Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Fist Demon and Sword King Clash (3)
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A bizarre heat spread throughout Dam Ho's body. The sweat beads covering his entire form evaporated into steam.
Watching Dam Ho, Namgung Cheon’s eyes gleamed.
His left arm dangled limply. The shoulder struck by the Blood Heaven Kick had been dislocated.
"Still, you're not just some worthless weed."
Crunch!
Namgung Cheon forcibly jammed his shoulder back into place. Excruciating pain stabbed at his mind, but he ignored it.
He had endured such agony countless times while training his martial arts. His dislocated shoulder swelled up immediately, but it didn't matter—he was right-handed anyway.
"You passed up a chance to die easily. You'll regret it."
"I don't regret anything."
Belated remorse, or lingering attachment.
There was no room in Dam Ho's heart for such emotions.
Whoosh!
Dam Ho kicked off the ground.
He unleashed Assault Step.
In that instant, a smile curled at Namgung Cheon's lips. It was unmistakably a sneer.
"Fool! Haven't you realized yet that footwork won't work on me?"
Namgung Cheon once again deployed Infinite Divine Steps to evade Dam Ho's Assault Step.
He surged behind Dam Ho in a graceful arc, the sword in his hand flashing fiercely.
That was the moment.
Boom!
Dam Ho's foot slammed violently into the ground.
His right foot dug into the earth up to the ankle. He had forcibly halted his Assault Step with Thousand Jin Anchor.
Grind!
The mounting pressure caused his leg muscles to bulge massively, veins popping on Dam Ho's face.
Dam Ho pivoted his body around his right foot as the axis, dissipating the pressure bearing down on his entire frame.
"Hmm!"
Namgung Cheon's pupils wavered as he approached from behind. Dam Ho's response had exceeded his expectations.
Clang!
Dam Ho unleashed Single Palm Wall.
The shock rippled through the air's currents, striking Namgung Cheon's eardrums as well.
A sudden ringing filled his head, slightly disrupting his balance. Dam Ho seized the opening.
Dam Ho's palm struck Namgung Cheon's chest. He was about to deploy Five Finger Rock Shattering Force.
Thud!
Regaining his senses in that instant, Namgung Cheon smashed the flat of his sword against Dam Ho's hand and hurriedly retreated.
"You bastard!"
Swoosh!
Even as he widened the distance, he swung his sword at Dam Ho.
In a flash, Dam Ho leaped into the air and spun once. His leg whipped out like a lash.
It was Bouncing Demon Kick.
Screech!
Thud!
It aimed for Namgung Cheon's head but was blocked by the sword blade. The sword bent like a bow and repelled Dam Ho's body.
He had fortunately blocked the attack, but the impact unraveled Namgung Cheon's neatly bound hair.
Rage flickered in Namgung Cheon's eyes, visible through his disheveled locks.
"How dare you!"
Namgung Cheon hurled the sword in his hand at Dam Ho.
Whirl!
The sword spun toward Dam Ho. He ducked his head to dodge it.
Dam Ho charged straight at Namgung Cheon.
Without a sword, Namgung Cheon was no match for him.
That was when his eyes flashed ferociously.
"Watch out."
Jong Ri-yeon's voice came from behind. Followed by an intense sense of crisis ringing in his mind.
Dam Ho instinctively ducked his head.
Slash!
A searing pain swept across his back in that instant. Raising his head again, he saw the sword that had grazed his back spinning in midair.
The sword, altering its trajectory in the air, attacked Dam Ho like a living creature.
'Sword Control with Qi.'
The legendary realm of manipulating a sword with intent.
Swoosh!
The air split as the silver blade targeted Dam Ho's throat.
Dam Ho struck at the sword with Silver Net Hand. But the repelled sword spun back around, aiming for his vital points again.
Swordsmanship wielded directly by a human body inevitably had limitations due to the structural constraints of flesh.
But swordsmanship via Sword Control with Qi had no such bounds. It could be executed freely, unbound by any restrictions.
Rip!
Dam Ho's clothing tore away.
Namgung Cheon smiled as he watched.
"How long do you think you can keep dodging?"
Namgung Cheon had mastered the Namgung family's supreme internal art, Emperor's Heart Technique. The internal energy he had amassed through it was nearly infinite.
As long as his energy held out, Sword Control with Qi would not stop.
Namgung Cheon unleashed Emperor's Sword Forms through Sword Control with Qi. The already overwhelming might of Sword Control with Qi doubled with the profundities of Emperor's Sword Forms added.
Screech!
Before the sharply whirling Sword Control with Qi, Dam Ho's form looked precarious, like a candle in the wind.
"Ah!"
A despairing sigh escaped Jong Ri-yeon's lips.
'It's no use. No matter how strong he is, he can't beat Sword Control with Qi.'
She didn't mind sacrificing her own life, but the thought of Dam Ho losing his because of her filled her with guilt.
In truth, Dam Ho was cornered to the extreme by Sword Control with Qi. He couldn't break through it no matter what.
Wounds multiplied on his body, yet he hadn't laid a hand on Namgung Cheon.
Dam Ho's eyes cooled to ice.
An ordinary person might have despaired and given up preemptively. But Dam Ho was no ordinary man.
'If there's no way, make one.'
That was Dark Form Fist, Dam Ho's solitary style.
Humm!
Dam Ho deployed Shield, causing his body to vibrate at super speed.
In that state, he unleashed Assault Step toward Sword Control with Qi. Namgung Cheon sneered at the sight.
"You're mad to die."
The power of Sword Control with Qi was absolute.
It wasn't something the bare body could withstand. No matter that Shield's super-vibration defense bolstered him.
Stab!
Sword Control with Qi pierced through Shield. Flesh tore, and the blade sliced into his chest muscles.
"Cough!"
Dam Ho vomited blood.
The blade pierced one lung and burst out his back. The lung deflated rapidly with the hole.
With airflow halved, Dam Ho's complexion turned pitch black in seconds.
His body halted in place, chest impaled by the sword. Namgung Cheon burst into wild laughter at the sight of Dam Ho doubled over, bleeding.
"See that? Kahaha!"
His laughter shook the earth, kicking up dust.
In that moment, Dam Ho raised his head. Blood streamed from his nose and mouth. It dripped from his chin, soaking his chest red.
"Grrrk!"
With one lung collapsed, a grotesque breathing sound emerged. But Dam Ho's eyes showed no softening.
They burned even fiercer.
A rough, raspy voice forced its way through his lips.
"Got... it."
"What?"
"Your sword!"
The sword piercing his chest was gripped in Dam Ho's hand.
Snap!
Dam Ho applied force, and the blade shattered in the middle. He discarded the broken fragment. Half the blade still impaled his chest. A wound that would kill an ordinary man instantly. But Dam Ho's body, honed to extremes, was different.
Muscles around the wound clenched, minimizing blood loss. The lung wound contracted too, halting air leakage.
"Huuup!"
Dam Ho drew a deep breath.
Air rushed in, restoring the shriveled lung to form.
Thud!
Dam Ho kicked off the ground.
His fist cleaved the air.
Namgung Cheon's face showed genuine panic for the first time at Dam Ho's rapidly closing figure. He reflexively swung, but grasped nothing.
In haste, he deployed Protective Aura.
Boom!
Dam Ho's strike crashed atop the Protective Aura. The silver barrier rippled, shoving Namgung Cheon's body back.
"Urk! Arrogant...!"
Even blocked by Protective Aura, the intense shock rattled his organs. The penetrating impact twisted his face. But rage soon dominated his body.
"You think you can do anything to me without a sword? Fool!"
He was the head of the Namgung family.
Naturally, he had mastered not only their sword arts but their fist techniques as well. Even swordless, he was invincible.
Namgung Cheon unleashed the Namgung family's secret fist art, Nine Cleaving Divine Fist. And that became his gravest mistake.
Dam Ho didn't miss the split-second as he switched to Nine Cleaving Divine Fist.
Boom!
Dam Ho's fist smashed onto Namgung Cheon's forearm. Nine Cleaving Divine Fist halted midway.
"Eek!"
As Namgung Cheon gritted his teeth to try again, Dam Ho's entire body blurred before his eyes.
Shield had deployed.
In that state, Dam Ho launched his fist.
Fist, then elbow, trunk, and knee strikes landed in succession. Dam Ho's body spun like interlocking gears.
A relentless chain attack without a moment to breathe.
Six Harmonies Blood Mountain River.
It wrung the body to its limits, imposing massive strain and leading to utter exhaustion.
Dam Ho had learned it but never used it in real combat before. He never wanted to if possible, but he had no choice.
Each time he executed Six Harmonies Blood Mountain River, the blade in his chest churned it wildly. His barely stabilized body bled profusely, but Dam Ho pressed the attack heedless.
Boom boom boom!
A roar echoed, shaking Namgung Cheon's body.
Block the fist, and the elbow followed. Focus on the elbow, and the knee flew in.
Immense pressure and shock like a massive storm raging.
Crack!
"Urk!"
A tearing sound rang from the forearm blocking Dam Ho's attack. A muffled groan escaped Namgung Cheon's lips.
He knew without looking. His forearm bone was broken.
"You damn dog..."
Namgung Cheon spat curses and tried to retreat. But his body wouldn't budge, as if mired in glue.
Six Harmonies Blood Mountain River generated terrifying attractive force from Dam Ho's entire body, pulling in everything around. Namgung Cheon was caught in it too.
Chilling murderous intent swirled in Dam Ho's eyes, visible through blood-matted hair.
A chill crawled up Namgung Cheon's spine. An ominous premonition made him tremble.
The split-second breach from his broken forearm.
Six Harmonies Blood Mountain River exploited it.
Thud!
Arms flung wide, fist, elbow, shoulder, and trunk attacks stormed in.
Boom boom boom!
"Cough!"
His face snapped sideways from a fist, waist bent like a shrimp from a knee. A trunk blow followed, then an open palm slammed his jaw.
Muscles tore, bones snapped. Blood flowed, saliva sprayed. Vision blurred, ears rang.
An ordinary man would have lost consciousness, but he was Namgung Cheon.
Sword King Namgung Cheon.
Even as awareness faded, his right hand formed sword mudra.
Faint energy gathered at his fingers—he had formed sword qi with the mudra.
Clang!
They exchanged their final blows.