Chapter 32
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: A Battle of Misunderstandings
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*Schwing!*
He swung.
But he failed to cut through.
Cheonyabang couldn't believe his eyes.
Sword threads were a level above sword ki.
In other words, just a step below the strongest energy in existence, sword aura.
“But I couldn't cut through? Just a mere human body?”
To be precise, he had cut him.
Just not very deeply.
*Thump, thump.*
Ha Yuseong's heart was pounding as if it would burst.
He'd jumped in boldly, but honestly, he was scared.
Terrified, even.
Yet, with a body of mere flesh and blood, he had blocked the sword ki he'd never dared to even look at before.
Ha Yuseong didn't recognize it as 'sword threads'.
Because he'd blocked it.
And now that he had…
“It's not that big a deal.”
Even among sword ki, the one shown by the former Poison King, Dang Mandok, had been far more terrifying, and it was much weaker than the fist ki shown by the former Fist King, Great Monk Cheonsu.
Of course, Ha Yuseong didn't know this either.
What they had shown him was an aura spread incredibly thin to resemble sword or fist ki, a feat several times more difficult than using a standard aura.
So, he ended up thinking…
“I see. You're weak, just pretending to be strong.”
Back in his days as a third-rate ronin, he'd occasionally met fakes like this—posers who puffed out their chests and acted all high and mighty, as if they were one of the world's hundred greatest masters.
Still, this guy was a rather hardworking fake.
“You must be a fake, just like me.”
He was still a bit envious, though.
While he could only manage a fake Plum Blossom Sword Art and a fake Adamantine Body, this guy could use fake sword ki.
“If I could use fake sword ki too, that would be cool.”
Sword ki was the mark of a first-rate master.
Then Ha Yuseong looked back.
He looked at Namgung Yuya and Hae Myo, who had been sent flying far away, and chided them.
“You two lack training.”
Namgung Yuya felt wronged.
He knew that the madness(?) his brother had just displayed wasn't something that could be achieved through training.
But he couldn't say anything.
His brother might not realize it, but what he'd just done defied his common sense—no! It probably defied most people's common sense.
Namgung Yuya was at a loss for words.
Hae Myo felt the same.
Is that a man, or a monster in human skin?
Hae Myo quickly made his decision.
‘He's a monster.’
Accepting this, Hae Myo felt a sense of peace.
In contrast to the other two, Jegal Biyeon was calm.
She had known for some time that Ha Yuseong was different from others.
The fact that he was a little bit stranger than she'd thought was no reason for her to think any differently of him.
“Anyone can do this much if they train their body! That includes you, Senior Biyeon. How do you expect to survive in this harsh martial world with arms that thin!”
Ha Yuseong made a decision in that moment.
After this mission was over, he would hold a special training session with everyone here.
He then imagined them all training together.
*Pleased!*
-Brother! I've won!
-Amazing. I can no longer keep up with you, my little brother. Your big brother is getting old; I can only manage a million and twenty-two push-ups now.
-Haha! Age is the only crime.
*Proud!*
-Senior! You must try a little harder.
-As your senior, I'm ashamed to face you. To think I can only do a million and twenty-two sit-ups.
-Haha! That's what you get for being an old fart!
-Yuseong. Come. Let's compete.
-Alright, Biyeon. Let's see who can do more squats.
-Mhm. Okay.
As Ha Yuseong was giggling to himself, lost in his imagination, an interruption brought him back to reality.
“You. What is your identity?”
A master of this caliber could not have remained unknown.
“I am Ha Yuseong.”
A name he'd never heard before.
“As expected of the Murim Alliance.”
The Orthodox Faction had always been like this.
Whenever the Unorthodox Faction, the Demonic Cult, or any other powers…
...tried to take over, unknown masters would always appear from somewhere to save the Orthodox Faction.
The current Heavenly Sword Emperor was one such case, and in the previous generation, it was the Martial Emperor.
Perhaps!
Cheonyabang asked.
“What is your relationship with the Martial Emperor?”
A young man who didn't even look twenty, displaying such skill.
There was only one possible explanation.
In that moment, Cheonyabang was certain.
Whatever his relationship with the Martial Emperor or the Heavenly Sword Emperor…
...if he let this man leave alive today, the Unorthodox Faction would…
‘...be crushed by the Orthodox Faction forever.’
Fortunately, the boy was not yet fully mature.
The bravado that could only come from his youth.
Hadn't he let his guard down just because he'd blocked his attack?
He was even making absurd provocations.
Calling sword threads 'fake sword ki'.
It was a joke so bad that even a passing dog wouldn't laugh.
‘I must kill him.’
The other three no longer registered in Cheonyabang's eyes.
Cheonyabang focused solely on Ha Yuseong.
‘Even if I can't kill him, I must break one of his wings.’
Cheonyabang felt that this was the moment to pour everything he had into it.
‘I was destined to die from the start.’
‘If I can sever the arm of a monster who might one day become the greatest under heaven, it will be a glorious death!’
Cheonyabang drew upon all of his energy.
This included his innate qi.
For a moment, Ha Yuseong was startled by the immense presence erupting from Cheonyabang.
“A-Amazing.”
It truly was amazing. How could he create such a commotion with fake presence?
The wind whipped around fiercely.
The grass bent in one direction.
Twigs and sand scattered, striking their faces.
Anyone watching would think a small typhoon had arrived.
-If you ever feel something like this, run without looking back. That's a true master.
The former Poison King had shown him once.
His true presence.
It was silent.
The world held its breath.
More accurately, the world was focused on a single person.
He stood there, completely alone.
He was the king of the world.
Compared to that, the presence Cheonyabang was displaying now was just noisy.
“So it's true what they say about empty vessels making the most noise. You're the perfect example!”
“You bastard! Do you dare mock me!”
Ha Yuseong tilted his head.
“I'm just telling the truth.”
Ha Yuseong added one last thing.
“You're weak.”
What's with him? Admitting you're weak is nothing to be ashamed of.
Ha Yuseong had never once been ashamed of his past.
“Aaargh! Yes! This is what you Orthodox bastards are like! You've always mocked countless members of the Unorthodox Faction with your vile words! I, Cheonyabang of the Three Black Killing Swords, will kill you!”
Ha Yuseong turned back and smiled slightly.
“He's funny, isn't he?”
Namgung Yuya and Hae Myo had no idea what was so funny about the current situation. No! Look ahead! Can't you feel the opponent's terrifying presence!
Just then.
“Pfft!”
Jegal Biyeon let out a very faint laugh.
At this, Namgung Yuya and Hae Myo's eyes widened even more than when they had been looking at Cheonyabang.
‘This?’
‘It works!’
Fucking world!
“The chatter ends here!”
Cheonyabang kicked off the ground.
Using even his innate qi, he was feeling things he had never felt before.
A scene where time itself seemed to slow down.
He knew very well what this was. It was the same phenomenon he experienced when he gained enlightenment or his martial arts advanced a level.
By putting his life on the line, he was able to overcome a wall.
He felt like he could do anything now.
‘Now, it's possible!’
'That' which he had only ever dreamed of.
Cheonyabang began to execute the technique he had only ever imagined.
Ten Forms of the Black Sky
Tenth Form: Myriad Forms of the Black Sky
With every swing of his sword, black energy stained the air.
The stains soon became lines, and the lines connected to form planes.
And the planes intertwined and tangled.
The air turned pitch black, as if painted with ink.
The Tenth Form, Myriad Forms of the Black Sky, was a powerful technique on its own, but its true value lay in what came next.
Because it was a preparatory step for the following technique.
Cheonyabang's eyes gleamed.
He saw the wall crumble before his eyes, and the next world appeared.
The darkness that had descended upon the world lifted, and the world brightened once more.
But it was still night.
Ten Forms of the Black Sky
True Ultimate Art: White Night
The eternal night sky that never sets.
The black sky energy that formed the planes stacked up neatly.
Soon, it became a single, powerful energy.
The dark sky cleared again.
At that moment, goosebumps rose all over Cheonyabang's body.
He had finally reached the realm he had only dreamed of.
Even if he had only just barely stepped into it.
The threshold of the Transcendent Realm!
‘This is aura!’
“It's over!”
Cheonyabang had no doubt.
Watching Cheonyabang's attack, Ha Yuseong, for once, was honestly a little scared.
Judging by his actions so far, that was clearly fake aura. But even knowing it was fake, aura was still aura.
‘Scary.’
Besides, he had already used his internal energy once, so he couldn't use it again.
But somehow, he felt he couldn't block it without using his internal energy.
Which meant, if he did use his internal energy, he might be able to block that fake aura.
Because, in the end, it was a fake.
The two masters from the previous generation had clearly warned him.
-Use your internal energy only once. If you break this rule, you will cross a river of no return.
Ha Yuseong glanced back for a moment.
If he dodged here, the other three would get hurt.
In situations like this, Ha Yuseong had always made the same choice.
Besides, he was used to crossing rivers; he'd done it countless times.
Ha Yuseong used the last handful of internal energy he had left.
He instinctively knew. If he spread the internal energy throughout his body like before, he wouldn't be able to block it.
In that case.
‘Gather it in one spot.’
Ha Yuseong focused the path of internal energy, which he had previously spread throughout his body, into one place: his fist.
*Squeeze.*
He thrust out his clenched fist.
Along with the only technique he knew.
Yuseong-Style Three Talents Fist
First Form: Weighted Straight Punch
Triple
*CRACK!*
The fake aura shattered.
Ha Yuseong's fist wasn't unscathed either.
He was wounded so badly that bone was visible.
But Ha Yuseong clenched his teeth and struck down the aura.
‘As expected, even a fake aura is still an aura. It's on a whole different level from fake sword ki.’
Still, he'd blocked it.
Ha Yuseong collapsed to the ground.
He had no strength left in his body.
He looked like he could pass out at any moment.
Fortunately, his opponent was in the same state.
The warrior was leaning on his sword like a cane, slowly walking toward them.
Seeing this, Jegal Biyeon shot forward.
Killing intent surfaced in her eyes.
Just as Jegal Biyeon was about to swing her sword at Cheonyabang's neck…
*Slice!*
Cheonyabang's head was severed.
*Roll, roll.*
*Thud.*
Cheonyabang fell.
“Tsk, tsk. Just like those Unorthodox bastards.”
With trembling eyes, Jegal Biyeon looked at the man who had killed Cheonyabang.
“Dang Guyu. Why are you here?”
“Have all the young ones these days forgotten their manners? Why is everyone so curt?”
He was a man from the Murim Alliance.
Not only that, he was one of the five elders of the Tang Family of Sichuan, and the head elder at that.
Insect King of Poison, Dang Guyu.
His name was so famous that there was hardly anyone in the martial world who didn't know it.
And he was someone who shouldn't be here.
He grinned.
“That's just how the world works. Don't feel too wronged.”
He extended his arm toward Jegal Biyeon, toward Ha Yuseong and his companions.
“*Shhhk!*”
From within his sleeve, hundreds of insects swarmed toward them all at once.