Chapter 98: The Divine Sword Squad (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: The Divine Sword Squad (4)
His earnest hope lasted only a moment. Jeong Yeon-shin immediately cast aside his stray thoughts.
Even if the sects hostile to the Desolate Fortress were as numerous as the grains of sand in the South Sea, this was an opportunity any martial artist would consider a supreme honor.
It wasn't just rare; it was practically impossible.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps himself had just offered him his back.
It was the Mingmen Point of one of the world's greatest peerless masters. Would he ever get another chance to lay hands on it?
This acupoint was where a person's primordial qi circulated most vigorously. It was precisely why one offered the center of their back when receiving True Qi to heal internal injuries.
Rustle.
The rough texture of flesh, torn open by the Namgung Clan Head's sword strikes, felt coarse beneath his touch.
Even as Jeong Yeon-shin pressed his palm against the Commander's back, the situation felt entirely surreal. He felt a wave of dizziness.
"Drive it straight from the Mingmen Point toward the Shenzhu Point. A standard cosmic orbit from the Taoist health preservation methods will do. Our Commander cleared both his Ren and Du meridians long ago, and he opened his Upper Dantian ages ago," Ak Su-rim whispered, leaning in close.
"Think of the Commander's acupoints as a blade. Just imagine you're oiling a sword. That should be enough."
Her words, carried on a breath made long and deep by her profound achievements in heart cultivation, held immense weight.
They contained the ultimate secrets of internal cultivation. One could tell simply by looking at the Commander, who gave a casual nod of agreement.
Just then, a small commotion rippled through the experts of the Divine Sword Squad.
"They're coming! Heading right this way! Like a pack of vipers, seriously!"
"Those crazy Blood Ghosts are leading the charge? Figures, those blind bastards have nothing to lose. Next up is... the Deep Martial Alliance? Judging by their speed, yeah."
"The Martial Dragon Association has changed direction too. They're in an escort formation."
"Looks like they have a VIP over there. Why else would that rabble guard someone so fiercely? I wonder if the Association Leader's precious daughter herself has graced us with her presence. Meanwhile, Lingering Spirit is just going their own way. Insidious bastards, as always."
Every warning echoing from all directions pointed to the Thirteen Heavens of the Unorthodox Factions.
These were the great sects that vied for hegemony over the Central Plains alongside the Nine Sects and Eight Great Families.
If they realized the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps was not in peak condition, it wouldn't be surprising if they bared their blades. Such was the volatile nature of their relationship.
If that happened, the Commander's vulnerable state would be exposed. The unconscious Namgung Hwa-shin wouldn't even be able to put up a fight.
Handling multiple factions of the Thirteen Heavens at once would be a nightmare. Even the Desolate Fortress's strongest martial unit would suffer heavy casualties.
It was a dire crisis. Jeong Yeon-shin slightly lowered his eyelids.
Internal energy was, by nature, a difficult force to control. Running it through different pathways simultaneously was incredibly challenging.
This was especially true when fluid True Qi manipulation was required to maintain a lightness skill. It was a new challenge, even for Jeong Yeon-shin.
"Don't draw your swords rashly! It'll look incredibly suspicious!"
Leaving Ak Su-rim's shout behind, he submerged his consciousness. Along with his True Qi, he delved deep into the Commander's body.
Hummmm.
He poured his entire focus into a single stream of internal energy. He engaged the functions of his Upper Dantian, which he had only recently begun to consciously draw upon.
He could manage it even while running with his lightness skill active.
Ak Su-rim's dumbfounded chuckle brushed past his ears before slowly fading from his awareness.
Suddenly... Jeong Yeon-shin felt a universe. The elasticity and width of the meridians were on an entirely different level.
The Middle Dantian, closest to the Mingmen Point, felt like a dragon's inner core.
It felt as though energy could pour into it endlessly. He hadn't known a human body could be structured so profoundly. It was deeply mysterious.
However, likely due to the internal injuries, the flow of blood was abnormal.
Even the internal power that should have surged like tidal waves through the twelve primary meridians, the eight extraordinary meridians, and the acupoints of the entire body was faint—as if rusted over.
Whoosh!
He directly infused his Jeong Family Dynamic Art True Qi.
He recalled Ak Su-rim's words. She had told him to guide it through a cosmic orbit as if oiling a sword.
It meant he had to use his own True Qi to clear the Commander's energy pathways, which had lost their rhythm during the fierce battle with the Namgung Clan Head.
He did exactly that.
Starting from the Mingmen Point at the very center of the back, he followed it up to the Shenzhu Point directly above, pouring out his True Qi without hesitation.
The internal power refined through the Jeong Family Dynamic Art flowed in, as pure and untainted as the boy's own youth.
"What is this? It's as pure and deep as if it were cultivated through the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic," the Commander muttered to himself. "Did the Shaolin Abbot secretly break his vows? Are you his hidden son?"
His voice was thick with sheer bewilderment.
Jeong Yeon-shin paid him no mind and focused. He had no choice; once the flow of energy gained momentum, it accelerated like a raging torrent.
The Commander's acupoints were on a completely different level.
They weren't just a well-paved highway; they were as smooth as the ice walls of the North Sea. It was hard to believe he was even human.
‘With acupoints refined to this degree, circulating energy must truly happen in the blink of an eye.’
He finally understood how peerless masters could unleash their techniques in a mere fraction of a second.
Even Jeong Yeon-shin was fast enough to boast of his speed compared to ordinary martial artists, but the Commander was someone who defined the very concept of an 'instant' even among the absolute strongest.
He had gained a profound realization. It could even be called an awakening.
‘It's right to weave the heart cultivation method I'm creating with the Jeong Family Dynamic Art. Perhaps I, too...’
This was his first gain. In the midst of an emergency, he had grasped a crucial clue for his own growth.
But that wasn't all. The Commander's body was a warehouse of infinite possibilities.
No, it was more accurate to call it a treasure trove where the lofty principles of martial arts were intertwined like priceless heirlooms.
‘And this is...’
The boy's Upper Dantian sense of qi flared. It was a heaven-sent domain.
Observing his superior's internal state, Jeong Yeon-shin discovered a very distinct trace.
It was the trace of the internal energy pathway the Commander primarily utilized.
An incredibly powerful force had swept through like a typhoon, leaving behind highly distinct marks of True Qi.
‘This...’
He instinctively reverse-calculated the efficacy of this energy pathway. Soon, a shiver ran down his spine as realization dawned.
It was an energy circulation perfectly suited for a martial art that discharged a massive amount of power in a single stance.
It was the trace of a pathway designed to add stability to explosive-type martial arts.
It was perfectly suited for the light sword of True Qi the Commander had demonstrated earlier.
It was a divine art.
‘If I can properly integrate this technique...’
He would be able to greatly alleviate his concerns regarding the recoil of Brilliant River, the palm technique named by the Azure Qilin, Namgung Se-jin.
It was an incredibly precious mental formula. It must have played a major role in allowing the Commander to end his duel with the Namgung Clan Head so quickly.
It was then.
"Look at this fellow."
It was a voice he couldn't ignore, laced with a strange hint of amusement.
"Now that I look closely, it seems I've let an astounding thief inside me."
It was the Commander.
The soft chuckle from ahead sent a chill down his spine, even though the words were spoken in an incredibly casual tone.
The Commander, too, was fully capable of speaking while circulating his energy.
It was hardly surprising that he could feel Jeong Yeon-shin's sense of qi scanning his internal state.
He was the strongest expert of the Divine Sword Corps. It was only natural. Jeong Yeon-shin didn't bother to apologize. He didn't have the luxury to do so.
‘He promised to pass down a martial art to me anyway, so if I just ask for forgiveness later...’
With a thought that even he found childish, he pulled his hand away. He had just finished a full cosmic orbit of internal energy.
Any longer would be dangerous. Just as the Divine Sword Squad scouts had warned, the experts of the Thirteen Heavens were closing in like wildcats.
The person who had slain the Namgung Clan Head couldn't possibly be unscathed. Even a layman could guess as much.
"You there! Would the righteous heroes of the Desolate Fortress care to share a brief word with us?"
The voice echoed from the third most distant group. The True Qi infused within it was so powerful that it felt as if someone were shouting directly into his ear.
Yet, some of the Divine Sword Squad experts remained remarkably cheerful. It was almost bizarre.
"Look at those Martial Dragon Association bastards, acting so relaxed. I can't read their intentions. They've never really clashed with our main fortress, have they?"
"The Blood Flame Cult and the Deep Martial Alliance are arriving first. Are they really planning to pick a fight?"
"Commander, aren't you finished yet?"
The surrounding crowd, having already recognized them as the Divine Sword Squad of the Desolate Fortress, had fled far away.
On the contrary, those approaching were all giants of the Unorthodox Factions: a branch of the Blood Flame Cult, the Deep Martial Alliance, and the Martial Dragon Association.
Among them, the momentum of the red-haired Blood Ghosts and the swordsmen of the Deep Martial Alliance marching under their military banners was fierce.
It looked as though a battle could break out at any second.
"You did well," the Commander spoke softly.
Then, with a smile, he ruffled Jeong Yeon-shin's hair.
He stepped to the front. His movements were remarkably light.
Some of the Divine Sword Squad experts, who had been watching with bated breath, glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin. Their faces were filled with as much shock as when he had returned after defeating the Azure Qilin.
"Oh... it seems the temporary healing went better than expected? Unless it's Shaolin's Bright-Righteous Pill, there aren't many internal injury medicines that work without circulating energy."
Ak Su-rim approached with a beaming smile.
"Well done, our Flash Art. You're from the Demonlight Wing, right? Ma Jin, that stiff eunuch, raised you well."
She reached out with a hand smaller than Jeong Yeon-shin's, as if to pat his backside.
The boy recoiled in horror. He had never encountered such behavior in his life. For a split second, he almost unleashed his Radiant Brilliance Sword Style.
Tucking her short black hair behind her ear, Ak Su-rim giggled with the face of a young girl. She had completely regained her composure.
"So-ha. You said all I needed to do was release my aura once, right?" the Commander spoke in a flat tone.
Yeon So-ha merely shrugged. "I only meant it figuratively."
"Let's see."
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps strode forward without hesitation.
His mere presence and posture exerted a profound influence. The effect was immediately visible from the front lines.
The red-robed Blood Ghosts and the martial artists of the Deep Martial Alliance faltered in their advance. They had no choice.
Everyone had witnessed the terrifying divine might he had displayed against the Namgung Clan Head earlier.
Fwoooooosh!
An aura surged. It was a wave of energy that had reached the realm of divine skill.
It was fundamentally different, to the point where the sheer quantity of internal energy no longer seemed to matter.
With every step the Commander took, the aura billowed and rose, its very nature evoking the image of an overwhelming natural disaster.
It felt as if a landslide crashing down from afar had manifested right before their eyes.
‘And I'm supposed to surpass that man...’
Jeong Yeon-shin felt momentarily overwhelmed.
It seemed the factions of the Thirteen Heavens shared a similar sentiment.
The charging paths of the Blood Flame Cult and the Deep Martial Alliance veered sharply. It seemed their approach had merely been a probe.
Even so, those retreating were members of the Thirteen Heavens. It was a rare spectacle under heaven.
Who else in this place could create such a sight? It was the sheer majesty that a peerless master's martial arts had carved into the world.
"Hey! Come back here! Where do you think you're going?!"
But they were not listening to Yeon So-ha's triumphant jeering.
Even though two of the main forces had veered away, there were still experts approaching in a straight line.
There were about thirty of them. Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes narrowed. He recalled hearing that they were from the Martial Dragon Association.
They were another faction of the Thirteen Heavens, yet their appearances and auras were completely mismatched. It felt as though experts from various different sects had been gathered into a single group.
Yet, it was strange. He felt no hostility from them.
From their midst, a figure emerged.
"I greet the divine swords of the Desolate Fortress."
With a clear voice, a slender girl stepped forward gracefully.
She wore a light green silk palace dress draped with a pure white cotton robe. Was she not hot? In a place where even the blazing sun felt chaotic, she alone remained serene and clear.
Her ebony hair, falling all the way to her waist, swayed gently with her steps, creating a striking contrast with her pale skin. Her exceptionally distinct features left a deep impression.
She was a girl of extraordinary beauty.
Perhaps three years older than Jeong Yeon-shin, she appeared to be nearing twenty.
"..."
The boy furrowed his brow slightly. The eyes of the Martial Dragon Association girl had just swept over him.
It wasn't just her gaze; her aura had swept over him as well.
Was it a premonition from his Upper Dantian? Even surrounded by the Divine Sword Squad, he felt an uncomfortable sensation. This was despite having just grasped the future path for his Jeong Family Dynamic Art and the profound principles of a divine art.
‘Can I cut her down?’
Jeong Yeon-shin thought to himself, quite casually.