Chapter 491: The Brightfolk Tree (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 491: The Brightfolk Tree (3)
Void Displacement.
It was a martial art that filled Jeong Yeon-shin with bitter resentment.
He had lost Baek Mi-ryeo to the Heaven-Smiling Invincible without even being able to lift a finger. Never before, not even in his ascent to the Purple Rank, had he harbored such a deep animosity toward a specific technique.
He still didn't know how to use it.
It was a high-level martial art; even if one understood the mechanics, it was difficult to manifest without the intent hidden within the mnemonic. He couldn't simply teleport to any desired location like the First Sword of the Outer Paths or certain sorcerers could.
However.
When masters of sorcerous martial arts fled the battlefield, or when those who manipulated space with formations tried to escape his grasp…
…it had become possible for him to cling to them.
He could trace the very marks they left behind—the lingering trails of their internal energy.
Dragging back Abbot Beomheo, who had previously vanished into some unknown space, had been accomplished using that very principle.
Fleeing from Jeong Yeon-shin via Void Displacement was no longer an option.
This was especially true unless the distance was as vast as that created by the Shaolin Abbot's Unified Martial Transcendence. One way or another, they would inevitably have to face him again.
Just like now.
Step.
A quiet footstep.
He landed on a leaf so massive it could have served as the roof of a thatched cottage.
The space was filled with the faint green glow of countless lanterns. Before anyone knew it, Jeong Yeon-shin had taken up a position directly behind the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit.
She stood exactly as she had before, turning away loftily after unleashing an arrow from her greatbow.
But only for a moment. Spinning around to face him like a sudden, blurry gale, the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit's eyes widened to their absolute limit.
Their gazes met.
“…”
Her eyes were a shade of green deeper than her hair.
While a colorless light constantly flashed within them, the lantern light floating nearby like fireflies fractured faintly across the high bridge of her nose. Her skin, softly illuminated by the glow, was as pure and white as fresh winter snow.
Yet, to Jeong Yeon-shin, this devastatingly beautiful appearance caught his attention for a different reason. And that was what made it so important.
Master…?
The Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit of the World Tree.
She bore a striking resemblance to the Lord of the Desolate Fortress.
Her facial features, which achieved a pinnacle of harmony like the legendary tales of the Nature Sword, and her sharp, distinct jawline felt entirely real rather than dreamlike. Only the outer corners of her eyes were slightly sharper, like the tips of a crescent moon.
Those eyes befitted an absolute master of archery, the likes of whom Jeong Yeon-shin had never before witnessed. Nevertheless, her features clearly indicated some sort of connection to the Lord of the Desolate Fortress.
Are they sisters?
Or perhaps close relatives.
Slowly, he brought his hands together in a formal salute.
“I am the Flash Art of the Jeong Clan. I come from the Desolate Fortress, and I serve its Lord as my master.”
He spoke calmly, his gaze drifting past her shoulder. He couldn't help but look.
It was a world apart.
The Divine Doctor's description had been exact. Hazy clusters of light floated about like fireflies, their glowing particles so numerous that even his eye techniques couldn't begin to count them.
Beneath the leaf where Jeong Yeon-shin stood, blue-green branches thicker than logs intertwined like a net, stretching endlessly downward. They resembled the grand highways connecting the various districts of a bustling metropolis.
Indeed, he could sense a significant number of people in the distance. A deeply serene atmosphere permeated the air, along with waves of energy that flowed out naturally, without any attempt at concealment. Their nature was slightly different from that of typical qi masters, but their density was reminiscent of the grandest sects, which were exceedingly rare in the Jianghu. It truly felt as though a town or even a city existed here.
Most mysterious of all was the warm breeze brushing against his skin. It was completely different from the outside world, which was currently gripped by the freezing clutches of winter. It was strange enough for a wind to blow inside a transcendentally massive tree, but its warmth was entirely detached from the exterior.
The clan of the World Tree was living in a space entirely of their own.
Then.
“You.”
Staring intently at Jeong Yeon-shin, the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit grabbed his sleeve and took a large step forward in an incredibly natural motion. She closed the distance until even close-quarters combat would be difficult to deflect, erasing the combat interval before it could even be established.
“I told you this is not a place you are permitted to enter,” she whispered sharply, as if their conversation must not be overheard.
It was astonishing. Could someone possessing martial arts deeper than the Lord of the Dark Night Hall of the Thirteen Heavens still have something to guard against? And inside the World Tree, of all places?
“I heard there is an entry exam. But since I walked in like this, hasn't everything turned out for the best?”
Jeong Yeon-shin deliberately adopted a formal, archaic tone. It was an attempt to build rapport with someone who might share a connection with his master—an unprecedented move in all his travels through the Jianghu.
The bond he shared with the Lord of the Desolate Fortress.
The fruit of the sacred tree.
All sorts of thoughts tangled in his mind like the bizarre fireflies of this place. This was the starting point of his journey. The resolve he had forged when he first set foot toward the Desolate Fortress resided within this transcendent tree.
He had thought that, thanks to various relationships and martial lineages, he had become somewhat detached from his Heavenly Mandate. But upon stepping inside the World Tree, he realized that was not the case at all.
The reason he had tirelessly endured such a perilous journey through the Jianghu… he was still desperate. He was different from the immortals like Abbot Beomheo and Lady Yul-ha, who seemed to have shed their human qualities.
He wanted to share drinks with the Demonlight Wing far into the future—as many times as the wrinkles that would one day safely form on his aging face.
“Turned out for the best? Are you insane…?” the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit muttered in a flat tone.
Jeong Yeon-shin brushed off her absurd remark with an impassive face. “Let us exchange names. Is your surname perhaps Wi?”
“Wi?”
Repeating the name, the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit curled one corner of her mouth. It was not a smile directed at Jeong Yeon-shin. He instinctively knew her mockery was aimed at the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. A part of his heart instantly turned to ice.
For some reason, the same seemed to apply to the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit.
“She still goes around using that name…?”
Another monologue. The rising, questioning tone at the end of her words was bizarrely unpleasant, enough to wipe all expression from Jeong Yeon-shin's face.
“Is there a problem?”
“It is none of your business. It is a private matter of the clan.”
In an instant, Jeong Yeon-shin's sleeve twitched, shaking off her hand with a sharp flutter. The movement was without warning, much like Sword Control, and carried a significant amount of force. It was true qi infused by his mind, yet it was as powerful as if energy had been channeled into a divine weapon—just like the purple robes of Yong Hee-myung, the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, which had once moved on their own.
“…A Dharma treasure.”
The Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit withdrew her hand without bothering to contest it with a grappling technique. Yet, she did not back down either. Instead, she met his gaze at a distance so close their trouser hems brushed, her eye level almost identical to his.
“I won't ask how you got in. That must be your own secret technique. But what matters is that you have brought the filth of the secular world all over your body. If you roam the city in this state, the Elder Council will unanimously expel you, regardless of your status.”
Her rapid whispering continued, her long exhalation dispersing like faint smoke against Jeong Yeon-shin's chest as it clashed with the internal energy barrier of his Law-Transcending Halo Qi. It was a method of testing his defensive stance; her breath had swept over the true qi structure of his invisible Body Protection Qi, as if she were ready to drive an arrow into his heart at any moment.
Such behavior was impossible unless one was constantly on guard. It was typical of the Brightfolk, who were said to exchange breaths with Mother Nature without even learning specific cultivation methods.
“Your business doesn't matter. But if you want to stay here in one piece, or at least be treated with the respect due to a human, you must listen to me. This is for your own good. First, hide yourself…”
As she spoke, the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit grabbed Jeong Yeon-shin's sleeve once more. There was no killing intent in her movements, but her demeanor brooked no doubt, as if everything she did was only natural. Had she lived her entire life inside the World Tree? Everything about her felt extremely insular.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not appreciate her behavior. He had felt this way ever since an arrow, like a cannonball, had struck the very spot where his master had been standing. For some reason, she treated the Lord of the Desolate Fortress with disdain. Naturally, she would not show proper courtesy to her disciple either.
Who does she think she is? Why? he thought.
Swish—
Vanishing from his spot in an instant, Jeong Yeon-shin reappeared with his back to the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit. His faintly purple-tinted robes remained perfectly draped even after the movement. It was the pinnacle of the Radiant Wing Step.
He spoke slowly. “If I have made a mistake, I will naturally pay the price. However, as the direct disciple of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, I am at least qualified to deliver a message to the clan of the World Tree. A disciple's face is their master's face. Since I could not tolerate being turned away at the door, I followed you. I apologize for the discourtesy. However…”
He slowly turned to face the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit once more.
Within her jade-like eyes, a lightning-like glare flickered with white light. She seemed to be peering straight through his Body Protection Scripture.
A madwoman…
He felt a rare sense of threat. She was obsessed with martial arts, but in a different way. Regardless of whether she acknowledged her opponent, she calculated variables with extreme thoroughness, as if a mechanism formation of the Ironfolk artisans had taken human form. She seemed fundamentally incapable of forming human relationships.
“…The conduct of a Purple Rank of the fortress will not be dictated by your whims. My position requires me to always understand the details and move only with convincing reasons.”
“Indeed. It would be difficult for me to keep you here. Unless I fight and kill you, that is.”
She merely parted her lips, her gaze fixed intently on Jeong Yeon-shin. It was as if the word ‘vigilance’ had been molded into human form.
This, too, was a world apart.
Do Brightfolk from the outside world act like this when they enter the World Tree? he wondered. It doesn't seem like Cheong-myeong would turn out this way. Though maybe Senior Hahu would.
Tilting his head inwardly as he thought of Hahu Wi-jin, the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, Jeong Yeon-shin turned around. He looked down, but nothing could be seen clearly through the paths loosely woven from deep blue branches.
“…I must receive my master. Will you guide me?”
“You cannot meet her right now,” the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit stated. “Her situation is different from yours. In accordance with custom, she will enter only after cleansing herself of turbid energy. To step deep into the heart of the city, the acupoints of her entire body must be pure, and the elders will want to examine her. Your master is a precious person, even here. She will walk in loftily only after all procedures are complete.”
For the first time, some emotion seeped into her voice. However, Jeong Yeon-shin had long given up on getting close to her. He decided to treat her strictly as an archery master who could threaten his life at any moment.
The habitual movement of her fingertips… she is on a different level than the Lord of the Dark Night Hall. I can’t even trace the trajectory of the arrow she might shoot.
He felt a great sense of threat from her.
Jeong Yeon-shin fell into deep thought as he quietly watched the back of the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit, who had taken the lead and told him to follow. For some reason, even at this close range, he could not be absolutely certain of victory.
If they were to become enemies, how should he counter her?
Unless he could move as swiftly as Ju Gwang-singae, the Beggar Sect Leader, he could not allow a distance of more than five li to open between them. If a life-and-death duel were to occur, Ultimate Lightning alone felt insufficient to strike her down. But if he utilized Great Taiji, wouldn't she also unleash Unified Martial Transcendence?
What is all this…
A sudden sense of futility washed over him. He had not expected to be harboring such thoughts after coming all this way. He felt no particular killing intent; he had merely considered a worst-case scenario. Yet, the sight of the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit twitching her large ears, as if she had sensed even that, made her seem incredibly distant.
Pandemonium.
This was the true face of the World Tree, known as the root of heaven and earth. And its people were extremely wary of outsiders.
They called it the wind-swept Jianghu. The world remained a difficult place.
“Your status is nothing here. Stay quietly in my dwelling, and once your master appears, you may attend to your business. Do not go out into the city. Do not needlessly provoke the experts of the clan. It will become truly dangerous.”
She spoke without looking back. Jeong Yeon-shin nodded slowly.
“I am but a guest. It is only right that I behave with restraint.”
He spoke of courtesy and propriety, his voice more serious than ever before. It was enough that the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit, who had sought to suppress him the entire time, offered no further advice.
And so, two days passed in the city without a sun or moon.
* * *
“I report to the Chief Elder. The Eastern Region, ruled by the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit, has collapsed. The sound of thunder that echoed half a shijin ago seems to have originated from there.”
“What…?!”
“According to the report, the scale of the collapse reaches ten li in diameter. A comrade who has achieved Great Completion in the Eastern Region clan's Dojeong Heulbaek Eye Technique reported that it is nearly impossible to identify the cause…”
“…Silence those with thin clan blood, and request Sword Duke Yongji to investigate the traces. Since we are on the verge of a major event for the clan, this must be treated as a matter of grave importance.”
“It shall be done.”