Chapter 227: Vast Art Formula (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 227: Vast Art Formula (7)
"Is the Commander sensing the Spirit Beast's intent?" Wi Ye-ryeong muttered.
Her face was filled with doubt as she watched Jeong Yeon-shin stroking the back of the white swallow in the grand martial arena below the roof.
His pitch-black robes and even darker hair contrasted sharply against the bird's white feathers.
The new Commander of the Demonlight Wing was handling a Spirit Beast—a creature that practically served as the symbol of the Unit Commanders. The aura he exuded felt both harmonious and bizarre.
Even his rare smile possessed a mysterious quality. At least, it did to Wi Ye-ryeong.
"There is absolutely no trace of our clan's aura on him. Could the Lord of the Desolate Fortress have...?"
A strange light flickered in her deep blue eyes. Doubts and speculations flashed like lightning before vanishing.
To give a Han person the treasure of our tree? The clan would never allow it.
This was a matter of utmost gravity. It was simply unacceptable. Even the status of being a direct disciple of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress—a title common enough within the Imperial Court—would not suffice.
Unless an unavoidable, monumental event occurred, or unless the Commander of the Demonlight Wing attained a status equivalent to that of their entire clan...
Just as Wi Ye-ryeong lightly shook her head, Kang Chang-mu spoke nonchalantly from a corner of the roof.
"Even White-Ranked members of the Brightfolk can communicate with Spirit Beasts. Our Commander's caliber is far higher; anything is possible for him. It wouldn't even count as one of those hidden trump cards that Black-Ranked experts usually keep up their sleeves. The Unit Commanders of the main fortress have always been mysterious figures. Just look at our former Commander's internal energy..."
Kang Chang-mu was originally from the Forest-Treading Unit, and his Commander had been Hahu Wi-jin, the Thousand-Fist Dragon-Strength Retainer.
"In terms of Accumulated Qi Amount alone, it's true that he's worthy of being compared to the Purple Rank. Once you reach the Black Rank, you're bound to possess several such abilities. How much more so for our Commander, who ascended to his position at the youngest age in history?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Is the most spotlighted Blue-Ranked expert in the Demonlight Wing putting on airs now? I thought the only ones obsessed with clan superiority were those bastards from the Dark Night Hall of the Thirteen Heavens," Kang Chang-mu teased in his deep, gruff voice.
It was true that the eyes of the Demonlight Wing were currently focused on Wi Ye-ryeong. Archers were rare in the martial world, and even more so among Brightfolk experts.
The Demonlight Formula was a close-quarters martial art. Until now, there had been no expert capable of handling mid-to-long-range combat.
At least, not until Wi Ye-ryeong joined. The Moon-Shooting Bow Ghost was a martial artist who had once countered the Diancang Sect's Shooting Sun Sword Technique with a single arrow.
As a member of the noble clan, she was a Blue-Ranked expert who could cover the front, rear, left, and right of the martial unit.
Among the mid-level newcomers, she received the undivided attention of the Demonlight Wing's warriors.
"You ash-brained scoundrel." Wi Ye-ryeong's brow furrowed, a rare frown crossing her face.
"The Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit is also undeniably of the Brightfolk. Are you ignorant of our clan's taboos? Never speak of it so carelessly again. Do not even make comparisons."
"I'll be careful," Kang Chang-mu replied, shrugging his broad shoulders as he looked down.
Below, the Commander had retrieved and read a letter from the leg of the White Swallow. He was now leaving the grand martial arena.
*
"Damn it! Curse it all!"
A group of about fifty experts dashed across the barren land. The dry earth didn't even kick up dust despite the heavy stomping of their rapid light-footwork.
The two leading the charge wore the black robes of the Desolate Fortress.
The massive frame of the man and the agile figure of the woman formed a sharp contrast, yet the oppressive presence they exerted on their surroundings was of equal magnitude.
Spitting out curses, Hahu Wi-jin crumpled the letter in his hand. Despite his furious expression, his footwork was as light as a gentle breeze.
This was thanks to him revising his Body Protection Scripture based on the advice of his outstanding junior.
"It's well known that they use bizarre sorcery martial arts, but apparently, it's incredibly powerful. I heard those exiled Maoshan Sect Taoists surrendered before they could even settle in Xinjiang. They might have even played a part in capturing the Heaven-Aligned Wing. Bloody hell!" he spat.
Running beside him, Cheon So-so's long hair fluttered.
The black hair of the Brightfolk supreme expert retained its distinct luster even against the fierce headwind of her light-footwork. It was the same for Hahu Wi-jin.
"I heard the Young Sect Leader of the Ming Cult is not much older than the Commander of the Demonlight Wing. In a way, they are similar, both being grandmasters of sorcery martial arts," she said quietly. Her voice, infused with internal energy, rang out clearly through the howling wind.
"If the conditions and luck align, it wouldn't be surprising for them to lead their subordinates and defeat an entire martial unit," she concluded in a calm, measured tone.
Hahu Wi-jin shook his head.
"Do you think Ha Do-un was defeated?"
"It has been too long since we last heard from the Heaven-Aligned Wing. Whatever happened, we must be prepared to accept it."
"...They might have set up a grand formation. They must have used some underhanded, wicked sorcery."
Black-Ranked experts were those whose names were discussed across the entire world.
They had set out immediately after the meeting at the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall concluded. They hadn't even had a chance to look at the annotated copy of the Compendium of Crushing the Righteous they had been so looking forward to.
Since their mission objective was the head of a leader from the heterodox sects, they didn't immediately need the counter-methods for Orthodox martial lineages. The Grand Steward had sent them out without mercy.
Hahu Wi-jin fumed as he pictured Grand Steward Im Jin-myeong's sly beard.
"That bastard. He's younger than us, yet so insolent."
"If we start fussing over seniority, the main fortress will fall into ruin," Cheon So-so remarked indifferently. "Besides, I heard you played a petty trick on the newcomer."
"The newcomer? You mean Flash Art?"
The name slipped out instantly.
If there was any newcomer worth being discussed by the Unit Commanders, it was only the new Commander of the Demonlight Wing, who was already being hailed by the supreme experts of the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall as the next Ma Yeon-jeok.
Hahu Wi-jin's lips curled upward.
"It wasn't a petty trick; I was merely pointing out the truth. He held the Compendium of... hmph, the Compendium hostage, didn't he? Though his talent and position match his conduct, it was necessary to prick his arrogant nature at least once. The truth is the truth, isn't it?"
"He has ties with Cheong-myeong of the Demonlight Wing," she murmured softly. "I heard about it. The Commander of the Demonlight Wing simply didn't know. He never imagined that we would need annotations. He probably handed it over with good intentions, but our reaction must have offended him."
"What?"
"To possess such martial prowess at his age... perhaps he is only accustomed to his own level of talent."
Her tone was flat and even. Her calm words dragged up a memory in Hahu Wi-jin's mind.
— I didn't think of that. It's just a basic cultivation art, after all. The margins are too narrow to write annotations anyway. When you're in actual combat, you just do it however feels right...
It meant those words had been entirely sincere. It was hard to believe, yet it carried a strange persuasiveness.
Cheon So-so spoke again.
"A basic cultivation art... to the newcomer, that was simply the truth. But you misunderstood, and to him..."
"Aaaaaaargh!"
Before she could finish her sentence, a long roar tore down the road. It was a resonance close to a Lion's Roar.
The voice, laced with internal energy and thick with embarrassment, ripped through the air. The shockwave erupting from the mouth of the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit reverberated all the way to the back of the column.
The sleeping bags strapped to the backs of the Forest-Treading Unit's White-Ranked warriors were repeatedly pushed back as if they had been kicked.
The Forest-Treading Unit and the Immortal Wood Spirit.
They were on their way to encounter the worst of the Thirteen Heavens settled in Xinjiang.
The two Unit Commanders had their own mission. They had to complete it at all costs.
*
While the Demonlight Wing immersed themselves in practicing the Vast Art Formula, the inner castle of the Desolate Fortress was bustling with preparations for a major event.
Stone structures were being erected everywhere. A martial duel stage was being constructed in the central training ground of the main fortress.
The Promotion Test.
It held the greatest significance in the main fortress.
It was a place to verify the caliber of the Unit Commanders, a testing ground to objectively assess the main fortress's military strength, and an event to bestow rewards upon the warriors who had strived for achievement.
It was the ultimate honor within the Desolate Fortress.
The commotion even reached the pavilion of the Demonlight Wing. And with good reason. The Lazy Flame Dragon of the Hwangbo Clan had long been a famous rising star.
Having conquered the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering multiple times, he was hailed as Jinan's strongest youth.
Today, rumors were rampant that he, wearing the robes of a Nameless Disciple, was aiming for promotion to the Blue Rank.
It was an absurdly low status compared to his martial prowess.
As a member of the Radiant Wing Unit led by the current Commander of the Demonlight Wing, he had achieved merits surpassing most Blue-Ranked experts.
He had slain several experts from the Tenth Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance, acting as the vanguard of the Radiant Wing Unit.
Upon going to the Martial World Alliance in Hanzhong, he had held his ground against the martial unit of the Deep Martial Alliance's Sword Venerable. Until the Commander of the Demonlight Wing arrived to meet the Yeongcheon Sword Ghost, not a single person had died. His achievements were more than sufficient.
It was only natural that crowds were gathering.
"He'll handle it on his own."
"Does this mean we can't act like his seniors anymore?"
"We're just Nameless Disciples. And young, at that."
The warriors of the Demonlight Wing reacted indifferently. The Nameless Disciples were even more so.
Watching him chew poppies and secretly guzzle alcohol nearby was enough to kill any affection they might have had. Their interest was entirely focused on the martial art created by their Commander.
They gathered in the grand martial arena at every opportunity to practice the Vast Art Formula. They were practically in a state of selflessness.
They were completely obsessed. This was true not only for the White-Ranked and Blue-Ranked experts but also for the young Nameless Disciples.
"Did you say the Commander went as an adjudicator?"
"Yeah. I have so many things to ask him."
"I wonder if Senior Brother Heonwon Chang, the Eloquent, will be able to change his martial uniform."
"Who knows? His situation is so ambiguous. He's terrifying when he holds a sword, but..."
"He hasn't broken his restriction yet. It probably won't happen."
"I hope it goes well for him."
Jokes and sincere wishes mingled in their conversation. It was a dialogue that proved the main fortress's interest in Heonwon Chang, the Hero of the Desolate Fortress.
Because the Lazy Flame Dragon's presence was so massive, no one else was drawing attention, even though Heonwon Chang had been the very first to learn the ultimate technique created by the new Commander.
"Our Commander taught us so kindly, didn't he?"
"Yeah. He even explained what internal energy actually is. For a second, I thought I was at some village martial hall."
"Even though our talent is supposed to be quite exceptional..."
"The Commander was like a Buddha. I never knew he had that side to him."
"Are there really that many people who know the Commander of the Demonlight Wing well?"
"Of course. We're family, sharing the same blade... Wait, who are you?"
A Nameless Disciple of the Demonlight Wing turned around. He had reflexively answered a woman's voice that had suddenly spoken from behind him.
Rustle.
A woman with her eyes covered by a white silk blindfold stood there.
Her posture was perfectly straight, exuding an elegant sense of balance. Sunlight seemed to flow along her pitch-black hair, which cascaded past her shoulders.
Her black hair contrasted sharply with her pure white palace robes. Drawing everyone's gaze one by one with her exceptionally dark features, Miss Ye of the Martial World Alliance walked forward gracefully.
"The Chief Military Strategist of the Hanzhong Martial World Alliance..."
Her lips parted slightly.
"...respectfully greets the family of the Commander of the Demonlight Wing."
She smiled as she looked around. The moment she spoke to the Nameless Disciple, a tense, heavy atmosphere settled over the area.
The experts of the Demonlight Wing had been watching Miss Ye even before she stepped into the grand martial arena.
Kang Chang-mu spoke first.
"...The Chief Military Strategist of the Alliance? What is your business here?"
"I came to have an audience with the Commander here. I sent word several times... but received no reply."
"This is no place for outsiders. You had best leave immediately."
"I think it would be better to say that to the Lord of the Desolate Fortress," she replied with a smooth smile.
The commotion in the training ground gradually died down, replaced by the sound of the wind gently kicking up the dust.
Step.
Cheong-myeong, who had been leaning lazily against a corner of the wall, stepped down onto the ground. The sword hilt at his waist shimmered with invisible sword qi.
The sunlight seemed to bend around him. At the same time, several swordsmen of the Demonlight Wing unleashed their energy waves.
Whoosh!
But before any of them could act, a blue robe cut through the air. Her long black hair fluttering, Baek Mi-ryeo landed directly in front of Miss Ye.
They were the ones Jeong Yeon-shin had opened up to, and she had already heard plenty about this woman.
"First, that blindfold."
Baek Mi-ryeo, the Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress, slightly raised her chin.
"Take it off. Right now."
*
The new Commander of the Demonlight Wing stood at the side of the martial duel stage in the central training ground.
An immense crowd had gathered. It was one of the few events that broke the monotony of their daily lives.
The number of people murmuring around the massive stage reached into the hundreds. Just standing in the center of it all was enough to drain one's energy.
But Jeong Yeon-shin was different. He did not feel even a shred of fatigue.
Despite having gone through a succession of events since his return, robust strength flowed through his entire body.
This was thanks to his body, tempered by the Jeong Family Dynamic Art, and the immense vitality bestowed upon him by the Law-Transcending Halo Qi. If one were to discuss endurance among supreme experts, he would undoubtedly be ranked first.
"Next," he said.
A duel between White-Ranked warriors had just concluded. The two combatants cast quick glances at the Commander of the Demonlight Wing before stepping down from the stage.
Next, another pair of martial artists stepped up. Their appearances were also extraordinary.
The pair, a man and a woman, exuded a powerful wave of energy. They were comparable to Jeong Yeon-shin back when he had first entered the fortress as a White Rank.
This was the Promotion Test of the Desolate Fortress.
A Black-Ranked expert had to oversee the duels to prevent any fatal accidents. As his final duty before departing for Shaanxi, Jeong Yeon-shin had been selected under the pretext of his exceptionally sharp senses.
The Grand Steward had stated that the intention was to let the new Commander experience the duties of a Black Rank.
This had also been decided during Jeong Yeon-shin's first meeting of the Unit Commanders. The assignment of personnel had already been finalized.
"Begin."
Jeong Yeon-shin's face remained expressionless as he proceeded with the ceremony.
Flash Art, Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
He wore a neatly pressed black robe with the white Northern Light sword at his waist, but his tightly set lips betrayed his uneasy state of mind.
It was unprecedented. No one in the vicinity dared to approach the stage where Jeong Yeon-shin stood.
But Jeong Yeon-shin couldn't bring himself to care. There was no need to, nor was it the time for it.
Hye-ah.
He had received news regarding the Zhongnan Sect.
— The Cloud-Knee Sword Sect and the Lake-Blowing Gate have been annihilated. They were Zhongnan lay sects located in Xi'an. We hear the situation at the main mountain of Zhongnan is even worse. The area below the mountain where the Taoist temples stood has been completely burned to the ground, and reports say it is difficult to even estimate the number of survivors from the Zhongnan Sect.
— There was also a mention that the Sword Dragon, Wiji Myo-hwa, escaped with the disciple of the Sword Immortal. There is no information after that, which is actually good news. The moment the Hegemon Sword Sect captures the Sword Dragon, they would effectively sever the lineage of Zhongnan, so they would definitely broadcast it to the world. We must assume she is safe.
Just as he was recalling the Grand Steward's words in his mind, the duel began.
Do Jin, the Radiant Wind Sword, and Hahu San-san, the Rippling Fist Demon.
A man with a sword strapped to his firm waist and a woman wearing dark gauntlets faced each other. They were warriors from the Han Law Enforcement Unit and the Brightfolk Thread-Annihilation Unit, respectively.
Two individuals famous for being bitter rivals had been paired up. It was an intentional matchup. The Chief Steward's Office occasionally tested the practical combat skills of the warriors in this manner.
"I didn't expect it to turn out like this," Do Jin said, his sharp gaze shifting toward Hahu San-san's small fists.
"It's for the best. Let's settle our grudge with this," she replied, her lips curling upward. She then slammed her fists together with a heavy thud.
Hahu San-san, the Rippling Fist Demon, was the precious daughter of the Desolate Hahu Clan and the niece of Hahu Wi-jin, the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit.
She had once harshly rejected a matchmaker sent by Do Jin's family.
The personalities of the Desolate Fortress's warriors varied wildly. Under the banner of stabilizing the lives of the common people, countless geniuses with distinct individualities had gathered. It was by no means a sect free of conflict.
Do Jin's lips trembled.
"A grudge, you say? The humiliation your family inflicted upon us..."
"Let's get the facts straight. You were the one who kept making advances despite my lack of interest, Young Hero Do. Over and over, as relentlessly as the currents of the Yangtze River," Hahu San-san retorted, her brow furrowing.
"Begin," the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, standing at a distance, flatly commanded.
Do Jin flinched. As if she had received an order from her own Unit Commander, Hahu San-san swiftly assumed her starting stance.
In an instant, her palms, covered in dark gauntlets, unleashed a terrifying force.
Boom!
A colorless shockwave exploded outward, the palm strike unleashing a gale that raged in every direction.
Do Jin was sent flying through the dust-filled air, his body feeling as if his sternum had just caved in.
The air was driven from his lungs. A single palm strike had nearly shattered his Body Protection Qi.
Hahu San-san was forcing a swift, decisive battle. The internal energy packed into that single blow was immense. It was a reckless, all-or-nothing attack—a combat style that had become popular in the main fortress ever since the rise of the Flash Art.
Do Jin’s expression was grim. He had stepped onto the stage expecting exactly this.
He knew the personality of the woman he had once adored, and he had spent a long time devising a sword form specifically to counter her.
Everyone knew the strength of the Law Enforcement Unit's warriors; only a fool would question it. The Jianghu was never merciful.
This will be decided in a single strike…!
Ignoring his ragged breathing, he channeled his true qi.
He wove the internal energy flowing into his grip into a precise form, infusing the secret counter-technique of the Law Enforcement Unit into his stance.
Thud!
Hahu San-san, who had closed the distance to unleash a flurry of strikes, raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Her vision was filled with a blinding light as low groans rippled through the crowd. The sword Do Jin brought down with both hands gathered the sunlight, merging it with his invisible true qi.
“Radiant Sword Seam!”
A sharp gasp, almost a scream, tore through the spectator stands.
Do Jin's family was a prestigious sword clan, famed for its devastating ultimate techniques. The exquisite strike he had just unleashed, aimed perfectly at Hahu San-san's advancing footwork, was a testament to that legacy.
For a fleeting moment, his execution was so perfect he resembled a sword phantom.
There are rare days when a warrior's performance transcends their known limits. For Do Jin, today was one of those days—a level of perfection even he hadn't anticipated.
I should have been faster! At this range…!
Rumble!
The power of the Path-Shattering Fist Art, unleashed by the Rippling Fist Demon herself, was torn to shreds. Remnants of her technique fluttered around her body like colorless waves.
His sword strike had completely dismantled the structure of her true qi, descending upon her like a storm.
It was too late for either of them to change course.
Such things were common. Martial artists wielded lethal blades and potent internal energy; fatal accidents in duels were not rare, and death was an accepted outcome.
Hahu San-san was frozen in her forward lunge.
The shockwave from the sword washed over her, and her entire body seized up. At best, she would be severely injured. At worst, she would die.
Just as the thick, milky-white sword light expanded, poised to cleave her from the collarbone down—
Swish.
A flicker of movement brushed past the hair of both combatants, a motion so swift it would have been imperceptible to any but those whose minds were as sharp as a blade’s edge.
Do Jin's sword stopped dead, caught between two fingers. The Commander of the Demonlight Wing, who had appeared between them at some unknown point, held his arm outstretched.
Below his steady hand, a pitch-black sleeve hung motionless.
“The Rippling Fist Demon has lost. The Radiant Wind Sword has won.”
From the fingers that had stopped the blade, a pure white energy drifted like haze. It was the after-effect of the Vast Art Formula, a technique that had not yet been revealed to the world.
It made his fingers look as beautiful as polished diamonds, yet not a single drop of blood was drawn from them. This was a display of impossibly precise control—a level of mastery on an entirely different plane.
—Get down. You are causing a disturbance.
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing’s voice transmission flowed directly into their minds. His whisper-like words resonated like thunder.