaled the start of the life-or-death battle.

He shot forward like a spring.

It was hard to call the move a martial art, but because it was pure, its speed and strength were beyond the limits of an ordinary person.

The advantage of the Materialization of One's Path, Ideal, was that, although it wasn't flashy, his basic abilities were all ridiculously high.

Even Harmony Realm Masters could barely track his movement. To the average eye, he simply vanished.

As expected, Senior!

However, that was only for the lower ranks. Nangong Weiwu, an Absolute Master of the Coruscant Realm, saw it all.

"Heup!"

Taking a deep breath, he swung his sword.

Shing!

He drew a diagonal line from the lower left to the upper right. True to the name 'Completion Sword', it was a fearsome slash.

However, what truly surprised Jing Bai was neither the power nor the speed of the blow.

Before he even reached Nangong Weiwu, a sword slash ripped through the air with a violent crack.

"...!"

Jing Bai frowned and changed direction midway.

Normally, the sudden change in qi manipulation would have caused internal injuries, but it had no effect on him.

Twisting midair, he avoided the strike. The blade that would have sliced through him instead carved into the ground.

Screech!

A long sword wound was left on the empty ground. It was at least three feet long.

"Heavenly Dome Boundless Sword..."

Jing Bai muttered after dodging Nangong Weiwu's sword. The Heavenly Dome Boundless Sword Technique—the Nangong Family's most prized martial art—was reserved exclusively for heirs officially designated to succeed the family. Its traits lived up to its name.

Although it was a sword form that spread out vastly like the heavenly dome, its range exceeded that of a spear and its force was clean and powerful.

In other words, it could cut down enemies from a long distance like the Hundred Paces Divine Fist of the Shaolin Temple, and its high purity of qi also gave its user an advantage in contests of qi.

"Ha!"

Woosh!

Nangong Weiwu swung his sword from where he stood.

"Haat!"

A whirlwind burst forth as his blade surged again, aiming for Jing Bai, who stood a zhang away.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The air ruptured again and again, each burst tearing holes through the space itself.

Jing Bai dodged with sharp, focused eyes, unwavering in the face of danger.

Materialization of One's Path!

In truth, the Heavenly Dome Boundless Sword's range didn't exceed a zhang. However, the 'Heavenly Dome' of Nangong Weiwu's Materialization of One's Path made it so that any distance didn't matter as long as the target was in sight.

It didn't matter whether they were in front or to the side. As long as they were visible, Nangong Weiwu could cut or stab them from afar.

"Agh!"

However, Jing Bai was no pushover either.

The Formless Sword Aura attacking him from all sides was terrifying, but he was able to dodge it with his overwhelming physical abilities or block it with his invisible defensive qi barriers.

Normally, one would quickly get tired of doing so much because their stamina or recovery was low, since Jing Bai could use the qi of nature as much as he wanted, it wasn't a problem for him.

"Nangong Weiwuuuu!"

Jing Bai charged forward.

"Jing Baiiiiiiiiii!"

Nangong Weiwu met him halfway.

Fist met sword before the eyes of the gathered crowd.

BOOM!

The intangible soon became tangible as the sword wind and fist wind collided, tearing the sky apart and turning into a typhoon.

A flash of bluish light and pure white brilliance exploded across the sky, blinding the onlookers. The deafening sound of the air itself tearing apart pierced their eardrums.

BOOM!

The ground caved inward. The impact was so immense that both warriors were driven ankle-deep into the earth.

The marble flooring, once cleaned and polished by the attendants each day, cracked like a spider's web.

Zhou Xuchuan used his Violet Haze True Qi to grab ahold of the storm that was about to strike, and dispersed it before it could reach the crowd.

Other masters broke out in sweat, their bodies straining to resist the force of the shockwave—yet their minds were elsewhere, completely captivated by the battle between two Absolute Masters.

"GRAH!"

Jing Bai and Nangong Weiwu both groaned.

With their swords and fists clashing, their eyes met.

Always, you're always... the same.

Nangong Weiwu looked at Jing Bai and smiled to himself.

Just like fifty years ago—no, even before that...

A pure white person like the winter snow.

A noble warrior who was untainted by time.

Nangong Weiwu respected Jing Bai.

No, he still respected him now.

Someday... I wanted to face you in a proper duel. But I never could. What a shame. Well, I'm the enemy now, aren't I?

At first, Nangong Weiwu hadn't liked Jing Bai.

He assumed that the man was a fool who was trapped in a vain delusion he called an ideal, unable to mature and just denying reality.

However, at some point, he began to envy him.

Seeing the man not give up on any reality, and showing the innocent passion of a child without giving up on his dreams or hopes was noteworthy.

Jing Bai didn't change despite external pressure. He didn't bend his beliefs. He carried on with his will, the 'ideal of the Righteous Path.'

He lived for others more than anyone else,

He helped the weak.

He corrected what was wrong.

"Now is the time!" Zhuge Xiang gritted his teeth and shouted.

"There's no need for ceremony with the horrifyingly evil villain of the

murim

! Kill him now before he causes more damage!"

To Nangong Weiwu, Jing Bai was a hero.

"Heuuup!!"

Zhou Xuchuan flew forward at Zhuge Xiang's command.

Martial Alliance Leader...

He bit his lip tightly. He gripped his sword tightly, almost spitting blood.

This was wrong. The fact that

this

was the best they could do was wrong.

Really, really...

He felt nauseated at his own incompetence.

In his previous life, the Completion Sword, Nangong Weiwu, had remained a hero. He would never have ended his life as a villain.

Although he had been the one to create the Black Shadow Division and committed all kinds of evil deeds, he wasn't one who should have met this sort of end.

Squelch!

"Ugh!"

Feeling a pain in his chest, Nangong Weiwu vomited blood. His pure white beard turned crimson.

"As the Little Patriarch, I will end the Nangong Family's shame!"

Nangong Shanxu lowered his head.

He gritted his teeth and threw himself forward, feeling like he was going to burst into tears.

An overwhelming surge of energy erupted from Nangong Shanxu's body.

His collar tore open, thin lines of blood appearing on his skin.

The wind tore through his hair.

Ignoring the pain, he attacked from the side, driving his sword into his grandfather's ribs.

Squelch!!!

"...ugh!!!"

Nangong Weiwu vomited more blood.

His legs buckled. His vision swam. The searing pain of his ruptured organs forced a groan from his throat.

"Sob..."

A soft cry reached his ears. He slightly turned his gaze. His grandson stood trembling, sword still embedded in his side—his head bowed, his body shaking.

Don't cry...

He wanted to comfort him, but he couldn't.

For a more perfect performance.

For the sake of the

murim.

He acted thoroughly.

I'm proud of you, Shanxu.

The Nangong Family would have a thorny path ahead.

The Shaolin Temple had also received numerous criticisms when it had produced the Blood Monk in the past, and its reputation was greatly tarnished.

"It's over... Nangong... Weiwu!"

Even though Nangong Shanxu had been the one to finish him off, he would carry the stain of being the grandson of the greatest hypocrite in history.

He would definitely be criticized and cursed by the victims of the Black Shadow Division and their bereaved families while he was alive.

"Die! You're the worst stain on the

murim

!"[2]

There was no way that his grandson hadn't realized that. But even though the boy knew full well what the coming aftermath would be like, he still accepted it.

Jing Bai was not the only hero.

Brat, how sincere... will you even be able to date a woman properly like this...

His grandson, the Boundless Dragon Nangong Shanxu was also a hero.

Ah...

His consciousness gradually faded. His vision became blurry.

He lifted his head that was about to fall and looked around.

How could there be... so... so much... hope...

The Martial Alliance and the Righteous Faction were in crisis. The future would also be difficult.

However, he thought that the end would not be dark.

It wasn't just Nangong Shanxu or Zhou Xuchuan. Not only the older generation, but also the new generation were trustworthy people.

He held back the smile that was about to form on his lips and raised his head.

Maybe it was because of the haze over his eyes, but there were a lot of dark clouds.

But still, he could see the azure sky.

"The Heavenly Dome... this is it!"[3]

Thus, the Enemy of the

Murim

, Nangong Weiwu.

As a hypocrite and a villain, he died.

1. With great power comes great responsibility. ☜

2. I added a little here because just saying the "worst" looks a little childish in English. ☜

3. The Heavenly Dome literally reads the azure sky. ☜