Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Zhongnan Sect (2)
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Just as Ouyang Jue’s steps were about to intrude upon the sanctuary.
“Who goes there?!”
He had chosen a time when few would be about.
At the sudden cry, Ouyang Jue ducked.
As expected, things were never going to be that easy.
Besides, this was the cave where Lü Dongbin, the forefather of Daoism, had once resided.
There was no way they would leave it unguarded.
Ouyang Jue hid behind a tree and peeked out.
‘He looks to be about twenty-two or twenty-three.’
His eyes briefly scanned the appearance of the man, who seemed to be a Zhongnan Sect Daoist, and the state of his robes.
Small wounds dotted every knuckle, and his Daoist robes were filthy.
His beard was messy and overgrown, suggesting he had been training here for a very long time, unless he had a peculiar constitution.
This was not good.
Ouyang Jue knew this type all too well.
‘A martial arts fanatic.’
A sect’s robes were its history, its pride—the very soul its predecessors had always emphasized.
To train until they became this dirty was telling.
To not change into training attire meant his pride in his sect ran deep.
To train here alone was to aspire to reach the level of the forefather of Daoism, True Master Lü Dongbin.
Whether this was born of arrogance or talent, he couldn't tell.
But Ouyang Jue felt it instinctively.
‘...Quite skilled.’
So, he knew a thing or two about swinging a sword.
*Swish.*
Ouyang Jue intentionally widened his stance and exhaled a cold breath.
He had cooled his body to conceal his presence, but now he forced his heart to pound, sending hot blood surging through his veins.
The Daoist sensed him and turned to face his direction with a curious expression.
“Will you not show yourself?”
Ouyang Jue closed his eyes for a moment.
He was trying to recall the voice and footwork of the masked intruder from Mount Hua.
Then, concealing his own way of speaking, he opened his mouth.
“No.”
Ouyang Jue’s hand rose to his head and pressed down on his hood.
He suddenly remembered telling the intruder at the Mount Hua Sect that he lacked character and let out a smirk.
‘In a situation like this, I suppose I have no choice either.’
A single stroke from Ouyang Jue’s sword felled the pine tree that stood between him and the Daoist.
*Skung!*
Clean and precise.
The Daoist’s eyebrows twitched at the sight of a technique that could only be described as such.
“May I have your name?”
“Nameless.”
“I see I needn't have asked.”
With that, the Daoist’s sharp eyes quickly swept over Ouyang Jue.
“You’re not going to draw your main sword?”
At those words, Ouyang Jue’s gaze fell to the Severing Manifestation tied to his left hip.
But he offered no reply.
*Go on, try me.*
*If you can make me.*
That was the message his stare sent to the Daoist.
*Grit—*
For a moment, fury flared in the Daoist’s eyes.
Seeing this, Ouyang Jue inwardly rejoiced.
Anyone would grow angry when their initial show of respect was met with disdain. Just like this man now.
*Kwoong!*
The Daoist’s foot stomped down, imbued with the weight of a thousand catties. The stone ground before the cave boomed.
This place was not far from the Zhongnan Sect.
It would take some time, but it was a distance they could cover quickly. The Daoist must have been aiming for that.
‘I’ll just have to make them mistake it for something else.’
Ouyang Jue’s lips parted wide.
*Krawwwrr!*
A roar like that of a great tiger devouring a bear’s gallbladder swept across the upper reaches of Mount Zhongnan.
Even the Daoist, who had been prepared for it, furrowed his brow at the sound.
“The Lion’s Roar?”
“My internal energy is overflowing.”
As Ouyang Jue retorted with a leisurely tone, the Daoist responded with a hollow laugh.
His gaze was fixed on the Black Dragon Gang medallion tied to Ouyang Jue’s waist.
“If I beg you to spare me, will you let me go?”
Ouyang Jue answered coldly.
“No.”
“What if I ask you to leave me be, promising not to interfere?”
“Cut the nonsense.”
Ouyang Jue gripped his sword fiercely. A web of veins bulged on the back of his hand.
“I have business here first. If you wouldn’t mind, it would be best if you waited for me in the afterlife.”
“…”
Looking at the Daoist, whose eyes showed he was ready to fight to the death, Ouyang Jue also had to steel his own resolve.
It was a goal he had etched into his mind while reliving his life.
‘The only things that matter are the Mount Hua Sect and me.’
He would discard the luxury of respecting other sects.
Was that not why he had abandoned all the connections he had made in his past life and insisted on meeting the Omniscient One?
Furthermore.
To think that the Zhongnan Sect would take action based solely on the trace of a Black Dragon Gang intrusion was nothing more than romanticism.
‘I will defeat this Daoist here.’
Without that level of damage, that much of a motive, it was nearly impossible to decide on a fight between sects in a short period.
Moreover, Ouyang Jue was neither the Sect Leader nor an Elder.
As a mere representative, he needed not just a trace but actual harm to get a firm commitment.
A reason to get an answer on the spot and make them act.
Through this, he planned to quickly ally the Zhongnan Sect with the Mount Hua Sect and move to strike the Beggars' Sect.
And in the midst of it all, he couldn't miss the chance to learn the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts.
‘Now then, what should I use to defeat him?’
Ouyang Jue recalled the unorthodox martial artist he had met at the Golden Ring Merchant Guild.
He later heard he was called Ja Maeng of the Nine-Serpent Sword.
His style was hopelessly weak and needlessly convoluted, which would make it difficult to identify him from the wounds on the corpse.
Ouyang Jue decided to imitate his sword forms.
Ouyang Jue watched the approaching Daoist with an indifferent gaze as he executed the Heavenly Steel Steps.
“Hyaaaaaap!”
His battle cry, shouted to alert anyone nearby, was almost pitiful.
But Ouyang Jue did not mock him.
That was not a cry to protect his own life.
He was deliberately shouting to announce the presence of an enemy who had infiltrated the cave at dawn.
To Ouyang Jue’s eyes, the Daoist looked like a moth scattering its dust.
For that reason, he felt a sliver of goodwill toward the Daoist.
“One and a half moves.”
“…?!”
A myriad of sword energies descended upon the bewildered Daoist’s face.
A pinnacle one couldn't witness for all the silver in the world, the very apex of martial arts!
This was Ouyang Jue’s goodwill toward the Daoist.
“Let me give you a glimpse of the pinnacle, if only for a moment.”
Ouyang Jue’s sword rotated in a half-circle.
It was a mess of circles and arcs, like a child holding a tender branch, swinging it about with a willowy grace.
Yet, at its core was a perfect center.
Aura.
The realm where one could manifest the energy accumulated within the body into a tangible form.
The Daoist’s eyes widened in shock as he saw the pure sword aura Ouyang Jue had created.
“Good heavens, you are…!”
*A fellow practitioner?*
The Daoist collapsed before he could utter the words.
The hollow sound of a body hitting the ground echoed before the cave.
Blood spilled from the gash, flowing messily over the stone.
Ouyang Jue watched it for a moment, lost in thought.
‘I hit the right pressure point, but the wound is too clean.’
Crouching down, Ouyang Jue took out his sword and deliberately mangled the clean-cut wound.
Normally, he would have applied a juice that wild animals disliked to prevent further harm to the body.
But he couldn't do that.
The picture Ouyang Jue wanted to paint was of a member of the Black Dragon Gang, devoid of any mercy, harming the Daoist.
What kind of unorthodox sect member would perform last rites on a body they thought was dead?
‘My apologies.’
He had enough honor left to offer a single word of apology.
‘When you wake, you will only remember that you were attacked by a master of sword aura.’
As he replayed the thought, a signature written in ink caught his eye.
Yeong Heo-ja.
He was a swordsman who would later become famous for partially restoring the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts.
For now, though, he was just a simple Daoist.
Ouyang Jue shrugged and entered the cave.
The first thing he saw was, of course, the phrase Lü Dongbin was said to have left in his later years.
*One strike to sever desire and worldly cares.*
*A second to sever evil and wickedness.*
*The Daoist does not sell his sword.*
“I will protect nothing, nor do I intend to.”
Ouyang Jue drew the Severing Manifestation and aimed it at the stone statue of True Master Huolong in the center of the cave.
‘The immortal who is said to have bestowed the divine sword and the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts upon Forefather Lü Dongbin.’
*Sever desire and worldly cares.*
Ouyang Jue’s eyes narrowed fiercely for a moment.
Sword aura clung to the sharp edge of the Severing Manifestation.
*Skrak!*
With a single strike, Ouyang Jue split the statue in two, then turned his gaze to the other statues located in every corner of the cave.
The evil dragon he was said to have slain in his later years.
And the Divine Demon, master of the former Demonic Cult, who had once threatened to cast his shadow over the Central Plains, was also carved there.
All of them were made by Lü Dongbin himself.
The carvings retained their original color, a testament to how well Lü Dongbin's command to never damage them had been followed.
But Ouyang Jue mercilessly…
*Kagagang!*
…slashed and stomped on what could be called the treasures of the Zhongnan Sect.
The pulverized Divine Demon and evil dragon were carried by the wind and flew out of the cave.
“A Daoist does not sell his sword.”
Ouyang Jue muttered the phrase once more.
Then, a dark smile spread across his face.
“Of course they wouldn't sell it to those who don't know its value. It's the sword that slew the evil dragon and the Divine Demon; it must be preserved.”
Ouyang Jue’s feet moved as if leaping lightly, and he ran to the altar at the far end of the cave.
Immediately after.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he plunged the Severing Manifestation into the center of the altar.
*A Daoist does not sell his sword. He simply leaves it behind and preserves it for a more important task.*
This must have been the true meaning behind Lü Dongbin’s words in his later years.
*Kagagak, kugugugung…!*
Hearing a sound from somewhere, Ouyang Jue turned his head as if he had been waiting for it.
His plan was to grab the secret manual containing the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts and escape before the other Daoists swarmed in.
‘Of course, I should leave this behind.’
*Thud.*
The Black Dragon Gang medallion that had been at Ouyang Jue’s waist fell and rolled into the center of the cave.
* * *
“...Wh-what in the world is this!”
Sim Won-jin, an elder of the Zhongnan Sect who had arrived late, stared at Yeong Heo-ja with a desolate expression.
It was a horrific sight.
But as an elder of the sect, he couldn't turn his head away just because it was horrific.
“Ugh!”
Hiding his profound anger and sorrow between his wrinkles, Sim Won-jin examined Yeong Heo-ja’s body.
The cut was rough and jagged.
The numerous wounds on his robes proved that the culprit’s sword was based on circular motions.
The level of skill… was surprisingly rather low.
‘So that’s how he barely managed to survive!’
Sim Won-jin hastily struck Yeong Heo-ja’s pressure points to stop the bleeding.
To say he had defeated Yeong Heo-ja, one of their most promising rising stars, the swordsmanship seemed far too clumsy.
‘But when has a fight in the martial world ever been decided by the level of one's martial arts alone?’
Sim Won-jin’s gaze moved to Yeong Heo-ja’s eyes.
It seemed to have been a strike with some internal energy, as grains of sand were embedded in his eyelids and skin.
Ah, Sim Won-jin let out an involuntary groan.
“Yeong Heo-ja, you foolish child!”
How could you fall to such a dirty trick?
“I thought you were dead.”
With sorrowful eyes, Sim Won-jin picked out the grains of sand one by one.
‘He must live.’
As he continued to remove the sand, he did not let his guard down.
In a little while, personnel would arrive to provide further aid.
Most importantly, they had to root out the one who had defiled the heart of the Zhongnan Sect.
Then, when Sim Won-jin’s eyes closed and opened again for a moment.
In place of tears, a sharp glint was etched in them.
“The Black Dragon Gang… you pieces of trash!”
At the end of his gaze, far in the distance, lay the Black Dragon Gang medallion.
* * *
*Step, step.*
Ouyang Jue, dressed in Daoist robes embroidered with plum blossoms, calmly ascended the stairs.
There wasn't a hint of vigilance on his face.
‘I am an outsider.’
An outsider who knew nothing about what happened yesterday.
A fellow practitioner who had come to offer condolences for the disciples who fell to the Three Evils of Shaanxi.
Reaffirming his role, Ouyang Jue silently recited the Daoist texts, sword formulas, and mental arts of the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts he had memorized overnight.
He stumbled a bit here and there, but it was at a level that could be considered perfect memorization.
In his past life, he knew of it but never had the time to learn it, so he couldn't use it properly.
But this time, he had the Diamond Fist-Seal Armor, which contained an evil-dispelling aura.
With that, the sharpness of the Severing Manifestation, and the unique Demon-Purging Sword Formula of the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts, he wouldn't have to fear any demonic practitioner.
He might even be able to deflect spells imbued with wicked energy.
Then, suddenly, Ouyang Jue’s head tilted upwards.
“May I ask your name? Fellow practitioner from the Mount Hua Sect.”
“…”
To the question he hadn't been able to answer for Yeong Heo-ja yesterday, Ouyang Jue could finally reply.
“I am Ouyang Jue, known in the outside world as the Plum Blossom Sword Hero.”
As if nothing had happened.
Calmly.