Ch#29
Crackle. Crackle.
A clearing in the forest.
With a campfire at the center, Jeok I-geon, Cheon Gang, and I sat in a circle.
Thanks to running all night without rest, we had made it quite far from Chengdu.
Did they know?
That the very person they were hunting was actually waiting for them with bated breath.
Hummmmm—
Responding to Jeok I-geon’s qi, the Heaven-Shattering Divine Sword vibrated.
Of course, I couldn’t actually feel that vibration myself.
I was merely guessing because I had read the original novel.
Every time Jeok I-geon’s hand touched the sword, the author used to describe it that way.
I had always wondered what it would actually feel like, but looking at Jeok I-geon now, I felt like I somehow knew.
The sight of Jeok I-geon quietly looking down at the divine sword resting on his knees was so natural, as if he had reclaimed something that was always his.
“Why are you staring?”
Had I been staring too blankly?
Startled by Jeok I-geon suddenly raising his head, I flusteredly made up the first excuse that came to mind.
“Ah, well, it’s just… I thought the Heaven-Shattering Divine Sword suited you perfectly, Young Master. My apologies.”
“Do you think so too?”
What’s this? Why does he look so pleased?
Does this psychopath actually have a sentimental side?
He must have taken quite a liking to the divine sword.
Well, that’s probably why he came all the way to Sichuan to buy it.
In the future, Jeok I-geon would say that obtaining the Heaven-Shattering Divine Sword was a kind of ritual.
A way to lay the psychological foundation for unifying the Murim, so to speak.
I felt a fresh wave of dread realizing that, even at his young age, he was already plotting such terrifying plans.
As expected, the moment we return to the Main Cult, I need to resign immediately.
My heart fluttered at the thought that the day of my dreams was fast approaching.
Does this make this a retirement gift, then?
The Rainbow Bracelet, which had felt like a shackle when I first received it, had suddenly transformed into severance pay.
This is seriously amazing.
How on earth did this roll into my lap?
The true name of this bracelet, called the Honghwan because it was made of red jade, was the Seven-Colored Rainbow Bracelet (七彩虹環).
Activating the mechanism hidden within the bracelet would cause it to glow with the seven colors of the rainbow, triggering an extraordinary function.
Specifically, it allowed one’s internal energy to accumulate several times faster than usual.
What would happen if, even during the exact same qi circulation, the amount of internal energy accumulated differed so vastly?
In the original novel, a young master was born solely because of this single bracelet.
And now, such an item had fallen into my hands.
I already possessed over sixty years’ worth of internal energy.
If the internal energy gained through the Seven-Colored Rainbow Bracelet were added to that… Wow, it was so mind-blowing that I was left utterly speechless.
It felt like I was using up all the luck of my entire lifetime these days.
I already owed the Demonic Cult a deep bow of gratitude just for learning the Demon Emperor’s Soaring Sky Art, so what on earth was this luxury?
“You said you hated it so much, yet you like it after all?”
I must have been smiling without realizing it. At Jeok I-geon’s question, I quickly pulled my hand away from the Rainbow Bracelet and replied.
“Earlier, I was so overwhelmed by receiving such an undeserved treasure that I couldn’t express my gratitude properly. I will never, ever forget the grace you have bestowed upon this humble servant.”
“Since you like it, I am pleased as well.”
Oh my god. Did Jeok I-geon just smile?
It was only for a split second, but I definitely saw the corners of his mouth curve upward.
If only that were all.
Isn’t it a foul to smile with his eyes like that with a face like his?
It doesn’t suit him at all.
Stop looking at me with such a warm, satisfied expression.
Why does he keep acting so differently from the Jeok I-geon I knew?
My heart was taking a beating because I kept getting startled every time Jeok I-geon felt even slightly approachable.
Rustle.
It was then that an unfamiliar presence was felt.
“They’re finally here.”
Mumbling to himself that they were later than expected, Jeok I-geon stood up.
In his hand, the Heaven-Shattering Divine Sword was held proudly.
“You too must have been quite bored.”
The way Jeok I-geon slowly drew the divine sword from its scabbard was vastly different from how he had behaved until now.
It was the razor-sharp aura of a true martial artist.
Naturally, there was no sign of fear on his face. Instead, his eyes shone with anticipation.
How can I crush them in a more thrilling and brutal way?
His brilliant, daring mind was surely calculating.
Because Jeok I-geon was always like that before a battle.
Thud!
Right then, a masked man dropped down from the air.
“I won’t make this long. If you want to live, hand over that sword—”
Since he was going to kill them anyway, he might as well have let them finish speaking, but as everyone knew, Jeok I-geon was not a patient man.
Slash!
Before the masked man could even finish his sentence, the Heaven-Shattering Divine Sword flashed like a beam of light.
“Hmph! A futile attempt—”
The masked man couldn’t even mount a defense.
For Jeok I-geon’s sword had already sliced through his body before he could even draw his weapon.
Spurt!
As if measured precisely with a ruler, the masked man’s upper and lower body were cleanly severed.
In the next instant, blood erupted like a fountain, and the stench of iron filled the air.
A significant amount of blood splattered onto Jeok I-geon’s clothes and face.
Yet, he didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.
He merely stared down the remaining masked men with a cold, bloodthirsty gaze.
None of the masked men rushed forward in anger over their companion’s death.
Unlike their triumphant entrance, they were terrified by Jeok I-geon’s single strike and hesitated, warily reading the room.
It was the same in the original novel.
These guys were older, but they were mere small fry whose martial arts couldn’t even hold a candle to Jeok I-geon’s.
Real experts recognize other experts; those who had already gauged Jeok I-geon’s level hadn’t even bothered to pursue us in the first place.
Only these clueless fools had stepped forward, essentially boarding an express train to hell.
“Do not worry. I will finish this quickly.”
I was temporarily in a daze, shocked by witnessing Jeok I-geon’s first kill.
Misinterpreting my reaction as worry for him, Jeok I-geon spoke to me in a soothing tone.
Yet his face was completely covered in blood.
To me, the scene was only made infinitely more terrifying.
I thought I had prepared myself mentally, but reality was vastly different from a novel.
Ignorant of my inner turmoil, Jeok I-geon turned back toward the masked men.
As their eyes met his, a few of them even took a step back.
I almost wanted to tell them to just run away.
They were trying to kill us, so they certainly weren’t good people.
Even so, my desire not to witness the impending bloodbath was far stronger.
Of course, that was merely my own wish.
Whoosh!
Jeok I-geon lunged forward, bringing his sword down vertically.
Wait, is that…?
My eyes widened instinctively.
The sword technique he was executing right now was the first stance of the Demon-Life Sword that I had learned: The Demon Lord’s Suppression.
The footwork, too, was the Demon-Life Steps he had taught me.
When he dealt with the first masked man, I hadn’t been able to follow the movement of his sword at all.
It had been that swift of a strike.
But this time, his steps were perfectly legible to my eyes, and the trajectory of his sword was clearly visible.
It wasn’t as if he was moving slowly, either.
Should I say it was a speed perfectly calibrated for someone of my level to observe?
Perhaps, even in this very moment, Jeok I-geon wanted to teach me martial arts.
Clang!
The metallic ring of clashing weapons echoed as their blades met.
Thinking he stood a chance against Jeok I-geon’s slower movements, the masked man quickly twisted his body, attempting to launch a counterattack.
“Hah!”
But the moment their swords clashed, the masked man found himself unable to pull his weapon away.
Because Jeok I-geon’s massive energy had swallowed him whole.
Splatter!
Once again, crimson blood erupted like a fountain.
The being that had possessed a form just a moment ago was torn into thousands of pieces, raining down onto the ground.
It was an overwhelming disparity of power that defied imagination.
Naturally, the remaining masked men panicked and began to flee in utter terror.
And Jeok I-geon was not the kind of person to just let them go.
Thwip!
One of Jeok I-geon’s ultimate techniques, the Jade-Shattering Finger Bullets, was fired in rapid succession.
Every single one of them pierced the thighs of the fleeing men.
“Aaargh!”
Screams erupted from all directions.
Jeok I-geon unleashed a half-moon sword-light toward the masked man who had collapsed closest to him.
Slice!
His two legs were severed cleanly.
Despite this, the masked man did not give up and dragged himself across the ground using his arms.
Crack! Crack!
With two more of Jeok I-geon’s Jade-Shattering Finger Bullets, his left and right shoulders were shattered in unison.
Rendered completely immobile, the masked man wailed, begging for his life.
As if in response, Jeok I-geon lightly lifted his foot and placed it over the masked man’s face.
“Pl-Please…”
Crunch!
Instantly, the screaming stopped.
“Good. Next.”
He was clearly exhilarated by the slaughter after such a long time.
Watching Jeok I-geon wet his lips with his tongue as he searched for his next target, I was frozen in pure terror.
