Chapter 277 – Martial Might (5)

Rustle.

Jeong Yeon-shin, walking along, glanced at the Divine Sword Group Leader.

He had mentioned taste. Surely not referring to a monkey’s hunched gaze.

The Divine Sword Group Leader of Desolate Fortress. Jeong Yeon-shin respected his sole direct superior immensely.

The formless sword of light he displayed when slaying the Namgung Clan Leader remained unfathomable even now.

“It need not be easy.”

“No need to worry, you bold fool. You can look forward to it.”

The Divine Sword Group Leader grinned broadly.

Then.

“This is the place.”

A clear voice rang from above. It was the noble clan master tasked with guiding them, though it was unnecessary to hear.

A radiant glow filled his vision. The foliage parted, revealing an open view.

The lake.

Bathed fully in moonlight. Not a ripple stirred.

The winter chill had somehow faded.

A fresh spring scent wafted over. The vast moonlight coated the water’s surface like blue paint.

A windless zone. The faint breeze that had blown unraveled behind Jeong Yeon-shin as if in reverence.

“Go in first. This squad leader will lie down and rest. The water’s aura is so divine, I must first stabilize my energy. I have no taste for watching a man strip.”

The Divine Sword Group Leader promptly lay down on the spot. Ignoring whether the guide left or stayed, he closed his eyes.

Jeong Yeon-shin nodded silently and shed his uncle’s long robe and upper garment.

Rustle.

His bandaged torso came into view. Bloodstains still marred it in places.

Sword scars from supreme masters did not heal easily. Their energy was too potent.

As Jeong Yeon-shin began to unwind the bandages, his hand suddenly paused.

‘Eyes. Not just one or two.’

He sensed gazes piercing from all directions. Accompanied by dense energy waves.

Dark Night Palace, perhaps?

No. Closer to orthodox than unorthodox. Heaven’s Pillar Sect’s internal energy. The form of their energy waves felt familiar.

Perhaps because it was a rural sect, they did not mask the intent in their energy. His upper dantian keenly picked up their curiosity.

They seemed eager to see how his body was forged. Was the noble clan sect’s common sense so different from the outside world?

‘How crude.’

Narrowing his brow, Jeong Yeon-shin walked straight into the lake. Only then did the noble clan masters’ presences fade one by one.

Splashing sounds rose from his feet to his thighs. Soft currents embraced his lower waist.

Suddenly.

Thump—

The halo of his heart pulsed.

‘The Fortress Leader’s…?’

Jeong Yeon-shin’s lips parted slightly. A faint ripple of light spread across the moonlit lake.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

Within a space where tree trunks sprawled freely.

“The children showed great interest.”

“With good reason. How long has it been since we last welcomed outsiders?”

The surrounding walls were a deep brown.

Vines and leaves glowed softly around them as five people sat encircling a rounded tree trunk.

Two wrinkled elders, Sect Leader Cheong Bo-hwa, and a young-looking man and woman.

The elderly man and woman conversed while the younger pair occasionally chimed in.

“That child Shin So-bin’s fist technique was peerless. Such a small frame wielding such a strong fist… I wanted to ask about the principle of her energy release. Shamelessly so. Her movements were highly refined.”

“She must be of Desolate Fortress’s Shin Clan blood. Did not Nan-song’s resolve break with a single step? They say Desolate Fortress warriors tempered in real combat are like a single blade, but I never thought such a young child would overcome him. Those energy waves twitching in an instant within her straight trajectory… She controlled the wind with force release.”

Whispered voices flowed like a gentle breeze.

“The shoulder blades, perhaps from the Tianzong acupoint, seem to expel energy waves in a straight line. Only Radiant Demon Wing and its leader would know the principle in her meridians, but it felt like a fierce strike beyond the reach of an ordinarily trained body.”

“Anyone could conceive it, but… Fully realizing intent in martial arts makes it a pinnacle technique.”

“True, yet losing in one move is shameful. Nan-song will refine his Linked Path Celestial Sword, so before they leave, he might redeem…”

“Elder Kwon, you speak like a Han clansman. I thought you forgot the bonds forged during the Ming Sect’s great war, but these worldly visitors seem to have stirred your blood.”

“Madam…”

A forum of sword discourse.

They did not bicker over techniques needlessly. They discussed the essence of the morning’s martial arts.

Each shed their usual indifference, showing rare fascination.

“They called it Radiant Arts Bond. That impressed me more. Is not ‘Bond’ a term for martial arts with grand flow? It was worthy of the name. A principle amplifying power through colliding force waves… Even with finely honed energy control, it would be hard to dream of. In terms of energy path intricacy, it rivals orthodox sect techniques. That mystery is so, so intriguing.”

[TL Note- Bond can also be changed to Union. Both means the same but in this context, Union fits better.]

“Well said. Its perfection is hard to achieve with ordinary inspiration. The accumulating flow of force waves was astonishing. A mix of countless martial arts.”

“Madam, this warrants further discussion. I saw our clan’s movements in the current Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s bearing. He was not born a black-rank, so Cheong Myeong must have taught him. Thus, he is not wholly an outsider. It seems feasible to entrust him with our sect’s long-cherished wish…”

“Elder Kwon, no. Though the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s features are strikingly clear for the secular world, his ears bore curved contours. He lacks qualification. It is not something to pass to an outsider anyway. Besides, Cheong Myeong is an expelled disciple.”

“…Understood for now. Regardless, I wonder where Cheong Myeong is. No energy waves come from the lodging.”

“He is at Cheong Su’s grave. He must miss his brother.”

The younger black-haired man answered.

Sect Leader Cheong Bo-hwa’s lips parted.

“Do not casually speak the name of an expelled disciple. Desolate Fortress matters end here. Discuss martial arts freely, but I wish none would address one who betrayed our sect’s principles. We can hardly spare attention with Dark Night Palace to guard against. Their recent movements are unusual.”

“The flow of nature’s energy outside is odd. Unprecedentedly vast, we must prepare for Ten Li One Kill…”

“…Another certain death approaches. They noticed we welcomed guests. We must not view the Divine Sword Group Leader and Radiant Demon Wing Leader as available forces.”

“Understood, Sect Leader.”

The man bowed his head.

“How many days will you open the lake?”

The younger woman asked. Gi Geom-hyang, also black-haired.

She attended the council despite losing to Lazy Flame Dragon, pressing her injured solar plexus.

“Until both can move naturally.”

Gi Geom-hyang’s eyes widened.

“Full recovery? That is unheard of.”

“I was moved by the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s humility. Such talent with such character is exceedingly rare. Even in the secular world, I have not seen it.”

“Ah.”

“Every word he spoke was sincere. His praise for Nan-song and Geom-hyang was too. Not a hint of flattery to win favor.”

Cheong Bo-hwa’s wrinkled lips curved into a small arc.

She surveyed the council’s masters.

“You must have felt the same.”

The council masters nodded. Murmurs affirmed the sect leader’s words. Even the elder who questioned qualification agreed.

“Indeed, the current Radiant Demon Wing Leader deserves courtesy matching what he showed.”

As she concluded.

Suddenly, the chamber’s foliage rustled wildly. An urgent shout erupted from outside.

“Ha-hyeon and Mae-hyang’s birds are dead! Arrows! Arrows with energy waves! Come see!”

***

Noble clans bred spiritual creatures.

Far wiser than messenger pigeons. Beasts raised with divine arts had intellect rivaling humans.

Linked spiritually to the masters who nurtured them. If their master perished, they died too.

One’s news ceased. The next day, another warrior did not return.

It continued. All were masters scouting the mountainside. Found pierced by arrows or passing peacefully in the village.

Since the Divine Sword Group Leader and Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s arrival, the number of those not returning surged.

No room for other guesses. Heaven’s Pillar Sect had an archenemy.

Not worthy of the bright “Ming” character, a dark clan’s major faction—Dark Night Palace.

The refined noble clan entered combat readiness.

“A few slipping in by luck happened occasionally… It feels unusually frequent now.”

“Dusk falls. Be cautious.”

“An hour from now, their senses outstrip ours by far.”

Each drew swords and bows, constantly cloaking themselves in energy waves. None spared new attention for the Desolate Fortress group.

The cool breeze turned biting like winter gusts. It stretched frostily even to the stone house where Radiant Demon Wing stayed.

A lodging carved from rock by supreme swordsmen, stacked like a fortress wall, stood bleakly.

“Quite a stir.”

Hyeon Won-chang muttered, sitting on the stone wall, tapping it with his heel.

The hero’s scarf fluttering from his head lacked its usual cheer. Ever since losing to Heaven’s Pillar Sect’s Gi Geom-hyang.

Rustle.

Black hair billowed beside him. Shin So-bin climbed atop the wall. She spoke at once.

“An archenemy, so it is not a day-or-two affair, right? Worrying about Heaven’s Pillar Sect is beside the point. Your sour face is the issue. Senior Poppy says he hates seeing you mope.”

“It is Hyeon Won.”

“Cheer up. One loss does not mean gloom.”

“One loss? Our squad leader has never lost. Yet I, with Radiant Arts Bond, fell. I tarnished Radiant Demon Wing’s name.”

“We only expect chatter from Great Tongue Sword?”

“Lowly brat mouthing off.”

A faint smile touched Hyeon Won-chang’s lips.

A house’s gate. A faction’s branch.

Deep bonds and secret martial arts tied people together. Radiant Demon Wing was nearing a sect unified by the Lightning Genius lineage.

Led by Squad Leader Jeong Yeon-shin, they were bound like sworn siblings, perhaps stronger than blood in the harsh martial world.

“Did the squad leader tell you anything, Won-chang? He has been living by the lake, and it feels like ages since I last saw him. He should at least show his face.”

“That was your ploy.”

“I cannot exactly go see him. What if I catch him naked?”

“Pretending to fret. You want to peek, don’t you?”

Shin So-bin just smiled brightly without reply. Hyeon Won-chang shook his head and spoke again.

“Do not let your guard down too much. This place is not like Blood Flame Sect with its ruthless factions. The formations here are not seamless. Not a solid fortress, but a camouflage veil scattering perception.”

“No wonder it felt odd. They were too wary for a formation.”

“Indeed, a few slip in periodically. They say past clan grudges run deep, and the battles here carry madness. I can feel it. The killing intent is immense.”

“Cheong Myeong’s brother got caught in it too. Speaking of, Senior Demon Sword has not come in either… Anyway, what is the squad leader up to?”

“The squad leader and group leader were talking nonstop. Recovering while at it. Not casual chatter, by the look of it.”

“Huh…? Is the squad leader getting special instruction from the Divine Sword Group Leader? That has not happened before, has it?”

“No. It has not.”

Hyeon Won-chang nodded calmly.

***

Dark Night Palace’s Infinite Unit, Son Sang-myeong’s vision was vast.

Born to a noble clan. His field of view itself differed from Han clan masters of equal rank.

Even with matched late-stage inner power and no gap in hand skill, he could handle two or three. Given distance, even ten.

Whoosh—!

Dark Heaven Bow Ghost Son Sang-myeong ran. Sprinting at full speed with lightness skill, only the faint rustle of grass beneath sounded.

His immense vision narrowed ceaselessly. A world of speed granted only to his clan. Their optic nerves were fundamentally different.

He laughed as he ran.

At last, he had been chosen.

He entered the village built by his clan’s betrayers. Time to punish the inferior.

‘The lake first, they said.’

Specify the target for the ultimate secret art Ten Li One Kill, and mark them with Pursuit Fragrance. He thought no further.

They said his martial prowess could hardly compare. He might die the moment he applied the fragrance.

Fine. It was a mission to bring death to such a one. Once the divine scent marked them, they became the target of a bow formation spanning vast distances.

The Ten Li One Kill fired by Bong-gong would never miss.

[TL Note- Bong-gong seems to be a name and the Ten Li One Kill user. I may have forgotten to mention previously that One Li equals to 500m.]

The secret art that elevated Dark Night Palace to the Thirteen Evil Sects.

It had slain even a few Desolate Fortress black-ranks across generations. Thus persisted the fame of a supreme assassin faction.

‘A grand end awaits.’

Rustle.

The next moment, his vision opened wide.

Moonlight mingled with the scent of water flowed through the silence. The vast lakeside. A woman’s back with sword-sharp ears came into view.

Golden hair draped down to her waist. She seemed to peer ahead.

No need to avoid her. Nor did he wish to. Efficiency mattered little.

Ssss—

‘Lowly clan.’

Son Sang-myeong charged to kill her. Energy from his Yongquan acupoint silently cloaked the ground, and the wind brushing his eyes softened.

A dagger drawn from his chest was gripped in reverse. Silent, refined skill.

He closed the distance in an instant. Her back loomed large in his sight.

Whoosh.

Just before striking, his body jolted to a halt.

The moonlight seemed to thicken suddenly. Something seized his gaze.

A presence bloomed vividly. A quiet aura emanated from not far ahead. He slowly raised his head.

The lake’s center, paved with gentle moonlight.

Splash, splash.

Each step sent transparent ripples spreading in circles. Treading the bluish moonlight on the lake’s surface.

Hair swaying black down to the shoulder blades, paired with a chillingly aloof resonance.

A youthful face with an enigmatic aura. Immensely dense power. As if declaring himself sole under heaven.

Son Sang-myeong’s vision stretched vertically. He had widened his eyes unconsciously.

‘Treading Duckweed Across Water…!’

A boy walked the full moon.