Chapter 118
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: The Reappearance of the Rainbow Zenith, the Supreme Ultimate Fast Sword!
‘But how come I’m fine?’
Then it struck me as odd that I was the only one not poisoned, but I soon realized why.
It was because I was wearing the Peerless Phoenix Jade Pendant around my neck. According to So Yang-gun, wearing the Peerless Phoenix Jade Pendant and the Peerless Emperor Jade Pendant would grant immunity to fire, water, and demonic poisons.
To think that the Peerless Phoenix Jade Pendant, a token of an unwanted, forced engagement, had protected me from the poison—it was a strange irony indeed.
‘Perhaps!’
I immediately took off the Peerless Phoenix Jade Pendant and placed the round part halfway into Go Un-hyo's mouth.
I reasoned that if the pendant could ward off poison, it might also be able to neutralize it.
Next, wondering if I could do something with my internal energy, I grabbed Go Un-hyo's wrist, then let go.
I might accidentally interfere with what the pendant was doing.
I watched Go Un-hyo intently, my anxiety mounting.
If the pendant had no effect on him, I'd be in serious trouble.
I would have to single-handedly treat the poison afflicting Go Un-hyo and the others, all while trying to sail the Bi-ryong-ho back to Dong-ro Prefecture.
But a far greater problem was that Go Un-hyo and the crew of the Bi-ryong-ho would have to suffer from the poison, and in the worst-case scenario, some of them might even die.
From outside, I could hear the sound of intruders trying to break down the door to the cabin.
They must be the ones who released the poison. They're breaking in, assuming everyone has been incapacitated.
‘Those bastards!’
My killing intent surged uncontrollably. No matter who they were, I wouldn't let a single one leave alive. This was the first time I had ever felt such a boiling rage to kill.
After about ten breaths, the severe swelling on Go Un-hyo's face began to subside, and at the same time, the dark, purplish hue started to fade.
To my immense relief, the Peerless Phoenix Jade Pendant also had the ability to detoxify.
I felt as if a ten-thousand-pound boulder had been lifted from my chest.
A black liquid was oozing out from the pores on Go Un-hyo's face and hands.
A sticky liquid also soaked his clothes. He was clearly being detoxified.
“Ugh….”
Then, Go Un-hyo groaned and struggled to open his eyes.
“Un-hyo!”
I cried out, overcome with joy.
“Brother….”
Go Un-hyo, his eyes half-open and crusty, stared at me blankly, his face looking as if he were in a dream.
Just then, I heard a loud crack as the door at the end of the hallway leading outside was torn open.
I spoke quickly.
“Un-hyo, you were poisoned. Take the Peerless Phoenix Jade Pendant in your mouth and put it in the mouths of Ja-un and the rest of the crew, one by one. That will cure them. Understand?”
“Yes….”
Go Un-hyo still didn't seem to be fully conscious.
Without waiting for his reply, I rushed out of the cabin and dashed toward the entrance.
The door leading outside had been completely ripped off, and three men in black, their faces masked, were storming in.
I shot forward, unleashing the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist at the three men with both hands.
“You bastards!”
*Fwoosh!*
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
“Kuaargh!”
“Gaaah!”
The three masked men, struck by the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist, were sent flying back out the entrance like arrows.
I shot out after them.
Outside the entrance, about thirty more masked men were already gathered, waiting to get in.
Furthermore, a dozen or so willow-leaf boats and medium-sized ships were clustered tightly around the Bi-ryong-ho, and more masked men were continuously climbing aboard.
The three masked men who had been blasted outside died the instant the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist hit them, their bodies flying far into the air before disappearing from sight.
Drawing the Fire Dragon Sword, I began to indiscriminately slaughter the masked men.
*Kiiiiing!*
There was no need for sword forms or techniques. I simply killed every enemy in sight.
And yet, I naturally executed the Eighteen Stances of Light-Splitting Swordplay, the Taegeuk Hyegeom, the Thirteen Lightning Strikes of the Namgung Family, and even the Soul-Severing Star Sword Style of the Demonic Path, adapting to the situation.
Using poison, a taboo in the martial world—what despicable cowards. A slight misstep, and good people like Go Un-hyo and Ja-un could have died.
After twenty of their number suddenly fell, the enemies retreated in a rush before launching a counterattack.
The enemies used swords, and while their swordplay seemed to be of the same style, they each executed it differently.
It was the same sword art, yet they all ignored the forms and variations, each man viciously aiming only for vital points—a true killing sword.
To me, however, all their attacks looked the same—utterly ordinary.
Because to them, I was an absolute powerhouse. It was like dozens of jackals pouncing on a tiger.
Whether the jackals bared their teeth or clawed with their talons, they would all end up mauled to death by the tiger.
There was only one thing I had to be careful about: killing the enemies without damaging the Bi-ryong-ho.
But while I was fighting—no, while I was unilaterally slaughtering them—I realized something.
‘Their target is me!’
Even though the cabin entrance below deck was open, none of the masked men were going inside; they were all attacking only me.
That meant they were assassins. And the only assassins trying to kill me were from the Bukmyeongbu.
The Bukmyeongbu had never felt like a real threat and hadn't given me the slightest sense of tension, but they were persistent bastards.
In less than half a quarter-hour, all thirty-odd enemies aboard the Bi-ryong-ho were dead. Every one of them had been struck in a vital spot and killed instantly.
The enemies on the willow-leaf boats and medium-sized ships who hadn't yet boarded the Bi-ryong-ho hastily retreated.
But I had no intention of letting a single one of them live.
*Swish!*
As I leaped toward the nearest of the dozen ships, a sudden volley of arrows rained down.
*Thwaaack!*
Hundreds of arrows were fired simultaneously from the dozen or so ships.
*Swhoooosh!*
The arrows covered the night sky like a roof.
‘Hmph! With mere arrows!’
My anger flared even hotter. I protected myself with my defensive aura and, with the Fire Dragon Sword, unleashed the Azure Wall Thunder while projecting Yang Essence.
*Flash! Kra-koom!*
The terrifying Azure Wall Thunder erupted, instantly splitting a boat in two and engulfing it in flames. The masked men were sent flying amidst screams of agony.
All the arrows were deflected by my defensive aura.
I flew from ship to ship, relentlessly unleashing the Azure Wall Thunder and Yang Essence upon the others.
*Flash! Kra-ka-koom!*
The furious Yang Essence from my Fire Dragon Sword, accompanied by lightning and thunder, indiscriminately shattered and burned the boats.
All dozen ships were engulfed in flames, creating a scene like hell itself.
*Fwoooosh! Kraaack!*
Some of the dozen ships sank, while others burned fiercely. More than fifty masked men fell into the water.
But instead of swimming toward the nearby riverbank, they were heading for the center of the river.
‘Hmph! So the leader is over there.’
I spotted a large vessel floating about twenty zhang away in the center of the river and immediately flew toward it.
The vessel, five or six times the size of the Bi-ryong-ho, was lurking in the darkness with no lights on.
If the masked men in the water hadn't been swimming toward it, I might not have noticed.
However, they must have spotted me approaching, as dozens of arrows were suddenly fired from the large ship. But such an attack was meaningless against me.
*Swhoooooosh!*
These guys are definitely from the Bukmyeongbu. To have come in such numbers, they must be determined to kill me here, a fight to the death.
I decided not to burn the large ship. If they brought this many assassins, the leader of the Bukmyeongbu must be here as well. I would subdue him and put an end to this once and for all.
*P-p-p-p-pak!*
The arrows raining down like a shower were all deflected by my defensive aura like straws. I plunged toward the ship, unleashing the Dragon Scale Scattering Sword with one hundred and twenty years' worth of internal energy.
*Kwa-deu-deu-deung!*
The Dragon Scale Scattering Sword was perfect for dealing with a large number of enemies who weren't particularly strong.
Twenty-odd fragments of sword aura, shaped like dragon scales, rained down at a terrifying speed, piercing through the enemies as if seeking them out.
*Th-th-th-th-thwack!*
As I descended, about thirty enemies on the ship shot up to meet me, unleashing a barrage of attacks.
*Kwa-wooo!*
It was the same sword art again, yet each attacked differently. Even a supreme master would struggle to withstand such a fierce assault.
Thirty men attacked as if wielding thirty different sword arts, aiming for vital points without a single strike overlapping.
If I were the person I was when I first arrived at the Dong-ro Branch, I would have found this difficult to handle.
But now, I possessed one hundred and eighty years of energy in my Sea of Qi Dantian, and forty years of Yang Essence in my Sea of Qi Gate, for a staggering total of two hundred and twenty years' worth of power.
This time, the Fire Dragon Sword unleashed the fourth form and its sixteen variations of the Soul-Severing Star Sword Style, flashing with a crimson, blood-colored light.
Just because Nu Jin-sang, the Sword Demon Union Lord of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Zhejiang branch, and his female disciple Pan Ha-rin used the Soul-Severing Star Sword Style, it couldn't exactly be called a demonic sword art.
When I mastered and used the Soul-Severing Star Sword Style, it became my sword art.
*Chwa-chwa-chwa-at!*
A series of sounds like slicing through water or tough grass erupted, and the enemies' pitiful screams echoed through the night sky.
Just then, from behind the leaping masked men, three figures shot up even higher than me.
While dealing with the enemies, I glanced up and was slightly surprised.
The assault from the three masked men plunging vertically toward me was distinctly different from the others.
Compared to the other masked men, two of them were about half again as strong, and one was more than twice as strong.
I judged them to be the leaders and shot up to meet them, unleashing the sword aura of the Heaven-Severing Divine Sword's second form, Heaven's Equal, with one hundred and fifty years of internal energy.
*Tssssst!*
With sword aura, there was no need to aim for openings in the opponent's technique; a direct confrontation would suffice, as it would break through and neutralize their attack.
*Kwachang!*
“Kuaargh!”
Two of the three streams of sword aura shattered the swords of two men and pierced through their torsos.
But the third man seemed to evade the sword aura, suddenly dropping down only to reappear at my left flank, attacking like a blurry shadow.
He dodged the sword aura of Heaven's Equal. My prediction was wrong. The one I thought was the leader wasn't just twice as strong as the others—he was three times stronger.
If these masked men were indeed from the Bukmyeongbu as I suspected, then this man had to be its leader.
However, this person I presumed to be the leader of the Bukmyeongbu was dressed identically to the other masked men. Only his martial arts were three times stronger.
No, there was one difference. Embedded in his mask, between his eyebrows, was a black bead the size of a pinky nail. I would later learn it was a black pearl.
I spun to the left, toward the man, and executed the final, eighteenth form of the Eighteen Stances of Light-Splitting Swordplay, the Light-Splitting Azure Wall.
*Sararang…*
No, just as I was about to unleash the Light-Splitting Azure Wall, I heard a very peculiar sound from above my head.
‘This is...?’
I felt a shock as if I'd been struck on the back of the head.
That *sararang* sound just now was strikingly similar to the sword cry produced by the Rainbow Zenith, wielded by one of the Five Demonic Emperors of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union, whom I fought when I rescued Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's party in the East Sea.
Back then, I couldn't counter the Rainbow Zenith and ended up getting cut on both shoulders and my calf while fumbling about. The wounds weren't deep, but my pride was deeply scarred.
But for the person I presumed to be the leader of the Bukmyeongbu to suddenly produce the sword cry of the Rainbow Zenith—it was confusing.
Moreover, I thought he was attacking from my left, but he was now above my head, striking with the Rainbow Zenith.
I was mistaken. The leader of the Bukmyeongbu wasn't just three times stronger than the others; he could also execute the Supreme Ultimate Fast Sword, Rainbow Zenith, and possessed incredible movement skills.