Chapter 103
Sword Lord of Righteous Heaven (1)
Namgung Jun's draw of the sword slew five demonic cultists in an instant.
It was the First Form of the Thirteen Flashing Thunder Sword Strikes—One Flash.
The sword path that had cut down five opponents at once was astonishing enough, but the lightning radiance and thunderous roar that filled the valley for a brief moment further restricted the cultists' movements.
It seemed overloading the technique with internal energy to amplify its power had been worthwhile.
As he looked down upon the cultists, Namgung Jun subtly extended his senses behind him.
His concern was Suyeon Village.
I hope they noticed something was wrong because of that flash and thunder.
He had tried to create a variable in his favor, but it was far from certain.
Meanwhile, the cultists continued advancing while maintaining their vigilance.
"So it's you. The runaway Nine Yin Severed Meridian."
The middle-aged cultist looked Namgung Jun up and down before curling his lips into a smile.
So Sword Corpse Demon wasn't lying with his dying words.
Namgung Jun realized that information about him had been successfully delivered to the Sun Moon Demonic Cult.
Yet he paid it no mind.
This confrontation had been inevitable.
Under the current circumstances, it was a trivial concern.
"The Fifth Young Master will be delighted when he sees you. Take him alive."
The middle-aged cultist's command was directed at his subordinates.
The cultists stepped forward, releasing demonic energy as they moved.
It soon became clear they were not merely wandering into position.
Each was taking a designated station.
A sword formation.
Namgung Jun could clearly feel the demonic energies of the advancing cultists intertwining into a single flow.
The principles of a sword formation.
The demonic energies of over thirty martial artists gathered together, producing a truly sinister aura.
Boom!
Namgung Jun leaned forward as though stomping down with a battle step.
His body shot forward like an arrow.
His sword was already angled toward the enemy.
He had no intention of waiting for the formation to finish deploying.
Only a fool would stand still and watch an enemy formation complete itself.
Puhak!
In an instant, he reached the front ranks.
His sword swept upward.
The blade buried itself in a cultist's chest and tore upward through the shoulder.
At that very moment, the remaining cultists leveled their weapons at him.
Two cultists instantly occupied his left and right flanks, targeting his underarm and side with remarkably sharp attacks.
"Open Formation!"
Weapons stabbed toward him with murderous force.
Nine attacks converged simultaneously.
Some even used the body of their dying comrade as cover while launching their strikes.
Splash!
The moment Namgung Jun's leather shoe touched the flowing stream and sent ripples across its surface—
The crystal-clear water suddenly turned azure.
A blue flash raced across the water with terrifying speed.
It flickered endlessly.
Jjeojeojeong!
Even as the stream became dyed blue, it remained remarkably clear.
Fragments of shattered steel rained onto its surface.
Then blood poured down like paint, staining everything dark red.
As the valley water grew muddy among the petals of broken metal—
The Yeongjeong Sword, having shattered every incoming weapon through an uninterrupted chain of sword paths, tilted diagonally.
His grip upon the hilt was far freer than usual.
It could hardly be helped.
The sword dance he had witnessed in Suyeon Village still lingered vividly within his mind.
These are well-trained opponents. A genuine combat unit.
Even setting aside the power granted by the formation, the cultists themselves possessed considerable skill.
Yet Namgung Jun did not hesitate to plunge deeper into their ranks.
As soon as he entered their midst, the cultists shifted positions to seal every avenue of retreat.
They intended to grind him down from within the center of their formation.
It's remarkably tight.
Yet Namgung Jun remained completely unconcerned.
Unlike his usual self, he did not attempt to analyze the formation's principles and sever its flow.
Instead, he simply swung his sword however his heart desired.
Shrrrak!
The sleeves embroidered with cloud patterns fluttered freely.
His water-soaked leather shoes glided across the stream as though moving over smooth ice.
Yet the most lively thing in the valley was his sword.
He was not executing any particular sword art.
Each seemingly careless swing transformed its nature the moment it was unleashed.
Every wondrous stroke drew blood somewhere within the formation.
I am not bound.
Namgung Jun was not trying to destroy the formation.
He was merely assimilating the realization he had gained in Suyeon Village.
"Urgh!"
"Third Squad, fall back! Second Squad, engage!"
"The Second Squad Leader has fallen! Command is—!"
The cultists' urgent cries were cut short one after another.
Their heads invariably flew from their shoulders beneath the blue sword flashes.
The unpredictable sword style weighed upon them like an invisible pressure.
Even so, the cultists showed no fear.
They maintained the formation with absolute discipline and continued pressing Namgung Jun.
Yet even the combined strength unified through the formation proved woefully insufficient to suppress him.
Cha-cha-chaeng!
Boom!
The frantic clashes of steel and explosive impacts belonged entirely to the cultists.
While they scrambled desperately to respond, Namgung Jun moved with serene elegance.
Peak of the Absolute Realm. Within the expectations of the cult.
The middle-aged cultist standing twenty paces away observed the battle carefully.
But something is different.
The warriors before him, once their formation was deployed, possessed enough power to comfortably contend with a supreme expert.
That was only natural.
They were elite followers personally cultivated by the Fifth Young Master of the Sun Moon Demonic Cult.
Yet Namgung Jun showed not the slightest sign of being cornered.
It's as though he's performing a sword dance at a banquet...
As he watched the ever-changing movements of Namgung Jun's sword, the middle-aged cultist slowly lowered his own weapon into a ready position.
Wait for the proper opening.
If he faced Namgung Jun head-on, he would likely be inferior by at least a move.
But if he patiently waited for the formation to exhaust Namgung Jun's strength—
An opportunity would surely appear.
The middle-aged cultist had been waiting for that exact moment.
When the opportunity appeared, he intended to launch a surprise attack.
A few cultists would likely die in the process, but that did not matter.
As long as Namgung Jun could be subdued, it would be worth the cost.
"Ugh..."
A groan escaped the cultist's lips without him realizing it.
It could not be helped.
The formation was collapsing far too quickly.
At this rate, there would soon not be enough people left to maintain it.
Before it's too late!
The middle-aged cultist secretly began circulating his internal energy.
Quietly.
Carefully.
The demonic energy spreading throughout his body reached its peak.
Just as he completed the attack path aimed directly at Namgung Jun—
KWA-RUNG!
The cultists maintaining the formation were swallowed by a burst of blue lightning.
It happened in an instant.
A massive streak of azure light erupted from within the formation, trailing a long tail of radiance as it shot forward.
The bolt racing toward him suddenly took on human form.
Thirteen Flashing Thunder Sword Strikes.
Thirteenth Form — One Lightning Transmission.
THUD!
The middle-aged cultist could not react.
It was simply too fast.
The most he managed was a slight twitch of the fingers gripping his weapon.
His eyelids slowly rose.
Before his vision could fully recover from the overwhelming blue flash, everything turned red.
Though he could barely see, he instantly understood.
The crimson veil before his eyes was the fountain of blood erupting from his own split chest.
"Ghk..."
Pressing a hand against the sword wound crossing his torso, he toppled forward.
"If you're going to ambush someone, you should at least hide your killing intent."
Namgung Jun had shattered the formation and killed the middle-aged cultist in the same motion with a full-powered ultimate strike.
All enemies before him had been slain.
Yet the heat within his body showed no sign of cooling.
He was pushing both the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art and the Spear King's Azure Epoch Technique to their limits.
The two streams of internal energy circulated relentlessly, restoring his body as quickly as possible.
Because the battle was not over.
The enemies before him might be dead, but countless presences were converging on the valley.
"Vermin."
His senses detected an ever-increasing number of signatures.
Like insects freshly hatched from eggs, they kept multiplying.
Counting them was meaningless.
Planting his sword into the ground, Namgung Jun stood motionless and regulated his breathing.
After seven measured breaths, the brush ahead began to rustle.
Cultists emerged without hesitation.
There were many of them, but most did not seem particularly skilled.
No Bright Cult Guards were present.
They all appeared to be ordinary believers.
Over a hundred of them, at a glance.
Yet Namgung Jun did not focus on the densely packed wall of cultists.
Beyond them, three figures advanced at a leisurely pace.
A noble-looking young master walked in the center.
Two elderly men followed at his sides.
The three newcomers were dressed differently from the ordinary believers.
Judging by their auras, they clearly occupied high positions within the Sun Moon Demonic Cult.
"Left Protector, what happened? The men you invested so much effort into are all dead."
"My apologies. I did not realize they were such worthless fools."
"They were expendable pieces anyway, but losing them this easily is rather disappointing."
The Fifth Young Master lightly shook his head.
The Left Protector lowered his gaze.
The Right Protector, who had remained silent until now, stared at Namgung Jun.
"The aura of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art... and judging by his appearance, he is undoubtedly the Rising Star Sword."
"So the boy with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians that our cult sought has become such a swordsman."
The Fifth Young Master looked between Namgung Jun and the valley behind him before smiling.
"We came here to disrupt the secluded cultivation of the Sword Lord of Righteous Heaven, yet we have obtained an unexpected prize."
As he muttered those words, Namgung Jun pulled his sword from the ground and asked,
"Disrupt the Sword Lord of Righteous Heaven's secluded cultivation? With this force?"
His eyes narrowed toward the two Protectors.
They were undoubtedly supreme experts who had achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
Yet he doubted they possessed the strength to contend with a true peerless master.
Even with more than a hundred believers supporting them.
The Fifth Young Master's eyes curved unpleasantly, as though he had seen through Namgung Jun's thoughts.
"Force? These people are not here to fight."
His smile widened.
"They are here to burn Suyeon Village—the birthplace and hometown of the Sword Lord of Righteous Heaven—and attain martyrdom together."
"What?"
"There are one hundred and thirty believers here. If their martyrdom can interrupt a peerless master's secluded cultivation—or inflict a devastating emotional wound—would that not be an extraordinary gain?"
The Fifth Young Master smiled as he looked over the gathered believers.
"They volunteered to stand here. They are willing to sacrifice themselves for a glorious achievement."
"The nonsense spouted by your cult hasn't changed in either life."
Namgung Jun's voice grew cold.
"You use your twisted doctrine to treat human lives like firewood."
He had no desire to continue speaking.
There was no point.
Merely listening made him feel disgusted.
As Namgung Jun prepared to advance with the Yeongjeong Sword in hand—
Fwaaak!
His vision suddenly changed.
The sea of demonic cultists vanished from view.
A single man's back now occupied the center of his sight.
In the man's right hand was a familiar curved saber.
The same magnificent saber the dancer of Suyeon Village had wielded during his sword dance.
"You are..."
"Too late."
The dancer's sleeves fluttered lightly.
A gentle breeze arose.
That breeze alone forced Namgung Jun to take several involuntary steps backward.
"There were cultists climbing from other directions as well."
Then—
[Come.]
The dancer slightly raised his left hand.
A profound will spread across heaven and earth itself.
Though his lips never moved, every martial artist present heard his voice clearly.
His intent had directly entered their minds.
Namgung Jun's eyes slowly widened.
At that very moment—
KWAAAANG!
A tremendous explosion erupted from a peak behind Suyeon Village.
A pale beam of light shot high into the sky before plunging straight downward.
It descended with terrifying speed.
Yet the dancer casually reached out and caught it.
The sword now held in his left hand was a weapon Namgung Jun knew very well.
It had been a long time since he had seen it.
Yet it felt incomparably familiar.
"The Sword of Righteous Heaven!"
"A most satisfying reaction."
The dancer laughed playfully.
"Excellent."
Gripping saber and sword in both hands, he stepped forward.
His robes billowed behind him like a cape.
Then, in a voice that sounded almost like song, he declared:
"Bear witness to the solo performance of the Sword Lord of Righteous Heaven."