novelraw Chapter 170 : Chapter 170
Chapter 170 : Chapter 170
Chapter 170. Time (2)
As I infused energy into the Master’s Blade, the Master’s Blade cried out as if at its limit.
Wiiiiing.
But this wasn't enough.
I knew. Just pouring blindly wasn't everything.
The condensed energy on the Master’s Blade began to flow little by little.
Circulation.
Just as internal energy flowed ceaselessly through my body, the enhanced qi formed on the Master’s Blade begins to rotate.
Matching that flow, I continued to send the remaining internal energy in my body to the Master’s Blade.
The rotation of enhanced qi continues to speed up.
Perhaps because of the rotational force, the enhanced qi begins to condense even thinner.
Around the time I poured in most of the remaining internal energy, a brilliantly shining ring of qi rotated riding the Master’s Blade.
The ring of qi rotates at tremendous speed.
Matching that, it felt like my head was also being ground. Before I knew it, blood was flowing from my nose too.
The old man was grinning looking at my appearance.
“Hehehe. It is an interesting method.”
I wanted to answer something, but I didn't even have the leisure to move my mouth.
The moment I opened my mouth, the energy I was barely controlling seemed like it would scatter just like that.
Exerting the last concentration, I threw my body towards the Fighting Venerable with all my might.
Because there was no leisure, my movement was extremely linear.
If the Fighting Venerable set his mind to it, he could dodge it very simply.
But the Fighting Venerable did not dodge.
“Fine! Come as much as you want!”
Rather, with a pleased face, the Fighting Venerable raised his blade.
Tremendous amount of energy swirls through the Fighting Venerable’s body.
Soon, vast energy spewed out riding the raised blade.
The huge energy spread widely forming a giant wave.
When the Fighting Venerable struck down with the blade he raised, the widely spread energy tangled with each other forming five lumps.
It was a bizarre sight.
The five tangled lumps took on forms looking like tigers.
Soon, five tigers that took form rushed at me in succession.
Willingly, I thrust the Master’s Blade towards that tiger.
The Master’s Blade and the tiger’s front paw created by enhanced qi clash.
The roughly rotating ring of qi advances while tearing that front paw apart.
I barely tore one tiger apart, but it wasn't a very good situation.
As if it waited, the second tiger flew in this time pushing its maw forward.
The fiercely rotating ring of qi and the tiger’s giant fangs formed by enhanced qi clash.
With an explosion sounding like something being ground, the tiger’s maw is torn away gradually.
But even if I tore the second tiger apart, the next tiger was waiting.
Every time I clashed with a tiger once, the energy formed on the ring of qi scattered.
As if wearing away little by little by falling rain.
No, energy wearing away was at least okay.
Every time the ring of qi and enhanced qi clashed, my insides were shaken.
Blood continued to soar from inside, and my head throbbed as if it would burst.
Clenching my teeth, swallowing blood forcibly, I advanced a few steps.
Eventually, I succeeded in tearing apart all five tigers blocking the front.
The Fighting Venerable was right in front of my nose.
But the ring of qi rotating on the Master’s Blade also hid its form at some point.
It didn't matter.
“Is this satisfactory?”
Is it because I opened my mouth?
The blood I held back clenching my teeth soared up the stomach.
“Blergh.”
Bending my waist, I vomited blood a few times.
Suddenly my vision became dizzy and the ground approached rapidly.
***
Opening my eyes in intense pain, the sky had turned dark before I knew it.
Faint light is felt.
It wasn't a cave.
Turning my head slightly, a campfire was lit.
“You don't seem sane either.”
Next to the campfire, the Fighting Venerable was looking at me with a face that seemed even older.
“To unfold a method unsuitable for your realm so ignorantly.”
“……Isn't it because you wanted to see it so much that I had no choice but to unfold it?”
The Fighting Venerable smiled fishily raising only one corner of his mouth.
“Crazy bastard. Still, since this seat personally performed palace pushing and blood passage for you, you won't die right away.”
“So, was it satisfactory?”
“Satisfactory my ass. This seat went easy on you by several moves. Didn't I send them in order from the front on purpose.”
Moving to martial arts talk, the Fighting Venerable was very excited moving his mouth.
“If I attacked occupying different directions, you would have been a dead life long ago.”
“If you put it that way, I am also like that because I haven't properly learned Master Sun Moon Divine Sword’s martial arts yet, right? If I learned perfectly, I would have been able to strike away all directions simultaneously.”
“Humph. Do you think this seat’s martial art is only that one from earlier?”
“Same for me. Didn't I say earlier? Latter first form. Other forms remain.”
“A guy who can't even unfold it is all talk.”
“Then why didn't you let me out after five years as promised at first?”
“…….”
The Fighting Venerable closed his mouth and raised his head to look at the sky.
Moon and stars are reflected in the Fighting Venerable’s eyes.
Even though light was clearly reflecting, they looked exceptionally cloudy.
“…….”
The Fighting Venerable, who kept his mouth shut for a moment, opened his mouth.
“It seems the will of heaven is so. Hahahaha. I lived disregarding the world, but to think I have to collapse at merely heaven’s will.”
Suddenly, countless rumors about the Fighting Venerable I heard in my past life came to mind.
Some among the gossipers discussed.
That the Fighting Venerable probably picked fights here and there like a crazy old man and died defeated by one of the Three Disasters.
Now I felt I knew.
The Fighting Venerable did not die by the Three Disasters.
It seemed he just died lonely alone like this.
While crazy about polishing his own martial arts, repeating life-and-death duels and isolated training, didn't he die of old age alone in the mountains?
I asked the old man waiting for the day to die.
“Have you never thought about wanting to become a Chivalrous Hero?”
It was a question that popped out unknowingly.
He just didn't commit evil deeds for wealth or their own benefits like underworld or bandit bastards.
There must be many who died unjustly to that wayward crazy old man.
“You still have strength left, right? Do you have no intention of helping pitiful people with that strength?”
Even so, asking this, I felt it might be because of Hwangbo Ak.
Looking at this wayward old man, strangely Hwangbo Ak came to mind.
At my question, the Fighting Venerable laughed dryly.
“Hehehe. Now looking, you were also a brat who got a taste for hypocrite games.”
Saying so, the Fighting Venerable continued speaking as if he himself mastered the principles of the world.
“Hypocrites calling themselves Righteous Faction or underworld rats, eventually they are the same. You guys kill underworld bastards claiming justice. Underworld bastards kill people blinded by wealth. Do you understand? Eventually, people try to act as they desire. Only, they cannot realize it because they lack strength.”
“So you acted so waywardly?”
“Hehehe. Now you understand a little. If you have no strength, you have to live according to others' will. If you have strength, you can live as you want. That is the principle of the world.”
It was the words of the Fighting Venerable, one of the Three Venerables called the sky of Gangho, but for some reason, it sounded like the words of a stubborn old man who exists one in every neighborhood.
“Hehehe. If you had defeated me, I would have done as you ordered. But since you were defeated by me, you have no qualification to argue.”
Staring intently at the old man chuckling alone, I raised my body.
“I understand.”
Unlike with Hwangbo Ak, persuasion seemed impossible.
Because as that wayward old man said, he must have lived trapped in such thoughts for over a hundred years.
“Since you proved yourself the best of all time as you wished, I congratulate you. Then I will return to my comrades now.”
The onetime best of all time waiting for the day to die alone. For some reason, the phrase written in the Sun Moon Infinite Sword secret manual came to mind.
Did it say nothing is eternal before time?
Only circulation is infinite.
But that old man had no disciples and no children. Just dying alone like this.
It seemed the title Fighting Venerable would not be continued forever.
Just as I was about to turn my back. The Fighting Venerable’s voice dug into my ears.
“Boy. Take this.”
Turning my head in wonder, the Fighting Venerable was holding out four booklets with skinny, dried-up hands.
“These are secret manuals organizing the martial arts this seat polished all my life. Whether you take and learn them, or pass them to a guy who looks useful, do as you wish.”
“……Why are you giving this to me?”
“Hehehe. It is this seat’s heart. Since you were defeated by this seat, you have no right to refuse.”
“…….”
Should I express this as consistent?
After pondering for a moment, I reached out and took the four secret manuals.
Then the Fighting Venerable, who watched me silently, added.
“Boy. Until you ascend to the Heavenly Ladder Realm, do not unfold the latter forms of Sun Moon Infinite Sword. If you attempt it one more time, your body will not endure.”
“I will try.”
“Humph. This is also the order of this seat who won. Just shut up and do as ordered.”
At the wayward Fighting Venerable’s order, somehow a smirk flowed out.
***
How long did I continue to take steps after leaving the mountain?
Stopping at a moderately quiet place, I sat cross-legged just like that.
Operating the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art, I contemplated my inside.
The dantian was completely empty, and there were almost no intact acupoints.
If there was a fortunate thing, there were no acupoints damaged to the point of being unusable.
A smirk flowed out.
Energy was formed in various places in the acupoints.
It was familiar energy.
He said he did palace pushing and blood passage, indeed the Fighting Venerable’s internal energy was staying in various places in the acupoints.
“Sssip. Huu.”
Inhaling and exhaling, I filled the dantian with natural energy again.
After recovering the dantian’s energy to some extent, I focused on circulating energy to heal injuries.
Running through the whole body's acupoints, I treated internal injuries.
In that process, even the Fighting Venerable’s internal energy formed in the acupoints was dyed with the color of Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art.
As the much larger energy flocked to the dantian again, it felt like the lower abdomen was filling up greatly.
Should I call this a miraculous encounter if it is one?
Finishing circulating energy to heal injuries, I raised my body with much increased internal energy.
Before I knew it, dawn was breaking.
I ran unfolding movement arts just like that.
My body shot forward like an arrow.
Thanks to completely melting the principle of Life and Death Blood Steps, it was speed incomparable to before.
Running for about one shichen (two hours), a village was visible in the distance.
I turned my direction towards that village.
Actually, I didn't even know what village that was.
Precisely, I didn't even know where I was right now.
“Tsk. Should I have descended after asking where this is?”
Regret remained but it didn't matter much.
If I just find out the location of this place in that village, I can find the Seomoon Clan after that.
And if I find the Seomoon Clan, I can find out the whereabouts of the comrades.
“Wait a little.”
Are the comrades safe? If safe, how have they been doing?
While running in emotions mixed with anxiety and expectation for a while. Before long, I arrived at the village.
The appearance of residents busily going back and forth from the morning enters my eyes.
“May I ask something.”
I approached them and tried to talk, but the conversation didn't continue.
Every time I approached, they were startled and ran away or abruptly covered their nose and mouth, and there were even those who vomited.
“Urp!”
Someone ran far away with a very angry face and shouted.
“I, I don’t know where you rolled from, beggar, but get lost!”
“…….”
Being treated as a beggar was familiar, but this severe was a first.
Scratching my head, something caked got on my fingernails.
Looking closely, fingers and between fingernails were all black.
“Ah.”
Thinking about it, I was trapped in a cave for over three years.
During that time, I never washed even once.
Bowing my head, I examined my appearance closely.
“…….”
The clothes were beyond rags and were crumbling away.
“……I miss Junior Sister.”
Sadly, I didn't have a single coin left.
But I couldn't take money from passersby either.
It seemed I had to collect at least a minimum cleaning fee by cleaning up trash.
“Are there any underworld bastards in this village?”
I went around asking here and there, but getting a proper answer wasn't easy.
“Haa.”
When I went around in decent shape with Junior Sister, people didn't avoid me like this.
Still, the effort wasn't meaningless; as I kept snooping around and asking here and there, a useful answer popped out.
A passing woman answered covering her nose.
“T, there is a place called Prophecy Fate Sect in the west! T, there, those guys are very vicious guys. S, so please just go that way!”
It was an expression and tone that seemed to wish not that I scold those Prophecy Fate Sect bastards, but conversely that I get scolded.
Well, it wasn't important so I decided to move on.
After moving towards the place the woman informed for a while. I arrived in front of a manor where a plaque called Prophecy Fate Sect was hung.
“Where did a damn beggar bastard come again begging!”
“Keuk. The rotten smell is vibrating. What are you doing! Without kicking him out immediately?”
Gatekeeper bastards shout from a few steps away.
But no one rushed at me rashly.
It wasn't that they were scared of me.
“Brother. Let’s just scare him and kick him out. If I hit that guy, I feel like my fist and foot will rot.”
Perhaps because my realm became high, the whispers of underworld hoodlum bastards were clearly heard.
Watching that sight, I fingered the beard that grew bushy.
“Hmm.”
Since I came believing only the woman’s words, I needed to check if these guys were really underworld first.
Just as I was pondering how to check this. A presence approaching urgently from the side was felt.
“You bastards!!”
“We heard all the evil deeds you bastards committed in the meantime!!”
“Today you bastards will pay for those sins!!”
Shouts approaching gradually.
Turning my head slightly, some young men and women were running together unfolding movement arts.
The man at the very front among them shouted.
“You bastards! Now you are trying to persecute even a beggar!!”
While I was examining what situation this was again. That young group took position as if blocking between me and the underworld group.
“Do not worry!”
“We will protect you!”
They shouted while enduring the terrible stench coming from my body with effort.
Just as I was about to open my mouth thinking there was some misunderstanding. This time, the gate of Prophecy Fate Sect burst open and underworld bastards swarmed out.
“Where did mongrel bastards come from causing a scene!!”
At that question, the man who ran first responded.
“Have you heard of the Twin Heroes Alliance! We came to clean up trash like you!”
I tilted my head.
“Twin Heroes Alliance?”
It was a name somewhat unfamiliar yet seemingly heard once sometime.
At that young man’s shout, a middle-aged man stepped forward from Prophecy Fate Sect side and snorted.
“Humph. So it’s you guys. The crazy brat bastards who serve that Jin Yuseong or whatever.”
Serve me?
I wondered what kind of crazy talk this was again.