Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 239: The Heavenly Blight

TL: FoodieMonster007

"Go!"

With a single shout, a hundred streaks of sword qi clawed at the earth.

CRASH! BAM! BOOM!

A rock that had been in place for hundreds of years crumbled, and a giant tree worshipped by the common people as sacred was laid bare.

It is often said that humans, no matter how strong, are powerless in the face of nature. Very rarely, however, the violence caused by beings who have transcended human limitations causes a calamity that is no different from a natural disaster.

"Kahahahaha! Isn't this so much fun?"

A pleasant laugh erupted amidst the terrifying spectacle of destruction.

It was the Night Emperor. Pitch-black darkness surged around him, as if escorting him. The surroundings were gradually brightening with dawn, but this only made the Night Emperor's darkness stand out even more.

Giggling playfully, he continued, "Did you ever think that karmic retribution would come back to bite you like this? Can you hear the screams of your children and grandchildren? I thought the great martial artists of the Namgung Clan would be different from us, but those cries are exactly the same as those I heard twenty years ago."

"SHUT UP!"

Along with an indignant roar, a single sword shot through the darkness and pierced the Night Emperor's heart. However, the Night Emperor faded away. He was only an afterimage.

The Blue Sky Sword King took a step using movement arts, seemingly teleporting to block the Night Emperor's path. After all the repetitive rounds of attacks, dodges, and counterattacks, he hardly expected his opponent to be hit by such a crude thrust.

"You insect-like bastard," he growled, his white robe fluttering gently as he stretched out his hand.

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A blinding white beam of light attempted to split the Night Emperor diagonally, but the Night Emperor struck down his opponent's sword with a hand wrapped in dark qi.

BOOOOM!

Raw power collided with raw power, shaking heaven and earth.

This was the clash of two absolute beings who were beyond the realm of mortals. It was a clash of wills, the will to cut, stab, crush, and destroy the opponent.

CRASH! CRACK! RUMBLE!

The fierce battle devastated the landscape of Mount Tianzhu. The ground was dotted with massive craters, ancient trees were felled with their roots exposed, and the earth was rent with countless scars.

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The two peerless masters were not unscathed either. Blood coated the strong bodies that had undergone Body Reformation and Rejuvenation.

To be honest, the Blue Sky Sword King was in shock.

This guy, he's strong. When was the last time I swung my sword with all my might?

Until now, he always had to conserve his power for fear of destroying his surroundings, killing his opponent, or severely injuring them. Even the most notorious demonic practitioners hadn't been able to withstand a mere three-tenths of his power, but the Night Emperor was different.

Judging by his appearance, he's about the same age as my grandchildren…

Since his youth, the Blue Sky Sword King had been called a genius to the point where he got bored of hearing such praise, but even by his standards, the Night Emperor's strength was absurd.

"You're truly worthy of being called a Sword King. I didn't think you'd be this strong… but no matter. You're still weaker than me," the Night Emperor remarked, stepping back for a moment. Casually brushing back his black and white hair, he smiled, though his pitch-black eyes only made it seem sinister.

"…Insolent bastard."

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As if they had a tacit agreement, the two peerless masters stopped fighting for a moment.

The Night Emperor looked at the Namgung Estate in the distance. The flames that had engulfed the buildings had been extinguished, and no more screams and cries could be heard.

"Strange, have the ghouls already been subdued? I can't hear the bells either."

"Do you get it now? This is the strength of the world's strongest martial family. Did you think that mere remnants of the Blood Cult could bring down the Namgung Clan?"

The Blue Sky Sword King smiled triumphantly. Somehow, he could sense that the situation in the Namgung Clan had stabilized. Feeling immense pride in the family he had built, the Blue Sky Sword King tightened his grip on his sword, feeling much more at ease.

I just need to kill this guy, and it's over.

He would behead the Sage of the Unorthodox and show the world that any who dared to attack the Namgung Clan would pay for their crimes in blood. He would raise the banner of the Namgung Clan and stand at the forefront of the crusade to exterminate the resurrected Blood Cult.

And then, after all the wars were over, the Namgung Clan would enjoy eternal fame as the world's strongest clan!

"Kukuku," the Night Emperor chuckled, his white teeth flashing in a predatory grin. "I can read you like a book."

The Blue Sky Sword King snorted contemptuously, "A filthy unorthodox bastard claims to know what's on my mind?"

"You're thinking that all you have left to do is kill me, right? You're confident that the Namgung Clan has overcome the crisis, and they'll use this crisis as an opportunity to soar to even greater heights."

"You know me well. Now, stick your neck out. I'll kill you as painlessly as possible."

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The Blue Sky Sword King raised his sword and pointed it at the Night Emperor's heart. Now that he didn't have to worry about his family anymore, he could finally focus entirely on his opponent.

WOOOOOONG!

The Blue Sky Divine Sword, passed down through generations of Namgung Clan grandmasters, vibrated and emitted a bluish aura.

Without hesitation, the Night Emperor walked straight toward the sword, grinning wickedly. "Why are you so sure that it's not the other way around?"

HISSSSSSS…

Pitch-black darkness began to descend on the surrounding area. The sun had clearly risen, but the Night Emperor made it seem as if he was bringing back the night.

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"I've gotten bored. Initially, I was going to kill you slowly while savoring your mounting terror as the Namgung Clan burned around you, but it's too quiet now."

"…Quit bluffing."

"Shouldn't you already be aware whether I'm bluffing or not?" the Night Emperor taunted, even as he manipulated his darkness enhanced qi, directing it to encircle the Blue Sky Sword King in preparation for an ultimate technique.

In response, the Blue Sky Sword King also swung his sword fiercely, releasing his most powerful swordsmanship.

Whichever technique hit directly would tear even the body of a peerless master into pieces.

CLAAAAAANG!

Light and darkness clashed in a furious dance, as if a god and a demon were sundering the heavens in the middle of an apocalypse.

"Ugh!" With a groan, the Blue Sky Sword King escaped from the darkness first, cutting through it. His left shoulder was missing a chunk of flesh, as if it had been torn off by a beast.

"Where are you going?" The Night Emperor laughed languidly. Completely engulfed in darkness, he rushed towards the Blue Sky Sword King. The darkness that covered his body like armor boiled up like flames.

"Keuk!" The Blue Sky Sword King retreated again, blood trickling down his chin from a new wound. Though fierce, his counterattack failed to fully pierce the Night Emperor's dark qi, leaving only shallow wounds on the young man's flesh.

Damn it, he's stronger than me.

He had no choice but to admit it now. Like his alias, his opponent was a Heavenly Blight in human form—a terrible evil that was born from the carnage he had created twenty years ago.

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Capitalizing on his advantage, the Night Emperor pressed the attack. "Try a little harder, and maybe after killing you, I'll be too tired to go and destroy the Namgung Clan."

The Blue Sky Sword King gritted his teeth until they bled. He couldn't die here. No, even if he died, he would die shouldering the blame for that terrible disaster alone.

A red light flashed in his eyes. "You… You'll regret giving me time."

"Oh?" The Night Emperor's eyes lit up.

The Blue Sky Sword King's aura suddenly surged, and his weakening qi exploded powerfully.

"Kukuku… Die!"

Laughing like a madman, the Blue Sky Sword King swung his Blue Sky Divine Sword.

RRRRRUMBLE!

The ash-gray enhanced sword qi completely obliterated one of the peaks behind the Night Emperor.

"Kahahahaha! I knew it would be like this!" The Night Emperor burst into laughter. He had lost half a ear while dodging the previous attack, but he didn't seem to care at all. Staring at the Blue Sky Sword King's red eyes, he said, "You learned a demonic art, didn't you?"

"……"

"You learned one of the demonic arts that you stole from the Yin Yang Demon Lord! Ahahaha! Of course! Since the power of demonic arts is tempting, you must have wanted to somehow incorporate it into the Namgung Clan's martial arts, right? Is that the result?"

"GRAAAAAGH!"

The Blue Sky Sword King roared and swung his sword instead of answering, unable to control his overflowing power.

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BOOOOOOOM!

The entire Mount Tianzhu was torn apart by the vicious power, but except for the first attack, none of it reached the Night Emperor. Rather, from the moment he used the demonic art, the Blue Sky Sword King was being toyed with by the Night Emperor.

"How foolish. Not only do demonic arts eat away at one's humanity and sanity, but they also alter the body. How does it feel to fight while wearing clothes that don't fit you?"

"SHUT UP!"

At the thunderous roar, rocks shook, and giant trees were uprooted and flew away, but the Night Emperor was unfazed. No matter how strong the attack, it was useless if it didn't hit. After invoking the demonic art, the Blue Sky Sword King was nothing more than a fool with incredible raw strength.

"For a master like you to make such a basic mistake, are you that desperate?"

"KEUAAAAAAAK!"

All the blood vessels in the Blue Sky Sword King's body popped out as the increasingly intense demonic qi spread out in all directions, but that was all. In an instant, the Night Emperor grabbed the back of the Blue Sky Sword King's head and slammed him down so hard that a huge crater was formed.

CRAAASH!

Leaning close to the Blue Sky Sword King, whose body was trembling violently, the Night Emperor whispered into his ear, "There's one way to overcome the side effect of demonic arts. Want me to tell you?"

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Instead of answering, the Blue Sky Sword King twisted his body around and swung his sword with enough force to split even a mountain in half, but the Night Emperor avoided the attack with ridiculous ease and grabbed the sword from his wrist.

Horrified, the Blue Sky Sword King retreated backward. This was the first time he had ever lost his sword to an enemy.

Not letting up, the Night Emperor closed in on him and giggled, "You should just be born as a human created for the sake of learning demonic arts, like me."

"You…!"

SPLURT!

The Night Emperor thrust the stolen sword into its owner's stomach.

"Gah… It can't, it can't end like this…" The Blue Sky Sword King tried to move, but he couldn't budge. The Night Emperor had run him through and pinned him into a large rock. Moreover, the sword had pierced his qi center, and the qi he had spend decades accumulating was scattering like smoke.

He was dying. Even if the Divine Physician was here, this wasn't an injury he could heal.

HISSSSS…

The Night Emperor released his armor of darkness and bent down slightly to meet the Blue Sky Sword King's eyes. He too looked quite tired, but his languid smile was unchanged.

"You were stronger than I thought. Thanks to you, I lost half a ear, so you can brag about it to the King of Hell."

The Blue Sky Sword King looked up at his opponent and gritted his teeth. "Kill… me…"

"Why are you saying such hurtful things?" The Night Emperor reached out and stroked the Blue Sky Sword King's cheek, a sadistic smile playing on his lips. "There's no way I would kill you so easily. First, I'll cut the tendons of your arms and legs. Then, I'll cut your tongue so you can't kill yourself, but I'll leave your eyes intact. Do you know why?"

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The Blue Sky Sword King's face filled with terror. "N-No…"

The Night Emperor was also known as the Heavenly Blight. He was the worst evildoer, so much so that he was considered a freak of nature.

"I'll annihilate the Namgung Clan right in front of your eyes. One by one, I'll tear apart and kill your sons and grandsons."

"P-Please…"

"That's only fair, isn't it?"

"The children, only the children…"

"Oh my. Where did I hear those exact same words? Ah, it was twenty years ago."

"I-I beg you…"

"Hahaha!" The Night Emperor giggled and tapped the Blue Sky Sword King's cheek.

All this time, Baek Suryong hid in the bushes, waiting for the Night Emperor to lower his guard.