Chapter 35
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Elder's Ambition
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"What a brilliant talent."
The Eighth Elder, Namgung Sun, gazed at the Great Young Lord who had won the Sword Branch Assembly. He had never given him a second glance, branded as he was a complete scoundrel by all. Yet now, the boy had proven his overwhelming skill and superior ability, shaking off all the past grievances.
I thought he was a common pebble on the road, but he was a diamond.
What caught Namgung Sun's eye the most was none other than this.
"How long did you say you've been wielding a sword?"
"Half a year."
"To achieve Sword Resonance in just half a year. That is a truly unbelievable accomplishment."
Hearing the conversation between the Iron-Blood Sword Saint and his subordinate, he realized the Great Young Lord's talent was extraordinary.
Namgung Sun liked talented people.
Martial arts were something reserved for the talented.
Even if they learned for the same amount of time.
Even if they strived for the same amount of time.
The difference in talent determined their class.
Before the Sword Branch Assembly, Namgung Sun, who had paid him no mind, had a clear path.
The scoundrel First Young Lord.
The Second Young Lord, backed by the Sichuan Dang Family.
And the Third Young Lord, backed by another of the Six Great Families.
He didn't want to entrust himself to the pathetic and insignificant future of the First Young Lord.
Nor could he join the supporting factions of the Second and Third Young Lords so late in the game, knowing he wouldn't be guaranteed a position.
Thus, he had supported the Fourth Young Lord, Namgung Gyeon, but even that was not ideal.
Namgung Gyeon was neither here nor there, nothing more than a brat, so his end was predictable without needing to see it.
So.
"If you cannot win, you simply need to break him, Eighth Elder."
He had acted, thinking the hand offered by Lady Pyeon was plausible. He had drafted a distorted version of the Great Expansion Art and forced out a copy of the Imperial Sword Form, of which he only knew the opening section.
He thought it would solidify his position.
"The Imperial Sword Form. A martial art of the Namgung Family that needs no introduction."
Until the Great Young Lord revealed it.
"At the same time, it is also a distorted martial art."
"The existence of three copies means someone not only secretly transcribed this manual but also tampered with it, distorting it. Anyone who learns it will surely be poisoned."
The conspiracy within the Namgung Family, revealed at the Sword Branch Assembly.
And the manuals were personally drafted by none other than Namgung Sun himself.
At the same time, Lady Pyeon was captured, and the Fourth Young Lord, Namgung Gyeon, was left shell-shocked.
They would probably never be able to lead normal lives in the Namgung Family again.
Meanwhile, a rumor spread that there was someone behind it all. After all, no matter what, Lady Pyeon couldn't have tampered with the manuals on her own.
The arrow of suspicion soon pointed toward Namgung Sun. He was her only supporter, the Eighth Elder Namgung Sun, and it was said he would soon be traced through a handwriting analysis of the manuals.
And then, a hand was extended to Namgung Sun.
"Isn't it unfair?"
It was the Second Elder, Namgung Bon.
"You only did what you were supposed to do. The ones who ordered and committed the act were Lady Pyeon and that Black Tiger fellow who carried it out, were they not?"
It was a rather sweet proposition, but he wasn't particularly keen on it. However.
"They're an insignificant force anyway, just a small group heading for the Green Forest. It wouldn't be strange if something happened to them."
At the suggestion to ruin the Great Young Lord, Namgung Sun lifted his head. His eyes gleamed.
For Namgung Sun, what came to mind before his own safety was
"I want to be the one to make that unrefined gem shine."
The Great Young Lord's insignificant background, contrasted with his talent.
The Iron-Blood Sword Saint, An Baek, had stepped up to support the Great Young Lord, but he was an external power. There was no internal faction to support him.
Therefore.
He could do it. A desire, long dormant and hidden deep within, burst forth.
It was unpleasant that the Ninth and Tenth Elders' gazes kept falling on the Great Young Lord, but it didn't matter. For a Great Young Lord with no internal center of power, choosing him over them would be far more advantageous.
The clever Great Young Lord would know.
Moreover.
The Second Elder, Namgung Bon, and the Fourth Elder, Namgung Gun.
As long as Namgung Mubaek existed, there was a unique position that those who could never hope to covet the Family Head's seat could aim for.
That was the unprecedented position of Grand Elder in the Namgung Family.
But.
"A mere Grand Elder."
Could he be satisfied with just that?
Even if the Great Young Lord was mature for his age.
He was still just a fifteen-year-old boy. If he became such a boy's spiritual pillar
The seat he would occupy when the boy became Family Head would be
"Supreme Elder."
The head above the Family Head.
The elder above the elders.
The position to control the Namgung Family at will.
That was the position he coveted.
"Take my hand, Great Young Lord."
Facing those eyes, shimmering with greed, made me want to vomit.
Among the myriad types of people, those eyes, blinded by avarice, were already far gone.
One of the Three Poisons.
And one of the Ten Evils.
The disease of greed, deeply rooted in his heart, was controlling Namgung Sun.
"That is excessive greed."
"Why did you go to the likes of the First Elder instead of taking my hand? What more is left for that old, decrepit tiger? I can make you the Family Head."
I could feel that Namgung Sun's gaze was looking at something beyond the position of Family Head. Seeing him discourse on his ideals for what he did not possess and seek to indulge in them, I shook my head.
"Do not cross the line, Eighth Elder."
Don't cross it. If you cross that line, there's no turning back.
You will no longer be able to use the Namgung surname,
and you will never set foot in Anhui again.
My concerns were in vain.
"For someone like you, without roots, the only way to become the Family Head is to join hands with me. Is that not so? You, who are otherwise insignificant, have talent, and I have the power to supplement it. I can make it so the likes of the Second and Third Young Lords wouldn't even dare to challenge you."
The greed Namgung Sun displayed knew no bounds. His excessive desire, hiding under the name of instinct, dominated Namgung Sun.
I drew my sword and simultaneously bristled my Heavenly Thunder Ki.
"Great Young Lord, let me speak with him."
It was Black Tiger. I shook my head at him.
"He can't be stopped. It's like..."
I drew Heavenly Thunder Ki to the tip of my sword.
"Like the wheels of a carriage that has started downhill and can no longer be controlled, he cannot escape his own cycle."
At my words, Black Tiger turned his head, his expression dark.
"Is there a reason why the First Elder is acceptable, but I am not?"
Namgung Sun took a step forward with a hollow air. Judging by his appearance alone, he was the very model of a righteous martial artist, with a fitting demeanor. At times he looked like a scholar, at others, a Taoist master.
His benevolent smile made onlookers feel he was a man of great virtue.
"Black Tiger, Donghui. You two draw your swords. Gang Umun, immediately follow the path my uncle took and call for help. Do everything you can."
I was not fooled by his appearance. As Namgung Byeok had commanded on the battlefields in my past life, I spoke in a serious tone.
Seeing my resolute expression, the three of them tensed at my words and did as they were told.
Black Tiger and Donghui raised their sword tips, and Gang Umun, without a word of reply, started running in the direction An Baek had disappeared.
"Truly a shame. However."
Namgung Sun, his face full of amusement, shifted his gaze to Gang Umun, who was moving behind me, and then to Black Tiger and Donghui, who held their swords with wary eyes.
"It seems you think this way because you have people to rely on. I suppose I'll have to see what happens when I get rid of them. Huhu."
Swish.
A gruesome sound was heard. An elegant sword arc, too fast to perceive, scattered through the air, and blood spurted from the tip of Namgung Sun's blade.
Blood decorating the air in the blink of an eye.
I gritted my teeth.
"Once men become elders, they lay down their swords one by one and live for the family's internal affairs. But isn't that just wasting time? I didn't want to live like that."
Namgung Sun, who had made a name for himself in the martial world with the Namgung surname, had become the Eighth Elder. I could only guess that he was, at the very least, more skilled than the Tenth Elder, Namgung Ho.
His sword tip was as sharp as the long years he had lived.
With a casual sword strike, he had cut Gang Umun from a distance that must have been over twenty paces.
Thud.
Gang Umun, with a large gash on his back, let out a pained groan and tumbled forward.
The hair on my head stood on end.
The Eighth Elder, Namgung Sun, was the strongest person I had ever faced directly, in both my past and present lives.
"Don't raise your swords to me. We wouldn't want any hurt feelings, would we?"
"You won't be able to use the Namgung surname for much longer, yet you are truly shameless. Do not speak it again."
"Huhu."
Instead of answering, Namgung Sun smiled.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Instead of the weight befitting the Namgung name, the sword light he unleashed
"Kughh..."
"Damn it..."
I couldn't even begin to speak.
As three sword strikes decorated the air, blood splattered on my shoulder, a diagonal line was drawn across Black Tiger's abdomen, and Donghui's calf was slashed as he tried to move toward Gang Umun.
"Following the First Elder's stale swordsmanship will not make you strong quickly. How long will you stick to such an absurdly outdated method? Tsk."
Namgung Sun took a step, and I detonated the Heavenly Thunder Ki residing in my dantian. The energy of Heavenly Thunder Ki, which had begun to gather at the sword's tip, flowed down the blade.
"Did you absorb the energy of the Heavenly Thunder Pill directly? Hoo."
I swung my sword at the briefly impressed Namgung Sun. A faint lightning energy was mixed into the sword wind. Seven flashes of the Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes erupted. At the same time, countless stars pouring from the sword's tip scraped against the ground, sweeping across it.
Namgung Sun's sword met the torrent of sword strikes.
Kagagak! Kwaang!
Sparks flew everywhere, and Namgung Sun retreated a few steps from the sudden burst of force.
"You've grown stronger in such a short time. It's only been about a month. Or were you hiding this as well?"
Namgung Sun's eyes were filled with curiosity and interest.
Just then.
Swaak.
A surprise attack that burst out from behind my sword strike left a shallow scratch on Namgung Sun's side. Namgung Sun had instinctively twisted his side to avoid it, so a deep wound could not be inflicted.
"...Black Tiger, is it?"
In the hand of Black Tiger, who normally used his fists and feet more often than a sword, was a small dagger.
I let out a deep sigh at the sight.
It was the first time we had coordinated our attacks, but we trusted each other, and I had believed that last attack would be quite effective.
Even if it wasn't a fatal blow.
"The two of you are quite close."
Seeing Namgung Sun standing there, completely unharmed, made me want to curse.
Damn it.
"I was always curious where you came from. Now I see. You were an assassin, weren't you?"
"...That's enough."
"You lived in hiding for so long, but I suppose you had no choice but to reveal it now. Huhu."
At Namgung Sun's composure, Black Tiger retorted in a cold voice.
"I told you to stop."
"Didn't you also abandon your master and leave to find a new one?"
While Namgung Sun was speaking, the three streams of energy that Black Tiger extended were dark and sinister. They aimed only for vital points, targeting only places that would inflict fatal wounds.
Pababat!
With a smile on his lips, Namgung Sun deflected Black Tiger's dagger with his sleeve as if brushing off dust, while simultaneously using agile movements to maintain a distance where the dagger could not reach.
"I am on my way to atone for my sins."
"How convenient. Even if you atone for your sins, do you think the family will understand what you've done? You see one thing but are blind to the other."
Namgung Sun clicked his tongue and looked at Black Tiger.
"If Namgung Ban does not become the Family Head, you are nothing but an existence that must disappear. Follow me. Follow me, and let's make Namgung Ban the Family Head. That way, you live, and I live."
Black Tiger's sharp dagger finally stopped.
Of course.
Seeing Black Tiger halt, a smile spread across Namgung Sun's lips.
"I will make Namgung Ban the Family Head. If you and the Iron-Blood Sword Saint help! Plus, with Namgung Ban's talent, he will surely become the Head...!"
Listening to Namgung Sun speak with gleaming eyes, Black Tiger uttered a low word.
"In the end."
"...Hm?"
"In the end, you're just struggling to save your own skin."
Black Tiger watched Namgung Sun's expression gradually distort as he unleashed the black energy spreading like a thundercloud from the tip of his dagger.
"You came here merely to save your own life. You are a hypocrite, and now, nothing more than a fugitive."
Crack.
At those words, Namgung Sun's serene face transformed into that of a malevolent demon.