My Dad Is the Strongest Under Heaven - Chapter 1My Dad Is the Strongest Under HeavenChapter 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 1. Prologue
Step-step-step-step!
Whoosh.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Swoosh, swoo-woosh!
“Hurry! We must not lose him under any circumstances!”
The Great Snow Mountain.
Countless martial artists bearing blades on their waists were rushing somewhere at breakneck speed.
Yet the garments worn by each group and the emblems embroidered upon them were all distinctly different.
“Well now.”
At the foot of the mountain.
A man and a woman looked upon this sight with astonishment.
“Diancang, Emei, Kongtong, Hainan, Qingcheng, and even Shaolin and Wudang… It seems all Nine Great Sects have truly gathered here.”
“Indeed, Master. To think we would see the Nine Great Sects lend their might to the Murim Alliance’s Heavenly Net…. They seem truly determined.”
“Because their opponent is none other than him. Furthermore, I hear the Sword Emperor, the Blade Emperor, and the Spear Ghost have also come.”
“Three of the Twelve Venerables of the World?”
“Since Grand Master Muheo of Shaolin is present as well, we should consider it four.”
“Heavens.”
Disbelief washed over the young woman’s face.
At that, the middle-aged man holding a folding fan nodded, his gaze colder than ice.
“Indeed. On the surface, they claim it is to strike down a murderous fiend who brought about a bloodbath, but their true motives lie elsewhere.”
“It is because of his martial arts.”
“We, too, came all this way for that very reason, but it seems we are already too late. He will likely not leave the Great Snow Mountain alive today.”
To the middle-aged man who seemed somehow regretful, the young woman shook her head and spoke.
“Yet it is only the karma he brought upon himself. It is no fault of yours, Master.”
“Tell me, Hyang-a. Do you truly believe he is a murderous fiend?”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that…?”
“I merely wonder.”
The man fingered the closed fan in his grip as he continued.
“The Rakshasa Witch, the Black-faced Asura, the Lustful Dream Young Master, and even the Saryeon Palace… Were not all those who died by his hand figures whose evil names resounded across the land?”
“Yet they were not the only ones. Great Hero Baekjung Ancient Sword, whose righteous spirit was renowned throughout Sichuan, and the Black Lion, the pride of the Jongri Sect, also lost their lives at his hands. What is more, because the Geomseong Sect had its Chief Elder and successor beheaded by him, they were reduced to sealing their gates for the next ten years. Having taken the lives of so many innocent people…”
“‘He must be a murderous fiend’?”
“Yes. That is what I believe.”
“I see.”
Watching his young disciple speak her mind so candidly, the middle-aged man offered a faint smile.
She was not wrong.
Just how many heads had fallen by that man’s hand?
By that measure, calling him a murderous fiend was certainly no exaggeration.
That was why this massive turmoil had come to pass.
However,
‘Innocent, you say…. I wonder if that is truly so.’
His young disciple did not yet know.
Far from the righteous facade displayed to the world, just how utterly wretched people with power could become where no eyes could see.
Soon, the man turned his gaze toward the heights of the Great Snow Mountain.
Toward the place where a tremendous, bloody battle was likely unfolding at this very moment.
That so-called murderous fiend was up there.
‘What a waste.’
Recalling his encounter with him long ago, the middle-aged man thought to himself.
Whether that regret was for the peerless martial arts the fiend possessed, or for something else entirely, no one could say.
Where is this?
And who… am I?
Why are there so many people lying dead in pools of blood before my eyes?
Whistle—
Standing precariously at the edge of a cliff for reasons unknown, the man lifted both hands without realizing it.
His palms were already drenched in sticky blood.
He could tell instinctively.
His own blood and the blood of countless others were heavily mingled upon them.
What on earth is this….
Just then,
“Blood Demon!”
Someone screamed at the top of their lungs, glaring at him with seething hatred.
“You vile villain under heaven! Today, we shall surely execute you!”
…Blood Demon?
Is he talking about me?
In that instant, a flood of memories surged into his mind.
An ordinary yet blissful family… A wife who departed early from illness… A war that erupted out of nowhere because of martial artists… And caught in that crossfire, the loss of his precious young daughter, Yul-i…….
Ah. Ah, yes. That was it.
Grit.
Blood vessels burst in the man’s eyes, which had briefly lost their focus.
Having lost everything and gone mad with grief, he had slaughtered every rotten martial artist thereafter, whether they belonged to the Orthodox, Unorthodox, or Demonic factions.
Foul dogs.
What crime had my young daughter committed, she who had never even touched martial arts?
Yet the truly laughable thing was that there were far, far too many rotten bastards in this world.
Before he knew it, they were calling him the Blood Demon, the harbinger of bloodbaths.
Overcome once more by immense fury, Yeo Woonhwi glared at the masters surrounding him.
The figures standing at the absolute apex of the jianghu’s food chain—the Twelve Venerables of the World.
Four such beings were gathered here.
On top of that, sect leaders from every corner had swarmed together just to bring down a single man.
It was utterly ridiculous.
“Why has one who inherited the true teachings of the Martial God brought about such a terrible storm of blood? Do you truly feel no shame before the heavens?”
Shut your mouth, bald monk. As if you know a single thing.
Grand Master Muheo, the Abbot of Shaolin and the Fist Emperor.
Hearing his words, Yeo Woonhwi felt his anger flare even hotter.
“…I.”
Yeo Woonhwi spoke, his voice burning with blood-soaked rage.
“I feel not a shred of shame for what I have done. Every last bastard who died by my hand was nothing but filth who deserved to die.”
“Y-You torn-to-pieces wretch, how dare you—”
“Because they were of the same Orthodox faction!”
The Sect Leader of Diancang pointed an enraged finger at him, but Yeo Woonhwi cut him off with venom in his voice.
He then cast his bloodshot eyes over the countless martial artists surrounding him, all claiming to walk the righteous path.
“Because they belong to the same sect, you blindly cover up their sins, hide their atrocities, and shield them—is that what you call righteousness?! Yet far from feeling shame, you scurried to pin all the blame onto me. How dare filth like you ever claim to be the righteous path!”
“…Amitabha.”
Grand Master Muheo chanted a Buddhist prayer in a heavy tone.
At that, as if unable to watch any longer, someone stepped forward and spoke to Muheo.
“Abbot, how long do you intend to stand there listening to this murderous fiend’s ravings?”
“There is nothing more to hear, Grand Master Muheo. Before more lives are lost at his hands, we must put an end to this today.”
“Yet what shall we do about the Martial God’s techniques? If we act rashly, the arts of the Martial God, the greatest master throughout the ages, may end up lost forever.”
“The Blade Emperor speaks the truth. We must first capture him alive and take our time…”
“Is that what matters right now?! Or could it be that the Blade Emperor and the Spear Ghost still covet the Martial God’s arts even in a situation like this?”
“How dare you! Are you trying to insult me right now?”
Snicker.
His entire body was riddled with gruesome wounds.
Having lost so much blood, his consciousness had nearly slipped away several times.
Yet even in such circumstances, a laugh escaped Yeo Woonhwi’s lips.
As expected, these hypocrites merely preached righteousness and chivalry with their mouths while failing to hide the filthy greed festering inside. Watching them made him sick to his stomach.
There was no need for further words.
“…Fine. I will kill you all. Every last one of you.”
Hummm.
Yeo Woonhwi drew upon every ounce of his inner energy alongside his boiling rage. Driven by the sole resolve to take down even one more of them.
“Everyone, be on guard!”
Rumble—!
“You insolent wretch!”
Having evaded Yeo Woonhwi’s strike, the Sword Emperor and the Blade Emperor instantly unleashed their supreme techniques.
Straight toward the blood-soaked Blood Demon.
[Blue Heaven One Thunder!]
[Great Blade Sky Cleaver!]
Following them, the Spear Ghost and numerous other masters lunged forward fiercely.
He had no intention of going down meekly.
“Aaargh!”
Yeo Woonhwi summoned all of his internal energy to push back.
KABOOM!
A massive collision of qi erupted instantly.
Yet before long, the energy Yeo Woonhwi unleashed was entirely snuffed out, and a gigantic storm of qi engulfed him whole.
“Guh-ack!”
With the excruciating pain of his flesh being torn apart, Yeo Woonhwi’s body was thrown backward like a kite with a severed string.
‘Damn it…….’
One year. If only he had been given just one more year, Yeo Woonhwi could have achieved everything he desired.
Vengeance for his daughter.
Yet blinded by his thirst for revenge and driven to madness, he had lacked the luxury of time to fully master the peerless divine art he had stumbled upon.
Having absorbed the ultimate arts of three of the Twelve Venerables of the World with his bare body, Yeo Woonhwi began to plummet rapidly down the bottomless abyss of the cliff.
‘…Is this where it ends?’
I am sorry, Yul-ah.
I am sorry, my love.
I am sorry for everything.
In an instant, darkness consumed his surroundings.
His vision was dyed in black, and his consciousness began to blur away.
Amidst the endless fall, Yeo Woonhwi slowly closed his eyes.
He could feel death drawing near.
The sensation of darkness steadily eroding his body.
And so, his miserable, wretched life came to an end… or so he thought.
However,
Thump.
“Oof!”
Something leaped onto Yeo Woonhwi’s stomach.
Wh-What?
“Daddy!”
A cute, lovely little girl who looked about six years old was looking down at him, beaming brightly.
“…Huh?”
Because something utterly impossible was unfolding before his eyes, Yeo Woonhwi could not even think to get up and merely stared blankly at the child’s face.
‘Is this… a dream?’
He could not make sense of why he, who had been endlessly plunging down a cliff just moments ago, was suddenly here.
He quickly turned his head to survey his surroundings.
Worn furniture and household utensils that looked aged yet neatly kept.
It was a room that felt intensely familiar.
Could this place be…….
Just then, the door swung wide open.
“Yul-ah, is Daddy still not awake?”
Instantly, Yeo Woonhwi’s eyes widened to their absolute limits.
“…Ah, ah.”
It was a reality his mind could not comprehend, yet tears welled up and spilled from his eyes without his consent.
For his daughter and his wife, whom he had yearned for and missed so desperately for decades, were standing right before his eyes.
Looking at him with the loveliest smiles in the world…….
A miracle had occurred.
