Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Plum Blossom Inheritance (2)
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While Gwak Un-pae went to check on Ha Jin-ak's condition, the swordsmen had a choice to make.
Either retreat and save their own lives.
Or seize Ouyang Jue's life and negotiate with Gwak Un-pae.
Neither option seemed particularly difficult.
'Neither Ha Jin-ak nor Gwak Un-pae can touch us right now!'
Compared to those who had just died, these swordsmen were of a distinctly lower caliber.
But they had their own reasons for confidence.
The single strike that had just dispatched the villains was certainly fearsome.
But wasn't it a strike that borrowed the sharpness of Severing Manifestation?
They didn't believe it was a display of his own martial arts.
"…Aren't you tempted?"
At someone's words, the swordsmen's eyes glinted red.
The turbid energy characteristic of the Unorthodox Faction subtly seeped out.
In that case, another option was added to the list.
Attack together, seize control over Ouyang Jue's life and death, escape this place, and then decide the owner of Severing Manifestation.
Having tacitly agreed to this, the swordsmen gripped their swords, exuding a chilly aura.
*Shhhk!*
Just then, the sole of Ouyang Jue's foot pushed forcefully off the ground.
*Sizzle…*
Smoke rose from the heated earth.
Seeing this, the swordsmen recalled a certain martial art.
Heavenly Flow Fire Cloud Sword.
It was the martial art Ha Jin-ak had mastered to near perfection, the legendary sword art that had earned him the title Fire Cloud Red Mist Sword.
"Dammit, when did he teach him that!"
Having heard of it and even witnessed the destructive power of the Heavenly Flow Fire Cloud Sword from a distance, the swordsmen recoiled in terror.
Seeing this, a look of derision appeared on Ouyang Jue's face.
"Scared?"
At his words, the swordsmen realized they had been tricked and their faces flushed with anger.
Still, they didn't approach easily, due to the caution inherent in unorthodox martial artists.
'What if… it's the real Heavenly Flow Fire Cloud Sword?'
*They must be having such pathetic thoughts.*
Ouyang Jue could read their thoughts and actions as if they were an open book.
As long as the years he spent as a wanderer remained in his mind, he could tell what the remnants of the Black Dragon Gang were thinking just by looking at their expressions.
At the same time, he erased the emotions Ha Jin-ak had felt while passing on his skills to him.
He forgot.
He eliminated them.
He brushed away even the last remnants, until only dust remained.
The battle wasn't over yet.
Those who wallowed in pathetic sentimentality always died young.
Therefore.
For now, he decided to forget.
With that decision made, there was no turmoil in Ouyang Jue's eyes.
They reflected only the Black Dragon Gang members rushing toward him.
"Come."
Ouyang Jue muttered softly and gripped Ha Jin-ak's sword.
The characters engraved near the hilt, *Hwaunjiilhyang* (火雲之一香), caught his eye.
Do the clouds of summer create a single fragrance?
'When autumn comes, the fire clouds are bound to descend.'
A bitter smile touched Ouyang Jue's lips.
It seemed to foretell Ha Jin-ak's current situation, and he couldn't erase the wry smile.
It was a suffocating feeling that could not be quenched.
In truth, compared to what had happened in his past life, this was a clear improvement.
He knew who had targeted Ha Jin-ak.
The energy Ha Jin-ak had cultivated his entire life had permeated Ouyang Jue's whole body.
Furthermore, there was no more danger.
Since Gwak Un-pae had arrived first, Song Muk would surely follow.
And yet.
Why did he feel so irritated?
Ouyang Jue couldn't find a clear answer. But he knew what he had to do right now.
"You trash, are you not going to come at me!"
At Ouyang Jue's show of force, the swordsmen's bodies froze for an instant.
A first-rate master does not miss such an opening.
'It's been a while since I've used this.'
Was it almost a year since he'd been bedridden?
Briefly lost in reminiscence, Ouyang Jue slightly lowered his upper body.
Using his internal energy, he moved at maximum speed—a speed so fast that if an opponent blinked, he would seem to have vanished.
"…?!"
"What the!"
Their startled gasps were fleeting.
"There!"
"You tricky bastard, how dare you try to mock me with a sleight of hand!"
Ouyang Jue trusted his martial arts, but he was not arrogant.
By the same token, he believed that while martial arts that reached the divine realm existed, none were invincible.
That was the conclusion Ouyang Jue had reached while roaming the martial world.
"…Hoo."
Thus, Ouyang Jue exhaled sharply, guiding his Purple Mist True Energy outward.
The released energy immediately became a cloud of mist, beginning to deceive their vision.
Illusory Phantom Steps.
It was the fundamental martial art of Ouyang Jue's true ultimate techniques, the footwork of a sect that had been lost to the tides of history.
Naturally, the martial artists of the current generation had no way to counter it.
"Again…"
"He disappeared?"
While his enemies stood dumbfounded, Ouyang Jue cleverly wove through their ranks.
*Shing, kachak!*
Ouyang Jue drew his sword in a graceful arc.
He drew it with such unusual force that hot sparks flew from near the hilt.
"…Hah!"
*Thud.*
As a swordsman in the front line took a step back from a spark that flew before his eyes, Ouyang Jue grinned and swung his sword.
*Fwoosh!*
The fiery energy flowing along the sword's surface soared into the sky and billowed.
The swordsmen glanced at Ha Jin-ak, who was lying on the ground.
'Is that the Heavenly Flow Fire Cloud Sword!'
If one were to analyze the forms and the application of fire energy in detail, it was clearly a different martial art, but that didn't matter.
Ouyang Jue was using the Heavenly Flow Fire Cloud Sword.
This distorted fact served its purpose well enough if it stimulated the swordsmen's fear.
"You bastards aren't getting away."
This single sentence became a curse, rooting the swordsmen to the spot.
They must have felt as if the intense heat was melting their minds.
'I know that feeling.'
Ouyang Jue was a seasoned hunter who had accumulated many experiences from his past life.
So, he wouldn't let them escape.
Ouyang Jue's pupils seemed to sink, then shrink to a point. The sparks from moments ago made his eyes look like will-o'-the-wisps.
Soon, that point became a line as Ouyang Jue began to move.
*Whoosh!*
Ouyang Jue's entire body half-spun, and his sword scattered blood. With a simple clash, droplets of blood painted the sky.
A series of movements that almost resembled a dance followed.
Ouyang Jue willingly entangled himself with the swordsmen.
The swordsmen thrashed about, thrusting their swords in desperation.
"Die!"
Malice and killing intent.
Such things rushed to bind Ouyang Jue's movements, if only for a moment.
But it was useless.
The Black Dragon Gang was far too weak a group to hold Ouyang Jue's steps.
Thus, Ouyang Jue felt no emotion toward the Black Dragon Gang.
To him, they were less than human.
They were simple wooden dolls that bled when stabbed.
Only that level of feeling weighed down Ouyang Jue's hand. No, it was as good as nothing.
*Slice!*
Even now, a life was mercilessly extinguished by Ouyang Jue's hand.
Watching from a distance, Gwak Un-pae's expression hardened.
'Was what he always said… not a bluff?'
Gwak Un-pae's thought was half-right and half-wrong.
Six months ago, Ouyang Jue had been just as he thought—a ruffian whose words outpaced his actions.
But the Ouyang Jue present here was different.
The monster of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
The master of the eternal snow, the Sword Demon.
And even the group Ouyang Jue belonged to in his past life.
Ouyang Jue had experienced dizzying years and chaotic great wars firsthand.
He would not be held back by something like this.
"That's my line."
Ouyang Jue moved his body with more freedom than anyone else here.
Despite being surrounded by enemies, making it difficult to move, Ouyang Jue created his own space.
That was not something achievable through simple sparring.
Gwak Un-pae's eyes narrowed.
'That… it's as if…'
*He's like a veteran soldier who has gained countless experiences on the battlefield.*
"Hmm."
Gwak Un-pae pushed his interest in Ouyang Jue to the back of his mind.
Pondering that question now wouldn't solve it, and there was a more urgent matter at hand.
Gwak Un-pae placed his hand on Ha Jin-ak's Gate of Life.
"Hoo…"
A thin sigh escaped Gwak Un-pae's lips.
The time Ouyang Jue had created was certainly of great value.
It had bought him time to gently refine his internal energy so as not to overload Ha Jin-ak's body.
*Swoooosh…*
Due to his extreme concentration, a drop of cold sweat trickled down Gwak Un-pae's cheek.
It was a fatal opening for someone with enemies right before him.
Nevertheless, he paid it no mind and thoroughly searched Ha Jin-ak's entire meridian system.
'I have to save him.'
Gwak Un-pae steeled his resolve.
A disciple, not even twenty, was fighting desperately to save his Senior-most Brother.
Things might look advantageous now, but in the martial world, the tables could turn at any moment.
It was a request from Ouyang Jue, who had chosen to bear such a risk himself.
"Please look after my Senior-most Brother!"
If he, as an elder of the Mount Hua Sect, failed to fulfill that wish, he felt he would never be able to hold his head high again.
'First… I must replenish his depleted vitality.'
Even so, Gwak Un-pae couldn't hide his surprise.
The Primal True Energy that one is naturally born with was hardly visible in Ha Jin-ak's body.
To feel not even a handful of ash like this…
It was a miracle he was even alive.
And yet, paradoxically, Gwak Un-pae found hope in that.
The fact that he was alive despite the disappearance of the Primal True Energy that connects the body and soul meant Ha Jin-ak's will to live was that strong.
"You have to live, Jin-ak!"
Gwak Un-pae poured all his strength into it.
Ouyang Jue, too, devoted himself to striking down the members of the Black Dragon Gang.
***
"…Ah, ahh."
Bai Duanxian, who had arrived with Song Muk, let out a hoarse groan. The scene was filled with things he didn't want to believe.
Tears welled in his usually strong face and streamed down his cheeks.
The tears that fell to the ground flowed into the dirt, and the tear stains they created were trampled and erased by Bai Duanxian's feet.
"Truly, what has happened here!"
"…"
Ouyang Jue and Gwak Un-pae kept their mouths tightly shut. Too much had happened to be explained with simple words.
Bai Duanxian could only interpret this negatively.
Grief soaked Bai Duanxian's old body.
His gaze shifted to Ha Jin-ak.
"Jin-ak, how could you…"
*How could you lie there with such a peaceful face?*
Bai Duanxian rebuked him with a sorrowful expression.
"This old man is standing, how can you, a young man, lie there like that!"
At those words, Ouyang Jue was about to open his mouth, but Gwak Un-pae jabbed him in the side.
"…Keuk."
A strange sound came from somewhere, but Bai Duanxian dismissed it as a mistake.
Ha Jin-ak was dead.
At a time when the sect's Senior-most Brother had died, how could anyone possibly laugh?
Bai Duanxian knelt by Ha Jin-ak's waist.
He vividly remembered the time he had told him that he would be the next Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect.
That made it all the more tragic.
"…"
A silence heavier than a hundred words descended.
Bai Duanxian's always clear eyes had turned a turbid color.
Just then, Song Muk, sensing something was amiss, quickly approached Ha Jin-ak's side, checked his pulse, and called out to Bai Duanxian in a flustered voice.
"Sect Leader."
"I don't wish to hear anything right now."
"It's not that. It's…"
Hesitating for a moment, Song Muk placed a finger under Ha Jin-ak's nose and confirmed it.
"He's still alive. He is not dead."
At the unexpected words, Bai Duanxian, who had been wiping his eyes with his hand, glared fiercely at Song Muk.
"Then what is all this blood!"
Then, Bai Duanxian's gaze turned to Gwak Un-pae.
When Gwak Un-pae merely scratched his cheek, Ouyang Jue finally spoke up.
"It happened while I was dealing with the Black Dragon Gang…"
"What?"
Seeing Bai Duanxian's eyes half-crazed, Ouyang Jue flinched and began to explain everything that had happened.
However, he omitted one fact.
That he had used a lost divine art from the Maoshan Sect to keep Ha Jin-ak alive.
This was a truth he could never tell anyone, as no excuse could ever make it plausible.
"…And so, the situation was resolved favorably."
As he said this, Ouyang Jue found himself lost in thought again.
The objective had shifted somewhat.
He had failed to completely save Ha Jin-ak.
This was a clear misstep, a mistake.
It had happened because he had underestimated the malice of the Black Dragon Gang and the Three Evils of Shaanxi.
But even so, things were moving in a better direction than in his past life.
Ha Jin-ak, who had met a death shrouded in mystery, had survived, even if he was just barely clinging to life.
He also knew who had killed him.
Furthermore, everything Ha Jin-ak had built up over his entire life had not vanished but had been passed on to Ouyang Jue.
The plum blossom that should have withered and disappeared had transferred to another bud and continued its life.
If this wasn't the Plum Blossom Inheritance, what else could it be called?
Even so, Ouyang Jue looked at Ha Jin-ak with a complicated expression.
'You look peaceful.'
Without a miracle from heaven, it was impossible to awaken a soul that had sunk into the depths of consciousness.
Ouyang Jue's gaze rested on Ha Jin-ak's smiling face, then fell in bitterness.