Chapter 362: Ten Perfections (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 362: Ten Perfections (3)
The Divine Sword delivered by the Tang siblings.
It felt, quite literally, like an extension of his own body.
The moment Jeong Yeon-shin gripped the hilt, he knew he could channel the absorption technique and release formula of the Myriad Blossoms Rain through the weapon.
An extreme state of Unity of Body and Sword drew the harmony generated in his palm all the way to the blade. This allowed him to execute the Myriad Blossoms Rain—a technique he had honed through life-and-death combat—directly through his sword.
The Silent-Art Sword of the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect.
The Thunder-Invoking Prosperous Heaven Sword of Namgung's First Sword.
The Dog-Beating Staff of Ju Gwang-singae, Leader of the Beggar Sect.
The Fire-Governing Grand Demon Bow of the Lord of the Dark Night Hall.
Each and every one symbolized the absolute authority and martial might of the Jianghu.
Among them, the Sword of Divine Attainment of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps and the Extinction Sword of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress reigned as the ultimate terrors of the martial world, even though they were rarely ever drawn.
It was said that the sect leader tokens of the world's renowned great sects were divine weapons, no less powerful than the greatest dharma treasures.
While some sacred relics, like the Green Jade Buddhist Staff of the Shaolin Abbot, served purely as supreme symbols, other divine weapons existed to draw out the martial arts of peerless masters to their absolute, twelfth-stage limit.
Even the shattered Meteor Sword had exuded a terrifyingly ferocious momentum in the hands of the Moyong Clan Head.
Yet, at this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin envied none of them.
The vast, wild hills had been overturned into a desolate expanse of yellow earth.
Standing on this ruined ground, where a quiet wind stirred the dust and fluttered his robes, he held his sword pointed downward, reflecting on what had just transpired. He was consolidating his enlightenment.
So, this is possible.
Just moments ago, he had deflected the Ghost-Howling Hegemon's Dragon Appearance Roaring Heaven Cannon with his sword while simultaneously unleashing the sword wind of the Myriad Blossoms Rain.
As his eyes captured the forty-five variations the enemy displayed in a mere fraction of a second, he enveloped the drifting swarm of dandelion seeds with his halo qi, sending them surging forward.
The Ghost-Howling Hegemon had been using her true qi to hold together her bones and internal organs, which had been shattered earlier by Jeong Yeon-shin's Sword Kinesis.
This meant she lacked the leeway to manifest even a single layer of body protection qi while unleashing her double-death technique. A fatal wound was inevitable.
"To unleash the legendary Myriad Blossoms Rain with nothing but a single sword and golden hairpin herbs... dandelions..."
Peng Yeo-ran stared at Jeong Yeon-shin, her eyes rapidly losing focus.
The tattered remnants of her red robes fluttered at her feet. They no longer resembled a groom's wedding attire meant for a joyous day.
She tilted her head slightly upward.
"It possesses quite a poetic grace. The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect will surely be pleased with you."
An unfathomable emotion lingered at the end of her words—a complex mixture of love and hate.
"To think that after finally creating the Dragon Appearance Roaring Heaven Cannon, it will be lost to the world before ever being measured against the Heaven-Overturning Dragon-Slaying Formula..." Peng Yeo-ran muttered bitterly.
She was referring to one of the three ultimate techniques of Sichuan's greatest expert. Judging by her words and actions, her obsession with it was far from ordinary.
Jeong Yeon-shin had witnessed the decades of Peng Yeo-ran's life imbued within the Dragon Appearance Roaring Heaven Cannon.
He could have chosen to show her some unsolicited kindness.
I have inherited your martial art. The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect will surely see a glimpse of the Dragon Appearance Roaring Heaven Cannon... He could have offered her the kind of consolation typical of orthodox martial artists.
But he did not.
He had experienced enough of life's harshness, and he had already had his coming-of-age ceremony.
His understanding of the world was as broad as any adult's, and he had long ceased to feel any particular sentimentality toward figures like Peng Yeo-ran.
"Old monster. You said you harmed the Commander of the Heaven-Aligned Wing of our fortress."
"Old monster...?"
"Is it true?" Jeong Yeon-shin asked.
Peng Yeo-ran's gaze slowly drifted down from the sky.
"How harsh. I am about to depart this world, so why not focus on me?"
"Cut the nonsense," Jeong Yeon-shin said.
The moment he first encountered the Ghost-Howling Hegemon, he had activated his upper dantian to its absolute limit to discern the truth in her words.
When the Ghost-Howling Hegemon claimed to have killed Ha Do-un, the Commander of the Heaven-Aligned Wing, she had undoubtedly been speaking the truth.
Even so, Jeong Yeon-shin needed to confirm it once more.
—I wish to teach our junior some manners. If there is any other commander who wishes to step forward, please speak now.
At the time, though the senior commander had shown some distaste for the young Commander of the Demonlight Wing, he had fully acknowledged Jeong Yeon-shin's achievements, martial arts, and potential.
How easily people die.
Even those around me.
Jeong Yeon-shin forced down his rising anger.
A sense of futility, much like when the Jeong Family Manor was annihilated, washed over him.
If Ha Do-un was truly dead, his body had to be recovered. He deserved to leave behind a prominent trace of his existence.
"Where is Senior Ha's body?" he asked.
"You really... have absolutely no interest... in me," Peng Yeo-ran said with a self-deprecating laugh.
Her breath was growing shallower by the second. Her face bore a serene detachment that seemed entirely uncharacteristic of the Ghost-Howling Hegemon.
Jeong Yeon-shin's brow furrowed.
"If you do not answer me, I will spread the word far and wide outside this formation."
"Spread what? Everything is fleeting. This body is already crossing the Sanzu River..."
"I will tell everyone that the ultimate technique of the former Peng Clan Leader was pathetic. That she was nothing more than a single-strike opponent to me."
"What?"
"The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect will be the first to hear it. Once we leave this place, we will be in Sichuan," Jeong Yeon-shin spoke quietly.
The smile instantly vanished from Peng Yeo-ran's face.
Normally, a swift, decisive duel between top-tier masters was not something to be disparaged as a mere "single-strike opponent," but the nuance of the phrasing carried immense weight depending on who heard it.
This was especially true for martial artists of the Jianghu, who valued their personal honor above all else.
Peng Yeo-ran let out a faint sigh through her ragged, halting breath.
"The price for snatching the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit from you and the Desolate Fortress is heavy indeed. I have lost the pride of my entire life..."
"Amateur, answer my question."
"...Ha Do-un, the Commander of the Heaven-Aligned Wing, left no corpse behind."
Suddenly, Peng Yeo-ran spoke with a clear voice. Perhaps it was her final, fleeting radiance. A colorless flame flickered in her eyes as she stared at Jeong Yeon-shin.
"What?"
"Unlike you, he had to bear the full brunt of the Dragon Appearance Roaring Heaven Cannon with his bare body."
"..."
"His flesh and bones were torn to shreds, leaving nothing to gather. If you want to blame someone, blame the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect, who used him as a human sacrifice," Peng Yeo-ran concluded calmly.
She showed no further regrets on her pale, bloodless face.
She had killed the Commander of the Heaven-Aligned Wing and even seduced the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit.
She had not failed in either endeavor.
It was as if she had mocked the seventeen precious swords of the Divine Sword Corps—the very pillars of the world—to their very marrow. For a martial artist who had lived a life of unrestrained indulgence, it was a perfect end.
"..."
Just as Jeong Yeon-shin silently adjusted his grip on his sword hilt, movement erupted behind him.
Urgency washed over the face of Lee Si-myeong, the Wind Lord, who was trading blows with Hahu Wi-jin, the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit.
With one leg broken, he had been struggling to deflect Hahu Wi-jin's massive fists. But the moment Peng Yeo-ran finished what sounded like her final words, he suddenly spun around and leaped backward.
He shot toward the cliff where the wedding ceremony had taken place.
Boom!
The ground cracked in all directions.
Lee Si-myeong was a master of kicking techniques. The leg strength he had cultivated over a lifetime was immense.
The moment he exposed his back to the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit's fist and kicked off the ground, a long, straight line was carved through the air. He crossed the distance in an instant.
At the end of that line stood Cheon So-so, the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit, staring blankly.
Though her expression was hidden behind the reddish veil draped over her face, she had remained standing there like a statue ever since the chaos erupted because of Jeong Yeon-shin.
Grab!
The Wind Lord seized both of her shoulders in one fell swoop.
"Cheon So-so...! Cheon So-so! Obey the command! Your husband is in danger!"
The warriors of the Immortal Wood Spirit held hostage.
The sorcery martial arts that placed a restriction on one's mind.
The seductive charm of the Ghost-Howling Hegemon, who enticed both men and women alike.
Ice-White Cheon So-so had completely turned her back on the Desolate Fortress.
Nothing the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit possessed belonged to her anymore. Not her body, not her mind, and not even the sapling of the World Tree cradled in her arms.
Sister Peng can still live!
Madness flickered in Lee Si-myeong's eyes. The wind-based martial arts he had pursued his entire life could never be perfected without Peng Yeo-ran. He absolutely needed her.
"You bastard! Where do you think you're running?!"
Even as the bald commander charged toward his back at a terrifying speed, the Wind Lord glared into the eyes of the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit and muttered rapidly, mouthing the words silently.
"Consume the sapling! Direct the power of creation entirely to your husband! If you do that, everything will—"
"...A disgrace to the clan."
Cheon So-so's voice rang out softly. Her lips could be seen moving beneath the veil.
"How foolish."
"What?"
"You really believed it. That a commander of our fortress's Divine Sword Corps could be bewitched by a single woman. Even after seeing that Flash Art..."
"How can this...!"
Lee Si-myeong's eyes widened.
The Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit should never have been able to speak so clearly and coherently. It should have been impossible.
How could she maintain a clear mind? She had even spent the eve of the wedding with the Ghost-Howling Hegemon.
Her intellect should have been shattered, leaving her to obey commands meekly.
The effort they had expended to manipulate a Black Rank expert of the Desolate Fortress to their whim was astronomical.
The Hidden-Realm Peng Clan had poured in almost all the dharma treasures they had accumulated within the formation. It would have been incomparably cheaper to simply kill her.
"Why do you think the color representing our fortress's commanders is black?"
"If... if this is how it is...!"
"A mental cultivation untainted by the Jianghu. Its depth is entirely different from you secular martial artists," Cheon So-so said softly.
They were on the verge of losing the Ghost-Howling Hegemon forever.
Caught in an uncontrollable panic, Lee Si-myeong abruptly raised his head. His gaze locked with a pair of calm, settled blue eyes behind the reddish veil.
Ice-White Cheon So-so.
The Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit of the Desolate Fortress.
Among the Brightfolk, she was born of a noble bloodline, much like the Lord of the Desolate Fortress himself.
Thanks to that, she was capable of drawing out the power of the World Tree's sapling, which had made her a prime target for the Hidden-Realm Peng Clan.
Having long since seized hegemony within the formation, they had handed over the sapling of the World Tree in their possession to the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit, hoping to bend her to their will.
But Cheon So-so, who had arrived here after being defeated by the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect, had used that very plan to her advantage.
She understood the mystical power of the World Tree better than anyone else in the formation.
To prevent unauthorized intrusion, and to preserve the habitat of living beings exactly as it is...
To avoid being swept away by the collapsing formation and to halt its destruction, she had to harbor the sapling.
Even if her intellect was clouded by the immense spirituality of the World Tree, she endured. She had tolerated so much. There were moments when she had truly been on the verge of losing her mind.
But it was over now.
Their youngest had arrived on this land, having grown strong beyond recognition.
Just like the Purple Ranks of the main fortress who could sweep away complex battlefields single-handedly and establish a new order.
She braced her mind like a divine sword. She glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin, who was confronting the Twin Kings and Two Lords in the distance. The youngest of the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall was looking right back at her.
"Retribution."
Cheon So-so muttered the word to herself like a short battle cry.
She was speaking of the price that the foreign powerhouses, including the Wind Lord, had to pay. The karmic retribution for underestimating a Black Rank of the Desolate Fortress.
A light resembling the frost of the northern sky flashed in her eyes. She, too, possessed a divine art.
She had demonstrated it before in the duel she fought with Jeong Yeon-shin, with his subordinates on the line.
Whoosh!
Cheon So-so's pitch-black hair rose as the air instantly turned freezing cold.
Immortal Wood Spirit, Cold Heaven Flowless Ice Art.
The dazed Wind Lord, Lee Si-myeong, hurriedly squeezed her shoulders with both hands.
Having already lost one of his knees to Hahu Wi-jin, losing his balance here meant the end of him.
Cheon So-so did not care.
There were three Black Ranks manifested on this land. One of them had changed beyond recognition, now possessing the qualifications of a Purple Rank.
The Desolate Fortress present here had to display an overwhelming spectacle.
Whoosh!
A pure white wind swept in all directions with her at the center. With a sharp, cracking sound, the ground froze in an instant.
Then, a voice echoed over Lee Si-myeong's shoulder.
"—Ha! So that's how it was! To think that I, in both martial arts and mind, was defeated by the two of you...?!"
The terrifying sword strike of the Commander of the Demonlight Wing—the Flash Art—raced through the air like a beam of light. In a single instant, it cleanly sliced across the neck of the Ghost-Howling Hegemon.
Perhaps sensing that utterly unbelievable presence, Lee Si-myeong instinctively turned his head with a look of sheer horror. At that exact moment, Cheon So-so's hand blurred amidst the white, frosty wind.
Crunch!
"Ugh...!"
It was an ice art palm strike. It shattered and pierced through Lee Si-myeong's solar plexus as if it were brittle candy. He gasped for air, his gums bared like a demon's. A look of unconcealable despair washed over his face.
"You...! Imperial hunting dogs...!"
Splat!
His heavily distorted head was instantly crushed.
Lee Si-myeong was struck by the fist of Hahu Wi-jin, who had landed right behind him. Enveloped in a shockwave of fist force that felt like a compressed typhoon, the blow ground down from the crown of his head to his neck bones, spraying blood in all directions.
"Reinforcements have arrived, Flash Art."
"I see them."
Hahu Wi-jin and Cheon So-so exchanged brief words.
At this moment, they were witnessing their junior's body enveloped in an intangible, colorless lotus, with pure white dandelion seeds swirling all around him. An overwhelming spirit emanated from his figure.
"—Heaven-Aligned Wing, Immortal Wood Spirit, Forest-Treading Unit. If there is anyone else who had a hand in the deaths of our fortress's warriors, speak now."
Jeong Yeon-shin's words, echoing from afar, bordered on a violent threat.
It was not the kind of thing one should say in a place where the masters of the Hwangbo Clan, the Beggar Sect, and the Kunlun Sect were gathered. Yet, delivered in a tone that was practically a growl and backed by an overwhelming wave of energy, it sounded like a declaration of war from a peerless master of a great sect.
Hahu Wi-jin and Cheon So-so kicked off the ground toward their junior at the same time. They had no intention of stopping him; they merely intended to stand firmly behind him.
Thud!
As their rising figures drew a large arc through the air and descended, the troubled voice of Hwangbo Gon, the King of Divine Wisdom, rapidly drew near.
"...For now, why don't we put away those dangerous blades? The liquor brewed from the tea leaves here is quite enjoyable..."