Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Forgetting Sword (1)
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The one who drew his sword without a word now wants to rest?
Ouyang Jue wore a look of disbelief.
“Why should I?”
“Because if you don't, you won't get what you came for.”
“……”
As Ouyang Jue waited with a sullen expression, a chuckle echoed through the air.
“My, I don't know who you are, but you're quite the materialist. Did you hate the sound of 'not getting' something that much?”
“I am Ouyang Jue!”
“Did I ask?”
Ouyang Jue could clearly feel the man’s sarcasm. But there was nothing he could do about it.
If this place was an arrangement left by Lü Dongbin himself, and his opponent was its master, then he was a grand senior to him.
Ouyang Jue offered a platitude.
“My sect teaches that one must introduce oneself first to earn respect!”
“Hah… so now you're telling me to state my name?”
Haha.
The man let out a dry laugh before revealing his title.
“Fine. I am called Forgetting Sword.”
“Might I ask your Taoist name or your sect?”
To that, Forgetting Sword replied in a vexing tone.
“Don't you worry! At least I'm not from the Mount Hua Sect.”
“……”
As Ouyang Jue clamped his mouth shut, wondering how he knew, Forgetting Sword spoke again.
“Is the Omniscient One still the same?”
“He is.”
“Still a stubborn lone wolf, keeping everything a secret… even treating spiritual beasts like his own dogs? He's as disagreeable as ever, I see.”
This time, it was Ouyang Jue who burst out laughing.
He couldn't guess who the man was or the extent of his power, but he was clearly someone who knew the Omniscient One well.
In other words, the man called Forgetting Sword was powerful enough to speak of the Omniscient One so casually.
‘But wasn’t he surprisingly weak?’
As Ouyang Jue tilted his head, recalling the sensation from moments ago, Forgetting Sword fiddled with his sword.
“Were you, by chance, thinking something impolite?”
“…Pardon?”
“Outside, they must have told you this place was personally arranged by Ancestor Lü. But after crossing swords, didn't you feel my blade was far too light? That's what I mean.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue didn’t make any excuses and simply gave a slight nod.
“To be honest, yes.”
“Oh, dear. I was hoping for at least one display of modesty.”
Forgetting Sword rose to his feet, a look of clear embarrassment on his face.
In that same instant, a shiver ran down Ouyang Jue’s entire body.
It lacked the crushing weight of the overwhelming power he had felt from the Black Dragon.
Nor did it have the intricate precision of Nameless. Forgetting Sword clearly had many openings.
And yet, for some reason, Ouyang Jue found it difficult to move rashly.
A feeling that any technique he used would be blocked. That sensation gave him pause.
Just then, Forgetting Sword grinned.
“You’re quick for a young man.”
“……!”
“For today, at least, why don't we forget all our worries and simply enjoy ourselves?”
*Shhhk…*
The sword in Forgetting Sword's grasp was, at most, a foot and a half long.
Within it lay the universe Forgetting Sword had built over a lifetime.
***
‘Dammit!’
Ouyang Jue was drenched in a cold sweat as he parried the blows from Forgetting Sword’s blade.
The thick darkness blanketing the Sword Immortal Cave made it impossible to tell how much time had passed.
When he swung, the man blocked.
When he counterattacked, the man struck back.
When he tried to overpower him with strength, the man dodged.
As if to demonstrate the fundamentals of all swordplay, Forgetting Sword was fighting him using only the bare minimum of internal energy.
The problem was, his sharpness and precision were astonishingly perfect.
Even the common saying ‘softness overcomes hardness’ was an ultimate technique in the hands of Forgetting Sword.
“As expected of a young man, you’re brimming with energy!”
Forgetting Sword’s blade, which had been thrusting in a straight line, suddenly moved diagonally, pressing Ouyang Jue.
Like a snake snatching a bird from the sky, his blade constantly targeted the space between Severing Manifestation and Ouyang Jue's wrist, between his wrist and his forearm, until Ouyang Jue felt a surge of irritation.
“Let’s fight properly!”
“For an old man like me to fight someone like you, this is the only way. You'll have to understand, ha-ha!”
Though his words seemed respectful, every single one was laced with mockery.
Ouyang Jue knew full well it was a ploy to provoke him into simplifying his sword path.
But no matter how much he calmed his mind, Forgetting Sword was far superior in fundamentals.
‘Just how much time and effort would it take to transcend internal energy and age with mere fundamentals?’
He was even blind, meaning one of his senses was completely gone.
Yet, to have reached such a state, Forgetting Sword was a master swordsman worthy of respect.
If they had met under different circumstances, Ouyang Jue would have politely asked for his teachings.
Just then, Forgetting Sword spoke.
“Are you tired? Tsk, tsk.”
“No!”
Gritting his teeth, Ouyang Jue immediately bent his knees.
He intended to make full use of the fact that Forgetting Sword was blind and that his other senses were consequently heightened.
‘If I had used the Divine Demon Fist, I might have won easily, but…’
Would that truly count as overcoming the Sword Immortal Cave?
Ouyang Jue gave a small shake of his head.
Solving it that way would be a betrayal of the Omniscient One's efforts in guiding him here.
More importantly, despite having the most fatal flaw among all the swordsmen he had ever seen, Forgetting Sword also possessed the most powerful weapon.
‘Fundamentals.’
Ouyang Jue’s gaze suddenly turned serious.
He had learned many martial arts, but could he say he had perfectly mastered them all?
Ouyang Jue knew the answer was no.
A martial art learned only superficially, a mere imitation, could not be called a true martial art.
Forgetting Sword was showing him that.
That even simple, basic fundamentals, when polished to the extreme, could become a razor-sharp blade.
“Are you sleeping?”
Thinking this, Forgetting Sword's taunts no longer bothered him.
In fact, he found them intriguing.
His sword, lacking profundity or depth but sharp enough to sever the flow of battle, resembled his sharp tongue.
Taking a step back, Ouyang Jue cupped his hands in a salute towards Forgetting Sword.
“I will gratefully receive your teachings!”
“My, my…”
Forgetting Sword adjusted his relaxed stance and gradually began to circulate his internal energy.
“Looks like I can't afford to play around with you anymore.”
Inside the Sword Immortal Cave, shrouded in heavy darkness.
Forgetting Sword and Ouyang Jue moved, their swords clashing ceaselessly.
Variations, feints, power.
When a swordsman continuously executes techniques, they inevitably reveal certain habits.
A wrist tilting to the right when using a variation, or more force being put into the thumb for a feint.
Thus, in a prolonged life-or-death duel between swordsmen, the one who could read the rhythm usually won.
But these two were different.
They mixed deceit into their movements from moment to moment, sometimes altering their techniques in utterly bizarre ways.
He would even execute a move meant for a combination attack as a powerful single strike, deceiving any who tried to predict him based on the opening form.
Neither Forgetting Sword nor Ouyang Jue asked how much time had passed.
They weren’t hungry, nor were they tired.
This was enough. They could raise their swords, clash, and grin at each other.
Within the grasp of their hands, two to three and a half inches.
The swords they held drew infinite trajectories and variations as they moved.
Then, finally.
A change occurred.
*Clang!*
Sent flying by the force of Severing Manifestation, Forgetting Sword spat out a mouthful of black blood.
Forgetting Sword’s clouded eyes turned toward Ouyang Jue.
‘He won’t be able to see.’
The darkness filling the Sword Immortal Cave could not be scattered or pierced by any martial art.
Even if Ouyang Jue had learned a divine art like clairaudience, he would not know that he had suffered a fatal wound.
And so, Forgetting Sword could manage a faint smile.
‘Even if this body shatters and scatters, I must ensure he masters it.’
That the true essence of the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts lay not in its forms, but in the state of ‘No Sword’.
That only by ‘forgetting the sword’ could one cut with the heart.
Forgetting Sword stood still, watching Ouyang Jue wait for him.
“…Hah.”
A sweet, metallic taste filled his mouth.
The vital energy that sustained his half-dead body was draining away. The blood that had dried up instead of sweat was now running out.
‘How much longer can I last?’
Two days? One day?
No, perhaps only a single hour.
As death gradually approached, Forgetting Sword became surprisingly serene.
‘I was a dead man to begin with.’
That he, a mere member of the Quanzhen Sect, had been able to endure for hundreds of years was, in the end, a blessing from the heavens.
He was grateful to Ancestor Lü Dongbin and the Taoists of Mount Mao who had created the Sword Immortal Cave… he was grateful to them all.
Above all, he was grateful to Ouyang Jue, the Taoist of a later generation who had learned the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts and found his way here.
His would not be a meaningless death.
The thought that because of him, Ouyang Jue's Heavenly Escape Sword Arts would emerge from its chrysalis like a butterfly made him smile unknowingly.
“Haha, hahaha.”
“Find something funny?”
“I do, you brat. Isn't it funny watching a young whelp like you struggle, unable to beat an old man on his last legs?”
*Creek.*
Even as he spoke, Forgetting Sword felt his joints creak.
It was an injury from a fight just three years ago, when minions of the Eight Evils had swarmed this place.
Just then, Ouyang Jue’s voice came through the darkness.
“The Omniscient One told me that you've killed everyone who has entered this place. Is that true?”
“And what if it is?”
“What do you mean, 'what if'? I just have a favor to ask.”
“…A favor?”
As Forgetting Sword tilted his head in curiosity, Ouyang Jue asked with a serious expression.
“Have you considered leaving this place and seeking refuge with the Mount Hua Sect?”
“What?”
“I do not know your history, Senior, but the martial arts you possess are of a level rarely seen in this world. To be honest, if you were to use your sword arts seriously, I have no confidence I could withstand them.”
“Flattery will get you…”
Forgetting Sword smirked.
“I can sense the remnants of other martial arts in you, not just the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts. If you used all of them without holding back, I imagine the situation would be different, no?”
“I won’t deny that. But…”
“That's enough. I am a body that cannot leave this place.”
Ouyang Jue did not give up and asked again.
“Then, would it be alright if I sent my sect brothers here?”
“Hah, you're a greedy one! How many people do you expect me to teach with this old body!”
“But aren't the Eight Evils an enemy we cannot face without going to such lengths?”
At those words, Forgetting Sword clamped his mouth shut.
But Ouyang Jue’s words continued.
“I don’t know if you are aware, Senior, but the outside world is practically in the clutches of the Eight Evils. Even the Omniscient One has no idea how far their reach extends. In such a situation, the only thing we can trust is our paltry swords.”
“……”
A grave expression settled on Forgetting Sword’s face.
Meanwhile, Ouyang Jue pleaded in an earnest voice.
“So, if it is possible, I ask this of you, Senior.”
“…You brat.”
Forgetting Sword let out a long sigh.
“Fine. I will allow it.”
“Truly?”
If they could spar with someone like Forgetting Sword, their skills would improve tremendously!
Just as Ouyang Jue was rejoicing, one corner of Forgetting Sword’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“That is, if you can overpower me right now.”
“If that is what you wish, Senior… then I suppose I can no longer afford to hold back.”
“You brat, you've got a silver tongue!”
At the sound of Forgetting Sword kicking off the ground, Ouyang Jue immediately swung Severing Manifestation.
Though the Sword Immortal Cave was filled with darkness, after so much time, his eyes had grown accustomed to it, allowing him to feel what he could not see.
“Here I come!”
As Ouyang Jue unleashed the Shadow of the Plum's First Glow, scattering sword energy, Forgetting Sword deployed his protective aura.
After all, now that he had made a promise, he needed to protect his body as much as possible.
‘This boy's sect brothers… I'm rather looking forward to meeting them.’
Forgetting Sword’s eyes curved into a smile.