Chapter 120: Vast Sky Boundless (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120: Vast Sky Boundless (2)
Namgung Jun stepped toward the battlefield, the Eternal Righteous Sword held firmly in his right hand.
Crackle!
As always, blue Thunder Qi crackled along the blade of the Eternal Righteous Sword, fiercely splitting and coalescing.
Whoosh!
His senses expanded outward like a spreading mist, enveloping the entire battlefield.
Namgung Jun processed the flood of information rushing into his mind, drawing instant conclusions even as he charged into the fray.
Colorful waves of qi unleashed by countless martial artists filled the air. The warriors themselves were tangled in a chaotic mess, like hundreds or thousands of intertwined threads.
A sense of vast helplessness washed over him, as if he were throwing himself into a black sea being violently churned from its depths by a raging typhoon.
Yet, Namgung Jun did not turn away from the battlefield before him.
There was no hesitation in his steps.
The Eternal Righteous Sword, cutting through the bloody wind, remained perfectly straight and true.
Slash!
The blue sword light surged forward unimpeded, slicing through everything in its path.
"Aaargh!"
"Did an enemy suddenly appear from the flank?"
Some noticed Namgung Jun's sudden intrusion, while other demonic practitioners, preoccupied with the enemies right in front of them, remained oblivious.
But whether they noticed him or not did not matter.
Before the Eternal Righteous Sword, which freely traced its own path despite being surrounded by dozens of weapons, everyone was equal.
The young swordsman’s blade surged onward, desperate to save his comrades.
The Eternal Righteous Sword showed no trace of the five sword techniques Namgung Jun primarily used. Instead, it was imbued only with the two martial insights he had accumulated thus far.
Namgung Jun's dancing, swirling swordplay and steps never paused for a single moment. No matter what enemy stood before him, he pierced straight through them.
"What?!"
"This bastard is from the Azure Heaven Association too!"
By the time more than twenty demonic practitioners had been slaughtered by Namgung Jun, the Bright Order Ranks commanding them nearby finally reacted.
"Stop him!"
"He's a Third Cloud of the Azure Heaven Association!"
A few Bright Order Ranks boldly tried to block his path, but they perished before they could even properly exchange a single blow.
As he unleashed a relentless barrage of charges and slashes, Namgung Jun's breathing remained incredibly long and deep. Even as he cut down dozens of demonic practitioners, the paths traced by the Eternal Righteous Sword were shifting, if only minutely.
Even in the midst of slaying his enemies, his sword paths, grounded in his insights and martial principles, adjusted in real-time.
Spurt!
How long had he run, and how many had he cut down?
Before he knew it, Namgung Jun encountered the swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall for the first time.
It was Gong Jun-am's unit.
By the looks of it, they had been unfortunately pinned down, putting up a desperate resistance just to hold their current position.
"Young Master Namgung!" Heo Il cried out, his voice a mix of relief and astonishment. His face was a poignant mask, caught between a smile and tears.
However, Namgung Jun passed right by Heo Il, lightly patting him on the shoulder as he did. He exchanged a fleeting glance with Gong Jun-am, Man Ye-won, and Yu Geun-su.
"You are the first stars of this battlefield."
No further explanation was needed.
Gong Jun-am's unit immediately joined the sprinting Namgung Jun. The Qi Waves of his comrades gently bolstered him from behind.
This was the subtle essence of the Great Derivation Sword Formation.
Feeling the vivid presence of his comrades, a beam of divine light pierced Namgung Jun’s mindscape, sparking countless inspirations.
At the center of his mindscape lay two martial insights:
Vast and Empty Sky.
Boundless at a Glance.
This is just the beginning.
Namgung Jun recited the mnemonic formula that would act as the thread to weave these two similar yet completely different insights into one.
Bonds.
Lee Se-ha, and the Heavenly Sword Hall.
Namgung Jun recalled the bonds he had forged in this life. This was a sword technique he was creating to save his master and his comrades. It was only right to use his memories, recollections, and ties with them as the core formula.
[The azure sky is vast and wide, and all bonds are infinite.]
A new mnemonic formula etched itself into his mindscape.
[Bonds arise imperceptibly and vanish in an instant, like clouds and mist.]
Hummmm!
A gradual change occurred in the Sword Qi coating the Eternal Righteous Sword. The Sword Qi, which had always been irregular like lightning, seemed to disperse thinly like threads of silk before growing dense and undulating heavily.
Like indigo silk, blue mist, or the very edge of the sky.
A vivid blue afterimage rippled in the air where the Eternal Righteous Sword had passed. It was as if he were dropping small fragments of the sky onto the earth.
The two insights are beginning to intertwine.
Lightning flickered in Namgung Jun's eyes as he sprinted and swung his sword.
Would he fall into Qi Deviation from failing to harmonize the insights? Or would he fully digest them and walk a new path?
This very moment was the turning point of his current life.
"Huh? Namgung Jun? You really are alive!"
"The youngest! The youngest has come to save us!"
"Everyone, muster whatever strength you have left! We're joining him!"
The Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen, who had been cutting down demonic practitioners back-to-back, stared at Namgung Jun with startled faces but could not find the words to speak. Not only was Namgung Jun swinging his sword like a madman at the front, as if possessed, but the situation was also far too urgent.
They simply read the room, joined him, and lent him their strength like the other swordsmen.
More swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall joined the fray.
As Namgung Jun sprinted, the fragments of stars he encountered one by one connected their threads of light, drawing a constellation. Along with them, the Qi Waves of the Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen merged into Namgung Jun.
Just by feeling the Qi Waves with his entire body, Namgung Jun could instantly tell whom they belonged to. With that, the memories of his time in the Heavenly Sword Hall came rushing back.
[The gathering and scattering of bonds is vast and endless.]
The gestures, gazes, and presence of the continuously joining Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen bestowed a new formula upon his mindscape.
[Like the infinite sky, it shall endure, transcending past and present.]
Boom!
A transcendental roar erupted within his mindscape, audible only to Namgung Jun.
He realized that not only had the insights of the Vast Sky and the Boundless been bound together by the core formula of bonds, but this realization had also triggered a transformation within his mindscape.
But Namgung Jun did not stop.
There were still comrades who had not yet joined. There were still bonds remaining.
Namgung Jun continued to sprint alongside the Heavenly Sword Hall, piercing through the battlefield. In their wake, a shimmering blue radiance lingered, painting the air.
I have established the foundation of the intent and insights that will form the core of the sword technique. Next is...
Martial principles.
Namgung Jun recalled the five sword techniques he had primarily mastered until now.
The Great Derivation Sword Technique of harmony.
The Thirteen Lightning Flash Sword Thunders of lightning.
The Heavenly Wind Sword Technique of wind.
The Distant-Cloud Layered-Wall Stance of clouds.
The Sookwoo Sword Technique of rain.
Was it coincidence, or was it fate? The intents comprising all five sword techniques were contained within the principles of the heavens.
The insight of the Vast Sky is expansive and empty.
The insight of the Boundless is wide, distant, and endless.
To fully flesh out a sword technique woven from these two insights, it was only natural to incorporate the martial principles of the five sword techniques that embodied the laws of the heavens.
"The Heavenly Sword Hall! These bastards are regrouping!"
"Cut them off at the waist! Split them in two!"
Whoosh!
A single strike imbued with the fabric of the heavens. In that instant, it felt as if the very edge of the blue sky was rippling across the battlefield.
Crash!
The demonic practitioners blocking Namgung Jun's path were swept away all at once.
Namgung Jun's swordplay changed by the second as he pierced through the battlefield. Gong Jun-am, who was guarding Namgung Jun's back from the closest position, murmured quietly.
"Am I the only one seeing this?"
"No. I feel it too. Young Master Namgung's sword is changing completely. Or perhaps... ascending would be a better word?" Heo Il swallowed hard, staring at Namgung Jun's back.
The other Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen felt the same. They could not tell exactly what was happening to Namgung Jun right now. Even so, there was one thing they knew for certain.
They could not let their young yet powerful youngest stop his charge.
"Everyone, stay sharp."
"It's time to show our dignity as seniors."
"We should show Senior Namgung that his juniors are growing too."
The Heavenly Sword Hall rallied around the path Namgung Jun had forcibly carved open.
One Mind, One Sword.
With one heart, everyone thrust forward as a single blade. Though their execution was unstable since not everyone was gathered, the purpose of the Great Derivation Sword Formation was clear:
To guard the back of Namgung Jun as he traversed the battlefield alone.
To help Namgung Jun advance, his gaze fixed only forward.
The Great Derivation Sword Formation focused entirely on supporting Namgung Jun.
Hum!
The blue mist issuing from the Eternal Righteous Sword grew progressively thicker. Every time the blue mist shifted shape to match the sword paths, fountains of blood erupted in all directions.
The formless, mist-like Sword Qi was wondrous in itself, but the Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen focused on the countless sword paths traced by the Eternal Righteous Sword. To their eyes, every single strike Namgung Jun unleashed felt like an ultimate technique from a different sword style.
The martial principles within a single strike were diverse, its variations unfolding without pause. Yet it was all so harmonious, so majestic, as if the very laws of creation had been poured into his blade.
"Phew!"
Namgung Jun exhaled a long breath.
As he cut down countless enemies, the martial principles of the five sword techniques repeatedly disassembled, redefined, and merged back together. That was not all.
He fully felt the presence of everyone in the Heavenly Sword Hall, who were maintaining the Great Derivation Sword Formation behind him and boosting his Qi Waves. Naturally, the individual swords of his comrades came to mind one by one. With the five sword techniques at the center, the swords of his comrades were added one after another.
It is filling up abundantly.
The corners of Namgung Jun's mouth curled up slightly as he unleashed a new strike. The martial principles of the five sword techniques had felt slightly lacking. But now that he had incorporated the swords of his comrades as well, it was finally complete.
[Though the azure sky has no boundaries, no matter how wide and distant it may be,]
Forms that rose like clouds vanished like the wind. Martial principles that flashed like lightning melted away like a torrential rain. What remained in their midst were the countless bonds of the sword.
[Can it fully contain the bonds that fill all creation?]
The moment the final formula of the new sword technique echoed in his mind, its forms were also fully established.
Thud!
Stamping his foot hard, Namgung Jun accelerated even further.
It was time to find the last remaining star on the battlefield to put the finishing touch on his new sword technique and complete the constellation.
*
Boom!
The eyes of the Ninth Mirror Master, who had been pressuring Lee Se-ha, widened. This area had been sealed off by his subordinates to ensure that he would slay Lee Se-ha this time.
Yet, how had the boy in front of him broken through?
First, I must tie this brat down.
Just as the Ninth Mirror Master was about to issue an order, he saw that his subordinates were being held back by the Heavenly Sword Hall.
The boy before him cut a mysterious figure, enveloped in a blue mist. Moreover, judging by the Qi Waves radiating from him, he was undoubtedly a supreme expert of the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown realm.
Unleashing an ultimate technique to push Lee Se-ha back, the Ninth Mirror Master immediately pivoted to block Namgung Jun.
"You! Stop right there!"
It was just as the Ninth Mirror Master reached out. As he clashed with Namgung Jun's strike, his eyes widened in shock.
What is this? A single strike contains different martial principles?
What was even more astonishing was that these strikes of different natures did not clash with one another; instead, they supported each other, multiplying their power several times over. In the end, every single strike possessed the devastating power of an ultimate technique.
While the panicked Ninth Mirror Master hurriedly channeled his internal energy, Namgung Jun unleashed a fully established form of his new sword technique.
Azure Torrent.
A blue line traced by the Eternal Righteous Sword. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary, straight sword path, but within it, countless variations clashed and gave rise to entirely new paths.
Spurt!
The Ninth Mirror Master's head fell after only two exchanges.
Lee Se-ha's eyes could not help but widen.
"Jun?"
"Master. I have returned."
Lee Se-ha's blank expression slowly crumpled, her eyes welling with tears. The disciple could not help but smile at his master's expressive face.
With that, his first meeting with his master came to mind. The countless moments and teachings he had shared with her surfaced in his mindscape.
Thus, the new sword technique found its final piece.
The moment the disciple reunited with his master, he completed the new sword technique.
"Master. I have created a new sword technique."
"A new sword technique?"
"I was able to create it because I met you and joined the Heavenly Sword Hall."
Staring blankly at Namgung Jun, Lee Se-ha smiled and asked, "What is the name of the technique?"
"The Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique."
A sword technique that wove the insights of the Vast and Empty Sky and Boundless at a Glance together through the thread of bonds.
The Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique.
It would be the technique that bound his master, the Heavenly Sword Hall, and perhaps the clan he would establish in the future, all into one.