Chapter 326: Shaking the Heavens (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 326: Shaking the Heavens (5)
Was a demon straight out of the Classic of Mountains and Seas pounding on the mountain peak?
At this moment, the shockwaves battering the cavern in successive layers were incredibly fierce, exploding one after another in a relentless barrage.
The brushes of the Killing Gate disciples, who had been tirelessly muttering and transcribing intercepted telepathic transmissions, came to a dead halt.
An incomprehensible dread crept in, slowly suffocating the underground plaza.
Thud! Thud—! Boom!
One by one, the waves of true qi carrying the telepathic transmissions from above vanished. It was happening at a terrifying pace.
The waves of internal power that had filled the air like concentric ripples on a translucent lake dissolved into nothingness.
This didn't feel like the work of a human. It was closer to a fragment of a natural disaster.
"He has finally come. The strongest and most avaricious peerless swordsman of Liaodong..."
The Slaying Hero, Geum Jon-hwi, muttered in an archaic tone, as if reciting an old myth.
Perhaps this was his own way of finding the composure of Clear Mirror, Still Water. He was indeed the brother of the Hero of the Desolate Fortress—someone who always did what needed to be done, even in the most dire situations.
Even so.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not avert his eyes from the Moyong Clan Head's sword mark.
The flawlessly smooth mark seemed to draw in one's very soul. It was so profound that even Jeong Yeon-shin's Upper Dantian briefly hummed in resonance.
It was a Divine Art. That single strike was exactly that.
The Slaying Hero's words began to make sense, as did the reactions of the Killing Gate elders who had stared blankly at the sword's trajectory until they looked like simpletons.
A profoundly mystical quality emanated from the trace left by the head of one of the Eight Great Families, a man who had spent his entire life refining a single sword. It was the spirituality said to dwell within a Divine Art.
There are no stray thoughts in the cut. I can only feel one thing.
The mental image that there was nothing he could not cut.
The absolute certainty that his sword strikes would align with the Heavenly Mandate, like a meteor shower.
It was said that swordsmen who reached the peak communicated through their blades. The arrogant intent of the Moyong Clan Head reached him directly.
It was a mental image befitting a ruler of the Jianghu, far removed from the humility cultivated by the current Commander of the Demonlight Wing. It exuded a confidence so absolute it bordered on nobility.
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly raised his head to the dark cavern ceiling.
A distinct vibration traveled down the wall, invisible unless viewed with an eye technique. It was a sword force originating from an unknown number of jang away. It was incredibly profound.
Striking the Cow Across the Mountain.
It was a technique that delivered the force of fa jin to the target, no matter what obstacles stood in the way.
Usually, it was executed with fists or palms. But this peerless master thrusting his sword down from atop a cliff dozens of jang high seemed to transcend conventional wisdom.
The straight shockwave of the sword strike reverberated downward like an earthquake.
Thud—! Thud—
Only after pounding two more times did the sound recede. It was as if a demon searching for prey had moved to another spot.
Only then did a strange sense of relief wash over the underground plaza.
"We are still safe for now. He won't know where we are immediately."
The Slaying Hero, Geum Jon-hwi, tapped the ground with feigned composure.
"The Heavenly Demon's sacred Dharma Treasure is concealing our sect's presence. No matter how peerless of a master he is, even if I were to unleash my internal power like a madman and perform a sword dance right here, he wouldn't sense a single trace of my energy. It's just... painful that those who made up our sect's secret line were annihilated."
His voice trailed off bitterly. A sorrow uncharacteristic of an assassin seeped into his tone.
Jeong Yeon-shin merely gave a slight nod.
Once again, it was a Dharma Treasure. A treasure that could manifest the wonders of sorcery martial arts on its own. As his own martial arts grew stronger and his horizons broadened, he found himself encountering more of the Jianghu's various mysteries.
I wonder how she is doing.
He recalled the pebble of the Eon Family's Number One Fist that he had handed to Jegal Cheong-a before heading to Taiyuan.
It was a Dharma Treasure imbued with the Jegal Clan's signature refreshing nature, which had inspired him to create the Fan Dragon Lotus Art. At the time, the girl who had lost her brother and father had stared blankly at the pebble for a long while before carefully accepting it.
— Thank you for your trust. I will uncover all of its functions... so please take care of yourself, Unit Commander.
That was the end of it. He had heard nothing else.
Jeong Yeon-shin had intentionally given her leeway. He had permitted her to act independently.
With Seon-ryong and the Reincarnated Crouching Dragon dead, she was now the sole direct descendant of the Jegal Clan. Jegal Cheong-a naturally bore the duty of carrying the clan on her shoulders as the next clan head.
In the first place, her becoming a guest warrior of the Demonlight Wing was meant to display the friendship between the Martial World Alliance and the Desolate Fortress.
An act that was closer to a warning directed at the Thirteen Heavens would not take precedence over a matter concerning the very survival of the Jegal Clan.
Where did she go?
There was no telling whether she had returned to the Desolate Fortress alongside the two senior unit commanders, or if she had turned back toward her family home.
Regardless, he hoped she would find peace. Once he finished what was happening here, they would reunite in one way or another.
While Unit Commander Jeong Yeon-shin was lost in brief thought, Heonwon Chang grabbed the Slaying Hero's collar and led him to one side of the cavern.
He did so while asking for Jeong Yeon-shin's understanding via telepathy.
— The claim that our sect possessed the final mnemonic of the Killing Gate's secret art was a lie. In the end, I had to open and close the restriction using the Unit Commander's martial arts and my own strength.
— Does that mean you couldn't completely undo it?
— Later. I'll tell you everything later. Over a cup of Bamboo Leaf Green.
Only after seeing his unit commander nod did Heonwon Chang turn his gaze back to the Slaying Hero.
"Brother, there is something we need to discuss. It's a matter directly linked to your future course of action."
"Is it urgent? Even with the Dharma Treasure, our location remains unchanged. We must move the disciples to a safe house before that monster of the Meteor Sword breaks in. No one knows how much power those peerless masters are hiding. They are anomalies of the Strange, Violent, Chaotic, and Supernatural who wouldn't seem out of place even if they carved out the entire cliff right now."
"It is important. You must hear it before the elders arrive. What those old men have been hiding so perfectly to deceive you..."
The words that followed could not be heard. The conversation seemed to continue via telepathy.
Only the Slaying Hero's occasionally irregular breathing bore witness to the gravity of the conversation.
From the way Heonwon Chang occasionally patted his cousin's shoulder, one could catch a glimpse of their childhood bond.
Jeong Yeon-shin watched the two and thought, Brother Heonwon still cherishes his bloodline.
"……"
After briefly recalling the Jeong Family Manor, he turned his head back toward the Moyong Clan Head's sword mark.
The long, sweeping slash of the sword was perfect for focusing his mind. So much was contained within it.
From the heavy sword and the fast sword, to the method of circulating true qi that elevated the cutting power of the shockwave to a supreme level. If he looked a bit longer, he might even be able to reverse-engineer the grip on the hilt.
The current Commander of the Demonlight Wing loved such profound martial arts. He had loved them ever since the moment he succeeded in escaping with the Jeong Family Dynamic Art from the yard of the Jeong Family Manor, where no one had spared him a single glance.
Even as his fellow disciple reunited with his true family, Jeong Yeon-shin did not feel particularly lonely. Because he had his mother, who always embraced his entire being.
How much time had passed?
The presence of dozens of people spread from a passage on one side of the underground plaza, bringing familiar voices to Jeong Yeon-shin's ears.
"Your complexion looks bright. It feels like I haven't seen you in ten years."
"Unit Commander!"
Two figures detached themselves from the accompanying crowd.
The short-haired slacker walking over with a leisurely stride was the poppy addict, and the girl who leaped forward with footwork as swift and elusive as a cat was the true successor of the Flash Art lineage.
Lazy Flame Dragon and Shin So-bin arrived before their unit commander.
"Your aura has changed again. I suppose you really are in your growing years."
"You've been well, right? Your complexion looks fine... but I heard you killed that depraved uncle of the Jegal Clan. I couldn't believe it even when I heard it clearly, but then I did. Because it's you, Unit Commander."
Lazy Flame Dragon's sharp, nonchalant remarks and Shin So-bin's chattering greetings that buried his words were both deeply familiar.
A faint smile played on Jeong Yeon-shin's lips.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Shin So-bin leaned her small face in slightly.
Was she imitating Baek Mi-ryeo? With her thick eyelashes raised, she looked as if she were trying to act like an older sister.
"You must have had a very exhausting time. Just hearing about it, it was no ordinary journey through the Jianghu... I'm scared we'll get scolded by Senior Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress and Senior Blue-Eyed Demon Sword for not assisting you properly. Actually, I feel bad about it myself. May I check your pulse?"
"The White Cat still has some growing up to do."
"What? Who is saying that to whom...?"
"Even though you're the same age as the Unit Commander, it seems your period of storm and stress is arriving late. At that age, one's heart is weary even when lying in bed. Besides, doesn't our Unit Commander carry quite a bit of karma? Those legs of his are bound to grow stronger night after night, so the Jianghu will soon have to fear his kicking techniques more than the sword of the Lotus Nezha..."
"Did you manage to find and chew poppy even while staying at the Killing Gate?"
I told him to quit a long time ago, Jeong Yeon-shin mused as he watched their banter.
The reunion of the Desolate Fortress's Demonlight Wing.
It was quite noisy, yet entirely natural.
Even as the old assassins of the Killing Gate, clad in black cloaks, cast wary glances at Jeong Yeon-shin while moving past, the two subordinates of the Demonlight Wing examined the lines of their unit commander's muscles revealed through his clothes, as well as his internal power waves.
The eyes of the Desolate Fortress experts could discern many things in a brief moment. Only after a few breaths did they casually withdraw their gazes.
Around that time, the conversation between the Slaying Hero, Geum Jon-hwi, and Heonwon Chang came to an end.
"I will lead the disciples. Seon-hwi, go to the secret treasury and retrieve a bronze chest. It is very small. It contains nothing but a few scraps of paper. There is no map, but... I know you have already scouted all the escape routes and are familiar with the geography here. I'm counting on you."
"I am not a disciple of the Killing Gate. I don't want to be involved with it anymore..."
"But who else can I trust now?"
Geum Jon-hwi's archaic slyness closely resembled Heonwon Chang's.
His tone was slightly chilly. He had learned that the Killing Gate's secret art, which allowed a successor to be recognized as the sect leader, had been completely lost during the chaos of the Tomb of the Heavenly Demon.
He trusted his brother. The Slaying Hero, pulling his black bamboo hat down low, did not easily reveal his gaze before the dozen or so elders who had approached before he knew it.
"The secret treasury? Young Sect Leader, are you really planning to let Geum Seon-hwi guard our sect's precious treasure?"
"He is an outsider to our sect! How can you make such a disastrous suggestion? Even his trial was cut short!"
Geum Jon-hwi did not bother to respond to each objection.
"Did you not feel the presence of the Meteor Sword? It is of utmost priority for you elders to evacuate the disciples with me. It is only right for Seon-hwi, the sole direct descendant, to follow with the relics of the Tomb of the Heavenly Demon. In terms of legitimacy, he is a child who could even challenge for the position of sect leader. How dare you elders refer to him as an outsider?"
"Look here, Young Sect Leader!"
"The number one swordsman of Liaodong has come for our sect. No matter how much I think about it, hastening our departure is the priority. We do not know when that anomaly of the Strange, Violent, Chaotic, and Supernatural will split the mountain peak, so let us gather the disciples and head to the safe house."
Naturally, a proper assassin sect never had just one or two safe houses.
The trade of assassination was one that required keeping the proverb "a cunning rabbit has three burrows" close to heart. The tunnels they dug were bound to branch out in multiple directions.
"Disciples, this way! For those who have just returned, have the Black Market runners handle them and send telepathic transmissions! We will meet at the safe house in the southern part of Daidong Prefecture!"
It was the system of a great sect.
Dressed as an assassin, he commanded like a general. Following Geum Jon-hwi's gesture, dozens of Killing Gate disciples crossed the underground plaza.
Amidst them, the Slaying Hero's spirit radiated a powerful presence.
The vast underground cavern grew bustling with activity.
Among the Demonlight Wing members gathered to watch them, Lazy Flame Dragon clicked his tongue.
"Reminds me of that Namgung bastard. To think I'd see the day an assassin steps into the light."
"In the midst of this chaos, Shanxi's Number One Sect has been decided. Isn't that right, Unit Commander?"
It was then.
Suddenly.
Boom! Crash! Ba-ba-boom—!
A roaring sound raced along the cavern ceiling. Stone debris rained down in torrents.
The complexions of the Killing Gate disciples sitting at the stone tables drastically changed. The terror was incomparable to when they had reported the movements of the Moyong Clan Head and the Leader of the Deep Martial Alliance earlier.
"The Forbidden Gate Formation has just been severed."
"An urgent report. It seems the mechanism formation of the Screaming Jade has been destroyed."
Their very manner of speaking had changed. Despite their flat voices, an immense urgency could be felt.
They all spoke while drawing in the cavern's energy waves through their Baihui Points, as if they had trained in dynamic cultivation arts.
"The Black Sword's telepathic transmission has been cut off. No energy waves can be felt."
"The Immortal-Capturing Palace Resonance Formation has been shattered! The upper levels are completely breached!"
"He is coming!"
Vrooooooom—!
In the next instant, a heavy echo swallowed their voices entirely. It was as if a dragon from legend had squeezed its head into the underground plaza and roared.
Was it trying to completely crush the cavern walls? An immense pressure weighed heavily on their ears, deafening them. An invisible force expanded in all directions in an instant.
Something was coming.
Boom!
Dust erupted along with the explosion. Every direction was blanketed in a thick haze, and the ground beneath their feet violently shook as if a real earthquake had struck.
Lazy Flame Dragon was the quickest to judge the situation.
"It would be best to clear out instead of getting in the way."
His voice, laden with hot Fervent Yang Energy, cut through the storm of shockwaves. Without sparing a single glance at the Killing Gate crowd, he looked at Heonwon Chang and Shin So-bin, urging them to retreat.
His words were directed at everyone. The madness gleaming in his eyes preemptively ruled out any possibility of them becoming a burden to Jeong Yeon-shin.
"Isn't this place like a spider's web? Hide in any of the Killing Gate's safe houses."
Everything was covered in dust. One could only faintly discern human figures.
Even that was only thanks to the sunlight that had begun to pierce down from above, but no one present considered it a blessing.
Zzzzzing—
A chilling sword ring scraped against the air. It resonated amidst the dust that occasionally blocked the vertically descending sunlight.
A transcendently sharp aura began to fill the vast cavern. Before anyone knew it, a figure standing in midair, holding a long sword, was looking down at the crowd.
"……"
He had manifested.
The peerless swordsman who had long coveted the legacy of the Heavenly Demon.
He wore the grey dust like a shroud. His features were invisible. Only his silence-inducing presence was vivid. It felt as if he were forcibly choking off their breath.
"I have found you."
A deep voice echoed.
The internal power carried in that single sentence swept through the area like a rising dragon.
No one could react. The silence only deepened.
They were placed beneath the feet of the number one swordsman of Liaodong.
The master of the Moyong Clan.
Star-Brilliance Great Sword Lord Moyong Jung-rak.
There was no need for the phrase "living up to his reputation." The heads of the Eight Great Families were ancient absolute beings.
It was a name that inspired the absolute certainty that one's life would end the moment they made a sound. It was like an entirely natural law of the Jianghu.
Since they had met him, it was already too late. No one dared to break the silence.
Except.
At this moment, there was only a single figure floating up soundlessly. He slowly rose toward the shadow of the peerless master looking down upon the underground plaza.
A lone back, the hem of his pitch-black robe fluttering.
With his hands hanging loosely at his sides, he stood stepping upon the blade of a long sword.