Chapter 315: Submersion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 315: Submersion
In the Murim, it is generally considered dishonorable for a group to fight a single person.
But that was a rule only for the martial artists of the Orthodox Faction, who cared about saving face. The practitioners of the Evil Faction, who believed that winning was all that mattered, considered ganging up on someone standard practice and freely used hidden weapons and poison.
That’s why I liked the bastards from the Evil Faction.
Shnk-
I could kill them without a second thought.
One at the Peak realm, three First-rate, and six Second-rate.
That was the number of men whose heads had flown from my sword so far.
Flick.
I shook the blood and flesh from my blade.
There were too many ‘watching eyes’ to draw the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Sword, so I was using a decent iron sword instead.
‘Maybe I didn’t even need to use my Aura.’
They had clearly been doing this for a long time, as their teamwork was surprisingly decent.
Though clumsy, they knew how to form a crude Sword Formation and cover each other’s openings.
But that was all they had.
Can a pack of jackals truly hunt a tiger just by gathering in numbers?
“He’s already killed ten of them…”
“It’s… it’s sorcery! It has to be sorcery!”
“…Fuck.”
Unlike at the beginning, the fighting spirit had long since vanished from their faces.
It was an understandable reaction.
While ten of their comrades were brutally slaughtered, they had failed to leave a single scratch on my body. Not a single drop of blood had even splattered on my clothes.
The difference in our skill was obvious to anyone.
Realizing they couldn’t win even by swarming me, they began to back away one by one.
“Halt!!!”
At that moment, the old man who had been observing with his hands behind his back finally shouted.
His roar, filled with profound internal energy, froze the men in their tracks.
“If you even think of running, I will cut off your heads myself!”
No one dared to move recklessly in the face of his murderous threat.
My gaze naturally shifted to the old man.
A master at the Transcendent Realm.
He was a wolf among jackals.
The old man glared back at me, his aura just as murderous.
Vwoom-
Red Aura bloomed at the tip of the sword in his hand.
“It’s a real pleasure to see you finally crawl out, old man, after not lifting a finger while your men were dying.”
“Shut your mouth!”
The old man’s face contorted as he growled at my taunt.
But I didn’t even blink.
He was just an old wolf who’d lost his fangs.
“Tsk, tsk. At your age, you should be spending the rest of your life enjoying your grandchildren’s antics. What more could you possibly want that you’re still running around swinging a sword?”
“…An insolent brat, trusting in his paltry strength, is courting death.”
My words must have struck a nerve, as a red glint flared in the old man’s eyes.
“You’re the one who looks like you’re about to keel over any second now.”
A heavy silence fell.
An instant later, the old man’s figure vanished.
CLANG!!
The red and ink-black Auras clashed, sending sparks flying in all directions.
His age certainly came with a great deal of internal energy; his strength was considerable.
But in the end, he was still just a dying old man.
I sneered at him and deliberately drew upon my power.
My expanding muscles unleashed their strength, beginning to push him back.
Krrrrk-
“?!”
A look of bewilderment crossed the old man’s eyes.
“So, has the situation started to sink in yet?”
“Th-throw your hidden weapons!!”
He was as shameless as one would expect from an old man like him.
His subordinates hastily pulled hidden weapons from their robes, but I had no intention of just standing there and taking them.
Formless Electric Body.
CRACK!!
A thunderous shockwave echoed in all directions as I shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
I deflected the storm of hidden weapons filling the air around me and began to slice through the men’s necks, one by one.
“You bastard!!” the old man screamed desperately, but there was no way he could match my speed.
Instead of screams, only the gruesome sound of flesh being torn apart echoed softly.
Soon, the forest was stained crimson with their blood and littered with their corpses.
For the record, I didn’t use Aura.
There’s no need to use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken.
‘This sword is useless now.’
I tossed the sword—its blade thoroughly chipped from cutting through bone and fat—onto the ground.
I had bought it for five silver coins at the Infinite Blacksmith Shop anyway. I never planned on using it for long.
A bit of blood had splattered on my face from the rough movements.
I wiped it away with the back of my hand and looked at the old man.
“Now it’s just you, old man.”
“…Who in the.”
“Hm?”
“Who in the world are you?! Don’t tell me the monster of the Namgung clan has reached the state of Rejuvenation?!”
Looking at the half-terrified old man, I let out a quiet sigh.
That damned Rejuvenation.
I was getting sick of hearing about it.
Rumble-
The Crimson Cloud Thunder Energy, lying dormant in my Dantian, began to stir.
The Aura covering my hand turned crimson as lightning sparked from it.
This was the Rolling Thunder I had become able to wield after reaching the 7th star of the Crimson Cloud Thunder Art.
The old man tried to hide his fear and swung his sword at me. His speed was considerable.
CLANG, KANG, KAAANG!!
My Fist Aura and his Aura Blade collided.
Amidst the savage sound of tearing air, I used the Formless Step to gradually pressure him.
But the old man didn’t just take it lying down.
‘A Phantom Sword technique?’
Kagagagak!!!
The path of his sword shifted unpredictably, dazzling my eyes.
The killing sword, steeped in vicious intent, moved from diagonal to vertical, vertical to horizontal, and horizontal to a thrust.
It was as if he were painting a picture in the air with his blade.
And that wasn’t all.
Dozens of feints, all clad in Aura, poured out from every direction.
Whatever he’d been consuming his whole life, it was safe to say his internal energy was at the absolute peak of the Transcendent realm.
But as long as it was a swordsmanship performed by a human, there was a limit to its variations.
Naturally, my eyes began to grow accustomed to it.
KAAANG!!
“Wh-what?!”
After parrying his sword with the back of my hand, I instantly closed the distance and drove into his personal space.
Krrrr!
The Rolling Thunder let out a fierce cry as it began to converge on a single point.
At last, the crimson lightning roared.
Reverse Thunder Palm.
KRAKOOM!!
The dark forest flashed with brilliant light.
*
Although the element of lightning was a concept derived from the element of fire, in the past, humans couldn't even conceive of the idea of wielding it.
That was how wild and violent lightning was.
The same was true for Lightning Energy.
Crackle-
I forcibly calmed the wildly writhing Lightning Energy.
Just as expected of a martial art created by the Heavenly Killing Star, the martial principles contained within the art itself were incredibly savage.
I suppressed the Rolling Thunder, which was trying to burn even its master’s acupoints, with my Vajra Qi.
The Crimson Cloud Thunder Energy became as meek as a lamb and shrank into a corner of my Dantian.
After catching my breath, I looked down at the old man sprawled on the ground.
“…Cough.”
He vomited a gush of dark red blood.
Honestly, I was a little surprised.
Even if it wasn’t a full-power Reverse Thunder Palm, I didn’t think he’d survive it.
‘Did he gather all his internal energy at the last second to form a Protective Aura?’
Anyone else would have departed from this world after taking a Reverse Thunder Palm. His age had certainly made him quick on his feet.
I picked up a sword from the ground.
Whoosh!
A light swing created a gust of wind pressure.
It was a poorly maintained sword with nicks here and there, but it seemed fine for another swing or two.
“Any last words, old man?”
“…S-spare me.”
I asked for his last words, and he told me his wish.
I’m not a genie.
“Alright, I understand.”
“R-really?!”
“Nope.”
“…?”
“I never said I’d grant it.”
The old man’s face twisted viciously at my words.
I couldn’t care less and swung the sword. I needed to get in the water before it got any colder, and I didn’t want to waste any more time on something like this.
But at that very moment.
CHAENG!
A man in black suddenly appeared and parried my sword.
‘…He parried that?’
Even though it wasn’t imbued with my Sword Qi, it was a strike I’d put a fair bit of strength into.
If someone with mediocre skills had tried to block it, their wrist would have broken and their arm would have been severed.
It would have been one thing if he were at the Transcendent Realm, but I was a little surprised that a man who was, at best, a master at the Peak realm had blocked my sword.
In that time, more figures cloaked in black appeared one after another.
There were only six of them in total, but every single one was a martial artist who had reached the Peak realm.
‘What is this, a damn conga line? Every time I kill one, another pops up.’
Needless to say, I wasn’t in a good mood.
Fuming, I began to seriously consider my options.
‘…Should I just pretend I don’t know who they are and kill them all?’
I knew their identities.
Even if the faction they belonged to became hostile towards me over this incident, I had a perfectly valid justification.
I could just claim I thought they were with the bandits—a perfect excuse that no one in the Murim could refute.
Appearing in the middle of the night dressed in black said it all.
But perhaps he read my killing intent.
Ssk.
The man who appeared to be the leader of the group raised both his arms, signaling he had no intention of attacking.
“We sincerely apologize for our rudeness. However, we hope you will generously understand that it was an unavoidable choice in a pressing situation.”
“An unavoidable choice, you say…”
Kiiing!!
An Aura with an output incomparable to when I fought the old man surged forth.
“And who are you to decide that?”
As my incredibly violent presence exploded outwards, the men placed their hands on their sword hilts and assumed a defensive stance.
But that too was brief, as the leader raised a hand to stop them.
“This will not be a bad proposition for you either, Great Hero. So, how about you hear us out?”
After a moment of thought, I gave a slight nod.
“Hand this man over to us. We will pay you handsomely.”
“How much.”
“How about five Silver Ingots?”
I was a little surprised.
Even if he was a Transcendent Realm martial artist, he was old and decrepit, and there was no telling how long it would take for him to recover from his current injuries.
Considering that, the offer seemed a bit excessive.
“He is a Demonic Leader who has killed hundreds of commoners. Many desire revenge, so his price will surely rise if we put him up for auction. In that sense, it is not a losing business for us. Ah, of course, even then, he would barely fetch seven Silver Ingots, so please consider the five ingots a show of our sincerity towards you, Great Hero.”
“Hmm.”
It certainly wasn’t a bad offer.
Selling a dying old man for five Silver Ingots was more than a profitable trade.
“I refuse.”
“…What?”
But I had no intention of doing so.
FLASH!
In that instant, a flash like a bolt of lightning erupted.
“…Huh?”
Shnk-
Immediately after, the old man’s head flew into the air.
His headless body collapsed, and the lone head rolled across the dirt floor before disappearing into the forest.
“…”
Though their faces were covered by masks, I could feel their bewilderment perfectly.
“I don’t do human trafficking. And I have even less intention of making deals with criminals.”
A heavy silence fell, and the atmosphere grew tense.
But no one made a rash move.
It was only natural.
I was emitting a killing intent that made it clear to everyone: move and you die.
“So get lost. Before I kill you all.”
The man in black made a cupped fist salute towards me and bowed his head.
“We are grateful for the Great Hero’s grace, which is as vast as the ocean.”
“Grace? Don’t make me laugh.”
My tangible aura began to press down on them.
If they weren’t martial artists, they would have already collapsed from a heart attack.
“I’ll give you five minutes. Get rid of the lookouts you’ve had watching from over the hill since I left the Black Market.”
It was, for all intents and purposes, an ultimatum.
“We will bear that in mind.”
They left without hesitation.
Not long after, the gazes I had felt on me ever since leaving the Black Market completely vanished.
Finally feeling at ease, I stripped down to lighter clothes and submerged myself in the East Lake.
Splash!
It was time for a treasure hunt.