Chapter 166: Punishment
The thunderous cheers that had filled the Grand Training Ground vanished.
In their place came stunned murmurs of disbelief.
“Young Master Moyong... dropped to one knee.”
“The Sovereign Heaven Sword was broken?”
“Was Kunlun’s Young Hero always this strong?”
Countless gazes converged on a single point.
Moyong Seong.
He was down on one knee with his sword planted in the ground.
Only moments ago, he'd been overflowing with confidence.
Now his face was twisted with humiliation he could no longer hide.
I quietly looked down at him.
“You should stand.”
Moyong Seong's eyes narrowed viciously.
“How long does the Heavenly Origin Star, who belongs in the heavens, intend to remain on the ground?”
His face flushed red.
He glared at me as though he wanted to kill me.
I smiled and sent him a sound transmission.
Relax your face a little.
His eyes shook.
Someone who represents the younger generation shouldn't be making such a terrifying expression.
Killing intent flashed in Moyong Seong's gaze.
But then he noticed the countless eyes watching him.
He gritted his teeth and slowly stood.
After brushing the dust from his clothes, he forced another gentle smile onto his face.
“As expected of Kunlun’s Young Hero.”
Moyong Seong clasped his hands toward me.
“I now understand that the rumors of you inheriting True Immortal Cheongun's martial path were no exaggeration.”
It was hard to believe those words came from the same man who had been glaring at me like he wanted to tear me apart only moments ago.
I almost clicked my tongue.
He's exactly like his father when it comes to changing masks.
Like father, like son.
Moyong Seong lowered his hands.
“However...”
He raised his sword again.
“It would be a mistake to believe you've seen the entirety of the Sovereign Heaven Sword simply because you stopped Heavenly Stars, Ten Thousand Rains.”
His sword stood upright.
“The true power of the Sovereign Heaven Sword begins now.”
Wooooom.
The tip of Moyong Seong's blade began to vibrate.
Then—
WHOOOSH!
Blue sword qi surged along the blade.
The rising energy gradually thinned before condensing tightly at the sword tip.
Heavenly Stars, Ten Thousand Rains had controlled space with countless streams of sword qi.
This was different.
Now, all that power was being compressed into a single sword.
I gripped the Heavenly Law Sword with both hands and steadied my breathing.
Until now...
Moyong Seong had thought I was beneath him.
That carelessness was why he'd been brought to one knee so easily.
But now...
that had changed.
There wasn't even a trace of him underestimating me anymore.
Moyong Seong pulled his sword back beside his waist and stared at me.
“Kunlun’s Young Hero.”
Sharp pressure rose from his blade.
A cold smile appeared on his lips.
“Don't expect another stroke of luck like before.”
Then—
“Sovereign Heaven Sword, Second Form.”
His sword tip slowly pointed toward my chest.
“Heaven-Piercing Sun.”
Low exclamations broke out from the spectators.
“Heaven-Piercing Sun!”
“I never thought I'd get to see that technique with my own eyes!”
Heaven-Piercing Sun.
A supreme technique of the Sovereign Heaven Sword that concentrated one's entire internal energy into a single point at the sword tip...
then shattered the opponent's sword force and defense head-on.
BOOM!
Moyong Seong kicked off the ground.
His figure vanished.
And in the next instant...
he became a single sword flying straight toward my chest.
Body and sword became one line.
A thrust designed to pierce through everything in its path.
The sword tip, packed with his full power, reached my chest in an instant.
I immediately swung the Heavenly Law Sword.
Flowing Flower Kunlun Sword, Third Form.
Snowstorm Spiral Shatter.
A violent storm of sword qi surged out to block Moyong Seong.
But Heaven-Piercing Sun didn't stop.
The concentrated sword tip stabbed directly into the center of the snowstorm.
CLAAANG!
A tremendous impact traveled along my blade and slammed into my wrists.
The Flow of the snowstorm split apart head-on.
My body was violently pushed backward.
Moyong Seong's sword skimmed past my chest and tore open the front of my Taoist robe.
Had my response been even slightly slower...
my chest would've been pierced.
“Kunlun’s Young Hero's sword path was broken!”
“As expected of the Heavenly Origin Star!”
“So that first exchange really was because he let his guard down!”
Cheers erupted throughout the arena.
Confidence returned to Moyong Seong's face.
I widened the distance between us and checked myself.
The torn cloth across my chest stood out clearly.
He aimed for my heart from the beginning.
He wasn't satisfied with simply displaying superiority.
If an opening appeared...
he clearly intended to kill me.
Fine.
Go ahead and try.
The moment I settled my stance...
Moyong Seong moved again.
Paat!
He slipped toward my right.
SWOOOSH!
The tip of Heaven-Piercing Sun shot toward the right side of my chest.
I slipped off the sword path with Void Night Shadow Step and swung the Heavenly Law Sword at the same time.
CLANG!
Our swords collided.
My sword force shook violently.
Unable to completely absorb the impact, my body slid sideways.
Moyong Seong didn't miss the opportunity.
He followed with one step and thrust again.
I retreated and knocked his sword tip aside.
CLANG!
The instant I blocked it...
Moyong Seong moved again.
CLANG!
I swept aside a sword aimed at my side.
Immediately, another thrust came for my throat.
CLANG!
He pressed me relentlessly without giving me a chance to breathe.
CLANG! CLAAANG! CLANG!
“Kunlun’s Young Hero is being pushed back again.”
“Young Master Moyong is finally showing his true skill.”
The reactions of the spectators began leaning toward Moyong Seong again.
Apparently...
he believed he'd completely seized the advantage.
Moyong Seong drew back his sword and sent me a sound transmission.
Did you really think you could stop my sword with just that?
An arrogant smile hung from his lips.
Looks like surviving Falling Death Valley by luck made you think you were my equal.
His sword tip aimed toward my heart once again.
This time, I won't even need a cliff.
I'll finish you right here.
I didn't answer.
Instead...
I carefully observed his movements.
I've seen enough.
Heaven-Piercing Sun.
Fast.
Powerful.
But because all of its strength gathered at one point...
its sword path was also extremely clear.
Moyong Seong charged straight toward me again.
Even greater internal energy surged through his sword than before.
It seemed he intended to finish me with this strike.
I used Snowstorm Spiral Shatter once more.
Moyong Seong sent me a mocking sound transmission.
You still haven't understood?
He violently kicked off the ground.
That level of swordsmanship cannot stop my Heaven-Piercing Sun.
The sword shot toward my heart.
Its overwhelming force tore into the center of Snowstorm Spiral Shatter.
Just as the sword tip broke through the snowstorm and approached my heart—
I twisted the sword path of the Heavenly Law Sword...
and connected it directly into the next form.
Flowing Flower Kunlun Sword, Fourth Form.
Falling Flower Turning Aside.
WHOOOOSH!
The severed sword qi of the snowstorm didn't scatter.
Instead...
it flowed backward into the Heavenly Law Sword.
The gathered sword qi wrapped around the blade and formed a smooth current.
The Heavenly Law Sword brushed against the side of Moyong Seong's blade.
Then rotated along a graceful arc...
like a falling flower petal changing direction in the wind.
Caught within that Flow...
the sword path of Heaven-Piercing Sun twisted sideways.
At first...
it was only the slightest deviation.
But Moyong Seong had tied his body and sword into one and committed all his strength to the charge.
That tiny deviation distorted the entire path of Heaven-Piercing Sun.
The sword tip that had been aimed at my heart passed through empty air outside my side.
Moyong Seong had put too much power into the strike.
He couldn't stop himself immediately.
I slipped inside the distorted sword path and entered his guard.
Then...
as I passed his body, I drew the Heavenly Law Sword diagonally.
Slice.
Cold sword light flashed across Moyong Seong's face.
“Kugh!”
A pained groan escaped him.
He stumbled several more steps before finally managing to stop.
When he slowly turned back...
a long, thin sword wound ran across his cheek.
Red blood followed the wound and dripped from his chin.
The Grand Training Ground fell silent once again.
I looked at Moyong Seong.
“The Sovereign Heaven Sword is certainly an excellent sword art.”
His face stiffened.
“But no matter how exceptional the sword art...”
I smiled.
“it's useless if the person wielding it is mediocre.”
Moyong Seong ran his fingertips across his cheek.
Red blood stained them.
I sent him a sound transmission.
If you really intended to kill me, that wasn't enough.
His eyes trembled as he stared at me.
I raised the corner of my mouth.
You were pretty good at attacking from behind in Falling Death Valley.
But face-to-face, you're rather disappointing.
...S-Shut up!
What? You don't like hearing the truth?
You bastard...!
His eyes shook violently.
Right then...
exactly the reaction I'd wanted began spreading through the spectators.
“He even read Heaven-Piercing Sun?”
“Good heavens. Is the Heavenly Origin Star really being overwhelmed like this?”
The murmurs spread across the Grand Training Ground.
The faint smile still clinging to Moyong Seong's lips disappeared completely.
Without a word...
he wiped the blood running down his cheek with the back of his hand.
His gaze lowered toward the red stain.
Humiliation.
