Chapter 256

Venerable Woo-am had somehow dodged and walked forward from behind the collapsed pavilion, stepping on debris.

Venerable Woo-am suddenly sniffed.

“I smell blood.”

Only then did Baek Li-jung look at his own bloodied calf.

“A mosquito must have bitten me.”

Baek Li-jung kicked the ground casually as if it were nothing.

“That won’t do. It’s not fair.”

Venerable Woo-am extended his hand forward as if pulling something. An ordinary blue steel sword at his waist was drawn out, the blade sliding from its sheath. Venerable Woo-am turned the sword and cut his own thigh.

Slash!

Blood immediately flowed.

“There’s no need to go that far. Unless you’re forcing me to pluck out my own eyes.”

“No, no. This is just my own formality. As someone from the Orthodox Path, I should act accordingly… that kind of fixed notion, you could say.”

“Isn’t calling yourself someone from the Orthodox Path itself a formality? Especially for someone who coveted another man’s wife.”

Venerable Woo-am neither denied nor affirmed. Instead, he took a step forward while holding his sword.

He clearly took one step but was somehow three steps out, and when he took another step, he was five steps out. In the blink of an eye, Venerable Woo-am had reached right in front of Baek Li-jung.

Baek Li-jung also drew his sword. It was an old-feeling ancient sword, the Baek Li family heirloom Heavenly Vermillion Blade. The darkish blade had a reddish aura at the tip, like a sunset reflection. When Baek Li-jung infused internal energy, the red aura of Heavenly Vermillion Blade changed to yellow.

The two exchanged swords one step apart.

Hiss.

The blades didn’t clash but passed by each other as if touching yet not touching, making a soft metallic sound.

Slash, hiss.

Venerable Woo-am drew diagonally twice. Baek Li-jung held Heavenly Vermillion Blade upside down, handling it like a saber and meeting Venerable Woo-am’s sword techniques with the blade surface. Venerable Woo-am’s sword slid smoothly along Heavenly Vermillion Blade.

Venerable Woo-am raised his foot and kicked at Baek Li-jung’s chest.

Baek Li-jung tried to use suction on his belly skin to disrupt Venerable Woo-am’s force, like when blocking Remnant Wind Guest’s kick. However, Venerable Woo-am was different from Remnant Wind Guest.

Thud!

Baek Li-jung’s center collapsed and he staggered backward.

Venerable Woo-am lowered his foot and said.

“I must have told you repeatedly. You’d get in trouble if you made Ryeong-gyeong cry. So don’t forget the pain being carved into your body now.”

Baek Li-jung composed his expression and thrust his sword first.

Heavenly Blade Divine Sword!

Baek Li-jung’s sword technique was violent and fierce. Sword energy extended outward several times in an instant, each a full zhang long, stabbing at Venerable Woo-am’s neck. Venerable Woo-am used Qingcheng sect footwork, stepping back and dodging left and right to avoid Baek Li-jung’s sword energy.

Slash!

The end of the red cloth covering his eyes fluttered, then was cut to the size of a fingernail.

Baek Li-jung forcefully blew out his breath.

Whoosh!

The cut cloth piece stiffened, spun around, and embedded in Venerable Woo-am’s neck like a hidden weapon. Venerable Woo-am tilted his neck sideways and raised his hand to catch the cloth piece with his index and middle fingers. However, as if it were an unexpected move, the cloth piece had already slightly embedded in his neck. Of course, if he hadn’t caught it, it would have pierced through his neck.

When he pulled out the cloth piece, a drop of blood seeped out.

Baek Li-jung said.

“How could I forget? After that, for a long time… during nights longer than you can imagine, I couldn’t sleep. I had to put considerable mental effort into overcoming the aftereffects and fear of being beaten.”

“Such a fellow…”

Venerable Woo-am pursed his lips and emanated killing intent.

“Framed Ryeong-gyeong’s family as traitors in league with the Demon Cult and exterminated them?”

While Venerable Woo-am was speaking with killing intent, Baek Li-jung extended his left palm.

Whoosh!

The fierce internal energy of Thunder Splitting Song Palm extended toward Venerable Woo-am. Venerable Woo-am gripped the blue steel sword with both hands and struck down.

Slash.

The internal energy of Thunder Splitting Song Palm split left and right and dissipated silently.

However, Baek Li-jung planted Heavenly Vermillion Blade in the ground and deployed Thunder Splitting Song Palm with both hands again.

Rumble!

A sound like thunder and lightning roared.

Venerable Woo-am took a short breath, stopped, then consecutively slashed his sword. The Thunder Splitting Song Palm extended with both palms was cut in all directions.

Baek Li-jung said.

“The Dan family’s collusion with the Demon Cult was true, wasn’t it?”

“You know better than anyone that it’s not true!”

Venerable Woo-am stamped his foot.

THUD!

Elder Sky Peak vibrated and shook.

Venerable Woo-am’s hair rose upward and fluttered. Extreme anger and killing intent extended in streams.

Venerable Woo-am turned his body and slashed the blue steel sword widely. Sword energy became sharp waves along the ground and struck at Baek Li-jung. Baek Li-jung used True Horn steps while slashing Heavenly Vermillion Blade horizontally.

Venerable Woo-am’s sword energy was severed strand by strand and bounced away.

Venerable Woo-am continuously emitted sword energy while approaching, and Baek Li-jung retreated while defensively cutting off Venerable Woo-am’s sword energy.

Slash, hiss!

Sword energy clashed with sword energy, continuously making sounds like cutting paper.

“Why did you frame the Dan family and make them perish?”

Venerable Woo-am’s voice filled with anger became increasingly intense. The sword also became stronger accordingly.

Zing! Zing zing!

Making sounds like lightning sparks, the tips of Venerable Woo-am’s sword energy gathered in circles and shone like jade.

Jade Wind Cloud Sword!

Baek Li-jung withdrew his opposing sword and hastily lowered his body. The circular mass at the tip of the blue steel sword unfolded and drew a large semicircle like a whip.

The sword energy that passed over Baek Li-jung’s head silently cut horizontally over ten zhang in all directions. It seemed like wind was cutting heaven and earth.

Crack.

The trees and rocks standing behind Baek Li-jung were cut and fell over.

Baek Li-jung gritted his molars.

His whole body trembled.

It was difficult. He hadn’t expected it, but facing Venerable Woo-am, fear arose. Deep in his heart, the terror from that time still remained and was creeping up.

This was despite knowing that in terms of skill, he was no longer inferior to Venerable Woo-am. This was despite thinking that he might even be slightly more advantageous since his opponent was blind.

Baek Li-jung leaped far back and opened his mouth.

“I was in my late twenties…”

Venerable Woo-am breathed roughly while listening to Baek Li-jung’s words.

“It was not long after I married my wife. You came to find me and beat me mercilessly.”

Venerable Woo-am replied.

“That’s right. How could I not be angry when some pretty-faced gigolo took away the woman who had promised me her future?”

“Promised her future? You? The next sect leader of Qingcheng sect and candidate for the next generation’s leading Taoist? Even if others might, could the direct disciple of the sect leader lineage who couldn’t return to secular life?”

“I had decided to give up everything for Ryeong-gyeong. I was on my way to tell Ryeong-gyeong of that resolve.”

“Let me tell you about your serious delusion. My wife knew your status, and because of that, she confessed she had never even considered a future promise. You were just drawing water with a broken gourd alone. Understand?”

“That can’t be. Ryeong-gyeong’s feelings for me hadn’t cooled even until now. If you hadn’t forcibly taken her away, Ryeong-gyeong would definitely have come to me.”

“How irritating. ‘Forcibly,’ you say. Let me answer that precisely. It was my wife who approached me first. Not me.”

“No, Ryeong-gyeong was meeting me well. And anyway, you’re the main culprit. If not for you, Ryeong-gyeong would never have left me.”

Baek Li-jung raised his internal energy and lifted Heavenly Vermillion Blade again. He rotated his body and continuously drew circles from bottom to top, left to right. Venerable Woo-am rotated opposite to Baek Li-jung and similarly crossed swords.

Slash, slash.

The sword energies intertwined but didn’t catch at all, smoothly colliding and passing by.

Baek Li-jung’s sword momentum was continuously offset. Suddenly Baek Li-jung changed from circular to linear sword momentum. While drawing circles downward, he reversed and raised Heavenly Vermillion Blade.

Venerable Woo-am raised his foot and stepped on the blade surface the moment Heavenly Vermillion Blade turned. A thousand catties of force suppressed Heavenly Vermillion Blade. Baek Li-jung twisted the sword to extract Heavenly Vermillion Blade, turned his body sideways, and swung from top to bottom.

Venerable Woo-am gripped the sword hilt with his left hand, brought it to his chin, then extended it forward.

Qingcheng sect’s finger wind. Close-range finger wind pierced Baek Li-jung’s shoulder. Still, Baek Li-jung swung Heavenly Vermillion Blade to the end.

Slash.

The red cloth covering Venerable Woo-am’s eyes was cut away. Venerable Woo-am’s eyes, horrifically scarred as if hacked by a blade, were revealed. A streak of blood formed on his nose bridge and forehead, beading with blood drops.

Venerable Woo-am frowned.

“Oh dear, this was the cloth I treasured most.”

Baek Li-jung, having retreated, inhaled and struck his chest with his palm.

Thud! Thud!

The energy channels blocked by finger wind opened. Loosening his numbed shoulder, Baek Li-jung said.

“It must have been a gift from my wife in the past.”

“You know well.”

Baek Li-jung’s eyebrows twitched.

“But it’s rather irritating. Continuously calling another man’s wife by her childhood name. Isn’t that a very bad habit?”

“Isn’t today the perfect day to call her by that name? After all, one of us two must die, and we’re fighting in the present bound by the past.”

“That makes sense.”

The words stopped briefly.

What was the proper way to address another’s wife?

However, determining who was right was actually meaningless.

Already memories from decades ago.

A time when youthful passion and emotion preceded reason.

The two were still dealing with each other with the emotions from that time.

Baek Li-jung continued.

“The shock of being beaten during my newlywed period was so great and terrifying that, as you said, I couldn’t get up for a while and couldn’t even hold a sword.”

“Then you should have lived properly.”

“Even so, if you had just observed the worst taboo, the situation wouldn’t have gone this far.”

Finally, the story he had been holding in his heart flowed out. Both of them felt it.

Baek Li-jung tried to suppress his face from contorting. However, since Venerable Woo-am couldn’t see his expression anyway.

Baek Li-jung didn’t bother suppressing it and fully revealed his contemptuous expression.

“My wife became pregnant.”

Venerable Woo-am’s sword tip wavered. Though his eyes were covered, if they had been revealed, his gaze would have wavered.

Baek Li-jung didn’t miss the chance and attacked. Though slower than before, his sword still made no sound.

Venerable Woo-am noticed Baek Li-jung’s sword technique later than expected. He blocked the technique with the blue steel sword but was pushed back in momentum.

Slash, slash.

Contrary to his angry expression, Baek Li-jung relaxed his hands. Like Venerable Woo-am’s sword, Baek Li-jung’s sword undulated and rode over Venerable Woo-am’s sword.

Venerable Woo-am twisted his wrist this way and that. He blocked Baek Li-jung’s sword tip with the circular guard in front of the blue steel sword’s handle that protected the hand.

Clink, clank.

Baek Li-jung ground his teeth.

“The shock of being beaten by you made me unable to function as a man for quite longer than expected. Naturally, I couldn’t even dream of conjugal relations. So whose child was that child?”

Venerable Woo-am’s breathing became rough.

Concentration became difficult and internal energy flow wasn’t smooth. For masters like them, momentary gaps were fatal. The reason they generally didn’t use large movements with great power was to avoid showing openings.

Crack, crack crack.

The blade guard was cut by Heavenly Vermillion Blade. Baek Li-jung flipped Heavenly Vermillion Blade.

Slash.

Again came the sound of cutting paper.

Baek Li-jung powerfully pressed Venerable Woo-am.

“Shall I tell you proof that my wife hated you? My wife killed her own child herself. To prove her heart to me.”