Chapter 345: Enemies in the Same Boat
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 345: Enemies in the Same Boat
Striking Second to Prevail.
To strike later, yet arrive first.
Earlier, Jeong Yeon-shin had slipped his hands and feet into the three streams of energy Bukgung-a unleashed, using them as his own personal shockwaves for propulsion. It was a technique from the Harmony Realm.
In an instant, he calculated his trajectory.
It wasn't difficult to move his body while visualizing the path in his mind, just as he had once done when following Great Monk Wonjeok, tracing the movements of the Vajra Immovable Body Art.
Now, a different sensation was imbued within Jeong Yeon-shin's Radiant Wing Step.
It was no longer limited to merely accelerating his body with energy waves or dispersing fluctuations of internal power through his stride. By overlaying an incredibly powerful intent onto his footsteps, he had grasped the profound secret of drastically shortening the time it took to execute his movement technique.
The method he employed resembled the abstruse principles that the Taoist and Buddhist Sects had honed over centuries of refinement.
His five steps were deceptively swift and utterly unrestrained.
'Senior Bukgung was impressive, too.'
To him, it felt like the difference of a single stance. While he was busy untying her hair ribbon and stripping off her robe, he had been unable to defend his own waist. In a real battle, he would have suffered a significant wound—though only after he had already killed Bukgung-a.
Rustle.
Jeong Yeon-shin gathered the hair ribbon and the black robe, which he had been holding in both hands, into his right.
The ribbon, seemingly brand new, brushed gently against his skin. In contrast, the robe felt rough even at its edges, a testament to the life-and-death struggles of the Three Black Strengths it had endured.
It was a strange sensation.
He remembered his older brothers, Jeong Nam-san and Jeong Jung-san, in their childhood. They would occasionally show off ornaments or wooden swords they had snatched from the children of the martial families across the river, boasting to the other village kids. They would warn everyone to prepare for a counterattack, claiming those "country bumpkins" would invade to take their things back.
It was a common childhood game in Xinye County, backed by the wealth of the Jeong Family Manor.
Whenever these games of taking and being taken broke out among the children, Jeong Yeon-shin would only peek over the wall, quietly watching the spectacle of chasing and being caught.
'I only ever watched from afar.'
He thought to himself, 'This is actually quite fun.'
"..."
On the sparring stage, only the faint sound of rolling pebbles echoed.
The vast majority of the audience held their breath, their faces painted with various shades of shock and confusion.
The fact that the Commander of the Demonlight Wing had lost his sword was trivial. The most famous technique of Flash Art Jeong Yeon-shin was the Brilliant River; his Lightning-Flash Sword Ridge Style had not yet surpassed the name bestowed upon him by the Azure Qilin.
On the other hand, the black robe of the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, held in his hand, was chillingly intact. He had stripped off her outer garment without a single tear.
It was hard to believe. It meant he had claimed three vital areas—both arms and the back of her neck—in a single, fluid motion.
When it came to discerning victory and defeat, the eyes of a master and a novice were no different. Considering what the robe and hair ribbon fluttering silently in the Commander of the Demonlight Wing's hand signified, anyone would feel a chill run down their spine.
"You, this is..."
Bukgung-a, now clad only in a thin layer of black martial robes, stood in a daze, holding Jeong Yeon-shin's sword.
With a soft rustle, the Commander of the Netherflow Unit, who had been watching from the side, made his move.
From beneath a body entirely wrapped in bandages, a pitch-black hem brushed the ground. In the blink of an eye, he was right before Jeong Yeon-shin, a grim shadow stretching long from his feet.
No presence could be felt.
This was a high-level realm—a Body Protection Scripture akin to sorcery. The bandaged palm of the Commander of the Netherflow Unit thrust forward in absolute silence. Lacking any of the characteristic sensations of Fa Jin tearing through the air, the palm strike itself seemed to be engraved directly onto space.
Its nature was that of a single-strike, sure-kill assassination, even though it was executed in broad daylight under the gaze of a crowd.
'This was a competition disguised as a free-for-all.'
Jeong Yeon-shin diverted the energy from the Yongquan Point on the sole of his foot to his heel.
The Radiant Wing Step activated once more. His body spun naturally to face the Commander of the Netherflow Unit just a split second before the Character 'Hwang' on his shoulder would have been torn apart by the palm strike.
He immediately raised his left hand. A faint haze of light bloomed from his palm, meeting and crushing the Commander's attack. Once again, it was Striking Second to Prevail.
Faced with the Grappling Technique of the Law-Transcending Halo Qi, the Commander of the Netherflow Unit's breath hitched. From the point of contact, a pale, radiant current leaked out in all directions, accompanied by a sound like countless teeth gnawing on cloth.
'Should I let go?'
Jeong Yeon-shin felt it clearly through his palm—an extremely harsh and destructive sensation as his Halo Qi dismantled and ground the Commander's energy into pieces.
From the spectator seats, an incredibly refined presence flinched, as if worried for his comrade. Even in the midst of the clash, Jeong Yeon-shin sensed the reaction and learned something of the character of the Divine Blood Ultimate Demon, Jin Myeong-jo.
However, the contact lasted only for a moment. Before a single breath could be drawn, the Commander of the Netherflow Unit took a step back.
Huu—
A muffled exhale escaped from the cotton cloth wrapped tightly around his face. After staring intently at Jeong Yeon-shin, the Commander turned without a word and stepped down from the sparring stage.
"..."
Just as the crowd's silence deepened even further, a thunderous question erupted.
"Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring! Is that sword truly the heirloom of the Moyong Clan Head?!"
The voice, infused with internal energy, boomed in all directions. The crowd's gaze instantly shifted to Grand Steward Im Jin-myeong, then darted toward the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring.
Bukgung-a, who had been too busy staring at the sword to notice the Commander of the Netherflow Unit's departure, gave a slight nod. She looked up at Jeong Yeon-shin, who stood taller than her, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"How did the Meteor Sword end up in your hands...?"
"Because the Commander of the Demonlight Wing took the head of the Star-Brilliance Great Sword Lord all by himself! That is his trophy! Return it at once!"
This gathering was meant to boost the morale of the Desolate Fortress warriors, who were surrounded by enemies on all sides.
The Grand Steward, his mouth stretched wide in a grin, shouted repeatedly, the area around his beard tinged with faint waves of internal power.
"Commander of the Demonlight Wing Jeong Yeon-shin has taken the head of the Moyong Clan Head! He killed one of the Eight Clan Heads single-handedly! As the winner of this competition, the master of the Demonlight Wing shall naturally choose his mission as he pleases! No one shall harbor any doubts about his choice!"
His application of a Voice Projection Art was extraordinary. Having completely converted his internal energy into vocal volume, his display felt like a preview of the Demonlight Wing's future Great Tongue Sword.
The reaction was immediate.
A wave of murmurs rippled through the warriors below the sparring stage. It was the prelude to a sensation. The government officials and merchant representatives who had been unable to enter the training ground and were listening from over the walls hurriedly scattered, their presences bustling with excitement even from a distance.
The same went for the seats of honor.
"Whaaat?!" Ak Su-rim cried as she leaped down, her eyes wide as saucers, and began peppering Jeong Yeon-shin with questions. Meanwhile, the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring returned the Meteor Sword, her face suggesting she had much to say.
"How many steps was it?"
"It was five steps."
"Ah."
Letting out a soft sigh, Bukgung-a spoke slowly, her tone unusually subdued. "There are still two more matches left... but the Grand Steward has every right to make a fuss. I thought I would be next after Uncle Yong."
Jeong Yeon-shin sheathed his sword with a brief nod. Bukgung-a was right. This gathering of unit commanders was said to be unprecedentedly competitive. The plan was to divide the six Black Ranks into two groups of three to compete, with the two winners facing off in a final match to determine the ultimate victor.
Just then, Jin Myeong-jo suddenly stood up from his seat, muttering that it was a waste of time. He declared that he would not participate, leaving the decision entirely to the Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
Wrapped in a black robe like an elegant bat, he glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin and then looked down at the Grand Steward.
"Faced with an achievement that deserves nothing but respect, I find myself lacking the desire to move. I shall take my leave."
The current Commander of the Demonlight Wing raised his head, still being bombarded by Ak Su-rim's chatter. It was a level of nobility he had never witnessed before. Nodding slightly in response to Jeong Yeon-shin's polite bow, the Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit leaped into the air and vanished across the sky.
Ak Su-rim's chattering lingered faintly at the edge of his departing robe.
"I'm out, too. How could I possibly handle those steps? Unless my condition and luck were absolutely perfect today..."
* * *
Jeong Yeon-shin returned to the Demonlight Wing pavilion, dodging the countless salutes from the main fortress warriors.
He exchanged all the rewards from his achievements for Golden Sore Medicine and healing pills. His accumulated Qi had reached a point where it could no longer be increased by standard elixirs. He left the distribution of the rewards to Baek Mi-ryeo and Cheong-myeong.
"The Moyong Clan Head, of all people..."
"Look at this register," Cheong-myeong said with a bright smile. "There's more than enough to supply the White-Ranked kids and still have plenty left over. We could fill dozens of travel bags."
The Demonlight Wing's storehouse, which had been depleted due to the loss of their influence in the City of Master Craftsmen, was now overflowing.
"Please pack my share separately from what we already have. Right now. I've decided to take the mission that goes from Sichuan up to Xinjiang. I intend to set off first."
It had been a long time since the Commander of the Heaven-Aligned Wing, the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, and the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit had headed to Xinjiang. Since the ceremonies were over, there was no reason to delay.
—We have intelligence that the Young Sect Leader of the Ming Cult has made contact with the Golden Wing Sect of Sichuan. She likely intends to obtain the Flood Dragon's inner core to further enhance her martial arts.
Those had been the Grand Steward's words.
Jeong Yeon-shin intended to make this mission his last before asking the Lord of the Desolate Fortress for a Purple Rank promotion. By then, she would have returned to the main fortress.
There was much to do.
Returning to his office, Jeong Yeon-shin quickly wrapped up his remaining duties, thinking of his maternal uncle, Ma Jin, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
—Yeon-shin, your handwriting is quite elegant, so I have no worries about you writing letters.
His uncle's compliment had not been misplaced.
The allocation of missions, supply requests to the steward's office, and reviewing his comrades' progress in the Vast Art Formula were all carried out swiftly. In the case of the Vast Art Formula, perhaps thanks to the meticulously written manual, there were no questions. It was highly gratifying. The Demonlight Wing was steadily, if slowly, growing stronger.
"I am the scout. I will go ahead, so follow carefully."
The only subordinate who could even remotely keep up with his Lightness Skill: Ten-Mile Light Grace was the Lazy Flame Dragon, who possessed an immense amount of Qi. However, because the martial world had recently become extremely perilous, it was best for his subordinates to travel together in a group.
An era of severe famine and plunder had arrived. The entire martial world was the enemy of the Desolate Fortress.
As soon as Jeong Yeon-shin finalized the roster for the rearguard, which included Baek Mi-ryeo, he left the pavilion.
Sichuan, Qinghai, and Xinjiang—places where mysterious mists were reportedly rising. Among them, Qinghai and Xinjiang lay outside the country's borders, meaning the search area was unimaginably vast. For this reason, several unit commander-level figures would scatter to conduct the search. According to the Grand Steward, a few more would be joining.
As the winner of the competition, Jeong Yeon-shin had strongly recommended the Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit and the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring. With him taking on the Heaven-Smiling Invincible after proving his martial prowess, the role of ensuring the safety of their fellow Black Ranks naturally fell to those with more meticulous personalities.
Bukgung-a, who had listened to this alongside a reluctant-looking Grand Steward, stared at Jeong Yeon-shin with a strange expression for a while but did not seem to object.
"Grand Preceptor... Yeon-shin. Are we going to keep traveling together like this?"
"Only until your Qi Deviation is cured."
"What if it never heals?"
A woman with ebony hair cascading over the hem of a wide-sleeved white martial robe walked side by side with Jeong Yeon-shin. A beautiful blind woman whose sharp nose seemed haloed in light. As the two exceptionally handsome individuals drew the gazes of everyone around them, their footsteps eventually brought them to the main gate of the fortress.
"Yes, that's it. That's the one."
A voice suddenly rang out.
A man and a woman were blocking the wide fortress gate. The woman, middle-aged, pointed at the Seventh Apostle. One sleeve of her pitch-black court dress hung limp like a withered branch. Vindictiveness and nobility coexisted on her refined face. Her gaze, which had once seemed to look down upon the entire world, now felt trivial to Jeong Yeon-shin.
"That lowborn dared to commit such a disastrous act against me, who inherits the blood of the Heaven's Descendant. Not knowing her place in the main fortress..."
A collateral branch of the imperial family. Ju Yeon-jeong of the Desolate Ma Clan.
The man beside her was the Duke of Sword Might, Ju Cheol. His face lit up with joy upon seeing Jeong Yeon-shin, but his brow furrowed at her words. He turned his head toward Ju Yeon-jeong.
"Are you referring to the esteemed guest beside the next Commander of the Divine Sword Corps?"
"An esteemed guest...?" Ju Yeon-jeong blankly repeated the words.
"Of course she is. How could someone kept close by a hero be ordinary?"
Only then did Jeong Yeon-shin truly enter her sight. The appearance of the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, transformed by Marrow Cleansing and Bone Rebirth, was the talk of the fortress. After hearing the rumors, it wasn't difficult for a master trained in eye techniques to trace back his previous features.
Ju Yeon-jeong's body stiffened.
However, Jeong Yeon-shin didn't even pretend to notice her. Offering a nod of greeting only to the Duke of Sword Might, he let the unique temperament of the Desolate Ma Clan—the family Ju Yeon-jeong belonged to—radiate from him unfiltered.
To make matters worse for her, Ju Cheol wore a good-natured expression and wished him luck.
"I expect to see you in the Forbidden City next time. I wish you the best of luck."
Those on the candidate list for a Purple Rank promotion would face the Emperor before all civil and military officials. Ju Cheol's words were the ultimate blessing.
Bowing once more, Jeong Yeon-shin calmly walked past the two.
Every single step he took radiated an immense presence. To Ju Yeon-jeong, it felt like a weight of a thousand pounds. A terrifying pressure locked her mouth shut, and for a brief moment, the image of the Hegemon Hero overlapped with the Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
—There are many Jus in the world.
Rustle.
With a smirk, the Seventh Apostle poked Ju Yeon-jeong's empty shoulder with a long finger before moving on.
* * *
From Huguang Province to Sichuan Province.
Many days passed.
Jeong Yeon-shin no longer needed a swift steed. His Lightness Skill: Ten-Mile Light Grace engraved constellations upon the earth, and the halo dwelling in his heart spun endlessly, supplying propulsion to his heels. The Seventh Apostle's Graceful Body Technique, which nearly resembled Void Treading, could barely keep up.
They reached a snow-capped mountain range that seemed to stretch on forever.
The two traveled together while maintaining a slight distance. Day after day, Jeong Yeon-shin would teach her a mnemonic, and the Seventh Apostle would ask about it again the following day.
And then came today, at noon. The sunlight was brilliantly white.
It seemed spring had not yet reached Sichuan Province.
Beneath a canyon surrounded by pure white ridges, a stream of water that had somehow avoided freezing completely flowed leisurely. It was a path they had to cross to enter the Sichuan basin.
"Don't step on the ice over there. It's very thin. My servant suffered a terrible mishap in the cold water."
Beneath the shadow cast by a peak, a figure sat leisurely, a bamboo fishing rod cast into the icy water.
His chin was tilted slightly up.
The corner of his mouth, faintly illuminated by the sun, was crooked. The aura enveloping his entire body was strangely noble, yet it carried a smirk that seemed to mock everything.
Because of this, Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly thought of the word So-cheon (Heaven-Smiling).
Along with a massive sense of familiarity that struck his mind like lightning, he also felt the Lazy Flame Dragon's characteristic temperament of having let go of everything.
"I have a proposal for you. It's about screwing over the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect, the greediest man in all of Sichuan."
The figure shuddered slightly, then chuckled as he continued.
"Why don't we go hunt a dragon together?"
"Bullshit," Jeong Yeon-shin said.