Chapter 204: Shattered Heart (3)

Words : 1754 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

Chapter 204: Shattered Heart (3) Twang! The start of the battle is signaled by Yu Hwa's zither. As her zither plays, crimson rivers overflow in all directions. The sunset envelops the surroundings, summoning demonic mists. I dodge the hues of her sunset, careful not to touch it, as I search for an opening in Jang Ik's defense. 'There's no opening.' He truly does not allow even a single gap. 'If I go in now, I'll be beheaded.' My intuition warns me of this. Swoosh! Yu Hwa's music sweeps over Jang Ik, who leaps into the air to avoid it and reaches for the four podaos. The next moment. Bo-oong! Suddenly, one of the podaos in his grasp flies towards me. Whizz! The podao whirls through the air, aiming straight for my neck. I barely manage to dodge it by kicking off the ground. 'Sword control?' Jang Ik's podao pursues me freely through the air. After deflecting his podao with my Formless Sword, I observe it. 'No, it's not that.' It isn't sword control. Jang Ik and his podao's handle are connected by thin strands of Qi, and he is manipulating the podao in the air by moving the connected Qi. It's a completely different method from sword control, where one detaches their consciousness to imbue a weapon with action. Bo-oong, woong, woong, woong! As I observe Jang Ik's podao, Jang Ik rotates the two podaos in his hands and the two connected by Qi strands around him, maintaining his position. 'He's preparing some technique.' Then, it will be wise to see what technique unfolds. As I brace for his move. Wo-woong The air seems to be sucked in. Around Jang Ik, not just the surrounding air but also the spiritual energy itself is slowly being absorbed. Zap, zap... I feel a tingling sensation throughout my body. Simultaneously, a chill runs down my spine. 'No, I thought wrong.' If that technique is completed, Yu Hwa and I will die. Yu Hwa, sensing the impending danger, begins to play her zither even faster. I swiftly circle around Jang Ik, looking for an opening. At one moment, I find what looks like a gap in Jang Ik's posture. Zap, zap... My intuition warns me. That gap is definitely a trap. Entering that trap will surely lead to disaster. However, I clench my teeth and dive into the trap like an arrow. 'I may face disaster, but without doing this, there's no chance at all.' Jang Ik is a giant cliff. Not just a high cliff, but one with a waterfall crashing down, making it impossible to climb. To overcome this cliff, even if it is a trap, I have to boldly enter! Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Transcending Peaks! Flash! Entering the gap shown by Jang Ik, I grip my Formless Sword and execute a horizontal slash towards the gap. But in an instant, Jang Ik maneuvers his small frame into the air, evading my Formless Sword, and plunges the two rotating podaos towards me. I hurriedly try to dodge backward, but I feel something catch me from behind. These are, Qi strands!?' The Qi strands that Jang Ik has been using to rotate the podaos are preventing me from moving back. 'He wasn't just rotating the podaos!' Through the podaos, he scattered his Qi strands all around. Soon, the area is densely covered with Qi strands, making them hard to detect. [Got you.] Jang Ik smirks and throws the podao in his hand. I transform my Formless Sword, cutting through the Qi strands and retreating backward. The podao barely grazes the tip of my nose as it passes by, but I manage to dodge it just in time. However, the next instant. Bo-oong!! Following the Qi strands spread around, the podao rotates in the air and shoots back towards me. The Qi strands I had cut somehow reconnected. 'At this rate, it's impossible to even get close to Jang Ik.' It might seem like just four podaos rotating around him, but those four podaos are constantly scattering Qi strands. Jang Ik is controlling these Qi strands to manipulate the four podaos like puppets. These Qi strands can either obstruct the opponent's movement by applying physical force or enclose and slice the opponent by applying sharp energy. 'This requires an insanely precise level of control...' Jang Ik is pushing me back, freely manipulating these precise Qi strands. 'First, I need to deflect or dodge the incoming podaos and then charge at Jang Ik.' The scattered Qi strands are annoying, but if I cut them at the plane level using the abilities of Treading Heavens, I should be able to sever them. Then, the right approach would be to block or deflect the podaos once and then look for an opportunity to attack Jang Ik. Just as I organize my thoughts and extend my Formless Sword towards Jang Ik's podao.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only While Jang Ik seems to praise me for catching on quickly, he continues to rotate his podaos, expanding the domain of his Qi strands. Simultaneously, I realize the malevolence emanating from the podaos is intensifying. 'The wider the domain of Qi strands, the stronger Jang Ik's attacks become with infinite potential.' In a way, it resonates with my Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains. Stepping into the domain of Qi strands to counter it means facing Jang Ik's freely moving podaos and being constantly harassed by the Qi strands. '...I'll decide it in one go.' If we keep dragging on, Jang Ik will become infinitely stronger. Of course, since Jang Ik is in his avatar form, his body might fail to withstand and explode. However winning that way would be meaningless. I exchange heart language with Yu Hwa. We synchronize our intentions, position ourselves on both sides of Jang Ik, and unleash the greatest attacks we can muster. Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, ultimate technique, Severing Mountain. Illusory Player Under the Rosy Afterglow's ultimate technique, Illusory Heaven. Kugugugu! Twenty-one techniques unfold at once, striking at the widest gap among Jang Ik's Qi strands. Eight streams of crimson river converge into one, rushing in like a torrent through Jang Ik's Qi strands. The next moment, Jang Ik smiles and lifts the podaos in his hands. [Impressive. Should I exert a bit of effort too?] The name of his profound technique resonates in the world of intent. Fighting Spirit, First Step. I can feel it. The strike Jang Ik is about to use corresponds to the enlightenment of Beyond the Path to Heavens. In other words, Jang Ik had been fighting us with pure techniques that didn't even reach Beyond the Path to Heavens up to now. Jang Ik dances on the spot with his rotating podaos, scattering attacks in all directions. Four Treasures Annihilating Heavens Blade (). Executing Immortals Annihilating Heavens (). Slaughtering Immortals Annihilating Heavens (). "Ah..." Beautiful. In my previous life. The strike that split the Mad Lord's Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress in half. Now, even closer, Jang Ik is unfolding in detail as if to show and teach me, making its beauty even more palpable. 'Intent is...' Essentially Qi. Just as Jang Ik's Qi strands concentrate to show tremendous power, Jang Ik's intent concentrates, descending to the plane of Qi. His consciousness, having descended to the plane of Qi, becomes one with countless Qi strands, manipulating the energy drawn from the surroundings. The energy of the podaos, honed to such extreme sharpness, fly towards Yu Hwa and me who are each unfolding our ultimate techniques. Wizzz! It's clean. That is the end. The ultimate technique of my Severing Mountain Swordsmanship is directly cut through by Jang Ik's Executing Immortals Annihilating Heavens. Zing! The ultimate technique unleashed by Yu Hwa is torn to shreds by Jang Ik's Slaughtering Immortals Annihilating Heavens, scattering it apart. The technique of sheer violent destruction disperses her ultimate technique. Fwsh! Before I know it, I realize my body has been cleanly split in half vertically. '...Tremendous.' Thanks to Jang Ik's consideration, my Golden Core is not split, allowing me to survive. However, I feel chills all over my body realizing that in a real battle, not just my Golden Core but even my Nascent Soul would have been split in one strike if I faced Jang Ik's technique. Kwoooong! Yu Hwa, having been hit by Jang Ik's technique, is bruised all over and sent flying far away. I let out a hollow laugh. It's a perfect defeat. Jang Ik disperses the energy condensed podaos and crosses his arms. [So, did you all understand what I'm trying to say?] "...Yes. It was a valuable lesson." Only after sparring with Jang Ik do I understand what he is trying to convey. I also roughly understand why he asked such questions before the spar. [The method of the Heart Tribe, the Fighting Spirit, is about standing against the strong from the position of the weak!] Exactly. From the perspective of the strong, they wouldn't need to bother with such complex manipulations such as the impossible precision and control demonstrated by Jang Ik. A simple punch would suffice. However, Jang Ik displayed attacks of power several times greater than a Nascent Soul stage with just the energy equivalent of a single Sword Gang. It's not just about using four taels to lift a thousand catties but using that power to multiply strength, subduing the opponent with lesser force. Jang Ik, himself, is not strong. Because he was born into a weaker race, he had to amplify the power of his techniques by complexly manipulating energy to face terrifying races like dragons, humans, and giants. The supreme technique he created to face those formidable races! That is precisely his Fighting Spirit. [As the weak, as slaves, as insignificant beings! To resist against the strong, the masters, the rulers. The intent of striving to prevent the unjust oppression of the weak is precisely my Fighting Spirit!] Jang Ik's statement that 'everyone has the potential for Manifestation' meant that all beings living in this world could someday find themselves in the position of the weak. Thus, he wants to teach the weak. [I'll ask you again.] I deeply contemplate Jang Ik's question. [To you, what is Martial Arts?] *** Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried Link to donations in the discord!

Chapter 204: Shattered Heart (3)

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