Chapter 547: The Demon Realm (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 547: The Demon Realm (2)
Jeong Yeon-shin had sent the North Blade away first.
— I hope you perish together with him.
Those parting words held not a single shred of falsehood. They simply could not walk the same path.
Though the North Blade was currently favorable toward him, there was no telling when he might flip his stance and stab him in the back.
More importantly, Jeong Yeon-shin wasn't alone. He had Shin So-bin with him, and she needed to inherit the entirety of his martial arts.
"Well, there goes my hope of ever getting married."
Her playful voice rang out from behind him. Jeong Yeon-shin, in the middle of changing into a shabby robe, paused.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
Soon, he sensed the slight movement of Shin So-bin's lips. Like him, she was also changing her clothes with her back turned.
"Our Main Fortress is already a sect that denies traditional master-disciple relationships. But now that I've even learned the mnemonics of Brilliant River, I can't exactly go off and start my own family. People will point fingers and call me a thief. That's just the weight of a Divine Ultimate Technique."
Her solemn words carried a hint of her signature bright, playful laughter.
Jeong Yeon-shin asked as he strapped on the silver mask he had specially brought from the Great Wall, "Since when do you care so much about what other people think?"
"I don't care if they point fingers at me."
Rustle.
The sound of rough fabric brushing against skin was followed by Shin So-bin's voice.
"But I can't stand seeing my martial lineage tarnished. I'm sure the senior members feel the same way. Just because we aren't officially master and disciple doesn't mean we don't cherish the martial arts we've trained to the death for."
"You're being dramatic."
"This has nothing to do with you, Lord Jeong. It's a matter of our own pride. We're already learning these arts with deep affection, after all."
Though not publicly recognized as such, the two were undeniably master and disciple.
Both possessed an incredibly sharp sense of Qi. The moment they sensed the other had finished changing, they turned to face one another.
Rustle.
Shin So-bin was dressed in a gray robe.
She gave him a slight smile, put on a plain mask, and concealed her figure—which might otherwise draw the attention of various experts—under a thick cloak.
"You don't even have to look far—just look at the Poison Lord's Tang Clan. They never let their sons or daughters marry outside the family. They either keep them bound to the Tang Family Pagoda or bring in a son-in-law. I'm just choosing to do the same for myself."
Aside from the difference in build and height, she now perfectly mirrored the Divine Sword Corps Commander. She looked like a slightly smaller Jeong Yeon-shin.
This was despite the fact that, unlike him, she was a girl raised in a prestigious family from her very roots.
"……."
Jeong Yeon-shin quietly gazed into her eyes through the gaps of her mask.
Bold, clear, pitch-black eyes. Reflected within them was not only the Demonlight Wing, but all the martial artists of the Desolate Fortress.
They were people he was grateful for.
After a moment, she gently averted her gaze.
"Well... anyway, do you really think I can use Brilliant River? Your nephew in Zhongnan was only able to enter the path because of Lingering Spirit, right? By obtaining demonic Qi to clash with the Taoist True Qi of the Zhongnan Sect."
Jeong Yeon-shin smiled faintly.
"You memorized the Blood Art mnemonics the moment you heard them, didn't you? You'll awaken Dharma Power eventually, too. If you spar with me every day and experience the Demon-Quelling Azure Steel Hand... carving out fifteen minutes from your day shouldn't be too difficult."
"That is truly..."
Shin So-bin trailed off for a moment before speaking with a soft sigh.
"...a fated encounter among fated encounters. The other Unit Commanders don't have the luxury of staying by your side like this, Lord Jeong."
"You are my fated encounter."
Just like the others in the Main Fortress, Jeong Yeon-shin added quietly in his mind.
"……."
Shin So-bin remained still for a moment, her head tilted slightly downward. Only the round crown of her head was visible.
What was she thinking?
What was the true purpose in life for this girl, who claimed she would bury her bones in this martial lineage just like a member of the Tang Clan?
Jeong Yeon-shin turned his gaze toward the distant fortress.
Ever since learning the Jeong Family Dynamic Art, his chief disciple would occasionally fall into strange contemplations.
It was as if she was constantly sensing something. Even though Jeong Yeon-shin had never mentioned it, she was quick-witted enough that she might eventually realize his short-lived constitution.
Come to think of it, it was said that cats in this world were usually as perceptive as spirit beasts.
He shook his head inwardly.
I'd prefer it if she didn't find out.
Just like that poppy addict who was probably lounging around lazily somewhere in the far north right about now.
"Let's go."
Jeong Yeon-shin lightly patted Shin So-bin's shoulder and took the lead.
The master and disciple of the Flash Art Lineage, both wrapped in heavy cloaks, began to move.
It will all turn out fine.
He had parted ways with the North Blade, passed down all the mnemonics related to Brilliant River to Shin So-bin, and—in response to the Grand Empress Dowager's gaze that he subtly felt once more—had shown her the letter marked "For the Unit Commanders' Eyes Only."
The command that would soon shake the martial world had been delivered in just such a manner.
Step.
As the two slowly walked forward, a massive sandstorm billowed alongside a towering fortress.
The entrance to the northern lands.
Yeokru Fortress.
* * *
There were no gatekeepers.
Though its scale was entirely different from Hocheon Fortress—which Jeong Yeon-shin had previously brought down—the massive ramparts stood desolately empty.
Only the harsh sunlight, warping through the yellow, dust-choked wind, stood out.
"Is it confidence?" Shin So-bin said, sounding dumbfounded. "It feels like they don't even see a need to stand guard."
She slightly lowered her shoulders, which had been tense with anticipation.
It was only natural.
Although Yeokru Fortress was surrounded by heavily fortified walls, its scale was closer to that of a city. Naturally, exceptionally powerful individuals were bound to be gathered here.
This remained an undeniable fact, even though they had already received a rough explanation from the North Blade.
— The most wretched filth of our land is gathered there.
Jeong Yeon-shin silently passed through the fortress gates.
The extremely worn, yellow outer walls entered his view. Whether due to the dry northern winds or the sharp gales unleashed by powerful experts, the walls were heavily scarred and gouged in various places.
Any lingering warmth from whoever had built these earthen walls had long since vanished from their surface.
Just then.
"Judging by your soft, flower-like way of speaking, you must have come from around Huguang. What crime did you commit?"
A rapid voice rang out from the side.
It was a man wearing silk clothes patched together like rags. However, his attainment in the Return to Simplicity was considerable. He was skilled enough that Shin So-bin only flinched after he had already spoken.
Jeong Yeon-shin instantly sensed it.
A supreme expert.
He discerned this from a faint trace of the man's Qi wave that had leaked out. The man certainly possessed the talent to make himself appear ordinary, but his skill was still below that of the Vice Commander of the Divine Sword Corps or the North Blade.
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly opened his mouth.
"A Han Chinese pretending to be a Demonfolk in a northern fortress."
The man smirked, a cynical air bleeding from the wrinkles that folded like the character for 'eight' (八) on either side of his nose.
"Didn't you know? Once you mingle with the Northern Gale, whatever your clan may be, you are already a Demonfolk. That goes for you, and for this young lady as well."
"……."
"Why? Because unlike those Brightfolk of the south, this land does not discriminate."
He answered his own question without waiting for a reply. Then, casually bending one leg, he asked again.
"And what crime did you commit to end up here? If you don't give me a proper answer, you can't enter. In fact, you might just become a part of this Yeokru Fortress wall right here."
The man pointed his thumb behind him. The fortress wall was made of hard, dried earth, but it seemed its interior was packed with human corpses.
The Qi-accumulating formation he had heard about from the North Blade surrounded the entire city.
And on top of that, a supreme expert who had been leaning against the back of the wall had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
A powerhouse who had cultivated their Upper Dantian could easily discern lies, much like the Brightfolk. Thus, though the inspection at Yeokru Fortress seemed lax at first glance, it was actually the most thorough in the world.
"……."
Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly felt a faint movement beside him. Shin So-bin was fidgeting with her fingers, and it was hard to tell whether it was out of extreme tension or because she was preparing to make a move.
No matter how well she played the double of the Divine Sword Corps Commander, she couldn't remain completely calm in front of a supreme expert—a northern powerhouse who had achieved the Unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
One could die from a single strike of such a tyrannical, peerless expert, but conversely, one could also create an unexpected variable through a highly unique martial attainment.
Just like Ma Ma-gwang-myeol, the Hocheon Fortress Lord, who had ultimately survived the Sword Kinesis of the Fan Dragon Lotus Art and fled all the way to Yeokru Fortress.
First, I must gauge the martial prowess of the Northern King. I need to see if there will be an opening to annihilate the experts under his command while dealing with him.
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke calmly, his eyes devoid of their usual intense light.
"I killed a Ming official."
"Oh...?"
The man immediately brightened up.
Powerhouses with such deep martial arts possessed absolute confidence in their own attainments, and it seemed he detected no falsehood through his Upper Dantian.
Naturally so, for it was the absolute truth.
The man asked again.
"I assume you know the rank of the one you killed?"
"A fourth-rank Prefect."
"A Prefect!"
The man's heel, which had been tapping the ground in a mockingly elegant manner, came to a halt. Perhaps because Jeong Yeon-shin gave off the impression of an absolute gentleman, much like Yong Hee-myung, the man seemed quite surprised.
"Was she perhaps a Brightfolk?"
"It seemed she had a bit of their blood in her."
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke as he recalled his journey to the Hanzhong Martial World Alliance in the past.
The Prefect who had taken an unorthodox martial artist as her husband and sought the security of her region through the sacrifice of commoners. Quite apart from her having captured and imprisoned his friend Yu-hyeon, she remained fresh in his memory.
Perhaps she was the very embodiment of the chaotic times Jeong Yeon-shin had first encountered.
"Truth! Absolute truth!"
The man laughed, clapping his hands together.
His behavior was no different from a scoundrel one might see at a gambling house, but it marked the moment the trial of the world's most vigilant gatekeeper came to an anticlimactic end.
Jeong Yeon-shin sent a quiet telepathic message to Shin So-bin.
— Remember. Secrecy is our foundation. We are currently Hidden Swords. We must not allow the Northern Kings or their forces to gather. The only ones who should assemble are the Divine Sword Corps.
Unlike other experts, his telepathic transmission did not carry any Qi waves.
This was a result of being heavily influenced by the current Vice Commander of the Divine Sword Corps and the Shaolin Abbot. The man before him remained completely oblivious to any trace of telepathy.
"Well, look at that, we have distinguished guests! I must treat you with great hospitality. Yes, indeed, very great hospitality."
Judging by the heavy emphasis placed on the word "great," the man seemed to harbor a deep hatred for the Brightfolk for some reason.
Soon after, he guided the two into the fortress.
As they walked, many sights entered Jeong Yeon-shin's view.
Unbelievably, given the notorious reputation of the North, there was an incredibly vast marketplace.
On either side of the street, beings of various shapes and sizes sat directly on the dirt ground without stalls.
They openly displayed all kinds of weapons, bones, teacups filled with blood, and secret manuals bound in leather.
Nowhere were there any trinkets or sweets.
"……."
Many of them just sat there silently.
They generally possessed massive builds and faces distorted like whirlpools. Not a single one engaged in noisy hawking.
Instead, they merely warped the air around them with the internal heat of their bodies, which was intense enough to warm even the bitter winter wind.
They were taciturn; only the air surrounding their overwhelming physiques remained turbulent.
For the first time, Jeong Yeon-shin witnessed them up close with their faces exposed.
...Demonfolk.
Each of them was born with a terrifying physique.
Never mind their bulging muscles—one could only guess how thick and elastic their internal meridians and acupoints must be. It was almost comparable to the physical state of having achieved forty percent mastery of the Jeong Family Dynamic Art.
The impression was different from when he had seen the North Blade.
They were not peerless experts.
Yet, they still made Jeong Yeon-shin think of the Jeong Family Dynamic Art.
However, none of them bared their fangs at Jeong Yeon-shin's group. They merely glanced at the man in the shabby silk clothes and looked away, as if treating him as someone who held a significant position.
"He is a Bright Slayer. Show him due respect," the man told them.
At once, murmurs of "Bright Slayer" echoed heavily throughout the marketplace like a deep resonance. Occasionally, the term "Great Warrior" could also be heard.
"Try not to wander over there if you can help it. If you rub them the wrong way, your protective Qi might just get crushed."
The man's tone had become incomparably friendly.
"The Great Warriors of the North are certainly capable of clever thinking, but at the same time, they possess very simple and clear-cut personalities. If their goodwill is rejected, they turn ferocious. Some of them might even report your name to those who tend to the clan's ancestral rites."
Listening quietly, Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly asked, "And what would that change?"
"Well... it doesn't have any major effect. You might just miss a strike while making a move... but who's to say whether that's due to that day's luck or the Sorcery Martial Arts of the Demonfolk? Ah, right!"
The man clapped his hands once more. "I intend to take you to the Yeokru Fortress Lord. Since some major events have occurred recently, you might be of urgent use. For instance, the gathering of the Northern Kings, the visit of the Ice Palace Master, or the establishment of a Ming Cult branch... I'll tell you in advance, earning your keep in such a barren land is by no means easy. Unlike those lazy Brightfolk bastards who take their sweet time with everything, we must always be on the move."
"I understand."
"So... what should I call you? I'm asking for the name of the sinner exiled from the south," the man asked with a broad grin.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not deliberate deeply. While he already had a specific person in mind whom he wished would miss their strikes, the events the man had just listed were all incredibly significant.
"Yelu," Jeong Yeon-shin replied casually.
"I am Heaven's Bane," Shin So-bin added from beside him, needlessly adjusting her sleeve.
Just then, one of the people sitting in front of the displays chuckled softly.
He was a one-armed man wearing a bamboo hat.