Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Sword God's Cave (3)
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*Fwoosh!*
The demonic energy of the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon coiled and intertwined, then in an instant, erupted into a colossal pillar of fire.
To Ouyang Jue, it looked like a karmic inferno capable of consuming a mountain.
*Drip.*
Just as Liu Zhangming felt a sliver of dread and broke into a cold sweat.
The Forgetting Sword, Seo Mun-hwi, offered a gentle smile.
“Still showing off your strength, my old friend.”
“Hmph! What can the you of today possibly do!”
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon scoffed and pointed at Seo Mun-hwi's feet.
It seemed the Forgetting Sword’s skin had begun to peel away the moment he stepped out of the Sword God’s Cave and into the sunlight.
But it wasn't just peeling; it was turning to ash and scattering in the wind!
Seeing this, Ouyang Jue cried out in alarm.
“Forgetting Sword!”
“It is fine.”
Seo Mun-hwi’s reply was short. He looked at Ouyang Jue, Liu Zhangming, and the Omniscient One in turn, steeling his heart.
“I have lived so long that all who remembered me have long vanished from this world. How can I attach myself to such a loveless place?”
“But…”
As Ouyang Jue trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, Seo Mun-hwi turned his gaze to the Omniscient One.
“Omniscient One, you of all people should understand why I have stepped forward now.”
The Omniscient One couldn't meet his eyes.
For some reason, a bitter taste filled his mouth as he opened it to reply.
“…I understand.”
“We were never close, nor were we meant to be, were we?”
Seo Mun-hwi’s words seemed to be an attempt to settle all the connections he had built over the years. Though this was the first time Liu Zhangming had met him, a corner of his heart grew warm.
Finally, Seo Mun-hwi smiled faintly.
“Then we have no lingering tales between us. Ouyang Jue, you and I are merely connected by a brief crossing of swords.”
“…”
Ouyang Jue nodded silently.
He wasn't wrong.
Though Ouyang Jue had gained an opportunity in the Sword God’s Cave, it was not Seo Mun-hwi's intention, nor had he taught him anything about the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts.
*‘Merely connected by a brief crossing of swords.’*
The thought almost made him let out a hollow laugh.
But he didn't let it escape his lips.
He couldn't tarnish the resolve Seo Mun-hwi now held.
In a low voice uncharacteristic of him, Ouyang Jue spoke with reverence.
“Seo Mun-hwi, I will never forget your name as long as I live.”
“Good. Now, hurry and go.”
It was a short reply, but his voice carried an unshakeable will.
Above all, the overwhelming sense of elation emanating from Seo Mun-hwi’s entire being subtly hinted that he had reached the state of Unity of Sword and Spirit.
Seeing this, Liu Zhangming burst out in anguish.
“…But!”
His hand, gripping the Dragon's Tear Sword, turned white, as if asking how they could possibly turn their backs on Seo Mun-hwi and leave.
Seo Mun-hwi, standing before him, could not see it.
With the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon as his immediate foe, a moment's distraction could cost him his head.
Yet, Seo Mun-hwi turned his head to look back at Liu Zhangming.
His expression was a mixture of a smile, glad to have met him, however late, and a look of sorrow, for having met him far too late.
“You are a good man. Therefore…”
“Enough of this pointless chatter!”
*Kwwaaaaa—!*
With the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s roar, the karmic flames, once unleashed, soared endlessly toward the sky.
The trees it touched blackened and crumbled, and nearby wildlife limped before collapsing to the earth.
Watching this, Seo Mun-hwi wore a deep, mocking smile.
“I thought you only knew how to be petty and calculating, but it seems I was wrong.”
“Hmph, what a foolish bluff!”
Convinced that Seo Mun-hwi had lost his body of old, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon grinned triumphantly.
The Forgetting Sword was now barely maintaining his physical form using the energy of the Grand Purity Divine Arts, and his sword had long since corroded to the point of being useless as a weapon.
The only thing that gave him pause was the question of what training Seo Mun-hwi had undergone all this time… but with a body in that state, he wouldn't be able to fully utilize his martial arts.
Faced with the immense power contained in the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s right arm, Seo Mun-hwi’s face hardened as he shouted.
“Go! I will follow after I deal with this one!”
“…No!”
Liu Zhangming took a step forward and cried out in despair.
“How can you ask me to leave a man like you behind! I will never do that!”
“I said, go!”
*Kaang! Crack!*
When the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s arm and Seo Mun-hwi’s blade clashed, the surroundings completely warped.
It was only a single exchange, but the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s superiority was plain to see.
Just as Liu Zhangming was about to move forward again, the Omniscient One swung his fist and struck him across the cheek.
“Do you truly not understand the choice he has made! Do you wish to fight alongside him and turn to dust?!”
At those words, Liu Zhangming looked at Ouyang Jue.
He believed that Ouyang Jue, who had never feared any fight, would not back down this time either.
But Ouyang Jue immediately shook his head.
“…This time, the Omniscient One is right, Senior Brother.”
“But, Jue!”
“Are we not still weak? Without a measure like the Buddha’s Shadow Pass, we cannot fight the Eight Evils directly.”
Only then could Liu Zhangming truly see Ouyang Jue’s expression.
He was clenching his jaw so tightly out of frustration, and his fingernails were digging into his flesh, drawing a trickle of blood from his left hand.
“The warrior named Seo Mun-hwi has opened a path for us. He did so knowing he would die, by throwing his life away.”
“…”
“How can we possibly ignore his will?”
Ouyang Jue realized his own voice was trembling slightly, but he had to say it.
*I must grow stronger.*
Unless he reached the realm achieved by Nameless, the Forgetting Sword, or Jin Mu-wol, he could not face the Eight Evils one-on-one.
Ouyang Jue pushed the bitter feeling he now held deep into his chest.
Finally, he turned his back on Seo Mun-hwi and slowly began to walk away.
“Let us be sure to meet again, alive.”
At those words, Seo Mun-hwi, even in the midst of his fight with the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon, let out a small laugh and replied.
“Yes, we will.”
“…Damn it, damn it all!”
As Liu Zhangming finally disappeared from view, Seo Mun-hwi swung his sword with even greater force.
*Whooong!*
The earth trembled, and the wind split apart.
But even amidst the chaos, Seo Mun-hwi’s body was turning to ash at an ever-increasing rate.
At most, he had a quarter of an hour.
If he could only buy that much time, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon would have more than enough time to catch up to Ouyang Jue's group.
Seo Mun-hwi closed his eyes for a moment.
From his youth as the eldest grandson of the Seo Mun family, dreaming of becoming a military officer, to his young adulthood, where a chance encounter led him to a great master.
And then, the nightmare of his first encounter with the Eight Evils flashed through his mind in succession.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid.
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon before him was a devil capable of slaughtering dozens of masters in an instant.
But instead, he puffed out his chest, raised his head to the heavens, and shouted.
“World, heavens, bear witness!”
He then gripped his sword with both hands, his fighting spirit ablaze.
“To this Seo Mun-hwi’s final sword dance!”
A short while later.
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon, now alone, let out a hollow laugh.
“Weren't you the petty one after all… Seo Mun-hwi.”
To think he would just ascend on his own accord, with one final technique left.
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon looked at the spot where only ashes remained and brushed away the goosebumps on his right arm.
If only he’d had a little more time, would the outcome have been different?
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s fingers touched his throbbing thigh.
“Damn it, that hurts like hell.”
He let out a long sigh as he looked down at his severed right foot.
***
As the three men hurried away from the Sword God's Cave, none of them spoke.
No, to be precise, they couldn't.
To think they would be ambushed on a path they had chosen for training.
No matter how hastily the Omniscient One had constructed it, the fact that the Eight Evils had broken through his Maoshan arts meant they were beginning to make their move in earnest.
“From now on, it would be best if neither of us wandered the martial world.”
At the Omniscient One’s words, Ouyang Jue nodded gravely.
“It was good to announce the existence of the Eight Evils to the world through the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon, but I never expected them to react so aggressively.”
“Well, you did expose what they’ve kept hidden for hundreds of years. Wouldn't that stir a killing intent in anyone?”
As he spoke, the Omniscient One glanced at Liu Zhangming.
Ouyang Jue would bounce back quickly, but he hadn't known Liu Zhangming for long, and he didn't seem mentally resilient.
Sensing the Omniscient One’s gaze, Liu Zhangming spoke in a somber tone.
“I finally understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Just how dangerous the Eight Evils are, and that they are fiends who can be as cruel as necessary to achieve their goals.”
When he first met the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon, his only memory was of the fight with Ouyang Jue, so he seemed like just another warrior who enjoyed slaughter.
But the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon he met again was on a completely different level.
His power, freed from the constraints of the Buddha’s Shadow Pass, was so immense it seemed to crush the world, and he was cruel enough to kill even his own allies if necessary.
His nonchalant attitude, treating people like insects, still sent shivers down his spine.
Liu Zhangming looked back in the direction of the Sword God's Cave and made a vow.
“I will ensure that something like this never happens again, and that I never have to retreat like this again. I swear it on my life…!”
Ouyang Jue agreed with his silence, while the Omniscient One let out a puff of white breath.
“I will go to the Mount Hua Sect as well.”
Ouyang Jue’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Really?”
“No matter how hastily I made it, I thought the Eight Evils wouldn't be able to break my barrier.”
The Omniscient One frankly admitted and accepted his own arrogance.
“But the result speaks for itself. The power of the Eight Evils has not waned at all compared to the past; they tore through my barrier with a single shout. So, settling in one place to help you seems to be the answer.”
Moreover, the answer left by the Forgetting Sword, Seo Mun-hwi, was tugging at the Omniscient One's heart with a poignant sorrow.
The Omniscient One looked at Ouyang Jue and managed an awkward smile.
“At least, unlike with Seo Mun-hwi, you and I are friends, aren’t we? So even if I’m turned away at the gate, you’ll find me a small hermitage, right?”
*Even after fighting the Eight Evils countless times, and just now being pushed to the brink of death, the Omniscient One’s will remains unbroken.*
Ouyang Jue felt a sincere gratitude towards him.
“Of course. I’ll speak to the Sect Leader and arrange a place for you in a good location.”
“That’s very reassuring.”
The Omniscient One considered his remaining lifespan and looked up at the sky.
*‘Just a little, just a little more time, please.’*
As the Omniscient One’s lips moved in a silent plea, Liu Zhangming’s head whipped around.
“!”
“What is it, Senior Brother?”
Despite Ouyang Jue’s question, Liu Zhangming didn't answer, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Sword God's Cave.
Something whitish ascending into the sky had captured his attention.
*‘Am I… seeing things?’*
When Liu Zhangming calmed himself and looked at the sky again, there was nothing but the midday sun.
Only the heavy feeling in his chest made his steps feel leaden.
“Jue.”
“Yes, Senior Brother.”
“When we return to Mount Hua, let us redouble our training so that this never happens again.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue thought about the current state of the martial world.
“Now is our only chance.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The Mount Hua Sect is about to rise as the greatest sect in the current martial world. This is the only time we will have to train without being disturbed by the Eight Evils.”
Ouyang Jue clenched his fists tightly.