Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: A Terrifying Martial Prowess Revealed
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Cheol Mu-ui felt as if his body were shattering, but he gritted his teeth and unleashed his movement art.
Cheol Mu-ui was reputed to be unparalleled in the arts of movement and concealment.
So, despite his injuries, he dashed through the rugged forest like a nimble deer.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Cheol Mu-ui could sense the auras of the warriors closing in fast from behind.
He shuddered involuntarily upon sensing two particularly powerful and savage auras in the distance.
Believing the sources of those auras to be the young warrior who had cornered him and Seop Yu-heun, the Blood Demon Saber, Cheol Mu-ui summoned every last ounce of his strength.
In his current condition, he had no confidence he could defeat even one of them.
No, they were opponents he couldn't have beaten even at his peak.
Wham.
“Damn you.”
Chil-hyeol's palm strike sliced through the empty air.
Chil-hyeol was astounded by Cheol Mu-ui's incredible movement art.
“I will catch you, no matter what.”
This only strengthened Chil-hyeol's resolve.
Seop Yu-heun kept a slight distance, surveying the terrain and observing his subordinates' movements as he tracked Cheol Mu-ui.
His expression betrayed no hint of tension.
If anything, he wore a mocking smirk as he watched Chil-hyeol's frenzied obsession with their quarry.
“Ugh.”
Cheol Mu-ui hastily sealed his acupoints to staunch the bleeding from his wounds before resuming his escape.
He desperately needed to rest, but this was no time for it.
“Gah!”
Whoosh.
The Blood Demon Saber, Seop Yu-heun, descended from the air, his glare fixed on him as he blocked the path ahead.
“Surrender. It's all over.”
At the same time, Seop Yu-heun thrust out his left hand.
Cheol Mu-ui gritted his teeth and dodged, but Seop Yu-heun relentlessly pursued him, unleashing a continuous barrage of palm winds.
Injured and sluggish, Cheol Mu-ui was helpless against Seop Yu-heun, who anticipated his every move.
Boom.
“Ugh.”
Finally struck by Seop Yu-heun's palm wind, Cheol Mu-ui tumbled to the ground.
The gap in their martial prowess had been vast to begin with; injured and exhausted, Cheol Mu-ui never stood a chance.
Seop Yu-heun swiftly closed in, sealing the man's vital acupoints to prevent him from taking his own life.
“You bastard!”
Chil-hyeol, arriving a moment later, furiously launched a palm wind at Cheol Mu-ui.
“Stop.”
Seop Yu-heun stepped in front of Chil-hyeol.
“Why are you doing this?”
“He's already been subdued. Your strike would kill him. While that might satisfy you, we would lose a valuable opportunity to extract high-level intelligence on the Martial Arts Alliance. If you still wish to kill him, then go ahead.”
Seop Yu-heun finished speaking and stepped aside.
Realizing he'd been outmaneuvered by the wily old master, Chil-hyeol vented his frustration on a nearby boulder, blasting it with a palm wind.
Soon, their subordinates began to gather.
“What a tenacious bastard. How did he manage to hide and then flee in that condition?”
Seop Yu-heun examined Cheol Mu-ui's condition and couldn't help but express a grudging admiration.
Though he was an enemy, his endurance and resolve were worthy of respect.
Having regained his composure, Chil-hyeol approached him.
“We should return to the estate now.”
“Wait.”
Seop Yu-heun raised a hand, his brow furrowed as he gazed south.
Only then did Chil-hyeol also notice an unusual presence and turn his gaze to the south.
It was then.
Thwump. Thwump. Thwump.
From the south, a figure emerged, simultaneously unleashing a volley of powerful finger winds.
The projectiles were so potent that, aside from Seop Yu-heun and Chil-hyeol, all the other warriors collapsed, utterly defenseless.
In a flash, twenty warriors were down.
“You crazy bastard.”
Chil-hyeol roared in fury, drawing his sword and lunging forward.
In that same instant, the newcomer also drew a sword and executed a blindingly fast move.
Swoooosh.
A terrifyingly swift strike that tore through the air.
It was none other than the Lightning Flash.
Indeed.
The one who had just revealed himself was none other than Guyang Cheon.
Unable to withstand the fearsome Lightning Flash, Chil-hyeol was sent reeling.
Guyang Cheon followed up with a series of lethal strikes, inflicting heavy damage on Chil-hyeol.
It was Seop Yu-heun who caught him as he fell.
Whoosh.
I slowly descended from the air, surveying my surroundings with arrogance. When my eyes met Seop Yu-heun's, I broke into a wide grin.
“Blood Demon Saber. It's been a long time. Still on active duty? A man past ninety should know when to retire. This isn't ambition; it's just senility.”
“Who the hell are you?”
Seop Yu-heun, feeling the sting of the insult, scowled and barked.
The man before him had used a disguise art to alter his face, making him unrecognizable.
But from the sound of his voice, he could tell he was young.
Which only fueled his rage.
“If you didn't recognize the martial art I just used, I'm truly disappointed.”
“N-No way. No. It-It can't be. He's dead.”
Seop Yu-heun recoiled in horror.
He finally recognized the Heavenly Will Sword Art, the unique martial art of the former Martial Arts Alliance Leader, Hwa Un-ryong.
“Yes. He's dead. But he's also not dead. In any case, I'll be taking Cheol Mu-ui.”
“Don't be ridiculous! You son of a bitch.”
Having recovered his senses, Chil-hyeol charged at me once more.
Keeping my eyes fixed on Seop Yu-heun, I casually parried Chil-hyeol's attack.
Chil-hyeol may have possessed a high level of martial skill, taught personally by the Dark Cult's leader, but he was hardly a match for me.
Thud. Thud.
Unable to withstand my assault, Chil-hyeol was sent flying, plummeting like a puppet with its strings cut.
Seop Yu-heun quickly caught him.
Thanks to him, Chil-hyeol was spared the fate of crashing defenselessly to the ground and sustaining severe injuries.
“Blood Demon Saber. Do you wish to try your hand as well?”
Instead of a verbal reply, Seop Yu-heun drew his saber and cast aside its sheath.
A crimson aura began to surge from his blade, coalescing into a sharp, red energy at its tip.
I immediately raised the Ghost Shadow Sword and executed the Lightning Flash.
Swoooosh.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Seop Yu-heun masterfully blocked my successive rapid strikes.
Boom. Boom.
Seop Yu-heun gritted his teeth, blocking the ensuing Swift Explosive Kill.
Even so, the jarring impact sent a numbing sensation from his wrist up his arm, nearly causing him to drop his saber.
‘This damn sword art is as relentless as ever.’
Thwump. Thwump.
As the numbness in his arm created a slight opening, I immediately launched a Thunderous Finger Blast.
As the energy projectile, in the form of a finger wind, flew at him from close range, it pierced through Seop Yu-heun's left shoulder.
“Ugh.”
Clutching his left shoulder, he retreated.
I met his disbelieving gaze with an air of haughty confidence.
“Who are you?”
“I cannot answer that. I'll have to take one of you two—either you, Seop Yu-heun, or that young whelp—to the Martial Arts Alliance. I need to uncover who is pulling the strings.”
I spoke as casually as if I were taking a bead from my pocket, yet Seop Yu-heun and Chil-hyeol were powerless to protest.
In truth, Seop Yu-heun wasn't this weak.
He had once suffered a crushing defeat at my hands, and the residual psychological trauma caused his body to tense up instinctively at the sight of the Heavenly Will Sword Art, preventing him from fighting at his full potential.
Of course, this was only possible because my internal energy had grown to a full two cycles.
With only fifty years of internal energy, I would not have been able to overwhelm him.
The Heavenly Will Sword Art, when performed with two cycles of internal energy, was nearly as potent as when I had wielded it as Hwa Un-ryong.
Still, I needed to accumulate more internal energy for the fourth form, Storm Slash Wheel, and the fifth form, Thunderstorm Rain.
Using those techniques with only two cycles of internal energy would completely drain me, leaving me vulnerable to a fatal counterattack if my opponent managed to block them.
Another problem was that the fourth and fifth forms were less than half as powerful as when I executed them in Hwa Un-ryong's body.
“Don't bother.”
I launched a Thunderous Finger Blast at Chil-hyeol.
He had been about to flee, but the attack sent him sprawling.
I immediately rushed forward, sealed his vital acupoints, and then charged at Seop Yu-heun.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Seop Yu-heun gritted his teeth and parried my strikes.
I broke Seop Yu-heun's stance by alternating between the terrifyingly fast Lightning Flash and the explosive Swift Explosive Kill, then immediately launched a finger wind to strike his paralysis point.
As his body went rigid, I swiftly sealed his other vital points.
“Guard me.”
-Understood.
Hearing Cheong's voice, I trusted her completely, sat down on the spot, and began to meditate to regulate my energy.
My internal energy was nearly depleted after subduing Seop Yu-heun, Chil-hyeol, and their men.
Having completely opened my crown chakra when I obtained two cycles of internal energy, I was able to perform a grand circulation to quickly replenish my dantian.
The crown chakra, which had been halfway opened when I gained forty years of internal energy from the Heavenly Spirit Grass, was fully opened after I consumed the Azure Cavern Nectar.
Since then, the speed of my grand circulation had increased, as had the rate at which I accumulated internal energy with each cycle.
-An immense aura is approaching! Stop your meditation immediately. Hurry!
At Cheong's urgent telepathic message, I hastily concluded my grand circulation and opened my eyes.
My dantian was filled with about ninety years' worth of internal energy.
It was a shame, but I had no choice.
I, too, could now feel the presence Cheong had sensed.
‘He's a cut above Seop Yu-heun. I'll have to use my full strength from the very beginning. Who in the world is this?’
I felt bewildered.
Seop Yu-heun himself was a notorious grandmaster of a bygone era.
I, who had tasted the pinnacle of martial arts and knew his weaknesses intimately, had been able to subdue him with relative ease, but he was a truly exceptional warrior.
That was why I was so curious about the identity of this newcomer, who radiated an even more powerful aura.
I could only imagine the lengths the Dark Blood Heaven Cult had gone to in order to secretly amass such power.
I had a feeling this would not be an easy fight.
‘Should I flee? What a foolish notion. I may have become Guyang Cheon, but I was once Hwa Un-ryong. How could I entertain such a cowardly thought?’
I shook my head, casting the weak thought aside.
My pride wouldn't allow it.
The immense presence gradually solidified.
It was pure killing intent.
What kind of life must a man lead for his aura to reek of nothing but slaughter, even from a distance?
It was beyond my comprehension.
Whoosh.
It was a middle-aged man.
The man, who radiated a killing intent so dense it made my skin tingle, had a surprisingly plain face.
He had the kind of face you might see anywhere in a bustling city.
-Cheong. Step back. This man is dangerous.
-Understood. Please be careful.
As Cheong's presence receded, I felt a sense of relief.
Upon seeing me, he twisted his lips into a sneer and spat his words.
“You've used a disguise. Cowardly.”
“I was planning on using a human skin mask if not for this. But that aside, you are quite remarkable. To exude nothing but killing intent.”
“‘You’? Your voice suggests you're just a boy, yet you speak with such insolence.”
“Don't you think I have a right to be?”
As I unleashed my aura without restraint, he flinched and took a step back.
His expression hardened as he took in the sight of the fallen Seop Yu-heun, Chil-hyeol, and their men.
His killing intent intensified as he spoke.
“Today, you die here.”
“We won't know until we cross swords.”
I took a deep breath, raised the Ghost Soul Sword, and aimed it at him.
He, too, cast aside his scabbard and raised his sword with his left hand.
‘This is going to be tricky.’
Left-handed swordsmanship often followed bizarre and unpredictable paths.
Since nine out of ten warriors fought right-handed, one grew accustomed to their sword paths.
Thus, the trajectory of a left-handed swordsman felt foreign and tricky.
What's more, my opponent's aura surpassed even Seop Yu-heun's.
I resolved to end this fight as quickly as possible and launched the first strike.