Chapter 349
Chapter 349
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 349
Chapter Title: The Unfinished Sword Style
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Southern Hubei, the Iryeong Mountains.
The peaks rising here and there across the mountains, cloaked in lush green foliage like a garment, thrust toward the sky as if each boasting its own height.
Even herb gatherers had to make considerable preparations just to climb once, so steep and rugged was the terrain.
A morning breeze swept into those mountains.
Grass blades swayed, shattering the dawn dew that scattered downward.
It was like a fox rain.
By the time the rising sunlight reflected off the fragmented dew, illuminating the mountain depths...
Thud.
People entered the mountains.
The Murim Alliance Leader, the Military Strategist, and the five escorts following to protect them.
Their steps into the mountains were light.
Though it was a slope even seasoned herb gatherers ascended with caution, they all climbed as if strolling on flat ground.
'Not much to see here.'
At the rear of the group, Cheonhwi yawned with a bored expression, looking around as if on a casual outing.
The Iryeong Mountains were famed nearby for their ruggedness, but he felt no thrill.
It was only natural, in a way.
The places he had made his home in both his past and present lives were the Tianshan Mountains and Mount Hua.
Both were among the most treacherous in the world.
This Iryeong range, known locally as rugged, was laughably inferior by comparison.
'Must've cost a pretty penny, though.'
Cheonhwi narrowed his eyes to slits like threads while ascending the narrow mountain path, letting out his remaining yawn.
The mountains were unusually quiet.
During the ascent, he hadn't sensed a single human presence.
No matter how treacherous the peaks, it didn't make sense for not a single herb gatherer to venture into mountains harboring such potent earthly qi.
'The Murim Alliance warriors encircling the area must be blocking any approaching gatherers. Being righteous factions, they'll have settled it with coin.'
He had a rough idea now.
This was the secret accord between the Murim Alliance and the Evil-Black Alliance. They had to keep it hidden at all costs, and with no telling what might happen or when, they'd prepared meticulously to ensure no harm came to ordinary folk.
'Whatever. The money's probably from the Heavenly Commerce Group anyway.'
Just the support they'd received en route made it clear: the Heavenly Commerce Group desperately wanted this accord to succeed.
Removing the uncertainty of war was part of it, but more likely, it was the enticing proposal from the Evil-Black Alliance during the negotiations.
Their pledge not to advance into the northern martial world dovetailed perfectly with allowing their ally, the Great Grace Merchant Group, to expand unchecked up north.
That was when it happened.
Thud.
The Leader and Strategist halted.
A mutter reached them at the same time.
"It's still there."
Yong Ju-gae, who had been walking abreast of Cheonhwi, shifted his gaze leftward.
'That thing...?'
Following Yong Ju-gae's words laced with complex emotions, Cheonhwi turned his head left. His eyes widened slightly in an instant.
A massive mark scarred an impossibly sheer cliff.
At a glance, it resembled a crack from an earthquake, but any warrior versed in martial arts could discern the truth etched into the trace.
'A sword scar.'
Interest flickered in Cheonhwi's eyes.
The scar stretched roughly fifteen feet, and its depth was considerable.
Yong Ju-gae gazed intently at the long-unseen sword scar, letting out a sigh of admiration.
"It seems even deeper than before... odd, isn't it... Huh?"
Scratching his head as he examined the mark, Yong Ju-gae spotted Cheonhwi staring unblinkingly and brightened.
'This guy might have figured something out about it...'
As far as he knew, no one had pinpointed its exact nature, but who could say?
This was the kid who had accomplished the impossible time and again.
"What do you make of it?"
"An unfinished sword form."
"What?"
Yong Ju-gae's eyes widened as he pressed.
He had heard myriad impressions from countless warriors who visited, but this was a first.
"Unfinished sword form?"
Though Yong Ju-gae asked again in bewilderment, Cheonhwi simply stared silently at the scar.
Plum Blossom Divine Art qi flowed from him unconsciously, enveloping his eyes with a sharp glint.
A colorless gaze captured the sword scar.
Flowers growing along the cliff trembled faintly as if shivering under that gaze.
'Breaking Sword Form? Imbuing the blade with energy and detonating it...'
Cheonhwi's mind raced.
His profound eyes and consciousness dismantled and deciphered the scar in an instant.
A speed unimaginable to others.
Soon, his gaze settled, reverting to normal.
It was but a moment.
"A shame."
Cheonhwi looked away from the scar.
It was a destructive, intense mark.
But incomplete.
"Right on the cusp of completion."
Having fully read the scar, Cheonhwi voiced his brief regret.
He knew better than anyone.
This was the trace of one on the verge of innovating a new sword art, just before achieving mastery.
Likely, they had perfected their unique style shortly after leaving this mark.
Cheonhwi turned, asking,
"Who left this?"
"...No one knows."
Regaining his composure at Cheonhwi's question, Yong Ju-gae shook his head.
Even the Beggar Clan had no intel on its origin.
Originally nameless, the gorge had been dubbed Impressions Gorge a century ago upon discovery of the mark, and that was the extent of it.
Once a sacred site drawing throngs of warriors, it was now a forgotten landmark.
Cheonhwi scratched his chin, furrowing his brow slightly at Yong Ju-gae's reply.
If the Beggar Clan didn't know, tracing the owner was near impossible.
"Wanted to see what sword art came from it."
He smacked his lips in disappointment.
He was curious about the art completed by one capable of such a scar, but verifying it was out of reach.
Yong Ju-gae watched Cheonhwi lose interest and cautiously asked,
"What exactly did you see to call it unfinished...?"
But his voice was overshadowed by a firm tone that suddenly cut in.
It was Yong Cheon-gaek, silent throughout this long journey.
"No seats."
"What seats in a gorge?"
The Murim Alliance Leader chuckled dryly, nodding lightly at Yong Cheon-gaek's words.
"Mind if I make some?"
"Do as you please."
No sooner had the reply ended than Yong Cheon-gaek's form blurred and vanished.
Like a candle snuffed by an unexpected gust.
'Oh ho.'
Cheonhwi turned sideways.
As he looked toward the dense foliage, Yong Cheon-gaek's sharply extended hand blade swung toward a massive tree.
The tree toppled as it was severed, wobbling.
Swish―
Yong Cheon-gaek's body split into multiples.
His robes fluttered at peak Phantom Shadow Step, kicking up dust.
'Precise.'
Cheonhwi murmured inwardly, reading the movements.
From his footwork covering seventy-two directions to the three-chi sword aura rising from his hand blade.
He missed nothing.
Not for nothing was he the Murim Alliance's martial elite.
His qi control was meticulous, and the depth of his evident martial arts profound.
'If this were aimed at me...'
Cheonhwi's eyes deepened endlessly.
It looked casual at first glance, but infused with killing intent as an assassination technique, it was another story.
Hundreds of variations unfolded in an instant.
His technique demonstrated the inescapable essence alongside Phantom Shadow Step.
'Wouldn't mind a spar.'
As Cheonhwi pondered how those movements would morph into lethal strikes...
Thud.
Yong Cheon-gaek halted abruptly, a faint breeze tickling Cheonhwi's cheek.
The thick dust cleared, revealing a broad clearing.
All vegetation was gone.
In their place stood a wooden round table and two chairs.
Yong Cheon-gaek, having crafted them, nodded in satisfaction and regarded the Alliance Leader.
"This should suffice."
"Ha ha, much obliged."
The Leader smiled warmly.
Yong Cheon-gaek nodded wordlessly in response, folding his arms as he stepped back.
"He's the same as ever."
Yong Ju-gae chuckled.
A moment later.
"Care to discuss that sword scar later?"
He turned to Cheonhwi, expression grave.
"The sword scar?"
Even at the earnest query, Cheonhwi looked annoyed, prompting Yong Ju-gae to add hastily,
"I'll make it worth your while."
A reward from the Beggar Clan Leader...
As Cheonhwi pondered...
"Hm?"
A shadow fell from above.
It was a falcon.
Gliding through the air, it dove suddenly, landing obediently on Je-gal Gong's forearm.
With deft movements, Je-gal Gong unbound the note from its leg and read aloud,
"They have arrived."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "They're coming soon."
The Subjugation Captain swallowed hard as he spoke.
Word had reached those encircling the Iryeong Mountains: the Evil-Black Alliance Leader and his entourage had arrived at the village.
Impressively swift.
『Don't slacken your vigilance.』
The Captain warned all in hiding.
Though the encirclement was distant and each warrior elite even by Alliance standards, the foe demanded utmost caution in his tone.
『Suppress your presence as much as possible...』
Thud!
His command cut short as his heart lurched.
He wasn't alone.
Every Alliance warrior around the mountain entrance felt their hearts pound fiercely.
The distant scenery warped.
An immeasurable aura was the cause.
Breath caught in their throats.
All vigilant gazes locked onto the source emitting hazy qi waves.
The Captain's eyes trembled violently.
His quake-like vision swept the rippling pressure.
Seven men and women approached.
Each exuded overwhelming presence.
But to the Captain now, only the lead figure stood clear.
The man with long hair swaying at each step had a sharp nose and cynical expression on a strikingly handsome face.
Manly at first glance, yet feminine nuances flickered through.
As if multiple faces overlaid one.
The Captain identified him instantly upon sight.
How could he not?
There was but one such in the world.
'That's... the Evil-Black Alliance Leader!'
The man, Evil-Black Alliance Leader, drew nearer.
Clad in a lavish purple robe embroidered with a golden dragon, his long hair draped freely downward.
The flowing robe and locks amplified his presence.
Drip―
Sweat beaded on the Captain's brow.
'Such presence...!'
His very aura was otherworldly.
The pinnacle of extraordinary and enigmatic.
As if from another realm.
As he held his breath watching...
Thud, thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
Strange, for the distance should have rendered them inaudible, yet they rang clear in the Captain and warriors' ears.
Dreamlike.
The moment the Leader and entourage entered the Iryeong Mountains...
"Hup!"
Only then could the Captain exhale the breath choking his throat.
From holding it so long, his face was deathly pale.
No time to recover; he stared at the mountains they'd entered.
His eyes churned gazing at the treacherous peaks.
Entering, the Leader and group ignored him and all surrounding warriors.
Yet he sensed it instinctively.
'...We're already made!'