Chapter 351: Enemies in the Same Boat (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 351: Enemies in the Same Boat (7)
Temperament, tone, the look in one’s eyes.
Since childhood, Jeong Yeon-shin had been adept at reading people’s true intentions. He’d had to be; there had been far too many times when he was forced to walk on eggshells.
Like the time his eldest brother had called him out to play with the village children, only for him to find a crudely made sign planted in the empty lot where they were supposed to meet. Instead of his friends, he found only the words: The boy who ate his mother.
And what about now? Now, with the Baihui Point—the Hundred Meetings—on his head opened to its absolute limit?
The inner thoughts of a supreme master of the Jianghu, a being nearly on par with a deity, flowed into him, even if it was just a mere fragment of her mind.
She doesn't see me as a human.
In that moment, looking into the eyes of the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect, he felt a profound emptiness. It was the disposition of one who refused to acknowledge any equal. She seemed to view Jeong Yeon-shin not as a person, but as a precious object.
A piece of divine weaponry, the key to hunting down the Imugi. A net beautifully woven by the heavens themselves.
Her question about marriage must have been nothing more than a check. A way to see if there was a spouse who might get in the way of her goals. After all, a sword meant to be gripped and swung at a moment’s notice could not remain sheathed. The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's eccentric words and actions all reflected a life that was difficult to fathom.
Jeong Yeon-shin stared at her silently before parting his lips.
"Let go."
He completely suppressed the power of the Myriad Blossoms Rain gathered in his palm. It was a secret technique he couldn't use anyway, not while it was blocked by the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's interlocking fingers.
Rumble—
Wooden debris and roof tile fragments scattered across the courtyard with a loud racket, but he paid them no mind. Instead, he focused entirely on the sensation between their hands.
He could feel the wave of energy from the Heaven-Ruling Dragon-Slaying Art wrapping around the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's arm. Like an invisible bolt of lightning, its monstrous repulsive force constantly stimulated the Halo Qi hidden deep within his meridians. It came with a vibration that sliced through the air with a low, crackling hum.
If she decided to unleash her full power here, he would have to sacrifice one of his hands—just like the Leader of the Deep Martial Alliance, whose arm had been torn off by his maternal grandfather, Ma Yeon-jeok.
The rumors are true. It's an energy that obliterates spiritual aura.
Just as the Dharma power of his Halo Qi could counter evil and demonic arts, and even hegemon arts to some extent, the ultimate essence of the Heaven-Ruling Dragon-Slaying Art lay in crushing all auspicious energy under heaven.
This meant he could not afford to clash with her based on an incomplete analysis. His primary martial arts, the Infinite Flower of Time Hand and the Lightning-Flash Sword Ridge Style, were both techniques specialized in utilizing Halo Qi. He couldn't risk mixing in other types of True Qi; a peerless master wasn't someone who could be fooled by such parlor tricks.
What if I block the energy from even approaching in the first place...?
Just as Jeong Yeon-shin recalled the Moyong Clan Head's Heavenly Demon Divine Armor, the woman spoke.
"There was no reason for you to come as a spy."
Withdrawing her hand, the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect spoke dryly. It was as if she found it a waste of effort for someone who had mastered the Myriad Blossoms Rain to such a degree to go through all this trouble. She had maintained this attitude from the moment their eyes met. No martial artist in the Jianghu gets angry at a weapon.
She showed absolutely no hostility from beginning to end. She was truly the leader of a bizarre sect.
"Your name?" the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect asked.
She was small. Her slightly tilted head barely reached Jeong Yeon-shin's chest. Yet, there was nothing fragile about the way she looked up at him.
A transcendent. A peerless master. Draped in a luxurious red-gold robe that resembled the feathers of a phoenix, her presence alone commanded absolute silence from her surroundings.
"Tang Man-yeon," Jeong Yeon-shin replied.
He decided to pose as a rising expert of the Tang Clan. His appearance was vastly different from that of the current Commander of the Demonlight Wing, and because he had inherited the divine art of Jin Myeong-jo, Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit, he did not emit even a sliver of his Halo Qi's energy wave.
Even if someone suspected him and thought of Flash Art, the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, it would be fine. He had already seen through the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's indifferent nature.
It won't take long.
The master of the Myriad Blossoms Rain decided to walk this tightrope. At least until he met his seniors.
* * *
An unidentified rising star.
The Net of Heaven and Earth, manifested in human form to seal the Imugi's struggles, had appeared. His arrival was bound to become an instant sensation.
All sorts of people conversed freely in the main halls, on the walls, and in the streets. Even three days after the incident, the excitement had not died down. There were simply too many people coming and going.
"I heard the Right Protector was humiliated?"
"Good. That means precious spirit medicine won't be wasted on the Poison Lord."
"Just how strong is this Tang Man-yeon fellow?"
"Go to the Golden Wing Hall and see for yourself. See what kind of miracle he performed with the Myriad Blossoms Rain."
"This is why those Orthodox bastards are so exhausting. Whether it's an old master or a successor, they just keep coming, one after another."
"I heard his looks are even more extraordinary than his martial arts."
"The Sect Lord has kept him close, hasn't she? I'd love to catch a glimpse."
"Don't even think about it. I heard the Right Protector is watching him like a hawk from the Sect Leader's Hall."
A power of the Jianghu existing between the Orthodox and Unorthodox, the Golden Wing Sect was a sect of madmen obsessed with slaying the Imugi. Their disposition was entirely different from even the demonic practitioners who trained in demonic arts. Each of them had embarked on the path of martial arts to slay spirit beasts, driven by tragic pasts, personal goals, or grand ambitions.
No one questioned Jeong Yeon-shin's origins. Nor did they try to fathom his intentions. They simply gave him an outer room in the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's quarters and kept a watchful eye to prevent him from moving rashly.
Except for one person.
The Right Protector, Molten Spirit Divine Fist. The man who deceived guests under the guise of a servant named Wanyang.
"Is this truly your first time seeing him?"
"...Yes."
"I told you, it is."
It was the empty lot next to the Sect Leader's Hall. The short twin siblings of the Tang Clan casually brushed off the interrogation of Wanyang, who stood with his arms crossed.
Even as the terrifying energy wave unique to the Golden Wing Sect's Right Protector tore and crushed the dirt and stones at their feet, the boy and girl dressed in green silk didn't bother to meet Wanyang's gaze. They were born noble, direct descendants of Sichuan's greatest martial clan. Just because their family was in decline did not mean their spirits had been completely broken.
"A successor of the Poison Lord who mastered the Myriad Blossoms Rain without your knowledge? Does that make any sense?"
"We never knew a thing. Not about our Supreme Elder grandfather joining hands with the Blood Flame Cult Leader, nor about the Golden Wing Sect being so mad they'd commit acts even the Ming Cult wouldn't dare."
The Poison Phoenix spoke, tossing a small stone into the air and catching it. The Poison Dragon, sitting casually nearby, let out a smirk.
Wanyang's eyebrows twitched.
"Shut your mouth."
Crack—
The stone the Poison Phoenix had been playing with crumbled into dust in midair.
Injuring others with pure intent. It was a realm where supreme masters of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak could harm someone with their internal energy without any warning signs—a sight that would seem like an incomprehensible art even to those from great sects.
Only then did a faint tension appear on the siblings' faces.
"Could that Myriad Blossoms Rain be some bizarre trick? A way for the Desolate Fortress's Flash Art to infiltrate us as a spy? No one here is ignorant of the Tang Clan's disgraceful behavior. Did you not revere that Demonlight Wing brat as your clan's teacher? Speak the truth, or you will pay dearly."
Wanyang spoke in a low voice. The Poison Phoenix forced her lips into a smirk.
"Are you calling your own sect incompetent?"
"What?"
"Isn't the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect well-versed in sorcery martial arts? This damn Golden Wing Sect is crawling with people who can spot a human skin mask from a mile away. What kind of person could deceive all your eyes, walk right in here, and pretend to be someone who doesn't exist?"
"We're actually the ones who are curious," the Poison Dragon chimed in casually.
No martial artist in the Jianghu, whether Orthodox or Unorthodox, would meekly accept a logical argument. When faced with a sharp truth, they were more likely to draw their swords than continue the conversation.
Wanyang was no exception.
A master of fist and kicking techniques, he manifested a translucent energy around his body. In an instant, the air shimmered violently, as if an invisible fire had been ignited.
"It seems you need to experience the Muscle-Splitting and Bone-Dislocating Technique before you'll speak the truth. After all, the Imugi will care more about your energy than your measly flesh and bones."
"Right Protector, stop. We are on the verge of our great undertaking. We should be praying for good omens, not needlessly creating bad ones."
An old man with a great saber strapped to his back spoke. It was the Left Protector, Iron Helmet Divine Blade.
Wanyang and the Dragon-Phoenix Twin Poisons were not the only ones in the vast empty lot. Nearly the entirety of the Golden Wing Sect's forces—old masters and young martial artists alike—were gathered there, along with the experts of the Tenth Sect, who were clad in armor and wielding the eighteen types of weapons. In total, they numbered around three hundred.
On the ground where they stood, stakes driven in all directions, massive boulders, and barely legible ancient characters formed a giant circular formation.
A magic formation for human sacrifice. It was a formation designed to tear open the world where the Imugi lay hidden.
With the experts of the Golden Wing Sect and the Tenth Sect lining the perimeter, dozens of internal cultivation experts, including the Tang siblings, were surrounded by the two forces of the Thirteen Heavens, positioned right at the center of the formation. They could not resist. Their acupoints had already been thoroughly sealed, preventing them from raising their internal energy.
Soon, Wanyang relaxed his shoulders and withdrew his aura. "Indeed. Even if he were the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, what difference would it make? He has already stepped into the land of death."
"With this much strength, we could march on the Desolate Fortress instead of the Imugi," one of the Golden Wing Sect's experts joked.
The cold gazes of the Tang siblings swept over her.
"I guess you haven't heard the rumors? They say the Hidden King Amidst Flowers severed the Jegal Clan Leader's head," the Poison Dragon said.
"It's bound to be a wild rumor. Do you know how far it is from Shanxi to here? If a rumor is a snowball, the truth is probably just a single pebble hidden inside. It's not like it happened nearby."
"They're still young, so they believe every rumor in the Jianghu literally."
As the Golden Wing Sect expert smirked and retorted, laughter erupted here and there. They were on the eve of the Imugi hunt, a grand undertaking that would not happen again in a thousand years. They eased their tension in their own ways, either falling into meditation where they stood or exchanging jokes.
"Leave them be. The Right Protector has to believe that, at least. After all, he was completely outclassed by that newcomer, Tang Man-yeon. In both martial arts and looks," the Poison Phoenix said, patting the Poison Dragon's shoulder.
Swoosh—
The fury of a supreme master occurred without a sound. With an indifferent expression, the Right Protector, Wanyang, stretched his hands toward the siblings. A faint haze shimmered at his fingertips—the aftermath of an extremely condensed force of Fa Jin.
His arms thrust forward with enough momentum to tear through space itself, but they were stopped short as a large hand wearing a white hand-guard grabbed both of his wrists in succession.
Thud.
"How dare—!"
Wanyang started to curse but quickly shut his mouth.
The one who had blocked the strike of one of the Golden Wing Sect's strongest protectors was a middle-aged man clad in pure white light armor, who offered him a faint smile.
"Stop. We don't want to bring bad luck to our great cause."
Thump—
A suppressed shockwave rippled through the air from their hands. The ground shook violently for a moment, but it had no effect on the magic formation. This was because a flow of internal energy, refined to the absolute limit, had forcibly stripped the power from Wanyang's grasp and dispersed it into the sky.
Yet, the middle-aged man who had displayed a skill transcending human limits did not emit even a sliver of an energy wave, despite having suppressed one of the two great protectors of the Golden Wing Sect using nothing but the pure principles of martial arts.
He was the Lord of the Tenth Sect. The master of the Thirteen Heavens' Tenth Sect.
A peerless master who had retired from his post as a Northern Grand General to return to his hometown and found his own sect. The man who, despite being caught off guard by a surprise attack from the Blood Flame Cult Leader, had launched a counterattack that enabled the Hegemon Hero to perish alongside him.
I heard he had fallen into decline... Wanyang swallowed a groan.
The Lord of the Tenth Sect's massive frame completely overwhelmed Wanyang. A chunk of one of his ears was missing, as if sliced off by a sword, but rather than looking grotesque, it gave him the aura of an undefeated, legendary general. Even without revealing his internal energy, he carved a terrifying presence into the air.
His eyes, however, looked gentle. It was just that his pupils, resembling those of a bull, held a strangely chilling light.
Wanyang backed away in silence, while the Tang siblings maintained their usual arrogant posture, casting glances toward the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's quarters.
"..."
They waited for the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect in silence.
After about half an hour, the woman in the red-gold robe emerged, accompanied by an incomparably handsome young man. It was the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect and Jeong Yeon-shin.
"We begin."
The moment the tip of her silk shoe stepped onto the border of the magic formation, thunder rumbled from deep beneath the earth. The patterns of the formation began to rotate slowly with the sound of grinding soil.
It was the pinnacle of mystery. They were entering an entirely different Jianghu.
But rather than feeling any excitement, Jeong Yeon-shin asked once more about something he had been verifying over the past few days.
"Those offered as sacrifices—is it true they won't lose their lives?"
"Yes."
—Only until they fall into the Imugi's maw, that is.
The dry voice of the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect and a mental transmission from the Heaven-Smiling Invincible rang out at the same time.
The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's answer ended there. The Young Sect Leader of the Ming Cult's words, however, continued.
—You can do it, right? You've done it before, at the Blood Flame Cult's headquarters...
Jeong Yeon-shin did not reply. The words of the Heaven-Smiling Invincible, who must be far away, were of no importance. What mattered was that if he didn't see his seniors alive after this formation activated...
My Body Protection Qi must be even more domineering than the Heavenly Demon Divine Armor...
Forcing down his thoughts, he glanced at the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect, who had stepped onto the formation. She was a peculiar person. For three days, she had not spoken a single word to him, only sharing meals. He was treated strictly as eye candy and a weapon. The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect did not guard against him at all.
Three things had bred this carelessness: his unexpected Marrow Cleansing and Bone Rebirth; the Divine Blood Ultimate Demon, whose very existence was the treasure of the Desolate Fortress; and the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's own martial prowess, which was near-invincible in this land.
—Seoha Dongchuk, Eunmyeong Jihwoeng, Yehageumsi...
The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's voice rang out, as clear and melodious as a song. The sorcery mantra was uttered through the Six Harmonies Sound Transmission. The speed at which the patterns of the formation rotated gradually increased. The Lord of the Tenth Sect stood guard beside her.
Jeong Yeon-shin closed his eyes.
He thought of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. He recalled the profound principles of the Heart Sword passed down through her whispers.
At the same time, his consciousness captured and seized every single wave of energy the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect was emitting.
Wuuuung—!
A light like sunlight flickered at the Baihui Point—the Hundred Meetings—in his head.
He completely deciphered the mnemonics and intent embedded within the magic formation, drawing them all into his mind. Where to bend the True Qi, on which axis to anchor the internal energy to achieve a certain effect, and with what intent to move his power to manifest the desired outcome.
His consciousness raced like a bolt of lightning.
He didn't bother trying to fathom the parts that were impossible to understand. There was only one thing he needed to extract.
He had to select the people who would accompany him through the Imugi's formation. That alone was enough. He didn't need to comprehend the entire thing.
His Upper Dantian burned. His talent, which allowed him to live a single day as if it were ten years, swept through the massive magic formation, turning the hundreds of years of the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's life into empty ash.
Chirp—
At that same moment, high above their heads, a single white swallow flew down from the distant sky. It hovered in place, gliding through the air.
A single scroll, loosely tied to its slender leg, fluttered back and forth, momentarily blocking out the sun.