Chapter 84: Great Ghost (4)

Great Despair Ghost (大絶鬼) (4)

Kkang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed all around.

Geugeugeuk-! Kkang!

Sparks flew every time the swords met.

The sword, imbued with internal energy, left trails as it sliced through the air.

The lights drawn along the sword paths resembled streams of water.

Furthermore, the footwork was fast and varied.

Namgung’s Azure Dragon Step (蒼龍步), practiced to embody the essence of swift and rapid swordsmanship, added power to her techniques.

It was a footwork that resembled the flexible body of a dragon.

Namgung Bi-ah maintained the framework of the family’s ultimate technique, the Emperor Sword Form, and continued to swing her sword.

The internal energy in her dantian was steadily depleting, but she had no other choice.

How long had she swung her sword?

It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes.

Despite that, Namgung Bi-ah already felt her body reaching its limit.

Subjectively, it felt like she had been swinging her sword all day.

Her arm, broken from the previous impact, screamed with agony every time she moved it.

Her body, tensed from the sudden real combat experience, wouldn’t move as freely as the wind.

‘I can’t… reach…!’

Just how big was the gap between us?

The Bloodthirsty Ghost wasn’t even using his weapon; he was merely dodging.

She bit her lip to regain her focus.

She bit down so hard that blood trickled down her chin.

As she expanded her footwork, her internal energy grew weaker, and the sword imbued with her ultimate technique lacked power.

The sword paths, which had been glowing brightly, were gradually losing their light.

Her sword slowed, as if reacting to her exhausted body.

Seeing that, the Bloodthirsty Ghost swung his arm and pushed Namgung Bi-ah away.

“Ugh!”

With a light push, Namgung Bi-ah went tumbling! rolling across the floor.

“Pretty thing, you don’t seem to have killed anyone yet, do you?”

At the Bloodthirsty Ghost’s words, Namgung Bi-ah barely managed to gasp for breath.

Looking at Namgung Bi-ah like that, the Bloodthirsty Ghost thought.

Has she passed her twenties? Seeing her soft, smooth skin, it could be either way.

It didn’t really matter.

Whatever her age, with looks like that and skill on this level, her body would surely be as tender and delicious as her face.

It was just a little curious.

Was it Thunder Dragon? The one confirmed to be Namgung’s Young Master.

To have the Namgung surname but be called Thunder Dragon instead of Sword Dragon-how much he had laughed upon hearing that.

The old man called Heavenly Sovereign, and the current family head, too.

In this current era, the Namgung Clan isn’t exactly thriving, but seeing that girl makes me think differently.

Was it the Emperor Sword Form?

Namgung’s ultimate technique, exuding a tangible presence that pressed down on the surroundings.

Her internal energy must be draining rapidly, as if a dam had burst.

Maintaining it alone must be exhausting.

Yet, that girl maintained the form and executed such fluid movements.

‘Are all late-stage cultivators these days like this?’

I thought they were just brats with fancy titles like Sword Peak or Sword Dragon, but seeing her forced me to reconsider.

If time continues like this, the Central Plains will surely be teeming with monsters.

‘That’s neither here nor there.’

The Bloodthirsty Ghost approached Namgung Bi-ah.

‘I wasted precious time.’

I spent too long trying not to damage her face or upper body.

Honestly, it would have been easier to just cut her down, but her looks were too precious to waste on a simple death.

With her level of martial arts, she probably wouldn’t age much either, so I’d want to keep her by my side for decades, enjoying the view.

“That’s why she must be treated preciously.”

I wanted to have a little fun if the chance arose, but the girl who escaped earlier was still on my mind.

How long until this news reaches Mount Hua?

Considering it would take about an hour for the news to reach them and for them to get here…

“Hmm, thinking about covering my tracks makes this a bit troublesome.”

Saying that, the Bloodthirsty Ghost fumbled around Namgung Bi-ah’s neck and performed acupoint sealing.

“…!”

“Hold still for a moment, your big brother has something to do.”

She likely didn’t have the strength left to escape, but it was better to take precautions just in case.

The Bloodthirsty Ghost moved towards the area behind her, where a barrier lay.

As he approached beyond a certain distance, a transparent barrier stopped his body from advancing further.

Seeing that, the Bloodthirsty Ghost’s lips curled upwards.

He could clearly feel the blade energy emanating from the barrier.

Seeing it directly, he felt it even more strongly.

This must have been set up by the Plum Blossom Fairy.

Just as Bae-chong said, the only one in Shaanxi capable of deploying an energy barrier of this level would be the Plum Blossom Fairy.

“To go this far and not leave anyone watching… what’s the plan?”

He even used his internal energy to scan the surroundings, just in case, but detected no one within his sensory range.

If they couldn’t be detected by his senses, it was safe to assume they weren’t there.

He couldn’t understand why the Mount Hua Sect was taking such a defenseless stance, but it was fortunate for him.

That is, if there was a guardian.

“Well, we’ll know once I break it.”

Whether there was a guardian inside or not would be revealed once it was breached.

He gradually poured his internal energy into the great saber he gripped tightly.

He could see the surrounding air changing as the blade energy (刀氣) steadily accumulated.

Watching him, Namgung Bi-ah involuntarily swallowed a gasp.

It was an absurd amount of internal energy.

And to compress it to that degree at a single point…

“Ugh….”

Due to the acupoint sealing, she couldn’t even make a sound.

If she had any internal energy left, she might have tried to break free, but it was impossible for Namgung Bi-ah right now.

She had successfully sent Gu-ryeonghwa away by chance, but she didn’t know when support would arrive.

If things continued like this, it was the end.

That man desired her.

Even without proper knowledge, Namgung Bi-ah could anticipate that something terrible would happen if she were captured.

‘What should I do….’

She didn’t want to be dragged away.

Namgung Bi-ah remembered the Bloodthirsty Ghost’s touch as he had stroked her cheek while she was exhausted earlier.

It was disgusting and filthy.

Just imagining it sent shivers down her spine, making it hard to find a spot on her body that wasn’t crawling with goosebumps.

That man’s touch meant that much to her.

Unlike that person.

Namgung Bi-ah lamented her own thoughts that suddenly surfaced.

‘…Even now.’

To be in such a situation and only think of such a thing.

Despite not knowing what would happen to her now, the fleeting thought was of someone’s face.

‘Please….’

Namgung Bi-ah struggled desperately to break free, but it was impossible with her depleted energy.

Nevertheless, Namgung Bi-ah tried relentlessly.

She might damage her meridians if she wasn’t careful, but something else took priority.

Perhaps thinking she wouldn’t be able to meet that person anymore if this continued, Namgung Bi-ah couldn’t stop.

Just as she endured the surging pain and tried to exert more force.

“…Don’t try to force it open.”

At the voice piercing her ear, Namgung Bi-ah stopped exerting force.

With a touch brushing the back of her neck, Namgung Bi-ah’s stiffened body instantly relaxed.

“Ah…!”

Perhaps the acupoint sealing hadn’t fully worn off; Namgung Bi-ah realized her voice wasn’t coming out properly.

Because of that, she couldn’t utter a single word she wanted to say.

The boy looked at Namgung Bi-ah and said.

“Don’t make a sound. Since you wouldn’t listen even if I told you to run anyway, just stay put and hide.”

Saying that, he stroked Namgung Bi-ah’s head.

Gently, as if afraid of damaging it.

“…Thank goodness.”

As if finally letting out pent-up words, she uttered a small, breathy phrase.

The boy immediately approached the Bloodthirsty Ghost.

Namgung Bi-ah, startled by his actions, tried to grab him, but the boy had already shot forward like a flame.

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A chilling alarm ran down the Bloodthirsty Ghost’s spine, causing him to release his internal energy and twist his upper body.

Kku-uk-!

He managed to dodge instinctively, but perhaps not perfectly, as a sharp pain dug into his abdomen.

He belatedly tried to shield his abdomen with internal energy, but as the force kept pushing in, he felt a crisis and retreated backward.

Along with the impact pushing his abdomen, the Bloodthirsty Ghost was sent flying backward.

Kwadeuk.

His soles, trying to gain purchase on the grass, scraped loudly.

“Tsk…!”

The Bloodthirsty Ghost, having barely stopped, spat a bit of blood onto the ground.

Even though he had belatedly wrapped his abdomen in energy, the spot that was hit trembled violently.

There was a smell of burning.

Coming from his own stomach.

The Bloodthirsty Ghost glared with burning eyes at the opponent who had ambushed him.

His lips, trembling just like his abdomen, curled upwards.

“Well, look at this bastard…?”

Hwareureureuk-!

The heat and smell of fire enveloping the surroundings.

The Bloodthirsty Ghost could immediately identify the opponent.

“…My young master was planning to visit you sometime, and here you are, making a personal appearance?”

I was planning to send my subordinates to track your location, but

the main culprit appeared right before the Bloodthirsty Ghost.

Covered head to toe in blazing flames.

“Are you introducing yourself?”

Was he perhaps advertising that he was a direct descendant of the Gu family?

Damn it, the guy looked exactly like the Flame Demon who swept across battlefields in the distant past.

‘So bloodlines really mean something.’

The Bloodthirsty Ghost said that, raising his tension.

He looked younger than expected.

He looked like a boy just starting his journey as a martial artist, but

the attack just now was real.

Even though the Bloodthirsty Ghost was focused on gathering his energy, he couldn’t sense any presence.

It meant he had approached stealthily, intending to do just that.

To a level that he couldn’t notice him for a moment.

‘There are more monstrous brats than I thought?’

It was the same with the pretty thing I laid on the ground, but this guy before me already surpassed that level.

He didn’t seem to have surpassed the peak level yet, but it probably wouldn’t take long.

The Bloodthirsty Ghost himself had been stuck at this level for over a decade.

“…I don’t like this.”

These sprouts that shine from the beginning are bound to grow much larger someday.

And given time, they’ll easily crush someone like me and rise above.

That’s why the Bloodthirsty Ghost liked crushing sprouts.

He preferred stomping them down so they couldn’t grow.

Especially those who shine like that-they need stomping even more.

The problem is, the timing isn’t great right now.

‘I intended to finish this quickly.’

Tsk.

I planned to capture that Gu fellow and torment him with various things, but this means I have to kill him too easily.

It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.

The Bloodthirsty Ghost gripped his great saber and took a stance.

I was hit because I let my guard down, but the opponent was, at best, a late-stage cultivator.

On the contrary, if I don’t let my guard down, there’s no way I’d be hit…

‘…What? Where did he….’

The ball of fire flickering before his eyes suddenly vanished from his sight.

A presence burning so brightly couldn’t just disappear in an instant.

The Bloodthirsty Ghost immediately spread his senses to locate him.

The moment he sensed the opponent’s location within the spreading senses, the Bloodthirsty Ghost swung his great saber.

Because the location was right behind him.

Kwaaang!

There was no sensation in the air where the great saber passed.

Instead, a massive impact struck his side, sending the Bloodthirsty Ghost flying once more.

His heavy body rolled across the dirt, and thick dust, along with heat, obscured the surrounding view.

“You brat…!”

Enraged by the fact that he’d been tricked, the Bloodthirsty Ghost swung his great saber, clearing the surrounding dust with wind pressure.

Hu-uk!

In the space instantly cleared, the ball of fire from before was gone, leaving only the boy standing upright.

The flames that had swirled around the boy vanished as if they had never been there, leaving only a faint trace of heat.

“I remember now.”

At Gu Yangcheon’s voice, the Bloodthirsty Ghost growled.

He was offended at being struck twice by someone who hadn’t even reached the peak level.

Gu Yangcheon looked at the Bloodthirsty Ghost and spoke.

With his deeply dyed crimson eyes and hair, shallowly dyed but gradually turning red, the Bloodthirsty Ghost felt a strange sense of unease.

Even though the boy seemed to be lingering at the very end of the first-rate level.

“Bloodthirsty Ghost…. That seems to be the name.”

And then, his name was quietly spoken.

“You shouldn’t call adults by their names so rudely, you brat.”

How did that young brat know his name?

His alias, Great Despair Ghost, wasn’t exactly unknown, but it wasn’t famous enough for someone to definitively state his real name like that.

Moreover.

‘Fuck, what is this feeling?’

When Gu Yangcheon uttered his name, the Bloodthirsty Ghost felt an inexplicable chill.