Chapter 122
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: The Fire Dragon Sword is the Sword of Eternity
It took less than an hour to fight sixteen of the seventeen people who wanted to duel me one-on-one.
In fact, it took a full two hours just to gather them, as they were scattered all over Dong-ro Prefecture.
Dang Se-jong, the Flowing Shadow Sword, was twenty-nine years old. A rising master listed in the Divine Land's Invincible Record, he hailed from the Tang Family of Sichuan.
He lost to me in two moves and willingly became a member of the Dong-ro Branch.
Chang Bun-do, the Thunderbolt God, was thirty-eight. A master from the Record of Secluded Masters, he lasted five moves before being defeated and also wished to join the Dong-ro Branch.
Considering I had grown a level stronger than before, lasting five moves made him a truly formidable master.
And that was with the Thunderbolt God using only his fists and palms, without a weapon. Moreover, Chang Bun-do was a reclusive master whom Sang Gang-jo had failed to recruit.
However...
Claaang!
The Fire Dragon Sword and the greatsword clashed violently.
Even when I unleashed Heaven Control, the second form of the Heaven-Severing Divine Sword, infused with one hundred and fifty years of internal energy, my opponent wasn't pushed back at all. Instead, the shock transmitted through the Fire Dragon Sword made my right hand tingle.
My opponent appeared to be around thirty years old, a giant over six feet tall. The greatsword in his hand was half again as long and more than twice as wide as a normal sword. It was the size of a saber but shaped like a sword.
With thick sideburns and a short black beard, he possessed an unbelievable combination of abilities: the monstrous strength of a bear, the swift movements of a leopard, and the sharpness of a hawk.
I hadn't been pushed back by the last clash, but my opponent was also unfazed and was already attacking first again.
Vwoooom!
He took the full force of Heaven Control, infused with the sword aura of one hundred and fifty years of internal energy, without budging, and then counterattacked faster than I could.
It had been like this for the past fifteen moves.
Of course, I hadn't used any Yin Essence, Yang Essence, or the Supreme Ultimate Fast Arts. That's why we were evenly matched.
According to his documents, this man named Bal Dan-ryong came from the Heaven-Piercing Palace of the Great Desert. Since the Heaven-Piercing Palace was mentioned in the martial world's records, he had passed the initial screening.
Guoooooh!
Bal Dan-ryong's greatsword possessed monstrous strength that didn't yield to my one hundred and fifty years of energy, and it was as fast as light. Moreover, it had clashed head-on with the Fire Dragon Sword several times and remained undamaged.
Finally, on the sixteenth move, I was forced to infuse all one hundred and eighty years of my internal energy into the Fire Dragon Sword and unleash Heaven-Severing.
Even if it wasn't the Supreme Ultimate Fast Sword, I estimated that the Fire Dragon Sword, with this much power, could break his greatsword or inflict internal injuries on Bal Dan-ryong.
Shhhhk!
Executing the Phantom Divine Steps to dodge the greatsword, I launched three strikes for the first time, unleashing three streams of sword aura.
Tsssk!
Bal Dan-ryong didn't emit sword qi or sword aura; he purely attacked and defended by thrusting and slashing with his greatsword.
‘Could it be?’
As the three streams of sword aura from the Fire Dragon Sword shot toward three of Bal Dan-ryong's vital points, a thought suddenly struck me.
‘External martial arts?’
The moment I had that thought, I saw Bal Dan-ryong's wrist as he swung his greatsword to block the three streams of sword aura.
His sleeve was rolled up to his elbow, revealing a forearm as thick as my thigh. At this moment, the veins bulged so prominently they looked like snakes coiled around his arm.
If he were using internal energy, his forearm wouldn't be that thick, nor would his veins bulge like that.
It must be external martial arts.
‘What a monster!’
The thought that Bal Dan-ryong used external martial arts made me take a great liking to him.
I don't know much about external martial arts, and this is my first time fighting against one. It's a good experience.
Claaang!
Bal Dan-ryong swung his greatsword like lightning, blocking and deflecting the three streams of Heaven-Severing sword aura infused with one hundred and eighty years of internal energy.
My prediction that he would find it difficult to block or dodge this time—as Heaven-Severing was as fast as lightning even without being the Supreme Ultimate Fast Sword—was wrong.
In that instant, I unleashed the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist with my left hand, imbued with one hundred and fifty years of internal energy.
This was the best way to subdue him. This was the seventeenth move.
Whoosh!
As always, an empty-handed technique is significantly faster than one with a weapon.
Having just deflected the three streams of sword aura, Bal Dan-ryong couldn't dodge the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist in time.
Crack!
“Hngh!”
The Hundred-Pace Divine Fist struck Bal Dan-ryong squarely in the chest, and he let out a heavy groan as he was pushed back.
I didn't know if he was internally injured or how powerful his external martial arts were, but there was no way he could take a direct hit from the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist, with one hundred and fifty years of energy behind it, and not be forced back.
However, even after a direct hit, Bal Dan-ryong only retreated three steps. Incredible.
Moreover, the moment he stopped, he swung his greatsword and shot forward like a spring.
No, he was about to shoot forward but hesitated.
The Fire Dragon Sword was touching the center of his chest.
But Bal Dan-ryong ignored the Fire Dragon Sword, raised his greatsword, and advanced.
Puk!
In that instant, the tip of the Fire Dragon Sword pierced his chest about an inch deep, causing him to flinch and halt his movement.
Whether he protected his body with a protective aura or mastered the grandfather of all external martial arts, it was useless before the Fire Dragon Sword.
Bal Dan-ryong looked down at his chest with a shocked expression. He was stunned that his external martial arts had been breached.
He saw the spot on his chest, where the Fire Dragon Sword had penetrated an inch, turn red, and then looked back at me.
In this situation, any move he made would be slower than the Fire Dragon Sword piercing through his heart.
Finally, he slowly lowered his raised greatsword, bowed his head slightly, and spoke.
“I have lost.”
As I withdrew the Fire Dragon Sword, blood spurted from his chest.
“Stop the bleeding.”
“Thank you for your leniency.”
After Bal Dan-ryong treated his wound, we talked for a while.
“What kind of place is the Heaven-Piercing Palace?”
“It is the faction of our Bal clan.”
The 'Bal' in Bal Dan-ryong and the 'Bal' in Heaven-Piercing Palace were the same character.
“Then are there only people with the surname Bal in the Heaven-Piercing Palace?”
Even I thought it was an absurd question. Bal Dan-ryong smiled faintly.
“Just as the Ming Dynasty of the Zhu clan is not inhabited solely by the Zhu, the Heaven-Piercing Palace has over a thousand people from the Great Desert.”
I nodded.
“I see. Do you practice external martial arts?”
“Yes.”
Bal Dan-ryong didn't seem to be a man of many words.
“What kind of art is it?”
“The Vajra Heavenly Art.”
It was an external martial art I had never heard of. But having fought him myself, he was the strongest master I had faced so far.
“Can it be breached by sword qi?”
I had many questions for Bal Dan-ryong.
Bal Dan-ryong glanced at the Fire Dragon Sword on my shoulder.
“It has never been breached by sword qi before, but it was by that sword. Did you use sword qi earlier?”
“No. It was just a real sword.”
“That can't be! May I see it?”
He must have found it strange that the Vajra Heavenly Art, an external martial art impervious even to sword qi, was pierced by a mere sword.
I handed him the Fire Dragon Sword.
“Oh!”
Bal Dan-ryong took the Fire Dragon Sword, examined it from all angles, and let out a cry of admiration.
“Isn't this the Sword of Eternity?”
“What is that?”
Bal Dan-ryong looked puzzled.
“Wasn't this sword struck by countless lightning bolts over an eternity?”
“It was.”
It was fascinating that Bal Dan-ryong knew this.
“According to legend, there is only one Ink Divine Wood in the world, and if it is struck by tens of millions of lightning bolts over an eternity, it becomes the Sword of Eternity.”
I knew the Fire Dragon Sword possessed a mystical power, but this was the first time I had heard the legend behind it.
Moreover, I never expected to hear it from Bal Dan-ryong, who was seeing it for the first time today. He knew something the owner of the Fire Dragon Sword did not.
“I see. I call this sword the Fire Dragon Sword.”
“A fine name. This Sword of Eternity has the form of a dragon and emits lightning, so it fits well.”
Bal Dan-ryong reverently handed the Fire Dragon Sword back to me with both hands.
“The legend says that the Sword of Eternity seeks out a divine person sent from heaven and serves them as its master. You must be that divine person.”
“Is that so?”
Feeling a renewed sense of wonder, I stroked the Fire Dragon Sword.
But to be called a divine person sent from heaven... it was a bit embarrassing.
* * *
Knowing I was at the Dong-ro Branch, Ja-un brought a generous lunch over.
I had the lunch set up in the lounge of the First Light Hall, the largest building in the Dong-ro Branch.
I planned to tell the people of the Dong-ro Branch about the current situation.
Food was laid out on several tables. Jang Ung and Go Un-hyo stood behind me, while Do Hyeon-tak, Mak Pyo, An Do-pil, and the other original members of the Dong-ro Branch were seated around.
Before we began to eat, I spoke.
“There is something you all should know.”
I never joke, and when I speak, it is always about something crucial and decisive, so everyone tensed up.
“From now on, the Martial Alliance will no longer exist.”
My words were like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
Ignoring the gasps of 'Ah!' and 'What?' from all around, I continued.
“From now on, the Dong-ro Branch is the Martial Alliance.”
An even greater shock and outcry erupted. This was no mere thunderbolt; it was earth-shattering.
“Grand Branch Master! What do you mean by that?”
“Is the Martial Alliance gone?”
“We don't understand what you're saying!”
Everyone, bewildered, shouted their questions.
I didn't explain in detail.
“This is the decision of the Alliance Lord, the Grand Elders, and the Ten Great Elders.”
“Ah!”
“Then what will happen to them?”
“Is the Alliance Headquarters being disbanded?”
I nodded.
“The Alliance Headquarters will be gone, and the Dong-ro Branch will take its place.”
Do Hyeon-tak stood up, his expression complicated.
“I don't understand what you mean. Please explain in detail.”
“It's exactly as I said. The Dong-ro Branch will become the new Alliance Headquarters.”
“What is that being built near the Dong-ro Port?”
At Do Hyeon-tak's question, everyone stared at me, their faces filled with curiosity.
It seemed they had all been wondering about it.
I intended to be honest with them about the current situation.
I felt it was the least I could do for these people, the first ones I connected with after being trapped in the Yin Essence Abyss of Gwalchang Mountain for ten years and then drifting down the Qiantang River.
“The Dong-ro Branch will be established there.”
Hearing gasps from all around, I continued.
“Once it is complete, the Alliance Lord, her close aides, and their subordinate organizations will move in.”
“Ah!”
They had no idea that Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and her aides were already in Dong-ro Prefecture.
Everyone stood up in shock, and Yeon Cheong, who had a pretty, girl-like face, exclaimed.
“Then it's just the name of the Martial Alliance changing to the Dong-ro Branch, isn't it?”
“That's about right.”
The straightforward Deung Bo chimed in.
“Is this an attempt to hide the Martial Alliance's presence in Dong-ro Prefecture from the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union and the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path?”
Once the conversation reached this point, it wasn't just the straightforward Deung Bo; everyone could guess what was happening.
“Exactly.”
They would surely feel strongly that the Martial Alliance was hiding in the shadow of the achievements I, their Grand Branch Master, had accomplished, but since that was the reality, I saw no need to make excuses.
Do Hyeon-tak spoke in a subdued voice.
“Grand Branch Master, is it possible that the Alliance Lord is in Dong-ro Prefecture?”
In truth, no one else had thought that far, but the experienced Do Hyeon-tak, as befitting his position as the Hangzhou Regional Master, was a step ahead.
I nodded.
“That's right. The Alliance Lord and her aides are all in Dong-ro Prefecture.”
“Did you bring the Alliance Lord and her aides here, Grand Branch Master?”
“I did.”