"H-how do you know that person's na...?"
"There's no need for you to know. Let's just fight."
"If you don't speak plainly, I'll tear your body to pieces right now!"
"Heh. If you beat in the duel, I'll tell you everything before I die."
"This fellow...!"
He glared at and huffed, but in fact, it seed he thought he had nothing to lose by following my words. We had to have a life-and-death duel anyway, and he could just vent the anger he felt just now at that ti.
"Then there's no need to drag it out any longer. Let's start right away."
I turned my body completely away from him and asked the Qingcheng Sect Leader.
"Sect Leader. Where is the dueling platform?"
"Are you planning to start just like this?"
"Yes. I've been preparing my mind since yesterday, thinking only of this mont. I'm fine."
"Whew. If you say so.... To be honest, although you continue to show confidence, I still can't put my mind at ease."
"I fully understand that feeling. If I were a disciple of Qingcheng, it might be different, but since I'm a disciple of the Wudang Sect, it might be even more so."
"There's that too."
Thud!
Whether he couldn't just stand by and watch us talk, Jang Hoeng stamped his foot and spoke as if growling.
"Why is there so much small talk between those who are about to die? As you said, let's start right now."
"Fine."
The Qingcheng Sect Leader took the lead toward the dueling platform, and I followed behind him. Jang Hoeng also found the way skillfully, as if it were a place he had visited several tis.
'The bloodstains still haven't faded.'
On the dueling platform made of granite, dark bloodstains remained. It must be the blood of the Qingcheng warrior who died last at the hands of Jang Hoeng. Knowing that I was looking at it, Jang Hoeng stepped onto the dueling platform and spoke in a relaxed voice.
"Soon, your blood will be mixed there too. Arrogant brat. Do you want to bluff like that until just before you die?"
He seed to have nothing in his sight right now. Indeed, it would be so. Although the Sichuan martial world is said to have weakened a lot compared to its peak, he is still overwhelming the elders of a place recognized as one of the Nine Great Sects with his skill, so confidence is bound to build up. However, saying he is overwhelming them with skill is also a bit of a misnor.
'You're the one bluffing with a thod that's closer to a trick.'
There was actually another reason why I was so confidently facing him, who had defeated the elders of Qingcheng several tis. Of course, if I were told to win by skill alone, I could sohow win. I'd struggle a bit, though. However, I could be this confident because I knew the swordsmanship Jang Hoeng used. He was a master of the Illusion Sword. I don't know where he learned it, but his Illusion Sword was special. It was because it went beyond simply mixing many feints and variations to the point where he could show real hallucinations to the opponent he was fighting. Those hallucinations weren't grand ones like being in so formation, but shallow ones like the sword appearing as two, or seeing a blade flying from a direction he wasn't attacking from, but if supported by swordsmanship, even such seemingly minor hallucinations could bring about a trendous effect. Of course, now I can sufficiently speculate that the martial art must have flowed out from the Demonic Cult.
"No starting signal will be needed, right? Now. I'll kill you!"
The mont we faced each other on the martial arts platform, he drew his sword and imdiately began to rush at . His footwork was honestly at an ordinary level. It was honestly hard to believe that the elders of Qingcheng had all been defeated by such a fellow. However, the attack after that startled .
Whoosh!
He must have only one arm, but swords flew from as many as three directions at the sa ti. It wasn't just to the extent of making it look like several using the extre fast sword I sotis use, but it looked as if the number from the shoulder to the arm had suddenly increased. He even looked like an Asura. Simply put, it ant the fellow had unleashed the Illusion Sword from the start.
Flash!
At that mont, a sensation as if light were emitting from my eyes arose. In fact, when I heard the na Jang Hoeng and rembered that he was a master of the Illusion Sword, I also felt that my coming to Qingcheng was a piece of the great wheel of fate. Because illusions are of no use at all to my Divine Eye obtained from the tomb of the teor King. In fact, I had thought about staying in Chengdu to help the Tang Family and sending Senior Brother Un Cheol here, but I changed it at the last minute thinking the master coming to Qingcheng would be stronger, and it was a correct judgnt.
Clang!
When I cleared away all the hallucinations with the Divine Eye technique, what I eventually saw in my eyes was only a single sword. I flicked up the sword that was flying monotonously like his ordinary footwork.
"Huh?!"
"Hup!"
"Uh...?"
The mont I brushed off the sword as if it were nothing, the sound of gasping for breath was heard from here and there. It seed no one had expected that I would perfectly flick away Jang Hoeng's first sword like this. However, the one most surprised among them seed to be Jang Hoeng himself. Jang Hoeng couldn't hide his bewildered expression at all, as if his Illusion Sword had never been seen through so easily.
"H-how?!"
But he soon regained his original arrogant expression. He probably thought he had blocked his sword by chance this ti.
Thud!
The fellow kicked the ground and rushed at . He could certainly be considered first-class, but as expected, it wasn't a martial art outstanding enough to defeat the Qingcheng Sect elders.
"You fellow!"
Jang Hoeng rushed at while shouting loudly as if his roar alone made him a great master. This ti, it wasn't just three arms like before, but increased to as many as five. However, that too was useless before my Divine Eye technique. Rather, perhaps because he had unleashed the Illusion Sword to its peak, the sword felt even duller.
Clang—
I lightly flicked away his sword this ti as well.
'He hasn't even reached the ultimate stage of the Illusion Sword yet.'
When one reaches the ultimate stage of the Illusion Sword, each and every sword created by illusion gains a montum as if it has beco real. In addition to just gaining montum, if one is actually imbued with sword qi and true qi and is cut by it, one could really be injured. However, Jang Hoeng's Illusion Sword was just a hollow hallucination. A hallucination where nothing happens if you just treat it as if it's not visible.
"No, how?!"
He shouted with eyes of astonishnt, and I grinned and approached the fellow. The fellow who had revealed all his cards had now just beco an ordinary warrior with ordinary martial arts.
"Try everything you can."
"Ugh...!"
I could have killed the fellow imdiately, but I deliberately gave him more chances. I'm doing this because there are eyes watching . To the Qingcheng Sect, I can raise morale by seeing fight like this, and to Jang Hoeng's subordinates, I can instill fear.
"Ha, haha! I never thought I'd use this martial art here, but I'll have to use it for you."
"As much as you want."
To be honest, it would be a lie if I said I wasn't tense. It ant the fellow had a hidden move.
"Die—!"
The fellow rushed at once more while gripping the sword with both hands and screaming, and at that mont.
Swish!
Suddenly, Jang Hoeng's figure split into two, and two Jang Hoengs swung their swords at . It looked as if he were performing a clone technique. It seed to be the highest level of martial art among the Illusion Swords he could unleash. Actually, to the eyes, it felt fascinating because there was no difference from the real Jang Hoeng. Jang Hoeng must have thought of this technique as a fatal one and thought no one would be able to see through it. However, I was a bit disappointed by his final choice.
'As expected. Those who fall into an easy path try to go only by an easy path until the end.'
If the martial art he unleashed at the final mont had been his secret swordsmanship rather than an illusion, it might have troubled . Anyone's desperate move is bound to be dangerous, and no matter how much stronger I am, a person is soone who can easily die if caught by that one move. Jang Hoeng probably already realized in the second attack that illusions didn't work on . However, he clung only to illusions until the end. Those illusions might have allowed him to easily defeat other warriors, but they didn't make him strong.
Slash!
"U-Unhwi Dojang!"
The sword of one of the two Jang Hoengs was swung toward my neck, and the startled voice of the Qingcheng Sect Leader was heard. It's natural. Because I'm not even thinking of avoiding it. However, my eyes were looking not at that Jang Hoeng, but only at the other Jang Hoeng who was crouching low and aiming for my lower body.
Swish—
At that mont, a sword brushed past my neck. Since it was an illusion, that sword passed right through my neck.
Stab!
Instead, I held my sword in a reverse grip and stabbed deep downward, piercing the back of the hand of the Jang Hoeng who was swinging the sword at and pinning it to the floor.
"Aaaargh!"
In an instant, Jang Hoeng, whose hand was pierced by the sword, couldn't help but scream in pain, and whether he couldn't maintain his concentration, the Jang Hoeng created by hallucination vanished. If I had moved my body or raised my sword to avoid the sword flying toward my neck, the sword of the Jang Hoeng charging downward would have swept my ankle. Since it's impossible for a warrior with a severed ankle to fight properly, I might have died.
"Practicing the Illusion Sword itself wasn't a bad choice. However, the Illusion Sword should have stopped at the role of assisting swordsmanship. Putting the cart before the horse is exactly what this is."
"Y-you fellow...!"
I pulled out the sword pinned in the back of his hand. He wore a face full of questions because he didn't understand why I was doing this. Since he had already lost his sword and knew that illusions didn't work, there was no way for him to win now. A very faint light of hope appeared on Jang Hoeng's face. He seed to think that I might spare him. However, I had no intention of sparing him at all.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
I kicked the fellow and dropped him below the dueling platform. Approaching him as he rolled down to the ground using my movent technique, I opened my mouth.
"The content of the duel was a life-and-death duel. Just as you have hard the Qingcheng Taoists until now, I have no intention of sparing you. However... it felt unpleasant for your blood to be mixed on top of the blood shed by the Qingcheng Taoists."
"W-wait!"
He tried to dissuade by raising both arms, but....
Slash!
Before he could even raise his arms, my sword cut through his neck. His head fell just like that, and he collapsed forward, pouring out blood. Jang Hoeng's blood was discarded on the dirt floor instead of flowing onto the martial arts field as I intended.
"Will you take revenge for your leader?"
I said while pointing at Jang Hoeng's subordinates with the Red Dragon Sword.
"N-no. We only observed. Please allow us to take the body and return."
"Do so. And two days later. Send soone else. If there is no one who can duel, then give up the Qingcheng Sect as promised."
"....... I will.... deliver that to the Alliance Leader."
"Whatever."
Jang Hoeng's subordinates took Jang Hoeng's body and quickly left the Qingcheng Sect. Although it's a situation where I don't know who will co next, for now, I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
(End of Chapter)
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