Chapter 664: I Can Hear Everything
Chapter 664: I Can Hear Everything
A wild, domineering aura erupted from Jin Pae-cheon’s body.
From far across the dark sea of his consciousness, a silent cry echoed. Within that darkness, Murim Alliance Leader Jin Pae-cheon found a long-lost longing—the image of his younger self, a man who fought like a madman, heedless of the world's gaze.
The man who never yielded the first strike for the sake of decorum, and who showed no mercy to those he marked for death.
Yes, he had lived like that once. There was a time, however brief, when he lived freely, beholden to no one.
Watching from the sidelines, Geom Mu-geuk felt that he was finally about to see the man’s true colors.
‘Show them, Alliance Leader. Show them exactly who you are.’
In truth, this was a first for Geom Mu-geuk as well. In his life before regression, he had never been granted the opportunity to witness Jin Pae-cheon’s martial arts firsthand.
As Hwa Yul-cheong drew his sword, an aura of abyssal darkness swirled around him. The energy coiled around his limbs like a serpent. True to the essence of the Dark Palace, the energy felt sinister—like a frozen hand squeezing one's heart.
Hwa Yul-cheong corrected the words Jin Pae-cheon had spoken earlier.
“The one to bring the curtain down on this era is not you.”
The dark energy flowing from him encroached upon the surroundings, thickening the air. One could feel his immense strength from this ominous aura alone. Yet, even in the face of this terrifying momentum, Jin Pae-cheon did not falter. Instead, a faint smile played on his lips.
It was the joy of a martial artist, not an Alliance Leader, facing a battle against a worthy foe.
Watching them, Geom Mu-geuk wondered: what role did Hwa Yul-cheong play within the Dark Palace?
A master of that caliber would surely know of Hwa Mu-gi’s existence. Perhaps the person he mentioned—the one who would end this era—referred to Hwa Mu-gi.
However, as he had done until now, Geom Mu-geuk treated Hwa Mu-gi as if he didn't exist. He hoped that while many things had changed since his regression, the timing of that man's appearance would remain the same.
He wanted Hwa Mu-gi to appear only when he himself was fully prepared.
He desperately hoped to be in a position where he could be playing Go with his father, or reading a book with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, and simply say, "I'll be right back," before going off to kill Hwa Mu-gi.
He wanted to be able to return and, when asked where he had been, simply reply: "I just took care of a small matter. Is it my turn now?"
Just then, a drop of water fell onto Geom Mu-geuk’s head. A drizzling rain began to fall through the misty bamboo forest.
With this rain, the curtain rose.
The moment a droplet struck the earth—Jin Pae-cheon vanished.
There was no sound, no sign of him leaping. By the time Hwa Yul-cheong looked up, Jin Pae-cheon was already bringing his sword down upon his head. It was as if the man had been plucked from the ground and instantly reappeared directly overhead. Jin Pae-cheon’s lightness skill was that transcendent.
The sword struck with the speed of a lightning bolt.
Swaaaaaak!
Clang!
Radiance clashed with radiance. If Jin Pae-cheon was light, then Hwa Yul-cheong was his equal. Hwa Yul-cheong parried the strike with his own blade.
“For an Alliance Leader to resort to a surprise attack…”
He tried to shake Jin Pae-cheon’s composure with a sneer, but he wasn't given the chance.
Clang! Clang!
Jin Pae-cheon’s fierce assault continued without pause. The Murim Alliance Leader did not yield the initiative. There were no more formalities. He was a man now prepared to throw dirt in his opponent's eyes if it meant survival.
His shackles had been shattered.
Swish! Swish!
Jin Pae-cheon’s attacks, aimed at vital points, were both powerful and blindingly fast. Usually, a heavy strike is slow, and one must sacrifice power for speed. But Jin Pae-cheon possessed both in abundance.
Hwa Yul-cheong withstood the onslaught. If it were the sword of an ordinary master, it would have shattered long ago, but Hwa Yul-cheong’s blade held firm, protected by a dense layer of dark energy.
Watching this, Geom Mu-geuk realized an important fact.
‘That isn't the sword technique Hwa Mu-gi used.’
Though he had died before he could properly face Hwa Mu-gi in his past life, he remembered one thing for certain: that man definitely did not use a technique that emitted this kind of dark energy.
‘Hwa Mu-gi used a different martial art.’
Indeed, no matter how strong it seemed, this martial art could not have defeated his father’s Nine Calamities Demonic Art. By watching this fight, Geom Mu-geuk had learned a significant truth.
The swords of the two men flew wildly at each other, each strike carrying decades of pent-up resentment.
Clang! Ching! Clang! Ching-ching!
The sound of the two blades clashing at a speed invisible to the eye sounded like a frantic orchestral ensemble. The rhythm didn't fluctuate; it only accelerated, racing toward a violent climax.
Sword lines embroidered the air before vanishing. To an ordinary person, they were a blur, but Geom Mu-geuk recognized the value of the display. To him, they were beautiful—a magnificent painting containing the lifelong martial studies of two masters.
Witnessing a duel between such experts from this close was a stroke of luck that could only be called a fated encounter. Geom Mu-geuk watched Jin Pae-cheon’s martial arts with reverence.
The Alliance Leader could have asked him to leave to keep his techniques secret. Had he done so, Mu-geuk would have retreated. But Jin Pae-cheon did not. He was showing his full martial prowess to someone who might one day become his enemy.
This was the caliber of Jin Pae-cheon. He was a vessel large enough to fully encompass even the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.
Thank you, Alliance Leader.
The only way to repay that sentiment was to not look away. He etched their battle into his heart more fervently than any fight he had ever seen.
Before the fight began, Geom Mu-geuk had intended to intervene if Jin Pae-cheon fell into danger. He had planned to jump in without hesitation, regardless of the Alliance Leader's pride. But once the battle commenced, his mind changed.
Could I even interfere in that fight?
The thought arose naturally. There wasn't a single opening to be found. The moment a gap appeared, the fight would end before he could even move. Their skills were simply that extraordinary.
When the symphony of clashing swords reached its peak—
Spurt!
Blood sprayed from Hwa Yul-cheong’s arm and flank. In such a moment, one might expect a comment to savor the advantage, but Jin Pae-cheon only pressed harder, like a predator focused entirely on the kill.
It didn't matter if the technique wasn't grand. As long as it killed the opponent, it was enough.
Seeing Jin Pae-cheon like that, Geom Mu-geuk wished he could show this fight to Lee An, Seo Dae-ryong, and his other subordinates.
Look! Even the Murim Alliance Leader is fighting desperately without a single moment of carelessness. Who do you think you are!
Of course, he included himself in that "you."
Hwa Yul-cheong desperately widened the distance, but that was something Jin Pae-cheon had intentionally allowed.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Dozens of sword qi bursts erupted from the ground, soaring upward. Even Geom Mu-geuk was seeing this for the first time—a martial art where sword qi pierced through the floor!
Jin Pae-cheon’s unique martial art, the Imperial Sword Arts, was being unleashed.
Imperial Sword Arts, Fourth Form: Heaven and Earth Creation.
Dozens of sword qi pillars surged from the earth. Since becoming the Murim Alliance Leader, he had never used anything beyond the Third Form. Because every form from the Fourth onward was designed solely for slaughter, he had seen no need to reveal them.
Hwa Yul-cheong leaped into the air to avoid the pillars. The only place to escape was up.
Right then, the Fifth Form, linked seamlessly to the Fourth, was unleashed.
Imperial Sword Arts, Fifth Form: Flying Sword Dance.
Dozens of sword qi strikes poured toward him while he was exposed in mid-air. It was like a volley of arrows, but the speed was on another level. They were as fast as light.
Swish-swish-swish-swish!
He couldn't dodge the attacks coming from below and the front. Knowing he couldn't block them all, Hwa Yul-cheong pushed his Body Protection Qi to its limit and swung his sword frantically.
Bang! Bang!
Sword qi that he failed to parry struck his body. Hwa Yul-cheong was sent flying and crashed into the ground. But Jin Pae-cheon did not stop.
Shiiiiiing.
A single line of sword qi grazed the ground, shooting forward like a living thing. It was an attack meant to cleave the fallen man in half. The moment the sword qi swept through the spot where Hwa Yul-cheong had been, he vanished.
Mu-geuk thought he had used dark energy to escape, but he instantly crossed through space and reappeared.
Right behind Jin Pae-cheon’s back.
Slash!
Blood sprayed from Jin Pae-cheon’s shoulder. It was an attack that would have severed his arm had he not instinctively twisted his body.
Watching this, Geom Mu-geuk was stunned. It wasn't because Jin Pae-cheon had been cut, nor was it because Hwa Yul-cheong’s movement was as fast as lightning.
‘I didn't hear a thing!’
The moment he attacked Jin Pae-cheon, Geom Mu-geuk heard nothing. Not the sound of Hwa Yul-cheong moving, nor the sound of the sword cutting through the air. No matter how fast a sword is, it should make a sound in that split second.
It was as if the world had gone completely silent. That was the reason Jin Pae-cheon had allowed the hit.
A silent sword.
Hwa Yul-cheong’s unique martial art, the Dark Heaven Silent Sword Technique, had been unleashed.
Geom Mu-geuk knew better than anyone how difficult this was to block. Since there was no sound, one couldn't rely on hearing. When an opponent uses a Fast Sword, one must rely entirely on sight.
Masters of their level fight using all their senses. Hearing is usually the most vital sense after sight, especially against a Fast Sword. And yet, there was no sound at all.
The most decisive reason this attack was so troublesome was this: because there was no sound, one couldn't gauge the weight or power of the incoming strike. One had to block assuming every attack was a killing blow, leading to extreme consumption of internal energy.
Geom Mu-geuk realized it then.
‘So this is the martial art he prepared for the day he would fight the Alliance Leader!’
Hwa Yul-cheong gave a cold laugh.
“I shall be the one to bring the curtain down on your era.”
The moment he finished speaking—
Clang!
The second attack was blocked. A man of the Alliance Leader's caliber might block once by instinct.
Ching!
But the third attack was blocked as well. A flash of surprise crossed Hwa Yul-cheong’s face.
Then, Jin Pae-cheon uttered something shocking.
“I can hear everything.”
Not only Hwa Yul-cheong, but Geom Mu-geuk was also startled. Because Mu-geuk’s ears had heard nothing.
Hwa Yul-cheong didn't believe him. “You’re bluffing after getting lucky a few times.”
In a flash, Hwa Yul-cheong lunged from one spot to another. It was an impossible attack to block—a technique that moved without sound or a trace of energy.
Clang!
But Jin Pae-cheon blocked the next attack as well.
Right then, a massive wave of sword qi plunged down toward Jin Pae-cheon’s head from above, completely silent.
BOOM!
Not just the sword swings, but even this sword qi attack made no sound. As the rising smoke settled, Jin Pae-cheon was seen standing there. A deep hole had been gouged out beside him where he had narrowly avoided the strike.
“You can really hear it?”
Startled, Hwa Yul-cheong hid himself in the darkness. The surroundings instantly grew dim, as if the only lantern in a lightless place had been blown out.
In the pitch-black darkness, Geom Mu-geuk could tell that Hwa Yul-cheong had unleashed a technique using dark energy. Both Jin Pae-cheon and Geom Mu-geuk stood within the gloom.
Hwa Yul-cheong’s voice drifted through the dark.
“…Truly impressive.”
His voice, tinged with surprise and a sense of futility, was calm. He seemed to believe that this darkness, at least, would protect him.
“Jin Pae-cheon.”
He called Jin Pae-cheon’s name for the first time. Jin Pae-cheon felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. Since becoming the Alliance Leader, who would have dared to call him by name? Even during the years they spent as friends, Hwa Yul-cheong had never once called him by his name.
“I hated you.”
He revealed his honest feelings for the first time. The emotion he bared after decades was pure hatred.
“I truly loathed the way you acted so hypocritically for the sake of the Orthodox warriors. Most of the things you did were things you wouldn't have even bothered with if you weren't the Murim Alliance Leader, weren't they?”
Geom Mu-geuk could see it. The man was trying to shake Jin Pae-cheon’s heart. This darkness was designed to induce a Heart Demon. Mu-geuk's own Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art had already begun to activate to protect his mind.
Could the Alliance Leader withstand this?
Jin Pae-cheon did not fall for the provocation. Something began to glow within the darkness. It was Jin Pae-cheon’s sword.
Shwaaaaaa.
The sword shone with a brilliant light, illuminating Jin Pae-cheon’s face. His resolute expression remained unchanged.
The moment Jin Pae-cheon’s sword cut through the air—
RIIIIIP!
The veil of darkness was sliced apart. Like a piece of black cloth being torn, the darkness split, and light poured in. Walking out from the shredded shadows, Jin Pae-cheon spoke.
“Now, you’re going to hate me even more.”