Chapter 30: Karmic Reversal Cult (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: Karmic Reversal Cult (3)
"Aaaargh!"
The Dharma Master's scream echoed through the pavilion, but Namgung Jun remained completely unfazed.
He had already located the captive commoners and secured the document containing the mnemonic for the Star-Absorbing Great Art.
There was no longer any need to hide his true colors.
"Quiet."
"You bastard! How dare you take my arm!"
In an instant, the Dharma Master's Qi Wave expanded explosively. The violent energy, surging at point-blank range, was a raging gale.
However, it failed to affect Namgung Jun's movements. Only his sleeves and hair fluttered in the blast. His Infinite Steps, honed to a new level through his sparring sessions with Man Hun, easily shrugged off the Dharma Master's Qi Wave.
A turbid internal energy surged violently from the Dharma Master's raised left hand. The dense energy materialized, resembling a flickering flame, but its form was too uneven and its density too low to be considered true hand qi.
The absolute peak of the First-Rate. He was on the very verge of reaching the Peak Stage.
Forming a hand blade with his left hand, the Dharma Master thrust it straight toward Namgung Jun's face.
Whoosh!
Using the Infinite Steps, Namgung Jun spun away from the attack, deflecting the hand blade to the side while simultaneously sweeping his sword upward.
"Ugh!"
The Dharma Master barely managed to jerk his head back. If he hadn't moved in time, his face would have been split in half from the jaw up. The sword strike was just that fierce and swift.
As the cold, sharp edge of the blade grazed his skin, the last of his composure vanished, replaced by sheer terror.
I have to alert the others outside! That's the only way I survive!
Namgung Jun's martial prowess was extraordinary. Even if the Dharma Master had been in perfect condition, victory would have been uncertain. In his current state, it was utterly impossible.
But Namgung Jun saw through his intentions immediately.
"Like a cornered rat."
Seeing the Dharma Master's eyes dart toward the entrance, Namgung Jun moved to block his path. Then, as the man tried to take a step, he plunged his sword into the Dharma Master's right thigh.
Thud!
Namgung Jun drove the sword deep, pinning the tip of the blade into the floorboards.
"Argh!"
As the Dharma Master stood frozen, nailed to the spot, blue Thunder Qi flickered in Namgung Jun's hand.
His palm spread wide. It was a move from the Heavenly Thunder Palm Technique.
Splat!
With a single strike, Namgung Jun shattered the Dharma Master's head. He then turned his gaze toward the commoners trapped inside.
Having witnessed the helpless death of the very man who had been draining their energy with the Star-Absorbing Great Art, the captives crowded against the iron bars. They wanted to say something, but they were so weak they could only mouth silent pleas.
Meeting their eyes one by one, Namgung Jun bowed his head politely.
"Do not overexert yourselves. Save your strength. I will rescue you shortly."
After reassuring them, Namgung Jun stepped out of the pavilion. As he emerged alone, the cultists on guard nearby stared at him with suspicion.
Thud!
Namgung Jun closed the pavilion doors behind him, a precaution to prevent any cultists from rushing inside and harming the captives.
"Young Master Hong?"
Just as suspicion began to cloud their eyes, Namgung Jun pulled a signal flare from his collar and aimed it straight at the sky.
Bang!
A blue firework burst, casting a brilliant light across the pitch-black night.
"What is that signal?"
"The Azure Heaven Association. It's definitely them!"
The cultists, who had worn friendly, gentle smiles just moments before, instantly changed. Their faces contorted like demons as they rushed forward.
Four of them closed the distance in an instant, unleashing their Qi Waves simultaneously. It was a messy, turbid qi—glaringly obvious that they had accumulated their internal energy through the Star-Absorbing Great Art. As they lunged, Namgung Jun's eyes remained cold.
Whether they had officially initiated into demonic arts or not, every cultist here had stolen the essence of innocent commoners. Furthermore, now that he had confirmed this was a secret branch of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult, there was no reason to show mercy.
Crackle!
The Thirteen Lightning Flash Sword Thunders slashed through the air, severing the cultists' limbs. His sword was so fast that none of them could react.
Amidst the darkness and splattering blood, only Namgung Jun's blue eyes gleamed with a cold, solitary light.
As he stood alone, blocking the entrance to the pavilion, two figures landed on either side of him.
It was Heo Il and Gong Jun-am.
"Young Hero Namgung."
Heo Il was holding Namgung Jun's bamboo hat and sword.
Taking his belongings, Namgung Jun shed the disguise of the young master of the Hong Family Manor and returned to being a swordsman of the Azure Heaven Association.
"Is this the place?" Gong Jun-am asked.
"Yes. The commoners are held captive inside. I noticed a few martial artists among them as well."
"I see. You did well," Gong Jun-am said, cutting down a cultist who was rushing at him from the side. "To ensure the mission's success, the rest of our hall members are waiting at the foot of Mount Hap. We have to hold them off until they arrive."
"How long will that take?"
"About a quarter of an hour."
Just as Gong Jun-am finished his estimate, an immense Qi Wave surged from the distance.
"A quarter of an hour? Do you think you can last that long?"
The one who appeared before them was the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader. Unlike when they first met, when he had exuded no presence at all, he was now radiating a formidable Qi Wave.
A Qi Wave of that magnitude... Surely...
As if sharing Namgung Jun's thought, Gong Jun-am spoke. "A supreme expert of the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. Are you a Bright Mirror Master?"
Bright Mirror Master. A rank one step above the Bright Order Rank, attainable only after reaching the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. In the Azure Heaven Association, it was equivalent to the Fourth Cloud, or the Hall Master level.
"None of the wanted posters for the Thirteen Mirror Masters match his face," Heo Il remarked. "He might be a supreme expert who has not yet received the title of Mirror Master."
Hearing this, the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader stepped forward with a grim expression.
"Step aside."
He ordered his followers to fall back. Rather than wasting time by sending his subordinates first, he chose to step forward himself and eliminate the intruders.
"I wonder if you can survive for a quarter of an hour now that this old man has stepped in."
Gong Jun-am and Heo Il did not answer. Their opponent was someone who had achieved the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. His perception of time and the speed of his internal energy circulation were on a completely different level from ordinary experts. There was a reason martial artists who reached that stage were called supreme experts.
"As a rule of thumb, it is always best to kill the weakest first."
The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader chose Namgung Jun, whose presence was the faintest, as his first prey.
By the time Namgung Jun heard the Cult Leader's mocking voice, a crimson sword strike was already plunging down right before his eyes. The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader was certain he was moving at a speed Namgung Jun could not even perceive—a speed granted by the unique perception of time from the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. It was a speed that Namgung Jun, who had not even reached the Peak Stage, should never have been able to react to.
Yet, for some reason, Namgung Jun was raising his sword with perfect precision.
Clang!
A heavy metallic clash rang out. The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader's expression turned strange.
"How...?"
Namgung Jun was far from unscathed. Blocking that single strike had severely shaken his internal organs.
I blocked the first strike on instinct, but I don't know how long I can keep this up.
He had to reach the Peak Realm. At all costs. Only then would his perception of all creation change.
Reaching it is entirely up to me.
If the journey from Third-Rate to First-Rate was about shaping a martial artist's vessel, then the Peak Stage was about completing it.
My enlightenment is already sufficient.
What he lacked was the sensory perception, the physical readiness, and the internal energy. There was only one way to resolve this in such a short amount of time.
Opening the Nine Yin Severed Meridian.
Having made his decision, Namgung Jun spat out a mouthful of blood and brought his sword to a mid-level stance.
"Seniors, I need you to buy me ten breaths of time."
At this sudden request, not only Heo Il and Gong Jun-am but even the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader looked at Namgung Jun with intrigue.
The two seniors did not hesitate for long.
"Namgung Jun. Twelve breaths at most. That is our limit."
Thud!
Stepping forward, Gong Jun-am slammed his massive greatsword into the ground and replied bluntly, "I'll trust Young Hero Namgung and buy us that time."
Heo Il, who smelled faintly of alcohol as if he had already been drinking, also moved to stand in front of Namgung Jun. In his left hand, he held four flying daggers, though no one had seen him draw them.
"You madmen."
As the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader moved leisurely, amused by their futility, Namgung Jun pulled the Solar Fire Internal Core from his robes.
Normally, it should only be consumed after thorough preparation. But things in the Jianghu rarely went as planned. This moment was no exception.
For Namgung Jun, overcoming the current crisis was far more important. The companions standing before him were infinitely more precious than any wasted potential from the internal core.
To protect the commoners behind him and his companions in front.
Without even sitting in a lotus position, Namgung Jun chewed and swallowed the internal core.
There's no time to dissolve it through qi circulation.
He had to break through the first acupoint of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian in a single, explosive surge of raw, unrefined energy.
Hummm!
As the Solar Fire Internal Core dissolved down his throat, his meridians began to burn intensely, starting from the Yeomcheon Acupoint.
Ugh.
An immense amount of scorching yang qi ran wild, attempting to flood his meridians. What blocked its path was the internal energy of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula that Namgung Jun had gathered in advance.
Boom!
A massive tremor erupted inside him—the aftermath of the collision between the energy of the Solar Fire Carp and the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula. The shock felt as if his entire body, especially his brain, was being violently shaken. He nearly lost consciousness but gritted his teeth and endured.
Gyeolbu Acupoint, Tiantu Acupoint, Hwagae Acupoint, Gisa Acupoint, Janzhong Acupoint.
Using the internal energy of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula as a wall, he firmly blocked the pre-planned acupoints. As a result, the energy of the Solar Fire Carp had no choice but to flow toward the unblocked pathways.
In this manner, Namgung Jun directed the core's energy toward the first acupoint of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian.
Guiding such a massive amount of energy without even sitting in a lotus position was an incredibly dangerous gamble. Though things were going according to plan for now, an unexpected variable could arise at any moment. Namgung Jun's upper dantian overheated as he focused every single sense on controlling his internal energy.
Several times, the core's energy threatened to flow backward, but Namgung Jun barely managed to suppress it.
Finally, the energy crashed against the first acupoint of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian like a raging tidal wave.
Thud!
A massive vibration shook his entire body. It felt as if his very skull was rattling, but he overcame it with terrifying willpower.
By artificially altering the path of his qi circulation, he had forced the core's energy to collide with the first acupoint. Furthermore, the internal energy of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula that had been blocking the other acupoints now joined the assault, bolstering the force.
After hammering at the blockage dozens of times... just as Namgung Jun's consciousness began to fade...
Pop!
The sound of something bursting echoed within him. As the first acupoint of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian opened, the accumulated Yin Cold Qi was finally unleashed.
The Yin Cold Qi met the energy of the Solar Fire Carp, weaving together into pure internal energy, which the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula devoured, swelling in size.
Hummmm!
Moreover, although he had only opened a single acupoint, the efficiency of his internal energy circulation instantly doubled. This was because the Yin Cold Qi, gushing endlessly from that one point, also influenced the surrounding acupoints.
With the opening of the acupoint, not only the first of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian but also several surrounding ones returned to normal. Dozens of acupoints that had been gradually stiffening from the flow of Yin Cold Qi thawed all at once. An entire meridian pathway had been restored.
The rapid circulation of internal energy granted him a brand-new sensation. As his martial vessel was finally forged...
Namgung Jun's perception of all creation changed dramatically.
Flash!
As Namgung Jun opened his eyes, blue lightning flashed within them. At the same time, a vivid blue energy surged from his sword, which was held in a mid-level stance. The surging energy cleanly enveloped the blade, maintaining a distinct form.
Sword Qi.
It was proof that he had reached the Peak Realm.
Without taking a moment to wipe the blood pouring from his nose and mouth, Namgung Jun lunged forward.
Clang!
Leaping with the Infinite Steps, he blocked the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader's sword, which had been about to sever Gong Jun-am's arm.
He was instantly blown back by the immense recoil, but Gong Jun-am, who was behind him, caught him with his forearm.
Without taking his eyes off the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader, Namgung Jun asked, "How many breaths have passed?"
"Eight breaths," Gong Jun-am replied in a steady voice, even as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Seniors."
For a split second, Namgung Jun locked eyes with his two companions. Gong Jun-am wore a faint smile. The same went for Heo Il, who had already thrown over a dozen flying daggers and was now fiddling with a new hidden weapon.
Through that brief exchange, they understood Namgung Jun's intent. The two seniors stepped back, moving behind their junior.
Beholding all creation with his newly awakened senses, Namgung Jun glared at the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader.
"Come. Time is ticking."