Chapter 56: Super Peak Realm (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: Super Peak Realm (3)
"Indeed, child of the Namgung Clan. You should leave this place quickly. This humble Daoist must make haste in executing these two criminals."
At Jong-in’s words, Namgung Su-ah’s face contorted into a fierce scowl.
Neither Jong-in nor Namgung Su-ah were fools.
The atmosphere was far too strange for someone who had supposedly come to execute criminals. To begin with, the Mount Hua Sect did not hunt down fugitives in such a reckless, high-handed manner.
Furthermore, if he were truly chasing criminals, there was no reason for him to ask Namgung Su-ah to withdraw. Even if they had stolen sect secrets, Namgung Su-ah, who had been traveling with them, would also be subject to investigation.
Thus, there was a hidden meaning behind Jong-in’s words. One didn’t need to think deeply to grasp the heavy implication hanging in the tense air.
If you leave now, I won’t touch you. But if you persist, I’ll have no choice but to deal with you as well.
Letting out a hollow laugh, Namgung Su-ah drew her greatsword.
"The Namgung Clan does not bow to external pressure."
"So, you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit?"
"We shall see about that."
Flash—!
A thick bolt of lightning crackled in Namgung Su-ah’s eyes.
"The sword of Namgung does not break. No matter how great the Mount Hua Sect may be, you cannot trap the heavens within your palm."
"How regrettable."
"I would rather ask you, Elder," she countered. "Why on earth are you doing this?"
Jong-in stroked his beard. He stared at Namgung Su-ah in silence for a moment before pointing toward the sky with a heavy sigh.
"Heaven showed me the path. But it did not grant me the talent to walk it. Soon, the end of my lifespan will arrive, and all my cultivation will return to nothingness. Is it not cruel? How dare Heaven block my path!" Jong-in roared.
Seo-jun, who had been listening quietly, burst into a mocking laugh.
"Stop talking out of your ass. Why blame Heaven for your own lack of talent? What did our poor Heaven ever do to you?"
"You certainly have a silver tongue for someone with a hole in their face."
Jong-in glared at Seo-jun, then suddenly began to cackle.
"It doesn’t matter anymore. If Heaven blocks me, I shall simply defy the Heavenly Principles."
Sring—
As Jong-in drew his sword, a thick scent of plum blossoms wafted through the area.
"Actually, this works out perfectly. I never liked those Geum family bastards who ran wild relying solely on the Sword God. Divine Sword? What a joke. Aside from the Sword God himself, none of you have even reached the realm of the gods."
"…You son of a bitch."
Chun-bong’s expression twisted.
Jong-in sneered at her and continued.
"Why that face? Ah, right. Let me tell you an interesting fact. Why do you think this humble Daoist came all this way just to deal with the likes of you?"
Chun-bong’s eyes widened. Her trembling gaze fixed on Jong-in with murderous intent.
"You… could it be…"
"Those fools couldn’t handle one simple task, so I came out to finish it personally. It would be troublesome if the Divine Blood remained in this world, after all."
Whoosh—!
A platinum-colored energy erupted from Chun-bong’s entire body. Blood-red tears seemed to stream from her eyes, and her veins began to bulge and throb.
This was dangerous.
Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun gently placed a hand on Chun-bong’s shoulder.
"Chun-bong. Calm down a bit. You don’t want to get confused about where to stick your blade."
"Haah… Haah…"
"Just keep your eyes on my back and follow me."
Seo-jun gave Chun-bong a smirk and stepped forward.
The moment her face left his sight, his expression hardened. His golden-glowing eyes glared at Jong-in with pure, unadulterated killing intent.
"Arrogant brat."
Jong-in clicked his tongue and swung his sword.
Whoosh—!
Plum blossoms bloomed. The blossoms, conjured without restraint, surged toward Seo-jun like a living wave.
Sring—
Seo-jun took a breath and drew his sword.
Plum blossoms.
He had seen them many times. But this was on a completely different level from anything he had encountered before. Un-jak’s plum blossoms had been intense, but the blossoms before him were savage, as if they intended to tear everything to shreds.
So what?
Blue plum blossoms bloomed from Seo-jun’s sword.
Snowy Plum.
As he swung his sword in response, the two types of plum blossoms began to mingle and clash.
Skreeeeee—!
A bone-chilling screech echoed as Sword Qi collided with Sword Qi. With his vision obscured, Jong-in charged forward, stepping through the very plum blossoms he had created.
"Young Hero Lee…!"
Namgung Su-ah quickly intervened.
Crackle—!
Lightning infused her blade. The Firmament Boundless Sword Technique, bolstered by her will, bore down on Jong-in.
But it was in vain. Jong-in unleashed his internal energy and shook off the pressure. Soon, stars descended and dwelled within his blade.
K-boom—!
A destructive power that tore through everything crushed Namgung Su-ah’s 'heaven.'
"Urgh…!"
Barely managing to avoid a direct hit, Namgung Su-ah was sent flying, coughing up blood.
He was strong. There was a massive wall between the Peak Realm and the Super Peak Realm.
Even as she realized this, Chun-bong gritted her teeth and lunged forward. The moment Jong-in swung his sword at Namgung Su-ah was her opening—no matter how much of a Super Peak Realm master he was, he only had one sword.
The Sword Qi of the Azure Cloud Divine Sword dwelled in Chun-bong’s blade.
"Hup…!"
She poured every ounce of strength into her arms, swallowing even the power to shout. Her sword created a dizzying array of variations, pouring out dozens of strikes in an instant.
But Jong-in was faster than she expected. He retracted his sword in a flash and swung it again immediately. His blade, shrouded in Astral Qi, slammed into Chun-bong’s sword. She hurriedly tried to deflect the force, but—
Crack.
A fissure finally appeared in her blade.
Chun-bong’s expression froze. At the same time, Jong-in, wearing a vile smirk, swung his sword.
Whoosh—
Blue plum blossoms. When Jong-in looked, Seo-jun’s figure had suddenly appeared.
"You want to die that badly?"
Then, red plum blossoms bloomed. Plum blossoms of two colors, chaotically mixed, erupted from all over Seo-jun’s body. Pushing Chun-bong behind him, he drew the wind into his sword.
Sword Astral Qi was certainly threatening. No matter how skilled Seo-jun was, his sword would break within a few exchanges if they clashed directly.
But Seo-jun knew his strengths well. There was no need to cross blades when he was outmatched in raw power.
Qi Arts.
The battle could be fought with the conjured plum blossoms alone.
The plum blossoms followed the wind Seo-jun led. Red and blue plum blossoms. When Jong-in clicked his tongue and pulled back his sword, the mixed blossoms triggered countless explosions.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Jong-in was pushed back significantly by the unexpected blasts.
"Mmm…!"
Thanks to the Protective Astral Qi he had reflexively deployed, he didn't take major damage. However, the mere fact that he had suffered a slight internal injury sent his mood plummeting to the floor.
"How dare you…!"
Jong-in gritted his teeth and glared through the rising dust.
A brat who only knows how to wag his vulgar tongue actually wounded me?
He was just a fledgling at the Peak Realm at best. No matter how much talent he had, there was a vast wall between the Peak Realm and the Super Peak Realm.
Enraged, Jong-in lunged forward immediately. The wind pressure from his charge cleared the dust in an instant.
Seeing this, Seo-jun stomped hard on the ground. Using the Internal School Heavy Hand Technique, his internal energy flowed through the earth and triggered something.
KABOOM—!
The bombs he had buried in the ground beforehand exploded.
This time, even Jong-in couldn't escape unscathed. Though he charged forward with bloodshot eyes, blood began to pour from one of his legs.
"I will kill you…!"
Namgung Su-ah, who had returned before anyone noticed, blocked his path. Her eyes, usually narrowed to slits, were wide open now, her blue pupils spitting lightning.
"Whew…" She exhaled.
Composing herself, she watched the approaching Jong-in. In truth, her connection to this group was shallow. Even if she withdrew now, no one would blame her.
And yet, why was she standing here?
Because this is Namgung.
The sword of Namgung does not break. It does not compromise with injustice; it strikes for righteousness and chivalry. Even if their bond had only lasted a few days, she would not turn away from the plight of those she was connected to.
That was Namgung Su-ah’s Righteousness.
"Haaaaah…!"
The greatsword she held high toward the sky fell. The heavens themselves seemed to hang from the tip of that blade.
Recalling the profound freshness she had felt when she saw Seo-jun’s sword, Namgung Su-ah added the sky above her head to her own internal 'heaven.'
Firmament Boundless Sword Technique.
The secret technique of the Namgung Clan was unleashed.
"Foolish…!"
Jong-in’s star-infused sword swung in response.
The greatsword and the sword collided, and Namgung Su-ah’s heaven was torn asunder once more.
But Jong-in’s eyes widened. Namgung Su-ah’s unbreakable sword had caught his blade, if only for a moment.
In that opening, Chun-bong and Seo-jun dug in from both sides. The two, closer than actual siblings, had reached a level where they could understand each other’s intentions with just a glance.
Chun-bong, who had lunged a bit faster, swung her sword from an ambiguous distance, barely within reach. If she could draw even a fraction of his attention, she would be satisfied.
Seo-jun, having condensed his internal energy to its limit, thrust his sword.
Heavenly Plum.
Something that could no longer be called mere Sword Qi. Something that was neither Astral Qi nor Sword Qi shimmered from his blade. Even before the sword could touch him, the pressure bore down on Jong-in.
Jong-in roared in irritation. "You brats…!"
Their confident display, acting as if they were actually something, was absurd. What could these short-lived whelps possibly know!
Finally unleashing his full power, his sword shone brilliantly.
Flash—!
Stars dwelled within the blade. For every star, a plum petal; for every star, another petal. Plum blossoms, equal in number to the stars in the night sky, bloomed from his sword.
Plum Blossom Astral Formation.
Fragments of Astral Qi swirled around Jong-in.
Skreeeeee—!
Literally everything was ground away. Seo-jun watched as his thrusting sword held out for only a few moments before shattering.
Dangerous.
At this rate, Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah wouldn't be able to dodge. He didn't particularly want to imagine them being ground into paste along with their swords.
To avoid such a future, he had to stop it.
Throb—!
He grabbed onto the fraying thread of his sanity. What he needed now was not a rampage, but Insight. With his eyes fixed on the plum blossoms, he poured all his talent into finding a path through.
Thump—
With a single heartbeat, his internal energy went into overdrive.
Giant Spirit Divine Art.
Bolstered by its power, he unleashed all the internal energy in his Dantian. His head throbbed as if it were about to split open. His bloodshot eyes perfectly read the trajectory.
Flame Plum. And Snowy Plum.
The two types of plum blossoms, blooming simultaneously, scattered. There were exactly twice as many as the blossoms Jong-in had created. The pairs of blue and red plum blossoms approached Jong-in’s blossoms and formed a crude Taiji.
BOOM—!
With precisely calculated power, Jong-in’s plum blossoms were shattered, and Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah were blown backward.
His ultimate technique neutralized, Jong-in shouted in a rage. "Fine…! Even if you didn't try so hard, I was going to tear your limbs off first anyway!"
As long as he had that flapping tongue, there would be no problem extracting the Sword God’s martial arts. Could a brat like him really keep his mouth shut after being tortured?
Seo-jun smirked as he watched the enraged Jong-in charge. "What is this old fossil even talking about?"
Sword Astral Qi flew toward him. Seo-jun’s own sword was already shattered. He tossed the useless hilt to the ground.
It was a new sword, too.
Lamenting the loss, he wrapped Yin energy around his left hand and Yang energy around his right.
It was now awkward to call it the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Finger. So, he gave it a new name.
Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art.
Placing a crude Taiji between his palms, he exploded it forward like a projectile. It felt as though the power had increased just by giving it a cool name instead of something ridiculous like Fake Plum Blossom, True Plum Blossom.
However, Jong-in approached, slicing through the explosion with a single stroke of his sword.
He’s damn strong.
Even with a limp, he was impossibly fast. Letting out a hollow laugh, Seo-jun layered his Protective Qi multiple times.
CRASH—!
Blood sprayed as Seo-jun was sent tumbling backward.
"Brother…!!"
Blood-red tears flowed from Chun-bong’s eyes.
She had already lost her family. Now, someone who seemed connected to those bastards was trying to take her brother away as well.
"Aaaaaah…!"
Her internal energy went into a frenzy, and the Yin Cold Energy that had been dormant deep within her began to leak out.
Crackle—!
A thin layer of ice formed on her skin. Blood seeped through the cracks in her flesh. Chun-bong glared at Jong-in with shimmering, glazed eyes.
"…I’m going to kill you."
"Haah…! Wait, you shouldn't get too excited!" Namgung Su-ah, standing beside Chun-bong, gasped for breath.
With trembling hands, she let her greatsword hang toward the ground. There was no major issue with the sword yet, but the moment it took a direct hit from the Astral Qi, irreparable damage would occur. The only reason she had held out this long was because her greatsword was an exceptional masterpiece.
"…Shut up."
Chun-bong could no longer hold onto her sanity.
Lee Seo-jun wasn't dead yet. In that case, she would drag this maggot, Jong-in, to hell with her. If she did, Lee Seo-jun could be saved. She was supposed to have died on the day the Divine Sword Geum Family was annihilated anyway.
If she could die while saving her brother, she had no regrets.
Prepared for death, Chun-bong began a dance with her sword. The blade elegantly embroidered the empty space. Yet, there was no sound of clashing steel. Chun-bong focused entirely on evasion, swinging and thrusting her sword at every opening she saw, but retracting it immediately whenever a clash seemed imminent.
Naturally, her muscles and bones were damaged by the forced, unnatural movements. Wounds multiplied from the strikes she failed to dodge. Nevertheless, she swung her sword like a madwoman, as if blindly chasing death.
But it wasn't enough.
The wall between the Super Peak Realm and the Peak Realm was too thick. Even with Namgung Su-ah joining in, the outcome seemed set in stone.
Seo-jun watched it all.
It was beautiful and desperate. Just watching Chun-bong swing her sword while offering up her life made his heart ache.
That crazy girl…
Supporting his shattered bones with internal energy, he forced himself up. Gripping the fading thread of his reason, he let his internal energy run wild.
His target: the two walls blocking the Governing and Conception vessels.
Casting aside the certainty that he could do it and replacing it with the absolute resolve that he must, he struck the wall near his perineum.
Thump—!
His entire body vibrated.
Even though the wall was already half-crumbled from his incomplete Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, slamming his internal energy into it caused a pain that felt like his body was being pulverized.
He didn't care.
Pain didn't mean death. So, he did it again.
BOOM—!
With a sound like a dam bursting, his internal energy began to pour through. Seo-jun maintained that momentum and shot his internal energy up through the Governing vessel.
Thump—!
When the energy hit the wall near the crown of his head, the world spun.
"Cough…!"
Blood erupted from his mouth. His mind went blank, and his consciousness began to fade.
Crunch!
He bit his tongue to wake himself up.
Right. They didn't call it clearing the Life-Death Barrier for nothing. They called it that because it felt like you were going to die while trying to pierce it.
With a brief thought, he shot his internal energy up once more.
Thump—!
Again, he spat out blood along with a solid lump.
Ptui!
Something crimson hit the ground. His mind grew distant. One more time. If he failed this attempt, he really might die.
He laughed it off.
I probably won't die. And even if I do, so what? Could I really live with myself if Chun-bong died right in front of me?
With the resolve that failure meant death, he shot his internal energy up one last time.
KABOOM—!
He broke through.
As the Governing and Conception vessels were cleared, the energy of heaven and earth came pouring in. In an instant, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit became one.
His Essence and Spirit, which were significantly lagging behind his Qi, began to collapse, causing Seo-jun’s body to twist.
Hummm—
His still-crude Inner Core struggled to balance the scales. Qi stabilized the Essence and replenished the Spirit.
Seo-jun’s body floated into the air, and his distorted frame was reconstructed into its optimal form. The sight of his body regenerating in an instant, as if skipping the natural process entirely, was eerie.
Above his head, three beautiful flowers bloomed in full.
Having achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, a golden radiance flashed from his eyes. Memories he had forgotten—or rather, memories he had erased himself—poured into his mind like a flash flood.
Pushing them aside for a moment, Seo-jun took in the battle that had only lasted a split second.
Step.
With one stride, he was at Chun-bong’s side. He reached out and pulled her back.
Swish—!
Jong-in’s sword grazed the tip of Chun-bong’s nose.
Seo-jun’s eyes shimmered as he glared at Jong-in.
"In all of heaven and earth, you alone exist."
He intentionally distorted the balance of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Simultaneously, three twisted, hideous flowers bloomed above his head.
Everything around him began to warp along with him. A murky, colorless internal energy shimmered from Seo-jun’s body.
"Since you are the only one who exists in this world, you must surely be an orphan."
This distorted realm felt far more comfortable than the one he had achieved normally. Though his physical body would collapse if too much time passed like this, he could simply return his realm to its original state when that happened.
A literal dual core.
As his eyes turned blood-red, starlight descended and dwelled in Seo-jun’s hand.
"I’ll send you to join your parents, you bastard."