Chapter 103
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Ten Heavens Society
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Ten Heavens Society.
Ten heavens—naturally referring to the Nine Great Sects and One Faction, it was perhaps an exceedingly grandiose name.
It was the name of an organization that had suddenly sprung up here in Dunhuang.
Of course, those unaware of the inside story were all terribly puzzled.
Why go to the trouble of forming such a pompous organization just to excavate the relics of the Great Cloud Bright Religion?
Over the past sixty-odd years, there had been no forces threatening the Central Plains, nor had the peace of the martial world ever been broken, making this truly an age of great prosperity.
At least on the surface.
But now, with the Great Cloud Bright Religion's movements taking concrete shape, unearthing their vital strongholds and reclaiming their treasures was no simple task.
Especially for the leaders of the Nine Great Sects and One Faction gathered here in Dunhuang—they were anything but complacent.
The former Nine Supremes' martial master, U Cheonso, had already arrived in a rejuvenated, youthful form.
The Kunlun Sect had sealed its gates for reasons unknown.
And what shocked them even more was the revelation that U Gyeongcheon, the Great Cloud Bright Religion's leader whom they believed confined to Mount Song, had long since regained his freedom.
Everyone had experienced U Gyeongcheon's temperament—bearing the moniker World-Mixing Demon—directly or indirectly, so his reappearance could only be seen as the dawn of a new age of chaos.
In the midst of all this, the elites of the Nine Great Sects and One Faction had converged on Dunhuang. How could it be anything simple?
Around the beautiful green lake shaped like a crescent moon, three grand halls had quietly completed construction.
In addition, there were over a dozen auxiliary buildings, plus stables and warehouses—an impressive scale by any measure.
Once finished, the site resembled a fortress.
The buildings weren't scattered haphazardly.
Centered around the three halls backed against the east, west, and north, the smaller structures and warehouses filled the space in a perfect square formation.
To the south stood a massive gate, the only way in or out.
That gate was thickly plated in bronze, resembling the main gates of major citadels scattered across the Central Plains.
Now, that enormous gate stood wide open, with many people freely coming and going.
Freely, of course—though those passing through were either the experts of the Nine Great Sects and One Faction present here and their disciples, or laborers carrying furnishings and tools.
There were no dedicated guards, but no one without business would dare wander in and out of such a heavily secured place just to sightsee.
Moments later, a group surged out from within the fortress toward the gate.
Widely renowned masters like the Golden Purity Nun, Drunk Dragon Divine Hound, Dew-Cutting Sword Guest, Azure Purity Sword Immortal, and Light-Splitting Sword Immortal, along with their disciples.
Two men stood out conspicuously in their midst.
Two burly men with fierce expressions and muscular upper bodies exposed carried a massive wooden plaque.
Upon that enormous plaque, three characters were inscribed in a single bold stroke.
Ten Heavens Society.
It was the signboard destined for above the gate.
They had timed it for the wu hour, when yang energy peaked during the day—even the desert winds here blew scorching hot.
"Come on, hoist it up."
As the group gathered beneath the gate, the Drunk Dragon Divine Hound, Jin Hwi, issued the command.
The two men carrying the signboard bowed their heads in acknowledgment.
"Your disciples shall obey."
Indeed, at the hems of those two men's robes were three knots tied.
That marked them unmistakably as disciples of the Beggars' Sect, and three knots meant masters of at least branch leader rank within the sect.
Above the gate loomed a grand roof, its eaves roughly three zhang high.
A height no ordinary martial artist could reach barehanded, yet they leaped without hesitation, simultaneously launching themselves upward.
Of course, their clasped hands still gripped the immensely heavy signboard.
"Heh heh... The Beggars' Sect's Swallow Twin Flight technique truly lives up to its fame."
As the two Beggars' Sect experts reached the eaves in a single bound, the Golden Purity Nun spared no praise.
Among the Beggars' Sect's many arts, their lightness skills were especially renowned—and the Swallow Twin Flight they displayed now was well-known throughout the martial world.
The pair hung the signboard in its predetermined spot, then leaped back down to their original positions.
"Your disciples have fulfilled your command."
With crisp, disciplined motions, they clasped their fists and reported to Jin Hwi, who nodded in satisfaction.
"Good work, lads. Well done. Ha ha."
"Now, we need to nail these in place, don't we?"
At that moment, the Light-Splitting Sword Immortal, Sa Yunbo, held up two massive iron nails.
The signboard was hung, but securing it firmly still required driving in the nails.
"Of course. Let the Zhongnan disciples handle that."
"As you wish."
Sa Yunbo casually handed the two large iron nails to his two nearby disciples.
"Drive one into each spot there."
At Sa Yunbo's order, the Zhongnan disciples slightly bent their knees in salute—then instantly soared upward.
It was the Floating Cloud Body Technique, one of Zhongnan Sect's signature lightness skills.
Rising from stillness like drifting clouds, the pair reached the signboard's height and hurled the nails in their hands.
The nails flew true, embedding into the precise corners of the signboard—but not fully seated.
Then, the Zhongnan disciples flipped backward in midair, unleashed streams of finger-force, and descended.
"Heh heh... I've heard Zhongnan's momentum has been unusual lately, and truly, the power of your Moon-Shattering Finger is formidable."
Jin Hwi burst into hearty laughter, offering praise.
Indeed, their finger-forces had precisely hammered the nails they had thrown, driving them home completely.
"You're too kind. How could it compare to the Beggars' Sect's bold palm strikes?"
Sa Yunbo demurred at Jin Hwi's praise, though his expression brimmed with pride.
With multiple sects gathered in one place, subtle rivalries inevitably surfaced. Even over trivial tasks, each faction frequently showcased their signature techniques.
Moments later, quite a few masters had assembled before the central hall inside the Ten Heavens Society compound.
Enclosed on all four sides by buildings, it formed a courtyard of sorts—vast in area, its floor paved seamlessly with青石 slabs more grand than those of a typical provincial yamen.
Yet the frontal central hall already bore a plaque: Clear Brightness Pavilion.
For the building that would serve as the Ten Heavens Society's headquarters, the name felt ominous.
Clear brightness could imply the pure and splendid Ming Dynasty, but it could just as easily mean cleansing the Ming Cult.
In any case, amid the throng of masters representing the Nine Great Sects and One Faction, the current ceremony involved inscribing each sect's name on the ten pillars supporting the Clear Brightness Pavilion.
Viewed from the front, it had four pillars; from the side, three—ten in total.
Now, an elder leaped to the top of one side pillar, swung his fists a few times, and descended.
The elder's fists hummed softly, his lightness skill simple and serene.
"Truly, Elder Tak's Seven Injuries Fist wields fearsome power. Heh heh."
The Dew-Cutting Sword Guest, Ilseonja, watching, offered praise—yet no trace marred the pillar.
"Exactly. Every time I see it, it gives me chills."
While many still tilted their heads in confusion, the Golden Purity Nun added her endorsement to Ilseonja's words.
As the acknowledged supreme expert among those gathered, her word made it so.
"Nun, you continue to gild this old face of mine. Keh keh."
"What gilding? In today's martial world, who isn't awed by the power of Elder Tak's Seven Injuries Without Emotion Fist?"
At that, the elder called Elder Tak shook his hand lightly toward the pillar's top, his face beaming with smug satisfaction.
Incredibly, four characters—Subduing Demons Empty Cavern—slowly emerged on the previously pristine pillar.
Microscopically pulverized wood fibers drifted away on the breeze, revealing the inscription.
Only then did most onlookers nod in admiration.
"Time has not dulled you, Elder Tak."
Even the Drunk Dragon Divine Hound, Jin Hwi, offered belated praise as he stepped forward—though inwardly, he was deeply shocked.
‘To wield that ferocious Seven Injuries Fist's power with such precision and finesse... he's surpassed his limits. It rivals my own Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms without shame.’
Tak Jucheon of Seven Injuries Without Emotion.
One of the Eight Eccentrics among the Three Hidden, Four Wonders, Five Divinities, Six Immortals, and Seven Kings, he was a former elder of the Kongtong Sect and a transcendent master who had mastered the sect's signature Seven Injuries Fist to over ten degrees.
Towering over seven chi with a long beard, his hair and whiskers still flowed black and vibrant, suiting his ornate golden yellow robe.
"You arrived late, only to demonstrate this signature technique. Even this Sa Cheongbo is impressed by Elder Tak's Seven Injuries Fist prowess."
"Keh keh... What humility from the Azure Purity Sword Immortal of the realm? Forgive us. The Kongtong Sect is always a bit tardy, no matter the occasion."
At Sa Cheongbo's praise, Tak Jucheon roared with laughter again, stroking his long beard.
Then the Golden Purity Nun spoke up once more.
"Now, eight of the ten pillars bear their marks, but two remain. What shall we do, everyone?"
Indeed, two pillars among the hall's ten still showed no inscriptions.
"Kunlun's share should remain empty given their seclusion, but I'm not sure about Wudang's."
As Ilseonja tilted his head in hesitation, a loud shout rang out from the wide-open gate.