Chapter 220: Flash (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 220: Flash (7)
It was a truly shocking entrance.
Six Unit Commanders had gathered for this meeting. There should have been absolutely no reason to worry about their safety.
Their combined strength reached near-absolute heights; it was impossible to deny the immense sense of security in this room. Even in a chaotic world ruled by the law of the jungle, they were the definition of safe.
It was said that when three Black Ranks gathered, they were invincible. Even factoring in the exaggerated gossip of the Jianghu, it wasn't a groundless claim.
And yet.
Saaaa—
Not a single speck of dust clung to the clothes of the man who had just slammed the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit's head into the floor.
Even as a faint haze of debris settled around him, his robes maintained their vivid pink hue. His Body Protection Qi enveloped him down to the very hem of his clothes. It meant there wasn't a single opening in the internal energy shrouding his body.
The sight of him kneeling on one knee, effortlessly pinning down the back of Hahu Wi-jin's head, didn't feel real. Even though he was leaning down toward the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, he exuded an overwhelmingly arrogant aura.
An unrestrained momentum flowed from him. The colorless, surging waves of his energy were wild and absolute.
"Did I not ask you a question? You truly insignificant thing."
His voice resonated like a lion's growl.
Hahu Wi-jin could not answer.
The same mouth that had just been scolding his new junior was now crushed against the floor, his lips sinking into the shattered marble.
What would have happened if he hadn't kept his Internal Energy Armor active at all times? It was a blow powerful enough to instantly shatter the jaw of a Black Rank expert, a man whose very insides were fortified with internal energy.
"Listening to you flap your gums was quite a spectacle. I should have come down sooner," the man muttered.
No one answered immediately.
The Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall was a place shrouded in rumors even within the wider Jianghu. There was no other place where so many of the Desolate Fortress's Black Ranks gathered. By all logic, it was the most dangerous spot in the world.
And yet, until the very moment the ceiling collapsed, no one had reacted.
This was an incredibly rare occurrence. It could almost be called a disaster.
It made absolutely no sense—unless the intruder's internal cultivation had reached the state of Return to Simplicity. It was a mythical realm where one's mastery was so absolute that they appeared completely ordinary.
"..."
A brief silence fell.
The Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit, Cheon So-so, opened her clear blue eyes. She quietly observed the man, suppressing her energy with the static aura characteristic of her Ice Arts. Her presence, containing the subtle essence of movement within stillness, was cold and formidable.
Un So-yu, who had drawn her sword the instant the ceiling cracked, leveled her blade at the man. Even amidst the raging storm of energy, her long black hair remained perfectly still. She had refined her clan's abilities alongside her swordplay, becoming a master who manipulated the wind in mysterious ways.
Saaaa.
A sharp energy honed itself in the hands of the Divine Blood Ultimate Demon, Jin Myeong-jo, who stood with his arms crossed. Even in the face of this astonishing event, his expression didn't flicker. He maintained an elegant posture, shrouded in a thick, irregularly spreading wave of energy. It was the unique dignity of the Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit.
Though the Unit Commanders were thoroughly accustomed to sudden combat, they didn't strike immediately.
Gauging the opponent came first.
The senses of the Desolate Fortress's Unit Commanders made no mistakes. The Thousand-Fist Dragon-Strength Retainer, Hahu Wi-jin, had been subdued with terrifying ease. Even factoring in the immense advantage of a surprise attack, this was not an opponent they could dare to underestimate.
"Coordinate with me," Jin Myeong-jo spoke briefly.
The words themselves were a feint. The effectiveness of a joint attack depended on the compatibility of their martial arts, and the synergy between the Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit and the Brightfolk Unit Commanders was the absolute worst.
He didn't mean they should actually coordinate; rather, he meant that if they launched the first strike, he would find an opening on his own.
Cheon So-so and Un So-yu did not reply.
This had nothing to do with their usual disdain for Jin Myeong-jo's lineage. The uninvited guest had completely deceived the senses of Black Rank masters. He had entirely concealed his internal energy.
A peerless master. It was possible he had modeled his aura, even slightly, after the Desolate Fortress Lord, who resembled nature itself. They had to prepare for death and dissect the opponent with precise eye techniques.
Ak Su-rim, who had unslung the spear from her back at some point, furrowed her brow slightly.
"What is this?"
She held her black spear down with one hand. Her starting stance, which wrapped her entire body in a transparent haze, was extraordinary. A monstrous power surged from the spear shaft raised behind her slender back.
It was the Ak Family Spear, the most famous polearm martial art in the world. It had once been counted alongside the Yang Family Spear as one of the world's two greatest spear techniques, but in her hands, that rivalry was a thing of the past. The majesty of the Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress had far surpassed the martial prowess of the Yang Family Spear masters.
"It's a wave of energy that feels familiar yet strange. Highly unpleasant. Is it one of the Lords of the Thirteen Heavens I haven't met? Otherwise, there's no way the main fortress would be breached like this..." Ak Su-rim muttered, keeping her gaze fixed on the opponent pinning down the back of Hahu Wi-jin's head.
The intruder's face wasn't visible, as he was still leaning over the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit as if delivering a lecture.
She slowly parted her lips.
"Flash Art, you need to look closely."
Her tone was laced with concern. Her lovely new junior was looking entirely away from the uninvited guest.
"Ah."
The new Commander of the Demonlight Wing's exclamation was dry. His thick eyebrows didn't even twitch. The breath flowing from beneath his elegant nose was thin and long.
His qigong breathing had deepened astonishingly, yet he also looked somewhat dazed, an expression fitting for someone of his young age. It was an extremely rare sight.
The Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress possessed a wide field of vision. Without even turning her head, she could see Flash Art's state. She couldn't help but ask with concern, "Are you alright?"
"Senior Ak," the junior spoke, his head tilted slightly downward.
"What is it? Speak," Ak Su-rim urged gently. Even with a formidable enemy right before them, her words were warm. She was a truly gracious senior.
"Well..."
At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin felt utterly isolated. He was dying inside. His face, which he desperately tried to keep expressionless, was a testament to his immense embarrassment.
It was an emotion only he knew. A strange, aimless shame rolled in like a dark cloud, accompanied by a massive wave of regret. I should have just come with him.
Ah...
Still, he had to speak.
From the looks of it, his maternal grandfather had absolutely no intention of revealing his identity. He was entirely focused on grinding Hahu Wi-jin's head into the floor. His behavior was exactly like that of a stubborn old master caught between the Orthodox and Unorthodox paths.
Was he too angry to even bother looking around? Yet, the supreme aura that forbade anyone from approaching was nothing short of astonishing.
He had to prevent his Black Rank seniors from striking first.
A Purple Rank peerless master clashing with four Black Rank supreme experts? These were people who could pierce through steel with a single strike. Regardless of who won or lost, the outcome would not be pretty.
Jeong Yeon-shin could stop his grandfather. However, he couldn't prevent the split-second strike the Hegemon Hero might unleash before that.
If things escalated further here, it would become extremely difficult for him to attend meetings at the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall in the future. He wouldn't be able to show his face anywhere ever again.
No.
His mind barely managed to overcome the shame and rally itself. But just as he was about to open his mouth...
—Leave it be for a moment.
It was a telepathic message from the Grand Steward.
Jeong Yeon-shin shifted his gaze. He immediately spotted Grand Steward Im. The man was smiling. The curve of his lips amidst his thick beard carried a rather cheerful disposition. It was an incomprehensible sight.
The Grand Steward's telepathy continued.
—After being summoned to the Imperial Court, he must live as the hidden sword of the main fortress for a while. That is not something that suits the Hegemon Hero's temperament. He must have accumulated a lot of pent-up anger. We cannot dare to stop what commonly happens in the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall. Furthermore... the clash you worry about, Young Master, might not even occur. For there is not a single ordinary soul among our Black Ranks...
It was then.
Terrifying waves of energy erupted from various points around the shattered round table. The Unit Commanders had finished preparing their strikes.
Immediately after reaching a silent agreement, they circulated the energy of their entire bodies in an instant. They had entered the realm of the Unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
They were on the verge of unleashing their ultimate techniques through the achievement of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak.
There would be no questions asked.
A physical clash had already occurred. Hahu Wi-jin was still breathing, but this was undeniably a hostile intrusion.
A Desolate Fortress Unit Commander in combat mode did not converse with the enemy. This was a behavioral pattern hardened by long tradition, meant to prevent them from being deceived by the silver tongues of powerful officials.
This was why Ak Su-rim had checked on Jeong Yeon-shin but hadn't addressed the intruder.
'That Body Protection Qi isn't something a fist or palm technique can penetrate,' Jin Myeong-jo, the Divine Blood Ultimate Demon, thought to himself.
Born with Yin energy, his senses were in no way inferior to those of the Brightfolk. He immediately identified the coat of internal energy the opponent wore.
It was woven incredibly tightly, like armor made of True Qi. It would be difficult to breach with the blunt impact of fist or palm techniques. He had no choice but to use the Flash-Blood Claw Art.
'If only that guy weren't here...!'
Jin Myeong-jo's ruby-like eyes flashed as he glanced at the new Commander of the Demonlight Wing, a boy who was practically his mortal enemy.
The aura surrounding the kid's entire body was incredibly divine. He had heard that the boy created a Dharma Power martial art back when he was a White Rank, but now, it seemed as if he was circulating his energy entirely with Dharma Power.
Even standing at a distance, Jin Myeong-jo felt his life threatened. Goosebumps broke out over his smooth skin. He wasn't even sure if he could properly execute his ultimate technique under this pressure.
'The Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect is the monster of Shaanxi? Does that even matter? Damn it.'
The true monster of the Desolate Fortress was right here.
He was forced to face the person he wanted to avoid most at every single meeting.
Rather than the mysterious intruder who hadn't instantly killed the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, the Commander of the Demonlight Wing—who pressured him by his mere existence—was the far greater threat.
It was a massive psychological burden. Whenever he thought of the two Blue Rank subordinates he had practically offered up to the boy like a tribute, his chest tightened. It drove him mad with regret.
Pung-ran, Na Il-cheon. My faithful limbs.
'But a joint attack? A joint attack with the Commander of the Demonlight Wing?'
Jin Myeong-jo unconsciously glared.
But immediately after, he flinched and lowered his gaze. The junior had mastered a Dharma Power Divine Art. If he got on the boy's bad side, these Unit Commander meetings would become utterly miserable. Just sitting next to him might induce a seizure. Damn it.
'Ah...'
His crimson glance was interpreted entirely differently by Jeong Yeon-shin.
To him, it was a gesture carrying a dual nature. Desperate, yet noble. Like a taciturn senior, Jin Myeong-jo had spoken with his eyes: I will take the vanguard, so I leave the rearguard to you.
'He is as reliable as Senior Ak.'
The shame caused by his grandfather, compounded by the guilt bestowed by his seniors' trust.
Even so, he couldn't strike his own grandfather. Just as Jeong Yeon-shin swallowed his anguish, a voice filled with fury rang out.
"Are you bastards trying to commit mutiny right now?"
Finally, the man in the pink robe raised his head. Hahu Wi-jin, who had been subdued with his neck's pulse point seized in the sudden surprise attack, had finally fainted.
A face with sharp, defined lines despite lacking much flesh was revealed.
He was astonishingly young.
Even though he was not of the Brightfolk, his entire body seemed to overflow with vitality. The temperament etched onto his face looked almost ferocious.
He looked like nothing less than the lord of lions roaming the wilderness.
"Striking now..."
Jin Myeong-jo, the Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit, who had sharpened his five claws, slowly let his words trail off.
He had been fully prepared to cast aside the solemn dignity of a Black Rank and propose a joint attack. Anyone with experience would have done the same.
However, he couldn't finish his sentence.
"What is wrong with these fools?"
Jin Myeong-jo frowned. Ak Su-rim, Cheon So-so, and Un So-yu had all stopped in their tracks. Every single one of them was frozen as if turned to stone.
It was as if they had witnessed something they fundamentally shouldn't have. Even the powerful waves of energy they had been emitting withered away to nothing.
They were all veteran Unit Commanders.
The Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress had lived a long time through Rejuvenation, while the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit and the Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit had lived long lives as Brightfolk. They were entirely different from Jin Myeong-jo, who had entered the fortress relatively recently and hastily claimed the seat of a Unit Commander.
He glanced at the Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
'What on earth is that...'
The new junior was looking in an entirely different direction. He was practically ignoring the situation altogether.
Then...
"No."
The lips of Ak Su-rim, the Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress, trembled slightly. The hand gripping her black spear did the same.
The momentum that had surged like a wildfire from her Ak Family Spear vanished without a trace.
"No way..."
She seemed to be the most shocked person in the room. She looked completely dazed. Her lips parted slightly, and her eyes—filled with the unique light of a supreme master—shook minutely.
Her pitch-black eyes darted frantically back and forth between Jeong Yeon-shin and the intruder.
"What in the world..."
She was astonished, and not in a good way. It was obvious to anyone looking at her.
Sliiiide.
Rising from his kneeling posture, Ma Yeon-jeok's lips curled upward.
"I have been biding my time ever since you dared to call my grandson your husband. Still, I'll admit you have an eye for talent. Time has been rewound by the hands of my grandson—a boy whom the likes of the Ak Family Spear could never dare to covet."
"This is... this is truly insane...!"
Ak Su-rim's reaction was intense. She had spent many years being thoroughly overworked as a subordinate under Ma Yeon-jeok when he was the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
Her tightly curled eyelashes trembled.
Even though her short hair, which she usually swept behind her neck, fell messily over her ears, she didn't even raise a hand to fix it. Her eyes frantically searched for her junior.
"That's a joke, right? The Elder Council Head recovered and is playing a prank, right? He's wearing a Human Skin Mask. It's a horrible joke, so please tell me right now. To think I'd have to see that face again in my lifetime..."
"My maternal grandfather has undergone Rejuvenation," Jeong Yeon-shin spoke, barely managing to hide his embarrassment.
"Really, you? You made him look like that?"
"...Yes."
"You are my enemy now..." a devastated Ak Su-rim muttered weakly.
*
Cleaning up the aftermath was the job of Grand Steward Im Jin-myeong.
Amidst the lingering shock in the hall, everyone sat cross-legged on the floor to officially continue the meeting.
Ma Yeon-jeok sat in the seat of honor. The Unit Commanders sat below him to his left and right. Ak Su-rim dragged Jeong Yeon-shin to sit as far away from the front as possible.
The faces of Cheon So-so, Un So-yu, and Jin Myeong-jo were utterly dazed. Only the degree of their reactions differed. They hadn't yet fully processed Ma Yeon-jeok's transformation, which could only be described as a cataclysmic event.
It had all happened in a very short amount of time. Hahu Wi-jin, who woke up belatedly, remained completely silent with vacant eyes.
His tightly closed lips were a stark contrast to his usual self. There was no trace of his furious temperament; instead, he placed both hands on his knees as if he possessed the deep, tranquil cultivation of Clear Mirror, Still Water.
The Hegemon Hero paid them no mind.
"We were talking about your mission location. Yeon-shin, where do you want to go?"
Jeong Yeon-shin shifted his gaze slightly. He was dying of embarrassment. His grandfather had literally barged into his workplace and assaulted a coworker out of anger on his grandson's behalf. How could he ever show his face here again?
He managed to look at Hahu Wi-jin with difficulty and spoke.
"My skills are still lacking, so it is difficult for me to handle a mission where the safety of the Heaven-Aligned Wing is at stake. That is why I mentioned going to Shaanxi. I thought Shaanxi—where Zhongnan and Mount Hua stand alongside the Hegemon Sword Sect and Lingering Spirit—would be better. I repeat that this was merely a misunderstanding on Senior Hahu's part."
"Shaanxi? Very well. The Commander of the Demonlight Wing shall go to Shaanxi," Ma Yeon-jeok said. It was practically a royal decree.
"..."
The Grand Steward, chuckling to himself, unfurled the next document.
"And..."
The meeting proceeded at an astonishingly rapid pace. It was a speed never seen before in this room. The agenda of the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall began to fly by like flashes of light.