The Great Heavenly Sword Emperor - Chapter 44

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

#044. The Dark Current Seeping into Dan-ae Valley (4)

Han Mu-jin stepped forward with a hard expression, leading the disciples of Baekun Geomun.
The moment Han Mu-jin moved to the front—having only watched from behind until now—Jang Cheol-un’s face twisted.
“I thought you’d come out much later.”
“That was my original plan.”
Han Mu-jin replied without hesitation.
At his words, Jang Cheol-un’s displeasure deepened.
“Why didn’t you stay back and emerge once we were all dead?”
At Jang Cheol-un’s jab, Han Mu-jin glanced at him briefly before turning his gaze back to Cheon Mu-gyeol.
“Such recriminations can wait until we’ve survived this crisis. Now isn’t the time for it. If we stay like this, we’ll let the man slip through our fingers regardless of merit or achievement.”
Han Mu-jin’s words only deepened Jang Cheol-un’s frown.
“Do you have a strategy? Against a man who collapsed a cliff?”
“If we combine our strength, we can manage somehow. Besides, that man has a weakness.”
“A weakness?”
Jang Cheol-un tilted his head at Han Mu-jin’s words.
He hadn’t seen it clearly because he’d been focused on Buk-gung Dan-ya, but he couldn’t understand how someone possessed of such overwhelming martial power as to collapse a cliff could have any weakness at all.
Then Cheon Mu-gyeol spoke.
“You intend to continue?”
It was Cheon Mu-gyeol—who faced Song Pung-mun alone and collapsed a cliff with methods bordering on the miraculous, making a proper display of force.
He was asking whether they intended to continue after witnessing all this.
“As leader of a sect that walks the path of righteousness, I cannot simply let a jianghu criminal slip away!”
Han Mu-jin shouted toward Cheon Mu-gyeol.
“It’s pride.”
“Not pride—honor!”
Cheon Mu-gyeol stared at him intently.
“Whether pride or honor, sometimes the absolute values you pursue can drive you toward your own destruction.”
It was Cheon Mu-gyeol’s measured warning.
But Han Mu-jin had no intention of retreating.
“There exist in this world values that transcend life itself! Moreover—”
Han Mu-jin continued, fixing his gaze on Cheon Mu-gyeol.
“For some reason, you cannot kill, can you?”
At Han Mu-jin’s question, Jang Cheol-un turned to look at him as if he’d spoken nonsense.
“Cannot kill?”
“For reasons unknown, neither this man nor the one behind him has committed murder. Didn’t you realize it despite facing them directly?”
Only after hearing Han Mu-jin’s words did Jang Cheol-un belatedly grasp what he meant.
He turned his gaze toward Buk-gung Dan-ya standing behind Cheon Mu-gyeol.
More precisely, he looked at his sword.
The sword still sheathed.
Now that he thought about it, Buk-gung Dan-ya had never drawn his blade from its scabbard even once.
Looking more carefully, he could see the scabbard and blade were bound together tightly and fixed in place.
“Could it be…?”
Jang Cheol-un gazed at the collapsed cliff with wavering eyes.
Until now, he’d assumed that Song Pung-mun and his people had been crushed beneath the rocks and killed.
But now he wondered if that might not be the case.
‘A jianghu criminal, they say. Yet after committing such atrocities, why does he refuse to kill now?’
Jang Cheol-un looked at him with eyes full of incomprehension.
“Don’t trouble yourself with other thoughts now. Whatever his identity is, whatever the truth may be, we can no longer afford to retreat.”
Han Mu-jin spoke to Jang Cheol-un in a low voice.
“And that man behind him—he’s now in no condition to fight easily. Cheon Mu-gyeol must fight while protecting the one behind him. That, too, will be his weakness.”
At Han Mu-jin’s words, Jang Cheol-un regained his focus.
Whatever the circumstances, Han Mu-jin’s insistence on concentrating on the immediate task was entirely correct.
“Let us deploy a sword formation.”
At Han Mu-jin’s words, Jang Cheol-un looked at him again.
“A sword formation in this situation?”
“Otherwise, do you have another method? True, we’ve never coordinated before, so there are risk factors. But with the Hyeonmu Junggang Geomjin specialized in defense and our Baekun Pyohyeol Geomjin, the matchup should prove favorable.”
Jang Cheol-un pondered for a moment, then nodded.
As Han Mu-jin said, there was no other choice at this point.
“Deploy the Hyeonmu Junggang Geomjin!”
“The Baekun Pyohyeol Geomjin!”
Jang Cheol-un and Han Mu-jin shouted simultaneously.
At that, the martial artists of Hyeonmu Gwan and Baekun Geomun swiftly moved to their assigned positions and began to construct the sword formations.
“You’re simply going to watch and see what happens?”
In the meantime, Buk-gung Dan-ya, who had caught his breath after a brief rest, approached Cheon Mu-gyeol and asked.
“Whatever we do, the result will not change. Rather, if we do everything we can, we’ll have less room for regret or resentment.”
At Cheon Mu-gyeol’s words, Buk-gung Dan-ya shook his head slowly.
Whether it was confidence, consideration, or some other hidden strategy, he simply could not fathom it.
Cheon Mu-gyeol’s own thoughts were divided.
This was the first time he’d faced a sword formation.
He was curious to see how effectively the martial skills he had cultivated would fare against a formation.
And the other part was exactly what he had told Buk-gung Dan-ya.
In a brief span, the formations of both schools were complete.
“Activate!”
Jang Cheol-un and Han Mu-jin cried out at once.
Whoooosh! Whoooosh!
The Hyeonmu Gwan martial artists, arrayed in a fan formation, leveled their blades at Cheon Mu-gyeol and simultaneously drew upon their inner power.
A substantial concentration of inner power converged, beginning to bear down on Cheon Mu-gyeol.
A pressure like a colossal hand descending from above was felt, and its force pressed harder on Buk-gung Dan-ya than on him.
“Hgh!”
Buk-gung Dan-ya let out a short gasp.
Having already expended much inner power and stamina, it was too much for him to withstand the force of the Hyeonmu Junggang Geomjin.
It was growing difficult to maintain his composure, difficult even to breathe.
‘What?’
Suddenly, Buk-gung Dan-ya felt everything become at ease.
Buk-gung Dan-ya gazed at Cheon Mu-gyeol in bewilderment.
He felt a considerable aura flowing from Cheon Mu-gyeol, who stood perfectly upright as though entirely unaffected by the pressure.
‘Remarkable.’
The aura emanating from Cheon Mu-gyeol enveloped him, and Buk-gung Dan-ya marveled inwardly.
It was no small matter to protect not just oneself with inner power, but to shield another as well.
One had to reach a profound level of cultivation and possess substantial inner power for such a thing to be possible.
The inner power flowing from the Hyeonmu Junggang Geomjin pressed down on Cheon Mu-gyeol with ever-increasing weight.
Yet Cheon Mu-gyeol remained standing straight, watching them calmly.
And then, finally.
Step. Step.
Cheon Mu-gyeol walked forward without the slightest difficulty.
“Increase the output!”
Jang Cheol-un shouted.
Whoooooosh!
The amount of inner power pouring from the formation surged, and the pressure intensified accordingly.
Jang Cheol-un’s expression hardened.
If not for the depletion of inner power, it would have been one thing; but after the substantial battle they had just fought, what the Hyeonmu Junggang Geomjin could currently produce was at its limit.
Yet Cheon Mu-gyeol still appeared entirely unaffected.
As the distance between Cheon Mu-gyeol and the formation closed, Baekun Geomun made their move.
“Un-gan Sam-hyeol!”
At Han Mu-jin’s cry, the Baekun Geomun martial artists positioned behind the Hyeonmu Junggang Geomjin surged forward with fluid grace.
It was as though clouds were flowing across the sky.
Though they emerged into the space being compressed by the Hyeonmu Junggang Geomjin’s inner power, the Baekun Geomun martial artists seemed equally unaffected.
Shiiing! Shiiing! Shiiing! Shiiing!
Whiiiine! Whiiiine! Whiiiine! Whiiiine!
The blades of the Baekun Geomun martial artists flew toward Cheon Mu-gyeol’s vital acupoints, sharp as awls.
Whoosh!
Cheon Mu-gyeol deployed the Cheon Un Mu-ae Bo.
His footwork, threading between the incoming blades of Baekun Geomun, was nearly miraculous.
Yet his movement was different from when he had faced Gwi-gok or Song Pung-mun.
Before, his range had been far wider as he weaved and shimmered; now he moved within a narrower space, dodging and intercepting the attacks of Baekun Geomun.
This could be evidence of how exceptional Cheon Mu-gyeol’s Cheon Un Mu-ae Bo was, but the reality was otherwise.
The pressure of the Hyeonmu Junggang Geomjin and the situational constraint of protecting Buk-gung Dan-ya had narrowed the scope of his movement.
“Don’t give them an opening!”
The Baekun Geomun warriors shifted positions with uncanny precision, attacking Cheon Mu-gyeol in coordinated waves.
Their assaults were razor-sharp, and even for someone of Cheon Mu-gyeol’s caliber, finding a gap was proving devilishly difficult.
As time pressed on, Cheon Mu-gyeol’s movements grew increasingly defensive.
Until now, he had never surrendered his offensive edge, no matter the circumstances.
But against the combined assault of Hyeonmu Gwan and Baekun Geomun, even he could not help but retreat into a posture of defense.
From behind, watching it unfold, Buk-gung Dan-ya clenched his teeth.
The reason Cheon Mu-gyeol had been forced into this corner.
Buk-gung Dan-ya could hardly fail to understand it.
‘If only I were stronger!’
The fact that he himself was partly the cause of Cheon Mu-gyeol’s defensive struggle tormented Buk-gung Dan-ya deeply.
Rage and helplessness twisted his face as he bit down hard enough to crush his teeth, his fists clenched until his nails drew blood.
He hated himself—a dead weight, a burden, utterly useless in this moment when it mattered most.

* * *

Unlike the anguished Buk-gung Dan-ya, Cheon Mu-gyeol paid no heed to his surroundings.
Yet something else vexed him—the Cheon Shin-geom itself.
[Why choose the harder path?]
The voice of the Cheon Shin-geom resonated through Cheon Mu-gyeol’s mind even as he moved with frantic intensity.
[Discard the non-killing constraint. Kill them. Then everything becomes simple.]
The Cheon Shin-geom’s voice continued, but Cheon Mu-gyeol did not answer.
The more he remained silent, the more the blade’s whispers persisted.
[Go to the Dongbang Se-ga and make them kneel. Then all misunderstanding and suspicion will be resolved.]
‘No,’ he answered inwardly.
Cheon Mu-gyeol’s silent refusal was absolute.
It was true that the Cheon Shin-geom’s temptation was sweet.
But he had already resolved what he would do, and no whisper would shake that resolve.
Boom-boom-boom-crash!
Cheon Mu-gyeol wove through the onslaught of the Baekun Pyohyeol Geomjin, his blade flashing in great arcs, and the explosive force sent the formation into momentary disarray.
But it lasted only an instant. The Baekun Geomun warriors quickly reformed their ranks and pressed their assault.
Unlike Cheon Mu-gyeol, who refused to kill, his attackers came to end him, and their pressure was relentless.
The sharp edge of their killing intent scraped across his skin.
He had confidence that if the fight continued this way, it would be his enemies who would break, not him.
But that kind of victory was not what Cheon Mu-gyeol sought.
Burst!
Then Cheon Mu-gyeol’s eyes snapped wide open.
In that instant, hundreds—thousands—of threads became visible to him.
The Cheon-ram Hae-jin-gyeol.
An insight that pierced through the flow and essence of formations themselves.
The threads of inner power flowing from the Hyeonmu Junggang Geomjin shone crimson.
He saw the energy pouring down from the formation like a waterfall, cascading from above to below and pooling thick upon the ground.
And the inner power of the Baekun Geomun’s Baekun Pyohyeol Geomjin appeared as threads of white.
White threads weaving through the gaps between the crimson strands.
Though neither formation had been coordinated with the other, their synergy had aligned with uncanny precision, creating a compounding destructive force.
Crack!
Cheon Mu-gyeol’s movements transformed.
Even through thousands of seemingly impenetrable threads, he found his breakthrough, carving a path where none appeared to exist.
Boom-boom-crash!
“Ugh!”
So it began.
Cheon Mu-gyeol, moving with this newfound clarity, began to dismantle the Baekun Pyohyeol Geomjin.
That was not all.
“Kerk!”
The Hyeonmu Gwan warriors, straining with all their might to contain Cheon Mu-gyeol’s movements, began spitting blood one after another.
As he dismantled the Baekun Geomun’s formation, he began severing the vital channels of inner power flowing from the Hyeonmu Junggang Geomjin.
Once the crack spread, there was no containing it.
Cheon Mu-gyeol pressed forward with far bolder movements, rapidly unraveling the sword formations.
And watching this unfold, the eyes of Jang Cheol-un and Han Mu-jin trembled violently.
“This can’t be…!”
Jang Cheol-un muttered in disbelief.
Just how much of a monster was he?
Even as his body trembled with shock and dread,
“Hah!”
Cheon Mu-gyeol tore through both sword formations and stepped before Jang Cheol-un and Han Mu-jin.
The two men, startled, drew their blades, but they could not stop Cheon Mu-gyeol.
Weaving effortlessly through their strikes with the Cheon Un Mu-ae Bo, Cheon Mu-gyeol leveled his sword at them.
“If you yield now, I will not raise my hand again.”
Cheon Mu-gyeol spoke calmly.
Jang Cheol-un and Han Mu-jin swallowed hard as though bound by oath.
They had nothing left to attempt, and could only bow their heads in acknowledgment of defeat.

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