Chapter 218
Chapter 218
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 218
Chapter Title: Plum Blossoms Versus Falling Stars
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Cheonhwi's swung scabbard struck Danmokchan squarely on the crown of his head before his Thousand Hands Sword Form could even mount a proper defense.
From that blow, Danmokchan's eyes rolled back as if he had passed out on the spot.
With only the whites of his eyes showing, Danmokchan soon lost all strength, dropped his sword, and his body began to tilt backward.
Just as his body was about to hit the ground.
Thud.
Jonggak, who had appeared out of nowhere, placed a hand on Danmokchan's back as he was falling.
"Just a single strike."
Jonggak, supporting Danmokchan, effortlessly hoisted the limp man onto his shoulder.
"To think the gap would be this wide. It might take quite some time to overcome it."
Muttering to himself, he looked toward Cheonhwi.
"Wait a moment, please. I'll lay Chan down somewhere else and return."
"Go ahead. Oh, wait..."
Cheonhwi nodded indifferently but paused midway, as if remembering something, and lightly swung his scabbard from above downward.
Cling!
Cheonhwi's gesture was aimed at Danmokchan's fallen sword.
The scabbard struck the sword's flat, sending it flying into the air with a whoosh.
And in that instant.
Swish―
The scabbard moved gracefully, placing the airborne sword precisely on its tip.
Jonggak's eyes widened in astonishment at the incredible feat accomplished in the blink of an eye.
'Such refined swordsmanship.'
As he watched in admiration.
"Take this too."
Cheonhwi lightly flicked the sword.
Infused with internal energy, the sword arced grandly through the air and landed perfectly in Jonggak's hands.
"Thank you."
Jonggak nodded lightly as he caught the sword effortlessly, then pushed off with his foot.
Tap.
A light footstep echoed.
A faint puff of dust scattered, and in an instant, Jonggak vanished, reappearing abruptly where Cheon Igae and Danmokrin were.
"Eek! You scared the life out of me!"
As Jonggak smiled at Cheon Igae's exaggerated fussing, Danmokrin rushed over to him.
"Is big brother okay?"
Her eyes were filled with worry.
Seeing this, Jonggak's eyes gleamed faintly.
Even though she had severed ties with the Danmok family, her lingering concern showed just how deep blood bonds ran—deeper than anything else in the world.
"He's fine."
"That's a relief."
As Danmokrin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Can you watch him for a bit?"
Jonggak slowly set Danmokchan down and entrusted him to Danmokrin.
"Don't worry."
Danmokrin carefully laid Danmokchan down and immediately checked his condition.
He looked fine at a glance, but when she touched the crown of his head where the scabbard had struck true, she couldn't help but smile wryly.
'I figured he wouldn't hold back against a senior brother, but...'
The lump on his head was quite large.
A bump like that would probably cause significant pain for several days.
"Then I'll leave him to you."
Meanwhile, confirming that Danmokrin was tending to him, Jonggak placed Danmokchan's sword beside them and turned his body.
He then stepped forward with his left foot.
Step― step―
Rhythmic footsteps echoed.
His eyes, fixed straight ahead as he strode with a rigid posture, held only Cheonhwi.
He looked quite young.
Perhaps just past thirty.
His arrogant expression aside, his face still held a youthful innocence, like the overconfidence of a brash child.
But Jonggak tensed his entire body.
Hadn't he just witnessed that single strike?
The dusky trajectory swung at an extraordinary speed that nearly escaped his notice.
'A master whose victory I cannot guarantee.'
Age meant nothing.
His martial prowess had already reached a high realm.
At some point, his footsteps halted abruptly.
The distance to Cheonhwi was about four jang.
A considerable gap, but for the two of them, it was a distance they could close at any moment.
Shhh―
A heavy silence settled low.
Cheonhwi gazed at Jonggak, whose kind expression had vanished, replaced by a rigid one.
"Shall we begin now?"
"Yes."
Shhh―
Jonggak's white hair fluttered slightly.
Then, from between his snow-white eyebrows, his eyes gleamed with a chilling light, shimmering like heat haze.
His expression was impassive.
But the true qi emanating from his body, his inner power, spoke for his emotions.
'As expected, he really is a killing ghost.'
The killing intent flowed subtly.
Even though it wasn't intentional, its intensity was such that the surrounding grass and leaves began to wither rapidly.
'I wonder what martial art he'll show.'
Cheonhwi's lips twisted slightly.
He was looking forward to it.
The martial art of a righteous faction's killing ghost, carrying such prickling murderous aura.
"Considering our standings in the martial world, I should yield the first move, but you don't need such courtesies."
A steady voice flowed from Jonggak's slightly parted lips.
"Yeah, probably."
In response, he drew his sword.
The blade emerging from the worn scabbard at his waist exuded a sharp aura.
Just holding a hand near it felt like it would slice clean through.
A chilling, razor-sharp edge.
"The sword art I'll now demonstrate is the Danmok family's Falling Star Sword."
Falling Star Sword... He vaguely recalled Danmokrin mentioning it once before.
As he pondered the familiar name.
"What sword art will you use?"
"Plum Blossom Sword Art."
"...I see."
Jonggak nodded once.
"Then, here I come."
With those words, he lunged forward with his left foot.
In that instant.
Whoosh―
His figure vanished.
'Wasn't this an actual assassination?'
Feeling Jonggak's presence as he concealed himself stealthily, Cheonhwi tilted his head.
In that moment, his eyes met Jonggak's, who had closed to within a jang.
Even though his stealthy ambush was detected, Jonggak's eyes showed no change.
On the contrary, as if he had anticipated it, he swiftly transitioned to his next move.
'This stealthy footwork, this ambush—it's not befitting the righteous factions who always cry for uprightness in any situation.'
Jonggak's white sleeve fluttered, revealing a sharp sword.
Sword qi protruded like a beast's fangs, coiling around the blade.
Fierce vibrations emanated.
As his sword drew near, space itself wailed, tearing apart the gap between them.
A delayed gust swept over Jonggak.
Peering through his floating white hair and eyebrows, Cheonhwi moved his scabbard as he caught Jonggak's fierce gaze.
'But I prefer this.'
Cheonhwi bared his pearly whites.
Rather than half-hearted sparring, it was far better to go all out, treating it like a life-or-death battle.
'Let's see what you've got.'
Cheonhwi raised his scabbard to chest level.
In that instant, the scabbard flowed gracefully, unfolding a sword path like rippling waves.
Softly, gently.
And as the two swords clashed.
Craaaang!
A fierce shockwave exploded outward.
A belated ferocious storm arose, clawing at everything within a ten-jang radius.
Thick dust billowed from all directions.
'Quite a strong force. Even the Plum Blossom Branch technique couldn't fully dissipate it.'
At the center, Cheonhwi glanced at his trembling scabbard before channeling inner energy into it.
Bang!
A faint qi wave burst outward.
The shock from Jonggak's sword swing, which he had buffered with the Plum Blossom Branch technique, was now fully dispelled.
"To deflect the force of Falling Star Dark Shadow... What an astonishing method."
Then a voice of admiration rang out.
A shadow emerged from the dust, lightly stepping forward and stomping the ground.
Boom!
With one stamp, the dust cleared completely.
Watching the wind and dust rush toward him, Cheonhwi swung his scabbard diagonally.
Slash! Cheonhwi sliced through the oncoming storm of dust in an instant and looked ahead.
His clear view revealed large footprints on the ground. Jonggak, who had created the sight, smoothed his wrinkled eyes.
Cheonhwi spoke as he regarded him.
"It's nothing much. I just used my wrist to redirect the qi wave and brush it away."
"As if that's easy to say."
He let out a hollow chuckle with his words.
Even he, who prided himself on mastery of swordsmanship, couldn't execute such a technique effortlessly.
Yet the young man before him...
'I guessed he was superior to me, but the gap is larger than expected.'
Casting aside his thoughts, Jonggak wiped the smile from his face.
At the same time, his robes billowed violently.
It wasn't wind blowing.
It was a natural phenomenon from manifesting the inner power of his Dark Star Secret Art.
"Try blocking this one too."
The moment Cheonhwi tightened his grip on the scabbard, sensing Jonggak's changed aura.
Bang!
Exploding his inner power, Jonggak closed the distance in a flash and swung his sword.
Clang!
Harsh sparks flew.
And even fiercer blue flames blazed in Jonggak's eyes.
Killing intent? Battle spirit?
Or perhaps both.
That intense energy pierced through his white eyebrows, stabbing toward Cheonhwi.
A gaze that would make anyone tremble.
But.
'Wow, that's one fierce glare.'
Cheonhwi was actually enjoying it.
"I've been blocking so far, so this time, why don't you try blocking, elder?"
During their sword lock with Jonggak, Cheonhwi suddenly relaxed his scabbard. Then, in one fluid motion, he twisted his wrist.
Screeech―
A sharp trajectory cleaved the air.
The path swung at a speed hard to follow with the eyes, leaving a delayed sword trace.
"Kuh!"
Jonggak grunted briefly.
Barely twisting his sword to block, he frowned upon seeing the scabbard lodged into his blade.
At the same time, the blue flame in his eyes burned even fiercer.
Unconscious killing intent had seeped into his gaze without him realizing.
Seeing this, Cheonhwi's lips curved upward.
'Yes, that's more like it.'
Jonggak's sword swung again, unleashing a terrifying qi wave, while Cheonhwi's scabbard responded with fluid motion.
Jonggak's sword forms were sharp and fast.
And destructive.
The blue trajectory plunging from above sliced short and intensely downward.
Kabooom!
The missed strike cracked the ground deeply and exploded with sound.
A deafening roar that could deafen ears.
Yet at its center, Cheonhwi casually stepped on the rebounding stones as if unbothered.
Tap. Tap.
Cheonhwi's figure floated in the air.
Displaying a mystical footwork that might be mistaken for treading the air by others, he raised his scabbard, aiming for the back of Jonggak's head as he drove his sword into the ground.
In that instant.
Clang!
Jonggak, having turned around, raised his sword to block the scabbard.
But unable to fully absorb the impact, his feet sank about three chi deep.
Ching!
Jonggak immediately struck the scabbard away.
Then, drawing up his inner power, he unleashed the Falling Star Sword forms without pause.
Falling Star Fountain, Falling Star Initial Convergence, Falling Star Single Thought...
As the Falling Star Sword forms continued seamlessly, Cheonhwi's eyes sparkled brighter.
'Oh ho, so it goes like this? Hmm? This one's a bit lacking.'
The forms of the Falling Star Sword, displayed without restraint by a transcendent expert, were more fascinating than anything right now.
'I want to see it at full power.'
Elegantly dodging Jonggak's swinging sword, Cheonhwi drew his sword from the scabbard.
As the White Lotus Sword revealed its pristine blade, Jonggak's eyes cooled coldly.
"Finally drawing it?"
"The sword art I'm about to use is inconvenient with just the scabbard. It won't be as easy to block as before."
Grinning, Cheonhwi tossed the empty scabbard aside.
Infusing inner power into the blade in his hand, transparent sword qi shimmered.
Then, a red thread appeared at the tip, soon blooming into a flower bud.
A plum blossom.
"...Sword Flower!"
Jonggak's eyebrows twitched sharply.
He had seen countless Plum Blossom Sword Arts in the past, but never one with such vivid, dense sword flowers.
'And the fragrance is this intense too.'
His nose wrinkled.
As his mind wavered momentarily from the overpowering plum scent dominating his senses.
Whoosh―
In an instant, plum blossoms bloomed everywhere.
The plum blossoms filling the air in a flash surrounded Jonggak without a single gap.
"Truly beautiful plum blossoms."
Unlike his words, his gaze on them was utterly indifferent.
"If they weren't targeting me, I might have enjoyed them... but that's impossible."
Whispering calmly, veins bulged on his hand gripping the sword, which hummed lowly.
Hummm―
His figure, resonating with sword cry, leaned forward slightly before shooting ahead rapidly.
And his sword, filled with blue flame, plunged from above downward to cleave the airborne plum blossoms.
Leaving a long blue trail like a meteor falling from the sky.
'Fittingly named Falling Star.'
Cheonhwi slowly raised his sword.
In that moment, the surrounding plum blossoms fluttered lightly toward his sword, following his intent.
And through them.
Shhh―
Cheonhwi's single sword stroke transformed.
The tip, which had been pointing still at the air, now moved toward the falling meteor.
The instant the meteor and plum blossom collided.
Kabooooom!
A sound like the heavens and earth splitting apart erupted.