Chapter 517 – Sunset (8)

A sky where dark twilight undulates in grayish-white curves, and land that occasionally makes rustling sounds and spits out dust without any particular sunlight in such atmospheric currents.

No vegetation grows.

There is no vitality either.

The only thing filling the rough ground surface is an ominous temperament. Only the earth winds that scrape long across it were abundant.

It didn’t seem like a place where a massive flood dragon had been just moments before.

Where in the world is this place?

Beyond the ‘gates,’ they had said. Is it the same world? Or perhaps the paradise where immortals from stories are said to live among the stars, strangely twisted?

Jeong Yeon-shin doesn’t know.

But he didn’t particularly ask anyone here about it.

‘It’s not my jurisdiction.’

While the words of Divine Monk Beomheo, who had once told him to live in the human jianghu, continuously flitted through his mind, it was because of the beings surrounding him right before his eyes.

Three Divine Sword Group Leaders.

A sight that cannot be seen outside the gates.

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly felt contradictory emotions.

The pressure of having to show achievements to past Divine Sword Group Leaders. And conversely, the expectation of a somewhat naive junior eagerly awaiting what they would show him.

Peaceful yet not tranquil.

Such moments would never come again.

Even if he were to express his curious concern to Ma Yeon-jeok and Yong Hye-myeong, only Jeong Yeon-shin’s meager heart would lighten momentarily.

He was a purple who would soon have to go out into the turbulent jianghu. It was right to concentrate on digesting the opportunity permitted at this moment.

In one corner of Jeong Yeon-shin’s vision, the heads of Nether Stream Squad Leader, Burning Abyss Squad Leader, and Obeying Heaven Wing Leader were still hanging. Since they were images lodged in his heart, they seemed unlikely to be erased.

Therefore, this place was not beyond the gates but rather closer to a type of training ground.

A place that would make Jeong Yeon-shin, who would now step forward as the leader of the main fortress, into a completed divine sword.

Hah—

Having regulated his breathing with the breathing of Luminous Wheel Technique for a while, he soon exhaled white mist from both sides of his lips and slowly opened his mouth.

“What should we start with?”

At Jeong Yeon-shin’s words, Shin Cheon-hwa immediately parted her lips. She was already fluttering her purple sleeves widely with her hands unclasped from behind her back.

The sight of her long, jet-black hair mixing into the twilight above this land. All of that scenery proved the dignity of the former Divine Sword Group Leader.

[The fundamentals are movement techniques. Your footwork, body techniques, and lightness skills.]

Shin Cheon-hwa said.

[All of that harmonized quite mysteriously with your well-trained body, so they must all be martial arts you created yourself, right?]

“Yes.”

Jeong Yeon-shin nodded slightly. Soon after, light laughter gathered in Shin Cheon-hwa’s sharp eye corners.

[You walked an extremely righteous path befitting your natural talent. If you had learned the Ma Family’s Harmonious Flower Divine Technique, it would have been difficult to achieve that level at your age. You did very well, so continue just like that.]

In the meantime, Ma Yeon-jeok, who had been closely examining his grandson’s entire body, opened his mouth.

“Excellent advice. Since it comes from someone who abandoned the Desolate Shin Family’s Heaven-Reaching Martial Scripture without even mastering it, listen carefully.”

[The tyrannical Harmonious Flower Divine Technique suited that Ma Family youngster very well. Even though he was from Radiant Sword Wing, it was understandable that he wouldn’t even glance at Radiant Sword Wing’s martial arts.]

[TL Note- It seems Ma Yeon-jeok was in Radiant Sword Wing.]

Shin Cheon-hwa’s words continued as she lifted one corner of her mouth.

[But you’re different. You can turn your gaze in any direction. Because the framework of martial arts that constitutes you as a person is entirely composed only of your own methods. Naturally, even if you add various things, your center won’t be disturbed. For example…]

Whoosh!

Suddenly dry wind swirled toward her with a rumbling sound. At the same time, her purple long robe fluttered like a dance before disappearing into space.

Along with Shin Cheon-hwa’s body.

The next moment, Jeong Yeon-shin was stepping back one pace. Immediate retreat footwork. It was Radiant Wing Six Steps that he had deployed once in the Desolate Grand Hall.

Paaaaaang—!

Shin Cheon-hwa’s body appeared where he had been, bursting with a light breaking sound.

Her advancing footwork that seemed to compress space and Jeong Yeon-shin’s Radiant Wing Six Steps. In an instant, their front lapels brushed past each other then separated, bursting blue lightning with crackling sounds.

It was the aftermath of supreme realm footwork colliding.

[Normally, this would be one exchange.]

Meanwhile, Shin Cheon-hwa’s mental intent spread quickly as if she had constantly deployed Transcendent Martial Art. The speed at which it struck Jeong Yeon-shin’s ears was literally lightning-like.

[But if unbelievably, a successive strike comes in? If the opponent is worthy of long association with the Fortress Lord or if you face joint attacks, it’s quite possible.]

The point where Shin Cheon-hwa and Jeong Yeon-shin’s gazes met.

Hwaaaaaaak!

Amid lightning and grayish currents spreading in all directions, some human shadow flickered from the side.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes widened slightly. Even though they had never coordinated before, Yong Hye-myeong had approached closely.

Shin Cheon-hwa’s mental intent poured out.

[Then you can’t just move your legs. After your feet comes your whole body, the turn of body techniques.]

In the state where his body was tilted backward right after executing Radiant Wing Six Steps.

Jeong Yeon-shin faced a strike from the current Divine Sword Group Leader.

Would it be about a preliminary battle for the Group Leader position?

Sleeve edges rising like a dance following Yong Hye-myeong’s gesture. Suddenly, a whirlwind arose from those garment edges like magic and rushed toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

It couldn’t be called palm wind, and it was ambiguous to call it sword wind.

Even the breaking sound was noisy.

Quiuuuuuung!

While the atmosphere shook semi-transparently, all those intense vibrations flowed in a directional manner, converging entirely on Jeong Yeon-shin.

Sword winds that took on vaguely dense forms were about to trap his entire body and tear it apart.

‘If I get hit, I’ll die…!’

Jeong Yeon-shin was already holding the recoil of retreat footwork with his knee’s fine muscles.

Jeong Family Dynamic Technique.

In an instant, he strongly stimulated the Sea of Blood and Yang Mound acupoints on both sides of his knees, awakening all his body’s acupoints with the power of Radiant Wing Six Steps. Then the movements of body technique Wind God naturally arose.

A body that bounced to the side while rotating intensely.

It was evasion by a narrow margin.

Pararararak!

Purple-tinted garment edges mixed with twilight rubbed against the grayish whirlwind. It was similar to the movement Yong Hye-myeong had shown to Ma Yeon-jeok’s strike earlier.

Soon after, the garment edges that had momentarily become rags rumbled and began to repair themselves.

Step.

Having landed while maintaining distance to the side… Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at the ground where he had been standing.

It had become ruins.

A scene extensively sunken while long furrows rushed in various directions like meeting a compressed typhoon, drawing mandala-like patterns.

The brief exchanges of the Divine Sword Group Leaders had created that.

His own techniques were mixed in there too. Very, extremely naturally.

“……”

He couldn’t help but feel a strange emotion.

[Well done.]

Shin Cheon-hwa said while roughly sweeping her hair back.

[When you connect all techniques like that, even non-existent leisure arises. It’s not called movement techniques for no reason. Since the three are not different from each other, they must always be melted into one.]

[TL Note- it’s supposed to be body-protection technique instead of movement technique. But I’m using movement techniques so readers don’t find it confusing.]

“What about lightness skills…?”

At Jeong Yeon-shin’s question, Shin Cheon-hwa smiled.

[Do you plan to keep fighting the two of us? When a Divine Sword Group Leader dies, that battlefield also dies. If you’ve withdrawn, you should join up with your subordinates. Retreat footwork doesn’t end with one step.]

“Hmm…”

For a moment, Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t help but think of Emperor Qian-ling.

Then did the death of the emperor, who had fought a life-and-death battle with the Fighting God, have no meaning other than temporarily blocking the entire southern advance of the northern jianghu…?

[Lightness skills are used for such necessity. Or when striking weak points with movement that transcends enemies’ imagination.]

“…I understand.”

Jeong Yeon-shin reluctantly answered. While pondering whether lightness skills could be used for other means.

In that brief moment, countless inspirational light rays were branching out in his mind.

Radiant Wing Steps, Wind God, Ten-Li Gentle Light.

The movements of Divine Sword Group Leader-level absolute masters stimulated Jeong Yeon-shin’s upper dantian as always.

Even their strikes bore clear intent. The movements of fine muscles, the distortion of meridians, the direction of strikes, and so on.

Even brief exchanges of techniques were more than enough to provide inexhaustible lubrication to Jeong Yeon-shin’s martial arts.

The footwork, body techniques, and lightness skills he originally possessed would gradually change into techniques that brought him leisure.

Perhaps in a direction that might close the gap of two years between her and Jeong Yeon-shin in one step on the day he met Invincible again.

Huuuuook!

It wasn’t over.

Jeong Yeon-shin had to evade Shin Cheon-hwa and Yong Hye-myeong’s strikes from all directions.

At least Shin Cheon-hwa’s offensive, who had used massive power earlier with Form Shifting Void, was manageable, but Yong Hye-myeong’s techniques absolutely couldn’t be received with the body. Unless countering, evasion was the answer.

After several urgent moments passed and that many mandalas were carved into the ground.

[Next is protective energy.]

“Wait a moment.”

Suddenly Yong Hye-myeong restrained Shin Cheon-hwa.

“This is strange. Protective energy after movement techniques? Looking at it now, it seems like you’re trying to teach my deputy something odd.”

[Something odd?]

“Aren’t you prioritizing survival over killing? This training method… doesn’t it smell like incense from the ancestral table of an old man who will soon ascend to heaven again?”

Yong Hye-myeong asked elegantly with his hands clasped behind his back.

Shin Cheon-hwa grinned.

[Quite the right insight. Worthy of taking the Enter the Divine Sword from that Ma Family youngster.]

“Since there’s no one else to trust, I handed it over myself. You’re sitting here discussing all sorts of trivial matters.”

Even great-grandfather Ma Yeon-jeok.

The opinions of the three Divine Sword Group Leaders became tangled.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t particularly interfere among them and went about reviewing the movement techniques they had just exchanged. The purple gentleman was accustomed to standing alone in verdant independence.

‘Whenever it’s completed, the remaining four steps to Radiant Wing Ten Steps…’

Regardless of what anyone said, he melted the teachings of the previous Group Leaders into his interior in his own way. His head was very hot.

‘Thoroughly as advancing footwork only.’

By the time Jeong Yeon-shin finished his review, their debate had also ended.

[Did you properly absorb my advice? You must have kept in mind each meaning of movement techniques too?]

“Yes.”

Jeong Yeon-shin answered confidently.

[Right, there’s nothing like the rebound force of protective energy for recognizing a warrior’s temperament. Let’s see it properly once.]

Shin Cheon-hwa gestured with her chin toward Ma Yeon-jeok from one side.

[Youngster, try hitting him once.]

“What?”

Ma Yeon-jeok asked back in a toneless voice. But Shin Cheon-hwa’s answer continued without hesitation.

[Rebound force, strength, absorption capacity, the directionality of energy waves, the endurance of internal energy barriers… there’s much to check. You who overflow with strength are perfect. Feel it out directly with those hands.]

“That’s quite reasonable.”

Step.

A living grandfather would be better than a dead ghost. Ma Yeon-jeok muttered while moving his steps toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

To Jeong Yeon-shin’s ears, his grandfather’s voice carried a strange emotion, and he seemed to have gone through many battlefields with Shin Cheon-hwa, who called him youngster.

For example, she didn’t attach special titles to the current Divine Sword Group Leader and Jeong Yeon-shin. It was just the feeling of doing what needed to be done.

On one side, Yong Hye-myeong agreed with that task.

“This is definitely necessary work. Unless it’s the Wudang’s Profound Void elder, it’s difficult to hack through northern mounted martial arts with bare body. If by any chance protective energy comparable to the northern Yao tribe’s ‘Heavenly Silk Steel Armor’ emerges from the main fortress, there would be no greater luxury.”

There was no opportunity to ask about this Heavenly Silk Steel Armor.

“Will you try receiving it once?”

It was because Ma Yeon-jeok asked carefully while raising his right hand.

Instead of answering his grandfather’s words, Jeong Yeon-shin recalled the Tang siblings bathed in moonlight.

Instantly, the protective energy that had originally surrounded his entire body transparently began to emit gentle light clusters.

Wuuuuuuung!

“In actual combat, it would be more off-target than this, so I’ll strike with strength befitting the situation.”

Was he somewhat reluctant to use his hands directly? Ma Yeon-jeok continued speaking with furrowed brows. Meanwhile, his hand was already being dyed with blue-green flames.

“Harmonious Flower Smoke Destruction Method, Penetrating Longevity.”

Unbelievable things happened in succession.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t know such detailed analysis would take place.

The three previous Divine Sword Group Leaders were truly set on blocking all gaps in the warrior called Lightning Genius. With the feeling that a warrior who would lead the main fortress alone should naturally be so.

But somehow it wasn’t particularly pleasant.

‘If I get hit by this, I should also examine grandfather’s protective strong energy with Nine-Layered Brilliant River…’

Before his heavy thoughts could even finish, the entire world was dyed blue.

Grandfather Ma Yeon-jeok’s hand stretched toward Jeong Yeon-shin without even accompanying any particular roar.