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chapter 01
Prologue
The boundless sea!
In the middle of the endless ocean, there floated a makeshift raft, haphazardly tied together with pieces of wood.
On the raft lay two old men and a middle-aged handsome man, while at their feet sat a young man who seemed not yet to have reached adulthood.
High waves crashed over the raft, but the four of them did not move an inch.
Yet, there was something strange about the three lying figures. They looked as if they were already dead, their faces devoid of life.
The raft moved along with the waves, as if surrendering itself entirely to the sea.
“Hasn’t it been boring all this time?”
A clear, pure voice emerged from the young man, who had been sitting there like a stone statue.
Through the strands of hair flowing down, the young man’s face could be glimpsed, pale and delicate, almost like that of a woman.
He looked at the old man lying on the far left.
Even in death, the old man’s figure radiated strength.
“Old man of solitude! You always bragged to me that you were the strongest in the world, but I guess even time has no mercy.”
Though his words sounded like a joke, his eyes were full of endless affection.
The Solitary Demon Grandpa, Cheon Nam-yeon!
At a tender age, he had entered the martial world and spent thirty years dominating it alone. He was so strong that he had no true friends or rivals, inevitably leading to his solitude. Hence, he had wanted to be called the “Solitary Demon Grandpa” himself.
“Still, it must have felt good in your later years to have a disciple like me, right?”
Even when the young man spoke, Cheon Nam-yeon gave no response.
They were already dead.
The young man then shifted his gaze to the old man lying on the right.
“I think I’ll start missing Ghost Grandpa’s nagging.”
The Ghost Demon Emperor, Gu Yeong-cheol!
A contemporary of Cheon Nam-yeon, Gu Yeong-cheol was so powerful that had Cheon Nam-yeon not existed, he could have been called the strongest martial artist in the world.
A sly and cruel man, most martial artists feared him more than Cheon Nam-yeon.
Though the world feared him, to this young man, he was the most familiar person.
The young man’s gaze moved to the middle.
Unlike the two old men, the middle-aged handsome man lay with graceful composure. In life, his beauty had stunned the world.
“Grandmother Jeon!”
The Martial Matron, Yak-bing Jeon!
She was also a contemporary of Cheon Nam-yeon and Gu Yeong-cheol, and in the martial world, she was known as the most beautiful woman.
Her personality was as open and frank as a man’s, and she could not tolerate injustice, which earned her the name “Martial Matron.”
Fifty years ago, the three disappeared from the martial world on the same day. At the time, gossipers said it was because they had grown disillusioned with the martial world and retired in seclusion, while others said that Cheon Nam-yeon and Gu Yeong-cheol had fought over Yak-bing Jeon, thinking to eliminate one another.
Now, fifty years later, a young man and the bodies of the three appeared in the middle of the boundless sea.
“Grandmother must be beautiful. The old men followed her all the way here to be with her, after all.”
A smile appeared on the young man’s lips.
“I’ll live freely and happily, just as you wished, Grandmother.”
The young man stood up, as if he had said all he needed to say to them.
He lifted his gaze to the sky.
With his hair flowing down, his face was fully revealed. So delicate and beautiful that if he applied a little makeup, anyone might mistake him for a woman.
He smiled at the three.
After a while, the three bodies floated up into the air.
They drifted off the raft and slowly sank beneath the water.
It was a kind of ceremonial burial.
The young man watched until their bodies were submerged and no longer visible, then spoke:
“I can go into the martial world and live well on my own. So don’t worry, all of you.”
He raised his eyes to look into the distance.
That place was where another world, the martial world, existed—hidden within the central continent.
