Chapter 253 – Ascension (3)

A sealed chamber, its eight sides blocked by stone walls.

It was spacious and well-lit, large enough to house a dozen people comfortably.

The ceiling was high. Rows of lanterns hung, illuminating every direction.

“The commotion’s quite loud. Hear that rumble? What kind of steps are those… Should we check it out?”

“Forget it. Our job is to stay put.”

Four shadows flickered intermittently with the light.

Swordsmen clad in green robes stood guard, occasionally glancing at a girl sleeping on a bed near an altar. Their vigilance was casual, close to routine.

“Maybe we overreacted. You’re right—meddling unnecessarily is defiance.”

“They’re probably just riffraff anyway. Bandits raiding a courier agency, perhaps.”

“They think they’re the best in the nearby mountains. They don’t even know they’ve stepped into Ghostly Ring Hell.”

The four swordsmen conversed. Their tones lacked inflection.

“I don’t think so. Those who’ve found the inner sanctum of our main branch can’t be insignificant…”

“The top demon is here, isn’t he? Since the child’s here, he hasn’t left yet.”

“Hm, true.”

A bit of laxity was fine. They were performing a simple task in a top-secret hideout.

Guarding a six- or seven-year-old child, in the deepest underground stone chamber of the manor.

The thick walls made it nearly impossible to sense presences with ordinary perception. Even if enemies infiltrated after spotting the courier agency’s sign, Yu Ling wouldn’t be defeated so easily.

A major faction’s operations weren’t so lax. Finding this place would take an age.

With Wei Ke-xiang, a supreme warrior, holding the fort as branch leader, even the sect masters of Xi’an’s seven great factions couldn’t cross the hall’s threshold.

“With that appearance, I’d believe she’s a royal child.”

A green-robed woman glanced sidelong at the sleeping Jeong Hye.

Her hand rested on her sword hilt, exuding a routine sternness, yet she carried the relaxed presence of a major faction’s warrior. The composure of the strong.

“Isn’t she the disciple of that senile Sword Immortal who died? She’d at least match Zhongnan’s rank.”

“They say there’s no handsome youth without noble blood. Maybe she’s got Elf Clan lineage.”

“As the kin of the current Radiant Demon Wing Leader, how could she not?”

“You mean Lightning Genius? I doubted his existence even after reading the reports. The world’s vast, but still…”

“The feats of Ming Cult’s young leader were dismissed at first too. Think of it as one of the martial world’s mysteries.”

Faint voices echoed softly.

It was when Yu Ling’s guardian warriors exchanged idle chatter.

“Uh…”

A delicate voice rang out. From the bed near the headstone. Jeong Hye had opened her eyes.

Startled, she sat up, the lantern light casting shadows on her small nose. Her youthful features were delicate yet distinct.

Yu Ling’s masters glanced at Jeong Hye. Their gazes appraised her like rare porcelain.

“She’s awake.”

“She’ll fall back asleep in about an hour. How long do we play nursemaid?”

“Until her energy settles, they said.”

A disciple brought in by Shaanxi’s top demon Wei Ke-xiang. A grand method was underway to refine her Zhongnan inner energy with the Heavenly Tomb Demon Technique’s true energy.

They had gifted her century-old ginseng and circulated her inner energy extensively.

All done with utmost care to avoid harming the child’s body. To raise her as Yu Ling’s supreme master.

Preparations were in motion. Her repeated long slumbers were deemed natural. The Heavenly Tomb Demon Technique was among Yu Ling’s most elite arts.

One swordsman asked with a smiling face.

“Time for a snack. Anything you fancy?”

“On Zhongnan Mountain…”

Jeong Hye mumbled dazedly. Still half-asleep, yet her small voice carried a clear intent.

The Yu Ling swordsman turned toward the opposite door.

“She wants tofu pudding again. She sure loves it. Better tell the servant to prepare it properly.”

“I’ll go. Check the situation too.”

The tone was casual. A faint mist gathered in Jeong Hye’s eyes.

No one paid her further attention. A man stepped toward the massive stone door.

Boom!

It happened in an instant.

A tremendous roar erupted as the door was forced inward. A force beyond human limits swirled from behind it.

A ferocious energy wave stormed in like a tempest. Facing the door’s sudden cannon-like thrust, the man swiftly struck it with the back of his hand.

The reaction speed of a Thirteen Evil Sects master was that quick.

“Hup!”

The man’s eyes sharpened as he exhaled sharply.

The accelerating door crushed his hand’s trajectory, shoving it back.

His arm, colliding with the stone, folded back into his chest. The energy wave, unspent, swirled colorlessly, rattling with the door.

Even so, he was pushed back to the wall. Unstoppable force. The air-rending sound was deafening.

Rumble!

His body smashed into the stone wall with the door, crushed entirely. The energy wave dissipated weakly through the cracks. Instant death. No time to examine closely.

At the same time.

A worn leather boot stepped over the threshold.

Step.

The toe wobbled slightly. A staggering gait. Bloodstains even spread from the black sole.

“Defend!”

“I’ll take the front!”

Worthy of Thirteen Evil Sects warriors. The remaining swordsmen reacted instantly. Even facing an unthinkable event, their movement techniques were swift.

Three formed a triangular formation. Heavenly Tomb Primal Spirit Sword Array. A secret art of Yu Ling.

A faint aura flowed around the swordsmen gripping their blades low. Dust-laden wind.

Whoosh—

It signified energy synergy. They had aligned their inner energy waves.

A sword array was martial learning designed to harness multiple warriors’ strength effectively. The higher the mastery, the greater the joint attack’s potency.

The Heavenly Tomb Primal Spirit Sword Array was a rare, refined technique that boosted speed and sword power through sectmates’ energy.

Crack!

The three charged simultaneously. Their movements differed from the fallen warrior’s. Drawing their swords mid-leap, they moved with incredible speed.

The whistling sound tore through the air. Three streaks of sword light shot toward the intruder like lightning.

Around then, the intruder’s form became visible.

Disheveled hair absorbing the lantern light darkly, a somewhat lonely gaze, a youthful face so striking it seemed unreal, and a blood-soaked upper body.

“Filthy vermin.”

He spoke.

A formidable energy wave emanated from his stance, gripping a pure white sword. The translucent energy trembled unstably, yet its presence was overwhelming.

The lantern flames danced wildly as if caught in a storm. The shadows of the charging swordsmen scattered in all directions.

As the three strikes of the Heavenly Tomb Primal Spirit Sword Array sliced through space.

The intruder raised his left hand.

The gentle dust currents distorted. A prelude to his move.

The energy gathered in his hand was unbelievably potent, its release speed terrifyingly fast. Before the three sword paths reached, an overpowering energy wave loaded into his palm.

‘A supreme master…!’

In that brief moment, the three swordsmen’s composure faltered.

Too late. A monstrous tempest surged forth, bridging the distance.

Unrefined, as if unleashed carelessly, yet the energy wave that struck them was like a typhoon of blades.

The three swords they had thrust clashed violently, scattering in all directions.

Clang clang clang—!

If a drunken wastrel wielded Shaolin’s Hundred Steps Divine Fist, would it look like this?

Though disordered, it shattered the faint aura weaving through the swordsmen in an instant.

The technique that broke the sword array’s energy synergy was supremely refined. Soon, blood spurted from the bodies of two swordsmen caught in the colorless wave.

“Gah!”

They fell, carried by their own momentum.

Instant death. Eyes wide open.

The surviving swordsman on the right halted, face ashen with shock.

“Squad Leader, the squad leader’s gone again!”

“Snowstorm Sword, you idiot! Support him properly!”

“How do I keep up with Wind Body movement? Anyway, it’s that way!”

Voices clamored chaotically from outside.

The dazed swordsman flinched. Yu Ling dealt in information. A few clues could unravel anything.

Recalling Jeong Hye’s mention of tofu pudding, he realized instantly.

“The Radiant Demon Wing Leader?”

He recognized the monstrous force they had jested about standing before him. Amid the renewed surge of inner energy waves.

Beyond the swiftly approaching palm force, Lightning Genius, the Radiant Demon Wing Leader, lowered his hand impassively, his figure fading.

‘How sharp must his senses be to reach here directly…’

The Yu Ling swordsman laughed hollowly.

He had crossed blades with a martial world marvel. Should he consider it an honor?

Roar—!

An unstoppable energy wave swept him away. Blood burst sparsely in the translucent wind, catching the lantern light.

The palm wind severed a life in an instant, dispersing in all directions. Before the swordsman even fell. A thud followed, then silence.

Only Jeong Hye had the right to break that stillness.

“Ah…?”

A dazed gasp escaped. The child’s mouth parted slightly.

Despite her young age, she had been revered as the Sword Immortal of Zhongnan’s disciple. Fed rare herbs and taught Taoist scriptures.

Her already keen intellect had been honed sharply, and after surviving the nets of Yu Ling and the Tyrant Sword Sect, she had gained insight into major factions.

Fearsome people.

So the scene before her felt like a dream. Her uncle had been a vague figure at home, but now he seemed the clearest in the world. Was this real?

“Hye-ah.”

A low call, pleasant to hear. A much deeper voice.

Even at her tender age, fearing it was a dream, Jeong Hye’s teary face brightened.

“Uncle…!”

“It’s Hye-ah.”

Jeong Yeon-shin finally relaxed his entire body.

The painkiller’s effect was fading, and his body wouldn’t move properly. He’d had to use the air-shattering palm strike he’d tested during Hyeon Won-chang’s blue-rank exam.

He’d thought it akin to an intensified Hundred Steps Divine Fist, but thankfully, the enemies’ skills were mediocre, making it effective.

‘Good thing these fools could stomach food with such skills.’

Relieved inwardly, he knelt on one knee.

“Uncle—!”

Jeong Hye ran with short legs and threw herself into his arms.

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader wrapped one arm around her back, his lips curving faintly.

Jeong Yeon-shin thought: Mother, I’ve protected the kin tied to your companion.

“It’s okay. It’ll be okay now.”

His reassuring words faded toward the end.

His eyelids grew heavy. He stroked his niece’s small back and closed his eyes.

Three presences leaped toward him from behind.

A sharp, refined wind; a deep, warm energy like an abyss; and bold, silent footwork. Cheong Myeong, Baek Mi-ryeo, and Hyeon Won-chang—the Radiant Demon Trio.

“This uncle’s a bit sleepy…”

He whispered gently into Jeong Hye’s ear.

Fainting like this wasn’t frightening. He was just worried for his niece.

“Don’t be scared.”

With that, Jeong Yeon-shin lost consciousness.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

The battlefield was gradually being tidied.

Mount Hua Sect Leader stood still, hands clasped behind her back.

“…”

Brilliant Jade Sword God Lady Lu. Lady Lu Xian.

The pink robe’s hem flowed long over her white-socked feet. Though out of place on the rough dirt, it looked natural.

“Lady” wasn’t a common title. It denoted a Taoist deity.

[TL Note- it’s different from Lady in Lady Ye, This Lady denotes that the person is of royalty or a deity.]

“Cargo from Zhongyang Merchants.”

“Move it over there. The officials will handle it.”

“Use your movement techniques properly! Hurry up!”

Her peerless presence was transcendent. Doing nothing, she enabled everything.

Surviving enemies either took their own lives or surrendered to become laborers. They had already lost their will in the fight between the Radiant Demon Wing Leader and Shaanxi’s top demon.

They moved under Desolate Fortress warriors’ watch. Yu Ling’s Shaanxi branch, disguised as a courier agency, was dismantled in moments.

“Tangled with the Heart Martial Alliance’s Sword Ghost.”

Lady Lu Xian murmured slowly, clenching and unclenching the hand briefly imbued with sorcery-like energy.

“I thought he’d live and die as a pest, but he shames this poor taoist.”

She stood among the Radiant Demon warriors encircling a spot.

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader lay on a sleeping bag padded with dozens of layers, her intrigued gaze scanning Lightning Genius’s face as if he were a rare delicacy.

“More splendid than any sword path. Sharing a meal with this child, even plain grain pills would go down smoothly. No choking.”

“Master, please, some dignity…”

A young Taoist boy, Yu Hyeon of Mount Hua’s Hidden Dragon, muttered as he looked worriedly at Jeong Yeon-shin.

Radiant Demon masters yielded space but didn’t join the talk. Desolate Fortress members were famously unapproachable.

They focused entirely on their squad leader, lowering their voices.

“His internal injuries are massive. Moving him further from here is impossible. We need to worry about qi deviation.”

“I don’t know how he moved. How he unleashed such might with that body—I can’t comprehend it. It’s maddening.”

“Hm…”

“…Someone dug up the spot next to that Hwangbo wastrel.”

“It’s his grave. Wait till he wakes. He should know his sins.”

“Didn’t they say the Tyrant Sword Sect and Blood Flame Sect are moving? We need to retreat first. What do we do…”

A heavy conversation.

It persisted until Lady Lu Xian parted her lips.

“Someone with exceptional movement skills should take charge of the Radiant Demon Wing Leader. As you suspect, his internal injuries are severe. Regaining consciousness will require long recovery, so entrust him to a safe haven. The sword-crazed and blood demons stirring Shaanxi were always Mount Hua and Zhongnan’s burden.”

Her clear voice carried an absolute weight. The Mount Hua Sect Leader’s words held authority.

The masters around the sleeping bag gazed silently at Jeong Yeon-shin.

Skin that seemed to soak in sunlight vividly, a nose rising proudly like a warrior’s spirit, and elegant lashes casting their own shadows—all evoking silence.

Then.

Suddenly.

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s eyelids lifted naturally.

Dark eyes emerged, glinting with the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique’s power.

“…”

His black gaze captured dozens of staring eyes.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly parted his lips.

“…What.”

A slightly hoarse voice flowed out.