Chapter 96: The Divine Sword Squad (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: The Divine Sword Squad (2)
"Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit Commander."
The one who spoke was the Namgung Clan Head. Glancing at the corpses of Namgung Se-jin and Namgung Mi, he declared, "I shall bear the shame of a Chariot Wheel Battle."
"...I obey your command."
Turning around, the Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit Commander cupped his hands.
The Clan Head's meaning was clear. A Chariot Wheel Battle—a term derived from the wheels of a carriage—was a tactic in the martial world where a group would take turns fighting a single, stronger enemy.
He was ordering him to wear down the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, even if it meant sacrificing his life and accepting disgrace.
"Impressive," the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps chuckled.
A sharp light flashed in the eyes of the Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit Commander as he turned back.
"If you wish to mock me, speak with your sword."
"No, it's only natural. Is this not a fight with the Namgung Clan Head's life on the line? It is only right to use any means necessary."
An expression of satisfaction appeared on the Divine Sword Corps Commander's face.
As the strongest Purple Rank expert of the Desolate Fortress, his demeanor was utterly unique. It was a temperament Jeong Yeon-shin had never encountered before. Was this what it felt like to be a strategist plotting a grand scheme? The way he spoke of disregarding the means to an end felt incredibly natural.
Just then, his eyes met the Divine Sword Corps Commander's. The commander's eyes, as gentle as a scholar's, curved into a smile.
"You should head back inside now. I don't know how many more wrinkles that old man from the previous generation has gained. I thought he was going to have a fit when you were clashing swords with the Azure Qilin."
"...I wish you martial fortune."
At Jeong Yeon-shin's words, accompanied by a clasped-hand salute, the Divine Sword Corps Commander's face went blank with surprise.
"To think someone would wish me martial fortune. Live long enough and you see everything."
Laughing cheerfully, he gave a brief nod. "You have done well, Flash Art of the Demonlight Wing."
Jeong Yeon-shin expressed his gratitude and turned back toward the Desolate Fortress camp, his steps feeling heavy. It felt as though the shadow of the Azure Qilin, Namgung Se-jin, loomed over him. As he walked, he was oblivious to the people and scenery around him.
"My, my. You're quite interesting, aren't you?"
"Grandma Ak, please, have some dignity."
Just as several experts from the Divine Sword Squad, including Ak Su-rim, stepped forward, an old man strode past them.
"Yeon-shin!"
It was the first time he had heard that voice call his name so warmly.
Jeong Yeon-shin raised his head.
Ma Yeon-jeok had approached to within a few paces and was examining him, his eyes wrinkled with age. The titles of Former Commander of the Divine Sword Corps and Head of the Desolate Ma Clan felt distant. To Yeon-shin, he was simply his maternal grandfather.
"You aren't seriously hurt. I am so, so proud of you. Do you have any internal injuries?"
"I'm fine. Let's talk later."
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded slowly as he spoke. He couldn't keep his eyes on Ma Yeon-jeok; he didn't have the luxury. The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps was now facing off against the Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit Commander.
This was a duel between the leaders of the vanguard units of the Desolate Fortress and the Namgung Clan, a clash the likes of which were rarely seen. The boy hoped to gain some insight. A battle between absolute masters of that caliber was bound to offer inspiration.
His only concern was whether his eye technique was advanced enough to track their movements.
I shouldn't try to follow them with my eyes. I probably won't be able to anyway. I'll just focus on keeping them in my field of vision.
With that resolution, he circulated his True Qi.
An intangible flame flared from the Baihui Point at the crown of his head. In an instant, an azure glow shimmered in his eyes—the flash of his Upper Dantian.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps. Just how strong is he?
The Commander was the living embodiment of his goal—a peerless master who had already reached the realm that Yeon-shin strived for. Even if he couldn't grasp anything now, he hoped to commit the memory to heart, to be unraveled someday.
While Jeong Yeon-shin stared blankly ahead, a rare smile spread across Ma Yeon-jeok's face.
"Did you just say... we should talk later? To me?"
Amusement seeped into his monologue. His face looked as if it might melt from sheer gratification. This was the same grandson who had always maintained a razor-sharp, guarded attitude toward him and the Desolate Ma Clan.
To promise him a "later"? Even a half-hearted remark was a gift. It didn't matter if he truly meant it.
Nearby, the faces of the Divine Sword Squad experts contorted. Their expressions made it clear they were witnessing something they shouldn't be. Ak Su-rim, the Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress, grimaced as if she were about to throw up.
"He's not normal, is he?"
"That's how it looks to me."
"So-ha. Yeon So-ha. Where did you say that Flash Art's family was from again?"
"Why would we care? We're busy enough running all over the Central Plains."
"That nasty old man Ma is practically bowing to him. Doesn't that frustrate you? Ah, our So-ha wasn't even a white-ranked warrior back then. Do you have any idea how much I suffered when that old man was Commander? The kid's called Flash Art Jeong Yeon-shin, right? I can't figure him out. The more I think about it... does he hold some kind of dirt on the Ma Clan?"
"Grandma Ak, they can hear you."
As the girl in the Desolate Fortress's black robes and the young man named Yeon So-ha conversed, the third duel began.
The sudden silence of the canyon wind was the first sign.
The experts of the Divine Sword Squad fell silent. This was on an entirely different level from a clash between rising stars.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps and the Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit Commander.
Though the strong canyon wind blew relentlessly, not a single speck of dust stirred in the space where the two masters stood. The waves of energy radiating from them were so dense they formed a barrier, repelling all external forces.
Swoosh.
Even their first move was different. The moment their sleeves fluttered, a sword light flashed.
The Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit Commander, Namgung Ryeok, practiced the Heavy Sword. It was not the Imperial Sword Form. His sword art, a refinement of the Namgung Clan's Azure Sky Boundless Sword taken to its absolute limit, was hailed as peerless in the Jianghu. It was said he seamlessly blended a free-flowing sword path with destructive sword force.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps was bare-handed. He met his opponent's heavy sword with empty hands.
Boom!
In an instant, the canyon shook. A monstrous vibration rippled out in all directions.
The Commander's hand-blade—formed by pressing his fingers together—unleashed a heavy sword force that surpassed Namgung Ryeok's, batting it aside. It meant they had clashed with sword forces of the exact same profound nature.
Whoosh!
Amidst the shockwave, the Divine Sword Corps Commander's purple silk robe did not stir in the slightest. Its hem remained perfectly still.
Body Protection Qi. Such a sight was impossible unless a peerless barrier of internal energy enveloped his entire body.
"Your sword is quite sturdy. It's no ordinary material. Did the Ironfolk forge it?" the Divine Sword Corps Commander asked calmly, sounding like a scholar on a leisurely stroll.
"Hup!"
Pushed back ten feet, Namgung Ryeok's boots scraped against the earth. A burst of True Qi from his Yongquan Point brought him to a halt. The moment his body stopped, he charged forward once more, his feet tracing the two furrows he had just carved.
It was a truly explosive movement. The ground trembled again with a single stomp of his foot.
Slash!
The precious sword cleaved through the air, trailing a white light. It was a strike like a flash of lightning.
A fast sword.
The core principle of the Azure Sky Boundless Sword was a sword path as unfettered as the vast sky itself—Adaptability without Obstruction. An unconstrained dance of the blade. Both the fast sword and the heavy sword unleashed their true power from within the same set of principles.
It was so fast it didn't even tear the air. In an instant, the strike was right in front of the Divine Sword Corps Commander's face.
At the same time, a sharp energy enveloped the commander's hand-blade, as if it held an invisible sword. The moment Namgung Ryeok's sword drew near his shoulder, the Divine Sword Corps Commander seemed to move in a different flow of time.
A single, subtle shift of his foot came first.
Then his right hand-blade and his sleeve blurred into a haze.
Swoosh.
Namgung Ryeok's dark blue figure brushed past the Divine Sword Corps Commander. His body rose as if to take flight, only to collapse limply. He had failed to stop his own momentum. His balance completely shattered, he tumbled to the ground—a sight utterly devoid of the dignity of a supreme master.
And then, he did not move.
Instant death.
"..."
Once again, all movement in the crowd ground to a halt. The clamor of people sending messenger pigeons, exchanging opinions, and moving about died down one by one.
The significance of this event was hard to overstate. The sword that the colossal Namgung Clan wielded at its vanguard had been shattered. They hadn't even exchanged more than a few blows.
Namgung Mi, Namgung Se-jin, and now Namgung Ryeok.
The situation was escalating to an extreme.
"Azure Sky Sword Heaven Unit Commander. You've forgotten how an inferior is supposed to fight," the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps said, adjusting his collar. Despite his broad movements, his disheveled purple silk robe looked immaculate. There was not a single speck of blood on it.
"You should have realized you were several levels below me. Had you been cautious, you might have exchanged a few more moves."
He spoke in a casual, everyday tone. Muttering to a corpse—it was a provocation as natural as breathing. Yet, no one could offer a reply.
Turning his head in the silence, the Divine Sword Corps Commander's gaze shifted toward the Namgung Clan.
"You all seemed so shamelessly dissatisfied with the duels between the younger generation. In that case, is the Elder Council Head next, as planned?"
"No. That is enough."
Thud.
The one who answered with a step forward was not the Namgung Clan's Elder Council Head.
Finally.
The Namgung Clan Head slowly stepped forward. He shrouded his entire body in the heavy, imposing momentum of the Imperial Sword Form. The pressure weighing down on the surroundings approached like a towering fortress wall.
He was the head of one of the Eight Great Families, a fully realized martial artist. His aura was entirely different from his son's, the Azure Qilin.
"Come to think of it..."
The Divine Sword Corps Commander tilted his head slightly. He displayed a playful attitude quite unbefitting of a world-renowned peerless master, which only made him seem more terrifying.
"He's still not here. That old man who can't act his age."
"Commander of the Divine Sword Corps. Have some dignity," the Namgung Clan Head said in a low voice. It was laden with internal energy that could make anyone feel as if they were staring into an abyss, but the Divine Sword Corps Commander merely furrowed his brow in annoyance.
"Cut the nonsense, Clan Head. Where is he? The Namgung Elder Council Head."
"I am aware the Desolate Fortress's Elder Council Head left his post long ago. We merely matched our numbers to yours. Do you have the face to object?"
Listening to the conversation, Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly recalled something Ma Yeon-jeok had told him. The Elder Council Head of the main fortress was currently pursuing the Seventh Apostle.
It's been days. Is he still at it?
The Elder Council Head was one of only three owners of the purple robes in the Desolate Fortress. The Seventh Apostle's lightness skill shouldn't be so exceptional as to shake off a Purple Rank expert. Was she perhaps focusing entirely on survival, utilizing the regenerative capabilities of her fully mastered Blood Art?
Just then, the Divine Sword Corps Commander's voice rang out, his tone grown languid.
"You've played a petty trick. Leaving behind the true strength of your main family?"
"A truly excellent decision. Well, it can't be helped. I'll just have to clear the immediate problem before thinking about the rest."
A moment later, Jeong Yeon-shin witnessed an unbelievable sight.
It happened the moment the Divine Sword Corps Commander, facing the Namgung Clan Head, raised his right hand.
Crackle.
A streak of light flared in his palm. Simultaneously, space seemed to crack open in a long line. With a sudden surge of True Qi, a sword rapidly took shape.
Hummmm!
It was as if rainbow light had been gathered and forged into a single blade. A precious sword made of seven-colored light was now held in the Divine Sword Corps Commander's right hand.
It was, quite literally, a sword of brilliant light. A monstrous wave of energy surged out like a tidal wave.
It's on a completely different level from my Radiant Brilliance Sword Style. That is simply a Light Sword.
It felt as though it could unleash an irresistible strike. Just holding it gave off that impression.
A sword... of True Qi.
Jeong Yeon-shin perceived it instantly. It was the realm of shaping a sword out of pure internal energy. Even though it was a secret technique he had never seen, he recognized it immediately. The True Qi he felt was just that dense, that tangible.
"...It is as flashy as your personality," the Namgung Clan Head remarked, seemingly unshaken even before a technique bordering on the divine. His expression was solemn. Perhaps in the realm of a great sect's leader, anything was possible.
"Come."
Those were the final words of the Namgung Clan Head as he drew his sword.
Boom!
The bodies of the two peerless masters vanished. Only the trail of light left behind by the Divine Sword Corps Commander's flashing sword slowly dispersed.
Jeong Yeon-shin could not track the instantaneous flurry of movements. Just how many exchanges had there been?
—!
Pressure arrived before sound. The aftermath of the collision bypassed the realm of mere explosive noise, becoming a physical force. He had to strain just to keep from being blown away.
Jeong Yeon-shin circulated his Jeong Family Dynamic Art to its absolute limit. Even that was not enough. He unleashed the forms of the Infinite Flower of Time Hand into the empty air, carving his way through the surging waves of energy.
Crash! Crash!
His hands felt incredibly cold. He didn't even know how many stances he had thrown.
How much longer...
A single breath felt like an eternity.
Then, when he blinked his eyes open, he finally saw them. The Divine Sword Corps Commander stood tall and solitary, looking down. The sword of True Qi in his hand had dispersed.
His opponent was a different story.
The sole master of the Namgung Clan. One of the heads of the Eight Great Families, recognized by the entire Jianghu.
The giant of an era lay fallen, his eyes wide open. His entire upper torso had been blown away. In the end, he was just like his son, Namgung Se-jin. He did not look at his clan, his bloodline, or his children. Without turning his head, he stared fixedly at the spot where the Divine Sword Corps Commander stood, the fighting spirit and resentment on his face laid bare for all to see.
"..."
The one who broke the dreadful silence was the Divine Sword Corps Commander.
He glanced toward the Namgung Clan. The clan's experts were all frozen, unable to move. It wasn't just them. Everyone in the vast Clear Night Valley was the same.
The head of one of the Eight Great Families had died. There was no telling what kind of repercussions this would bring.
"Well, you should probably clean up the corpse," the Divine Sword Corps Commander said, clicking his tongue.
And then, he walked back, his steps leading him straight toward the Desolate Fortress camp.
"Our Commander took quite a few hits, didn't he? I counted up to five," Ak Su-rim said.
Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes scanned the Divine Sword Corps Commander's tattered purple silk robe. Though it was undoubtedly woven from Heavenly Silkworm thread, it seemed it had failed to withstand the Namgung Clan Head's sword strikes.
"Hmm. He was quite strong, after all."
"You're bluffing, as always. I can feel your breathing tremble. Why don't you focus on stabilizing your internal arts?"
As the Divine Sword Corps Commander nodded half-heartedly, Yeon So-ha chimed in with an innocent expression.
"Well, that matter is settled. More importantly, I'm curious about the reward the Commander promised the Flash Art. Was it connections in the Jianghu? Did you even have any of those, Commander?"
"..."
The Divine Sword Corps Commander suddenly looked back at Jeong Yeon-shin. Their eyes met instantly. The lips of the peerless Purple Rank master curved, but it was a rather awkward smile.
"Connections? In our position... which sect in the Jianghu would ever welcome the Divine Sword Squad? We'd be lucky if they didn't start chanting Buddhist prayers to ward off bad luck."