Chapter 112 : Weiyeon Mountain Manor (3)
Chapter 112: Weiyeon Mountain Manor (3)
After defeating Weiyeon Mountain Manor's forces in Tuanfeng and Hwanggang respectively, the Heavenly Sword Hall regrouped beneath Mount Eon.
Simply comparing numbers alone, the Heavenly Sword Hall could not rival Weiyeon Mountain Manor.
Therefore, they had intended to lure out portions of Weiyeon Mountain Manor's forces and defeat them one by one, and the timing had worked out perfectly.
Led by its two Vice Manor Masters, Weiyeon Mountain Manor had been attacking smaller sects one after another.
The Heavenly Sword Hall had not even needed to devise a strategy.
They simply had to strike at their backs.
Thanks to that, the Heavenly Sword Hall's mission progressed smoothly.
“Jun, you're here. The Vice Manor Master on your side was dealt with properly, wasn't he?”
Namgung Jun nodded.
“Did anything happen to you, Master?”
“Of course not. I didn't even have to step in personally. Heo Il handled him.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
“Though it did take a little while. Once they passed fifty exchanges, I almost stepped in myself.”
Walking behind them and listening to the conversation, Heo Il immediately objected.
“That's a misunderstanding, Young Hero Namgung. The Vice Manor Master I fought was called Furious Wind Sword. Since he used a fast sword, I merely matched swords with him out of interest.”
“Judging by that, he must have been quite skilled.”
“Ahem. Even so, he was nothing compared to you, Young Hero Namgung. You fought Hyeok U-seon, the Strong Saber Wanderer, didn't you? How was he?”
Namgung Jun frowned slightly.
“Strong Saber Wanderer? A title far too generous for him.”
“Hm?”
Instead of answering Heo Il's question, Gong Jun-am briefly spoke.
“The Strong Saber Wanderer's blade shattered in the very first exchange.”
Rather than asking anything further, Heo Il continued up the mountain path.
He no longer needed to hear the rest to imagine the outcome.
Looking toward the walls of Weiyeon Mountain Manor stretching across the distant mountainside, Namgung Jun continued.
“The two Vice Manor Masters were quite capable. I suppose the Manor Lord himself must also be formidable.”
“According to the Myeongyeon Pavilion's information, he has achieved the harmony of Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit. He has reached the peak of the Absolute Peak Realm.”
“So he truly had the qualifications to cause such chaos by extending his influence everywhere.”
“But it all ends today.”
Lee Se-ha casually draped an arm over Namgung Jun's shoulder.
“Jun, you handle the Manor Lord personally.”
“Aren't you going to fight, Master?”
“Although we've reduced their strength considerably by defeating them separately, they still have plenty of people remaining inside the manor. Well, that doesn't mean we're at a disadvantage, but I think we should conserve our strength.”
The disciple immediately understood his master's meaning.
As the clash between the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult and the Wudang Sect intensified, the situation throughout Hubei Province became more chaotic by the day.
Weiyeon Mountain Manor's bold actions were only one part of that turmoil.
In other words, the Heavenly Sword Hall might receive another mission immediately afterward.
As Hall Master, Lee Se-ha was looking ahead to what would come next.
“It won't take long.”
“I'll have Gong Jun-am and Heo Il accompany you. You just focus on cutting down the Manor Lord.”
“Understood.”
By the time they approached the manor's main gate, the Heavenly Sword Hall had already finished assigning everyone's roles.
The Fourth Group climbed over boulders and moved behind the manor to block any escape routes.
The remaining three groups followed behind Lee Se-ha toward the main gate.
“Advance.”
Kwaang!
With Lee Se-ha's command, the martial artists of the First Group smashed through the main gate and charged inside.
“It's an enemy attack!”
“The Azure Sky Society! It's the Azure Sky Society!”
As shouts and warning bells rang out from every direction, the remaining swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall crossed the threshold.
“Wow. Just look at these fancy buildings. Villages over in Heupyong are on the verge of starving because of these bastards.”
“Forget it. They expanded their sect and bought medicinal elixirs for the Manor Lord with wealth stolen from innocent people.”
“Come on. Let's finish this quickly. Look how they keep pouring out.”
The Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen moved freely, as though they were taking a leisurely stroll, without even forming battle formations.
Although the Heavenly Sword Hall's formation appeared disorderly, the martial artists of Weiyeon Mountain Manor found no opening to exploit.
Though they seemed to move at random, each subtly confirmed the others' positions while naturally covering any openings.
Although Weiyeon Mountain Manor greatly outnumbered them, it was the Heavenly Sword Hall that controlled the offensive.
After briefly surveying the battlefield, Namgung Jun immediately turned toward the side.
It was the direction where the master of Weiyeon Mountain Manor awaited.
“Let's go.”
“We'll open the way. Young Hero Namgung, you don't need to do anything.”
Heo Il lifted his gourd to his lips while Gong Jun-am silently blocked the way ahead with his greatsword like a shield.
Kwa-jik!
Kwaaang!
Escorted by his two seniors, Namgung Jun entered the largest pavilion within the manor.
Guards had been stationed on every floor, but none possessed the ability to stop Heo Il and Gong Jun-am.
“The two of you should return to the battlefield.”
Watching Namgung Jun head alone toward the top floor, the two swordsmen immediately nodded.
The current Namgung Jun was no longer someone they needed to worry about.
After confirming that the two seniors had descended, Namgung Jun entered the main hall alone.
At the far end of the hall sat the Dark Forest Wanderer upon a magnificent chair.
“I've heard the story. You're the one who killed Brother Hyeok, aren't you?”
“Dark Forest Wanderer.”
The Dark Forest Wanderer slowly rose to his feet as he openly examined Namgung Jun.
“The Azure Star Sword's reputation may be impressive, but for Black Cloud Wanderer not to come personally... aren't you looking down on me a bit too much?”
Launching himself from the chair, the Dark Forest Wanderer instantly closed the distance until he stood directly before Namgung Jun.
He narrowed the gap in a single instant and thrust out his left palm, attacking from such close range that drawing a sword would be difficult.
As if it had all been deliberate, a sinister smile spread across the Dark Forest Wanderer's face.
Namgung Jun, on the other hand, merely watched his movements with an indifferent expression.
Tteong!
Using fingers infused with internal energy, Namgung Jun flicked the tip of his scabbard.
The sword hilt sprang upward from the scabbard and struck the base of the Dark Forest Wanderer's palm.
The force behind the strike was considerable enough that the Dark Forest Wanderer's palm paused momentarily.
“You!”
It seemed he had never encountered such a response before, as the Dark Forest Wanderer's nostrils flared.
Using the recoil from twisting his upper body, he moved to the side and immediately unleashed another palm technique.
Mud-colored palm shadows rippled as they obscured Namgung Jun's vision.
Rather than confronting them head-on, Namgung Jun used the Boundless Step to widen the distance.
Three streams of palm force rushed toward Namgung Jun's chest as he retreated.
Observing the undulating palm force carefully, Namgung Jun raised his sword to the middle stance and generated sword wind.
Pababang!
Even though explosions erupted one after another, the sword wind of the Heavenly Wind Sword Art stood firm like a wall.
In the end, the Dark Forest Wanderer tore through the sword wind with his own hands before charging forward again, but Namgung Jun still did not confront him directly.
He maintained his distance thoroughly while avoiding direct exchanges whenever possible.
After exchanging seven techniques, the Dark Forest Wanderer stepped back several paces.
Even though it had been an ambush, he had failed to break through Namgung Jun's solid sword stance.
“When someone attacks first at such close range, they're usually countered with fist or palm techniques... You know my martial art.”
“So you cultivated Poison Palm. Besides medicinal elixirs, you've been buying all kinds of poisons as well.”
The inside of the Dark Forest Wanderer's palms had turned entirely mud-colored, with occasional green hues flickering across them.
Had Namgung Jun answered his first strike with the Heavenly Thunder Palm Art, poison would undoubtedly have invaded his hand.
“Do you really think merely avoiding me will be enough to defeat me?!”
The Dark Forest Wanderer's movements changed.
Now that the existence of his Poison Palm had been exposed, he no longer bothered concealing its poison.
Instead, he openly released poisonous qi while pressing Namgung Jun.
His pitch-black hands repeatedly reached for Namgung Jun but failed every time.
Every strike was deflected by razor-sharp sword techniques, and instead he had to worry about his own hands being cut.
‘This brat... His movements are different. We're in the same realm, so how can this be...?’
After more than thirty exchanges, the Dark Forest Wanderer gradually fell into despair.
Judging by Namgung Jun's aura, he had clearly only achieved the harmony of Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit and had not yet reached Unity.
Even so, he moved as though his body functioned on an entirely different level, displaying movements one step beyond his own.
His responses possessed experience far beyond his age, but what was especially threatening was his extraordinary swordsmanship.
If this continued and he could not make use of Poison Palm's advantages, defeat was inevitable.
As anxiety slowly consumed his entire body, the Dark Forest Wanderer shouted,
“You! I know you've cultivated extreme yang internal energy! Face my poison with it!”
“Why should I?”
Twisting his shoulder aside to evade the incoming palm force, Namgung Jun casually swung his sword.
Puhaak!
The Dark Forest Wanderer's left arm was cleanly severed below the elbow.
“Kraaaagh!”
“Is that all? I wasted my time for nothing. I expected you to have a hidden trump card.”
The young swordsman shook his head with disappointment before changing his grip on the Eternal Clarity Sword.
Throughout the entire duel, Namgung Jun had focused solely on retreating and widening the distance.
For the first time, he stepped forward.
Even while screaming, the Dark Forest Wanderer violently swung his severed arm, attempting to spray blood toward Namgung Jun.
Using his bamboo hat to block the droplets, Namgung Jun twisted his waist to the side.
At the same time, the Eternal Clarity Sword swept upward diagonally, slicing across the Dark Forest Wanderer's upper body.
“Kuugh!”
Even as he collapsed while vomiting blood from the wound across his chest, the Dark Forest Wanderer continued staring up at Namgung Jun.
‘We're both at the peak of the Absolute Peak Realm. So why is the difference this great?’
Kneeling on the floor, the Dark Forest Wanderer felt Namgung Jun tower over him.
An overwhelming despair spread throughout his body, as though he had been poisoned by his own Poison Palm.
“You... With senses and talent like yours, how have you still not reached Unity?”
“Doesn't everyone have their own wall to overcome?”
Seeing the calm expression on Namgung Jun's face as he answered so casually, the Dark Forest Wanderer's eyes widened.
Unlike himself, who had already surrendered and stopped, the youth's answer carried an unyielding will.
‘Is that the difference?’
The moment the Dark Forest Wanderer understood—
Namgung Jun swung the Eternal Clarity Sword.
Puhaak!
Leaving behind the Dark Forest Wanderer's headless corpse, Namgung Jun reviewed the duel in his mind.
The Dark Forest Wanderer had undoubtedly been a master who stood at the peak of the Absolute Peak Realm.
Though they shared the same realm, he had been defeated far more easily than expected.
His experiences from his previous life certainly played a part, but the Martial Dao he had built anew from the beginning in this life had truly demonstrated its value.
‘If I gain the proper insight, I should be able to shape it into a complete sword art.’
Namgung Jun had no intention of becoming impatient.
If he continued swinging his sword diligently, insights and inspiration would eventually come.
For now, it was right to focus on the present.
After looking around the main hall, Namgung Jun walked toward the balcony outside the pavilion.
Judging by the surroundings, the Dark Forest Wanderer had often stood here gazing over the manor.
“So this manor also grew after killing its original owner and seizing everything.”
Below, martial artists clashed fiercely between the buildings.
He could clearly distinguish the martial artists of Weiyeon Mountain Manor from those of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
On every battlefield, the Heavenly Sword Hall held a decisive advantage.
Whenever their smaller numbers caused them to slow, Lee Se-ha would inevitably appear, displaying the overwhelming might of a supreme expert.
Even without Namgung Jun joining the fight immediately, the battlefield seemed certain to end smoothly.
‘The Heavenly Sword Hall... Compared to when I first joined, it has grown much stronger.’
Even so, he could not be satisfied with this alone.
The Heavenly Sword Hall's true opponents would be the elite forces of the unorthodox factions.
‘Once I fully organize my insights, it wouldn't be a bad idea to create a new sword art.’
Most members of the Heavenly Sword Hall had already mastered the Great Expansion Sword Art.
Only a few First Rank members still lagged slightly due to insufficient enlightenment, but with a little more time, they too would certainly achieve mastery.
Once that happened, everyone would quickly adapt to the sword art Namgung Jun would one day create.
Every martial artist of Weiyeon Mountain Manor had been dealt with.
But that was not the end.
They still had to organize Weiyeon Mountain Manor's wealth and documents.
It was two days after the Heavenly Sword Hall had occupied Weiyeon Mountain Manor.
A bird of prey descended toward Lee Se-ha.
It was a messenger eagle used to deliver direct messages from the main headquarters to the Fourth Rank.
After opening the letter attached to the eagle's leg, Lee Se-ha nodded lightly.
“As expected, it turned out this way.”
“Master. What happened?”
“The Wudang Sect has officially requested reinforcements from our Society.”
Looking around at the members of the Heavenly Sword Hall nearby, Lee Se-ha spoke.
“Finish things up here quickly. We're heading straight to Mount Wudang.”