Chapter 31
Reverse Karma Cult (4)
Crackle!
Blue lightning enveloping Namgung Jun's entire body released sharp peals of thunder.
The violent aura erupting from the edges of that lightning swept harshly across the skin of the surrounding martial artists.
Internal energy manifested outside the body.
A translucent aura carrying the distinct color of one's cultivation.
Proof that he had entered the Supreme Realm.
Young Hero Namgung reached the Supreme Realm just like that?
Was it the Solar Flame Marten's inner core that pushed him through?
Neither Heo Il nor Gong Junam could take their eyes off the blue lightning surrounding their junior.
The lightning was woven as elegantly as a silk robe, yet it surged violently with every breath he took.
Perhaps because he had forcibly absorbed the inner core's power through unconventional means, the aura pouring from him was highly unstable.
They immediately realized that Namgung Jun's earlier words had not been mere bravado.
If anything, he had been thinking of them.
The two swordsmen glanced down.
Blood had pooled thickly around their feet.
Though only a short time had passed, the injuries they had sustained while holding back the cult leader were severe.
If they suffered even one more serious wound, death was a real possibility.
Their junior standing before them had likely understood that.
Namgung Jun slowly lowered his sword.
“Seniors, please guard the hall entrance and protect the commoners.”
The two swordsmen turned their heads in different directions.
The surrounding cultists were making no effort to hide their intentions.
The moment an opportunity appeared, they would rush forward and retake the entrance.
“Young Hero Namgung.”
“...”
“Young Hero Namgung. Are you truly alright?”
Namgung Jun simply nodded.
Heo Il let out a relieved sigh and rubbed his trembling right hand.
To control that much power... only Young Hero Namgung could accomplish such a thing.
He looked as though he might suffer qi deviation at any moment, yet somehow he was suppressing it through sheer mastery of internal energy control.
Meanwhile, Gong Junam still held his greatsword horizontally, keeping the cult leader in check.
Namgung Jun succeeded. Our chances of holding out have increased slightly.
Even so, they could not relax.
Their opponent was a supreme master who had achieved Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
Then—
Namgung Jun stepped forward, standing before both seniors.
“I will personally face the Reverse Karma Cult Leader.”
Neither Heo Il nor Gong Junam replied.
Heo Il's expression turned grave.
Gong Junam pressed his lips tightly together.
No matter how extraordinary Namgung Jun's talent may be...
The gap in martial prowess was simply too vast.
If he managed to survive even three exchanges, it would already be worthy of praise.
As the two swordsmen worried, Namgung Jun glanced back over his shoulder.
“It'll be fine.”
The faint curve of a smile visible from the side somehow restored their composure.
Then Namgung Jun turned and walked toward the cult leader.
“Either you're fearless—or you've suffered a blow to the head.”
The cult leader abruptly stopped speaking.
The moment his eyes met Namgung Jun's, the instincts of a supreme master sounded a warning.
What is this? What is it about him?
He could scarcely believe he felt threatened by a youth who had only just entered the Supreme Realm.
Had the boy hidden some unfathomable power?
The hesitation lasted only a moment.
The cult leader strode forward.
Whatever the Azure Sky Society brat was hiding, it did not matter.
As long as he remained cautious, he would not lose.
The eyes of the cult leader darkened as he extended his saber.
Under normal circumstances, he would have casually swung it.
That alone would have been enough to cut down the boy before him.
Instead, he unleashed a technique with his full concentration, as though facing an equal opponent.
Rumored Moon Scattering Saber.
A saber art of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult centered around bizarre trajectories and intricate techniques.
Ziiiiing!
Crescent-shaped saber strikes twisted repeatedly through the air, producing strange buzzing sounds like the cries of insects.
The cult leader intended to carve Namgung Jun into pieces with a single attack.
Facing sixteen converging saber strikes from multiple angles, Namgung Jun's response was simple.
Heavenly Wind Sword Art.
Following a swift, direct thrust, a towering sword wind surged upward toward the heavens.
The sword wind penetrated among the dozens of saber strikes as though slipping between them.
Then it charged forward heavily, sweeping the attacks aside.
Though he dismantled the technique head-on, Namgung Jun's body was pushed backward once more.
He had accurately targeted the flow and weaknesses of the technique.
The problem was the overwhelming difference in power.
He had reached the Supreme Realm through opening a blockage.
He was even pouring every remaining bit of the inner core's energy into his sword.
Yet the gap in absolute martial strength remained enormous.
The fact that he could exchange blows at all bordered on a miracle.
“Hoh.”
Even after seeing Namgung Jun retreat, the cult leader did not immediately press the attack.
The sword strike he had just witnessed was simply too unbelievable.
What was that? He perfectly dismantled my technique.
Certainly, the sword wind Namgung Jun unleashed was powerful for someone of his apparent level.
But it should not have been strong enough to overpower the cult leader's technique outright.
And the cult leader had clearly seen it.
The sword wind had traced the exact reverse path of his attack and severed its flow at the critical points.
Just what are you?
The cult leader hastily withdrew his saber and swept it horizontally.
A crimson crescent burst forth, tearing across the ground and overturning everything in its path.
KRAAAASH!
Even as his vision filled with red light, Namgung Jun drew a wide arc with his body and smoothly pushed his sword forward.
His wrist twisted slightly at an angle.
The blade followed with subtle adjustments.
Unlike before, his sword now released power softly and fluidly.
It was a movement from Cloud-Winding Layered Wall Stance.
Lightning qi stretched along the sword's path like the branches of a tree, gently diverting the incoming saber attack.
Using the profound principles of Cloud-Winding Layered Wall Stance, he redirected and dispersed as much force as possible.
Even so, it felt as though his wrist might shatter at any moment.
Yet Namgung Jun's expression never changed.
“You brat!”
The cult leader attempted to crush the stance through sheer force.
At the perfect moment, however, Namgung Jun switched back to the Heavenly Wind Sword Art and endured head-on.
BOOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted.
Blood sprayed from the corner of Namgung Jun's mouth.
Yet his posture remained intact.
He accepted every attack.
Twisted and battered by overwhelming force, he nonetheless maintained an uncanny stability while continuing to thrust his sword.
The cult leader did not miss the beads of sweat gathering on Namgung Jun's forehead.
The boy was struggling.
Naturally, he should have been.
It was already absurd that a youth who had only just entered the Supreme Realm could withstand the full-force assault of a master who had achieved Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
THUD!
The Reverse Karma Cult Leader stepped firmly into his stance and drew up his aura.
His blade descended, seeking to split Namgung Jun's head in two.
The accumulated impact of countless exchanges churned Namgung Jun's insides.
Again and again, he swallowed the blood rising into his throat.
Widening his stance, he swung his sword upward with all his strength.
KWAANG!
The ground beneath his feet caved in.
Yet somehow, he endured without falling.
“Huff...”
Even as he swayed precariously, Namgung Jun held his breath.
He still had confidence that he could withstand dozens more exchanges.
The energy of the inner core that he had yet to fully refine still surged through his meridians.
If he sat down and circulated it properly, he could achieve tremendous gains.
But that would be greed in the current situation.
Simply burning away the remaining energy to temporarily draw out power beyond his realm was enough.
Crackle!
As though proving his resolve, the blue lightning surrounding him continued to flash violently.
Namgung Jun charged once more.
His opponent was a supreme master who had achieved Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
A man who existed in a different flow of time.
As long as Namgung Jun himself had not reached that realm, it was a gap that could never truly be bridged.
But Namgung Jun possessed memories from his previous life.
The Sword Emperor had naturally reached Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
He understood the unique perception of time enjoyed by supreme masters.
Twenty-four exchanges.
Based on everything that had happened so far, he analyzed the cult leader's techniques and calculated.
From this point onward, it was no longer a matter of perception.
It was a matter of prediction.
And to make those predictions certain...
He had to limit and guide his opponent's options.
A saber strike came for his ankle.
He leaped to evade it.
At the same instant, a straight saber was already rushing toward his flank.
Yet Namgung Jun had anticipated it and twisted his waist halfway around beforehand.
Slash!
Blood erupted from his side.
A burning sensation spread through him as though he had been pierced by a red-hot iron rod.
The saber had sliced across his flank.
Even so, his feet never stopped moving.
As long as his waist was not severed and his organs remained intact, that was enough.
He could still move.
Against an opponent who surpassed him in every aspect, injuries were inevitable if he wished to seize control of the distance.
Because of that sacrifice, he secured exactly the position he wanted.
The optimal range.
Upper left.
Namgung Jun thrust his sword into seemingly empty air.
Heavenly Wind Sword Art.
Autumn Gazing Beneath Heaven.
A cool sword wind, like the autumn sky itself, swept violently across the battlefield.
At that moment, countless crimson lines appeared before Namgung Jun's eyes.
A chain of killing blows.
A single mistake would mean death.
Like a tightrope walker traversing a blade's edge, Namgung Jun hurled himself forward without hesitation.
JJEEEEONG!
The sword in his hand trembled violently.
It cried out with a pitiful metallic wail, as though it might shatter at any moment.
The impact was nearly unbearable.
His palms split open, blood soaking the hilt.
Still, he refused to let go.
Boom!
Instead, he stamped his foot and drove his sword forward.
His eyes tracked the exact path of the cult leader's saber.
A moment brief enough to divide an instant into five parts.
Within that infinitesimal span, Namgung Jun saw it.
A tiny opening.
Half a breath from now, an opportunity appears!
The movement energy of Infinite Step empowered his blood-soaked feet.
He avoided the slash aimed at his dantian and twisted his body through the air.
The force generated by the rotation of every muscle flowed into the sword through the profound principles of force transmission.
At the same time, all the lightning qi raging throughout his body condensed into the blade.
The reckless movement tore open wounds across his entire body.
Blood sprayed in great quantities.
His battered internal organs churned violently, threatening to rupture.
A tidal wave of pain followed.
Yet Namgung Jun's eyes only shone brighter.
As though he were pouring every last ounce of strength into this single strike.
Shuaaak!
Though he lacked even a foothold beneath his feet, his sword path flowed smoothly and beautifully forward.
Thirteen Flashing Thunderbolt Sword Paths.
Thirteenth Form—One Lightning Strike.
JJEEEEEEEEONG!
For the first time, the Reverse Karma Cult Leader was forced to halt his movement.
“Tch.”
Suppressing the distortion in his expression, he grabbed his left shoulder.
The protective qi covering it remained intact.
Yet he could not remove his hand.
The presence of the lightning qi that had infiltrated his meridians was growing heavier with every moment.
“You... used an Internal Destruction Technique through your sword? No—even if you did, how did you bypass my Protective Qi?”
Half a breath later, realization dawned upon him.
He analyzed the structure of the internal energy composing my Protective Qi and created sword qi that flowed along its currents...
The sword qi had slipped through as though passing directly through the Protective Qi.
Then it employed the principles of Internal Destruction, tearing through the meridians beneath.
The cult leader instantly understood what had happened.
A chill ran down his spine.
Even supreme masters would struggle to accomplish such a feat.
And yet the youth before him had only just entered the Supreme Realm.
To achieve something like this in such a short time...
His talent was beyond measure.
Yet such a monstrous genius belonged to the Azure Sky Society?
As a servant of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult, he could never tolerate that.
“You are someone who must die.”
The cult leader slowly steadied his breathing.
Though he had suffered internal injuries from the unexpected strike, they were not fatal.
He could still fight.
His saber turned toward Namgung Jun once more.
Yet Namgung Jun did not react.
“You're human after all. You've simply run out of strength.”
“Reverse Karma Cult Leader. Have your senses become dulled from such a minor injury?”
“What?”
The cult leader, whose entire focus had been fixed on Namgung Jun, flinched.
At once, he spread his perception outward.
At that exact moment—
A brilliant azure bolt of lightning descended from the heavens.
KRAAAAAA-BOOOOM!
The lightning overturned the ground in an instant.
Then it took the shape of a human being.
A black palace robe embroidered with four clouds.
A black outer cloak draped over it.
Pure lightning crackled violently around him, spreading fierce waves of aura in every direction.
Long hair fluttered like the curtain of night itself, shielding Namgung Jun from danger.
The cult leader bit his lip as he stared at the supreme master standing protectively before the young swordsman.
No follower of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult could fail to recognize that figure.
“Azure Cloud Wanderer!”
Lee Seha.
Master of the Heavenly Sword Hall.
The master gazed silently at the villain who had sought to oppress his disciple.
Every strand of his raised eyelashes carried the sharpness of a drawn blade.