Chapter 88: Lacking (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: Lacking (2)
For a moment, the Sword-Wailing Demon was lost for words, stunned by Namgung Jun's majestic bearing.
Narrowing his eyes, he stared at Namgung Jun before letting out a belated, sneering laugh.
"They said a man like you suffers from the Nine Yin Severed Meridian. You must have truly lost your mind."
The Sword-Wailing Demon took a stride toward Namgung Jun.
"Do you really intend to face me alone? You don't look like you're waiting for some last-minute surprise."
Despite the continuous mockery, Namgung Jun merely toyed with his sword hilt, the picture of leisure.
The Sword-Wailing Demon, on the other hand, sharpened his senses and began to examine Namgung Jun's Qi Wave. He had to understand the source of this baffling confidence.
'Hmm.'
Although Namgung Jun wasn't openly displaying his Qi Wave, he hadn't completely concealed his martial prowess either. The Sword-Wailing Demon, having pushed his senses to their absolute limit out of wariness for the potential of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian, managed to catch glimpses of the power Namgung Jun had hidden.
As a supreme expert who had achieved the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, the Sword-Wailing Demon thoroughly assessed Namgung Jun's objective capabilities.
'Of course, even this is surprising.'
According to the intelligence reports, he should have been at the mature stage of the Peak Realm. No matter how fast his growth, the most one could predict was that he was nearing the absolute limit of that realm.
The harmony of Essence, Qi, and Spirit—the symbol of the absolute limit of the Peak Realm—was not an achievement one could attain in a short period. How many martial artists in the Jianghu had failed to reach that harmony even after a lifetime of cultivation?
This was especially true for Namgung Jun, who possessed the unique constitution of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian in a male body.
'How on earth? Even with the full support of the Azure Heaven Association, this achievement defies all common sense.'
No matter how outstanding his talent, it was astonishing that he had reached the absolute limit of the Peak Realm in such a short time.
'If we had met just a bit later, he would have already become a supreme expert.'
The Sword-Wailing Demon considered it a stroke of luck that he had encountered Namgung Jun now. If he had been even slightly delayed, he would have had to face a true supreme expert, and all his plans would have been ruined.
"With the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden here, I cannot afford to take it easy."
Having finished his assessment, the Sword-Wailing Demon immediately kicked off the ground. Closing the distance in an instant, he drew his sword in a single fluid motion and thrust it toward Namgung Jun's shoulder.
It was a fierce strike, aimed precisely at the gap in Namgung Jun's breathing.
Thud!
Namgung Jun neither pulled back nor twisted away. Instead, he thrust his shoulder forward. Against an opponent of the Sword-Wailing Demon's caliber and at this distance, a hasty retreat would mean surrendering the initiative in a battle to the death.
Raising his sword diagonally to block the thrust, Namgung Jun used the impact to his advantage. Tilting his waist and shoulder, he spun, channeling the subtle essence of Silk-Reeling Energy into his sword tip to unleash a counterstrike in the opposite direction.
Swoosh!
The diagonally slashing blade cleanly sliced through the air. It was a technique from the Thirteen Lightning Flash Sword Thunders.
The sword strike, wreathed in arcs of lightning, vibrated for a moment before splitting into five distinct paths—a series of feints delivered at a speed that would overwhelm even an equal.
Clang!
However, the Sword-Wailing Demon lightly deflected it with a simple vertical swing. The unique perception of time granted by the Unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit had bought him more than enough time to react.
"Hmm!"
Despite blocking the strike with ease, the Sword-Wailing Demon's eyes narrowed. Even within the stretched-out time perception of a master of the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, Namgung Jun's sword had been incredibly fast. A single misstep, and the blade would have buried itself in his shoulder.
'The Thirteen Lightning Flash Sword Thunders! It's even greater than the rumors.'
It was a technique worthy of a master who had dedicated their life solely to the swift sword. The depth of skill Namgung Jun displayed was both marvelous and threatening.
The Sword-Wailing Demon deflected the sharp, angled strike, but he knew this was only the beginning. The Thirteen Lightning Flash Sword Thunders was merely one of Namgung Jun's primary martial arts.
Whoosh!
No sooner had he recalled the other sword techniques Namgung Jun was said to have mastered than a heavy, sharp sword wind swept over him. The wind, tinged with an exceptionally deep blue, lashed at his right flank and thigh in rapid succession. As the thick, multi-layered sword wind surged forward, he felt a constricting pressure, as if his movements were being restricted by an invisible wall.
Bam-bam-bam!
The Sword-Wailing Demon's right sleeve fluttered violently but did not tear. He had already retreated with bizarre footwork, his own sword gleaming as it tore the sword wind apart. It was a ferocious strike that seemed to shred the very air into dozens of pieces.
But the Sword-Wailing Demon wasn't satisfied with merely neutralizing the Heavenly Wind Sword Technique. An indigo sword strike erupted outward, seeking to sever Namgung Jun's waist. He was targeting the exact same areas Namgung Jun had just aimed for. A careless response would see Namgung Jun ensnared by sword strikes that tangled like vines—chaotic and utterly deadly.
Thud!
However, far from trying to widen the distance, Namgung Jun stomped the ground with an Earth-Trembling Stomp. A pillar of upright Qi Wave erupted from his left foot, enveloping his entire body. Advancing resolutely with the subtle essence of the Heaven-Pillar Resolute Advance Movement Art, Namgung Jun pressed forward.
Holding his sword perfectly vertical, he met the indigo sword strike head-on.
Rip!
His blue martial uniform tore cleanly in several places as eight streams of blood sprayed into the air. Despite the sword wounds now covering his body, Namgung Jun didn't flinch. Having minimized the damage with the Heaven-Pillar Resolute Advance Movement Art, he drew his sword in a curved arc, deflecting the Sword-Wailing Demon's horizontal slash.
Immediately after, the Sword-Wailing Demon's sword forms flew in succession, targeting his upper body, but Namgung Jun was already drawing a distorted semi-circle. Deflecting the offensive with a single move of the Distant-Cloud Layered-Wall Stance, he instantly executed the Infinite Steps, retreating as if his body were flipping through space.
The Sword-Wailing Demon gave him no room to breathe. Thick indigo Sword Qi poured down from his blade, which had already reached Namgung Jun's chin. This was the signature of a Sun-Moon Demonic Cult expert, who gathered yin and yang Demonic Qi into one.
"I have heard the rumors. They say you possess a brimming talent for sword techniques?" the Sword-Wailing Demon sneered, his sword extended. "Let's see how you handle my sword."
The Sword-Wailing Demon's blade branched out in a dizzying array. The strike, split into twenty paths, seemed to blanket the space before Namgung Jun, only to shatter into even finer fragments and scatter like dust. The instantly blurring sword strikes filled Namgung Jun's vision.
'If I'm distracted for even a split second, it's over.'
Namgung Jun took in the Sword-Wailing Demon's entire form at once, refusing to be drawn in by any single movement. He thrust his sword forward majestically, relentlessly piercing the primary sword paths that drove the attack's variations.
Clang!
The Sword-Wailing Demon's sword, which had been slashing at mid-level, was suddenly blocked. The Eternal Righteous Sword had slipped in unnoticed, disrupting the execution of his form. Although the Sword-Wailing Demon twisted his wrist to deflect the blade, Namgung Jun's sword immediately followed, already transforming. The forms of the Sookwoo Sword Technique were unfolding.
Strikes resembling a rainstorm followed one after another, spreading in all directions.
Swish!
Along with a sharp, air-splitting sound, Namgung Jun's bamboo hat and martial uniform were torn in several places, but he did not budge. Instead, he began to sever the Sword-Wailing Demon's strikes one by one, meeting them head-on.
Namgung Jun forcefully shoved the variations of the Sookwoo Sword Technique into the clash. The Sword-Wailing Demon's forms, which had seemed ready to swallow him whole, gradually slowed, their variations growing simplistic. Faced with a chaotic flurry of strikes, Namgung Jun displayed equally skillful variations of his own.
The Sword-Wailing Demon felt his forms gradually crumbling under the influence of the sword paths Namgung Jun was disrupting. Meanwhile, the Eternal Righteous Sword, rushing forward with fierce momentum, drew closer and closer.
Watching the blue sword light rage chaotically like a rainstorm, the Sword-Wailing Demon's eyes narrowed.
'This bastard!'
He immediately realized what Namgung Jun was doing. The arrogant young swordsman before him was dismantling his forms.
'He also has a deep understanding of the changing sword and the Illusion Sword? There was no information about him learning any related sword techniques!'
As Namgung Jun fully unleashed the Sookwoo Sword Technique, his clear eyes locked onto the Sword-Wailing Demon.
'He is quite skilled with the sword. In that case, shall I give it a try?'
Whoosh!
Namgung Jun's grip, which had been producing unpredictable variations, shifted once more. At the same time, his sword's momentum changed completely. It grew faster, then heavier, then suddenly slowed, bent in a dizzying manner, and drew a fluid circle. Distinctly different flows began to unravel haphazardly from his blade.
Namgung Jun was attempting to display all the sword techniques he had mastered in this life within a single sword. He was trying to harmoniously melt those diverse techniques—from forms and routines to intent and martial insights—into one. But because each was so different, the transitions between them were not yet seamless.
Watching Namgung Jun's sword momentum falter with slight, abrupt pauses, the Sword-Wailing Demon grew furious. He couldn't tell exactly what Namgung Jun was trying to do, but one thing was clear: Namgung Jun was daring to use him as a test subject.
"Arrogant bastard!"
The Sword-Wailing Demon naturally targeted the openings created by the faltering sword momentum, but Namgung Jun was not so easily caught.
'Do you think I don't know the openings you've spotted?'
Namgung Jun didn't care if the Sword-Wailing Demon found a new weakness. His own body was the first to sense them the moment he unleashed his strikes. He used them as feints and traps, gradually baiting the Sword-Wailing Demon to lean further and further in.
"Ugh!"
The Sword-Wailing Demon's breathing grew ragged as he desperately tried to exploit Namgung Jun's openings.
'Something is wrong!'
He was focusing his attacks on the weaknesses and flaws created by Namgung Jun's arrogant display, yet he felt as though he was the one being drawn into a trap. Clearly, he had held the upper hand during the first thirty exchanges. But at some point, as Namgung Jun brought out sword techniques not mentioned in the intelligence reports, the flow of this life-or-death battle had begun to shift strangely.
Namgung Jun no longer allowed any strikes to land, and he was gradually gaining the upper hand.
And now, as he faced Namgung Jun, the Sword-Wailing Demon felt an unfathomable depth. The more their blades clashed, the more he felt an unpleasant, dizzying sensation, as if he were sinking into an invisible swamp.
"What on earth are you doing?!"
"I've seen enough by now."
"What?"
The Sword-Wailing Demon looked into Namgung Jun's eyes, which reflected his own image. Those were not the eyes of someone looking at a mortal enemy.
'This bastard... What on earth is he thinking while looking at me?!'
Clang!
The Sword-Wailing Demon's sword, faltering for a split second, was violently deflected.
To Namgung Jun, the Sword-Wailing Demon was nothing more than a training dummy—a very fast, very powerful, and exceptionally mobile training dummy. He was a fine opponent, one against whom Namgung Jun could meld the sword techniques he had accumulated thus far.
That was all.
Hum!
A violent Qi Wave surged from Namgung Jun's entire body. The Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula and the Spear King Azure Aura. Based on these two internal energy cultivation methods, his Qi Wave surged with immense power. For now, the two types of internal energy coexisted without clashing, amplifying each other.
But even this was not enough.
'Someday, I must merge these two methods into one...'
The fleeting thought passed, and Namgung Jun focused on his sword once more.
Clang-clang-clang!
Judging by the exchange of strikes, they were now evenly matched, or perhaps Namgung Jun held a slight advantage. Considering the gap in realms between the two swordsmen, this should have been an impossibility.
Clang!
A transition from the swift sword to the Illusion Sword.
And finally, pressing down with the heavy sword.
To all of this, the subtle essence of the soft-sword principle was added.
Thud!
With a heavy sound, the Sword-Wailing Demon's body sank. He barely managed to block Namgung Jun's sword, but his stance was completely broken. For a supreme expert, it was an unthinkable blunder.
"Ugh!"
Namgung Jun channeled even greater strength into his wrist, dragging his sword down. Looking down at the Sword-Wailing Demon, his eyes were filled with a quiet disappointment.
"Is this all you amount to?"
The young swordsman let out a long, heated breath.
"You are not enough."