Chapter 299: Lotus (18)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 299: Lotus (18)
There was something peculiar about Ak Su-rim’s voice.
Though it sounded half-asleep, it carried a clear sense of purpose.
Her presence radiated an experience so profound it suggested she could unleash her full power even while drifting between sleep and wakefulness—a fitting trait for the second strongest warrior in the 17th Unit of the Divine Sword Corps.
She was a supreme master who had achieved Rejuvenation; her appearance was no measure of her true prowess.
She noticed immediately. Just how vast is her Qi sense?
Jeong Yeon-shin rolled the pebble he had received from Baek Seo-gun in his hand.
He had been told it was a Dharma Treasure, and though he could faintly sense a mystical energy within it, it didn’t feel particularly special. At least, not yet.
It was difficult to tell whether it belonged to the Eon Family or the Jegal Clan.
Having recovered Eon Hwa-ryeon's secret manual, he had ties to both sides, so he could return it to whichever clan it belonged to without any trouble.
"The person outside is..."
Just as he began to speak—
Yawn—
The girl let out a wide yawn, and her eyes suddenly sparkled with a sharp light.
Her immense internal energy, formidable enough to make her a candidate for the next Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, surged into her eyes, flashing with a colorless brilliance.
It was a radiance far more intense than that of the mystical campfire casting shadows across her face.
"There's a tyrannical quality to his presence, isn't there? His martial arts definitely have the nature of the Brightfolk... but I'd call him less of a swordsman and more of a sword ghost."
Tap.
The spear lying carelessly on the ground rolled against the top of Ak Su-rim's foot.
With a mere flick of her ankle, the shaft flew upward as if drawn by an invisible force, snapping firmly into her small hand.
The surrounding bushes shuddered from the aftershock.
"I've never crossed paths with him, but the Chief Steward's Office has a mountain of reports on him. I heard he showed up in Shaanxi, too. The second-in-command of that mob from the Deep Martial Alliance. I also heard he helped you for some inexplicable reason. I'm grateful for that," Ak Su-rim said.
She had already deployed an energy barrier the moment she gripped her divine spear.
Rather than immediately displaying the aggressive temperament characteristic of the Desolate Fortress, she first adopted the posture of one Black Rank expert addressing another. It meant she was willing to listen to what Jeong Yeon-shin had to say.
This was the respect of the Vice Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, a name renowned throughout the world.
The boy, who had been the black sheep of the Jeong Family Manor just two years ago, spoke slowly.
He felt a warmth seep into his chest, along with a profound sense of how much time had passed. Grandma Ak will probably remember me, too.
"He has ties to my bloodline."
Holding the spear, Ak Su-rim extended only her index finger and tapped the shaft. A transparent shockwave—light, playful, yet subtly threatening—rippled outward.
"Hmm... sometimes this exhaustingly vast Jianghu feels surprisingly small. Can you tell me more?"
"He was someone who shared my father's childhood..."
"Then he's a bastard!" she cut him off abruptly, her small brow furrowing deeply.
With a sudden surge of energy, the hair behind Ak Su-rim's ears swept back over her neck. Her fingers on the spear repeatedly clenched and loosened.
"He hunted wild boars for us during a winter of famine. He is someone to be grateful for. Even with the abilities of my Upper Dantian, I felt no malice from him."
Jeong Yeon-shin replied briefly, tilting his head slightly in thought.
He didn't know how much Senior Ak knew about his family history. Had the Chief Steward's Office conducted a separate investigation?
The people of Xinye County are still living there.
A few unpleasant faces flashed through Jeong Yeon-shin's mind. They were all villagers.
Each with their distinct traits and simple faces, believing in superstitions and looking down on him...
I hope I don't get any missions in Henan.
Just as Jeong Yeon-shin brushed the thought aside—
"So he's trustworthy, then...? At least, according to the perception of our youngest Unit Commander."
Rustle.
Suddenly, Ak Su-rim slid closer and sat down with a soft thud, staring intently at him.
"..."
Her gaze conjured a heavy silence.
Amidst the crackling of the campfire, the intense glare unique to the Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress faded, leaving only her exceptionally clear, pitch-black eyes.
It was a look devoid of her usual erratic temperament.
"You know, sometimes I feel something incredibly mystical from you."
Ak Su-rim's expression was peculiar. It was a face Jeong Yeon-shin had never seen before, showing a mix of rational disbelief and a strange sense of relief.
The front of her robe was stained an even darker shade of black—the trace of congested blood she must have spat out while meditating after her battle with the Jegal Clan Leader.
Soon, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"Well, so the Sword Venerable of those Thirteen Heavens bastards is basically your nanny. And he's here right now."
"A nanny is a bit much for a grown adult..."
Jeong Yeon-shin's dark eyebrows twitched upward as he looked away slightly.
For a moment, Ak Su-rim's lips twitched, and finally, unable to hold back her laughter, they parted.
"Ahaha!"
She laughed merrily.
As the instantaneous energy wave unique to the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak erupted, sending her pitch-black hair fluttering wildly, she shook with laughter and patted Jeong Yeon-shin's shoulder. An adult, he says! A grown adult!
Shrugging off her youngest junior's cool gaze, she cleared her throat.
Then, her voice, still laced with amusement, carried a playful tone.
"What a relief. I would have felt so uneasy leaving our youngest behind all by himself."
Ak Su-rim giggled softly, her face looking like that of a young girl. The solemnity of a senior preparing for death was tucked away beneath her expression.
"Pardon?"
"Jegal Gyeon is incredibly strong. And this is your first time properly facing a peerless master."
"...That is true."
"We have to risk our lives to devise a countermeasure. The forms of his sorcery-based martial arts are incredibly free and complex. In the blink of an eye, your stomach could get pierced just like Bloodkeeper's. And we don't have the ability to regenerate."
Ak Su-rim shrugged her small shoulders exaggeratedly.
Yet, the black robe she wore did not feel as light as her demeanor suggested.
"If even one of the three of us becomes unable to fight, the other two must flee immediately. Understood?"
"No."
At Jeong Yeon-shin's immediate refusal, she beamed.
"Well, how could you turn your back on such a beautiful older sister? I'd rather trigger my own Qi Deviation and go first."
"...Are the Jegal Clan Leader's martial arts truly that formidable?"
"He moves in tandem with all kinds of sorcery mediums. The internal energy and willpower contained within his formations, scriptures, and talismans were chilling. It was exactly what you'd expect from someone who gave up being human. He fights a many-on-one battle as if it were one-on-one. He's completely insane."
"Sorcery martial arts..."
"His domain expands even while he's fighting. It's not the size of a mere training ground or even a county. What's worse is that all of it is woven into a single massive sorcery formation, moving with that bastard as its axis."
"He is a disaster, not a human."
Ak Su-rim nodded. "Exactly."
"Whether it's a vast wilderness or a famous scenic spot, it all becomes his domain. Since he's not part of the Martial World Alliance, he laid out his sorcery formations without having to walk on eggshells. You can't defeat him with an ordinary joint attack. He'll be harder to deal with than the Hwangbo Clan Head, whom Thread-Annihilation, Azure Sky, and that eunuch killed. It's a fact known throughout the Jianghu."
Slide.
"So, to increase our chances of winning even a little..."
Standing up abruptly, Ak Su-rim dusted off her backside and spoke casually.
"We need to train. Even if it's just a short session. This big sister will show you how to deal with these peerless masters. Since Bloodkeeper and I were defeated like this, how could we let you join us without any preparation?"
"You must treat me as an equal."
Jeong Yeon-shin did not speak out of childish petulance. He spoke only the truth. He was now in a position where he wore the black robe and aspired to even greater heights.
It meant she had to accept her junior's martial prowess without reservation to formulate a proper tactic.
"We'll see about that."
Ak Su-rim smiled brightly.
"Even if you become stronger than me in the future, it'll be the same. To me, you'll always be the precious youngest junior I wouldn't trade for the world."
Her tone was cheerful.
She stepped lightly onto the pure white snow. The hem of her robe, falling pitch-black to her feet, suited her better than anyone else.
The undisputed strongest of the Black Rank. A faint wave of energy rippled from the spear held in her small hand.
"Let's begin. Shall we see just how great our Flash Art's talent for real combat is?"
She kept her energy barrier widely deployed. If the legendary Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady were to descend holding a weapon, would she look like this?
Her hair, fluttering strand by strand with the texture of ebony, was mystical. At this moment, Ak Su-rim was like an immortal holding a spear.
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly pushed himself up from the ground.
"I look forward to your guidance."
While preparing for a battle against a peerless master, it was also an opportunity to test the martial prowess he had accumulated so far.
*
Claaaaang—!
How on earth did the Jegal Clan Leader defeat this person?
One hundred and thirty-five moves.
It was a thought that grew heavier with each passing second. Every time Jeong Yeon-shin deflected Ak Su-rim's spear strikes with his Northern Light Sword, he barely managed to withstand the surging force.
He hadn’t even activated Ultimate Lightning.
His opponent was the second-in-command of the Divine Sword Corps, who had achieved Rejuvenation through decades of dedicated cultivation. It was difficult to handle her with raw physical capability alone.
She could not be considered on the same level as other Black Ranks. If he had only just formed his Law-Transcending Halo Qi, he wouldn't have been able to withstand even ten moves.
She did mention to Senior Hahu, the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, that he could barely last ten moves.
Trapped within a fierce silver trajectory, Jeong Yeon-shin felt this acutely. Even so, he had to admit his own sword force and senses were holding up admirably as he deflected and parried her spear.
As the wind continuously battered his ears, Ak Su-rim suddenly leaped upside down, soaring right above his head.
"Your sword feels great!"
Her legs carved a curve through the air.
She twisted her waist in midair as if stomping on solid ground, and a wild wind—like a condensed typhoon—erupted from the spearhead as it plunged toward the crown of his head.
She gracefully chained three shifts in movement, creating a formidable, lightning-like trajectory.
Before Jeong Yeon-shin's exhale could even leave his lips, she executed an extremely powerful and swift technique.
Ak Family Spear. General's Thundering Roar.
Rumble—
As the pure white spear strike plunged down violently like a divine punishment, Jeong Yeon-shin's thoughts became a flash of light.
She infused the form perfectly with Fa Jin. That is a supreme technique. It's beyond Brilliant River.
It happened in an instant.
As Jeong Yeon-shin whipped his head around, a blue afterimage streaked across his vision.
Capturing the trajectory of Ak Su-rim's spear strike within the brilliance of his eye technique, he dissected it into countless concepts.
The origin of the strike in Ak Su-rim's hand, the precise arrival point and timing of the spear, the flow of force connecting the Fa Jin, the very structure of the True Qi in the shockwave surging from spearhead to shaft—every detail was engraved into his vision.
The internal power wave amplified five times consecutively. The trajectory is a perfect vertical straight line...!
Ak Su-rim had already mentioned she would replicate the Jegal Clan Leader's attack.
At that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin's hand holding the Northern Light Sword twitched three times. It was immediately after the senses of his Upper Dantian were brilliantly activated.
Swoooosh!
The swift sword technique of Qilin's Judgment tore through the storm of Fa Jin emanating from the spear strike.
The lightning-fast shockwaves were severed, strand by strand, by the impossibly fine movements of his blade. In that split second, his technique swallowed Ak Su-rim's blow, reducing it to nothingness—
Boom!
A violent vibration surged through the hemispherical energy barrier.
It was accompanied by a biting wind that raged with the physical presence of a blade. The accumulated snow soared, scattering a flurry of white flakes.
Ugh.
Jeong Yeon-shin gritted his teeth. The fragments of force that had grazed his upper body delivered a burning pain.
Though they were only minor cuts, he had clearly come out on the losing end of the exchange.
Through the Marrow Cleansing and Bone Rebirth that led to Rejuvenation, his senior had shed her mortal coil. She was practically akin to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Rustle.
Soon, the sound of footsteps on snow echoed.
"It's quite unsettling knowing you're hiding an incredibly massive move. And you went and got hurt. Our Flash Art's body and face are treasures, you know."
Ak Su-rim approached through the snow, her black hair and black robe fluttering. She wore a peculiar expression.
"You actually succeeded in breaking it? How many moves ahead do your senses see? If your speed of channeling internal power was like mine, you could have taken on the Jegal Clan Leader all by yourself."
"I don't envy the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak," Jeong Yeon-shin spoke as calmly as possible.
The corners of Ak Su-rim's mouth twitched upward, as if she were looking at a cute puppy.
"You said Jegal Gyeon's offensive technique is about thirty percent stronger than this, right? Plunging down from above as if he were the Jade Emperor himself."
"Yes."
"It seems you're reasonably prepared. You can focus on your personal training now. I don't know where Bloodkeeper went to slack off."
"Since they are a martial artist of Absolute Perfection, they must be preparing in some other way."
"Yes, right. That must be it," Ak Su-rim smiled warmly, then suddenly furrowed her brow.
"By the way, that Jegal Clan Leader bastard hasn't made a move in too long. How many days has it been? Winter is almost over. Even though he must have heard the news about the Duke of Eminent Fists, he remains quiet."
While Jeong Yeon-shin remained silent, thinking of Eon Hwa-ryeon, Ak Su-rim lightly stroked her chin with her slender index finger.
"It's really unsettling. You shouldn't give sorcerers too much time..."
*
—The young Black Rank of the Desolate Fortress had touched the reverse scale of a peerless master. The absolute authority who inherited the blood of Jegal Muhu had grown furious, intending to annihilate all traces of the Desolate Fortress in Shanxi Province.
It was a rumor that inevitably spread far beyond the vast lands of Shanxi.
Rumors of a peerless master travel a thousand miles. This is because the martial power of a single such individual is equivalent to an entire northern army.
Not only the Jianghu of Shaanxi and Henan, but even the nobles of Beizhili, where the imperial family resided, reacted.
Those considered among the most prominent in the world from various fields began to gather.
"The identity of that bastard called the Slaying Hero, who emerged because of Eon Hwa-ryeon, is bothersome. Go and confirm it this time for sure. I think I know why the face of that bastard called the Hero of the Desolate Fortress, whom I saw during the Sect Founding Ceremony, looked familiar... Put all your effort into killing those two rather than the Commander of the Demonlight Wing."
While the one who inherited the legacies of both the Moyong Clan and the Heavenly Demon opened his eyes,
"Abbot, please allow me to descend the mountain. I wish to examine the difference between the Demon-Quelling Azure Steel Hand and the Avalokiteshvara Azure Steel Hand to benefit Yongfeng County. My martial nephew Gakjeong, using his secular moniker of Young Divine Monk, said that the current Commander of the Demonlight Wing enjoys splitting open the skulls of Blood Ghosts to offer them to the Buddha..."
A clear Buddhist chant echoed from the Great Hero Hall of Mount Song, and—
"The Purple Grace Pill? I mean, among my peers, I'm next after Yeon-shin, but don't you think it's a bit of a rough path for me to go alone...? Ah, I'll go! Don't push out your sword qi with your fingers! You need to recuperate!"
While the scent of plum blossoms drifted faintly from the Jade Maiden Peak of Mount Hua, where flowers were hard to find—
"It matters not even if a delay is inevitable. This old man's grandson is of a different breed from those trivial things, so your worry is nothing but a groundless fear. What? Hidden Sword? You're talking absolute nonsense."
At the southern tip of the Ming Dynasty, on the shores of Hainan—where both the distance and the climate felt like another world—a Water Dragon ascended to the heavens.