## Chapter 1531 – 1531. Ascending To The Light
“Were you planning to steal the secret manuals and elixirs and run away like a thief? They say the spirit of chivalry and righteousness lives in the Mount Hua Sect… what a load of bull.”
Gi Seong-oh flared up. His one eye glared at me, as if he wanted to kill me. His ferocity was quite fierce, showing that he didn’t just rise to the position of Mount Hua Sect Leader.
“You know nothing, like a demon cultist. Even if the Mount Hua Sect is destroyed, if a small seed remains, the Mount Hua Sect will sprout again and flourish.”
“You’re that seed? But what a pity. That seed is about to be trampled.”
He drew his sword. Gi Seong-oh also pointed his sword at me. A purple aura slowly crept out of his body. It was the famous Mount Hua Sect’s Violet Cloud Divine Art.
The scent of plum blossoms wafted. The piercing plum blossom scent was so strong that it was rather unpleasant.
“It’s not too late now. Step aside. I don’t have time to deal with the likes of you.”
“Even if you pretend to be strong, I know you’re not in perfect condition. You must have exhausted your stamina and inner energy in the previous battle. Isn’t this the perfect moment to kill the Mount Hua Sect Leader?”
“You foolish bastard. I gave you a chance, but you insist on kicking it away! Even if I’m tired now, do you think I can’t deal with a young demon?”
“A young demon?”
“Lightning Blade Yeom Gu-seok! I know about you. You haven’t been in the Annihilation Squad for long. You have considerable skills… but you’re just the lowest rank in the Annihilation Squad. Except for your cruel methods, there’s nothing special about you.”
“You know nothing about me.”
I wore a sneer. Gi Seong-oh’s face crumpled.
“Fine. If you insist on being shattered by my sword… I’ll kill you now!”
Gi Seong-oh took a step forward and swung his sword. The sword approached, following the fastest path. Just from that one move, I could tell that Gi Seong-oh was no pushover.
I raised my sword to block Gi Seong-oh’s. A sharp sound rang out as steel clashed against steel.
“You’re not bad at the basics.”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Gi Seong-oh’s sword brushed against my sword as it moved. Sparks flew from the friction.
The movement of the sparks was strange. They should have scattered in all directions, but they began to gather as if drawn by something invisible.
[Opening the Heavenly Eye.]
Things that were invisible became visible.
It was a transparent flower bud. The flower bud, made of inner energy, bloomed and turned purple at the same time. Plum blossoms began to bloom.
I thought of Kyle from the [White Ring] world. Kyle was also a plum blossom swordsman who had trained in the Violet Cloud Divine Art. I had also researched Kyle, so I could confidently say that I knew a bit about the plum blossom sword technique and the Violet Cloud Divine Art.
‘It’s completely different from Kyle’s plum blossom sword technique and Violet Cloud Divine Art.’
The pressure alone was different. If I let my guard down even a little, I would be overwhelmed. Moreover, the plum blossoms that bloomed in the air boasted a strength comparable to a strong energy. If I carelessly touched them, I wouldn’t even be able to collect my bones.
‘The plum blossoms are moving.’
They moved splendidly. Even knowing they were flowers of death, they were so beautiful that I was mesmerized.
Gi Seong-oh swung his sword. It was a swordsmanship that resembled plum blossom petals scattering. Every time his sword moved, a purple aura gathered and plum blossoms bloomed. This was not good. The space was being dominated.
Ghost Cutting Sword Technique, Evil Ghost Decimation.
A cross-shaped sword energy flew out. It didn’t directly target Gi Seong-oh. It targeted the purple plum blossoms that had bloomed in the air.
The torn plum blossoms turned into sword energy and rushed towards me. I quickly raised my protective energy. The plum blossoms that collided with the protective energy disappeared like dust.
Even in the midst of this, Gi Seong-oh was swinging his sword, drawing plum blossoms. The more plum blossoms bloomed, the stronger his momentum became.
“Twelve plum blossoms have been drawn. You and I are within the plum blossoms. Isn’t it beautiful?”
This was not good. The space was dominated. I hadn’t made any particular mistakes, but the plum blossoms continued to increase, exceeding 20. I noticed the secret a little late. His left sleeve was swaying.
‘He was drawing plum blossoms with his fingers inside his sleeve. It’s a trick, but it’s effective. You can’t hide the years of experience.’
For masters at the level of me and Gi Seong-oh, the fingers themselves were a kind of sword. There were five fingers. In other words, it was the same as having five swords in one hand.
‘A total of 24 plum blossoms are about to bloom. The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique is famous even in the martial world. They say that once 24 plum blossoms bloom, no one can stop it?’
I felt the urge to break through head-on using the Thunder God Style and the Demonic Heavenly Art.
But there were Annihilation Squad members a little distance away. If I used the Demonic Heavenly Art, things would go to hell. Even if I used the Thunder God Style, I would be watched. The only sword technique that Lightning Blade Yeom Gu-seok had mastered was the Ghost Cutting Sword Technique.
Ghost Cutting Sword Technique, Evil Ghost Decimation.
I swung my sword towards the wall. I jumped out through the collapsing wall. If Gi Seong-oh’s plum blossoms dominated the space, I just had to go to another space.
Gi Seong-oh also came outside after me. But I didn’t feel the same hostile aura as before.
“Are you running away? Fine. I’m busy too, so let’s postpone this to another time. You’re lucky, Lightning Blade.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Gi Seong-oh. If you run away from here, I’ll call the Annihilation Squad members nearby. If you want to escape without being chased by the Annihilation Squad, you’ll have to kill me and go. There’s not much time left either. The Annihilation Squad will soon be storming this place. What are you going to do?”
“You young brat, you must be desperate to die!”
Gi Seong-oh rushed at me urgently. It seemed like my words had made him anxious. He swung his sword. The afterimages of his sword, which had reached its peak, were all identical to the real thing.
‘Even if he confuses my eyes, the sword he swings is ultimately just one.’
The trajectory in which he could swing his sword was fixed. Plum blossoms were drawn around him. I stepped back. It was best not to go near the plum blossoms.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
I blocked Gi Seong-oh’s sword and continued to be pushed back.
And at some point, I was outside the Mount Hua Sect. I checked the corpses of the Annihilation Squad members scattered around.
“These are your comrades. They rushed at me without knowing their place, just like you.”
“The cause of death is strange. You didn’t kill them. Was there a trap here?”
“Do you see that cave? It’s a cave where one drop of Azure Essence Oil comes out every 50 years. It’s one of the treasures of our Mount Hua Sect. These guys were blinded by greed and fell into the trap. Even though the Azure Essence Oil is in my possession. Hahaha!”
‘Did these guys abandon their mission and move separately to get the Azure Essence Oil? There were quite a few guys like me.’
It wasn’t a strange thing. The Annihilation Squad members were basically very proud. And they were demons. That meant they were crazy bastards who wouldn’t listen to their superiors’ orders.
‘It’s cut off from the outside. The barrier installed in the Mount Hua Sect should have been neutralized… Is it a different kind of barrier?’
The only good thing was that there were no traps. The traps had been used up on the Annihilation Squad members who had come earlier.
‘It’s cut off from the outside. Good, isn’t it?’
It wasn’t completely cut off. If I used something like the Demonic Heavenly Art, even the barrier wouldn’t be able to withstand it. And the Annihilation Squad was sensitive to demonic energy.
‘The Thunder God Style should be okay.’
The moment I saw Gi Seong-oh’s plum blossom sword technique, there was something I wanted to try.
Plum blossom sword technique. It was familiar to me. I had studied Kyle’s plum blossom sword technique with Yuria, so there was no way it wouldn’t be familiar. I knew the essence of the plum blossom sword technique. It was different from the plum blossom sword technique of this world, but it was similar. I had confirmed this fact by watching the guy’s sword just now.
‘If I were from another world, I wouldn’t have even tried it, but I have talent in this world.’
It wasn’t just talent. It was talent supported by the Heavenly Star System. The reason why I reached the realm of aura so much faster than others in this world was thanks to the Heavenly Star System. I was a genius in this world.
[Activating the Genius Time for 10 seconds.]
Crackle.
Inner energy flowed from my dantian through my meridians to my whole body.
I stared straight ahead. Plum blossoms were blooming one by one around Gi Seong-oh. It was a qi technique mixed with the essence of illusionary swords.
The plum blossom sword techniques that I had studied with Yuria all this time came to mind. …Actually, most of the research was done by Yuria, and I had just tagged along. In fact, I had never understood the plum blossom sword technique at all until now. But now, with the Genius Time activated, and with my talent supported by the Heavenly Star System, things were different.
I swung my sword.
A flower was drawn in the air. The flower bud, which had not yet bloomed, was shining blue. A blue current flowed through the petals.
“You crazy bastard! How dare you imitate the Mount Hua Sect’s plum blossom sword technique!!!”
Gi Seong-oh spat out intense anger. He looked at me like I was his mortal enemy. It seemed like he was very displeased that I, a demon, was using the elegant plum blossom sword technique.
24 plum blossoms bloomed. The blood vessels in Gi Seong-oh’s one eye burst, and tears of blood flowed, and blood dripped from his nostrils. It was proof that he was overdoing it.
On the other hand, the flowers I drew were seven.
Thunder God Style, Myriad Thunder Bloom.
The flower buds made of lightning began to bloom, rotating clockwise. The blooming thunder flowers scattered currents in all directions, dominating the space. Gi Seong-oh’s plum blossoms scattered as if struggling. But they couldn’t break through the seven thunder flowers that were focused on defense.
Thunder God Style, Mind Sword.
I plunged into Gi Seong-oh’s chest and swung my sword. A sword swung with the mind. Gi Seong-oh surprisingly reacted. He held his sword sideways and blocked the Mind Sword. But he didn’t block it perfectly. A sword wound was etched on his shoulder, and blood spurted out.
“This guy… you were hiding your skills!”
I stabbed my sword into Gi Seong-oh’s chest as he staggered. I felt the sensation of piercing his heart. I pulled out my sword. A fountain of blood erupted from his chest. Gi Seong-oh’s knees fell to the ground.
“The Mount Hua Sect… will bloom… again…!”
“That’s a boring last word. You should have begged for your life instead.”
“……Save me.”
“No.”
Swish.
I beheaded Gi Seong-oh. I searched the fallen guy’s body and found a spatial storage. I opened the spatial storage and checked the contents. It was full of goodies, including the Violet Cloud Divine Art and the Azure Essence Oil. It was a satisfying loot.
‘Now, I just have to avoid being discovered.’
I left that place and headed back to my original position.
