Chapter 357 – Rushing (6)

The technique of concealing energy waves originating from Blood Extreme Demon.

It’s not only used for hiding one’s identity. It’s also highly effective in duels between masters.

Deceiving an opponent’s energy sense is equivalent to creating a feint.

The reason why accomplished martial artists can avoid strikes from behind. It’s because the internal energy residing in their bodies constantly perceives the surroundings beyond the five senses.

It was the same now.

The old masters guarding the mansion’s main gate.

The two old men blocking Jeong Yeon-shin’s path couldn’t fully sense the rotation of the Luminous Wheel.

Their raised white eyebrows suggested they were merely facing a martial art with unusually loud aftermath.

They had mistaken the spiraling currents emanating from Jeong Yeon-shin’s palms as hollow displays.

This was likely because they were old masters capable of imitating such appearances.

Rustle—

The clothes of the old men with their hands behind their backs fluttered in the swirling vortex. Their appearance was like that of carefree immortals. Befitting those who had come to capture the rain dragon.

The two old men casually conversed with each other while looking at Jeong Yeon-shin.

“That old fellow… still hasn’t killed his temper.”

“He seems to be from the world of youngsters outside. Not the martial world of the Two Kings and Three Lords.”

“With that temperament, and that wind, he must have cultivated tyrannical martial arts. How many youngsters must have attended to him outside?”

“But who is he?”

“Are there only one or two people who went into seclusion immediately after arriving here? Mount Taimao Fortress didn’t unite us. They merely opened the door.”

Those who had come through Mount Taimao Fortress’s spell martial arts rather than the Golden Wing Sect. They considered Jeong Yeon-shin a former-generation master who had arrived with them.

With the carefree demeanor characteristic of old masters who had cultivated martial arts for a long time.

The old men standing in front of Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t seem to see the rough “Desolate” character on his shoulder as it was.

“Listen, let me give you some advice out of concern. If you don’t want to end up like those slaves down there, your status…”

The old man on the left, who had been referring to the iron clan craftsmen as slaves, suddenly closed his mouth.

The attitude of an old master who didn’t envy rejuvenation transformed into slight bewilderment when his gaze met Jeong Yeon-shin’s indifferent eyes.

‘They speak like the prestigious clans of the Eight Great Clans. Those who have cultivated Taoist martial arts.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought as he silently stepped toward the two old men.

In the Ming Dynasty, no citizen is allowed to own slaves. Following the hired labor system strictly, people can only be employed by paying wages.

The Ming imperial family has thoroughly forbidden the ownership of slaves, servants, or bondsmen for generations.

The law of the Yuan Dynasty they had defeated contained the clause “slaves are like objects,” and the Ming royal family strangely antagonized such traditions of the previous dynasty.

They even made an example by annihilating the entire clan of a martial sect near Nanjing that had captured noble women and men as slaves during the early founding period.

That’s why when the Hwangbo family was annihilated for privately mobilizing commoners for labor, only martial artists protested that Desolate Fortress’s actions were excessive.

The imperial family had governed the country that way. They made examples of villains who ignored the Great Ming Code and didn’t pay fair wages to laborers.

Ghost Cry Hegemon King’s mansion visible beyond the old men.

It was magnificent.

The spaces between the elegantly extending roofs felt not just like structures but like some kind of sculptures, clearly the work of iron clan craftsmen.

“Did you pay the craftsmen?”

When Jeong Yeon-shin asked, the old man on the right slightly raised both arms in a defensive stance and asked in return.

“What nonsense is this?”

“Having secluded yourself in deep mountains and achieved Rejuvenation, you must think the world is beneath your eyes. Not knowing how high the sky is.”

The old man on the left joined in.

The speech and conduct characteristic of those who force others with martial arts.

It was an attitude Jeong Yeon-shin had experienced quite often while carrying out missions as a Desolate Fortress martial artist.

After seeing the Tang siblings’ lifespan and feeling a fire ignite in his heart, his effort to ask questions to avoid harming innocent people had been in vain.

He extended both hands forward.

The two old men reacted nimbly. Standing in place, they each took one of Jeong Yeon-shin’s hands, right and left, pushing outward with their own hands.

It was a dual palm technique. Hollow energy waves spread from the old masters’ bodies.

Rejuvenation isn’t achieved through high martial arts alone. Enlightenment, opportunity, and the divine skills one has learned must all be special.

Since reversing the years of the physical body doesn’t mean invincibility, the old men didn’t yield.

Their hands, which had blocked Jeong Yeon-shin’s palms with semi-transparent palm winds, demonstrated their long-standing confidence.

And so their hands met.

Kwaaaang—!

In that moment, the earth shook and the gate behind the old masters was completely shattered.

It was a terrifying shockwave.

Even the signboard with the characters “Secret Realm Peng Family” was broken into pieces and flew into the air, and the figures of the two old masters were flung in opposite directions through the dust that had suddenly risen.

Simultaneously, blood burst from their mouths, mixing with the soil and stone fragments.

Thud.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s black robe hem brushed against the thick dust.

He had no interest in the well-being of the old masters who had disappeared through the walls on either side, leaving huge cracks in the fence.

The flash of shock in their eyes during that brief moment also didn’t remain in his heart.

It was then.

“It seems the Zhang brothers have poorly received a guest. I sincerely apologize.”

Along with a clear voice, a wind blew in and settled the dust.

A voice with a gentle pressure. It immediately demonstrated the profound internal energy of the one who had suddenly expressed regret to Jeong Yeon-shin.

Jeong Yeon-shin raised his head.

A man with ears as sharp as leaf tips was looking down at Jeong Yeon-shin from mid-air, his hands behind his back.

Extremely refined void treading.

His light green long robe fluttering in the wind created a fitting atmosphere. He possessed the gentle energy characteristic of noble clan martial artists, with no particular aura being discernible.

His appearance suggested he had just passed the age of twenty. He was someone whose features looked quite human-like. At a glance, since he was a noble clan member, it was difficult to gauge his age.

“My name is Li Shi-ming.”

The man raised his clasped hands with a slight smile.

A flash of light crossed Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes.

It was a name he had heard from Xiahou Wei-jin. One of the exceptionally powerful among “those who came before.” A powerful figure who had admired Ghost Cry Hegemon King Peng Yu-lan and become her limb.

‘Wind Lord Li Shi-ming.’… He was said to be one of the Two Kings and Three Lords. The last master of the now-extinct Wind Pavilion Sect.

Considering that the other two among the Three Lords were old masters from the Kunlun Sect and Beggar Sect, it would be unwise to underestimate him despite his sect’s lesser reputation.

“Seeing that Desolate Fortress’s precious sword has come, it seems the Golden Wing Sect has succeeded in their great spell for the second time. In any case, those gate guards didn’t properly look at the shoulder of someone who was to be a guest… they deserved what they got.”

The man continued without removing his smile.

“That free-spirited quality. I can faintly sense the Radiant Demon energy from your body. It seems the later waves of the Yangtze are strong.”

Two Kings and Three Lords. Wind Lord Li Shi-ming.

He was said to be a former-generation master.

How thick was his noble blood? It was strange how he gazed down at Jeong Yeon-shin with his bluish eyes.

The martial art he had learned immediately upon entering Desolate Fortress was the Radiant Demon Technique. The martial principle of deploying the most efficient trajectory according to the situation. It was the first time an enemy had mentioned it first.

The eyes of the noble clan, said to penetrate the truth, had read one of the fundamentals of the Radiant Demon Wing Leader.

But Jeong Yeon-shin opened his mouth calmly.

“You must know why I’ve come.”

“I can see you’re different from the martial artists of this land who covet the rain dragon. Did you not come to find the one who is to become our family head’s companion?”

“Watch your speech. She is the Immortal Tree Spirit Squad Leader of the main fortress.”

Jeong Yeon-shin politely advised the old master who was likely much older than him.

After all, he was someone who had washed his hands in the golden basin in the outside martial world. There was no need to conform to martial etiquette.

“Ah.”

Li Shi-ming smiled slightly.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. Perhaps you think Ghost Cry Hegemon King has somehow forced Ice Soul Cheon So-so?”

“You’re engaging in pointless argument.”

Jeong Yeon-shin’s robe hem trembled as he raised the Ability Luminous Wheel Energy from his heart.

“I speak because the truth is different.”

Li Shi-ming added slowly.

“How could one force a Black-rank supreme master with such upright and steadfast temperament? One might subdue her with martial arts, but not her heart.”

“Keep talking.”

“Cheon So-so has willingly agreed to become Ghost Cry Hegemon King’s companion. If you doubt this, you’re welcome to confirm it yourself.”

“……”

In that moment, the wind that had been swirling around Jeong Yeon-shin subsided.

A heavy silence descended instantly.

The internal energy he had raised to confront an exceptionally rare powerful figure was gathered back in the blink of an eye.

The state of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, where internal energy breathing completely unifies with the mind. The state that had been naturally approaching since his transformation had finally settled within Jeong Yeon-shin.

Interest and wariness appeared in Li Shi-ming’s eyes.

‘This is not someone to deal with immediately.’

He thought.

Ghost Cry Hegemon King’s wedding ceremony was imminent. It would be wrong to create ill omens on an auspicious day by quarreling with someone who was alone.

“Follow me.”

Li Shi-ming turned his body in mid-air. Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been silently looking up at him, very slowly took a step.

While taking in one by one the old masters of the Secret Realm Peng Family who were rushing down through various parts of the collapsed wall, perhaps sensing the commotion.

This place was a den of demons.

There was no one who wasn’t powerful.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

—Please don’t think of causing a disturbance. Even if you are of purple rank in Desolate Fortress, that doesn’t apply here. It’s better to stay quiet, have a quiet conversation, and leave. After the wedding ceremony, that is.

—Nonsense.

—Our sect leader’s ultimate move is a technique called Dragon Manifestation Heaven-Shaking Cannon, designed specifically to kill the Golden Wing Sect Leader. No human body could withstand it.

This was the conversation Jeong Yeon-shin had with Li Shi-ming while being guided to the guest quarters.

Peng Yu-lan and Cheon So-so were not in the mansion.

Even after fully opening the Luminous Wheel Energy and scanning down to the underground, he couldn’t sense the icy energy characteristic of the Immortal Tree Spirit Squad Leader.

He only detected the slight reactions of dozens of powerful old masters.

The martial artists of the Secret Realm Peng Family were all figures from the past.

They were said to avoid inauspicious matters. Everyone, including the family head and guests, thoroughly considered superstitions, I Ching divinations, and geomancy.

Immortal Tree Spirit Squad Leader, who could draw mystical powers from the World Tree’s sapling.

Ghost Cry Hegemon King, one of the Two Kings.

Ice Soul Cheon So-so held tremendous symbolic significance.

Whether to summon the rain dragon or to escape outside the formation, all these great spells could be accomplished through the World Tree’s sapling.

At least the martial artists here believed so.

The Hegemon King rightfully had to take her.

The upcoming wedding ceremony was a ritual to declare to all that Cheon So-so was subordinate to Peng Yu-lan. It was an announcement.

To the various iron clan villages and wanderers who still harbored resentment, to the other of the Two Kings who solely occupied the lakeside where the rain dragon was said to have immersed itself, and to Shadow Lord Empty True Person of the Kunlun Sect and Ghost Lord Man Hou-gai of the Beggar Sect.

Ice Soul and Ghost Cry Hegemon King were in seclusion somewhere unknown.

It was unclear whether they were together or separated.

They were said to not appear in the mansion until the wedding, planning to arrive at the appointed ceremony location on the day itself.

After learning all this, Jeong Yeon-shin had shut himself in the guest quarters and not come out.

Old masters who had learned what happened to the gate guards circled his room, but Wind Lord Li Shi-ming had called them separately and prevented them from approaching rashly.

Five days passed like that.

The vast mansion of the Secret Realm Peng Family regained its festive atmosphere.

The smell of roasting meat and the aroma of wine spread in all directions, and beneath the dark sky, clouds faintly tinged with moonlight slowly drifted.

It was the eve of the wedding ceremony.

Elderly old masters and some noble clan martial artists sat in the courtyard or banquet hall, exchanging drinks or playing Go.

Most didn’t bother to conceal their energy, so formless waves of internal energy, thicker than the smell of wine, enveloped all directions.

Like an invisible mist densely manifesting on the ground.

“Tomorrow is the day.”

“Our family head is truly strange. Insisting on holding a wedding ceremony.”

“This isn’t even the outside martial world. What does it matter what she does?”

“Will they really stay quiet? There might be no meaning in choosing an auspicious day.”

“Shadow Lord is a person detached from all matters, so he won’t come.”

“Hegemon King and Ghost Lord are the problem…”… “We just need to hold out until the family head lifts the face veil of the Immortal Tree Spirit Squad Leader, right? No matter how powerful they are, we can…”

“I’m also curious about the new guest. Isn’t Wind Lord’s confidence excessive?”

“The aftermath of his hand technique was extraordinary. It might be better to behead him even now.”

“That’s right. I heard the Golden Wing Sect came?”

It was then.

Rustle.

In one corner of the courtyard where the banquet was being held.

A figure wrapped entirely in an extremely splendid white windproof robe stepped on the ground. It was someone wearing a silver mask that came down only to the bridge of the nose.

“Hmm? You are…”

The old master who made eye contact with the silver-masked stranger’s eyes became unfocused. It happened very quietly, without any particular sign.

The stranger moved his lips beneath the silver mask.

“I’m looking for the young guest.”

A whispered command flowed out. Lips curved in a crooked arc. With an extraordinarily noble quality, they seemed to mock the old master with a hint of laughter.

The complexion of the old man with rough beard brightened. Like a man facing the most beautiful being in the world.

As if enchanted, the old man slowly extended his finger to one side.

The gaze of the Ming Cult’s Young Sect Leader followed that fingertip to a separate building where the lantern light was extinguished. It appeared to be the room where the owner was sleeping.

“Over there?”

“Yes.”

The corner of the Young Sect Leader’s mouth rose slightly. He hadn’t expected him to be sleeping.

It was then.

Woong—

Suddenly, all conversation ceased.

The gazes of dozens of old masters who hadn’t reacted to the Young Sect Leader’s presence due to his concealment technique all turned at once.

A room without a single light.

Suddenly, a figure sitting cross-legged appeared through the paper window. A whitish radiance was flickering in the shape of a person.

It looked as if wrapped in moonlight. That’s how it appeared.

Whoosh—!

The moonlight in human form reflected on the paper window intensified. Soon after, the lights from lanterns hanging throughout the banquet hall began to be pushed away.