Chapter 240
Chapter 240
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Book 5. The Wind of Blood Blows Without Regard to Place (3)
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In that instant, Jo Cheon-geum's body went rigid.
Many people in the world spoke of grudges. And of revenge. Such words were commonplace in the martial world, where resentments overflowed like springs. But the words of a transcendent realm master were different.
He spoke with utter calm, yet the moment those words reached the ears, a pain stabbed through the chest like a dagger, and the heart pounded fiercely.
Jo Cheon-geum's body reacted before his mind could. The others present felt the same.
Their bodies stiffened, cold sweat beaded on their foreheads, and their pupils trembled violently as if struck by an earthquake.
"Wh-who are you, elder?"
"Don't you already know? Why bother asking so laboriously?"
"The Demonic Cult?"
"I hail from the Divine Cult."
The moment Cheon Ogyeong's response flowed out, Jo Cheon-geum cried out desperately.
"Attack him, all of you!"
"Uwuaa!"
The warriors, who had been frozen until now, charged at Cheon Ogyeong all at once. Over a hundred of them surged forward like a tidal wave, but Cheon Ogyeong showed no sign of intimidation.
Cheon Ogyeong extended his hand. A nearby tree branch rolled through the air and into his grasp.
"Air-Grasping Technique?"
Jo Cheon-geum murmured in astonishment.
At that moment, Cheon Ogyeong lightly swung the branch in his hand.
It was a simple horizontal sword strike.
"......"
Silence descended.
The warriors charging toward Cheon Ogyeong halted mid-motion, blinking in confusion. Something had clearly happened. Yet they couldn't grasp what it was, only feeling a vague bewilderment.
Srrrrk!
Then it came. Suddenly, red lines appeared simultaneously across the waists of the hundred warriors.
"Wh-what?"
"What's this?"
Realizing too late the bloodlines on their own bodies, the warriors wore puzzled expressions.
Thud thud thud!
In that instant, their bodies collapsed like puppets with cut strings. Over a hundred warriors had been bisected at the waist and met their end.
"Th-this can't be!"
Jo Cheon-geum's mouth hung agape.
His heart stopped, and his mind went blank. The scene before him was so shocking it didn't feel real.
Jo Cheon-geum's body was frozen, unable to move. Cheon Ogyeong approached him.
His transcendent bearing and immortal-like gait remained unchanged. But in Jo Cheon-geum's eyes, he no longer appeared as an immortal.
"Th-the Sword Ghost."
"I was called that in my youth."
"Ugh!"
"Now speak. Are there Hundred Battles Sect warriors up above?"
"S-some of them are."
"That will do."
Cheon Ogyeong nodded and walked past Jo Cheon-geum. Jo Cheon-geum clutched his neck and muttered.
"Am I still alive?"
It was then.
Srrrrk!
Suddenly, a bloodline appeared around his waist, and an enormous amount of blood gushed out.
Only then did Jo Cheon-geum realize he had already set foot on the path to death.
"Wh-when?"
Even as his breath faded, Jo Cheon-geum wondered, but his question went unanswered.
Leaving behind Jo Cheon-geum's bisected corpse rolling on the ground, Cheon Ogyeong ascended Zhongnan Mountain.
Zhongnan Mountain, brimming with spring vitality, was vividly cloaked in lush greenery. Sunlight shattered against the leaves, scattering brilliant fragments, and the sky was an endless blue.
"Zhongnan, forgive me."
Piiiii!
In that moment, a signal flare shot into the sky, and a high-pitched flute sound echoed across the entire mountain.
It was the signal that enemies had invaded.
Crash!
Zhongnan Sect warriors burst through the underbrush.
Cheon Ogyeong swung his tree branch toward them. Without any special technique or sword energy, the warriors collapsed spewing blood. The blood they shed dyed the verdant Zhongnan Mountain red.
"It's the enemy."
"Stop him!"
Zhongnan Sect warriors and the gathered martial heroes charged at Cheon Ogyeong. He swung his branch mercilessly at them.
His movements were like water, his sword like fire.
His body flowed without hindrance, and his sword felled all obstructions like roaring flames.
As death piled up, a demonic aura permeated the once-pure Zhongnan Mountain.
It was the change wrought by the arrival of a single man.
"Ugh!"
"W-we can't stop him."
With the situation like this, the Zhongnan Sect warriors and the heroes who had taken refuge there hesitated, no longer daring to charge.
"Halt!"
A lion's roar thundered across Zhongnan Mountain.
For the first time, Cheon Ogyeong stopped at the resounding roar.
Over a dozen warriors raced in like the wind. They arrived in an instant and blocked Cheon Ogyeong's path.
Each exuded an extraordinary presence. They were none other than Zhongnan Sect's sect leader, Seol Muncheon, and the elders.
Seol Muncheon bellowed.
"To dare commit slaughter on Zhongnan Mountain. Do you not fear heaven?"
"I once feared heaven. But not anymore."
"Who are you? Who dares stain the pure Zhongnan Mountain with blood?"
"My name is Cheon Ogyeong."
"Cheon Ogyeong?"
"In truth, it matters not."
"Then what does matter?"
"Whether the Hundred Battles Sect disciples are here—that is what matters."
"Hundred Battles Sect?"
Seol Muncheon wore a look of absurdity. The elders beside him spoke up.
"Sect Leader, pay no heed to his words."
"He has dared to stain Zhongnan Mountain with blood. We must punish him accordingly."
The elders were seething, poised to charge at Cheon Ogyeong at any moment.
Seol Muncheon surveyed his surroundings.
Zhongnan Sect warriors and heroes had gathered unnoticed, surrounding Cheon Ogyeong. Their number reached a thousand. Yet Cheon Ogyeong stood aloof, utterly unperturbed.
'Only the strong can be like that. Today, the losses will far outweigh any gains.'
The aura emanating from his opponent was absolute—beyond that.
Even facing him head-on, Seol Muncheon couldn't guarantee victory. No, honestly, even uniting with the elders, he lacked confidence.
Clashing with Cheon Ogyeong like this would bring devastating damage to Zhongnan Sect. But retreat was impossible.
This was Zhongnan Sect's home ground. If a sect abandoned its base and fled, there would be no place for them in the martial world.
Only now did Seol Muncheon think he understood the feelings of the Huashan Sect warriors from long ago.
'Ha! Was it like this for them? This despairing?'
The Huashan Sect disciples, invaded at their main sect, never retreated. They suffered immense losses but ultimately defended Huashan.
Seol Muncheon believed it was now Zhongnan Sect's turn.
"All disciples, fight to the death. Attack this demonic fiend to the last one."
"Wait, Sect Leader Seol."
Someone blocked Seol Muncheon's path.
With disheveled hair like a magpie's nest, rags worn a hundred times over, and a massive saber at his waist—nothing about this middle-aged man was ordinary.
Most striking were his eyes, hidden within the tangled hair.
He was Jang Ilsan, sect leader of the Hundred Battles Sect. Having taken temporary refuge on Zhongnan Mountain, he had finally revealed himself.
"It seems he bears a grudge against my sect. Then it is only right that I step forward. If I fail, Zhongnan Sect can join then—it won't be too late."
"Sect Leader Jang?"
Jang Ilsan passed Seol Muncheon and stood before Cheon Ogyeong.
"I am Jang Ilsan, sect leader of the Hundred Battles Sect. It seems you hold a grudge against my sect, elder."
"So you're the Hundred Battles Sect leader. I can't say it's a pleasure. One doesn't speak lightly at a place come to settle a grudge."
"You have a grudge with my sect?"
"Your disciple killed my disciple."
"Ha! Is that so? Yeon-un has done well."
"Done well?"
"A warrior of your caliber must be a key figure even in the Demonic Cult. For my disciple to kill the disciple of such a man—hasn't he rendered great service to the Martial Alliance?"
"One might think so. But have you considered the immense threat this brings to the Martial Alliance? It has drawn out this old recluse who lived walled off from the world."
"Elder, how naive. Even without my disciple, you would have emerged eventually. Do you think the Demonic Cult Leader would let an absolute expert like you remain in seclusion? Such absolute power?"
"......"
Cheon Ogyeong fell silent, at a loss for words.
"My disciple was merely the trigger. You were bound to re-enter the martial world. Don't blame my disciple as an excuse."
"Your tongue is sharp."
"Haha! I hear that often."
"Where is your disciple?"
"Has any master ever betrayed their disciple's safety? A true master never would."
"My apologies. Then I have no choice but to force your mouth open."
"Can you?"
"I am Jang Ilsan. Just as you bear a grudge against my disciple, I harbor an indelible grudge against the Demonic Cult."
"Is that so?"
"Anything related to the Demonic Cult—even a pebble—I'll chew it up in my mouth."
Jang Ilsan grinned. It was a smile brimming with killing intent.
Cheon Ogyeong's gaze deepened.
"I don't see the Hundred Battles Legacy Flag. You've passed it to your disciple, it seems."
"Correct!"
"You'll know soon enough if he's worthy of it."
"First, you must get past me, elder."
Shing!
Jang Ilsan drew the massive saber from his waist.
It was the blade that earned him the moniker Demon-Slaying Divine Saber. With this single worn saber, he had fiercely battled the Demonic Cult.
Wuuung!
The saber let out a resonant blade hum.
Impressed by the extraordinary aura, Cheon Ogyeong said.
"Your junior's skill is impressive. In that spirit, I'll yield three moves. Strike first."
"I won't hold back."
Tat!
Jang Ilsan kicked off the ground.
His saber aimed for Cheon Ogyeong's chest. But Cheon Ogyeong moved like a ghost, evading every attack.
In an instant, the three strikes ended, and Cheon Ogyeong's counter began.
His tree branch danced in the air.
Kakakang!
Saber met branch, resounding with metallic clashes.
"I will never lose."
Jang Ilsan gritted his teeth, burning with fighting spirit.
Huaang!
A vivid blade aura formed on his saber. Cheon Ogyeong's branch showed no change. Yet it shattered every one of Jang Ilsan's attacks.
"At fifteen, I killed my first man. At twenty, I mastered forms perfectly. At thirty, I encompassed all the Divine Cult's sword arts. At forty-five, I comprehended my own sword art. And at eighty, I synthesized it all into the All-Sword Style. You are the first in decades to make me unfold the All-Sword Style. Be proud."
"Hmph! Spare me the nonsense, elder. Experience this Jang Ilsan's Demon-Slaying Saber first. Chaaat!"
Jang Ilsan unleashed the ultimate techniques of the Demon-Slaying Saber in succession. Blade auras filled the air, pouring down on Cheon Ogyeong.
Kukukung!
It was like pillars of light crashing down.
Cheon Ogyeong's face was bathed in the light.
"One Point Blood."
In that instant, Cheon Ogyeong's branch thrust at a single point in the air.
The intense light, fierce enough to burn the world, dissipated from his branch, and a hole punched through the void. The straight puncture extended to Jang Ilsan's chest.
"Kuuh!"
Jang Ilsan, a hole pierced through his chest, gaped.
The focus faded from Jang Ilsan's eyes.
'Such a monster in the Demonic Cult... Yeon-un.'
Even in death, he worried for Cheon Yeon-un's safety.
The moment Jang Ilsan collapsed spewing blood, Seol Muncheon shouted.
"Joint attack!"
Zhongnan Sect's elders and disciples attacked Cheon Ogyeong all at once.