Chapter 384: The World (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 384: The World (8)
The Lord of the Sword-Venerating Sect snapped his mouth shut and retreated. Only the desolate shuffle of his footsteps echoed.
The imposing momentum he had displayed earlier while prattling on to Jeong Yeon-shin about the Heavenly Mandate was entirely gone.
Not only the hundreds of experts forming the Net of Heaven and Earth, but even the crowds gathered along the nearby mountainsides fell into a profound silence.
Unhoe Peak was the highest summit in the vicinity.
If a massive ceremonial flag were planted there, it would be clearly visible to everyone.
The same went for the figures who had suddenly descended upon the edge of the hill, now slowly making their way forward.
Their identities.
The sheer impact their gathering would have on the state of the world.
Messenger pigeons should have been flying out in droves from sects, merchant groups, and escort agencies—just as they had when the duel between the Commander of the Demonlight Wing and the Lord of the Tenth Sect concluded. Yet, no one dared to make a move. Or rather, they couldn't.
Fweee—
A young man clad in a black robe whistled as he strolled past the flag of the Divine Sword Corps' Dragon-Treading Unit. With a jawline that gave him the immediate impression of a cheerful, handsome rogue, he brushed past the characters for 'Heavenly Dragon'.
"The energy here is an absolute mess..." he remarked. "To think a junior I've never even met was already handling a Thirteen Heavens Lord. I feel rather apologetic."
"At a glance, his martial arts level isn't something you can easily measure. Regardless, the behavior of these Jianghu dregs is exactly the same, even here in Sichuan," replied a middle-aged man, also dressed in a long black robe. He strode forward, leaving the flag of the Martial Apex Hall behind him.
A metallic clanking echoed rhythmically from one of his legs. He wore a prosthetic, a burden that would be impossible to bear without immense mastery over internal energy.
"Brother Apex, your demeanor has grown quite heavy. I heard your unit was promoted to a hall."
"Only our numbers have increased."
"Well, you've always been a master at teaching others. It'll be a good match against the Flash Art lineage. They say these days, the main fortress is all about either Flash Art or Martial Apex."
This was no idle chatter.
Sshhh—
The thickets, previously frozen still beneath the oppressive weight of a massive energy barrier, began to sway. It was as if a gentle breeze had started blowing from within.
The casual words of the two men were scattering invisible currents of internal energy. It was a technique designed to push back the oppressive aura of the heterodox Net of Heaven and Earth occupying the hill, securing complete freedom of movement. It was akin to a swordsman releasing his aura right before drawing his blade, establishing a domain for his fast sword.
[You bastards of the Divine Sword Corps? What on earth is...]
The first to speak was the Lord of the Tenth Sect. On the very day this peerless expert had suffered a miserable defeat as a sect leader, he was once again confronted with something no one could have anticipated.
For a brief moment, the two clones of the Unified Martial Transcendence flanking him flickered faintly. His face was that of a man whose composure had been utterly shattered.
[Unless the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps has gone mad...!]
"Oh? Grand General, it's been a while, hasn't it? Has it been about nine years? I saw you at the Forbidden City when I was a mere Blue Rank, and now here we are..." The Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit smirked.
But his eyes told a different story. He scanned the Lord of the Tenth Sect's entire body with a strange, chilling intensity.
"Oh...? Your Heaven-Covering Divine Armor is completely shattered! Didn't you risk your life to steal that armor from the Fighting God beyond the Great Wall? You were so pleased to have an extra life, but it seems the great Emperor of All Weapons has already returned to heaven once today."
[A mere whelp who couldn't even meet my eyes in the Northern Region...]
"Even after unleashing that lofty Unified Martial Transcendence, you only have three clones left! If your Heaven-Covering Divine Armor is in that state, you must find it hard to even move. Yet, you were blustering in that pathetic state before our main fortress's youngest, who is terrifyingly strong? I suppose you put your trust in the Net of Heaven and Earth woven by these Jianghu dregs and the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect."
As he spoke, the inflection in his voice flattened.
His flippant, outwardly polite tone naturally shifted into something much sharper. An aura began to emanate from his black robe, gradually forcing the surrounding experts of the Net of Heaven and Earth to shrink back. It rose alongside the dust that began to swirl in tight circles at his feet.
This was the true face of the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit, a man known as a death demon in the northern Jianghu.
A chilling wrath harbored within him—a wrath that had been boiling ever since he first opened his mouth in that playful manner.
The same held true for the faces of the several seniors from the 17th Unit who were locking eyes with Jeong Yeon-shin at this very moment.
"..."
Ak Su-rim silently held her silver spear diagonally behind her back.
The Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit, Un So-yu, drew her sword from amidst her long, pitch-black robes.
Thud—
The Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, Hahu Wi-jin, gathered his explosive force, generating colorless shockwaves simply by clenching his massive fists. Beside him, the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit, Cheon So-so, dispersed a rainbow-colored, icy chill like a faint veil.
None of them spoke.
It was as if they were saying the slaughter at hand came first. This was the distinct temperament of the Desolate Fortress.
[I must perform Qi healing. Buy me some time.]
The three clones of the Lord of the Tenth Sect slipped away into the gaps of the crowd. It was world-shaking footwork. Their already faint waves of internal energy vanished, no longer leaking out at all.
Peerless experts were capable of managing their internal injuries with just a few breaths, even in the midst of a fierce battle. They had no need to sit cross-legged; they could circulate their energy while standing.
The experts forming the Net of Heaven and Earth flashed their cold eyes.
"There's no way they are all unit commanders of the Divine Sword Corps! The Desolate Fortress is not that kind of sect!"
"Exactly. Changing clothes is as easy as flipping one's palm."
"But their energy..."
"Strike! Clear them out from the perimeter!"
The clamor of weapons being drawn rang out like a physical blow. There were easily hundreds of them. Waves of internal energy, rising and churning like a pale fog, instantly blanketed the entirety of Unhoe Peak.
This was the collective aura of the Net of Heaven and Earth, comprising the Thirteen Heavens, their subordinate sects, and all manner of rogue cultivators.
Rumble—
The crimson glow of the sunset painting the sky began to distort.
It rippled under the immense pressure of their aura, like air shimmering beneath the summer sun. It was a momentum that felt capable of slaying anyone in the world.
The unit commanders of the Divine Sword Corps each assumed a different starting stance.
"The Tenth Sect, the Pure Demon Alliance, the Golden Wing Sect, and even the Hegemon Sword Sect... You're all gathered here. This is actually for the best."
"We can't forget those instigated by the Lingering Spirit either. In any case, the armor of the Tenth Sect's elites can block internal heavy hand techniques, so be careful."
"Leave the bastards who learned swordsmanship from the Hegemon Sword Sect to me. I've been in Shaanxi for a month; their sword paths are clear as day to me."
"Is there even a need for that...? When you stop by the main fortress, you should read the secret manual called the Compendium of Demon Extermination."
"The Compendium of what? What on earth is that?"
Boom—!
Centered around each of the flags surrounding the Net of Heaven and Earth, powerful waves of true qi exploded in rapid succession.
The clash had finally begun.
The heterodox experts of the Net of Heaven and Earth turned their backs on Jeong Yeon-shin, who was trapped inside their encirclement. For now, they had no other choice.
The unit commanders of the Desolate Fortress unleashed their ultimate techniques right from the start. These were single-strike ultimate skills meant to unleash explosive destructive power in an instant.
Because the encirclement was so incredibly dense, these martial arts forcibly dragged away the attention of anyone who was still staring at Jeong Yeon-shin.
"Geonryeong."
Pshhh!
The moment the Commander of the Azure Sky Unit pressed his long left hand against the flat of his blade, sixteen bluish streams of sword qi shot upward, forming a perfect circle around him.
It was the sorcery martial art, the Azure Sky Sword Art. Pillars of light pierced upward from beneath the enemy experts, flashing like lightning. Only after the sickening sound of tearing flesh ripped through the air did their death throes echo.
The Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit, whose ears were sharply pointed like sword tips, kicked off the air and flipped. He activated his body protection scripture, the Unimpeded Endless Body.
The air compressed and collapsed under his kick. As if he were executing Shaolin's Hundred-Step Divine Fist with his legs, the enemies who rushed him exploded along with their weapons, creating a gruesome storm of blood.
Clang—! Crash—!
They were not the only ones. Wherever a flag was planted, the ranks of the Net of Heaven and Earth were instantly crushed.
Battered by successive shockwaves, Unhoe Peak shook precariously, spewing mounds of earth into the air. The sheer destruction made the vast size of the peak seem meaningless.
"It's true! They really are all Black Ranks! Just look at their faces!"
"How could this be...!"
"Fall back! Fall back! We need more reinforcements from the rear! And from the flanks!"
But no support came for them.
The unit commanders who had begun their assault showed zero mercy.
Shockwaves that shattered bones and ruptured flesh drew translucent concentric circles in the air. Over a dozen Black Ranks were closing in, effectively surrounding hundreds of enemies.
They displayed a state of the Unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit—a realm where even their casual banter was seamlessly woven into the exhalations of their internal energy breathing.
Even the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit and the Master of the Martial Apex Hall, who were meeting Jeong Yeon-shin for the very first time, were no exception.
"With things like this, doesn't it mean the rumors we heard down below are true? Though the state of that northern coward over there is proof enough."
"To think he faced three Thirteen Heavens Lords all by himself, repeatedly..."
"They say he stepped forward just as the Tang Clan was on the brink of collapse. He disregarded his own life to protect the people. At this rate, age aside, he's the prime candidate for the next Commander of the Corps... Where do you think you're going?!"
Boom!
The encirclement formed by the Black Ranks was too overwhelming to take in at a single glance.
The wild winds did not cease. As trees and thickets were violently uprooted, the surroundings gradually turned hazy with swirling dust.
Jeong Yeon-shin stared blankly at the scene for a moment.
It felt as if he were floating in a dream. Even though the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect stood before him, shifting her feet in confusion, he felt no fear whatsoever.
Just like the day he had learned the Demonlight Formula from his maternal uncle Ma Jin alongside Heonwon-ssi under the gentle sunlight, it was enough to simply focus on his martial arts.
Amidst the roaring sounds of battle, he slowly parted his lips.
"You."
"Hmm?" The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect reacted instantly. She whipped her small head around to look at Jeong Yeon-shin, her eyes still flashing with golden lightning.
That gaze.
Gossipers called it the eye technique of the Golden Winged Bird. They said it would not miss even a rising flood dragon, making it impossible for any human's martial arts to escape her sight.
Jeong Yeon-shin calmly continued.
"We must settle this before we leave."
"But you lost, didn't you? Stop being insolent and just admit it. Your generation and age are far below mine."
Step.
Replying softly, she turned her body. She seemed to have felt something when she clashed with Jeong Yeon-shin earlier. The words and actions of this old woman, who had supposedly witnessed the founding of the nation, utterly defied her age.
'As if she isn't human,' Jeong Yeon-shin thought, spinning the halo in his heart.
She was someone who moved solely as her heart desired, plundering dharma treasures and ridiculing the order of the nation that stood in her way. She was not of a temperament to take risks. She possessed a freedom as boundless as her peerless martial arts. Who could possibly stop her?
"I'm going out into the world. Let's not meet again."
She spoke just as she took a step forward.
Whoosh—!
A long silver light flashed. A single spear pierced straight through the dense encirclement.
The bodies of the Net of Heaven and Earth experts caught in the trajectory of the throw exploded completely. The silver spear slammed into the ground right at the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect's feet with a loud bang! The shaft of the spear vibrated violently, humming like the fluttering of a moth's wings.
It was Ak Su-rim.
It seemed she had thrown it from afar without even looking. Immediately drawing the flag of the Divine Sword Corps to herself with Void Grab, she began to swing the massive flagpole like a spear.
Perhaps she was also well-versed in flag techniques, for not a single expert could withstand her blows. Amidst the fluttering flag, bones and flesh ruptured, flying into the air with gruesome, wet sounds.
"..."
The Lord of the Golden Wing Sect could not take another step. A thunderous roar crashed down, overlapping twice in rapid succession. Two massive gusts of wind crushed down on both sides of her with splintering force. The vibration that surged through the ground in that instant was immense.
Rumble—!
It was the wind of a fist and a palm. These silent strikes slammed down like falling iron bars. They originated from two people.
The Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, Bukgung-a, scanned her surroundings with her blue eyes, looking almost annoyed as she explosively moved her long limbs. Beside her, the Commander of the Thread-Annihilation Unit, Shin Hwang, descended once more among the enemies, wide sleeves fluttering around his slender frame.
The Three Black Strengths seemed to have room to spare even within the Net of Heaven and Earth. This was true despite the exceptionally strong forces concentrated against them.
With their Path of Senses encompassing the entire battlefield and martial arts that spanned vast distances, their combat experience was on an entirely different level. At this moment, they would even be able to feel the movements of the Demonlight Wing Commander's fingers, along with their junior's intentions.
"This is the world," Jeong Yeon-shin said.
He was planning to decide the match in a single strike within this space of a one-on-one, life-and-death duel.
[You are right! Where else in the world would there be a battlefield like this, other than the Northern Region!]
The voice echoed from afar. It was the Lord of the Tenth Sect—a being who could be called the very incarnation of future trouble. He seemed to have made up his mind to escape this battlefield, which had rapidly turned into a living hell.
Three identical figures leaped in different directions. Unlike before, even his clones were as vivid and lifelike as his real body. He had made them so through that brief moment of Qi healing.
Crash!
[Commander of the Demonlight Wing! You will deeply regret stepping into the Jianghu of the Thirteen Heavens Lords! Your existence is a grave threat to the Martial World...!]
The three streams of voices stopped simultaneously.
The flag of the Divine Sword Corps, thrown by Ak Su-rim, tore one clone to shreds and slammed into a rock on the opposite side with a heavy thud. The clone on the other side was grabbed by the nape of the neck by the Commander of the Thread-Annihilation Unit and violently slammed straight into the ground.
"The Flash Art already did all the work. We're just wrapping things up."
"Hmm, he was terribly weakened."
Massive ripples rose in double layers on both sides. The rope swung by the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit—the Cotton Rope Snare—tightly bound the real body of the Lord of the Tenth Sect in its glowing white form.
At the exact same moment, the Master of the Martial Apex Hall kicked the back of his knee with a heavy thud, forcing him to his knees. Right then, another figure appeared, the hem of his pitch-black robe fluttering like a bat's wings.
He stood right behind the Lord of the Tenth Sect. The Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit, Jin Myeong-jo, flashed his blood-red eyes.
Splat—!
A pale hand grabbed the Lord of the Tenth Sect's head and crushed it.