Chapter 352
Chapter 352
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 352
Chapter Title: The Finger Sword Debate
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It was a clear, resonant voice.
As soon as it pierced the ears, it stimulated with infused internal energy, as if the words themselves had been spat out laden with power.
Cheonhwi wagged his index finger at Taese, who was glaring at him, and opened his mouth.
His lips twisted to the fullest.
"Then stop standing there dumbfounded and sit down."
Taese silently stared at Cheonhwi, who was treating her like some novice.
And after a moment.
Sarahk—
Her pink robes rippled like waves.
Sunlight just past its zenith shone down, making her golden hair shimmer.
Finally, she sat on the ground.
A faint breeze stirred up a light dust, which slowly settled around them.
Cheonhwi and Taese faced each other.
The sharp-featured young man in pure white robes and the exotic beauty in pink robes formed a scene that looked like a painting.
"...Wandering Sword Beauty."
Yongju-gae, watching their standoff, muttered her epithet as if tasting the words.
His eyes held a hint of surprise.
'I never imagined she would come out for a sword debate.'
Yongju-gae's eyes gleamed with interest.
The Wandering Sword Beauty Taese was one of the most enigmatic figures in the world.
Both her martial arts and her origins were almost entirely unknown.
All that was known were three things.
That she had been personally brought by the Evil-Black Alliance Leader, that she was an exotic beauty, and that her skills were worthy of the Seven Pinnacle Stars.
Thus, she naturally drew attention.
"The Wandering Sword Beauty, eh."
"What an incredible presence."
"......"
And she was not the only one stirred by her appearance.
The Jongnam Sword Saint, Cheonmu-gong, and even Cheonryong-gaek had their eyes fixed on her, while raising their guards to the maximum.
"I just can't understand it."
The Ghost Heaven Lion, furrowing his brow, spoke to Baegun as he approached with a bottle of liquor in hand.
"Why would she engage in a sword debate with that damned bastard?"
Baegun's lips twisted into a sneer for a moment.
"For a scum like this to stand in for the Cult Leader... the Immortal Heaven Cult is done for."
"What nonsense are you...!"
As the Ghost Heaven Lion's anger surged to its peak and murderous intent began to emanate from him, Baegun's eyes narrowed to slits.
"...!"
The Ghost Heaven Lion flinched.
'What kind of presence is this...!'
Discomfort dominated his entire body.
He was momentarily overwhelmed by the aura emanating from Baegun's thinly opened eyes.
It felt just like when he had once met alone with his former god, the Immortal Heaven Cult Leader.
'Has he been hiding this level of power all this time!'
Having glimpsed Baegun's true aura, utterly different from before, the Ghost Heaven Lion instinctively stepped back.
Baegun approached him immediately.
"This is the last time I'm letting it slide because of the Alliance Leader's words."
Placing a hand on the Ghost Heaven Lion's shoulder, Baegun warned him in a low voice.
"There won't be a next time."
The Ghost Heaven Lion clenched his fists tightly.
Though the words scraped at his pride, he couldn't retort.
He had realized it in an instant.
The insurmountable gap between them.
Baegun glanced at the Ghost Heaven Lion, who was biting his lip and furrowing his brow, then turned his gaze to Cheonhwi and Taese, who were about to begin their sword debate, and put the liquor bottle back to his mouth.
Gulp, gulp.
The sweet aroma stimulating his nose slid coolly down his throat.
Feeling pleased, Baegun smiled faintly.
His gaze shifted to the Wandering Sword Beauty.
She was someone who wouldn't utter a word unless absolutely necessary.
Yet this time, she had sent a transmission saying she wanted to debate swords with the Plum Blossom Divine Hero.
'This should be interesting.'
As his eyes, filled with curiosity, took in both the Wandering Sword Beauty and Cheonhwi.
"I'll go first."
Taese declared to Cheonhwi almost like a notification and extended her right index finger straight out.
Her translucent, slender finger pointed to the sky, then fell in that position.
A vertical sword strike.
From her index finger dropping powerfully from above like Mount Tai's Crushing Peak, a faint wave of internal energy emanated.
It looked as sharp and keen as a finely forged famous sword.
As if it would slice through flesh the moment it touched.
And finally.
Tak.
Her index finger touched the ground.
It was quiet.
There was no sound at all.
Even the wave of internal energy from her index finger had vanished like a mirage.
"Hmm, a unique sword form."
Cheonhwi voiced his impression.
A sword form connecting heaven and earth.
It seemed simple at first glance, but the variations and internal energy contained within...
'If she'd executed it with a sword, it would have been quite the sight.'
Recalling the sword form just now, he imagined her drawing the sword from her robes instead of using her finger.
Suddenly, Taese's lips parted.
"Breaking Sword Form, Open."
Her clear voice shook the air and shot into Cheonhwi's ears like an arrow.
Immediately after, she stared at Cheonhwi.
Her brilliant blue eyes flashed.
It was an intense gaze like a bolt of lightning.
She took in Cheonhwi completely with her pupils, as if to devour him, and added.
"Can you block it?"
It was a dry voice.
Despite demonstrating such an astonishing sword form, she spoke without any confidence or emotion.
"Not easy."
Cheonhwi replied just as dryly and raised his index finger.
The finger, lifted to chest height, had already swept from left to right, with a delayed afterimage trailing like a meteor.
Then the finger curved softly.
The graceful motion looked like a brush stroke painting a ink wash painting.
Thus, the finger elegantly traversed the air and finally touched the ground.
Cheonhwi's lips moved.
"Softness Overpowers Hardness."
"......"
The ends of Taese's eyebrows rose.
As if displeased.
She immediately moved her index finger swiftly and opened her mouth.
"Slaying Sword Form, Kill."
With the intense motion, the sleeves of her pink robes whipped through the air like a lash.
A belated 'crack' echoed.
Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed.
"Insidious."
It was his immediate read of her sword form.
The moment the first sword form was blocked, the second one, calculated for that, targeted the momentary gap at the shoulder exposed while blocking with a sword.
"Dodging would be best here."
"How?"
Taese asked, staring at Cheonhwi.
Her tone full of doubt.
"Like this."
Cheonhwi's index finger shot forward like a beam of light.
To the lower left.
"Executing this combo would expose a gap in the lower left."
"......"
Taese's lips pressed shut.
Soon, she moved her index finger.
No words now.
Her elegant pink robes fluttered widely, and her hand split into numerous motions.
Dozens of afterimages.
From within, sharp sword intent bloomed and plunged toward Cheonhwi in an instant.
Dozens of marks appeared on the ground.
Traces of the sword forms she executed.
The results etched into the earth.
"Illusion Sword this time?"
Cheonhwi twisted his lips and moved his hand as well.
Pang!
The sleeve of his white robe struck the air, producing a short blast of wind.
Taese immediately moved her index finger.
As the two silently swung their fingers, marks gradually accumulated on the ground.
Those watching the sword debate fell silent.
Their sword debate had no words.
Usually, in a sword debate, one would explain their techniques and discuss countermeasures.
But these two just swung their fingers.
In the silence, only the sound of their sleeves striking the air rang out unusually loud.
"They've completely grasped how each other's techniques unfold..."
The Jongnam Sword Saint couldn't hold back his admiration.
To grasp each other's arts to that degree and swing accordingly meant their martial depth was no ordinary thing.
'I knew Cheonhwi was exceptional, but the Wandering Sword Beauty is at this level?'
His gaze took them both in.
Not just the Jongnam Sword Saint—the Murim Alliance and Evil-Black Alliance sides were all intently watching their sword debate.
It was that captivating.
How much time passed like that.
At some point during the increasingly fierce sword debate, which had surpassed dozens, hundreds of exchanges.
Hwaaak!
A wave of energy surged from Taese's entire body.
Excitement from the heated debate had ignited, releasing her fighting spirit.
Swuk—
Her cheeks slightly flushed from the rising thrill, Taese naturally gripped the hilt of the sword she cherished in her robes.
Her sole companion, Breaking White.
The moment Breaking White, confined in its pitch-black sheath, was about to be revealed to the world.
『Stop.』
A powerful transmission struck her mind.
Snapping out of her trance from the sword debate with Cheonhwi, she regained her senses and looked toward the source of the transmission.
Baegun was staring at her coldly.
『Have you forgotten where we are?』
At Baegun's following transmission, she sheathed the partially drawn Breaking White.
"Not drawing it?"
Turning at the voice tickling her ear, she saw Cheonhwi in her view.
His piercingly transparent eyes bored straight through her.
"...Not here."
Taese said softly.
"Tch, too bad."
Cheonhwi smacked his lips.
'I thought she'd charge right in.'
Cheonhwi had been reading the changing atmosphere around her during the debate.
Just moments ago, her competitive spirit had peaked, so he thought she'd attack immediately.
'Did the transmission calm her excitement?'
As Cheonhwi stared at Baegun, the source of the subtle energy shot at Taese.
Swuk—
Suddenly, Taese drew very close.
So close he could feel her breath, as she was about to part her lips.
"With this, we conclude the accord."
A voice signaling the end rang out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "With this, it's over."
"You've worked hard."
The Demon Brain Black Dragon and Zhuge Gong stared at the paper densely filled with writing.
The accord completed after a long time.
The contents written there were not much different from what had been anticipated at the start.
1. The Evil-Black Alliance shall not advance into Northern Murim. 2. The Evil-Black Alliance shall compensate the Murim Alliance for damages from this war monetarily. 3. The Evil-Black Alliance and Murim Alliance shall refrain from disputes between their affiliated sects. Though most of the details following the three boldly written conditions were disadvantageous to the Evil-Black Alliance, neither the Demon Brain Black Dragon nor the Evil-Black Alliance Leader said another word.
"Then, Alliance Leader."
"Alliance Leader."
At the calls from the Demon Brain Black Dragon and Zhuge Gong, the Evil-Black Alliance Leader and Murim Alliance Leader rose from their seats.
They took out their respective alliance and pact seals from their robes and stamped the paper.
Alliance (盟) and Pact (聯).
The two characters stamped clearly, and each took their copy.
Their lips moved.
"It's over."
"You've worked hard, Alliance Leader."
Thus, after a brief exchange of glances and greetings.
Whik—
The Evil-Black Alliance Leader turned his body.
And as he moved to descend the mountain immediately.
『I was planning to seek you out myself, but I didn't expect to see you like this.』
A transmission drummed into his ear.
The Evil-Black Alliance Leader narrowed his eyes and glared at the sender, Cheonhwi.
『Perfect timing. I had something to ask you anyway.』
As the Evil-Black Alliance Leader stood still at Cheonhwi's transmission.
Another transmission chilled his eyes.
『You're the current head of the Cheonbong Merchant Clan, aren't you?』