The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 30

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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 30

I sensed death in that instant.
The ferocious torrent of blade wind carried power befitting such an assault.
Yet I did not yield.
“…!”
I clenched my teeth and spread my inner force throughout my entire body.
The Yaksha Transformation enhanced its user to match the name—a being of overwhelming power.
My presence instantly flooded the cavern.
I forged a sword force with every ounce of strength I possessed, resisting the tempest.
What unfolded was the opening technique of Swift Wind Slash.
CRASH!
Slash met slash, and a tremendous shockwave erupted between us.
The force that swept across the space struck the distant stone wall, leaving deep fissures in its wake.
CRACK!
The stone wall fractured, unable to withstand the impact.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
After unleashing that single strike, I exhaled in ragged gasps.
Just one.
A single clash, and my entire body creaked with strain.
What terrified me was that my opponent had used only peak-realm power.
What would have happened if the being known as Pungsin had attacked me with his true strength?
‘I would have been torn to shreds without a chance to resist.’
But what stood before me now was not the true Pungsin.
Only the overseer of the trial he had left behind.
That is why I could survive. Of course, my own skill played the greatest role in that survival.
“…That’s impressive.”
Pungsin murmured with evident interest.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to block it. I thought you’d need to at least enter the Harmony Realm to manage even a defense.”
“You thought that, yet you set this as a trial?”
I spoke, utterly bewildered.
Was this truly meant to be something I could overcome?
“Heh heh. You actually did it, didn’t you? Then that’s all that matters.”
Pungsin chuckled and lowered my sword. I exhaled deeply.
“From what you’re saying, it seems the trial was only to block this attack.”
“That’s right. Even for me, asking you to fight and defeat my fifteen-year-old self seemed too harsh. I was already slaying those who had entered the Harmony Realm back then.”
“Ha.”
Absurd strength.
And what frightened me more was that this was spoken with complete sincerity, untainted by even a shred of arrogance.
It was an undeniable fact that he had been the greatest master of his era, and besides, he didn’t seem like the type to lie about something like this.
“Then shouldn’t it have been called the Harmony Realm instead of the Peak Realm?”
“No. At that time, I couldn’t use Intent. Even if you can handle sword force, without Intent, it’s hard to call it the Harmony Realm, wouldn’t you say?”
“I suppose that’s true, but…”
I exhaled another sigh.
“In any case, I’ve passed the trial, so tell me now. Ancestor, was my return to the past arranged by you?”
“It’s likely, yes.”
“Likely?”
“To be honest, I don’t know for certain. I’ve forgotten, you see—I’m merely the one who oversees the trial that Pungsin left behind. I’m not Pungsin himself.”
“…”
“Still, I retain some fragmented memories, so I can make educated guesses. That’s why I said it’s likely, isn’t it?”
At Pungsin’s words, I fell into thought for a moment.
“Then you don’t know the true nature or purpose of this power.”
“That’s right. But I do know that the real me was deeply involved in this. If you want to learn more, you’d do well to search carefully for the other arrangements I left behind.”
“Other arrangements?”
“Surely you don’t think the only arrangement I left behind was this one?”
I was taken aback.
So it wasn’t just this?
“Of course not. This is the arrangement I left for the Sanseo clan, my direct descendants. Beyond this, I’ve prepared separate arrangements for those worthy of becoming my successors. And not just one—several, in fact.”
“Why would you do such a thing?”
“Because I had reason to prepare for the future. Though, I’ll admit, half of it was for amusement.”
“You don’t seem inclined to tell me what that reason is.”
“Don’t worry too much about it. Your era may already be long dead and gone.”
“From the way you speak, it seems this reason involves a person.”
“You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”
Pungsin chuckled softly. I sighed and continued.
“Then at least tell me where these other arrangements are located.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible. Each arrangement knows only of the others’ existence, not their exact locations. I designed it that way to prevent any unworthy person from monopolizing them all.”
“That does seem like a wise precaution.”
Even in my first life, there were factions that coveted Pungsin’s arrangements, weren’t there?
If all that information could have been obtained from a single place, they would have seized everything in an instant.
That would have been catastrophic.
‘But even by the time I died, no one ever inherited Pungsin’s martial arts.’
It’s possible I simply didn’t know about it…
But I thought otherwise.
If such a person existed, word would inevitably spread.
The fact that everything remained quiet suggested they had failed to obtain Pungsin’s arrangements.
“Well, your thinking is probably correct. No matter how many trials someone passes, if they’re strange or unworthy, I wouldn’t teach them the Pungsin Arts.”
I listened to Pungsin’s words and pondered before asking.
“What exactly are the Pungsin Arts? They don’t seem to be ordinary martial techniques.”
“You’re right—it’s not a conventional martial art.”
Pungsin answered with an amused smile.
“The Pungsin Technique is a formless martial art.”
“…!”
I asked, my expression shifting to one of surprise.
“Then you’re saying the Pungsin Technique has no predetermined forms at all?”
“Exactly.”
Pungsin nodded.
“Before I explain, how much do you know about me?”
“Only that you were the founder of the Bukcheon Sword Family and the greatest martial artist of your era.”
After all, very little information about Pungsin had survived the ages.
There was also the peculiar scarcity of records about the martial world of that time.
Because of this, scholars who studied martial history often referred to that era as the Dark Age.
Pungsin nodded at my answer and spoke.
“Then you wouldn’t know this: I was, as they say, a man without foundations. I had no master, no secret techniques, no fortuitous encounters—only innate instinct. I was a fighter who battled using nothing but raw intuition. That’s why the martial art I wielded had no fixed form to speak of.”
“Can something like that even be called a martial art?”
I was genuinely astonished.
I could never have imagined that the founder of the Bukcheon Sword Family wielded such a thing.
Pungsin answered, still wearing that amused expression.
“Why not? I proudly earned my name as the greatest martial artist of my time, didn’t I?”
“That’s certainly true, but… then what exactly was that technique you showed me earlier?”
“That was simply the most efficient and powerful attack I could unleash at that moment. You merely misinterpreted it as a predetermined form.”
“…!”
“Now do you understand? The Pungsin Technique is both the martial way I wielded and the dance I performed. Therefore, every movement I make is a form in itself. Now you see why the Bukcheon Sword Family’s martial arts are connected to the wind?”
“Because the very foundation is like the wind itself.”
“Precisely. The wind has no fixed form, so it is freer than anything else. Conversely, it can take any form. And so my martial art naturally came to embody the nature of wind. I began to be called Pungsin from the moment I understood this truth.”
“Then all the other martial arts passed down through our family….”
“Correct. They are the result of my disciples and children attempting to replicate my movements however they could. An attempt to artificially imitate the movements of a natural genius, you might say. Therefore, the Pungsin Technique can be called the source from which all Bukcheon Sword Family martial arts flow. The technique you used earlier is one of the fruits of that effort.”
It was astonishing.
It would have been a profound shock to the family members if they heard this.
‘Wait a moment.’
If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean the Pungsin Technique is ultimately impossible for others to learn?
“No, that’s not it. If that were true, I would have had no reason to leave behind these arrangements.”
“….”
“The Pungsin Technique is the very talent and nature I possessed. Ordinarily, you’d be right—it couldn’t be transmitted through conventional means. But I received help from a genius who existed in my time, and I made it possible. If you succeed in performing a certain ritual, you can inherit everything from me.”
I felt dazed.
Then could it be….
“Are you saying all of this was part of the ritual?”
“Yes. From those who carry my bloodline coming to this place, passing through trials, and meeting me—this entire sequence was the great ceremony you were undergoing. And you’ve successfully completed every step. Do you understand what that means?”
Pungsin gazed at me with playful eyes.
“From now on, you are the new Pungsin of this era.”
“…!”
As Pungsin finished speaking, his body began to fade away slowly from below.
As if scattering upon the wind itself.
“At first, it will feel strange and unstable. The Pungsin Technique was never originally yours, after all. But as time passes, it will become familiar to you, and when it begins to bloom through interaction with your innate talent….”
With only his head remaining, Pungsin smiled once more with a soft laugh.
“Proud descendant, when that time comes, you will be able to stir up winds of change greater than anyone else in this martial realm. I, who once bore the title of the greatest under heaven, guarantee it. Until that day arrives, I wish for fortune in martial arts to accompany you.”
With those words, Pungsin’s body disappeared completely.
Left alone, I bowed my head toward the direction he had vanished.
His manner of speech was light, and his appearance seemed younger than mine.
Yet he was undoubtedly my ancestor.
And one who had left behind an incomparably precious legacy.
‘The Pungsin Technique….’
I closed my eyes and slowly began to sense the transformation.
Certainly, it still felt unfamiliar and unclear.
But as I continued my training over time, I would be able to feel the change as my ancestor had said.
With that thought, I simply began to perform the Sword Dance, letting my body move naturally.
Then a gentle wind wrapped around me and swept across the interior of the cave.
As if I had become one with the wind itself.
‘If I were to unleash the Gale Spiral Sword now, I could perform it far more powerfully than before.’
This was because I had obtained the Pungsin Technique, which formed the foundation of the Gale Spiral Sword. Having grasped the true purpose behind this martial art, my skill had naturally improved.
Whoosh!
After savoring that sensation for a moment, I immediately deployed my movement technique and traveled to the cave’s entrance.
Even accounting for the formation’s influence, I had been in a considerably deep location, yet I was able to traverse it in an instant. The speed I had generated with the wind was far greater than I had anticipated.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
I pushed aside the boulder blocking the entrance and stepped outside.
There, Great-Uncle and Sa Gong-cheon were waiting for me.
“M-Master of the clan!”
“Mu-yeol. How did the trial fare?!”
Without a word, I drew my sword and created a blade wind. Sa Gong-cheon, not understanding what it meant, wore a puzzled expression, but Great-Uncle, as a master of the Heavenly Martial Realm, seemed to have noticed that I had changed.
“C-Could it be that you have passed the trial?”
“Yes. And I met the spirit of my ancestor and obtained the Pungsin Technique.”
“Is that truly so? Hahahahahaha!”
Great-Uncle laughed heartily with joy, as if it were his own accomplishment.
It seemed he was delighted that I had passed a trial that no one had succeeded in for such a long time.
I also smiled warmly and spoke to him.
“Great-Uncle. There is no need for you to remain here any longer. Please return with us.”
“Hmm? But….”
“There is no need to guard this place anymore. I will explain the reason on our way back.”
“Sigh. Very well. You must have your reasons for saying so. Then shall we head to the Bukcheon Sword Family?”
“That is correct. However, before returning to the family, there is something I must ask of you—a request that only the Great-Uncle, as the family’s most senior elder, can grant.”
“A request?”
“Yes.”
I broached the matter I had been deliberating over all this time.
Originally, I had intended to postpone it somewhat, but…
With the Pungsin technique now in my possession and the Great-Uncle’s cooperation, it seemed possible.
“Lend me your strength in removing Elder Won-ju Lee Tae-gyeom from power.”
“…!”

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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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