Chapter 444: The Sunset Flag (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 444: The Sunset Flag (6)
Even a seemingly leisurely stance became a sublime battle posture in the hands of a Purple Rank from the Desolate Fortress.
Though his hands were clasped behind his back, a single Divine Sword floated by his side. Its presence alone shook the ground, sending violent vibrations to the very top of the pavilion.
Dust from the shattered roof tiles swirled around Jeong Yeon-shin like a fine mist.
"Oh?"
Behind her silver mask, the Heaven-Smiling Invincible’s eyes curved into crescents.
"I heard rumors of the Mount Hua Agreement, but you've grown even stronger since then?"
A soft sound of admiration escaped her lips, making no attempt to hide her thoughts.
Still gripping Baek Mi-ryeo's neck, the Heaven-Smiling Invincible lightly extended her other hand in a gesture for him to calm down.
Her seemingly playful demeanor held not a single sliver of vulnerability—befitting a peerless demon who had mastered her demonic arts to the highest degree.
The Heaven-Smiling Invincible slowly parted her lips.
"Can't you just stay put over there?"
"..."
"This woman, Baek Mi-ryeo, belonged to me from the start. The time has finally come for me to do with her as I please."
It was a cryptic statement.
The Heaven-Smiling Invincible and Baek Mi-ryeo.
Jeong Yeon-shin had no idea what kind of history lay between the two.
Was she, a fellow practitioner of the demonic path, trying to eliminate a successor from the same lineage?
Or perhaps, much like how Jeong Yeon-shin cherished the lineage of the Flash Art, this direct descendant of the Ming Cult, now in the final days of her life, intended to make Baek Mi-ryeo her successor. Either was possible.
His comrades in the Demonlight First Team had rarely shared their personal hardships with him.
Even Cheong-myeong and Heonwon Chang had only spoken a few words when their respective sects became the targets of their missions.
Among them, Baek Mi-ryeo had only ever been open about the fact that she practiced the Heavenly Demon Divine Art; she had never truly opened her heart to Jeong Yeon-shin.
None of them had wanted to place another burden on their commander.
In that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly realized that, as the youngest of the Demonlight Wing, he had only ever received the care and attention of his comrades—right up until the moment he finally donned the purple robe.
It was a deeply painful realization.
"You had better let go of her," he uttered, the words feeling meaningless as he stared intently at his opponent.
Activating the Sight of the Lowly, he looked past the Heaven-Smiling Invincible’s outward appearance, observing the blue light of the qi drifting around her.
Very few martial artists in the world were truly flawless.
Even now, only the Lord of the Desolate Fortress came to mind. Emperor Geonreung, who had seemed utterly transcendent, had revealed a flaw in his energy circulation when Jeong Yeon-shin had spoken to him of what it meant to be a true gentleman.
The figure leading the Ming Cult would be no exception.
"I told you, this is a matter for our sect. Not that I expected you to just stand by and listen."
A rough voice, as always, flowed from the Heaven-Smiling Invincible’s crookedly upturned mouth.
It was a rumbling voice, as if a wave of powerful true qi was layered over her vocal cords—a technique designed to prevent an opponent from discerning her gender, intentions, or the rhythm of her energy circulation.
"By the way," the Heaven-Smiling Invincible said, tilting her head slightly. "How did you notice me? My Silent Star Veil Art has evaded even the Mind's Eye of the Lord of Heaven's Bane..."
The Silent Star Veil Art.
It was a stealth technique passed down through generations only to the leaders of the Ming Cult. It was known as a peerless martial art that could hide even the presence of a powerful offensive strike, boasting immense utility in both offense and defense.
Would it have been different if the distance had been closer?
In truth, Jeong Yeon-shin hadn't sensed the Heaven-Smiling Invincible’s presence at all until he had utilized the branch of the World Tree. It was a chilling realization, but one he couldn't afford to show.
He simply stared at the Heaven-Smiling Invincible in silence. He intended to sever her arm the instant she revealed even the slightest opening while she prattled on.
The Heaven-Smiling Invincible curled one corner of her mouth.
"What an exquisite glare. It’s so terrifying I can hardly stand still."
Before her words had even finished…
Swell.
Suddenly, the space around the Heaven-Smiling Invincible’s body began to shimmer like a heat haze.
It was the precursor to some sorcerous art. In that same instant, Jeong Yeon-shin's Lingering Thunder shot forward in a straight line.
Kiiiiing—!
The Divine Sword Lingering Thunder pierced through the Heaven-Smiling Invincible's shoulder and vanished into the air beyond.
It hadn't pierced her protective qi or her flesh. It had passed straight through her, like stabbing a desert mirage.
The force behind his sword control was so immense that the blade flew far into the distance, piercing through the pavilion walls.
The Ming Cult Leader, the Heaven-Smiling Invincible.
At that moment, her entire body—along with Baek Mi-ryeo, who had only just turned her eyes toward Jeong Yeon-shin—was growing faint.
They looked as though they would disappear at any moment. It was a miracle that clearly belonged to the realm of a Purple Rank. The direct descendants of the Ming Cult, who had held the title of Heavenly Demon for generations, wielded such mysteries as naturally as breathing.
For this reason, they were called demons sent by heaven, not mere humans.
"Void Displacement," the Heaven-Smiling Invincible said with a shrug.
"It is a sorcerous art of the highest order, one that surpasses even Transposition. Although it required a vast amount of resources, including Sophora Paper and various Dharma Treasures, one would be a fool to infiltrate the Desolate Fortress's main bastion without at least this much preparation. Why, even so-called supreme experts in the field would have to risk their lives and sacrifice their Innate True Energy just to attempt it…"
Fwooooosh—!
A violent wind tore her voice apart.
Before anyone realized it, Jeong Yeon-shin was thrusting both hands toward the Heaven-Smiling Invincible's face. A vortex of Fa Jin, spiraling translucently from his palms, violently ground against the floor.
A loud cracking sound echoed. Even as the entire Demonlight Wing pavilion shook, Jeong Yeon-shin’s body leaned solely toward the Heaven-Smiling Invincible.
Whooooosh!
His hands passed straight through her shoulders.
Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes narrowed. It felt exactly like striking a ghost. It was the pinnacle of mystery. Meeting his gaze from a hair's breadth away, the Heaven-Smiling Invincible’s eyes held a trace of laughter.
"Transposition. To move the body."
The lips beneath the silver mask moved.
"Void. To wherever I desire."
Thud!
Jeong Yeon-shin, who had leaped forward while extending his Brilliant River, landed on the spot.
The two overlapped as if they were a single body. The Heaven-Smiling Invincible had now completely lost her physical form. It was an incredibly bizarre sight.
"Since it defies the laws of heaven, it is a technique a practitioner of sorcerous arts can scarcely use twice in a lifetime… But from the start, I had no intention of fighting you. Under this vast, boundless sky, you are the only one who might understand me. Why should we trade blows?"
Just then.
Boom! Crash—!
Three figures landed around them. The hems of two black robes and one scholar's robe fluttered violently.
They were Un So-yu, Hahu Wi-jin, and Grand Steward Im Jin-myeong, who held a long brush in his hand.
Ak Su-rim couldn't be here, as she was overseeing the security of Xiangyang, but there were few in the martial world who could face all three at once and claim to have strength to spare.
Looking around at the three of them, the Heaven-Smiling Invincible chuckled.
"How terrifying. This is why I couldn't help but prepare a life-saving herb."
"Void Displacement…?" Im Jin-myeong muttered, his eyes widening like saucers. The expressions of Hahu Wi-jin and Un So-yu also turned grave.
Overlapping with the Heaven-Smiling Invincible's body, Jeong Yeon-shin growled in a low voice, "Let her go. Leave her and get out."
"Don't worry about Baek Mi-ryeo. She will be treated quite hospitably. But if you still insist on fighting me… come find me in Xinjiang."
Sssss—
In that instant, Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes met Baek Mi-ryeo's as she faded away like smoke, just like the Heaven-Smiling Invincible. Her pitch-black eyes, strong as always, were speaking to him.
This is no different from any other Desolate Fortress warrior meeting their end on a mission. A Purple Rank of the main fortress must see the bigger picture, not get caught up in personal matters.
Knowing her character well, Jeong Yeon-shin naturally guessed her thoughts.
He could not agree.
He took a step back and locked eyes with his enemy. The Heaven-Smiling Invincible, whose form was now just a faint outline, still had one corner of her mouth curled upward.
"Anyway, it was fun seeing you again. Your body doesn't seem to be in perfect condition either, so don't waste your strength. Just remember Xinjiang."
Swish.
Suddenly, Jeong Yeon-shin covered the Heaven-Smiling Invincible's silver mask with one hand. Faint, white afterimages of his hand were seared into the air behind it.
"…My features are quite outstanding, but it's too early to show them to you."
Laughter was laced in the Heaven-Smiling Invincible's voice. Now, even her voice was fading.
"Unless you can wield a sword as well as the Lord of Heaven's Bane, there isn't much you can do—"
Crack—
Her words cut short.
"?!"
Cracks spread across the silver mask. At the same time, the air behind it fractured, briefly revealing the scenery of a marketplace.
The Demon-Slaying Light Trace. In that moment, pure martial skill had shattered a piece of a sorcerous art. The Heaven-Smiling Invincible's mouth twisted in a strange mixture of shock and admiration.
Jeong Yeon-shin didn't even glance at his enemy's face. The Void Displacement cast by a fellow ephemeral being was not a technique that the Demon-Slaying Light Trace could stop. The gulf in their depth was simply too vast.
The Great Thoroughfare Sect.
Among the marketplace scenery reflected in the fractured air, he spotted the sect's signboard, which stood out clearly.
The Great Thoroughfare Sect of Hangzhou. A sect said to have conquered the city with nothing but empty bluster and flashy moves. He had heard of it from his seniors before.
It wasn't Xinjiang. It was Hangzhou.
The very city where the leaders of the Nine Sects, Taemo Mountain Fortress, and Heaven's Bane might soon engage in a fierce struggle.
"…Wait for me. I'm coming."
A low growl, like a lion's roar, escaped from between Jeong Yeon-shin's clenched teeth.
The Heaven-Smiling Invincible did not reply. She merely stared at Jeong Yeon-shin until her body completely vanished.
Even in that final moment, Jeong Yeon-shin stared intently at Baek Mi-ryeo's face.
He didn't blink. Not even after Baek Mi-ryeo, who had kept her eyes locked with his until the very end, completely dispersed into nothing.
Hahu Wi-jin, Un So-yu, and Im Jin-myeong couldn't bring themselves to speak to the newly appointed Purple Rank. A day like today, where they had no opportunity to even lift a hand, was a first for them as well.
However, the life-saving herb and mask of the Heaven-Smiling Invincible—who had entered the martial world before Jeong Yeon-shin and earned the title of Invincible—had also been ruthlessly shattered.
The martial attainment of the Ming Cult Leader, which had been vaunted as flawless, had helplessly revealed a gap.
Now that the main fortress's precious Blue Rank had been taken by the Heaven-Smiling Invincible.
Which of them was the true greatest genius under heaven?
It was a question that would put every martial artist on high alert. Soon, the head of the Five Bright Vessels might be decided.
However.
Hangzhou was supposed to be handled by the Nine Sects. Even the King of Fathomless Light is sitting in the main fortress like an inspector… If the main fortress moves out on Lord Jeong's whim, the resulting power vacuum will…
As worry clouded Im Jin-myeong's face, Jeong Yeon-shin stood silently, staring into the empty air.
It was the spot where his senior sister—or perhaps, his older sister—had just been.
Slowly, his aura began to shift.
This was no longer the face of someone accustomed to hiding his anxious heart behind a mask of composure. A different quality now colored the expression of the youth in the purple robe.
It was an emotion Jeong Yeon-shin had never truly harbored in all his time in the martial world.
Suddenly, the surroundings grew dark. An invisible wave of energy had instantly blocked out the sun.
Killing intent…!
The eyes of Un So-yu, Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit, widened.
*
A group of people was galloping across the plains.
They sped along as if conducting a hasty funeral, a large coffin loaded onto a cart pulled by swift horses, kicking up a thick trail of dust.
"Young Mistress, we must rest. More than a few of our people have completely exhausted their internal energy."
"Then run on foot. No one in our group is lacking in external martial arts. If the Gongson Clan Leader failed to hold back the Three Arts Great Seats, we will soon run into those immortals from Taemo Mountain Fortress."
"We are well aware, but our supplies are dangerously low. If we encounter the pursuers in this state, we will be annihilated. You must realize that you are now the only direct descendant of the Jegal clan left, Young Mistress."
"If you want to live, keep running."
"Will Xiangyang… will the Desolate Fortress even accept us? Right now, it feels like we're dragging a landslide behind us…"
The girl in scholar's robes, who had been skillfully whipping her horse, faltered. In contrast, her black hair, tied with sky-blue silk, fluttered incessantly alongside the steed's mane.
The Jegal Young Mistress.
Jegal Cheong-a of the Serene Deep Eye could not easily answer her subordinate's words.
Although the Gongson Clan Leader had stood in the way of two of the Three Arts Great Seats—the three immortals led by the Master of Taemo Mountain Fortress—it was hard to say the chances of victory were high.
The sorcerers of Taemo Mountain Fortress were twice as strong when fighting in pairs as they were alone. This was because they could deploy mutually reinforcing sorcerous formations.
In fact, if two of the Three Arts Great Seats joined forces, they were capable of manifesting natural disasters with their own power. They could be considered equal to, if not greater than, the three Black Rank experts who had once annihilated the Hwangbo Clan.
The Gongson Clan Leader had likely lost his life.
At that moment, the boy riding beside Jegal Cheong-a—Young Master Gongson—seemed to have guessed as much, his expression grim.
He tightly gripped a precious sword that Flash Art, the Lotus Nezha, had once wielded.
"..."
Jegal Cheong-a's gaze drifted backward.
The coffin they were escorting.
It had to be protected at all costs. It was no exaggeration to say that the fate of the Orthodox Martial World depended on it. It had to be brought to Hangzhou by way of Xiangyang.
But…
Jegal Cheong-a cast her gaze past the cart.
She saw something faint and white in the distance.
It was a blinding whiteness—a storm of hail and snow flurries, completely out of place as summer drew to a close.
A bizarre phenomenon. A sorcerous art.
"They've caught up to us!" the guard riding beside her shouted, his voice trembling.
He couldn't be blamed. The Jegal Clan did not fight battles they couldn't win. An experience like this, being hunted down like prey, was utterly foreign to them.
Especially when their opponent was Taemo Mountain Fortress, one of the most bizarre entities even among the Thirteen Heavens.
"Stop! Form the sword formation!" Jegal Cheong-a shouted, pulling hard on her horse's reins.
Just as she did—
Crash—!
A silver spear pierced the ground right beside them. In an instant, a massive vibration spread out like an earthquake.
At the same time, the fabric attached to the tip of the long spear fluttered violently.
Six characters were clearly visible on it.
神劍團 神劍隊.
From within the dust cloud, several of the dozens of martial artists read the characters aloud, their voices filled with bewilderment.
"Divine Sword Corps, Divine Sword Squad."