Chapter 628 – Red Sky (9)

“……”

Under sounds like dry firewood crumbling into ashes, Jeong Yeon-shin stood blankly. While deploying the sword domain he had conceived throughout his descent from Ming Cult.

Crack, crackle…

The azure formless sword and Southern Splendor Radiant Taiji at his feet repeatedly connected to and separated from gently rippling azure flames.

Everything was faintly dancing.

Countless condensed bodies of explosive force scattered gentle light like constellations in the void, and the long, sharp shadows of those present lying like swords fluttered in the untimely twilight. Some stars were coldly bright like comets, while some other stars were still dark.

It was a completely different space.

Even though only transcendents representing a nation were present.

“It’s like a night on the steppe.”

It was Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor.

The appearance of somehow again scattering star-tinged feathers in all directions.

The Transcendent Martial Art the last emperor of the former Yuan Dynasty had prepared somewhat suited Jeong Yeon-shin’s domain, but Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor himself looked somehow empty with all the feathers that had been stuck in his hat plucked out. Like a field where harvest had ended long ago.

“I feel tranquil years. Is it a color of temperament like your life?”

At Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor’s question, Jeong Yeon-shin slowly shook his head. And answered.

[It’s the lives of two chivalrous men.]

How could one deploy Transcendent Martial Art with others’ lives? It was a question anyone might have, but Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor only smiled faintly.

“They must live immortal lives. Since they’ve been remembered so intensely by someone like you.”

[Isn’t the emperor best at being remembered by people?]

“Wouldn’t how one is remembered be important?”

Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor’s counter-question. For a moment, it seemed like rusty iron powder had fallen from his voice.

Literary Star’s roar that had been shaking the sky until just now had subsided like a lie. Hyeon Won-chang’s single sword that had scraped the giant’s throat somehow resembled the Heaven Conquering Sect Leader’s sword strikes that toyed with space.

It had changed the tide of battle that had nearly tilted for a moment. It was an enormous thing.

Mencius Devoted Firm’s misfire.

It was like a massive shell stuck in the barrel.

Literary Star’s Transcendent Martial Art was a type of lion’s roar that emitted transcendent vibrations with the greatest external artist’s body.

Thus, Jeong Yeon-shin’s explosive force had formed a space like the night sky without any interference, and at this moment, absolute masters on the enemy side like Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor had to strongly sweep the surroundings with light-ray-like energy perception. To grasp weaknesses and prepare countermeasures.

It was a space that inevitably drew such great wariness. Because only those who viewed Jeong Yeon-shin highly enough to call him ‘Northern Emperor’ were present. To the extent that Dharma King was immediately walking step by step while hanging the white radiance in his grip like prayer beads.

Not toward Jeong Yeon-shin, but toward Yong Hye-myeong.

[This is proper competition. A one-armed monk is a merchant of begging. I should receive sympathy.]

He didn’t even turn his head toward Jeong Yeon-shin. Just the appearance of greatly being on guard only with energy perception.

Dark mist was swirling around Dharma King’s shoulder blade’s severed surface.

With his senses, it would be difficult to hold onto the Three Flowers Gathering at Crown state, but the Southern Emperor’s spell martial arts seemed to be manifesting some ability.

That wasn’t all.

Yong Hye-myeong was even facing the greatest external artist. Literary Star, who was only breathing out chilly wind like the north wind from his mouth.

He had simultaneously confronted the giant with bloodshot eyes and the one-armed Dharma King. In a situation protecting Hyeon Won-chang who was sprawled covered in blood on one side.

—About that Western Region monk’s Transcendent Martial Art.

In the midst of that, Yong Hye-myeong sent calm sound transmission to Jeong Yeon-shin.

—It nearly delivered a fatal blow regardless of my protective energy… but it didn’t truly transcend space. That’s the mystery of heretical ways that can only be entered when the flow of thought is completely twisted. On the other hand, what the monk used was an advanced internal method that avoids clashing with any energy. Keep it in mind just in case.

It was a strange story.

Different from the usual Yong Hye-myeong.

Because however slightly, some excessive worry could be felt. As if he was assuming his own death.

Clang clang clang clang clang!

Even in the moment when Jin Myeong-jo, Beigong Ya, Shin Hwang, and Hak So-seon, who had intruded into the hall in an instant, surrounded Yong Hye-myeong while facing Literary Star and Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor, the sense of alienation was clearly felt.

Jeong Yeon-shin wanted to say something to Yong Hye-myeong, but immediately his mouth wouldn’t open.

He had already lost much. The past resolve to lose nothing had been closed long ago. Now like some point inside his knees that no longer grew longer.

What replaced that place was courage to advance within loss. One who had more than any jianghu person, but also had to lose more than anyone. Soon it was the Divine Sword Group Leader’s mindset.

‘Ah.’

Saaaa….

While staring at the Southern Emperor approaching ghostly smoothly, he suddenly realized. The reason Yong Hye-myeong had spoken of Enter The Divine Sword’s succession only now.

With pupils split like that divine sword, he had read Jeong Yeon-shin’s change. Like a wise dragon discerning a person’s heart. For the contemporary Enter The Divine Sword Master, it was fully possible.

Honestly.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t like it.

Now that the things he had experienced were racing toward their end, everything was gradually becoming tiresome.

Like the Southern Emperor’s palm that had charged before his eyes with transcendent jet-black wind pressure at this moment.

Clang!

When he struck up with ‘Starry Night,’ azure ripples burst out. The floor was deeply carved by tremendous pressure, and heavy recoil penetrated his grip.

Simultaneously, his upper energy center spirit pushed Jeong Yeon-shin’s thoughts outside the world.

[I’m getting sick of this. Surrender.]

[Again useless words.]

The Southern Emperor’s immediate answer charged in together with his opposite hand. Again Heavenly Soul. This time even Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor’s feathers completely wrapped in gentle sword energy poured down like a meteor shower, and were all caught in the trajectory of Starry Night swung greatly in an instant and bounced away.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang crash!

Furrows spreading like spider webs beneath his feet.

In that instant, the Southern Emperor’s palm had approached close enough to cast a shadow on Jeong Yeon-shin’s forehead. Just before the joint attack of two emperors ended with bursting Jeong Yeon-shin’s head.

A star descended from the sky.

It was literally like a ray of light. It took no time at all to fall like a fallen leaf onto Starry Night’s azure blade and crumble, and there was no particular resonant sound. Only the sword blade that suddenly soared with overwhelming tyrannical force collided with the Southern Emperor’s hand in a different time axis.

The shock wave that occurred for a moment dyed all directions hazily like a colorless tsunami, and the Southern Emperor’s arm was lifted up for the first time by a single sword within the belated roar.

Crash!

This time even Heavenly Soul couldn’t absorb Jeong Yeon-shin’s sword strike shock waves at all. Because it wasn’t sword force of that level.

[Ma Yeon-jeok’s sword…?!]

But the Southern Emperor’s adaptation was quick.

As soon as it rose up, he diagonally pushed away the sword tip that had fallen like lightning toward his chest with the black mist of his chest, and spun around with that recoil.

Instantly, transcendent silk-reeling explosive force dwelt in the jet-black internal energy barrier.

Whoosh!

Jeong Yeon-shin’s sword strike that had been returning with irresistible momentum was swept into that spiral flow and fell downward. Instantly, the ground dented at Starry Night’s azure tip. The rumbling roar flowed muffledly underground as is.

Shadows rippling massively like dance movements at both their feet.

It was the martial prowess of the Southern Emperor under heaven.

He freely manipulated protective energy that absorbed any explosive force. The demon realm’s emperor complete in both spell and martial aspects. Even though a large part of his protective energy had been torn away by the earlier Transcendent Flower Martial Ultimate Hand Heaven Breaking, the internal energy received from formations throughout Black Capital was filling that.

Instead of activating the Transcendent Martial Art ‘South-Facing Capable Ruler’ that would involve even allies throughout Black Capital, the limits of his original martial arts had disappeared.

The emperor who thus received all variables spoke.

[You are the greatest obstacle to great enterprise. Even if you said you would leave Black Capital yourself now, I cannot let you go.]

[After breaking through the Great Wall and establishing a new nation.]

Jeong Yeon-shin asked while endlessly wielding tremendous strong swords like bombardment.

[Can you tell me what you plan to do in the Central Plains?]

Tremendous internal energy was being sucked into the formless sword. There were limits to Resonance Spirit’s supply. He had to end it soon.

Nevertheless, maintaining Starry Night was essential.

Unlike sword energy overlaid on blades, because it was pure internal energy, the trajectory of robustness was different, and because it wasn’t affected by gripping methods, it was easy to respond to the Southern Emperor’s ever-changing techniques. Only Starry Night could constantly ignore Heavenly Soul’s suction force.

[I will establish a prosperous nation and cut down the world’s trees with imperial authority. I will mobilize all masters under heaven to do so.]

Separate from his will, the Southern Emperor’s hands were distorting the atmosphere in succession right to Jeong Yeon-shin’s face. The conversation wasn’t taking place with mouths. The true subjects of dialogue were the Southern Emperor’s hands and Jeong Yeon-shin’s Starry Night that had collided dozens of times in an instant.

Jet-black smoke burst up like feathers within dark blue sword light, and the old palace site continued to sink as if it would collapse to the underground. The abyss in human form made of black mist and the swordsman who gripped a piece of night sky instead of a blade endlessly crossed at close range.

Clang clang clang clang clang clang clang!

Even Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor pouring feathers on Jeong Yeon-shin as if he had become the Southern Emperor’s Transcendent Martial Art himself.

“…!”

The more exchanges continued.

The longer other strongmen’s battles stopped. Shock even crystallized in the colorless eye-light of inhuman beings.

Jeong Yeon-shin was truly wielding the Tyrant Hero under heaven’s sword. It was the scene of rejuvenated Ma Yeon-jeok’s sword force pushing through the whirlpool of Heaven Steel Light Armor Deception with power.

[Is this your true Transcendent Martial Art? Melting your maternal grandfather’s straight sword strikes into swordwork? It’s certainly surprising, but I said I had already calculated even the trajectory of Entering the Way Together Transcending… Did you forget?]

Just before the Southern Emperor’s counterattack technique was unleashed within will that rang somehow satisfyingly.

Gentle radiance spread down again from somewhere in the night sky. Toward Jeong Yeon-shin’s formless sword burning azure.

Starry Night.

Bathed in another starlight.

What extended simultaneously was one thousand streams of sword strikes.

Crash!

Instantly, Starry Night’s bent sword path tore through the Southern Emperor’s forearm along with black mist, and again the azure blade flickered like a phantom before the Southern Emperor’s eyes, then bounced away all his jet-black hands with tremendous gale.

Even Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor’s feathers that had begun pouring sword energy like seasonal rain were swept up in tsunami-like sword techniques. Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t hear Lu Ban Heavenly Emperor’s Transcendent Martial Art will. He was completely in a state of no-self.

Strong sword, phantom sword, feints, again strong sword, silk-reeling technique, transformation technique…

Countless techniques were unleashed in various trajectories in an instant. Using the complete Divine Sword Group Leader-level swordplay achievement as fertilizer.

The Southern Emperor trapped in that heretical sword strike tangle had only one judgment.

[Deception, Deep Black.]

In the instant of scattering his entire body’s dark whirlpool, he raised the repulsive force of Heaven Steel Light Armor Deception to the limit. Space that rippled hazily like ash powder smoke for a moment.

Woong!

It was then that another star brightly illuminated itself above the assembly’s heads. Afterimages of formless swords fragmenting into dozens of streams like a capricious dragon strongly plucking the strings of a seven-stringed zither.

[……!]

Before shock could even spread in all directions, all blades struck into the Southern Emperor’s entire body.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang crash…

While dark shock waves overlapped in succession like concentric circles on a lake surface, even the small night sky above explosively rippled. Of course, inevitable gaps were revealed in the feast of absurdly strong repulsive force.

‘Heart.’

A fragment of Heaven Steel Light Armor that had fluttered like a leaf of the night sky overlapped with Starry Night’s blade like a lie.

Thud!

That azure tip had pierced through and entered the Southern Emperor’s solar plexus. While simultaneously bathing in three types of starlight clusters poured from the night sky.

The unity of tyrannical way, heretical way, and the ruined sword.

“……”

From when the azure night had unfolded in Divine Sword Group Leader Jeong Yeon-shin’s grip until now.

Peerless swordsmen who could discuss being the world’s greatest seemed to have charged in and withdrawn at exactly the right moments. Because it was something that couldn’t actually happen, the flow was never interrupted even once.

It was said that when all Six Star Lords combined, they became the Fighting God. Soon it was the completion of the Big Dipper.

By similar logic, what would happen if former Divine Sword Group Leaders and a member of the Five Swords Under Heaven connected like constellations?

Counterattack impossible.

It was the result of connecting Southern Splendor Radiant Taiji and Starry Night while honoring the lives of dead chivalrous men. The sword technique limitations had completely disappeared. Enough to wield Starry Night, which was difficult to swing even a few times, like the ceremonial sword.

Silent Radiance Sword Constellation. The constellation of blades.

It was the thin diary of a youth destined to die young.

“End the war.”

The Divine Sword Group Leader spoke under the star cluster of the small night sky.