Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 166

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 166. The Sword Ghost Witnesses the Flames
“These insane bastards!”
Screech!
Deploying the Thousand Li Door Pavilion, Ho Yeon moved swiftly southward, his teeth clenched.
“There are things you do and things you don’t!”
—To drown innocent civilians! This isn’t the heart of a human being!
—They called it a Society? They’re trash far worse than demons!
Cheonrae Geom and Heukya Tae Geom both agreed with Ho Yeon’s words.
All things have a line.
They had crossed it.
‘Martial practitioners are those who accept death the moment they take up arms. But innocent civilians—they do not.’
That was why Geom-gwi never harmed ordinary civilians who bore no weapons.
But these dogs went further still—they would destroy the Samhyeop Dam and flood Yichang.
It was an operation that didn’t even see the civilians who made their homes here as human.
‘What are they after? To damage Baekmu Academy?’
Judging by the explosion of Zhentheinray at the Xiaojiang Tower and the clash with Gongyeong Gate, it seemed they were targeting Baekmu Academy.
Indeed, the students of Baekmu Academy had dispersed throughout Yichang, and if a flood came, many of them would suffer casualties.
‘So they seduced the spirit beings, Doo-il and Doo-i, to draw attention? But if they were targeting martial practitioners, that would suffice—they could simply deploy their Divine Method and ascend to higher ground.’
Ho Yeon sensed something darkly malicious in this scheme.
This wasn’t an operation targeting martial practitioners at all—it was designed from the start to maximize the slaughter of innocent civilians.
But why?
What gain was there in massacring masses of helpless civilians?
Then a conversation he’d had with Cho Seon Hyang surfaced in his mind.
“It’s a monumental engineering feat that the Silver Dynasty completed over thirty years.”
“Many masters from the Imperial Court at that time and advanced construction techniques transmitted from the Western Regions were applied to it. It’s one of the greatest achievements of the Silver Dynasty.”
“Because of it, the support of Yichang’s residents for the Silver Dynasty is at its peak. Please don’t speak ill of the Dynasty.”
‘That’s it! Their target wasn’t Baekmu Academy—it was the Imperial Dynasty!’
Now the fog had lifted entirely.
Their aim was undoubtedly to tarnish the honor of the Silver Dynasty.
The Samhyeop Dam was the Silver Dynasty’s greatest achievement—a structure of immense symbolic weight.
If it collapsed and tens of thousands of Yichang’s residents were submerged?
‘Rumors would spread that the Dynasty’s fortune had waned. Ill omens would abound.’
“Historically speaking, natural disasters have endangered the very survival of nations. The Yellow River’s flooding under the Xia. Droughts and famines under the Shang. Great earthquakes under the Zhou.”
Ho Yeon continued the thought as Cheonrae Geom spoke.
‘These dogs are trying to manufacture it artificially. They’re aiming for social chaos. Could they actually be seeking a change of dynasty?’
“According to what the vagrant discovered, the Society’s agents have infiltrated the Baekga Maeng, the Murim Alliance, Gucheon Sung, even the Imperial Court itself.”
‘If what the vagrant says is true, then the Society exists even within the Imperial Dynasty. If they orchestrated this to undermine the Silver Dynasty’s honor and seize power, it all makes sense!’
Ho Yeon, now grasping the true nature of the plot, cursed bitterly.
“How can you bastards be like this! For some phantom power! To massacre living people wholesale?”
Whooom!
His Upper Dantian flared hot.
His spirit had responded to Ho Yeon’s fury.
Geom-gwi Dan Wee Myeong had been an orphan in a back alley.
It was a truly wretched place—so hard to beg for rice that orphans would beat each other senseless.
Yet even in that sewer, people lived, loved, and dreamed of tomorrow.
And those in power gave not a thought to any of it, sweeping aside civilians wholesale for their own interests.
It was this arrogant calculus of rulers that ignited Ho Yeon’s rage.
“I’m stopping this because I’m disgusted by it!”
Snap!
Having left the city behind, Ho Yeon extended his hand forward.
His blazing spirit energy poured strength forward, urging him onward.
Boom-boom-boom!
The Psychokinetic Flash shifted into effect, and Ho Yeon’s body lifted skyward before suddenly accelerating, his vision warping.
No ordinary Divine Method could achieve this speed.
Moreover, usually the path would wind and coil as one dodged obstacles like trees and boulders.
But for Ho Yeon moving through the sky, there were no such constraints.
Screeeech!
Thanks to this, Ho Yeon could travel in a straight line all the way to the Samhyeop Dam.
He arrived at the Samhyeop Dam with barely a breath of time before midnight.
Thud!
“Huff! Huff! Mmgh!”
Standing before the shadow of the colossal city wall, Ho Yeon deployed his psychokinetic field to its maximum without hesitation.
Whoosh!
All things in heaven and earth fell under Ho Yeon’s perception, and he could see them clearly.
‘Spheres about a foot in diameter—one hundred eight of them! And within each, I sense a strange fire essence. Is this Fire Element Energy?’
Zhentheinray devices were installed throughout the Samhyeop Dam.
When the time came, the fire essence within each would ignite simultaneously, maximizing destructive force—that much was obvious.
―Good heavens, you’ve arrived, but what now? Even for you, taking one hundred eight Zhentheinray blasts on your body would be fatal!
“Are you mad? How could I take that with my body?”
―Then you have a method?
“Hmph, forgotten already? I am one of the Five Hidden Mysteries of Anhui—the Flash Burn Transgression!”
So named because it burned everything in an instant before vanishing without a trace.
The legend of Flash Burn Transgression began with the burning of Baekun Merchant Society’s silk warehouse.
Through burning countless structures, Ho Yeon had mastered the Way of flame play.
―And what does your arson have to do with this?
“Watch. Mmgh!”
Click! Snap!
Ho Yeon, holding Sword Finger Positions in both hands, pointed toward the Samhyeop Dam.
‘One, two, three, four, five…!’
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Each time Ho Yeon flicked his Sword Finger Positions, a Zhentheinray device rose into the air one by one, gathering toward him.
―This mad boy! Why are you drawing them toward us!
―Orei-yaro! Stop it, the world still has life in it!
“Uuuuh!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Despite the cries of Cheonrae Geom and Heukya Tae Geom, Ho Yeon did not stop flicking his Sword Finger Positions.
By now, dozens of dark Zhentheinray devices hovered around him like birds of death, drifting silently.
‘Fifty-one! Fifty-two! Fifty-three! Fifty-four!’
Hummmmm!
His forehead burned as if on fire.
The Spirit Energy needed for Eighty-Eight Swords had been more than half consumed deploying the Psychokinetic Flash to its limit.
‘Seventy-seven! Seventy-eight! Seventy-nine! Ugh!’
His Sword Finger Positions trembled violently.
His head throbbed terribly.
Something warm trickled from his nose.
‘At this point… shouldn’t it be enough?’
Any further would be too dangerous.
The work he was performing now required precision—no margin for error.
Having removed nearly eighty Zhentheinray devices, the rest alone could not bring down the Samhyeop Dam.
‘…But what if it does collapse?’
Grit!
Facing uncertainty, Ho Yeon clenched his teeth.
If the Samhyeop Dam collapsed, it would accelerate the social chaos the Society wanted.
Should the Imperial House falter, the regional warlords would rise, and the world would be engulfed in flames of war in an instant.
‘Hefei, too, would not escape that influence. That cannot happen. The Greatest Family Under Heaven I desire… exists within a bright future!’
What use would it be to become the Greatest Family Under Heaven in a dark age of war?
In that moment, Ho Yeon gained concrete substance to what he had only thought of superficially—the Greatest Family Under Heaven.
‘Ah, is that so? The Greatest Family Under Heaven I desire… cannot be achieved by the household alone. The entire world must help.’
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
His Sword Finger Positions began flicking again.
His head still ached.
Yet his mind was serene.
His concentration reached its extreme, and Spirit Energy that should have run dry was bubbling up from somewhere, springing forth abundantly.
‘One hundred five, one hundred six, one hundred seven, one hundred eight…!’
The moment Ho Yeon removed nearly all the Zhentheinray devices.
Thunder that shook the heavens filled the gorge.
Crack-boom!
Kaboom-crash!
―Aiee! Save me, Great Lord! Eh?
―Orei-yaro! This short journey was pleasant… huh?
Cheon Rae Geom and Heuk Ya Tae Geom, who had been shrieking as they sensed the end, were bewildered by what had just happened.
“Gasp! Gasp! Ugh…… So I missed three after all…….”
Ho Yeon gripped his nose, blood dripping steadily, and gazed at the Samhyeop Dam where pillars of flame erupted.
The upper part of the Samhyeop Dam was in chaos.
But with merely three Zhentheinray charges, the Samhyeop Dam could not be brought down.
The remaining one hundred eight Zhentheinray charges hovered gently beside Ho Yeon, occupying their positions with obedient stillness.
―What in the world…… had happened here?
―Why didn’t they detonate? Could they have misfired?
“Fire requires contact with air to ignite. I wrapped the Zhentheinray charges in psychokinetic energy to cut off their air supply.”
Ho Yeon explained away the confusion of the two swords.
He hadn’t merely removed the Zhentheinray charges—he’d enveloped them in psychokinetic power to prevent the fire essence inside from vaporizing.
―Tch. Even fire-play has its uses.
―Pfahahaha! Now that’s impressive!
Listening to the two swords’ amazement, Ho Yeon shifted his steps.
“Whew, managed to stop them somehow. Now all that’s left is dealing with these troublesome things. I can’t keep them sealed in psychokinetic energy forever.”
Tap!
Ho Yeon dashed across the Samhyeop Dam with blinding speed.
The Zhentheinray charges trailed after him like chicks following a mother bird.
“W-what in the world is happening!”
“Water buckets! Get the water buckets!”
“Quickly! Call the Water Controller!”
The upper section of the Samhyeop Dam was in turmoil from the sudden explosion.
Turning his gaze from them, Ho Yeon looked out at the Yangtze River, swollen from the recent rain.
Splash!
‘Detonating them in the water would be safest. If I stay too close, the shock will damage the Samhyeop Dam, so I need to go as far out as possible…… wait?’
Something caught Ho Yeon’s eye as he surveyed the expanse of the Yangtze.
With his inner power boosting his enhanced vision, his blue eyes reflected dozens of vessels.
“What’s that?”
* * *
Splash! Clatter-clatter!
As Ho Yeon abruptly landed on the deck, water bandits trained their weapons on him.
“I am Namgung Ho Yeon! How did you end up here?!”
“What? Namgung Ho Yeon?”
“That Thunder Dragon? The one who cut down the Flesh-Devouring Demon?”
“Insane! He’s a master!”
“No, his face is covered in blood! The bastard’s half-dead already! Don’t panic!”
At Mo Yong Hak’s shout, the bandits around him started and took defensive stances.
“Hmm? So that’s the legendary Thunder Dragon?”
Whoosh! Tap!
Chu Tack, the Blue-Eared Beggar, lowered the trident from his shoulder and offered an intriguing smile.
“You lot and your obvious schemes? Planning to ransack Yichang once the Samhyeop Dam falls? But what’s this? The dam’s perfectly intact?”
Ho Yeon spoke with a contemptuous smile, and Mo Yong Hak ground his teeth as he cried out.
“You dare obstruct me again! You bastard!”
“Again? Have we met before?”
“W-what?”
“That dried squid pasted to your cheek—I’ve never seen it before. Is it an emergency ration?”
“You worm!”
Bang! Boom-boom!
Whoosh!
As Mo Yong Hak’s rage ignited, fireballs materialized around him and erupted into flames.
“Fire Element Energy. Correct answer.”
Seeing this, Ho Yeon narrowed his eyes, and Mo Yong Hak burst into wild laughter.
“Hahahaha! Foolish wretch! You’ve walked straight into the trap with your own feet!”
Yet beneath his outward composure, Mo Yong Hak’s insides were burning with urgency.
‘The Samhyeop Dam bombing has failed! If I return now empty-handed, the organization will treat me as a lost piece. I must accomplish something to make up for this failure!’
If he could capture Namgung Ho Yeon, it would reduce the fallout from the failed operation.
This was more than a matter of personal vendetta—it was a question of whether the organization could even survive going forward.
‘I must capture him by any means!’
Mo Yong Hak shouted.
“Great Bandit Chu Tack! Take him alive!”
“Hm. I was wondering about that rumor—that you’d cut down a general. Yet here I am, skilled enough for the rank myself, and I get no respect whatsoever?”
Lick!
Chu Tack, the Blue Demon Fork, ran his tongue along his trident, eyes blazing.
“If I take down the Crimson Dragon, I’ll have to change my title from Demon Fork to Demon General! Ahahaha!”
“Demons, ghosts—nonsense. A toad-faced bastard spouting delusions. Tch…….”
Drip-drip-drip.
Blood fell from Namgung Ho Yeon’s nose once more.
He pinched his nostrils between thumb and forefinger, surveying the scene around him.
Dozens of vessels, their crews radiating killing intent so thick it rippled through the air—men who’d slaughtered their share of enemies.
“I’m not yielding.”
“What?”
“You bungled it. Don’t show your face again.”
“This brat spouting nonsense…….”
Whup!
Leaving their baffled silence in his wake,
Namgung Ho Yeon drew a sharp breath, kicked hard off the deck with his feet, and hurled himself into the Yangtze River.
Bang!
“He’s fleeing! Seize him!”
Mo Yong Hak’s face drained of color—the last thing Namgung Ho Yeon saw before the river’s surface swallowed him whole.
Splash! Gurgle-gurgle.
Splash!
Submerged beneath the water, Namgung Ho Yeon raised his Sword Finger Position skyward.
Whirrrrr.
And with that, the One Hundred Eight Distress Lightning he’d hidden beneath the surface began to rise rapidly.
Once he confirmed the lightning mines breaking through to the surface, Namgung Ho Yeon snapped his fingers.
Crack-boom!
Crash-crash-crash―!
A deafening roar erupted from below, and the world turned crimson.
The explosion of one hundred eight Distress Lightning, their reflections dancing across the river’s surface,
was a spectacle of light unparalleled—a display worthy of the One Hundred Eight Distress Lightning itself.
‘……Bin, is this what you wanted to see so desperately? A firework like this? Though it’s not Beijing, and today isn’t the Spring Festival.’
Today was the Ghost Festival.
The day the greatest of all ghosts—the Geom-gwi—saved tens of thousands of innocent civilians and annihilated over a thousand enemies.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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