Chapter 110. The End (1)

On the way to Yichang in Hubei.

I closed the secret manual I was reading, put it in my bundle, and drew the Restoring Name Sword.

I wasn’t trying to train the third stance, One Sun, Ten Thousand Lights.

Although I couldn’t produce ten thousand strands of sword silk to match the name of the technique, I was still getting the hang of it.

Now it was time to train the fourth stance.

Sun Moon Infinite Sword, Fourth Stance. Moonlight Coiling Sword.

If the third stance, One Sun, Ten Thousand Lights, was a technique inspired by the sun in the midday sky, then Moonlight Coiling Sword was a technique modeled after the scene of a night with a full moon.

To be precise, it discussed the scene of the full moon’s soft moonlight gently enveloping the entire world.

When I first read the secret manual of the Sun Moon Infinite Sword, I had such a thought.

I wondered what kind of martial arts techniques were all like this.

Although they were martial arts learned to kill people, they were all written in vague content, making it hard to tell if it was a poem or a martial arts key principle.

But now, I thought I could roughly understand the reason.

The techniques of the Sun Moon Infinite Sword focused on the art of handling qi.

In other words, all the explanations written in the secret manual discussed the sense and feeling of handling qi.

That’s why it seemed to be full of such vague content.

Because feelings and sensations were bound to be subjective.

A minor problem was that from my perspective as a common person, it was extremely difficult to understand the subjective explanations of a genius.

Often, when I was training, such a scene would come to mind.

– Just try handling the qi with this kind of feeling.

The image of the Sun Moon Divine Sword Master tilting his head, wondering why I couldn’t understand even this.

Setting aside my small complaints about the Sun Moon Divine Sword Master for now, I decided to focus on the key principles of the fourth stance, Moonlight Coiling Sword.

Moonlight Coiling Sword was a technique focused on defense.

Just as the Yun Clan Head had created a qi barrier with his spear, it was a technique to form a qi barrier with a sword.

If I had to express it, it could be called a sword screen.

In fact, one of the reasons I decided to train the fourth stance was because of this.

Seeing the scene of a qi barrier being formed with my own eyes had been a good study.

“Sss. Hooo.”

After calming my breath, I sent my energy towards the Restoring Name Sword.

A soft sword cry echoed as sword qi was overlaid on the Restoring Name Sword.

In that state, I slowly turned my arm and wrist, rotating the Restoring Name Sword.

In that process, I maintained the sword qi I had first formed and sent additional energy.

Not like pulling out a single sharp thread, but like weaving a thin, wide cloth.

But before the Restoring Name Sword could even make half a turn, the wide curtain of qi that was being drawn became disheveled and soon disappeared like a heat haze.

As expected, there was no way I would succeed on the first try.

Since it was something I had expected, there was no reason to be disappointed.

I just repeatedly replayed the scene of the self-proclaimed number one person in Chongqing unfolding his spear screen, and recalled the key principles written in the Sun Moon Infinite Sword secret manual, repeating it over and over.

To chase after that Hyeok Ilso fellow who was growing faster than in my past life, I had to swing my sword one more time in the time I would be disappointed.

That was right.

The biggest reason I was trying to learn Moonlight Coiling Sword even though I hadn’t perfectly mastered One Sun, Ten Thousand Lights was because of Hyeok Ilso.

“Hooo. I can’t seem to get the feel of it just by training.”

I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined Hyeok Ilso.

If my deduction was correct, he would have started learning the Hoyeon Clan’s sword art.

The scene of him unfolding a hegemonic and powerful sword art was drawn in my mind.

When I flashed my eyes open, a whitish trajectory was reflected in the air.

Hyeok Ilso’s powerful single strike flying towards my neck.

To block that strike, I tried to form a qi barrier again.

The sword qi spread out much wider than before.

A form close to a half-moon was completed, but.

Slice.

The single strike unleashed by Hyeok Ilso finally cut my neck.

Cold sweat trickled down my spine.

For some reason, the corners of my mouth went up.

“Even if I die a thousand times, as long as I complete it by the time I meet him, it’s enough.”

The full moon formed by sword qi.

I had a feeling it would be my trump card to block his hegemonic sword art.

***

Ten days later, we arrived in Yichang.

But there was one problem.

We only knew that Hyeok Ilso had headed to the vicinity of Yichang.

We didn’t know his exact location.

“Let’s find out if there are any underworld or heretical sect groups around here. Trash tends to hang out with trash, so there’s a high probability that the underworld guys will know about the Black Market.”

We went around asking about underworld gangs again, but there was no particular gain.

We only realized one peculiar fact.

“For some reason, everyone is avoiding us.”

As the Dang Clan fellow said, people were avoiding us.

“E-Everyone’s gaze is not good. T-They hate us.”

“Yes. There’s an atmosphere of shunning outsiders, Senior Brother.”

It was a strange thing.

This place was also a city, so it wouldn’t be strange for outsiders to come and go.

I couldn’t understand why there was such a tense atmosphere.

For a moment, as we wandered through Yichang without any particular harvest, we saw a beggar begging.

As befitting a bustling place, it wasn’t strange for there to be a beggar.

But for some reason, my eyes kept going to that beggar.

The beggar, who had been looking elsewhere, turned his head and our eyes met.

The beggar flinched for a moment, then held out his hand towards us and said.

“S-Spare a coin.”

A chuckle escaped me.

It wasn’t that the beggar was funny.

“This is rather fortunate.”

I approached the beggar and said.

“I have something to ask.”

“W-What would a beggar know.”

“Is there a Black Market around here? Or do you know anything about the guys from the Unwol Sect?”

“W-What are you talking about? I-I really……”

“A knot is sticking out from the gap in your pants.”

“Yes?”

The guy flinched in surprise and checked his side.

There was no knot sticking out.

The expression of the guy, who had only then realized he had been tricked, darkened.

“Ah……”

As expected, this guy was a Beggar’s Gang member.

Perhaps because my skills had recently improved, or because of my second eye, my ability to read a person’s qi had become more proficient than before.

Thanks to that, I could intuitively tell that this beggar was learning martial arts.

The Beggar’s Gang member, whose identity had been revealed, sighed and said.

“Shall we move to another place first? It would be troublesome if someone heard or saw.”

I willingly nodded my head.

The Beggar’s Gang member moved first, and we followed him.

Only after arriving at a secluded place where almost no presence could be felt did the beggar look back at us.

“This kind of thing is troublesome, Ghost Sword Young Master.”

“I’ll apologize for that part. Instead, I’ll pay the price with the wealth that comes from dealing with the Unwol Sect guys.”

The Beggar’s Gang member let out a scoff and said.

“Your way of calculating is quite unique, just as I’ve heard.”

“Anyway, do you know anything?”

“Since this area has been a mess recently, I know more than enough……”

The story of the Beggar’s Gang member who started speaking like that was simple.

Nine days ago, an incident occurred in Yichang where over a hundred people were massacred.

Since it was a sudden situation, the Beggar’s Gang also started an investigation and discovered a certain commonality.

“Some of the dead were people we knew. They were all people we had identified as being affiliated with the Black Heaven Sect.”

The Unwol Sect had attacked the Black Heaven Sect.

This was the conclusion the Beggar’s Gang had reached.

In other words, it meant that this was originally a territory managed by the Black Heaven Sect.

Naturally, the Black Heaven Sect side did not seem to have any intention of just giving this place up.

“Five days ago, an unusually large number of outsiders flocked to Yichang. And the next morning, over a hundred more bodies were found.”

It seemed this was also the reason why the people of Yichang were wary of us.

Nine days ago, and five days ago, whenever outsiders flocked, a bloodbath had occurred, so it would have been stranger not to be wary.

“The Unwol Sect, which also won the fight five days ago, is moving quite boldly. It seems they are trying to continue operating the Black Market that the Black Heaven Sect originally managed.”

“Where and when does that Black Market open?”

For some reason, the Beggar’s Gang member sighed at my question.

“Haa. Didn’t you hear? Over a hundred guys from the Black Heaven Sect flocked here and were all killed. Are you planning to strike that place with just the four of you?”

“Why are you asking the obvious?”

“…….”

The Beggar’s Gang member, who had been stuttering like a mute for a moment, added.

“The war is not over, Ghost Sword Young Master. We only found out recently, but the Blood Fist Golden Ghost has moved.”

It was an alias I had never heard before in my life.

“Who is that?”

“He is the elder who manages the entire Hubei region for the Black Heaven Sect.”

If he was an elder of the Black Heaven Sect, I thought he might be a master of a similar level to Qingliang Xueshang from last time.

“So you’re saying Hyeok Ilso and the elder of the Black Heaven Sect are going to have a showdown at that Black Market soon.”

It was truly interesting news.

“A situation where the two forces will clash properly will unfold. To visit such a situation with just the four of you is no different from throwing an egg at a rock.”

“We’ll have to go to know whether it will be throwing an egg at a rock or reaping the benefits of a third party. So just tell me the location of the Black Market and the day it opens.”

I knew it was dangerous.

But if you avoid danger, the situation is bound to get worse.

What if that Hyeok Ilso fellow, who was already growing faster than in his past life, survived this battle as well?

What if he, like a genius, gained some enlightenment from the fight with the Black Heaven Sect elder?

Then it would be even harder to kill him.

I said to the Beggar’s Gang member who was still keeping his mouth shut.

“If you don’t want to talk, don’t. I’ll just go around stirring up trouble all over Yichang until he notices our presence.”

At my threat-like not-a-threat, the Beggar’s Gang member let out a deep sigh and answered.

“Haa. A little south of Yichang, there is a small island in the middle of the Yangtze River. A Black Market used to be held there every month on the night of the full moon.”

At the Beggar’s Gang member’s answer, the corners of my mouth went up without me realizing it.

“If it’s the full moon, then it’s tonight.”

***

After parting with the Beggar’s Gang member, we took a room at a suitable inn and rested.

“We’ll be fighting a big battle tonight, so rest for a bit first.”

It was a bad move to go there with our exhausted bodies.

So I also intended to rest.

But sleep would not come.

I will meet him soon.

More than half a year has passed since I missed him last time.

How much has that genius grown in that time?

Don’t tell me he has already reached a place I cannot reach?

Every time such anxiety surged, I would grab the Restoring Name Sword without realizing it.

Was it because of the tension?

The palm of my hand that was gripping the Restoring Name Sword was tingling.

Every time, I had to forcefully calm my breath and release my hand that was gripping the sword.

What would change now by swinging my sword a few times?

What mattered was what I had accumulated so far, not now.

Now was the time to focus on raising my physical condition.

“Sss. Hooo.”

I quietly closed my eyes and reviewed the training I had done so far, and the life-and-death battles I had experienced so far.

Was it because I was reflecting on the arduous struggles I had been through?

Suddenly, I thought that I couldn’t have done any better than this.

Then my heart became a little more at ease.

For how long was I in meditation with a calm mind?

The voices of Nam Geon and my Junior Sister pierced my ears.

“Senior Brother.”

“B-Big bro.”

When I flashed my eyes open, a deep darkness had fallen all around.

I got up as I was and opened the window.

After confirming the full moon floating in the sky, I said to my comrades.

“Let’s depart.”

***

After leaving the inn, we moved towards the island we had heard about from the Beggar’s Gang member.

For about two quarters of an hour, as we advanced, hidden in the darkness of the night.

An island situated in the middle of the wide Yangtze River came into view.

Was it just my feeling?

I felt a thick scent of blood.

I increased my speed a little and approached the riverbank.

It wasn’t just my feeling.

As I got closer to the river, I saw corpses scattered here and there.

It seemed the fight had already begun.

A small sound could be heard from the island across the river.

Screams and shouts.

I threw my body towards the river as I was.

I approached the island while swimming.

The closer I got, the louder the screams and shouts coming from the island became.

My heart was pounding.

So violently as if it would swallow even the noise coming from the island.

Was it because my heart had reached its limit after swimming for only about a quarter of an hour?

There was no way that was true.

The arm that had been pushing away the river water touched the bottom.

When I finally arrived at the island, a smile escaped me without me realizing it.

A hellscape was unfolding.

Countless corpses were scattered on the ground, and trash was swinging their weapons at each other.

Was it because I had been eagerly waiting for this moment?

Among the trash that easily numbered over a hundred.

Beyond the obstructed view, I could see Hyeok Ilso’s face.

My heart pounded even more violently.

A few of the trash, perhaps having discovered us who had just arrived on the island, rushed towards us.

“Die!!”

With the drawing of my sword, I slit the throat of the guy at the very front.

Slice!

Beyond the blood spurting from the guy’s neck.

Hyeok Ilso, who had soared into the air, was looking exactly at me.

A smile was on his face, illuminated by the full moon.

“You’ve come to your own death.”

A smile full of killing intent and joy.

I realized it belatedly.

“Hehehehe.”

That the same smile as his was on my face.

“The one who will die is you.”

Ah.

It wasn’t tension or fear.

It seemed my body was itching to cut that trash’s neck as soon as possible.

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