Chapter 478: Boundless (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 478: Boundless (3)
The endlessly long body of the Flood Dragon stretched out before them.
At this moment, the peerless masters who had arrived in Hangzhou were using this earthly disaster as their battlefield. The only reason the destruction hadn't escalated further was because the Dark Sky Emperor's Dragon Summoning Formula was forcing the supreme spirit beast to slumber.
The moment either side's internal energy ran dry, it would all be over.
Merely by descending to the earth, the beast had spread dark clouds like a sea of mist, endlessly drawing down thunder and lightning. If it fully regained its senses, opposing it would be impossible.
It was a race against time, and Abbot Beomheo had left the remaining task to Jeong Yeon-shin and Lady Yul-ha.
No, Jeong Yeon-shin thought, spinning the Law-Transcending Halo Qi in his heart even more fiercely.
Lady Yul-ha had already done her part by pushing the Flood Dragon all the way to Zhejiang. Unified Martial Transcendence: Crimson Horizon. It was a feat impossible for Jeong Yeon-shin.
Therefore, the one to sever the Dark Sky Emperor's life thread had to be the newly appointed Purple Rank. In essence, the current Shaolin Abbot had chosen him. That was the flow of this battle.
“……”
Above the river that carved a vast circle through the land, the eyes of the dead and the living met, crushing the silence between them.
* * *
Jeong Yeon-shin did not know many things.
His only formal education consisted of passages from the Four Books and Three Classics, Laozi, and Zhuangzi, read alongside an indifferent tutor. His understanding of them was not deep, either.
Rather, the first people to teach him with all their hearts were the Shaolin monks.
Back when he was forming his Dharma Power, the Young Divine Monk Gakjeong and the old monk Won-jong had taught him the Buddhist Dharma.
Though brief, those times had been pleasant. They were days spent pondering what kind of intent had to be dissolved into his deep internal energy for it to take on a divine quality. Thanks to his discussions with the monks, Jeong Yeon-shin had been able to build the foundation of his Law-Transcending Halo Qi.
It was said that a grandmaster of martial arts was someone who created all sorts of techniques by reflecting on the clouds drifting in the distance or the knowledge they had accumulated over a lifetime.
To the Jeong Yeon-shin of that time, the Shaolin monks were Mother Nature itself.
Taoism was different.
What the Perfected Ancient Sword had passed down to him was chivalry. In the traces left by the Perfected Zhang Sanfeng, he had discovered the subtle truths of swordplay. It was fair to call it an incredibly supreme technique.
Yet, in between, there was no specific intent to be infused into his true qi—no middle bridge connecting the two.
Jeong Yeon-shin had thought as much ever since the Dark Sky Emperor first mentioned the Perfected Zhang Sanfeng.
It was a thought that had only deepened during this fierce battle, as it became agonizingly clear that he had no technique capable of delivering a decisive blow other than Enter the Way: Unified Transcendence. After all, not a single one of his sword moves had been able to even scratch the Flood Dragon's scales.
Jeong Yeon-shin pondered. With what kind of mindset did Wudang's Perfected Zhang Sanfeng subjugate the Imugi?
The enlightenment spoken of by the people of the Jianghu meant finding an intent suitable to be dissolved into one's true qi. Superficial techniques merely scratched the surface. This was why the power of a technique drastically changed when one cultivated their mind to match their martial arts.
Even in the manuals of Tai Chi Chuan, which commoners regularly learned, specific mnemonics like 'when drawing a circle, think of the unbroken sun and moon' were written in various ways. Naturally, Wudang's secret Taiji Wisdom Sword would be incomparably more profound.
I don't know Wudang.
He lacked the martial attainment to draw out the orthodox arts of a Taoist sect. He simply did not possess the knowledge to create the mental image of such martial arts within his mind.
The Great Taiji that had guided Jeong Yeon-shin to Unified Martial Transcendence was merely the enlightenment of a mental image, completely unrelated to the actual Taiji Sword.
Swoooosh!
Therefore, the flow blurring in Jeong Yeon-shin's grip at this moment—ultimately causing the river water to surge into a spiral—was not an orthodox Taoist martial art.
Even as a fierce wind began to surge alongside white foam, drawing a massive whirlpool, it remained the same. It lacked the profound quality unique to the martial arts of the Nine Sects.
It looked like a mere imitation.
It was enough to infuriate the white bones formed from hundreds of years of obsession.
In truth, it was an imitation. The Taiji technique he had once used to redirect the strike of the Lord of Heaven's Bane had been the same. It had completely failed against the sword strike unleashed directly by the First Sword of the Outer Paths.
[How dare you...!]
The Dark Sky Emperor's Six Harmonies Sound Transmission erupted violently in all directions, raising towering waves.
In an instant, a wall of river water blocked the sunlight with a rumbling crash. Jeong Yeon-shin let go of the Songmun Ancient Sword at his waist, leaving it cast in a dim shadow.
It was a feint from the very beginning.
Regardless of his own personality, which was unsuited for provocative schemes, the people of the Jianghu were a breed whose pride bristled like thorns at just a few casually tossed words or actions.
Perhaps it was the intrinsic limitation of martial artists who wielded internal energy like lawless blades. Jeong Yeon-shin spun Lingering Thunder—which he had been holding all along—in a wide circle and raised it upward.
He stood atop the scales that faintly scattered blue light beneath his feet.
From the very beginning, there had only been one sword for him above the vast body of the Flood Dragon.
Even as he moved his blade, he was inwardly tense. The peerless masters on this battlefield did not have much time left to maintain their composure like a clear mirror and still water.
Though it might not seem like it at a glance, he could feel it. The breathing of his companions' internal energy had quickened, however minutely.
This was especially true for Lady Yul-ha, who was hiding among the clouds. Urgency seeped from her exhalations as she prepared her ultimate technique; white steam was likely condensing on the blade she held tilted to the side.
Even the presence of Abbot Beomheo, who was holding the entire body of the Flood Dragon still, did not seem relaxed.
Tap.
Jeong Yeon-shin took a step toward the Dark Sky Emperor, who had his arms spread wide.
The old monster of Taemo Mountain Fortress stood about thirty zhang ahead. Because his entire body was made of bones, an invisible wave of energy was being woven like a ball of yarn directly from his stark white fingertips.
It took only an instant for dozens of streaks of deep blue lightning to crackle and flow around him.
He seemed utterly infuriated.
Crackle!
The internal energy loaded into the sorcery technique was so fierce that the atmosphere momentarily warped and bent in all directions. This time, not even a mantra or intent echoed.
Immediately after, with a single stomp of his foot, the Dark Sky Emperor poured forward all the streaks of lightning he commanded. They surged toward the purple figure that was already rushing toward him.
As the streaks of light distorted space, illuminating the dark riverbank in deep blue, Jeong Yeon-shin blurred even further. He didn't halt his charge; he simply slashed his sword upward.
Rumble!
River water surged on both sides. Foam was dragged up from the water's surface along the trajectory of Lingering Thunder.
Every single droplet of water absorbed the shockwave of the sword strike, exploding in a brilliant white as they severed the streaks of lightning rushing right before Jeong Yeon-shin's nose like hidden weapons.
Ssssshh!
A thick, white mist erupted in all directions.
Before the already humid air could grow even damper, the Dark Sky Emperor tore through the mist in an instant. Seeing Jeong Yeon-shin, whose eyes flashed with a stark white light right in front of him, he muttered:
[Myriad Blossoms Rain with a sword... No, before that, how do you know the Taiji Sword? Who on earth are you?]
Strictly speaking, he was transmitting his intent.
Swoosh.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer, merely pressing his left hand against the Dark Sky Emperor's abdomen.
At this moment, following the Fan Dragon Lotus Art that was weaving a flawless Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak, a sound of thunder erupted from his left palm the instant his mind stirred—as if the palm of the Azure Qilin had been overlaid upon his own.
His arm grew stiff from the incredibly violent internal energy. The heavily misted atmosphere shook violently.
Brilliant River.
Tenfold Layers.
Jeong Yeon-shin drove the power concentrated in his hand using the Internal Heavy Hand Technique. He practically forced in the rumbling thunder echoing from afar.
Crack!
There was no roaring explosion.
In an instant, the white robe scattered like dust, revealing thick ribs beneath. It felt as if hundreds of layers of Body Protection Qi had shattered all at once.
And indeed, they had.
To break the Body Protection Qi that isolated the Dark Sky Emperor's body from the outside world, as well as the dozens of spell formations that made up his defensive techniques, no complex sorcery was needed.
For the mysteries of the Brilliant River, which had walked the Jianghu alongside Jeong Yeon-shin, were no less lofty.
From his very first step to this moment, how many techniques had he unleashed in a split second? How fierce was the internal energy that repeatedly coursed through the acupoints of his entire body? It was a feat that would have been impossible without a perfected state of Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak. It was a battle where he did not even have the leisure to create a new martial art suited to the situation, as he usually did.
Thus, an instant passed.
[As expected, you...]
The ghostly fire in the eye sockets of the Dark Sky Emperor, who was locking eyes with Jeong Yeon-shin, began to die down like a flickering candle flame. His bones, which hadn't a single speck of soot on them, were crumbling into fine dust.
[...cannot replace Sambong...]
Those words lingered like smoke.
In the next moment, the Dark Sky Emperor's Nascent Soul was completely extinguished. In the spot stained with bone dust, only the Flood Dragon's scales gleamed coldly.
Whoosh—
Was it the aftermath of his strike? Jeong Yeon-shin silently welcomed the transparent river wind that suddenly blew past. However, he did not sheathe his sword.
“He will appear again soon,” an elderly voice echoed from afar.
At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin unfolded the Ten-Mile Light Grace, vanishing and leaving only a starlike afterimage in his wake. In the next instant, he stood atop the space between the Flood Dragon's eyes, an area as vast as an extinct volcano crater.
Though the space was filled with clouds and mist in all directions, he could feel an incredibly dense heat hovering around him. The Flood Dragon was, quite literally, a dormant volcano.
“Your Transposition has fully matured.”
He turned his head at the low voice of admiration.
Abbot Beomheo was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. Jeong Yeon-shin spoke cautiously.
“Just as you said, Abbot... I do not feel that the Dark Sky Emperor is dead.”
“Of course not. With your instincts, you would sense it.”
“I saw him drop an inner core into the formation of the Dragon Summoning Formula. It contained the Dark Sky Emperor's innate qi and spirituality. The Flood Dragon must have swallowed it.”
“Exactly right. The Dark Sky Emperor forged an exceedingly wicked Nascent Soul. Unless that inner core is destroyed, he can revive at any time. It will merely take some time.”
The old monk's words and demeanor were gentle, even at a moment like this. Though it was by no means a relaxed situation, Jeong Yeon-shin could not help but unconsciously compare the abbot to his maternal grandfather.
“I know you are exerting tremendous power. When the Dark Sky Emperor saw you strike, he called it the Great Power of Prajna. May I ask how much longer you can hold this Flood Dragon?”
“Do not rush.” Abbot Beomheo smiled faintly. “You are the son of a learned family, so you must know the saying ‘haste makes waste’.”
The words of Confucius. It meant that if one rushed, they would ruin the task. Jeong Yeon-shin was about to shake his head, but then nodded.
“I do.”
“There are several things I would like the young Divine Sword of the Desolate Fortress to keep in mind.”
Abbot Beomheo's manner was peculiar. It was as if he was trying to convey words that could only be said right now. Jeong Yeon-shin did not bother to question that feeling. The affairs of the Jianghu were always unpredictable.
“Please speak.”
“The first is Wudang and Shaolin.”
“What do you mean...?”
“Do not feel burdened. Whatever monks and Taoists living in the mountains may do, you owe us no debt. The same can be said of Benefactor Ancient Sword.”
“……”
“The second is Unified Martial Transcendence. If it is not discourteous... may I ask how your maternal grandfather taught you to understand that technique?”
A discussion between the number one of the Righteous Faction and the Purple Rank of the Desolate Fortress unfolded atop the head of the Flood Dragon, which was exhaling pale white breaths.
The old monk sat, and the young man stood, yet the suddenly initiated dialogue felt strangely natural.
Peerless masters were extraordinary in that way.
In any case, the body of the Flood Dragon was an incomprehensible entity that could not be severed whole by anyone. One could consider that a brief grace period had been granted. Ultimately, the matter would only be resolved when the Dark Sky Emperor, the master of the Dragon Summoning Formula, was completely dead.
“My maternal grandfather said... it was to bring every martial art one had trained together into a single move...”
At Jeong Yeon-shin's words, Abbot Beomheo laughed softly.
“That is just like Benefactor Ma. It is not wrong, either. But this old monk sees it a little differently.”
“I am listening.”
“Unified Martial Transcendence is not an immutable life-saving ultimate technique. Life comes before martial arts. If killing intent vanished from a swordsman's heart, would not the sword technique he wielded change, at least a little?”
“It would.”
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded quietly. At that moment, the corners of Abbot Beomheo's wrinkled mouth curled up slightly.
“You are very different from Benefactor Ma. He would not have tried to understand what this old monk meant. Not that he had any need to...”
There was a hint of laughter in his voice.
Jeong Yeon-shin, who already looked up to the current Shaolin Abbot as a highly virtuous monk, felt his respect for the man grow even deeper.
“In any case, you are not the Hegemon Hero. You can turn the direction of your life in infinitely many ways. Every experience will melt into you and change you, so there is no reason to fix your Unified Martial Transcendence into a predetermined form beforehand. Do you understand what I mean?” Abbot Beomheo asked quietly, wiping the smile from his lips.
The intermittent thumping from the Flood Dragon's body grew slightly heavier. The silence was so deep that it felt as if they were discussing something grand enough to be recorded in the history of the Jianghu.
It also carried the profound weight of an old monk passing down enlightenment to his dharma heir on his deathbed.
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke immediately.
“You mean only an amateur prepares a single way to save his life?”
“...You understood very well,” Abbot Beomheo replied.