Chapter 648 – Big Dipper Hundred Stars (11)

The mountain slope was ruins.

Torn limbs were scattered everywhere.

Colorful cloth fragments left dark red bloodstains in various spots of the huge pit. It was impossible to distinguish whether what rolled down rustling were pieces of human flesh or piles of dirt.

“……”

It was the scenery of the north.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the demon realm had overlapped onto Central Plains land, and there were only two people standing at the point where Literary Star’s fist strike had descended.

“Is this really a fight to protect?”

Profound Martial Alliance Leader Gun Wi-hu.

“Truly a Six Star Lord…”

Evil Demon Scholar Jeon Baek of Profound Martial Alliance, whom Gun Wi-hu had fought for an instant and saved earlier.

Wooong—

Around the two, force fields of light skills were distorting like mist. It was traces of Gun Wi-hu earlier tearing apart the waves of Literary Star’s explosive force, proving how fast the shed-shell invincible one’s River-Crossing Technique had been.

Dry saliva gulped down one-armed Jeon Baek’s throat. Soon he shouted loudly from atop fragments of shattered trees.

“Listen, Six Star Lord…! Hear me once!”

But Literary Star didn’t even glance at him. His gentle gaze like a deeply learned Hanlin Academy scholar was only watching Gun Wi-hu with interest.

“There’s no reason or need for you to cross hands with our Alliance Leader already! You’re seeking the first Heavenly Demon’s legacy anyway, aren’t you? So leading even remnant soldiers to this place…!”

Bang!

Suddenly Jeon Baek was pushed by Gun Wi-hu’s palm wind as he shook his sleeve and flew down to the mountain slope.

Gun Wi-hu said without bothering to look back.

“Those born close to brush work are like this. They often think avoiding big fights is the way, so their master’s honor comes second.”

“I value honor and dignity very highly.”

It was Literary Star’s reply. But Gun Wi-hu only looked at him briefly without responding.

Literary Star smiled broadly.

“I felt sound transmission energy waves just now. I also understand the Alliance Leader was aiming to kill two birds with one stone. Safely evacuating subordinates and conveying the current war situation outside.”

Whether to divert from the monster’s insight, suddenly words like thunderbolts flowed from Gun Wi-hu’s mouth.

“Fighting God is roaming the Central Plains like his own home. Are you on your way to assist him?”

“Hmm?”

For the first time, Literary Star’s expression became subtle. It would be correct to say it was a strategist’s face hearing unexpected words.

“Fighting God is…?”

[You’re playing dumb.]

Gun Wi-hu’s voice changed to an echo. The powerful will gradually revealed deep hatred and seemed to blaze.

[Didn’t the Divine Sword Group suffer great defeat in the north, and the cripple came south through the Great Wall that was finally breached? You must plan to lead surrendered prisoners like occupying forces and join with Fighting God.]

A cape woven from pure white fur fluttered gently, and his toes rose an inch with Void Treading Technique. Even as the ground beneath caved in circularly with heavy sounds, his body floated loftily.

It was a precursor to Transcendent Martial Art.

[The era is moving. Yong Hye-myeong isn’t the only one who abhors stagnation.]

“Unlike when you hid behind Emperor Qian-ling’s back to inspect the demon realm before, you do look quite troublesome now.”

After briefly praising his achievement obediently, Literary Star instantly transformed into a dark red trajectory and stood before Gun Wi-hu. Nine Brilliance Demon Power Step. A meteor-like fist struck down at Gun Wi-hu’s crown.

Crash!

The crater exploded once more spewing tremendous shock waves, and white breath leaked from Gun Wi-hu’s mouth as he narrowly deflected the giant’s arm.

[It’s a matter of time before the Divine Sword Group’s defeat becomes known. Not content with that, they even surrendered to the north. Now Central Plains people’s morale will inevitably fall to the ground, and the already collapsed Desolate Fortress will be antagonized by the whole world. All your schemes.]

“All Central Plains jianghu people seem bound to misunderstand like you.”

[What.]

“The reality is that the demon realm was subjugated by the Divine Sword Group, and I’m accompanying them as Lord Lightning Genius Sword Heaven’s prisoner.”

[What…?]

His question was again swallowed by Literary Star’s soundlessly descending fist.

* * *

Zhongnan Sect’s Double Yang Pavilion.

A place where one could look down at events unfolding throughout Qinling Mountain Range if one wished.

Though it was a hall enshrining memorial tablets of successive patriarchs, today their traces remained only as gentle incense fragrance. Because all walls had long been covered with withered wooden vines.

At its center sat a young woman in faded Taoist robes. The ends of her golden hair like melted gold touched the floor, and her long ears like leaves were slightly more erect.

She moved her lips alone.

“The crisis of clans has arrived, so receive World Tree’s power? The same things are happening throughout the Central Plains now…?”

“……”

It was silence originating from the walls.

Silk-soft wooden branches were drawing mandala-like circles centered on her. At the same time, they also conveyed strange whispers like spring wind.

The woman spoke after brief silence.

“…Strengthening the upper energy center with such absurd power goes against the martial way. You’ll surely lose your sanity and become puppets following your commands.”

Rustle—

The woman shook her head as spring wind permeating indoors brushed the vines.

“I understand. Our sect and Mount Hua Sect alone cannot handle the jianghu people gathered at Qinling Mountain Range, and we don’t know what miracles the first Heavenly Demon’s legacy might work… But what’s important to me isn’t clans but Zhongnan disciples. An elder of a sect that nearly faced annihilation entrusting her mind to World Tree? I doubt it.”

“……”

Several wooden branches raised their heads like small dragons. A few other strands slyly covered a sword placed beside the woman.

Zhongnan Sect Grand Elder, Oak Sword Yeo Il-shin slowly parted her lips again.

“My hundred acupoints have already been long entwined with wooden branches, so it would be difficult to resist you here. But you must remember. Someone will surely learn of this, and someday might punish you…”

Whoosh!

Instantly bluish vines rose in all eight directions and began wrapping around Yeo Il-shin. Her body had already stiffened like tree roots without even slight movement.

“Grand Elder…?!”

Only then did Zhongnan disciples knock on Double Yang Pavilion’s door from outside, when blue-green eye-light leaked from Yeo Il-shin’s eyelids and illuminated the surroundings bluish.

* * *

It was a dark blue night.

A dreamlike hazy evening.

Desolate Fortress Lord’s maid Dan Jeong-jeong was from Jinan’s Pingyin County, and at this moment found the starry night that had strangely come to the mountain range peculiar. While resting against rocks in beggar attire.

‘Must be because of the first Heavenly Demon’s legacy…?’

The ancient greatest demon art lineage said to bewitch anyone. Anyone with even slight jianghu knowledge couldn’t help but think of the Heavenly Demon’s authority.

Dan Jeong-jeong knew how strange the dharma treasures originating from grandmasters’ spirits were. She had once been entrusted with delivering the original text of Jeong Family Dynamic Technique to the Fortress Lord.

Long before Desolate Fortress main fortress collapsed.

‘Though it was long ago.’

Swish.

She suddenly separated her back from the rock. Her hand had already drawn a scabbardless sword from her waist.

Three warriors were looking down at her from atop the rock. Each drooping blood-stained swords.

“Seems to be alone. Did you lose your sect here?”

“Hmm, does even such a young child covet Heavenly Demon studies? Barely about to reach adulthood.”

“Brothers, the former Divine Sword Group Acting Leader was exactly that age. The world’s gone mad, so why bother asking age? If we’re going to kill, let’s kill, and if there’s information to extract, let’s extract it.”

Dan Jeong-jeong silently stepped up the rock backwards, then after exchanging exactly thirty-seven moves with them, killed them all. Naturally, the gap-toothed Desolate Sword was painted over with blood.

It was something that had repeated many times.

Qinling Mountain Range was already a hellscape, giving the same feeling as ruins of collapsed Desolate Fortress. Fishy earth smells and half-rotten stench, blood smell blowing from the boundary of winter and spring.

Her mind was becoming confused. Enough to need soliloquy soon.

“You’re going the right path. This way is correct.”

It wasn’t walking aimlessly. Because she was walking in the direction where gentle earth energy flowed like water veins.

Though her martial arts didn’t yet reach Desolate Fortress white rank, her upper energy center spirituality was extraordinary. It had become so from frequent contact with World Tree branches near Desolate Fortress Lord.

Perhaps because of this, she had often seen mirages recently.

Strangely, she saw Radiant Demon Wing’s Baek Mi-ryeo the moment she entered Qinling Mountain Range. In the night sky, the current Divine Sword Group Acting Leader.

Whether it was upper energy center ability or the dead Heavenly Demon’s fantastic arts was unclear. Both were people who had punished Hwangbo branch family’s crimes in her hometown Pingyin County.

It was the same now.

A peerless handsome young man had suddenly appeared on the night mountain path.

“It’s been a long time.”

“Lord Jeong…?”

“Why are you here?”

Jet-black pupils came first, then gentle star clusters flowed down along his nose bridge and jawline. All the way to his faded purple robe.

Dan Jeong-jeong thought. Indeed, the Heavenly Demon’s tomb was a frightening place.

“I thought the first Heavenly Demon’s dharma treasures might help the main fortress. But the Heavenly Demon is the Heavenly Demon after all. He really shows what you want to see.”

The handsome young man reacted to her muttering.

“What you want?”

“All Desolate Fortress people would be the same, right? We can’t help but want to see Lord Ma, Lord Yong, Lord Jeong, or the Fortress Lord. That day, if only purple rank had been there that day…”

Was it because the darkish night air dragged out Desolate Fortress’s loneliness from her heart? Dan Jeong-jeong rambled incoherently before a mirage created by demon arts.

“That day?”

“The day the main castle collapsed. Though it wasn’t long ago…”

“Prepare the story properly.”

The handsome young man suddenly disappeared leaving gentle light clusters like will-o’-the-wisps. He was truly nowhere to be found.

But Dan Jeong-jeong didn’t mind.

The Jeong Yeon-shin she had just conversed with in her confused mind would be an illusion, but the enemies filling the mountain range like constellations in the dark sky at this moment were real.

Even if the Divine Sword Group manifested here, they would have to overcome countless tribulations. Because it was like the entire Central Plains had flocked here.

Dan Jeong-jeong had to encounter those trying to kill her every time she crossed hills. Or struggle to avoid fragments of cliffs collapsed by collisions of masters too formidable to dare approach.

Crash! Bang! Boom—!

Peaks crumbled like dried taffy, and semi-transparent explosive force waves collided and swept all directions like typhoons.

Strongmen were starved, and the world had gone mad.

—Those who heard this wide-range sound transmission, withdraw yourselves! The first Heavenly Demon’s legacy will be handled by our Explosive Army to find jianghu peace…!

“One Origin Gate? Aren’t you a hermit transmission lineage that doesn’t involve itself in worldly affairs?”

“Stand back! Our family’s Formless Poison is invincible!”

[Where is the Ming Cult Leader? This Flood Radiant King has the qualification to face you. If you don’t come out now, I’ll kill all the grave robbers you summoned.]

Kill them all.

That must be the intention of the absolute being who arranged this vast stage, the world’s Ming Cult Leader. Those endlessly killing and being killed on nearby mountain slopes spanning thousands of zhang. That madness might even satiate the first Heavenly Demon’s demonic nature.

Because there were many trying to eliminate competitors even though what the Heavenly Demon’s legacy was hadn’t been revealed yet.

But somehow.

The peaks surrounding the vast mountain range flickered gently one by one, then finally became quiet on their own.

“……?”

All commotion died at once. No movement could be felt.

As if quiet starlight had swallowed the Central Plains.