Chapter 231
Chapter 231
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 231
Chapter Title: The Demonic Sword's Rampage
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Fwooooosh!
Peng Zhonghe's Primordial Chaos Divine Blade flashed with inky saber-light as it came crashing down.
A ferocious single stroke loaded with the intent to cleave his foe in one blow!
Namgung Hyeok lightly deflected the blade with his sword, twisting the attack aside.
Peng Zhonghe's eyes widened.
'No way this can be deflected like that?!'
The Primordial Chaos Divine Blade's strike crumpled away as ridiculously as a pair of chopsticks snapping.
Boom!
Peng Zhonghe flinched at the heavy thud of the blade slamming into the ground.
Namgung Hyeok swung his demonic sword.
In that instant, crimson flames erupted alongside a rumbling thunder...
Screeeeech!
Huh?
A ghostly wail?!
"Hup!"
The ear-piercing shriek made Peng Zhonghe suck in a sharp breath.
What the hell? Did it possess a real ghost or something?!
Why's that sound coming from the sword?!
With the sudden ghostly wail, the demonic sword's murderous aura thickened several times over.
Whoosh!
Namgung Hyeok casually swung the sword.
Rumble!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Demonic qi bloomed like clouds and blazed like fire, engulfing Peng Zhonghe.
Peng Zhonghe's eyes bulged wide open.
"Shit, what the hell is this?!"
Letting out a cry of alarm, Peng Zhonghe leaped back.
"Oh?"
Namgung Hyeok blinked in curiosity, rounding his eyes.
"Was there always a ghostly wail?"
He didn't remember it when the Demon Lord swung it.
Ah, a century's grudge or something?
Anyway.
"Man, this demonic qi is vicious."
The sword's demonic qi lashed out in all directions along with its murderous intent.
Fwooooosh!
Shiiiieek!
Grrrrraaah!
Namgung Hyeok swung, and the demonic qi scattered everywhere.
Flame-like demonic qi swept through the surroundings alongside sword qi.
Meanwhile, Peng Zhonghe, facing the sword head-on, hopped around like a grasshopper scorched by fire, yelling his head off.
"C-Crazy! What the hell is that sword?! Get it away, get it away!"
"Why?"
"Ahhh, get it awayyy!"
"Who're you talking to like that, punk!"
Fwooooosh! Shiiiieek!
Namgung Hyeok chased after Peng Zhonghe.
Peng Yeonhwa, who had been watching Peng Zhonghe scamper away like a wild boar a step behind, suddenly focused.
"Ah, right! Linked successive strikes!"
Just as Namgung Hyeok was about to smack Peng Zhonghe's ear with the flat of his blade, Peng Yeonhwa burst in from the side.
Her willow-leaf blade whipped out in a flashy arc, blocking Namgung Hyeok's attack.
Clang! Clang clang clang!
Screeeeech!
"Huh!"
The demonic qi surging from the clash made Peng Yeonhwa freak out.
"B-Brother! I feel like puking. What is this?!"
"Shit, don't puke—dodge it! Even grazing it means instant death!"
"Instant death?!"
Stunned by the words "instant death," Peng Yeonhwa recoiled in horror.
Namgung Hyeok whirled his sword with a whoosh-whoosh-whoosh and closed in on the pair.
Agh, that bastard!
He's grinning again?!
Peng Zhonghe flew into a rage and shook his Primordial Chaos Divine Blade.
Boom!
The blade, infused with his full power, came crashing down toward Namgung Hyeok. Inky saber qi laced with Primordial Chaos Divine Art energy hammered toward the top of his head.
Whirr!
The demonic sword, which had been chasing Peng Yeonhwa like a serpent, abruptly twisted its path to block Peng Zhonghe's falling saber qi.
In that moment.
Flash!
So Hye-yeon, who had been hiding behind Peng Zhonghe, darted to the left in an instant with the flashy footwork of Phantom Moon Evasion, slipping toward Namgung Hyeok's flank.
Her speed was like lightning.
Meteor Twelve Swords pierced sharply into Namgung Hyeok's opening.
A swift, razor-sharp assault streaking in with a long tail like a shooting star!
Peng Zhonghe's Primordial Chaos Divine Blade and So Hye-yeon's Meteor Twelve Swords targeted Namgung Hyeok with exquisite timing.
Then, even Peng Yeonhwa, who had been fleeing, twisted her body and swung her blade from the right.
A perfect linked successive strike from the three with staggered timing.
Using the Primordial Chaos Divine Blade as bait, So Hye-yeon and Peng Yeonhwa lunged from both flanks.
If Namgung Hyeok blocked the Primordial Chaos Divine Blade, he couldn't evade the side attacks; if he dodged it, he'd expose an opening while blocking the flanks.
As the three wore triumphant expressions.
"Oh! It absorbs your qi too!"
W-What?
"Huh?!"
"C-Crazy?!"
"Monster!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Blazing-hot energy erupted from Namgung Hyeok's demonic sword like fire, swelling explosively.
The ghostly wail amplified several-fold, shaking the qi of those executing the linked strike.
Namgung Hyeok lightly stomped the ground.
Thud!
He plunged into Peng Zhonghe's guard in a flash.
Peng Zhonghe's eyes bulged at the speed beyond perception. Namgung Hyeok moved several times faster than he could counter.
"Urk?"
His head snapped around with a crack, and his massive body spun wildly.
The moment Namgung Hyeok spun like a top, Peng Zhonghe sprawled face-first onto the ground unceremoniously.
In his spinning vision, he saw Peng Yeonhwa bouncing off to the left and So Hye-yeon, grabbed by the collar, slammed into the ground.
Claaang! Boooom!
Delayed crashing sounds echoed as the three groaned in agony simultaneously.
"Aaagh!"
"Guh!"
"Ughhh!"
They couldn't even tell where or how they'd been hit, or how they'd ended up rolling on the ground.
Namgung Hyeok's movements had been too fast and overwhelming for their eyes to follow.
Namgung Hyeok turned his gaze.
Rumble rumble!
Flash!
At that moment, a heaven-splitting bolt of lightning hurtled toward him.
Namgung Hyeok's demonic sword moved, spewing red and blue sword-light that devoured the falling thunderbolt.
Sparks scattered everywhere, and Namgung Ryong, who had unleashed the triumphant strike, slid back.
"Urgh!"
Namgung Ryong glared frustratingly at Namgung Hyeok's demonic sword.
The numbing pain in his hand told him it wasn't ordinary qi.
While he was dazed, Namgung Hyeok closed in rapidly, jabbing with Thunder Palm Strike, kneeing upward, kicking the ankle, and slamming with an elbow.
It was less like a master's duel and more like a back-alley brawl.
Namgung Hyeok unleashed a street fight on Namgung Ryong, pressing him relentlessly.
"Bro, should I kill him with this?"
"Y-You're... gonna kill me?"
"No! The sword! Does it kill? Won't it kill? Make it kill?"
"......"
"Why no answer?"
"S-Sorry."
Too late!
Namgung Hyeok shoved Namgung Ryong away and smacked his abdomen with the flat of the blade.
Boom!
With a sound like a drumskin bursting, Namgung Ryong dropped to his knees.
Namgung Hyeok shook out his hand.
The Peng siblings, So Hye-yeon, and Namgung Ryong all stared blankly.
'Crazy! What the hell sword did that monster get?!'
'He's holding something just like that ghost thing.'
'This wasn't training—it was a weapon test...'
'Hmm! Demonic sword, strong.'
They knew Namgung Hyeok was strong.
They were aware of the vast gap that made him seem beyond their age group.
Just the fact that he'd soloed the Black Dragon King, tyrant of Zhejiang Province, proved he was a cut above.
But for such an expert to beat people with a cheat sword like that?
'This is just violence!'
'We'd lose even in a fair fight... but this? This bruises my pride.'
'This ain't right!'
To give that demonic sword to Namgung Hyeok, whom they couldn't beat even with their all-out combined assault!
What the hell was that demonic sword?
Every casual swing sent chills down their spines with bursts of flame-like energy.
And it even sucked in others' qi.
They'd never even heard of such a sword existing.
Namgung Hyeok grinned contentedly and swished the sword through the air.
"Whoa, killer! This thing's sweet. Jealous?"
"......"
"Ah, you think testing it a bit makes you hot stuff now."
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Screeeeech!
At the churning demonic qi and ghostly wail, Namgung Ryong, Peng Zhonghe, Peng Yeonhwa, and So Hye-yeon gaped from the ground.
Namgung Ryong muttered.
"Demonic sword. Our righteous faction. Can't have."
Peng Zhonghe let out a hollow laugh.
"Crazy, even the sword takes after its owner—total asshole, huh?"
"......My little bro. Insult."
"I insulted the sword, the sword."
"......"
"Even you agree it's no good, right, Namgung hyung?"
......Yeah, fair.
The onlookers shook their heads.
What to say.
It almost felt like tossing that demonic sword to the Black Dragon Sect would be better for the world.
Namgung Hyeok chuckled and wiggled the sword.
"What're you spacing out for? Rested? Come at me again."
"......"
"Ah, hurry up! Let me swing it properly."
Just say you're gonna kill us, you bastard!
The group glared at the smirking Namgung Hyeok.
* * *
Thud!
Namgung Hyeok sheathed the demonic sword at his waist and clicked his tongue.
"Man, why are you kids' skills so weak these days?"
"......"
"So, you think you can fight them again if we meet?"
Fight solo, you bastard.
The sprawled group twitched and panted.
Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue again.
"Such drama queens."
Pfft, calls this drama—drama.
Calming their boiling resentment, they caught their breath.
Namgung Hyeok tapped the demonic sword.
Vrrrrm!
Freshly fed on qi after so long, its hum was majestic.
"Sigh, shit. Gotta drain all this good stuff out?"
His mouth watered at the thought of removing the sword's demonic qi and murderous aura.
He just wanted to use it.
Stabbing with a holy sword or demonic sword—dead was dead either way.
Namgung Hyeok smacked his lips.
He glanced over the fallen juniors and said.
"All rested? Eat first, then spar again."
"......"
"Run, and I'll poke you with this."
Goddamn it.
Namgung Hyeok stretched and turned.
"Aigoo, when'll I whip these brats into shape to send to Thiên Sơn."
The chilling words made the juniors shudder.
* * *
So Geol-gae raced to Kaifeng in Henan Province and burst into the shack.
"Master!"
Drunken Beggar, who had been lying down chugging liquor, bolted upright.
"Oof! You scared me. Damn it, you spilled my booze!"
"Booze ain't the issue now!"
"Yeah, booze ain't the issue! I told you to wait in Hefei till contact, and you couldn't hold out—rushed all the way to Henan!"
Smack smack smack!
Drunken Beggar kicked So Geol-gae's butt repeatedly.
So Geol-gae flailed his hands and yelled.
"Ah, seriously! Am I a beggar or what? Kicking me over nothing!"
"You little beggar shit! Stirred up the Black Dragon Sect in Zhejiang, think you're untouchable now? I'm your master, punk!"
"No! That's not the point right now!"
"More important than master-disciple propriety..."
"That psycho Namgung Hyeok issued an order!"
Drunken Beggar, mid-kick, slowly turned and flopped back down.
"Order? To the Chief of the Beggar Clan? Hah!"
"Yes! That lunatic acts like he's the boss. Says if I want the Drunk Jade Palm or whatever..."
"......Then do it, punk."
"You're flipping like a beggar, seriously."
"You punk?"
"Ah, ah! He said don't catch the Millennium Flower Dew!"
"What?"
Drunken Beggar furrowed his brow at the out-of-left-field remark.
"You little shit, ordering 'do this, do that'? Yelling to find the Millennium Flower Dew before, now don't? He's clearly mocking the Chief!"
"Exactly. Treats us like real beggars!"
......You are beggars, punk.
Drunken Beggar gave So Geol-gae a baffled look, then scowled.
Telling the Beggar Clan, staking their lives on it, not to seek the Millennium Flower Dew?
"No way that punk found the Millennium Flower Dew?"
"No."
"Then he's withholding the Drunk Jade Palm?"
"Nope!"
"You little shit! Then what? Spill it quick, or I'll crack your skull with my staff..."
"He said tail some suspicious guys!"
So Geol-gae bellowed.
"Suspicious guys?"
"Yes! Said they're after the Millennium Flower Dew or something. Ridiculous, right? How would he know? Long River's swarming with suspects, and every backwater shaman where it might appear is foaming at the mouth—suspicious guys are a dime a dozen..."
"Wait."
Smack!
Drunken Beggar clamped So Geol-gae's mouth with his dripping, greasy hand.
So Geol-gae thrashed, eyes bulging at the stench.
But Drunken Beggar stood stock-still, deep in thought.
"Weren't those guys dressed in pitch-black uniforms with masks?"
"Y-Yes!"
"The ones you saw at the Black Dragon Sect."
"Yes, exactly. But how do you know they're after the Millennium Flower Dew?"
"Didn't the Namgung kid ask to check if those guys show up at spiritual herbs or treasures?"
"Huh? Master, you could lay out the mat..."
"Hmm!"
Drunken Beggar exhaled and spat it out.
"Go relay this."
"Yes! Tell him never to underestimate our Beggar Clan again..."
"Say we'll report it the moment we spot them."
"......Pardon?"
So Geol-gae blinked in confusion at Drunken Beggar, who bellowed.
"What're you spacing out for? Run! It's urgent!"
"Ah, seriously! Why always me!"
So Geol-gae bolted back toward Anhui Province, utterly clueless.