Chapter 417: Sparkling Radiance
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The fearsome cluster of starlight wrapped around the blue blade quietly subsided.
Thus, Cheol Ryu-heun stored away the Sword Steel operated with divine energy.
Because he needed to conserve divine energy for the final battle.
‘Improved.’
He was satisfied.
It had become stronger than the previous Sword Steel.
Of course, its mere execution made it the ultimate, supremely powerful swordsmanship ultimate technique, but as the divine energy of the Divine Martial Sword era was completely recovered, its power had been strengthened.
At last, he had come to wield Sword Steel at the same level as the past Sword Emperor Buk Ga Shin’s prime.
However.
Compared to the current Sword Emperor, it was an insufficient level.
Why.
Because he existed like a god within a mystical and unknown domain presumed to be the Great Universe.
Was it only that one?
Of course Heavenly Demon, and also Evil Emperor Yul-Cheon, Martial Immortal Dongbang Ya, Blood God Mu-wol as well.
All of them were still alive like gods of the constellation.
It seemed they were no longer human beings made of blood and flesh, but somehow….
‘They must all possess wondrous knowledge and power beyond what I imagine. Wait for me. I will definitely come to meet you. And I too will obtain that power.’
While Cheol Ryu-heun was monologuing internally, the Zhurong Fire-Controlling Bead was in the midst of sucking in green flames from all directions.
SHWISHWISHWISHWI… SHWISHWISHWISHWISHWIS… SEUREUREUREUK… SEUREUREUREUREUREUK…
Meanwhile.
A strange tension spread through the chaotic battlefield.
Everyone recognized it.
The darkness in that sky, approaching while gradually devouring the bright sunlight.
Soon, this space would be dyed black like pitch darkness.
No.
The vast entirety of the Shiwan Mountains would become darkness.
But there was not a trace of agitation on the faces of the party following Cheol Ryu-heun.
Because it was something already anticipated.
Everything was within the scope of Cheol Ryu-heun’s calculations.
Because of that, though everyone felt the tension brought by the darkness, their gazes held no wavering.
The young man called Cheol Ryu-heun was now a kind of faith that had taken root deep in their hearts.
Just as much, absolute trust had coiled up massively in each of their hearts.
No one harbored doubts toward Cheol Ryu-heun.
The question of how someone with merely twenty years to their name, such short experience, had come to possess such remarkable foresight and intuition remained a mystery but….
At some point, more than half the gang that had been pressuring and combined-attacking Namgung Sang-rin had perished.
Just then, another one died.
CHWAHAAAK!
A head shot up, scattering blood, then fell to the ground.
Thus, only three middle General-level masters remained around Namgung Sang-rin.
“Keuk…”
“Damn it all…”
“Huuu, Huuu…”
The three Middle General looked exhausted.
They had been attacking without rest until now, but no openings could be seen at all, so they had only lost more strength.
In contrast, Namgung Sang-rin’s face overflowed with vitality.
A spirit and fighting resolve as a righteous path prominent family-born chivalrous man were blazing fiercely in his pitch-black two pupils.
The Heaven Reliance Sword, too, having synchronized with its owner’s heart, scattered eerie sharp energy.
Yet the enemies didn’t know.
That Namgung Sang-rin, having faced Unorthodox Saber Master Yu Ma-jong earlier, had also consumed a considerable amount of internal power and was somewhat tired.
That was only natural.
His opponent had been the Division Commander of the Detached Three Army Corps, after all.
Moreover, it had been martial power surpassing the living Nine Springs Demon Dragon Sang-jan by one level.
Therefore, he too had engaged without holding back his internal power.
It had been a fight where he gave his all.
Thanks to fighting like that, he had even severed Yu Ma-jong’s left hand.
Of course, the achievement of Nine-Grade Martial Bone played a large part in that.
It had defended as firmly as an iron wall against the opponent’s energy penetration.
Anyway, the fact that he was somewhat tired was the truth.
However.
The martial power that Namgung Sang-rin was emitting was still as fierce as can be.
That completely concealed any signs of fatigue.
Suddenly, an indifferent Sound Transmission knocked at Namgung Sang-rin’s eardrums.
It was Cheol Ryu-heun.
Namgung Sang-rin, who had been busily fighting, only then realized that Yu Ma-jong had died.
Having answered audaciously by Sound Transmission, Namgung Sang-rin injected massive true energy into the Heaven Reliance Sword.
Thus, the blade embraced the grand sky again and moved.
SSWAEAEK!
The Heaven Reliance Sword traversed the front.
Simultaneously, the blue-sky sword energy exploded out.
Supremely powerful internal power transcending age to an impossible degree was released.
It was a broad and mighty sword technique.
JJEOJEOJEONG… PEOPEOPEOPONG!
To the massive sword force, the three Middle Generals’ bodies retreated in peril.
How great was the power that each of their upper bodies bent backward to the fullest extent.
It was not a sword technique that could simply be called strong.
It was truly nature’s phenomena and essence.
It was as if the power of heaven was being emitted through a human body.
In that opening, Namgung Sang-rin quickly stepped footwork.
Distance rapidly compressing.
Among the three, the General in the middle became his target.
PUHAAAK!
A sound as if slicing a chunk of meat burst out.
Instant death.
The Middle General died, bisected at the torso.
The remaining two scattered in fright.
PABAK, PABABAK!
Dispersing to left and right.
Namgung Sang-rin, having twisted his body, moved to the right.
The distance closed in an instant.
The Heaven Reliance Sword that had become the sky had no mercy.
KWACHAHANG… CHYUUUK!
It cleanly split both the sword that the opponent had hurriedly held up to defend, as well as his upper body.
The overwhelming majesty of the sword form that unleashed supremely powerful internal power.
Before the blood could even dampen the ground, Namgung Sang-rin shot HWIK! to the left like a flash.
The Middle General in that direction managed to defend, thanks to the slight time gap.
KANG, KAKANG, KANG!
Each time metallic sounds rang out, the body staggered backward and was pushed back.
Thanks to the brief… truly momentary… time gap, he succeeded in defending, yet barely holding on was the extent of it.
And that flow soon broke.
By the operation of the sword path that Namgung Sang-rin had devised.
CHAECHENG… TEONG… KKAKANG… PONG!
Sword work that seemed to break off then still connected as one.
It was an essence combining Sword Emperor Buk Ga-shin’s authentic transmission Heaven Emperor Sword Technique with various swordsmanship ultimate techniques of the Namgung Family.
The unique muscular strength of Nine-Grade Martial Bone was added to that.
JJEOGEOEONG… KKWAJAJAK!
The sword of the General who clashed with the Heaven Reliance Sword was shattered.
PUHAAAAK…!
His arm was cut off hideously.
In that moment, the General withdrew his body.
He was certainly a master befitting the Detached Three Army Corps cadre, possessing extraordinary mental strength.
Yet there was nothing he could do other than pull his body back.
In an instant.
KWAHAA…
The blue sky rapidly pressed into the General’s field of vision.
As if saying that even straining to retreat was futile.
It was the blue-sky sword energy that had charged forth grandly and brilliantly.
KWAGWAGWAGWAGWAGWANG!
An explosive sound that shook between heaven and earth.
The General, covered by the vast sky, vanished without a trace and died.
Before anyone knew it, Cheol Ryu-heun had taken position near Namgung Sang-rin.
“Catch your breath by my side.”
“Pardon? But everyone is still…”
“This is a fight that will soon be finished. You need to prepare for the real start.”
At those words, Namgung Sang-rin quietly gazed at the distant sky.
Darkness that had drawn close.
It was truly a bizarre and wondrous phenomenon.
To call a sudden night by blocking the sun.
THUMP THUMP,
His heart began to beat anew.
‘Just one big battle left.’
Then he withdrew his gaze and looked around at the battle situation.
The first thing that instantly caught his eye was the party of his younger brother.
Namgung Heon-rin and Jeon Kwae, and Murong Seol and Murong Song.
‘Hmm, they should be fine.’
Namgung Sang-rin felt relieved seeing those four fighting together.
They had never practiced coordinating, yet the transitions between offense and defense were as if gears were meshing with each other.
It was a scene demonstrating each of their outstanding martial prowess.
Next, his gaze returned to where Hae Su-yeon was.
Another realm of Body-Sword Unity was unfolding there.
Hae Su-yeon’s hand techniques, dancing with the Bewitching Flower Sword, were too beautiful.
The enemies who were mesmerized by that bewitching energy fell into confusion.
He even saw scenes where they were pointing swords at each other.
A spectacle of energy sense and spirit being wildly disrupted.
The Bewitching Flower Sword bloomed flowers, and sword energy spread in all directions like butterflies and bees to create screams.
“Uk!”
“Kkeuheoeok!”
“Aaak!”
Thus, before the peerless beauty’s merciless judgment, the enemies headed for hell in succession.
Cui Lan was also active here and there in a flash.
She didn’t stay in one place.
Wherever a small opening appeared, she would show up and thrust her sword.
She killed enemies and vanished, then killed again and vanished repeatedly.
Sometimes she used Kill Buddha Goddess Poong Woo-hee’s Phantom Body Illusion Technique to confuse the enemies’ vision as well.
Thus, Cui Lan was displaying the completed martial arts of the assassin’s path, befitting the sole disciple of her master Head-Severing Yama Seop-pyo.
And.
Another sky existed here just like Namgung Sang-rin.
The martial talent produced by Azure Heaven Sword Sect and a guest retainer of White Peak Sword Sect, Blue Wave Sword Seol Pan-gyo.
His remarkably advanced martial prowess had now far transcended that of a mere martial talent, arriving at an even loftier place.
It was the same for Mae Yak-bang, who formed a pair with him.
Within the sky that Seol Pan-gyo drew, she had become a single swallow.
Watching her movements, one could feel that she possessed both light sword speed and heavy sword force alike.
The sword that spread the blue sky, the sword that soared through it like a swallow.
It was truly a formidable combination.
The other personnel in other locations were also displaying brilliant activity.
At that time, one martial artist seized Namgung Sang-rin’s gaze.
A young man swinging his sword while alternately raising blue-tinged flames and purple-tinged flames.
It was Dark Hall Master Dark Fragrance Sword Mun-bin, armed with the Ink Divine Robe.
The sword energy released through his hand techniques rang with a ghost valley sound and exploded.
UUUUUUUU… KWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG!
And by that power, a warrior in the enemy camp was devastated.
“Keo…”
It was the Second Great General who led the Eastern Heaven Division.
He, having exchanged some forty blows with Mun-bin, suffered a fatal wound from the formidable sword form.
Ink Soul Sword Technique.
The authentic transmission of Ink Sword Saint, who was the owner of the Ink Divine Robe a thousand years ago and had reigned as a warrior of the Unorthodox Jianghu.
By that ultimate technique, the exact center of his upper body had been pierced.
‘Impressive. Going forward, he will stand tall as a hegemon commanding the entire Unorthodox Jianghu.’
The fights happening elsewhere were flowing similarly.
Enemies were in rout and ruin before the fierce might of warriors like Sword Wheel Crown Prince Gwi Je-shin, Solar Sun Great Lord Beop-yeol, Northern Heavens Saber Venerable Peng Cheon-jin, and New Province Sword Saint Dokgo In-wang.
The same was true for the party engaging enemies near Gun Mu-ak, who had subdued Great Sword Tyrant Lord Danmok Cheon and was maintaining the Heavenly Demon Black Soul Coffin over there.
Meng Wang dominated the battlefield, having become one body with the Stone Cliff Supreme Elephant.
And Meng Min along with the elite personnel of South Embrace Poison Palace, and Heavenly Demon Cult’s Eun Yi-bi and Ya Baek-ji, also swept away the surrounding enemies indiscriminately.
Namgung Sang-rin soon spoke quietly.
“As Sect Master says, the end of this battle is imminent. Now that things have come to this, I’m quite surprised. I never expected we would achieve victory so quickly…”
Then Cheol Ryu-heun’s disinterested response followed.
“Once it’s over, we’ll need to wait for about half a shichen. Since everyone needs to replenish the energy they’ve consumed. After that, I intend to proceed in a straight line to the enemy base. To conserve time by taking the shortest distance, while destroying all the deadly formations blocking our way.”
“Yes, Sect Master.”
In that midst, one person’s gaze suddenly changed.
It was Gun Mu-ak.
It was because of an inexplicable discomfort.
‘What is this?’
He raised his head and looked at the sky where darkness was settling.
‘Is it because of that?’
Soon, his two eyes regained their original light and calmed.
‘Is some power I don’t know about lurking within that darkness? Whatever it is, use it as much as you like. I’ll smash it with power.’
* * *
SASAK.
One man, having emerged through the dense thicket, clasped his hands and reported.
“I have a report. Just now, a Heretic Cult figure from the previous era has appeared in a nearby valley.”
It was the man called Xianyu Ershan, who was performing the Vice General position that assisted each of the Heaven Emperor Society’s Divine Generals.
The target of the report was naturally Black Tortoise Divine General Wang-ryu.
“A previous era Heretic Cult figure? Who?”
At Wang-ryu’s question, Xianyu Ershan immediately answered.
“Shin So-sul.”