Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: The Taiji Sword Lord's Challenge
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"......Hmm."
The momentum of the Taiji Sword Lord charging ahead from the lead was far from ordinary. The Green Forest Demon Emperor scowled as he strode forward.
Ignoring the incoming and outgoing waves, he advanced and stood his ground with his arms spread wide open, as if putting on a show. The Taiji Sword Lord's sharp aura was directed solely at the Green Forest Demon Emperor, yet Wi Seongcheon's keen senses and formless intent conveyed an inexplicable churning unease.
"What the hell?"
"That snout seems to be under a big misunderstanding."
The Green Forest Demon Emperor spat out.
It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding.
Wi Seongcheon had been smacked by the Green Forest Demon Emperor and flung into the sea, with blood streaming from his split lip. A short distance away, the White Flame Witch was leisurely spectating, and beside her sat Seo Il, the professor from the Heavenly Academy, quietly.
It was a scene that could spark all sorts of imaginations and misconceptions. Wi Seongcheon tried to clear up the misunderstanding with a loud shout, but ping! A water droplet flicked from the Green Forest Demon Emperor's fingertip struck his front tooth.
"Ow!"
"Don't do anything unnecessary."
"What if my tooth breaks? You gonna take responsibility?!"
"A guy who can mend shattered bones good as new is whining over a single tooth like a spoiled brat. Anyway, don't ruin my fun."
The Green Forest Demon Emperor issued his warning like that and grinned. He had no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding right away. The Ten Heroes' Taiji Sword Lord—a senile old fool who dared claim to be the world's greatest swordsman despite knowing his place... Let's see how he really stacked up.
"Step back."
The Green Forest Demon Emperor barked. Wi Seongcheon made a sullen face and retreated a good distance. He was still human, after all, and didn't fancy getting caught between those bottomless monsters and having his back ripped open.
Before the two could even close the distance.
A clash beyond mortal comprehension erupted, transcending dimensions. The sword draw ignored distance itself, bypassing space. The sea where the Green Forest Demon Emperor had submerged his lower body split apart entirely. Once split, it fractured further several more times.
Fracturing...? Wi Seongcheon staggered from intense vertigo. He couldn't even track it with his eyes, let alone sense it.
Tiny water droplets continued to divide endlessly. A single sword draw birthed countless slashes, too many to count.
And the Green Forest Demon Emperor met those slashes head-on. It wasn't his protective aura shielding his body. His eyes bulged wide as he glared ahead. What withstood the infinite slashes of intent was not visible internal energy, but intent of the same nature.
Boom! The myriad fracturing droplets evaporated in an instant. The Green Forest Demon Emperor swallowed hard and took a massive step forward.
At that, the sea's waves halted, splitting with a crack. The two-pronged sea ceased dividing further at some point and merged back into one—right before the Taiji Sword Lord's nose.
"Uahaha!"
The Green Forest Demon Emperor burst into booming laughter. He shook his head vigorously, sending sweat—soaked hair spraying in all directions.
"Impressive! You're no mere senile geezer after all."
"......Heh heh!"
The Taiji Sword Lord also burst into laughter. He nodded with a kindly smile.
"You too—you're no mere bandit riffraff wearing a hat too big for your station."
The distance between them didn't narrow further. The Green Forest Demon Emperor, who had been cackling while eyeing the Taiji Sword Lord, took a step back first.
"I'd love to go a few more rounds, but if we did, it wouldn't end as mere play."
"Is that so? I think it would."
The Taiji Sword Lord said with a kindly smile. Contrary to his visible smile, it carried a strong provocation, leaving Wi Seongcheon staring at him in shock.
"Hmm, you're probably right. If it came down to a fight to the death between you and me, it'd definitely be me doing the dying. Haha! Lucky for me you're a senior worth respecting."
Surprisingly, the Green Forest Demon Emperor conceded without resistance. At those words, the Taiji Sword Lord's eyes gleamed.
"Hey, you snout bastard. A guy your age acting all hot-blooded like some twenty-year-old punk—what's that about?"
The Eccentric Wanderer, who had caught up late, snapped irritably and kicked the Taiji Sword Lord's ankle. It packed quite a force, making the Taiji Sword Lord's body sway heavily.
"Ahem, that's not it. Didn't you see? That hidden dragon getting smacked..."
"It was obvious you were sparring with him! Otherwise, how would that kid survive a direct hit?!"
"W-Well, I had no choice. My cherished young junior was bleeding from the mouth... Huh?"
The Taiji Sword Lord, spouting his obvious excuse and trying to pin the blame on Wi Seongcheon, suddenly went wide-eyed.
Just moments ago, Wi Seongcheon had been gushing blood from his mouth, but now only faint bloodstains remained—no wound in sight.
"What in the world..."
"Hoo."
A voice intruded abruptly. Wi Seongcheon startled and tried to back away, but the little girl had already slipped past his guard, closing in until her breath brushed his skin. She'd seemed small from afar, but up close, she was even tinier.
The girl, the Poison Mist Queen, peered up from below Wi Seongcheon's chest level at his lips with her huge eyes.
"You're a fascinating one, aren't you?"
The Poison Mist Queen said, slowly blinking. Her pupils were peculiar. So large, yet they reflected nothing. It felt like peering into darkness or a swamp that swallowed light.
"You're that hidden dragon, right? Seona told me about you. Heeran's first friend at the academy, young sect master of the Heavenly Flower Sect, and you bested Shaolin, the Demonic Cult... all sorts of things like that."
The Poison Mist Queen's body slowly floated up. Until that moment, Wi Seongcheon couldn't budge, frozen stiff—like a frog before a snake.
"She said you have an incredibly mysterious body and that, given the chance, she'd love to bring you to the Tang Clan to show me. I wasn't too interested at first, but seeing you in person... yeah, I get why she'd say that."
The floating Poison Mist Queen met Wi Seongcheon's eyes. No—she was positioned a bit higher. She slowly tilted her body to look down at him, and her languidly extended hand grasped his face.
"What secrets does your mysterious body hold?"
"You aren't the senile one—that snout's the crazy one."
A tsk-tsking sound snapped Wi Seongcheon's rigid body awake. He jerked back, and the Poison Mist Queen lifted her head with an amused expression. Sometime in between, the White Flame Witch had appeared behind Wi Seongcheon.
"It's been fifty years since I last saw you, right? Before the Black Demon King cleaved your body in two."
"Who knows, I don't remember. Too long-lived to recall every little nobody."
"Dementia, huh? Sounds about right. They say demented old folks forget their age and act like kids—and that's exactly you. Or did you shrink by half when the Black Demon King split you? You weren't that big before, either."
The White Flame Witch sneered.
"Either your mind regressed to infancy, or you're pathetically into little girl bodies. Embarrassing either way, isn't it?"
"No difference between us. You're clinging to a youthful body instead of accepting your wrinkled old age. And it's not just us—everyone denies bodily decay and insists on youth."
The Poison Mist Queen smiled back. At that, the White Flame Witch snorted.
"If you love youth so much, why not become a newborn?"
"Hmm, tempting. If you promise to nurse me, Jween."
At those words, the White Flame Witch's face crumpled.
"After decades apart, you're so thrilled you don't know what to do with yourselves."
The Black Demon King appeared. The White Flame Witch wanted nothing more than to rip the Poison Mist Queen's mouth off right then, but she took a deep breath to cool her anger. The Black Demon King gave a slight nod to the White Flame Witch before turning to the three Orthodox Ten Heroes.
"Just you three? Where are Transcendent Spear and Moon Shadow Immortal?"
"We don't know where those two are, either."
"Hmm, obvious lie, but I'll pretend to believe it."
The Black Demon King smirked and nodded at the Taiji Sword Lord's reply.
"At least the three of you showed up. Still, you're all too impatient—leaving even the Alliance Leader behind to rush ahead. Because of that, this lord couldn't greet you in time."
"Why bitch at us for your heavy ass?"
The icy voice came from the Poison Mist Queen. The Black Demon King turned and stared at her. She had brushed off the White Flame Witch's mockery without flinching, but with the Black Demon King, she openly poured out hostility.
"Your feather-light asses share the blame too. You're unchanged, Sa-yeong."
"Call me that one more time, and I'll turn this island into a hell on earth."
"Oh dear, then I have no choice. Can't lose this island's precious youths over one slip of the tongue. Will you forgive this lord's rudeness? Poison Mist Queen."
The Black Demon King said with a sly smile. It was polite but dripping with mockery, making the Poison Mist Queen's brows furrow sharply.
But the Poison Mist Queen didn't snap at the Black Demon King further. The Taiji Sword Lord had grabbed her shoulder.
"Let go."
"Calm down."
"Isn't this calm enough? No one's died here yet."
The Poison Mist Queen spat that out and shook off the Taiji Sword Lord's hand. She glared at the Black Demon King for a moment before whipping her head away.
"Where's Seona?"
"Not asking about Venom Touch?"
"I'll hear about Heeran from Seona too. So where is she?"
"In the city inland. No need to ask—you could find her anytime if you wanted. Or do you want this lord to escort you?"
At that, the Poison Mist Queen ground her teeth and glared murderously at the Black Demon King. Soon, she kicked off the ground and shot toward the forest. Watching her back with a tsk of the tongue, the Black Demon King turned to the Taiji Sword Lord and Eccentric Wanderer.
"If you want, go see your disciples too. Seems like there's time before the Alliance Leader's ship arrives."
"We already feel bad for rushing ahead—doing more would be outright ignoring the Leader. No rush anyway, so we'll wait here."
The Eccentric Wanderer spat, glaring at the Black Demon King.
"So, where's that Dawn bastard?"
"He's already at the meeting spot, hiding out. Truthfully, Jinchung doesn't particularly want to see you lot."
"Who do you think comes here because they want to?"
The Eccentric Wanderer growled, clenching his fist.
"The letter's contents—are they true?"
"We'll discuss that among ourselves plenty soon enough—no need to rush beforehand. Why hurry when even the Alliance Leader you respect hasn't arrived?"
At the sarcastic remark, the Eccentric Wanderer ground his teeth. He shot a glare at the Taiji Sword Lord, who had charged ahead first, then turned sharply and dashed back to the Alliance Leader's ship.
"You not going?"
"......Hmm."
The Taiji Sword Lord eyed Wi Seongcheon with a bizarre expression.
[What the hell happened?]
[I... don't really know either.]
The Taiji Sword Lord first sent a transmission to Seo Il to hear the situation, but Seo Il knew nothing of Wi Seongcheon's immortal arts. In the end, he sent one to Wi Seongcheon.
[What happened?]
[I learned a few tricks.]
[What in the world...]
"Why use transmission when you can just talk?"
The Black Demon King cut in. The Taiji Sword Lord exhaled deeply and glared at him.
"What did you teach this child?"
"Seeing you say that proves Wudang's just a hollow Taoist shell."
"......What?"
"Isn't it? Wudang's a deep-rooted Taoist sect, yet its top expert can't even recognize immortal arts? Hilarious."
At those words, the Taiji Sword Lord widened his eyes and stared at Wi Seongcheon. Wi Seongcheon felt the same bafflement. Wudang was a orthodox Taoist sect founded by Zhang Sanfeng. And that Zhang Sanfeng—Dawn had called him the world's last immortal.
Yet Wudang's Taiji Sword Lord couldn't recognize immortal arts.
"Immortal... arts? How could he..."
"You're not here to debate him."
The Black Demon King said in a low voice. The Taiji Sword Lord, who had been staring at Wi Seongcheon entranced, shook his head vigorously.
"......Right, of course. We're here for a weightier discussion."
The Taiji Sword Lord barely tore his gaze from Wi Seongcheon and glared at the Black Demon King.
"But we'll have to discuss this child too. Especially if he's mastered lost immortal arts from Wudang—no, all the world's Taoist sects."
"Ask Dawn about that, not this lord."
The Black Demon King smirked as he passed the Taiji Sword Lord.
"Clinging to lost arts you couldn't safeguard is less worthwhile than discussing the present reality and uneasy future."
The Alliance Leader's ship was drawing near.