Chapter 250 – Punishment, Fate (7)

A hillside at one end of the manor where a fierce battle raged.

The winter-stricken grassland was rusted entirely in ochre hues. Even as swordsmen dashed through the air and landed, it remained so.

On the tranquil hill, detached from the clashing of blades below, subtle presences began to emerge one by one. Up to five.

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen of Mount Hua Sect.

The petal embroidery on their white robes fluttered with an elegant disarray.

The recoil from the movements of Mount Hua’s Dark Fragrance Drift ended there. It was a technique of the ancient sect’s immortals.

A soft rustle.

At the forefront of the three Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

“As expected from such noisy movements, it’s here.”

The moment a woman in a pink robe, with an old sword hanging at her waist, stepped onto the grass, the ochre hues beneath her white-socked feet shattered into green.

In an instant, it was as if spring had been pulled forward, restoring a vivid blue-green light.

The blades of grass stood upright, supporting socks typically worn on polished wooden floors. It was the harmony of movement techniques.

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen who landed behind her whispered among themselves, their faces filled with astonishment.

“Senior Brother, has the sect leader achieved the Living Sword with her body?”

“Your question seems to be its own answer. How could she do that without the unity of sword and spirit?”

“You’re both wrong. It’s simply the sect leader’s will influencing the physical world. A supreme realm of swordsmanship beyond comprehension.”

They felt no hesitation discussing martial arts while gazing at their sect leader’s back. It wasn’t just because Mount Hua Sect’s spirit was strict with foes yet free within the mountains.

It was because a young Taoist boy beside her was pointing downward, pestering his elder sister-like figure.

“Master, Master…!”

“Disciple Yu Hyeon, don’t rush me. I was just observing your little friend’s swordsmanship.”

A clear, resonant voice flowed out.

“Didn’t I tell you to recall the sunset? A name is its own essence. Calm your heart’s fire. To master the Violet Mist Divine Art, you must breathe with its principles.”

“It’s about my friend right now! His eyes are strange! That thing in his mouth—isn’t it a poppy? Even if he’s unlucky at times, his conduct was as upright as any Taoist of ours!”

“Speak properly. Where in your behavior is there anything Taoist-like? It’d be a relief if you don’t tarnish Mount Hua’s name in the future. Back at Lotus Peak, you went looking for grain tea. The smell of liquor was overpowering.”

“I don’t understand your words or actions, Master! To be so leisurely in such an urgent moment…!”

“I have something to confirm, so be quiet. From now on, I’ll discern why the Sword Ghost of Heart Martial Alliance is watching that boy.”

Suddenly, the mountain birds around them fell silent.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

The manor where Jeong Hye had been captured.

The Shaanxi branch of Yu Ling, one of the Thirteen Evil Sects, versus Desolate Fortress’s Radiant Demon Wing.

Jeong Yeon-shin etched the scene before him into his mind.

The manor, turning to ruins from the energy waves of clashing weapons everywhere, blurred in his vision. His focus converged on one point.

The farthest battlefield, toward the one posing the greatest threat to Radiant Demon Wing.

Boom! Roar—!

An aging swordsman in a yellow robe unleashed overwhelming sword strikes.

Each swing of his blade carried immense pressure, accompanied by black haze. It was a staggering achievement in energy arts.

Dark smoke, as if the night sky had been transposed onto the sword, battered and crushed the surroundings before dissipating.

The power of tangible internal energy was truly fearsome.

Most of the Radiant Demon Wing masters surrounding him couldn’t withstand a single exchange and were forced to retreat in disarray.

Even for Desolate Fortress’s elites, approaching and containing him reached a limit. It was like walking a tightrope.

A confidant of the Yu Ling Leader of the Thirteen Evil Sects, the top demon of Shaanxi. Before mastering the Luminous Wheel Technique, Jeong Yeon-shin would have struggled to face him.

Wei Ke-xiang, Shaanxi’s top demon, was a figure worthy of being called a foe of ten thousand. He had long roamed the martial world unchecked.

Even with a smile in his wrinkled eyes, it didn’t feel out of place. A glimpse of cruel madness shone through. He seemed indifferent to his subordinates’ deaths.

“Supreme martial arts and some decent achievements. Was it you lot who took the Brilliant Sound Twin Demons? Isn’t it worth me personally turning it to ashes?”

Hahaha—!

He laughed, crushing the white streaks of the Radiant Arts Technique with his sword.

His temperament bordered on eccentric. Though Jeong Yeon-shin must have recognized it, he reveled in it nonetheless.

Martial world demons were often madmen who had mastered martial arts. Shaanxi’s top demon was no exception.

They were said to derive pleasure from cutting short the lives of accomplished masters. He was a transcendent powerhouse capable of doing so.

“Your leader’s awfully young! Killing a couple more, and his face might get interesting! Come here! Come over!”

Clang! Boom!

The roar and storms of dust never ceased. The forms of Radiant Demon Wing masters, who had slaughtered hundreds of warriors in the Great Moon Gorge, wavered constantly.

The disparity in martial prowess was stark. Even his jest about faces becoming interesting felt like a dire threat.

The majesty of a supreme master.

A supreme martial artist alone could match an army’s might.

Thus, the crux of a sect war lay in the life-or-death clashes between top masters.

As a squad leader leading Desolate Fortress’s martial forces, one shouldn’t spare a glance for enemy fodder. Jeong Yeon-shin had heard this repeatedly from Ma Jin and Yue Shou-lin.

The seventeen subordinates were meant to create one-on-one scenarios for their squad leader.

A black-rank should rightfully charge down an opened path and end the fight in one stroke.

‘The situation’s dire. If even one extends the Radiant Arts energy wave carelessly, the balance will collapse. Instant annihilation will follow. Just as the heads of Shaanxi’s seven great sects fell to me.’

Step.

He slightly turned both feet so the toes of his leather boots aligned parallel.

From the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s back, faint blue currents began to emanate from both temples.

The faces of the two white-clad warriors guarding Lazy Flame Dragon nearby turned ashen.

Steel-Breaking Blade Hu Yun-zhe and Tranquil Depth Gaze Zhuge Qing-ya.

Hu Yun-zhe, a gaunt man who had transferred to Radiant Demon Wing with Forest-Treading Leader Xiahou Wei-zhen’s permission, rarely showed emotion. But now, he urgently tried to stop Jeong Yeon-shin.

“No! In that condition…!”

Zhuge Qing-ya didn’t. Glancing at the unconscious Lazy Flame Dragon, a green glint flashed in her sharp eyes.

“Leaving him here means you’ll draw their attention…?”

“Yes.”

Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze swept forward. His vision wavered as much as the pain dulled.

Over twenty enemies stood before him, yet their forms began to fragment into multiples, as if he were drunk. It was the effect of the poppy amplified by the Luminous Wheel Technique.

“He’s alone! No backup!”

“His energy’s extraordinary!”

“Kill him first! Then those with Lord Wei!”

Their shouts echoed in multiple reverberations, piercing through. It felt as though they bypassed his ears and stabbed directly into his mind.

It was somewhat dizzying. He was ignoring the backlash of running for days with internal and external injuries, sustained by a few flowers.

The poppy wouldn’t buy much time. He had to end it quickly.

Now, the logic of short-term decisive battles he had pursued faced its true test.

“You came knowing where this is!”

“Strike!”

He gripped his sword hilt, tracking the afterimages of the charging foes. He had to strain his eyes.

Yet he couldn’t see them clearly. Jeong Yeon-shin thought to himself: Sweep them all away, and it’s done.

Boom!

Wind erupted from the Yongquan point on his soles. It was the energy wave of the Wind Body technique. The ground beneath exploded. The moment he kicked off, a tremendous gust slammed into him.

The murderous faces of the enemies grew large in an instant.

Jeong Yeon-shin filled the meridians from his right shoulder blade to his arm with the Luminous Wheel Technique.

The fine muscle strands honed by the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique tightened inward instantly. The expected searing pain didn’t come—thanks to the poppy.

‘Wei Ke-xiang, Shaanxi’s top demon. If you won’t pay attention to me…’

Shing!

He drew the Northern Light Sword upward.

He slashed forward. The blade, not raised high, accelerated sharply as it fell.

The enemies moved fast too. Four men and women in front thrust swords and fists, their sharp explosive force sweeping the surroundings like a biting wind.

From above, two men wielding spears leaped, delivering long strikes downward.

Their spear tips, slashing diagonally from midair, resounded deeply.

Boom!

The discipline of a major faction. The coordinated attack, laced with the killing intent typical of evil factions, was formidable.

Jeong Yeon-shin spurred his charge. He ignored the spear strikes shooting down toward his crown.

Digging deeper and faster, he traced a long flash with the Northern Light Sword. A storm raged from his grip to the blade’s tip.

‘Judgement Qilin.’

Roar! Crash—!

He shattered everything. Swords and gauntlets splintered into pieces. Three were struck by the destructive sword energy, vomiting blood as they flew back.

The one facing the strike head-on was cleaved in two, protective energy and all, collapsing to either side. A path opened straight ahead.

Unmatched sword power. In the blink of an eye, as terror flashed across the faces of the two spear-wielders dropping from above, Jeong Yeon-shin passed beneath them, extending his left hand backward.

He didn’t look back.

The vortex from his heart’s Luminous Wheel surged violently to his left hand. Fragments of blades falling behind whirled in all directions.

‘Myriad Heavens Flower Rain.’

Swish!

Metal shards soared high, embedding into the enemies’ bodies. Dull thuds rang out in succession. The spear-wielders’ bodies jolted midair.

Blood burst from their forms. Even the spear shafts mixed into the cold flower storm shattered, amplifying Myriad Heavens Flower Rain’s scale.

Jeong Yeon-shin pulled his extended left hand forward, spreading it wide. Without halting the Wind Body’s sprint, he unleashed a divine energy flow.

Boom boom boom boom—!

The ground-rending sound was deafening. The cold petals of Myriad Heavens Flower Rain scattered in all directions.

Their drunken, swaying beauty was both stunning and merciless. The vortex of metal surged, soon expanding into a massive dragon-like spiral toward the battlefield.

“Radiant Arts Squad! Something big’s coming!”

“These b*st*rds! What…?!”

“Turn, turn your direction! Don’t show your backs!”

“Don’t retreat! Argh—!”

Radiant Demon Wing masters knew their squad leader well. The moment Jeong Yeon-shin extended his hand, they preemptively stepped back with Radiant Arts retreat footwork, scattering outward. They finished their individual skirmishes without hesitation.

Yu Ling’s masters didn’t. They didn’t know what was coming.

They paid the price instantly.

Swirl—! Crack crack crack!

With fluttering robes, dozens of protective energy shields were torn apart.

“What, what—aaagh!”

“Unbreakable! Run!”

Blood and screams erupted everywhere.

A divine technique, among the finest wide-area martial arts in the world, manifested from the poppy-drunk hands of Desolate Fortress’s black-rank.

Power was poured in without reserve. In a mere moment, Yu Ling’s evil faction warriors were strewn across the ground.

“…”

The state of those who couldn’t escape was gruesome. Most were corpses.

From bloodstains to robes, nothing remained intact. Their faces were unrecognizable from life.

The battlefield stood still. Those who hadn’t cared who intruded lowered their swords. Friend and foe alike.

Far off, even Wei Ke-xiang, Shaanxi’s top demon, mixed in the Radiant Demon Wing masters’ rotating formation, did the same.

The wrinkles around the yellow-robed swordsman’s eyes lifted slightly. Though he still didn’t regard his foe highly, he couldn’t hide a trace of surprise.

He gradually let the potent demonic energy enveloping his body fade.

“You, that power…”

“Wei Ke-xiang, Shaanxi’s top demon.”

His voice slurred with intoxication.

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s lips curved into a vivid red arc.

“Your face isn’t much to look at.”