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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Yang Jeong was about to propose a price for his brother’s request, but he was caught off guard by Namgung-Woo’s immediate agreement.
“Really?”
“Yes. I’ve learned a lot from you both, so consider us even.”
“Even… I don’t know what that means, but I guess it means we’re square?”
“I won’t forget this.”
He’d seen enough of their techniques.
Namgung-Woo mentally reviewed the principles of the Thousand-Mile Yard and the Heavenly Wind Divine Steps and channeled Heavenly Thunder True Qi into the six meridians of his lower body.
“Then let’s go.”
Lightning Qi surged through his Leg Yin Meridian, converging at the Yongquan acupoint on the soles of his feet.
With a thunderous boom, he shot forward. It was the Wind-Thunder Step of the Heavenly Wind Divine Steps.
The Yang brothers stared blankly as Namgung-Woo, propelled by the Heavenly Wind Divine Steps and seamlessly transitioning into the Thousand-Mile Yard, vanished into the distance.
It took them two breaths to react before they scrambled to follow.
‘How is he using Lightning Qi like that…?’
“Crazy! He’s too fast…!”
After burning Namgung-Woo’s display of Lightning Qi into their memories, they channeled all their energy into their legs, desperately trying to keep up.
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Meanwhile, Namgung-Woo extended his senses and observed the events unfolding ahead.
The number of Wraiths in the area had decreased significantly, eliminating any need to worry about the Yang brothers.
He suspected they were converging near the Ghost Gate, aiming to intercept anyone attempting to approach.
‘They’ll get at least one of them.’
Two powerful concentrations of malevolent energy stood guard near the Ghost Gate.
Peng Mu-ho and Peng Ha-ryeong’s Qi clashed against them, locked in a fierce struggle.
‘But they can’t handle both at once.’
He glanced back.
His Ever-Clear Vision didn’t enhance his peripheral vision.
While his eyesight was excellent, he couldn’t see what was directly behind him.
His heightened senses told him the Yang brothers were following, but since he wasn’t fully accustomed to relying solely on his superhuman perception yet, he instinctively glanced back to confirm.
‘Impressive. They’re imitating my technique, albeit clumsily.’
Indeed, this was how Lightning Qi should be used.
Having witnessed his demonstration, the Yang brothers were trying to replicate his movements, integrating them into their own techniques.
They were surprisingly adept and managed to keep up without tripping over themselves.
‘Then, I can increase the speed a bit more.’
He drew another surge of energy from his lower dantian and channeled it into his legs.
He arrived just in time.
The moment Peng Ha-ryeong and Peng Mu-ho managed to defeat one of the powerful yokai.
Just before the other one unleashed its vengeful fury upon them.
Namgung-Woo landed in front of the Ghost Gate.
*Boom!*
Instead of drawing his sword, he thrust out his fist.
A single punch collided head-on with the massive, Wraith-like yokai’s attack.
The force of the Descending Thunder Cannon, a technique of the Thunderclap Divine Fist, sent the yokai reeling.
‘Not bad…’
A tingling sensation ran up his arm.
A smile spread across his face.
This was it. This resilience.
The yokai had withstood a blow infused with Heavenly Thunder True Qi, despite his imperfect form.
“Who are you…?”
Peng Mu-ho, looking relatively unharmed, stared at the newcomer who’d seemingly appeared out of thin air.
Namgung-Woo didn’t reply. He drew his sword and advanced.
“Careful!”
The moment Peng Mu-ho shouted, an invisible blade slashed towards Namgung-Woo.
*Clang!*
His sword, infused with Sword Qi, collided with the attack, sending a sharp screech echoing through the air.
Surprisingly, the giant Wraith’s attack was far stronger than any he’d encountered before, so it resisted his Sword Qi. It pressed against his blade, driving him backward.
But it wasn’t enough to make him retreat.
“Haa!”
Using the Thousand-Pound Weight technique in conjunction with his Infinite Steps footwork, he unleashed a burst of Sword Qi.
*Kaboom!*
The invisible blade shattered, dissipating along with his Sword Qi. A wave of malevolent energy washed over him.
He knew from that single exchange…that yokai was beyond the Peak Realm.
Its energy reserves were greater than Peng Mu-ho’s or Hwang Mu-tak’s, and its ability to withstand his Sword Qi meant it could easily cut down a Peak Realm master.
“Young man! You can’t face it alone! We need to wait for the Yi Family head and the rest of the Peng Family!”
Peng Mu-ho shouted while struggling to his feet. He’d nearly exhausted his True Qi, but he could still manage a few more swings.
Judging by that earlier attack, the young man was at least as strong as Peng Ha-ryeong, a master of the Peak Realm.
But even beyond his martial prowess, the secrets he carried…secrets that even Peng Mu-ho and Peng Ha-ryeong couldn’t comprehend…made him someone worth protecting.
‘He’s not a rejuvenated master…’
Peng Mu-ho had encountered such rejuvenated masters before. He’d seen them firsthand, and they always carried a certain… residue.
Even if their bodies became young again, their spirits remained aged, with their aura betraying their true years.
But this young man had no such trace.
Look at that fighting spirit, that eagerness for battle!
He wasn’t a rejuvenated master; he was a young martial artist who was eager to prove himself.
“It’s alright. I can handle this.”
But Namgung-Woo declined his offer of assistance.
He mentally reviewed the forms of a sword technique he’d been eager to try and assumed his stance.
‘The Iron Sword Ten Forms won’t be enough. I need something stronger.’
He knew many sword techniques.
If he didn’t restrict himself to the Namgung Family style, he could wield more than ten different sword techniques.
But he’d already chosen the one he wanted to use.
‘Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword.’
A sword technique that perfectly suited his Heavenly Thunder True Qi.
His decision to focus on channeling Heavenly Thunder True Qi from his lower dantian, rather than the Vast Sky True Qi from his middle dantian, had been deliberate preparation for this moment.
The sword technique he had mastered in Chu-rok Murim was now ready to be unleashed in this new, real world.
Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword, Third Form.
Drought Thunder Fall.
A bolt of lightning struck from a clear sky.
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By the time Yang Kwai and Yang Jeong reached the scene, Namgung-Woo had already unleashed three more forms of the Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword.
After arriving, they gasped for breath, sweat streaming down their faces as they struggled to suppress cries of alarm at the chaos unfolding before them.
“A Form Snatching Wraith…! Fellow martial artist! That’s not an ordinary Wraith! You need to retreat!”
It wasn’t Namgung-Woo who responded to Yang Jeong’s cry, but the man standing protectively behind him.
“Twin Wave Blades, you followed as well?”
Any hope sparked by Peng Mu-ho’s presence quickly faded as they saw his condition.
“Hey! Little brother! That’s a higher-level Wraith! It devours the bodies and souls of humans to grow stronger! Even you can’t handle that!”
“It’s at least high-Blue rank, possibly even Black rank… How did it appear from a Red rank Gate…?”
The Yang brothers muttered to themselves, their voices barely audible, as if in a daze.
While their combined strength rivaled a Peak Realm master, there was a vast difference between fighting humans and fighting these otherworldly monsters.
Creatures immune to ordinary attacks and vulnerable only to Sword Qi posed a challenge beyond the limits of their skills.
“Fellow martial artist! Retreat!”
“Yes, little brother! We know you’re stronger than we thought, but that thing is dangerous! Let’s retreat! We can fight it when the other Peng Family masters arrive!”
Though he didn’t respond, Namgung-Woo heard them.
‘So that’s a Blue rank yokai, huh?’
What about Black and White rank Ghost Gates? What kind of monsters would emerge from those?
Perhaps he, too, had arrived in this world through a Ghost Gate.
Now that he had a moment to breathe, distracting thoughts crept in.
He should probably end this here. He’d seen enough. Unleashing all thirteen forms of the Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword here seemed excessive.
His priority was to end the battle without casualties and examine the Ghost Gate.
‘Sword Qi won’t be enough.’
Having confirmed the yokai’s resilience to Sword Qi, he retreated, using the backward step of the Infinite Steps.
And he adjusted his grip on his sword.
From one hand to two.
Instead of drawing on his internal energy instinctively, he focused his intent and summoned it with deliberate control.
His dantian, awakened by his call, responded with a surge of power.
*Hummm*
His sword began to vibrate.
The familiar hum resonated through him, and he poured his heightened emotions into the blade.
Then…
Channeled through his fingertip,the power of…heaven descended.
The Form Snatching Wraith, a Blue rank yokai emerging from what was supposedly a Red rank Ghost Gate.
And upon that inexplicable phenomenon…
…another inexplicable phenomenon manifested.
“That’s…”
Sword Aura.
Aura Qi.
Proof of human will and aspiration reaching the heavens.
Starlight converged upon his blade, enveloping it in a radiant halo.
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Thanks for the chapter!!