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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Zhuge Seon-ah poured her will into the Soul Anchor.
The Soul Anchor was a mystical sword.
Its power to control spiritual energy, combined with her Sensory Acuity, enveloped the area, imposing her perception on everyone within its range.
While the effect was subtle due to her limited mental strength, Sensory Acuity was a two-way street.
With sufficient mental power, she could impose her perceptions onto others.
“Everyone, take the Clarity Pills!”
The Black Sword Devil, finally realizing what was happening, barked out the order.
Clarity Pills dispelled illusions created by magic, a countermeasure against the Zhuge Family’s Bewitching Formation.
However, the formation Zhuge Seon-ah had cast was different, far more profound than a simple illusion.
“What…?”
The Black Sword Devil suddenly felt like he was floating in the sky.
An endless expanse of blue.
Above, below, all around, the six directions were filled with nothing but sky.
‘She’s projecting her thoughts onto us through the Soul Anchor?’
The moment he understood, he returned to reality.
The Soul Anchor’s power was negligible against someone like him, who had opened all three dantians and achieved unity of essence, energy, and spirit.
It was a limitation of the user, not the artifact.
“You’re not letting me go, are you…?”
The boundless sky he had seen in the mindscape was now staring back at him.
Meeting Namgung-Woo’s piercing blue gaze, he lamented his lack of options.
“This isn’t worth it.”
Screech.
A chilling sound emanated from his sword, and they both moved.
Clang!
Their first clash was a brutal collision of Sword Auras, devoid of any restraint.
The situation had reversed.
If Geum-shin had been the challenger and the Black Sword Devil the examiner before, now it was the other way around.
‘How long has it been since I’ve fought someone this strong?’
The Black Sword Devil circulated his True Qi through his meridians.
Power surged through him, filling him with a sense of omnipotence.
Their exchange was like the eye of a storm.
Even Geum-shin, with his protective Qi at full strength, felt the sting of the energy swirling around them.
But within the radius of their clash, their precise control neutralized the destructive force.
They exchanged five moves in the blink of an eye.
Despite the jarring impact that resonated through his bones, the Black Sword Devil felt exhilarated.
A fight to the death.
He saw an opening.
‘He’s inexperienced!’
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Who was the strongest opponent Namgung-Woo had faced?
Undoubtedly, Peng Hou-sang.
Guo Duan was also strong, but he hadn’t been able to fully gauge his strength during their brief encounter.
He had, however, experienced Peng Hou-sang’s ultimate technique, the Five Tiger Breaking Gates.
So, Peng Hou-sang was his benchmark.
But what about excluding those exceptional masters?
Li Zi-long was a Transcendent Realm expert, but his strength lay in sorcery.
That left Han Gye-ran, the Martial Consort of Haedong.
She was strong.
He had estimated he would need to lose two limbs to defeat her.
But now, he realized his assessment had been wrong.
‘Two limbs? No. I would have had to be willing to die with her.’
After facing the Black Sword Devil, he finally understood.
Physical ability, True Qi cultivation, martial arts skill… he wasn’t inferior in any of these aspects.
Yet, the balance wouldn’t tip.
It was the difference in experience.
The Black Sword Devil’s battle-honed experience compensated for any gap in raw power.
‘He’s even resisting my upper dantian ability.’
The oppressive presence that had instantly incapacitated the Sky-Gazing Howler had no effect on the Black Sword Devil.
Of course.
The opponent had also opened his upper dantian.
A crude upper dantian ability, used alongside martial arts, wouldn’t be enough to suppress the mind of a master like him.
It would take something like the Five Tiger Breaking Gates, seamlessly integrated into a martial art.
While the Black Sword Devil’s focus was also divided by the need to protect his mind, his decades of experience compensated for it.
The all-out battle between two Transcendent Realm experts devastated the surroundings.
Trees were uprooted by the shockwaves, and stray Sword Winds carved deep furrows in the ground.
Each stomp cracked the earth, and every punch and kick shattered the air.
It was an awe-inspiring display of power, unimaginable from such small, human forms.
Namgung-Woo remained calm.
In a prolonged fight, he would win.
Even a master’s True Qi wasn’t infinite.
He had greater reserves and efficiency, so the Black Sword Devil would be the first to reach his limit.
But that, too, was part of the Black Sword Devil’s plan.
“Aagh!”
A scream from behind broke his concentration.
The range of Zhuge Seon-ah’s Sensory Acuity, amplified by the Soul Anchor, had been disrupted by the shockwaves of their battle, allowing the Black Sword Unit members to regain consciousness.
Exploiting the momentary lapse, the Black Sword Devil’s sword darted towards a vital point.
Namgung-Woo’s mind raced.
His experience fighting Li Zi-long proved invaluable.
The Heavenly River Sword’s protective Aura blocked the Black Sword Devil’s blade.
Whirr!
The Heavenly River Sword withstood the terrifyingly sharp thrust of the Sword Aura.
But it couldn’t completely negate the impact.
Instead of absorbing the force, he allowed himself to be pushed back.
He was briefly airborne.
Using the Thousand Weight Fall technique, he stabilized himself and landed and immediately swung his arm.
Heavenly Thunder True Qi surged through his meridians.
He channeled the energy into his sword and unleashed a Flying Strike Thunderclap.
Slash!
A golden arc of Sword Qi severed the arm of a Black Sword Unit member about to strike down a fallen warrior monk.
‘Using my own attack against me…!’
The Black Sword Devil roared as he saw his disciple’s arm severed.
“Where are you looking?!”
“Too late.”
Namgung-Woo parried the attack with a smirk.
And then…
“You bastards!”
Slash!
“Don’t let them escape! Kill them all!”
Thud-Crack!
A chaotic melee.
The righteous martial artists from Jing County finally arrived.
Two among them stood out.
Taoist Jeong-gwang, leader of the Hwangsan Sect, cleaved a Black Sword Unit member in two with a hand strike.
The Dragon Slaying Moon Grasping Seal, the Hwangsan Sect’s ultimate hand technique, unleashed its devastating power.
Not to be outdone, another martial artist displayed impressive skill.
It was Peng Ha-ryeong, whowas now wielding two sabers with effortless grace.
The Linking Rings Soul-Stealing Saber Art deflected incoming blades, while the Heaven and Earth Rumbling Thunder Saber Art shattered opponents with thunderous force.
The Black Sword Unit members who had been attacking the warrior monks were being decimated.
The Black Sword Devil gritted his teeth and glared at Namgung-Woo.
“Oppa! Are you alright?”
Peng Ha-ryeong rushed to Namgung-Woo’s side with her voice filled with concern.
While she knew his strength, she still worried he might be injured and was checking him over.
Seeing this, someone behind them murmured in a daze,
“Ha-ryeong…? Oppa…?”
Zhuge Seon-ah, still recovering from the backlash of the broken formation, couldn’t believe her eyes and ears.
‘Yes, my senses are messed up. I’m not skilled enough to handle the Soul Anchor yet. And I’ve exhausted my mental and physical energy using the Stargazing Heavenly Map. It’s no wonder my perception is distorted.’
“No! It really is Ha-ryeong!”
Snapping out of her denial, she cried out.
The formation had been channeled through the Soul Anchor.
Even if it was forcibly broken, the backlash wouldn’t reach her.
Her senses were fine.
Her vision was clear, and her hearing was sharp.
The woman who had approached the master who had protected her was indeed Peng Ha-ryeong, and she had called him “Oppa.”
Hearing her shriek, Namgung-Woo gently pushed Peng Ha-ryeong away.
“It’s dangerous. Watch my back.”
“Oh, right…”
She hurried towards Zhuge Seon-ah.
“I knew you’d come.”
“Who wouldn’t anticipate that? You planned to block my attack with your protective Aura and then strike me. Severing limbs… merciless, even for someone of your skill.”
He hadn’t initially intended to be so ruthless, but he had to protect Peng Ha-ryeong.
The Black Sword Devil had anticipated this and chose to unleash a wave of Qi to suppress the righteous martial artists and protect his Black Sword Unit members, rather than risk a direct confrontation.
He had played it safe.
He still had a card up his sleeve.
“Stop!”
A group appeared from the forest, holding several Zhuge Family members captive.
“That’s Myeol Seom-ma.”
Jeong-gwang, his hand dripping blood, approached and identified the leader of the newcomers.
“And the one he’s holding is the Biwoon Squad Leader.”
Zhuge Pan, held captive by Myeol Seom-ma, was gravely injured and his life force was fading.
“Release the Black Sword Unit. Then I’ll release these captives.”
“Myeol Seom-ma! The Soul Anchor…”
“Are you going to take him on? I’d rather not.”
“…Tsk.”
The Black Sword Devil, unable to refute Myeol Seom-ma’s words, backed down.
Myeol Seom-ma turned to Namgung-Woo.
“Do you accept?”
‘Can I make this decision?’
He had already decided, but before he could speak, Jeong-gwang addressed him with respect.
“Please, Great Hero, you decide.”
Great Hero, Great Hero…
Namgung-Woo felt the shift in Jeong-gwang’s demeanor, a stark reminder of the importance of strength.
With the Zhuge Family leader in such a state, no one would question his authority.
“Release the Zhuge Family members first. Then I’ll let them go.”
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