Chapter 709 – Desolate Fortress Lord (9)

Silence spread centered on Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been pierced by Desolate Fortress Lord’s sword. But among them, the only one who reacted even slightly to that scene was Little Heavenly Demon Invincible.

“……”

It was a mountain slope that had become circular and flat, as if Mother Nature herself had created a giant circular martial stage. Of course, it was the aftermath of fierce battle.

The nine jianghu people at its center showed no particular movement. They merely stood forming a distorted circle like figs from times when insects could feed.

It was due to the sword pressure that Desolate Fortress Lord had laid down with one sword. A domain that sealed any transcendent movement. The scene was as if nature’s circular martial stage had been overlaid with a cloudy glass membrane.

It shared a trajectory with spell martial arts.

It could be said that one’s martial arts had surpassed some critical point. Because truly the boundary between martial arts and spells seemed to blur.

That was precisely why the circular martial stage filled only with peerless masters had frozen. From the beginning, there was no one who had formed particularly great bonds with Jeong Yeon-shin.

[Midday Bright Lightning.]

The area next to Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly brightened.

It was because Little Heavenly Demon Invincible had flicked her hand, and dozens of branches of lightning burst forth from her white, long fingers.

Zzzzzzt!

Lightning branches that shattered the semi-transparent space around her like a mirror.

With the noise of dozens of metal plates breaking, she alone moved. Bright Phoenix Divine Form. She elegantly pulled Jeong Yeon-shin to her, then created thirty steps of distance in an instant. Enter The Extinction Sword was so sharp that there was no sound even when it was drawn from Jeong Yeon-shin’s abdomen like unsheathing a sword.

Soon after, Little Heavenly Demon Invincible whispered in Jeong Yeon-shin’s ear.

“You got hit by that? Are you crazy?”

“You, in joint attacks you’d probably coordinate well with me. Perhaps even more than Fighting God.”

Jeong Yeon-shin casually spouted nonsense. While staring intently at Desolate Fortress Lord, who had stopped in the posture of extending her sword toward him.

“Of course that’s obvious…”

Behind him Little Heavenly Demon Invincible was chattering something, but only his master was captured in Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes. The figure of the fifteen-year-old girl who had taken him as a companion since distant long ago overlapped.

It was said that sword children who had lost their parents early and wandered jianghu were those starved for affection. Sword Star Hyeon So-baek, who had looked up to the Plum Blossom Swordsman, was the same.

Moreover, what feelings did the young Desolate Fortress Lord, known to have become a martial god on the battlefield of Mount Dao’s sword forest, have toward the memories that poured down like a shower that day?

Hundreds of regressions, time spent teaching swords with utmost affection, long hair, and at the end of three hundred years, fifteen-year-old Jeong Yeon-shin.

‘Even if you haven’t lived even twenty years…’

People practice leg techniques from time to time in bed from just a moment’s memory.

“A little.”

Young man Jeong Yeon-shin muttered as if talking to himself.

“You seem surprised.”

It was with utmost relief.

Stretching his energy perception long like ten li, one kill, and barely feeling it, there were no signs of particular disturbance within Shaolin’s grounds. The miraculous true energy supply of the One Hundred Eight Arhat Formation was also continuing as before.

“……”

Jeong Yeon-shin met eyes with Desolate Fortress Lord.

The sight of her staring intently at him. Still no particular emotion, of course, not even a trace of an opening. Her eye technique that seemed to calculate sword paths in advance, the green glow unique to Morning Sun Eternal Stillness was only calm like dawn.

Even so, the two were master and disciple. Because Great Master Won-jeok had fully awakened and moved.

‘Where is he going… ah.’

Toward Great Righteous Alliance, including Six Star Lord Martial Star. A small number of Divine Sword Group masters were blocking them, but they seemed to be struggling. Rather, it was remarkable that they had fought so well.

At the same time, Desolate Fortress Lord moved her lips slightly.

“You have many offensive moves, and all are threatening to me. I acknowledge you.”

“…It seems my master’s consciousness hasn’t completely disappeared.”

“Those words don’t make sense. Don’t speak as if this body belongs to you.”

“It’s not yours either.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke quietly. Like Seventh Apostle, who had once argued with his master over him.

But Desolate Fortress Lord only formed a mysterious smile. The pure white-feeling lips he had once seen at World Tree’s main trunk.

A temperament that appeared strange and flawless due to its lack of human emotion.

‘Sword pressure is only the beginning.’

The pressure weighing down the arena at this moment was merely Desolate Fortress Lord’s preliminary ritual, so to speak. The wind pressure accompanying her Natural Sword. Therefore, it only meant that the world’s greatest had begun using her full strength.

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke without concern.

“Even if you had grown into a body that would become you as you are now, my master could never have died in vain. Great tree, I knew that cutting you down would bring her back. That’s enough.”

Though it was scattered talk that failed to elicit a proper response, none of the nine masters considered it meaningless.

“Before tasting the blade again… let’s catch our breath for a moment.”

The blind man in a bamboo hat sitting on a low boulder and patting his knees said.

“Anyway, the more everyone regulates their breathing, the more advantageous it is, isn’t it? Only madmen who are certain that their own proper ultimate techniques are the greatest under heaven.”

Dry silence settled over the circular clearing with grayish-white mountain slopes as a backdrop. The breath of the nine jianghu people began rising white through the atmosphere. The process of each regulating their internal energy breathing to be able to surely kill their marked opponents.

Because they were all those with exceptional survival abilities.

Crack, crackle.

Embers that had been burning into the ground occasionally burst dirt mounds. It was because the residual energy waves of peerless madmen had settled like kindling.

Ridiculously, there was no dissent.

They truly thought as Heaven-Conquering Sect Master had said. That their own complete ultimate techniques were the greatest under heaven at this time.

“That much is correct.”

While Taoist Qingshu nodded with a serious face from a distance, Heaven-Conquering Sect Master pretended not to hear it and asked Jeong Yeon-shin.

“So, you’ll cut down World Tree and return the world to fertile land? Can you truly do such a thing?”

Jeong Yeon-shin tilted his head slightly. While staring intently at his master, who was concentrating on her breathing with closed eyes at this moment.

“Is there a problem…?”

That counter-question was itself a declaration. Jeong Yeon-shin had the mindset of why ask about something already decided. Like the First Heavenly Demon who had teased plum blossoms on Mount Hua.

The blind man laughed.

“It’s work that no ruler or martial artist under heaven has ever attempted. It will be a dangerous path. You’ll have to cross very big rivers. I say this having recently faced all manner of jianghu storms and waves, including yourself.”

“Is there a problem?”

“They say ends and ends meet. If you’re determined to carry out such radical orthodox work, I’m prepared to add a sword or so. I do owe debts after all.”

“That would be a great help.”

Peerless masters are those who avoid empty moves by feeling their opponent’s true intentions completely.

Suddenly Heaven-Conquering Sect Master’s lower jaw showed an indescribable movement. A somewhat incredulous reaction, with lips writhing like earthworms as if groping distant past.

He spun Winter Dream Sword in a circle as if performing tricks.

“…My wife and I haven’t chewed shiny rice grains for a long time. This would be the same for kings, generals, and ministers. That gentleman called Second Emperor Longzhen allowed corrupt royalty to boil meat soup in the heart of Luoyang, but what would be the reason common people were enthusiastic about such acts? Now it’s prevalent in Ming Dynasty too. The custom of chewing human flesh like the Yao tribe.”

The blind man who showed only his lower jaw under his bamboo hat spoke casually as if it were someone else’s business. As always, when he spoke, all tension became meaningless. Though this was clearly the battleground of the world’s peak, for a moment all affairs felt trivial.

“Prevalent? Your words are excessive.”

Literary Star spoke seriously.

“Put aside unorthodox narrow-mindedness. Most of the northern kings’ jianghu journeys were battles to prevent such tragic customs.”

“Regrettably, I have a condition where I cannot speak with northern kings. When it comes to Six Star Lords of the Northern Emperor and such, I break out in hives.”

The blind man pulled his bamboo hat down to his chin and even lay down with his arms as a pillow. Of course, the iron sword Winter Dream was gripped in his hands.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged noble swordsman near Literary Star, Praising Earth Sword Duke, spoke slowly while his orange robe fluttered.

“Former Divine Sword Master, there is a way to recover your master.”

“Speak up.”

“Come to the main trunk. You are someone capable of unity. Within the tree’s vast space, you could share affection with your master eternally.”

It was meaningful talk. Words suggesting that even one who wasn’t a noble clan could unite with World Tree, and that separate space existed within World Tree. It could be said to be worthy of being called the foremost mysterious place among countless jianghu mysteries. Who knows what might be lurking inside.

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke with a carefree face.

“If you hand over that sword, I’ll consider it.”

“Are you a bandit?”

Praising Earth Sword Duke’s Enter The Divine Sword became blurred as if swept by semi-transparent leaves. A precursor to Natural Sword. The long arms of Northern Darkness Fist Marquis beside him also curved flexibly like a whip. With the appearance of accumulating energy waves by lashing the atmosphere, noble clan martial arts were entirely strange.

“You’re Yong fellow’s successor. What meaning would persuasion have?”

When she spoke.

As if a sword had been erected in her heart, Desolate Fortress Lord’s exhaled breath became noticeably faint.

Thoom!

The masters in the arena each shattered the sword pressure like glass with their respective techniques. At the same time, Literary moved first.

“I apologize to Sword Heaven, but… it would be better to strike that thing down when there’s an opportunity.”

Thud.

Nine Brilliance Demonic Power Steps.

The north’s strongest advancing footwork was unleashed. The giant body became distorted like a dark red fireball. It was an instant from appearing at Desolate Fortress Lord’s side to striking down with a rock-like fist.

Her semi-transparent protective strong energy shattered and scattered with a roar in one move.

Whooooosh!

Literary Star’s left hand traced a short trajectory down to Desolate Fortress Lord’s crown.

Whooom!

Just before grabbing and tearing off her head, earlier than that, gentle light clusters struck like brands from her lower body to abdomen and rose up.

The palm force of Embracing Moon Heaven Method that Desolate Fortress Lord had struck upward in succession by moving only her arms. At every point her pure white hands struck, not only muscle strands but meridians and fine channels were severed strand by strand. The pale radiance even formed on Literary Star’s back.

‘It didn’t touch! The ultimate of Internal Heavy Hand technique…!’

A large amount of blood gushed from the giant’s mouth, and that coughed blood immediately turned into a bestial roar and rang out thunderously.

“……!”

Literary Star’s legs became a blurred knee strike, hitting Desolate Fortress Lord like a cannonball.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

A long furrow was carved following her as she flew with the shock wave. At the same time, the cripple followed unsteadily beneath her.

“This is as far as it goes.”

Slamming his hand into the bare ground while airborne, he pulled out an axe made only of dirt clumps. A technique where mythical earth energy created a solid earth axe like an intangible sword.

Desolate Fortress Lord muttered.

“Do you command the Earth King?”

The great axe that Fighting God swung up roughly like a ruffian embedded in her spine like lightning.

Bang! Zzzzzzt!

Space cracked semi-transparently like spider webs centered on the impact point. Aftereffects similar to spatial void distortion from pure axe technique alone.

There was no sense of discord in speaking as if pronouncing sentence on the world’s greatest.

“Just die already.”

Fighting God holding a weapon was always bound to be absolute, but the person he was chopping down with fierce rotation and axe was also a martial god. Starting with how the axe blade was naturally pushed out of Desolate Fortress Lord’s back.

So Fighting God to the ground, and she to the sky.

Whoooosh.

Cloudy energy like a moon halo with clouds fluttered in the form of clothing hems. Protective strong energy restored from her skin in one breath. Of course, Fighting God’s axe slammed uselessly into the ground.

He bared his teeth in the light dust.

“I can see there’s no chance of victory in a long battle. Since there are exactly ten people, let’s end it in ten combinations.”

Words that rang out on nature’s martial stage with rough mountain slopes as backdrop.

At the same time, suddenly a great sword shot down from the distant sky as if to pierce even Fighting God’s voice and struck Desolate Fortress Lord directly.

Tyrant Sword Sect Master Dan Seong-eum was holding the sword handle horizontally.

Whiiiiiiiing! Kwang!

Grayish shock waves drew dozens of layers of huge circular ripples, then stopped just before scattering on their own. Like motionless fog.

Desolate Fortress Lord was spinning while her sleeves fluttered like the divine technique Wind God, striking down the exact center of the great sword, and energy waves that spurted out from the great sword in transparent thread-like strands surrounded Tyrant Sword Sect Master like protective strong energy.

This was the world of masters who had entered the realm of transcendence.

They split instants into countless pieces with their whole body’s energy perception, and because they moved through such fragmented spacetime like lightning, they were the world’s peak.

Clouds billowed up from Taoist Qingshu’s sword. Sword energy bearing both blue and red colors simultaneously. At lightning speed, it swelled up and began devouring the entire arena.

All directions became clouded with dense clouds, and amidst vision that couldn’t be restored even with divine eye techniques, sparks burst violently from all human shadows.

Zzzzzzzt!

It felt like countless blade edges were endlessly slicing protective strong energy. It would be something done because unity noble clans possessed regenerative abilities together.

Jeong Yeon-shin carried the one-armed, one-legged blind man on his left hand like baggage. While deflecting the flow of sword energy like a leaf. His target was Desolate Fortress Lord. At this moment, in the world-opening realm of transcendence, three shadows were following each other’s tails while wielding weapons at each other, and the power concentrated at the center was tremendous.

‘That will burst out to the ridges.’

Even without visual identification, he could feel it. Desolate Fortress Lord’s Natural Sword, Fighting God’s axe technique, Tyrant Sword Sect Master’s Three Desolate-Breaking Forms. Because it was sudden, there were no techniques that struck even backlash into opponents. Every one was a killing technique that would flip mountain ridges several times and extend carelessly whether there were common people or not.

A terrible tragedy flashed through his mind. Everyone would die. It was an upper energy center premonition.

Ten Li Gentle Light.

Crack.

With a body that became light rays in one stroke, he began running through time stopped like a painting. He was faster than anyone in the arena. As fast as the intentions of tree guardians that had blocked his path like mirages before he knew it.

There were two people.

[The Enter The Divine Sword that Yong fellow would have given, why did you treat it so?]

Northern Darkness Fist Marquis charged in like a ghost. A person who had been capable of matching Literary Star, who was temporarily incapacitated now. Jeong Yeon-shin only rotated half a turn using her as an axis and passed by. Because it was speed beyond even wind, only the rippling of space brushed his ears. His ears felt stuffy.

Her unconscious rang again.

[It’s only a thought, so ignore it. I don’t speak to you.]

At that moment, Northern Darkness Fist Marquis was grabbing Jeong Yeon-shin’s right sleeve with both arms curved like streams of water. Close combat technique that reached divine skill. Praising Earth Sword Duke, who had approached within arm’s reach in an instant, completely severed Jeong Yeon-shin’s right arm at the same time.

Ziiiiiiing!

It penetrated as vibration before sound. It was a sword strike approaching Transcendent Martial Art. It struck upward through Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder along with protective strong energy.

‘Strong.’

That was all.

He continued forward without looking back.

Even before his right arm could fall, the power of Jeong Family Dynamic Technique arose with a humming sound. Movement that bound all meridians, fine channels, and muscle strands at the cut surface like a mechanical formation again. Of course, the innate energy that could now discuss supremacy under heaven responded intensely.

Work that occurred as fast as his lightness technique.

He was completely inspired. He absolutely couldn’t be caught.

[……!]

Praising Earth Sword Duke and Northern Darkness Fist Marquis, who showed shock for the first time, fell ten steps behind. Jeong Yeon-shin had used the energy waves they left as propulsive energy waves for one sword. The intangible sword Starry Night began drawing a huge circle at lightning speed.

‘First I need to stop the collision of those three. The rest comes after that.’

When he leaped high, one of the twilight light clusters penetrated Starry Night.

Silent Radiant Sword Constellation

Chapter of High Sword

Following the quietly moving sword tip, a bluish taiji gently embroidered the sky. Jeong Yeon-shin’s intention spread.

[Prepare.]

He felt the sign of Heaven-Conquering Sect Master, who had become baggage, drawing his sword behind him. He intended to load all one thousand intangible swords of the blind man’s Transcendent Martial Art ‘Heaven Full Sword Sea’ into the taiji and extend them. Such sword strikes would be more than enough to scatter the three people.

[Stop.]

[Damned sword fool…!]

The upper energy center spirits of the two guardians belatedly exerted tremendous presence from behind, but there was an intention that rang with overwhelming speed earlier than all of that. The blind man in the bamboo hat advancing forward on Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder at this moment. The one-legged stepping on air was impressive. In Jeong Yeon-shin’s experience, there was no being whose Transcendent Martial Art activated as quickly as Unorthodox Finest Sword besides himself.

[One Sword Crosses Sea.]

The blind man in the bamboo hat waved his sword, and Jeong Yeon-shin’s Starry Night carried that hazy sword strike forward. A sword strike that relied on Jeong Yeon-shin’s swordwork for lightness technique mobility as well as precision. In the meantime, the collision of the three absolute beings had already occurred, and pressure like natural disaster was pushing in all directions.

‘What?’

The moment Jeong Yeon-shin wondered at the intention different from what he had thought. The gentle breeze-like sword winds of the two people touched the three absolute beings, and whether it was the aftereffect or the harmony of taiji, it expanded to behind them in an unknown movement and even swallowed Praising Earth Sword Duke and Northern Darkness Fist Marquis.

And soon.

……

Soon, no one was there.

As the Azure Cloud Crimson Cloud sword energy that had filled all directions like clouds scattered.

Desolate Fortress Lord, Fighting God, and Tyrant Sword Sect Master had vanished without a trace. The pressure that would reach disaster had also been unraveled. Now what remained on earth was only Jeong Yeon-shin’s declaration that he would seek them out one by one, no matter how strong they were.

“You must have felt it too, but wasn’t the stage that unfolded until just now quite chaotic? We’re jianghu people. There’s no romance in melee battles.”

“… Transcendent Martial Art has changed. You hid it well.”

The sky cleared like a lie.

Two people each standing on air with both feet and one foot. Starry Night scattered from Jeong Yeon-shin’s grip. At the same time, sunlight riding the blind man’s blade like a swing rippled frivolously.

“I told you.”

Heaven Soaring Guest Wan Hui smiled slyly.

“That we’re each certain we’re the greatest under heaven.