Chapter 748 – Ashes

—If someone finally uses Form Shifting Void, I’m curious whether it would work in this space.

—Hard to say. Why? Because even the Greater Heavenly Circulation flow is severed here! In the first place, no one has attempted such madness. At least not that I know of.

—…I see.

—Rather, since we’re running out of time soon, I wonder if I may make a personal request of you, Lord. There’s something I want to hear.

—Please speak.

—That thing about, what was it, the monkey… Or you could transmit Radiant Art Formation’s oral instructions directly. Since I’m also one of Wish for Peace Sword Hall, I think it’s worth requesting teachings.

—……?

—Meeting in person someone I’ve only seen here… Why can I see the Lord’s arms properly now? How did you do it?

—One must control one’s body to be human, no?

—Ha!

* * *

Blood Guardian Captain Hyeon Won-chang.

After burying World Tree’s First Elder in the ground dug with Earth Tunneling Art. After even grinding away the bloody scent with sword wind, Hyeon Won-chang quickly lowered his body. Because some voices were heard from very far away.

Beyond the low hill.

—Divine Sword Group’s seventeen great captains and the main trunk’s Seventeen Halls.

—The scale is different. Rather than victory or defeat, we should measure the degree of damage. Well, not all seventeen great captains came anyway.

—Reorganization aside. But to deliberately match the number with the seventeen great captains… ‘Seventeen Halls.’

—It’s a system prepared for a long time. Is this something to say now?

Instantly Hyeon Won-chang’s form blurred.

A movement rushing toward the voices like mist. Slaughter Sect’s lightness skill with upper body lowered right before prostrating on the ground, yet lightness skill sprinting was possible thanks to Radiant Wings Third Step and Radiant Wings Fourth Step. Footwork refined by Annihilation Team Leader Shin Hwang, that doesn’t fall.

After moving for ten breaths, he was below the hill. Three people wearing bows and arrow quivers passed before his eyes.

No one discovered Hyeon Won-chang.

‘Of course.’

The owners of this land don’t know how to weed.

Landscaping was demonic art to them. Even the central plaza dizzyingly distant from World Tree’s outer perimeter was no different. Though the noble clans revered it like a paradise, ultimately it was just an untended grassland.

A plain overgrown with thickets. Guard masters whose only heads showed sporadically when hiding their bodies.

‘Seven Pillar Blocked Acupoint Great Method.’

Perfect for deploying Slaughter Sect’s secret concealment art. Even more so if Returning to Origin was perfect. For Hyeon Won-chang, this was more important than experiencing World Tree’s vastness.

He advanced soundlessly.

Hyeon Won-chang was flowing silence, and he passed by many voices.

“What if Desolate Day Extinction’s unity is delayed? Is there another way? Lord Wei and Fighting God will each target the main trunk.”

“Though they’re formidable, they’re lower-class clans. Wasn’t the main trunk’s martial military strength absolutely superior from the start?”

“Our clan’s immortality should be set aside. Aren’t we the ever-bright noble clans? I’m not discussing that eternity.”

“Then?”

“What if the lawless invaders strike and withdraw at high speed? What if the clan leader is killed in that chaos? I can’t picture her losing to anyone…”

“No one anticipated Desolate Day Extinction’s matter in the first place. The clan leader said there are the greatest arrangements of all time. Deep inside the divine tree.”

“The greatest arrangements of all time? Was she someone who uses such words? Even regarding Lord Wei or Lightning Genius, she never said such things… Could it be, the fruit…?”

“Don’t say more.”

Stories that would have stopped Nether Stream Squad Leader in his tracks flowed out. But Hyeon Won-chang only silently advanced. Because what he had decided took priority.

A state close to mechanism formation.

The price of pursuing martial advancement with the spirituality of the demon sword he now gripped, Heavenly Soaring Guest Wan-hwi’s spirituality.

He inherited the Unorthodox Path Finest Sword. Hyeon Won-chang could only be heterodox too. Jeong Yeon-shin, Lazy Flame Dragon, Shin So-bin… If he was to follow jianghu without falling behind them, this was the only method.

“Combat has begun. The clan leader, Wind Empress, brought the hall masters into the Energy Transmission Voice Network.”

“Finally the Divine Sword Group.”

“Starting from the outermost wooden barrier, the Seventh Wall. The hall masters are responding. You notify Three Direction Generals and Reverent Three Bow. Especially Three Direction Generals… they won’t move unless called.”

“Continuously guarding only the central village is frustrating. Rather, how about requesting the First Elder to sally forth? Taking down jianghu sects’ plaques seems better.”

“Stop that. She’s always elusive with the ‘arrangements’ just discussed, the Seventeen Halls reorganization, and the unity Desolate Day Extinction Great Method. Maintain hierarchy. If you rashly go to see her, you’ll be in for a shock.”

Before he knew it, it was a village with stone houses built above dense thickets. Full of elegant stone scent.

While noble clan masters’ gazes drove down like spears.

Gazes ceaselessly sweeping the surroundings from rooftops and ancient trees. It must be World Tree’s divine art eye technique. Hyeon Won-chang threaded through those gaps like a ghost.

“Now that we’re actually hostile to Divine Sword Group, my heart feels… First, how about bouncing the enemies away with wide-area Form Shifting Void again? Seems better than fighting a pointless war of attrition.”

“It was just activated.”

“What!”

“The report says it was broken through by Dream Flight Yue Shou-lin.”

“……”

“They say she planted her spear like a flag in the exact center of the art power. As expected, those called Divine Sword Group Leaders are all monsters. Not falling for methods they’ve experienced once…”

Around then Hyeon Won-chang was entering some house. Likewise a large stone-walled house. Unexpectedly the place where the deceased First Elder’s energy waves were most thickly imbued.

In military terms, a grand marshal’s residence.

There had to be something, and that expectation wasn’t wrong.

‘Oh.’

Even just drawing Ming Dynasty’s terrain was military secrets. But as soon as he entered the inner room, World Tree’s map was before his eyes. Together with deployment charts of ‘Seventeen Halls’ masters, filling an entire huge wall.

Hyeon Won-chang thought. It’s insanely big.

Rather than a tree, it was a moving wilderness. Instead of dirt or stone, just absurdly thick vines twisted and coiled to rise like land.

That height… And because the base’s width was hard to fathom, it was World Tree. A scale difficult to match against any legend in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

‘Seven layers of vine walls exist until reaching the central village here, and the long-ear martial military strength is massive enough to cover all directions.’

Hyeon Won-chang carefully observed the noble clan masters’ deployment. The self-proclaimed Seventeen Hall Masters equivalent to Divine Sword Group’s black rank, Nine Complete Guests said to be somewhere between black and purple ranks, and even the residences of Three Direction Generals and Imperial Three Great Masters treated as honored guests.

It was then.

—Won-chang.

His ears buzzed. The Divine Sword Group’s exclusive Bright Wind Cave arranged by Divine Sword Strategist. Hyeon Won-chang immediately answered.

—Blood Guardian Leader Hyeon Won-chang has successfully infiltrated. I’ve also found the tree’s map. I can supply it orally right away.

—You weren’t discovered?

—Not at all…

—Guide us. This side has strangely little interference. Only worthless things.

Hyeon Won-chang who nodded immediately spoke about the map. Then suddenly the First Elder’s desk caught his eye. On the desk carved from marble were familiar objects.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s belongings.

A small amount of salt and Fasting Pill pouch, Desolate Fortress token proving identity, Azure Qilin’s broken sword fragment, the tassel that had hung on Sword Star’s sword hilt, dried plum blossom petals, a small gourd…

And one book. Spread wide open at the desk’s center.

They called it a Dharma Treasure.

An object with Six Star Lord Northern Blade’s formidable spirituality, even consolidating his King of Lands art techniques.

Even the title was grand. The name Heaven’s Competing for Supremacy. Hyeon Won-chang deliberately didn’t flip the cover. He only scanned the part the First Elder must have been staring intently at.

〈 World Tree’s Competitors for Supremacy 〉

Below the subtitle, the list was packed. Each was just a brief phrase, yet all emitted tremendous presence.

…16. Desolate Jeok family head Blood King.

15. Divine Sword Deputy Group Leader of Divine Blood.

14. Sun Direction General of Eighteen Weapons.

13. Martial Dragon Alliance’s Swift One.

12. Half-wit of Azure Cloud Crimson Cloud.

11. World Tree’s Northern Darkness Fist Marquis.

The moment he saw it, he couldn’t help but realize. This was an extension of jianghu’s name registry. The phrases continued in unrestrained handwriting.

10. World Tree’s Heaven-reaching Bow Count.

9. World Tree’s lightning-struck one.

8. Imperial examination failure.

7. King of Enduring Spears. True Enter The Divine Spear Master. Beautiful for firm resolve.

6. Many Enemies Following Heaven.

Was Northern Blade watching over all under heaven alive? His stance of maintaining northern identity to the end remained. He seemed to straightforwardly organize strong ones who entered a certain range, truly a fearsome ability.

Hyeon Won-chang’s eyebrows twitched.

‘Literary Star and Ming Cult Leader are already in close range…?’

There were also those not recorded in the name registry like the faded Monarch, but for now it was hard to know the reason. First, confirming Jeong Yeon-shin’s safety was priority.

5. Fake Enter The Divine Sword Master.

4. The most withered, twisted, shameless ancient tree among ancient trees.

3. Prince who walks time.

2. World’s Northern Emperor.

1. World’s greatest person who will soon die.

‘Good. He’s safe.’

Hyeon Won-chang pocketed Jeong Yeon-shin’s belongings. Of course he recovered Northern Blade’s book too. To survey such a vast battlefield, there seemed no better Dharma Treasure.

That was enough.

The next destination was the place most strictly guarded here. They called it World Tree’s main body.

“You’re brave. For someone so slight.”

A woman’s voice.

It rang from behind, but Hyeon Won-chang couldn’t turn around. Because he had to kneel with some drum sound. Knees fiercely digging into the floor. Resistance was useless. The sound technique’s pressure was tremendous.

‘Gyo Cheon…!’

One of Imperial Three Great Masters.

She didn’t mock Hyeon Won-chang. Only calmly voiced admiration.

“The new Blood Guardian Leader? It would have been troublesome if I hadn’t caught your tail. To kill the First Elder… However this fight ends, you’ll be chased your whole life by all under heaven’s noble clans. You’ve picked a fight with the world.”

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

“Hm?”

“I’m from the Shin family, my name is So-bin.”

“To go against the world, you need at least that much boldness. Die peacefully. I have places to go…”

“That damn ‘world’ of yours.”

Thunk.

Hyeon Won-chang deliberately dropped the book.

Because he had discovered it first. The phrase revealed around the corner of a page spread wide open. The only moving one rippled at speed as if burning.

Gyo Cheon’s gaze also seemed to lower. It had to.

The name racing across pages.

20. Poppy moth.

19. Star Direction General of art techniques.

18. Moon Direction General of shields.

20. Star Direction General of art techniques.

19. Poppy moth.

18. Moon Direction General of shields.

20. Star Direction General of art techniques.

19. Moon Direction General of shields.

18. Poppy moth.

“……!”

Simply running speed. Was this truly a name registry measuring martial prowess?

Soon the phrase ‘Star Direction General of art techniques’ disappeared like smoke. That spot was replaced with the name Gao Yao Holy Sword Lord.

Star Direction General had died. Gyo Cheon’s question followed.

“What…?”

Silent upheaval.

Suddenly.

An invisible brush made strokes. Movements somehow exuberant. Abruptly phrases were added one or two at a time.

Very intense.

Great King Vazra.

Gao Yao Sword Lord.

The old traitor of Left Sword Right Saber.

Wudang Immortal Emperor.

Demonic Clan’s Azure Flame Duke.

Dragon Blood of Self-Deception.

Fighting God.

It became chaotic in an instant. All kinds of names ran rampant and changed positions themselves. Some that were originally there were even erased.

Hyeon Won-chang laughed heartily.

“How many is your martial military strength?”

“…You have madness. I was already feeling it.”

“What does it matter if I alone go mad?”

Hyeon Won-chang slowly placed his hand on the sword hilt. He was right-handed, but the hand on the demon sword was his left.

“When the world has gone mad.”

Hyeon Won-chang’s shadow while kneeling.

Moonlight that gently pierced through the window draped like a bamboo hat around his head.