Chapter 159: Journey on the Lake (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 159: Journey on the Lake (1)
Myeong Hui-yeon, who had been reclining on a thick tree branch, opened her eyes. A mixture of languor and regret lingered between her thick eyelashes, which veiled her gaze.
Even though they had exchanged quite a few blows, Namgung Jun was all she could think about. A sudden urge to head straight for Mount Emei sent a thrilling shiver through her entire body.
"Hmph."
The martial artists of the Divine Cult, defeated and retreating from Mount Emei, were drawing near. Sensing their frantic, disheveled movements, she found the sight utterly hilarious. Having just been thinking of Namgung Jun, she could barely suppress a sneer as she detected the approach of the demonic practitioners.
With graceful agility, Myeong Hui-yeon landed lightly on a blade of grass and smiled faintly. The moment she touched down, the demonic practitioners rushing down the mountain path ground to a halt.
"You've all been quite battered. It's a shame I'm the only one here to see this."
"..."
Not only were the demonic practitioners of the Sichuan Branch in terrible shape, but so were the Dragon Army Guard and the Chamyeong Guard. The Chamyeong Guard, in particular, who had directly faced the Azure Firmament Hall, had suffered devastating casualties. It seemed less than half of them had survived.
In military terms, casualties on this scale were considered total annihilation. The loss of the Chamyeong Guard's fighting strength was catastrophic—so much so that they would have to consider merging the Dragon Army Guard and the Chamyeong Guard into a single unit.
"Where is the Dragon Army Guard Leader?"
"He was killed by the Azure Star Sword."
"So he still had strength to spare. What a truly remarkable man."
With a twitch of her lips, Myeong Hui-yeon scanned the Chamyeong Guard Leader. Not only was the wave of qi radiating from her unstable, but she had also sustained significant wounds on her left forearm and right abdomen. Judging by the Demonic Qi seeping from them, she had likely been struck by the Mokryun Hall Master's sword.
Under Myeong Hui-yeon's greedy, scanning gaze, the Chamyeong Guard Leader's short hair seemed to tremble. Seeing the woman's brow furrow in anger, Myeong Hui-yeon let out a deeper laugh.
"Do you have something to say?"
"Wasn't the Seventh Young Lady supposed to be the one to hold back the Azure Star Sword?"
"I went to meet Namgung Jun, but I never said I would take responsibility for him, did I?"
Myeong Hui-yeon tilted her chin up provocatively. Just as the Chamyeong Guard Leader, incensed by her attitude, was about to raise her voice—
Myeong Hui-yeon vanished, leaving a blurry afterimage. In the next instant, her slender arm was wrapped around the Chamyeong Guard Leader's neck, choking her.
"Urgh!"
The Chamyeong Guard Leader hastily tried to manifest her Protective Astral Qi, but Myeong Hui-yeon was a fraction of a second faster.
Thud-thud-thud!
She struck the Chamyeong Guard Leader's vital acupoints, completely sealing off the flow of her internal energy.
The Chamyeong Guard Leader was a supreme expert who had achieved the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and gained the ability of Heart Spirit Qi Transformation. Her internal energy would react the instant her will manifested, making it nearly impossible to block her Protective Astral Qi by sealing her acupoints. Myeong Hui-yeon's response was less a matter of reaction speed and more akin to foresight.
What a monstrous talent.
In her panic, all the Chamyeong Guard Leader could do was grab Myeong Hui-yeon's arm, but she couldn't muster the strength to break the hold.
"Your eyes are insolent. Is it because you've aligned yourself with the Second Young Master?"
"It's not that..."
"Then will you swear loyalty to me?"
As the Chamyeong Guard Leader's lips parted awkwardly, Myeong Hui-yeon's own lips curled into a wicked, seductive smile thick with murderous intent.
"I thought we might understand each other, both being women..."
Thud!
Myeong Hui-yeon smashed the back of her left hand into the center of the Chamyeong Guard Leader's chest. At the same time, a foul, greedy glow erupted from her right arm, which was still gripping the woman's neck.
"Aaaargh!"
Despite being middle-aged, the Chamyeong Guard Leader's skin had been as smooth and supple as a young maiden's. Now, it withered like a dead tree. It took only a single breath for the supreme expert to turn into a desiccated corpse of skin and bone.
Shatter!
Without letting go, Myeong Hui-yeon unleashed a light Palm Force. Swept up by the energy, the Chamyeong Guard Leader's body shuddered violently before scattering into fine dust.
"I've coveted you for quite some time, actually. You accumulated yin qi exceptionally well for a woman. Besides, I heard you had a fortuitous encounter in your youth and consumed a fine spirit elixir."
Lightly brushing the dust from her hands, Myeong Hui-yeon turned her head. The demonic practitioners, who had just watched the Chamyeong Guard Leader being drained of her very essence, all wore expressions of sheer terror.
"What a boring bunch. You people drain others as if it were a daily meal, yet you're terrified of being drained yourselves?"
Myeong Hui-yeon scanned her surroundings, then sat on a nearby boulder and crossed her legs.
"Kneel."
The demonic practitioners of the Chamyeong Guard were the first to drop, and those of the Dragon Army Guard and the Sichuan Branch immediately followed. Every single one of them knelt, bowing their heads to the ground, but Myeong Hui-yeon looked up, completely unmoved.
Staring at the empty blue sky, her thoughts naturally drifted back to Namgung Jun.
In the end, you're the only one. The only one who can entertain me.
Their life-and-death battle had been thrilling, yet there was something bizarre and clinging about it. The more she clashed swords with him, the more her mind and heart tingled, as if something she had long forgotten was slowly rising to the surface.
Though today was their first meeting, she was certain they were bound by a deep, intertwined fate. If she could just get closer to him, clash with him more fiercely, think about him more... it felt as though the fog shrouding her mind would lift, and the scattered fragments of her memory would piece themselves back together.
Namgung Jun...
She had plundered everything from the Chamyeong Guard Leader, yet it was Namgung Jun who now filled her body and mind. Recalling the man with the Nine Yin Severed Meridian, she lightly licked her lips, savoring the heat of the Nine Yang Severed Meridian that burned throughout her entire body.
*
Clang-clang-clang!
Two swords clashed violently. At a glance, it seemed like a single swing, but the metallic ring of steel echoed at least five times. The exchange was so swift and varied that the two blades sometimes blurred into one.
This brat…
The Eternal Righteous Sword twisted and surged forward like a serpent, its path resembling that of the Evil-Yearning All-Demonic Sword.
Thud!
Stamping his foot in an Earth-Trembling Stomp, the Sword Demon lunged, his blade thrusting at mid-level as it tore fiercely through the air.
Yet, the Eternal Righteous Sword was not deflected. It merely tilted slightly, parrying and redirecting the Sword Demon's Sword Force completely. Even though his strike missed its mark, the Sword Demon didn't hesitate, immediately following up. He targeted the slight, almost imperceptible opening where Namgung Jun's sword path had wavered and unleashed a rapid succession of strikes.
"Hmm!"
With a faint smile, Namgung Jun flicked his wrist outward, seamlessly resuming the flow of his sword path that the Sword Demon had momentarily disrupted.
Whoosh!
The strangely angled strike curved upward with a sharp whistle. The Sword Demon's blade, which had been pressing in with six rapid shifts in a split second, was helplessly deflected.
He's gradually shutting me down.
Frowning, the Sword Demon took a step back and spun violently, using the recoil from Namgung Jun's astonishing swordsmanship. An even faster strike whipped back, aiming straight for Namgung Jun's neck, but Namgung Jun calmly raised his sword, resting it almost casually against his shoulder.
Clang!
He blocked the Sword Demon's attack precisely with the flat of his blade, then twisted his body in the opposite direction. The friction between the flat of one sword and the edge of the other caused the two weapons to naturally slide apart.
"Watch out."
Along with his casual warning came a horizontal slash. Even though his center of gravity was slightly off-balance, the sword path he extended was incredibly stable.
To unleash such speed from an unstable posture?
The Sword Demon quickly pulled his sword back to counter, but it was clear that Namgung Jun held a slight advantage. As the number of blows they exchanged increased, the sheer presence of the sword paths Namgung Jun drew grew exponentially.
Clang-clang-clang!
The two swordsmen spun simultaneously, thrusting their blades at each other. Each time their swords met, a fierce wind laden with sharp intent whipped through the vegetation of the Emei Sect. This was all while they were deliberately holding back, not using internal energy due to the injuries from their previous battle.
"Whew. That's terrifying."
"They always said the Azure Firmament Hall Master was incredible… but now that he's a supreme expert sparring on equal footing, his innate sword talent really stands out."
"The Mokryun Hall Master is someone whose techniques were forged through immense real-world combat… Even the swordsmen of the North Hengshan Sect we fought three years ago had to acknowledge his skill."
The Cloud-rank members of the Azure Firmament Hall and Mokryun Hall watching the duel could feel it clearly: Namgung Jun's sublime swordsmanship was gradually overwhelming the Sword Demon.
Clang!
Deflecting the Eternal Righteous Sword, the Sword Demon looked down at his own weapon. The blade trembled, as if it might shatter at any moment. Though the eyes reflected in his blade remained perfectly still, the light deep within them flickered.
Is he trying to teach me?
Briefly reconstructing the exchange in his mind, the Sword Demon was certain. Namgung Jun had precisely targeted and cut through the hidden weaknesses and flaws in his sword's momentum, as if to say he still had much to polish and refine.
Seeing the Sword Demon hesitate, Namgung Jun sheathed the Eternal Righteous Sword.
"This should be enough for a final clash before we part ways."
The Sword Demon couldn't find the words to reply and simply stared at him.
"You said Mokryun Hall is staying in Sichuan Province, correct?"
The question hung in the air before the Sword Demon belatedly answered, "Yes. We still have duties here."
Mokryun Hall's task was to remain in Sichuan and keep a close watch on the local Righteous Faction. Since they primarily operated in the province, they would have to stay vigilant against the movements of the Sichuan Branch and Geonhong Palace.
"Recover well. Don't push yourself too hard and injure yourself again."
"You brat, Namgung. Now that you're a Hall Master, you just say whatever's on your mind."
"We're sword companions. Surely that allows me some leeway."
"Just get going."
Without sheathing his sword, the Sword Demon slung it over his shoulder and turned away. Chuckling at the sight of him walking off without a backward glance, Namgung Jun turned to Sa Dan-hae.
"Do not worry. And have a safe journey back."
As Sa Dan-hae nodded, the surrounding Mokryun Hall members also quietly paid their respects to Namgung Jun. He clasped his hands in a fist salute toward them and turned around.
The Azure Firmament Hall naturally followed.
*
After descending Mount Emei, the Azure Firmament Hall chose a return route through the southern regions of Sichuan Province—Leshan, Zigong, and Xingwen—before crossing into Guizhou Province. By having them scout the south, an area that received relatively less attention, they hoped to ease some of the burden on Mokryun Hall as they continued their mission.
Although they had driven back the Dragon Army Guard and the Chamyeong Guard, the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult's Sichuan Branch, situated in Songpan in northern Sichuan, was still fully intact. Once Mokryun Hall descended Mount Emei, they would likely focus their operations in the north. They wouldn't have the luxury of looking after the south, so it was better for the Azure Firmament Hall to survey it on their way back.
"Hmm."
Resting a hand on the hilt of his sword, Namgung Jun looked around. They had just finished crushing two unorthodox sects that had been causing trouble in Xingwen.
An old man stepped into the area the Azure Firmament Hall had just cleared. Naturally, the gazes of all the hall members converged on him. However, as if accustomed to the stares of martial artists, the old man casually scanned his surroundings before his eyes locked onto Namgung Jun.
After a moment, Namgung Jun took a light step forward.
"Are you from the Lower Filthy Heaven?"
"Ah, yes. That is correct." The old man handed Namgung Jun a twice-folded letter and spoke rapidly. "To cut to the chase, the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden and the Heavenly Sword Hall are in danger. The closest force of the Azure Heaven Association is the Azure Firmament Hall."
Namgung Jun immediately unfolded the letter. Watching him, the old man continued his explanation.
"The Fourth Battle Unit plans to attack the Heavenly Sword Hall as they return from their mission in Guizhou Province. We've sent word to the Heavenly Sword Hall as well, but it will be difficult for them to escape the Fourth Battle Unit's encirclement."
As Namgung Jun's gaze turned cold, the old man handed him another piece of paper. It was a map with a specific location marked on it.
"We have predicted the point where the Fourth Battle Unit and the Heavenly Sword Hall will clash. There's no guarantee it will be perfectly accurate, but I highly recommend heading to this area first to search the surroundings."
"Thank you."
Since they were already at the edge of Xingwen, they could enter Guizhou Province with just a short journey. Namgung Jun and the Azure Firmament Hall immediately began moving east, toward the border of Guizhou Province.