Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 221

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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 221. The Sword Demon’s Secret Cavern Revealed
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
A handsome man in a blue silk robe moved forward step by measured step.
His most striking feature was the vertical scar bisecting his right mouth corner.
It was Yu Hee Seong.
“Phew…….”
Yu Hee Seong, uncharacteristically tense, drew a measured breath.
Creak!
As he carefully opened the door, candles within the dim chamber flickered.
A strange medicinal odor pricked his nostrils, but Yu Hee Seong’s gaze remained fixed on the inner chamber.
It was draped in curtains of thin silk, lending it an air of mystery.
“President, I have matters to report.”
“Speak.”
A curt reply drifted from behind the curtain.
That voice was as eerie as the screams of the dead echoing through the underworld.
It seized the very soul—merely hearing it left one’s mind dulled and one’s strength draining away.
Yu Hee Seong felt cold sweat trickling down his spine as he gazed at the faint silhouette within the curtain.
‘Is this… truly a human being? He grows impossibly stronger with each rest period…….’
The President had spoken during his last dormancy.
He had recovered only three-tenths of his full power.
How much stronger was he now? Seven-tenths? Or perhaps eight?
“Three-tenths and five-hundredths.”
“Eh?!”
“Slower than expected. Something is clearly amiss. Have Sigue brought here.”
“Yes… of course.”
Yu Hee Seong bowed his head as he answered.
His body trembled.
Was it fear at having his thoughts read? No. The President was all-knowing, after all.
He felt only joy.
‘Merely three-tenths and five-hundredths! When the President recovers his full strength, the Heavens shall lie beneath the Guild’s heel!’
Seized by exultation, Yu Hee Seong heard the President speak again.
“Report.”
“Yes. The Yin-Yang Twin Demons, who betrayed the Guild, have fled beyond the Black Dragon River Province into the North Sea. From how they shook off the East Direction’s pursuit, they are no ordinary foes.”
“The Yin-Yang Twin Demons. Fascinating specimens they were.”
“Their flight to the North Sea is likely due to the need to heal the Yin Demon’s inner injuries. The North Sea contains many Yin-attributed spirit medicines and spirit beasts, including Ice Spirits.”
Yu Hee Seong’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.
“Since they have fled to the North Sea, I intended to task the North Direction with their pursuit.”
“Leave them be.”
“Sir?”
“Fascinating physiology, nothing more. They lack the power to influence the greater scheme.”
“But an example must be set…….”
“Never again to set foot in Zhongyuan is example enough. Besides, should the North Direction disturb the North Sea, it will strain our relations with the Ice Palace. It is too early to draw in Seol Mu Rin.”
“……I understand.”
Yu Hee Seong reluctantly nodded.
He continued.
“The next matter concerns recruitment of Wall-Raisers. We require at least ten additional.”
“Hmm? I recall providing five last time.”
“The issue is… Ma Seok, the Blood-Erupting Evil Expert, and Yu Ji Gong, the Mountain-Painting Single Brushstroke, whom we had dispatched to control Geumcheondomunmun, have perished.”
“At whose hands?”
“At those of Namgung Ho Yeon, who has recently risen as the Thunder God Celestial General among the one hundred eight heroes of the land.”
“Ho? Namgung Ho Yeon, you say. The later generation disciple of whom our strategist spoke?”
“……Indeed. Not only did he render the seizure of the Samhan Merchants Guild worthless, but he publicly exposed the Yin Kill Gate’s identity—a Grade One target for elimination by the Guild.”
As Yu Hee Seong’s mouth twisted, the vertical scar creased asymmetrically.
“Furthermore, he has recently killed Mo Yong Cheol, whom we had stationed to control Baekmu Academy after preventing the Samhyeop Dam bombing.”
“Huh-huh, the strategist has reason to be vexed.”
“Including Cruel Poet Sword Chu Eum, this wretch has already claimed four Wall-Raisers.”
Truth be told, including Flame Direction Gwang Bi Chang, it was five.
But even without involving Flame Direction’s affairs, Ho Yeon was sufficient cause for irritation.
Yu Hee Seong pressed on.
“As Student Council President of Baekmu Academy is nearly assured for him, we plan to eliminate him shortly.”
“Let the commandant handle it. Send the candidates for Wall-Raiser to that place as usual.”
“Thank you.”
The Association Master posed a question to Yu Hee Seong, who had bowed his head respectfully.
“Never mind the trivial matters. Tell me about the situation at Jilian Mountain.”
“Understood. Currently, rumors are spreading across Gansu, Qinghai, Shaanxi, and Sichuan.”
“And Xinjiang?”
“Of course it’s spreading there as well. Three hundred years may have passed, but that reputation is imperishable. Soon the entire realm will be in turmoil.”
“Hehehehe.”
As the Association Master chuckled with satisfaction, Yu Hee Seong added his thoughts.
“Now that Gucheon Sung has chosen the Sichuan Destruction Plan, the true wheel of blood is about to begin rolling.”
“Good. The territorial squabbles of the Nine Hundred Contention for Supremacy cannot be called true war. Blood and screams, mountains of corpses and curses of hatred mixed together—only then does it become genuine martial world.”
The Association Master murmured in an ominous tone.
“They will fight. For Martial Art is ultimately nothing but the manifestation of arrogance—the disdain for others and the rejection of one’s opponent.”
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
Though his voice was soft, heaven and earth trembled as if in agreement with the Association Master’s words.
“Display of Martial Might. They will kill and kill again to prove their own competence.”
“Urgh…….”
“Tell the West Direction. Let them teach the people of Zhongyuan what Martial Art truly is.”
“I under…… stand…….”
Yu Hee Seong barely managed his reply, bent beneath a pressure as though bearing a thousand-ton stone.
In the darkness, an unseen hand was reaching out slowly, yet inexorably.
* * *
Namgung Ho Yeon sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
His consciousness was contemplating the Qi Sea Acupoint.
Whoosh! Whoooosh!
Cyan Changgung Qi soared endlessly upward, expanding again and again.
The Changgung Qi burst forth as if the Dantian itself could not contain it, flowing unobstructed through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
Following through the Conception Vessel and Governing Vessel to complete the Great Heavenly Circulation, Qi threads erupted from every pore of his body.
Swish-swish!
Swish-swish-swish!
As the vertical and horizontal threads were woven together in neat perpendicular lines, it appeared as though he had donned chain mail armor forged from Blue Steel.
‘Body-Protecting Aura with plain weave. Essential in facing martial masters of the Transformation Realm or higher. Harder than wrapping it around a sword, though.’
A sword is a fixed object.
But the body changes form with every movement, so the Body-Protecting Aura must be adjusted accordingly.
‘My inner force is nearly approaching three Jiazi cycles. The Small Heaven Pill has helped too, and I haven’t neglected the Uigi Yeondong technique either.’
Yet after one watch of time passed, beads of sweat began to form on Namgung Ho Yeon’s brow.
Crack! Crack!
At the same moment, the crisply woven Body-Protecting Aura began to tremble thread by thread, and soon unraveled entirely back into an unwoven state.
Collapse!
“Damn. It’ll be even harder in actual combat.”
Namgung Ho Yeon opened his eyes and sighed.
The process of reclaiming the senses and understanding lost after the dissolution of Karma was proving far more difficult than anticipated.
It had to be. The experience accumulated by a Sword Demon was not something so trivial that it could be acquired through knowledge alone.
Just as thread alone does not make fine cloth, abundant inner force does not make weaving the Weaving Aura easy.
‘And once I use the Heavenly Thunder Protective Aura, even this inner force depletes in an instant.’
Three Jiazi cycles of inner force was insufficient.
What kind of cursed situation was this?
How on earth did that old man Namgung Cheon Gang manage to use the Heavenly Thunder Protective Aura so freely?
―Hey, didn’t I tell you? Cheon Gang didn’t have particularly abundant inner force. He simply excelled at wielding the Yang Qi Orb and Yin Qi Orb.
“Sigh…….”
At the Cheonrae Geom’s words, Namgung Ho Yeon closed his eyes once more.
This time he concentrated his consciousness on the thundercloud hanging solitary in the blue sky above.
‘A little more…… more……!’
Sharpening his focus keenly, he could perceive countless tiny particles of Qi scattered throughout the thundercloud.
These Qi orbs were divided into two types: the Yang Qi Orb and the Yin Qi Orb.
‘Until now I have merely exploited the collision between Yin and Yang to extract Cheonrae Gi. But now that I’ve confirmed the utility of the Heavenly Thunder Protective Aura, that alone won’t suffice.’
The Heavenly Thunder Protective Aura had shattered the Body-Protecting Aura of Jongli Pae of the Narak Dojo, and had even made the Five Tiger Generals Peng Hwan tense—it was an overwhelming technique.
Its utility required no explanation, but a one-time instantaneous technique that left him exhausted afterward carried too great a risk.
‘I must be able to use it at least twice, or even more, without compromising my mobility to employ it with confidence in real combat. For that, I need to increase the electrical voltage.’
But how could he increase the voltage?
The Cheonrae Geom advised him to strengthen the pressure of his Qi so that more electrical current could flow through it.
To achieve that…….
‘First, I separate the Qi Orbs. The Yang Qi Orb upward, the Yin Qi Orb downward.’
Ho Yeon concentrated his will, recalling the Cheonrae Geom’s guidance.
Whoooosh! Whoooosh!
The Qi Orbs, which had been irregularly mixed within the Thundercloud, separated cleanly.
‘Next, I fracture the Qi Orbs into smaller pieces. I need to increase the collision frequency.’
Ho Yeon’s brow furrowed in concentration.
Moments later, the Yang and Yin Qi Orbs split like water droplets, their numbers exactly doubling.
‘Finally, if I rotate the Yang and Yin Qi Orbs to maximize collision……!’
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Crash! Crash-crash-crash―!
The Qi Orbs, now separated into two layers, collided all at once. In an instant, the Qi Sea Acupoint blazed white.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
Boom―――!
Lightning flashed across the Thundercloud, and torrents of thunder poured down like rain.
“Hngh!”
As the voltage surged suddenly, a thin line of blood crept across Ho Yeon’s lips.
But he endured to the end, and as a result, clusters of induced thunder branched upward like twigs and began to be absorbed into the Thundercloud.
Crash-boom-flash!
Whoooosh!
“Phew…….”
Relieved, Ho Yeon confirmed through the First Lightning Then Forward technique that the electrical power of his Heavenly Thunder Qi had deepened considerably.
“Hah, they say quality over quantity, but how long am I supposed to stand here doing this?”
Ho Yeon grumbled.
The process of separation, division, rotation, and collision certainly allowed him to generate tremendous voltage even with less Nae Gong.
But the mental power required to draw out the Weaving Aura was already substantial, and now he had to manage voltage enhancement on top of it all?
Ho Yeon spoke plainly.
“I can’t use this in actual combat. Unless my opponent just stands there like a scarecrow, there’s no way he’d take a hit.”
―Ting! Impossibility merely means insufficient effort! Stop your whining and try once more!
“Old Cheonrae Geom, isn’t there an easier way?”
―The Great Path Has No Gate! There is no barrier on the great path, so why do you insist on climbing walls before reaching the gate!
―Puhaha! Onya loves shortcuts!
“Tsk, I should first grow accustomed to the Weaving Aura before attempting this. At least my Spirit Energy has surged, which is fortunate.”
Ho Yeon touched his brow and smacked his lips thoughtfully.
The duel with Jongli Pae of the Narak Dojo, the escape from Surah Path King Jongli San, and countless other trials.
The tumultuous events he’d endured in Gangseong were more than enough to stir his soul.
Consequently, his Spirit Energy, which had reached one hundred strikes worth, had now grown to approach one hundred and thirty strikes.
“Heh, if I’m truly desperate, I can forcibly weave the Weaving Aura with the Uigi Yeondong. This reminds me of old times.”
Ho Yeon smiled meaningfully.
During his time as a Sword Demon, his Qi threads had been woven crooked and uneven due to forced breakthrough.
He never imagined that the experience of smoothing those threads one by one with the Uigi Yeondong to eliminate gaps would prove useful like this.
―Yikes! A few years ago you were forcibly compressing Qi flames into sword forms, and now you’re forcibly weaving sword forms into protective auras? You’ve certainly mastered tricks of every variety.
“Well, what of it. The Uigi Yeondong is undoubtedly my own ability. It’s not a bad stopgap measure.”
―Ting! If you keep fondness such temporary measures, you’ll go bald.
“Why such harsh words? Ah, are you perhaps bald yourself?”
―What, what did you say?
“Heh, I never knew. My apologies. How much you must have envied my hair all this time.”
―You wretch! Do you think words alone settle everything!
―Puhaha! Baldy-kins!
―Shut your mouth, you foreign dog! My hair is luxuriant!
While Ho Yeon finished his training and exchanged banter with his two swords,
a cacophony of chatter drifted in from outside.
“Is that really true?”
“Gwang Myeong, wipe your mouth before you speak.”
“But Hye Il, if it’s really true, we should rush there at once!”
“Ha ha, Young Master Gwang Myeong. Even if you obtain it, what exactly would you use it for?”
“Obviously to sell it! If I put it on the black market, I’m guaranteed to become the wealthiest person in the world!”
“Gwang Myeong, don’t be mad—if the Martial World designates it as public enemy, you’ll be executed.”
“Tsk, what is it? For once we have free time today.”
The moment Gwang Myeong’s voice reached his ears, Ho Yeon clicked his tongue.
Creak! Bang!
The door flew wide open, shattering Ho Yeon’s peaceful afternoon of meditation.
“Master! Come away with me to Jilian Mountain!”
“Jilian Mountain? What in blazes is that supposed to mean? Why that wretched gorge?”
Ho Yeon’s face twisted into an expression of profound displeasure.
The boy barges in out of nowhere demanding they leave for Jilian Mountain?
Jilian Mountain stretched from the southwest of Zhangye County in Gansu Province all the way to the provincial border of Qinghai, a vast range whose sheer length spanned thousands of li.
What made it worse was that nearly half the mountain’s terrain consisted of gorges and sheer cliffs—a treacherous, labyrinthine place perfectly suited for fugitives from the Martial World to vanish.
“Jilian! Jilian! Jilian Mountain!”
“What’s wrong with you? Have you finally lost your mind?”
“Hehe, there’s been a rumor spreading lately that treasure was discovered on Jilian Mountain.”
“Treasure?”
“Well, it’s only what we heard in passing when we visited Shaanxi, so I can’t say for certain, but…”
Un Am scratched his cheek and trailed off, whereupon Hye Il, sitting nearby, broke into a beaming smile and spoke.
“Hehe, they say the Sword Demon Cave was discovered on Jilian Mountain.”
“Sword… what?”
Ho Yeon asked as if he’d heard something nonsensical, and Nan A supplied the explanation.
“Three hundred years ago—the martial world’s greatest master. They say they’ve found the hidden secret chamber of Geom-gwi Dan Wee Myeong.”
“Uh… what?”
“Word is he’d amassed peerless treasures, rare swords, supreme martial techniques and secret arts! And spirit medicines stacked high as mountains! If we don’t hurry, every bandit and outlaw will strip the place bare!”
As Gwang Myeong bounced up and down, shouting, Ho Yeon—whose eyes had been blinking rapidly—muttered to himself.
“In that cave?”
What kind of nonsense is this?

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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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