Chapter 245: Punishment, Ties of Fate (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 245: Punishment, Ties of Fate (2)
“How insolent!”
The old master had just enough breath to vent her fury.
With her wrist still in Jeong Yeon-shin’s grip, Yeo So-hyang’s treasured sword flared with brilliant white light—all before his palm strike could even reach her abdomen.
Thrusting Stage Breaking the Desolation Sword—Gazing at Splendor.
Clannng!
An overwhelming shockwave erupted from the sword. Without so much as a swing, she had conjured a freezing gale.
Blood sprayed from Jeong Yeon-shin as he released her wrist and dodged. The razor-sharp winds shredded his black cloak to tatters, carving dozens of sword wounds into his flesh. A searing pain shot through him, as if the entire left side of his body were being flayed.
It was an injury unlike any he had ever suffered.
Jeong Yeon-shin spun through the air, flinging blood like a waterwheel.
Yeo So-hyang, who had been about to follow up with a decisive strike, hesitated. The Internal Heavy Hand Technique he had landed on her earlier was taking its toll, the pain clearly excruciating. Although the hegemon art she cultivated was not a polar opposite to his heterodox internal energy, it was not immune to the dharma power of his Law-Transcending Halo Qi.
Shring!
Mid-spin, Jeong Yeon-shin drew the Northern Light Sword. His innate talent allowed him to transform even an evasive step into a powerful stomp. Weight and power flowed seamlessly from his right hand to the tip of his blade. The halo qi, surging through the swift mnemonics of the Lightning-Flash Sword Ridge Style, tensed the muscles in his right forearm and bicep.
‘Qilin's Judgment.’
Instantly, the blade became a beam of light. It swept outward with his spinning body like a typhoon, tearing through the air with a screeching shockwave.
Like the cunning master she was, Yeo So-hyang had already closed the distance to deflect the blow, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
As blade met blade, fragments of the shockwaves ricocheted in all directions.
The formless energy of the Lightning-Flash Sword Ridge Style surged upward, grazing Yeo So-hyang’s cheek. A thin trail of blood trickled down her wrinkled skin.
He refused to yield a single exchange. This was a battle between two of the world’s peerless geniuses.
Jeong Yeon-shin masked the tearing pain in his palms with a calm expression. Simply intercepting a strike that could cleave a mountain and enduring its aftershocks was pushing him to his absolute limit. His nerves were stretched taut, like he was walking a tightrope made of a sword’s edge without a drop of internal energy to protect him.
Had I not created the Sight of the Lowly, this would have been a guaranteed defeat, he thought. The sheer difference in their sword force was on another level; he felt himself being utterly overwhelmed.
But the onlookers, ignorant of the battle’s inner workings, saw things differently.
Boom! Clang!
The shockwaves from their clash continuously swept the surroundings. Foliage scattered in every direction, the ground cracking with every meeting of their blades as the gale from her Body Protection Scripture sliced through the air.
The clash between these two supreme masters was a natural disaster in itself.
Yet, the crowd from Great Moon Gorge gradually drew closer, scaling cliffs and climbing hills to get a better view. It was a life-and-death duel they might never witness again, a sight that seemed to pull at their very souls.
“We have to watch this.”
“What if they kill us?”
“That’s a demon who flies on a sword. We’re better off hiding here.”
“True. And if we leave, we’re just out in the Guanzhong Plains. We’d stand out even more.”
“Plus, we get to feast our eyes on such profound martial arts.”
“I honestly can’t tell. Are those two even human?”
They had come to see the Elder Council Head of the Hegemon Sword Sect in action, proof of their obsession with the martial path. No matter the outcome, they couldn't bear the thought of not surviving to spread the tale of this day’s events far and wide.
Gossipmongers weren’t a special breed; everyone who set foot in the Jianghu was a storyteller at heart.
However, they could not get too close. Unless one wished to have their flesh and bones ground to dust, no one would dare.
Clash! Boom!
The center of the hill, now a battlefield, was obscured by a rising cloud of dust and debris. Monsters who could conjure typhoons with their swords. No one had expected the Lord of the Vast Art Stronghold to perform to this extent. The difference in their ages alone was immense.
Those who had crossed the gorge were martial artists of considerable experience or deep cultivation. The more they knew, the more they understood the spectacle before them, and astonishment was written plainly on their faces.
Whether hiding in rock crevices or standing atop trees, the onlookers could not tear their eyes away. Some were simply spellbound.
The Lord of the Vast Art Stronghold's upper garments had been shredded to pieces. As he bled from countless wounds, each thrust of his sword made his tightly corded muscles stand out in stark relief against the crimson blood. Even as he executed profound sword forms—a far cry from the crude hacking of the heterodox factions—he exuded a captivating, feral aura.
The Elder Council Head of the Hegemon Sword Sect, Ghost Soul Divine Sword Yeo So-hyang, was in no better shape. Blood stained her shoulders, neck, and face, her expression contorted like a demon's as she swung her sword. These were minor wounds inflicted by Jeong Yeon-shin's intricate techniques. Had they been any deeper, they would have been fatal. While they weren't clean hits, to the crowd, it looked like a battle between equals.
It appeared the same to the experts of Lingering Spirit, who watched the fierce battle from the deep shadows.
“That guy… he looks like someone our headquarters would have ranked.”
“A supreme master under twenty who’s known throughout the Jianghu. There certainly aren’t many. Shall we list them?”
“The Seventh Apostle of the Blood Flame Cult.”
“That crazy monster is twenty-one this year. Besides, does he look like a woman to you?”
They were twin siblings with long, shaggy bangs: the Twin Demons of Chaneum from the Thirteen Heavens' Lingering Spirit. They had barely escaped with their lives after running into the Sword Venerable of the Deep Martial Alliance while pursuing Wiji Myo-hwa and Jeong Hye of the Zhongnan Sect.
“He can’t be the Young Sect Leader of the Ming Cult… and we should exclude the Brightfolk sects too, right? Like the Dark Night Hall.”
At the man's words, the woman shook her head.
“For one, that guy uses a sword. What about the Desolate Fortress?”
“Oh, then… could he be the Current Commander of the Demonlight Wing? If so, that would explain why he gave us such a thrashing. His martial prowess fits, too.”
“Let’s capture him first.”
“What about that old hag? She’ll fly into a rage if we interfere.”
“If we leave her be, she’ll obviously win, but what if she loses an arm in the process? He’s clearly no pushover. Our headquarters is cooperating with the Hegemon Sword Sect. And what do you mean, fly into a rage? That old hag is a grandmaster of the unorthodox factions. She’d probably be glad for the help.”
The gaze of the Twin Demons of Chaneum shifted back to the clash.
Thud!
On the increasingly devastated hill, Jeong Yeon-shin swung the Northern Light Sword downward, the crushed foliage swept away by the force of his strike. Oblivious to the wounds crisscrossing his body, he completed his sword path.
Lightning-Flash Sword Ridge Style—Nine Azure Rivers.
A single, concentrated stream of formless energy erupted with a massive resonance.
Clannng!
The recoil vibrating through his palms was immense. Earthquake-like cracks spread out from beneath his feet.
Yeo So-hyang stood firm, her face grim as she withstood the ultimate technique. She hadn’t retreated a single step. Jeong Yeon-shin immediately channeled his internal energy into the Yongquan points on the soles of his feet. If he didn’t move instantly, the unique power of the Ghost Soul Divine Sword would burst forth. He had to use the Sight of the Lowly to find an opening and prevent her from unleashing her full sword force.
It was then.
Aaaaaaaah—!
Suddenly, a Lion's Roar exploded from a man and a woman who leaped from the shadows to his right. The density of the sound wave was staggering. It shot forward like a translucent cannonball, aimed directly at Jeong Yeon-shin. The leaves of the surrounding evergreen trees trembled violently.
“Damn it!”
“Tsk!”
Jegal Hyeon and the Lazy Flame Dragon grimaced as they rushed to intercept them from both sides, but they were a step too late. They had hesitated, worried that a hasty intervention in a battle between supreme masters might disrupt Jeong Yeon-shin's rhythm. The attackers’ martial prowess was also absurdly high.
Before him was the sword of the Hegemon Sword Sect's Elder Council Head; to his right, the sound wave attack of Lingering Spirit's Twin Demons of Chaneum.
Jeong Yeon-shin felt the pressure closing in. Even deflecting Yeo So-hyang's formless, distorting sword energy from the front was a struggle. If he dodged now, the momentum he had seized through the Sight of the Lowly would be lost. He was already at a disadvantage; there was no telling what would happen if they had to start from scratch.
Still, I have to avoid a fatal blow…
Just as he made his decision.
Swoooosh—!
Suddenly, a flash of white light shot past Jeong Yeon-shin’s neck.
It was another intervention. A circular shockwave rippled outward from the hilt of the rapidly approaching sword, accompanied by a colossal roar. The tail of the shockwave lingered like a comet. In a fraction of a second, the unleashed Sword Kinesis shattered the sound wave, veered, and clashed with Yeo So-hyang’s sword.
The sound of the Twin Demons of Chaneum coughing up blood echoed in the background.
Kabaaaam!
It was a direct hit. The tip of the telekinetically controlled sword practically drove itself into her blade, and the hill shook violently. The monstrous sound of clashing shockwaves reverberated in all directions. The face of Yeo So-hyang, who had been smirking just a moment ago, was now a mask of sheer bewilderment.
“The Eight-Ringed Divine Sword? The Yeongcheon Sword Ghost…!”
By then, Jeong Yeon-shin's sword was already grazing her solar plexus. The screeching sound of his blade grinding against her Body Protection Qi was chilling. Had the shockwave penetrated any deeper, it would have shattered her ribs. For the first time, Yeo So-hyang’s face turned deathly pale.
The Elder Council Head of the Hegemon Sword Sect…
Tap.
…fled. Seizing the opening created by the Sword Venerable's strike, she leaped straight up and onto her sword. The unpredictable Sword Venerable of the Deep Martial Alliance had not reached the realm of the Heart-Governed Sword, which meant his Sword Kinesis followed his eyes, not his mind. Since he had launched his sword without showing himself, he would be unable to chain his attacks for a brief moment.
She mouthed a silent warning:
“You mere child, a sacrifice for the Sect Leader. You will surely be executed.”
The sword beneath her feet spun around.
Swoooosh—!
Sword Flight activated instantly. In the blink of an eye, she sliced through the air and shot into the distance.
I anticipated this. With the Sight of the Lowly.
Without even looking up, Jeong Yeon-shin shot forward. Activating the Wind God Movement Technique at full power, he turned his entire body into a living blade.
The scenery blurred past him. As the wind tore at his clothes like a tempest, he spotted Jegal Hyeon directly in his path.
Their eyes met.
In that fleeting instant, a silent understanding passed between them.
The next moment.
Tap.
Jeong Yeon-shin stepped onto the Crane Wing Fan that Jegal Hyeon held open.
For a brief, hazy moment, two identities overlapped: the Commander of the Demonlight Wing in his leather boots, and the boy from the Jeong Family Manor in his padded socks. In that instant, the peerless folding fan became a familiar foothold, as reliable as a childhood swing pushed by a mother's hand.
He pushed off and leaped.
Whoosh!
The true qi in his body circulated violently. It felt as if lightning struck his Yinmen points and the Yongquan points on his soles. Even the pain racking his body began to fade.
The old woman's face, turning back in surprise, rapidly drew closer. Jeong Yeon-shin gripped the hilt of the Northern Light Sword with both hands, the wind whipping fiercely past his ears.
Can I reach?
No. A month ago, he might not have. But now, the length of his limbs was different. These were days of growth. They had lengthened, a growth spurt accompanied by aching knees, forcing him to adapt his martial arts to his changing body daily.
“……!”
The wrinkles on Yeo So-hyang’s face, now contorting in shock, filled his entire vision.
The Sight of the Lowly absorbed countless pieces of information: the residual force of the Sword Kinesis she had failed to disperse, the Body Protection Qi beginning to restore itself at her solar plexus, and her internal energy now focused entirely on Sword Flight. In an instant, a perfect sword path formed in his mind.
Countless trajectories struck him like beams of light. Jeong Yeon-shin aligned his blade with one of them. He channeled power into both hands and thrust upward, the auspicious ripples of the Law-Transcending Halo Qi spreading in all directions.
‘Lightning-Flash Sword Ridge Style, Third Form: Azure Flame First Form.’
The flash of his sword outshone the sun. A beam of light, so intensely blue it seemed to swallow the very sound of the shockwave erupting from his palms, shot forward in a straight line.
It was aimed at Yeo So-hyang as she hurriedly raised her sword to defend. The blue trajectory sliced through the air, passing right through the horrified old woman’s shoulder.
Splat!
As blood fountained, an arm soared into the air.