novelraw Chapter 109 : Feeling the Waves (16)
Chapter 109 : Feeling the Waves (16)
The number of great meridians is limited to nine.
No matter how much a human trains their body, they cannot grow muscles like a wild boar or a tiger.
This is the innate limitation of humans.
From this problem, the Profound Will and the Profound Manifestation were born, and the two were divided into opposite concepts.
Accepting the limits of the body and devising other methods is the Profound Will.
Not accepting the limits of the body and overcoming the limits is the Profound Manifestation.
Although it cannot be said that one of these two methods is right and the other is wrong, one thing was clear.
As a result, humans are continuing to evolve.
Then how, what is the specific method?
Those who have already reached the Profound Realm can be said to be those who have reached the peak of the species' individual values that humans possess.
Their internal energy has accumulated to the point where the end is not visible, and their bodies are trained to the point where they can go without sleep for a month.
To go further from here, what on earth should one do?
The method lies in using the fine meridians that are spread throughout the body, not the great meridians, which have a clear limit.
Unlike the great meridians, which end at nine, the total number of fine meridians that humans possess is a whopping one billion. And humans live their entire lives using less than one-tenth of these fine meridians, and then their lives end.
This was not much different even for martial artists who had learned internal energy. They just used a slightly larger number of fine meridians than ordinary humans, a very small part attached to the great meridians.
The Sword Empress utilized the fine meridians to raise her senses to the extreme and achieved an ultra-fine operation of qi that was previously impossible. The result was a sword qi made of thousands of layers. It gave the ability to do more than just cut with a sword qi that could never be cut by a conventional sword qi.
The Sword Empress focused on the external rather than strengthening the body itself using the fine meridians. This was the basic concept of the Profound Will.
On the other hand, the Profound Manifestation could be said to be a form of evolution that did not accept the limits of the body and continued to strengthen the body.
The concept that penetrates it is that there is no end to the limits that humans possess.
Even if they grow old and sick, humans overcome it and become stronger. In the end, they become the strongest in the ecosystem.
Although there are many branches to this Profound Manifestation, most of them imitated the form of animals.
In the primordial ecosystem, when compared without any martial arts, weapons, or training, a being far superior to humans.
The Profound Manifestation started from here.
What would happen if such beings learned martial arts, accumulated knowledge, and completed their skills?
Wouldn't the weak creature called human have gone extinct long ago?
"Humans are weak."
Nam Ji-hyeok opened his mouth softly.
"But the humans of the past were not so."
His eyes were looking at the present, but the scene he was seeing was somewhere far away.
The Chaotic Heaven.
The real world where all the heavens lived mixed together.
There were many strong people there, and they showed off their strength.
And in that, humans were subjected to much oppression and persecution, but in the end, they reigned as the strongest.
Unlike the ignorant insects here who know nothing.
"Sword Empress. You are a little different, but in the end, you are not much different from those dead guys over there."
Twitch!
Nam Ji-hyeok's eyes were slit long vertically. His pupils resembled the three he had killed earlier, but if you looked closely, they were a little different.
Should it say it's a little darker and clearer?
It certainly seemed to resemble a wild snake, but it felt more primitive than that.
The Sword Empress, despite Nam Ji-hyeok's change, just aimed her sword and asked softly.
"What is your purpose for coming here? Is it my life?"
Nam Ji-hyeok had a sneer.
"Hmph! It's true that you are a special-grade target, but you overestimate yourself too much. Do you think I would move just to kill you?"
The conversation taking place here did not seem to be heard outside, as only the heat of the duel was felt from the spectator seats, and no other reactions were visible.
"However, it's a shame for me to kill you as you are. Unlike the insects here, you have the potential to reach the real sky. So if you come under me, I will spare you. How about it?"
This time, the Sword Empress had a sneer.
"Hmph! You talk nonsense in a novel way. To go under a guy who is about to die, isn't that absurd?"
"It's a pity. I thought you, like me, wanted a real world, not a fake one."
At Nam Ji-hyeok's words just now, a certain memory flashed through the Sword Empress's mind. But she soon judged that it was a wild guess.
Because it was an anecdote like a legend that had been passed down from the distant past.
-Do you know about the first ancestor of the Sword Pavilion?
A long time ago, the previous Sword Empress had told the Sword Empress a story when she was young.
-The first ancestor of the Sword Pavilion, they say, was a dragon.
The Sword Empress thought that her master was teasing her. Of course, dragons might have really existed in the past. Even now. If there are spiritual beasts, there could be dragons too. But if there were such things, they would have been discovered long ago.
"If you're going to talk nonsense, let's stop the conversation."
Her vision was gradually blurring.
The smell of blood that had been coming up from time to time was now smelled with every breath.
Wince.
At the repeated pain, she frowned for a moment without realizing it.
Grin.
At that moment, she saw Nam Ji-hyeok smiling.
Nam Ji-hyeok had definitely noticed her condition. If he was the person she expected, no! In a situation where it was almost certain, there was no reason to hide her condition.
Because the person who had given her internal injuries a while ago was Nam Ji-hyeok.
And if that person and the current Nam Ji-hyeok were the same person, she was sure that the original Nam Ji-hyeok was already dead, and furthermore, that the Hainan Sect was in a similar situation.
All the things that had happened to the Sword Pavilion in the meantime must have originated from him.
So she had thought that his purpose was to kill her...
Is there a bigger purpose hidden?
Swoosh.
The Sword Empress slowly raised her sword. A very thin membrane of energy, so thin that light could pass through it, was coated on it.
Whatever it was, in the end, it would be resolved if she killed the culprit.
"Oh, dear. Have you already forgotten?"
At the opponent's ridicule, the Sword Empress tried her best not to lose her concentration. The layers of the membrane were gradually increasing.
Roar!
When it had just passed a thousand layers, a vibrating sound from the sword spread throughout the tournament stage.
"That it doesn't work on me."
Swish.
Without any warning, the Sword Empress kicked off the ground. Nam Ji-hyeok was just watching it. The Sword Empress, who had reached Nam Ji-hyeok, swung her sword as it was. Slice! At that moment, Nam Ji-hyeok raised his arm and grabbed the Sword Empress's wrist. The Sword Empress's sword was blocked in the middle.
"You lost even when you were in a normal state, did you think you could face me with that body?"
The arm Nam Ji-hyeok had raised was twice as swollen as usual. And what was surprising was that it wasn't just that it had gotten bigger. The number of muscle divisions was so many that it couldn't be expressed in general terms at a glance.
This was another form from the result of the muscles that those with divine power showed.
The Sword Empress, whose attack was blocked, was still calm. Because she had known that it would be blocked before she attacked.
"Hehehe."
The Sword Empress, who was laughing.
Nam Ji-hyeok tilted his head.
"Did you finally go crazy?"
It is common for martial artists who are excellent in martial arts to be proud of what they have achieved. And that pride returns as an uncontrollable mistake.
"Don't be so arrogant, you brat."
The Sword Empress said, her eyes shining.
Nam Ji-hyeok noticed something strange. And by then, it was too late to take action.
The ultra-vibration felt from the hand that was holding the Sword Empress.
Hiss.
His palm was burned by the high heat. The smell of burning flesh vibrated in all directions. However, the Sword Empress did not know one thing.
Nam Ji-hyeok was arrogant and careless, but even so, a snake would not be in a crisis to the point of being killed by a small animal like a mouse.
On the inside of Nam Ji-hyeok's palm, where the outer flesh had burned, there was a callus like a snake's scale, so it did not burn any further.
"Didn't I tell you? Your technique doesn't work on me."
What the Sword Empress had prepared was the real thing from now on. The ultra-vibration that had started from her wrist was just the starting point. Soon, the ultra-vibration spread throughout the Sword Empress's body. Seeing this, Nam Ji-hyeok's eyes became even more slanted.
It was closer to excitement, surprise, and curiosity than to embarrassment or fear.
"Hoo! It's been decades! To meet a martial artist who has reached the second stage of the Profound Manifestation!"
The ultra-vibration that had arisen from the Sword Empress's body began to take control of the space. However, its size was only one inch from the Sword Empress's body. Nevertheless, it was enough to cut what it touched.
'I'll take this guy with me!'
Swoosh.
The Sword Empress slowly raises her head and looks at her captured wrist. The wrist was still captured.
"H-how?"
Slit!
A clear and dark, elongated pupil was staring straight at her.
The Sword Empress felt as if she were being held by a giant snake.
Squeeze.
At the numbing pain in her wrist, the Sword Empress dropped the sword she was holding.
"There's a type of snake called a rattlesnake. When a rattlesnake hunts, it shakes its tail to spread a specific sound and vibration in the air and hunts."
Nam Ji-hyeok had just created a vibration with the exact same frequency as the ultra-vibration the Sword Empress had created and had canceled out the Sword Empress's ultra-vibration.
The Sword Empress's eyes widened as she understood Nam Ji-hyeok's words. At the same time.
Crack.
The Sword Empress's wrist was broken.
"It's over now. It was fun for a while."
Nam Ji-hyeok let go of the Sword Empress's wrist.
The Sword Empress's body was powerlessly collapsing to the ground.
Nam Ji-hyeok clenched his fist and pulled his arm back.
"No!"
Murong Seryeong, who saw that, jumped onto the tournament stage. The Sword Empress saw Murong Seryeong and shouted.
"No! Seryeong! Run away!"
"I don't want to!"
Nam Ji-hyeok, seeing the pathetic scene of Murong Seryeong and the Sword Empress, once again had a big smile on his lips.
"Hahaha! It's fun! Very fun!"
The Sword Empress used all her remaining strength to kick Nam Ji-hyeok's body, but Nam Ji-hyeok did not budge. On the contrary, only the Sword Empress's kicking foot swelled up.
"I'll send you both off nicely."
Nam Ji-hyeok's fist extended towards the Sword Empress.
Murong Seryeong stood in between. The moment Murong Seryeong saw the fist coming, she instinctively knew that it was something she could not handle.
Nevertheless, Murong Seryeong did not avoid it and extended her hand to block the fist.
Just then.
Crash!
With a huge explosion from under the tournament stage, dust rose.
Swoosh!
Several presences entered through the dust.
A short while later, the dust cleared, and the tournament stage, which was almost half-destroyed, was revealed.
Nam Ji-hyeok was covered in dust, but no injuries were found anywhere on his body. However, he had a very displeased expression on his face.
"You insect bastards... I thought you had given up."
He swept his hair back and looked at the spectator seats.
Originally, he had intended to end it nicely. Because that was convenient without having to clean up afterwards.
But things went a little wrong. In the end, it would be finished as a small incident, but the work to be done for the cleanup had increased a little. To be more precise, the disciples of the Sword Empress, who he thought had left long ago, had rescued the Sword Empress by using bombs.
The spectator seats were in chaos due to the sudden explosion. Nam Ji-hyeok said to the spectator seats.
"Kill them."
At that moment, several spectators in the spectator seats all drew their swords and cut down the spectators around them.
The spectator seats instantly became a scene of chaos. Deaths occurred everywhere, and various screams were let out, but they soon subsided.
Nam Ji-hyeok, no! The law enforcement officer of the Black Heaven, Sa Cho-hon, said.
At the point where he had already spoken with the upper management.
The people here were nothing more than extras to show off today's work.
"Although the plan went a little wrong, from now on, we will begin the purge of the Hainan Sect. Kill all the designated purge targets."
The people of the Black Heaven who had infiltrated the spectator seats all answered and at the same time scattered to the locations of their designated individuals.
Sa Cho-hon took out a mask from his bosom and put it on his face. It was a snake mask with horns on both sides.
The number of purge targets assigned to Sa Cho-hon was a total of two.
One of them, the master of the Hainan Sect, had been killed before.
"Then, shall we slowly begin the hunt?"
The remaining one purge target had just run away.
Although he had failed before, for some reason, his voice was quite excited.
***
The moment she was about to die, Murong Seryeong lost consciousness with a huge explosion. And now that she had regained consciousness, she could tell that she was being held by someone and was moving quickly.
For now, as she struggled to get out of here, a thin and slender voice was heard from above.
"Stay still. We don't have time right now."
She could tell at a glance that the opponent who was restraining her was a skilled person who could not be taken lightly.
"Who are you?"
Murong Seryeong asked calmly, without letting down her guard. The opponent answered.
"I am the vice master of the Sword Pavilion, So-ryeong. And all the kids around now are disciples of the Sword Pavilion."
Murong Seryeong could not understand the words just now, this situation.
"I heard from my master that all the disciples of the Sword Pavilion had left."
"That couldn't be helped. We also had our reasons. I'm sorry for deceiving you all this time."
In any case, it was a fact that they had saved her, including her master. In this situation, she had no choice but to trust them.
"If we go a little further, there's a pier. When you get there, you take a boat and take the Sword Empress to the mainland and tell the lord what I say!"
Murong Seryeong could instinctively tell that the woman who had identified herself as So-ryeong was about to say something important.
"Hainan has been occupied by an unknown force. Request support immediately."
Although she didn't understand why she had to inform the government, not the same martial arts forces, for now, she didn't have the time or leisure to ask such things.
Soon, the pier came into view.
A small boat was tied to a rope at the end. Just then, a scream was heard from behind.
"Aaargh!"
Everyone except So-ryeong and the one holding the Sword Empress stopped in their tracks.
Murong Seryeong was surprised and expressed her doubt.
"Why aren't they coming with us?"
So-ryeong said without stopping her running.
"Someone has to stop those guys, right?"
Hearing those words, Murong Seryeong had to feel something hot rising from within.
But the screams continued to be heard. So-ryeong put Murong Seryeong down on the ground. And the one who was holding the Sword Empress also stopped and handed the Sword Empress to Murong Seryeong.
Murong Seryeong held the Sword Empress.
So-ryeong said.
"Run!"
Murong Seryeong hesitated. At this, So-ryeong shouted.
"Run right now! Are you thinking of abandoning our lives and the Sword Empress's life just like this!"
Squeeze!
Murong Seryeong, clenching her teeth, ran with the Sword Empress. But right after that, two screams were heard.
Murong Seryeong ran without looking back. And just before reaching the boat, crack! The boat was shattered by a powerful force that flew from behind.
With a look of despair, Murong Seryeong looked back, and the usual Nam Ji-hyeok, no! A man wearing a snake mask disguised as Nam Ji-hyeok was slowly walking over.
"Is the running already over?"
In front, the vast sea.
Behind, an absolute master who had hidden his identity.
Just then, a huge pirate ship appeared through the sea fog from the other side of the sea.
A man was on the deck of the ship.
Murong Seryeong's complexion darkened even more.
The man on the ship was also wearing the same snake mask as the Nam Ji-hyeok from before.
Swish.
The man on the deck kicked off.
Crackle!
The fourth form of the Reversal of Heaven, the Reversal of the Situation.
In an instant, the distance between the sea and the land disappeared. Murong Seryeong turned her head. The man with the mask had reached the front of the other man with the mask and was extending one arm towards his abdomen.
Crackle!
The static electricity that arose from the fingertips.
Soon, a flash occurred.
The second form of the Reversal of Heaven, the Twin Poles application.
Lightning attribute to bestove the conqueror.
Flash!
"First strike wins!"
The technique went in accurately.
He's fine even after being hit by this?
Then I could say I'm really fucked.
"Is it over?"
Shit, I'm really fucked
(End of Chapter)