Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Heaven-Covering 108 Swords New Ultimate Technique. Eagle's Roar Resonance.
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Heaven-Covering 108 Swords New Ultimate Technique.
Eagle's Roar Resonance.
Ever since becoming the disciple of the Sound Eagle, Baek Yang-hui had been immersed in the theme of fusing swordsmanship with sonic arts.
One of those pursuits was Eagle's Roar Resonance.
When one reaches a certain realm with the Heaven-Covering 108 Swords, the blade emits the sound of a bee's wings fluttering or a hawk's cry.
In his previous life, such sword cries were merely a phenomenon.
They had flair, but no substantial power behind them.
That had changed after encountering the Sound Eagle, evolving it into a true ultimate technique.
By using the sword cry as a medium to resonate qi and sound, he could now manifest the Weighted Sound technique.
This allowed him, upon reaching the Peak realm, to overwhelm two or three Peak experts simultaneously, creating an overwhelming gap in compatibility.
'I've made pretty good use of it up until now.'
Yet he was never satisfied.
Anyone who calls themselves a genius must always aim for more than one stone two birds.
Taking Eagle's Roar Resonance as a starting point, he developed a chain of variations.
And the result was the scene unfolding now.
Heaven-Covering 108 Swords New Ultimate Technique.
Eagle's Roar Resonance, Water Union.
He plunged the sword emitting its cry into the water that had risen to knee height.
The vibrations of qi originating from the blade spread through the touching water, shaking every bandit to their core.
Hence, Water Union.
The fusion of sword and sound—namely, the sword cry once again merging with water to produce this wondrous phenomenon.
'The effect is even better than I thought.'
All the bandits who had been standing in the shallow currents of Ha Mok Forest were knocked unconscious.
The Black-Green Great Blade? Ironclad Divine Wall? Demonic Fruit Blood Lord?
Not even the Green Forest Ten Heroes, all seasoned Peak experts, were exceptions.
Subduing over a hundred bandits in a single blow—could this not be called the epitome of one-against-a-hundred martial arts?
Of course, it wasn't without drawbacks.
'Ugh. My dantian feels as empty as a bachelor's home.'
In an instant, two hundred years of internal energy—something ordinary people couldn't accumulate even in a lifetime—had vanished.
Two hundred years in name only; no technique should consume that much in a single form.
Without the Perfect Body's function to perfectly control his qi, he would have fallen into qi deviation.
In other words, Eagle's Roar Resonance Water Union was an ultimate technique that only Baek Yang-hui in the world could use.
"H-how... did you do that?"
Considering the fierce battle raging just moments ago, it was an innocently naive question.
The corner of his mouth twitched upward slightly.
It was Seong-pung who had asked with that dazed expression.
For the prized disciple of the lofty Mount Qingcheng to wear such a face.
'That old man was looking down on me before the fight, but now he's completely out of it.'
Well, it was understandable.
The result of Eagle's Roar Resonance Water Union was nothing short of miraculous.
For a scion of a minor martial family not even worthy of clan status to display such divine might—it was only natural they couldn't comprehend it.
"When children catch fish in streams, they throw rocks to stun them."
Just as they wondered what he was on about, Baek Yang-hui continued.
"That's it."
Well, "continued" might not be the right word.
"You're not going to explain in detail?"
"Isn't it unusual to pry into another school's secret techniques?"
Rebuked, Seong-pung's expression hardened.
"Is that even an answer? Thanks to the map you gave us, we nearly all died!"
Oh, hearing such nonsense meant he'd finally learned proper caution.
It was true, in fact.
He hadn't warned them about the Green Forest Ten Heroes' presence, knowing it could cause issues later.
The reason was simple.
'To gather most of the bandits in Ha Mok Forest, this was the most efficient method.'
In essence, he'd used the Nine Schools as bait.
Their disciples had been inevitably exposed to danger, but in the world of those who live by the blade, this was par for the course.
If it rankled, they shouldn't have underestimated him from the start.
"Hey now, watch your words. I wasn't a spy or anything—just the info was incomplete. How is that my fault?"
It might prove incompetence, but not liability.
"Do you want the secret so badly you're resorting to force?"
Hitting the nail on the head, Seong-pung's face grew even stiffer.
Seeing this, Baek Yang-hui grinned openly.
"Well, you must be dying to know."
A Peak expert could single-handedly wipe out the Touch Wolf Stronghold.
But subduing everyone in one go? Impossible.
Unless they'd reached the Super Peak realm.
"No way. Super Peak at your age? Ridiculous."
"...Sorcery?"
Second piece of nonsense. Both this and the first were lines straight out of wild tales and novels.
Curiosity was fine, but the ploys were too shallow.
"Sorry, but I'm never telling you."
-Hui, my brother. Aren't you provoking them too much? And is it okay to reveal such a powerful technique to them?
Dang-gun couldn't help but feel flustered.
Why was it hard for a hidden dragon to emerge from the shallows?
Because it gets checked and crushed before fully growing.
He knew that, yet he openly displayed his prowess and even provoked them?
There must be a reason, but it wasn't like the usual Baek Yang-hui.
-I think it's time to slightly shift my approach.
-Why?
There were three reasons.
First, to test the Nine Schools' unity.
An absurd genius had appeared, pulling off outrageous feats.
Would Mount Qingcheng and Mount Emei report this to the other Nine Schools?
Their choice would dictate future plans.
Second, to prove his value to Jin Yeong-gil.
He would forge a new ten-year pact with Jin Yeong-gil.
To do that, he needed to show he was indispensable.
And finally, the third.
'Come on, take the bait.'
"Ah, Daoist Seong-pung. I think I can tell you. But there's one condition."
"What is it?"
"Daoist Neung-o. Your Jeom-chang folk used some exquisite sword techniques. Quite different from the Sun-Shooting Sword Method. How about we discuss our forms sometime?"
Neung-o's face was even stiffer than Seong-pung's.
For someone who always wore the same steadfast expression to look like that—it was thrilling.
"Sounds like a good idea."
Seong-pung answered in place of the silent Neung-o.
Mount Qingcheng would also want to know about Jeom-chang's new sword, so no loss there.
"I'm curious too."
"Discussing martial arts is always welcome."
Mount Emei joined in, and the Dang family chimed agreement.
Jeom-chang was now cornered.
"...It's a new sword technique devised in our school."
"Really? It felt quite different from the Sun-Shooting Sword Method."
"Swords vary endlessly depending on what they contain."
"The technique I used earlier is called Eagle's Roar Resonance, Water Union."
He'd skirted around it, but meant to draw out the name.
Yet Neung-o refused.
"It's still an incomplete secret technique, so it's hard to share. I'd need permission from our elders."
A fine excuse.
But the hands didn't match.
"Senior Brother Neung-o. Why hide it?"
The one who spoke was the oldest Jeom-chang disciple after Neung-o.
Compared to Neung-o, maybe just five or six years younger.
"Do you disapprove of the Light-Splitting Sword Method that much?"
"Yeon-hyo. Mind yourself."
"But I just can't understand it."
"Yeon-hyo!"
Defying a senior brother's intent, no matter how trivial, could warrant punishment under school rules.
Yeon-hyo shut his mouth.
'But his face is screaming he can't accept it.'
"It was created by one of our school's elders. That's all I can say."
"Daoist Neung-o."
"Even if you call me that, I won't say more."
"Why hide it? Jeom-chang isn't practicing some evil art."
Oh dear, Uncle Seong-pung.
Pressuring Jeom-chang with nonsense too.
'He's not just like that with me—his personality is inherently authoritarian.'
Anyway. He'd only heard the name, but gleaned far more.
For example, why only Neung-o was proficient in the Sun-Shooting Sword Method.
He could ask for details later, so for now, he'd set the stage.
"I respect Daoist Neung-o's wishes. Even if the four seas are one, not prying into martial arts is an unspoken rule."
Realizing he'd erred in probing two schools' arts, Seong-pung clicked his tongue softly.
"Anyway, this isn't the time. We should occupy the Touch Wolf Stronghold before the remnants escape."
Right on cue, Dang-gun changed the subject.
Not wrong, so they immediately entered the Touch Wolf Stronghold and began searching the vicinity.
While listening to discussions on assigning personnel, Baek Yang-hui pondered inwardly.
'Light-Splitting Sword Method. Interesting.'
He suddenly wondered.
Light-Splitting, or Scattered Light?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Touch Wolf Stronghold was a mountain fortress at one of the three key passes from Sichuan toward the central plains.
There were surely heaps of treasures stockpiled inside.
But Baek Yang-hui followed after Neung-o, who had split off alone to search the outskirts.
"Pair up in twos or threes and scatter. If anything unusual happens during the search, fire a signal flare immediately."
The Jeom-chang disciples dispersed, leaving only Baek Yang-hui and Neung-o.
"Let's go, young hero."
He followed silently. Neung-o headed toward terrain so rugged even the faint mountain paths vanished.
As if determined to go where no one would follow.
Once they'd gone deep enough.
"Speak, young hero."
An abrupt remark. Baek Yang-hui found it amusing.
He briefly considered evading, but honestly preferred straight-to-the-point talks.
"Light-Splitting Sword Method. Who created it?"
"One of our school's elders."
"Where is that elder from?"
"..."
Neung-o wore his usual expression.
Slightly upturned lips, narrowed eyes. A smiling face overall, but not joyful.
Somehow, he had a premonition.
No matter what he said now, that expression wouldn't crack.
'Obsessive, huh.'
"Is that elder the reason Jeom-chang vouched for the Fake Sword Immortal?"
"..."
"It seems everyone's focusing more on the Light-Splitting Sword Method than the Sun-Shooting Sword Method. Right?"
"..."
"Then that means the Light-Splitting Sword Method surpasses the Sun-Shooting Sword Method?"
"..."
"Daoist Neung-o, why do you focus on the Sun-Shooting Sword Method? I'm curious."
"..."
"Do you sense it? What the Light-Splitting Sword Method truly pursues?"
Neung-o answered not a single question.
But Baek Yang-hui caught the turmoil in Neung-o's heart at the final one.
Neung-o, who had been staring silently, finally spoke.
"...Do you know the Sun-Shooting Sword Method?"
"No. I've never witnessed it."
"Then witness it."
Considering they'd exchanged martial demonstrations before the subjugation, it sounded absurd.
But both Neung-o and Baek Yang-hui understood the intent.
Sun-Shooting Sword Method, Ultimate Technique. Hou Yi Shoots the Sun.
A thrust aiming to pierce even the sun targeted Baek Yang-hui's throat.