Chapter 261: High-Level (11)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 261: High-Level (11)
Jang Sun-il, walking at the head of the group, trailed off.
"This way... this is definitely the right path, but... the earth veins have been severed. It's strange. This shouldn't be happening..."
He repeatedly stamped on the snow-covered ground where the pale sunlight pooled, testing different spots before tilting his head in confusion.
Amidst a chaotic overlap of footprints pointing in every direction, a new group of martial artists emerged from a ridge bathed in sheer light. Each wore a sword or saber at their waist. There were easily over a hundred of them, and their momentum was extraordinary.
The Bukgung siblings stepped up to flank the boy, Jeong Yeon-shin.
The behavior of the martial artists who had ascended Mount Taibai ahead of them was bizarre. These people had been wandering the area long before Jeong Yeon-shin's group even reached the mountainside. Now, they were scanning their surroundings with grim expressions, radiating intense hostility.
"This makes no sense. This is no ordinary matter."
"Find the core. It has to be here."
They muttered among themselves, hands gripping their hilts. Dull thuds echoed through the woods, accompanied by the sharp metallic ring of unsheathed steel. They began violently hacking through the underbrush and chopping down trees. Sweeping their gazes around, they glared at anyone in sight. They weren't acting with caution; they moved with the absolute certainty that an enemy was nearby.
"Aren't those experts from the Beast King Sect?"
"The Lord of the Beast King Sect! The Sect Leader himself is here!"
"Heavens... the greatest martial lineage in Yan'an Prefecture... Judging by their numbers, he brought the entire sect. I thought the Beast King Sect was a noble and lofty faction..."
"Haven't you heard the rumors? Even the Thirteen Heavens and the Mount Hua Sect have graced us with their presence. Is the Beast King Sect really that big of a deal?"
"They are to us! Look at their momentum. They look ready to bury someone alive."
One of Shaanxi's premier sects had arrived in force. The nearby independent martial artists quickly scattered. Anyone would have done the same after watching the Lord of the Beast King Sect, standing at the vanguard, slice clean through six ancient trees with a single slash.
"We should keep a low profile," Bukgung Hu whispered to their young guide.
Jang Sun-il looked utterly bewildered. "But... even that man died. Is there really anything to worry about...?"
He was referring to the Wolf King, Geum Si-hu. It was a fair point. He had just witnessed a supreme master who had walked the Jianghu unrivaled meet his end at Jeong Yeon-shin's hands. It was an event that would have astounded anyone. It was hard to imagine any martial artist in the vicinity who could stand against Jeong Yeon-shin. In fact, Jang Sun-il had been looking down on the surrounding martial artists, drunk on borrowed authority.
Bukgung Hu shook his head. "Your life is the problem. Can you even count how many wolves have gathered here? Didn't you say the major powers of the Central Plains have converged? Our traveling companion will be fine. But how could you possibly keep up with his sublime movements?"
"Ah..."
"My brother is right. Stay close to us. Strong men attract strong opponents, so standing right next to our companion might actually be the most dangerous place of all," Bukgung Rin said, clenching and unclenching her pale fist.
Her Central Plains speech was slightly stilted, lacking the proper gender distinctions. This had been apparent ever since she carelessly mentioned marrying Jeong Yeon-shin, but it only reinforced her image as a foreigner dedicated solely to the martial path. Bukgung Hu was no different.
This meant even their smallest actions drew attention. Their bluish-white hair, resembling a melting overcast sky, was undeniably exotic to the locals. With many already casting covert glances at Jeong Yeon-shin's group, whispers began breaking out here and there.
"We just need to get past this section. Mount Taibai is much larger than I thought."
"Cut the act. Aren't we just walking in circles? No matter how dull your sense of qi is, how can you not realize this? Or... are you just pretending not to know?"
"What?"
"All our fellow martial artists are still wandering lost. This is clearly abnormal."
"A formation... Is it a formation...? That's why they're...!"
One after another, martial artists wore expressions of sudden realization. They had fallen into a trap. The behavior of the Beast King Sect, who had climbed Mount Taibai first, seemed bizarre at first glance, but viewed in this new light, they were clearly searching for the core to break a formation. A sharp, tense atmosphere began to drift from all directions.
With a faction of the Beast King Sect's caliber acting this way, there was little room to doubt that a formation had been deployed. In the first place, it was highly unusual that so many capable martial artists had failed to ascend Mount Taibai. It couldn't be explained unless a formation was actively distorting their sense of space.
To deploy a sorcery formation of this scale required extraordinary effort. Unless the caster was Jegal Muhu himself, they had to be inside the array, constantly reinforcing it. Those with even a modicum of knowledge immediately recalled this common sense. There were enemies hiding among them who had set up this scheme.
Throughout the history of the Jianghu, there had always been scoundrels who lured people with treasure maps, spirit medicines, or secret manuals to reap insidious benefits. The martial artists on Mount Taibai began looking around suspiciously. Aimless hostility drifted out alongside their fluctuating waves of energy. Faint flurries of snow swirled into the air.
"So this is a sorcery formation...?"
"Which scoundrels dare do this?!"
"Stop hiding and show yourselves! Have you lost your damn minds?!"
"What is this scheme? What are you after?"
It was then.
"Fellow martial artists of the Jianghu, lend me your attention for a moment!"
A grand shout spread without hindrance. It was a Lion's Roar, forcibly commanding the attention of everyone nearby. As a powerful wave of internal energy rippled in all directions, clumps of snow plummeted from the bare branches. The range of his energy was incredibly vast.
The murmuring ceased. The gazes of the experts converged on the center of the snowy hill.
"I, Wi, shall say a few words."
The voice resonating from his massive frame was deep and commanding. He was a middle-aged man with a sleek, handsome face and striking, fierce eyes. Though he wore a simple, solid blue robe without any embroidery, it felt as grand as ceremonial attire. Such was the sheer aura he exuded.
Swoooosh—
An intangible wave of energy emanated from his body, sweeping the snow from beneath his feet. This was the man who had been crushing boulders that could serve as the formation's core with his bare hands. Numerous martial artists in the area fell silent.
"Wi Se-hyeok, Lord of the Beast King Sect..." someone muttered in a low groan.
"Beyond this point, just past here, lies the Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root. My sect's tracker confirmed it, so it is undoubtedly true. With the skills of everyone who has made it this far, you must have already deduced as much."
Wi Se-hyeok spoke as he scanned his surroundings, extending a hand to point behind him. As the hem of his blue sleeve fluttered in the snowy wind, he slowly continued.
"By nature, a spirit herb grown from the earth belongs to whoever plucks it first. I, Wi, wished to follow that unwritten rule to maintain my dignity as the Lord of the Beast King Sect. I simply did my best out of a desire to provide something good for my disciples."
As his eyes swept the area, they briefly met those of a handsome young man reclining on a palanquin. Then, they turned toward Jeong Yeon-shin's group. He scrutinized the handsome boy in the black robe standing silently. A slight crease formed at the corner of Wi Se-hyeok's sharp eyes.
"Yet, those efforts were in vain. I found myself walking in circles, even as countless heroes of the Jianghu ascended from the foot of the mountain. It is a truly bizarre phenomenon. There are few local martial artists in the Shaanxi martial world who would employ such a base trick. In the first place, isn't the only renowned sorcery martial lineage in our lands the Jegal Clan, located at the edge of Hanzhong Prefecture?"
There was a stubborn, unyielding power in his words. An iron-like character seemed to flow through his voice. A voice tempered by deep internal energy breathing was bound to leave a powerful impression on a crowd. Even if there were flaws in his logic, the reputation he had built as the leader of a major sect, combined with his imposing tone, lent his speech the weight of a grand declaration. This was the martial world. Trust was naturally built upon the words of a strongman who had established his renown.
"Hmm..."
The reaction was immediate. Several people were already turning their gazes toward the highly distinctive group. Wi Se-hyeok's gaze, flashing with a colorless light, joined theirs.
"And yet, there are foreigners over there. Look at their hair and features. They are outsiders who have come to pluck and consume the treasures born of the Central Plains. The expressions of the boys in their company are also out of the ordinary. Therefore, I, this Sect Leader, intend to personally interrogate them..."
His lips parted slightly.
"Lest I trouble the eyes of my fellow martial artists, I ask for your consent. I do not ask you to join me. It is simply that a dangerous sorcery has been deployed in these rugged mountains, so in the spirit of tapping a stone bridge before crossing..."
"The Lord of the Beast King Sect is right!"
"Since their appearance is highly suspicious, it is only right to detain them here. Who knows if they might tamper with the core of the formation and cause a disaster?"
Voices of agreement rose from the crowd. Their shouts pierced straight through the energy emitted by the hundreds of martial artists who had broken through the entrance of Mount Taibai, turning the area into pandemonium. Contrary to the Sect Leader's claim that he wasn't asking them to join, the crowd was highly proactive.
Jeong Yeon-shin, listening in silence, captured every single one of their movements.
The Sight of the Lowly.
The eyes with which the Commander of the Demonlight Wing observed the lives of the common people. The breadth of his vision was on an entirely different level than before. He perceived even what lay outside his focus so clearly that it felt as though he could encompass all directions simultaneously.
He scanned the faces of the instigators down to the micro-contractions of their facial muscles. These were the bastards who had opened their mouths the instant Wi Se-hyeok finished speaking. The movements of their masseter muscles had reacted instantaneously. To Jeong Yeon-shin, it was as obvious as seeing someone roll their eyes right in front of his nose.
'They know who I am. It was a trap.'
The independent martial artists nearby backed away in confusion. Some, however, began to creep closer. Most of them harbored the deep, dark internal energy of the Heterodox Sects and the Tyrannical Way. They seemed to be remnants of the Blood Flame Cult, the Hegemon Sword Sect, and Lingering Spirit—factions he had clashed with so far. The bald ones could safely be assumed to be Blood Ghosts hiding their red hair.
"We will strike the moment they show any suspicious signs."
Crunch.
Wi Se-hyeok, Lord of the Beast King Sect, approached with light steps. No footprints were left on the snow behind him. The martial artists retreated even further, their expressions turning grim. He was using a Body Protection Scripture that had reached the realm of Snow-Treading Without a Trace.
"He got through the first wave easily enough."
From afar, the Young Lord of Lingering Spirit, sitting askew on his palanquin, rested his chin on his hand. He was watching Jeong Yeon-shin with interest.
"The Wolf King was difficult to control without the Blood Flame Cult, so he went to waste... but the second wave should be quite useful. Above all, because he cannot reveal his identity as a Desolate Fortress Unit Commander out of concern for the arrival of the Lord of the Thirteen Heavens, the other martial artists will easily be swept along."
He was merely describing a phenomenon that was already unfolding. The surrounding martial artists were clearly swayed by the instigators' words. The glares directed at Jeong Yeon-shin's group turned openly hostile. One by one, they began to step forward. To them, that extraordinary boy was nothing more than an unidentified bat clinging to the wolves of the outer lands. Human hearts were naturally harsh toward the unknown.
The Young Lord smiled, his face exuding nobility. His lips, curved in a faint smile, moved slowly.
"Guardian So, can you handle the Commander of the Demonlight Wing alone?"
"He is the one who killed Shaanxi's Number One Demon single-handedly. It would be difficult to do it alone," the black-robed swordsman standing beside the palanquin replied quietly. She stroked her sword hilt, her eyes fixed on the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, who had finally come face-to-face with the Lord of the Beast King Sect.
"Since the internal energy you have cultivated is close to the Orthodox path, I thought you would stand a decent chance."
"You are already anticipating the defeat of the Lord of the Beast King Sect."
"Of course. Even if I admire the Commander of the Demonlight Wing to some extent, I am well aware that we are sworn enemies. Grasping an opponent's raw skill beforehand is a basic principle, even in a game of Go..."
It was then.
Suddenly, from afar, Jeong Yeon-shin placed his hand on the cloth covering his shoulder. The Young Lord's eyes widened slightly, and the Lord of the Beast King Sect's steps faltered.
Jeong Yeon-shin's lips moved.
"In whose presence do you dare slander me...?"
His voice, which had transitioned beautifully through puberty, rang out quietly but clearly. At the same time, his hand moved without hesitation.
With a sharp rip, the cloth wrapped around his shoulder and forearm was torn away. A golden light shimmered over the bright snow.
Hwang (荒).
The character for 'Desolate' was revealed for all to see. It was a spot watched by the strongest martial artists on Mount Taibai.
Then—when had he even drawn his sword?
Thud!
Jeong Yeon-shin plunged his pure white precious sword into the snow-covered ground. A mystical white light surged from the snow, traveling up through the blade and into the hilt, rippling wondrously. It was no mere reflection of sunlight. An auspicious wave of energy, palpable to anyone, began to billow and mix with the winter wind.
Dharma Power.
Hummmmm—
It spread with a divine presence. Even those who had only encountered it through oral traditions and ancient texts could instantly tell that it was entirely devoid of evil. A mysterious wave of energy, like sunlight pouring down upon a sacred temple, hovered in all directions.
“……”
In an instant, the surrounding clamor froze. Everyone fell silent, their faces frozen in various expressions of shock. The same went for Jang Sun-il and the Bukgung siblings standing behind him.
At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin was contemplating.
What would the Divine Hero of the Desolate Fortress have done? What kind of scheme would Hwangbo the Scoundrel have used to turn this to his advantage?
He slowly parted his lips.
"I am Jeong Yeon-shin, Commander of the Demonlight Wing."
Then, he raised his left hand and pointed in a single direction. He pointed straight at the handsome man reclining on the palanquin.
"That fellow over there is using sorcery. He is an utterly wicked bastard."
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing spoke, a brilliant blue light flashing in his eyes.
And then, the surroundings fell into utter panic.