Chapter 184: The Emperor's Heavenly Thunder (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 184: The Emperor's Heavenly Thunder (3)
A bone-carving chill bit into his flesh as his vision filled with indigo ice and frost.
Although the Second Young Master and the Fifth Mirror Master were rushing at him from both sides, Namgung Jun's gaze was directed elsewhere.
He saw the commoners, frozen solid in the middle of their daily routines.
Yet, their hearts were still beating—slowly, but surely.
To Namgung Jun, who possessed the senses of a supreme expert, the heartbeats of the frozen villagers scattered throughout the town were clearly audible. At the sound of their faint, struggling hearts, his own began to beat even faster.
His exceptionally sharp eyebrows trembled.
"You people are truly vile."
Namgung Jun's eyes, tracking the erratic movements of the Second Young Master and the Fifth Mirror Master, gradually began to shine with a deep, intense light.
Crash!
The Eternal Righteous Sword simultaneously struck back the palm and the sword, both laden with Yin Cold Qi. The two demonic practitioners’ strikes were cunning, taking paths that were difficult to block at once, but they were easily intercepted by the sword trajectory Namgung Jun casually drew.
Every time Namgung Jun took a step of the Infinite Steps, the ice on the ground shattered beneath his feet.
As he inhaled to pursue the repelled duo, the air felt exceptionally cold and biting. It felt as if his very insides were freezing and tearing apart. He was reminded once again just how terrible the cold, intensified by the formation, truly was.
Whoosh!
A sword wind as bitter as a winter gale and a Palm Force like a condensed blizzard rushed in, separated by less than half a breath. It was a relentless, consecutive attack from the two demonic practitioners, who used martial arts centered on Yin Cold Qi to agitate his Nine Yin Severed Meridian.
Crackle!
The blue Thunder Qi of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula enveloped Namgung Jun's entire body. Dozens of crackling strands of lightning wriggled across his form, generating heat every time they flared.
However, there was a clear limit to this defense.
Not only was he fending off the Yin Cold Qi of the two masters, but the energy of the All-Pervading Pure Yang Enchantment Formation that covered the area was also slowly tightening its grip around him.
Crash!
An indigo mist surged forward like a thunderbolt as dozens of sword strikes rained down on the two rushing demonic practitioners. The Fifth Mirror Master, who was in the lead, created a gap in the barrage of the Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique. Leaping through it, the Second Young Master thrust his palms forward, finally securing a path to Namgung Jun.
Even without the Fifth Mirror Master, the Second Young Master possessed martial arts that allowed him to compete with Namgung Jun head-on. Having gained an opening with his companion’s help, the Second Young Master executed another Earth-Trembling Stomp and thrust his palms, striking at Namgung Jun’s entire body.
Clang! Clang!
Heavy, metallic sounds erupted as palms and sword blade clashed repeatedly. Enveloped in Yin Cold Qi, the Second Young Master's palms were as hard and heavy as steel hammers.
The Second Young Master flicked the back of his hand to deflect a sword strike aimed at his collarbone, then extended his right palm downward to disrupt Namgung Jun's footwork.
Namgung Jun executed an Earth-Trembling Stomp of his own to shatter the ice that had risen to his ankles. Meanwhile, the Second Young Master concentrated his internal energy into his right hand and aimed for Namgung Jun's shoulder. The exceptionally thick frost gathering there suggested that the Yin Cold Qi of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian was raging in his Jianjing and Jianyu acupoints.
At this rate, I could have faced him alone.
Just as this thought crossed the Second Young Master's mind, his guard dropping for an instant as he read Namgung Jun's movements, the Eternal Righteous Sword, which had been slashing down vertically, trembled minutely. It suddenly soared, drawing a curved path from the side.
He hadn't lost track of the sword's flow for a single moment, so he couldn't understand how such an abrupt change had occurred.
Terrified, the Second Young Master didn't even dare to retreat. His only option was to quickly cross his arms to protect his face.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After blocking three slashes by a hair's breadth, the Second Young Master was blown away, crashing into a wall behind him.
Although Namgung Jun had gained the upper hand in the exchange, his expression was dark. The rampaging Yin Cold Qi had finally aggravated his internal injuries. Forcing down the blood rising in his throat, Namgung Jun slightly relaxed the grip of his ring finger, holding the sword a little more lightly.
"Second Young Master!"
The Fifth Mirror Master quickly threw himself forward, thrusting his sword toward Namgung Jun's left chest. He had to prevent Namgung Jun from approaching the Second Young Master to deliver a finishing blow.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
After exchanging three moves, the Fifth Mirror Master retreated. Behind him, the Second Young Master’s voice rang out.
"I'm fine."
Dust-covered, the Second Young Master's sleeves were torn to shreds. If he hadn't enveloped himself in Protective Astral Qi, both of his arms would have been severed.
"Vast Sky Boundless Sword Technique. A fitting name, indeed. I have never seen someone transcend so many different schools of the sword to achieve such a free-flowing momentum. It could easily feel like the chaotic swordplay of the Demonic and Heretical Paths, yet it retains the strong, clear, and righteous feeling unique to the Righteous Faction."
The Second Young Master smiled as he looked at the silent Namgung Jun.
"But it seems your Nine Yin Severed Meridian is beginning to run wild. Can you not even spare the breath to answer?"
As the Second Young Master posed the question, the Fifth Mirror Master soared high and struck down with his sword. The blades, crossing diagonally from both sides, tangled seven times in an instant before separating again. The Fifth Mirror Master let out a laugh.
His gaze was fixed on the blade of the Eternal Righteous Sword, which was now slightly frosted over. Until now, Namgung Jun had dispelled the invading Yin Cold Qi instantly, but this time, a thin layer of frost had formed and was melting away slowly.
It was proof that Namgung Jun's circulation of internal energy had faltered.
"Azure Star Sword. Did you know? Your reactions have slowed, even if only by a fraction."
Deflecting the Fifth Mirror Master's strikes aimed at five vital points, Namgung Jun tilted the Eternal Righteous Sword diagonally to block the Second Young Master's palm, which extended from the side. The Yin Cold Palm Force flowed along the sword blade, aggravating Namgung Jun's internal injuries.
Dark blood leaked from Namgung Jun's lips and dripped down his jawline.
"Is it wise to persist in defending? The more time you waste, the more of these commoners will freeze to death."
The area around Namgung Jun, who was weathering the joint attacks of the Second Young Master and the Fifth Mirror Master, was exceptionally frigid.
Clang!
While receiving the Second Young Master's palm technique, Namgung Jun was pushed back for the first time.
Whoosh!
The Nine Yin Severed Meridian, finally fully awakened, spewed out a massive amount of Yin Cold Qi. He was now forced to divert his internal energy to suppress it, which naturally reduced the power he could channel into his sword.
The commoners, frozen and slowly awaiting death.
His body's meridians, gradually stiffening from the Nine Yin Severed Meridian, and his increasingly severe internal injuries.
Namgung Jun was under the pressure of time, both from within and without. The trap prepared by the Second Young Master was perfectly designed to exploit his greatest weakness.
If I were to make a rational judgment, withdrawing is the best option.
But Namgung Jun could not do that.
Choosing to break rather than bend was his way of life. His sword only sought to extend straight and true. It could be called stubbornness, but Namgung Jun could never bend.
He wanted to be proud of himself.
He wanted to be honorable in the eyes of the disciples from his past life, who might be watching from somewhere.
He didn't care if they called him foolish or stubborn.
His choice to never turn away from those in need remained unchanged.
"It is chilly."
Feeling the Yin Cold Qi rising from deep within his body, Namgung Jun's smile gradually deepened.
Whoosh!
The relaxed Second Young Master and Fifth Mirror Master hesitated. Namgung Jun's aura had suddenly changed completely.
From his lowered sword, waves of hot and cold Qi flowed out in irregular turns. It was as if he had embraced both Scorching Yang Qi and Yin Cold Qi within a single body. The resulting energy was so precarious it seemed his body might explode at any moment, yet Namgung Jun's smile remained.
"The time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
Namgung Jun took a step toward the Second Young Master and the Fifth Mirror Master.
"I will end this within that time."
*
Thud!
Namgung Jun, who had been on the defensive until now, executed an Earth-Trembling Stomp and lunged forward.
Nine Yin Severed Meridian. If you wish to swallow my body, then I will use you as well.
He withdrew the energy of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula and the Spear King Azure Aura, which had been blocking some of his meridians to halt the spread of Yin Cold Qi.
Whoosh!
He bound the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula and the Spear King Azure Aura into a single flow and forced them to confront the Yin Cold Qi of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian. Then, through the subtle principles of the Taiji Taoyuan Technique, he forcibly bound the clashing energies of Yin and Yang.
As the massive, unstable energy coursed through him, the meridians throughout his body screamed. Some were already tearing apart, unable to withstand the backlash.
A pain as if his entire body was being slowly ripped apart washed over him, but Namgung Jun struck with his sword as if nothing was wrong.
Boom!
It was a light strike, but the power loaded into the blade was on a completely different level.
A chilling sound of breaking bone erupted from the wrist of the Fifth Mirror Master, who had let his guard down upon seeing Namgung Jun spitting blood from his nose and mouth. The right wrist holding his sword had been completely shattered.
The Fifth Mirror Master retreated, clutching his bizarrely bent wrist.
The doubt blooming in the Second Young Master's mind turned into certainty.
"The energies of Yin and Yang... Could it be?"
The Sun-Moon Demonic Cult was a martial lineage that specialized in handling both Yin and Yang energies. Naturally, he could quickly see what Namgung Jun was attempting.
"Are you planning to drag us down with you?! Do you think someone like you, who hasn't learned our cult's martial arts, can handle that kind of internal energy circulation?!"
"Are you afraid?"
"Why would I be afraid of a man who's about to die anyway?!" the Second Young Master gritted out, realizing he had unconsciously taken a step back.
What Namgung Jun was attempting was not something one could do just by thinking of it. Normally, before such energy could even manifest, the user's internal energy would flow backward, causing severe internal injuries or bursting their meridians, leading to death.
Yet, Namgung Jun had somehow pulled it off, boasting a terrifying martial prowess, even if only temporarily.
First the Seventh Young Lady, and now this one.
Did everyone born with a severed meridian possess such bizarre and astonishing talent?
A new emotion crept up on the Second Young Master.
It was fear.
Seeing something whitish rushing before his eyes, he instinctively unleashed his palms. Since he couldn't clearly see the strike, he intended to respond by pouring out Palm Force over a wide area.
Rip!
The Yin Cold Palm Force he unleashed, which contained the peak of his internal energy, was torn apart futilely. A deep blue sword light flashed straight ahead, and the Second Young Master's left arm soared into the air.
"Urgh!"
Even as he lost his arm, the Second Young Master thrust his right hand, aiming for Namgung Jun's temple. However, he could not reach Namgung Jun, whose figure had become as faint and indistinct as mist on water.
Evading with the Thousand-Li Lake Journey, Namgung Jun swung his sword again.
Just as the Eternal Righteous Sword was about to sever the Second Young Master's neck—
"Stop!"
The Fifth Mirror Master, unable to use his right hand, poured out Palm Force with his left, desperately trying to stop Namgung Jun.
Bang!
Blown back by the force of the palm strike, which made his sleeves flutter violently, Namgung Jun soared high into the sky.
"Damn it!"
Although he had bought time as intended, the Fifth Mirror Master's expression was grim. He realized that Namgung Jun had intentionally used the force of the palm strike to launch himself into the air.
From a height equivalent to an eight-story pavilion, the frozen village came into Namgung Jun's view. Naturally, the pivots of the All-Pervading Pure Yang Enchantment Formation deployed throughout the village were also visible.
But what caught Namgung Jun's eye the most were the frozen commoners.
"Please, hold on a little longer."
Even in the empty air where there was no foothold, Namgung Jun straightened his posture and gripped his sword. The immense Sword Force gathering around the Eternal Righteous Sword warped the very atmosphere as it overlapped, layer upon layer.
Southern Heaven.
The ultimate technique that had once split the Manifested Astral Qi of the Heaven-Treading Axe Emperor was unleashed once again, casting a massive sword path that cut across the entire village.
Rumble!
The sword path that brought forth the southern sky descended upon not only the pivots of the All-Pervading Pure Yang Enchantment Formation but also the Second Young Master and the Fifth Mirror Master.
Thud!
The two demonic practitioners died at the same moment the All-Pervading Pure Yang Enchantment Formation collapsed. In the aftermath of the Southern Heaven's strike, the village split in two with a deafening crack.
Thud!
Falling without being able to control his body, Namgung Jun couldn't even land properly and spat out a mouthful of blood. He had to pay the price for recklessly circulating his internal energy while the Nine Yin Severed Meridian ran wild.
If I perform Qi Circulation right now...
There was a minuscule possibility he could survive by calming the Nine Yin Severed Meridian. However, that would take a considerable amount of time. In the meantime, the hearts of the frozen commoners would stop.
It was a moment where two lines of death cruelly intertwined. One was Namgung Jun's, and the other belonged to the frozen villagers. Depending on the choice he made, one side would be drawn rapidly toward death.
—Can you truly throw away your life for others without hesitation?
Suddenly, the words the Wandering Hero had once spoken echoed in his head like an auditory hallucination. It was as if an untimely inner demon had come to visit.
"Heh."
Qi Deviation and inner demons were common occurrences for martial artists. Namgung Jun had experienced them many times before. As long as he did not waver, it would be fine.
His body was gradually refusing to obey him. His very flesh was freezing from the inside out.
Namgung Jun, barely managing to raise his body, did not hesitate for even an instant. He merely dragged his feet forward, an unwavering smile on his face.
"Phew."
Moving to the center of the village, Namgung Jun sat cross-legged.
Crackle!
He released all the remaining energy of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula and the Spear King Azure Aura outward. Applying the principle of sword pressure, he spread the energy throughout the village and circulated it.
Since he had neither the time nor the strength to thaw the villagers one by one, it was a plan devised on the spot.
The mist, now laden with Thunder Qi, swirled through the village, emitting a gentle heat.
Slowly, the ice covering the village and the frozen commoners began to thaw.
Crack!
Conversely, Namgung Jun's own body began to gradually freeze over. White frost settled on his hair, and his indigo martial uniform stiffened.
Yet, his circulation of internal energy continued, steady and true.
As if he was vowing to save the villagers, no matter the cost.