The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 29

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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 29

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whooooosh!
More arrows continued to rain down.
A clear demonstration that intruders were not welcome here.
I didn’t let my guard down, activating the Diamond Yaksha Divine Art from the very beginning.
My physical abilities and dynamic vision enhanced by it.
With that foundation, I sliced through the arrows in one fluid motion. The arrows I deflected dissolved into the shadows and vanished without a trace.
‘All of this is an illusion created by the formation.’
But I could sense it instinctively.
No matter how illusory it was, I absolutely could not afford to be hit by these.
Why else would my Great-Uncle have warned me not to die at the start?
There had to be a reason behind such words.
‘I’ve heard that among the formations of the Jeol Clan, there are techniques that don’t merely deceive the senses but affect the spirit itself, turning the victim into a cripple.’
If this was something similar, it made sense.
So I advanced through the darkness bit by bit.
The level of traps increased the further I progressed.
At first, it was just arrows flying at me….
But suddenly spears would thrust up from the sides, or skewers would burst up from the ground.
Without the heightened senses maximized by the Diamond Yaksha Divine Art, wouldn’t this have been dangerous?
Yet despite the darkness, I managed to pass through the trap zone all the way to the end.
And then.
‘What is this?’
Inside the cave, a place as bright as the outside appeared, and an impossible Lava Field suddenly emerged—something that should never exist in this terrain.
Seeing a small door in the distance, the distance to the exit seemed incredibly far.
This also appeared to be an illusion created by the formation’s power. Otherwise, there’s no way such a vast Lava Field would appear on Mount Bukak.
‘But if I slip or lava splashes on me, my legs will burn to ash immediately.’
The only way to avoid the lava was to move across the small foothold platforms jutting up slightly from its surface.
But the distance between the footholds was considerable.
One misstep would mean my bones and flesh burning away.
‘It’s not just about the wide gaps.’
In the distance, I could see sections where the stride narrowed or broke up irregularly like stepping stones.
In other words, this wasn’t a challenge to be overcome by raw power alone—it was a gateway testing the challenger’s lightness skill, demanding precise footwork.
‘Now I understand why Father and the others couldn’t pass the trial.’
Even the trap zone before this would have been difficult for warriors below the peak realm to pass without injury.
This trial was impossible to overcome without having diligently mastered lightness techniques.
Thinking about how many more trials like this might lie ahead….
I’ll admit, it was a bit frightening.
But.
‘To obtain the Pungsin technique, I suppose I must overcome this much.’
I steeled my resolve and placed my foot on the first platform.
It began to sway, then immediately sank into the lava.
Startled, I had no choice but to leap to the next platform.
But that platform too plummeted into the lava in the same manner.
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
‘So I must navigate this labyrinthine path without pause, in a single continuous movement?’
I took a deep breath to center myself and unleashed the Phantom Thief King’s footwork technique.
Though the Bukcheon Sword Family possessed the Swift Wind Step, I judged the Phantom Thief King’s method far more efficient here.
My form glided forward like a phantom passing through the world.
With each step, the platforms crumbled away behind me, cutting off my retreat. I gritted my teeth and pressed onward.
How long did this continue?
“Huff, huff, huff.”
I barely managed to escape the Lava Field and reach the door leading to the next trial.
I could feel I’d already expended a considerable amount of my inner energy.
I caught my breath lightly and attempted to open the door. But it wouldn’t budge.
Was it locked?
‘No, this is….’
It was simply too heavy.
The door’s weight was so immense that mere pushing couldn’t open it.
I exerted my strength and forcibly wrenched open the passage to the next trial.
Creeeeak.
But I saw another door standing before me.
‘I understand now.’
A door so heavy that ordinary people couldn’t possibly open it.
This itself was the third trial.
I chuckled dryly and opened the second door. It was sealed far more tightly than the first, making it difficult to pry open.
Then came the third door.
This time, I couldn’t open it with raw strength alone—I had to channel my inner energy.
Whoooosh.
The Diamond Yaksha Technique enveloped my entire body, fortifying every muscle.
I pushed with all my might and broke through the third and fourth doors. Even with the Diamond Yaksha Divine Art, the fourth door resisted, forcing me to increase my output.
And finally, the fifth door.
“Nnnngh!”
This was truly formidable.
Even as I poured every ounce of Diamond Yaksha Technique through my veins until they felt ready to burst, the door remained immovable.
Yet somehow, I managed to wrench open the fifth door with everything I had.
“Gasp, huff, gasp.”
The moment I stumbled into the next chamber, I collapsed flat on my back.
Sweat poured down like rain, and every muscle in my body screamed in agony.
‘Most people probably fail here.’
With the potency of all the elixirs I’d consumed combined with the power of the Vajra Yaksha Divine Art, my physical strength far exceeded that of ordinary people by several times over.
Yet even I couldn’t pass through this trial easily.
Ordinary people would have been stopped here entirely—unless they’d been consuming elixirs like common food.
‘What’s next?’
After catching my breath and standing up, I noticed a white line painted across the center of the chamber.
What could that line possibly mean?
Without hesitation, I stepped across it. Immediately, dozens of martial artists materialized before me.
“…!”
They rushed at me without delay.
I quickly assessed that these warriors were at least first-rate in skill.
Dozens of first-rate martial artists attacking in unison.
And their coordination was extraordinary—clearly honed through long practice together—absolutely flawless.
Even an ordinary supreme master would struggle against this.
But this didn’t apply to me. In my first life, I’d reached the threshold of the Harmonious Realm, after all.
“Huu.”
I channeled the Vajra Yaksha Divine Art even more powerfully.
This martial art grew stronger the more it was pushed to its limits.
The Vajra Yaksha energy generated forcefully infused my body with vitality.
My eyes gleamed with golden light as I faced them.
Revolving Heaven.
Whoooosh!
A hemispherical blade wind erupted around me, cutting down the approaching enemies.
But they were no easy prey—they immediately retreated and thrust their blades forward again.
I evaded along the optimal path while swinging my sword.
Crunch!
A nearby warrior’s head flew free, and his body melted into the shadows.
I eliminated them methodically, one after another, without hesitation.
Soon I’d dispatched all of them.
But then.
“Ha….”
A sound escaped my lips—whether a sigh or an exclamation, I couldn’t tell.
Filling the void left by the first-rate warriors were ten supreme masters radiating suffocating killing intent.
Each one looked ready to sever my head on the spot.
“This is insane.”
Yet even as I spoke, my body was already moving.
I immediately unleashed a technique from Chaotic Dance, driving my blade into the chest of the nearest opponent.
He vanished without even mounting a defense.
That’s when the other nine enemies began their assault.
They formed a triangular formation and launched their attack on me.
Looking at the formation’s structure, this is the type of array used by our Bukcheon Sword Family.
It seemed my ancestor had indeed created it.
‘Stay calm.’
My stamina was gradually depleting, but not to the point of collapse.
I pressed forward as defensively as possible, striving to shatter their formation.
Did that effort bear fruit?
After a prolonged clash, I managed to repel the enemies one by one.
And finally.
Schwick!
I severed the neck of the last supreme master.
The figure vanished like a ghost, leaving no blood behind.
And then another enemy revealed itself.
A boy’s face still bearing traces of youth, yet the aura radiating from him was unmistakably that of a supreme master.
Was I fortunate that only three or so had appeared?
I was thinking exactly that when it happened.
“Impressive. To have come this far.”
“…!”
I couldn’t help but be startled.
The supreme master before me had suddenly spoken to me.
Were they not merely beings formed by the array?
“No, your thoughts are correct. Until now, those were merely phantoms of the past. They possessed no self-awareness.”
“You read my thoughts?”
“Yes. This place is my domain, after all.”
The young man smiled faintly as he spoke.
I felt I knew the identity of my opponent.
“Your descendant Jin Muyeol pays respects to Pungsin.”
“Ho. You recognized me immediately?”
Pungsin’s eyes gleamed with approval.
But this was only natural, in a sense.
A conscious entity appearing in a domain created by Pungsin himself.
It could only be someone related to Pungsin.
“To be precise, I am a phantom reflecting his childhood. In terms of age, I’m younger than you are now. Perhaps fifteen years old.”
“…Could it be that my ancestor reached the supreme realm at fifteen?”
“Actually, I reached it at thirteen. It took two more years to perfect it.”
“Hah.”
A supreme master at thirteen.
Truly an absurd monster.
No wonder he could become the founder of a clan like the Bukcheon Sword Family.
According to the legends passed down, he was the greatest master of his era.
“Hehe. Calling your ancestor, who is like heaven itself, a monster. You are quite disrespectful for a descendant.”
“I apologize. I simply couldn’t think of another way to phrase it.”
“Why not say something like ‘a prodigy without peer’ or ‘genius’ instead? It sounds much better that way.”
Pungsin chuckled at his own words.
My tension eased slightly, and I asked him a question.
“In any case, seeing you appear like this means this must be the final trial, doesn’t it?”
“That’s right. Throughout the entire history of the Bukcheon Sword Family, only two have ever reached this point—including you. You can be proud, you know? It means you’re a genius who dominated your era.”
“I must admit, I’m quite pleased. To be counted among such company.”
“Hehe. Yes, rejoice all you wish. Even with the use of that seal ring, this would not have been an easy feat.”
“…!”
I nearly gasped in shock.
That seal ring?
He was referring to the emblem ring currently adorning my finger—the symbol of the family head. And it was also the object I strongly suspected had sent me back through time.
“Do you… know something about this?”
I asked urgently.
But Pungsin’s phantom merely smiled enigmatically.
“Don’t you think there’s something you should do before asking questions?”
“!”
“As a challenger, you mustn’t forget that you’re still in the midst of the trial. If you have questions, ask them after the test is complete. Of course, you’ll need to pass first.”
“Understood.”
I answered immediately.
At the same time, the Vajra Yaksha Energy surged within me.
A subtle golden shimmer flowed across my entire body. I had activated the Yaksha Transformation in preparation for this final confrontation.
“I’m not sure what it is, but it’s impressive martial arts. Not from our family, but excellent nonetheless. Did you perhaps gain some fortuitous encounter somewhere?”
Upon witnessing my Yaksha Transformation, Pungsin spoke thus and drew his blade.
The sound of steel singing free.
Simultaneously, a gentle breeze stirred within the Cave where no wind should blow.
It grew stronger and stronger until it became a ferocious gale that made it difficult even to stand.
“Watch carefully.”
Pungsin still wore that smile.
But his eyes held something terrifying as he swung his blade.
“This is the Wind God’s Technique.”
Boom! Crash! Crash! Crash!
A violent tempest erupted from the sword’s edge, rushing toward me with the intent to tear me asunder.

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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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