Chapter 263: High-Level (13)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 263: High-Level (13)
The chariot wheel battle raged on.
Dozens of martial artists circled endlessly, forming a massive ring around Jeong Yeon-shin.
Their goal was to stifle the Myriad Blossoms Rain of the Commander of the Demonlight Wing and restrict his movements. Constantly swapping between the front and rear ranks, they closed in, attacking in groups of eight to ensure a relentless onslaught from all directions.
The Lord of the Beast King Sect, now fighting with far more caution, relied on his fist and palm techniques to deliver heavy, calculated blows.
Though the Orthodox martial artists bombarded the outer perimeter, their efforts failed to sway the tide of battle.
Thud! Clang!
Every time the Brilliant River swirling around his left hand brushed the air, the white snow erupted.
A single blow was enough to obliterate two or three men, shattering their weapons to pieces. Blood sprayed across the frozen ground, hissing as plumes of white steam rose into the air.
The only thing their rotating ranks actually managed to suppress was his Myriad Blossoms Rain.
Nearby boulders exploded into shrapnel, and thick, ancient trees were ripped from their roots, taking severed limbs with them.
The experts of the Thirteen Heavens, who had initially radiated an inhuman bloodlust, gradually began to look horrified.
Consecutive strikes of the Brilliant River were clearly beyond their calculations.
Their only solace was the realization that it wasn't an ultimate technique he could detonate endlessly like sword qi. The massive recoil forced a brief, necessary gap between each strike.
Beneath his half-unbuttoned robe, fresh streaks of blood seeped through the bandages wrapped tightly around Jeong Yeon-shin's upper body.
From its very inception, this chariot wheel formation had been designed specifically to kill the Commander of the Demonlight Wing. Dozens of martial artists from three great sects of the Thirteen Heavens had joined forces for this exact purpose.
And now, the Lord of the Beast King Sect—arguably the strongest among their subordinate sects—had joined the fray. If Jeong Yeon-shin could handle this effortlessly, he might as well be the Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress or the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
This was on a completely different level from a simple one-on-one duel to the death.
Boom! Slash!
The moment he detonated his constantly active Brilliant River once more, a flurry of spear thrusts grazed his back.
A sharp pain flared.
He had only avoided being skewered by violently twisting his body at the very last second.
As he prepared to unleash a counterattack with the Phosphorescent Light Sword, another wave of enemies pushed forward, charging right through the blood and bone fragments scattered by the Brilliant River's shockwave.
Stepping callously over thirty-odd corpses, they lunged at him with swords and sabers.
Jeong Yeon-shin simply slashed his Northern Light sword.
Clang!
The howling wind of the resulting shockwaves roared in his ears.
Just a moment ago, he had used the Lightning-Flash Sword Ridge Style: Nine Azure Rivers to detonate the accumulated shockwaves, but his enemies were constantly rotating their ranks to minimize the damage of any single blow.
They retreated almost before their blades even clashed. It was a shallow, cowardly trick.
There's no end to them.
The blinding white trajectories of clashing blades, the opaque, swirling gusts of palm winds, the blood and flesh scattering amidst the fierce collisions...
It was a spectacle so brutal it forced the onlookers into absolute silence.
The current Commander of the Demonlight Wing moved like the incarnation of martial arts itself.
With his bandages dyed crimson beneath his dark robes, he continuously unleashed earth-shattering destructive power.
Even as the chariot wheel formation tightened around him from all eight directions, constantly replenishing its numbers, he did not allow a single decisive blow to land.
His movements were so profound and mysterious that they bordered on the beautiful.
"And they said he was an expert specialized in short, decisive battles..."
The Young Lord of Lingering Spirit tapped his long fingers rhythmically against his armrest.
"His force emission is only getting stronger. I will have to severely punish those responsible for gathering intelligence on the front lines."
"An expert of the Desolate Fortress's Black Rank is bound to possess at least one miraculous ability," the woman in black guarding the palanquin noted. "However, his stamina is clearly depleting. His wounds are visibly multiplying. At this rate, he will, at best, perish alongside the chariot wheel formation."
The Young Lord of Lingering Spirit shook his head.
"Please step forward, Guardian So. Did I not tell you before? We must be wary of that supernatural 'High-Level' of his. Though their martial attainments differ, he is of the same breed as the Young Sect Leader of the Ming Cult. Ordinary people like us cannot fathom them. Besides, a sprout of that caliber must be nipped in the bud."
"If I leave, who will protect you, Young Lord?"
Guardian So Un-ryeo asked bluntly. A dizzying smile played on the lips of the Young Lord of Lingering Spirit.
"Which is why you must return safely, Guardian. You are the only one I can trust with my safety. Besides, there is no way you could lose out there."
"...I shall return shortly. Keep your guard up at all times."
In the next instant, a sword appeared in So Un-ryeo's hand. Her draw was as swift as a flash of light.
At the exact same time, her figure vanished.
Whoosh!
A violent gust of wind followed a beat later. The backdraft of her terrifying lightness skill blew away the accumulated snow, carving concentric circles into the frozen earth.
Before anyone could even blink, So Un-ryeo had crossed a distance of thirty zhang, bringing her sword slashing down toward the Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
Behind her, the shockwaves of her strike erupted in a brilliant trail of blue light.
The Young Lord of Lingering Spirit smirked toward the Flash Art.
"I heard what happened with the Azure Qilin. Perhaps you can pay your toll for crossing the Sanzu River with that Brilliant River you've been squandering so freely..."
Just then.
Jeong Yeon-shin dodged half a step to the side, swinging his Northern Light sword in a wide arc to force his enemies back.
Did they think the end was near? The experts of the chariot wheel formation and the Lord of the Beast King Sect did not rush in immediately. Wi Se-hyeok even let out a lone, arrogant smile.
"Truly marvelous. You could leave the Desolate Fortress right now and found your own sect. To think you've developed your sect-exclusive martial arts to such an extent... It is a pity your life must end here."
"Lord of the Beast King Sect. I have received orders to end this now," So Un-ryeo spoke as she landed on one side of the chariot wheel formation.
Thump—
A heavy heartbeat resonated from within Jeong Yeon-shin's chest.
At this moment, a vibration that no one else could perceive burned his Upper Dantian white-hot.
The speed of his thoughts accelerated like a flash of lightning, pushing faster and faster without end.
The colorless fragments of shockwaves brushing past his ears suddenly seemed to move in slow motion.
This is indeed a crisis, Jeong Yeon-shin thought, suppressing the sharp pain.
The Jianghu was a forest of monsters.
Like a serpent, it would never allow a single tree to stand dominant.
It would quietly coil around a rapidly growing sapling, watching, waiting, and then constrict violently once the prey had grown large enough to be securely bound.
Just as the Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit at the Desolate Fortress had been killed by Shaanxi's Number One Demon in the distant past.
Jeong Yeon-shin's crisis was also inevitable. To varying degrees, hadn't every Black Rank expert gone through this?
That was exactly why the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak was necessary. Through the rapid manipulation of internal energy, one could escape even when cornered by the suffocating chariot wheel formations of great sects.
It was said that the true value of a peerless expert—one capable of matching ten thousand men—shone brightest in their agile ability to evade.
But...
His Upper Dantian, the very thing that denied him a long lifespan, was also a shackle when it came to achieving the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak.
He had pondered this deeply during his closed-door cultivation.
If the unity of essence, qi, and spirit is difficult due to my Heavenly Mandate...
—Then I shall ascend to an even stronger path.
Hum.
The moment he repeated his vow, the Law-Transcending Halo Qi filling his acupoints reacted.
The nature of the internal energy residing throughout his body split into opposing extremes.
An auspicious yet sinister true qi surged violently within him.
His innate senses unraveled the mnemonic of the sorcery formation, melting its principles into his very flesh, completely dominating and embodying the martial truths he had synthesized.
The halo within his heart spun rapidly.
With a deep, drum-like thrum, an immeasurable, colossal strength sprouted within his twelve meridians and the minute vessels of his entire body. It felt as though his insides would tear apart at any moment.
But it was fine. His mother was embracing him. His body, forged through the Jeong Family Dynamic Art, withstood the terrifying recoil.
All of this occurred in a mere instant. He had already prepared the activation in the midst of the fierce battle.
He manipulated his true qi as delicately as weaving fine fabric.
He engraved a precise map of internal energy flow onto the nerves spreading from his brain to the rest of his body, structuring it so that it would activate the exact moment he lit the fuse with his intent.
And when he tried, it worked. When it came to martial arts, he was anything but slow.
Now, I unleash it here.
The color of the Law-Transcending Halo Qi vanished. The shockwaves of the Vast Art Formula that had been flowing white from his body turned perfectly transparent.
The refined energy of the Brilliant River surged silently through hundreds of acupoints, emitting a monstrous vibration right through his skin.
In that split second, Jeong Yeon-shin firmly composed his mind. He recalled the intent that would serve as the finishing touch to his true qi structure and internal energy flow.
He envisioned a single, distinct concept: the mental image of the Sanzu River—the path to the underworld from which none could return, whether they fell in or crossed over.
In an instant, the pure white snowfield beneath his feet lost its luster.
Rumble—!
It was an incredibly bizarre sight.
The outlines of the energy extending outward from his body like transparent leaves became clearly visible.
Though it detonated continuously on its own, it looked as if a lifeless bolt of lightning was venting its fury upon the world.
A thunderous roar reverberated from the colorless, flashing lightning that enveloped Jeong Yeon-shin's entire body.
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing stood at the very center of a massive flower of lightning.
A single blossom. It was a qigong that replaced the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak—a lotus floating along the currents of the Sanzu River, and a ceaselessly flashing bolt of lightning on the verge of death.
And it was also Jeong Yeon-shin, the Flash Art.
Brilliant River: Ultimate Lightning.
"..."
He lowered his sword slightly.
Crash!
With a dull roar, the ground beneath his feet was gouged out as if struck by a divine thunderbolt.
Not a single trace of the snowdrifts remained. The sheer aftermath of his slight movement exposed the bone-dry yellow earth beneath.
At the same time, an excruciating pain enveloped his entire right arm.
It felt as if his muscles were being torn apart. Even though he had unleashed a profound sword force of his own making, his body could barely withstand the burden.
It was not yet a technique he could use for prolonged exchanges.
I need a proper body protection qi. At the very least, it must be a divine art.
Jeong Yeon-shin shifted only his eyes, taking in the Lord of the Beast King Sect and the intruding swordsman in turn.
The Lord of the Beast King Sect stared at him with a mixture of confusion and shock. It was as if he were looking at an unprecedented, incomprehensible anomaly.
Only the face of the black-clad female swordsman who had intervened remained relatively calm. It seemed to be her natural disposition.
I must keep the exchanges brief.
He had little time left. This was incomparable to maintaining the constant activation of the palm-based Brilliant River. It was a martial art that resembled its creator to the core. For now, it was a fleeting, short-lived state.
There was a limit to how long his mother could embrace him. The longer he kept it active, the greater the backlash he would have to face.
He felt it instinctively. He had been granted only the span of a single exhalation.
If he remained dazed for a second longer, he would be unable to handle the recoil.
Half a breath.
His consciousness plunged into an abyss. He entered a state of selfless concentration. Jeong Yeon-shin could tune the state of his mind at will.
I will end this in three forms.
He did not bother to speak.
He simply took a step forward, sword in hand. The crunch of snow beneath his boots lasted only a fraction of a second.
The surrounding scenery blurred, and the sharp-featured face of the Lord of the Beast King Sect suddenly filled his vision. Behind him, the howling wind roared violently.
Ignoring the man's startled expression, he slashed his sword upward. Eyes wide, the Lord of the Beast King Sect completely failed to adapt to the sudden change in speed.
The way he raised both hands in a desperate attempt to defend appeared agonizingly slow. In terms of the Black Rank, he was the weakest of them all.
Is this how Senior Jin, the Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit, felt when he looked at me during my promotion test?
The martial artists of the chariot wheel formation surrounding them were even worse off. They were like slugs unable to even crawl.
They could no longer enter Jeong Yeon-shin's perception of time. They had been utterly banished from this realm of one-on-one combat.
First form.
It was a strange sensation. His body followed the speed of his thoughts incredibly well.
It felt as though his Upper Dantian, which had bloomed into a flower of light, and his body, enveloped in a transparent flower of lightning, were becoming one and the same.
Before the defensive shockwave could even form from the hands of the Lord of the Beast King Sect, the Northern Light sword swept up, grazing the joint of the man's right shoulder.
The very atmosphere seemed to be sucked into the cool, fan-shaped trajectory of the blade. Immediately after, a monstrous explosion erupted, as if a thunderbolt bomb had detonated.
Jeong Yeon-shin turned on his heel, his sword still extended upward. He only glanced at the aftermath of the strike as it began to crush the Lord of the Beast King Sect's shoulder.
Before the explosive roar could even fully resound, and without bothering to confirm the result, he kicked off the ground and darted toward the flank.
The black-clad female swordsman who had intervened was already rushing toward him. She was an incredibly powerful expert.
Wielding a massive blade with thick muscles that suggested absolute mastery of the heavy sword, she struck downward, unleashing a powerful storm of shockwaves that swept across the surroundings.
It was strong enough to whip up a violent flurry of snow from the frozen earth.
The two swordsmen closed the distance rapidly.
The moment their eyes met, they understood each other's intent perfectly.
A single exchange to decide it.
Jeong Yeon-shin twisted his step mid-leap.
In an instant, his entire body spun along with his sword. His pitch-black robes fluttered violently as his blade conjured the image of an ascending dragon. At that exact moment, the two swords—unleashed horizontally and vertically—collided.
There was no contest of strength. The silver vortex shattered the opponent's heavy sword outright. The force concentrated in the strike, the sheer level of his force emission, was on an entirely different plane of existence.
For the first time, the female swordsman's eyes widened in shock.
In the world of peerless experts, everything happened in a split second. Even the iron fragments breaking off from the crushed heavy sword were flattened and swept away by the overwhelming pressure of the Northern Light sword.
She should never have clashed with him head-on, but that single miscalculation decided the match. The whirlwind of his sword, completed in a single rotation, swept right through her along with her shattered weapon.
Rumble—!
The ground shook.
A terrifying wave of sword force vibrated across the snowfield. As blood sprayed into the sky, the snow swallowed by the massive flower of lightning burned away without a trace.
The High-Level realm. He had forced his way into the world of a true Black Rank expert through the constant, full-body activation of Brilliant River: Ultimate Lightning.
Thud.
Having exhaled about two-thirds of his breath, the Commander of the Demonlight Wing did not stop for even a single step.
He charged straight toward the Young Lord of Lingering Spirit, who had not yet fully grasped the situation. At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin was a silently detonating bolt of lightning.