Chapter 213: Turbulence (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 213: Turbulence (7)
"What is this book...? Compendium of Crushing the Righteous...?"
Jin Myeong-jo, Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit, raised his gaze.
Beneath his slender eyelashes, a faint crimson shadow was cast.
Swoosh.
His pitch-black pupils flashed crimson for a moment before returning to their natural color.
This wasn't an eye technique but a phenomenon born from his very mind. It was proof that he had not only mastered a unique ability but had also reached the state of Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak.
This was a chamber where only those who had cultivated their Essence, Qi, and Spirit in perfect balance were seated.
To the unit commanders of the Desolate Fortress, such a feat was commonplace. However, the supreme experts from noble clans deeply disdained Jin Myeong-jo for his low birth.
The Brightfolk unit commanders, including Cheon So-so, Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit, glared at him.
But they had to force their attention back to the matter at hand.
Such was the curiosity of the Black Rank experts seated on the stone chairs. Grand Steward Im Jin-myeong was not a man to act without reason.
The gazes of all the unit commanders shifted to the book the Grand Steward had produced.
"Considering the context of our conversation..."
Hahu Wi-jin, the Thousand-Fist Dragon-Strength Retainer, stroked his chin with a thick index finger.
"Does 'Crushing the Righteous' mean exactly what it sounds like?"
"It does, Commander Hahu."
The Grand Steward slowly stroked the cover of the book with a faint smile. While the characters for Compendium of Crushing the Righteous scraped faintly against his calloused skin, his touch was incomparably gentle.
It was as if he were handling one of the world's supreme treasures. His touch was filled with a deep reverence.
"The world is descending into chaos," he said. "The sects of the Jianghu are shifting and reforming in ways we've never seen. Alliances between various martial lineages are rising everywhere, and the signs of warlords vying for supremacy are growing more alarming by the day... Should our fortress not prepare accordingly?"
The Desolate Fortress had maintained order over a world of scattered Jianghu sects.
It was a vast world. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say they had barely managed to hold on.
The elite experts of the Divine Sword Corps' 17th Unit possessed an absurdly formidable power when gathered, yet they were too few to watch over every corner of the world.
The increasing number of martial lineages banding together, much like the Martial World Alliance, posed a major problem.
Jin Myeong-jo's earlier self-deprecating words were, in fact, correct. It had never been uncommon for hostile sects to conspire in the lawless wilds to murder and silence witnesses.
If those bastards grew even stronger, the number of our fortress warriors who die on missions in hostile lands will only increase.
Jin Myeong-jo’s lip curled slightly. It wasn’t a sneer, but a smile tinged with disillusionment at the state of the world.
"One need only look at what happened to the previous Commander of the Demonlight Wing. Did he not fall helplessly to the combined assault of the Tenth Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance? The same could have happened to the Bloodkeeper Unit. With great sects running rampant, driven mad by the need to hoard scarce resources, there is no guarantee such an incident won't happen again. Solo missions or small-group excursions will become far more dangerous... As the Grand Steward said, it is only right that we prepare."
He continued slowly, "Assuming it is something we can prepare for. Compendium of Crushing the Righteous... does that not mean to analyze and shatter the martial arts of the Orthodox Path? Whoever wrote this is truly arrogant. I am sure you did not bring this without reason, Grand Steward, but its exaggerated title prevents me from expecting much. This is no different from those who look down on the lowborn yet use the character for 'bright' (明) in their clan names."
Having finished speaking, Jin Myeong-jo immediately lowered his gaze.
It was a deliberate gesture to ignore the terrifying glares from the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit, the Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit, and the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit.
"What?" he muttered curtly, his head slightly bowed as he slowly toyed with his fingertips.
His fingernails, grown as long as a finger joint and sharpened to a point, were the weapons that symbolized his signature technique.
Jin Myeong-jo, Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit, was a famous master of all kinds of fist and palm methods, as well as the Flash-Blood Claw Art.
The Grand Steward grinned.
"Then the Bloodkeeper Commander can read it later. I guarantee you, the unit commanders will soon be fighting over the right to read this book. That is why copying it is strictly forbidden. This is a very dangerous item."
"A pity our Blood Ghost lacks discernment," Hahu Wi-jin interjected, his lips curling slightly.
"This is a book I've had my eye on. I shall read it first."
Hahu Wi-jin, Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, had previously accompanied Seomye, Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
This meant he had personally witnessed the Lord of the Desolate Fortress's reaction upon seeing the Compendium of Crushing the Righteous. From what he had observed, it was highly unusual.
'She praised Seomye on the spot.'
She hadn't even opened the book. She had merely read the title on the cover and smiled. A smile from her was, in itself, unprecedented.
Was it the insight of the noblest among the Brightfolk, or her trust in the newly promoted Black Rank expert? He couldn't tell. Perhaps it was both.
What on earth was in it?
Hahu Wi-jin was intensely curious, though he had refrained from showing it out of his loyalty as a subject.
"Bring it here."
He gestured toward Grand Steward Im Jin-myeong. As a member of the Brightfolk, Hahu Wi-jin's age was considerable, even among the unit commanders.
No one objected when he addressed the Grand Steward as if he were a subordinate.
This remained true even as the Grand Steward readily brought the book over to his seat.
"Because of its immense symbolic value, this treasure must not be torn even slightly. Please handle it with care, Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit."
"The Grand Steward worries too much."
Just as the Compendium of Crushing the Righteous was about to enter Hahu Wi-jin's grasp...
Swoosh.
Suddenly, five fingers carrying a potent wave of energy intervened. A refined wave of internal power surged from a hand so delicate it looked as though it had never practiced martial arts.
The hand flowed like water, effortlessly peeling back Hahu Wi-jin's fingers and slipping past his guard, snatching the book with exquisite precision. It was a supreme Grappling Technique.
Ak Su-rim, who had appeared beside him at some point, had snatched the Compendium of Crushing the Righteous.
"Now then, shall I take a closer look at Seomye's handwriting?"
She grinned, turning to the first page of the book.
Hahu Wi-jin blinked his large eyes.
"Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress. You shameless woman! What do you think you're..."
"Don't look so aggrieved, big guy. The hierarchy in our fortress is decided by martial prowess, after all. Just as there's a pecking order for executing ultimate techniques, there's one for reading, too. I'll take a look."
Ak Su-rim didn't even glance at him. She began to read, flipping the pages boldly yet carefully.
It was unconventional—much like her short black hair, tucked behind her ears as if it were a nuisance. Her behavior had always been this way.
It was nothing new.
Hahu Wi-jin didn't bother getting angry.
With a twitch of his lips, he rose his massive frame from the stone chair and leaned over Ak Su-rim's shoulder to peer down at the Compendium of Crushing the Righteous.
"As expected, it's a counter-technique manual. The Verdant Overflow Sect? What kind of trivial sect is..."
"Why don't you stop muttering? If your breath so much as ruffles my hair again, I'll slice both your ears clean off. You'll admit that would be effortless at this range, won't you?" Ak Su-rim said, her eyes still cast down.
It was a casual question, yet it carried an astonishingly sharp spirit.
She was claiming superiority in close-quarters combat while standing right next to the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, a master of both internal and external martial arts. No answer came.
However, a moment later, Hahu Wi-jin showed clear disappointment, pulling his head back slightly.
"I can see that Seomye's intuition is terrifying. The connection between the internal energy circulation mnemonic and the sword moves of the counter-technique is certainly magnificent. The level of completion is extremely high. I would believe it if someone told me this was a technique refined over many years by the grandmaster of the Verdant Overflow Sect. However... if a counter-technique for such a trivial sect encountered at some alliance meeting is this detailed, it is hard to expect much from the rest."
He had thought it was a secret manual containing counter-techniques for high-level martial arts.
The ultimate techniques of prestigious clans are notoriously complex and variable, requiring analysis after assuming all kinds of muscle movements and hundreds of trajectories.
This was why counter-techniques for renowned martial lineages rarely emerged properly. Their martial arts remained unbroken for hundreds of years.
That was why the impact of the phrase "Crushing the Righteous" had been so great.
Yet, before he could fully process his disappointment, his gaze fell upon the next page.
Hahu Wi-jin's mouth slowly fell shut. It was right after Ak Su-rim's index finger turned another page.
[The Jegal Clan. Endless Wind-Whirling Fan Technique.]
"..."
A brief silence fell.
"...The Endless Wind-Whirling Fan Technique. I was once struck by it by the Reincarnated Crouching Dragon."
"Is it the real thing?"
By then, Cheon So-so and Un So-yu had also approached. It didn't look awkward as they gathered around Ak Su-rim, their heads close together.
It was because they were on relatively good terms. The unit commanders of the Divine Sword Corps' 17th Unit each had different people they were close to.
Just as their martial arts were peerless, their personalities were highly distinct. While some unit commanders got along well, others were like cats and dogs.
The excluded Bloodkeeper Unit Commander, Jin Myeong-jo, also stood up, crossing his arms with dignity. He, too, sensed that this was no ordinary matter.
"So..."
Un So-yu, Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit, spoke once more.
She was the head of the martial unit that enforced the laws of the Desolate Fortress.
A figure who commanded both awe and fear within the main fortress, she was a master of dissecting martial arts counter-techniques. She had primarily spent her time deconstructing the martial arts of the fortress's own warriors.
"Where is the Commander of the Demonlight Wing?" she asked the Grand Steward.
* * *
A nameless garden in the inner castle of the Desolate Fortress.
The experts of the Demonlight Wing never stomped their feet to generate power.
Their commander was behind them in the pavilion.
They fought in absolute silence. They completely excluded any techniques that would generate powerful shockwaves.
It was out of concern that it might negatively affect their unit commander.
Hummmm! Swish!
Along with the resonance of true qi, dozens of trajectories sliced through the air.
They chose a fighting style that carried less weight by omitting loud footwork. Every punch thrown and sword swung concealed its presence within the wind.
An exquisite group battle unfolded. It was a truly fierce clash.
Their enemies were different.
They clanged their sword rings without hesitation. They even stomped the ground with feet imbued with heavy internal energy.
They did not hesitate to execute powerful footwork to deliver heavy blows. It was accompanied by violent collisions.
Clang! Boom!
Their justification was clear.
"Commander of the Demonlight Wing, cease this reckless action immediately!"
"We fear that your clumsy medical arts could harm the Supreme Elder!"
The warriors of the Desolate Ma Clan and the blue-ranked experts of the Demonlight Wing clashed.
Hundreds of sword paths and forms arose from the hands of dozens of people. Dust storms swirled everywhere.
The force of their swords and fists collided, erupting in colorless bursts of energy, and vortices of shockwaves whipped up hazy gusts of wind.
At the very center were Ju Yeon-jeong and Baek Mi-ryeo. The hands of the two experts crossed repeatedly.
Ju Yeon-jeong imbued the fine meridians in her right arm with internal power. It was the fist and palm technique of the Golden Immortal Eight Methods.
Among the twelve primary meridians in her body, the Hand-Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, which runs directly from the shoulder to the index finger, pulsed with a golden light.
It was faintly visible even through the skin of her forearm as it sliced through the air in front of her.
It collided heavily with Baek Mi-ryeo's palm.
Crash!
The golden and ink-black currents shattered. The resulting shockwave was immense, vibrating through both of their hands and traveling down to their feet, kicking up dust.
They had already exchanged dozens of blows. The anxiety on both sides had reached a fever pitch.
This was true for both Ju Yeon-jeong and Baek Mi-ryeo. Had things gone well? Or had something gone wrong?
And so, it continued.
The sunset faded completely, and twilight deepened beneath the pavilion's eaves.
They fought and fought.
Unlike the passage of time, the hands exchanging blows never lost their strength. Each had a desperate reason.
Their martial arts carved violent trajectories through the air for the sake of their respective goals.
Until a certain moment.
Until two figures who hadn't been there a moment before suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
Step.
Between Ju Yeon-jeong and Baek Mi-ryeo, who were catching their breath, pitch-black robes and a comfortable pink nightgown materialized and blended together like an illusion.
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing had suddenly appeared, alongside a young man.
Seomye, Commander of the Demonlight Wing, stomped his foot with an expressionless face.
Boom!
The ground shook with a thunderous roar. The resulting cracks tore through the earth, crushing the garden's shrubbery and racing outward in multiple directions.
An immense wave of energy turned into an explosion, echoing in all directions. His single stomp was an acknowledgment of the Demonlight Wing's silent efforts up until now.
"Stop this now," Jeong Yeon-shin said, his hands clasped behind his back.
His voice was as clear as the moonlight tracing his sharp jawline.
Ju Yeon-jeong's lips contorted.
"Even if you are a unit commander, you have no authority to order me. We should be bringing the Supreme Elder out this instant, so how dare you..."
Suddenly, her words were cut short.
It was because her eyes had landed on the man standing beside Seomye.
He looked to be around thirty years old.
His pitch-black hair fell roughly in a short cut. Though his body and face were terribly emaciated, a strange power radiated from him, as if his entire body were forged from fortress walls.
He possessed a transcendent quality that could not be explained by mere internal power.
It was as if his spirit had taken physical form. A transparent haze surged from his entire body, a wave of energy that poured from him like a raging torrent.
"I am Ma Yeon-jeok," the man said.