Chapter 167 The Silent Wave Sword Technique

Chapter 167: The Silent Wave Sword Technique

Despite deploying the Explosive Charge Step, three iron balls I couldn’t dodge were about to pierce my back.

I couldn’t help but tremble.

It wasn’t because of the unavoidable iron balls.

Not only was it unavoidable, but the iron ball that should have already pierced my back had stopped dead in its tracks.

And the same was true for my body, which was being propelled forward.

A familiar sensation I had already experienced once.

Time… had stopped.

In that instant, a voice echoed in my mind once more.

– You’ve finally passed all three trials. Congratulations.

‘Ah!’

Overwhelming joy surged through his chest.

It was Moolang.

That spirit, likely the sword god’s spirit, had finally reappeared and spoken to me.

The wolf’s eyes carved into the lake gate suddenly glowed faintly.

A voice echoed in my mind once more.

– To be honest, you passed the test the moment you threw yourself to save those ronin earlier. My test was to prove your compassion—your willingness to sacrifice yourself for others—three times. But I was waiting for a more dramatic moment to make my appearance.

I knew it!

The test was indeed about risking your life for another.

My prediction had been spot on.

Then it suddenly occurred to me: ‘Wasn’t that third time when I threw myself to save Senior Son Eun-sang, the Demon of the Crimson Mist?’

When I once tried to sacrifice my life for Lady Tang, I had hidden the Moolang Sword elsewhere, and besides, that was an illusion, not reality. But when I leaped to save Senior Son, that was the real deal.

The answer came back immediately.

– That one doesn’t count. You anticipated my appearance and threw yourself in. Can that truly be considered pure altruism?

It was a cheerful yet slightly irritating voice.

So it’s saying you have to stake your life purely, without any expectation that Mokrang will appear.

It was undeniably an excessively demanding condition.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

As he himself had said, there couldn’t have been a more suitable situation for him to appear than this one.

– Alright, time is short, so I’ll get straight to the point. I left different martial arts techniques on each of the five swords. They were all created by drawing inspiration from different sword styles. What I left on the Moolang Sword is the Moolang Sword Technique and the Moolang Mind Method. The names are a bit simple, aren’t they? But the content won’t be so simple. They were created by drawing inspiration from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and the Asura Heaven-Shattering Fist.

Hearing his words, I suddenly forgot my current situation and could only gasp in astonishment.

“…What?!”

Five swords? There was one more?

No, wait—the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? The Asura Heaven-Shattering Martial Arts?

Why is that name mentioned here?

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the sword technique Asura Falling Heavenly Arts, and the treasure technique Heavenly Demon Sovereign Treasure were martial arts that had been passed down for a thousand years. They were the very symbol of the Heavenly Demon, the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Moreover, Cheonma was one of the Four Heavenly Kings—the absolute rulers of the current martial world: Ilje, Iwang, Samseong, and Samma.

Therefore, Mokrang was now claiming to have created a new martial art using the Cheonma Divine Art and Asura Falling Heaven Fist, the supreme secret techniques of the Cheonma Divine Sect.

Then he continued in a cheerful voice.

Ah, you needn’t worry about being consumed by demonic energy. The Moolang Heart Technique I created isn’t a demonic art that accumulates such energy. That’s why I also eliminated the effect of the Supreme Divine Eye that ensnares souls. Though I suppose you found that quite useful, doesn’t soul-capturing feel a bit too demonic? Instead, I maximized its regenerative power. Once you master it beyond the Seventh Level, even if an arm gets severed, it’ll regenerate in no time.

Something incredibly unrealistic was entering his mind.

An arm falls off and regenerates?

Like a lizard’s tail?

I understood it clearly, yet I didn’t understand it.

I could only stare blankly and repeat the question.

“…Huh?”

– Hmm, it seems you didn’t know the Heavenly Demon Art was originally called the Immortal Art. Regenerating an arm is something even a Heavenly Demon of this era could manage, though it’s rather low-level.

‘Ah… Yes, so the Heavenly Demon, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, was considered subpar?’

Listening to such outrageous claims as if they were nothing made me feel like I was losing touch with reality.

Then Mokrang clicked his tongue and replied.

– To be the master of the Heavenly Demon Cult and yet be called merely one of the Four Heavenly Kings, let alone a Demon God, Demon Emperor, or Demon Sovereign? That’s beyond low-level.

‘…Yes, I see.’

I decided to just accept it that way.

– Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I can take control of your body exactly three times to teach you that sword technique. So, when would you like that to happen?

His tone was oddly playful.

Wait, you’ll move my body for me?

Suddenly, the fight with the mighty warrior, Jeo Ung-won, came to mind.

Back then, Mokrang had moved my body and utterly crushed Jeo Ungwon, who was far beyond my level at the time.

Come to think of it, wasn’t it because Mookrang demonstrated it with his own body back then that I was able to master the Seonwoo Thirteen Swords Fifteenth Superhuman, Gongjeok Siseok? And wasn’t my rapid progress afterward also entirely due to that?

So now, Mookrang seemed to be asking me, on the brink of death at the hands of the Dark Blood Sect, if I would entrust my body to him just as I had back then.

Then, an answer came.

– You understood perfectly.

A sudden laugh escaped me.

So he was using the excuse of teaching me to help me fight Amhyulhyang.

There was no way I could refuse.

It was something I should have begged for, even if I had to make excuses.

Suddenly, I replied playfully myself.

‘I absolutely must receive instruction right now. I’m so curious about the Moolang Sword Technique and Moolang Mind Technique that I simply can’t wait any longer.’

Then he burst out laughing and replied.

– Ha ha ha ha ha! You know what? I really like you, you know. It would have been nice if we could have met in my lifetime.

And in the next instant, time abruptly returned to its normal pace.

That abrupt return to normal startled me momentarily.

Just as the three iron balls fired by the dark-haired woman were about to pierce his back, time began flowing again.

Even someone as formidable as Mokrang would be helpless in this situation, I thought.

Even if his spirit was truly that of a sword god, his physical body was still just me, not yet at the level of transcendence.

Even using defensive qi would be difficult to block, and I couldn’t even use that…

But the next moment, I realized just how pointless that worry had been.

Bang!

My body spun like a top at breakneck speed.

Then my spinning back flicked away two steel balls and pushed the remaining one sideways.

It was as if my back had been used like a hand to strike the steel balls away.

Faced with that magical situation, I could only stare blankly and mutter.

“…An ancient technique?”

It was Go-beop.

It was a striking technique that used the back as the point of impact.

Since the Sunwoo Clan’s Whirlwind Eighteen Strikes also included techniques utilizing the back, it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar.

But I had never even heard of, let alone seen, a striking technique that used the back with such precision.

At that moment, Mukrang’s voice reached him.

– They call it the Wheel of Heaven. It’s the martial art of the Demon God Gao Guang, once the world’s greatest fighter. But what matters isn’t which technique he used. It’s about not setting limits on one’s thinking.

Simultaneously, my body shot toward the Hidden Venom Village using the Explosive Leap.

POW!

The distance between me and the Dark Blood Fragrance rushing toward me was rapidly closing.

I suddenly swallowed hard.

I felt uneasy.

Even though he was the spirit of the sword, this was my body. Wasn’t it reckless to go head-to-head with Am Hyul-hyang, one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars? That thought crossed my mind.

After all, I’d already seen it get shattered beyond belief.

Then, closing the distance quickly, Mokrang said.

– When you feel afraid of an opponent, don’t overestimate them; you must see them as they truly are. There are three reasons why we must close the distance with that bastard as quickly as possible.

His words were quite unexpected.

I couldn’t understand why there would be three reasons for me to close the distance with the Dark Cave Clan.

Then he explained the reasons.

– First, because his weapon is a gujeolpyeon and ours are swords.

“…Ah?!”

At that, I couldn’t help but let out an exasperated sigh inside.

The fundamental principle was that to counter a long-range spear with a short-range sword, one must close the distance and enter the opponent’s range.

Forgetting that fundamental principle was entirely due to the overwhelming presence of the Dark Cave.

Blinded by the fear that getting close meant certain defeat, he had forgotten the fundamentals.

Suddenly, shame washed over him.

‘No matter how much I feared him, once I decided to fight, I should have naturally tried to close the distance…’

Then Mokrang spoke in a light, laughing voice.

– One must never forget that while thinking freely is essential, staying true to the fundamentals is paramount. The reason warriors often lose easily to masters far above their level isn’t because the opponent is unexpectedly strong, but because they succumb to fear and collapse from within first.

I understood this truth viscerally.

Indeed, I had often witnessed how novices crumbled quickly before masters, not usually due to lack of skill, but because they reacted either too passively or recklessly.

Then Mokrang explained the next reason with a satisfied voice.

– Second, it’s because the author is letting his guard down right now. Had he fired another iron ball, it would have been sufficiently threatening. How much he must be underestimating you to allow you to close the distance so easily. And that’s against you, wielding a sword—a close-range weapon, no less.

That statement, too, was an accurate fact.

As soon as I shifted my direction, Amhyulhyang stopped attacking and only closed the distance.

He was clearly complacent, convinced nothing I did would matter.

– Third, it’s because I can’t keep moving your body for that long. From now on… only about twenty counts remain. So in truth, it was us, not him, who needed to decide the outcome quickly.

‘What?!’

The other two reasons surprised me too, but certainly not as much as the third one.

Only enough time to count to twenty… How could we possibly capture the Dark Blood Fragrance, one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars, in such a short span?

That was the moment.

My new form finally entered his range.

Then, as if waiting for that moment, Gujeolpyeon shot toward me in a curve.

Whoosh!

It was a deadly thrust, moving in a circle like a living centipede charging at me at tremendous speed.

‘Danger…!’

By the time I cried out in shock, my body had already smoothly and swiftly dodged the strike.

Whoosh!

The thrust that changed direction and stabbed from directly behind was no different.

My body spun like a flower petal tossed by a strong wind, deflecting the creature’s attacks.

Mukrang said.

– If it had been anyone else, I might have taught them divine techniques too, but with you, there was no need. The Heavenly Wind Divine Technique is a splendid divine technique in its own right.

Even as I spoke, my divine form evaded everything—the encircling attacks of the Gujeolpyeon closing in, the strikes that seemed poised to cleave me in two, and the relentless thrusts piercing toward me.

– Don’t force yourself to move by relying too much on sensation. Isn’t the goal of the Heavenly Wind Divine Technique to become air? Does air move with intent? Conform to the flow. Then no attack will ever reach you.

‘Aaah!’

I couldn’t help but gasp.

He was right.

By refusing to move of its own accord, my body had managed to deflect every attack from the Dark Blood Fragrance.

It was ecstatic.

Even though I wasn’t using the Moonlit Sword Dance now, it felt as if I had fallen into a state of ecstasy.

Then, Am Hyeol-hyang’s gaze, which had seemed momentarily surprised, began to grow increasingly serious.

He seemed to sense something was amiss.

Waaaaaah!

In an instant, Gu Jie Pian’s head split into nine separate parts.

Then, surrounding me from all nine directions, it stabbed in like rays of light.

It was a piercing attack of incredible speed, stabbing at my body from nine directions as if turning me into a honeycomb.

Swoosh!

But those stabs never touched my body.

The moment the slashes pierced my body, my form scattered like petals, shattering into pieces.

It was the technique of Heavenly Wind and Falling Leaves that Mookrang had unleashed through my body.

Yet the Heavenly Wind Flower Petals he unleashed were less dazzling than mine had been.

Compared to the dozens of afterimages I created, his produced only about ten—a far smaller number.

Those dozen or so afterimages flowed like petals, moving around him.

Mukrang said.

– Against lesser opponents, perhaps, but when facing someone stronger than yourself, quality matters more than quantity.

I understood exactly what he meant.

Because the reduced number of afterimages had made them clearer, even the Dark Blood Fragrance momentarily failed to locate my true form.

But he was, after all, one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Masters. Even failing to locate my true form, he showed no sign of panic whatsoever.

Whoosh!

His fragmented energy instantly condensed, swirling in a circle as if being sucked in.

‘This?!’

It was clearly the same technique I’d seen last time.

The technique that tore my Emptiness is Form like a dragon’s whirlwind.

It seemed he intended to blow away both the afterimage and the true form with it.

‘Careful…!’

Just as I was about to warn Mokrang,

His Gujeolpyeon exploded outward like a detonation.

Waaaaaah!

Then, once again, a massive dragon-shaped whirlwind revealed itself before me.

It swung its ferocious claws, as if ready to tear everything around it to shreds.

But Mukrang’s response once again surpassed my imagination.

‘Wh-what?!’

I couldn’t help but scream in horror.

It wasn’t merely because my body had deflected the attack.

Not only my true form, but even my afterimages were deflecting that vicious attack according to the profound principles of the Heavenly Wind Divine Technique.

Faced with these afterimages moving as if alive, I couldn’t even find the words to speak.

‘Wh-what is this?!’

Then, Mokrang spoke in a cheerful voice.

– Didn’t I tell you to let your thoughts flow freely? You’ve already mastered the principle that emptiness is form. Why would you think what was possible with the sword couldn’t be possible with your body?

Ding!

At that moment, it felt like I’d been hit hard in the head.

He was right.

My Gongji Siksak technique, which replaced the illusionary sword with a real one to attack the opponent—if that was possible with a sword, it should have been entirely possible with the body as well.

Then, Mu-rang’s cheerful voice sounded again.

– Well, we’ve got about half the time left. I’d love to show you more, but I suppose we’ll have to settle for this much this time.

His words snapped me back to reality.

Come to think of it, I’d been so shocked I’d apparently forgotten time was even passing.

I thought you said there was only enough time left to count to twenty.

When I suddenly came to my senses, Mokrang said.

– Focus.

Simultaneously, a sword aura began to form on the Moolang Sword.

Unlike my usual sword energy, which was a light purple, this was a dark, deep purple.

Whoosh!

– The Asura Heaven-Shattering Sword Technique is composed of a single move. For the sword of a sovereign who rules the entire world, a second move was unnecessary. But my Moolang Sword Technique consists of three moves. Instead of the tyrannical path of shattering any opponent, strong or weak, with a single strike, I wanted to incorporate consideration tailored to the opponent’s level.

At that moment, Gu Jie Pian’s head split into nine again.

And unlike before, they weren’t thrusting straight at him. Like the head of a nine-headed dragon, they were coiling around, covering nine directions.

Once it occupied every direction, it seemed poised to close in at that very moment.

It was then, as I watched the shadow of Gujeolpyeon blocking the sky with tense eyes.

Mukrang’s voice, devoid of tension, reached my ears.

– One second, Gaecheon.

The moment those words ended.

Suddenly, the sky opened.

The sky, which had been completely obscured by the Gujeolpyeon surrounding me without a single gap, suddenly split open as if torn apart by something.

And the fact that that something was the sword in my hand made me shudder.

I suddenly turned my gaze toward the Dark Cave Fragrance.

Then, for the first time, Am Hyul-hyang, her face frozen in horror, was frantically retreating backward.

It was clear he too hadn’t grasped what had just happened.

Then, Mu-rang’s voice rang out once more.

– This moment, emergency.

Then my sword thrust forward.

Around the advancing blade, enormous crimson wings unfolded.

Am Hyul-hyang, her face frozen in horror, swung Gujeol-pyeon to block it.

But it was useless.

Once the crimson wings were fully spread, his Gujeolpieon couldn’t withstand the immense force and snapped clean off.

Thud! Thud!

The verse, split into three pieces, lay scattered helplessly.

Am Hyul-hyang was now flinging herself backward with a desperate look.

She seemed to be trying to escape.

At that moment, Mokrang recited the name of the third and final technique.

– Third Strike, Heaven’s Annihilation.

Then, the fully spread crimson wings instantly unleashed a torrent of gale-force winds and thunderbolts.

It was a ferocious bombardment that seemed to annihilate the very heavens.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

A moment that felt like an eternity passed, and finally, the third technique ended.

But even after my feet touched the ground again, I couldn’t utter a word.

The land where the third wave had passed was completely scorched.

And the same was true of Amhyulhyang’s body.

His fragments, the clothes he wore, and his body itself were all reduced to dust, mingled somewhere within the scorched earth.

It was overwhelming.

I couldn’t fathom where any consideration had been placed.

At that moment, Mokrang spoke in his usual cheerful voice.

– Time’s up. How was it? Did you learn well?

Then I realized my body had begun to move according to my will once more.

But even so, I couldn’t answer.

I could not utter a single word.

I could only stare blankly at the scorched earth and the dark cave scent that must be part of it.