Chapter 433
Chapter 433
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 433
Chapter Title: Waves (7)
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At the moment the assailant praised my senses.
In an instant, my Eon brothers, fully geared for battle, joined the fray.
"Eon hyung!"
"Young Hero Eon!"
At that moment.
The assailant tilted his sword, which had been clashing with Regret, at an angle.
Kiiik-
From that movement, I read his intent to fling me away.
'He judged that if he stayed put, he'd be surrounded by me and my Eon brothers.'
Originally, victory in battle begins by thwarting the enemy's intentions.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Determined not to let the assailant achieve his goal, I stepped forward.
Thanks to that, the scraping sound of metal between the sword in the assailant's hand and Regret continued for a moment.
Kagagakang-
No sooner had a haze carrying the extreme yang energy gathered on the assailant's sword than.
A single flame erupted.
Hwaruk!
That flame soon turned into a blazing slash.
Hwarururuk!!!
Now, I had reason to put distance between myself and the assailant.
The moment I hurriedly shook off his sword.
Zhuge Seolji and my master spoke simultaneously.
"...Crimson Emperor Divine Art?"
-It's a sword stance I've seen before... Was it the South Peak Sword Sect?
Based on their words and the assailant's appearance, I guessed his identity.
'South Peak Sword Sect. Crimson Emperor Divine Art. Shabby attire. That clanging on his bag... Is it a portable pot carried by someone who eats roughing it as daily bread?'
With that, a name surfaced in my mind.
"Could you be Senior Jang Cheol-han, the Langya Sword?"
It was then that Woo So-rung asked with wide eyes.
"Gasp! Langya Sword—you mean the one Senior named as one of the Ten Great Swordsmen Under Heaven last time?!"
In response, Eun Ha-seong spoke up.
"That's right. Langya Sword Jang Cheol-han. He's counted among the lowest of the Ten Great Swordsmen Under Heaven."
Dang Ok-gi was startled and shot Eun Ha-seong a glare.
"Hey! How do you say 'lowest' right in front of him!"
"Eep."
However, the man himself, Jang Cheol-han, dismissed it with a sneer as if it were trivial.
"I've long stopped caring about the name I was born with or the nicknames others give. Doesn't a swordsman express himself solely through the sword he's honed?"
And with that, he swung the flame-wreathed sword.
Hwaruk-
Hwarururuk-
I busily swung Regret to sever the fire demon extending from Jang Cheol-han's sword while issuing orders to my Eon brothers.
"Go the opposite way from the Plum Blossom Sword Guards. Use me, Jeong-hyeon, and Won-cheol as the vanguard and spread out enough space! This isn't ordinary fire. If it catches on you, it won't go out easily!"
At that moment.
Jang Cheol-han repeated what he'd said when we first met.
"Your senses are sharp, indeed."
Langya Sword Jang Cheol-han.
Judging by the sword swings and aura alone, he was, in a word, a dangerous man.
'First off, he's someone who doesn't appear in the original story.'
Next, his skill.
The public assessment that one seat among the Ten Great Swordsmen Under Heaven belonged to Jang Cheol-han was no exaggeration.
He wielded a tricky divine art as his foundation.
And he swung a sword that fully unleashed that divine art's power.
His offensive swings were fiercely sharp in themselves.
Hwarurururuk-
Kaaang!!!
But its true nature shone when he was on the defensive.
Swaeaek!
The sword I swung skimmed the ground as I dodged.
Jeong-hyeon and Won-cheol's attacks poured in at that spot.
Chaeng!
He deflected them softly, then parried the heavy blows.
Kaaaang!
And the follow-up attacks from the other Eon brothers were turned into empty offensives with lethal strikes.
Swaek! Swaek! Swaek!
Swaeaek!
There was none of the elegance I'd felt watching Chang-ryang's sword.
'But no openings either.'
That meant Jang Cheol-han had his body and mind fully under his control.
'...At minimum, a master on my level.'
In short, no pushover.
For such an opponent to attack without a word made him all the more dangerous.
'...What on earth is his motive?'
At that moment.
Seemingly pondering the same, Yin Xia Lian sent a transmission.
[...Could this be part of the test?]
[An examiner prepared by the academy? Does he look like one to you?]
[The Strike Force seniors weren't announced beforehand either, but they showed up.]
[That's because they're Strike Force members. They're known to all participants and under the Alliance Leader's command. Jang Cheol-han's appearance absolutely isn't part of any test. It can't be.]
To my words, Yin Xia Lian countered.
[Then how can he be here? You know better than anyone how much blood, sweat, and tears the Security and Operations Committees poured into this tournament.]
[That's not what we should worry about now. Anyway, he's right in front of us...]
Not missing that Yin Xia Lian was lost in thought for a moment, Jang Cheol-han's sword came rushing in.
[Duck!]
Yin Xia Lian ducked with a start.
Regret and Jang Cheol-han's sword clashed and parted there, sparking flames.
Kaaaaang!
Ignoring it, Yin Xia Lian sent another transmission.
[Then maybe his competitive spirit flared at the news of other masters like you coming? They spread rumors about the Ten Great Swordsmen Under Heaven changing and such.]
[You nearly crossed the River of Three Roads, and you're saying that? Sure, it could be.]
Since we'd cast a wide provocation through Senior Ye Hae-su's article, it was possible.
[But it might not be.]
[Right. It might not. So, what do you think, Young Master Eon?]
To Yin Xia Lian's question, I voiced another possibility I'd considered.
[He could be tied to the Demonic Cult.]
[But the Langya Sword rose to fame because of...]
[An escort mission. But did we plan assuming the hopeful side?]
[...Plans are always made for the worst-case scenario.]
[Let me ask again. Can you swear Jang Cheol-han has no ties to the Demonic Cult?]
A recluse master unseen in public for five years charges in without a word.
His only statement is about proving himself with his honed sword.
That could be interpreted as prioritizing power's logic, which aligns with the Demonic Path in some ways.
[Moreover, we're carrying the Ten Thousand People's Blood right now. We must check even the slightest possibility and stay cautious.]
The pill in the wooden box wasn't real Ten Thousand People's Blood.
But it wasn't worthless either.
It was the Great Returning Pill provided by Shaolin as the tournament prize.
'...In the original, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult greatly improved their Demonic Returning Pill based on the Manbak Heart-Protecting Pill.'
If Jang Cheol-han might be connected to the Demonic Cult.
Our immediate task became transporting this wooden box to safety.
Kang! Kang!
Kaaaaang!
While busily wielding Regret, I was pondering a way when.
Cheon Jang-ho nodded toward the peak where Kunlun disciples were.
"Hyung Yong-un! Kunlun's starting to move too!"
At his words, an idea flashed in my mind.
I immediately spoke.
"Hand the wooden box to Kunlun."
At my words, my Eon brothers stared wide-eyed as if I'd lost my mind.
"Whaaaaat?"
Among them, Cheon Jang-ho scowled fiercely in protest.
"Have you gone mad? Giving it to Kunlun instead of feeding it to a dog?! Are you the Yong-un hyung I know?"
"Better than letting it fall to the Demonic Cult."
"D-Demonic Cult? This guy's with the Demonic Cult? Senior, is that for real?"
To Cheon Jang-ho's words, Jang Cheol-han neither confirmed nor denied.
He just swung his flame-wreathed sword with an inscrutable smile.
I spoke again.
"You think asking makes it true... or that you'd believe a denial without proof?"
"W-Well, no."
"Why did we hold this tournament? Why did the Plum Blossom Sword Guards yield to us? This is an emergency. We need to secure the box first. That's the test objective too."
At my words, most Eon brothers nodded in understanding.
But Cheon Jang-ho, determined to speak his mind, opened his mouth.
"Still. Kunlun's behavior screams they're only coming now because something happened here! Exactly!"
"It's true they've acted suspiciously all tournament."
"Exactly!"
"But I believe they still have the spark of a righteous faction in their hearts. If they'd rotted that much, Kunlun, right next to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, would've fallen long ago."
"Sigh. No matter how I think, not Kunlun. Why not wait for the other participant groups coming behind?"
"No. Here's the plan. You and So-rung go. Meet the Kunlun disciples."
"Meet them?"
"First thing, if they express concern for the incident here, explain and entrust them with the box. If they try to snatch it even slightly, then do whatever you want, Jang-ho."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Having received the wooden box from Eon Yong-un, Cheon Jang-ho turned back along the path with Woo So-rung.
"So-rung dongsaeng. What's your take?"
"Well... Emotionally, I lean toward what you said, Brother Cheon, but Hyung Eon's words feel right?"
"Sigh. I hope Yong-un hyung's right. If they turn out to be the world's scum, I really won't hold back."
"L-Look, they're coming."
Soon after, they encountered Kunlun Taoists rushing over, their long sleeves flapping characteristically.
Among them, the lead Deok Seong-ja stared at the spot where the two had emerged and spoke.
"What happened? That sword fight down there isn't some tournament spar."
"......"
"His appearance doesn't look like an invitee either... Demonic Cult's doing?"
To Deok Seong-ja's words.
Cheon Jang-ho marveled at Eon Yong-un's insight while relieved that his White Path Murim wasn't as rotten as he'd thought.
Naturally, he pulled out the wooden box from his bosom.
"Not certain, but he might be linked to Demonic Cultists, so we're trying to block him."
Misreading Cheon Jang-ho's attitude, Deok Seong-ja bellowed.
"Listen! The tournament's win or loss isn't important now!"
"Exactly. It's an emergency. We need to move this first. And evacuate the civilian spectators too."
"What about that guy?"
"We'll handle him somehow. Kunlun's endured next to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, but we have more experience fighting Demonic Cultists."
"......"
"We'll block him, and Kunlun takes this box safely. Also, report the situation to the instructors. With Kunlun's lightness skill, you can do it quickly, right?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Meanwhile, Eon Jeong-ung and the Wudang Five Heroes, who had tracked Jang Cheol-han on orders from Gyeong-hye and Zhuge Cheok.
From a watchtower overlooking where the Eon brothers clashed with Jang Cheol-han, they had just witnessed the sequence of events.
Young-il spoke first.
"From the Monster Dragon's group, Cheon Jang-ho and Woo So-rung went to Kunlun, and now Kunlun's dashing toward the dock."
Next, the famously good-natured Myeong-han spoke.
"They handed over something like a wooden box—the one with the Great Returning Pill? They must've thought big trouble and moved it first. Shouldn't we go?"
To that, Eon Jeong-ung shook his head.
"The Chief Steward said to proceed with the tournament. So, we should watch a bit longer."
To his words, Myeong-han frustratingly pressed.
"Even when it's your own kids, how are you so calm? Sure, he said proceed. But that was assuming Langya Sword wouldn't harm commoners or juniors. They're fighting now—shouldn't we respond?"
To that, Eon Jeong-ung set aside his initial thought and nodded.
Then, the eldest of the Wudang Five Heroes, Myeong-yeong, spoke.
"I think watching a bit longer is better."
"Pardon? Eldest senior brother, didn't you understand me?"
"I did."
"Then?"
"After I taught him the Extreme Body Battle Art, the Monster Dragon's been stuck like in a swamp. But from what I've seen, he's the type who steps forward, clever or not, in extreme situations."
To Myeong-han's question, Myeong-yeong, who had glanced at his juniors, looked back toward Eon Yong-un and continued.
"The Medicine King vouched for him, so Langya Sword can't be evil. This fight might be the trigger to escape that swamp... Why not let it play out without interrupting?"