Chapter 475: The Peerless Grand Festival (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 475: The Peerless Grand Festival (10)
The Fan Dragon Lotus Art.
It was created by a once-insignificant boy.
It was the desperate struggle of Jeong Yeon-shin, who had once hit the wall of the Heavenly Mandate. It would not be an exaggeration to say it was crafted by a mere mayfly, struggling to endure the long river of time.
—Did you know? It is no exaggeration to say that life is contained within Go. Even the temperaments of geniuses can be expressed through the principles of the Ten Commandments of Go. Whether it is the Lazy Flame Dragon or the Azure Qilin.
The Fan Dragon, Jegal Hyeon, had shown him kindness even when they had no formal acquaintance.
He was like a swing during the Dano Festival, moving gently even if one climbed onto it alone. To Jeong Yeon-shin, Jegal Hyeon's words, actions, and temperament were exactly like that.
The Fan Dragon Lotus Art was a divine art created to honor him—an ultimate technique that blended Yeon-shin's past and his hopes for the future.
—Reaching for that which is hard to possess.
That was the core principle of the Divine Art Secret Technique.
When applied to a sword, it captured the heart of the blade. When channeled through a person, it allowed them to claim a physical state granted only to those who had lived for ages.
These were Sword Control and the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak, respectively. It was the profound truth of the Upper Dantian's spirituality—controlling the sword and deceiving the body. Naturally, though it was a martial art, it bordered on sorcery.
Now, the Dragon Summoning Formula had called forth a natural disaster.
The entity swimming through Jeong Yeon-shin's mind was also a dragon. The Fan Dragon, holding a pure white White Crane Fan in his mouth. He was the most elegant figure in the narrow experience of the newly appointed Purple Rank. And he would remain so forever.
The Flood Dragon manifested on the earth.
The Fan Dragon swimming through his mindscape.
Both were equally auspicious. What would happen if he overlapped their forms?
This feeling...
At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin realized something.
Such a flawless state of circulating energy could actually exist in this world.
Was this what the Lord of Heaven's Bane felt when immersed in the Way of the Sword?
If they were to test their skills in a state where neither could cast Unified Martial Transcendence, Yeon-shin would still have to calculate half a move more meticulously just to even discuss a chance of victory.
Or perhaps it was the mental state of Abbot Beomheo, who could realign his Essence, Qi, and Spirit through meditation within the Realm of Void Extinction.
Maybe it was close to the sense of Qi that the Lord of the Desolate Fortress possessed at all times.
Or...
Something that surpassed all of them.
Of course, this was separate from the realm of martial arts that those absolute masters had reached after walking their paths for ages. It was as if a young apprentice had temporarily acquired the body of a master craftsman. Yet, even this was so overwhelmingly generous that it was far more than he deserved.
Swoosh.
His body floated slightly into the air.
Void Treading.
The Law-Transcending Halo Qi residing in the Yongquan Point on the soles of his feet hummed. It felt more natural not to step on the ground.
This was unprecedented.
Such a Body Protection Scripture was suited for peerless masters who had cultivated the immortal path of martial arts, like Lady Yul-ha of Mount Hua. It did not match the highly combat-oriented Flash Art Lineage.
[You...]
A blue flame blazed within the white sockets of the Dark Sky Emperor.
For the first time, his eyes, burning with ghostly fire, did not look toward Zhang Sanfeng beyond the clouds. Instead, he stared directly at this junior of a vastly lower generation.
Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly felt as if his very clothes were being stripped away.
It was the Dark Sky Emperor's Eye Technique. It felt as though the Emperor had completely seen through all the functions of the Fan Dragon Lotus Art. It was a peerless technique of Sorcery Martial Arts.
[You have committed an act not permitted to humans. An arrogant technique. I cannot even comprehend how such a thing is possible.]
"Unless you have experienced the temperaments of several dragon species in this world," Yeon-shin muttered to himself. Anger was mixed into his ice-cold killing intent.
Jeong Yeon-shin stared at him quietly for a moment, his eyes shimmering with a deep white light, before speaking very slowly.
"Is that ghastly appearance of yours not something permitted only to corpses?"
The surroundings fell silent. The waterfall of thick lightning bolts that had been continuously crashing nearby ceased for a brief moment. Only the lingering echo of thunder, failing to ring out beyond the distant sea of clouds, rumbled faintly in the distance.
[Child of the Desolate Fortress, you must not elevate yourself to my level.]
"You would need thick skin to say such a thing."
...But you don't even have skin.
Jeong Yeon-shin finished the thought calmly, stabilizing his breath to settle the completely transformed sensation of circulating his True Qi.
Just like the Dark Sky Emperor, who was compressing his humming words into the air as if preparing a sorcerous mantra, Yeon-shin also needed preparation.
Seamless Heavenly Robe.
All flaws vanished from the balance of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit. He was like a Flood Dragon, twisting the harmony of heaven and earth as naturally as breathing.
It feels as if my very clan has changed.
To internalize such an extremely sharp sense, one would normally need to undergo a long period of secluded training and contemplation. At least, that would be the case for those whom Jeong Yeon-shin had referred to as "monkeys" until now.
But Jeong Yeon-shin did not possess the luxury of time that they had.
He counted nineteen breaths to adapt his entire body to the altered senses.
His body was no longer like a clumsily built spire, barely maintaining the balance of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, even with the aid of Marrow Cleansing and Bone Rebirth.
Now that his physical body believed itself to be a dragon through the power of the Fan Dragon Lotus Art, Divine Qi surged along the path of the Great Heavenly Cycle, running from the Mingmen Point on his back to the Qihai Point in his lower abdomen. It was, quite literally, a divine energy. Jeong Yeon-shin's talent was catching up to the senses of the Flood Dragon.
It was like a child holding a greatsword too heavy to swing even once, yet somehow managing to brandish the blade through a bizarre technique like full-body Fa Jin.
[Child who clumsily seeks to imitate Zhang Sanfeng.]
The Dark Sky Emperor suddenly laughed softly.
[You struggle in vain.]
Rumble—!
The dark clouds filling the sky like a gloomy sea were torn to shreds.
The endlessly long body of the Flood Dragon swept through the atmosphere. Its head, wrapped in blue-flickering lightning bolts like tangled skeins of thread, descended toward the earth.
That small movement alone created a resonant sound like an infinitely massive drumbeat, and soon, a colossal shadow fell upon the ground.
The Flood Dragon coiled in the sky.
Hiss—
White steam leaked from its maw, revealing countless sharp teeth like massive stalactites.
"..."
The ground fell into dead silence.
An opponent impossible to face. An existence that was a natural disaster in name and reality.
The nearby downpour had just stopped as a reaction to Jeong Yeon-shin casting the Fan Dragon Lotus Art. An overwhelming silence swept over the land.
Not only the masters of Taemo Mountain Fortress, who revered the Dark Sky Emperor as their great master, but also Perfected Clear Water and Ak Su-rim, who had been breaking apart their combined attack formation, stopped moving.
Jeong Yeon-shin felt as if he held the presence of every single one of them in the palm of his hand.
[Foolish boy.]
The Dark Sky Emperor slightly raised both arms.
[You will soon realize what you have done just to show off your paltry technique. Ignorant fool. Your innate talent is indeed extraordinary, but your fatal mistake was regarding yourself as a non-human like Zhang Sanfeng. You should have known humility.]
"I know."
[...You did so even while knowing it was a mistake? You might very well awaken the Flood Dragon, whose consciousness is currently immersed in a dream.]
Suddenly, a pitch-black current surged up with a whoosh, wrapping around the Dark Sky Emperor's body in a cloudy, hazy form.
It was a black cloud from which dense internal power waves constantly rippled out. Anyone could see it was a technique akin to Body Protection Qi.
At the same time, beneath the blue torso they stood upon, the Flood Dragon's mouth gaped open. It looked as if it would swallow the very earth.
It's coming.
Jeong Yeon-shin's brow furrowed.
He remembered the breath exhaled by the Flood Dragon's Nascent Soul in the formation world he had entered during the incident with the Sichuan Golden Wing Sect. Even after completing his Body Protection Qi, merely enduring it had pushed him to his absolute limit. How much more devastating would the breath of its true body be?
It was then.
—Well done.
Suddenly, a loud voice fell upon his ears like a ray of light.
The sensation striking his mind was extremely bizarre. No flow of energy could be felt from the low voice.
—This Flood Dragon has lost its reason. For a human, it would be close to a half-asleep, half-awake state. It might be dreaming of the time when it was an Imugi, mingling among insignificant creatures like us... The Dark Sky Emperor has penetrated that hazy consciousness to control the Flood Dragon as he pleases.
It was Abbot Beomheo, the Shaolin Abbot. Was he observing the Flood Dragon with the supreme senses of one who had mastered the Buddhist Six Supernatural Powers?
Unlike Jeong Yeon-shin's Sight of the Lowly, which was suited for life-and-death duels, Abbot Beomheo's Eye Technique seemed to pierce through the very essence of what had just transpired.
—I can guess what kind of function your Divine Art Secret Technique possesses. It reminds me of our temple's Marrow Washing Classic. It is enough to stimulate the Flood Dragon's reason.
The Wisdom Light Mind Speak, which projected the mind rather than the voice, continued. The speed at which the message was engraved in his head surpassed imagination.
It felt as if they were exchanging moves in the gap of godlike speed. Not even the blink of an eye had passed since the Flood Dragon began to open its mouth.
Even the form of their discussion was worthy of those at the absolute peak of the Jianghu.
Which means responding is that urgent.
Jeong Yeon-shin received the Wisdom Light Mind Speak into his mind as quickly as it flickered like sunlight.
Then, shaping energy waves in his mouth at the exact same speed, he transmitted his words to Abbot Beomheo, who was far below and behind him.
—Yet, the reason you praise me for doing well is because the Dark Sky Emperor intends to make the Flood Dragon run wild anyway, correct?
In an instant, Abbot Beomheo's Wisdom Light Mind Speak cut off.
—...Indeed.
The reply came a moment later, but even then, it was only a split second.
The current Shaolin Abbot was an absolute master who had long resided in the true Purple Rank of the Jianghu. He was not one to waste time on trivial surprise.
—We must coordinate our moves before that vast body ravages the land. Will you listen?
The master of the Shaolin Green Jade Buddhist Staff was asking for cooperation from the Purple Rank of the Desolate Fortress.
It was a plausible scenario.
Jeong Yeon-shin inwardly agreed.
—Are you saying we should move the battlefield?
—Precisely.
—Zhejiang is just ahead. Let's push it back.
—Let us do so.
Their agreement was simple. Despite the high probability that the heavily raging energy waves of peerless masters would interfere with each other's attacks, the discussion between Jeong Yeon-shin and Abbot Beomheo ended there.
Rumble—!
Beneath their feet, the Flood Dragon's maw growled as it gathered crimson fire-lightning. In all directions, the soil began to dry and crack with a crackle.
Even on the skin of Jeong Yeon-shin, who had obtained immunity to heat and cold through his voluntary Marrow Cleansing and Bone Rebirth, the heat was fully felt. It was mixed with an overwhelmingly mysterious energy.
At the same time, right in front of Jeong Yeon-shin.
[Do you truly think you can join hands with Beomheo?]
At that moment, a hazy white tsunami of lightning erupted from the hand the Dark Sky Emperor extended toward him, tearing the air apart. A monstrous amount of internal energy was loaded into the single strike.
[You must intend to kill me and make the Flood Dragon ascend once more. Go ahead and try.]
The atmosphere brightened as if it were broad daylight along the waves of lightning crossing through space like a tide.
Crackle—!
In an instant, pure white lightning that occupied all directions in front of him branched out everywhere. Jeong Yeon-shin instinctively knew. The profound truth of the Internal Heavy Hand Technique was embedded in every single branch.
The moment it touches, it will penetrate my Body Protection Qi.
Yet, Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes remained indifferent even as they were dyed in white light by the lightning.
The battlefields of the Heterodox Sects did not distinguish between wilderness and civilian dwellings. Their own desires were prioritized above all else.
That was why they unleashed their attacks, turning this place into a battlefield without a second thought.
The Desolate Fortress was different.
Jeong Yeon-shin thought of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, Yong Hee-myung. At the same time, he recalled his countless comrades.
Their battlefields were noble.
Thud—!
Jeong Yeon-shin, kicking off the air with force, flipped backward in a massive arc.
He completely ignored the rushing lightning. Along his long trajectory, afterimages like a cluster of stars faintly illuminated the air.
In the next moment, right in front of Jeong Yeon-shin, who was suspended upside down in the sky...
The Flood Dragon was there.
"Get out of the way, quickly."
These were the words he casually tossed to the Seventh Apostle, who was enveloped in the black flames of the Heaven-Smiling Invincible in the distance. At the same time, a clear, resonant voice filled the ground.
[Crimson Horizon.]
It was Lady Yul-ha's intent.
In an instant, a wall of light composed of a faint sunset glow was erected between Jeong Yeon-shin and the Flood Dragon. A Sword Barrier. A sword technique that signified reaching a state of absolute perfection in both offense and defense.
She had unleashed all the mnemonics of the Purple Mist Divine Art and the Twenty-Four Move Plum Blossom Sword in a single breath. It was truly of a transcendental scale.
It is not an offensive move. She deployed it through the Harmony Realm.
Jeong Yeon-shin thought.
With just a single sword strike, the shockwaves and Sword Qi that rose like countless threads of yarn wove a peerless barrier.
The absolute pinnacle of variation, exactly as it appeared before his eyes. It was the Unified Martial Transcendence of the Mount Hua Sect Leader, who was known to possess an incomprehensible sword technique that bloomed like plum blossoms in full glory.
It was as if Lady Yul-ha was speaking to him through her sword, telling him to strike with whatever technique he pleased.
With a Harmony Realm of this level...
She could uniformly transmit the force of Fa Jin across the entire front of the Flood Dragon, which was too massive to even describe. That was the skill of the current Mount Hua Sect Leader.
Rumble!
A deep thunderous roar rose from Jeong Yeon-shin's palm. It was the sound of triggering the profound truth of Fa Jin—a technique that maximized striking power with internal energy in accordance with the movement of acupoints and muscles—dozens of times in a mere split second.
At this moment, his circulation of internal energy was occurring as fast as lightning in an uncharted realm. It felt as if the inside of his entire body was rippling with light.
Finally.
Roar—!
Just as the crimson fire-lightning poured from the mouth of the Flood Dragon, which was said to be wandering in a dream, Jeong Yeon-shin's right arm blurred like the wind.
Dozens of layers of ripples exploded along his fist, which drew a short trajectory as if engaged in close-quarters combat. For a brief moment, those translucent shockwaves from his punches relentlessly struck Lady Yul-ha's Sword Barrier.
In an instant, the sunset glow scattered, and with a wind that burst forward like an exploding artillery shell, the dragon's massive body was pushed back over a hundred Zhang.
Whoosh—!
The sound of the air being sliced by its vastly coiled body.
The earth-shattering roar echoed a beat too late.
Before long, shattered fire-lightning leaked from the dragon's maw, which had been forced aside, and it took only a split second for the ground to be dyed in silence once more.