Chapter 518: Sunset (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 518: Sunset (9)
As the three Commanders of the Divine Sword Corps closely scrutinized his Body Protection Qi, the Exquisite Shining Star Heaven, Jeong Yeon-shin braced himself for a massive impact.
Even if the Hegemon Hero held back, a strike from him was still a strike from him.
It felt as if Abbot Beomheo, the Shaolin Abbot powerful enough to vanish alongside a flood dragon all on his own, had unleashed the Hundred-Step Divine Fist at full strength right in his face.
Given the nature of the Tyrannical Way martial arts, it might have been even more devastating than that.
Thrum—
A faint resonance echoed from his abdomen the moment it met Ma Yeon-jeok's hand.
The palm force, which had bathed the entire space in a blue light, vanished as if sucked into that very sound. At a glance, the energy appeared entirely concentrated on the point of impact.
Yet, a look of bewilderment crossed Jeong Yeon-shin's face. There was no actual impact.
Ma Yeon-jeok had merely tapped the center of his abdomen, much like an Internal Heavy Hand Technique. Nodding to himself, the elder praised Jeong Yeon-shin's attainment in body protection martial arts.
"There is no need for a deeper look. It is an internal energy barrier that overwhelms even the Northern Force Primordial Desolation and the Heavenly Silk Light Armor."
"...Those are both martial arts I have never heard of."
Jeong Yeon-shin didn't bother voicing his bemusement to his venerable maternal grandfather.
It was enough just having Shin Cheon-hwa standing beside him with a look of utter disappointment. Her reaction was so vivid it felt almost affectionate. On the other side stood Yong Hee-myung, who had already shaken out his sleeves.
"Considering the former elder's age, it's not particularly surprising. His energy is bound to have waned."
Flutter!
The sleeves of the sole Commander of the Divine Sword Corps of this era billowed from the surging recoil.
He wore the neat attire of a scholar with somewhat faded purple hems. The color was lighter than when Jeong Yeon-shin had seen it during his life-and-death duel with the Namgung Clan—a clear mark of these turbulent times.
"This is the Great Rainbow Palm. Eighty percent of my power should suffice."
With those words, Yong Hee-myung strode forward. A rainbow light thrummed and flickered along his arm. In the next instant, Jeong Yeon-shin watched the Commander's hand vanish into a white blur, only to reappear right in front of his abdomen.
It was the peerless palm technique of the current Lord of the Sword of Divine Attainment.
This was Yong Hee-myung's sect-exclusive martial art. Rumor had it that if anyone in the Jianghu were hit directly by it, they would be forced to bow in courtesy—whether because they were sprawled out dead, or because their posture completely collapsed under the sheer force of the palm.
The moment that palm touched Jeong Yeon-shin's stomach, the ground surged like waves. Quite literally, the earth erupted upward all around them.
The deafening roar only registered a moment later.
KABOOM—!!
Jeong Yeon-shin's mind went completely blank.
A terrifying shock, unlike anything he had ever felt before, slammed directly into the center of his abdomen.
It felt as though the snout of a flood dragon, armed with fangs invulnerable to blades, was crushing his entire stomach.
The intent behind the martial art was clear.
It was designed to utterly shatter an opponent's balance.
It was truly vicious. How many people in the world could maintain their dignity after taking such a palm strike?
'The prestige of the Main Fortress...!'
Jeong Yeon-shin had to flood the acupoints of his entire body with the Law-Transcending Halo Qi. Pouring his internal energy solely into the acupoints of his legs was not enough; he had to support his entire upper body, including his waist, just to withstand the shockwave.
To avoid being blown away in an unsightly manner, he had to endure it with his entire body.
They were testing his Body Protection Qi.
He could not deflect or redirect the offensive move here. Doing so would be equivalent to losing to Yong Hee-myung all over again.
That was why, at this very moment, Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes flashed with a brilliant white light.
'I will attain the Sword of Divine Attainment. In the near future, without fail.'
Thus, he endured an eternity compressed into a single split second.
Until the palm force finally subsided.
Screeech!
His legs dug deep furrows into the earth as he was pushed back, finally grinding to a halt.
At the same time, the dust cloud that had blurred their surroundings in the aftermath of the palm strike was violently swept away with a low hum.
It was a gust of wind generated by a casual wave of Ma Yeon-jeok's hand.
"That was excessive. Do you wish to die?"
Yet, Yong Hee-myung did not reply to the former Commander of the Divine Sword Corps' scolding. He merely stared down at his own palm, the one that had delivered the strike.
It was scorched black. Sparks occasionally flickered in the air around his hand.
It was the mark left by the rebound of a profound, vibrating power.
A strange smile played on Yong Hee-myung's lips as he looked down.
"...Experiencing it firsthand, this is practically an offensive move in itself."
He made it just like his own temperament, he muttered.
The current Lord of the Sword of Divine Attainment's evaluation was calm yet biting. However, Jeong Yeon-shin boldly brushed his words aside.
The ancient sages said not to heed the words of those who lacked benevolence. Yong Hee-myung's palm technique was perfectly suited to humiliate his opponents—just like its master's character.
The world will witness a better Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, Jeong Yeon-shin calmly assured himself.
Meanwhile, Shin Cheon-hwa was stroking her chin.
[Intriguing.]
Had she used an eye technique? Her eyes flickered with pitch-black lightning. Jeong Yeon-shin felt a sense of vast, distant depth within her dark gaze.
[The function of this martial art is heavily concentrated on the counter-rebound force. It is aggressive to a degree even I have never seen, but because of that, it has a blunt edge. It won't react properly to highly clever, tricky techniques. Of course, it is peerless for countering offensive moves that rely purely on brute force, but...]
She trailed off slowly.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced in Jeong Yeon-shin's mind.
Hangzhou. A life-and-death duel with swords.
His left arm, severed and falling from his body.
He had failed to properly withstand the ultimate technique of the Lord of Heaven's Bane. He had also suffered countless cuts all over his body.
Even if he were to go back to that time and fight that life-and-death duel again, the result would be the same. He might even lose.
That was the harsh reality of the world.
However, Shin Cheon-hwa seemed to think differently.
[The position of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps is a rank that must never suffer defeat under any circumstances. Naturally, you must be proficient in all aspects. Now that we have identified what needs to be filled, your Body Protection Qi should expand in all directions, just like a Body Protection Scripture.]
"...I agree."
[I shall teach you a few core principles. First, I would like to suggest a form where you bind your True Qi like ropes—though, of course, you must maintain the inherent nature of your Body Protection Qi. That is to say, by weaving your internal energy in advance inside your acupoints like a constellation, borrowing the subtle mysteries of the Six Harmonies...]
Her words flowed like water, and Jeong Yeon-shin instantly understood all her advice on the spot, manifesting it outside his body.
In the process, it was only natural that his own thoughts and interpretations were added. A murmur filled with a wondrous spirituality escaped his lips.
"Speaking of 'harmonies' brings the Heavenly Stem Combination to mind. If we interpret the unity of Yin and Yang here not as harmony, but as a collision, it aligns perfectly with my Brilliant River martial art... Ah, your insight is truly magnificent. If we manifest such extreme repulsive force, the Body Protection Qi will react to any attack. I doubt anyone would dare stick their hand into an unquenchable bolt of lightning. Indeed, the previous generation elder was truly a deeply knowledgeable person..."
Eventually, even his muttering ceased.
His eyelids lowered slightly. He had sunk deep into his inner self, leaving behind a monologue that drifted like mist—one that went in the exact opposite direction of what Shin Cheon-hwa had intended.
Her eyes met Ma Yeon-jeok's.
[What a polite young fellow. You say he fully inherited your blood?]
"Half of it," Ma Yeon-jeok muttered, barely audible.
"...This should do."
Yong Hee-myung, whose face had returned to its usual expressionless state, brought over a large boulder and began carving it with his bare hands. Meanwhile, Ma Yeon-jeok and Shin Cheon-hwa conversed, completely unbothered by the bizarre antics of their juniors.
"I thought it was all a fool's errand. Back when they were piling up all sorts of miscellaneous Dharma Treasures beneath the Main Fortress... and even before I witnessed a specter like you with my own eyes."
[Do you have any idea how much wealth the Main Fortress can mobilize? The immense resources of the Imperial Family were added to my achievements. There was truly nothing we couldn't do. Preserving a Nascent Soul for such a long time was a simple matter.]
"Even so, you are merely a ghost who will never return."
[You sound disappointed.]
"You overestimate yourself."
[I, on the other hand, feel a slight lingering regret.]
"..."
Though the surroundings were filled with an abyss-like gloom, an invisible sun seemed to hang over the heads of the four individuals connected to the Divine Sword of the Divine Sword Corps.
Very naturally, a period of time both short and long flowed by.
Jeong Yeon-shin opened his eyes once more. Yong Hee-myung had carved a chair out of the boulder. Ma Yeon-jeok and Shin Cheon-hwa, despite their self-centered words and actions, remained by his side.
"What is that chair for?"
"It is part of my training. Do not covet it, junior."
"By training, you mean...?"
"I intend to sit here and face the Strange, Violent, Chaotic, and Supernatural of this land. It will allow me to make the forms of both my arms a bit more diverse. My Dragon Ring Sword will also become more complete."
"Is that really necessary...?"
They exchanged blows and clashed swords.
[You have Sophora Paper in your breast pocket. You realized the utility of Dharma Power early on. No wonder I smelled something wondrous.]
"There was someone who advised me on how to create Dharma Treasures."
[Give it here. I might be able to work some mischief on it.]
Many things revolved around Jeong Yeon-shin. It was just the four of them in this extremely dark space.
Occasionally, a sticky wind, like the abyss flicking its tongue, brushed against their skin, but not a single one of them paid it any mind.
The atmosphere repeatedly tore open in dark rifts.
* * *
It was a vast river.
A distorted sun flowed within the wide waterway.
The afternoon sunlight filling the Yangtze River illuminated the surroundings brightly. From the river water, which wore the endlessly drifting radiance like an outer robe, a dreamlike aura of light emanated.
The Yangtze River basin.
Ever since the Former Empress Dowager of a distant generation and Perfected Zhang Sanfeng had exchanged blows at the upper reaches of the river, this place had been called Perpetual Clarity, for it was said to hold a clear light forever.
"What do you think happened to the Main Fortress?"
Standing on the stony shore, a girl in a blue robe spoke as she took the fierce river wind head-on. Her voice possessed a distinct strength, delivered with unusually clear pronunciation.
Standing beside her, the one-eyed, black-robed swordsman, Cheong-myeong, Commander of the Demonlight Wing, replied casually.
"Lord Jeong will have taken care of it."
"Even so, a single person can't block an entire battlefield that vast. They might have won the battle somehow, but surely some of the Main Fortress warriors must have died."
"That is inevitable. Regrettable, but unavoidable," Cheong-myeong said nonchalantly.
However, the Blue-Ranked Expert, Shin So-bin, could not offer a proper rebuttal.
This was because a fire projectile suddenly soared from the side of the riverbank and slammed into the ground right next to them.
Thud—! KABOOM!!
Just as the ground cracked and collapsed, threatening to scatter sharp fragments in all directions, Shin So-bin extended her arm. Her hand's shadow multiplied like countless flower petals, pressing down and smothering the explosion entirely.
Thud—
It was an applied move of the Infinite Flower of Time Hand, Fist Flower. It was also a technique taught to her by Jeong Yeon-shin, who had once struggled with Thunderbolt Bombs during his time as a Blue Rank.
Shin So-bin was the Jeong Yeon-shin of the Blue Rank.
Behind Cheong-myeong and Shin So-bin, the warriors of the Demonlight Wing stood in their respective stances.
"Blood-Net Radiant Empress! As expected of the disciple of the Wilderness Sunfall!"
A booming voice erupted from the ship that had fired the projectile.
The Myriad Phenomena Water Channel Fortress.
It was a great sect that symbolized these turbulent times.
Whoosh!
Before they knew it, ships had begun to sail into Perpetual Clarity. It was a fleet of warships, each with a pointed bow and rigged with two or more broad sails.
With a scale easily exceeding thirty vessels, their presence was immensely imposing, and they cut through the water as swiftly as sword blades.
These were the warships of the water bandits, who had recently begun to be called the Thirteen Heavens.
Numerous crew members unleashed Propulsion Shockwaves from both hands to boost the ships' speed, but this overwhelming sight failed to catch the attention of the current Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
It was because of those who had suddenly appeared on the opposite side of the warships.
"What is that...?"
There were over a hundred warhorses clearly treading upon the water's surface. Each possessed a massive build, with faint waves of energy leaking from their sharply defined muscles.
Mounted upon them were figures with bare upper bodies, holding crescent blades and axes low.
They were using the Water-Walking Technique through horsemanship.
Along with the gently rolling waves, the crowd of men and horses swayed like an illusion.
At that very moment, the sunlight reflecting off the river water suddenly took on the reddish haze characteristic of a sunset.
Cheong-myeong, Commander of the Demonlight Wing, slowly opened his mouth.
"...Activate the Vast Art Formula."
In an instant, the experts of the Demonlight Wing transformed into a pale, white light. Simultaneously, the atmosphere rumbled.
It was a martial art in which everyone present had achieved the Stage of Great Completion.
The Vast Art Formula at its absolute peak.