Chapter 27
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Ashes - 1
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"Die!"
The first thing to assault his ears was a shout.
The ki infused with murderous intent was effective in itself. It crushed the spirit and induced fear. Warriors of the Fierce Killing Squad, gripping their savage blades and advancing with footwork.
In that split second of realization, a silver blade was already before his eyes. As Zhang Ping clumsily raised his hand to block, someone grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't move."
A red trajectory sliced through the air.
Splat! Clang! A silver dagger met a broadsword.
"Ha! Not bad speed!"
Twin-Headed Serpent Gyoyeol shouted. With a grating screech, the dagger slid away, scattering sparks. The wrist twisted cunningly and whipped back around.
Hundred Serpent Sword's Seven Points Flying Grove—a vicious technique that could plunge a blade into the solar plexus if the opponent overcommitted even slightly.
Cling!
But Bai Hui's broadsword slipped into that very gap. Not a shred of internal energy wasted. The onslaught of Poisonous Mountain Sword Grove did not faze him.
Thousand Kills Star, the star of death said to claim a thousand lives. The murderous fate bestowed upon a human awakened his battle instincts. Dark blue true qi flowed through his eight extraordinary meridians from his heart.
With a wide swing of his sword that shook off Gyoyeol, Bai Hui sensed it instinctively. These foes were utterly different from anyone he'd fought before. The way they distributed internal energy along their blades, the hidden attack angles masked by quivering tips, the feints blended seamlessly into their movements.
The enemy knew how to fight slyly. Gyoyeol retreated, but Bai Hui had no time to rest before blocking the next opponent.
Clang! From the left, Shadow Rabbit Hwang Byung thrust with his sinuous strange weapon. From the right, Roaring Blade Sword Mo Taegyeom charged in. Every move aimed for his life—any mistake would be fatal. The barrage of techniques masterfully herded them away from the girl. They seized space and exposed openings.
In the midst of retreating frantically, he glanced sideways to check on Zhang Ping—thankfully, he was sticking close and following. But that single glance cost him as someone's kitchen knife grazed his shoulder. Thin blood seeped out, and sharp pain lanced through him.
It was better this way. Easier to focus. His senses sharpened amid the pain.
Twin-Headed Serpent Gyoyeol lunged again with his twin blades.
"Where are you looking?!"
Once more, blades clashed. A single insidious lethal strike that struck deep. Followed by a nimble retreat. Even pressing close to finish it, the enemy easily kept their distance.
The frequent brushes with death slowly gnawed at his nerves. Not even half a second's respite. Their refined martial arts hounded him relentlessly, as if by prior agreement. But what troubled Bai Hui most wasn't even there.
The faint sounds, his qi sense, the subtle differences in the shockwaves brushing his skin. The girl's battle across the way was ferocious. He wanted to help sooner, but no quick way to end his own fight presented itself.
"Damn it."
Zhang Ping's mutter from behind his back rang unusually loud in his ears.
The Ten Refinements Vajra Art was an external art from the Guangtong unorthodox sects, leaked from the exterminated Iron Blood Sect. Its origins lay in the Iron Wire Palm, tempered by immersing hands in sand mixed with special elixirs. Beginners rolled on broken pottery shards, and by the seventh star, one could touch honed blades without harm.
Ban Heonsang was born for that Ten Refinements Vajra Art. From the first encounter, it suited him perfectly, and he even trained in his sleep.
By his thirties, he reached the pinnacle of the thirteenth star, his three major meridians filled with an elixir blended from golden turtle inner core, ensuring his internal energy rivaled anyone's.
The tale of him crushing the waist of the Black Tiger Group's leader—who opposed the Dragon Star Clan—with his bare hands was famous.
That very legend struck down now. Mount Tai Pressing Down—a downward smash executed not with a weapon, but the human body. In the girl's black pupils, he saw inner energy rising like a mountain.
Yet the girl did not retreat.
She extended her arm, clenched her fist, and stepped forward. Tiny hand met colossal fist.
Boom—the explosive sound and shockwave swept the battlefield.
"Hup!"
Shockingly, Ban Heonsang was the first to yield in the clash. The girl stood tall without so much as shifting a step.
His gaze deepened as he stared at her. The energy from their colliding fists was far from ordinary.
He'd thought his power could rival the Iron Blood Fist King, yet this girl's true qi—so much shorter than his waist—was this potent? The more force he applied, the more stubbornly it pushed back.
"Fine internal energy! Who taught you?"
"Me."
"Arrogant brat!"
With a shout, Ban Heonsang charged again. Thud—heavy stomp. A Charging Fist aimed at her head crashed like a tidal wave. The girl's response remained unchanged.
Fist met fist once more. No faltering through the follow-up barrage. As if she saw it all coming, knew exactly where he'd strike next.
Fist for fist, palm for palm. Pain accumulating faintly twisted his scar-ridden face.
So young, such a small frame. Not even trained in external arts. It made no sense. Impossible in the world Ban Heonsang knew.
Even scouring records of past female masters, none matched that appearance. Suddenly, bizarre rumors spread by lowly grunts came to mind.
Demons in Jiangming. Wielding no blades, piercing men with bare hands despite no martial training...
'A real monster!'
The Jiangming Blood Massacre involved one man and one woman, they said. This could be that culprit. The freak master of strange hand techniques who massacred first-rate warriors. Shaking off a moment's fear, Ban Heonsang bellowed confidently.
"Try blocking this!"
Ban Heonsang's fingers bent grotesquely. Mountain-Grasping Hand—a brutal technique to crush the opponent's hand with the Ten Refinements Vajra Art's fearsome power.
The petite girl's palm sank into the thick grip. She reflexively tried to pull free, but the Mountain-Grasping Hand clung relentlessly.
"...!"
Only now did pain register—her brows furrowed slightly. The startled girl shook her arm free. But instead, she was yanked forward; Ban Heonsang tilted his balance masterfully, shifting the center of gravity.
"Die!"
Golden Thunderbolt Cannon fired at the reeling girl. Not a mere check—a fist loaded to the limit with inner energy, like a cannonball. Even Shaolin's Vajra Indestructible would suffer internal injuries head-on.
Ban Heonsang was certain she'd dodge. With one hand caught, evasion was the obvious best move.
But as always, his expectation missed the mark.
The girl's palm halted the Golden Thunderbolt Cannon. Boom! Unable to withstand the close-range shockwave, Ban Heonsang staggered badly. The girl wobbled slightly, dizzy as well.
Yet she didn't retreat. Didn't collapse. Her counter flew at Ban Heonsang's massive frame.
"Hrngh!"
Thud—searing agony surged. Fortunately, the Ten Refinements Vajra Art's outer shell held. Once more, Ban Heonsang retreated. Necessary to disperse the shockwave and avert internal damage.
Proving it, red blood trickled from the girl's mouth. The accumulated impacts had reached her organs.
Insanity.
Insanity, Ban Heonsang thought. Internal injuries versus a single step back—which was graver? Even a child knew.
What drove her to refuse retreat like this? As if trained solely in relentless advance. Desperately analyzing her intent, Ban Heonsang replayed the fight.
The initial clash. The next Golden Claw Hand. Everything so far—filled with incomprehensible actions. Impossible without martial knowledge.
Then, a hypothesis flashed in his mind.
"Ha, I see."
His attack style shifted abruptly. No longer focused on strikes and raw power—he approached differently.
Golden Claw Hand extended. A sly technique to seize joints and use the enemy's strength against them, empowered by the Ten Refinements Vajra Art's fist methods. The snaking hand effortlessly snatched the girl's arm. A beginner's move.
Basic self-defense anyone who'd trained even once could counter. Even the performer knew it.
But the girl was helplessly dragged along. No reaction at all. Unrelieved pressure made her pale hand twitch. He'd guessed right.
Ban Heonsang's expression changed.
"I've met plenty like you. Never fought once, but got lucky gobbling some elixir."
Spirit ginseng or millennium something-or-other, granting blade-proof bodies. Ignoramuses gaining decades of power overnight, shaking the world with fame. Ban Heonsang had heard countless tales. Killed a few himself.
None survived the jianghu over a year.
"Power overflowing, so you thought yourself strong. Found treasure beyond your station, saw the world as a joke. Pity—you die today."
A venomous smile curled Ban Heonsang's lips. Shameful he'd felt fear even briefly against this.
The girl before him knew no martial arts. Not a single one.
All she had was a body made fast and strong by raw internal energy power. At last, certainty of victory dawned.
"Did you truly think you qualified to enter the martial world without knowing martial arts?"
Ban Heonsang asked. The girl gave no answer.
Instead, the girl looked toward the refugees huddled in the corner, watching the fight...