Chapter 214 – Flash

Tyrant Hero Ma Yeon-jeok.

Once the emblematic supreme master of Desolate Fortress.

With Desolate Ma Family’s Harmony Flower Divine Sword, he withstood the previous Wudang Sect Leader’s Supreme Wisdom Sword.

The old Wudang swordsman, dubbed the martial world’s greatest sword, was the first to call for a break. At that time, Ma Yeon-jeok was thirty-seven.

His gaunt appearance didn’t matter. A few months of recuperation would transform his body unrecognizably. The issue was his rejuvenated look.

“Didn’t that man just claim the former Supreme Head’s name?”

“Isn’t this another insult?”

“But that robe is unmistakably…”

Profound doubt clouded the faces of Desolate Ma Family’s masters.

Anyone would feel the same. It wasn’t easy to accept at once.

Even in Desolate Fortress, home to the martial world’s most supreme masters, only Yue Shou-lin had received heaven’s favor.

It was common knowledge yet unfamiliar.

No one present had seen Ma Yeon-jeok in his youth.

But at this moment, they felt a wind laced with terrifying power.

Formless strands grazed their skin like blades. It was an energy wave demanding comprehension.

He didn’t seem conscious of it. It simply radiated sternly.

A low hum sounded.

The energy ripple from the man’s body filled the wind. It stretched out grandly, unimpeded, like a dragon’s breath.

He bore no sword, yet his body sang a sword’s cry. It was the realm of wielding oneself as a blade.

A purple-rank master who stood against grand faction leaders and debated the martial world.

His very existence was a martial mystery.

“This is…!”

Zhu Lianting’s lips trembled faintly. For a moment, she couldn’t continue.

After Jeong Yeon-shin ordered the fighting to stop, the battlefield, where signs of life had gradually faded, fell into silence.

The gazes of Desolate Ma Family and Radiant Demon Wing masters converged on one spot.

He called himself Tyrant Hero. He named himself Ma Yeon-jeok.

A man in a sleeping robe amidst the battlefield.

Pink sleeves hung long. The silk pajamas, fit for a high-ranking figure, carried an odd aura.

His presence was as imposing as if clad in martial robes or armor.

The man spoke again.

“This old man is your elder.”

The energy in his youthful voice pressed down on the air. It seemed to unleash a surge of power.

His face was that of a man in his thirties. Not a wrinkle marred it.

His slightly raised then lowered eyes resembled those of Radiant Demon Wing Leader Jeong Yeon-shin beside him. They hinted at stubbornness yet bore a solitary air.

A handsome man with bold, sharp features.

Since appearing, he’d kept a hand on Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder, showing no sign of lowering it.

No one dared laugh. It wasn’t comical.

His presence demanded it. The energy waves enveloping him traced a fearsome ripple in the air.

Blackened hair and brows flowed over unwrinkled skin.

It was a clear current, like the waters of the Yangtze River.

“What…”

Zhu Lianting, who’d held her breath, let out a stifled groan.

Her hand, raised as if to cover her mouth, froze midair, clutching nothing. It trembled as if with palsy.

She faced something beyond reason. That was her only response. She couldn’t outright deny it.

The man proved himself through his energy waves. He seemed to declare himself Desolate Fortress’s purple-rank.

A brief silence passed.

“What are you doing?”

The man’s eyes sharpened.

Beyond a supreme master’s mystique, he bore a worldly demeanor. His face, scanning Desolate Ma Family’s kin, showed it.

A chill emanated from his expression. It felt ironclad.

Soon, a roar burst from his mouth.

“Kneel and show respect! To your benefactor and this old man!”

It was a fiery bellow. His voice clawed the air and echoed instantly.

The foliage beneath his feet flattened haphazardly. His shout was like a lion’s roar.

As if hundreds of hooks tore at their ears, over a dozen masters flinched.

A surge erupted.

Dust billowed upward.

Meeting the immense energy wave, it scattered into erratic ripples. It was the domineering energy structure unique to Harmony Flower Divine Technique.

It branded the skin of everyone present. Intense and deep.

A presence none here could match. He proved himself again and again.

Then.

A middle-aged man in ornate green robes spoke.

“Former Supreme Head, truly…?”

He was one of Desolate Ma Family’s veteran masters.

His fingertips, clad in black gauntlets, trembled slightly. Unbefitting a master of Harmony Flower Fist Technique.

A wrinkle creased Ma Yeon-jeok’s smooth brow.

“Ma Jin-yoon, you’ve lost your fear. Shall I wash those dull eyes thrice? I’ve said it twice already. If I must speak again, I’ll surely punish you.”

A lion’s warning growled from his taut lips.

Ma Jin-yoon’s shoulders twitched.

No one else in Desolate Fortress could address a Ma Family master so. His manner matched the old supreme master Ma Yeon-jeok perfectly.

A faint relief flickered across Jeong Yeon-shin’s face beside him, while many Desolate Ma Family masters charged forward as if thunderbolts struck beneath their feet.

They numbered over twenty.

“These brats…?”

“Not quelling their audacity!”

Radiant Demon Wing masters instinctively moved to strike.

The moment Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head, their energy waves vanished. Hands poised for domineering shifts halted.

They reacted instantly to their Leader’s cue. Desolate Ma Family masters rushed past them and stomped the ground again.

A fierce surge roared.

It wasn’t an attack stance. With astonishing speed, they extinguished their lightness skill’s recoil by kneeling.

They slammed their heads to the ground. A dull thud sounded. Yellow dust rose thickly around them.

“The unworthy Ma Jin-yoon, in my ignorance, failed to recognize the former Supreme Head!”

“We humbly pay respects to Tyrant Hero!”

Voices laden with varied emotions cried out in unison. Their collective prostration and synchronized greeting bore discipline.

Yet their expressions were the opposite. Awe and confusion overflowed.

Unable to hide faces anyone could read, they looked up at their long-lost master.

They faced an improbable event.

Former Supreme Head Ma Yeon-jeok’s body had been refined with ultimate energy.

He had reversed human time. Like the rare chosen masters, including Divine Sword Deputy Leader, he had defied age with a mortal frame.

It was a marvel to shake the martial world.

A miracle.

Who had made it possible?

“…”

The gazes of Desolate Ma Family masters shifted to the man beside the former Supreme Head.

Radiant Demon Wing Leader stood there.

Moonlight stretched from the haloed dusk, blending with the twilight.

It settled on Jeong Yeon-shin’s face like translucent silk. Deep shadows formed beneath his dense eyelashes.

A radiant gleam danced in his sunken black pupils. Moonlight graced his high nose bridge with elegance.

He was indeed a Desolate Fortress Leader.

Clad in mystique befitting his lofty rank. Accompanied by gentle moonlight.

His merits matched. He’d wrought a near-miraculous deed. It reaffirmed his visage, rivaling noble clans in distinction.

It evoked both acceptance and questions.

Awe tinged the eyes of prestigious clan masters. Alongside unanswerable curiosity.

Beyond the magnanimity of fully passing the Great Rejuvenation Pill to his grandfather, another matter begged scrutiny. What mastery did he wield?

For Desolate Ma Family warriors, decline was fate.

While they scorned external factions, they envied orthodox lineages like the Nine Great Sects.

Monks and Taoists of the Nine Sects didn’t wither. They grew stronger with time.

Unlike Ma Family warriors, who rose swiftly and fell like expendable soldiers.

‘They say a dynamic technique from Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s youth refined him.’

‘It really exists!’

‘The current head stubbornly refused to announce it…’

Yet none dared ask.

They were like underlings in the underworld awaiting Yama’s judgment.

They bowed not just to the former Supreme Head but to Radiant Demon Wing Leader too. Deeply, ever deeper. Sporadic apologies slipped out.

“…We greet the family’s benefactor.”

“We’re humbled by the mastery bestowed.”

“We owe Radiant Demon Wing Leader immense gratitude…!”

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t respond.

To him, they were now worthless. Instead, the fact he’d revived his grandfather struck him forcefully.

Only after this renewed relief did realization dawn.

This was a merit. A colossal achievement.

Divine Sword Group Leader, Elder Council Leader, former Supreme Head.

All were purple-rank. Each had their own missions.

The Fruit of the World Tree was a treasure guarded personally by the Desolate Fortress Lord.

A sacred relic all noble clans of the Central Plains revered. Said to be the only one in existence.

Merits accumulated to ascend to the next robe color, but completing a single mission suited to one’s rank didn’t grant the fruit outright.

The reward system would collapse otherwise.

‘She said all noble clans of the martial world must acknowledge it.’

To receive not a fragment but the whole fruit.

It required repeated purple-rank exploits across the martial world.

He understood. It was fine.

‘I’ve already achieved two of them.’

Comprehensive Breaking Guide. His grandfather’s rejuvenation.

Accomplished in black robes, these were two giant steps toward the fruit.

He had thickened the justification needed to be granted the Fruit of the World Tree as a purple-rank by several layers. It had taken immense time.

Now martial mastery truly mattered.

‘I should challenge Blood Guardian Leader to a duel… No, finish the immediate task first.’

Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head inwardly.

Dismissing the thought, he gazed down at Desolate Ma Family’s warriors.

Over twenty bowed heads met his eyes. Still prostrate.

“…”

He intuited why they’d caused the uproar. Whether they aligned with Zhu Lianting’s intent was unclear.

But they had acted together. It might have truly gone awry. Had he used a less stable heart technique than Jeong Family Dynamic Technique, it could’ve happened.

‘They were worried for Grandfather’s body?’

A flimsy excuse.

Their cause was just. The knowledge of internal masters differed from physicians.

A doctor’s expertise likely suited Ma Yeon-jeok’s care better than most internal energy skills.

Zhu Lianting was meticulous. She made that clear early on. Jeong Yeon-shin had heard her cries well enough.

Yet anyone could read between the lines.

The commotion was excessive.

The energy waves Desolate Ma Family unleashed were loud. The ripples sweeping the pavilion and garden rang unusually strong.

Jeong Yeon-shin sensed blatant malice. It was as if they asked if he could maintain his energy flow through this.

Crude and sinister. A ploy fit for the imperial Forbidden City.

Everyone would know.

Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at his shoulder.

If Ma Yeon-jeok’s handling of them and Zhu Lianting proved lacking, he intended to briefly set aside his grandfather’s dignity and act as a headquarters Leader.

Whether with Lightning-Annihilation Sword Style or Eternal Blossom Fist, it’d suffice. They’d sought to harm Desolate Fortress’s black and purple ranks. Ordinary punishment wouldn’t do.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

Then.

“Foolish, disloyal wretches.”

Ma Yeon-jeok spat out, as if chewing his words.

Step.

The pink hem of his robe shifted forward. He slowly lifted his hand from his grandson’s shoulder.

The energy waves radiating from his youthful body vanished instantly. It became even more terrifying.

He had fully contained the overflowing power of rejuvenation. It was like condensing a flame.

His seasoned eyes flickered with blue fire. Some warriors flinched at the unprecedented gleam.

Ma Yeon-jeok paid no heed. He grasped the entire situation.

“How dare you.”

He muttered curtly. For a moment, his mind, which had roamed celestial heights, darkened with rage.

The contrast between the pavilion’s interior and exterior was stark.

Earlier, he had felt his daughter through his grandson’s divine technique.

Jeong Family Dynamic Technique was a pitiable supreme art. It only depicted the young grandmaster’s mother. Ma Yeon-sang. Ma Yeon-jeok’s daughter.

He had met his daughter’s essence.

It was deeply warm. It filled his body, transformed by the Great Rejuvenation Pill’s energy.

The sensation of it coursing through his minor meridians, sweeping every blood point, was unforgettable. A sorrowful peace.

Thus.

His grandson’s hand rewound time. Back to the day he first held his newborn daughter, wrapping her in purple robes.

He couldn’t help but reclaim his prime. Rejuvenation came as if it were natural.

He raised his gaze ahead.

Zhu Lianting stood with lofty poise. Her posture was straighter than anyone’s.

Had she already quelled her panic? She merely raised both hands toward Ma Yeon-jeok.

“I congratulate your great achievement.”

She was imperial kin. The Forbidden City’s bloodline didn’t kneel.

Expression faded from Ma Yeon-jeok’s face. With a visage akin to his grandson’s, he stepped forward slowly.

Step.

One stride sparked it. He began walking briskly.

Straight toward Zhu Lianting, yet not even the warriors she had brought from her natal family dared block him.

They only flinched and faltered awkwardly.

“I know why you’re enraged.”

Zhu Lianting spoke uprightly.

“It’s a misunderstanding. Please calm yourself, former Supreme Head.”

She didn’t lose her grace. Her elegant face bore a composed demeanor.

“You dare command me to calm down? After scheming to harm my grandson?”

Ma Yeon-jeok didn’t halt. The foliage beneath his feet crumbled shapelessly.

Even without energy waves now, it happened. His fully refined divine might shone naturally, like a god of strength and chaos.

Zhu Lianting quickened her speech slightly.

“Please consider the circumstances and forgive us. It was all for your safety…”

“If your plot targeted only me, that’d have sufficed. But you sought to touch this old man’s treasure, so I must repay you beyond measure. You should prepare yourself. Right here, right now.”

Step.

The towering Ma Yeon-jeok stood before Zhu Lianting.

He lowered only his eyes to look down at her. Blue glimmers flashed repeatedly in his gaze.

Finally, Zhu Lianting’s eyebrows rose. A chill began to flow from her lips.

“Don’t start something you’ll regret. I won’t let it pass lightly again. Recall the Zhu Clan’s noble blood and that Desolate Fortress is the imperial sword. Your status as former Supreme Head is no different.”

It was a rational threat.

The Ming imperial family poured immense effort into its dignity.

Even severing Desolate Fortress’s external ties to the imperial house proved it. Zhu Lianting continued calmly.

“If you harm me, the imperial family will surely respond…”

Suddenly.

Boom!

Gasp!

In an instant, Zhu Lianting’s waist bent. A heavy ripple surged from her lower abdomen’s dantian. It was an overwhelmingly powerful shockwave.

Her dantian seemed shattered in one blow. Blood gushed from her mouth. To anyone, it was involuntary vomiting.

No one saw Ma Yeon-jeok’s strike.

He simply stood there, gazing down at Zhu Lianting as before.

Wheeze!

Expelling a ragged breath with the blood, Zhu Lianting jerked her head up. Bewilderment shone clearly in her eyes. She wore an incredulous expression.

“Now, the sword… harms its master’s kin…!”

“The Zhu name is common in the martial world.”

Jeong Yeon-shin’s grandfather spoke evenly.

“But there’s only one Ma Yeon-jeok.”

The young old man’s fingertip pointed at Zhu Lianting’s solar plexus.

It was where her middle dantian resided.