Chapter 332 – Grandson (5)

Star Radiance Great Sword Lord Murong Jung-rak and Lotus Nezha Jeong Yeon-shin.

It was right after they had both drawn their swords. The elegant white clothing and pitch-black long robe stood in stark contrast to each other.

[TL Note- This is probably the longest fight in this series so far.]

Jjeojeong!

White streaks of light seemed to wrap around their entire bodies. All were afterimages of sword strikes. Each time the two swordsmen collided, the sword paths etched in the air approached something beyond the mortal realm.

They appeared and disappeared like smoke, sometimes resembling the garments worn by immortals of the celestial realm.

Meanwhile, the shockwaves were terrifying. It was a heaven-shaking confrontation.

Even to those from prestigious families of Desolate Fortress, it appeared so. Just witnessing it seemed to broaden one’s knowledge.

“Whoa…”

On the slope where the Tyrant Hero stood.

Shin So-bin’s round eyes with their clear distinction between black and white focused intently. It was to clarify her vision.

Though it was difficult to properly follow the trajectories, something was being etched in her mind. This was because the spirituality of those who had refined divine skills to the extreme was colliding.

Even though she had already seen the martial prowess of the squad leaders at the black robe ceremony, the scene created by the Murong family head and Senior Jeong was extraordinarily refined. At a glance, they hardly seemed human.

For the girl who had sought to greatly protect the common people and elevate the prestige of the Desolate Divine family, for the junior who had witnessed Jeong Yeon-shin’s blue robe ceremony, a fresh shock permeated her being.

“To think the Radiant Art Bond could be like this…”

The white martial robe of the Lightning Genius lineage practitioner fluttered with the aftermath of energy waves.

The wind blowing from the two powerful figures was strangely heavy. It must be due to the different caliber of internal energy they had cultivated. The same was true for its depth.

From the Murong family head, this was an achievement that should rightfully be felt. But the youngest black-rank of Desolate Fortress was different. Anyone would call it a miracle.

‘The sword path I feel is perfect. It’s as if he’s refined his sword techniques for decades.’

Was it more pronounced because his opponent was one of the Eight Clan Leaders?

She did not feel a wall with the same-aged master she revered. This was because she treated Senior Jeong almost like a sect-founding patriarch.

She had long accepted his temperament that was somewhat awkward in forming relationships with people, somewhat arrogant yet somehow clumsy, as endearing.

But occasionally, she felt as if he was walking through different times.

Just like now.

It was close to a sense of disparity. It couldn’t be explained by differences in talent alone.

Shin So-bin thought. There might be something that Radiant Demon Wing doesn’t know.

“Is that really a sword technique rooted in the Radiant Art Bond? Thunder Annihilation Sword Style… Come to think of it, I haven’t had the chance to receive much instruction due to lack of time. The squad leader’s guidance duels have been rare.”

“When did the young squad leader transform sword techniques into divine skills? If your eyes were like your tongue, you would have recognized it long ago.”

Words feigning composure amid the urgency. It was Hyeon Won-chang and Lazy Flame Dragon.

Thud.

The two slightly blocked her view. The storm of energy waves rushing toward them became somewhat lighter. It was the Brilliant Knot energy waves so familiar to Shin So-bin that had dispersed the wind.

Her seniors, always reassuring yet somewhat unreliable, had, upon careful observation, particularly deep attainment in the Brilliant Knot within Radiant Demon Wing.

“Why does Senior Poppy practice it so diligently?”

“…Hmm?”

Kwaaaang!

The answer was delayed. Along with a roaring sound, Lazy Flame Dragon’s head quickly turned to follow Jeong Yeon-shin who had been sent flying from the clearing.

He was fully absorbed in observing the fierce battle. Only his lips, muttering about the Opium Poppy, continued to move unchanged.

Shin So-bin didn’t reproach him. She too was feeling anxious.

Kuguung—

The cliff where the two powerful figures had been standing collapsed. The squad leader was facing a different caliber of opponent alone.

The unfathomable senior with the pink robe who had torn off the Profound Martial Alliance Leader’s arm was certainly a tremendous ally, but his current posture with folded arms exuded only a dignified temperament. He seemed determined not to converse with anyone.

As if saying this was an extremely significant moment.

As if saying a force capable of handling even missions involving major faction leaders was about to be born.

‘Isn’t it too early?’

Shin So-bin had heard what he had discussed with the squad leader. He intended to use this life-and-death battle as a stepping stone for achievement. He might not intervene in the one-on-one confrontation.

She had to temper her impatience.

So she moved her lips. She quickly expelled her inner thoughts through oral technique.

“About the Radiant Sword. The Hwangbo family’s martial arts are comparable to divine skills, aren’t they?”

“…For someone of your caliber, the more good martial arts you learn, the more beneficial it is. At the stage where broadening your knowledge leads to an increase in martial prowess, that is. Despite appearances, I’m not far from Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.”

“Given Senior Poppy’s talent, aren’t you just fit to put on the squad leader’s leather shoes? At most, you might barely keep up with his footsteps.”

“That’s not something I should hear from a novice. Anyway, there’s enjoyment in cultivating the Radiant Art Bond. The trajectory written in the secret manual is singular, but often there are higher-grade techniques hidden within. It’s quite pleasurable to find what seems to have been concealed from you all, as if no particular expectations were placed on you. That’s where Scorching Divine Meridian came from.”

“You called it the Ten Thousand Returns to the Origin. Isn’t it insufficient to focus on just one well?”

“It’s because I easily get bored with everything. As large as my vessel for martial arts is, I’m quite capricious. That monster over there, Star Radiance Great Sword Lord, has probably mastered all nineteen sword techniques of the Murong family, right? Because he’s the type who doesn’t discriminate in methods when it comes to enhancing his martial arts. There are even rumors that resentment has been deeply ingrained in his Yan royal bloodline.”

“……”

“Anyway… you might not feel it, but that monster seems more at ease than the squad leader despite using only a sword. The depth is different.”

Lazy Flame Dragon fidgeted with one foot distractedly. On the opposite side, Hyeon Won-chang had long since turned his stiff shoulders sideways.

It was in the direction where Jeong Yeon-shin had sprinted along the side of the cliff as if it were flat ground.

“The weight of each energy wave is completely different. Though it’s difficult to measure each one… it clearly encompasses both hardness and softness, as well as swiftness, all at a peerless level.”

“It’s fundamentally ridiculous and shameful. For someone in the position and age of the Murong family head to seriously cross swords with our squad leader.”

“How do you think it will turn out?”… “The squad leader’s martial arts are focused on heavy sword and swift sword techniques. They might not work against a peerless swordsman produced by a prestigious family. While short decisive battle martial arts have the potential to slaughter even masters of equal rank in a single strike… they have the disadvantage of being vulnerable in prolonged battles and counterattacks. Won-chang, when I signal, throw me with all your might. With the Brilliant Algae Heavenly King Scripture of the main family, I should be able to buy the squad leader some time.”

It was then.

Kwaaaang!

The bodies of Murong Jung-rak and Jeong Yeon-shin on the side cliff were engulfed in an enormous light.

It was as if another sun had risen. A sphere made of the Murong family head’s energy waves suddenly manifested and reflected the sunlight. It had a mystical quality.

They say that when one reaches the peerless realm, the boundary between martial arts and spell techniques becomes blurred; at a glance, it looked like a formation barrier deployed through spell martial arts.

“Won-chang!”

The moment Lazy Flame Dragon shouted.

The movements of all three people simultaneously stopped. It was because an overwhelming force had bound them. For a moment, it felt as if they had been acupressure-struck.

“True heaven-bestowed talent.”

Ma Yeon-jeok, who had been standing silently, opened his mouth. Still with his arms folded.

“Learns what has not been heard, knows what has not been experienced. The golden phoenix that devours dragons knows how to spread its wings toward the sky without learning. But what if there is a mere serpent before its eyes?”

The three members of Radiant Demon Wing did not hear. The internal energy waves arising from their bodies sharply swept through the atmosphere.

Yet none could move. The Slaughter Sect personnel maintaining their positions nearby, and all sorts of dignitaries from Taiyuan held their breath.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

Two hundred and thirty exchanges.

Jeong Yeon-shin counted the forms he had exchanged with the Murong family head.

Though there had been that many exchanges before he was pushed back, the actual time that had passed was not even one quarter-hour. This was because all sword forms consisted of swift sword techniques like rays of light.

The Thunder Annihilation Sword Style deployed with a broken sword was still powerful.

However, it was difficult to fully withstand the ever-changing Flowing Star Sword. With the Myriad Heavens Flower Rain, he had only managed to shatter the cliff, not the Murong family head.

Each moment was a continuous series of choices.

Ultimate Thunder and Fan Dragon Treading Flower Technique cannot be used together. This is because both are extreme techniques that break the body’s limits. Simultaneous activation was impossible.

Unless he had a divine skill like the Wudang Sect’s Yin Yang Cultivation Technique, it was impossible to use techniques that pushed the limits of internal energy manipulation together.

When strength was needed, he activated Ultimate Thunder, and when reaction speed was important, he activated Fan Dragon Treading Flower Technique.

Throughout this.

The Murong family head never let his guard down.

He blocked both the deployment of Myriad Heavens Flower Rain toward the broken Northern Light Divine Sword and the mind-controlled sword skill that unified sword and mind with experienced tactics.

Unlike Zhuge Clan Leader who had learned spell martial arts requiring distance yet approached, Star Radiance Great Sword Lord never gave up distance and pressed Jeong Yeon-shin with peerless sword techniques.

The air around them had become tense to the extreme.

Fragments of energy waves wandering between them like broken mirror pieces. Everything seemed about to explode at any moment. The battle had reached its climax.

‘The impact is too strong. He’s pushing all the sword strike energy waves toward me.’

The opponent is a master of the sword.

In time divided into hundreds of breaths within a single breath, Jeong Yeon-shin struggled to maintain his balance. It was right after the Murong family head before him had delivered a whitish sword strike.

Only divine skills can break divine swords. He didn’t even have divine skill-level protective energy. A sword strike that could break the Northern Light Divine Sword could immediately behead him as well.

Woong.

The two hundred and thirty-first exchange.

“I’m tired of your sword talent. Let’s end this.”

Suddenly, the fragments of energy waves that Murong Jung-rak had been releasing formed a certain domain.

The sword domain that Jeong Yeon-shin had previously detected became materialized with true energy. He sensed it. It was a space that made advancing swords even swifter.

With the mental imagery of transforming the surroundings where stones fall and winds blow into a universe where all things freely swim.

Another divine skill had sprouted.

How many techniques did he possess? This was the depth of a major faction leader with hundreds of years of history.

Woooooong—

It sounded like hundreds of heartbeats crying out. Simultaneously, everything around darkened.

It was the shadow created by fragments of energy waves. It was also a mystical space created by sword techniques that had reached the level of divine skills.

The air in all directions resonated with heavy echoes. Even with the eye technique of the Heaven-Connecting Technique exposed to it, only faint shadows could be distinguished.

Everyone has a life-saving ultimate move.

It could be Nine Dragons Descending from Heaven, some unexpected technique, or a chain technique that strengthens during battle.

But the life-saving ultimate moves of those called peerless masters are different. Their lives weigh heavily.

The life-saving ultimate move of the peerless realm is a master’s own secret technique that they deploy regularly. For Star Radiance Great Sword Lord Murong Jung-rak, it must be this space where he manifested his sword domain.

It felt like being surrounded by waves under the night sky. All flows were directed toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

The moment Jeong Yeon-shin applied force to his hand gripping the sword handle, a dry mental image penetrated his ears. Due to the spirituality forming the divine skill, the message was transmitted to his upper dantian.

[Accumulating Divine Halberd.]

The true meaning of the sword technique mixed with the shadows came through. It was an extremely natural thrust.

A trajectory imbued with the experience of the middle-tier martial world and the realm of a peerless swordsman. There was no time to react.

Puhwak—

A long sword shadow penetrated Jeong Yeon-shin’s abdomen.

It pierced through to his back.

The pain was tremendous. He felt a large foreign object in his stomach. His skin felt like it was burning.

“This is something the high officials of Desolate Fortress always experience.”

A humming voice from within the darkness made of fragments of divine skill energy waves.

“Whether one can or cannot take the head of a sect leader leading a major faction. Those who completed their missions wore purple robes, while those who couldn’t were buried in the wilderness with their bodies never found.”

“……”

“Junior, it’s regrettable. Liaodong, Liaoxi, Liaoning—any would have been fine. If only you had been in any of those places…”

“Since becoming a black-rank.”

“Hmm?”

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly parted his lips. The Jeong Family Dynamic Technique was desperately embracing his internal organs in his stomach. Blood was boiling in his throat like phlegm.

“I’ve always wondered.”

“Child of the Jeong family, you’re pushing yourself too hard.”

Murong Jung-rak spoke with a voice of admiration. Jeong Yeon-shin continued regardless.

“How I should deal with someone like you.”

“What did you say?”

Murong Jung-rak merely asked briefly without moving further. For a moment, he too had pushed himself too hard.

He had staked everything on victory, succeeded, and was now absorbing the recoil from delivering an extremely swift sword form… Even in a space where energy waves obscured even the sunlight, it wouldn’t be an easy place for the Murong family head to move freely.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer. It felt as if the gentle breath of the Desolate Fortress Lord lingered by his ear.

—A master’s senses cannot be easily deceived. This fact must first be engraved in your heart.

—That seems difficult right now…

—Difficult?

—It seems hard to use properly. Both controlling energy waves to penetrate the opponent’s energy sense and disrupting senses during actual combat.

Jeong Yeon-shin whispered to his past self in his mind. Controlling energy, not senses, had always been easy.

Saaaa—

The talent residing throughout his body flowed like rays of light. The internal energy waves of the Luminous Wheel Technique adhered to the surroundings with an auspicious quality.

Simultaneously.

The fragments of energy waves spread by Murong Jung-rak all began to change their texture.

It was like a passage made of mirror fragments reversing as it scattered light. The invisible bundle of paths was changing direction.

It was a tangle of countless sword paths. Like waves, they rose in a flow from Jeong Yeon-shin toward Murong Jung-rak.

Mind-controlled sword.

The surroundings began to brighten. It was like a scene entering dawn.

He had controlled the sword domain of energy waves and made it his own path. The presence of the Murong family head, who had begun to cast a shadow before his eyes, flinched.

He had no choice but to feel it first. Because a peerless master had lost control over his energy.

Jeong Yeon-shin said nothing more.

Azure flames arose from the half-broken Northern Light Divine Sword blade in his hand.

As the azure flame covered the short sword blade, it instantly grew like a blade. Internal energy manipulation that had reached divine marvel. He had forged the energy waves into a single stream.

The Murong family head’s brow twitched. Soon after, the surroundings were dyed in a dark blue light.

Star Radiance Great Sword Lord had reached the extreme of unity of essence, energy, and spirit. In the brief moment when his mind was strongly stirred, the internal energy barrier of the Heavenly Demon Armor surrounded his entire body. It was a mistake born of unconsciousness.

[Azure Flame Solar Eclipse.]

Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind flowed out as a short recitation.

Whoosh—!

The flame of the sword strike that sprouted from his right hand dyed the cliff blue as it raced forward. It was a speed to which even a peerless swordsman could not react. It was as if another sun had risen.

A piercingly blue light filled the sword domain surrounding them, fiercely sweeping up the Murong family head’s entire body.