Chapter 136: Displaying Martial Might (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136: Displaying Martial Might (2)
The three elders attacked Chu Bong-hwa without a word of warning.
"Dammit, did you old farts eat your age through your assholes? Isn't it a bit cowardly for three grown men to gang up on one woman?"
I hurled insults to provoke them, and one of the elders shifted his gaze toward me.
"I'll start by ripping that tongue out of your mouth."
Suddenly, he changed direction and lunged at me. Chu Bong-hwa tried to move to block him, but the other two elders roared at her.
"Worry about your own life!"
As the two elders launched a fierce assault, Chu Bong-hwa was forced to focus on a cautious exchange of blows. With her occupied by the two, the third elder naturally became my problem.
"Young Hero Eo, I will hold this old man back, so please escape. And please... take this herb to my brother."
Danyeong spoke out of concern for me, but rather than being moved, I let out a sigh. For the Silver Dragon—who currently possessed no internal energy—to try and stop an elder was, quite frankly, like a man crawling on all fours trying to fight a tiger.
Still, if the odds of survival were higher by running, I would have chosen to flee in a heartbeat. But a man can't just say "Okay, thanks!" and bolt the moment someone tells him to run, can he? There’s a certain etiquette to these things: you have to decline at least once, and then, when they insist a second time, you reluctantly accept to save face.
"No. I will hold him off, so you should escape, Lady Dan. You have an important task to complete, do you not?"
Danyeong stared at me blankly for a moment, then bowed her head.
If she asks one more time, I’m out of here.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Danyeong spoke, her eyes glistening with moisture.
"As expected, Young Hero Eo, you are a true Great Hero. I shall cherish your chivalry deep within my heart."
Wait, what? No. That’s not how this works. You’re supposed to ask me one more time!
The Silver Dragon retreated, snatching the stone box from my hands. The box, likely made of Ten Thousand Year Cold Jade, felt freezing to the touch. As it left my hands, it felt as though all my strength was being sucked away with it.
I’m dead. Son of a bitch.
With death looming, even my refined mouth couldn't help but spit out curses. I had no choice. These weren't just some clumsy experts; they were absolute masters. There was no room to slip away.
Up until now, I had managed to overcome experts using all sorts of tricks and deceptions, but such methods wouldn't work against absolute masters like these. I had to settle this with my own raw skill. Compared to an elder of the Divine Light Sect, my martial level was like a fly compared to a bird. Just because they both fly doesn't mean they're the same species.
Still, I couldn't just stand there and wait to die. I leveled my sword and took the starting stance for the Dark Sky Flying Explosion. It was the strongest technique in my repertoire, and I intended to pour every ounce of my internal energy into a single strike. It was the only way I might stand a chance of surviving.
"Come. I shall grant you three free moves," the Bald Elder said with an air of leisure.
"Given the age gap between us, old man, only three? Give me more."
When I shouted back, the elder let out a scoffing laugh, as if he found me absurd.
"What a funny brat. Trying to haggle over moves. Fine. I'll give you five. I'm short on time, so I can't give you any more than that."
Hearing this, Blood Flame Blade Mun Gang, who was busy fighting Chu Bong-hwa, shouted out.
"Elder Oh! You must capture him alive! That man is the New Dragon of Sichuan!"
At that shout, the Bald Elder’s eyes flashed.
"Oho. So you're the one who killed the Sixth Overlord. What a pity. It would have been better for you to die here. Since you've killed the Seventh Overlord as well, that makes two of the Heavenly Lord's disciples dead by your hand. I must present you to the Heavenly Lord personally."
If I attack with Dark Sky Flying Explosion and immediately scatter the Ghost Heaven Soul Formation, I might be able to trick this old geezer.
I felt a surge of confidence from the plan I’d cooked up. The old man said he’d give me five moves, but I had no intention of letting it go that far. I planned to transition directly from the Scattering Light Red Sun Flash into the Dark Sky Flying Explosion. It would be far more effective to unleash the Dark Sky Flying Explosion when the elder let his guard down, rather than splitting my sword energy from the start.
I fired off an Elastic Path strike, and the elder’s face showed a hint of surprise.
"One!"
I intentionally counted the moves to keep him from attacking. True to his word, the elder did not strike back. I retrieved the Ghostly Sword I had thrown with the Elastic Path and immediately unleashed the Dark Sky Flying Explosion.
"Two!"
Since there were still three moves left, I intended to exploit his complacency, betting he wouldn't expect me to use a finishing move so soon. The elder raised his sword to block.
However, I had already split my sword energy into two. I only needed to watch as the elder's two arms were severed.
"Ugh!"
The elder let out a groan. He looked as if he were about to sway and retreat, but instead, he stepped to the side. Judging by the blood soaking the front of his robes, I had managed to slash his chest.
But the outcome I had hoped for didn't happen.
Dammit, Dark Sky Flying Explosion didn't finish him.
"It’s been twenty years since I last took a wound. Impressive... a sword technique that splits sword energy."
"Three!"
I shouted and lunged again. The elder didn't know I could manipulate the sword energy, so I staked everything on that.
"It is a fine technique, but the same trick won't work on me twice, child."
He spoke warmly, like a kind grandfather speaking to his grandson, and gave a thin smile. As the elder pulled back, I thrust my sword and split the energy.
"Now that I know the sword energy can separate, as long as I can sense it, this technique is useless."
The elder explained as if he were teaching a lesson while swinging his sword. He swung to block the two split energies, but since I had already moved them, his sword struck empty air.
"Hm?"
Sensing something was wrong, the elder leaped into the air. I sent one strand of sword energy behind his back and another toward his lower body. Sensing the threat, the elder dodged the lower strike by staying airborne.
However, he only realized too late that a strand of energy was coming from behind and swung his sword frantically. Because I had thrown the Ghostly Sword to perform Manipulating Sword with Qi to hide the trailing energy, he hadn't detected it until the last second.
Yes! It worked!
But in that instant, the elder’s body blurred and vanished.
"What?!"
The elder had used Shifting Form and Position to reappear three zhang away. The sword energy dissipated, tearing through the space where he had just been standing.
"Incredible. To be able to split and control sword energy at your age... in twenty years, you would have become the greatest master under heaven. It is a pity you will never have that chance."
Just as the elder raised his sword to attack, I shouted.
"I still have two moves left!"
"Hm? Is that so? Your tricks are quite entertaining, so by all means, show me more."
Just as I was about to pull a Soul Spirit Bead from my pouch, the black-bearded elder fell dead at the hands of Chu Bong-hwa.
As expected of Chu Bong-hwa. To kill one of these inhuman monsters...
Though she had taken down one elder, Chu Bong-hwa was heavily injured. With another elder still remaining, she wasn't necessarily in a favorable position.
"It seems I don't have the leisure to play with you anymore. Let's finish this and go capture that witch."
The moment I opened my silk pouch to grab a Soul Spirit Bead, the elder suddenly closed the distance and struck my paralysis points.
"You... you old bastard! You broke your promise!"
Thud!
I fell to the ground, my body stiff as a board. As I fell, a Soul Spirit Bead slipped out of my pouch and rolled toward my face. Every Soul Spirit Bead had the name of the one sealed inside; this one was labeled 'Thunder Demon Emperor.'
I had heard stories of an absolute demonic master from long ago called the Thunder Demon Emperor. He was a master of the demonic path who had unified the Murim with the power of lightning, ruling over both the demonic and unorthodox factions of his time. He, too, had eventually been sealed by the Profound Heaven Sect.
Seeing the bead right in front of my eyes, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
If I possessed the power of lightning, I could perform the fifth technique of the Nine-Section Soul-Severing Sword, 'Thunderbolt Shaking Heaven,' which is said to be capable of even leveling mountains.
As I was thinking that, the elder, who had been about to attack Chu Bong-hwa, paused and muttered.
"Where is this ghostly energy coming from?"
The elder turned back toward me. I knew it would be a disaster if he took the Soul Spirit Bead, but I couldn't move my body to hide it. Left with no other choice, I used my tongue to sweep the bead into my mouth. I had to hide it at all costs, so I held it behind my teeth.
The moment the Thunder Demon Emperor’s Soul Spirit Bead entered my mouth, a tingling sensation surged through my entire body. As if to prove it truly belonged to the Thunder Demon Emperor, my body began to quiver like an aspen leaf, as if I’d been struck by a bolt of lightning.
Then, the man called the Third Lord approached me.
"I have to take you to my master, so I won't kill you, but I'll make sure you regret being alive."
After speaking, the Third Lord began to kick me. Then, he delivered a sharp kick to my jaw.
Thwack!
I writhed in agony, feeling as if my jaw had been shattered.
"You son of a bitch... I'm going to cut your legs off."
After cursing, I froze in shock.
The Soul Spirit Bead is gone from my mouth.
If it were still there, I wouldn't have been able to speak.
Dammit, I must have swallowed it when that bastard kicked my jaw.
This was bad. The thought of having to rummage through my own shit later made me irritable. But more importantly, I was desperate because if that damn elder joined the attack on Chu Bong-hwa, she wouldn't be able to hold out.
Chu Bong-hwa, already injured, was being pushed back by the two elders' assault. However, the two elders were wary of her transparently glowing hands and hesitated to engage her directly, which was the only reason she was still standing.
The Third Lord had been stomping on me until a sudden scream made him stop.
"Agh!"
Danyeong, who had tried to flee, was dragged back. She had been caught by Blood Flame Blade Mun Gang before she could get far, bleeding from a shoulder wound and having lost her internal energy. Mun Gang had broken off from the fight with Chu Bong-hwa to pursue her the moment she ran.
Dammit, nothing is going right. I thought there was hope if Danyeong escaped and brought the government troops.
Just as I thought everything was over, a strange power began to writhe and move within my dantian. It was an energy unlike anything I had ever felt before. The internal energy from my Circulating Dantian was soft and gentle; it was never this violent, as if it were about to burst my blood vessels.
Where did this energy come from?
Then, it clicked.
Is this... the internal energy from swallowing the Thunder Demon Emperor's Soul Spirit Bead? If so...
I realized this misfortune might actually be a stroke of luck.
It might just be possible.
I guided the tingling, writhing energy into the flow of my Circulating Dantian.
"Grrrgh!"
The Thunder Demon Emperor’s energy was so hot it felt as if my entire body were being burned. Since it was the power of lightning, it couldn't be any other way. My mind grew hazy from the heat that felt like it would rupture my meridians.
Thanks to that surge of energy, the elder’s acupoint seal was broken.
If this is the power of the Thunder Demon Emperor, I can perform 'Thunderbolt Shaking Heaven,' which I thought was impossible.
Even amidst the excruciating pain, that thought remained clear. As I bolted upright, a look of bewilderment crossed the Bald Elder’s face.
I was in a hurry. Chu Bong-hwa was facing one crisis after another. Attacked by the Divine Light Sect elders while already wounded, her life was hanging by a thread. If the Bald Elder joined in, she wouldn't last another moment.
"You damn geezer! Don't I still have one move left from our promise?"
I raised my sword high and roared.
"Five!"
I unleashed the lightning energy that felt like it was about to explode from my body into the sword. A thunderous roar erupted, sounding as if a bolt of lightning had fallen from a clear sky.
Rumble!
Blue sparks erupted from the Ghostly Sword. The Thunder Demon Emperor’s energy continued to pour out through the blade.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
I screamed in agony. At the same time, to forget the pain, I unleashed Thunderbolt Shaking Heaven. Blue energy radiated in all directions from the Ghostly Sword. In the blink of an eye, the exploding lightning energy swallowed the elder.
But the elder was no pushover. He used Shifting Form and Position to get behind me. However, he didn't realize that Thunderbolt Shaking Heaven didn't end with a single bolt. Wherever I pointed my sword, lightning unfailingly erupted.
Boom!
As he used Shifting Form and Position again to retreat, I lunged like a thunderbolt, executing the Galaxy Star Collapse with the footwork of Whirling Wind Overturning Heaven.
"There is nowhere to hide!"
With Whirling Wind Overturning Heaven and Galaxy Star Collapse, these were forms that could trap and kill even a god. Shifting Form and Position was useless. These techniques were specifically designed to counter such movements.
Rumble! CRACK!
With a sound that shook heaven and earth, a blinding light spread in all directions. As the lightning energy was spent, the pain that felt like my blood vessels were bursting finally subsided.
A moment later, when the light faded, a charred corpse stood in its place. A gust of wind followed the execution of Thunderbolt Shaking Heaven, and the blackened body crumbled into dust and scattered.
It was terrifying power.
Chu Bong-hwa staggered back, wounded once again. While I had been distracted, she had taken another hit. I threw the Ghostly Sword, infused with Elastic Path, toward the elder who was about to deliver the final blow to her.
The Ghostly Sword, already saturated with lightning energy, spun through the air. The rotating lightning energy radiated outward, striking the elder directly. The elder abandoned his attempt to kill Chu Bong-hwa and shifted his stance to intercept the Ghostly Sword.
Boom!
Thunder rolled again, and blue sparks flew.
Zzzzzzt!
As the lightning vanished with an eerie sound, the elder stood there, bracing his judge’s pens with both hands. However, his hands were charred black, as if they had been painted with ink. Soon, unable to withstand the weight of the judge’s pens, his charcoal-like hands snapped off.
As the elder flailed, having lost his hands, Chu Bong-hwa stepped in and cleanly severed his head.
"My creed is to kill an enemy whenever the opportunity arises."
I grinned at her words. I liked this cold, decisive side of Chu Bong-hwa. Is there really a world where the "good" live well? No. In my experience, such a world only exists in books. In reality, the wicked, the cruel, and the liars are the ones who eat well and live long. That’s because the world is governed by humans, not by gods.
There is a saying: The wise are not necessarily noble, and the benevolent do not necessarily live long. It means that being wise doesn't guarantee high status, and being kind doesn't guarantee a long life. I believe this is the true logic of the world.
Chu Bong-hwa turned toward Blood Flame Blade Mun Gang. Mun Gang had captured Danyeong and handed her over to the Third Lord before jumping back into the fray. Even though the elders were dead, he had not given up the fight—a true warrior.
Chu Bong-hwa’s form blurred, and Mun Gang’s blade fell to the ground. Having already been wounded by her Small Hand Skill earlier, he couldn't properly defend against her attack and met a hollow death.
"Don't come any closer! Or I'll kill the Silver Dragon!"
Seeing the situation turn against him, the Third Lord tried to use Danyeong as a hostage to escape. I approached him.
"I said don't come any closer!"
I sent a secret sound transmission to Danyeong.
[When I thrust my fist, duck your head.]
Danyeong signaled her understanding with a look. I levitated the Ghostly Sword into the air to distract him. As the sword slowly turned behind him in mid-air, the Third Lord shouted.
"What are you doing?! If you don't drop that sword—"
As the Ghostly Sword circled behind him, his head followed its movement. That was when I thrust my right hand forward. At the same moment Danyeong ducked, I funneled my internal energy into the Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet.
Whirrr!
The bracelet launched from my wrist and pierced straight through the Third Lord’s neck. He had been so focused on the Ghostly Sword that he didn't even sense the bracelet until his head was already falling.
Danyeong shook off his grip and kicked him away. The Third Lord’s headless corpse tumbled to the ground.
A wave of dizziness hit me, and I staggered. Having excessively drawn upon the Thunder Demon Emperor’s energy without being adapted to it, my body was finally reacting.
"Help me..."
I stumbled and reached out to grab Danyeong’s shoulder for support.
Huh? Why is her shoulder so soft?
I ended up grabbing Danyeong’s chest with both hands as I collapsed into her arms.