Chapter 371
Chapter 371
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 371
Chapter Title: The Coin of Gratitude
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*Fshhh!*
As Bu Eun-seol used his footwork to swiftly exit the pavilion, he spotted No-bong walking at a leisurely pace.
“Hehehe.”
When No-bong saw Bu Eun-seol in pursuit, he extended a hand as if he had been waiting.
“That boy from the Namgung family won’t be able to handle the Soul-less Ones by himself.”
*Swish!*
No more words were needed.
Bu Eun-seol immediately unleashed the Formless Celestial Flow, sealing No-bong’s escape route.
“A fine sword art.”
No-bong casually waved his hand, and the torrent of cross-shaped sword energy vanished like melting snow.
“Such pathetic sword energy is nothing but child's play before the Flowing Vortex Lightning.”
When No-bong extended his right hand again, an invisible force swirled and surged toward Bu Eun-seol’s face.
‘Kuh.’
Bu Eun-seol tried to negate the force with the Waning Moon, Morning Star.
But the sword energy of the Waning Moon, Morning Star couldn't dissipate the swirling power. He quickly twisted his body to evade the attack.
*Sizzle!*
As the palm energy grazed his body, a sound like evaporating liquid was heard, and Bu Eun-seol’s face turned pale.
Just a light touch from the palm energy had caused the blood in his body to vaporize.
‘So this is the martial art of the Blood Emperor.’
The Blood Emperor had been a master who straddled the line between the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions, a demon who never hesitated to kill.
Moreover, his Flowing Vortex Lightning, unleashed through his unique internal art, Yanghoegong, was an invisible power. Merely grazing the body was enough to evaporate blood.
‘He’s developed it.’
In the past, the Blood Emperor’s ultimate technique was said to only show its power upon a direct hit.
But now, it evaporated blood with just a graze.
‘Perhaps it’s only natural.’
The Eight Emperors and Three Stars were masters from four hundred years ago.
If their descendants had continuously inherited their martial arts, they would have, of course, relentlessly refined those ultimate techniques over generations.
Hadn’t So Ok-rim, the descendant of the Star Emperor, also said that her Style of Severing the Silver River had been improved?
*Sizzle! Sizzle!*
Each time No-bong's palm energy grazed him, a white mist rose from Bu Eun-seol's body.
‘This won’t do.’
*Vmmm.*
As Bu Eun-seol drew upon his internal energy, his eyes glowed blue.
He was unleashing the Glacial Celestial Flow Art, the ultimate technique of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
*Saaaaah!*
Pouring Icy True Qi from his left hand, Bu Eun-seol spread the cold energy wide, beginning to freeze the area around No-bong.
“So you’ve even learned the ultimate technique of the Great Glacial Emperor.”
No-bong let out a low exclamation and suddenly executed an elusive, ghost-like footwork.
*Whoosh. Whoosh.*
His body appeared and disappeared like a phantom materializing in mid-air, repeatedly showing and hiding his form. He began to effortlessly evade the torrent of cold energy.
“Your training in the ice arts is brief. The speed of your release is too slow.”
No-bong余裕롭게 gauged the level of Bu Eun-seol’s ice arts and unleashed a torrent of Flowing Vortex Lightning.
*Sizzzle.*
In the end, Bu Eun-seol, who had been pouring out the Glacial Celestial Flow Art, was pushed back two steps as white smoke rose from his body.
He couldn't precisely measure the amount of blood that had evaporated, but it felt as though a handful had vanished.
“Hehehe.”
Looking at Bu Eun-seol’s hardened face, No-bong smirked.
“Do you now realize you’re just a frog in a well?”
Bu Eun-seol had to admit it.
The descendants of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars all used unique martial arts with abilities that transcended common sense.
And they displayed a formidable power that ignored even the conventional gaps in martial skill.
A strange art that could not be blocked by any means and could instantly evaporate blood within its range of influence.
That was the martial art of the Blood Emperor.
—There are still many super-strong masters in the martial world you don't know about. There are also martial arts that transcend the stages one must naturally pass through.
Suddenly, the words of Cheon Un-gwang from his visit to the Rain of Fire Sword Sect flashed through his mind.
Did the martial arts that transcend stages, which he spoke of, refer to the arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars?
If so, had Cheon Un-gwang also clashed with a descendant of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars?
“The power of the Vortex Lightning cannot be blocked by anything.”
While Bu Eun-seol was lost in thought, No-bong raised both his palms.
Though invisible to the eye, a vortex-shaped lightning bolt had formed in his palms.
That powerful lightning was instantly evaporating the blood in Bu Eun-seol’s body with every touch.
“Take this again.”
No-bong once again unleashed the Flowing Vortex Lightning at Bu Eun-seol.
Bu Eun-seol didn't dare to face it head-on, using his footwork to continuously evade the attacks.
“Hoo. Hoo.”
As the exchange continued, Bu Eun-seol’s breathing started to grow ragged.
The range of the Flowing Vortex Lightning's assault was so wide that he had to use his footwork at full power to create distance.
Because of this, Bu Eun-seol couldn't even counter a single one of No-bong’s attacks, being helplessly beaten back.
*Sizzzle.*
In the meantime, an unknown amount of blood had already been lost to evaporation.
*Click.*
As if even breathing was difficult, Bu Eun-seol sheathed his Ink Sword.
“So this is all the successor to the Demonic Halls, said to make the world tremble, amounts to.”
Looking at Bu Eun-seol’s frustrated state, No-bong wore a sinister smile.
“In the martial world, there are techniques that transcend levels of martial skill. Regret your ignorance of such things in the afterlife.”
*Wooooong!*
As No-bong once again stretched out his arms, Bu Eun-seol’s hair shot up toward the sky.
He was spreading the powerful energy of the Flowing Vortex Lightning wide in all directions, intending to make Bu Eun-seol’s blood boil and evaporate in an instant.
*Shing.*
But then, something strange happened.
As Bu Eun-seol drew his sword again, the swirling power of the Flowing Vortex Lightning that had been pouring down began to surge in the opposite direction.
‘I was waiting for this moment.’
Bu Eun-seol knew well that he couldn't achieve a quick victory against No-bong, the inheritor of the Blood Emperor's true legacy.
However, there was an opening to exploit.
The flaw was No-bong’s overconfidence in his own ability, his pride that the Flowing Vortex Lightning was absolutely unavoidable.
No-bong’s arrogance was the opening.
From the very beginning of the fight, Bu Eun-seol had pretended to be helplessly overwhelmed.
He knew that if he did, No-bong would surely unleash a single strike to evaporate all his blood at once.
And when he finally unleashed that decisive blow.
Bu Eun-seol used the principle he had held back until now: Half Above, Half Below, the Principle of Reversing a Thousand Forces.
He instantly sent back the power of the Flowing Vortex Lightning, which could neither be seen nor blocked.
“Not a chance!”
No-bong wasn't greatly surprised, even though Bu Eun-seol had turned the power of the Flowing Vortex Lightning back on him.
And he calmly unleashed the Flowing Vortex Lightning once more.
Since it was the power he had unleashed, he intended to negate it by releasing the same power.
‘Now!’
But in doing so, a fleeting gap was created.
And Bu Eun-seol did not miss that opening.
*Flash!*
A point of light shot up into the sky from mid-air.
The eighth form of the Formless Celestial Flow. The essence of the Ultimate Counterattack Form, the Sigh of the Heavens, was unleashed.
“Not a chance!”
No-bong crossed his hands in a blur.
Amazingly, he was trying to block the movement of the Ink Sword, which was closing in at the speed of light, with the Flowing Vortex Lightning.
*Vmmm!*
As the immense power of the Flowing Vortex Lightning blocked the Ink Sword, the blade bent as if it would shatter.
“Hmph, is this pathetic move your trump car—.”
No-bong’s scoff was cut short.
*Shwiiik!*
With a sharp whistling sound.
The stalled Ink Sword began to move as if it were a living creature, bending in a strange way.
A sword form that changes according to the enemy’s movements, Cheon Un-gwang's final killing sword form.
The Nine Dragons Flash Lightning was unleashed.
*Shwik! Shwiiik!*
Once, twice, three times…
When the trajectory of the Ink Sword finally bent for the fourth time, No-bong eventually lost track of its path.
And the consequence of losing sight of the Ink Sword's movement was death.
*Pshht!*
As the Ink Sword grazed his neck, blood spurted from No-bong’s throat.
“A formidable sword art!”
Clutching his gushing neck, No-bong’s eyes widened.
“To think you’d mix the sword forms of the Orthodox Faction and the Demonic Path!”
No-bong had discerned that the single move Bu Eun-seol unleashed was a mixture of the supreme sword arts of both the Orthodox and Demonic Factions.
Ten Thousand Forms, One Style. And the Sigh of the Heavens with the Nine Dragons Flash Lightning.
These were sword forms worthy of reaching the pinnacle of both factions. And Bu Eun-seol had displayed the essence of both sword forms in a single move.
“If you hadn't been so proud of your Flowing Vortex Lightning… I would not have been able to win.”
At Bu Eun-seol's words, No-bong smiled faintly.
“When one reaches this level, one can't help but be proud of their martial arts. Because one has already cut down countless powerful enemies.”
*Pshht!*
With those words, blood spurted from No-bong’s neck once more.
“Perhaps you might become stronger than him…”
But he couldn't finish his sentence.
*Thud.*
Simultaneously, No-bong’s head was sliced off at an angle and rolled onto the ground.
The living killing sword art, the Nine Dragons Flash Lightning, had not only severed his carotid artery but had sliced clean through his neck.
“Hoo, hoo.”
Gasping for breath, Bu Eun-seol had no time to recover and threw himself in the opposite direction.
If his calculations were correct, Namgung Un could hold out for about fifteen minutes.
A little more than that had passed now… which meant Namgung Un’s life was in danger.
*Fshhh!*
Instantly unleashing the Extreme Speed, Shadowless Steps, Bu Eun-seol rushed toward the pavilion.
*Craaash! Koom!*
There, he saw Namgung Un, surrounded by the Soul-less Ones, continuously unleashing his sword techniques.
His entire body was covered in wounds, and his blue robes were stained red.
But he was constantly shouting as he mixed the first three forms of the Emperor's Sword Form with the Azure Sky Flying Swallow Sword.
A fight to the death.
At some point, Namgung Un’s spirit and body had merged into one.
It was not a fight for victory, nor a struggle for survival.
He was simply holding a single sword, performing a sword dance on the boundary between life and death.
“He’s advanced another step.”
In truth, the descendants of the great families do not need to risk their lives on dangerous journeys through the martial world.
This is because they receive excellent education from a young age and believe that this education can substitute for experience.
Furthermore, direct blood relatives are candidates to inherit the family, so they would never risk their lives on such a journey.
But Namgung Un was different.
Within his gentle personality lay a strong spirit, and an indomitable warrior’s soul that did not fear death.
That was why he had set out on this journey alone, without an escort of warriors.
And that choice had allowed him to leap over a wall that an ordinary warrior of a great family would have to train for over a decade to overcome.
“Brother Bu!”
Namgung Un, who had been swinging his sword like a madman in a trance, finally noticed Bu Eun-seol standing at a distance, watching him.
“Did you take care of Elder No?”
“I did.”
Namgung Un smiled brightly.
He was saved!
He no longer had to fight for his life!
But then, unexpected words flowed from Bu Eun-seol’s mouth.
“You’re doing well.”
“Huh?”
“Keep going.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
“It seems you haven’t reached your limit yet.”
At that, Namgung Un, who was swinging his sword, nearly jumped out of his skin.
“What are you talking about, Brother Bu! I’m on the verge of death here!”
“If you were truly on the verge of death, you wouldn't even be able to answer.”
Bu Eun-seol surveyed the surroundings.
“As you said, I’ll come when you’re about to die.”
Leaving behind those cold words, he vanished in an instant.
“…”
Watching him disappear, Namgung Un’s face turned white.
Bu Eun-seol was definitely not the type to joke. Moreover, when it came to martial arts, he was a man who would risk his life.
If he said so, then he truly wouldn't help… until Namgung Un was on the brink of death.
“Bro, Brother Bu? Brother Bu!”
Namgung Un looked around, but all traces of Bu Eun-seol were gone.
With Bu Eun-seol's departure, the Soul-less Ones began to close in on him, emitting an even sharper aura.
“Son of a bitch!”
An unfamiliar curse, one he had never uttered before, burst out of its own accord.
“Shit. You only die once!”
*Ptooey.*
Spitting on his hands and gripping his Golden Needle Sword, Namgung Un shouted at the Soul-less Ones in a rage-filled voice.
“Come on, you bastards! Bring it on!”
***
The Beggars' Sect had sealed its gates.
The sect, which had been one of the pillars of the Nine Great Sects and One Union, had declared its closure.
The reason, however, was unbelievably absurd.
Hae-pung and Mak-goeng, who were fighting over the position of Sect Leader, had engaged in armed conflict.
As a result, more than eighty percent of the Beggar Brigade, the elite force of the Beggars' Sect, had lost their lives.
In other words, the pinnacle of the Beggars' Sect's power had vanished due to the meaningless battle between two men.
But if it had been only this, the world would not have been so shocked.
—The Sect Leader, No-bong, used the disciples of the Beggars' Sect and human fire to create a drug that should never have been made.
—He even used it to cultivate numerous Soul-less Ones!
A large force from the Namgung Family suddenly raided the Heavenly Fire Manor where No-bong had been hiding.
They exposed all of No-bong’s evil deeds and corruption, submitting the evidence to the Martial Alliance.
Not only that, but in the process, evidence also emerged that Hae-pung had joined him in creating the Soul-less Ones.
—This sect is now finished.
Those were the words of Hae-pung as he was being escorted to the Martial Alliance's prison.
The reason the Beggars' Sect had been able to firmly unite its countless members…
Was because they always acted righteously and thoroughly adhered to the sect's rules and ironclad principles, which were rooted in integrity.
But for the Beggars' Sect to commit such a heinous act, one that even the Demonic Path would not stoop to…
An eternity would have to pass for this tarnished name to be cleansed and for the Beggars' Sect to rise again.
Conversely, the Namgung Family was celebrating a joyous occasion.
Namgung Un, who had always been called a troublemaker, had single-handedly crushed the Beggars' Sect's conspiracy and recovered all three hundred-plus bizarre drugs hidden in the Heavenly Fire Manor.
Thanks to Namgung Un’s actions, the Namgung Family received many treasures from the Martial Alliance and once again announced to the martial world that they could exert powerful influence over all sects.
Furthermore, this incident proved once again that the Namgung Family was the leader of the Eight Great Families, boasting a prosperity that surpassed the Nine Great Sects.
The Namgung Family, Hall of the Virtuous.
In the office there, bookshelves filled with texts stood packed together.
And in front of a desk with its back to the window, a refined middle-aged man stood, writing a letter with a brush in hand.
His features were like polished jade, and he sported a handsome beard on his chin.
But his eyes were as cold and still as ice, and an overwhelming, unapproachable aura flowed from his entire body.
He was the current head of the Namgung Family, Namgung Jeong.
*Knock, knock.*
With the sound of a knock on the door, a servant girl’s low voice was heard.
“The Young Master has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
The door then opened, and Namgung Un, dressed in blue robes, entered with a tense expression.
Though he feared nothing in the world and was a wild child, he always shrank like a mouse before a cat in front of his father, Namgung Jeong.
“Family Head.”
Namgung Un bowed his head deeply in respect, but Namgung Jeong didn't even spare him a glance.
*Scratch, scratch.*
The inside was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only the occasional sound of writing filling the silence.
‘Family Head.’
Standing still like a stone statue, Namgung Un bit his lip.
Although they were father and son, Namgung Jeong treated only Namgung Un with exceptional strictness and coldness.
‘Does such deep love make even a child resentful?’
Namgung Un knew.
He knew that his father, Namgung Jeong, hated him.
Because his mother had died from the pain of childbirth while giving birth to him.
‘They said his personality changed after that day.’
After his wife’s death, Namgung Jeong was said to have suffered a great shock and had since forbidden all outside activities, living in seclusion.
The problem was that, unlike his other siblings, he treated only Namgung Un with terrifying severity, and to this day, had not given him a single warm glance.
Namgung Un’s troublemaking behavior in his youth was a rebellion against his cold father.
‘The Family Head may have lost his wife, but I lost a mother who would have held me warmly!’
*Squeeze.*
Namgung Un clenched his fists tightly.
If he didn't, he felt he might shout the words he had just screamed in his mind.
“Haha.”
Instead, Namgung Un scratched his head and clasped his hands together.
Always like that. With a foolish smile like a troublemaker.
“If you have no further orders, I will take my leave.”
And as he turned to leave again,
“It seems your skills have improved somewhat.”
The voice of the Namgung Family Head, who was said to have mastered the Heavy Sword Technique to its peak, was, contrary to his slender frame, incredibly deep and majestic.
“To think you faced over a hundred Soul-less Ones alone.”
“I was just lucky.”
As Namgung Un scratched his head, Namgung Jeong’s gaze sharpened.
“Ascending to the next level is achieved through new experiences and enlightenment.”
A blade-like glint shot from Namgung Jeong’s eyes.
“Tell me. About the new things you experienced on this journey.”
Namgung Un scratched his head.
As for new experiences… all he did was follow Bu Eun-seol around like a beggar.
“I… I ate food scraps from the waterway.”
“The waterway?”
“It was an unavoidable choice to infiltrate the Beggars' Sect. And I also wore clothes stained with dung. The smell was so bad it was tough. Haha.”
In truth, the valuable things Namgung Un had experienced were the truths of the world that Bu Eun-seol had shared.
And the enlightenment he gained through them.
If someone else had asked about this, Namgung Un would have calmly explained.
But looking into the solemn eyes of his father, Namgung Jeong, his mind went blank… and so he just let out a forced laugh and spoke nonsense.
“Hmph.”
As Namgung Jeong let out a dissatisfied grunt, sweat trickled down Namgung Un’s forehead.
In fact, the Hall of the Virtuous was a place of terror for him.
Whenever he committed a major wrongdoing as a child, he was always dragged here to receive a severe punishment from Namgung Jeong.
It was a place full of bad memories, so no good stories could come out.
*Click.*
Just then, Namgung Jeong took something out from his robes and placed it on the desk.
Looking closely, it was a very old coin engraved with a strange pattern.
“It is the Divine Calculator’s Coin of Gratitude.”
Looking down at the old coin, the Coin of Gratitude, Namgung Jeong spoke in a low voice.
“The Divine Calculator secretly sent this to our family. It must be because this matter was resolved well.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief.”
As Namgung Un smiled foolishly, Namgung Jeong spoke in a low voice.
“I will give this Coin of Gratitude to you.”
In that moment, Namgung Un’s eyes widened.
The Coin of Gratitude was a priceless treasure whose value could not be measured. And he was giving it to him?
If he could use the Coin of Gratitude to receive an answer from the wisest sage in the martial world, who was said to know everything?
Becoming the head of the Namgung Family would no longer be just a dream.
“Will you accept it?”
Originally, Namgung Un had intended to refuse it.
He had no ambition for the position of Family Head, nor did he plan to use the Coin of Gratitude to realize any ambitions.
‘Ah.’
But the face of a handsome man flashed through his mind.
Unlike himself, he would surely need the Coin of Gratitude.
“Will you really give this to me?”
“I will.”
“Then may I use it as I see fit?”
When Namgung Jeong nodded, Namgung Un nodded his head.
“I will accept it.”
“What do you plan to use it for?”
A hint of anticipation appeared in Namgung Jeong’s eyes. But what came out of Namgung Un’s mouth was something completely unexpected.
“I will give it to my sworn brother.”