Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: The Power of the Blood Jade
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Thankfully, Hyuk Ri-gwang quickly grasped the situation and retreated right away. Only then was I able to deflect the white-haired man's sword and create some distance.
“A close call.”
“…Thanks to you, I survived.”
I brushed off his quiet words of thanks and sized up the white-haired man.
His eyes were bloodshot red, veins bulging grotesquely, but it was a fairly familiar face.
As expected, it was Zhuge Cheon-sang.
No, what the hell had he done with that great method to end up looking like that? It couldn't be good for his eye health.
And besides that monstrous face that deserved to be called a monster, there was one other thing that stood out.
A blood-red sphere embedded right in the center of his chest.
Could that be…?
I glanced sideways at Hyuk Ri-gwang standing next to me, and he caught on immediately, nodding.
“Looks like that's the Blood Jade. I tried to smash it, but it started spewing that blood-red energy.”
“…I see.”
I'd had my suspicions when they said he needed to perform the great method, but it seemed the Blood Jade wasn't just some simple spirit pill.
“You, you bastard…!”
Meanwhile, Zhuge Cheon-sang, who recognized me at once, twisted his face even more hideously.
I curled up one corner of my mouth as I met his eyes, wild with murderous intent.
“…Well, well, our Zhuge Sword of a Lifetime. Haven't seen you in a while, and you've turned into quite the feral man?”
“Kraaaagh—!”
Hearing my words, Zhuge Cheon-sang let out a beastly roar as if to prove his wild charm and charged.
“Take the foodies and fall back. I'll handle this guy.”
“…Be careful.”
After urging Hyuk Ri-gwang to retreat, I dodged the fiercely swung sword and stepped into the Nine Palaces positions.
Zhuge Cheon-sang's sword, linked to the Qi Formation Network and Heavenly Secret Foresight, couldn't even graze me.
No matter how powerful the attack, it was useless if it didn't connect.
While Zhuge Cheon-sang was slashing at empty air, I got a close look at the blood-red energy coiling around his body.
“Kraaagh! You rat—!”
Frustrated that his attacks weren't landing, Zhuge Cheon-sang flew into a rage.
As if echoing his fury, even more blood-red energy poured from the Blood Jade, writhing.
Seeing this, I narrowed my eyes.
“…As I thought.”
I didn't want to believe it, but that blood-red energy seemed to be something like true qi originating from the Blood Jade.
Incredibly, he was emitting it from the acupuncture points all over his body, wrapping it around his sword and entire form.
In simple terms, it meant he was using protective aura and sword qi.
How could a guy who didn't even know the concept of emitting internal energy do that?
Well, had he suddenly gained enlightenment while taking in the great method?
That fleeting foolish thought didn't last long before I realized it wasn't the case.
Dodging attacks with Heavenly Secret Foresight steps, I waited for Zhuge Cheon-sang to overextend in his frenzy and struck with a sneak attack.
I stepped into the Gen position northeast and sliced off his left arm.
-Shwaaak!
“Kraaagh!?”
As a result, Zhuge Cheon-sang's left arm came off his body far too easily.
That's when I intuited his protective aura wasn't the real deal.
If it were genuine protective aura, even a sword aura manifestation wouldn't slice through without any resistance.
So then…?
Just as a new hypothesis formed in my mind, an astonishing sight entered my view.
“Kugh… uahaha—!”
Zhuge Cheon-sang, who had been screaming in pain, suddenly burst into mad laughter, and the severed arm reattached itself to his body on its own.
Whoa… what the hell?
As I stared at the scene in bewilderment, Zhuge Cheon-sang shouted triumphantly.
“Kehehe, see that? My power! No matter how much you scurry around like a rat, you can't defeat me!”
…His way of thinking, reducing a severed arm reattaching itself to mere “power,” was enviable… nah, not really.
I made a deeply regretful expression at what seemed like Zhuge Cheon-sang's severely diminished mental faculties, and he flew into another rage, swinging his sword.
Blood-red sword qi flying toward my neck.
I'd already gained some certainty from observing his protective aura, but to be sure, I blocked with my sword instead of dodging.
-Kagagak—!
“…Tch.”
I grimaced slightly at the persistent force while holding firm, and closely examined the blood-red sword qi wrapped around his blade.
It couldn't even touch the blue sword aura blooming at my blade's tip and scattered.
The blood-red energy was at least preventing the sword from being sliced off, but it felt like it was barely managing.
In fact, the blade was chipping away bit by bit from the sword aura.
A few more clashes, and it would probably snap clean off.
“Hup!”
-Kang!
“Kuh, you bastard…!”
I deflected the blood-red sword and took a step back.
Grinding his teeth at me while unable to hide his confusion—that seemed to be Zhuge Cheon-sang's state.
He was apparently bewildered that I wasn't getting diced up like the others.
Rolling his eyes in confusion, he noticed the sword aura shining at my blade's tip and narrowed his blood-red eyes.
“…What is that sword?”
And that was the question he came up with.
I smirked and replied.
“That all you got to say? What, you think it's some divine weapon of the world?”
Zhuge Cheon-sang's question confirmed it completely for me.
The blood-red energy enveloping him wasn't protective aura or sword qi.
It was simply an overflow of true qi leaking out uncontrollably in massive quantities.
Not internal energy moved by will, but innate power spilling over from the vessel of his body.
Just how much internal energy did he have to cause a phenomenon like that?
Five circuits? Ten?
It seemed the claim that the Blood Jade granted infinite internal energy wasn't entirely wrong.
“Impressive. Impressive, but… is that all it takes to call yourself the world's greatest?”
I recalled the shout I'd heard while heading to the elders' hall and asked.
“Keugh… What are you talking about?”
I twisted my lips at Zhuge Cheon-sang growling in response.
“What else? Just having a ton of internal energy won't make you the world's greatest—it won't even beat me.”
“…Nonsense!”
Enraged, Zhuge Cheon-sang roared and charged.
His upper body lowered as much as possible in his movement.
It was the Tiger Leaf Sword from our last spar.
But its momentum was incomparable to that previous spar.
His form, now looking even larger due to the blood-red energy coiling around him, truly resembled a massive beast charging.
“Die—!”
Sword strike crashing down toward my head.
I stepped with Heavenly Secret Foresight to evade right, and the aimless sword plunged into the ground.
-Kwaaaang—!
Intense explosion and rising dust cloud.
Piercing through the cloud, Zhuge Cheon-sang charged again and swung his sword.
He must have thought it was a brilliant sneak attack.
But Zhuge Cheon-sang soon let out a cry of shock.
“What!?”
Because the spot he'd swung at was already empty.
I'd long since slipped to the opposite side with Heavenly Secret Foresight and ambushed Zhuge Cheon-sang from behind.
-Shiik!
Using the Soaring Bow Single Flash technique, I charged and severed both Achilles tendons in one slash.
“Keuk!?”
Zhuge Cheon-sang's legs, supporting his body, were suddenly cut, and he plummeted to the ground.
Even as he rolled on the dirt, desperately swinging his sword—which I dodged—and I sliced off both forearms too.
“Kraaagh!? You damned bastard—!”
Zhuge Cheon-sang ended up sprawled with half his limbs gone.
I stood over him and raised my sword, gripped in reverse.
Target: the Blood Jade embedded in the center of his chest.
At first, I thought of just decapitating him, but given the situation, chopping his head wouldn't stick—he'd reattach it without issue.
Better to smash the source of the blood-red energy; the power would naturally fade, and no more regeneration.
“Kuh…! Get lost!”
Limb-less and powerless, Zhuge Cheon-sang could only flail helplessly.
Before the severed limbs could reattach, I swung down decisively.
But,
-Kagang!
“…It's blocking?”
It didn't pierce.
Even manifesting blue sword aura, stabbing the Blood Jade didn't penetrate—it barely left a scratch on the surface.
What? The one in the cave shattered after one stomp?
Had absorbing it via the great method changed its properties?
My shock at failing to pierce it with sword aura was short-lived,
-Wooong
The Blood Jade's reaction was ominous.
How to put it—it seemed like the scratch I'd made had triggered some kind of… berserk state.
-Woong woong woong—!
Growing louder with each pulse, the Blood Jade shone brilliantly.
Instinct rang alarm bells wildly, and I swiftly retreated.
Then came the explosion.
No, an outburst of energy like an explosion.
-Kwaaaang—!
With a roar, energy gushed from the Blood Jade and seeped into Zhuge Cheon-sang's body.
And Zhuge Cheon-sang transformed dramatically once more.
“Kr, kraaaah—!!”
Amid agonized screams, his skin turned deep red, and the severed limbs reattached in an instant.
Recovery speed incomparable to before.
“Huu, huu…!”
Zhuge Cheon-sang sprang to his feet.
Blood-red eyes flashing menacingly through his white hair.
And now the blood-red energy spreading enough to cover half the elders' hall courtyard.
Just looking at it, his state was far from normal, the atmosphere dangerously charged, so I tensed up—when suddenly a shrill scream came from behind.
“Kyaaak—!?”
“!?”
Startled, I whipped around to see a maid collapsed on the ground, trembling.
And her face looked familiar.
Looking closely, it was the maid assigned to my guest quarters.
Her name was… Soso, right?
I'd been focusing the Qi Formation Network on Zhuge Cheon-sang, so I hadn't noticed her approach.
Of all the times…!
“Kru… kraaaa—!”
To make matters worse, the rampaging Zhuge Cheon-sang—for some reason—ignored me right in front of him and charged at Soso.
Speed utterly different from before.
“Tch…!”
I clicked my tongue and chased after him immediately.
But Zhuge Cheon-sang had already reached Soso and was swinging his sword at her.
“Kyaaaak—!”
Soso squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.
Too late at this rate.
In a panic, just as I was about to hurl my sword to block,
-Kwarung—!
A bolt from the clear sky struck Zhuge Cheon-sang.
“Kraaagh!?”
Unable to withstand it, Zhuge Cheon-sang was sent flying.
In the spot he bounced from, a frail old man appeared.
“…Elder Gok.”
“It's been a while, young hero. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem the time for leisurely greetings.”
It was none other than Elder Gok.
That lightning bolt just now must have been his sorcery.
Thanks to him, Soso was saved, but I couldn't lower my guard.
After all, it was Elder Gok who had taught the great method that turned Zhuge Cheon-sang into this.
“Young hero? What's wrong?”
Elder Gok looked puzzled, sensing my wariness.
But there was no time to explain.
“Kraaaagh!”
Because even after taking a direct lightning strike and being flung, Zhuge Cheon-sang rose as if unharmed.
Elder Gok, narrowing his eyes at him, soon realized his identity and was astonished.
“Isn't that child Cheon-sang? What happened to fill him with such ferocious energy…!”
“It’s because of the great method you taught him. He absorbed the Blood Jade with it.”
“What? What do you…?”
Elder Gok looked baffled, as if it made no sense, which only baffled me more.
“Are you denying it? You're the one who taught him the great method to absorb the Blood Jade, aren't you?”
“…What on earth are you saying? Blood Jade? Great method?”
Still wearing an utterly clueless expression.
It was too genuine to be just playing dumb.
What?
The Chief Steward clearly said Elder Gok had taught it to him.