The darkness cast by the shadow of the Formless Greatsword was vast.
It was the shade forged over decades of refinent by the greatest swordsman of Namjikrye. At this mont, within the abyss that had taken the form of a sword, lay the life of Namgung Mu-jin.
The rough, scratchy bedding of the common folk, the soft touch that had once entered his embrace only to slip away, and the biting wind of blood that swept through the young man who had deliberately scattered his qi perception in an attempt to feel only his beloved—
—"My lord, the wretched thing has revealed its true nature."
—"What?"
—"While you were resting, the lowly creature stole a treasured item and fled. I remained cautious in the shadows and carefully observed that foolish woman’s movents, but the only thing she did was haggle with a rchant at a stall across the way… Here."
—"What in the— This is…?"
—"I secretly beheaded her and retrieved it. The family head has ordered strict discipline upon your conduct… Is this not just before your marriage to the Huizhou rchant Guild, which possesses a fortune of a hundred thousand seok of rice?"
Namgung Mu-jin was the heir of the foremost clan in Namjikrye.
His personal guard was a trusted confidant of the family head, and as the clan’s young lord, he could not defy the family’s will.
He left, fleeing with only a single sword in hand.
The cowardly young lord wandered aimlessly through the martial world, searching for sothing to bla at its root.
Then, he found it.
The Celestial Tree, standing alone on cracked, desolate earth. It was not sothing that could be dismissed as rely a tree—its deep green leaves stretched across the sky, casting an endless shadow. A monstrous existence beyond re nature.
That was not so re ancient tree.
It was sothing that possessed a will.
For fifteen days, the young swordsman gazed upon that tree from a distance.
He avoided the rigorous patrols of high-ranking masters, their ears as keen as sword edges, all while sharpening his conviction like a blade.
—"That thing… That is the demon that sucks the very essence of the earth itself."
It had to be cut down.
Thus was born Moonlit Crossing. The crystallization of a supre martial master’s refined will.
Namgung Mu-jin’s Formless Greatsword loathed the famine cast over the world.
At the sa ti, it longed for the manifestation of the Martial God, one who would never again be swayed by the essence of the land.
Even now, in this very mont—
Kwaaaaaaang—!
A colossal sword shadow flashed across the barren clearing like lightning. Namgung Mu-jin had infused his Formless Greatsword with Byuncho.
Whatever trick Ma Gwang-ik had employed, dozens of white streaks of Four Paths of April were embedded beneath the Formless Greatsword’s blade, yet Namgung Mu-jin paid them no heed.
This was the insight of the ultimate blade, destined to one day crush both the Celestial Tree and the Lord of Ipwang Fortress.
If he were to be blocked here by so upstart who had yet to formally attain the rank of Violet, it would be better to be shattered now. That way, Moonlit Crossing would advance even further.
Imperial Sword Formation: Azure Thunder’s Twin Heavy Strikes.
A sword form that accumulates kinetic energy through repeated bending transformations before unleashing an overwhelming strike. A technique that pursues both devastating power and unfailing precision.
Swoooooosh!
A blade spanning fifteen jang twisted through the air dozens of tis, its movent so fluid that its sheer size seed irrelevant. The blade pressed downward, swallowing the space beneath it. The storm of sword wind sent clouds of dust surging in every direction.
The sound of paper being ceaselessly torn apart echoed across the battlefield.
At the end of the massive trajectory stood Ma Gwang-ikju, Jeong Yeon-shin.
Namgung Mu-jin intended to crush the young man’s skull straight down to the crown.
But then—
A blue radiance flared up from Jeong Yeon-shin’s raised sword.
It was a contradiction to the intelligence reports that stated he did not employ qi-infused sword techniques or any form of internal energy emission.
The pure fla-like Azure Fla sword energy surged forth and clung to the dozens of white lines embedded in the Formless Greatsword.
It happened in an instant.
The fiercely burning Azure Fla raced along the white streaks, like fire spreading along a fuse.
Ku-guuuung—!
The Formless Greatsword faltered. The massive vibration that followed disrupted its montum.
The seemingly blazing Azure Fla was, in truth, composed of countless razor-sharp sword qi fragnts.
It was more than enough to burrow into the Formless Greatsword and grind it apart from within.
The shadow cast upon the ground was dyed a bluish hue.
A sharp, crackling sound filled the air, like electricity arcing through the night. It ca from within the now visibly sluggish Formless Greatsword.
Now, Namgung Mu-jin’s Moonlit Crossing could cast only shadows.
It was practically frozen in place, so much so that even a child could close their eyes and evade it.
Beneath it—
Two swordsn, thirty paces apart, facing each other.
Namgung Mu-jin had to force himself not to let his shock show in front of the young man.
“…How did you do that?”
"No matter how exalted a martial art may be, its foundation is always one of two things."
Ma Gwang-ikju spoke two words with calm finality.
Namgung Mu-jin imdiately understood.
The spiritual essence that, when imbued within a weapon, could elevate it to the divine. And true qi, the refined form of natural energy through internal circulation techniques.
The legendary arts of the Nine Sects and the Heavenly Demon’s Absolute Scripture likely began with these two principles as well.
Namgung Mu-jin spoke again.
He was a warrior of the Muryong Association.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
A gathering of martial fanatics who sought to enhance their own achievents by sharing and refining martial arts together. Even if the black-clad forces of Ipwang Fortress were approaching, if curiosity arose about a martial technique, he had to ask.
“And?”
“I sensed the kinetic force amplification that enhances the speed and power of arrows within Four Paths of April’s white streaks. Their internal structure was complex, but once I experienced it with my body, I understood. Four Paths of April responds to specific forms of energy waves.”
Jeong Yeon-shin’s calm voice settled over the sword he held. And truly, it felt that way.
A transparent current shimred above the silver blade. Was it spiritual essence? The mirage-like distortion of the sword seed to stretch endlessly, connecting with the Azure Fla that had embedded itself in the Formless Greatsword.
Even the sword qi he had already released remained under his control.
There was no denying it.
The man before them was a genius unseen in a thousand years.
A flicker of exhilaration glead in Namgung Mu-jin’s eyes.
"You… Your martial talent is truly beyond ordinary."
His voice wavered as he spoke.
"No eccentric master I’ve ever seen has achieved progress as rapidly as you. If soone like you were to join Muryong Association, we could refine the best elents of every martial art and forge an ultimate divine technique…! I—I will back you! The supre arts of every great sect lie within our association! You, , the Association Leader, and Hwa Yeon-bi—!"
"You’ve lost your mind."
Jeong Yeon-shin’s sword traced an arc through the air.
The blade left behind a lingering afterimage, serene as the moon’s halo, before sliding smoothly into its sheath with a click.
A picture-perfect sheathing.
At the sa ti, the current that had linked his blade to the Azure Fla dissipated into nothingness.
That was the beginning.
Ku-guuuung—
Thunder roared above their heads.
The Formless Greatsword shattered, sending out waves of sky-colored ripples.
An ethereal shockwave spread, staining the ground a pale hue.
With a deafening explosion, fragnts of the broken sword, now tinged with blue light, began to rain down.
These were not like the shards that had fallen at Jeong Yeon-shin’s feet before. Their power and speed were vastly different.
Hwaaaaah—!
The glowing shards carved through the air, tracing thousands of vertical lines like an overwhelming storm of swift swords. Late-arriving sunlight refracted through the shower of fragnts, scattering in chaotic streaks.
A downpour of deadly sword energy, deadlier than any hailstorm.
This was what a battle between those in the Absolute Realm looked like. The harmony of a single sword they had honed was enough to rival the very forces of nature.
【At this rate, you won’t escape unscathed either…!】
A voice rang out like a bolt of lightning, its urgency overflowing with Namgung Mu-jin’s spiritual essence.
The Formless Greatsword had shattered right above them, and with the Azure Fla mixed into the storm of kinetic force, dodging was impossible.
Wuuung!
A colorless aura flared around Namgung Mu-jin’s entire body.
The defensive energy of Heavenly Thunder Monarch’s Divine Art.
There was no ti to slow the incoming shards with Imperial Sword Formation.
Not even enough leeway to fully deploy his defensive technique. The amount of true qi expended by the Formless Greatsword had already been overwhelming.
The greatest swordsman of Namjikrye scolded himself bitterly.
This was why he shouldn’t have recklessly unleashed Moonlit Crossing.
‘Tch…!’
Namgung Mu-jin’s Imperial Sword Formation had long strayed from the orthodox principles of commanding both blade and space.
At this critical mont, the sword energy he managed to conjure was not the noble radiance that spread chivalry, but a re four strands of weak, flickering light—barely enough to restrain a single opponent.
As despair tinged blue flooded his eyes—
A storm of searing blue flas rained down from the heavens.
Zzzeooojjjj!
Azure sparks erupted across Namgung Mu-jin’s entire body.
The cascading explosions of impact waves continuously overlapped, distorting the air itself. The cracks that ford in the ground stretched far and wide, tearing through the battlefield.
A lifeti’s worth of mastery had turned against him.
Where had he gone wrong?
Staggering amidst the relentless downpour of swordlight, Namgung Mu-jin struggled to keep his balance.
For a swordsman of his caliber to be this shaken—
This fight was already over.
It was only then that Namgung Mu-jin realized.
That the Lord of the Dark Night had completely withdrawn from this battle.
That cunning archer would never show himself here.
And then—
Hwaaaah—!
With a scream, his defensive energy was utterly shattered.
***
Jeong Yeon-shin walked through the cascading streaks of blue rain.
Step.
The storm of sword energy fragnts swirled chaotically, yet none could touch him.
At most, they swallowed the sound of his footsteps.
Every piece that struck him was instantly repelled by flashes of white lightning.
The earth, split and cracked as if drought-stricken, lay in disarray beneath his feet.
Treading upon the settled dust, Jeong Yeon-shin ca to a stop. He lowered his gaze slightly.
Reflected in the bloodied eyes of the fallen Namgung Mu-jin was Jeong Yeon-shin himself—draped in a deep violet robe, his long black hair flowing like a cascade of starlight.
Namgung Mu-jin let out a coughing, bitter laugh.
“You… are not soone to be called a genius.”
His voice was laced with exhaustion.
“You are rely another supre master… yet another one born from Ipwang Fortress. To the Celestial Tree… to the monstrous gods… you are an excess of fortune.”
“…He is my master.”
Jeong Yeon-shin answered quietly.
A simple declaration of reverence.
If one had truly learned within a sect, they would never insult another’s master to their face.
Yet Namgung Mu-jin’s lips curled into a wry smile.
"Using an unseen sword style… and now you deceive ."
"Would I need to?"
"Have you ever heard rumors that Master Sam-bong or the Great Patriarch Bodhidharma had a teacher? Could soone like you have learned anything deeply from anyone? You—who only seeks to tailor everything to your own form."
Namgung Mu-jin’s voice grew sharper, clearer.
Perhaps the last vestiges of his fading vital energy had surged up his throat. A fleeting final blaze before death—a dying ember’s last glow (Hui-gwang Ban-jo).
“…A sha, truly. Look. See how those white streaks fade?”
He motioned toward the sky.
“The Lord of the Dark Night is fleeing.”
Namgung Mu-jin gestured into empty air.
“No matter how extraordinary your lightness skill may be, you won’t catch him from this distance. At least… not unless you were the Drunken Beggar King, Joo Gwang-shin, of the Beggars’ Sect.”
Step.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer. He simply walked forward.
A man like this—dying at his feet—was not worth discussing Blue Qilin with.
All he could stir within Jeong Yeon-shin was a sense of weary contempt.
Today, White Qilin had been enough.
"I was not wrong. I was right. There is no rightful monarch in this starving world… only martial arts that can cut down the looters before us."
The delirious murmur followed behind Jeong Yeon-shin’s heel.
Without responding, he kicked off the ground.
He soared toward the scattered white streaks of Four Paths of April, swaying aimlessly in midair.
Huuuuung—
The mont his foot landed on one, the streaks rippled like waves beneath him.
A supre radiance that transford every arrow into an unstoppable blade.
It did not seem to be responding to the Lord of the Dark Night’s will anymore.
Nor did it appear to welco Jeong Yeon-shin.
Not until he abruptly drew his sword and swept it downward like a striking whip.
The air itself scread as it was torn apart.
The white streaks straightened and stretched forward, sharp as lightning.
A supre technique of Sword Thunder Slash, the Heart-Piercing Qilin.
With a single strike, he commanded the wind.
Namgung Mu-jin’s dazed eyes widened in shock.
That was the last thing he saw.
The mont Jeong Yeon-shin’s form leaned forward ever so slightly—his blade winds cutting down from his feet—
A razor-sharp gust split Namgung Mu-jin’s throat.
And his head plumted into the dirt.
Kwachik—
The sound of flesh tearing was followed by the severed head rolling toward Jeong Yeon-shin’s retreating silhouette.
Namgung Mu-jin’s horrified eyes were filled with only the trailing hem of a violet robe, billowing like a storm of blood.
Until, at last, the fading figure dissolved into a re dot—
And then vanished.
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