The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 15

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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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Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family – Chapter 15

“No!?”
The assassins approaching from behind cried out in shock.
A single strike.
They were astounded that their comrades had been neutralized in just one attack.
But they quickly regained their composure and assessed my position.
They appeared to be well-trained, their composure unshaken.
Perfect.
“Sa Gong-cheon, stand guard. Don’t engage yourself.”
“Yes? Young Master. But…”
“If things truly become dangerous, I’ll ask for your help first. Until then, I’d appreciate it if you’d yield to me. I need to gain real combat experience, after all.”
I smiled as I spoke.
Did he think my stubbornness couldn’t be swayed?
Sa Gong-cheon sighed and nodded.
“If it appears dangerous to me, I will intervene immediately.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
The fastest way to improve a martial artist’s skills is through real combat.
A blood battle where one treads the razor’s edge between life and death.
Only that could elevate my cultivation.
That’s why I deliberately asked Sa Gong-cheon to create an environment where I could fight alone.
The assassins seemed displeased by this display, their expressions darkening subtly.
They probably thought I was looking down on them.
They were right.
Having fought against the strong of Black Night City, opponents of their caliber were nothing to me.
“Attack!”
The leader of the assassins barked the command.
Whoosh!
At the same moment, assassins rushed at me from different directions.
I kept my eyes wide open, observing their movements.
Should I use the technique from before—Revolving Heaven?
I could, but I wanted to practice more diverse techniques.
I first stepped back using the Phantom Thief King’s footwork.
Whoosh!
The assassins’ blades whistled past my face.
I immediately unleashed Gale Slash. At the same moment, one assassin’s chest burst open with a spray of blood.
“Damn bastard!”
The other assassins, enraged by their comrade’s death.
They hurled projectiles with sharp spikes, attempting to strike me.
But this time, I was the one pressing forward against them.
The Diamond Yaksha Technique pulsed through me, invigorating my body.
What followed was the third form of the Gale Sword Dance.
Chaos Dance.
Whoooosh!
A fierce blade wind swept across the surroundings.
“Ugh!”
“Dodge!”
“Gack!”
All the assassins caught in the trajectory of my blade spray blood and fell.
Their formation crumbled from a single attack.
I seized the opportunity and rushed forward, unleashing the Gale Slash.
“This bastard—gah!”
Another assassin who tried to stop me breathed his last.
Now only a handful of assassins remained on their side.
“Where in the world did this monster come from…?”
The leader of the assassins seemed utterly bewildered.
Even the Blue-Eyed Sword Demon, their original target, had proven so formidable in direct combat that they couldn’t muster the courage to strike him down. Now this youth who had suddenly appeared was even stronger than all of them combined—no wonder they were shocked.
“Retreat for now!”
The leader made his decision swiftly, befitting his position.
Patter-patter-patter!
The remaining dozen or so assassins scattered in all directions and fled.
I used the Phantom Thief King’s movement technique to catch and cut down two nearby assassins.
Sa Gong-cheon also attacked the fleeing assassins, felling three more.
But the rest escaped.
“Hmm.”
It was unfortunate to let some assassins slip away, but it couldn’t be helped.
The very person who had been the target of their assassination was watching us with his arms crossed, looking intrigued.
Surely, even if twice as many assassins had come, they would have posed no real threat to him.
Moyong Hyun-rak, the Blue-Eyed Sword Demon, looked at us and asked bluntly.
“Who are you?”
“Forgive our late introduction. I am Jin Muyeol, the young master of the Bukcheon Sword Family. This is Sa Gong-cheon, my personal guard.”
“Sa Gong-cheon.”
We both performed a respectful fist salute toward Moyong Hyun-rak.
Not only was he older, but at this point in time, Moyong Hyun-rak had already reached the realm of Harmony—a true master.
He was more than worthy of our courtesy.
“The Bukcheon Sword Family, then.”
Moyong Hyun-rak murmured with interest.
In truth, the Bukcheon Sword Family and the Moyong Clan were not on the best of terms.
They were close enough in distance and both wielded the sword, so comparisons between them were frequent.
Moreover, the Bukcheon Sword Family had once been counted among the Five Great Sword Sects, yet now they were gradually losing their influence.
The Moyong Clan harbored a peculiar mixture of inferiority and superiority toward the Bukcheon Sword Family—a complex ambivalence.
But Moyong Hyun-rak was a man who felt little sense of belonging to the Moyong Clan.
So there was no reason for him to view us unfavorably.
He asked with curiosity in his voice.
“Why did you come looking for me from such a place? Even going so far as to fight the assassins in my stead?”
“I came seeking you because I have business with you.”
“Business?”
“Yes. Would you not consider becoming a guest of the Bukcheon Sword Family?”
At my proposal, Moyong Hyun-rak’s expression went blank with astonishment.
Then his brow furrowed sharply as he countered.
“A guest? Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“You speak such words despite knowing I am a man of the Moyong Clan.”
“But you despise being bound by the name of the Moyong Clan, do you not?”
“That applies equally to your Bukcheon Sword Family. If I were to go there, I would become bound to your clan as well. So why would I?”
He waved his hand dismissively, as though there was nothing more worth hearing.
“Go back now. I was grateful you dealt with the assassins. You wield your blade with some skill. With a bit more training, you’ll become quite serviceable.”
“You are resolute.”
“I have no time to waste on frivolous matters.”
“Is that because it would hinder the completion of your incomplete martial arts?”
“…!”
Moyong Hyun-rak’s eyes sharpened momentarily.
His expression asked: how did you know that?
But he quickly relaxed his face.
Upon reflection, this was hardly a secret—it was something anyone in the villages of Black Mountain County would know.
So he assumed I must have heard it from them.
But I had no intention of backing down so easily.
“What if I could assist you in completing your martial arts?”
“What?”
Moyong Hyun-rak’s blue eyes flashed with interest.
Soon after, he frowned with displeasure.
“So I tell you that you have talent, and your arrogance pierces the heavens. This is not martial arts that someone of your level could possibly help with.”
His tone was confident.
Likely, he possessed absolute pride in the martial arts he had created, which was why he spoke such words.
But I responded without hesitation.
“At least show me once. If after seeing your martial arts I cannot offer worthwhile advice, then you may cast me out at that moment, may you not?”
“Hmph. Fine. Since you’ve dealt with the assassins, I’ll show you that much. But if you fail to demonstrate something after boasting so loudly, I’ll throw you out immediately.”
“Agreed.”
As I accepted readily, Moyong Hyun-rak shook his head in incomprehension and gestured for me to follow.
He likely didn’t want to display his martial prowess among the corpses of assassins.
Following him a bit further, I came upon a Hermitage that showed signs of habitation.
It seemed this was his dwelling place.
“Observe carefully. This is my Thirteen Heavenly and Earthly Swords.”
Whoosh!
He began demonstrating by sweeping his blade through the empty air.
“…!”
Sa Gong-cheon’s pupils trembled with astonishment as he watched the Thirteen Heavenly and Earthly Swords beside me.
It was a sword technique displaying a level of mastery rivaling that of any renowned martial school.
Despite being based on common sword techniques like the Six Harmonies method, it showed no inferiority whatsoever.
Rather, the fundamentals were remarkably solid—strong when strength was needed, gentle when gentleness was required—appearing to have no weaknesses.
[Master Jin, are you truly certain about this?]
Sa Gong-cheon sent a cautious transmission of thought.
From his perspective, the Thirteen Heavenly and Earthly Swords appeared flawless.
Yet I nodded with a confident expression.
It was because I understood well what aspects of this technique Moyong Hyun-rak was dissatisfied with.
“How is it?”
“Magnificent.”
At my unqualified praise, Moyong Hyun-rak’s lips curved upward slightly, as if pleased.
“The offense and defense harmonize to achieve exquisite balance. At this level, calling it flawless would be fitting.”
“So you do have a discerning eye.”
Moyong Hyun-rak spoke with a satisfied expression.
However.
My words were not yet finished.
“Yet it possesses merits but lacks a decisive strength.”
“What?”
“This technique contains no critical strike—no ultimate move.”
“…!”
At my words, Moyong Hyun-rak’s eyes widened considerably.
What I had just said.
This was the very problem he had been wrestling with for a long time.
The absence of what could be called a killing technique—a signature move that typically existed in the sword arts of other renowned schools.
Of course, many techniques lacked such things.
In fact, numerically speaking, those without were more common.
When one pursued stability in sword technique, a single overwhelming strike didn’t suit the art nor was it truly necessary.
But Moyong Hyun-rak’s temperament would not accept that.
He did not wish merely to perfect techniques excelling in stability; he desired to create what could be called a decisive battle technique.
This was why he had secluded himself in the mountains, continuing his research.
So when I pointed out this fact, he appeared somewhat taken aback.
“How could that be? It appeared perfect on the surface.”
It wasn’t difficult for someone seeing it for the first time to notice.
The Heavenly-Earthly Thirteen Sword was an exceptionally refined sword technique even in its incomplete state.
Yet everyone had focused on praising it precisely because of this.
Truthfully, I wouldn’t have noticed it either without knowledge of the future.
“A martial art always reveals the creator’s intent, you see.”
But there was no way to dampen the mood with such words.
I gazed at Moyong Hyun-rak with a faint smile.
“I felt how the first ten moves of the Heavenly-Earthly Thirteen Sword flowed organically toward the final three moves. But those three moves seemed rather underwhelming compared to what I expected.”
“Underwhelming, you say…!”
“Don’t be offended. At least I understand it’s not quite what you envisioned.”
I spoke while calming his indignation.
Then I drew my sword with a serious expression.
“Now let me keep the promise I made earlier.”
“You mean helping me complete my martial art?”
“Yes. Even if it’s not perfect, it should be of considerable help.”
I could be certain of this.
Why?
Because what I was about to demonstrate was the form of the Heavenly-Earthly Thirteen Sword as he would complete it in the future.
No matter how obscured the inner energy circulation might be, a master of his caliber would surely sense something here.
It was only natural, since he had created it himself.
“Hah.”
I exhaled lightly and met Moyong Hyun-rak’s gaze directly.
“Watch carefully.”
I then drew upon the Vajra Yaksha Qi and infused my blade with power.
A subtle golden sword aura coiled around the blade, creating an air of mystery.
“This is precisely the final three moves of the Heavenly-Earthly Thirteen Sword that you so desperately desired.”
With those words, I began unleashing my sword strike with all my might.
Crack!
A sword strike that tore through the very air unfolded, and Moyong Hyun-rak’s eyes widened in astonishment.

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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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