Chapter 279: Kindred Spirits
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 279: Kindred Spirits
Seo-jun stared down the three Transcendent Realm masters standing before him.
A dull ache throbbed in his pierced flank. He narrowed his eyes, manipulating the swirling winds and the Qi arrows dancing within the gale.
The wind is manageable enough.
Sin-pung’s wind manipulation was a type of Qi Art. Though it was Seo-jun’s first time facing a technique that commanded the very air, he found it surprisingly easy to handle.
The problem was the bow.
Seo-jun had next to no experience with archery; he had only ever fired a few shots for amusement in the past. For now, he was maneuvering the Qi arrows as if he were using the Sword Control Art, but there was a fundamental difference between wielding a blade and loosing an arrow.
"Two for now. No, maybe just one?"
As it stood, the only technique he could confidently claim to have fully copied was Sin-pung’s wind. The Profound Bow Emperor’s archery... was only about halfway there.
Rather than sending the signal to call in his allies, Seo-jun decided to tangle with the three Transcendent masters a little longer. It might have been arrogant, but honestly? It felt entirely doable.
"Anyway, let's keep going."
At Seo-jun’s gesture, a tempest erupted.
Space itself seemed to distort under the violent, swirling gale. A heartbeat later, the storm—laden with deadly Qi arrows—was unleashed upon the three masters.
Whirrrrrrrrrrr—!!
The apex of the cone-shaped storm, the very eye of the vortex, writhed forward like the gaping maw of a dragon.
His face flushed crimson with rage, Sin-pung immediately stepped forward.
"Such insolence...!"
He didn't know what trickery the boy was using, but the intent behind that wind was obvious. It was mocking him. And those arrows dancing within the gale—were they meant to be a pathetic imitation of the Profound Bow Emperor?
His fury reached such a peak that it broke into a hollow, grating laugh.
"That arrogance will be the noose around your neck."
Sin-pung lunged toward the tempest. The dragon-like wind lunged right back.
But instead of colliding, Sin-pung seemed to dissolve into the rushing air. His fluttering hand gestures blended seamlessly with the wind, and his relaxed, swaying body slipped effortlessly through the gaps in the storm.
Swish—!
An arrow shot straight toward him. Sin-pung didn't even flinch. He trusted his friend.
Clang—!
The Profound Bow Emperor repaid that trust. An arrow fired from behind pierced the tempest, perfectly knocking the incoming Qi arrow aside.
"Phew..."
Sin-pung danced amidst the raging storm. The wind was naturally drawn to his light hand gestures, melting into his long, sweeping footwork. Advancing in a continuous, fluid rotation, Sin-pung’s eyes glowed with a faint green light. His gaze locked onto the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord.
"That is not how one commands the wind."
Whoosh—!
With a light, pushing gesture, he seized control of the flow. The wind surged backward, turning on the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord.
"Hmm?"
Seo-jun’s brow twitched. He watched as branch-like currents extended from the very storm he had created, opening their invisible maws to devour him.
Snap—!
With a casual flick of his fingers, he scattered the currents instantly.
Sin-pung didn't care. He simply continued his dance.
The wind pushed by his palms, the currents brushing through his fingers, the fluttering of his robes, and his intricate footwork all gave rise to a brand new storm.
The wind was continuous. It was unbroken, devoid of jagged edges, enveloping the world in an infinite cycle. Even when it seemed to vanish, it was merely catching its breath as a gentle breeze.
Sin-pung watched the flow of air generated by his own movements and the resulting ripples distorting space.
This brat has no idea how to handle the wind.
He doesn't even realize he’s stepped into the maw of a glaring dragon.
"Look closely. This is the true Formless Wind and Fire."
Sin-pung’s dance came to an end. The wind took up the dance where he left off.
Fwaaaaaaaa—!!
The violent winds entangled and multiplied. The Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord’s eyes darted rapidly, tracking the chaotic currents.
Slash—!
A Wind Blade struck with the force of a gale, only to be effortlessly scattered by the Heavenly Lord’s hand. However, the dissipated Wind Blade simply melted back into the whirlwinds circling the area.
Whirrr—!
Like a writhing hydra, dozens of cyclones with gaping maws descended upon the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord.
Whoosh—!
The winds aiming for his vital points were scattered all at once, neutralized before they could even brush his clothes.
But the wind did not stop.
The relentless flow of air collided with the Heavenly Lord’s body, entangling in complex patterns, surging anew, shifting forms, circling his perimeter, howling, and occasionally sharpening into a lethal edge.
It was as if an invisible army of millions was pouring an endless offensive upon him.
Sin-pung continuously operated the Formless Wind and Fire, adding strength to his army of wind, while the Profound Bow Emperor expertly assisted with a relentless barrage of arrows.
Cheok-yo, the Black Dragon Sect Leader, watched the spectacle, unable to find a single opening to intervene. The joint attack of Sin-pung and the Profound Bow Emperor had reached a near-divine level of synergy; his interference would be nothing more than a hindrance.
No, in truth, he felt no need to intervene at all.
The wind surged with kaleidoscopic changes, and the arrows swam through the currents like predators hunting their prey. The gale grew more violent by the second. Simply standing within that tempest would be enough to tear an ordinary human to bloody shreds.
The number of arrows fired by the Profound Bow Emperor had already surpassed a hundred. Because Sin-pung’s wind guided the projectiles, the burden on the Profound Bow Emperor to control them with his Qi was drastically reduced.
And the sight of the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord struggling amidst that storm of wind and arrows was...
"...Impressive."
Cheok-yo marveled despite himself. The Heavenly Lord’s movements were like a mesmerizing sword dance. He parried thousands of fists formed from the wind with a single blade and deflected the arrows aiming for his blind spots with nothing but the flick of a sleeve.
Initially, it seemed his wounds were accumulating because he couldn't handle the sheer volume of the offensive. But at a certain point, no new injuries appeared on his body.
How could he move so freely within such a violent, chaotic, and overwhelming flow? Was it superior kinetic vision? Exceptional Qi sensing? Or was this simply what they called true, monstrous talent?
Watching the enemy’s movements made Cheok-yo's heart burn with martial excitement. Exhaling a ragged breath, he partially uncoiled the heavy iron chains wrapped around his torso.
Clink—
The long chains trailed down, revealing a vicious sword attached to the end. Instead of stepping out now and ruining that beautiful sword dance, Cheok-yo waited for his perfect moment.
He wouldn't have to wait long.
"Ah, so that’s how it works?"
Seo-jun murmured, observing the intricate flow of Qi composing his surroundings as he brushed past the lethal wind and arrows.
Formless Wind and Fire, was it? Copying the technique itself hadn't been difficult, but his fundamental understanding of the wind had been lacking.
Seo-jun didn't let useless pride get in his way. He knew his own deficiencies, and with such excellent teachers generously demonstrating before him, why wouldn't he learn?
Thus, by intentionally wandering through their deadly storm, he was finally grasping the true essence of the wind. The sudden enlightenment regarding the unfamiliar archery techniques was just a pleasant bonus.
Seo-jun swept his sleeves to deflect the arrows raining down from all directions, his eyes flashing with an eerie green light.
*
A chilling void descended. For a split second, all the wind stopped.
The hundred or so arrows dancing in the air momentarily lost their way and faltered, dropping like dead weight.
Seo-jun faced Sin-pung, the Profound Bow Emperor, and Cheok-yo—who for some reason was staring at him with strangely burning eyes—and slowly held out both hands.
Formless Wind and Fire.
The atmosphere, which had been eerily still, suddenly surged with explosive force.
Whirrrrrrrrrrr—!!
Countless points in the air birthed miniature tempests. The individual currents filling the battlefield wove together into a complex, chaotic flow that completely defied calculation.
Watching this with trembling eyes, the Profound Bow Emperor turned toward his friend. Sin-pung, his eyes completely bloodshot, was staring blankly at the winds dominating the world around them.
"The Formless Wind and Fire is..."
Seo-jun did not dance. He did not use elegant hand signs or intricate footwork to summon the wind. He simply stood in place and commanded it.
"Rage."
Simultaneously, hundreds of Qi arrows manifested in the air behind him.
Creeeak—
The phantom sound of a massive bowstring being drawn taut echoed across the battlefield.
Swish—!
The complexly entangled winds surged violently, and the fired arrows surrendered themselves to the torrential flow.
Rumbleeeee—!!
Riding a gale that felt ready to tear the very world apart, the arrows surged forward.
The Profound Bow Emperor hurriedly threw himself aside and shouted to his friend.
"Sin-pung! Can you deflect it?!"
"...No."
"What?!"
"It is beyond my capability."
Sin-pung’s face was deathly pale. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the apocalyptic wind bearing down on them. How? How could that bastard perfectly replicate his Formless Wind and Fire?
Yet, pushed past the absolute limit of confusion, his mind actually grew eerily calm.
Sin-pung gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
Thwack—!
He didn't even flinch when a stray arrow tore a chunk of flesh from his flank.
Whirrr—!
The wind enveloped his entire body. He simply pushed forward with stubborn, suicidal resolve.
Seeing this, the Profound Bow Emperor gritted his teeth.
"Damn it..."
He couldn't tell him to retreat. Sin-pung had already chosen his path. He wasn't simply blinded by rage; he was marching into the storm to prove the absolute truth of his own martial arts.
If he couldn't stop his friend, he would assist him.
Creeeeak—!
The Profound Bow Emperor’s eyes grew calm and still. He drew his bowstring back with every ounce of his might. A single arrow was nocked.
Enduring the violently howling wind tearing at his skin, he released the string.
Twang.
The arrow flew.
The Profound Bow Emperor’s eyes tracked its path. In the past, it had always been Sin-pung’s wind that guided his arrows. Sin-pung was always the one walking ahead, and the Profound Bow Emperor had always followed behind him.
Just for today, my friend... I will carve the path for you.
Arrows usually ride the wind. But the Profound Bow Emperor did not rely on that today.
His fired arrow violently pierced through the gale. The punctured wind was immediately drawn into the arrow's wake. Thus, the arrow guided the wind.
"Ah...!"
The wind gladly followed behind the projectile. The Black Iron Arrow, thickly imbued with dark Astral Qi, led the charge. A perfect path of wind was carved open by the fierce rotation of the arrow, carrying immense, unstoppable power.
Sin-pung smiled, his eyes crystal clear.
His entire body was being cut and torn to ribbons by the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord’s wind, leaving him drenched in his own blood, but he had already forgotten his anger.
"My friend, you are the only one who truly understands my wind."
Riding the slipstream of the arrow, Sin-pung closed the distance. His hand struck the Heavenly Lord’s chest.
Above the gaping, fatal wound in his own chest, he saw the Heavenly Lord’s eyes widen in shock.
"...Impressive."
A trail of blood trickled from the Heavenly Lord’s lips. Sin-pung smiled softly.
"Hwi-jong will be the one to take my revenge."
His staggering body could no longer hold itself in the air, and he plummeted toward the earth. In his chest, just like the Heavenly Lord's, was a massive, gaping hole.
Seeing his oldest friend fall in a bloody arc, the Profound Bow Emperor, Ho Hwi-jong, rushed forward with a desperate cry.
"Sin-pung...!"
Seo-jun looked down at the falling man for a moment before shifting his gaze forward. Cheok-yo, the Black Dragon Sect Leader, was facing him with a strange, twisted smile.
"A pity."
Hearing those words, Seo-jun looked past Cheok-yo, his body already working to regenerate the gruesome wound in his chest. In the far distance, three powerful presences were rapidly approaching.
"Hardly a pity."
Seo-jun raised his hand. The energy gathered at his fingertips shot into the sky and exploded with a deafening roar.
KABOOOOM—!!
It was the pre-arranged signal flare. However, it would take time for his allies to arrive. To prevent the Black Lotus Union from noticing the ambush, they had been forced to wait far away.
Ju Won-jang, Pae Jin-gwang, Peng Geuk-jin, and Hwangbo Ryung would now be rushing to support him.
Five Transcendent masters...
Seo-jun touched his chest.
The principle behind regenerating the fatal wound so quickly was simple. He created a physical scaffold out of Qi, used it as a frame, and then utilized Blood Arts in tandem with his innate regenerative abilities to rapidly knit the flesh back together.
However, he still felt a lingering sense of dissonance from the strike Sin-pung had landed in his final moments. His body felt strangely heavy and sluggish.
That wasn't just a simple Qi Art...
It felt remarkably similar to the power the Alliance Leader wielded.
After a moment of thought, Seo-jun smirked.
"I suppose it’s fine as long as I take them all down before my backup arrives?"
Whoosh—!
A doll materialized instantly from thin air, standing silently beside Seo-jun.