Chapter 294: Wudang Sect (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 294: Wudang Sect (3)
The 'Tao' holds a different meaning for everyone who embraces it.
This was because, from the very beginning, the word 'Tao' itself was nothing more than a hollow shell created by humans.
Hyeon-wi, the Sect Leader of Wudang and the Taiji Sword Immortal, sought his Tao within Wu Wei—the concept of non-action.
The martial arts of the Wudang Sect originated from the Tao they pursued, adhering strictly to its principles. As the successor to that grand legacy, the Taiji Sword Immortal naturally walked the Tao of Wudang.
The Sword of Seeking Non-Action, a technique created by the Taiji Sword Immortal himself, embodied the principle that 'The Tao never acts, yet nothing is left undone.'
However, the profound principles Wudang had accumulated over the ages to explain the Tao were not limited to that alone.
Having embodied the Tao of Wudang for a lifetime, the Taiji Sword Immortal had reached an absolute mastery over its profound truths. He wielded the Taiji Divine Art as naturally as moving his own limbs.
Martial arts devised and refined by countless geniuses over a long history inevitably take on the distinct color of their sect.
The Taiji Sword Immortal, who had held the position of Sect Leader for hundreds of years, was the true incarnation of Wudang and a sage who transmitted its teachings.
Deep within every sword path he unfolded lay the very essence of Wudang.
‘This is a total jackpot.’
But the Taiji Sword Immortal had no way of knowing who he was facing. Thus, Lee Seo-jun, the Evil-Annihilating Heavenly Lord—who possessed not a single shred of conscience—used his miraculous ability to snatch away the true essence of Wudang right then and there.
"That... that crazy bastard."
Watching this unfold, the Emperor burst into a booming laugh.
* * *
Streams of black and white Astral Qi flowed from the Taiji Sword Immortal’s blade.
Kiiiing—!
Seo-jun captured the sight clearly with his own eyes and intensified the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Astral Qi swirling around his sword.
Fwaaaa—!
A turbid energy flickered like a flame atop Seo-jun’s blade.
No words were needed between the two swordsmen.
Their eyes met. In the brief moment it took to exhale a single breath—
Sst—!
Seo-jun kicked off the air, his figure appearing right before the Taiji Sword Immortal’s nose in an instant.
The Taiji Sword Immortal did not rush. The Taiji Divine Art manifested a Taiji symbol within him, and his sword drew a perfect circle in the air.
Woong—!
The power contained in Seo-jun’s sword seeped into the Taiji Sword Immortal’s Taiji.
It seemed similar to their previous exchanges, but the Taiji Sword Immortal took it one step further.
Fwaak—!
The Taiji within the Taiji Sword Immortal flowed majestically, swallowing the surrounding area.
Seo-jun felt not only the power of his sword but his very existence being swept into that grand current.
The power in Seo-jun’s sword, the energy constantly flowing from the surrounding nature, the Taiji of the Taiji Sword Immortal, and the innate might Seo-jun held as a martial artist of the Transcendent Realm—encompassing all of it, the Taiji gathered within the old man's sword as it swung.
"Oho."
Seo-jun’s eyes sparkled.
The Sword of Seeking Non-Action, was it?
He didn't try to force anything, yet the faint will of the Taiji Sword Immortal flowing over the blade naturally guided its path.
Because the intent itself was so faint, the sword's trajectory was incredibly difficult to read.
Anyone below a certain level wouldn't even realize the blade was already cutting their throat.
Kiiiing—!
Seo-jun took in all those profound principles with his eyes and drew a simple line with his own sword.
Puhwaaaaaaaa—!!
The Taiji the Taiji Sword Immortal was drawing began to violently fluctuate.
Seo-jun’s move, which had previously countered Taiji with Taiji, suddenly shifted.
His sword no longer drew a Taiji.
Heaven-Defying. It was a Reverse Taiji that embraced that very principle.
If the Taiji Sword Immortal sought to immerse himself in nature, Seo-jun sought to subjugate nature beneath his feet.
Clang—!
For the first time since the duel began, a sharp metallic ring echoed across the field.
The Taiji Sword Immortal’s smile deepened.
"Indeed!"
Seo-jun’s sword lunged forward. The Taiji Sword Immortal did not rush. His sword, flowing as naturally as water, met Seo-jun’s blade.
As steel met steel, the Taiji Sword Immortal’s sword drew a small circle.
Shhh—!
Seo-jun's sword, its trajectory smoothly diverted, merely grazed the Taiji Sword Immortal’s cheek.
Taiji and Reverse Taiji neutralized each other, leaving only the raw physical force of the swords themselves.
The Taiji Sword Immortal took the kinetic force he used to push Seo-jun’s sword away, channeled it entirely into his own blade, and thrust straight for Seo-jun’s chest.
Cla-ang—!
Pivoting on his right foot, Seo-jun struck the incoming sword away with a heavy blow.
As the Taiji Sword Immortal’s sword was deflected, his entire body rotated along with the momentum.
Even if Taiji and Reverse Taiji had neutralized each other, preventing him from fully wielding the principle in that exchange, the Taiji Sword Immortal had spent his entire life walking the Tao of Wudang.
His sword inherently contained the principles of Taiji. Borrowing Seo-jun’s strength, the rotation of his own body, the push of his feet against the earth, the elasticity of his waist, and the sword connected to his fingertips, he amplified the initial force several times over and poured it right back onto his opponent.
Ssssh—!
The Taiji Sword Immortal’s sword approached like a flowing stream, yet it was as fast as a ray of light.
Seo-jun’s eyes tracked it perfectly.
The Taiji that the Taiji Sword Immortal had spent a lifetime investigating was right there in that strike.
And Seo-jun understood it completely.
No matter how many martial arts Seo-jun could copy and use, his sheer depth of understanding was naturally lacking compared to those who had devoted their entire lives to a single craft.
It had been the same with Sin-pung’s wind.
Seo-jun had learned the wind from him.
And now, he was learning Taiji from the Taiji Sword Immortal.
The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, who had embodied the Heaven-Defying principles, had naturally awakened a new Reverse Taiji that stood in direct opposition to nature. That advanced enlightenment was now contained within Seo-jun’s sword.
Taiji was harmony and coexistence.
Reverse Taiji was chaos and opposition.
Cla-aaaaang—!
Seo-jun’s sword shattered the power within the Taiji Sword Immortal’s blade from the inside out.
While the Taiji Sword Immortal’s sword increased its power by harmonizing with the opponent’s strength, Seo-jun’s sword violently forced its own power inside, shattering that harmony and leading the opponent to utter destruction.
As the two contrasting swords clashed, the duel grew ever more intense. The Emperor, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
"He looks exactly the part. An incarnation of evil attacking the Wudang Sect to shatter their peace. No matter how you look at it, the Taiji Sword Immortal is the good guy and that fellow is the villain."
Setting everything else aside, just looking at the power he was using made it obvious.
How could that ever be considered the sword of the Righteous Faction?
At best, it hovered somewhere between Righteous and Evil.
"No. Not between Righteous and Evil, but between Righteous and Demonic?"
Rather than being merely heterodox, it resembled the concept of 'Demonic' in its purest sense.
The energy itself was quite clear, so it certainly wasn't a true Demonic Art. But based on his actions, it seemed he would achieve terrifying success even if he did learn Demonic Arts.
"Does that guy actually know how to use Demonic Arts too?" the Emperor cracked a joke with a chuckle.
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Namgung Su-ah simply laughed it off, but Chun-bong’s eyes grew flustered, darting around awkwardly.
"...Wait, for real?" The Emperor was taken aback.
He uses Demonic Arts? How? The Emperor couldn't feel any of the Demonic Qi characteristic of such arts.
In the first place, Demonic Arts possessed fundamentally different heart methods. Unless one could somehow handle multiple heart methods within a single body...
"Hmm?"
The Emperor reached another startling realization.
Come to think of it, that guy was using the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art.
The Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art was a martial art that could be considered the absolute totality of Imperial martial arts—encompassing heart methods, footwork, movement techniques, sword techniques, spear techniques, blade techniques, and staff techniques.
At the time, the Emperor hadn't noticed because he was too distracted by the absurd fact that the boy could copy martial arts just by seeing them. But to use the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art, one had to completely switch their heart method.
According to common sense, that was impossible.
Actually, the thought had crossed his mind back then, but he had just assumed the boy was somehow managing it with the Namgung Clan's internal energy.
Especially since the Thunderbolt Fist of Mount Tai he had used prior to the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art wasn't strictly impossible to perform with Namgung’s internal energy, even if it couldn't reach its maximum destructive power.
But what if it was possible to change the very nature of one's internal energy?
What if it was possible to perfectly mimic the countless heart methods of the Orthodox arts, and even the characteristic energies of the Righteous, Evil, and Demonic factions?
Shiver—!
Goosebumps erupted all over the Emperor’s body.
If there was a person capable of such a thing, that person would truly be the God of Martial Arts.
A being who could wield any martial art, who was proficient in all the martial arts of the world and was entirely complete in himself—one could not dare call such a being human.
"This is absurd..."
It was a notion nearly impossible to even conceive of according to the common sense of the Central Plains, but the Emperor’s unique way of thinking had somehow succeeded in arriving at that ridiculous assumption.
He had known for a while that the boy was no ordinary fellow, seeing as he wasn't suppressed even in the presence of a god and had even fought back...
But to think he was at this level.
"Hmph..."
Noticing his reaction, Namgung Su-ah’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Her blue pupils revealed themselves through her slit eyes, and her gaze calmly pierced through the Emperor.
On the surface, her attitude was no different from usual.
However, anyone standing before that gaze would find themselves unable to move freely due to a strange pressure—the regal dignity that naturally dwelled within her aura.
With a faint smile, Namgung Su-ah asked casually.
"What thoughts are you having that cause such a surprised expression to show on your face?"
"Hmm?"
The Emperor’s gaze turned toward Namgung Su-ah. He looked into her striking blue eyes for a moment, then let out a short laugh and shook his head.
"It is nothing. It is merely a story that no one would believe anyway, so there is no need to be so guarded."
"Guarded? How could I commit such a rudeness toward Your Majesty?"
Namgung Su-ah continued in a calm tone with a soft smile.
"I am merely concerned about what might happen. Certain information can cause ripples that the world finds difficult to handle just by being spoken aloud."
Pausing for a moment, she tilted her head slightly as if observing the Emperor’s reaction.
"However, it is said that a gentleman should be slow in speech and quick in action. There may not be many things in this world that Your Majesty cannot handle, but please keep in mind that I, too, have my duties."
"A gentleman should be heavy-mouthed when speaking and swift when acting..."
The Emperor looked at Namgung Su-ah with a peculiar smile.
"The Namgung Clan certainly cannot be ignored. Even without going as far as the Namgung Clan, I'm too afraid of that guy to run my mouth carelessly. Don't worry, I won't go around talking nonsense. What would happen if you acted like that and then he decided to beat me up?"
"My husband does not raise his hand for such trivial matters."
"No, I don't think that's true."
Namgung Su-ah chuckled at the Emperor’s banter. Then, she secretly sent a Voice Transmission to Chun-bong.
[Geum Mae?]
[Yes...?]
[This shouldn't happen again next time, right?]
[Y-yes...]
[When we go back to the clan, you're going to practice with me, okay?]
[Ye-es...]
[Promise.]
[P-promise...]
Chun-bong’s eyes trembled as she exchanged Voice Transmissions.
‘I-I messed up...’
Of course, her sister’s cold voice was scary, but more than that, she was worried that her mistake might somehow cause harm to her brother. Chun-bong couldn't stay still for a single second, her eyes darting around anxiously.
‘What should I do...?’
She tapped her feet anxiously.
If something were to happen to her brother because of this, how could she ever face him again?
She had been far too complacent. Her brain must have gone soft because she had been living such a relaxed life lately.
‘To make such a ridiculous mistake...!’
Chun-bong bit her lip hard. A firm resolve appeared in her eyes.
‘If something happens, no matter what it takes, I will...’
* * *
Seo-jun and the Taiji Sword Immortal exchanged dozens of sword strikes in an instant.
Taiji and Reverse Taiji clashed; sword met sword.
At some point, Seo-jun realized something.
There was nothing more to learn from the Taiji Sword Immortal.
Beyond this lay a realm he had to realize and master on his own.
"Hmm?"
The Taiji Sword Immortal’s eyebrows twitched at the sudden change in Seo-jun’s momentum.
The Reverse Taiji, which had been neutralizing his Taiji, began to change.
The Reverse Taiji, which had been drawing upon opposition and chaos, completely converged and finally reached the realm of Yin, stepping beyond nothingness.
Greatly surprised by the change, the Taiji Sword Immortal met Seo-jun’s eyes.
Before he knew it, Seo-jun’s pitch-black eyes had grown even deeper. The Taiji Sword Immortal felt dizzy, as if he were staring directly into a vast, bottomless abyss.
Seo-jun also met the Taiji Sword Immortal’s gaze, fully embracing the principles he had gained from the old man within his mental imagery.
Enlightenment sublimated, and Reverse Taiji transformed back into Heaven-Defying.
Heaven-Defying was the principle of going against the heavens.
True annihilation, the absolute opposite of creation, did not lead to nothingness, but toward a distant Yin.
That Heaven-Defying power was contained within Seo-jun’s sword.
The Taiji the Taiji Sword Immortal was drawing gradually converged until it completely vanished.
Even then, the remaining Heaven-Defying power sought to turn everything around it into Yin. The sword, shrouded in Heaven-Defying Qi, fell as if to annihilate even the Taiji Sword Immortal himself.
The Taiji Sword Immortal’s pupils dilated. His eyes witnessed the Heaven-Defying power locked within Seo-jun’s sword.
The Heaven-Defying power approached slowly, as if trying to teach him something profound.
The Taiji Sword Immortal’s mouth hung open blankly. Soon, his eyes, which had been moving busily as if desperately chasing after a profound truth, lost their focus.
Fwaak—!
Seo-jun withdrew the Heaven-Defying power just in the nick of time. His sword stopped a hair's breadth from the Taiji Sword Immortal’s brow, but the old man, swept away by a sudden torrent of enlightenment, only stared blankly into the empty air.
‘I suppose this counts as paying the price.’
Withdrawing his sword entirely, Seo-jun stayed by the Taiji Sword Immortal’s side. It was a courtesy to give the old man time to organize his newfound enlightenment.
He also had thoughts of his own to organize.
Heaven-Defying.
It was something clearly different from Primordial Unity.
While Seo-jun was investigating the concepts of Primordial Unity and Heaven-Defying, he suddenly remembered his companions who must have been watching the duel.
He could leave his musings for later.
As he looked around to see what the others were doing, his eyes met Chun-bong’s. For some reason, she looked like she was about to cry.
"...Huh?"
Seo-jun’s gaze shifted from Chun-bong to Namgung Su-ah, and finally to Ju Won-jang.
He tilted his head.
"What did you do?"
Seo-jun’s eyes, still chillingly deep as he hadn't fully withdrawn his Heaven-Defying Qi, locked onto Ju Won-jang.
"Hey, I'm seriously innocent here!?"
Ju Won-jang jumped in surprise.