Chapter 416: That Bastard is Here (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 416: That Bastard is Here (2)
My world had turned yellow. The sky, the grass, the lake—everything around me was bathed in a sickly, jaundiced hue.
For the past five days, this was the only reality I knew.
"Ptoo."
I spat on the ground, and a streak of crimson blood mixed with the saliva.
Crack!
My bones screamed in protest as I forced myself to stand. A dull, all-encompassing ache throbbed through my entire body. Clinging to consciousness had come at a steep price; it felt as if the very blood vessels within me had been tangled into knots.
I was a complete mess.
My Qi raged like a wild beast, completely beyond my control. My vision swam, making it difficult to even see what was right in front of me. The sensation was eerily similar to a Qi deviation, but I knew better.
Soon, I would regain control of my body.
Just as I anticipated—
Craaack-!!
"Ughh…"
A violent shudder wracked my frame, and the tumultuous flow of Qi began to stabilize. The rampaging energy that had been tearing through my meridians moments before was now being pulled back, forcibly drawn into my Dantian. The twisted, knotted feeling in my vessels started to recede, stretching back into their proper positions.
The pain of this process was indescribable. All I could do was clench my teeth, biting back the screams that threatened to tear from my throat.
Fu…ck…!
This violent realignment of my Qi and blood vessels was the power of the Heaven Destruction Art, the technique I had learned from the Dishonored Venerable. Now I understood why he had insisted that I needed to master this art, to become one with my body, before learning his other techniques. A foundation must be laid before anything can be built upon it.
The Heaven Destruction Art possessed the terrifying ability to force a rebirth, to artificially mend a body broken to its very limits.
Of course, such a thing wasn't something I could perform at will.
"Huff… Huff…" It was only after the pain subsided and my Qi and vessels finally calmed that I could lift my head. When my vision cleared, a hollow laugh escaped my lips at the sheer absurdity of the sight before me.
…This power is insane.
A gigantic scar was carved into the earth where a forest of trees and boulders should have been. If I had to compare, the devastation was on par with the crater I'd created when I fought the Black Dragon using a massive Flaming Sphere.
But this… I had done this with a single strike.
One Fist.
The first technique of the Heaven Destruction Art was capable of this level of pure destruction. I had known it was an unbelievable art, but experiencing it firsthand confirmed it. This martial art was truly worthy of being called a Divine Art.
That old man… I should've known from the way his punches felt like they were breaking reality itself.
When I had fought the Dishonored Venerable in my past life, each of his strikes felt less like a punch and more like my very existence was being shattered. Now I knew why.
He had said this martial art was created solely for destruction and transcendence. That description fit perfectly.
However, there was one major problem.
As impressive as the destructive force was, the backlash on my body was immense. My vessels were thrown into disarray as my Qi went on a rampage beyond my control.
Last midnight, when the Dishonored Venerable had used the technique on me personally, he'd claimed I would learn faster by experiencing it directly. After being on the receiving end of his attack, I understood. The Heaven Destruction Art within me had reacted on its own.
A martial art that could be learned through experience alone. It was mind-boggling. Even after going through it, I still couldn't fully comprehend the process. How was such a thing possible?
After striking me, the Dishonored Venerable had vanished, leaving only a message as I writhed in agony.
-"Now, try it on your own."
I had been utterly speechless. He attacks me and then tells me to try it myself? This old man was truly insane.
Or so I had thought.
So why is this actually working?
Just as the Dishonored Venerable had intended, my body, imprinted with the technique, was now guiding me. The Qi moved before my fist even extended. It was telling me to follow its flow.
I knew instinctively. The Qi was instructing me on how to control it, where to place my feet, how to position my hips. If I failed to follow its guidance, I was met with excruciating pain, a clear punishment for doing wrong.
Because of this, while the technique looked impressive, it wasn't technically difficult to learn, just as the old man had said. The motion was simply a single striking gesture with the fist.
The true challenge lay in the unbelievable degree of control and Qi manipulation required.
Just condensing the wild Qi is difficult enough, so why is controlling it so hard?
I had to condense the wildly rampaging Qi and gather it all into my fist. The condensation process demanded immense physical strength, and I had to endure it and execute the technique perfectly. The pain involved was horrific.
I needed precise control to ensure the Qi flowed only where it should, even as my body grew numb, all to execute that one straight-line strike.
That was the essence of the One Fist technique.
A simple movement, but it required a staggering amount of focus. The real problem was the aftermath. The pain was so severe it literally painted my world yellow. The technique consumed a vast amount of Qi, disordering my vessels and internal energy flow.
Each time, the Heaven Destruction Art would forcibly fix my body, but the pain of the process was so great it made me afraid to use it more than a few times.
Is the price worth the power?
I ended up in this state after just one use. If the destructive force was only comparable to my Flaming Sphere, it might not have been worth it. But I could see the potential.
And this is before I've even mastered it.
I had caused this much devastation while being far from proficient. Even if I had to endure this pain and difficulty every time, a martial art with this much power was truly worthy of being called a Divine Art.
I stood up, my legs shaking. Breathing was still difficult, but I pretended to be calm as I looked behind me.
There, the Dishonored Venerable stood watching me, arms crossed, a faint smile on his face. He looked rather satisfied.
"Not bad for your first time."
"…Can't you see that I'm dying over here?"
"Well, you didn't."
That damned old man…!
I frowned at his bluntness.
"Well, do you think you can use this technique again?"
"No, I don't think I can do it more than once."
"So it means you can at least do it once. I'm happy with that response."
"…How can you be so unnecessarily positive all the time?"
Why was he acting so cheerful when someone was on the verge of death right here?
"You seem far too happy."
"Of course I am. It's much better than I expected."
"It is?"
It did feel like I had executed the technique properly, judging by the aftermath, but the pain and the state it left me in were hardly pleasant. But apparently, I had done well?
Seeing my confused expression, the Dishonored Venerable responded with a smirk.
"You seem to be mistaken."
"Huh?"
"You accomplished something I expected would take two months, in just a week. How could I be disappointed?"
Two months? This technique was supposed to take two months? It's just a simple striking gesture.
The Dishonored Venerable continued as he walked over. "It may look the easiest, and it is the simplest form, but it's the technique I've spent the most time perfecting."
Considering this was the foundation of his martial art, I could somewhat understand what he meant.
"Anyway, since you've succeeded, you should know yourself, child, just how complicated this technique truly is."
"Yes…"
I had only called it simple based on its external appearance. It looked easy, but the internal process was more complex than anything—condensation, maintenance, control, and execution. Precise control was required at every step to avoid failure.
If I failed, the Qi would explode uncontrollably inside my body, subjecting me to unbelievable pain. I had experienced that countless times over the past few days. After struggling relentlessly, I had finally succeeded for the first time today.
"Do you not know how impressive it is to succeed in just a week?"
"…"
I couldn't really feel how impressive it was. It was difficult, yes, but it seemed possible as long as one could endure the pain.
The Dishonored Venerable spoke, observing my expression. "I've said this before. I don't know about anything else—" His smile, which hadn't faded, suggested he was thoroughly satisfied with the outcome. "—but there isn't anyone more suited than you for my martial art."
"…"
"Not bad. Good work."
The Dishonored Venerable tapped my shoulder and walked past me. I still wasn't used to this ticklish feeling of being treated like a genius.
…A martial art suited for me, huh.
But I could feel it for myself. The Heaven Destruction Art was indeed well-suited for me. More than anything, I liked that I could learn it through sheer endurance of pain.
I shook my head, dismissing the thoughts. I couldn't afford to let a simple compliment make me so happy.
"Oh, right, child."
"Yes, Elder."
"I'm saying this just in case, but you are also prohibited from using this technique in a real battle without my permission."
"…"
"You are also forbidden from using it outside of my sight. You already know the reason, I presume?"
"…Yes."
There was a good reason. It was an extreme technique that could cause severe damage to my body if I messed up. Only the Dishonored Venerable knew how to deal with the consequences of failure, which was why he forbade me from using it unsupervised.
Satisfied with my response, the Dishonored Venerable disappeared. The moment I was alone, I collapsed to the ground.
"…Whew."
The world still felt like it was spinning from the aftermath. Only after he left could I finally let out a sigh of relief.
I succeeded.
I had been worried about what would happen if I failed. Thankfully, I had managed to succeed in the end.
Yet, I felt a flicker of annoyance. I wouldn't have pushed myself so hard if I had known he expected it to take two months. Believing the Dishonored Venerable when he said it was an "easy" technique to learn, I had skipped sleep to succeed as fast as possible… only to find out his benchmark was two months.
"…Whatever, who cares as long as I succeeded."
It was frustrating, but a success was a success. I tried to console myself with that thought.
As I lay mindlessly on the ground, I suddenly sensed a presence approaching from a distance. I pushed myself up slightly.
Tap.
Someone landed lightly in front of me, having flown a great distance. It was the White Ripple Sword, her movements graceful and effortless.
"What's up?" I greeted her with a nod.
She responded in a bright tone. "You came."
"Huh, I came right on time, but why are you lying down?"
"…I feel a little lightheaded."
I forced my body into a sitting position. The White Ripple Sword tilted her head but didn't press further.
"You told me not to come anywhere close to you during your training. Did something happen?"
"My training just finished… and there's something I wanted to tell you."
"Hmm? Me?"
"Yes."
Her eyes immediately started to shine with curiosity. I didn't know what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't anything that exciting…
With that thought, I asked her a question. "Are you free later this evening?"
The White Ripple Sword's eyes widened. Then, a mischievous smile spread across her face as she waved a hand. "Oh? Are you trying to flirt with your big sis right now? Oh dear, with so many girls around you, yet you…"
"It's nothing like that," I immediately denied, frowning deeply. What was this woman talking about? Why would I try to flirt with her?
"It's not?"
"Not at all."
"…Really?"
I ignored her strangely disappointed expression and got straight to the point. "Do you remember… the deal we made last time?"
"I do."
The White Ripple Sword had begged to work as my escort, and we had made several agreements. In one of them, I had secured the right to make one request of her, and she had accepted. She had even allowed me to place a Shackle on her.
"I'm thinking about using that request tonight."
The White Ripple Sword's annoying smile returned. "Tonight, you say… See, so you are trying to flir—"
"I'm not…"
"…Why not?"
What did she mean, 'why not'!? Why did this woman keep interpreting everything the wrong way? It was truly speechless, seriously.
As I continued to deny her, the White Ripple Sword spoke with a frown. "Then what is it?"
I only had one request for her.
The bastard has come.
Not too far from here, the 'bastard' had arrived. It was around the expected time, and I had been able to sense his approach anyway. I had prepared a little 'something' for him in advance.
My request for the White Ripple Sword was related to this.
Tonight, I planned to confront the Green King.
Despite his giant physique, he was clever. I didn't think he would directly ambush the whole crew; he wasn't foolish enough to attack when the Lords of the Pei Clan and Tang Clan were present. He would most likely wait for an opportune moment.
Therefore, I planned to visit him first. This suited me as well, since I didn't want the Green King and the Poison King to run into each other.
It might be dangerous to visit him directly, but I had a plan. Just as I began to slowly gather my Qi, thinking about my next move, the White Ripple Sword suddenly asked another question.
"So you're sure you aren't flirting with me?"
"…"
I had to rub my face in exasperation before I could even make my request. I already felt my energy being drained just by talking to her.