Chapter 750 – Ashes (3)

An encounter of beings whose realms were difficult to fathom.

The silence Hyeon Won-chang was immersed in was the thickest of his entire life. His heart wanted to distance itself from the scene before his eyes. Whether by strangling his own breath, or quietly turning his feet away.

Lazy Flame Dragon, whom he had unintentionally left behind, disappeared from his mind.

What would happen?

“My oldest friend… how did Northern Blade pass?”

Fighting God’s words continued slowly.

“Did he finally find peace, with an end befitting a great warrior of the tribes?”

Ma Yeon-jeok’s brow furrowed. A face that was tracing through the past.

“Northern what?”

“All-Under-Heaven Northern Blade. The one who liked to talk.”

“That bastard.”

Ma Yeon-jeok nodded his head.

“The traveling money for the road was ample. The old man’s middle energy center would be excessive even.”

“Your middle energy center looks intact.”

“For now, it is so.”

“I acknowledge it. You’re also Yao tribe.”

“Crazy bastard.”

To Hyeon Won-chang standing somewhat apart, their conversation seemed precarious. It appeared as the prelude to an earth-shaking strike. He could hardly move his sword.

‘If a fight breaks out, I should at least lend a hand to the former former Group Leader…’

The problem was that the demon sword’s techniques were arbitrary.

World Tree’s battlefield.

No matter how well-versed in killing techniques, it was difficult to maintain composure on such a battlefield. The upper energy center spirit had no choice but to become elevated. The repeated Form Shifting Void was because of that.

Then.

Suddenly the ground surged up.

“……!”

His eye level shot up sharply. As if standing at the very center of a wave. It seemed as if a flood dragon was rising from underground.

It was World Tree’s roots.

‘Even from such a far distance…!’

Hyeon Won-chang urgently steadied himself and turned his head. Toward Ma Yeon-jeok and Fighting God. The earth’s skin that couldn’t lift them undulated with two holes pierced through.

The two people were hidden behind the risen ground.

Only then did Hyeon Won-chang turn around.

A distant place.

A direction that had been tremendously noisy all along, but he couldn’t observe due to the two absolute beings’ confrontation.

“Crazy shit.”

There was a wooden dragon.

Tree roots as massive as fortress walls.

The sight of writhing in all directions while dropping dirt piles like waterfalls. It was simply amazing that he had been captivated by Fighting God and Tyrant Hero despite that heavy rumbling.

Kwang! Kwakwakwakwakwang!

Atop the tree bark was a battlefield. Full of moving things.

‘Seems like there are few people…?’

He could faintly see the outlines of those beings.

Muscular silhouettes larger than any Yao tribe, spiders with human heads, serpent dragons coiling around tree bark everywhere and spewing lightning bolts, giants whose heads were smashed by some sword wind yet recovered by rewinding time, shadows flying while scattering entrancing afterimages as if they had dream demon bodies… even the scholarly-robed man charging while crushing all those supernatural beings’ bodies with rainbow-colored sword.

Some shaggy-haired boy was busy running here and there carrying a legless old man on his back. He appeared to be Sword Satin, Yong Hye-myeong’s disciple.

—Beggar old man, you’re supposed to be World’s Fastest. Use Formless Step!

—Isn’t that Yong Family bastard still blocking well? I am the last of the last.

The world inside the gates, heard only through rumors, had been manifested.

Right before the eyes of some Southern Zhili city.

He didn’t know if it was Yingtian Prefecture or Taiyuan Prefecture.

The entrance where the city gate was located was already in ruins and burning, and beyond the wall in another direction, a refugee procession was visible.

Easily a scale of thousands.

Most were staggering as if struck with serious illness. Exposed to the energy waves of supernatural beings, they had no choice but to be like that. The bloody scent seemed palpable even from afar.

Hyeon Won-chang was momentarily dazed.

‘I saw Fighting God and Tyrant Hero first before things like that…?’

Was it because of madness?

The world wasn’t in its right mind either. World Tree went without saying. The great sects that turned their backs on the gates, murim aristocrats, and Desolate Fortress were the same. Their fight was devouring many things.

Hyeon Won-chang questioned. Was sacrificing the small for the great the path of chivalry?

Even if everything tied up well with heavenly fortune, would Jeong Yeon-shin be revered by those refugees as a true Desolate Fortress Lord? How would history judge?

Kwang…! Huuuuuuuk!

Suddenly a storm swept through. Because tree roots like a flood dragon’s body had been flung far away. Fighting God stood in the air where circular shockwaves burst.

“Let’s go to the wooden pillar. There are many to kill.”

He extended his hand to the ground.

His conduct was natural. An overwhelming great cause.

Such an appearance and divine martial arts in one body. What martial artist would refuse? That’s why he was Fighting God.

Where Fighting God’s hand pointed, in the middle of tree bark that exploded in all directions, Ma Yeon-jeok stood. It seemed they had struck almost simultaneously. Ma Yeon-jeok nodded and said.

“Don’t fuck around.”

Then he turned his back and disappeared.

The next moment, Hyeon Won-chang witnessed Ma Yeon-jeok joining Yong Hye-myeong. The scene of a giant’s silhouette that had been endlessly regenerating being ground away by blue flames.

“Isn’t he your blood kin?”

Fighting God gestured with his chin toward an incredibly distant place. World Tree that appeared like a pillar connecting heaven and earth far away.

He was speaking of Jeong Yeon-shin.

His words and actions were still as if Ma Yeon-jeok were right before him. An answer immediately returned.

—There are many neglected gates. You guard them too.

“Look from high above. Why do you remain on the ground?”

—Perfect and Graceful.

“Hm?”

—That child’s name will be perfect through all eternity and never forgotten.

Beneath the distant roar, flames and smoke lighting the night sky, overflowing supernatural beings, households being swept away, and simultaneously Desolate Fortress manifested on Southern Zhili lands.

Hyeon Won-chang intuitively knew. Since Yong Hye-myeong drew Formless Sword, at least in that place, not a single person had died.

“When the path opens, it’s every man for himself.”

Fighting God laughed.

“I temper the weak to make them strong. As long as all under heaven is intact, that’s enough… You must know this.”

Now there was no answer.

‘That side is settled. Then it’s a quick decisive battle.’

Hyeon Won-chang silently gripped the sword hilt tightly, and suddenly realized Fighting God stood behind him. A shiver ran down his spine.

“Let’s go. I should conserve energy.”

“What, um, yes?”

“Before that.”

Thick fingers came before Hyeon Won-chang’s shoulder and pointed at the sword.

“You must display your talents only with this. The demon sword’s spirituality is paying the price in your stead. If you walk the unorthodox path even for a moment when you lose the sword, you’ll die like that sword’s owner.”

“That’s for me to handle. Are you normally this long-tongued?”

“Strike with the sword.”

Hyeon Won-chang spoke carefully.

“You have no shame.”

“Drop me at an appropriate place. The closer to the tree, the better.”

* * *

“Good grief, crazy.”

It was Iron Demon Spring Leader Ji Gang-hyeon’s voice.

“Seeing all kinds of combined techniques. Here and there, what a spectacle. Lord, isn’t that so?”

Jeong Yeon-shin silently gazed at Myriad View Place’s scenery. The trajectory made semi-transparent by Hyeon Won-chang’s single sword. The scene of it sucking in Fighting God, and finally swallowing even the sword’s owner.

The scenery changed.

This time it was the noble clans’ side. A cluster of vines rising in wide spirals. Easily three hundred archery masters were lying in ambush. Every one of them looking downward.

—The Sixth Wall is about to be breached! Divine Sword Group’s momentum exceeds estimation…! Their lightness skill is so swift that it seems difficult even to catch their backs!

—The scale of military force is different anyway. Don’t all the main trunk’s branches move like Sword Control? Rather than that, a new order has been issued. The directive is to capture the new Nether Stream Leader, Bewitching Sword Demon Baek Mi-ryeo.

—Why would they specifically…?

—It’s the body the founding Heavenly Demon wore. It will be useful for the main trunk. Once it enters inside the tree, that flesh’s structure remains in the main trunk like martial arts instructions.

Myriad View Place operated ceaselessly.

[……]

In an abyss where even his body was buried in darkness, only the outside scenery was everything. The vividly shining screens sometimes seemed bizarre.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently recalled.

[The flesh itself is inherently powerful from the start. The direction of adding flexibility to the innate muscle structure should be correct. With such heaven-born divine strength, if techniques like overlapping ring force also enter…]

“Lord?”

[The muscle mass of ankle extensors becomes another acupoint. To enable stronger and more elastic movement… The radius of the wrist doesn’t particularly need to become harder. Then the instruction’s efficacy can be distributed elsewhere. Toward inflating the three meridians’ energy wave undulations and muscle compression density.]

“Your intent is flowing out. Is it martial arts instructions?”

[If height is increased further, corresponding energy consumption follows. Since limb exchange is world’s greatest, it can be passed over. I’m envious.]

“What are you scheming…?”

He was absorbed in unconsciousness. It was always like this when creating martial arts. Come to think of it, it had been a while since creating divine arts too.

Even though that had always been his essence.

[…It’s merely a variation of Jeong Family Dynamic Technique from the start. If the instructions are just slightly refined… I’ll have to borrow Mencius’s words. He’ll understand well. But transmission is also a problem. Right now there’s no method to escape Myriad View Place…]

Thoughts formed a chain. Pitch black where nothing else was visible. Jeong Yeon-shin had no choice but to repeat thought and meditation.

‘They should have arrived nearby by now, but that side has no World Tree branches…’

A man swift unlike a strategist. He would see soon. But against World Tree twisted like dozens of flood dragons coiling their bodies, at least for now, it was too much.

What should be done?

“Lord, I say Lord…!”

He snapped to attention.

As such, Ji Gang-hyeon’s shouts were always thunderous. Even without other senses, it felt like his shoulder was being tapped. Just hearing his voice was enough to recall the iron leg that pointed fingers.

“Look over there!”

He saw Myriad View Place’s scenery.

Before he knew it, it had changed to Divine Sword Group’s camp. From vine landmasses, those charging while unhesitatingly deflecting hazy arrow rain.

For a moment Jeong Yeon-shin’s breathing stopped. Even without proper senses, it did so.

The coffin Nether Flow Squad members were transporting.

It was after Baek Mi-ryeo rose while letting her subtly brown-tinged hair hang down. An arrow that had been just about to pierce her was stuck in the coffin lid.

The beginning.

Starting with Hyeon Won-chang’s manifestation, completely isolated with Fighting God nowhere to be seen. He had an expression Jeong Yeon-shin was seeing for the first time. In the midst of arrow rain pouring down, a face frozen even as Heaven-reaching Bow Count’s ultra-long-range archery shot was deflected by Yue Shou-lin’s spear.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!

In the midst of tree bark exploding in all directions, Hyeon Won-chang grasped Baek Mi-ryeo’s hand. His left hand was already striking the air with his sword. Form Shifting Void’s crack spread.

“There’s a place to go…!”

[Permitted.]

Anything was permitted. It was Divine Sword Group Leader Yue Shou-lin’s intent. She had approved the solo mission.

Hyeon Won-chang and Baek Mi-ryeo hazily disappeared into the demon sword’s sword path. Myriad View Place’s scenery accelerated. It flowed utterly like a typhoon’s wind currents, and some hood mixed into it while silver hair billowed. A blue-eyed swordsman who followed the two with lightness skill like favorable wind.

The moment the screen flickered once, the three people were in the very center of World Tree’s village. Radiant Demon Wings leader at the vanguard, Nether Flow Leader who regained consciousness, Blood Guardian Leader who supplied intelligence.

Not even the entrance.

The place where Wei Gun-hye’s wooden statue once stood. Now bizarrely replaced with an unfinished statue. Vaguely resembling Jeong Yeon-shin wearing long robes at times, yet also appearing like some Taoist’s attire.

“Let’s strike with the sword once!”

The moment Hyeon Won-chang raised his sword toward the statue.

There were already noble clan masters swimming through the instant as if prepared. The speed of striking from left and right was tremendous. Together with Gyo Cheon who had strapped a drum to her thigh.

[Blood Guardian Leader Hyeon Won-chang.]

Her intent seeped into the drumstick.

[You should have just sat and wagged your tongue. Until all under heaven dried up and died.]

Kung!

The sword left Hyeon Won-chang’s hand with one drum sound. The sound technique shockwave far exceeded his grip technique. But Hyeon Won-chang’s face was calm.

Kiiiiiiiiiing…

Demonic energy undulating darkly in time stuck like eons. The black-tinged energy that stretched out like a whip in an instant snatched the demon sword and bang, bound it in Hyeon Won-chang’s grip. At that moment, Radiant Demon Wings Leader Cheong-myeong was deflecting a noble clan swordsman’s strike while stepping on Hyeon Won-chang’s forearm.

That forearm naturally descended. It was the left arm gripping the demon sword. Something impossible with just one or two attempts at combined techniques.

[……!]

Jeong Yeon-shin seemed to hear elegant laughter from the split sword path. It felt like a talkative sitting discussant.

—Hearing all kinds of nonsense.

Hyeon Won-chang’s voice rang doubly. Not only from Myriad View Place’s scenery, but also faintly from a crack that occurred right beside Jeong Yeon-shin.

—In a place without even alcohol.

Voices overlapping from both sides. Remarkably vivid, because the gap had opened. Instantly hazy white light entered Myriad View Place.

The current Desolate Fortress Lord’s arm moved.