Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Like Father, Like Son
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“Now that we’ve taken care of everything that needs sorting out, all that’s left is to fight freely.”
Gun Cheokjeon gripped his sword with both hands.
“You’re no ordinary man. Who are you?”
Jeok Yeom-cheon asked as he drew up his internal energy.
His robe billowed tautly.
“I’m Gun Cheokjeon, the foremost general of the Northern Route Army.”
“A general of the empire?”
“That’s right.”
“The war is over. Why haven’t you returned to the empire? Why wander the desert?”
Jeok Yeom-cheon asked with a puzzled look.
“I don’t care to explain that much.”
“You have your reasons, then. Fine.”
As he channeled even more energy, a dark, murky aura gathered in his hands. It was the Black Wind Demon Bullet Gang—a signature technique of the Wind Sand Clan’s guardian arts—the first form, Black Gang Bullet.
“Our family has always been a martial house, even if we never stepped into the jianghu.”
Gun Cheokjeon also channeled his energy into his sword. Soon, sword energy surged from the tip. The blade of energy stretched an entire zhang.
The technique he was preparing was the paramount form of the Three Absolute Demon Sea: Sword Stream Invincible Gang.
They had finished their preparations, but neither attacked right away. They circled to the right, probing for openings.
‘If only I could show him the full execution... But as you said, he’s a born martial prodigy aside from his dantian. I trust he’ll master it properly.’
Gun Cheokjeon muttered inwardly.
“Raaargh!”
Ak Muyoo let out a feral roar.
He swung his arms as if swimming through the air.
Thud! Slash!
The Fear Demon in his right hand severed an enemy’s neck, while the one in his left sliced off a leg. He swung at the fallen foe’s neck.
Thud!
The Fear Demon that cut the neck sank into the sand.
As he yanked it free, he whipped it to the right. The Fear Demon cleaved horizontally through the space.
Shing!
It sheared through an assassin’s weapon before slicing the neck. The severed head floated up lightly. He spun and swung his left arm. The assassin’s torso was bisected next. Ak Muyoo’s strikes grew ever wilder and fiercer. Each time the Fear Demon grazed the sand, grains flew up and shattered into powder.
It was the repulsive force field, a realm reserved for internal energy masters.
Ak Muyoo remained oblivious to the fact.
He had no time to inspect the Fear Demon chained to his wrists. It mercilessly butchered the foes.
No weapon or technique could block it. It sliced through arms, flesh, and bone alike.
―Kill that bastard... No, I’ll handle it myself.
Judging his subordinates incapable of stopping Ak Muyoo, Jan Ga-ul stepped forward personally.
He plunged straight into the sand.
Clack!
Ak Muyoo, who had been swinging the Fear Demon wildly, froze in place. Goosebumps erupted across his body. Though unseen, he felt eyes fixed on him.
He moved slowly to the left.
The gaze followed.
He kept moving. Where he headed, the Ink Dragon—gifted by Ak Gun-eok—jutted from the sand.
He yanked it free.
“Chaha!”
At that moment, an assassin charged from Ak Muyoo’s left. Ara, who had shadowed him, thrust her sword straight. Sword energy erupted from her tip. The half-zhang blade pierced the assassin’s heart.
“Amitabha!”
She murmured the chant softly.
She withdrew her sword and swept it horizontally. Her blade multiplied into dozens.
What she unleashed was the One-Character Sumeru Sword, known as the Emei Single Stroke.
Slaaash!
The might of the Emei Sect’s signature technique was formidable. It cleaved four assassins at once.
In her youth—before coming to the battlefield—she had studied at the Emei Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Great Schools. The Nine Great Sects and Eight Great Schools were the ten most renowned martial factions in the Central Plains. Among them, the Emei Sect originated at Mount Emei in Sichuan, composed solely of nuns yet standing shoulder-to-shoulder with male-dominated sects.
It had been twenty years since Ara returned home.
“No one to blame.”
Ara muttered as she launched herself forward.
Her movement art was the Divine Travel Maze Step, the Emei Sect’s supreme footwork. In truth, she had intended to spend her life there. She had even shaved her head and taken the dharma name Buljeong. Thanks to that, she mastered the One-Character Sumeru Sword and Divine Travel Maze Step—techniques unseen even by non-direct disciples.
Had her father not opposed, she’d still be there. No, her father hadn’t opposed. It was her eldest aunt, who doted excessively on her son, who vehemently refused.
The aunt threatened to sever all ancestral offerings to the Emei Sect if her daughter became a nun, forcing Ara home.
No sooner had she returned than she donned male attire and went to the battlefield in her brother’s stead.
With the Divine Travel Maze Step, her form danced like a crane on one leg. She darted back and forth to Ak Muyoo’s left, dispatching assassins.
Even with her body far from normal, her speed was swift. She pushed beyond her limits to flee before Jeok Yeom-cheon eliminated Gun Cheokjeon.
Among the three, Luha fared best.
But even she refrained from her primary weapon, the bow. She had run out of arrows. Instead, she wielded a sword.
As one of the Yellow River Ten Dragons, her martial prowess was formidable. She weaved back and forth, cutting down foes.
The assassins’ numbers dwindled visibly.
Ak Muyoo steadied his breath and gripped the Ink Dragon tight.
‘The sand.’
His gaze dropped to the ground. No matter how carefully one moved underground, vibrations reached the surface, stirring the sand.
Ak Muyoo’s dynamic vision caught the motion. It was how he had survived the Sand Death Zone—thanks to his exceptional eyesight.
‘There!’
He spotted the sand shifting toward him.
‘You’re dead!’
He hurled the Ink Dragon mercilessly.
Shoo!
It covered three zhang in an instant, burrowing into the sand. This time, not half but the entire rear end sank in.
“Ta-ha!”
Ak Muyoo charged where it struck, swinging the Fear Demon. As the rightward swing arced forward—
Ploosh!
A sand mound erupted into the air. It was Jan Ga-ul, hidden beneath.
“Huhk!”
Jan Ga-ul’s eyes bulged.
He had burst out due to the spear piercing his side. But now a pitch-black blade rushed in. He raised his weapon to guard his neck.
Clang!
His weapon snapped clean off.
“N-No way...”
Slash!
“Argh!”
A scream tore from Jan Ga-ul’s mouth.
His severed head flew high. Disbelief filled his eyes. His weapon was no ordinary iron but a divine artifact forged from famed dark iron ore, dozens of times stronger. Yet it had been cut like bamboo.
Ak Muyoo retrieved the Ink Dragon. Then he charged the assassins.
“Ta-ha!”
A shout burst from Gun Cheokjeon’s lips.
The sword in his hand cleaved the air.
“Chaha!”
Jeok Yeom-cheon thrust his fist. The punch too was cloaked in gang energy.
Clang!
The clash of sword and fist rang out sharper than imaginable.
“Urk!”
Gun Cheokjeon slid back half a zhang to the right. He had anticipated it, so he didn’t panic. He raised his sword high. Terrifying energy poured from his entire body. As he rushed Jeok Yeom-cheon, he unleashed the second form of the Three Absolute Demon Sea—the branch form called Hell Storm Bullet. Dozens of sword bullets hurtled toward Jeok Yeom-cheon.
Even Jeok Yeom-cheon dared not neglect the sword bullets. He punched repeatedly.
It was the second form of the Black Wind Demon Bullet Gang: Black Gang Wind. A single fist birthed ten bullets. Hundreds flew to meet Gun Cheokjeon’s Hell Storm Bullet.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang! Clang-clang! Clang!
Sharp sounds poured ceaselessly between them. They swung sword and punched while advancing on each other.
Clang! Clang-clang!
Amid the gang energy, they struck at one another.
Sparks flew everywhere, and sand dust billowed thickly.
Thud! Slash!
“Urgh!”
“Ugh!”
Both groaned nearly simultaneously as they recoiled. Gun Cheokjeon’s chest tore open with his robes, and Jeok Yeom-cheon’s right arm bled.
“Urk!”
Blood welled in Gun Cheokjeon’s mouth.
He glared at Jeok Yeom-cheon, breathing raggedly.
‘No choice but to trade blows.’
He gritted his teeth. Even at peak condition, Jeok Yeom-cheon was a handful. Fortunately, crossing the Sand Death Zone had drained his energy too—he wasn’t at full strength either. Gun Cheokjeon gripped his sword two-handed and hoisted it above his right shoulder.
He glanced left.
Ak Muyoo’s group neared the end of their fight. Just then, Ak Muyoo turned to him.
Their eyes met in midair.
‘I’m going.’
Ak Muyoo conveyed with his gaze.
—Farewell.
Gun Cheokjeon smiled faintly.
“Chaha!”
With Ak Muyoo’s shout, he hurled the Ink Dragon.
It pierced an assassin’s heart midair. The speared foe flew two zhang before crashing down.
‘You’ve already grasped the Latent Capacity Great Force Technique. Or perhaps even the Superhuman Great Force Technique.’
Whatever it was, hurling a grown man two zhang was impossible by raw strength alone.
‘You’ll make it out alive. Definitely.’
Muttering inwardly as Ak Muyoo’s group receded, he poured all his energy into his sword.
“Ta-ha!”
Shouting, he charged Jeok Yeom-cheon.
Jeok Yeom-cheon sensed the finale too. He concentrated all his energy into his arms and thrust. It was the final form of the Black Wind Demon Bullet Gang: Black Gang Tempest.
Slaaash!
In that instant, Gun Cheokjeon’s sword cleaved the air.
He too unleashed the Three Absolute Demon Sea’s final form: Heaven-Earth Annihilation Rain. It was a downpour of sword bullet gang energy. Countless bullets rained on Jeok Yeom-cheon.
“Huh!”
Jeok Yeom-cheon’s face hardened like stone.
He hadn’t expected Gun Cheokjeon to have the reserves for such a powerful technique.
This was beyond his ability to block.
‘Damn.’
He mobilized all his energy for a gang shield. It was all he could do. As the sword bullets poured, he squeezed his eyes shut.
“...?”
Jeok Yeom-cheon cautiously opened his eyes.
The raining bullets had vanished. He looked at Gun Cheokjeon. The man had lowered his sword.
“So it was a feint unto death.”
He murmured lowly and slumped down.
He immediately assumed the cross-legged posture.
He needed to pursue the fleeing Luha, but in his current state, he couldn’t guarantee eliminating her. Besides, she wasn’t alone. To finish all three, he had to recover.
He entered meditative circulation at once.
Half a shichen later, Jeok Yeom-cheon opened his eyes.
‘This time, I’ll kill you for real, Luha.’
He kicked off the ground.
“Woooooooo!”
A lion’s roar erupted as he soared into the air. His form shrank to a black dot and vanished.
Moments after Jeok Yeom-cheon departed, two figures appeared. Fire Non-Dragon Seo Haran and Sea Dragon Mok Busung.
“Touching, isn’t it?”
Mok Busung said.
“What do you mean?”
“A father’s desperate bid to preserve his worthless son’s honor.”
“That’s just how it is.”
“...”
“A child is a mirror of his parents, after all.”
“So he’s raging to protect his own reputation, not his son’s.”
“Like father, like son.”
“Then Luha’s group is done for.”
“Who knows. The interesting part is... that man keeps getting stronger.”
“You mean the Heavenly Branch Leader?”
“Yeah. He’s several times stronger than when we first saw him. Enough to capture the lord of the Hell of Ten Thousand Evils.”
Seo Haran smiled faintly and urged her camel onward.