Chapter 436: Conclusion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 436: Conclusion (1)
The absolute masters of the Orthodox Jianghu looked toward the back of the spectator seats.
A towering figure stood there, his incredibly broad back completely blotting out the sun. Even though he merely looked down at them without making a single movement, sheer arrogance seemed to radiate from his very being.
“…….”
The silent, fierce summer sunlight warped and distorted around him.
It looked as if space itself was bending, warped by the force field of energy enveloping the strange man's body. Through his internal power alone, he had completely sealed off his presence and aura. With ordinary eye techniques, one could not peer through the distortion; it was difficult to even perceive him.
Within the arena, only the leaders of the Nine Sects and Perfected Ancient Sword were the exceptions.
Because of this, the crowd filling the spectator seats remained busy searching for traces of Jeong Yeon-shin and the Sword Empress, who had completely shattered the stage and vanished. Only a tiny minority paid any attention to the movements of the Orthodox faction's greatest masters.
“How can such a Return to Simplicity exist...?”
The Qingcheng Sect Leader, Perfected Clear Water, the Twin-Wall Sword Lord, groaned. His long ears twitched. A crack appeared in his handsome expression, which had remained consistently cold until he witnessed Jeong Yeon-shin's single sword strike.
Originally, Return to Simplicity referred to a state of appearing completely ordinary after reaching the supreme realm.
— I heard twenty-eight days have already passed.
The strange man was different. He appeared utterly tyrannical. He simply did not allow low-class mongrels to look upon his form. It was an incredibly bizarre form of Return to Simplicity—one that could only be described as true transcendence.
— Since some of you must be deaf from old age, I shall repeat myself. My grandson is wasting his precious time on you old geezers' worthless promise. You will end this nonsense with Geum Seon-seon.
The telepathic transmission shattered all decorum. No matter his identity, he could not possibly be more insolent.
Frowning, Perfected Clear Water slowly opened his mouth. Even the strange man's extraordinary realm could not silence the leader of one of the Nine Sects. He intended to ask for his background first.
“I have never heard of someone like you in the Jianghu. My experience is narrow, so I humbly ask: what is your sect and your name?”
— Who is that fellow?
A serious counter-question returned. It was not the answer Perfected Clear Water wanted. The stranger seemed to be asking the other sect leaders. Only then did Perfected Clear Water sense something strange and look around.
Lady Yul-ha, who was among the youngest, merely raised a single eyebrow, seemingly ignorant of the strange man's identity.
On the other hand, Abbess Baekyak, the leader of the Emei Sect, was different. A rare look of sheer shock was etched into the wrinkled eyes of the nun hailed as the greatest in Sichuan.
“Abbess...?”
Perfected Clear Water hurriedly turned his head to the other side. He saw two people, and for a moment, he doubted his own eyes.
Perfected Ancient Sword, looking like a mysterious young Taoist as always, was constantly moving his lips, repeating the exact same shape over and over.
It cannot be... It cannot be... He was not chanting a Taoist mantra like the Primordial Pacification Mantra.
— Bald monk, why do you not answer? Your mouth seems to be perfectly intact.
Abbot Beomheo, sitting cross-legged in midair like Shakyamuni Buddha, merely stared at the strange man in silence.
“…….”
Only after a long silence did the armless, one-eyed Abbot of Shaolin slowly speak.
“I know not whether to call this a blessing or say my worldly vexations have multiplied. It seems this poor monk's cultivation is still lacking.”
— Everything has its proper order. First, I must appreciate my grandson's achievements. After that, I shall deal with you lot.
The strange man's figure suddenly vanished from where he stood. At the same time, the absolute masters of the Orthodox faction concealed themselves in the air, as if following him.
It looked as though they were burrowing into space using their respective Body Protection Scriptures. In the end, nothing remained in the spectator seats of the Orthodox leadership.
Only a few wisps of haze rose into the air.
* * *
It's a little lacking, Jeong Yeon-shin thought.
His opponent was a leader of the Nine Sects. Furthermore, she was of the same generation as his maternal grandfather, Ma Yeon-jeok, and temporarily possessed a body that surpassed her prime.
Her experience and internal energy mastery perfectly complemented the thousand-year-old martial arts she had mastered. It was no exaggeration to say she had built a fortress out of time itself.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not expect to claim victory over the Sword Empress with a single blow. If he could simply inflict significant damage with his first move, that alone would suffice.
Kwaaaaaah!
A gale of sword wind was swallowing the surroundings like a tempest. He could see nothing but his opponent.
They had already tunneled through the lower section of the spectator seats like a cavern and shattered over a dozen walls in a row. It seemed they had destroyed almost all the walls of the vast Green Jade Sword Manor.
And now, this was the moment.
Crack.
Cracks spread across the widest and thickest outer wall. The Sword Empress's back was pressing hard against the stone wall—forced there against her will.
Jeong Yeon-shin pressed her back, maintaining the exact posture of his forward charge with his sword extended long.
Before anyone knew it, she had placed her other hand on the tip of her blade, blocking the tip of Lingering Thunder with both hands. The Sword Empress's sword was no longer mere metal.
In place of the blade that had shattered as she was helplessly pushed back, a bluish energy had long since surged from the hilt in an instant, taking the shape of a sword. Its texture was incredibly solid.
Sword Astral.
It was as if starlight had been woven and condensed into the shape of a blade. It was a technique that most martial artists would not use even if their skills permitted it. This was because internal masters who had reached the peak could achieve performance exceeding Sword Astral simply through Qi-Filled Sword, filling the inside and outside of the blade with True Qi.
But to the Sword Empress, such common sense was useless. The caliber of her internal energy was on a completely different level.
This isn't a move I can just throw around recklessly.
Sky Torrent.
Along with Azure Flame First Form, it was the sword move that drained the most energy among the five forms that now comprised the Lightning-Flash Sword Ridge Style.
Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes darkened. A numbness crept up his entire body. He thought: Should I push a little harder?
Cough.
Suddenly, the Sword Empress coughed up blood. As soon as the blood that burst forth with a heavy cough splattered against her Sword Astral, it vanished with a hiss, rising as white smoke.
This was because, unlike her left hand supporting the blue blade, her Body Protection Qi was not active at this moment.
The Diancang secret technique, Radiant Sun Primordial Silk.
The intangible internal energy barrier enveloping the Sword Empress's entire body was as solid as her Sword Astral. It would be difficult to break unless he stacked Brilliant River about seven times. While there was a way to deliver a massive shock to her interior, at this point, landing a decisive blow had become no easy task.
“…Amazing. Truly amazing.”
Her voice was rough from the lingering cough. With blood staining her lips, the Sword Empress quietly locked eyes with Jeong Yeon-shin.
It was a somewhat chilling sight. She was no longer being pushed back in this contest of strength to block his sword tip. They were at point-blank range.
Stone debris fell from the wall cracked in all directions. Thud, thud... A sound that disturbed the silence.
The breaths of the two peerless swordsmen slowly mingled. Both of their internal energy breathing was incredibly pure and long. This was because the Sword Empress, who had been helplessly struck by his single blow, was gradually regaining her breath.
An absolute master of orthodox martial arts whose cultivation of mental methods far exceeded ordinary imagination, and whose power shone brighter the longer she practiced. She brought to mind a divine sword whose durability reached the heavens. Jeong Yeon-shin felt slightly overwhelmed.
Amidst this, the Sword Empress slowly parted her lips.
“What is the name of this form?”
“It is called Sky Torrent.”
“An instant felt like eternity. Did you create it?”
“Yes.”
At Jeong Yeon-shin's calm reply, the Sword Empress's unwrinkled brow twitched upward. Her disheveled hair, which draped below her neck, swayed slightly.
It was the aftermath of her internal energy flow. The internal energy of peerless masters always moved instantaneously in accordance with their minds.
“…It is an honor to receive a divine ultimate technique that did not exist in the Jianghu. I felt a strange sorrow in your sword form. Spirituality must have dwelled within your strike.”
She slowly continued.
“I admit it. You are a grandmaster worthy of discussing the world.”
Jeong Yeon-shin did not reply. It had not been long since he began wearing the Purple Robe. He did not know exactly what the phrase "discussing the world," which he had heard a few times, truly meant.
Rather, the intangible pressure leaking from the Sword Empress's entire body at this moment felt far more real. The wall pressed beneath her back groaned.
“However, the Mount Hua Agreement is a promise of the previous generation, including myself. I cannot suffer defeat at the hands of the Hegemon Hero once more. Especially not to his bloodline... So, let me ask you one thing.”
“What is it...?”
“Though I have certainly suffered a great setback.” The Sword Empress looked straight at Jeong Yeon-shin and asked. “Do you have a next move prepared?”
In that instant, a deep resonance echoed.
The width of the Sword Astral blocking the tip of Lingering Thunder widened in a flash. The Sword Empress immediately twisted her wrist upward. It took only an instant for the blade of deep blue light to flick Lingering Thunder away with a sharp clang.
That small sword move whipped up a translucent gale of sword wind. By then, Jeong Yeon-shin was already unleashing Brilliant River from his left hand.
Kwaaaaang!
The midpoint between them.
Space warped along with a shockwave. The force that spread like a tempest between the two gouged a deep circular crater into the ground. The wall behind the Sword Empress did not just collapse; it exploded backward, and the gale blowing in all directions coated everything in dust.
Before anyone knew it, the Sword Empress's figure was blown backward through the gap. She had failed to completely neutralize the force of his Brilliant River.
She definitely suffered a severe internal injury from Sky Torrent.
Jeong Yeon-shin immediately rushed forward to pursue her. Because of the lofty sword wind, his palm strike had landed shallowly. He needed to deliver a decisive blow.
It was then.
Thud!
The Sword Empress planted her feet into the ground. The backward momentum was channeled into the tip of her blade.
Diancang Shooting Sun Sword Technique. A chillingly powerful True Qi flared up. It was just before the grandson of the Hegemon Hero reached point-blank range.
In that instant, Jeong Yeon-shin felt a bizarre sensation. It was as if an arrow were aimed at his abdomen.
“Too late,” the Sword Empress said.
A single streak of blue light was etched into the air.
A single thrust pierced halfway through one side of Jeong Yeon-shin's abdomen before pulling back. Blood splattered, yet there was not even the sound of tearing air.
Only the sound of Jeong Yeon-shin's footsteps, stumbling in midair before landing on the ground, broke the silence. The thunderous roar of the sword strike erupted only afterward.
Before long, the Sword Empress was pulling her sword back to her chest once more. It was as if she were nocking an arrow to a bowstring. This time, her momentum was far from quiet.
Despite her youthful appearance, her calloused hand gripped the hilt tightly, vibrating violently.
Frowning, Jeong Yeon-shin swung his sword upward from below with Qilin's Judgment.
Kwaaaaaah!
The long trajectory of the Sword Astral tore through the dust in a straight line. Another thrust piercing through the air. The atmosphere along the sword path trembled violently, creating a resonance.
It carried the profound principles of a heavy sword. Yet, it was faster than Qilin's Judgment.
Clang!
Jeong Yeon-shin's right shoulder jerked back. Streams of blood scattered through the air, following the blue afterimage of the Sword Astral as it was instantly retrieved like lightning. His opponent was indeed a leader of the Nine Sects.
The fact that his Purple Robe, which would repair itself anyway, had been pierced repeatedly was of no consequence. What mattered was that his form had been interrupted before he could even fully complete Qilin's Judgment.
She's fast.
Jeong Yeon-shin suppressed the pain with his willpower, his eyes flashing with a brilliant blue light.
He was given no time to feel surprised or devise a tactical plan. At this very moment, the Sword Empress's continuous strikes were raining down upon him.
Jeong Yeon-shin's body dissolved from where he stood.
Kwaaaak!
A strike pierced through the space where he had just been. The Sword Empress's colorless eyes darted sideways like a fast sword.
Evading while leaving a whirlwind in the air, Jeong Yeon-shin swung his sword in a continuous spinning motion. To call it fast was an understatement.
Lightning-Flash Sword Ridge Style: Nine Azure Rivers. The shockwave of the sword strike, which had accumulated intense vibrations, tore through the Sword Empress's sash.
If she had not stepped back in that split second, it would have torn her rectus abdominis completely away.
From then on, it truly began.
Whoosh! Clang! Kwaaaang!
The two continued to evade and clash. Their afterimages overlapped and were pierced repeatedly.
Every time the brilliant blue light of the Sword Astral flashed, the pure white trajectory of Lingering Thunder wrapped around it, pressing it down or violently repelling it.
The maxim of the Three Impossible Swords did not apply to Jeong Yeon-shin, who had created his own divine art stabbing technique, and the Sword Empress did not seem to find it strange either. They simply continued to carve more sword wounds onto each other's bodies.
With every clash, the earth shook. The air was filled with dozens of layers of translucent ripples. Before one shockwave could fade, the wave of another sword form erupted.
Exhilarating, Jeong Yeon-shin thought to himself.
He could see his opponent's sword tip. The precise point created by the Sword Empress's thrust was clearly captured in his vision. In the past, he would have devised a way to counter it.
Not anymore. Though his entire body was now drenched in blood, Jeong Yeon-shin forged ahead without hesitation, swept up in the exhilaration born of the super-ascension realm of martial arts.
With his accumulated combat experience and innate senses, he discerned the exact moment to play his final card. The difference was immense.
This is the moment.
He recalled the night sky when he had washed the twin siblings. Bathed in the brilliant blue sword light, he whispered in his heart: Come out now.
Immediately, a faint cluster of white starlight enveloped his entire body.
The figure of the Sword Empress, who had been wielding her sword before him, vanished like a mirage. In the next instant, she stepped to Jeong Yeon-shin's side and unleashed the ultimate technique of the Diancang Shooting Sun Sword Technique, Hou Yi Shoots the Suns.
Claaaaang!
A monstrous explosion erupted from his flank. His Body Protection Qi shattered into pieces, spewing fragments of light.
Yet, Jeong Yeon-shin's flesh was not pierced. It was as if invisible hands had blocked the sword tip just once.
Just as the Sword Empress's eyebrows shot up as she extended her blade, Jeong Yeon-shin slipped past the scattering fragments of light and closed in on her chest.
He used a footwork technique he had once created after deep contemplation in bed, sweeping the inside of the Sword Empress's leg outward. At the moment his Body Protection Qi shattered, the palm force of Brilliant River, stacked eight times, shone brilliantly in his left hand.
Jeong Yeon-shin gripped the center of the Sword Empress's abdominal muscles with his violently trembling left palm.
Finally.
“……!”
Piercing through the split second, the palm force exploded. It was accompanied by a vibration that transcended the audible range.
The ground caved in as if struck by a meteor, and the Sword Empress was sent flying through the explosion, crashing violently into a massive boulder. Her Body Protection Qi was completely shattered.
As the unbearable shock rattled her internal organs, the Diancang Sect Leader's eyes slightly lost focus.
Yet, she did not close her eyes. Or rather, she was unable to.
The person who revealed himself the very moment the fierce duel reached its conclusion. The pink hem of the man's robe, who was already walking toward Jeong Yeon-shin, flickered in her fading vision.
In addition to the shock of her unbelievable defeat, it was a sight that brought yet another wave of astonishment.
In the end.
Even as she lost consciousness, the Sword Empress could not close her eyes.