At that moment, the head of the volcano, the immortal Hyun Jong, gazed at Unam with a peculiar expression.
"Did you come all the way up here alone?" "Yes."
"And then you lost consciousness at Okcheonwon?" "Yes. Judging by his shabby appearance, it seems he hasn't eaten well, so if he truly climbed the volcano alone, it's only natural that he would be exhausted."
"Indeed."
Hyun Jong smiled subtly.
The ruggedness of the volcano could overwhelm even a grown man.
If a child managed to reach this place alone, the fatigue would be beyond words.
"So where is the child now?" "He has been moved to Seolmaecheong. Just in case, I called Yun Jin to check his pulse, and aside from being weak, there seems to be no major issues."
"That's a relief."
Hyun Jong nodded quietly.
Regardless of the circumstances, anyone who entered the volcano could be considered a guest of the volcano.
It was not something he wished for, for such a person to encounter trouble within the volcano.
"It's strange for a child to climb the volcano alone. Is there any story behind it?" "After he paid his respects at Okcheonwon, I planned to ask him slowly, but he lost consciousness, so I couldn't inquire."
"I see."
"However..."
"Hmm?" Unam frowned slightly and explained the situation from earlier.
After hearing the full story, Hyun Jong tilted his head.
"He sold it?" "Yes."
"Are you saying that the child left such words?" "That's right. I thought about letting it go, but it felt too strange."
"Hmm."
Hyun Jong stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Of course, I could have misheard. But, head of the sect, that's not the only odd thing. Before I could say anything, the child asked me if I was the immortal of the volcano. Doesn't that mean he knew this was the volcano?" "That's true."
"Could it be that he has some ulterior motive...?" Hyun Jong burst into laughter.
"Are you worried?" "It's not that..."
"What's strange about knowing this is the volcano? It was once a renowned sect in the world. It wouldn't be odd if someone remembered."
"Yes."
"And he could be a descendant of someone who descended from the mountain."
"Ah..."
Unam nodded.
As the influence of the sect waned, many left the volcano.
Those who remained to share their fate with the volcano were indeed a minority.
If he were a descendant of such people, it would be natural for him to know that the volcano existed.
"You should only worry when there's something to steal. What could be left in the volcano that someone would plot over?" "Head of the sect."
A hint of sorrow appeared on Unam's face.
But Hyun Jong, not noticing Unam's expression, muttered self-deprecatingly.
"Sold it."
Hyun Jong smiled.
"Yes... that could be it. Perhaps he really is a descendant of someone who descended. That means he knows what Okcheonwon was like in the past. I feel embarrassed for the child."
"Head of the sect..."
"It's fine. It's true that he sold it, so there's no shame in that."
Unam swallowed hard. 'It's better not to say anything further.' He was curious about what expression the head of the sect would make if he knew that the child's words were not simply 'sold it' but 'he sold this, those crazy fools.' However, he could not bring himself to say it.
"Understood. Bring the child to me as soon as he wakes up."
"Yes, head of the sect."
Hyun Jong fell into deep thought. 'Sold it.' It felt like salt was being rubbed into a wound. 'The elders will not forgive me.' No matter how much it was a means to save the volcano, he had sold the very items that could be considered the history of the volcano itself, the relics of Okcheonwon.
How could he face the elders after that? It was something he had tried hard not to think about...
Hyun Jong's expression darkened further. 'The name of the volcano must not end in my generation.' He no longer dreamed of ruling the world again.
He only wished not to see the volcano perish in his time.
But even that small wish was becoming increasingly difficult with each passing day.
Unam, who had been quietly observing Hyun Jong, stood up and bowed.
"I will take my leave."
"Hmm."
As Unam sought permission and was about to leave, he suddenly turned back to Hyun Jong and asked, "Um... head of the sect."
"Hmm?" "What would you think if the child wished to enter the sect?" "Enter the sect..."
The volcano was not currently accepting new disciples.
However, if he had past connections, things might be different.
"We do not accept disciples."
"Understood."
As Hyun Jong nodded and saw Unam off, he tilted his head slightly and spoke.
"Wait a moment."
"Yes, head of the sect."
"What is the child's name?" "Cheongmyeong. His name is Cheongmyeong."
"Cheongmyeong."
Hyun Jong's expression became subtle.
"I see. You may go."
"Yes, then."
Once Unam completely left, Hyun Jong quietly spoke to himself.
"Cheongmyeong..."
At such a time, the name of the child who came to the volcano resembled the title of the past sword master.
How strange.
It was indeed a strange occurrence.
"If only he were still alive."
If the renowned sword master Cheongmyeong, known as one of the three great sword masters of the world, had survived, the fate of the volcano would be different from what it is now.
It was a meaningless assumption, but Hyun Jong could not easily let go of his lingering feelings.
"Amitabha."
Only the title of the lonely Hyun Jong filled the empty hall.
"Damn fools."
Cheongmyeong spat out curses.
"Selling off what they can’t even sell? Selling off the sacred items?" Anger surged within him.
Even if he had to starve to death, there were things that could be sold and things that could not.
No matter how shabby the Amhyangbaekmaehwa looked as a mere decoration, and even though those who should have explained the true value of the white plum blossom to the young ones had all died... still! Even if the volcano were to perish, selling...
No, it would be better than perishing.
If the elders saw Cheongmyeong now, they would have scolded him.
What does it matter if it's a sacred item? No matter how meaningful it is, an immortal should not be attached to objects.
He knew that.
He understood that! "Ugh."
Cheongmyeong groaned and looked down.
As the vast scenery entered his eyes, he felt a bit relieved.
In the past, whenever he felt stifled, he would climb Yeonhwa Peak to gaze at the volcano's landscape.
Looking at the jagged peaks and the endless mountain ranges would naturally uplift his spirit.
But now...
"Ugh."
The uplifting spirit was nowhere to be found.
His insides were churning.
Every time he caught a glimpse of the volcano's halls below, he felt a sense of decay.
"The number of disciples has decreased."
To be precise, it was not just a decrease; it was at a level of complete ruin.
They had sold off everything that could make money.
If Okcheonwon was in such a state, it was obvious that the other places were no better.
The last place that could be touched was Okcheonwon.
After seeing the miserable state of Okcheonwon, he could understand why the other places were so old and crumbling.
They probably had no money for repairs.
How desperate must they have been to sell even the blue stones from the training ground? "Yeah. Everything else is fine! I understand everything!" But! Why is the martial arts in such a state? Cheongmyeong began to roll on the ground.
Rolling off a sheer cliff was not something a sane person would do, but Cheongmyeong had no time to think about such things.
He was burning inside before he could fall off the cliff and die.
"How can a grown man... be worse than the three great disciples?" He was talking about Unam.
Normally, Cheongmyeong should not be able to guess Unam's martial arts level.
No matter how much he had reached a supreme level in his past life, he was now no different from a blank slate.
However, Cheongmyeong could clearly perceive Unam's martial arts level.
Was it because Cheongmyeong was so strong? Not at all.
It was because Unam's martial arts were too low.
If he were to return to the time when Cheongmyeong was active, Unam would probably not even receive a title.
He would have become a scholar studying the laws of martial arts instead.
At least, he should have been at the level of the second great disciple, yet he was worse than the three great disciples.
"What on earth should I do?" He had no idea where to start or how to approach it.
It would be better to start from the ground up.
If that were the case, he could just do whatever he wanted without worrying about anything else.
But this was the volcano, wasn't it? 'Should I just say that I am Cheongmyeong?' He would only be scolded.
It would be a relief if he wasn’t beaten and chased away.
If he thought about it from their perspective, they wouldn’t believe Cheongmyeong either.
Even if they did believe him, it wouldn’t be a good thing. 'I have no power to protect my knowledge right now.' Cheongmyeong was like a treasure rolling around.
The knowledge he possessed was enough to revive an entire sect, yet he had no power to protect himself.
Cheongmyeong knew.
His senior brother was an unparalleled immortal, but not all immortals of the volcano were kind and pure.
Just look at Cheongmyeong himself; he was quite far from being good.
What if someone among them harbored ill intentions and tried to suppress Cheongmyeong? He would lose everything and end up buried somewhere, ending his second life in misery. 'That cannot happen.' That means...
"Then I must revive the volcano without revealing that I am Cheongmyeong."
At least until he regained enough martial arts to protect himself, he had to keep it hidden.
"It would be easier to fight the demonic sect again."
It was a level of difficulty that made him chuckle.
He would have to teach martial arts to save the volcano, yet he couldn’t let them know that he understood martial arts.
Where in the world does such a ridiculous situation exist? If he followed his temper, he would want to quit everything...
Cheongmyeong turned his head with a heavy sigh and looked down.
The view of the volcano, half-hidden by clouds, entered his eyes.
"If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have caused trouble."
He owed a debt to the volcano.
The reason he could boast about being one of the three great sword masters was all thanks to what the volcano had given him.
Yet he had given nothing back to the volcano.
Only the honor of having defeated the Heavenly Demon.
Because of that, the volcano had fallen and was now on the brink of destruction.
How could he turn his back on the volcano? As a human, he could not do that.
"Oh, senior brother..."
Cheongmyeong raised his head.
It seemed like his senior brother was smiling at him from the blue sky. - After all, it is the volcano.
"Ugh."
Cheongmyeong shook his head and stood up.
To avoid being beaten to death by his senior brother when he reached the afterlife, he had to somehow make this crumbling volcano function again.
"Damn it, is there anything in this world that can’t be done?" When he first learned martial arts at the volcano, who would have thought he would become the greatest master of the volcano? Everyone just hoped he wouldn’t cause trouble! Cheongmyeong, who overcame those cold gazes, became the greatest of the volcano! Challenging the impossible was Cheongmyeong's specialty.
Now that it had come to this...
"I will create the greatest sect in the world!" Cheongmyeong's eyes blazed with fire.
And at that moment, everyone in the volcano felt an unknown chill run through their bodies.