Chapter 77: The Gap in Power
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In the blink of an eye.
No, in even less time than that.
Thud.
Wenren Yindao’s heart sank.
The opponent’s sword tip enlarging within his pupils.
Time suddenly felt like it was slowing down, and all the blood in his body felt like it was freezing cold.
The crisis of death.
Danger!
Must dodge!
Right now!
Action preceded that thought.
Instinct rising like thorns across his whole body seized his flesh and pulled it toward the ground.
The sword tip projected in his jet-black pupils immediately disappeared, and instead grass-covered ground swept in and stuck, then open air briefly passed by again.
A rapid shift of vision.
He had bent his body far forward and rolled once on the ground in a circle.
CLANG!
No sooner had the metallic sound of the Ganjiang Sword’s tip striking the wall burst forth than.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-!
The wall surface that had cracked in a circular pattern from the powerful sword force immediately caved in and was ruthlessly destroyed.
CRUMBLE, CRUMB-CRUMBLE-
Stone fragments scattered along with thick dust.
Wenren Yindao, hearing that sound from behind, shot forward the moment he sprang to his feet, using the recoil.
How shameful.
To roll on the ground.
Wasn’t this a humiliating response for a supposed first-rate swordsman?
However, thanks to that instinctively triggered rolling motion, he had narrowly escaped the crisis and saved his life.
The moment Wenren Yindao, having gained distance through the recoil-propelled advance, spun around again.
FLUTTER-
Without knowing when he had leaped, Cheol Ryu-heun was rapidly falling toward his head, his robes flapping.
A vertical slash crossing the air.
‘Gah!’
Wenren Yindao’s eyes widened.
After rolling once on the ground and then putting distance while turning his body back around, that rushing attack had squeezed through that exceedingly brief gap.
Before surprise, his right hand raised the sword it held.
Again, an instinctive reaction.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-!
When the energy loaded in each sword collided, transparent ripples spread through that space.
KABOOM…!
“Guhk!”
Wenren Yindao, pressed down by the heavy force, got down on his left knee with a THUD while holding his sword.
CRACK-CRACK-!
The ground beneath his feet caved in a circle, letting out an agonized cry.
CREAK, CREE-CREAK.
The friction sound of the two blades touching above and below made goosebumps rise.
The jet-black pupils of Wenren Yindao, who had lost his body’s center under the heavy pressure, created great tremors.
It was incomprehensible.
It was truly the blink of an eye.
The transition from a forward thrusting posture to immediately turning around, leaping, and executing a slash.
It was terror itself.
The speed at which attacks changed was truly terrifying.
The time gap simply didn’t make sense.
In reality, moving like that while operating ascending internal energy should place enormous burden on the muscles and energy meridians, yet there wasn’t even a hint of that.
He’s insane.
That thing could literally be called a monster.
The fight had only just begun, yet he was already intimidated by that overwhelming force.
The thought that perhaps Jeo Gyeom would display such majesty when unleashing his full power invaded his mind.
A sudden kiai.
“Chaat!”
Wenren Yindao thrust out his left palm forcefully as if steadying his heart.
PA-FWAP-!
Palm force loaded with plenty of internal energy.
Again, it was a massive cultivation of over eighty percent.
But then.
SWOOSH.
The palm attack just sliced through empty wind and passed by.
Futilely.
Cheol Ryu-heun had already detached his sword from where it touched and moved rapidly to the left.
His move had been read.
SHWING!
The Ganjiang Sword rushed fiercely.
Aimed at the side of his torso.
It was a sword attack as rapid as the movement.
Wenren Yindao, unable to even catch his breath, twisted his body in that direction and raised his sword straight up, injecting vital energy.
CLANG-!
The fierce clash of blades.
Currents spreading in circles like ripples.
The expression of Wenren Yindao, who had barely blocked, twisted sharply.
RETCH.
Nausea rose from the force vibrating through his body.
Indeed.
The cultivation accompanying the thrust far exceeded his expectations.
Following that.
WHOONG-
Wenren Yindao felt a wind sound graze his ears at the same time as a CRASH! of massive impact hit his back.
‘KAHAWK!’
Still in the motion of blocking Cheol Ryu-heun’s blade, he had been pushed in a single stroke to the rear wall and collided with it.
Immediately after.
“RETCH!”
Wenren Yindao finally spewed bitter blood from his mouth as his nausea exploded.
‘I blocked it…!’
But that was the only thing.
The considerable sword power he had used for defense had been ignored.
The gap in power, clearly revealed through just that one exchange.
He had avoided external injury.
Instead, he had taken internal injury.
The stinging pain spreading along the Chong meridian inside his body was continually inducing nausea.
He finally felt it viscerally.
Just how strong the cultivation was that the Brandished Sword Three had experienced firsthand from Cheol Ryu-heun.
The difference between seeing with eyes and experiencing with body was truly greater than he had imagined.
Suddenly.
CLANG- TANG- CLANG-!
Metal sounds announcing the fight elsewhere rang out continuously.
The others seemed to be launching combined attacks and pressing hard against Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk.
However, Wenren Yindao had no leisure to survey the surrounding battle situation and whatnot.
Naturally.
When even protecting his own body was overwhelming.
Honestly, he felt regret.
It would have been much better to just let Jeo Gyeom fight first and then support him in coordination.
Not overcoming greed had led to this result.
However, he couldn’t give up easily.
The moment he let go of the thread of winning here, Jeo Gyeom would definitely let go of him and the Ashen Heart Sect too.
Discarding after use.
Jeo Gyeom was more than capable of doing such a thing.
There was already precedent.
Just looking at his disciple Dark Sword Fragrance Mun Bin’s case, he had cut off relations and abandoned him without mercy.
Right at that moment.
FLASH.
Cheol Ryu-heun’s sword was instantly raised high above his shoulder.
SHWIIING-!
It fell fiercely, outpacing the keen cutting sound.
A vertical sword attack.
A basic slashing form found in the beginning chapter of the White Peak Sword Scripture.
From top to bottom.
Straight down.
It was merely a slash that any White Peak Sword Sect disciple could execute.
However, the power contained in the sword was so heavy it could be called near ultimate technique level.
Was it only heavy?
Fast.
Not something to perceive with vision but a terrifying speed that one might barely respond to by first reading it with maximized energy sense.
Meet it head on?
No way.
If he did that, his sword would probably shatter into pieces.
If he raised his personal cultivation to maximum, he might be able to block it, but that was too urgent and the internal injury was a big problem.
Buying time was the urgent priority.
First, he needed to settle his impacted energy meridians before he could properly operate maximum cultivation.
FWIP.
Wenren Yindao immediately moved swiftly to the side while his back was still against the wall.
SCRAPE-
His clothes were scraped and torn, but he didn’t care.
It was called evasive movement, but it was no different from tucking tail and running away.
In an instant.
STOP.
Cheol Ryu-heun’s heavy slash suddenly stopped, and immediately it rushed straight toward Wenren Yindao who had moved to the side.
SHWIIING-!
A thrusting attack accompanied by sword wind.
An abrupt transition.
Still an incomprehensible movement.
Changing from a slash loaded with massive cultivation to a thrust scattering sword wind in an instant.
A profound use that departed from common sense.
Swinging like that would cause the blood and energy to receive great pressure as the flow of internal energy technique rapidly twisted, and the possibility of rupturing was very high.
Even if once or twice was fine, any ordinary master should properly refrain from such things from the outset.
Yet Cheol Ryu-heun was executing it expressionlessly as if it were nothing.
‘Urk!’
Wenren Yindao quickly flipped his upper body.
A strand of sword wind barely grazed past above him.
Before he knew it, Cheol Ryu-heun had compressed the gap and executed a vertically dropping slash.
‘…!’
Wenren Yindao’s heart sank.
Too late.
To dodge with orthodox movement.
The survival instinct dominating his chest made him execute another humiliating movement.
ROLL-ROLL-ROLL.
A body rolling rapidly along the side floor was shaking off the last remaining pride in his chest.
The Ganjiang Sword Cheol Ryu-heun swung split the air by a hair’s breadth and smashed the ground hard.
KA-BANG-!
Wenren Yindao pushed that clamorous sound to the back of his ears and stood up propping his hand on the floor.
‘Damn!’
It was too shameful.
What could he do?
He had to survive first.
The moment he tightly bit his molars and explosively burst vital energy through the Yongquan points on both soles.
PA-BANG!
His figure, using the repelling force, flew backward and opened the gap even more.
Suddenly, someone’s secretive telepathy reached his ears.
<He is continuously consuming large amounts of cultivation.>
It was Jeo Gyeom.
In an instant.
FLICK!
Cheol Ryu-heun instantly compressed the gap and swung the Ganjiang Sword in his right hand horizontally.
SHWIIING-!
The startled Wenren Yindao quickly ducked his upper body to dodge, then immediately moved to the side and opened the distance again.
At that moment, the telepathy Jeo Gyeom sent reached his ears again.
<Prepare a counterattack with maximum cultivation. I will follow up.>
At that, Wenren Yindao’s eyes lit up with interest.
‘We win anyway!’
He acknowledged that Cheol Ryu-heun was strong.
But.
He had consumed great cultivation in a short time.
Since internal cultivation was absolutely not infinite, if Jeo Gyeom timely operated mighty cultivation and unleashed an offensive, they would definitely seize the momentum.
If he prepared a counterattack with maximum cultivation as Jeo Gyeom had just indicated via telepathy and drained away more of his power, he would have done his job.
Then leave the rest to Jeo Gyeom.
Some time was needed first.
Right, just a little more, just a little more.
Let’s focus on evasion while settling the energy meridians, then aim for an opportunity to counterattack with maximum cultivation’s ultimate technique.
SWISH-!
Sharp sword wind Cheol Ryu-heun shot flew toward the opponent’s head across the gap.
Having deftly dodged that too, Wenren Yindao used footwork to retreat and secure about four jang of distance, then rapidly circulated his lower dantian.
A massive amount of vital energy that rose like waves from the Qihai point rushed through the energy meridians, settled the pressure points, and concentrated entirely in the sword held in his right hand.
HUMMMM!
A trembling blade.
It was proof that maximum cultivation was loaded in the sword.
Cheol Ryu-heun was about to charge again.
‘Here it comes!’
Sensing that, Wenren Yindao desperately swung his sword and unleashed a decisive ultimate technique containing maximum cultivation.
PA-FWAAAT-!
A blade extending straight forward.
At almost the same moment, Cheol Ryu-heun began his charge.
Following the movement of Wenren Yindao’s hand, a bead-like energy formed at the sword tip and then FLASH! split into three strands before being released.
The upper elongated sword energy like a saw blade, the middle broad sword energy like an axe blade, and the lower round sword energy like a scythe blade.
SHWAAAAAAAT-!
Thus, sword energies transforming from one sphere of energy to three forms of energy as they advanced.
Three-Advance Heartless Sword.
The final ultimate technique within the Cold Blood Eleven Swords and the ultimate finishing skill representing the prestige of his personal alias Cold Blood Evil Sword Peak.
Cheol Ryu-heun did not slow down, executing a vertical slash against the Three-Advance Heartless Sword.
White sword energy bent out chaotically in straight lines following the blade.
SCHRI-SCHRI-SCHRICK- SCHRI-SCHRI-SCHRI-SCHRICK- SCHRI-SCHRICK-!
The Three-Advance Heartless Sword resembling saw blade, axe blade, and scythe blade was shattered all at once, letting out a great explosion.
KA-KA-KA-KA-BOOM-!
White Peak Sword Scripture final chapter’s third ultimate technique.
Mountain Road.
Wenren Yindao, having immediately recognized its characteristics, shouted internally.
‘Now!’
Cheol Ryu-heun had just consumed massive internal cultivation once more while executing the ultimate technique Mountain Road, said to be the essence of White Peak Sword Sect sword arts.
If Jeo Gyeom, who had agreed to step in after the maximum cultivation counterattack, struck at this opening, he should be able to land a blow.
However.
Jeo Gyeom did not move.
‘…!’
Before Wenren Yindao could even harbor doubt, Cheol Ryu-heun charged in like lightning, pressed close, and swung down the Ganjiang Sword in his right hand.
SCHRIIIICK-!
Along with a gruesome sound, Wenren Yindao’s right arm was completely severed and blood fountained.
“AAAAAAARGH!”
As the agonized scream echoed throughout the garden.
SCHRIIIIICK-!
Once again a gruesome sound was heard, and a sword pierced from behind Wenren Yindao through his side and drove deep into the clothes of Cheol Ryu-heun who was standing right in front of him.
SPLATTER, SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT…
The pungent blood soaking the floor.
The identity of the one who had approached behind Wenren Yindao and delivered a surprise sword strike was none other than Jeo Gyeom.