Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 41

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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 41. The Sword Ghost Awakens to War
A dark cavern.
Adaptation to darkness.
Cold air.
Scenes gradually becoming visible.
“Ugh, ugh…….”
“Mom…… Dad…….”
“Hck, hck…….”
About fifty children lay in a circle, their heads pointed toward the center.
With eyes closed, whimpers and sniffles could be heard from various corners, as if they were caught in nightmares.
“Like a slave market.”
“Heh, a cold assessment befitting the rumor-monger of Qingmen among Killing Mask’s branches.”
At the voice from the center of the cavern, the man in black robes chuckled softly and spoke.
“I see no point in pretense. Living alongside righteous sects, rubbing shoulders with those self-righteous fools, it’s utterly sickening. Feigning deep concern for alley orphans I’ve never given a second thought to my entire life…….”
Whoosh!
The man stripped off his black robes.
A lean-framed man with thin lips.
It was Mo Yong Xue.
“Let’s begin. They say the name of Daohua Manor has surfaced at Fengge’s place, so we can’t afford to delay any longer.”
“Heh, there’s no rush. It’ll be over in an instant.”
At Mo Yong Xue’s urging, the man in night clothes narrowed his thin eyes visible between the black hood.
“Still, the patience of Killing Mask is truly remarkable. The common folk are told that Killing Mask operates three branches.”
“Heh, that’s precisely our aim.”
Mo Yong Xue spoke with a smile.
“Redmen, Shadowmen, Blackmen, and Qingmen. Originally, Killing Mask is a union of four assassination gates. We needed one faction to operate in the open, and Qingmen was perfectly suited for that role.”
Redmen, despite being an assassination gate, had honed martial arts so finely that their actual military strength was the highest among them.
Shadowmen specialized in concealment and ambush, making them the most assassination-gate-like in every sense.
Blackmen practiced demonic arts to the point where they were called the Mad Gate, so dangerous were they.
Qingmen, the last branch, specialized in using poison and hidden weapons to intoxicate and eliminate targets.
“Qingmen has always kept one foot in the light. We own blacksmith shops and medicinal herb stores. Hehehehe.”
“The Baiyao Mountain Lodge. Who would ever suspect that those who claim to check Killing Mask’s power are actually a false faction created by us?”
“Ah-hahaha! Even the mighty Mo Yong Clan fell for it completely! Thanks to that deception, a rare specimen like myself was born. I maintain positions with both the Baijia League and Gucheon Castle.”
“Indeed.”
As the man in night clothes nodded at Mo Yong Xue’s hearty laughter, Mo Yong Xue grew even more animated, beginning to boast.
“Starting with this Baijia Sword Tournament, I plan to expand my standing within the Mo Yong Clan. I’ll push the worthless failures into Daohua Manor and have them eliminated.”
“So it’s already decided that you’ll win the Baijia Sword Tournament, my lord.”
“Precisely. Once I become Successor Candidate and then Household Master! Killing Mask will use the Baijia League as a bridgehead to take the lives of all people under heaven.”
Crunch!
Mo Yong Xue gripped his sword hilt tightly, speaking as if lost in dreams.
The hooded man watching him wrinkled his hood as if smiling.
“We will aid you. The Earth-Selected Secret Art for that purpose. You alone will become a Spirit Ability User among all Successor Candidates.”
“Heh, when that time comes, I shall repay the debt I owe to the Ghost Gate.”
“How could there be any question? Then let us begin.”
Whoosh.
The man in night clothes carefully withdrew something from his robes.
It looked like a fragment of something broken—a piece of metal.
“This is the Divine Fragment. A precious relic that will show my lord a new world.”
“Oh! That is……!”
“Move to the center and sit.”
At the hooded man’s words, Mo Yong Xue walked forward with eager steps and sat cross-legged in the midst of the fifty or so children.
Tap.
Then the man in night clothes placed the Divine Fragment atop Mo Yong Xue’s crown, precisely at the Baihui Acupoint.
“Unlike those called Heaven-Selected, who receive the heavens’ choice, this is the process of becoming Earth-Selected, chosen by the earth. It will bring pain.”
“I don’t care!”
“The Baihui is the Heavenly Spirit Cover, what guards the sky, and the Heavenly Gate, the portal of the universe, and simultaneously a passageway connecting to the Upper Dantian, the Yintang Point.”
At Mo Yong Xue’s consent, the hooded man explained the Earth-Selected Secret Art.
“Ordinarily, as age increases, the Baihui closes and the probability of the Upper Dantian opening decreases.”
“I know. There’s even a rumor that if one doesn’t receive the heavens’ choice by age thirty, one can never become a Spirit Ability User.”
“Precisely. My lord is twenty-five. Your Baihui must be nearly closed by now.”
The hooded man continued, gazing at the children lying around them.
“That’s precisely why we need them. Young bodies whose Baihui Point remains open—vessels from which we can forcibly extract Spirit Ability!”
Click.
The man in the night robe formed a seal with both hands, and something extraordinary occurred.
Hummmmm!
The Divine Fragment resting atop Mo Yong Xue’s head rose into the air.
Crash!
An invisible vortex descended upon the Underground Cavern, and screams erupted from all directions.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Nooooo!”
“Arrrgh!”
The children wailed in agony, blood streaming from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, while Mo Yong Xue himself clenched his teeth against a pain that felt as though his skull were splitting.
“Uhhh! Ahhhhh!”
A searing sensation—as if a red-hot iron were being pressed between his brows—seized him, and the world spun as though invisible hands were stirring his brain.
“Hnnnngh!”
Thud!
In that moment, a strange red current flickered across Mo Yong Xue’s eyes.
Boom!
A crimson flame bloomed briefly in the empty air, then vanished.
Seeing this, the man in the night robe nodded slowly and murmured to himself.
“Fire Element Control. You’ve acquired a fine Spirit Ability. My congratulations.”
“Hah! Hah! Uhhh!”
“You’ll need to grow accustomed to the headaches. After all, you’ve forcibly opened your Upper Dantian.”
“Uhhh! Khhhhh!”
The man in the night robe smiled thinly as he watched Mo Yong Xue experience pain and exultation in equal measure.
“Now then, I shall teach you about the Spirit Force Illness Manual.”
* * *
‘Earth-Selected? Awakening Spirit Ability by force? And using children’s Spirit Ability as the catalyst?’
Hum.
Ho Yeon’s brow furrowed at the information he’d obtained through Sword Heart Resonance.
Setting aside the question of whether such a thing was even possible, the method was far too grotesque.
‘So he did learn the Spirit Force Illness Manual. But he wouldn’t have mastered it in such a short time. Especially not now, when he’s just acquired a Spirit Ability and desperate to flaunt it.’
It was Mo Yong Xue who had solidified Ho Yeon’s suspicion that Baiyao Mountain Lodge was the Monster Cave Organization.
For all his attempts at concealment, Mo Yong Xue lacked the familiarity with the Spirit Force Illness Manual that Mo Yong Yul possessed.
This had allowed Ho Yeon to perceive it clearly.
Mo Yong Xue’s Upper Dantian, which had been intact in Shenyang, now lay torn open like tattered paper.
‘It was identical to Gui Du and Gui Mo’s case. Which means this was the work of the same people….’
“Nangung! What in the world is this madness?!”
“You wretch! Have you finally lost your mind?”
“What—what is this?”
“Nangung Ho Yeon just ambushed Mo Yong Xue!”
“Did you see that flame?”
As Ho Yeon’s thoughts raced, he heard the commotion around him and clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Tsk. Analysis later. First, I push forward with the plan.’
Breath!
Ho Yeon drew in a deep breath and shouted with a voice that carried his full force.
“From this moment! The Nangung Clan declares war upon Baiyao Mountain Lodge!”
Ho Yeon’s voice, laden with Internal Energy, rang across the entire Great Martial Grounds.
“What—what did he say?!”
“What kind of insanity is this?”
“War between members of the same faction?!”
The Successor Candidates reeled at the sudden turn of events.
But Ho Yeon offered no further elaboration—he struck at the heart of the matter.
“I have obtained definitive proof that Baiyao Mountain Lodge is the Monster Cave Organization!”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
“There is a secret chamber beneath the Alchemy Chamber! Nearly two hundred children remain imprisoned there!”
At Ho Yeon’s words, Mo Yong Xue’s face went deathly pale.
‘How could he have discovered that place…?!’
“I confirmed this fact four days ago and have already informed the Mo Yong Clan! An investigation team will arrive shortly!”
Snap!
Ho Yeon pointed at Mo Yong Xue, whose face had gone pale with shock, and continued.
“If you deny my words, then come with me to the Alchemy Chamber right now and we’ll settle this once and for all!”
“This is—this is absurd slander! There’s no truth to any of it!”
“Then you won’t mind proving it.”
“Why should I? I won’t follow the words of a coward who strikes from the shadows!”
Mo Yong Xue’s desperate flailing only drew a snort of contempt from Ho Yeon, who turned to address the Successor Candidates around him.
“Warriors should choose for themselves what to believe. I and the Iron Sword Squad shall draw our blades beneath the banner of the Nangung Clan, under the flag of Slash Demon Eliminate Evil.”
Clang!
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
As Ho Yeon unsheathed the Heavenly Thunder Sword, the entire Iron Sword Squad drew their weapons in unison, their voices carrying the very reason for their existence.
“Iron Sword Undefeated!”
“Nangung Eternal!”
The eyes of every Iron Sword Squad member blazed with a resolve so fierce they would not hesitate to meet death itself.
“What—what is this? Are they serious?”
“They wouldn’t speak with such certainty unless they had solid grounds.”
“Surely not. The Baiyao Mountain Lodge is the Mo Yong Clan’s allied family?”
The Successor Candidates felt utterly bewildered by Ho Yeon and the Iron Sword Squad’s unwavering conviction.
It seemed impossible.
And yet, if it were true?
“Advance to the Alchemy Chamber. Iron Sword Squad—strike down all who stand in our way!”
“We hear and obey!”
The Nangung Clan had declared war against the Baiyao Mountain Lodge, one of the Liaoning Eight Pillars.
With only eleven fighters—Ho Yeon and ten members of the Iron Sword Squad.
Where did such boldness come from?
“Justice delayed is justice denied! I shall prove this very moment that justice exists in this world!”
“Iron Sword Undefeated!”
“Nangung Eternal!”
The Successor Candidates had found no answer.
Yet like a small boat drawn helplessly into a vast tide, they began to follow the silhouette of these eleven warriors charging forward.
* * *
Afternoon, with the sun high overhead.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A man stood upon the roof of the main hall, watching the strange procession that had begun at the Baiyao Mountain Lodge.
“How intriguing.”
He was a plain-looking middle-aged man whose face bore no distinguishing features—the kind of face one’s memory slipped past easily.
With an ordinary build and ordinary presence, he seemed the sort one might pass a dozen times in the streets without ever truly seeing him, and yet he murmured to himself.
“How could they have discovered it? I’ve hidden it well for fifty years.”
Though he spoke as if curious, his toneless voice carried not a shred of emotion.
In the depths of his eyes appeared the boy at the vanguard, advancing toward the Alchemy Chamber.
Clad in blue martial robes, the boy appeared not yet twenty, yet the aura he radiated was sharp as a drawn blade.
“So the Nangung persists even in their decline. Is he about thirty years old perhaps? Formidable Internal Energy for one so young.”
Having gauged the boy’s power from a distance, the man nodded slowly to himself.
“The last hope the Nangung Clan has nurtured? Well, with the talent to restore the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art, it’s worth betting the clan’s fate upon.”
Whoosh!
A Flying Dagger had appeared in the man’s hand.
“It’s always tragic when brilliant talent fades.”
An unsanctioned killing—had it been a decade since the last?
The man rose from his position.
Then.
“Sit.”
“……!”
An elderly voice from behind made the middle-aged man’s eyes go wide.
‘My back—he’s seized my back?’
It was impossible.
He was the one who seized backs, not the one who was seized.
Only a handful of warriors in all the Central Plains martial world possessed such capability.
Slowly.
The middle-aged man turned his head with deliberate care.
There stood an old man with white hair, his back against the triangular gable of the roof.
The old man stood at least seven feet tall, a black longsword hanging from his waist.
His weathered face bore the stamp of stubborn will, and though lined with age, he carried an air of mysterious vitality.
“You are……!”
“Killing King. Are you truly going to meddle in the games of Successor Candidates? That doesn’t suit you.”
…….
“If you mean to destroy the evidence, abandon the thought. I have already seen everything.”
Trickle.
Wu Yan, the Killing King in his middle years, felt cold sweat running down his spine.
The old man was right—Wu Yan had been about to sever every link between Baiyao Mountain Lodge and Killing Mask.
‘Once drawn into public scrutiny, Qingmen had to be sacrificed. I meant to destroy it by my own hand at the very least.’
But why was this man here, when he should have been in Henan?
As if sensing Wu Yan’s confusion, the old man grinned, baring his teeth.
“Heh, at my age, all this paperwork strains the eyes. So I slipped out without the generals knowing, for a brief walk.”
…….
“And thanks to that, I’ve witnessed such an entertaining spectacle. How fortunate, wouldn’t you say?”
…….
“Sit. I’ll overlook your little scheme. There are far more pressing matters at hand now.”
The old man’s gaze turned toward the Alchemy Chamber, and a fresh smile played at the corner of his mouth.
“I have harbored a dream for a very long time. It is to cross swords with the true blade of the Nangung Clan.”
“……Of course. The Sword Emperor.”
The old man’s identity was Mo Yong Shang Tian.
One of the Five Emperors—the Sword Emperor himself, and the first Master of the Baijia League.
“Come then, young Nangung. Show this old man your blade—the sword of the Nangung that severed the heart vessel of the Sword Devil three hundred years past……!”
Mo Yong Shang Tian watched Ho Yeon’s every step with eyes bright as a child’s, alight with wonder.

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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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