Chapter 79

“Were you consumed by a talent that surpassed all others, or was it him or the abyss in your heart? Is there an end to swordsmanship, and if there is, what is it that you think it is?”
The end of the sword.
Questioned about my willingness to reach that end, the Berserker lifted his sword and swung it a few times, its weight seemingly incomparably shallow and light.
“Does the sword have a dao.”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“It reads the will of the sword it seeks to reach and becomes one with it.”
“He is not wrong, but I do not know the sword’s wielder.”
The tip of the Berserker’s blade glows blue. It was a blue unlike the blue of the Southern Palace’s firmament.
The blue clouds floating in the middle of the sky glowed in the sunlight, and there were spots where they turned purple with a faint hint of color. It skillfully copes with the changes of nature and remains in a form that gently embraces any moment, just as it changes countless times with the passage of the seasons.
“That’s the blue cloud I hold.”
The blue tip of the sword turns red. The transformation into a flowing red aura was mysterious.
It was as if the red energy contained the color of the setting sun, and the red light pierced through the blue clouds to illuminate the pouring rain. The red energy melting into the tip of the sword felt beautiful, as if it was embracing everything around it, as if everyone was smiling warmly at the warmth of the sunlight.
“This is the redness I wish to express.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off the sword as the aura contained within it changed from moment to moment, leaving an afterimage in the air. They are clearly two different energies, but how can they face each other without conflict? The stronger energy will always overpower the weaker energy.
That’s why the Iron Sword Sixty-Six, Island Warfare Sixty-Three, and Gohon Sword Methods I’ve mastered have been dissolved into the Spear Bow Method.
Many of the swords I had mastered were relegated to the back burner after I mastered the Spearless Sword, and I felt that they were of little use to me.
In addition, the great katana that I had cultivated since my previous life, and which I had woven into the veins of my entire body, was also lost to me after I mastered the Thunder King Divine Gong.
I lost interest in the Great Yan Gong.
That was the reason why the Ascension Sword Method and the Ascension Heart Method were favored over martial arts with inferior efficiency. However, the master in front of him said.
“It is not the sword that is worthless, but the heart.”
And with that, he showed them how the Blue Cloud Sword and the Red Cloud Sword merged together before their eyes. Blue ripples and red flames flared, then transformed into blue flames and pulsed into red ripples.
“Do not deny all that you have, all that you have mastered, but embrace it, and do not think of the many things you have as mere passing. Know that, as you say, the extremes of the sword are not only found in the Sword of Ascension.”
I couldn’t deny it. The sword he was showing me now.
The sword he was showing me now, the one he called unfinished, had an aura that even he dared not touch.
I raised the tip of the sword. And I swung. I swung it, and a strange feeling filled the pit of my stomach.
Something, something that wouldn’t go away.
It was a new realization about the sword.
Sixty iron blades, ten chops, stretched out fluidly.
Thirty-three swords, thirteen swiftly danced.
Five soundless slashes, five soundless slashes, cut through the air.
Even as he unleashed the Spear Bow, he slowed his speed significantly.
All four of these sword methods were heavy, ambitious, and ferocious.
It was a castle he believed himself to be on his way to becoming an emperor.
When I saw that my sword, trapped within the name of the Southern Palace, was only depicting the heaviness and ferocity that it was meant to unleash, I decided to empty it.
* * *
Instead of looking at the man in front of him, Kwangseung laughed uncontrollably.
He realized that he had said a few words and repeated the process of emptying and discarding. Sometimes he pauses, and before I can say anything, he cracks the egg and moves on.
I couldn’t wait to see what kind of monster he would become in ten years, or even just five.
Oh, and by the way.
How did he happen to use the surname of the Southern Palace?
If he was my disciple, I would have passed on all my enlightenment.
With a click of his tongue, the monk pointed his finger at the heavens, wondering why they wouldn’t let someone like this come down to Qingcheng.
It was a moment that would have enraged Tae Sang-no if he had heard it, but instead, Kwang Seung quietly muttered to himself.
“That’s his escort.”
“……Yes. Mr. Kwangseung.”
Hoora.
The black robe on his body gave off an aura that was not unfamiliar.
“You’re a killer.”
Black Ho nodded, mesmerized by Kwangseung’s words. He must have realized that he couldn’t hide it if he tried.
“That’s right, old man.”
“You’re from the Sal family.”
Flinching, Black Ho turned to face Kwangseung with an incredulous expression.
“Why, I don’t even recognize you.”
“How can you…….”
“You bastard.”
“What?”
“Do you know that Qing Shui has been a daoist since the beginning?”
Black Ho is deeply perplexed by these words. The roots that descend from Mount Qingsheng have always been Taoist.
As he ponders this, the two daggers at his waist slowly fall from his hands into the palm of the sage who shakes his head.
Void Thing.
The two daggers instantly flared up with black-red spirit energy in his grasp. Black Tiger’s pupils widened at the sight.
It was an extremely suspicious look.
At the same time, the sleeves of his robe fluttered, revealing two invisible daggers.
Black Lake was dumbfounded by the sight, but he quickly understood.
Tsk, tsk.
The beautiful tree that stood next to Black Lake instantly split open, splintering into two. It was said to be a killing sensation that no one else’s senses could touch. The black tiger is unrivaled in its ability to feel emotions.
And yet, he can’t feel it at all.
“I am neither a killer nor a swordsman. I’m ambiguous.”
“…….”
“You’ve escaped from the world of the living.”
For the first time, Ebony had a secret she hadn’t told anyone.
He bit his lower lip at the mention of the past.
“They must have been in hot pursuit, but you’re lucky to have escaped. I’m sure they weren’t just any gang.”
“They wore life-saving silver in the …… South Palace.”
“So you’re following him on your own.”
“Yes.”
“Hehe.”
Guangxiang looked back and forth between the Grand Duke and Black Tiger, then sighed heavily.
“I see my lesson has been learned by those who can’t take care of the people they should be taking care of. I suppose this is also called fate.”
Dumbfounded by those words, Black Ho looked at the nearer Lightning Master and swallowed hard. What a wise man right in front of him.
“Do not forget your roots. Your whole body is filled with flesh, but you keep forgetting it, so you can’t draw out the full power of your heart.”
The black tiger stared at the light wizard with wavering pupils.
“If you have already stood under the shadow of the Southern Palace, and if your path is to defend it, what are you afraid of?”
“…… but.”
“Are you still afraid of being killed?”
“I’m afraid of harm.”
“You still lack faith in him.”
“……Ah, no!”
“If not, there is no reason why you shouldn’t.”
After answering Kwangseung’s questions, the doubts I had were resolved. You realize that the moment of questioning and agonizing is over.
“I see you’ve made up your mind.”
“Thank you, …….”
“Follow me.”
“What?”
“You are worried about him.”
“I’m worried because he’s in a trance.”
“You need not worry, for it is all in the palm of my hand.”
When he said this, he was instantly relieved. Who can have dangerous thoughts when Wu Nanshi Zhen is watching over them?
The black tiger followed behind Kwangseung.
* * *
“It’s been long, it’s been long.”
The figure behind him looked very peaceful. Even though the three most influential people in the Heavenly Divine Sword Sect, Master Nangong Yue, Uncle An Bai, and An Hui, came out to watch his back, he himself didn’t pay any attention to them as he swept away. The disciples of the Qing Sheng Sect that followed behind him dragged Ye Gong from the cage.
When I asked them why they didn’t just take him out of the cage, they said that he was still in a daze.
I bit my tongue when they told me that I would have to go back and practice cotton wall cultivation anyway.
I’d rather be dead than practicing cotton wall.
I would literally be a dead body with all my limbs intact.
“You disgusting bastards, go back inside. I can’t go quietly because of you.”
With that, the figure quickly faded into the distance.
“……Why does he not accept disciples?”
Nan Gongyue smiled at my question.
“It’s not that he doesn’t, it’s just that no one wants to.”
“What?”
What a surprise. He is one of the greatest masters in all of heaven, and he is a master of the Celestial City. It’s no wonder that such a man doesn’t have a single proper disciple right now, and that he could become a powerful late-stage master and criticize the entire country, let alone Qingcheng.
“They all ran away.”
I couldn’t help but make a dumbfounded face at that.
“Did they?”
“They must have been disappointed. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a monk stay anywhere for such a long time.”
“I have already imparted my enlightenment, and if it troubles you, then what is this but a priest’s kite. Knock at the door of the Celestial Hall at any time. Your crisis is my crisis.”
I remember the words of the monk. He is outspoken and bold, and at the same time, he stands by what he says.
I, too, felt that I must go to Qingcheng at least once, as my connection to him was never light.
And I naturally turned around and started walking.
“I wondered where he was hiding.”
I turned my head to look.
There he was, bowing with his head in his hands.
The bond didn’t end with me. The circle of fate that Kwangseung had left behind had created another link, and it led to Black Ho.
“Grand Duke, Grand Duke.”
“I heard everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re from Salsu, I’ve always known that.”
Meeting my gaze, Black Ho slowly shook his head.
“Salsu?”
Even in my trance, the conversation between Kwangseung and Black Ho echoed in my ears. Black Ho’s eyes widened in surprise, but he lowered his head, feeling helpless since he had already been caught.
“……I apologize for not telling you before.”
“Let’s go.”
“What?”
“Let’s go.”
“Uh, where do you mean?”
“Let’s go tie the knot you couldn’t tie. Do you think you can rest easy for a day with this and your guilt?”
Black Lake, angered by my words, shook his head.
“Oh, no.”
“……why. I’m ugly.”
“That’s because…….”
“Senior Kwangseung said.”
“You still don’t have enough faith in him.”
“If you don’t, there’s no reason why you can’t.”
“Trust me.”
The Black Tiger can grow stronger. And I would make it so.