Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Stars Converge, Fate Flows
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‘Star Fate Turns. With the stars meeting, fate now flows.’
This voice was one I’d heard for the third time now.
The first was upon my return.
The second came when I grasped the Sword King’s arrangements.
And today.
“Junior sister. Did you hear the voice too?”
“A voice? No?”
“Then why are you so startled?”
“Because my sword shattered, of course.”
The Blood God Demonic Sword breaking was shocking enough on its own.
From Seol-ha’s perspective, she’d only cautiously drawn out her inner energy, yet the blade had exploded into pieces.
“Senior brother… what do we do? I’m sorry.”
Je-gal Seol-ha glanced nervously at Yang-hui.
It was a demonic sword, sure, but it was still Baek Clan property—and now it seemed like she’d smashed it herself. No wonder she felt this way.
“No, it’s fine. I’d wanted to break it anyway but didn’t know how, so I’d left it be.”
Baek Cheol would be thrilled if he knew.
The thought flashed briefly before Yang-hui sank into contemplation.
Star Fate Turns. Here, the “star” surely referred to Seol-ha.
Stars have met. Meaning, at minimum, there were two stars.
‘One of the other stars must be me.’
No. If so, the voice should have come much sooner.
He’d met Je-gal Seol-ha a full eight years ago.
So was the other star the Blood God Demonic Sword itself?
He couldn’t be sure. He simply lacked the pieces for a solid guess right now.
Still, one fact stood clear.
With stars meeting and fate now moving, some change was bound to come.
‘A new variable I don’t know about might have emerged.’
Turning back time had its perks, but moments like this were downright irritating.
He could feel the touch of some lofty being, turning him into a pawn on their board.
Heaven-Defying Life Swap, Return to Correct Flow, Return and Fulfill Wish.
For techniques meant to let him return and achieve his desires, they sure meddled in things he hadn’t asked for.
Any being’s actions carried intent.
‘What’s their goal? What are they trying to accomplish…?’
“Senior brother. You look so serious. You’re not really mad, are you?”
His thoughts shattered. No point brooding when answers wouldn’t come—better focus on what he could do now.
“It’s nothing like that. Why would I be mad at you?”
“Still…”
But with this, could he still use the Blood God Demonic Sword for training?
He picked up one of the shattered fragments.
“Hm?”
Just holding the Blood God Demonic Sword had always brought the demon spirit’s encroachment.
Thanks to his righteous energy, he could suppress it, but Yang-hui had still felt the pressure on his mind.
Not now, though. No trace of it lingered.
‘Well, it’s broken, so maybe that’s expected.’
That didn’t mean the sword’s power had vanished entirely.
More precisely, the spiritual essence imbued in the fragments remained intact.
“Seol-ha, try holding a fragment yourself.”
“Won’t it overpower my mind if I do?”
“It’s broken now, so it’s fine. Hold it and channel some inner energy into it?”
Je-gal Seol-ha gingerly picked up a piece.
Her expression shifted almost immediately.
“How is it?”
“It feels strange. Like… the fragment is reacting to my energy?”
Yang-hui sensed something similar.
A wondrous feeling, as if it not only accepted his energy but absorbed his very will.
‘In that case… this is actually a huge boon for Seol-ha’s training.’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Namgung Cheon-hu returned, using his subordinates’ injuries as an excuse to delay, and the Baek Clan and Tang Clan finished preparations to march on Gilju.
Naturally, Yang-hui wanted to stay by Clan Head Baek Mu-ryang’s side, but he was rebuffed.
“You drew out your innate true energy just days ago—where do you think you’re going?”
“But Father, I’m fine now.”
Baek Mu-ryang shook his head firmly, as if it were absurd.
“Hui, your father has opened his central dantian too, you know. I can tell innate true energy doesn’t recover in mere days.”
No, logically yes, but he really was fine.
Not at full strength, but enough to lend a hand against Gilju’s black path scum.
“Enough. We need peak experts to guard the main house anyway. I’m assigning you that duty.”
Hard to argue with that.
People often called it “guarding the house like a dog” as an insult, but flipped around, it meant an essential role.
“You’ve been informed of the changed plans. The Baek Clan and Tang Clan will swiftly sweep Gilju’s black path forces, so we ask the Namgung Clan to defend against Black Mirror Gang incursions from Wonju.”
Namgung Cheon-hu silently met Baek Mu-ryang’s gaze, then nodded.
It was a sudden shift, decided while he was away by the Baek and Tang Clans.
Previously, the Namgung Clan had called themselves mere retainers and vowed to follow decisions, leaving little room for objection.
“Understood.”
Watching Namgung Cheon-hu acquiesce, Yang-hui’s brows furrowed slightly.
‘That guy’s not one to obey so easily. He arrived late—probably plotted something.’
Nothing to do about it now, though.
They had justification; he couldn’t just chase them off for lack of trust.
‘Sleeping with the enemy, huh.’
A smirk crept up.
Sounded risky, but it was the most efficient way to sink a foe.
They weren’t the only ones who could strike from behind.
Like how he’d smashed them against Hyeongsan Sect just days ago.
‘They must be seething from that blow. Hope the march goes smoothly.’
Realistically, major issues were unlikely.
The Honam black path forces had suffered massive losses and retreated recently—they couldn’t rebound so fast.
No matter how capable or vengeful Hyeongsan Yin Blood was, schemes took time.
That’s why they’d rushed the march—to wipe out Gilju’s black path before then.
‘Still feels uneasy…’
The nagging thought made him slap his cheek lightly.
‘It’s not like leaving a kid by the riverside.’
He wouldn’t usually worry this much, but Hyeongsan Yin Blood’s presence gnawed at him.
Maybe past-life memories made him fret over his father unconsciously.
‘If I’m this anxious without going myself, might as well quit building the world’s greatest clan.’
This march even had Tang Clan Young Lord Tang Gun and Baek Clan Head Baek Mu-ryang leading personally.
‘No great undertaking happens alone. I have to trust them. No matter the risks, Uncle Tang and Father can handle it.’
Trust wasn’t just necessary—it was obvious.
Those two were among the finest people Yang-hui knew.
‘Anyway, looks like I’ll focus on training for a while.’
Perfect timing. Having grasped the basics of Vital Energy Manifestation and Void Grasping, he’d wanted to immerse in meditation and circulation anyway.
Plus, oversee Seol-ha’s training, and deal with the Blood God Demonic Sword fragments.
He’d be busy enough for a month.
“Seol-ha. To the training grounds.”
“Yes, senior brother.”
After seeing off the departing forces, Yang-hui and Je-gal Seol-ha headed straight to the grounds.
Adu followed as if it were natural.
“Seol-ha. Bring out the fragment. Let’s start training.”
“Okay.”
The small shard in Je-gal Seol-ha’s hand glowed faintly as it took in her inner energy.
“It really feels wondrous. It’s just a lump of metal, after all.”
“No wonder.”
Je-gal Seol-ha shot Yang-hui a playful glance.
In that instant, a chilling yet heating sensation washed over him.
Even Yang-hui, with his steadfast mind and righteous energy, felt a dizzying vertigo.
“This thing?”
“Hehe, it doesn’t work on you anyway, senior brother.”
One of the metal shard’s powers was amplification.
Targeting energy and intent.
Through it, Je-gal Seol-ha was honing control over her energy and will at an unprecedented pace.
Like not just running, but riding a horse—and catching pebbles Yang-hui tossed without dropping the reins.
“At this rate, you’ll really hit peak.”
“Wasn’t that the point from the start?”
“You haven’t stagnated for years—how could you reach peak so soon?”
“But it feels like I will soon.”
“To think a mere shard holds such power.”
Originally, Yang-hui had planned to reforge the Blood God Demonic Sword into a fine new blade after breaking it.
Blacksmith Baek Cheol had said the materials were rare metals hard to find in the mortal world—enough for a clan-representing sword.
But he’d changed his mind.
‘Wasting such incredible power on one sword feels like a shame.’
As seen with Je-gal Seol-ha, the shards were superb tools for first-rate experts to break through to peak.
Divine weapons in shard form.
‘The true strength of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang… truly shines from the core disciples upward.’
Their orthodox arts built slowly but steadily.
Thus, righteous sect warriors grew exponentially stronger over time.
Using the prior metaphor, they gathered every pebble while walking steadily—unlike demonic or evil arts that sprinted past them.
Slower, but later, those pebbles became projectiles.
‘That’s why later-generation disciples favor the black path, while elders favor the white.’
Of course, righteous sects used elixirs and efficient methods to accelerate.
Still, time’s gap was something a rapidly rising Baek Clan couldn’t match.
But the Blood God Demonic Sword shards would make the impossible possible.
‘Heh heh heh. This alone puts Seol-ha even deeper in my debt. A massive one.’
Meeting Seol-ha young was among this life’s greatest strokes of luck.
Thanks to her, he’d milked Uncle Je-gal Seon and the Je-gal Clan plenty—and even forged ties with Heavenly Sound Witch, one of the Heavenly Martial Ten Lords.
“Seol-ha, after today’s training, let’s grab something delicious…”
He cut off abruptly. Je-gal Seol-ha’s state was off.
He raised a finger, signaling Adu, and observed her quietly.
‘Forgetful trance.’
Already? Today?
‘She really is a genius that leaves even me in awe.’
Grasping the sense so quickly and entering trance?
Perhaps today, Je-gal Seol-ha truly would ascend to peak realm.
Swaaaaa—
Her inner energy swirled around the shard, a faint tremor birthing a pleasing melody.
This was the trait of the sacred sound energy in her lower dantian.
Chaarang, chaararang!
Dling, dliring, dliriring.
A sigh of admiration escaped.
‘Really, today?’
No instruments, yet melodies from various ones filled the air.
Even same-pitched notes differed—a drum from a gayageum.
Yet Seol-ha produced diverse tones without a single instrument.
‘Realm of Varied Tones.’
The Sound Witch drew multiple instrument tones with a finger snap—a wondrous feat.
It was the ability sound arts masters internalized upon reaching peak.
Like sword users manifesting sword energy, sound arts masters shaped sound through supreme energy control.
“Haaa…”
How much time passed?
Je-gal Seol-ha opened her eyes, staring blankly at Yang-hui.
“Congratulations, Seol-ha. You’ve escaped first-rate mediocrity.”
He chuckled, offering his congratulations.
“…”
Je-gal Seol-ha lunged, wrapping her arms around Yang-hui’s shoulders.
Then she let out a joyous scream.
“Kyaaaa! I’m a peak expert now too!”