Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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Jin So-cheong's figure must have felt like a moth flying into a flame, because the Grand Sword Sect Leader and Iron Blood Sect Leader at the front wore utterly ridiculous expressions. They had decided to cast aside all face and honor to focus solely on exterminating us, yet they seemed utterly captivated by this reckless charge. And who could blame them? The greatest experts of Luoyang's martial world were gathered here, and he was diving in alone.
It was bizarre. Jin So-cheong's footwork was unmistakably Thunder Shadow Step's Heaven-Earth Ten Kills, yet it looked somehow different from how I performed it. Unfortunately, I couldn't put my finger on why.
Pa-ba-ba-bat!
In the next instant, the Grand Sword Sect Leader slashed in from the left, while the Iron Blood Sect Leader attacked from the right. It was quite unprecedented for transcendent experts who dominated the world to gang up on a single person like this. They truly spared no means or methods. At the same time, my senses barely caught the terrifying swift swords exploding forth in silver light.
'Ugh...!!'
I'd already missed my chance to jump in, so all I could do was grip my sweaty palms and watch the split-second exchange. Observing the Grand Sword Sect Leader and Iron Blood Sect Leader's ultimate techniques, I even felt a delusion that if I were in his place, there'd be no way to survive.
Suddenly, a flash of intuition streaked through me.
Jin So-cheong was about to get hit.
No.
That wasn't it.
'Huh...?'
It was strange.
In that fleeting moment beyond human sensory limits—I felt like Jin So-cheong was smiling.
It resembled the sensation I'd briefly experienced when clashing with the Eastern Twelve Lords.
Jin So-cheong's spear sliced through empty air twice in an instant.
Kee-ri-rik!!
A sharp sound like ice being torn apart rang out violently. At the same moment, the transcendent experts' barrier-like clash produced shockwaves in the air, and Jin So-cheong spun twice in place before elegantly landing. Then, he drew a sword from his previously empty left hand and held it up.
Ppi-ping.
"......!!"
I gaped in astonishment.
A sword and spear were being wielded simultaneously from Jin So-cheong's hands!
The sword in his left hand executed the Myriad Chariots Sword Formula, while the spear in his right unleashed the essence of the Heavenly Thunder Infinite Spear. As if split from his body's core, Jin So-cheong swiftly countered the attacks from the transcendent experts charging from both sides.
Kka-ga-gang!
Kka-gang!
Sword qi and sword flames clashed dozens, hundreds of times in the air. Jin So-cheong stood firm, wielding sword and spear together to effortlessly deflect the two sect leaders' assaults. He didn't even seem to be exerting his full power, appearing utterly composed.
"Ugh...!!"
"What the...?!"
The Grand Sword Sect Leader and Iron Blood Sect Leader swung their swords without respite, their faces twisted in disbelief. A young man barely in his twenties was holding his ground without yielding an inch against their onslaught.
Seeing the scene, I was left dumbfounded.
'Using spear and sword arts together?'
Wielding two entirely different martial techniques simultaneously wasn't just about grabbing weapons in both hands and swinging. To treat weapons with fundamentally different usages as extensions of one's body required unimaginable balance and comprehension. One thing was certain: even if I died and came back to life, I could never display such divinity.
"Let's finish this quickly."
"Agreed."
At that moment, the heads of the remaining three houses stepped forward boldly. Two of them slowly approached me, while the last headed toward Jin So-cheong. It seemed they planned to gang up with three on Jin So-cheong and have the two Twin Sword Houses' heads kill me.
They surrounded me from front and back, their middle-aged voices low.
"I am Seo Yun, head of the Seo Clan."
"I am Jang Bong, head of the Jang Clan."
Seo Yun wore gray leather gloves, suggesting fists as his primary weapon, while Jang Bong held a large saber, indicating it as his. From their stances, I could tell they too had reached the transcendent realm.
I gritted my teeth and said,
"Why are esteemed heads of the Twin Sword Houses committing such folly? The capital will fall soon, and your clans will be annihilated as retribution for this ambush!"
Jang Bong let out a long sigh, pressing his temple, while Seo Yun sighed deeply. Then they answered.
"...We have hostages."
It was probably hesitation over ganging up on a child like me and the shame as martial artists that made them respond. I pressed,
"What?"
"We came out to save our families afflicted by the strange plague."
Seo Yun's curt tone carried complex emotions. It seemed they weren't acting of their own will but had been half-forced into this assassination attempt.
"Did the Huangyan Army officials promise to cure the plague if you assassinated us?"
"Yes."
"What's this plague that's got you...?"
"No time for talk. Die."
Ku-woong!
Simultaneously, Seo Yun charged forward, unleashing a Shock Fist.
Fist arts were generally considered supplementary to weapon techniques and deemed insufficient against proper distancing. Thus, those using fists in the jianghu had either mastered special external arts or possessed supreme confidence in their skill. Among them, the Seo Clan was a unique fist clan that rose as one of Luoyang's Twin Sword Houses alongside swordsmen, and Seo Yun was its head.
Pang!
"Ugh."
I felt my extended sword flame pushed back by the Shock Fist's pressure. Despite the vast internal energy gap, I'd fallen into disadvantage in an instant. Before I could even think what was happening, Seo Yun's fist power began flying transparently through the air.
As I parried Seo Yun's fist art with the Myriad Chariots Sword Formula, Jang Bong followed up relentlessly. I dodged his swift saber with Iron Plate Bridge techniques, trying to break the encirclement, but they didn't allow an easy escape. An immense barrage of energy poured down immediately.
Kwa-gwang!
Unable to overcome with technique, I had no choice but to explode my internal energy to repel them. It was the "Ejection" principle among internal arts, powerful enough to temporarily blast away surrounding objects. They flipped in midair like swallows, regained their footing, and charged again.
'Damn it!'
I scowled. As expected, these opponents were masters adept at redirecting sword strikes infused with my internal energy. They'd rank mid-tier among the Twelve Lords' sect leaders. One-on-one might be manageable, but their coordinated assault left me with slim odds, even prioritizing internal energy.
The silver lining was that the Grand Sword Sect Leader and Iron Blood Sect Leader—standouts even among the Twin Sword Houses—were tied up with Jin So-cheong. With the Lee Clan's head joining to gang up on him, it had to be immense pressure.
'No time to worry about others! What now?'
Right then.
A clear laugh rang out.
"Ahaha! Who do you think you're messing with?"
Suddenly, amid the duel, a pure white figure appeared. The pristine being materialized between me and Jang Bong, immediately slapping his saber away with an invisible hand. Jang Bong couldn't withstand the force and flew backward. From his staggering, it seemed tremendous power had been packed in.
Seeing the figure before me, I cried out joyfully.
"Miho!!"
"Hmph. One down."
Miho's gaze was on Jang Bong, so I looked too. He staggered with half-glazed eyes, not charging immediately like before. Instead, he just stood there swaying.
'She's cast her enchantment!'
Miho had successfully enchanted Jang Bong. Now, my only foe left was Seo Yun. As Miho and I turned to him simultaneously, he scowled and said,
"Stop staring and come at me, why don't you?"
"Ahaha..."
Weeee-ing!
Miho's wild laughter echoed as intense waves of enchantment swept the area. The battling experts inside all staggered under its power. Only their transcendent internal energy and mental fortitude kept them from succumbing.
Miho gave me a quick glance, and I seized the moment to charge Seo Yun. A massive opening appeared in that brief instant, and though he belatedly defended, it was too late—my sword strike had already deeply grazed his forearm.
Chaak!
A large gash appeared on Seo Yun's arm, hardened by internal energy. Not life-threatening, but it looked debilitating for continued combat. As he hurriedly stanched the bleeding with energy, grimacing in dismay, I pressed the attack relentlessly.
Pa-bat!
Kee-ing!
My sword strikes continuously sliced air and clashed with Seo Yun's steel-like body. Astonishingly, his flesh withstood my flame-infused blade unscathed—likely the effect of the Seo Clan's unique profound art. Yet the internal energy gap was unavoidable; deep wounds kept accumulating on his body.
Pii-ing—
Finally, I caught his flaw and in about eighty exchanges, pressed my sword tip to his throat. Seo Yun stared at the blade with trembling eyes, then closed them.
"Kill me."
"Farewell."
I swiftly severed his neck. It was so fast he barely felt pain. Though an enemy, he was a clan head and fist master, so I honored him properly. Confirming his head hit the ground, I hurriedly looked toward Jin So-cheong.
Kki-gik!
"Hah!"
It sounded like a snake hissing. The Grand Sword Sect Leader's sword strike tore roughly through the air, stabbing at Jin So-cheong's shoulder well. The Iron Blood Sect Leader's sword followed a beat later, slicing at his flank. The Lee Clan head joined with his halberd smashing toward Jin So-cheong's head.
A triple transcendent assault!
'How's he going to handle that?'
I thought if I were there, escape was impossible. At best, Ejection to repel them—but even then, severe injury was inevitable. Facing the ferocious attack, Jin So-cheong suddenly gripped his spear in a reverse hold.
Moments later, the sword in his left hand sliced off the Lee Clan head's halberd, his spear swept low to bat away the Iron Blood Sect Leader's sword, and simultaneously, he spun to neutralize the Grand Sword Sect Leader's thrust with a counter-blow.
"......!!"
It wasn't just that their triple assault failed. Jin So-cheong flawlessly wove their weaknesses into a perfect combat path, and the Lee Clan head took a kick to the solar plexus.
"Keok!"
The three transcendent experts momentarily faltered back. They stared at Jin So-cheong with rigid, incredulous eyes. Even I, watching, was speechless and clamped my mouth shut. The movements he'd just shown reached an "artistic" pinnacle worthy of calling martial arts' zenith—beautiful beyond words.
The Grand Sword Sect Leader said in a trembling voice,
"You're one step ahead. How is that possible?"
Jin So-cheong replied nonchalantly,
"Because I can see it. Nothing else to say."
"......!!"
"Then, from now on, let's get serious."
Pa-ji-jik!
Jin So-cheong's eyes began glowing pure white. His body seemed enveloped in thunderbolts, every hair standing on end. Seeing it, I was startled.
'Thunderclap?!'
Pa-at!
Simultaneously, Jin So-cheong vanished. My dynamic vision and senses had completely lost him in that instant. Not just me—the three transcendent experts looked equally dazed.
Seuk!
The Iron Blood Sect Leader's head flew through the air. Even in death, he scowled in concentration, unaware of his end. Jin So-cheong's slash followed a perfectly simple path, yet I couldn't fathom how to block it if aimed at me. It embodied profound martial principles.
Peo-beok!
A spinning Thunder God Fist pulverized the Lee Clan head's throat. He too perished instantly, left with dead-fish eyes. An ignoble end unworthy of the halberd master who dominated the world.
Kaa-ang!!
"Kuhak!!"
A fierce sword cry rang out, and the Grand Sword Sect Leader soared far away. Blood sprayed from his mouth, confirming internal injuries. As he crashed to the ground, a sudden gale swept the area.
Riding the wind, Jin So-cheong reappeared. He calmed the thunderclap around his body, steadying his breath. Then, to the staggering Grand Sword Sect Leader rising from the floor, he said,
"Don't get up. If you do, I'll have to truly kill the Grand Sword Sect Leader."
His words were calm yet laced with intense resolve. Despite the half-threat, the Grand Sword Sect Leader forced himself up, standing tall with sword in hand, letting out a hollow chuckle.
"Everyone was mistaken..."
"Grand Sword Sect Leader. I warned you."
"If you were in my shoes, would you stop? With your entire clan facing extinction, would you hold back to preserve your petty life?"
"......"
"As a martial artist, I'll give my all. No need for guilt on your part."
Jin So-cheong bit his lip.
Moments later, they clashed again. After about twenty exchanges, the Grand Sword Sect Leader exposed a fatal gap due to his injuries and was pierced through the heart by Jin So-cheong's spear tip. Jin So-cheong swiftly withdrew the blade— so cleanly scarcely any blood flowed.
"Farewell."
The Grand Sword Sect Leader said hollowly,
"So it ends here..."
Plop.
He collapsed and perished. Watching the deceased sect leader, Jin So-cheong suddenly coughed up blood-mixed phlegm.
"Kuh-luk!"
I rushed to him and said,
"Are you alright?!"
"F-Fine..."
Jin So-cheong's face was deathly pale, vitality drained like a patient bedridden for weeks.
I checked his pulse. Then I realized why he seemed on the verge of death.
'His internal energy is nearly depleted! And his core essence is damaged.'
Likely from the Thunderclap he'd just unleashed. I always had ample energy, so using Thunderclap never drained my vital force, but for Jin So-cheong, it wasn't sustainable. To swiftly fell the transcendent experts, he'd overexerted even his core essence. Despite the overwhelming victory, he'd paid a price.
Miho, watching from the side, said,
"Just go. Lee Gwang's fight matters more now."
After a few more coughs, Jin So-cheong said,
"She's right. Hurry and aid Master..."
"Stay put a moment."
I quickly pulled out my neck guard, extracting a Millennium Snow Ginseng from within. I shoved it into Jin So-cheong's mouth; his eyes widened.
"Uh-eop?!"
"It's good for you. Eat up."
"......?!"
Jin So-cheong wore a baffled expression. I had no intention of spoon-feeding him, so I glanced toward the sky where Lee Gwang had vanished. Following the energy traces should lead to him battling the Han Clan head.
'Hurry.'
And I couldn't miss that fight.
Because it was undoubtedly the clash of titans between the current Thunder God Style and Fire God Style's strongest.