Chapter 483: Wilderness Sunfall (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 483: Wilderness Sunfall (2)
Suddenly, the open ground of the Mok Family Manor trembled.
The Divine Doctor, who had been taking a patient’s pulse on the wooden platform, had just leaped to his feet.
Wuuung!
A faint Wood Qi flowed from his body, taking the form of a white, translucent, and incredibly refreshing mist.
“Have you truly gone mad?!”
It wasn’t immediately clear who he was shouting at. Even the leaders of the Nine Sects couldn’t fathom it. They had just witnessed the arrival of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress—an event for which the word “shocking” was far too mild. While the Brightfolk Divine Doctor, having lived for countless years, might speak informally to the Abbot of Shaolin, no one expected his eccentric behavior to extend to the Lord of the Desolate Fortress herself.
However.
“Wi Gun-hye!”
The name the Eternal Candle Divine Physician roared in anger belonged to the absolute master, a name no one present had ever heard before. His gaze was fixed on empty air—or more specifically, on the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. She wore a pair of pure white Divine Swords at her waist, a set that, for some reason, suited her exquisitely.
“Where do you think you are, coming to a place like this?!” his raspy, grinding voice scraped against the air. The Divine Doctor’s cry was almost desperate. “Answer me! Why? Why did you not guard your post?! No, even if you did come down, you should have headed north! Why did you abandon Geonreung? Why?!”
The Emperor. He had just mentioned Emperor Geonreung. The Son of Heaven, whose name must never have an equal on this earth, an existence who should only dwell above the clouds.
“A-As famous as this renowned doctor may be…!”
“We didn’t hear anything!”
At that moment, the commoners with quick wits or street smarts began to flee. From all directions, the sound of people scrambling away filled the air. Others, who had been standing dazed, were swept up in the panicked atmosphere and left in a flurry.
Meanwhile, the Lord of the Desolate Fortress slowly opened her mouth, not even glancing at the Divine Doctor.
“There was a more…”
As she spoke, a heap of fallen leaves gently laid the sleeping Jeong Yeon-shin onto the ground with a soft rustle.
“…important matter.”
She finished her sentence quietly.
Jeong Yeon-shin was reflected in her eyes, which were as brilliant as green jade. The Lord of the Desolate Fortress had the appearance of a beautiful young man with somewhat disheveled long hair. The line of her slightly tilted jaw carried an unguarded aura, making the term “youthful lad” seem more fitting than any title of lofty nobility.
“…”
Her lips soon closed, and the Lord of the Desolate Fortress finally turned her gaze to the Divine Doctor, who was fully prepared to unleash his fury upon her.
“A more important matter?” The eyebrows of the Eternal Candle Divine Physician, famed for being as elegant as a master’s brushstrokes, were now grotesquely contorted. “How could you utter such nonsense?!”
“Examine my disciple,” the Lord of the Desolate Fortress commanded again.
The Wood Qi flowing from the Divine Doctor’s body dispersed before it could even reach her, just as his futile words had done moments before.
“…”
In the end, the Divine Doctor could only huff in silence before shutting his mouth. The now-empty clearing grew quiet, and the dust that had billowed up like clouds settled with the faint whisper of the wind.
The Lord of the Desolate Fortress stepped down from the platform, treading softly upon the earth as if it were a quilted bed.
“I spoke of two hours.”
It was a statement that sounded like a command. Before her voice could even fade, the Divine Doctor’s eyes flared once more.
“His body is bloated with a reckless amount of Natural Qi! All internal cultivation experts are the same! Are you forcing me to heal someone who has refined the energy of great nature in such a bizarre way and hoarded it as True Qi? You want me to do it by shaving away my own lifespan again? I already reattached his left arm once! Unless you intend to kill me…!”
“A broken branch,” the Lord of the Desolate Fortress said without a hint of a smile. Her face remained expressionless as she calmly finished her sentence. “will grow again if it takes root in the earth.”
“Y-You, you…!”
The Divine Doctor stammered, his features—which could be described as those of a peerlessly beautiful youth—flushing red. The threatening energy flowing from his body died down like an extinguished ember.
A brief silence fell.
From the buildings surrounding the inner courtyard of the Mok Family Manor, the absolute masters of the Nine Sects, sitting cross-legged with their doors wide open, quietly looked up at the Lord of the Desolate Fortress with unreadable expressions. Only Cheongsu’s face showed a more prominent hint of surprise.
“…”
No one rose hastily. From their respective positions, their gazes only deepened as they observed the world’s greatest expert. Yul-ha had pressed her hands to the floor, as if about to fly toward Jeong Yeon-shin, but she let her arms drop when Beomheo shook his head from a distance.
No one made any sudden moves.
The Nine Sects and the Desolate Fortress. Their disciples might clash, but the sect leaders and the Castle Lord must not. The impact on the world would be on a different scale entirely. For now, the fact that the Lord of the Desolate Fortress kept her eyes solely on the Divine Doctor was a stroke of luck.
Eventually, the Divine Doctor bowed his head and let out a sigh.
“Give me… more time.”
* * *
The Divine Doctor levitated Jeong Yeon-shin with a powerful gust of wind and carried him into the inner quarters. He strictly warned that no one was to enter, permitting no prying eyes.
Meanwhile, Beomheo offered a seat to the Lord of the Desolate Fortress.
[That we should meet like this must also be destiny. May this poor monk request a brief conversation?]
The Shaolin Abbot’s Wisdom Light Mind Speak was clearer than a winter wind. He humbled himself without a hint of servility—he was still an absolute master.
“…”
After staring quietly at the old Shaolin monk for a moment, the Lord of the Desolate Fortress gave a slight nod.
With that, a gathering of those who moved the world’s Jianghu finally took place.
It was a true Grand Assembly of the Martial World.
Shaolin, Mount Hua, Qingcheng, and the leader of the Beggar Sect who had just returned to the Mok Family Manor, Dragon Head Leader Ju Gwang-singae.
And the Lord of the Desolate Fortress.
Outside the manor, the Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress, Ak Su-rim; the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword, Cheong-myeong; the Hero of the Desolate Fortress, Heonwon Chang; and the Blood-Net Radiant Empress, Shin So-bin, stood guard along the walls alongside the disciples of the Qingcheng Sect. Upon sensing the Castle Lord’s presence, Ak Su-rim had rushed over like a wildfire and urged the others to follow. This was why the crowd of martial artists that had surrounded the walls had vanished like smoke.
The meeting took place in the clearing of the Mok Family Manor’s inner courtyard, now completely deserted. None of the peerless experts felt particularly guilty toward the common folk; the occasion was far too momentous for that. Besides, the Divine Doctor’s medical skills had long since reached the heavens, just as the rumors said. Having already cured those with severe illnesses, he had merely been treating minor ailments like the common cold.
“In all my life, I never thought such a gathering would be arranged…” Ju Gwang-singae muttered, clutching his belly. He was perched casually on a thick tree branch, looking down at the Lord of the Desolate Fortress with a face full of disbelief.
Yul-ha and Cheongsu tried their best to hide their discomfort from where they sat. The only ones with peaceful expressions were the Lord of the Desolate Fortress and Beomheo.
[I must ask the great senior. How was the matter concerning Benefactor Jeong resolved?]
The Wisdom Light Mind Speak filled the space, much like a Six Harmonies Sound Transmission. Although his power had fallen drastically after taking the Flood Dragon with him to his grave, Beomheo, who had preserved even a speck of internal energy, was still a profoundly wondrous monk.
“…”
The Lord of the Desolate Fortress stood still, not answering immediately. Her quiet gaze remained fixed on the inner quarters where the Divine Doctor had disappeared with Jeong Yeon-shin.
Only after a long moment did she part her lips.
“The child of the Ming Cult will not return.”
[For what reason…?]
“There is a role assigned to that child.”
As the ancient world’s greatest expert spoke, a profound internal energy mixed with her voice, spreading a refreshing aura. Cheongsu narrowed his eyes.
“Could it be… that you let her go on purpose? The disaster of Xinjiang, who united the vast outer martial world all on her own?”
The Lord of the Desolate Fortress didn’t spare the Qingcheng Sect Leader a glance. Instead, Beomheo dissuaded him with a gentle look.
[The current Ming Cult Leader is an extremely bizarre individual. She constantly maintains a restriction that suppresses her original martial prowess. As this old monk feels it, there are likely no more than five people in the entire Jianghu who could stand in her way once that restriction is released. Along with Benefactor Jeong, she is an existence that could be called a mistake of the heavens.]
“But is that person not the Lord of the Desolate Fortress? She would easily be included among the five you mentioned…”
Cheongsu stopped mid-sentence, his mouth snapping shut. He had just glanced at the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, whose gaze was still fixed on the inner quarters. To bring back the battered Jeong Yeon-shin ‘intact’ from the Ming Cult Leader was something no one present could guarantee.
[Yet there seems to be another reason… As this poor monk sees it, it does not appear that blows were exchanged.]
Beomheo spoke with a faint smile.
A moment later, Yul-ha, who had left the door of another small building wide open, slowly parted her lips. The corners of her eyes were strangely sharp, like the elegant tips of plum blossom petals.
“The Lotus Nezha was desperately searching for a companion. I refer to the Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress, Baek Mi-ryeo. What became of her?”
“…That is not a story for your ears,” the Lord of the Desolate Fortress answered slowly.
At that, Cheongsu, who had been watching silently, exhaled a frustrated breath, causing a cloud of dust to rise around him.
Fwoooosh!
“Is this truly a meeting? What on earth are we supposed to discuss?!”
[There are plenty of other matters to discuss,] Beomheo said, gently cutting Cheongsu off before gazing at the Lord of the Desolate Fortress once more. [The Castle Lord surely handles the affairs of the Desolate Fortress’s martial artists well. Since we have met like this, we must also discuss the state of the Jianghu. We have not achieved accomplishments like those of the Zhongnan Sect, so we still have no room to breathe… We are agonizing over whether we should send our disciples to deal with the heterodox sects rising up across the world. Is the Desolate Fortress not short-handed as it is?]
“…Even the Myriad Phenomena Water Channel Fortress alone spans the Yangtze River, not here in Zhejiang,” Cheongsu said reluctantly.
The Myriad Phenomena Water Channel Fortress. They blended the formation arts of martial artists with the battle tactics of naval commanders. They were one of the newly risen Thirteen Heavens. They were different from the old pirates of the Yangtze River Waterborne Bandits, evident from their supplies and equipment, which could not exist without the backing of a monarch.
“There are even rumors that they openly fire cannons. The country is truly going to ruin. If that old man, the Hegemon Hero, were still in his prime, they would have been smashed to pieces long ago…”
It was the Beggar Sect Leader, Ju Gwang-singae. He continued speaking, swaying comfortably on the tree branch as he looked down at the Castle Lord.
“Is Ma Yeon-jeok doing well? That old man isn’t the type to let his spirit die, even after taking the full brunt of the backlash from the Harmonious Bloom Divine Art. If the Castle Lord doesn’t properly block the rumors of the Jianghu, he’ll eventually burst out into the Nine Provinces. I’m worried he might already be lying on some wild hill with a broken back.”
It was a joke meant to lighten the atmosphere. His wrinkled lips were curved into a slight smile, and his posture—using a bare branch as a bed—was as relaxed as any peerless expert.
“…”
However, the Lord of the Desolate Fortress did not answer this time either. A brief silence circulated among the leaders of the Nine Sects.
Soon, Beomheo brought up another topic.
[According to what our temple’s Galhon reported, the Deep Martial Alliance has stopped sending its martial army to the north… If those rumors are true, what does the Desolate Fortress intend to do? It will become even harder to block the demonfolk experts pushing in from the north.]
Yet his words failed to draw the attention of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. The same went for the story of an expert from the Thirteen Heavens’ Horde of Demons Green Forest who was slaughtered while competing in mounted martial arts against a demonfolk expert north of the Yangtze River.
Ultimately, deciding how to deploy their sects’ forces was the task of the Nine Sects’ leaders. The names of countless sects flowed from their mouths.
Saaaa—
A sudden breeze rustled the Lord of the Desolate Fortress’s hair, tinting it with the color of grass. Before anyone realized it, she had turned toward the inner quarters, her gaze cast slightly downward. She stood perfectly still, her light green robes—reminiscent of court attire—fluttering around her. She seemed more like an unmoving tree than a person.
No one could properly converse with her. That was, until Yul-ha, unable to watch any longer, tossed a word in her direction.
“As for Yeon-shin’s future…”
“When speaking of this fortress’s Purple Rank,” a brilliant voice flowed slowly from the lips of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, “you must show the utmost respect.”
Yul-ha shut her mouth. Ju Gwang-singae and Cheongsu looked as if they had something to say, but a weak wind scraped the transparent winter air, pushing their words back down their throats.
After a breath of time had passed, Yul-ha parted her lips again.
“…I am curious about the Lotus Nezha’s future. If he himself agrees, our Mount Hua Sect…”
“Flash Art,” the Lord of the Desolate Fortress cut her off. Her eyes reflected the inner quarters, where the old threshold was now vibrating ever so slightly. The faint groan of the Divine Doctor could be heard, an aftereffect of the Great Heavenly Cycle he had initiated.
“will go to the World Tree.”
The Lord of the Desolate Fortress concluded.