Chapter 120
Boundless Azure Sky (2)
The Yeongjeong Sword rested in Namgung Jun’s right hand as he stepped onto the battlefield.
Crackle!
As always, fierce blue lightning qi continuously split apart and merged again around the blade.
Whoosh!
His heightened senses spread outward like mist and enveloped the battlefield.
While sorting through the countless pieces of information flooding into his mind and drawing conclusions from them, Namgung Jun plunged directly into the war.
Countless martial artists released waves of colorful qi.
Hundreds, even thousands, of intertwining threads of movement tangled together in utter chaos.
It felt like throwing himself into a boundless sea being violently overturned from its depths by a raging typhoon.
Yet Namgung Jun did not turn away from the battlefield before him.
There was not a trace of hesitation in the two feet carrying him forward.
And the Yeongjeong Sword that parted the storm of blood remained unwaveringly straight.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The azure sword light surged forward unhindered, cutting apart everything that stood in its path.
“Aaaagh!”
“An enemy suddenly appeared from the flank!”
Some noticed Namgung Jun’s sudden arrival.
Others were too busy fighting for their lives to even realize he was there.
But it made no difference.
Before the Yeongjeong Sword, which freely traced its own path despite dozens of weapons surrounding it from every direction, everyone was equal.
The sword of the young swordsman raced desperately forward to save his comrades.
None of the five sword arts Namgung Jun normally relied upon appeared within the Yeongjeong Sword.
Only the two insights he had accumulated thus far were woven into it.
His sword and his footsteps danced without stopping.
No matter what enemy appeared before him, he simply pierced straight through.
“What?!”
“He's from the Changcheon Society as well!”
By the time more than twenty cultists had fallen beneath his blade, the Myeonggyowi commanders directing nearby forces finally reacted.
“Stop him!”
“A Three Clouds operative of the Changcheon Society!”
Several commanders boldly attempted to block his path.
None survived long enough to properly exchange even a few moves.
As Namgung Jun continued his relentless charge and endless slashes, his breathing remained deep and steady.
Meanwhile, the sword path traced by the Yeongjeong Sword was changing ever so slightly.
Even while cutting down enemies, the trajectory of his sword evolved in real time according to his growing insights and understanding.
Splurt!
How long had he run?
How many enemies had he slain?
Eventually, he encountered members of the Heavenly Sword Hall for the first time.
It was Gong Junam’s squad.
Judging from the situation, they had been unlucky enough to become pinned down and were holding their ground through sheer perseverance.
“Namgung Sohyeop!”
Heo Il’s cry contained both joy and disbelief.
His expression was equally conflicted, a mixture of relief, happiness, and longing.
Yet Namgung Jun passed him without slowing.
As he went by, he lightly patted Heo Il’s shoulder.
With Gong Junam, Man Yewon, and Yu Geunsu, only a brief exchange of glances was needed.
“You are the first stars of this battlefield.”
No further explanation was necessary.
Gong Junam’s squad immediately joined Namgung Jun’s charge.
The qi of his companions flowed behind him, gently pushing him forward.
It was the profound principle of the Grand Constellation Sword Formation.
Feeling the vivid presence of his comrades, Namgung Jun sensed it.
A divine spark pierced through his consciousness, and countless inspirations blossomed.
At the center of his mind existed two insights.
Azure Sky Reaching the Void.
Unhindered Through All Things.
“Now it begins.”
Namgung Jun recited the key principle that would serve as the thread binding together those two similar yet fundamentally different insights.
Connection.
Lee Seha.
The Heavenly Sword Hall.
Namgung Jun recalled the bonds he had formed in this life.
This was a sword art being created to save his master and companions.
Naturally, the key principle had to be forged from the memories, experiences, and ties he shared with them.
The azure sky is boundless, and countless connections stretch without end.
A new verse engraved itself into his consciousness.
Connections arise before one notices and disappear in an instant, like clouds and mist.
Hummmm—
The sword qi surrounding the Yeongjeong Sword began to change.
The lightning-like qi, always wild and irregular, seemed to unravel into fine threads.
Then those threads gradually thickened and swayed together.
Like deep blue silk.
Like azure mist.
Like the edge of the heavens themselves.
Wherever the Yeongjeong Sword passed, a blue afterimage lingered vividly in the air.
As though fragments of the sky itself had fallen upon the earth.
The two insights are beginning to intertwine.
Lightning flashed within Namgung Jun’s eyes as he continued charging forward.
Would he fail to harmonize the two insights and fall into deviation?
Or would he fully digest them and open an entirely new path?
This very moment was the turning point of his current life.
“Huh? Namgung Jun? So you really survived!”
“Little brother! The youngest came to save us!”
“Everyone! Dig out whatever strength you're still hiding! We're joining him!”
The swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall, who had been fighting back-to-back against the cultists, stared at Namgung Jun in astonishment.
Yet none of them could spare the breath to question him.
Namgung Jun was at the front, swinging his sword as though possessed by some profound revelation.
And the battle remained too desperate for idle conversation.
Instead, they joined him through instinct alone.
Just like the others.
More and more swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall merged into his advance.
As Namgung Jun charged forward, scattered fragments of stars connected by threads of light, gradually forming a constellation.
With every new ally who joined him, additional waves of qi flowed into Namgung Jun.
Simply by sensing their qi, he could instantly tell whose it was.
And with each new presence, memories of his time within the Heavenly Sword Hall resurfaced.
The gathering and scattering of connections stretches endlessly beyond measure.
The gestures, gazes, qi, and very presence of the Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen who continued joining him gifted Namgung Jun yet another verse for the sword art being born within his heart.
Like the boundless heavens, it shall endure through all ages.
BOOOOOOM!
The thunderous explosion echoed only within Namgung Jun’s mind—a transcendent roar that no one else could hear.
The insights of Azure Sky and Unhindered Freedom had not only been bound together by the key principle of Connection, but the very realization itself had transformed his inner world.
Yet Namgung Jun did not stop.
There were still comrades he had not yet reached.
There were still bonds left to gather.
Together with the Heavenly Sword Hall, he continued charging through the battlefield.
Wherever Namgung Jun and the Heavenly Sword Hall passed, traces of azure radiance lingered behind them.
The foundation of the sword art's intent and insights has been established. Next comes...
Martial principles.
Namgung Jun recalled the five sword arts he had cultivated as his core techniques.
The harmony of the Grand Evolution Sword Art.
The lightning of the Thirteen Lightning Thunder Swords.
The wind of the Heavenly Wind Sword Art.
The clouds of the Layered Cloud Wall Stance.
The rain of the Autumn Rain Sword Art.
Was it coincidence?
Or inevitability?
The intents underlying all five sword arts belonged to the natural laws of heaven itself.
The insight of Azure Sky was vast and empty.
The insight of Unhindered Freedom was broad and limitless.
To completely fill the sword art born from the fusion of those two insights, it naturally had to encompass the martial principles of the five sword arts that embodied heaven's workings.
“It's the Heavenly Sword Hall! They're regrouping!”
“Cut through their center! Split them apart!”
Swoooosh!
A sword strike carrying a fragment of the heavens.
For a brief instant, it seemed as though the edge of the blue sky itself rippled across the battlefield.
KRAAAAAK!
The demonic cultists blocking Namgung Jun's path were swept away simultaneously.
His swordsmanship was changing moment by moment.
The first to notice was Gong Junam, guarding Namgung Jun’s back from the closest position.
Quietly, he muttered,
“Am I the only one seeing this?”
“No.”
Heo Il swallowed hard.
“I can feel it too. Namgung Sohyeop's sword is completely changing. No... perhaps ascending would be the better word.”
The other swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall felt the same.
None of them understood exactly what was happening to Namgung Jun.
Yet they all knew one thing with certainty.
The charge of their young and powerful junior could not be allowed to stop.
“Stay focused.”
“Time for us seniors to show some dignity.”
“We should show Senior Namgung that the juniors have grown as well.”
The Heavenly Sword Hall gathered around the path Namgung Jun had forcibly carved open.
One Heart, One Sword.
Everyone thrust forward as a single blade.
Because not all members were present, the formation remained imperfect.
But the purpose of the Grand Evolution Sword Formation was clear.
Protect Namgung Jun's rear.
Allow him to focus solely on advancing.
The entire formation existed to support him.
Hummmmm—
The azure mist flowing from the Yeongjeong Sword grew increasingly dense.
Whenever the mist shifted shape according to his sword path, fountains of blood erupted in every direction.
The mist-like sword qi with no fixed form was remarkable enough.
But the swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall focused instead on the countless sword trajectories connected by the Yeongjeong Sword.
To them, every strike Namgung Jun unleashed felt like the ultimate technique of a different sword art.
Each contained numerous martial principles.
Each changed continuously.
Yet somehow they remained harmonious and majestic, as though embodying the laws governing all existence.
“Hoooo…”
Namgung Jun exhaled slowly.
As countless enemies fell, the principles of the five sword arts endlessly broke apart, reformed, and fused together again.
But that was not all.
Behind him, the Heavenly Sword Hall maintained the Grand Evolution Sword Formation, continuously empowering him with their qi.
He could feel every single one of them.
Naturally, the swords of his companions surfaced one after another within his mind.
Their techniques merged with the five sword arts.
It is becoming complete.
A faint smile appeared on Namgung Jun's lips as he unleashed another strike.
The five sword arts alone had still felt slightly lacking.
But now, with the swords of his companions woven into them, the emptiness was finally filled.
Though the azure sky has no boundaries, no matter how vast and distant it may be...
Techniques that rose like clouds vanished like wind.
Principles that flashed like lightning melted into torrential rain.
And what remained at the center of it all were countless bonds forged through the sword.
Can one truly contain all the connections filling the myriad phenomena of existence?
The moment the final verse echoed through his mind—
The forms of the new sword art were completely established.
Boom!
Namgung Jun stamped heavily upon the ground and accelerated even further.
To place the finishing touch upon his new sword art, he sought the final star remaining on the battlefield.
The final piece needed to complete the constellation.
BOOM!
The Ninth Mirror Master's eyes widened.
The area around Lee Seha had been sealed off by his subordinates.
The entire operation existed for one purpose:
To kill Lee Seha.
So how had this boy broken through?
I need to stop him first.
The Ninth Mirror Master attempted to issue orders.
Then he realized his subordinates had already become entangled with the Heavenly Sword Hall.
The youth before him was wrapped in azure mist.
And judging by the aura he emitted, he had clearly reached the realm of Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.
Forcing Lee Seha back with a powerful ultimate technique, the Ninth Mirror Master immediately turned toward Namgung Jun.
“You! Stop!”
Just as he moved to intercept—
His eyes widened.
What is this? A single sword strike contains multiple martial principles?
What shocked him even more was that the different principles did not interfere with one another.
Instead, they enhanced one another.
Their combined power multiplied severalfold.
Every strike carried the force of an ultimate technique.
The Ninth Mirror Master hurriedly raised his internal energy in panic.
At that moment—
Namgung Jun unleashed the first technique of his newly completed sword art.
Azure Expanse
A blue line traced by the Yeongjeong Sword.
At first glance, it appeared to be a simple straight thrust.
Yet within that line, countless transformations collided, intertwined, and generated entirely new trajectories.
Splurt!
Two exchanges.
That was all.
The Ninth Mirror Master's head fell from his shoulders.
Even Lee Seha could not hide his shock.
“Jun?”
“Master. I've returned.”
At first, Lee Seha simply stared blankly.
Then his expression gradually became one that looked almost ready to cry.
Seeing the rapid changes in his master's face, Namgung Jun could not help but smile.
At the same time, memories surfaced.
Their first meeting.
The countless lessons and moments they had shared.
The final piece of the new sword art was falling into place.
The moment the disciple reunited with his master—
The sword art was completed.
“Master. I've created a new sword art.”
“A new sword art?”
“It was only possible because I met you and entered the Heavenly Sword Hall.”
Still staring at him, Lee Seha smiled and asked,
“What is its name?”
“Azure Sky Without Boundaries Sword Art.”
A sword art born by binding together the insights of Azure Sky Reaching the Void and Unhindered Through All Things through the principle of Connection.
Azure Sky Without Boundaries Sword Art.
A sword art that would one day bind together his master, the Heavenly Sword Hall, and perhaps even the family he would establish in the future.