Episode 358

Calmly lowering her sword, Sword Wisdom looked at the old man with serene eyes.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“Waiting? Who are you referring to?”

“…?”

“Those guys, even if they were half a day’s distance away, they could catch up in one breath.”

“Arrogant words.”

“Because they have the skills.”

Sword Wisdom’s gaze remained calm as she looked at the old man who smiled, revealing yellowed teeth.

However, her heart was filled with intense anxiety.

Despite being someone with an exceptional sense of assessing opponents, she couldn’t gauge his strength at all.

Under normal circumstances, she might have avoided him. But now, she had to buy enough time for the pursuit team to escape, so she had no choice.

Whiz!

With a light step, her sword stretched straight.

Her steps were as light as feathers, and her sword, imbued with a bright light, was as swift as a ray.

Thud!

The old man chuckled lightly, lifted his foot, and kicked up at the sword’s edge, simultaneously leaping and launching a kick straight at her.

Swish! Swoosh!

The foot, extending like a whip through the air, cunningly targeted the spots beyond the reach of Sword Wisdom’s sword.

However, as if aware that this was a probing battle to gauge each other’s skills, he didn’t put weight into his attack, making it not difficult to evade.

After exchanging brief blows, Sword Wisdom leapt back and was certain.

The old man before her was by no means beneath her.

There was hardly a flaw to be found, and despite her multiple sword strikes, he did not release his hands clasped behind his back.

They had exchanged sufficient moves to gauge each other.

With her thoughts organized, Sword Wisdom looked steadily at the old man and asked.

“Are you also one of the Palace Lords…?”

“There is nothing to hide when everything is known, is there? I am Second Palace Lord, also known as Noh Guk-tae.”

“Second Palace Lord-…”

Sword Wisdom nodded with a smile.

“A worthy opponent to share swords with. I am…”

“Sword Wisdom Byeok Un-young.”

“…!”

He already knew?

“Central Murim Seven Stars, Evils Conquers’s Five Emperors, Demonic Cult’s Six Emperors. I have long secured information about them. The martial arts you use, the level of your internal qi, even the depth of your enlightenment.”

“……”

“Also, I know that your Flying Sword cuts the wings of a thousand seabirds.”

“…!”

Sword Wisdom’s eyes widened in shock at the old man’s nonchalant words.

How could he know about the level she achieved just before coming to Central Plains?

It was truly a chilling statement. It was impossible without a spy within Putuo Clan.

“You scoundrels, did you dare plant a person in Putuo Clan?”

“Why are you so surprised? As a member of the Seven Stars, you’re a person of interest. It’s been a long time since we planted eyes and ears in Putuo Clan. Though they’re useless now, we still keep in touch regularly.”

Damn it…

Realizing the situation was more serious than expected, Sword Wisdom’s eyes trembled slightly.

“Hey, Sword Wisdom. That’s not what you should be thinking about right now.”

“What?”

“You should be worried about someone like me, who knows all that and still stands boldly before you alone.”

“……”

Sword Wisdom’s face hardened at Noh Guk-tae’s relaxed attitude.

It’s true. The fact that he knew about her and still confronted her meant he had that much confidence.

The thought of trying to buy more time for the pursuit team to escape had now become meaningless.

He knows everything about herself, but she has no leverage over him.

“Well, if you’ve got the gist of the situation, let’s begin. Honestly, I’d prefer it if you just knelt down.”

“……”

At the obvious condescension, Sword Wisdom laughed in disbelief.

“To think there would come a day when I am belittled.”

“……”

“Telling me to kneel… To me, of all people.”

“……”

“You think you’ve figured out my sword technique? Don’t be mistaken. It’s not something visible to human eyes!”

The sword that had been hanging low slowly rises.

Passing the lower position to the middle, and then reaching the upper position, it soared straight towards the sky.

Her hands, which had released the sword, came together as if in prayer, then drew a circle as they descended to the sides.

One becomes two, and two then split into four, soon countless hands are arranged around her body like a halo.

As she closed and opened her eyes deeply, a divine light spread throughout her entire body. Enveloped in brilliant radiance, she resembled Avalokiteshvara, the deity with a thousand hands.

Putuo Clan is secular but a branch of Buddhism.

Her hand, completing a circle, returned and overlapped at her solar plexus to form a mudra, turning her skin to a golden hue.

Woooom!

The subtly spreading energy was calm like a windless surface of water, filled with warmth instead of chilling cold.

A thousand hands holding a thousand blades.

The Concealed Sword, Avalokiteshvara.

No matter how well the opponent knows her, they have only seen the surface and not the depths. Delaying serves no purpose, so she must annihilate the enemy with all her might in one fell swoop.

Wooong!

The densely layered qi begins to vibrate on its own.

The intensity, having reached its peak, abandoned tranquility and was filled with a storm on the verge of bursting.

A single decisive battle.

Though killing is a taboo for the pious, he belongs to a beastly horde.

If opening the path of destruction once can save all, then it is a duty she must fulfill as a follower of the faith.

The decision is made, but it must be approached with utmost caution. Thus, she will abandon the physical sight and perceive with the mind’s eye.

Sword Wisdom closes her eyes.

The divine light that illuminated all around disappears, and the hands that formed the seal gently extend forward.

Kuuuuu.

With a slow gesture, the air is pushed aside, and the surrounding forest bows simultaneously.

The thousand blades that filled the world shot toward Noh Guk-tae like golden flashes of lightning.

“…A thousand golden Enhanced qi.”

Noh Guk-tae, who was quietly watching the golden flashes approaching him, unfolded his hands that had been clasped behind his back.

“It seems you’ve misunderstood my words. When I said to kneel… It was because I needed to take you alive. Not as a ragged piece of cloth.”

Noh Guk-tae stepped forward with one foot and stretched both arms back.

One of the top five warriors in the palace, alongside Jong Ryeo-gyun, Sang Gwan-pyeong, and Song Yeo-bang.

The qi he summoned engulfed his entire body, and the empowered sole of his foot pressed down on the ground.

The energy gathered in his outstretched hands rounded into a massive shield, which covered his body as it swung forward.

Boom!

The explosion caused by the clash of a thousand swords and two shields shook the surroundings and consumed the forest.

Trees uprooted and scattered everywhere, leaving the land desolate.

A dust storm created by the explosion engulfed the surroundings.

There was only a single clash.

No, there was never a second from the beginning.

Sword Wisdom put everything she had into it, and Noh Guk-tae neither avoided nor retreated.

Whooosh.

After a brief moment, a wind blew from somewhere, clearing the dust and revealing the outcome of the battle.

“Ugh…”

Tattered clothing.

Noh Guk-tae, wounded all over his body, staggered as he stood up.

“Indeed… Even when divided into a thousand, the strength remains the same?”

Sword Wisdom’s Flying Sword was different.

When one divides into two, the power contained within is bound to weaken, yet the power within each sword was no different from the original.

The spy saw everything, but could not see through to the core.

As a result, he was pierced by five flashes he could not block. Though he avoided fatal wounds, each injury was not insignificant.

Noh Guk-tae, who had fully risen, fixed his gaze on one spot.

The exhausted Sword Wisdom had collapsed after expending everything.

She was likely not dead yet. If the intent had been to kill him, he wouldn’t have suffered such wounds in the first place.

“My Lord!”

The warriors of the Shadow Swords joined Noh Guk-tae, who was watching Sword Wisdom gasping like a dying candle.

“Spare her. She is an offering for the Young Palace Lord.”

“Yes!”

“The bastards have moved south. We’ve been delayed by about this much time, so pursue them immediately. I’ll follow after taking a moment to recuperate.”

“Yes!”

A couple of warriors gathered up Sword Wisdom’s body, and the rest swiftly headed south.

Crash!

An explosive sound shook the snowy mountain.

“……”

Jinmu tilted his chin up and fiercely glared ahead.

Those bastards…

While moving with Yang-jin to the north and enjoying the thrill of rabbit hunting in the territory of Third Grotto-heaven, Jinmu encountered unexpected foes.

At first, he thought it was just a massive snowstorm approaching.

On closer inspection, it was a horde of rabbits.

Could they possibly be here for revenge?

The situation was bizarre and absurd, but their power was immense.

After slicing through more than half of the attackers who stormed at Jinmu like a storm of Sword qi and staining the snowy mountain with blood, the remaining half of the rabbit horde and that leader bastard were left.

A rabbit leading hundreds of its kind, as large as a wolf, with a bluish tint.

A rabbit should be small and cute, so how can it be as big as a wolf?

Meanwhile, with glaring red eyes and long front teeth perfect for tearing flesh, claws as big as human fingers.

It’s certain. Even when doing a backflip, you can tell this one is the leader of the Tianshan Snow Hares.

A creature that has become a complete spiritual beast from diligently devouring the rare Tianshan Snow Grass.

Just how much of the Tianshan Snow Grass did it consume to gain such power and size?

Just a mere rabbit.

With this level of power, it could be called the king of the Xinjiang animal kingdom.

Well, it’s not impossible.

While hunting northward, he discovered that the Tianshan Snow Grass was exclusively rabbit food.

The noble creatures like deer or roe might have avoided it due to its bitterness, but that probably wasn’t the whole story.

Seeing how they were very cautious when approaching the Heavenly Mountain Snow Grass, it seemed even the rabbits understood the importance of exclusive consumption.

It’s unlikely that creatures capable of gaining enough strength to deliver a strong blow, and even communicate, would want to share something good.

Moreover, not all rabbits possessed the internal core.

Only a few rabbits, about a dozen or so, had accumulated an internal core.

Perhaps only those with a mutant trait among them could accumulate the internal core.

And that monstrous creature must be a mutant among mutants.

In any case, if it contained such an immense amount of Spiritual qi that its size and fur shone blue beyond blue?

“Yang-jin!”

“Yes!”

Woo Yang-jin, who had climbed up a tree to escape the group of rabbits, replied in a tense voice.

“You can have the rest.”

“…?”

You eat the leftover rice cakes.

I only need one. That big leader is enough.

I almost compromised on my view of life for a moment. I was about to collect specks of dust to build a mountain and gather drops of water to make a spring.

But as expected… Life is about one big shot.

I will capture that leader and immediately elevate my martial energy to its peak.

Jinmu’s eyes glistened with excitement and greed.

Tsk.

Jinmu, who licked his dry lips, dashed straight towards the rabbit leader.

Come to me, you great big shot.

I must catch you and properly nourish myself!

The leader of the Tianshan Snow Hares was indeed formidable, but he was no match for Jinmu, who was already considered a monster by everyone.

Being born a rabbit, even if I had strength, I wouldn’t know how to fight.

If you were at least cute, I might have hesitated. But you are not, you disgusting creature as big as a wolf.

After several bouts, the tough skin was stripped, and the sharp front teeth broke.

And today, as always, the spirited beating from Jinmu.

Thump, thud, thump, crack.

The skin makes clothes for our Yang-jin, shivering on cold days.

The sturdy claws are plucked out entirely and tossed to Hwang Shin and So Dong-bo to use as hidden weapons.

The thick thigh bones, honed by Spiritual qi, are given for contribution.

I’m not a greedy person, so one internal core filled with Spiritual qi is enough for me.

Oh, how wonderful and splendid.

Indeed, this must be the rabbit the Dragon King of the East Sea sent the turtle to fetch because it was so weak.¹

The lie about drying the internal core on a rock like a liver doesn’t work on me.

There is nothing to discard–from the meat, skin, bone, to the innards, so it is immensely fulfilling.

When the joyful beating of the spiritual beast ended, the leader of the Tianshan Snow Hares, who might have ascended to the ranks of mythical beasts by accumulating Spiritual qi away from human eyes, met its end without leaving a name in history.

Of all people, it had to encounter Jinmu, who was so wicked and thoroughly committed to his cause…