Chapter 97: The Divine Sword Squad (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 97: The Divine Sword Squad (3)
Jeong Yeon-shin wasn't particularly offended.
He hadn't backed down because the Commander of the Divine Sword Squad had promised him a reward; he had simply gotten carried away in the heat of the moment.
Rather, it was the sheer cognitive dissonance that struck him. The absolute powerhouse who had just displayed godlike might was now chatting like a flippant rogue. The contrast was jarring.
"The Commander scammed him. That was a complete fabrication."
Yeon So-ha furrowed his brow and pressed on.
"I knew it. It's always like this. It's always Grandma Ak and the Commander who bring shame to our squad. Dragging our dignity through the mud in front of a junior you've just met."
"Now, now, it wasn't a lie," the Commander of the Divine Sword Squad said, shaking his head. "Flash Art, I hope you don't misunderstand. I was speaking of our friendship with the Divine Sword Squad. That's something to be proud of in its own way…"
"You're truly thick-skinned. I suppose managing your internal injuries from that battle is no trouble at all for you."
Ak Su-rim, standing with one leg cocked, chuckled with the air of a village ruffian. With the face of a young girl about Yeon-shin's age, she sneered at the Commander. He thought she was just as bizarre as the rest of them.
"This Commander keeps his word. What do you say? How about traveling with our squad until we pass through Xiangyang?"
"We can't go all the way to the Desolate Fortress. We have another mission right after this. It's always like this… no time to rest," Yeon So-ha quickly interjected.
"..."
Jeong Yeon-shin didn't answer. He simply stared at the Commander.
As their eyes met, the Commander adjusted his purple robes and turned his head slightly away—a stark contrast to the imposing demeanor he had when striding into battle.
It was then that it started.
Faintly at first.
Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly felt a vibration under his feet. It was different from the aftershock of a heavy stomp. It was a strange rumble, as if rising from deep within the earth, its tremors slowly overlapping as they seeped into the soles of his feet.
"Ah…?"
Ak Su-rim's face turned pale with dismay.
The sound coming from above was ominous and growing louder.
In less than a breath, everyone present realized what was happening. At the same time, the crowds scattered along the ridges began to scream and flee.
"The Mountain God…! The Mountain God is angry!"
"Is this not heaven's punishment for the Desolate Fortress's tyranny?!"
"A landslide! It's a landslide!"
The voices of those who had leached off the Namgung Clan of Huizhou mingled in the chaos, but no one paid them any mind.
"We should probably get out of here first."
Ak Su-rim's dazed murmur was the signal. Waves of energy erupted from the bodies of the Divine Sword Squad experts, including Yeon So-ha and the Commander.
"This is all because the Commander fought the Namgung Clan Head so loudly…"
"Retreat! Secure the White Qilin first!"
"Landslide" was the right word. Dust billowed from several massive peaks flanking Clear Night Valley—a thick, colossal cloud of yellow-brown earth. Soil and rock began to sweep down the mountainsides.
Rumble!
Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at Namgung Hwa-shin. A senior of the Divine Sword Squad with a towering build was carrying him over his shoulder like a sack of grain.
The duel's true end was being delivered by nature itself—a disaster triggered by the fierce battle between the Commander of the Divine Sword Squad and the Namgung Clan Head.
They caused a natural disaster with nothing but their own bodies.
Whoosh!
Jeong Yeon-shin ran shoulder-to-shoulder with the senior carrying Namgung Hwa-shin. He was a handsome, middle-aged man who grinned at Jeong Yeon-shin, then flinched upon seeing Ma Yeon-jeok keeping pace beside the boy.
"What are you doing! Did you trade your internal energy for a slug's pace?!" Ak Su-rim, running ahead, barked sharply at those in the rear.
Sprinting with a spear slung across her small back, she seemed the most relaxed of them all. Even while running, she twisted her body this way and that. Only her face was that of a young girl; she watched over the other experts like a mother hen.
The real problem was the Commander, who wore a faint smile.
His movements were sluggish. For someone of his martial caliber, it was hard to believe, but he genuinely seemed to be struggling to keep up. His energy, which had been so perfectly and absolutely refined, was now unraveling like loose threads.
Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes widened slightly.
The Commander's internal injuries are severe. And his consumption of true qi… it must be beyond estimation.
He recalled the moment right after the Namgung Clan Head died, when Ak Su-rim had casually told the Commander to regulate his breathing. It was broad daylight, in a place watched by countless people from the Jianghu. Just how heavy was the burden carried by the strongest expert of the Desolate Fortress?
Jeong Yeon-shin was struck by a new understanding of the Desolate Fortress's position.
They could never show weakness.
To reveal a vulnerability in front of the various sects of the Jianghu? From that moment on, the challenges the Desolate Fortress would face…
I can't even begin to imagine, the boy thought.
He was absolutely certain. The Commander was concealing his internal injuries with a patience as superhuman as his martial prowess. He tried to fathom what lay behind the duel that had ended with such overwhelming speed. Had it not required a desperate, all-out effort?
It was said that each of the Eight Clan Heads could reign as an absolute ruler in the Jianghu. Was there any martial artist who could face the Namgung Clan Head and remain unscathed? None came to mind other than the transcendent Lord of the Desolate Fortress himself. Even with his limited experience, Jeong Yeon-shin knew this held true across the entire Central Plains. The fact that the Commander had escaped with only severe internal injuries made him seem unreal.
"Commander, should I carry you on my back?" Yeon So-ha asked casually.
Jeong Yeon-shin wasn't the only one who had noticed. The Divine Sword Squad was the strongest martial unit of the Desolate Fortress, filled with experts whose discernment was no less than his own. Just because their leader didn't show it didn't mean they couldn't perceive the unnatural state of a Purple-Ranked expert. Many had already quietly gathered around him.
"Hmm. That would be too conspicuous," the Commander replied, not bothering to deny it. "I'm exhausted, so don't talk to me. Any of you."
He joked as he quickened his pace, his thick, powerful thighs propelling his body forward through sheer physical strength. Contrary to his scholarly appearance, his body was rigorously trained, but his true qi seemed unable to support it.
Whoosh!
Jeong Yeon-shin moved slightly ahead. Up close, it was glaringly obvious. Every single step the Commander took was incredibly heavy. At this point, it was a matter of physical stamina.
Rumble!
"We need to get out of sight, quickly," Yeon So-ha muttered over the thunderous roar chasing them. His usual light, airy demeanor had vanished.
The same was true for Ak Su-rim. She repeatedly glanced back at the Commander, irritably flicking away strands of loose hair.
"Faster! We don't know how far this will reach!"
"Are those… aren't those people from the Desolate Fortress? How did they get here so fast…?"
Meanwhile, countless martial artists were fleeing through the paths between the ridges and the canyon of Clear Night Valley. Every one of them was trained in lightness skills, and the way they stole glances at the Commander and his squad was highly unusual.
Huizhou of Southern Zhili was the undisputed territory of the Namgung Clan. How many of those present were bound by ties of gratitude or resentment to the direct clan members who had died today? Those bound by favors would be just as countless as those harboring grudges.
"If only someone could perform a true qi transfer, it would help a little…" Ak Su-rim bit her lip. Their sprint was far too slow for the reputation of the Divine Sword Squad, a direct result of matching their pace to the Commander's.
"The Commander is the only one who could do something like that while running," Yeon So-ha whispered, scanning their surroundings.
Among the martial artists fleeing nature's wrath were top-tier experts. This meant some had the leisure to look around, which made the situation dangerous. If they kept the Divine Sword Squad in their sights, they would inevitably grow suspicious of their slow speed.
Is it a relief that they're far away? Our normal voices shouldn't reach their ears.
It would have been better if they were surrounded by commoners. But the leader of the Desolate Fortress's Divine Sword Squad could never appear weak in front of the people of the Jianghu.
Rumble! Crash!
Now, the inner walls of the canyon were collapsing. The wrath of Mother Nature, triggered by martial arts, was descending as an unstoppable catastrophe.
Jeong Yeon-shin observed the expressions of the Divine Sword Squad. The composure that made them seem capable of joking even if the sky fell had vanished. This was a crisis. Since the duel had drawn the attention of the entire Jianghu, there was no shortage of people here who were openly hostile to the Desolate Fortress.
There is a world of difference between assumption and certainty.
Anyone could claim that two or three of the Eight Clan Heads together could easily kill the Commander of the Divine Sword Squad. Not many would deny it; the history of the Murim had proven as much. No matter how high one's martial arts reached, adversaries would always appear.
However, actually showing a state of helplessness was a different matter entirely, especially at this time and in this place.
"Commander, breathe properly! We're going to get wiped out! Do you have any idea how much trouble we've caused over the years?!"
"There are an insane number of bastards gathered here. Looks like three or four of the Thirteen Heavens came to watch. If things go south, a whole crowd of scoundrels will jump at the chance to bury us. Without you, Commander, it'll turn into a bloodbath."
"The White Qilin will definitely die."
The experts of the Divine Sword Squad, including Yeon So-ha, gasped out their desperate warnings.
It was almost comical. They might as well use telepathy, Jeong Yeon-shin thought calmly.
The Commander chuckled and forced strength into his body. A long breath escaped through his nose, past his tightly closed lips. He looked like a wounded tiger fleeing while pretending to be perfectly fine, surrounded on all sides by packs of wildcats. The Desolate Fortress was, by its very nature, the enemy of the Jianghu. The Nine Sects, including Zhongnan and Shaolin, who had treated Jeong Yeon-shin with chivalry, were the rare exceptions.
"Grandfather."
"Speak, Yeon-shin," Ma Yeon-jeok replied calmly. Running beside him, he looked like a domineering immortal.
"Can you not perform lightness skills and manipulate true qi to soothe internal injuries at the same time? You are also a Purple-Ranked expert, Grandfather."
Jeong Yeon-shin asked directly. At the Purple Rank, one would have trained all three dantians to their absolute limit. The split manipulation of internal energy was in the realm of absolute sensory perception, something beyond common sense and heavily involving the upper dantian.
"...It is difficult right now," Ma Yeon-jeok said after a brief silence. "The martial arts of the Ma Clan are harsh and swift. They accumulate rapidly but also disperse early. Unlike the orthodox martial arts of the Nine Sects, it is difficult to maintain one's prowess. It is merely easy to build supreme martial power in one's youth."
"Which is why you served as the Commander when you were just a green, wet-behind-the-ears brat," Ak Su-rim sneered, drawing closer.
Ma Yeon-jeok's eyes flared. "A brat? You, of the Ak Clan, were nothing but a Blue-Ranked snot-nosed kid back then."
"Must be nice being old. What's with calling me a 'snot-nosed kid'? Let's maintain some dignity, our former Commander."
Having snapped back, she turned her gaze. Through her constantly swaying hair, her eyes met Jeong Yeon-shin's. She lightly flipped back her hair, which was even darker than his black robe.
"Hey. You have a way, don't you? You've been rolling those bright, clever eyes of yours for a while now."
"...Yes."
"Come to think of it, you use your upper dantian quite well, don't you? Your hand movements showed it. You haven't even entered the high-level realm, yet your sense of time was peculiar. That's it! Do it, quickly! Do it for him!"
The vision of a Black-Ranked supreme expert who had undergone Rejuvenation was indeed profound.
Jeong Yeon-shin fell silent for a moment. Meanwhile, Ak Su-rim chattered on, urging him.
"Why? What's the problem?"
"For the Commander to entrust his Mingmen Point to a martial artist he's just met…"
"What did you say?" the Commander of the Divine Sword Squad asked, his breathing now noticeably rough.
At that moment, warning calls rang out from both sides of the squad's formation.
"Those are the Martial Dragon Association bastards over there, aren't they? They're coming straight down the canyon. Looks like they're determined to test us. Those punks would turn right back around if the Commander just unleashed a single wave of energy."
"The Deep Martial Alliance is to our upper left. I see Lingering Spirit and even the Blood Flame Cult. Those Blood Ghost bastards just won't die."
They were referring to four of the Thirteen Heavens. While sprinting, Ak Su-rim closed the distance to Jeong Yeon-shin's side. The waves of energy she radiated carried her scent to him.
"Flash Art. Is that deep blue robe and the glittering gold character 'Hwang' just for show? If we can't trust that, what can we trust? Commander, say something. This kid's sense of qi seems extraordinary."
"Flash Art. This seat permits you to touch my jade body."
Even in a crisis, the Commander was playful.
Ak Su-rim grabbed the back of Jeong Yeon-shin's hand with her own small one. There was no hesitation in her movement as she guided his hand toward the Commander's back. Her palm, having returned to that of a young girl, was remarkably soft.
Her calluses are thin. Rejuvenation isn't entirely a good thing.
He thought as he channeled his Jeong Family Dynamic Art True Qi. If Rejuvenation meant the body built through long years of training was completely swept away, it was something one should only consider in their twilight years.
Even as he placed his hand on the Commander's back, his thoughts lingered on the great mountain he had just crossed.
Twilight years…? Right. First, I want to grow old.
The boy wished. And the questions left by the Azure Qilin were something he could only answer if he lived long enough.