Chapter 747 – What Remained After Burning (8)

Northern Darkness Fist Marquis blinked her eyes.

A young woman appeared. She fearlessly walked out alone from the formation.

Red hair disheveled in the headwind, an eyepatch covering one eye. Steps that seemed gentle at first glance were divine art. Elegant like Blood Flame Sect nobles, yet advancing footwork striding forward with long legs.

‘She resembles the current Desolate Fortress Lord.’

There would be no retreat. Such peerless masters were troublesome.

“Hey.”

The woman’s lips moved.

“Where is he?”

She had already experienced Heaven-Punishing Asura’s unconventional words and actions. Since it wasn’t a situation to judge propriety and etiquette anyway, it was enough if she could guess intentions with her upper energy center. The opponent was asking about Jeong Yeon-shin’s whereabouts.

[Even if you walked for eons with that footwork.]

Northern Darkness Fist Marquis spoke lowly as if laying out prophecy. While rising from tree trunks as large as ramparts.

[You won’t reach him.]

Her body.

Hiss.

Smoke rose up. Collarbone and ribs attached themselves, and all muscle fibers were sutured like thread along with fine meridians. What remained was only the skin revealed along Dragon Ring Sword’s blade path.

Before the blood demon’s face, she regenerated like a blood demon.

The moment the red-haired woman’s lips twitched with displeasure, Northern Darkness Fist Marquis had already returned to speaking aloud.

“He’s been sucked into the deepest part of the clan tree. It’s impossible for you. For a blood demon wrapped in blood stench to be chosen by the main trunk… is too difficult.”

“Why would I go in there? He’ll come out on his own.”

True Blood Cult Leader Seventh Apostle. Just seeing her appearance, one could tell. That she was bound to Jeong Yeon-shin.

‘If the current Desolate Fortress Lord had been born in a woman’s body, she would have been exactly like this.’

A conviction that became clearer as she walked closer. Such dense energy waves. A density only possible with acupoints as solid as Jeong Yeon-shin or the Yao tribe.

Single strike attacks had to be powerful.

Muscles that seemed transcendentally compressed also reminded her of Jeong Yeon-shin. Only the skeleton and figure were female.

There was no alternative. The instant she raised the main trunk’s regeneration ability to its peak, her vision was blocked. Seventh Apostle’s face already filled it. Along with wickedly twisted lips.

Puhwak!

Just before wrapping protective strong energy, Northern Darkness Fist Marquis’s side was pierced by snow-white hands. Outstanding sense of capturing strike points. Because other parts were already surrounded by protective strong energy Pale Dew Divided Light.

But Northern Darkness Fist Marquis’s surprise existed elsewhere.

“Demon-Destroying Azure Unyielding Palm? The blood demon has gone mad.”

“When I use dharma power, that becomes Brilliant River.”

She wrapped pale fog around her entire body. Though water vapor hissed up like World Tree clans’ regeneration ability, the reason was opposite. It was self-destruction.

“This will break you a bit.”

As if dealing with familiar mechanism formations, Seventh Apostle whispered simultaneously.

Zzzzzzzzzzing…

The protective strong energies wrapping Northern Darkness Fist Marquis’s organs shattered like thin ice. Hands digging smoothly and chillingly into the abdominal cavity inside her belly.

She seemed ready to tear out even the lower energy center. As if knowing well how to break regeneration abilities.

‘As if she’s facing her own clan…!’

She struck down that wicked arm with Mist Melancholy Martial Scripture’s hand blade. A shockwave burst with a bang, yet unbelievably elastic rebound affected the hand blade. Seventh Apostle’s face raising one corner of her lips.

Only after striking her solar plexus with her left palm could she be flung far away. A single palm that properly landed.

Kwagagagagagak!

Seventh Apostle made long furrows by embedding her legs in tree bark. Black clothes fluttered over her deeply bent body. She was no different from a bat. Even the sight of wetting lips with her bloodstained tongue.

Northern Darkness Fist Marquis quietly asked.

“Did you take Lightning Genius as master?”

“She was originally my grand master. I was the very first disciple.”

“Truly, True Blood Physique entered Desolate Fortress Lord’s tutelage…?”

“Not tutelage. I’m going to do something else.”

“Let’s stop here.”

Soon Northern Darkness Fist Marquis’s gaze headed beyond Seventh Apostle’s shoulder. The Divine Sword Group that had silently approached while they exchanged blows.

Already within a hundred paces.

Under faint moon halos, their appearances were dusky like ghosts. Only occasionally the character Desolate (荒) on their shoulders was hazily overlaid by Radiant Wings Formation’s light clusters.

“Divine Sword Group Leader Dream Flight.”

Northern Darkness Fist Marquis slowly opened her mouth.

“Is this an invasion?”

“Yes.”

“To finally forget the sword’s duty…”

“Duty?”

“Why are you even asking?”

Simultaneously.

A long spear that split darkness in a straight line lodged in Northern Darkness Fist Marquis’s side. Even though she struck it down with her fist just before penetration.

The rebound was also fierce. If she hadn’t raised Thousand Catty Hammer’s suction force at the Yongquan acupoints on her soles, she would have flown through dozens of wooden citadels as is.

The roar tearing at her ears came after. Moonlight shadowing the spear shaft. Tremendous headwind whirled while swelling in an instant.

‘Such release force with a single spear throw…?’

Her footing became empty. After the whirlwind spiraling from the spear shaft ground away tree trunks as large as ramparts.

She fell as is.

It was also then that the long spear lodged in her abdomen vibrated. Three releases in one initial spear throw. The last was retrieval energy wave. While bursting shockwaves, it was sucked back into a slender shadow’s hand.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwang!

Northern Darkness Fist Marquis began explosively flying away from that wave. A master’s swordsmanship has its profound meaning in sheathing rather than drawing. The peerless spear master was no different.

[A technique not in Yue Family Spear.]

She was in the midst of endlessly smashing giant tree trunks while flying. Though instantly traveling hundreds of zhang, her intent was stately like the Yangtze.

[What is the technique name?]

“Throwing.”

A voice barely audible as distance greatly widened. She had repeatedly met extraordinary people. The end was the current Divine Sword Group Leader.

[World stars.]

She had no proper curses in her knowledge so went only this far. Time was needed to reach full strength with regeneration ability.

The reason for endlessly flying at this moment.

Each time tree barks shattered behind her back receiving fierce shocks, she distantly receded.

***

Divine Sword Group Leader Dream Flight.

With arms as long as Northern Darkness Fist Marquis, she dangled an ash-gray long spear downward.

“……”

Enter The Divine Spear heated by friction of energy waves. Clothing hem getting singed each time it brushed the spear shaft. Purple sleeve hems at night were dark red.

Like the pupils of Divine Sword Deputy Group Leader standing beside her.

“You aimed for the heart, but she deflected it.”

An indifferent tone. Only then did Yue Shou-lin’s lips slowly open.

“…Four more like that.”

“It matches Northern Darkness Fist Marquis’s appearance and energy wave pattern. Not giving her distance was well done.”

“Seems she fought Yong fellow. Sword scars remained.”

“I confirmed it too. That technique has no regeneration suppression ability. It merely projects sword energy more freely than any sword under heaven.”

“It seems Won-chang showed off. Though one must refine Transcendent Techniques beyond skill range, that blade seemed to consume mental spirit rather than true energy. Even so, there’s no alternative if she meets that woman again.”

“I should regard it as briefly encountering one of the Five Great Swords of the World. It would have been difficult to catch and kill her even with combined attacks. With such martial prowess, she seemed to have no hesitation in retreat.”

“Story changes when that Hwangbo wastrel comes.”

“He’s probably on his way.”

It was a high altitude.

Ceaselessly howling strong winds, tree trunks rising high enough to meet dim star clusters, vines becoming distant with the vastness of that twisted and coiled wooden citadel above.

The bottom was dizzyingly invisible.

Mythical height.

Altitude that could be recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Even masters of lightness skill had to climb using Gecko Art and naturally devote effort to internal energy breathing. Divine Sword Group masters were the same.

Haaa…

Each exhaled pale breath. A position where breathing had to change. But most of their gazes were drawn elsewhere.

The center of the front line.

Wei Gun-hye reclining diagonally in a palanquin woven from branches.

Long-settled eyelashes. Deeply sleeping appearance. Occasionally beneath hair pushed aside, moonlight repeatedly bent gently at her ears.

Because her ears were roundly trimmed.

Like Han Chinese who had withdrawn Bone Shrinking Art.

Though large-framed Divine Sword Group masters blocked the front, eventually her figure would be revealed.

“Unity’s backlash.”

The faded Monarch spoke. He who had visited Desolate Fortress with Helian Feng-yue was accompanying them to see World Tree’s end. Occasionally gazing at Yue Shou-lin.

“The price of such ability. How could the backlash be small? She’ll fall to the same level as the clan she looked down on… Look at that appearance. The most noble one returns to being human.”

He laughed as if extremely delighted. No one agreed. Only Yue Shou-lin silently moved her legs.

Step.

The moment she took a step, she was already passing through the crack where Northern Darkness Fist Marquis had flown. Divine Sword Group Leader Dream Flight. The living flag of Desolate Fortress. Following her, hundreds of masters began cutting through night air. Meanwhile Seventh Apostle had already overtaken Yue Shou-lin and was gone.

Of course, particularly swift martial people followed carrying Wei Gun-hye’s palanquin. The Divine Sword Group Burning Abyss Squad. Yue Shou-lin who glanced to confirm that side opened her mouth.

“We can’t match them in numbers. They’re overwhelmingly defensive. Keep that in mind.”

“The moment we’re surrounded will be annihilation.”

“Myeong-jo, you take command. Don’t let other bastards cling to me.”

Her lips moved.

“I will stab the fake Enter The Divine Sword Master.”

***

“Don’t clash head-on. It’s right to kill them by encirclement with archery.”

An empty clearing dizzyingly far from the outermost tree bark. The place Jeong Yeon-shin and Wei Gun-hye had visited. A middle-aged swordsman with an emotionless expression fluttered blood-stained yellow robes.

Praising Earth Sword Duke placed his arm on the snow-white sword handle at his waist. Sword song humming in his wrist where muscles split like sword scars.

The later generation Enter The Divine Sword.

“As confirmed in the northern affairs, Divine Sword Group’s movement technique breakthrough is unrivaled under heaven. Use the clan ancestral tome to detour and seize their flanks.”

A voice spreading throughout entire World Tree even without deploying Six Directions Sound Transmission. It merely rode the wind. Following that, a woman’s voice that blew from somewhere was the same.

“Not enough to be frightened though.”

“Heaven-reaching Bow Count, human lives are not like your arrows. Clans are especially precious.”

“Don’t know if one who went to kill Grand Commander Quan Yu-li should say that. So what was the result…?”

“No need to worry.”

Praising Earth Sword Duke shook his head and continued.

“Heaven-reaching Bow Count, you cover the main trunk’s masters. They must eventually replace Divine Sword Group’s seventeen great captains’ vacancies, but they’re still insufficient. The symbolism of the seventeen black colors is still recognized by all under heaven.”

“What do you mean seventeen? We’ve already surpassed that in headcount. Even if achieving Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown is difficult, we overwhelm them with senses and accumulated energy. Like the elders of major sects.”

“They’re manufactured forces. Compared to the martial arts built up by Desolate Fortress’s Black-ranked masters, they’re lightweights. You’ll experience it soon enough. Since I must handle the Purple-ranked level masters, your role is heavy.”

“First, we’ll have to reduce at least half of the Black-ranked masters who’ve set foot in the main tree. One for every three arrows… I just killed one.”

“Really?”

“No.”

“If your archery attack failed, then that one is Namgung Hwa-shin. With complacent ultra-long-range archery like that, you can’t break through Judgment Qilin’s sword circle. You’ll need to close in to Dream Flight’s spear-throwing range. First, lead the ‘protectors’ of the main tree.”

“Yao tribe forces? Don’t know how long Wandering Star can restrain them. No matter how tough that old man is…”

“Don’t worry about that. I will perform military strength reorganization and operation.”

Rustle.

At the aged voice, the sound of grass blades slightly bowing. Some old woman approached with portrait-straight steps. Somewhat sunken cheek flesh stood out.

The clan’s First Elder.

A status befitting the phrase one person below, ten thousand above.

But Praising Earth Sword Duke’s expression didn’t change at all. Rather frost seemed to form on his face, even becoming somewhat cold. Even the sight of only moving his mouth at this moment.

“Where is the clan leader?”

“Your temperament is the same even when facing the clan leader. Must the main trunk fix even your mind and body?”

“I asked a question.”

“The clan leader entered the main trunk. She will soon witness Desolate Day Extinction made most noble by the Great Method. Think about it. Already possessing the same face as clans, truly possessing clan ears and walking out…”

The First Elder didn’t continue speaking for a moment. Current Desolate Fortress Lord Jeong Yeon-shin. Recalling those unprecedented wide-area techniques, Wei Gun-hye’s departure wouldn’t be regrettable.

Disgust flashed across Praising Earth Sword Duke’s face. Simultaneously an expression that disappeared quickly like a peerless quick sword. The First Elder didn’t see it.

“I’m going.”

Heaven-reaching Bow Count’s energy sensation was withdrawn. Praising Earth Sword Duke’s mouth also opened again.

“Lightning Genius is a superman. It doesn’t seem like he’ll easily transform into a clan member. In the first place, the jianghu people advancing here are his avatars… The main trunk hasn’t even defeated Jeong Yeon-shin yet.”

“If Desolate Fortress is Jeong Yeon-shin, wouldn’t exterminating Desolate Fortress suffice? Then Jeong Yeon-shin will also shatter.”

“……”

“You.”

Soon the First Elder looked directly at Praising Earth Sword Duke. Green eye light illuminated him, and wrinkled lips slowly moved.

“What displeases you?”

Rustle.

Praising Earth Sword Duke slowly turned his body. It was the direction Divine Sword Group was advancing from.

He asked.

“Are manufactured things also noble?”

***

The place Praising Earth Sword Duke left.

Only his words remained like northern wind.

—If she had lived like Sky Trampling Palace Lord and died like Heavenly Soaring Guest, she would have been eternally dignified.

A ridiculous story.

First Elder Qian Tai-ren shook her head. While synchronizing Yongquan acupoint energy waves to World Tree’s earth energy flow split like spider webs, directly blowing consciousness into it.

There was something to do before reorganizing countless military forces. Her own soliloquy.

“New moon day, hour of the dog. Divine Sword Group invaded. The reason is as stated the previous day. Desolate Fortress Lord Jeong Yeon-shin’s submission.”

[TL Note- Hour of the dog= 7 to 9 PM.]

Clan custom. Leaving records on the ground.

A world where ultimately everything would be exterminated.

But if by any chance an extremely small number of humans survived, they had a duty to remember the previous generation’s history. Even after long time passed, at World Tree that couldn’t help but be noticeable, they would hear the voice transmission accumulated here.

And it would be received as something more divine than history books.

“An all under heaven plagued with doom where only conclusions are prioritized. But process is no less important. The tree clans were long dignified. World Tree suppressed gates for several hundred years, and those clans didn’t flaunt power. But what about heterodox figures? Those who killed people during Emperor Qian-ling’s great peace… Ultimately no one will honor Heavenly Soaring Guest.”

It was a calm voice.

The figure who raised World Tree’s Four Great Protectors as Four Great Protectors. Couldn’t help but be skilled at reciting oral teachings. No grandparent’s old story could have such attraction.

“…Such jianghu people left nothing. But the tree is different. Being clans means leaving seeds. Even now burying all under heaven’s truth in this land.”

Dim energy waves spread.

Just when they were flowing down from Qian Tai-ren’s mouth. Suddenly a semi-transparent horizontal line was carved out of nowhere. Cutting through energy wave fluctuations and slicing her neck.

“……?”

There was no trace at all. It was heterodox technique. Soon World Tree’s First Elder’s head rolled on the ground, and instead of her voice transmission, a different voice descended.

“Was it difficult?”

Thud.

Qian Tai-ren who lost her neck collapsed.

Some man stepping on the corpse’s feet was simultaneous. A youth wearing jet-black robes and black Heroic Band.

“…Wasn’t caught. Then that’s enough.”

With a somehow dull expression, colorless eye light glittered. The sight of staring blankly at Qian Tai-ren’s head then withdrawing his gaze.

It was World Tree’s center.

***

—The condition seems a bit poor, but the start is grand. Lord’s personnel selection is excellent. Divine Sword Group Blood Guarding Acting Leader handles supply and scouts…

—Senior, by any chance can you come and go here with Form Shifting Void?

—Who would do such crazy things?