Chapter 119: Vast Sky Boundless (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 119: Vast Sky Boundless (1)
The Sadun Plain stretched across the west of Jun County in Hubei Province.
Low hills jutted out from the vast expanse, and a flag was planted at the peak of every one, no matter how small. The colors and shapes of the flags varied, marking the positions of their respective forces: the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult and the Wudang Sect.
Rumble! Boom!
The hills shook violently as waves of energy exploded in every direction. The flags whipped back and forth, threatening to be torn from the ground at any moment.
"Push forward! We must hold this ground at all costs!"
"Disciples of the Sahaeng Sword Sect! Raise your swords high!"
Amid the deafening roars and the clash of steel, ordinary voices were easily drowned out. Even so, shouts infused with internal energy, meant to bolster morale, cut through the din.
The Sadun Plain was originally a popular travel route, offering the fastest way to cross from Hubei Province into Shaanxi Province. Where countless footprints and wheel ruts once marked the ground, there was now only a mire of blood, discarded weapons, and corpses.
The Sadun Plain had become the stage for a massive sect war. What began as sporadic skirmishes centered around the Wudang Lay Sect in northwestern Hubei had gradually escalated into this decisive, all-out battle.
Claaang!
High in the sky, the Sun-Exhaustion Demon King and Geom-jin clashed. Brilliant starlight flared from their exchange, defying the broad daylight. Far below, countless martial artists were entangled in a bloody melee, reaping heads and spilling blood.
The sect war unfolding on the Sadun Plain was of a scale rarely seen in the Jianghu. Consequently, supreme experts, figures who seldom appeared in the martial world, seemed to be everywhere on the battlefield.
The Wudang Seven Swords of the Wudang Sect.
The Bright Mirror Masters of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult, and the leaders of their subordinate forces.
The supreme experts on both sides clashed, focusing on suppressing and slaying their counterparts. They knew all too well that on such a chaotic battlefield, a single unchecked master could have an astronomical influence on the tide of battle.
"Primordial Heavenly Venerable!"
Daoist Master Hyeon-mo, the Army-Shattering Sword Disciple of the Wudang Seven Swords, urgently chanted a Daoist invocation. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he deflected three swords that rushed him from the front.
He was being assaulted by the Tenth Mirror Master and two Bright Order Ranks in a coordinated attack. The two Bright Order Ranks, trusted subordinates of the Mirror Master, were also experts at the absolute pinnacle of the Peak Realm.
It's hard to shake them off. I didn't expect two Bright Order Ranks to suddenly join the fray.
If not for his mastery of the Wudang Sect's arts—which excelled in defensive, protracted battles—he would have fallen long ago.
Even so, he was slowly reaching his limit.
Slash!
The Tenth Mirror Master's sword grazed his shoulder, but Hyeon-mo didn't even blink. He thrust his Pine-Patterned Ancient Sword forward. It was a classic trade—sacrificing flesh to break bone—but the two Bright Order Ranks flanking the Tenth Mirror Master were not about to let that happen.
Clang!
They crossed their swords simultaneously, blocking Hyeon-mo's thrust. As the two Bright Order Ranks retreated, the Tenth Mirror Master lunged forward again, pressing his relentless assault. It had been like this the entire time. The Tenth Mirror Master left all defense to his subordinates, focusing solely on cutting Hyeon-mo down.
It was then.
"Daoist Master Hyeon-mo. I'm coming."
Behind him, a blue-tinted sword light writhed like a bolt of lightning. It twisted so menacingly it seemed poised to pierce straight through his back.
Hyeon-mo didn't react to the strike from behind, keeping his eyes fixed forward. Even as he angled his sword to block a Bright Order Rank's claw technique, he waved his left hand, drawing a palm-sized circle in the air.
The Wudang Cotton Palm.
Just as a soft, yielding Palm Force erupted from Hyeon-mo's palm, the blue sword strike whipped past his neck and slammed into the two Bright Order Ranks.
Boom!
The Wudang Cotton Palm and the lightning-fast sword strike had been unleashed almost simultaneously.
"Ugh!"
"...!"
The two Bright Order Ranks managed to react, but they couldn't block both techniques. They were blown backward, rolling on the ground as they coughed up fountains of blood. Though not killed in a single blow, they had suffered significant internal injuries, shattering the seamlessness of their coordinated attacks.
"You bastards!"
Even as his subordinates were thrown back, the Tenth Mirror Master quickly reassessed the situation and lunged for the exhausted Daoist Master Hyeon-mo's neck.
Clang!
Closing the distance just in time, Lee Se-ha deflected the Tenth Mirror Master's sword and asked in a low voice, "Daoist Master Hyeon-mo. Are you alright?"
"Thanks to you, I've caught my breath."
There was no bravado in Hyeon-mo's words. The brief respite she had bought him was all he needed for his breathing to completely stabilize. Indeed, they were worthy of the Wudang Sect's reputation, hailed as the best under heaven when it came to defense and prolonged warfare. Even to an expert of her caliber, the endurance of the Wudang disciples was astonishing. Just when they seemed exhausted, they would suddenly regain their composure and skill.
It was thanks to the unique nature of Wudang's martial arts that they could hold out like this, despite being vastly outnumbered by the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult.
"Shall I help you?" Lee Se-ha asked, glancing at the two Bright Order Ranks. Despite their faces being dark from their injuries, they were already catching their breath and repositioning themselves around the Tenth Mirror Master.
Hyeon-mo shook his head. "Help Senior Brother Hyeon-pung. His situation is more urgent!"
Lee Se-ha looked where he pointed. Daoist Master Hyeon-pung, the Ravenous-Wolf Sword Disciple and leader of the Wudang Seven Swords, was facing two supreme experts at once. Even their combined assault could not pierce Hyeon-pung's solid defense.
But that was all. He was merely blocking their attacks, with no room to launch a counteroffensive. Though his defense was flawless for now, there was no telling when it might be breached. It was only right for a free supreme expert like herself to assist him.
Whoosh!
After checking on Hyeon-pung, Lee Se-ha expanded her senses to read the state of the entire battlefield.
A chaotic melee, and we are at a disadvantage.
The tide of battle was unfavorable. Although the Heavenly Sword Hall had joined the fray, they had only managed to slightly slow the tilting scales. The Heavenly Sword Hall was a formidable force, but the martial might of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult was equally so. Their arrival had done little more than narrow the massive gap that had existed from the start.
If only Jun were here, he would have been a great help.
The thought of Namgung Jun made Lee Se-ha's sword waver. When she received the report a few days ago that he had fallen off a cliff with the Divine Thief, the world had seemed to tilt on its axis. Upon regaining her composure, she had immediately led the Heavenly Sword Hall to search Mount Wudang, but she couldn't continue. The requests for reinforcement from the front lines were too urgent to ignore.
After all, the Heavenly Sword Hall's original mission was to support the Wudang Sect.
In the end, she had to leave the search to the Wudang Sect and lead the Heavenly Sword Hall to the Sadun Plain. She was Namgung Jun's master, but she was also the Heavenly Sword Hall Master of the Azure Heaven Association. She could not turn her back on her duty. This was the most she could do.
Lee Se-ha refused to believe that anything had happened to Namgung Jun. He was not a disciple who would perish from merely falling off a cliff. The other members of the Heavenly Sword Hall fought with that same belief.
Her greatest desire was to end this battle quickly and return to Mount Wudang.
My disciple.
Just as Lee Se-ha took a step forward, her mind on Namgung Jun, a voice cut in.
"Black Cloud Wandering Maiden. It has been a long time. Is this our first meeting since the battle of Jonghyeon Valley?"
A middle-aged man blocked her path as she cut down demonic practitioners on her way to Hyeon-pung.
It was the Ninth Mirror Master of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult.
"Heavenly Sword Hall Master. Your eyes, which were always so cold and composed, are wavering. How rare. What has troubled you so?"
"You have no need to know," Lee Se-ha replied, immediately turning to clash with the Ninth Mirror Master.
*
The Heavenly Sword Hall was operating in separate squads. The battlefield was so vast that it was nearly impossible for a single martial force, even with a sword formation, to change the overall tide of battle. A few forces in the Jianghu were capable of such a feat, but unfortunately, the Heavenly Sword Hall was not one of them.
Therefore, they dispersed into squads, moving to support areas that were struggling. The battlefield was filled not only with Wudang disciples but also with countless members of the Wudang Lay Sect. Since no place was safe, many areas were in dire need of the Heavenly Sword Hall's aid.
Clash!
Gong Jun-am's greatsword blocked a flurry of saber strikes aimed at the Wudang Lay Sect disciples. At the same time, Heo Il, who had been hiding behind Gong Jun-am's massive frame, lunged forward with a swift sword strike.
"Ugh!"
"Damn it!"
As Heo Il seized control of the exchange, Man Ye-won and Yu Geun-su, who had been waiting for their cue, joined in and cut down the demonic practitioners one by one. Moving as one, the four of them traversed the battlefield as a single squad.
"We're running ourselves ragged, but it feels like we're not making a dent," Heo Il remarked.
"A battlefield is a massive beast," Gong Jun-am added. "Sometimes, no matter how hard you fight, it barely notices."
"Save your breath for fighting, not talking," Yu Geun-su whispered, looking around. "It feels like we're slowly being pushed back."
*
Having just arrived at the Sadun Plain, Namgung Jun took in the state of the battle at a glance. He calmed his breathing, which had grown heated from using his lightness skill without rest.
It doesn't look good.
Even with the Heavenly Sword Hall's aid, they were clearly at a disadvantage.
There were two peerless experts on this battlefield and several supreme experts beneath them. Although a supreme expert who had achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Crown could exert immense influence in a sect war, their impact was diluted on a battlefield of this scale.
However, the battlefield has reached a stalemate.
In a situation like this, a single supreme expert had a high probability of tipping the scales.
"In that case..."
Alone, he was not enough. He would have to borrow the strength of his allies.
Namgung Jun scanned the battlefield as thoroughly as possible. He saw the members of the Heavenly Sword Hall scattered here and there. Deep within the enemy lines, he also spotted his master locked in combat.
Before long, a path connecting them all appeared in his mind's eye, shining like a constellation.
Or more accurately, a sword path.
A massive sword path, capable of piercing through the entire battlefield, unfolded before him. If the Heavenly Sword Hall became a single sword and pierced through this path...
There was a solid chance of victory.
Namgung Jun resolved to become the tip of that sword himself and unite the Heavenly Sword Hall to form its blade.
"I must show an overwhelming, world-shaking power—swiftly and with devastating force."
Namgung Jun felt that the five sword techniques he had mastered were not enough. He could probably break through the battlefield with them, but the time it would take, and the toll on his stamina and internal energy, would be completely different.
To become a sharp sword tip capable of piercing the battlefield alone, he needed a new sword technique.
"The time has come."
As if making a vow to himself, blue waves of energy surged around his entire body.
Boom!
Kicking off the ground with explosive force, Namgung Jun began to pierce through the battlefield.
It was not the Thirteen Lightning Flash Sword Thunders, nor was it the Heavenly Wind Sword Technique. He used none of the sword techniques he had learned so far.
He surged forward in a devastatingly powerful sword dance, just as he had that time he'd forgotten all forms, all insights, and even himself.
With that movement, the insights that had accumulated in his mindscape began to stir. Among them, two shone with the greatest brilliance: Vast and Empty Sky, and Boundless at a Glance.