Chapter 119: Seok Myeong’s Martial Arts (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 119: Seok Myeong’s Martial Arts (1)
Halt.
At the entrance of the village, Mujeong of the Qingcheng Sect came to a sudden stop.
“Mujeong, what is it?” Sect Leader Song Jeong asked.
“It is dark.”
“Dark?”
It was high noon. It had only been two hours since they had descended the mountain.
Mujeong looked up. “On the mountain… up there…”
“I hear the sound of footsteps,” Mueun added, finishing Mujeong’s thought.
“Footsteps?”
“Yes. From over there.”
Mueun raised a hand and pointed toward the heart of the Qingcheng Sect. The elders looked on with confusion at the cryptic words of the Silent Twin Elders.
“We must return to Qingcheng,” Song Jeong said, his expression hardening.
“Pardon?”
“Sect Leader?”
Everyone looked at him in bewilderment. They had spent a great deal of effort preparing for their meeting with the Unorthodox Faction and had only just crossed the borders of Qingcheng. If they turned back now, they would never make it to the meeting on time.
“Follow me.”
Tap!
Song Jeong was already turning around.
The Silent Twin Elders were eccentric men, but it was said they could occasionally read the heavens. If they were acting like this, there had to be a reason.
Swish!
As the Sect Leader moved, the Silent Twin Elders flanked him.
“Good grief…”
“Let’s just go!”
The elders, who had been watching the situation unfold, began to follow the Sect Leader one by one. The entire group hurried back toward the Qingcheng Sect.
*
Whoosh!
The moment the ink-black light flared, Black Lord recoiled instantly.
She didn’t stop to consider what kind of qigong it was or its nature. Her instincts screamed that she shouldn't face it head-on, and her body moved accordingly.
Her judgment proved correct.
Flash!
As the black aura soared into the sky, a brilliant radiance spilled out before her eyes. The sight froze everyone in their tracks.
The visual spectacle was one thing, but what was truly shocking was that the energy generated by Black Lord’s sword had vanished as if it had never existed.
Total annihilation.
It wasn't that the two energies had canceled each other out; it was a total disappearance, like a mirage fading away.
“Ah…”
“How can this be…”
The watching Qingcheng disciples and elders stared in disbelief, doubting their own eyes.
A hundred years ago, when Abbot Il-jin of the Shaolin Sect—said to be the strongest master of the Six Grace Arts—performed a legendary feat, he left behind these words:
When the fist strikes, the heart follows; in that moment, all is extinguished.
That was exactly what was happening now.
No matter how much one condensed or exploded their qi, one could cut it or deflect it, but making it simply vanish was considered impossible. And yet, the impossible had happened.
The blooming Black Ink Energy soared toward the sky, emitting light before vanishing instantly. The qigong Black Lord had unleashed was caught in its wake and disappeared like a heat haze.
“Haaa…”
Seok Myeong took a deep breath.
Such a massive amount of inner qi had been drained in an instant that he found it difficult to breathe for a moment. However, his eyes remained fixed on his target. Black Lord had avoided being swept up in the Black Ink Energy and stood at a distance.
“You…” Black Lord began, her voice devoid of emotion, her gaze strange. “How did you do that? How can you generate such an energy?”
“I don’t know myself.”
“Do you expect me to believe that?”
Seok Myeong didn't even flicker an eyelid at Black Lord’s indignant tone.
“I don’t care what you believe. The only thing that matters to me is that disciples died because of you.”
Black Lord’s eyebrows twitched.
“Heh. It is only natural for those who step into the Jianghu to die if their martial arts are weak. I heard Qingcheng was a Taoist sect that transcended worldly concerns, but here you are, whining like a common village housewife.”
Tremble!
Rage flared on the faces of the Qingcheng members at her words. Unbothered, the woman continued.
“Regardless, it’s clear you’ve learned an Absorption Art. My, my. What is a prestigious Orthodox sect doing with such a thing?”
“It is none of your concern. The affairs of our sect are our own. Right now, I intend to collect the price for the lives you took.”
“I wonder if you can?”
She leaped into the air once more, hovering in mid-air.
“This time, I shall show you. The true terror of the Demonic Energy Absorption Art!”
Slowly.
She raised her sword toward the sky. The people of Qingcheng held their breath, remembering the horrific technique she had used earlier.
Just then.
Flutter.
A bird flew in from the distance. It was a black pigeon, a rare sight on Mount Qingcheng. Black Lord’s brow furrowed as she saw it. It seemed things had taken a turn.
“My… I wanted to play a little longer, but the situation has changed. I must be going.”
Song Ha-myeong, who had been glaring at her, shouted sharply, “You wicked girl! You think you can come and go as you please? If you want to leave, leave your head behind!”
Black Lord glanced at the stout old man and laughed again.
“Crazy old man!”
“What!”
“None of you have the skill to catch me.”
“Hah!”
Song Ha-myeong lunged at her the moment he finished his shout. But Black Lord remained composed.
“You… we will meet again.”
Swish!
Song Ha-myeong leaped to her height and swung his sword. A powerful burst of True Qi erupted from the tip of his blade, flying toward her.
“It’s over…!”
It felt as though the Sword Bullet had pierced her body. But in that moment, Black Lord’s form began to blur.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew. She vanished instantly, leaving no trace behind.
*
Dash!
Not long after Black Lord disappeared, the Sect Leader and the elders arrived at the scene.
“This… what in the world!”
“Gasp!”
Everyone was horrified by the gruesome sight. Disciples were huddled together; many had collapsed, and a significant number of corpses lay scattered across the ground.
“Separate the living from the dead! Prioritize the critically wounded!”
Before asking for an explanation, Song Jeong ordered the recovery of the victims.
“Understood!”
The elders moved at the Sect Leader’s command. Amidst the chaos, they sorted the dead from the wounded, gathering them in separate areas.
“S-Sect Leader…”
Song Hak, who had just regained consciousness, spotted Song Jeong and tried to show respect.
“I have no excuse. Suddenly…”
“That is enough. Go to the Medical Hall and receive treatment first. We will talk after the situation is under control.”
Song Jeong moved quickly.
“Ugh! Argh!”
“You brat! Stay with me!”
The path the intruders had carved was a vision of hell. Mount Qingcheng, where Taoists had been chanting scriptures only this morning, was now filled with the scent of blood and the sound of screams.
The elders who arrived late were incredibly busy. They hurriedly bandaged external wounds and used their True Qi to stabilize those with internal injuries.
Thump. Thump.
“Damn it! Who did this?!”
None of them could hide their tears of frustration. In the brief moment they were away, the children who carried the future of Qingcheng had become corpses.
“Sect Leader! Everyone is present!”
As soon as morning came, Song Jeong summoned all the elders to the Grand Purity Hall.
The key figures remaining in Qingcheng were present: Elders Song Gwan, Song Hak, Song Ha-myeong, and Song Yu-jin. From the disciples, Seok Jun, Yeon-hui, and Seok Myeong were in attendance. Song Mun was unable to attend due to his severe internal injuries.
“A woman in black clothes invaded, accompanied by five mysterious monsters,” reported Song Hak, who had witnessed the event firsthand.
Though he had many reasons to dislike Seok Myeong, Song Hak was still an elder of Qingcheng. Feeling the heavy weight of failing to prevent the disciples' deaths, his voice trembled with a mix of rage and self-reproach.
“Twenty-four children dead…”
A somber silence fell over the Grand Purity Hall. If even the iron-willed Song Hak was in such a state, the other elders were struggling to contain their grief over the loss of the disciples who were to lead Qingcheng’s future.
Despite the atmosphere, Song Jeong maintained his composure.
“It is not your fault. Given the level of preparation they had, damage was inevitable. The skill of the one who vanished was also exceptional.”
Song Jeong had expected some trouble based on the Silent Twin Elders' warning. However, as he approached Qingcheng, he had seen a black pigeon take flight. Sensing an ill omen, he had used the Floating Cloud Leaping Leopard—the highest level of Qingcheng’s lightness skills—to rush back. Even so, he had arrived only to witness the carnage.
Furthermore, the deaths of the disciples weren't the only loss.
“The Azure Moon Storehouse collapsed, and countless manuals were lost… Sigh, the heritage of Qingcheng has been gutted.”
As he read the damage report, Song Jeong’s eyes turned toward Seok Myeong, the only disciple of the Azure Cloud Pavilion in this generation. Seok Myeong kept his head bowed low. The efforts of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, built over centuries of blood and sweat, had vanished in an instant. Though his face was hidden, his inner turmoil was easy to imagine.
As Song Jeong clicked his tongue in regret, Song Ji, who stood beside him, asked cautiously, “Sect Leader. Surely it was the Samu Alliance?”
Song Ji was officially the third in the sect’s hierarchy. While Song Hak exerted influence through his boisterous personality, Song Ji was simply reluctant to step forward out of a general distaste for worldly affairs; his skill and temperament were by no means inferior to Song Hak’s.
“We cannot jump to conclusions without evidence.”
“The circumstances are too obvious. How can you call this jumping to conclusions?”
A light anger flickered on Song Ji’s face. While the Sect Leader and seven elders—the core of Qingcheng’s power—were away, these monsters had raided them as if they had been waiting. It was undoubtedly the work of the Samu Alliance. The suspicion was certain; they simply lacked physical proof.
“Song Ji. Are you suggesting we declare war on the Samu Alliance? With only our sect?”
“…We must seek the cooperation of the Martial Alliance.”
“You know that well. Therefore, we must first discover what their objective was.”
Song Jeong patted Song Ji’s shoulder. It wasn't that he wasn't furious; he was simply trying to remain rational. A massive organization like the Martial Alliance wouldn't easily go to war with a group like the Samu Alliance. The larger an organization became, the more it required both a righteous cause and practical benefit to move.
As the leader of a sect, Song Jeong knew this all too well.
“Sect Leader, I have something to say.”
At that moment, Seok Jun, who had been listening quietly, spoke up loudly.
“What is it?”
“I believe I know their objective. The woman who invaded claimed that Senior Brother Seok Myeong possesses a martial art called the Demonic Energy Absorption Art. She said that is why they came here.”
“What?”
In an instant, every gaze in the room shifted to Seok Jun and Seok Myeong. Sect Leader Song Jeong’s eyes widened before narrowing.
“Did you say the Demonic Energy Absorption Art?”
“Yes.”
“Surely you aren't referring to the Demonic Energy Absorption Art of the Demonic Cult?”
Seok Jun gritted his teeth so hard they creaked. “I am.”
“……”
A sudden silence fell. The stillness was so profound that one could have heard a needle drop. Finally, the Sect Leader issued a command as cold as frost.
“Tell me everything that happened. From beginning to end, without leaving out a single detail.”