Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Heavenly Escape (2)
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To an old man like the Clairvoyant, the Omniscient One's actions were clearly the height of arrogance.
“...Haha.”
And yet, he laughed.
Leaving aside matters of heaven and destiny, he felt immensely pleased, as if he had glimpsed the true will of a human being.
From that day on, the Clairvoyant took the Omniscient One as his direct disciple and taught him everything.
He even transferred the lifespan he had received as the successor to Mount Mao's Taoist lineage to the Omniscient One.
It was only natural that the Clairvoyant, who had forcibly held back his aging, began to decline rapidly.
When word of this got out, everyone pointed fingers at the Clairvoyant, calling him mad.
Even the reclusive Taoists began to slander him.
“The history of the Mount Mao Sect ends with the Clairvoyant.”
Burdened with such disgrace, the Clairvoyant was buried deep in the earth.
The Omniscient One walked upon that ground as the years passed. During that time, he gathered martial weapons and arts capable of confronting the Eight Evils.
In the process, his name became known, but it was unavoidable.
To confront the Eight Evils was to be on the verge of godhood.
A certain level of fame was necessary to find what he sought.
Thus, for hundreds of years, the Omniscient One wandered, searching for a way to stand against the Eight Evils.
One of those ways was Severing Manifestation, and another was the revival of the dying Heavenly Martial Peak.
And now.
The Omniscient One could tell the Clairvoyant that those hundreds of years had not been wasted in the slightest.
“So that’s how it was. The fixed outcome finally began to twist because of you!”
At those words, Ouyang Jue tilted his head nonchalantly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t. In the end, it means that even the heavens grew weary of my will and finally made an opening.”
The Omniscient One’s face was filled with delight, though what pleased him so much was unclear.
Ouyang Jue couldn't bring himself to reveal that he had learned the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts through improper means.
More than that, he couldn't explain it.
‘If he asks how I knew that the prototype of the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts remained in the cave left by Lü Dongbin...’
No matter what excuse he made, he wouldn't be able to hide the fact that he had regressed.
Above all, it was an act tantamount to stealing the original destiny; there was no way the Omniscient One would view it favorably.
Ouyang Jue did his best to feign ignorance.
“Is that so? I don’t know what it is, but if you’re this happy, I must have done something right.”
“That’s not it!”
The Omniscient One, with a stern and serious face, thumped his chest.
“It means my preparations have surpassed the heavens! If defeating the Black Dragon wasn't enough, and even destiny itself was thrown into disarray, unable to predict the future, then there is hope!”
At those words, Ouyang Jue’s gaze sharpened.
The destiny the Omniscient One had seen was undoubtedly the ending of his previous life.
Ouyang Jue asked with a faint smile.
“So, what was the original destiny?”
“Everyone dies at the hands of the Eight Evils.”
“...What? Dies?”
“It doesn’t just mean losing their lives. It means that everyone living in the Central Plains will be as good as dead.”
The Omniscient One’s face contorted as if recalling a brutal scene.
“A world where parents offer their children without hesitation, where the morality that should be upheld becomes a joke. That is the future I originally read.”
Ouyang Jue pressed again, as if for reconfirmation.
“Is that truly the case?”
“It is.”
The Omniscient One spoke with a clear voice, thinking the matter was already resolved, but for Ouyang Jue, the weight of it was entirely different.
‘If I had sworn loyalty to the Hebei Peng Clan even after killing my senior brother in my past life...’
Did that mean he would have had to live like a beast his entire life?
Just like his title at the time, Bloodhound.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Ouyang Jue frowned.
‘The Omniscient One is happy that destiny has been disrupted just because I possess the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts, but will it really end there?’
He felt uneasy.
He hadn't acquired the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts through some destined connection or fortunate encounter; he had personally infiltrated the Zhongnan Sect to learn it.
The one who had disrupted destiny wasn't the Omniscient One, but himself.
‘Saving Ha Jin-ak, destroying the Black Dragon Gang, getting the Mount Hua Sect to join the Martial Alliance, and annihilating the Zhenzhou Yan Clan. I've done quite a lot.’
In the midst of it all, he had acquired the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts and the Diamond Fist-Seal Armor to grow stronger while keeping the Zhongnan Sect in check.
The number of actions he had taken that differed from his past life was almost countless.
Thanks to that, the Mount Hua Sect, which had been on the verge of extinction, now stood tall as the greatest Taoist sect in Shaanxi, and Ouyang Jue himself had achieved a more systematic strength compared to his past life.
He harbored no regrets.
He was merely concerned.
Concerned about whether he could protect the 'destiny' he had changed with his own hands.
“Omniscient One, do you intend to continue confronting the Eight Evils?”
To that question, the Omniscient One answered without a moment's hesitation.
“Of course.”
Perhaps there was no need to ask. Ouyang Jue let out a small laugh.
Since he had killed the Black Dragon to save the Omniscient One, the fight against the Eight Evils was inevitable, even before the revival of the Mount Hua Sect.
If that was the case, he would simply face it head-on and fight to win.
Ouyang Jue’s smile faded, and his eyes met the Omniscient One's.
“Will you not tell me what Heavenly Escape is, and the preparations that remain within the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts?”
Was he trying to gauge Ouyang Jue’s resolve?
The Omniscient One stared at Ouyang Jue for a long moment before finally answering.
“That’s easy enough.”
The Omniscient One took out a few talismans and swiftly drew a protective formation.
The way he meticulously controlled his spiritual power to prevent any sound from leaking outside was reminiscent of a spider's web.
When even the smallest gap was sealed, the Omniscient One began to speak.
“Heavenly Escape is a preparation left by the Sword Immortal Lü Dongbin before his ascension, a martial art hidden to counter the Eight Evils.”
“What? Then are there seven other places like Heavenly Martial Peak?”
At that, the Omniscient One expressed his regret.
“No. Except for Heavenly Martial Peak and one other, they were all destroyed by the Eight Evils.”
“And the other one is?”
“The Peerless Sect.”
Ouyang Jue frowned at the name.
“The Peerless Sect... you mean the one that played a major role in the fight against the former Demonic Cult?”
“A misjudgment.”
The Omniscient One shook his head, as if he still couldn't understand.
“If they were to carry on the will of Heavenly Escape, they should have waited for the right time. Why on earth did they engage in such heroics!”
“...Hmph.”
As the Omniscient One vented his complaints about the Peerless Sect for a good while, Ouyang Jue found himself crossing his arms.
‘I wonder if he'd faint if I told him their secret manuals are with the Mount Hua Sect...?’
Worse, Bai Duanxian was working day and night to absorb them into the Mount Hua Sect’s martial arts.
‘When I eventually meet the Peerless Sect, I'll just have to talk to them about it.’
Ouyang Jue swallowed his thoughts.
Misinterpreting his expression, the Omniscient One awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“Ah. Right, I haven't told you what the preparations within the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts are yet.”
A strange smile appeared on the Omniscient One's face.
“Don’t blame me for this later.”
With those words, the Omniscient One started walking towards a cave in a corner of Hubei, and Ouyang Jue followed him.
Sword Immortal's Cave.
Compared to the cave's immense size, the name was written very simply and in small characters.
Ouyang Jue glanced around as they walked, but he couldn't feel any sign of human presence.
There weren't even any hoofprints.
It had been at least thirty days since anyone had set foot here.
Otherwise, the undergrowth wouldn't be so lush.
In other words, no one had entered or exited the Sword Immortal's Cave for at least thirty days.
Some might ask if someone wasn't inside, undergoing ascetic training while consuming grain-abstinence pills...
To that, Ouyang Jue could confidently say.
‘The idea of long-term training while eating grain-abstinence pills is utter nonsense.’
To train meant to move enough to burn fat and toughen muscles.
After expending so much energy, how could one possibly recover with something like grain-abstinence pills?
Unless one were to properly mix elixirs to boost one's vitality, such a thing was nearly impossible.
Ouyang Jue turned his head and looked at the Omniscient One.
“Is there some kind of formation drawn inside?”
“I don’t know.”
“A mechanism trap?”
“I don’t know that either. But I’m sure of this.”
The Omniscient One gazed into the darkness beyond the Sword Immortal's Cave.
“The Sword Immortal's Cave is a preparation made by Lü Dongbin himself, and not a single martial artist who has entered that place has ever returned.”
“...!”
“Will you still go in?”
At those words, Ouyang Jue's face hardened.
To think that behind its humble appearance lay a mystical and perilous truth.
This might be a preparation he had to challenge with his life on the line.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid.
No matter how strong he had become, he was still lacking compared to the Eight Evils, and he hadn't been able to defeat Nameless.
A preparation made by Lü Dongbin himself would surely be even more terrifying.
But what if, after overcoming it, there was a fruit sweeter than any other?
If he could gain an advantage in the upcoming battles against the strong!
Ouyang Jue stared beyond the Sword Immortal's Cave with clear eyes.
“There’d be no point in coming all this way if I didn't go in.”
At his words, a faint smile graced the Omniscient One's lips, as if he had expected as much.
“Brave.”
“Hardly.”
Ouyang Jue chuckled.
After forcing a laugh, the endlessly dark interior seemed to brighten, if only a little.
*Thud.*
Ouyang Jue took a step forward.
***
*Rumble... Rumble...*
With each and every step, a great echo filled the entire cave.
A master of Ouyang Jue's caliber could easily muffle his footsteps, yet in this Sword Immortal's Cave, he could not.
Did Lü Dongbin intentionally make it this way?
Ouyang Jue advanced slowly, heightening his senses.
It was a first for him.
To have his senses paralyzed by his own movements, to feel like he was falling into a mire the more he walked.
Ouyang Jue slowly calmed his mind.
‘It doesn't seem to be just because it's dark...’
Should he call it something special?
Ever since entering the Sword Immortal's Cave, it felt as if all his senses were screaming.
Mud squelched at his ankles. It was so unpleasant that he wanted to use his lightness art to escape the cave at any moment.
Ouyang Jue clenched his teeth tightly.
“Who’s there!”
“...ere!”
Ouyang Jue's shout struck the cave walls.
Of course, there was no answer.
Instead, the shout that ricocheted off the cave walls harshly stimulated Ouyang Jue's ears.
The pain was so intense that Ouyang Jue unconsciously winced.
But it wasn't in vain.
*Thoom!*
The place where the sound reflected unnaturally.
Ouyang Jue pinpointed the location and immediately unleashed his Moon-Stepping Shadowless Art to its fullest.
If he stayed here any longer, he would either lose his mind or be destroyed by his own power.
Thus, he had shouted just now, thinking he had no choice but to take a gamble.
Fortunately, his gamble was paying off.
It would have been a perfect plan, had the guardian of the Sword Immortal's Cave not been there.
“...Damn.”
*Shing!*
The sound of a sword scraping against its scabbard stimulated Ouyang Jue’s five senses.
Though it was just a sound, Ouyang Jue was able to discern a great deal.
Fundamentally, his opponent's sword was nothing but scrap metal compared to Severing Manifestation, and its scabbard was heavily rusted.
Their strength also seemed weak, as they didn't swing their sword forcefully despite attacking first.
Therefore, if he reacted quickly, he should be able to block it!
While executing his Moon-Stepping Shadowless Art, Ouyang Jue drew Severing Manifestation.
*Kaaang!*
With his already rapid movement art, the Severing Manifestation in Ouyang Jue's hand was a sharp weapon just by being held.
Furthermore, Ouyang Jue's martial prowess was not at a level where he would fumble just because he executed a sword art mid-movement.
“...Hup!”
A single breath.
With just that one unconscious breath, Ouyang Jue wielded Severing Manifestation with complete freedom.
*Klang, Kaklang!*
Large sparks flew as Severing Manifestation clashed with the opponent's sword.
Taking advantage of the opening, Ouyang Jue landed steadily and immediately launched a swift attack.
‘Now that I know the location, the darkness is no longer an obstacle!’
Just then, a voice came from the darkness.
“Wait...”
It was an incredibly old and weary voice.
“Why don't we sit down for a moment, rest, and then fight?”
It was his first meeting with the blind swordsman, the one known as the Forgetting Sword.