Chapter 160 Jik Sa-heung (3)

Chapter 160 Jik Sa-heung (3)

‘………It stings.’

Just from Zhi Sha Hong’s single powerful strike, Zhao Hun felt as if his arm might fall off.

And what of his knees?

They seemed crushed by the impact, as if struck from above.

An unpleasant sound came from his wrists too.

His control of the Zha Ha Jin Qi, learned from his seniors, was flawless, yet he felt queasy inside.

His throat was raw and burning.

As Jie Sha Hong withdrew his silent spear, the snow-white haze in Zhao Hun’s vision gradually faded, restoring color.

The gazes that deemed him admirable, remarkable.

Sunlight breaking through the fully bloomed plum trees.

“Ah.”

Zhao Hun realized he was still facing Jie Sha Hong.

“Still, still…….”

” “Have you not realized?”

At Jik Sahong’s question, Jo Hun stubbornly nodded.

“I still have reserves left.”

“Disappointing.”

The sunlight hid Jik Sahong’s expression.

His voice was so deeply subdued, it felt as if he were disappointed in himself.

“Courage and recklessness are different matters.”

“Not yet…”

“Rest now.”

Zhi Sha Hong brushed past Zhao Hun, stroking his head.

“That is enough. Having withstood even one strike of the Silent Shadow Spear, you are a warrior worthy of recognition.”

“Is… is that so?”

With those words, Zhao Hun collapsed where he stood, utterly exhausted.

Gu Yangji’s voice followed immediately.

“Take care of Hoon.”

“…Yes!”

As if by prior arrangement, one of the warriors standing near Jo Hoon carefully lifted him up.

After a moment, Gu Yangji addressed Jik Sahong in a cold tone.

“Even if Hoon wanted it, that was too much.”

“Once you take up a weapon, you are a warrior.”

Thud!

Zhi Sha Hong slammed his silent spear into the ground once, continuing his words.

“I treated that boy as a warrior. I didn’t hold back my moves, but I clashed with him using all my strength.”

“…….”

“You know that’s what that boy wanted, don’t you?”

Gu Yangji bowed his head, then briefly cast his gaze to the left.

Time was needed to quell the surging emotions and regain composure.

The presence of so many watching eyes felt like they were gripping his arms.

He forced himself to resist the urge to burst out and swing his sword, but he couldn’t quite rein in the emotion seeping into his voice.

“May I be next?”

At the myriad emotions contained within those words, Jie Shihong gripped his sword tightly for a moment.

“Very well.”

Thud!

The moment the words ended, Gu Yangjie’s foot sent the earth flying in a chaotic mess, drawing in the wind before pushing it out.

The new figure wasn’t a distinct shape but a faint line, like a thread. Only the faint scent a person leaves behind was vaguely perceptible.

‘A storm.’

Facing Gu Yangjie, Jie Sha Hong spun his Mu Yan Sword once, tensing every muscle.

“Huu.”

A short sigh caused his upper body to expand, then contract again. His lower body supported his upper body like a sturdy old tree.

The length he gripped the spear shaft with was half an inch to an inch.

With only that length, that width, Jie Sha Hong had agonized countless times.

How could he become faster?

How could he remain undetected?

The spear lacks the versatility of swords, daggers, or even staffs. Move clumsily, and the distance closes—death follows.

Yet Jisahong did not despair.

Why isn’t the Namgung family, who claim to “draw the universe with swords,” the strongest? Why can’t the Wudang, who wield the Taiji, claim to be the best in Central Plains?

Even the Shaolin, who supposedly embody the Vajra, cannot claim to be the greatest of all time.

‘So is the spear… powerless?’

Zhi Sha Hong shook his head inwardly. It was an agony resolved decades ago.

If you paint the universe with a sword, you shatter it.

If you wield the Taiji, you pierce it.

The Vajra is no match for relentless hammering.

Just as Zhi Sha Hong had lived his life thus far, just as he had roamed the martial world wielding the Silent Spear that day.

Kwaaak! Kwaaak! Kwaaak! Kwaaak!

The Silent Spear in Zhi Sha Hong’s grip whirled violently from left to right.

His inner energy surged along its edge.

If Gu Yangdi was a raging typhoon, then Zhi Sha Hong was the spear piercing through that typhoon.

No, it was almost divine—calling it a divine spear would not be an exaggeration.

Clang!

Nearly forty catties in weight, the spin, and the internal energy channeled into it.

The black spear grasped by Jik Sa-heung had transcended human capability, seemingly reaching the realm of divine skill.

A single thrust could shatter a city gate, demolish a wall, and still have power to spare.

“Good heavens…”

Could even the most dangerous gunpowder concentrate such force in one place?

The densely packed warriors around them gradually retreated, creating distance.

And the standoff between the two warriors did not last long.

Clang!

Amidst the storm stirred by Gu Yangji, the sword flashed out, striking the shaft of the ink-black spear.

Clang.

Feeling the formidable Zixia energy emanating from the sword, Zhi Sha Hong clenched his teeth.

It wasn’t a lethal strike, as it was a sparring match, but it wasn’t a light technique either.

Wasn’t he the one who had deliberately used an artificial technique to avoid showing his first move?

“Shall we play?”

The moment Jie Sha Hong murmured in a low voice, the Muyu Spear spun halfway around.

“……?!”

Gu Yang Jie instantly frowned.

Zhi Sha Hong hadn’t struck hard enough to make him drop the Mu Yan Spear, nor had he used fist techniques to disrupt his footwork.

Yet, the spear suddenly spun?

His confusion was brief, and the answer came even faster.

‘He dropped the spear…?!’

It wasn’t so much an anomaly as it was a radical move, a trick only a rogue would use.

But Gu Yangji didn’t panic. He carefully observed both ends of the Mukeon Spear.

He wasn’t called the Blood-Sight for nothing.

He’d tasted and mastered responses to such tricks countless times in his past life.

Just as the Mukeon Spear spun halfway, its blunt end aimed at Gu Yangji’s solar plexus.

Thud! Thump!

Zhi Sha Hong seized the spear shaft and in an instant thrust it toward Gu Yang Jie’s solar plexus.

Though two distinct actions, the movements of a seasoned master made them appear as one fluid motion.

‘The easiest thing here would be to strike up at the spear shaft…’

But that wasn’t the correct answer.

Gu Yang Jie stepped on the Plum Blossom Pattern, shifting half a step to the left. His posture seemed to dive right into the heart of Zhi Sha Hong’s attack.

Then, a short chuckle brushed past Gu Yang Jie’s ear.

“…Huh.”

Zhi Sha Hong twisted the Mu Yan Spear tightly with his right elbow.

The internal force channeled into the Mu Yan Spear was immense, beyond description. Had he met it without defense, Gu Yangjie’s arm would have been crushed.

The sight of a rogue’s simple trick transformed into the ultimate essence under the hands of Zhi Sha Hong, the peerless spear master, was nothing short of majestic.

Gu Yangjie murmured his admiration softly, gripping the spearhead with both hands.

“Plum Blossoms in Full Bloom.”

At that voice, Zhi Sha Hong felt a fleeting disappointment.

Compared to the martial prowess he had displayed, the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, while undoubtedly excellent, fell short of being considered the pinnacle.

But the Plum Fragrance that followed, with a sharpness uncharacteristic of Huashan Sword Style, made the hairs on his body stand on end.

‘……This!’

Was this the reason for his two years of secluded training?

Zhi Sha Hong let out a pleased chuckle.

The fleeting disappointment he’d felt was swept away by the wind brushing past his ears.

‘The Huashan Sect is formidable!’

That youth, Zhao Hun, who had perfectly parried that single strike in a single second.

The youth who had stirred up the martial world for the past three years, Gu Yangjie.

And even now, the true nature of Yu Zhangming remained hidden, while Ha Jin’eok had fully recovered his physique!

Though the Central Plains were vast and thus home to many masters and extraordinary individuals, the current Huashan Sect was undeniably peculiar.

‘If it’s the Huashan Sect, they might just halt the Martial Alliance’s advance.’

This thought made him suddenly let out a hollow laugh.

He had devoted half his life to the Martial Alliance, yet how long had it been since he left that he felt any hostility?

Zhi Sha Hong shook his head slightly.

There were indeed suspicious aspects, but at least it wasn’t something to dwell on now.

He would only enjoy this very moment of clashing weapons with Gu Yang Jie!

“Come!”

Within Zhi Sha Hong’s grasp, the Silent Spear expanded, tracing a new arc.

“I am Zhi Sha Hong of the Silent Spear!”

“…Hmph.”

Gu Yang Ji chuckled softly as he swung his sword.

“This is the boundless void melted by my will. No, it is the One-Source Fragrance!”

The clash of the two divine weapons erupted in a roar that swallowed the entire Huashan.

* * *

After the sparring match ended, evening.

The connoisseurs departed Huashan, their minds filled with countless poetic phrases, while the martial artists poured out a flood of questions between Zhi Sha Hong and Gu Yang Jie.

But neither gave a proper answer.

Zhi Sha Hong had always disdained those who went around asking others about martial arts, and Gu Yang Jie, though not as talented as Yu Zhang Ming, was still a skilled martial artist.

No matter how sincerely they answered, one only hears what they know. Thus, the martial artists gained little insight and left the Huashan Sect later than the connoisseurs, their expressions disheartened.

“What a bunch of tiresome fellows.”

At that remark, Gu Yangjie chuckled softly and picked up his teacup.

“Somehow, that felt more exhausting than sparring.”

“Heh heh… Did you expend too much internal energy?”

Gu Yangjie wore a playful expression.

“It was so enjoyable I could have done it again and again. Why did you say such a grand thing at the end… Wasn’t your blood boiling from the first sparring match in ages?“

”Khm, hm.“

After clearing his throat, Ji Sha Hong turned to look at Gu Yang Jie with a serious expression.

”I… apologize for what happened earlier.“

”What are you talking about?”

“For speaking ill of Ha Jin-ak, and for showing excessive force against the child during today’s sparring.”

“He’s not a child.”

“……?”

Gu Yang-jeok shook his head firmly.

“He’s Zhao Hun. A respectable Daoist, quite advanced in years.”

“Is that so?”

Zhi Sha-hong wore a look of fresh surprise.

“Seems you still hold the martial arts world in high regard after all.”

“Does it not appear that way to others?”

Though Gu Yangji had meant it as a playful remark, Zhi Sha Hong’s attitude was quite different.

“Would you mind telling me seriously?”

“……It’s fine. I know my own temperament. “

”I’d rather have a drink.“

As Ji Shaoheng smacked his lips regretfully, Gu Yangjie leaned in and asked.

”I’ll get it.“

”…Isn’t abstinence the rule within Huashan Sect?“

”Well, there are ways around that.”

Gu Yangjie chuckled softly, looking at Ji Shaoheng.

Though it wasn’t his place to say as a disciple of Huashan Sect, he had something he needed to hear.

“In exchange, might you tell me what happened to you these past two years?”

“Heh heh, with an empty mouth?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to moisten that empty mouth with some liquor?”

At those words, Zhi Sha Hong’s eyes narrowed.

“Just when I thought you were starting to look like a proper Taoist, you’re acting like a complete vagrant!”

Gu Yangji flinched for a moment but didn’t stop speaking.

“Didn’t you say you had something to apologize to me for?”

“So you’re offering a deal?”

“No, well, not exactly a deal… But wouldn’t that help lighten the burden on Senior Ji’s heart?”

It was a risky statement that could easily invite a scolding, but Gu Yangji was half-convinced.

Zhi Sha Hong’s character leaned closer to neutral than righteous faction, and above all, he had lived a free-spirited life before becoming the Black Wind Lord. Gu Yangji judged that this kind of deal would work.

And that judgment proved correct once again.

“Tsk… Fine, fine! I’ll do it.”

Even as Zhi Sha Hong rolled his eyes, Gu Yang Jie couldn’t suppress his smile.