Chapter 115: Divine Thief (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115: Divine Thief (3)
On the day the Divine Thief had forewarned of his visit.
It was a pitch-black night, the moon and stars hidden beneath an exceptionally thick blanket of clouds.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sudden, resounding toll of an alarm bell shattered the quiet night.
Namgung Jun and Heo Il, who were standing guard at the entrance of the Supreme Harmony Palace, immediately turned their heads.
The sound, infused with Internal Energy, seemed to be coming from the direction of the Sword Unbinding Pavilion.
"Do you think it's the Divine Thief?"
"It's hard to say. If it were truly the Divine Thief, he wouldn't have been discovered so easily."
Namgung Jun cast his senses out, extending his perception toward the Sword Unbinding Pavilion. Although a considerable distance separated them, it was possible thanks to his cultivation having reached the absolute peak of the Peak Stage, which greatly expanded the range and precision of his senses.
His perception gradually expanded until it finally reached the Sword Unbinding Pavilion. As he slowly focused his awareness, Namgung Jun's lips tightened into a thin line.
He briefly registered the familiar presences of the Heavenly Sword Hall and the Wudang Sect disciples, but just beyond them, a swarm of unpleasant auras began to multiply like insects. The countless presences his senses detected were chaotic. They swirled endlessly, grouping together only to scatter again—the clear sign of a fierce battle.
"I sense a significant amount of Demonic Qi. It's a night raid by the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult."
"We can't rule out the possibility that the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult got wind of the warning letter, or that they joined forces with the Divine Thief from the start," Heo Il replied, taking a sip of alcohol from his gourd as if preparing for the impending battle.
The Divine Thief was undeniably a figure of the Demonic and Heretical Paths. He wouldn't hesitate to join forces with the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult or the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers if the need arose. Sometimes he reached out first; other times, those factions commissioned him or sought his unique skills.
What if the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult intentionally used the Divine Thief to draw away the Wudang Sect's main forces?
With this hypothesis in mind, Namgung Jun glanced toward the Sword Unbinding Pavilion again. Though it was hard to be precise relying solely on his senses, it seemed the Heavenly Sword Hall was firmly holding the line for now.
"Since no request for reinforcements has come from the Sword Unbinding Pavilion, let's hold our ground."
"Indeed. Moving hastily would only leave us vulnerable to the Divine Thief."
Namgung Jun reassessed the Wudang Sect's current deployment. Lee Se-ha, along with three Heavenly Sword Hall members skilled in the Lightness Movement Art, was reinforcing the guard at the True Martial Pavilion. The rest of the Heavenly Sword Hall was stationed at the Sword Unbinding Pavilion. This was to guard the True Martial Pavilion—the Divine Thief's most likely target—while also fulfilling their duty to protect the main sect headquarters as Wudang had requested.
And Senior Heo and I are holding down the Supreme Harmony Palace.
This was why Namgung Jun, not taking Heo Il's words lightly, had made a separate request to Lee Se-ha. As a result, the two of them were stationed here instead of at the True Martial Pavilion or the Sword Unbinding Pavilion.
Whatever the hidden circumstances, Mount Wudang has been thrown into chaos. The Divine Thief will make his move soon.
Namgung Jun turned to look toward the True Martial Pavilion. It remained quiet, as if nothing had happened. Since Lee Se-ha had promised to send a signal the moment the Divine Thief appeared, it was certain that all was still well there.
Thump! Thump!
Just then, the sound of urgent footsteps echoed from within the Supreme Harmony Palace. Turning, they saw a second-generation disciple running out. Though they didn't know his Daoist name, he was the disciple who attended to the injured Hyeonmang, whose arms were disabled. He was also the one who had brought dinner to Namgung Jun and Heo Il, who couldn't leave their post.
"What is it?" Namgung Jun asked.
The second-generation disciple panted, "Martial Uncle Hyeonmang ordered me to check on the situation at the Sword Unbinding Pavilion! I leave this place in your hands, young heroes."
"Do not worry."
The moment the disciple hurriedly brushed past them, Namgung Jun felt a sudden sense of dissonance. He couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, but his honed instincts as a martial artist stirred.
Hmm?
It wasn't the first time he had experienced this. As a martial artist's realm elevated, their instincts grew sharper, often piercing through to the truth of a matter. The intuition of a peerless expert who communed directly with Natural Qi, in particular, often bordered on precognition. In this way, a warrior's instincts would sometimes warn them of danger without any prior notice.
Could it be?
Namgung Jun did not ignore the sudden warning. Even in his past life, he had relied on his intuition to navigate countless crises.
"Wait...!"
Just as Namgung Jun spun around to stop the disciple—
Whoosh!
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
Reflected in Namgung Jun's eyes, which flickered with blue lightning, was the back of Heo Il, who had already lunged forward. Sliding his left foot across the stone floor to close the distance, Heo Il thrust his sword toward the disciple's back.
Though startled by Heo Il’s sudden move, Namgung Jun’s hand instinctively went to his hilt. He had no intention of stopping him; he trusted that there must be a clear reason for attacking a Wudang disciple.
Just before Heo Il's sword could slash the disciple's neck—
Clang!
The disciple’s figure blurred like smoke. Heo Il was thrown back, his shoulders jolting violently. Evading the sword with a bizarre twist of his body, the disciple had even swung his hand in a counterattack.
Namgung Jun, who was stepping forward while drawing the Eternal Righteous Sword, widened his eyes.
That movement!
He couldn't identify the exact martial art, but one thing was certain: it was absolutely not a movement art of the Wudang Sect.
Whoosh!
The disciple didn't stop at a simple counterattack. Catching up to the repelled Heo Il, he thrust out his right hand, which was wreathed in a faint Qi Wave. His movements and his strike were both incredibly swift, as if his Internal Energy responded instantly to his thoughts.
He's fast.
The moment Namgung Jun saw the disciple move, he threw himself forward, but he was significantly outmatched in instantaneous speed. Left with no choice, he unleashed the sword wind of the Heavenly Wind Sword Technique to force the man back.
Rumble!
The gale of sword wind tore past, carving a long furrow into the stone floor. Easily stepping back to evade it, the disciple glanced at Namgung Jun before staring blankly at Heo Il once more.
"You wouldn't have suddenly gone mad and attacked a Wudang disciple... Could you have realized my identity? No, that's impossible."
Coughing up a mouthful of dark blood, Heo Il straightened his bent back. His face, now revealed, wore a heavily distorted smile.
"Indeed. It's truly remarkable. Your Disguise Art and bone-shrinking technique certainly live up to their reputation, and your imitation of the Wudang Sect's movements was flawless. Your impersonation of a second-generation disciple was perfect."
"I know that much. Not a single soul in the Wudang Sect noticed me. So how did a mere whelp like you find out?" the disciple asked with genuine curiosity.
Heo Il burst into laughter. "It seems the trace you left on me was too deep. Or perhaps I should call it terror. The moment I saw you, I found it hard to breathe. I wanted to flee this place immediately—even though you aren't wearing your true face."
"What?"
"Master. Why couldn't you have been just a little kinder? If the terror and scars you engraved upon my mind and body were even slightly fainter, I wouldn't have recognized you."
Heo Il slowly raised his right arm, which held his sword. His scar-ridden arm trembled so violently it was clearly visible. Even the sword in his hand shook.
"After being tortured for years under the guise of your 'teachings,' I suppose I've been conditioned like a beaten dog. My body reacts to your mere approach, screaming at me to run away."
Though Heo Il spat out the words as if venting, his voice remained eerily calm.
Senior Heo.
It pained Namgung Jun to hear that flat, emotionless tone. It didn't sound calm; it sounded utterly exhausted and terrified.
"You... Those scars on your hand." The expression of the Divine Thief, disguised as the disciple, gradually brightened. He looked as gleeful as if he had found a long-lost toy. "Ah, you're one of the disciples stolen by the Azure Heaven Association. Yes, Heo Il! Since Hong Jun was left-handed, I mostly tormented his left hand."
"To think you distinguish your disciples like that without even recognizing their faces."
Even as Heo Il's face hardened, the Divine Thief continued talking. "Still, I am curious. How did you know my target was the Supreme Harmony Palace and wait for me here?"
"You have always sought to steal the absolute best," Heo Il said with absolute certainty. "The secret manuals of the Cloud-Ladder Steps and Chasing Cloud Red Star, which the Wudang Sect anticipated you targeting, are not the best."
"The sacred relic containing Zhang Sanfeng's final martial insight, the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip. Is that not your true target?"
A smile slowly spread across the Divine Thief's face. "A half-correct answer, but a sharp guess nonetheless. I suppose you are my disciple after all. It seems you didn't just learn martial arts and miraculous techniques by my side."
Hearing the Divine Thief's familiar habit of calling parlor tricks "miraculous techniques," Heo Il was once again reminded that the man before him was indeed his former master.
Meanwhile, the second-generation disciple's face began to writhe. He was undoing his Disguise Art and bone-shrinking technique.
Crack!
Before a single breath could pass, the Wudang disciple vanished. In his place stood a scrawny old man with his hands clasped behind his back. From eyes hidden within wrinkles as deep as the bark of an ancient tree, a profound greed seeped out. He looked like a covetous merchant who had grown old without ever knowing satisfaction.
Had the Divine Thief also been tortured by his own master? His right arm was covered in scars, though they had faded with time. Combined with his wrinkles, it was a truly grotesque sight.
This was the true appearance of the Divine Thief.
His eyes, gleaming with insatiable greed, locked onto Heo Il. It was not the gaze of a master looking at a disciple reunited after a long time.
"Since we've crossed paths, this is for the best. I shall kill you before I leave. I am finally reclaiming one of the lives stolen from me by the Azure Heaven Association."
The moment the Divine Thief's arm blurred, the Eternal Righteous Sword, enveloped in lightning, descended toward his lower body. Four consecutive strikes lunged at his legs, but the Divine Thief lightly evaded them, his feet moving as if he were walking on air.
"You've been an eyesore for a while now. Seeing that blue Thunder Qi, you must be the Azure Star Sword?" Glaring at Namgung Jun, the Divine Thief chuckled and clicked his tongue. "In any case, there is no one on Mount Wudang right now who can capture me. Even that girl, the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden, doesn't specialize in the sword, does she?"
The gray Qi Wave gathering in the Divine Thief's hands gradually intensified. Though it looked no different to the naked eye, Namgung Jun did not miss it.
Unlike what is visible, the density of the Qi Wave has become incredibly thick.
Had he not sharpened his senses, he would have assumed the Qi Wave flowing from the Divine Thief's hands was no different than before. It seemed to be a technique designed for stealth, to catch an opponent off guard. If one judged the power of his strike solely by the size and color of his Qi Wave, they would likely suffer a devastating defeat.
The Divine Thief. His mastery of Hand Arts must also be formidable, though it's overshadowed by his exceptionally high level in parlor tricks and the Lightness Movement Art.
As Namgung Jun cautiously raised his sword to a mid-level guard, the Divine Thief took a leisurely step forward.
"Come to think of it, the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden also lent a hand in the extermination of the Bihyeong Sect. I should steal your head and throw it to her."
Before he knew it, the Divine Thief had closed the distance and was reaching for Namgung Jun's neck.