Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Body and Sword as One
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“Looking away in the middle of a fight!”
“I’ll kill you!”
Yuk Jin-yang withdrew his gaze. White Lotus Cultists were emanating their presence from all directions.
Even after many of them had fallen, they relentlessly pressed their swarm-like assault to swallow him whole. They were different from the groups he had encountered while passing through the streets—far more tenacious, refusing to yield an inch.
Regardless of one’s level of martial prowess, that alone was enough to force exhaustion.
‘Moon Maiden’s Blade Edge Technique? No. I need to conserve some strength.’
Scree!
A sword strike dug toward his side. He lightly evaded it with a footwork step. As if waiting, a flying dagger came hurtling from straight ahead.
He swung his Silver Dew Sword to deflect it while flipping his body to deliver a whipping back kick. His leg arced like a lash.
The assassin who had lunged from behind had his neck twisted at an unnatural angle. His grinning face froze as he met his end.
Even with those two joining the fray, it wouldn’t have been enough to turn the tide. The situation remained chaotic. Weapons flew at him from all sides, as if he were being swept away by waves.
Trails of steel crisscrossed like spiderwebs. The swords followed erratic paths, overlapping in savage winds that were impossible to predict. Yuk Jin-yang stood firm, resisting the fierce flow created by his foes.
In the midst of that fierce battle, Yuk Jin-yang suddenly noticed a change within himself. Amid his trance-like state, the Moon Maiden Sword Art was becoming far more fluid and unrestrained.
‘Have the forms finally settled into my body? No, this is more than that...’
It wasn’t the perfection of the forms. His personal realm was reaching a higher plane. Just as steel is tempered in the clamor of hammer and anvil, a martial artist advanced through combat.
Once attained, enlightenment was etched into the mind and never faded. Yuk Jin-yang’s keen intellect naturally took another step forward.
At that moment, his sword resonated with his true energy. They merged completely, ascending to a higher realm.
The weight of the weapon in his hand vanished. It felt not just light, but as if it had disappeared entirely—like an extension of his own body.
Body-Sword Unity. He had entered the exalted domain where man and sword become one.
It was a truth he had never reached in his previous life, bogged down by his innate flaw and obsessed only with ways to compensate for the lack of his central dantian.
But now, freed from obsession and delusion, he could see it. How much of a frog in a well his past self had been.
Yuk Jin-yang unleashed his forms with this newfound sensation.
Flexible and Unhindered. The simple trajectories of the Moon Maiden Sword Art now brimmed with freedom. Unbound, they unleashed power far surpassing their original efficacy.
Like the legendary Moon Maiden toying with the moonlight, his unified body and sword rampaged without restraint.
The Silver Dew Sword unleashed a flurry of sword strikes. It shifted from swift slashes to powerful thrusts, then subdued waves of blades with the subtleties of a mid-force strike.
Sharp metallic wails rained down. He cleaved through spear thrusts and hidden weapons slipping between the deflected steel.
That was when it happened.
“You’re getting too wild!”
A fist aimed at his face shot in with a whoosh.
Clang!
He blocked it with the scabbard of his Silver Dew Sword. It had been a razor-sharp blow that would have struck a vital point if he’d been even a fraction slower. And immensely powerful. Yuk Jin-yang was forced back several steps by the shockwave of true energy in the fist.
A pugilist equipped with steel gauntlets on both hands emerged through the thick dust.
“Hmph.”
The pugilist clicked his tongue, his gaze lingering on Yuk Jin-yang.
“I thought I’d end this quickly, but it’s a shame.”
“A direct blood relative of the Huangbo Clan?”
“You’ve got an eye for it! I’ll praise you for not mistaking me for a branch family member.”
The pugilist burst into laughter before abruptly stepping forward in a charge. His tightly clenched fist cleaved through space like an arrow.
“Remember this even in the afterlife: I am Huangbo Jeong-jun, the one who will take your life!”
“Do they teach you to fight with your mouth in the Huangbo Clan?”
Boom!
Instead of answering, he stamped the ground. A deep footprint cratered the earth. His body launched forward like an enraged bull, closing the distance without hesitation before suddenly ducking low.
It was a familiar movement. A fist technique he had faced before—the same one used by the Huangbo branch warriors he’d first encountered in Joo-hyeon.
But this was indeed a direct descendant. It approached with power on another level entirely.
Whoosh!
The energy brushing his skin was fierce. Even dodging with ample margin, he could gauge the immense force behind the fist.
True to his lineage, his body had been forged by the renowned clan’s training methods, supplemented by rare elixirs, granting him true energy beyond his age.
“Slippery as an eel!”
Huangbo Jeong-jun bellowed as he swung his fist.
The trajectory of the form itself was simple. It compensated with speed and power. Even straightforward force, when executed with supreme might, was enough—this principle of martial arts was laid bare.
In response, Yuk Jin-yang’s arm rose fluidly.
Crack.
The fist, charging with monstrous momentum, halted in midair. In an instant, Yuk Jin-yang had seized and clamped down on his opponent’s wrist.
The effect of the Crimson Brush Forest Art was fully realized.
Huangbo Jeong-jun’s expression hardened for a moment. Despite protective energy around his arm, it had been pierced all too easily. In their clash of true energy, the tide had clearly turned against him.
Huangbo Jeong-jun immediately flipped his body and lashed out with a kick. Air burst with a crack as his sharp heel sliced through space, his leg whipping like a whirlwind. It resembled a slashing strike.
Yuk Jin-yang released the arm and ducked. Then he thrust his Silver Dew Sword. Its blood-crusted, blackened tip pierced space in a single breath.
Swoosh!
Huangbo Jeong-jun flung himself aside in panic. It was a clumsy dodge, but he didn’t regret his judgment. Had he tried to block, his arm would have been severed.
Huangbo Jeong-jun staggered to his feet, gasping. His precious silk robe was caked in dirt. Yuk Jin-yang sneered at him.
“No talent for rolling on the ground? Your dodge looked pretty sloppy.”
“Shut your mouth!”
He charged again, easily provoked. But it was a feint. Yuk Jin-yang read not the blaze of anger in his eyes, but cold rationality assessing the situation.
He didn’t block the incoming fist but evaded. It was an empty strike. A barrage followed in an instant.
As he twisted to deflect the sequence, the fist suddenly bloomed open. The absolute technique, shifting from fist to palm, flowered like a blossoming bloom.
Kaboom!
The glancing energy struck empty air. Huangbo Jeong-jun’s eyes widened. The absolute strike’s path, meant for straight ahead, had twisted in that fleeting moment. Yuk Jin-yang had whipped his arm to deflect it.
The linked chain’s transformative prowess was astonishing, but that was the end of it.
Yuk Jin-yang thrust his left fist, the one not gripping his sword. Lightning-fast punches hammered into his torso without pause.
It was a split-second assault infused with the subtleties of the Internal Heavy Hand Method. The Random Number Barrage’s energy surged to the bones, shaking his organs to their core. Neither armor-like muscles nor protective energy could shield his vitals.
“Gah!”
Huangbo Jeong-jun, battered and broken, barely retreated. He collapsed to the ground, vomiting a mouthful of blood.
It was proof of the severe internal injuries he had sustained. Yuk Jin-yang met his bloodshot eyes squarely and raised his sword high.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, presences surged from all sides. Huangbo retainers stepping in to protect their direct descendant.
Yuk Jin-yang swiftly shifted stance and swung his Silver Dew Sword horizontally. He bisected the one leaping for his head.
It wasn’t a meaningless death. The nameless warrior had bought precious time with his life. The other retainers were already supporting Huangbo Jeong-jun and fleeing far away.
‘Intervening only after defeat was imminent. Did they not even consider their master’s loss?’
Yuk Jin-yang twisted his lips. A thick wall of bodies now blocked his path. The enemy was desperate to rescue the Huangbo direct bloodline.
But he couldn’t let him escape.
Yuk Jin-yang kicked off the ground. True energy concentrated in his knees and soles produced explosive propulsion. The Imperial Guard’s movement technique and Golden Leaf’s utility shone fully.
He leaped to impossible heights, stepping off the air itself. Warriors’ eyes locked onto his form dashing through the sky like parting waters. In moments, Yuk Jin-yang had flanked Huangbo Jeong-jun.
The man glanced back and paled, assuming a stance. His supporting warriors did the same.
“What the...!”
Clang!
The thrust of the Silver Dew Sword was blocked by armored fists. At the same time, a Huangbo pugilist spat blood.
The Moon Maiden Sword Art’s true energy, focused at the tip, had inflicted internal wounds. For someone already gravely injured, it was unbearable damage.
Yuk Jin-yang gave no quarter. He shook off the clinging retainers and swung. A hazy gleam grazed his neck.
His overwhelming prowess induced silence.
The fact that the target was a youth made it all the more shocking.
The melee halted. The tangled fighters stepped back, naturally forming lines. A standoff as if a line had been drawn between them.
Yuk Jin-yang caught his ragged breath.
The consumption was severe. The toll of the fierce clash. Any warrior would have to endure it, but if the fight dragged on, even he might not hold out.
Fortunately, the enemy seemed just as strained. A blood-soaked man emerged from the crowd. His fatigued expression betrayed heavy prior combat.
“Reinforcements from the Five Harmony Alliance, eh. So young.”
A low mutter reached him. The man’s protruding muscles strained against his robe. He exuded robust energy, on a different level from Huangbo Jeong-jun.
“And strong. My pathetic brother was at least considered a promising junior.”
“A blood relative.”
“Name’s Huangbo Myeong. He’s the brother of Jeong-jun, the one you killed.”
Yuk Ryul, who had approached beside him, whispered the info.
“Be careful. That’s the Huangbo Clan’s young lord.”
An unexpected heavyweight. Yuk Jin-yang steadied his breathing calmly.
“...Young lord, huh.”
“Something like that.”
“Here for revenge on your brother? Come at me. I’ll take you on.”
“You’re mistaken. Even he, crossing the Yellow Springs by now, wouldn’t expect me to avenge him right away.”
His tone was astonishingly cold. No trace of brotherly affection.
Yet Yuk Jin-yang read his energy. Beneath the barely suppressed agitation, his tightly clenched fists bulged with veins, ready to strike.
He hadn’t failed to save his brother. Circumstances hadn’t allowed it.
“Gonna keep yapping? Come on.”
“Don’t be hasty. Soon enough, I’ll show you how vast the world is. It won’t take long.”
Huangbo Myeong smirked and turned his back. At the brazen display, Yuk Jin-yang instinctively thrust his sword.
Swish!
The Silver Dew Sword cleaved empty air. Confusion crossed Yuk Jin-yang’s face.
‘Dodged?’
No. He immediately rejected the thought. The opponent hadn’t used footwork or reflexes to evade. He had vanished before his eyes. No presence remained.
‘Stealth? No, sorcery!’
The strangeness didn’t end there.
Not just Huangbo Myeong—the opposing forces dissolved into scattering smoke in an instant. Like ghosts mocking mortals.
But only Yuk Jin-yang and Yuk Ryul were taken aback.
The Five Harmony Alliance warriors merely looked weary. As if this was a familiar occurrence.