Chapter 359: Sprint (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 359: Sprint (8)
Dawn broke.
It was the day of the wedding.
A crowd of over a hundred people stood lined up along the clay-colored path leading to the mountain peak. Clear sunlight sparkled against the morning dew upon the thickets lining both sides of the wide mountain path.
The gaps between the people in the queue were incredibly wide.
At the upper end, overlooking the queue below, the Wind Lord Lee Si-myeong stood with his hands behind his back, his blue robes fluttering. Far down at the bottom stood Jeong Yeon-shin, who had entered as a guest of the Hidden-Realm Peng Clan. He stood silently, his eyelids slightly lowered. This arrangement was entirely intentional.
The space between them was filled with masters of the older generation. Dust swirled beneath their feet as Taoist robes, long-sleeved shirts, and silk coats fluttered in the wind. Every single one of them exuded an invisible, intense aura.
This was true for both the elegant, long-eared Brightfolk and the elders with long, flowing beards.
For Jeong Yeon-shin to reach the top, he would have to pass through every single one of the Hidden-Realm Peng Clan's old monsters lined up along the path.
What they had prepared was no ordinary wedding ceremony. The first step of this grand union was supposed to be the bride arriving by a small boat to where her partner awaited.
The Hidden-Realm Peng Clan had replaced that waterway with their own queue of martial artists. It was a display of sheer power—directed at those watching them from atop the ridges and below the slopes at this very moment.
This was the occasion where the Ghost-Howling Hegemon would claim the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit.
Having heard the news, the crowd gathering above and below the ridges had already swelled past a hundred people. Masters of the older generation from all sorts of clans looked on in sheer awe at the Hidden-Realm Peng Clan, who had occupied over three hundred jang of the mountain path in a single, unbroken line.
"Look at those faces. From the Wind Lord Lee Si-myeong to the Short-Gate Ghost Blade Peng Mo-ran, and a hundred of those death-defying old monsters..."
"They brought their entire force."
"If the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit can properly draw out the power of the sapling, she might be able to control this space—whose lifespan is running short—at her whim. Whether it's solidifying the stability of the formation or banishing those who displease her to the outside."
"The balance of power is going to shift."
"Terrifying, isn't it? Now, everything in this land will depend on the whims of the Ghost-Howling Hegemon."
"Today, she takes Ice-White Cheon So-so. She possesses both the martial prowess and the faction to protect her. She will become an absolute ruler."
"I wonder how the others among the Twin Kings and Three Lords will react. They will surely show themselves here... It wouldn't be surprising if someone tried to snatch Cheon So-so away."
"It would be wise to keep a low profile today."
These were masters who had gone into seclusion. They had established their own order in this completely isolated space—a place that clearly existed in the world, yet could never be found.
They had arrived on this land through a deal with the Taemo Mountain Fortress, but after seeing the Flood Dragon with their own eyes, they had devoted themselves solely to cultivation and survival. That was several decades ago.
No one could take their eyes off the mountain path of the wedding ceremony. They had to watch. To live peacefully in this land brimming with natural Qi, they had to understand every detail of the power dynamics between the Twin Kings and Three Lords.
"Hmm? Look at that character 'Hwang' over there. There's someone from the Desolate Fortress."
"It's not that bald Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit. It's a stranger."
"The rumors must be true."
"Did the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect really open the formation?"
A portion of the vast crowd stirred upon seeing Jeong Yeon-shin. The older generation masters were not particularly surprised by the presence of a single Black Rank expert. They merely furrowed their brows because the appearance of a stranger might signify the manifestation of the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect.
"With the Golden Wing Sect involved... storm after storm is bound to hit us."
"In the midst of this, that kid from the Desolate Fortress seems to have conformed to the order here. Even though he must have come to rescue the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit..."
"He saw the power the Ghost-Howling Hegemon commands. Who wouldn't give up after seeing those old monsters?"
"The Desolate Fortress has truly lost face. Just like that Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit who does nothing but guard a village."
"Aren't they just children of the lower world, the lower Jianghu anyway? Interfering in the plans of their seniors in the Immortal Realm will only bring them harm. He is being wise."
None of the onlookers surrounding the mountain path wished to oppose the Hidden-Realm Peng Clan. They merely watched. Despite their immense interest in today's events, the older generation masters remained leisurely.
"The Desolate Fortress... they were quite fearsome in the mortal world."
"They certainly were during the reign of the Imperial Family. If you killed one, another would come for revenge."
"But how could the seventeen black blades of the Divine Sword Corps ever reach this place? From the looks of it, that fellow barely managed to tag along with the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect and came alone."
Countless people regarded this mysterious realm of the Flood Dragon as a sort of Peach Blossom Spring—a paradise where transcendents who had achieved Feathered Ascension through martial arts resided.
They felt entirely detached from the affairs of the world. Even the elders who looked pityingly at the other Unit Commander of the Desolate Fortress, whose Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit was being taken away, did not truly care.
Some who appeared to be from the heterodox sects even wore mocking sneers on their faces.
"Look at that golden tassel. He's a direct disciple of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress."
"No matter how I look at him, he's not of imperial blood. What on earth possessed that peerless beauty to take him in...?"
"Looking at his face, I can see exactly how he was chosen."
Even though they knew no aura could be felt from Jeong Yeon-shin and that his physical build was extraordinary, they deliberately threw out these snide remarks. Their words and attitudes proved the Murim's deep-seated hostility toward the Desolate Fortress. Even after reaching this paradise filled with natural Qi, they were still martial artists of the Jianghu.
The longer Jeong Yeon-shin remained silent, the more intense the jokes and mockery became.
Swoosh—
A sudden gust of wind scattered fine white fluff into the air. The seeds of the Golden Silkworm Herb's dandelions. Not a single one of the tiny feathers from those pure white flowers would ever escape to the outside world. Just like the older generation masters of this land, who had made this wondrous sanctuary created by the Flood Dragon their home.
"You talk too much," Jeong Yeon-shin spoke, his words flowing slowly. "For old men who are about to die."
His voice rang quietly across the mountain path. There was something beyond mere internal energy infused within his exceptionally clear tone. Perhaps it was imbued with the spirituality said to be contained only in divine arts. The surroundings fell into a brief silence.
Jeong Yeon-shin stood here intending to push his martial arts attainment—a level even he found difficult to gauge—to its absolute peak.
The young man of the Jeong Family Manor who had joined the Desolate Fortress had long since settled his heart into a sense of stability he had never experienced before. At some point, he had begun to feel a deep melancholy whenever a martial artist of the Desolate Fortress died in a foreign land. It pained his heart to imagine any of his comrades turning their backs on the main fortress.
Even if that someone was the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit, Cheon So-so. Even though she was a senior with whom he had never shared a deep friendship, she felt closer to him than his second older brother, Jeong Jung-san.
That was what a sect meant.
While the older generation masters doubted their own ears, Jeong Yeon-shin looked toward the distant Wind Lord Lee Si-myeong and spoke again.
"When are the main parties arriving?"
An old Brightfolk master, who possessed the appearance of a handsome young man, chuckled.
"They are already there. The Ghost-Howling Hegemon and the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit are currently holding their wedding at the very end of this path."
"What?"
"It is enough to show off our might; there is no need to take the great risk of having her snatched away, is there? Once the ceremony is over, she will descend from above alongside our Hegemon."
"..."
Jeong Yeon-shin opened his eyes fully.
A wedding. They say it is the greatest vow of one's life. He thought.
This land was highly sinister. It was filled with people well-versed in sorcery. This was the Purple Rank Jianghu, where one had to consider every possible variable. It was a place where those who wielded bizarre sorcery martial arts were extremely common.
Sorcery was a discipline that worked miraculous wonders through mantras, and mantras were, ultimately, human words. Whether willingly or by force, the moment Cheon So-so uttered her vows during the ceremony, some kind of spell might be triggered.
Just like the restriction that had once prevented the White Qilin Namgung Hwa-shin from harming the martial artists of the Namgung Clan. It was said that the White Qilin, who had now surpassed his older brother, the Azure Qilin, and was eyeing the Black Rank, still did not take on missions in the Southern Zhili region. It was because the Namgung Clan was located there.
There was no time to spare.
Aware of the pressing time, dandelion seeds with white fluff hovered around the feet of the black-robed youth. Then, they began to rotate, drawing a progressively larger circle.
It was the Law-Transcending Halo Qi.
The old masters standing nearby reacted instantly.
"How dare you!"
"Kid of the Desolate Fortress, stay in your place."
"If you act rashly, you might never return to your Lord's embrace...!"
Splat—!
The massive body of the old man who had been threatening him with his hands behind his back exploded into shreds of flesh. It happened the instant Jeong Yeon-shin extended his right hand.
Immediately after, a delayed boom— roared, and a translucent, circular shockwave swept outward in all directions, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
It was instant death. The older generation master who had just spoken of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress did not even leave behind an intact corpse.
"..."
Shattered bone fragments and clumps of muscle brushed past the gaps in Jeong Yeon-shin's fingers. The dull, lifeless thuds of falling organ fragments filled the silence.
He silently stared straight ahead.
Having cleared one person from his field of vision, another old man blocked his path. Wide eyes, a wrinkled hand gripping a sword hilt. He was a slender swordsman.
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing of the Desolate Fortress took another step.
Lightness Skill: Ten-Mile Light Grace.
The scene was reflected in the eyes of the old masters who packed the mountainside.
Step.
It was a slow movement, like a leisurely stroll. Was it an illusion? A faint starlight seemed to shine at his toes. Behind the light was an afterimage.
Jeong Yeon-shin's figure blurred and distorted. At the same time, the thickets that had been leaning toward him flattened in the opposite direction all at once.
Thud!
The ground gouged out in a massive circle.
Jeong Yeon-shin's figure shot forward in a straight line, and the body of the old swordsman blocking his path shattered with a thunderous roar. Before the sword could even be drawn, a hand laden with Brilliant River had driven through the old swordsman's abdomen and passed right through.
Unable to withstand the impact of the shockwave for even a moment, the old man's body was pulverized along with his sword and scattered in all directions.
Rumble—!
A heavy reverberation, a wave exploding in a spiral, the black-robed youth leaping along the mountain path, and blood soaring high behind him...
It was etched into the eyes of the crowd like a dream.
Two strikes had occurred in an instant. It was a sight hard to believe even when seen.
Whoosh—!
Jeong Yeon-shin tore through the wind with his entire body. His wildly fluttering black sleeves brushed against his skin.
In an instant, he leaped over the heads of a hundred people, and the panicked faces of dozens of old masters entered his vision.
Landing at the rear of the queue, Jeong Yeon-shin moved his hand toward his waist.
Shring.
The Meteor Sword of the Moyong Clan Head was drawn, emitting a brilliant radiance.
Immediately after, as the old monsters of the previous generation narrowed their eyes, drew their respective weapons, and unleashed monstrous waves of energy, Jeong Yeon-shin spun the halo of his heart even more fiercely.
Lightning-Flash Sword Ridge Style: Qilin's Judgment.
Slash—
A cold silver light carved diagonally through the air. Holding the Meteor Sword, Jeong Yeon-shin sliced clean through the bodies of the old masters rushing toward him.
The principles loaded into that straight trajectory were far from simple. The grip technique that subdued atmospheric resistance in an instant as he adjusted his hold on the hilt; the propulsion shockwave that exploded like a tidal wave from the Tianzong point of his shoulder blade down to his elbow; and the air rippling transparently due to Jeong Yeon-shin's full-body Fa Jin.
"Ah!"
"What a waste of such talent...!"
Those who felt this truly genius, extreme speed with their own bodies tumbled to the ground with expressions of awe. And they died with those very expressions on their faces.
It was only the beginning.
Jeong Yeon-shin began to sprint once more.
Thud— Splat!
His right hand trailed the Meteor Sword low, while his left hand was enveloped in a spiraling current of Brilliant River. At his feet, the faint white light of the Ten-Mile Light Grace crumbled into a long, dreamlike trail.
It was an extremely sophisticated display of the Tyrannical Way. The wall of people exploded and collapsed one after another. Some were split clean in half. Blood erupted in crimson sprays. The incredibly solid ground of this mysterious place repeatedly burst, soared into the air, and rained back down.
Boom! Slash—!
"Avoid it! Upper left!"
"Argh!"
It was a monstrous breakthrough.
He pulverized and slashed through the older generation masters, bodies and all. The straight formation guarding the wedding ceremony was crushed in an instant.
The older generation masters pursuing from behind could not catch up to Jeong Yeon-shin's back as he advanced, shattering corpses in his wake. In no time, he reached the end of the long queue. Before he knew it, only the Wind Lord Lee Si-myeong stood in front of him.
Though shattered weapons and fragments of flesh rained down behind him, Jeong Yeon-shin kept his eyes fixed solely on the two women standing opposite each other at the edge of the cliff.
One was dressed in a red official robe embroidered with immortal cranes, her hair swept up beneath a black official hat. The other wore a skirt of alternating black silk and red satin, a phoenix crown atop her head over a grand red round-collared robe with narrow sleeves, and a reddish veil draped over her face.
The Ghost-Howling Hegemon had taken on the role of the groom. A woman clad in red official robes and an official hat, she exuded an aura that seemed capable of bewitching her surroundings.
The woman with the translucent red veil draped over her face was the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit, Cheon So-so. The moment her eyes met Jeong Yeon-shin's, her eyes widened. The Ghost-Howling Hegemon, who had also glanced at him, smirked with her pink lips and reached her hand toward Cheon So-so's veil.
Rustle.
She seemed about to lift it. It was the end of the grand ceremony.
"You are formidable, but you are distracted."
The voice of the Wind Lord Lee Si-myeong rang out rapidly via sound transmission.
Whoosh—!
Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes widened. In an instant, the lower half of his vision was filled with brown leather boots.
It was Lee Si-myeong's Wind Flower Four-Wheel Kick. The shockwave erupting from his single leg swirled in all directions like a vortex, much like Jeong Yeon-shin's full-body Fa Jin.
If I can't counter this...
It was a technique capable of causing instant death upon a direct hit. Even with good luck, a fatal wound would be unavoidable.
At that moment, the Meteor Sword in Jeong Yeon-shin's grip vibrated uneasily. The durability of the blade had reached its limit.
Previously, in the hands of the Moyong Clan Head, it had withstood countless clashes with Jeong Yeon-shin's sword, and today, it had recklessly absorbed too many of the older generation masters' ultimate techniques.
Time slowed down in an instant. All sorts of solutions flashed through Jeong Yeon-shin's mind like rays of light.
If I use Sword Kinesis...
He would be able to reach the Ghost-Howling Hegemon's hand. However, at this moment, he would have to physically endure the ultimate techniques of the old monsters surging from behind and the Wind Lord's kicking technique.
It was a highly perilous situation to test his half-completed body protection Qi.
The Ghost-Howling Hegemon, who had already turned her head toward her soon-to-be partner; Cheon So-so, who flinched as if she hadn't recognized Jeong Yeon-shin; and the triumphant presences of the older generation masters, who could perceive a split second as an eternity—all of these drifted in from all directions, almost tangible.
— Die now.
Lee Si-myeong's intent, carried by his formidable internal energy, rang in his ears. Just before the man's outstretched instep could snap Jeong Yeon-shin's neck—
The Meteor Sword hummed.
A melody close to a song. A translucent wave rippled out from the blade.