Chapter 140 – Return of the Storm (5)

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

To the untrained eye, she appeared startled by her own actions. Her expression was peculiar, to say the least.

The Little Sword Queen no longer resembled the renowned swordswoman of the Murim. Instead, she seemed like an ordinary person, either scurrying along the road or frozen in place.

‘It’s not a loss of confidence…’

She seemed deeply shocked by something, a situation that even Jeong Yeon-shin found difficult to comprehend.

“Are you saying you’ll come along willingly?”

The boy reverted to formal speech.

Lazy Flame Dragon, who was holding the nape of Piercing Sun Sword, Xie Dao-ling, clicked his tongue.

He playfully whispered into Xie Dao-ling’s ear, remarking that such an unpredictable demeanor was hard to imagine.

Xie Dao-ling, his acupoints sealed, could only stare wide-eyed at his martial sister. His gaze alone revealed his inner turmoil—the look of someone facing an unimaginable situation.

“Yes… well, after experiencing your sword and fist techniques, my rashness blooms before me as vividly as flowers in full bloom.”

She smiled brightly, as if she had never broken a sweat.

“It might be beneficial to broaden my horizons. After all, few martial artists from the Nine Great Sects have entered Desolate Fortress.”

“I won’t tolerate any rash actions.”

Jeong Yeon-shin stated calmly.

The Little Sword Queen’s eyes curved into thin crescents, a subtle eye-smile.

“There’s still ample time until the Martial Alliance’s opening ceremony. Traveling the Murim with your sect’s masters doesn’t seem entirely unpleasant.”

Her gaze toward the boy shifted. It was no longer the attitude of someone passing through a checkpoint before meeting purple-ranked masters.

Her eyes carefully examined Jeong Yeon-shin’s entire being. More than an appraisal, it was a clear display of her passion for martial arts.

She displayed the conduct of a martial artist while volunteering to be a prisoner.

She soon let out a soft sigh.

“If only my Diancang Sect disciples weren’t here.”

Having just exchanged qi with the Little Sword Queen, Jeong Yeon-shin immediately understood her meaning.

If Piercing Sun Sword and Diancang Dance Sword hadn’t been subdued, she would have crossed swords with him.

‘Completely different from Cloud Dragon.’

She spoke harsh words lightly, her values unwavering. Despite being at a disadvantage, her passion for sword techniques seemed boundless.

Diancang Dance Sword, with White Qilin Namgung Hwa-shin’s sword at her chin, wore a slight frown.

“Senior sister…”

The woman, usually possessing a robust expression, now looked pitiful. But Namgung Hwa-shin’s white sword remained unmoving, like a stone statue.

Her previous courteous warrior’s demeanor now radiated the stern spirit of a Desolate Fortress martial artist.

The City of Renowned Craftsmen incident hadn’t just changed Jeong Yeon-shin.

White Qilin’s resolve was advancing with a determined spirit.

The death of his half-brother, whom he had followed so devotedly; revenge for his mother, which he couldn’t achieve himself; and witnessing the deaths of native martial artists in the City of Renowned Craftsmen.

He grew alongside Jeong Yeon-shin, with whom he had crossed swords, truly feeling how nothing could be protected in the Murim’s harsh waves without strict measures.

“That’s enough.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said.

At his command, Namgung Hwa-shin withdrew his sword. With a clear sword cry, his Desolate Fortress sword returned to its scabbard in an elegant arc.

The swift sheathing of the sword proved his mastery of sword techniques.

Lazy Flame Dragon released Xie Dao-ling’s acupoints with a tap to his nape.

“You…!”

In that instant, Xie Dao-ling seized his sword hilt once more, with spasmodic movements.

But he couldn’t draw it.

He met Lazy Flame Dragon’s apathetic eyes. It was unlike when he was joking with Jeong Yeon-shin.

The colorless fire of his brief life existed in his heart, revealed in the colorless light dwelling in his pupils.

“I have many fond memories of the Nine Schools. Please don’t tarnish the reputation of a great mountain sect.”

The Scorching Divine Meridian’s Heat Yang True Qi accompanied his words. A hot and overwhelming spirit pressed down on Xie Dao-ling.

Lazy Flame Dragon continued speaking slowly.

“Are there any righteous-path martial lineages in the current Murim besides you? As far as I know, only the Nine Great Sects. Justice and righteousness can only be found in religious havens, whether it’s Buddhism or Taoism.”

His languid tone held the dignity of a great family’s young master. Xie Dao-ling’s expression wavered for a moment.

Finally, he slowly removed his hand from his sword hilt, while slowly lowering his head.

“That’s right. You’re quite docile.”

Lazy Flame Dragon spoke teasingly as he stepped back. Hyeon Won-chang greeted him from the side.

“The unnamed disciple’s words are quite sharp, quite useful as a junior.”

“…”

Meanwhile, Jeong Yeon-shin watched the Little Sword Queen speaking with Diancang Dancing Sword.

“Senior sister, you did well. I assessed the fortune and misfortune, but clashing with Desolate Fortress here would only bring ruin.”

Diancang Dancing Sword said, her clear eyes revealing her true nature.

The Little Sword Queen, who had been touching her sword hilt, gave a casual reply.

“Ah, really?”

“As disciples of the righteous path, we cannot fight without justification. It would bring shame to our sect.”

“Hmm… that’s right.”

“The sect leader’s rebuke would have followed. Even if we won by some miracle, the aftermath would be problematic… and if we had lost in front of everyone, there couldn’t be greater disgrace. Speaking frankly, I think you would have lost. Just looking at that person, Lightning Genius’s black robe, shows the rumors weren’t exaggerated.”

Diancang Dance Sword, who had briefly met Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze, quickly turned her head, as if regarding him like a fearsome thunderbolt.

“Wouldn’t it be better to travel together rather than be dragged along? Senior sister, you brought this upon yourself. I advised you to control your curiosity.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Since Desolate Fortress treats the Nine Great Sects relatively well, it would be wise to temporarily stay in Xiangyang and then participate in the Martial Alliance’s opening ceremony. Anyway, fortunately, you made the wisest decision in the end.”

“Hmm…? Is that so? Right.”

The Little Sword Queen turned her head with a bright smile toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

Their eyes met. The boy nodded slightly.

There was a reason he had deliberately waited.

With the Diancang Sect’s senior disciples joining, there was something to aim for.

The situation would be very different between traveling through the Murim with just one Desolate Fortress military force escorting their charges, and after accepting important figures from the Nine Great Sects as companions.

It would bring great changes to circumstances where they had to avoid conflict itself.

‘In a very good way.’

Conveniently, he hadn’t crossed swords with the Little Sword Queen. It was in the form of traveling together. The Diancang Sect’s future leader, famous for sword techniques, would assist.

It could be said they had the Diancang Sect behind them, so the journey would inevitably become smoother.

He thought it was fortunate.

Compared to the vast world, Desolate Fortress was small.

To control ignorant local nobles and small-to-medium sects, the name of the Nine Great Sects, rooted throughout the Central Plains, was more effective.

It was like that outside Huguang, where Desolate Fortress was rooted. The Nine Great Sects’ supreme prestige was clearly worth using.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

“Um… where should I stand?”

The Little Sword Queen approached with hesitant steps, strangely checking his reaction.

Her constantly glancing at the sword at Jeong Yeon-shin’s waist revealed her interest.

Swords, and martial arts.

Wanting to meet the purple-ranked masters must have been for the same reason.

The boy replied tersely.

“Please lead the way.”

“…Can’t I walk beside you? Your grip method seemed somewhat unique.”

She spoke suddenly, seemingly referring to Jeong Yeon-shin’s Radiant Sword Style grip.

The boy shook his head. It wasn’t worth considering.

“Please lead the way.”

“I’m curious about your sword techniques. I want to form a friendship. Can’t we become close?”

Her speech had become completely casual. Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t answer, seeing no need to cater to the Little Sword Queen’s odd temperament.

He bowed slightly to the drivers leading the carriages, a nod signaling the resumption of their journey.

“Hya!”

The procession of war carriages began moving forward again.

The crowd that had been watching the situation from afar startled and stepped back.

The clattering of hooves drowned out other interests.

“Ah, there’s no other peer that interests me this much.”

The Little Sword Queen, who had been dawdling, was pushed by Diancang Dancing Sword. The voice of Diancang Dance Sword, who had such a willful martial sister, scattered in a sigh, “Senior sister, please.”

And so, the Diancang Sect group joined the procession.

Though decided as an improvisation, it soon yielded surprising results.

Seven days and nights.

That was how long Jeong Yeon-shin’s procession traveled without interference.

***

“Already at Xiangyang?”

Hyeon Won-chang muttered while walking beside Jeong Yeon-shin.

The hot wind brushed against the divine hero’s band tied around his forehead.

The quiet mountain path’s silence was filled with the sound of hoofbeats.

It was peaceful.

‘The effect is good.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought while watching the backs of the Diancang Sect disciples walking ahead.

He had originally expected some pursuit.

In the local Murim, Desolate Fortress wasn’t an absolute power. There were two types of factions that could oppose them.

Small-to-medium sects that thought their world was everything, and large factions that observed worldly affairs. That was essentially all of them.

It was a vast world, aptly described as boundless.

Small sects might recklessly challenge them, seeking fame without knowing better. Large factions could consider extermination after calculating the proper timing.

“…Nothing’s happening. It’s getting boring now.”

Lazy Flame Dragon lay on the war chariot’s roof with his hands behind his head.

The name of the Diancang Sect, whose fame reached from Yunnan to the edges of Sichuan, was immense.

No less than noble families who privately discussed royal status.

The Little Sword Queen of the Diancang Sect was essentially comparable to a crown prince.

It was an extremely noble status, even more so now that Sichuan’s Thirteen Evil Sects had been nearly annihilated.

Her long hair swayed in the distance.

“Young Master Jeong…! There’s no one around, how about a friendly spar… never mind.”

The Little Sword Queen, who had turned around with a gentle yet awkward expression, quickly turned back.

After enduring for a long time, unable to hold back her words, she suddenly remembered Jeong Yeon-shin’s grandfather lying in the war chariot.

She seemed greatly interested in the Radiant Sword Style he had briefly revealed during their confrontation.

Due to Murim etiquette, she couldn’t directly ask about the sword technique’s origins, but her desire to cross swords seemed to float like clouds.

“…”

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t answer.

He felt none of the interest he had in Cloud Dragon Wei Zhi Myo-hwa or Azure Qilin Namgung Se-jin.

Though the Little Sword Queen was famous, to the boy, she was still just a strange person.

Jeong Yeon-shin treated her only as an effective tool.

‘And that’s exactly what she is.’

He was thinking calmly when:

“So here you are. My sister, Mi-ryeo.”

To the left front, on the side of the wide mountain path, like a mirage of the great desert beyond the Great Wall, someone had descended.

A Westerner, like the Pure Demon Alliance’s warriors.

Though her hair wasn’t their characteristic blonde but Central Plains black, her eyes were a clear Western blue.

Her crooked stance looked somewhat frivolous. She didn’t approach like a sect leader.

But Jeong Yeon-shin activated the Luminous Wheel the moment he saw her.

He suddenly faced disaster. Her qi was similar to Senior Baek Mi-ryeo’s demonic-path true qi but felt far denser and more profound.

He immediately guessed her identity.

‘Pure Demon Alliance Leader.’

Perhaps sensing the boy’s gaze, the Pure Demon Alliance Leader smiled faintly while pushing through the undergrowth.

With sharp eyes and a slender jawline, her face resembled Baek Mi-ryeo’s in many ways.

“So, you’re the one who scattered our Alliance’s children. Your martial fame seems about to pierce Sichuan’s sky.”

The qi pressing against his skin was shocking.

*WHOOSH!*

A colorless gale cut in, approaching like pressure with physical form.

It was demonic-path true qi that seemed about to crush even the Luminous Wheel’s dharma power in reverse, to the point where it made one wonder if a person could cultivate such profound demonic arts.

“Receive one move.”

A peerless master, comparable to the Blood Flame Sect Leader, revealed her qi along with a smile.

“Kuk.”

“Pure Demon Alliance… Leader…!”

Groans rang out from the Diancang Sect disciples and some Desolate Fortress warriors walking ahead. What kind of footwork was it?

Just from her standing before them, presences like kneeling before a king could be felt from various places behind.

‘Though I reported it, could it be…’

The boy didn’t look at the Pure Demon Alliance Leader. With rare shocked eyes, he stared past her shoulder.

When had she appeared? Had she come to confirm the condition of Ma Yeon-jeok, whom she called friend?

Or had she been targeting the Pure Demon Alliance Leader from the start, and now had to act… A presence that dispelled such messy questions with one name entered his vision.

Suddenly, unlike any disaster, right on time.

She stood with elegant bearing.

First catching the eye was beauty symbolizing immortality… Even in the cypress tree’s shadow, her long light-green hair was distinct.

Her deep-green eyes, containing an abyss, seemed to silence the entire forested mountain.

“Your body is surprisingly well-cultivated. Your qi is also capable of handling our Alliance’s Blade Fist Demon.”

Behind the Pure Demon Alliance Leader, who just spoke with a smile.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress took a light step, lowering her divine sword, gleaming brilliantly through gaps in the shade.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***