Chapter 257 – Ascension (7)

The Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown was said to be a state where the mastery of inner energy reached its zenith.

That was the meaning of the harmony of essence, energy, and spirit. Internal energy followed the speed of one’s will. It was a realm that plunged Jeong Yeon-shin, who had to live in a world of transcendent speed, into deep contemplation.

‘Dull people somehow become strangely fast.’

There was a limit to preemptively calculating the swift strikes of supreme masters. He had realized this painfully after nearly dying to the Ghost White Divine Sword and Shaanxi’s top demon.

Without variables like Baek Seo-gun’s sword control or opposing energy techniques, he would lose with high probability. The martial arts they had cultivated were that formidable.

Constant activation of Brilliant River during combat was the initial solution Jeong Yeon-shin devised.

It was a technique that used the principles of a spell formation to collide opposing true energies and generate lightning. Azure Qilin had named it.

Consistent application was the first step. If he perpetually surrounded himself with this explosive palm force, he would not need to worry about the casting speed of a decisive blow. His combat responsiveness would rise to a terrifying level.

He had trained for this purpose.

He altered the properties of the Lesser Bubbling Point, Labor Palace Point, and Middle Finger Point on his palm. Using the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique, he enhanced the elasticity of his blood points and fine meridians. The power of repetition was immense.

What he had doubted possible became reality after a month of effort.

The longer a battle dragged on, the greater the strain it placed on his body. For Jeong Yeon-shin, who pursued short, decisive engagements, it was an acceptable trade-off.

He could also significantly reduce the emission of energy waves. It was worth testing in an ambush.

‘I was foolish. There was a reason everyone did it this way.’

The Four Books and Three Classics, so often cited by the Desolate Fortress Divine Hero, contained no falsehoods. Jeong Yeon-shin reflected anew.

Indeed, a person should remain humble. It was a mindset he had steadfastly upheld thus far.

“…”

A single move had evoked silence.

The quiet spread in all directions. The scattered snowdrifts gleamed unusually white.

A cold winter breeze brushed past the grass and extended outward silently, reaching beyond the hill where a skirmish had erupted in an instant.

Jang Sun-il, standing awkwardly behind Jeong Yeon-shin, let out a nervous breath for no reason.

The young man who had thrown the spear seemed to doubt his own eyes.

Soon, a sense of bewilderment seeped from the way he let his right hand hang limply. His combative aura vanished entirely.

He struggled to speak.

“This side’s encirclement… is the strongest.”

“What?”

“If you come this way, it will not do.”

He answered as if muttering to himself, facing backward. Though his voice sounded like a groan, he could not meet Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze.

Now that the nearby mountain range had turned into a vast battlefield.

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader from Desolate Fortress was a fearsome variable. He would be so to anyone on Mount Taibai. To those unaware of Jeong Yeon-shin’s identity, he would appear as a calamity.

The young spearman felt an enigma in the black-robed boy who stood with hands clasped behind his back.

He could not decipher that single palm technique. Unknowingly, his voice trembled.

“If you come, you must not come…!”

“What are you saying! Time is critical! At this rate, we will all be annihilated!”

An angry voice approached swiftly. It seemed to belong to a senior member of a spear-wielding sect.

At the same time, a woman’s laughter rang out long and clear.

Words like “pathetic” and “worthless things dare to speak” drifted seductively on the transparent breeze.

Even the thick scent of blood carried by the energy waves accompanied it.

‘The evil factions are fighting among themselves.’

Jeong Yeon-shin turned quietly. He sharpened and subdued his entire body’s aura.

Jang Sun-il, who had his mouth slightly open, flinched.

“Let us go.”

“Uh, yes, yes! Is your hand alright?”

“It is just a bit cool.”

His traveling companion was a mountain boy. Being of the same age and not a martial artist, Jeong Yeon-shin’s tone lightened.

It was like how he spoke to Yu Hyeon. It felt more comfortable than the cold mutterings he directed at martial world figures.

“Let us go. Staying here will be troublesome.”

“Yes? Uh, huh?”

He grabbed Jang Sun-il by the waist and hoisted him onto his shoulder like a sack.

It was possible because his shoulders had broadened slightly along with the growth of his limbs.

He felt a sudden pride. Even the comrades who had teased him about his chopstick skills seemed momentarily forgivable.

He glanced back at the spear-wielding young man.

“You.”

“Hm…”

The now-empty-handed spearman flinched. Though flustered, he had thrown a deadly strike at a stranger on their first meeting. His way of life was evident.

He would have no excuse if he faced a deserved counterattack. Perhaps he would meet his end at the hands of the Seventh Apostle, who was flamboyantly unleashing the Mara Roaring Blood Technique in the distance.

Jeong Yeon-shin parted his lips toward him.

“Come this way, and you will die.”

“…”

Jeong Yeon-shin turned his head and stepped forward.

‘Wind Body Movement Technique.’

Whoosh!

A wave of wind erupted from the Bubbling Spring Point on his sole. The moment he pushed off the ground, the noises behind him blended together and faded.

Had they only now noticed the anomaly here? A chilling energy wave stirred belatedly.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

The sun shone brightly at noon.

It was called Mount Taibai because it wore white garments throughout the four seasons.

Every peak in the nearby Qinling Mountains was covered in eternal snow, a place so divine that poets like Du Fu and Li Bai had visited and left their verses. The adjacent peak beside Seven Ladies Peak was no exception.

Thud.

A palanquin rested atop the white summit.

Even with eyes narrowed, a refined, scholarly man sat within. Beside him, a taciturn swordsman gazed down at him.

“Is there a need to go to such lengths?”

She asked.

“He is a figure who must be killed. There is no more dangerous sprout in the current martial world.”

The man replied, raising his red lips into a smile. He rolled a long box between his fingers. A faint, pure scent of herbs wafted from it.

“Hm.”

“His growth rate defies reason. Everyone who handles information likely thinks the same. The world is so vast that the significance and accuracy of rumors vary greatly.”

The man’s tone was peculiar. It carried a melodic cadence, as if infused with song. The elegance ingrained in his voice was strange.

The swordsman glanced at the wooden box he held.

‘Thousand-year Ginseng…’

She spoke again.

“Even if Lightning Genius’s martial prowess is exceptional… has it not been about a year since he rose to prominence? Would it not be better to focus on the young leader of the Ming Cult instead? I heard spies in Xinjiang were exposed and killed in droves.”

The man laughed languidly.

“Have you not seen the urgent report those spies sent as their last act? They say Desolate Fortress’s Heaven-Obeying Squad was annihilated. Squad Leader Ha Do-woob died most miserably. Regardless of the means, how could we consider someone who achieved such a feat a mere sprout?”

“The Heaven-Obeying Squad…! How could the toothless Ming Cult manage that?”

“They say he is versed in sorcery. He might have elevated his realm early. His system of sorcery and martial arts was said to be quite peculiar. In any case, since this is Shaanxi, let us return to the main point. Lightning Genius.”

The man tucked the box he held into his bosom and continued.

“He was already a target of the Blood Flame Sect’s scrutiny. Upon deeper investigation, he reportedly wields both sorcery and martial arts, something Desolate Fortress warriors have not previously revealed, suggesting it is a unique technique. His martial talent is truly astonishing. From Sichuan to the Martial Alliance Conference, and now here in Shaanxi. How many times have I pored over his dossier…”

“Contacting the Tyrant Sword Sect was wise. But was there a need to inform the Blood Flame Sect? Since their leader went into seclusion, the sect has fractured into many branches. Are the current blood demons not beyond control?”

“They say the Second Apostle incited a rebellion. The First Apostle is taking the lead to suppress it. Even if the sect is in disarray, crushing a single rising black-rank should pose no issue.”

The fingertips of Yu Ling’s Lesser Lord scratched the armrest lightly as he spoke as if to himself. His movements were as delicate as his cunning and schemes.

He parted his lips again.

“The rumor that the Tyrant Sword Sect Leader has arrived is not entirely baseless. They say he is greatly enraged. How could he not be? He lost his wet nurse to a vastly junior figure.”

“It was good to make Lightning Genius’s niece that way. It seems Shaanxi’s top demon Wei Geuk-sang followed orders well. But even if you spread rumors of the Ginseng, will the Desolate Fortress squad leader come here? The moment he steps into Mount Taibai, he will be half-dead…”

“Did we not deliberately leave one root behind? The Radiant Demon Wing Leader will come without fail.”

The Lesser Lord continued.

“Having traced his actions so much, he feels almost like a friend. He is not the type to abandon kin. What we should worry about… is that monstrous prodigy’s peculiar ‘ascension’ alone.”

“The Mount Taibai you have crafted is a hell on earth. Fear not.”

The swordsman spoke slowly. Her words carried the insight of a seasoned martial world veteran.

[TL Note- i hate this guy already. Praying that he doesn’t last longer than 5 chapters.]

***

Night fell.

The darkness that settled over the mountain was unusually thick.

The tranquil wild hills, as if always so, embraced even the sporadic clangs of metal, staining the pupils of the two boys pitch black.

Was it because the mantra Jeong Yeon-shin recited each night was the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique? The rarely broken silence felt like a mother’s embrace.

Crackle. Pop.

The Samadhi True Fire he conjured from his hand kindled a campfire.

Jang Sun-il did not particularly object. He had just learned of his companion’s martial prowess.

He was undoubtedly a rare powerhouse, even amidst the chaos of Mount Taibai. To most seasoned warriors, he would be a harbinger of death.

“…”

They sat facing each other across the campfire.

After a while, Jang Sun-il, who had been bowing his head, looked up.

“May I ask one thing?”

“Speak.”

“Why are you seeking the thousand-year Ginseng? They say consuming it and circulating energy properly grants immense power, but you are already extraordinarily strong. I have never heard or seen such skill. It was truly terrifying.”

“My niece is ill.”

“Oh…”

The quick-witted mountain boy’s mouth opened slightly. It was a face that had heard something unexpected.

“And you? Why do you want to eat the soil?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked quietly.

“My family was annihilated by evil faction scum. When I returned home, there were only corpses.”

“…”

Jang Sun-il spoke matter-of-factly.

“It is common these days. They come to collect taxes like they are officials, and when there is no food, they turn their blades on innocent people. We were vented upon in this famine. I will find them and take revenge. The soil where a thousand-year Ginseng grew should hold considerable energy for me.”

His tone was as if recounting someone else’s story.

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader gazed at Jang Sun-il steadily.

“Do you know which faction they were from?”

“I do not know. Whether they were filthy ronin wandering about or bastards trained by a prestigious sect. They are my sworn enemies, so I will meet them in time. I must.”

The boy muttered.

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly thought of the Blood Flame Sect and the Tyrant Sword Sect.

‘The Blood Flame Sect has spread widely.’

He was not curious why the Seventh Apostle here.

After receiving her favor, he no longer knew how to face her. That alone weighed on his mind. They said the bonds of gratitude and grudge in the martial world swirled opaquely like the torrents of the Yangtze River.

He understood it now. Only after becoming deeply entangled with someone bearing both favor and enmity.

‘…Had it not been for her, I would have died at the City of Renowned Craftsmen. Along with everyone.’

His uncle, the Radiant Demon Wing’s Squad Leader, and the Radiant Demon Wing’s benefactor was a villain. What should he do?

It was then.

“They are using fire.”

“They must be quite confident.”

A man and woman’s voices sounded. They rang out from the darkness beyond the campfire.

Step.

Bold footsteps followed.

The outlines of two approaching figures emerged. They seemed to push aside the campfire’s faint glow entirely as they entered.

Their snow-white martial robes stood out against the night air. The color was profoundly mystical.

Soon, their faces came into view.

They were twins. A brother and sister who looked identical.

Their blue-white hair, clearly imbued with inner energy, hung long, and their sharply defined faces exuded an authoritative dignity.

Their somewhat exotic appearances were strikingly impressive.

“Oh.”

A gasp escaped the woman’s lips. It was right after her eyes met Jeong Yeon-shin’s.

“I did not expect to feast my eyes here. He is like the reincarnation of Pan Yue from the Jin Dynasty. I do not know about my brother, though.”

“I know too. I studied. Do not act like you alone grasp this land’s history and affairs. Regardless, would it not be wiser to seek a fruit cart over rare herbs? With that face, anyone would toss you food.”

The twin man referenced the tale of Pan Yue.

His tone was flat. It was unclear whether he was mocking or sincere.

“Do you wield a sword well?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked.

The blue-white-haired man parted his lips calmly.

“Staff techniques are my innate specialty. More importantly, may we share your campfire? Our internal energy cannot kindle flames, and we lost our servants… I have no intent to force it.”

“We are unlike the martial artists here. We value courtesy and reason over the law of the strong preying on the weak. If you refuse, we will withdraw.”

The woman said, raising the corners of her lips slightly.

Jeong Yeon-shin blinked for a moment. He had not expected such conduct on a battlefield.

“My elder sister is Bei Gong-lin, and I am Bei Gong-hui. We come from what you call the Ice Palace. Shall we exchange names?”

Bei Gung-hui asked while standing still.

Jeong Yeon-shin gazed at their faces silently.

They had said they would leave if refused, yet they seemed unaccustomed to rejection. Their confidence in their demeanor suggested as much.

The aura of rulers. It resembled the atmosphere he had felt at the Blood Flame Sect’s main base. They appeared to have no thought of rubbing dry twigs to start a fire.

“You are disturbing my contemplation. If you do not leave, know that I will strike.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke his mind plainly. His voice carried indifference.

There was no Desolate Fortress Divine Hero here to polish the squad leader’s words.

In a land teeming with all manner of martial artists, the Radiant Demon Wing Leader sat casually, exuding solitary arrogance.