Chapter 358 – Rushing (7)

The scene that unfolded in the mansion defied natural order.

It was a marvel created by true energy.

Behind the paper window, an outline of light depicting a person sitting cross-legged with both hands placed on the lower abdomen.

Protective energy.

The light spreading from the faint radiant garment did not embrace the lantern lights of the banquet hall.

Instead, it created a subtle fan-shaped domain that repelled them. Its quality was strangely tyrannical.

Ha—

A small exhalation escaped from beneath the Young Sect Leader’s silver mask.

“This makes things a bit difficult…”

Just as the muttering born from deep internal energy breathing flowed out.

Suddenly, as if it were a lie, the light cluster faded, and darkness rushed in instantly. As if there had never been any light.

It was a marvel never before seen in the martial world.

“……”

Silence continued. The lantern lights that had returned began to illuminate the surroundings again, but the boisterous commotion did not return.

The Young Sect Leader swept back the hair by his ear that had brushed against his cheek.

Concern seeped from the snow-white fingertips that briefly touched his skin, and dark blue light flashed from within the silver mask.

‘The energy waves were unstable. Perhaps it’s not yet complete?’

The Young Sect Leader stared intently at Jeong Yeon-shin’s room before relaxing his gaze. This was because he suddenly became aware of an uncharacteristic impatience.

Could it be because an existence beyond black and white had belatedly entered the world that had been covered in gray?

How ugly.

Invincible Yelü of Ming Cult, who mocked himself, turned his gaze away from the room where Jeong Yeon-shin was staying.

And surveyed the surroundings.

“…This isn’t the Spring and Autumn Period of the Sixteen Kingdoms.”

The Young Sect Leader snickered. His curved lips contained a mixture of mockery, contempt, and self-deprecation.

“So this is where those who couldn’t die properly have been buried alive.”

It was then.

Wind Lord Li Shi-ming, sitting at the head seat in the outdoor banquet hall, slowly shifted his gaze, and simultaneously, the Young Sect Leader, who had lowered the corners of his mouth as if becoming serious, rose like smoke from his spot and disappeared without a trace.

Only the hairy old master who had pointed to Jeong Yeon-shin’s room remained.

“Hmm…?”

A question formed in Li Shi-ming’s eyes. When the old woman beside him asked what was wrong, he merely shook his head and stared intently at the separate building where Jeong Yeon-shin was staying.

“Make sure no one approaches.”

Li Shi-ming slowly opened his mouth.

“He uses strange techniques, so I should observe him carefully.”

“Didn’t you say he’s a dog of the imperial court? The light that spread from there just now was quite strange. Wouldn’t it be better to eliminate him even now…?”

It was the old woman with a long diagonal scar on her face who spoke.

Severed Gate Ghost Blade Peng Mo-ran. A collateral branch of the Peng family who had long admired Wind Lord, who was like an older brother to her in her later years. She had once roamed the martial world as the king of wanderers in Hebei, without visiting her family.

This was because she had only received half of the Peng family’s Five Tiger Severed Gate Blade due to her birth.

She had entered this mansion following Li Shi-ming after many years, but Wind Lord treated her only as one of the Secret Realm Peng Family’s notable forces.

His eyes were always directed toward Ghost Cry Hegemon King Peng Yu-lan.

“Eliminate? Tomorrow is the wedding day.”

It meant not to speak such harsh words.

Marriage is a major matter. The future of Ghost Cry Hegemon King is at stake.

The scent of blood should not be sprinkled on an auspicious day.

“…I understand.”

Li Shi-ming’s gaze, which had silenced Peng Mo-ran, settled.

The young man called the Radiant Demon Wing Leader in that room would not be able to do anything during the ceremony.

This was because the Hegemon King and Wind Lord would be standing in one place, and even Ice Soul Cheon So-so’s allegiance was uncertain.

He seemed younger than his appearance suggested, so it would be fortunate if he didn’t receive too great a shock from seeing the Immortal Tree Spirit Squad Leader’s betrayal.

Since such a powerful youngster was unpredictable, it was better to keep him in sight.

After all, once the wedding was over, his Wind Flower Four Wheel Leg would crush the young Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s neck bones.

‘That fellow will surely oppose the family head.’

Contrary to what was known to the world, he did not see Ghost Cry Hegemon King as a woman.

It had been that way since he was defeated by Peng Yu-lan in a martial contest at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering in his youth.

When he saw her whispering sweetly into some woman’s ear in the dawn light the day after they had spent the night together, Li Shi-ming suddenly realized the profound meaning of the sixteen forms of the Wind Flower Four Wheel Leg, which swept like the wind with the marvelous principle of unrestricted freedom.

Unbounded wind was there.

Similar incidents repeated over the long years.

To Wind Lord, Ghost Cry Hegemon King was an incarnation of inspiration in human form. Something he should rightfully protect until he reached martial extremity…

He admired the world-encompassing Five Tiger Severed Gate Blade that Peng Yu-lan deployed, and loved her conduct, freer than anyone else in the world.

Peng Yu-lan was beautiful even when they lost the ritual implement for summoning the rain dragon to the Golden Gate Sect Leader who suddenly visited them one day.

Dragon Manifestation Heaven-Shaking Cannon. When she swallowed her anger and finally created the ultimate move that had only been passed down orally, said to embody the breath of the rain dragon, Li Shi-ming’s martial arts also advanced a step.

“Everyone, raise your cups!”

He rose from his seat calmly. As if he hadn’t seen the scene created by the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s martial arts earlier.

‘No Eight Great Clan is this powerful.’

Their armor lay below the platform.

The old masters of the Secret Realm Peng Family, flashing colorless light in their eyes, appeared to Li Shi-ming as the most extraordinary protective energy in the world.

They were people who had accomplished so much that they entered the natural formation to capture the rain dragon.

“Tomorrow is the day! The day Ghost Cry Hegemon King takes the Immortal Tree Spirit Squad Leader, this mystical place of the rain dragon will become our peach blossom paradise!”

There wasn’t much response.

As always, the former-generation old masters were extremely concerned with appearances.

Only the dark, colorless light flashing in the eyes of those gathered gave Wind Lord great satisfaction.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

An open-air forge.

Chiiiiik!

Hazy steam rises in wisps.

A long piece of iron is firmly compacted and refined under the hammers of a small boy and girl.

Both wear only thin sleeveless undergarments, with their upper clothes tied around their waists.

The green hem characteristic of Sichuan Tang family clothing was covered in ash and hanging down… The heat surging from the furnace. The constantly writhing upper body muscles were equally delicate.

The furnace continuously emitted heat.

To the left of the anvil, hammers, mallets, and tongs were neatly hung on the stone wall, adding to the characteristic roughness and iron smell of the forge.

It was the fifth day.

The intensity of creation, tempering, and forging had been with them.

At some point, faint blue smoke had begun to flow from the eyes, nose, and mouth of the Tang siblings, but the entranced village blacksmiths merely stared at them with blank expressions.

The small-bodied boy worked the bellows with incredibly large movements, while the girl with similar features continuously hammered the iron shaped like a sword, her eyes flashing with blue light.

They occasionally switched positions and roles to maintain the razor-sharp sensation in their hands.

The number of people watching them had reached a hundred. Among them was Xiahou Wei-jin, who had been protecting the villagers as chief.

“Is something wrong with my eyes?”

He muttered, watching the siblings with transparent sweat beads forming on their chins.

Tang Li-hua and Tang Li-li.

Their features seemed to change intermittently like mirages of the great desert.

Tang Li-hua had such distinct facial features that he could be mistaken for Jeong Yeon-shin at a glance, and Tang Li-li’s features were so beautiful that the furnace flames seemed like some kind of ornament.

It was as if this was how Jeong Yeon-shin would look if he had been born a woman.

Whoosh!

The flames of the furnace surged fiercely. This time Tang Li-li took charge of the bellows.

They were completely of one mind. As if they had achieved the realm of unity of sword and mind not with a sword but with each other, the sound of hammering never ceased.

The scorching heat grew even more intense.

The furnace, using Sichuan ironwood, Yunnan flint, and soil powder that seemed to come only from the rain dragon’s mystical place, emitted enough heat to melt any metal in an instant.

The red-hot blade had to continuously endure the siblings’ hammering as it lay on the anvil.

“A swift sword will cut well. At this rate, there will be virtually no air resistance.”

“Are we imbuing spirituality now? Did you remember the dharma power?”

“I only know the feeling, and he just needs to know that feeling too. So it won’t break when dharma power is applied.”

“I’ve never seen the Thunder Annihilation Sword Style. The center of gravity…”

“Let’s measure it with the prayer of silver light.”

“His arms were like iron bars as light as flowing silver. The energy wave fluctuations never ceased.”

“Since his reaction speed will be swifter than ours, we should focus on the joints.”

“Shoulder, elbow, wrist. The Shoulder Acupoint, Crooked Pool Acupoint, Inner Pass Acupoint… We don’t need to worry about the Tiger’s Mouth Acupoint between the thumb and index finger. Since our silver master’s grip can handle even that ‘Brilliant River,’ making the joint movements as easy as possible is right.”

“Li-hua, for the sword edge, the Later Heaven Eight Trigrams. The Dui trigram, half of half an inch below. Strike with one-tenth of your energy.”

Bang—!

“The Li trigram. You know where without me saying…?”

Bang—!

“Is it okay if our true energy enters? I wonder if it will affect the tempering.”

“We have no other choice.”

“The Qian trigram. Center, slightly to the left.”

Kwang—!

It wasn’t ordinary hammering. With each strike, energy spread in all directions.

Whenever whitish circular shockwaves penetrated the surroundings, at least one of the spectators would fall.

“Looking at the body he’s built now, he must be skilled in transformation too. Or he’ll use it often.”

“I know.”

“I’ve seen the Thunder Annihilation Sword Style before. The counterattack technique of accumulating and releasing energy waves was impressive.”

Xiahou Wei-jin’s occasional interjections were also helpful.

“Elasticity. Add more soil. Reverse Original Three Yang Power at three stars.”

“Now!”

Whoosh— Jjeojeong—!

They save Jeong Yeon-shin without even seeing him.

By engraving his image, emulating his qualities, and repaying his kindness by seemingly breaking him down through thorough analysis, the sword on the anvil progressed toward completion.

Just as martial arts with spirituality become divine skills.

Their hammering over five days was breathing spirituality into the metal.

So that the owner wouldn’t have to adapt to the weapon, but the weapon would infinitely understand its owner’s intentions in his hands.

And on the sixth day.

As dawn broke faintly blue over the distant ridge.

“Just a little more… Yes! Here, this much!”

With sister Tang Li-li’s cry, Tang Li-hua delivered the final hammer blow.

Faint blue energy waves flowed from the handle, which was soaked in blood.

Woooong—!

It was like a clear bell sound. It spread widely from the anvil.

The true iron, the metal that had been incredibly heated and hardened, suddenly pushed away the red color from its body and regained its silver form.

Sunlight streaked along the blade, which was engraved with the pattern of intersecting water streams.

Xiahou Wei-jin’s thick Adam’s apple moved as he watched the Tang siblings without ever moving. He didn’t look at the sword with fresh eyes.

The siblings didn’t place the blade they had made into the prepared handle.

They just stood facing each other with the anvil and sword between them, staring at each other with very faint smiles on their lips.

The siblings no longer emitted blue radiance.

—Repay kindness twofold, and return grudges tenfold.

The chivalry of the Tang family converged toward the one person who wasn’t present. At that moment, sunlight shattered down and flowed white along the blade.

Poison Dragon Tang Li-hua. Poison Phoenix Tang Li-li.

They had created a divine sword, and died standing.

They were seventeen years old.