Chapter 45: Black Ink Energy (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: Black Ink Energy (1)
Chiiiiiing!
Energy bled from the Iron Ridge Fire Bright Sword, stretching taut like iron wires as it coiled around the blade. It was the precursor to a qi veil. Densely woven like a net, the energy writhed as if it were a living, breathing thing.
Tap, tap, tap!
As Cheol Gun lunged forward, his internal energy surging, a sense of impending doom washed over Seok Myeong. The qi veil surrounding the blade radiated a terrifying pressure, making him feel as though he might evaporate if even a sliver of it touched him.
Logically, it defied reason.
The internal energy he sensed from Cheol Gun didn't seem significantly different from his own. In fact, it felt slightly inferior. However, the inner qi suddenly erupting from the sword was amplified several times beyond what Seok Myeong had initially perceived. It was enough to make one believe Cheol Gun had achieved sudden enlightenment and ascended several realms in an instant.
Flash!
Closing the distance to within ten feet, Cheol Gun swung his sword diagonally at Seok Myeong.
Swish.
It was a simple, concise movement—a mere light swing—but to Seok Myeong, it looked anything but simple. In a split second, a streak of light flashed past, and a brilliant glare seemed to burrow into his very soul.
Zip!
"Ugh!"
Seok Myeong twisted his body with all his might. A sharp pain lanced through him, as if something had pierced his spine. He let out a groan but didn't dare look back.
Rumble!
The stairs behind him shattered one after another. The main beam supporting the pavilion snapped, and the roof it held came crashing down. The blow he had narrowly avoided had been packed with monstrous energy.
Seok Myeong stared at the collapsing building in consternation. When he turned back to face Cheol Gun...
Sizzle.
The energy of the sword was changing once more. The qi veil that had covered the blade was now migrating toward the tip. Following Cheol Gun's will, it surged upward above the raised sword.
Flick!
The moment he swung the sword again, Seok Myeong was struck by a profound sense of confusion. Cheol Gun wasn't even using Object Manipulation, yet something shaped like water droplets hung in the air, remaining stationary for a long moment.
Drip. Drip.
Then, a slow change occurred. The droplets began to tremble like aspen leaves. Only then did Seok Myeong realize the gravity of the situation.
Screeeech!
"Everyone, get back!"
Sensing the danger, Wol Pung shouted at the top of his lungs and leaped away. The moment he spoke, the eight elders also scattered in different directions. Following his lead, Cheol So-yeon, Hyeok-jin, Yeon-hui, and Song Hak quickly cleared the area.
Only Seok Myeong remained, glaring at Cheol Gun.
Two breaths passed.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
With a thunderous roar, the droplets flew out like arrows. They didn't fly in a single direction but spread out in a wide fan toward Seok Myeong.
Phew-phew-phew!
The surrounding buildings were riddled with holes the moment the droplets touched them. Those "water droplets" were actually condensed True Qi generated by Cheol Gun. As they splattered in all directions and devastated the surroundings, thick clouds of smoke and dust billowed up.
In an instant, a cloud of dust blanketed the martial arts training ground.
"Is he... dead?" Cheol Gun asked with an oily smirk.
Crack!
Stone dust scattered with a flash, and a figure plummeted from the air to the ground. The figure charged toward Cheol Gun—two silhouettes, so fast it was unclear which was the real body and which was the phantom, repeatedly vanishing and reappearing.
"That is the Crossing the Heavens Phantom!"
Song Hak, who had been watching, let out a loud cry. He was so shocked that his voice rang out like thunder across the training ground.
The Illusory Lost Track Step—the supreme footwork of the Qingcheng Sect. It was referred to as "Illusory" because the practitioner seemed to vanish while treading through the air. It was a movement technique that could only be realized if one could perform a Void Treading Step so fast and dazzling that the body appeared to disappear after leaping into the air.
Just what on earth has happened to that boy?
Song Hak's palms grew sweaty. The Illusory Lost Track Step was a martial art that truly represented Qingcheng, a high-level technique that even an average master couldn't hope to imitate. To make it possible, one had to reach at least the level of Five Qi Converging to the Origin.
In particular, to hide one's body in the air as Seok Myeong had, it was impossible to use without reaching the Peak Realm—the stage of understanding the harmony of qi. Among the first-generation disciples, only Yeon-hui and Seok Jun were capable of performing the Illusory Lost Track Step, and even then, not at a level they could boast about.
"How entertaining!"
As Seok Myeong rushed in, Cheol Gun retreated as if he had expected it, shaking his sword in short, rapid strokes. Fragments of sword aura scattered sporadically, blurring Seok Myeong's vision. However, despite suffering internal injuries, Seok Myeong stubbornly closed the distance until he was right in front of his opponent.
I can't let him get away!
This was Seok Myeong's only choice. Perhaps because of that mysterious sword, Cheol Gun possessed an extraordinary ability to manifest sword aura far beyond his actual realm. It was impossible to dodge or parry so many fragments of sword aura individually. Close-quarters combat was his only chance.
Swish!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Get lost!"
Cheol Gun grew irritated as he parried, but Seok Myeong did not stop. Even as he felt the pain of skin being torn away where the fragments grazed him, he continued to block and counterattack with blistering speed.
Seok Myeong thrust his sword straight toward Cheol Gun's chest.
"Hmph!"
Cheol Gun easily blocked the strike. But Seok Myeong's attack didn't stop; he immediately aimed for the lower body.
Clang!
As their swords clashed again, Seok Myeong felt a momentary dizziness. Every time the blades met, Cheol Gun's powerful cultivation surged into his body, weighing down on his chest. But he knew he couldn't back down. If his breathing faltered even once, he would lose the opportunity he had barely managed to seize.
Seok Myeong's attacks shifted, moving from individual forms into fluid, continuous sword sequences.
Clang!
Seok Myeong blocked Cheol Gun's sword as it aimed for his waist.
Whoosh!
He immediately counterattacked at Cheol Gun's legs.
Clang!
Cheol Gun blocked it again.
A distance of half a jang and two and a half chon.
Seok Myeong narrowed the distance. Cheol Gun's attacks continued, and Seok Myeong blocked while striking at the lower body again.
Clang!
A distance of half a jang and three and a half chon.
Then, for some reason, he subtly increased the distance again. He could no longer feel his wrists; the stinging pain had turned into a dull numbness. Nevertheless, Seok Myeong did not give up. He was memorizing the enemy's breathing, his movements, and the timing of his sword techniques.
Clang!
Seok Myeong counterattacked after blocking a heavy strike. Suddenly, Cheol Gun failed to block the sword and was forced to take two steps back.
So it was half a jang and four and a half chon!
Realization flashed in Seok Myeong's eyes. The moment he knocked Cheol Gun's sword upward with the back of his blade, he lunged toward the lower body. As expected, Cheol Gun did not block the attack but stepped back as he had before.
Seok Myeong did not miss that moment.
Thud!
Crossing his legs so forcefully that his footsteps thundered, he surged forward half a breath faster. He thrust his sword toward Cheol Gun's face.
Shriek!
Faced with both a sword and sword wind flying at his eyes, Cheol Gun hesitated for a moment before ducking his head. He couldn't dodge it completely. With a wet slicing sound, half of one ear was torn away. By some stroke of luck, the earlobe wasn't completely severed.
"You bastard! Rainbow Piercing the Sun!"
Enraged by the blood trickling down his cheek, Cheol Gun finally resorted to an overextended technique. Chaehong refers to a rainbow; he was attempting a powerful form that traced a wide, arched trajectory to pierce a fatal opening.
However, using a large-scale technique in close-quarters combat was akin to exposing one's throat to the opponent. There was no way Seok Myeong would miss that opening.
Swish!
Recognizing the intent by the motion of the long stride, Seok Myeong avoided the technique with a short leap. Then, he fiercely thrust his sword once more. This time, Seok Myeong's blade sank half an inch deep into Cheol Gun's shoulder.
"Ugh!"
Cheol Gun groaned and retreated. In that short interval, his face had turned a mottled red and purple. He had failed to block the attack, had his ear cut, and had even given up his shoulder without being able to execute his own technique. It was as if the opponent was reading him like an open book.
"See? I told you that you were vulnerable to lower-body attacks," Seok Myeong said, withdrawing his sword. "If the lower body is weak, the upper body becomes a weakness as well. It creates a flaw in your power distribution, making the situation even worse."
"What did you say?"
Cheol Gun had never been lectured by anyone in his life. When it came to swordsmanship, he was used to nothing but endless praise. To have a mere Qingcheng Taoist lecture him caused a rage so uncontrollable it made his blood boil.
Seok Myeong took his stance again. He expected Cheol Gun to attack relentlessly, but surprisingly, the man merely curled his lip. His sword was pointed toward the ground.
What is he doing?
Seok Myeong studied his eyes. Cheol Gun was glaring at him with a hardened expression, but unlike before, he was eerily calm.
"I suppose I have no choice but to use it against you."
As Seok Myeong watched, a pure white light began to coalesce at the tip of Cheol Gun's sword. In an instant, the sword aura extended to three feet. In that brief moment of stillness, he had been gathering his qi for something devastating.