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    Desolate Fortress Lord lent a hand. Immediately the General Administration Office’s information had to follow. Starting with Lim Jin-ming’s voice transmission filling his ears.

    —Reporting to Lord.

    “I’m listening.”

    —Regarding World Tree masters, though it’s purely speculation…

    “Please speak comfortably.”

    Jeong Yeon-shin tried slightly twisting one leg. An incredibly nimble and long calf… leg techniques creating blades with true energy seemed fine too. The elasticity of the Yongquan acupoint was also at an impeccable level.

    Rustle.

    Just the toe tilting slightly made World Tree masters react. Appearances of subtly twisting waists or weapons. Some even uniformly stepped back with retreat footwork, though at extremely short intervals.

    They assessed distance and trajectory.

    The scene of human formations rippling gently like a forest.

    Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

    ‘Truly the greatest martial military forces of all time…’

    Numbers were secondary. With just a few opportunities, they could scheme against Literary Star repeatedly. Because their grass blade-sharp ears communicated with World Tree.

    Lim Jin-ming’s report followed.

    —They seem to share even things they haven’t personally experienced through their upper energy centers. The reason the opponents’ ‘everyone’ reacts as if they’ve encountered Lord Jeong lies there.

    “That would be so.”

    There’s more.

    Compared to Lowly Revelation that occupies the front, their eye technique assessed all directions. With no blind spots, it was perfect for combined attacks. Literary Star must have struggled in that aspect too.

    Then what about reaction speed?

    Huuk!

    Jeong Yeon-shin with folded arms appeared in the martial military forces’ midst. Light clusters of propulsion energy waves mixing into her long hair.

    “……!”

    An afterimage like the night sky remained.

    Black hair’s afterimage extending long as if brush-stroked on atmosphere. Bone fragments, flesh pieces, and weapon shards hanging on it.

    A path was created from Literary Star’s immediate vicinity to the martial military forces’ center. Along with those who exploded at Jeong Yeon-shin’s advancing footwork.

    Kwakwakwakwakwakwang!

    He spoke to Lim Jin-ming and Woon Yu-jeong in the belated roar.

    “I’ll handle supply. Please both focus on protection. You must block well so energy waves don’t splash.”

    —Lord, no matter that he entered Seizing Womb, the reason for devoting this much effort to Chun-gap here…?

    A natural question.

    World Tree was a distant existence like a major city rising like a pillar. Not only its interior but also the battlefield surrounding it had to be vast. There were that many points where one could breathe easy with Desolate Fortress Lord’s manifestation.

    Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head while extending a hand backward.

    “This fight must be ended.”

    He skipped those charging at him like stones on water with Myriad Heavens Flower Rain’s emanation formula. Palm wind loaded with even protective strong energy’s rebound force. With just one move, five giant furrows were carved.

    Kuguugugugugung!

    “The tree must be dealt with first.”

    Those stuck in furrows vomited blood as soon as they rubbed against the ground. Because former Burning Abyss Squad Leader Un Yu-jeong had beheaded them and disappeared.

    She seemed to know well. That former Annihilation Seat Shin Cheon-hwa’s Unwilling to Conceal River Crossing Bond was a great method with restrictions on duration.

    ‘Otherwise, former Annihilation Seat Senior’s Divine Sword Group would have been the strongest of all time.’

    Because there would always have been over ten Divine Sword Group Leaders.

    In other words, Jeong Yeon-shin disappears again. Simultaneously he would be evaluated as a grand master. In the remaining battlefield with accumulated connections.

    Hwwareuk!

    Eternal Blossom Fist minor skill.

    ‘Flame River.’

    Colorless flames attached to furrows that had somehow increased to dozens of branches. Palm force that immediately collided with itself and distorted while inflating its mass.

    Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwa—!

    World Tree masters below became whole while buried in dirt then began being shattered to pieces again. The scene of flesh remains gathering like new shoots yet being crushed and bursting once more.

    Repeated endlessly.

    Endless regeneration ability and the death Jeong Yeon-shin delivered.

    In World Tree masters’ pupils, her appearance was demon among demons.

    “What is this…?”

    “Come.”

    In pandemonium’s midst, long hair billowed with colorless embers.

    ‘Eternally burning fire.’

    Jeong Yeon-shin raised palm wind with hand gestures while thinking of Flame River’s secret formula. Protective strong energy waves operated with Flame River, like putting wind into kindling. For a grand master, the roles were reversed. The poppy addict mustn’t know.

    Around then Lim Jin-ming’s voice had changed to exclamations.

    —Though ‘unity’ is an unparalleled miracle throughout history, not everyone acts like Blood Flame Cult Leader indefinitely.

    “That would be so. The only one with truly infinite accumulated energy would be the poppy addict. World Tree is merely a plunderer.”

    He answered slowly.

    To World Tree masters, there could be no greater insult. But none of them reacted to conversation. Only looking at Jeong Yeon-shin without even glancing at comrades exploding in Flame River.

    Huuk!

    At this moment, those flying with lightness skill alongside swords without blinking. To capture instantaneous gaps.

    As if entering eye technique’s hell.

    ‘Thousands of pairs of eyeballs…’

    Even while repeatedly striking, Jeong Yeon-shin tried feeling those gazes with his skin. To sense what Literary Star had experienced. In fierce combat, Lim Jin-ming’s voice transmission also continued.

    —Certainly World Tree holds all under heaven’s earth energy. Though that power would be distant to all creation… Nevertheless, some are still flesh pieces.

    “The tree conserves power?”

    —That’s the case. Of course, at least over nine thousand here still rise endlessly like ten-year Blood Flame Cult Leader.

    “Not a problem for Senior Jin and me.”

    —The key is supply. What here could handle a monster like Chun-gap’s internal energy circulation?

    “Mm.”

    —We don’t know when Resonance Spirit will arrive. What Divine Sword Group encountered is World Tree’s main force that even included Praising Earth Sword Duke and Northern Darkness Fist Marquis… No matter how fast Resonance Spirit’s lightness skill, we can’t expect evasive lightness skill matching Senior Woon and me from them.

    The same principle as Lazy Flame Dragon having difficulty moving as changeably as Divine Beggar Zhu Guang.

    ‘Seemed like I’d need the poppy addict’s hand for supply too… No chance.’

    Lazy Flame Dragon’s Scorching Yang Divine Energy was energy that killed people. He only survived because he himself was Scorching Divine Meridian, his physical combat power would have to be all under heaven’s greatest torture method rather than supply. Might even cause fire deviation with searing pain instead.

    Not something to attempt on the already unconscious Literary Star.

    —Supply aside, that friend’s condition is also a problem. Isn’t Seizing Womb’s completion unity of mind and spirit in the transformed body? No matter how well Lord polishes that monster’s body, if he himself can’t respond wholeheartedly…

    Then Jeong Yeon-shin trapped in countless arrows’ bombardment spun dance-like.

    Zzzzerjeong! Kureureureung!

    Right after returning four or five arrows caught between various fingers like thunderbolts, he cut off Lim Jin-ming’s words.

    “They say those who studied enough to pass palace examinations are mostly madmen. Not stopping contemplation even during meals or while asleep… Is the General Administration Office also so?”

    —Though most scholars here are also only those not mentally sound, why do you ask that?

    “Then that’s settled.”

    —Pardon?

    It was then.

    A wilderness sparsely blooming with new shoots.

    “……?!”

    Suddenly an indescribably tremendous roar exploded.

    Bizarreness like flood dragons of unfathomable size rubbing bodies in the immeasurably deep underground.

    With one reverberation the earth violently shook. Part of the horizon even flipped far away following moonlight. Wave-like aftermath literally like earthquakes was rushing in.

    World Tree’s roar.

    According to immediate upper energy center insight. Simultaneously sounds that affected Jeong Yeon-shin’s true body at Myriad View Place side were also varied.

    Deafening roar as if inside thunder, Myriad View Place shaking as if about to collapse any moment, Golden Thunder’s scream that rang distantly in some unknown passage, World Tree summit noble clans’ simultaneous outcries…

    —Cannot stop Desolate Fortress Lord Lightning Genius! The martial arts usage pattern is also strange! Not critical single strike style martial arts, but as if building walls with tribes around Rakshasa strategist… Wait, this form is…?!

    —Sun Direction General ambushed! Great Righteous Orthodox Martial Alliance Leader Wandering Star…! Why?

    —Praising Earth Sword Duke! Divine Sword Group Leader Dream Flight, that’s far enough! Return immediately!

    —Need to reform the battlefield. Suggest activating wide-area Form Shifting Void. Will deliver candidate sites to main trunk. Sword King’s Sichuan Province, Henan Xinye County, eastern Hanyang, northern Black Capital, Xiangyang Desolate Fortress…

    —Clan Leader’s Transcendent Martial Art hits Fighting God directly! Confirm pulverization of Northern Force Primal Origin Desolation! Fighting God didn’t use Transcendent Martial Art! Heaven-reaching Bow Count, finish…!

    —Why did Golden Thunder elder come up here?

    —Main trunk is moving! Prepare for shock!

    That last statement.

    Truly shocking story, yet World Tree had already flipped the wilderness’s ground surface. Tree dragon-like roots were rising from earth.

    And it moved.

    “……!”

    Tree with legs.

    Now that he looked, it was words that extremely diluted grotesque terror. An appearance advancing while entirely blocking even moonlight. Shadows the size of wilderness were rapidly covering overhead.

    Vibration was excessive so no sound was heard.

    Everything was swallowed into it. The bone sounds spreading in flesh pieces Jeong Yeon-shin piled like graves, noise as if muscles were transcendently compressed like metal, wind-cutting sounds as if energy was endlessly sucked in.

    Even trivially, Yelu Zhen’s mockery-like concern together.

    —Hope my brother chose properly.

    Then pitch-black shadow.

    * * *

    All around was dusky.

    Literary Star knew he himself had fallen into contemplation. Only not knowing how long he’d been immersed in thought. His upper energy center overheated as if the day before palace examinations showed all kinds of subjects in human form just like then.

    When reviewing Analects it was Confucius and his disciples, when delving into Mencius it was King Hui of Liang, just now Jeong Yeon-shin had been expelled from his upper energy center after bizarre talk about Pangu giants or such.

    Now it was Southern Emperor.

    —How is it, changing lords?

    “Quite fine. The General Administration Office has masters of literary writing, which is nice.”

    —Generally those who served two or more sovereigns had extremely different ends. Glory and wealth above ten thousand people, and traitors throughout history. Which side do you think you’ll be?

    “Who knows.”

    Literary Star smiled ambiguously.

    “If fortune follows well, might close eyes normally… Even if my name doesn’t remain large in history.”

    —Southern people consider me demon army. The gaze toward those gathered by me is the same. Confucian scholars like you who wish to benefit all under heaven inevitably have ambition for fame… Can you truly endure? As a solitary body, while supporting a new lord?

    Then Southern Emperor repeatedly asked.

    —Giant who buried your body in walls I built with death, can you endure bright land? A beast with peeled skin is merely prey. The shade I surrounded you with was also so.

    “In barren land, Demon Realm’s corpse tower was useful to us in various ways. Thanks to that you wore the infamy of demon army… Ah, anyway all my skin has already been peeled. Quite stinging.”

    Literary Star briefly lowered eyelids while recalling those intense pains. And said.

    “But I don’t know why circulation became ample. Natural earth energy nearby should have dried up… Do you know the reason?”

    Southern Emperor didn’t answer.

    Only made low laughter.

    Literary Star opened his eyes to see his face. Simultaneously cool night wind like Southern Emperor’s stone chamber swept up his eyebrows.

    Kuguugugugugugugung—!

    Roar as if flood dragons slid across wilderness.

    Outside upper energy center.

    It wasn’t bright. Dusky.

    Because of shadows.

    Literary Star’s lips that instantly swept left and right twitched. Because those who had peeled his skin were piled layer upon layer. Flesh pieces made of World Tree masters created extremely fertile land.

    Jeong Yeon-shin was nowhere.

    [This day, Jeong Family’s Lightning Genius.]

    Only some woman with folded arms stood on one side of flesh pieces’ slope.

    [Transmitted Jeong Family Dynamic Technique to Li Family’s Literary Star.]

    She was vivid in twilight like Southern Emperor.

    The next moment Literary Star had leaped to the top of walls surrounding him. Naturally identifying the roar’s source. Absurdly World Tree had sprinted close, so near that neither top nor bottom nor left nor right ends were visible.

    Earth roared.

    A scene as if world’s edge rushed in.

    He didn’t evade.

    The gaunt, tall scholar-style giant stepped on mountains of corpses and roared.

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