Chapter 257

Venerable Woo-am, being pushed into a corner and realizing he couldn’t be cornered further, explosively released his internal energy with all his might. It was a technique that consumed internal energy severely.

Whoosh!

Baek Li-jung was pushed back, dragging his feet. Venerable Woo-am strongly denied with his roughened breathing.

“Didn’t you frame Ryeong-ryeong and the Dan family as traitors and drive them to extermination! So she killed the child herself to take revenge on you!”

It was the fifth year after Baek Li-jung married Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

The Dan family was branded as the Demon Cult and exterminated by the Martial Alliance.

And Dan Ryeong-gyeong made the worst choice.

She killed her own child…

Moreover, it was none other than Baek Li-jung who had been at the forefront of attacking his own in-law family.

Therefore, all sorts of ominous rumors circulated in society. Some said Dan Ryeong-gyeong had gone mad, others that she had truly become obsessed with the Demon Cult and offered the child as a sacrifice.

However, the most convincing rumor among them was that she killed the child as revenge, meaning she wouldn’t leave Baek Li-jung’s seed behind to take revenge on Baek Li-jung.

But…

What if it wasn’t Baek Li-jung’s child?

Baek Li-jung raised his eyes and ground his teeth. He rushed in swinging his sword. Venerable Woo-am also didn’t retreat and crossed swords.

Baek Li-jung laid his sword flat to prevent direct confrontation. Then in that state, he slashed as if flowing. Venerable Woo-am’s forearm was cut. Venerable Woo-am also simultaneously cut Baek Li-jung’s chest.

Both retreated at the same time. While retreating, both swung their swords again. Venerable Woo-am cut Baek Li-jung’s arm, and Baek Li-jung failed to leave a wound on Venerable Woo-am.

Baek Li-jung shouted.

“It wasn’t my child but she killed it to take revenge on me? That has to make sense!”

Venerable Woo-am couldn’t answer. His mind became disturbed and his hands and feet became disordered.

Baek Li-jung continuously pressed Venerable Woo-am. Venerable Woo-am was repeatedly busy just blocking Baek Li-jung’s offensive. Before long, sweat drops were flowing on his forehead.

“You’re not going to deny it now, are you? If it’s neither my child nor your child, then whose child was it?”

Wounds continued to appear on both their bodies. Blood drops splattered with every movement. Mainly wounds on Baek Li-jung’s body.

Slash, hiss!

The sound of cutting paper was also minutely mixed in.

They had already fought for dozens of seconds.

Though there were no deep wounds, Baek Li-jung was cut in several places and blood was abundant.

Baek Li-jung was gradually gasping for breath. The longer the fight continued, the slight difference in skill was gradually showing.

Baek Li-jung shouted.

“If you’re innocent, then answer! Is it because it’s your child that you can’t say anything!”

Baek Li-jung scattered several sword energies to confuse Venerable Woo-am, then condensed his strength and exploded it all at once. Baek Li-jung strongly struck down at Venerable Woo-am. Venerable Woo-am blocked and scattered each sword energy individually and met Baek Li-jung’s sword.

Clang!

For the first time, a clear sound rang out. However, at that moment Venerable Woo-am realized the sound from the blue steel sword was strange. Venerable Woo-am’s expression changed.

“This bastard?”

“You realized too late!”

Baek Li-jung struck down with all his might once more. Venerable Woo-am couldn’t dare to meet Baek Li-jung’s sword and dodged.

“Devious fellow.”

Venerable Woo-am ground his teeth.

From the beginning, Baek Li-jung had used silent sword techniques, taking advantage of Venerable Woo-am’s blindness. To prevent the distinctive cutting sound that occurs when a sharp blade cuts through air, he swung his sword as quietly as possible even if the sword technique’s speed was slow.

But in the middle, there were specifically subtle scraping sounds. Those weren’t the sounds of sword energy brushing past, but the sounds of Baek Li-jung cutting the blue steel sword’s blade with Heavenly Vermillion Blade. Baek Li-jung had gradually, bit by bit, scratched the blue steel sword without Venerable Woo-am noticing.

Heavenly Vermillion Blade was the Baek Li family’s treasured sword, while what Woo-am held was an ordinary blue steel sword.

Even without noticeable scratches, the more massive internal energy was applied, the more strain on the sword.

When such impacts accumulated.

Crack!

The sword breaks.

Heavenly Vermillion Blade cut the blue steel sword in half and directly slashed Venerable Woo-am’s shoulder. Venerable Woo-am used Flowing Cloud Divine Steps to slide backward.

Baek Li-jung knew that if he failed this time, it would be difficult to regain the advantage.

He pursued to the end, blocked Venerable Woo-am’s movements with Thunder Splitting Song Palm, and stabbed Venerable Woo-am’s leg with Heavenly Vermillion Blade. Heavenly Vermillion Blade penetrated the thigh opposite to the side Venerable Woo-am had cut himself. Blood vessels bulged on Venerable Woo-am’s forehead.

As his leg was penetrated, Venerable Woo-am simultaneously struck Baek Li-jung’s chin upward with his palm and hooked behind the knee with his other hand.

Whirl!

Baek Li-jung spun half a turn sideways and fell. As Baek Li-jung tried to get up using breakfall technique by striking the ground with his hand, Venerable Woo-am made his hand like a claw and struck Baek Li-jung’s ankle. Baek Li-jung rolled his body to dodge but his shin was struck.

Fingers penetrated through the shinbone. Baek Li-jung kicked Venerable Woo-am’s shoulder with his other foot. As Venerable Woo-am’s shoulder was pushed back, his fingers came out.

Baek Li-jung pulled Heavenly Vermillion Blade and half-split Venerable Woo-am’s thigh. Venerable Woo-am immediately pressed his leg’s blood point to stop bleeding while simultaneously striking Baek Li-jung’s chest with his opposite palm.

Great Net Hand!

Baek Li-jung blocked with both arms just before Great Net Hand could fully unfold.

Bang!

As Baek Li-jung flew backward holding Heavenly Vermillion Blade, he sent finger wind at Venerable Woo-am. Venerable Woo-am sent finger wind with a kiai.

“Ha!”

Bang!

Baek Li-jung bounced up supporting himself with his hands, then with Heavenly Vermillion Blade planted in the ground, once again sent Thunder Splitting Song Palm with both palms.

Unable to use his legs, Venerable Woo-am had no choice but to draw out protective energy and receive it with his body.

Rumble!

Massive internal energy swept over Venerable Woo-am and even the terrain behind him. The debris of the collapsed pavilion was pushed and flew outside the cliff.

Venerable Woo-am spurted blood from his nose and mouth. Blood was also beading around his eyes.

Baek Li-jung asked.

“Tell me. Then whose child was it? Whose child was my wife carrying?”

Venerable Woo-am stood up supporting himself by stabbing his half-broken sword into the ground. Baek Li-jung also limped. However, Venerable Woo-am had injured both legs while Baek Li-jung’s injured leg was stabbed. Who had the advantage needed no further explanation.

“Sigh.”

Venerable Woo-am exhaled and finally opened his mouth.

“Would you believe me if I told you?”

“Just try saying it.”

Venerable Woo-am said with a smile.

“It’s my child.”

Baek Li-jung mocked and sneered.

“Then why didn’t you come to save your child and woman? Even on the day the Dan family was exterminated, you probably hid in Qingcheng sect without showing your nose.”

“Do you think I stayed still? I grabbed my sword and tried to rush out, but got caught by my master, got scolded and beaten… with a broken leg, I was confined to the Repentance Cave crying. After being there for a year, when I came out, the situation had become one where I could no longer do anything.”

“A good excuse. Being part of a religious order is perfect to use as a face-saving excuse at times like this.”

“An excuse? These eyes are traces of the frustration I felt then!”

“Someone who gouges out their own eyes isn’t frustrated but crazy.”

Baek Li-jung raised his killing intent to the extreme and rushed at Venerable Woo-am. Venerable Woo-am struck the ground with both palms to lift his body and emitted sword energy with the sword finger technique of his index and middle fingers.

However, it was difficult to withstand the sword energy of a real sword enhanced by the sharpness of a treasured sword. Venerable Woo-am’s sword energy struck by Heavenly Vermillion Blade’s sword energy couldn’t last long and was severed.

But Venerable Woo-am’s purpose was elsewhere. Venerable Woo-am displayed high concentration and struck Baek Li-jung’s Heavenly Vermillion Blade surface from left and right with his palms. It was Qingcheng sect’s unique sword-breaking technique that struck the sword diagonally from above and below to break it.

In a brief moment, tension also appeared around Baek Li-jung’s eyes. Venerable Woo-am’s palms alternately struck the sword surface from left and right.

Thud!

But despite clearly striking Heavenly Vermillion Blade’s surface, the sword didn’t break or split. Venerable Woo-am’s palms stuck to Heavenly Vermillion Blade’s surface.

Venerable Woo-am glared at Baek Li-jung with raised eyes. Venerable Woo-am immediately recognized what technique this was.

“Finally showing your true colors!”

Baek Li-jung had pulled Venerable Woo-am’s palms using the incantation of Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art.

Whirlpools arose within Baek Li-jung’s body and his clothes fluttered wildly. Venerable Woo-am also activated Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art in response. He was activating Qingcheng sect’s internal energy mental method in the way of Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art to counter.

“Useless! Have you forgotten who created Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art!”

“Do you mistake yourself for a grand master just because you combined two existing martial arts!”

With Heavenly Vermillion Blade between them, Baek Li-jung and Venerable Woo-am’s internal energies clashed with each other. Heavenly Vermillion Blade trembled violently. Countless whirlpools were colliding with Heavenly Vermillion Blade’s blade between them.

Baek Li-jung tried to twist Heavenly Vermillion Blade sideways while Venerable Woo-am tried to block it by pressing the blade surface from both sides.

Drip drip.

Nosebleeds burst from both Venerable Woo-am and Baek Li-jung’s noses. Neither gave an inch. However, since the sword still wasn’t twisting, Venerable Woo-am seemed slightly more advantageous.

Venerable Woo-am bulged his eyes and ground his teeth.

“I knew you had pressured Ryeong-ryeong to obtain the incantation of Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art. Even so, since you couldn’t obtain the latter half incantation, at best you could only reach the fifth dike. But thirty years ago I had already surpassed the sixth dike. Yet you try to defeat me with the same internal energy?”

Baek Li-jung also bared his teeth with a murderous expression. Blood was beading between his teeth. However, Baek Li-jung’s eyes were smiling.

“Sorry I couldn’t tell you beforehand, but I surpassed the Seven Light Dikes long ago.”

“What?”

At that moment, blood vessels bulged all over Baek Li-jung’s face at once.

A different power from before was transmitted to Venerable Woo-am through Heavenly Vermillion Blade. The balance collapsed. Baek Li-jung twisted Heavenly Vermillion Blade with all his might.

Thud thud!

Venerable Woo-am’s severed fingers flew through the air.

Baek Li-jung raised Heavenly Vermillion Blade and stabbed Venerable Woo-am’s shoulder.

Crack!

Cutting through shoulder and ribs, Heavenly Vermillion Blade sliced down to above the heart.

Just above the heart, Baek Li-jung stopped his sword. Venerable Woo-am collapsed in place.

“Huff huff.”

Baek Li-jung gasped with his face completely bloodshot.

Venerable Woo-am intuited his own death and made a calm expression.

“Why… did you stop?”

“Because there are things that must be said.”

Baek Li-jung looked down at Venerable Woo-am and said.

“You knew the truth, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“Who the child’s father was.”

Venerable Woo-am looked up at Baek Li-jung with eyes losing their vitality. Baek Li-jung made an expression that showed his teeth ground just thinking about it.

“Enlightened Teacher. The Demon Cult’s Enlightened Teacher Yelu Huan!”

Venerable Woo-am’s expression became strange. However, it wasn’t because of Baek Li-jung’s words.

“Ah, this is the worst. Why on earth did you come here?”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong was at Elder Sky Peak.