Chapter 215: Flash (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 215: Flash (2)
Ju Yeon-jeong had overplayed her hand.
After Ma Jin finished putting the family in order, it was Ma Se-in's turn. By extension, it was also Ju Yeon-jeong's turn.
The title of the Clan Head's mother was practically guaranteed to be hers. Combined with her imperial lineage, her prestige would have eventually soared to untouchable heights.
That would have been the case in twenty or thirty years.
But she could not wait.
Her impatience had gotten the better of her. Seeing Ma Yeon-jeok's condition show signs of improvement, she had schemed to prevent the current Clan Head from securing the backing of the Supreme Clan Head.
Though she hailed from a collateral branch, she was still royalty. Power and maintaining the upper hand in the hierarchy were everything to her.
She thought deeply, but her actions were shallow. Such was Ju Yeon-jeong's character.
She simply could not tolerate being stripped of her power or pushed aside. She had lived as royalty in a world where the hierarchy of human worth was starkly and ruthlessly defined.
While she had lived suppressed as a member of a collateral branch, she was, in fact, freer than those of the direct line. Being far removed from the throne afforded her a liberty they lacked.
Immediate success was all that mattered to her, and it was no different here in the Desolate Fortress.
At least, until she ran headfirst into the unforeseen variable known as the Flash Art and met her karmic retribution.
"You think... the Ju surname is so common?"
Ju Yeon-jeong spat a mouthful of blood, yet her rage still burned fiercely.
Even as the internal energy she had painstakingly amassed as a master of the Golden Immortal Eight Methods was scattering to the wind, she reacted to the insult against her dignity rather than the loss of her martial arts.
Wrinkles of pure fury contorted her brow and the corners of her mouth.
"How dare you speak the imperial surname so casually...!"
"I will listen to you no longer," Ma Yeon-jeok said curtly.
Hummm!
A wave of energy rippled from his index finger as he pointed it at Ju Yeon-jeong.
This time, the strike was visible. Perhaps it was because this punishment was meant to permanently strip away any hope of her ever recovering as a martial artist.
It looked as though a transparent ripple of water was surging directly from his fingertip.
It struck Ju Yeon-jeong's solar plexus in an instant. The few drops of blood dripping from her chin scattered violently under the heavy shockwave.
Bang!
The Hegemon Hero's strike was executed without a shred of hesitation.
He had said her middle Dantian would follow her lower Dantian. It was exactly as he had warned. The colorless shockwave extending from his finger bored straight into Ju Yeon-jeong's solar plexus.
It struck the Yutang Point of her middle Dantian head-on. It was a flawless fusion of an Air-Hitting Palm, which allowed the blow to cross empty space, and an Internal Heavy Hand Technique designed to violently convulse the victim's insides.
It was a terrifying strike. High-level martial principles had blended seamlessly into a single attack. Ju Yeon-jeong could not evade it; she had no choice but to take the full brunt of it.
"Gah—!"
She coughed up blood. It was a violent, hacking cough, far worse than when her lower Dantian had been shattered.
It was only natural. The core of her Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming, one of the Twelve Meridians, had just been torn apart.
Though the strike was concentrated entirely on thoroughly destroying her middle Dantian, its proximity to her heart caused her blood pressure to spike drastically.
She could not help but dry-heave as if she were suffocating, her body wracked with agonizing pain.
Ma Yeon-jeok clenched his withered fingers into a fist.
"As you said, you are of the imperial bloodline. Be grateful for your lineage. I will not kill you. However,"
A voice like smoldering embers flowed from his lips.
"As of this moment, Ma Se-in's mother is to be imprisoned. She shall be given no further opportunity to interfere in the affairs of the main family. Lock her in the clan's Thunder Prison, and feed her twice a day. Breakfast and lunch. Her evenings must remain empty. Let her end each day in absolute regret. It will be an agony that pierces her heart for her remaining years. I shall write this into the clan's laws, so that even when Se-in takes the seat of the Clan Head, he will not be able to alter it."
It was her final sentence.
The life of the martial artist Ju Yeon-jeong was over. A weak wave of energy seeped from her hunched, broken body. Her internal power was dispersing.
The power she had built through the imperial martial art, the Golden Immortal Eight Methods, was dissolving into the air.
Because she had accumulated her qi using spirit medicines, it released in a dense fog. The grass beneath her feet was momentarily dyed in an opaque haze.
Only then.
Only then did sheer shock wash over Ju Yeon-jeong's face.
A sudden rush of reality seeped into her skin along with the early winter moonlight. A torturous pain washed over her alongside the biting chill.
The arrogant woman had lost everything to an even more haughty, absolute being. She had been overwhelmingly crushed and dismantled piece by piece.
"..."
Her eyes lost focus.
It was as if her soul had departed. She was completely beyond recovery. The royal Ju Yeon-jeong fell into the abyss alongside the martial artist Ju Yeon-jeong.
The process was so natural that it felt all the more futile. She had been strangled by a grip from which there was no escape.
During his prime, the Hegemon Hero was revered as a god among the common folk. And so he would be once more.
"And,"
The former Commander of the Divine Sword Corps was not finished speaking.
He cast his eyes upon his maternal grandson, the master of the Demonlight Wing, who stood silently to the side.
Then, the Hegemon Hero's gaze swept over the experts of the Desolate Ma Clan.
From the twenty clan members prostrating with their heads pressed against the ground, to the dozen or so warriors standing awkwardly around Ju Yeon-jeong.
Ma Yeon-jeok's lips curled.
"You disloyal wretches. It is only right that you pay the price as well. Surely even you rabble know the sins you have committed?"
He asked in a highly archaic manner, his face smooth and devoid of a single wrinkle.
Despite his youthful appearance, the elderly manner of speech did not feel out of place. Such was the mystery of the Jianghu. His question, which expected no answer, was laden with oppressive power.
The wave of energy that surged once more could only be described as Tyrannical Power. It was, quite literally, an internal power that brooked no rivals.
With every word he uttered, the surrounding air warped, and dust rose from the earth.
"...We have no words to excuse ourselves."
The warrior in green martial robes, Ma Jin-un, turned toward Ma Yeon-jeok and knelt.
He had maintained his posture even as the Supreme Clan Head walked past them toward Ju Yeon-jeong.
Now, he showed his respects once more. The neat placement of his hands on his knees exuded the dignity of an expert from a prestigious clan.
He turned his head slightly to give a silent bow to Jeong Yeon-shin.
Then, he looked up at Ma Yeon-jeok.
"We have fully witnessed the grace of the Commander of the Demonlight Wing. It is indeed as you said—he is our benefactor. We sinned out of greed for the Golden Immortal Eight Methods, and today we have seen the Supreme Clan Head restored to health. Only after our foolish actions did we realize that the Golden Immortal Eight Methods is a martial art that belongs outside our clan. It was a foolish and base endeavor. We will gladly accept whatever punishment you deem fit."
"All of you, destroy your lower and middle Dantians," Ma Yeon-jeok commanded.
The experts of great sects were eccentrics who had dedicated their entire lives to martial arts. The ecstasy of making one's body light and accumulating superhuman power was a high that not even opium could compare to.
This meant the punishment was worse than death.
Yet such was the command that flowed casually from the Hegemon Hero's mouth. It was akin to severing the path of seekers of the Dao.
While the warriors standing around Ju Yeon-jeong flinched in horror, the Ma Clan experts, who had raised their heads at some point, calmly bowed.
They had witnessed the clan's long-cherished wish being fulfilled. That was enough.
Ma Jin-un asked,
"Shall we sever the tendons in our limbs as well?"
"A question befitting a pathetic fool. Do you insignificant wretches dare to demand the labor of the main family's servants to care for you? Live on, feeling the full weight of your powerlessness. You bastards should never have laid a finger on my grandson."
The Hegemon Hero spat the words.
His grandson's safety had been threatened. At this moment, he was both the former Commander of the Divine Sword Corps and the grandfather, Ma Yeon-jeok.
Even knowing the threats looming over the Desolate Fortress as the world plunged into chaos, he chose to drastically reduce their military strength.
Discipline had to be established through strict rewards and punishments.
Those who had nearly become his grandson's enemies had to be punished.
These two intentions aligned perfectly. No one could stop him.
The Hegemon Hero Ma Yeon-jeok had returned. Unless it was the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, the Elder Council Head, or the current Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, no one would dare even pretend to stop him.
"Do it."
Ma Yeon-jeok ordered.
The command was brief, and the response was instantaneous.
Hup!
Gah—!
Twenty people began to vomit blood. They had violently reversed the flow of their own true qi.
Their Dantians were torn to shreds alongside a violently raging wave of energy. Such was the ruthless spirit of a prestigious martial clan that practiced tyrannical martial arts.
They had received a command from the fully restored Supreme Clan Head. As martial artists, they did not hesitate to commit this act of self-destruction.
A scene of hell unfolded.
The grass in the garden was stained red. One after another, they stumbled, unable to support their own bodies.
Among those kneeling and prostrating, a young man trembled.
It was Ma Ung, a White-Ranked Warrior who had been subdued by Cheong-myeong while standing guard. He had prepared himself for this, but he was still terrified.
Now... I have to destroy my Dantian now...
It was then.
Suddenly, his eyes met someone else's.
The noble Commander of the Demonlight Wing was gazing down at him quietly.
* * *
Mount Zhongnan is one of the birthplaces of Taoism.
The mountain range stretched in winding, azure waves, dividing the north and south of Shaanxi.
Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries nestled along the gently sloping ridges. These pavilions had once added a pure, immortal qi to the mountain's energy.
But not anymore.
Thick plumes of smoke rose from various points along the ridges, accompanied by a dark red wildfire.
The blazing inferno, spewing orange energy into the sky, was formidable.
The sprawling wildfire showed no signs of dying down, testifying to the extraordinary nature of the catastrophe.
"Your intentions... are petty."
The speaker was a handsome man. His ears, as sharp as blades, stood out prominently.
Blood seeped from his yellow robe, which was torn in several places. He sat amidst the fragments of shattered roof tiles.
The Western Heaven Sword Duke, Guyang Shin.
He was the Sect Leader of the Zhongnan Sect. He was a peerless expert, though his current wretched state did not match the legendary sword lying discarded beside him.
"I overlooked the fact that you, too, are half-Brightfolk. You must have been watching the energy of our main mountain very closely."
He spoke, looking up at the man standing with his back to the roaring flames.
The shadow cast over Guyang Shin's face wavered gigantically.
The way it danced along with the wildfire was incredibly bizarre. It felt like an unfathomably powerful being indulging in sheer amusement.
Though the opponent's body was drenched in blood from Guyang Shin's sword strikes, his balance remained astonishingly stable.
The Western Heaven Sword Duke Guyang Shin was the Sect Leader of one of the Nine Sects. No peerless expert, no matter how strong, could easily claim a one-sided victory against him.
This time was no different. Victory and defeat had simply been decided in a split second.
"Did you target this moment right after my Martial Uncle ascended? Do you feel no shame as the leader of a sect? You truly are the head of the Heterodox Sects. Even with a sword technique that has reached such great enlightenment."
Guyang Shin asked in a fading voice.
Instead of an answer, a faint chuckle escaped the man. The figure casting the shadow let out a low laugh.
It sounded as if it were echoing from the deepest depths of a cavern. It was an incredibly deep, resonant voice.
"The Sword Immortal of Zhongnan."
The Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect remembered the old man who had been called the immortal of the blade.
"I know it was not a Feathered Ascension."
He said.
The Sword Immortal of Zhongnan had not achieved Feathered Ascension by realizing the Dao.
He had died because the energy descending from the heavens was simply too overwhelming. His upper Dantian had been unable to withstand the sheer force of heaven and earth.
What could a man of such deep cultivation have coveted to meet such an end?
He had tried to investigate, but not a single disciple of the Zhongnan Sect would open their mouths.
It was both laughable and pitiful. The Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect thought briefly. He had intended to take the old man's head himself.
It was then.
Guyang Shin's lips trembled.
"Our sect's lineage will endure. You may destroy Zhongnan's gate and shatter our plaque. But you cannot touch the spirit of Mount Zhongnan. That is your limit."
"Are you referring to the Zhongnan disciples you let escape? I know. That is why I ordered two of them to be captured."
The lips of the face shadowed by the mountain's gloom parted into a cruel smile.
"The Sword Dragon, Wiji Myo-hwa. And Jeong Hye, the direct disciple of the Sword Immortal. They could pose a threat to my sect in the future. I hear the girl the Sword Immortal doted on in his final years is of the same bloodline as the current Commander of the Demonlight Wing. You are hoping for the Desolate Fortress to intervene."
"...!"
"Your swordplay was marvelous. Now, die."
The Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect moved his hand, which gripped his sword hilt.
Fwoosh.
His massive greatsword dissolved into the fire-like, wavering shadow.
* * *
Jeong Yeon-shin made his way to the quarters of the Demonlight Wing. He was accompanied by his subordinates, all of whom were his seniors in age and experience.
"The main fortress is going to be turned upside down."
"Unit Commander, do you have some knowledge of medicine?"
"That's not it. Have you only seen him practice his dynamic cultivation art for a day or two? His internal cultivation was monstrous to begin with."
"The Hegemon Hero's Rejuvenation... I was so frozen I couldn't even move."
"Will we finally get some breathing room?"
"Don't be naive. The Central Plains is vast, and we only have two Purple Ranks now."
"I wonder how the imperial court will react."
None of what they babbled about was wrong.
Jeong Yeon-shin silently agreed.
The things his maternal grandfather had done were extraordinary. Though Ju Yeon-jeong was from a collateral branch, she was undeniably royalty.
Even if Ma Yeon-jeok had handed down a punishment fitting the justification, there were still matters to be discussed with the imperial court.
The Ju surname was sacred.
The Great Ming Empire was an empire. It valued the imperial family's dignity above all else.
Ju Yeon-jeong, who had married into the Desolate Fortress, would surely have been under the watchful eye of the imperial court.
They would not be able to discipline Ma Yeon-jeok, who had regained his youth.
However, there was no telling how they might exploit this situation. Thus, Ma Yeon-jeok had sought to exclude his grandson from the messy political struggle that was sure to follow.
This was accompanied by his promise to share tea on a boat later.
—I will find a way to give you strength. This old man intends to clothe you in purple robes by any means necessary. But before that... I am truly ashamed. It is because this foolish grandfather failed to manage his household properly.
—It is enough that you are safe.
—Yeon-shin, may I hug you once?
—No.
Jeong Yeon-shin recalled his blunt reply. It had been a reflexive response, prompted by the many eyes watching them.
He could picture his grandfather's face, shedding his lion-like aura to look sheepish.
He will live a long and healthy life.
A warm feeling filled his chest. It remained even as the two nameless disciples guarding the gate of the Demonlight Wing's pavilion threw the doors open.
"Unit Commander, people from the Bloodkeeper Unit have arrived."
The speaker was Baek Sun-uk, a seventeen-year-old nameless disciple with a bulky frame.
He was a subordinate of honest character, dedicated to practicing the Infinite Flower of Time Fist.
"The Bloodkeeper Unit?"
The moment Jeong Yeon-shin questioned this, the gate opened fully.
The guests Baek Sun-uk mentioned approached immediately. They were a pair—a man and a woman clad in blue robes.
How long had they been standing there? It seemed they had waited outside without entering the inner quarters.
"I am Na Il-cheon of the Bloodkeeper Unit."
"I am Pung-ran."
They resembled the Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit, Jin Myeong-jo. Both possessed complexions so pale they looked sickly, and their facial features were remarkably sharp.
Even their movements as they offered a cupped-fist salute were graceful and fluid.
They possessed a unique aura combined with the undeniable authority of the Blue Rank.
Even a brief glance revealed they were outstanding individuals.
The woman, Pung-ran, who carried a slender, curved saber on her back, spoke.
"We have been ordered by the Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit to transfer to the Demonlight Wing. He sent a message along with us."
She presented a letter with both hands. It was a document rolled up and lined with white silk.
The letter was sealed with extreme care, its packaging finished with razor-sharp precision. It looked almost solemn.
"What?"
Just as Jeong Yeon-shin was taken aback—
Another event occurred immediately, starting from afar.
"Is the master of the Compendium of Crushing the Righteous in his quarters?!"
A booming shout erupted. It reverberated violently in all directions like a Lion's Roar.
The voice was so explosive that it was difficult to gauge the speaker's Accumulated Qi Amount. The internal power carried in his voice rattled the heavy latch of the gate.
It was the voice of Hahu Wi-jin.
The powerful waves of energy unique to the Unit Commanders of the Desolate Fortress swept in. Even before his arrival, the current pushing the air aside was like a roaring fire.
It was a truly staggering momentum. He seemed to be rushing forward using a profound lightness skill.
And he was not alone.