Chapter 228: Sword Destruction (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 228: Sword Destruction (4)
Seo-jun silently infiltrated the territory of the Sword Sect.
His stealth had already reached a transcendent level. While others might struggle merely to hide their physical forms, no one in the Central Plains could match Seo-jun when it came to completely erasing their presence.
With this skill, he could effortlessly slip into the domain of any faction.
‘However, the Sword Sect is known for keeping a small, elite force.’
To infiltrate their inner sanctum rather than just the outer grounds, he would need to disguise himself as one of their disciples. It wouldn't be a particularly difficult task, but…
‘There’s no need to go that far.’
Infiltration wasn't his ultimate goal. In the end, he was here to bring about the total annihilation of the Sword Sect.
Lingering at the sect's boundary, Seo-jun calmly organized his thoughts.
‘I only need to keep one thing in mind. Speed.’
Cut down whoever he encountered, and when Geom-hyeon appeared, cut him down too. Afterward, finish off the rest and exit the Sword Sect as quickly as possible.
It didn't require any complex thought.
Reinforcements would likely arrive at the Sword Sect later. If he could turn that to his advantage…
‘I should at least pay a visit to the Great Black Mountain Sect.’
Was it Ryeo-won, the former master of the Great Black Mountain Sect? That man had also played a part in his father-in-law’s death.
To begin with, the Black Lotus Union itself was a dangerous element. As long as they posed a threat to the Namgung Clan, there was every reason to pull them out by the roots.
His plan finalized, Seo-jun kicked off the ground.
The formations embedded in the walls of the Sword Sect flared to block the intruder, but—
Whoosh!
With a single wave of Seo-jun’s hand, they were rendered useless. The formation parted, allowing his entry as if nothing had ever happened.
‘It would be nice to slip into the other sects and take them out one by one, but…’
That was too risky. This direct assault was only possible because he was absolutely certain he could kill Geom-hyeon quickly.
“Hm? Wh—!”
Crunch!
Seo-jun’s eyes glowed red as he plunged his hand through the chest of a patrolling disciple.
Sssss— As he absorbed the man’s True Qi with the Beiming Divine Art, the corpse lost its shape, crumbling into dust and scattering into nothingness.
‘Faster.’
Drawing his sword, Seo-jun lunged forward without making a single sound.
Gliding as if floating inches above the ground, he sought out the areas where presences were clustered.
‘Four of them.’
They were inside a nearby building. Clatter! He threw the door open and stepped inside. Four pairs of eyes snapped toward him.
“Who— Guh!”
He closed the distance instantly and slashed. The man was split perfectly from head to crotch, his corpse falling apart in two neat halves.
Clang!
The remaining three hurriedly rushed to draw their swords. No—one of them failed to even do that.
Seo-jun pressed down on the man's wrist, trapping the hilt in its scabbard, before plunging his blade straight into the disciple's throat.
“Ack…!”
The man’s body collapsed. Another disciple shouted.
“An intruder…!”
It was a booming roar infused with internal energy. However, the sound failed to spread.
“I don’t think so.”
The Qi Membrane Seo-jun had deployed perfectly stifled the man’s voice. Without pausing, Seo-jun surged forward.
The remaining two were at the Super Peak Realm. It seemed the four of them had been in the middle of a discussion about swordsmanship.
‘Pathetic.’
If they loved the sword so much, they should have stayed holed up in the mountains swinging them. The moment they pointed their blades at the Namgung Clan, they became his enemies.
Swish— Seo-jun glided forward. The man swung his sword in a desperate counterattack, but Seo-jun’s red eyes perceived every minute detail of its trajectory.
Whish!
The sword cut through empty air. Seo-jun reached out. The man’s eyes widened in horror.
“Sword Wall…!”
The remaining woman hurriedly swung her sword to defend her peer. Crunch! Seo-jun’s hand effortlessly pierced the man’s chest.
The woman’s blade aimed straight for Seo-jun’s neck, but vwoom— his Qi Sword Control deflected her strike. It was the technique known as White River Returning to the Ocean.
“Hah!”
Clang! The woman vibrated the tip of her sword, flicking it sharply to shake off the pulling flow of the White River Returning to the Ocean.
She had some skill. It was quite impressive, even among those at the Super Peak Realm.
Snap! Seo-jun snatched his hovering sword out of the air. The Demonic Sword let out a cheerful hum.
Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Astral Qi.
Flash! The woman’s eyes went wide. Was it pure instinct? She thrust her own sword into the path of his strike and hurriedly arched her back to evade.
Slice—
The woman’s sword was severed right through her Astral Qi. The Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Astral Qi grazed the tip of her nose by a hair’s breadth. Gritting her teeth, she kicked off the ground while still in her awkward, arched posture.
Flutter! Her body spun, her long robes snapping in the air. Snap! Carrying that desperate momentum, the woman swung her leg in a vicious kick.
His red eyes watched her display calmly. Zip, zip— several points of light materialized in the air. It was the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art.
The woman tried desperately to dodge, but it was too late. She didn't have enough time to retract her extended leg and evade the sudden attack.
Thud, thud, thud!
Ultimately, the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art riddled the woman’s body with bloody holes. Covered in fatal punctures, she struggled to lift her head.
“The Sect Leader will…”
Slash. He swung his sword and took her head. Without a second glance, Seo-jun stepped out of the building.
Subtly spreading his Qi Sensing, he pinpointed the exact locations of the remaining disciples.
He cut down nine more disciples after that. Following the traces of their lingering presences, he discovered a hidden underground space.
‘Are they forging demonic swords?’
About a dozen swords were pierced through three or four human corpses like skewers. Some kind of dark trick had been used to imbue the blades with an eerie, malicious power.
He wasn't particularly interested in the method. He had only come down here because he felt a fairly large presence lurking within.
“Who are you?”
A man stepped out from the shadows. Four swords hung at his waist.
‘The Absolute Peak Realm.’
Seo-jun pushed off the ground, closing the distance.
“Hup!”
Startled, the man instantly drew a sword. Clang! The drawn blade blocked Seo-jun’s strike. Seo-jun’s eyes briefly examined the man’s weapon.
‘I see.’
It had actually managed to block a strike infused with Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Astral Qi. It was partly due to the man’s skill, but the eerie power of the sword itself played a major role.
However, it wouldn't last forever.
Crack— Hairline fractures began to spiderweb across the blade. The man’s eyes bulged.
Seo-jun withdrew his sword and thrust again. Chime! The man’s sword shattered into pieces.
“No…!”
The man screamed in despair, immediately drawing two more swords. Dual wielding.
Seo-jun condensed the natural energy in the air to create Qi Swords. Four glowing blades made of Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Astral Qi materialized around him.
Whish!
As they shot forward to attack from all four directions, the man roared.
“Hyaaaaaa…!”
Streams of murky Sword Astral Qi flowed from the man’s blades. Boom, boom, boom! He swung his two swords frantically to parry Seo-jun’s Qi Swords, but it didn't last long. He was already reaching his limit.
“Urgh!”
Kicking off the ground, the man swung his sword upward. Crash! The stone ceiling collapsed, letting in a blinding ray of sunlight.
Escaping the underground chamber, the man hurled the sword in his left hand. Zip! A sinister red energy gathered around the flying blade. It was a unique function of the demonic sword itself.
BOOOOOOOOM────────!!
A massive explosion rocked the area. The red energy violently swirled, grinding everything within its blast radius to dust.
Whish! The sword caught in the center of the explosion returned to the man’s hand as if pulled by an invisible string.
“Damn it…!”
The man ground his teeth, sharply pulling his sword back into a defensive stance. Through the dust scattering in the wind, Seo-jun was charging straight toward him, completely unharmed.
Seo-jun’s eyes grew cold.
‘With this much commotion, that guy must have noticed by now.’
He had observed the man for a moment when he switched to dual swords, but there was nothing more worth seeing. This meant there was no longer any need to hold back.
Rumble!
Pitch-black Demonic Qi violently erupted from Seo-jun’s sword. The man’s eyes widened in terror.
“The Demonic Cult…!?”
Seo-jun stepped through the air and twisted his waist, putting his entire body into the strike. The profound enlightenment of Heaven, Earth, and Man dwelled within his blade. The martial realization he had gained thanks to Namgung Su-ah added an overwhelming power to his sword.
Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, Second Form: Sweeping a Thousand Armies.
CRAAAAAAACK─────────!!
The horizontal sword strike perfectly bisected the landscape before him. The very scenery seemed to slide down the slanted cross-section of his cut.
Thud!
Through the hazy dust, the man staggered.
“Cough!”
His two swords were completely broken. He desperately tried to draw his last remaining sword, but Seo-jun was already standing right in front of him.
Crunch!
Seo-jun’s grip crushed the man’s head like a melon. Releasing the corpse, Seo-jun brushed his hands off. The gory debris clinging to his skin left red streaks on the ground.
“…You’re still running wild quite flamboyantly.”
Geom-hyeon revealed himself through the clearing dust. He stood suspended in mid-air, looking down at Seo-jun.
Seo-jun didn't like that at all.
“Arrogant bastard.”
Seo-jun reached out and opened his palm.
“Anti-Ideal World.”
The domain that had been faintly occupying the surrounding space fully revealed itself. Its deployment speed was significantly faster than before.
This was because he hadn't deployed it from scratch; instead, he had simply intensified the passive domain he maintained at all times.
“Unity of Self and Sword.”
Chime! Geom-hyeon overlaid his own domain onto the Thousand Flower Sword. Simultaneously, Seo-jun flicked his finger.
Mount Tai Pressure Peak.
BOOOOOOOOM─────────!!
The heavens themselves seemed to fall. It was a technique born from the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, but its true root lay in the Emperor Sword Form.
Recognizing it instantly, Geom-hyeon fired a thousand blades to meet it.
Tap! Seo-jun kicked off the ground. As Geom-hyeon's blades fired toward the sky to intercept the crushing pressure, Seo-jun charged straight toward Geom-hyeon.
‘Trying to separate my Qi Swords from me?’
Realizing his intent, Geom-hyeon swung the sword in his hand. Boom! Having parried Seo-jun’s strike, Geom-hyeon’s form soared high into the sky.
At the same time, his thousand blades sliced through the descending pressure of the heavens. Rip! Geom-hyeon ascended, seamlessly joining with the thousand blades that had just cut open the sky.
Geom-hyeon pointed one thousand and one swords down at Seo-jun.
“Such shallow tricks won't work on me.”
The thousand blades rained down upon the charging Seo-jun. Geom-hyeon had his own objective in mind.
A prolonged battle would be absolutely disadvantageous. Rather than playing along with his opponent’s domain, he intended to cut down Seo-jun's main body in the shortest amount of time possible.
Tap! Trailing right behind his thousand blades, Geom-hyeon dive-bombed toward Seo-jun.
‘Won't work?’
Seo-jun laughed. His torn lips curled into a vicious arc.
“I doubt that.”
His left hand, empty of a sword, clenched tightly into a fist. Grip! Simultaneously, a massive wave of energy swept through the interior of his domain.
Sword Destruction.
A counter-martial art designed solely for Geom-hyeon.
VWOOOOOOOOOOOO──────────
As the violent wave washed over the thousand falling blades, every single one of them froze in place for a split second.
Geom-hyeon’s eyes widened so far they looked ready to tear open.
“What kind of nonsense is this…!”
To forcefully stop Qi Swords that were essentially a part of his own domain? It was preposterous. Common sense dictated it was impossible.
But even if they were only frozen for a fleeting moment, that was more than enough time for a martial artist of the Transcendent Realm.
Seo-jun slipped right through the gap in the momentarily halted blades. Geom-hyeon hurriedly thrust his sword to intercept, his mind frantically calculating his next move.
‘I just have to make sure I don't fall for it twice.’
He would reinforce his domain immediately. There was no way his Qi Swords would be countered like that again.
If he could just get through this immediate crisis…
Stab!
“Huh?”
Geom-hyeon’s sword pierced Seo-jun’s chest effortlessly. Doubt flickered in Geom-hyeon’s eyes. This wasn't an opponent who would allow himself to be hit so easily. Was it an avatar again? His confusion was brief.
Stab!
Seo-jun smiled and thrust his own sword in return. Geom-hyeon looked down at his own impaled chest.
‘It was his real body…?’
Splat! Vomiting a mouthful of blood, Geom-hyeon glared at Seo-jun.
“Are you planning a double suicide…?”
Slice! Geom-hyeon violently wrenched the sword that had impaled Seo-jun’s chest. The blade traced a strange, upward curve, tearing through Seo-jun's chest and exiting straight through his head.
Spurt! Blood erupted like a fountain. In addition to his brain and heart, all of his vital vessels were completely severed. From his chest to his head, Seo-jun was split wide open. It was an injury absolutely no one could survive.
And then...
Slurp—
The droplets of blood suspended in the air soaked right back into Seo-jun's body. His fatal wounds healed in an instant. As the severed blood vessels reconnected, the head and chest that had been split in half seamlessly fused back together.
Seo-jun brought his face terrifyingly close to Geom-hyeon’s. A faint red line ran right down the middle of Seo-jun’s face where he had just been bisected.
“I don’t die from something like this.”
Staring into those glowing red eyes, Geom-hyeon’s pupils violently dilated. An indescribable terror gripped his heart.
“You’re the only one dying today.”
As Seo-jun’s lips curled up into a cruel smile, Yin and Yang intersected dozens of times upon his impaled blade.
Ten-Fold Yin-Yang Reversal.
Flash, flash, flash! Blinding light flared. Geom-hyeon’s torso spectacularly exploded.
His head fell along with his severed limbs. Seo-jun snatched the head right out of the air.
Crunch!
Drip, drip! Red blood rained down onto the grounds of the Sword Sect. Standing in mid-air, Seo-jun looked down at the mangled remains of Geom-hyeon.
‘He might still be alive.’
After confirming the kill a few more times just to be absolutely certain, he finally looked around.
“Hmm…”
It seemed there was still a little time before the other Transcendent Realm experts arrived.
‘I can erase this place completely.’
A massive, terrifying energy began to gather in Seo-jun’s palm.