Chapter 38: Black Lotus Union (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: Black Lotus Union (3)
Jang San-hong, a martial artist of the Black Lotus Union, shouted the moment a single sword strike cleaved two of his subordinates in half.
"Everyone, get into formation! He’s not someone to be taken lightly!"
His eyes darted rapidly, assessing their opponent.
The enemy consisted of a rather young-looking man and a little girl.
The brat wasn't worth his attention, but the man was unexpectedly strong.
Sss—
Jang San-hong flashed a quick hand signal, relaying orders to his subordinates.
The man must have consumed a significant amount of internal energy to fire off that Sword Qi earlier. If they dragged this into a war of attrition, they could secure victory without overextending themselves.
Judging by the Sword Qi he had unleashed, his cultivation was likely somewhere around the Peak Realm. Since the Black Lotus Union had three Peak Realm martial artists on their side, including Jang San-hong himself, they could win without suffering any casualties as long as they didn't get reckless.
"Strike!"
Jang San-hong stepped to the front of the formation and advanced.
Seo-jun stood in their way.
Thump—!
Starting from where Seo-jun slammed his foot down, the ground began to freeze over.
The Black Lotus Union martial artists were quick-witted; they immediately circulated internal energy to their feet, blocking the seeping Yin Energy.
Seo-jun clicked his tongue in disappointment and charged toward the enemy.
The man who appeared to be their leader thrust his sword, his eyes glowing with killing intent.
"Hah…!"
The blade aimed straight for his right pectoral. Seo-jun deflected it using the Flowing Clouds Blue Heaven technique of the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword.
In that brief opening, the surrounding martial artists targeted Seo-jun from all four directions. Giving up on a counterattack, Seo-jun curled his body inward before suddenly expanding outward.
Flash—!
Seo-jun’s body shot to the right, locking eyes with one of the martial artists.
"Hello."
"Urgh…!"
He swung his sword.
Clang—!
The martial artist barely managed to raise his own blade in time to block.
Immediately, the rest of the group thrust their swords at him from every direction except the front.
So this is a formation.
Since it was composed entirely of swordsmen, it could aptly be called a sword formation. Experiencing one firsthand was much more troublesome than just reading about them in the Azure River Sect’s manuals.
"Just hold on a little longer!" Chun-bong shouted, drawing her sword and sprinting toward him.
His pride wouldn't allow him to escape a crisis with his little sister’s help.
Seo-jun watched the approaching swords intently before shifting his gaze. Ignoring the incoming blades, he thrust his own sword at the martial artist directly in front of him once again.
"Lee Seo-jun…!" Chun-bong screamed in horror.
Clang-clang-clang—!
The swords completely failed to pierce Seo-jun’s skin, bouncing off as if striking iron.
This time, it was the Black Lotus Union martial artists whose jaws dropped in shock.
"Invulnerability to blades!?"
No. No matter how strong Seo-jun was, normal flesh would still be pierced if stabbed with a blade.
This was simply the result of his research into the protective art used by the Armored Ghost. Perhaps due to the innate physical differences between humans and monsters, its actual efficiency was quite poor. It wasn't a martial art he intended to use often.
However, the Black Lotus Union martial artists had no way of knowing that and were left utterly bewildered.
The martial artist directly in front of him was so flustered that he failed to evade Seo-jun’s strike.
Slash—!
A long, bloody wound opened across the man’s shoulder.
"Agh…!"
Boom—! Seo-jun concentrated internal energy into the soles of his feet and shot forward with explosive force.
As the man’s figure brushed past him, Seo-jun smirked and swung his foot.
Thwack—!
The man was sent flying away after taking a brutal kick to the solar plexus.
Instead of catching their comrade, the remaining Black Lotus Union martial artists lunged at Seo-jun. It wasn't a very wise decision.
The man’s solar plexus, where Seo-jun's foot had struck—Yin Energy was now engraved there.
Seo-jun pressed his thumb against his middle finger.
Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Finger.
A bullet of Yang Energy flew out, forming a crude Taiji with the Yin Energy lodged in the man’s solar plexus, and—
BOOM────!!!!
It triggered a massive explosion.
"Heh."
Seo-jun let out a thin smirk.
A thrill traveled from his fingertips straight up his spine.
The Black Lotus Union, was it? As expected, the real deal was a bit different.
Excluding the Azure River Sect Leader, this was practically his first time fighting proper opponents. Perhaps because of that, the tactile sensation of the impact was on a whole different level.
While Seo-jun was grinning to himself, Chun-bong finally arrived.
"Hey! Are you okay!?"
Chun-bong rushed over and frantically checked Seo-jun’s body.
His clothes were torn, and the spots where the swords had grazed him were slightly red and swollen, but he hadn't shed a single drop of blood.
Relieved by the sight, Chun-bong unleashed her platinum-colored Sword Qi and kept a wary eye on the crater where the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Finger had exploded.
"Lee Seo-jun."
"Yeah?"
"I don't plan on leaving everything to you, so leave your back to me."
Snicker. Seo-jun laughed.
"How reliable."
Almost simultaneously, a gust of wind blew past, clearing the dust.
The man who took the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Finger to the solar plexus had vanished without a trace, and most of the remaining personnel were either dead or severely injured.
Only three people seemed capable of continuing the fight.
All of them appeared to be in the Peak Realm.
"How can this be…"
The leader barked at his dazed men.
"Snap out of it! If you stay in a daze, we’re all dead!"
Ding.
The correct answer was: you're all dead even if you do snap out of it!
Seo-jun charged at the leader. Chun-bong followed close behind him.
A wild wind began to blow within Seo-jun’s mental imagery. Rain fell, and thunder and lightning struck. The swollen river flowed violently, eventually flooding the entire area.
White River Returning to the Ocean.
A swordsmanship style modeled after the Clear Flow Sword unfolded from Seo-jun’s hand.
Crash—!
The sword fell heavily.
The leader, Jang San-hong, struck upward with all his might to parry the blow.
K-boom—!
With an explosive sound, a shockwave of wind burst out into the surroundings.
Primordial Unity. Sharp thorns sprouted from Seo-jun’s muddied Sword Qi.
Jang San-hong, who had narrowly avoided it by tilting his head, shouted.
"Just how many martial arts have you mastered…!"
"Do I look like the type to tell you?"
Primordial Unity was the foundation of the New Primordial Unity Divine Art. It could be called the single Qi that was the beginning of all things.
In a split second, Seo-jun converted the internal energy imbued in his sword into Yang Energy and swung the blade in a wide arc.
Golden flames spread in all directions along the sword's trajectory.
"Ugh…!"
Jang San-hong hurriedly retreated.
Seo-jun quickly glanced at Chun-bong. Surprisingly, she was holding the upper hand against two Peak Realm martial artists.
Should she really be criticizing me for my talent?
He grumbled inwardly and pulled his sword back.
Even in the midst of battle, the internal energy recovered through the New Primordial Unity Divine Art was poured entirely into his blade.
Heaven. Earth. Man.
Embodying 'Man' among the Three Talents, he performed Immortal Pointing the Way.
The path an immortal takes may be winding and curved, but in the end, what lies at its conclusion is the destination they intended to reach.
If his swordsmanship was lacking, he would substitute it with Qi techniques.
Seo-jun thrust his drawn-back sword with explosive force. Simultaneously, countless branches of Sword Qi split off from the main blade, embroidering the air.
"This is…!"
Jang San-hong swung his sword rapidly to deflect most of them, but three branches slipped through.
"Now this is an Illusion Sword."
It had become quite different from the standard Immortal Pointing the Way of the Three Talents Sword Art, but the result—planting the blade—was the exact same.
The three branches curved and twisted, piercing cleanly through Jang San-hong’s chest.
"Cough…!"
Seo-jun, who had buried his real sword in the man’s chest before he even realized it, pulled the corners of his mouth into a wide grin.
"Goodbye."
Spurt—!
As he pulled the sword out, blood sprayed into the air.
Seo-jun licked the blood off his lips. It tasted metallic. He spat it out along with some saliva and charged toward the remaining two martial artists.
"Big brother’s here, Chun-bong!"
It didn't take long to finish off the remaining two men.
*
After the battle ended, Seo-jun let out a refreshed breath.
"Phew… I feel alive."
"You crazy bastard."
Chun-bong clicked her tongue and sheathed her sword.
It felt like Lee Seo-jun had charged in far too recklessly and just started swinging his sword, but in truth, it wasn't much of a problem.
When elites of an Evil Sect, reeking of Death Qi, entered Shaanxi and acted as an organized group, sending blades flying first was standard procedure.
It was no different from sneaking into a hostile foreign country to cause trouble.
If they had entered legitimately, they wouldn't be acting like this in a place like this.
But that guy…
Did he swing his sword knowing all that? Honestly, she didn't think so.
He had probably just sensed the killing intent she had clumsily leaked and charged in blindly.
That realization made Chun-bong feel a sense of alarm.
She knew it already, but he had far too little hesitation when it came to killing people.
She had to keep him in check. No matter how she looked at it, this guy’s conscience was the detachable kind.
And the owner of that detachable conscience, Seo-jun, was chuckling as he looked over the fallen martial artists of the Evil Sect.
Death Qi, huh…
Actually, at first, he had thought about copying their heart method. They probably would have been tickled pink if he used it right in front of them.
But the reason he didn't was simple.
It’s not my style.
It was far too ambiguous. It felt like it was neither here nor there. It felt strangely unpleasant, dirty even.
He could do it if he wanted to, but he didn't particularly want to imitate it.
Above all, he didn't want to copy the martial arts of the people who had massacred Chun-bong’s family.
Or wait…
Would they actually hate it more if I used it to toy with them?
He’d have to ask about that later.
For now, he needed a short break.
"Oof…"
His insides were stinging. It wasn't the fiery sting of eating something spicy, but a raw, scraping sensation, as if his innards were being carved out with a knife.
"What? What’s wrong with you!"
When Seo-jun sat down on the spot and groaned, a startled Chun-bong hurriedly began fumbling over his body.
Her small hands patted him here and there until she seemed to realize something, and her face crumpled into a deep scowl.
"Agh! You hopeless fool!"
Slap, slap—
The hands smacking his back actually felt quite refreshing.
"Ah, yeah, a little lower."
"Here?"
"Yeah. Oh, that feels good."
"No! That’s not it! You used it, didn't you, you bastard! The Giant Spirit Divine Art!"
How did she know? When he looked at Chun-bong in surprise, she started hopping in place in frustration.
"Ugh…! You’re really driving me crazy! Stop making up weird martial arts and using them! You’re really going to kick the bucket at this rate, you know!?"
"Aww. Our Chun-bong will take good care of me, won't she?"
"You said you’d provide for me!"
"Oh, of course. Naturally, I should."
"Aaaauuughhh…!!"
Chun-bong exploded.
Of course, five minutes was more than enough to soothe her.
*
"I think it would be better to hurry to Mount Hua a bit."
Chun-bong rummaged through the martial artists' corpses, biting her lip with a serious expression.
"Is there a need to hurry? I heard there’s still plenty of time until the martial arts tournament."
"The tournament isn't the problem. These bastards really were from the Black Lotus Union."
"Is that a problem?"
"Yes."
Ptu. Chun-bong spat on the corpses and wiped her hands.
Look at that guy. He gets a reward even in death. What a lucky passing.
"Do you even know what the Black Lotus Union is?"
"No clue."
"I figured as much."
At Chun-bong’s gesture, Seo-jun followed her. Chun-bong’s pace was fast.
If we’re going this fast, it’s better if I just carry her.
He immediately scooped Chun-bong onto his shoulders and sprinted up the mountain.
"Yahoo!"
Pat, pat! Chun-bong’s hands drummed on his head.
"Hey! Hey! Listen to the explanation while you run!"
"Yes, ma'am."
He slowed his pace.
Satisfied, Chun-bong began her explanation.
"Do you know the Murim Alliance?"
"Roughly? Isn't it like a gathering of the Righteous Factions?"
"Well… that’s not wrong. The Black Lotus Union is similar. It’s a gathering of Evil Sect bastards."
"Aha. And?"
"But unlike the Murim Alliance, they have very strong centralized power. To the point where you could consider the Black Lotus Union itself as one massive sect."
Seo-jun, who had been calculating the implications with rolling eyes, let out an impressed, "Oh."
"Then it must be a huge sect."
"It is. And strong, too. Above all, the martial artists belonging to the Black Lotus Union have thick Death Qi imbued in their internal energy."
"Aha?"
So that unpleasant energy I felt earlier must have been Death Qi.
"Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now. The problem is that they’ve come all the way here."
"Because it’s Mount Hua Sect territory? Will a war break out if things go wrong?"
"It might already be in progress. Just not a full-scale war."
That was a bit of a problem.
Nodding seriously, Seo-jun took Chun-bong down from his shoulders.
"Ah."
Chun-bong made a disappointed sound, but if they were going to run at top speed, it was better to hold her in his arms than to give her a shoulder ride.
"Oh…"
Seo-jun pulled Chun-bong firmly into his arms and concentrated internal energy into the Yongcheon points on the soles of his feet.
"Hold on tight."
"…Okay."
Twang—!
With a sound like a taut bowstring being released, Seo-jun’s figure shot forward like an arrow.
It seemed playing the wandering swordsman would have to wait for another time.
*
One day, after another two and a half months had passed.
"It’s so damn far, seriously. Is this for real? It’s not like we’re crossing the whole country; we’re just moving within Shaanxi, so why the hell does it take so long?"
They had finally arrived at Mount Hua.