Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Debt
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When Yu Jin-gwang returned covered in blood, Dang Mujin hurriedly examined his condition.
Yu Gwan-il's attacks had been filled with killing intent, but there was hesitation at the tip of his sword, so none of Yu Jin-gwang's many wounds were fatal.
Dang Mujin busily worked his hands as he spoke.
"I'll treat you, but for the time being, please don't push yourself too hard. If the wounds fester and you get a fever, you could go blind or deaf. It wouldn't be strange if you ended up an idiot."
"I understand."
"By the way, it looked like you were saying something at the end. What was that about?"
"My father said to follow him, but not to get too close."
No matter how much he thought about it, it was a strange statement, so Dang Mujin's expression turned peculiar.
"...What on earth does that mean?"
"Who knows. But there must be some reason for it."
"At least it's a relief that he seems to have regained some awareness. Maybe there's a chance I can treat him..."
"No. Don't hold out hope for that."
Yu Jin-gwang was no physician, but as a martial artist, he could guess Yu Gwan-il's condition. Yu Gwan-il was not in a state that could return to normal.
If it had been a problem from practicing evil arts, he would have sought help from the Emei Sect or Shaolin Temple, or even Dang Mujin.
But the reason for Yu Gwan-il's clouded mind was not that. There was no reason for the sect leader of the Jeomchang Sect to dabble in mere demonic arts, nor could something as trivial as demonic arts ruin a Jeomchang Sect martial artist like this.
It was the heart-sword.
Jeomchang Sect martial artists lived with a sword aimed at their inner self in their hearts.
The sword in Yu Gwan-il's heart was sharper than that of any other martial artist and had to face far more trials. In the end, Yu Gwan-il had crumbled after decades of solitude.
Yu Jin-gwang didn't want to accept that fact, but he had to. Yu Gwan-il was no longer human—he was more like a beast. A beast that remembered martial arts and swung a sword.
Hyun Gong cautiously asked.
"By the way, when did the former sect leader surpass the wall to Absolute Peak? I wasn't aware he was ever known as one of the Six Venerables."
"He was at the peak when he left the Jeomchang Sect. It seems he broke through while living alone in the north. It was a very long time, so it's not surprising."
Before Yu Jin-gwang's treatment was finished, Yu Gwan-il began to move.
Dang Mujin hastily completed Yu Jin-gwang's treatment. The group maintained a suitable distance as Yu Gwan-il had indicated and followed behind him.
*
Yu Gwan-il's movements were extremely slow. He would walk a bit, then stop and stand blankly for half a day, or wander lost in circles before suddenly correcting his direction and pressing on. Like a deranged wanderer with a disordered mind.
Even more worrisome was that Yu Gwan-il rarely ate or drank anything.
"He hasn't eaten any food in the past four days and only drank rainwater. His condition must be extremely precarious."
"Is that so."
"He'll collapse soon, and recovery will be difficult then. We need to find some way before that happens."
"No. Let's just watch quietly."
Yu Jin-gwang coldly observed Yu Gwan-il. His father must have had some intention in telling him to follow.
On the fifth day of their journey, Yu Gwan-il headed toward a village.
Yu Jin-gwang was familiar with the northern geography and could guess his father's destination.
"He's heading to the Black Dragon Sect."
"You mean the Black Dragon Sect with Duan Tianzunzi?"
"Yes."
Even Dang Mujin's group, who knew little of the north, had heard of the Black Dragon Sect.
Just as the great sects and Six Venerables of the Central Plains martial world had spread their fame, there were experts and great sects beyond the region commonly called the Central Plains martial world.
It wasn't easy to hear tales of the north in the Central Plains martial world, but a needle in a pocket will eventually reveal itself.
The Black Dragon Sect was one of the sects famous enough to make its presence known even from afar, and its sect leader, Duan Tianzunzi, was such a figure. Rumors even swirled that Duan Tianzunzi, an unorthodox martial artist, had surpassed the wall to Absolute Peak.
When Yu Gwan-il stopped in front of the Black Dragon Sect's main gate, the gate guards scowled.
Yu Gwan-il looked like a scrawny old man in filthy clothes. The sword at his waist was completely worn out, making him indistinguishable from a nail-headed beggar who threatened passersby with a weapon to extort money.
The guard growled.
"Get lost?"
Yu Gwan-il showed no reaction. The guards, intending to beat him and chase him off, raised their sheathed swords and snarled.
"You could stand there for a hundred days and get no handouts. Get lost before I crack your skull..."
In the next instant, Yu Gwan-il swung his battered sword.
The two guards' heads flew into the sky side by side. The smell of blood spread, and passersby screamed in shock at the sudden violence.
The Black Dragon Sect's main gate burst open, and martial artists poured out in a horde.
"Intruder!"
"He seems stronger than he looks! Be careful!"
The Black Dragon Sect martial artists hesitated as they approached Yu Gwan-il.
But even the division leaders and captains couldn't easily close in on Yu Gwan-il and lost their lives.
When the number of headless corpses reached six, the crowd parted, and one man appeared. It was the Black Dragon Sect leader, Duan Tianzunzi.
"Stand back! The sect leader is here!"
Duan Tianzunzi did not rashly approach Yu Gwan-il but gauged his skill. As far as he knew, there was only one shabby old man with this level of prowess.
'Is that the rumored Lingguang Sword? Not certain. But this is good.'
Contrary to the rumors, Duan Tianzunzi had not surpassed the wall to Absolute Peak. He had reached the end of peak realm but lingered there without the right catalyst.
If a suitable opponent appeared, he would clash swords for ten days and nights to advance to the next realm, but no one dared challenge him.
To Duan Tianzunzi's eyes, the old man before him appeared to have crossed that wall.
If he could slay someone who had already crossed it and gain enlightenment, surpassing the Absolute Peak wall would be a certainty.
Moreover, unlike typical Absolute Peak experts, this old man was in terrible condition. Mentally unstable, his body on the verge of collapse. Even in a battle to the death, defeat seemed unlikely.
Duan Tianzunzi grinned broadly.
'An incredible stroke of fortune has come.'
He had been悩ing over the gap between rumors and his actual skill. With a satisfied expression, Duan Tianzunzi drew his sword.
Of course, he didn't let his guard down just because the opponent was a madman.
'I hope that old man is the Lingguang Sword. Fast swords are easier to handle.'
Duan Tianzunzi's theory was that fast swords were a pathetic shortcut devised by those with shallow enlightenment.
Illusion swords, transformation swords, and even heavy swords required deep insight.
True swordsmanship lay in the insight and technique that allowed one to block the opponent's move with one's own while gaining the advantage.
But those who wielded fast swords knew nothing of technique. They merely swung quickly, hoping the opponent couldn't respond and died.
Duan Tianzunzi had slain countless fools who strutted around with so-called fast swords.
'Not sure if it's the Lingguang Sword. He could use transformation or illusion swords too.'
But Duan Tianzunzi's concerns vanished in an instant.
Yu Gwan-il drew his right arm back behind his ear like drawing a bow, aiming his sword tip at Duan Tianzunzi.
An unfamiliar stance, but the follow-up attack was obvious without seeing it.
From a posture where defense or slashing was impossible, the only option was a thrust.
'And the direction is completely exposed.'
Duan Tianzunzi meticulously observed Yu Gwan-il's sword tip, elbow, and shoulder alignment. He could clearly see which way the sword would extend.
Moreover, the sword's condition was abysmal. Missing teeth, corroded spots making the blade jagged like a saw.
At this point, the strike itself might be less threatening than the sword shattering and sending fragments flying.
Duan Tianzunzi assumed a defensive stance and slowly took two steps toward Yu Gwan-il.
Then, at some moment, Yu Gwan-il's shoulder twitched slightly, and the sword shot forward.
Exactly the predicted direction. The predicted path. But a speed that surpassed not just prediction but imagination.
'Fast. But it's fine.'
Duan Tianzunzi's sword had already blocked the path Yu Gwan-il's sword would take.
As their blades met—Duan Tianzunzi's flat against Yu Gwan-il's tip—Duan Tianzunzi poured immense inner energy into his forearm, grip, and sword to lock it firmly.
Yet Yu Gwan-il's battered sword tip did not bounce off Duan Tianzunzi's blade.
Instead, it smoothly dug into the side of Duan Tianzunzi's famed sword. The sword neither broke nor shattered. Duan Tianzunzi's eyes widened at the unexpected turn.
Immediately after, he felt a foreign object piercing his chest.
Looking down, he saw Yu Gwan-il's sword buried deep in his chest before smoothly withdrawing. Duan Tianzunzi slumped to the ground and went still.
In just one technique, Duan Tianzunzi's heart was pierced, and shock filled the eyes of the Black Dragon Sect disciples.
"Impossible!"
Without time to even shout, the Black Dragon Sect disciples bolted in the opposite direction from Yu Gwan-il. Ignoring the intact main gate, they all fled over the walls.
Yu Gwan-il paid no attention to the fleeing ones and rummaged through Duan Tianzunzi's robes for valuables. Then, as if nothing had happened, he resumed heading south.
Yu Jin-gwang desperately burned the technique Yu Gwan-il displayed into his eyes and mind.
'Houyi Shooting the Sun.'
The technique Yu Gwan-il showed was unmistakably the final move of the Sa-il Sword Method: Houyi Shooting the Sun.
The most powerful absolute technique among all Jeomchang Sect martial arts. But so unstable that imitating it clumsily would likely cost one's own life.
Few had ever mastered it from the start, and it had practically vanished into history as generations of Jeomchang Sect martial artists died attempting it. It was Yu Jin-gwang's first time seeing it in person; he'd only read descriptions in manuals.
Yu Jin-gwang understood why Yu Gwan-il had told him to follow.
Yu Gwan-il had shouldered the Jeomchang Sect's debt, but he belatedly realized this decision would create new debts.
He had failed in his role as sect leader, owing a debt to his sect. He had failed as a father, owing a debt to his son.
The solution Yu Gwan-il found to repay those debts was this.
He couldn't explain the path he had walked, but he could show it.
He could show his son the process of surpassing the Absolute Peak wall, the insights gained over decades.
Even if reason and intellect were lost, the Jeomchang Sect martial arts remembered by his body could be passed to his son.
While Yu Jin-gwang pondered his father's intent, Hong Geolgae whispered to Namgung Myeong from behind.
"You seem to be watching with unusual focus. You're not thinking of stealing that technique too, are you?"
It was half in jest. He believed even Namgung Myeong wouldn't stoop to betraying human decency.
But Namgung Myeong's thoughts were a bit different.
"Do you think I wanted to watch? With something happening, I had to look even if I didn't want to."
"...Are you serious?"
As Hong Geolgae looked at Namgung Myeong with contempt, Namgung Myeong replied awkwardly.
"I ended up seeing it by accident, but as long as I don't use it, it's fine, right? Besides, you can't properly imitate a technique like that just from seeing it once."
"Namgung Myeong. You're real trash..."
"No, what are you saying? You watched intently too. So did Dang Mujin and Hyun Gong. Why pick on me alone?"
As Namgung Myeong pointed out, Dang Mujin's group had clearly watched Yu Gwan-il's martial arts with their own eyes.
Opportunities to witness the sword containing an Absolute Peak expert's insights were exceedingly rare, their value inestimable. As young martial artists, all four might one day use this experience as a springboard to higher realms.
Yu Jin-gwang felt a slight discomfort at showing Jeomchang Sect martial arts to outsiders but didn't bother confronting Dang Mujin's group.
Yu Jin-gwang waved his hand to calm Hong Geolgae.
"Don't worry too much. As the young hero Namgung said, it's not a technique outsiders can imitate just by seeing it. As long as they don't go blabbing everywhere, it's fine."
With Yu Jin-gwang's permission, Namgung Myeong's demeanor grew even more confident.
However, Yu Jin-gwang didn't realize he had underestimated Namgung Myeong's keen eyes.
*
That was the beginning of Yu Gwan-il's rampage.
As Yu Gwan-il headed south, crowds gathered. Rumors spread far and wide of a hulking monster in shabby garb who had slain the Black Dragon Sect's Duan Tianzunzi.
Some came to gawk at the monster from the north.
Some sought fame by challenging the monster and Duan Tianzunzi's name value.
Others simply wanted to fight a strong foe.
There were many spectators, many challengers who died, and even more who died trying to test him once.
Yu Gwan-il staggered onward, slaying everyone who approached and habitually looting their valuables.
The techniques he displayed were mostly ones Yu Jin-gwang hadn't learned or were beyond his enlightenment. Yu Jin-gwang followed behind, observing his father's actions.
After quite some time had passed, when Yu Gwan-il arrived before a fence in the middle of the plains.
The spectators and challengers who had surrounded him had all vanished somewhere.
When Yu Gwan-il arduously gathered his wits before the Gongdong Sect's Bone-Shedding Pavilion and lifted his head.
In his hazy vision, two figures appeared. The Gongdong Sect leader, Muryangja, and an unfamiliar ethereal beauty.
Muryangja spoke.
"It's been a long time. Flash Sword."