Chapter 352: Sprint
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 352: Sprint
Along the border of the formation, which spun continuously in a large circle, streaks of faint white light flowed out. It was a tangible wave of energy, a barrier designed to block any external interference.
The swallow circling high in the sky ultimately could not land. Not only was the function of the spell formation difficult to gauge, but the ground around its master was surrounded by extremely dangerous individuals.
Chirp—
The winged spirit beast blinked its small, pitch-black eyes as it looked down at its master. Though it had finally found the familiar energy it hadn't felt in so long, its master, whose temperament was innately volatile, was once again doing something that made it impossible to approach.
The mystical swallow of the Desolate Fortress instinctively knew. If it approached the formation recklessly, it might never deliver the piece of wood tied to its leg.
The spirit beast’s tiny eyes darted between its master, its master’s shadow, the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect and the Lord of the Tenth Sect standing nearby, and an untouchable presence rushing toward them from afar at an incredible speed.
"Net."
At that moment, the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect spoke. The moment she opened her eyes and looked toward Jeong Yeon-shin, the pale, delicate face of Sichuan's greatest beauty took on the transcendent aura unique to an absolute master. The sunlight pouring over her sharply sculpted features blended with the halo of the formation, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
"Before you face the flood dragon, you would do well to reflect on your Myriad Blossoms Rain."
Net.
This was what the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect called Jeong Yeon-shin. It was neither an affectionate nickname nor an exaggerated title. She truly paid no heed to his real identity or background. She treated him as an inanimate object, a tool incapable of functioning on its own.
"Only now?" Jeong Yeon-shin asked curtly. He hadn't heard a single word from her during the three days they had shared a table.
Her light brown eyes, slightly veiled by long eyelashes, deepened. She looked like an ascetic lost in contemplation of enlightenment.
"Timing is of no importance. Great enlightenment arrives like a clap of thunder on a clear day."
"Explain in detail," Jeong Yeon-shin urged in a calm tone, having a vague inkling of what she meant.
Did she see through it?
The sole flaw in his martial arts.
"Insolent brat. I have warned him repeatedly, yet that greenhorn still speaks so disrespectfully..."
"Calm yourself, Right Protector."
Right Protector Wanyang, who occupied one axis of the spell formation, glared at Jeong Yeon-shin with disapproval. But aside from a single warrior who appeared to be Wanyang's subordinate, no one from the Golden Wing Sect paid him any mind.
Jeong Yeon-shin remained faithful to his role: the genius who had mastered the Myriad Blossoms Rain after the Tang Clan Leader. A collateral of the Tang Clan, which the Golden Wing Sect had practically ruined; the core of the flood dragon hunt; an outstanding talent. To play the part, he had to discard his ingrained manners and etiquette, which was no easy task. Thus, even when Jeong Yeon-shin showed a somewhat disrespectful attitude, the Golden Wing Sect disciples simply accepted it.
Instead, the experts of the Tenth Sect, carrying various weapons, were warily watching Wanyang, who was famous for his Molten Spirit Divine Fist. Judging by their whispers, it seemed Yeo Ju-ha, the Moon-Gazing Radiant Halberd who had once led their unit, had been utterly defeated by Wanyang in the past.
"Myriad Blossoms Rain. I saw it several times before it was lost to the world," the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect said, her silk sleeves fluttering elegantly within the formation. "Yours is nothing but a trick. You are merely mimicking the legendary Myriad Blossoms Rain by precisely utilizing the Absorption Technique and the Release Formula. It is like imitating Sword Kinesis with a powerful Void Grab."
"And?"
"Because the technique comes too easily to you, you pour none of your soul into your martial arts. You won't be able to hold the flood dragon for long."
"My soul?"
"The Myriad Blossoms Rain is a technique that unleashes the poison and hidden weapon arts a Tang Clan expert has refined over a lifetime, all at once, like a river of stars. It is a martial art of accumulated years. A genius who accomplishes everything with ease would find it difficult to understand."
Her characteristically informal and dry voice grated on Jeong Yeon-shin's nerves. The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect seemed to ask with her eyes: Have you ever poured your soul into your martial arts?
The Golden Winged Bird.
She was one who had taken the legendary dragon-eating bird as her sect's namesake. The eyes of Sichuan's strongest expert had seen through a portion of Jeong Yeon-shin's nature, despite his concealed energy and identity. Had his essence, qi, and spirit not been on the verge of unity, she might have even seen through his remaining lifespan.
The young man slowly parted his lips. "...Is this not a meaningless conversation? The great undertaking is right before us."
"Because occasionally, there are beings who leap across the years they ought to have trodden in a single bound. Just like the child of the Ming Cult."
In other words, her advice was a whim, banking on a negligible possibility. She turned her head back toward the spell formation.
"..."
Suddenly, Jeong Yeon-shin recalled the rumor that the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect might be older than the Ming Dynasty itself. It was said that while the massive sects making up the world's Nine Sects, Eight Families, and Thirteen Heavens changed with the passage of time, the Dragon Slaying Alliance—the predecessor of the Golden Wing Sect—had always been a great power, much like Shaolin and Wudang.
The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect had undoubtedly seen many Tang Clan Leaders and the Myriad Blossoms Rain they unleashed.
"Why did you not cooperate with the ancestors of the Tang family who mastered the orthodox Myriad Blossoms Rain?" Jeong Yeon-shin asked.
The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect, her light brown eyes now completely fixed on the formation, responded with only her lips moving. "I did. Once."
"Once?"
"The other times, the timing was off. That flood dragon's formation never stays still."
"Then why proceed with this when you're unsatisfied with my Myriad Blossoms Rain?"
"Because I have become stronger than I was back then. You only need to hold it down occasionally."
"..."
"Do not get close to the flood dragon. Your body... shows no trace of any decent Body Protection Qi. You will be torn apart by its mere breath."
It was an admonition to use his martial arts from as far away as possible—and the same provocation he had received from the Young Sect Leader of the Ming Cult.
That guy, and now her.
Do they think being old is everything?
For Jeong Yeon-shin, who had primarily mastered close-quarters combat and swordplay, this was unfamiliar advice.
As an unfamiliar heat began to rise in his chest, the Lord of the Tenth Sect, who had been standing to one side with his arms crossed, approached with a hearty laugh.
"The successor of the Myriad Blossoms Rain!"
"Lord of the Tenth Sect."
"You are younger than I thought. With the world in such a turbulent state, even the Tang Clan has produced a hidden dragon."
"Young?"
"They say the Heaven-Smiling Invincible, the Hidden King Amidst Flowers, the Seventh Apostle of the Blood Ghosts, and two greenhorns from the Righteous Factions have begun to be called the Five Bright Vessels. But looking at you now, should it not be the Six Vessels? At the very least, that child called the Blade Marquis of the Peng Family is bound to be your inferior."
A peerless expert of military origin, thoroughly proficient in the Eighteen Weapons. He shattered the preconception that a man of his background would be taciturn. The way he counted on his fingers even seemed a bit simple-minded. Contrary to first impressions, he seemed to possess a talkative nature.
This was evident from how he continued speaking without paying any attention to Jeong Yeon-shin's response. "However, it is not yet your era—"
"There is a saying that the breath of the long-bodied flood dragon can destroy an entire nation. Since it might be one of the demons that drove the clans who descended from the opened heavens out of their homeland, this is no matter for a greenhorn to meddle in."
He wore pure white armor that resembled ceremonial dress, making his build appear exceptionally massive. His height was great enough to meet Jeong Yeon-shin's eye level, and up close, he radiated the overwhelming presence of a living fortress. If it were a matter of sheer size, the missing Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, Hahu Wi-jin, would surpass him. However, the Lord of the Tenth Sect was shrouded in the transcendence unique to a peerless expert, something Hahu Wi-jin lacked—an overwhelming aura that gave the impression that anything was possible.
"Be content with assisting from the rear. Even so, your name will be recorded in the history of the Jianghu, and furthermore, the history of the world."
His archaic speech, reminiscent of a grand general, suited him perfectly. It was not just because his martial arts had reached the peerless realm, but because of his very temperament. Despite rumors that the aftereffects of his encounter with the Blood Flame Cult Leader were severe, a brilliant light shone in his eyes as he scanned Jeong Yeon-shin with interest.
"In the history of the world...?" Jeong Yeon-shin murmured.
The Lord of the Tenth Sect, arms still crossed, nodded slowly. "The Golden Wing Sect has held an event unprecedented in its history. They threw open the great gates beneath their plaque to welcome guests, so the entire Jianghu must be in an uproar. The fact that even the greenhorn of the Beggar Sect came says it all."
The Successor of the Beggar Sect, who had fallen into a dead faint after being hit by the Myriad Blossoms Rain. Jeong Yeon-shin silently stared at the Lord of the Tenth Sect, not bothering to recall the man's face.
"You, a mere greenhorn, wouldn't know how the great feat of slaying the flood dragon will be perceived by the Imperial Family and the various mystical clans."
"Quiet."
The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect stopped the Lord of the Tenth Sect with a slight shift of her eyes.
The surroundings grew bright.
A white light, endlessly flowing from the formation like strands of thread, gradually grew denser. The flow of the sorcery martial arts seemed to have reached its peak. Jeong Yeon-shin scanned all the waves of energy emanating from the formation with his consciousness, sensing the prelude to the spell's manifestation.
The great undertaking the Golden Wing Sect had prepared for hundreds of years was on the verge of being realized.
"We do not know where we will land. If you die, consider it the mandate of heaven."
Rustle.
The red-gold silk sleeves of the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect brushed past her waist and settled. The disciples of the Golden Wing Sect and the Tenth Sect standing upon the formation adjusted their grips on their weapons with a metallic clatter. Some experts enveloped their entire bodies in colorless Body Protection Qi, accompanied by the vibrating hum of energy from various spots.
The sight of elite experts from the great sects of the Thirteen Heavens steeling themselves with heightened excitement was a scene rarely witnessed outside the Desolate Fortress.
"Do not be too disappointed, Molten Spirit Divine Fist. Are you not the vanguard who must lead the charge? You carry many lives on your shoulders."
"The Lord of the Tenth Sect saves my face."
Wooooooong—!
The light enveloping them from all directions rapidly intensified. A resonant sound like a dragon's roar filled the clearing, a sound that did not seem to belong to the mortal realm.
"It's starting! It has begun!"
"Are we truly departing for the Immortal Realm where the flood dragon resides?"
"How can humans artificially achieve Feathered Ascension...! And not just one or two, but so many!"
Hundreds of people.
Those who had been hiding with bated breath along the massive walls of the Golden Wing Sect revealed their presences one by one. They were martial artists from the outside world, unrelated to the two great sects gathered here. They were too far away to affect the activation of the formation. The majority were simply those who had come after hearing rumors, only to be struck with astonishment. Some immediately turned to send messenger pigeons, while others scattered using their lightness skills.
It was exactly as the Lord of the Tenth Sect had said: the eyes of the entire martial world would be drawn here.
"So you're saying two of the Lords of the Thirteen Heavens are gathered in one place?"
"Is that all? It seems they intend to empty their entire sect, as even the two Great Protectors of the Golden Wing Sect are there!"
"Crazy... They're really going to do it."
Soon.
Something was about to happen.
By then, Jeong Yeon-shin had finished analyzing the spell formation.
In his mind, senses as precise as a clockwork mechanism grasped every single function of the formation, consciously selecting only the necessary parts.
The wheel of light dwelling in his heart spun.
Heart Sword.
Invisible streams of internal energy extended from Jeong Yeon-shin's entire body. Dozens of energy waves. Weaving themselves strand by strand into the flow of internal power that composed the spell formation, they silently wrested control of the sorcery martial arts from the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect.
The Tang siblings are already entangled as sacrifices for the formation. It's impossible to separate them.
His thoughts converged into a single, razor-sharp point.
—Pull the Tang siblings to his side and exclude the two Lords of the Thirteen Heavens.
Jeong Yeon-shin's intent immediately became the will governing his martial arts, flowing into the spell formation. In an instant, the ancient inscriptions carved into the ground in a circle vibrated violently.
"...?"
The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect, who had kept her eyelashes neatly lowered, suddenly snapped her eyes open. She noticed the anomaly at once.
It was impossible not to. The calculations that served as the core components of the spell formation were being shattered and replaced by a different formula.
However, Jeong Yeon-shin had acted on the assumption that the moves of peerless experts are executed the very instant they perceive something.
Wooooooong—!
The formation had already activated.
Dozens of threads made of light billowed out from the circular border in all directions, and the cool late-winter wind brushing through the air gradually faded, vanishing without a trace.
The surroundings blurred.
"You...!"
That single, sharp exclamation from the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect, who glared at Jeong Yeon-shin while showing emotion for the first time, was the last thing he heard.
*
An instant passed. It was truly a brief moment.
Yet, the scenery surrounding Jeong Yeon-shin was not the same. It had completely changed.
Ancient trees stretched endlessly toward the sky, the scent of grass was incredibly thick, and dozens of Ironfolk—beings who were extremely rare in the outside world—surrounded them, murmuring amongst themselves in bizarre attire.
It was a miracle. Could such a thing happen again in the world?
At this moment, only the Tang siblings and Right Protector Wanyang, who stood beside Jeong Yeon-shin, remained as they were before.
They could not hide their dumbfounded expressions. To be precise, only the siblings, Poison Dragon and Poison Phoenix, looked stunned. Wanyang, on the other hand, seemed to feel a strange ecstasy alongside his bewilderment.
Hum—
"This power... Yes, we have arrived safely...!"
A colorless wave of energy faintly enveloped his entire body. It was incredibly powerful, to the extent that the surrounding atmosphere rippled. It was incomparable to before, as if his internal energy had returned to its homeland.
Wanyang laughed.
"Even the Sect Leader makes mistakes. I must interrogate these lowly bastards and go find her."
The unfamiliar Ironfolk surrounding them flinched.
"Hey."
Wanyang turned his head slightly toward Jeong Yeon-shin, his posture haughty. This was despite having been pushed back by Jeong Yeon-shin once during the chaos of the Myriad Blossoms Rain.
"From now on, you will not disobey my orders. If you do, I will punish you severely."
It was a commanding tone.
He could guess the reason.
At that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin, who had sunk deep into his inner self, also felt a strange sense of elation.
A flood dragon's formation? What is this place...?
The core of his internal energy. The ring of light dwelling in his heart.
Outside the original halo, another wheel made of brilliance briefly appeared and vanished, leaving behind a resonance that sent a momentary thrill through his entire body.
An unimagined possibility.
It was a second ring.