Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: One-Strike Battle... He'll Win
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If it was a one-strike duel...
He'd win.
"Shouldn't we stop them?"
Ageukta sent a transmission to Ara.
"No."
Ara shook her head.
"What if he gets hurt...?"
"Better to get hurt here. If he backs down without fighting, Muyoo becomes their target. Righteous faction warriors, especially those who think only they can save the world—if they mark him, it'll be big trouble. They'll mobilize everything they have to hunt him down. Then they'll thoroughly destroy him. Not just the target, but everyone connected to him too. Muyoo's the same. Not just Muyoo, but everything he's trying to protect will be destroyed."
"The heirs of the prestigious righteous sects would do that?"
"That's exactly why the heirs of prestigious righteous sects do it. They can't stand a blow to their pride more than death. If they suffer an insult, they'll do everything in their power to recover it. Whether it's illegal, immoral, despicable, or lowly—they don't care. They handle things without regard for means or methods, then erase all evidence. They're relentless and systematic."
Ara was no longer the Emei Sect nun who was inflexible. She'd rolled through three years on the battlefield and knew exactly how to survive in this vile world. She also realized that things she'd taken for granted at Emei were fundamentally wrong. Of course, that wasn't Emei's fault.
"One thing's clear—that I Geomhan picked the wrong opponent."
"You think Black Wind will win?"
"If it drags on, he'll lose. But in a one-strike battle..."
'He'll win.'
Ara said inwardly.
"You fucking retard..."
A blue glow flickered in I Geomhan's eyes. His pride was mortally wounded.
He'd never been ignored once in his life up to now. He'd grown up hearing he was Mount Hua Sect's top prodigy, the strongest late-stage disciple, the next sect leader—until his ears rang with it.
Even elders and seniors watched their words around him.
Yet some vagabond punk had utterly dismissed him. Rage shot to the top of his head, his whole body trembling. The only way to restore his shattered pride now was to sever Ak Muyoo's head. Staring into the face on the ground and snarling, "Step out of line like this, and you'll end up like him, punk!"—that might quell his fury.
Whether the guy had internal energy or not, was a warrior or not—none of that mattered.
Insulting one of Great Heavenly Dragon Pavilion's strongest warriors was as good as signing his own death warrant.
"I'll kill you."
I Geomhan held his sword upright before his chest.
'Even killing a bug, do it like a warrior.' That was their creed. Like a warrior didn't mean sloppy death—it meant delivering perfect death with their strongest technique.
In an instant, violet light surged from the sword tip. It was Violet Mist Sword Gang, based on Mount Hua Sect's ultimate art, Violet Mist Divine Art.
"Taha!"
As the sword gang erupted, I Geomhan kicked off the ground. Ak Muyoo moved at the same moment. Taking I Geomhan's shout as the signal, he pushed hard off the ground with both feet.
Pa-at!
His start was a beat late, but his advance was faster.
As Ak Muyoo shot forward, I Geomhan immediately swung his sword diagonally. In that instant, his sword multiplied into dozens. It was Violet Mist Full Light, the third form of Violet Mist Swordsmanship. Violet Mist Full Light could be executed with sword gang or sword bullet gang energy. Due to the close range with Ak Muyoo, I Geomhan unleashed sword gang.
The violet sword gang targeted Ak Muyoo's entire body and charged.
That was when Ak Muyoo swung Heavenly Divine Solar Bow to his left like an extension. He pressed the bow's body against one sword gang to block it while launching his body upward.
It looked as if he grabbed the Heavenly Divine Solar Bow fixed somewhere in midair and aligned his body straight in the air.
Cha-ang!
A sharp clang rang out, and one violet sword gang vanished. Ak Muyoo threw his body into the gap created by the vanished violet sword gang.
His form resembled an animal diving into a small cave in a cliff to escape some danger pressing from behind.
"Euk!"
"Huh?"
The nine Central Plains Prodigies gasped.
They'd been pondering how they'd handle it if they were in Ak Muyoo's shoes while watching I Geomhan's technique.
Truth be told, the Ten Central Plains Prodigies were comrades and rivals. Eventually, they'd clash over the Heavenly Lord's seat among the Ten Heavenly Ones. To win that rivalry, they needed to know each other well—especially their martial arts, the more the better.
That was part of why the nine hadn't stopped I Geomhan.
They'd concluded the only way to defend against Violet Mist Full Light was to overwhelm it with an even stronger technique.
No one had thought of dodging. Yet Ak Muyoo had pierced through I Geomhan's attack with an unimaginable method.
"The problem is..."
Shaolin's white-robed monk Cheonheo muttered lowly.
Whether he could properly shoot his bow hurtling forward like that.
Tung!
Peok!
"Keuk!"
I Geomhan's head snapped back, blood spraying from the back of his skull.
"Hup!"
"Heok!"
"Oh my?"
A second groan escaped the nine Central Plains Prodigies.
"......"
Silence enveloped the area.
The Central Plains Prodigies couldn't open their mouths.
They stared at the collapsed I Geomhan with bewildered faces. In their eyes, I Geomhan's technique had been impressive. The dozen-plus sword gangs advanced maintaining one-chi intervals, leaving no gaps to dodge.
Yet Ak Muyoo had smacked aside a sword gang with his bow's body, thrown himself toward the gap that created to evade the attack, and as he fell, shot an arrow that took out I Geomhan. After firing, Ak Muyoo bounced up using his shoulder against the ground.
"Bow talent!"
A woman in white robes, ragged here and there, muttered lowly. She was a Beggars' Sect warrior, Great Beggar Uri. At thirty-four, Uri was among Heavenly Dragon Pavilion's elders.
Ak Muyoo glanced at Uri.
He sheathed the bow into the case on his back and stepped forward.
"What's your name?"
Shaolin's white-robed monk Cheonheo asked.
"Black Wind!"
Ak Muyoo answered lowly, then went to Ara, took Secret Heaven Ruyi Ink, and tied it to his waist.
"Let's go."
He said to the group.
"You keep showboating like that, and one day you'll die as a vagrant."
Ageukta said.
"So guys with nothing to their name and no backing should just shut up and take getting beaten to death?"
"Right. That's how it should be."
A low voice came from behind.
Ak Muyoo turned.
"You?"
Ak Muyoo met the eyes of the man in daoist robes. The one in white daoist robes was Holy Goodness Sword Jau of Wudang Sect.
"Yeah."
"Wudang Sect?"
"That's right."
"...I'll remember that."
Ak Muyoo grinned broadly.
"Not coming at me?"
"Not that I won't—can't."
"...?"
"You just saw all my tricks. To fight another punk, I need to find and master new ones."
"...You'll have to search hard."
"It's my life on the line. I'll find them for sure. See you next time. Or better yet, never again."
Ak Muyoo waved and turned.
"Jabujong, let's go."
Ak Muyoo's group faded from the Central Plains Prodigies' sight.
"Interesting guy."
Great Beggar Uri muttered lowly.
"What?"
A beauty so stunning her eyes dazzled turned to Uri and asked. She was Illusion Dragon Sword Sun Woo Ji Hyang of Zhongnan Sect. One of the Central Plains' top beauties, Sun Woo Ji Hyang was thirty-four and unmarried, tormenting the hearts of single men across the land.
"Fascinating."
"What's fascinating?"
"Their group."
"You know them?"
"First time seeing their faces, but I've heard the names."
"Who?"
"Black Wind is the nickname of Wind Squad Captain under Northern Route Army."
"Wind Squad... the rogue band that fought alongside the imperial army in the desert, right?"
This time, Sword Flower Ja Ryuha of Point Spear Sect asked.
"You know Wind Squad?"
"Someone I know enlisted."
"I see. Anyway, the fun part is—right at the war's end, Wind Squad rebelled, killing Iron Blood General Gun Cheokjeon and four other generals plus hundreds of soldiers. The ringleader was Wind Squad Captain Black Wind. So there's a bounty on his head."
"But what's fun about that?"
"Supposedly Heavenly Flow General died in that rebellion too, but he's still alive. Right next to the rebellion's ringleader, Wind Squad Captain."
"You're saying Heavenly Flow General was with them?"
Ja Ryuha's eyes widened.
"Yeah."
Uri's gaze deepened.
"So there's a bounty on that guy's head?"
Holy Goodness Sword Jau asked for confirmation.
"Yep. Twenty myriad nyang, even."
"Guy needs killing."
"...Where to?"
Uri asked.
"Back to HQ."
"I'll go later."
"Where?"
Ja Ryuha asked.
"Got a place to stop by."
"Can I come?"
"No real need to..."
Uri trailed off.
"Feels like something fun'll happen if I follow you, Great Beggar."
"Fine. Come along."
Uri nodded.
Just then, a group approached from afar. It was Geumjeong Sinni's Emei group.
"Welcome."
The Central Plains Prodigies cupped their fists.
"It's you lot. Seen a group of three men and two women? Two Central Plains folk, three..."
"They went that way just now."
Uri pointed the direction Ak Muyoo's group had gone.
"Thanks. Let's go."
Geumjeong Sinni immediately leaped away.
"Us too."
"Yeah."
Uri and Ja Ryuha also leaped off.
At that moment.
Ak Muyoo's group was racing after Jabujong. Jabujong kept heading east.
Jabujong stopped half a shichen later before a building. A massive structure like a temple, relatively intact compared to the many ruins around with only traces left.
The building spanned thirty zhang left to right, and inside, hundreds of pillars ten zhang tall thrust toward the sky.
"This is Solar Heaven."
Ak Muyoo muttered lowly.
"How do you know?"
Seo Haran asked.
"No roof."
"What's that got to do with Solar Heaven?"
"To receive lots of sun, you need no roof. That's why sun god worshippers' temples have no roofs."
"Ah!"
Seo Haran nodded.
The group approached what looked like an entrance.
"Kill!"
"Charge!"
Chang! Changchangchang! Changchang!
"Kraaak!"
"Aaak!"
"Euaak!"
Suddenly, weapon clashes and agonized screams rang out.
"Hm?"
The group dashed inside.
The interior was vast.
Thirty zhang side to side, but stretching nearly one hundred fifty zhang deep. Filled with pillars farther in.
Deep inside, over five hundred Black Dragon Society warriors fought men in violet uniforms. The violet-clad ones looked strong, but outnumbered.
"Let's go."
Ak Muyoo charged toward Black Dragon Society.
"That bastard—in times like this, he looks like the strongest among us."
Ageukta shook his head as he followed Ak Muyoo.
"Parab, you dogshit son of a bitch!"
Soon curses burst from Ak Muyoo's mouth.