Chapter 305

Chapter 305

Childhood memories are hazy.

—Your name is Sobaek.

By the time his head grew large and something called self-awareness formed, Sobaek was already a disciple of the Daoist temple called Spear Window.

People often say the relationship between master and disciple is like that with parents, but in Sobaek’s case, that was reality. He grew up serving under his master since his snotty-nosed days, learned about the world from his master, and likewise learned the sword from his master.

—Sobaek-ah. You are the head disciple. You’re the one who leads your martial siblings, and the disciple most likely to become sect leader in the future.

—Yes, Master!

—Being such a person, you must take good care of your family.

—Yes! I’m taking good care of my junior disciples!

—Haha. I’m not only talking about taking care of your martial siblings.

His master, who stroked young Sobaek’s head, looked over Spear Window Mountain’s terrain with deep eyes and continued speaking.

—The people of Yunnan, the fellow Daoists of other temples, the Orthodox Path martial world, and even extending to the Unorthodox Path. You have many family members you must care for.

—…Even the Unorthodox Path? They’re bad people!

—They are bad people. But just because they’re evildoers doesn’t mean they can be evil from beginning to end.

—…

—Because humans originally possess goodness.

Did Mencius say it? That humans are originally born good?

—I don’t want to say that all people are born good from the start. I don’t agree with that theory.

—Then why…

—However, I also think that humans aren’t born evil. If humans were originally evil, good wouldn’t exist in the world at all.

Humans are neither good nor evil. They simply change their way of life according to the direction they flow.

—People have both the mask of evil and the mask of good, changing masks according to their environment. Even if from your perspective they seem like evildoers beyond redemption, you can’t guarantee that evildoer is evil in every aspect.

—…

—The world around you changes depending on how you treat it. The world your future disciples will live in will also change, and the world those disciples’ disciples will live in will gradually change too.

—…

—Taking care of your family isn’t for the family’s sake—it will be for your sake.

—Is that so?

—Yes. Because that will be the reason you come to understand what the world is.

People who walk the wrong path. People who walk only the right path uprightly. People who wander, then pull themselves together and live new lives.

Help all of them. All of them are your teachers, so the Way lies beyond that.

Sobaek’s master taught Sobaek thus. And.

‘Master.’

Now Sobaek was feeling the weight of those words.

‘This seems difficult.’

While feeling the death right before his eyes.

“Kkulleok!“

The metallic smell of blood vibrates in his mouth.

Coughing dryly and stepping back, Sobaek gripped his half-broken sword and forcibly executed a technique. Technique operation so refined that if martial artists saw it, they would clap saying it was excellent.

Sun-Shooting Sword

Strength Draws the Giant Bow

Point. Point. And point.

The drawn sword pours out becoming beams of light. The light beams targeting Hayul’s body’s death points bring to mind a meteor shower. Beautiful to look at, but a meteor shower where death cannot be avoided if directly encountered.

However, that story didn’t apply to Hayul. If Sobaek’s sword was a meteor shower.

Destructive Body Dance

End of Life

Hayul’s fist strike was literally something that could be called unprecedented .

Kudeudeudeueuk—!!!

A sound so bizarre and muffled it couldn’t be thought of as the sound made by fist and sword colliding.

The colliding sword fails to penetrate the fist and gets rolled up before finally breaking in the middle. The sword’s length, which originally would have been three to four cheok, shrinks to less than one cheok. Sword fragments shattering and falling like pouring starlight.

At Sobaek’s expression looking at that sight in stunned amazement, Hayul, who had withdrawn her extended fist, muttered expressionlessly.

“Regrettable.”

“…”

“If you had ten more years, it would have been a better match. If you had about thirty more years, we might have been able to compete on equal footing.”

“…It’s not… over yet.”

“You’re going to charge with bare hands? Against me?”

Hayul, who burst into a hollow laugh with a piseuk, looked Sobaek up and down and continued speaking calmly.

“Spear Window junior. You know this, right?”

“…”

“Even if I do nothing here, junior will die.”

His body was destroyed.

Ribs were out, internal organs were flipped over causing complete chaos. Despite no fist directly hitting his body, all his sensory organs were malfunctioning, and one eye—perhaps because the cornea was scraped away by flying dust—was seeing objects overlapping.

But if it were only that, it would rather be fine. Displaced ribs can heal, and flipped internal organs could somehow be managed by regulating energy and blood through breathing exercises.

What’s truly important is one thing.

The reason Sobaek can stand now.

That he’s using innate true energy.

“The reason martial artists using innate true energy become strong is one thing. They disregard their own lives.”

“…”

“Innate true energy itself isn’t strong. It’s simply pure internal power. But the moment they resolve to use it, the martial artist becomes strong.”

A martial artist who overcomes all pain and fear of death to extend their sword to accomplish only one purpose.

There’s no way they wouldn’t be strong. The driving force that allows a third-rate martial artist to defeat a second-rate martial artist, or a first-rate martial artist, lies in that. The single piece to overcome overwhelming disparity.

“Why go that far? I don’t know everything, but aren’t those behind junior not people junior needs to protect going so far?”

Seuwik!

Sobaek, who raised his hand and set up a hand blade, didn’t speak and quietly stared at Hayul. Desperate will to somehow buy time.

“…It was a foolish question.”

No matter who was standing behind him, Sobaek would have done this.

Hayul, who wore a bitter smile and clenched her fist, took a step forward. Condensing energy. Solemn momentum pressing down on all sides from above to below.

She assumes a basic stance.

Hayul, who until now had deployed techniques without any preliminary movements, spread both feet shoulder-width apart as if showing respect to the noble martial artist about to die. Words that followed.

“Destructive Body Dance , Heart Break .”

“…”

“It’s the technique that will take junior’s life.”

There will be no pain. The moment you realize your heart has been pierced, consciousness will cut off.

Hayul, who muttered quietly, extended a hand blade forward like Sobaek as if to match him. And.

The next moment.

The moment Hayul’s hand blade, compressing space to appear in front, pierced Sobaek’s heart, and Sobaek’s hand blade charged toward Hayul’s abdomen.

“Stop there.”

Sun-Shooting Sword

Previously seen.

Houyi Shoots the Sun  Flight

However, a beam of light remarkably faster than that pierced Hayul’s hand.

Kwaaaaaaaang—!!!!!

“…Ha.”

How could this be?

Looking at her half-pierced, tattered hand, Hayul burst into hollow laughter and turned her gaze. The sight of two silhouettes standing with their backs to the sun above the collapsed gorge.

“Old man. I heard you went north.”

“I’m on my way back. You rascal.”

“I thought you were completely obsolete, but you’re still vigorous.”

“…”

“You came at just the right time.”

Sword Immortal.

Hayul, who burst into a piseuk laugh, looked at the blood flowing from her hand and poked several parts of her forearm with her fingers. Her forearm instantly stanching blood as if tightly bound with something.

“Kkulleok. Great-grandmaster…!”

“Yes. It’s great-grandmaster, you bastard. Sobaek. Are you okay? Can you still fight?”

“…I’m fine.”

“Fine my foot. You bastard. You’re dying.”

The Sword Immortal, who clicked his tongue, walked down through the air as if taking a stroll. Though the amount of internal power wasn’t insignificant, Hayul clicked her tongue at the sight of him walking the air as naturally as walking on ground.

‘As expected, his skill hasn’t died yet.’

Though he hadn’t transcended like herself, in terms of operation, he might be even more excellent than when he was Sipcheon before. At least there was no room to look down on him.

Looking at the Sword Immortal’s face, which showed his age with liver spots blooming profusely, Hayul clenched and opened her fist and took a step back. And watching such Hayul, the Sword Immortal quietly stood before Sobaek.

“Old man. Are you trying to stop me alone?”

“Hmm.”

“If it were the past maybe, but not now—I’m not the me of the past.”

“Still impetuous as a wild boar hit by arrows. You rascal. You don’t know how to respect elders.”

“I know how to attack elders. I’m saying alone won’t do?”

“Who said I’m alone?”

“…?”

At the Sword Immortal’s appearance looking upward along with his words, Hayul raised her gaze to look at someone carefully descending from above. A woman of marriageable age descending while stepping on protruding parts of the cliff, not knowing how to deploy walking on air like the Sword Immortal.

“…Who is that?”

“She’s called Baek Risan.”

“Baek Ri…? Was there such a name among the masters of the previous generation with the Baek Ri surname?”

“She’s a Late-Stage Rising Star.”

“…You’ll fight together with a Late-Stage Rising Star?”

What kind of bullshit is that?

“Seems you’re looking down on me quite a bit.”

Hayul, who burst into hollow laughter, cracked her hands with a ttuduk sound and assumed a stance.

“Unintentionally, I’ve been somewhat careless until now, but… since the old man came, I don’t need to hold back anymore, right?”

“Only your mouth is alive.”

“I don’t have much time either. It’s noisy in my head, constantly telling me to hurry up and finish.”

Muhyeong was shouting. That almost all other resources had run out. That if she dragged out time any longer, he’d cut off her life.

‘Even though if I die, after recovering I can be used again.’

Isn’t that quite petty?

“Your stamina has dropped considerably, hasn’t it?”

“…”

“This is the last courtesy. I’ll finish you before your stamina drops.”

Sticking out her tongue with a merong, Hayul clenched her fist tightly. The somewhat leisurely air she’d had until now disappeared, and Hayul’s basic stance showed even resolute will.

She puts strength into her heels.

She leans her body and twists her waist. The Sword Immortal will surely fight with the extreme swift sword that’s Spear Window’s method.

She’ll crush that swift sword head-on. So there are no openings from front, back, left, or right—whether he dodges or not, whether he can’t dodge or not—so she can blow away all directions.

Destructive Body Dance

A bizarre martial art of dancing while destroying one’s own body.

Backlash comes. However, its power is certain. No matter how much of a Sipcheon one is, this strike won’t be easily received.

‘My victory.’

Heaven’s Fall

Confirming the internal power that repeatedly splits and gathers at her fist tip, generating tremendous force, Hayul wore a small smile. And.

The moment Hayul’s fist pierced through empty air and its aftermath literally collapsed space as it arrived.

“…Whew.”

Baek Risan let out a small sigh.

Fire Heaven Sword Flow  Modified

Baek Riyun Style

A pale flame somewhat resembling lightning pierced through Hayul’s fist.

Fire Heaven Divine Flow