Chapter 302: Lotus Nezha
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 302: Lotus Nezha
The fierce battle that would determine the fate of the Shanxi martial world had just begun.
High in the distant sky, bluish moonlight gently enveloped the figure of a woman riding a single sword.
Baek Seo-gun stood upon the blade, looking down. Though the howling gale deafened her, she didn't blink once.
From outside the barrier of the Jegal Clan Leader’s sorcery formation, she observed the battle. Her eyes darted, tracking the clash between masters rarely seen under heaven.
Rumble! Thud!
Shockwaves surged even past the boundary of the formation’s barrier, causing the sword beneath her feet to tremble slightly.
'The Reincarnated Crouching Dragon.'
The Jegal Clan Leader’s martial prowess was truly immense. Perhaps it was because he had accumulated an astronomical amount of martial attainment with the full support of Lingering Spirit and the Hegemon Sword Sect.
It was said that, with the Sword Saint out of the way, he had spent a long time constructing this sorcery formation to reach a level just shy of the Sword Saint himself. Now, his power might even be comparable to the Leader of the Deep Martial Alliance.
Ever since the Martial World Alliance was formed, there had been whispers among the upper echelons of the Jianghu. They wondered if the Jegal Clan Leader, hailing from a clan that required vast resources to produce a single master, was hoarding the Jianghu's wealth to satisfy his own greed.
Indeed, it later came to light that a portion of the massive funds poured into the Martial World Alliance had mysteriously vanished.
However, at a time when the call to overthrow the Desolate Fortress was gaining momentum, the Jegal Clan Leader had managed to complete his martial arts even after leaving the Alliance. This was the result of his position as the Grand Military Counselor and his collusion with two of the Thirteen Heavens.
'The Jegal secret technique, the Universal Transformation Divine Art.'
Masters of sorcery martial arts generally had difficulty exerting their full power. Conjuring even a single fireball required meticulous internal energy control and mantras, and they often had their heads severed by a master of the fast sword before they could display their true attainment.
In terms of raw martial prowess, the Jegal Clan Leader was known to rank at the very bottom of the Eight Clan Heads.
But what if an absolute master of sorcery had fully established his domain?
And what if that master was the Jegal Clan Leader, a peerless expert even when caught unprepared?
Clang! Crash!
The battle unfolding below the barrier would undoubtedly shake the future landscape of the Jianghu.
While it was expected that peerless masters who had lived long lives as geniuses would constantly grow stronger, the Jegal Clan Leader's explosive increase in power was, at the very least, comprehensible, even if it defied belief.
It was different from the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect's mysterious growth. The wings of the messenger pigeons already fluttering out from the Gongya Clan would immediately alter the stances of various sects.
'But...'
Baek Seo-gun’s eyes narrowed as she shifted her gaze.
Far, far below, someone was operating in the shadows near the edge of the barrier.
The woman wore a bright red robe, her long hair hanging like ebony. Her skin was exceptionally pale, a pallor likely not just from the moonlight.
Her gaze, fixed on the sorcery formation as if to pierce through it, held an obsessive madness. It was the insidious way she watched Flash Art, hunting for an opening, that was most unsettling.
A true blood aristocrat of the Blood Flame Cult and a possessor of the True Blood Physique, she was a figure revered as sacred by the Blood Ghosts.
'I heard she now rules her clan as a tyrant.'
The Shanxi branch of the Blood Flame Cult had met its end at her hands. She was an extremely dangerous entity.
According to the Deep Martial Alliance's intelligence, she was the next Cult Leader, having claimed the legacy of the previous Blood Flame Cult Leader. She was also the one who had kidnapped Jeong Yeon-shin and taken him to the Blood Flame Cult's main headquarters.
By tracking Flash Art’s movements through her subordinates' reports, Baek Seo-gun had managed to obtain a portrait of the Seventh Apostle.
An unseen sword is always the most dangerous, especially when wielded by a master of her caliber.
If she joined forces with the Jegal Clan Leader, who was already backed by two of the Thirteen Heavens, Flash Art's life would be in grave danger.
The Sword Saint's lips parted slightly.
"How dare you."
The moment that growl, like a lion's roar, echoed out—
Whoosh!
The sword beneath Baek Seo-gun's feet plunged downward.
Her short, gray hair whipped wildly in the gale stirred by her descent. The ground rushed up to meet her as her flight speed accelerated exponentially.
So too did the face of the Seventh Apostle, who whipped her head around in alarm.
"What?!"
A sharp, irritated surprise laced her voice.
In an instant, a faint blood-red light flashed at her feet as she shot through the air, dodging the plunging, diagonal strike.
* * *
A sphere of darkness had swallowed the Commander of the Demonlight Wing. It was the essence of the Jegal secret technique known as the Heaven-Piercing Falling Formation.
The fierce battle raged around that bizarre shape.
The Jegal Clan Leader sought to shred Jeong Yeon-shin with ten strands of colorless thread that floated in the air.
The two Black Ranks of the Desolate Fortress fought to protect their youngest.
The watching crowd, which included local aristocrats, could no longer hide their growing dread. Most stood on rooftops or walls, dressed in fine silk, their faces etched with anxiety.
"We chose the right side. It was wise to seek the Elder's advice."
"The Jegal Clan Leader truly is the Reincarnated Crouching Dragon. How could anyone defeat him?"
"Such invincible majesty... The landscape of the Jianghu is about to change."
"Clan Head! I've sent the letter to the Beggar Sect branch!"
"Well done. You will be paid handsomely. From now on, we will have access to even more valuable information."
Over a hundred and fifty exchanges had already passed.
The earth-shaking battle dragged on, the life-and-death duel gradually settling into a pattern.
Whenever the ten strands of the Male-Female Divine Whip carved through the air according to the principles of the Eight Trigrams, Ak Su-rim and Jin Myeong-jo, their backs to the sphere, would unleash the ultimate techniques of the Ak Family Spear and the Flash-Blood Claw Art.
Each time, the ground exploded.
Clang! Crash!
And each time, the Jegal Clan Leader’s laughter followed.
[Arrogant pests! So desperate to protect your junior! Just behave like the Imperial Family's hunting dogs!]
A powerful, freezing wind burst from the shockwaves of Jin Myeong-jo's claws, scattering alongside blood. A massive shockwave exploded with a deafening boom.
Two strands of the Male-Female Divine Whip that had snaked in close to the sphere were flung back.
Jin Myeong-jo's arm, draped in a pitch-black sleeve, trembled. He still hadn't fully recovered from the puncture wound he’d sustained at the start of the fight.
He was at his limit, only his crimson eyes smoldering with cold fire.
"..."
[Those eyes... trying to save face? Is that the look you should be giving your comrades?]
The Jegal Clan Leader swept the Male-Female Divine Whips near his white lapel. Two strands merged into one, instantly wrapping themselves in an explosive shockwave as they swung in a long arc.
It was a subtle fusion of sorcery and sword control. The sound of it tearing through the air was monstrous as it shot straight toward the sphere trapping Jeong Yeon-shin.
Just before the sphere could be sliced in half, a small figure holding a spear landed in its path.
Thud!
Her very first step was a heavy stomp. A hazy vortex spiraled from her twisting waist to the tip of her spear.
It was a Silk-Reeling Power technique that sent an earthquake-like vibration through the air: the Ak Family Spear's General's Thundering Roar. With no wasted motion, her power was amplified in an instant.
The spear shaft bent like a beam of light, striking the threads with a violent wave.
At that moment, the corners of the Jegal Clan Leader’s mouth curled into a smirk.
Crash!
"Cough!"
The short-haired girl in the black robe coughed up blood. Two strands of thread had pierced through her shoulders.
Of the mostly shattered Male-Female Divine Whip, only three strands returned to flutter around the Jegal Clan Leader.
[A single trajectory containing thirty-six variations. Impressive enough to defend against all ten strands of my Male-Female Divine Whip.]
The Six Harmonies Sound Transmission flowed like telepathy, meant only for Ak Su-rim.
[However, the counter to the Ak Family Spear was the very first manual I created after you left your family. Your spear strikes cannot escape my eye technique. Haven't you experienced this time and time again? For me, of course, it is something to be grateful for.]
Thud.
Ak Su-rim supported herself with her spear, her breathing ragged and her internal energy disrupted. A strike from a peerless master was never just a simple puncture wound.
The Internal Heavy Hand Technique was constantly applied, forcing her to endure the shockwaves coursing through her body.
It was the same for Jin Myeong-jo, who stood blankly beside her, his entire body trembling.
Ak Su-rim's lips twisted with difficulty.
"No wonder Ye-rim and Seon-ryong were so close... You used those children's friendship? How many of their duels did you spy on? Your filth knows no bounds. You truly are a son of a bitch."
[When a top master of the Eight Families joins the Desolate Fortress, what reason is there to care for the morals of the Jianghu? If the Commander of the Thread-Annihilation Unit had come instead of you, perhaps things would be different. The Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring and your two juniors might have also given you a chance at victory.]
"I see you've heard of the Three Black Strengths, even though you can't even plant a spy in our main fortress."
[This has dragged on long enough. Die.]
Just then.
Behind Ak Su-rim.
Cracks appeared on the pitch-black sphere.
Rumble—
Light spread, accompanied by a vibration that violently shook the ground. Radiance burst forth in all directions, like a flower blooming.
The moment the sphere shattered into dust, the surrounding crowd erupted into a commotion.
[Hmm?]
The shattered pieces of the Male-Female Divine Whip floated around the Jegal Clan Leader as he let out a sound of doubt.
The sight of the astral qi threads repairing themselves and rising into the air was wondrous enough to silence most of the murmuring crowd.
"It's over."
"Even if the Commander of the Demonlight Wing is out..."
"The Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress is in that state. So is the Divine Blood Ultimate Demon."
"Now it's one-on-one."
"The youngest Black Rank against that Jegal Clan Leader."
"Let's go inside. To meet the demands of the Moon Nature Sect... we must first re-examine our ledgers."
Step.
The figure of the young noble was extraordinary, his sword held low.
He was enveloped in a translucent lotus.
His features and aura, seen beneath hair fluttering in the moonlight, blurred the very sense of reality. He seemed like a figure drawn from distant legend, not a man of the present.
His appearance alone might invite comparisons to the handsome Song Ok or Ban-ak, but his skin-chilling aura was something else entirely.
The Jianghu was a world where people elevated each other with exaggerated nicknames.
"That lotus, that beautiful form... It brings to mind a guardian deity of Buddhism. Prince Nezha. He doesn't have three heads, but his aura and dignity..."
"A precious life is about to be extinguished."
As some in the crowd gasped and whispered, the Jegal Clan Leader burst into a clear laugh.
[It would have been better for you to die in there. Better than closing your eyes while drowning in a helplessness you have never known.]
"Senior Ak, Senior Jin, how are you?"
The lotus around Jeong Yeon-shin momentarily blurred as he checked on his seniors. He kept the Jegal Clan Leader trapped within his heightened qi sense.
Melancholy seeped from his gaze as he scanned their wounds. Jin Myeong-jo, his eyes wide, remained silent, but Ak Su-rim made a fuss.
"With just this much, I can still go."
"Where?"
"I told you to run if our joint attack failed! Think of your age! There's no disgrace in it! We've lived long enough and killed enough. We don't have many regrets about crossing the Sanzu River."
"Senior Ak, Senior Jin, how are you?"
"Are you just going to keep repeating that?" she panted, a weak smile on her face.
Rustle.
Across from them, the Jegal Clan Leader's snow-white sleeves fluttered. Was he celebrating the first step of his grand ambition? Hands clasped behind his back, he seemed leisurely enough to allow an intermission in the middle of their duel.
The two stood facing each other. It was truly one-on-one.
[You cannot escape. Not only will I never let my primary target slip away, but with your sluggish internal energy control, you cannot escape the Male-Female Divine Whip. Even wrapped in that strange power, it makes no difference. You are but a child who has not yet achieved the Unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.]
"Sluggish...?"
As Jeong Yeon-shin stared at him, the pebble in his breast pocket reacted. It was the dharma treasure that had belonged to Eon Family's Number One Fist.
As blood rushed to his head at the Jegal Clan Leader's words, a strange sensation flowed into his upper dantian, which had been warmed by the surging pressure.
It was an incredibly bizarre feeling.
The synchronization he had experienced during his life-and-death duel with the Duke of Eminent Fists came back to him. The world as Eon Hwa-ryeon felt it, the five senses she possessed.
Jeong Yeon-shin's talent missed nothing.
—Your senses will remember me.
For a moment, he seemed to hear her voice, a gentle breeze entering his mind and stirring an old koan.
"...You don't need to worry about the state of my essence, qi, and spirit."
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly parted his lips.
"Because I don't need it."
* * *
A vast moonlight washed over the massive cluster of pavilions.
The fortress standing tall in the center of the sprawling grounds was shrouded in a faint twilight.
Hazy halos of light shimmered against the marble walls, but the face of the young maidservant who entered the inner castle was frozen with tension.
She held a single book, carefully wrapped in silk, pressed to her chest.
'Is this real?'
She asked herself three questions over and over. Me? Really? Is this even possible?
—If it's you, you might be able to win a speck of the Lord's favor. You were born with a pure innate true energy. Small mistakes won't reach his ears, only mine. Do well.
The advice of the chief attendant, who had the face of a young boy, had long since faded from her mind.
The texture of the strangely warm, snow-white hemp clothes worn by the workers of the Desolate Fortress felt unfamiliar, as if she were wearing them for the first time. Had they always been this scratchy?
She didn't even know how she had climbed the stairs that wound upward like the body of a legendary dragon. The cool, distinct scent of marble brushed against her skin.
Rumble—
When she snapped out of her daze, a massive stone door was opening on its own.
'Ah.'
She was dreaming. It had to be.
Her vision blurred as if she were moving through water.
The moment the fragrant scent of grass reached her nose, the instant she caught sight of a figure leaning against a tree trunk, her soul plunged into a sea of dreams.
Her consciousness felt like it was overflowing. It was literally mind-boggling. Her mind couldn't fully comprehend the presence before her, which rushed in like a vast ocean. She found herself simply avoiding a clear recognition of the person before her, a being so lofty he seemed like a god from the heavens.
Slide.
With her consciousness adrift, she unwrapped the cloth and pulled out the book, moving toward the heavenly god on instinct.
She immediately opened the book and began turning the pages, vaguely recalling which one she was told to find. The Lord of the Desolate Fortress saw through the entirety of the book with perfect clarity.
Rustle.
Before she knew it, the maidservant had dared to sit beside the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. She realized that the old secret manual held by the heavenly god was the original copy of the book she had just opened.
Soon, both books floated in the air, opened to the same section. Despite the mystical sight, the maidservant breathed as naturally as if she were in a dream.
The words in the original copy immediately caught her eye.
It was written in a clumsily pressed, regular script.
The ink distribution and the strength of the strokes were a mess. While the characters themselves were perfectly formed, the brushstrokes repeatedly shifted from dark to light. It was impossible to tell if the writer had never seen good calligraphy, or if their teacher had been half-hearted.
Then, the Lord of the Desolate Fortress raised an arm.
Slide.
A long fingertip lightly touched the words "Magpie Bridge."
Amidst the stark contrast between skin as white as porcelain and the ink-colored words, the Lord's finger slowly traced down to the end of the mnemonic.
[With the above, you can extract the mnemonics that suit your mind. There are three core essentials: Fortune Arises from the Minute, the Qi-Life Connection Point, and the Great Magpie Bridge. A human body diagram won't be necessary, as you will know once you feel it. If I show the completed version with unnecessary additions to my brothers, I might get scolded.]
"Call the Ma Family Head."
The melodious voice tickled the maidservant's ears.
The snow-white finger traced back up from the end of the mnemonic, then lightly brushed down the old paper once more.
He paid no mind to the maidservant, who stood up, her eyes momentarily losing focus.
[It is the Double Seventh Festival.]
The Cowherd, who lives east of a distant constellation, meets the Weaver Girl from the other side.
The village is buzzing with excitement. The young adults are laughing.
They say it's a day for people who like each other. It looks fun, even if it's a little silly. It’s funny watching people fly kites, trying to tangle their strings on purpose.
My eldest brother was given a hawk-shaped kite. He said he's going to fly it with the daughter of the Kang Merchant Group's head.
I don't have one. I gathered some wooden sticks to make one myself, but the Chief Steward stopped me.
Father said it would be a disaster if the evil energy that harmed Mother spreads to the farmland... I think he's right.]
[I should make a Magpie Bridge inside myself.
How sturdy would a bridge connecting the two sides of the sky be?
I thought of the Qihai Point at my navel and the Mingmen Point on my back—the two acupoints with the greatest utility along the pathways of internal energy. I wonder what would happen if their functions were combined.
I don't think qi deviation will occur. It feels like it would protect my internal organs... My intuition has never been wrong. That's what makes this fun. Should I try moving it carefully, past the abdominal artery? Together with Mother.]
[The Qihai Point and the Mingmen Point.
Even if the two points don't touch, if I build a bridge of internal energy across the tiny vessels between them, wouldn't that mean they're connected?
I tried it, and it works. I should weave this into the Small Heavenly Cycle portion of the Jeong Family Dynamic Art.
Mother's intent reaches me here, too. After all, if the mental image used to guide true qi isn't gentle, you're bound to get hurt.
You are on the other side of my Magpie Bridge.
It's warm.
I don't need a kite.]
For a moment, moonlight seeped into the silence.
But it didn't last long.
"You may say anything."
A soft, warm whisper drifted through the quiet room.
"Your life has already repaid it."
Thump—
The book touched by the Lord of the Desolate Fortress's fingertip pulsed once, leaving a faint afterimage.
It was a dharma treasure that had accumulated high-level intents over many years and, in doing so, had finally developed a mysterious spirituality of its own.