Chapter 65
Sau and Namgung Jin, who had been traveling rapidly using their Lightness Skill, came to a halt in a secluded mountain area.
Namgung Jin silently drew his sword from its scabbard and leveled it at Sau.
Sau, on the other hand, did not even draw a weapon.
"Do you not intend to use your sword?"
"I believe my external arts will suffice... but if you insist, I shall use it."
Sau slowly drew his blade from its scabbard. A pitch-black edge was revealed.
A sword as black as ink, devoid of any luster. The blade, which barely reflected even the light, was chilling.
Every time the sword moved, it created the illusion that it was resonating with a low hum.
Though no sinister energy could be felt, it gave the impression of standing before an unholy entity.
Sau did not adopt any particular stance, yet from the moment he held the sword, his presence was extraordinary.
It was enough to remind him of the feeling of standing before his father, who was like a towering mountain.
Namgung Jin’s Adam's apple bobbed heavily.
‘I requested this martial contest to uncover Sau’s identity, but... this could turn into a dangerous duel.’
Namgung Jin had not requested this contest without reason.
This duel was meant to observe what kind of martial arts Sau employed.
In the Murim, one could at least roughly infer a person’s origins and past based on the martial arts they used.
No matter how well Sau hid his true skill, he himself was a master.
If Sau displayed even a few forms of his swordsmanship, he would be able to discern the source of his training.
He wanted to resolve his doubts about this man, even if it meant resorting to this.
"Are you ready?"
Sau, who had asked the question, tilted his head slightly.
"No matter how much of a master you are, Young Master, I will not be defeated so easily."
Namgung Jin steadied his breathing and adopted his stance, his posture flawless.
Sau scanned that impenetrable form with his eyes.
‘A fine stance. It’s no wonder he wasn't targeted for abduction by the Demonic Cult.’
The core principle of the Blood Calamity of the Eight was that they did not abduct opponents who were too strong. At that time, the Demonic Cult had not yet recovered its strength.
Sau spoke in a low, resonant voice.
"Let us refrain from using Internal Energy."
It was not because he feared his hidden Demonic Energy would be revealed.
Even while utilizing Internal Energy, Sau could avoid revealing his Demonic Energy.
This was because he had mastered the "Yin-Yang Heart Technique," which allowed him to handle opposing martial arts.
Within his Dantian coexisted the Primal Chaos Divine Art, which he had learned while he was a Taoist, and the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art, the Demonic Cult’s heart technique he had mastered to learn the Asura’s Blood Heavenly Sword.
They existed simultaneously without mixing, and he could use them alternately.
By that principle, he could keep his Demonic Energy tightly concealed.
He could even pretend to be a Taoist by using only Spiritual Energy without ever touching his Demonic Energy.
The Yin-Yang Heart Technique was the first thing he had learned after being abducted by the Demonic Cult; if one failed to master this heart technique, they were executed on the spot.
Of course, among the eight kidnapped talents, there was no one who had failed to learn this heart technique.
‘Though, after I learned the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art, it became an absolute slaughterhouse...’
Those who learned the Demonic Cult’s heart technique were consumed by Demonic Energy, driven mad by it... there were even those who could not withstand the heart technique itself.
Regardless, there were two reasons why Sau proposed not to reveal their Internal Energy.
First, he did not want the fight to escalate and alert the warriors in Hubei to this contest.
It was premature.
Sau was waiting for the time when he would be strong enough to reign over all warriors.
Once he cured his Madness and mastered the Asura’s Blood Heavenly Sword, he would stir up everything like an unbridled colt, but that time was not yet.
He wanted to dispose of his enemies secretly while keeping his presence hidden. Until the time was right.
And the second reason, strangely enough, was Baek Sam.
No, to be precise, it was because of what Baek Sam had said.
"You must never kill each other, or even cause each other harm!"
Those words were stuck in his heart like a thorn, preventing him from acting as he pleased.
‘Is she a Celestial Maiden, or a bewitching enchantress?’
At the mere thought of her, a languid smile formed on his lips.
As you said, I will not kill him...
But that did not mean he intended to let him return in one piece.
"I agree to not using Internal Energy."
Namgung Jin nodded as well.
As Sau refocused on Namgung Jin, a chilling and ferocious energy radiated from him in waves.
"Come."
The snow-white blade and the pitch-black blade clashed—*Kakang!*
Though they had only collided once, Namgung Jin could instinctively feel it.
The fact that he could never defeat Sau.
Namgung Jin’s sword sliced through the air rapidly. It was the swift sword style that had earned him the nickname "Three-Eyed Dragon."
Of course, the movement of his sword was not merely fast. There was a definitive weight behind it.
Yet, Sau simply moved his body rapidly while letting his sword hang loosely.
He appeared to be moving without effort, yet he dodged every sword strike at a speed the eye could barely track.
There was not a hint of unnaturalness in his footwork.
...Could it be the Phantom Displacement?
But Sau looked far too young to be using a movement technique of such high difficulty.
‘Could he be a veteran master who has undergone the Rebirth of the Bone and Marrow?’
Furthermore, not a single footprint or trace remained where Sau moved. It was perfect "Walking on Snow Without Leaving a Trace."
‘At this rate, I might be defeated without even seeing a single form.’
*Swiiish—!*
Around Sau, there was nothing but the sound of his robes cutting through the wind.
In the end, despite Namgung Jin’s sword flashing countless times, he could not even cut a single thread of Sau’s clothing.
Namgung Jin exhaled a ragged breath and thought.
‘I knew I wouldn't win, but I didn't expect the gap in skill to be this vast.’
Yet, rather than despair or a sense of defeat, a corner of his heart burned hot.
If he could cut this man’s robe just once, it felt as though the humiliation he had suffered would be resolved in an instant.
His fighting spirit was so ignited that he had forgotten he had requested this duel to uncover the man’s identity. His whole body felt strangely electrified.
"You are weak."
Even that remark did not feel unpleasant.
Sau was truly strong, and in contrast, he was truly weak.
Because the difference in skill was so stark, he could fully accept the reality.
"Do you not think you are simply too strong, Young Master?"
"I despise weakness."
"I am the same! And you have not completely won yet."
"How tedious. Let us end this."
Sau slightly raised the sword he had been letting hang.
Even though he had not infused it with Internal Energy, the illusion arose that the sword was resonating—*vroom, vroom.*
It was a slow movement that one could hardly believe was an attack.
The moment he thought, *What does he intend to do by lifting his sword so listlessly...*
*Flash.*
Sau’s form vanished into thin air.
"......!"
He blinked once, and the tip of Sau’s sword was right before his eyes.
Beyond it, Sau’s gaze bore into him, pinning him in place.
The fact that he had not seen even a fraction of Sau’s movement was a massive shock to Namgung Jin.
"Your sword is too straight."
Leaving those words behind, Sau extended his left hand, which was not holding the sword.
It was a powerful palm strike.
"......!"
He had let his guard down. He hadn't expected a palm strike!
Even without Internal Energy, the meridians in his chest, struck squarely by the palm, began to twist.
Namgung Jin spat out a mouthful of blood. His expression contorted as his entire body felt as if it were shattering.
"Urgh!"
"Thanks to the young lady named Baek Sam, you are managing to keep your life. But there will not be a next time."
Sau whispered in a low, warning tone as he pulled his hand away from Namgung Jin’s chest.
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