Chapter 219
Chapter 219
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: Clash of Supreme Masters
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Kwaaaang! Kwaang!
The continuous explosions and tremors jolted Dahmok Chan back to his senses, forcing his eyes open.
"Urgh... What the hell happened... Ack!"
As he tried to sit up, a sudden wave of pain gripped him, and he clutched his head.
"...Huh?"
He ran his hand over his head in confusion, and then it all came flooding back.
"That bastard!"
Fury ignited in Dahmok Chan as he shot to his feet.
"......"
But the sight before him left him speechless.
Cheonhwi stood in the middle of the clearing.
Around him, plum blossoms floated, clashing against blue shooting stars, sending brilliant sparks scattering in all directions.
"What is this......"
He muttered blankly, his eyes widening as he took in the scene.
His mouth hung agape.
Two masters who had reached the supreme realm—the pinnacle he had so desperately yearned for—were locked in combat. He could only stare in awe.
'How is he holding his own against Grandfather...?'
His mind went blank.
He couldn't believe his eyes.
Jonggak was a Heavenly Martial Realm expert, one of the top three in the entire Dahmok family.
Yet a young man who appeared to be barely past his early thirties was matching him.
No, it wasn't just matching. No matter how he looked at it, Cheonhwi held the advantage.
'No way... Heavenly Martial Realm at that age...?'
Dahmok Chan's body trembled uncontrollably.
It was hard to accept.
But his eyes clearly captured the scene unfolding before him, forcing him to acknowledge the truth.
"Haha."
A feeble laugh escaped his slightly parted lips.
He had always been confident in his martial prowess.
And for good reason. Rather than wasting time at gatherings like the Youth Dragon Tournament, he had focused on real-world experience in the jianghu.
Thanks to that, his skills had improved by leaps and bounds, and he believed he had reached a level where he could rival even Cheonryong.
But what was this young man?
Cheonryong? This guy had surpassed the later-generation talents and ascended to the supreme realm.
There was no frustration, no fighting spirit.
The overwhelming gap left only a hollow emptiness sweeping through him.
"Tch, you're all riled up, aren't ya? Real full of yourself."
Then a unfamiliar voice came from beside him.
Snapping out of his daze, he turned to see a filthy beggar in ragged sackcloth sitting there.
As he scrutinized the stranger, Dahmok Chan's eyes widened at the knotted sash around his waist.
'The Beggar Union?'
Cheon Igai noticed the stare and scowled at Dahmok Chan.
"Huh? What're you gawking at? You up already?"
"N-No, nothing."
"Then quit starin' like an idiot......"
"Elder."
Cheon Igai was about to say more when Dahmok Rin quietly interjected.
"Aigh, fine. Whatever."
The beggar pouted and turned away with a huff.
Dahmok Rin glanced at him with a sigh before asking Dahmok Chan,
"Brother. Are you alright now?"
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. But when did that spar start?"
"About an incense stick's time ago."
"Th-Then the clearing got like this in just that short while...?"
Dahmok Chan whipped his head around in shock at her answer.
Layer upon layer of overlapping sword scars darkened the ground everywhere, and the wind was growing fiercer by the moment.
Perhaps because of that.
Even now, the clearing was steadily turning into a wasteland.
Gulp.
He swallowed dryly and stared at the two producing those massive clashes.
'I must've been out of my mind. Yielding the first move to a guy like that? What was I thinking?'
Cold sweat drenched his back.
One wrong step, and he wouldn't have just gotten a bump on the head—he could've lost his life.
Dahmok Chan turned to Dahmok Rin.
"He's at the Heavenly Martial Realm?"
"I don't know."
"You don't... know?"
Dahmok Chan jumped in surprise, but she nodded silently.
She didn't know Cheonhwi's exact level either.
She just guessed he had reached some incredibly high supreme realm.
That's why she, like Dahmok Chan, was astonished by Cheonhwi's display against Jonggak.
"You can't sense it with your qi perception?"
"No. It's completely invisible."
Dahmok Chan let out a hollow chuckle.
He knew better than anyone how exceptional Dahmok Rin's qi sense was.
Even Father and Grandfather had been fully detected by it.
'Wait! If that's the case, does that mean...!'
The moment he whipped his head around.
Pa-ba-bat!
Suddenly, multiple footmarks etched across the ground around Cheonhwi. At the same time, Jonggak burst through space, scattering sword qi toward him.
Faint blue trajectories followed.
So fast that even Dahmok Chan, at the Extreme Realm, couldn't count them precisely.
'Six? No, eight?'
As his eyes traced the paths, trying to estimate, a change occurred. The overlapping trajectories stretched long, linking into rings, soon forming a single wheel.
Dahmok Chan's eyes bulged.
'Falling Star Ring Formation? And straight into Falling Star Single Intent and Falling Star Initial Revolution?!'
Realizing it wasn't a single technique, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
In that brief moment, Jonggak had unleashed multiple Falling Star Sword techniques, linking them seamlessly.
'But that kind of chaining would consume so much internal energy...'
Each Falling Star Sword move demanded tremendous internal energy.
Even executing one required significant preparation.
Yet Jonggak forced the chain using overwhelming internal energy and speed.
And the power was overwhelming.
Raw destructive force combined with relentless chaining!
Those sword strikes relentlessly targeted Cheonhwi without pause.
Chaeng! Chaeng!
But Cheonhwi blocked them with ease.
The plum blossoms not only parried the falling shooting stars but occasionally counterattacked.
Sparks continued erupting in the air.
The hazy, overlapping trajectories twisted space like a net, their shockwaves coalescing into a storm.
Soon, the aftermath swept outward.
Kwaang! Kwaang!
Each shockwave made Dahmok Chan and Dahmok Rin's robes and hair billow wildly upward and down.
'This... this is the spar of masters who have touched the heavens!'
At some point, his clenched fists were slick with sweat.
Yet he couldn't tear his eyes away, not even to wipe them.
He watched intently, unblinking.
Not missing a single moment!
'This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!'
The hollow emptiness in his eyes ignited with brilliant light.
Tzzt!
Then Jonggak's robe tore slightly.
But he didn't stop.
Instead of retreating, he lunged forward even faster.
Like an arrow loosed from the bow!
'It's been ages since I unleashed this.'
Jonggak's internal energy boiled.
Vitality surged through his body.
His steps were lighter than ever, the edge of his sword blurring.
'Take this.'
His eyes darkened calmly.
The Falling Star Sword had inflicted not even a scratch on the young man, Cheonhwi—no external wounds, no internal damage.
Yet a faint, subtle smile curved his lips.
At the same time, dark energy wrapped his sword.
A strange glow—dark, yet luminous.
The light-infused blackness merged with him completely.
Whiiiing!
His speed accelerated further.
Heaven-Cutting Flying Sword!
A sword technique and form created to sever the heavens beyond the heavens.
Sword becomes self, self becomes sword.
The pinnacle of man-sword unity, transcending Sword and Man as One, revealed itself.
"Eup!"
Dahmok Chan's face paled instantly.
Even from afar, Jonggak's killing intent and aura were overwhelmingly intense.
His breath caught in his throat.
'Grandfather mastered a sword art like this?!'
Overwhelmed, he unwittingly staggered back.
Shock and reverence mixed in his eyes as he watched.
The kindly elder's fierce killing intent was shocking, but his transcendent swordsmanship drew involuntary admiration.
'If I faced that sword...'
The mere thought made his teeth chatter.
For an instant, the word 'death' etched vividly in his mind.
That was how intense the aura was.
Yet Cheonhwi, facing it, only deepened his smile.
"Oh ho. Packing the essence of heart-sword beyond man-sword unity into a single strike, eh...? Quite intriguing."
Murmuring as he gazed at the unified Jonggak, he thrust his sword forward.
The straight-extended sword tip precisely targeted the arrow-like Jonggak.
A simple thrust.
Just a single poke.
But Jonggak, facing it, doubted his own vision.
At the sword tip's end.
A blood-red plum blossom bloomed.
Exactly one flower.
The beautifully blooming plum entranced Jonggak's hearing and sight, binding them forcibly.
Then, in an instant, the plum exploded.
Petals scattered everywhere, gently enveloping the charging Jonggak.
A hallucinatory, ecstatic spectacle.
And through it, a single trajectory—a beautiful true slash—descended.
'This is the Plum Blossom Sword Art...?'
Horror spread across Jonggak's face.
But before it could fully form, the slash struck first.
Tok.
A delayed sound rang out.
Simultaneously, the surrounding air swirled in the wake of Cheonhwi's slash.
The plum vanished like an illusion, replaced by a ferocious gale.
Whooooosh—
The gale, centered on Cheonhwi and Jonggak, swept clean a thirty-zhang radius.
"......!"
"Hup!"
"That punk again!"
Dahmok Rin, Dahmok Chan, and Cheon Igai raised their arms to brace against the aftershock.
As the gale passed, Jonggak, still standing in the clearing, spoke.
"What is the name of that technique?"
"Plum Fragrance Miles Away."
Jonggak closed his eyes at the answer.
Plum scent tickled his nose.
Rich, yet refreshingly crisp.
The kind that wouldn't fade easily...
A smile crossed his face as he sheathed his sword.
"I yield."
His gaze had already shifted from Cheonhwi to the dozens of true slashes etched around him.
Dozens of variations hidden in a single strike.
The Plum Blossom Sword Art aimed at him far exceeded his expectations.
'So this is the true Plum Blossom Sword Art.'
Then Cheonhwi raised his sword.
His eyes, fixed on Jonggak, gleamed like a hungry beast's.
"Already? Let's go a bit longer?"
"No more is feasible. Too much internal energy spent. With victory decided, is there need to continue?"
Jonggak smiled softly.
Utterly opposite from the murderous specter of moments ago.
Back to the kindly grandfather, he brushed off his torn robe and spoke.
"Besides, that was everything I had."
Seeing Jonggak devoid of hostility, Cheonhwi clicked his tongue in disappointment and sheathed his sword.
"Tch, can't be helped then."
"Thank you for understanding."
"By the way, that technique—no, what's the name of that sword art?"
"Heaven-Cutting Flying Sword."
"Heaven-Cutting Flying Sword, huh......"
As Cheonhwi murmured to himself.
"Grandfather!"
"Grandfather!"
Dahmok Chan and Dahmok Rin rushed over.
Seeing them, Jonggak gazed at Cheonhwi with a pleased smile.
An unexpected encounter.
He had wanted to meet the Mount Hua Sect Daoist someday, but not this soon.
Who could've guessed?
A Mount Hua Sect priest attending the Jeonmuk family's sixtieth birthday banquet.
'If this is fate, then fate it is.'
Staring intently at Cheonhwi, he suddenly recalled the past.
When Dahmok Rin returned from seeking the Divine Physician, the family was in chaos.
She had lost her internal energy but fully recovered otherwise.
Everyone rejoiced that day.
They had thought it an incurable heavenly punishment, so all praised, "The Divine Physician is truly divine."
Losing her internal energy was regrettable, but nothing compared to losing her life.
Besides, with her overwhelming talent, everyone believed she'd recover her martial arts eventually.
But the joy didn't last.
That very day, she announced she would join Mount Hua Sect.
Everyone protested, but upon hearing the truth, they were stunned.
It wasn't the Divine Physician who saved her, but a Mount Hua Sect Daoist, and she wished to repay the debt by ascending the mountain.
That moment was still vivid in Jonggak's mind.
Of course it was.
The family head and most retainers had tried desperately to dissuade her.
Including himself.
'Rin's talent was overwhelming.'
Exceptional qi sense, martial aptitude, and five virtues.
A genius unmatched in Dahmok family history.
And she overcame heavenly punishment?
They had to keep her in the family at all costs.
But Dahmok Rin had already made up her mind.
'Never imagined Rin would go that far.'
That evening, she fled in the night with Iron Sword Righteous Hero Dahmok Jingang—the only one on her side—leaving just a letter severing family ties.
'Heh heh, never seen the family head that furious before.'
He probably hadn't expected it.
Rin had always been so obedient.
'But I like her now more than when she blindly followed orders.'
A faint smile played on his lips.
Dahmok Rin had always been confident.
But after the pain began, she shrank inward, listless.
Negative, cynical.
As if she'd surrendered to reality.
But then she changed.
No, she reclaimed her old self.
His gaze turned to Dahmok Rin, beaming uncontrollably at Cheonhwi.
'Better to let her stay with him than drag her back to the family.'
And who knew.
She hadn't received her Dao title yet, and Cheonhwi could always leave for the secular world.
'Mount Hua is freer about secular matters than Kunlun or Wudang, so marriage is possible.'
A smile tugged at his lips.
Just a hunch, but he was certain.
Dahmok Rin's talent and beauty were top-tier in family history.
What man wouldn't fall?
Finishing his thoughts, he spoke.
"I must report this well to the family head."
*** "Take care of Rin."
Mounted on his horse, Jonggak alternated glances between Dahmok Rin and Cheonhwi, leaving Dahmok Rin flustered.
"Gr-Grandfather!"
Cheonhwi replied indifferently.
"She's not a kid anymore. She can handle herself, right?"
"Exactly!"
Dahmok Rin jumped in eagerly.
Dahmok Chan frowned.
"I know the young hero is impressive, but you can't treat our Rin so casually..."
"Brother!"
Dahmok Rin cut in urgently, and Dahmok Chan paused, face hardening before speaking again.
"Rin. Think carefully. The young hero is amazing, but you're no pushover either..."
Mid-sentence, a chill ran through him, and he shut his mouth.
Dahmok Rin was glaring with unprecedented sharpness.
"Ahem. Fine. I'll tell Father you're doing well for now."
"Haa......"
Dahmok Rin sighed deeply.
Then, with a hesitant expression, she approached Dahmok Chan and whispered,
"Um... Is Father okay?"
"How could he be? Vanishing overnight like that. Since you left without a word, Father has... Ah. Never mind."
Dahmok Chan started elaborating but shook his head, headache evident.
"Send him a letter later. He's still hurting."
"......Yes."
As Dahmok Rin wilted and replied.
"Mount up already."
Jonggak urged Dahmok Chan.
Returning to the family was urgent.
"Y-Yes, sir."
As Dahmok Chan scrambled onto his horse, Jonggak smiled faintly.
Perhaps from witnessing his true power for the first time.
Dahmok Chan moved with uncharacteristic speed.
"We'll be off then."
"See you next time."
"I look forward to it."
Jonggak bowed to Cheonhwi, then noticed Cheon Igai beside him.
"Safe travels, hero."
"Hmph, worry about yourself."
Mounted Dahmok Chan also cupped his fists.
"Hero, please look after Rin."
"What're you on about."
As Dahmok Rin shook her head at the fussing, the two exchanged farewells.
"Until next time."
"I'll visit later."
Neigh!
With that, they snapped the reins and departed, Dahmok Rin waving and calling out.
"Take care!"