Chapter 462: Back In My Days (1)

Craaack-!

The strange liquid poured out from the cracked vessel and covered Gu Yangcheon.

What seemed like an endless space, was now being filled with the strange liquid.

“…”

The liquid rose to ankle level.

As if this was a calm lake, Shincheol was standing peacefully on top of the water.

The water was calm.

The cracked pieces of the vessel had already submerged, and Gu Yangcheon likely joined them.

Shincheol calmly looked up after seeing the sight.

There was obviously no sky. He only saw never-ending darkness.

This was the space inside Gu Yangcheon.

The never-ending darkness symbolized Gu Yangcheon’s mind and the rising water symbolized his regrets and desires.

“You bastard.”

Shincheol quietly whispered.

This was what was inside of the child who always walked forward without being able overcome anything.

Because of how pitiful it was, Shincheol couldn’t help but let out a hollow laughter.

He looked down at the ground.

It was filled with water, and he looked for Gu Yangcheon who should be submerged in there.

Shincheol’s gaze looked into the water, but he wasn’t able to see a thing.

It showed just how deep his regrets and desires were.

Shincheol shook his head at the sight.

He respected the child’s decision, but he didn’t know what was going to be at the end of it.

I’m not sure.

Will the child open his eyes again?

Even if he wakes up as Gu Yangcheon again, would he be able to handle all the regret he left behind here?

Shincheol wasn’t sure.

After all, Shincheol thought illogical for a person to become a whole different existence in the first place.

As he continued to stare down at the water,

Rumble-!

He suddenly felt the space shake.

Then…

Boom-!

Splash-!!

Something gigantic fell into the water, making unbelievably large waves.

The splashed water fell back down like it was raining.

“…”

Shincheol gazed at something that wriggled around after falling in the water.

It was amazingly big.

It was big enough to fill the whole space. The big black mysterious thing was bigger than any creature Shincheol had seen in his life.

Then…

Huff… Huff…

The monster-like creature breathed out heavily in the water, as if it was exhausted.

“You did well.”

Shincheol spoke as if he were trying to comfort the big creature.

He couldn’t even make out what the creature looked like because of its size.

The creature was way too big for Shincheol’s eyes to be able to see its whole body.

It was same as what a martial artist felt when they met an opponent who was at a much higher level than themselves.

Shincheol felt afraid at first due to the difference in their levels, but that fear of his soon went away.

He felt like he was able to relate to the creature, as both he and it endured hardships because of a good-for-nothing bastard.

“…I’m sure it was hard for you to manage, putting yourself in that small bastard’s body.”

Grr… Grrng…

The creature breathed out.

It sounded as if it was responding to Shincheol’s words.

Shincheol nodded after seeing it breathe.

“You may take a rest now.”

It felt like the rest was up to him.

“Dammit.”

Shincheol let out a weak laugh after cursing out loud.

He wondered why he was doing this even after dying.

There was no such thing as having a peaceful afterlife.

While harboring such a thought, Shincheol started to summon plum flowers.

“At least it’ll be satisfying beating you up.”

The Heavenly Venerable frowned after hearing his opponent’s playful words.

What did that bastard say just now?

“…What did you just say?”

“You are even similar in that regard, asking again when you’ve already heard it all. Tsk tsk, it’s a shame you are already losing your hearing.”

“You bastard!”

The figure continued to chuckle even after hearing the Heavenly Venerable’s anger.

“Don’t scream. You at least seem to have a loud voice, perhaps it’s because you are still young.”

“Do you know who I am? You dare to play around with me?”

“How could I not? There is only one place in the whole Central Plains with such prideful people.”

Crack.

A cracking sound came from the Heavenly Venerable’s hand that was holding his sword.

“I was showing you mercy. You should know your place.”

It seemed like the monster regained its consciousness, but also went half insane in the process.

If that wasn’t the case, then this situation was unexplainable.

Rumble-!

Lightning and thunder started to strike down again when the Heavenly Venerable took a step forward.

Lightning Qi started gathering in the air, forming sharp figures around the area.

The whole surrounding area was filled with Lightning Qi. There were so many that it was hard to count them all.

“…”

It was fascinating. That was the best description for it.

When the figure- no, when Shincheol saw the sight,

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue as if he wasn’t satisfied with it.

“Myung bastard would’ve come out from his grave and vomited blood if he saw this poor sight.”

Shincheol had many bad feelings towards the Namgung Clan.

There were many reasons for it, such as what happened in his past that involved Moyong Clan, Moyong Clan, or Moyong Clan.

Despite such hatred, Shincheol still respected the sword of the Namgung Clan.

To be more accurate, he respected the sword of a man who went by the name Namgung Myung, the Thunderous Sword.

Shincheol observed the Lightning Qi in the air.

The sheer amount of Lightning Qi showed just how much experience and enlightenment had been achieved by that martial artist…

“You fools.”

But it was humiliating to call this the power of the Namgung Clan.

“Not only did you guys lose its true meaning, but you even destroyed its frame.”

He couldn’t help but laugh.

Namgung Myung sacrificed his own life to protect the prideful sword of the Namgung Clan, yet none of it was left.

Shincheol gazed at the Heavenly Venerable.

“Child.”

“…What?”

The Heavenly Venerable frowned as if he had misheard him.

Child? It was way too disrespectful for someone like his opponent to call him a child.

“What’s the true meaning of the Namgung Clan’s sword?”

“…Hah.”

The Heavenly Venerable showed an angered expression after he heard Shincheol’s question.

What’s the true meaning of the Namgung Clan’s sword? How dare he ask that of none other than the Heavenly Venerable himself?

He was the greatest martial artist of his clan.

While trying his best not to smirk, the Heavenly Venerable responded to Shincheol.

“If you are trying to get on my nerves, then you succeeded.”

Zaaap-!

The Lightning Qi in the air made explosive noises. It seemed as if they were ready to charge at Shincheol.

At the same time, heavy pressure descended upon the whole forest.

The Master of Swords.

The Secret Art of Namgung Clan exploded out from the Heavenly Venerable’s body.

“…”

It was a horrifying situation for anyone to be in.

Despite the situation, Shincheol remained calm.

It was natural.

This is poor.

In Shincheol’s eyes, it was disappointing to think that this was the best that the descendants of his fellow comrades could do.

Shincheol felt uncomfortable, and his body shook from the pressure he felt, but it wasn’t impressive enough.

Even this felt like a bluff to him.

The true Master of Swords wasn’t anything close to this.

It wasn’t a technique that only bound opponents with heavy pressure.

You worked so hard only to leave behind this much?

Shincheol felt pain in his stomach as he was reminded of his friend shedding blood and sweat to leave his techniques for his descendants.

The Lightning Qi in the air was certainly beautiful, but it should’ve been something completely different considering Namgung Clan’s nature.

Namgung Clan’s sword isn’t about its beauty.

The martial art Namgung Myung showed was far from beautiful.

Instead, it was much rougher and harsher.

“There is no future for martial arts that has no meaning.”

Shincheol started walking forward as he murmured what he had heard from his seniors in the past.

He still had his gaze on the Heavenly Venerable.

“Lightning Qi isn’t the foundation of Namgung Clan’s martial arts in the first place.”

The Heavenly Venerable became more infuriated as he continued to hear Shincheol.

“You dare to teach me what the Namgung Clan’s sword is about?”

The Heavenly Venerable didn’t want to continue this conversation with a bastard who seemed to have gone insane.

“In order to paint it with beauty, you got rid of its firm, destructive nature.”

Lightning Qi at this point in time was treated as if it belonged to the Namgung Clan, but it was different in Shincheol’s past.

Lightning QI was just a byproduct.

The Thunderous Sword ruled over the heavens by using his Lightning Qi.

His lightning was powerful enough to erase a whole mountain, but Namgung Myung himself didn’t find Lightning Qi to be all that important.

He had a different pursuit.

To not fall.

To never fall into defeat.

Maintaining an unbreakable sword art that was faster and sharper than anyone else’s.

All that in order to…

Protect his loved ones.

That was his meaning behind the Namgung Clan’s sword.

Shincheol wasn’t fond of his friend’s talent and handsome look, but he wanted to learn from him in that regard.

After all, his friend had a sharper and faster blade than anyone else, as if his ideal wasn’t wrong.

Yet…

“Your sword doesn’t have any of that.”

A hollow shell.

That was what Shincheol saw in the Heavenly Venerable’s blade.

“You don’t seem suited enough to be called a Venerable.”

“…You bastaaard!”

Shincheol’s words were enough to make the Heavenly Venerable snap.

Lightning Qi started to pour from the surroundings as he exploded out in anger.

The sight seemed as if it was raining.

It showed just how many lightning stakes there were.

It started to pour down.

Lightning Qi, containing the Heavenly Venerable’s experience and enlightenment, charged right towards Shincheol.

It seemed powerful enough to completely erase a person’s existence, including their bones.

“I told you.”

Rustle-

Along with a calm voice, a leaf started to float from Shincheol’s foot.

It was a blue leaf.

Technically, it was more correct to say that it was a small ember, but its shape was closer to that of a leaf.

“Martial arts that have lost their meaning are pointless.”

The leaf slowly rose upwards.

Rustle-

Slowly, it separated into two.

Rustle… rustle…

It then doubled its number and separated into four.

Right before the rain of Lightning Qi was about to hit Shincheol, the leaves separated into countless numbers, covering the whole sky.

“…Huh?”

The Heavenly Venerable couldn’t help but react out loud without being able to hide his shock.

Swooosh-!

The Lightning Qi made contact with the leaves.

Once they clashed, each and every one of them exploded, making loud noises that echoed in the air.

Boooom-!

The explosive sound continued. It happened every time Lightning Qi clashed with the leaves.

The traces left in the air seemed as if there were fireworks in the area.

Yes, it all exploded.

The experience Heavenly Venerable has built up so far. It was all being exploded by those leaves in the air.

“…This is impossible.”

The Heavenly Venerable couldn’t believe his eyes.

He was at least able to convince himself when he fought against the figure when it still had a Demon-like appearance.

He thought that its infinite regeneration and beast-like behavior were understandable as he was fighting against a Demon.

However.

It looks as if my experience and enlightenment are being devoured.

Everything he built up in his life was defeated.

His Lightning Qi was consumed and swept away like it was nothing.

Such a thing was only possible for a martial artist who had a much deeper understanding of martial arts than he did.

“…This is absurd.”

Someone like the Sword Emperor, who could easily beat him, was incapable of doing something like this.

Perhaps the Heavenly Demon was capable.

But it was too absurd for the current opponent to be in the same ranks as the Heavenly Demon.

That was why the Heavenly Venerable couldn’t believe the current situation.

Moreover, such a situation shouldn’t have ever happened in the first place.

I’m being pushed back? I, the Heavenly Venerable?

Craaack-!

The Heavenly Venerable gritted his teeth.

It was impossible.

He was the pride of the Namgung Clan and the man who ruled over the sky… he couldn’t afford to lose against a mysterious opponent like this.

He may have been the only survivor of his destroyed clan, but this fact didn’t change.

This wasn’t possible.

It shouldn’t be.

While gazing at the Heavenly Venerable, who was slowly breaking down,

“Being blinded by inner demons is bound to make you lose your mind that was once clear.”

Shincheol started to speak.

“Even if that wasn’t the case…”

He was able to know after clashing against the Lightning Qi.

Even if the Heavenly Venerable wasn’t affected by inner demons,

“Know this child. You never would have ended up in the place you wanted to be.”

“…You… dare to…!”

“If you want to curse out your ancestors who did a poor job of leaving their experience behind, then do so. I’d like to join you on that.”

Rumble-!

As Shincheol’s mockery continued, light started gathering into one spot.

Shincheol knew exactly what was coming after seeing the sight.

Sword of Mind.

A swordsman’s peak.

It was a technique that only master swordsman could perform after reaching the state of becoming one with their blade.

Like its name, it is a sword that is formed with one’s mind.

It was said that such a blade could cut through anything as long as it had the will of the user.

However, that wasn’t the main focus right now.

Of course, it was capable of doing exactly that, but Shincheol was more interested in the light that was gathering into one spot.

This was the technique that formed the mind of the swordsman with light.

Shincheol nodded at the sight.

The Heavenly Venerable trained a hollow shell of a martial art for his whole life, but he was still able to reach this level, and Shincheol respected him for that.

“Not bad.”

A martial artist’s wisdom always showed its true form.

Even if they were darkened with their anger, despair, or pride, it didn’t mean that the experiences they built up over their lives just disappeared.

Therefore, Shincheol had to teach him a lesson.

“Considering how much this body consumed, there shouldn’t be any problem in using this technique.”

Shincheol was annoyed by how poor the young man’s body was back when he borrowed it for a brief moment of time, but it was a different situation now.

The body was much more hardened by this point in time, and the sheer amount of Qi it possessed was more than Shincheol could’ve ever imagined.

He couldn’t do anything about the strange, empty feeling of a void vessel, but it was enough to satisfy his needs.

It was more than enough to show that foolish child, a whole different world.

Shincheol spoke while reaching his hand out.

“Perhaps this was fate as well.”

Twitch.

Something twitched from his left arm.

Shincheol couldn’t help but smile after feeling a familiar sensation.

He was a swordsman.

He needed a sword to perform sword techniques, but he didn’t possess one at the moment.

After all, the original owner of this body was far from being a swordsman.

This should’ve been a problem…

Shing-

But the bandage that was wrapped around his left arm loosened itself and slowly floated towards Shincheol’s hand.

The bandage was now light blue when it used to be light red, but Shincheol didn’t care about such a change.

Just because the color changed didn’t mean that it lost its essence.

Instead, he continued to smile while gazing at the bandage.

With a smile, Shincheol spoke the bandage’s name.

“It’s been a while, Solar Light.”

Flutter-!

The bandage changed its form as if it were listening to Shincheol’s command.

After instantly piling on itself, it changed into the shape of a sword.

This bandage was called Solar Light.

It was originally Mount Hua’s treasure, and Shincheol’s favored weapon.

And that bastard treated it as some bandage… tsk.

Shincheol was reminded of how angry he got inside the young bastard’s mind.

It was his fault that he never explained what it was to him, but it was better that way in hindsight.

Woong-!

Light started to collapse from the sky.

Shincheol held onto his treasure sword tightly after seeing the sight.

In that moment…

Swooosh-!

“…!”

A huge light flashed above Shincheol.

The Heavenly Venerable couldn’t hide his shock after seeing the sight.

It wasn’t just one or two.

There were at least three towers of light that seemed to be Shincheol’s version of the Sword of Mind.

The Heavenly Venerable became speechless at the overwhelming sight.

“Child.”

Then, he started to hear Shincheol’s voice.

“Back in my days,”

For some reason, that voice of his made him sound as if he was amused.

It was hard to read the figure’s expression, but the Heavenly Venerable was certain that his opponent was smiling.

While noticing the Heavenly Venerable’s despair, Shincheol continued to speak.

“One can only be called a true swordsman if they could pull more than a couple of these out at once.”

The generation of war.

That’s what life was like in Shincheol’s days.