Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: The Fifteen Great Families
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I aimed at a rock ten feet away and drew my sword, but only a flash of black light flickered, leaving the rock unscathed.
Since I had unleashed my sword energy, it should strike the rock by now.
*Crack…*
A faint sound came from the targeted rock.
*Screee!*
Then, it split vertically in half.
“Ooh!”
An exclamation escaped my lips involuntarily.
*Rumble!*
The rock, split in two, fell heavily to the left and right.
It had split the rock far faster than the third stance, Heaven-Severing.
‘Is this the Supreme Ultimate Fast Sword?’
Unable to confirm it properly, I decided to try again. This time, I would target two rocks further away, cutting one horizontally and the other vertically, also with Heaven-Severing.
I focused on the targets and drew my sword according to the mnemonic.
*Ch-ch-at!*
The moment I drew my sword, two streaks of black light, one horizontal and one vertical, flashed, embroidering the air.
‘Fast!’
Unlike the first attempt, this time I witnessed—no, I felt—the incredible speed of the sword energy. It was so fast it was invisible to the naked eye.
*Crack… crack…*
A sound trickled from the two large rocks I had targeted in front of me, to the left and right, and then, in an instant, they split apart with a clean *crack!*
*Thud!*
A smile naturally formed on my lips as I watched the four pieces of rock tumble over one another.
‘It worked!’
Based on my observation just now, it was about thirty percent faster than the original third stance of the Heaven-Severing Divine Sword, Heaven-Severing.
A thirty percent increase in speed is tremendous. At this rate, I could cut down an opponent before they even had a chance to draw their sword.
And it felt like if I continued to practice Heaven-Severing, I could become even a little faster.
After practicing the Supreme Ultimate Fast Sword version of Heaven-Severing for four hours after the sun had risen across the river, I returned to the Dong-ro Grand Branch.
It had become about thirty-two percent faster than the original Heaven-Severing. The moment I drew my sword, the target split.
The original Heaven-Severing was already an extremely fast sword technique, but becoming thirty-two percent faster had turned it into a supreme ultimate fast sword.
I couldn’t see the extra two percent increase with my eyes, but I could feel it in my right hand as I drew the sword.
* * *
“The Blood Crow Saber is from the Big Dipper Saber Sect, and his name is Cheon Jeong-u. There is nothing else of note.”
Jang Ung reported what he had found out about the Blood Crow Saber.
I had never heard of a sect called the Big Dipper Saber Sect.
“Why did he go into seclusion?”
“It seems it was because he could not find a worthy opponent in the martial world.”
When I saw the Blood Crow Saber fight the Soul-Devouring Wolves, he was on a similar level to Song Ga-hyeon and Geum Cheong-san.
“It seems he only ever fought against small fry.”
“It would appear so.”
Jang Ung smiled faintly.
The martial world was teeming with figures like the Blood Crow Saber, who deluded themselves into thinking they were the strongest.
True martial artists who proved their strength by risking their lives in battles to the death against hundreds of powerful foes while wandering the world for years or even decades were as rare as finding a needle on a sandy beach.
The majority of those who called themselves martial artists were individuals convinced they were the strongest in their own region or within the slice of the martial world they knew.
Then, claiming there were no more opponents left to fight, they would swagger about before going into seclusion at the drop of a hat.
Song Ga-hyeon and Geum Cheong-san weren’t quite that bad, but the Blood Crow Saber seemed to suffer from a severe case of megalomania.
“What is the Big Dipper Saber Sect?”
“There was a time when the Fifteen Great Families were active in the martial world. Over the years, eight of those families declined, leaving only the current Seven Great Families of the martial world.”
“Was the Big Dipper Saber Sect one of the Fifteen Great Families?”
“Yes, it was.”
“Tell me more.”
“About the Fifteen Great Families?”
“About the eight families that declined.”
“Yes.”
Until this moment, I hadn't paid much attention to Jang Ung's expression.
‘The Great Dragon Blossom Sect?’
Jang Ung explained the eight families that had declined from the Fifteen Great Families one by one, concluding with the Great Dragon Blossom Sect.
The martial art Jang Ung had used when fighting the Soul-Devouring Wolves yesterday was the Dragon Scale Repelling Sword of the Great Dragon Blossom Sect.
I had suspected then that Jang Ung might be a descendant of the Great Dragon Blossom Sect, and hearing his explanation about the Fifteen Great Families solidified that suspicion.
Jang Ung explained that the Great Dragon Blossom Sect had naturally declined because it couldn't adapt to the martial world.
His expression turned somber as he spoke of it.
However, I decided not to bring up the Great Dragon Blossom Sect to Jang Ung first.
It seemed better to feign ignorance until he chose to speak of his past himself.
Just as everyone has their own story, so too must Jang Ung.
* * *
I went with Go Un-hyo to the estate where the Grand Branch members were staying.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo had already left early for the construction site of the Martial Alliance headquarters.
For her, who had been a wanderer without a home for thirteen years, this headquarters was her very first house. It was only natural that she would want to pour her heart and soul into it.
Go Un-hyo knocked on the main gate and, while waiting for someone to answer, happened to look up at the plaque above it and let out a dry laugh.
The plaque originally had a different name, but now it had been changed to ‘Fire Dragon Grand Branch Estate.’
It meant this was the estate of the Grand Branch members led by me, the Fire Dragon Sword. They were distinguishing themselves from the Dong-ro Grand Branch.
A wooden board had been placed over the original plaque, and the name was written in thick, clumsy brushstrokes. It was crude, the calligraphy was atrocious, and it looked like it would wash away in the rain.
Go Un-hyo smiled faintly at the plaque.
“It seems the saying that there are no master calligraphers among martial artists is true.”
I flinched, feeling as if he were talking about me.
* * *
As expected, the Blood Crow Saber, Cheon Jeong-u, requested a one-on-one duel.
The Grand Branch members, including Song Ga-hyeon and Geum Cheong-san, considered Cheon Jeong-u’s request to be perfectly natural.
Each had their own reasons, but they too had challenged me and been defeated.
Except for Song Ga-hyeon and Geum Cheong-san, the other three, including Neung Yu-seong, had challenged me knowing they would lose. Such is the instinct of a martial artist to face a stronger opponent.
The Grand Branch members were wearing their newly issued Dong-ro Grand Branch uniforms, which looked quite smart.
In the spacious courtyard, Cheon Jeong-u and I faced each other from a distance of twenty feet.
Go Un-hyo stood behind me, while Song Ga-hyeon and the other Grand Branch members stood on either side.
I decided to avoid using the Supreme Ultimate Fast Arts in this duel if possible.
I didn't want to reveal them so easily, and I figured they wouldn't be necessary to deal with someone of Cheon Jeong-u's caliber.
Cheon Jeong-u, who had watched the situation unfold at the scene where I killed the Evil God of the Celestial Vault, stared at me with a considerably tense expression.
Facing me in a duel, knowing how powerful I was, must have been another source of pressure for him.
Cheon Jeong-u, with his manly features, spoke in a heavy voice.
“If I lose, I will become your subordinate.”
Song Ga-hyeon, who was always dressed as a man, corrected him.
“You’ll become a Grand Branch member of the Dong-ro Grand Branch, not the Branch Master’s subordinate.”
She chirped like a parrot, repeating the words I had said.
Song Ga-hyeon spoke to Cheon Jeong-u with casual impertinence.
“Isn’t a Grand Branch member the Branch Master’s subordinate?”
Song Ga-hyeon shrugged.
“How should I know?”
I gave Cheon Jeong-u a nod.
“Attack when you are ready.”
I knew nothing about the martial arts of the Big Dipper Saber Sect, but I would be able to grasp what they were once Cheon Jeong-u launched his attack. Even if I didn't, it wouldn't matter. One doesn't need to know their opponent's martial arts to win.
Currently, my martial arts were not active, but I trusted that my body would react when Cheon Jeong-u attacked.
I had experienced this situation so often that I had become accustomed to it, feeling no anxiety, just acceptance.
Cheon Jeong-u slowly drew the saber from his shoulder, gripped it in his right hand, extended it horizontally to his right, and then, in an instant, shot straight toward me.
*Tat!*
As he charged, he raised the saber above his head, his momentum so fierce it seemed he would split my body vertically.
His saber was a blood saber, red as blood itself. The hilt was thin, the blade gradually widened and curved slightly, and near the tip was the image of a red crow. That must be why he was called the Blood Crow Saber.
*Shhh!*
His charging speed was not fast, and he didn't unleash any saber energy or saber force as he closed the ten-foot distance.
It seemed he intended to use a basic attack, simply swinging his saber to cut his opponent at close range.
Such attacks were typically used by second-rate masters or warriors with less than sixty years of internal energy.
For Cheon Jeong-u, who I estimated had over one hundred and twenty years of internal energy, to use such an attack, he must have something up his sleeve.
However, this was merely my assessment in my inactive state.
*Fwoosh…*
In an instant, my body tensed, and my martial arts awakened. My body reacted because Cheon Jeong-u's attack was not the simple clash of weapons of a second-rate master or warrior.
‘Sharp energy!’
The moment my martial arts activated, I felt an intense and sharp energy, like a downpour, rushing from the front.
It was a sharp energy I hadn't been able to sense before my martial arts activated. And for some reason, it felt familiar.
Cheon Jeong-u was just charging with his saber raised, but preceding him was a shower of sharp energy, pressing down on me.
It felt like a premonition, the kind one gets just before a torrential downpour.
*Shwiiiiing!*
The blood-red saber, as if soaked in blood, came slashing diagonally from the left, aiming for my neck.
It was a heavy, fast, and fierce attack, as if carrying the weight of a thousand catties, but against me, it was far too straightforward and dull.
So, I prepared to use the Divine Steps of Illusory Emptiness to evade it with ease. My plan was to observe his second move.
*Keeeeeeong!*
But with a strange sound, like massive pieces of metal grinding against each other, the blood saber swept diagonally, seemingly engulfing the entire ten-foot area.
The blood saber hadn't suddenly grown larger, nor was it spewing out sword ki or sword force, yet the four-foot-long weapon was sweeping through the air as if completely blanketing a ten-foot radius.
From my perspective, there was nowhere to escape within that ten-foot space.
It was a bizarre sight, as if the energy emanating from the blood saber was launching a preliminary attack before the blade itself arrived.
The Divine Steps of Illusory Emptiness was a technique that allowed one to weave gracefully through a storm of attacks, no matter how dense.
But this attack was sweeping across the entire ten-foot area, rendering any footwork useless unless I could get outside its range.
It was similar to detonating a thunderbolt bomb at a single point to obliterate the area.
But I recognized the true nature of this saber technique and, startled, missed my chance to evade.
‘The Primordial Divine Saber!’
A moment ago, when my martial arts activated and I sensed the sharp energy, it had felt strangely familiar. It was indeed a saber art I had mastered.
The Primordial Divine Saber technique Cheon Jeong-u was using now was not one he had used when fighting the Soul-Devouring Wolves yesterday.
Also, judging by his current skill, he had not been using his full strength back then.
That was why he hadn't managed to kill a single Soul-Devouring Wolf, while Song Ga-hyeon and Geum Cheong-san had each killed one.
*Kwaaaaaa!*
A single strike of the Primordial Divine Saber completely swept a ten-foot area of both ground and air. I had to either counter and neutralize it or evade it, but with my current Divine Steps of Illusory Emptiness, it was impossible.
Even though I had mastered the Primordial Divine Saber, I couldn't find an opening within that ten-foot range. Because there were none.
Furthermore, my proficiency was likely far inferior to Cheon Jeong-u's, who must have dedicated himself to practicing nothing but the Primordial Divine Saber.
I could guess how he would execute his second attack after I either evaded or countered his first.
Therefore, rather than evading with the Heaven-Flying Divine Steps, I decided to counterattack and disrupt his initial strike.
I had resolved not to use the Supreme Ultimate Fast Arts in this duel, but to counter at such close range, the optimal martial art was the Red Mist Divine Fist of the Supreme Ultimate Fast Arts.