Chapter 612 – Three Swords (5)

The bushes swayed in the empty wind. With such a peaceful feeling that it was still hard to distinguish whether it was late winter or early spring.

The one-armed storyteller in a bamboo hat, the Heaven Conquering Sect Leader, had boasted that the next sword strike would be proper. Of course, Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t believe him.

Because the one-armed man who had made a false sword strike sat cross-legged on the dirt ground, saying energy circulation came first.

It was a situation where Form-Shifting Void for moving large numbers of people had been repeated several times.

If he had cut such wide sheaths in space, his energy accumulation was bound to be insufficient. Of course, even if time was delayed like this, it would be better than running thousands of li.

“But.”

The blind man in the bamboo hat suddenly asked while laying his sword on the ground with his only hand.

“Are you taking that legless man all the way to Black Capital?”

The brow of Beggar Sect Leader Divine Beggar Zhu Guang, who was being carried on Jeong Yeon-shin’s back, darkened. Of course, curses came from his mouth.

“This damn one-armed b*st*rd…?”

“I said it thinking of the old man. That place is a hell on earth. No matter how skilled that friend is, he can’t fight while taking care of a legless man. Even the fastest under heaven is a thing of the past, isn’t it?”

“Stop.”

Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head.

“Focus on energy circulation. Elder Sect Leader has experience you lack.”

At his words, the Heaven Conquering Sect Leader smiled slightly.

“You’ve stepped onto a slope. A downhill path that’s hard to stop once you start running… I hope you can land well. With both legs intact, not as a legless man.”

Sharp words flowed out as naturally as breathing.

But Divine Beggar Zhu Guang actually brightened his face. He even chuckled while glancing at Jeong Yeon-shin’s legs.

‘Riding a tiger’s momentum.’

Meanwhile, Jeong Yeon-shin thought the Heaven Conquering Sect Leader’s words had merit. Only regarding the part about it being a downhill path hard to stop once you start running.

Swish.

He lightly placed his hand on his chest.

Now that he had emerged from closed-door training in the starry night.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently rotated his three luminous wheels. So he could exert full power at any time.

At this moment, behind him stood two Northern King forces in their respective attire. Each fluttering red or rough robes.

* * *

Shin So-bin ran down the slope with her comrades.

Each time she banged the ground, grayish clusters of light spread from the footprints that were pushed back. Among the group, she alone used Ten Li Gentle Light lightness skill.

Naturally, she had some leisure, and she gently stroked below her chest.

“It’s the same war as the Desolate Fortress Great War. You can’t come out from now on. You have to stay quiet.”

Tweet—

“There’s no one to protect you. If your master, my teacher were here, it might be different…”

Suddenly, the focus in Shin So-bin’s eyes blurred. Her consciousness had sunk.

Whether some swallow’s cry flowed from her bosom like a person’s response or not, she created spiral air currents with one hand while sprinting.

The orthodox true energy of Desolate Shin Family’s Emperor Ascension Martial Scripture, the blood energy power of Lightning Genius lineage’s Demonic True Blood Technique. Transparent and reddish vortices were generated in her grip.

The dirt ground began to be carved out with cracks.

“I don’t know anything. I just have to guess. Whether you’ll be safe, when the Acting Leader will come, what kind of heart the Acting Leader is living with, just everything… I should at least do well at this…”

It was rambling.

It was also a type of formula. Her own key technique used to deeply accept martial arts. The process of finding will suitable for techniques.

Warriors encounter mental demons doing this, and some fall into obsessive martial disorders before awakening.

In the process, they either gain great enlightenment and advance, or their internal energy flow gets tangled and they become disabled.

But there were no comrades to carefully observe Shin So-bin now. Because the martial army forces of each Northern King were currently charging in through dozens of gates.

Some even leaped over entire fortress walls, totaling over a thousand in number.

A battle that rushed toward quick decisive victory.

Even though they were only elite with swift lightness skill mobility.

Kugugugugugugung—!

The plain gradually filled with dull roars. The vibrations were tremendous too. While yellowish dust rose like typhoons from all directions, the earth’s axis was literally rumbling.

There was no black rank to guide Shin So-bin.

Most had long since crossed the plain and flew like lightning to bang and deflect Great King Vajra and Gao Yao Holy Sword Lord.

Before they knew it, each was standing holding dark red formless swords, and none of their backs looked leisurely.

Black robe hems fluttering in the dust wind.

They were simply chilling.

Even until Great King Vajra and Gao Yao Holy Sword Lord returned to their original positions as if time had been rewound.

Rustle.

The two Northern Kings were positioned in front of the fortress walls in their original attire as if by magic. They had surrounded both sides of Literary Star and Jin Myeong-jo and other black ranks.

Vajra opened her lips.

“In Tianzhu there are groups like you. Military forces that make emperors into gods… You’re as fierce as they are.”

Some history was embedded in her words.

But it was just personal reflection. The Central Plains jianghu had no occasion to contact Tianzhu.

Both sides were separated by various mountain ranges and basins including Everest, so the only foreign absolute master the Divine Sword Group would face was Vajra.

At least until the Ming Dynasty’s imperial house changed.

Immortal Tree Spirit Leader Cheon So-so, Dragon-Treading Squad Leader Wei Zhi-ji, and Ultimate Martial Hall Master Geum Cheong-won faced her.

People whose eye techniques had reached the realm of ‘mind’s eye’ and reacted sensitively even to opponents’ pulses. It was already a confrontation where it was hard to pay attention elsewhere. Only they remained in each other’s worlds.

While the Northern Kings’ martial army forces completely leaped over the fortress walls and soon raced across the plain toward the Divine Sword Group.

Geum Cheong-won gently nodded his dark prosthetic leg instead of his right leg and said.

“There are no humans who are fierce without reason. The times make people into beasts. Like us recently.”

“What beast creates a situation of hitting a rock with an egg by itself? Since you have faith, you will die because of it.”

It was a tone tinged with pity. Soon after, the atmosphere began to naturally friction in her hands. Colorless energy crackled long like a spear.

It manifested.

Divine art Indra.

Vajra was originally the weapon of the thunder god in Tianzhu mythology. ‘Indra’ was another name for such a thunder god. In other words, she had made the weapon her name and the weapon’s owner her martial art name.

No one knew the reason, it was said.

But there were no black ranks curious about the intimate circumstances of life-and-death enemies. How many people under heaven had no stories?

Cheon So-so opened her lips.

“We have to go in.”

“Hmm.”

Great King Vajra smiled while holding a spear glowing colorlessly. Before they knew it, her hair had taken on a light brown tint in the sunlight.

“The Fighting God must come down, and you cannot enter. I will make this place a red fortress.”

Red fortress.

In distant Tianzhu, it was equivalent to the Forbidden City. Otherwise, heaven on earth. It meant it must be defended.

“Then watch.”

Cheon So-so spoke quietly.

Though it was almost the first time for the contemporary Divine Sword Group to preemptively strike something, at this moment the cold energy of Immortal Tree Spirit’s Cold Heaven Flowing Ice Art spread very naturally from Cheon So-so’s body.

While thickly overlaying her deep blue pupils and long black hair with dense water vapor.

Vajra took one step with her bare feet and tilted her head.

“Does an Ice Art practitioner not know the human body’s limits? If you overdo it with cold energy, your entire body’s meridians will freeze.”

Separate from her words.

White frost crackled up from Cheon So-so’s black robes, and contrary to her frozen appearance, her cheeks were tinged with reddish flush.

A scene proving that minute vibrations were repeated in her body’s meridians.

Divine Sword Group Jeong Family Dynamic Technique

Chapter of Flourishing Spirit Flower Master

A mystery that protected the body like a house’s furnace. A state where Ice Art’s limits became meaningless. Instantly her semi-transparent energy waves broke some critical point and burst outside.

Bang! Crackling—

“…!”

Ultimate Martial Hall Master Geum Cheong-won kicked up Vajra’s lower jaw with a bang as she stood frozen holding her spear.

Ultimate Martial Hall’s Dome Lip Leg Technique. While circular shock waves exploded from the prosthetic foot’s tip, Vajra’s body that flew dozens of zhang while even piercing the fortress wall was wrapped in thick cotton rope lasso.

“We’re going.”

Wei Zhi-ji, who firmly gripped the rope, soared like a light ray pulled by Vajra.

Whoosh!

Following him who flew between the half-destroyed stone walls, Cheon So-so and Geum Cheong-won also disappeared. Deep, frosty footprints remained on the fortress walls that had been intact on both sides.

Whether Vajra had been properly hit or not, they had first crossed into Black Capital’s interior in an instant.

Meanwhile, the place they had left. Right below the cliff-like high fortress walls.

Literary Star and Gao Yao Holy Sword Lord didn’t follow Vajra. They just stood still. While naturally meeting eyes one by one with the eight black ranks surrounding them.

It was close combat.

Especially Literary Star didn’t keep Jin Myeong-jo, who had naturally retreated ten steps, outside his peripheral vision. He seemed to want him to enter ultra-close combat distance.

—Squad Leader, please restrain from striking until a big opportunity comes. Right now you are our sword.

Annihilation Team Leader Shin Hwang sent sound transmission to Jin Myeong-jo while asking quietly.

“Is the Acting Group Leader inside?”

It was a voice with powerful energy surging, but Literary Star only smiled while pulling out the judge’s brush embedded in the fortress wall.

“Well. I only devoted my efforts to blocking you, so I don’t know Black Capital’s intimate affairs well.”

Literary Star among the Six Star Lords’ presence was overwhelming as always.

A walking fortress where one punch was more transcendent than any battleship’s bombardment. Moreover, Gao Yao Holy Sword Lord who had somehow loaded a large great sword behind his shoulder like a cannonball was also problematic.

Meanwhile, Black Capital’s martial army forces and the Divine Sword Group were about to collide, but even the earthquakes caused by both sides’ footsteps scattered away beneath the two Northern Kings’ feet.

Transcendents of external arts who absorbed force with their entire bodies. Though all directions were noisy, it was silent beneath their feet.

“Anyway… the Fighting God’s return formation, Dark Heaven West King’s person, the Southern Emperor’s head.”

Literary Star continued slowly.

“It wasn’t a joke. I didn’t know you would really enter Black Capital. You probably can’t even guess what they will see now.”

“There’s no need to go this far. Vajra’s words are right. It’s hitting a rock with an egg.”

Gao Yao Holy Sword Lord chimed in.

Beneath his feet, sword strike shock waves originating from the great sword were already carving the dirt ground like ripples on a lake.

The next moment.

“Are your tongues your swords?”

Radiant Sword Squad Leader Hak So-seon stabbed the Dark Night Brilliant Blood Demon Sword held in reverse grip into Literary Star’s solar plexus. Clusters of Radiant Art Bond light scattered faintly behind her. Traces of leaping from her original position to Literary Star’s face.

Crackling!

The Dark Night Brilliant Blood Demon Sword that struck Heaven Steel Light Armor and the world’s greatest external arts was deflected as is. Following the sword tip that scraped the scholar’s robes, dark sparks flew up in lines from Literary Star’s chest.

“This is.”

Literary Star looked down with a voice where internal energy breathing was calm. Along with his grip that had somehow seized her left arm.

“The Grappling technique that split the Divine Sword Group Leader’s right arm.”

As soon as she sought an opening with refined provocation.

Crash!

Forest-Treading Squad Leader Xiahou Wei-jin’s shoulder pierced into Literary Star’s abdomen like a siege engine. The shock waves of Close Combat Technique that struck with his whole body reached the fortress wall Literary Star had his back to, then caused cracks with a roar.

Soon after.

The giant was pushed back half a step. The low retreating footstep sound swept the stone wall unusually clearly. A significant situation.

“……”

Literary Star’s gaze went down to Xiahou Wei-jin.

“…I don’t know how this happened. Why did you become stronger?”

Suddenly his grip crushed Hak So-seon’s left shoulder.

While Xiahou Wei-jin’s right half was scorched by Heaven Steel Light Armor’s gentle dark blue flames, Literary Star swung Hak So-seon’s body like a shield at him.

Whoosh!

Xiahou Wei-jin’s large frame escaped Literary Star’s embrace like grass and rotated sideways into Gao Yao Holy Sword Lord’s combat range.

Because the Northern King holding a great sword had risen like a mirage from behind Annihilation Team Leader Shin Hwang. That divine technique Wind Body’s movement seemed to have Jeong Yeon-shin’s afterimage following it.

Bang!

As Xiahou Wei-jin deflected Gao Yao Holy Sword Lord’s blade back with one punch, Hak So-seon bounced off the ground and spun through the air like a pinwheel to escape from combat range.

She had escaped Literary Star’s grip with vibrations close to full-body explosive force.

She seemed to know no pain.

Radiant Sword.

Hak So-seon with the character for radiant anger spat on the ground and stood up.

Her left shoulder’s black robe hem naturally tightened to fix the damaged arm, and her colorless eye-light glistened with anger instead of pain.

“You’re strong indeed.”

She muttered.

Meanwhile, Literary Star staring at them intently.

His bearing was reminiscent of an iron tower. It was also the opposite of his refined yet noble atmosphere, but at the same time his eyes remained deep.

“Where is that well-blooded young lady?”

Literary Star asked. Even with eight black ranks before his eyes, he was looking for the Divine Sword Prisoner. It was behavior as if his mind was entirely on the war situation.

A literally living, burning diamond. Was it because he was the greatest external arts practitioner who didn’t allow fatal injuries to low-level warriors? His refined and destructive momentum suited his large frame.

But there was a handsome youth who stomped on Literary Star’s foot as if feeling nothing.

Obeying Heaven Leader Namgung Hwa-shin. Instantly, the dirt ground cracked from tremendous wind pressure and exploded in all directions.

Crash—!

From the beginning, it was Thunder-Annihilation Sword Style Judgement Qilin.

As soon as his footwork shook the earth, a demon sword shot up like a sword drawing from his waist, and that sword tip stretched up toward Literary Star’s groin in coils, trailing long radiance.

Namgung Hwa-shin’s clear eyes were saying. This is the Divine Sword Group Leader’s swordsmanship.

In an instant, Jin Myeong-jo’s form, which had been taking in both Northern Kings at a glance, distorted in place.

The opening Geum Cheong-won had mentioned was faintly captured. Two streams of dark mist were held in the Divine Sword Squad Leader’s hands, connected like will-o’-the-wisps.

Straight toward Literary Star.

[Silent Night, Sleepless.]

A state where any technique could be deployed without delay. Concentrating such Crimson Moon Dance’s efficacy not outside his grip but inside his body, seeking to increase his own combat power.

Literally the pinnacle of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. It was possible because his Crimson Moon Dance had been perfected by the Divine Sword Group’s Jeong Family Dynamic Technique.

Because there was no burden on his body despite being mixed blood.

Kugugugugugugung!

Starting from that advancing footwork, all the strong warriors in front of the fortress walls began moving in unison.

A feast of energy waves bursting from all directions just by each taking steps. A great war surpassing all previous battles.

Instantly, Literary Star’s palm, which had become hazy with overwhelming explosive force, struck down Namgung Hwa-shin’s crown along with his demon sword.

Bang—!

While the recoil caused Judgement Qilin’s wind pressure to lift the dirt ground like a tidal wave, Jin Myeong-jo who rose by stepping on yellowish sand like stepping stones met Literary Star’s eyes.

“…?”

Just before Literary Star’s Deep Profound Nine Phoenix Hand completely crushed Namgung Hwa-shin.

—Actually, I was troubled about how to handle a special sword like the formless sword in what form. It might be good if we complete it together through sword discussion when we face each other someday… This is a draft I’m giving first, but it seems too early to be drinking snacks.

Jointly Authored Formless Sword Technique

Divine Blood Brilliant Star Chapter

Drinking Snacks

Swish—

Two streams of mist were carved on the giant’s shoulders. Trajectories that cleverly penetrated Heaven Steel Light Armor like blood-colored paint mixing with oil. Instantly Jin Myeong-jo flashed the same colored eye-light dark red.

Literary Star among the Six Star Lords.

From the greatest external arts practitioner’s tendons.

Crash!

Two streams of blood fountains explosively shot up and overlapped their bodies in the sky.