Chapter 260 – Ascension (10)

The Seventh Apostle raised the corners of her lips.

“Your temperament has shifted a bit, has it not? It is as tempestuous as your unique martial arts. Oh, speaking of which, my grandmaster’s age…”

“Tempestuous?”

Jeong Yeon-shin repeated quietly. It was less a question and more a musing to himself.

He did not react strongly. It seemed to refer to a growth phase where one keenly feels spring and autumn, but as the Radiant Demon Wing Leader of this era, it did not particularly resonate with him.

It was a period someone like Lazy Flame Dragon, who never quit poppy, might have experienced.

He was an adult who had tilted the Desolate Fortress Lord’s wine cup. The day he surpassed the senior Radiant Demon Wings in stature was not far off.

“I will not strike. I shall repay my debt to you.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said quietly.

It felt as if only the two of them stood atop the white mountain peak.

Even as the Bei Gong siblings and Jang Sun-il approached step by step from a distance, the Seventh Apostle’s presence alone stood out. She was like a poppy blooming in the snowfield.

“What…?”

Yet her voice carried a dazed tone.

It was right after she questioned herself. Her eyes trembled slightly, their focus growing vague.

Sharp fangs briefly peeked from the sides of her teeth before vanishing. It was an odd reaction.

Pain in the teeth rivaled that of a decent stab wound. A well-aimed flick could disrupt an enemy’s composure.

Being part of breathing, it was a spot hard to shield with protective energy.

Thus, unless one was a novice in the martial world, they rarely bared their teeth outside their sect. The Seventh Apostle’s demeanor did not befit a formidable supreme master.

Especially so with the Desolate Fortress Squad Leader standing before her.

‘She was always like that.’

Jeong Yeon-shin opened his mouth, unperturbed.

Nothing loomed larger to him than the life-saving debt she had bestowed.

He raced through the martial world to avoid an early death. How could he overlook the grace of having his life spared? It was not just one life.

It amounted to saving his uncle and all his Desolate Fortress comrades.

Jeong Yeon-shin wanted to speak proudly to his mother in death. Thanks to her, he had lived well. Though she might have chosen the wrong husband.

To do so, he must not resemble his father. He had to cherish what reached him.

“Your true energy’s structure seems somewhat clumsy. Listen well to me and refine it. And do not appear before me recklessly. As long as you lead the blood demons, we cannot coexist. That is obvious.”

“…”

“Here, let us settle our debts and ties. Listen. What you desired, your own Mara True Blood Technique.”

It was a fleeting moment.

“Ahhh!”

The Seventh Apostle covered her ears and screamed.

“From the Governor Vessel, preserve blood and warm essence; from the Conception Vessel…”

Jeong Yeon-shin, beginning the mantra via sound transmission, parted his lips slightly. What?

“Do not do it! Do not repay me!”

Her long fingers, once used to tear foes apart, pressed tightly against the outside of her ears.

She had struck the ear gate acupoint, dense with nerves. It was not something to do carelessly in a panic, yet she momentarily deafened herself.

Even that was not enough. She kept shrieking, drowning out Jeong Yeon-shin’s words. It was like a bat’s cry.

“…”

Jeong Yeon-shin closed his mouth.

For the first time.

Someone had rejected the martial arts of the Radiant Demon Wing Leader, Lightning Genius.

It was no ordinary behavior. Such an intense reaction was beyond his wildest dreams.

‘Can that happen? My mantra is better.’

It was something Jeong Yeon-shin had never experienced.

He had not known what pride was until now.

Now he understood a little. Was this what it felt like to be displeased? It differed from when other supreme masters boasted of the Dull Flowers Gathering at the Crown.

It was incomprehensible. To survive the turbulent martial world, one should act rationally, should they not?

He spoke again.

“The imagery brushing the Conception Vessel must be cool. It diverges from the Governor Vessel’s preserve blood and warm essence mantra…”

Ahhh! Ahhhhh!

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly furrowed his brow. This?

“What are you trying to do? You said you needed a mantra before.”

He had not forgotten the Seventh Apostle pressing his shoulder, smiling with her crimson eye.

My grandmaster, my young grandmaster. Words etched in his ears at the main base. That day’s ease, madness, and obsession were thick and sticky, befitting a Blood Flame Sect noble.

Yet at this moment.

Her screams continued without end. She seemed to have lost her mind.

She covered her ears with both hands, turning away from Jeong Yeon-shin only to glance back repeatedly. A chilling madness emanated from her, yet she refused to look at his lips.

“Companion! Is there some problem…!”

“What stands before you is a monster akin to a great warrior of our land! Take your stance now!”

Shouts from Bei Gong-hui and Bei Gong-lin rang out from behind. Despite their martial prowess, they charged forward the moment the Seventh Apostle screamed.

It came with a spreading chill, suggesting she had pushed her protective energy to its limit.

‘All because we shared a campfire.’

Jeong Yeon-shin stepped between her gaze and them.

“Do not follow any further. A Blood Flame Sect noble cannot be with me.”

“I cannot see! I cannot hear anything!”

She shook her head wildly, hands still over her ears.

Finally.

“Do not speak! I will kill you! I will not kill you, but I will! Please stop! Stop it!”

Her incoherent ramblings burst forth as her pure blood robe flapped wildly.

Her true energy synced with her mind.

Irregular energy waves radiated outward. They glinted faintly with blood-red light.

In an instant, a formidable force coiled around her legs. It was a different texture of inner energy control. The power fueling her movement surged within and without.

Thud!

The Seventh Apostle kicked off the ground. Her hands remained raised.

As dust spread in concentric circles beneath the earth, whoosh, with a sound slicing the air, her red form vanished.

It was as if she had used a teleportation technique. She leaped over ten zhang in a single stride.

Her protective energy traced an enormous arc as she fled, devoid of the Blood Flame Sect’s usual lofty, bewitching grace.

To anyone, it was escape.

A Blood Flame Sect apostle of the Thirteen Evil Sects fleeing. It was hard to believe even when witnessed.

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader felt a slight shock. His mantra had been utterly rejected. Was the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown that great?

“Companion.”

Bei Gong-hui, now at his side, glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin with silver-flecked eyes.

Their companion did not pursue the noble of the evil outer path. He simply watched.

A strange sentiment glimmered on his expressionless face, surely the noble contemplation of a great warrior.

The North Sea frozen land’s ethos, valuing etiquette and reason yet honoring the strong above all, prompted Bei Gong-hui to speak.

“Accept my apology. To offer protection to a great warrior, how shameful. My eyes are worse than a dead wolf’s.”

His tone was rough. That made it feel sincere.

Bei Gong-lin, standing on the opposite side, placed a hand on Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder in the same vein.

A faint tremble rose from her calloused palm. Yet she remained bold.

“Will you not marry into my family?”

The blue-white-haired Ice Palace noble said.

“…”

“Oh, men here call it taking a wife, right? But by your land’s customs, my intent aligns more with marrying in. In our frozen land, when we honor a strong one…”

Bei Gong-lin’s words, which might have once seemed audacious, did not reach Jeong Yeon-shin. They did not even register as trivial jest.

The talent to create martial arts was his sole true companion.

It had given him a sense of maternal warmth at the Jeong Family Estate, where he was treated as invisible. That meaning was profound.

‘Anyone would see that my mantra is better.’

Jeong Yeon-shin stood still for a while. Until Bei Gong-lin closed her mouth.

[TL Note- Poor Yeon-shin is heartbroken that his martial arts was rejected.]

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

The ridge stretching to Seven Ladies Peak was high and long. They had to cross several snow-laden peaks.

The number of martial artists they encountered grew. It was no small scale.

People of all sorts appeared. There was even a handsome man passing by in a palanquin borne by four others, smiling with his eyes.

“He is still alive. That guy must have failed. No, leave it be. That friend seems worried about the Thirteen Evil Sects’ top monsters, which works out well for me.”

“Is there a need to wait?”

“He is thoroughly hiding his identity. For me, it means more cards to play. I can minimize the damage.”

“How so?”

“If I adjust the situation aptly, I can wield that treasure sword as I please. The thought excites me. To exert influence over a refined genius I only knew through documents… It feels like meeting the hero of a legend in person. I want to turn the palanquin around and speak with him now.”

“Hm…”

The aura of the escorting swordswoman beside him was formidable. Frost-like intangible sword energy flickered from the scabbard at her waist, yet her face remained impassive.

Her expression stayed stoic even as she cleared the path with a show of force.

Their voices did not carry far.

As befitting a battleground of extraordinary figures, each erected barriers as they moved. To the crowd, only their lip movements were faintly visible.

Even that was hard to read due to secretive close combat techniques. It was more so unless facing them directly.

“Warriors from great factions, perhaps?”

“They look like high-ranking aristocrats.”

The gathered throng numbered as many as tree branches. They spread out densely.

Those entering Jeong Yeon-shin’s sight as he passed the palanquin group alone reached hundreds, each exuding an uncommon energy wave as they glanced at the party.

“They must have protective perception. The thousand-year Polygonum, I mean.”

“Rumor has it one root keeps you full for a hundred days. Its power enhancement goes without saying.”

“If a young one consumes it, they might grow with the potential of a thousand pounds.”

“Do not speak rashly…! Word is all sorts of noble figures have come! Who knows if that one is the Radiant Demon Wing Leader from the Martial Alliance Opening Tournament?”

“At best, he is from Shaanxi’s edge. Are they not ones who return after their mission? Desolate Fortress would not come this far.”

“Would the imperial hounds stand by for martial artists’ good fortune?”

His youthful appearance did not invite quarrels.

They were sizing each other up.

The rabble could not advance beyond the entrance.

Among those for whom pride and strife were daily life, reaching the midsection of their destination spoke volumes.

One should assume they possessed profound skills. Be it sinister hidden weapons or life-preserving ultimate strikes.

Everyone on this ridge was such.

If anyone acted recklessly, they would inevitably suffer loss.

First strike wins only applied when foes and allies were clearly divided. No one wished to spark a melee.

Only the bold or nonchalant exchanged words.

The Ice Palace siblings were among them.

It was when Jeong Yeon-shin adjusted the satchel slung diagonally across his back.

Bei Gong-hui, walking beside him, spoke while brushing frost from his hair.

“What is that? Did you not keep protective energy up even during a fight?”

“Books.”

“They do not look like one or two. Secret manuals?”

“No. Miscellaneous texts with many annotations. A bit messy.”

“Why carry such things? Would they not be better as kindling?”

“I plan to take them out soon.”

The face of Forest-Treading Squad Leader Xiahou Wei-jin  flashed in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind.

The leader of Desolate Fortress’s Divine Sword Squad might not have needed annotations, yet he had humbled himself to enlighten novices.

A grateful senior. His boldness was impressive too.

The Bei Gong siblings showed growing interest in their companion. It had started after he vanquished the Rogue King.

“This?”

Bei Gong-lin’s finger pointed near Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder.

It was tied with a wide black cloth. It revealed the sleek lines of his upper arm muscle, more like an extra layer of fabric.

“You will find out.”

Jeong Yeon-shin answered calmly. Inwardly, he grumbled. Did I ask for it too big for no reason?

Then it happened.

A strange movement stirred within the crowd.