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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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On the roof of the Jegal Estate, bathed in moonlight, a faint, malevolent energy lingering in the air,
Jegal Liang looked at the man in the bamboo hat with amusement.
“I’ll give you the first move. Come at me.”
He beckoned with his hand, a dismissive gesture.
The man in the hat, Wu Gong, the Fourth Elder of the Sun Moon Holy Cult, flicked his hat back, revealing sharp, hawk-like eyes.
“You’re not going to ask who we are? Or what our purpose is?”
“Ha! Those who trespass on another’s property all want the same thing. I’m not interested. And besides…”
Jegal Liang’s body pulsed with energy, the tiles around him cracking.
“Your killing intent has been practically screaming your desire for a fight since you arrived.”
He accepted the challenge, as a senior in the martial world, as one of the Ten Great Masters.
“I’m bored anyway. Entertain me. Attack.”
A strange silence. The bamboo hat twitched, and a low chuckle, filled with anticipation, echoed in the night.
“I was only supposed to buy time… I’m going to get an earful later.”
He tossed the hat aside, revealing a surprisingly handsome face, and drew his sword.
But what surprised Jegal Liang even more wasn’t the man’s appearance, but the shape of his sword, thin and sharp, clearly designed for thrusting attacks.
‘Is that… a rapier?’
It was a weapon rarely seen in the Central Plains, a Western-style sword. He had seen one once, an ornamental piece that had come with a shipment of Western jewelry he had purchased for his granddaughters.
And now, this seemingly harmless trinket, like a toothpick, was about to pierce the sun.
Sun-Piercing Sword Technique – First Rays of Dawn.
Of course, Jegal Liang, having mastered the Heavenly Mystery Evasive Steps, the signature technique of the Jegal family, had anticipated the attack.
He shifted his weight, intending to dodge the incoming thrust.
Or rather, he tried to dodge.
“Fast.”
He felt a sharp pain in his left arm as his sleeve was sliced open, a thin trickle of blood staining the fabric.
He had been a fraction of a second too slow.
It had been instantaneous. An explosive burst of speed.
“If your opponent can see the future, simply move faster. A simple, yet effective counter.”
A blue, qi-infused blade flashed past Jegal Liang.
“Now, let’s dispense with the parlor tricks…”
Wu Gong turned, facing Jegal Liang, and assumed a ready stance.
“Let’s see which is stronger: the sword technique that brought down the sun, or the palm technique that subdues the dragon.”
The tension between them crackled, their killing intent palpable, like a drawn bowstring about to release its arrow.
“Hah! Bold words. In that case…”
-Whoosh…
Jegal Liang vanished, reappearing behind Wu Gong.
“I’ll simply end this before the arrow is released.”
He had used his footwork technique to move with the speed of the wind, his movements enhanced by a burst of internal energy.
Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms – Sudden Strike.
Like a dragon leaping from a pond, he had exploited the opening, unleashing a powerful, energy-infused palm strike.
“……!”
But he abruptly stopped, pulling back his hand, creating distance.
Contre Offensive (Counterattack).
A rapier blade, thin and sharp, emerged from Wu Gong’s armpit, thrusting towards the spot where Jegal Liang’s jaw had been just a moment before.
He spun, his movements fluid and graceful, gliding across the rooftop.
Lowering his upper body, he extended his rapier arm, the blade flowing towards his opponent like water, seeking an opening.
Détour-Jeu (Bypass)
A lightning-fast thrust, a pinpoint strike.
Jegal Liang, realizing he would only be driven back further if he retreated, deflected the rapier blade with a chop of his hand.
-Clang!!
Sparks flew as qi-infused hand met qi-infused blade.
“Haha!”
Wu Gong, leaping back, regaining his balance, chuckled, his lips twisting into a predatory grin.
“You’re the only one who could deflect my thrust at that range.”
“I doubt that. I’m sure there are at least ten others who could do the same.”
It wasn’t meant as a slight, but a realistic assessment based on his experience.
Jegal Liang’s face was impassive, his expression betraying neither anger nor surprise. He seemed more… intrigued by his opponent’s technique.
“That sword technique… is it a Western technique?”
While Wu Gong had betrayed his sect and joined the demonic faction, he still respected Jegal Liang, a senior in the martial world, one of the Ten Great Masters.
And now, Jegal the Monstrous Dragon, considered the strongest martial artist in the orthodox factions, aside from the Martial God, the leader of the Martial Alliance, and the Brocade Beggar Immortal, the leader of the Beggars’ Sect, had expressed interest in his technique.
“Did you know? The West also has… organizations… guilds… where masters known as ‘Sword Owners’ create and develop sword techniques?”
He explained, eager to impress.
“This is one of those techniques. I call it the Flowing Water Sword Technique, as it flows like water, seeking to pierce its target.”
He twirled his rapier, demonstrating its fluidity.
“While their internal energy cultivation and hand-to-hand combat techniques are… lacking, their swordsmanship has, in some ways, surpassed that of the Central Plains.”
Jegal Liang nodded slowly, recalling Wu Gong’s earlier movements.
He had used the Diancang Sect’s Sun-Piercing Sword Technique for a swift, decisive strike, then followed up with the Western Flowing Water Sword Technique to exploit the opening. It was an effective combination.
“It’s certainly impressive. Intriguing.”
His eyes sparkled with interest, like a child who had discovered a new toy.
“But I doubt that’s all you have. Let’s continue.”
His heart pounded with excitement, invigorated by the rare opportunity to engage in a true battle, a fight against an opponent who wasn’t holding back, who was genuinely trying to kill him, a fellow member of the Ten Great Masters.
“Chirp! Chirp-tweet!!”
But Jegal Liang’s night of fun was cut short.
“Is that… Jjaek-bong…?”
A plump sparrow, obeying its mistress’s command, flew towards him, chirping frantically.
“Chirp! Tweet! Chirp-tweet! Screech! Chirp-chirp!!”
Jegal Liang’s brow furrowed.
“What?! I can’t understand a word you’re saying—!!”
But the fact that one of Gwahae’s sparrows, which usually followed her around like baby chicks, had flown all the way here meant something was wrong.
He focused his senses, searching for Gwahae’s qi.
He clicked his tongue, sensing her energy, usually so vibrant, now fading rapidly.
“Tsk! I take back what I said. It seems I have to cut this short.”
An immense power erupted from Jegal Liang, his aura enveloping Wu Gong and the surrounding area.
‘Please… look after Gwahae…’
He recalled Mancheon’s words, the arrogant brat. Had his Go skills improved?
“I always keep my promises, especially those made with my Go partners.”
He read the flow of destiny, searching for the most favorable outcome among thousands of possible futures.
He locked onto the desired future, fixing the cause and effect.
He transcended time.
Heavenly Mystery Divine Movement.
…
“Gah…! Ugh…!”
Wu Gong coughed up blood, a gaping hole torn through his body.
‘What… what happened…?’
He was dead before he even understood what had happened.
“There is no process. Only the inevitable outcome: your defeat.”
Jegal Liang, who had been standing before him just moments ago, walked past, his words a confusing blur.
He didn’t understand.
It was all a mystery.
His vision darkened, his battered body collapsing.
The fight was over.
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-Whoosh! Whoosh!
“Who… who are you…?”
Xuan Hu, struggling to speak through the torrential downpour, asked the man with piercing blue eyes and sharp teeth, his aura chilling, but
[………]
the man ignored him, his gaze fixed on Gwahae, who had collapsed, her strength depleted.
And then he vanished.
Without a trace, as if he had never been there.
Xuan Hu blinked, his eyes wide with confusion.
‘What… what did I just see?’
It had been too vivid to be a hallucination. Then who was that man? What was he?
Why had he appeared so suddenly, and then vanished just as quickly?
Questions, anxieties, gnawed at him.
“Hoo… Calm down,” he muttered, trying to compose himself.
All he had to do was retrieve the dragon’s descendant, now weakened by the centipede venom, and escape.
Just as he thought that,
“…….”
Gwahae, blood pouring from the wounds inflicted by the centipedes, slowly rose to her feet.
“What… how…?”
Xuan Hu’s eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on Gwahae, as he witnessed yet another impossible feat.
It wasn’t blood flowing from her wounds, but poison.
The venom, purged from her body, flowed out with the rain,
and her wounds closed, new flesh regenerating, as if she had never been injured.
Her blue eyes gleamed with renewed vigor, her body revitalized.
Her strength was returning, simply from being exposed to the rain…?
He was speechless, stunned into silence, his ability to form words momentarily lost.
Gwahae, now fully recovered, extended her arms and left leg, her right foot planted firmly on the ground, and began to draw in her energy, her body spinning.
The rain, as if drawn by an invisible force, coalesced around her, forming a swirling vortex of water that spun along with her.
Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms – Repentance of the Ascendant Dragon.
The swirling water, infused with her dragon energy, took the form of a massive water dragon, its body coiling.
-ROAR!!
Xuan Hu looked up at the water dragon, a despairing groan escaping his lips.
This wasn’t a mere construct of water, like the one created by Longyuan, one of the Ten Swords of Heaven… this was a being of pure energy, infused with the power of a dragon.
He trembled, overwhelmed by its immense power.
He stumbled backward, abandoning all thoughts of completing his mission, his only thought escape. He attempted to use his Shadow Shifting Technique, but
-Splash
“?!?!?!?!”
the rain had created puddles, disrupting the shadows, making it impossible to execute the technique.
He chuckled, a hollow, mirthless sound.
He should have fled when the rain started. It had been a warning, a final sign from a higher power.
The pieces clicked into place. He finally understood the source of Gwahae’s power.
‘The man in the black dragon robes.’
“The Black Dragon of the North… Ao Shun, the Guangze King…”
With the King of Dragons as her grandfather, of course she was powerful.
-Crash!!
With those final words, Xuan Hu was swallowed by the water dragon’s jaws, swept away by the torrent.
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Bet, is he dead or no?😏
