Chapter 158: Unity of Body and Sword
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158: Unity of Body and Sword
Step. Step.
The sound of Hwangbo Gang’s footsteps grew louder.
It was proof that the distance between them was closing.
`Damn it.`
Sun-woo spat out a curse.
The situation was dire.
From Hwangbo Gang’s merciless pummeling, his entire body was covered in dark bruises, and more than half of his ribs were shattered.
To make matters worse, a shard of broken bone had pierced his lung, making it difficult to even breathe, and the blow to his jaw had rattled his brain, leaving his mind in a haze.
Sun-woo was already mentally exhausted from the effects of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.
Pushed to his physical limit in such a state, it was becoming impossible to endure.
The urge to just collapse and fall asleep surged within him.
But he quickly shook his head.
If he let go of his consciousness here, it was all over.
Hwangbo Gang was aiming for his life.
If he didn't keep his wits about him, he would die.
Grip.
Sun-woo adjusted his hold on his sword.
In the end, the only thing he could trust was his blade.
Sun-woo had no internal energy left.
Nor did he possess the divine power necessary to overcome Hwangbo Gang.
There was only one thing.
The one thing he could take pride in being superior in was his swordsmanship.
Sun-woo slowly lowered the stiffly extended Dragon Tail Soft Sword.
Twenty years had passed since Jang Sam first picked up a sword.
Within Sun-woo’s mind, those twenty years of Jang Sam’s experience were perfectly preserved.
Sun-woo slowly raised his sword.
He had to cut him down.
With swordsmanship alone.
Step. Step.
Sun-woo slowly lifted his head.
As he did, he saw Hwangbo Gang walking toward him.
Standing over seven feet tall, his body packed with muscles like solid rock, he exuded a majesty reminiscent of one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
He was the very definition of strength.
A hollow laugh escaped Sun-woo’s lips.
What kind of confidence had led him to believe he could face such a monster with a single blade?
If he had been handed a machine gun, perhaps.
But with just a sword, it seemed utterly hopeless.
It was like being told to face a rhinoceros barehanded.
But there was no other way.
Entering the Hwangbo Clan estate alone had been his choice.
It was because he didn't want to put Ok-ryeong and Yorang in danger.
Using all his internal energy to dissipate Hwangbo Gang’s strike had also been his choice.
It was because he lacked the confidence to take that blow with his bare body.
All of this was the result of his own choices, and he had to endure the consequences.
"Cough... cough!"
Blood sprayed out with his cough.
His body was telling him.
That he didn't have many chances left.
Sun-woo knew instinctively.
That he was only permitted a single strike.
In his battered state, one swing was the most he could manage.
It was absurd.
He had swung his sword countless times already, yet he had barely managed to leave a few scratches.
How could he possibly turn the tide with just one strike?
A self-mocking smile formed on his face.
Tighten.
However, Sun-woo’s grip on the sword only grew firmer.
It was only one strike, but there was no other way.
He would simply thrust his sword with every ounce of his soul.
Sun-woo watched the approaching Hwangbo Gang and began to search for the optimal path.
A spot where he could land a fatal blow.
Hwangbo Gang had two wounds.
One was his shoulder, where an arrow had struck, and the other was his side, which had been pierced by a blade.
However, neither was close to being a vital spot that could decide the match.
Even if an attack landed there, killing him would be impossible.
In the end, it meant he had to bypass the Sword and Blade Immunity and pierce a spot that could kill him instantly.
A vital point like the heart or the head.
`Is it possible?`
Doubt crept into Sun-woo’s mind.
Why was it called Sword and Blade Immunity?
Was it not because the user had perfected an outer shell so hard that no blade could pierce it?
He doubted whether his skill was enough to break through.
But he quickly cleared his mind of doubt.
In a situation where he had no choice but to do it, what was the point of such useless thoughts?
Sun-woo began to focus all his senses onto the sword.
And he pondered once more.
On how to cut that man.
Every swordsman Sun-woo had ever encountered began to flash through his mind.
Soon, he was able to pick out the two strongest swordsmen he had ever seen.
One was the Sword Emperor, Yang Tae-san, and the other was the man who asked to be called simply 'a sword.'
Both possessed swordsmanship so formidable they were called 'Heaven Beyond Heaven.'
Though the Sword Emperor was but a shadow of his former self, he had shown the sublime realm of the Heart Sword. The man who called himself a sword had been so overwhelming that Sun-woo, even in the Transcendent Realm and having undergone Awakening, couldn't leave a single scratch on him.
Sun-woo began to pull from his memories.
Yang Tae-san had said after swinging his greatest sword:
That he simply cut what he wanted to cut.
The man with the skill of a Great Grandmaster had said:
That being called a single sword was enough.
A sword.
In the Central Plains, there were countless sects that handled the sword.
Accordingly, there were just as many swordsmen, and their understanding and interpretation of the sword were bound to vary.
Some said:
The sword is a tool for self-cultivation to reach a higher realm.
Some said:
The sword is merely a tool for murder, meant to harm and kill others.
Some said:
The sword is a variable tool that can either save or kill, depending on the heart of the wielder.
To be honest, he didn't know which answer was correct.
Sun-woo simply trusted the experiences he had seen and felt.
The greatest swordsmen he knew had said:
That they were simply a single sword cutting what they wanted to cut.
It was difficult.
He felt like he understood, yet it was a feeling hard to put into words.
A sword.
Just a sword.
Thump. Thump.
Sun-woo began to walk forward slowly.
Soon, he was right in front of Hwangbo Gang.
Whoosh!
Hwangbo Gang swung a fist like a boulder.
His fist flew in with a sound that pierced the air.
Stagger.
Sun-woo’s body swayed, narrowly avoiding Hwangbo Gang’s fist by a hair’s breadth.
`Tch.`
Hwangbo Gang clicked his tongue.
It seemed like a stroke of unexpected luck.
Hwangbo Gang clenched his other fist and prepared a second strike.
In any case, the Poison King’s sword could not cut him.
How could he possibly pierce a body that had reached Sword and Blade Immunity?
Unless one had reached the realm of the Sword Emperor, it was an impossible feat.
Meanwhile, Sun-woo, having dodged the fist with his staggering body, swung his sword.
Crak.
He tightened his grip on the hilt.
Bulge.
Strength naturally flooded into his lower body.
He transferred that power directly to his waist.
The power received by his waist was passed to his shoulder.
Finally, his shoulder used that power to swing his arm.
Sshhh.
With the single thought of becoming a sword that cuts what it wants to cut.
The sword swung.
But he didn't feel the sensation of flesh being sliced.
Sun-woo slowly turned his head to check his sword.
Not a single drop of blood stained the snow-white blade.
Sun-woo despaired.
It had been the best move he could make, but it seemed he had failed to cut him after all.
Perhaps the distance had been insufficient.
Thud.
The strength left Sun-woo’s legs, and he slumped to the ground.
Despair clouded his eyes.
Seeing this, the smirk on Hwangbo Gang’s lips deepened.
The Poison King had swung his final sword, but in the end, it seemed he couldn't overcome the Sword and Blade Immunity.
The great Poison King was sitting before him with an expression of utter despair.
There was no way he wouldn't be pleased.
Hwangbo Gang took a stance to deliver the second blow.
The Poison King was conveniently slumped over, his head perfectly positioned to be crushed.
He would burst that head right now.
"Huh?"
It was then.
Suddenly, an incomprehensible phenomenon began to occur.
The Poison King was clearly slumped in front of him, yet while remaining in that seated position, he began to move to the right.
It was baffling.
How could a person move while sitting down?
Hwangbo Gang shifted his gaze to the side.
Then, he saw the ground getting closer and closer.
And he realized.
That his neck had been severed.
That was the last memory Hwangbo Gang had of the living world.
Thud.
Roll, roll, roll.
Hwangbo Gang’s head rolled across the ground.
A master of the Transcendent Realm, hailed as a hero of the Great War of Righteousness and Demons alongside the Poison King.
The absolute master produced by the Hwangbo Clan, known as the Heavenly King Divine Fist, who had struck terror into the hearts of countless demons—Hwangbo Gang met his end at Sun-woo’s hands.
After confirming his end, Sun-woo lost consciousness.
In the clearing, there were only the poison-soaked corpses of the Heavenly King Unit, the body of Hwangbo Gang separated from his head, and the unconscious Sun-woo.
*
How much time had passed?
Sun-woo began to feel his consciousness returning.
He didn't know how long he had been out, but it seemed his mental strength had recovered to some extent.
Sun-woo forced his closed eyes open.
His eyelids still felt as heavy as a thousand catties, but Sun-woo did not give in.
Part of him wanted to fall back into sleep immediately, but he couldn't.
Even if he had killed the Heavenly King Unit and Hwangbo Gang, this was still enemy territory.
There was no way he could rest peacefully in the heart of the enemy's lair.
Sun-woo lifted his heavy eyelids and looked straight ahead.
In an instant, he froze.
Right before his eyes was the face of Hwangbo Gang, his eyes wide with a look of resentment.
Sun-woo slowly rolled his eyes.
And he realized that below the face, there was nothing but a neck.
"Whew."
The tension left Sun-woo, and he let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed Hwangbo Gang’s severed head had rolled right in front of him.
Having exhaled in relief, Sun-woo could finally process the reality of the situation.
Without any internal energy, he had severed the head of Hwangbo Gang, who had reached Sword and Blade Immunity.
And he had done it so cleanly that not a single drop of blood was on the blade.
He hadn't even felt the sensation of the cut.
Sun-woo could not forget the feeling he had when he delivered that final strike.
The feeling of becoming one with the sword, of being nothing but a single blade.
Yes.
For a brief moment, he had achieved the state of Unity of Body and Sword.
Sun-woo felt a delayed surge of euphoria.
It was a realm that any swordsman who held a blade yearned for.
The realization that he had reached such a state filled him with joy.
If he could only consolidate this enlightenment, he would surely reach an even higher realm.
He would move beyond the initial stage of the Transcendent Realm and reach the Middle Stage.
The desire to consolidate the enlightenment right now, before the traces of it faded, welled up within him.
But Sun-woo shook his head.
Even if it was isolated, this was strictly enemy territory.
There was no way he had the luxury of time to quietly consolidate his enlightenment.
At the very least, he would need to ask Ok-ryeong and Yorang to stand guard for him.
Having finished his thoughts, Sun-woo first began to circulate the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art.
He decided that recovering his body as quickly as possible was the priority.
The Yin-Yang Harmony Qi began to race through Sun-woo’s body without restraint.
Vroooooom.
The Yin-Yang Harmony Qi permeated every fine meridian and acupoint, maximizing his healing factor.
The bruised areas and the places where blood had burst began to heal slowly.
The shattered bone fragments gradually found their way back to their proper places.
Sun-woo focused even harder on his internal energy circulation.
Fortunately, while his external injuries were severe, his internal injuries were not as bad, making the treatment easier than before.
Vroooooom.
.
.
.
.
.
.
How much time had passed?
Sun-woo had recovered enough to push himself up.
Spring.
Sun-woo stood up immediately.
He hadn't fully healed all his external injuries, but at the very least, he had recovered all his internal energy.
At this level, he wouldn't be afraid even if the dead Hwangbo Gang were to rise and attack again.
Crack, crack.
Sun-woo rotated his body parts one by one, checking for any abnormalities.
Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any major injuries that would hinder him.
Thump. Thump.
It was then.
The sound of footsteps began to echo from the entrance of the cavern.
Judging by the varied sounds, it wasn't just one or two people.
Likely, they had sent people in because no one had come out after a certain amount of time.
Hearing the sound, Sun-woo leaned down and grabbed Hwangbo Gang’s head by the hair.
Then he slowly lifted it up.
Now it was time to squeeze the Hwangbo Clan for everything they were worth, considering the hell he had gone through.
Soon, the footsteps grew louder, and a group of people appeared.
They were all wearing martial uniforms with a yellow base, the symbol of the Hwangbo Clan.
They appeared to be warriors of the Hwangbo Clan.
Sun-woo held up Hwangbo Gang’s head to them and shouted loudly.
"Hwangbo Gang and the Heavenly King Unit have been annihilated!"
Upon hearing Sun-woo’s words, the faces of the Hwangbo Clan warriors turned deathly pale.