Chapter 31: Karmic Reversal Cult (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31: Karmic Reversal Cult (4)
Crackle!
The blue Thunder Qi enveloping Namgung Jun’s body erupted with a sharp crack of thunder.
Immediately after, a violent Qi Wave burst from the edges of the Thunder Qi, lashing against the skin of the surrounding martial artists.
It was the materialization of Internal Energy, flowing outside the physical body. A translucent Qi Wave imbued with the distinct color of his own power.
This was the proof that he had reached the Peak Realm.
‘Young Hero Namgung… he suddenly reached the Peak Realm?’
‘Did he break through because he consumed the Solar Fire Internal Core?!’
Heo Il and Gong Jun-am couldn't take their eyes off the blue Thunder Qi enveloping their junior. Woven as elegantly as a silk robe, the Thunder Qi surged violently with his every breath.
Perhaps because he had absorbed the core's energy through unorthodox means, the Qi Wave radiating from him was highly unstable.
"Young Hero Namgung. Are you alright?"
Namgung Jun simply nodded in response.
Heo Il let out a sigh of relief and massaged his slightly trembling right hand.
‘To control an energy of that magnitude… Only someone like Young Hero Namgung could do it.’
Though his junior looked as if he might fall into Qi Deviation at any moment, he seemed to be suppressing it through his innate mastery of Internal Energy.
Meanwhile, Gong Jun-am kept his greatsword leveled, holding the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader at bay.
‘Namgung Jun succeeded. Our chances of holding out have increased, however slightly.’
Even so, they could not let their guard down. Their opponent was a supreme expert who had achieved the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.
It was then that Namgung Jun stepped in front of his two seniors.
"I will face the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader alone."
Heo Il and Gong Jun-am didn't reply. They knew instantly that his words were not born of youthful bravado but of consideration for them.
The two swordsmen looked down at their feet. Before they knew it, pools of blood had gathered beneath them. The brief time they had spent blocking the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader had left them with severe injuries. If they suffered any more wounds in this state, they would likely die.
Their junior, standing before them, was undoubtedly worried about this.
Namgung Jun slowly lowered his sword into a low stance. "Seniors, please guard the entrance of the pavilion and protect the civilians."
The two swordsmen glanced away. The surrounding cultists were practically radiating their intent to charge forward and reclaim the pavilion the moment they saw an opening.
"Young Hero Namgung…"
Heo Il wore a grim expression, while Gong Jun-am’s lips were pressed into a tight line.
‘No matter how peerless Namgung Jun’s talent is…’
The gap in their martial prowess was simply too vast. It would be a miracle if he could even withstand three exchanges.
As the two swordsmen fretted, Namgung Jun turned his head slightly to look back at them.
"It's alright."
Seeing the faint smile on his profile, they felt their anxiety miraculously ease.
After offering them a reassuring smile, Namgung Jun took a step toward the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader.
"Are you fearless, or have you simply lost your mind?" the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader began, but he stopped mid-sentence.
The moment his eyes met Namgung Jun's, his instincts as a supreme expert screamed a warning.
‘What is this? What is it about him?’
He couldn't believe he felt threatened by a boy who had only just stepped into the Peak Realm. Was he hiding some mysterious power?
His hesitation was brief.
The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader took a giant stride forward. He didn't care what this Azure Heaven Association trash was hiding. As long as he remained vigilant, defeat was impossible.
His eyes narrowed as he thrust his straight blade forward. Normally, he would have swung it carelessly—that alone would have been more than enough to cut down the boy before him. Yet, the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader unleashed his technique with his full power, as if facing an equal.
Moon-Chant Scattering Saber.
A blade technique of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult that relied on bizarre movements and trickery.
Zzzzzzt!
Half-moon-shaped blade strikes weaved through the air in diagonal arcs, producing a peculiar, insect-like buzzing as they split the air. The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader intended to slice Namgung Jun to pieces in a single blow.
Faced with sixteen blade strikes closing in from his flanks, Namgung Jun’s response was simple.
Heavy Wind Sword Technique.
A gale of sword wind soared into the sky, following the straight path of his thrust. It plowed through the dozens of blade strikes, surging forward and scattering the incoming attacks in all directions.
Having shattered the technique head-on, Namgung Jun was pushed back once more. Though he had precisely pierced the flow and openings of the form, the gap in raw power was simply too immense. He had reached the Peak Realm through meridian opening and was now pouring all the core’s unrefined energy into his sword.
Even so, the absolute gap in martial power was vast. It was a miracle he could even clash swords with his opponent, however precariously.
"Hmm."
Seeing Namgung Jun take a step back, the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader didn't immediately press his advantage. He couldn't believe the sword strike he had just witnessed.
‘What was that? He countered my form perfectly.’
Of course, the sword wind Namgung Jun had unleashed was powerful for his apparent level, but it shouldn't have been enough to push back his own technique with sheer force.
Furthermore, the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader had seen it clearly. The sword wind had precisely traced the path of his technique in reverse, completely disrupting its flow.
‘This brat… Just what is he?’
The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader quickly retrieved his blade and slashed horizontally in a wide arc. A crimson crescent of light surged forth, violently tearing up the ground.
Ruuuumble!
Even as crimson light filled his vision, Namgung Jun moved in a large half-circle, his sword curving forward to meet the attack. With a slight tilt of his wrist, the blade shifted minutely.
Unlike before, this sword momentum gently redirected the force. It was the form of the Distant-Cloud Layered-Wall Stance.
Curving gracefully along the sword’s path and branching out like tree limbs, the Thunder Qi deflected the blade strike. Although he had redirected and dispersed as much of the impact as possible using the subtle principles of the stance, it felt as if his wrist would shatter at any moment.
Yet, Namgung Jun swung his sword without a single change in his expression.
"You bastard!"
The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader tried to crush the Distant-Cloud Layered-Wall Stance with sheer force, but Namgung Jun switched to the Heavenly Wind Sword Technique at the perfect moment and stubbornly held his ground.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted, and blood sprayed from Namgung Jun's mouth. Even so, his posture didn't break as he absorbed the full force of the onslaught. Staggering under the immense force, he impossibly maintained his stance and thrust his sword forward.
The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader didn't miss the beads of sweat forming on Namgung Jun's forehead.
He was clearly struggling.
And it was only natural. It would be absurd for a mere boy who had just reached the Peak Stage to withstand his full-force assault.
Thud!
Executing an Earth-Trembling Stomp to surge his Qi Wave, the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader’s blade swept down to split Namgung Jun’s head in two.
The consecutive impacts made Namgung Jun's stomach churn. Swallowing the fresh blood that rose in his throat, he widened his stance and swung his sword upward with all his might.
Clang!
The ground beneath his feet caved in, but he stubbornly refused to fall.
"Haaah."
Even while staggering precariously, Namgung Jun drew in a sharp breath. He was confident he could still hold out for dozens more exchanges. The unrefined energy of the core was still surging through his meridians. If he were to absorb this energy through Qi Circulation, he would achieve a massive breakthrough, but that was a luxury he could not afford right now.
It was enough to simply burn the core's energy to temporarily draw out power beyond his current realm.
Crackle!
As if proving his resolve, the blue Thunder Qi enveloping his body continued to crackle with brilliant flashes of lightning.
*
Namgung Jun dashed toward the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader.
His opponent was a supreme expert of the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. He existed in a completely different dimension of time. In his current state, having not yet achieved the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, it was a gap that could never be bridged.
But Namgung Jun possessed the memories of his past life.
In that life, the Sword Emperor had naturally reached the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and was well-acquainted with the unique perception of time that supreme experts possessed.
‘Twenty-four exchanges.’
Based on their clashes so far, he analyzed and calculated the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader's techniques. From here on, it was no longer a matter of perception, but of prediction.
‘To make my predictions even more certain…!’
He had to restrict and bait him.
He leaped to avoid a blade strike aiming for his ankles, but the straight blade was already hurtling toward his flank. Yet, as if he had anticipated this, Namgung Jun had already twisted his waist halfway.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed from his waist. A burning sensation flared up, as if he had been pierced by a red-hot iron skewer.
Even though the blade had sliced through his flank, Namgung Jun didn't stop. As long as his waist wasn't severed and his internal organs weren't damaged, it was enough. He could still move.
Since he was outmatched in every aspect, he had to endure injuries if he wanted to seize the initiative. Thanks to that sacrifice, Namgung Jun secured his desired position and the optimal distance.
‘Upper left.’
Namgung Jun thrust his sword toward an empty spot in the air.
Heavenly Wind Sword Technique.
Autumn-Sky Gaze.
A cool sword wind, like one lingering in an autumn sky, whipped horizontally with great force.
At that moment, countless red lines were drawn before Namgung Jun's eyes. It was a succession of killing strikes where the slightest misstep would lead directly to death. As if walking a tightrope on the brink of oblivion, Namgung Jun boldly threw his body forward.
Claaaaang!
The sword in his hand trembled violently, letting out a pitiful metallic shriek as if it would shatter at any moment. The overwhelming impact tore his palms open, and blood drenched the hilt. Even so, Namgung Jun did not let go.
Thud!
Instead, he executed an Earth-Trembling Stomp and thrust his sword forward. His pupils pierced the path of the straight blade.
In a span of time so brief it could split an instant into five, Namgung Jun's eyes locked onto the minute opening that had appeared in the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader's defense.
‘An opportunity will arise in half a breath!’
The footwork energy of Infinite Steps added power to his soles, which were sticky with blood and sweat. Evading a slash aimed at his Dantian, he spun his body in midair.
The force from the twisting of his entire body’s muscles was loaded into the sword through the subtle principles of Silk-Reeling Energy. On top of that, the Thunder Qi writhing throughout his body was entirely condensed into the blade.
Blood poured from the wounds carved all over him from his reckless movements. His severely battered insides churned violently, threatening to rupture at any moment, accompanied by a surging wave of pain.
Yet, Namgung Jun's eyes only shone with a deeper, sharper blue, as if he were pouring every ounce of his being into this single sword strike.
Whoosh!
Though he had no foothold, Namgung Jun's sword path extended smoothly and cleanly.
Thirteen Lightning Flash Sword Thunders.
Thirteenth Form: Single Lightning Thunderclap.
Claaaaang!
For the first time, the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader was brought to a dead stop by an external force.
"Ugh."
The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader clutched his left shoulder, failing to hide his grimace. The Protective Astral Qi covering his shoulder was perfectly intact.
Yet, he couldn't take his hand off his shoulder. The presence of the Thunder Qi that had penetrated his meridians was growing increasingly heavy.
"You… an Internal Heavy Hand Technique with a sword? No, even if that were possible, how did you bypass my Protective Astral Qi?"
Only after half a breath did the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader realize.
‘Did he read the structure of the Internal Energy forming my Protective Astral Qi and generate a Qi Wave with his sword that rode its flow?’
The sword’s Qi Wave, having bypassed his Protective Astral Qi as if passing right through it, must have then unleashed the subtle principles of the Internal Heavy Hand Technique to tear his meridians apart.
Realizing the situation in an instant, the Karmic Reversal Cult Leader felt a chill run down his spine. This was something even a supreme expert would struggle to pull off, much less a mere brat who had only just stepped into the Peak Realm. To achieve such a feat in such a short amount of time…
It was a monstrous talent that defied measurement.
For such a wondrous talent to exist within the Azure Heaven Association? As a member of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult, this was absolutely unacceptable.
"You are indeed someone who must be killed."
The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader steadied his breath. Although he had suffered an internal injury from the surprise blow, it was not fatal. He was still more than capable of moving.
The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader pointed his straight blade toward Namgung Jun.
Still, Namgung Jun did not react.
"In the end, you are only human. You have finally run out of steam."
"Karmic Reversal Cult Leader. Has your sensory perception grown dull from just that level of internal injury?"
"What?"
The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader, who had been focusing all his senses on Namgung Jun, flinched and immediately expanded his perception.
At that exact moment, a deep blue bolt of lightning struck down.
KABOOM!
The single bolt of lightning, which completely tore up the ground, soon materialized into the shape of a person.
She wore a black court dress embroidered with four clouds, with a black robe draped over it. Around her, clear lightning writhed violently, scattering a fierce Qi Wave in all directions. Her hair, flowing like a piece of the night sky behind her black robe, fluttered as she stood before Namgung Jun, shielding him.
The Karmic Reversal Cult Leader bit his lip as he stared at the supreme expert who had shielded Namgung Jun. For a practitioner of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult, it was impossible not to recognize her.
"Black Cloud Wandering Maiden!"
Heavenly Sword Hall Master Lee Se-ha.
The master quietly stared at the villain who had dared to torment her disciple. Her finely defined eyelashes radiated a blade-like sharpness.