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Chapter 67: Destiny of Heaven, Destiny of Earth
As she climbed the Main Peak of the Five Peaks Mountain with her grandfather, the Great Swordmaster Lee Euijung, Lee Somin's feelings were serene. This was possible thanks to her absolute confidence in her grandfather.
In Haga Village, she had felt some tension.
However, upon entering Five Peaks Mountain, the tension vanished. She even imagined the brazen bandit being subdued and kneeling.
As she and her grandfather gazed at the mist on the opposite mountain, they heard a sound.
Lee Somin slightly turned her head.
The young bandit was approaching alone, boldly.
‘Does he have quite the nerve?’
Even the Elders of Uicheon Sect dared not raise their heads in front of her grandfather. However, this bandit walked with his head held high, as if saying, "Let's give it a try."
Finally, Lee Euijung spoke.
“Are you the one teaching martial arts to the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks Mountain?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Jeokha responded courteously.
Not because his opponent was the Great Swordmaster, but because Lee Euijung's appearance, resembling that of an immortal, inspired respect.
The Great Swordmaster was unlike anyone Yeon Jeokha had ever seen. He was more like a celestial being than a martial arts expert.
Yeon Jeokha's respectful tone softened Lee Euijung's gaze.
Through his years of experience, Lee Euijung could clearly see the young bandit's nature.
A diamond in the rough, coarse and unpolished.
The hostility he felt toward his granddaughter’s aggressor faded, replaced by strong curiosity.
“What sect are you from? You don't seem to be from Nokrim.”
“It's a family martial art.”
“Oh! It must be a notable family.”
Lee Euijung asked no more.
Knowing he did not belong to an evil sect was enough.
The basic information was clear, and the rest would be discovered in combat.
It was time to get to the point.
“I heard you took my granddaughter hostage and demanded money.”
“Yes, somehow…”
Yeon Jeokha muttered.
If not for Yeon Seolju, that wouldn't have happened. The Five Heroes of Luoyang were simply caught in Yeon Jeokha's revenge.
“Not only did that bother me. I also heard you asked for only a hundred silver coins as ransom. Only a hundred silver coins for my granddaughter, the daughter of the Uicheon Sect Leader? That’s an insult to Uicheon Sect and me.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
Yeon Jeokha nodded seriously, which surprised Lee Euijung.
“Did you take my granddaughter hostage without considering me?”
“Not at all. Honestly, I only thought of the old Virtue Swordsman.”
Calling the Uicheon Sect Leader "old" gave Lee Euijung a strange feeling. It was like talking to a child who didn’t understand the world.
“Did you think you could face the Virtue Swordsman?”
“A little bit.”
“Ha!”
Lee Euijung couldn’t help but laugh.
He didn’t expect to encounter a bandit who considered the Virtue Swordsman just an old neighborhood man.
“The Virtue Swordsman may not be among the Ten Great Masters of the World, but his level is not low. Let's see if you have what it takes to make those claims.”
“Ah…”
Yeon Jeokha nodded, knowing this was inevitable.
The Great Swordmaster's purpose was to avenge his granddaughter, and that wouldn't be resolved with words alone.
Lee Euijung looked at his granddaughter and nodded.
“You, step back.”
“Yes.”
Lee Somin stepped back to where the two bandits were.
After ensuring his granddaughter was far enough, Lee Euijung looked at Yeon Jeokha and murmured.
“Ha! My sword hasn’t been stained with blood for thirty years. If the Virtue Swordsman hadn’t been injured, this wouldn’t have happened. A meeting is a destiny of heaven, and a relationship is a destiny of earth. With the sword, we will ask heaven what kind of relationship we have.”
Yeon Jeokha understood this as an invitation to a duel, regardless of grudges.
As Lee Euijung slowly drew his sword, Yeon Jeokha also drew his saber.
Lee Euijung lightly pointed at Yeon Jeokha with the tip of his sword.
Suddenly, a gust of wind shot forward like lightning.
Yeon Jeokha deflected the gust with a horizontal slash of his saber.
In an instant, Lee Euijung stepped forward.
His figure moved like a ghost, crossing three meters and appearing in front of Yeon Jeokha.
Yeon Jeokha was astonished by the incredible speed.
Lee Euijung attacked relentlessly with his sword, aiming at Yeon Jeokha's entire body.
Up, down, left, right, center.
Every movement flowed with precision.
Yeon Jeokha responded with his most powerful technique, the fourth technique, the Wheel of Devastating Wind.
There was no other way to stop the attacks coming from all directions.
When the young man did not retreat and faced the attacks, the corners of Lee Euijung's lips curved into a slight smile.
Soon, Lee Euijung's sword glowed with a blue radiance.
He had infused his sword with the energy of his technique Eight Extremes of Heaven.
This was known as Sword Energy.
It is the state where the internal energy of the sword overflows and projects outward.
Lee Euijung's sword energy was overwhelming.
When Yeon Jeokha's saber clashed with Lee Euijung's sword, he felt a chill.
He quickly looked and saw his saber crumbling.
If they had clashed with more force, his saber might have broken.
Yeon Jeokha gathered all his internal energy.
Just as he channeled his energy into the saber, Lee Euijung attacked again.
The clash of internal energies continued with each sword strike.
Lee Euijung's energy was like an ocean.
Yeon Jeokha's sword was being pressured by the relentless waves of sword energy.
After an intense exchange, Lee Euijung realized Yeon Jeokha's true skill.
The complexity of his technique and the depth of his internal energy were impressive.
How was this possible at such a young age?
It didn't seem like a power acquired through forbidden techniques.
His opponent's internal energy was astonishingly pure.
It was purer than that of the great Taoist masters he had faced in the past.
The source of his power was undoubtedly pure.
It was not an evil technique but pure internal energy.
Moreover, it was Taoist Qi.
“Is this the level of one of the Three Elders of Nokrim?”
Whoever evaluated him that way was completely wrong.
This young man could easily surpass any of the Three Elders of Nokrim.
Now he understood why Yeon Jeokha had said what he did. The Virtue Swordsman would not have been able to handle him.
Lee Euijung stepped back, raised his sword to eye level, and made a hand gesture.
It was the initial stance of his most powerful technique, the Eight Extremes of Heaven.
Lee Euijung was about to deploy his most advanced Swordsmanship, the Eight Extremes of Heaven.
Lee Somin, nervous, unconsciously clasped her hands over her chest.
She had never seen her grandfather so serious.
Could it be that this young bandit was really that formidable?
As she watched the bandit stand proudly before her grandfather, her heart began to pound.
The 'despicable bandit' was transforming into 'someone truly incredible.'
Suddenly, she realized she didn't want the bandit to die at her grandfather's hands, and that surprised her.
‘No, it can't be. He's just a bandit.’
For the sake of humanity, the Nokrim bandits had to disappear.
Lee Somin shook her head vigorously, trying to rid herself of those absurd thoughts.
Meanwhile, the duel between Lee Euijung and Yeon Jeokha was nearing its end.
The light surrounding Lee Euijung's sword intensified to the point of obscuring the blade.
It was the energy of the sword.
The supreme state in which everything it touched crumbled to pieces.
With that sword energy, Lee Euijung was deploying his ultimate technique, the Eight Extremes of Heaven.
The sky was splitting and the earth was breaking.
Boom! Crack!
The rocks around them split with a roar.
Surrounded by the energy field of the Eight Extremes of Heaven, Yeon Jeokha propelled himself into the sky.
He didn't trust his Eight Extremes of Heaven technique to counter such power.
In the air, he unleashed the Five Strikes of Heaven and Earth (Geon-Gon Beon-Cheon) technique over Lee Euijung's head. A powerful saber energy that could overturn heaven and earth unfolded.
However, the Five Strikes of Heaven and Earth couldn't dismantle the dense sword energy field of the Eight Extremes of Heaven. If he fell to the ground, he would have to face that sword energy directly.
Yeon Jeokha let out a brief shout and propelled himself even higher into the sky.
At that moment, Lee Euijung released his sword.
Whoosh!
With a sound that cut through the air, the sword flew upward.
It was the technique of 'Mind-Controlled Sword.'
Alarmed, Yeon Jeokha swung his saber in all directions, deploying the Six Strikes of Celestial Thunder (Cheon-Rae Mu-Mang) technique.
The saber energy intertwined like a net around the sword.
But when Lee Euijung slightly moved his finger, the sword broke through the net and continued its course.
He seemed trapped with no way out.
“Darn it!”
Yeon Jeokha suddenly threw his saber.
The saber spun and struck the sword.
Clang!
The sword was deflected, but Lee Euijung made a small gesture with his finger, and the sword flew back up forcefully.
‘What?’
To his surprise, Yeon Jeokha was no longer there.
Looking around in bewilderment, he saw the bandit far away, running with his arms rigidly extended behind him.
He recalled seeing a similar technique at a market once.
It was the goose flight step, Beon-Yeo Bo.
Though it didn't match the elevated sword techniques, its speed was impressive.
In an instant, Yeon Jeokha had gained twenty jang (about 60 meters) of distance and stopped momentarily to shout:
“Gasp, gasp! Grandfather! I usually use a sword! I didn’t bring my sword! Oh! Next time, let’s fight formally!”
Before Lee Euijung could respond, Yeon Jeokha turned and fled.
Lee Somin approached her grandfather, who stood there with a perplexed expression.
“Grandfather? Is it over?”
“My, what a peculiar fellow. This is something.”
Lee Euijung shook his head.
He could have chased him, but he had no desire to since he wasn't a mortal enemy.
‘Darn, I was about to teach him a lesson...’
It felt like something half-done.
Lee Somin looked coldly toward the mountain slope.
“Escaping with an excuse, what a cowardly person. Isn’t that so?”
“Not necessarily.”
“Why not?”
“He could be telling the truth.”
“What?”
Lee Somin's eyes widened.
Then, what had been of the saber fight until now?
The sword and the saber are different.
The sword is good for thrusting, and the saber for cutting. Of course, the sword also cuts, and the saber also thrusts. But the use of both is completely different.
“Grandfather, do you really think he can use both the saber and the sword with equal skill?”
Lee Euijung nodded.
“The young man’s saber technique had many thrusts. He moved freely between sword and saber technique. He seems to have a deep understanding of swordsmanship.”
“Then why does he use a saber?”
“I don't know. Maybe swordsmanship is a hidden card. Or maybe he doesn't feel confident yet.”
“Wow, that’s incredible. A sword master facing you with a saber?”
Lee Somin couldn't believe it.
But Lee Euijung seemed to downplay it.
“Why are you so surprised? If you don't have teeth, you use your gums. I could also use a saber.”
“But that's because it’s you. There's a saying, 'The end of all martial arts.'"
“Maybe he is also on the brink of that path.”
Lee Euijung's tone softened.
“Do you really think that's possible?”
“Didn't you hear? He said he usually uses a sword.”
“Grandfather! It can't be.”
Lee Somin firmly denied it.
How could one trust what a bandit said while fleeing?