Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 105

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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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Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 105
Even amid the crushing sense of mortal danger, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered by those words.
A rival? What the hell is he talking about all of a sudden?
“The guidance of one so great is beyond the reach of a lowly creature such as myself. To think you would guide me to accomplish two tasks at once.”
I pushed myself upright using my sword as a crutch.
I’d merely blocked and deflected a single strike, yet my churned internal organs still trembled from the impact.
“You bastard from Madou, have you lost your mind? What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Hmm, you don’t understand?”
Hyeolanra’s gaze held a glimmer of intrigue.
“You blocked this body’s strike despite being at such a trivial level.”
Yang Hwi found this equally puzzling.
The pinnacle realm is the limit of humanity—an insurmountable wall.
Therefore, warriors below the pinnacle can never achieve victory against a pinnacle master.
‘Strictly speaking, it’s not absolute, but…’
Awakening the sword energy merchant—a tangible manifestation of qi—grants power approaching the absolute.
No matter how much energy I poured in, the moment it clashed, it should have been cleanly severed.
Yet I had somehow blocked Hyeolanra’s claw qi.
‘It must be thanks to the celestial energy. Some unknown function is at work.’
Meanwhile, Adu charged at Hyeolanra once more.
“Mara! Receive enlightenment!”
Boom!
He was sent flying backward again.
“Ugh…”
“Adu. Are you alright?”
I assessed Adu’s condition while remaining vigilant toward Hyeolanra.
With tangible qi wrapping his entire body and his naturally sturdy frame, there were no visible wounds.
Though he’d certainly sustained internal injuries and contusions.
‘In any case, Adu can withstand his attacks. Moreover, this Hyeolanra seems quite exhausted from passing through Jeoljin.’
My mind spun rapidly as I searched for a breakthrough.
“The sacred artifact seems to be inside that Iron Gate. And judging by the nauseating aura I sense… it appears the ignorant and benighted ones attempted to seal it.”
This bastard really thinks he’s in a position of absolute strength.
He just keeps spilling information without prompting.
But what the hell is a sacred artifact?
“Hey, you head of the Blood Cult.”
“Ho. How did you know this body came from the Blood Cult?”
“Besides you blood-drinking, rotting-stench-reeking bastards, who else is there?”
Hyeolanra’s lips curled upward. Claw qi stretched like a whip, flying toward my neck.
“Tch!”
Even while operating the Heavenly Flame Qi throughout my body, I couldn’t evade perfectly.
My left shoulder split open, and blood cascaded down in droplets.
“What a waste of precious blood.”
Blood should fall to the ground when it spills—that’s how nature works.
Yet the droplets defied gravity, flowing toward Hyeolanra instead.
“Let me taste what a worthy opponent’s blood is like.”
The moment a thin stream of blood was sucked into Hyeolanra’s mouth—
“Ugh?! Blegh…!”
His already crimson eyes widened as he gagged, spitting out dark blood.
‘What? Is he rejecting my blood?’
To be precise, it was the influence of the immortal energy embedded within it.
I immediately pushed off the ground.
Whoooosh!
Even as Hyeolanra retched, five claw strikes lashed out from his hands.
“Adu!”
“Hah!”
I wasn’t the only one who moved.
“Block it!”
“Amitabha!”
A blinding radiance intercepted all five claw strikes.
I used Adu’s back—the one who’d sacrificed his body to shield me—as a springboard and launched myself upward again.
Then—
Whoooosh!
I slashed my blade across my forearm and swung it toward him.
“You bastard!”
Hyeolanra recoiled from my blood as if it were filthy refuse.
One thing became certain from this.
‘My blood can force his movements.’
If that’s the case, then I have at least a sliver of a chance, or rather, if I can just endure—
Crack!
Before I could finish the thought, my breath was cut off.
Hyeolanra had appeared before me and seized my throat with his hand.
“Gah, ugh!”
“How audacious. No matter how worthy an opponent you are, you’re still too young and inexperienced to challenge me.”
His grip was devastating. My neck felt like it would snap at any moment.
The only reason I could endure was by concentrating my immortal energy to resist with all my might.
“Let Yang Hwi go!”
Adu’s reckless charge was repelled faster than he’d rushed forward.
Hyeolanra didn’t even spare him a glance, his gaze piercing through me.
His blood-red eyes filled my entire vision.
“To encounter such a young, inexperienced opponent… Is this too the will of the great one? Is this our destined fate?”
“You… bastard…!”
Hyeolanra’s lips curved into a gentle arc of a smile.
“Amusing. How very amusing. I wonder… is it possible?”
In that instant, goosebumps erupted across my entire body.
It was because I’d recalled his true technique.
‘Blood Soul Seizing Art (血魂奪靈術)…!’
Hyeolanra’s specialty was not martial prowess.
Blood Spirit Soul Seizing Art—the Hyeol-gyo’s secret soul-binding technique and corpse-controlling method.
His true strength lay in dominating others’ souls, infusing them with blood energy, transforming them into half-human half-undead, and enslaving them.
‘Damn it, I need to escape…’
I bit my tongue and spat out blood-tinged saliva.
But instead of dodging, Hyeolanra closed his eyes and accepted the blood and spittle.
“…How vile and repugnant your aura is, my adversary. I shall repay this insult after making you my servant.”
“Damn it…!”
Hyeolanra’s blood eyes flashed, radiating a crimson brilliance.
Simultaneously, I felt a nauseating sense of constraint.
A malevolent, formless energy emanating from Hyeolanra’s Sang-dan-jeon began boring into my mind.
“Become my eternal servant, adversary. I shall use you as my personal footrest.”
‘Ugh, this won’t… this won’t do…!’
Hyeolanra’s gaze intensified further.
It was almost unbelievable that human eyes could emit such brilliant light.
That was the moment.
‘Huh? Why… am I fine?’
The instant that thought crossed my mind, I let my body go limp and switched my sword to my left hand.
Simultaneously, I released all tension from my pupils, meeting Hyeolanra’s gaze with hollow, vacant eyes.
“You endured quite long. Even young and inexperienced, an adversary remains an adversary.”
“Yang Hwi! No!”
Whoosh!
Rather than flinging Adu away again, Hyeolanra drove him into the ground and planted one foot squarely on his back.
“Aaahhh!”
Standing over Adu, who thrashed like a toad pierced by an awl, Hyeolanra issued his command to me.
“Adversary. Reveal your true identity. How did you come to harbor such corrupted power?”
“I am…”
Blood dripped steadily from the forearm I’d severed moments before.
The falling blood traced down the blade, staining Adu’s head crimson.
“I am… Dan-hwan…”
“You cannot speak properly. Hmm. Have you not yet achieved complete control?”
It was when Hyeolanra’s gaze flared once more.
Squelch!
“Ugh, wha—?!”
A blade drenched in blood saturated with vital energy.
Hyeolanra staggered, her chest pierced through.
Her grip loosened. I snapped her fingers and escaped.
‘Keep pushing forward!’
“Adu! Get up!”
“Uaaaah!”
Adu forced his body upright, radiating golden light.
In response, I attempted another sword strike, but—
‘Damn it, the sword.’
To strike again, I needed to pull the blade from my chest.
But the sword wouldn’t budge.
“How dare you. Well played indeed.”
Feeling a chill, I abandoned the sword and kicked Hyeolanra’s abdomen with all my strength.
Hyeolanra flew back limply. After crashing down and a moment of silence, she struggled to her feet.
“The Blood Soul Severing Technique failed. So you truly are a worthy opponent.”
Hyeolanra stared briefly at the blade still embedded in her chest, then wrenched it out with all her might.
Since it had pierced directly through her heart, blood should have gushed like a fountain.
Instead, only a dark, viscous liquid—like corrupted blood—covered the wound.
“I grew careless indulging in amusement. Cough.”
Her complexion had definitely worsened compared to before.
Yet Hyeolanra remained an untouchable powerhouse.
I’d lost my sword and my condition was deteriorating.
Even my final attempt had come to nothing.
Despair began engulfing my entire being.
Clink, roll-roll-roll.
An iron ring tumbled from my torn clothing.
Yeo Dong-bin’s legacy from years ago.
Seeing it, I suddenly understood what I’d been overlooking.
“Adu!”
“…Yes!”
Adu rose to his feet, blood staining his lips.
His response still carried strength.
“Hold on for half a moment—no, even a quarter moment! No matter what!”
“Got it! Mara! Activate the technique!”
With brilliant light illuminating the cavern behind me, I picked up the iron ring.
The legacy of Geom Seon Yeo Dong-bin.
Geom Wang, disciple of Geom Seon.
The final gate of Geomwang Tomb.
Thump!
‘If a key is needed, this is all I have.’
I took in the intricate patterns carved into the Iron Gate at a glance.
As expected, there was a circular pattern that matched the iron ring’s size perfectly.
And it was positioned right in the center of the right Iron Gate among the pair.
‘Why am I only realizing this now.’
I had no time to indulge in despair.
Even now, Adu was desperately buying me time against him.
“Release me, you filthy creature.”
Hyeolanra’s eyes gleamed with disgust as Adu rushed toward him.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
His blood-tinted hand rained blows down upon Adu’s head, yet he refused to let go.
“You can’t go! You can’t!”
“Do you truly wish to die first?”
Five fingernails, surrounded by sharply refined claw energy, converged into one.
With his energy channels opened, Hyeolanra thrust his hand toward Adu’s throat.
“Gasp!”
The radiant barrier split, and the tips of his fingernails pierced Adu’s neck.
Hyeolanra contorted his face like a demon and pushed his hand deeper.
Bit by bit, his fingernails burrowed into Adu’s throat.
“Ami… ta, fire…!”
‘Just a little longer, Adu!’
The Iron Gate wouldn’t open simply by inserting the iron ring.
Yet I instinctively understood what else was needed.
From the tip of my center, now nearly depleted dantian, I drew forth immortal energy.
Normally, when circulating true energy, immortal energy would naturally blend in with the Heavenly Transformation technique.
But now, I concentrated my entire mind solely on drawing out immortal energy.
Whoooosh—
Immortal energy filled the iron ring once more, just as it had before.
Click!
The immortal energy, tracing complex patterns across the iron ring’s surface, began spreading throughout the entire Iron Gate.
And then.
Rumble, creeeeak.
‘It worked!’
My eyes instantly swept across the interior of the Iron Gate.
A relatively narrow space, roughly three paces wide and deep.
At its center lay a coffin crafted from gold.
Within the coffin’s center, a sword redder than blood floated suspended, sealed in place.
‘This sword is…!’
Why is this sword in the Sword King’s Tomb? This blade is definitely…?
“A sacred relic!”
Hyeolanra’s cry echoed from behind.
Simultaneously, the sound of impacts accelerated even further.
There was no time for other thoughts, no time to look back.
Right now, I could only focus on one thing.
‘Those seals on the sword—they’re definitely iron rings.’
Inside the golden crown, eight iron rings were embedded in the pattern of the Eight Trigrams.
If they were powerful enough to seal a sword radiating such terrifying blood energy, then they had to be.
The moment I rushed to the golden crown and grasped two of the eight iron rings in my hands.
Click! Click!
[A message is transmitted to Hu-ye!]
A voice so grand it resonated across the entire vast sky filled my mind.

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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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