Chapter 322 – Heaven Shaking

Taiyuan.

It’s a vast metropolis. The main branch of the Slaughter Sect was said to be hiding here.

The Murong family and Profound Martial Alliance seek to plunder the Heavenly Demon’s legacy from them. They want something they failed to harvest during the chaos at the Heavenly Demon’s Tomb years ago.

This has nothing to do with Jeong Yeon-shin. As long as common people and his companions remain unharmed.

He doesn’t care how his enemies regard him. After all, he’s an adult with not much time left to live.

‘About a hundred remain.’

Jeong Yeon-shin believed his self-cultivation was quite profound.

Even when the Flying Blood Venerable of the Profound Martial Alliance treated him as a mere variable, or when the young Murong family head’s talk of Dharma Power Jade was extremely irritating, he remained composed.

Unlike those monkeys who lost the precision of their techniques over a few provocations.

His strikes were cold and calculated. He always displayed his full power. It was truly evidence of a different level of mental cultivation.

Even if his body was somewhat tired now, just one Clear Mind Pill would restore his martial prowess to near perfection.

Click.

As soon as he opened the wooden box, a clear scent wafted up. It was the fragrance of incense burned in temples.

Inside was a single round white pill. It was Shaolin’s secret internal injury medicine, the Clear Mind Pill.

Known for having the best efficacy in the world. Having consumed it once before, Jeong Yeon-shin agreed with this assessment.

Tap.

The Shaolin brown squirrel, the spirit beast that had delivered the Clear Mind Pill to Jeong Yeon-shin, jumped onto his shoulder and burrowed into his bosom.

Where was its master, Won Jeok? No ordinary incident could even scratch the robe of one of Shaolin’s Four Great Vajras.

“Chew it thoroughly.”

Hyeon Won-chang, who approached with his sword lowered, said.

The two knots of his hero’s headband flowing down the back of his head were constantly swaying. Their irregular undulation was due to the unusual energy waves emanating from his body. It was quite different from usual.

‘His power has become much stronger than before.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

The density of the energy waves brushing against his skin was extremely thick. The Desolate Divine Hero’s energy accumulation had increased more than twofold.

No.

At this level, it was closer to three times as much.

When imbued into assassination martial arts that prioritize a single exchange, it was internal true energy capable of threatening anyone. In terms of energy confrontation, it seemed enough to withstand even Lazy Flame Dragon.

Various questions arose.

What had happened to the Desolate Divine Hero? What circumstances had arisen with Won Jeok?

But this was no time to ask.

Jeong Yeon-shin observed his internal state as he put the Clear Mind Pill in his mouth.

The effect was truly instantaneous. As soon as he chewed and swallowed the pill, its efficacy spread.

It was a treasure combining renowned clan secret techniques and Shaolin Medicine King Hall’s medical arts. There was a sensation as if a clear fragrance was rising from all the acupoints throughout his body.

Mystical efficacy took root throughout his body. The feeling of restoring elasticity to his blood pathways and tightening all the small vessels in his body again was tremendous.

The faces of his Radiant Demon Wing seniors including Baek Mi-ryeo and Cheong Myeong came to mind. People who would worry about Jeong Yeon-shin even during individual missions due to Desolate Fortress’s perpetual shortage of personnel.

Now it was fine. He wouldn’t cause them worry.

“No! Don’t give him time!”

“Everyone disperse! Stop the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s recovery!”

“Ignore anyone using assassination swords!”

Boom! Swoosh!

The Murong family masters, who had been frozen by their young family head’s death, gripped their swords and leaped forward.

Energy waves rising from various places roughly pushed away the ground. They were elite swordsmen capable of creating their own gales.

The difference from martial forces was starkly evident.

Even after losing their commander, they immediately made their own judgments. They were not easily called martial forces. They were martial artists from a martial clan and noble family that had continued for hundreds of years.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not waver. He focused on spreading the medicine’s efficacy throughout his body as much as possible. While slowly moving his feet.

The current Radiant Demon Wing Leader is a master of movement. He rarely needs to sit cross-legged. He could perform energy circulation while walking toward his destination.

Thud.

His divine-level protective energy led the way. With a body refined to be slender like an assassin’s, he held the Northern Light Divine Sword with unusually deep shadows etched on its blade.

“Squad Leader, those fellows seem to be targeting the Slaughter Sect’s main branch where Lazy Flame Dragon and Shin So-bin are. Judging by their behavior, they appear to have figured out the main branch’s location.

They remained quiet as if setting a mousetrap, but as soon as you arrived, they came out like a pack of dogs.”

If they were to fight over treasures and powerful figures in a sealed main branch, that would be somewhat—

There was laughter in Hyeon Won-chang’s voice as he continued.

Was he enjoying serving as the squad leader’s protector? He had been displaying refreshingly straightforward speech and conduct since killing the young Murong family head.

“Will you join them right away?”

He asked.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer verbally.

A single break in his exhalation was sufficient. The Desolate Divine Hero’s senses were among the most sensitive in Radiant Demon Wing.

A brief question came from behind Hyeon Won-chang as he raised his sword.

“It won’t take long, will it? With the squad leader’s internal energy manipulation.”

An unnecessary statement.

It was the speech pattern unique to Desolate Fortress martial artists. They conveyed ambiguous meanings during missions.

Jeong Yeon-shin understood immediately. It meant he had no energy to spare for sound transmission, and that it would be troublesome if energy circulation took too long. It must be related to his sudden increase in power.

‘You’re concentrating.’

What needed to be done became clear.

First, recover from the serious internal injuries. Then follow Hyeon Won-chang’s guidance to reach the Slaughter Sect’s main branch.

Whatever treasures the Slaughter Sect had didn’t matter. Reuniting with his companions was the top priority.

It wouldn’t take long.

Both Jeong Yeon-shin and Hyeon Won-chang thought so.

And then they clashed. With the Murong family swordsmen who were rushing toward them.

Swoosh—!

There was no sound of metal touching metal. At this moment, only the necks of three swordsmen rushing from the front fell off.

It came with a silent backdraft after the sword strike had passed.

Assassination martial arts. They avoid direct collision.

—Are you… perhaps a young master from a renowned family?

The Hyeon Won-chang who had been surprised by young Jeong Yeon-shin’s swift sword at Desolate City was gone. He cleared the way with tremendous swift sword strikes.

Only the sound of clothes from the Murong family swordsmen continuously rushing in from all around was noisy.

Swish! Boom!

Countless sword marks were etched in the air. Every time Hyeon Won-chang delivered a single strike, at least two people fell.

The energy waves of the Desolate Divine Hero’s sword strikes were reminiscent of a solar eclipse.

The Radiant Art Bond had assassination secret skills melded into it. Amid the hazy white light, the dark energy waves of an assassin were embedded… He used the flow of whitish energy waves as a distraction. Beyond them, sword strikes with no presence were coldly spreading.

Spurting blood.

The afterimage of a sword decapitating heads.

Despite displaying sinister sword techniques, his advance did not stop.

That’s why he appeared gallant. The young master escorted by the hero with the headband merely moved his legs slowly. Within the encirclement moving with them.

A noble one.

Scholars who fearlessly peeked their heads out from alleys throughout the city stared blankly at the scene. As if they were connoisseurs of the martial world.

Swoosh—!

Amid violently flying stone fragments and dust, a person’s neck was severed with a single stroke.

A path made of headless corpses.

The scene Hyeon Won-chang was creating with the Divine Swordplay clearly transcended common sense. He was continuously executing single-exchange victories within the encirclement.

He staked his life on the tip of his sword at every moment. This was why few could properly receive assassination swords in direct confrontation.

Originally, they were a collateral group raised by Murong Ming-jun to solidify his succession rights, so they couldn’t be called the Murong family’s elite. However, they were not individuals who could be dismissed as lacking in martial prowess.

“He’s using assassination techniques. Don’t approach carelessly.”

“Brothers who have mastered the Flowing Star Sword, step back! Heavy swords won’t work! Masters of the Silver River Silk Flow Sword should go first!”

They used their heads too. They had completely grasped the compatibility of martial arts.

Pitter-patter.

The masters forming the sword formation were replaced in unison. No one reprimanded the one who had openly named their family martial arts.

It was as if they were saying that after the young family head’s identity had been revealed to the Radiant Demon Wing Leader, total annihilation was the answer.

Thus, the dozen or so swords that stepped to the front of the encirclement were extremely thin. Even the width of the sword bodies they held lightly was narrow. They were close in form to rapiers. They seemed to be masters of flexible swords or swift swords.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s legs, which had been walking silently, hesitated. He was concerned for Hyeon Won-chang’s safety.

However, the Desolate Divine Hero merely shrugged his shoulders once.

Then he continued walking while raising his sword diagonally, and in his large arm trajectory, no hesitation was evident.

Clang!

It was the first sound of collision. He was blocked by two crossed swords.

Two Murong family swordsmen in white martial robes looked at Hyeon Won-chang with expressionless eyes. They had received the assassination skill technique with a brief time difference.

The targeted swordsman first placed his sword against Hyeon Won-chang’s Sword, and another master supported it from below with a swift sword to bear that sword power.

“You use a sword technique without foundation.”

The swordsman on the left said. The corner of Hyeon Won-chang’s mouth rose slightly.

“High praise.”

Isn’t that saying it’s a pain to face—Hyeon Won-chang mimicked the man’s tone exactly. The gaze of the swordsmen facing him sank heavily.

That was the end.

Swish—Clang!

The collision between the protector and the group trying to kill continued.

Amid the chaotically entangled sword paths, the necks of two swordsmen were cut off first. Blood began to spray up from Hyeon Won-chang’s body as well.

From the beginning, this fighting style didn’t suit the Desolate Divine Hero. Originally, an assassin’s sword exerts its power when striking by surprise.

The sword technique Hyeon Won-chang was displaying now was a skill that melded the fighting methods he had learned as a sword attendant with the Radiant Art Bond and assassination sword. It was fair to say it lacked foundation, to exaggerate.

“Just minor wounds!”

He shouted like a battle cry. It was because Jeong Yeon-shin had considered stopping his circulation to intervene.

It wasn’t just out of care for the squad leader; in a situation surrounded by enemies on all sides, the best option would be the manifestation of the Lotus Nezha.

Jeong Yeon-shin accepted the Desolate Divine Hero’s intention.

Thud.

He walked while focusing on recovery without intervening. The time that amounted to just a few breaths felt extremely long.

It remained so until they entered a depression like a basin near the outskirts of the city.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

“They probably haven’t solved the formation at the entrance yet! Just look at the presences of those lurking around!”

Hyeon Won-chang shouted in a somewhat hoarse voice. This was amid the forest of blades made of people rushing toward the two of them before splitting apart.

They had reached their destination.

It was a basin surrounded by cliffs below the wasteland’s precipice.

Whoosh—

An extremely dry dusty wind brushed past them. It made a sound like a ghost’s wail.

“They say it’s the aftermath of the battle that occurred when the tomb opened.”

Hyeon Won-chang said, swallowing his rough breath. His attempt to pretend to be fine was somewhat clumsy, but the enemies surrounding the two of them down to the cliff didn’t seem to see it that way.

The Murong family swordsmen.

The energy waves they all exuded while wearing plain masks were uniformly solemn.

Their numbers had greatly decreased. About forty remained.

It was then.

Rustle.

A figure wearing an Ox King mask carved with bull horns walked through the encirclement. His incredibly light footsteps demonstrated the realm of protective techniques.

“You’re right.”

The masked swordsman said in a middle-aged voice.

With the hem of his white robe draped down to his leather shoes.

Invisible sword energy flowed from his large body, which easily exceeded six feet, carving the ground. Anyone could see he was a supreme master.

“I found the entrance. It’s over there.”

He pointed to one side of the cliff. It was a sunken spot beyond the encirclement.

About ten men and women dressed as scholars were examining the area in various ways.

Their demeanor suggested they weren’t even paying attention to Jeong Yeon-shin and Hyeon Won-chang. They seemed to be looking for the axis of the formation blocking the entrance.

“Their faces haven’t changed much. They’re the ones who stuck needles into my body and tore at my blood vessels when I was young.”

Hyeon Won-chang gritted his teeth. For a moment, Jeong Yeon-shin’s transparent gaze swept over them.

The Ox King swordsman lowered his hand.

Rustle.

His snow-white sleeve brushed against his waist.

Even his small gestures were elegant. The refinement of a martial aristocrat who had lived in a noble family for decades was evident.

The black precious sword tied to his white belt also looked extremely valuable. The mask he wore made him somewhat mysterious.

As soon as he stepped forward with light steps, the Murong family masters lost their dignified posture and shrank back. It was clear what position he held in the noble family.

He didn’t seem to care about the family masters who had died.

“I can state my name here. Let’s introduce ourselves before crossing swords. I am…”

“Great Example Sword Murong Qi-huang!”… Hyeon Won-chang shouted, baring his teeth.

“This damn b*st*rd has finally shown up!”

“……”

The swordsman with the Ox King mask said nothing more.

The Great Example Sword of the Murong family.

A figure rarely unknown among the upper echelons of the martial world. Said to be second only to the family head in swordsmanship.

His reputation built with a single sword reached throughout the nine provinces. He was known as the King of Hell in the harsh land of Liaoning.

“You must have eaten Shaolin’s internal injury medicine. I was curious about the truth of your rumors.”

Murong Qi-huang nodded toward a spot beyond Hyeon Won-chang’s shoulder.

“I will draw my sword.”

The direction of his notification was clear. It was directed at the Radiant Demon Wing Leader standing motionless.

Words foretelling a rare great confrontation in the world.

The crowd held their breath. Even the transparent wind that had been blowing stopped just in time.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly parted his lips.

“Brother Hyeon.”

“Speak. If need be, I could…”

Hyeon Won-chang said, waving his blood-soaked sleeve.

However, the back of his hero’s headband had already fallen limply. It seemed the activation time of the method he had used to enhance his power had ended. It appeared to be a technique similar to Ultimate Thunder.

“I sense presences similar to Brother Hyeon’s around us.”

“I’m truly ashamed. They’re senile old men trying to do something to the squad leader. The few elders who care about their disciples have probably already entered the main branch. Or they’re helping their disciples escape elsewhere…”

Hyeon Won-chang’s words were cut short.

Swish—!

Suddenly, Murong Qi-huang had drawn his sword.

“Radiant Demon Wing Leader. After the battle ends, I’ll show you my face. Shouldn’t you know the appearance of your great opponent before you die?”

After his incongruous banter.

An incredibly thick sword light flashed in succession from his fingertips. Simultaneously, the white soaring sword strike energy waves became completely tangible and struck the air.

The sound of the air being torn instantaneously was tremendous. The energy waves of the sword came crashing down, drawing a line as massive as a ship’s mast.

At the same time, five old men in black windbreakers jumped down from the high cliff. All the sword techniques they thrust downward were aimed at Jeong Yeon-shin’s head.

Was this revenge for the counterattack he had delivered to some old woman at the city gate? They came gliding down from above as if they had been waiting for Murong Qi-huang to extend his strike.

A momentary gap.

The only peaceful side was the men and women examining the formation on the opposite side.

Jeong Yeon-shin closed his eyes.

In a time axis preceding theirs, he recalled a single line of incantation.

His upper dantian in his head turned white-hot. The strands of light arising from his Baihui acupoint rapidly formed a single shape, then created the form of a fan, overlapping with the mental image of the Northern Light Divine Sword at his waist.

A cool texture arose in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind.

Sword.

‘Go.’

He recited inwardly.

Simultaneously, a single sword path raced in a straight line through his mind.

It didn’t end with imagination. As he opened his eyes to the violent sound of air being torn from his waist, the space split horizontally.

A pale line passed through the sword strike energy waves rushing toward his face and Murong Qi-huang’s neck, then soared, drawing a ray-like circle in an instant before lodging itself back into Jeong Yeon-shin’s scabbard with a boom—!

Boom! Thud thud thud!

Sixteen headless corpses collapsed and fell. Blood spurted from the severed neck sections of Murong Qi-huang, the elder assassins, and the martial scholars who had been focusing on the formation.

“……”

The Murong family masters who had formed the encirclement froze like ice.

Thud.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s footsteps passed by the head wearing the Ox King mask. As if he had no interest in seeing the bare face.

[TL Note- Forgive me for swearing but Holy Shit.]