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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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For the first time, Namgung-Woo was stunned into silence.
No one had ever connected his Thirteen Lightning Sword Techniques to the Namgung Family.
Dongfang Huo was the first, even Peng Hou-sang, the Family Head of the prestigious Peng Family and a Transcendent Realm expert, hadn’t recognized it.
That’s when he started to seriously consider the possibility that the martial arts of this world and the game were different.
Even if the principles and techniques ingrained in his mind worked in this reality, this world and ‘Chu-rok Murim’ were separate.
Just because they shared the name “Namgung Family” didn’t mean their martial arts were identical.
But it seemed they were.
Dongfang Huo shouted, a mixture of shock and disbelief in his voice,
“Twenty years! That accursed Namgung swordsmanship still exists?!”
Hearing “Namgung,” he instinctively thought of the Dugu Family.
His encounter with Dugu Bin at the Guya Workshop.
His question about the Namgung Family. The Dugu Family’s vendetta against the Namgungs.
He tried to avoid getting entangled in this.
He had even hidden his name and age.
The sudden surge of killing intent broke his concentration.
Dongfang Huo, elated by the success of his psychological tactic, gathered his internal energy.
His internal energy condensed rapidly.
He attacked without hesitation.
The Cotton Palm, a technique that seamlessly blended offense and defense, deflecting enemy attacks while inflicting internal injuries.
Dongfang Huo, focusing solely on the offensive aspect, combined it with the Accumulating Erosion Demonic Palm, unleashing a wave of force.
Two streams of energy shot towards Namgung-Woo.
Zhuge Chong quickly intercepted them with a palm strike of his own.
Boom! Whirr!
The counter-rotating winds of the Borrowing Wind Palm deflected Dongfang Huo’s attack, distorting the air.
“Focus!”
Even hearing the weighty name “Namgung Family,” Zhuge Chong remained undeterred.
Namgung-Woo felt a pang of inadequacy.
He lacked experience.
He needed an unshakeable heart, a mind undisturbed by any circumstance.
“…I will defeat you.”
He steeled his resolve.
Being discovered was inevitable.
It was the consequence of his naive optimism.
He should have been more careful.
It wasn’t the Thirteen Lightning Sword Techniques that had revealed his identity, but the Sky Vault Great Evolution Divine Art.
Perhaps even Peng Hou-sang would have recognized him if he had witnessed the Sky Vault Great Evolution Divine Art.
But regrets were useless.
This wasn’t the time for self-reproach.
He pushed aside the revelation about the connection between this world and the game, and the entanglement with the Dugu Family’s vendetta.
He focused on the present.
On Dongfang Huo, who was pressing his attack on Zhuge Chong.
His Ever-Clear Vision activated, his eyes glowing with an ethereal, bluish-white light.
A path appeared before him.
A sword path leading to Dongfang Huo.
He lunged, his sword enveloped in a blue aura.
A secret technique of the Sky Vault Unfettered Divine Sword.
‘Boundless Wandering.’
An endless world.
Unending movement.
True to its name, his sword moved unhindered, unstoppable.
Like a blue comet.
He cut through the chaotic exchange between Dongfang Huo and Zhuge Chong, a swift and decisive strike.
Slash!
Dongfang Huo’s double-layered defenses, his protective Qi and defensive spell, shattered.
Aura severing aura.
Zhuge Chong witnessed it firsthand.
A sword that seemed to cut through space itself.
Amidst the spray of blood, a single, brilliant blue line shone.
“Ugh!”
A pained groan.
Dongfang Huo’s entire arm, from the shoulder down, was severed. He frantically tried to stop the bleeding.
Ignoring the risk of worsening his internal injuries, Zhuge Chong gathered his Great Heaven Star Divine Art True Qi.
“I’ll finish him! This time, I’ll take his head!”
He shouted, abandoning all formality in the heat of the moment.
Namgung-Woo was ready to deliver the final blow.
Zhuge Chong had exhausted a significant amount of his strength and True Qi in his brief exchange with Dongfang Huo, but Namgung-Woo was still fresh.
His internal energy reserves were comparable to Dongfang Huo’s, who had greedily consumed countless elixirs and practiced various internal arts for over fifty years.
But he couldn’t follow through.
Just as he was about to strike, a chilling sensation ran down his spine.
It felt like a blade pressed against his neck.
As if killing intent had taken physical form, targeting him.
An immense pressure gripped his sword arm. He could shake it off, but he couldn’t predict the consequences.
‘If I attack…’
‘I might die.’
In the fraction of a second it would take to swing and retract his sword, an opponent capable of exerting this much pressure could easily kill him.
The enemy was that strong.
A power reminiscent of Peng Hou-sang and Guo Duan.
His reaction was instinctive.
He twisted his body.
It was the right decision.
Screech!
The sound was less like an explosion and more like a saw ripping through something.
The incoming energy was strange, complex, and distorted.
If he hadn’t moved, even his protective Qi wouldn’t have saved him from serious injury.
As he focused his mind, blocking the surprise attack, he heard Dongfang Huo’s relieved cry and another, unfamiliar voice.
“You’re late!”
“I told you. I’m not fully recovered.”
He wasn’t the only one who sensed something amiss.
Zhuge Chong, seeing him turn, had retreated using his Heavenly Secrets Evasive Steps.
But not without cost.
While Namgung-Woo was unharmed, having blocked the attack and prepared for a counterattack, blood dripped from Zhuge Chong’s fingertips.
The man who had attacked him stood before Dongfang Huo, clenching and unclenching his fist, then flicking Zhuge Chong’s blood from his hand.
“I was aiming for an arm as well. Heavenly Secrets Evasive Steps… impressive.”
The man who had interrupted his attack and injured Zhuge Chong.
Middle-aged, dressed in nondescript gray robes.
Even Zhuge Chong, with his vast knowledge, didn’t recognize him.
“…Who are you?”
The man didn’t answer.
He didn’t even seem to hear.
His gaze was fixed solely on Namgung-Woo.
“Xu Lu, we’re leaving.”
“…This is a significant loss.”
“I won’t say it again.”
Their exchange was confusing.
Dongfang Huo was the undisputed leader of the Banun Clan.
He was the founder.
His authority was absolute.
Yet, this man treated him like a subordinate.
As Dongfang Huo retreated, Zhuge Chong roared,
“You think you can just leave?!”
They had invaded his home and thought they could just walk away? It would be a disgrace to the Zhuge Family.
An arm wasn’t enough.
He needed Dongfang Huo’s head, or at least this mysterious man’s, to settle the score.
He forced his True Qi through his damaged meridians, activating the Borrowing Wind Palm, creating a powerful suction force.
But the two Banun Clan members moved beyond his control.
Dongfang Huo, with his remaining hand, used the Taiji Reverse Void Method to neutralize the Borrowing Wind Palm, then used a movement technique to escape.
The man who had attacked Namgung-Woo followed immediately.
Namgung-Woo easily broke free from the suction force and watched them leave the estate.
‘Could I have won?’
He didn’t know.
Even against Five Tigers Envoys, he had believed he could hold his own if he used all his techniques.
But against this man, he didn’t even have that confidence.
The enemy had escaped.
All that remained was the ruined estate.
Zhuge Chong looked around at the devastation.
The acrid smell of gunpowder lingered in the air.
With a sigh, he composed himself and bowed to Namgung-Woo.
“I will formally thank you later, after I’ve dealt with this situation.”
“As you wish.”
“…And we need to talk about the Namgung Family.”
“I’ll make time.”
Namgung-Woo returned the bow.
Zhuge Chong nodded, his expression complex.
They would have much to discuss when they met again.
Both men were deep in thought.
Their thoughts, filled with complex calculations and predictions about the future, diverged, but they shared the same starting point.
Banun Clan versus Zhuge Family.
The Banun Clan had won the first battle.
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