Chapter 76: Turns out my dad was Murim public enemy (1)

Only a day had passed since Hellony’s concert.

Lee dong-joon appeared in the middle of Himalaya’s mountain range. In this mountain that was filled with monsters strong enough to survive the extreme climate which humans could not even bear, Lee Dong-joon only wore a black martial arts uniform.

Of course, it was by no means an ordinary Martial arts uniform. It was called Gyoryeongbok (蛟龍服), a martial arts uniform made from the scales of dragon. This special uniform would allow its wearer to feel comfortable in any sort of temperature.

“……”

His black eyes grimly gazed at his surroundings.

This time, his journey wasn’t as easy as usual thanks to numerous Murim warriors and the people from earth who had decided to pay attention to the Murim people after realizing their strange movements.

Earth’s surveillance technology was far superior compared to those of Murim, and it would be difficult for them to completely hide their traces in case Earth’s people decided to find them earnestly.

Didn’t Lee Dong-joon go back and forth from Korea to the Himalaya often?

Well, it was only possible for him to come to this place without having to fight anything or being exposed to the camera because he was Lee Dong-joon. He was a master who had already reached the realms of Shinhwa.

As he stepped into the mountain range raging with blizzard, Lee Dong-joon started reminiscing about his past.

It was a memory from a distant past.

A memory of the time when he took over Dharma’s body and inherited Dharma’s will to preach justice all over Murim. 

‘This is a rotten world where everyone has lost their righteousness.They are only fighting each other without thinking about people’s well-being. Blood is spilling, lands are trampled.. Who will show this world the true meaning of righteousness?’

There was a time when he was obsessed with justice.

The martial arts he inherited from Dharma was powerful, he thought he could cleanse the chaotic Murim from all kinds of corruption. So he decided to take his sword and swept Murim in order to enact justice.

However, the problem was, he shed too much blood.

At first, it was Lee Dong-joon himself who forbade killing according to Dharma’s will, but after he realized that those he had saved came back to him for a revenge, he started to kill anyone who could become the seeds of evil.

Dharma advised.

-Prohibit killing.

He did not listen.

-The dead do not shed blood, so how could they shed tears even when they died?

He did not listen.

-The mind is the bridle that binds you, and your own greatest enemy. Give up your life.

He did not listen.

Lee Dong-joon continued his massacre. He believed that if all evil was killed, Murim would soon become a peaceful place. So, he killed those who did anything evil and those who were showing signs of becoming evil.

When 10,000 lives were killed just like that, only emptiness was left inside Lee Dong-joon’s heart.

-So, has the world become a good place?

‘When we think of good, it is good karma, and when we think of evil, it is bad karma.’

-A fool wants to end anguish and obtain Nirvana, but because of his obsession to end anguish, he cannot obtain Nirvana. You are obsessed with justice, so you can no longer look at justice.

‘The defilement is not real. I’m no longer obsessed with justice. I am Justice myself.’

He killed the head of a family with dozens of pillagers in his family.

He didn’t care about a wicked family.

He killed a crying child. Because he was stealing together with his father.

He killed a mother who had a child. Because her husband was a murderer, and she kept her mouth shut despite knowing his sin.

Some died with honor, and others died with dignity.

Death was no longer new to him.

He simply continued killing. He killed again and again. He killed everything.

And then, the moment he thought he had almost eradicated all evil in Murim…

He met her….

‘….It’s sad. The fact that my dream was so vain.’

She was Seol Jungyeon who was also known as Cheonma.

She was the leader of a group that led many Evil called Cheonma Sect. It was also a source of evil that might soon befall upon Murim.

Seol Jungyeon could not stay composed in front of her impending death. However, she was ready to die with honor.

‘If I knew I would die like this, it would have been better to die buried under the snow that day.’

This was because she had no reason to live any longer. Everything she knew had crumbled and become dust.

Now, after killing her, Lee Dong-joon would complete his endeavor.

All evil in this world would be punished, and that meant a good clean world was waiting for him after that.

However,

Why?

Looking at tears dripping from Seol Jungyeon pink eyes, Lee dong-joon couldn’t lift his sword.

Seol Jungyeon, she was stronger and wiser than anyone he had ever met. In addition, her pink eyes reminded him of a lotus flower blooming in the middle of a snowfield. They were a beautiful pair of eyes that could shake his Heart Sutra.

He fell in love at first sight.

-Oh, what a tragedy.

The Supreme Dharma hesitated.

Supre dharma, who lived to annihilate all evil, fell in love with the wickedest woman whom he had met at the very end of his journey. The world would laugh and lament you!

Once upon time, he was confident that nothing could shake his heart. After being reborn as Dharma, his heart was harder than Geumgangseok, nothing could faze him anymore.

But,

Throb!

Seol Jungyeon’s eyes melted Dharma’s heart.

Why didn’t he know?

About the hearts of countless people who died for their loved ones.

Why didn’t he know?

The fact that love was painful.

-Was that your choice?

‘······I can’t do it.’

-The moment you save her, you will defile the souls of those whom you killed in pursuit of your so-called ‘justice’.

‘I know, but still… I can’t kill her.’

-If you do this, you will never be able to raise your head in front of those who you killed in the name of justice!

However, he had already made his decision.

‘The dead don’t have blood nor soul, so how can I bow my head in front of them.’

In the end, he decided to save Seol Jungyeon. Of course, it wasn’t easy.

Evil circulated through the world and polluted the world once again. The Murim was once again brought into evil, and they wanted Cheonma and Dharma to disappear from the world.

‘Let’s go back to Earth.’

For that reason, Dharma decided to return to Earth and put a ban on the people who returned from the Murim. But Seol Jungyeon refused.

‘After forcibly digging me out of the tomb of a broken dream, now you are trying to insult my last honor.’

‘You are still alive, you can do anything with that life. Come to Earth with me.’

‘My breath is indeed still here, but my soul has long been torn to pieces. Can you call this being alive?’

Seol Jungyeon kept trying to end her own life, and eventually Lee dong-joon was forced to destroy her inner qi and had to take measures to stop her from harming herself. And so he locked her in the Himalayas.

Whenever he saw her eyes which were filled with nothing but resentment, his heart ached. If she asked for it, he was confident that he could bring the entire world and lay it on her feet.

However, she wanted nothing.

‘There is only one thing I want! I want you to stop breathing before my eyes.’

She was unable to break out from her despair even after four years of returning to earth. Cheonma had become increasingly devastated.

It wasn’t like there was nothing she asked during that period.

Sometimes she asked to be killed, and sometimes she begged Dharma to allow her to use her power. However, he refused all of it. Not only would he not kill her, in order to go outside, Cheonma had to make an oath to him.

‘If you become my girl, I will take you out.’

It wasn’t easy.

Seol Jungyeon’s attitude, which was only cold, did not even show any signs of change.

However,

Her attitude started to change little by little.

‘I want to eat a bright red cherry today.’

‘Is there a horseshoe bird on Earth? I can’t remember. It would be nice if I could see it again.’

‘I want a horn of Chilgaksu.’

‘I want to have a pretty Martial arts uniform. A type of men’s uniform that suits anyone who wears it.’

What made her change her attitude? The reason was still unknown, but a smile was gradually blooming on Seol Jungyeon. It was the first smile he had ever seen on her, and it was more beautiful than anything else in the world.

He was happy because she smiled.

So Lee Dong-joon ran again and again in order to get what she wanted. He took the risk of being exposed to the association into account, he worked in the shadows using an alias of Hongyeopsa. Thanks to that, his abilities were revealed to the public, but fortunately, his identity was not revealed.

‘Yoo Seodam…. if it wasn’t for him.’

Happy days would be waiting for him. Together with Seol Jungyeon and his adopted daughter, Shin Hye-ji, they would have had an ordinary but happy future.

However, everything collapsed.

‘It’s okay though. I only need her to look at me.’

Even if everyone in the world turned away from him, he would be satisfied as long as his loved one took care of him. Maybe that alone could be called the definition of happiness.

While thinking like that, he almost reached the hut where Cheonma lived.

Kugung!!

Lee Dong-joon stopped his steps at the noise coming from somewhere.

Immediately after.

He could feel the trace of his ‘Ban’ vibrate all over the place.

And then the snow stopped.

“Whats happening?”

It snowed everyday here in Himalaya. It was because of the SSS-ranked monster, ‘Bingbaek Snow’ who came to reality due to the Dungeon manifestation decades ago. With Lee Dong-joon’s power, it was possible to restore the climate of the mountain range to its original state by killing it, but he did not do it. Because the existence of Bingbaek Snow was like a prison for Cheonma

Kurreung, Kurreung…

A dark cloud with thunder and lightning was coming. Still, it didn’t snow.

‘No way, Did someone kill the Bingbaek Snow?’

At the moment when he had such doubts, Lee Dong-joon frowned at the pressure of the air around him.

Dozens or even hundred warriors of Murim had gathered here!

‘…..how?’

No warrior from Murim could ever chase Lee Dong-joon. Even modern science couldn’t catch him.

‘What the hell, what is happening!’

As soon as he pulled out his sword, hundreds of human figures appeared from all sides.

They were all a familiar face for him. Because it was he himself who had drawn the ban on them.

The ban vibrated. Only then, Lee Dong-joon realized the situation and frowned.

“Dharma! Since the Murim Alliance unanimously announced that you are Murim public enemy, accept your death silently.”

Geom-hee, Ha Sun-young stood at the very front and spoke out. She stared at Lee Dong-joon with a stiff face. Subsequently, the Murim people started to shout one by one.

“Dharma! Do you remember that you cut off the arms of my seventh son for stealing and threw it into a pile of garbage? I, the party leader of the Sacheondangmun, came to this place to avenge my son!”

“Dharma, after destroying my family, do you remember cutting their heads and leaving it in the middle of Jungwon? I really want to ask you. were their sins so heavy that you had to go to that and punish them so cruelly?”

“Dharma, you dog-like bast*rd! I’ve been working hard on a construction site after you sealed my Mugong. But you are playing hero! The sky and the earth can be my witness, I am not ashamed!”

“Supreme Dharma!”

“Dharma!”

“Dharma!”

One by one, they began to spit out their grudges towards Dharma.

It was an endless barrage of resentment. And Dharma, who had no choice but to receive the resentment of hundreds of Murim warriors, looked at them with a cold face.

‘Is it like this in the end?’

In the midst of a barrage of resentment from everyone that hated him, Lee Dong-joon felt a certain emotion well inside him. It was loneliness.

He devoted his life to bring justice, but in the end, the only thing he received was resentment.

‘It’s futile.’

For what purpose was his justice for? What had he been fighting for?

Why did they burst out of anger just because they did not understand his justice and could not overcome their anger? If they opened their eyes a little wider and focused on the bigger picture, they would be able to see a better and cleaner world!

But still, it’s okay

‘I only need one woman to understand me.’

Lee dong-joon gazed at the hut in the distance.

Creaaak!

The door of the hut opened, and Seol Jungyeon stepped out with her brilliant platinum hair.

Cheonma, Seol Jungyeon. His one and only woman.

She stepped out from her hut with a graceful gait. Unlike her usual appearance, she wore neat plain clothes that she had never shown to anyone. There was a hint of pink that blended in her platinum hair. It was a dress that matched the name Seol Jungyeon rather than Supreme Cheonma.

She slowly raised her head and made eye contact with Lee Dong-joon.

However, something was strange.

“….Seol Jungyeon??”

Her eyes were extremely cold.

She stared at him with the same expression as the Murim people around him.

Seol Jungyeon looked at him while thinking about something else. Then, she turned around with a faint smile and gestured toward the hut.

Then, from the inside of the hut…

Yoo Seodam walked out. He was wearing a Chinese-style black and white martial arts uniform. Lee Dong-joon’s eyes trembled in shock.

The martial arts uniform that Yoo Seodam wore, wasn’t that the same uniform that Lee dong-joon had gifted Cheonma? 

But what was more shocking to him was their actions afterward.

Yoo Seodam stepped on the snow as he walked towards Seol Jungyeon. Then, he carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, it was as if they were old lovers.

“What!?”

Thump!

Lee dong-joon’s heart was beating frantically.

‘What am I looking at right now?’

He couldn’t understand it.

He couldn’t accept reality.

Thump, thump.

-Child, calm down!

[Protagonist’s composure is extremely disturbed.]

[The effect of the skill Heart sutra(SSS)’ decreases!]

[His emotions are shaking!]

[The effect of the skill ‘Dharma Sutra(SSS+)’ decreases!]

-Keep your composure!

Thump! Thump!!

-Otherwise, the Dharma Sutra…!

Somehow, Dharma inside his head tried to calm Lee Dong-joon down, but such efforts were futile when Cheonma opened her pale pink lips.

“I’m sorry, Dharma.”

“…What are you sorry for?”

Seol Jungyeon gave Dharma the answer with action rather than words. She stretched out her hand towards Yoo Seodam’s cheeks and smiled.

Dharma had never seen it before. She had never shown him such a face that was filled with happiness.

Then, she kissed him.

“Hah… It’s really good.”

Then she parted her lips and exhaled a hot sigh. She slowly turned her head towards Dharma with both of her arms still wrapped around Yoo Seodam’s neck.

With a voice as beautiful as a lotus she declared,

“I love this man, and I pledged to be with him for the rest of my life.”

Crack!!

Her declaration broke something inside Dharma.