Chapter 121: Ember (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: Ember (1)
"Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique..."
A murmur laced with awe escaped Lee Se-ha's lips, rippling across the battlefield.
She hadn't spoken loudly, yet every martial artist nearby heard her clearly.
Normally, her voice would have been swallowed by the din of battle, but this moment was different.
Namgung Jun's sudden appearance had, if only for an instant, seized command of the entire battlefield.
Ally and foe alike, every martial artist had focused their senses on him.
As a result, they couldn't help but hear the words of Lee Se-ha, who stood facing him.
It's a sword technique I've never heard of, but one thing is certain.
Even from this brief glimpse, she vividly sensed the nature of her disciple's swordsmanship.
It was a divine art, a peerless technique that, once mastered, would allow one to claim supremacy over the world.
Actually, even if it weren't a divine art, it wouldn't matter.
Her disciple had told her he’d infused the intent of the Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique with the bond between master and disciple and the camaraderie of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
He had poured his heart into creating a new sword art, then plunged into the battlefield alone to save his master and comrades.
And now…
Using his new sword technique as a thread, the boy had bound his scattered master and comrades back together.
The image of her young disciple standing tall in the center of the battlefield, radiating an overwhelming presence, was a breathtaking sight.
Jun has grown so much before I even realized it.
A swelling warmth melted into her exhausted body. The contrast was all the more profound for being felt on a battlefield where tension was at its peak.
Warmth and vitality seeped back into her chest, easing the tightness from her internal injuries, and revitalized a body worn down by continuous, fierce battles.
"Haa."
Lee Se-ha exhaled softly, a lively smile forming on her lips.
She savored the lingering emotion her disciple had gifted her like a present, but only for a moment.
Lee Se-ha did not forget her role as the Heavenly Sword Hall Master.
"Gong Jun-am!"
Hearing his hall master's shout, Gong Jun-am raised his head.
Even as he planted his greatsword like a pillar to block the demonic practitioners' onslaught, he instantly grasped Lee Se-ha's intention.
No explicit orders were needed; a simple exchange of glances was enough. He was, after all, a swordsman who had stood by the Heavenly Sword Hall Master's side for a very long time.
"The Azure Star Sword! Namgung Jun of the Azure Heaven Association!"
A robust internal energy surged into Gong Jun-am's neck, which was as thick as a tree trunk.
The heavy voice that burst from his mouth transformed into a thunderous roar that swept across the vast Sadun Plain.
"Has slain the Ninth Mirror Master of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult!"
His rock-solid voice, infused with internal energy, filled the battlefield. At the stunning sound, the entire battlefield momentarily froze.
Martial artists lacking experience in the Jianghu even mistook Gong Jun-am's roar for the Lion's Roar of the Shaolin Temple.
"What? Was Senior Gong's voice always this loud? Even with internal energy, this is incredible!"
"He barely speaks at a normal volume, let alone shouts, so it's no wonder you didn't know."
As Man Ye-won muttered in surprise with wide eyes, Heo Il, who was swinging his sword beside her, let out a dry chuckle.
Starting with the Heavenly Sword Hall, which was closest, Gong Jun-am's roar began to ripple across the entire battlefield.
"What? The Ninth Mirror Master was defeated?"
"Is that true? Isn't the Azure Star Sword only at the Third Cloud?!"
"We must verify if this is a lie!"
The demonic practitioners, who had been pushing back the Wudang Sect disciples with ferocious momentum, faltered and looked around.
"This is our chance to turn the tide!"
"Junior brothers, steel yourselves! We must break through them now!"
The Wudang Sect disciples, who had been entirely on the defensive, moved with renewed agility. The roar from the center of the battlefield had ignited their morale.
Confirming the renewed strength in his martial brothers' eyes, the Third Mirror Master turned his head toward where he assumed Namgung Jun would be.
A vivid blue mist was billowing like a massive flag, radiating a clear, bright luster.
Just by witnessing that mysterious form of Sword Qi, the Third Mirror Master instinctively knew that Namgung Jun had indeed slain the Ninth Mirror Master.
What an incredible man.
The Pine-Patterned Ancient Sword in the Third Mirror Master's hand trembled slightly.
Suddenly, the image of Namgung Jun crossing swords with the Sect Master at the Mount Song Gathering flashed through his mind.
Even back then, he felt so far away, but now he stands in an entirely different realm.
His mind momentarily tangled with complex emotions, the Third Mirror Master could not tear his eyes away from the blue mist.
"Senior Brother Third Mirror!"
Only when his junior brothers, who had charged ahead, called out to him did he snap out of it and rejoin the fray.
Rumble!
Gong Jun-am's shout affected not only the martial artists on the ground but also the peerless experts clashing high in the air.
For the first time, the movements of the two peerless experts, who had been endlessly trading blows, came to a halt.
The Sun-Exhaustion Demon King and Jeong Hong kept their eyes on each other, but a portion of their senses was locked onto the center of the battlefield where the anomaly had occurred.
"That child has already crossed the wall."
"Is that boy the Nine Yin Severed Meridian my Cult is searching for? He shines brilliantly indeed."
The Sun-Exhaustion Demon King, who seemed to already know of Namgung Jun, immediately brought up the Nine Yin Severed Meridian.
He tilted his chin and leisurely scanned the Sadun Plain.
"Our Cult will withdraw immediately once we secure the Nine Yin Severed Meridian. If we do, the Wudang Sect will shed less blood, which would be beneficial for you as well."
Jeong Hong tilted his head in confusion at first, but soon his beard trembled slightly with anger, as if merely hearing such a proposal was an immense disgrace.
"Do you take my sect for shameless cowards?"
"How unexpected. Do you value that boy more than the lives of your Wudang disciples?"
Clang!
The Pine-Patterned Ancient Sword, lightly thrust by Jeong Hong, hid an unfathomable, colossal force. It was powerful enough to settle the clouds and crease the clear sky, yet the Sun-Exhaustion Demon King blocked it without difficulty.
"Before calculating the weight of lives, this is a matter of righteousness."
"What a stubborn old man."
Boom!
The Sun-Exhaustion Demon King's eyes narrowed slightly as he used his right palm, wrapped in indigo flames, to push back the overlapping Qi Waves of the Ten Brocades.
"What if this King targets the Nine Yin Severed Meridian right now?"
"Try it if you dare. Your broad back will immediately have to withstand both the Ten Brocades and the Taiji Wisdom Sword simultaneously."
Indeed, different Qi Waves were spreading from each of Jeong Hong's hands.
Left palm, right sword.
He was simultaneously executing the Ten Brocades with his left hand and the Taiji Wisdom Sword with his right. Being able to perform two completely different divine arts at the same time was surely a testament to the power of the Wudang Sect's Two Ceremonies Divine Art.
The Sun-Exhaustion Demon King, flaring the flames in his hands even larger, clicked his tongue.
It is difficult to shake off Wudang's First Sword, who commands the Cloud-Ladder Steps and Chasing Cloud Red Star. Nor can I settle this duel immediately.
Until now, the Sun-Exhaustion Demon King had been the one keeping Jeong Hong tied down. However, as the situation on the battlefield shifted, their positions had reversed.
Even as he felt a deep frustration, the Sun-Exhaustion Demon King, who had spread a portion of his Qi sensory net across the battlefield, felt his eyelids twitch.
He had just confirmed that Namgung Jun and the Heavenly Sword Hall, who had been stationary in the center of the battlefield, were moving once again.
The direction they were heading was the west of the Sadun Plain.
Perhaps because he possessed a comprehensive view of the battlefield's flow, the Sun-Exhaustion Demon King instantly realized their intention.
The leader of the Wudang Seven Swords.
The Sun-Exhaustion Demon King's train of thought was cut short.
The moment Namgung Jun and the Heavenly Sword Hall moved, Jeong Hong began to thrust his sword once more.
"Do not even think of interfering in the battle below."
Jeong Hong was determined to completely seal off the Sun-Exhaustion Demon King's movements. As his will surged, black and white starlight coalesced on the Pine-Patterned Ancient Sword.
This was the transcendent power of a peerless expert, an ability that could alter all creation.
This starlight, brought into existence by human strength, was what the Jianghu called Astral Qi.
*
Thud-thud-thud! Swishhh!
From both hands of Hyeon-pung, the leader of the Wudang Seven Swords, two entirely different types of Air-Splitting Sounds erupted.
On his left, where a heavy, drum-bursting sound resonated, the Wudang Cotton Palm unfolded. On his right, where the sound of smoothly slicing air leaked out, the Heavenly Circulation Seven Stars Sword was unleashed.
The ellipse drawn by his Pine-Patterned Ancient Sword tilted long and low according to the subtle principles of the Seven Stars' movement, parrying a spear thrust aimed at his flank.
As his left foot, which served as his pivot, twisted slightly, he drew the recoil energy coursing through his body into his waist, naturally transferring it to his left arm.
With that added force, the soft yet firm Palm Force of the Wudang Cotton Palm erupted. In an instant, seven consecutive palm strikes of varying power were unleashed, flowing together like a single, continuous wave.
The Palm Force, stretching out as fluidly as a stream of water, drenched the chest of the middle-aged man who was about to throw a punch.
"Cough!"
As the Hubei Branch Leader of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult coughed up blood, unable to withstand the blow, the spearman swinging his weapon beside him was forced to retreat as well.
"Ravenous-Wolf Sword Disciple Hyeon-pung. As expected of the first sword of the Wudang Seven Swords."
The speaker was the Moon-Severing Guard Leader, head of one of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult's elite forces mobilized for this war. He adjusted his grip on his spear.
Boom!
The encirclement of the Moon-Severing Guard, which had surrounded Hyeon-pung to isolate and overwhelm him, collapsed.
It had been pierced in a single instant, on the very first clash.
"What?!"
The Moon-Severing Guard Leader whipped his head toward the breach.
A blue mist billowed like a flag from the sword held high by the young swordsman at the lead.
At a single glance, the Moon-Severing Guard Leader instantly recognized the boy's identity.
"Namgung Jun!"
Instead of clashing head-on, the Moon-Severing Guard Leader chose to back away and create distance. If he rashly crossed swords with Namgung Jun while Hyeon-pung intervened, he would surely be defeated.
Hmm?
As he retreated, tracking Namgung Jun's movements, the Moon-Severing Guard Leader felt something was off.
The footwork Namgung Jun was executing was strange.
He isn't heading toward me, but is slightly veering off?
Just as the Moon-Severing Guard Leader's eyes widened upon realizing Namgung Jun's true objective, Namgung Jun bypassed him as if he had no business with him from the start and thrust his sword toward the Hubei Branch Leader.
"Gasp!"
The Hubei Branch Leader, still reeling from the Wudang Cotton Palm, was slow to react.
As Namgung Jun lunged, Lee Se-ha, who was right beside him, waved her hand. The Palm Force of the Heavenly Thunder Palm Technique struck Namgung Jun's back, propelling him forward.
Though his speed surged instantaneously, Namgung Jun adapted to it naturally.
Thus followed a strike of the Vast Sky Boundless Sword.
Dozens of sword strikes, unleashed as hazily as mist, restricted the Hubei Branch Leader's movements before the sword path abruptly shifted, transforming into a single, fierce, heavy blow.
It was like the clouds shrouding a mountain ridge suddenly turning into lightning and striking down.
Slash!
The Hubei Branch Leader's head fell all too easily.
Even considering he had been severely wounded by the Ravenous-Wolf Sword Disciple's Wudang Cotton Palm, he normally wouldn't have been felled by a single exchange like this.
The severe wound, the sudden surprise attack, and a peerless sword art rarely seen in the Jianghu—these variables coalesced in a single moment to bring about the unceremonious death of a supreme expert.
"You're quite clever!"
Even as his heart sank in shock, the Moon-Severing Guard Leader gripped his spear short and twisted it.
Clang!
He tried to thrust his spear directly at Namgung Jun's back, but it was blocked by Lee Se-ha's sword.
"Master."
"Leave this place to me!"
Namgung Jun walked straight toward Hyeon-pung.
"Daoist Master Hyeon-pung. Please help me."
"With what?"
"To completely seize victory on this battlefield, I need your help, Daoist Master."
It was a request made without preamble, born from the urgency of the situation.
Yet Hyeon-pung looked at Namgung Jun and nodded immediately.
"I will listen. Speak frankly."
"Let us go."
"First, what do you intend to do?"
"I will stoke the embers of this battlefield and ignite a massive blaze."
As Hyeon-pung joined the Heavenly Sword Hall, Namgung Jun immediately set his course.
They headed west across the battlefield.