Chapter 166
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: First Seat (1)
Shh!
A single person appeared inside the audience hall.
There was no sound of footsteps. No presence either. There was absolutely no sensation, yet when he turned his head, there stood a man like a ghost, as if he'd been there all along.
"Gah!"
Vanguard jolted to his feet in surprise.
Vanguard had never laid eyes on the Heavenly Commander before. But an overwhelming certainty washed over him that the man standing behind was none other than the Heavenly Commander.
Hanbi shot up as well, hurriedly clasping his hands in a formal bow.
From the Heavenly Annihilation Division's perspective, these two were no different from traitors. They'd defied the main force's orders and infiltrated it instead. And in the process, they'd even taken down a Star Executioner.
They were unforgivable betrayers.
Of course, it was Four Thousand Four who'd actually killed the Star Executioner. They knew that much. But merely acting alongside Four Thousand Four was an indelible sin.
There was no way the Heavenly Commander would forgive them.
And yet, they offered him the utmost courtesy. They had no choice.
He had a sturdy build, somewhat plump, with a broad face. His eyes were fierce and bulging, his eyebrows thick. His beard was white, giving him the fleeting look of an elder, but his skin was taut like a middle-aged man's.
His age was impossible to discern—old man or middle-aged? Still, he exuded the unyielding hardness of forged steel.
"Is the tea still warm?"
The Heavenly Commander asked in a deep, gravelly voice without so much as glancing at the two.
"It is."
Four Thousand Four pushed one of the prepared teacups toward the empty seat.
Thud! Thud!
The Heavenly Commander approached and sat down.
He drew the teacup closer, staring into the clear tea. Closing his eyes slightly, he savored the aroma.
"Did you expect me to come?"
"Who might this gentleman be?"
Four Thousand Four swept his gaze across the empty audience hall as he asked.
He was inquiring about the hall's master, the lord of the Warm Pavilion, the one who'd passed down those strange secret manuals.
"We called him Old Man."
"Does he have no other name or title?"
"A title would be a name long forgotten... Forget-Death. I was once called Forget-Death. Have you heard of it?"
Four Thousand Four shook his head.
"Huhu! I suppose not. Hardly anyone in the current martial world remembers the name Forget-Death. And yet I thought you might recognize it. Huhu! Green-Death is quite heartless, isn't he?"
The Heavenly Commander lifted his teacup and took a sip.
"What you just said..."
"As I recall, Forget-Death and your master Green-Death... were fellow disciples."
"Is that... so."
Four Thousand Four wasn't particularly surprised.
The old man had expounded on the Warm Pavilion arts. And the Warm Pavilion arts absorbed nearly all of the secret manuals. They were utterly different yet connected by a single thread. Moreover, the old man had handed over new secret manuals.
By now, he could roughly guess the old man's background. He was likely inseparable from his master or the secret manuals.
So that's how it was. The old man and his master were fellow disciples. Since the old man seemed older than his master, that made him a martial uncle? Probably one with a significant age gap.
The Heavenly Commander spun the empty teacup idly as he spoke.
"Old Man had ten days."
"I know."
"We extended it by one more day. It means nothing to you, of course."
"I see."
Four Thousand Four replied calmly.
Even after the Small Punishments forces had swept through and cleansed the hall, visitors still came. Even after the Small Punishments Executioner left and the Heavenly Commander arrived, someone would circle the hall.
They came silently and quietly, looked around the empty hall, then left without a word.
This seemed to be their way of paying respects to Old Man.
Not just anyone from the Heavenly Annihilation Division came to pay respects. Each visitor was a top-tier master.
Two had already come and gone, yet Vanguard and Hanbi hadn't noticed a thing.
"I have news for you."
"...?"
"Jaja and Fox are back home."
Vanguard and Hanbi's eyes widened in shock at the Heavenly Commander's words. But they quickly composed themselves.
Had the Heavenly Annihilation Division ever failed to get what it wanted?
Jaja and Fox's fates weren't likely to be smooth either. If even Vanguard had betrayed them, what chance did mere branch assassins have? When the Heavenly Annihilation Division drew its blade, death was the only outcome.
"Tomorrow, I plan to stand those two over there."
The Heavenly Commander pointed to a distant path.
"Do you wish for me to submit?"
"No."
"Then what do you want?"
"Who knows? Huhu! I'm curious about your choice. What you'll choose. When we put forward Green-Death, you moved. Without a care for his life. So... from our perspective, these are far less valuable hostages... Let's see what you do when we stand those two there."
"I lost to a woman named Red Moon."
"And?"
"It means you can subdue me with martial arts."
"Boring."
"...?"
"Huhu! Let's see your choice first. What you'll do. You two, wait at the Martial Camp."
The Heavenly Commander issued the order to Vanguard and Hanbi in a cold tone, fully aware they'd turned their backs on the Heavenly Annihilation Division.
And as before, Vanguard and Hanbi had no reply.
They'd resolved themselves and gritted their teeth... but the threat of killing their visitors was too potent.
Another person circled the hall silently before vanishing.
A woman. Her hair was snow-white... From afar, she looked like a middle-aged woman with only white hair. Up close, she probably had quite a few years on her.
The woman was graceful. Her gait was graceful.
"Do you know who she is?"
Vanguard shook his head.
Had Four Thousand Four not mentioned it, even he wouldn't have sensed her arrival. She emitted no presence, no feeling at all.
Needless to say, she was a top-tier master.
The woman's terror was vividly apparent in her movements.
With every step, blades, swords, and blood seemed to condense. Graceful and quiet as she was, anyone approaching her side felt an ominous certainty of meeting the blade.
"Can you handle her?"
Vanguard asked.
Four Thousand Four didn't answer.
Truth be told, he had no confidence. No, he didn't even want to face her. More precisely, he had no intention of fighting. After reading the secret manuals of the hall's master—once called Forget-Death—his fighting spirit had waned considerably.
"We'll head to the Martial Camp, then."
"..."
"We wanted to help you even a little, but on second thought, we're just a burden. We can't go back to the Heavenly Annihilation Division anyway... What if? Could I save the child with my life?"
Vanguard was clearly worried about his daughter.
No. Vanguard had lost his fighting spirit. He'd chosen to ally with Four Thousand Four against the Heavenly Annihilation Division, but the overwhelming might had crushed his resolve.
Red Moon, the Heavenly Commander, the Small Punishments Executioner, and this nameless woman.
Any one of them could kill Vanguard. They could kill Hanbi too.
Besides, Vanguard and Hanbi had nothing special to do. No way to aid Four Thousand Four.
All these factors were combining to make them abandon hope for survival.
Four Thousand Four gazed at the white-haired woman vanishing into the distance and said,
"Can you subdue Jaja and Fox?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Jaja and Fox will take up blades tomorrow and stand there. Intent on killing me."
"Is that so? It could happen."
"Please subdue them."
"Possible. Then what?"
"Trust me... and handle that first. I can't abandon Jaja and Fox."
Four Thousand Four stood.
Shadowless Phantom Step!
Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
He unleashed the Shadowless Phantom Step based on the secret manuals.
No sound. No form. Yet fierce storms erupted at the strike points.
Whoosh-whoosh! Shhh!
He unleashed the Shadowless Phantom Step based on the secret manuals.
His form vanished. His presence vanished. Perfect invisibility.
The Shadowless Phantom Step was an illusion technique.
It wasn't just speed making the form invisible—though that played a part. It was so fast that defense became impossible.
But strictly speaking, the illusory aspect was stronger.
Misseeing, misperceiving, mistaking.
Even seeing with one's eyes, one fails to see; hearing, yet believing one hasn't heard.
When using the Shadowless Phantom Step in attack, the illusion reaches its peak.
When using it in defense, invisibility manifests in an instant.
Red Moon hadn't fallen for it. She'd pierced the illusion. Even the Small Punishments Executioner had been fooled, yet her eyes saw through it. He couldn't seal her ears.
A Shadowless Phantom Step with exposed invisibility was no longer Shadowless Phantom Step.
The Heavenly Commander knew of it too.
When they'd met, the Heavenly Commander had dismissed him. He'd read the contempt in those eyes.
Unshakable confidence.
Confidence that he could read what Red Moon had read...
Then all that remained was Old Man's Shadowless Phantom Step. Perfect invisibility, followed by another layer. Concealing even the point of attack.
Whoosh-whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
He shattered branches into fragments and launched them, then hid his body.
No good. Limbs flailing in disarray. The Shadowless Phantom Step specialized in either attack or defense. It couldn't do both at once. Unless he had multiple hands like the Heavenly Commander, it was impossible with just two.
'I have to make it work!'
Four Thousand Four steadied his feet again.
"Looks like Shadowless Phantom Step, but it's pathetic. Qi deviation?"
Hanbi asked.
To him, Four Thousand Four's Shadowless Phantom Step looked pitiful. He could clearly see the branches being thrown. He could see them flying.
Too slow.
Even more pathetic was the motion of hiding while throwing branches.
Not hiding at all... just stumbling around until it ended.
This happened when one misinterpreted absolute emptiness, when the sequence of absolute emptiness got jumbled by mistake, or when one lost sensation of absolute emptiness.
Qi deviation wasn't only from tangled inner energy. Falling into a state where one couldn't execute techniques, into confusion, was qi deviation too. Losing control led to heart demons.
"I can't fathom what you're thinking."
Vanguard shook his head.
Suppose he captured Jaja and Fox. Suppose he detained them. What more could he do?
This was Heavenly Annihilation Division territory.
If the Heavenly Commander sent just two or three branches, they'd lose their lives. No need for branches even—death traps abounded. They were sitting in the tiger's maw.
He understood Four Thousand Four wanting to raise his martial prowess... but who did he plan to fight?
Infiltration offered options.
But now they were fully exposed. The hall where Forget-Death had resided was completely sealed by Heavenly Annihilation Division warriors. Tunnel or wings, escape was impossible.
Hanbi looked at the crumbling Heavenly Annihilation Division and said,
"I'll take Jaja."
"Think you can? If Jaja comes at you with full intent, she won't be easy."
"I have an idea."
"Alright? Then I'll handle Fox."
Shh! Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The finely splintered branches seemed to fly before dropping limply.
Four Thousand Four couldn't even launch branches anymore. He couldn't perform attacks Hanbi could manage.
Qi deviation had firmly set in.