Chapter 527: The Southern Venerable (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 527: The Southern Venerable (6)
Amidst the elegant mountain peaks.
Through the true qi structure of the Sound Arts, internal power gathered in my hand. The waves of the Law-Transcending Halo Qi rippled across my palm with a burning sensation. If this energy flowed from the hilt to the blade, it would manifest as a Sword Song.
— Won't you come this way?
I sent this thought, imbued with my intent, toward the Wudang Sect Leader.
There could be no mistake. The mnemonic, created through my friendship with His Highness the Imperial Grandson, had continuously evolved.
Furthermore, ever since achieving the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak, not even a shred of stimulation could reach my Baihui Point unless I pushed myself to the absolute limit. The Great War of the Desolate Fortress had been the sole exception.
It was then.
[Is that correct?]
The voice of the Previous Generation Elder struck my mind. At that exact moment, as if by coincidence, a gentle breeze brushed past my temples. It was a cool, refreshing stream of wind.
'Hmm?'
I suddenly loosened my grip.
Whoosh!
The power that had been tightening in my palm dispersed all at once.
Naturally, the ground was gouged out in random directions, kicking up pale dust. My sleeves fluttered violently in the backlash.
'This isn't it.'
The Sword Song was a technique that damaged weapons, and Lingering Thunder belonged to Ryeo-ryeo and Yeo-hwa.
In the first place, it was an art meant to appreciate elegance by using someone else's weapon. Unless one wanted to carry around cumbersome extra weapons, it was only right to seize an opponent's sword on the battlefield to perform it.
I slightly raised my head.
Those who had accompanied me to Mount Wudang came into view: Ju Se-hwa, Perfected Jade Radiance, and Perfected Jade Gaze. Each of them had taken a step back, their bodies enveloped in a mysterious breeze.
"……"
Before I knew it, Ju Se-hwa was warily reading my expression.
The translucent veil hanging below her eyes fluttered with her shallow exhalations. She had withstood the momentum of the Sword Song at close range using her internal energy breathing.
I didn't know what kind of cultivation method she was using. It didn't seem to be the Dual-Principle Mind Art. Could it be the famous Heavenly Yang Saving Yin Qi?
"As the one who invited you as a guest, I am truly apologetic," she spoke softly.
I lightly shook my head and replied. "Do you happen to have a blade that's fine to break? Just one is enough. It doesn't even have to be a sword."
"……"
Her face reminded me of the expression So-bin would sometimes wear when looking at me after the Mount Hua Agreement. A look of faint realization. A somewhat anxious face.
At this moment, a similar look lingered in Ju Se-hwa's eyes—an expression I had never seen on her before.
"Since opinions within our sect are divided regarding welcoming Lord Jeong to Wudang... I apologize once again. Please show understanding."
"Opinions are divided?"
When I asked back briefly, Ju Se-hwa's lips were slightly revealed beneath her veil. She had nodded, and for a brief moment, her faint breath deeply penetrated my sense of qi. It was a Taoist-type energy wave with a hollow, ethereal feel.
It felt somewhat familiar. Not unfamiliar in the slightest.
Why was that?
Meanwhile, Ju Se-hwa's reply continued in a low voice.
"There is no one in our sect who cares for their own reputation. However, there are many who guard the flaws of their loved ones more closely than their own. This matter is no different. The Sect Leader has fallen into Qi Deviation, and his Heart Demon has deepened further... There are those who are reluctant to expose such circumstances to an outsider. Many also question whether it is appropriate for the Sect Leader, who is currently possessed, to meet with someone of the Desolate Fortress's Purple Rank. Of course, finding the Sect Leader's whereabouts comes first."
She bowed slightly, a rare gesture for her, and clasped her hands together. Then, she apologized once more. She apologized for inviting me as a guest when the sect's opinions were not unified.
"It's nothing."
I stroked the knot in my hand with my thumb. Since the wrapping cloth was woven from Heavenly Silkworm thread, it was incredibly soft. I felt as if I could still feel the warmth of the Perfected Ancient Sword.
Naturally, I thought of my master.
'Though it would never happen.'
If something were to happen to the Castle Lord, I too would use every possible means to resolve the issue. There would be no need to fuss over etiquette or procedures. I would do whatever it took to solve the problem, even if it meant gathering everyone I had ever crossed paths with.
I nodded, shifting my thoughts.
Ju Se-hwa was different from So-bin. She was worried about the slopes of Mount Wudang being ruined if a conflict broke out between her sect's elders and me.
I could feel the footsteps of the Perfected Zhang Sanfeng deeply imbued within the green mountain peaks. Ju Se-hwa must have carved her own Taiji using the valley waters here, leaving deep handprints on the bizarre rocks and crags of Mount Wudang as she trained in the Cotton Palm and other arts, alongside the immortals of Wudang who had cared for her since childhood.
'Before being a member of the imperial family...'
She was a true disciple of Wudang.
It was only natural, but the Perfected Zhang Sanfeng had clearly taught his juniors just as well as I did mine. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for someone like Ju Se-hwa to emerge.
Of course, she couldn't compare to So-bin, who would become as powerful as the Previous Generation Elder. The Blood-Net Radiant Empress of the Demonlight Wing was truly one of a kind in the world.
'They must be safe, right...?'
I forced down my worries for my precious same-aged successor and the seniors of the Demonlight Wing. Then, I stared up the mountain path.
I could see the silhouette of the Taoist who had scolded Ju Se-hwa from quite a distance earlier.
Whoosh—
A faint sound of slicing through the air. Despite descending the steep path rapidly, he kicked up no dust.
A remarkably stable sense of balance could also be felt from him. It felt as though he could easily withstand even ten thousand catties of immense force. It was incomparable to when Senior Ak had slightly wobbled while bringing me three plates of the Five-Rhyme Mountain Herb Dish.
[Wudang... their hidden strength is formidable. Even though they must have allocated more than half of their forces to this gate.]
A pleasant, low, beautiful voice echoed in my head.
Step.
As always, a presence confidently approached from behind me. It was the Previous Generation Elder. At the same time, the figure descending the mountain arrived right before us. I could feel it immediately. He was exceptionally powerful.
"Un-hyeon, your words are misleading!" The middle-aged Taoist gave me a silent nod before shouting at Ju Se-hwa. "Reluctant to expose our flaws? Nonsense!"
His momentum was grand. When one thought of Wudang, a majestic flowing river or an endlessly circulating circle naturally came to mind. Yet, this Taoist's temperament brought to mind a blazing ring of fire.
His fierce eyes and stubborn mouth suddenly reminded me of my childhood tutor.
— The Manor Master ordered me to teach you strictly. Memorize only the parts I point out, and do not touch any other books. Even if the heavens collapse, you will never inherit the Jeong Family Manor.
If you covet excellence and bring trouble to the Eldest Son, you will have to endure both my switch and the Manor Master's fists and palms.
'I was very scared back then.'
Under that terrifying pressure, I couldn't even show him the Jeong Family Dynamic Art. I heard he was now running a very large academy in Shaanxi and teaching many disciples, having left the Jeong Family Manor a few years before its destruction. One could say he was blessed with heavenly luck.
Perhaps he might meet the Sword Dragon, Great Hero Wiji, or my niece Hye-ah someday. The Zhongnan Sect was a Taoist lineage with a long history. Since they needed to accept many disciples to rebuild their sect, they would be searching for young children who were literate.
"Then is it not because of our flaws?"
In any case, surprisingly, the Long Staff Ju Se-hwa kept her head held high at this moment. Truly fitting for royalty. Her courage was remarkable.
'You can't reason with someone like him.'
The middle-aged Taoist was tall enough to look down on her. His stubborn face was striking; even a cautious excuse would only return as a blow. I knew from experience. I was familiar with people trapped in their own self-righteousness. Ju Se-hwa's words and actions were foolish.
Sure enough, an even harsher scolding returned.
"If this is not placing an unnecessary burden on an outsider, then what is it? He is even the leader of those who are already running hither and thither for the sake of the world! What were you thinking, dragging a Purple Rank into our sect's private affairs?"
A true Perfected Man. He was someone who had deeply studied the Taoist scriptures.
"That is Eldest Senior Brother Jade Cliff. He is the leader of those who have mastered the Seven Stars Sword Formation... and to Se-hwa—that is, Un-hyeon—he is her martial uncle. As the direct disciple of the Sect Leader, he is also the next Wudang Sect Leader."
Another Taoist beside me whispered. It was Perfected Jade Radiance, who always wore a smile. We had grown somewhat close while traveling together from Xiangyang to this place, but we weren't quite close enough to exchange whispers.
I took a step to the side.
In any case.
'The next Wudang Sect Leader...?'
It finally sank in that I had set foot on the immortal mountain of Wudang. No one in the martial world would be ignorant of the title of the man scolding Ju Se-hwa before my eyes.
Hyeon Muk.
It was a title bestowed by those lofty imperial experts. It was also a name that had saved countless commoner captives in the northern martial world. Stories of him wielding the Taiji Wisdom Sword amidst the demonfolk army were passed from mouth to mouth by gossips. Along with the Shaolin Four Great Vajras, he was someone I had admired since childhood.
"Our sect has long been capable of defending our main mountain even without the Sect Leader! Have you no shame? If you have a mouth, speak further!"
Rumble—
The ground shook. For a moment, an illusion occurred. It felt as if the mountain path was undulating like the body of an imugi.
It was not the personal internal energy of Hyeon Muk, the Perfected Jade Cliff. The surrounding natural qi had reacted to his words; in this state, he would be able to exert power far exceeding the energy accumulated in his body.
Perfected Jade Radiance's smiling face dimmed.
"Peach Blossom Power..." he muttered.
It was a name I had heard before. A power said to be wielded when one's Taoist enlightenment, often referred to as Orthodox Taoism, reached its peak. If the Three Pure Powers of Taoism lay at the very end of that path, the mastery of Peach Blossom Power was said to be the highest realm that Taoists of the martial world realistically hoped to reach.
And even that Peach Blossom Power was supreme. It was a power fitting for a tutor—no, the next Wudang Sect Leader. He was worthy of being the head of the Ok Generation, the disciple generation of the Sect Leader. He was the foremost among Wudang's current practical forces.
At that moment, Perfected Jade Radiance, whose posture was thrown completely off as he tried to whisper in my ear again, said, "…He seems very angry."
It certainly seemed so at a glance.
The vibrations shaking the ground gradually grew stronger, and Ju Se-hwa, who had been staring defiantly up at Perfected Jade Cliff, was slowly bowing her head.
Just like when I welcomed my tenth birthday with a switch.
"How can you not know that the moment the path to our sect was opened to an outsider, even that demon who has been trying to entice the Sect Leader with wicked words entered this place! The remaining forces of our sect have all been scattered!"
"…I have nothing to say."
Was this Wudang?
A world of their own existed here. Immortals living within the peerless martial arts of Perfected Zhang Sanfeng and the duty to suppress the strange, violent, chaotic, and supernatural. Within these beautiful mountain peaks, even a Purple Rank of the Desolate Fortress was nothing more than an outsider.
They did not commit any discourtesy, but they did not pay me any more mind than that.
'But...'
It was a bit frustrating. I hadn't come to Mount Wudang to watch this kind of scene.
Just then, the Previous Generation Elder crossed her arms.
Rustle.
The tightly folded fabric along the crook of her arm creased, displaying its rich purple hue. Her status and presence were such that even the immortals of Wudang would hesitate to speak to her.
[No matter if they call themselves a pure Taoist sect or the greatest sword sect of all time, in the end, it is still a place where humans live. This is how important the leader of a sect is. Do you understand the weight of your title?]
"…Yes," I replied in a low voice, offering a nod of apology to the Wudang group instead.
At the Previous Generation Elder's biting words, not only Perfected Jade Radiance but also Perfected Jade Gaze, who had remained silent until now, flinched.
Unlike other Taoists, Perfected Jade Gaze did not tie her hair up, and she was said to be a master of eye techniques.
"What are you trying to do?" she asked me in a raspy voice.
As the youngest of the Ok Generation, she was only about ten years older than Ju Se-hwa, but she had disheveled hair like some wild mountain Taoist, along with eyes that flashed with a hazy light.
The smiling Perfected Jade Radiance.
Perfected Jade Gaze, whose eyes constantly shone with light.
Perfected Jade Cliff, who had survived the North as the next Sect Leader.
Every time we conversed, I felt a temperament different from my own. It had been that way from Xiangyang until now, and it was the same at this very moment.
If I was someone firmly rooted to the ground, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Gentleman Ma, Ma Se-in, they were people who entrusted themselves to the clouds of Wudang, placing little importance on anything other than righteous deeds and the affairs of their sect. Every word and action of theirs reflected this.
In other words, they were immortals of another world.
'Still.'
While it was true that I needed their help to meet the Wudang Sect Leader, I couldn't afford to waste any more time. Above all, the fact that the box containing the head of the Perfected Ancient Sword was still in my hands bothered me.
As immortals who studied the principles of actionless nature, they might not place much significance on the body of the already deceased Perfected Ancient Sword.
"……"
I believed that shouldn't be the case.
Step.
Since it was akin to interfering in another sect's affairs, I took a cautious step forward. It was toward the next Wudang Sect Leader, who had already trapped Ju Se-hwa within a hazy mist of energy.
His momentum was already close to that of a peerless expert. The moment that dense mist of internal energy was used in the Unified Martial Transcendence, wouldn't Wudang, the Southern Venerable, welcome a new Sect Leader?
Perfected Jade Radiance's eyes widened slightly.
"Lord Jeong, Senior Brother Jade Cliff's Peach Blossom Power is different from the Wudang internal energy known to the world. Far from being soft, it is extremely overbearing. No matter how you unleash your power, it will inevitably lead to a clash between our sect and the Desolate Fortress..."
Step.
Another step.
It was a light Radiant Wing Step, but a sensation I didn't recognize was carried with it. A pure, clear breeze rippled outward and vanished. Why was that? A brief moment later, an intrigued exclamation escaped the Previous Generation Elder behind me.
Whoosh—!
The wall-like mist of internal energy with which Perfected Jade Cliff had been lecturing Ju Se-hwa was instantly dispersed. It literally vanished without a trace.
At the same time, above our heads, in a far vaster domain...
Even the clouds that had cast a quiet shadow over the wide mountain slopes let out a thunderous rumble and shattered into pieces like downy feathers.
It was as if a massive sword strike had accompanied a single step, much like the Heavenly Demon's Reigning Step possessed by the Little Heavenly Demon, Mang-jong.
"……"
Just as the foot of the mountain fell into silence...
Suddenly, an incredibly intense gaze swept down from a distant peak. A gaze that rendered Body Protection Qi useless. It carried a momentum that threatened to tear apart even my skin, which was always protected by the calluses of the Tang Clan siblings.
There was no room for doubt.
It was the Wudang Sect Leader, Perfected Mystic Concord.