Chapter 41
Ch. 41 .｡.:✧ Revealed ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Swish-
“This should be enough.”
I nodded in satisfaction, having gathered several stalks of the Red Lotus.
In the original novel, it was practically a panacea.
I tucked the lotuses into my belt and looked around.
‘Now that that’s taken care of…’
The vast lake at the bottom of the valley, nestled within this seemingly artificial landscape…
I continued my search, relying on the descriptions from the novel.
‘As expected, the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng that was supposed to be buried next to the Red Lotus is gone. The protagonist must have already taken it. There’s no trace of it…’
It was disappointing, but not unexpected.
I knew how ridiculously lucky the protagonist was in this damned Deer Brand smut-fest.
“…Found it. The Valley of No Return.”
I smiled faintly.
In the distance, I saw the place I’d been searching for.
A place I was even more eager to see than the Red Lotus itself.
A valley, shrouded in a palpable Yin energy, despite the flowing water.
The water itself had a murky, almost opaque, quality.
I quickened my pace.
Thud. Thud-
How long did I walk?
I finally reached the entrance to the Valley of No Return and flinched at the powerful energy emanating from within.
‘…The Yin energy is incredibly strong. No wonder the protagonist fled from here in the novel.’
This must be the source of the Yin energy I’d felt even before descending the cliff.
I channeled my internal energy and plunged into the waterfall.
Whoosh-
I emerged on the other side and gasped for air.
“Ptoo!”
I spat out the water that had filled my mouth and gathered my energy and scanned my surroundings.
Thankfully, I didn’t sense any other presence or anything unusual.
Relieved, I began to explore the cave.
‘The protagonist probably took the Sky-Blue Stone Oil and the Sword Immortal’s secret manual that were hidden here, too.’
I felt a pang of disappointment, but I pressed on, carefully navigating the cave, dodging the water droplets that fell from the ceiling.
A short while later, I saw a wide, open passage, like a corridor within the cave.
My eyes lit up.
‘This is it…!’
The path the Sword Immortal had prepared for his successor.
I continued down the corridor.
The Yin energy was even stronger here, but unlike the protagonist, who was only at the second-rate when he first entered this place, I had cultivated enough to protect myself from the negative energy and external influences.
‘Still, I feel a bit sluggish…’
Splash, splash-
My footsteps echoed as I walked down the corridor.
I reached the end of the passage.
A familiar sensation washed over me, a feeling I’d only experienced during life-or-death battles.
“Ugh…!”
A blast of frigid air, heavy with Yin energy, swept through the corridor, almost knocking me off my feet.
I gritted my teeth and pushed forward.
Thump, thump-
I reached a massive wall, shimmering with a mixture of amethyst and obsidian.
I took a deep breath.
“…Huu…”
I’d finally made it.
I was about to uncover the secret of the protagonist’s rise to power.
I stared at the wall, with my eyes barely able to stay open against the wind pressure.
Swish-
“…!”
It was more than just massive.
It was monumental.
The wall, as hard as diamond, bore the scars of the Sword Immortal’s power, a testament to his unparalleled skill.
‘There’s no sign of weathering. Well, I doubt anyone else would come to a place with such strong Yin energy…’
I swallowed hard and reached out to touch the dark wall.
Woooong-
The wall vibrated, as if emitting a low groan.
It felt like something was trapped inside.
I felt a powerful pull.
‘It’s… like the wall is drawing me in.’
A sense of unease and disorientation washed over me.
I decided to decipher the Sword Immortal’s message, etched into the wall in the form of sword scars.
I’d read it in the novel, but I wanted to see it for myself.
‘…I should take a few steps back.’
I stepped back and read the inscription:
FEAR NOT THE DARKNESS.
DO NOT REIGN WITH LIGHT.
WHAT MATTERS IS YOUR WILL.
DO NOT BE ATTACHED TO THE OUTCOME.
IF YOUR HEART FLOWS FREELY AND OVERFLOWS,
IF YOU ENGRAVE THIS CONVICTION AND FACE EVERY THREAT WITH THIS RESOLVE,
YOU WILL TRANSCEND THE EARTH AND STAND TALL IN THE HEAVENS.
WITH AN UNWAVERING HEART, YOU WILL ACHIEVE TRANSCENDENCE.
DO NOT HESITATE.
THIS IS THE HEAVENLY EVASION.
‘Heavenly Evasion…’
I marveled at the Sword Immortal’s words, the essence of the Heavenly Evasion Sword Technique.
His message was difficult to grasp.
“Fear not the darkness,” “Do not reign with light” – these words might seem obvious to most people.
Yet, the immense sword scars resonated with me, sparking a sense of longing and inspiration.
A primal, almost ancient, energy emanated from the inscription, a feeling akin to enlightenment.
Was I imagining things?
‘The protagonist already took the secret manual containing the core principles of the Heavenly Evasion Sword Technique. And judging by the empty pool over there, he consumed the Sky-Blue Stone Oil as well.’
I thought back to my original goal when I first arrived in this world – to surpass the protagonist.
I reaffirmed my resolve and slowly drew my sword.
Shing!
‘It doesn’t matter if I fail. I want to see how I, a martial artist barely at the peak of the first-rate level, measure up against the Sword Immortal, a man who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Martial God.’
It was a foolish, perhaps even arrogant, thought, but I didn’t care.
I stared at the dark wall, my vision narrowed and everything else faded into darkness.
I raised my sword diagonally, the tip pointing towards the ceiling.
‘Swift or heavy sword techniques are useless here. I need to meet this with the principles of the heavy sword.’
I recalled the Azure River Sword Technique, the only sword art I knew that embodied the principles of the heavy sword.
I took a deep breath and gathered my energy.
Then, I swung.
Whoosh!
The force of my swing, infused with my internal energy, cut through the air, undeterred by the gale-force winds. Finally—
“Ugh…!”
KABOOM!
An explosive roar echoed through the cave, a dissonant, deafening sound.
My sword, imbued with sword Qi, struck the dark wall. And then—
WOOOOONG-
The wall vibrated, swirling and distorting.
It wasn’t a crack or a scratch caused by my sword, but something… more.
Exhausted and overwhelmed by the Yin energy, I collapsed to my knees.
How long did I kneel there?
“Ugh…?!”
Fwoosh-
My vision, fixed on the wall despite my physical exhaustion, suddenly went dark.
‘What’s happening…?’
Crack, crack, crack-
Even in the darkness, I could hear the sound of something breaking.
My vision began to return—
“…!”
Rumble, rumble-
The hidden chamber, which no one even knew existed, began to reveal itself.
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