Chapter 134 – Azure Flame (7)

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

The Tang estate fell silent.

“…”

Jeong Yeon-shin’s words rang true. It was a sight in vain.

The Ten Perfections Sect’s last black-rank supreme master had died.

Unable to avenge her nephew Su Jin-lang and lover Du Gu-gwang.

Swoosh.

The boy slowly released his grip.

Leaving the fallen Desolate sword on the ground, he used both hands to gently lay down Lu Zhu-xia’s body.

To him, she was an enemy. But she had done no other evil to the boy.

She had challenged him as a martial artist, so he wished to show her equal respect.

He placed her spear beside her. She was one with whom he had no grudges.

Lu Zhu-xia’s closed eyes looked peaceful.

Jeong Yeon-shin had used his energy to relax the muscles of her face, which had been frozen in shock.

Tap!

Someone ran out from the Ten Perfections Sect side. A youth with robust qi.

Perhaps ten years older than Jeong Yeon-shin. He wore a battle robe similar to Lu Zhu-xia’s, but in blue.

“Senior sister… senior sister…”

He muttered with a dazed expression.

He seemed to be a disciple who shared the same master. His attitude toward his female senior was extremely reverent.

Even while grieving, his sharp gaze glared at Jeong Yeon-shin.

He looked ready to tear him apart. The boy endured his glare in silence.

Though the youth’s conduct wasn’t befitting a demonic path warrior, anyone would react the same way.

‘If I lost Senior Cheong Myeong or Senior Baek…’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought. If he were that youth, he would have charged in immediately.

With that thought, he calmly extended his hand downward.

The Desolate sword rose by itself into his grip. The suction technqique of Myriad Heavens Flower Rain.

Warmth lingered in the sword force wrapped around his palm. It was the heat of energy waves released during their brief fierce battle.

“Huk…!”

The youth who had been lifting Lu Zhu-xia’s body with both hands flinched.

Had he mistaken it for the legendary sword control through qi? His face reddened as he turned and walked away.

The boy silently sheathed his Desolate sword.

“Benefactor!”

The Tang siblings approached simultaneously. Their Body Protection Technique movements were extremely swift.

They held pieces of green silk as if to demonstrate their wealthy background, trying to wipe the blood splattered on Jeong Yeon-shin’s robe.

‘What is this.’

Their conduct of volunteering for menial tasks like servants was burdensome. Jeong Yeon-shin pushed both siblings’ shoulders away.

The docilely pushed Poison Dragon and Phoenix’s eyes looked strange.

He recalled the white cat that used to eat leftover food at the wealthy Jeong Family estate.

‘No. That white cat was a bit arrogant.’

A trivial thought. The boy pushed the name, which was also the nickname of his junior Shin So-bin, out of his mind.

That’s when it happened, just as he raised his head after pushing away the siblings.

“Your counter technique was impressive. You’ve studied countering our sect’s martial arts. There are traces of malicious practice.”

A deep voice approached with slow steps. Right from the front.

The footsteps of a middle-aged man wearing pure white armor came with heavy resonance.

The boy sensed it. That the armor wasn’t worn for protection.

It was ceremonial attire. It seemed to be a symbol of authority indicating the sect leader had personally appeared.

“…”

Still, no energy could be felt.

The middle-aged man, the Ten Perfections Sect Leader, stopped ten paces before Jeong Yeon-shin. He had an imposing physique.

One ear was cut off as if sliced by a sword, but rather than looking ugly it first gave off the aura of an invincible general.

He carved an intimidating presence in the air without even revealing his power.

Yet his eyes were gentle. His pupils like an ox’s eyes merely contained a pitch black light.

It was chilling. His bearing reminded him of the Tyrant Sword Sect Leader he had first met during the Jeong Family estate bloodbath.

The Ten Perfections Sect Leader slowly opened his mouth.

“Your counter technique… if you researched it alone, you are truly a heaven-sent genius.”

His tone was calm despite his disciple’s death. His expression was the same.

What kind of martial artist was he? The supreme master’s bearing raised such questions.

One whose emotions didn’t show in his words. He was completely unfathomable.

‘But… he doesn’t seem to know about my heavenly punishment.’

He showed no signs of seeing through his constitution.

So far only three had instantly comprehended Jeong Yeon-shin upon meeting.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress, Mount Zhongnan Sword Immortal, Divine Sword Group Leader… Was it a difference in martial prowess? Or perhaps it depended on the lineage and characteristics of the cultivation methods they cultivated.

‘Regardless, he’s a purple-rank master. The very idea of letting my guard down is laughable.’

Just as Jeong Yeon-shin gripped his Desolate sword’s handle again.

Suddenly grinning, the Ten Perfections Sect Leader shouted while looking past the boy’s shoulder.

“Tang Yun-hwang! How far you’ve fallen! To think you’d hide behind a boy who seems barely learned!”

“Is that what you call provocation?”

The boy said, amidst steel petals that had risen around him.

Tang Yun-hwang had extended his hand from a few steps behind. He had activated divine technique verses to protect his teacher.

Whoosh!

“…”

A heavy silence flowed briefly. Only the vortex of energy waves Tang Yun-hwang emitted struck the air magnificently.

The Ten Perfections Sect Leader’s smile deepened as his eyes widened slightly. He seemed about to burst into great laughter.

“Myriad Heavens Flower Rain!”

After chuckling briefly, he continued speaking.

“Yes, I’ve heard the rumors well. They say an unbelievable event occurred on Kuizhou’s main road. The incidents that happened were so absurd that only that must be true. You’ve finally restored the Tang Clan’s secret technique. And it happened at the fingertips of a young master raised by imperial watchdogs.”

“I thought you were a man of few words.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said. He had already taken a sword stance.

He had lowered his posture with his hand on the sword handle.

The Ten Perfections Sect Leader didn’t respond. He simply continued his words.

“Very well. But there’s something more important. To think the City of Renowned Craftsmen incident would fail like that. Was it you who stole Bodhidharma’s treasure?”

“The Blood Flame Sect took it.”

The boy calmly lied. He thought to borrow Hyeon Won-chang and Lazy Flame Dragon’s shamelessness. It wasn’t so hard.

But the Ten Perfections Sect Leader didn’t seem to believe his words. Perhaps due to long murim experience.

“Very well. I can search the Tang Clan or Desolate Fortress branch myself. Know this. I will kill anything that blocks my path.”

“Let’s flee.”… Lazy Flame Dragon who had suddenly approached whispered. Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t even reply.

He simply drew his Desolate sword silently and raised it to middle stance.

The wind seemed to split in two as it brushed the blade.

Thanks to easily killing Lu Zhu-xia, he was still at full strength.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

The Ten Perfections Sect Leader approached without even drawing his sword. Both corners of his mouth were deeply split.

His gentle-looking pupils made his face even more terrifying.

“I’ll kill you even if you don’t block me. Thanks to you lot our sect has declined. Now that we must discuss rebuilding, I intend to exact a heavy blood price.”

Crack!

TThe boy didn’t wait to hear more. He couldn’t afford to let a purple-rank supreme master take the first move.

Tang Yun-hwang’s Myriad Heavens Flower Rain behind him reacted nimbly.

As Jeong Yeon-shin’s sword strike emitted hazy light, flower petals of hidden weapons rushed in together to guard the boy.

“Good! Very good!”

The Ten Perfections Sect Leader shouted heartily. His striding steps contained the aura of an absolute being.

The surrounding air wailed as if an earthquake had struck.

He had already witnessed the palm technique Lightning Genius had displayed.

It was a power particularly outstanding even among divine techniques. It required his full concentration with half-opened eyes.

The combination with Myriad Heavens Flower Rain was supreme.

If hit by that palm technique amidst the swirling hidden weapons, even a Thirteen Evil Sect Leader would have trouble emerging unscathed.

The Ten Perfections Sect Leader’s eyes fully took in Jeong Yeon-shin and Myriad Heavens Flower Rain.

That’s when it happened.

Crash!

A white face rose behind the Ten Perfections Sect Leader. As if their battle was already over.

A man beautiful enough to be chilling.

As his pure white hair fluttered glossily for an instant, the Blood Flame Sect Leader’s fangs emitted tremendous energy.

It happened in an instant. As soon as energy waves surged, his teeth sank into the Ten Perfections Sect Leader’s nape.

Huaaah―!

A supreme master’s scream burst forth. It was an unbelievable sight.

The Blood Flame Sect Leader who had bitten the Ten Perfections Sect Leader’s nape flashed crimson eyes.

The terrifying blood light grew increasingly dense.

Blood technique. Qi absorption.

He had completely exploited the gap in the same supreme realm. He looked more like a demon than a human.

The absorption speed from his fangs was tremendous. The Ten Perfections Sect Leader’s qi waves were visibly diminishing.

Hehehe.

An eerie laugh leaked through the Blood Flame Sect Leader’s teeth. It seemed to echo from an abyss.

The surrounding atmosphere grew tense.

It was a moment that would leave anyone stunned.

The Blood Flame Sect Leader didn’t miss this opening.

While biting the Ten Perfections Sect Leader’s nape, he released tremendous qi waves from his feet.

Boom!

The power emitted from the bubbling well point in his sole was incredible.

He shot up like flying while embracing the Ten Perfections Sect Leader from behind.

The steel flower rain of Myriad Heavens Flower Rain scattered in all directions, caught in the qi waves.

Tang Yun-hwang’s shocked gasp rang from behind.

‘Blood Flame Sect Leader. He is buying time for qi absorption.’

Jeong Yeon-shin quickly judged. That something terrible would happen if he was left alone.

His whole body’s muscles condensed. The Luminous Wheel’s true qi raced through his entire body.

The moment he stimulated in sequence the support point below his buttocks, the yin gate point right below on his thigh back, and the bubbling well point on his sole, the boy borrowed Cheong Myeong’s movements.

“Block him!”

“Block with your bodies!”

Red figures simultaneously pounced on Jeong Yeon-shin. Not just one or two.

They had carefully arrived taking advantage of the chaos that required complete focus of qi sense.

Ten Blood Swordmasters suddenly rushed in. They seemed intent on buying time for their sect leader.

White light flashed in the eyes of the boy who couldn’t leap up.

‘Radiant Sword Style…!’

The Desolate sword flashed. He exerted his full strength in an instant. Holding the sword, he drew a crescent moon with the white blade.

The energy explosively burst from his triceps and biceps.

The wide horizontal slash felt as if it was crushing bones and tearing through flesh.

Whoosh!

“Don’t get any closer!”

“Consider the Grand Master equal to an apostle!”

Three Blood Swormasters corpses sprawled from one sword draw. The aftermath of the slash was even greater.

Those injured by the sword strike’s energy waves clutched their abdomens and retreated in droves.

Blood dripped here and there along with groans.

Jeong Yeon-shin clutched his left chest while trying to leap again.

His heart had been strained from rotating the luminous wheel so violently for an instant. It felt like his chest was being torn.

At the same time.

Ahahahaha―!

Laughter tinged with madness rang out. The Blood Flame Sect Leader’s ecstasy seemed to dye all directions.

The qi waves overflowing from his voice were tremendous.

Had he already made the Ten Perfections Sect Leader’s true qi his own in an instant?

It was a realm of internal energy control hard to believe even for the leader of a demonic path sect.

The Blood Flame Sect Leader who had stepped on the top of a pavilion roof tossed aside the Ten Perfections Sect Leader’s body.

He didn’t even glance at the lifeless figure falling pathetically.

Grand Master of Blood technique. Leader of the Blood Flame Sect.

The smile on his slender face held demonic charm.

Standing proudly with feet together, his head movement scanning all directions exuded nobility.

The refinement in his bearing was like a noble from the capital.

‘He used this gathering of Desolate Fortress, Tang Clan, and Ten Perfections Sect… as an altar to advance his martial arts.’

Though he had sensed the sect leader’s presence through Supreme Elder Tang Tai-du, he hadn’t expected such a dramatic entrance.

Now he understood why supreme masters were called natural disasters.

He had struck in an instant and immediately removed Jeong Yeon-shin’s opponent.

It was a sight that made one realize the vastness of the martial way. Even though the Ten Perfections Sect Leader was also master of one of the Thirteen Evil Sects.

‘The realm of supreme masters. Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown?’

The boy sensed it. This was too late.

That’s when it happened.

A wind brushed his cheek. As if it had been waiting for just this moment.

A purple fluttering robe hem blocked Jeong Yeon-shin’s view.

When had he arrived? A warm voice called the boy’s name.

“Yeon-shin.”

“Grandfather…?”

Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes widened slightly. A robust elderly man stood with his back to him.

Unlike the Blood Flame Sect Leader’s, his white hair swaying in the wind was rough and lustreless.

“Only now do I understand how your time differs from this old one’s.”

His voice was extremely heavy yet sorrowful.

The words also surprised Jeong Yeon-shin. His maternal grandfather had noticed his constitution.

“I wished to talk with you at length… but the timing wasn’t right. While chasing the Blood Flame Sect Leader, I came to comprehend the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique… and this is how it turned out.”

“…!”

“Yeon-shin. This first meeting must also be our last. I am ashamed.”

Ma Yeon-jeok’s voice rang out gently.

“Engrave this grandfather’s teaching in your eyes. You must eat the World Tree’s fruit? I will fully show you the realm you must reach. You will surely be able to reach it someday.”

“Ma Yeon-jeok, you amusing old man. Still worthy of being called my archenemy. I shook you off once, yet you managed to follow.”

The Blood Flame Sect Leader looked down with a smile.

The two supreme masters’ sudden appearance seemed to be the result of a long pursuit.

What twists and turns had occurred during that time?

For the first time, the boy faced a situation beyond his control.

He could only quietly watch his grandfather’s back.

Whoosh.

Ma Yeon-jeok tilted his hand.

A precious sword had appeared like an illusion in his right hand.

Unlike the mysterious and splendid intangible sword of the current Divine Sword Unit leader, this one was different.

The straight pure white blade was clearly Moon Protector, famous as Ma Yeon-jeok’s beloved sword.

Yet it gave the same feeling.

Strong enough to seem capable of handling all of murim.Truly a force to be reckoned with.

“Yeon-shin, from now on.”

The elderly man in purple robes parted his lips.

As if borrowing his younger days for a moment, fierce spirit began dwelling in his voice.

A roar like a lion’s cry flowed from between his wrinkled lips.

“Watch the Divine Sword Group Leader.”

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***