Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Breakthrough (6)
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“Kgh!”
As he tried to retreat, a sharp pain shot through his thigh, forcing Master Heo Un to twist his body.
As a result, he couldn't completely evade Jinmyeong's sword and was stabbed in the left shoulder.
“A good dodge.”
“…How arrogant.”
Master Heo Un had managed to get away with just that by twisting his body and offering his left shoulder.
Had he not, Jinmyeong's sword would have pierced his throat.
Jinmyeong's swordsmanship was exceedingly simple, but for Master Heo Un, who couldn't properly channel his strength, blocking the attacks was a heavy burden.
Nevertheless, Master Heo Un's swordsmanship was so exceptional that he continued to parry Jinmyeong's assaults.
*I can't seem to break through.*
There was a clear difference between swinging a sword alone and a real fight.
It was especially difficult to pierce the defense of a master like Heo Un.
*Even with all those injuries.*
His opponent was injured in both the left thigh and the left shoulder.
Unable to properly channel his strength, Master Heo Un staggered each time he blocked an attack, yet he somehow managed to hold off Jinmyeong's onslaught.
In that case, he had to break through Master Heo Un's defense.
*Faster.*
So fast the opponent can't keep up.
*Stronger.*
With so much power they can't block the attack.
*More precisely.*
Even in a real fight, he had to swing with the same perfect movements as in training.
*Faster, stronger, and more perfectly.*
Jinmyeong recalled the movements he had read in the manual for the Asura Sword Forms and practiced himself, continuing to swing his sword.
He didn't even notice that the image of Master Heo Un before him was gradually blurring.
“Hm?”
Master Heo Un, who had been continuously blocking, swayed violently.
Jinmyeong used the rebound from the blocked attack to spin his body and swing his sword.
*An opening!*
He had put immense power into the spin, but the movement had become that much larger.
Master Heo Un blocked Jinmyeong's swing aimed at his neck, then thrust his sword at the opening.
*Clang!*
Jinmyeong effortlessly parried the sword lunging for his throat.
*What?*
Instantly closing in on the astonished Master Heo Un, Jinmyeong continued to swing his sword.
“Kgh!”
This was not the same clumsy swordsmanship from moments ago.
*What in the world did he do in that short time?*
Master Heo Un could see Jinmyeong's movements becoming progressively more refined.
Since he was no longer swinging clumsily, he could properly channel his power.
*Something is definitely strange.*
It was strange that Jinmyeong's swordsmanship had suddenly become so proficient, but it was also strange that Jinmyeong was so quiet.
*Was he always this quiet?*
Wasn't he the one who kept sneering and getting on his nerves?
“Hm?”
Feeling that something was off, Master Heo Un noticed that Jinmyeong's eyes were unfocused.
*What is this?*
He wondered if Jinmyeong had lost focus, but if that were the case, he wouldn't be able to push him back like this.
*Is he in a state of unconsciousness?*
It happened sometimes.
Cases where one entered a world of unconsciousness while swinging a sword during training.
Master Heo Un himself had experienced it during his training.
*Don't tell me he entered a state of unconsciousness in the middle of a fight.*
However, he had never imagined Jinmyeong would enter a world of unconsciousness not during training, but in the middle of a battle—and a battle against him, no less.
*Could it be...*
Usually, one gains great fortune upon entering such a state.
In Master Heo Un's case, his internal energy had greatly increased.
In Jinmyeong's case, it seemed his swordsmanship was being refined to greater precision.
“Hah!”
Master Heo Un did not want Jinmyeong to obtain this fortune.
His skills were already enough to make the Fifteen Divine Dragons of the Righteous Alliance feel despair.
And he was getting even stronger here?
Master Heo Un had no intention of letting that happen.
“Hm?”
Jinmyeong flinched at Master Heo Un's shout.
*What just happened?*
He had only been thinking that he needed to swing his sword faster, stronger, and more perfectly.
But his memory from the middle of it was hazy.
*Why is he in worse shape?*
There were more wounds on Master Heo Un's body than when he had last seen him.
Jinmyeong still couldn't figure out why.
*Could it be Shin Yehyang?*
He wondered if Shin Yehyang had helped him, but she still seemed preoccupied with her fight against Gok Jeon.
*She's fighting well.*
Even while facing one of the Kongtong Twin Elders, who could be called a master even in the Central Plains, she was the one pushing him back.
“Shall we start again then?”
Jinmyeong rushed toward Master Heo Un and swung his sword.
*What's this? The sword feels lighter.*
It felt like the sword was moving more easily than before.
To be precise, the sword was moving exactly as he willed it.
*In that case...*
Jinmyeong immediately swung his sword at Master Heo Un and began to press his attack.
*I think I can just stab him.*
Perhaps because he was exhausted, openings kept appearing every time Master Heo Un defended.
Jinmyeong struck Master Heo Un's sword with great force.
“Keuk!”
Master Heo Un's guard was thrown wide open.
Jinmyeong thrust his sword again.
His target was Master Heo Un's throat.
*Clang!*
But Jinmyeong's body was immediately pushed back.
“Tsk. This is why I wanted to finish it quickly.”
Jinmyeong clicked his tongue as he looked at the astonished Master Heo Un.
It wasn't Master Heo Un who had parried his sword.
It was a sword that had flown in from somewhere.
*They arrived sooner than I thought.*
From the moment he had regained his senses, Jinmyeong had felt people approaching.
And he also knew they were not from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“Thank you for holding back.”
“Tsk.”
He hadn't held back at all, but Jinmyeong smiled as he looked at the old Daoist master who had stepped between him and Master Heo Un.
“I never thought the Sect Leader of Kunlun would make a move himself.”
“Heh heh.”
The old Daoist master stroking his beard with a benevolent smile was none other than the Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sect, Master Heo Seong.
“So you know of me.”
“How could I not?”
He had learned about the Central Plains from Yang Jeon before leaving, so he recognized Master Heo Seong immediately.
“Though I never expected the Sect Leader of Kunlun himself to get involved.”
“Heh heh, not at all. I merely came to stop my foolish disciples.”
“Well, I don't know if that's true.”
Jinmyeong didn't believe Master Heo Seong's words.
“It seems the Kunlun Sect can move with its disciples without the Sect Leader's permission?”
Master Heo Seong was claiming that this incident had occurred without his consent.
“Heh heh. How could that be? It simply happened while I was away for a short while.”
“Who do you take me for, a fool?”
Jinmyeong clicked his tongue, looking at Master Heo Seong who continued to feign ignorance.
Master Heo Seong's eyebrow twitched, but he still wore a benevolent smile.
“So why did you come in person? To end things here?”
“Heh heh. The young lad is quite curt.”
“Are you really concerned with etiquette in this situation? I'm not so gutless as to be polite to an enemy.”
“Your words are short, but your tongue is long and smooth.”
Master Heo Seong narrowed his eyes at Jinmyeong.
The aura emanating from him began to pressure Jinmyeong.
*This is even more stinging than that other guy.*
His entire body felt a stinging sensation under Master Heo Seong's aura.
It was even more intense than what he had felt from Master Heo Un.
“Hoh. I certainly see why that person wanted to kill you before the Blood-Laughing Demon.”
Seeing Jinmyeong remain so composed while facing his aura head-on, Master Heo Seong understood why Gok Yang had been so intent on killing him.
Though Jinmyeong was only thinking that it was bearable compared to the auras of the Heavenly Demon or the Mad Demon.
“So what now? Are we ending this?”
“Heh heh. I can't do that.”
Master Heo Seong shook his head at Jinmyeong's words.
“Even for young martial artists, they are indeed the promising talents of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Not a single one has died.”
The martial artists from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult who came to the Central Plains on a mission were not just any riffraff.
Most were the children and disciples of the Elders—in other words, the successors who would become the next Elders.
This meant that each and every one of them was a practitioner of outstanding martial arts.
“In comparison, many of Kunlun's disciples have died.”
Of course, it wasn't the first-generation disciples, who could be considered truly important in Kunlun, who had died.
Most were second and third-generation disciples.
“So?”
“You must take responsibility.”
“Weren't you from Kunlun the ones who attacked first?”
“No. The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was the root cause.”
Master Heo Seong was repeatedly emphasizing that Kunlun had just cause.
He wanted to eliminate the young martial artists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but he also wanted to avoid a war with them.
“It seems Kunlun has a hard time facing the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult alone, doesn't it?”
“I'll admit that.”
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was a single faction, but it was one that rivaled the Righteous Alliance in power.
No matter how powerful Kunlun was as one of the Nine Great Sects, a war with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would inevitably lead to its annihilation.
“If that's the case, you shouldn't have started this in the first place.”
“Heh heh. You're right. We started something we shouldn't have.”
Most of the Demonic Cultists were within the scope of his expectations.
With the exception of three people: Mok Jagyeong, Shin Yehyang, and Jinmyeong.
The Kunlun Sect's plan failed because these three were stronger than he had thought.
“So you have no intention of letting us go?”
“Heh heh. As I said before, we must honor the souls of our dead disciples.”
Of course, he hadn't expected anything else.
“So, how about you offer up your head? With just your head, I will spare all the others.”
“The strongest one isn't me, it's Mok Jagyeong. Why are you after my life?”
“Heh heh. Let's just say it's because you are the more dangerous person.”
Master Heo Seong raised his sword toward Jinmyeong.
But in the end, he could not attack Jinmyeong.
It was because of the sound of footsteps approaching from a distance.
“You are a lucky one.”
“It seems I'm not destined to die here. What a shame for you.”
Master Heo Seong sighed at Jinmyeong's smirk and turned his head toward the approaching figure.
“I didn't expect to see the Demonic Shadow Brigade Leader here.”
The one who appeared was the Demonic Shadow Brigade Leader, Neung Byeokmun.
And behind him were quite a number of martial artists.
“I heard you were the first to flee. Surely you haven't brought others with you?”
Neung Byeokmun had been the very first to move and escape as soon as the Kongtong and Kunlun Sects appeared.
“But they don't look very impressive, so I can't understand why you've returned.”
It seemed Neung Byeokmun had brought martial artists from somewhere, but their numbers were not large.
Just as Master Heo Seong said, it looked as though Neung Byeokmun had come back to throw away the life he had barely managed to save.
“How could that be?”
Neung Byeokmun took something out from his robes.
“Hmm. That is...”
“A letter I received from our Cult.”
“...”
Impossible.
Even if Neung Byeokmun had sent a letter immediately after escaping, it should not have reached the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult yet.
“It's true. I sent it before leaving Qinghai.”
The reply was to be received at the Gansu branch.
Neung Byeokmun had just returned from that very Gansu branch.
“To put it simply, I sent a letter stating that the Kunlun Sect would attack us, and I have received a response.”
“...”
“It seems the Elders are quite furious that their successors were targeted.”
He could ignore one or two Elders.
But if all the Elders moved, it would be a different story.
“And it seems the Vice Cult Leader might make a move as well.”
“Do you think I would be frightened by such a thing?”
“Then by all means, kill us all right here. Though I wonder who will welcome the Sect Leader upon his return.”
Killing them all right now might be a victory for the Kunlun Sect.
But if they returned, a desolate ruin would be all that greeted them.
“If that happens, who do you think will welcome the Kunlun Sect?”
Who would take in a sect leader and his disciples who have lost their sect?
They might even become targets of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“Surely you're not trusting those cowards from the Righteous Alliance?”
“...”
Master Heo Seong did not answer Neung Byeokmun's question.
It wasn't because he agreed that the Righteous Alliance were cowards.
*Even if we went to the Righteous Alliance, we wouldn't receive the same treatment as we do now.*
The Righteous Alliance would never treat a band of defeated soldiers the same way they treated the Kunlun Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects.
“So, how about you withdraw at this point?”
“Many of my disciples have died.”
“I don't think 'many' is quite the right word.”
To hear Master Heo Seong talk, it sounded like over a hundred disciples had died, but in reality, the combined losses of Kongtong and Kunlun were likely less than fifty.
Of course, the fact that they hadn't killed a single member of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult while their own disciples had died was undoubtedly a blow to their pride.
“Hoo.”
“Sect Leader Senior Brother...”
Master Heo Un called out, but Master Heo Seong only sighed and shook his head.
“In the end, your plan has failed, Junior Brother.”