Chapter 448: Pandemonium
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 448: Pandemonium
The King of Fathomless Light wiped his forehead with his blue sleeve, clearing away the faint sheen of sweat glistening on his skin.
"To be dripping with such murderous intent..."
Swish.
He shook his sleeve with exaggerated flair.
"I would rather look down upon the Demonfolk from the northern Great Wall. Though that place is quite dreadful in its own right..."
Using his four-clawed dragon robe to dab his sweat, the King of Fathomless Light muttered quietly to himself, His prickly temperament is second only to Unit Commander Yong's.
At the main gate of the Desolate Fortress's Inner Castle.
The warriors of the main fortress, having just seen Jeong Yeon-shin off, dispersed to their respective posts. Their heavy, rhythmic footsteps overlapped in the long shadows cast by the fortress walls.
A few among them simply stared blankly into the empty sky where Jeong Yeon-shin had taken flight. They were members of the Demonlight Wing.
The King of Fathomless Light glanced at the Grand Steward of the Desolate Fortress and the Elder Council Head.
"Did you not say he was taught by the Lord of the Desolate Fortress? It seems even the world-renowned Extinction Sword Lord could not suppress the blood of the Ma clan."
"I am deeply humbled."
Im Jin-myeong bowed his head slightly.
Elder Council Head Shin Byeok, however, stood frozen in place, his expression still reflecting immense shock.
He had just come to the stark realization that not a single reliable Purple Rank expert remained in the main fortress.
"Old Master Shin, why do you stand there so dazed?" the King of Fathomless Light asked offhandedly.
Shin Byeok's wrinkled mouth tightened. "...It is nothing."
The King was teasing him.
The King of Fathomless Light was a son born late in life to Emperor Taizu of Ming. Though born near the end of his father's reign, he was far too young to address Shin Byeok as "Old Master" under normal circumstances.
Yet, Shin Byeok could not point this out.
The Zhu imperial family.
Countless lives had been lost on the northern front, yet the blood of a long-lived clan ran thick in their veins.
Because they all possessed exceptionally powerful martial arts, large-scale fratricide was difficult. Furthermore, none of them hesitated to step onto the northern frontlines to protect the empire and the World Tree.
Naturally, emperors arose from all generations. The throne might descend to Taizu's great-grandsons or great-great-granddaughters, only to climb back up to one of his own sons.
Every single one of them possessed a claim and legitimacy to the throne.
Now, with the ministers barely managing to restrain the current Emperor from personally engaging in a duel with the northern Fighting God, if anything unfortunate were to happen to the Crown Prince or the Imperial Grandson, the King of Fathomless Light could very well ascend the throne.
To secure the future of the Desolate Fortress, Shin Byeok had no choice but to tread carefully.
Slide.
He shifted his feet slightly, signaling his desire to conclude the meeting.
The King of Fathomless Light smiled, amused.
"It certainly doesn't seem like nothing. Come to think of it, wasn't it you, Old Master Shin, who stunned the ministers of Beijing by strongly petitioning for the dismissal of Unit Commander Yong?"
"It was only what had to be done."
"Then I must ask the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps one day: which is more important to him, the common people or the Desolate Fortress? Today, both young Yeon-shin of the Jeong clan and I were correct. But far in the future, a time will come when he must choose between the two."
"Your Highness."
"Given the ominous gathering of the masters of the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall not long ago, the imperial family requires reassurance regarding them... If, by some chance, a satisfactory answer is not given..."
"..."
"We might have to suggest the great affair of marriage. A wedding, that is."
The wrinkles around Shin Byeok's eyes deepened. This had nothing to do with his personal feelings toward Jeong Yeon-shin.
The absolute master of the Purple Rank, the one destined to lead the Desolate Fortress, absolutely could not be dragged into the court intrigues of the imperial palace.
That arena was filthy. It was not a place where one's body was scarred, but one's honor.
"I shall pretend I did not hear that."
For the first time, the old man's voice grew firm.
Like a man who had never known old age, the King of Fathomless Light merely shrugged. As was typical of the Zhu imperial family, his demeanor was remarkably youthful.
"It just so happens that among those making a name for themselves in the north is my second cousin twice removed. The Emperor dotes on her, so she might be adopted and titled a princess one day. You must have heard of her, Old Master Shin. Her title is..."
The King of Fathomless Light trailed off, falling silent.
He slowly turned toward the main gate of the Inner Castle.
"...The presence of an incredibly powerful corpse is approaching. One who has engraved a sword-forged mental image upon the world. To think it is this potent even while unconscious... Do you feel it too, Grand Steward?"
Im Jin-myeong, who had been stroking his beard between the two men, paused for a moment before nodding.
"Yes. It appears to be the party from the Martial World Alliance that Lord Jeong spoke of."
"Is it truly Hyeon So-baek, the Sword Saint...? I must examine the Master of Taemo Mountain Fortress's techniques and deliver the detailed information to our new Purple Rank. Tell me, Grand Steward, do we have any experts available to act as messengers right now?" the King of Fathomless Light asked with a solemn expression.
"With our Purple Rank away, we cannot afford to send out a Black Rank... However, there are about four members in the Divine Sword Corps' Demonlight Wing who could ascend to the Black Rank at any moment."
"I am roughly familiar with their profiles. We must exclude the Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress, Baek Mi-ryeo, from that list. That leaves the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword, the Lazy Flame Dragon... and who is the last one?"
"A hero who will one day represent our fortress. His title is the Divine Hero of the Desolate Fortress. True to his name, righteousness is practically bred into his bones, and his martial arts are quite unique..."
"Do you mean the Great Tongue Sword?"
"..."
"I pay far more attention to the Desolate Fortress than you might think. In any case, our new Purple Rank is blessed with good people around him. Those three should be more than capable of delivering a letter safely."
The King of Fathomless Light nodded once. The moment the last rays of the setting sun touched the pale fortress walls, he vanished as if sucked into the stone.
It only appeared that way; in reality, it was the result of his incredibly swift Body Protection Scripture.
Jegal Cheong-a, Gongson Min, and the rest of the Martial World Alliance party had to receive the Feudatory King's visit before they could even recover from the fatigue of their journey.
* * *
The wide, open highway bustled with crowds.
It was a road so long that anyone unfamiliar with the area would find it hard to guess where it led.
At its end lay a metropolis ranked first in all of the Ming Dynasty for pleasure and luxury: Hangzhou.
It was famous for the saying, "Above there is heaven, below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou."
A land literally compared to heaven. It was a Peach Blossom Spring for wealthy tycoons, poets, calligraphers, renowned Ironfolk, beautiful men and women, and reclusive eccentrics.
As famines worsened across the realm, people naturally gravitated toward prosperous lands, a trend even more pronounced in the case of Hangzhou.
It was not merely a place of abundant food, but a city still famous for its rare delicacies.
Regardless of what actually awaited them upon arrival, the faces of those on the verge of entering this "heaven" were bright.
A young storyteller among the crowd held up a book and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"This is not an opportunity that comes every day! The Jianghu Roster South of the Great Wall! It lists the rankings of every martial artist in this land! There is no discussion in the world more fascinating than this! It's perfect for killing time while waiting for the checkpoint inspection—just one copper coin apiece!"
Fortunately, an immediate response came.
A man squatting in the shade of a nearby tree raised his hand.
"Before I pay, I'd like to know how plausible your stories are. Who is on the very first line?"
The moment the storyteller turned his gaze toward him, he flinched. It was due to the appearance of the man squatting there with a sword cradled in his arms.
What rotten luck...
The man was loosely draped in dark blue rags.
But his attire was the least of it.
His slightly lowered eyes were clouded with a milky white film, completely out of focus—he was unmistakably blind.
The bamboo hat resting beside him was likely used to hide his condition.
In a world rife with superstition, the storyteller thought that if the man hadn't been holding a sword, he would have spat and walked away.
But in these troubled times, even a blind man's blade was something to be feared.
The storyteller had no choice but to speak.
"On the first line, of course, sits the Son of Heaven."
"Do you think people traveling these harsh roads are ignorant of the world? No matter how much they seek entertainment, no one will pay to hear empty flattery. What about the second line?"
"...Is it not, naturally, the world's greatest, the Lord of the Desolate Fortress?"
"Just a moment ago, you said the Son of Heaven was the greatest."
"..."
"Speaking from my own narrow perspective, I believe neither of those you mentioned has ever crossed blades with the northern Fighting God. I suppose self-preservation comes first."
The blind man casually spouted such treasonous words. The storyteller nervously looked around and took a step back.
"I said it is a roster of those south of the Great Wall. The Fighting God is a man of the north."
"Then who is third?"
"The Abbot of Northern Shaolin and the Sect Leader of Southern Wudang, side by side..."
"Utter nonsense! Surely it should be Yong Hee-myung, the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps! Or perhaps the Lord of the Martial Dragon Association, who is said to have recently perfected the world's greatest martial arts, or the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect, whose power is rising formidably. I hear no one of late can withstand a single strike from the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect."
"From the sound of it, you seem to be a storyteller yourself. Is it right for you to interfere with my business like this, violating professional courtesy?"
"A storyteller? I am merely a peddler hoping to make a tidy sum in Hangzhou."
"Don't play innocent. How would a mere peddler know the current affairs of figures like the Lord of the Martial Dragon Association and the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect? Looking at you, your only baggage is a sword and a bamboo hat... You're clearly trying to earn a living in Hangzhou using your knowledge and an appearance that suggests you've rolled through fields of blades. Anyone would find your stories plausible—though they won't compare to this Jianghu Roster, which was compiled by renowned dilettantes and eye-technique masters racking their brains."
At those words, the blind man smiled faintly.
"Selling something like that is a quick way to die on the streets."
"What?"
"That Jianghu Roster of yours. You had better burn it quickly. Martial artists possess pride as high as the heavens; they will never tolerate seeing their names written beneath someone else's. That is why books concerning rankings are strictly taboo."
Which expert was stronger?
It was a debate that frequently occurred among dilettantes.
But at this moment, only the two of them were conversing. The other passersby had, at some point, turned their attention to the road behind them.
The shimmering heat haze rising under the late summer sun seemed to settle quietly.
"You are sharing an interesting conversation. In that case, on which line does our Sect Leader stand?"
A crisp, pure air spread gently in all directions. It emanated from several Taoists walking forward, their indigo robes fluttering.
Each of them carried an aura one might only feel on a verdant mountain slope, transforming the once-bustling highway into a space as tranquil as a Taoist temple.
"Jinmu, what a rude question."
"Aren't you curious, Martial Uncle? I want to know how the dilettantes traveling to Hangzhou view the Jianghu."
"Your conduct is still far from that of a Taoist. It makes your long closed-door cultivation seem utterly pointless."
"You said it well. Thanks to you, Martial Uncle, I was confined to the mountain and couldn't even catch a glimpse of that fellow Taoist Jeong Yeon-shin. I've been unable to sleep, wondering if a peer of mine—who ultimately defeated the Diancang Sect Leader—could also hold an advantage over our own Sect Leader..."
"Ahem! Even if you have mastered both the Azure Cloud and Red Sunset, how can you be so utterly blind to your surroundings...! You rascal, the Sect Leader is standing right in front of you!"
Three people were walking forward.
Leading them was a young man in a white robe with ears as sharp as blades.
Behind him followed a hollow-cheeked young Taoist of about eighteen and a middle-aged Taoist clad in a blue robe.
Each of them wore a worn sword at their waist. The sight of the martial uncle and nephew bickering leisurely possessed an undeniable elegance.
At least, that was how it appeared to the onlookers watching them.
"A Brightfolk Taoist... the Twin-Wall Sword Lord?"
The storyteller who had been soliciting customers stammered.
The robes of the three men were unique.
Embroidered small on the cuffs of their sleeves was a Taiji symbol of intertwined blue and red.
A pattern representing blue clouds and red sunset. In a metropolis like Hangzhou, there was only one sect in the world that could openly wear such robes.
"The Qingcheng... the Qingcheng Sect!"
"If it is the Twin-Wall Sword Lord, then the Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sect...?!"
The crowd began to stir.
A few among them immediately stood up, hoping to receive words of blessing from these living immortals.
Just then, Perfected Cheongsu, the Twin-Wall Sword Lord and Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sect, suddenly spoke.
"Listening from afar, that man's words were filled with falsehoods. Only one thing he said was sincere."
He was a man of noble lineage who had risen to the position of a Sect Leader of the Nine Sects. His eyes, capable of piercing through to the truth, gleamed with a bluish light.
Soon, a look of dismay settled in Perfected Cheongsu's eyes.
—Cheong-eun, take Jinmu and go ahead. Do not look back. Go straight to Hangzhou and destroy the Master of Taemo Mountain Fortress's Dragon Summoning Formula starting from the outskirts. With Jinmu's swordplay, which holds both the Azure Cloud and Red Sunset in a single hand, even sorcery can be severed.
—Sect Leader...?
—I should have met Lady Yul-ha first, but things have gone awry. I do not know where she might be, but you must join forces with the Mount Hua Sect. No, Shaolin or Wudang would also suffice. Take care of yourselves.
They were words that sounded like a final testament.
Just as the middle-aged Taoist, Taoist Cheong-eun, widened his eyes, the blind man who had been squatting at the base of the tree slowly stood up. He adjusted his grip on the sword in one hand, and with the other, he picked up his bamboo hat and placed it on his head.
Slide.
The wide brim concealed his clouded eyes.
"I spoke with sincerity? With all due respect, I have recently been engrossed in the Changing Sword and the Illusion Sword, so that could hardly be the case..."
"Did you not say that those who possess the Jianghu Roster will die on the streets?"
"Ah."
The blind swordsman let out a soft exclamation.
"My training is still lacking. Thank you for enlightening me."
"The Changing Sword and the Illusion Sword. Do you carry yourself in such a manner because you practice techniques that speak falsehoods with the blade?"
"When I was practicing the heavy sword, I once acted like Ma Yeon-jeok, the Hegemon Hero. Because of that, I lost the few friends I had, and my sect was listed among the Thirteen Heavens, but I also gained achievements worthy of the cost."
"Heaven's Bane..." Perfected Cheongsu muttered under his breath.
"Excuse me! Where do the Wilderness Sunfall and that mister rank?!" the extremely scrawny young Taoist, Jinmu, asked as he was being dragged away by the scruff of his neck by his martial uncle. His attitude suggested that even if he had to leave, his curiosity had to be satisfied first.
This was also a premonition of Qi Deviation brought on by excessive training.
"..."
In an instant, the surroundings fell dead silent.
"Wilderness" referred to a vastness whose end could not be measured.
"Sunfall" meant that manners and principles, bright as sunlight, were rendered useless.
Combining the talent and character of the one who held the Mount Hua Agreement martial duel tournament yielded the title "Wilderness Sunfall." It was a title that no one would dare utter in the presence of the man himself.
"That boy is a true madman," the blind man remarked with a faint smile, yet Jinmu still waited for the storyteller's answer.
Where did the man presumed to be the First Sword of the Outer Paths, the Lord of Heaven's Bane, and Jeong Yeon-shin of the Desolate Fortress stand? A few quick-witted passersby backed away with horrified expressions, holding their breath.