Chapter 603 – Intoxicated by the Starry Night (5)

Bright Wind Spirit’s sound caves.

A sound transmission space that unified vast lands even greater than the Ming Dynasty, personally created by the Fighting God and transmitted to the Northern Kings.

A place where pro-Fighting God faction Northern Kings shared intimate conversations. Naturally, demon realm jianghu people had great interest in Bright Wind Spirit.

Many hoped to eavesdrop even in dreams. Perhaps they might gain even a fragment of insight.

But no one openly mentioned Bright Wind Spirit among the Six Star Lords.

No curious person brought up the subject, and in no great city’s Saha would the words Six Star Lords and Bright Wind Spirit flow out simultaneously.

Because everyone suspected.

That it was a space where strategic secrets of the nation to be newly founded flowed, beyond the uppermost levels of the demon realm’s ‘jianghu.’

Starting with the sound caves of Literary Star and Upright Star.

—Upright Star, did you return safely? What about the internal injuries from the Sword of the Night Sky?

—I’m fine. He’s an old man who couldn’t be a match if we met again. Unless he regains his youth.

—That probably won’t happen. They say the Southern Emperor’s ‘Dry Soul’ hit properly… Even at most, it would be difficult to last more than two weeks. He might already be dead.

—…….

—Do you regret it? Well, even in my eyes, you seemed quite pleased that day, Upright Star. It’s difficult to find swordsmen with conviction in their swordwork.

—Don’t keep saying it’s difficult. There’s also dissatisfaction with the Southern Emperor’s troop raising.

—That’s not difficult. Even though Emperor Qian-ling has been dead for a long time, the Ming imperial family shows no movement, and the Divine Sword Group Leader who came in his place remains secluded… The Divine Sword Group is even advancing while abandoning Yeoktru Castle. Rather, it’s become easier to unite the Northern Kings.

The vast southern jianghu.

The Desolate Fortress, Nine Sects, and the Eight Families and Thirteen Evil Sects.

The demon realm inevitably had to be completely symmetrical to such Ming Dynasty jianghu.

As an empire where national titles like Jin or Great Qing had already been internally decided, its national power couldn’t fall behind the sum total of local jianghu, not even the Ming Dynasty imperial family.

—Are there many who responded to the troop raising? We don’t need those who just babble in Bright Wind Spirit calling themselves Northern Kings.

—First, half of the Six Star Lords… that is, us and the Southern Emperor.

—And?

—Molten Rock Castle Lord, Heaven Palace King, Great King Vajra, Gao Yao Holy Sword Lord, Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor, and the last Dharma King of Potala Palace, who was destroyed by the Western Greatest, also seemed to participate hoping for something from us. We’ll have to ensure he doesn’t encounter the Ming Cult Leader.

Overwhelming names.

Beings who would become founding military kings of the future Qing Dynasty. Just by their names being spoken, tremendous presence fell over the sound transmission space. It was because Upright Star had briefly fallen silent.

—Your capabilities are quite impressive.

—Though they couldn’t become Six Star Lords, Northern Kings are still Northern Kings. The Southern Emperor is already complete as the founding emperor.

—Military strategy starts with gathering troops. You know that when such people start flocking to Black Capital, conflicts will inevitably arise? Isn’t there more than one or two base Northern Kings who eat people?

—That’s why we’ve opened paths in all directions, haven’t we? Just the north is so. We pulled down the Ice Palace in advance and put the Ice Emperor in critical condition. The Vast Wind Curtain Lord and Blood King of Grudge Blood Valley are major variables, but they’re impossible to control anyway. They’ll be too busy checking each other to leave Grudge Blood Valley.

—We just need to eliminate the Divine Sword Group. I’ll march out.

—That’s fine. Molten Rock Castle Lord will be sitting on the path they’re ascending.

They were creating the greatest divine achievement. Among accomplishments humans could achieve, something that could always unchangingly be called the greatest throughout history: founding a nation.

The Six Star Lords had long piled up mountains of corpses and were moving the era from atop them.

—This Literary Star’s divine achievement is the Qing Dynasty.

Using the qing (清) meaning clear.

It was a mountain that would not crumble.

* * *

The mountain split.

The aftermath was tremendous.

Gray cutting surfaces were vastly exposed, and dull roars continued bursting from both sides.

Not only dirt piles but rock fragments and brittle wood constantly rushed in with entangled vibrations.

Like the lives of Divine Sword Group Leaders.

Kugugugugung—

It was a great landslide.

Amidst hazy dust clouds pouring down like snow.

Jeong Yeon-shin gazed down below. It was to meet eyes with the opponent he had just clashed with.

“……”

A handsome man with pure white hair was looking up at him.

Pupils like thickly condensed blood.

Narrowing his smooth brow, wearing bright red robes with luster flowing down to the ground. His eyes were high like the tips of a bat’s wings.

He was a man who didn’t suit kneeling on one knee like now.

A temperament that seemed to always sit on a smooth jade throne.

Was it the dignity of a king?

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly thought of two people. The irresistible Blood Flame Cult Leader he met in his blue rank days. And Seventh Apostle.

“What are you?”

The man asked Jeong Yeon-shin.

Jeong Yeon-shin conversely posed a question to him.

“Are you the head of the Crimson Blood King Family?”

“Are you insane? You struck at our main family without even certainty about my identity?”

“I heard you’re a Northern King who doesn’t welcome the Fighting God, is that right? If so, tell me the reason.”

“I’ve never seen someone like you in my life. What kind of energy did you cultivate? Did some bandit from Vast Wind Curtain send you?”

“Too many words.”

Jeong Yeon-shin muttered lowly. At his voice imbued with demonic nature, the white-haired red-eyed handsome man, the Blood King, who had been asking him all sorts of things, had his eyelids twitch faintly for the first time.

An appearance meaning the energy of his entire body’s meridians wasn’t properly controlled.

Aging had reached to his hair tips.

Thus most heretical demons are types who easily lose their reason. The exceptions Jeong Yeon-shin had encountered so far were only outstanding transcendents like the Tyrant Sword Sect Master, Blood Flame Cult Leader, and Heaven Conquering Sect Leader.

‘Rather, this is good.’

He thought. He had wanted something from the Blood King from the beginning. That was also why he didn’t immediately cut his throat.

Subdue and make him into fighting strength.

It was the Divine Sword Group Leader’s wartime conscription. There was no other path.

Because his opponent was the northern greatest. A monster who intended to found an empire comparable to the Ming Dynasty.

Even when he came alone to Clear Light Plain, he had shown earth-shaking martial prowess, and if the selection of Northern Kings from Bright Wind Spirit and the martial army forces he built as a founding monarch were added to that?

That would be disaster. Even the term natural calamity might be insufficient.

The scale of battle would change dimensions.

Things would arise that Jeong Yeon-shin’s two hands alone couldn’t protect. Perhaps the Divine Sword Group would be annihilated and only a very few leaders would survive.

‘Such things…’

Must not happen.

Black and white lightning flickered in Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes. At the same time, interest appeared on the face of the Blood King who had been looking deeply at him.

“Demonic energy and dharma power? No, that’s not all. Yes… Three Clear Powers. The emptiness of Taoism maintains balance between two opposing energies. You have the Heavenly Demon, Dharma, and Zhang Sanfeng together in your body.”

A smooth smile bloomed blood-red on his lips. Of course his voice imbued with demonic nature continued once more.

“I see all sorts of crazy b*st*rds. You’re an impossible existence. Not only ancient talent, but heavenly fortune followed in cultivating martial arts too. Yes, that’s why our main family became like this.”

At this moment, the luster glistening in pupils like coagulated blood beads. It was the insight possessed by the demon realm’s peerless master. He was worthy of calling himself Northern King, claiming to be the highest king.

A welcome thing.

Because soldiers are better the stronger they are.

“I was looking for seasoned jianghu people with good instincts like you.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said matter-of-factly.

An old saying goes that hearts difficult to move even with natural courage and strength can be obtained with a few words. His father Jeong Ban-ak’s union with his mother Ma Yeon-sang was said to be in a similar context.

Respectful speech was difficult for heretical demons.

But a few trivial compliments were possible.

“You were looking?”

The Blood King asked back in a chilling voice.

Crack—

It was a sound that spread from the cutting surface of the mountain that had become a narrow cliff. Dry dust was separating the two people. Jeong Yeon-shin slowly nodded.

“I’m on my way to strike the Southern Emperor. Cooperate.”

“Madman.”

“Stop sucking the blood of innocent common people too. I know blood art formulas befitting clans like yours.”

At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin burst small irregular waves with his left hand. It was the energy waves of Demonic True Blood Technique.

Whoosh!

But the Blood King was already seeping into the cliff crevice behind. Though he had widened his eyes at the energy waves Jeong Yeon-shin burst, his lightness skill didn’t stop.

His presence was thin like mist.

Surprisingly swift and graceful body movement. Befitting a grandmaster of blood arts. It was peerless lightness skill resembling the Blood Flame Cult’s Graceful Body Technique.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes stirred.

‘Again.’

Another peerless master’s flight.

If he followed, he would definitely lose them. Because the side running ahead led the direction and variables.

The master of lightness skill who could make even such peerless masters’ struggles meaningless was precisely the fastest under heaven.

The fallen Divine Beggar. Divine Beggar Zhu Guang when both his legs were intact.

Jeong Yeon-shin was not.

‘At least not yet…’

Therefore he stomped his feet in place.

Bang!

The Blood King, who had been disappearing like smoke mixed in hazy dust, suddenly stopped. His body became clear in an instant. At the same time he vomited blood.

“What, is…!”

“It’s a martial art called Southern Splendor Radiant Taiji.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said.

Before they knew it, a bluish circle was spread beneath their feet. White sparks also crackled here and there on the lines forming the taiji.

It fundamentally possessed very powerful Destroying Evil, Revealing Truth abilities. Techniques imbued with the spirit of the chivalrous Ancient Sword. Just being spread suppressed heretical true energy.

Faint bewilderment appeared on the Blood King’s ice-cold face.

“Mixing dharma power with Taoist Three Clear Powers…?”

“Let’s have a conversation.”

Jeong Yeon-shin’s voice remained consistently calm throughout.

Originally, peerless masters were beings who should be dealt with like this. When they wanted to escape, there was nowhere they couldn’t go, and as their obsession with martial arts was tremendous, they were naturally eccentric transcendents.

Suppress with force.

Conversation comes next. They were difficult to treat as human anyway. At necessary moments, they had to be made to achieve merit proportional to their faults.

—The sword I think of is a blade that brings spring to the faces of the weak. What if blood spatters a bit and there’s a fishy smell? Flowers bloom on the faces of those who’ve escaped the hell called life a little. That’s a flower many jianghu people can make bloom with just a little courage.

The Sword Star’s last words caressed his mind.

It wasn’t just now. Since the old swordsman had last grasped Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand, these were words that always lingered in his thoughts.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“If you engaged in blood-sucking, you’re vermin.”

“…!”

“I’ll give you a chance to live like a human. Follow obediently.”

“There’s no madman quite like you…! Don’t degrade my lifetime’s blood arts with such crude techniques!”

He convulsed at the word blood-sucking.

Whoosh!

White hair that only the Blood Flame Cult Leader and Divine Sword Squad Leader possessed fluttered like a lion’s mane. He had burst energy waves even while caught on Southern Splendor Radiant Taiji. He was a noble blood demon worthy of being called King.

His opponent was a Northern King.

Even killing him would be upheld as an astounding achievement. How much more so persuasion?

‘Regardless of circumstances, I can’t let him deploy Crimson Moon Dance.’

Immediately, three luminous wheels in Jeong Yeon-shin’s heart rotated completely.

Bang!

As soon as he trampled the ground again, dark red blood burst from the Blood King’s mouth. Of course he knelt on one knee once more.

“Let’s have a conversation.”

“Preposterous…”

It was when a hollow laugh formed on the Blood King’s blood-stained lips. Some woman’s Six Harmonies Battle Voice burst out.

[Father!]

It resonantly echoed throughout Grudge Blood Valley’s entire foundation, the valley sunken between mountains. Along with the presence rapidly charging down from midair.

There was another formidable blood demon.

‘Fighting strength equivalent to the Eight Families.’

This needed to be finished before the slow-footed Yu Xiong-gong and Divine Beggar Zhu Guang arrived. He couldn’t let the old men, whose bodies weren’t even well, exert themselves.

[Don’t interfere.]

Jeong Yeon-shin’s quiet voice became Six Harmonies Battle Voice. Meanwhile, his right hand was creating afterimages in place. It was the precursor to Eternal Blossom Fist’s Blossoming Fist.

He had achieved omnipotence through martial arts.

He inherited the Sword Star’s will. If there were things he couldn’t accomplish, it should only be when encountering figures approaching the greatest throughout history like the Desolate Fortress Lord or Fighting God.

“Stop!”

When the Blood King cried out convulsively.

The face of a woman racing through midair was reflected in Jeong Yeon-shin’s pupils. It was very familiar features.

Facial lines matching red pupils, ultimate beauty, love and hate crystallizing on her proud nose tip.

She greatly resembled someone.

“You say you know blood arts – did the Cult Leader send you to steal my successor again! Wasn’t the second daughter enough, you want me to give up the eldest daughter too?!”

“That’s not it.”

Jeong Yeon-shin answered.