Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Cycle of a Day (1)
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*Patter, pitter-patter…*
Like rain slanting across fallen leaves, a downpour soaked Ouyang Jue's robes.
The shoulders of his garment were drenched, sagging heavily.
A raindrop formed on the tip of his plum-blossom-colored belt and fell.
*Splash.*
Ouyang Jue walked down the puddled path.
Then, he looked ahead.
“…Hah.”
A sneer crept across Ouyang Jue's lips.
Pathetic.
The martial artists before him, thugs who had chosen the unorthodox path because they thought it was glamorous, were staring him down.
Survival of the fittest, was it?
The strong take all, they said?
“How amusing.”
Ouyang Jue stroked his jaw and the corner of his mouth with his left hand. The fine, rain-soaked hairs tickled his palm.
“The sight of these dogs barking, oblivious to the heavens above… truly… amusing.”
At his words, the warriors of the Black Dragon Gang glared, their hostility flaring.
“You insolent bastard! Do you know where you are?”
“Take his head, now!”
Ambition mingled with killing intent, tangling with the rain.
With the chaos caused by the Mount Hua Sect, the warriors were certain that capturing this Taoist would earn them a higher rank.
His skill had been proven when he subdued Wol Gong-myeong in a single strike, but now a number of men large enough to fill half his vision were rushing him.
They were confident, never imagining that one man could handle so many.
*Thump, clang!*
They were coming not just along the road, but also by running across the rooftops of the nearby houses.
Yet Ouyang Jue remained unconcerned.
The sudden downpour was slowly cooling his heated body.
Fates and incidents were always this sudden.
Ouyang Jue let out a dry laugh as he watched the approaching warriors.
*'What a mess, all because of that fool.'*
Of course, he had also gained much thanks to that man.
He could divert the attention of the Black Dragon Gang's warriors, and the man's occasional simplicity, while a bit pathetic, could make him smile.
At the very least, it hadn't been boring.
That was why he had helped him find his mother, a small gesture of aid.
*'Why did you come here?'*
Ouyang Jue's gaze shifted to the man.
Above a blood-stained puddle, a snowshoe with a broken strap floated aimlessly.
After dying, had he fallen in the direction of the inn where he had just been?
Ouyang Jue calmly shook his head.
He cleared his mind of stray thoughts.
He untied the topknot holding his hair and shook the water out.
All that remained was the boundary between life and death.
Only the struggle against the members of the Black Dragon Gang.
Ouyang Jue's hand went to Severing Manifestation.
“Come.”
“…?”
“Come, you whelps!”
The warrior at the front flinched at Ouyang Jue's sudden shout.
His reaction was quick, but it seemed he hadn't blocked it completely, as a trickle of blood ran from his ear.
A faint, sharp aura, keen enough to slice through the falling rain, cut through the air.
“…Guhk!”
Having taken the head of the warrior in the lead, Ouyang Jue turned to the nearest bald man.
Severing Manifestation was within range, but moving it now was inconvenient.
For a moment, Ouyang Jue's left hand slipped inside his collar. Then, just as the enemy swung his weapon, the collar tightened.
*Fwoosh!*
Rainwater shot from the corner of his collar into the bald man's eyes.
It was no accident.
*'What the…!'*
The bald man ground his teeth and swung his greatsword at where he had last seen Ouyang Jue's neck.
He had imbued this strike with power slightly beyond the fifth stage.
He must have blocked my sight because he couldn't parry the blow.
Convinced of this, the bald man's sneer deepened.
A little further, and his greatsword would take the Taoist's head.
It should have…
“Keoheok! Blood-Splatter Blade, you son of a bitch!”
At those words, the bald man frantically rubbed his eyes. His prized blade was embedded not in the Taoist, but in another member of the Black Dragon Gang.
Then where in the world was that bastard?
Just then.
*Shink!*
A blade swung from nowhere and indifferently sliced through the bald man's neck.
Ouyang Jue didn't stop there, kicking the remaining body away.
The warrior who met the body cried out in alarm.
“You crazy…!”
As Ouyang Jue seemed to close the distance by half a step, Severing Manifestation pierced through the bald man's corpse.
The lives he had taken now totaled three.
How many were left, roughly?
Ouyang Jue squinted at the swarm of men in black filling his vision.
“Such a lack of personality in these bastards.”
How am I supposed to tell them apart when they all wear the same black clothes?
*Kaaang!*
Before the thought could even finish, a sword lunged at him.
Another weapon grazed past it.
“Aargh!”
As if there was no loyalty among fellow Black Dragon Gang members, the fingers of the man holding the sword were shredded.
Ouyang Jue silently thanked the madman who had swung that weapon and cut off the arm of the one who had screamed.
*Swish, slice!*
At the same time, he backed away from the body.
Even with a severed arm, a warrior was still a warrior. It would be quite troublesome if the man suddenly grabbed his ankle and started gurgling.
Once again, blood soaked his entire body.
There was more blood on him now than rain.
It was then.
*Whoosh!*
A hidden weapon was thrown, taking advantage of the opening as Ouyang Jue swung his blade.
Fortunately, the heavy downpour slowed its velocity, if only slightly.
Still, it was a threat, and Ouyang Jue reflexively shot his left hand out to the side.
“Let me borrow this for a moment.”
A piece of fruit he had noticed earlier while dealing with Wol Gong-myeong landed in his hand.
He immediately threw it.
*Splat!*
The fruit was completely obliterated by the hidden weapon and fell to the ground.
At last, Ouyang Jue felt the hidden weapon's speed decrease significantly.
There was no longer a need to be wary of it.
Severing Manifestation danced in Ouyang Jue's hand.
“Kuaargh!”
“Where in the world did a guy like this come from…!”
Not only are their clothes all the same, but even their last words are common.
Ouyang Jue couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
At that moment, the ground beneath his feet shifted.
*Grind, rumble…*
At the sound, Ouyang Jue's eyes narrowed.
Ordinarily, it was something he could ignore, something one might dismiss as the work of a mole.
But this was a scene where a mob of unorthodox warriors was attacking.
It wouldn't be strange for someone to display some bizarre skill.
*'…Now!'*
*Krrack!*
The ground seemed to collapse for a moment, and from within, a dirt-covered warrior emerged.
The instant he saw daylight, he swung his hook, but felt no impact.
Instead, it collided with a sword that had been aimed at Ouyang Jue, taking the wielder's wrist with it.
A faint groan, but Ouyang Jue was nowhere to be seen.
*'Then where?'*
The warrior reflexively snapped his head up.
The tip of Severing Manifestation descending upon his forehead answered his question.
*'He jumped!'*
The warrior sensed his impending death.
*Thwack!*
Feeling the warrior expire, Ouyang Jue immediately ducked.
*Whoosh-!*
An immense force swept over his back, and a cold sweat ran down Ouyang Jue's skin.
“That was dangerous.”
Muttering the blunt words, Ouyang Jue used the power from his crouched position to kick straight up.
With that kick, he shattered the head of a man who had been cautiously observing from the front.
Before he knew it, he had killed over ten, approaching twenty.
Ouyang Jue immediately shifted the battlefield.
A place with weakened ground and filled with corpses was not ideal.
A single misstep could lead to being cornered and overwhelmed by a combined attack.
Watching this, the remaining members of the Black Dragon Gang were astounded.
“Is that even human?”
“His fighting style is too unrestrained, isn't it?”
How could a Taoist, whose martial arts were known to have a fixed form and style, to the point of being called rigid, fight in such a free-spirited manner?
It was a style akin to that of a wanderer.
The idea of blocking a hidden weapon with a piece of fruit or killing an enemy by piercing a dead body was not something a Taoist would conceive.
Then, one warrior asked through clenched teeth.
“What kind of riffraff are you!”
“…Riffraff?”
At that, Ouyang Jue lightly cleaned his ear and replied.
“I am a nobleman who has come to beat down scum like you.”
The warrior's expression hardened completely at the absurd answer.
The mockery, worse than simply avoiding the question, wounded the pride of the Black Dragon Gang members present.
A warrior holding a particularly large spear shouted.
“This Returning Spear will tear that bastard's heart out!”
“Is that a toy? You don't look like you have the strength to swing it.”
“You court death!”
As the man charged, Ouyang Jue's lips were smiling, but his eyes were cold.
He had vaguely heard rumors of the Returning Spear while he was here.
A warrior who used a spear modified with a hidden, single-edged blade that could pop out as his prized weapon, was it?
The reason he insisted on the moniker 'Returning Spear' was also quite amusing.
*'He said that one could only prove their martial prowess by fighting on equal footing with their opponent.'*
Ouyang Jue wanted to ask him.
“You, are you just an attention seeker?”
“Gah! Shut up!”
As if struck by the unexpected jab, the Returning Spear's aura grew considerably heavier.
*Paang!*
Innate strength, supported by internal energy.
*'So he's not just a simple amateur.'*
The mocking look vanished from Ouyang Jue's face.
*'A spear, a spear.'*
It has a much longer reach than a blade, and in terms of thrusting, no other weapon can match it.
Furthermore, the Returning Spear's weapon had three blades, not one, so if Severing Manifestation were to get caught between them and twisted, it could be disastrous.
Let your guard down, and you die.
Of course, that would be the Ouyang Jue of the past.
“Shall we get a little serious?”
Muttering this, Ouyang Jue circulated his Purple Mist Aura.
His dantian, stabilized after completing the Small Heavenly Circuit; his body, hardened through metamorphosis.
Added to that was the realm he had once reached, the absolute peak.
He was more than qualified to step into the sublime realm of martial arts.
*Ssssss.*
The Purple Mist Aura moved to the edge of Severing Manifestation, gradually taking form and growing stronger.
Seeing this, the Returning Spear's face turned deathly pale.
“S-Sword Aura!”
At those words, the members of the Black Dragon Gang trembled and could not bring themselves to attack.
His level was completely different.
Just from seeing that Sword Aura, it was clear their opponent was no mere amateur who had only completed the Small Heavenly Circuit, but a master who had reached the peak through some special enlightenment.
How could they possibly hope to win a one-on-one fight against such a person?
*'The only thing left is to wear down his energy and then face him…'*
The Returning Spear could feel that morale had plummeted without even needing to look back.
The killing intent that had filled the market street had vanished by more than half.
Just as the Returning Spear's expression hardened, thinking they had no chance of winning like this…
Ouyang Jue's lips parted slightly.
“Beggar.”
“What do you want, you ill-mannered brat.”
“You haven't just been idling, have you?”
The feeling that he was speaking formally only because there were eyes watching was palpable, and Cheol Pung-gae frowned.
“Of course not, you punk. How many meals have I begged for? You think I wouldn't know?”
“Then I'm glad.”
As expected, the old man is useful.
Ouyang Jue took a breath and then charged at the members of the Black Dragon Gang.
The first one to catch his eye among them was the Returning Spear.
He was the most skilled of the Black Dragon Gang members here, but more than that…
*'The spear is annoying.'*
Ouyang Jue's hand swung lightly.
But the power behind it was anything but light.
Above all, Ouyang Jue's body had completed its metamorphosis, and the Sword Aura enveloping Severing Manifestation was a dominant force capable of slicing through anything.
*Kaaang!*
“Khk!”
The Returning Spear let out a faint groan and retreated.
He had somehow managed to deflect the blow and swing his spear, but the blade was heavily chipped.
However, the Returning Spear's face still held a fighting spirit.
*'If that bastard just lets his guard down a little, just a little more!'*
Just then, Ouyang Jue let out a chuckle.
“So, your spear has a hidden blade?”
“…Ah!”
“Playing weak like that won't fool me, you bastard.”
Ouyang Jue unleashed the Fifth Form of the Plum Blossom Sword Arts, Falling Plum Blossom Flash, and completely severed the spearhead.
*Thud, clatter-clatter.*
Because of that, the hidden blade rolled away powerlessly.
“Now, what else have you got?”
“…”
But in the next moment, a long gash was carved into the Returning Spear's chest.
Meanwhile, the woman who had belatedly found the man collapsed on the spot, bursting into sorrowful sobs.
Ouyang Jue clenched his jaw tightly.