Chapter 250
Chapter 250
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 250
Chapter Title: A Lifetime's Conviction
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People formed their own notions and beliefs at vastly different points in life, each one unique.
Most only built firm convictions after years of experience, upon reaching adulthood or middle age.
And Song Dowan was not one of those people.
Song Dowan.
He was born into a humble family in Fujian Province and grew up as their only child.
His parents shared a deep bond, but their household was far from prosperous.
His father toiled half the day as a tenant farmer on someone else's land, while his mother worked as a wet nurse for children from wealthier families.
After Song Dowan was born, they worked even harder, scraping together every coin they could.
All to break the cycle of poverty for their son and give him a better life than their own.
Ten years passed like that.
The year Song Dowan turned ten, they used their savings to open a small inn.
It was in a remote spot far from their home, barely half the size of an ordinary roadside lodge, but they had succeeded nonetheless.
And even at his young age, Song Dowan knew.
This inn had been built from his father's sweat and his mother's tears.
They couldn't afford to hire a cook or a server, so naturally, his mother took over the kitchen while young Song Dowan greeted the guests.
The family banded together, dreaming of a brighter future, as the inn's opening day drew near.
And that day became one he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Crash!
Who could have foreseen that the inn's very first customer would be a fiend from the evil sects, fleeing a warrant issued by the Martial Alliance?
Or that the second guest would be a righteous warrior from the Alliance, chasing him down?
Disaster struck the moment the two crossed paths inside. The place turned into utter chaos in seconds.
Crack!
Dishes flew, chairs splintered, and tables hurtled in every direction.
Song Dowan stared in stunned silence until his gaze shifted to his parents.
They huddled in place, tears streaming down their faces.
In that moment, he understood.
What these men were destroying wasn't just the inn—it was his parents' hopes and dreams.
But what could he do, even if he tried to intervene now?
Nothing.
He had the courage to step forward, but not the strength to back it up.
All he could do was stand there helplessly, watching the brutal clash of warriors and the inn's destruction.
Then, at that moment.
Creak.
A middle-aged man pushed open the rickety door and stepped inside.
He stopped at the entrance, surveyed the mayhem, and without a hint of hesitation bellowed at them.
—What in the world do you think you're doing here?
The righteous warrior glanced at the man's attire and immediately pleaded for aid.
—This bastard slaughtered an entire family in Sichuan and fled! Help me capture him, and I'll reward you handsomely, so please…!
—A murderer who slaughtered a whole family, eh?
But his words fell short.
The middle-aged man approached, his voice low and steady.
—Aren't you doing the exact same thing right now, smashing this family apart?
—I-I'm upholding justice in the martial world…!
Thud!
Before he could finish his excuse, the man struck his solar plexus, knocking him out cold.
He then dashed to the fiend, grabbed him by the hair, and slammed his head into the floor, dropping him too.
Standing tall amid the two unconscious fighters, he scanned the wreckage of the inn.
Shaking his head, he muttered,
—I just wanted a bite to eat, but that's out of the question now.
He strode toward Song Dowan and tossed something over like it was nothing.
Song Dowan caught it with both hands and looked down.
It was a pouch of silver coins, enough to rebuild the ruined inn, judging by the loose drawstring.
Song Dowan couldn't comprehend the man's actions.
'Why?'
He wasn't someone they knew. Just a stranger who'd walked in that day.
Yet he'd waded into a messy fight between righteous warriors, ended it decisively, and even covered the repair costs.
Unable to make sense of it, Song Dowan hurried after him and grabbed his sleeve.
The man, slinging both warriors over his shoulders, turned back.
—Hm? Something to say?
—Why…
Gripping the man's clothes, Song Dowan asked in a trembling voice,
—Why would you do something like this?
No one would have blamed him for walking away upon seeing the fight or even joining the righteous side to pummel the fiend.
Instead, he'd resolved it all and offered compensation before leaving.
As Song Dowan pressed him with a voice full of questions, the middle-aged man smirked and replied,
—If righteousness and chivalry vanished from the jianghu, it'd be a world not worth having.
He turned away and resumed walking, adding,
—I merely did what I believed was right.
Song Dowan stared at the stranger's retreating back until he faded from view.
"…A true hero."
It was the first saintly figure he'd encountered in life—and one he would aspire to forever.
As he gazed blankly ahead in a daze,
"Ugh!"
A sudden migraine hit him like a thunderbolt. Song Dowan dropped to one knee, clutching his head.
Pain assaulted his senses as countless scenes flashed through his mind.
'This is…'
Training in stolen moments while working as a server.
Leaving the inn to master swordsmanship and become a true warrior.
Searching for the hero who'd saved their inn, only to never cross paths again.
And as years passed, upholding justice with his own hands, safeguarding that heroic spirit.
All those memories flooded into his mind.
"Gaaah!"
When he finally opened his eyes amid the agonized cry,
"…!"
Deep darkness enveloped everything around him.
Song Dowan had instinctively unleashed his energy shield and curled up defensively.
To escape the demonic energy, the pressure, the overwhelming presence.
Regaining his wits, he pieced together the situation.
'Right. I was fighting the Heavenly Demon.'
Yet he'd blacked out for that brief instant.
Thank goodness his instincts had protected him.
'Hyeok Mulin!'
Recalling the battle so far, sweat beaded on his palms.
How could the world be so ignorant of the Heavenly Demon?
The rumors didn't capture even half his terror.
His presence was a different breed from even the Ancient Martial Sovereign's crushing aura.
Of course, Song Dowan had never underestimated or grown careless against Hyeok Mulin.
But his divine might far surpassed even Song Dowan's estimates.
Even so.
'I can't back down.'
Looking back now, that childhood hero was probably just a first-rate expert at best.
Yet in his eyes then, the man was a peerless hero unmatched by anyone under heaven.
So Song Dowan ignored his own skill and cultivation.
Fleeing now would cheapen the chivalry he'd upheld his entire life into some shallow ideal, just as the Heavenly Demon said.
Thus.
Click.
Gripping his sword tightly, Song Dowan faced forward instead of back. With resolute eyes, he aimed his blade straight ahead.
A surging wave of azure energy boiled within him like molten lava.
Since mastering his heart technique, he'd always limited his internal energy to a safe threshold.
Going beyond meant uncertainty for his body and sword.
That restraint had let him wield impressive power and spread his fame across the land.
But now, he had to shatter those limits.
It was the only way for his sword to reach Hyeok Mulin and protect his convictions.
Breaking past the boundaries of controlled energy, pouring every ounce of himself into his blade, Song Dowan unleashed a straight beam of sword light toward the sky in that instant.
And in the darkness-cloaked world, a single ray of moonlight descended.
He seized that moment.
Silver Leaf Flash.
Angling his blade to reflect the moonlight, Song Dowan shot forth a lightning-quick sword beam.
It carried power far beyond any technique he'd shown before.
The moment it clashed with something,
Rumble…
The enveloping darkness split apart.
And in Song Dowan's pupils gleamed a flashing sword edge.
Hyeok Mulin had drawn the Heaven-Splitting Demon Sword to cleave the Silver Leaf Flash.
"Not bad."
Hyeok Mulin nodded slowly at his own blade.
He hadn't expected to need to draw it.
That razor-sharp sword light, transcending Song Dowan's prior level, had forced his hand.
'He surpassed his own limits.'
Hyeok Mulin's impassive gaze turned to Song Dowan.
Gripping his sword tighter at the sight, Song Dowan kicked off the ground with his toes.
He charged forward in three or four powerful bounds, hurtling toward Hyeok Mulin.
Even before closing the distance fully, his blade was already whipping through the air at blinding speed.
Thousand Leaf Phantom Sword.
This was the secret technique he'd reserved for facing the Ancient Martial Sovereign.
Hundreds of leaves seemed to swirl around Hyeok Mulin in an illusory whirlwind.
Sharp sword tips relentlessly pierced toward his flesh.
Finally, Song Dowan thrust straight forward in a line.
His extended body, arm, and sword tip converged on Hyeok Mulin's heart.
It was a split-second action, yet to Song Dowan, time itself seemed to freeze, stretching it out endlessly.
His body had moved as intended, but the motion dragged on agonizingly slow.
And just as his sword tip kissed Hyeok Mulin's robes,
'Got him!'
Song Dowan was certain of victory.
But.
Whoosh!
He stabbed only empty air.
Hyeok Mulin had used Extreme Swift Step to retreat three paces in an instant.
As Song Dowan's face twisted in dismay, Hyeok Mulin averted his gaze from the advancing foe and casually swung his sword through the world.
The countless strokes traced arcs that dotted the sky like twinkling stars.
Soon, those points connected into lines.
And those lines converged into a single purpose.
Plop, plop.
The razor-sharp leaves lost all momentum and drifted to the ground.
Amid them, Song Dowan couldn't twitch a finger against the sword tip bearing down on him.
Latter Half: Seven Forms
Soul-Shattering Sword
Scraaaape!
In that instant, thousands of lines etched themselves across Song Dowan's flesh.