Chapter 321: Blue Cloud Red Sunset Sword
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 321: Blue Cloud Red Sunset Sword
Swaaaaek!
Seo Gwang’s giant spear tore through the air with a piercing howl, flying straight toward Un-jeok-ja.
Shiver.
Watching the projectile approach, Un-jeok-ja felt a chill run down his spine. He realized instinctively that the power imbued within that giant spear was anything but ordinary.
Un-jeok-ja raised his sword. He began to circulate the Qingcheng Sect’s ultimate technique, the Ten Thousand Manifestations Return to One Divine Art.
Wuuuuuuuung.
Azure energy seeped into Un-jeok-ja’s blade, which soon began to radiate a brilliant light. The blue energy condensed further and further upon the steel until it formed a dazzling, tangible shape.
Swaek!
Having manifested a blade of blue Sword Astral in an instant, Un-jeok-ja swung downward against the incoming spear.
Kwakwang!
The collision between Seo Gwang’s giant spear and Un-jeok-ja’s Sword Astral triggered a thunderous explosion. A massive shockwave rippled out from the point of impact, shaking the surrounding area.
"Urgh!"
Tremble, tremble.
Un-jeok-ja’s arms began to shake violently. He had succeeded in blocking Seo Gwang’s strike, but the process had placed an immense strain on his wrists.
"Impressive."
Watching this, Seo Gwang let out a smirk.
"To think you could actually stop my Punggyeok Spear."
He raised his voice, sounding genuinely impressed. He hadn't imagined his ultimate technique would be intercepted so readily.
"Kh... You shouldn't be... so easily surprised..."
Un-jeok-ja squeezed the words out through gritted teeth. In truth, even breathing felt like a chore, but he refused to show weakness. It was a matter of pride as a martial artist.
"You say that, but you look like you're struggling quite a bit."
Seo Gwang curled his lip in a mocking sneer. Seeing the Taoist put on such a front when he was clearly at his limit was almost comical.
"You're... mistaken... How could it be difficult... to block a spear that relies on nothing... but crude, ignorant strength?"
Un-jeok-ja replied, doing his best to sound composed.
"Is that so? Then let me show you something even more interesting."
With those words, Seo Gwang let out a fierce shout.
"Haaaaaaaaap!!"
Along with his cry, a massive, crushing force began to emanate from the tip of his spear.
Whiiiiiiiiiing!
A violent whirlwind erupted from the spearhead, swallowing Un-jeok-ja whole.
"Argh!"
Whoosh!
Caught in the sudden blast of the gale, Un-jeok-ja couldn't withstand the force and was sent flying backward.
Kwakwang!
He slammed hard into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"The wind of Punggyeok blows twice," Seo Gwang muttered playfully, looking down at the fallen Taoist.
Thud.
Un-jeok-ja stabbed his sword into the earth.
Cough!
After a dry cough, he used the sword as a crutch to slowly push himself back up.
"Damn it."
Having barely managed to stand, Un-jeok-ja spat out a curse unbecoming of a Taoist and glared at Seo Gwang.
"How was my Punggyeok?"
"It was bloody annoying."
"Then you shouldn't have let your guard down."
"I don't think this was a matter of being careless," Un-jeok-ja retorted, exasperated.
"True. I suppose the Punggyeok was a bit unexpected, wasn't it?"
"What on earth is that spear? How does it blast wind like that?" Un-jeok-ja asked, his brow furrowed deeply.
"It’s nothing special. I just use internal energy to create and release an artificial gale," Seo Gwang replied nonchalantly.
"I have never heard of such a martial art in my entire life," Un-jeok-ja said, his expression one of bewilderment.
"Of course you haven't. I created it myself."
"I didn't realize you had reached the realm of a Grandmaster."
Un-jeok-ja spoke with genuine admiration. To create one's own martial art was proof of reaching the Grandmaster level. Regardless of the specific stage of one's cultivation, it was an achievement worthy of respect.
"It’s nothing that grand. I just patched together bits and pieces of this and that," Seo Gwang said, waving a hand dismissively.
"There are countless people in this world who cannot even manage that much," Un-jeok-ja replied calmly.
It was the truth. The man before him, Seo Gwang, was a genius. He didn't look like he had undergone any orthodox training, yet through raw combat experience alone, he had reached a realm comparable to Un-jeok-ja’s and even founded his own techniques.
How could he be called anything but a genius? Had this man received a proper, formal education, he might have become a figure whose name would be etched forever in the history of the Murim.
"Enough with the flattery. Why bother praising someone you're about to kill?"
"Greatness is greatness. If I hadn't quickly deployed my Protective Qi, my entire body would have been torn to shreds."
"What a shame. I intended for that move to rip you apart."
Seo Gwang spoke with a hint of regret.
"Well, feel free to try again."
Un-jeok-ja raised his sword once more.
"I, too, shall give my all."
"That’s what I wanted to hear."
Seo Gwang hoisted his giant spear again.
This time, I’ll pierce right through his torso!
He began to concentrate his internal energy once more.
As Un-jeok-ja suspected, Seo Gwang was someone who had never been taught proper martial arts. He had taken the low-grade techniques distributed to common soldiers and refined, modified, and patched them together through endless life-and-death battles until they reached completion.
In a sense, his was a martial art born solely for war. Consequently, his techniques focused entirely on the efficiency of killing, eventually leading to the creation of the devastating Punggyeok.
Punggyeok was a technique that maximized the spear's destructive power by generating an artificial whirlwind. With its power amplified to the extreme, there was nothing his spear could not pierce—be it a castle gate or a fortress wall.
That spear was now manifesting its power again, aimed straight for Un-jeok-ja’s chest.
He won't be able to stop it this time.
Seo Gwang glared at Un-jeok-ja with bloodshot eyes. He was certain the Taoist wouldn't be able to block this like he did before. The Punggyeok he had fired just moments ago was a mere appetizer—a test to see how Un-jeok-ja would react.
Because he had restrained his internal energy then, a hastily deployed Protective Qi had been enough to stop it. But this time would be different. He intended to use his full strength.
Wuuuuuuuung.
An immense, crushing force began to load into Seo Gwang’s giant spear. Energies two, no, three times greater than before surged, forming a violent vortex at the tip.
Whiiiiiiiiiing!
Fierce winds wrapped around the entire blade of the spear, eventually enveloping it completely.
Tremble, tremble.
The power channeled into the weapon was so great that Seo Gwang’s own wrists began to shake involuntarily.
Die!
With eyes bloodshot and strained, Seo Gwang thrust his spear forward. The weapon lunged straight toward Un-jeok-ja’s heart.
Swaaaaaaaaek!
With a sound like the wind itself being shredded, the giant spear flew forth. Un-jeok-ja watched the incoming weapon, which clearly contained a monstrous amount of energy, with a heavy, solemn gaze.
This is dangerous.
He realized that trying to intercept that spear with ordinary Sword Astral would be a fatal mistake.
Should I dodge?
He considered evading it entirely but immediately shook his head. The moment he moved, the spear would adjust its trajectory and skewer him. It wasn't just the distance; Seo Gwang’s kinetic vision was extraordinary. Dodging was likely impossible.
I have to take it head-on.
Un-jeok-ja decided. He had to meet that massive surge of energy directly. There was no other way.
But how? How can I shatter that monster?
Un-jeok-ja’s mind began to accelerate, searching for a way to crush that ferocious strike.
Sword Astral?
Impossible. Against that much energy, ordinary Sword Astral would be torn apart instantly.
Deflect it?
Also impossible. Unlike the Wudang Sect, the Qingcheng Sect did not emphasize the principle of Softness Overcomes Hardness. Naturally, he was unskilled in the art of fluidly redirecting force.
Then, what did I learn at Qingcheng?
Un-jeok-ja asked himself. He reflected on what he had learned during his lifelong stay at Qingcheng.
Unlike other sects, Qingcheng had a strong secular leaning. They believed that one could not reach the ultimate realm simply by remaining aloof and untainted by the world. Yet, even within that secularity, their ultimate pursuit was a pure, stainless blue light. It was about scrubbing away the grime of the world again and again until one achieved a blue radiance without a single speck of dust.
Blue (靑)...
Recalling the essence of Qingcheng’s pursuit, Un-jeok-ja slowly raised his sword.
Wuuuuuuuung.
Before long, azure energy condensed upon his blade, layer upon layer. A blue Sword Astral began to form. But it didn't stop there. The blue light grew deeper and darker, transforming into a more intense and beautiful indigo.
Wiiiiiiiiing.
Finally, an Indigo Sword Astral manifested on his blade, making the very air vibrate.
I think I understand now.
Seeing this, Un-jeok-ja smiled broadly. He felt he finally understood what Qingcheng truly pursued.
Whoosh.
Without hesitation, Un-jeok-ja swung the Indigo Sword Astral.
Swaaaaek!
In an instant, it collided head-on with Seo Gwang’s Punggyeok.
Kwakwakwang!
The Punggyeok and the Indigo Sword Astral clashed, letting out a thunderous roar. The two weapons locked together in a desperate struggle for dominance.
How much time passed? The confident expression on Seo Gwang’s face as he thrust his spear suddenly turned pale.
Slide.
His feet began to slip backward little by little. He was being pushed back in terms of raw power.
"D-Damn it!"
Infuriated by the loss of momentum, Seo Gwang spat out a curse. His spear, which combined internal energy and a whirlwind into one, was being forced back. How could he not be enraged?
It wasn't just the energy and the wind. The weight of their weapons was also worlds apart. And yet, his spear, weighing over fifty geun, was being pushed back by a sword that didn't even look like it weighed five.
"Kuaaaaaah!"
Seo Gwang desperately poured more internal energy into the strike. He didn't want to admit it—no, he couldn't admit it. To think that the strike he had spent his life honing in real combat was being overwhelmed by the flimsy swordplay of some scrawny Taoist.
Kriiiiiing!
Seo Gwang’s spear let out a Spear Cry as it pressed against Un-jeok-ja’s sword. However, Un-jeok-ja merely held his ground with a composed, almost relaxed expression.
Driven to the brink of madness by that look, Seo Gwang screamed.
"The wind of Punggyeok blows twice!!!"
As he shouted, a second whirlwind erupted from the spearhead. Seo Gwang wore a triumphant smile, certain that this sudden blast would swallow Un-jeok-ja whole.
It’s over!
Seo Gwang thought. He was sure Un-jeok-ja was finished. Unfortunately for him, his expectations were shattered. Something entirely unforeseen occurred.
Snip.
It was severed. The spearhead, from which the whirlwind should have erupted, was cut clean off.
By Un-jeok-ja’s Indigo Sword Astral. And with terrifying ease.
What?!
Seo Gwang’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. His jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. He was facing a reality that defied logic.
A spearhead that weighed over fifty geun... A spearhead twice as thick as most swords... A spearhead whose durability had been vastly reinforced by wind and internal energy...
It had been sliced through. By a sword that weighed less than five geun. How could he possibly believe such a thing?
"Ha..."
Seo Gwang let out a hollow laugh. His mind was too stunned to function properly. Un-jeok-ja did not miss that opening. He lunged forward like a lightning bolt and severed Seo Gwang’s right arm.
Thud.
"Kuaaaaaah!"
The pain of losing his arm seemed to snap Seo Gwang back to his senses, and he let out a blood-curdling scream.
"Damn it!"
Realizing his right arm was gone, he scrambled to pick up the fallen spear with his left. He seemed intent on resisting to the end.
Clack.
But Un-jeok-ja was faster. Before Seo Gwang could even grasp the weapon, the Taoist’s sword was already leveled at his throat.
"..........Why didn't you kill me immediately?"
His life now forfeit, Seo Gwang stared at Un-jeok-ja with shimmering, defiant eyes.
"I have a few things to ask you," Un-jeok-ja replied calmly.
"Do you think I'll answer?"
"If you wish to avoid a painful death, you should."
"Heh, you're colder than you look, Taoist."
Seo Gwang let out a sinister chuckle.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Un-jeok-ja gave a slight nod of acknowledgment before continuing.
"Why did you cross the border to come to the North Sea Ice Palace?"
Un-jeok-ja’s gaze was heavy as he waited for an answer. Seo Gwang looked back at him with eyes full of mockery.