Chapter 507: The Great War of the Desolate Fortress (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 507: The Great War of the Desolate Fortress (7)
Faced with the unexpected, masters and novices alike fall silent.
A brief stillness ensued.
Step.
The experts of the Dreaming Mortal Moon came to a sudden halt beneath the glaring, pouring sunlight. Simultaneously, the clear sloshing of liquor echoed from the gourds hanging at their waists.
The pavilion of the Heaven-Aligned Wing.
It was the home of the martial unit that, alongside the Demonlight Wing of the Divine Sword Corps, served as the wartime vanguard of the Desolate Fortress.
As the right wing of the Divine Sword Corps, it was situated at the far end of the eastern gate.
Naturally, they were destined to be the first to face any enemies targeting the right flank of the main fortress—and now, they had been completely neutralized by the Dreaming Mortal Moon, who were accompanied by a supreme master dressed like a beggar.
"..."
The young Nameless Disciples of the Heaven-Aligned Wing lay sprawled across the wooden floor of the inner quarters, looking as though they had failed in their attempt to charge forward.
Shin Bin-bin, a White-Ranked Warrior of the Heaven-Aligned Wing and the older sister of Shin So-bin of the Demonlight Wing, was no exception.
The only difference was that she was down on one knee, her head hanging low, having pierced her own left hand with her sword in a desperate bid to stave off sleep.
Crimson blood dripped silently from her calloused palm, running down the white blade of her Desolate Fortress Sword.
In this manner, the warriors of the Heaven-Aligned Wing lay scattered across the ground like a carpet laid out for the Dreaming Mortal Moon, each in a slightly different posture and location.
It was the same for the experts of other martial units who had arrived earlier as reinforcements.
Most had lost consciousness while leaping across the rooftops, and some who had managed to land in the training ground of the Heaven-Aligned Wing lay dead, their ribs crushed by the brutal impact of kicking techniques.
To many in the Jianghu, there could be no grander spectacle than this.
Even if the experts of the Dreaming Mortal Moon had bypassed the Heaven-Aligned Wing's pavilion without much effort, this scene was undoubtedly a grand feast prepared by Lingering Spirit.
Yet, the atmosphere remained bizarre.
At this moment, the white roof of the Heaven-Aligned Wing's pavilion looked exceptionally pale.
This was because a man clad entirely in gold was reflecting all of the winter sunlight—and his snoring was exceptionally loud.
"...Should we go around? They say you shouldn't even disturb a dog when it's napping."
The whisper came from Jo Gwon-il, the Demonic Illusion Divine Killer, a young man who had joined the Dreaming Mortal Moon twenty years ago under the mistaken belief that it was the Beggar Sect.
His voice carried less vibration than even the faintest telepathic transmission.
"I don't know who he is, but he's clearly fast asleep... It seems rude to wake him up just to ask for directions upon our first meeting."
Jo Gwon-il finished speaking cautiously, the mole at the corner of his eye twitching slightly.
The Demonic Illusion Divine Killer of the Dreaming Mortal Moon.
He had risen to fame in the far south by slaying a hundred Orthodox experts in a single day.
Like any expert of the Dreaming Mortal Moon whose face was never clearly recognized, there was no proper portrait of him, yet he was still counted as one of the Five Bright Vessels in the lands of Guangxi.
This was due to his voice, which sounded unmistakably young to anyone who heard it.
Just then, the giant standing behind Jo Gwon-il pulled out a liquor bottle. At the same time, a faint wave of telepathic energy rippled out like a gentle tide.
—How pathetic. To think that someone who supposedly stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Wilderness Sunfall and the Heaven-Smiling Invincible could be so faint-hearted.
"Then why is the Bong-gong suddenly speaking via telepathy?"
The giant with exceptionally long legs, Je Wi-cheol, the Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces, did not reply to Jo Gwon-il's whisper.
He merely stepped aside nonchalantly and took a sip of his drink. The sound of the Three Flower Liquor sliding down his throat, carrying the sweet scent of honey, had long been a source of terror in the Guangxi Jianghu.
Meanwhile, Jo Gwon-il glanced at him, startled, and spoke quickly.
"Are you crazy? You've made only me and the disciples fight all this time, and now you're suddenly preparing to strike here...? Even after seeing that?"
—You idiot, that's exactly why I'm preparing.
It was then.
Step.
The Lord of the Dreaming Mortal Moon, who had been quietly looking up at the golden freak for a moment, slowly clasped her hands behind her back and began to move again.
Her steps were still swaying and unbalanced, but she veered slightly to the side so as not to disturb the deep sleep of the golden man. It was a rather considerate gesture.
"Sleep well. I won't wake you," she whispered.
Instantly, the snoring leaking from the freak faltered, falling out of rhythm as if he had encountered something baffling in his dream.
But the experts of the Dreaming Mortal Moon pretended not to hear it and kept moving, whispering in hushed tones.
"Where on earth did a monster like that come from?"
—The Jianghu is vast, and the people who inhabit this land are truly diverse. Are glittering stones on a sandy beach so rare?
"A crazily powerful energy erupted from the south earlier, didn't it? Since they said the Lord of the Desolate Fortress and the current Commander of the Divine Sword Corps aren't here, it must be the Wilderness Sunfall, right?"
—Most likely.
"I thought the Purple Ranks were all lone wolves who lacked the ability to mobilize reinforcements?"
—Shut up and hurry. We must pick up the pace.
The Dreaming Mortal Moon of the Thirteen Heavens.
Unlike other great sects that were perceived as powerful local aristocrats or regional warlords, they had no fixed base.
Wherever they set foot was the headquarters of the Dreaming Mortal Moon, and wherever they laid their heads was their home. Their active territory was simply the southern region of the Ming Dynasty.
Naturally, they possessed an incredibly vast range and highly sensitive perception. Their wits were also exceptionally sharp—sharp enough to naturally file past the suddenly appeared freak without causing a scene.
Jo Gwon-il, the Demonic Illusion Divine Killer, continued to whisper cautiously.
"Reinforcements or not, he's definitely on the Desolate Fortress's side. Well, taking a nap is meant to be done together anyway."
His breath reeked of alcohol—the scent of the Three Flower Liquor he had consumed before scaling the eastern wall of the Desolate Fortress.
"They say only wicked people wake up early to ruin others' sweet dreams. If you have any sense, even if you wake up, you should pretend to sleep and wait to get up together."
A moderate buzz, half-baked logic, and idle chatter.
Yet, the experts of the Dreaming Mortal Moon, all reeking of alcohol like Jo Gwon-il, silently agreed with his words.
"..."
The closed eyelids of the golden freak trembled slightly, as if he were checking on the Desolate Fortress warriors sprawled around him.
As if finding those words reasonable, his head tilted slightly to the side.
At the same time, the whispers of the experts who had passed the golden youth drifted away like mist.
"What a relief, what a relief."
"Honestly, even our Lord didn't notice him in time. If we had fought a monster like that, we'd all be dead, and only our Lord would have survived."
These were people who practiced the bizarre martial arts of the Dreaming Mortal Moon.
They were freaks in the truest sense. Naturally, they did not find someone who defied common sense to be strange.
In this vast world, they accepted whatever martial arts, thoughts, logic, or personality they encountered as plausible.
And so, that was that.
With the words and demeanor of drunkards, the Dreaming Mortal Moon completely turned their backs on the golden youth and melted into the shadows cast at the edge of the pavilion complex.
Into the deep darkness of the Jianghu, which contrasted sharply with the unusually white roofs.
Just like that, nothing happened.
And the clear sunlight poured down relentlessly upon the bodies of the Desolate Fortress warriors, who had laid their consciousness to rest either in reality or by the Sanzu River.
They shone brightly.
* * *
The forty-four experts of the Dreaming Mortal Moon made it past the Heaven-Aligned Wing's pavilion, but they could not advance more than a few steps further.
A group stood in their way, each holding a drawn sword that gleamed brilliantly.
It was a group of about thirty Desolate Fortress warriors, clad in a mix of blue and white robes. They had invisibly woven their energies together, generating a powerful wave of internal power.
Wrooooom!
The Clear Smoke Broad Sword Formation of the Azure Sky Unit.
In the silence, the telepathic waves sent by the Azure Sky Unit experts rippled faintly.
—A supreme expert...! I think that man is Jo Gwon-il, the Demonic Illusion Divine Killer!
—He is the first disciple of the Dreaming Mortal Moon. Keep a close eye on him.
—Keep your breaths short and focus on your senses! All White-Ranks, fall back and focus on bolstering the formation's energy!
However, the attention of the Dreaming Mortal Moon experts was directed elsewhere.
In particular, the younger disciples, including Jo Gwon-il, openly turned their heads toward the main gate of the fortress.
"They're resting now. Well, even if I were an unrivaled master, it would be hard to make a move right after witnessing something like that. But how long will that standoff last?"
"Who knows. In any case, the rumors didn't do him justice. He's an absurd monster."
"My god... to pull off such unbelievable techniques twice against two Lords of the Thirteen Heavens..."
"They call him the Wilderness Sunfall, but it seems his eyes are practically spinning. I never want to cross paths with him. I hope he gets finished off at the main gate if possible."
Even as the young experts marched relentlessly toward the Azure Sky Unit, they kept talking about Jeong Yeon-shin.
They were clearly at ease.
They were different from the Horde of Demons Green Forest, which could replenish its numbers from the old Green Forest at any time, or the Myriad Phenomena Water Channel Fortress, whose leader dominated the Jianghu because his subordinates were exceptionally powerful.
They were an elite force rare in the world.
The entire strength of the Dreaming Mortal Moon of the Thirteen Heavens had entered the Desolate Fortress. They could not lose in sporadic skirmishes like this, and indeed, they had not lost a single battle today.
It was no different now.
The Lord of the Dreaming Mortal Moon lightly wiped her soot-stained chin and blew a faint breath. Instantly, the Azure Sky Unit's formation energy, which had been slightly distorting the air, shattered like glass with a sharp crack.
Simultaneously, the bodies of the Dreaming Mortal Moon experts, who had been walking slowly, blurred.
Crunch! Thud!
The bodies of the Azure Sky Unit experts spun through the air or crashed headfirst into the ground.
Closing the distance in an instant, the Dreaming Mortal Moon experts unleashed their kicks, their bodies exuding a thick scent of alcohol. Facing an enemy without a single Black Rank among them, the Azure Sky Unit's formation collapsed inward in an instant.
At the forefront was Jo Gwon-il, the Demonic Illusion Divine Killer.
"Don't look at my face, don't ever look... Wilderness Sunfall or whatever, forget about me first..."
No one paid any attention to his desperate muttering.
Even the Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces, the Bong-gong of the Dreaming Mortal Moon standing beside the Lord, merely gazed toward the main gate of the fortress, discussing the current state of the Wilderness Sunfall.
"As long as he is human, he cannot spam wide-area ultimate techniques like the one from earlier. Naturally, he must be paying a heavy price. Whether it's the overheating of his Upper Dantian, a massive consumption of True Qi, his acupoints taking the full backlash of excessive internal energy circulation, or perhaps... just having a drink with some good company in a sunny spot..."
The Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces mumbled, mixing in some nonsense as he pushed the rising alcohol buzz up to his Upper Dantian.
"Well, maybe it's all of the above."
Letting himself drift on the alcohol, he felt a twinge of pity for the leader of the Desolate Fortress in this Great Sect War.
Jeong Yeon-shin, the Wilderness Sunfall. He possessed martial prowess and influence worthy of his name, not to mention an astonishingly loyal following, but perhaps due to his youth, his execution lacked a clean finish.
Or perhaps he had misjudged his people.
In terms of sheer tact, he was far below the Yeoryeong Lord.
"To employ eccentric geniuses in the right places, one's methods must be equally eccentric... wouldn't you agree?"
The Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces asked, looking down at his Lord beside him.
The Lord of the Dreaming Mortal Moon did not even look back, merely nodding slightly.
Her gaze remained blankly fixed on the distant inner castle of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. At the same time, a dazed murmur escaped her lips.
"Let's hurry. It's over there."
"The branch of the World Tree... Yes."
The Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces' reply was swallowed by a sudden, loud vibration.
A translucent energy suddenly swept down from the air, engulfing the young drunkards like a tidal wave and blasting them back toward the Heaven-Aligned Wing's pavilion.
Infinite Flower of Time Hand, Flame River.
Rumbleeeee!
The well-paved dirt ground was violently upturned, and they were swept away endlessly, looking as if they had been struck by a raging flood.
"What!"
"My breath! I can't...!"
"On a moonlit night, the raging waves are my bed!"
The force crushed the skin of the young experts right through their Body Protection Qi, pushing them back twenty Zhang in an instant. The figure who had unleashed the rippling palm force flipped in midair and shot toward the Heaven-Aligned Wing's pavilion.
Flutter!
A long, pitch-black sleeve fluttered in his wake. It was a Black Rank Expert of the Desolate Fortress.
The tide of battle in a Great Sect War was always volatile.
Naturally, the remaining members of the Dreaming Mortal Moon also tore through the air to follow them. Mumbled monologues that sounded like drunken ramblings trailed behind dozens of footsteps.
Although the blue and white-ranked swordsmen of the Azure Sky Unit began to pursue them from behind, they paid them no mind.
For there was no one who could match their Lord. On the eastern side of the Desolate Fortress, the Dreaming Mortal Moon was invincible.
"The eunuch is back."
"At this point, the Ma Family Head's stamina is truly admirable."
"They say that... what's it called, the Jeong Family Dynamic Art is good for the body..."
"It must be good for hangovers too, right? Once we're done at the Lord's residence, if we have time, let's pay a visit to the Ma Family as well."
By the time the last words were spoken, they had re-entered the Heaven-Aligned Wing's pavilion complex.
A place where the back of the Brightfolk youth, still flashing with a golden light, stood out.
Moreover, Ma Family Head Ma Jin was charging toward him.
As if determined to first wake the figure who was emitting an incredibly pure Wood Qi like a forest breeze. At this moment, a white swallow was fluttering its wings right above Ma Jin's head, flying alongside him.
"Not so fast."
Whooooosh!
Mumbling softly, the Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces extended both hands toward Ma Jin's back. Seeing this, a blue-ranked expert of the Azure Sky Unit quickly shouted via telepathy.
—Right flank! The speed of his energy manifestation is at the Realm of Unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit! The Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces! The Bong-gong of the Dreaming Mortal Moon is...!
The movements of the supreme masters were far faster than his words. The Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces was a supreme expert who rarely found an equal in Guangxi.
The air around his hands, extended toward Ma Jin, distorted. This meant the shockwave of his palm technique was already surging forward, past the point of preparation.
He was the supreme expert capable of unleashing a technique the fastest, aside from the Lord of the Dreaming Mortal Moon, who had to maintain her energy barrier.
Swoooosh!
At that moment, Ma Jin's arms moved in different directions in a split second.
His left hand drew the saber from his back in a reverse grip, while his right hand thrust backward toward the Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces' palm force.
For a brief moment, the Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces' eyebrows furrowed.
Unless one had mastered the Wudang Sect's Dual-Principle Mind Art, it should be impossible for a human body to move so independently and precisely.
Boom! Crash!
Ma Jin's left hand, made of metal, drove his saber into the ground at the golden freak's feet, while his flesh-and-blood right hand was shredded by the Dream Demon of the Nine Provinces' palm force, exposing raw, crimson flesh.
Meanwhile,
Crackkkk!
the blade of the saber, which was sending spiderweb-like cracks through the ground, resembled a sundial. A deep roar, combining the Harmonious Bloom Divine Art and the Jeong Family Dynamic Art, erupted from Ma Jin's throat.
"I heard from my father! That there was an old man who lost his mind over the World Tree!"
Simultaneously,
the Brightfolk youth suddenly snapped his head up, his eyes widening as if he were terrified by the fact that he had moved on his own. Naturally, a bizarre vibration rippled from his body.
It was accompanied by concentric ripples that flickered with a sparse golden light.
"Nightmare...?!"
Bzzzzzzzt!
Even before the bizarre sound that sliced through the air could fade,
"..."
more than half of the Dreaming Mortal Moon's forces collapsed to the ground as if by some cruel magic.
There was not even the sound of a thud.
It was instant death.