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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Chapter 86
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The sword aura blossoming from the child transformed the family members' shock into utter astonishment.
They watched, yet no one could believe it.
‘Jeoljeong…!’
‘The Jeoljeong realm…?!’
The Jeoljeong realm was where most of the clan's core elders and hall masters resided.
It was a realm they had painstakingly achieved, striving for power within the clan.
But a thirteen-year-old child, in Jeoljeong…?
Aside from Namgung Mucheon, Seop Mugwang, and Cheongun, who already knew, the other clan members watched, jaws agape.
They watched the child, enveloped in sword aura, holding a sword.
The child assumed a sword stance.
At that sight, the clan members were once again astonished.
‘Ch-Cheonpunggeombeop…!’
It was a sword art that truly showcased what the Namgung clan stood for, embodying their spirit woven from the essence of the heavens and their ascent.
While not among the clan's highest-tier sword arts, it was one that could only be learned after mastering the Daeyeongeombeop.
“Jeokryong Commander. What is the meaning of this? How does that child know the Namgung’s sword art?”
Yeon Soran, recognizing the stance, turned to the Jeokryong Commander and sent a voice transmission.
However, the Jeokryong Commander was equally bewildered.
“I did not teach her.”
“Then how does she know it?!”
“I don’t know either…”
More than that, Jeoljeong. Namgung Seolhwa’s realm… was Jeoljeong.
‘What… have I done…?’
The Jeokryong Commander realized something had gone terribly wrong. But by the time he realized, it was already too late.
Amidst the deep crimson aura, Seolhwa opened her eyes. Her sword began to move serenely.
Her sword, imbued with the essence of the heavens, was as sublime as a dragon emerging from the depths of water.
Cheonpunggeombeop (Heavenly Wind Sword Art) First Form:
Hidden Dragon Emerges (潛龍出現)
Within the crimson aura, Seolhwa recalled memories from her previous life.
That day, beneath a blood-red sky, when the Hyeolgyo and the Namgung shed the most blood.
‘That day, when a blood-red sky enveloped Hefei and blood rain (血雨) poured down.’
The Namgung elders stepped forward, charging into the battlefield, and the old masters, despite their aged bodies, wielded swords.
The hall masters sacrificed their lives to protect the clan.
Cheonpunggeombeop Second Form:
Dragons in Tumult (四圍亂龍)
The Namgung people raised their swords to protect one another. They fought against merciless death.
‘The Namgung I saw back then was like that.’
The Namgung of her previous life was like that.
Cheonpunggeombeop Third Form:
Wind and Cloud Azure Dragon (風雲蒼龍)
The outer hall warriors willingly became shields for those who had even a little strength to resist.
The inner hall warriors leapt into the fiery abyss to ensure their sacrifices were not in vain.
Cheonpunggeombeop Fourth Form:
Leaping Flying Dragon (跳躍飛龍)
The unarmed maids picked up slingshots and fought against the storm of blood.
The elderly drew the attention of the encroaching Hyeolgyo members to save the young children hiding beneath straw.
Cheonpunggeombeop Fifth Form:
Flowing Flying Dragon (飛龍流流)
In the continuous war with the Hyeolgyo, day and night, no one felt shame.
They fought desperately and never once retreated easily.
Wounds, pain, and even death could not make them tremble in fear.
Even as screams filled the air and blood dyed the world.
‘That day, I never saw the Namgung retreat.’
Gracefully, like a sword dance, yet without lightness. Seolhwa’s sword continued, drawing the aura of a Heavenly Dragon.
Before the unbroken flow of the sword art, no one could turn away their gaze.
The desperate integrity emanating from the child's sword captivated their gaze and rang an alarm in their minds.
Cheonpunggeombeop Sixth Form:
Crimson Dragon's Fierce Advance (赤龍戈强)
The child's momentum grew even stronger.
The dragon she depicted in the air was advancing towards its climax.
The story the child wished to tell dyed the dueling arena with an unparalleled desperation.
Cheonpunggeombeop Seventh Form:
Yellow Dragon's Guard (黃龍扈衛)!
‘You don’t not know. You’ve merely forgotten.’
The sword you pursued. The spirit. The Namgung!
The Namgung was ultimately unbroken.
Even if dark clouds obscured the sky, it was still the sky, and even if blood tears welled up and dyed it red, it was still the sky.
‘Ah, heavens….’
Heavens!
Cheonpunggeombeop Eighth Form:
Dragon Ascending Heaven and Earth (天地乘龍)!
The heavens many Namgung people sought were sorrowful.
In her previous life, she thought it was a futile cry. She scoffed at a heaven that never responded, no matter how much they cried out.
Only after turning back through life did she realize that wasn't the case.
Cheonpunggeombeop Ninth Form:
Roaring Old Dragon (咆哮老龍)!
The heavens they cried out to in their final moments were the spirit of the Namgung, unbroken even by death.
It was a proud song of praise (謳歌), proclaiming that they had protected what was theirs and never lost it.
Heavens!
The Namgung was ultimately righteous and honorable before the heavens.
Heavens!
It remained utterly pure (淸名) in the end.
‘This is the Namgung you sought to protect.’
And this is the path we must take.
Seolhwa’s sword finally began to depict the last form of the Cheonpunggeombeop.
Her aura split the sky, vibrated the surroundings, and roared mightily towards the Namgung people.
With the Crimson Dragon leading and the Yellow Dragon guarding, the Heavenly Dragon finally soared.
Cheonpunggeombeop Tenth Form:
Heaven-Defying Mad Dragon (逆天狂龍)!
A fierce wind swept through the entire dueling arena as if overturning it. It truly looked like a dragon ascending to the heavens.
The crimson aura, so intense it was hard to open one's eyes, swirled around the dueling arena before soaring towards the sky.
Whoosh…
The crimson aura slowly settled, and the surroundings were enveloped in a heavy silence.
No one could easily speak. No, no one could easily close their mouths.
Within that silence, a profound sense of upliftment flowed.
Anyone who had learned the Namgung’s sword arts could not help but understand the Namgung spirit embedded in Seolhwa’s display.
It was neither manipulation nor a game.
It was the desperate reality yet to come, shown by one who knew the future to those stuck in the past.
It was the Namgung spirit they had long forgotten.
Seolhwa’s sword was enough to stir the hearts of those watching.
It reminded them of the resolve they had when they first held a sword, when they first learned the Namgung’s sword arts.
Someone shed tears watching her sword.
‘Ah… the heavens… it truly is the heavens.’
The child showed everyone the heavens.
It was a sky so clear and brilliant that tears came to their eyes from its blinding purity.
“Hmph…”
Seop Mugwang could only let out a sigh at the sword display the child presented.
He had anticipated it. The child’s sword.
He had certainly expected something magnificent. And the child’s sword was beyond even that.
Seop Mugwang looked down at his own hands.
His fingertips were trembling with an exhilarating thrill.
‘To feel this sensation… once again.’
The Heavenly Dragon Sword that had bound him to this Namgung.
Was it not similar to the feeling he had experienced when he saw the Namgung’s sword art displayed by Namgung Mucheon?
To feel this electrifying sensation again from the sword of a mere thirteen-year-old.
‘That damn brat…’
His lips curved into a wry, helpless smile.
Amidst the silence, broken only by her ragged breaths, Seolhwa fixed her gaze forward once more.
“…”
Namgung Mucheon, clutching the armrest of his chair as if to shatter it, met her gaze.
‘Grandfather.’
As if hearing her unspoken call, Namgung Mucheon rose from his seat.
All eyes in the dueling arena naturally turned to the Family Head.
“I ask you, Namgung Seolhwa.”
Namgung Mucheon’s low voice resonated throughout the entire dueling arena.
“Why did you come onto the dueling stage wearing those clothes?”
Seolhwa looked down at her clothes. The fabric felt soft beneath her fingertips.
“I wanted to show you.”
The child’s voice was calm. Like the quiet after a storm, it was exceptionally serene.
“No matter what clothes I wear, where I grew up, or what life I’ve lived. I am a child of the Namgung.”
Just as she said, Seolhwa’s attire suddenly ceased to matter to anyone.
No one criticized the clothes she wore.
She had clearly shown them that what she wore was not what mattered.
Seeing the child who had splendidly achieved her intention, Namgung Mucheon did not hold back his smile.
“I know that absurd rumors have been circulating about my granddaughter recently. The reason I’ve tolerated them until now is because Seolhwa said she would prove herself.”
Namgung Mucheon looked around at the clan members. His eyes now held a weighty indignation.
“If your eyes were properly set, you would have seen it. The Changcheon aura imbued in Seolhwa’s sword.”
He rebuked the clan members who had been quick to spread rumors without even properly verifying their truth.
“From today on, if I hear any more baseless rumors being carelessly spread about Seolhwa, I will hold them strictly accountable!”
The clan members responded in unison.
Namgung Mucheon was about to speak again when—
“But that’s impossible!”
From one side of the platform, a voice erupted like a scream.
At the voice that broke the atmosphere, those who had been waiting for Namgung Mucheon’s words looked at the speaker, showing signs of displeasure.
It was Namgung Soryong, Namgung Cheonghae’s eldest son.
“Soryong…!”
Namgung Cheonghae was startled and tried to stop his son, but Soryong pointed at Seolhwa and shouted first.
“She never learned any sword arts! I saw it clearly! The Jeokryong Commander definitely only taught her the Samjaegeombeop!”
