Chapter 532: Southern Flower Radiant Taiji (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 532: Southern Flower Radiant Taiji (3)
A quiet room.
Jeong Yeon-shin and Ju Se-hwa sat facing one another. The silence had just been broken by a sudden question from Ju Se-hwa's lips.
"Do you know of the Dream Demon Physique?"
Faint moonlight seeped through the paper window, but her tone held no room for poetic elegance. The question caught Jeong Yeon-shin completely off guard.
He answered immediately. "Beside you."
"Pardon?"
"Do you see nothing?"
"There is a wall," Ju Se-hwa replied nonchalantly. Her demeanor was perfectly ordinary.
In that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin saw a reflection of himself in her—a mirror of how he had patiently dealt with the senile Perfected Mystic Concord.
It was the wisdom of not pouring one's heart out to someone who had lost their mind. Naturally, it made him uncomfortable, but showing it would have been strange.
Regardless, Ju Se-hwa could not see the old Taoist.
Even though he was sitting right next to her.
Likewise, the old Taoist hadn't glanced at Ju Se-hwa even once.
Even now, the old man was merely tilting his head this way and that, as if scanning the scenery beyond the wall. Jeong Yeon-shin caught the movement in his peripheral vision.
Ju Se-hwa continued. "There are those who can attack the Upper Dantian of a sleeping person from a distance. Though they possess human bodies, they are practically akin to the strange, violent, chaotic, and supernatural. Like the clans of the Blood Flame Cult, their appearances are extraordinary."
"The Upper Dantian of a sleeping person...?" Jeong Yeon-shin muttered. Is it a demonic art?
Ju Se-hwa nodded. "Yes, which is why they are also called demons. They are born with the innate art of rummaging through people's dreams. I believe there are only a few of them in the world. As far as our sect is aware, there is only the God Thief and the Super Mad Dream Demon."
"The Super Mad Dream Demon?"
"An expelled disciple who caused our Sect Leader to fall into demonic possession... Indeed, many things happened, and our sect only realized too late that he, too, possessed the Dream Demon Physique. He committed such acts without any demonic energy, relying solely on the innate abilities of his bloodline."
Ju Se-hwa's usually noble voice squeezed out from between her teeth.
"The Super Mad Dream Demon is an alias our sect gave him after stripping him of his Taoist name. Now, he is a monster who has inherited all the arts of the God Thief and the teachings of our Sect Leader. He is our sect's primary enemy—excluding the strange, violent, chaotic, and supernatural beyond the gate."
The deep-seated trouble of the Wudang Sect was laid bare.
But something didn't make sense. Jeong Yeon-shin asked immediately. "Are you saying the Wudang Sect couldn't handle a single demon, so you gave him an alias and made him your primary enemy?"
Of course, even in the Divine Sword Corps, there was someone whose skills far exceeded their martial realm. It was the poppy addict who had failed to achieve the Revered Flower Convergence despite possessing ample talent.
Even without achieving the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak—the proof of a dignified martial artist—his lightness skill and combat senses were exceptional enough for Jeong Yeon-shin to acknowledge him as a half-baked genius.
If such a person focused solely on fleeing, even most peerless martial artists would find him hard to catch. There was no reason the Super Mad Dream Demon couldn't be the same.
"And here I thought you called it the 'Dull Flower Convergence' before."
Shin Cheon-hwa's voice flew in like a ghost from outside the door. This time, her voice did not echo.
Swoooosh—
Suddenly, a clear breeze seeped into his breath.
Immediately after, Jeong Yeon-shin wondered: How did he read the thoughts deep in my heart and the faded memories from my mind? A sudden shiver ran down his spine.
Could he have the Dream Demon Physique...?
No, that couldn't be.
As Jeong Yeon-shin dismissed the thought, a blue light flashed in his eyes.
"What Wudang truly could not handle was not a single demon," Ju Se-hwa said. "It was the heart of our Sect Leader."
The eyes of Ju Se-hwa, the Long Staff, glowed with a white light. It was the eye-light generated by the pure anger of a martial artist who had achieved the Unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
"Every time we cornered the Super Mad Dream Demon on the slopes of Mount Wudang and were on the verge of killing him, our sect's power was blocked by a single person. It was blocked by none other than our own Sect Leader! His martial arts and the Sect Leader's Command Token were the problem. Even the resolve of our Grand Disciple-Uncle, the Perfected Ancient Sword, who sought to finish off the Super Mad Dream Demon every time, was thwarted again and again."
Her agitated words continued in a decisive tone.
"The affection that prevents him from severing the bond of master and disciple once forged... That kindness, which has now turned into madness, is Wudang's burden. And now, his regret over Grand Disciple-Uncle, the Perfected Ancient Sword, must be added to it."
"...Demonic possession is a terrifying thing," Jeong Yeon-shin muttered softly.
Ju Se-hwa, who was panting heavily despite being a master of Wudang's internal energy breathing, flinched. Jeong Yeon-shin casually brushed off her strange look.
But he could not let her next words slide.
"And right now, someone disguised as the Lord of Heaven's Bane is on our main mountain."
"What?"
Whoosh—!
A razor-sharp wind unleashed from Jeong Yeon-shin's body. It was the sword-wind of Qilin's Judgment, rising regardless of his intent.
In an instant, the floor and walls of the room cracked and splintered in all directions. The old Taoist of the Songmun Ancient Sword also glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin, if only for a fleeting moment.
Ju Se-hwa bore the brunt of that momentum head-on and steadfastly continued.
"I believe it is the Super Mad Dream Demon. He has inherited the legacy of the God Thief and become a master of disguise... But the elders of our sect would not listen to me. They said his momentum was different."
At those words, Jeong Yeon-shin was reminded of a certain sect.
The Great Thoroughfare Sect.
A place that had once dominated Hangzhou with the art of bluffing. The name of their martial art was the Empty-Full Self-Existent Divine Art.
He pressed down firmly on his Baihui Point—the Hundred Meetings at the crown of his head—which had become unusually clear.
A chilling sensation filled his mind. The energy of heaven and earth triggered the premonition ability of his Upper Dantian. An outline immediately took shape.
What if the Super Mad Dream Demon belongs to another group, and they are sparing no support to keep Perfected Mystic Concord and Wudang tied down? What if they intend to deepen Perfected Mystic Concord's demonic possession by mimicking the one who severed the Perfected Ancient Sword's head?
He felt a malice as thick as a swamp.
It was identical to the faint trace he had once sensed from the actions of the Young Lord of Lingering Spirit. It smelled of the Northern Jianghu.
Meanwhile...
"...The fact that they are still facing off against that single person is beyond cautious—it is downright infuriating."
The translucent veil covering Ju Se-hwa's face fluttered continuously. Her breathing had grown heavy. Watching her, Jeong Yeon-shin thought, Was her personality always like this?
"What an absolute farce..." she muttered.
For a moment, Jeong Yeon-shin was confused as to whether he was the one who had said it, but he did not let it show.
He merely shattered another layer of the fog floating hazily in his mind. His world was gradually becoming clearer.
Jeong Yeon-shin asked with gratitude, "So, are you telling me to be careful of the Super Mad Dream Demon as well?"
Ju Se-hwa's elegant jawline shifted immediately. "Please kill him. Even if he reveals his identity right before his end and uses our Sect Leader as a shield."
"..."
"If it is you, Lord Jeong, you can surely pierce through the Sect Leader's Sword Barrier and take his head. You only need to succeed once."
She spoke in a voice like a winter wind. At this moment, Ju Se-hwa was not Wudang's Un-hyeon, but a dignified member of the Ju imperial family.
"Wudang's Acting Sect Leader has already given the order. In exchange for leaving the 'Lord of Heaven's Bane' to you, Lord Jeong, our sect will open the Heavenly Way Hall. I wish to go a step further. Even if he is not the Lord of Heaven's Bane, please make sure to take his head. I will grant any request of yours within my power..."
She hesitated slightly as she finished her sentence. Was it due to the mindset of the imperial family, whose heads were filled with nothing but marriage alliances?
Jeong Yeon-shin raised an eyebrow.
Wudang's Heavenly Way Hall.
A martial arts library as famous as Shaolin's Library of Scriptures...
It was said to house all kinds of divine art secret techniques, including the Ten Stages of Brocade and the Dual-Principle Mind Art. It was an offer that would tempt anyone.
"And after that?" Jeong Yeon-shin asked abruptly. "What happens after I kill him? Am I supposed to bear the full brunt of the Sect Leader's wrath?"
"..."
Ju Se-hwa remained silent.
There was no other way. That was her answer.
He asked again. "...Which direction? I don't feel any energy waves."
"It is because our sect's grand formation is blocking all internal power waves. They are facing off seventeen li southwest of this residence, at a place called Samcheong Hall..."
"Let's go."
"Really...?" Ju Se-hwa asked, her expression filled with disbelief—even though she was the one who had made the proposal.
Hyeon-gong, the Limit of the Immortals.
The title did not use the character for 'emperor' (帝), but the character for 'boundary' (際). An absolute master who, in a mortal body, was hailed as the head of Central Plains Taoist martial arts.
It was said he was the person who could wield a sword for the longest time in the world. This was because the natural qi of the entire world was on his side.
In other words, he could be called the world's greatest mad swordsman.
...No.
Recalling the members of the Five Great Swords of the World, Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head inwardly. There were at least two more. Excluding Flash Art and Yong, he was indeed the Heavenly Mad Sword.
Right then—
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!
The sound of thunder echoed from afar.
The walls of the room trembled faintly. Ju Se-hwa's complexion changed instantly.
The formation Wudang had deployed to hide their shame had been completely shattered.
It meant one of two things.
Either the person they had surrounded was truly the Lord of Heaven's Bane, or Perfected Mystic Concord had manifested upon sensing his disciple's danger.
Rumble, rumble!
Another earthquake-like tremor shook the earth.
A terrifyingly massive uproar had broken out in the world's greatest sword sect.
He could feel countless presences rising from numerous peaks.
Had even the Taoists hidden deep in the mountains broken their seclusion? It seemed as though all the Wudang experts, shining like stars across the mountains, were on the verge of mobilizing.
"I must go...!"
"Wait."
Jeong Yeon-shin stopped her.
He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them, gently pushing aside the stone box he had brought from the Desolate Fortress. The Perfected Ancient Sword deserved to be returned to the Wudang Sect Leader.
Yes.
He slowly turned his head to Ju Se-hwa's left.
Where his gaze landed... an old man stood.
The greatest swordsman of all time, wearing a dirt-stained, loose-fitting grey Taoist robe.
An old Taoist whose very existence defied belief.
Perfected Zhang Sanfeng.
Crack—
Even before he could fully take the man in, the sound of shattering glass echoed in his mind. Conflicting sensations arose simultaneously. His head throbbed with intense pain, yet felt incredibly refreshed.
"Lord Jeong...?"
"Wait a moment."
As soon as Jeong Yeon-shin spoke those quiet words...
Rustle.
It was the sound of Perfected Zhang Sanfeng turning toward him. The hem of his Taoist robe swayed slightly.
With his hands behind his back, the ancient Taoist merely shifted his feet. In an instant, the fragrant scent of pine wafted through the air.
This time, Ju Se-hwa seemed to perceive it as well.
"What is...?" she let out a rare, startled gasp.
It was a mere instant.
Jeong Yeon-shin and Perfected Zhang Sanfeng's eyes met.
Suddenly, the old Taoist smiled warmly.
And Jeong Yeon-shin's mind filled with burning clouds.
On this Mount Wudang...
Once again, a sharp pain surged in, feeling as if it would explode his head. It felt as though cracks were forming in his mind, as if it would shatter completely.
...I must become the strongest.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not avert his gaze. Instead, to ensure he would absolutely not close his eyes, he struck both sides of his face in a split second, sealing the acupoints around his eyes.
Even if he were to go blind here, he was confident he could become stronger than the Lord of Heaven's Bane.
Thud, thud!
It was a gesture that carried two meanings.
—Even if only for a moment, I...
It was the childish pride of an eighteen-year-old youth who had already faced great despair several times. At the same time, it was the responsibility of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps at the Desolate Fortress.
Thus, those opposing elements were connected as one, like a revolving circle. Just like the lives of all people, whether their lifespans were long or short.
—I will look at you.
Whoosh!
The intent generated like a tidal wave from his Upper Dantian crashed into Perfected Zhang Sanfeng's entire body. The air in the room hummed and vibrated.
At the same time, a large circle began to carve itself around the seated Jeong Yeon-shin, sparking with bright blue embers. It was as if life and death were grinding against each other.
Extremely flustered, Ju Se-hwa quickly sprang up and retreated.
Crackle, crackle—!
It was completed with incredible speed.
Faint ash fluttered in all directions, and the belated smell of burning swallowed the scent of pine.
Ten breaths of time passed in this manner.
It felt like an eternity.
"..."
Silence spread.
It was only after everything had finally subsided that deep doubt clouded Ju Se-hwa's face. What on earth had happened? The sight reflected in her eyes at this moment was utterly bizarre.
"We can go now," the voice of the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps trailed off, so faint it seemed on the verge of breaking. "No matter who is down there."
Jeong Yeon-shin sat in a lotus position, shedding crimson tears of blood. A distinct pattern lay around him. What remained on the quiet floor of the room was not just ash and the smell of burning.
It was a scorched Taiji.