Chapter 520: Sunset (11)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 520: Sunset (11)
Adults were always full of worries.
Even after bidding a remarkably simple farewell, they still had so many strange things to say. It was enough to make Jeong Yeon-shin—already lost in a strange sentimentality—want to return to the main fortress immediately, despite his hazy consciousness.
Yong Hee-myung and Ma Yeon-jeok.
Those recognized as the nation's Divine Swords.
If anyone were to witness the Unified Martial Transcendence of two Divine Sword Corps Commanders in one place, their mind would inevitably turn hazy.
This was especially true for someone with an exceptionally sensitive sense of Qi.
At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin felt as if his head were floating, much like the time he had thrown a drunken tantrum in front of the Perfected Ancient Sword.
'The human Jianghu... the one I must take charge of...'
Various scenes unfolded in his vision, blurring as if shrouded in fog.
"If you've lived that long, it's about time you entered eternal rest."
[That is not something you should say with that youthful face of yours. Ma brat, behave yourself and block the gate well.]
Ma Yeon-jeok and Shin Cheon-hwa exchanged brief glances.
Soon, Ma Yeon-jeok looked at his maternal grandson once more, offering advice in a voice that was youthful yet tyrannical, carrying the heavy weight of an elder.
"Having fought such a massive battle, there will be a brief respite. At the very least, to those with power—the scum who boast of their meager positions as if they held true authority—the lull you bought them, Yeon-shin, will be like sweet rain. Martial artists, merchants, politicians. Beware the schemes of those who lead such groups. There have always been those who seek to profit by exploiting the main fortress's Purple Ranks."
[There were even those who quite politely sent matchmakers to me. Though this brat—that is, your grandfather—smashed the fellow's head in.]
His grandfather, Ma Yeon-jeok, was not a competitor he would have to fight for the Sword of Divine Attainment. Naturally, every word he spoke was something Jeong Yeon-shin had to take to heart.
Meanwhile, there was also advice from the current master of the Sword of Divine Attainment.
With his ears ringing from the tinnitus he had induced by vibrating his own internal energy, Jeong Yeon-shin remained on guard against the Divine Sword Corps Commander's sly remarks.
"I don't quite understand it myself, but you seem to have a knack for coaxing out those fellows who shut themselves away in the mountains to play at being immortals. Well... I suppose it's thanks to that Dharma Power of yours, which was crafted to be so divine, regardless of your actual personality."
It was a sly, nerve-grating tone.
Yong Hee-myung's voice continued without allowing any room for a retort, as if he were truly bidding farewell.
Even without actively listening, his words pierced straight into the mind—a testament to a masterful blend of provocative eloquence and incredibly deep Internal Cultivation.
"In that case, it would be best to first make the lost Wudang Sect Leader descend the mountain. He will be of considerable help. There's no need to worry about any vacuum left behind, either. Mount Wudang is crawling with Taoist monsters who equate martial arts with the Way. It is not a sect that relies on a single leader."
"Lost...?"
"Keep this in mind."
Suddenly, Yong Hee-myung's pupils slit vertically once more. It looked as if a single sword had been erected within his bright yellow eyes.
"There is nothing the sword of the Divine Sword Corps Commander cannot cut. The enemy's miraculous schemes, the deep despair of allies... all of it is rendered useless. It even cuts through innate limitations and the fate decreed by heaven. That is why it is called 'Divine Attainment'."
Soon after, he smiled faintly and concluded.
"Would you be any different?"
It was not a question. It felt more like he was stating a matter of course.
Naturally, no retort was permitted. Jeong Yeon-shin, despite his hazy Upper Dantian, barely managed to deliver a solemn request.
"...The same goes for you, Commander, and you, Grandfather. Even if heaven sends misfortune fitting for your personalities, you must not die in a place like this."
"Of course," Yong Hee-myung chuckled. "Even if I die, I must at least leave a corpse."
"Not a corpse, but the Sword of Divine Attainment."
"Hmm?"
"The Sword of Divine Attainment... you must bring it back intact."
Immediately after, Jeong Yeon-shin heard the laughter of his three towering seniors.
Rather than a mocking sneer, it sounded like a breath of genuine amusement. In his dazed state, he muttered:
"I am serious."
Soon, Shin Cheon-hwa's mantra, laced with amusement, smoothly shook the air.
[Void Displacement.]
Even in his hazy state, Jeong Yeon-shin did not miss those words. Drawing Lingering Thunder, he followed along with Shin Cheon-hwa's Void Displacement.
At the moment a vast pressure pressed against his skin and constricted his entire body, his blurred vision was briefly filled with the clear faces of his grandfather and the Commander.
Those who were still stronger than Jeong Yeon-shin and bore the title of the Divine Sword themselves.
...Even if this land is like an abyss.
They would not die.
At least, not outside of Jeong Yeon-shin's sight.
Woooong—
Feeling the vibration of his Baihui Point for a fleeting instant, he fell back into a dreamlike haze.
* * *
Xiangyang, Huguang Province.
Three fine steeds panted heavily, as if they had just slowed down after a long, vigorous gallop.
Huff, huff—
White breath billowed over their rough leather bridles. Behind these steeds was a luxurious carriage made of red sandalwood. Its four wheels ground quietly against the earth, occasionally kicking up shards of white frost in all directions.
This was the official road leading to the world's greatest sect.
It was long and vast.
A road that would normally be lined with the polite bows of commoners whenever a Desolate Fortress martial artist bestowed with purple robes passed by.
But now, it was sparsely populated. The few commoners walking the road stopped at a distance to observe the carriage before scattering in various directions.
As if they were going to report the carriage's arrival to someone.
From the driverless carriage, a natural question drifted out. It was the voice of a young woman.
"...What could have happened?"
Immediately, a voice closer to that of a young man replied.
"Even if they have lost a significant portion of the government's intelligence network due to these turbulent times, the Desolate Fortress is still the Desolate Fortress. They must have evacuated the commoners the moment they sensed the signs of the Great Sect War. The areas near the Immortal Wood Stream and the Heaven-Aligned Road are likely packed with the people of Xiangyang."
"And who is protecting them? In times like these."
"They must have dispatched a large number of White-Ranks."
"Even on the eve of a Great Sect War of unprecedented scale?"
"That is just how the Desolate Fortress is."
"Ah."
Clack.
The wheels rolled over a fragment of some weapon.
It was a carriage that clearly carried someone of high status. The three steeds followed the path on their own, leading them to the main gate of the Desolate Fortress.
"……"
The conversation inside the carriage gradually died down.
It began when the carriage window started framing scenes of a completely dried-up moat, slightly chipped fortress walls, scattered corpses, and wide patches of dried blood splattered everywhere.
A sigh escaped someone as they passed a mound of horses and men piled up like a small hill, looking as though they had all been felled in a single strike.
Only after a young man among the White-Ranked Warriors guarding the gate stepped up to the carriage did a voice ring out.
"...You have arrived. Truly, just in time. It had to be now."
"Are they showing off?"
"How could that be? They have just fought a great war. Everyone must be too busy recovering to do such a thing."
Step.
A man and a woman stepped out of the carriage.
They were the only ones. Unusually for their grand appearance, they had no attendants whatsoever.
The man possessed ears as sharp as sword blades and wore a brilliant indigo ceremonial robe. The dragon pattern embroidered on his shoulders testified to his dignified status.
On the shoulders of the Emperor, the most precious being under heaven, were the sun and the moon; those next in status bore dragons. In other words, it was the attire of a king.
He drew an ivory piece carved in the shape of a tree from his robes.
It was an Ivory Tablet representing royal status, a Dharma Treasure known to be possessed only by the imperial family and the Lord of the Desolate Fortress.
"I am Prince Jeong."
Woooong!
With a low resonance, streams of white steam billowed from the Ivory Tablet.
Simultaneously, the cold midwinter air surrounding them was pushed away by a warm energy.
A Dharma Treasure that granted immunity to heat and cold.
An extremely precious treasure.
Normally, anyone who beheld a Feudatory King's Ivory Tablet would be greatly startled and become exceedingly polite.
Yet, the eyes of the White-Ranked Warrior facing Prince Jeong's party remained dry and indifferent, even flashing with a faint, somewhat combative edge.
Only his formal etiquette was flawless.
"I greet the Prince. Please, enter."
A natural insight flashed through the mind of Prince Jeong, Ju Tae-il.
'One who has known war.'
At the same time, the woman beside Prince Jeong let out a voice as cold and clear as frost.
"His disposition is insolent. He would do well to mind his manners."
She wore a bamboo hat draped with a pure white veil, and with just a slight movement of her shadowed jawline, the edge of the translucent veil fluttered.
It was a natural occurrence—a wave of power stemming from her deep internal energy.
The Ocean-Sword County Princess.
The legitimate daughter of Prince Jeong. She was the Divine Dragon of Jiangxi, famous for her mastery of both literary and martial arts. She was destined to solely inherit the mighty Prince Jeong Manor.
"I shall be careful," the nameless White-Ranked Warrior replied curtly.
Yet, he would undoubtedly show a completely different attitude toward the Purple Ranks of the Desolate Fortress.
Although such behavior would rarely be tolerated under normal circumstances, the Ocean-Sword County Princess did not press him further. An atmosphere that forbade such pettiness flowed along the vast fortress walls like an invisible flame.
She spoke to Prince Jeong as she followed the polite guidance of the White-Ranked Warrior inside.
"It seems we have arrived at an inopportune time."
"You are mistaken."
Prince Jeong replied immediately, sending a voice transmission.
—He is practically the only Purple Rank left in the world, and a Great Sect War akin to an all-out conflict has just taken place. Now is the only time to discuss the whereabouts of the Flash Art, Jeong Yeon-shin. If not today, there will be no one on this earth capable of putting a leash on him. The circumstances are vastly different from when we met in Hangzhou, are they not?
His archaic words left behind the distinct vibration of a voice transmission.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the formidable presence of various Desolate Fortress martial artists surged from all directions.
A disposition that brooked no schemes or backroom talk. Though devoid of murderous intent, it was a truly terrifying state of alert.
Nevertheless, Prince Jeong's voice transmission continued resolutely.
—Your father does not wish for the second coming of the Hegemon Hero. In times of peace, Ma Yeon-jeok was a man who prevented the government from rotting. But in times of chaos, it is a different story. Had he lived through turbulent times without a single true friend, he would have surely disrupted the unity of this land. Furthermore, the Flash Art of the Jeong Clan is an even worse monster than that Hegemon Hero.
A faint shadow appeared on the veil covering the Ocean-Sword County Princess's face. She seemed to purse her lips slightly. We have definitely come at the wrong time.
After that.
Even after the two entered the Inner Castle, visitors continued to arrive. It did not end with Prince Jeong's manor.
Other royal manors.
The local martial aristocrats of the Murim, led by the Jinju Eon Family.
And even the great merchant groups that had hoarded supplies during the famine, becoming some of the most prestigious entities in their respective regions.
Dozens of carriages and processions crossed the market streets, repeatedly stopping at the exact same spot.
This was before even half of the commoners who had temporarily fled Xiangyang had returned.
* * *
The Desolate Fortress had fought a Great Sect War.
It was a battle so massive that its aftershocks would ripple across the entire world. The term "unprecedented scale" was indeed fitting.
It would exert a profound influence not only on the state of the Jianghu but also on the merchant world and the politics of the empire.
Everything was inevitable.
It was only natural that countless eyes were drawn to it.
Which lands and roads were safe, the locations of the great sects that would fall due to the "Great War of the Desolate Fortress," and what moves their subordinate sects would make in the future.
Grim rumors were even circulating that the boundary with the Northern Jianghu had collapsed. It was said that unheard-of forces and martial lineages were heading south.
'The imperial family is on the verge of losing control over the world. Regardless of status or power, everyone is bound to need a place to lean on...'
Im Jin-myeong thought.
The experts who distinguished themselves in the Great War of the Desolate Fortress, their martial arts, and the detailed course of the war would surely be widely publicized by gossips.
However, the point of contention in the argument currently taking place in the Inner Castle of the Desolate Fortress lay in a completely different area.
"I already know what the Son of Heaven has decreed. The Flash Art, Jeong Yeon-shin, must strictly obey his will."
"I do not understand the underlying intention of your words."
On a roadside stained with the blood of the enemies who had previously invaded.
Im Jin-myeong had stopped on his way from the Lord's Inner Castle to the Grand Steward's office, confronting Prince Jeong.
Originally, he had been postponing the audience, but Prince Jeong had blocked Im Jin-myeong's path using an elusive Body Protection Scripture.
It was the time of day when the clear sunlight slanted to touch the pure white fortress walls. Beneath the shadows that fell at an angle, much like the prestige of high-born men.
"Do not deceive me. Was it not already proclaimed to the entire world in Hangzhou? As the Grand Steward of the Desolate Fortress, there is no way you are ignorant of its contents. The Flash Art must not leave this land, and therefore, the details of his whereabouts should naturally fall under the jurisdiction of the imperial family. Since the Emperor himself discussed this matter, it is only right that it be handled as such."
"...I do not agree with that interpretation. Nor can I comply with your words."
"I know this may sound like sophistry. Blame my lack of virtue."
"……"
"I also know that you must focus on cleaning up the aftermath, but that is only because you hold full authority. Is not every matter of the Desolate Fortress today under the jurisdiction of Grand Steward Im Jin-myeong?"
Im Jin-myeong fell silent for a moment, scanning his surroundings.
'I cannot fathom his intention. I heard he retreated immediately in Hangzhou, so what did he perceive there to make him act like this...'
Prince Jeong was a powerful martial artist.
Yet, at this moment, he did not deploy an energy barrier.
Because of this, the distinguished guests who had visited the Desolate Fortress simultaneously today were landing around them one by one. For some reason, half of them were women close in age to the acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
"……"
Not a single footstep could be heard.
It was clear that they had all mastered the stage of Grass-Gliding.
'...And yet, these are the ones who did not aid the main fortress.'
Every single one of them had watched the battle from a close distance.
It was likely because it had been difficult to predict the outcome at the time. But regardless of the odds, that was not something the Desolate Fortress—which had always served as a shield for the commoners—needed to consider.
Anger flared in Im Jin-myeong's eyes.
Soon after.
The advice that had risen to his throat was swallowed back down.
The words telling them to leave before two purple robes fluttered across the space never made it out into the world.
Woooong—
Soon, the light pouring from the setting sun split into several fan-like rays, beginning to shimmer silently.