Chapter 79
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: How Futile (4)
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“We found them!”
The cultists from the transport unit brought over large chests.
“A total of seven chests, confirmed!”
“The contents are all safe as well!”
*Rustle.*
Juhwa rose from her spot.
She could have continued to circulate her energy, but this wasn't the time. Now that the goods were found, she had to check them herself.
Supported by Ma Dongpil, she inspected each item one by one.
“Thank goodness. It's all here.”
Juhwa let out a sigh of relief. Regardless of the process, she had completed the orders given to her.
“Load the goods onto the carriages.”
The transport unit cultists loaded the chests. There weren't many, so they all fit into two carriages.
“Chief Ju, you should circulate your energy a bit longer.”
“Yes, I plan to. So...”
Juhwa glanced up the hill.
“You should go.”
“...?”
“The search is over, so I can ask the transport unit cultists to guard me. Third Squad Leader, you need to help the Young Master, don't you?”
“...He probably doesn't need my help.”
“Go anyway.”
“...”
“You're a squad leader from the Hall of Protectors, aren't you? You were tasked with escorting the transport unit, but we're going to rest for a while. So go and do what your duty requires.”
Ma Dongpil, who had been watching Juhwa quietly, bowed his head.
“Be careful.”
“Don't worry.”
*Fwoosh!*
Ma Dongpil dashed up the hill. It was a near-vertical cliff, so he had to take the long way around.
Watching Ma Dongpil's disappearing back, Juhwa sighed again. Unlike before, this sigh was tinged with frustration.
*'I've failed.'*
*'You should go for the Young Master's sake?'*
What nonsense.
The right thing to do would have been to send every cultist here.
But she couldn't do that. Because officially, the Third Young Master was not supposed to be here.
And now, she had to explain that to them.
*'He'll be fine.'*
If she hadn't witnessed the Third Young Master's skill, she wouldn't even be thinking this. Explanations wouldn't matter; the Young Master's survival would have been the priority.
This is why it's hard for people in positions of authority. Moments inevitably come when they have to lie to their subordinates, even if they don't want to.
Juhwa opened her mouth.
“All cultists, assemble. I have something to explain.”
* * *
*Claaaang!*
The clash of blades sounded much duller than before.
“Ugh!”
Jeong Illyong staggered back.
“Bleargh!”
Seo Ryang vomited blood. The shock of the attack had traveled through his own body.
But he didn't stop.
He had no intention of stopping, nor could he.
This was a fight to the death. Kill or be killed.
*Fwoosh!*
Seo Ryang charged forward again.
He was using the Nine Heavens Earth-Shrinking Steps, but he couldn't reach his usual speed. It was because he had exhausted most of his internal energy.
But that alone was enough. Stunned by his first real battle in a long time and a severe internal injury—the worst he'd had in decades—Jeong Illyong couldn't regain his senses.
*Whoosh!*
The sound of the thirty-catty great saber cutting through the air was threatening enough to make one's hair stand on end.
Jeong Illyong ducked his head sharply.
*Swish!*
A chunk of his hair was sliced off and scattered in all directions.
*Fwaaang!*
The White Crane Sword swept up from below.
He couldn't properly imbue it with internal energy, but it was still threatening enough.
The White Crane Sword itself was a rare treasure, the White Elephant Sword Art was one of the Ten Great Sword Arts of the Orthodox Faction, and it was infused with Jeong Illyong's own enlightenment.
But now, his attacks were completely ineffective against Seo Ryang.
*Crash!*
“Ugh!”
Jeong Illyong staggered again.
No matter how exquisitely profound his techniques were, he couldn't block that single saber strike.
It was a classic example of the advanced martial principles: a dull saber controls the sword, and one pressure overcomes many variations.
Seo Ryang was perfectly demonstrating the principle that a slow, heavy blade could subdue a fast, light sword, and a simple movement could suppress a multitude of variations.
*'How...'*
*Thwack!*
Jeong Illyong's head snapped to the side. He'd been struck by Seo Ryang's elbow, who hadn't missed the opening.
*'How could this brat!'*
A dull saber controlling a sword was an advanced principle, but just because one understood it didn't mean it would work against anyone.
Jeong Illyong was a supreme master. A master one would not easily encounter even in this vast continent.
It had been a long time since he'd had a real fight, and he was indeed flustered, but his skills weren't so poor that he'd be beaten by a junior who looked to be less than thirty. And by the principle of a dull saber controlling a sword, no less?
The White Elephant Sword Art, the pinnacle of illusory swordplay, was fast, but it was true that it lacked power and sharpness.
But for a master of Jeong Illyong's caliber, that hardly mattered.
His abundant internal energy would supplement the power, and his enlightenment would restore the sharpness. Moreover, he even had a treasured sword like the White Crane Sword.
To break through his martial arts with just a single thirty-catty saber was no easy feat.
*'Could it be that this young brat's enlightenment surpasses my own?!'*
*Craaack!*
Jeong Illyong's arm was thrown back.
This time was dangerous.
He almost dislocated his shoulder from the impact. The web of his hand was already torn, and blood was flowing freely.
*Fwoosh!*
Seo Ryang charged again.
His face was so pale it was almost white. The area around his nose and mouth was a bloody mess. Seeing his body drenched in a cold sweat, it wouldn't have been strange if he had collapsed on the spot.
But his eyes were still blazing like the sun. The light in his eyes, seething with killing intent, fury, madness, and countless other emotions, was overwhelming to even look at.
Jeong Illyong's face twisted.
“You bastard!”
*Thwack!*
Seo Ryang faltered. He had been struck in the shoulder by Jeong Illyong's fist.
“Do you know who I am! I am the Righteous Heaven Alliance's—!”
*Crack!*
“Kraaaaargh!”
Jeong Illyong's left shoulder slumped.
It was the same punch, yet his shoulder had been broken.
It wasn't a difference in their bone and muscle structure. Seo Ryang had poured all his strength into killing Jeong Illyong, but he was also fully aware that the fight wasn't over.
Jeong Illyong, on the other hand, was not. His panic and shock fueled his rage, and that rage weakened the White Crane Energy that should have been protecting his body.
It was the difference between a divine art and a demonic art, the difference in familiarity with real combat, and, crucially, the difference in their will to fight.
Seo Ryang swung his saber again.
*Cl-cl-clang!*
Jeong Illyong continuously retreated. Blood gushed from the torn web of his hand, his legs were losing strength, and lacerations appeared all over his upper body.
His hands, joints, and skin couldn't withstand the overwhelming pressure from the saber. Naturally, the forms of his White Elephant Sword Art faltered, and as they did, the number of wounds on his body increased.
How much time passed like that?
Seo Ryang let out a monstrous roar.
“Uwaaaaaah!!”
*Kwang!*
With a loud bang, the White Crane Sword flew backward and embedded itself cleanly in a large tree.
After sending the White Crane Sword flying, Seo Ryang immediately dropped his great saber. His muscles had reached their limit, and he could no longer swing the blade.
Jeong Illyong gritted his teeth and kicked with his right foot.
But before his foot even left the ground, he saw a shadow blocking his vision.
*Crack!*
“Keoheok!”
Jeong Illyong fell flat on his back.
His face, as he lay there, was a truly gruesome sight. Not only was his nose shattered, but his eye and one of his cheekbones had caved in.
Was that all? Beside him, four of his broken front teeth rolled on the ground.
“You... you crazy—!”
He couldn't even pronounce the words properly. No, he was in no condition to speak.
The reason he still forced out a cry of shock was that his opponent's attack had been so barbaric.
*'A headbutt!'*
It wasn't that there were no martial artists who trained their foreheads to attack with their heads, a technique known as the Iron Head Art.
But those were just third-rate thugs at best. A true master would never even attempt to attack using their head, a part of the body concentrated with all sorts of vital points.
Seo Ryang was panting, but he somehow managed a grin. His face, drenched in Jeong Illyong's blood, looked as ferocious as a demon's.
“Heok! Heok! Bastard, serves you right.”
Spitting out bloody saliva, Seo Ryang stomped on Jeong Illyong's knee.
*Crunch!*
“Kuaaaargh!”
Jeong Illyong screamed as his knee was shattered.
It wasn't just a broken leg; the joint was crushed, and the cartilage was torn. Even if he recovered his martial arts, he would never be able to use that leg for the rest of his life.
“Hah... hah... Son of a bitch! Hah... hah!”
Just as Seo Ryang was about to break the other leg, his body suddenly swayed.
“Huh? Huh?”
*Thud!*
“Kngh!”
Seo Ryang gritted his teeth. In his frenzied rampage to kill Jeong Illyong, his body had surpassed its limits.
If not for the regenerative power of the Shadow Demon Energy, all the muscles in his body would have ruptured by now.
“Keoheok! Hah... hah! You... you bastard, just you wait! Hah... hah! I'm going to cut off your limbs while you're still alive!!”
The killing intent in his screaming voice was no joke.
Jeong Illyong grew desperate.
He couldn't see properly and one of his legs was ruined, but he couldn't stay like this. If that crazy bastard got back up, he was a dead man.
*'I have to escape!'*
He never should have fought this guy like this in the first place. He immediately dropped to the ground.
“Krrrgh.”
Bloody foam frothed at his mouth. Not once since joining the Righteous Heaven Alliance, no, not once since he began his martial arts journey, had he ever been this injured.
The pain paralyzed his body, and fear froze his mind. He scrambled, trying desperately to get away from this place.
Seo Ryang gritted his teeth.
“Where do you think you're going, you son of a bitch... Kngh!”
The pain was excruciating. His entire body felt like it was on fire.
But was he going to lose to something like pain?
One of his enemies was flailing right in front of him, crawling on the ground.
*Get up and finish him!*
*'Damn it!'*
It was no use.
It wasn't because of the pain, but structurally impossible. If he moved any more, the little remaining demonic energy would flow backward, greatly increasing the risk of falling into qi deviation.
How could he live with the regret of failing to kill his enemy and ending up crippled by qi deviation? Seo Ryang ground his teeth and glared at Jeong Illyong.
Just then, Jeong Illyong glanced back. One of his eyes was ruined, so he couldn't see clearly, but he was instinctively trying to check on his opponent.
Sparks flew in Seo Ryang's eyes.
Jeong Illyong's single eye, looking at him, was filled with rage and fear. Seeing that eye reminded him of the past, of this man looking down at him with a pale smile.
“...I'll kill you!”
*Kiiiiiik!*
The Shadow True Demon Art, which he had forcibly shut down, opened once more.
This time, it wasn't intentional.
His rage, which had broken past its limits, stimulated the demonic art, and the stimulated art accurately read what his emotions desired.
The demonic art had 'understood' that the only way to resolve this emotion was to kill the opponent in the most gruesome way possible.
*Kwaduk!*
His hand, planted on the ground, trembled as it pushed Seo Ryang's body upright.
*Chiiiiik! Tutuk!*
A hazy smoke rose from his body. At the same time, blood dripped from his nose.
The Infernal Gates of the Underworld Palace unfolded on its own, but there wasn't enough demonic energy to keep those hell gates open.
Naturally, to maintain that state, the demonic art had no choice but to tap into his primal essence, the source of his life force.
Jeong Illyong couldn't help but be appalled by his opponent's tenacity.
*'Madman!'*
He truly couldn't understand. What kind of deep-seated grudge could he possibly have against someone he'd never even met, to the point of tapping into his primal essence just to force himself to his feet?
Seo Ryang raised his head and glared at Jeong Illyong.
His body, his internal energy, nothing was intact, yet his killing intent was twice as strong as before.
“Ugh.”
Jeong Illyong crawled frantically on the ground. It was no faster than a turtle, but the fear that he would die if he stopped paralyzed his reason.
But it was useless.
*Fwip! Crunch!*
“Kraaaaargh!”
He closed the distance in an instant and stomped on the broken leg again. Jeong Illyong foamed at the mouth from the indescribable pain.
*Drip, drip.*
A continuous stream of blood from his nose.
It wouldn't have been strange for him to lose consciousness from the excessive bleeding, but Seo Ryang's expression was filled with relief.
It was as if the rage that had risen to the crown of his head was flowing out with the blood, easing the pressure.
Just then, Ma Dongpil appeared.
“Young Master!”
Seo Ryang grinned. He didn't seem to even notice Ma Dongpil's arrival.
“You shouldn't have messed with me.”
He calmly lifted his leg.
His foot was aimed right at Jeong Illyong's neck.
*CRUNCH!*