The Sword Emperor's Way of Establishing the Namgung Clan

Chapter 31 - The Karma Exchange Religion (4)

Crackle!

The blue lightning energy that covered Namgung Jun’s entire body created a sharp thunderclap.

Following that, a violent aura that erupted from the edge of the lightning energy fiercely swept across the skin of the nearby martial artists.

The materialization of internal energy flowing outside the physical body.

A translucent aura that held the unique color of his internal energy.

It was the proof that he had risen to the Peak Realm.

‘For Young Hero Namgung to suddenly rise to the Peak Realm.’

‘Did he step into the Peak Realm thanks to eating the inner core of the Sunfire Carp!’

Heo Il and Gong Jun-am could not take their eyes off the blue lightning energy that their junior had cloaked his entire body in.

The lightning energy, which was woven as elegantly as a silk robe, pulsed violently in accordance with his breathing.

Perhaps because he had absorbed the energy of the inner core through an unconventional method, the aura being emitted from his entire body was considerably unstable.

“Young Hero Namgung. Are you alright?”

Namgung Jun answered by nodding his head.

Heo Il let out a sigh of relief and massaged his minutely trembling right hand.

‘To think he can handle an amount of energy of that size. It is something that is only possible because it is Young Hero Namgung.’

Though it looked as if he would fall into Qi Deviation at any moment, it seemed he was barely suppressing it with his innate skill at circulating internal energy.

In that time, Gong Jun-am was still holding his greatsword horizontally, keeping the Karma Exchange Cult Leader in check.

‘Namgung Jun succeeded. The possibility that we can endure has increased a little.’

Despite this, he could not be at ease.

Their opponent was a supreme master of the Trinity Bloom.

It was then.

Namgung Jun stepped in front of his two seniors.

“I will face the Karma Exchange Cult Leader alone.”

Heo Il and Gong Jun-am did not reply.

They had immediately realized that Namgung Jun’s words were not spoken on a childish whim. Rather, he was being considerate of them.

The two swordsmen looked down at their feet. At some point, a pool of blood had formed there.

Though it had been a short time, the injuries they had sustained while blocking the Karma Exchange Cult Leader were considerably heavy. If they were to sustain another wound in this state, the probability that it would lead to death was high.

Their junior who was blocking their path must have been worrying about this very point.

Namgung Jun slowly lowered his sword.

“You two seniors, please guard the entrance to the pavilion and protect the commoners.”

The two swordsmen each turned their heads in a different direction.

The cult members who were surrounding them were revealing with their entire bodies that they intended to rush in and secure the pavilion’s entrance again the moment they saw an opening.

“Young Hero Namgung.”

“…”

Heo Il’s expression was grave, and Gong Jun-am’s mouth was firmly shut.

‘No matter how much of a peerless talent Namgung Jun possesses…’

The gap in their martial prowess was too great. It would be an achievement worthy of praise if he could endure even just three exchanges.

As the two swordsmen were on pins and needles, Namgung Jun shifted his gaze slightly to the back.

“I am alright.”

At the sight of the lips that were faintly visible from his turned profile, the two swordsmen strangely regained their composure.

Namgung Jun, who had shown them a pleasant smile, extended his steps toward the Karma Exchange Cult Leader.

“Are you fearless, or have you perhaps injured your head.”

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader stopped his words.

The moment he met Namgung Jun’s eyes, his intuition as a supreme master rang an alarm bell.

‘What is this? What is it about this bastard?’

He could not believe that he had felt a sense of crisis from a boy who had only just now reached the Peak Realm. Could it be that he was hiding some kind of inexplicable power?

But his hesitation was only for a moment.

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader strode forward. He did not care what the Azure Sky Society scrap in front of him was hiding.

Because as long as he did not let his guard down, he would not be defeated.

The eyes of the Karma Exchange Cult Leader, as he extended the straight blade he held in his hand, had settled completely.

Ordinarily, he would have swung his straight blade carelessly without much thought. That alone would have been enough to cut the boy down within the time limit.

But the Karma Exchange Cult Leader unfolded his form with all his mind and strength, as if facing a master of the same level.

The Singing Moon Scattering Blade.

A blade style of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult centered on bizarre trajectories and artistry.

Zzzzzzzing!

The half-moon-shaped blade strikes repeatedly bent diagonally, creating a peculiar sound of tearing air, like the buzzing of an insect.

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader intended to chop Namgung Jun into pieces with a single strike. The response of Namgung Jun, who was faced with the sixteen streaks of blade strikes aiming for him from the side, was simple.

The Heavenly Wind Sword Style.

Following the single sword strike that extended uprightly, a sword wind soared high into the sky. The sword wind, which seeped into the dozens of blade strikes as if soaking into them, rushed forward heavily and scattered the blade strikes in all directions.

Namgung Jun’s body, which had unraveled and shattered the blade strikes from the front, was once again pushed back. Though he had accurately pierced the flow and the gaps of the form, it was because the disparity in their power was so great.

He had risen to the Peak Realm through a Forceful Breakthrough, and he was in a situation where he was pouring all the unrefined energy of the inner core into his sword.

Despite this, the gap in their absolute martial power was vast. It was to the point where it felt like a miracle that he was even crossing swords with him, however precariously.

“Hmm.”

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader, even after seeing Namgung Jun take a backward step, did not immediately try to close the combat distance. It was because he could not believe the sword strike that Namgung Jun had displayed.

‘What? He perfectly countered my form.’

Of course, it was true that the sword wind Namgung Jun had emitted was powerful for the martial prowess he had displayed. However, it was not to the extent that it could push back his own form with power in a single breath.

Furthermore, the Karma Exchange Cult Leader had clearly seen it.

The sword wind, accurately striking upwards against the trajectory of his form and cutting off its flow.

‘This bastard. What on earth?’

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader hurriedly retrieved his straight blade and swung it wide horizontally. A crimson streak of light soared up in the shape of a crescent moon and indiscriminately overturned the ground.

RUMBLE!

Even while his vision was filled with a red light, Namgung Jun drew a large half-circle with his body and pushed his sword in with a stoop.

Following Namgung Jun’s slightly diagonally twisted wrist, the blade also moved minutely.

A sword form that softly deflected the force, unlike before. It was a form of the Distant Cloud, Layered Wall Form.

The lightning energy, which bent majestically along the sword path and extended like the branch of a tree, caused the blade strike to glance off.

Though he had deflected and dispersed as much of the power as possible with the finer points of the Distant Cloud, Layered Wall Form, it felt as if his wrist would be crushed at any moment.

Despite this, Namgung Jun swung his sword without a single change in his expression.

“Bastard!”

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader tried to press down on the Distant Cloud, Layered Wall Form with power, but Namgung Jun, at an exquisite moment, switched to the Heavenly Wind Sword Style and steadfastly endured.

KWAAAANG!

As a fierce, deafening roar erupted, a drop of blood shot out from the corner of Namgung Jun’s mouth. Even in the middle of that, his posture did not break, and he received the entire offensive.

Namgung Jun, even while being twisted about by the mighty force, bizarrely maintained his posture and thrust his sword out.

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader did not miss the beads of sweat that had formed on Namgung Jun’s forehead.

It was clear that he was struggling.

It was only natural that he should be.

It was a strange thing for a boy who had only just reached the Peak to be able to handle his all-out offensive.

Thump!

The blade of the Karma Exchange Cult Leader, who had stomped his foot powerfully and drawn up his aura, tried to cut Namgung Jun’s head in two.

His stomach churned from the shock he had received in succession. Namgung Jun, who had swallowed back the fresh blood rising up his throat several times, widened his stance and struck his sword up with all his might.

GONG!

Though the ground he was standing on sank in deeply, he gritted his teeth and endured without collapsing.

“Heup.”

Even while staggering precariously, Namgung Jun held his breath just as he was.

He was confident that he could still endure for several dozen more exchanges.

The unrefined energy of the inner core was still surging in all corners of his meridians.

If he were to absorb this energy with Qi circulation and breath regulation, he would obtain a great accomplishment, but in the current situation, that was an excessive greed.

It was enough to just burn the energy of the inner core to draw out a power beyond his realm, if only for a very brief moment.

Crackle!

As if to prove Namgung Jun’s will, the blue lightning energy that covered his body was still actively erupting with lightning flashes.

……

Namgung Jun ran toward the Karma Exchange Cult Leader.

His opponent was a supreme master of the Trinity Bloom.

He was walking in a different time from himself.

In his current situation, where he had not achieved the Trinity Bloom, it was a gap that could absolutely not be closed.

But Namgung Jun had the memories of his past life.

The Sword Emperor of his past life had, as a matter of course, risen to the Trinity Bloom, and he knew the unique sense of time of a supreme master.

‘Twenty-four exchanges.’

For that reason, based on their exchange of blades until now, he had analyzed and counted the Karma Exchange Cult Leader’s forms.

From now on, it was not the domain of perception, but of prediction.

‘To make that prediction more certain!’

He had to restrict and induce him.

He leaped to evade a blade strike trying to slice his ankle, but at some point, a straight blade was already rushing toward his side.

But Namgung Jun, as if he had predicted this, had already twisted his waist halfway.

Spurt!

Blood burst and flowed from his waist. A burning sensation rose up, as if he had been pierced by a fire-heated iron skewer.

Even though the blade strike had cut through his side, Namgung Jun’s steps did not stop.

If his torso was not severed and his internal organs were not damaged, that was enough.

He could still move more.

In the first place, while being behind in all aspects, he had to endure an injury if he wanted to seize the combat distance.

Thanks to that, Namgung Jun was able to secure the position he wanted, the optimal combat distance.

‘Upper left.’

Namgung Jun thrust his sword toward the hazy empty air.

The Heavenly Wind Sword Style.

Gazing Upon the Autumn Sky.

A cool sword wind, like one lingering in the autumn sky, fiercely whipped around horizontally.

In that moment, countless crimson lines were drawn before Namgung Jun’s eyes.

It was a series of killing moves where even the slightest wrong move could lead directly to death.

As if walking a tightrope on the line of death, Namgung Jun boldly threw his body forward.

KREEEEEEEANG!

The sword that Namgung Jun was gripping trembled violently. While letting out a pitiful metallic sound, as if it would break at any moment.

His hand was torn from the unbearable shock, and blood soaked the hilt. Despite this, Namgung Jun did not let go of his sword.

Thump!

On the contrary, he stomped his foot powerfully and extended his sword forward. Namgung Jun’s pupils saw right through the trajectory of the straight blade.

A time so short as to split an instant into five.

In Namgung Jun’s eyes, the opening of the Karma Exchange Cult Leader, which was opening up however minutely, was seen with perfect clarity.

‘An opportunity will arise in half a breath!’

The aura of his Infinite Steps Footwork added strength to the soles of his feet, which had become thick and sticky with blood and sweat.

He evaded a slashing strike aiming for his Cinnabar Field and wrapped his body around in mid-air.

The power, which had been amplified by the twisting of his entire body's muscles, was laden into his sword with the finer points of the Silk-Reeling Power. On top of that, all the lightning energy that had been writhing throughout his body was condensed into the sword.

A handful of blood poured out from the wounds that had been stitched across his body from the excessive movement. His insides, which had been shaken into a mess, churned violently as if they would flow in reverse at any moment. The wave of pain that rushed in along with it was an added bonus.

However, Namgung Jun’s two eyes only shone a deeper shade of blue.

As if he were pouring all of his strength into the sword strike he was unleashing now.

SWOOSH!

Though there was no foothold for his two feet, Namgung Jun’s sword path extended in a fluid and clean line.

The Thirteen Sword-Thunders of the Lightning Flash.

Thirteenth Form. Single Lightning-Thunderbolt.

KREEEEEEEEANG!

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader, for the first time, was forced to a halt by an external will.

“Kuk.”

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader hid his distorted expression and clutched his left shoulder.

The Protective Body Aura that was covering his left shoulder was perfectly fine.

But the Karma Exchange Cult Leader could not take his hand off his shoulder. The presence of the lightning energy that had infiltrated his meridians was becoming progressively heavier.

“You bastard, did you use an Internal Heavy Strike Method with your sword? No, even so, how were you able to ignore my Protective Body Aura?”

Only after half a breath did the Karma Exchange Cult Leader realize.

‘Did he read the internal energy structure that makes up the Protective Body Aura and create a sword strike aura that could ride on its flow?’

The sword strike’s aura, which had thus passed through as if penetrating the Protective Body Aura, must have then displayed the finer points of an Internal Heavy Strike Method and torn his meridians apart.

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader, who had grasped the situation in an instant, felt goosebumps rise.

This was a feat that was difficult even for a supreme master.

Moreover, the boy before him was merely a brat who had only just now reached the Peak Realm.

But for him to have accomplished this much in such a short period of time.

It was a giant talent that could not be fathomed.

But for such a wondrous talent to be in the Azure Sky Society?

As a member of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult, this was something that could not be forgiven.

“A bastard who must be killed.”

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader lightly evened out his breathing.

Though he had allowed a surprise attack and sustained an internal injury, it was not to a fatal degree. He could still move sufficiently.

It was the moment the Karma Exchange Cult Leader’s straight blade was about to turn toward Namgung Jun.

Despite this, Namgung Jun did not react.

“So you are human after all, you bastard. You must have finally run out of steam.”

“Karma Exchange Cult Leader. Has your Qi Sense become so dull from such a minor internal injury?”

“What?”

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader, who had been focusing all of his senses on Namgung Jun, flinched and simultaneously spread his Qi Sense wide.

At the same time, a cerulean lightning bolt plunged down.

RUMBLE!

A single streak of lightning that overturned the ground in one go soon transformed into the shape of a person.

A black palatial robe embroidered with four clouds, and a black grand robe worn over it.

Around her, a clear lightning-thunderbolt writhed violently, spreading a savage aura in all directions.

Her hair, which shimmered like the hem of the night behind the black grand robe, shielded Namgung Jun’s front as if to protect him.

The Karma Exchange Cult Leader bit his lip as he looked at the supreme master who was shielding Namgung Jun with her own body.

Because if one was a Demonic Being of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult, it was impossible not to know the supreme master before him.

“The Wandering Princess of the Black Cloud!”

The Heavenly Sword Hall Master, Lee Se-ha.

The master gazed intently at the wicked foe who had been persecuting her disciple.

Her eyelashes, standing up strand by strand, emitted a sharp aura like the edge of a blade.