Chapter 313 – Hyeon Won (8)

One of the Four Great Vajras laughed meaninglessly.

Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been mentally preparing his moves, stared at him blankly.

‘He’s being kind to his junior.’

Earlier, both Goon Yu-rin and Yu Hyeon had noticed his internal injuries. Great Master Won Jeok must have assessed his condition with just a glance.

Though he had requested a duel with a stern face, the intensity of his energy waves matched Jeong Yeon-shin’s. It meant he would adjust his power for the exchange. This was befitting of a monk who had cultivated deep discipline.

Moreover, that smile was something he had seen often from his maternal grandfather.

He didn’t know by what mechanism the facial muscles moved, but it approached with a ticklish feeling. It resembled the expression that Tyrant Hero Ma Yeon-jeok occasionally made when looking at him.

Sometimes it had been strangely embarrassing, but seeing the same expression on one of Shaolin’s Four Great Vajras made it clear that Jeong Yeon-shin himself had been narrow-minded.

‘Did he soften his heart just by seeing my energy circulation, even though I’ve joined hands with the Profound Martial Alliance Leader’s daughter…?’

Truly a venerable monk.

Admiration filled Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes.

The Jeong family estate, like Shaolin, was located in Henan Province.

All the children of Xinye County had grown up hearing of Shaolin’s fame.

The Four Great Vajras of the thousand-year temple on Mount Song were like Buddhas who wielded martial arts to the common people. They were beyond even the term “idol.”

Ahem.

Suddenly, Won Jeok cleared his throat.

“Looking at you, patron, my arms lose their strength. It would be right to exchange hands after you’ve healed both your internal and external injuries. This humble monk was hasty.”

Indeed— Jeong Yeon-shin inwardly acknowledged.

‘What a broad vessel he possesses.’

Goodwill spread across Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s face. The aged monk of thousand-year Shaolin was exactly as he had imagined in his childhood.

The elderly monks of renowned clans who were said to be close to living Buddhas. It reminded him of the days when he would watch enviously from afar as the village children played “Hundred Step Divine Fist.”

He felt somewhat proud. I’ve met him in person, he thought.

“The night wind is cold. Let’s go to the campfire.”

Jeong Yeon-shin extended his hand in invitation.

The duel between Radiant Demon Wing Leader and the Four Great Vajras had been called off.

…And so.

The five people seated around the campfire again each wore different expressions.

While Yu Hyeon exhaled a sigh mixed with relief and regret, the scholar-servant Jeon Baek kept his head low as he observed his surroundings, and Goon Yu-rin, who suddenly began scratching the back of her head vigorously, seemed lost in some contemplation as she pulled her lips inward.

Meanwhile, Four Great Vajra Won Jeok had belatedly come to his senses. This happened amid the loud crackling of flames against firewood.

‘That is heaven-defying talent.’

Radiant Demon Wing Leader had truly cultivated dharma power. Though difficult to believe, it had to be accepted.

He had studied the Buddha-dharma with the monk Gak Jong, who belonged to the Eighteen Arhats, yet as a renowned clan member, he had created dharma power to destroy demons and eliminate evil in what seemed like an instant.

Then the reverse should also be possible.

Because the quality of talent was different. The Great Master who constantly engaged in all sorts of creation. It was fitting that he could draw out energy waves that could reverse and annihilate the aura of destroying evil and revealing truth.

Wouldn’t the orthodox path’s martial arts also have weaknesses?

The boy now happily tapping one foot to a strange rhythm beyond the campfire would inevitably become the natural enemy of countless sects.

Countless martial artists would kneel beneath that small foot that was moving slightly.

‘Indeed, the current Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s path is said to be close to invincible.’

They say he never loses to the same opponent twice. This was the rumor that Won Jeok had briefly heard since descending from Mount Song.

It was an issue that would become serious someday. It felt that way to Won Jeok right now. A person who possessed heaven-defying talent had joined hands even with the daughter of the Profound Martial Alliance Leader to achieve his goals.

One who valued the lives of common people while extremely despising the martial world. The high-ranking official of Desolate Fortress who spoke of such things.

Won Jeok considered himself a mere monk. Before being a monk, he was a martial artist wandering in delusion, a vengeful ghost who honed his fists and staff techniques to oppose the Heavenly Demon who might appear again.

And now he faced a profound threat to the martial world. How should he conduct himself?

‘Amitabha.’

Wrinkles formed on his smooth brow beneath the precept marks.

It was then.

“Monk, please have this.”

Radiant Demon Wing Leader offered him a mushroom that had been roasting by the campfire.

“It’s a winter oyster mushroom. The flavor is excellent.”

It had turned yellowish as if it had been carefully exposed to the fire.

Won Jeok accepted it somewhat awkwardly and glanced at Radiant Demon Wing Leader. His sparkling eyes made him look appropriate for his age. Just like when he was conversing with Mount Hua Hidden Dragon Yu Hyeon.

It didn’t particularly impress the eccentric old monk.

It was just that the savory aroma harmonized with Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s neat conduct, but what troubled him was that fragments of the dharma power he had revealed earlier were accompanying it, riding the transparent wind.

Four Great Vajra Won Jeok smiled with fulfillment. What did it matter how things turned out?

“I appreciate the patron’s kindness.”

“You seemed to be practicing silent meditation when you were with me…”

Yu Hyeon laughed dejectedly.

“So then.”

Goon Yu-rin, who had been silently observing all this, finally parted her lips.

The posture of resting her arms on her knees made it easy for her to draw her blade at any moment. She never lowered her guard in any situation.

“I’m not sure what’s happening with this group. But that friend has agreed to come with me to attack the Slaughter Sect.”

“Can I come too?”

“No.”

“I wasn’t asking the Profound Martial Alliance Leader’s child.”

Yu Hyeon looked at his friend from Desolate Fortress.

Similarly, Goon Yu-rin glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin and grumbled. I’m the employer, she seemed to say.

“Do you still want to accompany me? Even though you have connections with the Nine Great Sects.”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked. In that moment, Goon Yu-rin’s eyes flashed.

“What does it matter whether you cut a cow’s neck with a knife or a moon blade? I just need the meat of the Slaughter Sect. With the cooperation of a master like you, I won’t care about any variables that arise.”

“What if I betray you?”

“Then it’s just my fate. But rather, isn’t it more likely I’ll die from a blind poisoned needle from some assassin? I’m good at judging the character of people I’ve shared meals with. I trust my eyes more than background or status. You won’t point your sword in the wrong direction. Because you’re humble, righteous, and sincere.”

Madness even shone through her face. How had she been raised?

The ambition to behead her brother and become the master of the Profound Martial Alliance was clearly evident. Her spirit was tremendous.

Jeong Yeon-shin closed his mouth.

He had truly encountered an extraordinary eye technique. Faced with such utterly truthful words, he had nothing to say.

“What could the likes of you possibly do? Look at the illustrious gathering here.”… Yu Hyeon snickered and took out a small wooden box from his bosom.

“My master told me to give this to you. But looking at your breathing now, you can’t consume it immediately. It’s an elixir that affects the lower dantian energy accumulation… The blood vessels that receive the energy must be healthy. Otherwise, it’s no different from poison.”

Swish.

He extended it toward Jeong Yeon-shin. A fragrant scent wafted through the gaps in the wooden box. It came with somewhat mystical energy.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly accepted the wooden box.

The wooden texture felt warm. Like the hearts of Yu Hyeon and Sect Leader Lu Xian.

“Tell her I’m grateful. I only receive favors from the Sect Leader.”

“She says it’s more like you saved her.”

Just as Yu Hyeon gave a slight smile.

“Elixir? Come to think of it, you mentioned strange medicinal elixirs as compensation for your cooperation.”

Goon Yu-rin casually stirred the campfire with a crudely cut stick.

“For someone of your caliber to have no elixirs… that seems a bit strange, doesn’t it? Your appearance clearly marks you as a noble, you carry a precious sword, and you’ve even entered the realm of mind-controlled sword.”

She spoke casually. Her tone was nonchalant.

What she considered a great undertaking was about to commence.

Despite her earlier talk about judgment, she seemed tense. It appeared as if she were testing the stepping stones at a stream crossing.

“……”

Silence fell as Jeong Yeon-shin’s and her gazes met.

Suddenly, Goon Yu-rin smirked.

“Even if there’s a terribly ferocious dragon, as long as you don’t touch its reverse scale, it will bring rain to dry land. They say it inherently carries rain clouds. I’ve heard that even calamities can be blessings depending on how people face them.”

Jeong Yeon-shin realized. Both sides had been guessing each other’s identities all along.

‘Elixirs, huh.’

The strange medicinal elixirs in his travel pack had mostly been consumed.

The aftermath of Zhuge Clan Leader’s techniques had exceeded the efficacy of the medicines. He had continued taking the elixirs until only two pills remained in his pack, yet there had been little improvement.

More supplies were needed. That’s why he had mentioned strange medicinal elixirs.

“I have my circumstances.”

“Hmm, that’s possible. I apologize for being presumptuous.”

Tap.

After striking the campfire a few times with her stick, Goon Yu-rin raised the corner of her mouth.

Jeong Yeon-shin nodded vaguely and slightly lowered his eyes. He felt an emptiness in his bosom.

There had also been a pouch of strange elixirs that he kept inside, but they had all been crushed during the fierce battle.

The attack techniques of the peerless master had practically ignored the internal energy barrier that Jeong Yeon-shin had deployed.

A single allowed strike immediately led to a penetrating wound. It was only natural. Zhuge Clan Leader’s strikes were close to hell manifested in the mortal world.

The realm of the peerless.

Jeong Yeon-shin increasingly felt it. He truly needed proper protective energy.

‘When will I be able to discover a suitable energy structure? I need to properly formulate it…’

Without a mystical skill, it would be no better than a monkey’s string game.

In terms of clothing, he was stuck at the invention of materials. Armor that would not hinder but rather assist the movement of body and energy while boasting defensive power.

The protective energy that naturally suited his body and senses would be the ultimate defensive technique.

Silk and hemp no longer satisfied him. This was especially true since his entire body was already wrapped in the protective technique obtained from the upper levels of Thousand Gold Weightless Drum.

What he needed to achieve along with mind-controlled sword was extremely clear.

What inspiration might he gain from the Slaughter Sect, from Great Master Won Jeok?

“Let’s depart before sunrise tomorrow.”

“This humble monk will also accompany the young patron for a while.”

A strange company had formed. All sorts of positions were entangled in the twilight that had fallen over the snow-covered forest.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

“This should be far enough. Stop.”

It was a voice as thick as if it echoed in a cave.

Three people alighted on the snow field. It was a place of pure white, yet no footprints remained.

Seventh Apostle had lightly trod the snowy path with the Traceless Snow Treading protective technique. The hem of her pure blood robe swayed with a particularly deep crimson hue. Like a reflection of her inner thoughts.

‘Did it work?’

Se glanced sideways at the man wearing a fur coat that reached down to his feet.

He was an enormous figure. Even his height must have been at least seven feet.

The back view of Profound Martial Alliance Leader Goon Wei-hu.

As he gradually released his aura, he seemed inhuman.

That was his temperament.

It felt like looking at a city wall lined with hundreds of cannons.

Not only was it unapproachable, but even getting close would require risking one’s life. That’s how it felt even to Seventh Apostle.

She wondered if she should have fled somehow.

‘No, I needed to confirm he wasn’t messing with my precious one. This is the right choice.’

In Taiyuan, while savoring the beautiful gait of her precious one.

Suddenly, the Profound Martial Alliance Leader had manifested behind her. It was as if he had cut through the air with Void Treading Skill, without even a hint of his presence.

It was terrifying.

Even more so for Seventh Apostle. Though she didn’t show it.

The meeting between her injured precious one and the Profound Martial Alliance Leader should not have happened.

The masters of the Great Factions are so base that when they encounter talent they cannot possess, they tend to destroy it first.

Just as the Blood Flame Cult Leader, who died under her feet, had tried to end the young precious one’s life.

It was fortunate that her precious one’s energy waves had become so faint. His injuries were so severe that not even a trace of dharma power could be sensed, making him appear to be merely an outstanding rising talent at a glance.

A mere fly to the Profound Martial Alliance Leader of the Thirteen Evil Sects.

Thinking this, she occasionally blushed to herself, but then an uncharacteristic sigh of relief would escape her.

The Profound Martial Alliance Leader seemed to find Seventh Apostle’s silence strange.

Seventh Apostle had been particularly quiet while following the Profound Martial Alliance Leader who had led her and Baek Seo-gun away from Taiyuan.

He had not been particularly friendly to Seventh Apostle, merely using his uniquely terrifying pressure to force her forward.

As if holding the supreme talent of Blood Flame Cult hostage.

The masters of the absolute realm are bizarre. No one can easily understand their way of thinking.

Seventh Apostle didn’t care.

Her mind was filled with concern for her precious one. It was enough that the encounter between her precious one and the Profound Martial Alliance Leader had not occurred, that the Profound Martial Alliance Leader had not discovered her precious one.

That was sufficient.

That’s what she thought as she ran her fingers through the ends of her jet-black hair that fell beneath her crimson shoulders.

Rustle.

‘Now, how do I escape…?’

Just as she was putting on a deliberately nonchalant demeanor.

In an instant, her vision turned pure white. It was different from the color of the snow field. Before she could even recognize it, a tremendous impact struck her. Something had rushed at her with overwhelming speed.

Kwaaaang—!… Only after feeling the strike did the roar erupt. Seventh Apostle struggled to maintain consciousness as she felt the fierce wind.

She could taste blood rising to her lips. The Profound Martial Alliance Leader had pushed her with his shoulder. It was an extremely powerful shoulder technique.

Kwak!

Even after planting both feet firmly in the snow, she was pushed back a considerable distance. Two long furrows were created in the pure white snow field. She was pushed so far that the Profound Martial Alliance Leader appeared as a mere dot.

Yet his voice sounded as if he were right beside her.

“The protective techniques of the bats are unparalleled in the world.”

Hwook—!

Suddenly, he was behind Seventh Apostle with his back turned. It was an extremely swift protective technique.

The footwork felt less like mystical movement and more like overwhelming power used to close distances, yet it was incredibly fast.

“But now those feet will find it difficult to wander elsewhere. Under any circumstances.”

The snow field surrounding their vision was extremely bright.

“Your Blood Shadow Rakshasa Hand is an outdated miscellaneous technique. The true energy diagrams are widely known, so it would be better to give up on escape.”

This was something only the Profound Martial Alliance Leader could say.

The supreme masters had been traveling for two days. The Profound Martial Alliance Leader, as an absolute being, was extremely thorough despite possessing overwhelming martial prowess.

A temperament that excluded all variables. They say even the Martial Brilliance Technique he cultivated was the extreme of blunt methods that did not allow opponents to evade.

“Speak. For what reason were you watching my daughter?”

“What nonsense is this?”

“Your heart’s beating is quite calm. I see it’s the truth.”

Seventh Apostle intuitively felt it. This monster is skilled at handling people.

“Let’s move on then.”

The absolute voice continued slowly.

“Desolate Fortress’s Lightning Genius must be there. The one who was with my daughter.”

At that moment, her movements froze.

In reality, she felt as if her heart had dropped. Seventh Apostle deliberately curved her lips stained with blood into a smooth arc. This is quite thrilling.

“Is your Profound Martial Alliance in bed with the Murong family?”

“I can guess why you showed respect to my sword venerable. Because he’s from the Jeong family estate in Xinye County.”

The Profound Martial Alliance Leader continued.

“I’ve also heard that you entered Desolate Fortress’s main fortress and called the Tyrant Hero grandfather. It was hard to believe, but they say you boasted about it before killing the blood demons of Shanxi.”

“There were quite a few who escaped from there. They were all like flies to me.”

“I know you hold Lightning Genius in special regard. I’ve been keeping an eye on him as well.”

At that moment, her movements completely stopped.

She actually felt as if her heart had fallen. Seventh Apostle deliberately formed a smile on her blood-stained lips. How thrilling.

“Are you going to teach your inadequate child? You should check if her neck is still attached. My precious one…”

She suddenly closed her mouth. She sensed a strange atmosphere.

The king of this martial force with more numbers than skill was hiding a sinister intention. A vicious plot directly related to her precious one’s safety.

“Continue speaking. Tell me everything about Tamed Nezha.”

“…I don’t really know anything more?”

Thud.

The sound of footsteps in the snow echoed from behind her.

The presence that turned toward Seventh Apostle felt extremely heavy. A tremendously weighty feeling shook the air.

“I know the blood demons’ attachment to life. Do you want to die miserably?”

The words he spoke to the highest-ranking apostle of Blood Flame Cult did not come across as empty threats. He was the Profound Martial Alliance Leader. Anything was possible.

From behind Seventh Apostle, he asked.

“Do you truly have nothing to say?”

“Nope.”

Her smile, reddened with blood, deepened.

“I don’t know.”

It was then.

Suddenly, Seventh Apostle’s gaze turned toward a distant ridge.

“Ah…?”

And she widened her eyes. Her shoulders greatly contracted.

“Grandfather!”

Woong—!

The snow field ground sank in the form of a massive concentric circle.

It was an energy wave unlike any before. Colorless energy waves chillingly swept past their clothes.