Chapter 58: Spirit Treasure (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: Spirit Treasure (2)
“His wounds are healing?”
I heard Tian Wuxing’s voice from the bed.
He seemed deeply shocked to see the man’s injuries closing up.
I, however, wasn't nearly as surprised. I had already witnessed recovery far more miraculous than this, and my own recovery ability far exceeded that of an ordinary person.
The man gave me a bloody smirk.
“I don’t have much time, so I’ll deal with you properly.”
Swish!
He suddenly lunged his hand toward me.
We were more than eight paces apart. Just as I was wondering what he was doing, a dagger came hurtling toward me.
Clang!
I swung the Namcheon Iron Sword and parried it.
It seemed he was using a dual-dagger technique, but to throw one of them like this...
Not wanting to miss the opening, I lunged toward him. At that moment, something black caught my eye.
‘!?’
—Un-hwi, behind you!
Without a moment to think, I leaped into the air, spinning my body as I swung my sword.
Clang!
Something sharp struck the blade and was deflected.
It was the dagger. A silver thread, thin as a hair, was tied to the end of its hilt.
‘Silver Smoke Thread?’
Unless my eyes were deceiving me, it was definitely Silver Smoke Thread.
Whir!
The deflected dagger acted like a weight as the Silver Smoke Thread shortened, attempting to wrap around the Namcheon Iron Sword. If I kept swinging my sword, it would only get more entangled. In a situation like this, the only option was to pull.
“Ho. But what will you do about this?”
As I pulled my sword back, the dagger changed direction and flew toward my head.
‘This is...’
I hastily tilted my head to the side to dodge it. The missed dagger changed course again, aiming for my chest, but I blocked it with the flat of my blade.
Clang! Thud!
Simultaneously with the block, I kicked the dagger back toward him. As the man adjusted the length of the Silver Smoke Thread, the flying dagger was sucked back into his hand.
The man furrowed his brow.
“You seem quite familiar with throwing dagger techniques.”
He seemed puzzled by how skillfully I was responding. I spoke to him.
“Silver Smoke Thread and the Flash Shadow Throwing Dagger Technique. Who did you learn them from?”
“What?”
His expression turned peculiar at my question.
I was the one who was truly curious. Starting with the Silver Smoke Thread, he was using the Flash Shadow Throwing Dagger Technique. I was the one who had met the Dagger-Killing King in the valley of Six Blood Valley and inherited his legacy. Before he died, he had said he had no children or disciples.
The man’s lips twitched as he spoke.
“How do you know about the Silver Smoke Thread and the Flash Shadow Throwing Dagger Technique?”
“I asked first.”
“What a ridiculous fellow. I am the one who originally created the Flash Shadow Throwing Dagger Technique. Have you perhaps fought against Han Ji-sang?”
‘Han Ji-sang!’
This man definitely knew the Dagger-Killing King, Han Ji-sang. What was their relationship?
As I wondered, the man muttered as if he couldn't understand.
“No. That’s impossible. It’s been ages since Han Ji-sang died. There’s no way a green youth like you could have fought him.”
‘Now is the chance.’
I slightly shielded my neck with my sword and sent a Secret Sound Transmission to Tian Wuxing.
[Run while I distract him.]
The man hadn't even unleashed his full forms yet, but based on how he handled the daggers, he was more skilled in throwing techniques than I was. With the Silver Smoke Thread, he wasn't restricted by space. If he decided to target Tian Wuxing, the old man would be in grave danger. It was better for me if he escaped so I wouldn't be distracted.
[Run as soon as I attack him.]
After sending the transmission, I immediately lunged at the man. As expected, he instantly threw a dagger at me. The trajectory of the flying dagger was irregular, snapping in all directions, making it difficult to guess where it would strike.
‘Flying Dagger Strike Formation.’
It was the third form of the Flash Shadow Throwing Dagger Technique, Flying Dagger Strike Formation.
Clang!
I parried the dagger flying toward my chest. The dagger seemed like it would bounce away, but then it suddenly changed direction mid-air as if hitting an invisible wall and lunged for my thigh.
Clang!
I blocked that too, but the dagger continued to rush in, constantly shifting its trajectory.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Even though I knew the technique, the throwing dagger art displayed by his hands was incredibly mysterious and unpredictable. I unleashed the third form of the Life Bright Sword Technique, the Illuminating Shadow Sword.
The sword moved like a supple willow branch, creating variations that disrupted the dagger’s trajectory.
‘I must not let the Silver Smoke Thread get tangled.’
The moment it got caught, the sword’s movement would stop. It was then.
“Do you think I’ll let you escape?”
Shook!
‘Ah!’
The man threw a dagger with his left hand. Since I had anticipated he would eventually throw the dagger held in his other hand, I hastily reached out with my left hand.
The Lesser Conversation Sword, which I had already attached to a Silver Smoke Thread, flew out and struck the dagger. It was a good thing I had kept it hidden as a trump card.
Clang!
“You?”
The man looked astonished upon seeing the Silver Smoke Thread. But he wasn't the only one surprised.
‘Damn it!’
Unexpectedly, the man’s other dagger was also connected to a Silver Smoke Thread. With a slight twist of his left hand, the deflected dagger struck the air and flew toward Tian Wuxing again.
In response, I also changed the direction of the Lesser Conversation Sword I was trying to retrieve.
Clang! Whirrrr!
As the Lesser Conversation Sword and the dagger collided, their Silver Smoke Threads became entangled.
It was a bizarre situation. We both had to pull with our left hands while continuing to move our right hands.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
“Hahat! I wondered how you knew the Flash Shadow Throwing Dagger Technique so well. You really were that fellow Han Ji-sang’s disciple.”
“I merely received his teachings.”
We weren't in a master-disciple relationship. Then, the man gave a smirk and kicked out. At that moment, a sharp hidden weapon shot out from his shoe and sliced through the air.
With both my hands occupied, I had no time to do anything.
“Agh!”
Tian Wuxing’s scream erupted. To think he had hidden weapons in his feet as well.
‘What happened?’
—The hidden weapon pierced the old man’s back. He’s still alive, seeing as his body is twitching slightly, but...
‘Damn it!’
I didn't need to hear the rest. His life was in danger. My mistake was thinking we were both immobilized because our threads were tangled. This man’s way of fighting was distinctly different from typical martial artists.
The man sneered at me.
“Listen. If you learned from Han Ji-sang, then I am practically your Grandmaster.”
“Grandmaster?”
What was he talking about? A Grandmaster meant the teacher of one’s teacher. Looking at his voice and face, he looked to be in his mid-thirties at most.
—Did he undergo Rejuvenation or something?
That was impossible. Even masters who had broken through the Wall could only delay aging, not stop it. Rejuvenation was a story found only in legends. Furthermore, while this man was strong, he hadn't crossed the Wall.
The man grinned at me.
“It would be a waste to just kill you since you’ve inherited my legacy. How about becoming my disciple?”
“Cut the nonsense.”
“The kid’s got spirit.”
“If you were the Dagger-Killing King’s master, you’d have to be at least eighty. Do you really expect me to believe that?”
At those words, the corners of the man’s mouth curled up.
“If you follow me, you can become like this too.”
“I’ll pass.”
“That’s a real shame then.”
Tug!
I pulled on my left hand, where our Silver Smoke Threads were entangled. It was to drag him toward me.
“It seems you didn't learn properly from that fellow Han Ji-sang. If you do this...”
The man violently shook his left arm. Then, his dagger, which was tied to the Lesser Conversation Sword, spun wildly, and the entangled Silver Smoke Threads unraveled. The freed dagger drew a large arc and flew toward my head.
Whir!
I infused Innate True Qi to retrieve the Lesser Conversation Sword and parried the dagger. Then, the two daggers crossed, creating an even more complex technique.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
I had practiced using my left hand, but this man moved his daggers as if his mind were split in two, controlling each one differently. It was like being attacked by two masters simultaneously.
—Your shoulder!
The Lesser Conversation Sword warned me, but it was already too late.
Thud!
“Urgh!”
The dagger eventually sank into my left shoulder. The moment it struck, the man pulled the Silver Smoke Thread. My body was jerked slightly, and the other dagger aimed for my throat.
This was no time to worry about the thread getting tangled in my sword.
‘Rising Dragon Return Sword.’
The fourth form of the True Life Bright Sword Technique, Rising Dragon Return Sword.
My body spun rapidly, and the sword technique stirred the air like a whirlwind. The Silver Smoke Thread wound around the blade of the rotating Namcheon Iron Sword, and the dagger that had been aiming for my throat got caught in the thread and was swung around wildly.
“Got you.”
As the man pulled with both hands, the Silver Smoke Threads, which were entangled like a spiderweb, tightened. I was trapped in a net of silver thread.
“Hahat!”
The man lunged forward in that state.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
I threw the Lesser Conversation Sword at him. The man leaped into the air and scrambled across the ceiling. As expected of someone claiming to be the Dagger-Killing King’s master, his Body Lightening Method was as bizarre as his concealment and hidden weapons.
Swish!
Having bypassed me in an instant, the man tried to approach the fallen Tian Wuxing. At that moment, hot steam erupted from my body.
Ssssssssss!
The man grimaced at the sudden change.
“You... could that be...”
It was the True Blood Golden Body, the secret art of the Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon. The man had many hidden tricks, but I had just as many.
“Tch!”
The man hastily pulled his right hand. The Silver Smoke Threads that had been trapping me in a net tightened, becoming as sharp as steel wires.
“If you move, your body will be sliced to pieces!”
“Try it.”
Using my surging strength and internal power, I forcibly pushed through the Silver Smoke Threads wrapped around me and the Namcheon Iron Sword. My body had been hardened by the True Blood Golden Body.
“True Blood Golden Body? Who the hell are you to have mastered Orthodox sword techniques, an assassin’s art, and the martial arts of the Blood Cult’s Bizarre Demon?”
Grind!
I ignored his words and pressed forward. The muscles in the man’s right arm, which was pulling the Silver Smoke Thread, bulged.
“Damn it!”
The man hastily pulled his left hand. The dagger that had been stuck in my shoulder was ripped out.
Swish!
The man reached toward the fallen Tian Wuxing. After a few waves of his hand, the sound of flesh being cut followed, and a booklet was pierced by the dagger and pulled back to him. Tucking it into his robes, the man sneered.
“I’d love to play with you more, but I don’t have the time.”
Swish!
The man ran sideways to keep the Silver Smoke Threads blocking me taut. It looked like he intended to pass me and escape through the third-floor window of the clinic. If I let him, he would get exactly what he wanted.
‘In that case.’
Boom!
I stomped heavily on the floor.
‘Chasing Return Sword.’
I unleashed the sixth form of the True Life Bright Sword Technique, Chasing Return Sword.
As the sword spun, the Silver Smoke Threads wrapped around it even faster. The taut lines resisted the rotation, tearing into my palms, but I didn't care.
“Hup!”
As the Silver Smoke Threads were rapidly wound up, the man, who had been moving sideways, was forcibly lifted into the air and dragged toward me.
“You brat!”
Swish!
As he was pulled toward me, the man threw a dagger with his left hand.
Clang!
I parried it with the Lesser Conversation Sword. The moment the man was dragged right in front of me, I thrust the Chasing Return Sword forward.
“Damn it!”
The man kicked out with his front foot to somehow escape. A hidden weapon shot out from his shoe toward my abdomen.
Thud!
It was a needle-sharp weapon, but it couldn't penetrate my abdomen, which had been hardened by the True Blood Golden Body, and only managed to prick the surface. This much was bearable, so I thrust the Chasing Return Sword toward the man’s throat.
Even if his recovery was fast, he wouldn't survive his head being taken off.
“Hwaaaah!”
To somehow avoid his throat being pierced, the man threw his body backward and pulled down with all his might using his right arm.
Ping!
The Silver Smoke Threads wrapped around the sword reached their maximum tension, and the Chasing Return Sword stopped right in front of the man’s nose.
The man gave a triumphant smile.
“So close.”
Then he pulled his left hand. I saw the Silver Smoke Thread winding.
—Now!
At the Lesser Conversation Sword’s shout, I tilted my head to the side. The man’s eyes widened as I accurately dodged the dagger without even looking.
Boom!
I stomped the ground again.
‘Reverse Chasing Return Sword!’
The sword spun rapidly in the opposite direction, and the Silver Smoke Threads that had been tightly wound around the Namcheon Iron Sword began to unravel.
“W-What?”
Startled, the man hastily thrust the retrieved dagger toward my face. I quickly tilted my head to dodge, and the dagger merely grazed my cheek. I grabbed the man’s wrist with my left hand and extended the Reverse Chasing Return Sword.
“Urgh!”
The man pulled his right hand downward. Thanks to that, the Reverse Chasing Return Sword, which had been aimed at his head, spun and pierced through the space between his collarbones because of the partially unraveled thread.
Rip-rip-rip!
“Gurgle.”
The man groaned in agony as the sword spun within the wound, grinding his flesh. In that state, I held the sword vertically and lifted it straight up through his head.
Slash!
“Gah!”
In an instant, the sword exited through the crown of his head. A red line appeared as the man’s face was split in half.
“Hah... hah...”
His tenacity was miraculous. To think he was still breathing even with his head split in two.
But the man’s gaze was fixed on my left cheek. It was the spot where his dagger had grazed me.
“You... you... what are you?”
Since it was only a graze, the recovery must have been visibly apparent. He seemed shaken, his pupils trembling violently at the sight of someone recovering as quickly as himself.
I spoke to him.
“Don't worry about it and just die.”
I swung my sword and took his head.
Slash!
As I cut his neck, his head fell off and rolled across the floor. The torso, which had been standing tall, finally collapsed.
The man moved no more.
As I deactivated the True Blood Golden Body, my breathing became ragged.
“Haa... haa...”
He was a more difficult opponent than any master I had faced so far. I leaned down and retrieved the booklet from the man’s corpse.
The booklet now had a hole in it from the man’s dagger. Seeing how desperately he had targeted this, was it truly the Spirit Treasure of the Sword Immortal?
It was then.
Thump!
My heart suddenly began to beat violently. Then, a hot energy surged within me.
—What’s wrong?
‘The Innate True Qi is moving on its own.’
It wasn't intentional. Then.
Whoosh!
The booklet in my hand was engulfed in blue flames. Startled by the unexpected phenomenon, I tried to drop the booklet, but then the surroundings suddenly turned dark.
When I blinked, the area was instantly covered in mist.
“What on earth...”
As I stood there bewildered, a figure appeared within the mist.
An old man with a transcendent, immortal air, dressed in pure white robes, was looking at me while holding a sword bathed in white light.