61 - Murim Login

Chapter 61 The air trembled. The Great Elder could feel it permeating through him. Simultaneously, he realized the destructive force of the spearhead aimed at his chest. 'This is... dangerous.' A threat to his life, rarely felt in his lifetime, now raised every hair on his body, and time seemed to slow. Swish! Jin Taekyung's spear came from the front, while Jin Wi-kyung's sword attacked from the rear. The coordinated assault of the two brothers was executed with unparalleled precision. A moment of critical danger. From his dantian, the energy coiled within the Great Elder surged through his body, invigorating his aged muscles and awakening his meridians. The transformation did not stop there. The sword energy, which had soared nearly a foot high, was compressed to half its size. Yet, this was not a decrease in power, but a concentration. The sword energy, which previously fluttered like thread, now enveloped the entire blade, taking on a new form. Sword Force (劍强). A symbol of transcendent warriors who had breached the wall of mastery to carve out a domain of greatness. Though still incomplete and only half-formed, it was undeniably Sword Force, the culmination of a lifetime of martial study by the Great Elder. Slice. Even the legendary blade passed down through generations of the Jin family of Taewon was cut down, wrapped in sword energy. Shocked, Jin Wi-kyung’s face turned pale as his inner energy scattered and turbulence roiled inside him. In a blink, the Great Elder could have taken his neck. But there was no time for him to do so. Slash! The Great Elder reached out with his hand to intercept the spear approaching his chest. His wrinkled hand was also enveloped in a brilliant aura. This too was an incomplete Hand Force (手强), but it was sufficient to halt Jin Taekyung's spear. Or it appeared to be. Krrraaaang. Until the vortex spilling from the spearhead engulfed him. A silence as profound as death descended. It felt like dozens, perhaps all on the battlefield, were watching us. No, not us. Only one person. "Is this..." At the end of countless gazes, the Great Elder slowly spoke. "What technique was that?" I answered him. "A Singular Stroke." Even speaking it left me feeling intensely famished. My muscles tingled painfully, and I had not a shred of energy remaining within me. But that was it. Unlike before, there was no fainting, no disgraceful collapse. 'I can withstand it now.' I had grown enough to handle the aftereffects of the Singular Stroke, and as I grew, so did the power of the technique. The current state of the Great Elder was proof enough. "A Singular Stroke, you say." He murmured softly, pressing a point on his shoulder. While the flowing blood ceased, the missing arm, shredded without a trace by the stroke's vortex, would not return. "I never imagined losing an arm at this age. Haha." The Great Elder laughed hollowly as he turned to Jin Wi-kyung. "You have a terrifying younger brother." With a pale face, Jin Wi-kyung asked back. "Are you afraid of that child?" "What about you?" "I am proud." An unhesitant answer. A smile blossomed on his pallid complexion. "A child raised like a treasure grew up to be steel. Taekyung is such a child." The Great Elder gazed steadily at that smile. "You are quite an asset. One who could shoulder the future of the Jin family of Taewon." "Is that so?" "However, you're still not like your younger siblings." It's one thing for Jin Mugeong to have reached the pinnacle at such a young age, but for me to also be held in high regard felt overwhelming… 'What is he trying to say?' As if reading my thoughts, the Great Elder continued. "Something you wouldn't even share with blood. That is power. When that time comes, will you still be proud of your siblings?" Suddenly, the atmosphere turned icy. Everyone close to the Great Elder now stood on the other side, all affiliated with the Jin family. Their wary glances lightly brushed my cheek, only to slip away gently. 'I have no desire to become clan head.' At that moment. Jin Wi-kyung spoke. "So that's how it is." The voice carried a mix of resignation and relief. The Great Elder's eyebrow twitched. "What do you mean?" "The reason you betrayed. Why today's event happened." "…" The trembling eyes of the Great Elder served as his answer. I breathed a quiet sigh internally. 'So that's what it was.' A struggle for succession. It felt like a huge puzzle piece had fallen into place. The remaining pieces, yet to find their places, were slowly coming together through their conversation. "What was the matter?" Jin Wi-kyung asked politely. The change was so natural that none present noticed. "Do you know about your grandfather?" "I have not heard. My father never mentioned a word." "A cold-hearted man. To his child and his only brother. And..." the Great Elder chuckled softly. "He was petty. Though once we were a harmonious pair, various reasons estranged us. And then it happened." "The Great Demonic War." "Do you know the term 'Hundred Thousand Demons'? They came ceaselessly. The Martial Alliance was formed, but it was merely a coalition of the Nine Great Sects, each preoccupied with defending their own territories." It was then that the Great Elder began making his name known. Under the banner of the Jin family of Taewon, he rallied the scattered martial practitioners from the mountains and finally drove back the Demonic Cult's army. "The final battle took place right here, in Palcheon Gorge." His gaze seemed to trace the distant past. "It was a long war. Many died, and everyone was exhausted. Yet, there was hope. The hope to soon return to their families. The three hundred members of the Order of Death shared this sentiment." "You achieved a great victory." The battle of three hundred against three thousand ended in the total annihilation of the Demonic Cult. A monumental victory, remembered as the reason the Great Elder was revered to this day. Everyone believed it beyond doubt. At least until just now. "There was an ambush." What? "We retreated deep into the gorge, but we were hopelessly outnumbered. Even as I wielded my sword in desperate fury, one question haunted me." The Great Elder's voice continued, eerily calm. "How did they know to lie in wait? My brother was supposed to be blocking the path to Palcheon Gorge." ... A silent shock rippled through the crowd. Jin Wi-kyung's face, already pale, lost all color. “The battle lasted for half a day. We fought, hoping for reinforcements that never came. Only eight of the three hundred members of the Order of Death survived. When I finally returned to the clan, I could never forget the look on my brother’s face.” “Is that... true?” “The landscape has changed many times since then. Did you think I reached this conclusion on a mere hunch?” Decades are more than enough to turn suspicion into certainty. The Great Elder laughed bitterly. “My brother turned the war into an opportunity. While I became a hero on the battlefield, he became the clan head. Those loyal to me were either killed in battle or vanished.” “Then, joining the Council of Elders immediately was also...?” “To ensure security. To keep me and my people alive.” My people? I recalled his earlier words. The eight survivors who followed the Great Elder to the end. It wasn't hard to deduce their identities. ‘The Elders and the leaders of the Sanseo Sect.’ The survivors vowed revenge. Revenge against the clan head and the family that betrayed them. The Great Elder slowly scanned the room. “It has been a long wait.” Silence engulfed the people. Distrust, shock, shame. Emotions varied, yet no one dared to speak easily. Well, except for me. “You sure like to ramble on.” I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. “All this talk boils down to one thing.” I motioned towards the Great Elder with my thumb. “You’re just trying to take control, aren’t you? Revenge and all that aside.” “What did you say?” “You want to take over Taewon Jin Family and the Mount Hangsan Sect, getting rid of any obstacles in your path.” “You insolent—” Did the old man eat a whole steam engine? Oh, right, there are no trains here. “Revenge? Sure, that’s all well and good...,” I continued, picking at my ear. “But why wait until now?” It’s been a good 40 years since those events. Given the Great Elder’s age, he’s waited half a lifetime. “How many of those who betrayed you are still alive? There’s such a thing as being too late for revenge, you know. And please, spare me the nonsense about one's noble patience for ten years.” If enduring for ten years makes one a noble, would enduring for forty make this Great Elder Jesus? This is nothing but a deranged old man's self-justification. “With such a mouth, you speak carelessly.” “I did. And what will you do about it?” “Do you think you know everything?” “Do I have to? Things have come this far, haven’t they?” Exasperated at such an obvious question, I gestured toward the battlefield. A scene of hellish chaos and bloodshed unfolded before us. “That’s…” For a moment, the cold determination wavered in the Great Elder’s eyes. But only for a moment. “You're right. What more is there to say?” With a touch of self-derision, he muttered this and lifted his sword. “Great Elder.” Jin Wi-kyung parted his lips but couldn't say more. The fight would only end with one side dead. We had come too far to turn back now. “Come.” I wasn’t about to decline. “Strike!” It was now time to hunt the wounded beast. I remembered the first day I saw the Great Elder. With a presence and dignity defying his age, his white beard reminiscent of an immortal sage. Whoosh! Of course, no sage would casually cleave someone in half. 'Once esteemed, forever esteemed,' they say. Splattered with blood, he swung his sword tirelessly. Awe and fear-filled gazes followed him. “A monster…” He had lost an arm, yet the Great Elder remained strong. But not as formidable as before. “He’s beatable.” No matter how skilled the Great Elder was, the fighters here were the elite of the Taewon Jin family. Men who followed Jin Wi-kyung through the battlefield, surviving their earlier clash with the Great Elder. Clang! The Great Elder deflected the blows converging from all sides, his expression dark. In the past, he would have sliced through anything blocking his path with his sword aura. This was proof that his once inexhaustible energy had run dry. Moreover, his aged body had reached its limits. Slash. Wounds began to appear across the Great Elder’s body. Unlike before, most of the blood was his own. ‘Now!’ I wouldn’t miss this chance. My spear lunged forward, tearing a chunk from his side. “Grr!” Even in pain, the Great Elder managed to cut down another fighter and charged at me. His sword, swung with intent, held a faint sword aura. But... Slice. Blood sprayed as the sword aura dissipated. Jin Wi-kyung emerged from behind the staggering Great Elder. “I had forgotten about you.” The Great Elder turned with a twisted expression. “Did you learn to stab from behind from your brother?” “With our people dying, an ambush is the least of concerns.” “Do you feel no shame as a warrior?” “Before a warrior, I am the young head of the family.” “Young head... haha.” Jin Wi-kyung looked at the Great Elder with a complex expression. “The tide has already turned.” “So? Are you here to offer me a chance to surrender?” “Please stop this pointless battle.” The battlefront had shifted to our favor long ago. Yet, the men in black resisted tenaciously, and the cries and corpses did not cease. “You're right. It might be a pointless fight. But…” The swaying Great Elder straightened his back. His eyes now sparkled with intensity, a blade-like aura emanating from him. “We’ve come too far to stop now.” The last stand... No, it was more than that. I suddenly thought of someone. Jo Pil. The final sight of him when he was dying mirrored the Great Elder now. 'Innate energy. He's drawing on his innate energy.' If cultivated energy accumulated through breathing exercises and elixirs is acquired, innate energy is the opposite. It’s the very essence of life itself, the fundamental vitality of the human body. The Great Elder was now sacrificing his life to use his innate energy. “Cough.” The Great Elder coughed up blood, raising his sword with a fervor that contrasted sharply with his waning life. At that moment, the sword shone more brilliantly than ever. Facing this overwhelming sight, a word slipped involuntarily from my lips. "Sword Force…" It was instinctual. Just witnessing it made my heart race. The aura surpassed any sword energy I had ever felt. Then came his voice. "So, you were there." His bloodshot eyes, with veins visibly bursting, locked onto me. Jin Wi-kyung rushed to intercept him. "No!" But the Great Elder was already gone from that spot. In a single step, he covered a distance of several lengths and swung his sword at me. Whoosh. So, this is how I die. It was an attack one couldn’t dodge or block. I was dead. I was going to die. Yet… 'I can't die like this.' I squeezed every ounce of strength from my muscles. A scant amount of energy surged towards the spearhead. This was a final defiance, an homage to the fierce life I had lived thus far. "Singular Stroke." Ssshhh! With all my remaining strength, I launched my final attack.