Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: A Brief Journey (5)
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To be honest, Ha Jin-ak had never been a particularly important person to Ouyang Jue.
A 'role' to galvanize the Mount Hua Sect.
A 'necessity' to be kept alive for now, so that Liu Zhangming and Jo Hun would not waver.
He had glimpsed Ha Jin-ak's abilities in the process, but that was all.
He wasn't fond of those who meticulously judged people by their abilities before keeping them close.
But at some point, Ouyang Jue had come to understand the man named Ha Jin-ak.
Traveling with Ha Jin-ak for ten days, Ouyang Jue had seen a glimpse of warmth in him.
He came to realize that Ha Jin-ak's past actions had been a method chosen out of necessity to revive the dying Mount Hua Sect.
Ouyang Jue also thought.
His cold demeanor and the Heavenly Flow Fire Cloud Sword would be a great help to the Mount Hua Sect in the future.
That's what he had believed...
Ouyang Jue looked up at Ha Jin-ak, who was bleeding dark blood from all seven orifices.
*...It was arrogance.*
Contrary to his inner thoughts, Ouyang Jue slowly raised the corners of his lips.
"Of course we can escape."
"That's... a relief."
Ha Jin-ak forced out a sound mixed with a laugh. Even that came with a rattling from his lungs.
Ouyang Jue's lips trembled.
*This was never just some role-playing.*
Slowly.
Grasping his knees, Ouyang Jue struggled to his feet.
He was still staggering from the aftershock, but he endured it.
*'I know things will be different?'*
To think he had acted like he knew everything about the future over something so trivial.
*What a joke.*
Ouyang Jue took a deep breath. His throat felt like it was on fire. The air, heated by the explosives, stung.
But Ouyang Jue paid it no mind, forcing his muscles, battered by the intense heat, to move with all his might.
"Still, I can't just run away by myself, can I?"
Ouyang Jue forced Ha Jin-ak up and slung an arm over his shoulder. Then, he began to move, dragging his feet.
"..."
"Your junior brother is struggling so much, yet our Senior-most Brother has nothing to say."
Even then, no answer came from Ha Jin-ak.
Ouyang Jue wanted to just assume he was tired and let it go.
*Crunch, crunch.*
As his feet scraped against the sand, blackened by the sudden heat, Ouyang Jue thought.
He knew his past life.
He knew who would become a powerful martial artist in the future.
He knew what events would occur.
From the perspective of Ouyang Jue, who had experienced a past life, this knowledge was perfect.
But he had never considered whether the people of this time would follow his intentions.
*'But knowing Jo Hun was starving and pretending not to...'*
Is no different from the Ouyang Jue of my past life.
At that thought, Ouyang Jue couldn't suppress a bitter laugh.
"I've really become quite the sage."
Just as he muttered this to himself, a piercing pain shot through his back.
"...Gah."
"Where do you think you're going?"
Red eyes flashed under the moonlight. This was no illusion created by mere presence.
It seemed that despite knowing about the explosion through telepathy, he hadn't been able to avoid the shock, causing the blood vessels in his eyes to burst.
The sword gripped by the man known as Ten-Step Sword was piercing through the backs of both Ouyang Jue and Ha Jin-ak.
*Gush.*
Blood trickled from the corner of Ouyang Jue's mouth.
Bright red blood that had welled up from within flowed past his lips and down his chin.
Yet, Ouyang Jue did not let go.
Even if his arm were to break, he could not let Ha Jin-ak fall.
"...You."
Just uttering that one syllable, calling out to Ten-Step Sword, brought a pain like a knife twisting in his heart.
Ouyang Jue winced, tightening his grip on Severing Manifestation.
An uncontrollable sharpness tore indiscriminately at friend and foe alike.
*Shhlick!*
Along with the gruesome sound, Ten-Step Sword let out a startled gasp.
"Hah?!"
Seeing that half the skin on the back of his hand was gone, Ten-Step Sword's body momentarily froze.
Since when?
No, there was no 'when'. Ouyang Jue clearly hadn't attacked.
"What kind of trickery is this!"
Perhaps fear had taken root after witnessing an unknown martial art.
Looking at the wary Ten-Step Sword, Ouyang Jue was reminded of a rat.
A rat that spots a crumb on the ground but doesn't dare to move, cautiously watching from a distance.
A spark ignited in Ouyang Jue's eyes.
*To a bastard like this.*
Rage surged within him.
"I'll take you on... with one hand."
Ouyang Jue awkwardly gripped Severing Manifestation with his left hand.
It couldn't be helped, as his right arm was still wrapped around Ha Jin-ak's shoulders.
*Haa*, Ouyang Jue exhaled, then looked at the two men who were coming to their senses and getting up.
They were Black Mourning Sword, clutching his abdomen as if it had been sliced, and Waning Moon Sword, his face blackened with soot.
The trembling of Ouyang Jue's lips from the pain stopped. It was replaced by a relaxed smile.
"The same goes for you two."
*Kaaang!*
Severing Manifestation, pointed at them, let out a clear ring.
It held both a domineering aura that seemed ready to cut down anything and a fragility that seemed like it would crumble under the slightest pressure.
At this, the three swordsmen realized.
*'The power of his sword is truly peerless, but its wielder's energy is at rock bottom.'*
At the same time, greed blossomed. The three swordsmen exchanged glances.
-That's mine!
*Kwoong!*
The first to charge was Ten-Step Sword, who was the closest.
The speed of his Power-Laden Steps was one thing, but the force in each step was so immense it could rival even Shaolin's.
Despite this, Ouyang Jue did not retreat. He simply raised Severing Manifestation calmly.
"The host hasn't even offered, but you're already trying to drink the broth."
Ouyang Jue's chin tilted down slightly.
*Hwoong.*
In that opening, Ten-Step Sword's blade swung. The sharply honed sword energy tore at Ouyang Jue's chest.
*'Damn heavy.'*
Ouyang Jue resisted the urge to throw Ha Jin-ak aside and swung Severing Manifestation.
*Scraaaape!*
Severing Manifestation slid along the sword swung by Ten-Step Sword, crumpling the entire blade.
Of course, what was beneath it didn't escape unscathed.
Being flesh and not steel, it was even less able to withstand the sharpness of Severing Manifestation.
"Gyaaaaargh!"
After unhesitatingly sending Ten-Step Sword's fingers flying, Ouyang Jue flicked the blood from Severing Manifestation.
*Flick.*
At the sound, the expressions of the two remaining swordsmen hardened. They could no longer take him lightly.
They scrutinized his features.
-Could that be... Liu Zhangming?
-Impossible! Didn't the Three Evils of Shaanxi guarantee it?
As their confused telepathic messages continued.
Ouyang Jue's voice cut through the air.
"What's there to be so conflicted about?"
Ouyang Jue openly infused Purple Mist energy into Ha Jin-ak, taunting them.
"If you're just going to stand there, then let us go."
"Grrr, you bastard!"
Ouyang Jue watched the two charging swordsmen with cold eyes.
He didn't let down his guard against Akgun, the leader of the Three Evils of Shaanxi, who was somewhere behind them.
Having set off the explosives, they would surely try to kill him completely.
If they let him go now, not only the Black Dragon Gang but also the Three Evils of Shaanxi would be hunted by the authorities.
Ouyang Jue's grip tightened.
*Grip.*
The pain intensified slightly, but his mental focus sharpened even further.
"Shall we dance?"
Humming a phrase he had heard from the Sword Demon in his past life, Ouyang Jue unleashed the Plum Blossom Sword Arts.
*Shwaaaaa-!*
The Purple Mist energy flowing from Ouyang Jue's dantian condensed on Severing Manifestation, taking on the appearance of a mist.
As if determined not to miss the opening.
"...Hmph!"
*Tak, twoong!*
The charging Waning Moon Sword kicked a pebble.
It wasn't imbued with any particular internal energy, but he judged it was enough to harass Ouyang Jue.
*'What a nuisance.'*
Ouyang Jue tilted Severing Manifestation slightly to bat the pebble away.
The moonlight reflected off the flat of the blade.
He squinted for a moment, and in that instant, Black Mourning Sword charged in.
He must have been confident he hadn't been noticed.
Ouyang Jue, having infused Severing Manifestation with Purple Mist energy, fired his sword energy in a tangible form.
Black Mourning Sword's face was instantly filled with shock, and he soon collapsed.
Almost simultaneously, Ten-Step Sword pushed forward, aiming for Ha Jin-ak.
*'Despicable bastard. He plans to capture the Senior-most Brother and use him as a shield.'*
But Ouyang Jue didn't let the thought show.
They were despicable to begin with; that's why they belonged to an unorthodox faction like the Black Dragon Gang. For them, despicability was a way of life.
And Ouyang Jue had already anticipated this situation.
"Senior-most Brother, my apologies."
The situation was urgent, so he dispensed with formalities. Ouyang Jue's hand grabbed the nape of Ha Jin-ak's neck and pulled.
*Hwook!*
Ten-Step Sword's blade tore through Ha Jin-ak's robes instead of his neck.
Ouyang Jue kicked Waning Moon Sword directly as he rushed in.
"What kind of brat...!"
As Waning Moon Sword stumbled back, intimidated by Ouyang Jue's aura, Ouyang Jue grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth.
"Where are you going, pal?"
With the foot he had just kicked with, Ouyang Jue pushed the handle of his opponent's sword.
As a result, Waning Moon Sword, who had been backing away, found himself being pushed back even further.
"You should take this back."
Ouyang Jue gritted his teeth.
Now that his opponent had lost his balance, it wouldn't be difficult.
*'Eat this!'*
*Sgeung!*
The Purple Mist energy, cloaked in Severing Manifestation's sharpness, instantly cleaved Waning Moon Sword's body in one strike.
The rising form of the Plum Blossom Sword: Plum Scent Forms a Stream.
The scent of plum blossoms forms a wave.
Just as the name suggests, the Purple Mist energy clinging to Severing Manifestation's sharpness materialized as a single wave and split him apart.
"What, where did a guy like that come from!"
The shock of the last remaining fighter, Ten-Step Sword, was proof of the high level of skill Ouyang Jue had displayed.
He couldn't help but lament his sense of inferiority.
But Ouyang Jue's perspective was different.
*'If only I had a little more internal energy. If only my mind, spirit, and body were even slightly more in sync...'*
A deep sense of regret remained.
His half-year of seclusion had produced the best possible results, but in the end, that was just an excuse.
In the martial world, strength meant survival.
Ouyang Jue's gaze turned to Ha Jin-ak, whom he was supporting.
He was going to die here anyway; there was nothing wrong with abandoning him.
*'But.'*
Ouyang Jue had learned from him.
Things like the righteousness and duty of the Mount Hua Sect.
Ouyang Jue had learned many things he hadn't known in his past life.
So, he had no choice but to use what he learned.
"You're quite a handful."
Muttering to himself, Ouyang Jue tightened his grip on Ha Jin-ak.
Just then, Ten-Step Sword spoke.
"You said your name was Ouyang Jue."
"...Hmph."
"You may seem calm, but in my eyes, your fear is plain to see."
"Looks like the inflammation in your eyes is acting up."
Ouyang Jue glanced sideways at Ha Jin-ak, who was still bleeding from his seven orifices.
*'If it were you, wouldn't you prioritize your own safety over protecting me?'*
*Grit.*
For the Senior-most Brother, a man who was always selective about his company, to protect Ouyang Jue, whom he had seemed to dislike, at the very end.
Ouyang Jue wiped away a mixture of cold sweat and blood.
As long as his body could still move, he couldn't show any weakness.
At least, that's how he felt until Akgun showed himself again.
"...You."
"Impressive. Truly, astonishing."
Akgun praised Ouyang Jue and Ha Jin-ak with a dry expression.
But his inner feelings were not so numb.
What seethed inside Akgun was clear hostility and hatred.
*'To lose both my older and younger brothers to a brat not even twenty years old.'*
And to top it off, he had even mobilized six swordsmen and the explosives meant only for the worst-case scenario.
If Dujeolgwang hadn't died, there would have been no need to use the explosives.
Akgun stared at Ouyang Jue with stubborn eyes.
In the meantime, Ouyang Jue spoke.
"...What."
"Hm?"
"What the hell is so funny!"
"Hah."
At those words, Akgun gave a light smile.
"You're going to die anyway."
"Look who's talking."
*Snap, crackle.*
As they talked, the sound of dry branches being stepped on brushed past the ears of the three men.
Around that time, Ha Jin-ak's eyes fluttered open slightly.
But no one noticed this change.
Their attention was solely focused on whether the sound belonged to their reinforcements or the enemy's.
"...Hah."
Seeing the figures who had appeared, Akgun's lips twitched.
To think the reinforcements he had requested just in case would arrive at such a perfect moment.
"Ahaha, ahat, ahahaha!"
Akgun laughed maniacally, mocking Ouyang Jue.
"Did you think the whole world was in the palm of your hand?"
"..."
"Say something, you little runt. From now on, I'll make it so you can neither die nor live in peace!"
Just then, a middle-aged man's voice echoed strongly across the cliff.
"Jue, what in the world is going on!"
Ouyang Jue cupped one fist in greeting to the man who appeared from the woods.
He couldn't hide his weary expression.
"Elder Gwak, you're very late."
"..."
Instead of roaring, Gwak Un-pae harbored a fury as immense as Mount Tai.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind Ouyang Jue.
"I, Ha, the direct disciple of the current Sect Leader Bai Duanxian and the designated successor..."
*Press.*
Ha Jin-ak's thumb struck the Jianjing acupoint on Ouyang Jue's shoulder.
His whole body felt like it was sinking, as if water had seeped into it.
*'...Huh?'*
Lying on the ground, Ouyang Jue stared blankly up at the blood-soaked Ha Jin-ak.
His eyes were filled with determination.
"I, Ha, before I die, give this final command to Elder Gwak."
Ha Jin-ak, breathing raggedly as if he could die at any moment, smiled with a pale face.
But Ouyang Jue knew.
His body was so thoroughly broken that he couldn't even manage a proper smile.
And yet, Ha Jin-ak smiled.
"...Hold them back until I am finished."
To Ouyang Jue, it was a heartbreakingly sad smile.
Then, his eyes slowly closed.