Chapter 239: Awakening (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 239: Awakening (3)
The slaughter by the Radiant Sword Unit had ended.
On the flat ground, the shoulders of twenty-eight men rose and fell with their ragged breaths. It had been a massive battle. Hundreds of heterodox martial artists now lay in mangled heaps or as cold corpses.
Even for warriors who had demonstrated such an overwhelming breakthrough with their lightness skills, it was only natural to need a moment to recover.
The sleeves of the fist and palm masters were stained pitch-black with gore. From the lowered tips of the swordsmen’s blades, blood dripped steadily, splattering and spreading across the earth.
The Vast Art Formula was a divine art with distinct advantages and disadvantages. Such overwhelming power came at a price. That was the law of the world; only by consuming a massive amount of True Qi could one perform miracles.
But its efficacy was undeniable.
The carnage of this Great Sect War’s life-and-death duel was proof enough.
“Gasp…”
“Ugh… huff…”
The grass and dirt were stained dark red. The stench of blood rode the cold wind, spreading in all directions.
There was flesh shattered by Fa Jin and scattered by shockwaves, corpses sliced cleanly in two, and the defeated, whose faint wisps of internal energy were the only thing keeping them from death as they exhaled painful breaths.
“Is this… sigh… a dream?”
“My chest… finally feels lighter.”
“Stop trying to act tough.”
Even for the people of Xi'an, Shaanxi, known for their hardy temperament, this was not a sight one could easily behold. Many with considerable courage had to turn their heads away.
Fortunately, there was something else to watch. It was said that the crowning glory of any Great Sect War was the life-and-death duel between its leaders.
The flat ground of the Great Moon Gorge was no exception.
“Only the sect leaders are left!”
“Sigh, how will this turn out…”
“The Sword Demon Sect Leader was defeated, right? A great upheaval is coming to Xi'an!”
“A joint attack by the sect leaders is a different story. Their strength is far beyond our comprehension.”
“They brought masters of that caliber. Surely they can show us something incredible, even against the Three Great Masters?”
A crowd of onlookers, far outnumbering the dead warriors of the seven unorthodox sects, craned their necks to look down. Many of them were malnourished and starved.
For the first time in a long while, a spark of vitality bloomed on their lifeless, gaunt faces—a sadistic, violent urge.
“Please… please…”
Some prayed as if bowing at a shrine, wishing for the deaths of the unorthodox sect leaders with the same fervor they might pray for the coming of Maitreya.
Hands and heads resting on the rocks all turned toward the young swordsman clad in a blood-red cloak.
The Seven Great Sect Leaders of Xi'an and the unidentified supreme master.
As hundreds of eyes focused on them, the canyon cliffs surrounding the gorge grew increasingly quiet.
The mountain range, stretching as if to touch the horizon of the Guanzhong Plains, was a vivid green. The low-hanging sun cast a white blanket of light over it all.
It was a dreamlike, lush landscape, one that suited neither the carnage nor the tense confrontation.
And so, it created a strange atmosphere.
This lasted until a man with a great saber strapped to his back, standing with the Seven Great Sect Leaders, finally spoke.
“Ten breaths, you said?”
His appearance alone was unconventional.
His upper body was bare, as if to boast of his external martial arts training. A prominent scar ran from his abdominal muscles, past his neck, and all the way to his cheek. It was a horrific sword wound; it was a wonder he was even alive. The heat blazing from his body, a product of his internal power, seemed almost paradoxical.
Bu Jo-wi, the Great Wind Saber Fiend.
He was the leader of the End-of-Heaven Saber Sect.
He was considered the strongest saber user in Xi'an, with a reputation that transcended both the orthodox and unorthodox factions. It was said his saber techniques rivaled the profundity of the Zhongnan sword style. He was a master of the Middle Heaven Blade of the End-of-Heaven Saber Sect.
He was also famous for declaring that he did not fear the immortals of the Nine Sects. Even though he had just witnessed the defeat of the Sword Demon Sect Leader, the fighting spirit etched on his angular face burned like a wildfire.
“No matter how much you…”
Just as his deep, booming voice echoed out, the Commander of the Demonlight Wing took a step forward.
Grass rustled and collapsed under his foot. A wind stirred as he pushed off the ground—the Halo Qi spreading from his Yongquan Point, instantly exploding into propulsion.
Thud!
His heel pushed off completely. He contained the energy waves within his body as much as possible, yet there was no strain in his circulation of True Qi. His control over his internal energy was growing stronger by the day, a function of his Upper Dantian, which was expanding without him even realizing it.
Whoosh!
Jeong Yeon-shin narrowed his eyes. A powerful recoil surged through him. He could feel the fierce wind constantly brushing past his hair and clothes, even slipping between his fingers.
He didn't hesitate to enter the domain of the six sect leaders. The face of Bu Jo-wi, whose lips twisted into a grimace, rapidly grew larger in his vision.
The bastard’s reaction was fast. Drawing the great saber from his back, he swung it straight down.
The air split, and the grass flattened to either side. It was a shockwave from a saber strike, rushing forward and obliterating the bushes and mounds of dirt in its path.
Rumble!
To execute such a massive technique, one’s reaction speed had to match that of a swift swordsman. As a master of heavy weapons, he had clearly focused on training his senses.
The transparent, blazing shockwave reached Yeon-shin’s nose in an instant. It was powerful enough that the wind from the blade alone could shatter brick.
He’s no pushover, Yeon-shin thought. The reality of the heterodox sects hit him with full force.
How many unorthodox sect leaders would share health-boosting elixirs, spirit medicines, and profound secret techniques with all their disciples? Extremely few. This was even truer for sects on the level of the Seven Great Sects of Xi'an. A sect leader's authority was absolute, a structure that demanded the leader be overwhelmingly powerful.
Anyone who wasn't completely ignorant of the world knew this. The proof was in the saber strike right in front of him.
It approached like a transparent, razor-sharp slash, violently cleaving through space.
Swoosh!
Yeon-shin felt his bangs lift from his forehead. His vision distorted. Staring straight ahead, he raised his left hand.
The Halo Qi gathered at his elbow split in two, rising like beams of light. The moment he reached out and pressed his hand against the saber strike, the fierce wind split into multiple streams through the gaps in his fingers.
The repelling force was immense. Even with his hand properly coated in internal power, he felt the skin of his palm being pushed back. The force was strong enough to serve as the pressure he needed to weave opposing True Qis. He adjusted it by feel.
Should I try using Brilliant River in a different form?
The corners of Yeon-shin’s mouth flattened into a thin line.
Bu Jo-wi’s eyes widened slightly.
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing’s advance hadn’t stopped. He rushed forward with his initial momentum, holding his sword low while parting the saber’s shockwave with his other hand.
Through the beams of sunlight shimmering in the aftermath, his expressionless, handsome face was visible in glimpses. It was a chilling sight.
“Gi So-seul!” Bu Jo-wi shouted urgently.
It was the name of the master of the Severing Pavilion, a refiner of exotic weapons. She was another pillar of the Seven Great Sect Leaders of Xi'an.
Shing!
In an instant, sharp beams of light flashed ahead, like an unseasonal downpour. They carved through space in every direction, connecting the grass and the sky before settling into place.
A web of threads now blocked the Commander of the Demonlight Wing’s path. It looked like a giant spiderweb with a metallic sheen, sealing off the entire area in front of him. Though the threads were cast from the front, they crisscrossed at every angle, creating a three-dimensional net that looked incredibly sturdy.
The technique itself was an art. A mixture of sorcery and martial arts, perhaps?
Yeon-shin halted. A single strand had nearly touched the underside of his chin.
Lifting his head slightly, he glanced at the woman standing next to Bu Jo-wi. Dressed in sky-blue silk light armor, she held both hands outstretched. From within her large sleeves, dozens of glowing skeins of thread were connected in multiple strands.
It was the Thread Sword, a weapon he had only heard of. It was said she sliced special iron into threads to use as a weapon.
I’ve heard of her.
Gi So-seul, the Sharp Thread Ghost Severer. An artist who once played the zither, she had established her sect after a fated encounter. She, too, was of the unorthodox path. Every brothel in Xi'an was in her hands. She tyrannized her subordinates and kidnapped commoners from inns, forcing them into her brothels and binding them with debt. She was known to enjoy all kinds of debauchery alongside Bu Jo-wi.
His eyes met hers.
Though finely dressed, she exuded an eerie aura. Her lips curled upward in a silent, ghostly smile that sent a chill down the spine.
This was the Jianghu of the Central Plains.
Did all renowned unorthodox grandmasters possess such a distinct presence?
“That bastard’s weakness is his body protection Qi.”
The voice came from behind Bu Jo-wi.
“It’s not as powerful as his other martial arts. Its structure is shallow. No, not shallow, just lacking in depth compared to his other techniques. It doesn’t suit his body,” Wi Il-hwa, Lord of the Exalted Remaining Lands Sect, said. Her fierce eyes seemed to gleam with sword energy.
She was trying to make the most of the eye technique bestowed upon her by the Yeoryeong Lord.
“You can tell just by how he hesitated at Pavilion Master Gi’s Severing Ghost Thread. According to the intelligence I've gathered through Yeoryeong's network, that bastard is skilled at creating martial arts that suit his own body. His body protection Qi must still be incomplete. It would have been more efficient for him to refine his other sect-exclusive martial arts. If we want to kill him, now is our only chance.”
Her words were rapid. In a battle like this, lip-reading was a given. Masters who moved like beams of light could certainly speak this fast. It was the same for the warriors of the Desolate Fortress; those who had mastered the technique could speak faster than their hands could move, and understand just as quickly.
Jeong Yeon-shin let her words slide past him, taking note only of Yeoryeong’s information network.
He took in a wide view of the front. Severing Ghost Thread, she had called it. Gi So-seul’s Thread Sword surrounded him in all directions. A razor-sharp energy emanated from it. An ordinary body protection Qi wouldn’t be able to withstand it. His movement was restricted.
How will they move?
The moment the question arose—
Whoosh!
From his left flank, a white hem fluttered. It was Baek Mu-ryang, Head of the Hwiwol Clan, closing the distance as if using an immortal’s earth-shrinking art.
As he thrust his palm forward, his snow-white beard whipping in the wind, a strange, roaring sound erupted from the formless energy gathered in his hand. It was a sound Yeon-shin had never heard before, piercing his ears and threatening to turn his mind blank.
Screeech!
It was the core principle of the Moon-Shining Hegemon Art. A classic unorthodox martial art, designed to harass the enemy in every way imaginable. The word “sinister” suited it perfectly.
Simultaneously, the Thread Sword net parted on its own. It was clearly Gi So-seul’s doing, a formation that allowed movement only for her allies. The threads moved with incredible speed, expanding and contracting as if they were alive.
A storm blew from the right. Bu Jo-wi had struck again.
The silhouette of Bu Jo-wi swinging his great saber caught his eye, the heavy shockwave of the Middle Heaven Blade weaving subtly through the gaps in the Thread Sword net. The sound of friction, as if tearing the atmosphere apart, was deafening. Even before it arrived, Jeong Yeon-shin’s clothes fluttered violently backward.
Crash!
As the attacks closed in from both sides, Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze was fixed past the shoulder of Wi Il-hwa. He was watching another figure.
She was a woman of massive build, her physique comparable to Bu Jo-wi’s. Beneath her red sleeves, her giant hands were gathered at her waist. The flow of the shockwave swirling from beneath her feet was monstrous, as if the very ground was being gouged out. Dust shot up like a rising dragon, and a slight tremor ran through the earth.
Kang Mu-jeong, the Time-Day Mountain-Collapsing Fist.
She was the leader of the Great Spirit Awe Sect of Xi'an.
Her story was famous. Born the child of an herb gatherer, she had consumed a Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root. With the energy of that spirit herb, she had become a figure boasting the greatest internal power among the Seven Great Sects. Rumor had it that if she unleashed her signature technique, the Earth-Shaking Thunderbolt Wave, she could shatter a small mountain peak. It was said the only reason she hadn't reached the level of a supreme master was her inability to instantly unleash such a shockwave in a one-on-one duel. As an unorthodox martial artist, she had reportedly received several offers to join the military.
They’ve formed a proper battle formation, Jeong Yeon-shin thought in that brief moment.
Kang Mu-jeong prepared the decisive blow from the rear, while Wi Il-hwa used the eye technique of the Yeoryeong Lord to find an opening. With Gi So-seul’s Thread Sword net blocking his path, Baek Mu-ryang and Bu Jo-wi pierced through the gaps.
That entire sequence would converge into Kang Mu-jeong’s Earth-Shaking Thunderbolt Wave.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes clearly read the flow of their linked techniques. He deflected Baek Mu-ryang’s wrinkled palm coming from the left. He had originally intended to shatter the old man’s wrist with a single strike, but his opponent cautiously withdrew his strength.
The same went for Bu Jo-wi’s saber technique from the right. The moment Yeon-shin struck down with the sword stance of Qilin's Judgment, it shattered harmlessly.
Instead, the tip of his Northern Light Sword caught on the Thread Sword net. He was momentarily immobilized.
From a distance, Gi So-seul smiled.
“I captured a few Ironfolk and had them draw it out, mixing Black Iron with Heavenly Silkworm thread. Not even the Sword Saint could cut it.”
The Sword Demon Sect Leader had fallen so easily, without even a proper exchange. But these sect leaders, fully prepared, were different. They moved with the express purpose of a joint attack. While protecting themselves, their intent to wear him down was embedded in every technique. As if to show him what the Jianghu of the Central Plains was truly like, they had formed a battle formation designed to kill a supreme master.
“Ah.”
The corners of Jeong Yeon-shin’s mouth curled up slightly. As if plucking a zither string with a blade, he moved the Northern Light Sword and lightly flicked a strand of the Thread Sword. It was a gesture filled with a strange curiosity, typical of a boy his age.
“Seven exchanges left, is it?” he muttered slowly.
Then, with his left hand imbued with Brilliant River, he grabbed a strand of the Thread Sword.