Chapter 197 – Lightning-Annihilation Sword Style (5)

“It’s been a while, my dear Jeong Yeon-shin. I watched everything… You were impressive during the Opening Tournament. I got a bit smitten, you know?”

A light, small hand patted his shoulder twice.

It was Yue Shou-lin, the short-haired girl in a black robe that hung down to her nape.

Her eyes met Jeong Yeon-shin’s. The seasoned veteran’s dark pupils sparkled.

“I nearly went blind keeping an eye on you. Especially with that sword ghost. Eye techniques aren’t even my specialty. Anyway, I couldn’t let this slide. Too dangerous.”

At the end of her words, she turned to the Zhuge Family Head.

Their clear gazes locked.

Yue Shou-lin was second only to the Divine Sword Squad Leader in Desolate Fortress’s strength.

The Zhuge Family Head had orchestrated the Martial Alliance and solidified his family’s foundation. Which was superior? The martial world watched this standoff keenly.

Thud!

Meanwhile, a giant who toppled seven pavilions arrived and stood to Jeong Yeon-shin’s left. His presence was overwhelming.

He didn’t look like a noble clan member, yet his ears were as pointed as any pureblood’s.

His face, with hair swept back to reveal a broad forehead, was striking.

His eyes, glancing down at the boy, brimmed with deep curiosity.

“So you’re Jeong Yeon-shin. I’m Wei-zhen of the Desolate Xiahou Family.”

His voice was as thick as his frame. It rumbled from deep within, the energy in it immense.

Each word shook Jeong Yeon-shin’s head. Was this the result of a noble clan member refining energy breathing over decades?

Thousand Fists Dragon Vassal Xiahou Wei-zhen.

Leader of the Forest-Treading Squad and a trusted aide of the Lord of Desolate Fortress. Like other Leaders, he wore a black robe.

His towering height—three heads above Jeong Yeon-shin—made it look like a flowing cloak.

Jeong Yeon-shin raised a brief clasped-fist salute.

“I greet Senior Xiahou. I’m Jeong Yeon-shin of Xinye County.”

That was the end of introductions. A peerless master stood before him.

Yue Shou-lin spoke, eyeing the Zhuge Family Head askance.

“The Tang Family Head, who sees Jeong Yeon-shin as a mentor, will come too. We just need to crush Murong and Zhuge cleanly. Not a tough job. This sloppy Alliance is still unfinished.”

She said with a bright smile.

Her voice chirped like a skylark. The mood lightened instantly.

Yue Shou-lin folded her smooth fingers one by one.

“Let’s see… Me, the Tang Family Head, the big guy, Jeong Yeon-shin—we could take down a pale guy like you and that Murong fool, no problem. Your poor subordinates are leagues below us in swordplay and footwork. Looks like Murong’s caught on and holed up. Feel his energy wave? He is not budging.”

Her lips curved upward.

“It seems there’s something in there he doesn’t want seen. Murong’s ditched you, hasn’t he? He sensed us.”

She boldly named the Zhuge and Murong Family Heads. Yet it wasn’t an overstatement.

Jeong Yeon-shin sensed two energy waves approaching fast. Their deep internal energy felt familiar.

The Tang Family Head and Taoist Cheon Ju. With this uproar, they surely noticed. Whose side they’d take was obvious.

The Alliance Leader stayed neutral. His absence so far proved it.

Sword Star Hyeon So-baek was a folk-called immortal, a peerless master. Despite his wanderer roots, he had shown transcendent feats repeatedly.

His sensory range was unimaginable. He likely sensed Azure Qilin’s matter the moment Jeong Yeon-shin caused a stir.

When facing Jeong Yeon-shin, he’d voiced anguish over the righteous martial world’s state, so the strongest master in Hanzhong wouldn’t appear here now.

As Alliance Leader, he couldn’t side with Desolate Fortress, nor lift the Zhuge Family Head’s hand.

Amid this situation.

Yue Shou-lin and Xiahou Wei-zhen had one role: protect Jeong Yeon-shin’s mission. They had entered risking war but should avoid needless fighting.

This was the heart of the martial world’s greatest enemy stronghold. Unless the Zhuge Family Head struck first, they needn’t harm him.

Watching his ruin sufficed.

“Your Desolate Fortress shouldn’t have spare forces lately…”

The Zhuge Family Head spoke quietly. His face betrayed no emotion.

His fan covered his lips, still looking composed, but everyone here knew. That calm was a bluff.

Yue Shou-lin flicked her ebony hair back.

She kneaded her pale nape casually, her bold yet graceful air exuding freedom.

“Our Jeong Yeon-shin is clearly Desolate Fortress’s future. We sent our treasure here—did you think headquarters would sit idle? Are we idiots?”

Her blunt jab drew no reply from the Zhuge Family Head.

Desolate Fortress’s black-rank strongest could rival a family head.

Rumors that the Desolate Fortress Divine Spear had elevated the Yue Clan Spear to new heights weren’t idle talk.

Meanwhile, the Thousand Fists Dragon Vassal’s fist techniques were said to split mountains. The Tang Family Head and Sword Saint were famed supreme masters too.

Moreover.

The commotion Jeong Yeon-shin caused was massive.

He had breached the Zhuge Family’s walls. Unleashed Brilliant River.

The Martial Alliance teemed with sharp-sensed elites. Crowds surged toward the chaos.

All setbacks for the Zhuge Family Head.

Even if he worried about the pavilion holding Azure Qilin’s body, he couldn’t afford distraction with Yue Shou-lin and Xiahou Wei-zhen before him.

He stood poised atop the roof, doing nothing.

Slowly.

Jeong Yeon-shin straightened. He adjusted his lone right sleeve and brushed dust from his body.

Feeling anew the vastness of Desolate Fortress’s aegis.

Now to meet the departed. Zhuge Qing-ya, trembling and unsure, followed.

Her face showed resolve. She meant to bury her father’s prestige in the righteous martial world.

“Radiant Demon Wing Leader.”

The Zhuge Family Head called in a calm voice.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t turn. He kept walking.

A clear voice, likened to Zhuge Liang, continued.

“Such reckless disregard for right and wrong isn’t wise. You’ll die young. Even a peerless flower, unbloomed, holds no value. No matter how your talent rivals history, many masters won’t look kindly on it.”

“Your kind can’t think beyond your rigid ways.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke without stopping.

“The Alliance misjudged me. Remember today, and reflect on it two years from now.”

His words stilled the air. A chilling warning.

A talent racing at unmatched speed promised a future reckoning. The greater the master, the more their spine would chill.

As the fan-wielding absolute figure fell silent.

“Hahaha—!”

“Quite the bold one!”

Xiahou Wei-zhen’s laugh summoned wind. Not just hearty—a gale-like roar.

Jeong Yeon-shin nearly shielded his ears with the Luminous Wheel Technique but restrained himself and entered the pavilion.

With Zhuge Qing-ya, breathing shallowly.

Behind, countless presences swelled.

Onlookers asking each other why, late-arriving talents like Little Sword Queen, Taoist Cheon Ju arriving ahead, even Hyeon Won-chang’s energy wave trailing the Tang Family Head’s.

A great uproar flared like wildfire.

“How could this…”

“If the Radiant Demon Wing Leader conquered the Opening Tournament, can Desolate Fortress flout decorum like this?”

“The Desolate Fortress Divine Spear?!”

“That black robe, that stature, a noble clan… the Thousand Fists Dragon Vassal here…?”

“Radiant Demon Wing Leader! Why commit such insolence?”

The Qingyi Sect Leader’s bewildered voice rang out. Early in the Alliance visit, he had sparred with Jeong Yeon-shin alongside his disciples.

A figure in the Breaking Guide’s opening pages. He’d come aggressively, then parted laughing, claiming he learned from Jeong Yeon-shin.

Proof many in the Alliance held goodwill toward the Radiant Demon Wing Leader.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

The crowd swelled past hundreds.

Some leaped over high walls, scaled roofs, perched on railings, or stood tall atop a roof facing the Zhuge Family Head.

“He was always like this. That prowess at his age… even the Lord of Desolate Fortress’s direct disciple. Doesn’t the martial world look like his toy? Draped in lofty banners of the people, he doesn’t see it rightly.”

“His arrogance drove him to strike the Alliance’s vanguard. Shamelessness has limits.”

“Does Desolate Fortress truly equate the righteous martial world with evil factions? Our Three Joys Sect has stood with the people since founding! Not all are like the Hwangbo Family!”

Hostility spread like wildfire.

The Zhuge Family was the Martial Alliance’s linchpin.

An outsider breaching their domain within the Alliance headquarters left them no choice but outrage at Jeong Yeon-shin’s wreckage.

The air grew tense. Blades were drawn, humming with internal energy.

Shing! Clang-clang!

Many prepared to fight despite Yue Shou-lin and Xiahou Wei-zhen.

Yue Yu-lin, arriving late, was among them.

Her long braid swayed blackly. Her energy wave rippled her egret-winged robes.

She gripped a spear in both hands.

Seeing her younger-looking grandaunt Yue Shou-lin, she flinched only briefly.

Hearing the Radiant Demon Wing Leader had wreaked havoc, the devastation beyond imagination cooled her heart.

‘I thought I was wrong, my bias was too strong, I felt ashamed…’

The Martial Alliance in Hanzhong tasked Desolate Fortress’s Radiant Demon Wing Leader with crushing the Heart Martial Alliance. He hadn’t refused, despite facing foes within enemy turf.

Before battling the Heart Martial Alliance at West Peak Road, he shared his heart. Jeong Yeon-shin had killed his rival and suppressed himself.

When Fan Dragon Zhuge Xian’s counsel eased that burden, a swift sword technique reminiscent of the Emperor’s Sword Form emerged.

Thereafter.

She had seen herself in the Alliance’s hastened Opening Tournament.

Narrow-minded, self-righteous, believing her justice excused all.

She even stopped Yan Hwa-ryeon from studying Jeong Yeon-shin’s martial counters, given by the Zhuge Family Head.

Out of disgust.

But now, this scene before her…

‘I don’t know anything anymore.’

Yue Yu-lin grimaced, shutting her eyes tight.

What was right? Who was Jeong Yeon-shin truly? Among the groaning Virtuous Heaven Squad warriors were friends she had bonded with.

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader stayed long in the small pavilion.

“Explain this mayhem!”

“Is Desolate Fortress plotting against the Alliance?”

The air heated. Zones dense with masters often filled with blazing yang energy. It happened naturally.

When internal energy stirred, energy waves clashed. In group battles, stronger energy demanded greater protective energy mastery.

“Mustn’t the Thirteen Evil Sects act for your cause to stand?”

“Come out and speak, Jeong Yeon-shin! Why infiltrate the Zhuge Family’s quarters?”

Anger fueled heat, and blazing yang energy stoked more rage. The cauldron of energy waves swelled, ready to burst.

This was the Martial Alliance. Bearing weapons here already marked one a master.

Yet Yue Shou-lin seemed fearless.

“Chattering like birds. Even the Zhuge Family Head hesitates to strike, but these so-called warriors just yap.”

“How can you be so lawless in the righteous Martial Alliance?”

Some warriors’ shouts halted as she spoke.

“With three black-ranks gathered.”

Yue Shou-lin leaned on one leg, hands behind her back.

She smirked, replying. Radiance flashed from the spear loosely gripped behind her. Her alley-thug demeanor oddly suited her.

“Don’t you get what that means? This place is Desolate Fortress now.”

Her teenage face mocked the crowd. She didn’t strike first, but poured fuel on the fire.

That was Yue Shou-lin’s nature. She’d grin cheekily even at a cliff’s edge.

Her refined martial arts and bold character earned her the Desolate Fortress Divine Spear title.

Outrage surged. Boos unfit for the setting rang out. Some Alliance masters fully honed their sword strike energy waves.

A spark away from chaos. An unprecedented battle loomed.

“Petty clans yap endlessly! Disgusting! I’d crush these bugs flat!”

Bang! Bang!

Xiahou Wei-zhen clashed his fists. Colorless energy shards fell—tangible energy from his emission.

As some onlookers flinched at this proof of the Thousand Fists Dragon Vassal’s might.

Step.

A black robe parted those potent energy fragments like petals. Silent steps moved with the wind.

The young Radiant Demon Wing Leader appeared.

“…!”

Eyes widened across the crowd.

His arms cradled a striking young man.

Namgung Se-jin’s closed eyes bore a lifelike glow, unnatural without some technique.

“Ah…”

Yue Yu-lin covered her mouth, stifling a sob with reddened eyes.

Sharp-witted few grasped the situation fast. Gasps echoed.

Azure Qilin was a martial world celebrity.

Many knew his face, especially younger talents.

Murong Ming-jun slipped away. Gong Sun-min gaped. Little Sword Queen and Yu Hyeon did too.

Lazy Flame Dragon, crouching on a wall watching the pavilion, grimaced at his old friend’s state.

Fan Dragon Zhuge Xian, arriving late, looked utterly confused.

Shock and questions swelled. The crowd’s clamor grew.

“How’s Azure Qilin in a Zhuge Family pavilion?”

“Why’s a body meant for burial so intact…?”

The Zhuge Family Head took no action. He endured Desolate Fortress masters’ watchful eyes.

Neither the absent Alliance Leader’s aid nor the fleeing Murong Family Head’s help could be expected.

‘I’m cornered. Must I live as an outcast?’

He thought calmly.

Azure Qilin Namgung Se-jin’s body here was damning evidence. The Zhuge Family’s defenses were ironclad.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s chaos proved it. Traces of Mount Mo Sect techniques in Azure Qilin’s body did too.

Any elder versed in mystical martial arts would trace the source, soon linking Mount Mo Sect of South Zhili, Namgung Se-jin, and the Zhuge Family.

That’s why he’d tried to stop it. Not anticipating Desolate Fortress’s bold move was his misstep.

Zhuge Qing-ya’s testimony sealed it. The climax of the endgame. Swallowing slightly, she stepped forward to declare.

“As you heroes know, I’m Zhuge Qing-ya, called Tranquil Depth Gaze, the Zhuge Family’s sight.”

Her clear voice carried every detail. Calm words followed.

The Elder Council Leader who was the only survivor of the Namgung family’s direct line, the passage of time until Disciple Jeong Yeon-shin was dispatched to the Alliance as Desolate Fortress’s envoy, her father’s decision that he couldn’t lose face to the young Radiant Demon Wing Leader, and the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s actions after hearing Zhuge Qing-ya’s words.

Shock piled on shock. A tale that couldn’t be otherwise.

“What…”

“The martial world will mock the Alliance…”

Unable to glare at the fan-wielding absolute figure, eyes rose from Namgung Se-jin’s body.

Countless gazes fixed on the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s face.

He had breached a family’s formation alone. Raced to recover a fallen foe’s body.

He feared no clash with a family at the Alliance’s heart.

The crowd’s expressions softened. Anger and resolve gave way to shame.

This was the righteous martial world. The Three Joys Sect Leader was right—not all were corrupt.

Then, from one side.

Hyeon Won-chang, longest at Jeong Yeon-shin’s side, spoke.

Like an impromptu verse, a short dirge flowed in a clear, pleasant voice.

“A youth’s moment is worth a thousand gold,

His rival is forever bound within that sword.”

“…”

[TL Note- Poem explained: Cherish the fiery, transient moments of youth, but also recognize that true growth comes from those who challenge us—relationships that outlast even the sharpest blades.

Hyeon Won-chang is basically telling Yeon-shin to cherish the moment of what his short life has left.]

No one in the martial world didn’t know Desolate Fortress and Namgung Se-jin’s tale.

Silence swept like a tidal wave. Hundreds fell mute. A breathtaking scene unfolded.

What emotions stirred in each? A place where hearts defied counting.

Amid a gathering of masters, energy waves rose like clouds.

Hyeon Won-chang continued cautiously.

“Now get lost.”