Chapter 181: Wandering Hero (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 181: Wandering Hero (2)
Skrrrch!
Snorting, the Wandering Hero lowered his straight blade, scraping it against the ground. He didn’t close the distance rashly, instead circling Namgung Jun slowly to measure the gap between them.
The scraping sound echoed with unnatural loudness, his blade infused with internal energy. This, combined with his swaggering, bizarre footwork, was a deliberate assault on Namgung Jun’s senses, designed to break his focus.
It was Namgung Jun who moved first.
As the Wandering Hero twisted his body and moved sideways, Namgung Jun executed the Infinite Steps, targeting the split-second his opponent’s shoulder was exposed. With the straight blade in his right hand, the Wandering Hero was forced to respond to an attack from that angle with his bare left hand.
When Namgung Jun’s sword precisely pierced the minuscule opening that appeared for only a fleeting moment, the Wandering Hero’s brow twitched.
“Quite experienced, aren’t you!”
Turning the back of his hand toward the ground, the Wandering Hero swung his arm in a semicircle, deflecting the sword strike. As the gauntlet on his left hand clashed with the blade of the Eternal Righteous Sword, a faint shockwave erupted.
On the surface, it looked like a mere piece of thin fabric, yet the Eternal Righteous Sword could not slice through it. While the Wandering Hero’s seasoned technique certainly played a part, the gauntlet itself was clearly a rare treasure.
“A bladesman using a gauntlet made of Celestial Silkworm Thread. How unusual.”
“Wandering warriors make a living by putting their bodies through hell. Naturally, we have to cherish our lives as much as we can.”
The moment Namgung Jun saw the Wandering Hero’s smirk, he thrust his left hand upward diagonally, unleashing the Heavenly Thunder Palm Technique.
Crash!
The Wandering Hero’s straight blade was blocked by Namgung Jun’s palm. It was a counterattack where he had deflected Namgung Jun’s sword with his left hand while simultaneously slashing down with his blade.
Having exchanged a single blow on equal terms, the two supreme experts began to clash their weapons in earnest.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The Wandering Hero’s blade technique consisted almost entirely of raw, lethal moves, aiming for the philtrum one moment before suddenly pivoting to slash at the ribs. The punches and Palm Forces interspersed between his blade strikes kept Namgung Jun constantly on the defensive.
When Namgung Jun blocked an incoming fist by striking it with his sword hilt, the Wandering Hero quickly flicked his clenched left hand, shooting out a hidden weapon concealed within his fist.
Even as he thrust his sword deep, Namgung Jun unleashed a Qi Wave using the subtle principles of the Heaven-Pillar Resolute Advance Movement Art to deflect the projectile.
“Your martial arts are strong, but for someone so young, you should lack real combat experience. Yet, your responses are incredibly seasoned.”
Even as he spoke, the Wandering Hero extended his straight blade, aiming for Namgung Jun’s left eye.
Whoosh!
He suddenly whipped his sleeves, kicking up a massive cloud of dust, and followed up by unleashing a powerful blade wind.
However, Namgung Jun didn’t confront it head-on. Instead, he widened the distance and evaded, having not missed the fine powder leaking from the Wandering Hero’s sleeves. Though he couldn’t identify it, he was certain it was a deadly poison.
‘Every single one of his movements is optimized for killing.’
The Wandering Hero gestured with his index and middle fingers as if to fire a finger wind, only to twist his waist and execute a kick instead.
Thud!
Blocking the kick with an upward knee strike, Namgung Jun delivered a short thrust with the Eternal Righteous Sword. The Wandering Hero took a wide step back to evade the flurry of thrusts that targeted fourteen vital points in an instant.
Having anticipated this, Namgung Jun immediately closed the distance with the Infinite Steps. The Wandering Hero flicked his fingers again, launching another hidden weapon. Namgung Jun deflected its trajectory simply by twisting his wrist, flipping his blade from its edge to its flat.
Chuckling as the hidden weapon flew back toward him, the Wandering Hero swung his straight blade roughly to swat it away.
Clang!
Meanwhile, the Eternal Righteous Sword swept horizontally, imbued with heavy Sword Force. The Wandering Hero rotated his waist and swung his own blade with great force to meet it head-on.
Boom!
The impact of the clash was so powerful that a nearby thatched cottage collapsed instantly.
Exuding an increasingly dense killing intent, the Wandering Hero’s straight blade drew dozens of patterns in the air, each accompanied by a sharp glint of blade light.
‘He grew strong through the experience of killing people, not through meditation and contemplation.’
Not all martial artists in the Jianghu grew strong through methods like meditation. Such paths were typically pursued by those of the Righteous Faction. Of course, cultivators of the Demonic and Heretical Paths also ultimately sought enlightenment, but their process was different. They unleashed their martial arts in real combat, correcting visible, practical flaws until they found the core essence that pierced through it all. This was the way of the Demonic and Heretical Paths.
Just by observing his fighting style, one could grasp how the Wandering Hero had wielded his martial arts and what kind of path he had walked.
‘They said he has the potential to be called the Wolf King within ten years. If anything, that was an understatement.’
In Namgung Jun’s eyes, the Wandering Hero’s martial arts were far superior to the public’s evaluation, and his innate talent was extraordinary. At this rate, he would achieve the Five Qis Converging at the Origin and become a peerless expert within three years at the earliest, or five at the latest.
‘Which is precisely why he must be cut down now.’
If a peerless expert known as the Wolf King were to abuse his violent martial prowess for money as he did now, the devastation would be immense. To Namgung Jun, the Wandering Hero was a raging spark, moments away from becoming a forest fire.
Thud!
Executing an Earth-Trembling Stomp, Namgung Jun deflected the straight blade aiming for his thigh. Perhaps having grasped the rhythm of the Infinite Steps through their exchanges, the Wandering Hero unleashed dozens of strands of blade wind to hinder his movement. But Namgung Jun’s body stood firm like a pillar, generating a thick Qi Wave.
Ignoring the interference with his Heaven-Pillar Resolute Advance Movement Art, Namgung Jun advanced three steps. The Eternal Righteous Sword swept up sharply from below, ruthlessly pushing back the Wandering Hero’s blade.
“Ha. To have mastered such incredible martial arts at such a young age, only to let them rot in vain.” Forced back a step with every clash against the increasingly heavy sword strikes, the Wandering Hero whispered with a smirk. “Chivalry. It sounds nice, but what’s actually left in the end? If you’re lucky, you get wounds, internal injuries, and a bit of petty fame. If you’re unlucky, you die alone on some wild hill. It happens every day, doesn’t it?”
Clang!
Spinning around, his straight blade unleashed a vivid Qi Wave, repelling the Eternal Righteous Sword. The Wandering Hero’s strike was also quite heavy, enough to alter the trajectory of Namgung Jun’s sword.
“When you’re young and know nothing, it’s natural to chase fame and romance. But think carefully. Isn’t it a waste to possess such outstanding martial arts and use them solely for others?”
Namgung Jun evaded the blade that sought to pierce his cheek and swung the Eternal Righteous Sword horizontally. “For someone who pretends to be so seasoned, you’re surprisingly naive.”
“Every martial artist in the Jianghu wields their arts for themselves.”
“What?”
Boom!
Imbued with the full force of the compounding Sword Force, the strike pushed the Wandering Hero back with immense power. As Namgung Jun’s offensive grew more powerful with every exchange, a hint of dismay flickered across the Wandering Hero’s face.
“It’s just that the sincerity behind our martial arts points us down different paths.”
“Ah, so that’s what you meant. You wanted to say that all those half-wits chasing righteousness are acting out of sincerity?” Glaring at Namgung Jun, the Wandering Hero let out a faint, mocking laugh. “In a way, you might be right. Throwing away one’s life for a complete stranger? It’s a foolish act that could never be done without absolute sincerity.”
Thrusting his straight blade forward with all his might, the Wandering Hero brought his face close to Namgung Jun’s. “Namgung Jun. Can you truly throw away your life for others without hesitation? Are you prepared to abandon the smooth, golden path laid out before you without a single regret?”
Just as Namgung Jun was about to speak, the Wandering Hero swung his blade with all his might, not waiting for an answer. He had never intended to listen, merely using the moment to launch a counterattack.
Swoosh!
Accompanied by a chilling sound, the blade strikes targeted Namgung Jun’s left shoulder, right ribs, and groin. The exquisitely executed, unnamed ultimate technique of the Wandering Hero reached him in an instant.
Though it was practically a surprise attack, Namgung Jun was not flustered in the least. The Eternal Righteous Sword, shrouded in indigo mist, simply swept through the air even more smoothly.
Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique.
Subterranean Embrace.
As the indigo mist curved gently, connecting like a circular rainbow wrapping around the sun, the Wandering Hero’s blade strikes seemed to be completely deflected, only to be redirected straight back at him.
“Hup!”
Despite having survived countless life-or-death battles, even the Wandering Hero had never witnessed such a maneuver. He gasped for breath and hurriedly swung his blade to defend.
Clash!
As dismay washed over his face from barely withstanding his own redirected attack, Namgung Jun’s sword was already preparing the next ultimate technique, as if returning the favor.
Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique.
Time-Tide.
As the sword moved vertically and horizontally, droplets of water seemed to fill the air. Countless sword strikes, scattering like fine mist, seeped gently all over the Wandering Hero’s body.
Clatter!
An unfamiliar metallic sound echoed from the Wandering Hero’s body, and Namgung Jun’s eyelids twitched slightly. His opponent’s Protective Astral Qi was quite sturdy, likely from diligent training. It wasn’t impenetrable, but the problem was the second layer of defense beneath it.
Namgung Jun’s blue eyes swept over the Wandering Hero’s upper body. Through his tattered robes, smooth metal was visible instead of bare skin. Realizing what it was, Namgung Jun let out a short sigh.
“You certainly have a lot of tricks up your sleeve.”
“Abalone-Scale Armor. It’s saved my life countless times. I had to roll in the dirt for over five years just to buy this.”
These preparations clearly reflected the Wandering Hero’s extreme self-preservation. Namgung Jun’s grip on the Eternal Righteous Sword tightened as he shifted his hold. Now that he knew about the Protective Astral Qi and the Abalone-Scale Armor, his next move had to cut through both without fail.
Seeing Namgung Jun’s fiercely glowing eyes, the Wandering Hero flinched inwardly, though he didn’t show it.
‘Greed only leads to indigestion.’
Suddenly, five small spheres slipped from the Wandering Hero’s sleeve. He intended to escape using smoke bombs that would generate a thick, poisonous fog.
Just before they hit the ground—
Slash!
An extremely swift sword strike, flashing like lightning, pierced through all five smoke bombs. Charging forward in an instant, Namgung Jun had prevented them from exploding in the first place.
Rip!
The sword tip that had pierced the bombs swept upward, slashing a deep gash across the Wandering Hero’s waist.
Having executed the Heavenly Thunder form of the Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique, Namgung Jun was suddenly standing behind the Wandering Hero.
“Cough!”
Unable to hold on any longer, the Wandering Hero fell to his knees. The Eternal Righteous Sword came to rest on the nape of his neck.
“If you had fought properly instead of trying to flee, you would have lasted longer.”
“And my chances of survival would have dropped just as much.”
“Sometimes, one must find the path to survival beyond the line of death.”
“Well, I’m a man who prioritizes self-preservation.”
As the Wandering Hero subtly twitched his hand to try one last trick, Namgung Jun instantly severed his head.
Flicking the blood from his blade, Namgung Jun sheathed the Eternal Righteous Sword and looked down at the collapsing corpse.
“Wandering Hero. What did you ultimately gain? And what do you intend to carry with you as you cross the Sanzu River?”
Naturally, the corpse could not answer.
Staring at the blood slowly staining the ground red, Namgung Jun muttered, “I do not ponder what I will gain, but what I will leave behind. In the end, death forces us to leave everything behind anyway.”
Leaving the Wandering Hero’s body, Namgung Jun walked away.
As he moved through the village, extinguishing the remaining embers, he sensed new presences approaching. This time, however, there seemed to be no need to draw his sword.
The rapidly approaching auras were, without exception, profound and noble.
Like plum blossoms blooming in the snow under the moonlight.