Chapter 164: Journey on the Lake (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 164: Journey on the Lake (6)
Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique.
Heavenly Yang.
It was a form that captured the essence of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Sword Technique, which was itself paired with the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula.
The Heavenly Thunder True Yang Sword Technique was a martial art optimized to maximize the unique strengths of scorching yang qi. While its myriad variations and lightning-fast speed gave it the appearance of a swift or illusionary sword art, those were merely its branches. The true root of the technique was its domineering momentum—each strike wild and overbearing, like dozens of lightning bolts striking down in succession from a storm cloud.
Thus, Heavenly Yang, which concentrated the insights and weight of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Sword Technique, was destined to be more domineering than any other form in the Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique.
Its purpose was not to cut, but to shatter with overwhelming power.
That was Heavenly Yang, the form newly woven by Lee Se-ha.
Riiip!
The sword strike surging in a straight line from Lee Se-ha's blade tore through the Sword Qi of the Torrential Point Flying Shatter with utter ease.
In that split second where time seemed to stretch, the Fourth Unit Leader's eyelids lifted slowly, then trembled. He looked as if he couldn’t comprehend how his ultimate technique, unleashed with all his might, was being so helplessly dismantled.
Even then, the sword light of Heavenly Yang, its power seemingly undiminished, stretched out and pierced straight through the Fourth Unit Leader's torso.
The moment his Torrential Point Flying Shatter was broken, he had channeled his Protective Astral Qi with all his might, but it was futile.
"Kehh…"
A weak, breathless groan leaked from the Fourth Unit Leader's slightly parted lips.
Through the gaping hole in his upper body, the scenery behind the cliff was clearly visible. It was a fatal wound that should have caused instant death, but the tenacious life force unique to a supreme expert somehow kept him breathing.
Yet even that had its limits. He couldn't take a single step; the best he could do was use every ounce of his strength just to keep from collapsing.
"Hehehe… You have truly become… a mere insect parasitizing your disciple's brilliance."
It was a mockery the Fourth Unit Leader barely managed to squeeze out with the last of his strength.
Lee Se-ha, exhaling a ragged breath, broke into a bright, beaming smile. Deep happiness, satisfaction, and pride oozed from her beautifully curved eyes.
She squared her shoulders proudly and stepped toward him.
"You should have gotten yourself a disciple like him, then."
Slash!
With a light flick of her wrist, Lee Se-ha severed the Fourth Unit Leader's head.
Only after his head fell did the Fourth Unit Leader's body slowly collapse backward.
"Phew. Finally cut him down."
Lee Se-ha flicked the blood from her sword without a trace of lingering attachment. Seeing his blood drench the ground reminded her of her own blood that had once been spilled by his hands.
She was keenly aware of how much stronger she had become, yet the realization brought no joy. Instead, a fire ignited in her heart, a new source of motivation.
I still have a long way to go.
To avenge her family against the culprits who had exterminated them, she had to become even stronger.
The Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy…
To face the Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy, who belonged to the absolute highest echelon of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult, she had to grow far, far stronger. She would have to achieve the Five Qis Converging at the Origin, weave her own signature technique, and manifest Astral Qi just to obtain the bare minimum qualification to clash with her.
Revenge for the exterminated Supreme Vista Lee Family.
In the past, it had felt infinitely distant, like a lifelong dream. But lately, things were different.
Her entire mindset had changed after meeting Namgung Jun.
Perhaps because she had such an extraordinarily brilliant disciple, she often felt that she, as his master, grew alongside him every time he progressed. It felt as if for every lesson she gave her disciple, she received three—or even five—in return.
Namgung Jun was the greatest stroke of fortune in her life.
"My disciple."
Leaving the Fourth Unit Leader's corpse behind, Lee Se-ha looked in the direction Namgung Jun had gone.
She quickly leaped forward to lend a hand. Though the internal and external injuries she had sustained from her life-and-death battle were quite deep, she did not hesitate to push her lightness skill to its absolute limit.
Her desire to arrive even a moment sooner to help her disciple and comrades was simply too great.
*
The Guardian Pavilion of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult.
The Vice Pavilion Master of the Evening Star Pavilion—the eyes and ears of the Cult—stood before the office of the Left Envoy.
"Left Envoy."
"You may enter."
Once permission was granted, the Vice Pavilion Master carefully opened the door and stepped inside. An old woman sat at a tea table made of Huanghuali wood, quietly enjoying the aroma of her tea. From her elegant appearance, one could easily deduce she must have possessed remarkable beauty in her youth.
"I greet the Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy."
The Vice Pavilion Master bowed his head, warily reading her expression.
"News of the Fourth Battle Unit has arrived."
"Ah, yes. The perfect story to accompany a precious tea."
A faint expectation drifted from the cool smile on the Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy's face. At her reaction, the Vice Pavilion Master had to lower himself even further. A single misstep during this report could easily draw her wrath.
"I will state the outcome first. The Fourth Battle Unit's mission has failed."
"Oh? Even with the deployment of the Fourth Battle Unit and the activation of the Heaven-Piercing Vast-Cannon Formation, they failed to kill the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden? How unexpected."
The wrinkles around the Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy's mouth twitched subtly.
Feeling his mouth go dry, the Vice Pavilion Master quickly continued.
"The intervention of the Azure Firmament Hall disrupted the Fourth Battle Unit's plans. Furthermore…"
"Furthermore?"
"The Fourth Battle Unit suffered near-total annihilation. It appears they can no longer maintain the structure of a battle unit."
The specific details poured from the Vice Pavilion Master's mouth like a swift sword. The report was so far beyond her expectations that the Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy was forced to look up from her teacup and stare directly at him.
"Annihilation of the unit leader, the officers, and the elites? And casualties among the ordinary members reached seventy percent? Not some ordinary martial group, but the Fourth Battle Unit?"
A small ripple formed in the tea held by the Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy.
"Did the Fourth Battle Unit suffer mutual destruction with the Azure Firmament Hall and the Heavenly Sword Hall?"
"No. Although the Azure Heaven Association's damage was significant, we have confirmed that they safely withdrew from the battlefield."
"The more I hear of this report, the less I understand. What on earth happened?"
"For now, the Evening Star Pavilion's assessment is…"
The Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy, who had been listening with an expressionless face, waved her hand to silence him.
"There is no longer any value in listening."
"My deepest apologies."
"What did you do wrong? You may leave."
The air in the room instantly turned frigid. The Vice Pavilion Master hastily excused himself, knowing that if he delayed even a moment, he might have found his life ending right there, frozen solid.
Left alone, the Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy set down her teacup, which had frozen solid before she even realized it.
"I deployed the Fourth Battle Unit to ensure the elimination of any future trouble, yet this is the result?"
The Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy was well aware of Lee Se-ha, the survivor of the Supreme Vista Lee Family. She had always considered it a minor mistake from the past, and since the girl wasn't worth stepping forward for personally, she had simply let her be.
She had assumed that even if it wasn't her, someone from the Cult would eventually end the girl’s life. After all, she was merely a survivor of the Supreme Vista Lee Family, which possessed only a mediocre reputation, not some great sect with a towering name in the Jianghu.
Yet Lee Se-ha's path had defied expectations.
She became a Cloud of the Azure Heaven Association, and despite constantly clashing with the Divine Cult, she kept surviving and growing. Eventually, she became a Hall Master of the Azure Heaven Association and even earned the moniker of the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden.
Only then did the Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy have to pull that small mistake back out from the depths of her memory. Her decision to mobilize the Fourth Battle Unit this time was because the girl was finally becoming an eyesore.
I thought she was merely a tiny thorn, but she has embedded herself quite deeply.
The Light-and-Shadow Left Envoy's hair, dyed gray by the passage of time, fluttered in the rising chill.
"What should I do?"
She stared at the frozen tea, falling into deep contemplation, wondering if she should personally move to eliminate this lingering trouble with her own hands.
*
The Azure Firmament Hall and the Heavenly Sword Hall safely returned to Anhui Province. Before returning to the main castle, however, Namgung Jun took a slight detour to visit Chaohu Lake.
He was determined to let Lee Se-ha taste the food from the inn he had so enjoyed.
"Wow!"
Lee Se-ha's eyes went wide as she stared at the dishes laid out before her.
Braised Silver Fish with Bamboo Shoots, Emerald Forest White Rice Shrimp, and Crabs in Yellow Wine. And the Chaohu Three-Delicacy Soup, which brought back a flood of memories from his past life.
Namgung Jun had ordered the exact same dishes he had enjoyed before, along with a bottle of high-quality Yellow Wine.
"Please, help yourself."
"An inn that Jun found himself? I'm really looking forward to this."
Even before she finished speaking, Lee Se-ha was already moving her spoon and chopsticks. As she tasted the dishes one by one, her eyes widened further. She stared at Namgung Jun in disbelief, her eyes sparkling so intensely they seemed to hold a galaxy of tiny, twinkling stars, like brilliant gems.
"This is delicious! I've visited every famous inn around Chaohu Lake. How did I not know about this place?"
"I am glad you like it."
"Like it? That's an understatement. I could call this the best inn in Chaohu!"
Lee Se-ha busily moved her chopsticks, her shoulders bouncing with excitement as if she might leap up at any moment. Smiling with satisfaction at the sight, Namgung Jun also slowly began to eat.
"But why didn't you bring the others?"
The Heavenly Sword Hall and the Azure Firmament Hall had scattered to different inns. In this worn-down establishment, there were only the two of them.
"I wanted to enjoy the food of this inn with you alone, Master. Please don't tell anyone else about it either."
"Oh, I'm touched. Jun, you actually know how to say sweet things, don't you?"
Lee Se-ha grinned, neatly shelled a piece of crab from the Crabs in Yellow Wine, and placed it on Namgung Jun's spoon.
"Thanks to you, I got through a truly massive crisis. You're so reliable."
"It was only natural, as your disciple."
His master quietly gazed at him as he spoke so nonchalantly. Though they were talking about it lightly with smiles now, it had been a genuine crisis. If not for Namgung Jun, she would not have been able to set foot safely in Anhui Province.
"At this rate, you'll surpass me in no time. Truly."
Namgung Jun tilted the bottle of Yellow Wine with a calm demeanor, filling two cups before replying quietly.
"Even if that happens, the fact that I am your disciple will never change. Without you, Master, I would not have been able to achieve my current realm on my own."
"Of course. I've done my absolute best to look after you, Jun. And I will continue to do so."
Smiling at each other, the master and disciple lightly clinked their cups.
Namgung Jun sipped his Yellow Wine, watching Lee Se-ha heartily enjoy the food and drink.
"This is nice," he murmured in a low voice.
Perhaps because he was drinking with Lee Se-ha, the aroma of the Yellow Wine felt even richer and deeper. The alcohol went down smoothly, and it felt as though he might easily get drunk tonight.
Namgung Jun stared at the Yellow Wine sloshing inside his cup. Suddenly, he felt deeply grateful for the day he had managed to arrive just in time to save Lee Se-ha. He was profoundly glad he had created the Thousand-Li Lake Journey in the nick of time and found himself fonder of the martial art than ever, knowing it had been conceived to save such a precious bond.
Chaohu Lake, where he shared many memories with his disciples from his past life.
The lightness skill created from his enlightenment at Chaohu Lake had, this time, saved his master in his current life. It felt as though the Thousand-Li Lake Journey seamlessly connected the Chaohu Lake of his past life with the Chaohu Lake of his present.
A single, precious step connecting the bonds of different eras, allowing them to converge at this one Chaohu Lake. A journey to the lake that transcended worlds, all to protect those precious bonds.
Hmm. It seems I've found a new subject for contemplation.
A tickle in his mindscape made him feel as though he had encountered an insight that would not only elevate his achievement in the Thousand-Li Lake Journey but also refine it to an even loftier height. For now, it was merely shimmering faintly, like mist over the lake.
Still, Namgung Jun lifted the bottle with a satisfied expression.
"Master. Would you like another cup?"
"I'd love to. But don't blame me if I get drunk and start acting spoiled. Though, if it's you, Jun, I'm sure you'll indulge me."
"I am actually more worried about you, Master."
The two cups sitting side by side were filled once more.
The Yellow Wine he had once enjoyed with his disciples, he was now enjoying with his master.
Namgung Jun gazed at the rippling waters of Chaohu Lake, savoring the aroma of the Yellow Wine.
*
After a brief rest at Chaohu Lake, Namgung Jun's group returned to Huangshan, where the main castle of the Azure Heaven Association was located.
As they stepped through the formation and neared the entrance of the main castle, they saw the Clouds standing guard.
"Oh!"
"They're finally back!"
The Clouds, watching the Azure Firmament Hall and the Heavenly Sword Hall return side by side, shouted with excited faces.
"Azure Firmament Hall Master, Heavenly Sword Hall Master, what took you so long to return?"