Chapter 538: The Jianghu Roster (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 538: The Jianghu Roster (4)
An uninvited guest had arrived, imperiously calling out to the Wudang Sect Leader on Mount Wudang, of all places.
She was a woman wearing vermilion light armor as if it were comfortable silk. The continuous waves of internal power unique to the realm of Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak caused her short-cropped hair to flutter like a flag. She exuded both a formidable spirit and the vigor of youth.
She was a first-rate expert, on par with a Unit Commander in the Desolate Fortress.
“…”
For the moment, she stood motionless on the hill. Her gaze swept over Jeong Yeon-shin, Perfected Mystic Concord, the Wudang disciples, and finally North Blade, as if trying to piece together what had just transpired.
Who is she?
Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at the woman before turning his head toward Perfected Jade Cliff, who stood off to one side. As he sheathed Lingering Thunder, a long, sharp zing vibrated from the Songmun Ancient Sword, but Jeong Yeon-shin didn't let his attention wander.
The Acting Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect had been commanding over a hundred Taoists with the majesty of Taishang Laojun himself.
“What in the…”
Now, the square-jawed, middle-aged Taoist wore an expression as detached as a Shaolin monk. Jeong Yeon-shin had learned to read faces from a young age, and the Taoist’s clearly asked, What on earth is this now?
It was the same look the children of Xinye County used to give him while hiding behind their older brothers during the Dano Festival.
“Lord Jeong.”
However, the moment Perfected Jade Cliff turned to Jeong Yeon-shin, his expression shifted. His face was warmer than ever before. Disregarding the uninvited guest for now, the leader of the great Wudang Sect clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.
“From here on, this is Wudang’s business. If she is indeed from the Imperial Family, I have an idea of what she wants, so please do not waste your energy on this, Lord Jeong. If I may be so bold… I would feel much more at ease if you would rest and recover from your journey at our main fortress alongside the Sect Leader.”
“You have worked hard,” Perfected Jade Cliff concluded, his voice deep and resonant. His words and demeanor were polite from start to finish.
At that moment, a wave of internal power brushed against Jeong Yeon-shin’s skin with a refreshing sensation. It was Peach Blossom Power, a Taoist energy that, perhaps due to its master’s refinement, felt even more disciplined than Dharma Power.
The Wudang Sect…
They were incredibly strong.
Among the members of the grand formation that had been blocking North Blade were several elderly Taoists. They were likely elders of the Hyeon Generation. Although the unity of their Essence, Qi, and Spirit had begun to break down with age, the sheer amount of their Accumulated Qi was immense.
And every single one of them was offering Jeong Yeon-shin a spotlessly pure smile.
These were the immortals of Wudang, who watched over the people of Huguang alongside the Desolate Fortress. Like Perfected Zhang Sanfeng, they did not hesitate to show their emotions and express their gratitude.
Was it because they had broken through their Qi Deviation and taken a step forward on their own?
Now, Jeong Yeon-shin could see it.
The face of Perfected Zhang Sanfeng was present in Perfected Ancient Sword, and the majority of the Wudang disciples had inherited that same temperament.
It was truly a magnificent thing.
Never had the term “Great Grandmaster” felt so real.
Zhang Sanfeng.
By consolidating the Taoist temples scattered across Mount Wudang into a single martial lineage, he had continued to live on for hundreds of years after his death. Because he was not forgotten, he had achieved a form of eternal life.
— Ascending to the heavens as the Divine Sword of the Desolate Fortress.
Suddenly, the old voice of his maternal grandfather, Ma Yeon-jeok, echoed in his mind.
— I shall shed this cumbersome shell and carve an immortal name into the world alongside you.
Those were the words Ma Yeon-jeok had uttered as he ignited the blue flames of mutual destruction. His opponent then had been the Blood Flame Cult Leader, a foe whom even the current Jeong Yeon-shin could not guarantee victory against.
Ah.
Only now did Jeong Yeon-shin faintly grasp the true meaning behind those words.
Hum.
In an instant, a Taiji made of deep blue flames etched itself even deeper into his mental image. He felt his martial arts achievement deepen, as if he could now wield a technique he had only recently created as naturally as his own limbs.
While his mind processed this, Jeong Yeon-shin pulled the Songmun Ancient Sword from the ribs of the Super Mad Dream Demon. With a sharp crack, the Southern Flower Radiant Taiji was engraved onto the demon's abdomen. The Law-Transcending Halo Qi that flared from the blade in that brief moment instantly staunched the bleeding from the puncture wound.
It should have some effect. The Sect Leader had it too, after all.
Leaving the Super Mad Dream Demon’s screams behind him, Jeong Yeon-shin sheathed the Songmun Ancient Sword. It was a blade he would have to return to the Wudang Sect soon, but that didn't matter right now.
“…Here.”
Whoosh.
He retrieved Perfected Ancient Sword’s stone box from the air with both hands and presented it to Perfected Mystic Concord.
At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze swept over the Wudang disciples once more. In that moment, the faces of the Desolate Fortress warriors were superimposed over the Taoists in his mind. The faces of Shin So-bin, Cheong-myeong, Heonwon Chang, Lazy Flame Dragon, and Baek Mi-ryeo were particularly vivid.
I have more, don't I?
He silently addressed the two perfected masters, Zhang Sanfeng and Ancient Sword, as he slowly let go of the box that Perfected Mystic Concord had carefully received.
Thus, Perfected Ancient Sword’s stone box was safely cradled in the old man’s wrinkled hands.
Jeong Yeon-shin let no sense of emptiness show on his face. Just because his hands were lighter did not mean his heart was empty.
It was then.
Thud.
A heavy weight shook the ground.
Jeong Yeon-shin turned his head to see a massive horse and rider entering his field of vision. The single approach of those hooves had kicked up a thick cloud of dust. Even the displaced air pressed heavily against his skin.
The reason North Blade could move so freely was because the Wudang disciples had disbanded their sword formation.
Jeong Yeon-shin and Perfected Mystic Concord now stood side by side in the solitary clearing. There were very few things in the world they needed to guard against.
North Blade approached on horseback, stopping a few paces from Jeong Yeon-shin.
“…”
He was a giant of a man, easily over seven feet tall, wearing a bamboo hat pulled down low. His lower face, where his mouth should have been, was a blur. He had distorted the very air with pure internal energy. Perhaps because of that, his voice rumbled like distant thunder.
[You have surpassed two.]
“What do you mean?”
[In our lands, this is nothing surprising. Martial prowess changes with the well-being of a Great Warrior and the weather of the plains. However, the childhood of the God of War dwells within you as well, and this judgment is unlike the frivolous winds of the south. For my eyes hold the unmistakable Northern Gale.]
Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t quite understand what the giant with the crescent blade was rambling about, but in cases like this, the fault usually lay with the other party.
North Blade.
He had heard much about him. He was the undisputed leader of the Northern Jianghu. As the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, Jeong Yeon-shin had to conduct himself flawlessly—now and in everything that was to come.
“If you have business, come this way.”
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke calmly, walking away with an expression that suggested he understood everything perfectly. This was Mount Wudang. As a mere guest, he could not act like the master of the house, so it was only right to step aside.
[Splendid spirit. Born with it, indeed.]
North Blade and his monstrous warhorse followed him obediently.
As expected.
A shiver ran down Jeong Yeon-shin’s spine. If many in the Northern Jianghu possessed such chilling insight, the Desolate Fortress and the people of the world had a grueling fight ahead of them. Hadn’t they said the Great Wall had fallen?
“Let us go together.”
Just then, an elderly voice spoke from behind him. It was the Wudang Sect Leader, Perfected Mystic Concord.
Step.
The old Taoist fell into step beside him, and his quiet presence was a great source of comfort. It was said that Wudang could sustain itself as a ‘sect’ even without a Sect Leader. The implications of that statement were immense.
*
For a while, Wudang’s Acting Sect Leader, Jade Cliff, could not take his eyes off Jeong Yeon-shin. There was a reason for it.
Hum—
A supreme expert who had achieved the unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
Upon reaching the realm of Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak, such masters would reconstruct their own mental image. Some would envision an unbroken circle, others countless swords, and some an unsetting sun, using the image to deepen their martial arts even further. The unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit meant one’s mental image and martial stances had become one.
It was the same for Jade Cliff.
What in the world…
The only difference was that another change had occurred. His mind, which had always conjured the image of a majestic, flowing river, now contained a blazing flame. The circle made of water was turning into a ring of fire.
It was clear.
The Taiji of blue flames, which had vanished from the ground, had influenced him through the single strike of the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps. He even felt as though the secret techniques of Wudang’s immortal martial arts, engraved in neat rows within his mind, were about to be burned to ashes by the image of the flame flowers.
Unless it was a heart demon, such an internal transformation could only mean one thing.
A state where every stance of his entire life was condensing into a single strike.
Unified Martial Transcendence…!
The light in Jade Cliff’s eyes, which usually remained colorless, trembled. The next Wudang Sect Leader had just received an immense fated encounter from the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps of the Desolate Fortress.
This was no simple grand celebration; it was something that could not be taken lightly, even if Jade Cliff was already infinitely close to the Peerless Realm.
Why?
Taiji was a principle studied not only by the Wudang Sect but by all Taoist lineages under heaven.
It was then.
Step.
“I spoke of an imperial decree,” the woman in the vermilion light armor said, having approached to within ten paces. “Yet the Sect Leader hides far away using the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps as a shield, and the Acting Sect Leader is lost in thought right in front of me.”
It was strange. If she were truly an imperial envoy, she should have been the closest ally to the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps here. Yet, the woman’s voice grew clearer and more confident as Jeong Yeon-shin moved further away.
“…I doubt the authenticity of this imperial decree. And your identity as well. Weren’t the noble figures of Beijing busy fighting over who the next Son of Heaven would be?”
Jade Cliff’s attitude was harsh compared to when he had spoken to Jeong Yeon-shin. Only a bare minimum of politeness remained in his voice. His tone was enough to make Ju Se-hwa, who had approached the clearing with his long staff, hesitate.
What a waste of time, Jade Cliff thought. He was in the middle of organizing an incredibly precious realization. Furthermore, he was facing an overbearing, uninvited guest in his capacity as the Acting Sect Leader at their very own main fortress. Even if the Wudang Taoists did not dare claim ownership of Mount Wudang, they could not help but feel displeased.
That displeasure was fully visible to the woman. Instantly, a clicking sound came from the joints of her armor as the metal plates interlocked, driven by a highly unique Qigong.
“Unless a clueless wretch of a Taoist is relying on Lord Jeong…”
“If one does not believe in a living Taiji, what else under heaven is there to trust?”
“What?”
“Acting Sect Leader?”
Whispers spread among the Wudang disciples who were closing in on the woman. But Jade Cliff was like his late martial uncle, Ancient Sword: a warrior who sought the Way in the lives of the common people, a man of the martial world who wished to devote all his time to the Taiji currently burning a single path through his mind.
“There is no exaggeration in my words. If you do not prove your identity before I count to ten, I will leave my disciples to deal with you.”
“You truly do not know how the world works.”
However, the woman was equally extraordinary. The way her subsequent words carried the weight of the world’s affairs proved as much.
“There is no place in this country untouched by the late Emperor’s will. Naturally, the Imperial Family is the same. The late Emperor’s eldest legitimate son has already ascended the throne. Under his majesty, even the north has faltered, bringing the front lines to a lull. Thus, His Majesty wishes to first address the chaos beneath the Great Wall.”
Saying so, she pulled a plaque engraved with a certain image from her breast. It was a pattern of two trees with their roots overlapping, one above and one below. Looking like an ancient tree reflected in water, it was a token representing the orthodox successor of the military’s martial arts. It was said to grant immunity to heat and cold on the battlefield.
Hum—
The border of the tree pattern filled with a golden light. It was indeed a Dharma Treasure.
“The Emperor has changed? When did…!” Jade Cliff muttered.
He and the other Wudang disciples stirred. Even for them, known as immortals above the clouds, the state of the world was a matter of great concern. If the country shook, the common people would be the first to die.
“‘To gather the Three Great Masters of the Imperial Family and the powerful figures of the world in one place, and to forge anew the swords of the nation, the Heavenly Scripture Martial Arts Examination shall be held in Shaanxi. The Wudang Sect Leader must attend to grace the occasion.’ You should consider it an honor that His Majesty’s first imperial decree has descended upon this land of Huguang.”
“I wonder if it only fell upon Huguang,” a man’s voice rang out like a light breeze as soon as the woman finished speaking. “Southern Zhili, Henan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan… it must have fallen upon every land that hosts a Great Sect. It is a once-in-a-lifetime gamble, delivering a mobilization order to martial artists who are practically local warlords by now, all while putting their pride on the line.”
“How dare you in my presence… Commander of the Demonlight Wing?”
The gazes of the woman and the Wudang Taoists turned toward a distant tree branch. A one-eyed Brightfolk youth clad in black robes was crouching on the pine needles. He was waving at Jeong Yeon-shin, who could be seen in the distance.
Meanwhile, the mouth of Cheong-myeong, Commander of the Demonlight Wing, moved independently of his hand gestures.
“It seems that when Beggar Sect Leader Ju Gwang-singae bravely leaped toward the Great Wall, he found that the one posing as the Fighting God was actually the God Thief. The Northern Jianghu must have faltered because they are busy searching for the real Fighting God. Furthermore, this ‘Heavenly Scripture Martial Arts Examination’ is…”
“Commander of the Demonlight Wing, speak no further. I demand this in the name of the Super Tiger Great General,” the woman warned, her voice low. But Cheong-myeong’s voice remained as clear as his name.
“It's a conscription martial arts tournament that the Imperial Family has declared across the entire martial world. I heard its scale is completely different from the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, which is just held by local aristocrats. As far as I know, the decree fell upon the Zhongnan Sect as well, and among them is the young disciple of the Sword Immortal of Zhongnan, who has been drawing all the world's attention…”
It happened in an instant.
At dusk, a purple shadow filled the clearing. The hem of the robe reflected in the Super Tiger Great General’s eyes was like an irresistible natural disaster.
“Hye-ah? Do you mean Jeong Hye?”
Whoosh!
His voice arrived first, the backdraft from his lightness skill spreading out behind him in faint, concentric circles.
The world was in motion.