Chapter 391: The Divine Sword Corps (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 391: The Divine Sword Corps (7)
An office with an open ceiling.
It was colossal.
Messenger pigeons, raised through the secret arts of the Brightfolk, flew about like migratory birds, dropping all kinds of message tubes. Below them, over a hundred scholars filled the office, busily and silently unrolling documents and working their brushes.
It was a place truly worthy of being called mysterious. This was the main headquarters of the Lingering Spirit.
"I will hear the report. Summarize the movements of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps."
A figure wrapped entirely in a black robe, dark as the night sky, spoke. He was the Lord of the Lingering Spirit, one of the Thirteen Heavens—a man whose pitch-black beard was shaded by the wide brim of his bamboo hat.
The moment he entered the massive pavilion, that was the only thing the Yeoryeong Lord sought to confirm.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps had ultimately escaped from an inescapable net of heaven and earth that included three peerless masters of the Thirteen Heavens. The pursuit had dragged on, as tedious as the monsoon season.
The life of a supreme master, hailed as the greatest under heaven, was indeed that tenacious.
His lightness skill... it was something I have never seen before.
The Yeoryeong Lord scanned his memories.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps of the Desolate Fortress.
His sprint had been incredibly explosive.
It was not the movement of someone who had been poisoned. The same went for the sight of the rainbow-colored propulsion shockwave—the very symbol of the current Divine Sword Corps Commander—surging from beneath his feet.
It was fundamentally different from his original lightness skill, which had been so stable it felt as though he could run forever.
He moved in a way that seemed to fully draw out the power of the Dragon Countenance, the peerless eye technique of the Divine Sword Corps Commander that was said to easily decipher a thousand forms.
The bastard had slipped past the strikes of the Yeoryeong Lord and Namgung's First Sword as if merely brushing them aside, escaping the bombardment-like trajectory of the Lord of the Dark Night Hall's archery in a single step.
Even with a Blue-Ranked warrior tucked under his arm, he fled at a speed that made him nearly impossible to catch.
The chase had continued ever since.
He was circling the vicinity while heading south, frequently unleashing the propulsion shockwaves of his lightness skill, perfectly befitting a man rumored to harbor the greatest internal energy under heaven within his heart.
He didn't look poisoned in the slightest.
How do we counter his lightness skill?
This was the immediate task facing the Yeoryeong Lord. How should they construct the net of heaven and earth to break his legs?
He had even sought counsel from the Master of Nine Provinces' Knowledge, whose acquaintance with the martial world was said to be the widest under heaven, but the only response was a senile counter-question: "Did that Dragon fellow have such a thing?"
It meant it was a recently acquired insight.
It is not surprising.
Every single Commander of the Divine Sword Corps in history had been an overwhelming genius.
While there was no peerless master in the martial world who didn't constantly improve their martial arts, the leader of the Desolate Fortress's Divine Sword Corps was always extraordinary, even among them.
It was the Fortress Lord's fortune with people—a fortune completely incomparable to the scholars sitting in rows before the Yeoryeong Lord's eyes at this very moment.
Snap—
The Yeoryeong Lord flicked his finger.
A translucent ripple spread outward in a circle. The scent of ink that subtly filled the pavilion was swept away.
The scholars, who had been silently examining the documents falling onto their desks, froze.
The Yeoryeong Lord had loaded an internal power wave into his finger-flick, unblocking their mute acupoints.
He had granted permission to speak to the scholars, who otherwise couldn't make a sound without an order.
"The compilation must be finished. Let only those in charge of Capturing the Dragon report quickly," the Yeoryeong Lord said. Capturing the Dragon. It was the name of the scheme to assassinate the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
The hall instantly grew noisy.
"I will report starting from seven days ago. The Great Radiance Soul-Confusing Formation of Taemo Mountain Fortress was half-destroyed by the Divine Sword Corps Commander's Dragon Ring Sword..."
"The seventy-two bow ghosts of the Dark Night Hall have been annihilated!"
"Information from the Martial Dragon Association. Namgung's First Sword's cherished weapon was broken, but he seized the Heavenly Sword from the Namgung Clan... and is reportedly pursuing the Divine Sword Corps Commander once more."
The Yeoryeong Lord turned his head toward the scholar who had mentioned Namgung's First Sword.
"He seized his own family's heirloom? He took quite the detour."
"It is believed he also plundered the Namgung Clan's secret healing pills along with the Heavenly Sword."
"Plunder. A method of supply well-suited to this era. Compared to the Divine Sword Corps Commander, he must be in perfect condition."
Perhaps we can pin our hopes on the Imperial Sword Form. After murmuring briefly, the Yeoryeong Lord spoke again.
"Continue."
"Four days ago. The Dark Night Hall activated the Ten-Mile One Kill formation six times, but they reportedly only managed to strip off one of the Divine Sword Corps Commander's leather boots..."
"That should boost morale. Spread the word widely, but only to the Thirteen Heavens and their high-ranking subordinates. This is not a disgrace to the Dark Night Hall. It merely reveals that the Dragon fellow is also human."
Just as the Yeoryeong Lord was dryly issuing instructions:
"Urgent news! It is reported that the Purple Tenuity Celestial Star, one of the Three Arts Great Seats of Taemo Mountain Fortress, has been slain!"
Taemo Mountain Fortress of the Thirteen Heavens.
It was a great sect of sorcery martial arts that had branched off from the Maoshan Sect.
The fortress surrounding the sect was famous for being located in deep mountains and valleys, akin to a peach blossom spring, and rumors abounded that its current military power was on par with the Jegal Clan in its prime.
The Three Arts Great Seats referred to the three immortals commanded by the Master of Taemo Mountain Fortress. They were the decisive weapons of the Great Sect War. It was said that their depth of knowledge in sorcery was not inferior even to the Jegal Clan Leader.
Once equipped with dharma treasures and formations, they were capable of shattering even castle walls with a single wave of their hands.
"...The Purple Tenuity Celestial Star is dead? How many times did the vicinity flash before she drew her last breath?"
"It is said that after the surroundings darkened once, she was cut in two."
"A single exchange... Who sent that letter?"
"It was Dark Spirit Number Seventeen."
It was a report submitted by someone who had mastered the Dark Movement Time-Transcending Vision, the secret eye technique of the Lingering Spirit.
Since the shadows of the Lingering Spirit focused their training on body protection scriptures and eye techniques, they exerted visual prowess far exceeding their actual martial power. The report was likely true.
"...Actually, this is for the best. The death of the Purple Tenuity Celestial Star will spur the Master of Taemo Mountain Fortress into action."
While organizing his thoughts with a murmur, the Yeoryeong Lord found it strange deep down.
The current Divine Sword Corps Commander was an eccentric. One could tell just by looking at his scholar-style purple martial uniform.
He didn't make an exception for martial arts when pursuing elegance and taste. All of his techniques were among the most flamboyant under heaven.
Having trained his martial arts in such a manner for so long, it was only natural that he had to use complex forms to draw out the maximum power of his techniques.
Indeed, his martial arts have never aimed for short, decisive battles.
Rather, he usually mocked his opponents with elegant sword paths to elevate the prestige of the Desolate Fortress. According to past reports, it had always been so.
The only exception was when he faced the deceased Namgung Clan Leader, the younger brother of the Martial Dragon Association's Namgung's First Sword. That was because the Namgung Clan's martial arts were close to the pinnacle among the Eight Families.
The Purple Tenuity Celestial Star was not on par with the Namgung Clan Leader.
It was only right to assume that something new had been added to the nature of the Divine Sword Corps Commander's martial arts.
What on earth was happening in the Desolate Fortress? There were also rumors of a massive appearance of White-Ranked warriors who used extremely linear forms.
Suddenly, a name flashed through the Yeoryeong Lord's mind. The Flash Art lineage.
He slowly spoke.
"What of the Desolate Fortress's movements north of the Yangtze River?"
"There are none."
"Detestable bastards..."
Veins bulged on the back of the Yeoryeong Lord's hand.
He had visited the vicinity of the World Tree immediately after losing the Divine Sword Corps Commander.
It was a place where he could gauge both the likelihood of the Desolate Fortress Lord's intervention in this fight and the possibility of the appearance of the Desolate Fortress's Hidden Sword, who had previously torn off the arm of the Deep Martial Alliance Leader.
There is no intervention. That is certain.
That was why the Yeoryeong Lord had calmly overlooked the mobilization of the Divine Sword Corps' Black Ranks. He had believed that the moment news of the Dragon fellow was cut off, their gathering would cease.
Now that the Desolate Fortress's Elder Council Head had lost his teeth, they wouldn't be able to sit idly by and watch the death of the Divine Sword Corps Commander, who could be called the greatest in the main fortress in terms of both military power and symbolism.
The moment the 17th Unit of the Divine Sword Corps gathered from all directions, the plan was to defeat them individually.
Yet, they said there was not even a twitch.
"How foolish, yet how meticulous..."
The Desolate Fortress was always like this. No matter which high-ranking figure they targeted, they never acted rashly.
They never made a careless move.
Absolute obedience to orders. Their trust in the leader of the Divine Sword Corps was akin to some massive, formidable force.
"...Where is he now?"
"He has entered the land of Huguang from Southern Zhili. He passed Wuchang long ago."
"He won't be able to enter the main fortress of the Desolate Fortress."
The Yeoryeong Lord prioritized the death of the Divine Sword Corps Commander over striking the empty main fortress. The Commander himself would know this.
He would not make the foolish mistake of drawing the Thirteen Heavens to the main fortress in Xiangyang himself.
"He will arrive in Guizhou soon."
"It is estimated it will not take more than a few days."
"His body is starved. No matter how infinite his true qi may be, he cannot withstand the Energy-Dispersing Poison forever."
Murmuring in a deep voice, the Yeoryeong Lord gestured with his chin toward the opposite side.
"What of the net of heaven and earth at Unhoe Peak in Sichuan? Has there been a result?"
While all of the supreme master's attention had been focused on the Divine Sword Corps Commander, this solemn command finally opened the mouths of the other scholars.
Their tone and breathing were different. They couldn't produce firm voices like the scholars who had reported until now. Their voices trembled slightly.
"The Lord of the Tenth Sect, the Leader of the Pure Demon Alliance, and the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect have been defeated in succession by the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps' Demonlight Wing... The three sects in question have suffered catastrophic damage bordering on annihilation, and the Lord of the Tenth Sect and the Lord of the Golden Wing Sect have passed away."
"...What?"
In an instant, the Yeoryeong Lord's bamboo hat shook.
The silence that rippled out from his body swallowed all surrounding sounds.
* * *
The lightness skill sprint of the Black Rank group continued intermittently.
When they sprinted in earnest, they kicked up clouds of dust across the plains, but they couldn't run in a straight line.
This was because they frequently encountered scenes of martial sects or rogue bands plundering villages.
They couldn't simply watch and pass by.
"Mercy! Have mercy on us!"
"If you were short on grain, you should have only taken the food. Why did you have to lay hands on the entire family?"
"That is..."
"When you go to the underworld, tell King Yama that you were kicked down there by the Master of the Martial Apex Hall of the Desolate Fortress."
"The Desolate Fortress...!"
It was a chaotic age. Only those with power possessed a modicum of leisure.
While building rapport with his seniors, Jeong Yeon-shin witnessed many horrific sights.
Commoners suffering from famine. He witnessed the tragedy of emaciated, starving people sitting with dead eyes, or going to offer their own children to sects rumored to have begun eating human flesh.
The young man, who had ascended to a peerless realm, recalled his own childhood several times.
Hunger.
Everyone was starving for something. Whether it was the affection of betrayed kin, the bond between master and disciple clashing over humanity, or just plain food to satisfy their bellies, they were all hungrier than Jeong Yeon-shin had been in his childhood.
There were no children riding the Dano Festival swings set up here and there in the villages.
Amidst all this, the group had to keep the livelihood of the people, the imperial court, and the martial world in mind.
"It's paradoxical. To avoid upsetting the imperial court while heading north, we must clearly show that we haven't abandoned the people's livelihood... yet we can't let go of our worries for the Commander either."
"Didn't you say it was a needless worry?"
"Well, yes. He's a man who survived and returned from among the northern demonfolk in his youth, after all."
Ak Su-rim playfully patted and scratched Jeong Yeon-shin's back. Jeong Yeon-shin accepted the veteran senior's comfort.
This was not a famine of just a day or two. If they let themselves get depressed, nothing would get done.
"Flash Art."
Occasionally, the Commander of the Thread-Annihilation Unit, Shin Hwang, would approach. He would gaze quietly at Jeong Yeon-shin with sunken eyes and sometimes ask incomprehensible questions.
"Is there any food you prefer as a delicacy?"
"I like the Five-Rhyme Mountain Herb Dish."
"The wild herb dish of the Brightfolk? What is the reason?"
"I found it fascinating how, when several people pluck the leaves gathered like dumplings all at once, the fragrance deeply infuses the herbs. I saw it a few times in my family."
"It is a dish of harmony, a delicacy for masters. The fleeting moment is what matters."
"I suppose it can be viewed that way."
"Indeed... you were an incarnation of martial arts from birth."
"Pardon?"
It was a conversation Jeong Yeon-shin found hard to grasp. The Thread-Annihilation Unit Commander would nod to himself and walk away, only to return several times to share stories.
Mostly, they were pieces of advice regarding the characters of high-ranking officials in Beijing's Forbidden City, the commanders of the Divine Sword Corps, and martial arts.
Then, one day.
The group shed their black robes and disguised themselves in common robes.
"It's here."
Cheon So-so, who was at the front of the group, spoke. She had tucked the sapling of the World Tree into her bosom. It was a branch whose spirituality had deepened by absorbing even a minute amount of the Flood Dragon's energy.
It was said to be like a dharma treasure to Cheon So-so, the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit. It allowed her to trace those who were originally of the same clan but had lost their white skin.
Wiji Geuk, the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit, stepped forward, stroking the rope at his waist.
"I thought it was strange every time we passed by, but is the Dark Night Hall truly here?"
"Yes."
Cheon So-so nodded.
Jeong Yeon-shin, who was implicitly surrounded by his seniors in the middle of the group, stroked the hilt of the Divine Sword: Lingering Thunder.
A grayish-white mist stretched dimly before his eyes. The sound of the wind, which faintly resembled the wailing of ghosts, swept past his ears.
The place they had arrived at.
It was the outskirts of Broad Shade City in Guizhou.
It was a city rife with sinister rumors. Dried vines surrounded the nearby houses like castle walls, giving the atmosphere a bizarre feel from the start.
Many people had skin that looked as if it were smeared with ash, and ears that pointed upward like leaves. They stared at the group, peeking out from the gaps between the grayish-white trees and brick houses.
The city people whispered.
"They're carrying weapons. They're all martial artists."
"They must eat well. Their complexions are good."
"Indeed... they're all handsome men and beautiful women."
"Look at their appearance. Even that giant with the receding hairline is handsome. They must be masters who control their bodies at will."
"Could they be from the Desolate Fortress...?"
"Nonsense. Why would those lofty people come all the way to this remote edge?"
A hostile, insular vibe hung in the air. Some glared at them as if they wanted to kill them.
A world of repeated famines. It was a situation where anyone who was not a fellow villager was treated as an enemy. There was no room for cooperation.
"They must have hidden their main base within a formation, so we will have to weed out who among them belongs to the Dark Night Hall," Yu Jeong-myeong, the Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit, said as he sharply scanned the surroundings.
Cheon So-so shook her head.
"Though all we see is wasteland... it is definitely ahead. It would be faster to find the entrance to the formation."
"And how long will that take?"
Just as Hahu Wi-jin, the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, clenched his thick fist:
Step.
Jeong Yeon-shin took a step onto the muddy ground. The group consisted entirely of Black Ranks.
Since they were all equals and did not control one another, anyone was free to step forward as they pleased.
Reaching his hand downward, he grasped a sword that radiated a brilliant luster.
It was not Lingering Thunder. It was one of the eighteen weapons belonging to the Lord of the Tenth Sect, which could be used as a disposable item. It had been drawn on its own from the bundle Hahu Wi-jin carried on his back.
Though he had never shown it, Jeong Yeon-shin was now sick and tired of formations. This was especially true now, with something having happened to the Commander.
In a situation where the Dark Night Hall could not be ruled out as the culprit, and even the imperial court was watching them, voices criticizing the commanders were rising among some of the common people.
"What are you trying to do?"
Bukgung-a, the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, asked casually with her arms crossed. The moment Jeong Yeon-shin, with his illustrious Black Rank seniors behind him, gripped the hilt:
Hummm—
A dry, flat melody rippled out from the blade.