Chapter 86: Rainstorm (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86: Rainstorm (2)
Klang!
The Sword Beast, whose sword wind had first targeted the crow, now clashed blades with Lee Se-ha atop the tree branches.
“Impudent wench! You must be a Hall Master of the Azure Heaven Association!”
“Old man. Have you no shame?”
The Sword Beast's sharp bladework resembled the swipe of a tiger's paw. Within his wide, sweeping slashes, a fierce strike lay hidden, like five sharp claws waiting to pounce.
It was the Hogyeongseon Sword Technique, a style he had developed by modeling the movements of seven great tigers he had personally raised for over two decades.
He had condensed the countless ways a tiger pounces on a martial artist into a single, perfect form. It was during this exhaustive research that he’d achieved enlightenment.
Because of this, his progress had been far swifter than when he had studied the orthodox martial arts of the Nanman Beast Palace.
The Sword Beast never doubted that his unique training method would carry him beyond the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and straight to the Five Qis Converging at the Origin.
'I intended to return to the Nanman Beast Palace as a peerless expert!'
But things were starting to go awry.
“You Azure Heaven Association bastards! No one would even notice if a few monks from Mount Guhua disappeared.”
“That's just your opinion.”
Crash!
Lee Se-ha’s blade flashed, striking from the side to deflect the attack that had split into five paths aimed at her flank.
Since the martial arts of both sides were powerful sword techniques, the shockwaves shaking the surroundings were immense. With every swing, the trees they used as footholds were shattered completely.
They descended into a wide clearing carved out by the force of their blows, two supreme experts glaring at each other before lunging forward once more.
The Sword Beast glanced sideways at the young swordsman surrounded by his four junior brothers. A sly smile spread across his face, his expression full of confidence as he gauged Namgung Jun’s aura.
'The peak of the Peak Stage. An astonishing achievement for one so young, but…'
Even so, handling four of his junior brothers at once would be impossible. All four had reached the maturity of the Peak Stage, and two were on the verge of its absolute peak. If the four of them tore into him, they could easily hunt down the talented boy.
As the Sword Beast saw it, the tide of battle was clearly in favor of the Five Beasts of Nanman.
“This is for the best. I will kill you all today, refine my martial arts, and then enter closed-door cultivation.”
“I'll make sure you enter closed-door cultivation eternally, buried deep underground.”
The Sword Beast’s gaze swept over Lee Se-ha’s curvaceous figure as he tilted his sword.
“Don't expect an easy death, wench. You will be treated worse than a beast.”
“Hmph!”
Kboom!
Just as the Sword Beast was certain of his junior brothers' victory, Lee Se-ha never doubted Namgung Jun’s for a second.
Therefore, she focused solely on the opponent before her.
As the intensifying night rain whipped around like a driving storm, blue lightning flashed vividly through the air.
Rumble!
Thunder and lightning roared along the path of Lee Se-ha's relentless sword.
In response, the Sword Beast let out a beastly shout.
* * *
Four peak experts swirled around Namgung Jun, their movements a whirlwind of attacks.
The four wielded different weaponry.
A blade sliced through the air, aiming for his chest. As Namgung Jun twisted his ankle to evade, a whip snaked up from below, seeking to bind his legs. He leaped, landing lightly on the tip of the whip itself, only for a fist and a claw to strike at the opening his jump created.
Whoosh!
The gentle arc of his Distant-Cloud Layered-Wall Stance softly absorbed the onslaught of the four weaving weapons.
Blade, fist, whip, and claw.
Though the peak experts before him used different weapons, a common thread ran through their techniques. All their forms were derived directly from the movements of beasts. It was as if human cunning and psychological warfare had been layered atop savage, bestial ferocity. They displayed bizarre, threatening routines.
'It feels like facing four beasts trained in martial arts.'
Would it be like this if the great tiger he had just slain possessed human intelligence?
Indeed, forms and routines unseen in orthodox martial arts unfolded without pause.
And yet, Namgung Jun’s steps remained steadfast, his balance unwavering. He was a deep-rooted ancient tree that remains unshaken even when a typhoon sweeps in.
A ferocious onslaught of fangs and claws raged, but Namgung Jun simply swung his sword, paying it no mind.
Clang-clang-clang!
Pushed back five steps by the heavy Sword Force, the Blade Beast shook his head in disbelief. The Fist Beast, who had nearly broken his wrist on the block, wiped away a bead of cold sweat.
Meanwhile, the Whip Beast and the Claw Beast, who wore tiger claws on both hands, taunted him incessantly, trying to shatter his composure.
“How could a brat like you have ever seen martial arts like these? Your eyes will soon grow dizzy trying to follow.”
“You might be full of strength now, but let's see how long you can last.”
Thud!
With an Earth-Trembling Stomp, Namgung Jun brought his sword down, forcing back the Whip Beast and Claw Beast before calmly lowering his eyelids.
“Indeed. Your martial arts certainly differ from the norm.”
Even while defending against the joint attack of four peak experts, Namgung Jun suddenly raised his head and looked at the sky.
Night rain poured endlessly from the darkness. As it gradually thickened, it felt as if a storm was raging. He felt the driving rain with his entire body—not just pouring straight down, but shifting directions with the wind.
Namgung Jun threw off his bamboo hat.
The pouring raindrops drenched his body, the sensation now even more vivid.
“Even so, compared to the endless changes of creation, your movements are no different from standing still.”
The nature of Namgung Jun’s sword, which had until now been purely defensive and orthodox, changed dramatically.
The sword, once held low, suddenly soared upward, carving a bizarre path through the air. Winding at will, it resembled a snake; bending suddenly, it looked like a violently surging stream.
“Hmm?”
“This bastard's sword technique suddenly…?”
“Watch out! Something is strange!”
The four peak experts were inwardly flustered.
As his bladework changed, the number of feints multiplied exponentially. It was as if he had become a completely different person. The once-straight sword paths twisted, bent, and abruptly broke off in bizarre ways, only to reconnect in completely unexpected places.
Swish-sh-sh!
The sword paths branched out until they filled their entire vision. Though they multiplied beyond count, not a single one was without threat.
It was not just the sword paths. Amidst the thrusts and parries, his range and grip shifted endlessly, adding to the confusion.
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped the Blade Beast at the forefront. His wrist was already turning red.
'When did he…?'
He had taken a hit without even seeing it coming.
“Keep your wits about you!”
“The sword is coming from completely unexpected directions! It's as if his arms and legs are stretching at will!” the Whip Beast and Fist Beast shouted from behind, but they were in no better a position.
Sword strikes raged from every direction, like the driving rain that now mocked all of Mount Guhua.
'That bastard's variations far surpass our martial arts! How could this happen so suddenly?'
The Claw Beast's arms trembled slightly.
He couldn't see a single opening to penetrate. No matter how he moved, the twisted, bent sword strikes wound around and lunged at him.
A sudden, overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over the four peak experts. Just like walking through a torrential downpour, there was absolutely no way to dodge. The only way was to face it head-on, but coping with every single variation was impossible.
And just as the night rain soaked their clothes, sword wounds began to multiply across their bodies.
Meanwhile, Namgung Jun's sword became even faster, subtler, and more dazzling.
'Like a driving rainstorm.'
Namgung Jun poured the subtleties of the Illusion Sword and the Changing Sword, which he had accumulated on his travels through the Jianghu, into a single blade. Until now, his martial insights had been scattered fragments, but a key principle suddenly flashed through his mind, digging deep into his mindscape.
`[Night rain, driving rain, dampness.]`
Following the principle spreading through his mind, his scattered insights scrambled to fill his sword, like a flower bud bursting into bloom after a sweet rain.
The night rain thoroughly soaking Mount Guhua.
The driving rain mocking the martial artists engaged in a sword dance in the dead of night.
The damp droplets flowing down the hands gripping their weapons.
`[As the drops of blood falling along the blade stir up a driving rain.]`
The Eternal Righteous Sword, immersed in the storm, gradually grew faint. It wasn't that it had become faster. Rather, the dozen or so variations occurring in a single breath made the blade itself appear illusory.
It was as if the Eternal Righteous Sword itself was dissolving into the driving rain.
Sword strikes, whipping wildly like a torrential downpour, mocked the four peak experts. They tried to block them, but it was futile. Just as their clothes grew damp with rain, their bodies became covered in wounds.
“Aaargh!”
“You little brat!”
The four desperately unleashed their techniques, but it was useless. Their savage, bestial martial arts could no longer touch Namgung Jun.
No matter how much a beast struggled, could it ever escape the driving rain?
Thud!
Meanwhile, the sword paths dripping from the Eternal Righteous Sword became even richer and more dizzying in their variations.
`[The sharpness of the blade-work shall remain damp in the palm.]`
As if dissolving into the wind-tossed raindrops, indigo sword strikes blanketed the forest.
The sky and the sword had become one driving rain.
“Huff!”
“Cough!”
The four peak experts, having endured the two storms with their entire bodies, gasped heavily.
There was no single sword strike lethal enough to cause instant death. However, as the ever-changing attacks slowly drenched them like rainwater, their entire bodies became covered in blood.
Thud!
The Blade Beast and Claw Beast collapsed to their knees. The Whip Beast and Fist Beast remained standing, but just barely, their bodies drenched in their own blood.
The joint attack of the four peak experts had naturally ground to a halt.
All of them were soaked in blood.
Yet Namgung Jun, who had shattered their assault, was completely unharmed. His martial uniform was merely a darker shade, thoroughly soaked by the storm.
“Your hunt ends here.”
Namgung Jun's sword seemed to slash horizontally, only to fluctuate violently mid-swing. In an instant, the blade branched into four paths, piercing the vital points of the four peak experts simultaneously.
Excessive bleeding from the ever-changing sword strikes, combined with a final strike to their vitals.
The four peak experts drew their last breaths.
Shaaaa!
Though the assault of the four had been shattered, the night rain continued to pour.
Namgung Jun slowly closed his eyes.
Even so, he could vividly feel the sensation of raindrops drenching his body from all directions. Feeling himself grow endlessly wetter, Namgung Jun organized the sword strikes from moments ago.
“Night rain, driving rain, dampness.”
Muttering the key principle that had pierced his understanding, Namgung Jun realized what he had done.
He had finally woven his insights from the Illusion Sword and the Changing Sword into a single mnemonic, crafting a new sword technique centered around the principle that had flashed through his mind.
“A sword technique like wind and rain.”
Namgung Jun named his new sword technique.
“The Sookwoo Sword Technique.”
Having established his new style, Namgung Jun turned his gaze.
The endless roaring that had been echoing from the clearing beyond had stopped. The waves of qi that had surged like shockwaves could no longer be felt. The life-and-death battle between Lee Se-ha and the Sword Beast must have concluded.
'Master.'
Namgung Jun did not worry about Lee Se-ha.
He did not doubt his master's victory for a single moment.
Namgung Jun shook the raindrops from his sword and walked toward the clearing.
The young swordsman's steps, cutting through the driving rain, remained as steadfast as ever.