Chapter 128: Blue Flame
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 128: Blue Flame
Following the words of the Poison Lord, Tang Un-hwang, a rain of white blossoms surged upward in reverse.
The moment his wrist snapped, the petals sliced through the air.
The starlight piercing the azure sky seemed to carry a razor-sharp edge. The momentum sweeping outward was immense.
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
Groans erupted.
They came from the Pure Demon Alliance cultists lingering around Jeong Yeon-shin.
As if battered by a barrage of small cannons, the bodies of the six experts convulsed violently. It was a truly terrifying sight.
One strike.
In a single move, he had slaughtered the experts of the Pure Demon Alliance.
The lifeless corpses collapsed, forming yet another pool of blood.
A murmur rippled through the surroundings, praising the martial prowess of the Tang Clan Leader.
'No, that's not it,' Jeong Yeon-shin thought.
He had caught a brief twitch in Tang Un-hwang's throat just a moment ago. The man had overdrawn his full power.
Slaughtering the experts of the Thirteen Heavens with an internally injured body? It made no sense unless he was overexerting himself to project absolute authority in this very moment.
"Clan Leader!"
"Our boundless congratulations!"
From various points along the main avenue, martial artists clad in green robes began to emerge.
They were unmistakably experts of the Tang Clan.
Those who had secretly harbored doubts about their Clan Leader's condition instantly changed their tune the moment they witnessed the Myriad Blossoms Rain with their own eyes.
The Supreme Elder said nothing.
He simply stood in silence, gazing upon the Myriad Blossoms Rain—the technique he had strived his entire life to achieve—and his heartless son.
"...How can anyone fight after seeing that?"
A hollow laugh escaped the lips of the Ominous Sword, Gal Sa-ryang.
As if the tension compressed to its absolute limit had suddenly snapped, the main avenue of Giju erupted into noise.
Sights rare even in the Jianghu unfolded one after another. By now, the crowd's attention had completely drifted away from the matters of victory or defeat.
Even the voices drifting through the air had changed.
"What a poetic sight."
"A senior and junior sharing a connection through a divine ultimate technique... This is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. I'm glad I came out today."
"If the Tang Clan turns out like this, a storm will brew in Shunqing Prefecture for a while. Now that the Clan Leader has returned... The Supreme Elder won't just sit idly by, but even so, against the Myriad Blossoms Rain..."
"The Flash Art of the Desolate Fortress. I recall hearing the name in passing. I had no idea he was a Black Rank peak expert."
"It is truly hard to believe."
The area buzzed with excitement. The biting wind that had swept through the avenue dispersed.
Mingled with the warm breath of the crowd, a humid, clamorous wind characteristic of a summer day seemed to blow in.
It was all because they had witnessed such a rare spectacle.
The street had suddenly regained its vitality. A mere boy had manifested the Myriad Blossoms Rain, the very symbol of the Sichuan martial world.
Exclusive because of Sichuan's basin geography? At this moment, the people beholding Jeong Yeon-shin were anxious just to see if they could touch the hem of his robe.
The martial artists of the Tenth Sect felt this shift clearly.
"Hey there, Flash Art," Gal Sa-ryang called out abruptly.
When Jeong Yeon-shin turned his head, a faint curve formed on the lips of the Ominous Sword.
"Could you let us go?"
"……"
It was practically a declaration of surrender. Standing beside him, the Halberd-Surpassing Sword turned to look at him with a shocked expression.
There was no precedent of great factions like the Thirteen Heavens or the Nine Sects raising a white flag.
Only during the transition from the Yuan to the Ming dynasty had some noble families surrendered to the counterattacking Mongol army.
Because of that, they often faced mockery that their overall martial power fell short of the Nine Sects despite fully preserving their strength.
Though this was a matter concerning the upper echelons of the Jianghu, the Tenth Sect was still a faction belonging to that very realm.
"Venerable Bong-gong! You must think deeply about this!"
"The Tang Clan Leader and the Flash Art alone are too much to handle. Even if the Poison Lord has fallen from grace, he is still the head of one of the Eight Great Families. Even if I somehow manage to block Tang Un-hwang, what will you do about the Flash Art? It would be difficult enough without factoring in the Myriad Blossoms Rain. Looking at the situation now, it seems even the Pure Demon God Hand was slain by him. Is there any point in discussing our chances of victory when the Tang Clan is involved?" Gal Sa-ryang asked back in an elegant, old-fashioned tone.
His words invited silence.
The Halberd-Surpassing Sword snapped his mouth shut, engraving Jeong Yeon-shin into his vision.
An unbelievable level of martial prowess, coupled with the sheer absurdity of having drawn the Tang Clan Leader to his side.
He had never expected the word 'Master' to come out of the mouth of the Poison Lord, Tang Un-hwang. He was the head of one of the Eight Great Families. Such a thing simply should not be.
'An anomaly... Truly a bizarre occurrence. An event like no other.'
His previous words comparing the situation to Zhang Yide were wrong. This bastard, the Flash Art, was taking it a step further.
It was as if he had summoned powerful reinforcements to Changban Slope.
His own martial power was also enough to warrant a comparison to Zhang Yide. It meant he was no mere rising star.
The boy stood calmly beside the Tang Clan Leader, who had just unleashed the Myriad Blossoms Rain.
The black hem of his robe, fluttering amidst the lingering waves of martial force, stood out exceptionally.
'How?'
Just how could someone his age accumulate such martial prowess?
It was a realm capable of dominating not just a county, but an entire prefecture. It was a stage where one's martial prowess began to be discussed on a grand scale across the world.
Even the successors of noble families who consumed spirit medicines like daily meals could not achieve this.
The mastery of internal energy manipulation and the perfection of martial forms were entirely separate matters from the sheer amount of accumulated Qi.
The Halberd-Surpassing Sword's thoughts ultimately converged to a single point.
Talent. It was pure talent.
He possessed something inherently unreasonable. It was difficult to describe even by saying he was born with a once-in-a-millennium martial talent.
The word 'monstrous' was far more fitting. That was what the Halberd-Surpassing Sword thought.
Suddenly, he felt an unfamiliar sensation in his chest. It was his middle Dantian.
His heart beat erratically of its own accord.
Was it jealousy?
The promising star of the Tenth Sect asked himself. The answer returned immediately.
Yes, it was jealousy. It coiled and reared its head like a venomous serpent.
The mind of this unorthodox rising star, who used to discuss being the greatest under heaven among his peers, was surging at this moment with a sinister wave of energy, true to the martial lineage of the unorthodox factions.
'Ten Thousand Kinds Mixed Origin Art.'
It was the core martial art of the Tenth Sect.
A Qi cultivation technique that allowed one to wield the Eighteen Weapons with seamless adaptability. Its true strength lay in the extreme flexibility of its internal energy manipulation rather than the sheer accumulation of Qi.
The Halberd-Surpassing Sword was the legitimate eldest son of the Tenth Sect Leader.
He possessed all the accumulated Qi necessary to reach the stage of great completion in the Ten Thousand Kinds Mixed Origin Art. This was all thanks to spirit medicines.
This meant his martial power was second only to the Ominous Sword, Gal Sa-ryang, who stood beside him.
Step.
It happened while the Flash Art, Jeong Yeon-shin, had yet to answer Gal Sa-ryang's words.
The sound of the Halberd-Surpassing Sword So Jin-rang's footsteps echoed, accompanied by a heavy wave of martial power.
The ground crumbled beneath him like mud, producing a dull, lifeless thud.
Gal Sa-ryang spoke toward So Jin-rang's back.
"Jin-rang. What are you doing?"
"I cannot follow your decision, Venerable. I would rather die than lose my honor. Shouldn't we compare our skills at least once? Since that boy seems to have mastered a miraculous Qi technique, I wish to contest the subtlety of our martial forms without using internal energy."
"……"
"If we are to surrender anyway, we have nothing to lose even if I fail. If I win, we will at least preserve a shred of our pride," So Jin-rang replied in a flat tone. Even as he spoke, his footsteps continued to crush the earth.
Gal Sa-ryang did not stop him. His expression remained calm, as if he had expected this.
If they were the type of people who banded together solely for the practical benefits of their sect, they wouldn't be part of the unorthodox factions in the first place.
They wouldn't have been classified under the Thirteen Heavens either.
They were the Thirteen Heavens because they lived as they pleased outside the laws of the Great Ming, and they were the Tenth Sect because their whims boiled over as they freely chose from all kinds of weapons.
If they were wiped out, then so be it.
The Ominous Sword changed his mind. He decided to face this situation with the mindset of a madman, just like the Halberd-Surpassing Sword.
Miraculously, his mind was put at ease. He thought to himself that he was indeed a natural-born scion of the unorthodox factions.
'As expected...'
The Flash Art had to be killed here. The Ominous Sword narrowed his eyes.
"Will you accept?" So Jin-rang asked quietly. He was now just five steps away from Jeong Yeon-shin.
He had fearlessly made his way through the lingering aura of the Tang Clan Leader's Myriad Blossoms Rain.
Tang Un-hwang merely waved his hand slightly to clear a path.
He looked up at Jeong Yeon-shin with the imposing gaze of the head of one of the Eight Great Families.
His eyes looked as if dark lightning were swirling within them.
"How to handle this trivial provocation is also for you to decide. Please give your command, Master. I shall follow your will."
His tone had changed.
Jeong Yeon-shin felt a sense of déjà vu. Following the Blood Flame Cult and the Radiant Wing Unit, it was happening again.
Only the titles differed. Grand Preceptor, Grandmaster, Master... the core meaning was all the same. It felt strange every time he heard it.
'I haven't even lived that long.'
He had merely made light modifications or created what was necessary. Being treated with such intense reverence was not entirely comfortable.
As the Grand Preceptor of the Blood Flame Cult, Jeong Yeon-shin had even had his freedom restricted.
Without the Seventh Apostle, he wouldn't have been able to stay safely at the Blood Flame Cult's headquarters.
'Though it was also the Seventh Apostle who dragged me there in the first place.'
Jeong Yeon-shin shook off his thoughts and took a step forward.
The eyes of the Supreme Elder, who had been standing blankly until then, flashed for a brief moment, but the boy walked right past the old man in the golden robe.
Now, that was a matter for the Poison Lord, Tang Un-hwang, to handle.
At the same time, the rain of blossoms from the Myriad Blossoms Rain settled. Tang Un-hwang had withdrawn his True Qi.
"Let's settle this," Jeong Yeon-shin spoke. He faced the Halberd-Surpassing Sword, So Jin-rang, amidst the falling iron fragments.
"The Pure Demon Alliance has been wiped out. Only your Tenth Sect remains. What do I gain by accepting your proposal?"
The boy spoke calmly as he organized his thoughts.
Now, unless the Pure Demon Alliance Leader backed down, an all-out war was inevitable. That was fine.
He could use the strength of the Tang Clan to annihilate the weakened Pure Demon Alliance.
The situation with the Tenth Sect was better.
He had heard of the Halberd-Surpassing Sword, having researched the landscape of the Sichuan martial world before embarking on his mission to this unfamiliar land.
If he sent the Sect Leader's son back alive, wouldn't the Tenth Sect Leader hesitate at least a little?
'If I exploit that window of time...'
Dealing with two major sects of the Thirteen Heavens simultaneously would be a burden.
He had to minimize the casualties of the Radiant Wing Unit and the Demonlight Wing.
Starting today, Jeong Yeon-shin planned to roam the Sichuan martial world alone for the time being.
Indeed, it was the right move to let the Halberd-Surpassing Sword leave alive.
The Ominous Sword behind him seemed to have noticed Jeong Yeon-shin's intention. He could tell from the man's subtle expression.
The Halberd-Surpassing Sword, So Jin-rang, who stood in front of him, was different. He was the son of a lord of the Thirteen Heavens.
Had he only calculated gains and losses from his own perspective? The way his brow furrowed was absurd.
The sound of his mental gears turning was almost audible to Jeong Yeon-shin's ears.
"I asked why I should bother sparring with an inferior," the boy said. His voice pierced through the unfamiliar air.
The atmosphere of the Giju main avenue, which had now turned into a festival, felt foreign. The air brushing against his skin was hot.
Jeong Yeon-shin took a step forward amidst the crowd of people who were eyeing him, eager to get even a little closer.
The commoners flinched. The local martial artists did the same. They had no idea what he intended to do.
At that moment.
"...I will give you the Treasure Map and the Poison-Avoiding Bead," So Jin-rang muttered through gritted teeth.
"A Treasure Map?"
"It is the treasure that the Pure Demon Alliance coveted. They said it contains the tomb of an unnamed Ming Cult Leader. The Heavenly Demon, that is."
Gasps could be heard from all around. Was this his intention?
They were a breed that could not be dealt with carelessly. It seemed a troublesome matter was about to unfold.
Jeong Yeon-shin accepted a green comma-shaped jade from him.
Swish.
He merely placed his index finger on the old paper of the map. It was a gesture devoid of any tension.
At the same time, smoke drifted from his fingertip. It was the flame of the Samadhi True Fire.
Rising like a small wildfire, it swallowed the Treasure Map. Jeong Yeon-shin pushed his martial power even further, ensuring that everyone around could see it clearly.
Whoosh!
"Uh, uh—?"
"Th-that precious thing!"
Laments echoed from all directions. So Jin-rang's shocked expression was also a sight to behold.
"Cut the cheap tricks," Jeong Yeon-shin muttered as he burned the paper to ash.
His tone carried a hint of Heonwon Chang and the Lazy Flame Dragon, but the boy made an effort not to pay it any mind.
It was said that the denizens of the Jianghu would commit any deed to acquire high-level martial arts.
Publicly accepting the Heavenly Demon's Treasure Map? That was a surefire path to making oneself a target.
The boy memorized it with his eyes alone. The map, glimpsed for a mere fraction of a second, was permanently engraved into his mind.
It was thanks to his upper Dantian, which now glowed white-hot at a moment's notice.
He slowly parted his lips.
"Let's begin."
"Without internal energy, face me with martial forms alone. I will show you that the subtlety of our martial arts is not inferior to that of the Desolate Fortress," So Jin-rang said, his expression instantly turning serious.
Does he actually think he can win? Jeong Yeon-shin gave a half-hearted nod.
* * *
An hour later.
His breathing was ragged. The frantic beating of his heart was louder than his gasping exhalations.
The Sichuan ground beneath his feet, which had once felt as soft as mud, now felt firmer than ever. He was anxious. Utterly terrified.
So Jin-rang was fleeing in absolute disgrace. He was completely alone.
How had it come to this? He had never imagined things would get so tangled.
A monster had come from the Desolate Fortress in Xiangyang.
The Flash Art, Jeong Yeon-shin, was an existence far sharper and more terrifying than the wild twigs currently scratching at So Jin-rang's entire body.
He had never even conceived of such a monstrous entity.
'I am afraid.'
The Halberd-Surpassing Sword finally admitted his own feelings.
At the same time, he resolved to inform all the great sects of the Thirteen Heavens about the young expert known as the Flash Art.
'Since he possesses the energy of Crushing Evil and Revealing the Truth, he is the natural enemy of the unorthodox factions. He is a Black Rank expert capable of commanding a martial unit in the Desolate Fortress, and he even has the backing of the Tang Clan.'
Summing it all up, it was staggering. He was an existence that absolutely could not be left alone.
He had heard that recently, some of the orthodox sects, including the Eight Great Families, were forming a Martial World Alliance.
Though the catalyst was the Desolate Fortress destroying the Hwangbo Clan and wiping out the direct line of the Namgung Clan, they wouldn't be friendly to the unorthodox factions either.
This was no longer the time for the Thirteen Heavens to stand aloof and act independently.
So Jin-rang made up his mind. He would first report the details to his father and then make a strong case for unity.
He was running through a wild mountain, where the dark twilight was already settling.
Suddenly, the top of a certain tree caught his eye. It hadn't just casually drifted into his field of vision.
It was more accurate to say that an overwhelming, suffocating presence had forcibly dragged his gaze upward.
"I don't like your eyes."
A smooth, silken voice echoed. It came from so high up that he had to tilt his neck to its absolute limit to see.
It was a woman standing effortlessly on a thin branch. Her hair, fluttering in the mountain wind, was pitch black.
Her snow-white face was beautiful to the point of being utterly bewitching.
She wore a black eyepatch embroidered with golden tassels over one eye, while her visible eye was as crimson as red jade.
So Jin-rang blankly parted his lips.
"Apostle...?"
"You're harboring bad thoughts, aren't you?"
The lips of the Seventh Apostle curved into an arc. It was an incredibly red, bloody smile.