Chapter 118: The Final Form of the Heaven and Earth Sword (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: The Final Form of the Heaven and Earth Sword (1)
Kwah-aaaang!
A massive explosion erupted. The onlookers instinctively averted their eyes from the blinding flash, then hurriedly turned back to look at her.
She was completely unscathed. Even Song Hak had been injured by the shockwave of that blast, yet she had stood directly in the center of it and remained entirely unharmed.
"Where is it?"
As she directed her question toward Seok Myeong, every gaze shifted to him.
"What are you talking about?"
"I asked you—where is it?"
Her voice was a sultry whisper, causing the men’s resolve to waver. She exuded a primal, magnetic charm, radiating a sensual allure that seemed to pull at their very souls.
When Seok Myeong remained silent, she spoke again.
"Give it to me. It’s of no use to you anyway."
"……."
"If you don't, people are going to get hurt."
At that moment, Song Yu-jin, who had been listening in silence, finally snapped. He couldn't understand the subtext of their conversation and could no longer stand by as a spectator.
"What is it you want us to give you!" he roared.
The woman smiled thinly and replied.
"The Demonic Energy Absorption Art."
"…!"
"…!"
The crowd was stunned. Her words commanded absolute, horrified attention. The Qingcheng swordsmen of the Song generation and the first-generation disciples who had arrived late could hardly believe their ears.
"Give it to me," she repeated. "You know where it is."
Seok Myeong glared at her, his voice cold. "Is that the only reason you came here?"
"The only reason? Ho-ho-ho!"
She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand as she giggled. In that moment, she looked no different from a delicate, ordinary woman. Regaining her composure, she continued.
"Do you even realize how strong one becomes once they truly master it? Is that why you speak of it so lightly?"
"……."
"Depending on how it's used, it is a martial art that can save lives. It is even written that one can achieve eternal life through its secrets. And yet, you call such a technique 'the only reason'?"
Despite her emphasis, Seok Myeong’s expression remained stony. Then, as if he had made a final decision, he answered.
"You will never find it."
"……."
"I threw it away because it was useless."
"Don't lie to me! Do you think I don't know you've already learned the Demonic Cult's Demonic Energy Absorption Art?"
The woman’s eyes widened as she glared at Seok Myeong. He met her gaze with a steady, defiant stare.
‘This is dangerous.’
While staring directly into her face, Seok Myeong noticed the warriors of the Azure Sky Pavilion moving silently behind her. A sense of unease washed over him, and he subtly shook his head to signal them to stop.
However, whether they failed to see him or simply chose to ignore the warning, the warriors moved on their own. They successfully closed the distance, reaching her immediate vicinity.
Holding their breath, they exchanged quick glances. Seizing what they thought was an opening, the Azure Sky Pavilion warriors signaled each other and lunged at her all at once.
"It's a trap! Get back!" Seok Myeong screamed.
*
His warning came too late. They were already upon her.
In that instant—
Swa-aaaek!
The woman, who had been standing as if dazed, vanished.
A split second later, she reappeared behind them. With a single fluid motion, she slashed the throats of the three warriors who had led the charge.
Thud!
The headless corpses of the three warriors tumbled to the ground.
The entire sequence happened in the blink of an eye. Because her movements were so impossibly fast, Seok Myeong’s sense of dread deepened.
Seeing their comrades fall, the three remaining Azure Sky Pavilion warriors leaped forward in a desperate frenzy.
Swish! Slash! Whish!
They swung their swords from three different directions, attempting to box her in. However, their coordinated assault was thwarted with ease.
As if she had read every movement from the front, back, and sides, the woman naturally evaded the blades and leaped into the air. The Azure Sky Pavilion warriors soared after her, anticipating the mid-air maneuver.
At that moment, the woman looked down and raised her sword.
An indescribable, mysterious radiance began to pour from the tip of her blade. The energy split into three distinct streaks, each piercing through the bodies of the pursuing warriors.
"How can this be…!"
"Ah…."
The onlookers were horrified by her martial prowess.
Their opponents were from the Azure Sky Pavilion—the shadow protectors of Qingcheng who had spent their lives undergoing grueling, secret cultivation. Yet, she had evaded their attacks without so much as a thread of her clothing being grazed, finally striking them down with a surge of internal energy the likes of which they had never seen.
Even more shocking was the sword aura she displayed at the end. It moved as if it were a living, breathing entity.
"Ho."
As soon as her feet touched the ground, someone else approached her. It was Seok Myeong.
*
Seok Myeong steeled his resolve. Without letting his guard down for a second, he executed the sword techniques he had mastered with calm precision.
She was an absolute master, a level of opponent he had never faced. A single wrong move would mean death. He had to engage her with the utmost caution.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After several more exchanges of cold steel, Seok Myeong feinted a direct clash, parried her sword aside, and launched a counterattack. It was the Third Initial Form of the Azure Center Sword Technique, which he had refined during his time in the cave.
Startled, Black Lord utilized her movement art to shift rapidly to the side. Seok Myeong immediately targeted her lower body. When she lifted her leg to evade, he shifted horizontally and attacked her lower half again.
"…!"
Just as she irritably tried to block the low-aimed strike, Seok Myeong moved to the right. He twisted the trajectory of the attack that had been heading low and aimed for her upper body instead.
The moment Black Lord tried to respond to the unexpected strike, Seok Myeong made it look like he was going to clash violently with her sword, only to shift directions once more and aim low.
It was an erratic, frustrating rhythm: low, low, high, low.
Normally, a warrior would follow a low strike with an upper-level transition, but he linked his moves in an entirely different pattern. Furthermore, he incorporated horizontal movements to create variations, shifting the speed and direction of his swordsmanship so that she couldn't grasp his intent.
Because of this, Black Lord’s posture wavered, and Seok Myeong seized the fleeting opportunity.
"Haat!"
Seeing an opening, Seok Myeong lunged his sword toward her chest. But suddenly, a powerful sword aura appeared out of nowhere and swept toward him.
Seok Myeong hastily retreated and looked around, only to realize belatedly that she was the one who had generated the aura. She had the ability to project and manipulate her sword aura in any direction she desired.
"I didn't think you were this strong back then, but it turns out you're quite the swordsman," she remarked.
Despite her relaxed tone, Black Lord’s expression had changed. The way he penetrated unpredictable paths, combined with his fluid control of speed and precision, had soured her mood. Since childhood, she had been recognized as a genius of the blade and had never once been outperformed in pure swordsmanship.
"You cannot defeat me with that method," she said coldly.
"Is that so?"
Black Lord flashed a bright, predatory smile.
"Then shall we try a different method?"
"What…!"
It happened in a heartbeat. The woman’s figure vanished. Seok Myeong instinctively gave chase, but she had moved first, and her movement art was a level above his own.
She dashed toward a specific spot and came to a halt only after grabbing a woman by the throat.
"Ah!"
Everyone watching gasped in shock.
It was Yeon-hui. She had been captured by the woman known as Black Lord.
"I’ve been watching the situation, and I noticed the way this woman looks at you is quite unusual."
"St… Stop."
"I suppose it’s true then. You two have that kind of relationship. Fufu."
The more panicked Seok Myeong became, the wider she smiled. Still holding Yeon-hui by the neck, she brought the conversation back to her goal.
"Bring it to me."
"Bring what?"
"Then I shall release her and withdraw quietly."
Seok Myeong furrowed his brows in agony.
"I told you, I already threw it away!"
"Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"Ah…."
"Fufu. I shall count to three. If you don't bring it by then, I will kill this woman. One."
Black Lord began to count. Yeon-hui, struggling in her grasp, cried out.
"Senior Brother, don't waver! I'm fine. Just attack!"
Seok Myeong said nothing. He could do nothing but fiddle with the hilt of the sword in his hand.
"Two."
"Attack! I'm okay!" Yeon-hui continued to scream.
But Seok Myeong let go of his sword. He couldn't bear to lose Yeon-hui over a mere martial art manual.
"Stop! I'm the one who learned the Demonic Energy Absorption Art—"
"It is here!"
"…!"
"…!"
In that moment—
Someone shouted from an entirely unexpected direction. Everyone’s eyes shifted toward the source.
It was Song Gwan. He appeared carrying a thick, weathered tome.
"The Demonic Energy Absorption Art… are you talking about this book I'm holding? Is this what you're looking for?"
At the old man’s appearance, Black Lord’s face brightened instantly, while Seok Myeong’s eyes went wide with confusion.
What was happening? Was the manual his master left behind, the Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art, not the only one?
Song Gwan spoke to Seok Myeong.
"You foolish boy, why are you hiding it so desperately? It's a martial art that ordinary people can't even learn properly anyway. It's better to just give it to her."
He turned his gaze back to Black Lord.
"Release the girl. If you do, I will hand this demonic manual over to you."
Black Lord nodded. Releasing her wasn't difficult; she could always capture her again whenever she felt like it.
Once Yeon-hui was freed, Black Lord’s attention turned entirely toward Song Gwan.
"Bring it here."
"Very well."
Song Gwan walked toward the woman, holding the thick book out.
‘Something is wrong.’
No matter how much Seok Myeong thought about it, it didn't make sense. There was no other manual. It had definitely disappeared in the cave….
‘Wait, could it be!’
Seok Myeong looked at the thick book Song Gwan was holding. Something was off. From what he knew, the Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art was not such a thick volume.
"Die!"
It happened then. Having closed the distance, Song Gwan suddenly hurled the book at her face. Simultaneously, he threw a dagger he had hidden beneath the book straight at her chest.
"Ugh!"
Had she let her guard down, thinking he was just a frail old man? She dodged quickly, but she couldn't avoid the strike entirely. However, the dagger only left a shallow scratch. It had only penetrated a fraction of an inch before stopping.
She pulled the dagger from her shoulder, glaring at Song Gwan with pure, murderous contempt. She poured her internal energy into her sword.
The blade began to emit a blinding, lethal radiance.
"No!"
Seok Myeong pushed his internal energy to its absolute limit and activated the Flying Stream Step. With the sensation of space being sucked inward, Seok Myeong’s body blurred toward Song Gwan.
‘Please, please!’
But her movement was too fast. While Seok Myeong was still more than five jang away, her sword was already descending toward Song Gwan’s head. It was a distance that seemed impossible to overcome.
Wiiiiiiiiing—!
Suddenly, Seok Myeong’s eyes snapped wide. As he drew internal energy not just from his lower Dantian, but surged it through his middle and upper Dantians as well, he felt a powerful shock in his mind. He experienced the strange illusion of time slowing down.
At the same time, countless sword techniques flashed through his mind—techniques that could bridge this gap and save Song Gwan.
A distance of five jang.
And then, one sword technique came to mind—the most appropriate for this situation, yet one he had never had the confidence to perform.
The Ninth Form of the Heaven and Earth Sword: Strong Sword.
It was described as the blade that stands between heaven and earth. It was defined as a technique one could use only upon reaching the ultimate heights of the Heaven and Earth Sword, but it was said that very few had ever actually manifested it. In the present day, the enlightenment required for it had been lost, leaving it as nothing more than a legend in the records.
But if he could manifest it, he could stop Black Lord’s sword.
The sword between heaven and earth. With that, he could create Astral Energy exactly where he wanted it.
Tremble.
Flash!
Seok Myeong swung his sword.
He didn't fire a projectile, nor did he spray his energy. He focused his qi directly onto Black Lord’s sword as it fell toward Song Gwan.
In that instant, a miracle occurred.
A dark energy began to bloom above Song Gwan’s head. It was a fiercely swirling black energy—Black Ink Energy.
(To be continued in Sword Emperor Volume 6)