The Supreme Who Rules the Boundless Sky - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Spear Heaven Martial Emperor Episode 17

“Attack!”

With The Man’s command, dozens of martial artists rushed forward.

Each one possessed considerable skill.

It seemed they were elites handpicked from the Evil Path Alliance.

“Protect the Young Master!”

“Block them!”

The Changcheon Unit members busily moved to intercept them.

Though they were outnumbered, they were called the Namgung Family’s finest Military Force.

Naturally, their individual martial prowess was not inferior to the Evil Path Alliance warriors.

They soon began a chaotic battle. The sight of them entangled and fighting was quite brutal.

“Pyo. You help the Changcheon Unit members deal with those bastards. Ho Young, protect Pyo from getting hurt.”

“Understood.”

“What about you, brother?”

“I’ll take the leader’s head.”

Namgung Hyeok said this and stepped forward. The Man pointed his sword at Namgung Hyeok and sneered.

“Hmph. Coming forward alone, at least you have some sense of responsibility.”

“I just thought there was no need for a joint attack to defeat trash like you.”

“This insolent…!”

The Man’s eyes widened in anger.

“My name is Lee Wonil. Remember it, as I’m the one who’ll send you to the afterlife.”

“I’ll see whether you’re worth remembering or not.”

Lee Wonil’s eyes flashed at Namgung Hyeok’s provocation.

“Haaap!”

He charged with fierce momentum, drawing up Sword Qi from the start.

Namgung Hyeok watched Lee Wonil’s movements and took a defensive stance.

Clang!

Sword met sword with a metallic ring echoing through the air.

Lee Wonil gritted his teeth and twisted his sword.

Screech!

With a scraping sound, the blade slid down the sword’s surface.

Swish!

What followed was a thrust.

The fierce thrust flew toward Namgung Hyeok.

But he responded calmly, just as when he had blocked the first attack.

He used his Movement Technique to completely evade the thrust’s trajectory, then launched a counterattack.

Whoosh!

The burning sword cut through the air.

“Kugh!”

In the end, Lee Wonil couldn’t properly utilize the attack opportunity he had worked for and was forced to retreat.

Namgung Hyeok watched this and raised the corner of his mouth.

He spoke in a mocking voice.

“It seems your name isn’t worth remembering after all.”

“You bastard…!”

Anger deepened in Lee Wonil’s eyes.

At the same time, the Sword Qi in his hands grew larger.

It seemed he intended to squeeze out his Internal Energy and go all out.

Namgung Hyeok watched this with interest.

Of course, it would be fine to engage him properly, but…

‘There’s no real need for that.’

That was the moment.

Whoosh!

Flames danced as the second technique of the Sacred Fire Ultimate Sword manifested.

Fire Dance Chain.

A terrifying chain of flame attacks unfolded, embroidering the air.

Lee Wonil stopped his attack and desperately blocked the chain of strikes.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In an instant, the sound of metal clashing echoed across the battlefield.

Lee Wonil looked at his sword with cold sweat. Due to the impact from weapon clashes and the temperature of the Sacred Fire, his blade was being damaged.

‘What is this!’

It was something difficult to understand logically.

For a martial artist who could use Sword Qi, blade damage was almost unheard of.

This was because the Sword Qi wrapping the blade prevented and protected it from chipping.

But his opponent’s attacks ignored all of that and were destroying his weapon.

This meant Namgung Hyeok’s skill far transcended his own!

‘Damn it!’

Lee Wonil could only curse inwardly.

He had set out on this revenge mission alone after hearing of his cherished disciple’s death.

He had heard beforehand that Namgung Hyeok’s martial prowess was extraordinary, but he hadn’t expected it to be this much.

He had been confident in his own abilities.

But his opponent was toying with him as if playing a game…

“There’s nothing more to see.”

Then, a voice like a death sentence reached his ears.

At the same time, the Sacred Fire blazed more intensely and the power in the sword strikes grew stronger.

Finally, Lee Wonil retreated greatly and prepared to flee.

To face the opponent before him, someone much stronger would need to come. So for now, he had to retreat…

Boom!

At that moment, the distance between Namgung Hyeok and Lee Wonil suddenly closed.

An explosion occurred from Namgung Hyeok’s heel, and his form charged forward with tremendous force.

Namgung Hyeok thrust his sword as he approached.

That sword, filled with explosive power, gave the illusion of a flame dragon opening its maw wide.

Flame Dragon Breaking Heaven.

Thunk!

“Kgaah!”

Lee Wonil, whose chest was pierced instantly without time to resist or flee, screamed.

Whoosh!

At the same time, flames burst forth from where the sword was embedded.

Lee Wonil died instantly without being able to resist even once.

Thud!

His body collapsed as the sword was withdrawn.

“The Third Young Master has defeated the enemy leader!”

“Waaaaaaah!”

The morale of the Changcheon Unit members who witnessed this soared to the heavens.

“Haaap!”

Namgung Pyo swung his sword as if he couldn’t lose, cutting down the Evil Path Alliance warriors.

Ho Young watched this and chuckled, occasionally blocking enemies coming from blind spots.

In the end, having lost their leader and with morale fallen to rock bottom, they had no choice but to retreat.

“Damn it! Retreat!”

“Run away!”

The Evil Path Alliance warriors scattered in all directions, throwing hidden weapons from their robes or setting off smoke-like substances.

“Don’t pursue them.”

Namgung Hyeok stopped the Changcheon Unit members and Namgung Pyo who were about to chase after them.

Of course, striking retreating enemies was a method that could inflict considerable damage, but…

‘There’s no need to go that far in this situation.’

“If we’re careless, we might fall into a trap and someone could get injured or killed. In that case, it’s better to just let those defeated soldiers go.”

The Changcheon Unit members showed expressions of being moved by Namgung Hyeok’s words.

After all, hadn’t he said this out of concern for their safety?

Namgung Pyo also reflected on his excitement after hearing those words.

Indeed, it would have been troublesome if they had carelessly pursued the enemies only to fall into a counterattack.

“We’ve already achieved sufficient results, so there’s no need to forcibly seek more military achievements. Give first aid to any enemies who are still alive. We need to drag them back to the family estate for interrogation.”

“Yes!”

The Changcheon Unit members answered with disciplined voices.

Although they belonged to Namgung Jangcheon’s faction, there was a power in Namgung Hyeok’s voice that made people want to follow him.

Moreover, he had received recognition from the Murim Alliance Leader, and they could feel that he cared about them.

So there was no reason not to follow him. They felt their respect for Namgung Hyeok growing.

And the same was true for Namgung Pyo.

‘As expected, elder brother is amazing.’

His eyes looking at Namgung Hyeok were already sparkling brightly.

It was already shocking that he had been recognized by the Sword Emperor, one of the Ten Greatest Masters Under Heaven, but to show such martial prowess and leadership as well.

It felt natural that he had no choice but to follow him.

If his father Namgung Jangcheon had known, it would have been a thought that would make him faint, but from the depths of his heart, he had no choice but to acknowledge Namgung Hyeok.

* * *

Several days passed like that.

The group that had captured the Evil Path Alliance prisoners was able to return to the Namgung Family Estate.

Had they already heard the news through messenger pigeons?

The atmosphere at the Namgung Family Estate was incredibly bright.

And for good reason, as they had gained benefits they had never even thought of.

“To think that the Third Young Master had connections with the Murim Alliance Leader as well…”

“In front of everyone, he slapped his own grandson’s cheek and took the Third Young Master’s side?”

“Hehe. The Namgung Family’s reputation, which had been crawling on the ground for a while, has been revived. What a relief. What a real relief.”

It had simply been an occasion to deliver gifts to the Alliance Leader and build personal connections.

But at that place, he had received the favor of the Sword Emperor, one of the Ten Greatest Masters Under Heaven, and shown that fact to everyone.

Moreover, the fact that he was a war hero who had been active on the Northern Front, fighting against foreign tribes, became known as well.

To this extent, it was truly no exaggeration to say that he had elevated the status of the crumbling family.

Therefore, most people of the Namgung Family had no choice but to look at Namgung Hyeok with eyes full of goodwill.

Of course, not everyone was pleased with this fact.

A dark room.

Thwack!

“We need to come up with countermeasures.”

Someone struck the floor and spoke.

Those gathered looked at him as if displeased, but they didn’t rebuke him.

They too harbored similar thoughts after all.

That was the idea that they couldn’t just leave the Third Young Master Namgung Hyeok alone.

When he first appeared, he was merely laughable.

Namgung Hyeok was just a returning soldier from the battlefield with no support base whatsoever.

But he had solved the family’s problems one by one, earning people’s trust.

On top of that, this time he had received deep favor from the Murim Alliance Leader in front of many forces.

At this rate, the wavering moderate faction seemed ready to all attach themselves to Namgung Hyeok.

For those who seriously aimed for the family’s hegemony, this was a result they could never welcome.

“But how can we do anything? We can’t diminish the achievements he’s already made…”

Well, we could try, but that would create a backlash.

People would say that Namgung Jangcheon’s faction was doing all sorts of things to seize power.

That would make even the power they currently held disappear.

The tower they had built with long effort would crumble. They could never accept such a result.

“Sigh. What does the Acting Family Head think?”

Suddenly, everyone’s gaze turned to Namgung Jangcheon, who was seated at the head position.

Namgung Jangcheon had maintained silence even during the various discussions.

He was simply looking down at the floor, lost in some thought.

Soon he raised his gaze.

Those who met his eyes flinched.

Namgung Jangcheon’s eyes were colder than ever before.

“Indeed. If we leave that bastard alone, our plans might come to nothing.”

He spoke in a calm voice.

Everyone waited for the words that would follow.

“But we can’t do anything to him. Even if we try to make some move, there’s a risk of getting caught up in unnecessary backlash. Then there’s only one method left.”

“Wh-what is that?”

“To push his back.”

“…What do you mean?”

Everyone showed expressions of not understanding for a moment.

When hindering him wouldn’t be enough, to push Namgung Hyeok’s back?

Didn’t that mean Namgung Jangcheon’s faction would give him strength? The senior members couldn’t quite understand what that meant.

But as if understanding such reactions, Namgung Jangcheon continued.

“What is our biggest obstacle right now?”

“That would naturally be the Third Young Master…”

“No. Our biggest obstacle isn’t the Third Young Master, but the First Young Master whom the Third Young Master supports.”

“…!”

Suddenly, expressions of shock appeared on everyone’s faces as if struck by lightning.

Indeed, that was true.

According to the Namgung Family’s house laws, the one most likely to become the current family head was the First Young Master, Namgung Cheon.

It was definitely not Namgung Hyeok. But what about the current situation?

‘Namgung Cheon barely shows any presence, while all the family’s attention is focused on Namgung Hyeok.’

What that meant was one thing.

It meant that the side holding legitimacy and the side receiving the family members’ support were different.

“What if the Third Young Master becomes greedy and wants to become the young family head here? Or if the First Young Master becomes afraid of his younger brother’s growth and starts to check him?”

Namgung Jangcheon said with a slight smile.

“Then the close cooperation between the two that has lasted until now would be severed. In other words, an emotional rift would be created. We need to target exactly that gap.”

Gulp.

The sound of someone swallowing dry saliva echoed.

The scheme Namgung Jangcheon had devised was that sinister and effective.

“From now on, everyone move according to what I say.”

He said to his faction with a faint smile.

“Draw out Namgung Cheon’s inferiority complex, and incite Namgung Hyeok’s greed.”

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