Chapter 127: Samadhi True Fire (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Samadhi True Fire (7)
It was a truly mystical sight, the visual impact staggering.
A boy, clad in the black robes of the Desolate Fortress, stood enveloped in a massive, silvery whirlwind.
The blood of the Pure Demon Alliance warriors splattered across the ground demanded silence. As he spoke, his words, which sounded like a command, did not feel the least bit out of place.
“……”
Jeong Yeon-shin was dominating the entire area. The aura radiating from his fully revealed black robes was immense.
The mood of the crowd shifted.
Those who had mocked the boy’s words, those who had watched with folded arms, and even those who had looked on out of mere curiosity—all were captivated.
Thud!
The sound came from an expert who, having clung to a pavilion railing with the Gecko Technique, had just fallen to the ground. But no one even turned to look. They were mesmerized by the martial prowess Jeong Yeon-shin had displayed, by the Tang Clan Secret Art he had unleashed.
Swoooosh—
They could only stare blankly at the Myriad Blossoms Rain as it swept upward, defying even the biting wind that howled through the main street of Giju. The only sound was the rough, grating clash of steel petals grinding against one another.
Having seared his image into the minds of the Sichuan Martial World, the boy took another step forward.
"That is not… a matter of mere martial prowess," the Ominous Sword, Gal Sa-ryang, muttered, slowly opening his lips. "is it?"
He spoke briefly before closing his mouth again, his eyes calmly half-closed. But the sharp glint in his pupils, the hallmark of a master, betrayed his troubled mind. Anyone in his position would have been deeply unsettled.
Gal Sa-ryang thought to himself, ‘We intended to strike a blow to the Desolate Fortress, which should have been in shambles.’
Whether in terms of its prestige in the Jianghu or its actual military strength, they had expected it to be weak. He had never imagined they would be blocked by a single person. Moreover, who could have possibly guessed that this single person would not even be twenty years of age?
It was something neither the Lord of the Tenth Sect nor the Pure Demon Alliance Leader could have anticipated.
The Pure Demon Alliance was the more immediate problem. They had lost two warriors capable of matching a Black Rank expert from the Desolate Fortress. Excluding their Alliance Leader, they had no others left.
The Desolate Fortress was holding its own against the entire martial world. Even among the great powers, including the Thirteen Heavens and the Nine Sects, having two masters of the Black Rank was considered a formidable force. Was not the leader of the Mount Hua Sect's Plum Blossom Swordsmen often compared to the Commander of the Demonlight Wing?
Gal Sa-ryang agonized over his choices.
Should they retreat? Or was it right to slay the youngest Black Rank expert in history by any means necessary?
‘If the Tang Clan intervenes, we must consider retreating.’
But the latter option posed a massive problem. A Black Rank of the Desolate Fortress at that age… He was a monster who perfectly embodied the phrase "strange, violent, chaotic, and supernatural"—his future growth was completely unpredictable.
While lost in thought, Gal Sa-ryang finally spoke.
"What is your name?"
"Jeong Yeon-shin," the boy replied curtly.
The Ominous Sword of the Tenth Sect was a man who paid close attention to all affairs of the Jianghu. The name Jeong Yeon-shin was certainly in his memory; the duel between the Namgung Clan and the Desolate Fortress had been a matter of great interest.
If this was the rookie who had defeated the Azure Qilin, Namgung Se-jin, then both his title and name were well worth remembering. He had kept it in mind, but…
"Jeong Yeon-shin, the Flash Art… Your martial arts are indeed worthy of such arrogance. Unbelievably powerful and mysterious. I never expected to see the Tang Clan's rain of flowers unleashed by the hands of a Desolate Fortress expert."
The Ominous Sword spoke slowly, perhaps trying to buy time to deal with this unexpected variable. The boy stared at him blankly, then turned his head slightly.
As if murmuring to himself, he spoke.
"‘Heaven and earth are quiet and solitary, remaining unmoved, yet their energy never stops or rests for a moment. Though night and day change tumultuously, their light remains unchanging in the world, like the immutable all-encompassing creation.’ You told me this refers to the virtue of a gentleman."
Jeong Yeon-shin's calm voice echoed through the silence.
"You advised me with a passage from the Vegetable Root Discourses. Hiding is not the answer."
These words were directed at the true master of the Tang Clan.
The Poison Lord, Tang Un-hwang—the former Tang Clan Leader who had left his family after losing his wife to the two great sects of the Thirteen Heavens in Sichuan. As a husband and clan leader, he had sought revenge, but the Supreme Elder opposed it, leading him to sever ties with his family and leave home.
—Martial arts unleashed in haste leave no room for retreat. In times of leisure, prepare for movement within stillness; in times of urgency, maintain tranquility within movement. This applies to both swords and hidden weapons.
Those were the words Tang Un-hwang had spoken to him on the City of Master Craftsmen. It was a favor, and it had played a major role in his creation of the Law-Transcending Halo Qi. If he hadn't held onto that passage and the advice from the Vegetable Root Discourses, the Halo would never have possessed the ability to transcend laws.
Jeong Yeon-shin knew he was hiding nearby. The Halo residing in his heart never forgot the energy signature of someone it had seen once. Though he was a former Tang Clan Leader who had fallen from Purple Rank prowess to around the Black Rank, he could not escape the sensory perception of the Halo.
"Clan Leader."
“……”
"Have you prepared for movement within stillness?" he asked quietly, but no answer came. The Tang Clan of the Supreme Elder was right here. Perhaps he lacked the courage to return to his main family.
It was then.
Tap.
Arrogantly fluttering golden robes heralded the arrival of a scrawny old man, who burst into the open space. He had leaped over the crowd, appearing as if from nowhere.
"Pay that scoundrel no mind! It is with me you should be discussing ultimate techniques!"
He hadn't just materialized. It was obvious he had been biding his time, waiting for the right opportunity. His wrinkled face was a mask of shock and delight, making it hard to tell why he had hesitated for so long.
‘That man…’
Jeong Yeon-shin took in the old man's appearance. He wore brilliant golden robes over a body that resembled a withered tree, yet his natural arrogance was so immense that the sight didn’t look out of place at all.
"Tang Tae-dok," Gal Sa-ryang, who had been standing blankly, muttered.
The Supreme Sect Master of the Sichuan Tang Clan. Also known as the Supreme Elder. He was not the person Jeong Yeon-shin was looking for.
"I will burn down both the Tenth Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance. We shall forge a friendship with the Desolate Fortress, and I will treat you as our benefactor!"
His tongue flicked like a viper's. His attitude had completely shifted. Was this truly the man who had opposed the revenge of his own son and clan leader, the Poison Lord Tang Un-hwang?
Even with his young eyes, Jeong Yeon-shin could guess the old man's intentions. With the power of the two great sects of the Thirteen Heavens severely weakened by the events on the City of Master Craftsmen and what had just transpired here, he now sought to seize hegemony over the Sichuan Jianghu.
Obtaining the Myriad Blossoms Rain while wiping out potential enemies at the same time—calling it killing two birds with one stone would be an understatement.
A smile bloomed across the old man's face, a mask-like expression with the corners of his mouth pulled to their limits. It was the raw obsession of an old master staring at his lifelong desire.
"Bring it here," Tang Tae-dok commanded, turning his head slightly. Despite his arrogant demeanor, his body, with hands clasped behind his back, was trembling slightly.
A warrior in green martial robes, seemingly a subordinate, approached. He knelt before the old man and held something up with both hands.
It was a rolled-up scroll, a document lavishly decorated with blue silk backing.
Tang Tae-dok took the document and approached Jeong Yeon-shin. Looking into the old man's eyes, the boy saw an ambition that burned far too brightly for his age.
"I was half-doubting after reading the messages from my grandchildren," Tang Tae-dok said with a broad smile. "Given my status, I could not personally enter the Desolate Fortress, so I waited for you to come out. No matter how urgent, one cannot completely disregard propriety. And wouldn't it look strange to summon you with a letter? Flash Art Jeong Yeon-shin. I know you. I know you very well."
“……”
"I have been hearing news of you for a long time. Now, I know everything. The Hegemon Sword Sect, the Hwangbo Clan, the Blood Flame Cult, the Namgung Clan… you have fought through so much carnage in such a short time. You must need a place to rest. Why not make Sichuan your home? If you wish, I shall even betroth you to Ryeo-er."
He was referring to the Poison Phoenix, Tang Ryeo-ryeo.
A faint flinch could be felt from the wall behind them. Perhaps because the Supreme Elder's words carried absolute authority, neither Tang Yeo-hwa nor Tang Ryeo-ryeo offered any protest.
Jeong Yeon-shin silently stared at Tang Tae-dok's aged face.
‘The power and martial strength of the Tang Clan… must be as formidable as the rumors say.’
The Ominous Sword Gal Sa-ryang, the Halberd-Surpassing Sword, and the other Tenth Sect warriors in the distance remained still. Gal Sa-ryang's expression was particularly complex; the situation had become one where he could not rashly intervene.
The Pure Demon Alliance seemed to have halted for a different reason. Four of their ten members had already fallen to Jeong Yeon-shin's techniques. The remaining six stood quietly, honing their auras while glaring at the Myriad Blossoms Rain that still embroidered the sky.
"Read it, young prodigy."
He received the document from Tang Tae-dok. A red string was tied around the scroll. Jeong Yeon-shin severed it with a flick of his hand and unfurled the letter. The paper rolled open smoothly, revealing long lines of writing.
“……”
The boy scanned the text in silence. The contents were extraordinary. Clauses specifying guarantees and obligations stretched on endlessly, detailing the privileges the Tang Clan would grant, the respectful attitude they expected from Jeong Yeon-shin, and even a pledge to provide full support to the Desolate Fortress in the future. It was a covenant.
"I am sorry," Jeong Yeon-shin said after reading it all. "But I received a favor from the Poison Lord, the Tang Clan Leader. It seems repaying that must come first. I heard that the Tang Clan also distinguishes clearly between gratitude and grudges."
The wrinkles around Tang Tae-dok's mouth contorted. "What? That is not a divine art to be shared with a scoundrel who turned his back on his own family! It is a technique on par with our clan's own Clan Leader's Command! That is why I am making you this offer!"
"While you were destroying the elites of the Tenth Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance," Jeong Yeon-shin said calmly, "I received a favor from the Poison Lord on the City of Master Craftsmen."
"Boy!"
"The Myriad Blossoms Rain, along with the Dragon-Phoenix Twin Poisons, is rightfully the achievement of the Poison Lord. The opportunity to suppress two of the Thirteen Heavens in the Sichuan Martial World was also created by the Poison Lord."
This was the moment Jeong Yeon-shin chose to act on his principles. He considered himself a petty man. Living on borrowed time, he had no luxury for grand, chivalrous deeds. Nor did he pursue something noble like the Azure Qilin, Namgung Se-jin.
‘Then I shall act as a true man of the Jianghu,’ he thought.
He would distinguish clearly between favors and grudges, and he would repay both without fail.
Whoosh.
Fire erupted from the hand holding the document. The translucent red flames of the Samadhi True Fire began to burn the covenant to ash.
Flash!
Before anyone knew it, the Tang Clan Leader had arrived at his side, dressed in the unnatural attire of a merchant.
The Poison Lord, Tang Un-hwang.
Without a single glance at his father, the Supreme Elder, he stared at the young master who, like himself, held a grudge against the Thirteen Heavens.
Just as Tang Tae-dok's angry roar was about to erupt, Jeong Yeon-shin silently extended his hand toward Tang Un-hwang. At the same time, the fragments of the Myriad Blossoms Rain swirling around them lost their power and clattered to the ground.
Jeong Yeon-shin paid them no heed.
Slide.
The palms of the short clan leader and the young master met. The Shaofu and Laogong points in the center of their palms aligned. In that instant, the arts of absorption and release were transmitted in their entirety. With incredible speed, Jeong Yeon-shin passed it all on.
"This intent… I am curious about your mnemonic. Is it the passage I am thinking of?" Tang Un-hwang asked quietly.
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded, confirming it was from the Vegetable Root Discourses.
A look of deep emotion washed over Tang Un-hwang's stone-like face. He was a man who had lived his entire life as a vengeful ghost, struggling to fulfill his one desire. The passage that had sustained him in place of his wife hovered on the tip of his tongue, and was soon transmitted back to the boy.
"‘Heaven and earth are quiet and solitary, remaining unmoved…’"
"‘Yet their energy never stops or rests…’" Jeong Yeon-shin replied calmly.
The corners of Tang Un-hwang's mouth curled upward. Opening his mouth once more, his aged eyes took in the boy who represented this fated encounter.
"‘Though night and day change tumultuously…’"
"‘Their petals remain unchanging for eternity,’" Jeong Yeon-shin replied, altering the final phrase to refer to the divine technique.
The Tang Clan Secret Art, Myriad Blossoms Rain.
The crowd watched with bated breath, witnessing the communion between the former Tang Clan Leader and the young master. The moment their hands parted, the fallen iron fragments soared into the air once more at a wave of the Clan Leader's hand.
A legend of the martial world had been resurrected.
Before anyone realized it, the Tang siblings had leaped down from the wall. They looked back and forth between their father and Jeong Yeon-shin, their faces a picture of bewilderment.
At that moment, the Tang Clan Leader swept his calm gaze over the dumbfounded Supreme Elder and the rest of the crowd.
"As the master of the Tang Clan who has inherited the Myriad Blossoms Rain, I declare," the Poison Lord, Tang Un-hwang, spoke, a small giant standing beside the boy. "From this moment on, the clan shall obey my commands and shall rightfully revere the Flash Art as our master."
The three-way battle was over.
Surrender or annihilation.
Now, the Tenth Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance had to make their choice.