Chapter 389: The Divine Sword Corps (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 389: The Divine Sword Corps (5)
Sichuan was the ancient land of Shu. In the past, it had been a kingdom all its own.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Provincial Military Commander held the civil administration, finances, and military affairs of the entire Sichuan Province in the palms of their hands.
With a status naturally akin to kings of their respective domains, they rarely had to cater to anyone's whims unless they were in Beijing.
And yet.
'The favorite food of the Commander of the Demonlight Wing...?'
What bizarre nonsense was this? The Provincial Military Commander furrowed his brow, stopping just as he was about to speak.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner shot him a glance and gave a subtle shake of his head, warning him not to act rashly.
'Her?'
Naturally, the Provincial Military Commander had heard of the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, Bukgung-a.
Rumor had it she was not someone you could reason with. She was a monster who could collapse a cliff with a single punch, viewing high-ranking officials as mere pebbles blocking her path.
But then again, who among the Unit Commanders of the Desolate Fortress wasn't like that?
'They are all reputed to be bellicose and aloof anyway.'
The Provincial Military Commander stole a glance at the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring.
"Was he the type to be picky about his tastes? I didn't think he was one to openly show his preferences..."
She muttered to herself casually, exuding the temperament of someone who answered to no one.
Her eyelids were slightly lowered as if she were lost in thought. Though her eyelashes were long and thick, they could not completely conceal her striking blue eyes.
It looked as if a thunderbolt had been condensed within her pupils.
A constant, sharp light gleamed within them—undeniable proof of the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring's volatile temperament, noble lineage, and absolute mastery of internal energy.
The Provincial Military Commander quietly shut his mouth. The reality of the situation had suddenly sunk in.
Thirteen leaders of the martial units under the Divine Sword Corps were gathered here. This was currently the most dangerous place in all of Sichuan.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner standing opposite him let out a long breath. It sounded suspiciously like a sigh of relief.
"How regrettable. I assumed someone of your stature, Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, would naturally know..." he said.
A flicker of doubt appeared in Bukgung-a's fierce eyes. She had just been furrowing her brow, wondering why she was even pondering such trivialities in the first place.
"Naturally know?"
"Yes. Well... as it is precious information, it is only natural that you would be reluctant to speak of it. The Commander of the Demonlight Wing is destined to become the nation's Divine Sword one day. How many crowds of people will cling to him, seeking personal advancement and power? Such intimate knowledge would only be permitted to someone like you, Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, whose lineage, achievements, and martial prowess are supreme. I must have been too greedy."
The Provincial Administration Commissioner added his apologies with a soft chuckle.
His voice carried the requisite gravity of a high-ranking official, yet it held a subtle, easygoing charm. It was a stark contrast to how he had spoken with the Provincial Military Commander inside the carriage.
"Your flattery is excessive."
Bukgung-a furrowed her brows. She looked at him as though he were something repulsive.
Yet, the Provincial Administration Commissioner only felt relieved. He had successfully avoided the violent reaction he had initially feared.
He had previously discussed the disbandment of the Divine Sword Corps' Unit Commanders with the Provincial Military Commander. Given the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring's martial prowess, she could have easily overheard them. Defusing the situation was his top priority.
'Of all people, the first one we ran into is the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, infamous for being the most violent among the Three Black Strengths... But I have no choice but to use her as a bridgehead to negotiate with the Unit Commanders of the Divine Sword Corps. This is the best path.'
If he could actually uncover the preferences of the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, Jeong Yeon-shin, that would be even better.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner was looking at the bigger picture. This was entirely separate from advising the Unit Commanders to disband.
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing was destined to ascend to Beijing in the future. If he could luckily win his favor now, it would become an immense asset.
"It is not flattery. The noble figures of the Desolate Fortress are individuals to whom officials like us are deeply grateful. Even if we occasionally face difficulties due to the righteous deeds of the Divine Sword Corps, it is a burden we must naturally bear..."
"I don't talk to people with long tongues like yours. There's no telling when or how I'll get dragged into your schemes."
Step.
Cutting off the Provincial Administration Commissioner, Bukgung-a stepped down from the carriage.
She immediately began to walk. She didn't bother to activate her Body Protection Scripture to leap away, which served as a silent invitation to follow.
The Provincial Military Commander, who had been silently observing the exchange, spoke up.
"May we bring our soldiers along?"
"What?"
"You all are far too powerful. Even a slight flick of your finger could generate a finger-wind that might harm us. I worry we might feel too intimidated to even converse properly. And we must focus entirely on the peace of this land..."
Bukgung-a, her back turned to them, burst into laughter.
"Do as you please."
Her reply carried not a shred of tension. The government soldiers fell utterly silent.
* * *
Led by the Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Provincial Military Commander, the government forces followed the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring across the threshold of the Tenth Sect.
It was a vast estate.
The grounds were so expansive that training fields dotted the landscape, and every pavilion in sight boasted high, soaring tiled roofs.
The sheer grandeur of the architecture clearly reflected the extravagant tastes of the deceased Lord of the Tenth Sect.
Warriors clad in white martial uniforms were scattered about. They appeared to be from the Sichuan Branch of the Desolate Fortress.
"I smell blood," a military officer whispered, stepping up behind the two high-ranking officials. He spoke aloud, even though he could have transmitted his voice through telepathy.
It was a deliberate choice to sharpen the vigilance of his comrades.
"Of course you do. Did you expect the trash who used to live here to leave quietly?" the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring retorted without even looking back.
The two officials swallowed hard. The annihilation of the Tenth Sect, a faction once counted among the Thirteen Heavens... Even if they had heard the reports, witnessing the reality was a different matter entirely.
A mere dozen or so individuals had brought down three pillars of the Heterodox Sects. That was the undeniable truth.
'The Unit Commanders of the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall. They are truly terrifying...'
It was a force that anyone with power would have no choice but to guard against. Even the Imperial Family was no exception.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner mentally rehearsed what he would say once they sat down. First and foremost, he resolved not to let the Provincial Military Commander speak before him.
He glanced at his companion.
"Please stay by my side."
"Of course I will," the Provincial Military Commander replied, tapping his scabbard. Having passed the military imperial examination, he had risen to the highest military office in all of Sichuan Province.
Though he was not on par with a Black Rank of the Desolate Fortress, he possessed formidable martial arts. If he threw his life on the line, he could at least hope to maintain his dignity.
"Please guard me with gravity."
"...?"
The Provincial Military Commander didn't get a chance to ask what the Provincial Administration Commissioner meant.
Atop a pillar that seemed to serve as a watchtower—right above bloodstains that looked as if corpses had been dragged across them—sat a strange figure.
His body was wrapped entirely in grey bandages, draped in a pitch-black robe. His frame was sharp, yet his stature was by no means small. Only two things could be deduced: he was a man, and he was a Black Rank.
"The Commander of the Netherflow Unit...!" the Provincial Administration Commissioner whispered. Beside him, the Provincial Military Commander flinched, his hand freezing on his scabbard.
The strange figure's gaze drifted down toward them.
"..."
Because even his face was wrapped in bandages, his eyes were invisible, yet the weight of his gaze was palpable.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner trembled slightly. It felt as if the surrounding air was crawling over his skin.
'That man is indeed one of those strange and supernatural beings...!'
The only one who remained unperturbed was the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring.
"Has nothing come from above?" she asked.
It was a cryptic question, but the Commander of the Netherflow Unit slowly nodded.
"Understood. Good work."
Without even waiting for a reply, Bukgung-a strode forward. Her strides were incredibly wide, as if she were casually walking through her own inner courtyard. The government soldiers, now much quieter, followed closely behind her.
"Is that the Commander of the Azure Sky Unit?" the Provincial Military Commander asked.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner looked up.
A man leaning against the gate of a pavilion was cradling a long sword. Though his limbs were long like a monkey's, he radiated a sharp energy as piercing as dozens of bundles of needles.
The surrounding air shimmered translucently without pause, as if he were tempering his Sword Qi with his entire body.
He was in the middle of training.
His aloof figure stared intently into the distance, appearing as though he were waiting for something.
'Where is he looking?'
The Provincial Administration Commissioner started to follow his gaze but froze. Standing erect on the roof of the pavilion directly opposite was a pale-faced man.
Wrapped in a pitch-black robe like a cloak, he looked like a bat standing upright.
The momentum of the government soldiers, who had been forcibly emitting waves of internal power, vanished like mist.
The Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit, the Divine Blood Ultimate Demon.
The Commander of the Netherflow Unit and the Commander of the Azure Sky Unit were at least known to be relatively civil toward the government.
The Divine Blood Ultimate Demon was different.
He was extremely elusive. His methods were so ruthless that tales of his deeds in Hainan had reached all the way to the Forbidden City in Beijing.
He had left behind different tales in every province, including Shaanxi, Sichuan, Guangxi, and Guangdong. Every single one of them was a bloodbath.
"I shall guard you with the utmost gravity."
The Provincial Military Commander completely removed his hand from his scabbard.
Beyond the pavilion where the Divine Blood Ultimate Demon stood, several other Black Ranks were staring in the same direction as the Commander of the Azure Sky Unit. But the government soldiers no longer registered the sight.
This place was Pandemonium. To protect their own sanity, they had to ignore these superhuman auras.
* * *
Sunlight filtered softly through the paper window.
Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly opened his eyes. In this moment, the bed gently supporting his entire body felt strangely unfamiliar.
"A martial arts army has arrived. About thirty of them..." he murmured, having felt their synchronized waves of internal power.
The distinct discipline of soldiers trained in martial arts drifted past the threshold. It was a straightforward, orderly aura, refined to make it easy to deploy combined attack formations or maintain battle lines.
It was quite formidable.
Ak Su-rim, who was sitting nearby on a pulled-up chair, nodded half-heartedly. Her face was buried in a book.
"They're guys trained in the Illuminating Support Heart Art. A message came in while you were asleep."
"Are they government soldiers?"
"Yeah."
Her reply was distracted.
Jeong Yeon-shin glanced down at her.
She showed no sign of taking her legs off the edge of his bed.
Her behavior was close to that of a complete idler. Her toes wiggled restlessly, as if she were practicing footwork in her mental space.
"So they wove it like this. Lingering Spirit certainly has a lot of obscure, miscellaneous techniques. So, the fluttering of a midge's wings...?" Ak Su-rim muttered to herself.
She had recently been engrossed in reading a copy of the Compendium of Demon Extermination. She had reportedly obtained it from the Gold-Piercing Martial Library of the main fortress after going through a highly complicated process.
Jeong Yeon-shin had not seen the other Unit Commanders since he began focusing on his recovery. Only the spirit medicines and healing pills left in his hands allowed him to feel his seniors' warmth.
From the moment they arrived at the Tenth Sect until now, no one had come to visit him.
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly spoke up.
"They are all cavalrymen on fine steeds. If they are from the government, I can guess their business... Wouldn't the status of the person accompanying them be quite high?"
"Status? Our Bukgung scoundrel is more than enough to match them. She might look like that, but she's royalty from the North."
"Aren't you the de facto leader of our group, Senior Ak?"
"Since when did such things exist among the Black Ranks? I only take charge of organizing things at the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall because it would turn into a complete mess if I left them alone. But more importantly..."
Ak Su-rim's forehead peeked over the top of the book.
"How is your body? Are you fit to move now?"
"Yes, I've recovered significantly. I thought I would need a long period of recuperation, but..."
It was all thanks to the bundle of spirit medicines his senior Unit Commanders had given him. Their efficacy was truly remarkable; even without a proper method of ingestion, simply circulating his Jeong Family Dynamic Art continuously was enough to heal his internal injuries.
The scars etched into his skin like sword cuts were of little consequence to begin with, as they did not significantly affect his ability to raise his true Qi or move his body.
"Is that so...?" Ak Su-rim asked.
Her eyes appeared next. Peeking over the book, her gaze swept over Jeong Yeon-shin's entire body, sharply assessing his physical condition.
"Just how much better are you?"
"I can operate my Law-Transcending Halo Qi to its absolute limit."
"So you're perfectly fine now...?"
"We can now discuss our next course of action. How our current gathering is affecting the state of the world..."
"No, absolutely not."
In an instant, an invisible curtain enveloped the room. An energy barrier had sprouted from Ak Su-rim's body.
Just how long had she been holding back what she wanted to say? Though her movements in closing the book and tucking it into her robes were careful, the sudden transformation of her calm expression was reminiscent of a thunderbolt bomb.
"First of all, I have so many things to ask you about how you fought the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect...!"
— Whoa, wait! What are you doing!
A voice as grave as a high-ranking official's echoed. It meant that the moment Ak Su-rim's energy barrier was erected, it had been breached. In the next instant, Jeong Yeon-shin witnessed the dark figures of the Black Ranks surrounding his bed.
Whoosh—!
The monstrous backdraft of their lightness skills tore down all the walls.
A rumbling vibration raced along the floor and up to the ceiling, while rising dust blurred the surroundings.
"Halt, any Black Rank who has arrived for frivolous purposes. The Commander of the Demonlight Wing has spoken of the state of the world."
It was the stern voice of the Commander of the Thread-Annihilation Unit.