Chapter 323: Shaking the Heavens (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 323: Shaking the Heavens (2)
The White Rank of the Desolate Fortress.
To the successor of the Desolate Ma Clan, it was little more than a temporary stepping stone. The world he was destined for was on an entirely different level.
Even if the white robes of the main fortress were highly revered in most regions of the Jianghu, they held little meaning for him. It was merely a temporary demotion, a status he had no choice but to accept.
Such was the case for Ma Se-in.
Crunch.
The young nobleman walked down the path, his clear, dark eyes taking in his surroundings.
Although Ma Se-in’s mastery of the Harmonious Bloom Divine Art was known to be unrivaled among his peers, the laws of the main fortress dictated that he still had to bow his head to even mid-tier Blue Ranks from the countryside. The White Rank was, after all, the lowest tier of the official hierarchy.
Yet, he was not treated as such. Not only the servants but even some senior martial artists treated Ma Se-in with profound respect. It was a testament to the Desolate Ma Clan’s long-standing devotion—and their notoriously volatile temper.
“Young Master Ma, it is rare to see you out. Where are you headed?”
“I received word from the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall,” Ma Se-in replied briefly. He was accompanied by another young martial artist in white robes, walking a step behind him.
The Blue-Ranked expert, who had approached with a genial smile, flinched. His expression soured the moment Ma Se-in mentioned the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall.
“Isn’t that place a complete ruin now? I heard it’s being rebuilt…”
“The Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring has returned, and she has nowhere else to stay. She is the type to sleep on the stone seats of the Black Ranks rather than in the pavilion of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring.”
“Right, of course. Well, I wish you luck.”
Nodding half-heartedly, the Blue-Ranked expert hurried away. Despite his burly build, he moved with surprising haste.
Crunch.
Watching him go, Ma Se-in resumed his steps.
At the end of the wide, white-paved path of the main fortress lay the half-destroyed Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall.
Rustle.
The bodyguard beside him quickly caught up. He was of the same White Rank as Ma Se-in.
His name was Ma Ung, a young man who had recently been making a name for himself in the main fortress. Within the Ma Clan, his mastery of the degraded Jeong Family Dynamic Art was second only to Ma Se-in’s. It was said that a painting of the Magpie Bridge, formed by crows and magpies, hung on his wall alongside a kite shaped like a hawk.
“Young Lord, that senior’s reaction was strange,” he asked cautiously. “Could today’s matter somehow damage your reputation?”
Ma Se-in slowly shook his head.
“Anyone would react that way if they heard someone was going to meet the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring.”
“I am still ignorant of the rumors here, having only recently arrived…”
“I know. There’s no need to worry.”
“I have heard many stories about the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring’s personality. They say she is as difficult and unpredictable as her once-in-a-millennium talent… Is that true? I am quite concerned.”
“It will be fine. I only saw her a few times over my grandfather’s shoulder when I was a child, but we’ve done nothing to offend her. Besides, she isn’t the only Black Rank currently staying in the main fortress.”
Ma Se-in’s response was calm. His demeanor and speech were always measured. As a successor from a collateral branch, he shared blood with the current Commander of the Demonlight Wing. Rumor had it that his character had deepened considerably after his friendship with the one known as the Flash Art and the ordeal involving his mother, Ju Yeon-jeong.
Nodding in understanding, Ma Ung suddenly spoke up.
“Come to think of it, there hasn’t been much change in the forces stationed here, even though we’ve lost contact with the Forest-Treading Unit and the Immortal Wood Spirit in Xinjiang.”
“The standing forces are actually being reinforced. Since the Elder Council Head performed his Golden Basin Hand Washing, there are no Purple Ranks left to guard the fortress. There are also rumors that the Castle Lord has left his post again. If that’s true, at least three Martial Units must remain here for defense.”
Currently, the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, the Thread-Annihilation Unit, and the Searing Abyss Unit were guarding the main fortress. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the Heaven-Aligned Wing, the Forest-Treading Unit, and the Immortal Wood Spirit were completely unknown.
This was a topic that was slowly beginning to shake the main fortress. It was one of the gravest crises since its founding.
Since the empire was endlessly vast, long-term missions were common. It was not unusual for a single incident to require a deployment of over a year. The Netherflow Unit, which primarily handled intelligence, had Blue-Ranked experts who hadn’t set foot in the main fortress for twenty years. The current Commander of the Demonlight Wing—who had recently stolen the title of youngest Black Rank from the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring—was simply an anomaly.
However, it was an entirely different matter when a Unit Commander's Spirit Beast failed to return for an extended period.
Killed in action.
In the militaristic culture of the Desolate Fortress, that was the only conclusion.
“Isn’t this the first time something like this has happened since the founding era? Could there be some demon we don’t know about in Xinjiang?”
“Who knows? The Chief Steward's Office must have a massive headache. Sending more reinforcements would be like pouring water into a bottomless pit. It’s not like the Purple Ranks of the main fortress have any leeway, either.”
“If two units weren’t enough, then sending three… No, even that wouldn’t be an easy decision.”
“This isn’t a game of mahjong. It’s difficult for high-ranking figures who wear black robes to move so lightly. In the worst-case scenario, we could lose five or six Black Ranks in Xinjiang all at once. The risk is astronomical.”
The Chief Steward's Office of the Desolate Fortress devoted immense effort to managing the movements of its Black Ranks. A supreme expert capable of swaying the tide of a Great Sect War was treated like a mountain god wherever they went. The probability of such an individual submitting to the public will and becoming one of the seventeen Precious Swords of the main fortress was virtually zero. Furthermore, their character had to find favor in the eyes of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, which was yet another hurdle.
Ma Ung’s shoulders slumped slightly. He, too, was a martial artist of the Desolate Fortress.
“There’s no clear solution. No wonder the rabble of the Jianghu sometimes look down on us. To those without a grand righteous cause, we must look like a massive beast bound on all sides.”
“Don’t concern yourself with the opinions of the vulgar. In any case, setting aside the defense of the fortress, it would be best if two massive forces on the level of the Three Black Strengths were to set out. The Chief Steward's Office will have to make a decision soon.”
As the two walked, the surrounding foliage parted, and the view before them gradually widened. The two men, a master and servant who maintained proper boundaries yet shared a strangely familiar bond, were finally nearing their destination.
“What do you think she wants with us? The Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, I mean.”
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
With Ma Se-in's final words, their vision opened up completely.
A training ground, reserved only for the most noble, came into view. It was a vast, empty space with no weapon racks or equipment—at first glance, nothing more than an ordinary clearing. The ruins next to it, where short artisans bustled about, were far more eye-catching. Those remnants of a once-grand pavilion were the reason the place was called the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall.
Yet, the symbolic significance of this clearing was second only to the Unit Commanders' meeting hall. It was a place where those clad in black robes occasionally exchanged blows—the sole exception to the fortress’s law prohibiting private duels between comrades.
Upon entering the Black Rank training ground, the master and servant of the Desolate Ma Clan held their breath.
There were already people present—a young man and a young woman.
“……”
Judging by their appearances, neither seemed to have passed their twenties, yet both wore pitch-black robes that trailed to their feet.
Were they about to duel?
They stood facing each other in silence in the middle of the clearing, a sight that commanded absolute quiet from their surroundings.
Ma Se-in quietly swallowed.
The Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit and the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring…
The man was the Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit, famous for his Body Protection Scripture.
The Spirit God Step, Yu Jeong-myeong.
He possessed ears as sharp as sword tips. His appearance was exactly what people envisioned when they thought of the Brightfolk—his expression calm, the aura surrounding him exceptionally pure. A form-fitting black robe was wrapped around his well-built frame.
“You’ve arrived,” the Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit spoke, casting a sudden glance at Ma Se-in.
“May I unfold it now?”
The black-robed woman standing opposite him with her arms crossed let out a smirk.
“You speak as if it’s in your hands to give. Aren’t you ashamed of having monopolized it, only to have it taken away?”
Her black robe was incredibly ornate. From the hem down, it split into multiple tails like ceremonial attire, the pitch-black edges of the fabric fluttering as if they were licking flames. This was proof of an uninterrupted, circulating internal power. The loose, ink-colored trousers wrapping her long legs looked perfectly suited for kicking techniques.
The Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring.
The Dragon Fist, Bukgung-a.
Her name meant “fang.” It was a character that some gossips claimed suited her far better than her moniker.
“Child of the Ma Clan. Stand right there,” Bukgung-a said.
It was an order. Ma Se-in did his best not to let his doubt show. He knew a great deal about this Strange, Violent, Chaotic, and Supernatural being before him. The greatest genius of the Desolate Fortress—that was what people had called her before the current Commander of the Demonlight Wing knocked on the fortress gates.
She had donned the black robes at an exceptionally young age. It hadn’t taken her long to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with absolute powerhouses like the Commander of the Thread-Annihilation Unit and the Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress, Ak Su-rim. She frequently clashed with the Divine Spear at the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall. It was said that even after she cheekily called Ak Su-rim “grandma,” the only thing that ended up destroyed was the hall itself.
“Do not order him around so carelessly. He is not your subordinate,” the Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit, Yu Jeong-myeong, said quietly.
Because of his outstanding appearance as a member of the Brightfolk, his words sounded like the solemn scolding of a heavenly war god. Ma Ung, standing behind Ma Se-in, fidgeted restlessly.
The pale cheeks of the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, Bukgung-a, dimpled softly.
“Uncle Yu still has much to learn.”
Curling her lips into a smirk, she kept her arms crossed and flicked her index finger.
“What gives you the right to boss around a fellow Unit Commander? Isn’t this place built precisely to resolve such matters? When we clashed the other day, you were only worth a single move. Shall we try again?”
The Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, the Dragon Fist. In terms of age, she was closer to a rising star, and her level of provocation matched.
Duels between masters took as many forms as there were martial arts, from battles of superhuman endurance lasting seven days and nights to single-strike contests decided in an instant. The form of their mastered arts, their compatibility, the technique chosen in a split second, the terrain, and even the weather were all critical variables. This was why single-strike duels were common even among experts of equal standing.
The Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit, Yu Jeong-myeong, possessed deep mental cultivation. He refused to be swept up in the battle-crazed Bukgung-a’s taunts.
“Did we not call him here to enhance the strength of the main fortress? If you wish to elicit cooperation from your subordinates, you must treat them with respect.”
“Why do I need cooperation? All I need to do is watch.”
At that moment, with a flutter, a book flew out from her robes. It was an incredibly natural display of the Void Grab.
The book, its dozens of pages spread like wings, began to float between the two Unit Commanders. On the cover, the words [Radiant Wing Step] were written.
“This is a footwork technique,” the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring said with a brief nod of her chin.
With a heavy whoosh, chunks of marble flew from the adjacent ruins and slammed into the ground, forming a crude seat with a dull thud. She manipulated her energy with absolute freedom. As Ma Se-in’s eyes widened, the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring plopped down onto the makeshift seat, crossed her legs, and scanned his body.
“You practice a Dynamic Cultivation Art… We’ll see about you later. I was curious what Uncle Searing Abyss has been guarding like a sacred treasure.”
The manual of the Radiant Wing Step flew toward her. It was a superhuman sight, as if they were in an entirely different world.
The Ma master and servant remained silent. The Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit also stood still for a moment, staring at the book now in Bukgung-a’s hands with a look of deep regret.
The Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring silently read through the Radiant Wing Step manual, her eyes shining as if they held dark lightning.
“Move the pillars over there!”
“It’s just going to get destroyed again anyway! Don’t train here! It’s a waste of true qi!”
For a while, only the sounds of the short artisans rebuilding the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall echoed through the air.
However, the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring’s reading did not take long. When she suddenly raised her head, her brow was furrowed.
“Was this even written to be read?”
“Pardon?”
Ma Se-in, still not having grasped the situation, blurted out a response and flinched at his own reflex. But the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring paid him no mind, glaring instead toward the Demonlight Wing’s pavilion.
“What is wrong with the author’s temper? Has the Heavenly Demon's Reigning Step entered the main fortress?”