The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan - Chapter 158
Chapter 158 – Namgung Seo-ryeon, Namgung Yu-baek (2)
The “flame mist” of Flame Mist Bottle means a fog made of flames.
If the blue flame fog touched the skin, it burned it red and scorched it.
Inhaling it through the nose or mouth will burn the mucous membranes, and the poison entering the bloodstream will eventually spread throughout the body, bursting blood vessels and leading to death.
It also had a toxic effect that made it difficult to move one’s internal energy, which was why it affected even the Supreme Peak masters.
Namgung Yu-baek definitely inhaled the blue flame fog.
He created a sword wind in a single breath to blow away the poison mist, but his skin was also scorched red.
His movements became sluggish.
Half of his internal energy had to be used to block the meridians to prevent the poison from spreading.
On the other hand, Yi-gang and his party were fine.
Namgung Shin had a shoulder pierced but could still wield his sword.
Yi-gang, who was holding the Tang Clan’s secret Poison Resistance Bead, was slightly touched by the flame fog but was mostly fine.
However, they still couldn’t do anything to Namgung Yu-baek.
Kaaang—
Moyong Jin was startled.
His sword, made of mixed cold iron, was split in two. The sword, which had been intact even after cutting through rock, had broken just from blocking the opponent’s sword a few times.
Namgung Yu-baek was indeed a Supreme Peak master.
His face was so scorched it turned black rather than red. His eyes, swollen and bleeding, seemed unable to see properly in front of him.
Yet, he easily countered the combined attack of the three successors.
“How dare you—!”
Namgung Yu-baek attempted to slash Moyong Jin’s throat.
It was impossible to dodge the sword of Namgung Yu-baek, who swung his weapon like an enraged lion.
The moment Moyong Jin tried to evade, one of the other two was bound to die.
Namgung Shin intercepted Moyong Jin, who was rushing in with a broken sword.
Namgung Shin offered his neck as if he was indifferent to death.
Namgung Yu-baek’s sword inevitably stopped. He had to spare Namgung Shin, if only to hear about the Five Elements Divine Art.
Namgung Shin had blocked the sword with his life on the line multiple times like this.
This was the first reason the three of them were still alive.
And the second reason was—
“Remarkable! Truly impressive!”
It was Yi-gang.
Yi-gang’s skill was not at this level when Namgung Shin first dueled with him.
Yi-gang wielded his sword and danced a mad dance with it.
Even Namgung Yu-baek was surprised by this.
With a body not so robust, he moved the heavy sword as smoothly as water flowed.
Namgung Yu-baek’s defense had never been breached, but that was to be expected.
Though he couldn’t emit Sword Lightning like a moment ago, his opponent’s sword still surged with a blue sword energy.
Kaaang!
Yi-gang’s sword, miraculously, remained intact even after colliding with it.
“Remarkable, even a sword of thousand-year-old cold iron wouldn’t be able to withstand that.”
Namgung Yu-baek seemed to have noticed that Yi-gang’s sword was no ordinary one.
Yi-gang rebuked Namgung Yu-baek, “Aren’t you ashamed!”
“What should I be ashamed of?”
“Being the Vice Alliance Leader and trying to kill young successors, so green!”
It was a provocation. Namgung Yu-baek took the bait.
“Let’s put it the other way. Aren’t you ashamed? Using poison against a senior of the martial world.”
“You dog. You know no shame.”
“Such an unbecoming act. Kid, do you think I’ve never faced such a desperate situation before?”
Yi-gang’s expression, which had been filled with contemptuous anger, turned ice cold.
He realized that verbal provocation was utterly ineffective.
Gaining even a little bit of time was all it achieved.
Deciding that continuing as is would not do, Yi-gang suddenly changed his approach.
“If you would kindly let us go, we will forget this ever happened and live quietly. We don’t need the Five Elements Divine Art or anything else. I will also forget that the Vice Alliance Leader was about to take action.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“There’s a bit more.”
“Let’s hear it then.”
The intensity of the sword energy emanating from Namgung Yu-baek intensified.
It seemed he was gradually suppressing the toxicity of the Flame Fog. The situation was deteriorating.
If even one of them were to fall, the balance of power would crumble, and they would all die. Yi-gang couldn’t use the Heavenly Thunder Bell now.
He needed to delay as much as possible.
“Actually, there’s a shocking confession I have to make. Though it’s something I heard.”
“Well, I’ll listen to it once.”
After a brief pause, Yi-gang spoke earnestly, “That the Vice Alliance Leader is actually a eunuch…”
The sword that Namgung Yu-baek swung down at Yi-gang was like a streak of lightning.
Kwaaang!
A deafening roar that seemed to tear the ears.
It was solely thanks to the meteorite sword that he barely managed to block it.
The muscles in his arm seemed to have torn a bit due to the shock.
Namgung Yu-baek, as expected, was truly intending to kill Yi-gang.
The surging energy was entering Yi-gang’s body through the meteorite sword, causing internal injuries.
However, Namgung Yu-baek could no longer swing his sword.
Because he could not simply ignore the words that came out of Yi-gang’s mouth.
“Namgung Seo-ryeon told me to pass it on! That mastering the Five Elements Divine Art is impossible without a special constitution. She said to stop your disgraceful actions and to bite your tongue and die right away!”
“…What did you say?”
The name Namgung Seo-ryeon was buried decades ago.
Didn’t her face, who died without her name being revealed, still haunt him in his nightmares?
“Yes! That woman was cursing you? She said if she knew you would have turned out to be such trash, she should have killed you long ago.”
“How do you know her name…”
“Yes, I know. I know very well.”
With the self-control of a Supreme Peak master, Namgung Yu-baek barely regained his composure.
“I don’t know how you found out the name, but if you’re trying to delay time with nonsense…”
“Isn’t that her! Behind you. Are you pretending not to see her running towards us?”
Yi-gang fearlessly pointed behind Namgung Yu-baek.
Namgung Yu-baek was not someone to fall for a young brat’s pointing finger.
However, he couldn’t help but turn around due to the familiar sensation of thunder energy he felt behind him.
A small animal was running towards them.
No, a bronze-cast fox cub was coming to life and running towards them.
Its jewel-encrusted eyes emitted a blue light, sparking and crackling as it quickly approached and daringly passed between Namgung Yu-baek’s legs.
The reason he couldn’t slash it, and ended up watching the small fox snugly embrace Yi-gang, was not due to a lack of skill but because of a mental shock.
Crackle—
With the sound of thunder, Yi-gang’s head jerked up.
Moyong Jin and Namgung Shin instinctively stepped back as if on cue.
“What on earth…”
Namgung Yu-baek’s hand holding the sword trembled.
Yi-gang’s eyes, now looking down again, were shining blue.
Somehow his gaze seemed fiercer, and blue sparks flew from his hair fluttering in the wind.
And then, a voice extremely eerie and cold flowed from those lips, “You’ve become disgustingly old, pissant.”
It was Yi-gang’s voice, yet it clearly wasn’t his own.
Namgung Yu-baek’s body shuddered.
He himself had aged through the years, but how could the opponent speak with a tone that remained as young as ever?
“You should have died back then. With me. That would have been better.”
“…Lies. It’s all lies.”
“Have you grown deaf in your old age? Do you need to see it with your own eyes to believe?”
The fourth star of Heavenly Thunder Bell.
From there, a blue energy began to rise throughout the body.
Watching Yi-gang’s hair spread in all directions, Namgung Yu-baek clenched his teeth.
Yi-gang. No, the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon shot towards Namgung Yu-baek, leaving a trail of blue light.
The possession by the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon was different from the possession by the Immortal Divine Sword.
Unlike the Immortal Divine Sword, which harbored a spiritual energy as vast as the sea, the energy of the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon was at best comparable to a pond.
Perhaps it was because of the mixed blood of a yokai. The side effects of the possession were severe.
If it hadn’t been for consuming a lot of something similar to Pure Sky Oil and elixirs, he wouldn’t have dared to attempt it.
The sensation was strange as well. It felt wild, as if the soul of a beast had taken residence in his body.
Elevating the Heavenly Thunder Bell to the fourth star made it feel as if currents were flowing through his veins.
“Gasp!”
“Wait!”
“What is it…!”
The brawl between Namgung Yu-baek and him momentarily paused.
Then, an explosion sounded from the sky behind them.
Puff-puff-boom—!
What exploded in the sky was a flare.
The fireworks brightly adorned the dark night sky. The yellow smoke was vivid under the moonlight.
The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon had successfully met with Dam Hyun.
Thanks to that, Dam Hyun excellently grasped Yi-gang’s intentions and acted beyond expectations.
Namgung Yu-baek was astonished by the appearance of the flare.
“What is that, Baek Yi-gang!”
Namgung Yu-baek still hadn’t accepted the existence of the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon. His attitude was close to stubbornness.
“This little guy I’m carrying around received an item from the Governor of Henan Province.”
“Nonsense! You’re saying that’s a military flare from the Ming army?”
“It seems so.”
“No matter how much the Grand Coordinator cherishes you, there’s no way he’d give that to you! Unless the Military Governor is a fool!”
Governor Jo Gyu-seo of Henan Province had promised Yi-gang another reward, and that flare was received then.
Of course, it made no sense to grant military command authority just because he helped with the governor’s tasks.
The reason was a bit different.
The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, having heard the whole story from the side…
“Hey, you bastard. How would I know that reason.”
She just picked up his sword again, scratching her ear.
It was a behavior that Namgung Seo-ryeon from his memories would likely exhibit. Namgung Yu-baek was at a loss for words.
It was uncertain whether the soldiers guarding Henan Province would actually come running at the sight of the flare.
But that wasn’t what mattered.
At least, to the martial artists scouring this place, the Great Separation Mountain, the flare and smoke would have been clearly visible to their eyes.
“Stop whining and come at me!”
The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon charged like a wild beast.
Could it be because she was enveloped in blue lightning? Her speed was like a flash of lightning. It was fast even for Namgung Yu-baek, a Supreme Peak master.
Kakang—!
Yet, Namgung Yu-baek blocked it once again.
The swordsmanship itself was nothing remarkable. In fact, it was rather clumsy.
“Compared to a moment ago, it’s not as exquisite. Is this what you call swordsmanship!”
“You bastard. It’s because I originally used twin short swords.”
“…Tsk!”
Namgung Yu-baek dispatched the Shooting Star Fang with a powerful sword energy.
Compared to the Baek Noble Clan’s Heaven’s Shadow Sword Technique, the current swordsmanship was reckless.
Movements that could even be called bizarre. She was moving the body purely on instinct.
The problem was that this state of being was so profound it had reached the Supreme Peak realm.
Precisely, it was Namgung Seo-ryeon’s from his memories.
Namgung Yu-baek, internally acknowledging this, clenched his teeth.
He slightly released the suppressed True Qi to forcibly muster strength.
Kakakang—
Sword Lightning burst forth from the sword.
He thought this would be enough to split that annoying sword into two. After all, the sword aura could even slice through thousand-year-old cold iron.
Kakak—
But the sword was blocked again.
Seeing that his attack didn’t break the sword, Namgung Yu-baek was convinced that Yi-gang’s sword must have been made of meteorite iron.
“Has your swordsmanship improved? It used to be terrible.”
It felt just like facing the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon before his death.
Back then, Namgung Yu-baek was nowhere near a match for the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon.
“…I’ve swung my sword tens of thousands of times since then.”
But now things were different.
Decades had passed, and Namgung Yu-baek had finally surpassed the Supreme Peak wall.
On the other hand, his opponent remained at the point in time of her death, and that fact burned Namgung Yu-baek’s heart black with frustration.
“Don’t be so arrogant!”
However, waiting quietly for defeat wasn’t in the character of the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, Namgung Seo-ryeon.
From Yi-gang’s sword, now emitting blue light, blue lightning began to flash.
Was it sword energy, or something else entirely?
Kakakang—!
Once more, sword clashed against sword.
Namgung Yu-baek felt a tearing pain in his grip, due to the lightning transmitted through the sword.
This was the martial art of the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon.
Namgung Yu-baek himself knew best that Sword Lightning, Blue Lightning True Qi, and the like were mere imitations compared to this.
Yi-gang, having entrusted his body to the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, asked as if to confirm, 「Is it the fifth star of Heavenly Thunder Bell?」
“No, the sixth!”
「Will I die if the possession is released?」
The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon collided like lightning as she answered Yi-gang’s question.
There was a loud noise and sparks flew.
Yet, Namgung Yu-baek’s defense was not breached.
「My body…」 Yi-gang internally cursed.
Even using just the third star of Heavenly Thunder Bell placed a great burden on Yi-gang’s body.
Although exceeding that limit was possible due to the possession by the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, the aftermath of reaching beyond the sixth star was bound to be severe.
But it couldn’t be helped.
Only the Heavenly Thunder Bell was inflicting damage on Namgung Yu-baek.
He might not have cut through his body, but it felt like he had cut through his heart.
“Stop, stop it!”
“I won’t, you bastard!”
Namgung Yu-baek’s face was contorting every moment.
Steam was rising from his forearm, but it seemed not solely due to physical pain.
“Weren’t you dead!”
“Yes. I died.”
“Then, how come you’ve returned to life to stop me!”
Because Namgung Seo-ryeon, who had clearly died before his eyes, had returned.
It was crumbling because the very reason that had driven him to make all these decisions was now blocking him.
“You idiot bastard. How could I not stop you.”
“It’s to prevent someone like you from arising again.”
“Who asked for your help?”
“You wouldn’t know. What would you, who died young, know!”
“I’m one year older than you, you brat!”
Moyong Jin and Namgung Shin watched the duel between life and death with a mesmerized expression.
Yi-gang and Namgung Yu-baek were covered in cuts and bleeding, yet no one dared to intervene.
“It’s over! If you’re dead, go to the underworld gracefully.”
“No. Even in death, I choose to go with you.”
Yi-gang, the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, suddenly crouched down.
Then, Yi-gang’s hair turned ash gray.
His eyes shone fiercely blue, and his fangs were unmistakably longer.
It was the seventh star of Heavenly Thunder Bell.
“Die!”
The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon thrust her sword with a blatant curse.
But Namgung Yu-baek…
“…!”
For just a moment.
He hesitated only for a moment.
Illusions clouded his vision. The face from decades ago obscured his view.
The approaching figure of Yi-gang overlapped with Namgung Seo-ryeon.
She had returned in person to undermine Namgung Yu-baek’s convictions, telling him to die.
Thump.
Suddenly, the sword was piercing through Namgung Yu-baek’s chest.
“Cough.”
The lightning energy flowing through the sword burned his internal organs and spine.