Chapter 595: What Have You Done to Your Fists?

TL: FoodieMonster007

Lee Ahn's eyes filled with admiration as she watched the Flower Sword Supreme. That was the future she wanted for herself. She desired to live just like that, free from constraints and the opinions of others. With a single sword, she would journey through the Central Plains, going wherever she pleased. True freedom, she realized, was not for the weak. It was a privilege only the strong could possess.

From the sidelines, the Yellow Dragon Academy Principal Yeom Baekyin felt a similar sentiment. If he could condense the phrase "don't ramble on" into a single word, he would have said it himself.

Shut up!

The urge to shout that one phrase consumed him. It was the same impulse that led him to dismiss everyone from his academy and stand alone in this bloody arena.

Then, suddenly, the scene unfolding in the arena made Yeom Baekyin's chest feel heavy.

Bodies were scattered everywhere.

Even men he considered masters had been killed in a single strike.

He had acted with such arrogance, completely unaware his opponent was a Demon Supreme, and now he was trapped.

Yeom Baekyin's gaze shifted to the Fist King Jang Hu, who sat in the spectator seats behaving like a simple observer.

Are you just going to sit there while everyone is dying like this?

Uncertain of Jang Hu's skill or character, Yeom Baekyin's thoughts turned to another person.

What are you doing?

He desperately hoped the man in the basement would appear. How amazing it would be if that chair descended and then rose again, carrying the one man he believed could kill all these terrifying Demon Supremes.

A flicker of displeasure crossed the Ghost Blade's face but quickly vanished. He didn't get angry, even though the Flower Sword Supreme was completely ignoring him.

"That would be a problem."

He casually smoothed his clothes with one hand.

"I'm the type of person who wants to make my name widely known. Can't you tell by my clothes?"

His red martial arts uniform featured a ghost emblem drawn in white, the distinct symbol of the Ghost Blade.

"Especially since so many people these days don't recognize me."

He had consumed a spiritual herb, though not by chance. It was a treasure his closest friend had guarded for a long time, which he had stolen after killing him.

The Evil Spirit Undying Grass.

Because of that herb, he gained immense inner arts, his skin grew taut, and his black hair began to return.

His dear friend had never consumed the precious item due to its side effect. An evil energy would slowly seep into the user's mind, eventually driving them insane.

No one could predict when the side effect would appear. It might manifest the day after taking it, or it could take ten years.

The Ghost Blade had eaten it without a second thought. His reasoning was simple.

I'm already evil and crazy anyway.

Even in his old days as the Ghost Blade, he had been a renowned master of the unorthodox. With youth and inner arts added to the mix, he became truly strong. He was confident he could defeat anyone.

This explained why he remained so relaxed, even after seeing the Flower Sword Supreme's incredible technique just moments before.

"Flower Sword Supreme, you will become the most glorious name among those I've killed."

The Flower Sword Supreme's reply was just as cold.

"Not interested."

She was, however, curious about one thing.

"What I want to hear is what's happening down below."

It wasn't like the Fist Demon to ask such questions, so she had to find out for herself. The very life of the Young Cult Leader was on the line.

The enemies knew what was going on in the basement, but her side was in the dark. If it had been anyone else, she would have already gone down to investigate.

The Ghost Blade was unable to answer her. Realizing he was also ignorant of the situation below, the Flower Sword Supreme dismissed him again.

"You talk a lot, but you don't know what you actually need to know."

The Flower Sword Supreme refused to acknowledge her opponent. He was simply an enemy she had to kill, and the Ghost Blade was not a martial artist who deserved respect.

The Ghost Blade's expression hardened at her mockery.

This was one thing that made him secretly furious. Jang Hu had never told him anything about the basement, as if to say he wouldn't inform a mere underling.

Truly, the Ghost Blade had met all kinds of villains in his life, but he had never met anyone as unlikable and unpleasant as that man.

Just then, Jang Hu spoke up.

"Do you know? You've come to a place you shouldn't be."

He was sure that Geom Mugeuk was dead.

"This is a place where you must take responsibility for the Young Cult Leader's death. Even if we don't kill you, you'll be killed by your Cult Leader."

The Flower Sword Supreme smiled faintly.

"You don't know anything either."

He knew nothing about the Young Cult Leader, nor about the Cult Leader.

She firmly believed the Young Cult Leader would not die. Even if he did, the Cult Leader would not blame them, which would make the truth even more painful.

The Flower Sword Supreme's gaze returned to the Ghost Blade.

"Then I have nothing more to say to you."

Since every one of her words was laced with cold contempt, the Ghost Blade stopped talking and silently drew his blade.

His signature art was the Black Shadow Ghost Hands Blade Technique.

It was a blade art made of seven oppressive techniques that had claimed countless lives. Now, this powerful martial art had gained wings.

SWOOOOOSH.

A powerful aura radiated from the Ghost Blade's body. He already possessed a wicked nature, and when combined with the evil energy from the Evil Spirit Undying Grass, his aura held a truly vile malice.

WHOOOOSH.

The malevolent energy swept forward, causing the Flower Sword Supreme's pure white uniform to flutter.

Even inside that vicious aura, the Flower Sword Supreme regarded the Ghost Blade with a haughty expression. She was no longer at the same level she had been during her fight with Geom Mugeuk.

She had gone beyond complete mastery and entered a new realm. Her swordsmanship was advancing past the eleventh stage and approaching twelfth-stage complete mastery.

Her unique martial art was the One Flower Sword Technique.

Her alias and her swordsmanship were both named after her signature sword art. That was how much pride she took in it, but things had changed.

She was no longer restricted by technique and was now pioneering her own domain. The eight techniques of the One Flower Sword Technique were slowly diminishing.

When two techniques merged into one, and then that single technique also vanished, only then would she reach the true pinnacle of swordsmanship.

She had come to understand that only when the sword achieves freedom can one attain a perfect martial intent.

Amid the taut tension, the Ghost Blade was the first to attack.

SWIIISH!

A powerful blade energy shot toward her.

The One Flower Sword was drawn, slicing through the air in its path.

SHRRRRRIP!

Like a bolt of silk being torn, the incoming blade energy was split in two.

CRASH! BANG!

The divided energy flew backward, smashing into the wall and causing it to collapse.

The Ghost Blade's expression hardened. He had anticipated that she would block his attack, but not with such ease.

"As expected! A Demon Supreme is a Demon Supreme. That's what they say."

In a flash, the Flower Sword Supreme was already slashing at the Ghost Blade.

SHIING!

The sound was short and sharp as her sword cut the air.

"……"

Sword and blade collided. If he had been a fraction of a second slower, the move would have taken his head.

As he watched the Flower Sword Supreme retreat, the Ghost Blade's eyes blazed.

"Sword Supreme! Today, you will die by my hand…"

CHAENG!

Sparks flew once more. This attack was even faster than the last.

The Flower Sword Supreme, having aimed for his neck, appeared to retreat, but then a WHOOSH of wind announced her return as she swung her sword right before his eyes.

"……"

The Ghost Blade parried the strike, but his wrist throbbed as if it might break. He knew that if he were his old self, he would have already been badly wounded by now.

She's strong!

He was being pushed back in speed and momentum from the very start. He had never dreamed that he, who had become incomparably stronger than before, would be pushed back like this. He hadn't underestimated the Demon Supreme, but he had never thought she would be stronger than his rejuvenated self.

Of course, he wasn't just defending himself.

The Ghost Blade unleashed an even more powerful malevolent energy, his blade tearing through the air repeatedly.

PAPAPAPAK!

The Flower Sword Supreme blocked five straight attacks with just two sword strikes, then used her movement arts to evade the other three.

Her movements were both concise and elegant. One might assume elegance required large, slow motions, but she proved that quick, precise movements could be just as graceful.

She appeared to move slowly, yet with a single gust of wind, she was already slashing at the Ghost Blade.

Her footwork was light, but her sword was not. Her strikes, calm even in the most urgent moments, were not merely elegant but seemed almost noble.

PSSH!

Blood sprayed from the Ghost Blade's shoulder.

He tried to counterattack immediately, but the Flower Sword Supreme had already moved out of his blade's reach.

Freed from the constraints of technique, her movements were like the wind itself. It could blow gently, then with force, as soft as a spring breeze or as fierce as a storm.

Lee Ahn watched intently, not missing a single motion. The Flower Sword Supreme was demonstrating exactly how a person with a sword should move.

Knowing he would be at a disadvantage if the fight continued, the Ghost Blade unleashed his ultimate technique without reservation.

Dozens of strands of blade energy rained down like a ghostly shower.

The energy poured down upon the Flower Sword Supreme. Could any person truly dodge the rain?

PAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAK!

The Flower Sword Supreme ran through the downpour. Common sense said that running in the rain gets you wet, but she defied common sense.

She moved to where the energy had already fallen, dodged between the streams, and deflected them with her sword. Every time he caught sight of her, she was in a different spot.

Then the Ghost Blade saw it. From beyond the torrent of blade energy, she was staring right at him.

The instant he met that calm gaze, the Ghost Blade poured all of his inner arts into his next attack.

WHOOOOOOSH!

A ghostly wind that blew everything away. It was his final technique, Ghostly Wind.

A massive gale of blade energy slammed into her. The ground was torn apart by the wind, which was saturated with immense inner arts. Rocks, trees, and the wall were all swept away.

The Fist Demon turned to shield Lee Ahn, who had no inner arts, and raised his protective enhanced qi to its maximum.

HIIIIIIIIII.

For Lee Ahn, it was like watching a typhoon pass by from the safety of an indestructible building.

She was worried for the Flower Sword Supreme.

If the surroundings were this devastated, then the Flower Sword Supreme was trapped in the very center of that blade wind.

HIIIIIIII.

At last, the wind that had raged like a mad ghost subsided.

A smile appeared on the Ghost Blade's face. The attack had landed perfectly. The arrogant Flower Sword Supreme had not dodged but had met his Ghostly Wind head-on.

Arrogance is always the problem.

As the dust settled and the arena became visible, the smile disappeared from the Ghost Blade's lips.

His eyes widened with disbelief.

The Flower Sword Supreme stood in the exact same spot, not having moved an inch. Not a single thread of her clothing was torn, and not a single strand of her hair was disturbed.

She asked calmly, "Is there anything more to show me?"

There should have been more, but all he felt now was disbelief and terror.

He never imagined he would be the one to say these words to an opponent. It was the classic line his dying enemies always said to him.

"How on earth…?"

The whooshing sound of wind this time was different. It was the sharpest sound he had ever heard.

The Ghost Blade stood there, stunned.

"……"

A diagonal line of blood appeared across his face and body.

"My life was just beginning again…"

He collapsed, sliced in half. Gushing blood quickly soaked his clothes, staining the white ghost emblem red.

No matter how young he had become, how strong his evil energy grew, or how much inner arts he gathered, he was no match for the Flower Sword Supreme.

Because she was one who was silently walking, no, running at full speed towards the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

It was at that exact moment.

JJEONG.

A sound echoed from the main building, far behind the Ghost Blade's corpse. A diagonal line started to form on the structure.

RUUUUMBLE! CRASH! CRASH!

The main building, which housed Yeom Baekyin's office, collapsed diagonally.

This moment demonstrated just how profound the sword's essence was within that final attack.

The Flower Sword Supreme turned to face the Fist Demon and Lee Ahn.

As she approached, the Fist Demon bowed his head slightly. It was a gesture of respect for both her and her swordsmanship. The Flower Sword Supreme returned the bow, accepting his greeting.

Lee Ahn's face was a mask of astonishment and emotion.

What moved her was not the death of the Ghost Blade or the collapse of the building.

It was the Flower Sword Supreme's clothes.

She had fought in a sea of blood and corpses, yet not a single drop had splattered on her white robes. She had moved through a rain of blade energy, yet no blood from the ground had stained them.

Lee Ahn bowed her head respectfully, speaking with proper etiquette.

"Sword Supreme, you have just shown me the future I must strive for."

The Flower Sword Supreme offered Lee Ahn a bright smile.

Meanwhile, the Fist Demon stepped forward.

The only ones left alive on the other side were Jang Hu, the young man with red bandages, and Yeom Baekyin.

Yeom Baekyin, who had barely escaped the blade wind with his life, stared at the collapsed building in devastation. He had a terrible feeling, as if he were seeing his own future.

All of his subordinates were dead, and the two masters he brought had also been killed, yet Jang Hu remained calm.

"I've always wanted to fight you someday."

Jang Hu walked forward slowly, and the young man with the red bandages moved with him.

They unwrapped their bandages simultaneously.

Underneath, their fists were covered in tiny, unreadable characters. The engravings on each man were different in color and text, and a bizarre energy emanated from their hands.

Unlike the Flower Sword Supreme, who watched the situation in silence, Lee Ahn's expression hardened.

Their auras had been remarkable even with the bandages, but now a strange evil art was added to their fists. The aura of death coming from them was no ordinary evil.

Furthermore, there was more than one enemy. There was also the red-bandaged man who appeared to be a disciple. He must have a role to play to have stepped forward with him.

If only she had her inner arts left, she would have wanted to go out with him. She wanted to face the younger one herself.

However, contrary to her complicated feelings, her father's back, as solid as a great mountain, did not waver in the slightest.

Just like that back that practiced fist techniques at the bottom of the cliff every night.

"What have you done to your fists?"

The Fist Demon clenched his large fists tightly and strode forward.

"If you're not confident in your fists, you should just pick up a weapon."