Chapter 103: The Real One (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103: The Real One (2)
‘Truly remarkable.’
Baek Hyang-muk, the former Alliance Leader and the First Sword of Wuhan, could not hide his admiration.
He had attempted to master Sword Flight Art numerous times himself, but it had proven to be virtually impossible.
At its core, the Art of Self-Moving Sword involved using True Qi to manipulate a blade freely through Void Object Retrieval. Because of this, one could not ignore the weight of the object. Controlling a sword with Qi while simultaneously supporting one's own weight was no simple feat.
It seemed this was a skill reserved only for the Sword Immortal and his disciples.
Flash!
However, Baek Hyang-muk was also a master who had transcended the wall of superhumans. Even without Sword Flight, he had plenty of ways to increase his speed.
For instance, by repeatedly performing Divine Bow Shadow Projection as he was doing now, he could achieve a speed comparable to Sword Flight, even if it didn't quite match it. Of course, since he couldn't cut straight across mountain ranges, catching up to the Sword Immortal’s successor remained difficult.
After running for a long while, Baek Hyang-muk came to a halt halfway up a mountain.
‘What is this?’
Something was grating against his Qi Sense.
It felt like a master of no small caliber, but their energy was steadily waning as if they were injured. They were heading northwest.
They weren't far.
On the off chance it was relevant, Baek Hyang-muk shifted his course and blurred toward the source.
Upon arriving, a figure entered his sight.
‘Who is that?’
A masked man was sprinting using Lightness Skill while clutching the stump of a severed arm. He was running as if fleeing for his life, not even stopping to treat his wound.
He looked suspicious enough that Baek Hyang-muk decided he needed to be apprehended.
Swish!
Like a bolt of lightning, Baek Hyang-muk intercepted the masked man, blocking his path. The masked man’s eyes widened in shock.
“Baek Hyang-muk?”
“Who are you, and why do you flee with a hidden face and an untreated wound?”
“Damn it!”
Instead of answering, the masked man desperately tried to change direction.
But his opponent was Baek Hyang-muk, the First Sword of Wuhan, a man hailed as the pinnacle of the Orthodox Faction. How could an injured man hope to escape when even a healthy master would find it difficult?
Slide!
Baek Hyang-muk cut him off in an instant and subdued him with a single Golden Snake Hand technique. With his only remaining arm twisted behind him, the masked man tumbled forward, his chin slamming into the dirt.
“Gah!”
Just as Baek Hyang-muk was about to tear off the man’s mask, someone emerged from the thicket ahead.
Baek Hyang-muk’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You!”
*
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Unable to block another strike, Lee Jung-gyeom was sent flying over thirty yards.
The boy had tried to redirect the force using a technique even more profound than Shifting Flowers and Grafting Trees, but he couldn't withstand the raw power of Ten Stars of Internal Power bolstered by Essence-Energy Unity.
As expected, there was a limit to how much energy one could redirect or dissipate. I didn't even need to utilize the finer points of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art to confirm it.
“Ugh...”
The boy staggered to his feet.
Still, it was impressive. Even while taking such a hit, he managed to dissipate the impact of the landing as he tumbled. Moreover, his protective Qi was extraordinary; he had endured a direct hit and remained standing.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say his durability rivaled that of my master, the Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon.
I approached the staggering figure and spoke.
“Where is the sword?”
He must have hidden the Calamity Slaughter Sword to conceal his identity.
At my question, Lee Jung-gyeom stared at me intently before breaking into a sickening smirk.
“I no longer need a sword. For I am the sword itself.”
“Ha!”
At a glance, it sounded like he was discussing a transcendent realm of martial arts. But the meaning behind those words was crystal clear.
This Lee Jung-gyeom had been completely overtaken by the Spirit Fragment of the Calamity Slaughter Sword. Just as the Spirit Fragment of the Blood Demon in the Blood Demon Sword and Zhu Sarlen’s Spirit Fragment in the Evil Connection Sword had once tried to seize control of my body.
“This won't do.”
I lunged toward him.
Lee Jung-gyeom desperately tried to open the distance using his Body Lightening Method. Trying to compete with me in Lightness Skill was a fool's errand. I took pride in the fact that my current speed easily surpassed even that of my father, the Merciless Wind God.
“Kh!”
Reaching him in an instant, I brought my palm down on his shoulder.
Bang!
He tried to redirect the massive internal power crushing his shoulder. In response, I swept his legs. His balance shattered instantly, and he slammed onto his knees.
Thud! Crack!
The moment his knees hit the ground, the earth spider-webbed for nearly two yards around him. It was proof of just how much power I had applied.
His hidden potential was staggering, but unfortunately for him, I was far superior.
“You bastard!”
He tried to stab my abdomen with a Sword-Finger strike from his right hand. I countered by kicking him near his Dantian.
Thwack!
“AAAAAAAGH!”
As the blow landed on his Dantian, he let out a scream of agonizing pain. I had controlled my strength, but the shock to his Dantian must have been significant. A fraction more power and I would have destroyed it entirely.
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
I quickly struck his pressure points. Then, I twisted his right arm behind him, pinning it with my left hand while pressing down on his left arm with my knee. With his pressure points sealed, he could neither circulate his power nor move.
“Let go! Let me go, you bastard!”
He shrieked and writhed, but it was futile.
‘Now, shall I absorb it?’
I gripped Lee Jung-gyeom’s head with my right hand and activated the power of Heavenly Authority, the fourth gate of the Seven Stars Profound Gate.
Among the Big Dipper-shaped dots on the back of my right hand, the fourth one began to shimmer with a blue light.
‘Where is it?’
I closed my eyes and focused. The Spirit Fragment must have encroached upon Lee Jung-gyeom’s soul. I had to find and absorb it.
Unlike before, I had learned the Seven Stars Profound Gate directly from the Sword Immortal at the Fuse, making me far more proficient in wielding Heavenly Authority.
‘It should have possessed his soul by now...’
Something was wrong.
I had accessed his soul through Heavenly Authority, but I couldn't feel the Spirit Fragment. If it were there, it would surely have sensed the energy of Heavenly Authority and struggled to avoid being consumed. But there was no such sign.
Even more bizarre was that a normal person’s soul should coexist with their own Spirit Fragment, which contains their Mental Focus. Yet, I couldn't feel that either.
In short, there was only the Soul.
‘Could he have been so completely consumed by the Calamity Slaughter Sword’s Spirit Fragment that...’
—Woon-hwi!
Suddenly, the voice of the Lesser Conversation Sword echoed in my mind. He sounded incredibly frantic. He wasn't the type to call out to me like this normally. What was happening?
I prepared to stop the Heavenly Authority.
It was at that exact moment.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
“Guh!”
I was violently snapped back to reality as several objects pierced my body.
Startled, I looked down to see long needles embedded in the vital points across my entire body. The Seven Great Vital Points were hit, and one was even driven into my Dantian.
“Blegh!”
Blood erupted from my mouth from the severe internal injuries. I couldn't understand what had happened.
—Woon-hwi, are you alright?
The voice of the Namcheon Iron Sword rang in my head. Come to think of it, thanks to the Namcheon Iron Sword blocking my heart, that was the only area spared from the needles. If those had hit, even my Middle Dantian would have been compromised.
Having used the power of the fifth star, Alioth, to have him watch for Baek Hyang-muk’s arrival had turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
However, with dozens of long needles pinning my pressure points, I couldn't move a muscle.
Shiver!
Suddenly, a chillingly powerful aura erupted from Lee Jung-gyeom, whom I had been pinning down. This was on a completely different level from ordinary True Qi.
I had felt this a few times before.
‘Demonic Aura?’
The skin around Lee Jung-gyeom’s neck was turning black. Despite my internal power sealing his pressure points, his body surged with strength, and he threw me off.
As I fell backward, the needles in my back were driven even deeper.
“Kh!”
‘Namcheon!’
I called out to the Namcheon Iron Sword. This was no time to be dazed by the ambush.
—Understood!
At my command, the Namcheon Iron Sword flew toward Lee Jung-gyeom’s back. It intended to pierce his Dantian in one go.
But Lee Jung-gyeom spun around instantly and caught the blade of the Namcheon Iron Sword between two fingers.
Clang!
Vibrate!
The blade of the Namcheon Iron Sword quivered violently. It struggled to break free and pierce him, but it couldn't budge.
“Impressive. To wield a sword through the Art of Self-Moving Sword even after your Dantian has been sealed by Death Blood Needles? Is this the secret of the Sword Immortal’s Seven Stars Profound Gate?”
“You...?”
I was struck by utter bewilderment. How did this guy know about the Seven Stars Profound Gate?
Then, I heard the sound of something being driven into the ground.
Thud! Rumble!
—Woon-hwiiiiii!
I heard the panicked voice of the Namcheon Iron Sword. It seemed he had been pinned to the ground.
Then, the man’s face appeared above me as I lay paralyzed on the earth.
‘!?’
His face was stained entirely black. Even the whites of his eyes had turned pitch black. A chillingly dense darkness and evil aura radiated from him.
His appearance had changed, but his power seemed to have nearly doubled.
“Who the hell are you...?”
Crack! Snap!
The man cracked his neck, loosening up his body. He looked down at me and spoke.
“I lured you into letting your guard down, but letting myself be beaten on purpose wasn't exactly pleasant.”
“On purpose?”
In response to my question, the man smirked.
“The secret of the Seven Stars Profound Gate that allows communication with swords... it includes a technique to control and absorb the Mental Focus within a blade, doesn't it?”
I was momentarily speechless. Who was this guy? How did he know that?
“I was certain that someone like you would try to absorb the Spirit Fragment of the Calamity Slaughter Sword from me. You moved exactly as I predicted, which made it a bit dull.”
“You... you aren't Lee Jung-gyeom.”
The man let out a mocking laugh.
“At least you aren't a complete fool.”
Whether possessed by a Spirit Fragment or not, there was no way the real Lee Jung-gyeom would know such things, nor would he set such a trap. Furthermore, one thing had become certain.
This man was not associated with the Golden Emperor.
“Who are you?”
Instead of answering, the man placed his foot on my abdomen and pressed down slowly.
Crunch!
“Guaaaah!”
The long needle in my Dantian dug deeper, causing excruciating pain. The man spoke, his voice dripping with murderous intent.
“I have waited for this day.”
Why was he venting such rage at me? I couldn't fathom the reason, but given his knowledge of the Seven Stars Profound Gate, he might be someone who knew of the Fuse’s existence.
“You probably never imagined a day like this would come. Why do you think I didn't carry a sword and prepared needles instead?”
...He clearly knew that I communicated with swords. Seeing how he prepared this trap to counter that, he was definitely related to the Fuse, just as I suspected.
I said to him, “Are you from the Fuse?”
At my words, the man spoke with clear distaste.
“To compare me to those idiots who abandoned their duty to chase after transcendence... you truly are a fool.”
What? He knew about the Fuse’s existence. I couldn't even begin to guess his identity. If he wasn't the Golden Emperor’s subordinate and wasn't related to the Fuse, then who was he?
“...Reveal yourself.”
The man sneered.
“You don't deserve to know.”
With those words, he thrust his Sword-Finger toward my heart, aiming for my Middle Dantian.
But at that exact moment, something sharp streaked toward him.
Slash!
The man twisted his body and swatted it away.
Residual traces of Crimson Killing Intent scattered in the air. Though I couldn't move my body and could only look up, I knew exactly who it was just by seeing that.
It was the former Alliance Leader, Baek Hyang-muk.
—Woon-hwi. There’s one more person.
One more?
—I don't understand what's going on.
What is it?
—There’s another Lee Jung-gyeom here.
At the Lesser Conversation Sword’s words, I shared his vision using the power of Alioth. Instantly, the view from the sword at my waist was projected into my mind like a phantom.
There, alongside Baek Hyang-muk, stood Lee Jung-gyeom.
That Lee Jung-gyeom was also staring with wide eyes at the man who shared his own face. Though the other’s skin and eyes were stained black, how could he not be shocked to see his own reflection?
“You... who are you?”
At his question, the other Lee Jung-gyeom standing over me gave a thin, cruel smile.
“Perfect. I was planning on cleaning everything up anyway.”
“Cleaning everything up?”
Baek Hyang-muk looked incredulous. He aimed his Sword-Finger, which was shimmering with killing intent, and roared.
“Have you been impersonating my disciple all this time?!”