Chapter 755 – Three Radiances Demon

Instantaneously Literary Star’s presence inflated in magnitude. A feeling that blocked not only Lim Jin-ming’s but everyone nearby’s upper energy center.

Was it because of that?

Before it, Jeong Yeon-shin rippling like smoke seemed like ashes remaining after burning many things. Even more so because he was a semi-transparent primordial spirit.

He was the origin of this fight.

Some jianghu people were no different from dead. Those martial warriors who lost freedom were so. Even after such death, Jeong Yeon-shin was kindling war throughout all under heaven.

‘Already carved in history.’

Lim Jin-ming thought. The Lord’s name would be recorded by brush strokes and not die.

Rustle.

In time that seemed to have stopped, only Jeong Yeon-shin’s hair fluttered ceaselessly. Black hair that billowed long then cascaded below the waist, and surged up again as if asking when that happened.

That bearing was the very symbol of Desolate Fortress Lord.

“……”

Only then.

The enemies moved.

“The Rakshasa strategist’s movements…?”

Turmoil arose among the ten thousand-plus martial military forces filling the wilderness like a thicket. Those who had just faced the giant.

Though they said they were just before killing Literary Star, they truly crossed between life and death. They couldn’t help but be unable to remain still. Even more so if they achieved some insight with their upper energy center like Lim Jin-ming.

—Wasn’t there information that Desolate Day Extinction wielded primordial spirit? How is that disaster here?

—Should confirm if he’s truly trapped in the main trunk. Maintaining reason like that doesn’t make sense…?

Lim Jin-ming’s ears filled with explosive voice transmissions. Enough for former Burning Abyss Squad Leader Woon Yu-jeong nearby to furrow her brow.

—Still, look at the ears. They’re tribal form.

—Most fortunate. He’ll soon follow the main trunk’s will.

—Attack first?

—First strike against that one…? Higher-ups, give proper instructions.

Like pandemonium. Right before explosion.

Since they would return even if they met death anyway.

‘Does it mean they experienced something beyond death? Such lofty ones…? Perhaps the key to this absurd fight lies there.’

It was when Lim Jin-ming thought. Suddenly Jeong Yeon-shin’s intent rang.

[To position.]

The moment he heard those words, Lim Jin-ming folded his thoughts. He naturally stepped on wind, fell, and landed behind Jeong Yeon-shin. Former Burning Abyss Squad Leader Woon Yu-jeong was already standing beside Jeong Yeon-shin.

Her mouth opened.

“The Lord won’t deign to ask.”

[This person.]

Jeong Yeon-shin still placed his hand on Literary Star’s head. Only by approaching this close did Lim Jin-ming feel it. The martial force undulations flowing out faintly while drawing all kinds of waveforms from Jeong Yeon-shin’s palm.

A feeling of writing characters with energy waves.

Naturally Literary Star would be feeling it exactly as is. Through the Baihui acupoint at the crown, and through the upper energy center connected to it.

[I will make him Vice Grand Administrator of Desolate Fortress.]

Though unprecedented personnel appointment was made, Literary Star’s eyes were closed. An appearance of sleeping while kneeling on one knee.

A state of no-mind.

The words Jeong Yeon-shin spat earlier would have been imprinted as martial arts instructions.

Now circulation routes and various oral instructions would be being transmitted. Perhaps Jeong Yeon-shin was directly coordinating changes through Literary Star’s upper energy center. It seemed possible for the one before his eyes.

“Should we stand as protectors?”

Woon Yu-jeong asked while rubbing the ground with her soles. Even just that seemed to accumulate energy waves. Because dirt and sprouts at her feet puffed up and bounced on their own.

Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head.

[Supply is needed. Literary Star now is like a dying flame, and firewood is needed to see efficacy.]

The efficacy of what.

Without question, it was Bone Transformation.

Possible because Jeong Family Dynamic Technique’s inheritor was a master of the physical body. Like when Yue Shou-lin had molted, it was like a waterfall falling into a jar full of water.

‘Dream Flight Group Leader exhausted all martial force on Bone Transformation, then faced Profound Martial Alliance’s group with the seventeen great squad leader’s true energy supply.’

They said Jeong Yeon-shin grew limbs with Heavenly Pillar Gate’s lake water, Shaolin’s Minor Rejuvenation Pill, and Mount Hua’s Purple Revival Pill.

Now the situation was different.

Literary Star had nothing. It was after holding back World Tree’s martial military forces and then massacring them. Wasn’t his appearance originally on the verge of premature death after exhausting all vitality?

‘It’s an overwhelming battlefield.’

Lim Jin-ming’s worry was also there.

‘How to supply power befitting that monster now? If we’re late, the transformation might stop…’

But the Lord’s orders had to be executed. He conveyed words into Divine Sword Group’s Bright Wind Cave voice transmission space.

—Without preamble, I report Li Chun-gap has been appointed Vice Grand Administrator of Desolate Fortress. Deputy Group Leader, can you divert Resonance Spirit Squad here? True energy supply is urgently needed.

—My Golden Command Fine Hand…

—Hm?

—Resonance Spirit is possible. Not speaking to Dream Flight Group Leader was also well done. Praising Earth Sword Duke’s strength has exceeded common sense…

—Understood. Take care of yourself too. Your efforts in breaking through equivalent forces are appreciated.

Though Jin Myeong-jo was always reliable, Lim Jin-ming couldn’t relax. He looked up at the sky.

Arrows that had risen like the Milky Way and World Tree’s weapons that had been infinitely driving down from the distant sky. They had stopped at Jeong Yeon-shin’s single step earlier, but now began moving again. Though slowly, clearly advancing in the original direction.

Kuguugugugugung!

As if frozen time melted.

“……!”

What manifested here wasn’t Jeong Yeon-shin’s true body. World Tree’s masters finally seemed to realize it. Lim Jin-ming thought it wasn’t good.

‘Forces that would beat even Chun-gap to death. And still repeat regeneration with all under heaven’s earth energy and World Tree’s abilities… If all must be considered Blood Flame Cult Leaders of his realm, this group can’t even hold out.’

Same even if Resonance Spirit Squad came.

Monsters of accumulated energy who abandoned Three Flowers Gathering at Crown and focused only on spirit medicine ingestion and respiration. Naturally their techniques’ profundity and intent couldn’t keep up with energy.

—Main trunk’s southern direction… Desolate Day Extinction’s primordial spirit has exhausted accumulated energy. Heaven-reaching Bow Count, please support.

—Vine Mist Hall load energy waves first and follow me. You must be on high alert against Former Burning Abyss Squad Leader as top priority.

World Tree’s martial military forces closed distance with Grass-Treading Step. A crowd of masters overwhelming enough to appear as blade mountain sword forest. Spreading left and right to embrace Jeong Yeon-shin’s group.

Zwaaaaaaaaeng!

There were also archery masters who shot arrows in quite unexpected directions. Archery technique accumulating energy waves. Those arrows would whirl around storms and strike Literary Star.

How could they protect? They couldn’t carry a human who entered transformation. Wasn’t even Jeong Yeon-shin’s primordial spirit about to scatter like pier fog?

‘Then, the final move…’

Lim Jin-ming’s thoughts cut off. Because Jeong Yeon-shin’s intent rang.

[Form Transposition.]

* * *

Jeong Yeon-shin recalled Ten Perfections Sect Leader.

Sun Direction General’s top disciple who was overwhelmingly driving back Lazy Flame Dragon and others in World Tree’s quite distant northwest direction.

‘The general who fled.’

He had killed him during black-rank days. After holding a funeral for the Tang siblings. The master of Thirteen Evil Sects’ who had established territory in Sichuan province, and the person who handled primordial spirit best throughout his experience.

[Was it like this?]

Trudge.

With Jeong Yeon-shin placing his hand on Literary Star before him, another Jeong Yeon-shin segmented out with one backward step.

Two Jeong Yeon-shins.

World Tree’s masters who had somehow pressed in to a hundred paces ahead stopped like a lie. It wasn’t difficult with their Grass-Treading Step. Only the lightness skill’s reverse wind was fierce.

Hwaaaaaaaak!

Truly no different from a typhoon.

Extreme vigilance.

The second Jeong Yeon-shin was fainter than Jeong Yeon-shin with Literary Star. Natural since one power split in two. Only primordial spirit’s characteristically dream-like dull sensation was the same.

It was a state where maintaining the body was difficult.

‘Can’t fight with this but…’

The second split Jeong Yeon-shin slowly moved his mouth.

[Come out.]

Those few words.

Words spat toward the shadow at his feet. The body’s shade that had already become somewhat thicker when manifesting as primordial spirit.

Woong…

From whitish undulations, some woman rose like a bat. A face wearing an eyepatch, black robe with only the snow-white left arm sleeveless.

Her hair was red like other blood demons.

Unstably fluctuating color. It seemed because of fragrance spreading elegantly from her body.

‘Dharma power.’

Demon-Destroying Azure Unyielding Palm that touched the untouchable and crushed demonic beings. Even while self-destructing, she endured with regeneration ability.

As if Brilliant River techniques manifested as a person.

[It must hurt.]

At the soliloquy, Seventh Apostle’s lips moved.

“There are more painful things.”

In her single red eye, Jeong Yeon-shin was reflected. That Jeong Yeon-shin was reddish. Like a sunset about to descend beyond the horizon.

[…Did you hear everything?]

“I’m good at getting hurt. Followed you north and did it a lot.”

Meaning to block the martial military forces again.

[No.]

Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head.

[Come here and entrust yourself to me.]

He recalled former Divine Sword Group Leader Shin Cheon-hwa. Jeong Yeon-shin had no intention of leaving the battlefield like this. That wasn’t Desolate Fortress Lord, and hard to call grand master of martial veins either.

Even commoners had things worth protecting by staking their lives.

Jeong Yeon-shin had many.

It was then.

Huuk!

Vision became opaque. As if fog suddenly descended. Simultaneously an illusion like a hand made of tree trunk gesturing swept his head like a shudder.

‘World Tree? Consciousness is…’

A feeling like his soul would be entirely transferred to World Tree.

He devoted himself to internal energy breathing to sustain manifestation even a little longer, but as expected it didn’t work well. Because he had allocated much energy to the primordial spirit transforming Literary Star.

Suddenly a hand pulling his collar.

Rustle.

Looking down, he was pulled as if to be embraced. The sight of Jeong Yeon-shin’s transparent breath caught on Seventh Apostle’s lips rising. Smiling gently, she had no words.

Only nearby arrows were noisy.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwang!

Drawing huge curves as if to overlap the horizon, then sharply bending inward. Each wrapped in semi-transparent vortexes. The sound scraping the atmosphere was tremendous. Literary Star was at the end of most those trajectories.

[I’ll wear you.]

Before even finishing those words, Jeong Yeon-shin approached Seventh Apostle. It was an instant until the completely transparent body overlapped her. Momentarily her pitch-black dyed hair billowed below her waist.

Huuk!

Now one person.

The body was overlaid with wondrous spirituality. In his ears, Shin Cheon-hwa’s voice asking sometime echoed.

—How did you manifest in Shin Byeok’s body?

The eye hidden by the eyepatch that scattered like sand grains was revealed. The empty socket was filled with an eyeball like condensed starry night. An eyeball of blue-black internal energy.

Features and body shape changed like that.

Eye corners slightly raised like Jeong Yeon-shin were secondary. Faintly swelling back muscles created an even more extreme back curve. As if Jeong Yeon-shin was born a woman.

‘Art technique martial arts implementing oneself… I’m incomplete. Is it because I executed without formation?’

Desolate Fortress Divine Song Secret Transmission.

—Unwilling to Conceal River Crossing Bond.

They said it was a technique that could be activated at minimum upon reaching Divine Sword Group Leader’s status.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzing!

Former Burning Abyss Squad Leader Woon Yu-jeong’s face revealed bewilderment while kicking away countless arrows in the sky.

“My Group Leader…?!”

“Seniors, the rear.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said while clenching and opening one grip.

‘This body.’

How well did it fit himself?

There was no sense of disparity. No coordination needed in nerves connecting from fingertips to upper energy center. Only the whisper repeating in his mind like divine art oral instructions was the problem. You made of me, me made of you, you made of me…

“Supply, protection, battlefield cleanup.”

Jeong Yeon-shin muttered. White breath leaked from lips that felt somewhat thin.

The body was hot.

Was it because of Blood Art true energy and dharma power’s collision? Strange elation was also a problem. He seemed to need to move quickly.

Trudge.

Radiant Wings Eighth Step.

The moment he stepped on the ground once, World Tree masters who had been extending swords toward crouching Literary Star burst apart heads and all with pubububuk sounds.