Chapter 29: The Last Lesson (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 29: The Last Lesson (3)
Sssssss.
“Sword Aura!”
The moment the old man infused his blade with energy, Hyeok-jin, watching from a distance, cried out in shock.
To the disciple, the sight of his master wielding Sword Aura was a profound revelation. But Seok Myeong felt differently.
The afterimage of the previous form still lingered vividly in his mind. Even as he beheld the massive, two-foot-long Sword Aura, he felt no sense of awe.
What on earth was that? What just happened? I saw nothing… absolutely nothing.
“What are you doing?”
“……”
“I am speaking to you, Taoist of Qingcheng.”
Only then did Seok Myeong’s eyes refocus on Baek Yang-cheon. He realized he was looking at a mountain even higher than the one he had imagined.
“I have very little time left to enjoy this,” the old man said.
“Yes? Ah, yes.”
Seok Myeong raised his sword again, channeling his internal energy with intense concentration.
“This energy is dangerous. This time, you must come at me.”
“…Understood.”
Seok Myeong no longer hesitated. His opponent was a master—not someone on his level, but an old expert who had glimpsed the Absolute Realm, standing several stages above him.
Swish.
Seok Myeong employed the Azure Cloud Red Mist Sword. It felt more appropriate for the current situation than the Heaven and Earth Sword.
As Seok Myeong leaped into the air to unleash his technique, the old man immediately extended his blade to meet him. The old man’s sword mingled freely with Seok Myeong’s forms, their blades clashing in a rhythmic cadence. Though they aimed in different directions, there were moments when they met head-on, erupting with raw internal strength.
Clang! Clang!
Sword Aura met Sword Aura, creating brilliant flashes of light. A massive force surged toward the sky, accompanied by a roar like a thunderclap.
As streaks of light danced wildly, Hyeok-jin watched with his mouth agape. He was witnessing the very heights of martial arts he had dreamed of his entire life.
“That—that is the Heavenly White Ten Hands Sword!” Hyeok-jin shouted.
A foot-long Sword Aura descended from the sky. The Heavenly White Ten Hands Sword was a signature charging form of the Heavenly White Divine Art. Successive waves of massive Sword Aura appeared, relentlessly pressing Seok Myeong back.
“Ah! Master!”
Before he knew it, Hyeok-jin was cheering for Baek Yang-cheon. Because he had always yearned to see his master’s true strength, his eyes sparkled more brightly than ever before. Even though Seok Myeong’s martial prowess was extraordinary, Hyeok-jin had no room to notice it.
This is dangerous!
Amidst the crushing pressure, Seok Myeong felt his internal energy reaching its limit.
The old man was strong. No, he was beyond just strong; he wasn't someone Seok Myeong could face on equal terms. He hadn't expected Baek Yang-cheon to be this powerful after temporarily recovering his strength by detonating his Innate Energy.
Three feet?
Seok Myeong only saw it after the Sword Aura struck the spot where he had been standing a moment ago. The Sword Aura gathered on Baek Yang-cheon’s blade had grown to three feet in length.
A three-foot Sword Aura was proof that he had reached the very pinnacle of the Peak Realm.
“Ugh!”
Seok Myeong poured every drop of internal energy into his sword to avoid being overwhelmed. He had already exceeded his limits. With over one cycle of energy, the three colors of purple, blue, and white fluctuated wildly at the tip of his sword.
Even so, Seok Myeong could not let down his guard. For the first time, he felt a killing intent emanating from Baek Yang-cheon. A fathomless depth of power was blanketing everything in sight.
To oppose him, Seok Myeong concentrated every ounce of his strength into the tip of his blade.
“Azure Dragon Flipping Sky Nine Swords!”
Baek Yang-cheon’s massive Sword Aura flew forth in a circular arc. Seok Myeong unleashed his own Sword Aura as best he could, but it only caused the old man's energy to falter for a brief moment before his own was extinguished in the blink of an eye.
“Gah!”
Seok Myeong let out a groan but did not dodge. From the start, that mighty, dragon-like Sword Aura had not been aimed at him. Without losing any momentum, Baek Yang-cheon’s Sword Aura passed over Seok Myeong’s head. Then, with a thunderous roar, it completely obliterated a massive boulder behind him.
K-boom!
“…….”
Seok Myeong couldn't believe his eyes. His own Sword Aura had been snuffed out by Baek Yang-cheon’s without offering the slightest resistance.
Hyeok-jin was equally stunned. He never imagined that the Heavenly White Ten Hands Sword and the Azure Dragon Flipping Sky Nine Swords—techniques he had considered mediocre—could contain such intense Sword Aura.
It was the moment he witnessed firsthand that his master was a far greater expert than he had ever imagined.
“Can you pass a message to Hyeok-jin?”
In the midst of the heavy silence, Baek Yang-cheon spoke to Seok Myeong. His face had turned a dark, bruised red. He had reached his limit. The final spark of his life was fading.
“Yes, please speak,” Seok Myeong said, gasping for breath.
“Tell him that I have already avenged him. Tell him that on the day I brought him in, those bastards were all erased from this world.”
“……!”
“So, tell him to no longer live for revenge, but to believe in himself and move forward for his own sake.”
The one-foot remnant of his Sword Aura began to fade into a faint Sword Shadow. His internal strength was nearly exhausted, his mental energy running dry.
Seok Myeong answered quickly. “I will do so.”
“And one more thing. Can you tell him this as well?”
“What is it…?”
“Tell him to follow the Taoist of Qingcheng on his martial journey. It will surely be of help to him. Tell him to follow you, at least until the journey is over.”
Seok Myeong looked into Baek Yang-cheon’s eyes and read his true thoughts. The old man said to pass a message, but in truth, it was an indirect plea to Seok Myeong himself. He framed it this way so that Seok Myeong, having heard it, would find it impossible to cast the boy aside.
Seok Myeong smiled faintly. It didn't seem so bad to have a young traveling companion.
“I will be sure to tell him.”
“Thank you. To encounter such a connection in my final moments… I no longer have any regrets. I trust that you will guide Hyeok-jin to become an outstanding martial artist.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man moved his sword. The pure white light gathered at the tip of the blade exploded and poured toward Seok Myeong.
Seok Myeong didn't even dare to raise his sword. He simply stared blankly at the energy approaching him with sudden speed.
At that moment, the flying Sword Shadow vanished as if it were a lie. It was extinguished without a trace.
However, the energy reappeared behind Seok Myeong’s back. And then, it created a miraculous transformation.
The Sword Shadow turned into Sword Aura. The dazzling shadow transformed into a dense aura as it flew forward. That wasn't all—an unknown white light rushed toward it, absorbing the surrounding light and attempting yet another transformation.
It was a streak of light so bright it was blinding.
It was Sword Force—something Seok Myeong had never experienced nor seen with his own eyes.
Rumble—!
The Sword Force grew in volume until it began to cover the entire mountain. Heaven and earth shook as a massive explosion rang out, sending sand and soil shooting into the air.
Crash! Boom!
When the thick dust settled, a massive gouge, like the mark of a giant claw, was etched into the three-hundred-meter-tall mountain. It was a staggering display of power. The flying Sword Shadow had absorbed energy, transformed into Sword Force, and literally blown away half the mountain.
Baek Yang-cheon’s gaze finally turned toward Hyeok-jin.
“Did you see? This is the twelfth form of the Heavenly White Divine Art: One Flash Removing Mountain.”
A moment of silence followed.
“Live without shame. There is no need to be discouraged. I will always be behind you.”
“Ma—Master.”
Hyeok-jin murmured as he looked at Baek Yang-cheon. A moment later, he began to cheer frantically.
“You are amazing, Master! Truly, truly amazing!”
It was the moment he had long desired. He had spent years dreaming that his master was a great expert, and now, it had become reality. His master, and no one else, using the Heavenly White Divine Art, had achieved everything Hyeok-jin had ever dreamed of.
“Why did you hide it? Why did you keep it hidden like this?”
He babbled incessantly, unable to contain the overwhelming emotion in his chest. At this moment, he was happier than anyone else.
“It’s so incredible. I’m truly at a loss for words.”
Hyeok-jin continued to chatter, overcome with joy. He looked almost like a man who had lost his mind.
“Master?”
How many times had he called out? The smile on his face began to stiffen.
His master was still holding the posture of his sword strike with a bright expression, but he remained frozen in that position, saying nothing.
Drip. Drip.
“Blood?”
Hyeok-jin stared at the blood trickling from his master’s nose, his expression one of lingering confusion. Why was his master having a nosebleed now? And why had his complexion turned so pale?
At that moment, Seok Myeong stepped in.
“Elder Baek used a type of explosion technique called the Heaven-Salvation Blood Method.”
Seok Myeong did not stand on ceremony.
“He burned his Innate Energy to momentarily regain his past strength. He sacrificed the remainder of his life to draw out his Primordial Force.”
He continued in a cold, blunt tone.
“He wanted to show you. Even if it meant trading his life for it. He desperately wanted to show you the power he had never been able to show you even once.”
“What… what are you talking about?” Hyeok-jin asked, looking as if he didn't understand.
“Do you still not realize?” Seok Myeong glared fiercely at him. “What your master was trying to say, what he was trying to show you—you, who were wandering aimlessly.”
“Then, right now, Master is…”
“He has passed on.”
“…….”
Hyeok-jin looked as if he had been struck. With hollow eyes, he approached Baek Yang-cheon, who stood as stiff and upright as a stone statue.
“Master. Master.”
Hyeok-jin shook his head and took Baek Yang-cheon’s hand. He couldn't accept it. Though his master’s body had been riddled with illness, Hyeok-jin thought he would surely live another ten years.
But now, he had turned into a cold corpse. He had thrown away his precious life just to show his disciple the essence of the Heavenly White Divine Art.
“Do you still think there is a problem with the sword?” Seok Myeong’s voice rang out again, uncharacteristically heated. “Or is there a problem with the sword techniques? Or perhaps the body lightness law?”
“…….”
“Or was it the way your master taught you?”
Hyeok-jin lowered his head. He couldn't find the courage to look at his master’s face.
“What is the problem?”
“…….”
“Who is the problem!”
“…….”
“I am asking you, what exactly is the problem!”
Seok Myeong’s roar erupted—a voice pouring out anger, sorrow, and resentment. It was also anger directed at himself for failing to recognize the noble person before him sooner.
Hyeok-jin sat there with a dazed expression. In his mind, a conversation from a few days ago resurfaced.
He had told his master that he was worse than Instructor Jeong from the Stone Martial Hall. He had asked what his master had even taught him for twenty years.
He couldn't forget the expression his master had made then—an expression of enduring the insult while trying to offer comfort. His master had endured the shame of being compared to someone who couldn't even reach his ankles until the very end.
Finally, tears overflowed from Hyeok-jin’s eyes. They poured out incessantly, and no matter how he tried to stop them, he couldn't.
Clutching his trembling chest, he forced out a voice with great difficulty.
“It was me…”
“…….”
“I was the problem, Taoist…”