Chapter 281
Chapter 281
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 281
Chapter Title: Duel at Clear Heart Pond
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Midway up Mount Hua.
There was a deep pine forest where the treacherous terrain kept human feet at bay.
A place thick with ancient pines that seemed centuries old, layered one upon another, firmly refusing any outsiders entry.
Yet in the heart of that pine forest lay an open clearing brimming with utter tranquility and peace.
A flat expanse featuring a small pond and a broad, flat rock.
It was a spot Baek Hyeon-gyeong had stumbled upon as a child while lost in Mount Hua's pine woods.
Clear Heart Pond.
Towering pines stood like folding screens blocking the outside world, while the forest floor, carpeted thick with pine needles, muffled every footstep like a layer of soft silk.
The pond's water was astonishingly clear and transparent, revealing the colors of the pebbles at its bottom.
The serene surface mirrored the white clouds drifting across the sky, evoking a profound silence and refreshing clarity.
A sanctuary free from the world's clamor.
The only sounds there were the wind brushing the pine needles and the chirps of nameless small birds.
A hidden paradise untouched by worldly dust and bustle—Clear Heart Pond.
This was where Baek Hyeon-gyeong retreated whenever overwhelmed by tangled affairs, to escape deep worries, restore body and mind, and steady his heart.
But today, Clear Heart Pond held more than just Baek Hyeon-gyeong.
Others were present as well.
"Quite a picturesque spot."
Cheon Su-myeong, seated across from Baek Hyeon-gyeong, remarked as he surveyed the surroundings.
This clearing had been chosen as the venue for the duel between the two men, set for today.
It was a secret spar, conducted without informing the rest of the Mount Hua Sect.
Thus, Baek Hyeon-gyeong had led them to this hidden gem known only to him.
"The encircling pines are dense with energy, preventing any aura from leaking out easily. What do you think?"
Baek Hyeon-gyeong turned to Hyeok Mulin for his opinion.
Hyeok Mulin nodded in agreement.
"It'll suffice. Then, from this moment, prepare yourselves for the duel."
At his words, Baek Hyeon-gyeong and Cheon Su-myeong turned inward, contemplating their states in the lead-up to the match.
Soon, they each began warming up in their own leisurely ways.
As they prepared with composed ease, a voice came from beside Hyeok Mulin.
"Um..."
Hwe Kang spoke in a dazed tone, his face still reflecting confusion about the situation.
"Is it really okay for me to be here?"
Hyeok Mulin answered him.
"Yes. The sect leader chose you himself."
The day before.
Right after Baek Hyeon-gyeong accepted the duel, Hyeok Mulin had offered him one additional choice.
It concerned selecting an extra observer for the match.
No matter how neutral Hyeok Mulin claimed to be, he was still a demonic cultivator at heart.
Though not the judge, merely an observer, his position was inherently biased—so Hyeok Mulin granted Baek Hyeon-gyeong the right to add one more.
'Of course, that was just the principled stance.'
In truth, it was Hyeok Mulin's courtesy.
To ensure the Mount Hua Sect leader, who had accepted the sudden challenge, didn't feel shortchanged.
Since the duel was happening anyway, better both sides leave satisfied, right?
A battle between the Sword Venerable and the Sword Sage.
Where else could one witness such a duel between two masters hailed as the pinnacle of swordsmanship?
Any swordsman need only watch to glean countless fragments of insight.
Thus, he had offered one Mount Hua disciple the chance to gain such enlightenment.
And the result?
'After much deliberation, he chose Hwe Kang.'
Hyeok Mulin's prediction about whom Baek Hyeon-gyeong would summon had proven spot on.
The sect leader had granted the opportunity to the Plum Blossom Sword Dragon, Mount Hua's future.
More seasoned masters might gain deeper insights, but none among the elders would uphold Mount Hua as long as the Plum Blossom Sword Dragon in the years ahead.
However.
Hyeok Mulin glanced at Hwe Kang.
He had been summoned abruptly without proper explanation.
Gazing at the two preparing masters, he trembled slightly, yet his eyes burned with excitement.
'Whether it unfolds as he hopes remains to be seen.'
After a brief look at Hwe Kang, Hyeok Mulin turned his gaze forward.
The two elders were lightly loosening their joints and muscles.
Observing them, Hyeok Mulin spoke.
"That should be preparation enough."
They halted their movements and stood ready.
Then faced each other.
Even standing still, they emanated utterly incompatible auras—like water and oil that could never mix.
In the hushed world, Baek Hyeon-gyeong stood like a sturdy young pine bearing a gentle breeze.
In stark contrast, Cheon Su-myeong exuded an untouchable pressure, as if the slightest touch would trigger an explosion.
The two opposing warriors slowly drew their swords.
Baek Hyeon-gyeong's blade slipped free without a sound.
The elegantly drawn sword revealed its graceful form.
Cheon Su-myeong's sword, the moment it cleared the sheath, asserted its presence to the heavens.
Hwe Kang rubbed his eyes upon seeing it.
Just looking at it made his eyes sting briefly.
Thus facing one another, they soon aimed their swords straight ahead.
Some spars used wooden swords, but they opted for real steel.
At their level, the distinction vanished the instant they intended to kill.
As they raised their swords toward each other, the world seemed to fall silent.
The already quiet Clear Heart Pond now stilled even the birdsong and rustling winds, plunging into absolute hush.
"The rules are as in any standard duel."
No need to elaborate before starting.
Both, at their age, had countless spars under their belts.
But.
"Just keep this one thing in mind above all: under no circumstances take the other's life."
Baek Hyeon-gyeong, leader of Mount Hua—one of the Nine Great Sects, pillar of the Orthodox Alliance, ancient master.
Cheon Su-myeong, supreme elder of the Cheon Clan among the Seven Great Demon Clans, pillar of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, fellow ancient master.
Should death occur mid-duel, it would ignite the Demonic-Righteous Great War forthwith.
Thus, at Hyeok Mulin's final admonition, they nodded slowly.
"Then, from now."
Watching them intently, Hyeok Mulin gradually parted his lips.
"The duel begins."
Hyeok Mulin's declaration ended.
However.
"...Huh?"
Hwe Kang, tense as he watched, tilted his head.
He whispered to Hyeok Mulin.
"The duel has started, so why aren't either of them moving?"
Hyeok Mulin had clearly signaled the start.
Yet Cheon Su-myeong and Baek Hyeon-gyeong remained motionless, locked in the same stance, staring at each other.
Perplexed, Hwe Kang received a quiet reply from Hyeok Mulin.
"You can't see it?"
"Pardon?"
"The dozens of sword paths flashing past them even now."
With his Divine Demon Eyes open, Hyeok Mulin could see.
Their forms stood still, but dozens, hundreds of sword intents tangled chaotically.
Each envisioning attack and defense patterns, they expended mental energy seeking the optimal paths.
To Hwe Kang, unaware, it just looked like a staring contest.
As he wore a baffled expression.
"They're finally moving."
At last, their toes dug into the ground.
The advancing elders' swords slashed diagonally toward each other.
No internal energy infused their blades.
Yet in that instant, Baek Hyeon-gyeong's sword seemed to multiply into over ten, while Cheon Su-myeong's blade loomed larger than a man's height.
And as the two swords clashed.
Kwaaaang!
They halted, blades locked diagonally.
"..."
"..."
The interlocked swords.
The warriors gripping them peered at each other over the steel.
The clash of sword pinnacles honed over lifetimes.
Just one exchange, yet it encapsulated their existences.
'Heavy.'
Baek Hyeon-gyeong's face hardened as he withstood the immense strike.
No internal energy, yet heavier than any Mount Hua elder's sword.
Cheon Su-myeong, favoring heavy swords, wielded overwhelming mass.
Inconceivable that anyone but himself could endure such might.
Conversely, Cheon Su-myeong, pressing down, furrowed one brow.
'No feedback.'
He had struck fiercely, like chopping down.
Yet no sensation reached his hands.
As if slashing into clouds.
Baek Hyeon-gyeong had deflected all force flawlessly.
A response befitting Mount Hua's leader, master of illusory and flowing swords.
Pausing to stare, the elders soon displayed a rare spectacle.
Without separating their firmly adhered blades, they continued the exchange.
To infuse power and trace proper paths required propulsion.
Normally, one would step back for slashes and thrusts.
"Is that even possible with a human body?"
Hwe Kang, fixated on their sword paths, gaped.
In ultra-close quarters, barely separating blades, they unleashed hundreds of strikes with mere up-down-left-right shakes.
He couldn't even track the speed visually.
Hyeok Mulin, however, watched with utter calm.
No cause for surprise.
They had barely begun.
Observing, Hyeok Mulin spoke.
"Now it truly starts."
"...?"
Hwe Kang looked at him with uncomprehending eyes.
Glancing forward again, his pupils dilated sharply.
The swords' reach began widening.
Sword auras now coated both sides.
Baek Hyeon-gyeong's in vivid azure.
Cheon Su-myeong's in cruel darkness.
Hwe Kang doubted his eyes, rubbing them repeatedly.
But Cheon Su-myeong's momentum intensified, his demonic aura undeniable.
Frozen like stone, Hwe Kang trembled, pointing with one finger.
"Hero Hyeok..."
Indicating Cheon Su-myeong, he asked Hyeok Mulin.
"Surely Elder Cheon hasn't taken an enemy here...?"
Hyeok Mulin, gaze fixed ahead impassively, replied.
"Indeed. His name is Cheon Su-myeong. A demonic cultivator."
"...!"
Hwe Kang's eyes and nostrils flared wide.
As he opened his mouth to speak.
"In the Central Plains, they also call him."
The staggering revelation followed without pause.
"The Demon Sword Venerable."
With that, Hwe Kang's mind blanked, as if his thoughts snapped like an ancient bowstring.