Chapter 305 – Tamed Nezha (4)

It was a dying plain of grain fields.

Boom!

Amid the dazzling sunlight pouring over the pure white snow, red and ash-colored light waves hazily collided and scattered repeatedly.

The snow ground kept turning over amid fragments of energy waves breaking into pieces.

These were supreme masters with long-ranging movements. The pattern of being repelled dozens of zhang away only to immediately collide again repeated itself.

It was the sight of Blood Shadow Rakshasa Hand’s palm shadows and Eight Illusion Divine Skill’s mind-controlled sword mixing together. The trajectories of hand and sword were entangled in confusion.

Crack!

Sparks flew onto the black eye patch of the Seventh Apostle, which was embroidered with gold thread.

It happened right after her snow-white hand had completely grasped the sword blade.

With the tremendous gale of the mind-controlled sword’s energy waves, her hair was violently swept back, and the divine sword caught in her grip gradually pushed toward her body.

“The Blood Flame Cult Leader twisted Buddha’s teachings in a strange way, they say. Your techniques are the same.”

The owner of the mind-controlled sword, standing beyond the sword handle, said.

Her limbs were long. Anyone would recognize her as a highly refined swordswoman.

The hem of her ash-colored long robe stretched all the way down to her feet. The grayish-white color of her hair, which only covered down to her nape, was distinctive.

She was a beauty untouched by time, but her fierce expression made her appearance seem detached from the surrounding landscape.

She coldly gazed at the Seventh Apostle’s left hand.

Unlike the opposite hand that was blocking the sword blade, it wasn’t surrounded by any energy waves.

Yet Swimming Heaven Sword Ghost Baek Seo-gun remained wary of the Seventh Apostle’s hand techniques even while maintaining her mind-controlled sword. This was because she couldn’t predict what bizarre techniques might emerge.

Meanwhile, there was another reason she was moving her lips. As the Sword Venerable of the Heart Martial Alliance, she knew well the power of provocation.

“Blood Shadow Rakshasa Hand. For something named after a rakshasa, it lacks depth. It’s closer to a blood demon craving blood than a guardian of Buddhist law.”

Boom!

The mind-controlled sword trembled. The pushing force and the containing power were interlocked. White snow kept rising hazily beneath the feet of both women.

The Seventh Apostle slightly raised the corner of her mouth.

“Is your knowledge of the martial world extremely narrow? True Blood Lineage doesn’t absorb energy.”

“Your subordinate blood demons are inferior.”

“That’s why I’m destroying them. The vermin of Shanxi are almost all dead. Next, I’m thinking of going to Henan. Or maybe Xinjiang.”

“You madwoman.”

“Isn’t it the auntie who’s gone mad? Launching a sudden attack, I mean. Don’t you want to die peacefully?”

“A low-level practitioner with decent speech.”

“No, should I call you grandmother? What was the age difference between you and Desolate Spear again?”

“A far inferior being with no sense of propriety. I can tell how you were raised as a child. That’s also why your martial arts lack refinement.”

Screech!

The friction sound of metal grew louder. It was coming from the mind-controlled sword thrashing in the Seventh Apostle’s hand.

It was a supreme master’s killing technique that was reaching its limit to block with energy waves and protective energy. Blood began to flow from the grip that was holding the sword blade.

“If anything happens to my young grandmaster while I’m dealing with you.”

Was it because of the pain? The Seventh Apostle’s smile deepened. The madness in her expression did the same.

“If my young grandmaster, who won’t even live half your lifespan, dies here… I plan to put all the suffering in the world into your body.”

It was a deranged raving. She whispered ominously.

“I’ll fill your acupoints with needles and cut your meridians strand by strand. I’ll make even the movement of a single muscle fiber painful. Then comes dismembering, but before that, I’ll grant you the ability of regeneration by turning you into a blood demon. You’ll never be able to die.”

The killing intent permeating her voice was incredibly dense. The hostility was so palpable it seemed to emanate directly from the energy waves irregularly spreading from around her lips.

However, the gleam in Baek Seo-gun’s eyes continued to flash like black lightning.

“Young grandmaster?”

She merely narrowed her brow. The mind-controlled sword also stopped in place at the same moment.

“Are you referring to Lightning Genius?”

This was after seeing the Eight Clan Leader attacking Jeong Yeon-shin.

The situation was extremely urgent. What the misunderstanding was or what the intentions were didn’t matter.

The problem was the time being meaninglessly wasted at this moment.

As the number of exchanges increased, the conclusion that they should leave first became clear.

Communication had to accelerate.

Baek Seo-gun vaguely brushed it off.

“I am… that child’s… wet nurse.”

“What?”

…And so.

It didn’t take long for a strange partnership to form.

Baek Seo-gun, who immediately flew up riding her sword, and the Seventh Apostle, who rapidly stamped the ground, kept each other in check. They were sprinting in a straight line toward the Gongya family estate.

It was just a single breath to the destination. They arrived in an instant.

First, they confirmed that the sound of energy waves colliding had ceased.

Then they witnessed the scene of Zhuge Clan Leader’s barrier completely vanishing without a trace, and soon after, they flew high into the air to see the headless corpse.

The corpse in pure white silk clothes that no one dared to touch.

“…So Zhuge is dead. How?”

“My young grandmaster must have done it. With a sensation like a wondrous cluster of stars.”

“You… no, never mind.”

Baek Seo-gun glanced to the side. The sword beneath her feet was humming as if restraining itself from striking.

The Seventh Apostle was slowly gliding downward. With the bright red sleeves of her pure blood robe spread wide.

A devotional energy emanated from her small head, filled with ecstasy.

While descending from afar and gazing at Lightning Genius confronting someone seated in a palanquin, her temperament was no different from a sinister bat. It was separate from her beautiful appearance.

Desolate Fortress has many enemies.

If the Seventh Apostle of Blood Flame Cult truly intended to protect Lightning Genius, it would be right to leave her be. However, she would need to be watched for a long time.

Suddenly, Baek Seo-gun’s eyes grew solemn.

‘A long time.’

It might be a meaningless clue.

She is the Sword Venerable of the Heart Martial Alliance. She cannot follow Lightning Genius forever.

She had set out after destroying the Heart Martial Alliance’s Young Sect Leader who had been flirting with her, so the longer her absence, the deeper the Heart Martial Alliance Leader’s wrath would grow.

‘How can I gain that child’s acceptance?’

She was like Zhuge Clan Leader in this regard. She knew herself. As a martial artist of the evil path and a master of swordsmanship, she had a peculiarly twisted personality.

Her proud dignity as the Sword Venerable of Henan wouldn’t allow her to revisit the past… She wanted the favor of one who resembled Jeong Pan-yue yet had become far more noble than him. So that the position of Baek Seo-gun, who remained stuck in the past, could be elevated.

Fortunately, she could now step forward. Now she needed to quickly end her wandering.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

A momentous event of a different nature had occurred.

In the lives of commoners, a first-rank official was a being worthy of the term “descent” rather than “arrival.”

A Deputy Commander who controlled military affairs was close to a celestial deity, difficult even to meet.

As a supreme master was equivalent to a northern military division in power, the attention of the highest officials inevitably followed.

“I come from the Five Armies Command. The Deputy Commander has arrived.”

Thud.

Four swordsmen in blue official robes, carrying a palanquin, faced the black-ranks of Desolate Fortress who were in a state close to complete exhaustion.

There wasn’t a single non-master among the two pairs of men and women. They exuded terrifying energy waves despite the black-ranks of the Divine Sword Group.

“We heard the announcement. Why are you still here?”

One of the men in blue robes, who appeared to be the leader, parted his lips.

“You must have been busy focusing on your work.”

“Huh?”

Yue Shou-lin, who had been looking at him with distaste, planted one leg firmly.

“Our Lightning Genius’s hand slipped, it seems. As you can see, we fought a fierce battle. The opponent was Zhuge Clan Leader who had completed his mystical formation, and he still managed to defeat him like this. Isn’t that a great achievement? Something the Imperial Guards couldn’t even dream of?”

Then she slightly gestured toward the palanquin. “Imperial Guards” referred collectively to the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Saaaa—

A dry wind swept across the barren land after the fierce battle.

Deputy Commander Kang Su-hui was leaning against the backrest of his palanquin, which was decorated with silver.

He wore a black official hat with a round brim. Despite his official attire, he wore a fur coat over it, which suited him remarkably well as a handsome man.

Whether he was of mixed Han and Elves descent, his somewhat sharp ears were also impressively striking.

The third most revered figure in the Five Armies Command, which oversaw the military forces of the world.

A first-rank official. Even fairly renowned generals were beneath his notice. His direct superiors were only the Left and Right Commanders, who were genuine first-rank officials.

“……”

He glanced sideways at Zhuge Clan Leader’s face.

It wasn’t easy to find the transcendence of a supreme master in the appearance of just a severed head. It was a sight difficult to believe even when seen with one’s own eyes.

It was also a great pity.

Though Zhuge Liang might have been a madman among martial artists, he didn’t harm commoners. His intention was obvious.

It was to avoid making enemies of both Desolate Fortress and the military.

‘I already knew he was a rare b*st*rd. Thanks to the Eastern Depot’s intelligence capabilities.’

Nevertheless, there was a reason he had welcomed him to Shanxi.

Using poison to control poison. He wanted to use Zhuge Clan Leader to control the Shanxi martial artists with their troublesome survival instincts, who were plundering despite Desolate Fortress’s power reaching throughout the Central Plains.

Martial artists were creatures who undermined the dignity of government troops even in times without famine.

He felt furious.

‘How dare they.’

It was just as he had hurriedly ordered someone to announce his arrival.

But the sword had already been swung. They had disregarded even the news that the revered third figure of the military had arrived.

This was not how a Deputy Commander should be treated.

Even if they were black-ranks of Desolate Fortress, it was the same. Can those who maintain the country’s order ignore the highest officials like this? It would have been right to see their faces and then judge their crimes.

Kang Su-hui turned his head down from the palanquin.

“……”

His anger subsided.

It was right after his eyes met those of a youth who could be mistaken for royalty. No, he was somewhere between a youth and a young man.

Kang Su-hui was different from officials in the countryside.

Being directly connected to the central politics of Beijing, he received all sorts of news regularly. This meant his intake of information was unprecedentedly swift.

He not only confirmed the appearances of the seventeen black-ranks of the Divine Sword Group in a timely manner but also deeply considered their connections.

The personal details of Desolate Fortress’s black-ranks were top secret. This was to ensure safety in carrying out their missions.

Only the imperial family and intelligence agencies like the Imperial Guards could access them, so it wasn’t easy to acquire even their relationship information.

‘Radiant Demon Wing Leader Lightning Genius. One favored by the Crown Prince.’

The disciple of Desolate Fortress Lord. The Crown Prince’s martial brother.

He had the eunuch Ming Yu demoted without even touching him.

It was said he was extremely arrogant and unrestrained. They say he beheaded a local branch leader as soon as he became a black-rank.

As it turned out, he was of the Desolate Ma Family bloodline. It immediately made sense.

‘The grandson of Tyrant Hero, they say. Now that he’s killed Zhuge Clan Leader, he must be the closest to purple-rank.’

Desolate Fortress purple-rank.

In government circles, they were called Yamas, an absolute hierarchy that couldn’t be replaced.

Since imperial family supreme masters couldn’t leave the Forbidden City, it was effectively a position recognized openly by the country as being above all others except one.

Meanwhile, there were numerous people in Beijing eyeing the position of Deputy Commander.

‘Tyrant Hero from fifty years ago… left the Imperial Eunuch crippled.’

After an argument with the head of the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, and Palace Depot, he struck like lightning, they say.

Yet the incident was hushed up. Those who spoke of the rumor were instead taken to the Eastern Depot. It happened with the Emperor’s approval.

Afterward, Tyrant Hero was accepted as a martial deity by both officials and martial artists. Kang Su-hui had even briefly seen Ma Yeon-jeok’s face. It was quite terrifying.

This is a world where martial arts prevail.

A military official of the first rank must inevitably be a supreme master who has opened all three dantians.

A series of thoughts flashed through his upper dantian’s circulation of the Five Elements Heavy Spirit Cultivation Technique like rays of light.

‘Considering the interests involved, it would be right to punish everyone here. Since His Majesty despises flattery.’

The Deputy Commander is clearly a higher position than a black-rank of Desolate Fortress.

In terms of both actual power and rank, it was a position that could barely make it into the top ten in the imperial court’s official hierarchy.

It was also Kang Su-hui’s noble pride built up over long years along with his rank.

Having lived for the common people all this time, he had nothing to fear.

Kang Su-hui thought heavily as he looked down at Radiant Demon Wing Leader. How should he deal with him?

As he stared silently, the face of Tyrant Hero, about whom ominous rumors had been circulating recently, flickered in his mind.

It was a moment of crucial choice.

At that moment.

“I pay my respects to the Deputy Commander.”

Jeong Yeon-shin calmly raised his clasped hands in greeting. While holding his sword reversed in one hand. It was right after a fierce battle.

Because the exhilaration hadn’t yet subsided, he hadn’t had time to mind his appearance… Kang Su-hui’s shoulders twitched proudly.

The aristocrats who had been watching were whispering at this time.

“Isn’t he the greatest prodigy in a hundred years? I don’t think the Young Sect Leader of that famous sect could reach this level. A Tamed Nezha surrounded by lotuses, no less. The subordinates’ words weren’t exaggerated.”

“Tamed Nezha?”

“It’s from Buddhist mythology. It’s like Prince Nezha, the Fighting God, appearing on a lotus. Since he killed that Zhuge Clan Leader, any title would be fitting.”

[TL Note- Yes it’s the same person from Nezha Movie.]

“Are you insane?! Keep your voice down and be quiet! This is before a first-rank official! Prince, you say… Even though his expression isn’t good to begin with…”

“Did he just perform a sword salute to an official? With his provocative reputation…”

“In the martial world, he might not have many equals now, but the government is different. That etiquette, though refined for a martial artist, to a highest military official…”

As conversations assessing both Radiant Demon Wing Leader Lightning Genius and Five Armies Command Deputy Commander continued.

‘These aristocrat b*st*rds. Soon to die.’

Kang Su-hui irritably hardened his face and descended from the palanquin. His official robes woven from celestial silk brushed against the wood with a rustle. It was a sound that induced silence.

“My name is Kang Su-hui. I work as the Deputy Commander.”

He spoke somewhat slowly. It was a voice permeated with the languor of a first-rank official.

Radiant Demon Wing Leader lowered his clasped hands.

“Desolate Fortress, Jeong Yeon-shin.”

A strange tension pulled tightly around them. The conflict between Desolate Fortress and the military wasn’t a recent issue.

It was something that even those with moderate insight would know. At this moment, the silence between words seemed to be deeply etched into the atmosphere.

“I know. Of course I do.”

Kang Su-hui, who had nodded his head, opened his mouth with a formal attitude. It was after he had made up his mind.

“Your height doesn’t match your facial features. Your limbs are quite long, which is suitable for a swordsman’s physique. You were born with it. How old are you?”

“You mean my age?”

“Would I have asked about Desolate Spear’s age? This official doesn’t want to die away from home.”

“Seventeen…”

“Well done!”

The Deputy Commander suddenly raised his hand and placed it on Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder.

“Here stands the true divine sword of the country!”