Chapter 252
Chapter 252
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 252
Chapter Title: Mount of the Practitioner (26)
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There was no way he had seen it wrong.
The movements Park Chan-woo had displayed.
It was undoubtedly a sword technique where every line connected seamlessly into one perfect whole.
Individually, the motions seemed meaningless, but upon completing every form, it bestowed death upon the opponent—an overwhelming sword art.
A path of the sword refined to utmost purity and perfection.
A realm that sword wielders dreamed of, reachable only after decades or centuries of wielding nothing but the blade to reach the pinnacle.
...I never even thought of it as swordsmanship until he severed Kang Si-chan's neck.
Chiu swallowed hard.
Every action of Park Chan-woo resembled a meticulously composed painting.
One of those mysterious works where even the artist’s intent remains hidden until the final stroke.
But the moment that last dot is placed, every intention of the artist is revealed, sending shivers down the spine.
It was the same.
Park Chan-woo's swordsmanship didn't look like swordsmanship at first glance.
Kicking with his feet, swinging his fists, wildly flailing his sword—could you really call that swordsmanship?
Yet the moment he severed Kang Si-chan's neck, it became swordsmanship.
One might call it nonsense, but analyzing every movement from start to finish led to only one conclusion.
He himself became the sword.
Park Chan-woo.
He was the sword.
Every motion of his was swinging the sword itself.
Such a realm did exist.
A level far beyond even God-Sword Unity.
The realm of the Swordless Sword...!
The Swordless Sword referred to the transcendent stage of wielding the sword without a sword.
Yet it was mere fantasy.
It was a nonsensical notion from the start.
Those who claimed to have reached it were at best monsters like the Heavenly Demon or Taebaek.
The reason was simple.
In terms of magic, it was akin to casting ultimate spells without incantation.
Practically no one but Dragon God Sepiro could do such a thing, right?
And yet, Park Chan-woo had reached the Swordless Sword?
No way...
Chiu shook his head inwardly.
As the Heavenly Demon's successor, his potential was beyond measure.
But Park Chan-woo was still incomplete.
A man who hadn't even learned to relax his shoulders properly—claiming the Swordless Sword realm?
And if it were truly the Swordless Sword, Kang Si-chan would have died without even breathing.
In other words...
...He hasn't reached the Swordless Sword, yet he knows its path.
Brr!
Chiu's entire body trembled faintly.
That was even more astonishing.
It was utterly absurd.
To know how to run without legs, to fly without wings.
Who could comprehend it?
Even the great Chiu found it hard to accept.
If it were possible, there was only one explanation.
His vessel is different.
Heavenly Martial Body?
Beyond even that.
It meant Park Chan-woo's very vessel operated on a different plane from everyone else's.
In fact, during his duel with Kang Si-chan, he had perfectly mastered the art of "releasing power."
Something that would take an ordinary enlightened master over ten years, he grasped in mere days.
Aah.
Chiu's eyes reddened.
All doubts had vanished.
He could even believe this was the Heavenly Demon reborn.
I waited all that time just to meet him.
Finally, it felt like his wait had been rewarded.
The other Heavenly Kings were probably grinning ear to ear right now.
Chiu was certain.
His purpose was to serve this man and make him the master of the Temple of All Gods.
For that, he would have no regrets even in death.
Once more, even if it meant mutual destruction with Taebaek...
If it meant Park Chan-woo could become the mountain's master, he would challenge it a hundred times over without hesitation.
And...
...There was another who was just as shocked as Chiu.
"...A swordmaster has appeared."
It was Cheon Ji-ho.
He, who had quietly come from the secret realm to watch, let out a soft exclamation.
He too recognized that every action of Park Chan-woo formed a single sword art.
A living swordsmanship, one only swordsmen of unfathomable realms could employ.
It went beyond mere superior martial prowess; he had fully comprehended the principles of martial arts and forged his own unique realm.
From Avici Hell, he said.
Cheon Ji-ho glanced alternately between Park Chan-woo and Chiu.
The aura emanating from Chiu was certainly extraordinary.
First Heavenly King Chiu. If he's emerged from the world beyond, he should look like an old monster, yet he's far too young.
The Twelve Heavenly Kings had been imprisoned in Avici Hell five thousand years ago.
Yet Chiu's face was too youthful.
No signs of age or weariness whatsoever.
His aura and presence were impressive, but they didn't match the tales of First Heavenly King Chiu he'd heard.
They said he was endlessly serene in hiding, yet tyrannically domineering when revealed. Nothing like his current appearance.
First Heavenly King Chiu was said to embody ferocity itself.
But now, Chiu was gazing at Park Chan-woo with moistened eyes.
No trace of ferocity in his atmosphere.
...Could Park Chan-woo be connected to the Twelve Heavenly Kings as well?
As Arisa said, inheriting all their martial arts might allow such absurd swordsmanship.
The Twelve Heavenly Kings' arts were said to be absolute each, but even that couldn't fully explain it.
One thing's for sure.
Cheon Ji-ho looked back at the battlefield.
It hasn't ended yet.
Thud.
Plop!
Kang Si-chan's headless body moved.
It then grabbed the fallen head and reattached it to the neck.
Ssssh!
Soon, tendons and blood vessels forcibly reconnected to the neck.
"...It's been a while. You're the first in ages to push me this far."
Kang Si-chan revived.
To be precise, it wasn't quite revival.
He was a half-corpse, after all.
Half dead, half alive.
The strongest Kangshi of the Kangshi Sect, culmination of all their techniques.
That was Kang Si-chan.
Kang Si-chan gave a small smile.
"Now it begins. I have to die once to unleash my true power."
Crack!
Soon, Kang Si-chan's entire body swelled.
Upon taking damage that would kill him once, he became a "berserker."
A death-maddened berserker at that.
This was the true Kang Si-chan.
Rumble!
The ground cratered as he stomped.
His physical abilities had skyrocketed.
Reinforced to the point of tearing black iron barehanded—defeat was impossible.
A living Kangshi. Intriguing.
Park Chan-woo was a bit surprised too.
No wonder the sensation felt off.
He'd wondered why it didn't turn to dust after decapitation.
To think he'd turned a living body into a Kangshi.
...Trouble.
Progressive Acceleration is over.
Stopping his movements had reset Progressive Acceleration.
Meanwhile, Kang Si-chan had grown far stronger.
His mind raced.
Typically, abilities that strengthened via death like a berserker had time limits.
But Kang Si-chan seemed limitless.
He was already half-dead.
No point in dragging it out to wear him down.
Retreat was wisest.
Decapitating him was victory enough, no?
Fighting head-on now offered no chance.
...Perfect.
But he thought the opposite.
Ending it here felt unsatisfying.
The swordsmanship of the Sword Emperor he'd just displayed.
He'd moved tracing its afterimage, but his throat was still parched.
Something just out of grasp.
He hadn't fully caught it.
Progressive Acceleration had merely mimicked it; he was far from the Sword Emperor's true essence.
He needed deeper understanding of the Sword Emperor's swordsmanship itself.
A few more swings, and he'd know what it was.
The heart is the weak point.
When he severed the neck, all mana concentrated in the heart.
Strike the heart, not the neck, to end it.
Park Chan-woo assumed his stance again.
I see it.
Once more, countless sword paths and trajectories appeared.
At that moment, Kang Si-chan grinned and spoke.
"Hold out as long as you can. So I can enjoy this a bit more."
Kang Si-chan stepped forward.
In an instant, he was before Park Chan-woo's eyes.
Boom!
Even blocking with his sword sent his body flying back.
Monstrous strength.
He barely regained his footing and landed.
Urgh...!
The impact got through.
It had pierced his defense.
But there was no time to think.
Kang Si-chan's attacks poured down like a mad storm.
No chance to follow the Sword Emperor's path.
At this rate, he'd lose without properly swinging his sword.
Watching this, Cheon Ji-ho sighed.
Impossible against Kang Si-chan in that state, after all?
That was Kang Si-chan's terror.
He grew immensely stronger after dying once.
Plus near-infinite stamina; he wouldn't tire.
He could maintain that state until battle's end.
The only flaw was lost precision, but overwhelming power rendered technique irrelevant as he crushed foes.
The Kangshi Sect's greatest masterpiece.
Kang Si-chan was of the new generation.
No matter how absolute the Twelve Heavenly Kings were, that was five thousand years ago.
Martial arts had evolved since.
Especially the Nine Great Clans' arts, beyond imagination.
One of them, the Kangshi Sect's ultimate masterpiece: Kang Si-chan.
Even inheriting all Twelve Heavenly Kings' arts would make it tough.
...Aah.
It was heartbreaking to watch.
Damage was accumulating helplessly.
Just defending wouldn't win against Kang Si-chan.
Once on the back foot, reversing the momentum was impossible.
Cheon Ji-ho glanced at Chiu.
Hm?
But Chiu's reaction was odd.
He'd expected worry or readiness to jump in.
He's... smiling?
Chiu was smiling.
Why?
Wasn't he calling him successor and serving devotedly?
Reports said with utmost reverence.
Yet with his successor in mortal peril, Chiu smiled.
And soon...
...Cheon Ji-ho understood why Chiu was smiling.
Origin Energy!
A faint light enveloped Park Chan-woo's body.
The vital energy of life itself.
Origin Energy had activated.
But it wasn't Park Chan-woo's Origin Energy.
It was the insight of the Twelve Heavenly Kings that Chiu had inscribed using his own Origin Energy.
The second enlightenment had arrived.