Chapter 500: The Martial World (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 500: The Martial World (3)
—Your travels were long.
Those were the final words of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress.
Jeong Yeon-shin left the pavilion of the Elder's Council immediately, leaving his master beside the true body of the World Tree. Just as Master Golden Thunder had said, it seemed the Lord of the Desolate Fortress needed to take some form of rest there.
He still knew so little about his master. He didn't know what her relationship with the World Tree was, why she had to remain here right now, or if she needed to restore her energy in some specific way.
'And...'
Why he could feel her exhalations even from a great distance.
The greatest under heaven, the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. She was a transcendent being whose internal energy breathing was the deepest in the world. Naturally, it should have been difficult to perceive her breath unless one was in her immediate vicinity, but this time had been different.
Jeong Yeon-shin thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. Why didn't she share more personal matters with me? Aside from the golden writing engraved on his shoulder, did he still lack some qualification?
Just then.
“Is it me? You're taking me, right? Take me out for a walk!”
With a low hum, the space before his eyes warped into a translucent blur. Master Golden Thunder had blocked his path, floating in the air without releasing even a shred of energy.
Only the Lord of the Desolate Fortress and the First Elder remained in the pavilion, while the three guardians of the World Tree surrounded Jeong Yeon-shin, following him as he moved.
Jeong Yeon-shin naturally bypassed Master Golden Thunder and spoke. “Where did the Northern Sea Fist Marquis go?”
“No one knows,” the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit answered from his side.
Perhaps it was because she had just faced the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. The green hair of this peerless Brightfolk expert, whose mind was unified with her internal energy, somehow carried a blade-like sharpness. With every step she took in perfect sync with Jeong Yeon-shin, her hair sharply brushed against the great bow on her back.
Jeong Yeon-shin still did not know the relationship between her and the Lord of the Desolate Fortress either. Why they looked so alike. Why their relationship was so strained. These were highly personal matters, so he would never know unless they spoke of them first.
The Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit's dry voice continued. “Bukmyung's mind is not whole. Neither are his actions. He tends to wander outside the tree frequently. That is why your master said she would only spare two of us. In reality, there are only three guardians.”
Step.
Jeong Yeon-shin stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Are you saying he has lost his mind?”
“His pride in our clan was the greatest among us. Until he met and fought Yong Hee-myung.”
At the Heaven-Piercing Bow Spirit's calm words, Jeong Yeon-shin immediately questioned back. “Why did the Commander...?”
“Hee-myung? Yes, he was incredibly good at dancing with his sword.” Master Golden Thunder suddenly chimed in, nodding to himself. “All ten thousand exchanges were like a dance. Ah, that was truly magnificent. But when I praised him, he just looked at me as if I were absurd. He wouldn't even accept my offer to have a cup of grain tea together.”
“He was a very humble fellow,” Master Golden Thunder concluded.
Jeong Yeon-shin understood. It meant the duel had been utterly humiliating. It meant the Northern Sea Fist Marquis, toyed with for a long time, had fallen into a heart demon. It seemed the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, Yong Hee-myung, did not harbor good feelings toward the Brightfolk here.
'Oh dear.'
His head began to throb. Jeong Yeon-shin clasped his hands together in a polite greeting to the guardians. These were people he might have to coordinate with in the near future. He needed to win their favor, but instead, he had to clean up a mess first.
“As his successor, I apologize on his behalf. Though my senior committed an unkind act, he is fundamentally a good-natured person. Furthermore, the Divine Sword Corps under my command will be different from him, so...”
The three guardians did not react.
It was a familiar feeling. On top of the karma of the Ma Family brought upon by the Hegemon Hero and the Naraka Reaper, he now had to shoulder the karma of the past Commanders of the Divine Sword Corps.
He had already expected this. If not for the Flash Art of the Jeong Clan in the Desolate Fortress, the entire world would have been filled with nothing but enemies. Thus, Jeong Yeon-shin, inwardly marveling at the foresight of his master, the Grand Steward, Emperor Geonreung, and Chief Eunuch Myeong-yeo—all of whom had highly valued him—quietly asked:
“May I ask one thing?”
“Oh, sure, ask anything. As long as it's not about what we just discussed. But you are taking me on your trip outside, right?”
“Where is this city located?” Jeong Yeon-shin asked a crucial question.
When he had traveled with the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, his sense of distance had vanished. The path led to one of the most mysterious places in the world. The sensation of walking through a formation was one thing, but the main issue was that he had constantly focused his entire body's sense of Qi on his master.
The greatest under heaven, whose very breathing was imbued with martial arts. Whenever Jeong Yeon-shin was with her, he fell into a trance. There was no way his cognitive abilities could remain fully intact.
“Where is this? Uh... is it a village at the end of the earth by the northern sea? No, didn't they say we fled to the south too? That's what Father said. Right, as for how high this place floats above the ground...” Master Golden Thunder muttered, floating in the air with his hands clasped behind his head.
He seemed to be talking about some nameless foreign land, but somehow it didn't feel like he was referring to the Ming Dynasty.
Suddenly, Sword Duke Yongji spoke, cutting off Master Golden Thunder's rambling. “Jiangsu Province. I do not know the name of the plain.”
Jiangsu Province, the land of fish and rice. It lay at the eastern edge of the continent. It was literally known as a land of abundance. It was also the province with the most plains in the current Ming Dynasty. The clan of the World Tree had concealed their massive tree with a formation and taken root in the most fertile land in the country.
But that was not the reason Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes widened at this moment. Because Jiangsu Province was located directly above Zhejiang Province, where Hangzhou was situated.
'It's too...'
Far.
He had already experienced it. It had taken practically three days to travel from Xiangyang to Hangzhou. Even if he traveled blindly westward from here, it would take a similar amount of time. Even then, he would have to alternate between sword flight and Qi meditation. Even if he arrived as quickly as possible, his physical condition would be far from perfect.
Furthermore, there was a clear limit to how long the guardians of the World Tree could remain as part of the main fortress's forces. And so, Jeong Yeon-shin faced a difficult dilemma. A highly realistic problem.
“…….”
The interior of the World Tree was always shaded. Greenish glows repeatedly illuminated the surroundings before vanishing, and at this moment, a shadow crept over Jeong Yeon-shin's shoulders as well. Just like the karma of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps he had thought of earlier.
Suddenly, Jeong Yeon-shin realized.
When Yong Hee-myung issued the mobilization order to the unit commanders, how meticulously he must have calculated the delivery times of those letters and the distances of the seventeen scattered Black Ranks. Such a feat was impossible for a mere eighteen-year-old greenhorn.
The Flash Art of the Jeong Clan was not a genius of strategy who had transcended the limits of his age; he was merely an inferior specimen whose Baihui point had been excessively opened by sheer misfortune.
'Ah.'
His mouth parted slightly. A realization had flashed through his mind. The fragment of the Three Pure Powers nestled within Jeong Yeon-shin's body, which the Lord of the Desolate Fortress had shown him through her own eyes. And this World Tree, said to look down upon the entire world.
'And...'
Jeong Yeon-shin half-closed his eyes. Monkeys use their heads because their bodies are slow. Mayflies like Jeong Yeon-shin and the Heaven-Smiling Invincible would have their own ways.
At that moment, Master Golden Thunder approached and said something, but Jeong Yeon-shin merely drew a certain mental image in his mind. It was a time when a specific kind of training was required.
Slide.
Suddenly, over his left hand gripping the hilt of his sword, the left hand of the First Sword of the Outer Paths overlapped as an illusion.
* * *
A beggar lay face down on the edge of a cliff.
She wore a shabby straw mat roughly patched together as clothing. It was even sleeveless, perhaps due to a lack of string. Supporting her upper body with elbows covered in dark dust, she was completely absorbed in writing with a brush.
Scribble. Scribble.
Dragon Head Gang Xiangyang Branch Report.
Recorded below in the order of North, East, South, and West of the Desolate Fortress.
1. North: Toward the Yang River.
—Additional Report: Annihilation of the Radiant Sword Unit confirmed.
—Cheong-myeong, Commander of the Demonlight Wing, appears to have led the entire Demonlight Wing north. However, even if the mission succeeds, it will be impossible to recover more than half of the Radiant Sword Unit's forces.
—The Demonlight Wing is expected to clash with the Twin Kings under the Lord of the Myriad Phenomena Water Channel Fortress. They are outnumbered by more than twenty to one. Furthermore, the Myriad Phenomena Water Channel Fortress has already imparted its secret water arts to its experts.
—However, this branch predicts an even match. The divine ultimate technique created by the former Commander of the Demonlight Wing will be a major variable.
—The Lord of the Myriad Phenomena Water Channel Fortress, Tidal Fist Heaven, has left the Yangtze River to his subordinates and is heading south toward the Desolate Fortress.
2. East: Near the Broad Blade Gorge.
—An appearance of about five hundred mounted riders utilizing mounted lightness skills. They are charging toward the Desolate Fortress, bringing a strange cloud with them.
—The Gongson Clan, the Shandong Ak Clan, and the Namgung Clan lie along their path.
—Presumed to be the Horde of Demons Green Forest. The leader of the Green Forest is at the vanguard.
—Two human heads are tied to his waist, but due to the aforementioned cloud, the identities of the severed heads cannot be verified.
3. South: Hwanran Plain.
—The whereabouts of the newly enthroned Blood Flame Cult Leader are unknown.
—The march of the martial arts army composed of Blood Ghosts has repeatedly ground to a halt.
—Three martial units of the Desolate Fortress have appeared: the Bloodkeeper Unit, the Immortal Wood Spirit, and the Forest-Treading Unit. No clashes occurred. The Blood Flame Cult has been neutralized.
—Reason unknown.
4. West: Toward Shaanxi.
—The Mount Hua Sect has closed its gates. It is presumed that their 'gate' suffered severe damage. After the Saint Flower Sword God Yul Ha-nang-rang returned to Shaanxi, the swordsmen of the Hegemon Sword Sect, who had been highly active until then, have gone into hiding.
—An atmosphere like the calm before a storm.
—There is absolutely no movement from the Hegemon Sword Sect on a sect-wide scale.
—Rumors that the Sect Lord has once again broken his secluded meditation. Authenticity cannot be verified. Trailing his movements is impossible.
5. Center: The Main Fortress of the Desolate Fortress.
—The absence of the King of Fathomless Light has been confirmed. It is highly speculated that he has gone up to Beijing.
—In addition to the Law Enforcement Unit, experts from the Azure Sky Unit and the Martial Apex Hall have been spotted. Intelligence suggests they were summoned by the Grand Steward of the Desolate Fortress.
—Led by Yeon So-ha, the Keen Broom of the Divine Sword, warriors of the Divine Sword Squad of the Divine Sword Corps—who were on the verge of annihilation at the Hebei Peng Clan—are appearing one after another.
—Warriors of the Desolate Ma Clan under the Naraka Reaper, who have mastered the 'Jeong Family Dynamic Art', are taking up defensive positions on the main fortress walls. Experts from the Desolate Shin Clan, the Desolate Hahu Clan, the Desolate Yu Clan, and the Desolate Un Clan have gathered.
—The White Qilin Namgung Hwa-shin has taken up the starting stance of 'Qilin's Judgment' at the main gate of the Desolate Fortress, acting as the gatekeeper for three days. A high-guard stance with his sword pointing toward the heavens.
—He has declared himself a warrior of the Divine Sword Squad under the Acting Commander.
—Today, the White Qilin clashed with the First Protector of the Martial Dragon Association.
—The White Qilin Namgung Hwa-shin suffered a penetrating wound to his left flank from the Martial Dragon Association's Resilient Qi Palm Technique. The left hand of the First Protector, Chaos Demon, was severed by Qilin's Judgment. They have returned to a state of standoff.
It was a single large sheet of paper. Under the brushstrokes of the young beggar, who occasionally glanced down the cliff, the letter beneath her chest was filled with countless characters. Though her handwriting looked like crawling earthworms, she wrote without a single pause.
“Ugh—!”
Soon, the beggar stretched while still lying face down, arching her back with only her navel touching the ground. Despite her dirt-streaked appearance, not a single speck of dust touched the letter.
“This is crazy. Did I really write all of this myself?”
Her voice was somewhat hoarse. At her grumbling that her arm was about to fall off, the old beggar beside her, who had been dictating the report, clicked his tongue. He was a top-tier expert of the same generation as Ju Gwang-singae, the leader of the Beggar Sect, and an elder of the Beggar Sect known in the Jianghu as the Wind-Pillar Beggar.
“It is absolute chicken-scratch. It doesn't even look like the tracks of a crawling earthworm.”
“Old Man Wind-Pillar, you expect too much. It's already amazing enough that a beggar knows how to read and write.”
“You brat, are you just any ordinary beggar?”
The Wind-Pillar Beggar stared blankly at the woman who suddenly stood up. Yet, his gaze was not entirely cold. It would be accurate to compare it to the sunset glowing in a winter sky. The hearts of elders dealing with the pillars of their sect were always strict yet warm like that.
The Wind-Pillar Beggar. It was a name revered by countless martial artists. It signified that the wind generated by the old beggar's Body Protection Scripture was like a pillar supporting the Jianghu.
“Geez.”
Staring at the old beggar for a moment, the woman vigorously scratched her greasy, short hair. The three gourds hanging from her waist swayed limply in response.
“I am an ordinary beggar. If there's anyone as average as me, tell them to step forward.”
“You rascal!” the Wind-Pillar Beggar roared. “How dare a martial artist speak of being average! With that kind of responsibility, how can you ever become a pillar of the world's greatest sect?”
“It's because I don't have that responsibility that I'm average.”
“What?”
“It's a bad harvest and a chaotic era. Me eating well comes first. Since I happen to have a divine ultimate technique, isn't it what a truly ordinary person does to seek peace however they can? Hoard some food, punch anyone who gets in the way in the face... The people who have power but choose not to do this are the extraordinary ones, the ones worthy of respect.”
The woman spoke languidly. Her voice was far too listless for someone engaged in a proper debate. Her face looked as if she were wandering through a dream. The way she drifted around without keeping her feet planted on the ground was the same. The faint soot on her cheek resembled the evening twilight.
“Your jokes before an elder go too far! The deceased successor would weep in his grave!”
“Uh... but he's probably in hell, you know? When I die later, I'll pass on your regards in the underworld.”
“You...!”
The Wind-Pillar Beggar was about to shout her name in anger again, but he froze. Who is this girl? In that instant, his decades of experience in the Jianghu sparked a violent realization in his mind.
The pinnacle of feints, which could distort even a person's memory and reason.
'Lord Chwi, kicking techniques, the sect of those who walk on the moon...!'
It was but an instant.
“Old man, I respect you.”
Splat!
The woman's long leg pierced straight through the Wind-Pillar Beggar's abdomen. At the same time, with a sickening crunch, his spine shattered, and a torrent of blood erupted. Balancing on only one foot, she quietly looked down.
“Oh dear,” the young beggar, the Master of the Dreaming Mortal Moon of the Thirteen Heavens, muttered softly. “Is that the Jeong Family Dynamic Art? I heard he was a warrior of the Ma Family.”
It was far below the cliff. A place the Wind-Pillar Beggar had failed to perceive until he was mortally wounded.
In the canyon filled with the corpses of the Desolate Fortress and Beggar Sect warriors, a young man in a white martial uniform was releasing a bird. His breath had clearly stopped once, but he had risen again as if his heart had spontaneously started beating, sending out the message tube.
So that the main fortress could realize the appearance of yet another powerful, peerless expert.
It was a highly critical matter. For now, the Desolate Fortress would summon all of its main fortress forces to adopt a complete defensive posture. With all kinds of formations and mechanism formations of the imperial Ironfolk, and even the sword formations of the Divine Sword Corps warriors prepared in advance, the Desolate Fortress would be nigh impregnable.
It was then.
Cough.
The life force of a top-tier expert was incredibly resilient.
“Indeed... you are right.”
The Wind-Pillar Beggar spat out blood with dying eyes. Soon after, a faint, hollow laugh escaped his lips, and only then did the breath of the white-robed warrior they were looking down upon finally fade away.
“That fellow... is truly extraordinary.”
Ma Ung of the Desolate Ma Clan. They said his signature technique was the Jeong Family Dynamic Art.
His death announced the beginning of the Great War to the world.