Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Atop Dongdae Peak
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Hebei Province, nestled at the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains, lay Mount So-o.
Atop Dongdae, the highest summit of Mount So-o—the tallest peak in all of Hebei.
Yin Hu tilted her teacup, gazing down at the mundane world unfurled at her feet.
"Old hag. You really sure you don't need to go?"
Despite the fragrant aroma of tea wafting through the air, Yin Hu furrowed her brow.
"Dragon King. Didn't I carve it into your thick skull not to call me that?"
Standing on Dongdae's summit alongside Yin Hu was one other person.
An elderly man with long, flowing white hair and beard.
What stood out was how, despite his advanced age, his physique appeared as robust as any Shaolin monk.
One of the Heavenly Martial Ten Venerables, Great Sea Dragon King Blade Peng Fan, cackled.
"I know, I know. But it ain't exactly wrong, is it?"
As Yin Hu let out a sigh, Peng Fan pressed on.
"Look, rejuvenation or whatever—fine. But you seriously think it's normal for someone who's blown past 115 to look like a fifteen-year-old girl?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Star Encounter Turns Fortune] It was a soft melody, yet the power infused within it could have crumbled the peak itself.
Peng Fan, however, made no move to defend, taking the sonic blast full force.
"Hm, your realm's climbed another notch? Still, a mere taste like that can't touch my body!"
Yin Hu clicked her tongue.
The Great Sea Dragon King Blade Peng Fan was always like this.
A crude oaf devoid of any dignity or refinement.
"Anyway, let's keep chatting. You glance at the mortal world now and then—seems those disciples you left behind are weighing on you. You sure you're good?"
"I'm fine. My disciples are no weaklings."
"Hmm. That so? For even you, Sky-Shattering Yin Queen, to place such faith in them... stirs the curiosity."
Spotting the curiosity etched on Peng Fan's face, Yin Hu scowled once more.
"Keep it as mere curiosity. Both are outstanding disciples of mine."
"But one hails from a secular house, no? If I just sneak a little peek..."
"I said no!"
The Great Sea Dragon King Blade Peng Fan—Supreme Elder of the Hebei Peng Clan, one of the Five Great Clans of the world.
He had wandered far and wide in search of a disciple to carry on his legacy.
Due to the unique nature of the martial art he had forged himself, finding a successor proved arduous; neither the Peng Clan's own scions nor the myriad geniuses across the land had satisfied his discerning eye.
"You know it full well. You're fated never to find a disciple."
"That's precisely why the curiosity burns. Who knows?"
"I said no."
"Heh heh, your fierce pushback only fans the flames. Surely at least one shows real promise?"
Feeling ensnared by his sly demeanor, Yin Hu abandoned the argument.
Truth be told, a flicker of unease gnawed at her too.
'That young hero... he just might meet this old man's standards.'
The world's greatest talent? Insufficient for Peng Fan's discipleship.
But... perhaps Yang-hui could pull it off.
"Tch. Must be nice. Landing two disciples in your twilight years. That's why I'm saying—skip out, and you might lose them both."
Even secluded from the world, rumors still trickled in.
Among them, the black-and-white clash engulfing Gangseo.
To Peng Fan's mind, no matter the genius, it was turmoil far too vast for sixteen-year-olds to weather.
Yet.
"It's fine. Their destinies won't shatter over something as trifling as Gangseo."
"Destinies..."
Even among the Heavenly Martial Ten Venerables, each specialized in distinct domains.
Divining the heavens was the hallmark of the Sacred Sound Jade Spirit Gate, steeped in immortal Dao cultivation through the ages.
It was also why Peng Fan now accompanied Yin Hu.
"Seol-ha has likely ascended to the Peak Realm by now."
"Ho? Peak Realm at sixteen? With the Sacred Sound Jade Spirit Gate's sonic arts, no less?"
The Sacred Sound Jade Spirit Gate was a Dao path sect hungering for the immortal realm.
Like most orthodox martial arts, early progress came hard-won.
"I never wished for my disciples to rush ahead, but their own thoughts differ."
"Meaning, even without your guidance, they've stepped into Peak Realm at that age?"
"Yes. Seol-ha's senior brother, Young Master Baek, is truly special..."
Yin Hu trailed off. In her eagerness to boast of her disciple, she'd let words flow too freely—now fueling the greedy spark of curiosity in Peng Fan's eyes.
"One more time: no."
"Fine, fine. Let's continue. A Sacred Sound sonic master at Peak Realm? Even major upheavals should pose no issue."
"Precisely. My school's martial arts... especially shine against crowds."
The origin of her moniker, Sky-Shattering Yin Queen.
Sonic arts at that realm wielded power enough to sunder the heavens.
Enemy numbers ceased to matter.
"Fair enough. No cause for worry, then."
"So let's get moving before those kids take a hit."
"We've rested long enough. Indeed—for the sake of my own descendants, we must uproot Reverse Heaven before it sprouts."
In an instant, the pair's figures vanished without a trace.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Not long ago, when he'd tried repurposing the Blood God Demon Sword—a blade so stubborn it neither shattered nor yielded secrets—for Je-gal Seol-ha's training.
In Yang-hui's eyes, even Baek Cheol, blessed with talent enough to claim the title of world's finest blacksmith, had failed to work it.
Yet it had broken.
And then came the voice from the heavens.
'If you're dropping hints, at least make 'em clear.'
Stars meet, and fortunes turn?
What pie-in-the-sky nonsense was that?
Dwelling on cryptic drivel wasn't Yang-hui's style.
Still, he'd succeeded in devising a practical use for the immediate crisis.
'With Star Iron's power alone, we could flip disadvantage into dominance.'
He'd dubbed the shattered fragments Star Iron.
A straightforward naming inspired by those heavenly ramblings.
Star Iron's ability was simple: amplification of absorbed energy and mental imagery.
"Rampage away, Seol-ha!"
Je-gal Seol-ha played the Heavenly Sound Pipa as if possessed by spirits.
The strings rang out clear and pristine by nature, yet the melody that echoed was a riot of vivid hues.
Human voices even seemed woven into it.
This was the boon of a Peak sonic master's Phonetic Landscape realm.
Ding-ring, ding-ri-ring!
Cha-rang, cha-lang-cha-lang!
Aaahhh—!
In the past, Yin Hu could coax melodies from a dozen instruments with a mere finger snap.
Seol-ha fell short of that mastery, yet her solo performance resonated like a full orchestra, layers of melody intertwining.
And the repercussions...
"Sorcery!"
"Circulate your inner energy! Guard your minds!"
"Aa, aaaaa!"
The underworld forces had stormed in at two hundred strong; roughly a hundred survivors clung on even now.
A hundred? That was army scale, no exaggeration.
And Je-gal Seol-ha held that army at bay single-handedly.
'How's Peach Blossom Qi treating you, you bastards?'
Peach Blossom Qi blanketed every spot the melody touched.
The sultry energy seeped through eardrums, absorbed and stirring the underworld warriors' mental realms.
Ding-ring, ding-ri-ring!
Those of lower realms, overwhelmed by the infused energy and imagery, bled from every orifice.
First-rate latecomers versed in spirit transcendence, Peak experts—they rallied their auras to repel the invasion but couldn't fully purge it.
'If they could, Seol-ha never would've suffered from her Peach Blossom Body.'
Even the Je-gal Clan's elites had fallen prey to that Peach Blossom Qi.
And now, bolstered by the Star Iron necklace—Star Iron Collar—to boot.
"Now! Strike!"
"Yes, sir!"
"As you command!"
The Baek Clan warriors, holding the Heavenly Aid Fate-Transforming Formation firm, began carving through the underworld foes.
"Gaaah!"
"Steady your spirits! Fortify your defenses!"
"Why aren't those bastards swayed by the sound?"
'Why? That's the divine prowess a Peak sonic master unleashes.'
Sound spreads in concentric circles by default.
Phonetic Landscape, however, reshaped its form.
Meaning control over its propagation space—and arbitrary targeting of victims.
'Expected as much, but damn, it's impressive.'
Je-gal Seol-ha embodied a one-woman legion.
Plainly put, she pinned over ten Peak experts solo.
'Well, the Star Iron Collar qualifies as a divine artifact, so calling it pure skill might stretch it.'
And reforging mere shards of Star Iron into a divine treasure? That was Baek Cheol's doing.
'Genius blacksmith stays genius, no matter what.'
When the Blood God Demon Sword shattered, Yang-hui had naturally handed most fragments to Baek Cheol for analysis.
The outcome? In record time, he'd transcended his own limits.
Witnessing metal absorb energy and imagery, he'd learned to infuse it with an artisan's will.
For a warrior, akin to reaching Peak Realm.
'Baek the blacksmith boosted our forces immensely.'
Super Peak swordmasters wielded twigs as blades.
But for most, superior arms equated straight to elevated prowess.
Baek Cheol's breakthrough was the decisive factor letting Yang-hui confront the underworld horde despite the odds.
'Feels good. Nothing since regression was a mistake.'
He'd saved Je-gal Seol-ha from her fated turn as Soul Enchanting Demon Queen, sparking a bloodbath, and forged ties with Yin Hu.
Enshrined his self-invented Heaven-Covering 108 Swords and Harmonious Heaven Principle Origin Art as Baek Clan heirlooms, elevating his father to Peak expert; imparted sundry arts and the Heavenly Aid Fate-Transforming Formation, maximizing clan might.
Rescued Baek Cheol from enslavement under underworld gangs—doomed to become Great Namgung blacksmith—and integrated him into the clan.
All three stratagems prepped for today's clash stemmed from that.
And now.
"Alright, time to play the fourth card. Checkmate at last."
He sent a transmission to A-du.
-A-du. Our turn.
-Yay! This'll be fun!
Had he unleashed A-du from the start, the tide would've favored them more.
The beast could tangle with two or three Peak experts and then some.
Yet Yang-hui had held it in reserve till now.
All for this fourth move.
'Star Iron's power: amplification of infused energy and imagery.'
The sword in his grip caught the full moon's glow, its edge gleaming fiercely.
Unlike his prior blades, this one radiated chilling sword intent on its own.
'Guess I'll sample Star Iron's might myself.'
Three insights paved the path to Super Peak; one was Living Will Energy.
Living Will Energy breathed life into energy, setting it in motion.
'I've only grasped the barest thread so far—haven't internalized it.'
This life barred that road, yet the insight lingered vivid in his mind.
He knew the path, even if he couldn't tread it.
"Hey, Hyongsan Sound Blood!"
No reply came, but eyes brimming with murderous intent locked on.
Grinning, he launched himself forward.
"Time to honor the promise I broke last time! I'll carve that neck nice and pretty!"
Baek Cheol's masterpiece: White Lotus Puresteel Sword, embedded with a Star Iron shard.
With this blade, it was feasible.
To manifest the uninternalized insight of Living Will Energy.
'Behold—the power of Living Will Energy.'
The resonant vibrations of sword ki and sonic waves from the blade rent the air asunder with razor sharpness.
It was time to draw the curtain on Gangseo murim's long, brutal conquest.