Chapter 104 : Heavenly Sword Master (2)
Chapter 104: Heavenly Sword Master (2)
“My name is Jang Mu-yeon.”
The Heavenly Sword Master spoke as he swayed his body with relaxed steps.
“Shouldn't you at least know who is taking center stage today?”
His voice, laced with amusement, flowed together with the stream, but no reply came.
Jang Mu-yeon spread both arms dramatically to either side as he continued walking.
Sword in the left hand, saber in the right.
The two weapons he held simultaneously stood out all the more.
Jang Mu-yeon's attire differed somewhat from when Namgung Jun had first met him in Suyeon Village.
Instead of covering his face, the comical mask was now attached to the tip of his bamboo hat.
Red, blue, yellow, green, and pale pink clouds.
His pure white robe, magnificently embroidered with clouds of all five colors, had long hems that trailed all around.
The hems were so long that they dragged across the ground, while the sleeves were so wide as to be cumbersome.
Around his waist, strips of cloth in various colors were tied as flamboyantly as a woman's ornaments.
Each time Jang Mu-yeon exhaled, the ornate earrings hanging from both ears and the silver bracelet on his left wrist swayed, producing clear metallic chimes and flashes of light.
The curved saber in his right hand, which bobbed in rhythm with every step, was no less extravagant.
His attire was truly splendid and elaborate.
Even so, the elegant treasured sword in his left hand suited him remarkably well.
Unlike Jang Mu-yeon's flamboyant attire, the longsword displayed a simple yet noble bearing.
‘The Uicheon Sword.’
It had been his treasured weapon in his previous life, and one he had long wished to see again in this life.
Yet Namgung Jun's gaze did not settle upon the Uicheon Sword.
Jang Mu-yeon's flamboyant and chaotic presence forcibly drew both his eyes and his senses.
“There are quite a few uninvited spectators.”
Resting one hand upon his waist, Jang Mu-yeon slowly surveyed the demonic cultists before scratching the back of his head and yawning.
The Fifth Young Master gradually narrowed his eyes before asking the Protectors standing beside him,
“He looks perfectly fine on the surface. Was the information that his internal injuries are severe really accurate?”
The two Protectors had already stepped in front of the Fifth Young Master as they replied.
“I heard he took the Cult Leader's palm strike directly to his left chest, and during their internal energy clash, part of his internal energy was stolen through Absorbing Stars. Immediately afterward, he broke through the Heavenly Net Formation of the Four Battle Corps and escaped. The possibility that the Heavenly Sword Master is unharmed is extremely low.”
“The Left Protector and I will stake our lives to protect the Fifth Young Master. Please proceed according to the plan.”
At the confident words of the Left and Right Protectors, the Fifth Young Master nodded and raised his voice.
“The time for martyrdom has come. Burn yourselves away for the Bright World.”
The hundred and thirty or so Ordinary Cultists waiting behind him answered in unison.
“The Sun and Moon Illuminate the World!”
Having spoken with one voice, the Ordinary Cultists charged toward Jang Mu-yeon all at once.
Not a trace of hesitation could be seen in the feet that carried out their footwork, as though none of them felt the slightest fear.
Rather, the eyes of the demonic cultists fixed upon the Heavenly Sword Master brimmed with ecstasy and emotion.
‘Fanatics.’
Namgung Jun frowned.
The members of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult he had faced in his previous life had been no different.
They did not even maintain a formation.
They simply charged recklessly.
Their crimson bodies steadily swelled larger.
It was the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult's mutual destruction technique.
The Bright Burning Demonic Art.
Originally, it had been derived from the Explosive Demonic Art, which had spread throughout the Demonic Dao martial lineages, before the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult refined it into its current form.
With the original Explosive Demonic Art, piercing the heart or severing the neck could prevent the explosion.
The Bright Burning Demonic Art, however, had completely eliminated that weakness.
The moment one began circulating the Bright Burning Demonic Art, the outcome of exploding was already decided.
Should one's breath cease or the circulation of internal energy stop midway while using it, a weaker explosion would still occur.
The only difference was how powerful the explosion would be before one perished.
The hundred and thirty or so Ordinary Cultists who activated the Bright Burning Demonic Art at the Fifth Young Master's command were no different from living Thunderbombs.
Their internal energy, specialized in Yang and Yin Qi, only served to further increase the destructive force of the explosion.
Even after the Ordinary Cultists closed to within ten steps, Jang Mu-yeon showed no particular reaction.
‘At this rate...!’
Namgung Jun's shoulder twitched as he lowered his sword.
He had no way of knowing Jang Mu-yeon's exact condition.
Of course, even if all one hundred and thirty Ordinary Cultists exploded simultaneously with the Bright Burning Demonic Art, it would still be difficult to break through the Protective Aura of an absolute master.
However, enduring the explosion created at the cost of one hundred and thirty lives as though it were nothing would be another matter entirely.
Depending on Jang Mu-yeon's condition, even a minor external shock might prove fatal.
No.
Regardless of the damage, perhaps the Fifth Young Master had already achieved his goal simply by forcing Jang Mu-yeon to break his secluded cultivation and use his martial arts.
Just as Namgung Jun was about to step forward, Jang Mu-yeon stopped him with a wave of his sleeve.
“Watch carefully.
See how I play with their flames.”
Kwarrr!
The bodies of the Ordinary Cultists charging from the front all swelled before instantly transforming into a dark crimson storm of explosions.
In an instant, the storm filled three directions and surged forward like a raging tide.
Jang Mu-yeon, who had been lightly walking across the grass, casually swung the Uicheon Sword.
At that moment, Namgung Jun's eyes widened.
He had neither cut apart the explosions with his sword nor blocked them.
As his sword strike passed, space itself seemed to tilt, and the explosions rolled aside.
As though smoke were being scattered by a hand.
Nor was that the end.
The curved saber slipped into the gaps between the wavering explosions and spun sharply.
It was the beginning of the dance.
Kwang!
Though dozens of Bright Burning Demonic Art explosions erupted one after another, not a single one reached Jang Mu-yeon.
Nor did the deflected explosions simply dissipate.
Following the wildly racing trajectories of his sword dance, the explosive storm did not disperse.
Instead, it flowed like several streams of mist, sweeping through the surrounding Ordinary Cultists.
‘He's controlling the storm itself with nothing but pure swordsmanship?’
The explosive storms created by the Ordinary Cultists had become nothing more than fireworks enhancing Jang Mu-yeon's performance.
At the same time, the earrings hanging from both ears, the bracelet on his left wrist, the Uicheon Sword, and the curved saber all vibrated and let out resonant cries.
Buzzzz!
The metallic chimes and explosions blended together exquisitely, creating a strange melody that enveloped the valley.
“Hahaha!
Listen closely!
Hear how the explosions of these fleeting beings are changing into a beautiful melody!”
Explosions erupted endlessly from every direction, causing the mountain slopes themselves to tremble.
‘The power is incredible.’
Although it was only the Bright Burning Demonic Art used by Ordinary Cultists, perhaps because there were a hundred and thirty of them, the shockwaves surging from the front were overwhelming.
Standing in the very center of the explosions, Jang Mu-yeon leisurely continued his dance.
Kwang!
The Bright Burning Demonic Art explosions overlapped one another, growing ever larger.
Yet they could not approach Jang Mu-yeon.
Instead, they only served to highlight his brilliance.
Before long, the dark crimson storm moving in accordance with Jang Mu-yeon's swordsmanship writhed like an enormous flood dragon.
“What is this!”
“He accomplished this with nothing but the pure skill of his sword and saber!”
The storms created by the Bright Burning Demonic Art did not disperse.
Instead, they merely writhed in midair as though time itself had stopped.
As the Fifth Young Master and the Left and Right Protectors looked on in horror, Namgung Jun was no different.
Even in his eyes, controlling such a storm through sword strikes alone was no easy feat.
Dark crimson sparks filled every direction.
It was as though an immense field of crimson flowers had bloomed throughout the valley.
By the time all one hundred and thirty Ordinary Cultists had been reduced to ashes—
Jang Mu-yeon, who had controlled every one of those storms through his sword dance, turned toward the Fifth Young Master and the Left and Right Protectors standing at the rear.
“You are unsightly as you are now!
Become beautiful!”
Spinning gracefully in place, Jang Mu-yeon thrust the Uicheon Sword and the curved saber along entirely different trajectories.
The instant the sword and saber swung toward the Fifth Young Master's group, every storm swirling around Jang Mu-yeon surged forward at once.
The Left and Right Protectors widened their eyes and raised both hands.
Yet even by the perception of supreme masters, the rushing storm was far too fast.
Behind the condensed storm, Jang Mu-yeon had subtly released both Sword Wind and Saber Wind, further amplifying its power.
Was this what the fiery breath said to be exhaled by a flood dragon looked like?
The dark crimson storm, stretching endlessly as it chased its own tail, swallowed the Fifth Young Master's group before continuing through the forest and slamming into the mountain peak on the opposite side.
As the distant explosions echoed endlessly across the mountains, Jang Mu-yeon gracefully sheathed both his sword and saber.
“Since it was a special performance, I ought to collect proper payment.”
Jang Mu-yeon's solo performance came to an end in an instant.
Across the field that had become nothing but ashes, glowing embers still smoldered here and there, sending smoke into the air.
Jang Mu-yeon's figure, faintly veiled by the drifting smoke, resembled a scene from a grand performance.
Namgung Jun immediately approached him and asked,
“Are you all right?”
“Of course.
I hardly used any of my own strength.
Other than channeling internal energy into my ornaments and weapons to create those resonances, and releasing Sword Wind and Saber Wind at the end, all I really did was perform a grand dance.”
Indeed, Jang Mu-yeon was inspecting his robes here and there to see whether they had been damaged.
Watching him blankly, Namgung Jun cupped his fists.
“Namgung Jun of the Heavenly Sword Hall greets the Heavenly Sword Master.”
“We belong to the same Azure Sky Society.
Calling me Sword Master is sufficient.”
Jang Mu-yeon lightly patted Namgung Jun on the shoulder.
“Are your internal injuries all right?”
“They're fine.
I haven't fully recovered, but today's matter did not affect them.”
Jang Mu-yeon looked around before plopping down onto a rock in the valley.
“If those bastards had reduced Suyeon Village to ashes, I might have fallen into Qi Deviation.
Suyeon Village is the only place I can truly call my sanctuary.”
“From what I can see, rather than cultivating alone in the mountains, you've been staying in Suyeon Village.
In that case, could the Fifth Young Master's plan really be considered a success?”
“My internal injuries dulled my senses somewhat, but I had also deliberately suppressed my perception to the utmost.
You could say I intentionally shut myself off from the outside world.”
Jang Mu-yeon removed his bamboo hat and straightened his hair.
“The same was true today.
If not for the sound of the thunder you created, it would have been difficult for me to respond so quickly.
Until I heard that sound, I had no idea what was happening outside the village.”
“I see.”
“In that sense, you successfully protected the Sword Master's secluded cultivation.
I'll report this to the Ink Scent Division and have it recorded as one of your merits.”
After nodding, Namgung Jun recalled what the Left Protector had said and cautiously asked,
“Were you in secluded cultivation after fighting the Cult Leader of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult?”
The brief sword dance Jang Mu-yeon had displayed alone was enough to reveal his overwhelming martial prowess.
If even an absolute master counted among the Five Greatest Under Heaven could be injured to such an extent, just how powerful was the Cult Leader?
“He was strong enough that, while performing my sword dance, I thought I might lose my mind.
During our fight to the death, he even used the Absorbing Stars Technique as though it were a dual cultivation art.
It was my first experience of having my internal energy drained away while engaged in a contest of internal energy.”
“Is the Cult Leader truly that powerful?”
“He is probably the one closest to being the strongest under heaven at present.
Or perhaps he already is the strongest.”
As Namgung Jun's expression darkened, Jang Mu-yeon smiled gently.
“You needn't worry so much.
It wasn't as though I merely suffered at his hands.
More importantly.”
Jang Mu-yeon looked toward Suyeon Village and clicked his tongue.
“Those bastards finally discovered the location of Suyeon Village, so we'll have to relocate the village.
My secluded cultivation has come to an end as well.
Namgung Jun.
I'll need your help too.
We have to bring the villagers to the main stronghold.”
“I will.”
“It'll be quite a difficult task.”
Jang Mu-yeon stared intently at Namgung Jun before smiling.
“On the way, I'd like you to help with my secluded cultivation.”
“Hm?”
“Let's dance with our swords together.
You'll be sharing the stage with me.”