novelraw Chapter 57 : Chapter 57
Chapter 57 : Chapter 57
Chapter 57 Wudang is Taiji (4)
“……Hehe.”
The old man, looking at Jaun’s sword, laughed lightly as if dumbfounded.
“At that young age, have you already reached such a realm?”
Every time Jaun drew a stroke in the empty air as if dancing, massive demonic energy boiled up and dyed the surroundings black.
The old man, calmly watching the dark red flames spreading in all directions, swung the tree branch once with a swoosh.
The tree branch swung by the old man split the darkness in an instant.
Subsequently, the old man, spewing out energy with all his might, pushed Jaun’s energy back forcefully.
“Taiji is the darling of ten thousand principles and the framework of harmony, and the principle that unifies all things in heaven and earth.”
The old man’s tree branch, having secured space to move, drew a large circle on the spot.
“If Taiji is in the heavens, it becomes Destiny , and if it is in humans, it becomes Life .”
Inside the circle drawn by the old man, massive energy swirled round and round like waves.
“In the Changes, there is Taiji, Taiji begets the Two Modes (Yin and Yang), the Two Modes beget the Four Images, and the Four Images beget the Eight Trigrams.”
In an instant, the old man’s momentum, which boiled up enormously, swallowed Jaun’s energy little by little.
Jaun, realizing that his energy was being encroached upon by the old man’s energy, gritted his teeth and swung his sword.
— Kaaaa-boooom!
The demonic energy shot by Jaun struck the old man’s tree branch, but the old man did not retreat a single step and deflected that energy to the side.
“It is the condensation of the Primordial Qi when Heaven and Earth were undivided, and Taiji becomes the essence of the One Primordial Qi which is the source.”
— Kaboom!
— Kaboom!
The demonic energy shot continuously from Red Blood knocked on the old man’s energy, but the old man’s energy did not budge.
“Ultimately, its essence reaches the end of the principle and unites as one through Wisdom (Hye).”
As the old man’s tree branch drew circles in layers, the momentum poured out by Jaun began to be sucked into the circles little by little.
“Haap!”
At that moment, a loud shout burst from the old man’s mouth.
The old man’s tree branch drew a massive circle as if to swallow the forest.
“This is Wudang’s Taiji Wisdom Sword”
Simultaneously with the end of the old man’s words, the surroundings became silent in an instant.
Jaun’s demonic energy was sucked into the circle drawn by the old man at a rapid speed.
Because of the old man’s sword which swallowed even sound, the surroundings were filled with a bizarre silence.
‘Th-This is…….’
Feeling everything around him being sucked into the circle, Jaun hurriedly raised his energy even more.
He swung Red Blood at a rapid speed, but it felt like swinging a sword underwater.
It was heavy, cold, slow, and futile.
Blood began to form on Jaun’s tightly shut lips.
No matter how much he tried to escape, Jaun only squirmed while submerged in the old man’s momentum.
Subsequently, the old man’s tree branch disappeared.
The old man’s figure also disappeared.
The circle drawn by the old man covered the heaven and earth just like that in an instant.
Jaun felt as if all directions were filled with white light.
inside that white space where nothing was visible, Jaun raised all his energy and began to pour it out.
— Swoosh
— Swoosh
Inside that space where even sound and light disappeared, Jaun swung his sword endlessly as if dancing.
Jaun’s dagger gradually increased its speed, and around Jaun’s body, afterimages of the dagger began to rise like a dark red membrane.
“Huff. Huff.”
In a situation where he could neither see nor feel anything, Jaun began to spew out everything.
He felt an unknown euphoria.
Right now, this place was a time and space where he could pour out his everything.
Within it, Jaun accelerated his energy using the Reverse Heaven Asura Art.
Then, the boiling hot energy began to run madly through Jaun’s whole body.
A situation where even a slight mistake could lead straight to Qi Deviation.
Therefore, Jaun had to use all his mental strength to govern the energy inside his body.
The energy, which was passing by dangerously close, began to swirl around Jaun’s body like a massive river of blood at some point.
Jaun’s consciousness, submerged in that energy, began to fade gradually.
— Riiip
Along with an unpleasant sound to hear, the energy of the Taiji Wisdom Sword surrounding Jaun was torn away.
The old man’s brow furrowed slightly.
Jaun’s dagger, which had been wrapped in white energy, revealed itself, and beyond it, Jaun was seen swinging his sword roughly with his eyes closed.
Around Jaun, who had escaped the curtain of energy, dark red energy was swirling at a speed invisible to the eye.
The old man momentarily thought that such an appearance of Jaun was like a small dragon pulsating in a black river.
“Haha. This is really.”
A small bead of sweat fell with a drop from the forehead of the old man facing Jaun’s enlarged energy.
As Jaun, who escaped the curtain, swung his dagger, energy containing thick darkness shot toward the old man.
— Bang!
The old man, slightly twisting his body to dodge Jaun’s energy, raised his energy and swung the tree branch in a circle.
“Kuhaha! As expected of that person’s disciple. Did you contain such a world inside that small body!”
The old man’s hair began to flutter in all directions, and the bark attached to the tree branch held in his hand burst out in all directions.
“Good. Test how far you can go. It has been a truly long time since I sincerely unfolded the Wisdom Sword.”
Towards the old man who was wearing a satisfied smile, Jaun’s energy shot in endlessly and sharply.
The old man felt as if Jeong-cheon’s image was faintly overlaid on top of Jaun’s appearance.
‘It’s just like that moment back then.’
It felt like returning to that time long ago when he exchanged swords with a man.
Rough without mercy and strong to the point where it was hard to know the end, yet the man who knew how to keep the given line was standing before his eyes with a small body.
“Kuhahaha!”
The old man, deflecting Jaun’s energy one by one to the surroundings, let out a loud laugh as if delighted.
The movements of the two were like a dance.
Jaun’s dance, raging roughly, contained the extreme of Dominance , and the old man’s dance, flowing smoothly, contained the extreme of Softness .
Due to Jaun’s energy deflected left and right, deep trenches piled up around the old man.
At that moment, Jaun, who was unfolding the Heavenly Killing Demon Sword with all his might, reached the state of Selflessness .
The situation he was in.
The opponent he was facing.
Forgetting all of that, Jaun continued his sword endlessly.
The old man, who was receiving attacks with a smile, also began to treat Jaun’s sword with a serious expression from some point at Jaun’s energy which was becoming increasingly fierce.
Various martial arts that he hadn't been able to unfold properly while out in the Murim poured out endlessly from Jaun’s small body.
In one move, the sky was covered black, and in the next move, all directions vibrated as if heaven and earth were shattering.
Jaun’s mouth, with his eyes closed, opened slightly.
[Heavenly Killing Demon Sword , Eighth Form. Dark Fragrance Extinction Cut ]
In a fleeting moment, Jaun’s dance stopped.
Subsequently, the pitch-black demonic energy filling Jaun’s surroundings gathered at the tip of Red Blood in an instant.
The dagger heated up red and trembled, and then Jaun’s arm drew a huge curve.
At the same time, a flashing gleam burst out from within the pitch-black demonic energy.
The old man’s expression hardened stiffly upon confirming the rapidly approaching gleam.
Following his fluttering hair, now even the old man’s worn-out Taoist robe began to flap loudly.
[Grand Pure Wind and Rain ]
The name of a technique also flowed from the old man’s mouth.
At the same time, the profound principle of the Wisdom Sword began to be contained overflowingly in the tree branch which revealed its white flesh.
Immediately after, the old man’s energy, pouring out fiercely like a rainstorm, completely wrapped around the gleam shot by Jaun.
Covered by the old man’s energy, Jaun’s gleam lost its way and shook here and there.
Beads of sweat dripped down from the whole body of the old man who struggled to hold Jaun’s energy.
The old man, who tried to add energy to the tree branch, paused for a moment and turned his head to look at the energy barrier surrounding the area.
‘More than this is impossible. If I draw more energy, the energy barrier will be in danger.’
No one in Wudang should feel Jaun’s energy.
In a situation where the Sword Immortal had no choice but to concentrate most of his energy on the energy barrier to hide Jaun’s energy, which was much larger than expected.
‘I shouldn't drag out time any longer.’
At the moment the old man, clenching his teeth, raised the tree branch,
— Puck
The old man’s energy, unable to overcome Jaun’s energy, scattered in all directions.
“……Oh dear.”
Simultaneously with the old man’s short lament bursting out, Jaun’s dark red energy, having pierced through the blocked wall, shot toward the old man like an arrow.
‘Haha. My energy…….’
A long, elongated Kang-qi blazed and covered the tree branch of the old man who retreated a few steps backward in an instant.
— Woooong
Lifting the tree branch containing white Kang-qi which brightly illuminated the surroundings, the old man quietly uttered a lament.
“……Oh Celestial Worthy. What kind of adversity has appeared in the Jianghu for you to forge such a sword.”
The Kang-qi formed on the old man’s hand was swung while emitting light, and subsequently, Jaun’s energy, which shot toward the old man like a flash of lightning, met the old man’s Kang-qi.
— Ping
The old man’s Kang-qi struggled to divert the direction of the dark red gleam.
— Swish
Jaun’s gleam, bounced off by the old man’s Kang-qi, pierced through the thatched cottage.
There was no loud noise or vibration.
It just shot forward, cutting everything blocking it.
— Crash
Jaun’s energy, which pierced the thatched cottage and split half of the bamboo forest like that, made a small explosion sound not long after and soon vanished.
Toward Jaun, who was raising his energy once again in the state of Selflessness, the old man hurriedly sent a telepathic message.
[Child! Let’s stop now.]
At the old man’s telepathic message shaking his mind, Jaun, who had fallen into the state of Selflessness, came to his senses and stopped his dance.
Checking that Jaun came to his senses and opened his eyes, the old man sighed and withdrew the white energy formed on his hand.
“Even I couldn't deflect your sword to where I wanted…… You have reached a realm you shouldn't reach at that age.”
The old man slowly looked back.
Looking at the thatched cottage whose center was blown wide open due to Jaun’s gleam, the old man laughed as if despondent.
****
“Did you stay up all night yesterday?”
Hyeon-dam rubbed his eyes and looked back at Jaun.
“Yes. Since the night air was so cool and nice, as I walked here and there, time just flew by.”
“Yaaawn. Aren't you tired? We traveled rattling all day in a freight wagon, if you don’t even sleep, you won’t grow tall. At your age, you should sleep more diligently.”
Hyeon-dam, scratching his back vigorously, yawned loudly once again. Watching Hyeon-dam like that, Jaun smiled.
‘Instead of sleep, I gained a tremendous fortuitous encounter.’
Jaun, who shared many stories with the Sword Immortal after the short duel, was able to gain great enlightenment.
Organizing that enlightenment and walking along the mountain ridge after parting with the old man, it was already dawn before he knew it.
In the end, Jaun came to greet the morning without sleeping a wink.
He should have been tired, but the energy of nature contained in the beef jerky and alcohol the old man gave him filled his body tightly, and since the euphoria of the new enlightenment filled his head, Jaun had no time to feel fatigue.
Beside Jaun who was quietly organizing his thoughts, Ban Cheol-hwi, who was already reading a book fully dressed in his attire, opened his mouth.
“Skimming through the records of sages, they say the wild vegetables of Wudang are the best under heaven.”
“Wild vegetables? You mean mountain herbs? Aren't mountain herbs all the same?”
At Hyeon-dam’s words answering while changing clothes, Ban Cheol-hwi shook his head firmly.
“It seems that is not the case. According to records, Wudang’s mountain possesses a spiritual energy difficult to find, and the wild vegetables here grown drinking that energy have a clean yet outstanding savory taste unlike wild vegetables from other places. Coming this far, we cannot miss such an opportunity. Please hurry and prepare so we aren't late for breakfast time. I will wake up Young Lady Baek-myo.”
“……Huh?”
At the last words, Hyeon-dam turned his head, and Ban Cheol-hwi jumped up and headed to the room where Baek-myo was staying.
— Knock knock
— Click
Almost simultaneously with the sound of knocking, the sound of the door opening was heard.
“Uh oh?”
Jaun and Hyeon-dam looked at each other.
“Kyaaaaaaak! You crazy bastard!”
“We have to go eat Wudang’s wild vegetables so hurry and prepare…….”
“Hey! Don’t you see I’m changing clothes? Won’t you get out? Isn't this guy a total lunatic!?”
“No, the wild vegetables…….”
— Puck
— Thud!
The sound of something falling on the room floor was heard.
“Since Young Lady Baek-myo is also up, everyone please get ready. Wild vegetables must be eaten when freshly stir-fried. Let’s go into the dining hall first.”
The area around the eyes of Ban Cheol-hwi, who came out adjusting his crooked scholar's cap, was slightly swollen.