Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 198

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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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Episode 198. Sword Demon’s Warlord Severing
“Haaaaah!”
Crack!
Jong Ri Pae, holding aloft a blade that pulsed with crimson Qi Energy, stepped into the Huiseong Gyuhwan Step.
Bang! Boom-crack-boom!
It was less a stepping technique than a pure concussive strike—a violent impact that shattered the very earth beneath his feet.
It might have looked like wasted effort, but a smile played at Jong Ri Pae’s lips.
Whoooosh!
Ahhhhhhh!
The shockwave rebounding from the ground tore through the air, birthing an ominous ghost sound that filled the void.
That wailing vibrated the Qi itself, amplified through the atmosphere as a medium.
Shrieeek!
“What—?!”
Ho Yeon’s semicircular canals reeled, vertigo washing over him. He quickly shielded his ears with his Nae Gong.
“Hehehehe! My footsteps are the screams of sinners echoing through Hell’s Wheel Prison! Soon you too shall sing a note in that infernal chorus!”
A subtle application of sound martial technique, using auditory illusion to shatter an opponent’s focus.
This was the true nature of the Huiseong Gyuhwan Step—suffering made manifest in relentless, repetitive wails.
“Hmph! An amusing trick. Let’s see how you handle this!”
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
In response, Ho Yeon deployed the Bohwa Ryu Step.
Born from the Bohwa foundation he’d learned from Jin Heuk Cheon of Shikin Ma Jang, refined and perfected by grafting in the missing subtleties of the Seryu Technique—this was his Yuhwan Step.
Pitter-patter-patter!
With each step Ho Yeon took, an azure Qi burst forth from his Yongcheon Point.
That Qi, spinning and flowering where it met the ground, scattered like brilliant sapphire fragments across the battlefield.
“Mere sleight of hand!”
Hundreds of will-o’-the-wisps obscured his vision. Jong Ri Pae swept his Narakdo in a wide arc.
‘Pilpara Needle!’
Whoosh!
Boom-boom-boom!
Formidable sword wind obliterated the azure lights one after another.
The secret art of the Narak Swordmaster Jong Ri Pae—the Abi Sword Method—had begun.
The Pilpara Needle was originally a parched, malevolent wind that blew through the depths of Abi Hell itself.
Whoooosh!
“Agh?!”
Ho Yeon’s eyes snapped wide open with a stifled cry.
As the sword wind grazed his skin, a searing pain shot through his entire body—as if pierced by countless needles.
“Khahahaha! This is the power of Narak Fine Energy! A Murin who has grasped the blade of Hell itself can manipulate another’s pain receptors at will!”
Jong Ri Pae erupted in triumphant laughter.
Pain receptors referred to the nerve endings by which the body sensed pain.
When those nerve endings detected harmful external stimuli and transmitted that information to the brain, the result was agony.
Narak Fine Energy corrupted that very process, transforming a gentle breeze into excruciating torment.
“That is why I am the master of the Narak School! Now scream! Let me hear your Abi Hell’s Wheel Prison!”
No matter how accustomed a Murin grew to pain, immunity to suffering itself was impossible.
In a duel between masters where even a moment’s lapse could prove fatal, Narak Fine Energy was a decisive trump card.
“Khehe! Now this is interesting.”
Despite Jong Ri Pae’s menacing tone, Ho Yeon merely laughed—a clear, bright sound.
The world of martial arts was indeed vast and deep.
Merely three hundred years had passed, yet such unfamiliar Qi techniques kept emerging from nowhere!
“Good! This is what martial arts should be! This is the true Jianghu!”
“Enough boasting! Hah!”
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
Jong Ri Pae’s Narakdo raked through the air.
The Cheolung Breaking Eyes—as if a steel eagle were tearing out an opponent’s eyes in a single strike.
With each blow, the Pilpara Needle’s sword wind carried the assault, and Narak Fine Energy triggered anew.
“Huuuuh……”
Against that relentless barrage, Ho Yeon instead went limp—all tension draining from his body.
Lowering his blade and adopting a posture that mimicked nature itself, he looked like a man courting death.
Yet Jong Ri Pae could not afford to dismiss the phantom born of Ho Yeon’s formidable will.
‘……A plum blossom tree?’
Before his eyes stood a single plum tree, standing solitary by the roadside.
This was the Qi Method of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique—a martial art appearing in the world for the first time in three centuries.
Plum Blossom Roadside.
“A plum tree stands alone by the wayside, solitary and forsaken, until a butterfly comes to soothe its loneliness.”
Swish!
The Cheonrae Geom moved.
The azure silk of the Straight Force flowed through the void with liquid grace.
And from that movement, cyan plum blossoms bloomed one after another, their petals trembling like butterfly wings.
Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance.
Crash! Boom-boom-boom!
Screech!
The soft deflection of the Butterfly Dance gently turned aside the violent strike of Cheolung Breaking Eyes, letting the force slip harmlessly away.
“Plum blossoms?!”
“The plum that endured winter at last reveals its beauty.”
Plum Blossom Reveals Beauty.
Slash!
A perfect thrust shot forth, its point aimed at Jong Ri Pae’s heart.
“Hah!”
Jong Ri Pae moved to counter with a thrust of his own rather than evade.
‘Fool—to meet force with force when your Qi is so dispersed? A grave mistake!’
Crash!
The Yaksha Spear Pierce—that wondrous technique merging straight penetration with thorough piercing—erupted forth.
And yet—
Whoosh!
The thrust of Plum Blossom Reveals Beauty curved smoothly, then wrapped around Jong Ri Pae’s Narakdo like a supple plum branch bending in the wind.
“Ten thousand plum blossoms bloom, guiding all things beneath heaven and earth toward benefit.”
Plum Blossoms Guide Benefit.
Caught in the mysteries of Flower Transfer Grafting, Jong Ri Pae’s thrust plunged into the sandy earth.
Boom!
“Ugh?!”
“O plum leaves that stain the east, fall and fall again!”
Plum Blossom Falls Casting.
Plum Blossom Falls Continuously.
Slash!
With control of his Narakdo lost, Jong Ri Pae saw cuts bright as rays of light rain down upon his head.
But it was not just one.
The countless cyan plum blossoms that bloomed in the air began to fall in succession.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
Scrape! Scrape-scrape!
“Gaaah!”
The cyan plum blossoms were not merely beautiful.
Each one was a compressed ball of Qi Energy.
Boom!
As Jong Ri Pae retreated in rapid backward steps, his entire body was reduced to tatters.
Slash!
“Damn it!”
Jong Ri Pae tore off his shredded garments and hurled them aside.
Beneath, despite his imposing frame, lay a body honed through rigorous discipline.
At that moment, Mu Ga Yak, who had been watching the earth-shaking battle from afar, let out a cry that was almost a scream.
“That… that is…!”
Mu Ga Yak’s gaze was fixed upon the center of Jong Ri Pae’s chest.
There, set against the surrounding skin, was a scar of dark brown.
Like a wound from frostbite, barely healed, it was perfectly round—shaped like the full moon.
“The mark of the Full Moon Qi! How could you possibly…!”
“Hmm? Ah, this?”
At Mu Ga Yak’s reaction, Jong Ri Pae let out a low chuckle.
“Ha, we nearly died that day. Mu Ye Ryeong, the Full Moon Lady—that woman was a monster.”
“No… surely not…!”
“Yes. We killed her. Because of that, the Narak Eight became the Narak Three. Even father was surprised she was that strong.”
“…!”
Mu Ga Yak’s eyes widened in shock.
Cause of death unknown. Killer unknown.
One day, my mother simply left the clan and never returned.
I’ve never uncovered the reason—and now, could the culprit have been right before my eyes all along?
“Why—why would you? You’re the sect leader of the same Way of Heaven. How could you possibly—!”
“Khehehehe! This stupid two-legged bitch. Surya doesn’t want an awl that pops out of a pocket. When a hunting dog tries to play wolf, it must be boiled, naturally.”
“Noooo! Cough! Gasp!”
Mu Ga Yak screamed until her throat tore, and the internal injuries caught up with her—she coughed blood.
Jong Ri Pae, indifferent to the sight, withdrew his gaze and turned to Namgung Ho Yeon with a question.
“But I’m curious. To bloom the plum blossom—that sword method should have vanished three hundred years ago, shouldn’t it?”
“It did vanish. Until a few months ago.”
“Hmm, so you’re the genius who even restored the Cheonroe Jewang Singong? From Guicheon’s perspective, you’re someone who absolutely cannot be left alive.”
Jong Ri Pae’s eyes narrowed to slits.
‘He’s avoiding direct confrontation at all costs. Insufficient Nae Gong? Or lack of experience? Either way, if I stake everything on a single, decisive blow, he’ll be knocked away.’
Crunch! Crunch-crunch!
The Six Paths Battle Wheel Divine Technique roared to full power, and the war wheel in his Dantian began to spin with tremendous force.
Bang!
Ahhhhh!
Jong Ri Pae charged at Namgung Ho Yeon again, accompanied by the Ghost Sound of the Huiseong Gyuhwan Step.
Rumble! Crash!
Crackle!
At the same moment, a sound like thunder and lightning erupted from nowhere, and white lightning surged across Ho Yeon’s entire body.
“At last you’ve drawn it out!”
“Whoosh!”
Swoooosh!
Sending the Cheonrae Gi through his Yongcheon Point, Namgung Ho Yeon raked his right foot across the sand like a spade, carving a half-moon arc.
Crackle!
Bang! Bang!
That single strike was the Flowing Light Marks Ground of the Bohwa Ryu Step—
A technique that scattered lightning sparks in all eight directions.
“As spring winds scatter blossoms in wild confusion!”
Following that, Namgung Ho Yeon unleashed the phantom sword of Plum Blossom Frequent Scattering.
Patter-patter-patter-pat!
Then, white Thunder Plum Blossoms bloomed in profusion, flooding heaven and earth with lightning radiance.
“This bastard—!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Swick!
Jong Ri Pae, rapidly wielding his Narakdo to swat away the lightning petals, gasped in shock.
“What—?!”
A single Thunder Plum Blossom he was certain he’d cut down suddenly refracted and drifted leisurely toward his chest.
Sting! Crash-boom-boom!
Jong Ri Pae hastily deployed his protective Qi Energy to block it, then stepped back several paces to assess the situation.
Whoom! Whoooom!
‘What in the world is this?’
The movement of the Thunder Plum Blossoms was abnormal.
Some shot upward like fox fire. Others spun in circles, vanishing and reappearing in succession.
No matter how perfect the Hua Shan sword’s phantom sword technique was, this made no physical sense.
Click! Clink! Click!
‘…That’s it!’
Then, Jong Ri Pae realized that Namgung Ho Yeon was shifting his sword face this way and that, reflecting light onto the Thunder Plum Blossoms.
“Ah! You’re refracting light to distort their appearance!”
“Correct answer.”
Namgung Ho Yeon smiled.
This technique was modeled after what Du I had done—refracting moonlight through ice crystals.
Du I had used moonlight, but Namgung Ho Yeon had no need for that.
The Cheonrae Gi he wielded was inherently the darling of brilliant light.
“Blossoms shall rain down like blood!”
Whoosh-swish-swish-swish!
Namgung Ho Yeon unleashed the transforming sword of Plum Blossom Blood Rain.
Then, through Thunder Shadow Confusion, countless distorted thrusts shot toward every inch of Jong Ri Pae’s body.
‘There’s no escape from this!’
Jong Ri Pae had no confidence whatsoever in dismantling such kaleidoscopic sword technique.
But it didn’t matter.
The fact that his opponent relied on misdirection was itself proof that he shied away from direct confrontation.
“If I can’t intercept it, I’ll simply sweep it all away!”
Crack! Crack-crack!
Jong Ri Pae, who had woven the Narakdo with Straight Force at maximum density, slashed through empty air four times in rapid succession.
‘Copper Refined Four Dogs!’
Crash-crash-crash!
Then four crimson copper hounds—said to dwell in the Infinite Hell—erupted from the Narakdo and tore apart the Plum Blossom Blood Rain.
Shriek!
Not missing the opening as the Thunder Plum Blossom was dispersed, Jong Ri Pae launched himself from the ground and dove into Ho Yeon’s embrace.
“Hah!”
Whoosh!
Jong Ri Pae’s left fist shot toward Ho Yeon’s chin.
Whoosh!
Ho Yeon fluidly bent his knees with Gam Bo, evading like water.
But the fist wind that followed brushed his cheek, and Ho Yeon’s eyes flew wide open.
“Ngh?!”
“Khaha! Who said Narak Fine Energy could only be woven into sword wind!”
Clang!
Seizing the opening, Jong Ri Pae seized the Narakdo in both hands and brought it up with all his might, cutting upward.
‘Infinite Reverse Slash!’
A deafening roar!
That single blow ascended powerfully as though it pierced through all eight hells, defying even the Infinite Hell itself.
‘Got him!’
Jong Ri Pae was certain of victory.
Namgung Ho Yeon had avoided direct confrontation from beginning to end.
Which meant he had no means to block this strike.
“……Hh!”
Then.
Jong Ri Pae glimpsed a chilling ghost smile spreading across Ho Yeon’s lips.
Simultaneously, the mental form he had taken for a plum tree until that moment underwent a transformation.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!
Tree branches became spectral hands, and blossoms transformed into a thousand blades, dispersing not floral fragrance but a desolate scent of blood.
‘What is this……?!’
A deep thrumming sound.
Jong Ri Pae realized his body was moving sluggishly, as though submerged in water.
Seized as if in the grasp of a specter’s hand, the will of all creation constrained his every motion.
Ho Yeon spoke.
“You’re caught.”
“……!”
“I wasn’t avoiding direct battle. I was waiting for the single decisive moment.”
Crackle!
Crash-crash-crash!
From the Cheonrae Geom erupted dozens of strands of electrical threads, weaving left and right.
A deep humming sound.
The Heaven Thunder Qi, descending to illuminate the night sky, cast a deep shadow across Jong Ri Pae’s face with unprecedented force.
“Kehaha! Endure this! Weaving Qi Energy with the Cheonrae Gi is a first for me too!”
“Uhhh… nooooo……!”
A deafening roar!
The Heaven Thunder Qi made its debut upon the world, accompanied by a searing heat that engulfed the entire body.
Crack!
Flash!
A white bolt of lightning crashed down from the heavens like the judgment of a Thunder God.
Falling Thunder Pursuit.
Crash-crash! Crack!
The massive blade of light shattered the Infinite Reverse Slash, crushed the Narakdo, and—unsatisfied—severed Jong Ri Pae’s right arm entirely.
“Screeeeeeeeeee!”
The death cry of the Blade General, his arm torn away by the Sword Demon, echoed throughout all of Ssangjong Sajoo.

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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
—————