Chapter 251: High-Level
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 251: High-Level
These words had been dragged out of the chaotic battlefield. They had claimed that slaughtering the experts of the Demonlight Wing would make Jeong Yeon-shin's face a sight to behold.
While the experts of Lingering Spirit—who had once ruled the Jianghu through secret terror—lay collapsed on the ground or retreated, the Commander of the Demonlight Wing threw Shaanxi's Number One Demon's words right back at him. He asked how Lingering Spirit felt now, after dozens of them had been slaughtered by the Myriad Blossoms Rain.
Wi Geuk-sang laughed, broadly shaking the sleeves of his yellow robe.
"Those bandages, that wavering aura. The pain from your internal and external injuries must be severe. Have you been drinking? I hear the Divine Beggar of the Beggar Sect uses the Drunken Fist, but I doubt your sword art mastery is on that level. Seeing the Myriad Blossoms Rain, you must be the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, Flash Art, and these bastards must be the Demonlight Wing. Did you come to find Jeong Hye? A big fish has taken the bait!"
It was a disjointed, arrogant speech. Closer to rambling than a conversation, it was typical of a demonic practitioner whose mind had been unhinged by his demonic art cultivation.
Yet, his words pierced straight to the heart of the matter. Lingering Spirit's insight was indeed built upon a solid foundation of information.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer.
Step.
He walked silently toward Shaanxi's Number One Demon. His boots struck the dirt floor of the manor with a hard, thudding sound.
His vision was gradually blurring. The pain-relieving effects were even inducing faint hallucinations.
It was to the point where he felt fortunate to have cleared the chaotic battlefield beforehand with the Myriad Blossoms Rain.
I don't feel any pain now. It's not something I'd want to take again, but... this will do.
It was good that the path was clear. No one blocked him.
"The Commander actually came."
"Why are his eyes like that?"
"Right now, could it be...?"
The Demonlight Wing experts who had backed away from Wi Geuk-sang murmured anxiously.
Most of them were Jeong Yeon-shin's seniors. Their sharp eyes, watching their young Commander, were unmatched by any other martial artists.
They took in everything: Jeong Yeon-shin's unstable Divine Art breathing, his slightly constricted pupils, and the faint, almost eerie twist of his lips.
Not just Baek Mi-ryeo, Heonwon Chang, and Cheong-myeong, but everyone there.
"We should have buried that Hwangbo scoundrel a long time ago...!"
"Shouldn't we stop him?"
"No. To deal with the Number One Demon, the Commander has no choice but to draw his sword. This is the point of no return. It's impossible to shake off Shaanxi's Number One Demon with retreat lightness skills."
"Did you not see the Commander's wounds? Even at his peak, that demonic monster is difficult to handle. How can he now...?"
Jeong Yeon-shin consciously looked away from them.
Even as he grew intoxicated by the drug's effects—amplified by his Halo Qi—he did not have the confidence to look at their worried faces with indifference.
He simply thought calmly. Weren't they the ones who caused this worry in the first place?
Not knowing how terrifying a Black Rank is.
No, they must have known Wi Geuk-sang's martial prowess. They simply prioritized the situation of their Commander, who had lost his niece, over whatever might happen to themselves.
He felt deeply grateful. Grateful enough to resolve to teach them the Vast Art Formula cultivation in immense depth once they rescued Jeong Hye.
Slowly, Jeong Yeon-shin came to a halt ten paces away, facing Shaanxi's Number One Demon.
Even though the bastard's aura had subsided, a strange pressure still emanated from him. He was a supreme master of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak, having completely unified his internal energy and intent.
The sheer weight of his presence pressing against Yeon-shin's skin was extraordinary. It was unlike the Pure Demon God Hand of the Pure Demon Alliance, whom Yeon-shin had crushed to death using the residual power of Dharma's Manifestation in the City of Master Craftsmen.
Perhaps because he inherited a Central Plains martial lineage rather than one from Xinjiang, a much more combative, practical demonic martial arts temperament could be felt from him.
As Jeong Yeon-shin stared silently, Wi Geuk-sang's smirk deepened.
"A Black Rank of the Desolate Fortress, a dog of the Imperial Family that oppresses the Jianghu. What arrogant bastards you are."
At Shaanxi's Number One Demon's words, the Commander of the Demonlight Wing tilted his head slightly.
"Aren't you a bastard who makes a living off the Shaanxi Province established by the state? You don't till the fields, build houses, or govern foreign affairs and public security. Far from contributing to the world, you only consume the resources meant for maintaining public order. You constantly destroy property and disrupt the system. It has always been laughable to hear mere high-level thugs talk about the oppression of the Jianghu... Do you not feel ashamed of yourself?"
"……"
"Why don't you go live in the wild instead? You're nothing but a parasite."
His tone was calm, but the words were an unprecedentedly harsh insult.
This was delivered right to the face of a man who, despite being a demon of the Heterodox Sects, had reached a lofty height through his seniority and martial prowess.
While Baek Mi-ryeo, standing in the distance, suddenly stomped on Heonwon Chang's foot, Wi Geuk-sang, who had been staring blankly at Jeong Yeon-shin, slowly spoke.
"...Once, a few government officials caught my eye in an unpleasant way, so I took their heads. A month later, the Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit came looking for me. All by himself. He claimed he was enough on his own, but his true intentions were transparent. Just like you, he was afraid his subordinates' heads would roll."
"The Searing Abyss Unit?"
Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly asked, momentarily snapping out of his daze.
Like the Demonlight Wing, it was one of the wings of the Desolate Fortress's Divine Sword Corps.
It was a martial unit that specialized in the body protection scripture ultimate technique called the Unimpeded Endless Body. The Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit of that generation was famous as a master of lightness skills.
The wrinkles around Wi Geuk-sang's eyes deepened with amusement.
"He babbled about the public welfare before dying by my hand. I suppose he's the former Commander now. He possessed breathtaking movement, and by all accounts, he was in far better shape than you are now. I had information brought all the way from Sichuan that your internal energy is close to Dharma power, but I hope you aren't acting stubborn based solely on that. Unless you've completely misjudged Lingering Spirit."
The corners of Jeong Yeon-shin's mouth curled upward.
"A demonic bastard who commits kidnappings is talking about saving face. All this talk about peak condition is pathetic."
"...There is not a single lie in your words. I absolutely hate listening to it. Die."
Whoosh!
The yellow sleeve of Wi Geuk-sang's robe stiffened rigidly as he gripped his sword. He had infused his blade with a powerful demonic internal energy.
Though they had been conversing like supreme masters akin to mountain gods, detached from the battlefield, the moment he changed his mind, he forged a sword force that was near-perfect.
He did not care about his reputation as a senior of the Jianghu. He had no intention of yielding the first strike.
"……"
Tension filled the air. The tightly wound atmosphere seemed to weigh heavily on the surroundings.
An invisible thread vibrated between the two men. It was the path of drawing swords for supreme masters facing a life-and-death duel.
Jeong Yeon-shin's vision was constantly wavering. It was not easy to time his sword draw.
It was because of the drug.
Even so, this was right. By killing the pain, he was now able to move properly.
Jeong Yeon-shin stared blankly at him and adjusted his grip on the Northern Light.
He aligned the Laogong point in the center of his palm with the middle of the hilt, then brought his index and middle fingers together, sliding them slightly higher.
It was a grip unfamiliar even to himself. Yet, it did not feel awkward.
I saw it from afar.
Even before clashing swords, he had devised a counter-form.
He had heard countless anecdotes of Shaanxi's Number One Demon's slaughter, and he had caught a glimpse of him clashing with the Demonlight Wing earlier. That was enough. He restructured the flow of his true qi to match his new grip.
The flower of true qi blooming in his Upper Dantian did not wither, even as the pain-relieving drug dulled his senses.
His strikes are heavy. His qi technique moves in the form of an illusion sword. It's a sword art that employs physical strikes and sword qi separately.
Jeong Yeon-shin's thoughts defined the nature of the mnemonic. It was exactly the moment Wi Geuk-sang, holding his sword low, took a heavy step forward.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a sense of incongruity arose—one that those who had watched Flash Art for a long time would find familiar. It was something deeply unsettling yet wondrous to any martial artist.
The lips of the approaching Wi Geuk-sang twisted.
"Those eyes of yours irritate me!"
Thud!
Shouting in an archaic manner, he kicked off the ground. Instantly, a pitch-black wave rippled outward.
It wavered in the shape of a rapidly expanding circle. Even the demonic wave loaded into his footstep had taken physical form.
Rumble—!
It rushed forward ahead of his body. A shockwave, looking like the manifestation of hellfire, flooded the area. It was a black flame.
They said the greatest demon of Shaanxi could melt fortress walls with a single step. This had to be the ultimate technique of the Heavenly Tomb Demon Seal, Sovereign's Reign, which he had only heard of in rumors.
Jeong Yeon-shin raised his knee, channeling his Halo Qi into the Yongquan point on the sole of his foot.
Step.
An auspicious wave rippled from beneath his planted foot. The colorless wave, spreading in all directions, pushed aside the advancing black flames like an opposing army.
The Radiant Wing Second Step. Just like his opponent, he had broken through the momentum in a single step. The demonic true qi could not withstand the Law-Transcending Halo Qi and unraveled.
A supreme master of the Black Rank and a Black Rank Commander of the Desolate Fortress. Such was the beginning of this rare life-and-death duel.
Whoosh!
The collision of their waves whipped up a gale. Jeong Yeon-shin's black hair fluttered wildly behind his back.
The moment the experts on the field began to watch the fight, the Commander of the Demonlight Wing swung the Northern Light, his falling strands of hair framing his back.
In an instant, the intangible energy wrapped around his sword exploded like a tempest, carrying fallen leaves with it. It was the shockwave of Qilin's Judgment.
Boom!
It was not an offensive move, but a defensive stance. Once the black flames were extinguished, Shaanxi's Number One Demon was already thrusting his sword right before his eyes.
A terrifying, monstrous strength surged from the clashing sword.
It was different from when Wi Geuk-sang had fought the other members of the Demonlight Wing. No physical true qi flowed out.
Only his raw sword force, which threatened to blow Jeong Yeon-shin's sword away at any moment, was incredibly robust.
Wi Geuk-sang, whose eyes met his over the crossed blades, smirked. It was a cunning, veteran smile.
He compressed his internal energy into his blade and body. The moment he confirmed the compatibility of our powers through the collision of Sovereign's Reign and the Radiant Wing Step.
Jeong Yeon-shin saw through it instantly. Shaanxi's Number One Demon had realized their energies were incompatible and immediately devised a countermeasure.
Rather than wasting his internal energy pointlessly, he intended to crush Yeon-shin to death using his body protection scripture and sword techniques.
He was indeed a madman. Even while bathed in the wave of Dharma power, the corners of his mouth curled upward.
It was a smile dripping with sadism.
Hum—!
Jeong Yeon-shin stopped vying for strength and instead channeled his Halo Qi through the blade. It was a technique of the Internal Heavy Hand Technique.
The moment it penetrated the body, it was capable of tearing and shattering the opponent's fine meridians.
Wi Geuk-sang let out a short grunt.
"Hmph."
In an instant, the force pushing against the Northern Light shattered. The bastard pulled back his sword, which was stained black with demonic energy.
Then, his blurred, distorted figure appeared at Jeong Yeon-shin's flank.
The footwork of Sovereign's Reign. A low hum vibrated from his lowered black sword. He struck again immediately—an upward slash.
Clang—!
A fierce shock rattled Jeong Yeon-shin's grip as he parried with Qilin's Judgment. It was Wi Geuk-sang's sword force.
The power concentrated in that single strike was immense. It was as if the monstrous internal energy that should have been channeled into sword qi had been entirely focused into the physical strike.
Jeong Yeon-shin's thoughts flashed like lightning.
His body protection scripture is fast and sharp. His strikes, which pierce through any opening, are more practical than anything I've ever experienced. He is experienced. A complete martial artist. He can adapt to any situation.
Unless one was of the Brightfolk, reaching such an elderly age naturally made them a veteran of the Jianghu. It was said that the point at which one's strength began to decline after practicing the martial arts of the Heterodox Sects varied from person to person.
His opponent was still a mid-tier supreme master of the demonic path, possessing fully intact internal energy.
As if refusing to yield his neck easily to a single Dharma power martial art, he smirked and struck again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The afterimages of the black sword fluttered in rapid succession. Every strike he unleashed was a heavy blow that vibrated through Jeong Yeon-shin's grip.
It was incredibly flashy. Even without releasing internal energy to split his sword qi, he was demonstrating the skill of a transcendent swordsman.
White and black trajectories intertwined.
At some point, the two swordsmen stopped stamping their feet. Shaanxi's Number One Demon's method of flanking using the footwork of Sovereign's Reign was completely blocked at its source.
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing's senses refused to allow the same trick twice. Every time the demon tried to retreat and vanish, Yeon-shin countered in one of two ways.
He either took a forward step or turned the tip of his foot first to preemptively occupy the position. He bound Shaanxi's Number One Demon with his overwhelming senses.
Boom! Clang!
The movements of the two men, crossing and clashing with their swords, appeared blurred to the onlookers.
Only the winter grass stalks, constantly crumbling around them, fluttered clearly in the air.
Jeong Yeon-shin applied the optimal counter at every single moment. It was a movement that worked precisely because neither could unleash their full power.
He moved amidst a fading vision and the increasingly dull, numb sensations of his skin, while Wi Geuk-sang could not fully unleash his own ultimate techniques due to the Dharma power nature of the Law-Transcending Halo Qi.
The onlookers gradually fell into silence.
As the exchanges repeated, Shaanxi's Number One Demon's eyes darkened to a colorless hue. It was a dense, glistening murderous intent.
You truly deserve to be called a sapling of the World Tree. You must die here.
Splurt—!
The moment he made up his mind, blood erupted from the Commander of the Demonlight Wing's shoulder. The tip of the black sword, fluttering like a moth's wings, swept through blood and rose.
It was wrapped in bandages as well, but the residual force of the sword strike's fa jin dyed the area around the wound red.
With an indifferent expression, Wi Geuk-sang activated the Illusion Demon Sword of the Heavenly Tomb Demon Seal once more.
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing, Flash Art. A bastard who should have barely been able to move in the first place was moving by borrowing a strange intoxication.
The unseen Dharma power martial art was shocking even to him, but just because it was difficult to use the Illusion Demon Heavenly Tomb Sword Qi did not mean this rookie was beyond his handling.
He moved his right hand, which held the hilt of his black sword. It was a continuous chain of strikes. It wriggled and stretched out like a giant serpent.
Clang, clang, clang—! Rip!
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing's abdomen and chest were slashed. It was not deep. Before anyone knew it, he had taken a half-step back, his eyes flashing with a blue light.
The Illusion Demon Sword, known in some corners of the Jianghu as an absolute sword force, missed its mark time and again. He was indeed a worthy opponent.
With that body, he won't be able to handle the explosive power of a short-term battle, nor a war of attrition lasting hundreds of exchanges. His innate talent is practically insane. No wonder those Ming Cult bastards talk about Defying Heaven. Heaven is so unfair.
Just as irritation began to crease the wrinkles around Wi Geuk-sang's eyes, shouts rang out.
"Get out of the way!"
"Commander! Commander!"
"They're pushing in! Tighten the formation!"
The surroundings grew chaotic. Seeing their Commander at a disadvantage, the Demonlight Wing warriors rushed in. The Lingering Spirit experts surrounded them to block their path.
Wi Geuk-sang focused solely on clashing swords with the Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
They were, after all, those who claimed to be the hands and feet of a Desolate Fortress Commander. The subordinates of the Lingering Spirit Shaanxi Branch alone would find it difficult to handle the Demonlight Wing.
But buying even a few seconds was enough. It was only right to take off the head of the Divine Sword Corps' martial unit first.
Around that time.
Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes narrowed. They were half-open, like those of high monks deep in meditation.
He parried, retreated, and lunged again, repeating the actions unconsciously. His body moved on its own.
Have I ever been this free?
Originally, his body could be tuned to his will at any moment. Every muscle and fine meridian was under his control.
He possessed a control more precise than any puppet in a theatrical troupe. He was born that way.
But now, it was different.
He had let go completely.
"Lady Yul-ha! The Saint Flower Sword God of Mount Hua is...!"
Even the surrounding clamor drifted far away.
A single line was being etched into his vision, which had grown hazy from the painkiller. It was a wildly distorted radiance.
His infinite talent burst into light within the realm of his senses. Following the powerful nature of the Law-Transcending Halo Qi, he crushed the ground beneath his feet and swung his right arm wide.
The moment the trajectory of the Northern Light overlapped with the line floating before his eyes...
Rumble—!
The acupoints of his entire body were filled with thunder and lightning.