Martial Artist Lee Gwak

Chapter 64: Hidden Reefs Lurk in the Deep Sea (2)

Light Novel: Volume 3 Chapter 14

Manhwa: Chapter 59-60

Chuhwa-hak!

The large snake that was released quickly ran along his spinal cord. First, second… the large snake had even broken through the fifth gate connected with Lee Gwak’s blade.

Clang!

Sparks flew in the air.

Lee Gwak’s blade had blocked the Dark Shadowless Blade.

Even against the blade of the legendary assassin, Lee Gwak did not yield an inch.

Wham!

The first and second techniques of the Eight Sects Sword Art were unleashed.

Shing!

The Mountain Splitting Slash came first, followed by the second technique, the Raging Tidal Force. Dark Cloud Reaper countered by unleashing the ultimate technique of the Dark Shadowless Blade, neutralizing all of Lee Gwak’s attacks.

Feeling a strong rebound force from the hand gripping the Crescent Moon Blade, Dark Cloud Reaper frowned.

His palm tingled, a sign that the force rebounding through the blade was anything but ordinary. With internal energy of this magnitude, he could easily be regarded as a top-tier master of Jianghu. There was no way such pure internal energy could have been cultivated in just a year or two of training.

In that case, his techniques should be just as skilled. That was the common sense Dark Cloud Reaper knew. Yet, there was something crude about Lee Gwak’s techniques.

For someone who had trained long enough to accumulate such refined internal energy, his techniques should also have been smooth, but there was an imbalance somewhere in Lee Gwak’s movements.

‘What is this guy?’

A momentary flicker of confusion appeared on Dark Cloud Reaper’s face.

Crackle!

Lee Gwak unleashed the third technique of the Eight Sects Sword Art—Lightning Shadow Strike. Since the essence of Lightning Blade Arts was infused within it, his blade contained lightning energy, making it extremely powerful.

However, Dark Cloud Reaper felt no real threat. The technique of the Lightning Shadow Strike was also crude.

While the technique itself was powerful, it was excessively straightforward and simplistic. It might seem threatening to an ordinary martial artist, but to someone like Dark Cloud Reaper, who had reached a higher level, it posed no significant threat.

Whoosh!

Dark Cloud Reaper’s counterattack followed immediately.

Having identified Lee Gwak’s flaws, he unleashed a series of techniques that changed continuously.

Rather than relying on simple and straightforward attacks, he opted for elaborate techniques to exploit the crudeness of Lee Gwak’s moves.

Pip-pit!

His choice proved to be the perfect one.

Lee Gwak, unable to fully defend against the dazzling attacks, sustained injuries all over his body.

Although his eyes were able to follow Dark Cloud Reaper’s sword techniques, his clumsy movements couldn’t keep up with what his eyes were seeing.

Up until now, Lee Gwak had trained in martial arts on his own. Without a master to guide him on the right path, his techniques had naturally developed into something crude. That was the limitation of someone who trained alone.

‘He is much stronger than me.’

Lee Gwak calmly gauged the gap between him and his opponent.

Whether it be in terms of years of training, mastery, or experience, he fell short in every way. Even so, what allowed him to hold on was none other than the Eight Snakes Art.

The sixth serpent had awakened his Mind’s Eye, and the unified serpent coursing through his body was supplying him with an overwhelming yet pure internal energy.

It was his first time utilizing the Eight Snakes Art in real combat, so it was only natural for him to be clumsy. However, as time passed, he became more and more proficient in controlling the Eight Snakes Art.

He was no longer recklessly injecting internal energy, but instead, he was able to adjust the flow depending on the situation.

It wasn’t just the use of the Eight Snakes Art that he became proficient at. The same was true for the Eight Sects Sword Art.

Through his clash with Dark Cloud Reaper, Lee Gwak was gaining a new understanding of the Eight Sects Sword Art.

Whereas a moment ago, he had been unleashing the techniques in order, starting from the first move to the last, but now, he began to experiment with changing the sequence or inserting other techniques in between.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Dark Cloud Reaper’s Crescent Moon Blade and Lee Gwak’s blade clashed dozens of times. In the process, Lee Gwak received five more wounds on his body. Some of the cuts were deep enough to expose bone. Yet, Lee Gwak remained standing, refusing to fall.

Even in this worst-case scenario, Lee Gwak’s eyes held onto hope.

‘He’s getting tired.’

Dark Cloud Reaper’s first attack had been the most powerful. Lee Gwak had barely managed to deflect it by borrowing the power of the Mind’s Eye, and for a moment, he thought he was going to die.

The second most powerful attack came next.

Though Dark Cloud Reaper’s attacks were still formidable, they were not as strong as before.

Lee Gwak believed this was due to the nature of assassins, who put everything on the line in their first attack.

Assassins specialized in sneak attacks rather than direct hand-to-hand combat.

If they failed to settle the fight with the first blow, it was their fate to die. That was why assassins poured everything into their first attack. Dark Cloud Reaper was no different.

He had the ingrained habit of going all out on his first strike. The second and third attacks didn’t seem to exist in his mind. As a result, cracks were beginning to show in his movements.

Lee Gwak gritted his teeth and endured, blocking his attacks. As he did so, he became more and more familiar with the Eight Sects Sword Art.

Dark Cloud Reaper was not only a reaper who threatened to get his life, but also an excellent martial arts instructor.

Lee Gwak had little experience fighting humans. There was a vast difference between facing the bronze figures¹ at the Steel Blood Hell Training Ground and fighting a human opponent.

Compared to a bronze figure that could only repeat a set of movements, a human’s movements were much more unpredictable and varied. Naturally, keeping up with those changes was difficult.

Moreover, as an assassin, Dark Cloud Reaper’s movements were much faster compared to martial artists of a similar level, leaving no trace behind.

Even with his Mind’s Eye open, it was not easy to respond to such movements. But Lee Gwak believed in himself.

Ka-ka-kang!

Sparks erupted before his eyes, flickering repeatedly. Each time, his body shook as if struck by a hammer, but Lee Gwak forced himself to hold on.

Steel only became stronger through tempering. Lee Gwak believed he was going through the same process.

Though his body was covered in wounds, he believed that if he endured this moment of hardship and survived, he would undoubtedly grow stronger.

Lee Gwak trusted in the resilience he had built over the harsh years he had endured.

Chuhwa-hak!

Lightning Shadow Strike, the third technique of the Eight Sects Sword Art, rushed towards Dark Cloud Reaper.

Infused with the essence of the Lightning Blade Arts, the newly refined Lightning Shadow Strike reached Dark Cloud Reaper in an instant, like a flash of lightning.

At that moment, Dark Cloud Reaper’s form scattered into the air. He had used a stealth technique in an instant to evade Lee Gwak’s attack. It had worked before, so Dark Cloud Reaper assumed it would be the same this time.

Just as he predicted, Lee Gwak’s blade seemed to slice through empty air. But midway through, the trajectory shifted ever so slightly.

Shwaak!

Blood splattered in the air.

It wasn’t Lee Gwak’s blood. It was the blood of Dark Cloud Reaper.

For the first time, Lee Gwak had landed a meaningful hit on Dark Cloud Reaper.

Lee Gwak capitalized on the momentum and unleashed the Eight Sects Sword Art with all his might.

Ka-ka-kang!

With a clash of steel, sparks flew continuously.

Dark Cloud Reaper’s body shook violently. The shock transmitted through the Crescent Moon Blade reverberated deep into his organs.

Dark Cloud Reaper’s expression hardened.

‘This guy! He’s using me as nourishment to grow stronger.’

The Dark Cloud Reaper had ambushed and killed countless enemies, but this was the first time he had ever seen and experienced anything like this.

He never imagined that he would be cornered to this extent by a nameless martial artist from the Jade Heaven Alliance. That made it all the more shocking.

No matter how much he had forfeited his advantage as an assassin and was fighting head-on, this level of humiliation was something he could not accept.

Suddenly, Dark Cloud Reaper leaped back. In an instant, he retreated nearly ten zhang, causing Lee Gwak’s blade to slice through empty air.

Shing!

He sheathed his Crescent Moon Blade.

At first glance, it seemed as if he had given up on the fight, but Lee Gwak knew otherwise. Even though he had withdrawn the Crescent Moon Blade, his killing intent had intensified uncontrollably.

Shudder!

Without realizing it, Lee Gwak’s skin broke out in goosebumps, and his entire body began to tremble.

He was affected by the killing intent.

His breath surged to his throat, and it felt as though his heart and lungs would burst. Dark Cloud Reaper might think Lee Gwak was defending his attacks with ease, but in reality, he was nearing his limit.

Lee Gwak bit his lip tightly.

He could sense, just from the change in the air, that Dark Cloud Reaper was about to unleash his ultimate technique. Judging by the overwhelming increase in his killing intent, it was certain to be a technique of incredible power.

Lee Gwak suddenly looked at Han Socheon, lying in the distance.

Han Socheon was still unconscious from her severe injuries. If Lee Gwak couldn’t defeat Dark Cloud Reaper, Han Socheon’s life would also be over.

“Hoo!”

Lee Gwak took a deep breath.

Dark Cloud Reaper bent his waist, gripping the hilt of the Crescent Moon Blade tightly. He was about to unleash his most powerful technique.

He was preparing to use everything he had to kill Lee Gwak. If that were the case, Lee Gwak had no choice but to reveal all the cards he had hidden as well.

Thump!

Dark Cloud Reaper kicked off the ground.

A black shadow stretched long across the earth.

Divine Speed.

A speed that surpassed human limits, combined with the ultimate technique of the Dark Shadowless Blade, Black Lightning. The name of this ultimate technique was Divine Speed Black Lightning.

Boom!

The air exploded from a speed that exceeded sound, and a tremendous wind pressure struck Lee Gwak first, followed by the black lightning.

His face twisted from the wind pressure, and his vision blurred. Still, Lee Gwak didn’t let go of his focus.

Just before the Divine Speed Black Lightning struck, Lee Gwak’s left hand moved subtly, and a long black object was released without a sound.

It was the meteor hammer.

Swish! Swish!

The meteor hammer shot toward Dark Cloud Reaper like a venomous snake. However, before it could even touch his body, the powerful wind pressure and black lightning caused the surface of the meteor hammer to rupture.

The meteor hammer writhed, resembling a snake with its insides spilling out. Yet, it didn’t break completely, and it subtly disrupted Dark Cloud Reaper’s movements.

“Keuhk!”

For the first time, an expression of bewilderment appeared on Dark Cloud Reaper’s face. The unexpected interference from the meteor hammer had slightly thrown off the trajectory of his Divine Speed Black Lightning.

Bang!

Lee Gwak’s left side, the one holding the meteor hammer, was struck by the Divine Speed Black Lightning, causing him to spin like a top. However, his right arm still held onto his blade.

Even as his consciousness began to fade, Lee Gwak used the momentum from the spin to unleash the sixth technique of the Eight Sects Sword Art, Phantom Shadow Assassinate.

Swoosh!

His blade sliced along the Dark Cloud Reaper’s side, leaving a gash deep enough to reveal bone and internal organs.

Dark Cloud Reaper’s mind was just as foggy as Lee Gwak’s. But he, too, endured the pain with superhuman resilience and swung his Crescent Moon Blade once again.

Though he had been caught in an unexpected brawl with Lee Gwak, he was a seasoned veteran who had been through countless battles. His Crescent Moon Blade was now aimed directly at Lee Gwak’s exposed neck.

“Die!”

It was at that moment—

Lee Gwak abandoned his blade and pointed a cylindrical device made of metal at Dark Cloud Reaper.

Dark Cloud Reaper’s eyes widened in shock. He had recognized what the metal cylindrical device was.

Pew-pew-pew-pew-pwoosh!

Instantly, dozens of fine needles shot out from the metal device.

Fired at such close range and in an unexpected moment, Dark Cloud Reaper had no chance to dodge, allowing the silver needles to pierce his face and body.

He tumbled to the ground, his body bristling like a porcupine. His face quickly turned black— a sign that the poison had spread.

Dark Cloud Reaper looked up at Lee Gwak in disbelief.

“Keugh! Deadly Soul-Stealing Needle… how did you—?”

The Deadly Soul-Stealing Needle was an item given only to a select few of his subordinates. Its lethal poison and power classified it as one of the most fearsome hidden weapons in Jianghu, so much so that even in the Celestial Demon Union, it was considered a rare and precious object.

The fact that such a weapon was in Lee Gwak’s possession left Dark Cloud Reaper bewildered.

“How… how did that end up in your hands…?”

His face grew even darker as death crept closer.

Lee Gwak, covered in blood, picked up his fallen blade and used it as a crutch to barely hold himself up. He was in so much pain that he didn’t even have the strength to explain.

All he could do was breathe heavily, staring down at Dark Cloud Reaper.

“To think… I would die in a place like this…”

Dark Cloud Reaper could not accept his own death.

He had always known he would lose his life one day, but he never imagined his end would come at the hands of Lee Gwak.

His consciousness was fading.

He could feel something draining out of him, something that had been holding and sustaining him together inside was slipping away.

“I haven’t even avenged Jin-rak’s death yet…”

It was then that Lee Gwak, using his blade as a cane, began to walk toward Dark Cloud Reaper.

His arms and legs felt disconnected from his body.

Though it was clearly his own body, the sensation and pain made it feel like it wasn’t. Lee Gwak clenched his teeth to endure it.

Dark Cloud Reaper barely managed to turn his head to look at Lee Gwak.

The expression on Lee Gwak’s face was too strange to be that of a victor. Twisted as if he were either crying or laughing, his expression somehow evoked a sense of sorrow.

‘So, such a reef was hiding in the sea within the Jade Heaven Alliance.’

Lee Gwak was a massive reef, a hidden hazard that no one saw coming, while Dark Cloud Reaper was an old ship that ran aground and sank upon hitting it.

Dark Cloud Reaper’s mistake was failing to recognize the reef in time. In the harsh world of Jianghu, that alone was more than enough reason to lose one’s life.

“Haha… ha!”

Dark Cloud Reaper let out one last laugh. His laughter gradually faded until no more sound came out. He had died.

Lee Gwak stared at Dark Cloud Reaper’s corpse with bloodshot eyes.

Sizzle!

Dark Cloud Reaper’s body melted quickly under the deadly poison of the Deadly Soul-Stealing Needle. In an instant, he disappeared from the world, reduced to nothing more than a small pool of blood.

Lee Gwak silently gazed at the spot where Dark Cloud Reaper had been lying.

The sight of an old master in Jianghu who had driven him to the brink of death dissolving into a mere pool of blood and disappearing from the world caused him to feel a myriad of emotions. But he didn’t have time to indulge in leisurely contemplation.

“Over there!”

“The sounds of battle came from that direction!”

Lee Gwak could hear the voices of the Jade Heaven Alliance martial artists rushing toward his location. They must have finally gotten the situation in the annex under control and had followed Han Socheon and Dark Cloud Reaper’s tracks to this place.

Lee Gwak glanced briefly at Han Socheon. Though still in critical condition, her breathing seemed a little more stable than before.

‘She’ll be alright, right?’

It would be better for her to be taken by the Jade Heaven Alliance’s martial artists than for him to take her. More importantly, Lee Gwak still didn’t want to reveal himself to the world.

Dragging his exhausted body, he left the battlefield.

Shortly after, the martial artists of the Jade Heaven Alliance appeared.

“Over here. There’s a survivor!”

They swarmed around Han Socheon.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!

1. Bronze figure or bronze men. Raws: 동인(銅人). These are lifelike figures made of bronze, designed to imitate human forms and martial arts stances. Mentioned in .

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