Chapter 95: The Divine Sword Squad
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95: The Divine Sword Squad
The moment the Azure Qilin, Namgung Se-jin, was struck by a single palm from Jeong Yeon-shin—the Flash Art—the Namgung Clan made an aggressive move.
But just as suddenly, the Desolate Fortress's Divine Sword Squad stepped forward.
It wasn't just the Azure Qilin's shout that had stopped the Namgung Clan's experts. It was the opponents they now faced: the martial unit directly under the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
The Divine Sword Squad.
They were the first of the seventeen martial units under the Divine Sword Corps, first in both their founding and their martial prowess. In name and in reality, they were hailed as the strongest in the Desolate Fortress.
"He won from that distance."
"His spatial awareness is incredible, isn't it? He plays with his opponent's sword range like it's a game. That's pure talent."
"Does anyone know what that palm technique is? I heard that Flash Art fellow only uses his sect's exclusive martial arts."
"Unless you have a formidable Body Protection Qi, you'd drop dead the moment you're hit. I wonder if it's like condensing Shaolin's Hundred-Step Divine Fist into a close-range strike."
"The wind-up seems long, though. It's not very precise, and the recoil is massive. It's a technique that relies entirely on the user's instincts."
"Even if Uncle Sword downplays it… its sheer power makes it worthy of being called a divine art. It's definitely not common."
The twenty members of the squad were a diverse lot, spanning all ages and genders. There were middle-aged men, youths, and even a young boy and girl—at least, by outward appearance.
A girl wearing a pitch-black robe with a spear slung over her shoulder smirked.
"Look at those bastards. Flinching and backing away."
"Well, your presence is certainly intimidating, Grandma Ak. But I doubt that's why they stopped. This is the Namgung Clan we're talking about, after all."
A handsome, middle-aged man addressed the girl as "Grandma" while speaking in a youthful, boyish tone.
No one found it strange. Eccentrics and prodigies.
The Jianghu was said to be filled with them, as countless as grains of sand, and the experts of the Divine Sword Squad were particularly infamous for it.
"Please behave yourselves. There are many eyes watching."
"Leave them be. Since when did the main squad care about formalities?"
The atmosphere among them was surprisingly light. Jests and serious remarks blended together seamlessly.
This was because they spent nearly the entire year roaming the Jianghu together. They constantly carried out missions for the Desolate Fortress, and by nature, they were closer to wandering martial artists than a formal unit.
Their martial prowess, however, was another story. Aside from their deputy commander, who was a Black-Rank expert, every single member was a Blue-Rank expert.
Furthermore, their Commander, who served as both the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps and the Commander of the Divine Sword Squad, was a Purple-Rank absolute master. Bound by deep camaraderie, none of them cared about the crowd's gaze.
"Still… the Young Master's internal power seemed weaker than the rumors suggested. Did something happen before the duel?"
"What does it matter? He was headed for this end regardless."
The Azure Qilin, Namgung Se-jin, slowly collapsed.
At that moment, a hush fell even among the experts of the Divine Sword Squad.
The death of an outstanding genius always commanded silence. Moreover, the Azure Qilin had remained resolute until the very end.
A comet of the Jianghu, possessing martial arts, spirit, and righteousness, was fading away. A new era in the Murim withered before it could even blossom.
"…He is worthy of mourning."
"What a waste. A terrible waste."
"More importantly, it looks like that Flash Art fellow is going to keep going," a young man said, gesturing with his chin toward Jeong Yeon-shin.
The boy's posture suggested as much. He still held his Desolate Fortress Sword, refusing to sheathe it.
He was blankly watching the Namgung Clan experts retrieve Namgung Se-jin's body.
The girl in the black robe clicked her tongue.
"That's not fighting spirit. He's in a State of Selflessness. He can't think. Looks like he's fallen into a funk after felling his opponent. It happens at that age."
"Grandma Ak, why don't you go bring him back? If he really is in a State of Selflessness, even an ordinary Blue-Rank would find it hard to handle him carelessly." The young man looked at Flash Art with a wary expression.
"You're right, So-ha."
Grinning, the girl cupped her hands around her mouth. After a brief, exaggerated motion, an immense wave of energy erupted from her.
[Kid! Come over here—!]
A sound exploded, no less powerful than the Infinite Flower of Time Hand: Brilliant River.
As the crowd scattered in chaos, the booming voice once again tore through the canyon, vibrating the very air.
Jeong Yeon-shin snapped his head up. The girl in the black robe, wearing a mischievous smirk, shouted at the top of her lungs, "You need to realize where you stand! Aren't you now the rising star who defeated the Namgung Young Master? Look at those Namgung bastards over there! Their eyes are glaring so fiercely, it looks like they'll hack you to pieces any second!"
"You could have just brought him back. Why draw attention and even provoke them…" the young man called So-ha muttered, shaking his head.
"Ah…"
Standing in the distance, Jeong Yeon-shin's lips parted slightly.
As the experts of the Divine Sword Squad put on a show worthy of a Beijing opera, the boy finally snapped out of his daze.
At the same time, he was astonished. The Divine Sword Squad was a group that existed high above the clouds, even within the Divine Sword Corps. Their reputation pierced the heavens.
That person is…
He guessed the identity of the girl who had called out to him.
Ak Su-rim, the Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress.
She was an ancient expert whose unique heart cultivation art had reached the Pure Blue Fire state of perfection, reversing the physical aging of her body. Reaching the Pure Blue Fire state meant one's skills had attained the absolute peak, signifying that she was outstanding even among the Black-Rank experts of the Desolate Fortress.
Even martial artists were not free from social hierarchy. They had their own world, where martial arts, sect, temperament, and reputation served as their status. Their appearance was no exception, as proven by the titles of rising stars, who were often called dragons or phoenixes.
Rejuvenation.
It was a realm that defied the flow of time in the human body. Simply possessing high martial arts was not enough. One's enlightenment, fated encounters, and the divine arts they mastered all had to be extraordinary.
Ak Su-rim was someone who possessed all of these. Her name was as widely known as that of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
For the deputy commander of the Divine Sword Squad, a master who had achieved rejuvenation through her martial arts, to personally call out to Jeong Yeon-shin meant that Flash Art had proven himself worthy of at least a minimum level of respect.
Yet, the boy did not feel particularly moved.
How bothersome.
The thought surfaced without his realizing it. He wanted to savor the enlightenment that Namgung Se-jin had bestowed upon him.
How should a person of the Jianghu live? Even if he prioritized his own lifespan, was it truly right to walk the path of martial arts solely for that purpose?
Especially when he was the Azure Qilin's final opponent.
Step.
Jeong Yeon-shin turned his back on the experts of the Divine Sword Squad.
"Next…"
He slowly parted his lips.
"Next. Step forward."
He spoke while looking toward the Namgung Clan. Their camp was a swirling vortex of murderous intent, from the mid-tier experts to the rising stars. They glared at him as if they would kill him that very instant, their collective energy pressing down on him like a colossal demon.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not care. He had already seen through Namgung Mi's petty scheme, which hinged on a strategic surrender. Relying on a difference in seniority to preserve one's life and honor? He had no desire to follow such a path. It was the scheme of a dead man.
The boy stood tall and straight.
This was a resolve forged by Namgung Se-jin's death. The internal power dwelling within the corpse would not have fully dissipated yet. He refused to show a shameful display.
"Is it courage, or is it foolhardiness…?" Ak Su-rim muttered in bewilderment.
"Very well! I shall gladly accept the challenge of an outstanding junior!"
With a booming shout, a middle-aged man in a blue martial uniform leaped forward.
Boom!
In an instant, he arrived right in front of Jeong Yeon-shin. The boy slightly furrowed his brow. The sand and violent wave of energy that kicked up and whipped against his face were truly fierce.
The Commander of the Namgung Clan's Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit.
He was a man with eyes as sharp as blades.
Facing him directly, his energy was staggering. The flow of true qi surging throughout his entire body was immense.
They said the Castle Lord slew their deputy commander.
The deputy commander of the Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit was said to have been one of the finest swordsmen in Southern Zhili. Yet, he had become a lonely ghost at the hands of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. He had heard that Heonwon Chang had witnessed it firsthand. It had been a single strike.
Was it because the deaths of the direct descendants had been added to that grievance?
The energy radiating from the Commander of the Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit gradually condensed into a razor-sharp edge. It was a pressure that Jeong Yeon-shin found difficult to withstand.
He did not show it. He could not bring disgrace to Namgung Se-jin.
I just need to strike him with Brilliant River.
He recalled the ultimate technique of the Infinite Flower of Time Hand that Se-jin had named for him. Its power had been proven. If he could somehow land it, it was capable of inflicting a fatal wound even on a Black-Rank expert.
It was then.
"That is enough."
A clear, refreshing voice rang out.
The Commander of the Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit reacted faster than Jeong Yeon-shin. The middle-aged man's eyes instantly widened.
"Commander of the Divine Sword Corps…!"
It was a name that etched itself into the mind the moment it was heard.
The voice had come from behind Jeong Yeon-shin. A presence so vivid it sent a chill through his qi began to bloom.
An overwhelming momentum, rising like a tidal wave, surged forward. Even with an enemy right in front of him, the boy turned his head.
He was a tall, well-built man.
He had the look of a scholar. His attire matched that impression; he wore a scholar's robe, though it was made of purple silk.
His aura, however, was entirely different.
It was completely different from when he had his internal power fully concealed. The impression Jeong Yeon-shin had failed to register in his earlier daze now slammed into him with terrifying clarity. It felt transcendent.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps spoke slowly.
"Commander of the Sword Heaven Unit. That is enough."
"What? How can you be so shameless…!"
"You're the one who should be ashamed, picking on a boy this young," he finished with a smirk. His words and actions were unconventional from the start.
Step.
He walked forward slowly, and no one could stop him. From a distance, the Namgung Clan Head merely glared in silence. Though he caressed his sword hilt as if he would step forward at any moment, he remained where he was.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps approached with light steps. He looked as though he were entirely free from the gaze of everyone in the world. Stepping right in front of Jeong Yeon-shin, he stared down at the boy.
"You are called Flash Art, correct?"
"I greet the Commander."
Jeong Yeon-shin calmly clasped his hands in greeting. The corners of the Commander's mouth curled upward.
"I thought you were blind. You treated your Commander as if I didn't exist until we got here. It was quite a novel experience. I didn't expect a boy's State of Selflessness to be so deep."
"…My apologies."
"It's just a silly joke. In any case, I would like you to step back now. You've already fought two life-and-death duels, and your seniority is far below theirs. You have more than enough reason to withdraw. However…"
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps said with a faint smile, "Your resolve seems firm. It won't be easy to convince you with empty words."
"I…"
"I heard from the Grand Steward. He said I should pass on a piece of my martial arts to you. Let's add one more thing. I will help you build connections in the Jianghu that will become your strength."
Jeong Yeon-shin fell silent for a moment. The "connections" personally mentioned by the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps would be no ordinary relationships.
Yet, it was a difficult trade to make. How could he, with Namgung Se-jin lying right there?
It was then that the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps deliberately furrowed his brow, making a mock-pouty face.
"You have already saved more than enough face. I think it's time you showed some consideration for your Commander."
Jeong Yeon-shin thought in silence. He had not expected his Commander to be such an eccentric.
The Divine Sword Squad. They were truly an incomprehensible group.
"I'll take that as your agreement. Much obliged."
With a smirk, the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps gently nudged Jeong Yeon-shin's shoulder and stepped forward.
The moment he took that single step, the momentum of the Commander of the Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit vanished as if swept away by a torrent, completely washed away without a trace.
"From now on," the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps declared, "I shall personally participate in all duels against the Namgung Clan."
"Absurd!" an elder from the Namgung Clan shouted from the back.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps tilted his head slightly. "Wasn't it supposed to start with the youngest? I believe that was your proposal. Our former Commander and the Elder Council Head are quite elderly, after all."
"The White Qilin is…"
Just then, Ak Su-rim, the Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress, suddenly closed in on Namgung Hwa-shin. Her movement technique was incredibly swift.
Before he could even fully register his confusion, Ak Su-rim's left hand blurred, transforming into a hand blade. It was a speed belonging to an entirely different realm.
Thud!
A dull thud echoed. The moment her lightning-fast strike connected with the back of Namgung Hwa-shin's neck, his balance crumbled. He seemed to lose consciousness instantly.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps smiled approvingly.
"Let's wrap this up quickly and go. I have a lot to teach Flash Art."
"..."
It was a truly outrageous act, yet none of the experts of the Divine Sword Squad seemed surprised. They all calmly watched Jeong Yeon-shin and the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
"The White Qilin, Namgung Hwa-shin, is in no condition to duel. We'll count this as our loss."
The corners of the Commander's mouth curled up smoothly.
"I am next."