Chapter 82: Shall We Start Again
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Jeo Gyeom detached his back from the wall and walked forward a few steps before stopping.
An unwavering appearance.
Though he had been pushed back by Cheol Ryu-heun’s sword power, his bearing and force were still majestic.
It looked like he hadn’t yet received serious impact.
Naturally.
It was because the Ghost Skull Divine Armor wrapping his upper body had absorbed and mitigated most of that impact.
Being armor-shaped from the start, its profound use in protecting the owner was exceptional.
However, it was an ability difficult for just anyone to experience.
Since the power of a divine weapon could only be wielded by one qualified for it.
The Ghost Skull Divine Armor was the same.
It was only because owner Jeo Gyeom’s martial prowess level was extraordinary that such amazing defensive power was being displayed.
If someone of lower caliber than him were to don the Ghost Skull Divine Armor, it would be merely an attractive but useless ornament.
In other words, if the owner’s power didn’t meet the standard the divine weapon required, it could only display profound use no better than a simple piece of armor.
Suddenly, Jeo Gyeom’s gaze underwent a change.
The blue light like will-o’-wisps in both pupils blazed even more strongly.
Along with it.
CREAK, CREAK, CREAK, CREAK-
All the iron pieces comprising the main body of the Ghost Skull Divine Armor emitted even faster vibrations, and disagreeable sounds seeped from every joint.
It was a phenomenon proving that the divine weapon’s unique ghost energy was being amplified in response to the owner’s bloodlust and killing intent.
Soon, indigo currents rippled and rose around Jeo Gyeom’s body.
HUMMMM.
Vital energy laden with edge caused brief vibrations along the long blade of the Hunming Sword tilted toward the ground, displaying its soundness.
Currently, Jeo Gyeom was seized by only one thought.
I will kill.
No.
I will kill him.
Without fail.
As painfully as possible…
The Ghost Skull Divine Armor seemed to read that heart and whispered in harmony.
-He is a great obstacle! If you don’t kill him, you’ll be killed instead! From head to toe… Tear him to shreds!
A kind of auditory hallucination created by the Ghost Skull Divine Armor’s ghost energy.
The murderous desire lurking in Jeo Gyeom’s chest was steeply rising toward its limit.
It couldn’t be helped.
Setting aside Cheol Ryu-heun’s powerful martial arts skill, his series of provocative attitude had greatly stimulated the bloodlust in his chest.
A feather-light yaksha, he said.
It was mockery.
Whether his personal alias was Netherworld Sword Fork or whatever, he flew around and crashed wherever he was hit… Most likely that’s what it meant.
This was already the fourth time.
That he had collided with walls, pushed by Cheol Ryu-heun’s sword power while exchanging about twenty moves.
Even Jeo Gyeom himself now acknowledged that his opponent’s powerful martial prowess exceeded expectations.
That was why the desire to kill grew even more.
He absolutely couldn’t forgive Cheol Ryu-heun, that bastard who had ruthlessly torn up the Ghost Shadow Sword Technique that was absolutely necessary for perfectly controlling the Ghost Skull Divine Armor’s ghost energy.
Moreover, his outstanding martial achievement was also an eyesore.
If someone likely to obstruct the Dark Hall’s future path belonged to the orthodox faction, it was only right to settle things here.
Currently, the place where the two faced each other was the spacious rear garden in the northern part of the manor.
When the building had been destroyed earlier by the shockwave from the collision of their powerful sword energies, both had jumped out here without anyone going first.
CLENCH.
Jeo Gyeom, who had gripped the Hunming Sword’s hilt hard, blatantly emitted bloodlust assimilated with his killing intent and pulled up one corner of his mouth.
“Heh. Go ahead and keep babbling. This rear garden will become your grave.”
Meaning that since he would die by his hand anyway, he should say whatever he wanted before departing.
His attitude showed conviction.
His fiercely blazing gaze was saying this.
In the end, I win!
That was by no means baseless confidence.
In truth, while crossing blades, he had already calculated in advance a devastating move that would completely decide this match.
Well, if he were a martial artist putting on false composure, how could he have originally obtained such a grand alias as Netherworld Sword Fork?
Although Cheol Ryu-heun had driven him with an offense-only approach, he himself hadn’t revealed all his power.
‘The true match starts now.’
Having spoken internally, Jeo Gyeom raised the Hunming Sword, which had shared twenty years of life and death with him, upright.
Though it seemed like a simple movement, it was a posture from which a domineering aura seemed to be emitted.
The fact that he could display tyrannical spirit with just a sword-drawing stance was clear proof of his reputation as one of the foremost powerhouses of Hunan Province’s unorthodox faction.
Furthermore.
It was also proof that he had sufficient power to realize his confident declaration.
Sure enough.
The aura surrounding Jeo Gyeom’s figure suddenly changed.
The intangible energy spreading outside his body wasn’t causing the ground and atmosphere to tremble, but rather, a tranquility dwelt within it, creating an atmosphere where even heavier power seemed about to burst forth.
Not to be outdone, Cheol Ryu-heun pointed the Ganjiang Sword in his hand directly forward and said.
“Good, shall we start again? Whether your Ghost Skull Divine Armor breaks first, or my sword breaks first.”
Despite encountering the opponent’s changed intangible aura, there was no sign of feeling any tension.
Well, it was natural since he was the possessor of such an emotionless expression.
Jeo Gyeom also calmly accepted such a sight.
It wasn’t anything new.
However.
His heart to ruthlessly kill Cheol Ryu-heun kept growing until it felt about to burst.
Yet he was quite curious.
What on earth was the sword’s true substance that he had said it would become a new Divine Martial Sword?
Right at that moment.
An unexpected sword name entered his ears.
“You seem curious. This is the Ganjiang Sword.”
Simultaneously with Cheol Ryu-heun’s bland voice, Jeo Gyeom reacted by raising his eyebrows.
‘Ganjiang Sword!’
To think the famous sword that the legendary swordsmith Ganjiang had made in the far distant past would be in Cheol Ryu-heun’s possession.
Together with the Mo Ye Sword, the Ganjiang Sword as a male-female paired sword had reigned over all under heaven as the supreme, strongest precious sword in the era before martial arts was born.
However, it had disappeared after last being owned by an ancient unified monarch… How had Cheol Ryu-heun obtained it?
There was no way it was empty words.
Those eyes, difficult to read emotions from, rather told him it was truth.
Jeo Gyeom soon spoke in a meaningful tone.
“Since Shaolin Temple and the beginning of martial world history… You’re the first martial artist to wield the Ganjiang Sword.”
That was true.
Even Ascending Heaven Sword Dragon, who had lucked into obtaining the Ganjiang Sword in the past, had only treated it as a collectible and kept it stored away.
Since he had already possessed the Divine Martial Sword, which stood at the pinnacle of divine weapon ranks, there was no occasion to use anything else.
Of course, that part was secret history that Jeo Gyeom didn’t know.
At any rate, throughout both Central Plains martial history and foreign martial history combined, the first martial artist to formally wield the Ganjiang Sword was indeed Cheol Ryu-heun.
Jeo Gyeom narrowed his eyes and asked.
“But what’s the reason for suddenly revealing that fact?”
Cheol Ryu-heun’s indifferent answer was simple and clear.
“You should at least know what this is before you depart, so you’re less resentful.”
He had returned Jeo Gyeom’s earlier words about this rear garden becoming his grave right back to him.
Jeo Gyeom let out a small exclamation.
“Huk.”
A cold laughing sound flowing between his lips.
The bloodlust in his chest squirmed and surged greatly once more.
His desire to kill the opponent felt almost at its limit now.
Soon, Jeo Gyeom pulled out a mocking voice.
“You said it would become a new Divine Martial Sword? That’s preposterous.”
The Ganjiang Sword paired with the Mo Ye Sword was a precious sword of antiquity famous enough that even now after truly long ages, there was no one who didn’t know its name.
Even if categorized not as a superlative weapon but merely a treasure, it was a top-grade item of incalculable high value.
However, it was an absurdity to dare compare it to the Divine Martial Sword, which boasted supreme status in a thousand years of martial history.
Divine weapons were commonly called the topmost among all weapons under heaven.
Yet.
Even among divine weapons, they weren’t all viewed the same but were further divided into upper and lower grades, with the most outstanding ones being specially selected and called the Ten Great Heavenly Weapons.
The Divine Martial Sword was foremost among them.
In other words, it meant that among the ten types of divine weapons called the Ten Great Heavenly Weapons, it boasted an unrivaled status by far.
No new weapon had ever yet appeared that surpassed that reputation.
The roster of successive Divine Martial Sword owners was brilliant.
That was because most of them were supreme conquerors who dominated their respective eras and left tremendous martial achievements.
Especially the five – the Heavenly Demon who was the progenitor of the foreign demonic martial world and gave birth to the super-massive demonic power collective called the Heavenly Demon Cult, plus the Sword Emperor, Evil Emperor, Martial Immortal, and Blood God – were recorded as invincible legends of ultimate power that no one in the world could match, together with the Divine Martial Sword.
The meaning of what Jeo Gyeom had just said was clear as day.
No matter how excellent a sword the Ganjiang Sword was, before the Divine Martial Sword sitting at the very top of the divine weapon ranks, it was merely a slightly better iron sword than ordinary ones.
Yet Cheol Ryu-heun merely received it with a lukewarm voice.
“Just take it as true when I say it is.”
Indeed.
Since he himself was the Divine Martial Sword that Jeo Gyeom mentioned.
Just then.
-KRABOOOOOM…
A great sound echoed from far away, like compressed air bursting out and causing tremors, resonating like a faint echo.
The source seemed to be presumed as the forest beyond the western side of the manor.
‘Hmm?’
The moment Jeo Gyeom harbored puzzlement at the sudden commotion, Cheol Ryu-heun glanced in that direction.
“At this rate, he’ll come back out to the martial world soon.”
“Who is that?”
“There is someone. A shit swordsman, you could say.”
“…”
“A fellow who really won’t listen to his elders.”
“There’s someone else helping you? Fine… I’ll find out after making you kneel what scheme you’re up to.”
“That won’t happen.”
Cheol Ryu-heun shot forward at high speed in the posture of pointing the Ganjiang Sword directly ahead.
FWAP.
The gap closed in an instant.
Movement like transforming into a ray of light.
Moreover.
It was a movement profound use that completely destroyed martial common sense.
Just as he had shown before, it seemed like he was advancing while explosively bursting forth energy he had gathered to the fullest through his back.
Before Jeo Gyeom could even admire, he reflexively ducked his upper body, and the Ganjiang Sword barely passed over him to heavily strike the wall behind.
CLANG!
Following the metallic sound striking his ears.
CRA-CRA-CRA-CRACK-!
The large section of wall gouged out by the terrifying sword power crumbled down, crying out.
Jeo Gyeom had at some point turned his body and, having seized Cheol Ryu-heun’s back, swung the Hunming Sword downward.
SHO-SHWING!
The indigo sword energy gathered on the blade fell terrifyingly as if a huge yaksha were swinging its arm.
It was a powerful slash of the Nine Origins Sword Forms that had earned him the alias Netherworld Sword Fork.
KA-CRASH!
Sword power that ruthlessly smashed the rear garden’s floor.
He had missed Cheol Ryu-heun.
No.
He had vanished.
Above!
The moment Jeo Gyeom’s judgment preceded him and he raised his head, Cheol Ryu-heun rapidly falling toward his head entered his field of vision.
When had he leaped?
There was no small motion or reaction whatsoever in the evasion process, making prediction utterly impossible.
Eyes flashing with blue light, Jeo Gyeom forcefully swung up the Hunming Sword in his right hand.
CLANG-CLANG- KABOOOOM-!
Sharp metallic sound and loud explosive sound intertwined, shaking the entire rear garden.
CRE-CRACK, CRE-CRA-CRACK-
Amid indigo haze and white haze spreading in waves in all directions, the ground where Jeo Gyeom stood on two feet caved in roundly.
Simultaneously.
WHIFF-WHIFF.
Cheol Ryu-heun utilized the repelling force from the sword energies colliding to flip his body in midair and landed about one jang away from where Jeo Gyeom stood.
Immediately after, a one-sword charge deployed with dazzling speed.
CLA-CLANG-!
Having defended the fierce thrusting sword form, Jeo Gyeom’s two feet scraped along the ground sliding backward.
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun extended his left hand straight out and curled his five fingers as if grabbing an object, then folded his arm and pulled.
FWOOOOSH-
A massive intangible energy like a giant shield rushed backward from behind Jeo Gyeom and crashed down upon him, playing an explosive sound.
KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRASH-!