Chapter 316
Chapter 316
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 316
Chapter Title: Joint Mission Briefing
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A barren room furnished only with a table.
Jade Kirin, who had been sipping her tea with dainty movements, carefully set down her teacup and wore a soft smile.
It was a refined and neat posture for the tea ceremony.
In contrast, Cheonhwi...
Slurp―
He poured the tea into his mouth as if chugging liquor, then clunked the cup down on the table.
And wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
Their demeanors were complete opposites.
Soon, Cheonhwi opened his mouth.
"So, what's the mission?"
At his words, Jade Kirin took a message tube from her bosom and handed it to him as if to say he should read it himself.
She added gentle words.
"You'll know the details once you see this."
Cheonhwi took the proffered message tube.
Judging by the Alliance emblem stamped on it, it was certainly from the Military Strategist.
He soon scanned the contents.
Hubei Wuxue: Appearance of Black Ghost Troupe and Seven-Tailed Wind Fox. Heavenly Justice Squad and Extermination Squad to investigate and confirm. "Heavenly Justice Squad?"
Cheonhwi tilted his head at the unfamiliar name.
"It's the name of the special task force led by Bin Do."
Jade Kirin smiled faintly as she replied.
Her voice carried thick pride and confidence.
At the same time, her eyes sparkled.
As if hoping Cheonhwi would ask more about the Heavenly Justice Squad.
But.
"Hm, got it?"
Cheonhwi showed no further curiosity.
He simply withdrew his gaze from the message tube and smacked his lips, discussing only the operation.
"So, basically, go beat up the Black Ghost Troupe and that Wind Fox guy that showed up in Wuxue, together with them?"
Jade Kirin was momentarily surprised by Cheonhwi's blunt, un-Taoist-like speech but soon composed herself and spoke.
"No detailed orders have come down yet, but probably."
"Got it."
Cheonhwi tossed the message tube casually.
Jade Kirin watched the flying tube, then flicked her sleeve in a circle.
Swish―
The tube was drawn into her circling hand as if guided, landing neatly inside.
It was an exquisitely precise Energy Capture Technique.
Cheonhwi noticed that her circular motion naturally formed a Tai Chi symbol.
'Tai Chi Hand?'
Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed.
Tai Chi Hand was one of the most difficult techniques to master even in the Wudang Sect.
True to that, the technique Jade Kirin had just displayed incorporated complex trajectories and precise qi circulation.
'They called her one of the Three Great Late Geniuses, and she does have talent.'
Cheonhwi's lips twisted.
As expected of Wudang.
'Hm, kinda wanna see her martial arts.'
Cheonhwi's eyes slowly darkened.
His pitch-black pupils, like an abyss, pinned Jade Kirin down as if to devour her.
Swipe―
Just then, Jade Kirin pocketed the tube and spoke.
"Detailed mission orders will come down soon."
She paused briefly and looked at Cheonhwi.
More precisely, her gaze dropped slightly toward his abdomen, obscured by the table.
"But are you alright? I heard you took a severe abdominal wound from the Immortal Death Heavenly Cult Leader on the previous mission."
Jade Kirin mentioned the recent rumors circulating in the Alliance, adding,
"It might be good to ask the Military Strategist for a delay on the seal..."
"No, it's fine."
Cheonhwi cut her off.
His lips twisted.
"It's already healed."
Jade Kirin's eyes widened.
By rumor, Cheonhwi's abdominal wound had been so deep his guts were visible.
Yet it had healed enough for missions in just a few days.
Feeling her gaze, Cheonhwi glanced at his abdomen.
The scar remained, but it didn't hinder movement.
"More importantly, when do we depart?"
Cheonhwi asked.
Jade Kirin shook her head.
"Nothing's confirmed yet."
Nothing confirmed...
Cheonhwi half-closed his eyes, thinking to himself.
Why not just go right now?
Staying in the Murim Alliance was less appealing than carrying out missions anyway.
No, precisely, he hated this life of lounging in the Alliance right now.
'People keep coming every damn day.'
Was it thanks to his recent fame?
Strangers visited daily to meet him.
From the Nine Great Sects to young warriors wanting into the Extermination Squad.
The numbers were overwhelming.
And dealing with them was pure torture for Cheonhwi.
He'd wanted to kick them out more than once or twice.
'Missions are so much better. Just beat 'em up, done.'
Thinking of missions, Cheonhwi recalled the last one.
'Wind Fox, was it? Bet he's strong. Hope he's a real expert like Nangjil or the Immortal Death Heavenly Cult Leader.'
His lip corner slowly rose.
Recalling his death matches with them stirred his dormant fighting spirit.
Meanwhile, Jade Kirin swallowed hard.
Cheonhwi's unconsciously emanating presence made her back slick with sweat.
'What kind of presence is this...'
Her eyes flickered endlessly.
The presence flowing from the Cheonhwi before her felt just like her master's.
It was shocking.
Who was her master?
Tai Chi Sword Emperor Mok Heo Immortal.
The current Wudang Sect Leader, a man invariably named among the world's top swordsmen.
Yet this early-twenties Plum Blossom Divine Knight evoked him.
In the eyes of Jade Kirin, who had spent years with Mok Heo Immortal's disciple.
'...As Master said, the world is vast.'
Jade Kirin marveled inwardly.
Truth be told, her visit here was more to gauge Cheonhwi than deliver the joint mission.
And now, she could faintly sense his previously pitch-black, abyss-like presence.
Vast and profound.
'But...'
Deep in thought, Jade Kirin half-closed her eyes.
She knew Cheonhwi was extraordinary.
But bowing her head went against her pride.
Hadn't she herself been counted among the world's top geniuses before Cheonhwi?
Wudang had given her one of their only two Supreme Purity Pills, expecting that much.
How could she betray those expectations?
'I can't fall behind.'
To counter Cheonhwi's presence dominating the space, Jade Kirin circulated her internal energy.
Her sleeve fluttered.
At the same time, pure white energy poured from her body, spreading thick like mist.
Shhh―
In an instant, Jade Kirin's unleashed energy emitted black and white, opposing lights.
Then the two lights suddenly rotated, blending into one.
Like paints mixing, the light soon formed a single circle.
Tai Chi.
'Hm?'
Feeling the aura prick his senses, Cheonhwi halted his thoughts and looked at Jade Kirin.
Her aura was considerable.
An internal energy accumulation impossible for her age was swirling around her.
That was when.
Flash!
Jade Kirin moved her hand.
The same technique as before.
Tai Chi Hand.
The neat Tai Chi circle wrapped around Cheonhwi's crushing presence like flowing silk, enveloping it completely.
And at that moment.
Shhh―
The boiling air calmed.
Cheonhwi's presence filling the room shattered and dispersed.
It was a fleeting instant.
Confirming the presence vanish in one breath, Jade Kirin withdrew her energy.
"...Impressive."
Jade Kirin said in a calm tone.
But unlike her feigned composure, she was deeply shocked inside.
Her Tai Chi Hand hadn't fully erased the presence.
Cheonhwi had withdrawn it himself.
In that briefest moment.
'To collect that aura in one breath.'
Jade Kirin swallowed dryly.
Circulating internal energy was easier than retracting it.
Rash withdrawal could twist one's meridians.
Yet Cheonhwi had done it swiftly and remained fine.
And more: retracting it so fast meant even this presence wasn't his full power.
Then Cheonhwi spoke.
"Your energy's pretty deep. What, ate a ton of spirit pills?"
Jade Kirin smiled wryly.
"I had a stroke of fortune."
"Yeah?"
Cheonhwi shrugged.
Nothing more to say then.
A brief silence flowed.
After a moment.
Swipe―
Jade Kirin rose from her seat.
"Then, see you later."
With that greeting, she clasped her hands, murmured "Amitabha" softly, and left the Extermination Squad's hall.
"Joint operation, huh..."
A moment later, Cheonhwi watched the Extermination Squad members bidding Jade Kirin farewell as she receded toward the window, twisting one lip corner.
"They'll handle themselves fine."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Murim Alliance's grand conference hall.
Zhuge Gong spoke as he looked at the key figures already seated around the circular table.
"Thus, this mission will be carried out jointly by the Extermination Squad and Heavenly Justice Squad."
His voice was low and steady.
Those at the table showed intrigued expressions at Zhuge Gong's words.
Plum Blossom Divine Knight's Extermination Squad.
Jade Kirin's Heavenly Justice Squad.
The two special task forces, led by the Alliance's promising late-genius talents Plum Blossom Divine Knight and Jade Kirin, had been newly formed recently.
On the same day, at the same time.
But now, the gap between Extermination Squad and Heavenly Justice Squad had widened greatly.
"Is there a special reason for assigning the mission jointly?"
Mok Yeongja asked Zhuge Gong.
His tone carried dissatisfaction.
In truth, he wasn't pleased with this mission.
Recently, many in the Alliance compared Extermination Squad and Heavenly Justice Squad.
And understandably so: Extermination Squad had been carrying out missions even before Heavenly Justice Squad's formation, without a single failure.
Were those missions easy?
No.
Ami Fortress Battle, Immortal Death Heavenly Cult headquarters annihilation—the most critical missions in the war against Evil-Black Alliance, all successfully completed.
Even more remarkably, not a single Extermination Squad member had died.
Of course, Heavenly Justice Squad had merit in blocking and crushing evil faction forces infiltrating the Yangtze basin, but it paled compared to Extermination Squad's achievements.
Not even the Alliance's core Three Squad Vanguard had accumulated as much.
To Zhuge Gong's question, he turned and met Mok Yeongja's eyes directly.
"Only those two squads can move out immediately from the Alliance."
He continued calmly.
"Most of Cooperation Squad and Evil Subduing Squad are blocking the Yangtze basin, and key members are injured from the recent Immortal Death Heavenly Cult mission and can't move."
"What about the other squads..."
Mok Yeongja trailed off.
The other squads: Divine Dragon Squad was practically wiped out, Death God Squad was on a separate mission.
Then Gok Pyeong spoke.
"What about the Three Vanguard? I heard Iron Blood Squad has recovered somewhat."
"Only patched the urgent parts. Not fully recovered. Forcing it would only lose more strength."
Zhuge Gong explained fluidly.
The others let out groans.
The other Three Vanguard squads, Golden Guard and Heavenly Martial, were busy against the newly allied Guiwon Divine Bow and Ten Night Sect.
"In the end, just those two."
As someone nodded in acceptance of the mission,
"But is there reason to rush this much?"
Iron Hand Flying Sword said, eyes hardening.
"Why not give Iron Blood Squad time to recover and move together?"
Everyone's faces showed temptation at his words.
But then.
"No time for that."
The Murim Alliance Leader's calm voice flowed.
All tensed at the Leader's voice, who had been silent, leaving everything to Zhuge Gong.
The Leader swept his gaze over them.
His transparent eyes seemed to pierce their souls, sending chills down their spines.
That was when.
The Alliance Leader extended his index finger.
Instantly, the paper the strategist held floated up and landed on the table.
Void Grasping Technique.
All marveled at the Void Grasping even as they looked at the unfurled paper.
And moments later.
"...!"
"This is!"
All were unable to hide their shock.
The paper bore shocking information.
⚠️ EMERGENCY ALERT ⚠️ Bi Cheon Association Intervention